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what-do-1000-swords-look-like · 4 years

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and the rewatch continues

So rewatching most of season 5 and dipping into season 6, after coming from season 4, I found some things very interesting, things I actually had forgotten about and some that just hit differently now that the show has ended:

Season 4:

Brothers - different iterations: Had that finale happened after this season, it might have made better sense (though I STILL say the manner of Dean’s death is laughable)

Destiel & Cas: While Cas and Dean have some uncomfortable staring contests and there’s chemistry, I didn’t get the whole Destiel vibe (this is just my personal take), yes there’s a bond there, a growing partnership so to speak but I feel like Cas is not around enough for it to be in the forefront of the story or even to demand Dean’s attention in a way. Like Cas made his big entrance in 4x01 and we saw how things took off from there for the story and for this connection/bond between he and Dean but Dean is early season Dean and Cas is early season Cas. Though I found Cas’ interest in everything Dean Winchester to be intriguing (and he put Dean back together with his own hands, I just...this really does become the greatest love story ever told, I swear), I personally didn’t get the whole UST vibes that has been talked about. I actually found myself wanting to go deeper into Cas’ story (a la 6x20 style) aside from Dean’s and Sam’s.

Anna: That whole night with Anna was purely that: a night. There wasn’t a whole lot of chemistry between Jensen and Julie and it’s very clear that this whole sex-on-last-night-on-earth thing is for comfort, for both characters. I kind of get why they switched up gears there for Dean’s angel role, even if they didn’t intend for Destiel to read as romantic at all initially. 4x09 & especially 4x10 were so obviously trying to ying and yang the brothers and the sides that had chosen them/complemented them: Anna | Ruby, Heaven | Hell -> eventually Michael | Lucifer. But back to Anna, while I enjoyed her character and would have loved to delve deeper with her, I am glad Cas was the one who got to stay. Anna and Dean had no chemistry, outside of a couple of glances before the big hookup/last night on Earth deal, there wasn’t really anything there. Tbf, they didn’t have a lot of private time before that, except maybe one convo. To me, in this scenario, Anna was a source of comfort (after she tells Dean he needs to forgive himself for what happened in Hell which I very much appreciated, someone had to tell him that) and attraction, letting her have her last night on Earth, a hookup, etc. But there was nothing deeper there. And for this bond with an angel to happen, there needed to be something deeper there. Perhaps had Anna been around longer and didn’t go the way she did in season 5, it might have but I honestly tend to doubt it. We all know Cas and Dean’s (Misha’s and Jensen’s) natural chemistry is off the charts. I’m not sure Anna (Julie) could have competed with that had both Cas and Anna stuck around together. I know I’m completely biased here, but I almost felt like Anna and Cas had more chemistry together, it might have been because they got more face time, I’m not sure. But I thoroughly enjoyed watching it all go down again.

Adam: Omg I forgot about how Adam wasn’t Adam when Dean and Sam first met him. That was heartbreaking on so many levels, but mostly for Adam and his mom dying the way they did and of course, for Dean and Sam. Namely Dean because he was the most affected by finding out about Adam’s existence. And I swear I fell in love with Dean more in that episode as a character because despite his pain, his anger, his hurt, he still tries to do the right thing by Adam, to honor his dad’s wishes. And John...that mf’er doesn’t deserve any of those boys as his sons. What an asshole through and through.

Season 5:

Destiel & Cas: And now we see Cas becoming a bit more forefront and the vibe has changed...slightly. Now it’s a partnership turning into a friendship. Dean and Cas get a bit more face time and it shows. 5x03 was awesome and of course the wholly unnecessary line of “One, Bert and Ernie are gay” -- like where did that come from? I still loved it. It was tough to see Dean and Sam go their separate ways in the beginning but we still got some gold out of it with 5x03 and 5x04. And thankfully, we get more into not only more of the angel and apocalypse lore this season, but we also get to see how Cas’ relationship with the Winchesters is changing and more of what makes Cas tick as a character in his own right. And of course, bamf!Cas was very present.

Brothers: Once again, had that finale happened after this season, it might have made more sense (sans the junk death) - because it’s very obvious that the co-dependency is alive and well here and it would have made more sense for their characters - while they have others outside of the two of them they are caring about (Bobby, Ellen, Jo just to name a few), it’s still the exclusive Winchester-only club. I truly enjoyed watching these two working together and moving towards the season finale. Dean’s memory of Sam and the fireworks, Dean talking about how Sam’s best memories weren’t the same as his (shocker, John Winchester is a d-bag, I’ll keep saying it), Dean struggling to make the decision to say yes to Michael, having to agree with the plan for Sam to say yes to Lucifer to try to trap the latter, Dean showing up to the cemetery -- all of it was incredible and the two of them were the beating heart of the show at that point. 5x22 will always be one of my favorite season finales for that show. It was pure awesomeness, truly epic and perfect.

Dean: holy hell, they really, really threw a lot into Dean this season - not that they hadn’t before, but damn. Each season just amps up the Dean game, just like I remember, and I am happily here for it again. No offense to Sam at all, but Dean is just so complex, so complicated yet straightforward, and there’s so many layers to him that they just keep peeling back and they feed us well each season. I swear, if you turned the sound off and just watched that scene where Dean tells Zachariah to call Michael, where Dean and Sam go their separate ways, you would know exactly everything Dean is feeling and thinking thanks to the incredible talent of one Mr. Jensen Ackles. Just really incredible. How this man never got nominated for an Emmy at any point for this show just astounds me. Yes, I know that show wasn’t considered a contender for that type of award run, but dammmnnnn. He deserves it and more. Watching this season and season 4 really brought back the original reasons I fell in love with Dean as a character in the first place. One of the best characters ever, I’m telling you. And may I just say, I hated that they brought back John’s leather jacket for him in the season finale but I get it, it was Kripke’s swan song (did I just do that? I believe I did) so we of course went back to core Winchester things, not just in story but every element. I’m ngl, I was so glad to see Dean shed it though when he is sitting down to dinner with Lisa and Ben.

Apocalypse: I thoroughly enjoyed this whole plot line - this really was high stakes, more than ever before, and though angels were dicks, there was Lucifer of course and a mysterious though mostly absent God behind the curtain - you just never knew what was going to be thrown at you next, just like the boys were going through.

Heaven/Mary: even though this definitely has to do with Dean more so, I did enjoy them seeing Ash and Pam, Ash’s setup, and of course Mary being there, seeing how such a good memory could be manipulated by the dick angels and the horrible things Mary said to Dean. Of course, I felt for Dean but it was interesting to see that whole scene play out. Plus we got even more confirmation of what we’ve known all along: John is a bonafide asshole and Dean really did experience facets of spousification, even before Mary died (which just makes me so sad for him, I swear if they don’t put a Cas vs John scene in the reboot... because you know Cas will win that thumb war)

Meg: ngl, I wasn’t really crazy about this iteration of Meg - I don’t mean Rachel Miner’s version, just this particular performance, which I chalk up to whoever decided they wanted her to go this route in her performance - I couldn’t believe it was the same character, the same actress - I am so glad the show/Rachel developed the character we all love to hate and secretly really love to how she was in later seasons

Jo: omg Jo. I have to admit, in season 2, in the first episode she showed up in, I despised her. She was like that bratty teenage kid who’s a real pain in the ass and whines and doesn’t get it. But after that episode, I grew to love her with each one she was in. She became a bamf in her own right and I loved seeing that come through this season especially. Her death was horrific (what is it with this show killing off bamf female hunters in such a gruesome way? it brought back horrible Eileen flashbacks for me personally, and for them to turn Meg and Ketch into somewhat redeemable characters after that... you know, I swear...) but heroic and I had never been more proud of my girl. Except the scene with Dean in the kitchen. As much as I love my chaotic hunter son, I was glad to see Jo flip him off in the way she did. So proud. And then her goodbye with Dean, I had forgotten exactly what he did so I was going “omg, she just saved you, Dean, this girl has feelings for you, she deserves at least a kiss, kiss her. right. the fuck. now!” and sure enough, he did, on the forehead, which I was like okay, well I get it, he doesn’t return those feelings but he does care about her but dammit, she deserved for him to plant one on her. and then he did and I was just gone, I was a complete bawling mess. And her goodbye scene with Ellen, and then her death along with Ellen’s sacrificing herself to stay by Jo’s side and give the boys a chance to get out of there...yeah, I didn’t stop crying for about five minutes. I cannot tell you how much I miss those characters and I would have sold someone else’s right arm to make their return in the series finale happen. Besides the obvious characters that should have been present, Ellen, Jo, and Ash deserved to be there (just not Samantha and Chad, if we can get a “Cas helped” for the third major character/lead, we can also get a “Ellen and Jo went to assist in setting up the honeymoon suite above the roadhouse - I said what I said).

John: usually, I cannot abide giving any time to this jerk, never mind talking about him, but I have to say I enjoyed seeing pre-loss John in 5x13. That conversation he has with Sam I think is so glaringly important. I know it was for Sam to forgive John and heal, but the fact that John himself is saying “how could he do that to you? he was supposed to protect you” -- yep, that was pure poetic cinema in my eyes. Because pre-loss John is right, how dare post-loss John do that to his boys? There’s no excuse anyone or this show can give him. As much as I love JDM, post-loss John Winchester will never be okay in my book.

Adam: omg Adam. First of all, I loved his dynamic with Sam and Dean. I really, really wish we could have had him around longer just for that alone. What an awesome character we could have had giving Dean and Sam a run for their money. “Well, we’re working on the power of love.” “How’s that going?” “Not so great.” -- give me an episode of the three brothers on a milk run hunt (sans generic mask-wearing vampmimes) with all of the fixings and I swear we would get done!Sam, consistently being roasted between Dean and Adam, and then Dean thinking he’s got a mutual now, a BFF, and Adam turning right around to roast him as well. It would be epic, I tell you, epic. I wish Adam had gotten a better end, this season and at the end of the series. He certainly deserved better. And this may be a random observation but why did Michael take Adam at all? I know the countdown had begun and he was desperate to grab a vessel so he could fight Lucifer at the appointed time and Dean was not giving in (that he knew of), but what chance of victory did he think he had without using his true vessel? Using that logic, I guess Michael’s end in the series makes more sense now...? Who knows.

Chuck: Swan Song (5x22) and the lines, “Endings are hard. Any chapped ass monkey with a keyboard can poop out a beginning but endings are impossible. You try to tie up every loose end but you never can. The fans are always gonna bitch. There’s always gonna be holes. And since it’s the ending, it’s all supposed to add up to something. I’m telling you, they’re a raging pain in the ass“ -- did anyone else feel like that was Kripke speaking or is it just me?

Season 6:

the whole Lisa thing: while it was nice to see Dean go domestic, I have to say I was more invested in Dean and Ben’s relationship development than I was with Dean and Lisa’s. The chemistry just wasn’t there, I have to be honest (he and Anna actually had more chemistry for a few minutes than he did with Lisa this whole season). I don’t doubt they loved each other, it was real, and Lisa was good for him at the time but it just didn’t have that spark. I loved Lisa as a character in her own right, but I was happy to see her and Dean eventually go their separate ways. Though my heart broke for Ben on that one. He and Dean really had a whole father-son bond happening there. I appreciated that when Ben called him, even that one time that nothing was really wrong, Dean dropped everything and headed right over. They had a bond of their own happening outside of Dean and Lisa’s. I think Dean ultimately made the right choice in the end to keep Lisa and Ben safe (though they should have been able to choose if they wanted this), but God did that cost him and we see it in that scene outside of the hospital with Sam. How much that hurt for him, and for us to see how it killed him to do it. I’m still grateful that he got to see what the domestic life was like and that he got a reprieve from hunting for a bit. It made complete sense as to why Cas didn’t want to pull him back in to ask for help with Raphael.

Destiel: Welp, now there’s definitely an emotional relationship happening. Meaning the bond has become even more forefront and not only is Dean affected, but we also see that Cas is, too. Dean’s reaction to finding out Cas was working with Crowley the whole time, Cas’ reaction to Dean choosing to save the two boys instead of focusing on finding Eve, Cas’ reaction to Dean’s stance on the Crowley situation, Dean’s finding out Crowley kidnapped Lisa and Ben, Cas asking Dean to trust him, Dean seeing Cas becoming the new God and needing to summon Death, etc. It was fantastic. While it hurt during some moments, I enjoyed seeing the dynamics and reactions to these situations play out. This is definitely a friendship now, a family relationship formed (and still forming) like Dean says in 6x20. Imho, Jensen and Misha knocked it out of the park this season when it came to that relationship. I loved it.

