#and not try to be the french uprising or something

[randomuzerthelozer]

Do you ever make a full on essay post about something happening that proves a point you had, but then you realise you miss read the post you got the orignal info from and basically your full entire point falls apart(EVEN THOGUHT YOU CAN CLEALRY TELL YOUR ON THE RIGHT TRACK)

(IF YOU WANT TO SEE MY POINTS INA SAMLLER WAY GO INTO THE TAGS I WENT INSANE BRO)

[leviathan-supersystem]

If the U.S. moves forward with a U.N.-proposed plan to send armed forces into Haiti, the Biden administration’s former envoy to Haiti warned, the result will be a predictable catastrophe.

Ambassador Dan Foote resigned last fall in protest of U.S. deportation policy, which continues to return planeloads of Haitian migrants to dangerous conditions without giving them a serious opportunity to apply for asylum. In his resignation letter, he also condemned the U.S. for its support of the extralegal, de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who has been credibly linked to the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, and has fired multiple prosecutors probing the crime.

In recent weeks, Haiti has erupted in protests against deteriorating economic conditions. In September, Henry cut fuel subsidies, sending costs flying and people into the streets. Gangs responded by blockading a key fuel terminal, and in early October, Henry called for international intervention. An outbreak of cholera, originally brought to the island by a U.N. “peacekeeping” operation in the 2000s, is worsening as the fuel shortage limits clean water supplies.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres responded to Henry’s call for intervention by encouraging an international armed force to deploy to Haiti. On Monday, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. representative to the United Nations, told the Security Council that the U.S. and Mexico would be proposing a resolution for a “carefully scoped non-U.N. mission led by a partner country with the deep and necessary experience required for such an effort to be effective.”

Foote said Biden’s increasingly interventionist posture toward Haiti, which was evident even last year, was behind his decision to resign. “The deportations were the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Foote said. “But the major reason I resigned is because I saw U.S policy moving in exactly this direction, toward intervention, which is, as Einstein said — and I’ll paraphrase — trying the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is insanity. And in Haiti, each time the international community has intervened without Haitian and popular support, the situation is stabilized temporarily, and then it becomes much worse over time.”

An armed intervention would likely produce a short period of calm, he said, but would fall apart sooner or later. “It’s almost unfathomable that all Haitians are calling for a different solution, yet the U.S and the U.N and international [institutions] are blindly stumbling through with Ariel Henry,” he said.

Foote said that the Biden administration continues to support Henry in power because he has been amenable to accepting the deportations of migrants. “It’s gotta be because he has promised to be compliant,” he said, “but we’re going to have a civil uprising in Haiti similar to 1915, when we sent the Marines in for the first time and administered Haiti for almost 20 years. In 1915, Haiti was in a similar position, and they went up to the French Embassy at the time, or the legation, and they dragged the president — President [Jean Vilbrun Guillaume] Sam — out, and they tore him limb from limb on the streets. And I fear that you’re gonna see something similar with Ariel Henry or with a foreign force that’s sent in there to propagate his government and keep him in power.”

[crepes-suzette-373]

Germa and French references

(Plus bonus Star Wars mention at the end)

Sanji's iron mask in the flashbacks immediately made me think of Dumas's works, but when I saw it I didn't think much about it. It's just like, "Oh I guess it's just part of the Sanji = French thing". Plus in one of the cover arts Sanji was drawn in a classic Musketeer outfit, so I thought it was just for fun.

But Twitter user Marudoro-san made this thread that pointed out a bunch of the same references I'd caught and said "Hey, maybe this is actually important to the plot later", and I think they have a point. So I figured I'd share what I'd already noticed, and I will highlight the input that I got from Marudoro-san in red here in this post.

Iron Mask

The man in the iron mask is a French prisoner whose identity is never truly known in history. In his novel, Alexandre Dumas invented a plot where the iron masked prisoner is the twin brother of King Louis XIV, and the plot involves the famous Musketeers from the previous novels in a conspiracy of switching the king for the twin brother.

At a glance, it might be just a literary Easter egg, but when I look at it again, I do start to have questions. Within the One Piece scenario context, this is unnecessary. In the Dumas novel, the mask seems to be needed to hide the prisoner's identity. But there's no need to hide Sanji's identity, and it's not to prevent him from shouting for help because he can still talk even with the mask. What is it for? Is it a clue that the Man in the Iron Mask novel is relevant to this story?

For one, the fact that the iron masked prisoner being the king's twin is noteworthy. Sanji is one of 4 quadruplets, but still. Marudoro said that maybe this is a sign that Sanji and Ichiji will have a confrontation later. This makes sense, because of the other Vinsmokes, the one most likely to represent a "king" would be Ichiji.

This is something I myself had considered before, that Ichiji specifically might later have a role as "Sanji's opposite". I don't know how yet, but the imagery and themes that I've seen so far seems to point that way.

Marudoro also points out that if you look into the Musketeer novels, Sanji has vibes similar to Aramis, who is described as something of a womaniser. Aramis happens to be the mastermind behind the twin conspiracy in the Iron Mask novel.

The correlation is vague, and it's hard to tell how is this going to be relevant, besides maybe "there might be other French history/literature references in Germa's storyline".

Les Misérables, Revolution, the French Royalty

The only two Germa servants who actually has proper names, head chef Cosette and Sora's personal servant Eponi, seem to be references to the Les Misérables characters Cosette and Eponine. Part of the narrative of Les Mis is the June Rebellion, an uprising of the anti-monarchists.

In the Soul Pocus song that serves as the outro of the WCI arc, the "lyrics" specifically has the exact word "guillotine". For many people, guillotine is very closely linked to the image of the French Revolution and the execution of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

Speaking of guillotine... Yonji's attack, translated as "Winch Guillotine" in the official translation, is actually called "Winch Danton" in the raw. This is possibly a reference to Georges Danton, and important figure of French Revolution, who is curiously executed by guillotine.

Sensei clearly knows the word guillotine, so why not just flat out call it "Winch Guillotine" like the translation?

For whatever it's worth, Danton was someone who was executed for opposing the new government after the first revolution. The revolutionaries got so bad that it was called the "Reign of Terror", so Danton turned against them and was trying to oppose this cruelty.

Yonji is rather visibly the least "bad" of the brothers and his reactions are almost like a "normal person" in a lot of ways, so maybe this is significant?

Marudoro-san said that the Nyasha/cat carriage the Vinsmokes were riding when they were about to meet Big Mum was incredibly similar to the funerary carriage of King Louis XVIII. While there are some differences, they do have a point.

Again, it's still unclear about what significance all of this stuff will have. Maybe the imagery of "revolution" and "King's funeral" indicate that Germa will be undergoing a lot of changes. Something that's beyond just the formation of Neo MADS.

The Knights Hospitaller... and Napoleon?

Marudoro-san says there's an interesting parallel between Germa and the Knights Hospitaller. This is a chivalric order that has privileges that puts them equal to a sovereign power. They have minimal land holdings, but has the standing almost on par with that of a nation. It's like the landless Germa, who is still recognised as a kingdom by WG up until their privileges were taken away after the mess in WCI.

The Knights has lost a lot of its power and territories in Europe through history, and finally, its headquarters in Malta was sacked by Napoleon. Marudoro-san highlighted that Big Mum's hat and sword was called Napoleon.

