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survivalist-anon · 16 days

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Log 15: Heresy City

Rolling into town was a more complicated matter for the Imperial Fists and the boys. For it was not just a matter of parking space for a bus that could accommodate a whole football team, but a matter of size in general. The world was not built for Astartes their size.

It was a challenge alone for Wick to stay hidden, this was a Herculean task for the group. Parking their car roughly 5 mi away from a road down Blue Diamond Road, the walk to the nearest Casino was... strange to say the least.

Dressed in civilian clothing, the men accidentally looked more intimidating as a group. Following a signal tracking Wick, by a tracking device placed by Aldercon for security, Bilhard follows it intensively. Well Moors had stayed behind to guard the bus, Cahrilo, Sten and Toke follow close behind.

"How much further is that blasted Wick?!", Toke had been complaining about the heat, not for any good reason either, although he's not fully affected by the weather, it is still uncomfortable for him to deal with the heat without his power armor cooling him off.

Sten, more accustomed to the weather from his time traveling to warmer States throughout his time here on Earth, it's not really share Toke's adversion with the weather. "Yield your temper battle brother, tis small yet more populated city, I am certain we will be able to find him.".

Bilhard suddenly found that Wick's signal was on the move, not as fast as he anticipated but fast enough to see that he was mobile. "He's further down the metropolitan area. Hopefully he makes a stop long enough that we can pinpoint his location.".

Cahrilo was enjoying the stroll down the hot road. He looked towards some of the buildings within as line of sight, large thematic casinos, the sound of bustling cars and what he can clearly tell was plenty of activity. "Hopefully we well not attract too much attention.". He glances over one of the electrical billboards and notices that there was an advertisement for the South Point casino's most anticipated event of the year, the 'World Wrestle-ton'. "Perhaps maybe we will blend in better if the populace believes we are performers?".

The others looked over at the billboard, "well what a shame, Moor's probably would have enjoyed this mission if it weren't for him prioritizing the bus.", Bilhard knew that Moors along with a few others back at Fort Dorn had become accustomed with life on Earth to the point of enjoying what the planet has to offer in terms of entertainment and leisure. Along with modifying automotive and military vehicles, Moor's also enjoyed watching programs such as wrestling and sports.

It was not a surprise to anyone, but it takes a considerable amount of time for an Astartes to discover what entertains them. Some can go for decades without actively pursuing anything close to a hobby. Some immediately discover upon even witnessing the interest. It is fairly easy for an angel of the emperor to forget the notion of being 'human', a constant state of war in battle will facilitate such an issue.

Toke and Sten had become alert due to the incoming influx of auditory pollution and the potpourri of smells coming from the city.

Although Sten was a more experienced veteran, he was on high alert. "Something about this place....feels foreboding.", as he warns the others, an electric advertisement and quickly shifted to promoting a new upcoming masked wrestler from Central Mexico, 'El Nino'.

It may have not been obvious to a mortal human, but to any self-respecting Astartes, 'El Nino' had unfortunately familiar proportions.

Toke was more excited about the potential experience to come. "Aye, it's probably just a really ugly mortal. I mean we've seen a few before, Sten."

"I am certain we may not have much to fear, we just need to retrieve Wick, leave, and prepare ourselves for Wick's dressdown.", Cahrilo shrugged.

"Dress down?", Toke questioned.

Bilhard, "Lock it up, we're heading into the main street.", the four men stood out from the crowd just enough to be spotted as a group.

The looks and gawking of passerbys had a very different feel from those who were marveled at the sight of armored Astartes. Out of their armor, they were as bizarre and no more extraordinary as side show performers. In Las Vegas, this will work to their advantage.

"I don't get it, why are these mortals just staring at us.", he flashes his fangs at a ticket peddler for a split second before he could even begin to bother them.

"Mortals on this planet are not use to our presence. Aldercon after a few decades discovered the hard way. Here, we must stay hidden as much as we can. In the heavily wooded state of Oregon, we can move about rather freely...here...well...", Bilhard polited refused another peddler attempted to push advertisements for strip clubs, discounted promotional tickets. "This is were we come in. In highly populated areas, we retrieve loyalists and and dispose of any traitors to the Imperium. However in recent years....we have had to bend what defines chaos here....all of this," as he he shows the slowly lighting glows of the neon lights of Las Vegas in the late afternoon, "Is heresy to us...but it is.... leisure, business and...", all four become a bit distracted with a few dancers promoting the burlesque shows around the front of the Palazzo, "pleasure".

Toke and Sten look at each other, starting to piece together that there was a distinct reason why mortals were attracted to this place.

Cahrilo on the other hand, still rather young for his rank, was a little more distracted, "well....it's all in innocent fun from what we can see....but this place does attract the more...sorted crowd."

"What kind of sorted crowd? Cultists? Chaos traitors? Xenos?", Toke inquired.

"So far we haven't found any Xenos nor have we found...well...what we define as cultists or any cultists activities. Our sources outside of the state have theorized due to our exposure to the warp. We are the only ones that come to this place....well....at least it is confirmable.", Bilhard had been having trouble locating Wick through his tracking device, until it had become redundant to do so.

Another electric billboard appeared promoting Sleen's Greek mythology themed acrobatics show, "The Pantheon", as the imagines of the show had flashed on the wide screen. A quick clip of Selene gracefully defying gravity on top of a large representation of earth itself....with a familiar frame.

Sten was intrigued but wasn't surprised, "....so....I see he is .... artistically inclined."

"why is wearing a fracking towel? Also what is that on his head? Is...he dressed up like Primarch Gilliman?", Toke squinting to understand what he was looking at.

Cahrilo was a bit worried, he knew Wick was a little bit more adventurous when it came to his personal intrigues. However, to actively do something of this level was unheard of even within the ranks of the Raven Guard themselves. If Wick was of the Blood Angels or Emperor's Children chapters this would more understandable.

Bilhard was the only one of the group that have had a inclination on why Wick had gone to to lengths of exposing himself this way. ".... something is happening here....at least we know where we can find him now. There.", him pointing to the Paris Casino couldn't have been more unnecessarily dramatic, but dramatic actions call for dramatic antics.

At the door of the entrance, again onlookers stealing side eyes and glances at the group of overly tall, muscular men. The noses of Toke and Sten had begun to crinkle. The smell of cigarettes was just as part of the air as the oxygen around.

"ESCK! What is that foul stench?", Toke was surprisingly taken back by the smoke.

Sten as well could barley handle the overbearing oder himself. "This place is adhorrant, how can anyone even remain here?".

The two imperial fists were not too surprised of the smokey smell either, they were use to smelling strong, chemical odors. Cigarette smoke was nothing in comparison to what the both had inhaled on accident.

"I shall get us rooms here. We shall complete our mission in morning with the likely hood of running into Wick now astronomically higher.", Bilhard initiated.

Cahrilo walked ahead of Bilhard to beat him to the front desk. "Pardon me, would you happen to have four rooms available?". He gave a friendly smile that almost sent the front-desk clerk swooning.

"Ah l-let me check.", he quickly tries to find some rooms, that unfortunately weren't available. "Ohhh I'm so sorry sir, but we only have one available at the moment for last second check-in.", his friendly smile was more apologetic to the inconvenience.

Cahrilo awkwardly looked back at Bilhard and the boys. "Ugh....", turning back to the clerk, "How...big....is the room?".

The look on the clerk's face was understandably blank. "Hm...you know something I've never thought about that let me check."

After a few minutes, a room had been arranged so to speak.

"....I feel like Groxen in a shipping cart.", Toke, managing to sit on the bed, woefully.

Cahrilo, his back pressed on to Toke's bad, actively proving how small the room was with the four of them in. "Well, it's just for us to stay in for a night or two.".

"Well, now we must go and find Wick. If he is an active performer here in this establishment than I'm certain we can locate him.", Bilhard was attempting to message one of the battle brothers back home in order to find an internal map of the casino.

Sten had been meditating, being a Rune priest, he was sure to find Wick without having to notify anyone. "Hold on one second Bilhard, let me locate him.".

Bilhard had forgotten about that fact, "oh...have you found him?"

Sten hesitated to answer, "I believe so.....I keep seeing rather lude and lascivious visions of....well...I can say that he has been rather busy."

Toke and Cahrilo look at Sten.

Sten, now actively distracted by the both of them staring at him, "...."

"....c'mon, what are the details.", Toke frankly spoke.

"yes.... please do not hold back", Cahrilo more curious than actively being cheeky.

"LET HIM CONCENTRATE.", boomed Bilhard.

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

My plan worked beautifully, everyone had successfully done their part.

Selene had been preparing for the show, I had been putting my...I do not want to call it a costume. Everyone was preparing for the show as scheduled....until the door nearly flew off it's hinges.

"WHERE THE HELL IS THAT LUMBERING, OVER GROWN WEASEL?!?!", Sleen....has returned.

"AND WHERE THE FUCK IS ANGELINA?!?", he growled by this point. A bumbling barbarian.

I pretended to look occupied, but very much ready to defend my fellow costars.

"Oh Good evening Mr.Sleen.", acting innocent as always, Angelina and her twin had been my best centerfolds for this plan. I owe them a great deal of gratitude.

"DON'T YOU "Good evening Mr.Sleen" ME YOU LITTLE -", the second I saw his hands, I decided to merely stand up from my seat. ".....there you are.....you sleezy.... greasy.....Adam Driver knockoff......you.... DISCOUNTED KEANU REEVES.....I know youre behind all of this....when I find out how...I will reserve a pleasant little plot of MANURE smackdab in the middle OF ARIZONA FOR YOU." brave of him to be poking me with that blushed baby carrot of an appendage he had the misfortune to associate as a finger on to my bare abdominals.

