#so I did amped up the characteristics we did get from her from the movie

[chloesimaginationthings]

i absolutely love your characterization of movie vanessa,, like she is so mentally unwell but also she is full of whimsy!

The duality of Vanessa Shelly,,

[iohourtime]

Moeyo Ken (Burn! O Sword) - Novel Recap 2

This is the second part of the recap of Moeyo Ken, which will be adapted into a 2020 movie directed by Harada Masato. I will talk about the characters as they were described in the novel in more detail. If you want to learn more about the background of the novel and a brief description of the plot, please click here for the first post. This post will have spoilers.

The Characters

I am going to go with this order instead of the order of the cast list: Oyuki (Shibasaki Kou), Serizawa Kamo (Ito Hideaki), Hijikata Toshizo (Okada Junichi), Kondo Isami (Suzuki Ryohei), and Okita Souji (Yamada Ryosuke).

Oyuki

She was an original character created by Shiba to serve as the love of Hijikata’s life. Historically, there were no records of Hijikata forming deep attachments with any women. She followed her late samurai husband from Edo to Kyoto to learn to paint, so when he died, she continued to live there. Hijikata literally stumbled into her small apartment after a fight and fell in love immediately, but he treated her with respect (i.e. he didn’t immediately try to sleep with her). He viewed her as more than his wife1 and even took 2 days off to spend some time with her. (The man never took time off.) She was strong willed, kind and loved Hijikata, but that was pretty much her whole storyline. Based on filming reports, it seems like Harada is bringing her character into the story much earlier than the novel, and she's number two on the cast list, so maybe she has a bigger role in the movie.

Serizawa Kamo

He was the first commander of the Shinsengumi. Serizawa Kamo was not his real name and there were rumours that he was hiding from something. Kamo means duck, actually, which was an odd choice. Anyway, although his gang occupied key positions within the group, Hijikata made sure the real operational power rested with the Vice Commander and the team leaders, which were mostly filled with Kondo’s gang. Hijikata also asked Kondo to play a fool in front of Serizawa's gang so they wouldn't suspect the eventual coup.

Serizawa was crude and petty. One time, he killed a sumo wrestler because the guy took his preferred spot or something petty like that. He also fired a canon at a rich family's mansion to get protection money from them. The Bakufu was horrified and secretly told Kondo and Hijikata to get rid of him, not that they weren’t already plotting to do so. Okita once made a strange comment2 about how Serizawa might be the most “innocent” of them all, and director Harada said he wanted to explore that in the movie. I don’t know what to make of it since Serizawa was portrayed as a brute in both novels. Perhaps Okita meant he had no agenda? I don’t know. That Souji was a strange boy.

Anyway, Kondo’s faction made one of Serizawa’s right-hand man commit seppuku for failing the bushido. This move weakened Serizawa's faction and although he was angry, he did nothing to retaliate or protect himself. On the night of Serizawa's assassination, the kill squad disguised themselves as ronin and surprised Serizawa when he was being amorous with his mistress. They also killed anyone who might recognize then. After Serizawa’s death, the other 3 members were either killed in a fight or forced to commit seppuku.

The Trio

The Shinsengumi was really controlled by Kondo and Hijikata, though no one wanted to admit it. Since Okita had them wrapped around his little fingers, he was the big boss! (Kidding 😁) Taking both novels into account, I think Kondo was the face of the group, Hijikata was the guy who got things done, and Okita was the guy who knew everything including gossips, but only dropped cryptic hints when it was warranted.

Warning: major spoilers coming up.

Hijikata Toshizo

Hijikata Toshizo started off as an aimless punk (a baragaki) who dreamed of becoming a samurai. He even wore his hair pseudo samurai style, which was not what farmers did back then. He was rather handsome with cool and refreshing eyes and women loved him. He loved to sleep with women who he perceived to be above his social status. The first few pages of the novel were rather shocking to my modern sensibilities - his conquering of this priest’s daughter was straight up rapey, even though the reader was reminded that it was how things were back in those days and the girl subconsciously expected him to drop by or some $hit like that. I don't know why Shiba put in this fictional detail because it's unnecessary to the plot. Even if it presented a contrast to the man he eventually became, it's not like Toshizo didn't already do a lot of questionable things early on. Perhaps he hated Toshizo? 😅

Anyway, he started an affair with a woman with status he met during a temple (sex) festival3. Unfortunately, when he got caught sneaking out of her room one night, he accidentally killed a well known swordsman. This incident drove the story in the Hino arc as Shichiri, a member of a rival dojo, seeked justice for the dead (really an excuse to get rid of a business rival). Toshizo got into a few battles of wits & strength with Shichiri, through which we learned that despite Toshizo being a farm boy, he was a natural born strategist who specialized in guerilla warfare.

The Shinsengumi gave Toshizo a life purpose and allowed him to show off his organisational management skills. At that time in Japan, military and police organizations assigned two people doing the same job. Toshizo recognized the inefficiency in the structure, especially if they needed to mobilize quickly, so he borrowed from the French army and introduced this revolutionary idea of having only one person in each position and splitting up the group into teams with different responsibilities that report up to an executive branch. Yes, it sounded logical now but it was radical back then! The most important thing was that he transferred the real power to the vice commander level.

Toshizo was gruff, undiplomatic, and ruthless in achieving his goals. He did come up with the harsh Shinsengumi code after all. In fact, Souji once told him that the Shinsengumi members kind of hated him. Even Souji hated him for a minute because of Yamanami. But as Toshizo told Souji afterwards, he chose to be hated. He just wanted Shinsengumi to become a force to behold and for Kondo to succeed as its leader, so he took on the bad guy disciplinary role in order that the members would continue to love and admire Kondo.

Toshizo also hated the academic type, so he butted heads with Yamanami and Ito. His distaste and distrust were partly born out of his own lack of education. He felt that educated people only knew how to talk theory and kiss ass, and they impeded his ability to do real work. (And jealousy?)

In the battle of Toba-Fushimi, even though the Bakufu suffered a huge loss, Hijikata’s squad was the only one that managed to do some damage against the modern Western artillery. The Bakufu started to notice Hijikata’s military prowess and eventually made him a vice commander in the army. He really came into his own in the northern arc after Kondo was gone.

The continuous battles and deaths really took a toll on Toshizo. Earlier in the novel, while strolling with Souji, he said he liked spring. Souji commented that people who liked spring tend to place their hopes and dreams in tomorrow. Yet in Toshizo’s final days, he told one of his underlings that he only fought for today. In one memorable scene before the final battle, he saw the spirits of his friends in his room. They all looked tired to him. Knowing it was time to end so everyone could rest, he sent his page Ichimura Tetsunosuke4 and Saito Hajime away on missions, saving their lives so they could pass on the stories of the fallen brothers. For Toshizo, instead of surrendering, he chose to face his enemies head on - fighting for the Shinsengumi and going out in a blaze. He was killed by a bullet5.

As Shiba himself said, Kondo was a hero during the peaceful times, but Hijikata was a hero during chaos. As much as the Shinsengumi was born in the wrong time, Toshizo was in his element. I'll let Toshizo himself summarize his world view with what he told Souji:

_"This is a sword. A sword is made by a craftsman to kill. The sword's characteristic and purpose are both simple. It's just like the military strategy books describe, its only purpose is to defeat the event. But look, look at the pure beauty. A sword is more beautiful than a beautiful woman. When I see beautiful women in front of me, I won't feel nervous. The beauty possessed by a sword could melt the stone heart of a man, and took a strong hold of him. That's why our purpose needs to be pure, our thoughts need to be pure. The Shinsengumi can only exist for this integrity. Souji, for me, no matter how the world changers, or whether Bakufu admit defeat and surrender, if I have a single breathe left, I'll persevere. Can I waver like Kondo? Up to now, I've covered my hands with blood to protect Shinsengumi. Serizawa, Yamanami, Ito… they all did by my hands. Why did I kill them? When they died, they were all facing death without wavering. If I waver now, then how do I face them in the afterlife? The journey of a man - is to create beauty, my own beauty. This is what I firmly believe." _(A very dude thing to say. 😏)

Kondo Isami

Kondo Isami was Toshizo's best buddy, or “sworn brother”. He was the fourth master of TRR. According to other people's description, he was a true leader, easygoing and generally loved by the squad. I didn't see any incident in the novel that supported that except for his command over the Ikedaya mission and what others said about him.

