#Threshold 2005

[spockvarietyhour]

*Lost clone, defined in the narrow sense of as Lost became the breakout hit of the 2004-2005 TV season networks rushed to put their own long form scifi mystery show on prime time for the fall 2005 season.

Surface

Threshold

Invasion

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

The newest "old" (pre-2010) show I am watching is Threshold!

This show has an exceptional cast! Carla Gugino, Peter Dinklage and Brent Spiner are among the protagonists, and William "Ethan Rom" Mapother is in the first two episodes. Unfortunately it was canceled after a single season of 13 episodes.

The series focuses on a secret government project investigating the first contact with an extraterrestrial species; it's really good!

[thelastdayalive]

BRENT SPINER as dr. Nigel Fenway Threshold (2005) ep.05

[sketchy-rosewitch]

Brian van Holt as Cavennaugh in Threshold (2005)

Threshold Episode 13- Alienville

-

So mad because if they continued this Cavennaugh and Molly would’ve gotten together

Like Ik mf had feelings after that kiss there’s no wayyyyy

[scifipinups]

Carla Gugino Threshold (2005)

[mysunshinetemptress]

2005

Leah Williamson x reader

Warnings: I hate this but I wanted to give you guys something

You were born the youngest of four girls Amelia your eldest sister by ten years, followed by Ellie and finally Charlotte who although closer in age was still six years older than you.

Walking out the door you stood beside her mums car dressed in you new school uniform as you waited for your sisters to come barrelling out in order to go to school, you turned her attention from the hall door to the noise of someone shouting pass, looking down you spotted the blue ball before looking into the garden next door to see a young boy not much older then you calling for it, you smiled passing the ball back before asking if you could play. The young boy nodded as you stepped on to the grass of your next door neighbours front garden before running up to the older boy "my names Y/n I'm four and I start big school today." The older boy smiled at her "my names Jacob and I'm five it's my first day of big school today too." The pair smiled at each other before Jacob kicked the ball to you as you both started passing back and forth. Your older sisters had gotten themselves ready and out to the car searching for their little sister before noticing you next door "who's that she's playing with." Amelia asked looking at Ellie and Charlotte to see if they knew only to get a shake of the head stating they hadn't a clue. Amanda had walked out her front door with her daughter right behind her flustered that the pair were going to be late before stopping to watch you and Jacob "Jacob honey." Jacob stopped playing with the blue ball at the call for his name before Jacob turned back to you"I have to go to school now but I might see you later." You nodded smiling at the older boy "ok can we play football then as well." Jacob smiled nodding his head before bounding over to his Mum and sister as you crossed the threshold back into the front garden as your mum came out the door. The mothers smiling at each other as they rushed their children into the cars late to get them to school.

Later that day the Mums stood separate from one another waiting on their youngest to come running out of the primary school. Natalie your mum smiled as she watched you run along side the boy she recognised from earlier in the day "Mummy guess what." Natalie smiled down at you her youngest daughter moving some hair out of the four year olds face "Jacob my new best friend is in my class we sit beside each other." Natalie smiled at the young boy standing beside her daughter "hello and you must be Jacob, Y/n’s new best friend." Jacob beamed up at Natalie "I am and we are next door neighbours it's like we where meant to be friends all along." Amanda smiled walking over to her son and his new friend "hi sorry I didn't introduce myself this morning I'm Amanda Jacobs mum." Natalie smiled shaking Amanda's hand "we where both in mad rushes I don't blame you, I'm Natalie y/ns mum it's nice to finally meet the neighbours we have been living beside the past four years." The pair laughed as they began chatting you and Jacob dropping your bags beginning to play a game that ran through their imaginations like wildfire until Amanda shouted over to them "come on Jacob have to get your sister to training and then get you ready for yours." Natalie turned to Amanda "what type of training do your kids do." Amanda smiled at her "oh my pair are football mad Leah's Arsenal crazy like myself and Jacob takes after his dad as a Tottenham Spurs fan but he plays for the local under 8s team." Natalie looked over at you before looking back at Amanda "Y/n’s football crazy too unlike the rest of our girls she takes after my brother does your team have a girls team by any chance I might sign her up." Amanda shook her head "I'm afraid they don't but she could join Jacobs, I tell you what why doesn't she come over to ours after she's changed out of her uniform stick a pair of runners on her and I'll bring her down with Jacob tonight to see if she likes it, Leah used to play on it before she moved up." Natalie looked at her daughter before turning back to Amanda again "only if your sure." Amanda shook her head picking up Jacobs bag and beginning to walk to the cars " of course I'll drop her over to yours after." Natalie smiled agreeing before calling the kids over and separating for the time being.

