#messy relations with foreign powers

[chaosos59]

My writing project for the last 9 months has been this deep dive into Karrnath. I knew that a nation as old and as large as Karrnath was being underserved by canon's focus on national identity, so I crafted eight distinct duchies to provide regional identities that refine the national martial character.

[sunderwight]

Headcanon/Theory/Concept/Etc Concerning Dragons in the World of Ice and Fire:

The ancient Valyrian blood magic system for taming dragons does increase the general affinity of those of Valyrian descent for dragons. In this case, the general affinity is non-specific. Because Valyria was a slave empire and most menial tasks were handled by members of the lower classes, a lot of dragon handling and care (feeding, cleaning the pits, assisting in training, etc) like what we see the servants of the Dragon Pits in canon doing, would have still been handled by slaves and servants in Valyria itself. If you don't want to be constantly replacing staff all the time, and losing experienced/skilled personnel to random fits of dragon temper, it's best if all if your people have some affinity for dragon handling regardless of rank. So whatever the Valyrian blood mages did, they did it to the whole populace.

But then, how to ensure that only your upper classes are actually taming and riding dragons? After all, you're a slave owning prick who doesn't want your staff stealing dragon eggs to raise in secret and use as part of some violent uprising against you. You'll want some kind of security measure to make that less feasible.

Enter the weird and (in the future) inscrutable "dragon affinity" system. The blood mages find a way to basically encode certain types of dragons so that they will strongly favor specific bloodlines. This system, in turn, is passed among the dragons themselves via their bloodlines. Which basically binds certain lineages of dragons to certain lineages of Valyrian houses. Like say you have Ancient Targaryens living in their Valyrian holdings, and they have Balerion's grandma in their dragon stables. They want to make sure that none of their slaves can steal any of her eggs and eventually become a dragon rider. There's no 100% foolproof method of doing that, since dragons are still somewhat inscrutable. But, you can drastically decrease the odds of success by making Targaryen blood significantly more appealing to Dragon Meemaw and her offspring. As a bonus, this also makes it less likely for the rival dragon riding houses to claim another house's dragons, too.

But there's a bit of a flaw in this system (which is probably the only solution that can be deployed by use of blood-related magics): noble houses tend to intermarry. Obviously, there are a distinct lack of political advantages to marrying commoners, so the Valyrian dragon riding houses would have preferred to marry among themselves and/or powerful foreign rulers. But this means that after a certain point, everyone is related. The magic doesn't care about surnames or paperwork, it cares about blood. So let's say you're Ancient Dragon Lord Targaryen and you marry one of your younger kids off to a different dragon rider house. Their kids are, genetically, still as Targaryen as your direct heir's kids.

So after a while you're still locking out the slaves and servants from being able to tame dragons, but you're not locking out your rival houses. You're losing that perk. Which may not seem all that important at first, but as we witnessed with the Dance, civil wars between dragon riders can get extremely messy, and a lot of it can often come down to posturing about who has the most and/or strongest dragons. So it probably wouldn't take long before various dragon riding houses were wanting to ensure that their dragons were restricted to their actual house, and that their rivals couldn't sneak in and reduce their dragon numbers by claiming dragons from their stock. (You'd think containing the dragons might solve that, but dragons are a bit hard to contain, really.)

Hence, the rise of inbreeding. You try and make sure your house's main lines especially have a higher percentage of "Targaryen" blood, and that none of your rivals have any of it either. The downsides of incest are perhaps mitigated by the same blood mages who have been influencing things from the beginning, perhaps magically tweaking your genetics to reduce the odds of complications, and researching more ways to refine this blood-based system of locking others out of ever accessing your power.

But I imagine that the system required maintaining. There are still going to be times when it's more advantageous to form alliances than to keep your dragons strictly controlled, after all, not to mention limits to how much inbreeding you can do even with magical intervention before shit's getting very Habsburg on you. Not to mention the dragons themselves can be tricky to control, and are less liable to understand the political motivations for not mixing their bloodlines with the perfectly attractive dragons several caves over, who belong to your rivals. Luckily, with Valyrian blood mages still around, you probably just need to pay through the nose to get someone to swing by every few generations and update the blood-based security codes. So to speak. Renew the magic binding your people to your dragons to account for all the drifting genetic nuances. So you don't necessarily need to be wedding siblings to one another every generation.

Except, after the Doom, all those blood mages are gone.

So on the one hand, the Targaryens no longer need to worry about rival dragon riders. Because they're (mostly) all dead. But on the other hand, there's no way to update the bloodline passwords on your dragons now. With each passing generation, you're going to lose some of your advantages for controlling them, unless you're inbreeding at a level that is going to severely limit your ability to make alliances and is going to, you know, completely fuck with your family dynamics for all foreseeable generations. Plus, since you're not a blood mage and this situation is kind of unprecedented, you probably don't really know how long the magic will be able to hold out against the variables of increased genetic diversity over the years. If you "thin" your bloodline too much, how long before you've got basically zero advantages in taming dragons compared to everyone else? Conversely, if the magic is really strong and remains true even through dozens of generations, does that mean you're granting the same advantages to every house you marry your extraneous kids out to over the years? Does a Baratheon have the exact same capacity to tame a dragon as a Targaryen?

So your choices are basically to let it go, to try and retain control over the dragons via culture and influence and knowledge instead of blood purity and incest, or, double down and prioritize power and control above all else and retain whatever you can from the old blood magics by committing to an unhinged level of inbreeding. And then just tell everyone else that it's totally normal for Valyrians and you're an exception to all the usual rules against marrying your siblings, it's a cultural thing, and totally sell that because 1) it's kind of true and 2) anybody with the authority to call you out on exaggerating has just met a mysterious-yet-fiery end via the Doom.

Basically, you consign your descendants to generations of dysfunction and insularity that is guaranteed to alienate them from any of the nearby cultures they might assimilate into, in exchange for increased (but not total!) control over all hypothetical future dragons. Then you destroy a lot of information about dragons so that it can never be stolen, so that no one else can ever learn that taming dragons without your blood is still entirely possible, just harder and more dangerous. (Then you spend the Century of Blood embroiled in a civil war where you kill off most of your dragons, but uh that part wasn't planned, probably.)

Anyway that's why I think the Targaryens are Like That, and why the dragons of the Dance get tamed in the way that they do. Seasmoke likes Addam because he's kin to Laenor, even without the Targaryen blood, there's enough Velaryon blood in the current Targaryens to make him familiar regardless. Sheepstealer and Nettles (should that happen at all like it did in Fire and Blood) just bonded the normal way, without the blood magic advantage. Generations later, Targaryen blood still yields an edge in interacting with Dany's dragons, but it's just that -- an advantage, not a requirement.

[psychotrenny]

There's a lot to be said about Zambia's relationship with South Africa, especially during the Apartheid era. A nation with legal political independence, like much of "post-colonial" Sub-Saharan Africa the deep rooted structures of Colonialism and ongoing pressure of Imperialism have kept it economically dependent on the Imperial Core. Like much of Southern Africa, South Africa specifically is a major locus of that dependence. Indeed, the primary focus of South Africa's foreign policy towards its immediate neighbours, the "Frontline States" in the struggle against Apartheid, was to keep things that way using the most suitable combination of soft and hard power that South Africa had at its disposal.

Now Zambia got off lightly in terms of the military threat it faced, suffering no major South-African proxy wars and relatively few commando raids against the personnel and offices of anti-apartheid resistance that had set up on Zambian soil. The Apartheid regime saw Kenneth Kaunda, the Zambian head of state from 1964 (the year of Zambian political independence) to 1991 (by which time Apartheid was beginning to be dismantled), as a relative moderate due his anti-communist sentiments. Despite Kaunda's outspoken opposition to the Apartheid system, he maintained strong economic ties with South Africa. Zambia's copper mines had their ownership nationalised but were still managed and operated by the same companies, to the point that the pre-independence culture of racism remained alive and well decades later and many Zambian engineers left the mining industry for the private sector as soon as they could due to the discrimination they faced from their mostly white (often South African) managers. A similar arrangement existed for Emerald mines, an industry that only began development in the 1970s and remained in its infancy until the 1990s, remained largely in private hands.

Yet at the same time Zambia was still an independent African nation. On top of verbally denouncing Apartheid to the international community, Kaunda's regime offered material assistance and free access to the anti-colonial resistance movements that toppled the Portuguese Empire and Rhodesia while destabilising South African apartheid to the point of dissolution. Despite the burden of exploitation the masses faced from both foreign imperialists and their local collaborators, conditions for the black majority of Zambia were significantly less vicious than for those living under Apartheid in South Africa and Namibia. Relations between Zambia and South Africa were messy, complex and often contradictory but they were like this because Zambia was very much its own nation. While the shadow of Apartheid is something that must always be taken into account while discussing Zambia in this period, especially in the context of South African investment, this country was much more than an extension of South Africa. You can't talk about it like it's some glorified Bantustan

And yet for most people none of that matters. All Southern Africa is the same to them; who gives a shit about the actual history of struggle? The whole "Elon Musk's dad own a South African emerald mine" is incredibly stupid because it's a severely misleading distortion of the facts that only gets passed around due to widespread attitudes of chauvinistic ignorance towards Africa. Now Errol Musk's statements about his involvement in the Southern African emerald trade are inconsistent; at times he claims to have owned a stake in an emerald mine while at others he claims to have merely traded in the gems. But either way, the gems in question are Zambian and not South African and that's a distinction that matters.

Additionally, the spread of this rumour comes from a grossly oversimplified view of Imperialist exploitation in Africa. While the mining industry is an important vector by which wealth is extracted from the continent, it is far from the only one. Errol Musk did not make his fortune from emeralds; he was an electrical engineer who went own to invest in a wide assortment of businesses from auto parts stores to tourist lodges. A beneficiary of Apartheid for sure, operating in an economic system made possible only through the brutal exploitation of millions of Africans, but in a much more sophisticated way than the cartoonish caricature of a mine overseer a lot of people seem to have in mind.

The point must also be made that most mining in Africa takes the form of modern industrial enterprises operated by voluntary workers who, while still incredibly exploited in terms of the value they produce compared to what they receive, tend to be relatively well paid by local standards. Even in apartheid South Africa and Namibia itself, mining jobs were considered among the most desirable work an African could get. The image of slaves held at gunpoint to dig with shovels, distorted half memories of Sierra Leonean diamonds and Congolese Coltan, do not represent the reality of Imperialism in most of the continent.

The whole "Musk Emerald Mine" discourse is an all around outstanding example of ignorance, made even more egregious by the ostensible "progressive" beliefs of those who engage in it. "Leftists" who care little for what's actually happening to the people of the Imperial Periphery, who see the suffering of Africans as little more than a cheap way to mock an individual they don't like. Maybe it would pay to open a book or two before you open your mouth. Or at least look at a world map and see the funny solid line that exists between "South Africa" and "Zambia"

[redfoxwritesstuff]

For Eternity, Chapter 1 of 13

Banner by @redvexillum - she spoils me sooo 

Alastor x Angel!Wife Oc (Isabel) Rated: Adult - this fic contains content inappropriate for minors. Warnings: This fic contains sexual content, explorations of consent within Angel Dust's contract in relation to sex work, Sexual assault, Possessive and obsessive behaviors, Power dynamics, Adam being an ass, kidnapping, Vox is in hell for a reason, Val is in hell for a reason, Vox has a weird thing for Alastor, Angel Dust is sweet as pie, murder, revenge, implied sexual assault and harassment, miscarriage and death. This is a darker work and may be triggering to some readers. Please be responsible for your mental health and bounce if needed.

Summary: Isabel died young, leaving behind her husband to pick up the pieces. Finding herself in Heaven, she waits for her husband to join her. And waits. And waits. Years and decades pass as she faces the realization that Alastor may not be joining her in Heaven, leaving her largely alone in a realm of double standards and fake smiles.