Cas: holy hell, 6x20 has become one of my all-time favorite episodes of SPN. I loved seeing Cas’ POV. Cas was already a fave character of mine but this episode made me fall in love with him all over again. This was incredible and I’m so thankful they fed us so well with this one. I really enjoyed seeing Cas as a character stepping into the forefront, right there with Dean and Sam. Yes, he was a part of TFW before this, but you have to admit that in this season, it becomes a whole new ball game. Really amazing stuff and of course, Misha slayed it all.

Meg & Megstiel: I was so happy to see the iteration of Meg return that we know from later seasons. Maybe I’m just too used to that version but to me this felt more effortless for the character and for Rachel, that really let both shine. Personally, I’m not a Megstiel shipper. While I love their dynamic, it just isn’t there for me, but I really did enjoy their scenes together. Cas felt as if he needed a little shaking up so to speak so I think she was perfect for that. Plus, I have a hard time forgiving those in the show that sic Hellhounds on my bamf female hunters so that might be partially the reason for my bias, just saying. (I never really forgave Ketch either)

Samuel...& Co: I just...why? Don’t get me wrong, I liked Mitch but this felt a bit...I don’t know...off? Other than some place for Soulless!Sam to go while Dean was playing house and for nabbing Alphas for Crowley, I don’t get what the point of this story line was? Was it to show us that Mary’s dad was a d-bag? Check. Was it to show us how people sometimes make the worst decisions when it comes to their family? Double check. Like, we kind of already got that and it was just unnecessary confirmation if that makes sense. And the thing that kills me is that Samuel was in Hell (or goes to Hell, I kind of did other things in the background during that arc) but he loved his daughter enough to betray her sons and do the wrong thing but John gets to go to Heaven? This still confounds me. Though I enjoyed Gwen and it was a shame she couldn’t be a family contact in another state for the boys later on to pop up every now and then.

Soulless!Sam: I enjoyed this part of Sam’s arc but I won’t lie, I was relieved like everyone else when he finally got his soul back though waited with bated breath for the other shoe to drop. But it was interesting to see this side of Sam.

Dad!Dean: I know I mentioned Dean and Ben above, but that one episode with the shifter!baby, that was priceless and God, did I love it.

I just loved going back to this for both boys

#spn posts #spn rewatch #episode mentions #spn 5x03 #spn 5x04 #spn 6x20 #spn 5x22 #spn 4x19 #spn 5x13 #spn 5x19 #this was in my drafts #i'm kicking it out #spn season 4 #spn season 5 #spn season 6 #destiel mention #anti john winchester #dean winchester

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thecorteztwins · 4 years

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@esteicy-blog “I'm convinced that they didn't even check the wiki page of her comic version when writing her in the mcu because movie Mantis has absolutely nothing to do with what you describe.“ I haven’t see the MCU movie, but I have read a bit about that version of Mantis and they sound NOTHING alike to me either! Comics Mantis is: - Not an alien. She’s a completely human woman with a Vietnamese mother and a German father. She was raised by Kree priests in a temple, but that temple was in Vietnam, not space, and then when she was an adult they wiped her memories so she remembered only growing up in Saigon. She never goes to space until her destiny as the Celestial Madonna is revealed. She MARRIES one of the Cotati aliens, but she isn’t one herself. Which means I think GotG has more POC who are playing aliens than actual POC characters? - Her powers are very different. As I understand it, movie!Mantis is a generic empath. Comics book Mantis had what she described as “empathy with nature” often calling it simply “empathy” for short, but what it actually was was just like...this very vague and generic psychic sensitivity. She wasn’t exactly a real telepath, nor a true empath, nor a precog, but she could feel “vibrations” that gave her clues if something was wrong, get a general sense of a person in a vague sort of way, and just generally gave her really good intuition. For instance, this one time a cop with a split personality had his other personality take over, and Mantis sensed SOMETHING was wrong because his “vibrations” changed, she just couldn’t say WHAT was going on. But more than her psychic sensitivity, was her martial arts prowess. Mantis has such martial skill that she’s able to grapple with Thor and WIN---quickly win, at that! At one point ALL THE AVENGERS try to physically restrain her, and she TOSSES THEM THE FUCK OFF (again, including Thor) She also once kicks Pietro in the face WHEN HE’S RUNNING! Again, this woman is HUMAN, she just has really extreme training by alien priests. - Her personality. Again, I haven’t seen the movie, but she seems kind of...cute and fragile and ditzy and naive from what I understand? Comics Mantis is intelligent, fearless, and very much NOT naive. She’s extremely assertive and serious, she’s not shy or giggly at all. She’s also framed as very intelligent and logical, though that’s more something the writing tries to convince us of than what’s actually on the page. She’s not stupid AT ALL, just we’re told she’s a brilliantly logical deductive mind on par with the Vision, when actually she just mostly makes guesses based on her intuition powers but calls it deduction. She’s definitely clever though, both in a fight and in terms of getting what she wants from people and situations, and how to best utilize her powers. She’s also never unsure in her abilities either; she’s so confident in them that in fact she defends them to others when they think her psychic intuition is wrong, or that she didn’t measure her strike correctly, and BOTH times she’s proven correct. But she’s also not arrogant about her skills either, and in fact demures from compliments. Mantis doesn’t tolerate anyone underestimating her abilities, including allies, and she trusts in herself completely...but she also doesn’t need praise from others either, and doesn’t seem to want it. And the story supports her, there is never a moment where she’s proven wrong in this. Mantis is NOT a character who EVER struggles with control of her powers. Mantis can be great. For instance, when she’s reuniting with the Avengers after having been away in space with the whole Celestial Madonna thing, they’re all super happy to see her. Silverclaw, a new Avenger (who is also indigenous Latina) stands off the side and is left out, because she doesn’t have any connection to Mantis. Mantis notices this, and she immediately reaches out to Silverclaw, putting her arm around her, saying that “Yes, they gather around this one. But this one would rather gather around you.” and explains that she was the new girl once and the Avengers supported her, and she wants to support Silverclaw too. It’s very sweet! Mantis absolutely can be a big jerk. The way she meets The Avengers is that some guys are being creeps to Wanda on the street, and Mantis jumps out to kick their asses and defend Wanda. This is great. But it’s not coincidence. Mantis wasn’t just passing by. She and her boyfriend the Swordsman (a former Avenger) want to join, and had come to the US for the express purpose of joining. So she was probably following Wanda and just jumped out at the moment she knew would make her look best to Wanda, so that Wanda would vouch for her as an Avenger. Mantis shows this capacity to be manipulative other times as well, and in fact in the end she seems to have been just using the Swordsman as a way to get America and be an Avenger, even though she claims to the Avenger that she doesn’t care about being one and just wants to be next to “her man”. She acts like the typical “submissive Asian girl who loves her big strong white boyfriend” at first but the minute she decides that she’d rather have the Vision, who is actively involved with Wanda, she starts pursuing him. She’s a huge jerk to Swordsman and Wanda in the process, insulting the both of them as being weak and not good enough for her or Vision, at first behind their backs, and then to their faces, she and Wanda get pretty catty. Mantis is very adamant that she wants a strong, heroic, INTELLIGENT man, and the Swordsman falls short for her. Which is her choice, but the way she handles it is very shitty to him (not to mention going behind his and Wanda’s backs trying to seduce Vision). He tries more than once to have a discussion with her about it, and she evades him, avoiding giving him any kind of straight answer when he asks her very straightforward questions. It’s not towards the end that she finally coldly dismisses him and tells him he’s not enough for her and that she doesn’t care for him any longer. Even when he’s dying after saving her and she’s begging him to live and apologizing, she’s still frankly kind of a selfish dick about it? She says she used him and that it was wrong and that she sees that now, but she says he needs to live so she can make things up to him. So he needs to live so SHE can feel better, basically, and she’s only feeling remorse in the first place because he sacrificed himself for her. Even after death, he can’t catch a break---she says she prefers the version of him that is actually the Elder Cotati possessing his dead body (I’m still not over that) because its smarter than the original Swordsman was. Ouch. But Mantis isn’t all bad for this! She’s not actually demonized for it at all, to be honest, nor is she punished by the narrative. Her story with the Swordsman is honestly more just a way to get her to the Avengers, then she quickly overtakes him in terms of importance as a character. It’s easy to forget he’s there most of the time compared to her, and he’s got rid of the moment he’s no longer really needed, and the next chapter of her story can begin as she’s revealed to be The Celestial Madonna. It’s the reverse of the typical male and female roles in a story, ESPECIALLY for a white man and an Asian woman. He’s HER prop, he’s the one devoted to her, he’s the one who is cast aside and dies for her as a part of HER story. Mantis also evolves. When she comes back from her journey as the Madonna, she’s straight with the Avengers about why she’s come to them, and she asks directly for their help, there’s no manipulative games. Wanda and her still have a bit of an issue on Wanda’s end, Wanda understandably still doesn’t like seeing her be close with Vision, but BOTH of them work at having a better relationship---Wanda in fact goes out of her way to tell Mantis that she and Vision are separated now, so it’s fine if he hooks up with Mantis (which he does) And Mantis hasn’t said an unkind word about Wanda in a very long time. Being a mother brings a whole new dimension to her. Ben Grimm cracks about how any “red-blooded American kid” would have a hard time calling her “Mom” due to her sex appeal, and Mantis rightly points out that people don’t often think of her as a mother---which is a small but VERY true commentary on how people can’t seem to conceive of motherhood and sexiness in the same woman outside the MILF stereotype---but she is, and she is a very devoted one, and she’s a great mom while also having sex with the Vision even while she also has a “mate” in the Elder Cotati, and she’s not portrayed as wrong for this in any way; she and the Elder Cotati seem poly I guess. And being a mother, being the Celestial Madonna, gave her a bunch of additional new powers, she’s stated to be a GODDESS now, and she ends up being able to TAKE ON THANOS and she WARNS him---”This one is life, Thanos, but hurt her son and she will kill you. That is a promise.” So, she’s a very well-rounded character, she’s very assertive and confident woman with every right to be, while not being arrogant. She’s got some really nasty flaws, she can be cruel and catty when it comes to romance, manipulative when it comes to achieving her goals when there’s not even any need to be, but she also matures and develops. She’s a great mom who also has an active sex life and nothing is shown as wrong about it. She starts out with admittedly very racist trappings---the mysterious seductive martial artists Dragon Lady from the Far East who seems devoted to her white boyfriend--but grows beyond it in spades. I can see why a modern movie might want to shed SOME of that baggage...but making her into a cutesty-poo side character with nearly all her incredible canon powers gone, while ALSO erasing her ethnicity and cultural identity, doesn’t seem at all a step in the right direction to me.

#mantis #marvel #avengers #gotg #guardians of the galaxy #meta #mantis meta #sorry for the novel but I wanted to talk about it #and you provided a very good opportunity #out of cortez

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atopearth · 6 years

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Shall We Date? Ninja Shadow Part 5 - Yuzuki Route

Yuzuki does seem like a really nice and considerate guy to learn from. I wonder if that kindness came from his status of being a prostitute’s son, so he knows how important it is to be kind to others since words can be very hurtful. I can’t believe Suetsugu made Yuzuki bow down to him on his knees to apologise for the heroine bumping into him and dirtying his clothes! That’s outrageous! How disgusting to make someone do that! I feel so bad for the heroine though, it was because of her that Yuzuki was forced to do that… Pretty cool that he’s the son of this merchant that runs an import kinda store I think and supports the vigilante here, he’s a rich boy with worries! It seems that his half brothers are really nice people though, so maybe the problem is the father and Yuzuki’s own self? And I guess how people view him as well since townspeople gossip about him… Seems like it is because of how people view him, his family has always treated him well so he wants to repay them for their kindness but for some reason, marriage is something he can’t do for them, hmmm.