"....I was here in the hotel...doing nothing.", not my most convincing tone...but it was not like as if I could just reduce him to a partially liquefied mess on the floor this very second.

Sleen has the bravery to grab.... whatever he could of my tunic around my belt. I actually felt afraid of him tearing it off. It was a great overbearing deal of embarrassment to wear such a gaudy toga. It was worse to experience Sleen just ripping it off out of sheer anger.

"Do you have any idea the ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT I HAD TO DEAL WITH FOR THREE HOURS BEFORE GETTING BACK TO YOU BOZOS?!?!?", oh fantastic he was going to waste our precious oxygen to relive what I can only imagine was a mild inconvenience to a rational person.

"You! You told me to find this FUCKING BLOCK OF WET CONCRETE-", the battle brothers back home will be entertained for weeks once I have the time make the extended list of wonderful insults I have collected from Sleen alone, "-was at the Gold&Silver pawnshop to sell something and I spent my expensive time there because NONE OF THOSE FAT CLOWNS COULD ANSWER my questions. "Oh the best I can do is $170 for information" PHOOEY. lousy con artists, the LOT OF THEM.", I personally was enjoying Sleen's excessive tantrum.

He then turns to Selene, already use to his terrible outbursts, has not even once acknowledged him.

"oh...my little birdie, Selene....and where... prey tell is Hans?", the second I saw him about to lay his filthy hand on her I was ready to take to him up to the rafters and devour his head.

Yet, Selene's awe inspiring resolve and quick grace had avaided him by standing up from her vanity to complete putting her costume. "Oh...bonjour Mr.Sleen....Hans was with me for some time...and followed another girl. I had met with the others at the shopping plaza and came right back to my room for a nap.".

Sleen had not expecting such a quick reaction. "Hmm..a nap...figures ....".

I felt a quick tap on my arm, "Hey, pst, homes....what are you doing with the costume rack?", I had noticed I had accidentally crushed the metal pipe that the rack had been constructed by.

I was slipping. I need to concentrate on the show for tonight, so I can commence the next part of my plan. "...oops."

Tulio knew of my extraordinary nature, but to trust him with too much information was a risk I sadly can not take.

"Anyway.....GET BACK TO WORK! I don't want any more funny business do you all understand m-", Dylan, the show director comes in to purposely interpret Sleen. I always enjoy their banter. Considering Sleen would ruin his vision every step of the way. I had planned something different Sleen....courtesy of the years of abuse he would give to Dylan.

"Sir, I just want to tell you of some...well plot changes. Since our previous 'Artemis' quit and Hans is no where to be found...may I make one tiny...little incy wincy change in casting?", he gave a false smile.

Sleen could already smell something was wrong. "What...is it....also this better be a blockbuster hit the show starts in 2 hours.", he snorted.

"well... people are sooooo into reimaginings of mythology, there like a super awesome play with some Epic emotional beats and I was wondering if you know...have Orion...dance with Artemis during the last act? Instead of, like ew yikes, implying she was raped by him? I eck, so third century B.C.E.", Dylan was an essential and eccentric part of my plan. It was easy to convince him, it is understandable since he has been emotionally and physically lonely for a while.

My offerings of gentle kindness was all it had taken. He is another soul I owe, for he was not only risking his job, he was risking his reputation.

"...why? Didn't he fuck Artemis in the stories?", Sleen's vision of mythology was a depravity worthy of being considered heresy. Even Slenessh's more cruel deviants wouldn't find any sensibility in his show.

Dylan, visibly frustrated, "listen, it's bad enough I had to designs these brightly color preschool productions outfits that I SWEAR the cease and desist letters won't stop because of it. We're having WAY too many young audience members today and I think we should keep the production at the very least "PG 13", if you wanted a snuff film you could have driven to the shady part of town and boom you have your high production porno there." Oddly enough, he was the only soul who could talk to Sleen the way he did without any harm be felling on to him.

Sleen was many terrible things, but a fool in respects to the prospect of losing money was not one of them, " ok I'll bite...who did you have in mind to play Orion?".

Oh how I could sing my inner joy of watching Sleen fall to his knees in protest when he heard my name from Dylan's lips.

"Boss, Sleen bean, listen, you already have him wearing like.... seriously is that a table cloth, oh I don't care, you might as well have him wear the leotard besides it is just for tonight and people pay good money to watch big sexy men so big sexy shows, ok stop wiping your tears in my CELINE faux leather pants your leaving some weird residue.", he looked down on Sleen, who had just started crying.

"You... EVIL.... little Twink.", he uttered bitterly with tears.

"Mr. Sleen that's 'Mr. Evil Little Twink' to you, I'm a professional.", I was not certain what a 'twink' was...but I could only imagine how much bravery and valor they have when facing their foes to fell them in battle.

End of log 15

@kit-williams @barn-anon @egrets-not-regrets

@gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan @walking-natural-disaster @starfrost740

@squishyowl @sleepyfan-blog @lawnchair86

#space marine husbandry #warhammer 40k #space marine #survival log #space marines #space marine husbandry sentience #imperial fists #space wolves #raven guard

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hawkepockets · 1 year

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Can we hear about prem and Rama or is that still being developed 👉👈😶 prem has a personality that makes him so funny in romance with people like Rama or canach it's entertaining to read

ok sorrysorrysorry i have been sitting on this ask. i have so much to say about these two but didn’t wanna drop it as an unbroken word wall without any new doodle comics … PRAMA NATION LETS GO !!

prama nation lets pause to note prem & canach have been broken up since mid icebrood saga. F. but prama nation, thats another story. LETS GO !!!!!!!!!!

prem met rama in seitung while the commander was still unconscious in jail. since he’s visibly canthan & zephyrite, prem could walk freely around the province, getting the lay of the land and passing as more or less local. obviously people knew he wasn’t from seitung, but they figured he was from some close-ish island. the mystery of who he was, how he’d been scarred, whether more zephyrites would be coming soon with goods to trade, was local gossip but not something that tripped any minsec alarms. lacking gold, provisions, and information, prem spent a week or so sweet-talking local merchants and fishermen into telling him about the area and giving him free food.

he also batted his eyes at rama, bc a cop is a juicy source of intel, and bc rama’s handsome! their conversation turned into a really long, really nice skiff riding date, rama bought prem crab rangoons, ran his mouth a little more than he should’ve about working for minsec, and went back to his office blushing to the ears like

but of course prem wasn’t from a close-ish island. he was an outlander who’d been here under minsec’s nose. he’d let rama think he was canthan-born and only casually interested in minsec, lying big time by omission, and he’d used rama to find out where they were keeping gorrik and the comm. all of this was a sucker punch to rama when he found out, and he naturally assumed prem had faked his interest in rama and the whole date was a trick.

he was hurt, pissed off, betrayed, humiliated… but didn’t want any of that to come across, so settled on acting just kind of disgruntled and sticklery about government rules.

(the whole date wasn’t a trick. prem honestly liked him.)

when rama warned dragon’s watch that their unsecured comm channel was basically a public radio show, prem took it as encouragement instead of the “shut the hell up” rama intended. like what better way to win over ordinary canthans while kas handled the imperial court !

he started actually treating it like a podcast, taking canthan commoners’ questions live, talking about the guild’s exploits, and airing extended jokes and bits with his friends, and he’s funny, he’s fun to listen to, so every time he tuned in on his radio, rama would be taking torment damage trying to decide whether or not he likes prem despite it all, like

and the more prem talked on the comm about things he’d done like wrestling a mordrem axemaster in the shell of a wrecked pact airship, following a dead dragon’s memories to find the lost city of kesho, seducing a mummy on istan to break out of a mordant crescent prison, using glamours to infiltrate the moon palace of gandara, out-talking jormag… the smaller rama felt by comparison to prem’s stories, and the smaller prem’s betrayal of him seemed, and his temper cooled but it also sort of felt like shit.

in person, though, it’s different. when they’re out on the skiff in new kaineng’s canals, prem is interested in everything rama says, leaning forward, eyes meeting his squarely, laughing at his jokes, asking about how he ended up at minsec, making him feel large and deep and attractive again, like he’s one of the most important people prem’s met in all that traveling.

in person prem also feels so much less daunting. kinda washed up. rama hasn’t seen him fight, since the monastery is dedicated to dwayna and prem swore he’d never enter one of her places of worship again, so he wasn't at training. looking at him out of combat it’s easy to believe he exaggerated his past adventures, or at least that his grace has faded now.

so rama opens up about being kurzick, his childhood in the slums that drove him to become a cop. and prem surprises him again by really getting it! because he grew up zephyrite in kryta, he joined the shining blade in part to bring gold and honor to his mothers in the soon-to-collapse canthan district, he bought into the copaganda too ! and as they’re passing the grub lanes prem’s looking at the reflection of the buildings in the water, saying how much rama’s neighborhood looks like where prem grew up, and rama stops short and asks if he wants to get out of the boat and explore the place, but prem says no. he’d rather just look at the reflection. because the canthan district is gone forever and he doesn’t want his memory of it to get confused with new, similar streets.

and rama is possessed to tell him about the love tunnel.

when things get real, though, is after minister li comes out as a purist and gets his ass kicked. prem & rama see each other in action for the first time, and the only surprise that could follow up rama activating his gunsword is prem becoming a dash of colorful light as he uses zephyrite aspect crystals to navigate the rooftop battlefield and take apart li’s task force armed only with his hands, feet, and a single war fan. there’s no longer any doubt in rama’s mind that this dude is still one of tyria’s best martial artists, but whether or not prem’s out of his league is not really a concern as he reckons with finding out his mentor/second father figure is a career racist who always held rama’s background against him, and that the ministry he’s been working himself to death for at the cost of every other relationship is corrupted to the top. of course gorrik and the comm feel bad, but they’re too focused on ankka and soo-won to slow down and take care of him.

