#SO many restraints in this show/pos | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

alwaysahiccupandastrid · 3 years

Text

How Bad is Sia’s “Music” really?

I watched it illegally (because there was no way I was paying for that bullshit) and found out. It’s not as bad as we thought... It’s worse.

TW for ableism, Sia, drugs, alcohol, just in general a terrible movie, meltdowns, blackface

Literally the first thing you hear while they’re showing the production companies is THOSE stereotypical noises. If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know what I mean.

And yes, she does this for the WHOLE fucking movie

What was the need to show her in her underwear? Maddie Ziegler was 14 when this was made, so what was the need??? And why did Sia prolong the scene by having her hitting herself?

Less than a minute in and my reaction was already “what the fuck is this shit?”

So the opening number not only had stereotypical exaggerated facial expression, it has Maddie in BLACKFACE?!? And with culturally appropriated hair?!?

The exaggerated facial expressions are literally constant and I took photos during the film to show it, more later, but I’ll keep mentioning it

ITS LITERALLY THE WHOLE FUCKING TIME SHE IS ON SCREEN

Even her way of walking is fucking offensive, Jesus Christ

The vocalisations just had me cringing so hard, I cannot describe how awful it made me feel

Why do all the neighbours need to be paid off and help her when she goes for a walk? I don’t-

Yes, by about the five minute mark I was already seriously debating all my life decisions. It was that bad.

Kate Hudson really didn’t give a fuck that her grandma died

I will keep saying it but WHY are the facial expressions/vocalisations CONSTANT?!! Literally they do not stop at all. I work with a child who is actually similar to this in that he’s nonverbal and he makes similar noises/faces, but the way they’re in this movie is so over-exaggerated?!? And even the kid I work with doesn’t do it 24/7?!?

Sia, calling your characters Zu and Music doesn’t make them interesting in the slightest. They’re still painfully terrible and one dimensional

Literally ONE minute after being left alone with her autistic sister, Zu calls the mental health service asking if they could “theoretically” “pick up” her sister?!? Like she wants to get rid of her already?!?

“A magical little girl” - autism isn’t a magical power?!? And Music is a young woman, not a little girl?!? Why are you infantilising her?!?

Okay I’m not being funny but this choreography is NOT hard. ANYONE can do it, so claiming that you needed to hire a dancer to be Music because of the numbers is literally bullshit (and even so, there are so many amazing autistic actors and dancers?!?)

20 minutes in and I wanted to give up

So she had her first meltdown because her hair didn’t get braided immediately and that’s... certainly interesting??

The fact that Leslie Odom’s character says “I’m going to crush you now”?!?

AND THEN HE FUCKING PICKS HER UP AND FULL-BODILY PINS HER DOWN ONTO THE FLOOR

“I’m crushing her with my love” - oh fuck you, just fuck you

So Sia lied, the restraint scenes were NOT removed and there was no warning. She’s a fucking POS liar

I have no idea why he’s called Ebo or why he has such a cliche African accent?!? I might have missed out on why because I was busy trying not to bang my head into the table while I watched this film but just... yikes

“He (his brother) liked to be held” - YEAH, HELD. NOT FUCKING CRUSHED

“He is dead now” - IM NOT FUCKING SURPRISED IF YOU CRUSHED HIM LIKE THAT

The constant babying and patronizing of the autistic character is so exhausting to watch. I’m so tired

“Planning on sending her to the people pound but I guess I’ll keep her a little longer” - SHE WAS JOKING BUT THAT WAS NOT EVEN REMOTELY A FUNNY JOKE. NOT EVEN IN AN AWKWARD WAY

STOP THE FACES IM-

^ YEAH, Sia, totally a fucking love letter to the autistic community here ^

So Zu finds this necklace she made as a kid that had a little dog on it, and she says to Music, “He had seizures too, just like you”... MELTDOWNS AND SEIZURES ARE NOT EVEN REMOTELY THE SAME FUCK THIS MOVIE-

It’s like Sia is trying to make the movie funny but it’s really not at all

Is Zu implying that Music is autistic because the mum was a junkie?!?

For real though, the dialogue in general is so fucking awful and cringey. Whoever wrote this should never be allowed to write again

Did she seriously leave her autistic sister alone to talk to who I’m presuming was her dealer or loan shark?!?

Also why is he - a white dude - wearing cornrows?!?

So who is the film really about? The autistic girl or the older sister saviour? I think we all know the answer to that one

WHY IS SHE WALKING AROUND WITH HER TEETH JUTTING OUT LIKE THAT ALL THE TIME

The musical numbers are literally so painful to watch. The overly bright colours, the flashing... my eyes were hurting and so was my brain

Autism representation aside for a second, the musical numbers/choreography are all fucking atrocious. Ditto for the costumes

LIKE WHAT THE FUCK WERE THE PINK OOMPA LOOMPA FRUIT THINGS?!? THEY LOOK LIKE THE PINK VERSIONS OF VIOLET BEAUREGARDE THE BLUEBERRY

I wanted to cry by this point, this movie is far more awful than I thought

“I’m not saying she doesn’t want to change, I’m saying she can’t” - FUCK YOU. Why is it okay for him to assume what she can or can’t do

Can I just say that autistic people aren’t constantly in a coked up wonderland state?!! We don’t see the world as a wonderland fantasy world 24/7?!!

“She can hear you from two rooms away” / *shows her listening through two brick walls to a conversation* — Also, we don’t have super fucking sonic hearing?? WE CANT HEAR THROUGH FUCKING BRICK WALLS?!?

“She can understand everything you’re saying to her” - she’s autistic not fucking deaf

Less than 45 minutes in, there’s another meltdown in the park

“I’m not climbing on top of a small screaming white girl in public” - yeah please fucking don’t

So Zu fucking pins her down with her weight 🤦‍♀️

“She doesn’t know who she’s hitting” - IM SORRY WHAT

EBO LITERALLY SAID “TREAT HER LIKE A BEAR” when talking her through the prone restraint, I fucking CANNOT

“Tell her she’s safe” - NOT IF YOU FUCKING RESTRAIN HER LIKE THAT SHE IS NOT

The fact that she gets up, smiling and happy after a meltdown and immediately is excited to get a snow cone... I can honestly say that after a meltdown, I am in no way happy or smiling. I am often not very verbal and I’m withdrawn/not myself for at least several hours, usually the rest of the day. Fuck this film

This film is literally just about Zu, and Music is there for a plot device to give her character development. That’s all she’s there for.

Love how Sia shoehorned Zu being suicidal in there. You know, just to try and make her more easy to sympathize with (it doesn’t work)

This film is literally just a 1 hour 47 minute Sia music video with ZERO plot

WHY WERE THEY WEARING PILLOW DIAPERS IN ONE NUMBER-

I really did not feel into the side plot with that guy who was fighting but it was still better than the actual movie so...

I am SO DONE with the NON STOP CONSTANT vocal shit. So tired.

LOJ’s only role in this film is to be the stereotypical wise black guy who assists a white woman’s story. There’s like hardly any other depth there

The Ebo/Zu romance is so fucking stupid and pointless and out of NOWHERE. I couldn’t even tell if they were into each other or not

I was already so bored of the musical numbers by this point. They added NOTHING to the plot but they pretended they did, and I was so over it. And it’s not because I’m not “creative enough” or anything to understand, I love musicals and I think it could have been cool if done right... but it wasn’t. They were a mess. It’s just bad.

Sia really tried to pretend her movie was deep but really it’s a shallow mess

So Zu is meeting rich drug clients and says to Music “try not to have one of your freak outs up there” and “if you could try to get it out now”... FUCKING YIKES. It’s not an on/off button, shut the fuck up

YEP THIS WAS THE SIA CAMEO FUCK THAT BITCH

The fact that she just calls “DRUG DEALER?!? DRUG DEALER IS THAT YOU”, fucking end this please-

I fucking hate this bitch I’m dead serious

“We’re gonna send them to Haiti cause there’s been an earthquake. All these buildings fell down, children’s bones were dislocated” - WHY WAS SHE SO CHEERFUL ABOUT IT

“Gonna buy a shit load of pain meds, gonna but them on my private plane” - FUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOU

“Pop stars without borders” - Sia thinks she’s so clever but I would give anything to punch her I swear-

ANOTHER MUSICAL NUMBER JUST STOP IM BEGGING YOU

There’s this awkward conversation/bit with Zu and her drug dealer/loanshark about his outfit that was clearly meant to be funny but was just flat and painful

Yep, Sia really showed Music eating chewing gum off the underside of a park bench. Of course.

Look, the kid I work with does similar stuff by putting literally anything and everything in his mouth but like... why would you put that in your movie?

And there’s no indication before this that Music puts everything and anything in her mouth, she just randomly decides to get on her knees, under the bench and eat chewing gum, like she calculates that it’s there and gets it???

She has a THIRD meltdown after an allergic reaction to a bee sting and her sister just yells at her before realizing... I’m not here for this movie, I feel like I drifted off and was not really there

So Zu got angry because she left the drugs at the park but she’s not that upset that her sister had an allergic reaction???

Zu gets absolutely drunk because a) she lost Sia’s drugs and b) she’s stressed out by her autistic sister... wow, great message, Sia!

She really fucked off and left her sister alone to go clubbing/on a bender

The less said about the musical number here the better

Sia’s movie also checks the box of having stereotypical Asian parents, specifically stereotypical Asian dad being harsh/angry and hitting his wife!

ALSO HE PUSHED AND KILLED HIS SON WTF IS HAPPENING

Less than 3 minutes after the last, there’s a musical number that I think was about this side character going to heaven... another shitty Sia-esque number

The patterns during the number made my brain hurt.

Also there are so many autistic actors who can also dance, and yet Sia chose the neurotypical one because ✨ N E P O T I S M ✨

I just want to know how it was deemed necessary to show the fact the autistic character peed/wet herself? I mean... ??? It’s just so undignified and not at all necessary to the plot. Nothing happens after that, it just moves onto the next scene and it didn’t do anything

“I have no one” - 1) YOUR FUCKING SISTER. 2) GEE I FUCKING WONDER WHY, couldn’t be that you’re a shitty human being?!?

There’s a scene where Music is walking and she does ALL the stereotypical behaviours at once... just YIKES

Zu somehow stopped another meltdown just by grabbing Music by the shoulders and sitting her down???

Aaand yep. Another shitty musical number

Zu really goes to put her sister in a fucking facility and claims it’ll be “better for her” - BULLSHIT. Better for Zu, maybe, not Music.

Ah yes - the girl who the characters have said has problems with routines being changed/change in general... you’re now going to fuck up her routine by dumping her in a facility. Perfect Plan.

The nonverbal autistic girl suddenly speaking to say “don’t go” - you can just predict it from the off, can’t you?

Love that as soon as Music starts talking, Zu is like “fuck it, I’ll keep her!”

Zu really went and crashed Ebo’s brothers wedding... in a fucking bralette... YIKES

“I almost gave Music away” - SHE IS NOT A DOG YOU DONT GIVE PEOPLE AWAY

“We should sing a song” - PLEASE DO FUCKING NOT

Also that kiss/romance montage between Zu and Ebo was the CRINGIEST fucking shit ever

This movie seems to be implying that Music has locked in syndrome or something, like she’s locked in her own head or whatever it’s called, and I just... *sigh*

Oh and now Music magically fucking sings in a room FULL of strangers... this is literally embarrassing, please let this end

I mean it, this movie was fucking painful to watch on ever level

She got a service dog puppy which... okay?

Oh look, it’s the only decent song on the soundtrack but with an absolutely shitty over-stimulatory music video with the credits!

I can only name 5 characters in this film. Maybe 7 at a push, but even then I would be guessing

AND YEP SHE THANKED AUTISM SPEAKS OVER THE CREDITS. FUCK YOU SIA 🖕🏻

Let me reiterate: this is a movie about a neurotypical former drug addict whose character development comes from the autistic character, from having an autistic sister she has to take care of. I’m so tired.

We are NOT plot devices or tools for character development. Not once does anyone in this film treat Music like a human being - she’s treated as a burden, a problem, and then like a pet that they decide to keep. Not once is the film focused on how she is feeling - it’s always about Zu or Ebo. The performance itself was so over exaggerated and it made me want to cry when I watched it because this is how the world sees us, and this movie will make it ten times worse. It’s stuff like this that made me think “I don’t want to be labelled as autistic because people will think I’m a certain way”, that made me wait so long before going to the GP to get a referral.

As I said, poor autistic representation aside, the movie is just so appallingly bad. It truly is one of the worst films I’ve watched. If you’re going to watch it, please don’t - or, if you want to because you want to see how bad it is/to raise awareness/critical posts, at least do it illegally. Do not give Sia your money.

#sia #music #music 2021 #music movie #autism #tw ableism #tw meltdown #tw blackface #anti sia #lol sia

341 notes · View notes

hiddendreamer67 · 5 years

Text

Fear of the Fae

Summary: Patton has a healthy fear of what awaits him in the night, the creatures that lurk in the forest and trick mortals into selling their lives away. But despite his fear, Patton goes searching for one in his grief, knowing that nothing short of magic could save his broken heart now. Fae Prince Roman is all too happy to oblige him.

Day 1: Fear. Part of the October Prompt List.

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

The forest was dark this time of night. Even the wildlife seemed to know better than to come this deep, and Patton found the lack of cricket chirps only confirmed his fears.

He was getting close.

Patton was a fool, he knew that now. Everyone in town knew the legends of fae and the terrible tricks they liked to play on mortals. In some, the pranks were fairly harmless, in others quite painful, and in a majority…deadly.

So Patton truly was a fool for searching out a fae himself. Everyone who ever made a deal had come to regret it, if they even lived to tell the tale. Only the desperate fool would wander into the woods, seeking out a ring of mushrooms that would act as a fairy circle- a link between realms.

There, in a moonlit grove, Patton finally spotted one. It was a rather large ring with spotted red caps circling the barrier. It was inviting, in an eerie fashion. Come closer, they seemed to sing, we won’t bite. Well, Patton supposed that wasn’t a lie; it wasn’t the mushrooms themselves that scared him, but what waited on the other side.

He had come this far. Not giving himself a chance to second guess, Patton leapt into the circle and squeezed his eyes shut.

The human wasn’t sure what he was expecting. A tugging sensation? A whoosh? Whatever the case, Patton felt none of that. No sensation overcame him, and when Patton opened his eyes the woods looked the same as before.

“You’re quite brave, jumping into my circle, little gardenia.”

Patton jumped, nearly tripping over himself in his haste to turn around. He squeaked, trying to hide his fear when he realized there was a strange being right in front of him. It was clear this was a fae, his beauty too ethereal and his ears too pointed.

“Aww, have I startled you, sweet pea?” The fae took a step closer, not looking sorry in the least. In fact, he looked rather amused. Patton flushed, standing his ground even as the monster got closer and his heart began to pound.

“Y-yes.” Patton stammered, realizing the fae was waiting for an answer. “I did not expect you.”

“You did not expect me in my own realm?” The fae teased.

“No, ah, well…” Now Patton felt a bit silly. “I just meant- I didn’t expect you to be so close.”

“I can be closer, if you like.” The fae’s smile turned mischievous, leaving very little room between them and now Patton’s heart was pounding for an entirely different reason. It seemed cruel how the fae could use his beauty as just another trick to warp Patton’s mind.

“No, I don’t want that.” Patton shifted, trying to find somewhere to look that would help him calm his nerves, but now the forest was beginning to look hazy, almost as if he were looking through a fog. He felt the world becoming confined to just this circle, where both of them stood as if they were the center of the universe.

“Oh?” The fae tilted his head, curious. “And what is it you want, darling crocus?”

Patton paused. He should have an answer for that. After all, he was the one who had sought out the fae tonight, against his common sense and better judgement. He was here, against everything that was screaming at him that he was in danger, danger, danger-! But now, looking up at the fae, Patton couldn’t seem to sort out what could have driven him into this fairy circle.

“I… I don’t know what I want.” Patton admitted.

The fae looked at him for a moment before throwing his head back in laughter. Patton felt the tips of his ears turning pink in embarrassment.

“Oh, you sweet spring lily, you’re embarrassed!” The fae hummed happily, his fingers tilting Patton’s chin up so he was forced to look into those enchanting golden eyes. They looked amused, but not condescending. Patton shuddered, not sure if he liked just how quickly he was drowning in their gaze. He couldn’t be comforted by their warmth until he knew for certain that those eyes held no malice.

“Will you hurt me?” Patton suddenly blurted, knowing he needed answers.

This seemed to come as a surprise. The fae blinked, momentarily at a loss for words before that gorgeous, unsettling smile was back. “Why, you beautiful sunflower, who would ever think of harming such a delicate blossom as yourself?”

“That- “ Patton took a deep breath, trying not to get lost in the flattery. Fae were known to be tricky with their words. “that didn’t answer my question.”

“Oh, darling Lily of the Valley, how you wound me with your remarks!” The fae let out a groan, nuzzling his face into Patton’s curls and inhaling his scent. “How can you ask such things of me when you see how I yearn to be in your presence? Is my affection not enough?”

Patton shuddered, taking a small step back. He couldn’t leave the circle, but it did give him some space from the handsome intruder.

“No.” Patton said firmly. “It’s not. I’m sorry, but… before we make any sort of deal, I just, I need to know I’ll be safe.”

The fae cocked his head, watching with an expression between amusement and pity as Patton nervously fiddled with the sleeves of his cardigan.

“Are you afraid, Tulip?” The fae asked, closing the distance between them once more. His arms wrapped around Patton’s waist, and Patton fought off the need to squirm.

“Of course I’m afraid.” Patton’s voice was hardly above a whisper.

“Afraid of what?” The fae pressed. “Afraid of me, surely, but if you were afraid then what drove you to run so willingly into my circle?” The fae brushed Patton’s locks out of his eyes. “What has made this Daffodil so frightened that he seeks comfort in my arms, even after admitting how I frighten him?”

Patton tensed, his heart beginning to beat rapidly. The fae had a point. Patton knew the risks, as every child of their village had been taught of the mischievous intentions of fae from birth. Tales spoke of humans being cursed with all variety of hexes, or children stolen off into the night, or giving away something so precious as a name and having it turned against you so you danced until your dying breath. It was a terrible, horrifying fate, and yet Patton had come despite the stories.

“I’m alone.” Patton said quietly. “I don’t- I’m not used to it. I was surrounded by loved ones for so long, but now my family has been torn from me. I can’t go on, living in a world of strangers. Every face I see I’m frightened to let any closer, because I know when they leave me too, I will not be able to repair the hole in my chest one more time.”

The fae was unusually quiet, no longer advancing. Instead, the fae looked content to continue listening to Patton’s woes, and even pouring his heart out to a monster that might use all this against him felt so good that when he received an encouraging nod Patton couldn’t help but continue.

“I just feel as though there’s nothing left for me here.” Patton gave a shrug that must have looked as helpless as he felt. “I doubt anyone would miss me, and it sounds wonderful, the idea of being wanted, especially by a being so wondrous as yourself, but even now I’m still afraid of being hurt. It’s selfish of me, fearing pain when I’m willingly submitting to it and others have worse fates thrust upon them-“

“Hush.” The fae’s voice was different this time, softer and more genuine. It reminded Patton of a gentle spring breeze. The fae’s hand drifted across his cheek, leaving a delightful tingling in its wake.

“Humans are selfish for many reasons, but this is not one of them.” The sincerity in the fae’s voice made Patton inclined to believe him- well, that and the knowledge that fae cannot lie. “The ability to feel so strongly, so passionately, is what makes your race so unique. Darling Cherry Blossom, you are right to be afraid, and you should never be ashamed of your emotions.”

