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butterflydm · 2 years

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wot reread: the shadow rising (chap2 part2)

The last post got extremely long, so I went ahead and split it up.

spoilers through the end of the fourth book, the shadow rising.

1. Anyway, we are in Mat’s PoV and I’m kinda relieved to be out of Perrin’s, which is sad. But, like compared to Perrin’s melodrama with Faile, with Mat we find out about Rand’s new laws that are enforcing Lords to the same standards as normal people, how precarious Rand’s position is with the Tairen Lords, and we learn cultural tidbits about Tear, and I’m just relieved not to be in the middle of Perrin and Faile’s relationship drama tbh.

2. Mat keeps his coats (fancy as they are) cut in an Andoran style. Oh Mat. I really am fond of him.

3. Mat is totes planning on leaving once he has the money. It’s just... you know. Tear is full of distractions. Is all. That’s the only reason he’s still here.

4. Oh, and now we get Mat’s perspective on Rand. “A good fellow to have fun with, when he was not going all over-serious and responsible”. And his current hangup with Rand as the Dragon Reborn is Moiraine and not Rand himself. My memory was SO WRONG. I thought I remembered that Mat’s reaction was so much worse than Perrin’s but I actually really like this perspective and Mat’s feelings make so much sense? I mean, he’s about to get attacked by a bubble of evil, so maybe he’ll have more negative thoughts in a minute. But I just kinda wanna live in that first sentence for a while.

5. We do get to him thinking, a page or so later, basically that it is impossible for him to really still be Rand’s friend anymore because Rand is a man who can channel but again there’s not any... hostility in the thought. It’s treated as a survival necessity. It’s like how Egwene kept talking in TDR about how ‘impossible�� it was for her to still marry Rand in the future because he’s the Dragon Reborn (and meanwhile Elayne is just standing there going... ‘um no it’s not’).

6. It’s fascinating, tbh, how far we get into the conversation before it becomes really clear in Mat’s narration how much he hates the lords that he’s playing cards with. He’s very good at not thinking about the things that he doesn’t want to think about. But he despises the way they think of ‘peasants’, and the way they think of Aiel, and the way he knows that they only treat him like a person because he’s the ‘Lord Dragon’s friend’.

7. Yeah, on page 58, where Mat is basically trying to work himself up to the idea of leaving by trying to convince himself that he doesn’t still think of Rand as a friend, that he can’t think of Rand as a friend, so it’s fine to leave him behind. He has to keep reminding himself over and over that Rand can’t be his friend anymore.

8. “Mat forgot about the Old Tongue. It was easy enough; he did not want to think of it.” Amazing. I was literally just talking about this ability to not think about things earlier. Mat’s PoVs are such a rollercoaster of emotions.

9. Doing the math here, Mat has at least five daggers on him these days at all times. Mostly likely, at least six, since he would probably keep an equal number accessible to each hand. Mat does also have a flash of anger towards Rand here and blames what happened on Rand potentially having gone mad, but he has no one to stoke it up higher. Maybe that’s part of the difference that we see in the two PoVs.

10. So Perrin and Faile are having an early morning talk; Mat has been playing cards until the wee hours of the morning, and Rand is asleep, flipping between nightmares and, well, basically PG-13 sex dreams. But he’s still terrified that Moiraine is trying to, essentially, leash him and control him. The theme of... leashing channelers because they’re dangerous comes up again and again even when the Seanchan aren’t present.

11. On the other side of things, his swimming dream shows his attraction to both Min and Elayne, as well as feeling vaguely like he’s betraying Egwene for being interested in them. More than that, it also shows his deep desire to reconnect with his roots (the pond in the dream is where he learned to swim as a child) and take a break from the high-intensity stress of being the Dragon Reborn. But then even that one turns into a nightmare, with the reminder of what ‘everyone’ knows about how the taint is a rotting death for male channelers.

12. And Rand has the exact same fears about himself that we see both Perrin and Mat having about him. Fear of going mad, fear of rotting away, etc.

13. “Neither of them ever looked at him that way when he was awake” - Elayne told you TO YOUR FACE that she thinks you’re handsome. I do get him feeling like her knowing he’s the Dragon now would change things but she did tell you flat-out that she thinks you’re handsome.

14. We finally get to the ‘I think of Egwene as a sister’ mental admission from Rand here. But it’s been interesting to see the progression of this backstory for them. In EotW, it was a teenage crush that Egwene cut off at the knees by choosing to be Nynaeve’s apprentice instead of dancing with Rand at Bel Tine. In TGH, it was retroactively graduated to ‘Egwene picked him out when they were young teenagers and then socially engineered them to be in a relationship but Rand didn’t realize this until he compares it to how Ogier marriages are set up’, which was my least favorite version of their backstory tbh, as it made Egwene breaking things off with him seem a lot more heartless and cruel than the original version did. And then in TDR/TSR, it becomes ‘all but promised to each other as children’ with them both fully aware of that and what it means. I think this is The Final Version of their backstory tho.

Pushing the timeline of their connection back to childhood and turning it into more of an arranged semi-betrothal as opposed to something that was driven by either Rand or Egwene’s actual emotions does make it easier, narratively, to go ‘but actually I think of her as a sister now’ but it’s been interesting to keep an eye out for those narrative shifts as they happened. So, I feel like there are multiple different backstories that a fic writer can choose to draw on for the ‘past Rand/Egwene’ portions of their fics, lol. I wonder if they’re going to cut out the “I think of you like a sister/brother” bits, since they did have Rand and Egwene fade-to-black having sex in the first episode and the seventh.

It’s good they break up for the last time in this book tho, because at the rate the backstory was evolving, in five books, we would learn that they were already married back in Emond’s Field before setting out in EotW and they’ve actually been wearing wedding rings this entire time and it’s just that no one mentioned them before now.

15. Berelain lying to the Maidens so that she can sneak into Rand’s bedroom in the middle of the night to try to seduce him: like, I do understand her motives (keeping her country safe) but... eeeesh, please don’t do that.

16. Saidin responding to Rand’s desires -- Berelain won’t listen to him asking her to leave, she won’t listen to him trying to use Egwene as a shield to hide behind, she won’t listen to any of his soft ‘no’s, so saidin says no for him, and pushes her far enough away that he can just tell her, flat-out, that he will never allow her to talk to him in private again. And he does find her physically attractive; his internal narration does make that clear -- but he’s not interested in sleeping with anyone who is doing it for political reasons or who would be sleeping with ‘the Dragon Reborn’ instead of with Rand.

17. It’s interesting how targeted all these attacks are -- Perrin gets attacked by the axe (his capacity for violence), Mat gets attacked by the playing cards (his luck), and Rand gets attacked by his own reflection.

18. Also a theme I noticed in this chapter was cultural clashes that end up with women from different cultures, specifically, stomping all over the boundaries of the boys from the Two Rivers. Three different ways -- sexual, violence, and one way that mixes sex and violence. Berelain snuck into Rand’s room to seduce him and won’t listen to him telling her ‘no’ until he finally lashes out with saidin to try to make her listen and respect his ‘no’. Faile hits Perrin (hard enough that he worries she may have loosened one of his teeth, iirc) and he has to physically hold her in place to keep her from trying to hit him more. Mat deals with remembering the game of ‘Maidens’ Kiss’ that Rhuarc tricked him into asking the Maidens to play, where he has to satisfy the Maidens with kisses to avoid them causing him physical harm. Just. Definitely something that I noticed there.

19. The ending to this chapter is so heartbreaking. “He just wanted to sit and remember a shepherd named Rand al’Thor”.

#wot reread #wot #wheel of time #wot book spoilers #wot spoilers #the shadow rising

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justimajin · 5 years

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A Wilting Rose╰ Part 3 ╮

➺ Pairing: Jimin x Reader

➺ Genre: Angst & Fluff

↳ (4.3k) Actor and Actress AU

➺ Summary: The world of acting can be best described with three words - dark, invasive and inhumane. Talent, although heavily required, isn’t focused upon in comparison to the juicy gossip and various rumors that can be spread. This is why even you - an extremely talented actress - fall prey to the chops of the acting world and find yourself in a down whirling spiral with no escape. Desperately needing to get back up on your two feet once again, it seems like your best bet is a newcomer to the industry, who has yet to understand the ways of your fallen world.

➺ Warnings: some swearing

➺ Moodboard Prologue Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

You actually hate mornings.

Despise, detest and certaintly hate the stupid shining sun that wrenches your eyelids open, the annoying birds that seem to love perching on your balconey to plunge your ears into another eardrum exploding song and the fact that you wake up semi-dead - looking like a disaster just hit you in the face.

Kim Namjoon loves mornings.

The shining sun feels warm to him, encasing around him like a comfortable blanket and keeping him snug. The song the birds sing is sweet and gentle, making him pluck pieces of bread for them and encouraging them to sing more often. He looks refreshed and rejuvenated, prepared for whatever the day throws at him.

Min Yoongi is a mix.

He wants work to be done accordingly and on time but cannot wrap his mind around having to lose precious hours of sleep. He views the sun as being a potential prop for his sets, birds accompanying them to create a perfect illusion of atmosphere and he most certainly wants everything to look specifically detailed without any flaws.

Pairing a person that loves mornings and a person that will use everything in his capability to get the correct atmosphere to manage a semi-dead person that hates mornings is a horrible idea.

You are woken up at six (YES SIX) in the morning and told to head to the dressing room immediately to be styled. You protest and complain, whining when Jungkook has to drag you outside and then shield you away from reporters, they’re absurd flashes only blinding your freshly awakened eyes. You frown when Namjoon greets you, a knowing smile on his lips when he shifts food towards you and you grumble while grabbing a sandwich, stuffing your face immediately. You glare at Yoongi who only smirks when he sees you walk in, keeping himself awake with an iced americano but getting amused with having you arrive on time.

You can’t wait for this day to be over.

“Y/N! Hold still!” The words tug you out instantly and you raise your arms, groaning.

“I have been standing here for an hour. Can’t you hurry up?!” You glare at the stylist and her eyes waver, attempting to tie the pink ribbon around your waist faster.

“I-I’m sorry, Mr. Min has given me specific instructions for the costume and I’m required to follow them.” She stretches out a sheet of light blue silk, draping it over your shoulders until it flows all the way down to your feet.

“Of course he has.” You audibly exhale, still keeping your arms raised. The stylist hurriedly secures the long delicate skirt around your waist and tugs on it to ensure it wasn’t difficult to walk in.

A knock resonates on the door, “How much longer?” His voice is rough and irritated, patience running out thin.

“Almost done Sir! Just doing some adjustments!” The stylist replies, struggling to put the pearl beads in your curled hair.

“Get a chair, will you?” You say, causing her to reply with a soft “oh!” before quickly grabbing one and threading the remaining beads into your hair.

“Just one more…” She whispers, before quickly climbing down. “You’re all set Y/N! Have a look!” She gestures you towards the mirror and you wave her off, struggling to move with the sheer weight following you as you make your way over. Your tired eyes land on the reflection before you and they immediately freeze, glancing at who exactly was before you.

Your entire body is adorned in a simple white dress, layers and layers of blue silk wrapping around your arms and torso until they drape down to your similar white coloured skirt. Bright pink ribbons cover the majority of your torso and fall down delicately at the seams of your dress near where your blue gloved hands are. Your hair has been stretched out into curls, reaching out all the way to your knees and acts like a cape behind your back. Your face isn’t caked up in make-up like it usually is, instead a minimal amount is used to make you seem almost like a younger version of yourself.

You don’t recognize yourself.

But then it hits you.

You’re not Y/N.

You’re the princess.

“This...this is the costume?” You quietly whisper but the stylist hears you, nodding with a bright smile.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? You look so pretty Y/N!”

You’re still staring at the person looking back at you in the mirror with pursed lips, her youthful features and innocent eyes making you believe her ghost had actually come back from the dead.

“The main set is almost done! Bring the actors out!” You hear Yoongi’s voice from outside the dressing room walls and the stylist carefully places her hands on your arms.

“Y/N, we need to get going.” She says softly and instantly your eyes flicker, feet slowly backing away from the mirror until you completely turn away.

You shrug her hands off, “Don’t touch me.”

Turning towards the door, you latch onto the handle, not even turning back once.

You had forgotten the amount of chaos that takes place through filming a single scene. People are running around and yelling at the top of their lungs, rushing to either set up props or to prep actors before a scene. Yoongi is moving promptly through all these sections, ensuring everyone is on track and that the scene can be captured without any mistakes.

You’re greeted to Namjoon waiting for you with a script, already going through the details of the first scene. “It serves as the introduction of the princess, she’s freely walking through the gates singing a sweet song and heads towards the palace. Once she enters, the discussion of her becoming queen of the kingdom is done by the council but she constantly gets undermined about her ability.”

“Look like I’m in the shower singing. Listen to a bunch of old geezers chat. Got it.” You retort and Namjoon chuckles at your translation.

Your eyes roam around, “Is Jimin not in this scene?”

“Oh he comes during the palace meeting as one of the guards. I think…” Namjoon flips through the script quickly, pointing to one line, “Ah! You don’t know each other yet but interest sparks!”

“What kind of interest?”

“Just like you noticing him because you haven’t seen him before. He turns out to be the General of the army and one of the kingdom’s best warriors!”

“Ugh, so predictable.”

Namjoon suddenly closes the script, suddenly looking at you intensely, “Look Y/N, I know it’s been a while since you’ve acted but just take it easy an-”

“I know how to act Namjoon.” You hiss, “This is my profession for god’s sake. I know what I’m doing.”

Namjoon frowns, looking away from you with a sigh, “Alright then. Good luck.”

You head towards the front of the stage and position yourself in the middle of the long hallway - the very one that leads up to the princess’s corridors. The walls have been painted with a mercury white, gold specks and swirls on the nearby pillars to show the elegance of the kingdom.

You look up to see Yoongi smirking at you, clearly satisfied with how you look and then telling his cameraman to get the film rolling, “Remember to act like a kid. I want to a pretty and nice princess alright?”

You roll your eyes, humming as you carefully pick up your skirt in your hands, preparing to walk. The background music soon plays and you hear a huge “Action!” which propels you to thread through the hallway gracefully, pretending like the song was captivating you.

It looks spectacular - the grand set behind you, the enchanting dress moving along the hallway and the song portraying your character's sweet exterior perfectly.

“CUT!”

You blink your eyes, looking up from the ground to see an absolutely pissed off Min Yoongi, “Does this look like nap time to you? Why do you look so fucking disinterested?!”

You frown, looking at him like he was insane.

Disinterested?

Your expressions were completely on point, you even batted your lashes at one point to look like the idiotic princess!

“ROLL AGAIN!” Yoongi shouts, causing you to walk over to the same spot again with a huff.

The set is ready, the song plays and you move.

It’s breathtaking, the song tunes pulling you around as you even add in a twirl this time, batting your lashes more and slowly walki-

“CUT!”

What?

“Are you even listening to what I’m saying?! You look like someone’s forcing you to walk!”

You furrow your brows, “What do you mean?! I’m doing it perfectly, I’m walking around like a princess and making the scene look like a masterpiece!”

Yoongi shakes his head and laughs to himself, “A masterpiece, you say? You’re making my eyes bleed out.” He turns to the camera man, “Roll again!”

You attempt again, adding a wistful smile and squinting your eyes dramatically in order to satisfy the demonic director currently watching you. It looks good, you appear to be caught up in a daze, subtle expressions slowly coming out and you just know that you can do thi-

“CUT!”

You drop your arms down, clenching your fists as you glare at your director who doesn’t even say anything. He just stares at you for a minute, before shaking his head and letting out a huge sigh. His assistant promptly leans over and whispers closely in his ear, causing his eyes to flash and soon he’s once more guiding the entire ensemble of crew members with his authoritative tone, “The actors for the next scene are ready! Let’s move onto the next set.” His team nods and quickly gets into action, lining everyone’s into their correct positions as you simply stand there with your glare still latched onto the director.

You march over to him, not really caring if you end up stepping on your own dress, “Did you get my shot?”

“No.” He states, flipping through the pages of the next scene’s script, “Prepare yourself for the next scene, then we’ll get back to shooting your solo scene once you can actually put some effort into it.”

Your jaw drops, reading to let out a stream of colorful words for the man but a warm hand suddenly lands on your shoulder, “Y/N? They’re waiting for you.”

Your eyes land onto Namjoon, who gives you a gentle smile but you just shrug his hand off your shoulder and walk to the next set on your own.

You’ve been in this industry for years. This is the work you do best and the work no one else can vouch for.

You’re one of the finest actors this generation has ever seen and they’re lucky enough to be watching you act.

Gritting your teeth, you try to focus again. After all, the princess is supposed to be listening in on the conversation and thankfully you don’t have any dialogue for this scene, but that doesn’t mean she should look like she’s on the verge of murdering someone.

Looking around you, you see various men dressed in clothing similar to yours - colors of blue and white as a way to represent the royal guards and the army. The set is designed to be like a giant throne room, with sparkling diamonds, gold crafted walls and a long red carpet leading to the golden throne at the end of the room. There’s an old man seated on it, looking quite heavy and stroking his long grey beard, who is to play your father as you stand next to the actor playing your mother.

The camera gets ready and you try to conceal the tiredness already reigning through your shoulders and arms thanks to the weight of your dress. Your ‘mother’ smiles at you and you nod, having worked with her in a previous movie and discovering she wasn’t as unpleasant as some actors would turn out to be.

The guards all huddle up into a single line before your father and they look extremely ordinary in the least - typical royal uniforms paired with the stiff smiles at being in the mere presence of your father. However, that’s when the last guard arrives and suddenly all of the boredom is being sucked out of your eyes.

He’s not dressed like the rest of them, but rather he wears a wolf’s skin over his shoulders and it covers the dark blue royal clothing he wears underneath. A bronze sword is sealed away and tightly knitted to the side of his hip, the same intricate details your kingdom was designed with being present onto it. His hair is a bright blue shade, parted to the side when you can see his intense eyes locked onto the throne - black and cold.

Your mother speaks up, snapping you out of your trained gaze on him with her words, “Looks like the lead actor has arrived.”

You widen your eyes, turning your head abruptly to look at him once more, “That’s Jimin?”

“Of course, didn’t you meet him already Y/N?”

“I did…” You did meet him, however the Park Jimin you met was the newbie - an innocent and naive boy who looked like he was going to disappear underneath your rader if you stared at him any longer, his questions seeming more like common sense to you and his willingness to agree with everyone making you want to roll your eyes.

But this.

This isn’t Park Jimin.

His gaze is fixated on the throne, staring at the King with his head held up high and his stance excluding power.

This is the General.

“ACTION!”

Your eyes flutter, sinking back into your character when you stop letting your thoughts run loose. “Princess! Come forth.”

You walk closer to the throne, your mother keeping a hand on you as your father grins, “As you all know my daughter will be coming of age soon and it is important to find a suitable man for her hand in marriage.”

Your mother steps forward, “I would like to speak on behalf of my daughter.”

The King nods and your mother continues, “The princess wishes to learn the way of the kingdom so she may take over your throne one day, Your Majesty.”

The King frowns, “Why would she desire such a thing?”

“The princess is the heir to the throne and therefore has the direct right to rule as Queen one day. Her future husband will become the new King, so she will bestow the knowledge she learns onto her husband so he may become a suitable ruler by her side just as his Majesty is.”

“Hmm.” The King strokes his long curly beard, glancing at his Queen before looking back to his own council.