LOL at Yuzuki using the heroine to reject arranged marriages, saying he only likes men🤣 I can’t believe there’s a woman running a kimono shop appraising her customers and then selling them off into prostitution after kidnapping them! Like Ukyo said, that’s disgusting! But it was nice of the heroine to volunteer to dress up as a girl and be the bait instead of Yuzuki since he seemed so apprehensive about dressing up as a girl. There’s a chance that the heroine might be caught on as a girl so it’s risky, so it was nice of her to volunteer herself.

Now that I’ve started playing Ninja Assassin, it’s so cool to see Soji and Aoi and appear here~~ ohh wow, they’re actually Yuzuki’s masters since they trained him as a ninja?!😮 It’s nice to see them rely on each other and comfort each other, they really are close enough to be so comfortable huh?! Lmaoo when the heroine was feeling faint and so he laid out a bed for her at his place and just undid her kimono, he’s gonna be in for the shock of his life😂 Not sure if Yuzuki really believes her lie that there’s a really ugly scar that she doesn’t want to show people on her chest, or if he really wants to believe that she’s not a girl since he seemed so disgusted at the possibility of her being a girl.. I guess the mental scar of his mother abandoning him and his experiences at the red light district as a child really scarred him, to the point that when women touch him, he needs to wash himself clean wherever they touched. I mean, that’s definitely a psychological problem stemming from his past, it’s going to be difficult for him to overcome. So really, saying he hates women isn’t very correct, it seems more like he finds them repulsive.

Whaaaat, there’s a woman kidnapping other women to dress them up as dolls and then killing them when she gets bored? That’s pretty disgusting to another level. Ohh! Yuzuki is from the same village as Soji and Aoi! I wonder if that means Yuzuki left the village in bad terms too🤔 It was rude of Yuzuki to speak like that to Ukyo and them, but omg it was so funny when he started wiping the heroine’s shoulder with his handkerchief because Ukyo touched her lollll. He’s like unknowingly jealous and protective lol. Wow, Yuzuki was so bold, he legit just confessed his feelings in front of the whole world at the restaurant. Not sure if Yuzuki really likes her or if he’s just desperate to not have her stolen away and thinks that in terms of men, she’s the best one so he should opt for her or something lol.

I admire the heroine for being so honest and upfront with Yuzuki to tell him that she’s actually a woman. It must have hurt pretty bad when she touched him and he used a handkerchief to wipe where she touched though… I can understand his revulsion but it’s still pretty difficult to accept that the moment she revealed she was a woman, he wanted to take back everything he said to her before as if it never happened. As usual, he can’t seem to accept it until a life and death situation appears for the heroine, forcing Yuzuki to show his true feelings instead of forcefully subduing them. Never expected the silver haired samurai with a fox mask to actually be Makoto’s older brother that should have been the Nagasaki vigilante head but for some reason disappeared. He seems rather adamant on destroying Nagasaki because of it’s unending corruption though. I wonder if he decided that whatever he is doing now is a much better way to deal with Nagasaki…

Not surprised that Makoto and Ukyo will be dealing with the brother personally from here on, but I never thought that Shintaro was actually a ninja for Makoto’s family before all this! Guess they’re hiding Toru’s involvement with the smuggling just because Shintaro might not be able to handle it properly since he used to idolise Toru. It seems that it’s difficult for Asagi too since he seems to respect Toru. It seems that Yuzuki is starting to realise the heroine for who she is despite the fact that she may be female. I mean, when she thanked him for saving her and touched his sleeve, he had no adverse reaction, no wiping, just a bit of embarrassment that she thanked him.

It was so thoughtful of Yuzuki to get her a freshly made steamed bun, he didn’t give it directly but it was really kind of him to do that, especially since he purposely waited for a new piping hot one to be made to give it to her. Omg when the heroine confessed to Makoto that she was actually a girl, and then Yuzuki immediately tried to defend her saying it’s his fault and responsibility as her instructor and as someone who knew about it, and that if they weren’t going to help her village anymore, he wanted to offer his shop’s resources to help them! I’m not a fan of Yuzuki but that was really touching. It was so adorable when the heroine wanted to do the same for him and went to his shop and bought a cake to give to him, since she doesn’t know his tastes well but if it’s from his shop, then he’ll probably like it haha. That’s a good idea! XD

Now they’re finally together! I’m not a fan of Yuzuki but I really liked Soji and Aoi involving themselves in this story because Yuzuki is their pupil, so they were concerned for him and watched over him and the heroine’s relationship. It was heartwarming for them to care for him so much. I was so worried that Yuzuki’s hand would be no more when Toru threw a bomb that hit straight at his arm since he blocked it for the heroine. Guess it didn’t pack much gunpowder, still quite a bit though, since he’s still recovering after half a month. I do enjoy how straightforward he is about his love for the heroine now and how they’re practically like a married couple already by running a shop together. It’s really comforting to see her so well accepted into their family and Yuzuki and them thinking that they should get married and have kids soon hahaha.

I’m also very happy that Yuzuki can finally truly accept the kindness and the love his father and his brothers have been constantly giving and showing him, now he doesn’t need to think of it as insincere anymore and they can really be a happy family now~ He’s a troublesome guy though since he’s so easily jealous and possessive over the heroine when anyone comes close to her or compliments her lol. Hopefully he’ll get over it in the future in a S2 or something lol. Otherwise, I guess the ending was kinda cute?

Overall, I don’t really like Yuzuki. I understand his situation and perspective but it was just very bland in terms of the plot and I’m not a fan of Yuzuki’s personality and how he chose to handle things before and after they got together, so yeah. It was an okay route but didn’t like it too much.

#ninja shadow

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pamphletstoinspire · 6 years

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Reconciliation: Graced Opportunities

One of my greatest joys as a priest is to be an instrument of God’s mercy to people in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (See below for meaning of the Sacrament of Reconciliation). Some people tell me they leave freer and with a lighter heart after hearing, “Through the ministry of the Church, may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” I’m surprised more people don’t use the opportunity for forgiveness and grace.I hope they don’t stay away because of memories of harsh confessors or dark, scary confessionals. Reconciliation rooms I know today have priests who are welcoming and kind.

[Sacrament of Reconciliation:

Three things are required for a sin to be mortal: serious matter, full consent, and full knowledge (cf. CCC 1858-1859).

Serious matter means what has been done is just that — serious. It’s something with real consequences; it matters in my life with God and the Church. Our Church helps us by pointing out certain activities that are serious matters — usually significant violations of the 10 Commandments.

Full consent, the second requirement, means that we freely chose to do it. Doing anything with full freedom is rare because we are weak human beings who often think we are more free than we really are. Things like fear, peer pressure, laziness, addiction, ignorance, pride, and immaturity, often interfere with being truly free.

The same goes with full knowledge. Here we must ask: Did I truly understand and appreciate the ramifications and seriousness of what I did? Did I know it was wrong and fully grasp its sinfulness and its consequences for my life with God, self, and others?

Now here’s the most important thing to remember: To the degree that I was free or had knowledge of what I was doing, I am responsible for sinning. So I may have done something seriously wrong, but it may not be a serious or mortal sin. It is sinful and should be rooted out of our lives, but may not be mortally so.

Our loving God understands our human weakness. That is one reason he became human. He is calling us to full life with his Church and with himself.

Explain mortal sin and venial sin. What’s the difference?

A comment stating that “I’m terrified that I don’t know the difference between mortal and venial sins” came to me via our website. I’d like to address this issue, and hopefully put that person’s mind at ease, by looking at sin as a breach in relationships. This is consistent with what our Church teaches about the effects of Baptism, which states that, by Baptism, we are made children of God and brothers of Jesus in the Holy Spirit. Thus, our first sacramental encounter sets us firmly within a familial bond with God and the Church, who is called our mother.

Like all familial relationships, our life with God and the Church can be enhanced or weakened by our actions and attitudes; it can be built up or torn down. Loving, supportive activities strengthen the bond between us; hateful and unsupportive acts break it down. And that is what sin is—a breakdown in relationships which can be slight (venial) or very serious (mortal) depending on what is done and why it is done.

What determines the severity of a behavior involves freedom and knowledge, for something very serious could be done without it being a mortal sin and vice versa. For example, someone could take another’s life. Was it an accident, and therefore incurs no guilt or sin? Or was it intentional? (Even our court systems distinguish among various degrees of guilt in the case of death.) What is done and why it is done are essential questions.

Therefore, it is impossible to give a list of mortal sins. One can give a list of serious behaviors that have the potential for being mortally sinful if performed with sufficient knowledge and freedom, but they are not automatically serious sins. The deeper questions are what effect did it have on our relationship with God, self, and others? And did we both know and appreciate those effects?

How do we know if what we did was venially or mortally sinful? Through prayerful reflection, we look at the seriousness of the behavior, the degree of freedom we enjoyed at the time, and whether we truly appreciated the moral value of the behavior remembering that we are often less free and appreciative than we sometimes think we are. It may not be as easy to commit a mortal sin as we think it is.

The good news is that God is an all-forgiving and all-loving God. As Jesus told us, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:16).

What should I confess?

A viewer writes concerning the Sacrament of Reconciliation: “I don’t know how much I should tell the priest. How detailed are we supposed to be?” At a retreat for priests from around the world given by Pope Francis in Rome — a retreat I was privileged to attend — the Holy Father told us that we are not to ask a lot of questions, lest people think we are being nosy. Good advice from a true pastor!

The requirement in canon law is to confess our grave sins by number and species (cf. CIC, can. 988). One commentator explains that this is intended to give a heads up to the priest as to the nature and frequency of a particular sin so that he can appreciate the situation and give appropriate counsel. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of exact numbers and detailed description of the sinful act. Requiring that would fit into the Pope’s definition of being nosy.

As a confessor, I can say that having a general idea of penitents’ behavior is helpful for assisting them in their spiritual growth. What is not helpful is when a penitent purposefully fudges on details so that the priest has no idea what he/she is talking about. We need to be honest and straightforward so that the confessor knows what we did and can help us grow beyond that particular form of sinful behavior.

For example, it is not helpful to say that I stole money. What would be helpful, and consistent with the requirement of canon law, would be to say “I stole a thousand dollars once, because my family was starving” or “I stole a thousand dollars over a long period of time because that made it easier to not get caught.” Very different situations where number and species are very relevant for the priest to be pastorally helpful.

Finally, knowing what we do and how often we do it can by an eye-opening experience for us as we try to honestly turn to our God in true repentance. An examination of conscience can be a truly helpful practice.

How can one eliminate sins that are committed and confessed over and over? I believe that we have all faced this frustration at one time or another.

I will begin my answer with a reminder that no one overcomes sins by himself or herself. Whether we are victorious over a habit of sin has less to do with our willpower than with God’s grace. It is God who conquers sin, not us. Having said that, I will immediately add that we must cooperate with God’s grace in the process. God does not force anything on us. Rather, he invites us to accept his gifts — one of which is victory over sin.

Whether we suffer from a habit of sin or appear to conquer it has more to do with God than with us. Ours is to pray, avoid the occasions that could lead us into this sin, and trust in God’s loving mercy.

So why does God allow us to wallow in a sinful pattern? Not knowing the mind of God, I can only take stabs at an answer. But I am reminded of Saint Paul’s statement that, when asking to be freed from a “thorn in his side,” God responded that “my grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). In other words, in Saint Paul’s weakness and inability to overcome this evil, he was strong in God’s grace. He knew very well that it was not his own good intentions or willpower that was at work.

As a confessor, I have found that each of us has one area of weakness where we often fail even when we have the best of intentions. Maybe God allows us to recognize our weakness in this one area so that we don’t get cocky and pat ourselves on the back for good achievement. It keeps us humble and recognizing that we need God’s mercy.

If we must confess the same sin year after year, remember that God is allowing this evil for his own purpose. We just need to keep doing our part to pray, avoid those occasions that can lead us into sin, and trust in God’s mercy. Remember that the command to be as perfect as our heavenly Father is a call to conform ourselves to Christ in his obedience to the Father’s will. Such conformity will allow the grace of God to conquer sin within us.

Why can’t I confess my sins directly to God? Why involve a priest?

The Book of Genesis relates that God shared authority with human beings by having them rule over the animals. The Book of Exodus tells of God working through the ministry of Moses to liberate the people. The prophets were men who mediated between God and human beings. Jesus sent his disciples out to share in his ministry of healing and preaching.

