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denimbex1986 · 3 years

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“...I am a huge Captain America fan...”

Kari:: “...I love your shirt...” (host is wearing a CA shirt)

...one of my favourite characters, and I can't wait for audiences to experience this show. Now, with expectations set so high for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, because of its lineage to the Captain America and Winter Soldier franchise, and this is debuting right after the groundbreaking WandaVision. What aspects of storytelling did you - did you want to focus on to set this series apart?”

“Well, you know, it starts with the - it started at the end of Endgame, right? That was the, that was the - the inciting incident, as it were, to begin - to kick off this series, and so we get to now - and we, of course, saw that years ago, but, so we get to go on that ride. And that it's really a: is Sam going to take on that shield? And what is it for a black man to take on that shield? What is it for the black community? What is it for the white community? It's a very iconic, kind of classic white symbol, and it has been - done some maybe not such good things. So, he has to really go on a journey of, of deciding is that for him or not? And is it relevant or not? We also, we also talk a lot about nationalism; we talk about what is a hero? He has to come to terms with the new hero versus, you know, what was the paradigm of the old hero, which is really from the 40′s and 50′s. And, and Bucky has to figure out where - his own relevance, because he's 108 years old, you know, so - and the world has changed, and how does he go forward, and he's got guilt issues, because he has done some collateral damage and he has to face that - and, and, we don't usually get to see that in, in any entertainment, let alone the MCU. So, we go on some wonderful journeys that, and have really interesting discussions, all while having, you know, serving the the Marvel ironic humour and the fantastic action sequences, and we really get inside these characters.”

“What makes Captain America as a title so important to the Marvel Universe?”

“Well, I think, you know, he kind of kicked it off. So it’s, it-s - he's sort of an anchor to the whole - you know, he’s the edge to the wedge, I suppose, from early, you know, very early days. And he defined, I guess, kind of defined, for its time, he defined what a hero was - in a form, in a comic form, obviously. But there was, there was some sense of that, and so what makes this so exciting, this story to tell is we're really looking at that and saying, ‘Is it - does that make sense anymore?’"

“...you’ve become a master of speaking to the sociopolitical and what if aspects in your projects. Will Sharon Carter be a character you speak through this season? If not, who is that character that you're kind of eyeing to speak through?”

“Well, I think I'm speaking - in terms of the sociopolitical of it - through all of the characters, actually. As it unwinds, you will find that conversation comes out of everybody's mouth. Because it's super relevant today, and super important that we, we talk about what's going on currently. So, yeah, each character has their, has their lane in that same big conversation. Certainly, I think the core of it is really Sam and Bucky, because they're both figuring out their future path, but they're also very conscious of what the shield was or wasn't; could be or isn't, and, and what that looks like. So I, I think partly because, you know, they're the core of the story, but, so, it really is a broad spectrum, I suppose, it really is, you know, by the end of it, it all adds up.”

“..were there any particular movies or television series that you used as inspiration when bringing the - this show to life?”

“Well, we didn’t really - you know we, I look at a lot of shows. I look at a really broad spectrum; I look at everything from David Lean to Lina Wertmüller, to you know - I mean look at a really unique and very arty, you know, spectrum. But then I, we also looked a lot at the buddy cop movies and that paradigm, because we were capturing, you know, the 48 Hours of it, the Lethal Weapon of it. So, we were definitely looked at those kinds of relationship movies. I would like to think that, with all of that, we really stirred the pot and came up with something that really is unique and - and has its own signature, so, you know, fingers crossed that's how the fans see it.”

“...I’m loving it so far. Now, one of the most fascinating shows in recent times has been Watchmen because it blends real life African American history with sci-fi and comic book movie tropes. Do you think that there might be a similar opportunity to tell that kind of a story with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier?”

“Well yes, I mean we are in the arena of telling a real world, you know, a real world story. We embrace black history; we embrace, you know, the, the commentary that, that they made alongside what we are making. So yes - yes, yes and yes. I think it’s - we are all opening very interesting conversations by these, by these shows and these series.”

“I'm so excited to explore Sam and Bucky some more, because in a two-hour film, there's only so much story you can fit in there. Now, we've never really addressed their backstories - Sam and Bucky at least , we’ve never really addressed their backstories. Can you talk to me a little bit about how the series and the audience might perceive them after this show?”

“After the show?”

“..or during the process and the journey of the show I really should say.”

“Yeah okay, because after, I don't know. But I can say that through, through the journey, you know, what is great is it's six hours. I call it the meal. If the movie is a snack, this is the meal. And we get to savuor the characters, we get to know them, we get to be inside their heads. And we get to go on - we grow with them, because we have the time to be there. We don't have to race from, from A to B, and we are without the time pressure; we are allowed to, you know, sit with some of the stories of their, you know, their life. We get to meet Sam's - Sam’s family. We get to find out more about Bucky and what he’s - what he's doing; how he's trying to heal himself if he can, we’re not sure. So ,I think what's going to happen is we're going to really fall in love with them, and fall into, we're going to really root for them, because we've got - we’ve come to know them, not just as people who can do extraordinary things, but, but really people who are extraordinary people. And that, for me, is new to the MCU.”

"...WandaVision was really about exploring Wanda's grief and evolving the Scarlet Witch, and setting up the multiverse in the film franchise. What is this setting up? Are we - do you think we could be heading towards another Captain America movie or another team? Or will there be a defined Captain America by the end of this series?”

“You know, I think this is going to set up all kinds of surprises. And, all I can say is what you might think you know, or what you might think is going to happen, you'll be surprised.”

“Now, how much time has passed since Endgame in the beginning of this series?”

“Well, we blipped back. So, we just blipped back and then we are about , I don’t know, about three to four months after the Blip back.

“...the Sokovia Accords have been felt though the whole MCU; we’ve had Wanda dealing with it with SWORD, Peter Parker on the run. Will this be, like, the Sokovia Accords, will this subtly in the show and would we see Sam and Bucky kina dealing with the ramifications of that after the blip as well?”

“I - well I think the Sokovia Accords were so impactful that they, -the world is the world post So - post the Accords, so you’re always kind of dealing with it, or it’s always part of a conversation.”

“Okay.”

“So, you know, it’s, yeah, I guess. But, but not - it’s part of their - the history.”

“...I can’t wait to see the show unfold...thank you so much for your time...”

#falcon and the winter soldier #kari skogland #Sebastian Stan #anthony mackie

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the-trashy-phoenix · 3 years

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Supernatural season 5 review (part 2)

Link to part 1:

Irene and I had finished season 5 and, as I already imagined, I loved it. I'm not quite sure if I like it more than the previous one, I think they're kind of in the same level of greatness.

It starts with Lucifer rising again and Sam and Dean being miraculously saved. They immediately meet Chuck to know what happened with the angels and the prophet tells them Castiel has been killed by them. With Lucifer out of the cage Zacharia (who fortunately gets killed at the end by the older Winchester) wants Dean to be Michael's vessel, since he's the only one who can beat the devil: the only problem is that Dean has to say "yes" to Michael. He obviously doesn't want to, so the angels trying to convince him will be a recurrent thing throughout the season. Dean tries to not change his opinion, because becoming Micheal's vessel would mean the two archangels would fight and with their power they would destroy half the planet, but the more time passes the more Dean's hopes vanish, and towards the end he decides to accept Zacharia's proposal. At the last moment, however, to Sam, Castiel and Bobby's relief and delight, he opposes it and Adam, brought back to life only to replace his brother, accepts to be Michael's vessel. This whole mess will eventually end with Lucifer (in Sam's vessel) back in the cage, along with Michael (in Adam's), Castiel miraculously brought back (again, after returning at the beginning of the season) and a desperate Dean trying to keep living a life with Lisa and Ben after losing his brother and promising him to try a new life without hunts.

The main focus of the season is obviously trying to defeat Lucifer, who we meet in the first episode. It is already an interesting character, because he feels misunderstood by God and believes he didn't deserve what he got from his father. It is almost impossible not to empathise at least a little bit with him. He also hides his evil side pretty well at first, making him seem almost like the actual good guy of the situation and the victim of a cruel God. I like the fact that he shows up to the people he wants to convince as their loved one (like he did with Nick when he showed as his wife). He tries to convince Sam to be his vessel (because he's actually the only one who would truly contain him) showing up as Jessica. Sam obviously doesn't want to help Lucifer with the Apocalypse, although both Sam and us don't even really know what his true intentions are. We quickly learn that he obviously, as he hated humanity before, still does it now, so his plan is actually mostly a revenge. He really seems like the final big bad guy, probably because he was supposed to be, and because every other villain ultimately leads to him. I believe he is my favourite one: he is a way more rounded character than the others, having his own motivations (that go beyond wanting to do bad and win over the others). As much as he's wrong for doing what he's doing, at least he got his reasons. He is the first angel who has rebelled against God and he was punished for it, but he's not the only one who did it. At the end of the last season we saw Castiel, persuaded by Dean, rebelling against the angels and their plan to bring Lucifer back. So what makes the difference between them? I think it is the reasons and the intentions behind their actions: Lucifer rebelled because he hated humans and now wants to end them, Castiel rebelled because he loves humanity and wants to defend it. So there's no surprise when Castiel refuses to join Lucifer when he tries to get his brother to come to the dark side in episode 05x10.

Lucifer is not the only new villain, we also meet two demons with opposite purposes: Meg and Crowley. Meg isn't actually new, as we know her since season one, but she has a new body. Her character doesn't change much in season five, she's still a loyal servant, in this case to Lucifer, but we'll see what I will think about her in the next seasons, as I know, as much as I can remember, she will improve. Crowley on the other hand is a lone wolf and wants Lucifer dead as much as the two protagonists want him. I have loved Crowley since the first episode I saw him (05x10) for several reasons. I adore his personality: he's funny and sassy and the perfect villain who's not really a villain (because at the end of the day neither Dean or Sam want him dead, and neither he wants them to be dead as well). I like the fact that he just minds his own business: he doesn't want to start apocalypses or whatsoever, he just wants to keep living, and he knows being against Lucifer is an immediate suicide for a demon, so he helps the Winchesters to kill him. He gives them the Colt at first, believing they could kill him with that, and so they attempt to, ending up with Jo and Ellen dead and the certainty that the Colt couldn't kill the devil. On a side note, I liked seeing Jo and Ellen back, but I hated watching them dying, as much as I loved the episode thanks to its intensity and melancholy (especially in the scenes between Jo and Ellen and between Jo and Dean, although I'm not totally convinced that he should have kissed her, even if I think he did it mainly to make her understand how much he cared about her, rather than for romantic love). I don't appreciate Supernatural not having a female main character who stays alongside the boys for more than a few seasons. I don't expect a woman to become a main character like Castiel but it would have been nice to see a woman appear at least as much as Bobby. This side of Supernatural shows how far behind it is in some ways and that it needed to improve on many aspects (such as veiled, but not too much, misogyny). Returning to Crowley, the demon proves to be essential as thanks to him Sam and Dean understand how to stop Lucifer: not killing him but sending him back where he came from. To do this they need to open a portal that leads Lucifer into his cage, and the portal can only be opened by the rings of the four knights of the apocalypse. They are characters brought to earth, thanks to Lucifer, that Sam and Dean have the pleasure of meeting (and defeating most of the time). The most interesting character is certainly Death, with whom Dean talks (episode 05x21) and who has no intention of fighting the brothers, indeed he voluntarily gives them his ring. The only problem left is to find Lucifer and to push him into the cage. Sam, who has been thinking for days that he has to accept Lucifer's request in order to try to jump into the portal, manages to convince Dean, who obviously would never want Sam to be locked in Lucifer's cage with the devil himself inside him.

Sam and Dean, mainly because of everything that happened last season, have to try to rebuild their now inevitably changed relationship (whose antagonism is exasperated in the parallelism of the two protagonists with the archangels Lucifer, the rebellious son, and Michael, the devoted son). Dean, as much as he doesn't want to, can't keep pretending everything's okay between them and thinks it's best to take different paths. The two brothers remain divided until Dean realizes they can win against the angels and Lucifer only if they are together. From then on their relationship strengthens more and more, until Dean, I think for the first time, decides to completely trust Sam, reject Zacharia's proposal and find another way to defeat Lucifer (05x18). The final step forward is surely Dean accepting Sam's idea of becoming Lucifer's vessel, while knowing what it entails. The difference in their relationship between the end of this season and last season lies in several factors: Sam opens up to Dean and tries to be as honest as possible, while Dean accepts that his brother is now grown up and must make his choices, even if these involve his sacrifice to save humanity. Their relationship ends with one last touching scene in which Dean manages to reach Sam, despite being controlled by Lucifer, and give him enough strength to jump into the portal that will lead him to the cage. I think this season potrais their relationship in a way never seen before, with a rollercoaster of emotions that shows how much they care about each other and how much they have grown in the recent years.