“What is the verdict on such a matter?”

One man walks out from beside the throne, having a grey beard and matching cloak just like the King, “The princess’s desire is foolish, your Majesty, she is incapable of handling this kingdom as graciously as you have done so.”

“She will be denied the right, if this kingdom is to prosper.” Another man says, stepping ahead as well.

“It is best to bestow the honor on a noble man.”

Your furrow your brows, wondering how the princess can simply sit back and listen to all these complaints about herself.

The King sits there, stroking his beard as he listens to his council’s opinion before his eyes move back to his Queen.

The Queen does not back down, “The princess can be a capable ruler contrary to your beliefs council, she is in need of a mentor who can help perfect those skills.”

The King contemplates for a moment, before he clears his throat, “Listening to all these thoughts, my final decision has been made.” The King stands up, facing his men, “The princess must be granted with a mentor. If she can prove herself to be a noble ruler, then my throne will be passed down onto her instead of her future husband.”

“I would like one of my guards to teach her of the kingdom and become her mentor.” He stands up, “Who shall it be?”

Immediately all the guards roar, “Me, your Majesty!” “I will!” “I can honor this wish, my King!”

You roll your eyes, cringing at how much wonderful liberty the princess gets - choosing from a sea of men that just want to satisfy her King.

Heavy footsteps move forward.

“Bestow this responsibility on me, your Majesty.”

The voices all die out when the King’s best man steps up to the task, whispers echoing through as he kneels down before the throne.

“General Park wants the honor?” “The general is never interested in such things!” “Is he trying to get in more favor of the King?”

The King smiles to the point of smirking, a dark glint in his eyes, “Then so be it. General Park shall do the honor of teaching my daughter!”

Although disheartened, the men cheer for their General who bows down in front of his King.

That’s when his eyes meet yours.

It’s borderline cheesy - he declares he wants to train you in front of your father and then searches for your eyes. However, in that single second that Jimin glances over to you, you can read hundreds of messages coming across from his eyes. It isn’t just simple interest, it’s so much more and as the princess, you’re required to show the same feeling back with your eyes.

But you can’t seem to muster anything up.

“CUT!”

The scene stops as murmurs echo through among the fellow actors, Yoongi’s glare coming right at you and Jimin. He walks over to you, a dark seething aura following alongside him. From the corner of your eye, you can see that Jimin doesn’t have the same powerful stance anymore, but rather it deflates back into his naive self.

“Alright, listen up you two.” He turns to Jimin first, “You’re doing a great job newbie, I want to see more of your stuff but keep it toned down and don’t exaggerate too much.” Yoongi says the words with barely an ounce of emotion and yet Jimin instantly beams at it, a huge relieved smile on his face that you would have never witnessed if you were still acting in the same scene.

“And you.” He suddenly turns to you, a fiery glare in his eyes, “You’re doing everything wrong, the emotion isn’t right and the innocence the princess has is coming off as too stiff. You seriously have to work on this otherwise I won’t hesitate to have you replaced.” Your brows furrow and you’re instantly ready to give Yoongi a piece of your mind after such remarks, but the words don’t get to leave your mouth.

“She’ll get it right, we just need to reshoot the scene again.” You immediately glance at Jimin, who blurted out the words without giving much thought into what exactly he was asking.

Re-shooting an entire scene like that again, with a huge ensemble cast and preparation having to be re-done.

Yoongi stares at him for a second, a huge frown on his lips before he sighs, “Alright.”

He looks back you again, gritting out the words, “Get it right this time.”

The scene gets set-up as before, the King discussing your role in the kingdom with the Queen and the council and then choosing a specific guard. It’s exactly the same however it’s also incredibly daunting at the same time.

The only sole thought on your mind is how ridiculous this all is - the princess being rendered silent as her fate is being discussed before her eyes, having her own mother speak on her behalf and then not even being able to choose who her mentor is. She has to follow the King’s annoying words and act like some sort of puppet.

Her character is unbelievably stupid.

Which is why everytime Yoongi looks to you, for anything really - gentle eyes listening into the conversation, doubts surfacing on your face at the mention of becoming Queen and surprise washing over you when the General takes on the task, he’s infuriated at the blank disinterested expression that keeps emerging from your own incompetence.

Yoongi has a vision, a very solid one being a well known director, and he can’t stand it when his actors refuse the effort of making that vision a reality.

“Y/N!” He yells, the entire cast jolting from his loud tone, “It’s be great if you throw out your stuck up attitude of creating ‘masterpieces’ and give me a decent expression!”

“Being an experienced actor doesn’t mean anything here if a newcomer is doing better than you!”

Your cheeks instantly turn red when the scene goes silent, Yoongi boiling up to the point where saying ‘cut’ wasn’t even necessary to stop the scene. However, if Yoongi is boiling on the inside, then you are raging.

“You know what Mr. Min?” Your words cut through the silence like a knife, “If a newcomer is doing better than me, then I guess I’m not even needed here then!” You take out the pins and pearls holding up your hair, “I QUIT!”

Shock flashes on Yoongi for a split second until his expression turns stone cold.

“Then leave already.”

Gritting your teeth, you stomp down the stairs leading up to the scene and walk away.

Not even noticing the light footsteps trailing after you.

“Y/N!”

You direct a glare at him when he grabs onto your wrist, “Y/N, don’t leave...we can try again!”

“Let go of me!” You snap his hand away infuriated, seeing the crease in his brows and his hands dropping to his side when he falters.

The longer you stare at him, the more it dawns in that he’s more than his doll-like features. He was able to transform into the role of the General flawlessly, executing every single expression with perfection despite being a newcomer with zero experience compared to you.

He knows how to act.

And you can’t.

Clenching your fists, you turn away from him, continuing to walk even as he calls after you again.

“Why did you leave?” His words come out almost exhausted, like he was so over with trying to be understanding and considerate when you simply refuse to listen to him, “Y/N! I’m trying to talk to you!”

You sit before him, still adorned in the princess’s dress with the skirt pooling in between your feet and the ribbons starting to become loose. The carefully placed hairstyle on your hair has come undone, pearls occasionally dropping down as you cross your arms; not even moving to pick them up.

“I’m not going back.”

Your plain answer just continues to spur more questions from him. “But why? I know the role of the princess is challenging however you just need to work on it. It’ll take time an-”

A chord snaps, the weight on your delicate shoulders increasing its fury, “I am not going back. I can’t play the role of the princess, she’s too much of an idiot and doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing.” You grit your teeth, “I am a capable actor but I can’t play the role of someone sostupid!”

“Y/N!”

Your eyes falter at Namjoon’s raised tone, “You can’t play a character you haven’t understood yet. You keep saying you’re so capable, but that actor in you hasn’t even come out…”

You were expecting a lot of things from Namjoon - anger, resentment, frustration.

However, all you see is disappointment in his eyes.

You look away, pulling your crossed arms closer to yourself as you bite down on your bottom lip. Namjoon slowly approaches you, very aware of the sheer amount of turmoil radiating off of you when he makes his proposal.

“You need time Y/N.” He whispers and you glance at him, the smallest amount of tension sparking in your eyes.

“I don’t have time.”

“I know, which is why I have an idea.” You raise an eyebrow at that, “Why don’t you talk to Jimin? He’s pretty much nailed down his character and could help you.”

You scoff, “A newbie? Helping me?”

“Try Y/N. Try.” Namjoon sighs, “If Yoongi was complimenting him, then there has to be something he’s doing right.”

You frown, pursuing your lips when the idea is not settling down well with you, “I’ll give you his manager’s number.” Namjoon takes out a notepad and a pen, scratching down some numbers, “Try talking to him and see how things go. It’s better than not having anyone to turn to for help.” Namjoon extends his arm, the number clearly written on the piece of paper.

You stare at it for a mere second, narrowing your eyes and pursuing your lips.

You snatch the paper away with a sigh.

“Fine.”

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zydrateacademy · 5 years

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Review - Rage 2

I have little to no experience with the first Rage. I have about two hours on it, last played five years ago. I remember a lot of brown, and I think I immediately quit because it didn’t engage me very much. To the surprise of everyone, last year we get a teaser trailer set to Andrew WK’s “Ready to Die” in a semi live action setpiece telling everyone that Rage has returned, and it’s gonna be wacky! In practice, it’s just a very colorful shooter. A fairly decent one, but it lacks the general humor that Borderlands has, which yields a common comparison. Indeed, Rage 2 feels like a union between Mad Max (the driving), Borderlands (the environment), and DOOM (the gunplay). This review will have several comparisons to all three, but I’ll try to explain the systems so my readers won’t require previous knowledge of other games. I’ll start with the game’s main selling point, the zany gunplay and abilities. You play as Walker, gender of your choice but you cannot customize them as they both essentially exist as their own beings in this world. You are some kind of military trainee in a fairly safe and stable stronghold that gets annihilated in the first fifteen minutes of the game by an organization called “The Authority”. You put on a suit of armor of a now-extinct sect of “Rangers”, you being the last one in an impromptu promotion. This armor facilitates all of your guns and abilities. Even the guns are acquired through ARKS dotted around the land that are specifically designed for rangers and their suits, so right off the bat you’re more or less more equipped than every bandit in the wasteland.

Other than some odd key bindings to start with, the abilities and guns feel very good. One of the first you acquire is imminently useful, as it was designed to shatter armor of the enemies (and the ability is in fact called “Shatter”). This is also very satisfying as you play through the game, whether you use that ability or shoot it all off, you can actually see mob’s armor plating fly off as you whittle them down. It’s a good signifier as any that they’re ready to be killed outright. Considering the game shares much more with DOOM than with Borderlands, enemies are not at all bullet sponges. Most enemies can be taken out in just a couple shots, or a single headshot. The armor is what makes them spongey, but you’re very quickly given the tools to deal with it. Other abilities include a bullet barrier, a ground slam, a super sprint, a dash, a vortex that pulls enemies in and detonates, an overdrive, and a few others. Considering that DOOM developers have worked on this, this is not a cover shooter. Everything is designed to keep you moving and shooting and the set of abilities you acquire serve this goal incredibly well, and the gunplay is very fun. However, like Mad Max (from Avalanche Studios, which also served as developers here) strongholds don’t tend to respawn which leaves my usual fare of sandboxing starting to dry up just 11 hours into the game. I’m starting to get the feeling that the game is rather short, and I wish it took a similar idea from recent Far Cry games to reset the strongholds, maybe add some extra difficulty to it, and let us play it all again. I do not believe there is a New Game Plus at this time, so when I’m done, I’m done. This is essentially a twenty to thirty hour game it feels, so take that as you will.

Everything can be upgraded as well, DOOM-style. This is not Borderlands, and you will be staring at the same guns throughout your experience. There are about ten of them though (two from the preorder bonus, or potential DLC) and you can change their capabilities, level them up, and add extra mag sizes, reload speeds, and so on. They’ll function differently as you see fit but I find myself defaulting to the assault rifle you acquire, upgradable with armor piercing rounds which really tear through most enemies.

Returning from Mad Max are the convoys, one of my favorite mechanics from that game. There were only a handful there, and this game serves many more and they’re certainly more engaging in their own way. They boast an entire caravan with a War-Rig like truck that serves as its own boss (complete with a health bar), where you must wipe out the allies and then hit “weak points” that pop out periodically. I’m not sure if they constantly spawn or are as temporary as the strongholds, but I do enjoy them.

So the gunplay is good, the environment is interesting to look at. There’s plenty of lights, colorful characters, and even trees and wildlife in certain zones. The writing leaves something to be desired. For example you get a Borderlandsy splash screen introducing a few characters, one of which was “enjoys manipulating others, and once tortured a guy just to get his approval”. Meeting him just screamed “This guy is going to betray the fuck out of you”. Sure enough...

So let’s move on to some points I have “mixed” feelings about.

As I alluded to with the guns, this isn’t really a Loot-N-Shooter. It’s just a shooter. Everywhere there are chests to get “feltrite”, the main upgrade currency. You also get money, which also helps buy upgrades outright as well as ammo for you and your vehicle. There’s even an upgrade just to help you triangulate and find these chests so you don’t abandon every stronghold at 3/4 chests found because it’s hiding in a tiny alcove somewhere, but sometimes I do it anyway because it kind of kills too much time when you’re running around for a while. The gameplay encourages constant moving, shooting, and ground-slamming, but after a while you actually run out of things to do all of that with. To the game’s credit, it doesn’t make Anthem’s mistake of “go here, kill everything”. Sometimes you defend a pylon, sometimes you shoot fuel tanks, sometimes you destroy a power silo. All of which involves a lot of shooting but none of this respawns or comes back.

In relation, the map does feel a bit small. After gaining reputation with a certain main character, you’re awarded the Icarus, which is a flight vehicle. No weapon capabilities and it’s made out of paper but it’s very useful for transit. I’d almost recommend not using it at all, but it does help nab a few points of interest that you wouldn’t necessarily drive past on wheels, as some things you need to actively search for rather than drive by. As I said before, after 11 hours it feels as though I’ve complete most of the side-stuff already. Side missions can be picked up in towns but they’re much simpler and less interesting than the main story itself, and there’s little reason to do them.

The game is also very buggy. I suffer a crash to desktop (no error message or anything) every couple of hours. Much more often the game will freeze on me for an extended period of time (forty-five seconds or more) before coming back to me. I was on a “clear out the bandits” objective and one of the enemies was clipped into a building. Thankfully the “Shatter” ability has some AoE capabilities that got through the wall and I got him eventually. Those are the main three I’ve suffered but if you read around, you’ll no doubt find much more. These aren’t the usual funny “dragons flying backwards” Bethesda bugs, these are actually game breaking and rage inducing.

Oh, Bethesda. What has happened to you? It felt like it’s just been a couple years since you were the gaming community’s golden boy. It really all went downhill with Fallout 76 (which I’m still waiting on single player and modding capabilities) and has never really recovered. Yes, their new fare of “microtransactions” are here. I don’t normally have a hate-on for cosmetic shops like the community as a whole does but in Rage 2 it’s particularly pointless. It has some gun skins, both of which can be acquired in game. The golden skins are 10,000 dollars in certain shops (which is a lot, mind you) and the other ones can be acquired by farming the Mutant Bash TV enough. I enjoy the mutant-killing arena but I find it’s far too damn easy, and it really needed extra difficulty levels attached. Those skins cost 2500 MBTV tokens and you can get ~1500 every run you do. Considering how easy it is, I earned most of them in like, an hour. Now let’s get to some of the things I actively hate.

I don’t like the driving. Not nearly as much in Mad Max, anyway. The convoys are indeed still fun and more rewarding than Max’s were. To Max’s credit, that entire game was built around the car being a major mechanic and hell, even plot point and Max’s entire motivation. In Rage 2 it’s more of a sideshow. The cars don’t feel like they have much weight to them (at least, not until you spin them out and try to push yourself out of a ditch, which I often do) and when I was given the flying Icarus, I felt little point in returning to the sassy-AI that hosted the Phoenix, the only car you can upgrade and customize.

To wit, I actually quite despise the driving in certain contexts. Early in the story you have to impress someone enough to enter his suite. To do so you must play through the Mutant Bash TV (fun, but easy) and... a race. You enter the race and the NPC there tells you that you’re starting on the bottom. Now, in other games this means they usually give you idiots for AI. The first race in GTA5 was laughable, and even in Mad Max their one main “race” was actually just a deathmatch with a six minute timer. This newbie race in Rage 2 actually made me Rage-Quit the night the game was released. They give you their own car, every other racer has the same one and they actually match your speed. At any given point I always had two to four other racers ahead of me at all times. You know what bots and AI don’t do? Make mistakes. They never spun out, rammed into each other, or hit a wall unless you yourself did all that to them. After getting a night’s sleep and three tries in the morning later, my only strategy was to ignore the other drivers and concentrate harder than I ever have in a game. I basically had to do a perfect run, not hitting anything. I did so well and ALMOST lost the ENTIRE race to one single spinout near the end of the track. When I won, I could hear one or two car engines right on my tailpipe. They never lost traction like I did, and that’s just garbage.

I hated it. I do not look forward to dealing with this required mission in future playthroughs. By the way, it’s required to unlock an entire upgrade tree.

One final point of annoyance before I summarize my thoughts ultimately. This one is much more minor but it actually irritates me more than the driving does because this one is a constant threat. Every time you clear an objective, no matter how quick or small, you get an unskippable popup announcing your victory and rewards, as well as the reputation gain. This could have so easily been put on the side, like they do their radio-bound dialogues. Instead it completely stops the show and I find myself slamming the enter key so I can skip it the very split second it allows me to do so. In a game that wants you to keep moving, in a very successful and fun way, this thing is just a complete show stopper and I don’t know how their beta testers weren’t yelling “Come on, let me PLAY!” constantly. Ultimately, I do feel like there’s a good game to be had here. The cosmetic store is easily ignored and beyond that, you’ll have to deal with some bugs, janky driving, and bullshit “OBJECTIVE COMPLETE” popups. If you can deal with that, you’re left with some excellent gunplay and skillfully crafted environments. It’s not as long as I had hoped, and I really expected more to justify an eighty dollar preorder but I have not at all hated the experience.

#Rage #Rage 2 #avalanche studios #bethesda softworks #id software #Gaming #PC Gaming

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mynameisdreartblog · 5 years

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Devilish Deals 3

Libra: Offered cool-ass, hellfire bullets. On my route to work, there’s several things I always remark a subtle difference of change in whenever I pass them by: The color of this single window that portrays a lovely dining room scene, the angle the traffic lights hang at, and the name engraved on a rather fancy mausoleum to long-dead celebrity. I can’t tell if I was endowed with a foresight to detect the incredibly subtle, or if it’s an involved process like deciphering anagrams. Regardless, certain messages have been changing to be something that corresponded with recent events within my life. Two years ago, a supply that was supposed to arrive at six in the afternoon was late by another six hours: I checked outside the coordinates they gave me, and I ran only to find out that the site was abandoned. The truck was still there, but it was torn nearly in two and the books were gone. Witnesses had nothing to say before casting their attention to darker corners, alluding that something had happened here that they didn’t want to tell me. [,] The morning after, I passed by that window and it was tinted an irradiated yellow that reflected just enough sunlight for you to avoid seeing what’s behind it. Then, I passed by the traffic lights and they hung at an unusual angle that was 30° facing north from where they’re positioned normally: Not only this, the second light was duller and quite hard to make out. Finally, the mausoleum located in the bottom-right corner of the local cemetery said that it was honoring Yisrael Katz, who — last time I checked — was still alive somewhat. I was passing by the first two attempting to avoid how they were calling to me until I got to the last sign: At that point, I had to ask someone. So, I got off my horse and approached a gravedigger in the cemetery… But he refused to look towards me and instead to arbitrary corners: Indicating that someone was there I couldn’t sense. Suddenly, I was back on my horse towards my workplace as usual. […] Later I was approached by crossing guards who took their duty very seriously, though the ones that stopped me didn’t wear brightly colored vests and actively carried military weaponry. That was something that wasn’t out of the ordinary, so I forgot all about the paranormal disturbances from earlier and I continued on with my day… that was until today where the crossing guards weren’t carrying assault rifles. [,] «Cool, that’s… actually quite interesting. Spare me another story will you?» Heh, and here I was expecting the same old sarcasm from you.