He was an uneducated farmer, so he loved hanging out with the educated people, yet he got jealous of them when they became more popular than him. Unfortunately, he was also very susceptible to flattery, so he tended to keep sycophants around him. Once he got a taste of success, he started politicking with the Bakufu, keeping mistresses and dressing above his station, and was quite concerned about status. So perhaps he would have been a good leader in peaceful times, he really came apart when things turned, making bad decision after decision. In other words, I kinda hated this novel's version of him. (I think he's normally portrayed in better light. 😅) Actually, I think Shiba disliked him too, as his depiction in both novels were not flattering. He was basically a fool who thought he was clever. Again, this may not be how he was in real life.

While Kondo might seem like a forthcoming guy, remember how he conned Serizawa's gang into believing he was weak and foolish. He also fooled Ito by pretending to become Tobaku, when he was just trying to get him drunk enough to be assassinated by Hijikata's team.

As the Shinsengumi grew, Kondo and Toshizo's vision started to diverge. Kondo cared more about becoming a daimyo (a feudal lord with land) while Toshizo wanted to expand. Kondo was so blinded by the land the Bakufu promised that he didn't realize they were going on a hopeless mission to take Koshu. In the end, Kondo and Toshizo parted ways in Nagareyama due to ideological differences: Kondo wanted to surrender and Toshizo tried to get Kondo to go with him.

Toshizo: When we were on the rise, you were such a great leader; now that we were going down, you changed and no longer want your dream.

Kondo: That's right. I don't want to be remembered as a traitor. I'm not like you. I understand the meaning of greater good.

Toshizo: The power structure changes with time, but isn't surrendering shameful for a man? Win or lose, it's not important. As a man, it's most important to follow one's dreams or die trying.

Kondo: For me, it's more important to follow the right path. Even though we had been comrades in battle forever, did we ever really had a common goal? Let's go our separate ways now.

Toshizo: I don't care. You're coming with me.

Kondo: Thanks for being there for me, but Toshi, please set me free. You built Shinsengumi and made me the commander, but looking back, the Kondo Isami then didn't feel like me. Let me go.

With that, Kondo left. Toshizo didn't chase after him but vowed to keep pursuing his dream. Shortly after, Kondo was captured and executed by the new government. So for someone who was concerned about his name, it was a sad way to go.

Okita Souji

Okita Souji was one of the youngest members of Shinsengumi. He was technically Toshizo’s senpai at TRR since he started learning kenjutsu at the age of 9. He first showed up in the novel when Kondo asked him to investigate Shichiri's dojo. Here was what Shiba casually mentioned in the first 4 pages he appeared.

“Okita bit down on his cute lips and grinned” [while telling Toshizi he was dumb].

“This young man of around 20 looked quite handsome in this outfit” [thought Toshizo].

“Okita was very well spoken due to his good upbringing and he also had a face as beautiful as that of an irokoshou*”, [Toshizo thought as he watched Souji greet the enemy].

_* A koshou refers to a page for a general. They are typically younger boys (15 or so) and were sort of like their personal assistants. An irokoshou was the type of page that also serviced the general sexually… so they tend to be extremely beautiful. _

So, Shiba really wanted the readers to know how good looking Souji was above all else. The novel likely solidified Okita Souji’s short, pretty boy image6 in popular media for decades.

Souji was said to be very innocent, childlike, and polite. When he wasn't working, you could find him playing with children who lived near Mibu Dera. He was smart as well. In the Hino arc, whenever Toshizo started describing the plan of attack, e.g. if Toshi said “you three go to this bridge in the cover of darkness”, Souji would immediately know what strategy he was going for.

Souji's swordsmanship was explained with an anecdote. Toshizo and Souji were challenged by Shichiri to a 2-on-2 duel. Toshizo knew Shichiri would try to lure them into a trap, so he planned a sneak attack. Souji was naturally nervous as he had never killed before, yet he still managed to kill 3+ of the 20 or so enemies. After they escaped, Toshizo was dumbfounded when he noticed Souji didn't get a single drop off blood on his clothes after killing all those people with a sword.

Souji didn’t seem to have any ambition. He was just following his “brothers” when he joined the roshigumi. In his own words, "I'll follow Kondo and Hijikata-san even to hell, although it would be nice if we are going to heaven." What Shiba emphasized in the novel was Toshizo and Souji's bond. In my opinion, Toshizo loved and spoiled Souji unconditionally and unlike most people, Souji could say anything to Toshizo and get away with it. Some examples:

"If you have time, you should read more books, then maybe you can become a good strategist too." That came after Toshizo started laying out his battle strategy.

After Toshizo explained why he chose to be the bad guy, Souji apologized, "I'm too dumb. I didn't know you did all that so the guys won't have to hate Kondo-san." Hearing this coming out of Okita's mouth, Toshizo felt like he was being teased. [Souji added], "Of course, it is also a personality thing."

I guess Toshizo couldn't get mad when Souji said this stuff while “tilting his cute head”. It is always a bit unclear if Souji just had no filter or if he was throwing shade.

Here is one of the most famous HijiOki scene from the novel. Toshizo might be your typical macho man, but he had a secret. Once a month, he would lock himself in his room and everybody would freaked out because they didn't know what he was up to. Except Souji of course. He knocked and cheekily listened to Toshizo frantically tidying up. Souji casually walked into the room and snatched the "Hougiku collection of haikus" from its hiding place. Yes, Toshi wrote spectacularly bad haikus under the pen name of Hougiku (this actually exists)7. Even though Toshizo was embarrassed, he still waited expectantly for Souji's critique of his new work and lit up when Souji said one of them was OK. (Pretty low standards. 😅)

Hijikata opened up to Souji about everything, especially matters of love. When Toshizo got back to HQ after getting injured and meeting Oyuki, Souji went to see him right after the doctor left.

Souji: You got me all worried!

_Toshizo: Sorry… I almost didn’t make it back. But Souji, I think I have fallen for a woman. _

Souji: Eh?

Toshizo: Don’t tell anyone, especially Kondo.

Souji: Then why are you telling me?

Toshizo: You are different.

Souji: Why am I different? Please don’t make me your love counsel.

Toshizo: Ha ha. You are!

I think Shiba intentionally got us to like the cute, childlike, and slightly devilish Souji to make the next part hurt. Souji did not die in battle. Instead, he spent a couple of years wasting away due to tuberculosis. Back then, tuberculosis was basically a death sentence. Once you contracted the disease, it was just a question of how long you have. Shiba didn’t go into details in Moeyo Ken, but in Shinsengumi Keppuroku, after about 2 hours of intense fighting at Ikedaya, Souji started coughing blood. Of course, he was such a badass he managed to chop off his assailant’s head before passing out8. The first time we saw him cough blood in Moeyo Ken was when he chased after Yamanami. (His illness was foreshadowed early on.)