There's another relationship that I'd like to talk about and that I think has evolved over the course of the season, Dean and Castiel's. The two certainly make giant strides towards the end of season four, when Castiel decides to rebel and side with Dean, but they are not yet in the best of relationships. Dean finally seems to trust Castiel, but is still not entirely comfortable with him and his personality ("Cas, we've talked about the personal space", 05x03), while Castiel, after being brought back to life, is convinced, in the early episodes of the season, that he can find God, which Dean is very skeptical of. The thing that may come as a surprise, however, is that Dean supports Castiel and comforts him when the angel seems to have lost hope. I don't think it's really shocking, considering Dean sees himself in Castiel, who seems to be just a confused son looking for an absent father, which Dean is by now an expert of (and the funny thing is that in the emotional episode 05x13, where Sam and Dean go back in time and meet their parents, John, once he knows the lives of the two brothers, he wonders how a father can behave that way with their children, obviously not being aware of the hard truth). When, in episode 05x16, in which Dean and Sam die and go to heaven (which I think is quite original, divided into personal heavens formed by memories of each of the dead people), they discover that God is somewhere, but that he has no intention of intervening in any way, giving relatively little importance to humanity and angels, Castiel is completely destroyed by the news and copes getting drunk (another parallelism with Dean I would say) and in this episode (05x17), confident they can't get help from God, Dean calls the formed trio "team free will" (emphasizing the fact that they are now free to make their own choices). I feel like Dean and Cas start to bond especially when Dean is alone (so in episode 05x03) and he understands Castiel's value in episode 05x04, when Zacharia sends him to a future where he has not accepted to be Michael's vessel, Sam is Lucifer vessel and the world is infected by the Croatoan virus. Dean meets his future self (a way worse and more desperate version of him) who trusts past Dean after he tells his future self an anecdote (that he never revealed to anyone) about wearing pink panties and liking it. I'll admit I completely forgot about that particular (probably because I was 15 when I first watched it and this information seemed extremely irrelevant to me) and I'm still amazed that such a scene really exists. Anyway Dean realizes that, despite everything that has been going on and the way he's become, Castiel has never abandoned him. He also understands, noticing how much the future Castiel has changed and how hopeless he gets, he should appreciate his Castiel more (and that is something Castiel will eventually tell him directly too in episode 05x18, in which after Dean decides to agree to Michael Castiel beats him up telling him he rebelled for him and so he shouldn't repay him like that).

Chuck compares in episode too, showing he's still on Dean's side as well. I honestly quite like him in this season: he's awkward, confused and out of place most of the time, but I think that's what makes it likeable, at least for me. We see more of him in episode 05x09, where there's a Supernatural convention and Sam and Dean have to deal with both their fans (without them knowing who they really are) and a case, and are forced to work with a couple of fans who fortunately save everyone. At the end of the episode Dean discovers that the two fans, both male, are a real couple (making it the first homosexual couple in the series). I don't quite know how to interpret this moment (which writers probably didn't even give too much thought to), but the fact that in the next scene we see Dean thinking next to the car with a little smile makes me believe that that the step forward to acceptance was not only made by the series.

There's another character who's not totally new but seems to be at the same time: Gabriel. We have known him since season two by the name of "Trickster", but thanks to Castiel we find out, along with the brothers, that he was an archangel all along (who gave us some of the funniest episodes, and especially Dean thirsting over Dr. Sexy in episode 05x08). They ask him to join their side, but quickly understand he doesn't want to be on anyone's side. He fortunately changes his mind on episode 05x19 and sides with Sam and Dean, only to be killed by Lucifer at the end of the episode. Gabriel is my favourite angel besides Castiel, for obvious reasons, so I was very happy he decided to risk it all and go against his brother to be on the Winchesters' squad.

To conclude, as much as I think there are some parts of the season they could have done better (for example the scene with Lucifer and Michael in the last episode), I believe this is one of the best seasons of the show, so we'll see if after rewatching the other ten seasons I will have the same opinion.

- Carly 💚

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calliecat93 · 4 years

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One of the biggest criticisms of Volume 4, if not the biggest criticism, was it usage of multiple plotlines. While an ambitious idea, the balance was really off which really affected the pacing. It felt like everything was scattered around and like things were being dragged out, or not even given as much attention as needed. But it looks like with Volume 8, CRWBY is getting a chance to try it again. One advantage is having all the relevant characters in tow main groups so only two major plotlines to focus on. This chapter focuses on RWBNP as they break into the Atlas Military Facility. How will it go? Well... since this is late you already know, but I’m gonna blab anyhow. Enjoy~

Overview

Team RWBNPM have made it into the military compound and Penny has located where the terminal is. They’re able to wonder around the base undetected via May’s Invisibility Semblance and Penny is able to use Pietro’s credentials to access the doors. They eventually reach an area that even with May’s Semblance, will be too difficulty to get through without being spotted. Penny, however, has a solution. You remember how Harriet pointed out Ruby’s Semblance was more than she thought in V7? Well Penny actually breaks it down here. Ruby essentially breaks down her mass and is able to more or less teleport herself and others before reforming, so Ruby should be able to do this with all of them.

Meanwhile, remember when Watts got taken by security last chapter? Well it’s because Ironwood is now forcing him to work for him, having a whole squadron ready to shoot him to death if he doesn’t comply. What does he need Watts to do? We’ll go into that later. Until then, Watts points out that Pietro’s credentials have been used, causing Ironwood to raise the alarm. This means that the team has to hurry, so they trip a worker with coffee as a distraction. As the guy's co-workers yell at him, RWBNP move past via Ruby’s Semblance as May goes to commandeer a ship.

Eventually, RWBNP reach the terminal. It is a VERY highly secured area with the door being guarded by some powerful electricity. It’s so secure that no humans even work in there. Penny allows Pietro to take over manually to begin the process of green lighting Amity. During this, Blake expresses concern about ruby and Yang’s fight, though Weiss assures her that sometimes sisters just disagree. Nora also tries to help by pointing out that Jaune, Yang, and Oscar should be fine (haha...) but noticeably leaves out Ren. It’s here that Nora expresses how upset she was about their argument and how just when things look up for them, it goes right back to zero. Even worse, without Ren, Nora doesn’t feel like she even knows who she is aside form the strong girl who hits stuff. Blake and Weiss point out to her that Ren is only a part of her, the rest however also matters and that maybe she can use this chance to discover more about herself.

The process is completed and Penny can now launch Amity. But despite wanting to resume helping Mantle afterwards, both Pietro and the girls believe that it’s best for Penny to remain with Pietro and Maria in Amity once it launches. This disappoints her. As the group gets ready to leave, they are confronted byt he Ace-Ops. Vine tries to reason with the g4roup, but they continue to refuse. it doesn’t help when Harriet and Elm essentially blame Penny for Winter’s condition and accuse her of stealing the Maiden power, nor does Harriet threatening to lock up Ruby alongside her uncle. To no one’s surprise, the group refuses, so the Ace-Ops trap RWBN in the room, leaving Penny to fight on her own.

Penny is ale to hold her own, even managing to make good use of her Maiden powers. However, the Ace-Ops are able to match against her and eventually Marrow is able to use his Stay power on her. RWBN try to break through the door, bot nothing is working. Nora, staring at the electric door, decides to do what she dos best be strong and hit stuff. Using her hammer and Semblance, Nora absorbs the electricity until she’s powered enough to blow the door off it’s hinges. However, even for Nora, this was far too much as her body gets some ugly scarring. She collapses, her Aura breaking.

Seeing the fight, Watts suggests that the Ace-Ops get one of Penny’s swords. Ironwood orders this, and they bandage to rip one off of Penny before retreating, though Marow noticeably is hesitant. WBNP reach a hangar where May has gotten an airship. They escape, but Nora is still passed out and seriously injured. After this, Penny agrees that she needs to remain in Amity and it’s time for her to go. She and Ruby hug one more time, promising to see each other again before Penny flies off for Amity. Meanwhile, the Ace-Ops turn over the sword to Ironwood. Why did they need this? The same reason that Ironwood recruited Watts: to hack into Penny and turn her back onto their side.

Review

Ah, action, emotions, and spilt coffee. All the things I love in a RWBY episode~

Let’s talk about Ruby’s Semblance first since I’ve seen some debate about it. IDK how scientifically accurate Penny’s explanation is... but Ruby is a girl who can trail rose petals behind her, so I’m not all that concerned about accuracy here. But this just more or less confirmed what I’ve been thinking for a long time now. I, as well as others, have pointed out that her Semblance doesn’t really appear to act line a speed-based one. Heck as I said, Harriet pointed it out just last volume. Now we know that Ruby’s power is essentially a slow-formed teleportation. Considering I always assumed that Summer’s Semblance had a similar breaking her body down function, this makes a lot of sense to me.

I’ve seen some complain about how Ruby didn’t know this... but really? That’s perfectly in-character for her. She’s a clever girl, but she’s always been one to act more than give deep contemplation. She knows the basic function of her Semblance, to move fast compared to normal, and that works for her. Heck remember last volume when she used her split apart trick. Oscar asked how long she could do that, and she answered that she had never really thought of it. Sure Ruby HAS carried people with her Semblance before (Penny in V2, Nora in V4, Weiss in V6), but that was with a single person. She had never tried it with a group before. It fits into how Semblances evolve over time and I’m really happy to see Ruby grow more. I get the feeling that she needs all the happy development she can get before things really go off the deep end.

Speaking of though, the chibi art accompanying Penny’s explanation? Both cute and hilarious. It reminded me of Ruby’s imagine spots back in Volume One. This chapter had quite a few funny moments. Weiss pulling Nora’s ear for last episode, Nora pushing all the elevator buttons. Blake clearly hating all forms of unconventional transportation, and while I feel it clashed with the tone a bit the coffee guy tripping up was great. The crude poster of a Shark Grimm (when do we get that?) especially got a giggle out of me. Like I said last review, it’s nice to have these bits of levity. I love it when Ruby gets feelsy and serious, but I don’t want it to divert form fun and light-heartedness all the time. They’ve gotten a lot better at keeping a balance and transitioning us from one mood to the other. I feel last chapter did it a bit better, but this was still well done.

Now lets talk about Penny. It was nice to see her act like her usual perky self a bit with her Semblance explanation and the direction to the terminal. But still, it’s clear that things are still haunting her. She’s still reminded of her robot identity with May’s comment, which no IDT May was trying to be offensive or anything, after all Robyn uses nicknames like that all the time and she DID use Penny’s name after the correction. But even past that, we have Pietro manually taking control of Penny. Now it WAS done with permission and there’s a good reason why, but my reaction to it was the same as Ruby’s. You ca tell that Penny wasn’t looking forward to it since it one more emphasizes that she is a robot. We all know she’s more, but Penny is still trying to figure out her new place.

This is especially evident in her reaction to remaining on Amity. Of course she doesn’t want to do that. She still considers herself the Protector of Mantle. She is now the Winter Maiden. She wants to help people. She wants to be out there doing good alongside her friends. But unfortunately with the target on her back from both sides, it’ simply too dangerous. She not only puts herself at risk, but those around her. We already know that ironwood will now go to any extreme to get his way, including work with an evil scientist and have a firing squad ready to fire. Salem... do I need to explain any further? The safest thin is for Penny to remain in Amity, but it still clearly pains her even after accepting it as necessary. And with Watts now having a piece necessary to hack her AND the episode showing us how it can be done... yeah, pray for Penny folks.

She DID however get to kick ass with her Maiden powers. While we had some Grimm fights last chapter, this was the first major fight of the volume, and it was awesome. Penny, even after just getting her power, uses it to great effect. Not as much as Raven or even Cinder, but is clearly more than capable of controlling it. But the Ace-Ops do manage to match her. They aren’t holding back now, they are going in for the kill and all of them (save Marrow, I’ll talk about him in the CH4 review) seem to be on the same wavelength. I think this helped the complaints about the Ace-Ops losing to RWBY (ones I don’t agree with, but still) and shows how even with Clover dead, they are still a capable force. Harriet and Elm’s words were still overly cruel, but I can’t deny that they can fight. Oh and we also FINALLY got to see Vine’s weapon, so there’s that. It was a fun action sequence~

But now we get to the star of this episode for me: Nora. Now... I have made it no secret that Nora is my least favorite character of the main group. Why? There’s two main reasons: her lack of development compared to the others and her character largely revolving around Ren. I won’t lie, some of the over-exposure and her portrayal in Chibi also contributed, but those don’t really affect her character in-show. While I feel that she has slowly improved, last volume especially being a step up, I still felt like she was the least developed. So going into Volume 8, I was very curious about hat they would do with her now that she and Ren are divided and she is on her own.

I have to say... I am very happy with her in this episode. It addressed my complaint about her and Ren being co-dependent as far as their portrayals in-show went. They outright existed more or less to fill out Team JNPR, and they spent Volumes 1-3 as comic relief to focus on Jaune and Pyrrha. I miss Pyrrha to this day, but her death DID allow the two to finally grow as characters. I don’t like it when the focus of a character is mainly on their relationship with another, hence why shipping gets on my nerves a lot. It was a HUGE issue I had with Renora until they became fleshed out. Here we have Nora expressing how upset she is about Ren, how every time it looks like they’ve gotten closer something comes in to ruin it (Volume 4 for example), and now that she’s without him for the first time in who knows how long... she doesn’t really know who she is. This has been something that I’ve wanted the show to go into since at least Volume 4, and it is FINALLY happening.

I love how the ones who talk to her are Blake and Weiss. Blake struggled with separating herself from a previous attachment, and knows how hard it is to remember that that’s only one part of yourself. Weiss has struggled with carving her own identity which while not in the romantic context, is still relevant as her family name is only a part of her, not the whole thing. It’s a dynamic I never knew I needed, but I am SO glad we have it now! I think as hard as it is, Nora needed to part from Ren for now. She needs to remember to care about herself and know that she is more than just the girl who likes Ren and hits stuff with a hammer. She’s funny, she’s caring, she’s loyal, she’s fun to be around, she can get carried away with things yet it’s always entertaining when she does. She is Nora Valkyrie before everything else. And in the end, she more or less sacrificed herself to break the door and save Penny. IDK if she knew that the electricity would be too much, but she still made the choice by herself. Now we just need to hope that she recovers... and that when Ren finds out, he doesn’t snap...

In the intro, I talked about how V8 seems to be a second attempt at the split teams plot in Volume 4. While I find V4 underrated and a nice character development/world-building volume, the handling of the split plots... did certainly cause pacing issues. The biggest issue was cramming essentially six storylines into the volume, four of which were vital, and not being able to give them all proper attention. Essentially, it worked fine when binged, but going week by week it could get tiresome very quickly. This time, we have the entire team split into two groups with the side plots being the villains and Ironwood’s forces. This only leaves two major plotlines that need the main focus and allows for unique character dynamics, like Nora with Weiss and Blake.

