#I just feel like he needs less screen time or at least balance episodes among the family

[scoliosisgoblin]

Which version of Rick is your fav?

it's so hard for me to choose tbh. HOWEVER, I'd say Evil Rick

then I'd say it's C-137 and Memory Rick

I love how pathetic™ Evil Rick really is tbh. love that he's being controlled by his Morty. can you guess who my favorite Morty is?

[watchinglikeafangirl]

Lovely Writer Epsiode 8 - analysis

I have to say, this week's episode is the best one so far because so many things got explained and the puzzlepieces suddenly find their places. It's incredible how much hidden forshadowing the other episodes contain. Every week, I sit here and find clues they placed in episode 3 or something. It's really nice and that's what good writing is about. I find the script really great because this show focuses on so many different aspects, it's literally overwhelming.

On the one hand, we have Nubsib and Gene's lovestory which mostly happens apart from all the other stuff going on. Lovely Writer makes fun of all these cheesy romances with cringey dialogue underlined with a soundtrack that doesn't fit the atmosphere in the scenes at all. Gene and Nubsib have scenes which mix all the cliches at the same time. But at the same time, their lovestory is slow and their affection for each other is not all about physical attraction because love is not about that. Of course, enjoying kissing and having sex is a normal part of a relationship but I often feel like BLs want to tell me all the other stuff happens "off screen" because the talks late at night and taking care of each other are actually way harder to write. But Lovely Writer shows us very much about all those other aspects of a relationship, for example when Gene and Nubsib talk on the phone for hours. These are relationship goals which are rarely addressed but take place way more often than making out.

On the other hand, Lovely Writer is not about a lovestory at all. They make the Thai BL industry look bad by showing the harmony on camera and during interviwes is a fassade because all this pressure and fame gets to one personally and you turn out to be the worst version of yourself. This industry basically wants the actors to sacrifice their life, their identity for entertainment. This is a very sharp critic and Lovely Writer portrays this very well. They manage to switch between lovestory and toxic film business quite well.

Lovestory in a fairytale

Last episode nubsib went to the house where Gene hid and this story continues in this episode. We all know, what happened last week, there were many gifs about it and the cuteness continues here on an even higher level.

But all this takes place somewhere far from their work with no other people around. They are in this house together and spend two day there of explorig their feelings and I guess, talking about stuff most of the time. The rooms are always flooded with daylight and it looks very cozy and warm. Their relationship went next level and they both are very happy about it, so the first half of this episode contains a lot of positive feelings and the outside is not interfering. It looks more like a lovestory in a fairytale because they are drunk on happiness and excitement. It's something new, the start of a relationship and that's a big step. In the beginning they don't face challenges and can basically live happily in this house. But of course, the fairytale has to end and they go back. The mood switches at an instant and the lighting is different because now they aren't as free any more. Before, they were in a lonely house and were free to do anything.

This sort of bright lighting returns on the balcony because there, they can't be disturbed either and are just two young people in love again. Being in love in a silly and cheesy way is also part of a relationship and it's something normal, so Gene and Nubsib have those moments too even after they are back because now we (and Gene) know it's real. It's not something that happened in a different world. It is the reality and takes place even in the normal life.

Relationship goals

Like I said, their relationship looks very natural and is not faked or forced. In fact, their romance is too good to take. They share a few kisses but it's not the kisses which make my heart melt. It's Nubsib ask for consent in those moments. It's their talks. It's the little actions for me because little actions of care and love are way cuter than just a bunch of kiss and NC scenes. That's not what I want. I only watch BLs because they are about a love despite what society might tell you is right. I'm not here for kiss scenes. In some shows, all the private scenes of the main couple contain either kissing or sex and I don't understand why. In a relationship, you like this part as well but like the person you do that with more.

So, I like Gene and Nubsib's relationship being more lovingly and honest very much because trust, loyalty and honesty are more important.

Also, we can see they are both very serious about the relationship and go all in for it. There is no angrily storming off again. There is no being mad for a whole epsiode any more. There is no annoying shyness and blushing. Both characters don't really match the cliche dynamic and I love that because stereotypes just make me sick.

Here, Gene and Nubsib have an argument and even though they get disturbed, Nubsib makes sure they will talk about it later. They will have a mature and conversation about this when they both have calmed down. And this is real. This is normal and nothing to be very scared of. It's just a little argument that will probably be solve in a few sentences.

Lovely Writer has a whole concept. We got a moment when one of them was storming off and was mad for a whole episode but they just did that to reverse it and portray it as unrealistic and unfair for the other person because this way Gene wasn't giving Nubsib any chance to apologize nor explain himself.

Oversexualization

If I'm gonna talk about the fact the love story doesn't contain a lot of kiss or NC scenes, then I need to talk about this problem here. Actually, the oversexualization of BLs is harshly criticized in this scene and I belive Gene is totally right but the thing is, it's not just the Thai BL industry and it's not just BLs. It's far more than that and I believe westernization is a part of it (that's a huge topic, I know. I will only address one tiny aspect here). I don't know very much about the eastern countries of Asia. I only know what I've seen in documentaries or on the internet, so I can't say I'm an expert at all. But from what I know and what I've seen, Eastasian societies are more closeted about relationships and sex. I'm not saying every country (please, don't be offended and feel free to correct me) and I don't know how open Thailand is about this topic but I feel like the "western" countries are more open about it. I live in Germany and here it's a topic like everything else and people tend to overshare. I feel like the countries which are that open, oversexualize very quickly because it's no difficult topic among the people. So, oversexualization happens in all film businesses of such countries and since Thai BLs have fans all over the world, they oversexualize too in order to make the people like it. The whole internet seems horny all the time, so it works and sells itself pretty good. So, Gene doesn't just call out the Thai BL industry. He basically calls out half of the world's film businesses because they all do it.

But like Hin said, that doesn't mean NC scenes should be banned or are bad. Just an overuse of such passages is the problem here because then it's not about romance any more. Then, you can call it an erotic novel. When there's one or two NC scenes and they make sense in the story, it's totally fine. The writers and authors just need to find the right balance. And since the preview looked like things will be happening, then it's just happening because the mood was right. See sex as part of bonding because relationships are basically just good friendships with some next level stuff.

Consent

People love Nubsib asking Gene for consent whenever he wants to kiss him and that's really considerate but I saw this post here and discovered Nubsib is not the king of consent at all. He's only asking for consent whenever they are alone. But not when they are with other people because he knows Gene is shy. He outs him to three people during this episode even though he said he'll wait and Gene obviously doesn't want him to do that. Afterwards, he even comforts Gene to lift the pressure but he can't deny he put this pressure on Gene in the first place. As I said, Gene is shy towards other people, Nubsib knows that and plays this card. With others, Gene won't say anything because he's too polite and also, you don't have an argument in front of others. So, Nubsib doesn't stay true to his words and is still manipulative.

Finding your soulmate

Believe it or not, but I totally see Lovely Writer fulfilling the "soulmate" trope because this episode both indicated this - more or less through words.

Nubsib tells Gene, he felt lonely all these years in America and this loneliness vanished when he saw Gene again. He had a relationship before but still felt lonely (also, I love his previous relationship doesn't matter at all. There's no jealousy or anything). This sounds like he wants to say Gene is his long awaited soulmate.

Gene was lonely as well over all these years and got used to it but as soon as he and Nubsib grow closer he's reminded of the loneliness. He doesn't accept it any more and I believe he's nearly dying inside right before he calls Nubsib. They spend two days alone and many things happen emotionallywise, so when he gets home, he feels very lonely. Nubsib reminded him what it's like to not be lonely. He became aware of the loneliness again and hates it even more now he has someone freeing him from that feeling. Even though Gene doesn't say it, I feel like they want to tell me Nubsib is his soulmate too.

Product placement

This show's product placement cracks me up everytime. The picture with this woman... what was that lmao

Why would she hold up a face mask for a picture?

Also, the spray is so misplaced... Gene was upset but Nubsib was like "at least smell good"

Nubsib: the king of comforting

[loafingdragon]

who are your favorite top ten black clover characters & ships? talk about them!

A question? For me? 🤭 Let’s see if I can collect my thoughts long enough to answer! I’ll put things in no real order under the cut~

Kaiser Granvorka, captain of the Purple Orcas (sing that title. You will not regret it.)

Sometimes less is more. I love his design. I love his chill. I love his love of his wife. I love how he stepped up to clean up his trash squad.

Reve

I LOVE the elves and I really wish that they would get some recognition. Did you know that Phantom Knights just calls Reve and Charla “Dorothy (reincarnated)” and “Charlotte (reincarnated)”? They’re different people!! They have NAMES. Why wouldn’t they use their names?? The elves have so much lost potential!

Anyway, Reve is also very chill. A sleepy queen. I have a LOT of headcanons about her. I also have an au where the elves stay after reincarnation and share their bodies with their hosts, and she and Dorothy are best friends and girlfriends and hang out in glamour world together and I love them.

Nebra and Nozel Silva

Listen,,, she’s so pretty,,, I’m gay,,,

But in all seriousness, she’s my favorite Silva. She’s just sort of a mean, sexy lamp in the manga/anime, but she gets slightly more character development in Phantom Knights, where you see that she’s at least an honorable knight who really cares about getting things done right and even goes above and beyond the call of duty; she’s a lot more mature than Solid, and it even seems that she’s more concerned about capabilities than status at some points (much to Solid’s surprise.) That doesn’t mean she won’t go out of her way to make trouble, which is fun. The wiki also suggests she has confidence issues which is super interesting to me. I’d like to see her grow as a character or get like... even a little bit of attention at all besides backing up Nozel and Solid and getting stabbed. I also think her magic is really cool... would love to see her actually use it sometime.

-coughcough also since she gets so little screen time i can write her how i want in my fics and as far as we know it’s canon coughcough-

There’s more to her than her pretty, pretty face!! She’s probably my #1 favorite.

1) I love powerful fictional royals in general. 2) I love to write fics where he is embarrassed and vulnerable. Silvas deserve a healthy dose of humility whenever you can give it. He is an easy target with his uptight nature and silly hair. I’d also like him to grow as a character.

hehe look at Nebra peeking out of the corner of this pic lol

Fuegoleon, Mereoleona, and Leopold Vermillion

I am still a simp for powerful fictional royalty, okay? Everyone love the Vermillions. There is nothing I could say here that has not already been said, except that I love writing fics where Fuegoleon gets to be embarrassing and oblivious.

Dorothy Unsworth

She’s so cute and the coolest witch. Love her chaotic energy. Love how she knows things she probably shouldn’t. Always shaking it up. Another sleepy queen. I wish I could sleep all the time and still get my work done. Also since I made her my icon on discord, I have been cheerier.

Charla

I’m so deep in headcanons for this one but see my earlier elf complaint with Reve before continuing. Okay, understand? Charlotte is awesome, but the sheer hilarity of Charla and Charlotte sharing a body is what make Charla so, so good. The LAST thing Charla did before going away forever is SNITCH on Charlotte to her crush. This elf loves drama. She would help Charlotte so, so much, but also make her life a living hell. We stan a queen who can’t mind her own business.

Alecdora Sandler

This man is hilarious. He’s a full grown man ready to throw hands with a 15 year old because William gives him attention. He fell in a hole and had to be saved. Yuno let him declare all his love for William and then obliterated him. It’s so funny. It’s what this asshole deserves. A perfect, satisfying character arc and a hilariously embarrassing personality wins him his place among my faves. I love to hate him so much. I’d like to put a picture of his stupid face in a locket to look at and give me strength in any situation. “At least I’m not this man child,” I would say. A smile would tug at my lips as a single tear ran down my face. “Thank you, Alecdora,” I would whisper, holding his image close to my heart.

---

My favorites tend to change around with my moods, so maybe on any other given day, you would find Charlotte Roselei, Paplo Espuma, or Kirsch Vermillion (post royal knights exam humbling) on this list. Charlotte is badass, Paplo cute, and Kirsch is funny with cool magic. Also working with Charlotte on my blog, @lawstaverse makes me fond of her, and I have some fun party boy headcanons for Kirsch and the Coral Peacocks. Mimosa Vermillion is also super duper cute. Honestly, Jien Du could even be on here for being accused of being evil and then going “let me clear things up” and then just doing the super villain laugh- also for having rainbow lights flashing around him when he fights. I can hear carameldansen playing in the distance whenever he’s doing stuff.

Now for my favorite couples!

Fuegoleon Vermillion x Nozel Silva

This one is probably #1! They obviously care for and respect each other and a lot of Nozel’s dialogue gets... debatably romantic. I just really enjoy writing them in sort of ‘boys will be boys’ situations, where they can let their guard down around each other and their friends and be stupid and silly. I also love the idea of Fuegoleon being oblivious about how flirty he comes off. Nozel is pining but more in an annoyed way than a sad way. “No homo, bro,” says Fuegoleon, as he kisses Nozel on the lips and gives him a ring after they eat together and wrestle in the woods. Nozel rolls his eyes into the next solar system and admires his new wedding ring. Currently working on a 150k+ word slowburn bisexual disaster Fuegoleon fic with @thespiralgrimoire that involves this ship and the third on this list, along with tiny snippets of others.

Leopold Vermillion x Asta

Leo saw Asta do something cool and said “I’m done being classist. Actually I’m in love with you,” and never looked back. Every single Royal in Asta’s age group being obsessed with him is very very funny. I picture their relationship is much like Nozel and Fuegoleon’s as described above, but they’re BOTH extremely oblivious bros being romantic bros.

Fuegoleon Vermillion x Nebra Silva

Less my fave but still on here bc it’s fun. Nebra is fun, she can push Fuego out of his comfort zone, and also feel comfortable and confident with him. It’s nice. Ngl, anything that gives Nebra a chance to develop her character, whether it be in a friendly or romantic setting, is good.

Nebra is sexy. Fuegoleon is sexy. Together they are super sexy.

Reve x Dorothy Unsworth

I mentioned this briefly earlier, but they finally get someone who can share their world with them! Dorothy was so happy to have Reve in her head, and didn’t even regret being possessed at all. Also, Reve’s chill personality can balance out Dorothy’s excitable and unpredictable one! I think that them both being in dream world, with the magic power to look into each other’s minds(even more than other elf/human cohabitants) means that they can pretty easily become super duper close. They also have a space where they can physically meet. It’s kind of the best of both worlds.

Zara Ideale x Ina’s Father (did he really not get a name???)

There is no way you can convince me that Ina is not Zara and that man’s child. Look at their eyebrows. Rewatch episode 138. You’re lying to me if you tell me you don’t see it.

Nebra Silva x Zora Ideale

🤷🏽‍♀️ Punk and Prep is a fun combo, I like pitch romance, and the more info we get for Nebra, the more likely I see her willing to go vigilante and have a good time working with/ playing around with Zora. They both like to mess with people, Nebra appreciates a job well done, and Zora likes seeing people improve themselves. Nebra would def need to develop a bit for this to work, but I like to believe that would happen.

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY Recaps: “ACE Operatives”

We’re back, folks! I have to say, I think overall this is one of the strongest episodes we’ve gotten since “The Lost Fable.” Are there still concerns? You know it, but on the whole I’ve got to give credit where credit’s due. So with that unexpectedly optimistic mindset, let’s dive in.

We open right on the group’s first mission and for a moment I was worried that, like with Oscar’s shopping, this time skip would be passed right over. Especially after we hear Pietro apologize for “holding onto your weapons for so long,” telling us that between the Academy tour at the end of last episode and this mission today, at least a few weeks have passed. Long enough for one guy to re-design multiple combat outfits and weaponry, plus an additional boost here and there. Luckily, the first part of the episode cuts among three distinct times: when they got their weapons, when they first heard about the mission, and this present day flight/landing, which as a technique I like quite a bit. It gives us a sense of each time while keeping us moving forward. No one is thinking, “Ugh. Do we really need to hear a mission briefing when most of last episode was learning about this plan in the first place?” because we already know this is taking place in the past. Just sit through the snippet and then the rest of the info will come through voice-overs while the group jumps out of an airship. Good balance of exposition and action.

What we learn in these flashbacks is that Ironwood wants to use an abandoned dust mine for the satellite’s launch. Only problem? It’s inhabited by a very old, extremely dangerous geist. Kudos to the writing team for the Volume Two callback. I’ve always been intrigued by Oobleck’s comment that grimm are capable of learning if they continue to survive and here we finally see an example of that. This geist isn’t just strong, it’s smart enough to hide in the mines themselves.