Leah huffed trying to get her homework done as she munched on toast listening to her younger brother ramble on about his new best friend "and she's the youngest like me but she's also younger then me so technically I'm not the youngest anymore oh and Leah... Leah she likes football like us and she knows how to pass and everything  Mum said she's coming over and after we drop you off she's coming with me to try out for my team." Leah nodded along halfheartedly listening to him "that's nice buddy, why not go get changed while I finish this then we can kick about the back till mum says it's time to go." Jacob jumped from his seat running out of the room to get dressed in a hurry as Leah focused back on her homework. Leah huffed as the doorbell went getting up to get it as her mum shouted down to her "Oh hello, you must be Leah I'm Natalie and this is Y/n is your Mum about." Leah smiled at  Natalie before looking down at you as you just stared up at the older girl "yeah come on in Mum Natalie and y/n are here." The pair followed the young blonde into the kitchen waiting for Amanda to come down. "Oh perfect  Natalie I hope leah introduced herself." Natalie smiled looking over to the young girl finishing her homework as you let go of her Mums hand walking over to the kitchen table watching the older girl again. "What are you doing." Leah looked up from her work to see the younger girl standing right beside looking down at the books "my homework." You looked at Leah scanning her face "I don't have homework." Leah smiled at her "yeah Jacob was telling me here why don't you sit there I'm nearly done Jacob will be down in a minute and then we can play football out the back before we leave." You couldn’t help but look at Leah in shock "you play football." Leah smiled at you "yeah I do I have since I was your age." You nodded excitedly"but you play with your brother too." Leah nodded looking down at her work as she began finishing off her maths "my sisters don't play football with me." Leah looked up at you eyes softening as Natalie and Amanda stopped talking as they listened to the girls "I kick the ball against the wall but then Melia says it's really annoying so she makes me stop, Lellie has dance so she's to busy all of the time and Charlie plays with her friends down the road and says I'm to small to come." Leah put down her pencil again "well I'll happily play football with you anytime I'm home and Jacob loves playing football to so next time you want to play just come to us ok." You looked at Leah eyes filling with hope "Really." Leah nodded smiling at her before picking up her pencil before going back to work as you sat quietly content with just watching her.

[sproutingliliums]

Four unlikely people gather for tea with a side of conspiracy.

Out of everything Zuko expected to go wrong during his time in Ba Sing Se, being stuck with Katara and Jet was the last thing he expected. And Azula potentially being in city as well? That went beyond ‘wrong’. It was a death sentence, or as close to one as he could get. Zuko led them to the tea shop’s back entrance and held the door open as Katara and Jet passed over the threshold. He scanned the alleyway, and when he confirmed that they weren’t followed, he closed and locked the door behind him. “This way,” Zuko beckoned, waving them in the direction of the storage room. He stepped into the kitchen and found his uncle huddled over the sink, scrubbing away at a teapot. “Uncle, we need to close the shop early.” Iroh glanced up at him with a knowing look in his eyes. “Friends of yours?” “Worse. Enemies.”

read chapter 6 of my book 2 zutara/blutara AU here!

[exitrowiron]

Kickr Run Treadmill Review

Our True treadmill was 20 years old and though still functional was starting to show its age after thousands of miles. I did some research on the new Wahoo Kickr Run treadmill and was intrigued. We have two Kickr bike trainers and I've ridden thousands of miles on mine. When it started to malfunction 3 years after purchase, they replaced it quickly for free. That's the kind of company that deserves more of my business.

The treadmill has received universally positive reviews, especially from DC Rainmaker. I like running on a treadmill and I envisioned doing run workouts similar to those I can do on the Kickr bike trainer. I can program very detailed (I.e. exact watts) bike workouts in Zwift and Training Peaks and expected to do the same on their treadmill. The treadmill also has a unique innovation called RunFree in which a sensor monitors your position on the belt and automatically speeds up or slows down as you move forward or back on the belt. Just start running faster and the belt speed will instantly adjust.