Cancer: In a bus. It was a cold, drowsy morning: One that told you God listened to too much loud music and it started giving him early symptoms of tinnitus. Here, we zoom into a quiet corner of the Patagonian landscape into a somewhat isolated townscape that’s aching with the fog that surrounds it: Even the dry plateaus felt misty this morning. In the center of this village, the statue of Blessed Whoever stood as unquestionably incompetently as you’d expect, decorated with the linings of bird defecation. From its mighty stone finger pointing eastward, there could be seen a low-end shopping center that served as the fourth quadrant that made up the village square. All was quaint except for two villagers having a troublesome argument near the fountain. There’s nothing else for us to do here as eavesdroppers from inside the walls, — the one they just so happened to lean on when they began to fuss — so we’ll take whatever information we can receive from the outside. [,] Peer into a life you were never meant to understand and ask yourself questions: Why are they arguing? Are the typical, emotionally logical reasons why it’s occurring, or is it strange, esoteric reasons? What’s the tone of voice being used by each party? Are they pious people or secular snakes? Is it about the, uh, family business? […] We’ve been eavesdropping for so long that the sun has turned a noticeable fifteen degrees in the sky. And for as much as the sun had turned, the conversation had turned for the worse. Both of the voices were becoming louder and more parched as the subject matter shifted from academic performance to finances. Each party is becoming more thoroughly stubborn in their assessments. It seems that it’s in our interests that no compromise is reached if we’re continued to lay near this building and pretend we’re only homeless in the moment. You lived long enough to know that getting too far up one’s own ass is a very real thing, and you’re aware of the epiphanic powers that one’s inner self holds in how the reconsiderations never leave the space where the self feels trapped oftentimes by their own causation. We’ve spent long enough invading privacy; let’s leave, Kokin: We’ve done enough amoral narration for now. […] Oh, I meant this literally; I have no idea why you thought I was talking about arrogance when I mentioned shoving one’s head up their own ass.

Virgo: By dancing for them. Like the band Paramore (whose recent work was pretty good; I don’t know why so many think it’s lackluster just because it’s not traditionally punk), we must complete an arbitrary number of world-records to the tune of a new power-pop track. <Bluma turns toward the crowd of unamused city-folk gathered around her rather dignified soapbox.> I see you must’ve all come here for a reason, and we mustn’t disappoint. <A small coughing can be heard in the back of the crowd, and another person reacts with disgust over the cougher not covering their mouth with their shoulder.> Before we perform, we must list all of the feasible, previously uncontested world records that we’ll attempt to perform today. Refer to the whiteboard above me, read it, and understand the potential records as its followed so you don’t become confused during the process. <The whiteboard is shown, and all the records are written in a dried, green marker that makes the text hard to read.> [,] For those who still can’t grasp it, I’ll read them out: 1. The highest stacking of Starbursts. 2. The fastest time to teach a child how to comprehend Baudrillardian thought. 3. The farthest-reaching skipping stone. 4. The most amount of ding-dong-ditches in the span of six hours. 5… <Those of the audience who wanted to see some action left as they became bored through the persistent listing, adding to Bluma’s plan.> [,] Now, those of you with the proper faith left to trust us, we’ll be performing in T-minus sixty seconds. I’m Bluma, and this is my band: Gamerghazi. «Wait, was this supposed to be a concert? I thought it was just a demonstration.» <Bluma drops down from her soapbox and kicks it into the crowd, indirectly hitting the one who asked that question.> Well, actually, it’s not really a musical band: It’s an unclear organization of people that doesn’t fit into any neat category, so I just call it a band for simplicity’s sake. I named it Gamerghazi after an existing indie band from Canada. <The questioner, now on the ground, responds> «Oh okay, that’s neat.» […] <While in the midst of completing the second record, Bluma triggers a supernatural event> In that moment of silence that broke everything — and broke more world records for me than any of those Guinness books I stole in my childhood — I felt like I was in a space of reality completely tailored towards who I’ve become to be over this quarter of a lifetime. There was a serenity that I somehow knew wasn’t meant to be there, and had to come at the cost of removing the presence of others to restore a sense of balance. It’s as if all of those years of listening to the powerful anthems of contemporary pop music — that which was calling for world domination via style alone — made all the sense in the world to me. <Bluma awakes to find out that she’s been accused of faking the first record by using non-traditional flavors of Starburst.>

Sagittarius: For some job experience. I forgot what time this took place… It seems to have shifted so much, and I feel like someone can live on the same planet that I do but be a hundred years ahead in terms of how quickly than can coordinate action. There’s someone out there who’s an exact pinpoint reflection of myself and the path of life I’m tracing out, and that almost everything about them is identical to myself, yet having such varying differences in how they merely comprehend knowledge. They’re probably some sorta silicone-based lifeform, and they probably have a civilization that chose to etch its language into a more insane physical material through a process I can’t even begin to imagine… Might be that they live in a solar system the same as ours, only that they inhabit a slightly modified version in which Venus became the most hospitable place for life. They likely would’ve inhabited Ishtar and had a funny accent compared to those on the island of Tellus, but they’re too self-conscious to admit they have their own funny way of pronouncing Lakshmi words. «Let me guess, you’re projecting your desire for exploration on fictional worlds again, aren’t you?» <The atmosphere of the scene is settled in with the intrusion of Swayo’s words make their case. The exposed comfort of the campfire lights the entire scene, and Rossouw lowers their flask of gin. It was a far call from the nakedness of the AC back at home-base: Something that she had to finally accept as her new home and pass on by as if she’s never had a concept of stable living.> I feel like too much time has passed between your friendly intrusion and my monologue, but please, sit down and gaze further with me. [,] It’s not often that I engage in these; I generally despise sit-downs that I didn’t form myself because I’m paranoid that they’re gonna attempt to redirect me rather then the preferred: That I redirect them. But, I’ll make an exception for you because you broke my focus, and that warrants the punishment of getting to know me. «Uh, I just wanted to ask about your shirt.» Then why the comments from earlier? I was gonna make this at least somewhat heartfelt and now you’re just proving my point that any glimpse of peace I can have is just ripped away by people who didn’t even mean it, God. <The fire begins to die and the gin in Rossouw’s bottle begins to reach its last drops. The wind that feels like an AC returns at the small sense of comfort she had began to dissipate into usual expectations. It was a close call to the nakedness of the AC back at home-base.> [,] I’m gonna pretend you didn’t interrupt me... You’ve seen it on the news, and you’ve heard it in stories of abduction, sometimes we’re just granted with biological technology around us that grants us something that pushes us “ahead” in certain areas. «Where did you get that shirt, though?» I feel like too much time has passed… in general. I hope my otherworldly self has a home.

#Zodiaccupuncture #Zodipunc #Libra #Cancer #Virgo #Sagittarius

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ilovederenglish · 7 years

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Queer Film Review: Un Bacio (2016) [SPOILERS]

The plot of “One Kiss” circles around three young outcasts at a public school in the outskirts of Italy. Blu, a aspiring writer, has gained a notorious reputation as a slut. She attributes this to the school’s popular clique being jealous that she has an older (and I guess cooler?) boyfriend who's abroad, but also because she was convinced by him to participate in an orgy with 3 of his other friends...(more on this later.) Lorenzo, a flamboyant, fabulous, butterfly-pattern shirt wearing, openly gay boy, has just transferred to the school with his new parents after leaving foster care. Luckily for him, his parents completely accept him and defend his right to express himself. Though somewhat of a cliche, his loyalty to his true self is audaciously courageous, especially since it seems like the whole school is full of homophobic arseholes. You see very quickly that Lorenzo is prone to fall into fantasy, turning all the haters momentarily into his pathetic sycophants. Lastly, we have Antonio- a shy and quiet basketball player who talks to no one. He goes hunting with his father every morning and so he’s late for class almost every day. Over the course of the movie, he talks to his older brother, who we soon learn had died recently in an accident and appears to Antonio as more of an embodiment of his insecurities and fears.

so much angst these vespa driving italian teens with their “fuck you” helmets

On day one, Blu and Lorenzo immediately hit it off in class, brought together by the mutual hate and isolation of their peers. They notice that Antonio is one of the kids in their class that isn’t entirely loathsome (and also wasn’t invited to a huge party by one of the “it” girls in class). They plan an elaborate dance sequence in matching outfits to send him a ransom-style note telling him to meet them at a pizzeria. Lots of montages later, they are an established trio of wholesome friendship, and we see hints of flirty eye contact between the three. Of course, no tale of teenage angst is complete without some kind of love conflict, so a sort of love "angle" forms. Or even a love line and point? Because it's pretty apparent that Lorenzo fancies Antonio, Antonio fancies Blu, and Blu kind of plays around with Antonio but is still pretty loyal to her boyfriend.

Cuz every dress-up montage needs synchronised dancing <3

One of the most important plot points is throughout the whole movie, Lorenzo gets bullied by the whole school. Even the teachers condemn his "outlandish" behaviour. For example, one of the teachers tries to get his suspended for wearing nail polish, since it "provokes" the other students in to cackling at him. What the fuck kind of schools does Italy have? There's unoriginal name-calling by the boys and girls, the students make a Facebook page called "I HATE LORENZO" and rally over their open hate for this lovely boy, and I already despise this school as much as Lorenzo does. A particularly poignant scene includes Lorenzo showing Blu a page of "Gay Teen Suicides", and saying that he isn't going to be like one of them, because he loves life and has a lot of to live for.

Oh baby...

They have their revenge when Lorenzo posts a hilarious video exposing some embarrassing secrets of their most antagonistic peers, with a message of "Remember, don't criticise others. We can all be criticised. No one is normal, and we invited you to mind your own business." In retaliation, the "I Hate Lorenzo" group graffitis the classroom with dumb phrases that blatantly frame the trio, and no one will believe the trio so they end up wearing matching overalls to repaint the room and are suspended for three days.

Cue a super cute idyllic day dream sequence.

And they look like a indie pop band in a music video.

The main catalyst comes when the trio school to go swimming in the local forest during their suspension and Lorenzo comes onto Antonio, who obviously flips his shit and runs away immediately.

Sadness. Masculine fragility is so strong. He proceeds to ignore Lorenzo and Blu, enduring the verbal abuse of his teammates. Lorenzo takes this especially hard, trying to make amends for what happened but not apologising for it. Antonio's fear of being called "gay" manifests as violence towards Lorenzo, where he gives him and black eye and won't stop kicking him...his teammates pull him off Lorenzo, who heartbrokenly goes home, only to be lightly interrogated by his adoptive mother about what happened. His half-heartedly pins it on Blu, since he "stole her lipstick" (as if Blu would beat the shit out of you for that). Blu tries to confront Antonio on why he's acting like this, and he confesses that he's in love with her, and that her boyfriend is evil, and that she and Lorenzo "set him up" since she knew he liked him. He angrily storms off.

A few days later, with Lorenzo's mum extremely worried about someone bullying him, Antonio shows up outside his window. He apologises for his behaviour and Lorenzo kisses him. Of course, Antonio runs away. This same night, Blu's boyfriend is in town and there are super bad vibes. At some point, he shows her a horrific video of what actually happened on the night of "the orgy". Turns out they all raped her in spite of her drunken protests. She watches this while resting on her boyfriend's chest and suddenly remembers a few fragments. It all becomes clear as she runs home into the arms of her mother. Lorenzo texts Blu to tell her the news of the kiss, but she's too busy having a long overdue emotional breakdown.

Who the fuck still goes hunting in 2016? Go away big bro!

The next day, Antonio is hunting again, and while he's about to shoot a rabbit, his ghost-brother-figment-of-his-imagination appears and whispers down his neck, revealing to the viewer that Antonio might have actually enjoyed the kiss. Lorenzo goes to school next morning excited to see what might happen. Blu goes with her mum to school, probably to explain to teachers why she understandably needs some time off. Antonio looks extra intense this morning, and the camera shot foreshadows something. The background music soon becomes intensely melodramatic, using a song by __ that always makes me want to cry, and this is when I understood that this film was not going to end so nicely.

The second that Antonio enters the room, Lorenzo gets up to greet him but Antonio takes a gun from his backpack and shoots him point blank. . . .

I just need a minute.

Blu and her mother hear the shot from the head master's office and someone reports that "a boy was killed at school", and Blu's face looks like her worst fears might have come true.

Next, a funeral sequence. From the beginning of the film, the voiceover of Blu writing letters to herself are to make sure that this story is told, and the ending of the film makes it clear that she started writing these bits after Lorenzo's death. It doesn't mention what happened to Antonio...maybe he killed himself as well shortly after, or he went to jail for murder...Did the school learn anything? Did his death teach anyone a lesson about the effects of homophobia and bullying? The worst part about this ending is that it's not entirely unrealistic, what happens to Blu and Lorenzo, and that is the most disheartening thing. Blu concludes that if they had just behaved just a little differently, this could have been avoided. If they had been less afraid, if they were better, stronger, that it wouldn't have taken much.

They cut back to the scene in the lake, and instead of Antonio storming off, he explains to Lorenzo that "it's not something I want. Not now at least." Lorenzo then asks, "What now?", and they all run off into the lake and have a good time like they had planned.

AND THIS IS WHERE THE MOVIE SHOULD HAVE ENDED UP.

This movie is teen angst, friendship goals, catwalk montages, daydream sequences, kitschy matching outfits, shitty school moments, and fucking heart-stopping in the finale. The most unrealistic thing is perhaps how Lorenzo, being an openly gay adopted teen in Italy, where I imagine the culture of homophobia is pretty strong in its outskirts, can still manage to be the bright shining star that he is. Bursting with confidence, he doesn't give a shit about what anyone thinks of him, and that is what makes his character the most adored. Similarly, Blu is his partner in crime as they defy societal expectations of what they ought to be. Antonio, on the other hand, was probably a lonely butterfly who could never talk to anyone about his feelings. All he had was an image of his brother to converse to, and we can see how his internalised homophobia could manifest so terribly.

Apparently, the movie was based on real-life events of a school in America from 2008, and the beautiful Mika (the singer that my dog is named after) released a single with the film called "Hurts", documenting the strength of words and how much hate speech can affect vulnerable people.

I give this movie 4 stars. 1 for Lorenzo, 1 for morality lessons against hate-crime and bullying, as well outlining the potential neglect that parents and teachers have for the young people around them, 1 for showing the extreme effects of internalised homophobia because it's a very important topic to be discussed, and 1 for all the realness/unrealness that pops in and out of the movie in honest twee fashion.

While this film appears at first as a very classic coming-of-age film, we understand that the message of the film is very dark. On reading articles about it, suppose all the mainstream gay pride references of being proud of who you are, glamorise and simplify the emotional ease in which it takes to evade the retaliation of society and culture when you go against the norm. Even when people have accepted themselves for who they are, it by no means makes it easier. And that the things you might have easily accepted, might have actually been horrific acts of abuse that have been so normalised, you didn't even realise it was wrong. Or how it just takes one kiss to unlock the crippling fragility of a vulnerable teen to murder his friend. SIDENOTES: There are so many little tidbits that make this movie so delightful. I recommend watching it.

On the recent light of US gun laws, this movie is particularly jarring. Valentina Romani plays a queer teen in the Italian version of NBC’s Parenthood called Tutto può succedere, which is a pretty strong performance and pretty much the reason why I wanted to watch this movie.

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furederiko · 7 years

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September 1st!!! And it's the first (of hopefully more) Random-News-Digest of the month...

Quick update before I start! Nope, my situation hasn't really improved since last time. Things are still going haywire and uncertain on my part. Which means I'm still not too sure if I will be able to post more frequently this month as well. But this is a NEW month, and I always want to start anything with a fresh and optimistic mind. So at the very least, I'm going to TRY to post more. Here's hoping... Also, expect this R-N-D to be more... 'Digest' than usual. After all, I actually decided to do this on a whimsy when I woke up this morning. You can expect things to be more shorter and compact this time around. So without further ado, let's start!!!

DC Films

The news in this category has been quite a shocker lately. Martin Scorsese wants to make a stand-alone "Joker" origin story without Jared Leto? And then there's that Leto and Margot Robbie's "Joker and Harley Quinn" movie, that is being fast-tracked to come following "Suicide Squad 2"? It's a new title that was first rumored to replace David Ayer's "Gotham City Sirens", though recent report suggests that all-female movie is STILL in development as well. To complicate matters, "Suicide Squad 2" already lost a potential director, and with Will Smith's busy schedule, it won't start production until late next year. Ouch!

Oh yeah, eventhough the movie won't arrive until April 5th, 2019, director David F. Sandberg teased that the most lighthearted DC Film movie "Shazam" will start production very soon. Yet we don't even know who's going to play Billy Batson, nor his grown-up version. While Matt Reeves is going back and forth his version of "The Batman", saying it's not part of the DCEU, and then it IS. Please make up your mind! Jon Spaihts was rumored to be re-writing "Justice League Dark", though said rumor has been cleared out by The Wrap. The irony in that, is because he was among the writer of "Doctor Strange" for Marvel Studios!!! First Joss Whedon took over Zack Snyder for "Justice League", and has officially been given a writer credit (his involvement is 33% of the movie!!!). And don't forget how Patty Jenkins used to be attached to the first Thor sequel. So Spaihts's name being thrown into the rumor zone didn't feel as 'strange'. What I'm trying to say is, I won't be surprised if more people related to Marvel Studios will end up doing DC movies for Warner Bros in the future.

Clearly, this proves that WB STILL doesn't have a plan nor idea of what they are going to do with their DC Films. A concerning truth, but is definitely far from being a surprise nowadays. I guess since the current DCEU doesn't really have a clear future (despite the success of "Wonder Woman"), WB is already thinking about creating another Universe to complement it. Perhaps, if this one works better, then they can simply erase the one that Snyder started. That's the point of "Flashpoint", right? We'll see. Yes, we'll see...

X-Men Universe

Can't believe it took this long for some people to realize that... as long as Simon Kinberg is still in charge (in ANY capacity), fans probably won't be getting the 'true' X-Men movie they have always wanted. People seems to forget that he was the writer of the disappointing "X-Men: The Last Stand", and supervised the dreaded "Fant4stic Four". Now his upcoming directorial debut, "X-Men: Dark Phoenix", which he also wrote... is already put into a giant question mark, thanks to Kinberg's recent comment.

I admit, I've grown to DESPISE the term 'grounded' in recent years, because it is (ab)used as an excuse to make shitty underwhelming products. But seriously, what good will a "Dark Phoenix" storyline get by making it... grounded? That arc is meant to be a galactic interstellar adventure, involving alien entities and otherworldly stuffs. "X3" was already its grounded version, and it did NOT work. So why bother going the same route? Is this movie 'doomed to fail' then? It's unclear. But I certainly won't be surprised if that turns out to be the case. Just remember how that grounded take on "X-Men: Apocalypse" performed...

Marvel Studios

Marvel is celebrating the late Jack Kirby's 100th birthday this week. Studio's president Kevin Feige revealed on Twitter that the upcoming "Thor: Ragnarok" is produced as a love-letter to Kirby's work. Not unlike last year's "Doctor Strange", that served as a clear tribute to Steve Ditko. Actress Evangeline Lilly also celebrated the occassion, by sharing the first official image of her character Hope van Dyne, wearing the updated Wasp suit from "Ant-Man and the Wasp".