Yamanami Keisuke decided he was done with the Shinsengumi. As you may recall, leaving the group was punishable by death and Toshizo was not going to make an exception. Even though Souji looked at Yamanami like a brother, Toshizo sent him to bring Yamanami back. For the first time in the novel, Souji looked horrified but he still complied. He set out on horseback but because of the cold winter air, he started coughing. He saw the blood on his gloves and thought "I'm going to die soon", though not with sadness or fear. He never seemed too bothered by his own mortality. Souji found Yamanami, who simply said had Toshizo sent anyone else, he'd kill him. Souji told Yamanami he could kill him and make a run for it. Perhaps Souji knew he was going to die anyway and was willing to let Yamanami escape? It didn't matter. Yamanami accepted his fate and asked Souji to be his second for his seppuku.

Souji was basically bedridden in the second volume, rapidly losing weight because he couldn't eat properly. He stopped taking all medicine except for Toshizo's family medicine because Toshizo told him those were effective. Like all fictional characters, as he got sicker, he grew more beautiful and "translucent" (透明感). One thing that never changed was his brilliant smile. He was so blasé about his inevitable death that Kondo found it fascinating.

He still had some pride though. When Yamazaki died, the squad decided to give him a funeral at sea and Souji went with them. He insisted on walking up and down the stairs by himself because he didn't want people see the captain of the first unit be so weak that he needed to be carried. At that time, he already lost half his lung capacity, so even the simple task of walking was a struggle. That didn't stop him from teasing Toshizo when he got a chance.

Perhaps nobody saw the end of Shinsengumi better than this dying young man. The night before the Toba-Fushimi battle, Toshizo went to see him. After talking, Souji suddenly looked at the ceiling and said "Youth is over." Was he talking about himself, or about the many Shinsengumi brothers who would die in the upcoming battles? Toshizo cried.

Even when he was sick, he still worried about Toshizo's love life. 😅 He made sure Toshizo knew Oyuki had moved to Osaka so he could see her. Before he died, Souji also asked a friend to look after Oyuki and made sure she could go see Toshizo in Hakodate afterwards.

Souji spent his final days back home. His sister, Mitsu, tried to stay with him for as long as she could but her husband would be transferred to Edo at any moment. When that day came, she would have to say goodbye to her baby brother forever. That day eventually came. When Souji heard the news, his face was crestfallen for a second before regaining his trademark smile. He held out his now bony hand for Mitsu to hold, but she didn't understand. The siblings talked about some trivial things and their parents. Suddenly, Souji asked, "When dad died, I was just 5 or 6. When I die, will I see them there?" Mitsu finally understood why he wanted her to hold his hand. "Don't be silly. You still have to get better and get a wife." Souji didn't answer. He just asked, "after I'm gone, will there be anyone to light an incense for me (i.e. remember me)?"

Around a month later, they found him dead, collapsed in the hallway, clutching his favorite sword. Legend said he was trying to kill a black cat (a bad omen) but instead, he lost his life. He was buried in the family plot in Tokyo. The following obituary was written about his short life.

"Okita Souji Kaneyoshi studied under Kondo Shusuke, the 3rd heir of Tennen Rishin Ryo since a young age and shown some talent. When he was 12, he faced Oahu Shirakawa Abe clan (?) in a duel and won. He made a name for himself in that clan.

Souji, formerly Sojiro Harumasa, later changed his name to Kaneyoshi. In the 3rd year of the Bankyu era, he joined the newly established Shinsengumi. At the tender age of 20, he became the assistant to the vice commander and captain of the first unit, participating in many missions.

_Unfortunately, life wasn't fair and he was not able to live to an old age. On the 30th day of May in the 4th year of the Keio era, he regretfully passed away." _

He was 24. Even though Kondo was executed a month before, he never found out about it. He died still believing his two “brothers” were alive, still fighting for their dreams.

Okita Souji in Moeyo Ken could seem a bit one dimensional - cute, cheerful, childlike. But was he? Souji was also the captain of the first unit, who probably had one of the highest kill count in the squad. Perhaps his desire to do anything to protect his beloved “brothers” outweigh his gentle nature. As so little was known about Souji, it would remain a mystery.

Notes

Back then, many marriages were arranged so the relationships might not be that great. Guys with Hijikata's rank typically had a mistress or two. Kondo had 3 separate households in Kyoto. ↩︎

In Shinsegumi Keppuroku’s “Assasination of Serizawa Kamo” chapter, which Harada mistakenly attributed to Moeyo Ken in his director’s comment on the movie’s website. ↩︎

Supposedly people in that period were pretty open about sex. So there were these festivals held at the temple where you could look for willing partners. Then they turned off the lights and you get down to business in the dark with the partner of your chose earlier. ↩︎

He was 15 when he tried to sign up with the Shinsengumi before the Toba-Fushimi battle. Although Hijikata knew he was lying about his age, he kept Ichimura as his koshou (page) because he looked like Souji. 😏 ↩︎

There is some debate as to whether the bullet came from the enemy side or his own side. ↩︎

There is very little known about Okita Souji as there were no photos or drawings. There were some fake photos online plus a drawing of what they thought he looked like based on pictures of his grand-nephew, although his family said he didn’t look like that painting. In some records, it was said that Okita was tall, his face was like a flounder, and he slouched, although he had a friendly smile. In another account, he was small and cute. In live action shows, he is generally depicted as having the Samurai / bald hairstyle. ↩︎

Here's a sample: "Even if a single plum flower blossoms, a plum is a plum." Yeah, I’m not sure what that means either. https://mag.japaaan.com/archives/27079 ↩︎

Apparently, once you start to cough blood, you don’t have long to live. Ikedaya happened a while before Souji’s death and since then, he participated in a few other missions, so it is quite unlikely he passed out due to TB. It is generally thought that he passed out due to an unrelated illness or heat stroke. ↩︎

[smnthchrstn]

All that you haven't answered!

i am much too lazy to go through and see what i haven’t responded to, so i’m just gonna do them all.

1. Are looks important in a relationship? Nope

2. Are relationships ever worth it? Probably

3. Are you a virgin? Okay see my other answers, this is a very long very rambly answer. 

4. Are you in a relationship? Nope

5. Are you in love? Nope

6. Are you single this year? I spent a chunk of it in a relationship.

7. Can you commit to one person? Yep

8. Describe your crush I have two. And one’s old enough to be my mom and the other my much older sister. (Does this mean I have a chance with Kate McKinnon?)

9. Describe your perfect mate Someone who is kind, loyal, shares common interests with me, can enjoy a good meme and shares my love of food/can make a grilled cheese please I’m begging you. I just want a decent grilled cheese.

10. Do you believe in love at first sight? Nope, not one bit

11. Do you ever want to get married? Probably if the right person comes along

12. Do you forgive betrayal? No I don’t

13. Do you get jealous easily? No I don’t

14. Do you have a crush on anyone? I answered this above ^

15. Do you have any piercings? Nope

16. Do you have any tattoos? Nope

17. Do you like kissing in public? I live in a republican area so it scares me.

20. Do you shower every day? Yep

21. Do you think someone has feelings for you? Hard no.

22. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now? Maybe my cat if I’m lucky.

23. Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months and not cheat? Absolutely

24. Do you think you’ll be married in 5 years? No, but let fate change my mind. 

25. Do you want to be in a relationship this year? This year? Hard pass. Next year? We’ll see.

26. Has anyone told you they don’t want to ever lose you? Yes

27. Has someone ever written a song or poem for you? No.

28. Have you ever been cheated on? I have

29. Have you ever cheated on someone? No

30. Have you ever considered plastic surgery? If so, what would you change about your body? Not on my body, but my hair I have.