So far, the pacing with these two groups has been done very well. While we don’t see JYRO in this episode, last chapter did enough that we already know what to expect when we get back to them. Nothing feels out of focus or like one plot is getting more attention than the other. It feels balanced. It feels like both plots matter and I want to see what happens. The writers have clearly learned and improved over the years, with this being a clear example. It’s been really fun (and scary) so far and I’m really excited to see more of these different group dynamics (and since I’ve already seen Chapter 4, they are delivering!), though hopefully we will get the team reformed before long. But for now, I’m loving this~

Chapter Stats

Favorite Character: Nora Valkyrie Favorite Scene: Nora, Weiss, and Blake talk Least Favorite Scene: Coffee Guy Favorite Voice Actor: Samantha Ireland (Nora) Favorite Animation: Penny going Winter Maiden against the Ace-Ops Rating: 9.9/10

Final Thoughts

Three chapters in, and already this volume is looking to be one of the best. Some nice humor, great character dynamics and focus, an epic action sequence, and a lot of heart and emotion put in especially with Penny and Nora. This was a fantastic episode that gave me everything that I was hoping for! If the quality stays at this pace, the this is absolutely going to become a great one! And considering what happens next chapter, we haven’t strayed from that yet. But that review is for another day, for now I’ll say that this chapter was great~

#rwby #rwby8 #rwby spoilers #rwby reviews #rwby musings #callie reviews

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blueseer · 3 years

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Best of 2020-Best of Best

Supernatural

So my pick for best of the best 2020 goes to Supernatural. Since we’re only allowed to use this last year and I didn’t think this last year was the best I was on the fence to use it. However, it was the series that held the most feeling? (For me anyways) I have been following this series (in actual time) since season 8 so the thought of that is a little mindboggling sometimes. This was basically the end of an era and to think it was the only show left of the original WB. For the ending of a 15 season long series you have to end it with a bang and fighting God Himself seems like a way to do it. The season was able to put the characters into the ringer one final time and have them come out on…top? Sort of? Maybe? For like a day? It was able to give everyone incredibly depressing closure but closure nevertheless.

We have ridden inside the impala alongside these characters for years and were able to see them evolve. They faced their toughest challenge ever and with some trials, tribulations, tears, doubt, and a lot of perseverance they were able to make it through. Sam was able to get his quiet family life he always wanted. (In my head cannon I believe that his son would know about the monsters and maybe even had some small monster hunting here and there.)Dean was able to finally accept himself for all he’s worth, God or no God. He had self doubt from the beginning of the series and always saw himself as nothing more than a tool. He was able to finally see that he was more than that and hat he deserved better, with the help of Cas seeing as he basically quoted him when talking about himself. Cas was also able to at least free himself from all the feelings that were eating at him inside. For a character that has been depressed since his first appearance it was nice to see him have at least one moment of true happiness. So, Supernatural was the best of the best because it will be sadly the last time I will ever be able to use it. (Unless there’s a reboot)It will be greatly missed but alas, we must carry on but at least there was peace when it was done.

#supernatural #supernatural season 15 #spn #spn s15 #dean winchester #sam winchester #castiel #cas #jack kline #chuck shurley

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incarnateirony · 4 years

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Hey min, I just read your last post and I was wondering you could do one on the meta-narrative hostility (that most of fandom calls queer coding) of pre-dabb era? I’m a young queer who’s new to all this and doesn’t have the same experience or knowledge as older queer people (obviously) when it comes to these things. Only if you want to/and are able to though, it’s something I’d really like to read and educate myself on, thanks :)

Sure! I’ll get on that, I think @curioussubjects and I held a brief discourse over that recently, but I’m sure we could get into it deeper. I may even try to peel @thecoffeebrain-blog out of her fandom ban to talk about it too. Unfortunately it’s like 2something AM right now and I do not have the brain function to write up a whole-assed thesis on it.

But in short (which will probably still be about a page long)? I kind of want to flip a table any time I read “Dean Winchester has always been written as bisexual.” – and like. I even have friends that say that. Friends I adore. And I still want to flip tables. Because. Like. No.

Yes, Dean Winchester was based on a repressed bisexual, Dean Moriarty. The thing is knowing that about Dean Moriarty requires reading the late release manuscript, not the original. In, perhaps, an ironic statement on our current show, the widely spread original version was sanitized of queer content. But if anyone thinks Kripke was, back in S1-5, trying to make some sort of statement about repressed and sanitized queer culture, I really don’t know what to tell them beyond like. No?

I’d need to go digging – hence not having the time right now – for a full list of early season “bi Dean” moments. A great deal of them are actively homophobic as fuck things, like in Playthings taking a shot at Dean being butch over overcompensating, or whatever else. They used the statements as an insult, something to target, and aggress, and make a joke at a character’s expense – because being gay was immasculating and funny, haha, right?

Others included things like clothing choices, food choices, or other things that like… fandom swore up and down was queer coding and like– again– generally, no? Hopefully I don’t have to explain why in most scenarios those things are problematic.

Like you’ve seen me bang on about the menthols thing for example as queer coding – and yes! It is! Because that’s actually a queer culture thing. And like, ask any gay dude, literally, if he sees another, WHITE dude pull out a pack of menthols he knows who he’s going to try to flirt up tonight. There’s all kinds of reasons that was genuine coding written from a gay man that’s even a recovered smoker to the point his colleagues made light of it. Hell of an introduction, hell of a point, and something actually relevant to the represented demographic’s culture. (this actually does not apply the same to other ethnicities, it literally only applies to white dudes, and I could stat out the very real reasons about it some time, but not in this post)

We gays DO have our own language. As my friend Kris put it, “Whenever I see a woman has a purse I give up, cuz she’s either straight or at least in that ballpark where I’m gonna have to be the husband and hahahaha no.” – unshockingly, I don’t have a purse either. My wife does. I on the other hand am fine with being metaphorical husband role. She’s a femme, I’m not, it tracks.

But someone wearing a certain color, or eating a burrito is not a judge. Someone choking on a sausage for a punch line alongside a taco is– questionable on if even intended but again, guess what, a punch line at the receiving character’s expense.

A great WEALTH of early “bi Dean” moments are like this, even if we remove Destiel. And it’s a MESS. I give some leans of “not offensive but surrounded by enough offensive content in its immediate era that I don’t give it good faith” to moments like Dr Sexy. Sure. Those lay good potential groundwork.

Are there moments where Dean turned and looked at someone in a WAY? Yeah, sure. Was that scripted? Uh, generally no. Let’s face it. Jensen could have chemistry with a decommissioned droid if they were put on screen together.

Now, do those moments, that last section there – give early room for bi Dean being evolved into? Yes. Those moments do. Because evolving with chemistry and story is part of how it works. It’s the other shit we need to flush to the pits of hell, bathe in some glitter and chant some YMCAs to cleanse ourselves from or some shit.

Hell, let’s even look at season 7 with Dean flirting with the guard. Despite bobbing and weaving around most old bi Dean content for being flagrantly offensive when I made my Coming Out video, I kept that one. But even THAT runs a line. Why? Because Sam, later painted as an educated ally, starts laughing at Dean at the sheer idea of Dean doing it. Dean tells him to shut up which blows Charlie’s cover. Is that something actual bi people might have to deal with? Sure. Hence my choice to be willing to include the clip. But it was still. A punchline. At the queer content’s expense.

If you go and re-watch, I’d say, S1-7 and stop trying the “DIG FOR PROOF IN RETROSPECT TO PROVE DEAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN BI” dance, and watch – really, REALLY watch – the way any kind of queer mention was handled. Is. Gross.

By season 8 Carver seemed to be dabbling in it – enough that Phil Sgriccia and Ben Edlund, exec producers, started leaving commentary on the season 8 DVD, such as how Jensen played it, and the potential it created for love in all places, that he and Aaron could have had a life together. Still, Carver had a LOT of shit he was fixing from holding Gamble’s burning bag. And yeah, Gamble queerbaited. She fucked over a demographic, realized the demographic she picked was wrong, tried to bait back that demographic without intent to follow through on it, then was gone. (And hell, go look at The Magicians now and her Dances With Avoiding Calling Her Characters LGBT).

Season 8 was a tipping point. Did Aaron slap down the idea of having a moment with Dean? Sure. But… guess what? It was Dean being offended by not having a moment. Not Dean being offended being accused of having a moment. This is a very subtle tone change.

Watch forward after that. There might have been a few moments. But it wasn’t until S9 they onboarded a new LGBT author. An open one. An activist. And yeah, menthols and “play it like a jilted lover” showrunner directions began. It’s like looking back, they had the idea and realized what was taking shape, but didn’t know what to do with it. And Bobo was still the new kid on block that year. That was the same year they almost made Metatron’s heaven for Castiel be covered in naked Dean pictures. Some people lament the loss of that. I do not. Because guess what. That made it a joke again. A shot at Castiel’s expense, if one more personal than the old shots. It was painted for absurdity, not authenticity. But, unlike prior eras… they had the sense to change that and paint the absurdity in other ways with dangly cheap hearts and other silliness.

Good.

As you look forward, from there, the question is after season 9– when was the last “LOL GAAAAAAAAAAAAY” joke you heard? When was the last time you heard it be framed in such a way that the audience was designated to laugh at the arrangement? Was Colette… framed as funny when Bobo wrote it? Was the heart connection… written as funny? Were the hunter husbands… written as a punch line or joke?

Sure, Lily Sunder had some funny bits, bit it’s not Funny Cuz It’s Gay, it’s funny and gay, and this is an important distinction. If that were a het couple bickering in the car that episode, we’d laugh all the same. This, also, written by a queer activist. Was the mixtape funny? No. In fact, if we’re to take, say, modern Dean and Cas as the central manifestation of the bi Dean narrative all these years later, their funny moments aren’t funny because of their gender. Their funny moments are funny because of who they are, like any given couple on TV, not in expense to their sexuality.

Even “attached at the everything” is more a fandom problem. There was no cue for that to be a laugh track. There was no recoil, no denial, no flinch, no nothing. It was just a barb of a demon in the know of the nature and depth of their bond needling where it hurt like any other relationship. It’s the fandom that chose to put a laugh track on it.

Beyond this though, I’d need to take the time to go and pick through the different individual moments and break them down and really pick apart WHY they were problematic in the old days. Hopefully this summary is a nice start.

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blackkudos · 4 years

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Frenchie Davis

Franchell "Frenchie" Davis (born May 7, 1979) is an American Broadway performer and a soul, dance/electronica, and pop singer. She first came to public attention in 2003 as a contestant on the singing competition show American Idol. Davis began performing in Rent on Broadway soon afterward, and was a member of the cast for four years. In 2011 Davis reached the top 8 on the first season of singing competition The Voice.

Early life and career

Davis was born in Washington, DC and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She graduated from Howard University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

In the year 2000, she began her performing career in productions of Little Shop of Horrors and Jesus Christ Superstar with the Freilichtspiele Theatre Company in Schwabisch Hall, Germany.

American Idol

Davis was a contestant on the second season of American Idol in 2003, but was disqualified early in the season due to topless photos taken earlier in her career.

According to Davis, she was up-front about her pictures:

"When I first discovered that I had made it to Hollywood and found out I would be competing to get into the top 30 and then later in the top 12, they had given us all this paperwork to fill out, background checks and that whole thing. So when we were doing that I had a discussion with some members of the production staff and I exposed to them a piece of my past; that when I was 19 years old, I took some pictures and that’s not the person I am [anymore]. I wanted to be up-front about it. We talked about it and then nothing happened".

The Idol staff took no action then, but two months later, they decided that Davis's participation would be inappropriate. "They had decided that because American Idol was a family show, that they could not have me on the show because of the pictures I had taken –though they had never seen the pictures," she told EuroWeb. She also added that no one was able to find the pictures in question as the website that featured them had been taken down.

Double-standards controversy

In 2007, revealing pictures of season six American Idol contender Antonella Barba surfaced on the internet, but Barba was kept on the show (though she was voted off shortly afterward). Many drew parallels to Davis's earlier situation. In an interview conducted for The New York Post on Monday, March 5, 2007, Davis said,

"I couldn't help but notice the difference between the manner in which she was dealt with and how I was dealt with.... I think it's fantastic if

Idol

has evolved, and I think it's fantastic she won't have to go through what I went through four years ago … but if the rules have changed, I believe there should be something to make up for the fact that I was humiliated needlessly."

The discrepancy was discussed on talk show The View on March 6, 2007. Co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck argued that the difference was that Davis was paid for her pictures whereas Barba was not. Co-host Rosie O'Donnell disagreed, saying, "I think it's racist. I do... I think it's because she's black". American Idol was also accused of racism by Project Islamic H.O.P.E. activist Najee Ali: "obvious that it's a racial bias... when you have a situation where a black contestant is punished and a similar situation happens to a white contestant and there is no punishment and they're allowed to continue on the show."

Post-Idol career

After American Idol, Davis appeared in the Broadway musical Rent in 2003. She sang the solo in the opening song of Act Two, Seasons of Love, and in ensemble roles such as Mrs. Jefferson (Joanne's mom), a woman with bags, a coat vendor, Mrs. Marquez (Mimi's mom) and others. She also occasionally played the part of Joanne. On June 1, 2005, Davis returned to her previous role in the Broadway production of Rent. Davis had previously announced that she would leave Rent in May 2007, but announced her final performance following a mid-April 2007 show. During the weeks leading up to the April 29 performance of Rent's 10-year reunion, Davis appeared in an iTunes Podcast (Rent: The PodCast). She also joined the original cast for a special encore performance.