Shot over all this we see Atlas military personnel taking out the everyday grimm in the surrounding area, proving that their weapons can handle that task in most situations. Why doesn’t Ironwood’s robots have that then? Or as others have pointed out, something even more powerful like Penny’s lasers, or some of the upgrades the team gets? Chock it up to lack of funds... or simple plot setup. If the robots had been able to take out a bunch of grimm easy-peasy then there wouldn’t have been any cool premiere fight for our group. Then again, all of this casts their snarky comments about Ironwood’s defenses in a new light. Clearly they’re a force to be reckoned with when the plot actually allows it.

We likewise see the group receiving their new gear and... okay. Here’s where the griping starts. Though it’s admittedly small compared to most of my criticisms. First off, why is Jaune receiving a random scrap of Pyrrha’s outfit? Logically this makes no sense to me. Pyrrha’s body disintegrated into a bunch of dust. I can buy Jaune incorporating other armor and fabric into his gear because they were living together and Pyrrha must have spares, but where did this come from? Did Pietro go ask a family member for a random memento for the (from his perspective) equally random teen that showed up? It’s entirely possible that I’m missing something---I’m sick as a dog at the moment and am probably one fever degree away from mild hallucinations---but the whole setup seems incredibly weird. We see Jaune open his box. We see his look of shock. He see him fingering a torn piece of Pyrrha’s skirt. But how does all that come together in any logical way?

More importantly... why? Why is this still a thing? I get it, Jaune is grieving, but to be frank this has been his one-note characterization for over three volumes now. More importantly, everyone else is grieving too. This is another case of the writing prioritizing what the audience knows over what characters know. Meaning, we got to see how close Jaune and Pyrrha were. We know they were in love, but outsiders like Ironwood and Pietro see them as a unified team. Why not give a scrap to Jaune, Nora, and Ren? Really, that’s what rankles the most: this continuing focus on Jaune over the rest of his team. Especially when that focus just leads us in circles of the ‘Jaune is sad’ variety. I thought we were supposed to be learning more about Nora this volume, so why not give her something to remember Pyrrha by? I realize we’re only through the third episode, but in a series that averages twelve each volume, that’s a fourth of our material gone. Please. I’m begging you. Enough about Jaune. We’ve watched him cry and rage and lash out for three years now. He’s gotten to move through every type of grief the writing could throw at him. Let someone else take the spotlight for a change.

(It’s also just all around weird because Jaune is smiling sadly, implying he’s moving on, but then we have Clover narrating about how they’re “going to kill this thing...” which reminds us of Pyrrha’s murder in a way not really conducive to the whole ‘moving on’ vibe... it’s just odd.)

Second gripe: why doesn’t Oscar get anything? I’ve written before about how overall the group still treats Oscar as the outsider and boy oh boy, do we see that trend continuing here. I’ll speak about this more in a moment when we get to the Ozpin situation, but for this scene in particular there’s no reason he shouldn’t be included. If Jaune can get a cool addition to his shield after updating his own outfit, Oscar can get a cool addition too. Take five seconds to have Pietro point out that, as a random farm kid buying combat gear for the first time, he didn’t totally hit the mark. Here are a few things to keep you safer. Hell, you could even have Pietro---who we have established goes above and beyond in his inventions---pull Oscar aside with an updated weapon and Oscar could have gotten all quiet, examining his cane, eventually thanking Pietro, but emphasizing that he doesn’t think he should change things just yet. Or without anther’s input. Or, if Atlas doesn’t want to waste funds on the farm boy let him get a haircut like literally everyone else! We could have allotted Oscar a few seconds of screen time instead of getting what we always get: the team banding together and him nowhere to be seen.

He’s a part of this mission. He’s integral to this mission. He is a main character now. It’s about time the writing started acknowledging that.

The final flashback, at least, includes Oscar a little more. I realize my screenshot isn’t the best, but the expressions here really do say it all: Ruby mindlessly geeking out over new tech while Oscar stands sadly in another doorway.

We hear him say, “Hey... Ruby?” before he’s cut off and we return to the present.

We’ll get back to him in just a moment. For now, the airship opens to reveal everyone’s new look, which isn’t actually a reveal because this scene dominated the trailer. 

Ah well. I have to say though, from here on out one of the main reasons why this episode feels strong to me is because of the overall dynamic among the characters. First, it was smart to break everyone up into different teams to search for a hidden grimm. If they’d tried to cram twelve characters into the same shot for the rest of the episode it would have been a disaster. Second, these smaller teams allow for the sort of teasing/comfort/playfulness we’ve grown used to among these characters, but have largely lost over the last two volumes. One of my favorite moments is when Yang is caught staring at Blake’s new haircut and we get a look at this massive blush.

Not to ship on main, but please note the parallel between this moment and Nora/Ren, two characters who are more firmly established as a canonical couple. Although... here when Nora compliments Ren’s hair he shuts her down pretty hard. There’s none of the casual indulgence we’re used to from him. Since when does Ren insist that Nora take a mission seriously, outside of making those requests in an equally teasing manner? Nora notices as much too, clearly upset, and Jaune is just... dense. It makes me wonder though if this is the direction they’re heading in for Nora. Give her romance troubles in the form of Ren pulling away now that their relationship has had a chance to sink in.

Not sure I’m a big fan of that. Granted, it depends on how they handle it, but on the whole I’m not really invested in reducing Nora’s rare and much needed development down to a cliche ‘Oh no. A boy doesn’t like me’ plot-line. We’ll have to see though.

I also really liked the moment between Weiss and Blake a little later. This is how you tackle racism in your story. Not by having the group risk their world-saving mission by Weiss impulsively throwing civilians into the trash, but by having an incredibly privileged woman acknowledge her privilege. Weiss mentions how angry this mine’s failure made her father, but she doesn’t use the abuse she suffered as any sort of excuse, like she would have in the earlier volumes. Instead, Weiss acknowledges for herself how hard that time was and then apologizes not only for what he’s done to the faunus, but also for “all my complacency in it.” Weiss was a child. We can’t hold her to the same level of responsibility as Jacques. But as a privileged woman in this world Weiss’ complacency does perpetuate her father’s active sins. So it’s fantastic that she admits as much to Blake. In front of all the others, no less. To me, that’s a far better sign of growth than what we got last week.

It’s also during this time that we see Blake eyeing the SDC boxes with anxiety. It could just be bad memories. It could imply that she had some hand in this particular attack. I hope it implies that she’s thinking about Adam because... is anyone going to bring him up? Seriously? Two teammates killed a guy. The self-defense aspect doesn’t erase the fact that they each rammed a piece of a blade through his stomach and watched him topple over a waterfall. We should be dealing with this! Not reducing it to one hug from Ruby right before a major battle. Hopefully this is setup for some (now long overdue) reflection.

Meanwhile, an interaction that doesn’t work as well is when Ruby comments on how freezing she is and Weiss notes that without proper equipment or aura insulation you can freeze to death in an hour. So... is that what the group is doing then? Wasting precious aura whenever they’re outside because Blake wants her arms unzipped, Weiss wants bare spots around her chest, and Yang needs to artistically keep one leg and one arm totally unclothed? The issue is not, “How does the group stay warm?” because plenty of stories have logistical questions like that and unless you’re a fan overly invested in the minutiae, you shrug it off. When is the group going to the bathroom during these endless missions? Who’s carrying pads for when three of them hit their periods at once? No one cares. Rather, the issue is that the writing draws attention to the question and then fails to answer it. Just like they did when suddenly death via cold was something that had to keep them in the creepy town when death via cold was never a concern up until then. Where was hypothermia when Yang insisted Ozpin hash out all his secrets in the snow? It’s a rather convenient ‘Sometimes it’s an issue, sometimes not,” situation. Obviously aura isn’t doing much to keep them toasty though if Ruby feels the need to comment on how cold she still is. And that attention then invites further questions like, “Why then are they still dressed inappropriately for the weather? Should we expect them to fall more quickly in battle because aura is going towards making sure they don’t freeze to death in under an hour?” Better to just leave it alone.

Talk of the cold leads into Oscar though because Yang comments, “I suddenly don’t feel so bad about leaving Oscar behind.” Which... no. You did leave him behind. Don’t try to make that palatable with stupid upsides like, ‘Well at least he’s warm!’ Worse, the group does nothing to justify that decision. Realistically I can buy why they’d leave Oscar out of this mission. We’ve established that this particular grimm has already taken out a lot of people and, without Ozpin, Oscar is still a newbie fighter. With the exception of the train and one grimm in the premier, I don’t think Oscar has fought many grimm at all. So really, it would take two sentences to establish this. Tell us that this mission is way out of his skill range and throw out that he’s training with Ironwood or something. That’s it. That’s all it takes, but the writing bypasses that and leaves us with, ‘The group left Oscar behind... for reasons?’ Which, in the context of his entire time with them looks really, really bad. Because they left him out of the dinner in Haven. And the hunt for supplies at the farm. And in retrieving the relic. And left him alone at the Argus house. And left him out of the upgrade joy. We’ve now established a trend of the group outright ignoring Oscar, whether it’s during bright celebratory moments or agonizing traumatic ones. Doesn’t matter, he’s left out of the loop, and now we see the same thing happening here. Rather than a simple and logical, ‘Oscar isn’t ready to fight a super old geist,’ what we’re left with paints the situation as, ‘Oscar is left behind because Ruby disagrees with him.’

Because without clarification, that’s the context. We get another (very short) flashback where he (thank you, thank you) points out that what they’re doing to Ironwood is precisely what Ozpin did to them. (Although Oscar tries to soften this by saying it only “feels like” the same thing.) Ruby looks guilty for a second... and then that’s it. We’re back to at least a day later where they’re on this mission, they’ve left Oscar behind, and Ruby is re-explaining why her morals are sound.

I’ll admit I’m pleased that Yang points out that they agreed no more lies and no more half-truths. I honestly didn’t expect her to say even that much against her precious sister. But still, on the whole this dilemma isn’t much of a dilemma at all. It’s reading precisely like the airship debacle: a few characters giving token disagreements but when push comes to shove whatever Ruby wants, Ruby gets. You know how above I pointed out how much I like the split present/past business so that we can have a balance between talking and action? Yeah, that only works if the talking is generic exposition. We don’t need a long-winded discussion about the details of this mission. We do need a substantial discussion about the absolute hypocrisy the group has fallen into. That split between past and present is important. Are you honestly going to tell me that over all these days---if not, arguably, weeks---the group never once had a conversation about this? That we don’t get to see that downtime filled with some actual growth? And we could have easily achieved that with the current setup. Extend Oscar’s flashback into something significant, leaving the geist battle for next week. Let him be angry for once, furious that after all the shit they put Ozpin through, and by extension him, they’re just going to turn around and do the exact same thing without even an apology? An acknowledgment that they were wrong? Or create space to have that discussion now. Harriet comes out of the mine saying a part of it has collapsed and they need time to clear it, giving Team RWBY the chance to really hash some things out and disagree for once. Instead, as expected, secret keeping is framed as the right decision without anyone but Oscar acknowledging the hypocrisy in that. They even go so far as to say, “Why don’t we play along for a while before me make any major decisions.” Newsflash:

Graphic design is my passion, all.

Overall it’s not quite as pro-protagonist as it could have been, but it’s not great either. We’re left with the fact that the group has this time sitting with their own lies and apparently, after all that, what they’ve settled on is denial. Great. Fantastic. I hope Oscar finds new friends at the Academy who encourage him to really call them out on this later.

We also learn that Ruby gave the relic back to Oscar. So the writing is self-aware enough for her to acknowledge that carrying it around on her belt is a horrendously bad idea, but not self-aware enough to keep her getting it back in the first place? Imagine you hired someone to transport a priceless painting to your super safe vault and then when it finally arrives you go, “Actually, you did such a good job getting that here I think it’ll be safer in your hands as you go about your life. Rather than the vault I specifically built for it.” Except the painting is a magic relic, the vault is also nearly impenetrable via magic, and the transporter is now a 14yo who, as established, is the weakest fighter of the group. For the love of Ironwood’s characterization, please let that relic be a fake.

Really, on the whole that moment could have been touching... but again, context. ‘Here’s the relic back that I basically stole and then ripped all Ozpin’s trauma from him by wasting an invaluable question.’ Yeah. All the while everyone is still talking as if Ozpin isn’t even there. Ironwood, in his ignorance, has been the one person to actually address him, despite the fact that the entire group knows he’s listening in. You know that feeling when you’re sitting with a bunch of people you’re not particularly close with and it’s clear they’re deliberately not including you in the conversation? Yeah, it’s like that only a thousand times worse. No wonder Ozpin still hasn’t tried to come out. No one cares about his vessel, they still actively hate him, and they’re all hypocritical to boot. I’d stay hidden too.

Anyway, back to the actual plot. Qrow has been paired off with Clover and at first we get a really excellent conversation about teamwork. We as the audience know precisely why Qrow prefers to work alone, but when he slips and Clover manages to catch him, it functions as a fantastic counter. See? Qrow might have bad luck, but this is precisely why he does need to be around others. They can help him when things get tough.

However, that message is severely undermined when it’s later revealed that Clover’s semblance is good luck.

Not only does that remove the previously stated wonderful message---because now it’s not about Qrow learning to accept help, it’s about how Clover’s semblance just conveniently cancels his out---it’s just an iffy stretch of my suspension of disbelief. Really? Out of all the people they could have met, that Qrow could have been paired with, he happens to find the one guy with the exact opposite semblance to him? Clover is an incredibly handsome and charismatic guy. He’s the leader of the strongest kingdom’s strongest team. He just happens to have the best version of Qrow’s greatest weakness. I know I said I wanted more passive semblances, but I would have preferred something other than this heavy-handed introduction.

Although... are they passive? I had to pause the episode for a moment when Qrow throws out, “sometimes I can’t keep it under control” because excuse me?? There are times you can keep it under control? Since when? How? I know we’re loose on our semblance rules here, but c’mon. Is Qrow’s entire life governed by a trait outside of his control or not?

We see a similar issue cropping up at the end of the episode when Harriet informs Ruby that there’s “something else” going on with her semblance. Look. RWBY isn’t Dragon Ball Z. The characters don’t need to tap into unheard of powers every season to keep things interesting. As Yang herself points out, Ruby already has super special silver eyes. 

Her semblance is speed and transformation and transforming other people along with her. Weiss is already a super special Schnee with a super special hereditary semblance that creates glyphs and summoned fighters of whatever she’s killed. Blake is already a super special Belladonna with ties to the world’s biggest resistance group. Yang... okay, Yang is admittedly an ordinary girl with an ordinary background and that’s one of the things I still love about her. She grows stronger through more training, better strategy, and turning any weaknesses into strengths---like her arm. It’s so much more powerful to give characters that kind of arc than to fall back on, “[gasp!] You were secretly special all along.” So who knows what else they’re going to add to Ruby’s semblance. Whatever it is, it’s not needed.

I will say though that semblance issues aside, I’m liking the Ace Ops way more than I thought I would. Given that introducing five more characters was, objectively, a bad move. But they’ve got real personality attached to them. I appreciated that Clover thanked Qrow for the save (they could have made a guy that ‘perfect’ way more arrogant) while the rest spent a good portion of the time teasing RWBYJNR like they’re little siblings. Which I adored. For the first time in volumes we got to see our heroes portrayed exactly as they are: teens in training. Nora says that it “feels like we’re an actual huntsmen team,” acknowledging that they’re not yet. They’re the students following the professionals, helping out without getting in the way. It stood out to me that the geist fight is identical to the one we got in Volume Four, with the exception that it’s way, way better. They come up with Jaune’s strategy to remove the limbs in an instant, rather than taking the entire fight trying and failing to do damage. I don’t think a single member of the Ace Ops took a hit, despite the fact that this geist was a huge threat to the rest of the Atlesian army. Like Team RWBY at times, there was seamless communication, perfect execution, and the one time they made a mistake? Ruby was there to help them out. I really appreciated that the writing had RWBYJNR sit this one out until their particular skills---in this case Ruby’s speed---was actually needed, as opposed to an arrogant, ‘How dare you not let us fight!’ where they endanger themselves and others by insisting that they know best. 

This is the RWBYJNR I want to see more of. Ozpin remains a huge, glaring issue, but if the writer’s can keep this sort of attitude in mind we’ll be making good strides away from the horror that was Volume Six. No more, “We don’t need adults,” please. As a bunch of adults just demostrated, they’re way out of your league.

Finally, we end the episode on Tyrian again. Showcasing RWBY’s new love of horror tropes, he appears beneath the flickering lamp light (complimenting the jump scare we got with Blake earlier on). He approaches Forest, the activist from the airship, and we end with Tyrian’s tail coming his way. Did he just poison him? Did he kill him? What’s the end goal here? Just sow chaos by leaving a bunch of bodies lying around? It’s unclear, but whatever is going on, Tyrian sure is busy.