She must decide if she is going to move on from her marriage or do whatever it takes to reunite with her husband. Would he even still want her? Would she survive the dangers to find him? Would the cost be worth what could be gained?

Is Heaven really Heaven if the one you love isn't there with you?

@impulsivethoughtsat2am Was darling enough to beta <3 Many thanks, Dearheart.

Masterlist AO3 KoFi

~~~~~<3

Isabel sat at her desk, long brown hair cascading over her shoulders, reflecting the day’s light. The light filtered in through the gauzy curtains, casting harsh rays over the room in defiance of the window treatments. There was little that could be done to escape the blinding light of heaven during the day. 

She should be thankful to have woken up in Heaven, all those years ago. She had been a good woman and was rewarded, just as was promised in the Holy Book. That was what she was told to strive for all her short life. 

It didn’t feel like a reward, though. 

Isabel was left longing for the life that she had lived and those she had left behind as she waited out each passing year. Her heart longed for him more and more each day. It wasn’t fair, her mind would scream in the silence of the nights. They’d been married hardly a year, struggling to find the rhythm of marriage and life in a place that was so foreign to her. 

Her husband had been her rock through it all. He had been kind and soft with her, taking things at her pace even after they had been pronounced man and wife, far sooner than she was ready for. In her heart, she knew it would be nothing but a matter of time before he joined her in heaven and she could be again at his side, if he would still have her. 

“What’r you doing?” Adam hadn’t knocked. Letting himself into her modest home was not unheard of for him. He was a man that walked around Heaven as if he owned the place, “Still pining over him? Move on.”

“I promised to wait for him,” It was a part of her marriage vows, a tweak from tradition. Though she had been timid, she had spoken those words with her whole heart. She may have been standing there at the altar by her father’s urging and arranging but she meant every word as she spoke them. She hadn’t loved him then, but the roots were there and love was growing. 

As she had fallen in love with him over the following months, she meant those words more and more each day. Six months into her marriage, she had woken in the middle of the night realizing the depths of her love for the man sleeping beside her. 

It was there, in the stillness of the night that she knelt at the side of the bed, eyes locked on his peaceful face and messy brown hair, she whispered those modified vows again, pledging her very soul to love him for all time. 

“Why sit and wait for 70 years when you could have this dick?” Adam slammed his hands down on his hips, thrusting forward in a lewd motion that no longer phased her.

Isabel only closed her eyes, not wanting to see it yet again. He was the first man and she made a point to show him his due respect but there was no doubt that he made that very hard to do. 

Such lewdness was not something she was prepared for in heaven and yet she found herself battling off the most vulgar advances, only somewhat successfully, on the regular bases from the first man himself. 

“Adam, I am married,” She reminded him, voice strained with frustration. 

“You were,” He corrected, clearly not seeing her vows as eternal the way she did. And why should he, most humans pledged their love until death. 

This wasn’t a new conversation between them. It was a tired old script, a play she did not wish to be cast in and yet was forced to play a part. On a good day, he would grow bored and leave her with nothing but a knot of anxiety and fear in her stomach. On a bad day he left her with far worse. 

“Please leave,” She hoped he would go rather than press his desire for her. Today would have been her wedding anniversary, having Adam’s hands on her would have been ever so much more unbearable today of all days.

“Your loss,” She breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to leave. “He’s probably in hell anyway. Humans hardly live this long. You’re wasting your time.”

“I will wait forever for him.” 

“Whatever. I’ve got a meeting. I didn’t want you anyway,” Adam flipped her off as he walked out of her home, having stopped by to just torture her a little more. It would only be a matter of time before he returned once again. 

~~~~~<3

This was Heaven. It was bright sunlight. It was pure whites and a smile plastered on every face. It was having everything anyone wanted, everything anyone could ask for but never anything bad or wrong. None in Heaven would dare dream of having anything bad or wrong so there was no want for that sort of thing. 

It was empty smiles and hollow hearts. It was decades spent waiting, unable to show fear that those you love may not join you. It was forced joy and whispered prayers.

Heaven was a place where those in power could still do terrible things in the privacy of a home and no one dared to speak of it. 

“Oh, Alastor.” Slim fingers caressed the image inside the pocket watch. 

A trim man in a suit, simple glasses perched on his nose and soft brown hair hardly wrestled into place looked out at her. A soft smile was on his lips. Next to him, she stood veiled in white and in a simple white gown, looking equal parts a pretty young woman and a frightened doe.

A knife she could not see twisted in her heart, as it had every night when she worked into the hours of darkness perfecting the sketch. It was a replica of the photo she had remembered so well. It had lived in a small frame atop the dresser in their bedroom. 

She had waited for him and feared he wasn’t going to come. Adam’s words were nothing new but with each passing year, they cut her heart deeper and deeper as the realization that they could very well be true hit stronger.

He had been so good to her. He was such a gentleman. He was so kind to his fans and random strangers on the street. He was a far better person than she had ever hoped to be. He had been a good son, a good husband and a good man. 

But here she was. And he wasn’t here with her. 

Could he still be alive? She wanted to believe it but Adam was right. Humans only lived so long. Surely, he had run out of time by now. 

Why wasn’t he here?

~~~~~<3

Isabel was lost in her thoughts as she walked the streets of Heaven, empty smile pasted on her face. It was the same empty smile she saw on the faces of those around her whom she knew were, like her, waiting on someone who may not be joining them. It was the empty smile of someone in denial, waiting until the last possible second on the clock before they face reality. 

A commotion jolted her from the peaceful cloud her mind had found itself on. All of hell had been abuzz with news that Hell’s Princess would be visiting Heaven. What for was being kept hush hush but still, it was an exciting change of pace. All were to treat her with the greatest respect on her diplomatic mission but all were also directed to avoid contact with her if at all possible. 

The justification for the order was fear that her hellish influence would cause someone to stumble and fall from grace. It sounded reasonable enough, until one got a glimpse of the girl. 

Hell’s princess was getting a grand tour by Emily. The dear seraphim looked to have finally found a match, endless enthusiasm radiated between the two young women. Never in a million lifetimes would Isabel think that Emily’s match was going to be the Princess of Hell but walking down the street they looked to be two peas in a pod. 

Sara trailed behind them, looking like a put out babysitter more than anything else. 

Isabel watched them for a moment, clutching the small silver coin purse in her hand. Money wasn’t a thing in Heaven but she, like many, carried a purse or wallet to keep trinkets or pictures close. 

Inside the small purse, she could feel the shape of the pocket watch she carried. She’d never dare trusting the small token of her life to be left alone where Adam may find it. The act of pining over those still alive or worse, those who fell in death was frowned upon in Heaven. Those who waited kept their hopes and fears close to their hearts, carrying any evidence of their Heavenly treason on their persons for safe keeping. 

Fear and doubt warred within her heart as she weighed her options, watching the Princess with the bright smile. There was no way she could find herself alone with the princess but Emily was a kind soul. Sara looked to be wholly disengaged with the spectacle.

If she were to be quick, maybe no one else would pay her any mind. 

If she was lucky, maybe Emily wouldn’t think anything of an angel sending a trinket out. 

If Sara was merciful, maybe there would be no repercussions. 

“Wait!” Isabel called out before she had a chance to even think through what she was going to do or say. Her feet slapped the pavement, simple shoes falling away as she ran, throwing aside the option of flying under the radar. She would have to count on mercy. “Please, wait!”

They stopped, hesitating. It was obvious having someone call out for them, stop them in the street wasn’t in the Seraphim’s plans. Surprise lit up the Princess’ face but she didn’t appear to mind the intrusion in the slightest. 

“Please,” Tears welled in Isabel’s eyes as she came face to face with the Princess. Already her plan was gone. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right?

“Isabel?” Emily was clearly caught off guard by the tears in her eyes. The whole reason for Emily to be was to bring the people of Heaven joy. To see one of her people so clearly suffering was shocking,“Is everything alright?” 

“I’ve been waiting for my husband. I- I fear that he’s passed but not been able to join me here.” 

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll be up here any year now?” Emily was ever the optimist. That was what the angels had all been instructed to say. It would happen any year, nothing to worry about. Don’t you dwell on those missing from your life, just be happy. “We’re a bit in a hurry, we’ll talk later?” 

Isabel pushed the silver pocket watch into the Princess’ hand. “His name is Alastor. If he’s in your domain, give him this. Tell him I’ll wait forever, until we can be together again. Tell him I’ll never love another.” 

“Alastor?” Charlie said as her companion pulled her along, clearly not wanting to prolong the trip.

“Get away from them,” Adam’s hand wrapped around Isabel’s upper arm and yanked her back from the Princess, sending her hard to the pavement. If the aggression of the action was intentional or not, no one dared speculate, “Let’s get this over with.”

~~~~~<3

Charlie was lost in her thoughts as her feet hit the ground in Hell. There was so much on her mind, everything about the meeting left turmoil in her heart. Still, when she closed her eyes she saw the wisp of a woman and the way Adam tossed her aside carelessly. 

“She couldn’t have meant our Alastor?” Charlie was lost, unsure where or what to do next. Vaggie’s betrayal stung her heart but in the moment, who else did she have to talk to?

“It doesn’t look like him.” Vaggie took the pocket watch from Charlie and looked closely at the picture before passing it back. The man looked kind, soft and frankly too normal to be the Alastor they knew. 

“But it looks kind of like him?” Charlie focused on the way he smiled. 

“Maybe if you squint?” Vaggie squinted her eyes, looking at the picture in Charlie’s hands, “And if you have really bad eyesight?”

“It seemed like it was a big deal to her.” Charlie couldn’t get the fear and tears in the woman’s eyes out of her mind. 

“Emily called her Isabel?” Vaggie mused. “She did look upset.”

“Maybe we should just ask him and see if he knows her?” 

“Oh yeah, I’m sure that’ll go great. Ask the guy that has shown no interest in anyone or anything if he was ever married.” Vaggie rolled her eyes. “When have you seen him care about anyone?”

“I- I don’t know.” Charlie sighed. “But she was so, I don’t know, sad? Scared?” 

“It’s Heaven, people aren’t scared or sad in Heaven,” Vaggie sighed.

“But she was,” Charlie didn’t have it in her to argue with the woman who had spent years lying to her in that moment. 

[imustbenuts]

i finished metaphor refantazio which means i can talk about this game's themes with a working braincell now.

under the read more: pre-ww2 japanese history and religion fuckery. word vomit for anyone who might be interested in my perspective

Major spoilers head

i was RIGHT about louis being enamored with the royal family in some way and having a buttfuck ton of the royal family flowers in his room in his airship. i think this plot point is now heavily hinted at but currently discarded due to development/writing hell. i think louis probably followed hythlodaeus v out of the sanctum in extreme admiration. he has a lot of similarities with More in that they both had reality + lonliness crushed into their faces. his current self in the game is driven by despair and fear.

this is interesting bc theres actually also a lot of allusion to japanese pre-ww2 history going on from my admittedly very limited knowledge. so here goes:

There's a lot about Louis that reminds me of the whole shitshow going down during the Meiji era up until ww2. the gist of this past 200 odd years was that the western world came in knocking with christianity as a tool for colonization. which was understandably yikes, so they shut themselves off, only to then get another visitation later with pretty intimidating technology in the form of iron steamships with cannons. gunboat diplomacy. this meant that a previously imperialistic japanese society build on conquering had to react/adapt to this drastic force like fucking whiplash.

so they pretty much went from pro-military samurai shogunate to pro-emperor. the gist is there was a very pro-emperor-god-king rhetoric going on that sought to rid anything inconvenient towards that narrative. to keep people in line yes but to also get japan big and powerful enough to sit with the same western colonial powers.

so in place of the old caste system under the shogun, there eventually were now oligarchies, far right military factions etc under the emperor. only something like the top 5% of the population had a say in this new democracy system they set up too. (it got way more democratic in the 1930s? not sure. but what im saying here is 1860s-1900 ish at least)

so things were going. for a while. messy, full of 'expel the foreigners, revere the emperor' rhetoric but it was going.

then more depression happened and the overall economy went to shit in 1900. that era leading up to ww2 had a lot of young men in Japan being extremely nationalist and pro military, in part due to a whiplash of culture change and in other due to poverty. (ive come across the topic of white rice being offered for those who conscript. white rice was seen as the emperor's luxury food so that was somewhat of a draw to young men back then.) There were a lot of far right political factions and assassinations going on. international relations were also imploding bc the military had this idea that japan was the superior divine race and they were destined to conquer the world/asia. so they did some sabotaging false flag operation shit in manchuria in order to try and start a world war. (Mukden incident. 1931)

Which is then not a surprise that in 1932 a prime minister by the name of Inukai Tsuyoshi got assassinated by a bunch of far right pro military guys in their 20s. They were even then praised by the judge bc of their act being seen as pro-emperor and therefore patriotic. Bc again emperor god king delusion.