About that last one... I totally DIG her hair-style, because Lilly always looks much better with a long hairdo instead of the one she had in the first "Ant-Man". The suit on the other hand? I'm a bit mixed. I don't know why. Perhaps because I was expecting more... yellow/gold in the color scheme? Then again, Peyton Reed and Marvel Studios might be going with Wasp's red-black scheme once again, because it's the one designed by Kirby. Especially with Janet van Dyne being in the movie (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), and the report that Michael Douglas' Hank Pym will be suiting up himself in the classic white-red costume.

The writers of "Spider-Man: Homecoming" are set to be back for the sequel! Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers are also involved in "Ant-Man and the Wasp", so there's a possibility they might end up becoming the next Markus-McFeely of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Assuming all the stars are aligned, they will reunite with director Jon Watts (who was already in talks to return) to work on the first Marvel Studios after "Avengers 4" ends the current Phase 3. Here's hoping this team will keep deliver something better, without losing that irresistible youthful and innocent charm that the first movie exuded.

Marvel TV

When this post goes up, Marvel's "The Inhumans" should be arriving in IMAX theatres everywhere. Not sure if it will be available in my country, but it's surely a definite for the US region, because ABC will begin broadcasting the series on Friday, September 29th, 2017.

According to recent report, the response to its premiere was... much positive. In fact, it's a far cry to the supposed 'disaster' that occured at the Television Critics Association Panel. Is this surprising? Well... not quite. I mean, one man's trash can end up becoming another's treasure, right? So I predict that the overall review, when it officially hits, will be mixed at best. Remember, this is still Jeph Loeb's and Scott Buck's work. Each or both have ruined a show (or two, if we count that much-anticipated crossover that came out last month... or more if we put into account their past forays) before, so there's no assurance that they won't strike again. But I'm honestly glad to hear some people actually enjoying it. Hey, there's one for everyone, right?

As for me, as I said before, I personally won't be seeing this on the theatres. Based on the lackluster trailers and underwhelming clips released so far, I'll have to give it a hard pass. Beside, considering my current financial issue, wasting money for uncertain things can be considered 'suicide' anyway. I'll probably going to hold back on watching the series as well, until the reviews for all episodes are out. Thanks to my doozy experience with the recent Netflix 'crossover mini-series', I'm going to be extra cautious with Marvel TV now. Because really, spending 8 hours for a boring and/or disappointing show felt like a tremendous waste of time. Doing so isn't going to do me any good.

QUICK UPDATE: Embargo for the full reviews hasn't been lifted when I wrote and upped this essay into queue. Those reviews have been made available NOW on various sites, and well... turns out it's as BAD as many initially said. Since I'm too lazy to modify the entire category (although it's only 3 short paragraphs LOL), this note will do just fine as a follow up. My original writing sounded more 'positive' anyways. LOL.

Meanwhile, things are looking A LOT better for Marvel's "Runaways". It seems response for the first episodes was more than great. It is currently being praised as very faithful to the source material, despite its various 'tweaks' (for example, one character was a mutant in the comic, but the copyrights prevent that to exist in live action adaptation). Not that it should be a surprise anyway. When the writer of the comic is directly in charge as consultant, we know that at least things are going to be close to the comics. Might this be the Marvel show to wait for this year? Probably, but I digress. I'm still going to be approaching this one with extra caution. If recent Marvel TV shows are any indications, then we can't really expect it to be... evenly balanced. Some of them had okay to good run in the first half, only to falter into a massive dud in the later half. Yes, even "LEGION", and the 4th season of Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". They started out strong, but ended rather... disappointingly. Considering the same people behind them are also supervising this, said similar treatment can also apply to "Runaways"...

Netflix

It's already September, and I haven't finished Marvel's "The Defenders" yet. How come? The mini-series surprisingly BORED the hell out of me! A full review for it was meant to go up as my first post of September (yes, this R-N-D is its last minute replacement). That's the initial plan anyway, because I still haven't seen the last two episodes. Seriously though, when you've already lost any single urge to do it, there's nothing else you can do right?

Thanks to that, the internet had already spoiled me about what's going to happen to Simone Missick's Misty Knight. I don't even need to READ the whole article to figure out what will become of her... right hand. Yes, the headline already gave it away, and my minor knowledge of the character in the comics was more than enough to lead me to said conclusion. And then the image spreading on social media solidified it. Mind you, I still don't know how or what caused her to lose that body part. My quick and easy guess? Likely by Bakuto, considering up to episode 6, Misty had only spoken with one particular supporting character from the other series: Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing. And it's also about her... KATANA, as if it's not obvious enough. Expect Misty to be armed with a prosthetic arm in the 3rd Season Marvel's "Luke Cage".

Yep, if you're like me, hoping for a "Heroes for Hire" show that includes the Daughters of Dragon... then we might as well swallow that wishful thinking. Why? It probably won't happen until the 2nd Season of Marvel's "Iron Fist" is out. Going by math alone, that means we have to wait another 26 episodes, and at least another two years. New season for "Luke Cage" will likely arrive in 2018, while the one for "Iron Fist" might probably land in 2019. Yeah, two years indeed. This is why you can't really expect much when it comes to Marvel TV... *sigh*

"Stranger Things" released a set of character posters for its 2nd Season. They cover the returning cast, as well as the new additions. What's interesting about these posters, is the strong nod to Steven Spielberg! And being a series set in the 80s, that folded-magazine style is also pretty neat. I hope this 2nd season will be as great as the 1st, and unlike most other Netflix shows.

One more thing! It's a rather old news, but worth bringing up. Netflix is currently collaborating with TOEI Animation, to remake the popular shounen-series "Saint Seiya". Titled "Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya", the new series will be created in full CG style. If you're curious on how that might look, think of it like several parts of TOEI's "Precure Dream Star!" movie that was done completely in CG, or their recent "Sekaisuru KADO" series. The latter in particular, already has a character design that's looking VERY Saint Seiya-ish (could it be intended as the warm-up to this one, then? probably). First season will be 12 episodes of 30 minutes, and will cover the "Galaxy War" to the "Silver Saint" Arcs. Yoshiharu Ashino is directing the new series, Eugene Son is the story editor and head writer, Terumi Nishii will be handling the character design, while Takashi Okazaki is doing the armors.

This news is intriguing, because it can end up heading towards into two different territory: actually good, or downright Bad. The latest "Sailor Moon" reboot that immediately divide old and new fans, is a great example of said situation. "Saint Seiya" is among the beloved titles to those growing up in the late 80s, so you can imagine their negative reactions if this remake doesn't suit their taste. The series doesn't have a fixed release date for now, but I believe we can expect it to arrive on Spring 2018. My only hope is that it retains Shingo Araki's anime style compared to Masami Kurumada's manga ones, because it has been pretty much the 'signature' of the series for the fans.

Disney XD Series

I saw the one-hour premiere of the "DuckTales" reboot not long after it aired, and great goodness... I'm LOVING it. I used to have a minor issue with the voices of the nephews before, but that concern quickly faded away when the story started rolling. It's just so engaging and fun to watch! My only complaint, is that it takes too long for the next episodes to start airing. But we're now in September, so September 23rd is just around 20 days away. Shall we start counting down for more Scrooge McDuck's adventure, then? I wonder if Disney XD will debut the first episode of "Big Hero 6 the Series" in advance too? Hmmm....

Pocket Monsters

"Pokemon GO" has been greeted by Legendary Birds Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, and Lugia last month. Starting yesterday, August 31st, 2017, Niantic has continued the streak with the Legendary Dogs Entei, Raikou, and Suicine. Unlike the Birds, these ones are going to show up as region-based for a particular duration. Entei will be in the Europe and Africa region, Raikou in the America, and Suicine in Asia-Pacific. They will then switch places on September 30th, 2017.

This is great news, right? NOT exactly. While I DID feel overjoyed when the Legendaries were first announced, what came next was nothing more than disappointments. The fact that Niantic is focusing too much on Raid Battles to debut these special Pokemon, had caused inconveniences to some (if not MANY) of its players. Sad to say, yours truly is included in this cluster.

Here's the deal. In order to capture ONE Legendary, it first needs to be defeated in a Raid Battle. Unlike normal Raids, it's a group effort that requires around 15-20 players to be on the spot at the same time, working together to take one down. So what happens when you're a player... living in an area, that does NOT have the privilege of having at least the minimum number of players? You can only bite your nails while grunting and sighing with disappointments, because there's really NOTHING you can do. I've lost count how many 'futile attempts' I've done, singlehandedly (seriously, because there's NOBODY around) trying to defeat one. I've now arrived to the point where I simply couldn't care less about any of them anymore. Which is sad, because I was sort of hoping "Pokemon GO" would be there to help me go through my current situation. I mean, when that role has been surprisingly taken over by a repetitive, kid-oriented game called "Magikarp, Jump!"... That's saying much, right?

Of course, this shouldn't be an issue if "Pokemon GO" is still enjoyable as a single-player experience. Players who can't capture a Legendary, could still focus on doing anything else. Problem is, there's NOTHING much to do beside that. Niantic is too focused on the multiplayer 'Team Gameplay' aspect of this game, that it neglects those who play individually (whether by choice, or who are simply forced by circumstances... like yours truly). The new 'Gym System' was nice, but lately I've noticed a concerning trend: the turnaround has gradually becoming very slow. Many Gyms in my area, have Pokemon with ZERO motivations. Worse, they are stranded there for days (I can personally attest to this, because mine are among them!). That means many players no longer visit the Gyms. To put it simply, this game is just not... FUN anymore for everyone. Only for the 'privileged'.

Niantic can actually fix this, by start releasing Generation III as soon as possible. Adding a horde of new Pokemon, even if not all of them (honestly, releasing 10 new species per month would be a fun options), will give these 'unfortunate players' a renewed 'purpose' to go out and play the game. Otherwise, it's really a dry boring-ish land. IMHO, Niantic could and should've tried another method with the Legendary Dogs by... I don't know... letting them in the wild, like what happened in the core "Pokemon Gold, Silver & Crystal" games. Then again, it's probably too much to ask for. I mean, Niantic doesn't even allow something as simple as having these Legendaries added as silhouettes to the Pokedex after encountering them. And that's the only thing I've been hoping for... *sigh*. For now, unless Niantic shakes things up big time, my days with the App is numbered. And I'm going to be just another entry to the long list of players who have already walked out due to disappointments...

One more thing for "Pokemon". A quick detour to the TV side! Kanto Gym Leaders and Satoshi's former travel companions Kasumi and Takeshi (or Misty and Brock in the US version)... are coming to Alola this month!!! Many fans are obviously pleased to hear this! After they have been unceremoniously snubbed in the 20th Anniversary movie "Eiga Pocket Monster, Kimi ni Kimeta!", they are set to show up in the series instead. Takeshi in particular, is the character I've been waiting for. After all, his VA Yuuji Ueda is still a crucial part in the series as the voice of Sonansu/Wobbuffet, so he could actually show up a lot more! This pair will be making their Alolan guest appearances on the September 14th and 21st episodes. Which got me thinking: How awesome will it be if Satoshi's other travel friends show up at the same time too, right?

Street Fighter

"Street Fighter V" has welcomed its 5th DLC character for Season 2. As speculated and rumored before, it's indeed Menat, the Eyes of the Future. She is also confirmed to be the apprentice of Rose, by the way. This makes her the first completely NEW character to the franchise, because Kolin, Ed, and Abigail have all showed up before in other games. Judging from her quick and... arguably pointless appearance in Ed's Story Mode, Menat has a fantastic Egyptian-themed design. The mummy queen alternate costume however? Yeeesh. You can check out her reveal trailer online, or you can just get her right away because she's already available since early this week.

Menat's arrival after Abigail, pretty much confirms the identity of the 6th and final DLC character: Guy's teacher, Zeku. His name was already leaked before by Event Hubs' Flowtron, and his report has been proven to be on point until now. So I guess all we need to wait is CAPCOM's official announcement, right? Seeing the release pattern (Ed on May 30th, Abigail on July 25th, Menat on August 29th), we can probably expect this last Season 2 character to arrive later this month, if not late October. So tell me, are you excited about Zeku?

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mysilverylining · 7 years

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Previously on Neptune

I’m getting closer and closer to finally posting an update on this monster. It occurred to me that it’s been so long since I posted, that nobody could possibly remember the plot. Other than THOSE two scenes, I mean.

If this wheel’s a-rockin’, don’t come a-knockin’

Anyway, I’ve written up a recap. Feel free to sing along in the style of Braindead, if you so desire.

Spoilers under the cut

Prologue:

Homicide Detective Veronica Mars exits a crime scene in a blind rage. An unidentified male watches her through binoculars from a nearby building as she assaults a gate and her boss, and fantasizes about doing vile things.

Episode One:

Here, the author experiments with a different writing style, turning what should be an easy drive to town into thousands of words too long. A bored and exhausted Veronica finally makes it to her dad’s doorstep.

She’s quit her job on the force, gave up her lease, and wants her old life back. Keith tentatively welcomes her home, and it feels just like old times when Veronica catches a glimpse of his special lady friend on his phone’s wallpaper and erupts.

By some non-contrived and totally coincidental twist of fate, Jackie Cook arrives back in Neptune with her eight year old son, and wants to hire Mars Investigations to clear her father’s name. He’s been fired from his job as a baseball coach at Hearst, and is potentially facing criminal charges for game fixing. Sure, he’s done it before, but this time he’s TOTALLY innocent. She swears. “Oh, and by the way, maybe don’t mention it to Wallace that I’m back in town. He kinda had a meltdown the last time we saw each other.”

Veronica joins Wallace and Weevil for dinner at Neptune’s new celebrity restaurant. Wallace has been divorced for about a year now, from Jane Kuhne, and while he doesn’t regret leaving, the experience has altered his disposition. Weevil seems suspiciously (V’s words, not mine) happy running the city’s Fleet Services Department. “He knows people”.

She vaguely mentions her new case, and Weevil fills her in on the tightened security over at Hearst.

Wallace is looking forward to strutting the stage in the upcoming bachelor auction, which trigger’s Veronica’s protective nature. She decides to attend. You know, to scare off vet the bidders.

The following day, Veronica sets to work making a Hearst ID badge out Weevil’s old one, and phone-squabbling with her former partner-slash-friend-with-benefits, Joe. He doesn’t take the breakup well.

For insurance reasons, Keith needs her to renew her P.I. license. Oh no! She missed the final deadline by a few months, and now she’ll have to begin the entire process all over again. Never fear, there’s a special extension document that will grant her a little extra time. All it needs is a signature from the County Supervisor.

“Great dad! I’ll get right on that, but now I’ll have to cut you off mid-sentence to deal with this service worker, and I’m probably going to turn off my phone afterwards, because my ex is just SO obsessed with me, and I can’t deal with him calling anymore. But I’ll be sure to butter up Mayor Jenkins with some tiramisu. K. Bye.”

The mayor’s assistant is none other than Gia Goodman, and maybe Veronica can just sneak past her. Sure, crawling down the hallway is a little bit undignified, but everyone knows how hard it is to break away from a Gia conversation once she starts rambling.

Having vanquished the obstacles of timid service-men, pissed ex-FWBs, and chatty secretaries, Veronica arrives at the Wizard’s Mayor’s inner sanctum. Holding up her tiramisu bribe, she announces her presence.

Whaddya know? The mayor is her old friend, Logan Echolls.

Veronica and Logan have a long and productive conversation. Sans words. And clothing. Horizontally.

Episode Two

Logan Echolls has zero chill, so literally nobody is surprised when he immediately admits that he’s still in love with Veronica.

Veronica: “Um...yeah. I’m just here to get a form signed. Also, we are never ever ever getting back together.

Logan: You DO still love me! I knew it.

Dessert interlude.

Veronica drives and angsts and mopes and angsts.

Madison Sinclair has undergone a personality transplant in the intervening years (Caitlin Ford has not). She tries to apologize to Veronica at Java the Hut, even inviting her to attend the bachelor auction, but things take a turn for the ugly when she mentions the “L” word. Insults are exchanged, and Madison’s idle threat to bid 17K on Logan at the auction ends up trapping her when Caitlin repeats it to the HBIC. Trying again to make amends, Madison follows Veronica over to her car where she learns the truth of Veronica’s rape at Shelly’s party and Dick’s part in it.

Mac calls Veronica at home to apologize for missing dinner the night before, but it’s hard to find time for fun when you’re doing the work of the boss in addition to your own. Mac despises Madison for keeping her from visiting her bio-mom in the weeks before her death. Checking the mail, she finds a postcard warning her to resign from Casablancas.

Madison flashes-back on her romance with her secret lovah. He showed up in her life when she was reeling from her mom’s death, depressed, and taking some nasty drugs. He helped her get cleaned up, and set her on the path of redemption through contribution. She confesses what happened with Veronica, and how she’d trapped herself into bidding on Logan. Loverboy doesn’t like it, but assures her he’s not mad, and confesses his love to her.

Veronica wakes to find a food truck in the driveway, sent by Logan, who intends to win her heart through her stomach.

Veronica and Keith interrogate Terrance Cook, compiling a list of suspects consisting of rivals and ex-lovers.

At Hearst, Veronica recognizes the assistant coach as Luke Haldeman. He supports his boss’ story. She interviews the players, who react to her with hostility, sexism, and shameless flirtation.

Later, at Neptunalia, Veronica receives a phone call from one of the players, disguising their voice, and pointing the finger at Luke for the thrown game.

Logan shows up, and plies Veronica with food and flirtation. He makes a bargain with Veronica that she’ll agree to go on a date with him if he can win her an “I love you beary much” bear. There is no such bear on the fairgrounds (as she’d suspected) , which is fine, because he’s a crappy ring toss player, anyway. Veronica wins him a bear instead, and then they head to the Ferris Wheel for another...um...productive conversation.

It’s time for the bachelor auction. Veronica runs into Weevil, and together, they interviews one of the Hearst baseball players, who just happens to be bartending. There’s probably an age-related continuity error there, if you squint.

Weevil’s attitude about Veronica being in Neptune is a bit fishy. Why is he practically shoving her out the door? Well, it turns out, Weevil and Logan have taken their bromance to a new level. Best friend charms, and everything. An understandably weirded-out Veronica explains that there’s nothing to see. Logan, who? I don’t know any Logan. Gia arrives minutes later, outing their sexy-times on Logan’s desk. Weevil gives exasperation face.

The auction begins. Jackie reveals herself by submitting the winning bid on Wallace. St. Mac of Arc plays martyr and bids on Dick. You know, to keep him from committing office shenanigans with Gia. Veronica does NOT bid on Logan. She takes off when it becomes clear that Madison is sticking to her word.

Veronica meets up with Mac and Jackie the next morning at Java. They commiserate on the upcoming dates. They part ways when Jackie gets a call that her father’s been arrested.

At the Sheriff’s Department, VVL tries to keep Veronica from consulting with Terrance Cook. She runs into Carmen Ruiz on the way out, who’s now married (with children) to Tad. Yes, that Tad. Barf. She can’t look Veronica in the eyes, and has the demeanor of an abused wife.

In the women’s room, while taking out her anger on a garbage can, Veronica meets Deputy Siobhan Fitzpatrick. Siobhanica hit it off immediately, as they’re both cops, both despise Tad, and have many other things in common. Maybe TOO much in common. Record scratch. Turns out, Siobhan used to be engaged to Logan. And, almost as bad, had been allowed to honey trap for Keith. Not fair.

Back at Mars Investigations, Veronica finds a newspaper that shows her and Logan locking lips at Neptunaila. Mac arrives, introducing Veronica’s new part-time hacker, Lauren Sinclair.