The Kickr treadmill is a 400 lb beast. Wahoo requires that it be professionally delivered and setup and it must have a dedicated 15 amp circuit. The treadmill is very well made and sturdy and I'm confident it will last for many years. It is one the few treadmills that can be used to run a 4 minute mile (not that I will ever experience this). Wahoo correctly assumes that most people have their own TV so instead of attaching a crappy one they provide a deck for tablet or laptop with an integrated USB C charging port. That's the perfect solution for using the treadmill in a virtual environment like Zwift.

I ran 20 miles on the treadmill this afternoon and while I can't say the time flew by, it was a good experience. The treadmill works well in Zwift and automatically adjusted the incline (including a 3% decline) as I ran a Zwift course. The incline and speed paddles are intuitive and responsive. Unfortunately you cannot program a run workout in Zwift like you can for the Kickr bike trainer and according to a Zwift help desk rep, it isn't on the roadmap. Wahoo has its own app that includes some preprogrammed training workouts though. It is possible to create a running workout in Training Peaks, but with limited specificity - for example you can't program 400 meters at an 8:00 pace, you have to choose a Zone or percentage of threshold.

The other disappointment was the RunFree function. It is too dynamic, constantly changing the speed of the belt. I've run thousands of miles on a treadmill and wasn't able to stay in the 2 cm zone of the belt which would ensure a consistent speed.

Our last treadmill cost $3,800 in 2005 and lasted 20 years. The Kickr cost - $5,500 (including delivery) and I expect it will last as long. Although I'm a little disappointed in some of the features, I'm still happy with it.

[upthewitchypunx]

I don't think I have told this whole story before.

stuff about my house, an old abusive relationship, early witchling behavior, and growth...

So, my ex-husband and I bought this house in January of 2001. As soon as I walked into the house I knew it was *my* house, this was way before I started studying witchcraft.

The relationship was emotionally abusive from the beginning but I had no skills or understanding of how to deal with conflict and thought if I just did what he asked it would be alright, but it was never enough. I was always fucking up by doing something I wanted to do that my ex did not want me to do. He's say things like "you are so smart that you can talk yourself into anything and that's why you keep getting confused. So if you just do what I want you won't have problems." or something like that. Like, that just gives you a base level of how twisted my brain was. (there's a digital version of the zine I wrote about it here)

The house had strange spots in it that felt weird and our incongruity seemed to feed it. One of our housemates reported chairs sliding across the floor and things going missing. At one point I moved out then moved back in while we were trying to go to counseling and work things through. We thought a change would be good and we moved into that room the housemate had issues with, stayed 3 nights and revealed to each other that we felt weird and could not sleep, so we moved to a different room.

Counseling didn't work and I eventually found to courage to leave the winter of 05-06, but we still owned a business together and a lot of my things were still in the house. The person he dated after me (we became friends after she experiences some of the same abuse) saw visions of me in the house and I was very angry.

In 2005, before I left and i was sleeping on a mat on the floor of the basement, I started studying witchcraft. Got myself some Cunningham books and felt really silly trying to do rituals and hiding it. In the divorce I lost the business but got the house with idea that I would sell it. I cleaned the whole thing, painted everything, put in new fixtures. Took a punk house and made it into something more friendly. By the time I was done it was the spring of 2007. The house went on the market just as the markets were crashing. Someone was on the hook to buy it and kept it off the market for the full 30 days and by that time the house had lost a lot of value.

Anyway! We decided to move into it it with some friends in October 0f 2007. One of the friends was Wiccan and I was sort of interested in it and went to a few open rituals with her. She was taking a year and a day class and asked her teachers to help cleanse the house before we moved in. I had already stashed a bunch of witchy stuff i bought in the closet that would be my room. We opened all the windows, doors, drawers, and what not. We started at our fireplace and lit incense, flicked consecrated salt water with springs of rosemary and sage from the garden, and chanted. One of the teachers gestured towards the closet I had my newly acquired witchy shit in and asked what was in there. I said nothing and that room wasn't the problem, the room next to it where the chairs had moved was, so the focused on that. I'm still not sure why I didn't explain.

