#all that created an atmosphere that we’re going to have to deal with for a very long time

[calamitydaze]

the vicious cycle of overwhelming negative opinions about dream -> dream fans increasingly isolating themselves -> negative opinions become the only voices in the room so they’re all anyone hears -> more negative opinions -> more isolated fans -> and on and on and on

#again ironically the exact point ro r.amdin made in her essay but on the opposite side of the coin #i really do believe most people are kind and empathetic or at least have the capacity to be #and dream is far from the worst celebrity out there there’s no way this consistent treatment of him is warranted #but because he exploded so quickly and came from the background he did and had to grow up very publicly #and a mistake his career is still in the shadow of #not to mention the fact that he was kf’s favorite chew toy for a while #all that created an atmosphere that we’re going to have to deal with for a very long time #and while people CAN be empathetic it’s hard to see any reason why you should be #when all you hear is that this guy’s the devil #in 5 years or so there’s gonna be a shift where people look back and say hey that was kinda fucked up #mark my words #and i will not forgive a single one of you bitches!!!! #bella talks #negative

[nattaphum]

MILE PHAKPHUM BEHIND THE SCENES OF HIS SUCCESS WITH BOF 500 IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ELLE MEN.

KANOKPORN C.

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

UPDATE US ON YOUR LIFE, YOUR WORK AND YOUR INTERESTS.

Mile: Now i’m an actor of Be On Cloud. As for what i’m interested in now, I would like to have more time for music. In the past, fans may have seen me playing some music and making some songs. I stopped doing it 5-6 years ago, so I would like to revive that because music is what i love the most. Music is charming. Music is a friend. When we’re happy, it can stay with us, when we are suffering, it can stay with us. But most importantly, music allows us to capture various moments. This is the coolness of music. Let’s suppose we listen to something. And we may think of someone, think of some moments of life, it's nostalgia. Some people or some moments can be recorded through music so each person has different memories.

TELL US THE ATMOSPHERE AND IMPRESSION OF GOING TO THE BOF AWARD CEREMONY.

Mile: the atmosphere is that everything was fast. And we didn’t stay very long, just 3 hours. At first, I was excited before going but I didn’t create a picture in my head. I like to do this, i like to challenge myself to face whatever is presented in front of me. I didn’t create a picture in my head and that’s a technique to manage the excitement. We went there to enjoy ourselves. That night was a very fun night. Some people may plan to do 1 2 3 4 but that day I didn't think of anything. When I arrived to the event, i just let myself go. It was fun. And then I met people I didn't expect to meet and i liked them very much.

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE FIRST TWO THAI ACTORS ON THE BOF 500 CLASS OF 2023 LIST?

Mile: I was glad to know I made it into BoF. When we knew the details and found out that it was for both of us, we really felt that our work or the way I and Apo present ourselves was understood. The important thing is that our team 'Be On Cloud' has grown to the world. It feels that we’re growing step by step. To be honest, I appreciate being 1 in 500 of BoF, but i will not be excited nor i will be bragging about this because i know that way ahead, there is still room for improvement. But thanks to everyone.

WHAT DID GETTING TO DO A WORLD TOUR GIVE YOU? AND WHICH TOUR IS THE MOST IMPRESSIVE?

Mile: it gives you that type of experience that money could never buy. It’s experience in the fashion like we said earlier, or the world tour going to play concerts. Going to the World Tour, we were able to see the energy of all the fans. Each person is not the same. Touring allows us to meet groups of fans from many countries. Sometimes we had some technique problems. We were impressed because it made us realize that errors can happen all the time, even if it is a very big stage with a strong team behind.

IF YOU HAVE TO BUY A WATCH,HOW DO YOU CHOOSE IT?

Mile: First of all, it has to be “love at first sight' inside of me. It doesn't matter what type of watch but I have to love it, there must be a certain bond. I choose watches using my feelings. It looks a bit like i’m flirting with the watches (smiles). Secondly, it has to be a rare watch. Rare, the word 'rare' is my weakness. Some watches I liked a lot, that were not rare, I didn’t buy them.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE YOURSELF WHEN EVERYTHING IN LIFE IS MESSY OR SOMETHING IS NOT AS YOU LIKE?

Mile: Seriously, I will treat my emotions by, playing music, exercising, or doing anything that feels comfortable. I’ll do anything that distracts me from the reason why i’m suffering. I’ll change the interest, change the atmosphere, i’ll take myself out of there and for a while, i will have an overlap of ideas. And then i’ll finally deal with the idea that it’s bothering me. I retreat myself of one step to look at the problem in a second moment.

AT WHAT AGE DO YOU LIKE YOURSELF THE MOST? 10, 20 OR NOW THAT YOU’RE STARTING TAPPING THE NUMBER 3?

Mile: I think the number 2 is the period that I have tried everything i wanted to do. The number 2 is a period that i like. But it's a period where i learned a lot. Actually, i didn’t need to be responsible for things or the results that came from my decisions. If anything that you do, does not affect anyone, you can try it all. So you don’t have to be very careful. But i’m not sure… I may answer the number 3 but I just entered the number 3 and i’m gonna be here for a long time.

THINKING OF THE FUTURE, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO INVEST IN, TO MAKE YOUR OWN VALUE?

Mile: First of all is knowledge. But if it is an investment related to myself, I want to invest in real estate. I think the property has the highest potential.

NOW THE SPOTLIGHT SHINES BRIGHTLY ON YOU. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THE DAY THE LIGHT WILL NOT SHINE ON YOU ANYMORE?

Mile: It's good to change the atmosphere (smiles). It’s what I learned when I had a lot of problems. It was in my 20s. At that time, i have experimented a lot. Because there were a lot of problems, both that i created myself and not. It made me learn one thing, which is important. Life is uncertain. Therefore, if we do anything, one day it will change. It’s the nature of this world. We must be born and get extinguished. When we understand this concept, when things get worse, we can manage ourselves.

EXPRESS THE FEELING OF WORKING WITH FRANCK MULLER AND ELLE MEN

Mile: I'm very happy. I like the watches very much. And I feel that shooting for a watch is something that i wanted to do for a long time. As for Franck Muller, I already knew the brand and i was interested. Because their watches have a unique character. The more I see this collection, the more i think it is very outstanding.

WHY DO FANS LOVE YOU SO MUCH?

Mile: I think because I'm not far from being myself. It's impossible for us to be ourselves 100%, no matter what industry we are in. But we should be honest with what we feel as much as possible. Both behind the screen and on the screen. And I think I am a person who understands people and that includes understanding myself.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY TO THE FANS BEFORE LEAVING?

Mile: I want to thank them again. Because I'm not sure if every time i say thank you, everyone receives that message. Because fans are not just in Thailand, not just in Asia. There is South America. There is a lot of Central Asia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan. Because the popularity of Asia has expanded a lot. Therefore, what i mean is fans around the world. So I want to thank anyone who came to read this. Fans treated us well from the first day until today. 99% cute as before. Thank you to everyone. They’re part of our happiness. We are happy and happy to be part of their happiness.

#pls read the following tags #kinnporsche #mileapo #mile phakphum #mile x franck muller #i used google translator to translate this interview but the translation was a mess so i had to fix every single sentence #it took me soooo long but mile is worth my time 💚 #i know my english is far from being perfect #so please if you see some typos or mistakes or sentences that a native english speaker would never use #let me know #i don’t get offended #on the contrary i appreciate it a lot because i like to learn new things #thank you 🙏🏻 #this interview is very cute #i loved every part of it #the question about watches ajdkskdkf #RICH DUDES PROBLEMS

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Kicho's Main Story Ch. 11 Part 2 Dramatic

These translations are not intended as a replacement for the game. Please support cybird by buying their stories. SPOILERS under the cut. Expect mistakes.

Thanks to Ranmaru’s directions, we arrived safely at the camp.

Despite being surrounded by soldiers, Nobunaga consented to a meeting to discuss the situation.

Nobunaga: “Is everyone here?”

Kicho & Kennyo: “...........”

Mitsuhide & Ranmaru: “..........”

Masamune & Ieyasu: “..........”

(The air is so heavy that I feel like I’m suffocating.)

(But the fact that we had a chance to talk like this is truly a miracle.)

Seven people were gathered in the tent.

Hideyoshi, Mitsunari, and Keiji were staying behind in Azuchi.

As I looked around to see how everyone was doing, my gaze collided with Ieyasu, who happened to be looking at me.

Ieyasu: “What?”

Mai: “Um, long time no see. How have you been?”

Ieyasu: “You should be worrying about yourself, not me.”

Ieyasu: “Do you realize that you’re now a hostage?”

Mai: “Right.”

Masamune: “Well, you did well for a first-time spy. You made it back alive.”

Masamune: “So, what is it that you want to talk about by taking her hostage?”

Masamune: “You’re not suggesting you’re gonna lend us a hand now, are you?”

Kicho: “That’s right.”

Ieyasu: “Ha?”

Ieyasu: “What’s the traitor suddenly saying? If you're joking, it's not funny.”

Kicho: "I'm not joking."

Kicho: "I'm here to help you end this rebellion."

Kicho: "Taking Mai hostage was just to create this situation."

Nobunaga: "Oh? You too, Kennyo?"

Kennyo: "Yes. Unprecedented rebellions are spreading across the country, so if we don't stop this, Japan will turn into a land of chaos.”

Kennyo: "But I'm not going to become one of you. This is just a one-time thing."

Kicho: "We're going to need more men to deal with this."

Kicho: "I came here to bring about a more certain outcome."

Masamune: "Wait. You're the one who brought this on in the first place."

Masamune: "Are you going to destroy your work just like that?"

Kicho: "That's right. I have to fix it because I caused it myself."

Ieyasu: "Heh. You suddenly had a change of heart."

Ieyasu coldly stared at Kicho.

(If your enemy suddenly starts talking like that, anyone would be suspicious.)

(But I want them to know it's not a lie.)

As I frustratingly watched, Mitsuhide broke the tense atmosphere.

Mitsuhide: "Lord Nobunaga. I have a suggestion."

Nobunaga: "What is it?"  

Mitsuhide: "Why don't we first let her report about the infiltration?”

(Me!?)

Ranmaru: "I agree. Lady Mai knows best what really went on here."

Ranmaru: "It's not yet too late to decide whether these people meant what they said after hearing her out."

Nobunaga: "Oh?"

Nobunaga: "Then Mai. You speak."

Mai: “Okay.”

(It's a big responsibility. But I gotta get my act together.)

Mai: "Just as Mitsuhide had told you, I didn't get much information."

Mai: "That's why, for now, I'll tell you what I saw and felt."

I took a deep breath, and in that instant, many things came flooding back into my mind.

Facing this era for the first time, having trouble, and thinking about questions with no answers, I finally arrived at...

Mai: "I'd like you to trust these people."

Mai: "I can say that because I voluntarily became a hostage."

Ieyasu & Masamune: "----!"

Mai: "And I want both Kicho and Kennyo to believe in you guys, too, just for this moment."

Mai: "I know that none of you here are enemies."

Mai: "If crossing paths makes us enemies, then sharing the same goal at least makes us allies, right?"

Kicho & Kennyo: "..........."

Nobunaga: "We’re not enemies, huh? Is that your conclusion?"

Mai: "Yes."

Nobunaga: "All right. Then the three armies will now make a temporary agreement."

Nobunaga: "A truce and a joint effort to quell this rebellion."

At Nobunaga's words, the tent became as silent as the night, all eyes blazing like the sky burning in the morning sun, nodding as they looked at the single path that had appeared.

(With this...!)

Nobunaga: "It's almost dawn. Let's move on to the war council immediately."

(Hmm. I hope they received it.)

Fidgeting, I walked around near the tent.

Before the military meeting began, Kicho entrusted the Oda soldiers with the whereabouts of his men and a message for them.

(The enemy's strength decreases as our strength increases.)

(I hope they can somehow make it in time.)

Mai: "Ah!"

In the distance, some small black shadows appeared.

(Thank God. They're here!)

Kicho's subordinate 1: "Lady Mai! You're safe."

Mai: "Yes. Kicho is now in the tent at the military meeting."

Kicho's subordinate 2: "See, I told you. I knew it was from Lord Kicho."

Kicho's subordinate 1: "Well..."

Kicho's subordinate 3: "It's only natural to be suspicious when someone from the Oda army suddenly gives us a letter."

Kicho's subordinate 2: "But those are special characters, taught only to us in case of emergency."

Mai: "Special characters?"

Kicho's subordinate 2: "It's understandable that you don't know since you just came recently. Here."

Mai: "Are you sure? Thank you."

(I'm so proud of Kicho for preparing that kind of thing in case of an emergency.)

(I'm sure I won't be able to read it, but let's look at it just in case.)

I gently unfolded the small piece of paper and一

Mai: "T-This...!"

Kicho's subordinate 1: "Can you read it?"

Mai: "Y-Yes. Somehow."

(It's Gyaru-moji.)

[Gyaru-moji is a style of obfuscated Japanese writing popular amongst urban Japanese youth. As the name gyaru-moji suggests (gyaru meaning "gal"), this writing system was created by and remained primarily employed by young women. Like the English phenomenon of the SMS language, it's most often used for sending text messages.]

(So he learned this stuff in the future!?)

I try imagining it, but I can't picture Kicho using it.

(Oh, but it might be the best cipher for a large number of people because you don't have to learn a new language from its grammar. And the people of this era would never understand it.)

Kicho's subordinate 2: "How? Did you learn some of it?"

Kicho's subordinate 3: "Come to think of it, aren't you learning about something before?"

Kicho's subordinate 2: "Oh, right."

Mai: "Yes."

(It's actually kuzushi-ji, but that’s not important now.)

I folded the letter back, then the tent's entrance swung open.

Kicho: “You’re here.”

Subordinate 1: “Lord Kicho!”

Kicho: “Where are the others?”

Subordinate 3: “They’re already on their way to their respective destinations.”

Subordinate 3: “I think we can get more than half of them by dawn.”

Kicho: “I see. Even if some couldn’t come, it doesn’t matter as long as we conveyed our intention.”

Subordinate 2: “Yes, sir.”