The auction dates begin, and Madison isn’t having the best night. First, Logan is snippy and dramatic, and polishing off his drinks a bit too quickly. Then, she’s shut-down when she attempts to apologize to Mac. She does, however, agree to reach out to the MacKenzies, and feels pretty good about it. Finally, Dick tries to stop her on the way back from the bathroom. After what she learned from Veronica, he’s the LAST person she wants to be alone in a hallway with. Back at the table, she finally has an adult conversation with Logan, and (maybe?) a new truce?

Mac’s time isn’t much better. Dick is being blackmailed, which is fine. Couldn’t happen to a better man. But he’s been given a month to resign, and the blackmailer wants her out too.

Across town, Wallace is sullen and unresponsive on his date with Jackie. She calls him out on some harsh truths, and almost seems to be getting through to him. Then his ex sister-in-law shows up, and starts snapping pictures of them. They make a quick exit, and an awkward goodbye.

It’s late and Veronica receives a text that Logan is at Madison’s place, and wasted. She’d better come get him if she doesn’t want him driving. Veronica drives to Madison’s house. She has an emotional crises, thinking she’s been set up, and is going to find them in bed together.

When she finally opens the bedroom door, Madison is alone. And dead. Dun dun dun.

#SilverFics #Neptune #vm fanfic #veronica mars

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mysteriousheartache-blog · 7 years

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A visit to hell in Bernardo wing

Nick Pron, The Toronto Star, June 21, 2005

The sliding steel gate into hell opened slowly, and reluctantly I stepped into the closed world that is Paul Bernardo’s home, and will be for the rest of his life. Moments later, I was looking into the eyes of Canada’s most notorious criminal. My heart filled with rage over what he had done. I had the overwhelming urge to scream at him.

While his former wife, Karla Homolka, will be a free woman in a few weeks — albeit hounded by the media — Bernardo will live out his life caged in a cell about the size of a walk-in closet. How I came to be inside the Kingston Penitentiary that day is a story on its own.

A few days earlier, I had been out drinking with some buddies when one of them leaned over and whispered: “Would you like to see Paul Bernardo?” “Of course,” I replied, “but he’s in jail.” “It can be arranged,” said my friend. The next morning I was standing at the front door of Kingston Penitentiary, on the shore of Lake Ontario. I had written about the institution many times, but had never been inside. That was about to change. The door clanged shut behind me as I walked into the facility that was home to the country’s worst criminals. There was not a wisp of fresh air inside the walls. My tour took me first to the open range. As I craned my neck upwards and gawked at the rows of cells, I noticed that the receivers on the pay phones at the end of each floor were all off the hook. I was told that, if you wanted to use the phone, you first had to ask for permission from the inmate who controlled that particular floor. This was prison culture. But Bernardo would never be part of that closed society. “Our guest of honour has his own special area,” said my guide.

It was the ground floor wing for the worst of the worst, the sexual offenders who had to be housed by themselves for their own safety. Plexiglas across the bars in this area of the prison prevented other inmates from hurling objects at them. In prison culture, men who rape and kill children are considered the lowest of the low. Injuring them would be a badge of honour. The gate to the “Bernardo Wing” suddenly opened and I stepped inside, albeit hesitantly. The air inside was pungent with the rancid smell of caged men who are seldom allowed out of their cells. As the gate clanged shut behind me, an inmate in the first cell jerked bolt upright from his bunk, pressing his face tight against the bars. His face was chalk white, his eyes wide as saucers, his gaze not of this world. He stared at me, at times grinning, drool seeping from a corner of his mouth. Opposite the cells was a bank of small television screens, two guards monitoring the activity in each cell via a closed circuit camera. Extending upward from the floor and arching over the guards was a Plexiglas shield that ran the length of the range. “Why the shield?” I naively inquired. Just then, a stream of yellowish liquid came hurtling from one of the cells. “Duck,” yelled my guide. I dove for cover as the urine hit the shield and trickled harmlessly to the floor. “That’s why,” said my guide, somewhat amused as I picked myself off the deck and looked upward at yet another white face peering down at me from the second row, grinning, his front teeth missing. The shield was dotted with urine stains, spit, feces. Then came a second volley of yellow fluid. The two guards seated at the screens never even looked up. Such was life in this special section. One of the inmates started yelling. “Forty-seven,” he screamed. “Forty-seven,” over and over again. His screams cut through the deathly silence of the range. My temples began throbbing in pain. And then I saw him. A chill ran through my body. Paul Bernardo, probably this country’s most despised killer, was standing at the front of his second floor cell, glancing down at the wary visitor in the prison’s most restricted zone. Our eyes locked. His appearance was shocking. Gone was the smirk, the cockiness that was Bernardo’s trademark. He was heavier, his features blowsy, his face white. The man who terrorized women for years in Scarborough, the monster who killed two teenagers in St. Catharines, the villain who stalked potential prey in Orlando, Fla., was safely behind bars. Hopefully forever. At his trial, I sat three rows directly behind Bernardo in courtroom 6-1 on University Ave. Although I work the court beat, for years afterwards I couldn’t bring myself to even venture into that courtroom for fear it would rekindle memories of that gruesome trial. Even though he was shackled and watched closely by several guards during the trial, he still had that trademark smirk, that cocky attitude that somehow he was going to talk his way out of a lifetime sentence behind bars. As his four-month trial dragged on in 1995 I began fantasizing about hurting the man who had hurt so many people. In my daydream, I would vault over the benches, grab him by the neck, throw him to the floor and give him a punch in the mouth for each of his victims. For good measure, I would throw in a couple of extra blows for myself. Was I losing it, I wondered. The Star had brought in a counsellor to talk to those who were covering the trial and editing the copy. “I’m fine,” I told her. I wasn’t. One evening after court, when a group of reporters covering the trial gathered at a bar to drown our anguish in booze, I blurted out my fantasy. To my surprise, several others had been thinking the exact same thing. Like me, they wanted their frontier-style justice. Such was the hatred for this evil creature staring down at me from his cage. I thought about that as I looked back at him. I suddenly had the urge to yell at him, like two of his friends had done shortly after his arrest, standing outside the Metro East Detention centre and cursing at his cell. But the words got stuck in my throat. His gaze was vacant, the cockiness long gone. My anger eased. He disappeared back into his cell. The moment passed. We continued the tour. “People wanted him to rot in jail,” I said, and my guide finished my thought: “I think they got their wish,” he said. “If you really want to experience what life is like right now for Mr. Bernardo,” said my guide, “you have to go inside a cell.” We found an empty one, similar to the cage where Bernardo lives 23 hours a day, 365 days a year, getting out only for his daily bit of fresh air in a small, fenced-in compound, or showering twice a week, always watched. The cell was tiny. If you want the same experience, step into a small walk-in closet and close the door. There was a bunk on one side, a toilet at the far end. The cell was about three paces long, and about as wide as Bernardo’s arm span. Claustrophobia set in immediately. I felt trapped, and thought of animals in the zoo in small cages, and how horrible must be their existence. “I’ve had enough,” I said, turning to leave, just as the bars behind me shut. “What are you doing?” I asked my guide, now my jailer, standing on the other side of freedom. “You wanted the full experience,” he said. “But I didn’t mean it,” I pleaded, grabbing at the bars. They didn’t budge. I turned back into my new home. I shuddered. The throbbing in my head was now a pounding pain. A minute in a locked cage and the big, tough crime writer was on the verge of tears. My guide fumbled through his pockets. “Oops,” he said, “I may not have the key.” “I need to be out,” I pleaded, as he searched his pockets. He was taking his time, enjoying the moment. I was terrified. Finally, he found the key and I was freed. My total time in captivity: a minute, 30 seconds. I vowed never to get so close to a story again. “Someday — not now — but someday I want you to write about your little visit to Kingston,” said my guide. “Mr. Bernardo will live, grow old and die in there. He’ll have plenty of time to think about his crimes. The public should know that each and every day for the rest of his life will not be pleasant.” The door to the prison shut behind us. I had my freedom. Bernardo never would.He was declared a dangerous offender, which allows the authorities to sentence him indefinitely to jail, pending regular reviews. “Know what?” I said to my guide. “I would rather take a needle in the arm than live like that.” “Just be thankful,” said my guide, “that we no longer have capital punishment in this country.”

#karlahomolka #paul bernardo #truecrime

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shiarts · 7 years

Text

T.E.A.M. Chapter 1

Notes: If you want to find it on Fanfiction.net, feel free. The Link’s below. I’ll probably try posting it to AO3 as well, later, but I’ve got to figure out how to use it first. Anyway, I got stuck again and decided to go through the entire chapter again, so...yeah. I’m going to be going through these and self-editing to remind myself of writing style. Honestly, I meant to post something else, but.... too many Muses stuck in my brain.

The Art of Motivation

Fandom: Naruto

Summary: The latest of Naruto!AU’s by Hakuei Shirei: Featuring a strange child, a broody avenger, an unpredictable knucklehead, their Sensei, and the everyday crazy that is Team Seven.

Characters: Team 7, Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, OC

Rated: T (For Later Language if Continued)

Word Count: 5,385 Words

Warnings: Branching AU, OC Insertion, Self-Editing, Slow-Build

Cross-Postings: Fanfiction.net ,

Chapter 1

Team Placement

It was the moment of truth.

Iruka-sensei would be calling his name at any minute, and then he would know…

Was he going to be on the same team as Sakura-chan???!

Naruto bounced in his seat, ignoring the brooding raven-haired, self-proclaimed avenger beside him. Neither of them wanted to think about the earlier 'incident', and though it was too late to switch seats, that didn't mean they couldn't put as much distance between themselves as possible.

Still, several teams had been called and grouped, and the 7th was only now being revealed to the class.

"...Team Seven: Tsukino Kohaku, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke-"

"WHAT?!" the blonde cried out, half yelping and yelling. Sasuke?! He was teamed with Sasuke!? And there wasn't even a girl on their team! He was stuck with the creepy kid and the bastard!

(Somewhere near the back of the room, a sleepy looking dark haired brunette sniffed awkwardly, somehow managing to resist the sudden urge they had to sneeze.)

"Iruka-sensei!" He exclaimed, eyes half pleading, half indignant, "Why does an outstanding shinobi like me have to be on the same team as that bastard over there?!" he demanded, more riled up by the fact that Sasuke was on his team than the rather gloomy and sleep-deprived looking kid that always sat somewhere near the back of the classroom and always seemed to leave as soon as they were dismissed.

Of course, it would've been Awesome if he'd’ve been able to have Sakura-chan on his team (actually, scratch that, Sakura was way better than that Sasuke-bastard! ...And he really, kinda-sorta...maybe sort-of-didn't-mind being on the same team as the gloomy looking kid. If only they could just get rid of that stupid bastard!

In front of the chalkboard, Iruka withheld a sigh. As much as he loved the whiskered prankster like a brother, there were just times when the kid was such a brat that he wondered. Still, he tried to be patient, Naruto could be a bit slow at times after all. "Sasuke's grades were the best of all 27 graduates, Naruto. You were dead last. You do understand we have to do this to balance the teams, right?" He pointed out calmly, not really expecting much of a response from the blonde.

"Hn, just don't get in my way… Dobe." Sasuke nearly sneered, instead just telling the hyperactive knucklehead the one thing.

There was no way he'd ever let anyone get in his way. He'd get his revenge one day -and if the other dragged him down? Well… He was an avenger for a reason, and he'd stop at nothing to get the bastard that'd had the gall to massacre his entire family and think he could get away with it.

"What did you call me?!" Naruto bristled, turning to glare at the noirette as he slammed both hands on the desk. Between the two, similarly to Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura was mourning the fact that she'd lost her biggest chance of getting closer to her precious Sasuke-kun, turning to glare at the blonde with annoyance as her aggravation hit a new high.

"Shut up, Naruto!" The pink haired genin yelled, far too upset with the fact that she hadn't gotten to be on Sasuke's team...though at least Ino-pig or some other girl hadn't ended up being on the noirette's team either. That was the girl’s only consolation as she fought back tears of disappointment, refusing to sulk as she took her misplaced anger out on the blonde knucklehead beside her -even as Naruto tried to defend against the red-wearing girl that he had a crush on without hurting her.

Iruka sighed. Hopefully everything would work out. Especially with Naruto. Taking another breath to fortify the remaining patience he had left, he spoke again, completing the list of potential Genin Teams before setting the class free for lunch. "We'll be introducing your Jounin-sensei after break, so don't be late!" The Chuunin-sensei warned, shooting a disapproving look at the squabbling -though thankfully no longer fighting- duo in front of him.

Trying not to sigh as most of the group scattered, he shook his head and left. He hadn't been able to pack a lunch today due to all the events that'd occurred in the past few days. He had been planning to restock his fridge the day after Mizuki's little Midnight Betrayal, after all. But with his own injury impeding him and the Hokage calling him in along with the desk-work he did after and between class days, the Chuunin had unfortunately been far too busy to remember until he'd found his fridge all but empty that morning. Hopefully there wouldn't be too long a line at the restaurant not too far from the Academy and he could get a bento to go in case any of the students had any questions before break ended.

Letting one of his fellow Chuunin teachers know that he was heading out (and thus ending up with quite a few orders from some of the others that either hadn't bothered, were too lazy, or had -not so conveniently- 'forgotten' to bring their lunches once again), the brunette made his way to the closest restaurant that sold the most decent to-go Bento that he knew of.

Meanwhile, as the newly minted Genin separated (or grouped up, as the case may be), Naruto made his way up to the roof to devour the packaged bread that was his lunch for the day, trying to decide what to do as he polished off his meal. Having escaped the classroom that had begun to fill with the chatter of new teammates (just as Sasuke had -if only to escape his Kami-damned fan-girls), the youth remained unaware of the figure that had slowly stood from their seat, taking their sweet time to stretch before bothering to look around with dull, slit-pupiled eyes that, along with their owner, seemed perpetually tired and apathetic.

Not finding the two that were the lethargic looking genin's new teammates, said preteen resisted the urge to sigh and sat back down in their seat. Mentally shrugging, the dark-haired brunette took their time to unwrap the home-made bento that they’d brought, deciding not to waste the time it would take to find the two far more infamous students who had clearly not understood that the lunch was meant for the newly minted Genin Teams to get to know their new partners.

The preteen, wearing charcoal black pants over navy blue shinobi sandals and a long-sleeved black ninja shirt with wire under-armor netting -that revealed a thin midriff and shoulders- didn't even bother to look at the three other bento that sat beside them on the seat that, more often than not, remained empty.

There would be a chance to pass them on later if either of the other orphans were interested -along with the Jounin-sensei that would be taking said genin under their wing. The amber-eyed brunette had only made the extra's out of politeness after all, and if none of them wanted one that would just mean less cooking for the brunette to do -at least for the next meal or two. It wasn't like their guardian would be back in the next few days unless they finished a mission early, after all.

Besides, Kohaku didn’t really like socializing very much. It was difficult to tell whether something said was offensive or not at times, even if it wasn’t meant to be. And that was even with all the people-watching the child did when not at home...

Outside, around the Academy Grounds, Naruto (masquerading as Sasuke) interacted with the pinkette that he would soon be seeing far less of for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately for him, he would not only learn of the fact that his beloved Sakura seemed to truly despise him, but also the reason that he'd come to realize that he liked her. Too bad for the blonde that diarrhea caused by the expired milk he'd drunk earlier in the day would end up sending him to the nearest toilet even as the real Sasuke appeared before the pink-haired girl, dismissing said girl until she said something the young avenger considered unforgivable.

Even as said events went on, however, the Hokage continued to show Team 7's soon-to-be Jounin-sensei around the jinchuuriki of the team’s home (a pseudo-attempt to guilt trip the man he still worried about that would -no matter what the ex-AnBu captain said- still work on the socially stunted genius).

Naruto peeked out into the hallway again, impatient to meet the Jounin-sensei who appeared to be running far too late for the blonde's liking. He, Sasuke, and Kohaku were the last three genin to remain. Even Iruka-sensei had already left (the man having waited until the last minute, to the point he'd had to hurry out in order to avoid being late for the desk-job he'd taken at the Hokage’s Tower. As it was, the Chuunin would be cutting it very close, barely making it in time to check himself in).

"Ugh, why is Team 7's Jounin-sensei so damn late?!" The blonde exclaimed at last, all but tearing his shortly cropped hair out of impatience. "All the other teams have gone with their Sensei's, and even Iruka-sensei's gone!" He sulked, not seeming to be aware that his outburst had drawn the attention of the two darker haired genin.

Unfortunately for the blonde, however, both genin seemed to be quite happy to remain quiet and boring, though their reactions and actions towards the blonde seemed to differ. Sasuke being his usual asshole self, while Kohaku…

Well, the toffee-eyed genin seemed to be mute or something since the other hadn't said a single word as far as the blonde could remember, only nodding in acknowledgement when they'd all converged back in the classroom to meet up with their teams. Naruto really wasn't quite sure if the other was really just mute or simply stuck up (though thankfully not as bad as Sasuke if he was).

Still, something about the other genin gave him the heebie-jeebies. Maybe it was the feeling that the other genin was like some kind of cat or other predator to the blonde's senses. The brunette always seemed so detached and uninterested in everything that went on and never seemed to have a single friend as far as the blonde could tell. Not like that bastard Sasuke who seemed to have fans following him around absolutely everywhere, even with his puffed up ego and chicken-butt hair.

In fact, the detached yet somehow curious slit-pupiled eyes (even his eyes were like a cat's! the blonde thought -not quite hysterically, but close enough to a feeling of panic that he had to quash the urge to get as far away from the creeper as he could. Not even Shino and his weird bug-hive body was so creepy! Those Freaking Eyes) on his back made the genin want to shiver. Still, he repressed it, deciding to go through with his prank even as he ignored the itch he felt from the gaze that was boring into the back of his head.

He was sure that Sasuke was watching too, though the noirette was probably doing so with his usual condescending black eyes as the blonde wedged the chalk-iest eraser he could find between the classroom’s sliding door and the wall. Thinking about his prank (simple as it was), he snickered, feeling much better now that he wasn't thinking about annoying or creepy things.

"Heheheh~ That’s what you get for being late!" He grinned, jumping off the table that conveniently sat next to the doorway and making his way back towards his seat with a feeling of pride.

"Che, like a Jounin would fall for such a stupid trap," the killjoy Uchiha muttered, just loud enough to ensure that the words would travel, as Naruto scowled. Kohaku, wearing a dusky, off-white jacket (somewhat reminiscent to the apparently classic Aburame coat) that seemed just a size or two big, seemed to lose interest as the blonde puffed up in response to the bastard's stupid logic.

Before anyone could say anything, however, a pale hand slid the door open, the eraser covering spiky silver hair in white chalk dust before bouncing off as the masked Jounin blinked.

Naruto burst into laughter, pointing at the now white haired Jounin. "You fell for it! You fell for it!" The blonde chanted, too busy laughing to really think about the potential repercussions of his actions.

Sasuke frowned, sweating a little as he wondered at the Jounin's reliability, while Kohaku's face remained as blank as usual, apparently neither amused nor questioning as dark eyes stared.

The Jounin hummed, ignoring Naruto for the moment as he seemingly studied his new students, offering an insincere smile behind the mask he always wore. One that caused his single visible eye to curve into a crescent.