(read up on the League of Blood incident where these people also plotted to kill the oligarchs and liberal politicians. they uh actually succeeded in some cases btw. look, too much shit.)

meanwhile, the emperor, Hirohito, wanted peace, wanted better foreign international relations and relayed his desires to the same Inukai Tsuyoshi, but the military was going out of control. (and Inukai got assassinated so the position of prime minister is now Not Safe.) so out control they eventually became beyond any civilian/state control and bam ww2. pearl harbor and all that stuff.

(i havent read up on what kind of person hirohito actually is so ill refrain on commenting on his character. but in terms of actual power over his country hes VERY Hythlodaeus V in metaphor)

so while there isnt an organized religion in the form of a church, there is absolutely an element of religious and military fanaticism in that era.

So Louis has a lot of this vibes going on. He was also a young military boy. Is young probly in his 20s. Has a lot of royal flowers in his skyrunner that points towards this royal family worshiping thing. Seized control of a military faction that went completely out of control from the state. Is of some 'pure blood' race if his elda bloodline is any indication. Murdered the pro-equality but failed figure head bc he did not live up to Louis' expectations and was responsible for a lot of failures in the state policy. started a false flag operation that resulted in people dying and forced to leave an area.

also, did i mention lowkey eugenics? yeah that same imperial military was big on this too. the strong will survive the weak will be culled etc etc.

Meanwhile the mc gels well with the benevolent emperor narrative that is popular in JP media even today. I think it could be some indicator of how the general japanese feels towards the royal family, since supposedly an emperor is sworn to an oath of leading with valor, wisdom and benevolence. These are also represented by 3 regalia, a sword, a mirror and a jewel, presented during the official coronation ceremony.

The regalias might be treasures from different tribes originally, at least that's what some scholars think.

So I won't be surprised if the Drakodilos lance ends up being a part of the imperial treasure thing after the mutsari tribe gets protected under law. the mustaris here are the aforementioned 'different tribes' thing.

in fact, more on this topic with the mustaris. these people arent just random tribal people, to me they are more south/south east asian people. their biome is jungle island like, which means polynesian, and places like philippines, vietnam, thailand, indonesia etc.

the brown/tan skin is found in a lot of SEAsians, and the third eye is too a popular asian mysticism thing. it is especially prevalent in hinduism and buddhism. the idea is that a 3rd eye means enlightenment, or at least the ability to perceive the unperceivable.

if we subsitute sanctism with shinto, then theres some parallels here to be had with whats going on at the time too. bc the funny thing im seeing here is, shinto is sanctism, and mustari's religion has big buddhsim vibes without the name.

(that mustari arc boss looks like a twisted banged up buddha/boddhisattva what with the prayer position and multi arms thing going on)

in that pre-ww2 time period, shinto buddhism was going through a split and defining in order to prop up the emperor god king narrative. this process meant suppressing elements of buddhism. wont get into the reeds of this, but know that buddhism originated in india in a response against the hindu caste system. so in a way, a 'foreign' religon.

now, there is absolutely a thing going on here where Me:Re can come off as inherently pro-emperor and even a little pro-japanese nationalist, what with the whole 1 nation of vaguely SEAsians under a (japanese written) king thing. frankly, as a SEAsian this is gross but nothing surprising considering how hard Me:Re feels like an echo of pre ww2 jp politics. and also how jp media tends to be with topics surrounding this. im iffy on the japanese nationalist part, bc the needle is definitely moving in terms of racism/colorism today, and in the game lacks certain elements for me to see it as a big red flag.

that said, i wont immediately napalm the intentions behind this game to the ground. this game has got excellent commentary on racism and some stuff about policies. its got nuance. it is even a criticism against how the old japanese empire tried to go about doing things. it is open to the idea of democracy and even seems to say that politics arent perfect and can fail but its better to try than not at all.

this is far more valuable than blatant doomerism imo.

all this is why in the final segment, we fight More in the middle of shibuya scramble. this isnt just meta for the sake of meta, its allusion to their history specifically. this game is NOT so much a criticism about organized religion as it is about governance in relation to its people. this game is talking about politics without specific policies.

i can respect that despite all the major ick i might have.

this is why despite saying oppression is bad, it doesn't have any queer representation because it's leaning towards a conservative pro emperor ideology on the overall spectrum. Queerness is not part of that century old conversation at all in this context so take this as you will.

(personally the fact that queerness is not even remotely touched on means the overall thoughts on opression hasnt radically changed. Personally, this, specifically, sucks. Bc this means this narrative feels like it could've been easily released even 20 years ago and brought the exact same challenge to the table but ymmv. I suppose this is why people have been saying the game reminds them of old jrpgs.)

sooo yeah Me:Re is very much a big middle finger to fanaticism, but is also very japanese history at its roots. i had fun, and it def made me think

[whalesongsblog]

I was completely consumed by this artwork from @tamayula-hl and the comments on it. So I churned this out 🫡 hope y’all enjoy!

Synopsis: It had been six months since the assassination of princess Miradevi Surya Lakshmi, and six months since prince consort Ominis Surya Lakshmi was completley consumed by the darkness he’d been fighting against all his life.

But that darkness suits him well, and a surprise trip to Azkaban coupled with a horrific revelation about the murder of his wife prompts the prince consort of one of the most powerful empires in the world to take advantage of his position and do what he had always sworn to do; ruthlessly destroy anyone that was involved in the death of his wife.

The explosion of a star

Ultimately, it was not the rage that drove Ominis forwards. It was not the grief, nor the brutally cruel pit of despair that propelled him forwards, day after day.

It was the emptiness. The way his heart didn’t even sink anymore when he turned over at night and his wife was not there. The way he would stand out on the balconies of the palace looking over the sprawling Indian landscape and did not expect her at his side.

The monsoons had rolled around and the empire was still in mourning over the loss of the princess. Within the palace, Ominis did not need sight to know the face that the royal family put up for their citizens was fractured perhaps beyond repair. Mira’s parents- his in laws, and the monarchs of the empire- had worn grief like an armor. Alongside her brothers, the military budget grew a little higher, the empire fortified, foreign relations stricter.

And Ominis continued on, emptiness churning in his veins- a pit of absolute nothingess, of numbness threatening to consume him.

The ‘consort’ in his title was dropped.

In a political move that even he did not forsee, his title was legitimized as one of the princes of the Surya empire- he’d never sit on the throne, of course, but the gesture was clear. The might of the Surya kingdom was not fractured by the murder of the princess, but reinforced.

xxxxxxx

Rain lashed against the palace windows and Ominis tried to focus on its’ constant drone. He had excused himself from another meeting, another sombre, condolence- filled gathering with politicians and ministers who were so sorry about the loss of the princess, but the kingdom had to move forwards, they needed him to take her place as a liason between the wizarding and muggle communities, to continue his duties as prince consort.

He hunched over his messy desk, sweeping aside the papers scattered over it.

The tremor in his fingers was back.

“Accept it.” The words left his lips in a shaky growl. “Goddamn you, accept it. Your wife is dead. Mira is dead. You’re not getting her back, you’re never-“ his voice broke, the statements cruel to his own ears despite their truth. Miradevi was his lifeblood, the sunshine and moonlight and every spectrum of light in between that had brightened his life since he’d met her.

And now she was gone, and she was never coming back. He had failed to protect her, he’d failed, he’d failed, he had not been able to stop her from being-

“Your highness?” The low, concerned voice spoke from the other side of the ornately carved wooden doors. “Are you alright?”

Fuck.

His security detail had not given him three inches to breathe, tailing him with hawklike gazes ever since-

Ominis straightened, head tilted towards the door of his bedroom. The second he lost Mira, the second he processed what it meant, he’d moved to a different room in the palace.

A different wing altogether.

“I’m fine, Ravi. Thank you. Please, I just-“ he exhaled sharply. Come back to me, come back, I can’t do this without you-

“- need the evening to myself.”

Ominis heard a soft shuffling, a low murmur of Hindi. 
“We’ll be right outside your chambers, my prince.” Ravi called. “We will check in on you every half hour, your highness.”

“Fine.” Ominis tried hard not to snap. They were just doing their jobs.

They should have done their job while protecting my wife. My Mira, my everything-

As if trying to shake away a fly, Ominis shook his head to dispel the thoughts. The rain contiued to fall, and he had never felt so alone in his life.

——————————-

Five months later

——————————-

Ominis strode through the the palace, wand held up slightly as he navigated the halls he had called gome for so many years now. The Indian summer beat down hot and merciless beyond the cold stone of the arching walls as he made his way to the court.

Moonstone eyes glinted steel as he flicked his wand and the doors swept open, allowing him to walk into the opulent, stately chamber. The war room was an architectural marvel and scoping it out with his wand took his breath away, no matter the fact that the Surya empire had been his home for three years now.

But the wonder he once felt had melted away, sequestered deep wherever the rest of his emotions had been buried, trapped and dead like fossils under layers upon layers of soil.


In the center of the room stood a table scattered with maps and little figurines. And around the table stood some of the most powerful people in the empire.

“Crown prince Arjun. Prince Bharat.” Ominis bowed before each of his brothers in law, firmly ignoring the fact that he barely recognized his own voice. When had that razor-sharp harshness crept in? The edge of cruelty?

Perhaps it had bloomed with the first man Ominis killed in connection with his wife’s assasination. Perhaps it had flourished under the generous offer of ruby- dark blood he’d devotedly spilt in his princess’s name. Perhaps it had only been growing since, as the pile of bodies began to grow in the wake of the widowed prince.


“Ominis.” The crown prince nodded, before gesturing the the handful of ministers assembled to leave. Without a word of protest, they obeyed, shuffling out with quiet murmurs and closing the heavy doors behind them. The war room fell silent for a moment.

Two men grieved the loss of their sister. One man grieved the loss of his wife.

All three were hellbent on vengance.

“We’ve neutralized and eliminated every single threat that was even remotely involved in the assasination of my sister.” Prince Bharat easily knocked down a few of the figures standing on the table. “But whoever orchestrated it covered their tracks well. Nobody was aware of the full scheme, and key actors only knew bits and pieces, which means-“

“Whoever organized it is powerful.” Ominis finished his sentence, his voice cold. “We’ve known for a while that this was not a random act of violence. The security is too tight and the act was well planned. Premeditation indicates-“

“Wealth.” Arjun stepped in. The crown prince’s eyes- once a mirror image of his little sister’s soft, sparkling gaze- were now alight with rage. “Power. They had influence, they had the funds to carry out the necessary bribery, and we cannot rule out financially backed militias.”

“And, most obviously, it was a wizard that.. did it.” Ominis’ voice lowered, rough as serrated glass. “She was- they used a killing curse. And all of the people I’ve… disposed of, so far, have been wizards. No muggles involved.”