Mai: “Um, Kicho. What happened to the war council?”

Kicho: “We’ve reached a consensus.”

Kicho: “We’ll gather the generals of each platoon and further discuss the plan.”

Subordinate 2: “Is this the joint operation with Nobunaga and Kennyo you mentioned in the letter?”

Kicho: “Yes.”

As soon as he nodded, his subordinates’ expressions became tense.

Subordinate 2: “But why all of a sudden?”

Kicho: “It’s a result of facing myself. Everyone makes mistakes, and I was one of them.”

Kicho: “That’s why I think you should have the opportunity to correct your ways.”

Subordinate 2: “Huh?”

Kicho: “This is a war-torn world, and anyone who gets in the way must be dealt with, but for this moment, I’ll let you choose.”

Kicho: “Where would you go? Are you going to leave and return to your hometown? You can do whatever you want.”

His men: "-----!"

(Kicho...)

In the silence, their shadows cast by the moonlight swayed with confusion, but they never left.

Subordinate 1: "Of course, I'll follow you."

Subordinate 1: "I came here hoping for the world you want."

Subordinate 2: "Me too. The Japan you are looking at is the world we seek."

Subordinate 3: "Likewise. I have no objection."

All the subordinates vigorously nodded as they spoke.

Kicho: "I understand."

Kicho: "Then, first of all, let me explain our plan. Our team is in the tent over there."

Kicho’s men: "Understood."

(Thank God they didn't fall apart or anything.)

Looking at everyone's back, I patted my chest in relief, but my stomach suddenly grumbled.

Kicho: "Hmm?"

Mai: “S-Sorry!”

(I can't believe I'm feeling hungry when we're just getting started!)

Embarrassed, I shuffled out of Kicho's gaze and heard him chuckling.

Kicho: "Pfft."

Kicho: "Come to think of it, you haven't eaten or even had water."

Kicho: "Why don't you grab something to eat and take a break."

Mai: "Eh, but..."

Kicho: "Don't worry about us. Then, see you later."

He patted my head and walked away.

(Even if he tells me not to worry, I do because I care about them.)

(Oh, right!)

Mai: "Excuse me for interrupting."

Holding large trays, I peeked inside the open tent, and everyone turned to look at me.

(Mitsuhide is here too.)

(I guess that means they're working on the same plan.)

Kicho: "Is something wrong?"

Mai: "Yes, I made you guys some food, if you don't mind."

Mai: "It's just a simple miso soup, though."

Mitsuhide: "Oh? This is something of a treat in this situation."

Kicho: "Yeah, let's eat."

Kicho’s men: "Yes, sir."

As Kicho and Mitsuhide urged them, everyone's faces grew calm as they looked and fetched the still-steaming bowls.

(It's times like this that food is important.)

(Besides, there is a saying that we should eat from the same pot.)

Kicho: "Mai. Sorry for the trouble, even though I told you to take a break."

Mai: "It's fine. I hate sitting still. Also, you guys really need this since you're moving around."

Kicho: "I see. Then, let's eat."

Mitsuhide: "It's been a while since I've eaten a hot meal on the battlefield."

Mai: "Don't they make soup in places like this?"

Kicho: "No, it's not like that. This guy just doesn't care about food. He'll eat anything as long as it fits in his stomach."

Kicho: "Other soldiers cook meals like this."

Mai: "I see. You know a lot."

Mitsuhide: "He was originally from the Oda army."

Mai: "Right. It's been a few years, yet you're getting along pretty well."

Kicho: "You think so?"

Mai: "Yes. You two are similar in some ways."

Mai: "Not necessarily in terms of appearance, but, for example, in terms of being a spartan."

Mitsuhide: "Spartan?"

Kicho: "It's a term that refers to harsh and strict teaching."

Kicho: "I see. I made you do something harsh, huh?"

Mitsuhide: "Weird. I don't also remember doing something like that."

Mai: "You're unaware of it!?"

(Maybe I was just being naive.)

(I guess it's normal in this era, or maybe calling them spartan was rude, especially since they did it out of good intentions.)

Mai: "Um, I take it back. You two are..."

Mitsuhide: "Mai."

Mai: ".........."

Mitsuhide suddenly moved closer to me and smiled like a fox.

Mitsuhide: "Let me ask for future reference."

Mitsuhide: "What other aspects of me do you feel are similar to Kicho's?"

Mai: "Um..."

I compared their faces, moving my eyes frantically.

(Oh!)

Mai: "You both take good care of me and are kind."

Kicho: "What?"

Mitsuhide: "Are you sure you're not talking about Hideyoshi or Mitsunari?"

Mai: "Nope, those two certainly are like that, but in a slightly different way."

Mai: "I was going to retract my earlier comment about you guys being spartan because you guys weren't just being strict. You were also being considerate."

(Thanks to that, I was able to do more.)

Mai: "So, thank you for sticking with me till the end."

Kicho: "I never thought you'd thank me."

Kicho: "For me, I think it was your own effort that made it possible."

Mai: "But nothing starts without a good teacher."

Mitsuhide: "Oh? You were a pretty good student yourself."

Mitsuhide: "You almost get knocked off by a spirited horse, and you eagerly admire the scenery that you can't hear a thing."

Mai: "That doesn't sound like a compliment."

Mitsuhide: "What are you saying? It's my highest compliment."

Mitsuhide: "The more of a handful a kid is, the cuter they are."

Mai: "-----!"

Mitsuhide chuckled and patted my head with his other hand.

Mai: "Um..."

Kicho: "Wait."

Mai: "Whoa!"

Kicho intervened and swatted Mitsuhide's hand away.

Kicho: "That's enough. I'm telling you, Mai and I are already lovers."

Kicho: "Even if we have some similarities, we're still different people."

Kicho: "More importantly, I don't have the same taste as you to mess with other people's stuff."

Mitsuhide: "That's outrageous. I was just praising my beloved student."

Kicho: "I didn't see it that way. That's why I stopped you."

Mitsuhide: "I see."

Mai: "W-Wait! Let's get along, okay?"

(They were just getting along fine earlier, but now they're suddenly arguing.)

Kicho: "Don't worry. I'm just removing the pest before it gets on you."

Mai: "Pest? It's just a misunderstanding."

Mai: "Mitsuhide intentionally says things with these kinds of implications."

Realizing what Kicho was about to say, I hurriedly shook my head and looked at Mitsuhide to ask for his agreement.

Mai: "Right?"

Mitsuhide: "Well, I don't know. I'll let you be the judge of my true feelings."

Mai: "See, I told you."

Kicho: "..........."

Kicho sighed and turned to me.

Kicho: "Fine. If you say so, then here's what we'll do."

Something to keep in mind.

You're too optimistic in some areas, but I now see that as your strength.

Therefore, you don't have to fix it. However, you should still handle it reasonably.

You don't have to think too hard. I will be there for you from now on.

If there's a bug or pest (guy) lingering around you, I'll get rid of it.

I'll get rid of it asap, but some pest approach cleverly, so be on your guard.

At any rate, you can be who you are. Leave everything to me, and remember, I'm fascinated by you.

I'm grateful for the feelings you've given me. I love you.

-- Kicho

Previous Part╏Masterlist╏Next Part

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen kicho #ikesen kichou #ikesen jp #ikesen #ikesen spoilers #ikesen ieyasu #ikesen mitsuhide #ikesen translations #cybird

[pettytiredandjewish]

you know one thing ive noticed that irks me is that how hamas supporters always tend to attack on israeli supporters like the latter will be minding their own business on social media and just have a simple israeli flag in their bio; and then out of nowhere you have all these self-righteous so-called pro-palestinians who are really just hamas supporters attacking and calling all types of curses to those israeli supporters just because of the israeli flag. however has anyone ever seen an israeli supporter go to a so-called pro-palestinian's page and attacked them for having a palestinian flag in their bio? NO.

Oh I’ve noticed. The amount of hate messages that I’ve seen pro pal people post on random Israel or Jewish blogs/social media pages (who are literally minding their own business) is ridiculous. I’ve heard that it’s really bad on TikTok. I guess a whole bunch of pro pal and anti Zionist people started spamming someone on TikTok (mind you- I don’t even think this person was even Jewish (I could be wrong)) about how she was silent on the whole I/p conflict. It got to the point where she deleted her account and maybe her other social media pages too due to the constant harassment. This whole thing is just really fucked up.

To be honest I have never seen Israelis/ Jews harass pro pal and anti Zionist pages. When there is disagreements happening- Israeli/jewish bloggers are polite when handling the pro pal and anti Zionist crowds. We stay on track on the argument/ we’re polite but not too kind (because we can only handle so much bull shit)/ we try to guide them to resources that backs up on what we are saying/etc… when I handle them (because they really love to start things with me lol) I did try to be kind to them, but obviously that did not work out. So I’ve stopped being kind- I’m polite. I’ll admit that I do have a mouth on me and cuss words so slip out (but in my defense- I was raised by a dad who had a mouth of a sailor- tbh he could make the sailor look like a saint- and a mom who was raised in both the city and country. Combine that together and you get me lol)

But for the pro pal and anti Zionist crowds it’s totally opposite… like holy crap- and I thought that the pro trump people were bat shit crazy. They are constantly stalking and harassing Israelis/jewish people and their social medias, creating lists, full on spewing antisemitic shit/ etc… they really do terrify me.

It’s really scary that they’ve ramped up their hate. With what’s been happening in college campuses all over the world. If anyone is still in college- please stay safe. Your safety comes first. If you don’t feel safe in an area please leave. If you don’t feel comfortable by yourself, ask someone to go with you. Make sure that you have your phone on you and that it’s charged. Take self defense classes if you can or even watch self defense videos (basic moves can and will save you if you are in danger). If you are going out- make sure you tell someone and even give them your gps location. Document everything too- just in case you need to fill out a police report (even if the police doesn’t do shit, creating a paper trail will help you out). If things gets really bad and you need to drop out of college or switch to online- do it. Don’t risk your health and safety when dealing with those fuckers. To those pro pal and anti Zionist crowds who are participating in these violent protests or see no issues with it- y’all need to fucking open your eyes. You are creating a dangerous atmosphere for everyone and making things really worse.

#jumblr #antisemitism #leftist antisemitism #fuck antisemitism #fuck hamas #anti zionism = antisemitism #to my jewish and Israeli friends #y’all are amazing #i love you #and please stay safe #to the pro pal and antizionist crowds #stop harassing Jews and Israelis #just fucking stop it #it’s not helping palastine #you are making things worse #y’all I’m so tired of this shit #the jews are tired #please leave us alone

[nautiscarader]

Broken plates,broken promises

Wendip + Mabcifica, G, Ao3

Wendy Corduroy took another look at the décor of the room she was in, trying to absorb all the intricate details, even those covered in shadows created by subtle, atmospheric lighting.

"Wendy?", Dipper's slightly concerned voice brought Wendy back to her date. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh,yeah, sure.", she replied quickly, "I'm just flabbergasted how much work Mabel and Paz have put into this business."

Dipper followed her eyes, admiring the restaurant teeming with people, enjoying their meals.

"The best fancy restaurant in Falls."

"You mean, the only fancy restaurant", Wendy smirked. She wasn't exactly wrong. Aside from Lazy Susan's, where Pacifica took her first steps, there was only a pizza place,a sandwich shop and a hot dog stand, operated by very handsome rotweiller, catering exclusively to other canines.

"You sure I did not break any fashion rules?", Wendy asked suddenly.

"Wha-? No, you look gorgeous in that dress."

"Even if I ditched the fake belt for the utility one?"

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

Wendy smiled.

"Well, it is my only dress,so it's not like I had much choice."

"Ah", Dipper suddenly sat upright and corrected his tie "S-Speaking of that, you will be getting one more soon…"

"What do you-"

But it was too late for Wendy to stop her boyfriend. By the time he stood up, her heart was already racing, and when he dropped to one knee, she lost all the air in her lungs.

"Wendy Blerble Corduroy… will you make me-"

CRASH!

The two jumped in place, startled by sudden noise coming from the kitchen side. And as theirs, and everyone else's attention has be directed to the source of the noice, all they could see was Mabel Pines with tears in her eyes.

"YOU DIRTY CHEATER! YOU PROMISED!"

"Wha-what do you mean?", Dipper raised his hands in defensive gesture.

"YOU KNOW VERY WELL WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!", Mabel kept roaring.

"What the he-"

The kitchen door opened, and Pacifica became frozen in place, as she tried to comprehend the situation,looking from Mabel,to the broken plates, to Dipper proposing, only then realising that every guest was looking at her.

"Er, we apologise for the commotion, I assure you there is nothing to-"

Paz paused for a moment.

"Actually, no,I take it back. WHAT THE HELLIS GOING ON?"

"He did it a day earlier!", Mabel complained. "And he didn't tell me!"

"I thought you'd notice! You deal with reservations!, Dipper countered, "And all the seats were taken for tomorrow, so I had to book today!"

"And who do you think booked all those?!", Mabel roared, " I made sure so that all our friends can have dinner tomorrow!"

"You haven't told me about it either!"

"Dipper, what part of 'well-planned surprise double proposal' is too difficult to understand?"

"Double proposal…?"

Mabel turned her head as Pacifica's quivering voice interrupted the argument.

"Oh, shoot.", Mabel started frantically looking around, until she spotted a colorful dessert on a nearby table.

"You haven't tasted this cupcake yet, right, sir?" Mabel addressed the astonished gentleman.

"N-No", he replied, unsure what was going to happen next.

"Great, we're gonna make you a new one"

Mabel quickly snatched the pink treat from the plate and faced her girlfriend, before dropping to one knee.

"Pacifica Northwest, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife, preferably with huge, opulent AND DOUBLE WEDDING?", she threw the final words at her brother, still also on one knee.

"Alright, geez, Mabel, I'm sorry!"

Pacifica could not stop tears from running down her cheeks. She accepted the cupcake at the same time as emerald ring went onto Wendy's finger. The two couples were lost in long kisses, while the room erupted with cheers.

"I think that calls for champagne on the house, eh, Northwest?", Wendy addressed Pacifica from across the room.

"YOUR house, you mean", she snapped back, "You owe us for the plates. And the cupcake, Corduroy".