Marudoro-san took this analysis elsewhere, but for my part, I'm wondering if Germa almost being destroyed at WCI is a parallel of this attack of the Knights in Malta, with Big Mum being the parallel to Napoleon.

The possible proof of the Napoleon parallel is Law. Law was heavily instrumental in Big Mum's defeat in Wano, and his name are connected to events related to Napoleon's downfall.

Napoleon suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Trafalgar, and the man who was his jailer to the point of his death was a surgeon's son named Hudson Lowe. Law and Lowe looks different in English, but in Japanese both are spelled the same: ロー.

[Edit: Napoleon was also famously defeated in the Battle of Waterloo. In Japanese, Waterloo is spelled like this: ワーテルロー. It contains the same "ロー" as in Law's name.]

Marudoro-san said that Napoleon's invasion of Malta involved tricking the Knights to letting him dock under false pretences. I don't know how true this is, but at the very least this is a narrative that is accessible to the Japanese. One could argue that this is parallel to the conspiracy in Whole Cake.

If this parallel is really correct, then, this could be a hint of "Good Germa".

The Knights Hospitaller surrendered and survived that Napoleon encounter, with its status being even more diminished. Eventually it restructured as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which still has its sovereign authorities (Wikipedia says they can even issue passports and currency), but is now an organisation whose activities are focused on charity.

Bonus: The Jedi and Clone Wars?? (Star Wars)

Marudoro-san also mentioned that the 66 of Germa reminds them of Order 66 from Star Wars, which ended the Jedi order and enabled the Sith to rise to power.

I only understand Star Wars very minimally myself, but a fan I talked to on Twitter confirmed to me that they think so as well. Especially because there's the specific focus on Germa soldiers being clones, and it's reminiscent of the whole clone plotline in Star Wars.

Order 66 ended the Jedi. The 66 of Germa is in reference to the destruction of the old Germa Empire.

If this parallel is true, then this might confirm the theory that "Germa is not actually evil before". If we read that the "Sith" is World Government, and the old Germa is "Jedi", then maybe it's hinting that all the story about them being evil in the past is a lie? They may be awful now because Judge is so driven by revenge, but maybe they were actually not evil before.

[sissa-arrows]

Did you know during the Spanish Civil War, Moroccan soldiers who were allied with Franco would have rape "camps" for captured (or not) Republican women? One the most well-known perpetrators of such "campaigns" was Mohammed Mizzian, who was close friend of Franco, and after independence in 1956, he was personally invited by king Mohammed V to lead the newly Moroccan Army, and today even has a museum in his honour in Rabat..

And now the same thing is happening to Sahrawi women in the occupied territories.

Without removing anything from this type of horrors, that’s a very difficult subject for one simple reason. Part of Morocco was a Spanish colony.

Colonizers do use soldiers from the colonies to do horrific things. For example in Algeria a non negligible part of the soldiers who were sent by France to kill Algerians during the massacres of Setif, Guelma and the rest of the region, leading to the slaughter of 45000 Algerians, were Black infantrymen from other colonies. During the war against Vietnam keeping them from gaining their independence, some of the troops sent by France were Africans (Mostly Moroccan and Black men but they eventually started using them less and less because they were deserting the French army to join the Vietnamese revolution). Even without making them join the army France tried really hard to create division and use the colonized against each other. For example whenever Algerians organized an uprising the people would get arrested and either sentenced to death by guillotine or to forced labor and exile. For the “biggest” uprisings (excluding the war of liberation) they tended to avoid execution because they didn’t want to turn them into Shouhada in the eyes of the people. So the French often sentenced them to forced labor and exile. The exile always happened in other French colonies because the goal was also to use the Algerians to outnumber the indigenous people. Trying to turn the Algerians exiled into foot soldiers for French colonialism in those places (which didn’t work as well as planned but still).

So the colonized being forced to join the colonizers army and committing horrors in said army either by force or by choice is a subject that’s very complicated in my opinion. I don’t think they should be absolved of everything they did but I also don’t think they should be judged without taking into account the context. They were Black and Brown men at a time were refusing to fight for France could have easily gotten them under a guillotine. We all would love to think we would have chosen the guillotine over committing these horrors but the truth is we (myself included) don’t actually know what we would have done.

On top of it people (not saying that’s what you’re doing) LOVE to mention what the colonized did in the colonizer’s army while pretending white soldiers were not worst. So the colonized joining the colonizers armies is a very complicated subject in my opinion and not something I feel knowledgeable enough to talk about at length to condemn it.

That being said rape is definitely something that Morocco uses against the Sahrawi women. They also send tons of rape threats to Sahrawi and Algerian women online who dare be vocal against the occupation of Western Sahara. And this time they aren’t an army forced to act because the colonizers said so. They are not forced to join the army either. So there is absolutely no nuance. In this case they are the colonizers and they are hurting the colonized in horrific ways.

[toxinellebug]

HESPERIA/BETTERFLY kamikotized heroes Headcanons PART 1

There will be a bunch of these, but I will most likely only do 2 heroes per post.

Let’s face it; no matter what universe, Gabriel and Adrien are cut from the same cloth, therefore you should be prepared for puns.

The following heroes are NOT in chronological order of appearance in the timeline, but I will do my best to give you a rough idea of when they show up.

Some Heroes will have more detail than others.

Mr. Banana becomes…. *drumroll please*

Banana Punch! 

(Or in french, Pain Banane… Ok, hear me out, in French ‘pain aux bananes’ is banana bread, however, the word ‘pain’ is ALSO slang for ‘punch’.)

          Mr. Banana himself is a ridiculous mascot character, with ‘banana’ being a pun in itself for having a big smile, and his catchphrase of “stay peachy” a translation of the french pun of positivity, so naturally it only makes sense that his kamikotized hero form is that of a smiling loaf of banana bread wearing a martial arts head-band, and boxing gloves to punch evil-doers trying to rob some old woman when there are no enforcers nearby.

          Gabriel isn’t proud of it. But his power of Transmission gifts abilities that are best suited to the person’s emotions in that situation.

                  This Hero was a one-off that showed up before Shadybug and ClawNoir were introduced, and since only the old lady and her would-be robbers were witnesses, the act of heroism was swept under the rug for a long time because when Enforcers DID finally show up they just assumed the old lady was having a senior moment, and the two burly men had enough pride left NOT to confess they were bruised up by a loaf of banana bread, and instead claimed they were assaulted by some 6’9”, 230lb steroid fueled vigilante.

                  It took Alya FOREVER to connect the dots on this one, finally tracking down the old woman who was nearly robbed- because of course she would want to try to investigate vigilantes and see if they are tied to any conspiracies concerning a revolt against enforcers or an uprising against The Supreme….but even THIS was too far-fetched for her.  

               A little more digging led to the weirdest interview she has ever had. (There’s just something unsettling about those empty, soulless, banana eyes… *shiver*) But if you have a better explanation for how a scrawny dude in a banana costume can take on two brutes twice his size and walk away unbruised that DOESN’T involve magic, Alya would LOVE to hear it.

         (Think about it, in S4, Shadowmoth had to search specifically for negative emotions that revolved around taking risks, this means he can not just assign any random power he wants to anyone having a bad day- the power has to match their mood and desire to change the situation that put them in that mood. That is one of the limitations of the power of the Butterfly Brooch.)