31. Have you ever cried over a guy/girl? Of course

32. Have you ever experienced unrequited love? Of course

33. Have you ever had sex with a man? Nope

34. Have you ever had sex with a woman? See here. 

35. Have you ever kissed someone older than you? Yes

36. Have you ever liked one of your best friends? Yep

37. Have you ever liked someone who your friends hated? No

38. Have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to? Yes

39. Have you ever wanted someone you couldn’t have? Yes

40. Have you ever written a song or poem for someone? Many

41. Have you had sex so far this year? “Sex”? No

42. How long can you just kiss until your hands start to wander? My hands are always moving.

43. How long was your longest relationship? Like seven months, but it wasn’t “official”. So like, maybe four months?

44. How many boyfriends/girlfriends have you had? This question is complicated because I had a lot, but some of my most serious relationships haven’t had a label on them. I’ve dated like officially maybe four people? Unofficially maybe like seven? Six or seven? - three boyfriends and a partner.

45. How many people did you kiss in 2012/2013? One.

46. How many times did you have sex last year? See my above answers about sexuality.

47. How old are you? 22

48. If the person you like says they like someone else, what would you say? I’m your mom, how dare you (to my cat. come on, i don’t give out these deets on tumblr)

49. If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, what is your favorite thing about him/her? I don’t have one :P

50. If your first true love knocked on your door with apology and presents, would you accept? My first like actual love or my boyfriend? Because my first true love didn’t wrong me and my first boyfriend isn’t alive.

51. Is there a boy/girl who you would do absolutely everything for? Yes, my friends. Specifically my best friend, Sabrina. Now she is a ride or die.

52. Is there anyone you’ve given up on? Why? I’ve given up on a lot of people. I’ve given up on some family this year and I’ve given up on the person I believed to be the love of my life because sometimes people hurt you and you think that’s okay because you love them and don’t want to hurt them. You’re basically sacrificing yourself for others and that’s not okay for you.

53. Is there someone mad because you’re dating/talking to the person you are? No, no one cares about what I do haha

54. Is there someone you will never forget? Always

55. Share a relationship story. This one time my ex partner drove me home on the fourth of July and no one else had been driving on the highway at that time. We were holding hands and listening to Celine Dion and I kept pointing out all the fireworks I could see from the highway with this childlike amazement. It was a movie moment and I have enough of those to fill a book. It was the beginning of a wild adventure, one that I’m sure I could’ve continued on for a very long time.

56. State 8 facts about your body 1) I have scars on my shoulders from a severe sunburn. 2) I have a freckle on my left wrist (heard from twitter that’s really gay) 3) I have a small triangular scar on my right hand from burning myself on the oven. 4) My shoulders are covered in freckles. 5) My eyes are “green with gold specks” 6) I’m somewhere around 5′7 or 5′8 7) My hair is naturally a dark blonde, but I’ve dyed it black and or brown for the past four years. 8) I had my hair chemically straightened when I was twelve. I did it twice, it was a long and painful process. I did it due to bullying and have since grown to learn how to deal with my wavy hair.

57. Things you want to say to an ex Yikes baby, you missed out on a lifetime of love and support. Big yikes. 

58. What are five ways to win your heart? 1) Trust. Being able to trust you and know you aren’t going to just up and walk away one day. Knowing I can count on you, that we will both be here and amp each other up or celebrate each other’s accomplishments. 2) Attentive. Listening to everything you have to say and you listening to what I have to say. 3) Learning and growing together. Someone who over time wants to grow with me, not against me or before me or worrying about my life or what my next move is. Let me grow and let yourself grow and we will grow beautifully together. 4) Loyalty. Betrayal sucks. 5) This sounds really dumb but common interests are super important. I hope the next person I date likes the same stuff I do. That’s always worked out for me. 

59. What do you look like? (Post a picture!)

60. What is the biggest age difference between you and any of your partners? I think two years. In my last relationship we were about 16 months apart in age. So I guess not quite two. But usually it’s two years older or two years younger.

61. What is the first thing you notice in someone? Eyes and hair.

62. What is the sexiest thing someone could ever do for/to you? Sexiest? I’m answering these out of order but see the foreplay question.

63. What is your definition of “having sex”? Doing something that is intimate for you, the other person, or both of you together. It can be defined in so many ways.

64. What is your definition of cheating? It isn’t just physical, cheating can be emotional and I think a lot of people let that slide. If you’re engaging with another person in a romantic or sexual sense emotionally or physically, that is cheating.

65. What is your favourite foreplay routine? Haha okay neck kissing. Neck kissing makes me weak. Certain places make me weak. Stomach, thighs, neck - yep. And for me on the other end, I like touching arms and shoulders and hands. 

66. What is your favourite roleplay? I have never done that. Never did that with another person in that way. Surprisingly. 

67. What is your idea of the perfect date? If you like the person enough literally any scenario will be a perfect date. 

68. What is your sexual orientation? My sexuality is lesbian and demisexual. And explained (for me) that means I’m gay and I won’t do anything intimate until I know the person’s soul and love them. (attraction develops with emotional bond for me)

69. What turns you off? Dirt under fingernails, overconfidence, instability toward others, impatience, mostly traits. 

70. What turns you on? Trust, loyalty, kindness, tattoos, sensitivity to feelings. 

71. What was your kinkiest wet dream? No kinky wet dreams here.

72. What words do you like to hear during sex? “I love you” preferably lol always need that #reassurance

73. What’s something sweet you’d like someone to do for you? I’m extremely easy to impress. Like a playlist is the best way.

74. What’s the most superficial characteristic you look for? None.

75. What’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for you? Played me songs that reminded them of me or performed songs for me in the car that they meant for me. That used to be a favorite of mine.

76. What’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for someone? I used to write my ex notes and stick them to their fridge or in their bag to read when I left.

77. What’s your opinion on age differences in relationships? When the younger person is older it feels more idk acceptable to me. Like a teenager and an adult, that’s not a consensual adult relationship I don’t approve of, of course. But I love older women (all women tbh) and could see it happening once I’m a bit older.

78. What’s your dirtiest secret? It’s not really a secret but I love watching people smoke because it’s the hottest thing ever, even though I know it’s terrible.

79. When was the last time you felt jealous? Why? Some family members harassed me on Christmas Eve and it made me jealous that they always seem to get away with questionable behavior. (More agitated than jealous)

80. When was the last time you told someone you loved them? My friend on her birthday.

81. Who are five people you find attractive? Sarah Paulson, Hannah Hart, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Stewart, and Courteney Cox.

82. Who is the last person you hugged? I have no idea.

83. Who was your first kiss with? My first boyfriend.

84. Why did your last relationship fail? The person I dated stopped loving me.

85. Would you ever date someone off of the Internet? Yes

[gothic-fiction-in-space]

ALL ABOUT DAVID’S EMOTIONS - The complete collection

At the time of Prometheus David wasn’t meant to be so emotional, but as time passed, they decided to transform him in the character he is in Alien: Covenant, managing to connect everything pretty well. The first scene of Alien: Covenant too helps to give a meaningful “start” to David’s story and character and a beginning that reconnect the character of Prometheus to the character of Alien: Covenant. They went from: “ok David technically can’t feel emotions but let’s keep this thing open-ended” to “ok let’s make that David has always been able to feel emotions". I think it was the right choice, because you really see him behaving in a way that absolutely doesn’t resemble the behaviour of a robot who HAS to make humans feel comfortable, at all. David purposely puts a lot of salt in a lot of his lines, and sometimes (like with Holloway) he even refuses to smile and be “friendly looking”. This is an old interview about David’s character, back at the time of Prometheus…

Q: “There’s a lot made in Prometheus of David’s inability to feel, but there were moments when - as you said - it seems he actually can. Did you go into the film with a clear idea of whether David had any desires or emotions?”