Arjun and Bharat exchanged a quick glance. 
“A letter arrived for you today. From that prison your people have. I don’t know if it has anything to do with.. with her, but if it does-“

Ominis took the outstretched letter from the crown prince, brows drawing together. He knew no one in Azkaban, and had cut most of of his ties in Britain save for Sebastian and Anne. Even his contact with them had gotten shaky since Mira’s death. He raised his wand, running it over the grimy envelope, noting that, sure enough, it was sent from the limited post Azkaban offered. He cut open the letter with a quick flick of his wand, unfolding it.

The rain fell harder beyond the palace walls as Ominis’ wand relayed the words on the dirt- streaked page. His brows drew closer together and a snarl slowly curled his lips.

Lightning cracked suddenly, forking across the sky in a blinding sizzle of white followed by a clap of thunder. Arjun raised his brows, looking at his brother in law.

Magic curled at his fingertips as crack after crack of lightning lit up the skies, responding to his surging emotions. Ominis’ fingers shook slightly but this time it was from rage. 
Wealth.

Power.

Influence.

“My father is in Azkaban.” Ominis’ voice was tight, shaking with barely supressed rage. “I had no idea he was imprisoned and quite frankly I’m not in the least bit upset about it. But he expressed a wish to talk with me, regarding the tragic loss of my wife.” His gaze darkened, the sparks at his fingertips setting the letter alight. 

Arjun and Bharat exchanged glances again. The Gaunt family had been vicious in their dislike of Miradevi, and their hatred of muggles had not earned them any approval in the Surya empire, which was a healthy mix of wizarding and magical peoples. They were vocal dissenters to the empire’s ‘radical, harmful regime’ but ultimately could do nothing about it when their son became the kingdom’s prince consort.

But perhaps-

Arjun spoke up, and Ominis was not imagining the hint of accusation that hung like poison in his voice. “They have the means. The fanatical obsession with curbing our empire’s growth and eradicating support for the progrssive policies you and Mira championed. Not to mention their disapproval of all of us being non magical.” The crown prince paused, casting a look at his brother in law.

“We cannot rule out the fact that your family had something to do with Mira’s death.”

“If they did, Arjun-“ Ominis’ voice was strangely calm as he burnt the letter to a crisp in the palm of his hand. “-If they had the slightest, most miniscule involvement in the death of my wife, then every last one of them will die screaming. I swear it.”

xxxxxxxxx

Securing an international portkey to Britain had been easy enough. He was a prince. And for better or worse, he now had quite the reputation.

Getting to Azkaban had also been easy. What had not been easy was being back in Britain, back where him and Miradevi had first met. Her ghost lingered everywhere, the faint melody of her laugh somehow trapped in the wind that rushed through the bare branches of dead pine trees, that scent of jasmine lingering just out of reach.

Ominis stepped off the creaking wooden boat onto the algae- slick, stone platform that led into the prison. The warden leading him through seemed far too delighted at the state of the place, proud of the mildew rotted and frigid rain- soaked conditions the prisoners had to endure. Ominis lifted his chin and lowered his wand, striding through the stone halls, the low wails of the inmates ringing in his ears.

Sudden as a striking anvil, a wave of pure despair rushed over him, nearly sending him to his knees. Memories he had shoved down and locked away, memories he swore he’d never unearth slammed against his psyche.

“The princess is gone. She was found-“ 
“Her body-“ 
“-funeral arrangements, your highness-“

“-deepest sympathies, my prince-“

“That’ll be the dementors, my leige.” The warden didn’t seem the slightest bit affected, a glint in his eyes. “You think you could take care of it, or would you need me to step in?”

Ominis growled, low. He would not be made a mockery of. Drawing his wand, he arced it over his head like he was cracking a whip. His magic obeyed, surging to life at his fingertips, yearning to be set loose.

“Pestis incendium.”

Witnessing not a patronus but a stream of fiendfyre sweep in a blaze from the prince’s wand, the warden decided he’d not try and push any further. He fell silent as the roar of flames swept outwards through the high, narrow stone walls, slamming the dementors back into the cracks the creatures had seeped from.

“Where is my father.” Ominis demanded, voice a cold contrast to the spell he’d just performed. “I want to make this visit as short as possible.”

“Right here, your highness.”

The warden gestured at a cell, before bowing- lower, this time- and backing away.

Ominis heard the low, rasping breathing, the aristocracy his father still carried in his voice despite his new lodgings. Once, he would have felt a tendril of fear snake through his veins. Once, he would had flinched at the way Erasmus Gaunt stood and loomed before him.

Not now.

Now, he was steel and blood and the promise of death.

“My prince.” His father’s voice was mocking. “It’s good to see you responded so quickly to my summons. Perhaps you still remember your roots after all. Perhaps that mudblood of yours has not addled your mind beyond repair-“

Ominis struck like a snake.

He didn’t bother with a wand as his arms shot out, latching onto his father’s prison robes, slamming him close against the bars. He relished in the subsequent groan of pain, yearned to draw screams instead. 
“Speak one word against her and I’ll cut your tongue out. And I will do it the muggle way.” Ominis hissed. “Why did you want to meet me? Why did you say you have information on what happened to Mira?”

Erasmus Gaunt managed a laugh, his teeth smeared red. “Right to business? Very well.” He pulled away, staggering slightly. Ominis could tell his father was weaker, diminished.

“You’re in over your head. I want you to know that the people involved in your precious wife being slaughtered have taken many measures to prevent them being caught, but they miscalculated.” His father gave a wheezing sort of laugh. “A return to our former glory, they promised us. I should have known-“

“Who is they.” Ominis leaned closer, a quaver of anticipation in his voice. Of bloodlust. “And are you saying someone got you to have a hand in it?”

His father was silent for a moment. “If I had known all it would take for you to finally live up to the Gaunt name was to kill your little plaything, I would have done so years ago.”

Ominis was deadly silent for a moment as he straightened up, tilted his head, and marked exactly where his father was by listening carefully for a second to his breathing.

His wand was already in his hand, and the cruciatus curse embraced Erasmus Gaunt as his son stood there and listened to him scream.

“If you’re done making comments about my wife, let’s move on.” Ominis heard his father gasping for breath, curled on the stone floor of his cell. “What was your involvement, who ordered it, and why.”

“She was touting nonsense that would have destroyed us.” There was pure loathing in Gaunt Sr.’s eyes as he looked at his son. “Fairytales about muggle-wizard integration, equal rights for werewolves, rubbish that would have set us back. She thought she could come in with the foolish laws of her empire, and we’d follow suit. Britain is the last stronghold for blood purity, and she was going to break it down.”

“So you killed her.” Something was eating away at Ominis’ gut, that familiar feeling of dark magic thrashing in his veins, begging to be released. “But who- and I will not ask this again- enabled you to do it?”

Erasmus laughed softly. 
“You know. You know damn well who has the power to use me and throw me in Azkaban instead of fulfiling their promise without fear of retribution.”

Ominisdrew back and for the first time, pure shock crossed his features. If what his father was implying was true-

“That’s impossible.” He whispered. “That’s impossible, you’re lying to me-“

“Don’t be stupid. Think. You know I’m not.”

“Why would you tell me?” Ominis leaned in, voice lowered. “Because they completely fucked you over, is that why? What do you get out of this?”

“Something’s different. I can smell the dark magic on you, boy. You’ll make their lives a living hell, I know it.” His father grinned, a glint in his eyes. “I’m proud of you. And if killing the mudblood was what it took, then I don’t regret it.”

A calmness, a stillness settled over Ominis. The path forwards was clear. But his father’s words rang in his ears, deadly and damaging as poison.

Ominis raised his wand, checking the hallways. 
“You know-“ he began softly, looking down at his father. “Being the prince of a foreign nation has opened my awareness up to so many different types of magic… and India has a rather special branch of it. Soul magic. Ever heard of it?” He heard the silence, and laughed softly. “Yes, you have. In fact, there is soul magic all around you. What do you think the dementors use when administering the Kiss?”

Ah. There is was-

The scent of fear.

“I hate you.” Ominis whispered. “I’ve hated you since the day you taught me that curse, since the day you used it on me. I don’t want you dead, I don’t want to torture you. No. I want you empty. I want you to feel a fraction of the agony I do.”

“Ominis-“ His father began, uncertain. “Wait-“

“No.” He replied, curt. “We’re done here.” He extended his wand, focusing. Pulling on the darkest vestiges of his grief, the blackest parts of his anger, he becan to incant.

“अहं तव आत्मानं निर्मूलयामि.” The low murmur of ancient Sanskrit flowed from his lips, his wand glowing a mercuric silver. His accent rolled the words strangely, but the effect was immediate. His father’s eyes rolled back, a death rattle of a gasp escaping him as he slumped to the floor. Ominis drew his wand back slowly, with surgical precision. He felt the miniscule but heavy weight of his father’s life essence drawing out his body, up his throat-

And with one brutal yank- Ominis tore his father’s soul out of his body.

xxxxxxxxxx

The Indian summer was in full force as the sun blazed in the azure sky over the palace and prince Ominis Surya Lakshmi adjusted his slate grey suit as he sat where he belonged.

His throne, alongside his mother and father in law, his brothers in law. There was an empty throne beside him where Mira should have been.

Ominis knew he’d never stop grieving her. He knew in his most private moments he’d cry and scream and beg the universe to give her back to him, that he’d do anything to hear her laugh, feel her in his arms.

But this was not the time. This was the time for action.

“Well?” Arjun leaned close to Ominis, and he heard the thirst for vengance in his voice. “Did you learn anything useful?”

Ominis was silent for a moment, before nodding slightly. He stood, raising his voice to address the king and queen as well as Arjun and Bharat. His family, and all he had left of Mira.

“Your highnesses.” Ominis’ voice was cold. “The time has come for decisive action in response to the princess’s assasination. Effective immediately, I want a halt on wandwood exports to the British wizarding world, coupled with trade sanctions and an immediate shutdown on any of their attempts to diversify trade partners.”

Queen Durgavati looked at her son in law, slightly shocked. “Beta, that is.. an extremely dire course of action to take. If the perpetrator was from Britain, we can work with the Ministry of Magic to exact justice-“

“Not if the perpetrator was the ministry, Mata.”

Ominis felt the way the atmosphere throne room seemed to suddenly grow heavy. His voice grew harder.

“I visited my father in prison and he revealed that Mira’s assasination was a federally funded attempt at destabilizing our empire. The minister disliked that her progressive ideals were gaining traction in Europe, so he had her killed her and made the Gaunts a scapegoat. The whole affair was buried by the media in Britain in a matter of a month. Whistleblowers were killed in mysterious circumstances, and no one raised eyebrows.”

There was a snarl of rage from prince Bharat, a soft curse from crown prince Arjun. “And you’re sure about this? The word of your father can be trusted?”

“It all adds up. It makes sense. But I did my homework and… had a few words with the Minister of Magic’s secretary. They confirmed it.”

Nobody needed to know that the secretary was currently at the bottom of a river after Ominis had extracted every last piece of information from him.

King Ashok Surya Lakshmi looked at his son in law. The tall, pale, British wizard his little girl had fallen in love with, who was as good as one of his own sons now. Ominis had changed, a darkness in his eyes, but the raja did not blame him in the slightest. Ominis did his duties incredibly, and had taken good care of his daughter while she had been alive.

Mira’s loss weighed heavily on the aging king, and some days the only thing preventing him from being crushed was the promise of getting justice.

Raja Ashok nodded, slowly. 
“If the Ministry thinks they can get away with this, they are sorely mistaken.” He said softly. He turned his gaze to Ominis.

Prince Ominis Surya Lakshmi sat down slowly on his throne and draped one elegant leg over the other, his wand was held loosely in one hand, a palm resting flat on his thigh as he tilted his head slightly. 
“We cut trade agreements, isolate them, undermine their markets. We cripple their economy first, their government second.” A slow, cruel smirk curled his lips. “And then-“ his voice was soft, almost reverent. “- then… we go to war.”