Also, RIP #FRWBY.

Until next week!

Minor Things of Note

I like that Jaune and Blake both looked at their hair before we cut to them with new looks. Still not over Jaune’s style though. He’s french fry head now and no one will convince me otherwise.

It looks like Blake’s blade has been welded back together with a bit of yellow something-or-other...

Bad execution on an otherwise cool introduction to Marrow’s semblance. That was epic how he managed to stop both centipede grimm at once, but then Harriet just... slams them? Awkwardly? They don’t even disintegrate? Idk. Her end of that team attack didn’t live up to Marrow’s.

Team JNR has a very “headfirst approach.” True enough. Although, it’s not like they had an easy way to stop like their Ace Operative teammates. They did the best they could under the circumstances lol.

Jaune also has a landing strategy! I would have rather the writing just acknowledge that than give us that weird moment with Pyrrha’s fabric.

Not sure if I like Qrow’s new outfit or not. To be fair, that man would look stunning in a paper bag, so I’m not sure I’m an objective judge of any change here. Also to be fair, my own fashion ‘skills’ leaves something to be desired. So I think I’ll just bow out of this particular conversation.

[izayoichan]

Between the three of them, they quickly had the table set and ready for the food, River mostly wondering if he would be allowed to taste this Aquavit thing Rylan had shown him and told him about. 

“Well, our Christmas table is almost perfect. Just need food now!” “This is very true, I'll go take over for Chris so he can get us our Christmas dinner, is there something you don' like River?” “Not a picky eater, don't worry mister Hayle. Is there anything else we can do?” “Make yourselves comfortable, watch a movie or so?”

River just nods, taking Rylan’s hand and pulling him over towards the living room and the sofa. Vy coming in again from sitting outside, realizing that he needs to change his clothing after sitting in the snow for so long. Although still a little wobbly and warm, he seems much better. 

“Were ready for food down here, if you want to do the honors?” “Oh, sure”

He lets Hayle take over as support for Hayden, then he smiles and vanishes. 

“Some clean clothing and then the sofa, for now at least?” 

Hayden letting his dad help him towards the bedroom, almost colliding with Vy on the way out, vt stopping with a startled yelp.

“Hay hay! How are you feeling?!”

He touches his face to see his temperature, Vy is still a bit warm, like he's running a low fever, but he seems otherwise alright, he smiles upon noticing Hayden is colder now- “Yey! You're not hot! Oh... hmm... I got all wet and need to change clothes now...Do you need help, mister Hayle?”  

Hayden blushes really wishing his parents would have wrapped a towel around his waist... 

“You are still warm though... “ “ I'm okay, don't worry!” “I can help him get dressed while you change” 

Smiles noticing the blush on his sons face.

“Then you can help me take him downstairs?” “I'll go change, I'll be right back, mister Hayle!”

He walks to his bedroom and quickly changes clothes to something warm and cozy, Hayle taking Hayden too his room, helping get some light clothing on so he would have it easier to keep his body cold

“You think dad brings something cold back?“ “Yes, he always does.” “Good... "

Hayle looks at him, noticing he still sounds very tired, but he also knows that normally he would be asleep by now. Vy looks self in the mirror and thinks better about his clothes

“Yes. fever, wool, not indicated... “

He changes again to something else, wearing only a t-shirt and hoodie and comfy gym pants. shivers because of the temperature inbalance and returns to Hayden's room, knocking.

“Can I come in?” "Come on in Vy”

He attempts to stand up in his own without much look, his dad easily catching him, pulling hin to his feet, his dad just smiling at him. Vy walking in smiling at him.

“How are you feeling? are you okay?”

He walks to Hayden standing on the other side of Hayle, ready to help Hayden downstairs as promised.

“You still don't look fully well... “

He pouts a little, looking up at Hayden, clearly wishing to have seen him even better. 

“I'm okay Vy, just tired but that's normal, it's a bit of a shock for the body when it happens.  

smiles, letting the two help him downstairs, being lead over to the living room where Rylan and River had found a horror movie to watch. Rylan lying on River, but when Hayden and the others come in, they both move making room for the two of them. 

“Hey, how are you feeling?“

River looks at Hayden, who looks tired, but still less bad than he might have expected. Rylan just looking at him, then Hayden happy it wasn’t him that asked. Knowing he had a tendency to get his brother annoyed with his worrying. 

“You want another Cola?” “Yeah a Cola would be nice, thank you Vy.” “And not to bad all things considered.” “I have definitely seen you in worse shape, I guess Vy is to "blame" for the quick recovery?”

He smiles at Vy, who nods, then runs out to the kitchen to get Cola, handing it to him, almost tripping over his own feet in the rush. 

“I wanted to heal more but I'm a bit worn out... Sorry... “ “Maybe, but you're both up and walking so we can still have a family Christmas dinner together.”

River smiles, putting an arm over Rylan’s shoulder, Hayden taking the Cola from Vy before pulling him into the sofa with them, so he can rest and use him to lie on if he wants too. 

“Indeed, and no saying sorry, you spent way too much energy the last few days to keep me up.”  “True, will be the first time in... “

He stops himself looking at Hayden, knowing just how he hates his illness even more around Christmas. “Well, let's just say a while.”

Vy lays down against, wincing at the violence on screen, clearly not a horror movie fan. 

“That's an ugly merman!! Ewww! He spews blood. Can we watch a Barbie movie?! I used to watch them when I was a kid and they always played around this time of year!”

Hayden tries his best not to chuckle. 

“Not sure that is high on the wishlist for the two others... Rylan wasn't there new episodes of those bakers that can't bake?”

Rylan curls up leaning on River, smiling a little at Vy's innocence. 

You mean Nailed it?, Yeah, I think so.”

He looks at River.

“would you mind? It's actually kinda fun to watch” “ What's that? Bakers who can't bake?” “Exactly what's on the tin Lizard. A show about people who can't cook who try to cook”.  “Do they do tasty stuff?” “Sometimes, but honestly not that often.” “And sometimes it's just funny to watch the judges react in disgust at what their eating”

Hayden chuckles, as Rylan finds the show in question and puts it on. 

“The best is looking at the properly made one looks like, and what theirs look like. I'm pretty sure I could do worse though”

He chuckles, taking rivers hand, gently stroking over his arm without really thinking about what he is doing. 

“So we're going to watch people destroy food?... I can watch that... Or we can watch Barbie help the nutcracker prince?”

River bursts into laughter. 

“I'm sorry, I cannot keep a straight face. Vy!” “She's cool! She's a doctor, and a princess and an astronaut! I saw it on the internet!”

River laughs leaning over Rylan and kissing his hand.

“Can we like move Vy to the kid table?” “I'm not a kid!”

Hayden tries his very best not to laugh. 

“I think I'll pass on Barbie, sorry Vy. People destroying baked goods work just fine.” “Sorry Vy but yeah, barbie is a no go... Kid’s table, is there such a thing?”

Vy crosses his arms annoyed, watching the show

“Yes. There is, and I think Vy qualifies, okay, just messing with you Vy, don't look at me all angry, it makes you look more like a puffy fish than intimidating.”

Vy kicks River from his side, while River laughs harder, trying to shield himself. Rylan commenting on a frog ending on the naughty list if he didn’t behave, still just chuckling at the two, getting a kiss and a “yes princess” in return from his frog prince. 

Vy lays his head back Hayden's shoulder, watching the show, being quickly horrified by some of the choices of the contestants. 

“Oh no... Do not do that to food!” “Yeah, some off them have no idea how to make anything.” 

Chris pops into the kitchen, placing some things on the bench, vanishing again, then comes back a few seconds later with the rest.

“Sorry, took a little longer than normal, wanted to make sure we had something for everyone.” 

He smiles, kissing his husband quickly

“Are you feeding a continent or just this family? Come on, let's get it all on the table. Hayle starts carrying in food, Hayden turning his head as he notices his dad come carrying food. 

“Want some help dad?”

Rylan looked at his dad as well, the smell of food alerting him to the fact that Chris was back, and that it was almost time for Christmas dinner.  

“Food!”

Vy sits up instantly, stretching and standing up only to stagger. RIver getting up as well, just walking to the kitchen to help carry things. 

“Ooh! dizzy spell! I'm okay! Can I help?”  "Oh yes, help is good, my husband apparently thinks were feeding a continent.”

Hayden reaches out to help Vy keep stable when he notices the wobble. Knowing he won't be able to help like normal. Rylan looks at his brother knowing hat he is thinking. 

“Come on, I'll help you to your seat and you can start opening things”

He pulls Hayden up, making sure he finds his balance, taking him over to the table to his chair there, getting him seated so he can start opening the many things they are carrying out there. Vy going to the kitchen grabs a few small boxes and carries them to the table.

“It smells so good!

River joins Hayden in unpacking, staring at the amount of food.

“Wow! Now, this is what I call a Christmas movie dinner!”

Hayden helps to open the stuff his dad has brought, both his and Rylan's favorites among them.

“You really went all out didn't you dad?” “It's Christmas, it's perfect for going all our.” “Just that you sat that every year my silly husband, but we always use the food for something good after, don't worry.” "Yep, this is a movie worthy Christmas food table

He chuckles, filling his brother's glass with some Cola, handing him the icecream filled cupcakes, knowing they were for him. Vy looks at the turkey with googly eyes, sitting next to Hayden eagerly awaiting the go-ahead to eat. 

“It has stuffing and everything!” 

River sitting down next to Rylan, looking at the food, realizing there is a lot he doesn’t even know what is. 

"So what do you recommend princess?”

Chris just smiles, looking at all the food, nodding. 

“I declare, its time to eat!”

He laughs, sitting down next to his husband. Hayle already scouring the assortment of food, grabbing vi is favorite, which is pork ribs cooked slowly in the oven.

“Have some then? 

Hayden pulls the turkey over to Vy so he can take what he wants, helping him hold the plate so it stays in place while he decides what part of the turkey he wants. Vy carefully cuts a leg of the turkey and takes some potatoes and stuffing into his plate, smiling brightly at how good it smells. Takes a bite of the leg- Hmmm! 

“Good!" 

Licks lips and eats more, clumsily struggling with the fork and knife.

“My favorite?”

Rylan scours the table, then pointing at something almost at the middle off the table. 

“Ah there, its sheep's ribs, called Pinnekjøtt where it comes from, its dried, smoked and then steamed for hours after being in water for twelve hours or they would be too salty.”

He smiles, pulling the said food over to them so River can try if he wants too. 

“I think it's tasty at least. What would you normally have?” “I'll have that then.”

He serves himself after giving Rylan as many as he wants, taking a bite of the ribs and nodding appraisingly.

“Normally?... pizza, sometimes microwave dinner... sometimes my mom would cook pasta for us... We never had a "Christmas" dinner...”

Hayden eats his cupcakes slowly, knowing his stomach needs some time to calm down, noticing Vy struggle a little with the utensils, leaning closer, whispering to him.

“I normally eat Turkey legs with my hands, much easier.”

Vy grabs the leg with his hand, frowning as it feels a bit gross that way and bites into the leg, it turned out quite easier to eat that way. Hayle just watching them all, munching on his favorite fortune cookies, grinning happily

“Hmh, I seen people have pasta for Christmas in movies... I always wondered if that was a thing. You should try the rice-cream with the red sauce later, kinds like a dessert.” “Rice-cream? sounds good though. I'll eat it after I am done with the Pinnekjott? With the ribs.”¨

River chuckles, trying to pronounce the food he is eating correctly knowing he probably butchering it some way or the other. After a while of silence, as everyone was busy eating, Chris stands up holding a bottle in his hand. 

“Okay, who dares try the Aquavit?”

🎶

Beginning - Previous - Next

[kdramalands]

Binge Craze September

This month has been quite busy for me regarding my kdrama addiction, and I thought that a little update on what has been going in my life would be nice... I haven’t had a good sleep in a while, and my health-sleep tracking app is acting accordingly to prepare for my soon-to-take-place funeral.

I’m going to include a rating for the dramas regarding their bingeability according to my fucked up sleep schedule, which is very accurate and just rating system, excuse you.

REM? More like RAM one more episode in the 3 a.m. time slot.

Do not try at home.

Her Private Life (2019) [10/10]

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

The source of the paintings and the source of Kim Jae Wook’s handsomeness kept me from closing my eyes till 6 a.m. Dramas that light and effortless will be the death of me. It was a nice romantic drama, but it had some heavy emotional moments as well. My friend who also got around to finally watching this drama actually thought we’re going to enjoy it together for a while and discuss every detail. YOU FOOL. I’m a heartless binger, and once I finished this one, I didn’t even blink before I started watching another.

The Guest (2018) [8/10]

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

I had it on my “golden dramas” list for a long while. I noticed I have tendency to leave out the best dramas for later as safe bets. I have no idea what happened, maybe I was worn off after Her Private Life, but I only stayed up till 3 a.m. to watch it. And it kinda wasn’t the best idea to watch it at night... I mean, I guess it has a horror tag for a reason. However, this one was truly a mild one, so no harm done. Whatever was left of my sanity is still intact. And I got my stolen watch time back during the day. I couldn’t possibly be stopped with that little nap, especially when actors did such a great job and the plot was very unique.

Signal (2016) [9/10]

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

I really went all the way with treating myself this month with good dramas. I’m sure you can understand why it got rating this high. The secrets in this one are laid in a thick layer, so I was watching it without blinking, not to mention sleeping. I finally got my beauty sleep at 5 a.m. Yay health. The best part of Signal was definitely Lee Jae Han fighting workplace discrimination single-handedly. Woke men are sexy. Signal is also a brilliant commentary on the biggest cold cases in Korea. It is clear the research that went into making this drama was intense, and you can really learn a lot from it.

P.S. Where is the second season?????

Life on Mars (2018) [7/10]

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

We didn’t have a good start. Life on Mars isn’t that fast paced at the beginning, and my WiFi connection started acting up at that time. I’m pretty sure it was a serious case of an assassination of my internet provider on the binge status of these series. My mood went down, and honestly, the action at that point didn’t pick up the pace, so we had a hard time. The biggest mystery wasn’t actually a mystery, and the writers put all important cards on the table indicating where the plot is going. But all things worthy sometimes need that effort, and I’m glad I found my pace again. Life on Mars hit me hard, and like the big masochist I am, I really enjoyed the ending.

The Undateables/ Handsome Guy and Jung Eum (2018) [6/10]

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

I got hooked within the first 10 minutes of this drama. It was very smooth and easy to watch. I enjoyed these little gestures and facial expressions that appeared here and there, making it 10 times more silly and 10 times more bubbly. It was very addictive and very much appreciated after that row of brilliant, but heavy dramas I went through on my own accord. It’s not a big piece of art, but I searched for some sweet sweet couple moments and I got them, so the winner is probably still me. I took it easy with this one though. It wasn’t action packed or that gripping to pull an all-nighter, but definitely a good way to spend my time.

When The Devil Calls Your Name (2019) [7/10]

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

I added this title to the list, but it was actually binged in 75%. Math queen right here! Staying up all night doesn’t fry all of your cells, see? From the day episode 1 was uploaded I did a serious stake out on this title. Observing and calculating. I knew I wanted to binge it all, but it took sooooo long to end. I snapped right before episodes 13 & 14 came out. This drama is a gold mine of really good OST songs. The plot was literally flowing, and I didn’t even notice how I got from episode 1 to episode 12. I agree that it became a little draggy around episode 13, that’s why I lowered the rating a little bit. However, the ending totally got me, and I still can’t get it out of my head, it was so wholesome.

Bring It On, Ghost/ Hey Ghost, Let’s Fight (2016) [5/10]

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

This drama could be described as a “classic beauty”. It definitely follows the basic form of a good drama, and it is addictive to the point of no return. It was fun, but took me a while to finish, I have no idea why. I noticed that even though I lost my pace after 5th episode, I picked it up back again when I got neat the end. Bring It On, Ghost is full of action scenes, and it has a very consistent and interesting plot, and supernatural elements in it, so I’m very surprised I didn’t finish it faster. Guess it wasn’t the right time and place.