Patton felt his throat tighten, a strange emotion welling in his chest. Not fear, but perhaps… acceptance? He felt overwhelmed by the fact that a magic being of the forest not only listened to his pitiful cries, but even indulged them.

Patton reached up, hesitantly gripping a hand in the fabric of the Fae’s outfit. The red sash felt unnaturally soft beneath his grasp, and distantly Patton wondered what material could create such a texture. The Fae made a small giddy noise, clearly pleased by Patton’s forward gesture.

“Will you…” Patton trailed off, his thumb rubbing the fabric to reassure himself as he tried to force himself to get the words out. “Will you hurt me?”

The Fae hummed, his own fingers now traveling along Patton’s shirt to rest atop where his heart was still pounding away. “Humans are so ... fragile. The barest twitch of my fingers could bruise your tender skin if I do not show significant restraint. And how, Primrose, could I possibly restrain myself around your elegance? I will not bind myself with promises I do not intend to keep.”

Then Patton took a shaky breath, now frightened by his lack of fear. Despite the fact the fae had very nearly threatened him, Patton did not feel threatened. Besides…maybe it was a fair point? Perhaps Patton was being silly. It could just be an accident if he was harmed, after all.

“Then perhaps you can promise me this.” Patton slowly released the red fabric, instead placing his palm over the fae’s chest to mirror the other’s actions. He tilted his head back, searching for comfort in those unnatural golden eyes. “Will you promise I will be cherished? Will you take care of me until my dying breath? If you do intend me harm, can you promise a painless ending? Will you promise me peace at the end of all my strife?”

“You certainly seek a lot of promises.” The fae’s laughter sounded like little bells. “And what, illustrious orchid, could you possibly give me in return? If we are onto the subject of deals, I’m afraid the laws of my people insist we be quite straightforward in our intentions.”

Patton straightened his posture, determined to meet his end with dignity. “I come to you seeking solace.”

The fae made a pleased noise, running his fingers softly through Patton’s hair. “And in exchange?”

“In exchange… I can offer only myself.” Patton said, feeling strangely vulnerable.

“Only yourself? Dear rose blossom, you sell yourself too short.” This time the fae’s smile was almost genuine.

Almost.

“You’re still afraid.” The fae noted, leaning closer. His breath danced across Patton’s nose, causing the human to shiver.

“Not afraid.” Patton murmured, trying to believe it himself. He received a dazzling grin in response, the fae clearly pleased with his bravery.

“An exchange it is, then.” The fae declared. “We must seal our pact. Are you aware of our customs?”

“I am-mpfh!” The words had barely left Patton’s lips before the fae pressed his own upon them, catching Patton off-guard with a kiss. Fae deals were always sealed with a kiss, and this fae seemed particularly happy with this custom. Patton could feel him smiling, a powerful yet gentle surge of magic passing between them. Patton wasn’t certain if that was due to the seal or the fae’s natural charm.

When the fae started pulling away, Patton found himself leaning to follow, his entranced body betraying him. The fae chuckled, gently easing Patton back as the human flushed in his bashfulness.

“My little delphinium is so eager.” The fae purred, pressing his lips to the back of Patton’s hand. He wasn’t certain when exactly the creature had taken his hand to hold in the first place. “Share your name with me, my azalea?”

“My name?” Patton repeated, almost in a trance. He knew, logically, that one should not give their name to fae, but considering he had just sold his being away it did not matter now. Names had power, and Patton realized with a slight tremble that he had already given his power away. “My name is Patton.”

“Oh, my precious Patton~” The fae crooned, wrapping his hand around Patton’s back and dipping the human so suddenly he let out a yelp. “Won’t you share the rest of your name with me?”

“I-“ Patton swallowed, remembering his statement before. I don’t want to be afraid. Patton refused to be afraid. “Can I at least know what to call you, first?”

The fae gave a pleased tilt of his head, and Patton was glad he hadn’t offended the powerful being with his query. “These lands know me as Prince Roman, guardian of the Kingdom of Spring.”

Patton’s eyebrows shot up. Prince! What on earth could fairy royalty possibly want with the likes of him? Surely the fae could have his pick of mortals, and yet here he was with his overly bright smile looming over Patton like the embodiment of the sun. Looking up at Roman, Patton found himself in awe of his savior, even if he knew this was likely to end poorly for him.

“That’s a pretty name.” Patton finally spoke, his voice a bit breathless.

“You have a pretty face.” Roman replied, causing the blush to climb further up Patton’s face. The prince giggled, rubbing his nose against Patton’s in a nuzzling gesture. “Come now, my Sun Drop, share that pretty name to match.”

Patton leaned upwards, pressing his lips against the fae’s ear and whispering his life away.

237 notes · View notes

moviewarfare · 4 years

Text

A Review of IP Man 3 (2010)

When I first watched this movie, I remember not liking it and feeling rather disappointed with it which is the opposite of how I felt when I watched IP Man 2. However, after re-watching this movie I came out rather appreciating it and enjoying it way more than I expected.

Sammo Hung who was the action director of the first two IP Man film does not return for the third one. Instead, IP Man 3 has Woo-Ping Yuen as the new action director who has a lot of martial art movies to his belt such as Kung fu Hustle and Kill Bill so the action was still in safe hands. One of the things I felt about IP Man 2 that was rather off-putting was the very cartoony style of fighting and overuse of wire works. I can safely say that in IP Man 3 it returns to the more grounded and realistic style of the first movie.

This movie also expands upon the use of environments for the action scenes. Ip Man fights a dozen men on a stair, fights in a construction area and fights a Muay Thai boxer in a claustrophobic elevator. Rather than just be open areas like the first movie, this movie incorporates different environments to create very unique fight scenes. For example, IP Man uses the hand rails during the stair fight or having him protect his wife during the conflict within the small area of the elevator. It's very creative and also very exhilarating fight scenes. One of the biggest advertisement for this movie was IP Man's fight against Frank played by Mike Tyson and despite being just 3 minutes, the fight is still really amazing. While in IP Man 1 he was invincible and there was no threat in the fights and in IP Man 2 where he actually fought physically struggling fights, IP Man 3 does something different. IP Man is still rather invincible in the fights but its the meaning to these fights that are the real suspense. It's a very interesting way of keeping IP Man as the all-mighty superhero but still, make it seem like he is genuinely in trouble in these fights.

There is also a very interesting rival and antagonist for IP Man in Zhang Jin as Cheung Tin-chi who is also a Wing Chun user. It's not like a lot of the movies in which the antagonist is like the main character but evil, Cheung Tin has a lot of depth to him. He will protect innocent people like IP Man and has someone he cares about but is a lot more aggressive compared to IP Man. Zhang Jin and the action director manages to show this contrast by having IP Man fight with more elegance whereas Cheung Tin with more ferocity even though they use the same fighting style. Cheung Tin is also very sympathetic in that he doesn't get the same respect and recognition as IP Man even when he does a good deed and it plays a part in his jealousy towards IP Man which eventually builds up to an awesome climax fight scene. He is a very interesting character and it is no surprise that he eventually gets his own spinoff movie.

Ip Man himself still manages to get his own character arc in this movie in which the major focus is his relationship with his wife Cheung Wing-sing (Lynn Hung). IP Man throughout the first two movies was mostly calm, modest and restraint but in this movie, we get to see more emotions from him as he has a vastly different struggle compared to the previous two movies. In IP Man 1 he struggled with surviving WWII and in the second movie, he struggled with adapting and physically struggled in fights. In IP Man 3 the struggle is mostly dealing with his fame and his wife's cancer. Unlike the second film where there is a problem, he can fight directly, in IP Man 3 the problem can't be solved by fighting. It gives IP Man a unique character arc in which he doesn't come out by the end of the movie better than before but gaining a new perspective and lesson on what is most important in life. It's why I really enjoyed the second half of this movie with its more emotional scenes which is praise given to Donnie Yen for giving a great performance in these heart wrenching moments.

While the second half was great, the first half is not so much. The first half is about dealing with a triad gang working for the antagonist Frank played by Mike Tyson. Firstly, Mike Tyson is not an actor and it really shows in his really cheesy performance. It's even more gear grinding when they make him speak Cantonese and it is just really bad. Secondly, his character is never really explored even though he is the main antagonist for the first half. They don't explain his origins or his motivations whatsoever. It gets really dumb when this whole gang fiasco gets magically resolved somehow by IP Man engaging in a fistfight with Frank which contrasts the whole theme of the second half. It doesn't make any sense but it all just gets resolved and brushed under the rug with no one ever talking about it at all in the second half.

There is also this plot thread about Tsui Lik (Louis Cheung) who is a student of IP Man who has feelings for this school teacher which amounts to nothing. It doesn't add anything to the overall narrative but somehow was put in the movie to just pad time. His relationship with IP Man isn't even explored. The plot is stitched together poorly with a bunch of different plot lines somehow all connecting. Cheung's jealously, Triad leader being a student of some martial art master, police corruption, foreigners being in control, Frank in general, Ip Man's wife, Tsui Lik crush are all stitched together in the first half to create a very messy plot which just doesn't work. Thankfully the second half is more focused and consistent.

I also have a little nitpick with how unconnected this movie feels to its prequels. Ip Man's friend and previously bandit but now fisherman friend is nowhere to be seen or mentioned at all in this movie even though it is still set in Hong Kong. There are returning characters such as Fat Po (Kent Cheng ) who has relative importance and Master Law (Lo Mang) who is just a cameo. However, everyone else feels completely different such as the reporters and Tin Ngo-san (Bryan Leung) who is a martial art master with a great and long friendship with IP Man but who wasn't in previous movies so it just feels really weird. IP Man 2 showed how difficult it is to be martial art master in Hong Kong but I guess its all easier now or something since Cheung Tin seems to be able to start one with ease. One of the things I loved from the second movie was his relationship with Leung, his first student, but sadly he is nowhere to be seen or mentioned and is instead replaced with a forgettable character Tsui Lik who does nothing for the movie. Bruce Lee (Danny Chan) is in the movie but mostly as a cameo for how Ip Man ends up teaching him rather than exploring their relationship which is a shame.

Overall, I still enjoyed this movie a lot. A majority of the problem with this movie is, unfortunately, all in the first 50 minutes but the second half is masterfully done that I almost forgive it. Even in the messy first half, the fights are still exciting and thrilling to watch. This is a good martial art movie and was a very satisfying conclusion to the IP Man saga before they decided to make one more. I enjoyed it more than I expected and the fact it took risk is something I can appreciate. It's not as bad as many say it is and I think there is a lot of good in it.

#ip man #ip man 3 #donnie yen #bruce lee #martial arts #kung fu #kung fu movies #movies #movie review

2 notes · View notes

captainstrekkinlog · 4 years

Text

Star Trek: Picard - 1x01 “Remembrance” In-Depth Analysis

Let me start this off by saying, I think this is the strongest series premiere of any of the live-action Star Trek shows to date.

There is a confidence in this episode that none of the other shows had. It’s no secret that every single Trek show has sometimes struggled in finding its footing in the beginning, it’s not easy to make these shows after all. But it seems that from the onset Star Trek: Picard was a show that knew what it wanted to be and what it needed to be. What struck me the most watching this episode is how very deliberate each action is taken. This story was crafted with meaning and intention, they knew what they wanted to convey and they’re going to take their time walking down the path they set.

If the rest of this season are at the level of this premiere, then this might just become one of the best first seasons of any Trek show.

Now with that out of the way, let’s get to breaking down the episode in all its delicious details. This will be a long one as I break down scene by scene.

SPOILERS AHEAD

So we begin with a dream sequence as Blue Skies (sung by Bing Crosby, grandfather of Tasha Yar’s actress Denise Crosby) plays. A wonderful shot of the Enterprise D with Picard and Data playing poker. Picard looks to be in civilian attire, while Data is seemingly in his Nemesis era uniform. The way this scene is set up immediately feels dream-like, especially with the song, which we heard Data last singing it at Riker and Troi’s wedding.

There is a feeling of melancholy in the scene, almost as if Picard’s own consciousness knows this is not real but he wants to keep pretending that it is. As he even says, he doesn’t want the game to end. He much rather wanting to cling onto the past than be awake in a present-day that he isn’t enjoying. As he even says later, it’s the waking up that he’s beginning to resent, and as we find out later on in the story, this dream world is probably a happier place for him than what life is like for him in the years since Data died.

Here in Picard’s dream, he gets to keep holding onto the past - more time with Data, more time playing the poker game that he never got to enjoy until the end, more time for all the things he was in many ways, robbed of doing.

One funny note, Picard offers Data milk, but we did see in one of the TNG episodes where Data comments that he hates milk.

Data is also holding 5 Queen of Hearts, which Picard frowns at. I’m not sure exactly yet what this may represent, it is possible that this could be a foreshadowing to something else down the line. As I said before, the writers and director were very deliberate with every single detail, so I would imagine this Queen of Hearts thing to have a meaning, we just may not know it yet.

This scene ends with the Mars attack that we saw in the Children of Mars Short Trek and leads to Picard awaking rather violently from his dream. Now if this is how all his dreams end, I can definitely see why he wouldn’t want to wake up because that’s rather horrifying.

Now one thing I have to mention, simply because it’s being made such a big fuss over, the whole thing with how Ten Forward isn’t in the right location. First of all, it’s a dream. Dreams never make sense. I dreamed once that my house had wings and was full of plants and my bathroom was outside. Dreams are weird because they are suppose to be. Secondly, this sort of fuss over technicalities, and rather pointless ones at that, are what I would like to call “missing the forest for the trees”, because what is mattering in this scene isn’t the location of Ten Forward, but rather the scene of Picard and Data and what this means for Picard’s state of mind. THAT is the story, THAT is the substance. The location of a place in a dream sequence really is not what should be the take away of the scene, nor should it somehow ruin a scene. Honestly, people need to realize that the STORY is what is important, any small technical things are not the point. We don’t watch Star Trek because we want to point out all the inconsistent and illogical and wrong continuity details. We watch Star Trek because of the stories and the characters. If I was to let every single of those technical details bother me so much that it ruined the story, I would never be able to watch any Star Trek because quite frankly, there’s a whole lot of it in Star Trek, and acting like that one detail is what ruins a perfectly written and acted scene that sets up Picard’s state of mind for his character development is quite frankly very disingenuous.

Now, moving onto the rest of our story. We have Picard waking up to Number One running to him. I imagine Number One is in many ways a service dog, especially given how he was immediately there noticing Picard’s disturbance. The most interesting part of this scene with Picard waking up and looking out into the vineyard where people are working is that he keeps saying to Number One “it’s alright”, but really, he’s not saying it to the dog, I think he’s trying to convince himself that everything is alright, even though he knows it isn’t, and we know he certainly doesn’t feel it.

Then we move locations to Greater Boston, where in the night time skyline, we notice some glowing light ads with the Federation News Network symbol, some Ferengi Alliance and ad products, a London Kings banner, and it looks like Kasidy Yates is still somewhere in the galaxy with a booming interstellar freights business. Good for her!

We finally meet Dahj with her boyfriend who is a Xahean, a nice link to our beloved Queen Po, whom we met in Discovery. I am now curious who is the ruler on Xahea at this time, after all, we don’t really know how Xaheans age. But it looks like Xahea is a part of the Federation, which also makes me curious if Po did eventually reveal her innovation for recrystalizing dilithium crystals. Oh and the eagle eyed folks at Trekcore noted from Dahj’s call logs later that her boyfriend’s name looks to be “Caler”.

So they’re having a great time, Dahj reveals she got into the Daystrom Institute and that she’s a fellow in Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Consciousness, which is an interesting field for her to go into given how she reacts later on to Picard calling them “soulless murder machines”, which seems to reveal her bias. Which also makes me wonder why she wanted to study something that would only be theoretical and she already had judgement against.

Oh and we also see in Dahj’s apartment is the flower, Orchidaceae Dahj Oncidium, that her father made.

This nice moment with the couple gets ruined, as usual, by Romulans. Always out there spoiling people’s fun. They immediately kill Dahj’s boyfriend and capture her. They put some devices on her head, likely to scan her and commenting on the fact that she’s not been activated yet. Somewhat hilariously, one of them gets admonished for speaking in their native alien language and to speak English. I guess it’s still called English? Or is it Federation Standard? Or is it both?

They ask her “where’s the rest of you” and where she’s from. She says Seattle. I guess if you’re from Seattle these days, you should check if you’re either an Android or a Klingon spy.

And just as she put a bag over her head and try to knock her out, she finally “activates” and kills them all. This was a very well choreographed fight scene where we got to see a good amount of the action. Now I’ve heard some people out there complaining about shaky cam, but that’s not what we have here. The camera didn’t shake, and it only does a minor tilt in one scene. Otherwise, this is one of the calmest camera movements in a fight scene. In fact, the directing for this whole episode is very steady and calm. Honestly, it’s a bad faith take to say this show is just all action crazy shaky cam, because it’s not true. In both of the fight scenes we get, there is considerable restraint on the camera work to make sure that we as the audience can still see what is going on and know what’s happening in the scenes at all times. The rest of the show is all steady cam work. I know that people often like to label “New Trek” to be all action and weird camera angles and “not real Star Trek”, but Picard’s camera work is much more in tune with TNG’s steady cam work than it is to anything else. Other than the two big fight scenes with Dahj, every scene is very steady.

So as Dahj is leaning over her boyfriend and mourning him (note that he is bleeding the same orange color that Po did in the Runaway Short Trek), and then she gets a vision of Picard. The interesting thing about this vision is that it looks to be the same shot from one of the very early teasers. I am curious why she keeps seeing this specific scene and if there is any meaning to it.

Now there is one issue I’ve seen pointed out that the first character to be killed on Picard is a character played by a black man. And this is a very valid thing to be concerned about considering the treatment of characters of color, particularly TV’s issues with black men that both Agents of SHIELD and The Walking Dead had gotten flack for before (the rotating door of black characters), and certainly horror movie tropes have been criticized extensively. So I definitely understand if someone saw this and was worried about this sort of thing becoming an issue. I can’t speak for how black people may feel about this, as I am not black and I do not know all the nuances of this problem, but I wanted to bring to attention what director Hanelle Culpepper commented on in a twitter conversation with someone who had brought up this very concern.

I think this is the thing that could sometimes feel like a double-edged sword. In our current entertainment and media, we are still not there in terms of fair and equal representation, and thus when female characters, characters of color, or LGBTQ+, and other minority group characters die or are treated badly in a story, we pick up on it. But I think with the Star Trek shows, both Discovery and Picard, they are trying to show vast array of characters and treating characters from various minority groups in a normalized way. They can be heroes, they can be villains, they can live and they can die. This kind of normalization in treatment of characters is what we hope for, but I just think the rest of TV have not caught up yet, so when characters of color in this case, do die, we notice.

But hopefully, as Hanelle Culpepper states, we will see more characters of color show up. And as we do know, we will be having more characters of color in lead roles joining us soon.

Now, onto this opening credit sequence. There is a lot of unravel here and I could probably talk for hours about what this opening makes me feel. Let’s first talk about the music. Jeff Russo deserves an award. Seriously. He does. If you guys have not seen the Ready Room aftershow where Jeff Russo talks about the choices made for this theme, you really need to. Because you see the care and attention to detail that he brings into even just choosing what instruments to add to the music and what chords used to call back to the past. The flute at the beginning alluding to Picard’s time in The Inner Light, representing his past. And then the cello and the occasional chords of the TNG theme, just slowed down and slightly in a different tone, all building up to what feels like a triumphant rebirth. The flute sneaks back in showing the past and present coming together for Picard. The use of the cello and strings is just perfect. It really gives a melodic and somber feel to it. And as a violin player myself, any time I hear the strings, it’s like coming home. I’ll be very excited to get back on my violin at some point and play this.

