#kind of a culmination of two posts ive been wanting to make

[jawz]

i’ve been thinking a lot lately about the way my ethnicity affected the way i was gendered as a child, my drive to transition, and even my detransition…

as a hispanic growing up with my white mom and white stepdad and white brother and white extended family in scandinavian hell (minnesota), i always felt different, always felt wrong. (my parents divorced as a baby, and my dad and his family, cuban and italian, all live in florida.) my neighborhood wasn’t so bad; it was way more diverse than the metro area itself. growing up i had mixed friends, i had friends with curly hair… but us trailer park kids were only a fraction of the population of our schools and district. a sea of blonde hair. there were times in elementary school i would literally pray to god to make my hair straight, make my eyes blue. grown-ups touched my hair and always asked “is it naturally curly?”. my classmates urged me to straighten it and by age 13 it was part of my ridiculously time-consuming “feminizing” beauty rituals.

much earlier, by the age of 8 or 9, i already had thick, dark hair growing on my legs. other kids, boys and girls alike, called me “gorilla girl”, faked gagging when i wore shorts, insisted i was actually a boy. that one became more and more common as i came into my personality: bold, class clown, competitive with the boys. (always wanting to charm the girls, but i didn’t recognize that back then.)

my mustache was there by 8, as well. just a little peach fuzz above my lip but dark enough to notice. are you even a girl? my mom would spread wax over her own face and soon began waxing my stache as well. it hurt so badly. i put up with it because she said it would make the kids stop teasing me. of course i was a girl- she was a woman and she had peach fuzz too!… but i felt self-conscious at the fact that my body hair was so much more noticeable, even as a child. my mother’s hair is very thin, straight, lighter brown; her complexion is warmer than mine, pink where mine is olive, green and yellow. i worried you could see the strands about to burst through. i was worried that to be a girl- a woman- i must hide parts of myself every day. i must cover the shoots of grass, the weeds that reveal that i’m not fit for society, that whisper i’m wild and untamed.

it wasn’t actually until i was 18 at least that i actually started to consider myself latino. i had sometimes said ‘hispanic’ growing up, as that’s what my family in florida called themselves; they referred to themselves as “spanish”, which i found out was not quite true after compiling my family tree and discovering that those ancestors emigrated from havana. in their minds they were white: “descended from spanish royalty” (as if!!)… i had spent my youth constantly trying to claim solely whiteness, confused as to why everyone was asking me “are you mexican?” “are you jewish?” “are you middle eastern?” - even though inside i think i knew. i knew my family didn’t look like me. i resented my surname being changed to Lind when i was five, my stepdad’s name, in order to give me the same name as the rest of them. despite my apparent envy of swedes and norwegians i knew it wasn’t my name; i still stood out terribly. i glared at myself in the mirror every day, i never could move past how the kids at school said my eyes were the color of shit, that my hair looked like pubes, that i must have had a sex change without being told because that would explain the mustache, the aggression…

by the time i was fourteen i was entirely primed to accept an alternative explanation to what was “wrong” with me. my sexuality was becoming more and more apparent but before i could ever come out as lesbian or even bi, i had discovered what it meant to be trans. i was so immediately certain that this was the key, THIS was why everyone said i didn’t fit in, THIS was why my behavior wasn’t girly, THIS was why i wanted to date girls. it was 2011, still deep in the “brain sex” era of the trans community, and i was sure without a shadow of a doubt that i was physically female, mentally male. all that needed to be done was to “correct” my body and bring it in line with my brain. despite the fact that very few people knew what transition actually was back then, i genuinely assumed it would make sense to everyone else, too: they had told me i wasn’t ‘really’ a girl so many times i had no trouble believing it.

transition, of course, did not suddenly de-latinize me LOL. first i became a total Other, outside of both the minnesotan ethnic norms and the gender+sex norms; eventually, with hormones and surgery at a very young age, i was able to pass as a boy, but by the time i could grow actual full-on facial hair, i realized i was still the pan-latin american enigma to people around me. multiple times someone would call me “sanchez” as some sort of attempted insult or joke. police looked at me differently than they had before. shop owners followed me, accused me of shoplifting. and sometimes, the white girls i dated told me that i was way cooler than all the boring white boys they knew. one girl even called me “exotic” to my face. it was, apparently, a compliment.

when i was 21 i heard that my girlfriend had referred to me to others as “a POC who identifies as white”. it felt as though she didn’t even know me at all. i’d never claimed either of those things to her.

moving to the west coast (socal specifically, where being latino/a is not considered ‘abnormal’) illuminated a lot of the bizarre and unnatural racial expectations of my midwest upbringing; i think by this point i was beginning to realize what so many things from my childhood had meant. that they weren’t really saying i was a boy. they were saying we don’t like girls who look like you, and we’d rather not have you included in our category.

it took me another three years to fully reckon with this. by the time i decided to detransition i had a much better understanding of the circumstances of my life; conversations with close friends who are also latina and have walked similar paths to me, heard similar insults, similar “compliments”, opened my eyes to the fact that i was not alone. i no longer feel weird for thinking the race/ethnicity boxes on government forms are hopelessly reductive. i know who i am and who i am not.

(around this time, i happened upon some old pictures of my dad’s side of the family. beautiful and glamorous women: adela, my uncle’s mother, the piano player; melanie, my aunt, the wife, hostess, and addict; lauren and andrea, my cousins, the restauranteurs; stella, my dad’s mamma, the widow and matriarch. and on all their faces, thick dark eyebrows, and, yes, that ever-familiar peach fuzz. i swear it healed something in my soul. despite my lack of beauty and glamor, we are not so different after all.)

that’s not to say all things are easy now. i’ve spent three years living as a GNC woman and if that wasn’t enough to confirm most all of my hypotheses on people’s perceptions of me, i don’t know what is.

detrans spaces (like most trans spaces) are overwhelmingly white- or at least that’s who dominates conversation. i see SO much downplaying of the things that naturally hairy women go through societally. i see trans allies who purport to be “okay” with detransitioners, saying “what’s the big deal? if you took testosterone you can just go off it and get laser hair removal!! :)” as if laser isn’t expensive as hell, painful as hell, and also WAY more of a process for a woman with dark curly hair than it is for one with straight blonde hair lmfao!!! i see detrans women obsessed with removing all traces of hair from their bodies (even though most of them clearly don’t have a neverending five o’clock shadow like some of us do! my lower face has a constant blue-green disturbance under the surface which makes female spaces incredibly daunting) and insulting the rest of us for being ugly and hairy and making no effort to look like women or what the fuck ever. basically, a lot of people who claim to support us are just racists and essentialists and believe that sex is visual and not biological…🤨

anyway… i guess my main takeaways from all this are:

1. please stop acting like detransition is an entirely internal process and that it’s easy for all of us to be seen as our sex again (some of us like. actually transitioned and passed as the opposite sex), or that potential physical interventions aren’t incredibly invasive and difficult

2. stop assuming all transition and detransition journeys follow your own experience of lifelong whiteness and hairlessness

3. it is a distinct experience to be regularly de-gendered or denied your sex, PRIOR to ever thinking of yourself as literally trans. many trans/detrans people had this happen to us (we were once the vast majority of trans people). but many did not, and generally shock others when they begun breaking gender norms. i really think people from the second group often have trouble understanding that for the first group, changing gender expression is basically a bandaid over an abscess… we have lived entire lifetimes being denied our sex, being told our bodies are not “truly” ours, that there is someone else inside trying to break out. kicked out of the bathroom, the changing room, alienated from single-sex peer groups. transition just flips this experience and instead separates us from our preferred gender group, reinforcing the feeling that we have no place, anywhere.

race/ethnicity, being homosexual or bisexual, mental illness stigma, disability, and low economic class all play an additional role in this. stop perpetuating this and denying us our biological sex.

[pipwife]

I'm not sure if distractions are wanted but if so any favourite Genshin Fics?

The entire knowledge I have about the game is wiki based but the fandom produces some amazing smut and dead dove fic; but also a ton of fic, so I'm always looking for recs

Also on the topic of fics yours are v good and uh I've probably started skewing your hit ratios bc I've got abunch bookmarked to reread bc I'm v much the autistic who re-reads with my favourite fics a ton

ajdnshndnsd thank you !!!! 🥺😭💕 i'm so glad you're enjoying them! :D that makes me happy to hear uwaa~

i've only read a few genshin fics so far, but i'm happy to share!! 👀 so far i've been so spoiled with how much "gross" content there's been like... thank you for my life genshin fandom LMAO its such a breath of fresh air after being in the toh fandom.... ive been living underground and i finally get to see the sun again ASDHSNFJEJFJ

most of the fics will be zhongchi i think because that's my current addiction but hopefully there'll be some you like! xD

posting fic recs under readmore because i'm shy hehe

coming in clutch - pwp, eggpreg, dragon zhongli has a Wholesome, Family-Friendly Good Time with his ol' chum tartag- i'm kidding they bone nasty while zhongli is pregnant with an egg. the title makes me choke its so funny

two star dick - childe and zhongli have broken up (tragic!) but luckily childe gets drunk and sends zhongli an Unsolicited Photograph (hilarious!) and it results in angsty pronz. i laughed a lot through this one

⭐️ get in the bunny costume, zhongli - OHOHOHO THIS FIC.... THISSS FIC, BROH...... it's pure filth, wretched filth, and i adore it. its the perfect kind of evil smut that i adore AND IT RESULTS IN EMOTIONAL CULMINATION WHERE CHILDE FACES THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS MISDEEDS? EXCELLENT. this is the one i recommend the most tbh

in which zhongli encourages brotherly love - you can, uh, guess from the title (and my whole everything) what happens in this one AMDJSNDJSJD mind the tags but this ones a goodie if youre into that! xD

recreate the sea - young xingqiu wants to seduce mr zhongli.... he, uh. gets what he wants. and a little more too 😨🥰 (i read this one a while ago but i remember really liking it)

don't let him see - childe gets noncon'd in front of his brother. then it escalates. 👌 warning for underage, noncon, and mindbreak/drugging

frame the wallflower - longform zhongchi fic with modern au sugar daddy childe and sugar baby zhongli! it was the first fic i read after actually playing the game and has a special place in my heart. plus background kaeluc >:) and i think some bdsm stuff? it reads very much like a good romance novel which i think is why i like it so much xD

i hope you find something you like in there! :D thanks for asking hehe~

[abidethetempest]

Rise and Fall Ch 2 Retrospective

General Notes

this chapter was originally split into two parts, with chapter 3 starting during the storm in the city, but i decided to combine them bc chapter 2 felt too empty that way. I had the latter half of this chapter in my mind for like 3 years now, it's one of the few scenes that I've had solid pretty much from day one of the current version of this fic.

The Opening

I feel particulary proud of the character details on display during this convo at the start, I feel like you can very clearly see both Risen and Ghost's personalities and thoughts. Also Risen being kind of a brat is always fun to write. She's just a little shit at heart. The traveling parts aren't really at the quality I wanted, I feel like the pacing isn't great. But I eventually had to put my foot down and call it good enough. Writing another 500 words about my OC walking just isn't my forte. The scene I like most out of this entire opening is the caravan scene. It just came out exactly as I wanted. Ghost is a complicated little dude and they have some growing to do, same as Risen. Their jaded worldview is largely a reaction to the state of the world at current and has a deeper basis in their desire to protect and keep Risen alive, but it's expressed more often as a controlling or overcritical temperment. Local Ghost bad at feelings, more at 11.

The Warlord Scene

hello hi this scene is like half the reason i wrote this fic at all. I've been waiting to write this for AGES. and not to stroke my own ego but I think it came out PERFECT. Risen is a caretaker at heart and seeing people hurt those who cannot protect themselves-- especially children-- makes her pissed. Her intervention is also a culmination of the guilt she's carrying from being unable to help others before now. In some way, she's trying to find absolution for her percieved failures in the past by taking action in this moment. It helps that this Warlord is the same one as from the town as well, so this doubles as a chance for justice in her eyes.

The way Risen fights in this scene is meant to show part of her character: Her belief that her purpose is to bleed and die for others. Why else would the Travaler give her the ability to heal and return from death, after all? She couldn't care less that this will likely end in her death, because to her, her life is worth nothing. She dies so someone else can live. I'm so excited to explore this facet of her character more as time goes on and her beliefs are challenged.

Little tangent here: the scene where the Warlord kills her with a burning maul ties into a headcanon of mine, that the first death a Guardian experience post-revival leaves more a mark, both physically and mentally. After this fight, Risen has a massive scar on her chest and doesn't like being close to open sources of flame.

The scene where she defies Ghost and chooses to break away from their rules was a late addition to this scene but I really like it. I think it adds some steel to her character and shows she's willing to stand up for what she believes in, even when it's dangerous or downright suicidal.