Pacifica threw her a cocky smile before licking some of the frosting from her lips.

#wendip #mabcifica #nautiscaraderfics #wendy corduroy #dipper pines #gravity falls

[yyumemika]

Astraea's Atelier: Epilogue 3

Epilogue 3 

Summer 

Shu: Fufu. Create to your heart's content, Kiryu. Art is not something that can be forced upon you, but something fun. 

You only have one life, so you want to spend it doing nothing but having fun. 

Chiaki: Yup. That's true, but in order to survive, you have to work properly too. 

That’s time, Kiryu. I can hear some noise outside– The filming crew for the travel show we’re supposed to be appearing on has probably arrived. 

Kurou: That’s true. That’s a shame, it was just getting interesting. 

Leo: Wahaha☆ You don’t have to stop working! It's not the film crew, it's me! 

Kurou: Tsukinaga. Where the hell did you go? 

Leo: Eh? Are you angry, Kurou? Did I do something wrong? 

Kurou: No, I’m not. However, if you could just get used to locking doors, we could have avoided such a complicated situation– 

Leo: Lecture me later! Moreover, your strategy is to cover up the culprit’s work to provoke and lure them out, right? 

It seems to have been a great success! 

Chiaki: What are you saying? 

Leo: Wahaha! Is ‘What are you saying?’ All you can say? I’ll call you what-you-saying space man! 

No, the culprit really has been lured out! 

While I was staked out by the atelier, I saw someone wandering around. 

If we hurry, we can probably catch them. What’ll we do? They looked delicate, so it wouldn’t need four of us to attack! 

Shu: Hmph. How many times do I need to tell you, leave it to the police to arrest suspicious people. 

Anyway, eventually the culprit won’t be able to stand it and will step in, telling us not to tarnish their work any further. 

If you don’t have that kind of guts, if you don’t have the will to protect your work– 

Once again, I will reject such foolishness. 

Shame on you, mock artist. 

However, hopefully the culprit will step in soon. I want to spark artistic discussion, even through the night. 

This time I will examine this great body of work in a better light, and give it a fair evaluation. 

To welcome you into our heaven as an irreplaceable being who can create beautiful and valuable things. 

Leo: Hmm〜... But until we hear the story from the person themself, it’s all speculation. 

Shu seems to think the culprit is an artist. 

What should I do? What if my theory from last night is correct, and all the works lined up in the atelier were placed just to make Shu horny? 

No matter how you look at it, the face of the person wandering outside looked like a maiden in love. 

Shu: If that’s the case, I’ll call them a fool for creating works with such an ulterior motive, and have them arrested. 

I’m not good at fighting so I’ll leave it to Kiryu, who prides himself on his strength, and Morisawa, who is an ally of justice, to deal with it. 

Chiaki: Hmm, but we’ve got work. 

Kurou: That’s right. If you meddle with someone else's love story, you’ll get kicked into hell by a horse, so we freeloaders will quickly excuse ourselves. 

Shu: Wait. You know by now that I’m not good with such topics, so are you going to abandon me? 

You’re going to leave me alone? At least you’re still on the side of justice aren't you, Morisawa?  

Chiaki: I feel weak when you say that, but the reality is that this sort of thing is a job for the police…♪

Leo: Oh! The culprit has finally arrived! So, why are they here? I’m excited~! 

Shu: W-Wait! I have provided you with meals, lodging and other things, haven’t I? And you’ll just leave me like this!? 

Perhaps this is my retribution as an ungrateful person who once denied the culprit’s work!? 

Kurou: Haha. Now that’s unusual, Itsuki with a face this panicked. 

Chiaki: Ah, I hope we can see something just as interesting in the next country! The travel programme has only just begun! 

Shu: Wait, you two! Don’t give off such a happy-go-lucky atmosphere! The case hasn't exactly been resolved! 

Leo: ♪~♪~♪

Shu: Don’t hum an ending theme! Tsukinaga…! 

#enstars #ensemble stars #shu itsuki #kuro kiryu #chiaki morisawa #leo tsukinaga

[twentiethcenturymoviesandtv]

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Genre and Themes

At first glance, indeed, even at second glance, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington doesn’t seem to really lend itself to a specific genre the way The Goonies or The Princess Bride did.  Whereas those films positively dripped with the atmosphere of an adventure or fantasy film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is considerably more ‘real world’ than that, without necessarily heading into ‘slice of life’ territory.

If story is the backbone of a film, the underlying solid base, then genre is the trappings, the flavor, the seasonings the writers get to play with to create their final dish.  Some stories automatically come with pre-packaged genre, as it would seem, stories like Frankenstein seem little suited to be anything other than a sci-fi horror film, after all, but most, and indeed some would say all stories have the capabilities of remaining solid in their identities, even with a completely different genre than we’re used to.

In the case of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, however, there doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of ingredients to mix.

Officially, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is labeled as a ‘political comedy-drama’, an eclectic mishmash of styles that doesn’t necessarily rear its head too often in the realm of film.  Political films tend to be more true stories like All the President’s Men, or thrillers like The Manchurian Candidate.  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is neither.  However, that isn’t to say it’s not political.

The entire world of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is politics.  It lives and breathes the inner workings of American bureaucracy, without either exploiting or sugarcoating it.

It is, at its core, an anti-politics political film.  There is no pleasure that the film derives from exposing any corruption, nor does it take pains to pretend that corruption does not exist.  It freely paints the politicians and the non-politicians as people, dealing with consequences to their actions: from Senator Paine, the tarnished hero, to Clarissa Saunders, the cynical, worn-out tool of Washington.  The focus of the story is not so much on the inner workings of the state and country as it is the people that perform them, that manipulate the cogs of the machine to their own benefit, and those who stand to prevent it.

It’s not a very technical film.  You don’t have to have a degree in law in order to understand the film, or allow it to resonate, and that, perhaps, is what makes it so special.

The ‘political’ slant of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington isn’t in the process that Saunders outlines to Jefferson in order to get his bill passed.  On the contrary, the bill itself is a minor incident, the catalyst that forces the corruption out into the open.  The story isn’t about the bill at all, nor is it even about the plot of the other politicians: it is about the politicians themselves.  There are no parties mentioned, no real figures portrayed, no accurate historical events referenced: and yet something about this film did strike a chord in the very real Washington D.C.

Upon Mr. Smith’s release in Constitution Hall, DC dissolved into uproar about the film’s portrayal of American politics, to the point that Alben W. Barkley, the Senate Majority Leader at the time, remarked that it: “makes the Senate look like a bunch of crooks”.

In other words, something about this film struck some people, mostly the people in Washington, the wrong way.  And yet, even at the time of its initial release, audiences, the Mr. Smiths of the USA, adored it for a reason.

At its core, chiefly, yes, Mr. Smith is a film about politics, and even history.  Every fiber of the movie vibrates with patriotism, with love for America, and with pride in democracy.  The film is not a condemnation as such as it is a warning: ‘we will lose what we have built if we think only of ourselves.’  It is a perfect combination of both a celebration of America’s past, and a concern for the future, a notation of the path the nation’s leaders seemed to be going down.  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a story about big P Politics, all right, but it is not a scowling, scolding film, pointing an accusatory finger at the little p politicians, the fallen white knights.  It is instead a film that holds up a figure of a person who knows on what the country was founded, and believes in it so strongly enough that he forces a change, even if it’s a small one.

And the film is also pretty funny, too.

The genre of ‘comedy’ tends to bring to mind slapstick or wordplay classics, and in the 1930s, the ‘comedians’ definitely had their specific brands: the Marx Brothers, the Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, and others were taking cinema by storm.  Audiences, especially in the middle of the Great Depression, desperately wanted a laugh, and even though there were no pratfalls in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, there is a wry sense of humor about it, particularly near the beginning.

Early scenes in this film play almost like scenes from a ‘fish out of water’ comedy, with Jefferson Smith having no idea how to function in the new, fast-moving, cynical climate of Washington D.C.  Other characters, such as Saunders and Diz, exist as quip-generating machines, full of the fast-paced, witty dialogue characteristic of films of the time.  Many of the more comedic sequences in the story come about through direct conversation between Saunders and Smith and the subsequent clash of ideas and personalities.

So yeah, Mr. Smith is a pretty funny movie at times.  I must admit though, it’s hard to make the argument that it’s a comedy.

Smith’s plight is not comedic, at least, not more than halfway through the story.  He is not a comedic figure, nor are most of the characters around him.  While one could make the argument that the initial conceit of the story is comedic, I am hard pressed to agree that the story remains a comedy throughout.  If anything, the throughline of tragedy seems clearer, notably in the character of Senator Paine.

Paine is what Smith could have been: a noble figure broken by greed, by corruption, by fear, turned into another cog in someone else’s profit machine, willing to throw countless people under the bus for gain.  By the end of the story, he is not only guilty, he is convicted, ashamed after being forced to confront what he has become.  His story nearly ends in suicide, and it certainly ends in the ruination of his career, after having thrown away belief in all of the words he is so used to spouting.  He is the warning thrust up before contemporary Washington’s eyes: the white knight tarnished by greed.

Smith’s story, though uncorrupted, is similarly bleak: unbelieved, unheard, and unable to get the word out, he ends the film exhausted and crushed after hours of seeming futility.  The film’s happy ending does not come as a result of all of his hard work, but through the guilt of Senator Paine driving him to confess.  Smith does not reach the climax of the film like a comedy protagonist does at all, but like a tragic hero.

And yet, this film isn’t a tragedy either.

So what is it?

I have a theory: that a film’s genre can be best solidified through a few major checkpoints: its themes, and its characters, specifically its protagonist.

The themes of Mr. Smith are obvious ones: duty to one’s country, certainly, but honesty above all.  The liars are the villains, and the heroes tell the truth.  The story is built around good morals and simplicity, with the center of virtue being Mr. Smith himself.

In another era, Smith himself may have been a knight in shining armor, risen to his position from peasantry to achieve noble deeds.  As it is, in 1930s America, Smith is an ordinary man in an extraordinary position: an everyday guy elevated to the position of senator.  

Of course, the intention was never to give him any real power, but nonetheless, power he wields.  And it’s his decisions on handling that power that set him apart from the other characters.  He behaves very much like a normal person, an average citizen in a political jungle with very little navigation.  There is no hero’s journey here: if anything, Mr. Smith finishes the story as a broken, more cynical character rather than a triumphant hero.  The victory is in refusing to compromise your principles, no matter the cost or circumstance, and there is no dragon to slay here: just men, corrupted by power.

In other words, it’s a drama.

While there are many forms of ‘drama’ in the broad spectrum, typically, the term ‘drama’ means that a subject is more dramatic than humorous, with a primary element of the story being conflict, but not necessarily of the physical kind.  It’s a story with more of an emphasis on who the story is happening to, and why, with less concern for what exactly is happening.

Such is the case for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Mr. Smith is a story about real people, people you or I might know, from the virtuous Jefferson Smith to the cynical Ms. Saunders, to the corrupt, but still human, politicians, some malicious, some merely led astray from their previous values.  This is not a story of ‘heroes vs. villains’, this is a story about the ‘Right Thing to Do’, and the people with the courage to do it.

And that’s most of its appeal.

Capra’s passion is for people in this film, the everyday, the ordinary, the ‘Little Guy’ who becomes, not a dragonslayer, but a man with the opportunity to truly do some good, faced with tough decisions.  It’s a story full of heart, sprinkled with humor, and loaded with humanity as it views, through very human lenses, the world of politics through a protagonist who’s meant to be a fish out of water.

That is Mr. Smith’s legacy.

The story isn’t groundbreaking.  The cinematography isn’t breathtaking.  The writing isn’t jaw-dropping.  But the people, the characters, live and breathe on the screen as people, characters that the audiences love, and cheer for.  We root for these people because of the drama of the situation, and the time and care that the film takes to delve into them.

That, more than the politics of the situation, is the reason people return to this film again and again.

And that, the people, the characters, is what we’ll be turning our attention to next time.

#Mr. Smith Goes to Washington #Mr. Smith Goes To Washington 1939 #1939 #30s #Film #Movies #Political #Drama #Comedy #James Stewart #Jean Arthur #Claude Rains #Edward Arnold #Thomas Mitchell #Frank Capra

[rallamajoop]

On Resident Evil 7

So in the interests of completionism, and because I am now officially that invested in the Winters family saga, I bought and played Resident Evil 7.

It was, as expected, much more survival-horror than RE8. Aiming is slower, ammo scarcer, inventory space even more limited, and enemies that much more bullet-sponge-y. It is also absolutely scarier – both in the tension-and-gore sense, and in the horrible-things-happening-to-normal-nice-people sense (which gets to me far worse). But then, slasher horror is generally much less my thing, so as much as I absolutely appreciate the work that went into building this game’s aesthetic and villains, it’s just not so much an experience for me as the high gothic horror of RE8.

Where finishing RE8 had me racing back to explore new difficulties, DLC and challenge modes, I just didn’t have the same drive to spend more time in the world and gameplay of RE7. As far as I’ve come in this genre, my stomach can only take so much before it all just becomes a bit unpleasant. This is not a fault of the game: I can fully sympathise with anyone who loved RE7 and was disappointed RE8 strayed so far in new directions – it’s just a very different experience.

That said, the two games do share more than you might think.

Both have their extended spooky openings to build atmosphere before the actual danger starts, punctuated by a big moment where someone Ethan trusted apparently turns on him to horrific effect, and where Mia apparently ‘dies’ (but not really). Then there’s a big cutscene where you meet the family of bosses you’ll be dealing with, which Ethan spends restrained and/or tied to a chair. You’ll be helped in your quest to navigate each boss’s territory by a mysterious ally (Zoe/the Duke), though mostly just via advice. And in both games, the last member of the boss family you'll face is a greasy, showboating SOB* who delights in taunting Ethan over speakers and making him run or fight for his life, and who’s actually not as loyal to the alpha-villainess as she thinks.

Towards the end, you suddenly find yourself playing as that-traitor-from-the-start, who gets to use a machine gun. You'll also get your chance to stop by a lab to read some documents explaining WTF has really been going on all this time. Finally, you discover that the creepy old lady you’d been seeing around the place was really the final boss all along.