The imagery of the opening credit sequence also tells a story. We see a piece of the sky breaks off like glass, it floats down to the vines in the vineyard, then to the quantum archive, which forms into a borg cube, and the broken piece falls through the cube and forms into fractals, and the pieces float around seemingly becoming like a neuro-pathways which becomes like the iris of an eye, and then it becomes a borg eye maybe, and then the planet Romulus, and finally the cracks form back into Picard’s face. It’s all very beautiful imagery and clearly very deliberate as no doubt all these elements will somehow come into the story that we are seeing.

And also interesting to note that only Patrick Stewart, Allison Pill, Isa Briones, Harry Treadaway from the main cast are credited, with Brent Spiner as “special guest star”, which means that I guess actors will only appear in the credits if they actually appear in the episode, much like how Discovery season 2 did the same with Shazad Latif and Wilson Cruz, and how Game of Thrones used to do this with their cast members too. So this should make it easy for us to notice which characters will appear in an episode or not.

Now back to the Chateau in France, Picard is walking through the vineyard with Number One and joking with him in French. I’m pretty sure this scene existed to poke fun at the people always saying why is Picard so British if he’s French. So LOL, now he speaks French finally!

We get to meet Laris and Zhaban, two Romulans who seem to live with Picard and basically be his attendants. Some people may not know, but Laris and Zhaban both appear in the Picard Countdown Comics, the three issue comic series shows us their relationship to Picard. Long story short, they are former Tal Shiar agents who broke the rules falling in love and wanted to leave because they wanted to help people instead. They feel indebted to Picard for helping them and sees him as their rescuer/savior. I also thought it was funny that Laris jokes about Number One being “our little assassin”, given what she and Zhaban used to do for a living with the Tal Shiar.

It is also interesting to note that Laris doesn’t have ridges on her forehead but we do see a slight bit of ridges on Zhaban, making this the first time we see both types of Romulans on screen together. Usually, it’s either one or the other. But it’s nice to see finally some variety even within one species.

Zhaban comments that Laris heard Picard talking in his sleep, Laris notes that he’s not sleeping and wonders if it’s bad dreams, which leads Picard to comment that his dreams are lovely but it’s the waking up that he’s beginning to resent, connecting back to the moment at the beginning of the episode with Data where he says he doesn’t want the game to end. His dreams are happier than his present.

So it seems that Picard has to get ready for an interview, and as he enters, Zhaban says that Number One still won’t take breakfast from him with Picard joking “old dogs”, to which Zhaban replies “which one?”

The relationship between Laris, Zhaban, and Picard is very well established even in these early scenes. There is an unspoken bond, camaraderie, and care. Even if Picard says sometimes Zhaban treats him as if he was “a benign old codger”. They act like a family, a family that’s found each other since Picard no longer has his old Enterprise crew family anymore. Also Picard is drinking decaf Earl Grey tea.

Now as all three of them are talking though, the news report plays on in the background. I couldn’t make out all the words because of the dialogue on top of it, but it looks like something about disturbances continue across the Alpha and Beta Quadrant due to the commemoration of the destruction of Romulus, so there seems to be some unrest still even to this day about what’s happened. And there is also something about a new Romulan capital, and maybe some three state council or something like it that declared it an interplanetary day of mourning for all citizens. I thought this interesting because we do not really know yet what the state of the rest of the galaxy is feeling about all of this, or how Romulan politics may have changed since then, so this news report is giving a tiny glimpse of the status of the galaxy. It’s good background world building, which is always a good thing, and sometimes Star Trek tends to falter at doing things like this beyond just details about Starfleet and its ships. It’s nice to get a look at the civilian part of life, which is the majority of the galaxy after all.

As the first of the visiting news crew arrives, Laris reminds Picard to not forget to wash his hands, and that ten years and she still has to remind him. She also jokingly calls him “your highness”, which I think it’s a funny nod to both the Romulan culture and also her being aware of herself being a “butler/housekeeper” for Picard as if this was a royalty sort of thing. The ten years mention though seems to point to Laris and Zhaban having stayed with Picard from at least 2389 to current day 2399.

Among the news crew doing set ups is a Tellarite, the first we see on screen in the 24th century outside of just archival footage. There is also a Trill among them as well. It also looks like there is some screen projection thing that does make up touch-ups? Oh man I would love to use one of those instead of having to put on real make-up. I really hate make-up, well, I should clarify that my skin hates make-up, SO MUCH. Someone please invent these screen projection make up things! I need it!

Picard is all dressed up and insisting that he’s not nervous, and asks Zhaban if he went over the terms with the news people and Zhaban says “three times, sir” that they wouldn’t inquire about his separation from Starfleet. Laris says that she thinks sometime he’s forgotten who he is and what he did but they haven’t, and Zhaban reminds him to “be the captain they remember.” These two clearly care about Picard a lot, genuinely. And it’s a really lovely moment as they send him off to this interview.

It’s kinda of fun to see the intro to his interview is showing off a bunch of TNG promo photos and episode screencaps. I always find this funny because I’m like, wait, there were no cameras there in those moments, how did they get those pictures!

So we learn in this scene that Picard has never agreed to an interview before until now, and that he’s been writing books on various historical analysis, and that he’s very passionate about working on raising awareness of the lingering impacts of the supernova. It’s clear from the beginning of this scene that the interviewer is looking for something else, that all this stuff they agreed to talk about is not what she actually wants to hear, she very deliberately steers the conversation to things about the Mars attack and why Picard left Starfleet.

Through her, we also start to see the view point of perhaps people who aren’t a part of Starfleet, the civilian side of the galaxy, which she noted that many felt there were better uses for their resources than aiding the Federation’s oldest enemy. And I have no doubt that there were people who did think that. This plays to exactly the sort of sentiment we saw in ENT, when after the Xindi attack, humanity shrank back and started to be xenophobic towards all alien life, not just Xindi. Terra Prime and that whole “Earth First” mentality are all playing again with what we see from this interviewer and her implications. She deliberately pokes at Picard calling for the massive relocation of Romulans. She points to Romulans as an enemy, and she points to the mass number of 900 million Romulan citizens they had to relocate, and how 10,000 warp-capable ferries had to be constructed for the rescue fleet. All of this is clearly a roundabout way of saying that it was a waste of resources, that those resources shouldn’t have been used, and the implication that if they hadn’t build the rescue fleet, then maybe Mars wouldn’t have been targeted and thousands of people wouldn’t have died.

Now, I’ve seen many bad faith takes saying “oh they are making the Federation behave like Nazis!!” or “they are making the Federation into xenophobic racists!!!!” but all of that is disingenuous and ignores what the story actually says. Picard was able to persuade the Federation to help the Romulans, and we know clearly that Spock was also working on the matter to help. The Federation intended to help but only stopped after the rescue fleet was destroyed and thousands upon thousands of people died. There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between outright refusing to aid and stopping aid after you’re attacked and your rescue fleet got destroyed. There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between maliciously deciding you don’t want to help someone and just watch them drown, and trying to help but you got injured and you are tired and you gave up.

Of course we all want the Federation to keep going and never give up. Of course we want the Federation to always stand up to its ideals of hope and justice. But giving up when you’re hurt is not the same as outright xenophobia, and it certainly doesn’t make you a Nazi. We KNOW from previous Trek shows AND films that the Federation isn’t perfect, that sometimes the Federation makes mistakes, and even has a hard time letting go of grudges and prejudices. I’ve said it many times before, utopias are pretty to look like but they don’t just magically grow out of a vacuum, a perfect world needs work. The moment you become complacent and you don’t put in the effort, a utopia can easily fail. Hell, in this very moment, we are seeing exactly how democracy CAN fail if we don’t work hard to maintain it. And I get it, some people are mad about political allegories, some people are mad that the perfect utopia of escapism isn’t happening. But Star Trek has always held up a mirror to our own world, it has always pointed out our own failings and how we can be better. And THIS is no different. The Federation gave up and shrunk from its duties, yes. They gave into grief, pain, and fear. But it does not mean they are evil. It is telling us that very same thing. We are not evil if we give into fear, but we can also be better, and do better. The world isn’t just magically built, democracy didn’t just happen one day out of the blue, we worked at it, even if it’s sometimes one step forward and two steps back.

Anyways, as we go on with this interview, there’s the bit where the interviewer says it’s only “Romulan lives” at stake and Picard counters her with “No. Lives.” Picard’s very powerful statement that we are all lives, doesn’t matter Romulan or not, is something that is necessary to say not just in the context of the plot, but also in the context of our current society. Right now in this very world we live in, people of color, people from minority groups, are all being dehumanized and otherized, and a populace is basically being fed propaganda hating on people not like them, dismissing people not like them, and somehow forgetting that we are all living breathing beings. So what if our skin pigmentation are different? So what if we speak different languages or have different cultures or beliefs or love different people? We are all still breathing, still living. And this continued otherization has only caused more harm to not only the groups being oppressed, but also to all of us as a species. And yes, I know some people don’t want to hear it, they don’t want “leftist politics” in their Star Trek, but this message has been the same message that Star Trek has been sending out for over half a century. You understood it as kids, you took all that in, so where along the way in your growth did you forget that message?

As Picard stated, lives were at stake and the Federation and Starfleet understood that, they had all those ships out there in the shipyards because they had every intention to help. And if not for the attack on Mars, it would have happened. If 92,143 lives weren’t lost, and 10,000 warp capable ferries weren’t gone, they would have been ready to help. Instead the galaxy mourned, and Starfleet and the Federation withdrew because they too were licking their wounds.

The interviewer compared this logistical feat to the Pyramids, which Picard calls vanity. He points out Dunkirk, the rescue of 400,000 troops on the beaches done through calling in civilian boats. And it’s a more than apt comparison.

We learn that the planetary defense shields were dropped, and Mars’ defense net was hacked, all of this indicates that I think something more than just the synths themselves were involved. Picard says they still don’t know why the synths went rogue. So I think that the synths were nothing more than someone’s means to an end. Either someone in the Federation wanted a reason for the Federation to pull back from helping Romulus, or Romulans from the Tal Shiar wanted to prevent the Federation from helping because they didn’t want to be indebted to Starfleet and the Federation. Whatever it is, it’s covert, and the synths were just the scapegoats for the attack.

And as if the 9/11 analogy isn’t more complete, we know the Mars attack was the reason that synthetic life-forms are now banned. And just to give it some sort of scale that we can understand, it is said that 2,977 victims died from 9/11, the attack on Mars had casualties at least 30 times that of 9/11. Not to mention the shipyard and all the vessels. It would have shaken the Federation, and especially those on Earth, to their core. The fact that the interviewer points out that Mars is still on fire to this day is another thing to note of the effect that is still lingering, much like how 9/11 still is a collective trauma for those who lived through it, even to this day.

Now we see the interview becoming more and more heated, in many ways, the interviewer bringing up Data and asking if Picard lost faith in him, to which Picard says “never”. And we also know that Picard thinks that banning synthetic life-forms was a mistake. The interviewer finally gets to what she clearly wants to ask, why he left Starfleet and what was it that he lost faith in. And Picard answers that he left because “it was no longer Starfleet”, he angrily states that Starfleet had slunk from its duties, and that the decision to call off the rescue was not just dishonorable because they had sworn to help, but also downright criminal, and he wasn’t going to be a spectator about it.

Now, there is something interesting in this moment that I don’t see mentioned much, and it’s that you see Zhaban and Laris watching the interview, and they hold hands. This is clearly something that hurts them too. You can see the emotions on their faces. And while this interview is focused on Picard, we should not forget that this matters to them too. This was Laris and Zhaban’s home that was destroyed, probably people they knew too that died, their families and friends. They are watching an interview that is not just disparaging their race but also discounting the meaning of their lives. And this moment will speak to anyone who has been part of any oppressed groups seeing themselves dehumanized by their lives being an “other”. Picard is standing up not just for Romulans or synthetics, but he is also standing up directly for the two of them, two refugees who have lost everything except each other. It’s a small moment, but it really meant a lot to me watching it, because I understood those feelings. And it made me connect to Laris and Zhaban so much more as characters.

Picard at this point is ready to tear into the interviewer, stating that she has no idea what Dunkirk is, because she’s a stranger to history and stranger to war. And how it isn’t easy for those who died and those who were left behind. Now this moment is very powerful, and clearly the meaning of this scene is meant to be also calling us as viewers to realize how much of our own history that we are a stranger to, and how forgetting that history is the reason we get into the sort of messes that we have today. And I am sure that the writers and director didn’t intend for this to be viewed as anything other than Picard giving all of us a lesson. However, as is with the case of the Xahean boyfriend who died, it is noticeable that it is a white man lecturing a black woman about history. Of course, in universe this isn’t an issue, and as with the issue from before, this is no doubt them wanting to cast actors of color in as many roles as possible, and this is a big scene to have with Picard so of course they cast a brilliant actress for it. But nonetheless it is something noticed, and I think if people make a criticism of that, I would understand, even if I understand also that this is clearly not the intention of the writers or the director.

By the way, the interviewer’s name is credited as Richter, which is a german word meaning “judge”, though I was reminded of the richter scale for earthquakes, and giving she looked to be causing her own little earthquakes during this interview, and being a judge in many ways, both meanings are appropriate.

Finally, Picard walks away from the interview, and this interview is going down, we see Dahj walking in the rain, seeing Picard on the screens nearby doing the interview and recognizing him.

There is also a sign in that scene that says “behold the future, preview next year’s padd tech today” so I guess even in the future, we still get new tech updates like those Apple iPhone conferences and whatnot.

We get a “commercial break” and we’re back at the Chateau. Picard is sitting with Number One quoting "there is no legacy as rich as honesty” from Shakespeare's All’s Well That Ends Well. Number One barks at Dahj approaching, runs over, but seems okay with her. Picard wants to know what she’s doing here and Dahj says she saw his interview and wants to know if he knows her. He does a “what????” expression that kind of made me chuckle because I can just see the question marks in his head. He’s just so confused.

Now there is an interesting thing to note here, Dahj immediately comments “you’re not sure, how do I know that?”, as if she is reading his mind somehow. So could this mean she has some sort of mind reading abilities too? Or is it just that she can read people really well?

Dahj describes all the things that’s happened, saying that her abilities came to her like “lightning seeking the ground” and she’s clearly very upset. Picard, who has every reason to turn away someone who could be rather alarming, instead takes her hands and tries to calm her down. I’ll expand on this later in another scene, but the kindness that he immediately has towards Dahj’s situation is just such a good thing. Compassion is something so lacking right now in the world, and having him being kind to her and not push her away even though he doesn’t know her, is so important. And when Dahj says “everything inside of me says that I’m safe with you”, we the audience certainly believes that.

We cut to Laris healing up Dahj’s cut, and Zhaban puts a blanket on her. Again, showing how kind these two people are, and the caring and kindness that surrounds Picard. No wonder Dahj feels safe. Picard gives her Earl Grey tea and says it “never fails”. The whole scene that follows is just a really sweet and lovely scene of two people connecting. Picard never treating her as if she isn’t to be believed. She asks him if he’s been a stranger to himself, and he answers “many, many times”, which we have seen throughout TNG. If anyone knows how Dahj is feeling, it is Picard. And I love that he connects with her, never dismissing her feelings.

Picard also comments on Dahj’s necklace, saying it was unusual. Dahj said that her father gave it to her. Now some have wondered why it would be an unusual necklace as it doesn’t look unusual, but I don’t know, I guess it looked kinda strange to me. Or maybe Picard recognized the symbol from somewhere and thought it was strange. Dahj says she doesn’t just know Picard because he’s famous, but she knows him from something older and deeper, and Picard says she may be right, clearly feeling like maybe he does know her from somewhere. He again reiterates that he believes her, joking that if she were dangerous, Number One would let him know.

Laris takes Dahj to her room, and she thanks Picard before she goes, clearly very grateful for someone believing in her. Dahj does leave the necklace behind on the table, which Picard looks at.

Next day, he opens up the window and nobody is working. I realized at this point immediately it must be another dream sequence and sure enough Data is in the fields painting. Both him and Picard are in their TNG era uniforms, and Data asks if Picard wants to finish the painting which has no face and is a hooded figure standing overlooking an ocean. Picard says he doesn’t know how, but Data says that’s not true. The moment Picard takes the brush, he’s awoken by the clock, and he immediately turns around to look at the painting behind him hanging up on the wall, which is almost exactly the painting from the dream, only the head is turned away. Obviously his dreams are a way for him to work out things he’s busy thinking about when he’s awake. God if only my dreams work out life’s problems for me. It would be so useful!

Laris comes in to say that Dahj is gone. Now this scene is logistically a little bit oddly placed. I don’t know when Picard wakes up from his dream, but it doesn’t look like 5am. And Laris comes in rather calmly to tell Picard that Dahj is gone, so did Laris just get up at 5am, saw Dahj gone, and went about her day until Picard woke up? Now Picard could have woken up just minutes before too. They just didn’t exactly make it explicitly clear. She did note that Dahj’s door was open, Number One was on her bed but she was gone, and they checked the feeds and she’s not on the property.

Picard, who now has an idea of what to look for, says he has to go but for them to contact him if Dahj returns.

We then change locations to Starfleet Archives, which uses the same museum symbol that the Star Trek Tour folks have. So that’s a nice little touch, nodding to the fans. It’s really sweet. Star Trek Tour is canon now! :D

Now at this moment when we see Picard approaching the archives, the Jerry Goldsmith theme from the Motion Picture plays a little in the background. Again, a beautiful addition from Jeff Russo knowing exactly where to add in the music to make everything feel perfect.

Picard is with a program called Index, who seems to keep an eye on the quantum archive. Picard wants to be sure that his archive is locked in stasis and no one has access, Index makes a joke about selling tickets with Picard noting the humor and saying “don’t give up your day job”. I love funny snarky holograms.

We then see Picard going into his archive and this is certainly a room full of easter eggs, so I’ll just note the items I saw and double checked with Memory Alpha to make sure I had the correct names:

USS Stargazer model

USS Enterprise D and E models

Captain’s yacht from Enterprise E model

Kurlan naiskos – ceramic figurine statue made by Kurlan civilization – gift from former mentor Richard Galen?

TNG era Bat’leth and D’k tahg

Captain Picard Day banner

Picard’s edition of The Globe Illustrated Shakespeare: The Complete Works, usually seen in his ready room/quarters – book is opened to first two pages of Act III of All’s Well That Ends Well – quote from earlier

It was noted from the Ready Room aftershow with Hanelle Culpepper and Michael Chabon (the showrunner), that the Captain Picard Day banner is an interesting way to tell the story of Picard’s change. He used to not like that day at all, and now he keeps that memento as if to remind himself that he maybe should have had more of those moments, showing a bit of his regret.

We get some updated LCARS, which the Picard production crew did give a shoutout to Mike Okuda on twitter. It’s always great to see these original designs get a little update with the times. It’s got more muted colors, which I quite like. And also, the object that covers the painting and retracts back is similar to the mechanical hood device that they used in the Ask Not Short Trek that Pike wore.

Index notes that this painting, which we see has Dahj’s face, is item 227.67, painted by Data in 2369, one of a set of two, gifted to Picard on the Enterprise, and the other is hanging on the wall at the Chateau. And the title of the painting is called Daughter. This confirming that Dahj somehow is Data’s daughter, which makes sense given her resemblance to Lal.

Picard asks Index to be sure that no one has been in the archive, not even for servicing. This means that no one else could have known Dahj’s face unless they were someone who actually knew Data or somehow had access to Data.