The escape feels a tad rushed but it was another case of "fucks sake just move on".

I LOVE the very end with Risen and Ghost's argument. It introduces some of the central ✨themes✨ of the fic that I'm very eager to explore further.

thats all ive got for this chapter! thanks to anyone who read this far, see you next time :D

[camgirlkaminari]

so ive been thinking for a while now how bonkers it is that ochako has a floatation quirk and an almost identical hairstyle to inko midoriya, and now that we're closing in on deku mastering all 7 ofa quirks, I can't stop thinking that nana, a woman who has been textually compared to inko midoriya, ALSO had a floatation quirk. i wanna ramble about it a little bit:

inko's first introduction to the comic is her telling us that she can float small objects toward herself:

she's an older generation, so her quirk isn't all that powerful compared to the kids' quirks. this is apparent when ochako comes into play and can float much larger objects, but with less control over their trajectory. i think we're not ever meant to compare the two characters' quirks, since ochako is more powerful, and can also float herself. even further, inko doesn't seem to suffer any consequences for using her floatation quirk, but since we are only shown her using it once, there's no way to know.

(i find inko to be such a strange character. she spends so much time crying and being deku's mom that we forget that she is her own person. she's married. she has a quirk. what's her job? how does she pay the bills? how did she meet her fire breathing husband? does she have parents of her own? we know so much more about everyone else's parents than we even know about the main character's mom! this feels so deliberate, even beyond the fact that we are all wondering if deku's dad is somehow ~a villain~. like I don't care about deku's dad! what's up with his fucking mom!!)

so now we're so focused on ochako's journey to mastering her quirk and learning how to float herself in addition to huge objects that we almost forget how similar to inko she started out: her hair, her face, her kindness, her strength.

spoilers ahead: 

now, like 150 chapters later, we learn about nana shimura's quirk: float. deku knows what's coming, so he asks his friend ochako, who can float, for pointers on floating. this is excellent strategy, deku! good call! you don't know anyone else who can float themselves so you learn from ochako!

meanwhile, absolutely NO MENTION of how 'hey, my mom can float stuff too! weird coincidence!' despite him remembering all might's comparison of nana to his mother.

all of this leads me to have a few theories about the nature of afo & ofa, the relationship between ochako, nana, inko, and deku, and the major themes of legacy in bnha.

theory one: Gramps For All

there's a massive theme in bnha of grandchildren of importance. first, we learn that tomura shiguraki is the grandson of nana shimura, a pro hero, one of the three factions warring for a place in post-quirk society. then we learn Eri is an instance of this: she's the granddaughter of an equally influential player. The comatose boss of the yakuza, one of the three factions warring for a place in post-quirk society.

there's all kinds of legacies in bnha: shouto, the son of the number 1 hero, a direct victim of hero society. iida, the younger brother of a hero who was victimized by a villain hell-bent on changing hero society. hawks, the son of a serial killer, a victim who perpetuates the cycle of victimization in the name of upholding hero society. all these legacies, but we don't know anything about their extended families. what are endeavor's parents like? were iida's grandparents pro heroes too? does hawks really have no other family?

and where are deku's grandparents? did they ever watch him while his single mom was working?

my theory is that afo is not dad for one, but actually gramps for one. he had children, more than one, and they each had their own children. inko is one of them, and izuku is the resulting child.

deku, grandson of all for one, one of the three factions warring for a place in post-quirk society. eri, shiguraki, and deku, each representing the groups most affected by post-quirk society: yakuza, "villains," and "heroes."

theory two: ochako & deku are cousins

why the hell does ochako look so much like inko midoriya and NOT her parents?

(in the anime, they look a lot like her, but in the manga...)

gramps for one had children, more than one, and they each had their own children.

i think that ochako may be adopted, or one of her parents is, or perhaps even inko was, so ochako's connection to biological relations is distant or non existent. she may not even know. we've seen that horikoshi doesn't make character design mistakes, and he's gotta realize that every time he draws deku & ochako in the same scene that he's drawn the same face twice.

so either he's trying to throw us off, or he's making a grander statement about who they are. he's a fan of star wars- he's already done a reverse of "I am your father" with touya & endeavor, so I think it would be interesting if he's set up this ochako/deku thing as a fun homage to luke/leia, too. but they're cousins, not twins.

(that's just deku times two, babey!)

inko, unconnected to her family as she seems, may never know if she had siblings or half-siblings. ochako's parents may never have known about ochako's biological relations.

this is a much weaker theory, but i think quirk singularity theory can make some sense of it. we have the original float quirk user, nana shimura. I don't think she is related in any way to inko or ochako, but her quirk helps demonstrate the generational growth of power. she was a hero before all might, meaning she's an earlier generation and had an arguably weaker quirk. but since she was a hero, she honed her quirk so that it comes across as incredibly strong, however she seems to have only been able to float herself, not objects or people.

float quirk user number two, inko midoriya, who can float small objects toward herself. she's the next generation after nana, so her quirk is still kind of weak, and in fact looks incredibly weak compared to nana's and ochako's quirks. inko is a nobody, not a hero, just deku's mom. she had no reason to hone her quirk. who knows? maybe if she'd gone on to be a hero, she could float entire buildings if she wanted to.

float quirk user three, ochako uraraka. ochako can float objects AND herself. she's a hero and a strategist, and incredibly strong despite being 16. she can float pieces of buildings and people and herself all at once. she's a hero. she's powerful. she's thoughtful & kind, yet willful and strong. she's the ultimate culmination of the other floatation quirks as well as inko & nana's personalities. but since we were introduced to these three float quirks all out of order, it's difficult to see the exponential power growth that happens each successive generation.

I don't think that ochako's ever going to be a major player in the end of all for one, or even the plot overall, but i think the THEME of ochako being the ultimate floatation hero in the series is a major player in the final story. ochako REPRESENTS the singularity. the generation after ochako will be so strong, perhaps her descendants would be able to negate all gravity in the vicinity, maybe on the planet. who knows! even if ochako isn't related to deku, let's say dechako happens, they have babies. that's a lot of float quirk in one couple! their kids are gonna have no bones! no muscle development because they never have to fight gravity! ochako's existence represents such a huge, yet nearly invisible thematic element of bnha.

tldr: ochako looks exactly like inko and has a cumulative float quirk reminiscent of both inko & nana, and i suspect the parallels between the three is deliberate for some reason. i just think that's neat.

[elytrafemme]

(this is in reference to the tags you left a few hours ago on my post about when c!ranboo is going to lose a canon life)

LITERALLY YEAH YOU'RE SO RIGHT THANK YOU!! im saying this a c!ranboo enjoyer When Is He Gonna Die Or When Is He Gonna Kill Someone Else. that sounds absolutely terrible but i think that's the best part 😭 ive been hoping SO hard that c!ranboo does set up tnt in las nevadas like c!wilbur told him to those days ago and something, ANYTHING becomes of it but 😔 who am i to know... and also, like you said, ill only accept ranboo never having lost lives if the actual deal is that he's lost lives in his enderwalk or has lost lives and forgot; how that'd even be revealed?? who knows 😭 BUT I THINK ITD MAKE SENSE!! itd Fit!!

-callizinc :D !!!!!

YEAH!!!

i really hope it happens in this arc because narratively, i think it would be really interesting. and, i promise i'm not just saying this because i love c!tubbo and want to hold him in my arms away from the world, but i think it would be interesting if c!tubbo's last life doesn't get taken, but c!ranboo's first life does.

first lives and last lives are both sacred for different reasons, but i think especially with how much c!ranboo does (totem hunting, material collecting, avoiding tension, arming himself, etc) to keep c!tubbo safe, i just think it'd be interesting if all his endeavors to protect c!tubbo did succeed, but in the process c!ranboo's own life is taken. and, i think for the parallels between him and c!wilbur, it'd also be interesting if it was his own actions that did it.

in terms of taking another person's life, i think that would settle into this sort of theme i sensed in c!ranboo a while back (especially after the little nightmares ii playthru cc!ranboo did HAHA) of becoming the very thing you didn't want to be.

honestly, the thing with the las nevadas arc is that i feel like a death has to occur. and so far, if i'm correct on this because i know c!quackity has some ambiguity regarding what life he's on: c!wilbur, c!tubbo, and c!tommy are all on their last lives, and c!quackity has two left, and c!ranboo has three left. i feel like this is most likely to culminate (or at least, i'm hoping so) in c!ranboo and/or c!quackity dying.

or c!ranboo lost a life and forgot it whcih i know there isn't much evidence to support and i know i keep bringing it up but the idea makes me fucking crazy like what if he did. what if he DID.

cc!ranboo said that c!ranboo was going to get character development. and i don't think death is the only sort of thing to develop a character; there are many kinds of tragedy and it doesn't have to be death or divorce to do it. but i think c!ranboo has yet to confront the realities of death beyond witnessing the people around him experiencing it, and never quite knowing what it was like for them. so i think he deserves to face it.

and to c!quackity losing a life, that's just because he's one of my favorite characters and i like for him to suffer

[tiffgeorgina]

what did you think of the new episode???

OH LORD i had a lotttt of thoughts on this episode, understandably. CONTENT WARNING FOR DISCUSSIONS OF SUICIDE AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF THIS POST (it’s a long paragraph). also obviously spoiler warning for 2x08.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

please reach out to somebody if you’re feeling distressed after this episode, or if you or a loved one is considering self harm or suicide. im always here if you need somebody to vent or talk to. i love you all and i would be devastated if anything happened to any of you. 

anyways, episode discussion below:

-first of all, the corgina scene at the very beginning was PRICELESS. tiff and corkie had it DOWN until tiff lost her cool. i was DYING. casey wilson invented the word “fuck.”

-marcus/dawn and connie/mo double date. this whole scene had me CACKLING. marcus being such a comrade was not at all what i expected. the three-on-one connie smackdown i could not BREATHE. also includes classic moments such as “we’re doing black shit right now keith” and regina stealing every scene she’s in. also WOMEN xosha roquemore (connie) in dark lipstick is the best part of s2 prove me wrong

-also kind of out of order but dawn calling mo her best friend did not sit right... like in my soul. it’s like inherently wrong. so STRANGE to hear her say that.

-but connie sucks at being subtle lmfao dawn was not having any of that 

-“i can’t vote. im a felon” just out of nowhere GOD. and the fact that that’s the first time dawn’s learning that mo went to prison is fucked up. i’ve never seen a woman want a man to shut up so badly, and i’ve never been so glad that said man did not shut up lmfao

-tiff and blair’s apartment looks so good yes god!! also this season keeps referencing blair’s parents and it’s kind of putting me on edge. especially since next episode is “blair [being] forced to revisit his past.” on another note, andrew’s voice in this scene is SO FUNNY. you can tell he’s a voice actor i think

-also like we knew blair was into older men but now we like know lmfao. the richard gere jokes had LAYERS these writers outsold

-ok blair&tiff’s relationship... yikes. i cannot tell what the writers want their relationship to be. are they unhealthy and toxic and bad to each other? or are they platonic soulmates and life partners? make up your MIND, showtime.

-DON’T INFANTILIZE THE CUP BYE KJDFHGDFKJ

-first blarris scene was TENSE. acting good

-the confirmation that roger has kids... i mean i suspected it from the moment tuc’s character was announced in september but it makes the ending so much more painful. i KNOW that’s the only reason why they pushed the fact that the harrises are parents in this episode, bc it was never confirmed earlier.

-i hate how funny michael hitchcock is. im trying to hate newell but im laughing. why are his lines so funny who wrote this. 

-the sound design in this episode was a lot to take in. the music was intense asf and it stays intense throughout the whole ep

-keith cracking onto blair and trying to reconcile with him bc he’s feeling empathetic but blair shutting him down... can’t say keith doesn’t deserve it but i would’ve loved to have seen keith and blair just talk about being closeted and having affairs and shit.

-THE TRUMP CHILDREN LMFAOOOO they all look so smug the casting was great this ep

-mo shit talking connie TO HER FACE bc he knows connie can’t give up the act... fucking priceless i love to see it acab

-dawnroe physical contact hhhhh can you tell im rewatching this ep as i type this

-the wording on the “you’re with the FBI?” line is so perfect. bc it makes it totally sound like dawn’s onto mo and connie when really she’s just like “you’re siding with the FBI bitch?” highkey genius line

-posted this too early by accident oops. im still editing im not done yet lmfao

-MARCUS MO AND DAWN SAID ACAB FUCK YES

-ROGER GRABBING BLAIR’S HAND I AM ASCENDING. i knew about the hand holding scene there but i didn’t think roger would initiate it <3

-roger nearly kissing blair :’/

-LORD the trump children are little shits god

-daddy says it makes me look hot. you mean cute? ...no.

-oh GOD not this blarris scene. i like to believe that a gay person generally wouldn’t threaten to out another gay person on principle, but blair has shown how shitty of a person he's become all season. i hate it and it’s still ooc but i’ve seen worse on this show tbh.