Anyway, at that point our house became the Spiral House and we have not had any of the old garbage that I'm sure was being fed by a shitting relationship. After that I built my own magical system and my own wards that work with the land and the house. I've made a secure home and I do love my house and my neighborhood.

Both houses next to us have been broken in to, but ours has not. I still think it is funny when some people stop at the threshold and I have to invite them in like vampires. lol.

[foodfightnovelization]

Foodfight! The (OFFICIAL) Video Game

Yes, you read the title right! No it's not the fangame I made a couple months ago, this is the real deal, the whole enchilada, the ACTUAL Foodfight! tie-in game! Shortly after ROTTEN: Behind The Foodfight was released, its creator Ziggy, myself, and everyone else in the Foodfight! community thought we'd found everything there was left to find. After all, we'd uncovered the workprint, the novelization, almost all the original footage, Ziggy had interviewed countless people who worked on the movie, some character models had even been found...so that was it, right? But as I hinted at in my last few posts, the Foodfight! story wasn't quite over yet.

Reese, a friend of Ziggy's, had reached out to one of the developers involved in the Foodfight! tie-in game that was set to be released alongside the movie, and shortly after ROTTEN came out, Ziggy also managed to get in touch with them. One thing led to another and we were sent a HUGE 10GB folder of art, documents, models, and footage related to the game. What you see above is a concept submission trailer created to show off the game and what it'd look like, similar to the pitch reel created for the movie itself. Needless to say, this blew our minds! If you've read my previous post on the subject, you'll know that up until now the only thing anyone had EVER seen of this game was a few seconds of grainy footage from E3 2006. To go from that to a whole stockpile of material from its development was INCREDIBLE! To learn more about how this found its way into our hands, I'll direct you to a blog post from Ziggy himself, explaining a little more about the game's developers (and relaying a truly hilarious story about Larry Kasanoff)

However, I want to talk more about the INCREDIBLE plethora of material included in the folder that was shared with us. Ziggy uploaded everything he was sent to archive.org, so I'll link it below if you'd like to peruse the files yourself, but keep reading if you want to know more about what's included!

Just to start off with, the footage from the above concept trailer and the assorted screenshots- doesn't it just look awesome? It's way more visually appealing than the finished movie ended up looking, for one thing, and it's seemingly inspired more by the early pre-motion capture footage than anything that came later on. It's also just mindblowing to finally see all this, to suddenly go from knowing basically nothing about the game to knowing so much about it! And best of all...doesn't this just look EXACTLY like a movie tie-in game from the mid 2000s? I mean, that shouldn't be too surprising, that's exactly what it is, but tie-in games of that era had a very specific look and feel and this just takes me right back to that. Remember the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory game where you're racing around on a trashcan lid, the Spider-Man game where you're running around Oscorp avoiding security robots, or the Incredibles game where you're rushing through a burning building fighting guys with flamethrowers? Doesn't this just look EXACTLY like one of those?

And you might be thinking "it's too bad we only have a few minutes of footage and some screenshots, I wish we could know even more about what the game would've been like". Well, your wish just came true! Buried deep in the files is a copy of the game's design documents, telling us EXACTLY how each level would've played out! (If you're struggling to find it, it's in AUDIO> Final Drop> FF> Docs) So not only do we get to see a ton of what the game would've looked like, we also get to see how the whole thing would've come together, with 26 action-packed levels consisting of a variety of different gameplay types. Looking at several other files, it seems like the number of levels may have been cut down to 15 later in development, but hey, it's fairly common for design docs to be more complex than the finished game. Regardless, reading about everything they had planned...this really is the ultimate stereotypical tie-in game. I mean, just look at some of these level descriptions! Isn't this every movie-based game you've ever played, all rolled into one? You can bet your boxtop if it had made it all the way through development, it'd easily have the honor of being one of the few tie-in games BETTER than the movie it was based off, although considering how the finished film turned out maybe that's not saying much.

Based on what the developers said in the article linked above, it's unclear exactly how much of the game was finished before it was cancelled, and unfortunately it's incredibly unlikely they'll ever be able to compile a build together to send our way. However, there's just SO much included in this folder it's hard to complain. Not only do we get basically a complete picture of how the game would've come together from all the documents, screenshots, audio, cutscenes and footage included, there are all kinds of additional files that are both interesting and incredibly useful.