God could obviously have done a better job than Adam and Eve, Moses, the prophets, the disciples, or any one of us. But love allows God to share with humans — even knowing that we will mess up. God chose to make certain people mediators of his love and grace for the good of the entire community so that humans would have a share in his ministry.

In each of the sacraments, God’s grace — for it is really his grace that is at the heart of every sacrament—comes to us mediated through people and things. That’s just the way God set it up because of his love for us.

So, too, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. God forgives through the ministry of a priest. And this gives the sacrament a very warm and human aspect as we hear the words of absolution pronounced officially and authoritatively by a priest who not only represents Christ, but the whole Church. We are human beings with senses and emotions. The mediation of God’s graces speaks to our need to hear and sense his words of forgiveness.

How important is this sacrament in my daily faith journey?

Since we are required to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation only when we are conscious of having committed a mortal sin (cf. CCC, 1457), the sacrament could, theoretically, play a very minimal role in our spiritual life. But that would be very minimalistic to say the least.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church strongly encourages more frequent celebration of the sacrament, stating that even confession of our less serious sins leads to positive effects. It lists the following: confession helps us form our consciences, helps us resist temptation, allows us to experience the healing touch of Christ, and helps us progress in the life of the Spirit (cf. CCC, 1458).

Frequent use of the sacrament also helps us stay attuned to our spiritual lives. The more frequently we become aware of the condition of our life with God, self, and others, the better grip we have on both the progress and lack of progress in our spiritual life. It offers a good barometer of how we are doing.

Making the Sacrament of Reconciliation a vibrant part of one’s spiritual life — especially if it hasn’t been such in quite a while — basically just requires the decision to begin again. Most priests would be willing to help someone back into the swing of things, knowing that the first time back could be a bit awkward.]

Pope Francis once told those gathered in St. Peter’s Square not to be afraid or ashamed to go to confession. You will not “encounter a severe judge there, but the immensely merciful Father. When we go to confession, we feel a bit ashamed. That happens to all of us, but we must remember this shame is a grace that prepares us for the embrace of the Father, who always forgives and always forgives everything.”

We know that confession is not the only way our sins are forgiven. When we are truly contrite and ask, God is ready to forgive. Every Mass begins with the whole community asking for forgiveness.

Why go to confession? I can list five reasons why I go.

1. I meet Jesus there. In the words of Pope Francis, again, “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. Mercy has become living and visible in Jesus of Nazareth….” After his resurrection and ascension, the risen Jesus works through the Church. In the Sacrament of Penance, Jesus acts through the visible priest who is empowered to forgive sins in his name.

2. My examination of conscience serves as a reality check on whether I am being honest with myself and with God, and taking responsibility for my actions.

3. I profit from the objectivity and advice of the priest.

4. The Seal of Confession gives me the absolute assurance that what I say will not be repeated to anyone else.

5. “The forgiven penitent is reconciled with himself in his inmost being,” Pope Saint John Paul II said. As a priest, I have been hearing confessions for over 50 years. Before I was ordained, I remember a priest-teacher telling me, “You will realize many people are much holier than you are.” I find that is very true. Only mortal sins need to be confessed, but the Church recommends confessing “everyday faults” (venial sins) like envy, pride, or impatience. Doing so helps form our conscience and alerts us to harmful tendencies. Both saints and sinners profit from the sacrament.

As a confessor, I respect the conscience of those confessing. Even if people are struggling with sin, I tell them that God sees their good will and walks with them in their struggle.

Saint Augustine of Hippo said, “Whoever confesses his sin is already working with God.” The penitents’ focus is their sins. My focus is God’s love and mercy. To use the metaphor of Pope Francis, the Church is like a field hospital. Spiritual wounds are cared for — for those willing to come.

By: Jeremy Harrington, OFM,

#reconciliation #graced opportunity

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toddsfall · 7 years

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Let’s talk about Star Wars

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS (don’t say I didn’t warn you)

first off, the entire cast looked like a DELICIOUS SNACC PACK if you were attracted to any of them before and are wondering if they have somehow become more attractive the answer is yes. Yes they have.

Rose is awesome, I love her (even though I have Thoughts about her storyline, more on that later) and if I see one more racist motherfucker on Twitter try to bend themselves over backwards trying to justify calling her ‘the worst character ever in SW’, ‘unattractive and fat’, ‘the worst part of the movie’ I am personally pulling the plug on the internet. Same goes for anyone trying to hate on Finn, y’all are really transparent and IT’S FUCKING GROSS. YOU RACIST ASSHOLES.

Hmm so anyway, I have a lot of thoughts and most of them will be rambly so come along this ride with me friends (I swear I’ll try to make clear & concise points)

Okay so I want to go right off the bat say that I have loved Star Wars since I was a wee babbie so I’m? going to? love it? always? so yeah, I know I’m biased (but honestly who isn’t? everyone reviewing the movie has their own biases attached to it sooo deal with it)

The movie starts off with several action sequences which immediately pull us into the story, they got my heart racing from minute one and I was here for it. Also, I got goosebumps the minute I saw Leia/Carrie’s face and I stayed pretty emotional throughout the entirety of the movie. I think they gave her the respect she deserved, her legacy really shined through in every single one of her scenes (and her scenes were among the most memorable in the movie imo)

I loved how much the movie focused on characters. This was a story about people;

how they can fuck up and fall off their pedestal (Luke);

try their hardest and still fail someone (Leia and Han failed Ben, it’s sad but it’s true);

how they can overcome their past and choose the light over and over (Rey was the main focus but Finn and Rose were definitely part of this theme as well);

how they can feel completely abandoned and isolated and become completely unhinged, unable to overcome their past and become completely bitter (Kylo Ren/Ben, listen I am not trying to sound like I approve of his actions but I really like how the movie delved into HOW people can become ‘the villain’ in a story, it was an unflinching take on how someone can have very legitimate reasons for becoming the way they am and it still in the end not justifying their actions at all. Idk, other people probably have a take different take on this but I for one found it kind of refreshing).

This movie really delved into how heroes are people too, everyone fucks up. Everyone. Even the best among us. And we don’t all handle it so well (aka Luke completely abandoning everyone he’s ever loved to die, you could argue that was a pretty egocentric move and maybe that seems out of character - ask yourself if you’ll be the same person you’re now in 30 years now, especially if the current political climate keeps matching the pretty horrifying ones in sw- but it shows how disillusioned he’d become).

However, in the end it felt to me like hope was still there. All these people, who have lost so much and who have fucked up in various ways (Finn wanting to abandon the rebellion, Poe leading them into a defeat, Leia failing her son, Rey possibly considering joining Kylo?/the darkness, Luke see above) still choose to stand up for what’s right. I know people thought the ending was a bit too cheesy (and I will come back to how choosing this ending will probably end up costing them later) but I loved it. I don’t know about you guys, but movies don’t always have to choose the dark route to end up good for me? Like, sometimes I just want to be entertained and escape into another world where it’s possible for heroes to be flawed but ultimately still good? maybe just me though.

So that’s what I loved most about the movie. Some of my fave scenes: (and I’m sure I’m forgetting some?)

I loved Kylo and Rey’s scenes (because heyyy they have similar experiences and yet are polar opposites, their dynamic has really grown on me! I don’t want them to end up together romantically but their climax will probably be the most interesting villain/hero confrontation in a while - that’s just my opinion thooo-) the scene in the rain, the hand touching and the fight in Snoke’s room were so emotionally charged I liveee

As I said, I loved Leia’s scenes (especially with Poe, god I wish we’d get more of that dynamic but :((( ) the scene with Luke at the end, not gonna lie that one got to me (I mean, it was going to be emotional bc of Carrie anyway but the weight of those last scenes, honest to god chills)

the scene where Admiral Holdo flies into the command ship was fucking MAGNIFICENT seriously, the silence? the visuals? fuck.

I want to go into a really detailed analysis of how the use of old motifs and themes from previous movies in the score carried a lot of the emotional weight forward, but I’d have to watch/listen to the movie again to fully carry that out with the respect it deserves so maybe another time. Just mentioning it because it’s still one of my favorite star wars things (and I know it’s said so many times before but you know what? the music is so good, it should still be mentioned in every single review. don’t do john williams dirty like this) it’s very subtle at times, but I swear I heard some of Darth Vader’s iconic march come through in Luke’s score in this movie? very interesting!! pls let me geek out over music internet I’m begging you

I already mentioned Snoke’s throne room but the moment you see Kylo deciding to kill him is glorious too (props to Adam Driver, seriously you can hate Kylo and I totally understand but attacking the actor - especially when it’s based on his looks, which most of you are wrong about jsyk I don’t make the rules, it’s just science his eyes look like a baby deer?? - is so unnecessary please don’t stoop to the level of those dudebros on twitter attacking rose? like, Kylo has enough bad deeds on his resumé it’s okay you can attack him for that, you don’t need to drag his looks into it so annyyywaay sorry for that tangent it just irks me)

BB8 being the reason while basically any of the resistance is still alive is so fucking funny I’m sorry if you hate it I love my dumb orange cat robot (the reunion with Poe? cleansed my entire soul)

Finn towering over Phasma and spitting out ‘rebel scum’ is Good and should not be forgotten also, speaking of good acting? the way John conveys the inner conflict Finn is going through so subtly is probably going to go unnoticed BUT IT IS GOOD AND I’M GOING TO SHOUT AT Y’ALL ABOUT HOW MUCH HE 5AND DAISY° HAVE GROWN TILL YOU GET IT THROUGH YOUR SKULLS

if we’re talking about Iconique scenes, the man licking the ground and saying ‘Salt’ was fucakfmlkdj so funny I can’t explain how fucking funny that was

I’m not going to dwell too much on what I didn’t like because I believe there is such a thing as analyzing something to death and I don’t want to do that (besides, it’s really not hard to find criticism for this movie. People really out there comparing it to the Phantom Menace? Lies. Y’all really hate this movie huh? Too bad, I was thoroughly entertained and I loved it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

I feel like most of my problems with the movie could have been solved with some changes to the plot. The critiques I agree with are

the pacing was weird (how long was Rey on that island? it didn’t seem to be that much longer than the entire plot and subplots of the rebels trying to escape the ship, but that was at most like 20 hours sooo)

the plot was pretty straightforward: conflict-resolution, conflict-resolution, conflict-resolution. I would have liked to have seen this shaken up a bit. The movie could still have focused on characters with higher stakes, more unresolved issues, messier plots. It was a bit too neat. I saw most of the ‘twists’ coming (e.g. kylo killing snoke, boy they really layed it on thick there) except for: leia charging in and shooting poe (heyoo that’s cinema baby), luke actually still being on the island (and something else but I’m completely blanking rn!)

I think that’s why people don’t like the ending, it’s too neatly wrapped up in a bow (ignoring the fact that there are like 10 rebels left now? that’s seems like uuuh a problem) And while I like it from an emotional resolution point of view, I think the the movie could have done with more tension at the end. More tension, to keep you on the edge of your seat, wanting to immediately see the next movie. that was its biggest flaw imo

and finally - fair warning: I’m conflicted about this- Rose and Finn’s plot. Hooo boy, okay. So, I wanna say that I love them as characters but.. I don’t really want them to get together? idk remove all forced romance from your plot, writers. It will really help unclutter your stories I swear. (that said, I wouldn’t mind them in a relationship as long as it’s not to create tension with rey? or like any love triangle at all. Please leave that garbage at the door). Aside from that, I know people think their plot was the worst of the movie and I don’t think that. However, I think they could have done more with it. Shown more conflict! let Finn be the spark (and he is!! fight me!!) but also conflicted about joining the rebellion. Let Rose be completely torn up about her sister and let her be bitter dammit! They could have used more obstacles, their plot seemed mostly resolved by a deus ex machina (aside from Finn fighting Phasma - who I’m kind of wishing he didn’t kill cause I can sense she has sooo much more in her, honestly Hux is 100 times more boring, you have gwendoline RIGHT THERE FUCKERS USE HER) I didn’t mind the exposition of the filthy rich people planet (YESSS EAT THE RICH STAR WARS PLS SHIT ON THEM AS MUCH AS YOU CAN) but it just lacked.. spark. I hope their plot turns out to be important for the next movie, otherwise it was sadly something that could have been much greater (and it’s really uncomfortable to introduce two main poc characters and then basically have them contribute nothing to the main plot, hmm okay star wars I’m watching you)

I can’t/don’t have the energy to address everyone’s issues, but mostly I don’t agree with people being mad about characters (I think it’s clear I like the direction they’ve taken with most of them), the humour is a bit disneyfied but I really didn’t mind (it’s clear as day some of those cutesy aliens were in there for the money, money, money but like.. it be like that sometimes), I honestly don’t care about Snoke so I wasn’t disappointed his backstory was not a part of this, Rey NOT being a part of the great history before her is important to me (can’t believe I didn’t mention it with my favorite scenes, really regretting that salt guy now) even if they try to backpedal on it later that moment was beautiful in the movie (my space daughter isn’t important in the grand scheme of things but she so iiiiiis!!). All in all, I really liked it. It’s not my favorite movie (not even my favorite star wars movie) but it was damn entertaining! Here’s to hoping that the next movie will be the opposite of this very tight, contained movie. Give me the intergalactic class revolution I deserve (seriously, I hope that’s what Rose and Finn’s adventure was planting? might be idle hope, and I’m trying to keep my expectations low but it would be pretty cool right?)