—————————

AN: 😇😇 thanks for reading! 🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾 (the politics of this all is completely made up, it’s not meant to be accurate to irl politics at all just btw ✊🏾)

[detr1tus]

✶ ◟ king roberon cole welcomes fionn garrigan to fabletown—or, as they were once known, mustardseed from a midsummer night’s dream. before the magic mirror, they come glamoured in the mirage of the guise of gentility as your greatest weapon, blue eyes that reflect pools of rain and golden hair plucked of mustard flower, family being forged than borne of. the tale from which they hail exalted their + lucent and + intuitive, but decried their - pompous and - heedless in equal measure. no matter; this time, they shall write their own. in accordance with the fabletown compact, they are granted amnesty for any and all transgressions, even that which is little known: his growing ambition has put him at odds with titania and oberon, his queen and king he had sworn loyalty to, so much that he escaped without their knowledge, unsuccessfully. when found out, he acted as if it were the adversary's doing, and that he was captured by their forces.

PART #001 : the basics.

full   name.   fionn garrigan   nickname(s).   mustardseed by his fellow fairies, others tbd   age.   eternally 29 yrs old, 400+ in actuality   birthdate.   redacted   gender.   cis man  pronouns.   he/him/his   orientation.   bisexual, biromantic   language(s) spoken.   english, ??? occupation. performer @ pudding & pie

PART #002 : the specs.

faceclaim.   mike faist   height.   6ft 1in   hair   color.   yellow blonde   eye   color.   blue   scar(s).   none, fairy genes y'know ?   piercing(s).   none   tattoo(s).   none   other   distinct   feature(s).   deep-set dimples that always leave a faint mark even when not smiling, very blasé posture that tends to lean and waver between sides, a messy head of curls from running his fingers through them constantly   style.   a sporty-adjacent style with a love of denim, definitely would be one of the guys to wear those midriff-cut shirts in the 80s if you know you know, lots of graphic tees, classic high top chucks

PART #003 : the relations.

parent(s) or guardians. none / unknown

sibling(s) in order. none / unknown

other(s) of note. titania ( his reigning queen ), oberon ( his reigning king ), fellow fairies : puck, cork, cobweb, and peaseblossom

PART #004 : the story.

CONTENT WARNING(S) none.

a flittering seed, born purely of earth and sprouted from the ground. with bloodline a unknown, in some ways it was easier to navigate the faerie realm — no rules, no restrictions, no code of conduct to follow. nature was easy to set in, with the trickster nature of the fae as innate as a beating heart, and human scuffles are no foreign matter. petty tricks, he'd call it, misplaced items and crops that just can't seem to flourish. it only became wrong when his shenanigans had caught the attention of a witch. apparently stealing herbs was wrong, but no one had ever told him so ... no slaps on the wrist, but now ? a life of debt. then came titania and oberon, so gentle in their rule, with wisdom that has spanned more years than fionn could begin to imagine. they took on his debts as their own, cutting a life-saving deal with the witch in exchange for his loyalty and servitude. he was giddy. finally, a purpose ! something to make the days seem brighter, and pass more quickly. but all kingdoms grow ill, with titania's grip dwindling and mind wandering elsewhere, and oberon succumbing to the temptation of illicit magics. pride is fickle, but he believed he could be better, do better. the exodus was a blessing in disguise, if one could call it that. the destruction of one's kingdom was a worthy sacrifice, perhaps, to someone who would sacrifice much more for greener, more lush pastures. the mundane world wasn't as easy as he had thought, with those of his past joining him in the present day, he had to create a story to remain allied to the most powerful figures he knew. attention and notoriety aren't so easy here, either, so he takes what he can get. seconds of fame and applause at pudding & pie are enough to satiate him for the meantime. perhaps all he needs is a bit of love, or worse, but only time will tell.

[moonkissedvisions]

hi!! if its okay with you ofc, i would be so grateful to get a free reading bc there's a circumstance that's stressing me a lot lately.

i feel a weird smell at certain times and i'm not 100% sure if its me (which i really don't think so bc i keep myself very clean), if its just in my head or if it has something to do with bad energies around me. if you please could enlighten me abt this subject, i would be very very grateful. thank you so much in advance and hope all is well with you ❣️

Hey! Firstly, I'm curious about when, and where do you smell that? I think it'll be good to know that, since it could be something in your environment that you are not seeing and it's rotting, mold, or a health issue.

For example, a few months ago, I used to smell something at certain times while I was in my room, I used to have a garbage can there exclusively for papers. One day I threw a banana peel there and forgot to take it out so it rotted but the smell wasn't that strong and for days I wasn't sure what that was until the can got full, I took the garbage out and found that banana peel with mold. 😖

I would check for that sort of thing, mold, old stuff that could hold bad energies and smell as well, depending on what it is...However if you feel that in any place at any time, sometimes it could be a health related problem, even if you are clean. Smell hallucinations exist too, and they have different causes like infections and allergies, even brain conditions. I think it needs to be ruled out

Ok that's enough!! I'll pull some cards for you 🪷

oh! I'm not getting bad energies from the cards: The Empress, The High Priestess, The World.

Being honest, I'm not sure how to answer this question but I like the challenge, so here it goes:

High Priestess is pointing out something unknown, a mystery. Something that only you know, sense, smell. You already have the answer for this. You can sense the smell because you are connected to the unseen and this is a psychic power that you have or its rising at this time. Your intuition and psychic abilities are high, you know something is off or different, not necessarily outside of you tho. It could be something in your current subconscious realm, or something that your mind or your body is trying to communicate. The Empress is also present, there's a lot of feminine energy and power here. 🤔 I don't know your sex/gender but... The Empress and The World together is giving pregnancy 😭 and it's curious because women's senses are often stronger when they are pregnant. However that's too specific... pls come back after you read this and tell me what you think tho. Bc something with fertility could be significant. Something with your feminine side, something is going on in your body, pay attention to that. If you are a woman I'm also thinking about vaginal ph changes. On anoother note The World is completion. Maybe the cycle of something is ending, and that's the smell. The smell is foreign, you are smelling something new that's coming/arriving to your life?

3 could be a significant number.

The energies of these cards are not bad at all, they're actually good, but in the context of your question, I think I'm done here.

I'm sorry if this was messy! This was a challenging reading since I never did a reading about smells, and also English is not my native language, so I hope it was clear anyway and it helped you at least!! 💋 Again, please tell me what you think, I'm curious about this smell thing.

[lizzybeth1986]

Not Hayden Project related, but neat and unnoticed parallel I found in PM1.

So when we run across the park near the restaurant after our first date with Hayden, an older woman approaches us.

I didn't expect to see her again, since this seemed like a throwaway scene just meant to show us how good Hayden and the MC look as a couple, but then I spotted her (this time, with "Emmett") again in Damien's "stakeout" diamond scene.

So the couple who equated herself and her beloved with Hayden and the MC, is a married older woman who has found her true love in a younger man, but never unite with him. They're considered a "wrong" couple, both socially (age gap) and morally (a possible extramarital affair).

Another example Damien gives is of a "foreign royal" in love with a commoner (most of us figured the reference could be to TRR). This too could refer to star crossed lovers who either united, or didn't become a couple at all.

This scene takes place just a chapter before Hayden's truth is revealed - that they are an android. The moral implications aside, I feel like there is a slight parallel between the Emmett-rich lady love story, and the one between Hayden and MC - in that they could be "wrong" couples for very valid reasons...but (if the MC is in love with Hayden and still wants to pursue a relationship with them) that does not diminish the intensity or power of their love.

This presents a parallel that would work with both options - one where the MC rejects Hayden, and another where the MC continues their relationship, embracing all its complications and confusions.

(The stakeout scene in its entirety is about how messy and complicated relationships can be, with Damien's specific argument being that one should not allow one's emotions to take over. But it also shows us happy endings - such as the closing story of a suspicious husband who eventually reconciled with his wife. Damien himself accepts later how skewed by his own bitter past his views are)

Like Emmett and his beloved, Hayden and the MC could part. Or they could stay together, just as Emmett and the rich lady would have wanted to, social propriety be damned.

PS: The next time we see Emmett, he will be the PA to Winona Johnson, the talk show host we approach for an exposé on Eros. He will be the workholic PA who has too many coffees, perhaps submerging himself in work just to get rid of his memories.

[nickgerlich]

The Ad Bowl

It didn’t take long for all of the ad critics to hop on the same bandwagon, each ranking the ads we saw during the Super Bowl last night. And, as you might expect, opinions varied considerably, often depending on if you like Beyoncé or J-Lo, Usher, and Schwarzenegger. I won’t belabor you with links to all of them. Just Google “memorable Super Bowl ads,” and you will find them all in a flash.

But they are all memorable in their own way, if only because each 30-second ad cost $7 million. Team Jesus even returned. OK, maybe I shouldn’t be quite so critical. It was from the He Gets Us people, and I found their full one-minute ad to be exceedingly well done. The Footwashing theme was powerful. It’s just that I have very mixed feelings about churches and related organizations spending so much on marketing and buildings, when there is so much work to be done.

But that’s just me. You decide.

I liked the Michelob Ultra ad (which actually debuted about two weeks ago) featuring Lionel Messi, the rock star soccer player now calling Miami his professional home. I may not be a fan of that beer, but I enjoyed the ad. Well-played.

And then there was that amazing ad for Dunkin. Remember, they haven’t been Dunkin Donuts for a few years now, but people still call them that. Dunkin is owned by Inspire Brands, the folks who own Arby’s, Sonic, Jimmy Johns, Buffalo Wild Wings, and others. This was a bold move, and the number of A-listers in it (Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and J-Lo) either sent this over-budget, or Inspire has deeper pockets than I realized. Given that they appeared in last year’s game as well, maybe those fast food pockets do run deep.

Beyoncé hit a home run for Verizon, which played its cards well leading up to an announcement of her new music. In the ad, she tries to break the internet, and parodied a presidential run. Also appearing in the ad was Buster from one of my favorite shows, Arrested Development.

Post Malone in the Bud Light ad was rocking, using one of the most over-used songs ever in movie and advertising history. Good grief, Steppenwolf has been receiving performance royalties for Magic Carpet Ride since 1968, along with another of their signature hits, Born To Be Wild. What remains to be seen is if Bud Light can recapture some of its former glory.

And while the critics didn’t actually like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito in the State Farm ad, this old Boomer found it funny. I know. State Farm used an old trope, that being foreign accents, and Schwarzenegger’s repeated mispronunciation of “Nay-Bah” was probably used once more than it should have been before it got old. Still, it was a nice shout out to older viewers who remember him well.

I could go on, but it’s time for me to invite my students to have a go. Post your faves in the Comments, as well as YouTube links so we all can watch. And collectively, we will put about $350 million on display, and maybe more, since the game went into OT.