Not only are there models and environments from the game itself (unfortunately the only character model included seems to be Dex), there are also models of the ENTIRE CAST taken directly from the earlier version of the movie! Every main character is here, from Dex to Sunshine to Mr Leonard, as well as a bunch of other models such as Dan's plane and cockpit. This is HUGE, and I can't wait to see what talented artists will do with all these resources. At the time I'm writing this, someone already ported several of the models into SFM (Source Filmmaker) and another made several animations in Blender!

I'm sure even more will happen soon, but right now this is pretty incredible. Who thought this would EVER happen? That one day we'd have models of every main character, a complete workprint of the movie from 2005, a tie-in novelization, footage of the long-sought after videogame, and so, so much more. In the span of less than a year, Foodfight! went from some of the most obscure lost media of all time to some of the most well-documented lost media of all time. We have so much there's no way I'd ever even be able to discuss it all, that's how far we've come in the past few months.

Seriously, I've barely even scratched the surface of what's in this folder. There are 3D cutscenes from the game, 2D cutscenes, concept art for the planned toy line, footage of prototypes of those toys in action, MORE gameplay footage, previously unseen storyboards not included in the workprint, raw audio of Charlie Sheen's voice sessions from the movie, tons of songs from the game, the entire score from the movie, and that's STILL not everything! I mean, holy chips! I STRONGLY encourage you to download the folder for yourself and take a look...maybe you'll even find something I haven't yet?

I really think that with this folder now out in the public, this is as much closure on Foodfight! as we'll ever get. I know I always say that and then there's some amazing discovery a few months later, but this is just such a huge smorgasbord of material that I don't even think we can count Foodfight! as lost media anymore...okay, we haven't found absolutely everything so it's partially found media at best, but could you really ask for more than all this? We have countless models from the movie, design docs and footage from the planned tie-in game, early drafts of the script, we know EXACTLY what the movie and game were going to be like before everything collapsed... now, if you're so inclined you can take all that and make something out of all of it, but me? I'm pretty satisfied just having the knowledge. Knowing what could've been before it all fell apart, getting to see so much I never thought I'd get a chance to see... right now, I'd say my Foodfight! cravings have been satiated. Unless another monumental discovery is unearthed anytime soon (at this point I wouldn't be surprised), I think there's really not much more to say. If nothing comes up in a month or two, I'll make a post showing off my personal collection of Foodfight! merchandise, an epilogue to the past year I've spent obsessing over this movie. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy the absolute treasure trove of Foodfight! material that's been discovered! Dig through it all! Make something out of it! There's so much in these files, you could create your OWN Foodfight!, with blackjack and hookers!

[thelastdayalive]

BRENT SPINER Threshold (2005) ep.06

[mariacallous]

Star Wars fans knew this moment was coming. With the Ghorman Massacre imminent, lore had it that Mon Mothma—the politician from Chandrila fighting for peace and democracy, while secretly serving as an informant for the Rebellion—would give an explosive speech before the Senate that would officially end her double life and turbocharge resistance to the Empire. In the ninth episode of Andor’s second and final season, we reach that point. An elaborate plan comes together to allow Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) to speak from the dais, against the wishes of her colleagues and the Empire’s leadership—and more surprisingly, we hear her unshakable remarks in full.

“I believe we are in crisis. The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. For all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous,” she says. “The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us—when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands—we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest.”

Andor has been profoundly resonant this season, perhaps never more than with that rousing, devastating polemic. It’s delivered with exacting delicacy by O’Reilly, who’s been waiting 20 years to deliver this very speech.

Caroline Blakiston originated the role of Mon Mothma in 1983’s Return of the Jedi. O’Reilly, fresh out of drama school at the time, was eventually cast as a younger version of the senator in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. O’Reilly’s scenes were largely cut from that prequel, and she left the Star Wars films for a decade, until Rogue One—the movie cowritten by Tony Gilroy, the mastermind behind Andor, and whose events lead right into A New Hope. Her role then expanded in Andor.

This speech gives us our richest insight yet into Mon Mothma. “It’s the fulcrum, the crux of who she is,” O’Reilly tells Vanity Fair. “The opportunity to get to do that as an actor was everything.”