Funfact: “Akuma” roughly translates to ‘demon shadow’, therefore “kamiko” would most likely be ‘blessed child’, since “kami” is god/divine/blessed and the affix “ko” is ‘child’.

      Betterfly probably sees his butterflies as little children, carrying the light of hope on their wings to those who are deserving of the burden of power for the greater good.

Théo Barbot becomes….

Monumenteur!

(A combination of monument and conservateur aka preservationist)

       Remember, in this Universe, Paris is “The City of Progress”.

      And Progress does NOT involve wasting money to maintain antiquated buildings and monuments from a bygone era.

      Such prime real estate would be better used for useful things; factories, banks, shopping malls, corporate buildings, apartment buildings, etc.

           But that doesn’t mean one can just go about demolishing historic architecture after selling to the highest bidder. (Not unless you want a riot).  No, no, there must be compromise!

         Nothing lasts forever, everything must go when it’s time has come; this is nature’s law.

             Economics and finances must support modern infrastructure to maintain the progress of society, not dwell in the past.

                   As such, there are no groups that specialize in preserving and maintaining historical buildings and monuments.  Old things are left as is until they have worn out their usefulness. Without specialized upkeep as well as preventative measures, these structures naturally decay and fall apart over time.   Once a building/monument has reached a point where it is considered structurally unsound (it could fall down and crush someone) it is then legally condemned for demolition, afterwards the location will be put up for sale and something new will be built in it’s place.

                     This means that in the last few decades, many of the beautiful architecture that Paris is famous for has been lost, but there are still some left.

For an artist, like Theo, it is painful to simply watch as these gorgeous pieces of history decompose to rubble in indifference.  He dreams of a beautiful Paris that celebrates it’s rich culture and shares it’s history for many generations to come!

          But what can he, a teenager, do? No one will invest money to preserve buildings past their prime. Everyone wants something new and more industrial. They are looking towards the future while turning their backs on the past.

         If only he had the ability to maintain these monuments himself! Then more people could appreciate the beauty of historic architecture and perhaps the aesthetic of a better restored monument would be pleasing enough to convince others that some history is worth preserving!

     Hesperia/Betterfly agrees.

Many of the monuments in Paris were created pre-WW1, with thoughts like hope, love, dreamers, and the enduring spirit in mind. These are not just great works of art- they are symbols of man’s determination to make the world a better place!

     As Monumenteur, Theo becomes a 7 foot tall living bronze statue dressed in French Revolution attire. Equipped with all his sculpting tools and possessing superhuman strength, dexterity, and stamina, Monumenteur is able bound across the rooftops of Paris at night to visit each Historic building/monument, and work his artistry to repair damage and carefully restore architecture, like magic.

        Suddenly, monuments that were literally 24 hours away from being declared “condemned” look brand new???  People are talking!  Opinions are divided; obviously the older generations who were born pre- WW2 feel nostalgic, and of course other generations can appreciate NOT living in a city interspersed with decaying ruins… but the biggest concern is, of course, “That better not be MY tax-money they are spending on this little art project!”  Appreciating art is one thing, but paying out the nose to appreciate it is another!

        Let’s face it, the Arc de Triomphe is lovely, but it ain’t putting dinner on the table, now is it?  (Just like in America, the Grand Canyon is a tourist attraction that generates some money for the state of Arizona, but there are many more things that could be done with that land that would be bigger bread winners if people didn’t care about history or preserving nature.)

There is also the question of “How?” Surely such a big renovation project would make a lot of noise, and take a substantial amount of time… how could such a big undertaking go unnoticed?

                 The Supreme does NOT like it when people notice things.

                       The rich don’t like it when their plans for new construction are delayed indefinitely.

          Shadybug and Claw Noir take it upon themselves to go on a little moonlight stroll to catch Monumenteur in the act. 

       Since this “hero” is big, muscled, and made of metal, it is a perfect chance for them to REALLY let loose and vent out some stress.

They are BRUTAL. 

     Having superpowers is literally the only thing that kept Theo alive. 

        Not once did Shadybug or Claw Noir stop to consider “hey, this is an actual person we are dealing with.”  They only cared about beating the snot out of him, trying to taunt the Butterfly man out of hiding by threatening to destroy the kamikotized object and turning Monumenteur into scrap metal in the process.

        The fight also leads to some visible damage to the buildings/monuments that Monumenteur has been painstakingly working to restore.

Gabriel is not some coward who would let two gang up against one while he sits on the sidelines, and of course comes to Monumenteur’s rescue just as his object is discovered and he is rendered helpless to a swift pummeling before being tossed off the side of the Palais Garnier.

          They narrowly manage to escape.

Theo is badly hurt, broken bones, hematomas, a concussion, and the damage to his hands ensures he will never sculpt again.

        Gabriel’s guilt is immense and he is stuck with a deep wave of self-loathing; How DARE he put a CHILD in such danger?! It is un-acceptable!  This young boy has been robbed of his future for the sake of a battle, the stakes of which, he can not truly fathom. 

      This can not, WILL NOT happen again!

Wars should be handled by adults, and children should be allowed to cherish their innocence!

From then on, Betterfly vows to never burden powers to a minor again (unless it’s something like, a little kid is trapped in a burning building and giving them 5 minutes of super-powers is the only thing that will get them out alive because Fire Suppressors will not make it in time).

            Later on, Alya will have to metaphorically move mountains to convince Betterfly to take her on as an ally and entrust her with powers to help him fight for the greater good. (Much like how in S3, “Feast”, Master Fu was convinced it was better to take back the cat and ladybug miraculous, rather than risk Marinette and Adrien falling victim to the Sentimonster. His fear of being the cause for their destruction as well prevented him from giving them a chance to prove they could overcome anything).

As for Theo, being crippled makes it impossible to have so many part-time jobs, but Gabriel plans to do right by that boy and offers him a part-time job as a gopher-assistant at the Gabriel brand. (It’s mostly just busy-work, but it has the name ‘Gabriel’ attached to it so it carries a small weight of respect that will look great on Theo’s resume. One day, after years of recovery and physical therapy, Theo will obviously want to pursue something more concrete, and this experience will be a rather cushy stepping stone on his career path.)

        Theo has no clue as to why THE Gabriel Agreste would offer him, a kid who hasn’t even enrolled in University yet, a job… All Mr. Agreste said was something about recognizing hidden potential when Theo entered his Derby Hat contest.

As for the property damage; No, Shadybug did not cast her miraculous “cure”.  This was strategic.

        The damage is VERY noticeable, but in a way that please The Supreme.

Soon the news are talking about how all the previous restoration was nothing more than a publicity stunt by radical youths, and the so called “repairs” were nothing more than cheap, hastily thrown together facades…. A cosmetic bandaid that was all flair but no substance, thus explaining how it was done so quickly and why it fell apart just as fast.

        There is even speculation that it was a financial ploy; a delay tactic to halt the sale of the land the condemned buildings are on by rival companies who weren’t pleased knowing they would be outbid.

The public soon grows bored and the secret of magic is preserved yet again.

However, this fight causes the dark, painful black veins to spread to Marinette’s hands, and as a result, she starts wearing fishnet gloves. (They are more practical weather wise and less suspicious than full gloves, and the lace makes the veins blend in seamlessly.)