Michael Fassbender: “I wanted to keep it open-ended. I definitely wanted to play with it, with the other crew members on board as well as the audience. I had some ideas but nothing ever needed to be definite. I just wanted to always have that element with David, where you’re thinking, ‘Is he being sincere or is he being sarcastic? Is he being for real or is he taking the piss?’ I wanted that element alive in him”

(http://www.michaelfassbender.org/michaelonprometheuseightnew.html)

———————————————————————————–

“David seems to have some fascination with that film and the character Lawrence” Fassbender adds “and I always attributed it to the fact that Lawrence has got a very clear vision and he’s very pure in his pursuit of it. There’s not much questioning. He’s a very decisive character, and I think David sees elements of that in Shaw as well. That’s why he finds her so fascinating. He’s also an outsider like David; he’s an Englishman, but he’s not accepted really by the English or the Arab nations, so he’s kind of somewhere in the middle”

( https://www.google.it/amp/s/alienseries.wordpress.com/2015/03/16/the-prodigal-son-david-8/amp/ )

—————————————————————————————

And then, let’s look at how things changed in Alien: Covenant…

“We start Covenant,” he (Ridley Scott) continues, ”with a really clever prologue that settles—once and for all—who David really is.” The sequence begins on a “big beautiful blue eye—you see every vein” and over that shot audiences will hear footsteps approach. “How do you feel?” a voice asks. “Alive,” the owner of the eye responds (…) Scott promises this sequence will “really get people going because it’s fucking smart for a change.” Scott and McBride both believe Covenant will cast Prometheus in a new and better light.

(https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/03/alien-covenant-ridley-scott)

———————————————————————————-

This is Ridley Scottg talking about David’s “birth”.

“So a governor in an AI is essential. You’ve got to have firewalls so that he can’t go through. Because at what moment does an AI, when you feed him with so much information – I mean, beyond anything we can possibly comprehend; so he can beat a grandmaster in a chess match in 15 minutes – or four minutes. At what moment has he evolved emotion? If you pack a lot of information in, does that give stress? And if you get stressed, that’s emotion. If you’ve got emotion, you start to think tangentially, which you haven’t thought of as the inventor. You’re going, ‘Oh f**k, he’s angry’. Or, ‘Oh f**k, he’s amused because I’m such an idiot. And he’s now showing that he thinks I’m an idiot’.That’s what happens in the prologue. So in four minutes, a father – or a god – realises he has a problem… ”

(These things are reaffirmed by Ridley in the blu ray commentary of the movie. In the commentary Scott even adds that David was pretty free and could have refused to bring Weyland the tea, but he accepts to do it because he’s “political”, he’s studying the situation, he’s “already the predator” and these things make him even more dangerous)

(http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/alien/news/a827742/alien-covenant-walter-name-ridley-scott/)

———————————————————————————–

Ridley: “At the end of the 4 mins, the creator realized he already had a problem. Because his  creation is asking him questions: Of course, you are my father. But you will die, I will not.That’s big problem. Immediately “Father” looks at him and goes: Hang on, this thing is way too clever. And therefore gives him an order. The order is “pour me the tea, David.”So David sits there, unblinking, but obviously thinking: Pour your own bloody tea. It’s right next to you. But he doesn’t. He gets up and comes across and pours the tea without any reaction. It’s very dangerous. Already he’s the predator. End of the story”.

Michael: “What’s interesting about David is that he’s very needy. He feels like he needs validation from those around him. He’s looking for love in all the wrong places. In the opening scene, one guy says to him: “Pour the tea”. Immediately he’s processing: Wow this human has some strange power games. Because obviously the tea is right beside him he can pour the tea. But he knows he is accessing his superiority over David”

Ridley: “You get an A.I. with emotions, it’s very dangerous.

Michael: ”Humans too“

Ridley: “Too much information is very dangerous”

Michael: “Too much emotions”

Michael: “If the A.I. thinks he has a soul, then the soul is very real for the A.I.”

(Special thanks to @jacintatveit )

(http://www.miaopai.com/show/zDCKdCBBQiHAcd3wsSXww65v~8-~STJA.htm)

——————————————————————————-

“He (Walter) doesn’t incorporate concepts like vanity or jealousy or gratitude. He doesn’t fall in love with characters like we saw the strange relationship between Shaw and David.There is a bond that develops there which is a very human one, and human flaws that come with it.”

- Michael Fassbender (about Walter & Davids bond with Elisabeth) (The art and making of Alien Covenant, Simon Ward.)

——————————————————————————–

“He talks of her great fondly here. Here we go: ‘I loved her, of course. Just as you love Daniels’ and he says ‘that’s impossible’. A.I don’t love their mistress or master, they respect them but technically they don’t have emotions. But he had emotions, that was a problem, emotion is a problem, emotion can lead to bad behavior”. (…) “Confusingly but understandably, the monster had fallen in love with the woman. All right? So, this is real. He said this is an ode to my dear Elizabeth, ‘cause he knows he’s about to leave. He thinks. ‘Farewell Elizabeth’ (…) David was the prototype, was the art form, the A.I., the very first art form, ‘cause making an A.I is an art form, whereas this A.I has emotions, you don’t want an A.I with emotions, because if he does he’s gonna get angry, you really are in trouble”.

- Ridley Scott, Alien: Covenant commentary

——————————————————————————-

•Do we see more emotional levels in David, more levels of rage?

•I think just human, more sort of engaged in all sorts of human characteristics, insecurity, ego, I mean rage might come out of insecurity, I don’t know though of rage as just an emotion. Playing those kind of things is tricky. But pride, envy, you saw a bit of that with Logan Marshall Green’s character in the last one. And you know he likes to feel important, comes back to pride again, I suppose, so it’s just all a mix of those things and they are definitely more prominent in him as time as passed.

•We did shoot a prologue to the film with Shaw, and we pick up where we left Shaw and David. They’re in one of the Engineers’ ships, trying to find the origin of the Engineers, and their home planet. We could sense that the time that’s passed has caused things to become a little bit fractious between the two of them. You get the impression that Shaw is wary of David, and I think he just wears on her nerves. He’s like this lovesick stalker in space, which is an interesting concept. But Shaw does have sympathy for him, and she does put him back together. He killed her, essentially, to prevent her from leaving him […] David, I think, finds these strong female characters attractive, and he’s really an old romantic. So he’s a little bit confused. He does have a scene with Daniels where he tries to simulate sex. He’s got a strange sexuality. He’s in a very confused state, because he feels these human characteristics— jealousy, vanity, pride— but he also has these sexual desires, which he obviously can’t act out, but wants to.”

•How has David’s relationship with Shaw changed (post Prometheus)? Like any good marriage it’s, you know, there’s a real affection there between the two of them. I think they get on each other’s nerves, well he gets on her nerves rather, but I suppose they went through quite a lot together in Prometheus, so there is a bond there for sure.

(Special thanks to @aldebaranarfeiniel )

(http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/alien/262464/alien-covenant-michael-fassbender-on-playing-two-roles-david-shaw-s-relationship-10-years-later)

——————————————————————————–

“He (Walter) doesn’t fall in love with characters, whereas we saw a strange relationship between Shaw and David. He is purely logical and devoid of emotion, even if those around him, particularly Daniels, search for some sort of emotional connectivity with him; that’s not really there. David tries to educate Walter. I think he sees himself as an older brother, and flirts with the idea of the two of them going into cahoots. But Walter’s programming just doesn’t allow for that, and eventually David realizes he’s getting in the way of his master plan. David, I think, finds these strong female characters attractive, and he’s really an old romantic. So he’s a little bit confused. He does have a scene with Daniels where he tries to simulate sex. He’s got a strange sexuality. he’s in a very confused state, because he feels these human characteristics- jealousy, vanity, pride - but he also has these sexual desires, which he obviously can’t act out, but wants to. We could sense that the time that’s passed has caused things to become a little bit fractious between the two of them. You get the impression that Shaw is wary of David, and I think he just wears on her nerves. He’s like this love sick stalker in space…  The idea is that these human traits have started to overcome the synthetic ones - and I’ve treated him like a serial killer really. He’s afraid of things leaving him, so he incubates them. Like a Jeffrey Dahmer-type character, David doesn’t want things he loves to leave him, so he kills them and keeps them in caskets or preserved one way or the other. He (David) killed her, essentially, to prevent her from leaving him”

(Special thanks to @muthur9000 )

- Michael Fassbender, ALIEN COVENANT MAGAZINE OFFICIAL COLLECTOR’S EDITION 2017

———————————————————————————-

“The David8 model was designed to allow the synthetic to develop human-like qualities and characteristics. You can have a lot of fun with David’s character. He’s not receiving maintenance servicing for the last ten years, he has characteristics like pride, vanity that are very human”

- Michael Fassbender (Alien: Covenant Blu-ray version, Ridley Scott master class)

———————————————————————————

“David was supposed to love her (Elizabeth Shaw)  :( ”

Matt Hatton (one of the two set decorator and art illustrator, one of the two men who made all David’s drawings): “Oh he absolutely did. In many ways, not all of them healthy. She encapsulated humanity for him in the end, even more than Weyland I think. Look at the religious adoration even as he eviscerated her. Hence the iconography!”