so prem does that, staying behind on the rooftop after min takes li away, to offer rama a distraction.

he catches a crab and makes it into a (small, and honestly just mid) dinner for the two of them at rama’s apartment. then they break into the soju. a tipsy prem lets a progressively drunker rama talk about li and pretends not to notice as he cries it out. and then,

prem finally talks about why he left the shining blade—the corruption, the bad orders, the impossible expectations, finding out anise was messing with his memories—and about dueling his own mentor for his freedom. he doesn’t like talking about it, but he wants rama to feel less alone. at this point rama hypothesizes—not correctly, but close enough—that anise gave prem his scars as punishment. out of it and overwhelmed, rama starts making out with him…

aaand cuts it short in a second as he’s SEIZED by paranoia that purists will find his apartment and kill him for what he knows about li and they shouldn’t have been drinking bc at any fucking minute the assassins could break in !!

prem reminds him that the fight happened on public rooftops, and there’s nothing rama knows about li that min, minsec, the pact commander, and half of new kaineng don't also know already. rama feels foolish, and freshly devastated bc he thought he did know li better than anyone else in cantha, and that’s been taken away from him and the memory ruined. he calls himself stupid. prem says he's not. rama says fine, he's confused, and he's calling it a night. he asks if prem needs money for a raptor cab. prem declines, and rama crashes into bed. dead asleep before prem can stand to go.

at 4 am rama wakes up needing to take a leak, and when he opens his bedroom door prem is asleep on the floor right outside it, stretched out across the doorway like a guard dog, hand loosely over his war fan. just in case.

rama doesn't forget that casual act of devotion, or how nice the kiss was before he freaked himself out, and after soo-won's death, min's promotion to security minister, and prem's decision to stay in cantha with the "friends' detective agency" until rama's ready to travel, there's a growing feeling between them of like, "you're half stuck on canach. i'm half waiting for min. in the meantime can't a couple of messed-up ex-cops enjoy each other's company?" they start flirting and sizing each other up and testing out how much they can joke about a relationship before it becomes real.

this is long enough so i'll leave off there at the end of core EoD, with the final thought that i think prem works with serious characters romantically because he doesn't always take them seriously, he thinks a straight face is funny and a sharp tongue is cute, and having their stoicism laughed at and their moments of silliness and vulnerability rewarded gives them a chance to act more rounded. the same way his insistence on treating people like braham very seriously when everyone else is laughing off their expertise as a joke lets them feel more whole.

and who's not into that?

#gw2 #guild wars 2 #end of dragons #detective rama #oc: prem #pact commander #pocket talk #hot comics #answers #PHEW !!

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heatdeathnews · 1 year

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Vince McMahon is one of the architects — perhaps the architect — of modern professional wrestling. The longtime owner and chief creative authority of World Wrestling Entertainment, he began his career as a commentator for his father's company — then known as World Wide Wrestling Foundation — in the late 60s before purchasing it in the early 1980s. From there, he turned the business into a virtual monopoly, becoming a billionaire.

To the uninitiated, McMahon might seem like a niche figure. But under his tenure, the WWE survived the revelation that matches were scripted — not legitimate sporting competitions, but "sports entertainment" — and became a cultural juggernaut in the 1990s and early 2000s, glorying in racial and sexual stereotypes and aggressive hypermasculinity. Not content to manage his empire from behind the scenes, McMahon placed himself front and center in televised shows, generally playing a villainous caricature of himself — his rubber face contorting into pop-eyed stares, imperious sneers, and savage snarls.

As journalist Abraham Josephine Riesman argues in her upcoming book Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America, McMahon is a quintessentially American hustler — one whose machinations have contributed to the injection of a particular flavor of carnival unreality into American life, sped along by the election of his longtime friend, Donald Trump. McMahon, Riesman argues, found in the rough and tumble hypocrisy of professional wrestling a kind of pop-culture gnosis that has expanded to take over the discourse. In doing so, he opened the portal to our modern post-truth age — the doorway that has sucked in people of all political stripes and savviness.

Riesman is a journalist and the author of True Believer, a biography of Stan Lee, and several years' worth of articles on comics and pop culture for New York Magazine. This week on Heat Death, we caught up with Riesman for a wide-ranging conversation about the corrosive effects of knowing unreality, camp masculinity, wrestling slang, the fascist embrace of "kayfabe," and more.

You can read the whole interview right here:

#wrestling #vince mcmahon #breaking kayfabe #camp #masculity #article

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joliemagazine · 1 year

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Jolie Magazine: 5 Bucket List Destinations You Have to Visit in 2023

2023 is just around the corner, and if you're like me, you're probably starting to think about what destinations you want to add to your bucket list. If you're looking for some traveling blogs for inspiration, check out this list of 5 amazing places you have to visit in 2023! Whether you're looking for a tropical getaway or an adventure in a new place, these destinations are sure to excite and inspire you. So what are you waiting for? Start planning your trip today!

1. Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is one of those rare places that seems to have it all. Travelers can enjoy stunning architecture, a Mediterranean atmosphere, beautiful beaches, and vibrant nightlife. All of this makes Barcelona a must-visit for any travel lover.

The city is also home to some of Spain's most iconic buildings, including the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia and the Casa Batllo. These landmarks are just a taste of what Barcelona has to offer visitors. With so much to see and do, it's no wonder that this vibrant city is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

2. Tokyo, Japan

There's no place like Tokyo. From the bustling streets of Shinjuku to the serene beauty of Mount Fuji, Tokyo is a city that has it all. And whether you're traveling solo or with a group, there's plenty to keep you entertained.

Visit temples and shrines, tour the imperial palace, or take in a traditional tea ceremony. Or if you're feeling adventurous, try your hand at sushi making or sumo wrestling. Whatever you do, you're sure to have an unforgettable experience in this amazing city.

3. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil should be on everyone's bucket list. Christ the Redeemer overlooks the city from atop Corcovado mountain and is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The beaches here are world-renowned for their beauty, particularly Copacabana beach with its mosaic sidewalk that stretches for almost two miles. In addition to its natural attractions, Rio is also home to vibrant nightlife and some of the best coffee in the world. So whether you're looking to relax on the beach or explore a new culture, Rio is the perfect destination.

4. Cusco, Peru

Peru is a country with a rich history, and the ancient city of Cusco is one of its most important cultural sites. designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cusco was once the capital of the mighty Incan Empire. Today, it is one of Peru's most popular tourist destinations, attracting visitors from all over the world.

Cusco is a beautiful city, with plenty of Inca ruins to explore. But it's also a great place to experience Peruvian culture, whether you're sampling the local cuisine or enjoying a traditional music performance. Travelers who take the time to visit Cusco will be rewarded with an unforgettable glimpse into Peru's past.

5. New York City, USA

No trip to America would be complete without a visit to the Big Apple! New York City is full of energy and has something for everyone, from Central Park to Times Square. Traveling to NYC can be an overwhelming experience, but with a little planning, it can be a lot of fun. Be sure to pack comfortable shoes, as you'll be doing a lot of walking.

And don't forget to bring your camera - there are plenty of photo ops around every corner! If you're feeling adventurous, take a ride on the subway. It's an efficient way to get around, and you'll get a taste of the city's vibrant culture. Whether you're visiting for a few days or a few weeks, you're sure to have an unforgettable experience in New York City.

Wrapping up

And there you have it, 5 bucket list destinations you need to visit in 2023! I hope this gave you some inspiration for your future travel plans. If you’re looking for more amazing places to add to your list make sure to check out Jolie magazine – they always have the best traveling and lifestyle blogs. We promise you won't be disappointed!

#travel blogs

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mando-abs · 3 years

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The Nose Job (One-Shot)

Summary: You and Grogu try to pass away time by playing a few games. However, the inclusion of one particular mandalorian in with your fun throws a hitch in your plans.

Pairing: Din Djarin x reader (written by a female, but could very well be read with/without the inclusion of gender)

Rating: Teen (I guess??)

Word Count: 3.1K (my bad)

Warnings: some wrestling, few mentions of blood (nothing serious), mild cursing, but mostly just that good fluffy stuff :)

A/N: This takes place at some point before you learn Din's name (hence all the "Mando"s and "mandalorian"s. There is an established friendship. I looked over this to check for any errors, but tbh I'm tried of looking at this so there may be a few hiccups :). Baby's first one-shot. Constructive feedback is much appreciated | General Masterlist | Taglist

Every day you spent with the mandalorian and his son “foundling” presented itself with different challenges. On days when Mando reluctantly allowed you and the kid to join him on one of his hunts, the challenges were trying not to draw too much attention to yourselves, constantly staying alert, constantly being on the move, and being prepared to throw down on a couple of boneheaded bounties if need be. Those days, while usually easy enough thanks to Mando’s meticulous bounty hunting routines, were both mentally and physically exhausting.

Most days, however, were spent in and around the Crest, jumping from planet to planet and getting used to the swirling, quiet hum of hyperspace. Oh, but they were far from restful. Between the three of you, you could give a trash compactor a run for its credits if you and Mando spent a few days slacking on cleaning the ship. Having a little green gremlin on board always getting mysterious stains on himself doesn’t help keep things tidy either. Repairs to the pre-Imperial ship are constantly needed, too. Mando has claimed that the age of the Crest means that it wouldn’t show up on Republic registries.