In 2004, Davis was cast in the role of Effie in a West Coast-touring production of Dreamgirls, which appeared in Sacramento, San Jose, and Seattle, and later went to the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.

From August 3–19, 2007, Davis starred alongside Miche Braden and JMichael in the role of Mahalia Jackson in the Hartford Stage production of Mahalia: A Gospel Musical, written by Tom Stolz and directed by Jeremy B. Cohen.

In 2008, Davis, along with fellow second-season American Idol participants Ruben Studdard and Trenyce Cobbins, starred in the 30th-anniversary national tour of the musical revue Ain't Misbehavin'. The tour ran until May 2009, and was nominated for a Grammy award in the Best Musical Show Album category.

In the fall of 2010, Frenchie was cast in the role of the Fairy Godmother in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (Enchanted Edition) at the Berkeley Playhouse, the resident theatre company at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts in Berkeley, California.

The Voice

In 2011, Davis competed in the first season of reality competition series The Voice. In the first episode, she performed "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry, advancing to the next round as a member of mentor/judge Christina Aguilera's team of 8.

On the May 10 episode, Frenchie competed in a sing off against Tarralyn Ramsey, both singing "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" by Beyoncé. Frenchie won and made it to the next round.

On the June 7 episode, Frenchie performed "When Love Takes Over" by David Guetta and Kelly Rowland. She was told, "You may very well have the strongest voice in this whole competition."

In the next week, it was announced that Frenchie did not win the fan vote from the previous week's performance, which would have allowed her to move on in the competition. However, Aguilera used her own vote to move Frenchie onto The Voice's Elite 8.

On the June 21 episode, featuring the Showdown of the Elite 8, Davis performed "Like a Prayer" by Madonna.

Frenchie Davis was eliminated during the semi-finals, finishing fifth overall. She did, however, join the other members of the final eight contestants of the show: Javier Colon, Dia Frampton, Vicci Martinez, Beverly McClellan, Casey Weston, Xenia and Nakia on a U.S. tour summer 2011.

Post-Voice career

In December 2012, Frenchie starred in the musical God Doesn't Mean You Get To Live Forever at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York with legendary pastor Dr. James A. Forbes Jr. and Gregory Charles Royal. In 2014 she made her film debut in the comedy film Dumbbells.

In 2017, Davis starred as Henri in The View UpStairs - an off-Broadway musical about the UpStairs Lounge arson attack that killed 50 patrons of a gay bar in New Orleans. She was also a winner of the Jose Esteban Munoz Award from CLAGS: the Center for LGBTQ Studies (formerly known as Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies) at The Graduate Center, CUNY. The award is given to an LGBTQ Activist who promotes Queer Studies outside of academia.

Recording career

Frenchie is a featured artist in the Tony Moran single "You Are" that was released December 1, 2009, and peaked at number 5 on the Billboard hot clubplay chart. "You Are" was the debut single from Moran's album Mix Magic Music.

On September 4, 2012, Davis released her debut solo single, "Love's Got A Hold On Me". The song peaked at #12 on the Billboard Dance Chart. The song was billed as the first single from an upcoming solo album, Just Frenchie, but the album was not released.

Personal life

Davis possesses a vocal range of Lyric Mezzo-Soprano.

In 2012, Davis came out as bisexual. She continues to be a strong and outspoken advocate for the Bisexual community, LGBTQ Youth and for LGBTQ People of Colour.

In 2013 she was the featured performer at the National LGBTQ Task Force's 25th National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change in Atlanta GA where she explained that she had come out for all of the young LGBT people. "It's so wonderful to see all the young people here. You all are the reason that I chose to be out. Because it is important that you see people in the public eye who are not ashamed of who they are. It is ok to be true to you."

In 2014 Davis created a stir when she spoke out bluntly in response to the verdict in the Shooting of Jordan Davis by Michael Dunn where the jury deadlocked on the charge of first-degree murder, saying "As an LGBT woman of color, I am having an extremely difficult time grasping WHY Matthew Shephard’s life is so much more valuable than Trayvon’s or Jordan’s????!?!?! Help me understand, y’all! Help me understand".

In popular culture

Davis was impersonated by guest host Queen Latifah on the March 8, 2003, episode of sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live; Davis was lampooned for her nude photo scandal, brash attitude and melismatic singing style.

Awards and Recognitions

In June 2017, Davis received the José Esteban Muñoz award from CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies - an award that is given to individuals who promote Queer Studies in their work or activism. She shared the award alongside Nathan Lee Graham and Wilson Cruz.

#05/07

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vinylexams · 5 years

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Heavy Heavy Low Low - Courtside Seats to the Greatest Fuck of All Time⁠

⁠ @heavyheavylowlow38 #heavyheavylowlow #hhll #deathwish @deathwishinc⁠ ⁠ I’ve been lucky as hell recently to snag insider info on some killer reissues and this one is no exception. You all already know how much I love HHLL, especially Turtle Nipple…, and through serendipity I got connected with Robbie from the band a few months back. I got to hear about how they are coming back to life after some years focusing on other projects, growing up and growing out, and evolving as musicians and artists in the process. They’ve worked with Twelve Gauge Records to put Courtside Seats on vinyl for the very first time and after they announced it on their platforms and immediately sold it out, they’re pressing another batch that you and the HHLL lovers in your life can and should snag before that pressing sells out, too!⁠ ⁠ What’s even more exciting is that I got to pick Robbie’s brain in typical VE fashion and he’s indulged me with all sorts of info about what they’re up to, whether or not we can expect new music, and some feel-good stories about huffing air duster and ripping shit up in an old warehouse on the California coast. Here it is in its unedited glory, but first…head to the website to pre-order your copy and then head to Robbie’s Indiegogo campaign to learn more about his upcoming short firm that’s scored by Nick from Tera Melos! ⁠https://deathwishinc.com/products/heavy-heavy-low-low-courtside-seats https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/morning-deliveries-short-film#/

INTERVIEW

First and foremost, it’s been a minute since we’ve heard from Heavy Heavy Low Low and then out of nowhere you sprang back to life in 2019. What motivated you all to pick up this project again? I’m not sure what motivated it. We had always been trying to jumpstart the whole thing again for some time and I think that it might have been a case of everyone’s lives slowing down and examining that time with a weird reverence. I can only speak for myself. The boys are all in school or doing their own thing.

I imagine you’ve all been working on different projects since HHLL went on hiatus. Do you have anything that you or the rest of the band have worked on that you’d love us to know about? Danny has gotten pretty popular in the Kendama world. Chris is studying various forms of martial arts. Roo is endlessly going to school and currently scoring independent films. Chip is heavily involved in competitive fishing. I’ve been making short films when the situation and my wallet allow it. We’re all crazy excited about finally owning Courtside Seats on vinyl for the first time. Aside from bringing that album onto the vinyl medium, the pre-order page notes that there’s new artwork, too. What can we expect from that? When we made the CD we weren’t expecting to sell any really.. I did the art and Matthew printed them all at his job. Him and I folded every crease, glued the o-cards and vacuum sealed them all. I think it sold out almost completely at the record release show. We made the same amount of records as we did the original cd (500). The artwork for the original CD pressing was done on sketch paper without any comprehension of what could be done with drawn art and a scanner. Matthew was the computer wizard and back then, young and silly, it was all done on the cuff. The new art is a bit more modern and plays with mortality. Court-side Seats to The Greatest Fuck of All Time being a front seat view of a an ordinary, bumpy ride through life. I’m proud of it. What’s it like to bring back an album from the earliest parts of the band’s career? Do you still identify with the music? It is odd. It was a truly surreal time and place. We were out of our fucking minds. We recorded it in Mountain View, Ca in this giant warehouse that tapered into gutted office spaces. It was a weird white collar tomb on the outskirts of Silicon Valley right before the real tech boom. In the big part of the warehouse where we’d enter there were giant mounds of clothes meant to be donated to some third world country. We’d burrow tunnels in them and do huge dramatic flips from pike to pile. There was an aisle of outdated medical equipment waiting to be sent that we’d stalk through in the dark. It was a strangely magic place. Once you got through the warehouse you’d get to these office stations that had been fashioned into recording studios and that’s where we birthed this thing. We were so misguided. The amount of compressed air that we inhaled should have killed us. I contribute a significant drop in IQ to that shit. Smoking copious amounts of weed from gravity bongs. Recording with a hip hop producer, Deegan. Never a disagreement. It still feels like it was some strange purgatory of youth. I don’t miss it, but it was beautiful. Does this mean there’s hope of having Everything’s Watched, Everyone’s Watching on vinyl sometime, too? So, there was a guy who was very adamant about putting that record out on vinyl. We had a dialogue going for the better part of a year and apparently he had been in contact with Rhino Music and Warner, the two companies that hold the licensing to that album. He had received word that it’d cost an impressive amount of money, but he still wanted to shoulder it. Mind you, this dude didn’t have a label, he just wanted to put this thing out and apparently hadnt thought that all out. Time goes by, I’m waiting, not worrying one way or the other. One day I get a link from a friend, a Christian college website detailing that dude had been arrested for kidnapping and assault. Very sad situation. Dude seemed semi normal. Anyway, that was the last effort I’d seen put into that. I’d love to contribute new art to that release if any go-getter wants to try their luck. I’ve loved everything HHLL put out, but Turtle Nipple is in my top 10 list of favorite albums of all time. What was the writing the recording process for it like and how did the band feel about the new creative directions on it? EWEW was half previously recorded material re-recorded and half material written a year prior, kind of forced into a studio with producers we had no previous rapport with. Those producers/engineers were incredible human beings (RIP Tom Pfaffle! See you in the mindfog) but we were very young punk kids thrown into a foreign land where we had our agents visiting and there were platinum records on the wall and it was a total barrage of privilege and excess. It was beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t feel soul in that record. Turtle Nipple is a dense trip through time and the record I’m most proud of in our discography. I don’t remember how long we had to record it, I do remember that it was the only time we’d been given to experiment and layer our sensibilities in an environment that catered to them. Sam (Pura) was a perfect conduit to that vibe and time and space and it really came out just how it should have. I think about that album as a 70s exploitation directors filmography.. it veers violently from genre to genre and while most of the stories are fiction and far from personal testimony, theirs a peek into some shared insanity contained throughout. George Cosmatos wandering through a punk club on an edible. I think that that album is our bands true personality. Sam is a member of our band whether he’s playing with us or engineering for us. He gets us. I love the idea of an alternate reality where we had lasted a bit longer and did an album with Steve Albini. He’d probably hate us, but I love those ��What If?’ Scenarios. I’ll ask the question EVERYONE has been asking so it’s on the record somewhere: Does this mean we can expect new material or a new album soon? Maybe even a tour? We have a new EP in the works. We have some of it recorded with Sam. We’ve posted a couple clips on Instagram. We’re incredibly busy and spread out in our personal lives. Chip in TX, Dan in FL, Roo in OR, Rob and Chris in CA. Adulthood is a bitter, pulpy drink! We are going to be playing again. We won’t be leaving the West Coast. We had our fill of middle America and the travel involved. We have talked to some of our buds from our early days of touring about playing alongside (opening for) them for a limited run in 2020. I think that qualifies as a tour. Also, if anyone wants to fly us to Europe to play a festival in 2020, we’d like that. It’ll be an interesting year. How does it feel to be welcomed back by so many adoring fans who still love your music and are hoping for more after a long hiatus? It’s incredibly humbling. I have heard from people throughout the years about how we had affected them and it was always just strange to me. I’m pretty self deprecating, so I just don’t understand how some shit I wrote could mean much to anyone. My mind is just a shotgun blast of panic. I guess all of ours are? I love my band mates and their talents, though. So I understand the sorta sirens draw to the greater extent. I think they only got to show themselves slightly, too. Weird existence. Give us a piece of band trivia you’ve never shared in an interview before! Gees. There is a step-in part to most 15 passenger vans. It is a black, hard plastic. It meets with where you close the sliding door. When we had no bottles to pee in, we would just piss in ‘the step’. This thing was a den of germicidal activity. Trash and piss I don’t think we ever truly cleaned that thing. What’s odd is that we so rarely got ill on tour. The Step kept us healthy on a steady diet of trash and piss and general scum. Finally, this isn’t a question but the hidden track on Turtle Nipple is a fucking masterpiece and I wanted you to know. Thank you! I think that may have been my idea to add some weird 70s funk into an old track of ours. I think it turned out cool, but I think it betrays our vibe on that album! I wish it’d have devolved into some weird, primitive Altered States shit.

#heavyheavylowlow #hhll #deathwish #vinylrecords #vinylcollectionpost #metal #nowplaying #vinyls #recordcollector #vinyladdict #vinyligclub #vinylcollective #vinylexams

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doomedandstoned · 6 years

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As “France’s Most Hated Band” CULT OF OCCULT Visits U.S., We Review ‘Anti-Life’

~By Clem Helvete~

Live Photographs Courtesy of ByMetal

Photo by Allison Gandar Photographie

There’s just no way around it, CULT OF OCCULT is one of a kind among the French scene. To be honest, I think the band is one of a kind, period. But that’s like, my opinion, man. Rare are the interviews with the quartet from Lyon and let’s just say that their reputation usually precedes them. Truth be told, Cult of Occult couldn’t care less about scene gossip and is only here to deliver earth-shattering, bleak music which leaves the listener wondering what the hell just happened. Leaning more towards the musical entity than the traditional band, Cult of Occult focuses on making its sound evolve with each album and lets the music speak for itself.

In order to fully understand where Cult of Occult’s new album stands, it is essential to put it in context by talking a bit about the band’s previous effort first. The devastating Five Degrees of Insanity was released in 2015 and is a no-hold-barred statement in brutality and heaviness. The fascinating artwork perfectly illustrates the music and lyrics and the album is filled with anxiety-inducing, slow-pace, downtuned riffs coming together to create jarring soundscapes.