-roger’s got a point, if he supports his campaign fund manager right off the bat, he’ll look like a total fraud and his career will be over. the fact that blair barely gives a shit really speaks to what his character has become. “fuck them” what a classic line

-ANDREW’S ACTING!!! his voice when he says “you use me” ugh i felt that in my chest. plus roger looking away after he says that... i mean god this cast is so talented

-blair snapping god. he’s got a point, he and roger have been dysfunctional asf all season. doesn’t justify threatening to out somebody AT ALL but finally hearing some emotion out of blair, a little bit of anger and frustration, it’s refreshing.

-does “who are you, blair?” count as a parallel to “who are you, pfaff?” from 1x01?

-blair outing roger to newell... yikes. again ooc and bad. blair’s a shitty guy but we’ve seen him have empathy before, even in s2. why would they make him do this i don’t get it.

-keith finding out about lenny is good. maybe something will finally come of this arc?

-parallel to 2x02 with blair mentioning his mom’s phrase, cool. probably gearing us up for more references to his parents next ep, culminating in a flashback to his childhood in 2x10.

-this scene where the trump kids are destroying everything is classic. you can genuinely tell that everybody there was having so much fun shooting that. idk, it’s nice.

-trump reveal HA what a great end to that scene

-keith coming by and fucking everything up... i mean i guess everybody KNOWS now. dawn/marcus is over (good) and dawn is probably right pissed at mo rn. but hey, fuck em all resurgence!!! ive been waiting for it and now it’s here!

-im scared, what’s connie gonna do? fuck cops

-“that’s a long way to go just to get a dig in” “it was a stretch but-” see what happens when you’re a narc? you lose your wit :/ sad! nice exit line from connie tho

-CW SUICIDE MENTION. ok time to talk about what definitely needs to be talked about. god this has had my chest hurting all day yesterday. i knew blarris would be outed eventually bc sho likes to milk every plot point for every bit of drama they can get out of it, but i did not expect roger to take his life. and blair finding him is just devastating. i said this on twt, but the fact that somebody could be so overwhelmed with internalized homophobia that being outed could cause them to commit suicide is so incredibly and deeply sad to me. i’ve been crying for a while over that fact. 

im just. im really sad. i’ve connected so much with these characters over the past two-ish years and this is such a devastating turn of events. i have no words. it isn’t bad writing or ooc by any means, it’s just so extremely and incredibly sad. there are probably thousands of people who have been in roger’s exact position before, and the realism really hits me hard. i can’t put into words how overwhelming sad this makes me. 

also pretty upset that this came as a COMPLETE shock to me and all my friends. we all watched on the sho streaming service, which did not have the “viewer discretion advised” card before the ep. the premier did, but the episode on the app did not. i really REALLY wish they had added that before i had seen the episode so i could prepare myself, even if just slightly. also wish they had added a suicide hotline number at the end. 

seeing blair grieve his loss is going to hurt but it’s probably going to give us closure too. i think about this show all the time, and now thinking about it makes me so overwhelmingly sad. i sound dramatic but this show has been with me for so long. not being able to see much of blair’s reaction beside the initial shock has been haunting me. im so scared for what the future episodes are going to bring.

thank you for reading, i love you all <3

[demolover]

ive seen ur posts mentioning u have thoughts on queer perspective towards death and how mcr fit into it so. if u ever decide to share other ideas on the topic id love to read it! (i think ur really good at getting your thoughts accross) (u dont have to answer btw i just wasnt sure abt shooting a dm abt this)

it’s been so long i’m so sorry um i have a lot of thoughts idk if u still want them here’s an attempt at a short version... 

edit: changing this to under a cut cuz it’s insanely long. if u don’t feel like reading almost 1.5k words probably don’t read it.

basically i think that mortality and death are very common things for all humans to think about and make art about because we’re kinda... obsessed with and extremely afraid of death. which (i think) stems from how death is one of the few things we know is going to happen to us, and yet we can’t understand it really. we know it is the end but we cannot know anything about it because it is the end. so that intrigues us (and makes us afraid) and then u can add in how we see other people in our life die before we do... basically it all adds up to us being obsessed with understanding and defying our own mortality somehow.

we can see this theme in mcr a lot, the interplay between mortality and defiance and hope... i call it hope vs inevitability and i think it’s especially noticeable in bullets and danger days, because in the other two they’re not really fighting so much as existing side by side... i wrote in notes once that in those albums, the hope is in the inevitable...

in black parade it’s pretty much totally like this; after you die you join the black parade, and your memory will carry on. there is fear going into it, but it very much feels like an album accepting and even embracing the end, not fighting it. accepting it and embracing it with this crazy tone... come one come all to this tragic affair. wipe off that makeup, what’s in is despair... (note: i used to think that line was what sin is despair and i still wonder if that was on purpose). revenge is a bit more complex but i have always thought that beyond the hope of getting the girl back, of bringing her back to life (against the end, against death and mortality) there must also be some relief in death for the guy demo lover... if you would kill a thousand men to get your lover back from the dead, would you die to meet them there? <- maybe i’m wrong; there is still hope vs inevitability here.

in danger days and bullets, though, is where i feel like we see those things ultimately fight; in bullets we have this desperate desire to be immortal and mean something, coupled with the strong feeling that you will die with nothing. that you will die. (i have a post on this theme in the song demolition lovers). then, in danger days we see this theme come with this absolute denial of mortality (killjoys never die) coupled with this intense fear of death and being remembered wrong or not at all. and of course this culminates in them dying. (here is my post on this theme in danger days it’s kinda a mess but so is this post so whatever).

right so we’ve established mcr (and humanity in general) is obsessed with mortality we already knew that though. what does it have to do with queerness.

basically there’s a couple things.

1. the connection of both otherness and love with death (note: this also applies to a lot of minorities but queerness is what’s really applicable to mcr specifically). the extent to which mcr intertwines narratives of love and otherness with death and violence is.... a lot. we see it in every album, i believe; it’s most noticeable in bullets in drowning lessons and demo lovers, in revenge in so many songs i’m not going to try to list them, in black parade in cancer, wttbp and my way home is through you, and in danger days in save yourself, only hope for me, and scarecrow. this was just off the top of my head; there’s probably more songs with examples of this.

this is very queer (at least when done by mcr; as most of mcr is white the issues that come with things like the history of interracial marriage, etc. don’t really apply) because of how for queer people our identities and love can be deadly to us... the history of queer love and identity is obviously marked with violence against the people displaying that love and identity.

straight cis white guys don’t usually talk about death with the connection with love at the forefront, at least not that i’ve seen. every once in awhile they do, i guess, if they’re talking about grief, but otherwise, no. demo lovers is my favorite example of the connection of love with death; especially in the first couple verses, the two seem so linked. the first 2 mentions of death or the end in the song are immediately followed by “with you”... “i’d end my days with you in a hail of bullets,” and “i would drive on to the end with you.”

in the whole demo lovers arc, through bullets and revenge, the themes of death and love are so intertwined it’s impossible to untangle them. if i tried to make a post of all the times in revenge death and love are talked about in the same lyric, as if one thing, i would be screenshotting lyrics all night. of course, if we bring in gwgt theory, and start thinking about how the girl and guy demo lovers are a metaphor for gerard’s relationship with his gender, we can go way further with this too. the simultaneous love story involving these parts of himself, and intertwined violence and death. the fear present... the lyrics that talk at the same time about hurting yourself and being hurt by others... but that’s a different post, really. i’m gonna try to stay more surface level. no speculating on metaphors (today).

in black parade i think we see the connection of otherness with death a lot more than the connection with love, although they’re both still present... in danger days the concept of otherness when associated with death is super clear: killjoys defy the city and become something “other,” which is scorned and hated by BLI/nd, and they get killed for it. love is also a pretty common theme in danger days songs, often intertwined with death, though less obviously than in revenge.

2. just... the extent to which this idea of mortality and death and immortality and memory is talked about is interesting in itself i think. this obsession with our legacy and our mortality is present in a lot of stuff, not just queer stuff, but it’s just everywhere in mcr’s discography (and a lot of the subsequent groups of music related to/associated with mcr, which are also often known for being queer). they constantly talk about how they’ll die, and how they’ll die sooner rather than later, and can they live forever anyway, what does immortality mean after all, will they be remembered, what will their legacy be... etc.

memory and legacy is something i haven’t really talked about, but i think it’s also essential to the conversation. for obvious reasons queer people (and people of a lot of other minorities but i’m only talking about the queer part cuz it’s the most/the only applicable thing here) have a more complicated relationship with how we’ll be remembered and whether we’ll be remembered than cishet people do. how mcr talks about this reminds me a lot of the sappho fragment tumblr passes around ever so often... “someone will remember us / i say / even in another time.” (comparison/parallels post of mcr lyrics and that quote by @milfygerard (and added onto by me) here.)

and that brings us back around to the theme of hope vs inevitability... as i mentioned earlier, this theme isn’t necessarily totally queer on it’s own, but as with talking about memory and legacy the way mcr does, if you talk about it so much that it becomes a core theme in all of your albums it ends up feeling a lot more queer than before. hope vs inevitability in mcr’s work connects to love and death and both at once and is just everywhere. and it ends up connecting to the way a lot of queer people think about our death and our mortality and our hope. and how the future and the past are thought about in connection to these themes i think is kind of queer too — when your history is barely spoken and your present is in hiding, of course you look to the future. despite that that means looking towards the ending. and maybe you embrace that ending, because what else is there to do?

i’m very sorry. this was not short. if you have questions, or want to tell me how i’m wrong, or have your own thoughts, do not be afraid to dm me or send me asks please... fascinating topic.

[mysterylover123]

BNHA Rewatch: Episode 61 “Deku vs Kacchan Part 2″

 mysterylover123

O.T.P.

This is gonna get kinda emotional.

Deku is turning Kacchan’s fight proposal down. Dammit Deku! He’s being serious!

Hoo boy that Kacchan face. No light in his eyes. That realization, just…just bleeding through…hoo boy.

“If the way you admired him was correct, does that mean my way of thinking was wrong?” OMG ITS HAPPENING. HE’S REALIZING IT YA’LL.

The flashbacks to bb Deku and Kacchan the feels.

The white void, it’s just the two of them. 

That Deku line from the first episode. I’m transported right back, ya’ll. It’s that first love again, that same feeling I had when I first discovered this series all the way back in summer of last year.

So Deku starts by thinking too hard about what’s going on and immediately gets blasted.

“You think too much” hoo boy recently Mother’s Basement posted the analysis of this fight and pointed out that this is actually a flaw of Deku’s that he can learn to remedy by adopting some of Kacchan’s impulsiveness. Never has the phrase “you complete me” been more accurate.

This freaking animation. It’s so beautiful. OMG.

“Wait for me” OH MAN BB DEKU BB KACCHAN RUNNING I’M DEAD I AM DYING

Cause he loves ya you dope.

Cute overload

WHY WHY WHY hoo boy Kacchan flashbacks.

Dat little trip oh man. He’s so bummed Deku doesn’t wanna fight and Deku’s little kick actually knocked him down.

Ooh boy. Here it comes. The music went out

Hold his freaking hand some day dammit

Oh god I can’t watch this again I can’t I can’t

“why is to you became strong…while I - “ OH GOD HERE IT COMES HERE IT COMES

OH GOD. Slow clap. Okamoto and Chapin both deserve freaking awards for that performance. I mean holy shit. That voice acting. Those cracks. That hit. It makes me cry. I’m tearing up right now. Cause you see, this whole episode, it really rests on the ability of Bakugou’s Seiyuu and VA to pour everything into the performance. It’s not going to hit without both of them giving the vocal acting performance of a lifetime, and they both knocked it out of the freaking park. I actually love them both as his voice; I don’t have a preference for dub over sub, as regards their performances (not the dialogue translations), because both are incredible. Just. Slow clap. All of the awards, please.

Look at how Deku looks at him. He’s the best. He just…he cares, so much. I mean, you’d admittedly have to be a pretty heartless bastard not to feel a little compassionate after hearing that speech but still. Kacchan’s so fucking lucky he has Deku and he doesn’t even know it. I want one too.

He’s crying. Me too.

Kacchan no Kacchan no nononononono 

Oh god Deku you beautiful darling

“may not be any meaning” I DISAGREE THIS IS THE CULMINATION OF AN ENTIRE SERIES’ WORTH OF 100+ SYMBOLIC CHAPTERS DETAILING YOUR GROWTH FROM ANGRY YELLING RIVALS TO RIVALS WHO SUPPORT EACH OTHER DAMMIT IT’S EVERYTHING

“May not be any meaning in winning or losing” lol are you just saying that in hindsight, Future Deku, cause you know you lost?