We end with Chris Redfield and Mia in a helicopter, and the sinister insinuation that the company supplying all the guns and money to fix bio-terror outbreaks might actually be up to no good (that two different companies play this role in the two games isn’t really a sign of good continuity). The end, cue credits! (And remember to take a drink if any of this same stuff happens in RE9!)

But as much as RE7 has in common with its sequel on paper, I came away from it a lot less satisfied ‒ and not just because it's less my kind of game. Sure, the the final boss fight with Eveline has all the hallmarks of something completed at the last minute to meet a deadline – but the final Eveline section at least wraps up properly. The bigger problem is that by then, we’ve spent so much time setting up for a big boss fight with Lucas (psychotic Baker son, mad inventor and jigsaw-killer-wannabe) that never actually happens. Ethan escapes without ever actually facing Lucas directly.

We’re given so many reasons why Lucas should be a big deal: unlike his originally-nice-and-normal parents, Lucas was a killer long before being infected. He’s slipped Eveline’s control, and has even been working with the company that created her. But this last, potentially huge plot point really only exists as an excuse to have a few significant documents lying around for background on Eveline herself. Look, I did not even like this guy (I could not even get myself to play through the DLC he's in), and I still feel like he was done dirty.

The boss fight with Lucas has instead been saved for Chris Redfield’s DLC chapter – but it doesn’t really deliver there either. There, Lucas is apparently selling research data to some sinister, unnamed party, but we never learn what or who – it’s a sequel hook the actual sequel had no interest in. Otherwise, he murders a few redshirts (because what’s Chris Redfield going to do with himself if he’s not losing people in the field?) then morphs into a utterly-generic big-mutant-monster for the boss fight. It’s all the kind of generic faff you could find in any RE game.

We do also learn that those Umbrella-branded helicopters are being run by a ‘new’ Umbrella that claims it’s reformed, and is trying to make up for the mistakes of the past by funding anti-bioterror operations, and that Chris is working for them despite not really trusting them… and now you know as much about the subject as you’ll learn in the whole DLC. More setup with no real payoff.

The other major plot point the game just leaves hanging is Mia. I love the big reveal that she used to work for the company that created Evaline, the whole section where you play as her – but it leaves so many more questions hanging. How did Mia end up working for such evil people? How did she justify it to herself for so long? Were blackmail or threats involved? And most of all, how’s Ethan going to react to finding out? He’s asking those questions out loud just a few scenes before the Mia reveal, and yet, the ending is in such a rush to tell us he’s happily starting over with Mia that it all falls through the cracks. (I mean, there’s some lovely horror potential in the idea of all those secrets still lurking under their relationship, but if that was the intent, it’s woefully underplayed.)

Speaking of Mia, I do think the game could’ve stood to make it a lot more obvious a lot sooner that the Bakers are, y’know, not her real family. We don’t know jack about Mia going on, but Ethan should at least react when she starts talking about ‘Daddy’ – a line or two to the effect of, “What are you on about? Your Dad’s from Texas – I've met the guy!” or something would’ve gone a long way.

Zoe’s story is similarly done dirty by the ending: whether you save or abandon her, she just vanishes afterwards and is never mentioned again. Resolution has (again) been left for the DLC.

I did like Zoe’s prequel DLC: hot damn does it deliver on the story, atmosphere and horror (seriously, it delivers so hard on that last point that I do not think I could sit through it again). Seeing the Baker family as they used to be, pre-Evaline, just drives home the tragedy so much harder, and I love that Zoe got a little more time in the spotlight. But the “End of Zoe” DLC reduces her to a MacGuffin, with nothing more than a “and eventually Chris’ people find and cure her” tacked on at the end to wrap up her story. GDI, she deserves better!

The big problem plaguing both Mia and Zoe is that I just don’t think the game’s big ‘choose who to save’ decision moment works: it just doesn’t pay off. Save Mia, and she and Ethan will get separated in the swamp, you’ll play through her flashback sequence, and she’ll be alive at the end. Save Zoe, and she’ll get nabbed by Eveline again anyway, and Mia will still wake up in the same place in the swamp for the same big flashback sequence. Sure, you’ll also have to fight and kill Mia when she becomes possessed again – but her death is given so little emotional weight that what’s the point? Either ending leaves us with all those loose threads and unfinished stories.

The whole issue is a pretty classic example of what I call the Schrodinger’s Character problem: if an NPC can be simultaneously alive or dead, then neither outcome can have any real impact on the plot. Our hapless NPC just has to sit in their box, somewhere out of the way (presumably in some state of awkward quantum superposition ‒ though hopefully they at least get to pet the cat). Similar problems can comes up in any branching narrative where the branching is more a gimmick than a feature. Sure, devs may intend to fully develop both possibilities, but that’s twice as much work as just ignoring any inconvenient differences, and thus the first thing to end up on the cutting room floor come crunch. And that’s never more glaring than when Schrodinger’s Character is the PC’s wife (or brother – Deus Ex was terrible this way too), and the game can’t even be arsed to give them a proper half-a-cutscene to grieve before putting them right back on the horse again. Nor is saving them all that much more satisfying when it makes so little difference.

I also can’t help feeling RE7 really missed a trick with Zoe, when you finally see her face for the first time and she’s just… completely normal. Up to then, she’s been this mysterious voice on the phone who seems to know exactly what Ethan’s been doing at all times, but never intervenes in person. Add in the fact we know she’s infected, and it all feels like it’s building to a much bigger reveal, right? Like, that she’s mutated to the point Ethan’s liable to lose his shit if he runs into her without warning – or perhaps even semi-embedded in one of those mould-walls, where she’s able to feel what’s going on all over the house through the mycelium network. Or at least that she’s been holed up in some sort of underground surveillance bunker full of tinned beans and bottled water, physically unable to leave without Evaline getting her. There’s so much they could’ve done with the reveal!

To be clear, I don’t think the game’s failure to explain Zoe’s weirdness is a serious flaw: her phone calls are wonderfully creepy and effective, and that’s so much more important to horror than clear explanations. But not doing more with her still feels like a missed opportunity.

None of this is to say RE8’s ending was flawless by comparison: there are dangling questions and clunky sequel-hooks there too (what went wrong with the ceremony? Why were Miranda’s powers ‘leaving her’? Why are we suddenly teasing the idea the BSAA has gone bad when we haven't heard about them all game? etc). But the greater story felt finished to me in a way RE7 just didn’t. Plenty is left mysterious, but Ethan’s character arc is functionally complete.

On the whole though, there’s still plenty to recommend RE7 as an experience. The atmosphere was everything it needed to be, the old videos and creepy phone calls were solid little mechanics, and I kind of adored the design of Lucas’ horror-escape-room puzzle. I love the subtlety of burying an explanation for how Ethan's able to reattach his hand (and even his leg goddamnit I had no idea that was a thing that could happen until just recently!) in the middle of a document you won't pick up until the endgame, and which many will miss. Seriously, there is some great material in this game.

The villains all live up to the enjoyably campy extremes of the RE series at its best – but it was Marguerite who stood out for me, and I think it’s a crying shame she’s mostly relegated to the middle-chapter between the big events that are Jack, Lucas and Eveline. Nothing against the rest of them, but creepy little girls, dominating father figures, and jigsaw-killer-wannabes are all a dime a dozen in this genre: how many gleefully-revolting, middle-aged mother figures can you think of? That’s rare enough to be really memorable.

Ethan is, unavoidably, a somewhat flatter character than he gets to be in RE8 – he just doesn’t get the opportunity to react to so many things he so obviously should, and that’s very much a script issue (his voice actor does a fine job with what he’s given). Even so, some of his snarky conversations with Zoe are a delight, as is every other time he gets to express his frustration with the whole mad situation.

By contrast, Mia is so much more complex than she gets to be in RE8, where she’s honestly done pretty dirty. And having now played RE7, I’m retroactively a little disappointed that RE8 wasn’t about Ethan and Mia getting to be some kind of awesome battle couple (unconducive to horror as that might be): they’re both kind of badass when they actually get the chance.

So, yeah. At the end of the day, RE7 and RE8 make a very weird little duology. It's well worth checking out at least a Let’s Play of RE7 or a compilation of cutscenes if you loved RE8, just for backstory. But it’s not a game really designed for the same audience – and for me at least, just a much less satisfying experience overall.

*Considering how far apart they are on the fangirl-bait scale, I feel sort of like I ought to apoologise to Heisenberg and his fanbase for even comparing him to Lucas Baker, but I'm sorry: on paper, they do have rather a lot in common.

#Resident Evil 7 #Resident Evil Village #Ethan Winters #Mia Winters #Zoe Baker #Marguerite Baker #Lucas Baker #meta #Resident Evil

[mariacallous]

For nearly a year now, a bizarre heating event has been unfolding across the world’s oceans. In March 2023, global sea surface temperatures started shattering record daily highs, and have stayed that way since.

You can see 2023 in the orange line below, the other gray lines being previous years. That solid black line is where we are so far in 2024—way, way above even 2023. While we’re nowhere near the Atlantic hurricane season yet—that runs from June 1 through the autumn—keep in mind that cyclones feed on warm ocean water, which could well stay anomalously hot in the coming months. Regardless, these surface temperature anomalies could be triggering major ecological problems already.

“In the tropical eastern Atlantic, it’s four months ahead of pace—it’s looking like it’s already June out there,” says Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami. “It’s really getting to be strange that we’re just seeing the records break by this much, and for this long.”

You’ll notice from these graphs and maps that the temperature anomalies may be a degree or two Celsius warmer, which may not sound like much. But for the seas, it really is: Unlike land, which rapidly heats and cools as day turns to night and back again, it takes a lot to warm up an ocean that may be thousands of feet deep. So even an anomaly of mere fractions of a degree is significant. “To get into the two or three or four degrees, like it is in a few places, it’s pretty exceptional,” says McNoldy.

So what’s going on here? For one, the oceans have been steadily warming over the decades, absorbing something like 90 percent of the extra heat that humans have added to the atmosphere. “The oceans are our saviors, in a way,” says biological oceanographer Francisco Chavez of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California. “Things might be a lot worse in terms of climate impacts, because a lot of that heat is not only kept at the surface, it’s taken to depths.”

A major concern with such warm surface temperatures is the health of the ecosystems floating there: phytoplankton that bloom by soaking up the sun’s energy and the tiny zooplankton that feed on them. If temperatures get too high, certain species might suffer, shaking the foundations of the ocean food web.

But more subtly, when the surface warms, it creates a cap of hot water, blocking the nutrients in colder waters below from mixing upwards. Phytoplankton need those nutrients to properly grow and sequester carbon, thus mitigating climate change. If warming-induced stratification gets bad enough, “we don’t see what we would call a ‘spring bloom,’” says Dennis Hansell, an oceanographer and biogeochemist at the University of Miami. “Those are much harder to make happen if you don’t bring nutrients back up to the surface to support the growth of those algae.”

That puts serious pressure on an ecosystem that depends on these phytoplankton. Making matters worse, the warmer water gets, the less oxygen it can hold. “We have seen the growth of these oxygen minimum zones,” says Hansell. “Organisms that need a lot of oxygen, they’re not too happy when the concentrations go down in any way—think of a tuna that is expending a lot of energy to race through the water.”

In addition to plankton dealing with ever-higher temperatures due to global warming, there’s also natural variability to consider here. Less dust has been blowing off the Sahara Desert recently, for example. Normally this plume wafts over to the Americas, forming a giant umbrella that shades all that Atlantic water. But now the umbrella has partially folded up, allowing more of the sun to beat down on the ocean.

Weirder still, another contributing factor to ocean warming might be the 2020 regulations that drastically reduced the amount of sulfur allowed in shipping fuels. “Basically overnight, it cut this aerosol pollution by about 75, 80 percent,” says Robert Rohde, lead scientist at Berkeley Earth, a nonprofit that gathers climate data. “That was a good thing for human health—the air pollution was toxic.”

But sulfur aerosols attract water vapor, meaning that previously those ships would produce clouds in their wake—known as ship tracks—which, similar to Saharan dust, would bounce some of the sun’s energy back into space. “Now that we’ve cut it back, it has the side effect that some of that air pollution—that marine smog, if you might—is no longer there,” Rohde says. “The sky is clearer, so a little bit more sunlight is coming through.” Thus shipping regulations may have contributed a little bit of ocean warming in heavily trafficked areas like the North Atlantic. (In the graph above, the solid black line again shows 2024’s temperatures, this time specifically in the North Atlantic. Orange is 2023.)

Over in the Pacific, an El Niño band of warm water formed last summer and is now waning, both accounting for a good chunk of ocean warming globally and adding heat to the atmosphere to influence weather around the world. El Niño is now waning. The phenomenon and its counterpart La Niña—a band of cold water in the same area—are perfectly natural, but now they’re happening on top of that warming of the oceans that humans are responsible for. “One of our challenges,” says Chavez, “is trying to tease out what these natural variations are doing in relation to the steady warming due to increasing CO2 in the atmosphere.”

Now check out the graph above, which shows sea surface temperature anomalies since the late 1800s. Things really started warming up in the 1980s, but notice the red spikes well before, in the early 1940s. That’s associated with El Niños, says Chavez, showing just how powerful the events can be in influencing global ocean temperatures.

Still, sea surface temperatures started soaring last year well before El Niño formed. Also, independent of that band of warm water in the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean has been boiling, as you can see in this map of January’s temperature anomalies relative to the mean between 1910 and 2009. “The Atlantic has been record-breakingly warm since early March of 2023,” says McNoldy. “It’s not even close. That’s kind of the head-scratcher: Will it ever be back to just normal record-breaking instead of record-crushing? It’s just kind of crazy.”

If you know that a warm ocean fuels Atlantic hurricanes, you might be wondering whether we’re now in danger of a cyclone forming in February. But worry not. “There are quite a few ingredients that hurricanes need, and warm ocean temperatures is just one of them,” says McNoldy. For one, the low wind shear that hurricanes require to form isn’t there yet. But, McNoldy adds, when those conditions do appear, they’ll take advantage of that warm ocean. “We actually did see that a year ago with two named storms, Brett and Cindy, both in June in the middle of the tropical East Atlantic, which is incredibly odd,” he says. “We were also looking at extremely warm ocean temperatures out there, where normally they would have been a little too cool.”