Queen In Hyun’s Man/ Queen and I (2012) [10/10]

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

I went full old-school with this drama, didn’t I? It was overloaded with typical couple drama like amnesia, big inheritance, and politics. Do you smell that? It’s the good stuff. I was smitten with the chemistry of the main couple here, I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. Very thick chemistry, very nice to look at. We can fawn over how good Yoo In Na and Lee Dong Wook look together in Goblin, but Yoo In Na and Ji Hyun Woo were the OG couple back in the day. I just couldn’t wait till Kim Boong Do finally admits that he, in fact, is a player so I barely stopped to drink and eat. I have no idea how long did I stay up, but the morning sun greeted me through the window alongside In Na’s bright smile through my computer screen.

Laughter In Waikiki 2/ Welcome to Waikiki 2 (2018) [6/10]

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

It is a tricky one, because one does not simply laugh at 4 a.m. in a house full of sleeping fussy people.The beginning and ending kept the class of the first Waikiki, but I guess the A-class humour got lost in the middle. Don’t get me wrong, it was really funny, but I found myself laugh out loud less than I did during the first one. However, the romantic aspect got me good. If I were to mention one big reason why you should watch it, it’s the Romance in Waikiki. The romantic element of the plot was written well, and it was very neat that they referenced past characters too. The episodic skit format is not perfect to binge, it’s more of a watch two episodes this week, and next two probably next week. At least for me.

Be Melodramatic/ Melo Suits Me (2019) [9/10]

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

There was no way for me to stop watching this after I hit a play button. Not only the drama is damn interesting, taking the form of an ultimate meta-drama, it has some nice winks to all kdrama manias like me. You can see them in small things, e.g. when Reply series were mentioned, PDs added the goat sound effect, or when Jin Joo said that Director Son kind of reminds her of Jung Bong from Reply 88, and bigger ones, when a lot of kdrama hits were put as a background music, e.g. ALMOST PAAAAARAAAAADISE from BOF, She is from My name is Kim Sam Soon or Appear from Secret Garden. It took me by surprise that even though the general atmosphere of Be Melo is kind of serious, they easily went over that fourth wall with light steps, and overall this drama keeps a nice balance between humour and sadness. And that song... every time I wash my hair... among the swaying flowers I can smell your shampoo’s scent... Play it at my funeral, I beg you.

It was a fun month of escapism and running away from my responsibilities. I had a little break at the beginning of this year, so I’m glad I caught up with some dramas I’ve been planning on watching for a while now and new ones I couldn’t wait to watch. I feel happy with the outcome. I hope you’re happy with my rating as well. See you in the next one.

[guylty]

How quickly time flies. If Besotted hadn’t reminded me in the comments, I would’ve completely forgotten that I had a last episode of The Impressionists to catch up with. Forgetting the Re-Watch is symptomatic. I may have enjoyed the show, and the wide smiles that Armitage was allowed to brighten the screen with were certainly welcome, but somehow this mini-series was never – and never will be – my favourite of Richard’s works.

It’s not *all* because of the wig and look of Claude Monet. *That* is easily balanced out by the wide smiles! My lukewarm feelings about this mini-series has more to do with my general lack of enthusiasm for impressionism. I fully appreciate the importance of this arts movement for the development of painting and art in general, and I understand the impressionists’ value. In many case I actually do find their paintings particularly evocative, beautiful and touching. I guess, my problem with them is that they have become too popular – which usually makes me turn away from something. That’s unfair – but unfortunately true. But I totally concede that – particularly Monet’s – Impressionist paintings are incredibly beautiful.

Quick Summary

We pick up again in episode 3 of TI with the group celebrating Edouard Manet’s formal recognition as an artist after he has been awarded the Légion d’Honneur. However, Manet is suffering from syphilis and his health deteriorates. He dies in 1883. Monet, OTOH, is living with Alice Hochedé after his wife’s death. The two of them become a couple, marry and eventually settle in Giverny. Monet develops his serial painting technique, always following the changing light.

A large part of this episode is taken up with the life and travails of Paul Cézanne who is seen as a revolutionary new painter by the impressionists. Despite an affluent background, he lives in poverty with his working class wife and illegitimate son. First shunned by the art world, Cézanne’s genius is eventually recognised and he joins the Impressionists as the most celebrated painters in the world. They overcame all the obstacles and changed painting – and art – forever. So much for the summary of episode 3.  

Beards and Hair

I was quite amused in this episode about the changing hairstyles of Claude Monet. Starting out with short hair and a pipe, the next scene in a café he had long hair again. Continuity was a bit lax there, I thought 😂. But at least we could see that RA really knew how to smoke. Yep, as an ex-smoker (almost 6 months to the day) I notice such things. – Eventually the episode settled into short hair for Claude. And I couldn’t help but feel reminded of my personal hero Leon Trotzky…

Tenuous. I know. But fun. Right down to the left eyebrow.

However, let’s stay quickly with the look – ok, I am a not a fan of facial shrubbery at all, and particularly not these kind of standalone shrubs on upper lip and chin. If there has to be facial hair, give me a full blown meadow that covers all (beard) or stay with the manicured lawn aka stubble. Looking at the overgrown goatee on Richard’s chin, however, I am wondering whether it is actually his own. Not only because he has always been so proud of his fast growth and thus the conclusion lies near. No, but also because of the tell-tale triangle underneath his lower lip. Mr Armitage has, indeed, a rather pretty beard-growth pattern (see evidence on right).

Elder statesman or ill-fitting wig?

I was quite taken with the elder statesman look he was given in the latter part of the episode, once Monet had settled down with Alice and concentrated on creating Giverny as his inspirational garden. (I don’t really think that Richard has an old man’s face, yet, though, so I finally was reconciled with Julian Glover playing Monet senior in the framework plot.) In fact, I found myself fascinated by the grey temples and the short hair, and I kept screen-shooting.

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I also enjoyed that his eye crinkles came into play…

Things I Loved

As always, Richard – even considerably younger and less experienced than today – was a pleasure to watch. I loved the scenes where he glowed with enthusiasm, happiness and lust for life, smiling widely with glowing teeth. But I especially liked the scenes where you could hear him laugh. It really doesn’t happen very often at all that you can hear Richard Armitage laugh in one of his roles. He is the go-to man for scowling (Guy of Gisborne, John Thornton), growling (Francis Dolarhyde, Thorin Oakenshield) and frowning (John Porter, Daniel Miller). And yet his laugh is an absolute joy. In German we call his kind of laugh “gurgling” – but that doesn’t quite hit it in English. What I like about it is not what it looks like (although I believe that *every* laugh looks beautiful), but what it sounds like. Reminder:

That’s what he laughed like in his younger years. (I think his laugh now has become slightly deeper, more baritone, whereas it sounded more tenor way back in the early 2000s.) And it is infectious. Bookmark and keep near for any rainy day. It definitely works.

Ok, moving on. The old fogey in me also quite enjoyed the mature-lovestory-section of this episode. We were discussing it somewhere in the comments, I believe, and the series didn’t really get into it, but there are suspicions that Monet and Alice Hoschedé started their relationship even before she split with her husband and moved in with the Monets. Her youngest child may even have been by Monet. In that sense, it was lovely that the series spent a little time with Monet’s and Alice’s relationship. I wasn’t quite convinced by Richard’s choice to play Monet as out of breath as if he had just raced a marathon when he catches Alice in the garden and proposes. But this completely balanced everything out:

Why yes, Mr Thornton, I am coming home with you.

Not to mention this:

Gorgeous crinkles, like arrows pointing at happy eyes.

Ok, bonus for the romantics among you:

Yeah, man, this was such a clean show, it almost seemed as if it was made for school TV. You know what I mean? Your history/art/literature teacher wheeling in the big TV and the VCR, and then you’d sit through an hour of veritable and highly educational but mindnumbingly clean-and-boring docudrama? Well, to be suitable for teenagers, no tit may be shown, no mention of sex may be made and no tongue may be used. 😂

And Where It Went Wrong For Me

And maybe that is what ultimately irked me about this show, or what prevented me from saying ” I love Love LOVE The Impressionists!!” It’s not that I need sex in every TV show to keep me engaged. And I am a big fan of contextualising history and presenting it in a way that the viewers can relate to. In that sense it was great that this mini-series made an attempt at showing the personal sacrifices all those pioneering painters had to make in order to succeed with their art. From losing Bazille in the war, via Manet’s syphilis, Degas’ eye illness and declining fortunes, to the overwhelming poverty of Monet and Cézanne, TÍ  is not simply a list of artistic milestones in the painters’ lives, but a look at how they progress as painters as well as men. And herein may also be the problem for me – I never fully committed to the show, and maybe so because of the lack of women in the narrative. Don’t get me wrong – of course I “saw” Camille and Alice, and Mme Manet, Mme Cézanne and various models. But that’s exactly it, “various models”. Sure, you don’t have to explain to me that the 19th century was still a time dominated by men. But that doesn’t mean that in their private lives, men were uninfluenced (and untouched) by women. Or that women artists did not exist or not contribute to the development of art. Berthe Morisot and Eva Gonzalez were part of the impressionist set – they don’t even turn up in passing in this series. The wives and women remain in their traditional role as nurturer, house-keeper and mothers.

Women. Reduced to nurturers and parasol-bearers?

(Left-field thought: Maybe it is also because this show was made in 2006 that women aren’t represented more prominently?) And all that may also be due to the limited amount of time available (3 hours) for a group of painters. In fairness, it would’ve been impossible to depict the lives and times of the impressionists in detail, and hence also a number of *male* protagonists of the movement (Pissarro? Gauguin? Sisley? Matisse?) had to be left out in order to contain the show. However, for me the whole show remained somewhat one-dimensional.

The Disclaimer

For fans of Richard Armitage, however, TI is definitely a worth-while show to watch. The smiles, the laugh, and the mannerisms that are just delightful to recognise. From Richard’s insistent innovative use of his teeth, to delicate hand movements and holding his head at *that* characteristic angle, there are certain “trademarks” in his acting repertoire that superfans such as us have no trouble identifying.

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And Richard convincingly acts emotions and draws the audience into the emotional world of the sensitive artist.

Lastly I want to commend the mini series for producing beautiful images. I loved the wide shots especially because they illustrated so clearly what the impressionists were after.

These shots play with the impressionists’ emphasis of depicting the *moment*, pinpointing the changeability of art, and the transience of life. The impressionists’ penchant for working plein air is ideally illustrated here. And the series is obviously also conscious of depicting movement rather than static subjects, and the different qualities of light – during the day, the seasons, inside and outside, in rain, sun or locomotive steam – as these are impressionist characteristics that are often also attributed to film (and photography). In that sense the series puts the theory into practice.

Last note: Just as I was watching episode 3 of TI, the news came through that a Monet painting has set a new record price for works by the artist. From the “haystack” series of paintings, the picture was sold for $110m in New York. An indication of how *right* the impressionists were.

I finish with a quote by Berthe Morisot, of all people.

It is important to express oneself… provided the feelings are real and are taken from your own experience.

The impressionist painters did that beautifully, and showed us that it can be done and *should* be done. No one better to portray “real” feelings than Richard. And I am always happy to see how he expresses them.

    Re-Watching The Impressionists [part 3] – Finale How quickly time flies. If Besotted hadn't reminded me in the comments, I would've completely forgotten that I had a last episode of 

[the-desolated-quill]

Rosa - Doctor Who blog

(SPOILER WARNING: The following is an in-depth critical analysis. If you haven’t seen this episode yet, you may want to before reading this review)

It comes as a massive relief to say that I really enjoyed this episode. There are a number of ways Rosa could have gone wrong and while Chris Chibnall has managed to crank out two surprisingly good Doctor Who episodes so far, it’s hard to shake off old fears. Oh my God, I thought to myself, a historical episode about Rosa Parks and the Black Civil Rights Movement. Is Chibnall biting off more than he can chew? 

Thankfully Chibnall had the good sense to hire a co-writer that can keep his white privilege in check. Malorie Blackman. Author of the critically acclaimed Noughts and Crosses series of books depicting an alternative reality where Africans developed a technological advantage over Europeans and where white people are segregated under this world’s version of the Jim Crow laws. It’s safe to say that Blackman knows a thing or two about exploring racism and, being a black woman, she’s much more qualified to talk about issues of race and to represent Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement as a whole than Chibnall is. The result is, without a shadow of a doubt, some of the best Doctor Who I’ve seen in years.

One thing I’m glad about is the way Rosa Parks is depicted. Historical stories (particularly New Who historical stories) have an unfortunate tendency to go completely over the top with it. It’s just not enough to have a character who played a significant part in human history. Oh no. They’ve also got to be the specialist, most important person in the whole wide universe. The result is that we’re often left with a wafer thin episode that completely romanticises the period of history the story is trying to depict, waters down all the more complicated and unsavoury parts of the historical setting and turns the famous historical figure into a shallow caricature of themselves (see Agatha Christie in Unicorn And The Wasp, Winston Churchill in Victory Of The Daleks and Vincent Van Gogh in Vincent And The Doctor). Rosa, thankfully, doesn’t fall into the same trap. Rosa Parks isn’t treated as a god among mortals. She’s treated like an ordinary person, thus making her actions that much more powerful.

Vinette Robinson (who appeared in a previous Chibnall penned story 42) does an incredible job playing Rosa Parks. Again, more emphasis is placed on how ordinary she is rather than how historically significant. Nowadays we of course view her as the genesis of the Black Civil Rights Movement and she has rightly been praised and immortalised for that, but it’s easy to forget that she was a real person behind the legacy, which is what the episode really delves into. We get to see her fear, sadness and frustration in this oppressive society. And it really brings home how mundane her actions really are. Sure we can see from hindsight how her actions would influence others and change the course of history, but she wasn’t some heroic freedom fighter taking a stand. She was a woman who just wanted to sit down on a bus after a hard day at work. And the fact that she, Martin Luther King and other black people actually had to fight for the right to do something so trivial is utterly ridiculous.

Some have criticised the episode saying that this is too heavy a subject matter to deal with at 7pm on a Sunday evening. I couldn’t disagree more. For one thing, this isn’t the first time Doctor Who has handled difficult subject matters (Nazism and genocide have frequently cropped up in past stories after all). But I think the criticism mostly stems from people (white people) being left feeling uncomfortable by the story and are trying to avoid having a serious conversation about it NRA style, claiming that this isn’t the right time for it. Well... when is it the right time? Nobody wants to have this conversation, sure, but we’ve still got to have it. And as uncomfortable viewing as it is, it’s important that it is not sugar-coated and that we’re reminded of how difficult things were for non-white people so that shit like this never happens again. So no, I didn’t think the use of violence against black people or racially charged language up to and including the n word were inappropriate. It was an accurate depiction of the environment at the time and if you felt uncomfortable by that, then congratulations, that’s precisely what you’re supposed to feel.

In fact I honestly thought the episode’s depiction of violence against black people was quite restrained, making the acts of discrimination that much more despicable in my eyes. Using gratuitous violence would have been a cheap shot and Chibnall and Blackman mercifully avoid that route. What makes the episode so chilling to watch isn’t the things that white people do, but rather the oppressive atmosphere they create. It’s not the arrogant tosspot slapping Ryan across the face for touching his wife’s glove that had me on edge. It was the scene after that where everyone is just silently staring at the TARDIS crew in the cafe that really made me feel queasy. The threat is implied, yet constant, which is infinitely scarier. After the likes of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss boasting about how their episodes were going to be ‘the scariest Doctor Who stories ever’ only for them to amount to a hodge-podge of tired horror cliches and a dumb monster going ‘boo’, it’s a relief to see writers take a more subtle ‘less is more’ approach. I’m sorry, but the bus driver glaring angrily at Rosa is much more terrifying than a Weeping Angel. Period.

Which brings me to Krasko, played with smug charm by Joshua Bowman who succeeds at making you want to reach through the screen and punch his racist face repeatedly. Again, some have criticised the episode for its ‘one dimensional villain’ and, again, it only seems to be white people making this criticism. Not to make sweeping generalisations here, but non-white fans seem to be largely happy with how Krasko was written and depicted, probably because they’ve had to deal with pricks like him at least once in their lives. I’m guessing the source of the criticism comes from him not having a backstory or concrete motivation other than he hates black people. But my response to that is... does he really need one? Would Krasko have really been a more interesting character if it was revealed that he was bullied in school or a black kid had stolen his My Little Pony lunchbox? Does there really need to be a reason for why he hates black people and wants to ‘put them in their place’? I would have thought him being a racist white person would have been enough reason to hate him frankly. Let’s not forget what happened when Star Wars and Marvel respectively gave their villains Kylo Ren and Kilgrave tragic backstories to provide context for their despicable actions, at which point the fans proceeded to romanticise the fuck out of them, calling them misunderstood. Maybe (and this is just my opinion) giving Krasko a backstory wouldn’t have made him more interesting, but instead would have been seen as an attempt to justify and excuse his shitty behaviour, and maybe, just maybe, we’re better off without one. Just a thought.