"How can I say this…?" He started at last, "My first impression is… I don't like you guys~" He announced, two out of three members of the new Genin Team sweating in response, even as the last apparently reserved judgement. Ignoring the reactions to his seemingly careless remark, the man led the children (and they were still children, no matter that the law stated they were now legal adults with the hitaeate that adorned their bodies) to the roof.

Kakashi waited for all three genin to take a seat, having long since begun evaluating the trio and noting that they all seemed to be just as reported -with the exception of one Tsukino Kohaku. Who was, for whatever reason, carrying a somewhat bulky bundle. The Hatake's sharp nose couldn't seem to give him much information on the containers that were stacked inside said bundle. Three if he was correct (which, of course, he was quite sure he was). He didn't ask, however, even if he was a little curious about the anomaly.

Naruto's brash curiosity had already revealed that the other wouldn't be answering any questions after all. Even if there was a higher chance that the Jounin-sensei would be answered, unlike the loud blonde that had practically run circles around the Mikazuki heir. Oh, sure, she'd taken her mother's maiden name, but that didn't mean it wasn't still on her file. That wasn't even considering the distinctive markings of the Mikazuki Clan, dark markings under the eyes that could be mistaken for bags if not for the fact that said bags didn't actually exist. Not to mention the slit-pupiled eyes and distinctive shared scent that he recognized from his interactions with others of the clan (though a few had had variants) that had existed until the night of the Kyuubi's attack.

Kakashi refused to think about that night however, the pain, though no longer fresh, still a wound that the Emotionally Stunted Genius hadn't been able to get rid of. In fact, just looking at the son of his previous teacher made his heart twinge, but the Infamous Copy Ninja pushed it aside, even as he specifically avoided looking straight at the bright ball of mischievous sunshine that reminded him so much of those he'd lost.

Shaking the feeling off, he brightened the crescent-eyed smile that he'd been giving the trio for the past few minutes, even Sasuke being unable to help but shift a bit at the supposed awkwardness. The only one that didn't show any sign of discomfort was Kohaku, but if what he suspected of the apathetic seeming preteen was true, the stillness the girl showed only meant that she was taking things seriously.

Honestly, if Kakashi were any other person, he might have been weirded out by the child. As it was, the silver-haired Jounin was only slightly discomfited. After all, knowing was one thing, being right there to observe it himself…

Well, Kakashi might have admitted that even he felt a little uncomfortable by the gaze that was concentrated so strongly on his person, if only to himself. All the observations he'd had of the trio he'd made during the several hours he'd made the trio wait (all the while reading his precious Icha Icha, of course) had coincided with the files he'd been given on the three.

The Uchiha worried him of course, especially with the preteen's mentality (something that was apparently up to the equally emotionally stunted Jounin to handle, no matter that it was just a Terrible Idea all around). The self-sufficient little brunette that looked more like she might have been just another shinobi rather than a kunoichi like she actually was (something that anyone with discerning or sharp senses could -and should- have noticed), on the other hand, seemed not to care that her teammates had apparently decided she was male. Not at all bothered by the apparent lack of femininity that graced the child.

Then again, the girl, at least, seemed to be far more logical as well as being much calmer than the two boys on the team if the fact that she'd kept herself further back yet still somewhat in the middle of the last Uchiha and the rambunctious blonde was anything to go by. She hadn't said a single word so far, but Kakashi was sure that she wasn't mute…

Well, almost completely sure, anyway.

Clapping his hands together to ensure the trio's attention was still on him (which, of course, it already had been, even as he’d continued to simply draw the awkward silence out during his musings), Kakashi beamed once more. "Well then! Why don't we start with introductions from you kids, hmm~?"

Dark eyes watched the Jounin with wary, narrow eyes. "...What do you want to know…?" He asked, still suspicious of the Jounin they'd gotten assigned as their team leader.

"How about your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future and things like that?" He hummed, purposely acting the way he was to further mislead the trio that just might possibly become his new Genin Team. (As much as it hurt to be so close to the blonde, it wasn't like he'd accept letting another Jounin teach the Yondaime's legacy, after all. Hypocritical as it may be.)

Even as he spoke the blonde squinted at him, as if staring hard enough would give him all the answers. Crossing his legs and supporting himself with his arms, he leaned in to speak. "Hey-hey! Why don't you introduce yourself to us first?!" He all but demanded, the noirette beside him approving of the dead-last's tactics for once.

Nodding, Sasuke continued to watch the Jounin suspiciously, sitting on the other side of the strange brunette that he'd all but dismissed already. At the very least the other wouldn't be as bad, considering that they at least wouldn't be dragging him down like the blonde would. On the other hand, the other could still do so if he was as average as the noirette believed due to having no real recollection of the slit-pupiled brunette… Better to believe they’d both just drag him down, if there was no proof otherwise.

"Oh, me~?" The silver haired Jounin mused, "Well, my name is Hatake Kakashi," he began. "I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes," he continued, seeming to think for a moment before continuing on, purposely leaving information out. If the trio had really done their homework, they would have known who he was already. But from what he could see, the only one that might have any prior knowledge about him -or any of the other more well-known Konoha Ninja- was Tsukino Kohaku. Especially considering who the child's guardian was -but he was getting off track. Continuing on, he went on to give the trio blank answers that would at the same time inform them of just what he wanted them to list when it came their turn. "Dreams for the future…" He hummed noncommittally before finishing up with a just as anticlimactic: "I have a lot of hobbies."

Seated in a loose but uneven ring, the trio shared a glance. Two dubious and unimpressed, and one just as unimpressed and blank if the look on their face was any indication.

"In the end he didn't really tell us anything but his name, did he…?" Naruto muttered, even Sasuke nodding in agreement -and disgruntlement- as toffee-colored eyes flickered between their fellow genin and the Jounin.

"Saa, now for you. Why don't we start from the right?" the masked Shinobi suggested. The two boys shared a glance, the last member of the three-member team being more focused on their new Sensei, even if they still paid attention to the blonde that shifted his hitaeate in what appeared to be preparation for his introduction.

"Yosh! My name's Uzumaki Naruto! I like Cup Ramen," he started, grinning at man. "What I like even more than that, though, is when Iruka-sensei pays for my Ramen! I don't like waiting the three minutes for Ramen to cook, and my dream…" He took a deep breath, confidence clear as he firmly announced his dream. "I'm going to surpass the Hokage, and then have the people of this Village acknowledge my existence!" He all but shouted, a look of determination on his face that, coupled with the straightening of his back and the confidence he exuded, could almost make the man believe that the blonde would someday have what it took to follow in his father's footsteps.

Even surprised as he was, Kakashi couldn't help the fondness that crept into his expression, though he covered the moment with a blink. For a moment, the silverette had believed that all the blonde thought about was Ramen, but this clearly proved him wrong, the slate-eyed Jounin mused, chagrinned.

"Uhm, Hobbies…" The blonde continued, ending the moment of inspiration as he slumped a bit, crossing his arms in puzzled thought. "Well... Pranks? I guess…"

Kakashi sighed, rubbing his head and sending some of the chalk that didn't seem to want to completely leave everywhere. Well, he probably should have expected it, to be honest, but then, it had been such a juvenile tactic and he'd already known about it. Still, it did explain quite a bit about the abundance of pranks that seemed to have occurred even more often in the recent years.

"Well then, how about we have the moody one go next?" He smiled, sitting back against the railing.

Dark eyes met his, and the man almost frowned behind his mask.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke," the noirette began, eyes hard and face partially hidden by the hands clasped before him, elbows resting just above his knees. "There are a lot of things I dislike, and I don't particularly like anything. I wouldn't call it a dream, but I do have an ambition.

“And that is… the resurrection of my clan -and to kill a certain person." The last Uchiha spoke shortly, tone clipped, a heavy aura pressing down around him as the other three stared, even Kohaku's caramel eyes boring into the self-proclaimed avenger.

Though it wasn't clear what the Mikazuki heir was thinking, Kakashi looked as if that had been pretty much what he'd expected to hear. Naruto's reaction being a bit more obvious in the way he shuddered and inched just a little further from the Uchiha.

Sasuke didn't seem to notice, too lost in thought as the frown he wore turned as dark as his emotions. His introspection only broken when the only Jounin and actual adult of the group spoke up once more.

"Alright… And how about we have the last member of our little group speak up now," He continued calmly, not quite asking so much as stating.

"..." For a moment, the silver-haired Jounin thought she wouldn't answer, but much to his -and the others'- surprise, the brunette that had been silent up until now finally spoke. "Tsukino Kohaku," the soft voice that sounded too close to belonging to either gender sounding just loudly enough for the three males to hear. "I like taking naps," she continued quietly, voice smooth if clearly disused for the most part. "I dislike socializing, being woken, or bothered," the brunette told them, keeping her words as short as she could while still being polite. She hadn't shared much that couldn't be figured out just by watching her or which could be used against her, really. Something that was more habit than anything. The less people knew about her, the less they would try to bother her. But with this being her team for the foreseeable future, she felt she at least owed them some information, sparse as it may be.

Besides, Kohaku had never been very good at vocalizing, so it’d be easier for them to figure it out themselves as they spent more together (something that would, unfortunately, be very likely considering how Konoha ran itself).

"Dreams…" She paused, a single hand moving from its place in her lap to touch the Hitaeate she'd hung around her neck. Deciding not to answer it since even she wasn't quite sure what it would be herself (to protect her precious people -or rather, person? To be left alone? She honestly didn’t know), moving on, the tawny-eyed brunette gave her team a slight shrug, chin-length hair bobbing just slightly from the slight head tilt that had occurred instinctively, just prior to the shrug. "I like reading... and cooking," she said at last, seeming to just remember the package that had been the source of quite a bit of curiosity -even if it'd been forgotten in favor of the Jounin-sensei's introductions.

Untying the somewhat thick cloth she'd tied around the trio of uneaten bento, she held the square-ish containers out to her new team. "This…" She started, holding it up towards the trio of males that she would have to acquaint herself with, an unsure look on her face. Words awkward and almost stilted as slit-pupiled toffee-colored eyes stared resolutely at the stack of bento.

"For you all," she murmured, letting her words die, silence encompassing the roof-top as a gentle breeze blew past, brushing against all of their hair. It was said that gifts between new people were more likely to foster some kind of...amiability (she didn’t particularly care about ‘making friends’, after all). And since Kohaku was resigned to having to -somehow- get along with her teammates, she had prepared the trio of bento early in the morning before heading to school (for ease of career if nothing else -like she’d said, she wasn’t exactly fond of socializing, after all… with the exception of her uncle, but family was different, and it...wasn’t really socializing…? As far as she was aware, at least).

A slightly surprised look adorned all three of the male members. Blue eyes staring widely at the offering, while black remained unreadable, and slate only showed mild surprise.

So that's what was inside the bundle, Kakashi mused, even as Naruto gave a shout of excitement and asked if he could really take one, and if the brunette was 'really, really sure' he could. The only answer to the excited question being a nod as toffee eyes refused to look directly at rest of their team.

"Well now, this is a pleasant surprise," the masked Jounin mused, experience telling him that the brunette was embarrassed if the slight pink tinge against her cheeks was anything to go by. Walking towards the trio as the other two genin accepted their bento (one excitedly, and one almost reluctantly though he did at least thank the girl), Kakashi accepted the last with a ruffle of the only female's hair.

As much as the girl seemed like she might be agender or even gender neutral, it was possible that it was something the child might grow out of later (or never, but in his experience it tended to be later). The Jounin had known a few people that didn't seem to care much about their gender, few as they were. One being a Jounin that was quite open to crossdressing for missions, and didn't seem to care much about being male or female, the other being completely agender (not including certain AnBu members he knew of, of course). It was rare, but it did happen occasionally.

"Wow, this looks good!" Naruto exclaimed, bringing the others' attention to him as caramel eyes finally looking up, startled by the hair ruffle as well as the exclamation. "Did you make this, Kohaku?!" Bright blue eyes sparkled, staring at the brunette that he'd just seen a new facet of, looking even more awed when the brunette nodded slowly.

Seeming to hesitate, the other genin spoke up at last, even Sasuke discreetly cracking his own open out of curiosity. "I...was going to share them during break," the brunette explained awkwardly, spots of pale red appearing high on the girl's cheeks even as she looked away.

Kakashi had to resist the urge to crack his own open since he could smell the other two's clearly enough, and could see with his own (uncovered) eye just what was inside the bento. From the smell (likely the containers sealed scent in, which he probably should have expected considering what clan the girl came from, now that he thought about it), he could tell that both of the other containers contained the same things. So there was really no need for him to open his own. And looking at Naruto's (Sasuke had only taken a peek and shut his own), he could see that there was plenty of rice, what looked (and smelled) like chicken, and other vegetables (a stir-fry?). From what he could tell, the bento looked quite balanced, something that actually surprised him. It was almost impressive, he thought, partially at the thought the girl had put into making the food….as well as the speed and gusto that Naruto was eating his own.

"Ish'uz 'uh-rish-us!" The blonde shouted between gobbling his food, unfortunately also proving that he'd never been raised to understand that you weren't supposed to be talking and eating at the same time. A matter further proven when the blue-eyed genin choked for a moment, hitting his chest a few times to dislodge what was stuck in his throat before polishing off the rest in record speed. "Ah~ that was great!" The Uzumaki grinned, sitting back with his weight supported by his arms as the emptied bento box sat in the orange-wearing genin's lap.

On the other side of the brunette, Sasuke gave the blonde a disgusted look. "That was disgusting, Dead-Last. Don't you know anything about manners?" He sneered, resisting the urge to inch further away from the blonde though he did seem to be holding his own lunch somewhat protectively.

There had been tomatos in the scrambled egg, and smaller half-cut grape tomatoes in the vegetable stir-fry. The karaage looked good too, actually, but the male wasn't about to say anything since it didn't seem like anything was poisoned (though he doubted Tsukino would want to kill him off, anyways. There was really no reason or motive for it).

"What'd you say, bastard?!" The blonde exclaimed, straightening to glare at the noirette before appearing to think there was something more important to do. "Hey, hey, Kohaku! Can you make more of those bento?! That was really good!" He exclaimed, eyes wide and sparkling like brilliant aquamarine gems as he leaned towards the brunette...who leaned a little further back, looking somewhat alarmed by the close proximity.

"Maa, I'm sure Kohaku here'll do it if *(s)he feels like it," the Jounin spoke, clasping a hand on the sparkling blonde's shoulder and edging him a bit further away from the relieved brunette. "However, there's still something important that needs to be discussed before we can do anything else," he hummed, still standing as he smiled the soon-to-be-familiar one eyed smile at the trio.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, "Hey, where'd your bento go?" The blonde asked, somehow managing to notice that the silverette's had disappeared.

Kakashi hummed, "I'm sure I'll have time to enjoy my bento later. For now, however…" He trailed off warningly, the trio before him straightening at the serious tone despite the Jounin relaxing his aura a bit as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He'd already sealed his bento away while the trio had been distracted, and watching as Sasuke and Naruto put their bento's aside (one, of course, still practically untouched aside from the shifted lid whilst the other was all but empty) to pay attention.

"Now, we'll be starting our duties as Shinobi as of tomorrow," the Jounin told them, having somehow managed to make his way back to the railing to sit down before any of the Genin could really notice.

Bright blue eyes and a wide grin met the slate-eyed ninja's proclamation. "Aw yeah! What kind of duties?!" exclaimed Naruto excitedly.

"Maa, first we're going to be doing something with just the four of us," he told them as Naruto settled, still fidgeting as he stared with bright eyes.

"What is it? What is it?!" He asked, clearly excited.

Kakashi allowed for a moment of pause, giving his next two words a sense of importance.

"Survival Training." The man announced dramatically.

"Sur...vival...training…?" Naruto questioned, a clearly confused look on his face. Neither of his other teammates said anything, both of the darker haired members of the team more focused on their Sensei.

"This isn't normal training, of course~ This time, I'll be your opponent," The silverette smiled.

"Then…! Then what is it?" Naruto asked, seemingly causing the Jounin to chuckle in response.

Dark eyes narrowed even as caramel sharpened, zeroing in on their Sensei's shaking shoulders.

"Wh- What's so funny!" Naruto demanded after a moment when it became clear that no one else would say anything.

"Ah, well… It's just that, when I tell you this, you guys will totally freak~" The man smiled, eye once again shaped into a crescent of short, silver lashes.

"F...freak…?" Naruto asked uneasily, fidgeting in his seat, eyes wide.

"You see...of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will be chosen to become Genin," he told them, creating the illusion that he was looming over them. "The rest? Well, they'll be sent straight back to the Academy. This training is a very difficult exam with a failure rate of over sixty-six percent after all~"

A look of shock crossed the whiskered blonde's face. Sasuke's own expression not quite as shocked so much as surprised with Kohaku's being even less so. Whether it was a shock to her or not, or simply just a mild surprise was difficult to tell. But, having watched the trio for a while, Kakashi was at least somewhat confident that the child was surprised. It had been kept out of most of the books, after all (the only exception being certain journals typically kept private by their owners and records kept by the Hokage for filing).

Of course, if she was as studious (and deductive) as he believed her to be, then she would probably have at least a vague idea of said information.

Kakashi laughed, "I told you you'd freak out~" He smiled, even as the obviously building outburst escaped the genin as he changed position to yell.

"What?! No way!" He exclaimed, clearly shocked by this news, "But we worked so hard!" He yelled, as if it would change anything. "If that’s the case, then what was the point of graduation?!" He all but demanded.

The Jounin hummed. "Ah, that~?" He mused, "That was simply to select who'd be given the chance of becoming Genin," he explained, enjoying his trolling of the genin perhaps just a tad too much.

"Ugh. What?!" The blonde exclaimed, clearly still somewhat disbelieving of the situation.

Unsurprisingly, however, the only one that didn't seem to show any anxiety was Tsukino Kohaku. Or perhaps she was anxious and he simply wasn't used to reading her expressions (or lack thereof) enough to be able to tell just yet. The only thing he could see on the girl's face was a look of deep thought that didn't really tell him anything (yet).

"In any case, you'll have to show your real skills on the training ground tomorrow. Bring all the Shinobi tools you have," he announced, smoothly running through the rest of the explanation he'd given to every other genin team that had been handed to him prior. Of course, all of them had failed, but then, Kakashi had (slightly) higher hopes for this group. "Ah," he added, as if just remembering something important. "Skip breakfast, you might just end up throwing up otherwise~" He smiled. Pulling out a few sheets of paper, he passed them out to the shaking Uzumaki, the somewhat anxious looking Uchiha, and the stone-faced heir of the Mikazuki clan -a clan that would be all but extinct if its only other member ended up dying before he could sire his own progeny as well.

"The details are on these papers, and don't be late tomorrow~" He practically sang, disappearing almost as soon as the last sheet had left his grasp, leaving only a trio of genin staring at their own individual sheets of paper with a time and place noted. He'd even been kind enough to give directions!

Really, Kakashi was just such a kind person…

More importantly, however, he kind of wanted to try that bento. Not until the kids all separated and went home, though, the silverette mused, scent and presence pulled in tightly enough that not even an Inuzuka would be able to figure out he was there if he didn’t want them to.

Watching as Naruto and Sasuke squabbled over the bento that Sasuke had yet to touch aside from finding out what had been in it, and Kohaku doing her best to separate the duo despite her blank face and reluctance to speak, Kakashi almost chuckled.

At least it looked like this year's set would be more interesting than the last~

Maybe they'd have an easier time of passing the test if things went well. But considering the fact that two of the members clashed quite often, and the last preferred to stay out of the way as well as being far more reluctant to speak than the scarecrow had expected, the upcoming team looked to be one that would be quite amusing, to say the least.