Last week, the US Climate Prediction Center put the odds of La Niña developing between June and August at 55 percent. Whereas El Niño tends to create wind shear in the Atlantic, which beats down hurricanes, La Niña reduces wind shear. “All other things being equal, La Niña acts to enhance Atlantic hurricane activity,” says McNoldy. “When you have that influence on top of a very warm ocean, it’s probably cause for some concern.”

[lostsouls-house]

I was gonna say something angry but I realized quickly that that wasn’t what I wanted to say. As one of your ex friends I do care, I don’t check on your blog to see how you’re doing because I don’t care. Just because we’re not friends now doesn’t mean I don’t care now or didn’t care then. You’re free to delete this ask/ignore it but I just wanted to say my peace.

This took us weeks to sort our feelings on, so if you are checking Anon- I hope you see this.

First, let us say that we are not talking about anyone we still have as friends on Discord. We are talking almost exclusively about our former friends from the Survivor's Network, mostly mods.

If this is @circulars-reasoning , then you're right. You did care, and we thank you for that. We miss you, and we're sorry you get lumped in with the people you hang out with. We wish things could have been different, but they weren't. Whatever we say, it's not aimed at you. That said, we think it's time we talked about why we left in a more substantial presentation than vague posting. Because if this is a specific *dude*, then you should know how fucked up everything between us was.

Unfortunately, we only ended up modding for the Survivor's Network for a few months. When we joined, it felt like coming home. We had a brilliant mod team, we all had similar views and we worked very well together. We even got a new writing partner out of it. We were on top of the world. Working on the rules, creating a safe space and making things for the anti-endo community just a little more comfortable. Oh, and the voice chats! We had such a great time in those spaces. That's what we miss the most. But the atmosphere changed for us as our new Writing Partner began to enter awkward territory. We are no strangers to flirting and we are not opposed to enacting the rights of our open relationship, but this quickly became uncomfortable and emotionally manipulative. We have long been in silence as they are a huge name on Sysblr and were know no one would believe us over them. We do have receipts but for now we are choosing to keep them to ourselves. If the need is there, they will be released but we'd rather not have to paw through thousands of trumatic messages.

None of this is in any particular order, as our brain is very averse to revisiting the server these things happened in. But we do still have it, it and all the things said in it. We are going to place this list in bullet format and under a cut. You are welcomed to DM us any questions after this, but I doubt we will have straight answers as we're still scared to *actually* name them.

- Made our protective alter feel like a monster.

- Made us feel like we somehow cheated on them if we spoke in the SN before our private server.

- Used a situation I was venting about to try and make me feel bad after they "tried to help" by sending us a car part WITHOUT TELLING US. They used it to make us feel like we had done them wrong when we hadn't even known it was happening.

- Made our partner System feel like they were monsters.

- Tried to convince us that we were either ALL IN the relationship with this person, or all out. As in we either commit or we don't be friends.

- Pressured us to tell them any and every dark thing going on in our mind.

- Pressured us to make sure our protective Alter was never around when they were, shutting down to one word answers when certain alters would appear.

- Generally getting upset when we split new alters.

All of this and more in the space of three months. I cannot go back to the Survivor's Network because this personnas far as I know is still a mod there. They are older than me and manipulative as hell.

So if you *are* still watching my blog please note that your stupid little servers ended me in the hospital and into new psych treayment to deal with the scars you left.

We're are tagging this so it's seen. Ask us whatever, but I will not be giving a name until I can go through mentally and screencap everything. If you're asking yourself "Why now?"- It's because the alter that spit to protect us from this person finally gave us to okay. So here we are, telling the story. Believe me or don't I don't care.

#syscord #syscourse #survivors network #discord #tw manipulation #tw Survovors Network #DID #OSDD #tagging those because theybare big in these communities

[skepticalarrie]

For the anons talking about Louis not picking up flags…I think people need to understand each singer has their own style of concerts they put on. Harry likes to dance, pick up flags, and read signs. Louis likes to point at signs, light shows and going to the barricade. They are two different people and express themselves in two different ways, please stop thinking that if Louis isn’t picking up a flag makes him somehow less apart of community or make judgements on his closet. That’s ridiculous. Louis doesn’t like things on the stage, that’s evident with his shows. On the hand, Harry isn’t less connected to his fans because he doesn’t go to the barricade. Let’s just enjoy both of the shows they are putting on for us and not compare them. The most important part is that both provide a safe and accepting atmosphere to their fans, which they both do. They just happen to have 2 separate ways of expressing that comfort. So please stop with these weird picking up flag comments and enjoy them each as separate artists.

Mhmmm, that’s what I meant, I agree. It’s not really his thing, apparently, at the moment. I think we can question that and discuss it, it’s okay… because I do wonder what is necessarily the cause and what is the consequence when it comes to Louis. He had such a tricky journey with being comfortable on stage and performing, I mean- he’s still struggling and overthinking the guitar part. These kinds of things are a big deal for him. Not to mention that if we’re talking about acknowledging gay stuff, his image and sexuality were never really promoted in an ambiguous way like Harry’s was, so it’s not that simple at all, there are consequences in these acts.

So I think there are a number of factors that makes him the way that he is right now as a performer. If he never had been held back so much as he was in the past would he be more comfortable with interacting with signs and flags? Will he be more comfortable in the future? Or is that never going to be his thing regardless of closeting/image/performances? So many what-ifs and it’s interesting to think about it, but it’s impossible to tell. So, as you said, they have their own individual things going right now and they both manage to create a connection with fans while performing in one way or another other and that’s all it matters at the end of the day. When people get stuck in comparison is when they eventually end up frustrated.

In reference to this

#ask #louis’ image #performer louis #louis and rainbows

[with-love-from-hell]

5 Sides of Human

{Prologue}

Genre: Mixed

Synopsis: At the end of her exchange program, Storm says goodbye- leaving the brothers to their own devices and to continue repairing the damage she had begun to mend amongst them. Will Storm ever be able to return to Devildom?

Character profiles for the Mc's featured in this series

WC: ~5.5k

CW: Allusion to past trauma/abuse, anxiety/panic, some hurt, pining, kissing (that gets a bit sensual), some mention of sexual tension, spoilers for season 1!

Part One

©️ artwork commissioned by @vivi8bit ©️

“We’re really going to miss you after you’re gone, you know.” Beelzebub sighed, inching closer to Storm’s side. He interlocked his fingers with hers, squeezing gently and giving her a sad smile. “You’ve really become like part of the family.” 

Belphie snorted from across the room. “I wouldn’t say that...” 

Storm winced, still finding it hard to deal with Belphie’s cold attitude. Ever since the incident, he had tried to become closer to her, but Storm knew it would never be like how the relationship with the other brothers was. The first time he had tried to cuddle with her during a movie, she nearly had a panic attack, and he somehow felt insulted by that fact. Because she had re-kindled his relationship with his other brothers, save for Mammon, he figured they were “cool,” when in reality, they were everything but. 

“So yer gonna be callin’ us every day, right?” 

Mammon’s voice from across the room jolted Storm from her thoughts. After taking a minute to process what he said, she let out a small laugh. “I don’t know if I could do that... but I could maybe work out calling a couple times a week or something.” 

“Oh! Oh! I wan’t to be the first to call Storm!” Asmo gleefully bounced on the couch behind Storm’s head, tugging painfully hard at the braid he had been putting in her hair. 

“Nuh-uh!! No way you get to call ‘er first!” Mammon growled, crossing his arms in defiance. “If anybody, it should be me! I am her first man, after all!” 

Leviathan let out an exaggerated groan. “Would you stop saying that? It sounds dirty... And besides- If anyone is considered her ‘first man’ it should be me! I willingly made a pact with her- you just did it for your stupid credit card!” 

“Oi! Don’cha go callin’ my precious Goldie stupid!” Mammon snapped, now standing up to try to look threatening.

“Ughh. Honestly you two...give it a rest.” Satan paused the movie, annoyed that his brother’s arguing was causing enough of a distraction to where he could no longer hear the dialogue. 

Mammon and Levi ignored the comment, continuing to bicker back and forth. Soon enough, all of the brothers joined in, tossing their own two cents into the argument and yelling amongst each other. While they were distracted, Storm took the opportunity to sneak away from the party to see what Lucifer was up to. He hadn’t said much to her over the past few days, choosing instead to recluse himself in his office and focus on paperwork. He was a busy demon...but maybe he'd be willing to take a break to spend some time together. After all, she would be leaving Devildom in less than 24 hours.

Tiptoeing out of the room, Storm managed to escape the brawl in the attic and maneuver silently downstairs to Lucifer’s study. To her surprise, the door was left open- as if an invitation for her to intrude on his work. Sogt music could be heard echoing from the entrance; an orchestral symphony soothing her stress of having to leave the place she had come to love..

Storm peaked her head inside the study, shocked to see Lucifer wasn’t even doing any work at all. Instead, he was resting his head back on the pristine leather couch across from a hearth filled with a roaring fire. Tapping the side of his wine glass to the rhythm with his eyes closed lightly, Lucifer seemed completely lost in the music. The office window was open to let a cool night breeze wisp through the office, creating a chilly, but not uncomfortable, atmosphere. She shifted her weight slightly, trying to determine if she should just leave him to it.

"Are you just going to stand there staring?” 

Storm jumped, still not used to the fact that Lucifer seemed to have sixth sense for the presence of others in his vicinity. She fumbled with her fingers, unsure of what to say back. 

His eyes snapped open and he met her gaze with a warm smile, patting the space on the couch next to him. “Come. sit with me.” 

She hesitated, but obliged none the less, anxiously settling in next to him. She froze when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer to his side. He chuckled at her rigidness, clearly having drank enough already to lower his inhibition. “Relax. I mean you no harm.” 

She let out a nervous laugh, doing her best to sink into his hold. She rested her head on his chest, the thrum of his heartbeat against her ear soothing the anxiety she felt in being so intimately close to him.

“It sounds like quite the party in the attic.” 

Storm looked up, meeting his hazy stare. “Mhmm. We were watching a movie and then...well...” she let out a small giggle. “You know how your brothers are.” 

Lucifer scoffed, shaking his head despite the wide smile playing on his lips. "Well, thanks to the fact that everyone else was busy up there, I got to stay here and enjoy my music in peace.” 

“What’s this you’re listening to?”

“Mm. It’s nice, don’t you think? This is a cursed vinyl edition of The Tale of the Seven Lords soundtrack, which you somehow managed to borrow from Levi for me.”

Storm nodded, suddenly realizing that Lucifer had said he wanted to listen to his music in peace. She dropped her gaze, now painfully aware that she was likely intruding on his rare moment of calm in such a hectic household. “Is it okay if I stay and listen for awhile? It’s okay if you don’t want me here...I-I'll just go-” 

"Mmm," Lucifer curled a finger under Storm’s chin, bringing her eyes back up to meet his. “you already are listening with me...but if you mean that you’d like to stay longer, then of course you’re welcome to. I quite enjoy your company in the rare opportunities I'm able to entertain it.” 

Storm smiled, blushing slightly. They sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the enthusiastic ending to the song that had been playing. The tranquility in the moment relaxed Storm further, melting her body further into Lucifer’s arms. He rested his cheek atop her head, leaning into the embrace just as much as she was. He sighed after a moment, catching her attention. 

“You know..." Lucifer murmured, breaking the silence. “It was this very room that I selected you for our exchange program.” 

"Oh?"

“When I first welcomed you here, I was only doing it for Diavolo. I figured if you managed to survive a year without any incidents, that’s all I could really ask for...and even if things didn’t go as planned, as long as I could keep you from getting eaten by any of the lower-level demons, everything would be alright. That’s what I had thought...But...” Lucifer chuckled, fondly reflecting on how hectic the past year had been. “I somehow managed to choose a human who’s been such a magnet for trouble that is almost defies belief, wouldn’t you say?”

Storm tensed as he paused, now nervous about where the conversation was heading. She found herself feeling a bit insecure now that Lucifer was airing his honest thoughts of her. She bit back her disappointment, not wanting to suddenly cry in front of the embodiment of Pride over such a small judgement.

Lucifer paused, feeling her body tense beneath him. Sighing, he squeezed her shoulder. “Honestly, there were a few times when I thought that I had made a mistake by choosing you.” 

"I-I'm sorry..." Storm murmured sadly. She felt tears threaten to form behind her eyes at hearing what she had feared was going through his head throughout her entire time in Devildom.

Lucifer chuckled. “It’s far too late to be buttering me up with an apology.” 

Storm squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to regulate her breath. She couldn't sit here any more and heat hoe much he clearly loathed her. Why did he even ask her to join him at all? The notion felt cruel, pummeling the crush she had for Lucifer since first laying eyes on him. She tried to pull away from his grasp, feeling tears already forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Wait, I'm not finished." Lucifer grabbed her hand, feeling panicked at her attempts to flee. Perhaps he'd clearly taken the opportunity to air his feelings in too negative a direction. He took a deep breath, finally moving to say what he had actually wanted to. “There’s also no need to apologize because...because thing’s are different now.” 

She furrowed her brow at Lucifer's statement. As she tried to figure out what he was trying to say, he continued:

“I am well aware of the fact now that I had indeed made the right choice in selecting you for the program. I've become more certain the closer we've become. You’ve kept me quite entertained over the past year. In fact, it’s probably the most entertained I’ve been my whole life.” He chuckled, but his playful smile quickly fell into a thin, serious line. “More than that though...you’ve changed me, and my brothers, for that matter. You’re special to me...to us...more special than you probably realize.” 

Storm relaxed back into place at his side, finding her heart fluttering with warmth. “I-I didn’t realize you felt that way.”

Lucifer smiled, nuzzling back into Storm’s head. “To be honest, it has surprised me as well...”

There was a moment silence between the two of them, the music filling the gap in conversation. Lucifer breathed deeply, enjoying the scent of Storm's hair as the soothing meoldy caressed his ears, and the bitter taste of wine danced on his tongue. He almost wished the moment could last an eternity, but he then remembered Storm's impending departure.