Adrien has been getting by with make-up and a “Don’t touch me” attitude, that makes sense for a surly teen but breaks his father’s heart.

PART 2

[thevampirearchive]

To the world, sincerely, a tired black artists and my fellow creatives

A lot of the weird demonization of Rema’s visuals really made me sad. I’m not surprised at the lack of cultural knowledge about Edo people and Benin City, Nigeria — virtually everywhere outside of the continent, African history, culture and traditions aren’t taught unless you are in special programs or majors. But to call something demonic and satanic because you don’t understand? The blatant xenophobia and racism has me so furious. I know we have a lot of unlearning to do, but I had imagined that the colonial ways of viewing black Africans was not alive and thriving amongst the diaspora. To see so many black Christian’s come together in the name of their white gods and forced religion to call something so sentimental, historically important and significant for Rema and many others demonic is like having a weird ‘dejavu’.

Everyday I think about how I see too many people complain about lack of representation of black people from all around the world in media; wether it be movies, tv, fiction, music genre and other industries predominantly white — and now, given visuals and such cool performance, we do as our oppressors once did. Word for word. It’s disgusting and I hope everybody who partook educated themselves and do better.

When will my people know peace when it comes to trying to share, showcase and be proud of what we’ve created? I never forgot how Fufu became a laughing stock, how so many still mock their parents pronunciations knowing that’s their third of even fourth language. And don’t let me start on Nollywood or the diasporic movie industries — why must you laugh when you don’t understand? Question things, yes, be curious and explore. But mocking?

To all my fellow Africans and black people of the diaspora— one day, we will be in a world where we’re known for more then our struggles. Where were not mocked for our ‘incorrect’ speech of languages violently forced upon us, that we adapted to fit who we are and our origins. One day we will have peace; no more silent genocides, or loud ones. No more having to hide our roots, traditions, practices, art/creations. Be ashamed of any aspects of our culture that does not warrant shame.

I ask that if you want representation, you seek it out because trust me it is out there. The continent has so many creations — sure some harder to find or consume due to language barriers but we all witnessed K-drama’s boom. You can watch French, Spanish and English films — so why are subtitles not good enough when it’s in Igbo? Xhosa? Wolof? Zulu? Bafang?

I ask that everybody, including myself, start to give africa it’s flowers. The more we pour into the good — art, creations, industries etc that inspire more to create and expand, the more we will see the uprise of what has always been within the continent but never given much thought by most of the world because it is African and the quality is regarded as ‘lesser’.

And I hope I get to witness more great artist come from all around the motherland, and be part amongst them when I eventually complete my African/Black centered work ✌🏾

[blonditarot]

Guys I’m stupid

I wanted to do a reading about the North Korea firing artillery near South Korea’s island. I usually do those readings for myself whenever something like that happens around the world. But now I have my blog so I can share it with my followers

I’m sorry I don’t have any pictures of the cards that fell out. I’ll have to write what I remember so this won’t have many details. And I think at this point I’ve shown my cards so many times that people trust me

Oh and don’t take this seriously. It’s just a type of reading that I like to do and even I don’t take them granted.

I have some good news and some bad news

First the bad news

North Korea is definitely onto something. I saw some plans there. As if they wanted to pick up from where they left off. They want what South Korea has. However for now this could be just a power play. They are testing the waters (that wasn’t intentional, this is one of the times when I’m being 100% serious about something. Attacks like this one might repeat in the future. I have a sense they want to both scare some people, strengthen the propaganda and manipulate South Koreans into starting a war.

I’m not sure if this would become an open conflict with the North Korea declaring a war. I saw a lot of hesitation there. There’s something wrong like they didn’t have an option. Theres something going on behind the scenes. The North Korea is missing something that attaching the South Korea would provide. But they are hesitant to do that. I feel if someone is trying to protect their position. They are afraid the people won’t take it any longer and start an uprising.

I remember I literally saw North Koreans turning their back on their government if they start this war. Think the French Revolution or when Russians abolished the monarchy in 1917.

And like I said I don’t see a full ongoing war. I see a contract and a peaceful way of dealing with-escalating the conflict. Even I can’t believe this but I draw some cards to confirm this and I got the Temperence. Don’t get me wrong I see some fighting but not like the fights in Palestine or Ukraine. But hey my brain can’t comprehend the North Korea offering a peaceful resolution (or a trade?). South Korea on the other hand definitely wants the North to pay for the whole thing without starting a conflict. They want to mind their own business.

South Korea might end up on top of this, they will be the ones that will benefit more out of this.

Also I have a hunch it might start a big change that will start from baby steps. It’s about the bigger picture, way further in the future.

I really hope this reading is accurate and there won’t be another war.

[dailyanarchistposts]

The Storm Approaches

“We are the birds of the coming storm.” –August Spies

This year, May Day took place in the context of France celebrating the 50-year anniversary of the uprising of May 1968. This event had a massive impact on the collective imagination—not only in France, but also worldwide, as evidenced by the slogans, artwork, and images of rioters throwing cobblestones it summons to mind. The so-called “revolution of 1968” saw massive demonstrations, general strikes, wildcat strikes, and occupations of universities and factories throughout France. Initiated by Parisian students, the revolt spread to working class milieux and then to many other demographics. What began as a local struggle became a national upheaval. According to historians, May 1968 represented a new form of cultural and social movement that emerged outside of traditional parties and trade unions. This movement challenged consumer society by critiquing its ideology of productivity and profit, but it also questioned the authoritarian political model of the time and put the notions of individuality and personal subjectivity at the center of the struggle.

From traditional leftist activists to career politicians and reactionaries of all stripes, everyone has something to say about May ’68. The struggles of May 1968 became yet another component of the society of the spectacle. Since the beginning of 2018, the French government, politicians of every party, the corporate media, and the Ministry of Cultural affairs have all been commemorating this long-past social and cultural upheaval that supposedly marked a turning point in French history. The museum exhibitions serve to fix the possibility of revolutionary change in a long-concluded past, but they are not even the worst part. For example, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, a former student activist who became the self-proclaimed heir of the revolution of May ’68, took up a career in journalism and politics and finally came to support President Macron and his neoliberal policies. We can appreciate the irony of the situation and the hypocrisy of the French government as it actively strives to suppress any contemporary form of experimentation—see, for example, the recent evictions at la ZAD and of several occupied universities.

In response to this political farce, some radicals published a call announcing that “instead of commemorating May 1968, we could try organizing a beautiful month of May 2018.” You can read translations of this call here. The authors invited people to converge in Paris in order to dethrone the myth of May 1968 and precipitate the fall of Macron and his government. This can only be understood in the context of the social, economic, and political situation in France today. As some have argued, the growing anger against President Macron and his reforms could become a serious threat for the government. For months now, railroad workers, airplane company employees, civil servants, students, professors, postal employees, hospital employees, and many others have been out on strike or protesting government policies. If all of these groups joined forces against the authorities, the impact would be considerable.