Besides, it’s not as if we don’t learn anything about Krasko. We’re given enough information to work with. He’s a time traveller from the future. He was put in prison for murdering two thousand people (quick side note, did anyone else laugh when the Doctor said the Stormcage was the most secure prison in the universe? Remind me, how many times did River Song break out again?). He’s clearly intelligent, as demonstrated by him coming up with a non-violent plan to ruin the lives of generations of non-white people in order to circumvent his neural inhibitors. While it’s never overtly mentioned, he’s clearly some future version of the alt-right and is there to act as an extension of the true villain of the story. Because that’s the thing the people criticising his character have overlooked. Krasko isn’t the villain. White people are. The society Rosa Parks lives in is the true villain. Krasko is there not just to get to the plot going, but also to subtly demonstrate that while things do get better for non-white citizens, there will always be that racist element within our society. Hell, Ryan and Yasmin even spell it out for you in their conversation whilst hiding from the police. While people like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King made a huge impact and helped change things for the better, racism and prejudice hasn’t just magically gone away. It’s still around. There are still people who cling on to these extremist and bigoted views. Some might argue that racism has become so entrenched in Western society that it will never fully go away. That there will always be some remnant hanging around. That’s what Krasko represents. So if you thought he was a rubbish villain because he had ‘no backstory or motivation’ then I’m afraid you’ve completely missed the point.

I should also applaud Chibnall and Blackman for resisting the urge to shove in some pointless alien like other historicals have. Not only would that have distracted from Rosa’s story, the racist white people are scary enough thank you very much. While there are sci-fi elements in here, the episode quite rightfully focuses on people.

Speaking of people, let’s talk about the TARDIS crew. Yeah! They’re in this episode too! Haven’t really talked about them much, have I? The Doctor largely takes a backseat in this one, which I know some people have a problem with, but I think it was the right thing to do. We don’t want an alien white woman coming in and stealing Rosa Parks’ glory. Jodie Whittaker graciously lets Vinette Robinson take centre stage while she busies herself with other things like confronting and intimidating Krasko and organising fake raffles with Frank Sinatra. I really like the balance they’ve struck between light and dark with this Doctor (something Moffat tried to do with Peter Capaldi’s Doctor and failed at miserably). She’s funny, compassionate and caring, but there’s a little bit of Sylvester McCoy’s devious cunning in there too, which really comes to the forefront here. Did anyone else find it really disconcerting seeing the Doctor try to maintain history? Influencing events so that Rosa Parks had no choice, but to give up (or refuse to give up) her seat. While we know she’s doing it for the right reasons, in order to keep black history in check, she’s still nonetheless actively contributing to Rosa’s misery, which is actually a clever way of exploring how white people all contribute to a racist status quo, directly, indirectly, intentionally and unintentionally. And of course it all culminates in the Doctor and co refusing to give up their seats in order to keep history intact. The look on Thirteen’s face as events unfold says it all. The look of sheer sadness and self loathing, knowing she played a part in this, is haunting. Same goes for Graham’s realisation. The widower of a black woman and step-grandfather to a black teenager being forced to contribute to this racist institution is utterly heartbreaking.

But the standout of the main cast has to be Ryan. Tosin Cole truly shines in this episode, giving an incredibly powerful and moving performance. This in many ways is his episode as he comes face to face with the racist prejudices of the time period and Cole rises to the occasion. My favourite scene has to be when Ryan talks with Rosa, thanking her for everything she will do in the future and promising that things will get better. It’s incredibly emotional and I actually started tearing up with him. I’m also so happy that he was the one that got to beat Krasko at the end rather than the Doctor. I stood up and cheered. And his reaction to seeing Martin Luther King has got to be one of the most charming moments of the series so far.

Rosa is unquestionably one of the strongest episodes in all of Doctor Who. It’s incredibly well written and performed and it’s extremely powerful as well as being very subtle and nuanced. What’s more, I’m now completely sold on Chris Chibnall being the showrunner. Any lingering doubts I’ve may have had are now completely evaporated after this episode. Rosa proves that not only does Chibnall respect and value diversity both in front of and behind the camera, but that he’s also committed to creating something truly special with his tenure, using the Doctor Who format to explore hard hitting and difficult subject matters with care and respect. Truly excellent television.

[captainatin]

My Top 5 Favorite Anime Characters

Tagged by my darling @waddledeeart!

Hello class, today I will be providing an essay for 4 of the 5 characters we shall be looking at today. Many of my favorite characters in anime are those who I personally resonate with, and those that have taught me something about myself. Two of these characters have really shaped how I view my life, and all of them have asked something of me that has challenged my attitude.

So here they are in no particular order.

1. Khamsin Nbhw (Shakugan No Shana)

While he didn’t have a lot of screen time considering how long the series was, Khamsin was a real standout among a cast of likable characters in my favorite anime of all time. He comes off as grumpy, distant, and blunter than the rocks he shatters to use his powers, but under all of that is a person who has truly become wise over the centuries he has existed. He knows that life is fleeting, even if it is less so for him, and serves as a guide and foil to the protagonists’ secondary love interest. While his backstory was only briefly touched upon, the moral that it shared is something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. Your love for someone is not valid justification for your actions, or theirs. I hear all the time “but I love them” and “I don’t want to hurt them” being tossed around as excuses not to confront real issues with the people that they care about. While Khamsin’s case was a lot more cataclysmic of a situation than ours, the moral still rings true. I have known many people in abusive relationships, I was in a very neglectful one myself, and they often justify staying by saying “but I love them” as if that fixes everything. It doesn’t, and it never will.

2. Yuu / Strength (Black Rock Shooter)

I’m going to be talking about Yuu and Strength, because I feel like they both count since they are connected and acknowledged as the same person. Not only is the twist behind their character really cool, but it is something that I can relate to on a personal level. Yuu, the human in our world, trades places with her counterpart because she feels like it is easier to battle to the death with glorified imaginary friends than it is to accept the pain she faces in the real world. Escapism is a problem that plagues millions of people, especially people who sink their lives into video games, anime, etc. The idea that reality is too painful to bear is something that has come up multiple times throughout my life. I have always used fiction to protect myself from the real world, to have hope in something more ideal or fascinating. I had a baby cousin that was still born, it was even more tragic because she was the first girl born in our family for several generations. It hurt. It hurt to my very core and rattled me like few other things have. I dove deeper and deeper into reading, gaming, and binging anime, to the point where I didn’t talk to my oldest brother or my father for weeks on end. It wasn’t until I got addicted to League of Legends that I saw how bad my problem was. I was leaving several friends hanging out to dry, not lending an ear because I didn’t want to feel emotional pain. I even started using physical pain to cover up my emotional pain. I often punched my legs or bit my cheek when I felt sad or angry, because I didn’t want to have to deal with an ugly side of me. Yuu and Strength’s dynamic helped me see that I could not keep doing this to myself, and that I needed to allow others to help and that by helping others I could find hope and relief.

3. Simon (Gurren Lagann)

Gurren Lagann has been a long time favorite of mine. It’s a big mess of crazy fun and over the top adventure. There was a lot of serious themes mixed into the wacky and wonky romps that quickly descended into a more intense plot in the second season. It is hard to talk about Simon without talking about Kamina first. I was one of the few people who didn’t like Kamina the instant I saw him. A loud, obnoxious, impulsive, crazed lunatic with an inclination towards violence. I saw the merit in him though, but I knew Simon was the protagonist. The episode Kamina died is the same episode where everything for this anime clicked for me. While Kamina is the one who encouraged Simon to “do the impossible” and “grit his teeth,” Simon’s application of it and his struggle along the way is what makes me love him as a character. Simon doesn’t understand everything after Kamina dies. He has a damn near identity crisis as he tries to be more like his role model than he is himself. And it didn’t work. Watching Simon struggle to accept who he is, his own way of doing things, while also learning from the man that shaped his life is something I can respect immensely. The drill in Gurren Lagann symbolizes the ability to move forward, the ability to advance a little further with every turn. Life is full of twists and turns, but the only way to live is to face forwards. “Don’t believe in yourself, or the me that believes in you, believe in the you that believes in yourself.” It’s a rather nonsensical quote from Kamina, but here’s what I think it means based on watching Simon grow into his own man. “Don’t believe in who you are now, or any other person, because the only one who will always be there for you is yourself, believe in the vision of what you want to become. Be better. Move forward.”

4. Kousei Arima (Your Lie in April)

I can’t say much about Kousei Arima right now. I’m currently rewatching it with @waddledeeart, and it’s her first time watching it so I don’t want to spoil too much. They say when you’re in love, the whole world turns into colors. In my last experience, it slowly grew muddier and muddier, and I felt stuck. I felt stuck in my monochrome world, alone with my escapism and my excuses not to socialize. Thanks to some good friends, I got off my ass and started legitimately bonding with people for the first time in a long time. And right now I’m glad to say my world is colored beautiful shades of orange sunrises, lavender clouds that look like cotton candy, and navy blue skies at night. I am very much in love with my darling.

5. Slaine Troyard (Aldnoah.Zero)

Slaine Troyard is a good character that was held back by the rest of the show and his foil in the protagonist. Aldnoah.Zero was a really sub-par anime in my opinion, and Saline was one of the few things that made me think this anime could be great. As an antagonist, we get to see how he mirrors the struggles of someone who should really be the protagonist. He has a lot of conflicting emotions, he has to balance his feelings with the position that he has given. Everything he earned in the story he earned through his own grit and drive. The flaw that we see is that he has an inability to see past his own faults and has a tendency to over react. When he truly feels like giving up hope, that’s exactly what he does. While he wasn’t a noble person, and he did a lot of selfish things, his motivation is what held my interest. One of his last quotes is when his mech’s foresight function gets damaged and he looses his best asset and chance at winning against the main character: “I no longer require a future.” Watching somebody give up, and feel the desire to punish themselves for their own mistakes, that is a feeling that really tugged at me for a while. In the end, he fails to better himself, because he’d rather just take on punishments that he himself mandates. For a long time I punished myself for every screw up that I thought I got away with, because I felt that I deserved it and that it was some form of justice. Slaine’s fall into hopelessness showed me that punishing yourself is counterproductive to bettering yourself. While he’s definitely my least favorite out of these five, he still taught me a very important lesson.

OH GEEZ I HOPE YOU READ THAT ALL! That was a trip and a half for me, but I hope you guys got a better idea of who I am and what things I value. It was some good fun!

Now it’s time for me to tag other people: @little-evolved-one @yuureis-truly @askthesevensouls

[davidhuzyk]

SURVIVOR 41 SEASON PREMIERE THOUGHTS

Here are my thoughts on the opening episode of the new season. Nothing I’m about to say is revolutionary, it seems like all these opinions have already been shared before, but I wanted to wait a few days to think on everything as well as talk to some family/friends before putting my final thoughts down. Overall it was pretty polarizing, lots to both love and hate:

PROS

Diverse cast: I don’t think there’s a dud among the whole cast, and the diversity allows for more dynamic chemistry and a lot of different stories to be told

Candid shots of production: I like that they are letting us in to that world. Previously in moments like the medical disaster in S32 Kaoh Rong they showed production, and it made a great impact as a viewer. I don’t find it breaks immersion, in fact the opposite. The average audience member nowadays is much more knowledgeable & initiative than back in 2000, when a show trusts its viewer in this way I think it helps them become more invested in the show, understanding the ins & outs of how it’s functioning

Editing/storytelling style: there was a lot of great moments playing with the edit this episode that previous seasons tended to stray away from. I enjoyed the edit showing/giving us as a viewer information the contestants don’t have yet, like hidden advantage locations. I also enjoyed how they presented the Prisoner’s Dilemma, leaving it a mystery until tribal council whether or not Xander & JD chose to risk or protect their vote. It’s nice that in yet another way production is trusting us as a viewer with more (or less) info

Fourth Wall Breaking: this is both a pro and a con for me (con to follow). I enjoyed the moments Jeff spoke to us as a viewer, explaining new rules or changes to the game. This reminded me of S1, and I think was a great way to help any new fans coming in to the show. Only new changes were discussed, and it was kept relatively brief, so even for super fans it didn’t feel bloated or like a time sink

Subtitles at tribal: while I have more to say on live tribals, I do at least appreciate this time having full subtitles for all conversations taking place. While contestants may want to obscure info from other players, us as viewers should never be left in the dark, so I appreciate this effort being taken this season

Penalties for losing challenges: I enjoy this twist, as it seems to carry the spirit of the game. This is Survivor, it should be about having to get by on less, not more. I always found it odd that there were “reward” challenges. There are two ways to give a team an advantage, you can boost them up with a prize, or you can penalize the opposition, and I’m happy to see this element come more into play. Similar ideas had been done before in previous seasons when a contestant would get to raid the opposing tribes camp for one or two items (ie. Sandra in S7 Pearl Islands) and that always seemed to make for great television

Footage from Home: I enjoyed the return of footage from back home like in the earlier seasons. It helps us connect and become more invested in the contestants, and I assume they will go away after the first episode or two, so long term they don’t seem to pose a problem

Shot in the Dark: this twist is just weak enough to be balanced. In essence I don’t see this really changing or impacting the game in any significant way, but it does at least maintain a glimmer of hope for each contestant so as a viewer you’ll never be bored. Should someone pull this off I think they are deserving of the free immunity for having read the situation properly, and would make for great television. Some may say this could make for an unfair moment with a separate contestant “wrongfully” going home, but that’s always been the case since hidden immunity idols were introduced. At least this way every contestant is aware of the confirmed, tangible (albeit slim) threat and not just the idea they “could potentially” have an idol

CONS

Cinematography: it seemed off, very different than last seasons. The confessionals all looked fine, but you certainly noticed it during camp life and challenges. There were no night shots used, a lot more static camera shots, and the slow motion during challenges was just overblown. There was maybe one good slow motion shot of Xander grabbing his buff and jumping in the water, every other one felt forced (Brad bellyflopping? Brad chopping bamboo? Naseer huffing & puffing a sandbag a couple feet?)

Shorter game length: an easy one to criticize, and I understand the reason why it’s only 26 days, but the condensing of the game seems to already have an odd ripple effect that I worry will make for a disjointed end game

Two Tribes Going to Tribal: this is most likely related to the 26 day time crunch, but if this is the standard this season it makes me worry how strong of a narrative we will get for each tribal. This premiere episode wasn’t too bad, but it was a 2hr premiere, regular 1hr episodes will surely have a hard time balancing every contestants narrative in that amount of time

Still Live Tribals: I know some people like these as they are exciting, but come on, this is chaos! In the early days Jeff would yell at contestants for trying to get up out of their seat. Jeff needs to maintain control again. Tribal is like a courtroom, Jeff is your judge and there is literally a jury, you wouldn’t see the defendant in a courtroom standing up, running around, whispering to others… there must be order!