“But if you're such a good bounty hunter, why would that matter?” you asked him one day while he worked under the control panel. “Sure, it helps, but with all of the credits being used for new parts, you could have already bought a state of the art ship that wouldn’t need repairs every return to Nevarro.” Mando slid out from under the panel, stared at you for a moment, slowly swapped the tools you held out for him, and shuffled back underneath, thus ending that conversation. The man’s dedicated, you thought, I’ll give him that.

But, on rare occasions, everything on your and Mando’s chore list was done. The kid was clean, the ship was looking snazzy, and nothing was breaking. In between hunts on those days, there was nothing else better to do than to sit around and stare at each other. This was fine with Mando of course, spending most of his time in mental solitary confinement anyways. However, you and Grogu needed something more stimulating than wandering thoughts to prevent yourselves from losing it. And that meant playing off each other to keep yourselves entertained.

Neither of you could toss anything. The Crest was too cramped for that. All you could do was roll Grogu’s metal ball back and forth to each other, but that usually got old pretty quick. You two normally try arts and crafts time, but you’ve recently noticed the ever growing stack of scribble drawings beside Mando’s bunk and decided it was best to give that a rest for now.

Both of you were banned from playing hide and seek. It’s not like it was fair to begin with anyways. You couldn’t fit into as many crevices as the kid could, and you felt like he always cheated by sensing you with his mind powers. But, the ship of a professional hunter was not the safest place to play the game, and Grogu’s innocent enough hide in the carbonite freezing unit one day was enough for you and Mando to call it off.

And now, here you are, sitting in front of the bug-eyed baby on the floor in the hull of the ship, pulling out all of the stops you can think of just to get a few giggles out of him.

So far, you’ve tried your entire arsenal: rhythmic clapping games, pretending to munch on his ears (don’t ask), and blowing raspberries on your arms (that one is his favorite, gets him in the giggle fits every time). But now that he’s calmed down, it was time to try a trick that you haven’t used before…

“Hey Grogu,” you muse. Grogu’s head whips up to meet yours. You gently snip your fingers on his nose and quickly place your thumb in between index and middle finger, wiggling it furiously. You taunt him, “I got your nose!” A toothy grin spreads across Grogu’s face as he tries to grab your thumb. You tease him by bobbing your hand up and down, just away from his reach.

Once you finally let him take your fist to examine it, he looks at your thumb, curious at first, but then his smile disappears. Puzzled at this, you “reattach” his nose and show him your empty hand, signaling that everything is alright.

No reaction.

Huh. That’s weird.

You try the trick again with more exaggerated shocked expressions. “Look! I’ve got your nose again, Grogu! Oooooo!”

Nothing.

Your hands fall into your lap with a slap in defeat as your shoulders raise toward your ears. “What gives, kid?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, cyare,” a deeper voice calls from behind you, “your ‘nose’ isn’t exactly small and green.”

The mandalorian has been sitting on a crate across the hull, trying to keep himself busy by scribbling things down in his notebook all the while observing the two of you play. You would have forgotten he was there in the first place if it weren’t for the faint scraping of graphite coming from his corner.

The confusion wipes away from your face when you scrunch the bridge between your eyebrows together. You roll your eyes as you shift your body to face Mando.

“Alright, tinny. If it’s so easy, then why don’t you have a crack at it.”

But, the longer you jokingly glare at Mando, you realize that your solution is staring you in the face (at least, you think he is). The concealed visage

of the mandalorian gives you the perfect candidate to show off your nose-stealing magic to Grogu. You flash a wicked grin at the mandalorian.

“What is it…” he says as he turns his head inquisitively.

“Just, come over here.”

Mando’s head returns back to it’s upright state as if he’s trying to calculate the possible risks (or rather, humiliations) he might encounter. He must ultimately decide that it’s worth checking out as he bookmarks his place in his notebook. He mutters out a breathy “alright” and slowly strides over to the two of you. Of course. If I’m going to get him to participate, you think, he’s going to milk his return to us as long as possible. You pat the ground next to you as he finally approaches you both. You maintain the slightly devilish grin on your face as you take his gloved hand to help him sit on the floor. Mando gives Grogu a loose cheek pinch when he gets situated beside you and the kid. Grogu coos contentedly, obviously intrigued that his father is joining in on your games.

“What are we doing this time?”

“Well Mando, I’m so glad you asked. As you can see, our little green bundle of joy here’s palate of entertainment is too sophisticated for my simple nose trick.”

“Incredibly simple.”

“Well, what if I told you two that the previous trick was only a warm up to the main event?”

“I’d say we’d be pretty relieved.”

One of your eyebrows raises at Mando as the kid lets out a small chuckle at the snarky remark. Birds of a feather, you thought.

You close your eyes for a split moment as if to reset and get your mind back on the kid you’re trying to impress. “Because, for the main trick,” you widen your eyes and pause for dramatism to try to hype up Grogu, “I am going to capture your dad’s nose through his helmet and bring it out in the opening for your viewing pleasure.” Grogu’s ears perk up in all of their large glory. I’ve got him now.

The mandalorian glances at the kid and then back at you. “You’ve got our attention...Show us what you’ve got.”

You turn to fully face Mando as you both sit with your legs crossed in front of each other, the kid facing you two on your sides. You nod at Grogu as if to say “watch this.” As you look back at Mando, you slowly begin to reach toward his helmet, ready to swipe at his t-shaped visor. But before you get a centimeter closer, Mando lifts both of his leather gloved hands over the front of his helmet.

You recoil your hand back in confusion, afraid you’ve done something you shouldn’t have. “Mando? What’s wrong?”

He opens his hands like double doors to show his visor again. “Nothing.” He drops his hands back to his lap. “I told you I was ready.”

You furrow your brows, knowing exactly what angle Mando is playing at, but you let it slide. You raise your hand to try again, this time getting your fingers closer to his helmet than last time…..only to have your hand swiftly swatted away from the visor and the kid, who starts making small, short giggles again. You lean back and put your hands on your hips, getting a bit more irritated.

“Mando.”

“What?”

“Your nose.”

“And? I told you, you could have it.”

You glare at him in silence for a beat.

“Go on. Take it.”

You sigh and break out of your grumpy hip stance. You've come too far and are way too determined to show the kid you could pull off this trick (now fully out of spite because of the mandalorian’s tauntings, but you wouldn’t admit that to yourself, or to him for that matter). You falter a bit this time as you reach for his helmet, taking a moment to glance over your hand at the mandalorian. He nods at you to continue. You know better than to take his outward affirmations for granted this time and ready your other hand in case he decides to block your trick again.

...But Mando knows better, too…

This time he doesn’t reach anywhere near his helmet and lunges his entire torso at you. This catches you completely off guard much to the mandalorian’s advantage as he pushes you to the floor of the hull and locks his knees on both of your sides.

“What the hell, Mando?!” You try to gain some footing by arching your knees up a bit behind him and start trying to shove some of his weight off of you by lifting his shoulders. He acts as a dead weight. You scoff as you strain to get a few words out. “Get off of me!”

You were only doing what he expected you to do as your Mando-sized bench press leaves your chest and arms vulnerable. He bares down both of his palms on your chest allowing him to pull his right leg over your stomach. He shifts his weight on his right leg. This gives him the balance to hoist his left leg on your neck and nestle it under your chin (more as a placeholder than an act to suffocate you). In his final move, he grabs the arm closest to him and brings it down to the floor with the rest of his torso, completing his arm lock. You try resisting but your useless squirms only makes your arm more uncomfortable. You could practically feel the stupid grin radiating off of his visor.

“GIVE ME YOUR NOSE, YOU JERK!!!”

“Then. Take. It.”

“THEN GET ME OUT OF THIS ARM LOCK!”

“Then I guess you don’t want it bad enough.”

In the middle of your quarrel, shrill laughter fills the hull of the Crest. Both you and Mando freeze in place as Grogu begins the largest giggle fit the two of you have ever heard. The mandalorian turns his head to witness the spectacle while you try to look over leg, but you ultimately lay your head back on the floor in defeat. “You like that kid?” the mandalorian replies with a few breathy chuckles in between his words. “Just wait until I teach you all the locks I know, ad’ika.”

At some point in your admittance in defeat, your elbow causes Mando’s right foot to raise a bit off of the floor. And with the mandalorian currently distracted, you could finally get the upper hand. You smirk at the realization and swiftly break away your arm from his hold, clasp your hands together, and shimmy his left leg over your head. You then use that leg as a ramp to push your shoulder blades over it as you regain your footing. Finally, you twist yourself to face the mandalorian, your knees securely on the floor and Mando’s legs on your sides being firmly held by your arms. Just as Grogu’s giggling was starting to die down, he breaks out into a frenzy of laughter, pleasantly surprised by the turn of events.

You beam down at Mando for your success. “Ha HA! GOT YA!” You give yourself a moment to catch your breath while you stare at him. You cock your head sideways as your pride grows. “I think I’ll be taking that nose now, thank you very much.” As you reach for your well fought prize, you slip a little in your balance and hook your other hand at the edge of the mandalorian’s helmet. Almost as quick of a blink of your eye, Mando reflexively lands a blow square in your face, right on your nose.

You stagger back as one hand covers the center of your face. Mando catches your other hand with the same fist that punched you to prevent you from falling to the floor. Your eyes instinctively start to water. “Fuck, Mando!”

The mandalorian breaks away from your sides, sits up, and immediately starts reaching for your face. “Shit! I’m sorry. I didn-”

“Son of a nerf herder, you hit hard! Maker…” The kid’s laughter turns into mild hiccups, knowing something has gone wrong with both of your tricks.