Dr “It All Ads Up” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[hardynwa]

Imo 2023: Achonu LP candidate urges indigenes to rescue state from misrule

Sen. Athan Achonu, Governorship Candidate of Labour Party (LP) for the Imo State gubernatorial election, has urged Imo indigenes in Lagos to collaborate with him to rescue the state from misrule by electing him come Nov. 11 election. Achonu made the call during a gathering of Imo indigenes residing in Lagos organised by ‘The Concerned Imo Indigenes In Lagos State. The forum took place at the Eko Club, Surulere, Lagos on Saturday. Lamenting the worsening insecurity situation in the state marked by gruesome killings and bloodshed of youths, men and women, the LP candidate tasked the people on reclaiming their mandate. “Let us join the movement to take back Imo from inept administrators that had run the state aground, by returning home en masse to vote in the Nov. 11 election.” Achonu pledged to tackle insecurity, improve the electricity power sector, prioritise human capital, implement local government autonomy, overhaul the healthcare system and revamp the agricultural sector among others. He said: “The primary function of the government is to protect lives and property of the people, unfortunately, this is non-existent in Imo State. “Imo state has become the most insecure place on the face of the planet now, comparable only to Somalia and Afghanistan. “My administration will adopt a diplomatic approach in tackling insecurity. “We are going to have a one- on-one dialogue to address concerns of aggrieved parties in order to achieve a peaceful resolution to the problem of insecurity and other agitations in Imo. “I will inaugurate full autonomy of all the local governments and create vigilante groups by legislation to empower the local governments, in tandem with the police and the DSS. Related NewsGov Alia sacks BSU Governing Council, constitutes Visitation PanelFans hail Messi’s wife Antonela as 'world most beautiful woman’Imo shut down by sit-at-home“I will also conduct a free and fair local government election within six months of my election.” He, therefore, assured the people of a new dawn and to change the narrative of Imo if elected governor. On economy, Achonu said his government would leverage the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal to bring all round development to Imo. The LP gubernatorial candidate added that he would declare a state of emergency in the power sector such that within one to two years of his administration, Imo would enjoy a steady power supply. He added that he would also turn Imo Airport into a cargo hub in Africa. Achonu advised Imo indigenes and all the Igbos in general, both home and in the diaspora to domicile their investments in the South East, in order to encourage developments. According to him, the sensitisation initiative, which he tagged “Aku Ruo Ulo” (meaning “bring your wealth back home”), is built on seven key focal sectors. “This includes Security, Infrastructure, Education, Agriculture/Tourism, Manufacturing, Employment and Excellence in Leadership. “I have been promoting the ‘Aku Ruo Ulo’ idea for the past 20 years which is aimed at discouraging the Igbos from wasteful investments. “I also pledge to implement judicial reforms, facilitate women and youths active participation in governance. “I will improve access to financial empowerment for Small and medium-sized enterprises, especially for the People With Disabilities, improve the economy and bring foreign investments to Imo, if elected as governor, ” he said. “I, therefore, charge you to avail yourselves of the opportunity presented by the forthcoming election to turn around the fortunes of the state and restore its glory,” Achonu said.Recall that eminent Imo indigenes from all walks of life turned out in their numbers including the National Vice-Chairman of the Labour Party, South-East, Chief Innocent Okeke as well as veteran singer and actress, Onyeka Onwenu popularly known as the ‘Elegant Stallion’. The highlight of the event was the performance by the legendary musician who sang a piece ‘Ka-Anyi-Dozie-Imo State’ in support of Achonu’s campaign. Read the full article

[centrally-unplanned]

This is one of those things where sunk costs roll out the logic. "Also against the Iranians" is a very important factor for US "strategy" in the Middle East - Iran is deeply hostile to the US and other aligned regional actors (obviously Israel but by no means just them, they are broadly unpopular), funding large scale oppositional military groups across the region. Saudi Arabia is, for the region's standard, "pro Israel", playing a moderating role compared to other nations. It does in fact cooperate with the US in the "war on terror", a gigantic US security operation/priority. The fact that they also funded terrorism doesn't change the fact that they helped fight it at the same time, the world is messy like that.

And Back In The Day Saudi Arabia has helped normalize relations with Israel, supported the First Gulf War heavily and was of aid in the second, and back when the US was a much lower oil producer just "producing lots of oil to make money with stability" was itself a win for the global economy of which the US benefits heavily - it isn't crackpot to think that a regime like Saudi Arabia's could actually have collapsed at different times. And like no one (beyond Iran) wants the Houthis in charge of anything, they target global shipping lanes, the initial Saudi intervention in Yemen was widely supported by regional & global actors for a reason.

The flip side of all this of course is "why should the US care about any of this?" - they kind of shouldn't! You can see how there were reasons in the past; during the Cold War it is just Cold War Bullshit, initial support for Israel had messy-but-real humanitarian concerns, the War on Terror certainly seemed important in the wake of 9/11, stabilizing oil markets mattered a ton in the 70's. We can question those ofc - and should - but that is just another rabbit hole, we are taking the "power politics" lens here. What matters is very few of these problems exist today; Israel is a militarily superior neighborhood bully, US is the world's largest oil exporter, the Cold War is over, the War on Terror was always just generally stupid and a massive overreaction, Saudi Arabia is "useful" - minimally and fitfully, yes, but definitely useful as not an opponent - to these goals that the US has been pursuing for decades. But they are antiquated goals being pursued by generally-failed means (US efforts towards "stability in the Middle East" have, um, not gone great). That fundamental realignment has just not yet occured in the US, due to institutional inertia & domestic political agendas.

Though I do think as much as one wants to, and should, pull out from Middle Eastern affairs, it isn't going to be total; Saudi Arabia is a pretty vile government but they are a powerful one often pursuing stability, and you are still going to have insurgencies in Yemen and oil politics and Iran's foreign policy and all that. Using the pure power politics lens of OP, you would lesson ties but some selling of weapons and the like would probably still occur - it is easy money after all. It isn't like the US today just writes Saudi Arabia huge blank cheques a la Israel. "Export weapons to keep our defense industrial complex fed" is also a part of US strategy!

Like, ignore all the moral arguments, just focus on the cynical America security state perspective:

What does the US govt even get from being friendly with the Saudis? Is there just a bunch of hits we haven't taken because of the channel of communication? Do they really think an unfriendly Saudi regime would fuck with oil that badly?

They're not interested in playing nice with the other US ally in the area, they've never agreed to shift oil production if asked, they're, what, also against the Iranians?

Embarrassing, really, sold out on principles for fuck all

[shadowshrike]

3 Hopes: A Lord's Downfall

Since 3 Hopes is all about tradeoffs and choices, I thought it would be fun to write up how the 3 Hopes lords could be seen as cautionary tales of different leadership types. Their imperfection is shown in the contrast between how they garner support and where, in a non-storybook world, they might fail to deliver in the end.

Disclaimer: This is just a fun thought exercise about the hypothetical problems with these types of leaders, not a personal endorsement of or attack against any of them. I know lord discourse is all the rage, but please keep things chill.

Edelgard - The Inspirational Radical's Endless War

Charismatic and easy to rally behind, this kind of leader's message is straightforward. Simple, even. We must end The Bad Thing™ to improve your lives.

It appeals to common sense, peoples' desire to assign blame, and their hunger for justice or revenge. It makes them feel like the inherent unfairness of their world could be made fair if someone tried hard enough. And now they have a leader who can do that.

But then, you win. And the world is still a messy place because ending The Bad Thing™ was never a fix-all answer. This leader still wants to do good, to fix what ails those they lead, but their platform is built on external responsibility for their people's suffering. What is left but to find another enemy?

First, it is TWSITD. Then the Church. Then the Kingdom and Alliance. Many could be turned on next if reform stagnates. Nobles who step out of line. Foreigners who are deemed too influential in Fodlan. Commoners called too lazy to reach their potential.

Ultimately, the Inspirational Radical relies on a battle of morality between Us and Them to unify. It can spark loyalty and change but also perpetuates conflict when that change doesn't live up to the perfect utopia they promise.

Dimitri - The Servant Leader's Endless Toil

This leader believes in the people's voice above all. They will lower themselves to stand alongside those they rule, listening to every quibble, no matter how small, and try to fix it.

They are idealistic about their personal responsibilities but realistic about what they expect from others. They inspire their followers by preaching it's the duty of the "haves" to help the "have nots" until those categories are eradicated, leading by example.

This leader's changes are slow but effective. Yet, for all their steps forward, the people are never satisfied. They ask for more speed, more goods, more power, more fairness. And as is human nature, they are selfish and shortsighted, wanting for themselves before their neighbors.

Protecting the Church. Seeking justice for Duscur. Stabilizing the country. Improving relations with Sreng. Elevating commoners. Removing reliance on Crests. A neverending pile of conflicting priorities is doomed to crush them as they seek to own blame for every imperfection.

The Servant Leader will inevitably collapse from the strain of shouldering the strife of all their followers. When they do, no one can fill the thankless role they leave behind because it requires living for nothing but the people they serve.

Claude - The Ignorant Dreamer's Endless Maze

This leader can see a perfect world off on the horizon. A beautiful one where people could all work together if they only acted rationally and kindly to others.

It's pleasant and easy to speak of, appealing to those who want to believe in a peaceful resolution to life's ills, where common ground can be found if everyone tries hard enough. However, their fantasy is incomplete and unclear, hampered by ignorance.

Over time, reality sets in. They make sacrifices in the name of that big dream with the promise that it's for the greater good. Their cloudy vision can't stand up to the dogmatic drive of other leaders, so they incrementally warp their ideals and dream to fit reality until it only half resembles where they started.

Almyran peace is sidelined. Power is consolidated. Friendships weaken while appeasing conflicting desires. Distrust is sown within their own borders with the Archbishop's death. More war seems inevitable, though they march onward, believing in the slim hope it will end.

The Ignorant Dreamer remains a beacon to others through message alone. They forever drag their people through an ever-more-complex maze in hopes of finding a dwindling exit that leads to that utopian dream they sell their followers.

[venusfun]

A lot of people are asking me about the Aphrodite asteroid. So here is the big post:

Asteroid Aphrodite (1388)

Aphrodite represents beauty, pleasure. Your relationship with your physical body. What you love (style, colors, places, etc). For men, it also indicates what kind of woman you like (more of looks).

If it doesn't resonate with you, check other placements' ESPECIALLY aspects.

Notes are based on my own experience and opinions.

Aries Aphrodite -

Usually, active clothes style (might choose pants or shorts over skirts and dresses),

Confident style, or at least that's what others see,

Colors that look good on you - fire (red, orange, yellow).

More attention to head (likes hats, bandanas, hair clippers)

Taurus Aphrodite -

Stylish. Your color taste is no joke,

Feminine,

Colors that look good on you - Earth (green, brown)

The dressing style is not outstanding.

More attention to the neck, ears (likes scarfs, earrings, necklaces)

Gemini Aphrodite -

Wears clothes usually with light tones,

Beauty in mind, talking and writing.

Colors that look good on you - light blue, purple, pink tones.

More attention to the hands, arms (likes gloves, bracelets)

Cancer Aphrodite -

“Girly”, cute style,

Feminine, might be a similar style to some women in your family,

Colors that look good on you - purple, dark blue, white.

Pearls look sooooo good on you,

When pregnant might get a henna tattoo on the stomach.

Leo Aphrodite -

Wears clothes that makes them proud,

Creative style and usually inspires others,

Colors that look good on you - yellow, gold, orange,

Whole celebrity look, enjoys the luxury things (especially gold jewelry),

Usually positive and bright style.

Virgo Aphrodite -

Very organized style, usually not messy,

“Everything has to be perfect” type,

Colors that look good on you - green, brown, yellow,

It's impossible to go shopping with you, soooo picky,

Might rather not wear makeup or choose biological makeup,

Libra Aphrodite -

Aesthetic guru,

Pleasing and usually polite style,

Colors that look good on you - blue & purple tones, neon,

Charming and romantic dressing style,

Usually flirty.

Scorpio Aphrodite -

Style is sexual and powerful (makes everyone look your way),

Magnetic,

Colors that look good on you - dark (black, dark red, etc)

Red lipstick...

Leather...

Sagittarius Aphrodite -

Similar to Aries Aphrodite - active style (might choose pants over skirts and dresses),

Might accidentally wear reversed clothes,

Colors that look good on you - red, purple,

Independent style.

Capricorn Aphrodite -

More of formal dressing style (”business style”),

Sometimes all black (depressing)

Colors that look good on you - natural tones, purple, indigo, grey.

Might create some beauty things by yourself,

Usually afraid to show their real style.

Aquarius Aphrodite -

Unique and sometimes unusual style,

Gives very great advice to friends about fashion,

Rebellious style,

Colors that look good on you - everything blue, sky color.

Might like wearing bracelets on ankles.