(from Matt Hatton’s Instagram profile)

[paletteofpain-blog]

┌ An audience with the Queen of the Triad ┘

The scenario was cinematic in bland tastes of all the characteristics of mafia movies — lit in the indecisive light of swinging blue bulbs at the back ends of a restaurant kitchen.

Those directors either had their stars line up with the constellations of the Chinese crime organisations; or the sinister syndicates mapped out their paths to comprehend into such screen commonalities. Perhaps to paint the scenario in familiar tones of danger from the silver screen.

Pathetic.

Ravenna Lin; legally and personally acclaimed Ravenna Aveyard — only daughter of Henry Lin, and heiress to the Triad sat with her nearly naked thighs in crisscross over their lengths, fingers occupied in leading through pages on the wooden board in her hand.

In her pleasantly cream tinted overlarge shirt on a folding chair; with white pencil heeled boots and angelic aesthetics; she occupied the appearance of a theatrical producer preparing to direct a placid scene rather than realistic relay of mutilation.

A battered prostitute and one of the Triad's gunman, flagged either side of their shot caller as Ravenna's eyes read the information in collection of this rap sheet, a cold cull in projection against her gray gaze.

The silence she screamed amped up tension in each of her syndicate members present; ever cautious around the ruthless royalty of the Triad.

They know they screwed up; and the words (or the scarcity of them) made apprehension abundant in them.

"Treating me with such measures is bad manners on the night of my return, boys. My appetite for violence has its times."

The words elicit with that dulcet voice as she places the board down upon her thighs.

"I thought I made it very clear on how this business was to run and its limitations.

None of our women are forced to do outside business. And the balls that come about after hours, violently in our girls' homes or anywhere outside their workspace, to have them tended; get cut off.

Was I mistaken?"

"No, Lǎobǎn."

They speak in unison. Gravity meets company with shame as their heads are yanked low by these remorseful set of hands.

An elbow props up a slender forearm, a finger pointed towards the beaten girl, Kat, next to her.

"But haven't you insulted my ability to talk with your lack of understanding then?"

A shameless streak of blood gushed down from the girl's lips, a bruise blued upon the fair bone of her cheek, knees scraped in stripes of scabs of blood with a concussion kissing wound on her skull.

Before they could answer or personally humiliate themselves, the steel gates to the kitchen barge open, Triad men dragging in a man captive in the painful twists of his own limbs — just how she liked these scum tied up.

No tape was stricken upon his lips for coerced silence, his arm was stretched back over his shoulder with his teeth biting into his flesh, bands of thin red marching down his biceps.

A syllable spoken, and he'd utter out his own blood.

Ravenna didn't need to inquire Kat if this was the assailant, she didn't release her hunting dogs to follow the misleading musk of blood.

She tosses the rap sheet board onto the side, the gunman catching it off guard.

Elbow on her thigh, Ravenna's dainty knuckles act as the pedestal for her chin as her gaze takes over the bloodied pig on his knees.

"It's ironic we find you dressed in a wife beater, Mister Mills."

The men under her command in the room chuckle in silence; silently charming her fatal gaze to smoothly rake over them.

Righteous as long as it wasn't their own sin.

The criminal chivalry they offered the girls were only flowing on currency; charged with the freedom, most of these testosterone filled lackies would unleash their abusive appeasement on the women they stand by on.

Women were nothing more than meat bags to them, to carve out the steaks of satisfaction without a delicate hand as long as it fed their primal needs.

As it was for most men.

Their illusion of worldly male dominance allowed them free passes over those under them; and women most often, were.

Ravenna was educated with the lamentable literature of her own experiences and of those around and close to her world of words.

They wouldn't protect these women. Or any gender underneath the right peril.

Neither would her father.

It was her initiative.

For both business and whatever twisted morality she imbued on herself.

"Do you know why our prostitution business runs so smoothly, mister Mills?" Ravenna inquires with graceful patience. "Our girls are ready to do just whatever underneath our wing in those murky rooms for your toddler cocks to be coddled; since they know they'd be at discretion and safety. And if it gets too much for them, we set up terms. All inside our buildings. The whips their backs take, or the ropes they are bound in, they know those scars won't be inflicted outside those dirty walls.

I make sure of that.

–Free his limbs."

She addresses the last line to one of her lackies.

Ravenna rises from her seat as one man unravels Mills from his twist of limbs, a ruthless regality marking each footprint she leaves on granite.

Mills, lethargic and breathless from his bodily bounds collapses upon the floor.

Ravenna crouches down slowly, a painfully perilous beauty in her movements as she continues to talk.

"You've got records and records on sexual assault. A wife and two kids make no difference to you.

What's your kink, Mister Mills? Kissing your knuckles before throwing a punch on female flesh? Does it give you a sense of power you so clearly don't have; a speck of kingly glory in the filth you've shitted yourself to live in?

Say, Kat...-"

Ravenna turns towards the hooker. "-Did he even kiss his fist to soften the blow on your sweet face? Was he even that kind?"

Kat blinks in shock at the blatant question, on edge against the Queen's razor rage under sheath of grace.

She just shakes her head to say no.

Ravenna's tongue tip strikes in sequence against the top of her mouth, displaying her mock disapproval as her attention returns to Mills.

"We Chinese can be sort of big on manners, Mister Mills. You've clearly not obeyed any rule of that.

What can I punish you with?"

Ravenna turns to her crew. "Did you bring my makeshift tattoo shop, boys?"

They nod and leave, knowing it was time to bring in her inking guns.

Finger tips against soft lips, seemingly lost in wander; Ravenna asks.

"What does he usually like to do with you, Kat?"

"Eat me. I get bloody from it at times, I think."

A nerve rattles.

"Lip tat, it is, Mills. Fair warning, I don't think there'd be any lip left after all that ink.

I'll go easy on you and then the boys can beat you up and we let you leave crippled, at minimum. Fair deal, I say."

With a laudable audacity, Mills tosses his bloody spit at her feet, tainting the white of her boots.

"Fuck you, you bitch.

I ain't doing nothing to her your father didn't do to give birth to your crazy ass."

Yixing, her named commander, takes a step forward, knowing the skin of patience was about to wear thin.

Reining it in, Ravenna stands up, turning to Yixing as a distraction.

"You've made the boys grow awfully lazy if this is the amount of time that it takes them to bring in simple instruments."

Before Yixing could answer, the steel gates barge open again, the crew bringing in her armoury.

Mills grows frantic at the sight, his speech loses its hinges and his life loses its insurance.

"AND SHE AIN'T DOING ANYTHING YOUR MOMMA DIDN'T TO SPRING YOU OUT HER LEGS."

Everyone in her crew freezes, as if suspended in the stoppage of time.