“I know, so let me see it…”, he asks as he gently removes your hand away from your nose. You breathe through your teeth at the change in pressure. He lifts and tilts your head side to side in order to examine the damage he’s done. A slow line of blood begins to form from your nostril. At the sight of this, Mando keeps your head lifted as he reaches for the bottom of his cape. You put your hand back on your nose, pinching it this time. “Es ehit buhleed-ang?”

“Yes, but the good news,” he rips a thick strip from his cape and bunches it together, “is it isn’t broken. Here.” You take the balled-up cloth from him and press it against your nose. Mando rests one of his hands on your thigh and gives it a few reassuring pats before he stands up. “I’m going to get a medkit. Keep applying pressure. I’ll be right back.”

You sigh and groan as you try to stretch out your neck and readjust your hold on the cloth. I’m starting to feel why he’s a feared bounty hunter in the systems, you thought. I only got a lick of what he could do. Well, I guess it’s comforting that he is holding back at least a little bit for me. You feel a pair of claws on your side that have come to comfort you. Breaking your train of thought, you look down to see big brown eyes staring up at you and a large pair of green ears folded down to express their concern.

“Oh, it’s going to be okay, little bug.” You reach down with your free hand to trail your thumb in circles on top of his head to sooth Grogu. “I’m going to be just fine. And don’t you worry, dad didn’t mean to bop me on my nose like that.” You boop his nose with your index finger, and Grogu coos in response. You smile back at him but wince as the stretch of flesh reminds you of your injury on your face. Your voice slightly changes into a more firm tone to the kid. “But let this be a lesson, Grogu.” You dip your chin closer to your neck and raise your eyebrows. “No reaching under dad’s helmet, okay?” Grogu nods in affirmation.

Footsteps from the rungs of the cockpit ladder catch both of your attentions. You look back at Grogu. “Too many bad men have tried to remove dad’s helmet. And that helmet means a lot to him, doesn’t it?”, you say a bit softer this time. Grogu nods again, eyes wide with intent. Mando makes his way over to you two, medkit from the storage room in hand. You give a loose smile to the kid, and move your head as close to his as you can afford for the moment. “But we’re not bad, are we?” Grogu shakes his head and smiles up at you as he puts his hand toward his mouth. “I didn’t think so.”

The mandalorian crouches down in front of you and opens up the medkit. “Alright, let’s see what we can do…” You wait patiently as Mando fixes up a pack for your nose made out of cotton swabs, bandages, and gauze wrapped around the entirety of it. He gives the pack a few bacta sprays. “Okay, open up.” You remove the cloth from your nose. The mandalorian leans your head back and keeps a steady hand on your jawline as he inserts the pack into your nose. You flinch at the strain, and your eyes start watering again at the weird sensation.

“How is it? Are you good, cyare?” Mando asks as he tilts your head back to face him, keeping his hand on your jaw.

You stare at the slit in his visor where his eyes would be. “I think so...just uncomfortable, is all…”

The mandalorian sighs. “Listen, I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you...or ruin your trick. I was going to let you try at some point. There...there weren’t very many games growing up at the covert. Just sparing. So I thought…” He trails off. “But when you slipped and caught your fingers under my helmet, that was never my in…”

“It’s okay.” You bring your hand to his free arm and start rubbing it down to his vambrace. “I know… and I forgive you.” You look directly into his visor and smile, making sure that your intentions to him are never lost either.

You playfully shove at him, given that the tender moment was enough sappy-ness for both of you for now. “You still owe me though. BIG. TIME.”

The mandalorian gives a soft chuckle at the change in tone. He gives an exaggerated sigh. “Alright, alright...Let’s see...How about I worry about dinner and putting the kid to bed.”

“Hmmm…” You look down at Grogu still by your side. You both bring a hand to your chins, trying to see what you two could milk out of his forced generosity. You look back at Mando. “Throw in a couple of cups of your covert hot chocolate for me and the kid, and you’ve got yourself a deal.” The kid beams up at the mandalorian and quickly shuffles over to him. Mando scoops the kid up into his arms.

“Deal.”

A/N: You're still here?! Thank you for reading! This is honestly just a brain child, but something actually possessed me to write this word vomit down. If you want to be tagged in other one-shots in the possible future, just comment or ask :)

#the mandalorian #din djarin #din djarin x you #din djarin x reader #din dijarin fanfiction #din djarin fic #din djarin oneshot #mandalorian oneshot #mandalorian x reader #mandalorian x you #mandalorian x y/n #din djarin x y/n #star wars #my fanfic #my writing #yay #mando #mandalorian #star wars fanfiction

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tastesoftamriel · 3 years

Note

How do you think things like theater and entertainment differs between the provinces/races of Tamriel? I imagine bawdy comedies are popular in Cyrodiil while Summerset prefer historical epics

I’ll be totally honest: I don’t have loads of time for entertainment, and when I’m catering for a banquet I’m too busy behind the scenes to be able to stop and enjoy shows! However, from what I have been able to gather, these are some of the weird and wonderful performances I’ve been lucky enough to watch across Tamriel.

Altmer

The very best entertainers from Summerset are from the House of Reveries, a time-honoured guild of mysterious masked performers who can do anything from acting to dance, music, and magic tricks. Every year, the House puts on a revue featuring the best of their talent, drawing crowds from near and far. I attended one of the revues as a guest a couple of years ago, and had an excellent time! From a historical opera about the Oblivion Crisis to fire-twirlers and a whole orchestra, the House of Reveries is without doubt the most prolific and capable of Tamriel’s entertainers. If you’re able to make it to their home in Summerset, catching any performance is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Argonians

Argonians love music and dance, whether it’s at a tavern or a bonding ceremony! Most famous of their instruments is the vossa-satl, a keyboard instrument that’s powered by the croaks of frogs (really)! While it sounds absurd if you’ve never encountered one, there’s something beautiful about the tuned croaking that really evokes the ambiance of the deep swamps of Murkmire. Vossa-satls can be played on their own, accompanied with singing and drums, or even are even played on special occasions as quartets. An awful lot of fun to dance to as well!

Bosmer

The Bosmer are known for their entrancing shadow-puppet plays, which people come from far and wide to see. Narrated by a Tale-Spinner, these plays feature puppets made from stiff hide, whose shadows are projected against an opaque leather screen. It’s accompanied by music played on bone flutes and pipes, drums, and throat-singing that has an almost meditative quality. These puppet shows tell traditional stories Valenwood such as of Falinesti, Y’ffre, the Green Lady and Silvenar, and much more. I don’t really know what they’re on about most of the time due to the peculiar use of language and riddles used by Bosmer tale-spinners, but it’s an absolutely riveting way to spend your evening if you’re in Valenwood.

Bretons

Breton theatre is an interactive experience, so put on your dancing shoes and ready those rotten apples! Over-the-top musical comedies and dramas are a favourite of the Province, typically featuring anywhere from a handful to a couple dozen actors and a small band. The audience is encouraged to play along and it’s not uncommon to find yourself hoisted on stage to throw a pumpkin at the villain of the show! Comedic puppet shows like Punch-and-Julian are popular with young and old alike, and use cloth puppets or marionettes which are more detailed than Bosmeri shadow puppets. And of course, nobody loves The Lusty Argonian Maid’s adventures quite as much as the Bretons, so be sure to catch a performance (sometimes a themed costume party, for the saucier citizens) while you’re in High Rock!

Dunmer

Traditional Morrowind entertainment has a strong focus on magic, particularly illusion magic to scintillate the crowd (especially in areas where the Telvanni hold influence). The Dunmer are keen lovers of puppet shows, somewhat like Bosmer shadow puppets, but instead prefer the use of large, doll-like marionettes that are carved to look wonderfully realistic to show the characters and creatures of a bygone age. My favourite was an epic about St. Jiub and his quest to rid Morrowind of cliff racers, and it was accompanied by some frankly terrifying and realistic illusions of cliff racers which soared above the crowd and caused quite a panic! The Brave Little Scrib may thus be the safest bet for beginners to Dunmeri theatre, or those with a weak constitution.

Imperials

When it comes to entertainment, nobody in Tamriel puts on a show quite like the Imperials. The Arena is known for its bloody fights and betting, but has also been used for everything from huge circus performances and opera to the famous mock naval battles. The latter are a spectacular annual event where the arena floor is flooded and real ships are brought in to fight, complete with “pirates”, cannons, sword-fighting, and much more! Definitely not suitable entertainment for children, but if you love the ostentatious and over-the-top, be sure to visit the Imperial Arena (or any of the other smaller arenas that dot the Province) for some truly stunning shows.

Khajiit

In addition to their amazing skill at stringed instruments, the Khajiit are known for their dance and acrobatic skills. Traditional dancers in Elsweyr train for years at academies and temples alike, with a training regime that rivals their peers in the martial arts. This training also includes some jaw-dropping acrobatics and contortion, making Khajiiti circuses extremely popular as they travel around, usually as part of a Baandari troupe. Unlike the circuses staged in Cyrodiil, these troupes are usually made of a handful to a dozen performers, each with their own unique talents and abilities. A typical performance usually starts with dancers to warm up the crowd, followed by heart-stopping acts like trapeze, tightrope, and walking over hot coals! If you want to be wowed, be sure to grab a ticket the next time a Khajiiti circus troupe is in town; you won’t be disappointed!

Nords

You’re probably very aware of the famous Bard’s College of Solitude, one of the most prestigious institutions to study music in all of Tamriel. However, bards do far more than play the lute and sing songs. They are well-versed in recounting tales, especially historical ones (albeit with some embellishment). You’ll be on the edge of your seat listening to amazing original and time-honoured kennings and songs, preferably around the fire with a tankard of mead. While far less ostentatious than most other entertainment you’ll find in Tamriel, there’s nothing quite as cosy as a bardic evening at the tavern.