Deku didn’t have to do this. He didn’t have to fight Kacchan or even let him know the truth.

And note, he didn’t accept until he realized there was someone he could save. Someone who needs saving, to be helped. And this is how to help him.

“The only one who can accept his feelings is me.” Ya’ll heard that haters? Say it a little louder for the people in the back, Deku. He’s got his heart.

And look who’s smiling again, eyes lighting up again, the minute Deku started fighting back?

“I couldn’t just completely reject him” Guess who also sad that about their fiery spiky blond spouse in BNHA? Kacchan’s dad in that omake about their marriage.

Their relationship was wrong, but now it’s right. 

They never talked about how they really felt. Communication is the cornerstone of a healthy relationship, folks. Go on. Talk about your feels. Your real feelings.

Of that was one hell of a hit.

That speedy recovery though. Deku is fast. 

Oh wow Kacchan hit it too

That smile. That smile OMG that is THE HOTTEST, by far, that Deku has ever looked in animation. And I don’t say that lightly.

The translation here is either “I’ve” or “you’ve” gotten stronger. Both fit fine, which is the crazy part. Deku could be either saying that he himself has improved, or complimenting Bakugou, which does admittedly make more sense with what he was saying before, while ‘I’ve’ fits his cocky grin here better. I want him to flash a cocky grin more. It suits him. (BTW The English Dub compromises between the two and says’ we’ve both’.

Katsuki assumes Deku has a plan. Always overestimating him.

“That’s what I hate about you” OMG HE FINALLY TELLS HIM HOW HE FEELS. “I can never tell what you’re thinking” Because ya know he’s so good at understanding how everyone else thinks and feels.

He’s always being mean to Deku. Deku has seen him at his very worst and yet still admires him. Maybe that’s scary, you know? Unconditional love is…kinda terrifying. But so, so beautiful. So he has to rationalize it that Deku is just looking down on him.

Wow Deku sure took you long enough! He’s been saying that since day 1!

“I wouldn’t want anything to do with them anymore” Deku there you go being empathetic and wonderful and perfect again. So understanding you darling, darling boy.

 “Along with the parts I hated about you, I saw all the amazing things you could do.” THAT’S ADMIRATION, FOLKS. ADMIRATION WITHOUT IDOLIZATION. Without hero-worship. Acknowledging the good and the bad. Seeing a person for who they really are and always, always seeing the best of them, even at their worst.

“MUCH CLOSER TO ME THAN ALL MIGHT” Do you hear him guys? The closest person to him, closer than All Might. Closer than his freaking #1 favorite hero. The dub version has “actually in my life”, which isn’t a bad idea either. Both are true. That is so powerful. The person who

Oh yeah and again how does Deku advance in power? How does he Go Beyond? KACCHAN. Full cowling, he found from him. OFA itself, he gained by saving him. And 8%.

THAT SMILE. “I thought you were amazing.” He loves you you idiot. 

He kept chasing after him. He’ll never stop. He won’t just give up.

He passed him. And Bakugo looks happy. Possibly because he wants Deku to do better. Possibly because it seems to be confirming his might-makes-right theory. Possibly both.

ANIMATION-GASM AGAIN. 

AHAHAHAHAHAH ITS THAT CUT ITS THAT CUT DEKU’S DANCING FEET

THE VOID AROUND THEM IT’S JUST YOU AND ME 

AND THE BLOCK OMG THIS IS BEAUTIFUL THIS IS THE MOST FREAKING BEAUTIFUL ANIMATION IVE EVER SEEN

I’m serious. They brought out all the stops for this one. Of course. they knew, they had to know, that this was it. The animation, too, had to be perfect, or else it wasn’t gonna come across. And it is. Even better, in my opinion, than the animation in the stuff that came before it. Bones you are incredible. 

Higher gear. Can anyone doubt that Katsuki is important to Deku’s journey after this?

“This is gross, so I can’t say it”.. “I love you?” A reactor I follow actually said that after that line. That’s how intense they are.

Anyway IMAGE OF VICTORY SPEECH. The Ep that keeps on giving. 

Kacchan is his image of victory. The other side of him. And he adopts some of his traits.

“The part of you I hate and yet” How much love can you have for a person when you can somehow still admire the darkest, meanest parts of them? I don’t have a very perfect definition of love but I think that’s probably a big part of it.

“my image of victory is of you” feels overload. Feels O.D. 

dat crane shot.

My one disappointment with this episode is that they used the US of Smash OST instead of the Katsuki and Izuku OST for this scene. CMON GUYS. SERIOUSLY. THE KATSUKI AND IZUKU THEME HAD TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN FOR THIS EPISODE AND THIS MOMENT ALONE. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING. 

“I have to beat you” the music the feels omg

Hahaha psych. Kacchan wins anyway. 

WOOF. Like OK this is in the manga, this positioning, but it’s only for one frame. In the anime it goes on for like, an uncomfortably long time, with the slow panting, and the close-ups on the twisting body parts, and…combined with the fact that all of Deku’s admiring girlfriends in this arc have also landed on top of him in a similar pose, and you can’t blame me for the fact that my mind went into rather…R-rated territory. 

Kacchan’s disappointed. He didn’t want Deku to lose. He wanted Deku to win.

That breaking  voice again. Don’t make me cry more dammit it’s too late.

ALL MIGHT! I need an MST3K style All Might commentary-reaction to this entire damn thing. Seriously Hori. If you ever do an extra, please make one that’s a serious of All Might panel reacting to this whole thing. I NEED THAT. 

Finishing each other’s sentences again.

“It’s too late” IT’S NEVER TOO LATE YOU CYNICAL PORCUPINE.

This is such a great moment of catharsis. Why Deku indeed? Well, you’re about to learn.

THAT LINE DELIVERY AGAIN. That Broken voice. Both voice actors are too good.

Deku’s legs though. WOWSA. A little detail I’ve noticed is that Kacchan has really buff, sexy arms and Deku has really buff, sexy legs. Because those are the body parts they use, while the reverse parts are more average.

“I’m weak too” You’re making me weak I can’t take it. His voice his voice that fucking voice

DEKU’S EYES. THEY’RE WELLING. 

HE’S GONNA CRY TOO.

I also need an All Might in my life. I kinda blame myself all the time for things outside of my control. Deku AND Kacchan both blamed themselves for what happened. For All Might’s end. And neither one was really responsible, but they’re just like that. I relate, painfully, to both of them. I have a Deku side and a Bakugo side - deep down, I think we all do. Maybe one more than the other, but that’s what you get when you create two characters who initially act as kind of…distilled embodiments of two sides of the super-hero coin. One all super with no hero, the other all hero with no super - at least, at the beginning.

THAT PIANO MUSIC IT SOUNDS FAMILIAR. IT’S ALL MIGHT’S FREAKING THEME YA’LL!

Ooh boy All Might’s BKDK Speech! Both of their teachers ship them, you guys. All Might AND Aizawa both give big, beautiful speeches about their compatibility. In case you somehow missed it. 

Being fixated on victory like you, young Bakugou…and wanting to save those in trouble, like you, young Midoriya…both of those feelings are necessary.” “You guys are perfect for each other”, says the reactor I mentioned earlier (who isn’t even a hardcore BKDK shipper, mind you, it’s just that it’s that obvious.) And it’s true. You need both. They want each other, they need each other, because they have what the other lacks. They complete each other.  

This is the shonen rival equivalent of having the couple in a rom-com confess at the end of act one instead of act three. It upsets all the cliches and is all the better for it. Though even the most hardcore, dedicated anime rivals, I don’t think have ever gone this married-couple with the ‘mutual respect’ and ‘making each other stronger’ thing.

WIN AND SAVE SAVE TO WIN. They look each other in the eyes.

Oh god not that voice again I’m dying. Don’t make me cry again Kacchan.  

“Don’t lose.” SUPPORTIVE KACCHAN I LOVE SUPPORTIVE KACCHAN.

“I’ll get stronger” CONFIDENT DEKU I LOVE CONFIDENT DEKU. 

“Of the students only you.” ONLY YOU. 

I put this moment really high on my list of Kacchan’s nicest moments, because it means a lot to me and to All Might. All Might acknowledges it. He’s a good secret keeper.

Oh and Deku thanks him too in the English Dub, BTW. Not the manga but nice dub touch. 

OMG he’s such a Tsundere.

He told him everything. HE KNOWS. The only one who knows. None of Deku’s other love interests do. And he has no interest in telling them. 

Kacchan asks why he told him. And I’ve got an answer, after obsessively rereading Chapter 11/rewatching Episode 8 a lot: BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU, YOU IDIOT. You were mad at him for lying about his quirk to you. You asked what was going on (loudly). You accused him of lying to you your whole life. So he told you the truth. Because he can lie to his mom, and he can lie to his friends and teachers and the entire freaking world. But he cannot lie to YOU. Because he loves you. Idiot baka. 

Oh and what’s that music playing there? Why does that sound familiar? YOU SAY RUN YOU SAY RUN YOU SAY RUN IT’S BACK. And you know? That’s I think because YSR symbolizes Deku’s heroic inspiration. The inspiration he both takes in and gives to others. And here, he’s both being inspired by Kacchan, and inspiring him at the same  time.

Now Kacchan is doing the same. “Chosen one” He knows. Deku is better. He’s gotta surpass him.

LOL THIS IS FUNNY. THEY SURE BICKER LIKE THEY’RE MARRIED.

This shot composition. Get it? ALL MIGHT’S THE THING BETWEEN ‘EM.

Oh and this. Yay some character development from Kacchan! Another nice moment of his in this ep. Three times! 

All Might Meta’s a bit about how Kacchan took responsibility and felt bad and does a Mom guilt trip on Dadzawa. They’re getting to be kinda married too now.  

“I went in pretty HARD”. OMG stop it you’re making me think bad things again. Just F*CK already.

Their first act as a married couple is to clean the house together. OMG domestic fluff. 

And now for the best Post-credits scene ever. 

Wow Uraraka ships it so bad. 

Oh and some Todobaku bonus! Aw I guess Bakugou just turned down his 3some offer. 

Ooh awkward silence. 

YAY! Though they did kinda wreck it by having Deku bring it up instead of Kacchan 

NOW THEY’RE HEALTHY ENOUGH TO TALK TO EACH OTHER LIKE HUMAN BEINGS.

Kacchan just praised me. Life is good.

Episode 61 is my favorite episode of my favorite show. I think it’s the best and will never be topped. Feels, left and right. It’s really just perfect. Funny, all 3 of the transcendent, best-of-the-best BNHA eps (This, 49 and 23) are basically just two characters fighting for 20 minutes. Nothing more or less. Yet they’re all so, so good. And this one is…I don’t even know how to put it into words. It’s a phenomenal tour-de-force of acting, visuals, animation, music, and of course, writing, all combining together to be just absolutely unsurpassable. Everything that makes this series good, boiled down to it’s essence. And yes, this did seal the deal for me with BKDK. I liked it before, but this made it a done deal. No going back. And I love it.

BEST GIRL OF THE EP: Uraraka for being so supportive.

RANKER: Top 5 Best Moments of This Episode: (it’s really more like a top 50)

5. Deku’s little Dance number

4. True Rivals at Last

3. True feelings at last

2. The Image of Victory Speech

1. “Why did I become...”

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of DC: Week of July 31st, 2019

Best of this Week: Batman: Last Knight on Earth #2 - Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia and Tom Napolitano

The last case Batman will ever solve, might just be his most terrifying.

Beginning with Batman confronting an older Joe Chill in the past over the dead child in Crime Alley that looks eerily similar to Bruce. Our hero kind of surprises and disarms him by removing all of the weapons he’s hidden around his apartment. Chill seems to have been expecting him, preparing what he calls an “end of an era feast” for Bruce, implying he knows his identity. To make matters even more interesting, he insinuates that he didn’t even kill the Waynes for Marth pearls and makes it seem like there was an even larger plan afoot than anyone realized.

Cutting back to the Nightmare future, Batman and Joker’s Head are taken by surprise as a Speed Force Storm tears through the desert. Never let it be said that Greg Capullo hasn’t been improving his skills at body horror because the tornado is terrifying. Consisting of the constantly shifting, twisting and stretched bodies of Barry Allen, Bart Allen, Jay Garrick and possibly others, the faces scream and cry for Bruce to help them. It’s a shocking and unsettling sight as one can almost hear the deafening cries of atom splitting agony that they’re going through. The deep red of the storm doesn’t help as it just makes things FAR more threatening than they need to be. Bruce and Joker sit in a cave for safety while Bruce laments that there is absolutely nothing that he can do to save them.