Two days before May Day, the Police Prefecture of Paris published a press statement in which Michel Delpuech, the Police Commissioner, announced that he would receive the trade union leaders and other organizers of the demonstration to warn them about the potential for public disorder that threatened the smooth functioning of the march. Amid typical redundant gibberish, the communiqué stated that:

“During the traditional May Day demonstration, activists of protest groups belonging to extremist movements are planning to violently attack law enforcement and capitalist symbols. […] Thus, in the continuity of May 1, 2017, and accentuated by the 50-year anniversary of the events of May ’68, activists want to take advantage of this demonstration to engage in multiple attacks and destruction against street furniture, banks, real estate or insurance agencies, car dealerships… and violently attack police forces. It appears that incendiary devices could be used.”

In view of this threat, the Prefecture deployed some 1500 policemen and gendarmes in order to insure order during the march. Regarding the risks of violence, the communiqué added that:

With such statements, the authorities sought to set the tone for May Day in advance. Anyone who wished to do anything to express discontent beyond marching passively would face uncompromising repression. The Police Prefecture of Paris also sought to increase its control over the May Day demonstration by imposing a shorter route than usual. Instead of the classic route linking Place de la République to Place de la Nation, the 2018 march was only authorized a two-mile walk between Place de la Bastille and Place d’Italie, a route that seemed to offer fewer potential targets for rioters. It was obvious that authorities hoped to lead us into a trap.

In response, some radicals of the “cortège de tête” (“the leading procession”) published their own communiqué on May Day morning. Regarding the threats and injunctions made against them, they answered:

“We, members of the leading procession, announce for May 1 that we are going on renewable strike concerning the role assigned to us by authorities in the demonstration. We are making the call to retaliate by invading the Latin Quarter as soon as the demonstration has been dissolved.”

Joking aside, many of us were determined to break the spell of May ’68 once and for all by invading the streets of Paris for May Day and letting our dreams, inventiveness, and rage speak for themselves.

[mycological-mariner]

Dude dude dude. Wdym you know lots about Cornish history. Please share. I want this info dump. I want to know more. I will beg on my knees if necessary.

!!!!

I guess it depends on which period of Cornish history you wanna know about! I admit I don’t know a great deal about say Dunmonia or the really properly ancient culture in Cornwall. I take more of an interest in the social and industrial side of Cornish history. But I can give you a run-down of some parts of Cornish history you’ll never shut me up about!

The Cornish Jacobites and their rebellion in 1715! It actually had an impact on the 1745 rebellion, as well, as one of the Cornish Jacobite leaders’ (who was tossed in Newgate prison) family were suspected of harbouring Prince Charles Stuart, though it’s unlikely this did in fact occur. Actually this whole period is really interesting!

Cornwall during the French Rev wars!! So actually. In Cornwall, the ideas of Liberté, égalité, fraternité we’re quite popular. So popular in that in St. Just which was on the Tin Coast, a group of men planted a Liberty Tree. There was also a great deal of economic struggle (Cornwall has always been one of the poorest regions in the UK, however it was particularly drastic at this time, so much so that if you were a working family, you’d likely not be able to afford wheat for bread as it was extraordinarily highly priced). In fact, the officials of the area feared an uprising. I don’t have the number off the top of my head, but the reason they feared an uprising in Cornwall so much was because they’d be extremely outnumbered. Like I said, don’t have the precise number but it would’ve been a blood bath. Though luckily enough, the wars would very soon come to an end. Until the Napoleonic Wars kicked off.

Cornwall during the Napoleonic Wars is just. I could write a book or a very, very long essay. It’s also a very important time for industry. However Cornwall also held a unique position, being so close to France. French refugees trying to flee the war would be snuck across the channel and into Cornwall. They would also be given English names and set up with work. Not official, by the way. This wasn’t exactly a government approved activity. However there were also a few prisoner of war camps in Cornwall, a notable one in Roskrow. Detectorists must have a blast there… I’m also extremely emotional about one Captain James Quick, a St. Ives merchant captain who was taken a prisoner of war after setting sail from Falmouth and his ship, the Hopewell, becoming extremely damaged, losing all sails and being driven to the French coast and grounded in November 1810. He married his wife in just September. I actually have read the letters he wrote to his wife Harriett during this time and Christ. It’s a hell of a thing. He eventually made it home in 1814.

Industry in Cornwall is something I’ve touched on already a bit. But mining, fishing and farming were the biggest. And there’s the technology developed for it. One day I’ll need to talk in depth about the submarine mines, specifically Levant Mine (though it is a truly horrific story). Levant was actually 600 meters deep and before the “man engine” men and boys would have to climb around 80 sets of ladders up and down every single day, twice a day, in extremely hot mines that, at their longest stretched a mile beneath the sea floor. It wasn’t uncommon for men to just pass out from exhaustion on the ladders. A beam engine was introduced, which is still there. The only one in Cornwall.

By WWI, Cornwall has been pretty well established as a major entryway for trade into and out of the UK. Falmouth was THE port of call for ages. However, there was something called spy mania. Officials were worried German spies may use Cornwall to get into the country. This led to mass incarcerations of “spies” (many of whom were proven innocent) and subsequent executions. However even if you weren’t a spy, people coming into the country could be detained, thrown into a jail/workhouse and then drafted against their will into the war. It would have been a horrifying time to try and come into the country. On the topic of world wars and Cornwall, there are some places — one, I actually believe around Falmouth — where coastal defences managed to sink German uboats and at low tide you can even walk out to them (or at least they become exposed enough you can clearly make them out).

Once the tin and copper dried up, many Cornish miners were told they could have free land in places like Australia (and if this sounds a bit like what the US government told labourers in the mid 19thc, well it’s a theme). Besides Australia, many MANY miners also went to North America. In Mexico there’s even a town called Real de Monte, sometimes called “Little Cornwall” for its Cornish heritage there. Some Cornish miners also went as far West into America as California — again, which has a number of Cornish names about — and into the Appalachians and all along the east coast. The Hoosac Tunnel Disaster in 1853 was heavily being worked by Cornish immigrants and took over 20 years to complete.

I’ve not even touched on the language and the rebuilding thereof, nor cultural history or festivals. Or the smuggling!!! Or the civil war!!! Or it’s number of rebellions!! As I say, it really depends on which era and what aspect of Cornish history you’d be interested in learning about! I just kinda did a quick play by play, highlights! I highly recommend going to Kresen Kernow’s website (archives in Redruth) as well as the Royal Cornwall Museum which has quite a few digitised records in their online archives. Bodmin War Museum and the Falmouth Maritime Museum are also very useful! And if you ever go to Cornwall, PLEASE go to the local museum! You won’t believe the kind of things the volunteers will tell you or the absolute wild history of some of the objects. I can also recommend some reading, too.

[myrddin-wylt]

that same British anon here

You know what. Yes I will take Ukraine to be the point of reference here, Ukraine know what they're trying to do and are trying to fucking do it, I can respect that.