Orcs

The Orcs aren’t generally fans of theatre, but they sure do enjoy entertainment in the form of sports like Vosh ball and wrestling! Sporting events draw huge crowds of all races, meaning that you’ll find everything from hot snacks to live music in the arena. Vosh ball is a traditional Orcish sport which has been played for centuries, and is prone to getting violent, so grab a helmet (preferably one with a visor) before you sit down, and enjoy the show! Not feeling like watching? In certain cases, you can even give these sports a go in amateur rounds, but you will be asked to sign a disclaimer form…missing teeth, other injuries, and the occasional death aren’t uncommon. You’ve been warned!

Redguards

The Redguards are renowned for their poetry, song, and epic storytelling, often performed by wandering poet-explorers who live off the generosity of strangers. Unlike the traveling bards of Skyrim, you’ll usually need to visit these reclusive storytellers yourself, or host one when they’re in town! It’s well worth the trouble, as these wandering souls usually love performing with anyone else who’s game. One of my most memorable nights out was in Sentinel, where bored locals who came to listen to a visiting poet happened to bring all their talents with them. When the story about the Akaviri invasion ramped up, a few musicians struck up a tune, and for some reason a sword-swallower joined in! Entertainment in Hammerfell is a joyous community affair, and no two performances are ever alike.

#Asks #TES #The Elder Scrolls #World building #worldbuilding #Theatre #Entertainment #long post #text post #Lore #ESO

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lightdancer1 · 3 years

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ATLA AUs worldbuilding, the Fire Nation:

The Fire Nation is the second-largest nation in the world, consisting of the Twenty-Nine Islands (where most of the Earth Kingdom is a vast supercontinent bestriding the world and while it doesn't quite match IRL geology based on how Pangea actually worked the handwave here is that the spirits made it so and geology and physics in some cases are slightly subordinated to spirit world woo). The largest islands range to Australia and Java sized (Caldera is the size of Australia, meaning on the whole it ranges to nearly the size of the continental United States and that it would thus qualify as the most powerful and populous island by default even with up to 40% of its land area active volcanic mountain ranges).

The smallest ones are islands that count as Fire Nation territory, include various rare metals and as per the early pre-Haber process, the world's largest supply of Guano (not making this up). On the whole each of the Twenty-Nine Islands is de jure ruled by a royal governor but in practice they have as much or as little self-government as they aspire to do so.

The northernmost islands are straight up 19th Century Japan, the older landowning Samurai/Daimyo elite transforming into the corporate Zaibatsu system (and an Ainu-style Indigenous culture that's faring as well as the Ainu do in Japan. Read: slightly better than Indigenous Americans but only slightly). The Satos, a family of the very northernmost island of Hokkaido, are of the Ainu people in descent but a very Nipponized family that builds one of the first major Zaibatsu that turns into Future Industries by the time of Avatar Korra.

During the war they're basically the equivalent of the Imperial Japanese Zaibatsu that ran the economy and profited hand over fist.

The northern islands, which includes everything up to the equatorial Sakhalin, thus fit into a 19th Century Japanese model that is unlike anywhere else in the world. They're developing factories, railroads, they have prototype cars thanks to Future Industries (which even during the war is a marvelous place of futuristic development and the Sato family are basically models of the MCU Stark family though in practice it was Asami who actually lived up to the hype and her ancestors used the Edison method while trying to develop genius when it doesn't quite work that way).

As with the 19th Century Japanese system they transformed an earlier militarized culture with a theocratic vibe into a modern military dictatorship where the army proudly is commanded only by the Fire Lord. Where they differ greatly from Imperial Japan is that the emergence of the autocratic system of the Fire Lord takes more leafs from the Romanovs intermixed with various totalitarian models. Meaning a system that relies on fear, bureaucracy, and on the mixture and interplay of both.

The southern islands vary from mixtures of Mongolian-Japanese cultures (which also in practice describes everything from Sakhalin up to Caldera even if officially they refuse to admit it) and the southernmost islands rely on a very Mongolian system of quiriltai democracy. The Mongolians were in the past nomads in the fullest sense but they've become sedentary, with some aspects of their diets creating in the absence of active deployment in war a tendency to obesity (much like the IRL Mongols, this is exactly what happened to Khubilai Khan) if they do not actively make themselves do things. Relative to the rest of the Fire Nation the Mongolian enclaves share the delight in war and the cruelest aspects of war (after all in real life the Mongol Empire killed 11% of the world's population and some of the most bloodthirsty Fire Nation generals are Mongolians applying the Genghis Khan method) but otherwise have a distinct culture wearing wool, drinking Koumiss, delighting in a very different kind of wrestling-as-entertainment, and a cultural ancestry that stems from the founding warlord Temujin who unified the southern islands and his descendants made a serious bid to outrival Caldera in the Unification Wars.

Kotei the Unifier defeated Khubilai Khagan whose fleets tried twice to invade Caldera and were scattered by the Divine Winds and then one by one used the legacy of the Ulus Mongol's conquests to unify the northern islands first and then one by one conquer all of the southernmost islands.

Due to the Night of Unremembering the Mongolians, who only obey Caldera as much as it suits them, retain more elements of this but incomplete ones in the absence of earlier archives and elements of it endure in the north as well, creating tensions between the more Japanese and the more Mongolian islands. Those from the ultra-Japanese northernmost islands of Hokkaido and Chuchi Jima and Ogasawara and the ultra-Mongolian Karakorum, Sarai, and Jochi islands if they fight on the same side fight in segregated units and are as likely to fight each other as the enemy.

#atla aus #atla au worldbuilding #the fire nation #fire nation culture #the twenty nine islands

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contentabnormal · 2 years

Audio

For our 200th episode of Content Abnormal, we’re presenting Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce in The New Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes case “The Limping Ghost”! Stick around after the drama concludes because we’ve got special guests who show up to celebrate our 200th show!

Wrestling Tonight!

Plastic Planet Toys

IWE Battlezone TV

Buddy Keys

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frankentyner · 2 years

Photo

Part I

#the crew #at #i.w.e. fight or fright 2022 #imperial wrestling entertainment #i.w.e.#houghton lake #houghton lake mi #houghton lake michigan #ric crow #john campbell #creature feature #creature feature john campbell #laura campbell #laura lee #stuntman mike #mike goodman #stuntman mike goodman #charles #casket match

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fandomtrumpshate · 3 months

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Unlisted Fandom Challenge

Two days ago, at our last Unlisted Fandom Challenge update, we had a 3-way tie for first. Today? One of those fandoms has taken the lead AND a new fandom that hadn't had even a single signup before has jumped all the way into a 4-way tie for second. Your fandom could do the same, in the hours still left before signups close!

At present, our leaderboard looks like this:

7 Danny Phantom

5 Carmen Sandiego (2019) 5 For All Mankind 5 Tortall 5 Yu Yu Hakusho

4 Ace Attorney 4 Alan Wake/Remedyverse 4 Formula 1 RPF 4 Ted Lasso 4 The Goblin Emperor Series - Katherine Addison 4 The Stanley Parable

3 Greek Mythology/Religion 3 Buffyverse 3 Bungo Stray Dogs 3 Call of Duty 3 Detective Conan 3 Dragon Ball 3 HBO War 3 Kingdom Hearts 3 Persona Series: 3-5 3 Professional Wrestling 3 Realm of the Elderlings - Robin Hobb 3 Shades of Magic - V. E. Schwab 3 The Mummy films 1999-2008 3 Undertale

Given the way Carmen Sandiego came from *nowhere* to tie for 2nd place, a single signup really can shake things up! And for the next few hours, signups are STILL OPEN! Do the thing!