The pair continue on, hang gliding through the air, crossing over a base named Fort Waller. Joker tells Batman that originally it was the last bastion of hope, where Mr. Terrific, Dr. Sivana, Ivo and others could combine their knowledge with the powers of the new avatars of the Green and Red to repel those incensed by Luthor. Batman asks him what happens and Joker’s narration ends as they watch the battle. Unknown Soldiers fighting abominations of the Red in a hellish battle of blood and fire until a Swamp Thing appears from the crimson dust of their fight, no longer appearing to have any faculties or emotion other than: KILL.

The tone shifts as they reach an area known as the Plains of Solitude, seeming a mass of crystalline structures similar to Superman’s secret base. The cool blues of this area offer something of a safety in a book that has otherwise been overbearingly tense since it began. It doesn’t help that Joker’s been doing variations of “can I be Robin, are we there yet, and knock knock jokes the entire time. Bruce snaps that he could never be Robin because Robin was a good guy and who in this world was still like that? Pods shaped like Superman’s baby rocket start landing close to Bruce and Joker before the pair are saved by… Superman?

Or so we think, this “very talkative” (end sarcasm) Superman leads the pair to a farmhouse in the middle of the plains where a surprisingly alive and potentially insane Lex Luthor greets them. Batman, furious at the state of this world demands to know what happened, what did Luthor do? Luthor answers that he had a debate with Superman. What makes this so interesting is that, Luthor says that he knows that he should have lost. The stakes were such that, the loser would be impaled by spike of Kryptonite and Luthor, having almost crapped himself a speech mostly using platitudes from others in his own words, didn’t hold a candle to Ka-El… but in the end, Superman ends up skewered and the world goes to hell with him.

It begs the question of, what happened? Did all of the people just side with Luthor on impulse? Did something happen to sway them or was someone else manipulating things? Everything is speculation. Things are cut short, however as Bane and Scarecrow show up to punish Luthor and bring Batman to their new God, Omega. Bane appears to be absolutely rotting with venom as his veins are green and his skin is pale. Scarecrow looks absolutely scraggly with long, gnarled fingers with syringes at the end of his fingers. Scarecrow has poisoned the Superman clone and forces him to try and break the Bat.

Suddenly, as Superman lifts Batman above his head, a sword pierces his chest as it’s revealed that Wonder Woman has returned to save the Caped Crusader. The two are told to run away by Luthor, to save the world as he opens a portal for them and is summarily torn apart by other infected Superman Clones. 

We see the full extent of the utter destruction Luthor’s actions have caused as they land on the cloak of The Spectre. Wonder Woman tells Batman that the fighting eventually spilled over and destroyed both Heaven and Hell. It only makes sense, doesn’t it? The forces of magic are very powerful in the DC Universe. How much trouble would it take for a Mordru or Neron to tangle with Doctor Fate or Zatanna, culminating in the ruination of the afterlife, damning everyone to a non-existence at the end of everything?

They enter the cloak and take a ride down the River Styx. Diana tells Bruce that the voices of the dead will be calling out to him for sending them there. Capullo stuns with a double page spread of many of DCs biggest heroes, showing Batman the sheer weight of what his as-of-yet unknown role in Luthor’s scheme was. There are far too many to name, but I will say that I appreciate Capullo putting Kyle Rayner among those in the front. His deaths in many alt-stories will always irk me, but I do like seeing him recognized and put higher than Hal Jordan or even John Stewart.

Things take an even darker turn as Alfred shows up among the dead and Batman almost climbs out of the little boat, knowing that he just saw Alfred not too long ago and he and Wonder Woman make it to the real Gotham City with a cliffhanger and a surprising reveal at the end.

Last Knight on Earth pulls no punches when it comes to depicting a desolate world where Doom wins. I want to say that it’s almost dour to the point of being almost being hopeless and that’s exactly what I love. I adore how much is being packed into this story, how many references to the greater DC universe we’re getting. Capullo’s art is probably the best it has been in years and the quality of the writing is right on part with Dark Knights: Metal. It’s a righteous trip as Batman lugs the annoying head of the Joker around like a planet hopping adventure. It’s really fun and very dark.

---------------------------------------------------

The world needs more Swamp Thing stories.

Runner Up: Justice League Dark Annual #1 - James Tynion IV, Ram V, Guillem March, Arif Prianto and Rob Leigh

This annual was dark, far darker than most of the Justice League Dark tales so far because of how self contained it was and the sheer weight of the situation therein. Sure, it wasn't a world ending cataclysm like the one they just stopped, but that doesn't make it any less horrible. I'd never heard of Ram V before, but their storytelling, combined with Guillem March's art makes me feel like I've been pulled back into the old days of Vertigo.

Magic is broken. After Wonder Woman and Zatanna used the Ruby of Life to repair the damage they did to magic after defeating the Lords of Order, magic itself is repairing itself, but in a manner that throws the old rules out of the window.

Consequently, the Parliament of Trees has been destroyed and now Swamp Thing has no one to answer to as the new Parliament of Flowers is seeking a new champion. After confronting Constantine about coming on as a consultant for the League, the con-man convinces Swamp Thing to go on the search for the new Avatar before he loses his humanity like Swampy did. Swamp thing tries to act like he doesn't care, but goes off to find the man.

The story descends into something of a tragedy as we're introduced to Oleander Sorrel, a flower botanist, and his wife Natasha. 

What makes this story so great is that, like the best Swamp Thing stories, it focuses on other characters and their own personal situations. The pair suffer in a broken marriage after the death of their son which causes Natasha to leave Oleander and himself delving deeper into his work, later resulting in his death. He becomes the Avatar of Flowers, but refuses to let go of his humanity after Swamp Thing tries to convince him that he is no longer a man.

He seeks out his wife and watches over her until Jason Woodrue, a very old DC villain that really hasn't been seen since the early days of The New 52, whispers in Oleanders ear. Oleander listens and suddenly a boy that looks very close to their son appears at the door. Natasha is happy, then another child appears and another until Natasha is absolutely blind with love for her new kids.

But not all gifts are good. There's no way that Woodrue doesn't get something out of this himself. There's always an underlying plot and Swamp Thing manages to uncover what really happened to Oleander. The fire that killed him was actually a pool of caustic that he laid in his flower bed and kills himself in. Oleander did die in the pool, but his memory lived on in the flowers that he planted. This revelation stuns Oleander and the children he created out of flowers begin to dissipate. He grows weary, knowing that Swamp Thing was right and Woodrue manages to convince him to rest for a while before feasting upon his flower flesh, regaining his own connection to The Green.

This annual definitely fit the title. It was Dark, not only from a storytelling standpoint, but also visually. Natasha’s post crying face was heart wrenching to see and Gullem March squeezed every bit of emotion out of it that he could. Her lips quivered, her eye makeup ran just a bit and there was a hopelessness that could be felt. Oleander’s transformation was a beautiful kind of macabre with his appearance, composed entirely of flowers, looking very sinewy and skeletal at the same time. Colors are very warm, juxtaposed against an ever growing sense of dread that culminated in the most haunting scene of Oleander growing more and more flower children. The shot is perfect as Oleander is shown to be a hapless man whose only intent is to make his wife happy, but his methods are horrifying almost wrong.

When the children begin to disappear following the revelation, light is shown on them while the background remains dark. Their petals waft away with the night winds as Natasha has to watch in horror, likely to be absolutely broken by the experience of losing her kids. Woodrue eating Oleander afterwards, however, is brutal. The color shifts to a deep red and Woodrue furiously munches on the flowers, gnawing and tearing his way into Oleander’s body and emerging as a new creature unto himself.

I haven’t been able to find anything about this Ram V person, but I want to read more of their work. This book was absolutely stunning and I hope that it does well enough to warrant another Swamp Thing mini-series or full run. Amidst the cancellation of the show after just one season, it’s definitely something the world needs more of. This story was chilling, well paced and had a great focus on someone else while keeping it’s main star tangential as he should be in things like these. This is a definite high recommend from me.

[sleepthinks]

I'm having Dumb Bitch problems.

We are in Texas visiting my niece who plays soccer for the college out here. I haven't been to Texas since like 2006 when we moved. I think we came back for like a quick few days in maybe 2008 or 2009 for a funeral. My father still lives in Texas with his new family. We haven't spoken since 2006 when I told him I was moving across the country. Before that it had been maybe 9-12 months since we had talked. After the move I received birthday cards for a few years but found out that it wasn't him, it was his new wife sending and signing the cards. After some therapy I decided to ask them to stop sending cards and officially cut off all ties. There was always pressure from her for me to come visit them and I felt like the cards were her way of guilting me into coming back.

We had to drive through the city they live in on our way to my niece's school. My mother made some smartass remark about going to visit him. I didn't respond.

Im still connected to some friends from Texas on Facebook. But having moved the week before we started high school, and not really ever coming back, I think we've all grown very far apart and there's not a lot of common ground anymore. I tried reaching out to a few friends, didn't hear back from most. There's a chance I can see a friend tomorrow night, maybe for dinner or something, but I'm really anxious about it. I don't feel like I've been successful or that I'm in a good spot in my life and I'm nervous to go meet someone I haven't seen in almost two decades. Worst case scenario I reveal how much of a loser I am. Or I have to face some harsh truths Ive been avoiding.

There's also some dumb bitch gay problems. Which aren't really problems. Allow me to explain. One of the boys I went to middle school/junior high with in Texas has been in my dreams lately. We're always in a happy relationship. Being depressed and miserable and oscillating between that low and just like a neutral "okay," having a dream where you're happy or elated is a trip. It's jarring because those basic feelings shouldn't be something you miss, but when you DONT have them, once you feel a little taste of it again, it reminds you of how far away you are.

It's really dumb this boy in particular is in my dream. We maybe spoke once or twice in the years I grew up in Texas. From 2nd-8th grade we never had any classes together. My mom was friends with his mom (they worked together before she got fired from that job thus burning all bridges she had made) he was friends with one of my "best friends" I had growing up. But he and I never really ever interacted. But he's in my dreams. Often. 3 or 4 nights a week.

Side note about that best friend. Since moving we haven't really kept in touch. I tried to reach out a few times and never got a response. Growing up either I stayed at his house or he stayed at ours nearly every weekend. It doesn't make sense to me. So much of our childhood was tied together, yet we have nothing to do with each other now. Do they ever think about me like I think about them? Do they ever dream about me? Towards the later years of our friendship we were at odds a bit. He was getting into trouble and getting into girls and getting into trouble WITH girls. He was super disrespectful to his parents. It made me mad. His parents were so nice. They provided everything for him. He lived on a huge farm, had every game and toy he could want. He got a phone and got taken to anywhere he wanted to go (we couldn't drive in 7-8th grade)

Looking back I start to wonder. He had several friends that were like me. Boys that didn't really have any other friends. It's hard to do it without naming names. Idk if anyone reads this anyways. This friends name was Randy. Randy was friends with Colton. Colton didn't really have other friends. He was just a big goofy kid. (looking back so was i) he was friends with Taylor. (the boy in my dream) Taylor's only other friend seemed to be his cousin (who was a girl, and for middle schoolers that meant he was weird) there were more boys but I can't remember specifically now. The point is. Looking back. I think maybe Randy wasn't really our friend. The friendships seemed one sided. I get the feeling that his mom put him up to it. All of us were kind of lonely kids. Not popular. Quiet. Maybe that's why Randy doesn't want to keep in touch. He didn't want to be friends in the first place. He was obligated to.

This all culminates to now. Now I'm in Texas again. Now I'm at a college visiting my niece. (I have other college anxiety but that's another long post) this college happens to be the same college both Randy AND Taylor went to. I'm not nervous about seeing them. I don't think they would recognize me anyways (I didn't have a beard in 7th grade) but it's weird being here. Being were they lived. I feel like an unwanted invader somehow.

Ah fuck I forgot to explain the Taylor in my dreams thing. I think the reason he's in my dreams is because he's got similar features and body types to my friend from Seattle. See my friend was a cute boy that i lived with and he was nice and paid me attention and acted like he wanted to hang out with me so OF COURSE I had a little infatuation. I'm so starved for friendship and love that any sort of attention like that would draw me in. I feel dumb. I just want to be friends with my friend without feeling like I'm crushing on him or something.

[jcmorrigan]

Top ten KH3 moments?

***SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS AHEAD! DON’T READ UNLESS YOU’VE EXPERIENCED THE WHOLE GAME OR YOU DON’T GIVE A DANG ABOUT SPOILERS!***

Confession: in trying to come up with my answer for this post, I came up with THIRTY. I’ll just put the ten here, but if anyone wants to ask about those other twenty, feel free :-D

10. The reveal of who Luxu really was the whole time. It tied together a lot of things that made sense and it set up EXACTLY THE CHARACTER IT NEEDED TO to take up the villain helm in place of Xehanort. I’m actually going to skirt saying this name, even though I warned for spoilers, because this reveal is just SO good. And a lot of the endgame made me feel sour and numb due to THE HORRIBLY TRAUMATIZING DEATH OF KAIRI, but this scene picked me almost all the way back up to normal again. 