But yes I've noticed that all the germans I've known are very scared to criticise the government, and I'm not sure why, might just be a culture difference considering the bullshit the tabloids do here, but they seem genuinely a little afraid

imo Britain's problem in general is that while plenty of Brits can agree that the current situation is Very Not Good, even a riot ain't gonna do shit if it isn't goal-oriented and 100% clear what tangible action people want the government to take, and I imagine there's currently a lot of disagreement rn. like the French have a very clear tangible thing they want from Macron: repeal the law raising the retirement age. Euromaidan had clear goals: Yanukovych needed to resign and the Azarov government be dissolved only being the first of a very long list. also I'm putting this under a readmore because I love to ramble.

as a wider, historical uprising example - and please excuse me for coming off as like, US-obsessed patriot American I swear it's just the document really is written as just a perfect example - the US Declaration of Independence is really fascinating to read because it is literally a list of tangible grievances. 'we are angry and have provided you with a list as to why: because you did [a], [b], [c] etc concrete actions. so we are gonna do [x], [y], and [z] (which just so happen to be high treason).'

so grievances like 'being a tyrant' isn't enough, nor is 'hey I can't afford to heat my house or go to the doctor because you fucking suck at running the country, fix this shit.' ya gotta pick a very specific action, and that's not something I think the general British population has agreed on yet? I mean, yall are very good at getting Prime Ministers to resign (and without needing to use violence to do so), which is a very concrete action! and I'm not saying that sarcastically or in a mean way, I really am being genuine. like the Germans could fucking never. Americans could never, or else Trump would've resigned during his term. so I'm still holding out hope for yall and you know what, what does it matter anyway how many PMs you've had in however many years, as long as the transition of power was peaceful and legal? it's better to swap em out as needed than cling onto one that has shown to be Not The One. like what are you, fuckin Catholic or something? divorce them. serve them the papers. also I really, really do not know nearly enough about domestic UK politics in the last 25 years to be making any of the statements in this paragraph but that won't stop me because I'm an American!

......re: the Germans, hm. I thought they were more complacent than scared, but if they are scared it's presumably because the freedom of speech laws in Germany are............ well, the Network Enforcement Act is not helping. in any case, the Germans have always erred toward the side of censorship when it comes to the freedom of speech/hate speech/misinformation dilemma so maybe there's a cultural attitude of "better to be silent and let others think you a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt," if that makes sense? maybe they're less concerned about the government censorship and more about social censure/conforming to popular opinion, idk. I feel like I'd have to be fluent in German to be able to understand the attitudes there. you'd need to ask a German about that.

[wlwizard101]

hi i have so many thoughts about polaris + arc 3 as a whole so im just going to rant about them. spoilers for polaris and mirage under the cut. also monsquista in pirate101. also a little bit of emperyea. just a smidge.

polaris is probably my favorite world simply because of its writing and it does something kingsile and honestly a lot of media in general fails to do: how to write a good revolution.

first of all, the revolution has good motives and the writers want us to percieve as good. the penguins (proletariat. yes im doing a semi marxist analysist for a kids game dont @ me) are uprising against the polar bears (the borgeious class). the penguins struggles are seen as real. they do not simply want a return to the status quo or to 'bring back the king that was good' (looking at you mirage) - no, they want change.

and that is so refreshing! in pirate101, that goddamn ape (i literally hate him so much) does a revolution and. simply becomes king. thats it. the revolution itself is started by princesses and disgraced generals, not the people. which is not inherently bad writing, however this is portrayed as good. is the material conditions of the monkeys at all changed? nope! there's just a different king on the throne. its closer to a coup than anything. (i do enjoy the implications of the pirate doing much, much grimier things that the wizard due to them being well, a pirate, but i never thought it was handled all that well).

but back to polaris. there is changed, goddamnit! after overthrowing the monarchy, celebration happens in the central area of polaris. in a paralell to azteca, where everytime you go there you are reminded that everyone here is going to die soon holy shit, in polaris, you are reminded you fucking won. you did it. and this is especially refreshing considering it is based off of the french revolution, one that pop culture always tends to demean. but kingsile (though having napoliguen in pirate101 does have some implications) shows a different view point to the french revolution, one with much more empathy to the peasant class.

and this is where mirage kinda fell flat in comparison. i was half expecting ozy to turn out to be a twist villian, due to the writing competency of the previous world, but nope. hes just the rightful king guys! and now we have to defend against xerxes. who is evil because. uh. yeah. trust us guys!!! (his boss fight was also really underwhelming tbh. middle siblings always get the short end of the stick).

over all, arc 3 differs from the other arcs in that it is not about saving the status quo. in arc 1, you defended the world from malistairs gried. in arc 2, you defended the world from morganthes god complex. but in arc 3? we are shown grandmother raven to be a control freak, who'd rather let the spiral be destroyed than let her ex husband live, and we have grandfather spider, who is destroying the spiral to put everything back to the way it was. in some regards, yes, we are defending the status quo - but i would argue raven is infact that status quo. the gods as they are, under ravens plan, would stay the same. the spiral would soon be destroyed anyways because of the heat death of the universe, why try and change? let it be. we're here to change that! what it going to happen in emperyea i do not know, as i only just got to part 2, but im incredibly excited for it, even if the refrences are a little grating. no spoilers please <3

[qqueenofhades]

“ the 2nd Amendment was put in the Constitution to be sure that white slave owners would be able to put down revolts, ” wait WHATTTTTTT?

WELP. Just when you think "wow, I definitely know for sure how racist the founding fathers were,” there's always a bonus level!

If you're interested in reading more about this, and the other ways in which the modern-day Republican party has driven the original text of the entire Constitution as far-right and white-supremacist as possible, I hasten to direct you to Allow Me To Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution, by Elie Mystal. Mystal is both incredibly smart (Harvard and Harvard Law grad, award-winning fellow and justice correspondent at The Nation) and bust-a-gut-laughing funny. He is remarkably gifted with the ability to take deeply complex social, political, and historical topics and break them down in terms that even the most average layman can easily understand. Here, for example, is his introductory paragraph to Chapter 3, the aptly titled "Everything You Know About the Second Amendment is Wrong":

You cannot have a conversation with a Republican about the virtues of progressive policies in this country without running into that Republican's interpretation of the Second Amendment. The Republican might not be well educated, the Republican might not be functionally literate, but the Republican believes that the Constitution protects the right to bear arms. Our entire, intricate system of representative self-government carefully balanced with countervailing, overlapping spheres of power and protection of interests, gets reduced, in the Republican mind, to the ironclad right to shoot something that pisses them off.

And what is this thing that pisses them off the most? Yep, that would be black people. Mystal goes on to discuss the original context surrounding the creation and adaptation of the Second Amendment -- namingly that yet again, the founding fathers were trying to kick the slavery can down the road and come up with a way to avoid actually dealing with it. At the time, the post-Revolution state of affairs only gave the federal government the right to raise and arm a militia, and the Southern slaveholding states were afraid that if a slave revolt happened, the Northern free states would leave them out to dry and refuse to come to their defense. So as a compromise, James Madison included the text of the current Second Amendment as a way to be sure that the Southern slaveholders would be able to defend themselves in the event of an uprising (as happened in Haiti under 20 years later in 1804, which is still the only successful event in which black slaves successfully liberated themselves from a white colonial power, in this case the French, and is a key reason why Haiti has been left so poor and neglected by the western world ever since).

As ever, most Americans learn some nice red-white-and-blue version where Americans needed the right to bear arms to defend themselves against British tyranny and maintain their freedoms! Of course, that ignores the fact that the American Revolution ended in 1781, and the first Constitutional Convention gathered in 1787, six years past the point where major military operations were really a problem. So why would they still need to maintain "well regulated" (the "regulation" part is another that today's ultra-right-wing death cultists happily ignore) militias? As noted: yeah, it was for slaves, and once that was over, against black people. Republicans suddenly had no problem with gun control in the 1960s, when the Black Panthers decided that the best way to protect themselves was to carry weapons. As governor of California, Ronald Reagan signed the Mulford Act, one of the most sweeping pieces of firearms-restriction legislation in the nation, only to undo it on the federal level in 1986, as president, once the NRA had commenced its current "shoot anything and everything as long as we might need our guns to defend from black people" fascist lurch.