#alethos #star wars #the last jedi #in case you're blacklisting things #which is now possible on mobile!#(and read mores don't always go through on mobile I don't want to spoil it!)#please if you have seen this movie come discuss things #this took longer than an hour to write please engage if you've seen the movie

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aion-rsa · 5 years

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The Best Comics of 2019

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Comics gave us everything we needed in 2019. The best ones surprised even us.

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e stand at the end of a decade of massive change, and the comics industry is not immune to those shifts. There are more ways to read more comics about more things than ever before. That’s why the best comics of 2019 contains not one, but three Superman books.

I’m joking. There are only two textual Superman books, but they’re both wildly different, and they and the rest of the best comics of 2019 are a vastly different set than we would have seen even five years ago. There were some really great comics published this year, so even going to 20 won’t catch all of them. And, of course, I’m not independently wealthy or able to manipulate time, so I absolutely missed some great ones that you should feel comfortable yelling at me in the comments about. With that in mind, here are our best comics of 2019!

20. The Lone Ranger

Mark Russell and Bob Q

I could have made this list all Mark Russell comics if I wanted to. Wonder Twins is one of the most pleasant comics surprises I’ve ever had, and I gushed over Year of the Villain: The Riddler for how it broke out of Russell’s comfort zone and gave us a fantastic, relatively straight cape story. But I went with The Lone Ranger over Riddler because Russell sustained his straightforward superhero story for longer here. And also I couldn’t care less for any hero than I do for the Lone Ranger.

It’s a pretty straightforward western story: big landowners are stealing more land, and the Lone Ranger and Tonto have to stop them. But Russell plays it like a heist movie, having the duo outsmarting their opponents, and infusing it with some sharp populist satire that plays really well right now (for me, at least). Bob Q is a revelation here, too - his art is clean and sharp, with brisk action pacing and the kind of facial expressions and body language you need to sell the hell out of Russell’s humor. It’s just a really well-made comic from start to finish, and even if you’ve never cared for the Lone Ranger before, you should give this book a shot.

read The Lone Ranger on Amazon.

19. The Life and Death of Toyo Harada

Joshua Dysart, CAFU, Andrew Dalhousie & others

I think my favorite villain in all of comics is Toyo Harada? I know that’s a weird statement to make in a universe with a Jonathan Hickman-written Magneto in stores and a Jonathan Hickman-written Doom on my shelf, but there’s a big difference between good big-2 bads and Harada: Harada’s right.

read more: The Best Movies of 2019

What keeps the story moving through that middle, and what lands it so beautifully, is Bergara’s stunning art. It’s more mad and inventive than what the story implies, but bright and clear all the same. It’s almost like early period Chris Bachalo but with modern production values. When I first thought this, my inner monologue said it in a hushed whisper, like it was blasphemy. But the further into the book I went, the more confident I was in the assessment. Coda is a moving story that’s also one of the best looking comics of the year.

read Coda on Amazon

17. BTTM FDRS

Ezra Claytan Daniels (W), Ben Passmore (A) Fantagraphics

True story: I was about a third of the way through BTTM FDRS and I sat down with a goal of reading 15 or so more pages. I stood up 40 minutes later having ripped through the last 200 pages of the comic, and regretted it from about five different angles. You'll hit a point where you won't be able to put it down. It’s a terrific horror story.

BTTM FDRS is transparently a story about how awful gentrification is. Two hipsters move into an old industrial building in a not-quite-yet up and coming neighborhood, and they’re pretty shitty. They meet a neighbor, a theme rapper who dresses in colonial gear and calls himself Plymouth Rock. And then they all get trapped in their new haunted house, one that’s full of environmental and body horror.

On its surface, BTTM FDRS is extremely not subtle. One of the gentrifiers is wearing one of those hideous 80s cyclist hats that says “RAP” on the bottom of the upturned brim. But at the same time, the horror components of the book are much more subtle about the overall theme. I don’t want to spoil it too much, but the monster ties into the gentrification idea very nicely. Passmore does a great oozing monster and outstanding terrified cartoon faces, and the end result is a smart, thoughtful, great looking comic.

read BTTM FDRS on Amazon

16. The Immortal Hulk

Al Ewing (W), Joe Bennett (P), Ruy Jose (I), Paul Mounts (C) Marvel Comics

The Immortal Hulk is easily the best horror book to come out this year. At least the best deliberate horror book, that’s not about gross medical malpractice or the hellscape our world has become. It’s incredibly fun to watch comic creators jump from good but underappreciated to superstars, and to see two creators do it on the same book is even better. That’s what’s happening here: Ewing and Bennett are going from “oh man, how great was Ultimates 2/52” to “holy shit I need to buy everything they do."

There’s a lot to love about Immortal Hulk - the way Ewing juggles so many characters, or how deliberately paced the story and the additions of new gamma characters is. But the best part is how utterly perfect the body horror is. The Rick Jones Abomination monster is the most disgusting thing I’ve seen in comics all year. A grasping hand for a face is somehow grosser than those fish with the human teeth that make a mass extinction an okay tradeoff. The way Hulk’s powers are played as grotesque metamorphoses is the best I’ve ever seen it done, and the slow burn mystery of the gamma world is what makes me rush back to this book every new issue.

read The Immortal Hulk on Amazon

15. Excellence

Brandon Thomas (W), Khary Randolph (A), Emilio Lopez (C) Image Comics

Khary Randolph makes some of the most dynamic, visually entertaining comic art in the business, so you can probably guess how fast I jumped at him doing design work and interiors for a magic story. And it was the right call: Excellence is...well...excellent.

Spencer Dales is the son of a prominent ruling magical family who gets his magic late, and as a result watches his father bond with another kid as he teaches his new mentee how to wield mystical power. If you’re rushing past it, Excellence vaguely resembles Harry Potter, but it's full of resentment and totally different family drama, and the visuals are much flashier. It’s always near the top of my stack to read when it comes out.

read Excellence on Amazon

14. DCeased

Tom Taylor (W), Trevor Hairsine, James Harren & Stefano Gaudiano (A), Rain Beredo (C) DC Comics

I can’t believe this worked. I should have seen it coming - Tom Taylor, DCeased’s writer, was behind a lot of great comics in the last few years, including several (I’m looking at you, Injustice) that just shouldn’t have worked, but did. And yet, I saw “DC Zombies” and I rolled my eyes hard.

I shouldn’t have. DCeased is a gorgeous comic that made me cry at least twice. It does a better job of capturing the essences of pretty much the whole Justice League one by one than most of their solo books do: Batman, Superman, Flash, Black Canary, and Green Arrow all get amazing moments. To do this inside a zombie story is extremely difficult, but Taylor’s script is emotional and incisive, while Hairsine and Gaudiano work magic with the character acting and the horror of the book. It was so good that there’s still a part of me that can’t believe how much I want a sequel.

read DCeased on Amazon

13. They Called Us Enemy

George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott (W); Harmony Becker (A) Top Shelf Productions

I’ll be honest, I came into this book not wanting to like it. It’s a non-comics celebrity airdropping into our medium - it felt a little bit like a stunt. But almost as soon as I cracked it open, I was struck by how much emotion Harmony Becker put into her art. George and his siblings are immediately charming and innocent, so when that innocence is stripped away from them by the way my country’s horrific internment of Japanese-Americans hits her, it hit me too, like a wave of shame.

Internment during World War II is one of the most shameful episodes in American history, and even an autobiography that tells that story must walk an incredibly delicate path - too far in one direction, and you’re sugarcoating terror; too far in the other and you drown the reader in sorrow and miss some of the human moments that make the story real. They Called Us Enemy walks that tightrope beautifully: throughout the book, you feel what George and his siblings felt. It’s a good story well told that is shamefully relevant to our world today.

read They Called Us Enemy on Amazon

12. Second Coming

Mark Russell (W), Richard Pace & Leonard Kirk (A), Andy Troy (C) Ahoy Comics

Second Coming is the other Russell book to make the list because this feels like where his comics career has been going the whole time. It’s got the brutal ridicule of modern society that made The Flintstones so amazing, and the incredibly thoughtful take on Christianity that was just beneath the thin veneer of comedy in God Is Disappointed In You. And shockingly, it might also be the nicest comic on the stands.

The hook of the story is exactly what it says on the tin: Jesus is back. Only this time God sent him to live with his brother, obvious-Superman-analogue Sunstar, because he got bullied so hard last time. So Russell, Pace and Kirk are putting a very biblically traditional Christ into a superhero crimefighter story and using both angles to mock (or gently rib, mostly) the other. It is a book that’s obsessed with pointing out how much better it is to treat people with kindness, and it’s really funny about it. Pace handles the God pages, and does everything with a scratchy, inky sketchiness that I love; he does layouts for the Sunstar pages, and Kirk and Troy finish them, and it’s pretty amazing how effortlessly the art goes back and forth between that scratchy 80s indie look and traditional, very good superhero art. Second Coming is a lot of fun to read.

read Second Coming on Amazon

11. Swimming in Darkness

Lucas Harari (W/A) Arsenal Pulp Press

Swimming in Darkness mixes a psychological thriller with a haunted house story, and the result is a haunting, creepy, gorgeous comic that sticks around in your brain far longer than you’ll be comfortable with.

Harari’s story takes main character Pierre, a French student who left school after a nervous breakdown, to the Vals Thermal Baths in the Swiss Alps. The Baths have a legendary architecture, and a myth around them that every hundred years they eat a foreigner. The book is the story of what he discovers while there.

The book is a lot of sitting quietly in weird architecture - it’s all mood and tension, and Harari does a great job with both. The Baths look wonderful, angular and bizarre, and the deliberate pacing goes a long way to making this book so effective.

read Swimming in Darkness on Amazon

10. American Carnage

Bryan Edward Hill (W), Leandro Fernandez (A) Vertigo

American Carnage will go down as the last great Vertigo book. It’s just brutal from start to finish.

Hill and Fernandez send Richard Wright, a mixed race ex-FBI agent who can pass as white who was booted from the Bureau for killing a teenager who pulled a cell phone on him, deep undercover to infiltrate the white nationalist army being formed by a California billionaire and his daughter.

This is pure mid-period Vertigo out of the Scalped/100 Bullets mold. Everyone in this comic is an awful person, but they’re all terrible for their own reasons. And of course, there’s nothing even close to a happy ending. Fernandez’s art is a terrific match to the story. He’s loose and sketchy but always tells a clear story. American Carnage was an excellent comic. I hope we get Hill and Fernandez working together again soon.

read American Carnage on Amazon

9. Runaways

Rainbow Rowell (W), Kris Anka (A), Matthew Wilson (C) Marvel Comics

I liked Runaways a lot when it was originally created, but I wouldn’t call myself a dedicated fan. But I binged Rowell, Anka and Wilson’s newest volume, and I was shocked: at how easy they made it to step right into basically an in-progress retcon; at how masterfully Rowell juggles a HUGE cast of characters; and at how much damn fun the book is.