Although this may sound over the top, it is exactly what Cult of Occult is: over the top. The music is extreme, difficult to get into, and may feel actually physically taxing to non-initiated listeners. It is pretty clear that the band has no intention to do the work for you and will not compromise in order to appeal to a wider audience. Absolutely no effort is made to alleviate the tension or ease you into the music.

To say that Cult of Occult’s next release was anticipated is an understatement, but how would it top the savage energy and ruthlessness of Five Degrees of Insanity?

For the next three years following the release of the album, the four headed beast toured extensively through Europe, sharpening its teeth and digging its claws into the European scene. In 2017, it was announced that Cult of Occult’s next album would be released on Music Fear Satan, home of French heavy hitters Hangman’s Chair. The album, titled 'ANTI LIFE' (2018), would be composed of one “song” divided into four tracks. The title made complete sense, the band is rather well-known for its misanthropic attitude, but the one song thing felt a bit gimmicky at the time as Bell Witch’s Mirror Reaper had basically just came out and crushed everything in its way. Was this format about to become the next attention-grabbing trick in the doom scene? As soon as the pre orders were open, I purchased my copy of Anti Life and waited impatiently. Fast-forward a month or two later, this is when I realized what a foolish mistake it was to doubt Cult of Occult’s ability to subvert expectations.

There is a lot to unpack here, and it may take quite a while to form a fully-fleshed out opinion on the album. Yes, it’s an overwhelming piece of music. Yes, you have to push through the thick layers of sound and fuzz to make your way through the album. Yes, you will feel like you just got punched in the gut. But, what a rewarding experience it is!

Anti Life clocks in at 53 minutes and 30 seconds. Yet, it will make you lose track of time and you won’t realize that almost an hour has passed by the time the last feedback fades away. Each part is seamlessly connected to the next one and every single element has a precise role to play in the creation of this airtight, four-act, monster of a song. The record feels like one intricate piece of music and the structure is far from being gimmicky. It is actually difficult, if not impossible, to think of Anti Life as anything but one monolithic composition.

Just like Five Degrees of Insanity, the artwork of Anti Life is a visual manifestation of the album’s overall themes and atmosphere. It is dark, hard to grasp, it feels like moving through a haze surrounded by strange silhouettes, and it becomes increasingly mesmerizing the more you come back to it.

So how was Cult of Occult able to top the heaviness and brutality of Five Degrees of Insanity without becoming a goofy parody of itself? Well, the band managed to pull it off by adding depth and dynamics to the music. When it comes to creating contrast, Anti Life is an outstanding accomplishment. Cult of Occult plays with rhythms and atmospheres to make heavy even heavier. Of course, the production is what you would expect from such an album. It sounds aggressive and every single note hits you right in the chest.

ANTI LIFE by Cult Of Occult

The album starts with a slow build-up of feedback culminating in the first strike of the album. A gut wrenching roar forms the words “I want to get out! Stop it now!” as the instruments are menacingly and slowly hammering in the background. The agonizing riff is played at a crawling speed, the guitar and bass sound abrasive and the mood is incredibly heavy. The slow pounding drums drenched in reverb and combined with long dragging chords give the impression of being imprisoned in an endless void where a dull buzzing noise keeps echoing. This impression is reinforced by corrosive vocals shouting “I’ve lost my mind, mentally and physically ill.” Every single element plays a part in establishing that there is no escape possible.

“Every night, full of drugs and liquor, I see, floating above my bed, the Devil. This woman in white dress, Satan herself.”

ANTI LIFE by Cult Of Occult

With the second act comes the feeling that all hell is about to break loose. The tempo slowly intensifies then suddenly comes to a halt while eerie sounds take over. A razor-sharp guitar lead reels you in through the thick fog created by the bass and drums as the vocalist shouts his way to insanity.

ANTI LIFE by Cult Of Occult

The third part begins with “Those Walls! Asylum! Asylum!” as the guitar, bass, and drums are once again pounding together. The track slows down and languidly creeps to what is, without a doubt, my favorite moment in the album. As the rhythm section hammers a funeral dirge, the guitar launches in a forlorn sounding lead comprised of multiple layers, which builds up to the climax of the track.

ANTI LIFE by Cult Of Occult

This is where the last “movement” of Anti Life, and the final step towards irreversible madness, starts. Cult of Occult is back doing what it does best, pounding flesh and bones to a pulp. The faint guitar in the background is joined by a spellbinding and disturbing melody as the album comes to a close.

I’d rather not spoil the experience by revealing too much about the final notes of Anti Life. All I’ll say is that Cult of Occult closes this impressive piece of work masterfully.

There is no questioning it, the band has managed an impressive feat on many levels and clearly has a better grasp on its sound and craft than ever before. The members of Cult of Occult are known for their enthusiasm for cheap, strong, canned beer and one could say this album feels somewhat similar. Anti Life is intoxicating. It doesn’t look pretty and polished but it will hit you hard, make your head spin, rattle your bones, and leave you lifeless on the curb. If heavy and dark means anything to you, you will come back to it over and over, only to hear new layers and details with each listening.

Cult of Occult launch their West Coast tour alongside Cloven and Dark Castle this week, beginning tonight at Black Lodge in Seattle. Do not miss out on this one! If listening to one of the band’s album is quite something, it is nothing compared to experiencing it live. The amps are deafeningly loud, the atmosphere is so thick you can cut it with a knife, every beat feels like being hit by an unseen force, every note adds to the oppressive atmosphere, and the vocals will shred your ears and heart. Leave all hope at the door and let the thick wall of distortion and heavy pounding take over. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Follow The Band

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Cult of Occult Stage West Coast Invasion!

️11/13 - Seattle, WA at the Black Lodge

11/14 - Portland, OR at High Water Mark

11/15 - Eugene, OR at Old Nick's Pub

11/16 - Oakland, CA at Eli's Mile High

11/17 - Los Angeles, CA at Los Globos

#D&S Reviews #Cult of Occult #Lyon #France #Doom #Sludge #Mketal #Doom Metal #Clem Helvete #HeavyBest18 #Doomed & Stoned

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jemimacaleyfmpyear1 · 3 years

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These are some more examples of the artist David Ambarzumjans work

David Ambarzumjan is an emerging artist, who currently lives and works in Munich, Germany. His works can be found in private collections and international exhibitions all around the world. His ongoing collection of oil paintings in the series “brushstrokes in time” is about juxtaposing what was, what is and what may be, exploring different landscapes and places to show how the force of nature and humanity shaped our earth over time. In 2020 he had a few exhibitions such as in June 13th- 28th (group show) “small works 2020” beinart gallery- Melbourne, Australia and one in July 30th- august 23rd: (solo show) antler gallery -Portland, OR,USA. He also has a few upcoming events such as a solo show in august 2021 in the beinard gallery in Melbourne, Australia. And an exhibition in 2022 called fall: think space gallery as a solo show in Los Angeles, CA, USA. His work can be found in private collections and international exhibitions all around the world. David ambarzumjan is an oil painter, known for his surreal paintings of brush strokes that traverse time. He also has enamoured with the wonders of our world and celebrates their beguiling essence through surreal paintings. The brushstrokes showcase another moment in time, and they also double as the lightning rods for change, “the collection,” ambarzumjan explains, “showcases how both the force of nature and humanity shaped our planet in sometimes beautiful but also devastating ways.” One of the clearest examples of this is in his painting titled impact. The background of the image features a docile scene of dinosaurs occupying a grassy field that is, of course, until a fiery orange brushstroke roars through the canvas depicting lava and destruction. “We were excited to speak with David ambarzumjan about his ongoing series of surreal landscape art and what it means to him. David ambarzumjan also said in an interview that “I’ve been drawing and painting since I can remember. To improve my skills, my parents sent me to different art schools, where I would learn to work with many mediums and pick up different techniques. That was a long time ago but it laid the groundwork and gave me the confidence to experiment and keep learning for myself, every day, with every brushstroke” what was the inspiration for these brushstroke paintings? “It all began with questions I would ask myself every once in a while: how did this place where I am standing right now look like a long time ago? What did we do to change the landscape around us and how did that impact other places around the world? The nature around us is so colourful yet different wherever we are on this planet. It’s hard to believe that all this originated from nothing but dust in outer space.”

Question to ambarzumjan: You’ve said before that you paint the whole canvas rather than painting around the brushstroke. How do you decide where the brushstroke is going to be? -depending on the subject of the piece, the brushstroke has a different meaning, therefore it requires a certain shape and position. In the human nature painting, the brush stroke represents the “footprint” of humanity, a quick, central and sudden movement to show how in just a couple of centuries the untouched nature would disappear and be replaced with man-made streets and buildings. The brush stroke in the impact painting literally takes the shape of the asteroid, that hit the earth and caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

What do you hope that people think or feel when they view brushstrokes in time? - with these paintings, I want to emphasise how big, diverse and beautiful our planet is. There is so much life and history inside every brushstroke but there is so much to lose if we are not careful. The past has proven that we are capable of transforming any canvas that is given to us. I just hope that we paint ourselves a better future for our planet.

How do you see your brushstroke paintings evolving the more you create them? - I feel like there are endless possibilities but I’m currently thinking about the series to a more abstract direction, focusing on the contrast of light and dark tones.

What are you working on now? - I’m about to start working on a new painting that explores the future, or rather a possible future. It’s exciting to think about something that has yet to happen because so far I’ve only painted past and present landscapes. Alongside that, I’m constantly working on a few miniature paintings that are being auctioned off on my Instagram account

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iggytheperson · 6 years

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The Price to Pay

The conquest au is never going to be completed to an extent that would make full presentation of it viable but I can dream and I can write drabbles so here’s an excerpt or whatever from Ken’s storyline under the cut.

“You want what!?”

Osamu’s disbelieving question rang over the castle grounds, but no nearby servant or soldier bothered to look over and see the source of his ire.

“Is there some sort of problem, Lord Ichijouji? I’m pretty sure you offered to give me whatever I wanted, right?” the unwanted invader asks, picking at her nails in disinterest.

“And of all the things you could possibly want, you decide you want to take Ken!?” Osamu yells. The younger boy in question doesn’t say anything, almost unable to process the strange situation rapidly unfolding before him. Wormmon begins to shift nervously about in his arms, clearly just as uncomfortable and baffled as Ken.

“Oh, is that your name?” the lady asks Ken, sounding a great deal more interested in hearing about him than she was in Osamu’s indignant sputtering. Ken doesn’t know what to do besides nod.

“A lovely name! And you’re Wormmon, right? You’re quite cute, you know that?” The girl says, abruptly leaning down to address the nervous and now lightly blushing digimon in Ken’s arms. He’s about to say something when Osamu suddenly steps in and shoves himself in between them, putting arm’s length between the lady, and Ken and Wormmon.

“Nope. Stop that, you aren’t taking them!” He growls.

“Oh?” the lady drawls sarcastically.

“You can’t take Ken!” Osamu snaps, literally putting his foot down in some strange sort of emphasis.

“I don’t remember you saying that while you were offering to give me whatever I wanted in exchange for letting you not follow the rules. Sorry, sweetie. I’m taking him.” She says, and with a smile sweet as sugar, she grabs Ken and starts pulling him along.

“Because I didn’t expect you to ask for him! Why the hell do you want him anyways!? Can’t you take something else!?” Osamu spouts, trying and failing to get himself in front of the speedwalking lady.

“Well, I could take your entire kingdom, since that is technically what I came here for and what I earned by beating all your digimon to a pulp, but I thought I’d be nice and invade you another day since you whined so much.” She says, blatantly getting fed up and pulling Ken along even faster as the castle entrance is opened up in front of them. The colour drains out of Osamu’s face. He tries to make some form of rebuttal, but the only thing that comes out is useless fragments as Ken is marched out of the gate and into the group of warriors who’d come with the neighbour warlord pulling him along. Ken looks back and watches his home disappear behind the gigantic gates and he can’t help but wonder why this is happening to him.

At no point during the week long trek to Floralis does he work up the nerve to ask anyone.

He supposes he’s supposed to feel honoured or something. Lady Tachikawa was said to be one of the strongest warlords around. A lot of people were even starting to say that she might be the one from that old legend. But as he walks alongside the army and they enter the lively, sprawling and fancifully decorated city home to the Lady’s castle, he can’t help but miss the quiet, dark atmosphere he’s so used to. He’s pretty sure he’s going to get a sunburn. He isn’t all that used to getting sun, and he can’t say he’s much of a fan. Wormmon seems to be enjoying it quite a bit, though. He supposes that makes sense. Chimairac wasn’t exactly the healthiest kingdom for a bug to be living in. Ken prefers the dark, though.

Though he supposes there’s a chance he might not ever get to go back there.

That might be for the best though, since going back would likely involve Lady Tachikawa overthrowing Osamu for real.

...Why was he supposedly an adequate substitute for that again?

They enter the castle, and the warriors quickly disperse, some walking off into a corner to chat while others head to different sections of the unfamiliar place. Lady Tachikawa has yet to order him to do anything, and so he decides to take that as an opportunity to ask the question that’s been burning on the tip of his tongue since the second Lady Tachikawa stated her desired reward.

“Umm...er, Lady Tachikawa?” He asks as loudly as he can trust his voice to go. His new ruler turns to look at him with a smile on her face, and Ken takes it as approval to continue. “Why exactly did you decide to...well, to take me?”

“Oh please, your potential is completely wasted on a man like that. You’re better off here.” She says, and Ken has to bite back a retort. Why did this woman have to talk about his brother like that? Osamu was amazing! He was practically their kingdom’s savior. They would’ve gone extinct years ago if it wasn’t for Osamu’s brilliance.

But Ken hadn’t had the luck to inherit half of that brilliance. So what on earth was this lady talking about?