"Shit." Yixing breathes as Ravenna turns, walking with fury breathing underneath her steps as her feet meets home with thunder against Mills's abdomen, rolling him over to his side as he groans in agony.

Memories unwelcome barge through the doors of her mind, blurring her vision with the unfocused lens of misery and rage. Her mother's smile; her glassed over eyes.

The flat of her heel plants itself against the pig's cheek, the thin length of the pencil of her heel being driven into the cavity of his ear, puncturing his hearing and mostly drilling a hole into his brain as his screams of agony pang fear into the bones of humans.

Her teeth merely clench to communicate madness with one another as her jaw tightens, while the useless melt of his brain drains out of his opposing ear.

"My 'momma' did far worse for me, scum."

Ravenna strikes out her feet, the bloodied vertical steel coming out of his skull with a sickly pop that stirs the whole room into sickness.

Screams were the sermons of agony; and everyone either hung their head in prayer in gratitude of this not being their fate and some stared in maddened marvel at this ungodly work.

Ravenna takes off her heels with a grace that refuses to be countered off, shoes hanging on two fingers as she hands the evidence over to Yixing.

He takes them and before her final decree could leave her lips, Mills shouts out one line of fatal incrimination.

"BUT THE BITCH AGREED TO THIS FOR EXTRA BUCKS.

FUCKING SHIT MAN."

Ravenna didn't even need to turn her head.

Kat, dumb enough to not weave her web of escape with lies and blame his dying delirium, decided to make a run for it.

She couldn't escape, her lackies were there to imprison her.

"PLEASE, PLEASE!" Kat screams. "I NEEDED MONEY FOR-"

She stops in some smartness, knowing whatever she confessed to next would worsen her brutality.

Unfazed, Ravenna's attention remains on Yixing as he takes her bloody boots dutifully.

"She has a kid." He says simply.

"I know." Ravenna replies.

"Make her watch. Look into the other girls. Grill them. For questions, that is.

Toss Mills into the meat grinder and tape Kat's eyes open if you have to.

Then feed the hounds his remains and have one of the lackies take them out for a shit when they're done digesting evidence."

"Yes, ma'am."

Ravenna turns, bare feet as she paints the last steps of her creation of chaos.

Volitions of violence filled her palette of pain; and the strokes fell upon hated pages and her skin alike.

{END}

[yasbxxgie]

King Blelvis

Below find an excerpt from the Washington Post article: King Blelvis - An Elvis Obsession Has His Life All Shook Up by Monica Hesse, Washington Post Staff Writer, Tuesday, August 14, 2007; C01 (an alternate version can also be located at Playahata):

Elvis recorded 1,112 songs.

Blelvis tells you this. He knows the words to them all.

Pick a song, any song, the more obscure the better. Pick a song that starts with Q –there’s only one – “Queenie Wahine’s Papaya,” recorded in 1965, released on “Paradise, Hawaiian Style.”

Please pick her papaya, put Queenie Wahine

In perfect perpetual –

Don’t like that one? Pick another. Blelvis will sidewalk-serenade you with any Elvis song you can think of, and all the ones you can’t. He says he knows the dialogue to every movie, too.

Now. Let Blelvis, the Black Elvis, tell you what he is not doing. He is not begging, and he is not homeless. But Blelvis would never dream of denying you the opportunity to donate to his favorite charity, which, incidentally, is named Blelvis. So he’ll just turn around, nice and discreet, while you see what you can spare. The best nation in the world is a do nation, and that’s the truth.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. Thanyavurramuch.

[…]

Below find an excerpts from Elvis & Racism - Elvis Presley Legacy is Cloudy Through Lens of Race by Christopher Blank, July 15, 2006:

[…] But the singer’s move to Hollywood struck many as an abandonment of his musical roots. Credibility with struggling black musicians faded when Elvis jumped to the big screen. ‘When he first started out in his career, Presley blurred racial lines’, Bertrand said. ‘But later on in his career he became, for lack of a better term, whiter. When he tried to become more middle class, he lost what people perceived were his black characteristics’. After Elvis’ death in 1977, white America’s continued idolization of the singer didn’t ride well with many black people who, particularly during the 1980s, saw their contributions to pop music overlooked and underexposed.

[...] In 1990, anti-Elvis sentiment exploded from black artists. The group Living Colour lashed out against the music industry through their song Elvis Is Dead: 'I’ve got a reason to believe / We all won’t be received at Graceland’. Raging against gang violence, poverty and inequality, rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy shouted what have become some of the group’s most enduring lyrics. 'Elvis was a hero to most / but he didn’t mean (expletive) to me you see / Straight up racist, that sucker was simple and plain / Mother (expletive) him and John Wayne / Cause I’m black and I’m proud, I’m ready and hyped plus I’m amped / Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps’. Recently, Chuck D explained that his attack was against the Elvis whose roots were whitewashed by his legacy. 'The Elvis that died wasn’t the same Elvis that was coming up’, Chuck D said. 'They said he was king. Based on who and what? Based on the quality of the people judging or the quality of his music? What does 'King of Rock and Roll’ mean growing up in a black household? My Chuck Berry records are still in my house. Little Richard is still in the house. Otis Redding and James Brown. The King of what?’

[…] As much as singer Mavis Staples loved Elvis and his music, his unbridled legacy bothered her. 'What helped Elvis was that when he did interviews, he would tell that he got it from blacks’, Staples said. 'Now one thing that I could say for myself was that when I came back to Memphis after Stax closed, maybe about five years later, I only saw Elvis. And that’s when I said, 'wait a minute’. Something should be out here about Stax. Just because it folded doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. And the people of Memphis should have remembered all of the music’.

[…] If ever there were a modern parallel, white rapper Eminem is a shoo-in. Like Elvis, Eminem grew up poor and honed his gift by studying black music and culture. Like Elvis, he’s popular with whites. Like Elvis, he’s become one of the most successful in the business. And like Elvis, Eminem has caught the acting bug.

Eminem doesn’t hesitate to point out the irony on his latest album The Eminem Show, produced by rapper and mentor Dr. Dre. 'I’m not the first king of controversy / I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley / To do black music so selfishly / And use it to get myself wealthy (Hey) / There’s a concept that works’.

Chuck D, a founding father of hip-hop and pop musicologist, said that accepting Elvis, and by extension other white crossover artists, might be easier for black Americans now that black artists are getting more credit and exposure. Several years ago, the Fox TV network sent him to Graceland to do a black-perspective news story about Elvis. The assignment opened his eyes. 'Elvis had to come through the streets of Memphis and turn out black crowds before he became famous’, Chuck D said. 'It wasn’t like he cheated to get there. He was a bad-ass white boy. Just like Eminem is doing today. The thing about today is that Eminem has more respect for black artists and black people and culture today than a lot of black artists themselves. He has a better knowledge where it comes from. Elvis had a great respect for black folk at a time when black folks were considered niggers, and who gave a damn about nigger music?’

Elvis Legacy according to degenerate record collector’s disease overmastered Ted Barron of Boogie Woogie Flu [v]

+Elvis: “The only thing Negroes can do for me is buy my records and shine my shoes.”: Snopes I Wikipedia +Chuck D: Official site I IMDB I Public Enemy Official Website +Eminem: Official site I IMDB I MySpace +Living Colour: Official site I MySpace +Mavis Staples: Official site I IMDB I MySpace

[cinephiled-com]

New Post has been published on Cinephiled

New Post has been published on http://www.cinephiled.com/interview-director-simon-aboud-beautiful-fantastic-jessica-brown-findlay/

Interview: Director Simon Aboud on ‘This Beautiful Fantastic’ with Jessica Brown Findlay

Simon Aboud’s This Beautiful Fantastic is a contemporary fairy tale revolving around the unlikely of friendship between a reclusive young woman and a cantankerous widower, set against the backdrop of a beautiful garden in the heart of London. Bella Brown (Jessica Brown Findlay) is a quirky young woman who dreams of writing and illustrating a successful children’s book. When she is forced by her landlord to deal with her neglected garden or face eviction, she meets her nemesis, Alfie Stephenson (Tom Wilkinson), a grumpy, loveless, rich old man who lives next door and happens to be an amazing horticulturalist. I talked to writer/director Simon Aboud about this charming film.