This book is pure teen soap opera. The point of the book is unambiguously the emotions of the characters and not high action and adventure, and Rowell makes each character’s distinct voice so entertaining to track through the melodrama that it’s now one of the first things I read when a new issue hits. Anka does faces and acting deceptively well for such a fashionable artist, and Wilson is, as usual, amazing. Runaways is a great book; you should definitely think about giving the first volume to comic reading friends as a holiday gift.

read Runaways on Amazon

8. The Banks

Roxanne Gay, Ming Doyle, Jordie Bellaire TKO Studios

The best heist stories are a little bit angry, and Roxanne Gay, Ming Doyle and Jordie Bellaire's The Banks gets a family crew together for some purposeful theft that's amazing fun to read. The book sets three generations of women on a path to a big score that takes down some garbage people, including the man who killed the youngest Banks' grandfather.

The heist is fun and tense, but it's Doyle and Bellaire's artwork, and the relationships between the three generations of Banks women that make this comic so good. Doyle tells a hell of a story: the art is crisp and clean and clear, with wonderful subtelty to the body language and really sharp character designs. Bellaire's colors make the book drip with atmosphere. And Gay and the rest of the team do an outstanding job of building conflict into the leads. You ache with them at the murder of Clara's husband, and you feel the anger when Clara and Celia butt heads. That makes the payoff to the story even better: the deeper into the family dynamic you are, the higher the tension is, and Gay, Doyle and Bellaire do a great job of pulling you in.

read The Banks on Amazon

7. Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen

Matt Fraction (W), Steve Lieber (A), Nathan Fairbairn (C) DC Comics

I’ve already talked at length about what makes Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen so incredible, but I want to bring up one thing I’ve missed: its fundamental compassion. This book is every bit as hilarious and even a little daring for a mainstream superhero book (not often you get a joke at the expense of the internet’s collective foot fetish in a Superman comic), but underneath that, Jimmy Olsen is an incredibly empathetic, compassionate book. Packed in between panels of invisible Jimmy running from monsters and growing tusks at a pie-eating contest, there’s one quick panel of an exhausted, broken Jimmy in full fatigues and bullet proof vest, and Clark looking over his shoulder, worried.

Photography in a war zone is an incredibly dangerous job that kills a lot of real world journalists. To slip that in with Clark as the audience stand in completely changes the nature of the book - Jimmy’s every bit as tough as Lois and Clark are, dedicated to showing people the horrors of war to the point where he puts his own life in grave danger, and the fact that one time he took a shower in pink Kryptonite doesnt’ change that at all. Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen is an amazing, hilarious comic, but it also deeply cares for the Superman universe’s mythos and is adding some great stuff to it.

read Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen on Amazon

6. These Savage Shores

Ram V (W), Sumit Kumar (A), Vittorio Astone (C) Vault Comics

I’m constantly looking for something I’ve never seen before. Ram V, Sumit Kumar and Vittorio Astone gave me that with These Savage Shores, and they did it with some really impressive technical skill.

These Savage Shores is a period piece about a vampire/demon battle that plays out between London and Calcutta via the East India Company. It manages to be a monster story, a period drama, a monster book and a history lesson all at the same time. Ram V balances each piece of the story delicately and makes it really tough to put down.

Kumar’s art is a huge draw. This is the first work I’ve seen from him, but holy socks it’s terrific. The figures and backgrounds have a very Bilquis Evely/The Dreaming feel to them, but the layouts are spectacular. The way he uses the nine panel grid is simultaneously deliberate and dynamic. Astone’s colors are a perfect pair - London is gray and drab and rainy, while the jungle outside Calcutta is close and sticky and warm. It’s phenomenal work.

read These Savage Shores on Amazon

5. Assassin Nation

Kyle Starks (W), Erica Henderson (A) Image Comics

Kyle Starks is great. He’s absolutely hilarious, and fills his writing with a surprising amount of heart and an overwhelming amount of imagination. But if we’re being completely honest, the guy who wrote Sexcastle is maaaaybe not the most subtle comic talent out there. But to be honest, I didn’t realize that subtlety would improve his work until I saw Erica Henderson do it for him, and the resulting comic, Assassin Nation, is brilliant and one of my favorites from either creator.

The book is about the world’s greatest assassins - all ranked according to skill and kill counts - and a set up that’s causing them to be picked off in large numbers. It’s jammed with jokes of every kind - sight gags, satire, inane absurdism (Fuck Tarkington is the breakout character of 2019). Henderson is an absolute wizard. She’s such a good storyteller that I’ll read anything she does, with any writer and any characters. I knew Assasin Nation would be good when I heard about it, but I had no idea how great it would turn out.

read Assassin Nation on Amazon

4. Superman Smashes the Klan

Gene Luen Yang (W), Gurihiru (A) DC Comics

Gene Yang is one of the best writers working in comics. He’s thoughtful and diligent about his characters, which lets him get deep inside their heads and flesh them out fully, both through their actions and how he poses them in the story. And he took an old Superman tale - Superman Smashes the Klan is based on a story from the old radio show - and made a couple of tweaks to it to turn it into one of my favorite character studies of Superman and Clark Kent that I’ve ever read.

By putting Roberta and Mrs. Lee in the story, we get an entirely different point of entry to the tale, and two new point of view characters to look at Superman through the immigrant experience. I still don’t want to spoil anything, more because I won’t be able to relay the elegant simplicity of the statement the same way the text does, but it recast, for me, Clark Kent’s existence specifically in a way that makes my whole relationship with Superman as a character richer.

Gurihiru is the perfect art team to pair with Yang on this. They make Superman accessible and welcoming, but intimidating and obviously super at the same time. This is a great Superman story told well, and exactly what I want out of the character.

read Superman Smashes the Klan on Amazon

3. House of X/Powers of X

Jonathan Hickman (W), Pepe Larraz/R.B. Silva (A), Marte Gracia (C) Marvel Comics

There’s probably not much more that I can say about HoXPoX that I haven’t already said. The “two series that are one!” were everything I hoped they would be going in: intricately plotted, skillfully told and wholly different from what came before. I wasn’t expecting career-making work out of Larraz, Silva and Gracia, but their art was so good that people will be holding this run up to everything they do in the future as an incredibly high bar for them to hit again. These 12 issues were the best X-Men comics I’ve ever read as they came out.

I do think the entire experience of HoXPoX changed my expectations from comics. Hickman talked a lot in interviews about giving readers the most bang for their buck, and the care put into every detail on every page made that concern evident. I spent as much time pouring over every page of these comics as I do reading all the rest of my books combined every Wednesday. The data pages were an immersive, interesting way of dropping information on the reader - because they were presented as data collected by the characters, instead of pace-breaking infodumps, they brought you deeper into them. And the internet was legitimately a blast while these comics were coming out. I’ve never actually had fun on Twitter before, but the X-community made this reading experience even better, and a book that wasn’t up to these standards, even if it was still excellent, wouldn’t have inspired that.

read House of X/Powers of X on Amazon

2. Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos

Lucy Knisley (W/A) First Second

Kid Gloves, Lucy Knisley’s half women’s health explainer, half memoir about her pregnancy, was making the list about halfway through the book, when I realized I had ripped through that much of the story in only 20 minutes, and I was retaining just about everything. I knew it was going near the top of the list when I ended the book in tears, muttering “you sue that doctor until he’s dead” at it.

Knisley has a gift for conveying information, and the parts of the book that aren’t memoir are thoroughly researched, deeply informative and entertainingly presented. Parts of it read as a history of women’s health, and parts as an infographic about the current state of it, but all of it will make you mad and want to change things. But the memoir segments are brutally honest about how joyful and shitty and terrifying and mundane pregnancy can be, about how normal the scary parts are and how extraordinary the whole process can be. Kid Gloves was extra real to me because I’m still close enough to my family’s experience where it was like a read along, but her honesty and her cartooning skill make it easy to disappear into her story regardless of what you’re bringing to it as a reader. Kid Gloves was a delight to read.

read Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos on Amazon

1. The Hard Tomorrow

Eleanor Davis (W/A) Drawn & Quarterly

Eleanor Davis is something else. What she does with pacing and perspective made me feel unlike any other comic I read this year. It’s truly exceptional comic art, and even if you don’t like the politics of the book, you should pick it up. I promise you won’t be able to put The Hard Tomorrow down.

The comic is about Hannah and John, two young lefties living out of a car trying to get pregnant and build their own house. Hannah is a home health aide and a member of a protest group, and John’s a stoner who grows weed and trades it to their handyman for his work. The book follows the two of them through their lives as the cops clamp down on the group, and John gets roped into their handyman Tyler’s Infowars-ish compound.

About two thirds of the way through the book, it starts barreling towards its climax - a bunch of leaders of Hannah’s protest group get arrested, the resulting protest turns into a riot, and the leaders eventually sell the group out to get their families and lives back. Meanwhile, John visits Tyler’s compound and gets subjected to Tyler’s increasingly deranged worries. Hannah gets a call from one of the freed group leaders and told that they’re being hung out to dry, and when that call ends, the panel pulls way back to show Hannah and the woman she’s caring for sitting alone, shocked, from a distance. Two pages later, Tyler tries to convince John to learn to shoot and hands him a gun, and we get a full page splash closeup of the handgun in John’s hand. This is incredible storytelling - Davis starts really building to the climax with this sequence, and it hit me like a violin crescendoing into a string snapping on a minor chord. She does the same thing with the end, slowing time down and using five splash pages almost like a flipbook animatic to hammer home her semi-resolution. The Hard Tomorrow is an incredible piece of comics storytelling, easily the best comic I read this year.

read The Hard Tomorrow on Amazon

Read and download the Den of Geek Lost in Space Special Edition Magazine right here!

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The Lists Jim Dandy

Dec 23, 2019

Mark Russell

DC Entertainment

Valiant Comics

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from Books https://ift.tt/34Rjuw0

#aion-rsa #Books

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mxscnx-blog · 8 years

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hiiiiii, my name’s adri ! from the gmt+8 which i like to call narnia . i’m trying to type this up quickly bc i was supposed to hop into the shower, then i remembered that we’re doing intros, so i’m leaving this post and am open for plotting 25/8 ! i’m really looking forward to writing with each and every one of you tbh. so please feel free to shoot me a message for plotting or to just chat and get to know each other. i do not bite ! . . . unless you’re into that ;) *coughs* anyWAY

i can’t rlly say it was easy for me to even consider joining this group ?? mainly bc i haven’t been in group rps lately, and alSO i’m quite aware of how underused my fc is but tbfh i’ve had mason for 2 years or maybe even more ?? i see him differently in my head from his fc ( like baby-faced bradley cutie ) but i also couldn’t think of anyone else to play him, so i rlly hope i could do justice to broaden your imagination ! and he’s originally an indie muse that i love, mainly inspired by adam wilde from if i stay. but i thought i could attempt to give him a home here. so pls excuse me while i geek abt my son . . .