Vanity Fair: I know Tony likes to outline storylines for actors as much as he can. When did you know you would be getting to make that speech?

Genevieve O’Reilly: I knew from the very beginning—from the very early stages, even when we were talking about [the show] being five seasons—that the escape from the Senate, that threshold that she had to cross, was always part of her story. Tony said to me that the weight of her emotional work and her value as a character would really be in episodes seven, eight, and nine. I knew that we were heading for that. I was desperate.

What was it like when you got that script?

I’ll tell you something unique about how it landed. Tony is quite engaged as a showrunner. When scripts would land, he would ring; he was often in New York and we were in London. But when that script landed, episode nine in particular, he was in London and he came into my trailer. Dan [Gilroy], his brother, wrote that script. But the speech wasn’t the speech we have now. The speech was moments of the speech. So they create this within the architecture of Andor: There are these big moments, but there are multiple things going on. The Diego [Luna] storyline, the dissident groups, there’s all happening around her speech.

In the initial script, you only heard the odd line of her speech. It was peppered with bits. But Tony came in and he said, “What do you think of the script?” I said, “I love where you’re going. I love the dexterity of it and I can’t wait to get into it.” And then I leant forward and took a breath, and he said, “You want me to write the whole speech, don’t you?” And I said, “Yeah, I do. I want you to write the whole speech.” It was a real mark of him understanding me as an actor: how I like to work, and what I was reaching for, and also what I really wanted for the character.

Within two days he had written that speech then. It was everything to work on it. And I went to the director that we were working with, Janus Metz, and I said, “Listen, Tony’s written the whole speech.” And he said, “Okay, well, you have to do the whole speech.” It was a really interesting way to end up on that day on that very lonely dais in the middle of a cavernous soundstage in front of a green screen, giving that speech to our very beautiful crew.

So there was no speech written out, beyond short excerpts, until you spoke to Tony?

There were only a few lines in the script. The idea was she was giving a speech, but you didn’t hear the whole speech.

You came into Star Wars as a very small player in a very big world. But here, you’re an anchor. It sounds like Tony ultimately handed you the baton.

This character has always been an expositional force: This is your mission—go off and do it. She is this pillar of leadership, but there was never exploration around that. He knew that, and he has learnt, in working with me over the years, that I’m really interested in the nuance and the mess and the knotty parts. I think he instinctively understood that I wanted to give this speech. They could do with it what they wanted afterwards, but it was important for me to have that moment to give that speech in the whole—to really understand and discover and wrestle with it.

That speech itself is actually a piece of music, almost, in the way it’s been written. It starts with her history. It moves through what was important to her, and then it gets to the crux. And then it hits a punch. I want to know what it is to have to stand up in front of all those people and carve that speech. It was quite a moment for me that day, because you’re also isolated in just climbing up those stairs and standing on that dais. The very act of having to carve a whole speech, rather than grab moments, gives you the synergy of character.

It’s especially rare—maybe unprecedented—for that moment of synergy to come after playing a character for 20 years.

Yeah, it’s been a long wait. But I’m really grateful that I’ve been given the opportunity to explore her and wrestle her and fight for her in a way that I’ve just never had before. And how wonderful that it’s happened now at this age, with my life experience and my experience as an actor, to be able to infuse that in a way that I just wouldn’t have been able to do 20 years ago.

The speech has undeniable, powerful real-world resonance. Is there a line or an aspect of it that has stuck with you?

I remember shaking when I was giving it, and this was two years ago. It was as potent then as it is now, perhaps even more—the idea of truth being lost, the idea of there being a chasm between what is said and what is true. That has stayed with me. I wonder what you remember most?

I think it’s when she’s reflecting on her own life and, in so many words, communicating the decision to come forward—the personal side. It’s a very human moment amid such a brave political act.

Yes, and that’s what the speech gives—the idea that she doesn’t quite know. She knows it has to be a speech, she knows she has to hit things, but she doesn’t quite know how she’s getting there. I feel that. For me, it didn’t feel like standing and giving a speech. It felt like standing and opening your rib cage and exposing yourself. This is a woman who has lived with masks in this cage of secrets. These masks, she wears perpetually, because if she doesn’t wear them, she’s useless to the Rebellion. But this is a moment that she can rip open her sternum and be vulnerable to her truth, and really risk speaking truth to power.