Mystal also discusses how the Supreme Court and the Constitution have never unilaterally granted the right to bear whatever the hell assault weapon you want, with no restrictions or qualifications whatsoever. The basis for that was laid in 2004, when George W. Bush let the federal assault-weapons ban expire, and in 2008, when Antonin Scalia wrote the majority opinion in Columbia v. Heller. This case (in, I repeat, 2008!) was the first time in American history where a clear legal right to own a gun simply for "self defense" was enshrined in law, and reflected the result of decades of Republican efforts to push the issue on the legislative level, just as they did with abortion rights. That is because, as Mystal once more puts it:

Gun rights are not about self-defense. They never have been. Gun rights are about menacing, intimidating, and killing racial minorities, if necessary. [....] As I said, the entire Republican argument on guns reduces down to the desire to shoot something that pisses them off. Until you can convince Republicans that shooting Black people is not okay, we will get nowhere.

I've written about the correlation between gun ownership and white supremacy before, and how the states that own the most guns are also home to the highest proportion of Trump voters. This isn't to say that every gun owner is a white supremacist; as noted, the Republicans suddenly got worried about guns as soon as the Black Panthers started using them. But the current Republican position on the issue is, as ever, entirely driven by white supremacy and fears of not being able to "defend themselves" against non-white people, who might, I don't know, hold a grudge or something for all the terrible ways they've been treated over the years. It's about maintaining privileged white access to guns, and to be able to use those guns however and whenever they want. Like, you know, Kyle Rittenhouse.

This was helpfully exemplified just two days ago, when a guy with a gun was arrested outside Brett Kavanaugh's house and confessed to making threats against him. Mitch McConnell went absolutely ape and demanded that Democrats pass legislation against threatening a justice ASAP! All those massacres of Hispanic schoolkids in Uvalde or Black grocery shoppers in Buffalo? Nah. Yawn. Business as usual. The instant Beer Can Kavanaugh gets threatened? Suddenly, miraculously, the Republicans discover that "thoughts and prayers" don't actually work as a solution. Weird.

[rabbitcruiser]

Fête de la Fédération

Fete de la Federation was a massive festival celebrated on July 14, honoring the French Revolution. The day was the predecessor of Bastille Day, as celebrated today. The point of the festival was to celebrate both the Revolution and the spirit of National Unity. At the time, the Revolution had overthrown the excesses of the French monarchy and replaced it with a constitutional monarchy, led by an elected National assembly. The Fete de la Federation was organized to coincide with the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. The festival came at a time when people believed that the revolution was over, though turmoil would follow in the coming years.

History of Fete de la Federation

The French Revolution began in 1789 with that year’s Estates-General. The abolition of the reigning ‘Ancien Régime’ or Old Regime began on July 14, 1789, when a crowd of protesters stormed the Bastille prison. By 1790, the monarchy had been overthrown and a National Assembly was elected. Believing the Revolution to be over, a desire to celebrate national unity spread across the French people. The festival in Paris was to be the most prominent celebration of fraternity — it was to be attended by the royal family, the deputies of the National Assembly, and the general public. The event was organized on the Champ de Mars, which was outside Paris at the time.

The festival began with a feast as early as 4:00 A.M., and it continued to proceed despite downpours throughout the day. A parade of ‘federes’ organized under 83 banners marched their way to the place the Bastille once stood, and the members of the National Assembly, along with Louis XVI, all took an oath to protect the new Nation. The festival was also attended by delegates from countries across the globe. A popular feast followed the official celebration.

Unbeknownst to all those who attended the festivities, the stability that they foresaw was not what they had in store for them. The following years in France were of political turmoil that culminated in the people becoming disillusioned with the monarchy, leading to the execution of the royal family in 1973. Even with the French Republic finally established, peace did not follow. June 1973 saw an uprising that overthrew much of the National Assembly, sparking the Reign of Terror in the nation. The following year saw 16,000 at the hands of the Jacobins. To deal with the oppressive threat of the former, a fragile French Directory was formed, which was soon overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte, marking the end of France’s revolutionary period.

Fete de la Federation timeline

June 13, 1789 Estates General of 1789

The Third Estate forms the National Assembly.

July 14, 1789 Storming of the Bastille

Revolutionaries storm the Bastille prison.

July 14, 1790 Fete de la Federation

The Fete de la Federation is organized to celebrate the French Revolution.

January 1793 Monarch beheaded

Louis XVI is beheaded.

Fete de la Federation FAQs

What is July 14 in France?

It is celebrated as Bastille Day.

When was the French Revolution?

May 5, 1789, to November 9, 1799.

What is the name of the flag of France?

It is called the ‘Tricolore.’

How to Observe Fete de la Federation

Read about the French Revolution

Watch a documentary

Look up related philosophy

The French Revolution was a turning point in history. Spend the day reading about it.

If reading isn’t your thing, pop in a documentary about the Revolution! You’re bound to find something entertaining. You can even try a movie or two, like “Les Miserables” or “Marie Antoinette.”

The French Revolution was built on a foundation of ideas like equality, liberty, and justice. Learn more about these abstractions and what philosophers have said about them.

5 Interesting Facts About France

Tourism

National motto

Inventions

Highest European mountain

Most visited museum

France is the world’s most popular tourist destination.

The national motto of France is “Liberté, égalité, fraternité” or “liberty, equality, fraternity.”

The French invented the hot air balloon!

The tallest mountain in Europe, Mont Blanc, is in France.

The Louvre is the world’s most visited museum.

Why Fete de la Federation is Important

It’s an important part of French history

It’s a reminder of humanity

It’s an opportunity to learn about the French Revolution

The French Revolution formed the basis of the modern state of France. Fete de la Federation is an important part of it.

The French Revolution often entailed sequences of violent events. An earnest celebration of what people thought would be a peaceful regime reminds us of how human everyone in history was.

The Revolution is a major part of world history. The Fete de la Federation is a perfect excuse to learn more about it.

Source

[wandering-scavenger]

Curious what do you think Otto Hightower overall ? Given what we have seen so far and such.

Ohohohoho Otto Hightower is a piece of work!

I don't root for him per se, but you gotta give the guy some points for simply having the audacity to pull what he's been trying to pull 🤣

I view Otto as a man that is actually weighed down by the patriarchy just as much as Alicent is. I read a commentary about it somewhere but I can't find it sorry 😭 Otto is similar to Littlefinger so much as they both have to claw their way into court. As the 2nd son with nothing to inherit, Otto has had to carve his own glory to really amount to something. His ambition brought him success for a time, serving as hand to Jaeherys and Viserys.

There's no way around justifying essentially whoring out his daughter who was basically still a child to Viserys. That alone told the audience that he is an ambitious man who is willing to sacrifice his own child for power. At that point, I think he was very confident in how much influence he had over Viserys. He hates Daemon so much he suggests that Rhaenyra be the heir because secretly he's propping up his daughter to be the next Queen who will hopefully bear Rhaenyra's replacement.