Fourth Wall Breaking Moments: as mentioned above I enjoyed when Jeff explained new game dynamics to us as viewers, but when he would interrupt a conversation with the tribes to turn to the camera I just felt cringe. The worst was “alright, first tribal council”. It was so easy to leave that on the cutting room floor, the editors should have known better on that one especially

The Prisoners Dilemma: in concept this maybe wasn’t a bad idea, but the execution was horrible. Analyzing the setup, to me it only makes strategic sense TO risk your vote. The first problem is that a regular prisoners dilemma does not occur within a game, so normally you’re probably not as invested about the outcome of the other prisoners, only your own. But here because it’s a game it does make strategic sense to hinder your opponents. So risk your vote, because you either get an extra vote, or you’ve stolen two votes from opposing contestants for your one. Also looking at this specific situation, all three contestants who went on the boat were debatably the strongest physical player on their tribe, so it would make sense for each individual to want to weaken those other players and increase their risk of going home, in turn weakening their overall tribe. If they could trust their tribe than returning without a vote is not the worst thing, if they can properly articulate the situation and work it to their advantage (Xander was a great example of this, JD showed us the opposite lol). Overall it feels like a pretty flawed twist and needs reworking

No Shelter Building Focus: not a huge con, but I did miss the focus on shelter building. Through the conversation & act of shelter building we as a viewer usually get to see who is a leader, who might be confrontational, who is a team player, etc. But more so we’re reminded of the actual survival element of the show, which production seems to be putting less focus on

No Intro: not the first season to do away with the intro sequence but I would have liked to see it return

Production Challenge Errors: some of the recent staffing changes with CBS must have been on the Challenge Production team because there were some glaring problems with that first challenge. Firstly, Yase’s yellow oar completely blended in to the yellow rope, they had a distinct disadvantage. I know some people will say if they couldn’t notice the other two tribes grabbing their oar from that location it’s their fault, but that’s a crappy excuse, it should be completely level & fair entering a challenge. Also what was with the double anchors on the boats? Perhaps it was left on the cutting room floor but I don’t recall Jeff mentioning prior to the challenge beginning that the boats had two anchors. Now I’m certainly no expert when it comes to nautical knowledge but as far as my life experience I‘be only ever seen or heard one anchor being referenced on use in a boat. Clearly all of the Luvu tribe thought the same as they only unhooked their front anchor. Jeff however later in the challenge yells to the Ua tribe and reminds them to unhook both anchors. Luvu was further away having had a lead so they very likely couldn’t hear Jeff when he said that. It’s like Ua was given an extra advantage. It also was unclear what the objective with the boat was, I was surprised to all of a sudden see Ua paddling in the opposite direction back towards the ship. Production should have had them race in a circle instead of a straight “there and back”

Game Within the Game: I’m sorry, this is the lamest addition they’ve ever added. Really? A standard rebus puzzle? They don’t take up enough time/focus during an episode to actually have any impact, and the puzzles themselves have so far been extremely simple. Jeff says this is “for the kids”, but any child young enough to find that puzzle challenging certainly doesn’t have the attention span to sit through an entire episode and find the puzzle in the first place. For any adult wanting to play this game as well the answer will be online within minutes of it airing… what’s the point? Pure fluff that has nothing to do with the game

Within Episode Flashback: I certainly hope this doesn’t become a habit, but during JD’s confessional when he talks about building fire they actually flashback to him just minutes ago having built the fire. Seriously!? We literally just saw it, why waste screen time showing it again? That was a poor call from some editor and I hope this doesn’t become a storytelling pattern

And finally, the “Guys” debate: so much has already been said on this. Personal feelings aside from the use of the phrase, this is a discussion that should have been had off camera, and came off feeling way to pandering. Jeff literally says at the beginning of the episode “we are all going through what’s most likely the biggest world incident we will ever experience”, but yet we spend more screen time talking about the word “guys” than the pandemic and all the emotional trauma that may have caused? I know Survivor likes to be sensitive, but this was not the way to go about it. It doesn’t ruin the show for me, it’s just a phrase I know I can “survive” without it, but I hope this isn’t the first step in many changes like this down the line. I’m all for being inclusive, but the method in which the show decides to go about change can actually alienate their existing fan base, so I hope they make better decisions on how to implement change moving forward

[aion-rsa]

Who Will Be Doctor Who’s Next Showrunner?

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When big changes come to Doctor Who it’s the Doctor who grabs all the headlines. That, after all, is showbusiness: children don’t ask for bedsheets bedecked with the faces of the show’s writing or production team. It’s the showrunner – much more than anyone else, including the actor playing the lead role – upon whom the fate and fortunes of the show rest. They decide everything from the look, feel and tone of the seasons, to the thrust and arc of the narrative, to who writes, directs and stars – from the smallest bit-part to the Doctor themselves. The buck stops with them, in other words, and a showrunner can very much make or break an era.

So while speculation rages about who will take on the mantle of the 14th Doctor, it’s Chris Chibnall‘s replacement as showrunner who will ultimately carry the weight of the universe on their back. Realistically, a candidate needs not just writing but also producing experience (Chibnall had co- and executive producer credits on Torchwood, Camelot, Law & Order:UK, Broadchurch and more before landing Doctor Who). Because the UK TV industry has significant work to do on widening access for writers and producers of colour, that requirement frustratingly narrows the field for such jobs at present. But let’s have a look at a few options; some shoo-ins for the top spot, some just wildcards, but all of them with something real to offer.      

Pete McTighe

Pete McTighe has the experience and qualities you’d want in a prospective Doctor Who showrunner: he’s been a long-time admirer of the show since the Classic days; he’s written for the show (Series 11’s ‘Kerblam’ and Series 12’s ‘Praxeus’); he’s helmed trailers for the Classic series’ Blu-ray sets; and, perhaps most crucially of all, he has hands-on experience of calling the shots. McTighe’s prison-drama Wentworth (pictured above) first aired in 2013 and has since racked up award after award in its native Australia (McTighe is British). It’s also been something of a critical darling worldwide, routinely praised for a realism and a grittiness that cleaves close to the best HBO dramas. BBC mystery thriller Pact concluded in June and Wentworth‘s final season airs later this month, meaning that McTighe now has a hole in his schedule. Might he be about to fill that jail-shaped gap with a police box? Quite apposite too, perhaps, that McTighe was able to take a show like Prisoner: Cell Block H (as it was known in the UK), a beloved old soap opera from the 1970s/80s, with rickety, wobbly sets and a low-budget aesthetic, and transform it into a lean, mean, emotionally-satisfying, rollicking thrill-ride with contemporary sensibilities. The man has form.

Sarah Dollard

Another Australian connection, this time in the form of bone fide antipodean Sarah Dollard, who wrote ‘Face the Raven‘ and ‘Thin Ice‘ during Peter Capaldi’s tenure. Prior work commitments prevented Dollard from writing for Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor, something she lamented at the time.

For those of the ‘Doctor Who has become too political’ persuasion, Dollard’s thoughts on the writing process for ‘Thin Ice’ should serve as both a rebuke and reassurance: “There was no way to write about a woman of colour going into the past on Earth without acknowledging how the colour of her skin would have impacted how people reacted to her there. Obviously, it also had to be entertaining and true to the tone of the show, so I tried to make it an intrinsic part of the story, rather than just add-on.”

Dollard cut her teeth on Australian soap opera Neighbours, and wasn’t long before she was writing for sci-fi and fantasy favourites including Merlin, Primeval, Being Human, Doctor Who, A Discovery of Witches (pictured above) and, most recently, an adaptation of the award-winning Young Adult horror fantasy Cuckoo Song (yet to air on Netflix). Availability could be an issue in whether Dollard could return to Doctor Who as its showrunner, given her busy schedule and writer-producer role on Netflix big-hitter Bridgerton.

Toby Whithouse

There was a time when Toby Whithouse was the heir apparent to Steven Moffat. At least in the eyes of Whovians. In 2015 he said this about speculation that he might be taking over the show post-Moffat: “No-one at the BBC has ever had this conversation with me. No-one has asked me, no-one has approached me about if Steven leaves, when Steven leaves. These are conversations that happen purely among fans, not on any official level.”

Still, he has the pedigree. Not only did Whithouse create Being Human for BBC Three (also one of Sarah Dollard’s first UK writing jobs), but he also wrote for the first three of modern Doctors, notably the episodes ‘School Reunion’, ‘The God Complex’ and ‘Under the Lake/Before the Flood’, showing terrific range, and a deft and respectful approach to the show’s mythos and history. Recently, Whithouse has written for the BBC’s new sci-fi series Noughts and Crosses (pictured above) but seems to have drifted away from Doctor Who. Acknowledging that this is just another conversation happening “purely among fans”, might the allure of the big chair tempt him back?

Kate Herron

Kate Herron may be a reasonably fresh face in the entertainment industry, but already she’s proven herself capable of taking on the sort of awesome responsibility that would make even a grizzled veteran wince. There can be few franchises heavier with expectation than Marvel (along with, perhaps, Doctor Who and Star Trek), and few characters as beloved as Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. Kudos to Herron then, for dazzling Kevin Feige with her talent and vision, earning directorial control of the first season of Loki and carrying it out to general acclaim.

Plenty have said that Loki was some of the best Doctor Who we’ve seen in years. It’s hard not to see where they’re coming from when considering the way Loki balances humour, heart, and sci-fi, whilst dabbling with time and dealing with multiple variants of its main character.

Herron recently announced that she wouldn’t be returning for Loki Season 2: ‘I’m really happy to watch it as a fan next season, but I just think I’m proud of what we did here and I’ve given it my all. I’m working on some other stuff yet to be announced.’ It’s this enigmatic ‘other stuff’ that has sent the Doctor Who rumour mill into over-drive. Might Herron be trading one time-wimey extravaganza for another? Might there be a further clue in this other snippet from a recent interview? Time will tell. 

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Mark Gatiss

In some sense, Mark Gatiss is Doctor Who. At the very least the show is encoded in his DNA. Very few people have done so much in, and for, the Whoniverse, and Gatiss has pretty much done it all. He’s written novels set in the Classic Who Universe; he’s acted in the modern iteration of the show (‘The Lazarus Experiment’, ‘The Wedding of River Song’, ‘Twice Upon a Time’); he’s written for the show (most notably ‘The Unquiet Dead’); he’s narrated documentary segments about the show; and he wrote the acclaimed 50th anniversary stand-alone about the early days of the show at the BBC, ‘An Adventure in Space and Time‘.  He’s even been both the Doctor and the Master, albeit in Big Finish form. About the only aspect of Doctor Who Gatiss hasn’t embraced is being in charge. Given how prolific Gatiss is outside of Doctor Who, and how the Sherlock and Dracula (pictured above) co-creator gravitated away from the show in recent years, it’s unlikely – though of course not impossible – that he’d take over from Chris Chibnall.  

J. Michael Straczynski

Now, Twitter is neither a negotiating table, nor often a particularly accurate representation of objective reality. Still, there’s no reason to suspect that J. Michael Straczynski’s recent enthusiastic offer to replace Chris Chibnall is anything less than sincere. Less tangible is the real-world prospect of the job ever being offered to him. Not because he couldn’t rise to the challenge – the man is a sci-fi behemoth, his work straddling the mediums of the graphic novel, TV and cinema, and encompassing damn near everything from Murder She Wrote to Marvel, DC to World War Z, and Ghostbusters to Babylon 5 (pictured above)– but down to the BBC preferring to hand the reins of its flagship family sci-fi show to someone UK-based. It doesn’t stop us wondering, though, how the man behind the deliciously cluttered, cultured and brilliant Babylon 5 would transform the Whoniverse.

Vinay Patel

For Series 11, Chris Chibnall wanted a range of fresh, representative voices that would better reflect the diversity of the show’s audience, and open up new avenues of dramatic possibilities. Vinay Patel is one of that influx of new writers who excelled himself by turning in arguably two of the Whittaker era’s best-regarded episodes. ‘Demons of the Punjab’ (pictured above) shone a light on a part of post-colonial history never before illuminated by Doctor Who, and did so with heart and conviction. ‘Fugitive of the Judoon’ proved that Patel could handle a more whacky, twisty-turny, lore-filled story.

Patel started as a corporate film-maker, but wasn’t satisfied with his lot, so poured his talents into an MA in writing for stage and broadcast media, an inspired choice that led him to the theatre, and then on to the BAFTA-nominated drama Murdered by My Father. His writing is intensely personal and political, barbed but with heart, intersecting notions of power, family, history and belonging.  

Whether or not Vinay Patel has a realistic shot at the top spot – he’s still relatively untested in TV (but then so was Kate Herron before Loki) – it’s a shame that a show so committed to representation on-screen has so few prospective showrunners from a BAME background. Wherever Patel’s talents are next channelled, though, it’s obvious he has a blindingly bright future ahead of him.

Reece Shearsmith & Steve Pemberton

An unlikely prospect, we’re forced to admit, but a delicious one. The pair are, of course, no strangers to the Whoniverse. Steve Pemberton played Strackman Lux in the fan-favourite Tennant-two-parter ‘Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead’. Reece Shearsmith featured in Season 9 episode ‘Sleep No More‘, written by Shearsmith’s old friend and fellow League of Gentlemen star and co-creator Mark Gatiss. Shearsmith also portrayed Patrick Troughton and the Second Doctor in ‘An Adventure in Space and Time’.

However, it’s Shearsmith and Pemberton’s astonishing work on the raven-black comedy-drama anthology series Inside No. 9 (pictured above) that makes them such a tantalising prospect for the top spot. They’ve proven that they can play around with places, times, and tones like true artists, offering up silent, screwball comedy one week, then cruelly funny farce the next, followed by something so truly beautiful and heart-breaking it’ll make your soul flat-line the next. They’d be wildcards, certainly, but quite possibly a cross between a game-changer and a Godsend for Doctor Who.  

Sally Wainwright

Sally Wainwright, like many of the candidates on this list, began her career writing for a soap opera, in her case the long-running and much-beloved BBC Radio 4 show The Archers. She was soon poached by the bosses of UK TV soap Emmerdale, but swiftly sacked when she said in a newspaper interview that Emmerdale“was shit, because the script editors re-wrote everything” and went on to Coronation Street.

Sci-fi fans can be sniffy about soap operas, as if sci-fi writers emerge from a cocoon fully-fledged and ready to write about far-off galaxies and alien races, but that’s tosh. If it weren’t for soaps, Paul Abbott, Jimmy McGovern, Sarah Phelps and countless other of the UK’s best screenwriters wouldn’t have had their starts. Step forward Sally Wainwright, who now stands as a behemoth in the UK TV landscape, having helmed arguably two of the most important and popular shows of recent years, Last Tango in Halifax and the astonishing Happy Valley. Her talent has now gone global. She’s currently in charge of HBO-BBC co-production Gentleman Jack, and is working with Sandra Bullock on a new TV series.

Sally Wainwright’s output and vision is supreme; her writing is raw and electric, real and illuminating, her characters so lived-in and realised that you could take them from the screen and put them in your living room and mistake them for your own family. Wainwright is probably too busy to take on the job of showrunner, but what a boon for Doctor Who her helmship would be.

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Doctor Who Series 13 will air on BBC One and BBC America this autumn.

The post Who Will Be Doctor Who’s Next Showrunner? appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[mirrorfalls]

Lego Liveblogs ST: TOS, part 11 (of who-the-hell-knows-how-many?)

Miri, Miri on the wall, who’s the fairest script of all?

Probably not this one, another chronically under-discussed episode among the fandom, but you never know...

* Rand’s still here? I genuinely thought her actress had walked already... * There’s something very charming about this genre of sci-fi - the whole idea that you can find a completely parallel Earth just by flying out far enough, no dimension-jumping technobabble required. It showed up a lot in Atomic Age Superman stories, too. * Pretty big landing party, compared to the first dozen eps. Is this the first time we’ve had Kirk, Spock, and Bones all together? * “Where is everybody?” Someplace that’s friendlier to budgets, Yeoman. * Whoo. No lie, this guy’s got the best monster-makeup yet. By a mile. If I had any reservations about the whole “loooook upon our world if we’re not careful with the nukes OoOoOoOoO~” setting, this guy’s done a good job of sweeping them aside. ** (Hope that wasn’t supposed to be a twist, by the way...) * Holy crap, two Redshirts wander out of shot and live? This is one nice deathworld. ** (Okay yes, the irradiated guy died in their place, it’s Very Very Sad and stuff.) * Ah, here’s our titular girl. You’ll all recall how Kirk’s attempt to have a surrogate son went - how will a surrogate daughter go? * Miri’s actress really ain’t half-bad, given how demanding the role is. I wonder what else she’s been in... * A Cleverer(tm) writer would’ve had these murder-kids belting out nursery rhymes, but I really think it’s a lot more natural - and chilling - for them to use nothing more complex than “Nyah-nyah-na-na-na”. * On a somewhat-related note - you’d think someone in the crew would’ve at least suggested getting candy and toys to open the kids up. Even if it’s just for Spock to shoot them down with “We’re a military research vessel, why the hell would we have those?” * Yecch. It probably cost the effects department ten bucks tops, but that thing growing on Kirk’s hand legit made my skin crawl. * ... huh, so it wasn’t nukes that left the planet like this after all. It was some kind of biogenetic augmentation (aka The New Nuke). * “I think children have an instinctive need for adults. They want to be told right and wrong.” Kirk, your boomer is showing. ** ... but not as hard as the writers’. Are you guys seriously playing up Miri as a love interest? * Well, I guess we couldn’t keep the other kids off-screen forever. Not all them are up to Miri’s actress’ level of acting - it wouldn’t have hurt to put a few more of them in creepy masks - but I do like how this isn’t just a straight Lord of the Flies riff. The kids aren’t really feral; they just remember too well that it’s the grownups’ fault they’re in this mess to begin with. * Holy jumpscare! ** ... that’s nowhere near as effective as the first one, because that is one glowing head of hair you’ve got for a plague victim, kid. * ~sEVen DaYs~ * “Is that all, Captain?” Okay, Bones is the MVP of this episode on the strength of that line alone. * Oh for the luvva - why are you all rushing out sans communicators?! For that matter, where’d those two Redshirts go?! * Huh, I was wondering whether they’d have the guts to show Rand getting the blotches, too. Turns out they were just saving it for extra fan (dis)service. * Obligatory third-act twist: gasp shock Miri’s a turncoat! * Aw, c’mon, no fair time-skipping! At least give the crew a chance to not fall for this! ** I do like, though, that Kirk’s log actually mentions the welfare of all the kids before the fact his own crew are about to die. * ... well, on the one hand, this nicely explains why Miri doesn’t seem to hang out with her “real friends” a whole lot. On the other, it’s still creepy as fuck to symbolize - hell, literalize - her “maturation” as falling in love with a grown man. * So here’s the big climax. Shatner’s giving - probably overgiving - it his all, but I still think that the script level, he should at least try offering the kids something immediate instead of going for Big Ideals. Or, hell, steal their food supply and make a straightforward swap for the comms. Speechify later, if you must. * Another pitfall of running the clock down to a matter of hours: now getting the comms back ironically feels less important, because even if Bones did fuck up the vaccine there’s probably no time to brew a new one, anyway. ** And it looks like Bones agrees with me! Godspeed, doctor. May your guts and your main-character contract speed- ** Oops. * “Is he dead, Mr. Spock?” “No, but you’ll be if you don’t come up with a good explanation of where the fuck you were in the last two acts.” * Aaaand so it turns out Kirk’s big victory wasn’t that urgently-needed, after all! This doesn’t bother me quite as much as it probably should, since the script at least tried to establish he prioritizes saving the native kids at least as much. ** Also on the plus side: a shiny new colony for the Federation! * Nice save, Captain. Nice save.