“So then...Have you done all you set out to do here in the Devildom, Storm? No unfinished business? No loose ends..?”

“...A-actually...there is something I've been meaning to do.” Storm bit her lip as she pulled away from his hold. Lucifer's fingertips rested on the back of her neck and her hand lay over his heart as she stared dreamily into the eyes of Pride. Her nerves of what she was about to do nearly getting to her as she quickly made her move.

Lucifer’s eyes widened as Storm cupped his cheek and pulled him into a deep kiss. After the initial second of shock, he relaxed, melting into her lips. He let his eyes flutter closed, returning her passion gently. As they parted, their breaths matched in labor and their hearts beat in sync. Lucifer gazed down at her, a lust-filled hue shimmering in his eyes. Storm’s cheeks tinted pink, mildly embarrassed by her brazen action, but she was glad to see he accepted her affection. 

“I do hope that isn’t all you had been planning...” Lucifer teased, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

Storm thought for a moment. “Well...I suppose I still don’t have a pact with you...” 

Lucifer was taken aback, but he nodded, realizing his attempt at hinting for further intimacy went completely over her head. “A pact, hmm?” 

Storm rubbed her forearm anxiously and nodded in response.

“I see...you’ve made pacts with all of my brothers, which just leaves me...” He paused, running his tongue lightly over his bottom lip. “Do you really want to make a pact with me? Truly?” 

Storm nodded without hesitation. “I do, yes.” 

Lucifer straightened his posture, his tone becoming terse. “I don’t know how my brothers felt about making a pact with you, but I am much more than a name to be crossed off of some list. I can’t have you lumping me together with everyone else. That won’t do.” 

“I understand...” She chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment, “but it’s not like that. I want to feel...uh, closer, to you. I like the bond I share with your brothers, and I want us to have that too. It makes me feel like...”

Lucifer raised an eyebrow at her hesitation. “Like what?”

Storm blushed, now embarrassed by what she was feeling. “Like...I really have a family.” 

Lucifer’s eyes softened for a moment as he mulled over her words. "I see..."

Lucifer searched her eyes for a moment before standing up and approaching the fireplace. As if to test her, he whipped around quickly, causing her to jump. In only took a second for him to be turn to his demon form, standing above her with a threatening aura wafting off of him. He was half surprised when she remained in place, gazing up at him with shimmering eyes. He studied her for a moment, searching for signs of any nefarious intentions. Seeing none, he relaxed his posture and held out his hand to her. Storm reached up toward his hand, looking at him with pure longing.

“You’ve got quite a bit of courage in you.” Lucifer suddenly jerked Storm to her feet and she nearly collapsed into his chest from the force. Steadying her with his hand on her hip, he smirked. “I have always found that aspect of your personality irritating, but as irritating as it is...I find it even more endearing.” 

Lucifer caressed her jaw and quickly captured her lips in another kiss. As he moved his lips roughly against Storm's, his fangs grazing her bottom lip in warning. Storm felt her heart rate quicken, nervous but excited all the same.

Lucifer pulled apart from her once more, but remained close enough to wear his warm breath warmed her cheek. His voice was low and threatening as he spoke, ensuring to make his point clear. “Now listen, and listen well. I will not be your possession- nor am I some prize to be won. I won’t belong to you, you will belong to me. If you can accept this fact, we have a deal." He paused, tracing Storm's lower lip with his thumb. "So, what will it be? Are you still wanting to make a pact, Storm?”

She felt her body tense, trying to process what he had said. Perhaps it was the anxiety, or the sexual tension building between them that lowered her mind's abilities to work through his words. Before she really knew what wad happening, her voice produced the sound confirming the pact. “Y-yes.”

Lucifer smirked, intertwining her fingers with his and pressing another deep kiss to her lips. He felt the tenseness in her body, but just attributed it to the nervousness and building tension between them. He began kissing down her neck, finding pleasure in the she keened. Just as he reached her collar bone, he gently sunk his teeth into her flesh. Storm let out hiss in pain, but it went away when he pressed his hand over the area, the shimmering blue light from his palm soothing the pain. When he pulled away, a fresh pact mark shimmered cerulean above her heart, before slowly fading to a dull, scar-like outline. The other brothers hadn’t been so theatric in their pact-making- usually opting to just shake hands (with the exception of Asmo, who insisted on a hug to seal the deal at the very least).

“Then it’s done.” he murmured against her ear, trailing his finger over the mark longingly. “As of this moment, Storm, you are mine. I’m not letting anyone else have you now.” 

She gulped, feeling his lips press against her jawline once more. Anxiety welled up within her as her brain repeated his words over and over again, reminding her of the control so many others exhibited over her in the past. The thought of her body as just an object for him to use- to control- filled her with dread.

You belong to me. 

I’m not letting anyone else have you.

You are mine. 

Between the haze of alcohol and lust-drunkenness in Lucifer’s brain, he failed to notice Storm begin to tremble under his touch. He continued mouthing at her neck, interrupting only to ask if she’d spend the night with him. When she didn’t reply, he pulled away, now noticing the fear present in her eyes that had not been there previously. He felt his heart sink, realizing he should have paid more attention to her body language before acting so brazen. Before he could comment on it, she jerked her body away from him, putting significant distance between them.

“Y-yep! I’m good. Everything that needs to be done is done.” Before he could respond or try to grab her hand, she quickly made her way towards the door. “Your brothers are probably wondering where I am so...I-I’m just going to head back up to the attic. Goodnight!” 

Lucifer stood still in shock as she bolted out of the room. As the realization that he had somehow frightened her set in, his wings drooped down in disappointment. He trailed back over the words he had said as he collapsed back onto the couch. What had happened? She had seemed to be into everything they had been doing until...

Lucifer groaned, finally coming to the realization that the way in which he thought he was suavely asserting his dominance- a trait often well respected in courting rituals among Pride Demons- actually made her fearful. He cursed under his breath, smacking his forehead at the connection made. How could he had forgotten about the night she had confided in him that she had felt like an object to her past lovers and family alike? His words likely only spoke to her that she was a possession- and declaring her as his to own probably was reminiscent of those experiences.

Dammit.

Lucifer sighed, picking back up his glass of demonous and downing it quickly. He turned off the music, sitting in the solomn silence of his office. The occasional yell, slam, or loud laugh could be heard from the attic, where Storm had said she had returned to. He found himself feeling the urge to join them. Perhaps he could even pull her away and apologize for his statement and explain...

But he let it pass.

Perhaps it was best she was leaving, He thought. The distance may help in ridding his mind of the overwhelming longing to be close to her. A human and a demon, in love? Ha, what a spectacle that would be. He sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose to clear himself of the heartache he felt rippling through his chest. 

Clearly, this wasn’t meant to be. 

A somber mood washed over the student council chambers as the exchange program had come to an end. So many close relationships had been formed, and the demons, humans, and angels alike shed many tears as they said their goodbyes. 

“Take care, Storm.” Simeon squeezed her tightly into a hug, taking notice of the new pact mark over her chest from the Avatar of Pride. His hand lingered on her back as Luke nearly tackled her to the ground. Tears burst past his eyes as she patted him on the head. 

“We’ll be w-watching over you- we p-promise!!” Luke stuttered, finally being pried off of her by Simeon. 

As the angels made their rounds in saying goodbyes and thanking everyone for their grace in hosting them, Lucifer watched Storm curiously. She appeared to be upset at the idea of having to leave, but had clearly been making a point not to make eye contact with him. Would she even say goodbye to him? Would she kiss him like she had last night? No...not after what happened...Maybe he misread her body language...or Maybe she was just tricking him into a pact...or Maybe...

“Alright, I suppose it’s my turn.” Solomon smiled sadly, walking around to shake hands with the demons left before him, starting with Lucifer. “It’s been fun. I’m looking forward to seeing you all again real soon.” 

Lucifer shook the thoughts away, finally focusing on wishing the others well.

“Thanks for everything!” Simeon smiled, catching Lucifer’s hardened stare. “Take care, Lucifer.” 

“You better not tell Michael anything embarrassing about me.” He warned, side-eyeing the angel with a scowl.

Simeon giggled. “No promises.”

As the brothers, Storm, and the royals waved them off, they disappeared one-by-one through the portal, leaving Storm alone to say her goodbyes.

“Well, that brings us to you, Storm.” Diavolo smiled sadly, taking her hands in his. “To be completely honest, when I first met you, I felt both hope and anxiety in equal measures. I figured that two angels and a sorcerer could hold their own here, but I was worried whether I’d made the right choice inviting a regular human here.” 

Storm swallowed hard, finding herself recalling the similar vein of Lucifer’s statement to her the previous night.

“...Some were opposed to the idea of inviting humans here to the Devildom, and they made their opinions known...” Diavolo glared at Belphie, who shrunk down to avoid his harsh stare. “Anything that happened to you would have fallen on me to blame. I knew that, and I was prepared to accept the consequences, come what they may. But as it turned out, I was worried over nothing!” 

Storm furrowed her brown in confusion, unsure of what he meant. Did he forget that she watched herself die by the hands of Belphegor? or when she was nearly killed by Lucifer in the tombs if the prince himself hadn’t come to her aid?...Or frankly, any of the countless threats she experienced since coming here? She looked to the brothers, many of whom shared in her confusion, though they stayed silent. Storm thought for a moment she heard Mammon muttering under his breath, but she couldn’t make out anything except “bullshit.”

Despite the now tense atmosphere in the room, Diavolo continued in his attempt at a heartwarming speech: “You’ve had a wonderful effect on us here- more than I ever could have hoped. You’ve brought changes to the Devildom, to RAD, and most importantly, to every one of us. The exchange program was a success, and you’re the reason why.” 

He captured Storm in a strong embrace, catching her off guard. His large stature intimidated her, so she found herself growing anxious the longer he held her small frame against him. This wasnt the first time he had misread a situation, though sometimes Storm wondered if it was because of his puppy-like airheadedness, or if he was doing it on purpose to see other squirm under his power.

“I truly appreciate everything you’ve done for us. Thank you, Storm.” 

She forced a smile, patting his back as if to signal him to let her go. “Thank you for having me.” 

“My lord...” Barbatos tapped Diavolo on the shoulder, noticing the clear distress he was causing the frail human. "We shouldn't further prolong the inevitable."

Finally getting the memo, Diavolo set Storm back down on the floor, not realizing how far up he had lifted her small body when he chose to hug her. He let out a hearty laugh, amused by his own behavior. “I suppose I can’t hog all your attention now, can I? It appears Lucifer and his brothers are waiting their turn to say goodbye.” 

With a pat on the back, Diavolo stepped away, leaving Storm to face the 7 Avatars of Sin. After a deep, shaky breath that held back a waterfall of tears, she began her rounds- first approaching Mammon. Seeing her approach, Mammon turned his head away, hiding his already wet eyes. 

She gave him a sad, but warm smile as she approached him. “Thank you for helping me when no one else would, Mammon. I really appreciate all you've helped me with, and I'm going to miss you.” 

“Yeah yeah...” Mammon tried to conceal a sniffle, running his hand across his face as he turned to give Storm a firm hug. “Make sure ya don’t go doin’ anything too crazy once yer back in the human world, got it?” 

Storm nodded against his chest, squeezing him tighter against her. Mammon sighed, trying to be discrete in returning her squeezes, but she noticed. Despite his attempts at pushing her away and insisting he was better than the friendship of a human, Storm appreciated getting to know the stubborn demon. She found that getting along with him and finding common ground was easier than she thought it would be, and she'd be lying if she said they didn't have fun together. Despite everything, he truly was her first friend in the Devildom, and she wouldn’t forget that. 

“It’s weird, ya know...That I won’t get to see ya whenever I want no more...I can’t even remember what Devildom was like before ya came along. It’s gonna be real boring, so that’s why you better start preparin’ for a visit!” Mammon smiled, proudly putting his hands on his hips as she pulled away from the hug. “That’s right, yer gonna get a special visit from THE great Mammon!”

Storm laughed, smacking his arm playfully as he continued boasting about how great their visit would be. Levi rolled his eyes, pushing Mammon aside despite his protests.  and approaching storm next.

“ListenStorm...I-I won’t erase our save data from the games we were playing, alright? So that way when...er- if...you come back we can pick up where we left off. I need my player two, o-okay?!”

She attempted to give him a hug, but Levi squeaked and retreated, instead jutting out his hand to her. She smiled warmly and shook it. “I will be sure to pick up some neat games in the human world for next time, Levi.” 

Levi grinned and retreated backward with a bright blush on his face. Storm hadn’t been particularly fond of Levi at first, but he had definitely grown on her. Playing video games late into the night was something she would surely come to miss, and despite everything, she did find herself honored by the title of his Henry.

Satan then stepped forward, gently enveloping Storm into a hug. “Take care of yourself.” 

Storm patted his back as he released her from the hug. Though she hadnt grown absurdly close to the 5th born, she enjoyed their deep conversations and sharing of knowledge with each other while they were holed up in the library. He taught her a lot,, and his patience in tutoring her also did not go unappreciated.

"Thanks, Satan." She smiled, the leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Remember, the cats in the alley behind RAD need grooming from time to time to avoid matting and fleas."

Asmo rushed forward before Satan had even managed to reply, completely hip-checking him out of the way. He wrapped Storm in a tight hug, nearly winding her as he wailed. “Oh my dear Storm! I’m going to miss you sooo much! You're just the loveliest most darling human I've ever know. How can I even go on without you! I'll be a wreck for weeks!” 

Storm laughed, trying to push him off as he peppered her face with kisses. “Alright, alright. I’ll miss you too, Asmo.” 

He beamed, placing small bag of beauty products in her hand as he pulled away. “make sure to keep up the exfoliation routine i taught you. It will help with the dark circles under your eyes and making your skin clear as day!” 

Storm nodded, thanking him for the gift. Asmo had definitely been a tricky one to come to love with his egocentric personality, but she managed to do it all the same. She only hoped that upon their next meeting, she would be able to take more of Lucifer’s suggestions and assert her boundaries on touching better. 