Otto isn't dumb, I think he's very good at presenting himself as a meek and serious man with the realm's well being in mind. For most of the part, he's pretty good at looking after things for Viserys. The problem is that he got overconfident and thought he could convince Viserys to make Aegon his heir, and he didn't consider that Rhaenyra herself could be cunning, which got him booted.

This pretty much sent him into panic mode, because he essentially put his daughter and grandchildren in direct danger by offering Alicent as Viserys' queen and now has zero time to convince Viserys to make Aegon the heir now that he's being kicked out of King's Landing. Of course, he himself is in denial of his responsibility for the situation and blames Alicent for backing up Rhaenyra's claim (father of the year everybody!) I think that he was certain he could have convinced Viserys to name Aegon as heir if Alicent had tried harder to sway Viserys as well. The thing is, he is absolutely right about the likelihood that Alicent's children will be killed if Rhaenyra ascends the throne.

Even if Rhaenyra wouldn't want to kill her half-siblings, Alicent's boys would be threats for the simple reason of being male Targaryens. Their existence alone would make other opportunists clamor in their favor and cause strife in Westeros. Westeros may be a made up world, but the basic dynamics of society and the human psyche are still true to life. GRRM himself wrote Daenerys Targaryen with a certain question in mind: what happens to a person when you give them the equivalent of 3 nuclear bombs to wield at will?

In history alone, we have instances of potential political threats being murdered despite their innocence. Jane Grey was the Queen of England for 9 days but took the role reluctantly, manipulated by her father and other men who wished to benefit from her position. Even though she didn't want to be Queen, Mary I sentenced her to death when she took the throne. When the French revolutionists stormed Versailles, they imprisoned 4yr old Louis-Charles (the heir) to prevent a royalist uprising and abused him until his death at the age of 10.

So while I absolutely believe that Otto is ambitious and disgusting for pimping out and gaslighting his daughter, I don't recall him ever really lying to Viserys (I could be wrong though) and do sense his genuine fear now about what will become of Alicent and her children, which tells me that he does love his daughter albeit in a messed up way that he also views her as an instrument to his ambitions (let's be real we all know that women really were viewed as property to be used for alliances and propagation of heirs). Like I've said before, two things can be true at once.

In my case, I enjoy Otto for the political intrigue and hate him for how he parents Alicent.

[theharpermovieblog]

#HARPERSMOVIECOLLECTION

2023

I watched Fantastic Planet (1973)

I've never seen this. I'm not up on a lot of the great animated films. Occasionally I try and correct that.

Large blue creatures known as Draags face an uprising of small humans known as Oms.

Fantastic Planet is one of those movies I thought you watched in college when you were stoned. And, I suppose you would have a pretty good time doing so, because that's how a lot of people see it. Despite that, this French film from animator and director René Laloux is a beautiful little masterpiece of animation and style, that you don't need a young altered mind to enjoy.

The animation here reminds me heavily of Monty Python. A mild aesthetic connection only. It's a style that derives depth from it's simplicity. The way things move and the sparse-ness really begin to add to the trippy feeling you start to develop while watching. The calmness of it all envelopes you and leave you mesmerized.

This is an awfully relaxing watch. Not boring, just comforting in a way that they don't make animated films anymore. Maybe it's nostalgia, but something about that groovy little bit of funky 70's guitar over this animation made me sink a bit deeper. The same year this was released a similar feeling animated film was released in Japan, Belladonna of Sadness. It gives me that same relaxed feeling.

Fantastic Planet is, at it's a core, a film about how we as human beings subjugate others we deem to be less than and how those we discriminate against rise up against their oppressors given the opportunity. The Draags and Oms are both a reflection of humanity. It's not a very hidden message, but it is presented in a very clear and accessible way. The idea that any human being can just as easily end up at the bottom of the social order and therefore we must treat each other as equals to live in some form of peace.

I liked this quite a bit. While it's not the most exciting thing you'll ever watch, it is still engaging and wildly inventive.

It won't be everyone's cup of tea and if you find it boring I get that, some people just aren't going to be interested in this. But, for me, it holds up as a moment in both animation and film.

[mark-matos]

🔮✨ Unleash Your Inner Tony Stark: Your Guide to Using A.I. as a 🛍️ Shopping Sidekick! 👓💸

🧠⚡ "Your Very Own J.A.R.V.I.S.: Turning 🧪 Science Fiction into 🛒 Shopping Reality

Welcome back to our Hitchhiker's Guide to the AI-verse! Get ready to take a leap 🚀 into the future of shopping, where you'll harness the power of A.I. to do everything from finding the perfect ☕ coffee grinder to booking a vacation 🏖️ that would make even the Starship Enterprise crew jealous. It's like having your very own J.A.R.V.I.S. (without having to be a billionaire playboy philanthropist)! 💸💼🔨

🤖🧾Transforming the Cybertronian Task of 🛍️ Shopping

Let's face it, the research process in shopping can be a headache bigger than trying to understand the plot of Interstellar 🌀 (no offense, Nolan!). But just like the TARDIS, A.I. can transform this seemingly monstrous task into something smaller and more manageable. And no, this isn't some Matrix-style trickery! 🔮🤯

📊🛠️Unveiling the Cyberdyne Systems of Product Research

Imagine needing a coffee grinder ☕ and having your very own Cyberdyne Systems (I mean, ChatGPT) helping you find the best one without the fear of a Terminator uprising. It's as simple as typing “Act as a shopping assistant. I am looking for a coffee bean grinder for French press that is well reviewed. It should cost no more than $200.” You'll get responses faster than you can say "Exterminate!" 🛍️🕶️💥

🛒🗂️The Avengers of 🛍️ Grocery Shopping

Let's assemble your grocery list with the power of A.I.! With ChatGPT plug-ins, creating a list for your next Gordon Ramsay inspired dish 🍲 is as easy as asking Jarvis to run a diagnostic on the Iron Man suit. For example, try “I am making pasta Bolognese. What’s a good recipe and what are the ingredients?” Now, your only concern is whether your culinary skills are a match for the Chitauri... I mean, pasta! 🥘🛸🍴

🌎✈️Time Traveling (Err... Planning) with A.I.

Channeling your inner Doctor Who is as simple as using ChatGPT's Expedia plug-in for planning a trip. Remember, a well-planned vacation 🏖️ is a vacation well-enjoyed. Just ask, “I am traveling to Florence, Italy from July. Find me well reviewed hotels that are within walking distance to tourist attractions. My budget is $500 a night.” And voila, you've just saved time ⏳ you can spend perfecting your Vulcan salute! 🖖🚀🏖️

🚀🌌Boldly Going Where No Shopper Has Gone

Before: ✈️ Flight Searching Using the Expedia plug-in, you can even find flights that are faster than the Millennium Falcon on a Kessel Run. No need to be a Jedi, simply ask: “I am trying to fly to Milan, Italy from San Francisco on July 28. What are my best options with short layovers?” And may the flights be with you! ✈️🌌💫

🛸🔜 What's next in our AI-verse exploration?

What more exciting adventures await in the world of A.I.? Will we soon be negotiating prices 🏷️ with intergalactic traders or finding a hidden gem on Tatooine? Keep your eyes peeled on this space-odyssey! Until then, Live Long and Prosper! 🖖🔭🚀