Indeed, this is her point of no return. How do you think she gets there over these three episodes? There are several moments in the lead-up where she’s like, “I don’t think I can do this”—understandable expressions of reluctance.

We don’t understand a heroic moment when we’re in it. There is an inevitability to her giving that speech, because if she doesn’t, then what’s it all for? That’s what Andor is exploring. It’s exploring not just the archetype of heroism; it’s the messiness it takes to get there. It’s the lack of the conscious understanding that the moment might even be heroic. She knows it’s dangerous. She knows it’s not just crossing a threshold—it’s crossing a Rubicon. There is no point of return. She is setting fire to her life. It is in her self-doubt that I recognize her.

How does Luthen fit into that, in your mind? This whole season he’s been an almost adversarial figure to Mon Mothma, in trying to get her to see the state of things as he does. This goes back to the beginning of the season, when he has her old friend Tay Kolma killed after realizing he’s too much of a liability.

The tectonic plates under her have shifted to a point where she has no steady footing. She needed Luthen. That moment of idealism in regard to Tay Kolma, the idea that she thought she could work her way out of it—Luthen is a brutal realist at that point, and she carries the guilt and the pain of that. But his singular drive and his blinkered vision is what gets the Rebellion there. All her ties are broken, and with Luthen in that, she’s afraid of him. She’s so afraid of him at the beginning. Without that fear, maybe she couldn’t have burned it all down, but everything’s a step.

Have you been reflecting back to when you first stepped into this character’s shoes, so long ago?

That was back in 2005. I was a young actor out of drama school. I was living and working in Sydney, and they were shooting these big films in Sydney, and they were populating the small roles with those of us who were around. Caroline Blakiston had played her in Return of the Jedi. They were looking for someone who would look like her or be her, and I swear I got the job because I was the palest person in Sydney. [Laughs] I was just really pale.

Stepping onto those sets and getting to work with Natalie Portman and Jimmy Smits, and George Lucas being there—I was just a wide-eyed young actor, soaking it all in. Of course, I was cut from those films; I mean, that was Anakin’s story, and it was always right that they did that. But it was such a positive experience for me. I just took that with me. I learned so much by being there, just by watching, just breathing it all in. And although those scenes were never in what they call the canon or whatever, they live in me. There are those experiences that you take as an actor that shine a light at some point. I just could never ever have imagined that it would’ve been so valuable however many years later. It’s just been such a surprise to me.

What struck you about these episodes when you watched them?

We spent five years making these two seasons, and everyone who was a creator and an artist in season one came back for season two. We knew that it was going to be our last shot. So this might sound strange, but the collective ambition of everyone on, particularly, season two was palpable.

What I was struck by when I watched it was that I thought it caught that. It doesn’t always catch it. That collective ambition—I could see it there, and I felt deeply proud to be a part of that. I could see that magic that everyone was reaching for.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

[notdefendingtaylor]

the most worrying thing to me about the asylum aesthetic

aside from the clear co-opting of mentally ill and disabled people's historical abuses under a broken, underfunded, and at times deeply unscientific system....

is that mental healthcare available NOW can be a profound help, life changing AND life saving.

but the asylum/love made me crazy/'female rage' imagery of ttpd is provoking a lot of discussion about historical abuses and the actual benefits are getting somewhat lost in that discussion. (scientology, THE anti-psychiatry organization, must be thrilled.)

here are some facts about recovery under appropriate and professional help:

bipolar: "Shorter duration of illness, higher social class, and treatment compliance were associated with higher rates of recovery and more rapid recovery." (source)

borderline personality disorder: "One study found that 77% of participants no longer qualified for the DBT diagnosis [of borderline] after one year [of DBT treatment]" (source)

major depressive disorder: "Clinical and functional remission was achieved in 70.6% and 56.1% of the MDD patients, respectively." (source)

hospitalizations: "it can reduce the stress of daily responsibilities for a brief period of time, which allows you to concentrate on recovery from a mental health crisis. As your crisis lessens, and you are better able to care for yourself, you can begin planning for your discharge. In-patient care is not designed to keep you confined indefinitely; the goal is to maximize independent living by using the appropriate level of care for your specific illness." (source)

what is my point here? contributing to the STIGMA around psychiatric care, trying to couch mental illness in language of romantic shared mania (folie à deux) is not just giving 2005 myspace, it's inherently irresponsible. a 'recovery is possible' mindset is what saves lives and in the US, her home country, the stigma against seeking help works hand in hand with the systematic defunding of mental health care to dissuade people from achieving the recovery that can lead to abatement of suffering and transition into a life worth living.