9. When Xemnas assembles Demyx, Larxene, Marluxia, and Luxord at the Keyblade Graveyard and it’s NONSTOP BANTER. Larxene firing off the most hilarious insults at Demyx (a CEREAL BOWL), Demyx openly admitting that he’s not imposing on purpose, Larxene trying to get Marluxia to start another coup, Luxord listening in the whole time and not letting on until his name is called, Luxord fiddling with the cards and making gambling metaphors, Demyx playing his sitar the whole time…and let us not forget the line that embodies a Big Mood: “Ugh. Xemnas.”

8. When Sora reunited with Hades. It was less “MY MORTAL NEMESIS WHO MUST BE STOPPED” and more “Oh, my weird friend of opposing morality who I don’t really like but have to say hi to.” Their reactions to each other were so hilariously casual. Then Hades introduced the Titans in the most EPIC way…only to realize he sent Sora EXACTLY WHERE HE SHOULDN’T GO and deciding this was fine. Also, bonus points for Sora later calling him “the H-ster.”

7. When the Demon Tornado (my personal name for the GIANT CYCLONE OF SHADOW HEARTLESS; canon will probably prove this wrong later) is about to wipe out everyone, but Ephemer helps Sora summon ALL THE KEYBLADES OF THE DEAD WIELDERS OF THE KEYBLADE WAR IN ORDER TO PULVERIZE IT. There’s so much going on there: the epicness of using a hundred Keyblades at once, the beautifully victorious arrangement of “Dearly Beloved,” the shout-outs to the player names in the commands, and, perhaps most of all, the realization after the fact that these blades were all of people who died killing each other for petty reasons…and after death, their spirits realized it was time to set aside their differences and focus on not letting Xehanort win.

6. Battling Davy Jones and the Kraken at the same time. The Kraken is one of the two Disney boss battle fights I have wanted for a DECADE (the other was Randall Boggs; you had your chance and you BLEW IT). I actually was half-disappointed with the naval battle portion because I had imagined it should be melee, but then Davy Jones turned out to be the first true Disney villain boss fight that wasn’t transformed into a Heartless or somesuch, and I’d been thirsty for content of him since arriving in that world. But then it turned out THE KRAKEN WAS WAITING IN THE WINGS TO ASSIST HIM and I actually DID get to fight it melee and it was just the PERFECT way to close out PotC’s role in KH.

5. Fighting Ansem, Seeker of Darkness; Xemnas; and Young Xehanort at the same time. First of all, BEST BOSS THEME IN THE ENTIRE GAME. It was the perfect culmination of putting all the Xehanort themes into one piece that flowed and made sense. Second, the sheer epicness of this CONCEPT. Third, the coordinated triple attack they make where Young Xehanort freezes Sora, Xemnas shoots him with the vines, and Ansem lets the lasers fly.

4. Even and Demyx’s one interaction. While I still don’t think Vexen/Even is hero material, the one thing that made that redemption worth it was this. Seeing these two diametrically opposing personalities, who you think would hate each other, play off each other perfectly. They’re just the right amount of annoyed with each other to be hilarious, and then there’s obviously some genuine respect passed between this odd couple. I will never be over how they have to shush each other in succession.

3. Ienzo’s intro to the plot, though this is kind of in two parts - I’m counting his initial reveal as Sora’s guide with his almost immediate return to help with tech stuff when Pence logs into the computer. Ienzo is just such a CINNAMON ROLL. He just wants friends now, he’s a total ambivert, he keeps slipping into jargon before realizing he’s the only one in the room who knows what he’s saying and reverting to layperson’s terms without being condescending, he flinches at sudden loud noises, he has a cute smile and a nervous laugh…oh. Oh, no. JCMorrigan has a crush.

2. When Vanitas is on the cusp of wrecking Sora on the Laughfloor…and Sulley intervenes by picking him up and YEETING HIM into a door. Oh, but not just that. Taking that door and THROWING IT INTO ANOTHER DOOR, THEN INTO ANOTHER DOOR, THEN INTO ANOTHER DOOR AND SHREDDING THAT ONE. I could NOT stop howling with laughter through this whole sequence. And about four hours later, it hit me that Vanitas could just Corridor out of wherever he got thrown, so Sulley basically did all that for nothing, AND NOW IT’S EVEN MORE HILARIOUS. BONUS POINTS STILL IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE KIDS’ ROOMS WHO EITHER HAD A DOOR FLUNG INTO THEM OR VANITAS HIMSELF. Also, can we appreciate how Sulley somehow knew after five minutes that Vanitas was THAT much worse than Randall that he’d need this treatment?

1. Randall Boggs hijacking the Monsters, Inc. factory. Randall is a legacy favorite villain of mine. He was a big part of my late childhood/young adolescence, and I was CRAZY over him. Over time, I’ve found he still holds up. I could gush about how KHIII’s additions to his entire characterization pretty much renewed my love for him afresh, but let’s focus on his finest hour. Normally, the designated villain of a KH world just peaces out and waits for you to find them at the boss location. Randall, instead, turns the entire factory into death traps and TAUNTS HIS QUARRY OVER THE PA SYSTEM GLADOS-STYLE. Not only that, but he makes TERRIBLE puns (”This one’s got some spark in him!” during the electric fence, “I’ve decided to ramp up the difficulty” as Sora climbs an upward-headed conveyor) and he easily slides from Large and in Charge (”Enjoy what’s left of your miserable little lives!”) to realizing he’s getting humiliated and trying to cover (”You get one freebie, but that’s it.”). KHIII did Randall so good I can’t even.

[crystalelemental]

Honestly, Pokemon is such a concept I love that's managed in ways I almost universally despise.  Like it's such a cute, fun game with colorful designs and awesome creatures with (recently at least) a good blend of cute and cool looking things, and just generally great concepts.  But then, alongside all that, we get:

Version exclusives continue to be a thing, in defiance of all sense.   Like, not even in-game trades for them?  Really?  Can we at least get rid of generations being two games at a time now that everything's on the Switch?  You basically stole our ability to trade, so it's only fair.

Breeding mechanics, BP, EV and IV training, and the constant insistence on needing tons of really rare items to be competitive is obnoxious, and needs to change.- Really, natures being static and unchanging are also kind of a problem.  It means breeding and constant re-capturing needs to happen when really it's just frustrating to perfect alongside IVs and moves and everything else.

Capturing legendary Pokemon is incredibly tedious, status effects should account for a much better bonus to capture rate than they do, and frankly, no one likes spending 60+ Ultra Balls repeatedly trying to capture a legendary when the best you can do is a 50% chance that the Synchronize worked, and a 50-50 shot of getting the correct IVs upon capture.

Unable to balance a meta for shit, and keep limiting all the Pokemon you want to be good with bad movepools or awkward stat distributions, while simultaneously making shit like Lando-T and Greninja and pretending that the game is balanced in any way.  This wouldn't matter so much if there were literally anything else to do long-term but engage in more battles, but even Contests, the most interesting side-quest thing they've probably ever done with Pokemon involvement, is very static and easy to dominate.  You know.  Provided you farm enough really rare berries.

"We made mega evolutions to give things a better competitive use!"  Hooray! "And we gave them to Scizor, Garchomp, Tyranitar, and Rayquaza!"   O-oh...  "Also we're never making more of them, and mega evolutions aren't even available in the main games anymore until post-game where they're 64BP a piece, because fuck you."

"Instead, here are these cool Z-moves!  The attacking types are good for stronger surprise hits on things, but the status Z-moves are complete shit.  We also made signature Z-moves!  There's like 6 of them and all but one are complete garbage!  Do you like this?"

"Stealth Rock is balanced and always has been.  But Aurora Veil?  That's too good, now we need to make Defog more accessible."

What the fuck even is this type chart?

"Hey kids, do you like this cool legendary?  Well good news, you can get it during this two week period in which you must go to GameStop, look the cashier in the eye, and request a card of which they have a finite number in order to obtain it.  But don't worry!  If you miss this opportunity, there will be another event like this in 10-15 years!"

With Let's Go, we can now add "Spend $50 for this mythical event legend which is one-time use only" and "to get this one Pokemon, you must also be playing our mobile game and then transfer it to Let's Go from there, which may be the only way to get it at all ever" into the mix of stupid decisions.

Frankly?  Everything about USUM.  You created the next Gen 7 game, the last game on the 3DS and your alleged culmination of all your progress on handheld systems, as a quick cash grab off of Go's success, handed a script twice as long to a team half as big, and gave them under half the time to push it out.  I really can't think of much more poorly managed than that.

"Hey, remember when online trading and battling was considered a standard feature of the series?  Give us $20 or you'll never see your Bank again."

[captainderyn]

The Republic Senate

My (emphasis on my please don’t give me shit for this, take it or leave it it’s just what I will be using for Of Sun and Moon) initial rework of the Republic Senate for the purpose of it making sense in my fic. 

It’s world-buildy, it’s long. It’s heavily influenced in part by the US Senate because that’s what I know and seems to be where part of the roots lie for it. 

Thank you @shortmandown for reading through this and to ALL the other people I crawled to for help with this (there’s like three of you guys but I won’t tag you out of the kindness of my heart xD)

Hopefully below the cut. Enjoy, if you wish to read it 

The Republic

Alliances between several planets. In theory stands for democracy, justice, and freedom and wants to spread democracy throughout the galaxy. This, however, has led to a fixation on eliminating the Empire in a multi-year (multi-decade, multi-century...just a long, long time) war that culminated in a need for eradication after the Sacking of Coruscant. It wants to restore its former greatness and most recent years of government have chosen an ongoing war with the Empire as the way to do that, stating that they need to eliminate the Sith Empire before they can progress again. Propaganda and the numerous victories in the ongoing war maintain the overall attitude of complacency and optimism for the war,  though the younger generations that were either young or not yet born during the SoC are starting to question the legitimacy of this ongoing war. The Republic is still in a state of rebuilding after the SoC and is nowhere near its once great standing.

The Senate:

The Senate is split into seven sections, each coalition representing a selection of ~142 planets average (should all regions be the same, they are not)  in that region. In each coalition, there is at least one representative from each planet up to a max number of fifty seats in the representative house based on the population of that planet. From those representatives five senators are elected to represent the planets, allowing ~28 senators per coalition. Therefore, in the Senate, there are 200 senators total serving at one time.

**NONE of these planets in a region are representative of a major corporation. Planets only allowed to send representatives. In areas where major corporations sit the representatives(s) elected work in favor of a mega-corporation and there is no way to deny that as they are “elected” fairly. Investigation and action will only be taken if there is probable cause to suspect foul play.  

A senator can serve for six years at one time and can serve a Republic Law based two terms back to back, but since the government overturns after the Treaty of Coruscant most senators have served well above those two terms. Senators can be removed from their position if found guilty of any of the numerous punishable-Republic crimes, though it is a long process and most senators are able to weasel their way out with only a harsh warning and a temporary ban.

Each senator has an Associated Planetary Representative (APR) elected from the coalition’s house of representatives and acts as a “Junior Senator”.  Most are chosen with the mentality that they will be the ones to take the place of their superior senator when they step down. The APRs cannot vote, but they do try to represent political, religious, ethnic, or other minorities on the side of their sector. Their main duty is to stand in for their superior should they be indisposed and unable to make important meetings or had to take leave. Should the latter occur then there would be a vote to allow them to act as the standing senator.

**APRs have been known to purposefully target their senators to take their place. The success rate of these attempts are shockingly low as any suspicion is taken seriously and an investigation ensues.  

The seven coalitions act as a separate entity from planetary governments, as does the Republic Senate. Planetary governments are almost entirely removed from the galactic governments except for the election of their representatives, as to keep the focus on galactic issues instead of planetary.

Election of representatives varies from planet to planet and relies on the way their government works. For example. democratic planets will elect their senators through campaigns and the votes of the people, while monarchy based governments (or any non-democratic governments) tend to send diplomatic representatives of the state chosen by those in charge. Smaller planets, especially in the Outer Rim have not always been able to elect their officials or get them to the official coalition headquarters, usually located on the major planet in the system (ie: the Deep Core Coalition would be on Coruscant, the Core Coalition on Alderaan.). In the past, the coalition has worked to get that representative at least holo’d in, though post-Treaty of Coruscant that initiative has fallen behind and it is more common as of the Yavin Coalition to simply let those planets fall to the wayside. As a result, the Outer Rim Coalition is grossly under numbered and no longer has much power in the standing of the Senate.