Back in France, Dahj seems to be hiding in an alleyway. She contacts her mom who tells her to get somewhere safe. Dahj notes that she did tried but she couldn’t stay because she didn’t want to put anyone else in danger. Her mom says she has to go back to Picard, Dahj frowns because her mom couldn’t have known. We see the image of the Mom glitching somehow? At this moment we don’t know if she’s a hologram or a memory or maybe a person who is being used or coerced? Her mom insists for her to find Picard and that he can and will help her. I can’t be sure if the mom is good or not, but her insisting that she goes to Picard does seem like she wants Dahj to be safe. So maybe the mom is also Dahj’s own defense mechanism? A program that makes sure she stays on course and doesn’t stray? The mom tells Dahj to close her eyes and focus, as if giving her directions on what to do. Next we see that the transmission has terminated and Dahj pulls up new information to find Picard’s location.

We also note that in her call list of favorites, there’s Soji’s name too, which connects to the later scene we see.

Back at the Starfleet Archives again, Picard sees Dahj and is clearly relieved that she’s okay. Dahj points out that she knew how to track him here, “I know stuff now, I can hear conversations a block away.” She then tries to insist that she did research and that she must have schizophrenia or something. Picard says she doesn’t have that and tries to assure her that she isn’t a freak, and instead that she may be very special. He starts telling her about Data, and you can hear the emotions in his voice about what Data meant. Dahj doesn’t know why Picard is telling her that and Picard gently tries to let Dahj know that she may be like Data and that the attack may have acted like a positronic alarm bell. But Dahj doesn’t react well to that, comparing synthetics to the ones who attacked Mars, even at one point calling synths “soulless murder machines”. We can see from Dahj’s comments that resent and fear still exists in the Federation towards android/synthetic life-forms, which from what we know, the attack was only about 10 years ago, so it would still be rather fresh on everyone’s minds.

Picard tells Dahj that Data painted her over 30 years ago, she still tries to resist, stating that she’s from Seattle and that her dad was a xenobotanist who spliced two genuses and named the offspring after her. Dahj clearly feels like she’s losing her sense of self if she is not real, but Picard tells her that her beautiful memories are hers and that no one can touch it or take it away. Picard’s insistent kindness and compassion are just SO VERY IMPORTANT. It is not always in entertainment media that we get these unabashedly kind characters, especially with male characters. And sometimes I think Star Trek is the only kind of show where truly kind and loving male characters are allowed to thrive because that’s the world we expect it to be. But even so, having characters like Picard, an older white male in a place of authority, still being so kind and caring and willing to help people instead of judging them, is important. Because this allows younger generations watching this to have someone good to be their role model, to teach and instill in them that kindness is what you need to have more of in this world. I am especially thankful that new Trek has been able to bring forth these kinds of kind characters, and especially white male characters. We see it with Picard, and we saw it with Christopher Pike in Discovery season 2. Both of these characters’ kindness is what allows others to not only feel safe, but allow people a place to grow and learn, and to have people standing in their corner even when they feel alone. That sense of safety and love, like having a safety blanket over you, is so essential to characters that are eschewing the toxic masculinity that is often very prevalent in entertainment media these days. In many ways, Star Trek, through Picard and Pike, are pointedly stating that men, especially white men, being kind and understanding, is not something to be belittled or dismissed, but rather important things because kindness is its own super power, and it’s with that kindness and love that they can stand up to institutions’ whose ideals have gone astray. Picard standing up to Starfleet is really no different than the scene of Pike calling out Starfleet’s use of drones and stating that “giving up our values in the name of security is to lose the battle in advance.”

Principled and kind lead white male characters are what we need more of these days.

Picard insists to Dahj that she was “lovingly and deliberately created” and that “You are dear to me in ways that you can’t understand, I will never leave you.” And adding that they will go to Okinawa to the Daystrom Institute and get this all figured out. He brightens up when Dahj mentions her having been accepted into the institute, happy for her even if Dahj is no longer happy anymore after all that’s happened. Picard reminds her “You are the daughter of a man who was all meaning, all courage, be like him”

This whole thing of him talking about Data to Dahj is just really emotional, you can see how much he wants to protect her, and how he genuinely means it that he will not leave her. And you can sense the guilt that still clings to him about Data dying for him.

Of course, nice moment again gets interrupted by Romulan assassins, because Romulans just love to ruin your nice moments. Dahj notices someone coming after them and runs with Picard, who can’t really keep up with her. They get to the roof and the assassins start shooting. Dahj tells Picard to stay down and gets on with some serious ass kicking. Again, as I said earlier, this whole fight scene is just so well done. The action is steady that you know exactly what is happening at all time and what she is doing and who she is fighting. You’re not lost, it’s not shaky and blurry.

One of the assassins gets his helmet taken off and as he falls down the stairs, Picard notices that they are Romulan. Another assassin gets knocked over a railing but seems to beam away. Dahj is about to shoot another one when this assassin bites down on a capsule and spews out some kind of liquid acid which gets on the gun and on Dahj’s face and her clothing. She and Picard exchanged a horrified look, she screams and Picard tries to reach for her as the energy gun blows up and Picard is knocked back and blacks out.

Now this moment was certainly a surprise. Through all the marketing, they kept talking about Dahj being the mysterious girl, they never mentioned someone else, so we just always thought it was one character. And I remember looking at the trailers and thinking, did Dahj get out of the cube and run to Picard and then gets taken back to the cube somehow and Picard has to go get her again? But it looks like they were just hiding the surprise of the twins in plain sight and we just didn’t have the information to realize it until now. Dahj’s death is certainly very tragic. Though I don’t know you could call it fridging a female character given that she was always meant to be a catalyst role so they could get to saving her sister? I’m not sure, simply because the story is set up in this way and I’m not sure it would work as well if they told it another way simply just to avoid character death. But perhaps someone would disagree.

But we get back to the Chateau where Picard wakes up after having numerous flashes of previous scenes that’s happened. We see Laris and Zhaban worriedly leaning over him as he’s laid up on the couch. He’s got a bad knock but other than that he’s okay. Picard reveals that Dahj is dead and Zhaban and Laris are surprised because the police didn’t mention her. They only said that Picard was alone when they found him on the roof. There was no one else on the security but him running. Zhaban suggests Dahj could have had a cloaking device and that’s why she wasn’t seen on their property feed either, and Picard thinks it may have activated automatically. So this explains why Dahj couldn’t be seen. But this doesn’t necessarily explain why even the Romulan assassins weren’t seen either or why the police said he was found alone. Which means that between the time the police found him, someone, possibly Romulans, could have wiped all the traces of what happened, and maybe even administered some healing stuff on Picard. OR as some have suggested, it could be that the Federation police could be involved in it, maybe it is some massive cover up. Maybe the Federation is infiltrated somehow by Romulan agents. This certainly wouldn’t be unusual tactics for the Tal Shiar, and we know even back in Discovery, the Klingons made one of them look like a human just so he could be a sleeper agent. So there’s no reason to not think that Romulans couldn’t do the same.

Picard tells Zhaban and Laris that Dahj was a synthetic and that the assassins were Romulans, which surprises both of them, given that they are Romulans, can’t be easy to hear their people are up to something shady. Of course Laris and Zhaban wants him to rest and that he’s done a lot for everyone. But Picard delivers a really powerful and brilliant line that really explains a lot of things.

He says: “Sitting here, after all these years, nursing my offended dignity, writing books of history people prefer to forget, I never asked anything of myself at all. I haven’t been living, I’ve been waiting to die.”

If you look back to the interview when the interviewer asks him why he left Starfleet, that he left in protest, and how angry he got. I think Picard left Starfleet to try to force their hand to help, essentially doing a last desperate bid of if you want me then you better go help these people. And Starfleet basically called his bluff and let him go. That is the “offended dignity” that he’s been nursing. That he tried to do something, using his reputation and importance, and Starfleet basically said, yeah okay, you can go then. I think, more than just Starfleet and the Federation deciding to withdraw, he felt a personal betrayal. The organization that he had given everything to didn’t even bother to fight for its ideals or fight to hold onto him, they gave up on their ideals and they gave up on him, so therefore, he lost faith in them as well. And all this time he’s been wallowing in anger, guilt, and essentially being the spectator that he said he didn’t want to be. He’s been wallowing in self pity, and in that moment, he’s realized that’s not what he wants to do, he’s not going to just slink away from his duties like Starfleet did, he’s now going to do something about it.

We then go to a new location, finally the Daystrom Institute on screen for the first time, in Okinawa. There is this little orbital station in the sky, it looked like one of those stations from The Girl Who Made The Stars Short Trek that young Michael and her dad were on.

Picard meets up with Dr. Agnes Jurati, and asks if it’s possible to make a sentient android out of flesh and blood, she laughs. I find her to be very adorable, a quirky scientist type but not entirely socially awkward, so it’s not the full on nerd girl trope. Once she realizes that he’s serious, she tells him that “even before the ban, a flesh and blood android was in our sights, but a sentient one, not for a thousand years”. She also notes that a sentient synthetic inside and out was the grand slam they were hoping for.

She leads Picard into the Federation’s Division of Advanced Synthetic Research – now a ghost town - because the Androids that attacked Mars came from this very lab - so now they can only operate theoretically – study, publish, run simulations, but they can’t make anything because it would be a violation of galactic treaty.

Jurati shows the drawer containing B-4 to Picard, says he was an inferior copy of Data, but noting that Data tried to download the contents of his neural net into B-4 before his death, almost all of it was lost. Note that she said ALMOST all of it. Which means that they did have some pieces of Data to create things from him. She also brings up Bruce Maddox, whom we saw in the TNG episode “The Measure of a Man”, and despite him trying to get Data to be declared property, we know that he and Data did keep in contact afterwards. Jurati says that Maddox recruited her out of Starfleet, and apparently they came close to create other synths like Data before Data died, and then when they got shut down, it crushed Maddox and he disappeared after the ban.

Now, I suspect that someone may have taken Maddox, and maybe used him to somehow get the synths to go rogue and attack Mars. Maybe even got him to somehow bring down the defense nets. And maybe Maddox could have even created Dahj and her sister Soji for whoever is controlling him as well? Agnes does say that if they had Data’s neural net, then making a flesh and blood body is relative simple, but Picard says Data’s neurons died with him, and thus Jurati says that’s why she kept telling Picard it wasn’t possible to create any other synths. Picard then shows Jurati the necklace from Dahj, and Jurati recognizes that the symbol is for fractal neuronic cloning, an idea of Maddox’s where the theory was that Data’s entire code, even his memories, could be reconstituted from a single positronic neuron.

So given that Jurati said they almost lost all of Data, I assume Maddox took that bit of Data they still had from B-4 and somehow got his theory to work to make Dahj and her sister, modeled from Data’s painting.

Picard learns that the cloning would be created in pairs, twins, realizing that there is another one. And showing us who were surprised at Dahj’s death that the rest of the season must be with the sister instead.

I’m still not entirely sure if Jurati knows something more about what’s going or not. I also don’t know if maybe she helped Maddox create the twins? It’s possible but maybe she is also just a good person and I’m being way too suspicious. But who knows. Anything is possible. TV is making it hard for me to trust people.

Then we get this beautiful transition shot from Dahj’s necklace symbol to a similar shaped rings of light in space as a new looking Romulan warbird flies through space and reaches the Romulan Reclamation Site.

We get the first shot of Narek walking through some smoke with purpose as the Romulan theme from TOS episode “Balance of Terror” plays on in the background like the Imperial March every time with Darth Vader. I LOVE this newly updated rendition. Honestly, someone please give Jeff Russo some awards because his music in this episode is just SO SPOT ON!

Narek is clearly the president of the Romulan division of the Emo Spock Fashion Fan Club? I’m just waiting for him to actually be Spock’s secret son with some Romulan, I mean, we know Spock was on Romulus for a time. And Narek sound close to Sarek. (I’m secretly hoping for this because it would just be hilarious to me!)

He meets with Doctor Soji Asha, Dahj’s twin. I noted that Dahj sounds like an Indian name perhaps? And Soji is a Japanese name. Which seem to be appropriate given that actress Isa Briones is also Asian, being part Filipino, and having spoken about Asian representation in entertainment.

Narek comments on her necklace, which Soji says her father made it, one for her and one for her sister. There was some confusion as to if only Soji knew about her having a sister, but as the earlier call list from Dahj shows, she knew about Soji too. They clearly just held it back from showing it for this reveal. Narek says he had a brother and they were really close but that he lost him last year very unexpectedly. I have a feeling we will get to see what went on with that, or maybe we even know who his brother may be? I originally thought it was Elnor, but I don’t think it works with what we know about both characters, as Elnor was said to have been raised by female warrior monks? So the “last year” comment wouldn’t work for timeline purposes. So the brother is likely someone else who died in 2398, again I don’t know this may be a character we know from any other of the older Trek shows.

He’s clearly trying to flirt with her and get close to her. He also notes that she spends her day fixing “broken people”, so is she fixing Borg survivors or androids or maybe both? We do see in the this season promo of her with Hugh somehow, and other people who look like they got implants, so are the Romulans kidnapping Borg survivors and trying to use them to make androids or something?

Anyways, Narek seem to succeed in ingratiating himself to Soji, looking like they’ll be spending some time together. And the camera then pulls back to reveal the site is in a Borg cube. Meanwhile, that beautiful Romulan theme comes back and plays til the end of the episode.

There’s a “this season on” promo that I’ll probably talk about maybe in a separate post. But YAY we have reached the end of this LONG analysis. If you’ve managed to get through all of it. I commend you and thank you for reading my ramblings.

This episode was a really solid start, setting up great characters and mystery, and reminding us why we love Jean-Luc Picard.

I can’t wait to see where the story will take us next and meet the rest of the cast!!!!!!!!

#star trek picard #star trek picard spoilers #in depth analysis

2 notes · View notes

subdee · 5 years

Text

10 Songs Meme

Tagged by @hxhhasmysoul. I believe I’m supposed to list 10 songs from a playlist and say something about each song but all my playlists (on Youtube - mostly Kpop) are at least a year old ^^;;;

So instead, I figured I'd list 10 songs I like to sing. These would be Karaoke Songs, but a lot of them are deep cuts and not on any karaoke machine ^^;;; So instead they are Shower Songs.

Looking over this list, my taste becomes clear:

1) I like codependent two songwriter bands; and especially those bands with rich creative partnerships and lots of extra-musical material for fans to obsess over. When it comes to some things, like books, I'm a fox and I read widely across a lot of different genres; but when it comes to music I'm a serial hedgehog and I just get OBSESSED with a band and devour everything about them for weeks and months and sometimes years at a time.

2) I like songs with interesting, somewhat old-fashioned melodies that are fun to sing and have good/interesting harmony parts.

3) I like songs that are openly and earnestly emotional. In real life, I'm fairly restrained (and in my writing too I think - lots of restraint and understatement). But man life is too short to not embrace your strongest emotions in music.

Anyway here's the list, behind a cut because I wrote a lot LOLOL:

***

Jayhawks - Blue.

My first bandom! This is not my favorite song of theirs off this album BTW – that would be Real Light or Over my Shoulder – but it’s the quickest and easiest way to explain their Codepence Aesthetic, including the way their voices blend (called The Univoice by fans) and in the visuals of the music video (twins). Their other well-known song in this vein, BTW, is Two Angels - the song that got them signed to American Records by Rick Rubin, who produced this album.

Anyway I am a SUPER fan of this group. I was on the forums back in the days when we used to, get this, trade physical CDs of live recordings in the mail – both because the lossless audio files were too large to upload, and also because the band disapproved of online music sharing. They’ve reversed this stance, or at least Gary Louris has, and you can find hundreds and hundreds of high-quality live recordings online now.

This is a band that (like the Libertines) played live for seven years before getting signed; they have tons and tons of material that never made it onto their studio album, but that fans recorded, organized and passed around.

***

Green Day - When It’s Time

This is actually RJ’s first obsessive band, not mine (though like many people my age, I owned all their records and I can sing pretty much every major label release of theirs from memory). Green Day have a really distinctive sense of melody and their songs are REALLY fun to sing. This is a relatively unknown but amazing song that RJ covers out a lot at shows and that always gets a positive response. People may not realize this but Green Day draws from a lot of influence outside of the pop punk genre including 50s do-woop and you can hear it in this song; also in Brutal Love, another song that’s REALLY fun to sing.

***

Brooks and Dunn - Neon Moon

This will sound corny but I think one of the reasons RJ and I work as a couple is because we have very compatible taste in music... one of the things we both like is the 90s country revival, though RJ likes more mainstream country and I like alt-country like the Jayhawks, Wilco, Sun Volt, etc. Anyway I came to my Jayhawks love as a preteen because my mom also liked them; and RJ likes Brooks and Dunn because his dad also liked them.

This is a singer-songwriter pair of the type that’s actually pretty common in country music. @Minimoonstar’s sister Lucinda, who used to work for Touchtunes, told me that country is one of the easiest genres of music to license because there are generally only two music credits on each song – the person who wrote the music and the person who wrote the lyrics. (The hardest genre to license, by the way, is rap – due to the politics of the scene generally **EVERYONE** who worked on a track has a songwriting credit).

***

Cranberries - Linger

Another beautiful song with beautiful harmonies that RJ and I both like. I actually don’t have too much to say about this except that it is perfect, XD, and I really want to learn how to do the harmony part properly.

***

Fastball - Falling Upstairs

Actually this is not the fastball song I sing the most - that would be Til I Get It Right or maybe Halfway Girl or The Feeling is Gone - but I figured I’d share this since it’s probably not the sound most people associate with Fastball, the late-90s “One Hit Wonder Band” who wrote The Way, Out of My Head, You’re an Island and Fire Escape.

After I broke up with my first girlfriend, I was depressed for about nine months and I listened to this band constantly. Their discography is a lot deeper than a lot of people know and they are a two-songwriter band, which if you guys haven’t figured out by now is a Thing for me.

(Though in the case of Fastball, it’s more like these two songwriters just happened to share a band that just happened to get really big; in their two big label releases before they called it quits and put out a best-of CD to get out of their contract, the writing credits would actually alternate, Tony-Miles-Tony-Miles. That gives you an idea of the tensions that may or may not have existed in this band at that time, though they ALSO ended up reforming a few years later and these days they seem to get back together every summer to hit the festival circuit, recently with Sugar Ray.)

Anyway a co-written song I really like from them is She’s Got the Rain which is Beatles-inspired. You guys will be doing yourself a favor if you check out their discography and particularly, the live recordings on ytube and the Internet Archive. They are REALLY fun to sing, probably my favorite group to sing actually, the melodies are just so good.

***

Crowded House - Catherine Wheels

One of the reasons I got so into Fastball when I was having a hard time is that I had a mix CD in my car that was put together by me and my high school friends when we graduated. It had 1-2 tracks from each of us on it... I can’t remember what I put on there, possibly Social Distortion and the Walkman’s The Rat? I got a lot of my music from the livejournal community FST (fan sountrack) back then and I remember The Rat was from a Fruit’s Basket FST where all the songs had the names of an animal from the zodiac in the title. Anyway. My best friend in high school, V, put some Fastball songs on that mix CD and so this band had immense nostalgic value for me, even though I didn’t get really into them until later.

And this is another example of that – V left her Together Alone CD in my car and later when I was depressed I just listened to that CD on repeat. Crowded House are maybe not the trendiest group on this list but the harmonies (with the now-late drummer, who I think a lot of these songs are about actually) are really beautiful. Also, all the songs on this CD are written with tremendous empathy for difficult personalities, something I could sympathize with at the time.

***

Linkin Park - Waiting for the End

What does it say about me that so many of the songs on this list are other people’s favorite songs? XD;;; Anyway, this was a song that a girl I lived with England really liked and would play a lot. That was an intense relationship. Yeah. We eventually lost touch because I’m not good at email. I hope she’s doing well today.

My favorite Linkin Park album is Living Things; I like Burn it Down, Castle of Glass and Roads Untraveled.