here's my mental illness cheat sheet:

it's not romantic. it can be associated with creativity, but that's not guaranteed or inherent and may largely be a cliche that sidetracks real functional improvement: "Romanticizing the 'mad genius' myths surrounding bipolar disorder can also be harmful, and have negative consequences on your wellbeing and productivity." (source)

it's expensive as hell to treat, but under certain income thresholds in the US, Medicaid can pay for most if not all of the treatment you might need.

it generally leads to lower employment rates or underemployment but treatment leads to the best outcomes for employment and housing: "undertreatment can have a negative impact on occupational functioning" (source)

substance abuse is a conversation that can't be unlinked to mental illness and for some reason the US seems more ready to talk about that than the underlying mental health issues - because then an element of blame can be assigned to the individual for self-destructive behavior. but addressing the core mental health issues can certainly lead to recovery in other areas, when the substance use is linked to depression, anxiety, etc.

the US loves to talk about mental illness when gun violence occurs, but that doesn't mean those same legislators will vote to expand access to mental health treatment (source)

my #1 tip i have is this: if you don't have insurance or your insurance only covers a fraction of your psych inpatient bill, CONTACT PATIENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND FILL OUT PAPERWORK TO SEEK A WRITE-OFF. instead of that $3000 bill you can leave owing $500 (or less). literally cannot emphasize this enough! the write-off is based on income so they will need to see your financials to assess what write-off(s) may be appropriate in your case.

peer support groups like National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) may hold meetings in your area where you can discuss your problems and relate to others' who may share some of your struggles. this is basically peer-led, FREE group 'counseling'. seriously, it's effectively nearly as good as the group sessions you might have to pay for, and the frequency is often weekly. (find support)

yes, we can talk about past historical psychiatric abuses and ongoing abuses today, which tend to disproportionately affect the socioeconomically disadvantaged. but the conversation needs to also include the benefits of access to scientifically-informed mental health treatment as well.

[mysterysnail]

hey do you know him

Foodfight! is a 2012 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Threshold Entertainment and directed by Lawrence Kasanoff (in his feature directorial debut). The film features the voices of Charlie Sheen, Wayne Brady, Hilary Duff, Eva Longoria, Larry Miller, and Christopher Lloyd. Foodfight! takes place in the "Marketropolis" supermarket, which, after closing time, transforms into a city inhabited by "Ikes", personifications of well-known food mascots. The story follows a cereal brand mascot, Dex Dogtective, who, along with his best friend Daredevil Dan, join forces with their fellow "Ikes" to fight against the forces of the evil Brand X, who threaten to take over the entire supermarket.

After raising tens of millions of dollars in funding, Foodfight! had a troubled and much-delayed production. The film was originally scheduled for a Christmas 2003 theatrical release; however, this failed to materialize, and later planned release dates in 2005 and 2007 were also missed. By September 2011, after the producers defaulted on a loan, creditors auctioned off the film's assets and all associated rights to Fireman's Fund Insurance Company.

In 2012, the film had a modest release, being direct-to-video in most territories. Its critical reception was overwhelmingly negative, with most criticism directed towards the animation, humor, story and excessive product placement. It has often been discussed as one of the worst films of all time.

When night falls at the supermarket Marketropolis, the store products' mascots ("ikes," from "icons") come to life and interact with each other. Heroic cereal mascot Dex Dogtective is about to propose to his girlfriend Sunshine Goodness, a raisin mascot, but she goes missing just before he is able to do so.

Six months later, a

[haveyouseenthisseries-poll]

[to-shards-you-say]

my non-rigorous and entirely vibes-based take on the "kelsier is a psychopath" debate is that kelsier would score under the PCL-R threshold for criminal psychopathy, but over the threshold for the PPI-R — ie specifically the 2005 revision criticised for implying that half the traits of psychopathy can be summarised as just 'being an extrovert'