The head of the entire Galactic Senate is the Supreme Chancellor. The Supreme Chancellor acts as a tiebreaker in tied votes, offers guidance and is a figurehead, and mediates the meetings, but overall does not hold much sway in the voting process. They are given a four-year term and can only serve one term. Therefore when the Supreme Chancellor seat turns over, the Senate will not be turning over at the same time. The SC can propose candidates for military officials, as the Republic Military is closely intertwined with the governmental control, however, they cannot elect those officials. Military officials are elected through a vote of the Senate, and it must be a majority. Reason to be removed from office are as followed: serving a maximum number of years, a vote of no-confidence by the Senate (must be the majority and there must be a probable cause), and if they commit and are found guilty of a high tier crime punishable by Republic Law.

**Senators are known to do some negotiating in backroom deals to create alliances that strengthen their position on important issues; a matter that picked up tenfold once the Yavin Coalition started to form.

The State of the Galactic Senate:

As of the Coalition of Yavin IV and prior/onward the Republic Senate has been falling steadily to corruption. The smallest of the seven representative groups, the Outer Rim has been slowly shunted to the side enough that some worlds have seceded entirely from the Republic and fallen into Hutt Control. The Expansion Region and Mid Rim are close to doing the same, encroached on by both the Empire’s advances and the poor treatment by the Republic. The Deep Core and Core regions remain the strongest and most powerful of the sectors, holding the most sway in voted on matters. On top of worlds, seceding mega-corporations such as Czerka Corporation, Draay Trust, Adascorp, and CEC (to an extent, in Corellia’s representative pool) have infiltrated the interests of the Senate, shifting it from a goal to represent and better the people to instead better their own interests.

The Coalitions:

The seven coalitions are as followed;

Deep Core: Coruscant is the largest planet in this sector, representing the smallest number of planets with the highest amount of representatives possible. Coruscant holds the maximum number of fifty-seats in the representative house. Tython holds a small number of representatives, being a fairly sparse planet holding mostly Jedi that for many years did not wish to root themselves in politics. This changed post-ToC, with Tython holding more representatives than before.  This coalition is the strongest and largest of the seven by the time OSaM is occurring. Coruscant is the site of the headquarters, located in the Senate District. The Deep Core Coalition is set on expanding the Republic and maintaining its glory, trying to expand rights to all species and is by far the most liberal of the coalition attempts.

**Glory defined as reinstating the Golden Age of the Republic, with extensive expansionism and the minimizing of the Empire and its “threat” to galactic peace. Though from coalition to coalition and senator to senator the definition of glory has shifted and mutated and as the Eternal Empire rises it is near impossible for everyone to see eye to eye.

Core: Corellia and Alderaan are the major planets in this sector, with Alderaan’s representatives standing for each of the major houses and sent by the royal houses. Corellia’s representative election varies from year to year in its ever-shifting government and prior to the Empire’s siege was majorly influenced by the CEC company. However, after the Empire’s attack and subsequential rebellion, it has lost almost all power in the coalition and must wait for the next senatorial election to regain its prior power if it can. The Core Coalition has been known to side with the Deep Core Coalition on the matters of restoring the Republic and rebuilding after the Sacking of Coruscant, however it is known to favor business ideals and trade above the expansion of rights, most likely due to the influence of its major planets.

Colonies: Balmorra would be the major planet in this coalition (so far as swtor is concerned), however, the entire coalition has been knocked off balance by the ongoing war on Balmorra, eventually won by the Republic but not before immense damages were taken and setbacks were piled on. However, the coalition as a whole is representative of a band of largely wealthy planets with booming industrial worlds, trade centers, and garden worlds.  They are the third largest coalition in number, with densely populated planets. They are a known to ally with the Core Coalition for their emphasis on trade and business, as well as wealth.

Inner Rim: One of the smaller coalitions, the Inner Rim is neither strongly allied with the Outer Rim or the Core/Deep Core. Many of the planets in the Inner Rim are either undeclared in allegiance to the Republic or Empire, making its number of planets one of the most lacking. The Inner Rim as a whole tends to look down on the Outer Rim inhabitants, and yet the Deep Core, Core, and Colonies have looked down on them. The headquarters of this coalition are located on Manaan, though since the planet has remained questionably neutral it's debatable on whether or not that should be changed. This coalition has a tendency to ally itself with business and trade for its priority, always trying to reinvigorate declining wealth after the Great Sith War. By the time of the Eternal Empire, the Inner Rim has all but fallen out of importance.

Mid Rim: The Mid Rim Coalition is one of the smaller branches, due to territory that had to be relinquished to the Empire in the ToC. It is also one of the most unstable, constantly caught between planets falling to the Empire or being invaded for more territory during the war. Ord Mantell is the standing head location, however the Separatist rebellion caused significant chaos and it fell out of standing in the Senate, leaving its senators floundering. Being one of the less industrialized groupings of planets it tends to ally with the Deep Core’s efforts to promote rights and social change across the galaxy, unable to offer much to the Core or other business and trade coalitions for support.

Expansion Region:  One of the most, if not the most disrespected of all the Coalitions, and also one of the smallest. Rampant tapping by Corellia and Duros during the Great Manifest Period left many planets impoverished, and even by the current time in-universe, there are several representatives that are unable to make it off planet. Their inclusion and transport have all but vanished in recent years, leaving the Expansion Region Coalition a silent bystander in the greater Senate.

Outer Rim: An area made up of neutral, Empire, or otherwise aligned planets the Outer Rim is the smallest coalition out of the seven. Headquartered in Belsavis it is the one that has been shoved to the wayside the most alongside the Expansion Region Coalition in recent years. Many planets over the years have fallen out of the coalition entirely and it remains one of the least respected in the Senate. Their main goal is to try and get recognition, relief, and resources from the Senate to better support their people but it has gone largely unheard.

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/sports/if-he-slips-he-falls-if-he-falls-he-dies-climbing-3000ft-without-ropes/

'If he slips, he falls. If he falls, he dies' -- Climbing 3000ft without ropes

Situated in Yosemite National Park, USA, the gargantuan rock-face soars 3200 feet into the air, standing almost 500 feet taller than the Burj Khalifa — the world’s tallest building.

There is simply no room for error. If he slips, he falls. If he falls, he dies.

“When I know what I’m doing and I’m climbing well, then it feels meditative, kind of relaxing and beautiful,” Honnold told CNN Sport.

His achievement has since been immortalized in a breathtaking BAFTA-winning National Geographic documentary, Free Solo, which has been nominated for Best Documentary at this year’s Oscars.

READ: Ross Edgley — ‘It was goosebumps upon tears, upon smiles’

Death or perfection

Free solo climbing is a high-stakes game. It’s either death or perfection.

But in moments of such risk, adrenaline is often the enemy.

“The important part of being able to climb El Cap was for it to feel slightly normal, for it to feel slightly business as usual,” he said, remembering the moments he began the climb.

“For me to look up at the wall and to think I’m just going to climb this like I usually climb this, even though I don’t have a rope on.”

Honnold’s seemingly blase approach to such death-defying challenges can be disconcerting at first but scratch under the surface and you understand it’s an attitude built on a foundation of hard-work and preparation.

“If I don’t know what I’m doing and I hesitate then it can be a nightmare,” he warned.

The truth is that every move is choreographed. Each foot-hold has been mapped out months in advance, every thumb-grip visualized hundreds of times.

The trick to not falling, is not leaving anything to chance and training your mind for every possible outcome.

“It’s definitely a bigger mental challenge than it is physical,” he said, explaining that he and many others have climbed the rock-face multiple times with harnesses attached.

“But the idea of doing it without a rope is a step further it seems.”

Boulder problem

Honnold chose to climb the south-west face of the wall, a familiar route known as Freerider, which is split into 30 different pitches.

But this particular route included a perilous sequence which spooked the seemingly unflappable Honnold — The Boulder Problem.

The section involves a number of intricate movements with Honnold clinging onto pea-sized ledges 2000ft above the meadow below.

It culminates in a vertigo-inducing karate kick to an opposing wall, where his life depends on whether he makes contact with a toe-sized ledge.

READ: Kilian Jornet — ‘It’s like meditation. It’s beautiful to feel that small.”

“I think if that section of the route hadn’t existed […], I probably would have soloed El Cap several years sooner,” said Honnold, who had practiced that particular section 60 times with ropes — falling on a number of occasions.

However, the very thing that made this section so daunting turned out to be an advantage because by the time Honnold had reached it he had found his rhythm. He was confident.

“I had done so much climbing, I was so deeply in the zone,” he said, talking through the delicate sequence of moves.

“I was performing so well that by the time I got there I felt incredible and I just executed it perfectly.”

Sprint finish

After successfully navigating the near impossible Boulder Problem, Honnold started to breathe a little easier but he still had a long way to go.

The final stretch represented one of the hardest climbs that Honnold had ever attempted but nothing was going to stop him now.

“My confidence was soaring, I felt great,” he said. “Conditions were perfect and I kind of knew I had it.”

As he approached the summit, the realization of what he was about to achieve started to break through his steely-eyed focus.

The final stages of El Cap got easier and easier. What to many would seem terrifying became a “beautiful experience” for Honnold, who sprinted toward the finish, lifting himself over the summit after just three hours and 56 minutes of climbing.

“It was incredible,” he laughed.

Why without ropes?

The unfathomable climb was nearly 20 years in the making.

Growing up in the Californian suburbs, Honnold had started scaling indoor climbing walls at a local gym as a child. In many ways, it was a sanctuary.

Honnold struggled with socializing as a youngster but was able to express himself through climbing, gradually transitioning to outdoor climbing as he sought out new challenges. Moving on to free soloing — climbing without ropes — was a natural progression.

“It was an important part of rock-climbing for me,” he said. “It wasn’t all of climbing and never has been to me. It’s just one part of climbing but it’s free soloing, it’s awesome, it’s fun.”

READ: Anna Gasser — ‘As I took off I knew there was no way back,’ says snowboarder

Living and traveling in a small van, Honnold spent his days climbing — getting better and more confident with each step.

He started completing increasingly impressive feats but El Cap was always at the back of his mind.

Ascending the structure is regarded as the pinnacle of rock-climbing so making history by becoming the first person to scale it without ropes certainly appealed, but he also simply wanted to experience it.

“I’m sure every astronaut wants the opportunity to walk on the moon but if you’re the first human to ever go to the moon, it’s an incredible thing,” he said.

“But I’m sure the tenth astronaut is just as excited in their own way. Some of Honnold’s friends have dies tackling lesser challenges.

It’s a stark reality that doesn’t sit well with his girlfriend, Sanni McCandless, who left Honnold alone in the days running up to the climb.

“It just seemed like the right call for both of us. We never really had to talk about it.” he said.

“It was useful for me to have empty time to just lay around by myself and visualize or imagine and just emotionally process what was to come.”

Mind and body

When you consider the mental fortitude required, it’s easy to ignore the physical strain such a climb puts on a body.

On one section of the wall, the Monster Offwidth, Honnold squeezes his body into a vertical crack and wriggles his way up a 200ft crevice. No flashy gym or high-tech equipment can ever prepare you for such a task.

Instead, Honnold’s physique has been etched by thousands of hours of climbing and his hands strengthened by days clinging onto rock faces.

Standing at a little under 6ft tall, and powered by a mainly vegetarian diet, Honnold’s body is conditioned solely for climbing.

His mind has also adapted accordingly.

During the documentary, Honnold undergoes an MRI scan which shows his amygdala — the part of the brain which processes fear — is not stimulated in the usual way.

Honnold believes he’s become desensitized after so many years of climbing but is open to the suggestion that he’s innately less susceptible to fear.

“I found free soloing scary when I first started but I also found it exhilarating in the right way,” he said.

“Possibly, other people find it way scarier and less satisfying so they are never really willing to put the time and effort into it because the ratio is not right.”

He likens it to his previous fear of public speaking. As a young man, Honnold struggled in front of large groups and the thought of doing a media tour would have previously “horrified” him.

But just like climbing El Cap, Honnold found a way to overcome negative thoughts.

Free Solo — The documentary

Directed by award-winning film-makers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, Free Solo follows Honnold for over two years as he prepared for the climb of his life.

However, keeping the cameras at a distance was imperative in order to keep Honnold safe and allow him to have the experience he was craving.

“When I passed the cameramen on the wall, it was just really nice to be able to see my friends up there and celebrate with them.

“Most of the filming is up high on the route so I had already finished most of the harder sections. It really did feel like a celebration.”

Despite the global success of the film, the achievement will always be a personal one.

“When I’m an old man and I sit in El Cap meadow, below the wall and I look up at the wall, I’m going to feel the same satisfaction knowing that I’ve had a dream for so many years, put a tonne of work into it and eventually was able to accomplish it,” he said.

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #157 - Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: Blu-ray

1) Getting any sort of footage or image before a studio logo is exceptionally rare. I appreciate that Paramount and the filmmakers decided to open the film with this dedication:

2) This is an end to a trilogy started by Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan, as it is a direct sequel to Star Trek III which was a direct sequel to Khan. Leonard Nimoy returns to direct after Star Trek III and decided to give the film a lighter tone as Star Trek was taking itself rather seriously. I think that works for this movie, but I also think the film succeeds because (out of the trilogy) it does the best of examining the crew outside of Kirk/Spock/Bones (as we shall see).