***

GDTOP - Oh Yeah

And now for something different XD. This is a side-project by the two rappers in the idol group Big Bang. Since I don’t speak Korean, I wrote English lyrics for this and I sing this song often whenever I’m in a good mood. It really captures the feeling of overflowing and overwhelming happiness (but not quite tipping into like a mixed or unpleasantly racing manic state).

BTW for those of you who didn’t know, I was a ***huge*** Big Bang fan years. My first girlfriend liked them and this is one of the most codependent Kpop idol groups ever. Some other songs I wrote English lyrics for and sing often are Heaven (a song that’s so overwhelming & ecstatically happy, it burns itself out into sadness before the first verse is even over); Tonight (a song about mania and inter-band drama that’s mixed to already sound like it’s coming from the biggest group in the world; plus Gdragon toured the entire album in a skirt <3); Sunset Glow (a cover/remix and probably their best song); Of All Days (depressive TOP single) and Friend (TOP and Taeyang single for a movie soundtrack that also had the TOP-GD-Taeyang single Halleluyah on it; all songs about missing friends that were written while the band was taking a break to do solo projects).

These songs capture the cycle of burning up, burning out, breaking up and regretting perfectly; and also a variety of very complex and extreme emotional states. I listen to them so I can understand myself and other people, you know? And they are still great; I don’t care how much of criminal scumbag Seungri turned out to be.

***

B2ST - Midnight

I was never that into B2ST but this song is just undeniably great XD. It really captures that mixed-state aesthetic that defined the early B2ST (and Big Bang) discography - a specific mix of mania and sadness that I think Kpop does a lot better than American pop.

Although I didn’t follow B2ST, I did follow Shinsadong Tiger, the composer on this track. In fact most of my Kpop fandom (after I had watched all the Big Bang videos) consisted of obsessively following composers from project to project – so Shinsadong Tiger, Brave Brothers, Sweetune, etc. This was quite easy to do as all of these composers had large followings and often, singles would be advertised as “The new Brave Brothers single” and not “The New single from X idol group”.

I also liked the house composers from the Big 3 companies - Kush (not Teddy) from YG, Jinyoung Park from JYP Entertainment, Yoo Youngjin from SM Entertainment. And “hitman” Bang who produced the (excellent) first T-ara album and who’s probably better known now as the CEO of Big Hit Entertainment, BTS’ company.

If you guys want receipts let me know, I know a lot about this LOL.

***

Libertines - All At Sea

We’re going for the deep cuts here, guys. ^^;;; Of all the rabbit-hole codependent bands I ever got obsessed with, this rabbit hole was probably the deepest, darkest and most all-consuming. For instance, I sometimes worried about the members Big Bang killing themselves once they were no longer in the spotlight; but with this band you would wake up every day half-expecting Pete or Carl to be dead.

People who say “fiction doesn’t affect reality”... well first of all they don’t really mean it, and secondly they were never obsessive Libertines fans. ^^;;; This is a band for whom the line between fiction and reality was blurry at best; and besides that they were active online at the very beginning of the social web and used to post all kinds of deeply personal stuff about themselves on the band’s forums where the fans could read them and post their fan-theories, which the band would then read and act out.

Some other really great Libs deep cuts would be Half Cocked Boy, Plan A and Smashing. You can hear the variety of influences and especially the 50s skittle and French cinema influences here.

If you really wanna understand the process of going down the rabbit hole with this band, BTW... well I don’t know if I’d recommend it actually, though everyone is still alive and in therapy so yay happy ending? But my friend Sabina who was my partner in crime during this time wrote about the experience at One Week One Band here.

***

Patti Loveless - Lead the Parade

Another artist RJ likes and that I like a lot, too. Though I think this album is probably a little too cleanly produced for my (current) aesthetic, like the Brooks and Dunn albums. But this is just a really beautiful song (and another song I really really really wanna learn the harmony parts for).

This song also has personal meaning for RJ; but that's not my story to tell.

***

Bonus:

Tim Hardin - Reason to Believe (Jayhawks cover)

Probably the most frequently-covered codependency song of all time.

#musicblogging #real life i guess #tag games

5 notes · View notes

scalered6 · 2 years

Text

Event Catering For Meetings, Occasions & Gatherings

When a person has labored hard all his or her life and is able to retire, many households and companies like to acknowledge that individual’s lifetime achievements. Part of what makes these celebrations nice are the tales that are collected and the visible reminiscences which might be put together in the form of a slide show or picture board. Make the event even more memorable by including full-service catering. It aims to be constant, prompt, and dependable throughout its cuisine selection, delivery, and presentation. Since 2005, Above and Beyond has been specializing in corporate and special events. Northern California agricultural bounty serves as its inspiration, and the company strives to make use of these local ingredients in its dishes. Besides a methodical company drop-off system, the company also supplies catering companies for particular occasions. Staying a green catering company is certainly one of our prime priorities. Catering By The Family has the expertise to cater any occasion, from an in-home private dinner to a full-service catered affair. With more than four decades of service to the Tampa Bay and Sarasota areas, we now have the expertise to deal with any occasion and the flexibility to tailor our providers to satisfy your unique wants. Let Zafferano Catering make your company occasion a unprecedented success! From massive to small, we'll work with you to create a scrumptious menu to ensure this year’s vacation party is an experience to remember. The three various kinds of caterers are front-facing caterers, catering cooks, and catering managers. Front-facing caterers typically assist with setup and guest relations, catering chefs stick to the kitchen, and catering managers oversee the entire catering group of servers and cooks. Gorgeous serving spoons, forks, tongs, bowls, plates, and platters can elevate the appear and feel of even the best dishes. Appetizer Catering If hosting at your house, utilize indoor and out of doors areas to maintain a flow going. Ensure that your caterer has the adequate house needed for heating and prepping. At a venue, use the house at hand to place stations and bars in different areas so that visitors could make their method from one end to another. It will keep your friends shifting, tasting, and enjoying themselves. Chicken Fillet, threaded on a 6″ skewer, served with dipping sauce. Sliced sirloin woven on a bamboo skewer, drenched in an unique Argentinean steak sauce, blended with additional virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, parsley and oregano. Small plates and tapas have been a development that many love and work beautifully in an All Appetizer occasion. Guests can personalize their plate and interact as they transfer their way through a taco, quesadilla or nacho bar. Vegetarian Samosas - stuffed with potatoes and veggies flavoured with gentle Indian spices. Onions, squash, and peppers are a basic combo however you can even try considered one of these lovely and inventive vegetarian skewers. Choose local wines and beers over model names. Millennials are especially into domestically sourced gadgets so if your visitor record is stuffed with them opt for this more affordable beverage option. Biodegradable Take Out Containers & Packing Containers Fine Dining Deliver elevated experiences and exceptional service with a seamless POS platform. Family Style Turn more tables and delight guests with a POS built for household fashion eating places. •PP containers have to be reused 3–208 instances to have decrease impacts than EPS. Aluminum has sharp edges when in comparison with the opposite takeout container choices and could potentially hurt users. Paperboard products sometimes for a most 60-minute time restraint at which they are often uncovered to four hundred degrees Fahrenheit. No matter what part of the food service or supermarket trade you are in, Superior has you covered when it comes to meals containers and packaging. No matter what part of the food service business you're in, Genpak has you lined in relation to meals containers and packaging. Our food service take-out boxes embody many styles and designs, including microwaveable containers, hinged containers, cold containers, and cup carriers. By stocking up on meals service take-out containers, you can simply pack up meals and drinks to go. Some single-use food packaging is recyclable but food contamination of products is commonly a problem for recyclers. Molded pulp merchandise are made from recycled newsprint and are shaped under heat and pressure into plates, bowls, trays and cup carriers. Turn your restaurant take-out into an opulent, gourmand eating experince. Our luxury restaurant packaging options take your meals presentation to new heights, evolving your products' sophistication and value. If you’re stumped on how to market your restaurant, takeout packaging is amongst the best places to begin. Our 20 Hottest Soup Recipes Ever! Not enough broth in this soup... It comes out looking unappealing, extra like a mushroom smoothie than a soup. It tastes "okay", however wouldn't hassle to make it once more. I adjust to make use of with vegetable broth to make it vegetarian, and it worked perfectly. Use the everyday mushrooms we discover in our grocery retailer or use them together with some of the more unique varieties. Next, I sautéed the mushrooms and onions within the butter as an alternative of simmering them, and I didn’t puree something. However, I nonetheless thought it seemed more like mushrooms with sauce than soup. The third time was the allure, I doubled all the ingredients besides the mushrooms, onions and sherry, and this time I loved it. I also tried stirring somewhat left over Uncle Ben’s lengthy grain and wild rice into some of the soup and thought that made a great addition. This recipe is huge on flavor and very straightforward to make. If you are in search of a crowd-pleasing aspect dish to convey to the subsequent potluck, do we have some ideas for you! We've rounded up 15 top-rated side dishes which are so good folks will be asking you for the recipe all day long. Allrecipes house cooks price these potluck facet dishes one of the best of one of the best, and we think you will, too. Strawberry and rhubarb are two meals that were just meant to be baked collectively. Their tangy and candy union becomes even higher when its heated, making a jammy consistency that highlights the flavors. Buffet Catering Fashion They're nice for foodies who love a stand and eat lunch at a busy event. Along those self same traces, this dessert catering thought turns macaroons into whimsical cacti. This dessert is perfect for a desert conference or western theme. A wedding is a type of occasion that may incorporate different types of catering services, relying on whether it's a simple marriage ceremony or one that is big and fashionable. With a easy wedding, you can have the caterers transfer round with plates of meals and drinks serving your visitors with their favorites. The number of caterers shall be fewer than those at a classy marriage ceremony. On the opposite hand, a huge wedding will cost more for the rationale that number of caterers will be extra. From San Diego, Los Angeles, and Washington DC, our group of enthusiastic creators is determined to make your next occasion excellent. Know Your Guest Count – the #1 factor of your catering prices is based on what quantity of you're feeding. You would be surprised how many individuals attempt to order when they don’t know how many people are coming. Knowing your visitor count before you call to get an estimate will help you better price range and eliminate complicated and pointless menu adjustments at the final minute. Do you may have extra ideas and advice to add about occasion catering? Individualized servings able to eat in cups and or bites on cutlery are cute until you’re paying to use the utensils. This dish is a pleasant grown-up spin on the candy favorite. It’s relatively moveable and won’t make an enormous mess. Plus, the flavor pattern of creamy, savory and candy is an appealing one. How Much Does Catering A Party Cost? 2022 Information Have guests convey fruit, pastries, or different yummy breakfast or brunch foods to share. Bagel Brunch– This is such a singular concept that bridges breakfast and lunch perfectly. Check out this wonderful bagel brunch from Celebrations at Home blog. You present everything you would want to build a taco. Baked potato bars, soup bars, and pasta bars are perfect for winter months. In fact, the presentation may make all the distinction. “For example, instead of serving mac ’n cheese in ramekins, you could deep-fry a bite-size portion and serve it on a lollipop stick,” Brides.com suggests. If you’re seeking to lock in the perfect fee, strive attending varied wedding ceremony reveals and expos in your native space. Growing up in France, consuming goose on Christmas Eve might need been a household favourite. Food truck catering can be fun on your guests and it is going to be a unique expertise. You are hosting your first catering event however you don’t know your guests’ food preferences? Attendees will have the power to eat their favorite meals from the buffet, choosing from many choices obtainable, and be completely happy. We’re right here that can help you plan one of the best wedding in New Jersey, no matter what your plans are. Online & Offline Events Plan, promote, execute, and evaluate all your occasions. When organizing a catering, you might try to translate them into the food as well. Ingredients like cinnamon, pumpkin, apple, and chestnuts come to thoughts immediately. Artisan mini bread and sandwich platters are a should in relation to scrumptious meals without being messy. Turning 外燴 Into Main Dishes Create a number of totally different layouts utilizing a free occasion diagramming software such as Social Tables. The finest catering tips for beginners provide insight into menu creation, occasion prep, and all those further little details that go away a lasting impression on clients. Discover these actionable ideas you should use to excel at catering personal and company occasions. Your guests will get pleasure from 2 objects as a primary course served within the fashion of a surf and turf. This style will create an atmosphere that can be described as extra “mixing and mingling” rather than everyone being seated directly for the complete size of dinner. Another aspect to suppose about with this style is that you do not need to offer full seating for each visitor which can be a huge value savings! If you feel like you can solely invite a handful of guests to affordably feed everybody, you've an alternative choice – just serve dessert! Everyone’s favourite part of a marriage feast is the cake and sweets, so set up a killer dessert table for your guests to enjoy. From macaron towers and donut partitions to s'mores makers and ice cream bars, there are so many ways to create a enjoyable and interactive dessert reception you and your guests will love. During a table service meal, you'll need a minimum of one, if not two, servers per desk for a plated meal. Nothing is worse than going to a sit-down event and having part of the room on their dessert whereas the others still have salad plates on the table. Thoroughly wash all chopping boards and utensils with scorching, soapy water before and after you cope with any animal merchandise. Also, change gloves when switching between these classes. Practice correct food security and save yourself a while with these practical catering prep suggestions every beginner ought to know. Keeping foods chilled correctly helps them last longer and stay brisker. Sticking to the ideal fridge temps might help you keep away from potential foodborne sicknesses, too. The RSVP card, or RSVP part of the marriage web site, ought to go away a space for guests to note any dietary requirements they have. But along with your great style, we all know we are ready to create a delicious plated meal that everyone will get pleasure from. Your visitors can nibble on hors d'oeuvres, handed by our workers as they circulate via the room. We’ll also arrange a cocktail bar or pass cocktails, beer, and wine—whatever you like. Catering Providers In California These savoury cheese and bacon scones will fly off the plates - especially when you serve them with slightly chutney and extra cheese. Catering seems actually troublesome and kind of expensive. I liked that you simply identified that doing a pasta bar could be a very low-cost way to cater for lots of people. That is great for me to know as a outcome of I am going to attempt to help my sister find a good caterer for her wedding. My MIL bought me an amazing picnic caddy from Costco one 12 months and I use it for EVERY SINGLE gathering we've. I like it as a outcome of it avoids having to stack issues , retains things neat and arranged, and takes up little counter or desk space. Guests will love this cute trick and your company will get factors for creativity. Salmon is a classic standby in each chef’s repertoire, however as a substitute of a standard presentation, combine it up! Pair creamy pasta with pan-seared salmon and spaghetti Carbonara flavors to leave a lasting impression. Bavette with salmon, asparagus, and peas in pesto cream sauce will certainly go away guests with one thing to remember. Fiery jalapeno poppers combined with creamy consolation food is a recipe for achievement. Costco is understood for making great-tasting, inexpensive sheet desserts with lots of characters and designs to select from. Similarly, many native supermarket chains present cost-friendly and extremely customizable options. Make your own cake and get adorning concepts from numerous web sites. But do not forget the little ones altogether, of course! You can even offer a splash of flavorings like vanilla or caramel syrup. Let the healthy be healthy and those who prefer a yogurt shake to go for it. If you need to give your event attendees a wholesome begin to the day, fruit platters are an ideal alternative. When served alongside entire wheat muffins, they provide immense well being benefits. Citrus is packed full of vitamin C as properly, so this is additionally a great pick for the winter season to keep off the flu. Deviled eggs are an excellent appetizer possibility when you're on a price range.

#外燴

1 note · View note

starcunning · 6 years

Text

This Beast That Rends Me: 28 Apr

Gentlemen of the jury, I’m curious, bear with me Are you aware that we’re making hist’ry? This is the first murder trial of our brand-new nation The liberty behind deliberation

Previously: Week One, Week Two, Week Three Previously: 22 Apr, 23 Apr, 24 Apr, 25 Apr, 26 Apr, 27 Apr

Chapter Fourteen

Soon, too soon, the elders and leaders of Gyr Abania were assembled, and a council was called. They had a few days’ warning—Lyse had given Shasi that much—but the question of what to do with the Imperial Viceroy could no longer be avoided.

Shasi stayed with him then; it seemed foolish to do otherwise, and so she was with him when the Resistance guards came to fetch him. He frightened them, and so it was Shasi they asked to restrain him.

The chain was sized for a Hellsguard, perhaps, and was still a snug fit about his waist. She had to roll back the cuffs of his shirt to fix the manacles to his wrists—crossed at the waist, they corrected her. The chains were a strong visual counterpoint to his polished appearance; his dark waistcoat and camel blazer were much too hot for the weather, but he looked presentable. He had looked more so before she bound his hands. It was the only restraint he was wearing, these days; she’d lost her appetite for the rest.

Shasi hadn’t been sure what to wear, herself. She had considered her Flames uniform, but that tied her inextricably to Ul’dah, and she was present as a nonpartisan. In the end she wore the dove grey duelists’ garb that her mentor had gifted her months ago: she was, and always had been, a Crimson Duelist. This, too, was much too hot for the summer sun, but she would bear harder things before the day was out.

“Are you ready?” she asked. “I suppose I must be. Are you?” Zenos replied. “No,” she admitted, but put her hand to his elbow anyway.

She was even less ready than she had imagined, horseshoe arches giving way to high-vaulted ceilings, terraces of stone on both sides. Perhaps everyone in Ala Mhigo sat upon those steps, ringing the central hall; they were full enough. And full enough of hostility, to see the Warrior of Light bring forth their foe. There were no rocks, and no old fruit, but the crowd hurled insults instead, in every tongue they knew, and Shasi had no choice but to understand them all. Zenos must, too, if his Resonance were equal to her Echo, but if it bruised his pale dignity, he never let it show upon his face.

There was a platform at the far end of the hall, surrounded by a gallery of windows. The throne upon it was not half so grand as the one in the throne room proper, but it was just as empty; the leadership council of Gyr Abania sat in a row before and below its imposing bulk, beneath their banner of violet and gold.

Shasi fixed her eyes to the star blazoned there, Rhalgr’s Beacon, and wished she had a more benevolent god for patron.

But it was his trial and his alone, and so she left him at the foot of the platform, at its center. The banner dangled like a sword overhead. There were murmurs of surprise as she turned away, and came to stand with those who would speak in Zenos’ defense. There were precious few of them, compared to their opposite number, and Shasi was sure they could have found plenty more voices to speak against Zenos in this very hall, had they wanted to.

Shasi looked up at the row of faces arrayed before the throne, overlooking the hall. The different peoples of Gyr Abania were all represented there, even the Qiqirn. Perhaps Lyse might manage to compose a coalition government after all, Shasi thought. As though summoned by the notion, Lyse herself sidled up to Shasi and brushed her arm against the other woman’s.

“It’s going to be a long day,” Lyse said.

The testimony was presented before the council and quite literally to them: given facing the platform and thrown back as echoes to fill the rest of the hall. It meant the speaker never had to look at Zenos—nor, indeed, at Shasi herself. She wondered how many of them could have borne it: most of them she knew, and most of them had entreated her aid at one point or another. But she owed them her ear no less now than then.