{ the virtuoso }

POSITIVE TRAITS: charismatic, experimental, eloquent, self-indulgent, peaceable, gregarious, venturesome

NEGATIVE TRAITS: brazen, fickle, flirtatious, skeptic, reticent, subjective, pessimistic

HISTORY:

triggers: prostitution, violence

his mother laura hart was a literal nobody who sold her soul for a living ( prostitution ). and it wasn’t until a drunk hookup that she dealt with an unexpected pregnancy alone *gives me a fantine vibe from les miserables*

she never would’ve thought that she’d give birth to a child prodigy-- which was all that she ever had. a charming baby boy that managed to climb up the piano seat and play the keys as if that was his purpose of living ( during a family gathering )

and while she came from a very unfortunate background, she could only assume that he got his genes from his father’s side ( while she didn’t have a single clue about who he even was )

laura gave little mason all the love he deserved. she went through several jobs just to provide for her child, making sure that he would always play the piano

as he grew older, mason never failed to amaze her mother even more. his passion for music was intense at such a young age, that he also situated himself with other musical instruments: such as the guitar/bass/ukulele, drums, violin, and the flute

when he was eleven, she met robert downey, a mysterious man in the working class, and they fell in love. but it took a while for mason to adjust since his mother was the most important person in the world for him. and it didn’t help that they eventually had household arguments, just like every other couple. but there was no denying that their relationship was toxic, and mason clearly acknowledged that

mason would defend her with every chance he gets. it came to a point where robert stabbed him with a kitchen knife, that had him sent to the er and almost took his life. luckily he survived the critical injury, though the scar had remained below his right collarbone

love can really work in the strangest ways, because even after almost murdering her son, laura still gave robert a second chance. but the scar haunted him forever, and it was no surprise that mason, too, had been holding a grudge. though robert was no longer violent, proving that even the worst people can change for love

but mason never had a consistent relationship with his “father figure”. if they weren’t at each other’s throats, they were being civil for the sake of his mother, or perhaps pretending to like each other. he was always skeptic of robert that he never knew what it would be like to actually be taken care of by him

due to the rollercoaster of events between his mother and his so-called father, mason refused to believe that love ever existed ( with the only exception of the unconditional love for his mother ). he has extremely pessimistic views about anything else about love, and as he grew into his teenage years, he was gaining trust issues and refused to commit or open his heart to anyone

but !!! robert and laura got married when he was around 13 ?? and their household has been blessed with his five younger siblings: mikayla ( 2 ), katie ( 3 ), toby ( 4 ), ashley ( 5 ), and stanley ( 6 )

he’s tried to be the best big brother ever that he almost has no love left for anyone outside his family. tho the tension with robert was still there ( it never leaves )

his entire life revolves around his family ( most importantly his mother and his siblings ), music, manipulation, and avoiding his feelings as much as possible. he loves to compose music as much as he loves to write songs. music is a very powerful thing to him

flash forward to the days he was absolutely driven with classical music and piano recitals, until society had eaten him up and influenced him with rock concerts and also, might have acquired a talent of singing along the way

PERSONALITY:

he’s honestly a smooth talker, maNIPULATIVE af and absolutely laid-back. he causes conflict due to his arrogance and close-mindedness but also knows how to swerve away from it ??

he can do anything and still be charming. it’s like he always has a stick up his ass ?? but in a way that he always knows how to present himself without seeming too embarrassing nor afraid

kind of a paradox bc he’s very competitive and determined but he also reacts like it’s no big deal to him and like everything seems so effortless ?? ( but rlly it’s not )

if he doesn’t like you enough, he can be very blunt and straightforward. but his primary virtue is patience, and believe me he has a ton of it

he can literally flirt with anyone or anything that moves and knows the right words and actions to make someone feel like they’re the only person in the world to him

99% of the time he’s geeking about music and gets along best with those who are as musically-inclined or as enthusiastic with music as he does

he’s the life of the party. hates sports. hates theories. very practical. only graduated high school bc he doesn’t rlly believe college would do him any good. ESTP af. organized mess.

along the way of partying too hard and bottling all his feelings, he greatly relies on alcohol and sleeping around with people ( he’s pansexual btw )

he’s a crowd favorite and rlly knows how to put on a great show

he knows his priorities and is absolutely independent. as much as possible, he tends to have no strings attached

he has a long way to go regarding character development . . .

pls help

WANTED CONNECTIONS: details will vary bc my brain is always cooking up a storm

childhood sweetheart/skinny love *someone messaged me abt this but like it hasn’t been finalized*

current best friend

flirtationship ;)

cute friends ( fluffy platonic fun ! )

ultimate rivals

fake dating for publicity

friends w benefits

enemies w benefits ??

others ! tbh i’ll still set up his connections page

but if u have something in mind PLS let me know thank u xo

*breathes heavily* plslslslslslsls plot with me i’ll love u down so hard ok

THANK U SM FOR READING. I AM V EXCITED OKAY

#ghqintro #here we gooooo #im literally trash.jpg pls bear with me #[ * ★ ~ ✦ * … and there goes the rambling adri. * ;; OOC. * ♫ ~ ✦ * ]#alcoholism tw #prostitution tw #violence tw

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jeremystrele · 7 years

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Adam Liaw, Christopher and Anna

Family

Emma Eldridge

Cook, Writer and Television Presenter Adam Liaw with his children Anna and Christopher. Photo – Rachel Kara.

Adam takes a bit of a ‘feast or famine approach’ to parenting. Photo – Rachel Kara.

Anna (1) and Christopher (4) await some healthy snacks from Dad. Photo – Rachel Kara.

Adam with his youngest, Anna. Photo – Rachel Kara.

‘The most important thing for kids’ nutrition is to lead by example (that probably goes for every part of raising children,’ says Adam. Photo – Rachel Kara.

The Liaws at home in Sydney. Photo – Rachel Kara.

On Christmas Day, the Liaws do presents in the morning then a big, long lunch before watching old kung fu movies with Grandma! Photo – Rachel Kara.

Adam admits that in the evenings, their Sydney home can be pretty manic! Photo – Rachel Kara.

‘I do my best as a Dad, and love my kids to death, but I live by the philosophy that my life is mine and theirs is theirs,’ tells Adam. Photo – Rachel Kara.

When I told my husband I’d be interviewing Adam Liaw for my final Family column of 2017, his response was: ‘Try not to gush too much.’

Well, I tried (for a second) and failed: This guy’s a lawyer (his last post was at Disney Interactive in Tokyo, where he met his wife Asami), a cook (he returned to Oz for season two of MasterChef – and won), a writer (and not just of cookbooks – though his clever and unfussy style is my favourite, as is his rendang), a presenter (Destination Flavour Japan is the best series of its kind I’ve seen on the country), and an ambassador (he’s Unicef Australia’s National Ambassador for Nutrition and a Goodwill Ambassador for Japanese Cuisine).

Yes, Adam Liaw is something of a renaissance man – but perhaps the nicest thing about him is his devotion to family; the ones he was born into (those episodes with his Mum in Singapore) and his own (scan Adam’s Instagram for more delightful snaps of his kids Christopher and Anna, they are ridiculous).

So thank you, Lucy, for letting me quiz Adam on parenting, food, and tradition – and thanks to all of you for reading along this year. Wishing you a blissful summer break with your families!

You’re currently researching the next instalment of Destination Flavour, which will take you to China from February through May of next year (I’m hoping for a feature on Lu cuisine). You travel a lot for work, but remain an incredibly engaged parent – what’s your secret? How do you support Asami when interstate or abroad?

It’s a bit of a feast or famine approach with me and parenting. I’m as engaged as I can possibly be when I’m here, but the demands of my work mean I’m on the road around half of the year, and that’s really hard. We’ve a lot of FaceTime, phone calls, and serious ‘Papa has to go away for a while’ conversations.

My wife and I don’t have family in Sydney, and my work is quite varied, so we’re constantly adapting our approach. There are times when I might be shooting for a week or two and the family can come with me, but a series like Destination Flavour is full-time for three to four months, and on the road is no place for kids. So Asami will often take Christopher and Anna back to Japan (where her parents live), and while I’m filming in China they’ll probably spend a bit of time with my mother in Beijing so I can visit them more regularly.

It’s hard not having grandparents in the same city, but there are lots of expat Japanese families in Sydney that are in the same boat. So there’s support from friends locally, then family interstate or abroad.

With clan across Australia and Asia, you also do a ton of family travel. I was impressed to hear of you taking Christopher on a San Sebastian pintxos crawl until 1am! Have you and Asami had to change the way you holiday at all post-kids?

When flying with kids, the game is really won or lost with flight choice. Within Australia is generally not a problem, but a long overseas daytime flight with grumpy kids is the worst. For anything over six hours, it’s best to find an overnight route.

You do need to compromise when travelling with children, but it’s also important not to become their slaves. Plan something for the kids one day, but make sure you’re doing something for yourselves the next. AirBnB is fantastic as you get a bit more space to slow down in, and we get evening babysitters a lot when we’re away (it’s much easier than you’d think; try expat online communities for English-speaking sitters). Leaving the sleeping kids behind while you go out for a nice dinner is infinitely better than trying to silently eat room service in a darkened hotel room.

Fostering a good relationship with food – in your children, and all children through your work with Unicef Australia – is extraordinarily important to you. How have you encouraged Christopher and Anna’s excellent palates? Have you any advice for parents of fussy eaters?

The most important thing for kids’ nutrition is to lead by example (that probably goes for every part of raising children). You can’t expect them to eat well if you don’t eat well yourself.

It might sound trite, but after that cooking is what it’s really about. The more you cook, the more responsive you are to what you eat (and what you feed your kids). I think a lot of the fussiness we perceive in children is actually quite easy to tackle.

The first step is seasoning; even something as simple as cooking vegetables in lightly salted stock instead of water can be a game-changer for kids.

Texture is the other big one. If Christopher and Anna aren’t into boiled carrots, I’ll try serving them shredded and raw, or roasted – and usually that will clinch it. You can also try serving new foods when you have people over, as kids are less likely to be fussy when their friends are around.

Finally, if they’re not having a bar of any of it, I’ll just move on. There’s no point making a piece of carrot a battleground when children are likely to change their minds about it in a month’s time anyway.

You’ve shared your family’s Chinese New Year tradition of tossing Yee Sang into the air with chopsticks (the higher the salad, the more luck for the year), how do the Liaws celebrate Christmas? Do you involve your kids in any festive cooking? (My son and I recently baked your salt and brown sugar Christmas cookies – they were a big hit!).

We keep Christmas pretty classic. Usually a whole leg of ham, some prawns and lobster, and a pavlova for dessert. We have a big family and some years we can have up to 50 people on the day, so there’s always a lot of food. I remember one year we had a full ham, an eight-kilogram turkey and a 12-kilogram suckling pig, plus seafood and sides. It was like a Roman feast.

The kids sometimes help, but Christmas cooking is pretty straightforward as there’s a big centrepiece. For other holidays like Chinese New Year, the food is a bit more involved, so then it’s definitely all hands on deck.

On Christmas Day, we do presents in the morning then a big, long lunch. We eat too much and then spend the afternoon watching old kung fu movies with my grandma.

Instead of a recipe, I’ll offer a tip (but it’s a good one). The most common point where people go wrong with pavlovas is not dissolving the sugar well enough. If the sugar doesn’t dissolve, the meringue won’t be stable – this is what causes weeping or collapse. You need to add the sugar a little at a time, then keep whisking (use a stand mixer) for about five minutes until you can’t feel any sugar if you rub the meringue between your fingers. Do that and you’ll get towering pavlovas every time!

When you’re at home in Sydney, how does your day start and end with Christopher and Anna?

The kids generally get up around 6am and we’ll chat for half an hour about the day ahead. Then it’s breakfast (which the kids usually help make as it’s quite simple – fruit, yoghurt, and kaya toast) and the mechanics of getting them dressed and off to day care.

In the evenings, the house is pretty manic. I try to get dinner ready before everyone gets home, and we eat around 6.30pm or so, depending on the season. Then it’s bath, play, and TV time for a couple of hours until stories and bed around 8.30 or 9pm. It’s a pretty common routine but when you travel as much as I do, it’s the kind of thing you really miss when you don’t get to do it.

Moving across time, what kind of adults might you like them to grow into? How would you like them to remember you to their own families?

I do my best as a Dad, and love my kids to death, but I live by the philosophy that my life is mine and theirs is theirs. I want them to have every opportunity in life, but I think sacrificing every part of yourself to your kids is just as unhealthy as neglect, as you end up putting all the emphasis and pressure on them to live both your life and their own.

If they remember me as a good father who did his best to show them how to be themselves, I’ll be very happy.

Family Favourites

Clothing brand

Nightcrawler Co is a very cool, local kids brand.

Bedroom item

IKEA’s Bekväm stool. It’s the ultimate tool of twenty first century kids’ independence.

Activity or outing

We love the beach in summer, so we’re there at least once or twice a week. A good shade, packed lunch, sunscreen, and some beach toys and the whole family’s happy.

Dinner destination

We love to eat outdoors, so there’s nothing more perfect for me than having the whole family sitting out on our back deck on a balmy evening. The birds come by at around 7pm and sing in the trees as the sun goes down, it’s magic.

Book, film or show

There’s a Japanese picture book called Mama ga obake ni nachatta (Mum became a ghost) that my daughter always wants me to read to her. It’s a fantastic book, but very emotional. I cry every single time.

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junker-town · 7 years

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‘Bachelorette’ Episode 9: It's time to exploit family dynamics during hometown dates!

Just another day in the morally sound universe of ABC’s hit franchise!

Welcome to Sports Bachelor Nation. I, your host, Charlotte Wilder, must apologize for leaving you in the lurch last week. MLB All-Star weekend was in Miami, and I was covering it, which means last Monday night I watched the Home Run Derby instead of The Bachelorette.