The rest of our unlisted write-in fandoms under the cut for length -

2 Ghosts (TV) 2 Black Sails 2 Cosmere 2 CSI 2 Cyberpunk 2077 2 Dead Friend Forever 2 Death Stranding 2 Dice Punks (podcast) 2 Dimension 20 2 Donten ni Warau / Laughing Under the Clouds 2 Dracula 2 Dune 2 Firefly 2 Glee 2 Guardian/Zhen Hun 2 Hermitcraft/The Life Series SMP 2 Imperial Radch Series 2 Inception 2 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 2 Mob Psycho 100 2 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury 2 Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint 2 Ordem Paranormal Quarentena 2 QSMP / Quackity SMP 2 Riverdale 2 Saw 2 Slow Horses (TV Show) 2 South Park 2 Stormlight Archive 2 The Bear (TV) 2 The Empyrean - Rebecca Yarros 2 The Folk of the Air (Holly Black) 2 The Radiant Emperor Series 2 Venture Bros 2 Voltron 2 Wolf Pack 1 1670 1 A Court of Fey & Flowers 1 a league of their own (TV series) 1 A Plague Tale (Videogame Series) 1 American Gods 1 Among Us 1 Bandom RPF (Bad Omens) 1 Bandom RPF (Lorna Shore) 1 Bandom RPF (Motionless In White) 1 Beastars 1 Bendy (and The Ink Machine/Dark Revival) 1 Horror 1 Bioshock 1&2 1 Blue Beetle 1 Blue Eye Samurai 1 Books of the Raksura 1 Boondock Saints 1 Breakfast With Scot 1 Bunny - Mona Awad 1 Buzzfeed Unsolved/Watcher Entertainment RPF 1 Cabin Pressure 1 Cats the musical 1 Charlie's Angels (2019) 1 Cherry Magic 1 Chronicles of Narnia 1 Cobra Kai 1 Coffee Talk (Video Game) 1 Criminal Minds 1 Death Note 1 Devil May Cry 1 Dexter 1 Digimon 1 Discworld - Terry Pratchett 1 Disney Theatrical Animated Universe 1 Divergent 1 DMBJ (Grave Robber's Chronicles) - Xu Lei 1 Dream SMP 1 Dungeons and Daddies (podcast) 1 Endeavour/Morseverse/Inspector Morse (ITV/Dexter) 1 Ensemble Stars!! 1 Fallout Video Game (Bethesda) 1 Falsettos 1 Fargo FX 1 Farscape 1 Fire Emblem (4-10, 13, 14, 16) 1 Five Nights at Freddy's 1 Friends at the Table 1 Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid 1 Grantchester 1 Green Creek 1 Grey's Anatomy 1 Grimm 1 Gundam (see below for details) 1 Hatchetfield 1 Hawaii 5.0 1 Hello From The Hallowoods 1 High School Musical 1 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni 1 Hollow Knight 1 Honkai Star Rail 1 Horizon Zero Dawn 1 Infinity Train 1 IT (Movies - Muschietti) 1 Jeff Satur - music videos 1 Julie and the Phantoms 1 Kushiel's Legacy 1 Law and Order 1 Legend of the Galactic Heroes 1 Live Free or Die Hard (Die Hard 4) 1 London Spy 1 Lovecraft Mythos 1 Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic 1 Magnificent Seven 1 Mary Grant Bruce's Billabong series 1 Mrs. Davis 1 My Little Pony 1 Nancy Drew (CW Series) 1 Narcos (TV) 1 Nine Worlds Series - Victoria Goddard 1 NU: Carnival 1 Omori 1 One Direction 1 Orphan Black 1 Outlast 1 Paranatural 1 Phantomarine 1 Re-Animator 1 Resident Evil/Biohazard 1 Sex Education (TV) 1 She-Ra and the Princesses of Power 1 Simon Snow Series 1 Skins (UK) 1 Slam Dunk 1 Starry Musical 1 Succession 1 Sunless Sea 1 Super Sentai 1 Sweeney Todd 1 Team Starkid 1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1 The Adventure Zone: Balance 1 The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension 1 The Adventures of Tintin 1 The Artful Dodger 1 The Good Place 1 The Greenhollow Series - Emily Tesh 1 The Hollows - Kim Harrison 1 The Last Kingdom 1 The Left-Handed Booksellers of London - Garth Nix 1 The Lunar Chronicles 1 The Mechanisms 1 The Pairing (Casey McQuiston) 1 The Saint of Steel 1 The Shadow Campaigns - Django Wexler 1 The Terror (TV 2018) 1 Three of Hearts 1 Tin Can Bros 1 Tower of God 1 True Detective 1 Twilight 1 Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold 1 Wayfarers (Becky Chambers) 1 Weak Hero Class 1 1 Westworld (TV) 1 Yellowjackets 1 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

#fth 2024 #fandom trumps hate #fanworks charity auction #unlisted fandom challenge #signups are STILL OPEN!#do the thing!

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lastsonlost · 4 years

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All this over the Japanese liking a game they don't like...

Ghost of Tsushima opens with a grand wide shot of samurai, adorned with impressively detailed suits of armor, sitting atop their horses. There we find Jin, the protagonist, ruminating on how he will die for his country. As he traverses Tsushima, our hero fights back the invading Mongolian army to protect his people, and wrestles with the tenets of the Bushido code. Standoffs take advantage of perspective and a wide field of view to frame both the samurai and his opponent in something that, more often than not, feels truly cinematic. The artists behind the game have an equally impeccable reference point for the visuals: the works of legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa

“We really wanted to pay respect to the fact that this game is so totally inspired by the work of this master,” director Nate Fox said in a recent interview with IndieWire. At Entertainment Weekly, Fox explained how his team at Sucker Punch Productions suggested that the influence ran broadly, including the playable black-and-white “Kurosawa Mode” and even in picking a title. More specifically, he noted that Seven Samurai, one of Kurosawa’s most well-known works, defined Fox’s “concept of what a samurai is.” All of this work went toward the hope that players would “experience the game in a way as close to the source material as possible.”

But in embracing “Kurosawa” as an eponymous style for samurai adventures, the creatives behind Ghost of Tsushima enter into an arena of identity and cultural understanding that they never grapple with. The conversation surrounding samurai did not begin or end with Kurosawa’s films, as Japan’s current political forces continue to reinterpret history for their own benefit.

Kurosawa earned a reputation for samurai films as he worked steadily from 1943 to 1993. Opinions of the director in Japan are largely mixed; criticism ranges from the discussion of his family background coming from generations of samurai to accusations of pandering to Western audiences. Whether intentional or not, Kurosawa became the face of Japanese film in the critical circles of the 1950s. But he wasn’t just a samurai stylist: Many of the director’s films frame themselves around a central conflict of personal ideology in the face of violence that often goes without answer — and not always through the lives of samurai. In works like Drunken Angel, The Quiet Duel, or his 1944 propaganda film The Most Beautiful, Kurosawa tackles the interpersonal struggles of characters dealing with sickness, alcoholism, and other challenges.

His films endure today, and not just through critical preservation; since breaking through to the West, his visual ideas and themes have become fodder for reinterpretation. You can see this keenly in Western cinema through films like The Magnificent Seven, whose narrative was largely inspired by Seven Samurai. Or even A Fistful of Dollars, a Western epic that cleaved so closely to Kurosawa’s Yojimbo that director Sergio Leone ended up in a lawsuit with Toho Productions over rights issues. George Lucas turned to Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress in preparation for Star Wars; he’d eventually repay Kurosawa by helping to produce his surreal drama Dreams.

Ghost of Tsushima is part of that lineage, packing in action and drama to echo Kurosawa’s legacy. “We will face death and defend our home,” Shimura, the Lord of Tsushima, says within the first few minutes of the game. “Tradition. Courage. Honor. These are what make us.” He rallies his men with this reminder of what comprises the belief of the samurai: They will die for their country, they will die for their people, but doing so will bring them honor. And honor, tradition, and courage, above all else, are what make the samurai.

Except that wasn’t always the belief, it wasn’t what Kurosawa bought whole cloth, and none of the message can be untangled from how center- and alt-right politicians in modern Japan talk about “the code” today.

The “modern” Bushido code — or rather, the interpretation of the Bushido code coined in the 1900s by Inazō Nitobe — was utilized in, and thus deeply ingrained into, Japanese military culture. An easy example of how the code influenced Imperial Japan’s military would be the kamikaze pilots, officially known as the Tokubetsu Kōgekitai. While these extremes (loyalty and honor until death, or capture) aren’t as present in the myth of the samurai that has ingrained itself into modern ultranationalist circles, they manifest in different yet still insidious ways.

In 2019, to celebrate the ushering in of the Reiwa Era, the conservative Liberal Democratic Party commissioned Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano to depict Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as a samurai. Though described as being center-right, various members of the LDP have engaged in or have been in full support of historical revisionism, including the editing of textbooks to either soften or completely omit the language surrounding war crimes committed by Imperial Japan. Abe himself has been linked to supporting xenophobic curriculums, with his wife donating $9,000 to set up an ultranationalist school that pushed anti-Korean and anti-Chinese rhetoric. The prime minister is also a member of Japan’s ultraconservative Nippon Kaigi, which a U.S. congressional report on Japan-U.S. relations cited as one of several organizations that believe that “Japan should be applauded for liberating much of East Asia from Western colonial powers, that the 1946-1948 Tokyo War Crimes tribunals were illegitimate, and that the killings by Imperial Japanese troops during the 1937 ‘Nanjing massacre’ were exaggerated or fabricated.” The Nippon Kaigi, like Abe, have also pushed for the revision of Japan’s constitution — specifically, Article 9 — to allow Japan to reinstate its standing military.

This has been a major goal for Abe as his time as prime minister comes to a definite close in 2021. And from 2013 onward, the politician has made yearly trips to the Yasukuni shrine to honor the memory of war criminals, a status of which his own grandfather was accused, that died with the ethos of the modern Bushido code. Abe’s exoneration of these ideals has continued to spark reactionary nationalist sentiment, as illustrated with the Nippon Kaigi and their ultranationalist ideology. These traditionalist values have encouraged xenophobic sentiment in Japan, which was seen in the 2020 Tokyo elections with 178,784 votes going to Makoto Sakurai, leader of the Japan First Party, another ultranationalist group. Sakurai has participated in numerous hate speech demonstrations in Tokyo, often targeting Korean diaspora groups.

The preservation of the Bushido code that was highly popularized and utilized by Imperial Japan lives on through promotion by history revisionists, who elevate samurai to a status similar to that of the chivalric knight seen in Western media. They are portrayed as an honor-bound and noble group of people that cared deeply for the peasantry, when that was often not the case.

The samurai as a concept, versus who the samurai actually were, has become so deeply intertwined with Japanese imperialist beliefs that it has become difficult to separate the two. This is where cultural and historical understanding are important when approaching the mythology of the samurai as replicated in the West. Kurosawa’s later body of work — like the color-saturated Ran, which was a Japanese adaptation of King Lear, and Kagemusha, the story of a lower-class criminal impersonating a feudal lord — deeply criticized the samurai and the class system they enforced. While some films were inspired by Western plays, specifically Shakespeare, these works were critical of the samurai and their role in the Sengoku Period. They dismantled the notion of samurai by showing that they were a group of people capable of the same failings as the lower class, and were not bound to arbitrary notions of honor and chivalry.