So as a parable on the Generation War (and the follies thereof) this one’s kind of a wash, given that the moral pretty much comes down to “Children should always listen to grownups even when they’ve killed an entire fucking planet” - and that’s without getting into all the ways the plot creeps on poor Miri. As a straightforward adventure piece, though, it works nicely if you can overlook one or two big Idiot Ball moments, and I honestly love how the first act places Rand as an equal to Kirk, Spock, and Bones in examining the planet-of-the-week. Shame it couldn’t last...

Next: Our second Bard-inspired episode, and by all accounts a Classic to match Balance of Terror. We’ll see just how much it deserves that rep...

[sordm5]

I wrote something for what was an underdeveloped FO4 character of mine. Also entertaining the concept of the Sole Survivor being a synth

The light and warmth of the fire offers very little comfort beyond the physical necessity, and does nothing to aid in giving a reprieve to the thoughts tripping over themselves in his head. He can see movement out of his peripheral vision, he knows it's almost time to sleep, but his eyes don't waver from the dancing flames and embers flickering in the air - unseeing and steady, while his hands tighten around the government-issued, rusted can of water.

"It's people like you that give the Commonwealth a bad name-"

His lip twitches. This is something he should be accustomed to by now: his mind subjecting him to these repetitive fragments. To his right, MacCready is rolling out a sleeping bag, and he can’t help but feel despondent at the idea of being left alone with his self pity. Not that they were engaged in riveting conversation, he just found the silent companionship to be comforting.

“Luna?” He can hear the hesitancy in MacCready’s voice, and avoids making eye contact.

“Hm?” he hums out, barely audible.

“You, uh...you gonna sleep soon?”

“Nah...I’ll keep watch.”

That must have been sufficient enough, because MacCready resumes fixing his sleeping bag. Luna absently picks at the label of the water in his hands. Maybe there’ll be a time when MacCready gets fed up with him as well - he’s been nothing but supportive to Luna’s plight thus far, but he knows he can be a handful. No one wants to be around that for too long, that much has already been proven before.

He sets the tin of water off to the side, and reaches to his left for his rifle. He ejects the mag, reassures the bullet count and empties the chamber, then slaps the mag back in and keeps the chamber empty, just to be safe. MacCready is already nestled into his sleeping bag, using his arm as a pillow, his hat flipped carelessly on its top beside his head.

Well, Luna muses, if the night is going to be long and sleepless, might as well entertain himself instead of glaring down his scope at shadows. Balancing the rifle in his lap, he leans over to pull his bag closer. A holotape of Red Manace is shoved into his pip-boy with little care, his mind still wandering and preoccupied. He just hopes he can get himself to focus on something else for at least five fucking minutes-

“Hey. Luna.” MacCready is looking over at him, squinting slightly at the light of the fire.

He doesn’t reply, but he makes imploring eye contact, one eyebrow raised.

“Just...well. Wanted to make sure you weren’t still thinking about what happened.”

Luna turns to the pip-boy on his arm, the midi sounds of Red Menace just barely heard over the crackling of the fire. He doesn’t know what to say.

“What happened?” he repeats, feigning obliviousness. He misses a jump in Red Menace and dies immediately.

“Yeah, you know. They don’t know a damn thing about what you’re going through, and-” A pause. MacCready makes a frustrated sound, like he doesn’t know how to continue. “-wanted to check if you were all right. That’s all.” He readjusts the arm he’s using as a pillow and sighs resolutely.

Luna stares at the start screen on his pip-boy, his hands and eyes idling. This isn’t the first conversation they’ve had like this - MacCready excusing the backlash he’s received because of the things he’s done and said to others. He doesn’t know who to believe anymore. He doesn’t know if MacCready is right.

It’s true that he could do without all the wrongly placed expectation on him to be perfect, the pressure of it doesn’t help him any. But does that truly excuse him from the hurt he causes? Does it even matter if he can’t control it? Does his suffering matter if everyone else out there is also suffering? He doesn’t know anymore.

“I’m all right. Thank you.” He presses the start button. “Get some sleep.”

-

“I've met a lot of scum in my line of work. People I wouldn't throw to the Bloatflies. But you, you're a piece of work. A real Jekyll and Hyde, and I won’t stand by and let this behavior of yours continue.”

“I don't know what to do with you anymore. It’s like you’re a ticking time bomb, man.”

-

Unblinking, he tracks the group of Trappers skulking around the fog through the length of his rifle scope. Their animalistic grunts as they twitch at noises from the forest send shivers of disgust down his spine. He could pick them off easily from here, from the vantage of a rock ridge and the cover of night and woodland. The world could do with less of their kind. Cannibals, he sneers.

He moves his finger past the trigger guard and consciously steadies his breathing. DiMA had said everyone here has a right to be on the island, though he doubts this sentiment was intended to include the homicidal cannibals. Still, it brings him pause. He opens both eyes and raises his head to peer up over the scope.

Even now, his mind taunts him with all the times he’d lost control, and been unable to hide his disdain or frustration at something or someone. The accusatory outbursts, the times he had yelled like a cornered animal and blindly taken a life. He thinks now that he probably didn’t look all that different from these Trappers during those episodes. 

He pushes himself back down the rocks by crawling on his elbows and knees, trying his best to stay silent and hidden. Once his boots hit the dirt, he slings his rifle over his shoulder and checks his pip-boy for a re-route.

-

“Get him! Hold him down!” cries a deranged, guttural voice.

Luna barely contains a howl of pain as a heavy boot stomps down on his wrist. He defiantly clutches tighter to the grip of his bolt action, and only when the boot begins to grind down to the bones of his wrist through his skin does he finally let go. Another Trapper from behind takes his newly unarmed state as incentive enough to pounce and wrestle with his other arm.

He struggles to break free of the holds to the best of his ability, but he knows when he’s overpowered, and when struggling will get him nothing but further pain. His breath comes harshly through his teeth as his attention is abruptly grabbed by a man in a ridiculous helmet, fashioned after what looks to be a crab cage, taking purposeful, slow steps towards him.

A knife is removed from a sheath, and Luna starts kicking. The man in the helmet hisses in what could be disappointment at a feeble display, but Luna can’t help it - he’s starting to panic. Not once has he ever been rendered truly helpless by an adversary. The holds on his arm constrict painfully, and he swears he hears the bones of his wrist creak. He needs a tactic - an escape route.

For a moment, nothing happens. But then a sharp kick lands on his shin, and Luna has to bite his tongue to stop the cry. His legs are being stepped on like a goddamn welcome mat, and the helmeted Trapper carelessly straddles himself on his chest. The air is almost completely forced from his lungs, while the combat knife gleams before his eyes.

“I’m gonna slice the skin right off your face, and lick the blood clean.” The voice is like gravel.

“They have a right to exist on this island. The same as us.” And yet.

He doesn’t second guess himself this time, as he bites viciously to get his arm free and manages to grapple for the knife. His wild screams probably sound exactly like the ones the Trappers around him make as they struggle against one another. But he just doesn’t fucking care.

-

"Tell me: Are you a synth?” DiMA’s soft lilting voice, presented with such an unexpected question, does everything to derail any coherent train of thought Luna may have had.

“I- wait. A...synth? Me?”

-

“Designation R-A1-01.”

What?

“Part of a project I called ‘Reincarnation’. It was created to test a new system design in which a memory-transplanted synth is able to retain free will, and whether or not the human memory would be strong enough to override the disconnect between freedom and artificial purpose. We hadn’t expected-”

The blood in his arms runs cold and a dull ring sets in his ears, the voice becomes distant among the walls of the Institute as the dots slowly connect in his head. He feels faint. Was his body even real? Can he faint? Any information he’d learned about the biology of synths draws to a blank in his head. The countless times he’d shed blood in battle...the things he had felt. Suddenly, everything felt fake.

It made too much sense.

“-realize by now. It was you.”

[acsversace-news]

You finally need two hands to count all the current TV shows with Asian American protagonists. Fresh Off the Boat (ABC) and Master of None(Netflix) arrived with fanfare for breaking ground (though a third season of Aziz Ansari’s romantic comedy was uncertain even before the star’s current scandal), while Quantico (ABC) and Into the Badlands (AMC) keeping chugging along, and the comedy Brown Nation (Netflix) and children’s melodrama Andi Mack (Disney Channel) have yet to become blips on the mainstream pop cultural radar. So it’s a bit strange, and off-putting, that the latest series with an Asian lead—one of the most anticipated shows of the year, it so happens—isn’t being described as such. In fact, its network—once a standard-bearer for prestige TV’s lack of diversity—is highlighting the drama’s focus on queerness and homophobia—and by doing so largely erasing its main character’s racial identity, especially in the first half of his story.

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story isn’t about the titular victim but his killer: Andrew Cunanan, a San Diego native born to a Filipino father and an Italian American mother. Writer Tom Rob Smith adapted journalist Maureen Orth’s nonfiction account Vulgar Favors, structuring the episodes in reverse chronological order so we work backward from Versace’s murder. In a recent interview, Smith said of his source material that it “reads very much like an outsider commenting on a world of which they’re not part, and sometimes that can make you seem quite removed from it.” I agree with his assessment; Orth’s book includes lengthy and salacious discussions of Versace’s HIV status and the popularity of meth among gay communities. But Smith’s description could also be turned on The Assassination of Gianni Versace, which is a white writer’s dramatization of another white writer’s interpretation. American Crime Story’s first season, The People v. O.J. Simpson, tackled issues of both race and gender skillfully; there’s no reason why we should accept any less from its second.

The show’s Andrew, played by Darren Criss, does mention his father’s plantation in the Philippines early on. But between his pathological lying and that country’s colonial past, his race isn’t confirmed till about midway through the nine-hour season. A few character details here and there suggest Andrew’s racial self-hatred and the prevalence of anti-Asian racism within the gay community, but the relative sparseness of these implications is all the more noteworthy in contrast with the richly developed portrait of the decade’s homophobia.

Credit where it’s due, even if the bar for praise here is laughably low because Hollywood’s institutional aversion toward Asian stories and characters remains so entrenched: In casting Glee’s Criss (who played Blaine Anderson), Ryan Murphy hired a half-Filipino (if white-passing) actor to play the half-Filipino role of Andrew Cunanan. Criss is excellent, and in later episodes, the Philippines-born Broadway performer Jon Jon Briones is electrifying as Andrew’s father, the sociopathic Modesto, who teaches his favorite child all the wrong lessons about the American dream.

If The Assassination of Gianni Versace feels urgent as it revisits the stifling homophobia of the ’90s, it’s far less successful in reimagining Cunanan from a racialized point of view, at least in the first eight episodes. (The season finale was not provided to critics in advance.) It’s certainly not as if those racial and ethnic depictions of Cunanan don’t exist. In his analysis of the divergent foci of the mainstream American and Filipino American media narratives about Cunanan, scholar Allan Punzalan Isaac notes that the former wagged its tongue about his “deviant” sexuality (Tom Brokaw infamously referred to the killer as a “homicidal homosexual”), while consumers of the latter looked on with a mixture of “pleasure and horror.” The horror is understandable enough. The pleasure, perhaps, is easier to grasp when you’re part of a group whose presence and history are constantly made invisible by the larger American culture. “Perhaps [the Filipino American fascination with Cunanan] stemmed from a longing to be reflected in the small screen in this American media sensation,” Isaac wrote several years after Cunanan’s death. Filipinos preferred participation, he conjectures, in “any American drama, even for the wrong reasons.”

Nearly all of the eight Filipino American scholars, activists, and advocates I talked to for this story say that Cunanan has fallen out of popular Filipino American lore, just as he’s been forgotten by American pop culture until now. Professor Christine Bacareza Balance told me in an email interview that when she polled 40 or so students in a recent Filipino American Studies course, only one or two knew who Cunanan was. But among gay Filipino Americans, he remains something of a cult figure and for a few Filipino American writers, a literary muse. Isaac begins his seminal book about Filipino American identity, American Tropics, with a meditation on Cunanan’s incarnation of many of the concepts central to his subject: the possibility of “assimilation gone wrong,” the fear of rejection and the eagerness to belong, the embodiment of Filipino/American “mestizo” beauty standards, the corresponding ethnic ambiguity. (Isaac quotes a New York Times article describing Cunanan’s face as “so nondescript that it appears vaguely familiar to just about everyone.”) Paul Ocampo, a co-chair of the Lacuna Giving Circle, a philanthropic group that fosters leadership in LGBTQ Asian American communities, offers a more cynical interpretation: “There’s an aspect of the glitter and glitz of Hollywood to this story that attracts many in the Filipino American community more than the macabre.”

It’s important to remember that Cunanan murdered five people, apparently in cold blood. His victims deserve to be mourned. But in the absence of other well-known personages (or the inconspicuousness of many successful celebrities’—e.g., Bruno Mars’— Filipino-ness,), it’s perhaps inevitable that some Filipino Americans see or project certain facets of themselves in one of the very few Filipino Americans to appear on TV and on page 1, especially during that era. Ben de Guzman, a policy advocate in D.C., saw Cunanan on the news and thought, There but for the grace of God go I. “As a young, gay Filipino American man who was around his age when he was in the news,” de Guzman recalls via email, “I was forced to look at how the same forces of homophobia and racism that informed my life must have affected him too.”

The former party boy and escort remains a symbol of queer defiance for some in the gay Filipino American community. “Here was a gay Filipino man who seemed unapologetic and daring in his acceptance of his sexuality,” says Ocampo. “In this, he seemed to exude a self-possession that many people struggle with.” Balance says that the image of Cunanan as a “queer Asian/Filipino American on the warpath” “truly goes against many dominant representations within ‘mainstream’ U.S. media.” Isaac contrasts Cunanan’s narrative with the gay/bi film Call Me by Your Name, which he observes is “set outside the U.S., outside the AIDS scare, outside any class conflict—all part of the Cunanan spectacle.” Isaac seems to anticipate a reckoning as Cunanan’s story unfurls on the series: “How is this story of intergenerational sex, wealth, casual prostitution, and reckless living in the gay demimonde of the ’90s to be received in this age of domesticated gay marriage?”

And if Cunanan’s messy and unpredictable life story seems ripe for fictional inspiration, The Assassination of Gianni Versace certainly didn’t get there first. A decade after Cunanan’s death, novelist and playwright Jessica Hagedorn (a canonical Filipino American writer), along with songwriter Mark Bennett, launched in the killer’s hometown a workshop production of their musical Most Wanted, a thinly fictionalized version of Cunanan’s story that explores media sensationalism and marginalized individuals’ desperation to belong. Smaller-scale works like Regie Cabico’s poem “Love Letter From Andrew Cunanan,” Gina Apostol’s short story “Cunanan’s Wake,” and Jason Luz’s erotic short story “Scherzo for Cunanan” likewise attempt to humanize a murderer who, while deplorable for his actions and indisputably extreme in personality, almost certainly had some desires and experiences common to many Filipino Americans. None of these works add up to a complete portrait, or could. But created from Filipino American perspectives, they explore the aspects of Cunanan’s life that white America still isn’t fully grappling with.