“What do you mean? I’m just a normal warrior, I’m really not even part of any of Osamu’s strategies.” He says, chewing on his lip a bit too strongly for his own good.

“Exactly! I actually thought I had something to worry about when you started suggesting all those ideas of yours. Your stupid ruler might’ve actually had a chance at winning if he’d bothered to listen to you for a second!” Lady Tachikawa explains with a smug look on her face. What? No, this lady had to be mistaken. There was no way that they could’ve won. Osamu had ignored him because his ideas were stupid and not worth listening to. Listening to Ken wouldn’t have changed anything.

Not sure how to respond to this baffling lady who was surely, surely wrong, Ken decides to ask about a different point than the actual focus of his attention.

“How did you...hear the things I was saying to Osamu? We were on the other side of the battle area...and it’s not as though the battle was quiet or anything.” Of course, a battle ground was pretty much never quiet with a Chimairamon charging around on it.

“A lady has her ways~!” The ditsy warlord responds, winking at him. How had someone with an attitude like this overpowered his brother’s army so easily? He doesn’t get it at all. Moreover, he still doesn’t understand what on earth this lady wants with him.

“So...um...what is it that you want me to do?” He asks slowly. The person now in charge of his life smiles like a cheshire cat and Ken can’t remember feeling more anxious.

“You’re going to stay right here!” She announces. Ken blinks in complete confusion, not knowing how to respond, and so she decides to start elaborating further.

“Well, someone needs to make sure the home base doesn’t fall to some floozy while I’m out conquering the world! Not that that person has to be you, don’t worry. I can tell you don’t think you’re ready for the spotlight. Look at you, you look like you’re about to pass out!” She says, bursting into laughter. Ken really does feel like he’s about to faint. He’s going to be left here to defend the castle?

Despite the reassurance that it’s not going to be totally his responsibility, he feels overwhelmed. Lady Tachikawa reigns over a giant amount of territory. She’s a huge target, no matter how you look at it. And anyone who was looking to defeat her would probably be attacking here. Where he was going to be left. Oh god.

“So...who exactly is going to be charge, then?” he asks tentatively, despite really wanting to ask if he can run back home to Osamu now.

“That would be Lady Motomiya. Not sure if you know about this, since that tiny little kingdom of yours might not get any news, who knows, but I took over Dracora a while back. Quite a fight, unlike another I could mention. So great, in fact, that I asked Lady Motomiya and her little brother to work for me.” She explains. Ken vaguely recognizes the names. That was the kingdom with all the dragons or something, right? Not know what to say still, he nods, and Lady Tachikawa continues her explanation.

“They aren’t exactly the sharpest tools in the shed, but they’re pretty infamous for their tenacity. And they’ve earned that fear, too. Though I’d been worried about what might’ve happened if they ended up against someone who uses their brain to fight. Lord knows my whole battleground might turn against them.” She says, as though Ken would have any idea what that means.

“But I don’t have to worry about that now, do I?” She asks with an unmistakable smugness in her voice and Ken's confusion wells up again. What on earth did this lady see in him, to make her think that he’s anywhere near capable of protecting a kingdom? It conflicted with everything he thought he knew for sure about himself.

Osamu hadn’t ever really considered him and Wormmon to be anything more than back up, though Ken had tried many times to convince him that Wormmon really could be of use, if only Osamu would just let him try to evolve him. The answer had always been no, he’d only get in the way. Just stick to the back and do as Osamu says.

But now Ken is being told that he was capable of a lot more than that. And he’s not sure how to feel about it. He says practically nothing. He doesn’t know what to say. He’s being told that not only is he capable of being useful, but that his brother was a fool not to realize it. His brother, foolish. Certainly, it couldn’t be true. This woman was overestimating him. He was just Ken. Plain and simple. He wasn’t special, he wasn’t some sort of tactical genius. He wasn’t even smart! Lady Tachikawa had to be crazy or something. That was the only explanation. But he doesn’t know how to explain to this lady that she’s made a terrible mistake. He just follows Lady Tachikawa as she ushers for him to follow.

He’s lead out into a lovely yard and into the presence of two new people. A pair who Ken could only assume were Lady Motomiya and her younger brother. Ken feels an incredible whiplash when the older girl greets Lady Tachikawa with an informal ‘Hey, Mimi!’, though the warlord in question doesn’t seem to care in the slightest.

“Hey, good to see you two again. Glad to see you haven’t burned down the castle.” She says, and Ken genuinely can’t tell if she’s joking. Either way, the other girl bursts out laughing. The boy snickers a bit, but seems more intent on staring at Ken for some reason. Ken represses the urge to try and hide away somewhere where he can’t be looked at, but he can’t stop himself from shrinking back a bit as the boy continues to stare him down. What on earth was this boy’s problem, anyways? Ken attempts to shield himself by scooting behind Lady Tachikawa, but the boy just moves to see him better. What a weird person. And an annoying one. Ken is on the verge of snapping at the other boy to stop staring when the stranger finally decides to speak up. Though not to Ken.

“Hey Meems, who’s this guy and why doesn’t he like smiling?” The boy says abruptly, pointing at Ken. The unnamed girl starts laughing even harder.

“I was getting to that Daisuke. Jun, this is your new advisor! Smart young boy, he’ll be very useful, I’m sure. Don’t know about the smiling thing, actually. You two should try and work on that. Take good care of him! Teach him how the grounds work, get to know him, all that. I’m setting out tomorrow, so make sure to tell me if you need anything by then. Good luck!” She spouts rapid fire, going over everything far too quickly for the other girl to get a word in. Without waiting for a response, she spins around and walks past Ken. “Oh wait, one more thing!” she says suddenly, and Ken turns around to see that cheshire cat smile on her face again.

“When you’re feeling up to it, go take care of that Chimairac kingdom, ok?” And with those words, she leaves.

#ken ichijouji #osamu ichijouji #mimi tachikawa #daisuke motomiya #jun motomiya #I have no idea how much conquest resembles fire emblem since I've never played fire emblem #but I've been told that it's basically fire emblem #idk I just really like conquest and the premise works with digimon too so...#fanfic #nice friends you got there davis

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tinkdw · 7 years

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most of the meta i read is fairly dean- or destiel-centric, but i was wondering if you have any meta thoughts on castiel's character arc? i haven't found too much material out there that isn't entirely about destiel. obviously dean plays a HUGE role in cas' arc, with cas rebelling against the angels because he's "in love with humanity" (dean), but i feel like there's more to him than falling in love with dean and leaving the angels. do you have any thoughts?

What is Castiels character ark cause we already know Deans and Sam’s but I don’t know Castiels

Hi both :)

I’m so annoyed I just wrote a super long post about this and then somehow managed to delete it. OK here goes… here is my personal POV.

So in this post I talked about how Destiel is just a part of Cas and Dean’s own endgames, how they are not each other’s endgames in themselves but that they help and enable each other to get to their own endgame, this is how any good romance story works.

Think Pride and Prejudice as a great example. Darcy’s endgame is to lose his pride and Lizzie’s is to lose her prejudice. They teach and help each other get to their endgames and end up happy because they have done this and then their reward is to end up together and happy. That is how it works.

Dean’s endgame is to let go of the ghosts from his past, accept himself fully, all sides of himself and to like himself, to value himself and have self worth.

Cas’ endgame is to find himself, to learn who he is, what he wants and to embrace it.

For me Cas’ wants and desires are mainly:

- being Human and enjoying the life that he can have as a Human, living alongside people and as a part of humanity

- helping people, probably helping the Angels with Heaven, although he has kind of already done that by ridding them of the corrupt Archangels / high tier of Angels and leading to Hannah setting up their new democracy, ‘fixing’ the things he thinks he did wrong in the past, eg. Lucifer and continuing to help people on Earth, not because it is a duty but because he wants to (eg. when he was Godstiel it showed his personal wants and priorities here)

- being with Dean and feeling a sense of belonging in the Winchester family

“Saving People, Hunting Things, The Family Business”

is EXACTLY what Cas wants for his endgame.

*wow, I’m shocked*

The rest is under the cut as it got a little long :)

In terms of being human, for me it is clear that this is what he wants, just search my tag #human!cas for that, but basically everything he has done since season 9 shows that this is what he wants but his sense of duty and not knowing how he would fit in stops him. He ‘dies’ when he takes back his grace, he doesn’t say anything when Dean asks him if he’s happy with it, his deflection is extremely revealing, he talks about being human wistfully.

The deleted scene with Crowley from season 9 which is SO blatant that he wants to be human and a part of this is because of DEAN. Where Crowley says “who wants to be a stupid stinking emotional pile of meat…” then Dean walks in and they both share a look between them… I mean COME ON!!

What he needs is to throw off the shackles of duty (re: the Angels and being the Winchesters’ guardian) and feel a sense of belonging in the Winchester family.

This is why season 12 is so key to exposing that this, for me, is definitely on the cards now moving forwards as we have seen both of these be addressed.

We have seen the Angels disowning Cas in season 11 and then in season 12 Cas telling the Winchesters that they are his family and he is CHANGED.

This whole speech I just... it’s TEXTUALISING that he has changed, that he has fallen, that he is going to change further in terms of accepting this change now and that he will hopefully get this and MORE.

We have seen that he didn’t quite feel he belonged in 12x02 but by 12x12 he is starting to get there and in 12x23 Dean tells him that he is NOT their babysitter, which is a reference to his sense of duty.

It’s just a matter of time and a ‘new beginning’ for me that these will both become much stronger and textual and at the same time I also believe this about Dean and Cas’ relationship being stronger and more romantic.

Therefore, yes, Destiel is often mentioned when I talk about Cas’ arc and Dean’s arc because it is a part of it, but it definitely is not the crux of it, it’s just a component of their endgame, but they definitely do have an impact on getting them each to their individual endgames as their stories and arcs are so interlinked.

Dean has helped Cas realise his own sense of free will which is a huge part of his self realisation story, he also has shown Cas many times that Cas is different to the other Angels and is special, that he is worth fighting for (and so has Sam). They have forgiven him for his past errors in judgement, allowed him to try and fix things, accepted him into their lives and their family, given him a purpose as their guardian but now moving forwards this will evolve into an EQUAL position within their family, where he is not needed as a tool but wanted as a brother and lover.

We have had an “I need you”, which is all well and good, and anyone else knows that this is romantic and means want and love, not need in the technical or tool sense (we have had it between other canon romantic couples on the show, so it IS obvious) except to CAS, because CAS sees this as him being a tool, because of his own past and arc. It is vitally important as this will help him with all 3 of his endgame components.

Cas has helped Dean realise his own sense of self worth, that he deserves to be saved and also his bisexuality because, well, he is in a male vessel and Dean is in love with him, so it kind of has to be addressed, but also back to the first part about his self worth being based on self acceptance, acceptance of his whole self, including the parts that he used to think needed to be sublimated.

So yeah, for me Cas’ arc has always been about rebelling against Heaven, not because he doesn’t want to be an Angel as such but because of the fact that they brainwashed him, used him as a tool and he never really felt like he belonged.

His arc of free will, belonging and humanity is what I believe is his endgame and it seems to me to all be pointing in that direction.

#cas #cas winchester #castiel #supernatural #destiel #by proxy #supernatural meta #Anonymous

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wordtotherose · 7 years

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A Test of Heart

It’s the middle of the night, or at least that’s what time she assumes it is, it’s near impossible to tell when surrounded by walls made of vines. They had looked beautiful beyond belief when they’d woken up the day before. But the first thing she focuses on when she’s rudely awakened by a hand clamped over her mouth, and another pushing her out of the bed and out the entrance to the temporary bedroom chamber, is that the vines look like callous fingers curling ominously around each other, fingernails filed to points that poke out into her path to catch at her hair and clothes. Through the veil of fear and panic that’s settled over her, everything that was welcoming about the place is eerie. The green glow that had felt so warm and natural is now reduced to simply being too dim for her to make out who’s kidnapping her. She assumed they were kidnapping her, what with the hissed instructions to stop resisting and stay silent. Better her than Valerie who was hopefully still sound asleep.

‘Liar.’ A voice in the back of her head whispers. ‘You want her to rescue you like you rescued her. You want to feel needed, all you’ve ever wanted is to feel needed.’ She doesn’t try to argue, she’d be arguing with herself after all and that would be pointless.

She loses track of how many corners they take and how many doors they pass. No one’s walked by and so it seems safe to think that even the Old Race need to sleep, their human counterparts definitely do. Is it a human taking her? Or one of them? She tries to strain her eyes down to make out her captor’s feet but her head’s held stiffly in place, facing forward.

“We’re nearly there.”

She startles at the loud voice right next to her ear before asking where they’re going and why when the hand that had previously been keeping her mouth closed was moved to grab a fistful of her hair instead. The answer is less than clear but the images searing into her mind along with two sharp words make it obvious what is taking her away. Synthia doesn’t bother asking what they meant by ‘her test’, partially out of fear but also mostly out of the distinct feeling that she really doesn’t want to actually know. Out of nowhere the corridor is suddenly a vast chamber, circular in shape of course because apparently that’s the preferred architecture of the Old Race; maybe it’s something about how everything is equal or some other rubbish.

The creature marches her into the centre of the room before kicking her legs out from underneath her, she bites back a cry of pain and swears in her head; she doesn’t bother trying to stand up again, choosing instead to stay kneeling on the dry grass with her dress skirts tucked up under her knees and around her ankles, offering a thin layer of protection from the sharp blades of grass. The hand in her hair withdraws and so does the one from her shoulder but she still doesn’t move or dare to ask what’s happening. She just has to trust that all will become clear. Which it does in a blinding flash of agony that physically makes her double over and retch, forehead pressed against the ground and her hands slammed against her ears. It’s the red-hot pain that she knows comes hand-in-hand with the creatures invading her mind but this time it’s worse. It doesn’t so much pass but...dull. Into a simmering wave that she can think alongside, she wills herself to sit up with as much composure as she can muster but nothing happens.