Now, I know that I’ve gone on this whole crusade to convince you all that this stupid show is sports, and it is. [*Extremely Stephen A. Smith voice*] HOWEVER: when presented with the option of witnessing Aaron Judge crush thirteen thousand home runs in four minutes or having to suffer through Rachel’s predictable dates with a bunch of boring-ass dudes for two hours, I will always — always — choose the dingers.

Rachel was at All-Star weekend, it’s worth noting, but she did not respond to my tweets asking if she wanted to hang out. I tried. And I’m sorry to have failed you.

Fortunately, I don’t feel like we missed much on this journey together, since Adam and Matt were the two dillweeds that Rachel was obviously going to get rid of before meeting four guys’ families this week. To jog your memory: Adam was the man who brought a creepy stuffed human to the mansion on the first night. Matt was the construction worker with hair plugs. I miss neither of them.

(Also, shout out to Rodger Sherman at the Ringer, because thanks to his recap, I know what happened last week.)

Let’s do this.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, WITH ERIC

Eric is from Baltimore, so it’s off to the City of Lights (as they call it) we go. Rachel shows up, they sit on a bench, and she puts her legs over his. Eric is wildly distracted by this physical contact. She asks him what he has planned for them and he’s like, “uh, I thought we could, see, the, uh, city, if you wanted, to, I’m from here” in that halting and unfocused way men speak when they’re trying to think with their brains and not their you-know-whats.

Eric takes Rachel to a basketball court, where he tells her that the men in his life were involved in the streets, and growing up watching them, he vowed he never would be. He was a straight-A student who was always there for his friends. Speaking of friends, his friend Ralph shows up, and says Eric is great (good friend!). He also says that Eric has never brought a woman home to meet his family before.

Rachel's always asking the right questions. #TheBachelorette http://pic.twitter.com/BxBzGprluA

— The Bachelorette (@BacheloretteABC) July 18, 2017

You can see Rachel visibly freak out. Her body language changes as the wheels start spinning and she’s like …. “What have I gotten myself into with this relationship noob?”

Rachel is very, very nervous to meet Eric’s family. But when she gets into the house, Eric’s gathered parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings cheer for her. She relaxes immediately.

These people rule. Eric’s Aunt Verna sits Rachel down and she’s like (I’m paraphrasing here), “Man, it must be tough being the first black Bachelorette.”

Rachel looks at her as though she’s been waiting to hear this for months, because she probably has. She’s like (I’m paraphrasing again), “Yeah, Verna, it’s been really goddamn hard!!!!!”

What she actually says is, “It’s a lot of pressure, because you’re being judged by two different groups: black people and everybody else. I don’t think people realize that. Having to worry about what an entire group of people think about your choices.”

That moment when... well, anything great happens. #TheBachelorette http://pic.twitter.com/nFg83iuRnv

— The Bachelorette (@BacheloretteABC) July 18, 2017

Eric is talking to his mom and they’re both serving up a dish that I like to call Bachelorette Word Salad, where they say things like “overwhelming love” and “I’ve been running from love my whole life,” and all the things you’re supposed to say to convince America that you are Serious About This!!!!!

Eric tells Rachel he loves her. I like Eric. He’s sweet, he’s straightforward, and he’s clearly very into this woman. But he doesn’t say, “I’m in love with you,” so in the limo when she leaves his family’s house, Rachel’s like, “I’m skeptical.”

This show is wack.

BIENVENIDOS A MIAMI, WITH BRYAN

Bryan is from Miami, otherwise known as The Windy City, so that’s where we are. Rachel runs up to meet Bryan, who I find smarmy, underneath a canopy of palm trees. It’s immediately apparent that she is more into the idea of being physical with him than she is with Eric. They make out a ton and she says, “Hey baby!”

Before we go any farther, we need to talk about Bryan’s horrendous clothes. His polo shirt is ombre, sliding from pinkish red to slate gray, and he’s wearing a gray V-neck underneath it. But the worst part is that the gray of his shirt perfectly matches the gray of his pants, so his pants appear to be an extension of his top, and the whole thing ends up looking like some hideous jumpsuit. Look at this:

"Miami is city of vibrancy...a city of romance." - Bryan #THeBachelorette http://pic.twitter.com/UatZNgBvXV

— The Bachelorette (@BacheloretteABC) July 18, 2017

They play dominos and go dancing before they meet Bryan’s family. We get a hint of trouble when Bryan’s like, oh, so the reason my last relationship ended is because she and my mom hated each other. We are primed for a Controlling Evil Monster Mom, which is a Bachelor/Bachelorette trope.

We meet Controlling Mom at her Miami home. She raises her drink and toasts her son, calling Bryan the most special thing she has in her life. She then drinks an entire glass of wine while her eyes widen and she looks as terrifying as any potential mother-in-law could. I’m laughing, because you just know that two producers looked at each other as she did this and high-fived.

“Bryan is very close to us,” Bryan’s mom says to Rachel. “Bryan is my life. But I just want to give you a warning. You are marrying the family too.”

“Yeah, I want that,” Rachel says.

And Controlling Mom is like: “If a woman wants to take husband for her family she can do it. Some women want only for himself. If he’s happy, I’m happy. If not, I’ll kill you.”

If not, I’ll kill you.

Rachel’s like hahahahaha. But I’m like yo, watch your back, Rachel. I think this woman is serious.

But then, weirdly, Controlling Mom does a 180 and becomes really kind. She says look, it was a pleasure to meet you, you’re a good person, love is the most important thing.

Then Not-So-Controlling Mom starts crying, and Rachel starts crying, and the problem is that I am crying. This is extremely embarrassing for me to admit, but I cannot lie to you: I am very moved by the conversation these women are having about true love. No amount of snark can protect me from my emotions as I wipe away my tears, a few of which fall into the mostly empty container of hummus in my lap as I sit alone on my couch.

Bryan says, “Rachel, I’m in love with you.” Rachel kind of moans, and then they make out, and I thought Peter was going to win this whole time, but Bryan is really giving him a run for his money.

MADISON, WISCONSIN, WITH PETER

We are now in Madison, Wisconsin, otherwise known as Sin City. Peter lives here, so he takes Rachel to this big-ass farmer’s market that they have in the city square every Saturday. Fun fact: I have been to this farmer’s market before, and there's this one stall sells the best cheese-y bread in the entire world. Another fun fact: I was in Wisconsin a few years ago when I worked at a cooking magazine, and my phone had a thin film of meat and cheese grease on it the whole time. It got so bad the touch screen momentarily stopped working. I wish I were kidding.

Rachel meets some of Peter’s friend at a bar. There are two black men and two white women, and Peter’s like, “I told Rachel when we first met that eight out of my ten best friends are black.” DUDE, ARE YOU REALLY PULLING A “I HAVE BLACK FRIENDS”?!?!?!?

His friends are like, hey man, you show her your Black Friend Card? They're also like look, Pete’s an accepting dude. But I’m like, if you treat being friends with people of different races as though it makes you a goddamn saint in 2017, you’re doing it wrong.

Uncle Peter. ❤️ That's okay, we're melting too. #TheBachelorette http://pic.twitter.com/atqvJGeuMG

— The Bachelorette (@BacheloretteABC) July 18, 2017

Anyway. The rest of the hometown date is devoted to Peter’s “holding back,” and his reluctance to “let his walls down.” His family and Rachel get along, and you can practically see her ovulate when he’s holding his sister’s daughter. But then his mom tells Rachel she isn’t sure he’ll be able to propose to her, and Rachel seems pretty crushed. She’s like, “I don’t want a boyfriend at the end of this.”

I get that she really wants to lock this thing up, but I’m also over here thinking … why does what the person is called matter? I don’t know, to me, the ideal situation for this show would be to end up with a boyfriend so you can see if you guys are compatible in the real world, as opposed to Fake Reality Land, before he gets down on one knee (the woman never proposes because the patriarchy is oppressive and must be dismantled).

But Rachel wants a husband, and I can tell that this will be the main storyline for the rest of her and Peter’s relationship. Until the producers reveal it was all a pump-fake and they’re actually engaged.

Peter doesn’t say I love you, and he’s like, “Shit, I blew it.”

ASPEN, COLORADO, WITH DEAN

We’re in Aspen Colorado, otherwise known as The Big Easy. Dean is from here, and he spends the entire first part of the date freaking out about seeing his family because they all haven’t been under the same roof in eight years. His mom died when he was 15 (he’s 26 now), and his dad kind of went AWOL afterwards, then converted to Sikh faith.

I’m like … are you sure national television is the place you want to do this?

But Rachel is like, why haven’t you talked to your dad in two years? And Dean is like, “Is it my responsibility to talk to my dad? To make sure there’s a relationship?”

I kind of wish Rachel would drop it, but she keeps pushing Dean on why he hasn’t worked harder to have a relationship with his family. BREAKING: Not everyone wants a relationship with their family, and not having one is sometimes way healthier than forcing something painful.

Dean keeps saying he’s terrified as they walk up to the door, and I’m very uncomfortable at how morally bankrupt it feels to use this young guy’s family strife for TV ratings (not that this franchise is some bastion of virtue). This feeling continues through the entire date. Everyone manages to have an okay time until everything goes to shit when Dean and his father speak to each other alone.

"The energy felt good to me." - Rachel #TheBachelorette http://pic.twitter.com/rQdcFoCJkb

— The Bachelorette (@BacheloretteABC) July 18, 2017

They get into an argument about how Dean’s father wasn’t there for Dean, and about how hard it was for both of them when Dean’s mother died. They both clearly loved her deeply. Dean’s dad keeps turning the conversation around on Dean and can’t take any criticism. He’s being pretty cruel as he refuses to accept that he’s hurt his son. But he’s also definitely deeply damaged by the loss of his first wife, so. I don’t know.

I just hate this whole thing and wish they’d stop filming it.

But I guess it’s what you sign up for when you make it this far on this show. It just feels really manipulative, exploitative, and shitty to make a person bring his estranged family together in front of millions of people because it’s “what you sign up for.”

Rachel finds Dean lying on the floor after he talks to his dad. He’s a total wreck, and tells her he’s falling in love with her. She says she’s falling in love with him, too. This feels like a big mistake on her part.

Note: Dean recently posted this.

Hometowns are 2 days away! ..and I'm asking for a favor: when I said my father was eccentric, I was not referring to his Sikh faith or the turban he wears on his head. I'm not asking you to spare his feelings (or mine) but instead to be cognizant and accepting of the millions of people that belong to the Sikh community. Although he and I are not close, I respect my father’s decision to follow his heart and pursue the life he has chosen. Let us not criticize him for his appearance or his beliefs because by doing so we are disparaging an entire faith and culture that includes millions of people. And I know we are all better than that. That is all (for now) #endrant HAPPY SATURDAY PEOPLE

A post shared by Dean Unglert (@deanie_babies) on Jul 15, 2017 at 1:04pm PDT

ROSE CEREMONY, WITH EVERYONE

Saying she’s falling in love with Dean is a big mistake on Rachel’s part, because she ends up sending Dean home. I get it, I guess — he’s young, and his family is clearly not the ideal cookie-cutter that she’s looking for, given that she keeps talking about how her parents have been married 37 years.

But Dean is like, uh, why’d you tell me you were falling in love with me if you’re sending me home? And Rachel says she is falling in love with him. And he’s like, then, wait, what!? But you got rid of me?! And says she just felt like he couldn’t give her what she needs. Which sounds like a lot of B.S. to me.

In the limo on the way home, Dean is like, “she made a mistake.” It’s interesting to me that in the limos when a dude gets sent home on The Bachelorette, he’s often like, “She just made the most wrong decision of her life!” But when it’s a woman on The Bachelor, her reaction is usually, “No one will ever love me, I’m not good enough for anyone, this is a direct reflection of my character.”

Even though it’s really just a direct reflection of some strange and kind of awful Stockholm Sydrome version of love. This is how society conditions us. AGAIN, WITH THE GODDAMN PATRIARCHY!

Anyway, next week the guys meet Rachel’s family. Things don’t seem to go that well for Bryan in the previews, and there are a lot of teasers devoted to Peter’s “walls,” which makes me sure that they are red herrings and that Peter wins, as I originally predicted.

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