Unlike Kurosawa’s blockbusters, his late-career critical message didn’t cross over with as much ease. In Western films like 2003’s The Last Samurai, the audience is presented with the picture of a venerable and noble samurai lord who cares only for his people and wants to preserve traditionalist values and ways of living. The portrait was, again, a highly romanticized and incorrect image of who these people were in feudal Japanese society. Other such works inspired by Kurosawa’s samurai in modern pop culture include Adult Swim’s animated production Samurai Jack and reinterpretations of his work like Seven Samurai 20XX developed by Dimps and Polygon Magic, which had also received the Kurosawa Estate’s blessing but resulted in a massive failure. The narratives of the lone ronin and the sharpshooter in American Westerns, for example, almost run in parallel.

Then there’s Ghost of Tsushima. Kurosawa’s work is littered with close-ups focused on capturing the emotionality of every individual actor’s performance, and panoramic shots showcasing sprawling environments or small feudal villages. Fox and his team recreate that. But after playing through the story of Jin, Ghost of Tsushima is as much of an homage to an Akira Kurosawa film as any general black-and-white film could be. The Kurosawa Mode in the game doesn’t necessarily reflect the director’s signatures, as the narrative hook and tropes found in Kurosawa’s work — and through much of the samurai film genre — are equally as important as the framing of specific shots.

“I don’t think a lot of white Western academics have the context to talk about Japanese national identity,” Tori Huynh, a Vietnamese woman and art director in Los Angeles, said about the Western discussion of Kurosawa’s aesthetic. “Their context for Japanese nationalism will be very different from Japanese and other Asian people. My experience with Orientalism in film itself is, that there is a really weird fascination with Japanese suffering and guilt, which is focused on in academic circles … I don’t think there is anything wrong with referencing his aesthetic. But that’s a very different conversation when referencing his ideology.”

Ghost of Tsushima features beautifully framed shots before duels that illustrate the tension between Jin and whomever he’s about to face off against, usually in areas populated by floating lanterns or vibrant and colorful flowers. The shots clearly draw inspiration from Kurosawa films, but these moments are usually preceded by a misunderstanding on Jin’s part — stumbling into a situation he’d otherwise have no business participating in if it weren’t for laid-out side quests to get mythical sword techniques or armor. Issues like this undermine the visual flair; the duels are repeated over and over in tedium as more of a set-piece than something that should have a component of storytelling and add tension to the narrative.

Fox and Sucker Punch’s game lacks a script that can see the samurai as Japanese society’s violent landlords. Instead of examining the samurai’s role, Ghost of Tsushima lionizes their existence as the true protectors of feudal Japan. Jin must protect and reclaim Tsushima from the foreign invaders. He must defend the peasantry from errant bandits taking advantage of the turmoil currently engulfing the island. Even if that means that the samurai in question must discard his sense of honor, or moral righteousness, to stoop to the level of the invading forces he must defeat.

Jin’s honor and the cost of the lives he must protect are in constant battle, until this struggle no longer becomes important to the story, and his tale whittles down to an inevitable and morally murky end. To what lengths will he go to preserve his own honor, as well as that of those around him? Ghost of Tsushima asks these questions without a truly introspective look at what that entails in relation to the very concept of the samurai and their Bushido code. This manifests in flashbacks to Jin’s uncle, Shimura, reprimanding him for taking the coward’s path when doing his first assassination outside of forced stealth segments. Or in story beats where the Khan of the opposing Mongol force informs Shimura that Jin has been stabbing enemies in the back. Even if you could avoid participating in these systems, the narrative is fixated on Jin’s struggle with maintaining his honor while ultimately trying to serve his people.

I do not believe Ghost of Tsushima was designed to empower a nationalist fantasy. At a glance, and through my time playing the game, however, it feels like it was made by outsiders looking into an otherwise complex culture through the flattening lens of an old black-and-white film. The gameplay is slick and the hero moments are grand, but the game lacks the nuance and understanding of what it ultimately tries to reference. As it stands, being a cool pseudo-historical drama is, indeed, what Ghost of Tsushima’s creators seemingly aimed to accomplish. In an interview with Famitsu, Chris Zimmerman of Sucker Punch said that “if Japanese players think the game is cool, or like a historical drama, then that’s a compliment.” And if there is one thing Ghost of Tsushima did succeed in, it was creating a “cool” aesthetic — encompassed by one-on-one showdowns with a lot of cinematic framing.

In an interview with The Verge, Fox said that “our game is inspired by history, but we’re not strictly historically accurate.” That’s keenly felt throughout the story and in its portrayal of the samurai. The imagery and iconography of the samurai carry a burden that Sucker Punch perhaps did not reckon with during the creation of Ghost of Tsushima. While the game doesn’t have to remain true to the events that transpired in Tsushima, the symbol of the samurai propagates a nationalist message by presenting a glossed-over retelling of that same history. Were, at any point, Ghost of Tsushima to wrestle with the internal conflict between the various class systems that existed in Japan at the time, it might have been truer to the films that it draws deep inspiration from. However, Ghost of Tsushima is what it set out to be: a “cool” period piece that doesn’t dwell on the reasonings or intricacies of the existing period pieces it references.

A game that so heavily carries itself on the laurels of one of the most prolific Japanese filmmakers should investigate and reflect on his work in the same way that the audience engages with other pieces of media like film and literature. What is the intent of the creator versus the work’s broader meaning in relation to current events, or the history of the culture that is ultimately serving as a backdrop to yet another open-world romp? And how do these things intertwine and create something that can flirt on an edge of misunderstanding? Ghost of Tsushima is a surface-level reflection of these questions and quandaries, sporting a lens through which to experience Kurosawa, but not to understand his work. It ultimately doesn’t deal with the politics of the country it uses as a backdrop. For the makers of the game, recreating Kurosawa is just black and white.

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stdio2020 · 3 years

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Mark Fisher - What is Hauntology?

It has been noted that since WWII up until 1990, electronic music has been seen as synonymous with the future, given its synthetic makeup. We live in an age today, where this can no longer be true. By 2005 electronic music had existed for long enough that it did no longer immediately conjure ideas of the future, it is no longer strange or dissonant. ‘Futuristic’ aesthetics now conform to a set of generic rules or ideas.

Hauntology is a confrontation of a cultural impasse; the failure of the future.

“In music, as elsewhere in culture, we were living, in Franco Berardi’s suggestive phrase, after the future. What haunts the digital cul-de-sacs of the twenty-first century is not so much the past as all the lost futures that the twentieth century taught us to anticipate” (p2)

“More broadly, and more troublingly, the disappearance of the future meant the deterioration of a whole mode of social imagination: the capacity to conceive of a world radically different from the one in which we currently live. It meant the acceptance of a situation in which culture would continue without really changing, and where politics was reduced to the administration of an already established (capitalist) system. In other words, we were in the ‘‘end of history’’ described by Francis Fukuyama. Fukuyama’s thesis was the other side of Fredric Jameson’s claim that postmodernism—characterized by its inability to find forms adequate to the present, still less to anticipate wholly new futures—was the ‘‘cultural logic of late capitalism.’’” (p3)

Postmodernism as a kind of ‘giving up’? Shrugging shoulders. Could the opposition to all this pastiche and re iteration be a kind of nostalgia for modernism? Jameson’s notion of “Nostalgia Mode”

Jameson argues that postmodernism is characterized by a particular kind of anachronism in which a set of signifiers are employed in order to distance the idea from the contemporary moment in which it was born. For example a film released today may use an ‘art deco style’ credit sequence to to program the audience to the appropriate nostalgia mode of reception. (p3)

As Owen Hatherley has argued, bulldozed brutalist buildings are one sign that this future did not arrive. The actual future would not be popular modernism, but populist conservatism: the creative destruction unleashed by the forces of business on the one hand, the return to familiar aesthetic and cultural forms on the other. It would not be British, but American; or at least it would be a certain version of ‘‘the American’’ exemplified in consumer culture. (p4)

Derrida’s ideas of a broken sense of time

“What is important about the figure of the specter, then, is that it cannot be fully present: it has no being in itself but marks a relation to what is no longer or not yet’’ (Stanford University Press, 2008, 82).” (p4)

Capital installed media (postmedia) on global territory, links here to imperialism and social control through dominating ideology as disseminated by media and entertainment. Hauntology concerns a crisis of space and time. Tele technologies collapse both space and time.

Hauntology is fundamentally about forces which act at a distance. Irony acts to place distance between the ironist and the idea?

Reza Negarestani, in his book Cyclonopedia: Complicity with Autonomous Materials, calls: ‘‘Inorganic Demons or xenolithic artifacts. These relics or artifacts are generally depicted in the shape of objects made of inorganic materials (stone, metal, bones, souls, ashes, etc.). Autonomous, sentient The Shining: Torrance and Grady © 1980 Warner Bros. Inc. DVD: Warner Home Video. A Warning to the Curious © BBC. Courtesy of BFI. 20 FALL 2012 This content downloaded from 128.111.95.97 on Tue, 5 Nov 2013 15:45:43 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions and independent of human will, their existence is characterized by their forsaken status, their immemorial slumber and their provocatively exquisite forms ... Inorganic demons are parasitic by nature, they ... generate their effects out of the human host, whether as an individual, an ethnicity, a society or an entire civilization’’ (re.press, 2008, 223)

Consumerism eliminates time, (Link to mcluhan)

Hauntology seems to me, a sort of ‘pulling between’. We find ourselves at once haunted (pulled) by the lost future, and are then pulled toward the past, the net result is a kind of violent stillness. Its this stillness I keep coming back to with Rosi Braidotti; uncertainty wrestles with hope, ambition wrestles with rationality; dread wrestles with ambivalence. The conflict between what we already know based on our past experience and what we hope to happen.

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