Ending Notes:

To the Readers:

*(s)he : Why hasn’t Naruto or Sasuke noticed that Kakashi called Kohaku a ‘she’? Well, because despite the fic/story being in English, he’s not actually using the word ‘she’. Since Naruto seems to have a mainly Asian language (and of course, assuming that everyone speaks in a common language, that being some kind of alternate pseudo-Japanese or Chinese), in which “she” is either pronounced the same as “he”, “her”, “his”, “their”, etc. Or, as in the Japanese Language, is actually left out and more implied than anything. Hence the reason the boys haven’t figured out that Kohaku’s actually a girl. (I’m still trying to decide whether I want to make this some sort of running gag, but I guess we’ll have to just wait and see whether things go to keikaku/plan.)

For Self Reference:

Original Post Date: 05/08/2016 (on FF.net)

Updated: 05/14/2016 (on FF.net)

Edited: 01/03/2017

Re-Posted: 01/03/2017 (on Tumblr)

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deadcactuswalking · 4 years

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 24th November 2019

I know I say this every week but we finally did get a cooldown week and as I say whenever we don’t have many new tracks to review, this will actually be a short week, despite a pretty big debut. I don’t have much time to write this at all so I’m just going to flash past everything here, I apologise if I miss any detail.

Top 10

It’s Tones and I’s eighth week at the top with “Dance Monkey”, still stable at #1.

Similarly not moving at all is “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa at number-two, which I actually have qualms about considering it could potentially not hit #1 and just stall at the runner-up spot.

The number-three spot goes to a debut from Billie Eilish, with “everything i wanted”, which peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, and is Eilish’s fifth UK Top 40 hit and third top 10 entry. We’ll talk more about it later.

Sadly, that means “Ride It” by Regard featuring Jay Sean is down one spot to number-four. I’m surprised that song’s not already on its way out.

“Memories” by Maroon 5 makes its way up one spot to number-five.

Unfortunately, it takes Lewis Capaldi’s trite “Bruises” up with it, moving up four spaces to number-six.

“South of the Border” by Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B seems to struggle down three spots to number-seven.

“Good as Hell” by Lizzo featuring Ariana Grande is up a spot to number-eight.

“Lose You to Love Me” by Selena Gomez, on the other hand, is down a spot to number-nine.

Notably, and quite to my dismay, off of its debut last week, we have “ROXANNE” by Arizona Zervas up 14 spots to #10, becoming his first entry in the top 10... why?!

Climbers

There are none. Okay, no, I’m being insincere, there are some but they’re pretty unremarkable to say the least. “Pump it Up” by DJ Endor is up seven spaces off of the debut last week to #29, and seemingly due to album hype, “Lights Up” by Harry Styles is also up seven spots, rebounding back into the top 20 at #16.

Fallers

I know, this is where I usually say that the fallers are more plentiful, but they actually weren’t, well, they were to an extent but it’s a pretty miniscule amount this time. At #36, “Follow God” by Kanye West continues to flop down nine spaces, “Paper Cuts” by Dave does the same off of the debut down a whopping 15 down to #30, whilst “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM” by Travis Scott and “Outnumbered” by Dermot Kennedy start off their downward spirals, down seven and nine spaces respectively to #24 and #23. “Buss Down” by Aitch featuring ZieZie may as well be doing the same down five to #21, and sadly, off of the top five debut from last week, “Must Be” by J Hus is now at #13, down eight spaces from the week prior.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

We almost always have dropouts, but it’s very uncommon for us to really have any returning entries since we only cover the top 40, however we do in fact have a returning entry this week with “Lover” by Taylor Swift returning to #38 thanks to the remix featuring Shawn Mendes. That’s all we have for returning entries – dropouts, on the other hand, we have a few of. First of all, “Be Honest” by Jorja Smith and Burna Boy experiences streaming cuts that lead it off of the charts from #25, while the others are just remnants of songs that kind of flopped. “The Last Time” by the Script is out from #32, “10,000 Hours” by Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber is out from #35, “Tell Me” by Krept & Konan featuring D-Block Europe and Ling Hussle is out from #37 and “Floss” by AJ Tracey featuring MoStack and Not3s is out from #39 as well. These aren’t very remarkable or good songs (Apart from “10,000 Hours”, which is good but not particularly notable or really anything worth discussing too in-depth), so not even the drop-outs here could be big stories. We could have a featured single even, this week is so boring, but alas, I have little time. Let’s get to the new arrivals.

#35 – “Watermelon Sugar” – Harry Styles

Produced by Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon – Peaked at #10 in Lithuania and #60 in the US

So, this is Harry Styles’ second single from the upcoming sophomore solo effort, Fine Line, where he seems to be continuing the classic rock formula he touched upon in his self-titled debut record, although from what we can gather, this album seems to be more focused on replicating the anthemic indie stomper than the slow, 70s soft rock ballad. I didn’t like the lead single, and it soon dropped down the charts pretty quickly before rebounding this week, so I’m curious and hopeful to see if this is any good. This is only Styles’ third UK Top 40 hit as a solo artist and that number would be a lot bigger if I counted the singles with One Direction... but is it any good? I mean, I wish it was. The riff here is pretty catchy and fun, and the production is appropriately lush, but the sheer amount of synth overdubs does cause a lot of clipping towards the end, and Harry Styles just sounds bored out of his mind here. I like the guitars here, especially in the second verse, but the transition to the chorus is abrupt and awkward, and the chorus is mind-numbing. It doesn’t work as an anthemic single because it acts as such as a lightweight, fluffy wasteful song, with a lacklustre performance from Styles, inorganic drum loops and a pathetic post-chorus where Styles reaches into his... vocodered falsetto? Yeah, whatever this is going for, it’s clearly failing for me. Sorry, but much like “Lights Up”, I don’t care for this at all.

#32 – “Jerry Sprunger” – Tory Lanez featuring T-Pain

Produced by Tory Lanez, Play Picasso and Papi Yerr – Peaked at #34 in Canada and #44 in the US

Tory Lanez is perhaps my least favourite rapper. He’s so infuriatingly boring and generic, more often than not he sounds nasal and gross whilst being completely inoffensive content-wise and sometimes just straight-up ripping off his influences like Kendrick Lamar, which Joyner Lucas pointed out and they had the whole diss track exchange that was supposed to prove Lanez as a “lyrical” rapper when really all it did was embarrass both parties, but I digress. Tory Lanez is aggravating and I hate near everything he’s put out, and he just happens to be oddly successful in the UK, but to an extent where I’m confused by it. He’s not a big artist in the UK – well, not really, he’s had only one top 10 album although hip-hop albums tend to suffer here anyway, and never a UK Top 40 hit on his own (He did get one with 6ix9ine last year, so this is his second and T-Pain’s 11th), despite appearing on Good Morning Britain to be interviewed about... nothing since he didn’t have an album coming out. Guess who finally got him that British breakout single? Freaking T-Pain. I have a lot of respect for the guy but even he knows he’s more than 50% a punchline the majority of the time, and plays to that by being a jokester. This is from Tory Lanez’s concept album (Yes, concept album) Chixtape 5. The loose concept is that he takes samples from mid-2000s R&B songs, makes beats from them, and puts the original R&B singers on them, which just sounds like a massive waste of sample clearance money to me, but again, I digress. I’ve heard one other song off of this album and it was as musically incompetent as a Goddamn washing machine so, is this one any better? Well, I like T-Pain’s verse, but I knew I would already, check out his album he released in January, 1UP, it’s actually pretty decent, especially “RIP to the Parking Lot”. This is actually his first UK Top 40 hit “5 O’Clock” featuring Wiz Khalifa and Lily Allen peaked at #6 in 2011. So, “I’m Sprung” was released in 2004 and it was T-Pain’s debut single, becoming his first top 10 in the US, and a Dizzee Rascal remix helped it get to #30 here in the UK too. I don’t really like that song in all honesty, it still sounds really primitive in comparison to his later compositions, and sometimes he just straight-up sounds offbeat.”Jerry Sprunger” might be worse, taking one loop from the little faux-acapella section of “I’m Sprung” and making a tone-deaf trap beat out of it. Tory Lanez, when he’s not mumbling, he’s making a gross and weedy Chris Brown impression, with no content whatsoever. The chorus just feels overwhelming and cluttered with so many layers of multi-tracked T-Pain. T-Pain is still incredibly charismatic, with carefree, easy flows that still sound impressive, and a random beatboxing break that’s hilarious. Oh, yeah, and for a straight minute, the sample is reversed and we just have some unnecessary Tory Lanez vocal riffing. Gross. This might have made me appreciate “I’m Sprung” more, actually.

#19 – “Before You Go” – Lewis Capaldi

Produced by TMS – Peaked at #1 in Scotland and Ireland

...First Tory Lanez, a man who makes music I despise but I never expected to show up, and now Lewis Capaldi, an enemy to both democracy and REVIEWING THE CHARTS, shows up to spite me with a late deluxe edition single... even though that’s what “Bruises” is. I mean, okay, maybe they’re pushing this one to the US – oh, wait, lol it didn’t chart anywhere outside of Europe... or New Zealand, but I doubt Capaldi is desperately looking for his big Kiwi crossover. Capaldi himself has been very vague about his fifth UK Top 40 hit... and so will I, in fact, I will just recount my thoughts on Capaldi and detail my history with the man. I first met Capaldi on the 13th of January this year, when “Grace” debuted at #33 on the UK Singles Chart, and I referred to him breezily as a “Scottish dude” – such a simpler time, and admittedly had very little to say about the song, but I did come to the conclusion that he sounded like a Scottish post-hardcore vocalist trying to re-write “Fight Song”, which is the type of analogy I used to make earlier in this show, whilst now I just cynically ramble. The song dropped out the next week, 20th January, replaced by “Someone You Loved” at #29, and I made my first truly scathing review of the man, branding him as a boring person who doesn’t understand how music works. I continued on my analogy from “Grace”, stating he sounded out of place, and half-asleep on the droning, piano melody that “Someone You Loved” presents. I noticed his resemblance with James Arthur in terms of how they both strain their vocals, although I mistakenly declared Capaldi was a better vocalist, which is plainly untrue to me now. I said he was lacking in compelling content (Surprise, surprise, he still is), and that the UK outside of Scotland does not care about Lewis Capaldi or his music, since we made his hits interchangeable. I asked Lewis Capaldi directly, and I don’t often plead to the artists, to leave me alone. On both occasions, however, they were not granted Worst of the Week or even Dishonourable Mention (Although I did include him in the 20th’s “toss-up”, asking the reader to pick their own poison). On the 27th of January, “Someone You Loved” rose to #13 and I simply, quite politely said, I could not see this appeal. The following weeks, I would track Capaldi’s rise to the top (To my chagrin, of course). On 3rd February, “Someone You Loved” hit the top 10 and I said just that, not commenting on the success of the single. Despite this, the next week on the 10th, “Grace” returned at #40 and I felt the need to attack it again, saying that it sucks and, in parenthesis, “Who cares?”. On 17th February, I made my first prediction for Capaldi’s career as “Someone You Loved” rose to #3, saying that you should expect the song to reach the top, making no further comment. Again, I continued to follow the rise of both songs until 3rd of March, when “Someone You Loved” reaches #1, although I referred to the song as “some lame [...] song I heard once”, despite being slightly thankful for Capaldi as he was giving me less work by contributing to how dry the charts were. I would not be thankful for Capaldi ever again. I did not expect the song to stay at #1, saying on 10th of March that it was “hanging on”. On the 17th, I incorrectly reported it was its second week at #1 while it was actually its third. On 24th March, I ventured onto a full-on rant, saying, and I quote, verbatim:

““Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi is still at the top for its fourth or fifth week and really? US pop music has been getting weirder, darker and more interesting, whilst the UK is lagging behind with boring pop ballads staying at the top for no reason other than the intense label push and some kind of pseudo-emotional strength that the track seems to be emitting to people. That’s not how it’s supposed to work, it’s supposed to be the other way around. This song is just lazy and feels like a total waste of studio time.”

Jesus, cactus. Here, I was comparing it to other more interesting songs still, and didn’t seem outright hatred for the man yet. On the 7th April, I made public my wishes for the song to be overthrown on its sixth week because I thought the song was painful and didn’t bear well with me after overplay. Then my situation continued to worsen as the prospect of more Lewis Capaldi songs debuting and lasting just as long as “Someone You Loved” is scary but perhaps too real. On 12th of May, “Hold Me While You Wait” debuted and in my review I not only called Capaldi the devil, but also a talentless putrid hack and, and I quote, verbatim, “a frog sobbing over its grandfather that had just flatlined”.

This new track is surprisingly okay, actually. I don’t care to analyse it any further, though, I mean after all it’s Lewis Capaldi and “okay” for him is the worst song ever made for most artists.

#3 – “everything i wanted” – Billie Eilish

Produced by FINNEAS – Peaked at #1 in Latvia and Lithuania, and #8 in the US

No introduction needed for this song or Billie herself, let’s just talk about the song, and it’s no surprise that it is pretty good. It’s been a while since I’ve talked about a song from Eilish, but the melancholy piano chords paired with the almost dissonant whispery, reverb-heavy vocals create an eerie, almost paranoid atmosphere, one so good I think I forgive the bass clipping. The claps and percussion in general initially seem pretty unfitting but when the chorus hits, it gets pretty obvious that that’s on purpose, as the reverb drowns them in a form of distance, making sense for the song thematically. In the second verse, her saying “underwater” has some sort of vocoder effect that makes it sound like it’s being said underwater... and I like pointless touches like that. The panning airy synths in the chorus are gorgeous, and FINNEAS’ harmonies with Billie actually sound pretty great, although it’s odd to hear him so clearly on a Billie Eilish track. I like the song overall, but it does feel a tad underwhelming, or perhaps just too whelming, as it does go on for four minutes, which might be one too many, and I would have preferred more experimentation within the song, as its dry, minimalism does run... well, dry, by the end of the song. I respect the song’s lyrical matter though, as it works as a love letter to FINNEAS, her brother, and depicts a suicide attempt made by Eilish in a nightmare in which her fans turn their backs on her due to her attempt, which is actually really haunting to think about and the song reflects that – so, yeah, it’s pretty decent, and still miles ahead anything else from this week.

Conclusion

Worst of the Week is definitely going to Tory Lanez and, unfortunately, T-Pain for “Jerry Sprunger”, whilst Best of the Week should obviously be going to Billie Eilish for “everything i wanted”. Not a particularly good week, but hey, we’ll see what happens next week. “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey re-entered at #59 this week... it’s any minute now. Follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank and see you next week – it might start getting a bit Christmassy in here.

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andysxwn923-blog · 5 years

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How to Cut Tomato in Uniform Slices

WASHINGTON — I grew up in Pittsburgh’s Tree of Lifestyle synagogue. My moms and dads taught Sunday faculty there. I figured out to examine Hebrew (form of) there. I used to be a bar mitzvah there. My mother sewed a fancy velvet jumper for my tiny sister to have on there.

On Saturday early morning — the Jewish sabbath — Jews at prayer have been slaughtered at Tree of Lifetime for the reason that and only due to who they were. It had been maybe the deadliest anti-Semitic attack On this country’s background, in accordance with the Anti-Defamation League.

My response is grief, naturally, and the rapid realization this horror is part of a larger sample of mayhem and hatred in the united states and world wide. Churches, minority communities, gay nightclubs, politicians and journalists are threatened. We live in an age of assault rifles, pipe bombs and bone saws.

But I also have to admit — and am grieved to admit — that the mass murder at Tree of Everyday living has shaken my Most likely naïve religion In this particular country, one which I started developing as a boy developing up in Pittsburgh.

The predominantly Jewish Squirrel Hill community features a bucolic-sounding title, and it suits. It can be bounded on two sides by huge, wooded parks. The streets of largely single-loved ones houses are lined with lush trees; There may be easy accessibility to universities, civic institutions, participating in fields and excellent colleges.

I had been reared in a very Jewish paradise — a.k.a. The usa, my Promised Land. Not the a person God gave us (nevertheless I love that 1, far too), nevertheless the just one we chose for ourselves.

I had been taught in Squirrel Hill that we ended up within the one particular country which was an exception for the background of the human race generally plus the Jews especially. Founded on Enlightenment rules of individuality, liberty, tolerance and justice, The usa was the only spot besides Israel in which Jews could Are living at one particular with their country, unburdened by panic or confusion about identity.

Now I have to question: If Pittsburgh isn’t Risk-free for Jews, if Squirrel Hill isn’t Harmless, if the Tree of Daily life isn’t Secure, what place is? With no diminishing everyone else’s struggling and death, it’s a tragic indisputable fact that the Jews often are definitely the canaries inside the coal mine of social and political collapse. So, Exactly what does the bloodshed in the Tree of Lifestyle signify?

It is a sign that hatred of http://newsteko.com/hardwood-trees Another is poisoning our general public daily life. It’s always been a vivid strain in the united states, stimulated through the pressure of immigrant waves, but one Now we have conquer time and again. Despite the fact that we regularly honor it during the breach, our founding thought remains: that Everybody Here's important and born with unalienable legal rights. Now, political enemies in the usa deny each other’s humanity.

It is a sign that communications can foster one thing a lot less than being familiar with. Social networking permits us to get related and also caricatured as propaganda in campaigns of dehumanizing division.

It is a sign that President Trump’s remorselessly cynical, jungle-design and style eyesight of how you can perform enterprise and politics is ripping aside a Modern society now underneath the strain of generational, demographic, technological, financial and social modify.

In physics, the arc of a swinging pendulum diminishes after some time. Which has been my Potentially much too-relaxed watch of yank record: the swing of our political pendulum would constantly slow and come across an equilibrium closer to a more fantastic union.

In pursuit of that concept, being a reporter in Kentucky for six several years and afterwards across the country for decades, I chronicled the rise from the populist correct as just An additional swing on the pendulum.

I covered Ku Klux Klan rallies, courtroom-ordered busing, “soiled tricksters” of the appropriate from Richard Nixon to Paul Manafort, and Trump rallies across the nation. None of that shook my perception that the region could by some means harvest the Electricity of protest against “elites” for some eventual excellent.

Now I am not so positive. The pendulum seems to be swinging much more wildly and widely everyday. The entire equipment feels at risk of racing out of control.

But whilst I begin to doubt that my Pittsburgh was the Promised Land, I continue being guided and impressed by it. My late dad and mom, Morton and Jean Fineman, were being instructors who cherished America at the same time as they fretted about its shortcomings. They usually jogged my memory that, in a democracy — and only within a democracy — persons get The federal government they should have, and that each new technology ought to work hard to acquire anew the legal rights and blessings that we consider for granted.

I only hope that the martyrs of your Tree of Life — like Individuals in Charleston, Charlottesville as well as other mass shootings inspired by despise — didn't die in vain. The us’s presents will not be easily preserved — even, I now know, in Squirrel Hill.

Howard Fineman can be an NBC Information analyst plus a journalism lecturer at the College of Pennsylvania.

Follow The The big apple Situations Belief portion on Fb, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.

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justjin-ah · 5 years

Text

99 Cole Qs?

1. What is your full name?

Cole Bae, AKA 배콜 (Koreans don’t have middle names)

2. Where and when were you born?

October 26th, 2116, I wanna say it was probably in Korea.