Shasi remembered the man who gave the council’s opening argument: Watt had been the one to direct them when they had sought ingress to Ala Mhigo. “We have come before the people today to answer the question of what must be done with Zenos yae Galvus,” he said. “We thought him slain when the Garlean Empire was driven from Gyr Abania months ago, only to learn that he did not perish then, having been kept instead under the auspices of questioning. In that time, we are told, much has changed with our old foe. And so, as we take matters under deliberation, I ask the council to keep in mind the following things. “First, one may ask, how many of the accusations levied today can fall squarely at the feet of Zenos yae Galvus? The Empire has occupied our homes and tried to destroy our culture, but what blame rests with him that did not rest with Gaius van Baelsar, in that? To that I can only say: Zenos yae Galvus is no mere soldier, plucked from the ranks at random to answer for the crimes of others. His may not have been the hand that held the blade in every instance, but his was the tongue that gave the order, more often than not. He was our viceroy, and Legatus of the Fourteenth Legion, and beyond even that he is the Crown Prince of Garlemald. He ruled in Doma, too, as cruelly as here. There is only one man with more power, and they name him their Emperor. If anyone could influence Imperial policy, Zenos yae Galvus must be counted at the very top of that short list. “Second, you will have heard stories of a primal being summoned at the peace summit in this very palace. You may have heard also that Zenos yae Galvus was instrumental in defeating that primal. I have no reason to doubt these accounts, and so the question becomes instead whether this can counter the full weight of the accusations levied against him? I have recently become aware of the Ul’dahn concept of ‘red in one’s ledger.’ Zenos yae Galvus has a great deal of it, and one line in the black cannot answer for all of those crimes. “Gyr Abania comes now out of the shadow of the Empire, but the tyranny we have abided beneath stretches back further than that. Before they hung the ivory standard over our heads, we were in the grip of Theodoric, the Mad King. There are men and women grown standing in this hall today that have never known true freedom, and hope for that freedom cannot abide in the company of such a nightmarish legacy of tyranny. That legacy is personified in Zenos yae Galvus, and must be excised for liberty to take root.”

“Ala Gannha has no youth left in her,” Raganfrig was saying. “Most of them were conscripted, and the strong that refused were put to the sword. Zenos yae Galvus bears the guilt for that, for he gave the order. But it was not just the strong and young he took—after the Garleans had done for us, and Ilberd took the rest, they came back to take still more, and we never knew why. Not ’til the city was liberated and the palace thrown open, and we found our missing dead moldering in some basement. Found ‘em in their dozens, dead to a man of forcible aether extraction. It’s a miserable way to die, that,” Raganfrig said. “As soon torture a man to death as drain him like that. And he did it to scores of people—our people—for his science experiments. One almost envies the ones he simply cut down.”

She remembered the way he had received her—her and Lyse both—when they had first come to Ala Gannha. How terrified he was that they might upset the delicate balance of things in the town, limping to survive. And she thought of the Resonatorium, and could not blame him.

There were a dozen other tales from other places—towns mostly, but some of the larger villages that had people enough to remember where they had stood. She had seen the abandoned trading posts along the road, and wondered no more why they had been left to their desolation.

M’naago shared a glance with Lyse before she mounted the platform to address the council, looking as desperately happy as she was resolute, and Shasi reached out to take the pugilist’s hand. Neither of them looked at one another, only at the Miqo’te as she spoke.

“I was at Rhalgr’s Reach when Zenos yae Galvus came to sack it. He treated it like a game, leaving the dead strewn behind him like so many broken toys. Y’shtola Rhul couldn’t be here today, but she would want you to know that he tried to kill her, too, for the crime of being insufficiently amusing. This pervasive disregard for the value of life extends to his own troops, too, as we found out when he gave the order to fire on Garlean forces offering their surrender at Specula Imperatoris. Conrad Kemp died in that attack, and I will not forget that no matter who asks me to.”

Lyse whispered a name, and Shasi gave her hand a squeeze. It was not the only story they heard, and with each, Lyse leaned more firmly on Shasi’s shoulder. Shasi watched the light from the windows sweep across the floor as the day went on, and she listened to every account the people of Ala Mhigo brought forth to relate.

Last to speak was a younger woman than most that day. Shasi supposed it was true: that much of a generation had been stolen from Ala Mhigo, but for those that had fled. Like herself; like this girl. “My name is Bertliana,” she said. “You don’t know me, because I wasn’t born here. I was born in exile, hearing tales of Ala Mhigo and dreaming of a home others thought I’d never see. I suffered for that hope,” she said, voice trembling. “Others suffered too. One of my friends, a lad called Wilred, thought he would summon Rhalgr to avenge us. The Warrior of Light stopped us, made us see what a mistake that would be. She destroyed the primal that Ilberd summoned, too, but not before Zenos learned to command it. There, in him, stands a terrible foe with the ability to bring still more terrible powers to heel. Hope cannot live in the shadow of those vast wings,” she said.

The murmurs that rippled through the crowd betrayed how little the people had known about Shinryu, and how much they yet feared the primal threat. Shasi wished that they could have spoken first; set the tone, but that was not how such things worked.

She had been surprised when Raubahn had offered to speak, but they had decided he should speak first: there were few in Ala Mhigo who would gainsay the Bull, even after his long absence.

“I questioned the wisdom of this undertaking,” the Flame General said. “In fact, when we took the city, I would have been more than glad to see the Viceroy dead. The months in between have changed my mind on the matter. Zenos yae Galvus has been a model prisoner. I feared the cost in lives, should he escape; he has made no such attempt. He has provided us actionable intelligence in Gyr Abania and further afield, in Dalmasca. We have also made contact with a notable subject of the Empire, Jenomis cen Lexentale, who has undertaken counter-propaganda efforts on our behalf there. There remains an operational advantage to detention rather than execution; Galvus’s insights have proven useful before, and may again.”

It was a cold assessment, perhaps, but preferable to the court-martial he had threatened in early spring. Shasi found herself smiling, just a little. Lyse gave her hand a little squeeze, and they let go of one another as Raubahn returned to the bench.

She had grown more assured in the last year, Shasi realized as Lyse stood and addressed the council. Perhaps it had become easier to be herself and not her sister any longer. It was a welcome change, even if Shasi felt she had missed a great deal of it.

“When last I saw most of you, we were discussing the future of Gyr Abania,” Lyse said. “And so we are today, in a real and concrete way. This example we set will be looked back upon by generations to come, so let’s make it a good one,” Lyse said. “When Lakshmi was summoned during our summit, you saw me run for help, and probably never expected me to return with Zenos yae Galvus. Truthfully … neither did I. It’s no secret that I believe there are agents of the Empire that can find a place in Ala Mhigo; that a place can be made for them. They can be better people, and we can be a better people, too. But … Zenos was never part of that plan. I went to ask the Warrior of Light for her help; I never asked for his. But he offered, and I watched in awe as he tried to protect the people of Gyr Abania. And then ...” Lyse trailed off. “I don’t remember everything after that very clearly. I remember fighting Raubahn, because he was trying to destroy my goddess—Sri Lakshmi. She had tempered me.” The gasps at that interrupted her, and Lyse paused, gathering herself. “I don’t know how to talk about that yet, but I know I can only talk about it at all because Zenos yae Galvus made her relinquish that hold on me before she was destroyed. If he hadn’t, I would have been killed, to stop me from trying to summon her again. “He saved my life. I never thought he would do that. I never knew that he could do that. Maybe … he can be a better person, too. Maybe he can help us save other lives. I want to find out,” Lyse said.

Shasi looked out over the room, trying to read the emotions. Shock, of course. Disbelief. Distrust, perhaps, that Lyse was who she said. There were murmurs—Fordola’s name passed from lips to ear—but none seemed to break above the din of the crowd.

Shasi greeted her with a little smile. “Thank you,” she said. “Now you,” Lyse said.

The Warrior of Light mounted the platform amidst the murmuring. She wasn’t sure what sort of reception to expect: there was not a soul in this room but that had heard of her, but would they really believe she was one of them? The dueling costume may not have been enough to assure that.

“The decision to detain Zenos yae Galvus for questioning was mine,” Shasi said, and that caused a hubbub all its own. “I enlisted support from the Immortal Flames and the Resistance to enforce the perimeter, but I was his gaoler and I his questioner. His rehabilitation was also my purview, and I have met with greater success than I could have hoped, as was evinced by his actions at the peace summit. He has been cooperative with my questions and provided valuable intelligence to Ala Mhigo and her allies. I have further hopes for his reformation, which must not now be curtailed.” She could hear her voice begin to tremble, and took a deep breath. She looked from each member of the council to the next, seeking understanding in their eyes, but knew not what she found. “Zenos yae Galvus has demonstrated his atonement already. It is a long road to forgiveness, but I would see him walk it.”

Had she expected approbation? Cheers? She did not hear them now, only the beating of her own heart. She turned back to regard him a moment, but did not smile. Neither did he; they only looked at one another, and then she stepped down.

In the end, the final word was his. Arms bound before him, coat draped across his broad shoulders, Zenos looked up at the council and he spoke, voice clear and sure. “X’shasi Kilntreader took my life in her hands with the understanding that this would not be a popular decision. She questioned me and counseled me. It may beggar your belief, but she succeeded in making a better man of me. She values compassion, and asks that for me today. I have learned to value it, too, and through the lens of introspection I have viewed my own actions. They were monstrous, however justified I felt at the time. If I am moved to do the right thing now, I will not pervert that instinct by begging for a mercy I do not deserve. I have committed any number of crimes, and the right thing to do now is to face justice for them. I am of no use to you as a bargaining chip, and my shadow has laid too long over the people of Gyr Abania.”

No.

“Ala Mhigo will not breathe free until I am dead.”

No, no, this was all wrong. The roaring in her ears drowned out rational thought, and Shasi could not be sure if it was her mind or the crowd. But she knew then, and was certain, which way the balance of justice would tip.

#TBTRM #x'shasi #zenos yae galvus #lyse hext #raubahn aldynn #and a panoply of gyr abanian npcs #wol/zenos #original content #starcunning writes #if i weren't making jokes i'd be crying and nobody wants that

9 notes · View notes

thegamecollection · 3 years

Photo

‘RATCHET & CLANK: RIFT APART’ - REVIEW ROUNDUP!

Ohhh how we’re looking forward to this. Was it ever in doubt? That this unlikely duo would clean up on the review front before eventually blowing our minds at launch? Whilst the latter remains to be seen, we’re excited to share a roundup on the big names below that safely confirms its status as a hit with the critics... Ready? GO!

Eurogamer - Recommended

“This is it though, the character and the absurdity and the charm that Insomniac is all about, that the team kick-started with Ratchet and Clank in 2002 and continue to master with such faultless confidence in Rift Apart. It's just pure craft, pure fun, pure video games - all the brilliant, bizarre ideas this studio has just thrown at the wall and all of them sticking. The only thing it lacks - apart from maybe a tiny bit of restraint - is pretense. There's no self-seriousness, no po-faced melodrama, no insecurity about the form. A game that's happy to be a game, in a familiar, cuddly shape.”

Read the full review here.

Gamespot - 9/10

“Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is flashy and technically impressive without feeling self-important. It's just as silly, sweet, and earnest as the Ratchet & Clank series tends to be, while the new generation of hardware makes this entry look and play better than ever. Like the heroes and villains and their dimensional counterparts, this one may appear different or carry itself with a new accent, but there's an underlying truth to the person underneath. At its core, it's still your trusty old pals on another grand space adventure. That's what's important.”

Read the full review here.

GameRevolution - 9/10

“Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is the first PS5 exclusive that I can recommend everyone go out and buy. It’s a cutting-edge masterclass of what the PS5 is capable of, but with the soul of the original R&C games, packaged with a comprehensive set of accessibility options.”

Read the full review here.

Destructoid - 9/10

“Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart isn’t afraid to revel in its mascot-platformer roots, but it manages to knock so many of its competitors completely out of the water. The secret sauce? Insomniac knows that a strong presentation goes a long way, and they’ve stretched this formula about as far as it can go with plenty of customization and a compelling world to play around in. While it’s uneven at times, it’ll suck you into the universe of Ratchet & Clank all over again.”

Read the full review here.

Polygon - Recommends

“Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart works on multiple levels. It’s an extremely impressive piece of software, designed to show off what Sony’s latest console can do. But more importantly, it’s a great entry in a nearly two-decade-old franchise, offering fans more wacky weapons, clever writing, and fresh biomes to explore. Rift Apart is an easy recommendation for any player lucky enough to get their hands on a PS5, for fans who can’t get enough of Insomniac’s heroic Lombax and his charming robot friend, and for players who want to meet a brave, new Lombax and go on an adventure with her, too.”

Read the full review here.

IGN - 9/10

“Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a stunner. It not only gives the latest generation of consoles a game that looks as beautiful as the improved tech promised, but it’s also a fantastic experience to play. Insomniac has been around the Ratchet and Clank block plenty of times before, but Rivet and other new characters add so much charm, wit, and heart to a franchise I’ve loved for most of my life. That’s coupled with series-best action-platforming gameplay and incredible art and sound design across the board. Rift Apart may not be the biggest adventure around, but its big heart, wild weapons, and incredible detail easily make it one of the most memorable of the year so far.”

Read the full review here.

Yeah we’d say that’s a good showing, wouldn’t you?! Waited until now to pre-order? Wait no more... There’s still time to secure your copy with us here at The Game Collection!

A friendly reminder - checkout with ZIP and the price gets split...

-Jack

0 notes

kimberlykeebler34 · 3 years

Text

SEAT: 70 years of innovations

With more than 300 active patents, SEAT has a wide history of innovation through its 70 years. Three main inventions revealed the fundamental aspects of SEAT, such as its forward-looking vision – the child safety seat of 1955 -; its vindication for functional design with – the logo-handle – of the facelift of the second generation SEAT Ibiza; or its firm commitment to style, with – the hidden door handle – of the second generation SEAT Leon.Child restraint system (1955)The first patent in the 70 years of SEAT history – SEAT ES221068A patent – , was sealed in 1955; it described a child safety seat made up of two metal frames, articulated in such a way that they could fold on themselves like a book, See: topdon obd2 scanner. which made the seat portable, but above all safer than seating the children in the rear seats without any restraint system (which was common practice at the time). Its design already applied many of the current concepts for an effective child restraint system. The iron rods along with two fabric straps that limited the maximum angle between the bench and the backrest, guaranteed the stability of the child seat. These strips allowed folding and were not dangerous in case the child hit its head with them. The child's comfort was considered "with a backrest and a base made of flexible material, which could be fabric, plastic or similar".The patent called for two large-opening hooks at the top, allowing the child seat to be hung from the back of an adult seat, especially from a motor vehicle. It also had two smaller hooks, allowing the seat to be used outside the car, suspended like a swing.The child's body needs a proper retention system to restrain its movements as well. The patent drawings show a 3-point seat belt. The lap belt is made up of two straps that are joined by a buckle that is difficult for a child to manipulate. This belt employs a flexible or elastic material which makes it adjustable to adapt to the child's body size and keep it firmly attached. A vertical third strap is placed between the legs of the child, attached to the belt and anchored on the seat, an anti-sub strap similar to competition harnesses, which prevents the body from slipping under the belt.Logo-handle of the trunk (1999)In the utility model application ES1042196U, SEAT invents a lock cylinder with a very special cover for several reasons. Uncovering the lock requires pressing the top of the lid with your fingers or thumb. In doing so, the cap tilts and allows you to use the other fingers to assist the rotation, and upon completing 90 degrees, it also operates the latch, releasing the tailgate. At the same time, the cover itself serves as a handle to lift the gate with a natural upward movement of the arm.The lid is functional and practical, but the master touch to this mechanism was to add the finishing touch by the designers, giving the lid the right style. Specifically, the cover was the "S" feature of the SEAT logo and it saw its first serial application on the facelift of the second generation of Ibiza. This utility model, which could also be motorised, has been used in the vehicles of the brand until today, such as the current generation of SEAT Ibiza and the all-new SEAT Leon.Door handle in the rear quarter glass (2007)The rear quarter glass that appears in many cars behind the rear windows allows the expansion of the area of vision for the rear occupants. In most designs, there is a noticeable gap between the rear glass and the rear quarter. However, the SEAT designers decided that they could give continuity to the glazing surface of the rear area in the second-generation SEAT Leon. That allowed gaining style and dynamism in the lines of the vehicle.The Patent ES 2271826 T3 describes how to enlarge the transparent area of the rear glazing and at the same time, achieve a space to hide the door opening handle. To preserve functionality, the rear quarter glass was made of transparent thermoformed polycarbonate, with a complex shape that allows the insertion of fingers to operate the hidden handle, located in the door, in a vertical pos...