She tries to lower her hands and they do come to rest on her knees as she straightens her back fully, relief quickly floods her before she tries to push a stray hair out of her field of vision and finds that she can’t. Relief is replaced with panic. What have they done? Something moves in the shadows in front of her, something with hair that resembles fire and a green dress and skin that glows with newly found health in the the phosphorescent light. Valerie. ‘You wanted her here, now she is. Just what you wanted.’ No. No, what if they were going to put her through the same pain? Whatever they’d done to her they could do to Valerie. They could-

Valerie kneels down opposite her and locks eyes with Synthia. They stay in silence, Synthia can feel the watchful eyes of the creature who had brought her here all around, like an omnipresent power. It’s unnerving to say the least. But she has bigger things to focus on. Valerie’s breathing is starting to pick up pace, each breath quicker than the last and there were tears starting to trail down her cheeks. She longed to brush them away, to hold her from behind and press her hand flat against Valerie’s chest to help her breathe again, help her find the rhythm of useful breaths like she had so many times before. But she can’t move. She can’t speak or else she’d be begging her love to tell her what’s wrong, what’s making her panic.

Synthia watches on in horror as Valerie lifts her hand to see a cut materialising across her palm, like an invisible knife is splitting her skin like cloth and deep red is spilling out the cracks. Valerie cries out and Synthia starts talking anyway, in her head. Valerie is one of them, after all; there’s hope that she is able to hear Synthia. The princess gulps in a rattling breath, the air wheezing out of her lungs in great gasps. Her eyes are filled with anguish and fear. No. Not fear. Terror. She’s shaking and Synthia doesn’t know what to do. She pleaded for the breaking girl before her to hear her, to focus on her. Valerie doesn’t hear, that much is clear when she starts talking.

“Syn- Synthia, where-” She’s hiccuping between every other word like she’s drowning. “Where is she? I- I need her! I ne- need Syn, I can’t- I ca- Can’t. Can’t…”

‘I’m here! Val, I’m here, love. Breathe for me, please- just- just breathe for me, Princess. I’m right here, you’re going to be okay.’ She’s screaming herself hoarse in her own mind, she hadn’t known that was possible. ‘I’m going to get you out of here, you’re going to be okay!’

Valerie’s blood is starting to coat the grass like vile paint, the drops from her hand had evolved into a stream and there was a stain of harrowing scarlet spreading by the second around her stomach; almost as if she’d been impaled with Synthia’s own blade. Then it’s there, Synthia’s dagger. The one Valerie had had made specifically for her, with love and trust and everything right between them. It’s so out of place, so violently wrong as the handle protrudes from the princess’ side. Yet despite the endless outpour of what should surely have been too much blood, too much, too much, too much, Valerie is still screaming for Synthia. Still convulsing in pain every few seconds and panicking constantly. And there is nothing she can do. She can’t keep watching this, can’t not do anything. Valerie is dying and Synthia is dying with her, she doesn’t want to watch anymore. Doesn’t want to see. Then she isn’t.

The world is empty of light all of a sudden and she forces open her eyes. Someone is shaking her shoulders and calling her name; she bolts upright, the person shifts back quickly but stays sitting on the bed.

“Breathe, Syn. It was just a night terror; you’re safe. I’m safe.” Valerie reassures her softly. Valerie. Alive, if a bit sleepy.

Synthia pulls Valerie against her by the back of her neck, gently of course, and the princess goes willingly, curling around her and tucking her head into the crook of Synthia’s neck. Letting her hold her close and breathe her in. Valerie is safe. It had just been a dream. There’s no pain in her mind, she has absolute control over her body and Valerie is tucked in her arms, running her fingers up and down Synthia’s side to keep her grounded in the touch. She tilts her head and presses a kiss to the top of the princess’ head.

“I love you, Val. With everything I have. All of it is yours.” She whispers.

She would have thought the other girl hadn’t heard her until she catches her even quieter reply. “I love you too, Syn.”

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arplis · 5 years

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Arplis - News: Affordable Schoolhouse Lighting and a DIY Project To Get The Look Of An Enamelware Industrial Sconce

Last week, I told you all about my plans to incorporate Modern Schoolhouse Style into the decor of our 1920s Bungalow. This week, I’m showing you how I made an easy upgrade to a cheap light fixture to make it look like an expensive vintage reproduction. Plus, I’m doing a round-up with 60 of my favorite budget schoolhouse lights for decorating your own home! *this post contains affiliate links* I get a commission when you buy through my links that goes towards the costs of hosting this free tutorial site. Site operating fees are expensive but my commission costs you nothing. thanks for your support! BUT FIRST, WHAT IS MODERN SCHOOLHOUSE? I get this question a lot on Instagram since I revealed that my design plan for our California Bungalow is to incorporate more Schoolhouse Design Style into the decor of this home. The term is used rather loosely across the Interior Design community, as it’s technically not a real home style. Rather, Schoolhouse Style actually comes from the use of Schoolhouse Style lighting: electrical light fixtures that were widely used throughout the United States in public school buildings between the 1920s and 1950s. As explained in this article from This Old House, Schoolhouse light fixtures are known for their milky glass bulb covers. Originally, electric fixtures donned a bare bulb that created a glare. This made for challenges in the classroom, as teachers and students were often blinded by the light. To remedy that problem, lighting designers developed an opaque glass cover that would allow light to penetrate but would soften the light and alleviate the glare issues. You’ll often see these fixtures in bright finishes or with striped patterns on the globes. This was a common way to add visual interest to the fixtures while maintaining the light defusing properties. The most common DIY associated with Schoolhouse lighting is adding a stripe to the milk glass globe, as seen in this tutorial from Jackie at School of Decorating. BEYOND THE MILK GLASS SHADE In its inception, schoolhouse style was mainly used to refer to light fixtures that featured the white glass globe over a light bulb. Over the years, the term Schoolhouse Lighting has evolved to incorporate other styles of light fixtures. In fact, now you’ll find that a quick Google search for Schoolhouse pendants and sconces will reveal a wealth of options that come in glass, metal, and enamelware finishes. These fixtures lean more industrial - and even a little farmhouse - than traditional schoolhouse but in the design world, they all fall under the same decor style. The color options have evolved as well. For most schoolhouse fixtures, you’ll find that raw metal, stainless steel, and iron (or black) is a base. However, now you can even find schoolhouse chandeliers that also incorporate other finishes you might use throughout your home, such as antique brass and polished nickel. HOW TO MIX SCHOOLHOUSE LIGHTING WITH MODERN DECOR Because these light fixtures often feature cute pops of color, they’re a common favorite among people who are decorating kid’s bedrooms and playrooms. For instance, this kid’s room by Erin Wheeler of Sunny Circle Studio rocks a charming traditional schoolhouse pendant alongside schoolhouse room decor. See the national parks advertising poster and buffalo plaid throw blanket? Punched with bold primary color accents and warm, worn wood, this space just screams Traditional Schoolhouse style. Meanwhile, designer Whitney McGregor’s kid’s room, featured in Southern Living, boasts cozy, traditional cottage decor. Even with a Queen Elizabeth-style bed, the schoolhouse factory pendant looks right at home! So it’s clear that schoolhouse lighting can work in harmony with traditional home decor, but what about a more modern home? How would you use schoolhouse style in a contemporary setting? Schoolhouse lighting is fairly neutral - it features clean lines, limited adornment, and an industrial vibe. Sp of course it looks great with modern decor as well! Just take a look at these Schoolhouse factory pendants in the Rockridge Casita, a modern Airbnb in Oakland, CA: The bottom line: Schoolhouse Light Fixtures are fun. They are nostalgic. They aren’t made for stuffy quarters but can serve a beautiful juxtaposition against a hyper-traditional home. Two remaining examples? Just look at this kitchen and child’s bedroom designed by Susana of Chango + Co. Both rooms feature schoolhouse industrial light fixtures yet neither room looks particularly schoolhouse in design. The decorating possibilities with this style of lighting are truly endless! AFFORDABLE SCHOOLHOUSE LIGHTING In a moment, I’m going to show you how I turned a standard $25 metal factory flush mount into an enamelware light on a budget. But if I’m being honest, the DIY upgrade wasn’t necessary. All of the light fixtures I’ve rounded up below look like more expensive fixtures than they are. Many of these pendants and chandeliers are on my list of items to buy when we’re ready to upgrade the remaining lights in our California Bungalow. You can see all the sources I’m planning to use for our remodel via my Pinterest Board: 1924 Source List. While you’re there, make sure to follow me so you can see new inspiration and products as I add them. SCHOOLHOUSE PENDANTS + FLUSHMOUNTS click images to shop directly through retailer - affiliate links included SCHOOLHOUSE PENDANTS + FLUSHMOUNTS click images to shop directly through retailer - affiliate links included As I’ve been slowly decorating our California Bungalow, I’ve made a few little upgrades that have all contributed to a more industrial cottage decorating plan. First, I built this Schoolhouse Style Wooden Broom. Then I upgraded the entryway storage in our home by creating a small mudroom in the corner of our dining room featuring this Schoolhouse Style Wall Hook Rack. But what I failed to show you on the blog is the biggest upgrade we’d made in this home. I replaced the dining room light within a few weeks after we closed on this house. Here’s what the space looked like before we moved in. If you look beyond the moving boxes, you can see that the original light fixture in this room was very small. It actually didn’t even illuminate the room. At night, I could barely see to wipe down the table. To refresh your memory, our dining room is actually the original designated Living Room, based on traditional bungalow floorpans. I explain why I chose to move it around in this post: Our 1924 California Bungalow: Full Home Tour So the very first design decision I made for this home was to purchase and install a new light. That new light has an industrial modern vibe which lends itself to 1920s period decor and schoolhouse style. That photo was taken as a sneak peek of our new home and sent only to my email newsletter subscribers to show off our new pendant light. Want on the list to see exclusive sneak peeks and get extra content every week? You can sign up here. This modern industrial cage light, in olive green, sets the tone for the remainder of our home’s style. Part cottage, part industrial, part modern. Those styles all gather together and morph into what designers now call “Schoolhouse Modern Style”. For this reason, when I decided to update the ceiling fixture in our small hallway (for the same reason - it barely shines any light), I knew I wanted a vintage schoolhouse look. Immediately, I fell in love with this original vintage factory pendant I found on 1stdibs. But the price tag was a steep $300. That’s more than I really wanted to spend on the lighting for that tiny space. Also, I’m planning to incorporate this Hygge & West wallpaper into the ceiling of the hallway, so I was worried the grey would just get lost against it. That’s when inspiration struck and the idea for my $30 Enamelware Factory Pendant DIY was born! DIY FACTORY LIGHT REPLICA tools: paint brush painter’s tape cardboard surface for painting materials: metal farmhouse style light fixture craft paint high gloss lacquer spray STEP ONE - remove the shade from the bulb housing. STEP TWO - tape just above lower rim of shade + around bulb socket to protect surface from paint. STEP THREE - paint rim of shade and bulb housing with craft paint. allow to dry. repeat with additional coats, if necessary. STEP FOUR - remove painter's tape and spray with clear lacquer. Once all the paint and lacquer was dry, I allowed it to sit for 24 hours in order to harden. Then I installed it in our bungalow’s hallway and I love it! Since we’re taking our time with this renovation, we haven’t even updated the paint in here yet. But already, the hallway feels fresh and modern! Here’s what the hallway looked like before - You can see how that teeny tiny light was doing absolutely nothing for us. But now, it’s bright! I still want to add wallpaper above the beadboard and update all the door hardware (in keeping with the home’s historic integrity, don’t worry). Oh! And I also need to decide what color I want to paint the trim and walls throughout the house. But all those decisions and tasks can be left for another day because right now, I’m basking in the glory of my beautiful, new industrial lighting, including these two fixtures I ordered and installed in our dining room! Since the dining room leads directly into our hallway - which is the central hub of the rest of the home - consistency in design choices is key to making this home feel collected and maintain flow. While the 3 light fixtures I’ve added so far aren’t identical, they are all tied together with common finishes and styles. If you’re planning to make your own Industrial Light Fixture, I’ve added an easy printable instruction sheet that you can keep with you as you work to the bottom of this page. SCHOOLHOUSE DECOR INSPIRATION Ready to add some industrial vintage vibes to your home? Check out these posts to get you started. SHOP MY SCHOOLHOUSE STYLE BUNGALOW love this style? I do too! here are the decor items I bought to achieve the look. WEEKLY POST REMINDER + EXCLUSIVE UPDATES! I’ll never share your email address with any other companies or people. You may unsubscribe at any time. Email Address Sign Up We respect your privacy. Thank you! DIY HOME PROJECTS THAT ARE TRENDING RIGHT NOW quick and affordable DIY projects you don’t want to miss YOUR HOME DECORATING DILEMMAS SOLVED Commenting on this post is disabled so I can focus on our upcoming projects + client designs but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to hear from you. Send me your questions and comments on Instagram by either commenting on my latest post or sending me a direct message. I really love to chat it out! DIY Factory Style Vintage Enamelware Light Fixture CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD + PRINT by Teri Moore | www.tmoorehome.com skill level: EASY MATERIALS: metal farmhouse style light fixture craft paint high gloss lacquer spray TOOLS: paint brush masking tape Instructions: step one: remove the shade from the bulb housing. step two: tape just above lower rim of shade + around bulb socket to protect surface from paint. step three: paint rim of shade and bulb housing with craft paint. step four remove painter's tape and spray with clear lacquer. #HomeDecor #DIYCraftTutorials #DIYRemodeling #MyFavoriteProducts

Arplis - News source http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Arplis-News/~3/EO87JTtIZcc/affordable-schoolhouse-lighting-and-a-diy-project-to-get-the-look-of-an-enamelware-industrial-sconce

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icharchivist · 7 years

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I'm really worried about Leorio in this arc. Like he hasn't seen half the shit Kurapika's been through and not even a quarter of half the shit Killua and Gon have been through. And this arc seems like/was stated to be even worse than the chimera ant arc? He's gonna get thrust in the middle of all of it! Thought it might also be his time to shine. Kurapika's def gonna get hurt and while he can heal himself normally he won't be able to if he's passed out/weakened from emperor time.