Pisces Aphrodite -

Chaotic style,

Imagines great clothing combos, but never tries wearing them,

Artistic style,

Colors that look good on you - sea blue, purple.

Confused, trying to find yourself.

Not all, but important aspects:

Aphrodite - Sun conjunction (Aphrodite traits will be seen in your personality - beauty & pleasure-seeking. Feminine. Romantic.

Aphrodite - ascendant conjunction (Aphrodite traits will be seen in your appearance - feminine, sexual.

Aphrodite - MC conjunction (your looks will be appreciated at the workplace, you might have career related to beauty, art, fashion (model, fashion designer, etc)

Aphrodite - Saturn conjunction, opposition, or square (insecurity. Hard time to accept your body. Also might like vintage)

Aphrodite - Neptune any aspect (have great artistic style, but so shy to share it)

Aphrodite - Uranus trine, sextile, conjunction (might love all unique - tattoos, piercings, different colored lipsticks, hair colors, etc)

Aphrodite - Pluto trine, sextile (very often changes the style)

Aphrodite - Mars aspects (as I mentioned in one post, might get hurt doing beauty related things - get burnt with a hair straightener)

Bonus: random Aphrodite knowledge -

Aphrodite in Leo degrees (5; 17; 29) has a chance of being recognized because of their style. Sometimes even fame.

Aphrodite in the 12th house might be scared or not comfortable showing their true dressing style (look at other placements).

Aphrodite in the 9th house might be attracted to foreign people, or foreigners are attracted to them.

Aphrodite in the 2nd house enjoys luxuries. Might spend a lot of money on beauty things.

Aphrodite in Scorpio degree (20) - somebody might be jealous of your beauty OR you are jealous of somebody's.

[popculturebuffet]

Transcontinental Hustle: That 70's Show "Pilot" and Days Like These "Batteries Not Included" (Comissioned by WEird Kev 27)

Welcome folks to Trans-Continential Hustle, a new occasional feature on this blog where I take a look at shows and movies and their foreign remake and see how they stack up. It's a great idea my friend, semi-producer and patron Kev cooked up and as for where to start.. that was easy for me as after Jose's deep retrospective on That 70's Show, one of my faviorite sitcoms as a teen that I have a deep love and respect for, I remembered a little show called Days LIke These, an attempt to remake the show for british audiences that failed horribly that i'd always been fascinated by. And since I have peacock for the mother show and youtube has the entirety of Days LIke These, it felt like fate. So come along with me in the vista crusier as I revisit the start of something special and see both how one of my faviorite sitcoms began and how another show attempted to use the same script to start it's own legacy.. and why it instead fell hard off the water tower and like charlie didn't make it.

That 70's Show: That 70's Pilot That 70's show is as I said a faviorite of mine as a teen both in high school as I watched it in reruns in various places and again in college when it reaired on the N quite a bit. It was just a good comfort show and still is from time to time on Netflix and now Peacock. It's a fun coming of age story that also deviates from a lot of what sitcoms did at the time: while it's still multicam, it wasn't afraid to take breaks from that format wither it was for parodies or for the Circle.. which totally flew over my head for an embarrassing amount of time i'd rather not disclose

It was also deeply funny with a few bits living in my head rent free.. the biggest being...

And of course this classic showdown. and keep in mind both of these bits are from less than the series best seasons. Even when operating at half and later a fourth of it's powers... it was still awesome.

I could do clips all day, and proudly, but i'd rather take you through why the show was so good from the very begining, as the pilot is one of the best i've seen, getting the core of the show down despite a few wrinkles that wouln't be seen again, ala gilmore girls, and showing it off. The pilot begins in Eric Forman's Basment, one of the most iconic sitcom sets and one of my favorite. It just feels lived in, a home away from home and a little place for hyjinks away from red and kitty's prying eyes. It's here we meet most of the Gang: Eric himself, a nerdy, self doubting dork with luke skywalker hair (Ironically before he became one with the force later that season), played by Topher Grace, who nicely nails down Eric being awkward but still charasmatic, able to trade barbs with his friends despite mostly being bossed around by them. He also played Venom in his first live action apperance, hence why he left the show. It .. was far from worth it but I still say he did a good job in a messy and pretty bleh movie. His best friend Hyde is preparing him for a special mission: score them some beers as a party the Formans are hosting upstairs has reached critical mass: it's the fun kind of exageration most tenes did and my friends certainly did, so while I was never one to score beer (In fact I rarely drink, anxiety and depression do not go well with it no sir), I can still relate to having a more charsmatic and sure of himself freind tell me to do something stupid. Hyde is played by Danny Masterson.. aka the elephant in the room when talking about this series. Masterson.. is a monster who raped a woman. There's.. no way around it and having no legal obligation to go "allegedlys", he's a rapist. He only hasn't been charged because the Jury somehow deadlocked. He's a blot on this show and while he made conspiracy theorist and ladie sman burn out hyde work, it's imposssible for me to mention the show and not condem this asshole. It is entirely possible for me to enjoy it as while a large part of it, Danny Masterson was not the only person at the center of this show, nor did he write it and I feel the deepest sympathies for his cast mates who found out a close friend of there's is a rapist and my hopes for a conviction go out to his victims Encouraging hyde in his plan are Kelso, played by breakout star Ashton Kutcher, star of many a 2000's film of varying quality and the netflix sitcom the ranch, which was "what if that 70's show but right wing?". Thankfully Kutcher himself dosen't appear to me and is a nice dude and easily one of the most talented of the cast, playing a gloriously loud and dumb idiot with a flavor all his own. He feels like the dumbass friend I had in high school and i'm sure he feels like yours too. Well okay mine was a better human being, but he still had the same "dog in a humans body" energy" Finally there's Donna played by Laura Prepon, who went on to orange is the new black, so she did fine just fine, Erik's other best friend and assertive neighbor. They all encourage him. I also love the punchline of Eric saying his dad will kill him and Hyde gladly syaing I"m willing to take that risk

Eric's mission is filmed mostly from first person, something the series wouldn't really use again, but still a nice way to establish both he layout of the house, and his nervousness. We then meet his mom Kitty , played by underated sitcom legend Debrah Jo Rupp. She was the unsung heroine of this series, with her goofy laugh (which was entirely just an improv that caught on), and her nice blend of being a traditional for the 50's or 60's house wife.. while also having depth, witt and her own agency. She may be , sometimes willingly , oblivous but she's a strong character and I admire her while still being loveablea nd hilarious. Eric then runs into Bob and Midge Pinciotti, donna's parents, played by character actor Don Stark and the late great Tanya Roberts respectively. Both do a great job, Bob being the goofy affiable dad everyone either knew or ended up having, and Midge being the woman all the guys have a crush on. Stark also dosen't get enough credit being comedy gold in most apperances and brillantly playing off Kurtwood Smith's Red.

As for who Red is.. well most of you know that, but in case you don't he's the man, the myth, the legend, the foot up your ass. He is the hardass dad to end all dad's. In his illustorious career he's easily Kurtwood Smith's finest roll, a dad who willl gladly yell at any dumbass in his vicinity, practice tough love on his son, and of course, put his foot up an ass if needed, but whose also deep down a loving father and not nearly as deep down a wonderful supportive husband who at worst is a bit emotinally dense. He and kitty have one of the best relationships in sitcom history, a mutually loving and active marriage. While the teen cast are far from slouches, Red Forman is easily my faviorite character, and Kurtwood just perfectly delivers his lines and his foot up someone's ass. Sadly he dosen't get to use either of his catchphrases here, but rest assured he was surely thinking about putting his foot up some dumbasses ass.

Red catches Eric with the beers, but thankfully dosen't catch on, though we get a nic ebit of eric raising his hands without thinking. Red is thinking of giving Eric the Vista Crusier, one of my faviorite cars in fiction despite purposfully being a clunker. It looks neat, it's in every episode and it's the centerpiece of one of the best openings of all time. So Erik's naturally excited and comes back triumphant with beer for all.. and finds out from Kelso donna has a crush on him. The opening to this show is great: it gets all but two of the main and major supporting cast for season 1 down perfect: We see Eric's awkwardness and how he's easily pushed into doing petty crime by his buds, Hyde being the real force behind the group even if Eric is the focus, Kelso being an idiot whose just sorta around and Donna being a strong confident young woman whose into Eric for his vunerablity but brushes off his awkwardness. We also see red be intmidating but fair and find out his hours got cut back (a major part of season 1), Kitty be sweet, bubbly and midwest as hell, Bob be goofy and permed and Midge be.. midge. It's a great opening.. and it's followed up by an even greater one The opening sequence to that 70's show.. is one of the best opening sequences to a sitcom. It's simple: just having the main cast in the vista crusier, singing along to the theme song "In the Street", a song by the band Big Star that was covered by Todd Griffin, a small time artist i'd honestly forgotten existed whose version is decent, though I will say Cheap Trick who replaced him next season had the better version and being a 70's group, were a better hit. I also like going for a 70's song: while they rerecorded it, the song still feels 70's rock and comes off as something the gang would jam to. Well minus Jackie early on but I can buy her joining in just to feel included. Plus her whining about "this isn't a song I like change it" as she probably would, woudln't make for a great opening. It really fits the core of the show: a bunch of friends hanging out, finding shit to do in a small town, just singing to a song they all love like the goofuses they are. It tells you what the show is without saying a word as any good theme should. We then cut to the basment the next day where Eric and Donna have turned the sound off to riff on the brady bunch. I.. I don't know if this is a thing people did. I mean i've also seen it on wings and bobs burgers, so someone probably has enough it's showed up on three diffrent tv shows, but I don't know if it's like.. a thing a LOT of people did or just three diffrent writers had the same experince. It dosen't help it's three diffrent age groups (teenagers, 30 somethings and an adult and his child). While the jokes aren't the funniest, they do feel like real jokes teens would tell and it fits Eric and Donna to not really like the brady bunch... just as it instantly tells us all we need to know about Kelso's girlfriend Jackie that she whines about bein glost and has to be handed earphones Jackie is played by Mila Kunis, proud ukranian, and a talented comedic actress with a healthy career after this. She got onto the show by faking her age, but it became less of an issue, with them just not showing much of Jackie and Kelso making out on screen, something I hadn't noticed till it was pointed out to me in Jose's retrospective of the series.

Jackie and Kelso have a grossly unhealthy relationship from the get go: Jackie is dismissive and shouty towards Kelso, to the point an annoyed cry of "Micheal!" (Kelso's real name) is essentially her catchphrase. Kelso meanwhile openly eyes other women, and rather than defend her to his friends (who cannot stand her), constantly says he's going to dump her, which no one remotely buys. Neither of them respect each other, they don't really mesh at all intrest wise, and it's only because they find each other purdy that their together at all. As a result of these hormones Jackie is coming along with the Circle to a Todd Rungren Concert. I hadn't really heard of the guy, but repeated viewngs of the violet have made me love his hit song "Hello It's Me" which is vital to this episode. He's a nice choice of smaller artist for this, and again Hello It's Me, just fits the final scenes too perfect. We'll get to that.

Now their alone Eric brings up what Kelso said and Donna brings up "You could've had me when I was four".. and I've always loved Eric's stammering as a result "All that time I wasted on the hippity hop". I will say at least barring a rewatch.. I like Eric and Donna. Their not a perfect couple, but Eric's cluleeness mixed with genuine charm nicely mixes with Donna's blunt nature. He dosen't know how to tackle this while she's upfront about what she wants. Later that day we get a quick bait and switch gag where Eric is talking to the vista cruiser instead of Donna and Bob shows up to both hyptontize Eric and Kelso with his hair and to tell them these are the best days of their lives and it won't get better.... which coming form the man with a failing marriage and a perm may not be the most accurate assement. Next up we go to the hub at.. some point in time. It has a cowboy theme, which is probably the most jarring change i've seen from pilot to series. In the present and the not too distant future of the 90's, it's a fairly simple restraunt with a pinball table, wooden chairs, the kind of place that's locally owned and cheap enough for a bunch of mostly unemployed teens to eat at every day. It fits better as a secondary hangout for the gang with that aesthetic. Granted the hub isn't one of my faviorite local hangouts in fiction, but it's still far better one than I gave it credit for in the past. At any rate here we meet the final member of the gang...