Beelzebub stepped forward as Asmo was reluctantly pulled back by Mammon. His face was stained with tears and his lip trembled as he approached her. He gripped her hands in his, squeezing them firmly. “R-remember to eat when you get hungry, okay..? No ignoring your stomach.” 

Storm finally let tears slip past her eyes after holding them back for so long. She quickly captured Beel in a tight hug, letting herself cry into his chest. Her breathing shuddered as she tried to control her tears, finding it the hardest to say goodbye to the 2nd youngest. He squeezed her back, tears rolling delicately onto the top of her head. The bond she and Beelzebub shared was probably the strongest of any of the brothers- as if they’d known each other for centuries. 

She hesitated to let go, but finally decided it was time, and returned to holding his hands. He squeezed them once more, offering a weak smile. “I love you, Storm. I will make sure to save up to treat you to dinner the next time you come home.” 

Home. Storm’s brain paused on the word, finding the tears welling up once more at the acknowledgement that he truly did see her as family. She nodded, not being able to find the words to return the sentiment, but he knew she did. 

Storm took a deep breath and turned to Belphie, who had been watching woefully at her tearful goodbye to his twin. Upon catching her eye, he looked down immediately. She approached him awkwardly, unsure of what to say or if she should even give him a hug. 

“I...” Belphie began, swallowing hard in between his statements and opening his arms in an offered hug. “I wanted to spend more time with you.”

Storm felt her throat tighten- almost half expecting him to finally issue her a proper apology after everything, but knowing that the result was unlikely to happen given his distance from accepting accountability. She sighed, accepting his awkward embrace. “Y-yeah...it would have been nice...”

Storm finally turned to the eldest brother. He slowly tuned his attention toward her, as if to display that he didn’t care if she stayed or went- but the wetness in his eyes told her that it was merely a façade. 

“I’ll always cherish the time spent with you this year...” He paused, clearly trying to hide his emotions. “You’re always welcome in the Devildom any time you’d like to return.” 

She smiled as her eyes became misty with tears once more. “Thank you, Lucifer.” 

He began to stretch his hand out, figuring she would not want to be too intimate after the previous night. To his surprise, she jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly as her tears fell freely once moee, staining his waist coat. Against his previous judgement of trying to forget about her, he returned the hug. Lucifer felt his chest feeling fuzzy rubbed one hand up and down her back. Her warmth was hard to stray from, despite trying his best to shove the feelings back down. Somehow, he couldn't find himself able to do it when she was this close to him.

After she finally let go, Storm wiped the tears away from her eyes. “I’ll miss you...all of you.” 

They all smiled, returning the sentiment as Diavolo clasped a hand on her shoulder. 

“It’s time.” 

She turned and approached the portal that Barbatos had opened, offering him a short goodbye. She took one last glance back at the brothers. They waved, many crying or close to tears as she gave a final goodbye and turned back to the portal. 

“The Devildom will always be here for you, Storm.” Diavolo mused, the feeling of his strong hand slowly fading as she walked through the portal.

Within seconds, Storm found herself back on the stoop to her apartment. She turned quickly, hoping to see if she could catch a glimpse of the brothers one last time, but she was only met with the cracked pathway leading up to her door. Storm frowned, feeling tears well up in her eyes once more as reality set back in. She wished she could have stayed longer- maybe even permanently. Not much was waiting for her back in the human world except for her dog, a couple distant friends, a mundane job, her not-so-great family, and all of the reminders of her past. Going to Devildom gave her the chance to have a new start- a new chance at life. To only have it torn away so quickly made her heart ache.

She sighed, fumbling for her keys and letting herself inside. She quickly dialed her friends number, hoping to soon be back together with her service dog after the deep feeling of sadness that had already manifested so quickly after returning home. As she sifted through her mail, awaiting the voice on the other line, she caught glimpse of Mammon's pact mark on the left hand. She smiled, knowing the 7 brothers of sin would always be a part of her- forever.

She hoped that her return to the Devildom would come sooner rather than later.

#5 sides of human #obey me! #obey me #shall we date: obey me #obey me swd #obm #obey me fic #fic #obey me series #obm series #obm fic #series #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me diavolo #obey me simeon #obey me barbatos #obey me solomon #obey me mc #my mc #storm #fern 🌱 #Heart 💗 #vivi 🖤 #sarah 🍑

[rocksrntpeople]

MCU Rewatch - Iron Man 2

So, turns out I did know what Iron Man 2 is about and just thought that it was Iron Man 3. What the hell is Iron Man 3 then? Something, something, annoying little kid, something, something, Iron Man? Idk, but at the very least this is the last one that makes me go, “what the hell was this about again?”

Granted, Iron Man 2 was a lesson in cinematic dichotomy and I had a hard time feeling engaged with the Ivan Vanko plotline. It seemed super shallow and just generally less interesting than what Stark was dealing with.

So, the main plot of this movie is actually tri-fold. Firstly, we have Tony Stark dealing with palladium poisoning. He’s dying because of the device that’s keeping him alive and it’s the first time he’s dealing with failure somehow, and there’s just a lot of internal strife going on. 

Alongside this is the much more public battle of Iron Man’s identity. The U.S. government wants the Iron Man suit to be a symbol of the US military, to represent power and glory over all through violence, but that’s not who or what Iron Man is. Up against Stark is a bloated (literally) politician and a weapons contractor who may be one of the most annoying characters in the MCU.

And this leads us into the third, kind of shoe-horned-in plot of Anton and Ivan Vanko. When Anton dies at the beginning of the movie, his son Ivan decides that now is the time to take revenge on Stark, as opposed to a few years earlier before he had the Iron Man suit and before Ivan’s dad bit the dust. But okay. And what is he mad about? That Tony Stark’s dad “stole” the arc reactor idea from Anton and then decades later Tony actually made it somewhat useful.

I’m sorry but that is just a stupid plot. So this guy, who’s been trapped in Siberia for decades, finally decides to leave and his motivation is that some guy whose dad used to work with his dad used old technology to create new technology? And he’s going to combat him with…whips? Powered by technology that, not only was totally available to this villain since well before Tony “stole” it, but is also literally impossible for some of the world’s best scientists in top facilities to create?

(Do you remember this, Marvel? It was two movies earlier.)

Meanwhile, the other two plots are doing great work with the whole dueling egos and themes of identity crises between private and public personas. Plus there’s a whole overarching moral lesson of friendship is power!

Once again, chef’s kiss; perfect. It’s clear that Favreau loves Iron Man; it’s where he started and it’s where he thrives. Despite having to shove in a fairly generic action plot, he manages to tie together the rest of the movie to create seriously humanizing moments that endear us to Iron Man.

There’s a lot to like about this movie, but it’s mostly in the quiet moments, the atmosphere, the snappy comebacks Stark tosses out like nothing. The cuts to the Vanko story were often jarring and felt like commercial breaks cutting into what I really wanted to watch.

And to be completely honest, what I wanted to watch was a lot of world and character building. We’re still in the dawn of the MCU here, and Iron Man 2 and 3 do a lot of heavy lifting as far as establishing new characters and letting viewers see how the rest of the world responds to superheroes.

I was more excited to see Black Widow than I thought I would be. I don’t dislike her or anything, but when she came on screen it was electric, like this is it, the world is expanding. She doesn’t belong here; she’s not part of the Iron Man team. Yet here she is, meddling.

Along with Romanov, we also get Coulson on the scene again and of course, Nick Fury. The little nods to Thor throughout the film were shockingly enjoyable. I didn’t know shit about Thor when this came out, so going back knowing everything that will happen…it’s a whole new kind of tension. This is gonna be a theme for a while, I think. The MCU ball doesn’t really start rolling until after Captain America shows up.

While SHIELD is basically only in the movie to give Iron Man some much needed pep talks, the rest of the cast does a great job supporting Tony Stark. He doesn’t make it easy, but by the end he’s friends with Rhodey again (after getting into a mech fight and having Rhodey steal one of the suits), he saved the public from US military contractors, he gets together with Pepper finally, and he even gets a message from his father validating his love for him! Come on! Everyone is in Iron Man’s corner!

Except, obviously, the main bad dude Vanko (and also that idiot Hammer). This guy kept saying “you lose” like he didn’t waste his life in Siberia being evil, and then just…explodes. Okay; girl, bye.

Can we talk about how cool this movie is for a second? As time goes on, the movies begin to rush the action a bit, especially as the battlefields become more complex, but in Iron Man 2 the actions make sense.

For example, Tony Stark’s germ thing. There are many possible reasons why he might have an anti-germ thing, primarily the fact that he’s dying throughout most of the movie, but what’s awesome is how he asks Pepper to put on a mask when she’s coughing, how he refuses to take things handed to him, how he shirks away from people trying to touch him. Those little continuity details make a big difference.

I especially loved when Black Widow and Happy are fighting at Hammer Industries and you can literally see Happy fighting in the background while Black Widow has a whole long fight scene.

(And yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it’s a little ridiculous that she got changed and moussed her hair in the car. I don’t care; I overlooked Vanko and I’ll overlook the little Black Widow gaffes too.)

Then, there are so many awesome shots done for no reason other than Iron Man is cool as fuck. 

Whereas Iron Man established Tony Stark’s character, Iron Man 2 established his new personality, the one that can just barely handle failure and needing help and overall considering the impact of his actions beyond his immediate circle.

Most of the MCU characters have this type of personality evolution, and it’s one of my favorite elements of the franchise. Stark will undergo a few personality shifts throughout the series, as you’d expect since he was the first one in. I’m very excited!

Speaking of personality shifts, I’m so excited for Thor! I have just a bit of hatred for the original Thor characterization, but the other characters are great, the plot is decent, and it’s just really amusing to see this fancy, stuck-up Thor, knowing what’s to come for the character.

Iron Man 2 gets a 6/10 for me overall. Definitely one of the weakest MCU movie, but it had plenty of redeeming qualities.

#iron man 2 #marvel #mcu #mcu rewatch #thor #pepper potts #justin hammer #black widow #nick fury #captain america #ivan vanko #howard stark #stark industries #hammer industries

[lizi20]

About Sasara & Kuko (comic)

2022.02.19 Just moving some of what I wrote on Twitter to here. https://twitter.com/Lizi_2020/status/1494834818734952450?s=20&t=3hW_6K035f4EOLiSM1IfuQ I really think Sasara’s comedy has two sides, one is the “comedy as defence mechanism” (1) a.k.a. his “bad habit” that he developed since he was a child. But because he has relied on comedy so much to survive (and also because he has the talent), comedy has also become his biggest weapon, his identity and his art (2). This goes beyond just a defensive reaction. This is what he created out of his pain. What he takes pride in.  That’s why Sasara’s primary concern is whether Kuko finds his jokes funny or not (「こいつは簓さんに一切ハマらんなぁ…」) even when they may be under attack by a bear. Sasara’s “bad habit” started off in his childhood as a defensive reaction to protect his own mental health from his collapsing family as well as an exercise of his agency to attempt to fix his family situation (1), but it has grown into this impulsive behaviour that he still can’t get rid of in his adulthood (2). Now that his comedy is his career and aspiration, it has become his way of living (2), he’s not going to get rid of it. He always says “oh my bad habit is acting up again…” but I doubt he really wants to change that. He creates art and makes others smile from his pain. He just wanted to see whether he can make Kuko laugh. So that’s why I feel Sasara’s logic is quite disjointed before and after he tells a joke in response to a stressful situation. He justifies his “bad habit” as a reaction towards an external stressor (i.e. tense atmosphere of a bear encounter), but after he tells the joke he seems to be just testing your reaction towards his comedy. He doesn’t (or can’t?) care about whether there’s a bear or not in the first place (= no consideration for self-protection). The only stressor he identifies and reacts to is any kind of “tense atmosphere”.  This is what I find incredible (and dysfunctional) about this man. Sometimes I’m just surprised he’s still alive. What makes Sasara’s “bad habit” really “bad” is that they are all just quick fixes that do not tackle the root problems. They are temporary, spontaneous reactions that don't consider their consequences. He deals with the “tense atmosphere” but not with the “bear”. Like a child trying to sew up his torn teddy bear with very poorly done patchwork that he taught himself how to do. He doesn’t ask questions like “why is the teddy bear torn in the first place”, “who tore it” or “why are my parents not here to help me fix this”.  I think that’s how he lost Rosho. He doesn’t know to ask. That's why his character motto is “only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.” He lives in a very lonely world.  This way of dealing with situations does function as a “change of subject (=a form of escapism)”, as you point out. I think Sasara only begins to realise this after his interaction with Rosho in Aikata(s) Back Again, a later drama track, when he’s age 26. ---------- Did Sasara feel some kind of survivor's guilt towards Rosho? How does he feel about his solo success now as a comedian? I personally think Sasara is more likely to say "we're equally good at comedy, so why ME and not him?", in the sense that, why can’t the world just recognise what incredible talent Rosho has got, instead of treating him like the odd one out.   I think he would have also said “it's my fault for NOTICING Rosho was suffering but choosing to do nothing about it”. Sasara is always too scared to step into others’ lives. He grew up as a very mature child, sensitive to the pain of others. He also learnt to not ask too much, because the adults always seemed like they already have a lot to deal with. That’s why when facing a suicidal person, Sasara still takes his usual stance of giving others their own space (「答えたくないんなら無理にとは…」), whereas Kuko understands to lend others a hand when needed (「どうせ他人だ、話してみろよ」) . By canon, Sasara admires Rosho as a person. Since they first met at 18, Sasara was attracted to Rosho’s “different perspective (「普通とは違う視点」)”. There’s the episode (side DH story) that Sasara pointed to a cup of water and asked Rosho what that is, Rosho answered “glass”. At that moment, Sasara probably felt like he found some undiscovered treasure that only he can find in this world. So that’s why during their duo period, Sasara’s approach to Rosho was always “it’s great that you have a unique perspective different from the rest, but the key is to communicate that in a way that others can also understand (「その視点しかないと世間からズレすぎてしまう…理解できなさすぎて笑いにならん」)”.  Sasara has always been the one that connected Rosho with the rest of the world（世間）because Sasara believed in Rosho’s talent the most. The world needed to witness this.  To Sasara, success seemed guaranteed, because he could read the world around him pretty well. He knows what people want from him and he knows how to sell himself in this industry. He also has extreme confidence, if not a bit of arrogance and delusion, in his comedy. He once said somewhere (forgot the source) that “when the audience is not laughing, I worry that they might not have heard me”. I doubt he ever felt he won’t succeed. But success meant nothing if it wasn’t together with Rosho. That’s why Sasara left for Tokyo after he and Rosho disbanded. He abandoned his home, his career, everything, to be on the streets of Tokyo.  A popular fan theory is that the more Sasara succeeded as a solo comedian (age 20-23), the more he might have wanted to leave the stage because it proved that the world didn’t need Rosho to be together with him. As if Rosho was right in thinking that he was Sasara’s burden. I really think what Sasara is looking for in “comedy” is not material success in the entertainment industry, but some kind of genuine human connection. Maybe we can even say, some sort of significant other? Thus it was quite easy for Sasara to leave everything behind and have a new start in Tokyo, where he found Samatoki.  It must have hurt Sasara immensely to see the world ignore Rosho and only praise him for what should have been a dream for both of them. So, when Kuko laughed at Rosho’s comedy, it really saved him. I saw someone say that Kuko’s laugh saved Rosho. I don’t think so. I think it saved Nurude Sasara.