3. Who are/were your parents? (Know their names, occupations, personalities, etc.)

Go Bae -- Unemployed, married rich. Resident uninterested mother, yet still somehow has time to hate her child’s significant others. Hm. Chin-Hwa Bae(?) Rich guy. Usually equally as uninterested.

4. Do you have any siblings? What are/were they like?

Gochin. She’s a bitch. We don’t get along. It’s like Mom saw the damn future when she named her.

5. Where do you live now, and with whom? Describe the place and the person/people.

I live with my mom and dad and my sister, in a house that’s way too fucking big for four people, but that’s fine, because we all want the space away from each other anyway.

6. What is your occupation?

Ha, I don’t work. I’m still in school because I’m shit at focusing on it.

7. Write a full physical description of yourself. You might want to consider factors such as: height, weight, race, hair and eye color, style of dress, and any tattoos, scars, or distinguishing marks.

5′10″, about 140-something?, Korean, dyed-pink hair, brown eyes. Clothes like this or this or this, no tattoos, scars, etc.

8. To which social class do you belong?

Upper. Halabeoji and Halmeoni are rich as hell, and left a pretty hefty sum of money to Mom’s trust fund, not to mention Dad, so.

9. Do you have any allergies, diseases, or other physical weaknesses?

I don’t know. I have pretty shitty springtime allergies?

10. Are you right- or left-handed?

Right-handed

11. What does your voice sound like?

a bench found a whole af video for this

12. What words and/or phrases do you use very frequently?

A variety of different curse words, usually.

13. What do you have in your pockets?

A wallet? A phone? Some keys?

14. Do you have any quirks, strange mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics?

The need to always be in charge is probably an annoying habit to some.

15. How would you describe your childhood in general?

Lackluster, and mostly spent on my own.

16. What is your earliest memory?

Moving to America, probably.

17. How much schooling have you had?

Too many years.

18. Do/did you enjoy school?

It’s a necessary evil.

19. Where did you learn most of your skills and other abilities?

From myself, mostly.

20. While growing up, did you have any role models? If so, describe them.

I didn’t really have anyone to look up to, no.

21. While growing up, how did you get along with the other members of your family?

I didn’t. I still don’t. It’s everyone for themselves in the Bae household.

22. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to dance. I think at some point in my life I envisioned being an idol, but I don’t think I could put in the selling of my soul for that.

23. As a child, what were your favorite activities?

Dancing, playing video games in my room to hide from Parents and Gochin, going outside to get away from Parents and Gochin, getting into trouble to bother Parents and Gochin, being an ass to piss off Parents and Gochin. Seeing a pattern?

24. As a child, what kinds of personality traits did you display?

Sarcastic, asshole, troublemaker kid. Probably a little bully. Maybe. A bit.

25. As a child, were you popular? Who were your friends, and what were they like?

I’m still popular. Everyone wanted to be my friend.

26. When and with whom was your first kiss?

Ah, shit. Uh... It was one summer-- I was like, twelve? It was some middle schooler party. Ya know, with spin the bottle, and shit. Which is a big fucking deal when you’re twelve. It was dark. I hardly remember who it was, if she even still lives in this town.

27. Are you a virgin? If not, when and with whom did you lose your virginity?

Hahahahahahahahahaha. No. I’m not. It was with Susi Wone, of all the damn people, when we were 14. Early bloomers.

28. If you aren’t a virgin, would you take your first time back?

Maybe? No? I don’t know. It was just sex. It doesn’t really matter.

29. What do you consider the most important event of your life so far?

Falling in love with Eli.

30. Who has had the most influence on you?

Eli... or Noa.

31. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Managing to have someone as remarkable as Eli Park-Sin picking me to fall in love with.

32. What is your greatest regret?

Doing things that make me unworthy of his trust.

33. What is the most evil thing you have ever done?

Probably... cheating on someone with their brother?

34. Do you have a criminal record of any kind?

There is no ‘record’, persay.

35. When was the time you were the most frightened?

When Eli left my house the morning after we...

36. What is the most embarrassing thing ever to happen to you?

I tend to not embarrass easily.

37. If you could change one thing from your past, what would it be, and why?

I would break up with Joi the night I meant to, give Eli his ring, and have an honest start with him, because maybe then, he’d trust me.

38. What is your best memory?

This, and also the morning after that.

39. What is your worst memory?

Finding out Eli doesn’t trust me.

40. Are you basically optimistic or pessimistic?

Somewhere in between.

41. What is your greatest fear?

Screwing up so bad Eli never wants anything to do with me ever again.

42. What are your religious views?

Eh.

43. What are your political views?

Those Lee-Roths aren’t bad, I guess.

44. What are your views on sex?

Sex is great, and it’s even better when you’re in love with the person.

45. Are you able to kill? Under what circumstances do you find killing to be acceptable or unacceptable?

I don’t know. Probably not. I don’t know if I could say a circumstance where I think it’d be acceptable. According to the law, it’s unacceptable? That’s what I do know?

46. In your opinion, what is the most evil thing any human being could do?

Constantly hurt the people who love them. Go figure.

47. Do you believe in the existence of soul mates and/or true love?

I do, because I know who mine is.

48. What do you believe makes a successful life?

Living it the way you want to live it.

49. How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings (i.e. do you hide your true self from others, and in what way)?

Pretty honest, nowadays.

50. Do you have any biases or prejudices?

I’m pretty biased towards Eli Park-Sin.

51. Is there anything you absolutely refuse to do under any circumstances? Why do you refuse to do it?

I don’t know that it’s possible for me to say that. Everything in my life has usually been based off of a circumstance. But, if it’s one thing, it’s probably cheat on Eli, whenever I managed to gain his trust, and we end up back together. Because... that’s still a hope.

52. Who or what, if anything, would you die for (or otherwise go to extremes for)?

Eli and Noa.

53. In general, how do you treat others (politely, rudely, by keeping them at a distance, etc.)? Does your treatment of them change depending on how well you know them, and if so, how?

It depends on the person, yeah. Anybody who I don’t care about a lot gets treated with contempt, usually.

54. Who is the most important person in your life, and why?

Eli, because no one makes me feel the way he does, and he makes me want to be the best person I can be. And Noa, because I feel like I raised him.

55. Who is the person you respect the most, and why?

Noa, because he’s the type of boyfriend I want to be.

56. Who are your friends? Do you have a best friend? Describe these people.

Noa Lee is my best friend, and also the only friend that matters, despite the fact that I have a flurry of people constantly following me around that I call ‘friends’. He’s a punk jackass, but he’s also a cuddly sweetheart, who would kill me if he saw me calling him a cuddly sweetheart.

57. Do you have a spouse or significant other? If so, describe this person.

... Not currently, no.

58. Have you ever been in love? If so, describe what happened.

Of course. I’ve only mentioned him in half of these questions. I don’t know. When I finally noticed him, and I gave him the time of day-- I liked what I got to know, and then he fell asleep on my shoulder, and I looked down at him, and nothing’s been the same since then. Also I was kinda a little bit in love with Noa when we first met, but that was like super brief, and no one needs to know about that. Ever.... Ever.

59. What do you look for in a potential lover?

He’s gotta be obsessed with milk. That’s the deal breaker.

60. How close are you to your family?

I am not.

61. Have you started your own family? If so, describe them. If not, do you want to? Why or why not?

Oh, fuck no. I can’t even take care of a boyfriend right now, let alone a baby.

62. Who would you turn to if you were in desperate need of help?

Usually I’d say Noa, but he’s got more things to worry about right now than me.

63. Do you trust anyone to protect you? Who, and why?

Well... Noa. Because he usually does, even if I don’t ask.

64. If you died or went missing, who would miss you?

Eli, I’d hope. Noa. Maybe some of those other friends that aren’t important. Probably Elliot.

65. Who is the person you despise the most, and why?

Probaby... Elliot? I don’t know. The obsession isn’t cute like it is with Eli.

66. Do you tend to argue with people, or avoid conflict?

I’m the fucking king of arguing.

67. Do you tend to take on leadership roles in social situations?

Generally.

68. Do you like interacting with large groups of people? Why or why not?

I do, usually because people are paying attention to me, and I like that.

69. Do you care what others think of you?

A few people, yeah.

70. What is/are your favorite hobbies and pastimes?

Dancing, camping with Noa, ( ͡ꈍ ͜ʖ̫ ͡ꈍ )

71. What is your most treasured possession?

This fucking ring with my initial on it.

72. What is your favorite color?

Red.

73. What is your favorite food?

Hotteok, bitch.

74. What, if anything, do you like to read?

People when they’re lying.

75. What is your idea of good entertainment (consider music, movies, art, etc.)?

Dancing, K-Music of most kinds, western music of few varieties, video games of the battle type, ( ͡ꈍ ͜ʖ̫ ͡ꈍ ) etc.

76. Do you smoke, drink, or use drugs? If so, why? Do you want to quit?

I drink on occasion, but not usually in excess, unless I’m ridiculously pissed off about something.

77. How do you spend a typical Saturday night?

Well, this past Saturday night was pretty typical... ( ͡ꈍ ͜ʖ̫ ͡ꈍ )

78. What makes you laugh?

Eli being clumsy.

79. What, if anything, shocks or offends you?

Nothing, at this point.

80. What would you do if you had insomnia and had to find something to do to amuse yourself?

( ͡ꈍ ͜ʖ̫ ͡ꈍ )

81. How do you deal with stress?

Usually a lot of yelling.

82. Are you spontaneous, or do you always need to have a plan?

I’m okay with either.

83. What are your pet peeves?

Fuckin’ milk.

84. Describe the routine of a normal day for you. How do you feel when this routine is disrupted?

Wake up, go to school, dance practice, avoid the people I don’t want to see, talk to the people I do want to see, dance practice again, go home, sneak over to a Park-Sin’s place, and it used to be sleep there for the night, but recently it’s been scoot after Eli goes to sleep.

85. What is your greatest strength as a person?

I like to think there’s a lot, but it probably isn’t true.

86. What is your greatest weakness?

Eli Park-Sin. note from the author, it’s also probably Elliot too, Cole.

87. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My ~untrustworthiness

88. Are you generally introverted or extroverted?

Extroverted as hell.

89. Are you generally organized or messy?

Organized chaos.

90. Name three things you consider yourself to be very good at, and three things you consider yourself to be very bad at.

Dancing, grabbing attention, sex?

Gaining truST, not arguing, giving up control.

91. Do you like yourself?

Most of the time, but not much recently.

92. What goal do you most want to accomplish in your lifetime?

Get Eli’s trust. Hopefully that won’t take a damn lifetime, but I’m beginning to wonder.

93. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Hopefully with Eli, for fucks’s sake.

94. If you could choose, how would you want to die?

Quickly? I guess?

95. If you knew you were going to die in 24 hours, name three things you would do in the time you had left.

Let me direct you to this, where I pretty much answer that question.

96. What is the one thing for which you would most like to be remembered after your death?

That I wasn’t so terribly shitty. At this point, that’s all I can hope for.

97. What three words best describe your personality?

Outgoing, in charge?

98. What three words would others probably use to describe you?

Bossy, argumentative, idiot.

99. If you could, what advice would you, the player, give to your character?

Cole Bae. Cole... Bae... Please.... My son. My boy. Get........ some help.

#99

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melindarowens · 6 years

Text

Will The Gov’t Shutdown? – Daily Pfennig

Chuck Butler’s: A Pfennig For Your Thoughts

December 6, 2017

* Dollar Gets Bought…

* RBA leaves rates unchanged

Good Day… And A Wonderful Wednesday to you! The Pfennig lost the coin toss this morning, so that’s the reason this is later than usual… As I said last Wednesday.. Better late than never, right? Things are still not back to normal around here for me, and so the Pfennig suffers. Hopefully, things begin to normalize for me… Bob Seger and his Silver Bullet Band greets me this morning with their song: Turn The Page, which is exactly what I would like to do with this period of my life!

Well, we finally saw some movement in the currencies yesterday and overnight, with the dollar getting bought, and the currencies slipping. Again, the move isn’t great shakes, but it still is noticeable, so therefore it registers on the Richter Scale.. HA!

There’s an article on the Bloomberg this morning that’s talking about how the dollar will see more selling in 2018, even with the Fed in rate hike mode. The article points out that the dollar has seen its worse year in the last decade in 2017, and the analysts writing the article believe that the impetus toward a lower dollar in 2018, will come from a revival of global growth, and rate hikes that challenge the Fed’s rate hikes all over the globe…

This article falls in line with the one I told you about on Monday from UBS that talked about how they saw a global tightening of credit in 2018.. So, remember earlier this year when I would talk about how I was seeing signs of a revival of global growth, and called it the “Global Growth Tent Revival”? Once again I was ahead of the crowd on this call, but did anyone listen to me? I doubt it… So, listen to me now and hear me later, this Global Growth thing has potential, and that’s it…

There are plenty of athletes that have “potential” but very few of them “make it”… So, while I agree with the article that the dollar will find it a tough row to hoe in 2018, I’m thinking it will have more with the Fed losing whatever credibility they have left, when they have to reverse their moves this year… That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Things in the U.K. aren’t so rosy these days.. Seems PM May, is backing into a corner on her views regarding BREXIT, and the leaders of the BREXIT move aren’t agreeing with her views… And then there was this latest poll in the U.K. that showed a majority of citizens still believe in BREXIT, but believe it will end badly…

Well, so do I, so we have something in common, eh? The pound was flying high as last week ended, but these new developments with the BREXIT negotiations have pulled the pound back down.

One day after seeing the A$ and kiwi climb to the top of the performers’ list, the both got sold overnight. The A$ took the biggest hit, and the kiwi selling was more of a “sympathy trade”… The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) met last night and left rates unchanged, which everyone expected, but then the RBA had this to say, that I’m sure had something to with the A$ selloff.. The RBA said that they were in no hurry to hike rates, which led the markets to think that their earlier thoughts of a rate hike in the 1st QTR of 2018, will have to be pushed back…

You know, I’m still amazed at the dollar’s underwhelming reaction to the passage of the Tax Reform Bill last weekend… I mean wasn’t this tax bill supposed to be the cat’s meow for the reflation trade here in the U.S. ? Or… was all that already priced in to the dollar? It sure appears that way to me…

So, I’m thinking that if the dollar can’t mount a huge rally on the news that the tax reform bill, then it really is in the stage of beginning to end the strong dollar trend… I’ll stop there and let that last thought sink in a bit…

OK, I’m back! Gold got whacked again yesterday.. UGH! Just what the heck these sellers are thinking is a mystery, and while I don’t plan to attempt to get into their heads, I will say that I think they are all somewhat lost… So, Gold lost $9.70 yesterday with 302,000 contracts traded… Craziness here too folks.. Gold closed below its 200-day moving avg. yesterday according to Ed Steer, and began the day at $1,265.90 today…

The U.S. Data Cupboard yesterday had the Rocktober Trade Deficit and it printed worse than expected! The Trade Deficit widened to $48.7 Billion up from the September print of $44.9 Billion… That’s a HUGE swing folks, and while it signals heaps of imports, it also signals that the dollar was stronger in Rocktober than in September…

Today’s Data Cupboard has the ADP Employment Report, which is supposed to give us an idea what the BLS Jobs Jamboree print will be on Friday.. Last week, my fave economist, Danielle Di Martino Booth, asked readers to send in their favorite employment indicator. She was looking for something not followed by everyone but was better than the BLS report… I almost sent her my feelings on the ADP report…

I’ve said many times that I think the country should ditch the BLS and use the ADP report as their “employment go to report”… ADP is the payroll system for almost every corporation or small business in this country, and if they show that 190,000 jobs were added in a month, they should be the ones who know!

To recap… The dollar got bought on Tuesday and overnight but the moves aren’t huge. U.K. PM May is hearing it from all sides on BREXIT, and the citizens of the U.K. think BREXIT will end up badly… This all weighs on the pound. The RBA left rates unchanged and sent the A$ downward with some comments about not seeing the need to hike rates for some time…

For What It’s Worth… Well, this Friday is the deadline for a budget deal here in the U.S. Recall that the lawmakers kicked the can down the street a couple of months ago, to this Friday… And I read this morning, that there will be another bill to delay it another two weeks… This is more craziness folks… And I doubt the Fed will hike rates on the 13th, if there’s no budget deal in place, or the Gov’t is in shutdown mode… You don’t have to take my thoughts on this as James Rickards weighed in with his thoughts in the Daily Reckoning (www.dailyreckoning.com) yesterday, and I have some of that for you here… you can click on the link above for the full story…

Or… here’s your snippet: “Will Republicans and Democrats agree on a budget, and avoid a government shutdown after midnight Friday?

I’d say the odds are 50/50. Actually, I put the odds of a shutdown at about 55%. There’s certainly enough substance here to be wary.

The government could shut down because of disagreements over defense spending, funding for Trump’s wall with Mexico, deportation of illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children (the “Dreamer Act” also referred to as “DACA”), funding for Planned Parenthood, funding for Obamacare (called “SCHIP”), disaster relief and more.

There’s not much middle ground between Democrats and Republicans on many of these hot button issues.”

Chuck again… I don’t believe the lawmakers will allow the Gov’t to shut down, so look for that “extension” if you will, to save the day this Friday…

Currencies today 12/6/17… American style: A$ .7585, kiwi .6899, C$ .79, euro 1.1804, sterling 1.3384, Swiss $1.0111, … European Style: rand 13.5260, krone 8.2605, SEK 8.4068, forint 266.41, zloty 3.5698, koruna 21.7142, RUB 58.69, yen 112.49, sing 1.3481, HKD 7.8126, INR 64.48, China 6.6140, peso 18.80, BRL 3.2385, Dollar Index 93.37, Oil $56.89, 10-year 2.33%, Silver $16.07, Platinum $907.14, Palladium $996.05, and Gold… $1,267.70

That’s it for today… Well, our Blues got back on the winning track last night in Montreal. They had gone into a funk, but looked much better last night. Winter weather has arrived here in the St. Louis area… I don’t like cold weather one iota, and longtime readers know that I head to S. Florida in January to get away from the cold. But then there’s always this cold weather in December that I despise! At least now that I’m somewhat retired, I don’t have to go out in it if I don’t want to! So I have that going for me, eh? Nilson takes us to the finish line today with his song: Without You… And with that, out of the way, it’s time to go… I hope you have a Wonderful Wednesday, and Be Good To Yourself!

Chuck

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everettwilkinson · 6 years

Text

Will The Gov’t Shutdown? – Daily Pfennig

Chuck Butler’s: A Pfennig For Your Thoughts

December 6, 2017

* Dollar Gets Bought…

* RBA leaves rates unchanged

Well, so do I, so we have something in common, eh? The pound was flying high as last week ended, but these new developments with the BREXIT negotiations have pulled the pound back down.

Or… here’s your snippet: “Will Republicans and Democrats agree on a budget, and avoid a government shutdown after midnight Friday?

I’d say the odds are 50/50. Actually, I put the odds of a shutdown at about 55%. There’s certainly enough substance here to be wary.

There’s not much middle ground between Democrats and Republicans on many of these hot button issues.”

Chuck again… I don’t believe the lawmakers will allow the Gov’t to shut down, so look for that “extension” if you will, to save the day this Friday…

Chuck

Source link

from CapitalistHQ.com https://capitalisthq.com/will-the-govt-shutdown-daily-pfennig/

#TrumpNews #CapitalistHQ.com

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