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Evan Rachel Wood's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts - 25+ - https://shorthaircutsmodels.com/evan-rachel-woods-short-hairstyles-and-haircuts/ - Evan Rachel Wood's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, is an American actress. He began acting in several television series in the 1990s, including American Gothic and once again. Evan joined The Rachel Wood trend and sacrificed her long mane for a fairy with slightly longer covering hair and sideways fringes. She continues to surprise her followers with her creative hairstyles, as her hair is short. In October, Rachel Wood did it again. Evan Rachel Wood's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts Evan Rachel Wood's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, The Ides of March actress gave her pixie a Sixties look. Straight Alice band is the perfect accessory for this fairy style. Evan Rachel Wood showed off her coolest short product, L'oreal celebrity hairdresser Mara Roszak. I love this length, it hits just below the ears and has curls at the ends. This fun and fancy hairstyle proves that short hair can be versatile. The edges are slicked back smooth while the top is styled in waves for contrast and shape. Evan Rachel Wood's Hairstyles and Haircuts Evan Rachel Wood's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, This fab do is great for thin ones with medium hair and you need the product to keep and shine. And I like that you have a slightly longer front section to frame your face perfectly along with a deep side part. I actually love everything about this haircut so much that I had to contact Roszak to get tips on how to communicate with roszak, I'll never get mad at cutting my long hair. Evan Rachel Wood's Short Hairstyles Evan Rachel Wood's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, That is to say. Here, the Westworld and Forest star and frontwoman of the new Gucci Guilty Eau perfume share her beauty in highs and lows. Her beauty vibe is androgynous and a little bold is my personal look. Evan Rachel Wood's Short Haircuts Evan Rachel Wood's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, Evan Rachel Wood recently cut her long locks by debuting the super cute short cut in the episode pikie episode rockstar in the Season 4 premiere of True Blood. Compared to the long blonde hair she had before, it's almost hard to recognise her with shorter hair. But we love the messy texture on the back, and when it comes to work, we bet that this new cut will be surprising as it will never get in the way of any event it does. Wood would like to see more famous haircuts as big as most. Evan Rachel Wood's Hairstyles Evan Rachel Wood's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, check out the figure Gallery of the best celebrity hair makeovers. Let's do it before and after to confirm the 23-year-old actress looks more stylish than before. Repeat. That's how he looked at the Mildred Pierce premiere in March. Which Wood do you prefer. It looks great in both directions but I'm leaning towards this haphazardly tousled short cut. Evan Rachel Wood's Haircuts Post your comments now and share your views on this vital to humanity or at least cut a fierce figure on the red carpet with a styled blonde quiff like Evan Rachel Wood on Evan Rachel Wood's head. This look isn't for everyone, but it works. You have downloaded GLAMOUR hair and beauty apps. Evan Rachel Wood turned heads last night as she debuted a dramatic new pixie hairdo. The actress attended the season four premiere of hit TV show True Blood as she showed off her super short new look and ensured her small screen cast was slammed. Earn a designer bag every day this month. Enter now to win. Evan Rachel Wood's Short Hair Hairdresser Peter Butler's back-to-back Sports Illustrated covers seven Canadian actress Evan Rachel Wood recently returned to the Gliss Hair Care line that began working with the androgynous aesthetic but the New-based New York Ambassador is known for sultry beach to create waves. Unlike the typical fairly long wig she wore at Westworld, she progressed through awards season in her Altuzarra tuxedos, which set off with her bleached short hair. We asked Butler how to pull short hair. A creative style should not be set in stone. Evan Rachel Wood's Hair Most of the world doesn't know Evan is a musician. He has a band with his wife and they are really fun and have the same hair as who we are at the moment but it will change. I'm so excited to work with someone who's so docile and open. I have a great idea what you think of this, ‘ she says. It strengthens an unconventional hairstyle. Evan's air is power. The edges of Evan's hair are gelled and combed to polish this sleek bold look. Comic Con is a super fun event for many reasons. TRESemmé celebrity stylist John D. Evan Rachel Wood Has a Message for Short-Hair She came up with an incredible look for wood for Comic Con and gave Allure all the exclusive details about her process. John said Wood himself was the inspiration for the look and wanted something withdrawn and stylish. It was to think of something that made the business less traditional, and it certainly succeeded. They didn't necessarily have a plan for the night when they decided to go with the wooden feeling of just what they are now and still ended up with a stylish look that screams confidence. Evan Rachel Wood short haircut She wore a black and white jumpsuit with structured shoulders, so I wanted the hair to have a sharp modern vibe to complement John's jumpsuit. We chose to pull back to 2 graphic knots on the back of the super chic head. The make-up was gorgeous and soft to create a beautiful balance in the final look. Haircut inspiration alert. Anyone who says you can't do anything with short hair at the LACMA Arts and Film premiere over. Evan Rachel Wood's Short Hair Color Is Going The weekend is wrong. Just wood. Every day my style turns into something new and there are so many different ways you can wear it. From Punky pixie looks to retro finger waves she has tried it all. Click through our gallery to see the many ways the actress wears her hair and read her tips on working with short strands. Wow. Evan Rachel Wood seriously cut her long hair and I can't wait to hear from the ladies if I like her new short haircut. The last time we spoke about Evan, he was wearing an elegant updo at the Met Ball. Evan Rachel Wood red hair But look at her hair last night at the premiere of True Blood. These short spoilt backs and sides are swept into long upper layers to make the shape and style tapered into confusing sides. It is flipped over the forehead to soften the front face, and the extreme completes the entire look perfectly. It was really fun back then but in retrospect, why did you pluck all your eyebrows, man? The first smell is my memory. when I was little, I used to sneak into Victoria's secret and spray myself with strawberries and champagne. Evan Rachel Wood Beauty Evolution I was too shy to buy. I'd go in and spray it and run. The smell of it now. I wore Gucci Guilty for years. hot and sweet. Gucci is more romantic and spiritual than guilty Eau is a bit softer. We've all been patiently waiting for HBO's newest sci-fi drama, Westworld, to air last year. A remake of a 1973 film written and directed by Michael Crichton's the Western world is about an amusement park, no matter how guilty or desirable it is for a robot House to wealthy visitors who want to live out your fantasies. Evan Rachel Wood black hair We're excited to see how this plays out and after watching the trailer we know Evan Rachel Wood is going to kick a big ass. The Hollywood premiere photos are out and we no longer know if we're more excited about the show or Evan's hair. The 29-year-old beauty effortlessly rocked a simple black cut dress and looked absolutely stunning. But the new hair colour completely stole the show. Evan Rachel Wood seems to embrace the ingenious experiment. Example. new La last night's Season Four premiere of True Blood was notable for the cut in all-and-Away challenge on stage, which was very different for a very stiff Fairy on top of texture, but still gave her versatile long-looking flowing locks. Evan Rachel Wood's Hairstyles & Hair Colors he was sporting cropped up recently. The length at the front is no longer his chin, but he graduates in a shorter and choppy way at the back. The mouth of the neck is cut really short and cleanly, and the cut is given a bit of a surprise element. For the opening gala L'oreal Paris spray increase the hair moist and straight creating and maintaining a tidy edge rough fiction and the top tapered used to blast the mixing layers long enough to be styled short left and the edges behind the head advanced high lift the hairstyle straight. Evan Rachel Wood haircut This versatile hairstyle can be worn or slipped as funky as you like for a more conservative style. To prepare wood's hair for all that badassery John spritzed TRESemmé, repair and maintain 7 pre-styling sprays for his hair. Evan said of the product that I wanted to prepare this conditioning front styling hair because the hair is so colorful recently and I wanted to give it a little extra love and protection from the heat or stress it might have by styling. Make sense. Sometimes we can use a little extra TLC. Evan Rachel Wood's Hair Evolution Evan Rachel Wood is not for harmony. Whatever the moment the great beauty trend is likely to be doing something away from it. But look at this has served him well even though he has had learning experiences. And his personal style is among his best. Anything unless you have a personal style and gorgeous hair. The product is needed to keep this style in place and will improve regularly every 4 to 6 weeks. Evan Rachel Wood looks stylish and cool in a short hairdo. This is a statement. The roots are really dark and the ends are pale grey. Evan Rachel Wood hair color It's a matte tone and not a color found in nature. I actually cut her hair just before the sag Awards and it was longer and shattered rather than blunt, so I sharpened the line. Your favorite guy made the 2020 list of Sexiest Men. Evan Rachel Wood's hairdresser makes sure her styles reflect her badass personality. Evan Rachel Woods may have short hair length but her style is certainly long. The length and length of the thin long layers enhance the jagged cut and edgy look and feel of the whole style over the dark ends to achieve cool and comfortable. Evan Rachel Wood's Six Tips for Styling Short Hair This funky style needs a small amount of product to tighten the ends and make the hair fly. Copper highlights pale suggestion is a recent study of the hair length of blonde Rachel Wood Evan. Evan maximizes the height of his super-short strands by combing his hair from the brow and back. You can copy her style by adding a volumetric product at home and combing back or teasing your hair behind the smooth front section. Evan Rachel Wood hairstyle Evan Rachel Wood was never afraid to make a bold move. Her most recent. make chopping off her long locks in favor of a short summer. Not only do fans cosplay as their favorite characters who seem. Super impressive but we also get updates on some of our favorite shows and movies. It couldn't be better if some of our fave celebrities show up for Comic Con and we get to see them rocking their best personal style. Pics of Evan Rachel Wood Pixie Evan Rachel Wood star of HBO's hit series Westworld will be at Comic Con this year, showing off her staying power on Strictly with her pixie haircut. The style belongs to true hair style classics. Currently pixies claim their prominent place in hair fashion. Soft steps give the haircut its characteristic shape. This type of cut gives the Fairies a particularly natural and feminine appearance. She made a prickly fairy cut at last night's HBO premiere, and we think the look really suits her. Evan Rachel Wood bob haircut Working with an edgy style like this, she featured delicate features and opted for a swipe of dark pink lipstick and eyeliner to further balance the feminine make-up. Now of course we're dying to find out if this has anything to do with his character on the show. This short do is ideal for a square face shape as it shows off its strong jawline and cheekbones.

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7 Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About digimon world dawn

Gotta Catch 'Em All

No doubt that, the attraction of online flash games will not end. With over a 1000 Digimon to choose from, there can be something for everybody in the wonderful world of Digimon. With all sorts of cool Digimon, highlighted in the anime, manga, video games, and card game, it could be hard to narrow it right down to just 10, but with some effort and determination, we could actually discover 10 that represented every facet of the series. Which Digimon do you consider is the coolest? Are there any Digimon you think must have been on the list? Tell us in the comments below. A sequel to the popular anime series which accumulates after a 2 . 5 calendar year timeskip. Naruto returns to the Konoha village after teaching under Jiraiya. He still hasn't abadndoned Sasuke, who now became a member of forces with Akatsuki to achieve his own goals. However, Naruto is in more danger than ever as Akatsuki increase their attempts to hunt the Tailed Beasts.

Note: We at ROMs World Online have many PlayStation ROMs available for free to download. We likewise have some famous ROMs like Super Mario Galaxy ROM from rommode, completeroms, romsmania and also gamulator. You already have a great deal of stress and anxiety in your daily life. Most college students today have more homework assignments than ever before. In fact, a whole lot of parents complained that their children get back from school and seemed to have nothing more to accomplish than to just focus on homework! There can be an appropriate balance that should be struck between getting homework carried out and having fun. After you get back and take a brief break, then you can certainly start doing some homework.

Those two red spots are not just for cuteness, they will be the location of Pikachu's electric sacs. Pikachu is an electric pokémon, the guy can manipulate electricity for episodes on it's opponents on or off the battlefield. Pikachu is an extremely friendly pokémon and incredibly easy to love, he is normally seen with his best buddy, trainer Ash Ketchum and friend. Otonashi is an adolescent who died and went to afterlife. The afterlife is usually a high school for all those with any lingering regrets. He meets a http://edition.cnn.com/search/?text=digimon girl called Yuri who invites him to join the Afterlife Battlefront - an organization she qualified prospects which fights against the college student council president Angel, a girl with supernatural powers.

Not absolutely all valuable trading cards are fresh releases. Dating from the 1940s, this series of Man of Steel trading cards is almost as older as the much-loved character himself. Mint-condition illustrations are uncommon - and, considering these were originally little more than bubble-gum wrappers, highly useful. Generally, scents for children use well-known cartoon and anime personas as trademarks and offering vehicles. Yes, it had been imported eventually to other countries, including the USA, but that is typical of highly successful anime. Why not make more money from more people? The intended viewers of the task, however, were not particularly Americans. If that had been so, why didn't they simply produce the display in English and begin brainwashing people's Christian children from the beginning? It creates no sense.

Sousuke can be an elite soldier working for a mercenary push Mithril. He is given a objective to safeguard a Japanese senior high school young lady Chidori Kaname by posing as a transfer student. Sousuke might today a lot about military technology, but he understands following to nothing about college life, which results in all sorts of hilarious situations. Anime cons are some of the best gatherings I've ever been to. Everyone is there due to a common curiosity in Japanese culture, whether it be anime or lolita outfits. It really is among the best issues ever created ^^ (at least in my opinion).

Digimon World 4 is a hack and slash video game which is way better if you have a friend or friends to play it with. I did enjoy the game, but it was fairly damn hard to create it through to the end by myself. By the time it is possible to get digivolved forms you will have likely finished the story and they only utilize the same weapons and special attacks anyway. It is a weird entry for the series and if you like these kind of games continues to be fun. The overall game of Five Stones is certainly used five small triangular fabric bags filled with seeds, rice or sand. Each player has to throw a bag in to the air, and then quickly grab another bag on the ground before catching the first one on its way down. The game continues as the participant repeats the actions by grabbing two luggage on the ground, and so on.

During the 90's these kinds of video games started acquiring popularity, and to any extent further they will include high-end visuals, extremely real sounds, and virtual communities, together with so quite definitely more. I've played all but Next Order, the DS video games, and the PS3 video game. Best Digimon game of all, I'd say Digimon Adventure PSP because it is the first time of year of the display, in game form. If fans are loud enough, Bandai Namco could helm a new game based on the popular series. Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode of course. It's original. It isn't as buggy as the playstation video games and it's fun.

If you are a magna fan and reading up on the most recent anime and manga releases and the history of the subject, you will find there has been a lot of confusion between anime and manga. Oftentimes, followers will inquire others on discussion boards or on weblogs or in chat rooms what the difference is definitely. But that is like having the blind lead the blind generally. Not the best kind of art since it really could screen in better artwork and colors. Though I said that, there are portion of the games that is just amazing and makes me feel like it can't obtain any much better than this” during certain elements of the game despite the fact that the artwork is not really that great.

Players play as a mage and as such must rely on casting various magic spells by drawing rune styles on the DS touch screen. The energy of the spell can be effected by how accurately the rune digimon world agumon can be drawn, with more powerful spells being tougher to draw. All of the spell combinations offers players many different gameplay choices to create a substantial depth of gameplay. In order you can observe the Digimon anime movies do have a general theme which is usually boosted by the Island of the Lost Digimon. It's possible for two completely different types of people to live jointly peacefully and it is sometimes the children that coach us this.

January 31 - Digimon World: Next Order is definitely released in THE UNITED STATES for the PlayStation 4. In 1999, a short film predicated on the virtual house animals known as Digimon Adventure premiered. However, soon after the film's storyboard was finished in 1998, suppliers at Toei Computer animation were requested to turn it into a television series. The trading cards market is certainly dominated by a little number of notable businesses. These leading companies include Topps, Leaf Candy Firm, Donruss, Fleer, and Upper Deck. These businesses, while known mainly for their sports cards, non and actually produce sports-sports series.

An anime convention can be an event where people collect to celebrate anime, manga and aspects of Japanese tradition that they love. Organizers, who are large anime fans themselves, give a wide variety of entertainment geared to create the best Anime experience for fans. Despite being loosely predicated on the effective anime series Digimon Data Squad and having better graphics than its predecessor, Digimon Fight Online, having less PVP and the increased need for micro-transactions severely dampen any pleasure you could get out of the game.

March 24 - Digimon Links is released in Japan for Smartphones. It generally does not take a lot to win a combat in Digimon: ReArise, the most recent digital monster video game for iOS and Android devices. As long as your party is properly leveled up, the auto-battle function breezes through the turn-based group battles. The real challenge in Digimon: ReArise can be collecting, raising, and schooling an ever-expanding horde of multi-colored creatures, evolving them from pretty small balls into humanoid numbers with rocket launchers installed on their shoulders.