Yeee definitly agreed. Some shits are going to go down and that’s going to be hard.

I love Kurapika with all my heart but tbh I really wanted this arc to be more Leorio centric. I’m still a bit frustrated we didn’t get much of him, but I think the arc can set up a few things for him now if the storyline takes it.

and if it does? Leorio is going to suffer.

The thing is that, I think the main four are complementary in a sort of way when it comes to their respective trauma. Gon’s was dormant and truly kicked in in the CA arc when everything happened to Kite. He actively tried to confront that trauma and it ended badly. Killua’s was always kinda there and is still there, without exactly being addressed directly by Killua - he’s slowly recovering without exactly realizing it since it’s just by being away from a toxic environment that he’s doing better.Kurapika's trauma is still vivid and active and he’s completely aware of it, and he deals with it with the most unhealthy ways possible, and like Gon he tries to confront him.

If we go by that logic, Leorio’s trauma happened officially pre-canon with the death of his friend, and he had tried to recover as much as possible in the most healthy ways (how he’s becoming a doctor to prevent this loss to happen again).

Out of the Four, it’s true Leorio is the one who suffered the least, and he’s the one who moved on from the trauma that kickstarted his plotline - as much as we can say, he recovered.

Which is in itself a good theme when it comes down to it, but since it’s not exactly exploited by the narrative, it’s not exactly obvious and I doubt it was meant to be a point in itself but more a set up.

If it is a set up, we saw already a bit of payoff thus far. The multiple times he worred about Kurapika before the end of the York New Arc and grew concerned was one part, and his direct reaction to almost losing Gon was extremely frightening for him. It’s eventually what led him to ask the Zodiacs if they could find a way to get to Kurapika.

I think that, at this point of the story, Leorio is more worried for his friends than ever. In the begining of the story he mostly focuses on his goal, becoming a doctor in order to be able to prevent the harm that could happen to people, but he ended up feeling extremely guilty in the Election arc where, after all this studying, he still wasn’t there when his friends were suffering, and he couldn’t have done anything to prevent it - and now again he was powerless.

Even when Gon wakes up Leorio still feels guilty for not having been there when all those troubles with Killua and Gon happened - he mentions it especially when Gon mentions the “horrible things” he said to Killua, which means more than saving his life, Leorio wanted to have been here to prevent all those bad things to happen, to even talk with them if possible.

Which is imo why he tried to reach out for Kurapika a bit more and ended up asking the Zodiac for a favor - because he wasn’t there previously and his friends ended up near death. And it’s all good to be able to help people, but if you’re not there when it happens, what’s the point?

I’m still a little unsure about that because as much as i love Leorio caring for his friends, I would have loved a more “Leorio-centric” narrative, but as the story is going on, I wonder if the catalyst won’t be even more harm happening to his closed ones and eventually re-traumatizing him, and having him try to do something about it.

That’s why I’ve kinda been thinking that Kurapika may not die but will be badly harmed by the end of the arc and it may bring oil on the fire for Leorio. But at the same time i’m still a bit doubtful, because a repetitive narrative can be either extremely clever as parallelism, or downright stupid because it’s basically the same thing. But it’s been in the back of my mind for a while, since it would find a place among Leorio’s themes in general.

Personally, I would wish to see him more involved with the Zodiacs and uses his political position as a means to an end. I would love to see more of his training too, but I don’t have any precise idea of where it could go from that point on in order to explore that.

All i still wish for though, is that - Leorio is supposed to be busy on the lower levels of the ship. Kurapika is dealing with the princes now, but Leorio is down there, far from the political fighting.

Mizai had said that riots started happening on the lower levels, and I want to know if it’s going to bring somewhere, especially with Leorio who’s after all, working in that aera. It would be an opportunity to open up a plot line for him.

If we can’t have a totally centric Leorio arc like I wish, there’s still the fact the Troupe and Hisoka are also on those lower levels. At best, Leorio could get involved because he knows them and can try to come up with ways to limitate the damages (also it could also finally explore why Hisoka took an interest on him in the Hunter Exam by having those two at least having a conversation.). At worst, if it’s not entierely Leorio-centric, he could be worried that learning the Troupe is on board would be of harm for Kurapika and try to deal with it for it.

Regardless, I still believe the arc will be divided in, well, 3 for now. First part was the introduction we saw so far, until the departure of the boat, second would be the Succession War and everything happening on the Boat to the Dark Continent. Lastly, the Exploration of the Dark Continent itself.

I think it may be why the likes of Ging and Pariston hadn’t been seen again since the Succession War sub-arc started. The introduction would have set the players for the following arcs, and the Dark Continent exploration would be a complete different story.

Kurapika’s entiere purpose for participating in that arc is the Succession War (which again is one of the reason I think he’ll be out of commission by the end of this pat). Leorio, however, promised to help alongside Cheadle with every means he could, and I believe it might be that he’ll therefore be a more major player in the Exploration of the Dark Continent itself.

Whenever it would be to further his own storyline, which i really hope for, or to help wounded friends (after all, one of the wonders of the Dark Continent includes a rice that makes you life longer, that would come handy), i think Leorio would have more of a plotline in the Dark Continent Itself.

(especially even more if the Dark Continent would head up into a commentary about collonialism the way the CA arc had a commentary about war, and that I think (really take it with a grain of salt bc it’s something i’ve been thinking to myself for a while) that therefore Nanika’s powers could have been a forshadow of the commentary itself - for your selfish gain you will only get suffering, a suffering the next people involved, regardless of their own intend, will pay even harder, but if you’re there because you want to help, if you work it out of love, either toward the land/the person or toward the people you’re trying to help, you may find a welcome. I think it was stated that the guardian of the DC wouldn’t let a lot of people in, and we saw the scientific team talking about the DC only see horrors from the people who came back - yet apparently Don Freecss, who embrassed and loved the new land, could benefits from its goodness.)(and i’m completely overanalysing so don’t take that part any seriously until we get any confirmation, because for now we don’t know anything.)

Also the Zodiac are planning on letting all the people on the Boat (aside from those who are actively working on the exploration of the dark continent) into an Unknown Continent, I suppose eventually a few stuff could happen there, at least as it would come to organize the people who will be brought there.

I’m really scared for what’s to come though because ye, it seems to be going in a dark path, and things are going to get tense. And I worry too that Leorio’s “lack of drama” (for lack of better word) will eventually backlash on him getting even worse on his head.

The problem is that so far the most I can think about is him reacting to his friends and... While on one way I consider it to be in character, and it’s not a shame for character to be dedicated to their friends (a lot of Killua’s storyline centers a lot more around helping Gon that it does on his own goal, textually so. And Leorio’s goal is, as a mean to an end, a way to help people, among those, his friends.).

On the other, I would love a storyline that would explore much more about Leorio, first because I really want to see him evolve and see him going through stuff, and second because I don’t want to hear anything about how he’s not interesting or useless or any Bad Word Of The Month people use on him. And the sad truth is that people who’s goal are usually really “caring” centric are often sidelined, both by the narrative and the fandom, more than once.

So in recap, i do think he’ll get involved in the plotline and he will end up getting in danger in one way or another. But I also believe he will be more involved either with the Zodiac or with the Exploration, and maybe with the Riots on the boat, which could be an excellent opportunity to explore much, much more of him. Even if you have to use other people’s suffering to come there, i just wish at least it wouldn’t break him.

I’m still hopeful for Leorio’s involvement and story arc, but ye, there’s no way it will happen without suffering. Brace for it.

All of that being said, there’s still a lot this arc has to offer and Togashi had always managed to surprise us in one way or another, and he always added stuff to the scenario that we couldn’t exactly anticipate. Notice that all I say is my overanalysis of current information that might be completely wrong after a next update because of new elements. I totally believe Togashi can be completely misleading, and that he will bring the story where it has to be brought and that it will be interesting. But we can’t predict it, even with all the amount of overinterpretation one can use.

Take care!!

#ichameta hxh #hxh meta #hxh spoilers #dc arc spoilers #leorio appreciation #i have a lot of thoughts about the dc arc in general but we don't have enough info rip #so i'm still really doubtful about everything i say #(also the leorio stuff are always a risky line bc i don't want to sound biased)#(i love leorio and his character arc in general and imo he's really centered on how he cares about people)#(but therefore it means i tend to mostly mention stuff about him that are related to other people)#(and to me there's nothing wrong with a character who's more caring-centered)#(but i've been enough into fandoms to know that people are never happy unless you give even more and more)#(i believe a well written caring storyline would have more weight than a half assed attempt at writting a badass)#(but still - i would love much more to be explored about Leorio in general - especially his political affiliations now)#(and the achievement of his training - and hopefully new plotthreads!!)#(but i can't exactly focus only on that when he's been really driven into not letting people suffer again)#(bleh this is the never ending argument in fandoms and it's why i get worked up about it)#(nothing in your ask about that i just justify why i wrote this the way i wrote it)#(I know i have a bias to start with but i'm trying to keep it as much down as anything and be objective)#(so i hope it doesn't sound too far fetched)#take care!!#Anonymous #ichareply

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mytinderfails · 5 years

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date: Victoria

49, from Kansas and left her husband 4 years ago for a guy online here, still lives with/shares a bed with the guy, 25 year old daughter back in KS and 9 year old adopted daughter with ADHD here, nurse, driver’s license revoked for distracted driving and failed to pay the ticket on time but got a new one two days after our date, drug of choice is Zoloft, does not own a trashcan.

It’s one of those whirlwind romances. I was awake at 6am Saturday and swiping so went right on her, two hours later she swiped right on me and in the first message gave me her text number (suspicious but her profile was not suspect), told me her work schedule -- busy Mon-Wed with life stuff but free Sunday so let’s meet for tea at the library and daughter will be along.

A cup of tea where we talked for hours evolved into dinner at a Greek restaurant once the library closed, and we parted ways around 7pm. The goodbye hug evolved into actual making out (with the kid looking bored as she swung off of this young tree’s branches), and she said the she hadn’t been able to get a read on me prior to this. They walked a block or two home, I came back to my neighborhood for a stroll, and we kept talking through text. About 10pm we’re talking again once she had her kid down for the night, and she invites me over... former boyfriend and bedmate is spending the night with his new girlfriend so why should she be alone? “Can we consider this a second date?” she asks, since she doesn’t fuck on the first date. I got there at 11:30pm, and left at 6:15am wherein there was absolutely no sleep... way too much talking and fun for that. Since I didn’t have anything I needed to do today until the afternoon, once home I got 5 hours of sleep interrupted three times by a full bladder... stayed hydrated, folks!

So I know her life’s story, about her 25 year marriage and how her husband would make all kinds of promises then change the deal, how they were building a house but once it was halfway done he decides they should move to California, how because of that her family dumped her stuff acquired for the house while they lived in CA and he came back once she’d left him to live in that house, about how at 45 she found a 22 year old online and moved over here to be with him only to (predictably) discover after two years he wasn’t ready for what he’d gotten himself into -- a big factor, her ADHD daughter who is indeed a ball of nervous energy -- and is now bedding a 47 year old to continue hunting cougars as a way of handing the lack of a mother.

Having had two ill-advised relationships where she gave more than she received, she’s doing it all for herself now: she’s clear that she wants adventure and to go enjoy life with someone who wants to be an active part, whereas neither of the guys she’s been with before were even willing to walk beside her down the driveway (one because going for a walk was was not his thing, the other because he’s got bad joints and steams on ahead without her). My thought is that I’m going to see how we work out since all the talk has been great, all the planning of beach trips is attractive, and she’s a pretty good looking and passionate woman with the patience of a saint for her kid.

I’m not put off by her plus-size because she is a very active person and wants to be even more active, she even said “you can help me lose this belly.” I am not alarmed by the two medications she takes to help with depression and stabilizing her moods because she does not have any obvious nuttiness and from where she has been in her life these things are not uncommon, though I do take note that her mother was schizophrenic which is not hereditary (though genetic factors alongside environmental factors can bring it out). I am a bit wary of her daughter being a handful being a weighty thing as time with her goes on, but since I’ve never really dealt with kids outside of two girlfriends where I only had to deal with them for hours or a couple days I have to figure that out for myself. The thing that does put me on notice though is that her house is a straight-up mess, which is one of those things on my watch list. I don’t mean it’s disarray, I mean there are old dishes in the sink and while there’s not much furniture in the livingroom you have to ford a path through the garbage to reach the bathroom. I’m sitting on her bed and there are three fast-food soda cups on the nightstand, for instance. There’s stuff on her front porch including a sideways diningroom table. She’s a clean person and I don’t think she’s a hoarder, but I refuse to live in squalor and trash, and will only volunteer to clean up someone else’s unnecessary messes so often before it’s apparent they cannot or will not refuse to live in a pigsty.

This is longer than my usual entries about dates because, well, there were “two dates” in one day (heh!) and a lot of conversational ground was covered. We will get together again in a week, again once her ex-BF is off at his girlfriend’s house and her daughter has hit the hay, but the girl is going to go visit family for the summer in two weeks and then actual adventures begin. If you wondered about the last date, Shawna, she’s still out there but isn’t really that conversational so I might just leave her be; the only talk has been about going hiking next week and there’s never been even one flirt (and no attempt to ‘make magic’) so I don’t expect much future out of her.

#online dating #POF #in her words - I lost count

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