0 notes

bloojayoolie · 5 years

Photo

Cats, Children, and Comfortable: Laid Back*Sweet * Social & So Very Handsome \BARRY #65995 2 years old and 48 adorable lbs Waiting for his hero @ Manhattan Animal Care Center TO BE KILLED 6/25/2019 SOCIAL, WAGGY AND SWEET! BARRY IS ONE HANDSOME LAID BACK GUY LOOKING TO TAKE SOME SUMMER EVENING WALKS WITH HIS FUREVER FAMILY! A volunteer writes: I had the pleasure recently of hanging out in the rain in the backyard with Barry. What a treat! He is a wonderful laid back character. His looks say "sturdy". He didn't seem to mind the rain while strolling around checking out the smells of dogs. He gave the impression of enjoying my company, regularly checking in at me with gentle eyes. Barry really reveled in being toweled off once inside. He even rolled over to have his belly done. Barry is not only a very handsome fellow, but also a sweet and calm boy. Barry #65995 Male brown dog @ Manhattan Animal Care Center About 2 years old Weight: 48.6 lbs Surrendered as a agency on 6/14/2019. Barry is at risk for behavioral reasons. Barry has deteriorated during his stay at the care center and has exhibited high levels of kennel stress and barrier frustration making him very difficult to handle. Barry would be best suited for an experienced adopter prepared to offer reward based training and behavior modification. Medically, Barry has a skin condition as well as an ear condition which may need further care. Let's get to know each other a bit more... A volunteer writes: I had the pleasure recently of hanging out in the rain in the backyard with Barry. What a treat! He is a wonderful laid back character. His looks say "sturdy". He didn't seem to mind the rain while strolling around checking out the smells of dogs. He gave the impression of enjoying my company, regularly checking in at me with gentle eyes. Barry really reveled in being toweled off once inside. He even rolled over to have his belly done. Barry is not only a very handsome fellow, but also a sweet and calm boy. My medical notes are... Weight: 48.6 lbs Vet Notes 6/18/2019 [DVM Intake] DVM Intake Exam Estimated age: 2 years Microchip noted on Intake? No History : Brought in by the police. Subjective: BAR Observed Behavior -With no restraint he was wagging his tail and taking treats. Sensitive to touch and whale eyed. Did not like restraint became very stressed and panting a lot and moving a lot. Sedated for exam. Evidence of Cruelty seen -No Evidence of Trauma seen -No Objective T = P =wnl R =wnl BCS 5/9 EENT: Eyes clear, moderate erythema and yeasty debris AU (AS>>AD), no nasal or ocular discharge noted Oral Exam: clean teeth PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: NSR, NMA, CRT < 2, Lungs clear, eupnic ABD: Non painful, no masses palpated U/G: M/I MSI: Ambulatory x 4, skin free of parasites, no masses noted, multifocal crusting and patchy alopecia on dorsum, mild interdigital erythema on all 4 paws CNS: Mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Rectal: Clean externally Assessment: -Pyoderma -Otitis externa Prognosis: Good Plan: -Sedated: torb 0.7 mL IM and dexmedetomidine 0.5 mL IM -Cleaned ears AU -Otipack AU -Cefpodoxime 150 mg PO SID x 14 days -Full dose Antisedan for reversal IM SURGERY: Okay for surgery Details on my behavior are... Behavior Condition: 3. Yellow Behavior Assessment Date of intake:: 6/14/2019 Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray Date of assessment:: 6/16/2019 Summary:: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Mild Reactivity to humans: None Reactivity to dogs: None Leash walking comments: Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Highly social Call over: Approaches readily Sociability comments: Handling Soft handling: Seeks contact, soft Exuberant handling: Seeks contact, soft Handling comments: Arousal Jog: Follows, loose Arousal comments: Knock Knock Comments: No response Toy Toy comments: Firm grip Summary:: 6/15: When introduced off leash to a female dog, Barry is somewhat fearful but allows greeting. 6/18: Barry is fearful and keeps to himself. ENERGY LEVEL:: Barry has been observed to display a medium energy level in the care center, we cannot be certain of his behavior in a new home environment, however, we recommend daily mental and physical stimulation as a way to direct his energy and enthusiasm. IN SHELTER OBSERVATIONS:: 6/23 Barry has begun to display concerning behaviors in the care center, specifically when being remove or replaced in kennel, grabbing anything that comes near his kennel. He has been observed to snap at hands and fingers, and when handlers are attempting to leash him, Barry will grab the leash and drag it into the kennel. He will not relinquish these items for treats or toys. When attempting to use another item to retrieve leashes, he will grab that item as well. When outside of the kennel environment, Barry appears to interact with handlers appropriately, timid initially though warming up and seeking attention. Due to the risk for deterioration he presents combined with his current stress levels and frustration with being kenneled, the behavior department believes it would be in Barry's best interest to find placement as soon as possible. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: Level 3 Behavior Asilomar: TM - Treatable-Manageable Recommendations:: No children (under 13) Recommendations comments:: No children: Due to Barry's low threshold for arousal combined with his initial timidity, we feel he would be best set up to succeed in an experienced adult only home environment where he is allowed time to decompress before introduction to new and unfamiliar situations. Potential challenges: : Fearful,On-leash reactivity/barrier frustration,Leash-biting,Low threshold for arousal Potential challenges comments:: Fearful: Barry has been observed to be shy and timid on some occasions though is observed to warm up readily, becoming soft and attention seeking. Please see handout on Decompression period. Barrier frustration: When approached in his kennel, at times Barry will hard bark, growl and snap through the bars, this behavior has not been noted outside of his kennel. While we cannot be certain if this behavior will appear in any other contexts, in highly emotionally charged or stressful environments Barry may show behavior similar to what he is currently demonstrating in his kennel. We recommend potential adopters be comfortable managing this behavior and keeping themselves safe in any similar future situations. Leash biting: Barry has been displaying leash biting behavior in the care center. When on leash outside of his kennel, Barry will jump up and grab the leash, coming close to the handler's hands. In his kennel he will grab hold of the leash, drag it into the kennel and will not relinquish the items. Please see the handout on Leash-biting. Low threshold for arousal: Barry becomes quickly fixated on some objects in his surroundings and will go for them repeatedly, he has been unable to trade up for treats or other items. We cannot be certain is this is a result of his overall stress level. Please see handout on Arousal. *** TO FOSTER OR ADOPT *** If you would like to adopt a NYC ACC dog, and can get to the shelter in person to complete the adoption process, you can contact the shelter directly. We have provided the Brooklyn, Staten Island and Manhattan information below. Adoption hours at these facilities is Noon – 8:00 p.m. (6:30 on weekends) If you CANNOT get to the shelter in person and you want to FOSTER OR ADOPT a NYC ACC Dog, you can PRIVATE MESSAGE our Must Love Dogs page for assistance. PLEASE NOTE: You MUST live in NY, NJ, PA, CT, RI, DE, MD, MA, NH, VT, ME or Northern VA. You will need to fill out applications with a New Hope Rescue Partner to foster or adopt a NYC ACC dog. Transport is available if you live within the prescribed range of states. Shelter contact information: Phone number (212) 788-4000 Email [email protected] Shelter Addresses: Brooklyn Shelter: 2336 Linden Boulevard Brooklyn, NY 11208 Manhattan Shelter: 326 East 110 St. New York, NY 10029 Staten Island Shelter: 3139 Veterans Road West Staten Island, NY 10309 *** NEW NYC ACC RATING SYSTEM *** Level 1 Dogs with Level 1 determinations are suitable for the majority of homes. These dogs are not displaying concerning behaviors in shelter, and the owner surrender profile (where available) is positive. Some dogs with Level 1 determinations may still have potential challenges, but these are challenges that the behavior team believe can be handled by the majority of adopters. The potential challenges could include no young children, prefers to be the only dog, no dog parks, no cats, kennel presence, basic manners, low level fear and mild anxiety. Level 2 Dogs with Level 2 determinations will be suitable for adopters with some previous dog experience. They will have displayed behavior in the shelter (or have owner reported behavior) that requires some training, or is simply not suitable for an adopter with minimal experience. Dogs with a Level 2 determination may have multiple potential challenges and these may be presenting at differing levels of intensity, so careful consideration of the behavior notes will be required for counselling. Potential challenges at Level 2 include no young children, single pet home, resource guarding, on-leash reactivity, mouthiness, fear with potential for escalation, impulse control/arousal, anxiety and separation anxiety. Level 3 Dogs with Level 3 determinations will need to go to homes with experienced adopters, and the ACC strongly suggest that the adopter have prior experience with the challenges described and/or an understanding of the challenge and how to manage it safely in a home environment. In many cases, a trainer will be needed to manage and work on the behaviors safely in a home environment. It is likely that every dog with a Level 3 determination will have a behavior modification or training plan available to them from the behavior department that will go home with the adopters and be made available to the New Hope Partners for their fosters and adopters. Some of the challenges seen at Level 3 are also seen at Level 1 and Level 2, but when seen alongside a Level 3 determination can be assumed to be more severe. The potential challenges for Level 3 determinations include adult only home (no children under the age of 13), single pet home, resource guarding, on-leash reactivity with potential for redirection, mouthiness with pressure, potential escalation to threatening behavior, impulse control, arousal, anxiety, separation anxiety, bite history (human), bite history (dog) and bite history (other). New Hope Rescue Only Dog is not publicly adoptable. Prospective fosters or adopters need to fill out applications with New Hope Partner Rescues to save this dog.

#funny #lol #humor #memes #meme #memehumor #dank memes #funny pics #rolf #lmao #Cats #Children #and C

0 notes

sunnydayscans · 7 years

Text

Hanamaru Pippi English Lyrics

I’ve been sitting on this translation for almost a year now haha

Hanamaru Pippi’s lyrics caught the ear of many people in Japan--many had fun coming up with their own widely-varying interpretations of the song. Lyricist Asaki is actually quite well known for her undecipherable lyrics; I came across a lot of comments like, “It’s Asaki so just give up (on trying to understand the song).” So the song contains an absurd number of double meanings and oddities.

Also see the translation notes at the end!

Hanamaru Pippis are Just for Good Little Kids はなまるぴっぴはよいこだけ[1] Hanamaru Pippi wa Yoiko Dake Artist: AOP, Lyrics: Asaki, Composition/Arrangement: 96

ひらりひらりも隙のうちと hirari hirari mo suki no uchi to Drifting through the cracks

かけこみ　すべりこみ　うっとり kakekomi suberikomi uttori In a rush, just in time--In a trance

これぞカミカゼ[2]　沿う太陽 kore zo kamikaze sou taiyou This is a kamikaze; the sun rides along

虫の息　ひと知れず mushi no iki hito shirezu A dying breath, unknown to the world

たいへんなの　現場は火事 taihen nano genba wa kaji How terrible--the place is in flames

憂いなおめめから　発射だ　ぽーん urei na omeme kara hassha da po-n Shots from her distressed little eyes--Blam!

どうかなこれ　新型ギミック dou kana kore shingata gimikku How do you like this new gimmick?

あまりに革新的なひと[3] amari ni kakushinteki na hito This one is too progressive

ここからはじめて古今東西 koko kara hajimete kokon touzai From here begins all of time and space

鳴りやまぬ花　焼べるは水平線 nari yamanu hana kuberu wa suiheisen Flowers that sound out incessantly, burning on the horizon

めろめろとろけてぽぽん[4]ちゅうちゅう[5]さ mero mero torokete popon chuu chuu sa Enchanted head-over-heels, it's popon chuu chuu

明日も昨日のよいこだけ ashita mo kinou no yoiko dake Only for the little kids who're good yesterday and tomorrow

はなさかせ時代は　ふり売り hana sakase jidai wa furi uri An era of blooming flowers is peddled around

雨にも風にも負けた ame ni mo kaze ni mo maketa Defeated by both the wind and the rain

ちら盛り[6]の美学や　わらばら chira mori no bigaku ya warabara The aesthetics of the scattered serving are all off

いやよいやよの福は内で iyayo iyayo no fuku wa uchi de With this unwanted good fortune

もぐりこめ　ちゃれって　どっきり mogurikome charette dokkiri She slips in, and gives it a shot--Surprise!

これが大人でいう甲斐性[7] kore ga otona de iu kaishou This is the dependability of adults

親知らず　鬼は外 oyashirazu oni wa soto Wisdom teeth; demons keep out

たいへんだわ　げんなりして taihen da wa gennarishite Oh dear--She's weary of it all

可憐なおくちから　発射だ　どーん karen na okuchi kara hassha da do-n Shots from her sweet little mouth--Boom!

「どうかねこの　新型ギミック」 doukana kore shingata gimikku "How do you like this new gimmick?"

あまりに革命的なひと！ amari ni kakumeiteki na hito This one is too revolutionary!

はじめて挑んだ謀反戦は hajimete idonda muhon sen wa The first war of rebellion she's waged

鳴きやまぬ故　自重の平行線 naki yamanu yue jichou no heikousen Causes that cry out incessantly—a parallel line to self-restraint

いたれりつくせりぽぽんちゅうちゅうは itareri tsukuseri popon chuu chuu wa Through and through, that's popon chuu chuu

おしてもひいてもよいこだけ oshite mo hiite mo yoiko dake Even pushing, even pulling—only good little kids

ちょいとお待ちとよびとめられて choi to omachi to yobi tomerarete "Wait a second" calls her to a halt

べろ出し　やっこちゃん bero dashi yakko chan It's Yakko-chan with her tongue sticking out

うん年前の宇宙から来た　逸品なのさ unnen mae no uchuu kara kita ippin na no sa A thing of beauty this is, come here from the cosmos of some years ago

これおあがりとくくりつけられ kore oagari to kukuri tsukerare Fastened with a "here you go"

逃げ腰　抱っこ[8]じゃん nigegoshi dakko jan It’s a cold-footed embrace

電源抜いちまうかもう dengen nuichimau ka mou Maybe she should just pull the plug

だって datte But,

もどれない？　嗚呼 modorenai? aa She can’t turn back? Oh,

かえれない？　嗚呼 kaerenai? aa She can’t go back? Oh,

時限式カラミティ jigenshiki karamiti It's a time-limit calamity

最強無欠のぽぽん搭載だ saikyou muketsu no popon tousai da Equipped with the strongest, flawless popon

人類最後のギミック君に jinrui saigo no gimikku kimi ni For you, humanity's final gimmick

へらへらおどけたゴチで注入さ herahera odoketa gochi de chuunyuu sa A feast of hollow laughs and foolish jests--here’s your injection

よろしくおあがり yoroshiku oagari Best regards, here you go

おそまつさーん[9]！ osomatsu san Hope you enjoy!

一生全力モラトリアム isshou zenryoku moratoriamu A lifelong, full-strength moratorium

今日から明日は昨日の未来 kyou kara ashita wa kinou no mirai From today, tomorrow is yesterday's future

よいよいころころ　よいこらっしょ yoiyoi korokoro yoikorassho Wither wither, tumble tumble--Alright, let’s give it a go

この世に要るのはよいこだけ kono yo ni iru no wa yoiko dake This world only wants good little kids!

ちゅーちゅ　ちゅっちゅ Chuu chu chuchu

ちゅーるちゅる[10]　ちゅるりら Chuuru churu chururira

雨ニモ風ニモ負ケズ ame ni mo kaze ni mo makezu Won't be defeated by the wind or the rain

ちら盛りの美学や　ばらばら chira mori no bigaku ya barabara The aesthetics of the scattered serving are in disarray

Translation Notes:

[1] Concerning the title: Hanamarus are the Japanese equivalent of a gold star. Pippi is a nonsense word. [2] Kamikaze literally means divine wind. It also has taken on the meaning of a suicide mission. Do take note that kamikaze here is written in katakana, not the normal kanji (kana is stylistically used instead of kanji throughout a lot of the song.) [3] Here I mean "one" as in a person! The term Asaki used here is ひと(hito/person), specifically not in kanji--giving it a vague/detached feeling. [4] Popon is a nonsense word. Some have speculated it could refer to the vitamin brand Popon S, which actually does get a cameo in AOP’s music video. [5] Chuu is the sound of sucking [6] 盛り(mori/serving), when read as “sakari,” means the prime or peak of one's life. [7] 甲斐性(kaishou/dependability) also means the "ability to earn a living". Its opposite would be a good-for-nothing. [8] 抱っこ(dakko) specifically refers to carrying a child in one's arms. It’s baby language. There is no English equivalent. [9] おそまつさん (osomatsusan) is a (rarely used) shortening of the phrase "osomatsu sama deshita," being an “expression of humility said by the person who provided a meal after it is eaten.” The fandom on Pixiv has also adopted it to mean "thanks for reading." Obviously, it is also the title of this show. [10] Churu means slurping/sipping

#osomatsu san #hanamaru pippi wa yoiko dake

197 notes · View notes

storylocke · 7 years

Text

Connections 12

[Devin did a lot of mental planning as he made his way up the long and winding path. Mostly just wondering what he was going to say to Guzma when he finally reached the dang place. He had to keep himself together when they met and not get into a fit like he did with his friends. Team Skull would probably take advantage of the panic if they had they the chance. And why should he be scared? He’d never lost to these creeps before! Yeah… Just keep confident. Passed the beach, passed the last declared Pokemon Center on that side of the island, passed the rich fields of red where the Oricorio sang. But there was no music to be found on Route 17. Even before he crossed the bridges over the meadow, he could hear the thunder, could see the clouds. A man told him at the Center how it always rained over Po Town, but even after all he’d learned at the ruins of Tapu Village, it was still hard to believe the whole area could be so cursed.

Whether it was the rain or the number of grunts in sight, Devin finds himself uneasy again. The way they stood along the path felt like they were waiting for him.]

Devin:

[softly as he looks around] There’s gotta be a way to get around them… Aha~! [Off to the side seems to be a small cliff rising from the hard terrain. At least it could get him a better view of the path.]

[Getting up was easy enough. Only one guard that was quickly taken down despite claiming not to have lost all day. Unfortunately, Devin’s prize as king of the hill didn’t get him much. Grimsley was right to say the place was a fortress! The high, concrete walls blocked any attempt to see how many more waited inside. A massive door showed it wouldn’t be simple to get in even if he could dodge all of the members outside. It was time to buckle down then, and get ready for a long fight.]

Lady Grunt:

[Pressed against the side of the cliff, as Devin hops down the empty pathway out of her line of sight. Fortunately for her, he didn't see her on the other side of their rocky divide either, and she waits for the noise of the intruder to fade away. Calls up to her partner above.] Psst! You okay up there? [Seemed safe enough, she pulls up a walkie-talkie from her belt.] Hey, Big Sis, looks like it worked after all. Target has appeared, and he’s heading towards base.

Plumeria:

Tch, well I’ll be damned. Those rats actually took the bait, huh? [Places a hand over the speaker to call to Guzma] We got ‘em this far, what's next? [She waits patiently for his word before reporting back] Stall him at the gate for me. I’ll need some time to slip out the back way.

Lady Grunt:

Will do, sis. I’ll alert the others out here.

[After slipping the device back into her carrying pouch, Plumeria stood a moment in silence before finally turning to Guzma. He takes a long drink from his current bottle, though he stops from chugging the whole thing as he realizes the look she’s giving him. The woman merely crosses her arms.]

Guzma:

… What?

Plumeria:

You know what. I don’t like this. Feels cheap, even for you.

Guzma:

Eh?! What’s that supposed to mean? [Rises from his seat to where he towers over her from the platform] The kid needs to be incapacitated to keep him out of the way, so we’re just gettin’ him out of the way.

Plumeria:

So do that then. I’d rather have us lose to the Chosen than sink to their tactics. And honestly, I don’t see how that brat is a threat to anyone. It’s not just low, Boss, this is overkill.

Guzma:

Tell that to the punk who kicked my hide last time. They’re both still Kukui’s kids after all, and you can’t go underestimating them just because they seem soft. They’re good kids. And good kids are bad news because they always hold up some restraint. Means they become unpredictable when you push them. [He tries to flash her a cheeky grin, but she’s still glaring at him.] Tch, not like we have any say in it at this point. Look, you know I’d rather have a go at puttin’ the beat down on him myself first, but we got orders from up top saying we can’t risk it. If that machine works, us and Aether will be home free.

Plumeria:

If you say so, Boss. [Starts to leave with a gentle sway to glance back at him one last time.] Don’t expect me to hang around when this bites you.

Guzma:

Eh?! [He gives a low growl of frustration as he tries to restrain himself. She wouldn’t really leave… just talk like always… The door slams nonetheless. He sits back down in his chair and turns his sights to the laptop. A new message had appeared.]

Plumeria:

[Had made it all the way around the rooftop walkway and back into the house where she could see Guzma’s door remained shut. Good, she thought at first, but it didn’t take long before she heard the sound of a bottle smash against the wall. …. Better hurry then.]

=+=

[As Devin approached the massive steel gateway, there was just one last pair of Skull members who stood in the way. They didn’t seem much like guards though as they casually chatted to each other in low voices. Even when they finally did notice him, they looked to each other in surprise.]

Grunt A:

[Brightens up almost friendly] Ehhh! What’s up, yo? You plannin’ to join Team Skull?

Devin:

No, but I think I got an appointment with your boss. Where’s Guzma?

Lady Grunt:

Nuh-uh! No can do, kid. Boss is busy with bigger fry than you right now.

Devin:

[Must have been expecting Hau, the boy grinned to himself almost cheekily to see just how angry they were to be facing him instead.] You so sure about that?

Lady Grunt:

What? You gonna act like you’re some kind of important now? We know about you cheating against Guzma, now you come out here to laugh at the rest of us losers?

Grunt A:

Ain’t like that, sis, just cool yourself. I been dealin’ with this brat since Melemele Island.

Lady Grunt:

Oh, so that’s him too? Tch, I hate strong kids like you! [pulls up a Pokeball] Come on, Grunt, I ain’t letting this kid in less he pays for it!

Grunt A:

[Just gives a shrug as he knows better than to argue with her and sends out his Hypno to join the frey.]

Devin:

Alright, I figured you were going to be like that anyway. [Sends out both Duckl and Lady Pounds to take care of them]

[Despite it playing out like any other battle he’d faced on the road so far, he realized about halfway through that something was different. The grunts looked normal, the girl was using a Gengar so it could have been messing with him, but all of a sudden one of the Voices in his head cried out very distinctly from the wave of numbers he’d grown used to. Something about the connection...The others started to panic. While everything in the area had been a dreary shade of gray; the walls, the roads, his opponents even running around in black and white; it took him a moment to realize even the battlefield was slowly being drained of it’s color.]

Devin:

Wh-what the... [He started blinking back the water running down his face as he struggled to concentrate. Devin found himself being struck by an odd, creeping sensation as the hair on his arms began to prick from some strange charge to the air. If he could have guessed, he would have thought he was about to be struck by lightning. He almost wished he had…] Guys, timeout! Something… something’s wrong!

Lady Grunt:

Calling it quits? Ha! Don’t be- ….?

[The pressure that had started to become stifling suddenly shattered and the millions of tiny shards stabbed into him. Or ripped out of him, as the case were. Every muscle in his body tensed, his breathing even comes to a stop, and the shock left him paralyzed. He could see the defeated pair was talking to him by their angry, wide gestures, but he couldn’t hear anything. Every motion the girl made left a black and pink streak, almost like an imprint on his vision as he used every fiber of his being to keep standing. The pair looked disturbed, horrified even as they started to back away. The last thing he saw was them fleeing, leaving the shadows of blue and pink as he found his legs wanting to give away. Then it went dark… If he was screaming, he couldn’t hear it. He couldn’t even hear the Voices anymore as his brain filled with an intense pulsing that kept screaming how it hurt, IT HURTS... IT HURTS!]