3)

Vulcan Computer [testing Spock’s recovery]: “How do you feel?”

Spock’s emotional arc - though it becomes more subtle as the film progresses - is a nice touch. The dude DIED. He’s not just going to walk away from that scot free. He’s Vulcan, so his intellect has been largely focused on. But it is his emotional recovery - getting in touch with his human side - which carries the Vulcan through this film. And I think it works wonderfully.

4) The noise the alien probe emits has a wonderfully ominous design to it. It is effective and makes you uncomfortable. You know something is up.

The entire idea of a mysterious alien probe with unknown intentions which is creating death and destruction (seemingly involuntarily) is very compelling to me. It is an idea in the same essence of “The Twilight Zone” or even something HG Welles would write. Mysterious, frightening, foreboding, and interesting.

5) This is the last film appearance of Lt. Saavik.

According to IMDb:

A scene written for but cut from the film explained why Saavik stays on Vulcan: she is pregnant with Spock's child, stemming from an event in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), when she "treated" the young Spock's pon farr. This was the character's final appearance in a Star Trek film.

I’m a little disappointed that Saavik was just kind of dropped. Apparently Nimoy and writer/producer Harve Bennett couldn’t think of anything for her to do in the 20th century, but this was an incredibly interesting and fun character from Wrath of Khan who just lost steam and disappeared. Ah well.

6)

Bones [after Kirk says Spock will recover alright]: “Are you sure? [Beat. Kirk is silent.] That’s what I thought.”

Neither of them are sure if they’re going to get their friend back, but they have to trust him. They have to try. Bones even later tries to strike up a conversation with Spock, checking him both as a doctor and as his friend. These small bits of concern are neatly effective in portraying the conflict Spock (and, in all honesty, the crew) is going through with his emotional recovery.

7) I love this line.

Spock: “There are other forms of intelligence on Earth, doctor. Only human arrogance would assume that [the probe] MUST be meant for man.”

8) So Kirk and the crew end up time traveling to the late 20th century in order to find some humpback wales and save earth from this probe. But here’s the thing: they’re never asked to do that. Quite the contrary, they’re being court martialed. They could spend the rest of their lives in jail. They have the perfect opportunity to escape and live the rest of their lives. But it is at the expense of the human race. It never even crosses their minds to run away. To not help. They take some seriously big risks for people who may jail them forever and without even a second thought. If that doesn’t speak to the character of these characters I don’t know what does.

9) I’ve never watched the original series of “Star Trek” but I know they time travelled before (at least once, maybe more; again I never watched). So I’m glad they include this line.

Kirk [about time travel]: “We’ve done it before.”

10) Man, these time travel effects are trippy. I love it.

11)

Kirk [about 1986 Earthlings]: “This is an extremely primitive and paranoid culture.”

This has always fucking bugged me in the “Star Trek” universe, although it might just be a personal thing. Yes, the human race as a whole can tend to suck. But why define us by the worst of our elements? Isn’t that just a loud minority? Why not remember the good in history. “This is an extremely primitive and paranoid culture.” What about the people on the Challenger who you dedicated to this film? They weren’t primitive or paranoid? What about people who fight for Civil Rights, Gay Rights, and other social justice movements? Why would we let the worst of humanity define us? I mean really? REALLY!?

Okay I’m done.

12) Leonard Nimoy said he wanted this film to have be lighter and boy is it that. This is by far the funniest Star Trek film ever made. Like, I don’t even know hot to properly communicate how funny it is. Here are some early examples of humor in the film:

Kirk [walking away from an invisible space ship he left in Golden Gate Park]: “Everyone remember where we parked.”

Pawn Broker [about Kirk’s glasses, when they need money]: “I’ll give you $100.”

Kirk [after a beat]: “Is that a lot?”

[Kirk and Spock get on a bus only to immediately walk off of it.]

Spock: “What does it mean, exact change?”

The time travel and 80s setting allow for some fish out of water comedy which is the film’s best feature in my opinion. There are so many brilliant and honest jokes derived from these characters. No one ever acts contrary to who they are. They’re them! They’re the best crew Star Fleet has ever had! But in the 80s...

(GIF originally posted by @andurile)

13) Gillian.

Gillian is a very important and very well done character in the film. She is the outsider. Our tether to reality and a key component to saving the whales (because, again, this is the Star Trek movie where they save the whales). She is unique unto herself, not JUST a plot device and I don’t think even someone for Kirk to get together with (I don’t remember if they kiss or not, but I don’t think so). She is passionate, empathetic and has genuine care for the animals under her care. A great character who I think the film is better off for having.

14)

Kirk [after Spock called him Admiral]: “Jim. You used to call me Jim.”

Kirk is obviously getting frustrated with Spock’s lack of emotional development. He went to hell and back, sacrificed his career and his future, all to save his friend. And now his friend isn’t totally back yet. It hardly leads to a big climactic fight but it is an undercurrent of the film which keeps rearing its head in important and compelling ways.

15) I love this line.

Spock [about whaling]: “To hunt a species to extinction is not logical.”

Gillian: “Whoever said the human race was logical?”

16) Honestly, the way Kirk reacts when he sees that Spock has dived into a tank with two whales in full view of everyone is my reaction too.

17) A little thing that bothers me in this film is when Gillian’s coworker calls her kiddo. He seems to be the same age as her and not her superior in anyway, so what is this demeaning bullshit?

18) Remember how I said this film was hysterical?

I think the pairings of Bones/Scotty and Uhura/Chekov are quite interesting. Even if we don’t get a deep examination of those relationships it’s pairings we haven’t really seen on their own before and which do show us just how comfortable everyone is around each other.

19) I love how Kirk just tells Gillian the truth. Yes he was massively bullshitting her for about twenty minutes but he just sort of lays it all out on the table at the end.

(Screencap originally posted by @icheb-of-nine)

And Gillian doesn’t get angry at this seeming insult of her intelligence and storm off like the cliché is. She obviously doesn’t believe Kirk but she roles with it anyway. Figures what the hell, and it pays off later.

20)

Kirk [to Spock, after he learns they might lose the whales and the earth could be doomed]: “You’re half human. Haven’t you got any goddamn feelings about that!?”

This is sort of the peak of Kirk’s frustrations with Spock. Again it plays out more as a subplot throughout the film but one which gives it heart and warmth. It is after this that Spock sort of starts getting it together.

21) Chekov and the navy is fun (although I don’t like their use of the word, “retard,” in the scene). It showcases the film’s humor beautifully AND allows actor Walter Koening to truly shine.

22) And THIS is the culmination of Spock’s emotional arc (or at least the earliest example of it):

Spock: “We must help Chekov.”

Kirk: “Is that the logical thing to do, Spock?”

Spock: “No, but it is the human thing to do.”

23) I LOVE Bones in the hospital!

He regrows a woman’s kidney with a pill! First and foremost Bones is a doctor and he will be a doctor no matter where he is or who the patient is. I think it’s great that they actually take this into consideration with his actions.

24) The entire scene where the former-crew of Enterprise (as they are on a Klingon ship now) rescue the whales is great. It is incredibly tense and conflict filled, packed with surprises (such as the ship saving the whales from the whalers while cloaked). All in all, a great climax.

25) This was James Doohan’s favorite line as Scotty.

(GIFs originally posted by @spaicetrek)

26) I love how Kirk’s “punishment” is to demote him from Admiral to Captain (which is something he wanted all along and which everyone knows).

27)

Kirk [after Gillian says she’s on a different starship]: “Why does it have to be goodbye?”

Because this series rarely brings back female characters introduced in the movies, it seems. (I’m thinking mainly of Carol Marcus.)

28)

Spock [after his father asks if there’s anything he wants his mom to know]: “Yes. Tell her...I feel fine.”

And with that Spock’s emotional journey is complete.

29) And the crew is returned to a recommissioned Enterprise. They are home (see title) and this trilogy is complete.

I wildly enjoy Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. You wouldn’t think a Star Trek film where they save the whales would work but it does. The lightened tone is well appreciated as is the choice to focus more on the crew of the enterprise. The humor is phenomenal, the message is heartwarming, and it is just a feel good film all around. A wonderful treat for fans old and new.

[thesinglesjukebox]

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM - CALL THE POLICE [3.71] Man, we didn't particularly like anything today, did we?

Tim de Reuse: Sixteen years ago, James Murphy's first single as LCD Soundsystem was about poking fun at the stylistic pretensions of people younger than him; over his next three albums, he gradually perfected the persona of the slightly schlubby, tired, middle-aged dude who's supposed to be too old for this "dance music" shit but sticks around nevertheless. He wrote vague songs about age and disillusionment and partying and New York and got on the in-store soundtrack of every Blockbuster from coast to coast. Between the releases of Sound of Silver and This is Happening, ten trillion articles were written on how supposedly uncool his beard was. I was curious how this so-unhip-it's-actually-hip-'cause-he-knows-he's-unhip image would adapt to the latter half of the twenty-tens; unfortunately, it didn't. "call the police" addresses the current state of things with a noncommittal cry of "Whoa, this is all pretty crazy, isn't it?," culminating in a climax that confuses reference with commentary and comes off as more confused than incisive as a result. These rambling, indulgent rants worked when they were self-obsessed and self-deprecating, but attacking 2017 with the exact same technique just doesn't make any goddamn sense; in the space where previous tunes were achingly nostalgic or monstrously clever all I'm getting off of this one is a feathery, sarcastic message of half-worry. All that said, this isn't a bad song; It sounds as gorgeous and punchy as Murphy's arrangements have ever sounded, and an energetic enough I - IV - I Bowie worship session will do it for me any day of the week. It's just that every time I hear Murphy proclaim that it "gives him the blues" when people "argue the history of the Jews" I feel like listening to the numerous songs off of Murphy's last album that did this kind of thing better but weren't so ill-conceived. Or, better, I could just listen to Bowie. [6]

Alfred Soto: The guitars pull James Murphy backward where (when?) he wants to be: the teen listening to The Cure's "Push," conscious of history, unaware that fifteen years hence he'd write a song commemorating that history -- a history as biography. I suppose Murphy gets credit for picking up where he left off. Nothing on "call the police" sounds like felonious, much less like a misdemeanor, despite those guitars. [4]

Thomas Inskeep: Like U2 if they actually had rhythm, with a bassline so epic it could be peak-era JD/NO Peter Hook. The guitar line sounds equally of Pulp and Blondie. And I love that they can pull this off live, flawlessly. Perhaps this is just the comeback we need in 2017. [8]

Claire Biddles: Like an mp3 of "All My Friends" that has been copied over and over again until all of its defining features have washed away into the ether, "call the police" is so old and dull and long that it makes me want to start using proper capitalisation in my tweets again purely as an act of defiance. [1]

Edward Okulicz: This song's harmless, anodyne chug suggests no criminal intent, danger, or even edginess at all. I give two points because part of it reminds me of "Dakota" by Stereophonics, in a good way. The rest of it also reminds me of landfill mainstream indie rock from the mid-2000s, and not in a good way. [2]

Rachel Bowles: Sounds like the Strokes. Not what I want from an LCD Soundsystem song, especially one referencing Berlin and Death From Above (1979). It all sounds very indie 2007, but not LCD Soundsystem 2007 sadly. Gimme Get Innocuous and Losing My Edge. Maybe I'm too auld. [4]

Maxwell Cavaseno: Call the police, more like call the coroner, 'cause I thought we finally put James Murphy down once and for all!?!? Like the one ugly awful band of my adolescence that was adjacent to bands I wanted to listen to and not the people who made my childhood neighborhoods to expensive to live in (Refused, for the record) LCD Soundsystem did some documentary/concert putting a pin on their supposed legacy, despite the fact that people generally thought they had one 'good' (mmm... dubious) single. LCD Soundsystem are a band comprised of taste... Not of their fans, of Murphy, constantly showing the right moves, the right things to sound like. Here he's doing a ghastly fake Bowie voice invoking viruses and Berlin (at least he did the grace of letting the cancer take him, hearing this would've been all the more painful) while the bass thwacks obnoxiously and the guitar twangs in a way to scream "POST-PUNK BRAAAAAAAJJjjjjddddoooYOUUUUULIIIIKEEEEEANCUHHHRRRTZZZMEEEETOOOOOBRUUUUUUUUUUUH" at us while we do our best to feign politeness in the hopes this selfish asshole will go away. Seriously, why are all of his songs badly done Neu! grooves with fake Springsteenian lyrical blather that NEVER GO ANYWHERE AND NEVER STOP. In fact, don't call the cops, call someone to fumigate the rotten buzz of this record. [1]

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