#character study #sasara nurude #kuko harai #rosho tsutsujimori

[finelinegynandromorph]

hallelujah, how’d you do it: gospel and religious harmonic convergence in lil nas x’s dead right now

hi! i know i usually write about harry styles here but i’m going through my periodic montero spiral and wanted to share a few vocal symbology thoughts because i am a slut for harmonies. so! if that sounds interesting, i’ll be using the usual fast and loose approach to musical terminology, you have been forewarned. 

as some personal background, a lot of my earlier singing experience was in a gospel context. to clarify, this was distinct from the US gospel choir tradition because mine was in the African Traditional Church (ATC) structure, where tenants of christianity are combined with traditional elements of animism, folklore, and mythology. there’s definite overlap and influence of US gospel traditions and ATC’s on each other, but just want to fully clarify that my experience has only been in one of those contexts. i’ll be using my ATC experience to speak to some gospel themes i personally see in dead right now, but since the traditions are similar and intertwined but *not* identical, if you have more experience with US gospel traditions and have corrections or clarifications or things to add please do share your thoughts i’d love to hear them!

me and the church have more of a. distant. relationship now, further complicated by growing up in a religious context that was mixed christian/hindu/buddhist/muslim and also being gay and trans. but! with that being said, i hold so many very special memories from gospel traditions. memories like singing with my granny and older aunties in the community while the pastor gave a rhythmic spoken word sermon at midnight on new year’s eve—that’s the kind of formative musical and social experiences that i still hold very close to my chest. anyway all this to say i’m coming at this with a little bit of distance but also a lot of complicated nuanced warmth. 

x

so! here we go, more under the cut!

we begin with a slightly distorted/faded organ-like musical prompting, as if we’re slightly underwater (a production theme in this album, with rain noises, splashes, etc. interspersed throughout which gives me ~thoughts~ on symbols of water and the movement of water in diasporic traditions but yes more on that another time). the sound here reminds me of an organ intro that helps cue in the choir for a church hymn. this sonic convergence feels very intentional given the very consistent nods to gospel tradition through the rest of the song.

when we move into the body of music at large, we’ve got the striking trumpets and the introduction of a choir! there’s consonance in two main keys here, providing a soft, atmospheric harmonization that feels very instrumental. then we have an electronic beep cueing in montero rapping the first verse. 

the two forms of prompting we have here, first the organ for the choir and next the beep for montero, just absolutely remind me of cueing techniques for choral arrangements. these sonic choices seem significant to me in a song that deals so directly with themes of community and origin. the beep also sounds reminiscent of a dial tone/phone sound, which leads smoothly into the image montero creates in the first verse, of folks contacting him on the phone.

in the first verse we’ve got instrumental synth in the background at the same key as the choir from before, contributing to the atmospheric feeling. then, the chorus!

we move here to an inclusion of a more typical hip-hop backing beat together with the trumpets from before—this beat expands in the second verse, and we have montero dipping into his characteristic weaving together of musical conventions from different genres, whether that’s country, rock, pop, jazz, etc. (there’s also something to this here about how mainstream musical media genres, as siloed as they appear, mostly stem from oral storytelling traditions that weren’t nearly as divided but we’ll leave that here for now)

i’d like to draw your attention to a beautiful moment we get in the second verse, where montero begins to use rhythmic pauses in a way that gives me so! much joy.

daddy, i am that one, uh - uh / i ain’t never need em, huh

the uh-uh section here is a musical break—a breath, a jump, a nonverbal filling in to complete a literary metric unit, and a common feature in gospel traditions! i’ve heard this referred to as “the rhythms of pausing” before and it’s a mainstay of rap and preaching traditions alike. many churches will have people who act as “gospel readers”, injecting religious sermons with a vibrancy that has a very musical quality. it’s a form of enunciating a sermon and sonically prompting your audience to keep paying attention, because more is coming, “let us pray” together. 

here we have the beautiful rhythms of a gospel reading used to Deliver an incising commentary on fame, support, beliefs in an individual person, and the way a community can both care for and neglect one of its members. just. very much thoughts.

hallelujah / how’d you do it?

!! so we’ve got this line delivered by a gospel choir and now we’re explicitly invoking that musical and religious tradition with the use of the word “hallelujah”!! it’s another example of prompting within this vocal tradition and we’ve got a rhythmic break/bounce between the prompt “hallelujah” and the continued question “how’d you do it?” there is something so poignant about this particular questioning being delivered in this format. there’s this feeling of a whole community imploring montero to let them in on the secret of his success, speaking in the language of a deep-seated tradition. it’s a call that montero is trying to navigate how to respond to.

okay, so let’s breakdown this choir. we’ve got montero on the melody, in his usual semi-baritone, and then we’ve got the *main* parts of the choir (there’s layering here, but just sticking to the most apparent components) performing a fairly typical gospel arrangement:

- soprano harmony

- bass doubled harmony one octave lower than the soprano harmony

we’ve got many singers in each part to add body to the sound, and the vocalists are harnessing a very warm, rich timbre. 

we also have an improvisational tone!! in soprano and a much fainter bass!

so, an improvisational tone is someone harmonizing in a non-rigid way, usually involving lots of vocal runs. it can sound round, curvy, or sort of shaky (but never weak in tone). there’s a lot here but in essence vocal improvisation speaks to a wider history of gospel improvisation, the broader impact of jazz, and the “blues sensibility” of particular prominence during the harlem renaissance. in the traditions i was part of, these kinds of improvisations map onto a larger use of nonverbal rhythmic expressions, like ululations. they also connect to spoken word and oral storytelling traditions.

all this to say that this is a very very striking and clear component of gospel tradition that we’ve got at play here! *and* the main soprano tone is slightly distorted as a production feature, similar to the organ from the intro to the song. i find the repeated slight distortion of characteristic religious musical traditions a fascinating choice and i personally think it speaks to the themes montero seems to be exploring here, of trying to grapple with a fraught and changing relationship to the place and people you’re from (what does “from” mean? what is the relationship between belonging and entitlement?) 

in the third verse we’ve got even more inclusion of gospel elements along with montero’s rapping. there’s an element of call-and-response in a softer voice, with some slight distortion, there’s choral harmonies in the background, and there’s also a higher improvisational tone vocalizing over the track. 

finally, in the last chorus we have a more forceful example of call-and-reponse, a signature gospel/blues tradition, this time in the form of a dynamic between montero and his father, who is a vocalist on this track. montero is delivering the melody for the chorus in the same introspective baritone he’s used for the chorus all throughout, while his father responds with cries of “treat you like you’re dead!” / “oh now you can’t!” in a higher key. these are expressive, emotive vocalizations, you can feel the bodily jump as he shouts. the choice to have his father provide this response to montero’s call, complete with the heavy themes of contact and communication with one’s community that ring throughout this song, the elements of a phone call beeping, a siren (an electronic signal, to who? to communicate what? a warning? a haunting reminder of the violent communication happening about this community by external viewers?), distorting, improvising like a gospel singer in a whine at the end of the song, all seem incredibly important. 

this is a song that is explicitly aware that it is a communication of intimate non-contact, of an individual who is trying to navigate a charged narrative of origin. in an album that deals heavily with themes of family, community, and organized religion, i find the move to heavily incorporate elements of gospel tradition here incredibly powerful.

that’s about all i wanted to share. if you’d be keen to chat more about origin, homegoing, and vocal symbology in tales of dominica from the same album do lmk!

#sending it out into the ether as usual so it doesn't just bounce around in my brain #vocal symbology #lil nas x #montero tag bby #montero #dead right now #gospel traditions

[loverockawaitsyou]

Fanfic Snippet: Cameron Crowe Asks Pearl Jam to Headline the Singles Premiere Party

NOTE: I’m working on the second act of my long-form fanfic. For the story, I wanted to explore the big “WHAT IF?” of the infamous Singles Premiere Party, which was the ***BIRTH OF NO.*** according to Pearl Jam. Little footage of it exists, so I wanted to create a whole scenario of what happened through the perspective of my OCs. 

Additionally, I am now playing with switching POVs. The majority of my story is in first person, through the eyes of my main OC, but occasionally, I’ll switch to third person to detail what’s going on with the boys! 

This is part of a longer chapter in progress. For the full work so far, here is the link: STATE OF LOVE AND DISTRUST

MEANWHILE, IN A STATE FAR AWAY FROM CALIFORNIA

“Absolutely NOT. That is one of our only days off, Cameron! I need to chill. We all need to chill. We’re tired as it is. This tour schedule has been kickin’ our asses! I need some fuckin’ sleep.”

Jeff and the rest of the members of Pearl Jam circled around a corded phone, which rested on a messy coffee table littered with snack wrappers, cigarette butts, and empty beer bottles. The guys had attempted to unwind after another chaotic concert, but they were met with a not-so-welcome call.

They all stared at the phone as if it was a grenade that needed to be tossed outside. The atmosphere in the room was tense, as the band members were trying to think of what to say, but they struggled to find the words.

Jeff stood with his hands on his hips, frowning down on the phone, as if he wanted Cameron to see his disdain. Stone was sitting on the couch, leaning forward, with his hands clasped together. His eyes were closed, in contemplation. The rest of the guys were splayed on two couches, Eddie laying down with his arms folded, and his boots leaving dirt crumbles on the fabric. Dave was twiddling his thumbs, and Mike was sitting on an armrest rubbing his legs nervously. 

Cameron paused for a moment, then continued to talk on the speaker. 

“Come on you guys. This will be a great promo for the movie! The studio almost shelved this thing, but you're the reason it’s getting so much attention. It won’t be the same if you don’t come! We need a headliner! Nirvana wants nothing to do with it!”

“We already have to perform for MTV, and we’ll have to deal with them two nights in a row? I’m not down with that,” said Mike. “It’s too much man.”

Eddie sat up furiously on the couch and shouted at the phone, “Everyone wants something from us! Everybody LOVES us, but do they really like us? I doubt it.”

Jeff calmed down a bit. “I mean, we try to say yes to everything, but we can’t. We’re so grateful for all of this. We really are. This is what we’ve been working towards for almost 10 years. We do try Cameron, but there’s so much going on. We can’t do it all.”

Eddie grumbled in agreement then lay back down and continued to fold his arms and shake his shoes. Cameron gave a hefty groan through the phone. 

“Guys. I know it’s short notice. I could have never predicted this whole thing was going to happen. This whole ‘Grunge’ trend is outrageous, and I agree with you. It’s stupid--the most foolish thing I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s a big, crazy hype machine. I want no part of any of that. I made this movie because I love Seattle and I love the community, and I care about everyone in it, especially you guys. You KNOW my intentions came from a good place. After what happened…with Andy… I thought it was important to make this movie and share it. PLEASE.”

“Fucking Sub Pop,” growled Stone.

Cameron continued, “This is the LAST push to make people see the movie. We need it to be a box office success. After this, the circus is over.”

“Hold on Cameron,” Jeff said as he hit the mute button on the phone. He rubbed his forehead in frustration, the towel on his head slipping off.

Stone leaned back on the couch in defeat, and he ran his hand over his fresh buzz cut. He exhaled, a solemn look on his face.

“You know, maybe we should do it,” Stone said. “Cameron is practically family. We just need to do the show and it’s all over, and we can get back to focusing on the tour and the new record.”

Dave, attempting to lighten the mood said, “It’s a movie premiere. We don’t have to play a full set. Just a couple songs and we can have a little fun after. It’s a Hollywood party! It can’t be that bad.”

The guys agreed slightly, then continued to deliberate for a couple more minutes.

After deliberating, the band huddled around the phone, with Stone taking it off of the mute setting. 

“Hey Cameron, you still there?” 

“Yeah, I’m still here.”

Stone crouched down, and put his face next to the phone speaker in order to make sure Cameron had no trouble hearing what he had to say. 

“We discussed it, and we’ll do it.”

“Oh, thank you so much, guys. You have no idea how much this means to me,” said Cameron after a sigh of relief. 

“But wait,” interjected Stone. “Understand. We are doing this because you’re our friend and we love the Seattle community too. We’ve got your back. We don’t give a fuck about the corporate overlords that put you up to this. This is not about them. Fuck MTV. Fuck Warner Brothers. Fuck the whole lot of LA leeches. To hell with ‘em.”

Jeff spoke up, “Yeah. As soon as our set is over, we’re out.”

“Understood,” said Cameron. “Just play a couple songs on camera. That’s all I need.”

After a few more words, Cameron hung up. When Cameron was gone, the guys looked at the phone, and then each other, unsure of what they’d gotten themselves into.

“If anything bad happens, we’ll say it’s your fault Stone,” said Eddie.

Stone couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious.

#pearl jam #fanfic #writing #eddie vedder #stone gossard #jeff ament #mike mccready #dave abbruzzese #mtv #singles #90s #grunge #cameron crowe #fan fiction #ao3