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

Hey!~ I finally get back to this and uh... ... ... that. This is getting pretty dark (both figuratively and literally at the moment) and I didn't want to leave this on a cliffhanger, but the chapter was getting too long. For those of you wondering, this is what happened in the actual stream, but for Devin.... ... ...

Previous chapters here

#twitch plays pokemon #waning moon #Devin #connections

1 note · View note

throwingideasatthewall · 3 years

Text

Clone Wars Episode 10

Lair of Grievous

An interesting episode title

For sure

[Quote]

Most powerful is he who controls his own power

I really Like This Quote

Being a fan of ... accountability

Notably

“Vice Gunroy

Escapes,”

Ahhhhh

I mean?

The Episode Before Was (Marginally) Better ....

To It’s Pre de cessor

Why do I Get The Feeling This Is Gonna Be A Long Run..?

Any way

That’s Going

Only that one Guy

No... -Body Else

Uhm

Kit Fisto

What?!

Okay

Guess

His design Looks Neat

And No Ahsoka! (The Bad Parts.)

“Gun-”

“And Return Him Just-”

Ena bling! Where he’ll be put in a cell with other inmates that don’t deserve that

And a distraction from reckoning with the consequences of his actions

(And the hope of getting out)

“ I know we’re in the middle of nowhere,”

I like this guy

He sounds cool

Has a personality

(An over involved one?”

But generally good

This might help my nerves after last episode

Very chill

Nice

- Oh spoke too soon

So has your old Padawan Dolved

???

Seriously, does everyone keep track of everyone else’s Padawan

Obi-Wan, it made sense because he’s an over involved dick

But, seriously

Shouldn’t that be left To Yoda as the grand high Jedi?

He is the guy that okay’s these requests, right?

It’ll be great to see Nadar again

Dude, he’s busy

“ i’ll transmit the coordinates for the ren dez vous point,”

Hey they got Ahsoka right!

Maybe this episode won’t be a headache

(Also they just casually help him stalk his apprentice?

Like, that should be his choice

Like yeah two heads are better than one but that doesn’t mean he agrees to be a two- headed dragon

Dick move

And- It’s Gone (to be fair, it’s only slightly too much Tone Than Ne cess ary

“Yet,”

“Good hunting”

NO!

Well.... It’s Over,

Okay....

Nice backgrounds,

This is a really neat land

Oh, now they’re landing

Oh, cool

Fog -gy

Neat

Po -or Be -epy Ro -bot

He can’t see any -thing

“you’ll be fine R6,”

You have legs

Not pleas ed

Hav ing A Good Time

“Nadar,”

*Bows*

Dear frick who invited him here?

Like, Dude

Even if the Gen shares the same inspiration as you, you still have to obey by the rules of tox

Aka you don’t get to be a dick just because it’s a differ ent gen

You get kicked to the accoun -t- ability curve, just as well

Walk Ing into Some’s bus -i ness un warrant ed And un -ask- ed For Is Tox

And then, to follow it up, with hey you did well on the test we make you take!”

To prove we can’t assume authority over you

[Jedi master ship I believe]

I’m surprised dude doesn’t say ‘yeah your stupid club sucks,”

“ i’m sorry the war pre -vented me from seeing your train ing through to the end”]

wait dude’s Mentor bitched out and he still had to take the test?!

Murder is now on the table!*

Note; this is a joke

I never advocate death over account ability

But, geez Dude got screwed over

You were missed master

How old is he?

I’m going with adult-

Knight Ok he has enthusiasm

We’re all good!

Then let’s have a look

Allow me to show the way

Trans lation; Stop ass um ing

au tho rity

Good for him

Pretty pow.

Also yeah just casually found

“Charming,”

That’s a back -handed compliment

Like calling something “quaint”

Dude if you’re going to be on this Quest, Be Nice,

Look after the ships

Oh those poor guys

What happens to them?

[Also ships?]

Okay

So, Sith mon astery

No Guards

It’s a Sith mon as tery surrounded by fog

Clearly they were going for stealth

[And it Is pretty re mote]

The ent rance looks sealed

Yeah It’s Old

Possibly -came in the back entrance

And hoped no one wou ld suspect

[We specialize in ma king entrances]

Should n’t Dude (Jedi) Know That

Their, Jedi

Also yeah the place clearly built for stealth

Let’s bomb open the front door

Not like they could sneak out a back way

This will make less noise

Thank you common sense

But, It will still allow them a lot of time To Es cape

Like;

This why staking out is important

Patience the both of you

THE NERVE!

Dude he got here First!

You wanna help?

Be back up!

“ A second look usually pays off,”

On hand, yes- scouting ahead is good

On the other-

DICK way of put ting it

You want to explore?

Do it your self

You just assu med author ity over a wh- ole group of people

Stopping them from doing their thing

[I’m fully expec -ting him to snap at five

Like he’s being pretty enab- ling

But Dude’s being a prick

[pla -ying by the rule of “But,” Inst ead Of “Or,” Or “And,”

During their re latively func -tional mission

[dude never said he couldn’t blow up the mon astery

Just stated the fact and went about his biz

A nice factor

“What’s this,”

A stone

Bull -shit

Whelp

Smug Ass

You smell that?

Arro gance?

[let him get caught in a trap]

“ smells like droids,”

Metal Does -

It’s too dark to see anything

There’s white bulbs

Also [Forgot to mention], Chek Ov’s Gun?

[For the Gun]

Whelp

They Have Lights

[Also, Dark side shadowing]

Whelp

Hey at least there’s not as much point

Whelp

[I sense there’s something here]

Yeah?!

Was that not the whole point?

Whelp,

A rusted out old factory

Whelp

Poss- Ibly

Watch- Ing

“Ssh,”

You sure about that?

Whelp

“Well that was some thing,”

Jedi, you gonna do anything about that?

Whelp

Dude Taking point

Aga -in

Whelp

Ordering someone else’s troops

[I seriously hope that comes to bite him in the ass]

Roger Roger

Crud it’s the moon clones!

No, just droids up the stairs

Neat

They don’t see that?

Whelp

Vice Roy

What’s going on

They robots; they’re already designed to protect you

Also; BAIT!

The Jedi are here

Trap!

Also they’re walking side-by-side Nice

That’s totally someone else I call it

“ I know they’re near,”

Voice recording?

Whelp

They’re right behind you

What, where do something?

Def -initely a diff -erent per -son

Whelp

Taking longer than expect (ing)

“ Have you ever killed a Jedi?”

These guys have time for this

When fighting to fully trained adult Jedi

Those basic clankers

There the basic mooks that gets mowed down in the hundreds

Good Commentary

Bad timing

Oh now it speeds up

Good for them

They were loo -king pretty lame

Whelp

Stop playing with them!

Republic Dogs

Restraint

Shut the fuck up

It took hours

Because

“restr aint,”

Against

Mach inery

“ i’m sorry master,”

Don’t apologize

He’s being a prick

Like even by my stan- dards

[ignor- ing the war]

He turned a fun exercise again st machinery boring

By micro managing every one

-carried Away

This -dick

Those that have power should restrain themselves from using it

Against machines?

Dude....

I stick pretty closely to one moral code

And there was nothing even remotely reprehensible

About That Deal

Yeah, if they were sentient

But, they act just like normal robots Running on prot ocol Alone

Giv ing no hint to sen tience

Your complaint literally comes down

To chopping them into one or more pieces

That’s extremely overcontrolling and overbearing

Not to mention to reprimand someone....

Dick Move

That’s the point

Least it had dark ened lighting

“Lieuten ant,”

Called it

Also way to go dip shits

You left a com that can be traced back to your exact location

Whelp

Okay...

The tracking beacon

Yeah

They knew we were coming

And didn’t send a trap

Instead sene a thing that can be traced back to the location

Should’ve known Gunnery wasn’t here

No, you should’ve exercised caution

Well at least he isn’t blaming-

Screaming

Yes he would’ve

That was the first tip off

Also; clones?

I apologize for the deception

Bull shit

I apologize for my colleagues

-What?

Dude

Seriously

How easy are you trying to make it for them to find you?

Count Dooku

Why Dude?

Oh Wait enablers

Guess this is their tea sess

Okay hit us with that snark

....

Light Roast

He honestly seems so sad

What

This has got to be a trap

No shit

“Catch Some One,”

No not the vibe I got

Also there’s the clone

Wondered where he went

“To Catch,”

Whelp

Wow

What?!

Well

Looks like someone likes creepy statues

(I know there’s likely some deep lore)

Shrine

Dude this whole place looks like a monastery/castle?

You’re just figuring out This might be some ancient something or another

It’s on a foggy planet, Huge, Em-bedding And desolute

It basically screams basic cult

“Warrior,”

I was going with barbarian, but that works

Whelp

Weird

Juices

Nope Metal

Grievous Cult

This is the lair of General Grievous

Are you sure it’s not a cult?

Like I don’t know

But I wouldn’t keep Reminders of how I was brutally dismembered Around

IDK

Maybe I’m just not that extra

Whelp Dear Frick

Back to the thing

Also yeah don’t leave

Get Rein force ments

(I know I roast Plo about this all the time)

But A few more Jedi Might be useful Against a guy With multiple hands

(Or at least tell them Your Lo cation, What a quick summary)

So they know what they’re getting into if you disappear under “mysterious circumstances,”

Oh, plane

Oh, Grievous

Looks like he’s doing good for himself

Seems happy

Never mind

Guess where ignoring that thing

With The Comms

Stale mate

He honestly looks sad

You have lost your focus

I mean so far he hasn’t won shit

I’m honestly surprised he got it this far

Especially considering you’re the negative overinvolvement side

Sidious demands more dramatic results

“ can’t believe I came back to working here,”

More dead Jedi

Did he kill a bitch?

(I would say good for him but death< Acco untability-)

You expect victory over Jedi

Is battle Droids

It does require a brain

And a willingness to escalate

Oof

Seriously, Just leave

Whelp

These must be trophies

Jedi he’s murdered

Isn’t the str- the Ed- braid! Thing only for Padawan’s Like, you don’t seem to have one

So yeah Grievous probably killed a lot of children

There are so many

Maybe don’t send children to fight your battles

Why Would Dooku want to set a trap for his best general

Minion disposing Tea?

Also, why are you playing into it?

Like, fair enough, don’t turn down free Intel

But, you could set a trap and be doing other things

Like hunting down Vice Roy it doesn’t make sense

“Are we the bait or is grie -vous the -bait,”

Good question

Definitely grievous though

He was clearly offered up as a distraction From Vice Roy

We must consider who the trap is for

Grievous

You’re supposed to take him out

Your droid is track ing an in coming ship

Here we go

Match es the descrip tion

Keep out of sight

Whoa whoa hold up

Why are they calling and answering to you

These are Raden’s troopers

Dude has literally hijacked his whole life

Dude just kick him

Like fourth time but ,seriously;

Capturing him could turn the tide of the war

They’re literally handing him to you on a silver platter

Dude - needs a break

If he doesn’t know we’re here

Instantly down to do Dooku’s Dirty Work

“We need a plan,”

That’s what he just said

Whelp

That’s neat

Cool

Mood lighting works

Guards

Does he even know what happened?

Or did Sidious/Dooku set up this elaborate trap while he was out

And he’s just coming home like;

Why is the place so heckin trashed

Whelp

Dick

Dude didn’t sign up for this

Welcome home general

Half willing to give it to you

Whelp

*Oh*

Cough ing

Don’t let him cut the line

Whelp

Heck

He’s Trying

“ Don’t make me destroy you,”

If they try to foreshadow that ear lier

No Bad

Ter rible

Whelp

Seriously did they just reattach his legs??

Also, They really did not bring anything else to capture him with

Besides cables

To Grab

And nothing to tie him up with

How did they think this was going to go?

Argh

Just got slap stick ed

Haha

“Pack him up” ?

Whelp

Dude they are just knocked out

Whelp

Neat

Walking a little funny

Whelp

The clones get in the way

No you didn’t bring anything to restrain him with

“Taken him,”

Dude he just said “taken”

Not like he said “killed”

The most objectionable thing he said in that was blaming the clones for his failure

And clearly that isn’t your issue

Narrowing of the eyes was a good reaction

(Pretty sure the darkness is Him putting unwonton pressure and guilt tripping (Gas lighting)

He’s just too much of a coward to say anything because he can be held accountable At the fifth thing

Let’s tend to the wounded

Good job reflect ing mate

Whelp

Docter where are you?

Don’t be upset with me master

Geez

Dude does need a break

Even his own lair is toxic

Conversation

Rrgh

Look

Aww

Spare parts

Off

Body guards

Remotely deactivated for a re-charge

Oh so they weren’t killed

Gosh dude came back to A bunch of droids laying dead on the ground Like;

“These.. aren’t. mine,”

Dude is having a tough day

Argh

Not good

Good

Lock down the Perimeter

Good for him

Whelp

Looks, Better

Whelp

Watching

Yeah, those guys are dead from grievous

He wacked them with metal claws

Those guys don’t have a single piercing mark on them

Nor dented helmet

Not ready to take on grievous

No one is

Dude has robotic arms

It’s time we retreated

Make sure to bring something to restrain him next time

Whelp

Grievous isn’t doing anything

Good for him

“ You are not going anywhere,”

Well, he tried

He WAS just given An ultimatum from his boss

Gotta stop caring about those things

“ Guess we’ll have to fight after all,”

Or blow open the door

Or sizzle it open with your light sticks

Lots of options

Bring scout

Aight

Whelp those guys are dead

Also how did they even find them?

Okay, that one makes sense because he was parked literally 5 feet from the base

Fair Game

Get out of there R6

Good for him

Whelp

That one guy...

Whelp...

Yet

Good for him

You told him to leave

Dick

You surprise attack him

Call hypocrite, fair fight

Aaw, he’s nice

Fair

Whelp

Shit

Straight to the point

Doom Man -sion

Here we come

Whelp

Dude with the force can’t lift one guy

Well

General

Dude one trap and you’re ready to call it quits

Lame

We’ve seen the lower levels of your home

No you haven’t

You were on ground level

And you only just saw anything below that now

“ we’re not impressed,”

Dude speak for yourself

Also, fun

Good way to heal

“Good, Good, Jedi,”

This should be entertaining

- way to heal-

“You shall provide sport for me,”

Like; That

Whelp

Good time to entertain our guests

He’s a good host

Whelp

Dude has a dinosaur

And bots

Dude level spiked for a moment

Hmm

Nice

Oof

That sounds painful

Armor Patches

“Contrary to your belief I have other things to do,”

Good for him

He rans a med channel

“ go see to it my repair,”

Implaments (?)

*Impale Ments

There may be some discomfort

But I’m pretty sure he was already uncomfortable

Argh

No sedatives

Off

Weak link

Whelp

Surprised his pistol did anything

Like seriously even the swords would take a few whacks

There we go stabbing it with a sword

Your knight instinct

Whelp

And that clown just became the damsel

Whelp

Fail

Guess he’s dead

Or broke something

Splat noises are kind of humorous

So it could just be a broken nose

Great

Whelp

Instinct

Grievous is going to pay for this

Dude he made a humorous “Splat” sound

“Splat” is not a death sound

It is a broken nose sound

“Destroy him,”

I understand your pain

No, this is the time to take the kid away from the bad situation

(Or actually give him the don’t kill things talk)

That’s the better option

(Since he is still an adult and can make his decision)

“ but you forget your teachings Nadar,”

Not like that

That is how you get hit in the face

But in this war strength prevails

He literally does have a point

You two survived because of “superior genetics”

You’ve literally been hustling him since day one

And revenge is fine in terms of accountability

If someone stabs you, You’re allowed to stab him back

Abusers? Get their abuse back

Specifically in Murder

The dead isn’t alive to take revenge

And while he is right that accountability is better

That murder doesn’t equal murder

Because of the belief That all (human) Sentient life Inherently makes the world better By the possibility of them contributing good

Which is why I advocate accountability

The way dude is handling it is shitty

Firstly; all those present to the body are considered enablers, if they enable murder

And everyone who sees the body has to be on high alert

And accountability on sight

Because if you five rules A Murder -er...

Point being dude should. shut the fuck up and help him find this dude

The rules have changed

Yes, yes they have

“ perhaps you are the one that has changed,”

Shut up toxic

Dick

Enabling selfish dick

“ come now,”

He realized he fucked up

“ We need to move now,”

There’s no saving that

Whelp

Skipped past that

Looks better

“Gor,”

He named it

Where are they

Yeah wait what happened with the doors?

“Gor...”

Aww He sounds so sad

Argh

Oof

That pissed him off

Incoming message from Count Dooku

Oh, Good

The Jedi have infiltrated your Lair

Damn

He really didn’t tell the man about anything

Your recent defeats at their hands

Wow, Dude can Literally not get a break

You just called him five minutes ago

Fuck you

He looks so Tired

And Done

“Reassess your effectiveness,”

Oh that’s bound to piss him off

That you actively did that

I’m expecting a face Heel turn

“You”

There we go

“ you deactivated my Guards,”

Oh....

[I assumed he just forgot]

“ You let the Jedi in,”

No actually they found a magic brick

Unless Count Dooku just so happen to press the button at the same time

Which if so nice

Makes dude’s overconfidence even sweeter

“ so you would testing me,”

Dick

And he’s starting to look It

Oops

He’s pissed now

Like I know this is culminating in a fight scene

But I would just love if just walked downstairs. And was like yes I will go with you

Out of Spite

“ i’ll play your little game,”

In your condition you need your rest

I will rest when the Jedi are dead

Oh so that’s how they capture him

Maybe after he kills the young one

Sentry

Those robots do nothing

Whelp

Control Room

He’s Done

Oh, what do we have here?

Oh, this is what he does?

Master the Jedi are about to enter the control room

Snarky little shit

“Nadar, get inside,”

Yeah, No

Ahh

Nadar

Cutting out the abuser

Whelp

Absolutely can kick ass

Surprised no one who understands accountability

“Greetings young Jedi,”

Greetings Boomer

“How Ex citing,”

Neat

And Meta

Defeat us all

You’re one person but I accept the understanding

Get him Master

Oh he gets to see his apprentice die on the big screen

Wait, where is the other Jedi

Where-

Oh no

Self-awareness

Oww

But that wouldn’t kill a determined

Whelp he accepted death

“No,”

Yep, he’d rather die than live in the world you made

Enabler

(Technically; Both of you)

Welp I will kill you all

Do you hear me Jedi

Do you hear me

Fair game

Enablers kill enablers

No one wins

“ R6 is that you?”

How?!

Meet me at the south landing platform

I’m coming for you next Fisto

Whelp, i’ll be gone by the time you get here

Dick

Whelp

R6, I’m at the platform

Going somewhere

How?!

But also OK

Whelp

Hmm

Fan Technique should actually help in the fog

Whelp

Pawn In Dooku’s game

That power will only consume you

Like you

Flaunting it

Right now

Unless his battery gives out...

Whelp

Cheating

How quickly power can switch hands

Whelp Enabled

Expect ed

Accom plishment

So there’s room improvement

Oof

“His heart was in the right place,”

Not accountability

“ to answer power with power It’s not the Jedi way,”

HAHAHaHa

What’s the title of this again?

Star WARS The Clone WARS

It takes two to tango

Feckin hypocrites

In this WAR

HAHAha

“ A danger there Is,”

I feel bad for the voice actor that had to say that with a straight face

Nailed it perfectly well

“Oof losing who we are,”

Oh, that scene

Chills.

I REALLY liked this episode

It was funny self-aware and even had some good moments with the villains

Also

They killed a motherfucking dragon

*Named Gore

* excuse language

0 notes