BACK BACK I RENOUNCE YOU DEMON. BACK I SAY!

No it's the final member people actually care about, Fez! Played wonderfully by Wilmer Valderama. Fez is a mixed bag of a character even if he's played well. At this point he's fine, being mostly awkward and most of his horniness being clearly not getting american social cues. But the "GET IT HE'S FOREGIEN" stick is cringetastic nowadays, and a lot of his sex pest antics have what i've just dubbed "Barney Stinson Syndrome" That's when a character is intended to be a loveable horndog, but due to standards drifting or just bad writing, ends up being some form of sex monster. HEre though he's fine at worst talking about tremendous breasts. We also get the foundation of Donna and Jackie's friendship.. Jackie barking at her to join her and Donna reluctantly accepting she's stuck with her. Everyone urges kelso to break up with jackie, he says he will in like 10 seconds, no one belivies him and we move on. You might notice the pilot is a small bit free floaty.. but it works, as each scene has some form of purpose and helps really set up these characters, while also selling the shows real main draw: a bunch of teens hanging out down the street same old thing they did last week and getting up to hyjinks. We then get our first circle aka "How do we show them smoking a bowl without incuring the wrath of censors" The answer.. is a now iconic shot, using them citting in a circle surrounded by smoke and marvel comics (I bought the masterworks edition for brother vodoo because I saw it watching this episode a few months back) and going back and forth> They act a bit more high in this one if realistically, and it honestly helps the jokes really land: Hyde's now iconic "Car that runs on water man" and Eric's response to Kelso just casually saying he'll force his girlfriend to chip in on gas with a chuckinlg "You are such a whore. ". It's why even if the being blazed part got toned down, it's a vital part of the show as the dynamic movement makes it great for gags, exposition and what have you. Unforutnately that means eric is tripping balls upon balls when his parents call him up and we get a fun sequences of Kitty and Red lecturing him while the room moves before he eventually gets his wheels. This is another part I didn't relate to more because the thought of driving terrifeid me and my anxiety made it impossible to learn. I still want some way to travel besides someone driving me mind you at the tender age of 30, but I still get why this is exciting. There is one hitch though that saturday as Eric lets Donna call shotgun: Red says to not take it out of town. And as Red puts it "He's god" A GOD I SAY! Donna is able to talk him into doing what HE wants though so the team heads out of town... which turned out to be Red's plan. I love it as an establishing moment: Red may be a hardass and a traditionalist.. but he's not stupid or uncaring either. He gets Eric is a teen and thus is fine with him taking it out of town if it gets him a moment alone with his wife. And him and kitty running up to the bedroom is hilaroius.. but also genuinely sweet, showing the fires are still there and not feeling like it's just there because GET IT MIDDLE AGED SEX like a lot of sitcoms would use. Problem is our heroes are soon stranded halfway there. Jackie plans to call her dad but the others have to explain they can't as he could tell red, which leads us to our first fantasy.. and one that dosen't quite work. For some reason early ones had the characters dub in lines, with the kids dubbing over for the adults and it not quite working as it feels a bit.. childish. I mean these characters are goofuses, but ther'es a diffrence between a daydream and having your parent outright say their making aribrtrary rules and toruting you on purpose. The show would get way better at this and by the end of the season we got classics like this

It's still neat seeing where something so iconic started. Thankfully our heroes CAN get the battery needed with some barter-y

... I deserved that. Two of the tickets for a fresh battery. Naturally it's an easy choice of who gets to stay behind since the Circle has had to spend the last hour listening to a pre-character development Jackie and Kelso's the reason she's there in the first place, the first of a long line of being punished for his hubris for one Michael "Tater Nuts" Kelso.

So while Kelso and Jackie make out and nearly break up, their relationship in a nutshell, the rest of the gang enjoy the concert, find out the mechanic guy is gay and are cool to be cool with it because it's the 70's and while that's a low bar to clear , way less people actually cleared. The show, having started in the 90's and ended in the early 2000's didn't do hardly any queer representation, so it's nice that it's sequel has at least one gay main character. How Ozzie bears out I can't say as most of this was written before the show streamed and i'll be watching it later today, but I can give them credit for both trying and for in general making the cast more diverse. The ending is what makes the episode, Eric and Donna atop a car as Rundgrens, Hello It's Me plays, pondering things, as Eric ponders what one act of civil disobeneince will get you and Donna ponders what Eric's lips would taste like, leaving him with a "maybe next time" as we pan out on the car with Eric gazing whistfully. A perfect ending to a perfect pilot... which gets followed by an even better coda of the gang singing in the car to Hello It's Me. As should be obvious, That 70's Pilot.. is near perfect. What isn't is mostly standard early show rough edges to be sanded out or simply age marks, but it perfectly introduces the characters, what the show is, who these idiots are, and is still really damn funny. Check it out as soon as you can if you haven't.. or if like me you hadn't in a while. Now we've seen one of the best pilots ever...

Days Like These: Batteries not included So yeah Days Like These was a brief attempt at trying to remake that 70's show, with a new cast but almost identical scripts, simply swapping out the American references for UK ones. As you can tell by the fact this one only comes up as a fun trivia fact or in refrence to being one of the show's only two spinoffs of a sort before That 90's show the result was not great and it says something that That 80's Show gets brought up more. That 80's Show which not only ruined the name so we never got a proper one but itself is mostly known because it stars Dennis Reynolds

Days Like These first episode follows the same plot as That 70's Show, the only additional scene being one with Jackie and Donna talking in the bathroom about her feelings for Eric.. which feels superflous both because they would in future episodes anyway, and it conveys information we already knew from the episode. Everything else is on paper the same.. but in practice entirely wrong. The cast does their best and I do not blame them for this as A) the cast of that 70's show is, like most great sitcoms, a lightning in a bottle moment of the right people in the right place, and it's very hard to replicate and B), they were not given the same care and effort. That 70's show was made by creators who were genuinely invested in this. Days LIke These.. hoped to make a quick buck off that and thus didn't really care as much. As a result the direction feels lifeless and the atttempts to mimick the stylistic bits fall very flat. It's very clear the staff for Days Like These had NO idea what they were working with and had no real excuse. I know stremaing wasn't a thing but giving Carsey Warner was credited, someone HAD to have given them a tape of the original episodes.

As a result it's that 70's show with a cast that dosen't know what to do and thus plays the rolls with far less naunce, the only exception being Donna , who while having a diffrent take from US Donna does do well and Jones our Hyde equilvelant played by of all people

Who plays Jones diffrent than steven but still filling the same roll, being likely what a british version of hyde would be. Again everyone else tries and McGuire not Kelso also does okay, they just don't quite.. fit into the characters. For instace Reg, our Red equilvelant has the same aura of "i'm going to kill you" radiating off him.. but without the nuance. Reg comes off like he's going to throttle Eric at any given moment and like a genuinely abusive father. Red... is just a hardasss. He has an aura of "for the love of god don't piss him off" but has more emotions in him than just foot in your ass. It's his factory setting, sure. And again i'm not blaming Reg for this: it's clear that 70's show was tailored for the actors cast and adjusted as they went to fit them. Days Like These just tries to... do THAT but british without getting the natural, realistic feel of that 70's show, adding in very corny jokes like Kitty having a cheese hedgehog served (which does seem very kitty but pizza rolls was subtler and thus better), and butchering the hipity hop joke: instead of eric just having a little panic attack but keeping it in UK Eric does this

Fez is also white and vaugely..s wedish.. or something? I dunno, he's about as easy to figure out his country as the real fez without that being the joke.. and tha twasn't a good joke to begin with.

Finally we have.. the opening.. which.. I could only find in comparison..

That really sums it up dosen't it. That and the fact the theme is Asia's Days Like These.. from 1990

It's not a shocker this only lasted 10 episodes or was canceled after 6. The actors thankfully would go on to more succesful parts, and Days Like These was thankfully left as an embarassing foot note on their resumes. Check it out if your curious... but do so cautiously. So overall a pretty terrible remake but who knows? Maybe i'll find some good ones. This hustle failed.. but maybe the next at .. some point will be better. At any rate I still got to do the same old thing I did last week at least.. and that's all allright. Hello Wisconson, and thanks for reading.

[delusionalinsecurewreckpiningphd]

The immediate concerning thing about having an external military force, not to even mention one wasn’t already on friendly terms with your “country”, is that this force might take hostile action against you. Assassination, overthrowing the government, crippling key infrastructure or just targeting key objectives that throw a society and its defense into chaos, allowing more external force to take advantage is just a few possibilities. At the most extreme, the many Piltover clans lose their freedom and power to trade and govern as they like, now being put under the rules of the Noxian empire.

The quick and dirty way is mercenary contract, or professional army for hire like the French legionnaire, but even mercenary contract is shaky for the fact that you're not always the highest bidder and the Noxian army might not be that deseparate for coins. AskHistorian had a thread about mercenaries claiming the conquered territory for themselves because the original employer couldn't pay them their dues.

So assuming Ambessa somehow convinced them that she and her army is here in good faith, to uphold a contract that they are here and here only to extract vengeance via eliminating Jinx (and maybe conquest/suppression of emerging Zaun), who in Piltover is left to have this kind of authority to make this decision? Originally, I suppose it's the Council. But now? Will Caitlyn single-handedly decide that? As the Sheriff or de facto dictator/"prime minister" of sort without a checks and balance (seems the original Council the legislature, judiciary and the executive all-in-one combo)? How will the rich merchant/capitalist class react? Acquiesced because Caitlyn cared not about the trade but only about people's welfare (that she could see, not so much the institutional inequality effect)? Or grumbled about how unsafe it is now that a foreign military outfit roamed the street?

Then there's still a matter of how. What is the chain of command here? Is Ambessa, presumably the leader of the Noxian force, staying in command and act independently from the Piltover enforcer? Or more realistically, the Noxian force follows Caitlyn's order? Fascinating side tangent on interoperability here, wherein the two forces need to learn to work together and at least synergize. Like perhaps Enforcers is the brute force option that provides manpower whereas the Noxian force is the surgical, tactical blackop stuff quick-in quick-out. But what about military police and diplomatic immunity? What happened if Noxian troops violated Piltover law? Real life examples in US troops stationed in Japan and Korea are very messy: US troops committed some horrible crimes against the host nation citizens but are only subjected to US law, or more specifically, that military base's policy and the US army law. That caused a few riots in the streets and soured relations at time.

Then lastly, why? Why should Piltover agree to this? Is their Enforcer not enough, or is there a political vulnerability where the absence of a leadership forces the interim goverment (i.e. Caitlyn and presumably Jayce) to seek help from capable administrator/political leader like Ambessa?

Mel’s mom Ambessa continued existence in Piltover is an interesting political question. Like no doubt there will be a regime change after essentially the entire head of government of Piltover vanished over night. But I wonder if the writers will take it to the next step and explore what government will take place after that.

Piltover in season 1 was a sort of oligarchic merchant-state Venice-like government. Richest clan, with the political power bought by said wealth, become part of a governing council that rules and judges on the matter of the city (well except for Heimer who is more like the monarch for unifying purpose but more on that later). We don’t see much of their bureaucracy, but we do see the Enforcer serving the policing and military purpose.

Season 2 teaser had people talking about a special force led by Caitlyn and a special force or expeditionary force lended/led by Ambessa. Aside from personal vengeance, what kind of arrangement is this that allows Ambessa here? Who in Piltover can make that decision that an external military can be present and technically be involved in a “domestic” affairs?