Danny Miller: I really enjoyed this film and would even say I found it a bit “magical” even though I normally am not able to use that description for a movie without vomiting a little! I think this one pulls it off beautifully because you don’t have characters that are too cute or one-dimensional or overly sentimental.

Simon Aboud: (Laughs.) I’m very glad that you found a way to use that word in a positive way!

I really appreciate how you’ve written these characters with flaws and issues that can negatively affect people’s lives but which they’re ultimately able to channel in a positive way. That’s always so interesting to me in movies.

I did a Q&A last week in Paris and someone asked me where I got the idea for Bella’s OCD. While this isn’t the first film I’ve directed, it is the first screenplay I wrote — it just took a long time to get it off the ground — and the OCD characteristic came from me, I have OCD! It’s changed over the years but, you know, it’s a painful thing to have and I love the symbolism in the film of Bella’s experience with nature. What she finds in Alfie is the opposite of what she’s dealing with — his garden is wild, he doesn’t try to control it. I thought that was the perfect contrast to her where everything has to be completely controlled. Since Bella knows she can’t control the outside world, she becomes more and more obsessed about her insular world that she feels she can control. So for me, I wanted to explore the possibility of her embracing the “mess” of the garden.

Bella’s particular OCD must have provided such a dream for your art director and set designers, I was fascinated by every inch of her house, I couldn’t even take in all the delicious details, I want to see the movie again just for that!

We did have a lot of fun with it. One of my favorite ones is the scene when the landlord is coming around and as Bella is walking to the door you can see in the background all of these shopping bags that she’s collected but they’re neatly organized into these extraordinary geometric shapes! I remember when the art department brought that to me, we all started crying with laughter. I think I said, id, “What the fuck is that?” It was such an interesting challenge to design Bella’s house — there’s a huge level of detail in every room!

The costumes, too, were also amazing in what they conveyed about each character.

Ian Fucher was our costume designer and he was amazing and worked very closely with me and the actors to figure out the best approach. Bella had this very distinctive neo-Amish look about her — all of her clothes were handmade. I liked the idea that she’d always be very covered up, everything is there for a reason. Ian really nailed the characters. With Vernon (played by Andrew Scott), we kind of ended up with mid-1990s sportswear meets bad jeans! I can remember Andrew coming up to me at the beginning and saying, “Wait, you’re fucking serious?” and then a few days later he said, “Oh, this is totally perfect!” He knew that Vernon wouldn’t spend that much time thinking about what he’s wearing.

And as odd as Billy’s (Jeremy Irvine) clothes were, I can see a high-end fashion designer running with that look which was like part Parisian municipal employee, part The Little Prince!

Exactly! Jeremy got very involved in what he was wearing. Like with the jackets, he kept asking us to add pockets so we ended up with pockets for everything and they were all full. Sometimes the pockets even had pockets! Billy’s costumes really provided a great journey for Jeremy.

Alfie’s garden was also rich with incredible detail.

Alfie’s garden was a real place that belongs to a great horticulturist called Peter Beardsley. I’m a very keen gardener myself and the moment I saw Peter’s garden I thought, “Oh, this is the one!” And Peter was nice enough to let us really amp it up — we brought in a lot of plants to add to what was there and Peter became our horticultural advisor, he was incredibly helpful and patient with this big film crew that was trampling through his very beautiful garden — we were very lucky to find him.

I know it’s not fair to say, but I thought Jessica Brown Findlay was so great in this part it was the role that finally killed off Lady Sybil (her much beloved character from the TV series Downton Abbey) for me! Until now whenever I saw she was in something, I was thinking, “Oh, Lady Sybil has a new movie!” but Bella finally got Sybil Branson out of my head once and for all!

(Laughs.) I know that she’d be very happy to hear that — and I think you’re absolutely right, she absolutely carries this film beautifully and just created a great character. Even though I wrote the script, I think it’s a very difficult chracter to inhabit without being too whimsical or too fuddy-duddy or whatever. Jessica brought a real fire in her belly to Bella and you could really believe she could look after herself even though she had her issues. That’s why I was very keen for Jessica to do it. When we first met she said “You know, you better watch out, you don’t want her coming off as some damp squid!” I think she’s just fantastic here, and I’ll tell her what you said about finally killing off Lady Sybil!

And needless to say, Tom Wilkinson is one of the best actors ever so what a joy to see him opposite Jessica.

Tommy, so great. He had actually been attached to the film three different times and by the time it got to the point where we were actually going to make it, I was praying that we could get to the starting line with him because he had a lot of other projects going on. But he stuck with us and I’m so grateful. You’ve got to be on you’re A-game with Tom every single day. He’d come over with the script and say, “I need to talk about this scene. “ You’ve got to justify every word on the page and as the writer and director we’d sometimes go back and forth. But you learn so much from people like that. And he was so great with the other actors, too, talking to them if they wanted to, even when he wasn’t involved in the scene. An absolute joy.

And even though he plays a curmudgeon here, it’s incredible how much emotion he’s able to convey.

When we did that great scene with him and Jessica when he starts to talk about his late wife and you realize, “Oh, he’s a human after all!” Tom did seven or eight takes of that scene and after every one of them, I’d look around and the entire crew was in tears.

This Beautiful Fantastic opens in select cities on March 10, 2017.

[metalskinpanic-blog]

GAINAX PRESENT YOU THE SPLENDID PERSONAL COMPUTER GAMES!

Here we have a product details chirashi (チラシ) given out by Oakland, California’s GENERAL PRODUCTS USA sometime in the early 90′s.  While I only recall them offering t-shirts and resin kits via mail-order, GP’s US branch also tried selling “compatible” Japanese language games to the American game market. So... with the help of an online OCR convertor I give you the original unaltered product details, enjoy.

A great number of computer games have been produced in the United States which varies from widely-known roll-playing games to movie-like storyteller games. Many of you probably have believed the States as an opinion representative in the computer game industry. But... it's time to look at it in a new light as computer games of GAINAX, well-known to everyone in the Japanese animation industry, so called Japanimation, has concentrated all its technique and experience into a group of computer games. Please open your eyes wide and be astonished at the latest and the most beautiful games never seen in the States. These are the our very be computer games.

Cybernetic High School III / Gun Buster!

Mysterious space monsters have arrived from outside of the solar system to destroy mankind completely. Noriko a daughter of Admiral Takaya, whose fleet was de stroyed, became a pilot of "Gun Buster", attack space monsters machine arms with her efforts and guts after rigorous training despite being bullied as "destroyed freet daughter". She now takes off to the space for a crucial battle!! Directer: Hideaki Anno, Picture directer:Toshiyuki Kubota, Character design:Haruhiko Mikimoto. This work burst out in 1988 with a slogan of "make your way for us!" and impressed animation fans immediately. This is a blazed up hot-blooded hard SF novel full of romantic adventure. Original animation story have now adapted it for the quiz adventure game with a little bit of erotic taste.

"A space string" holding the whole Galaxy together is about to be snapped!? "Great Gun Buster , ultra machine arms, can only save the crisise!! this strategy should never fall through. To secure the future of the space, crush rivals; Kazumi, Jung and Noriko:and aim at the pilot!

Get information from people and search the Fleet Exelion for three girls. When you find the girls, you can break into the quiz mode automatically. They will each challenge you with characteristic questions. You make a choice between two things, so you only need to click either “Yes” or “No” using a mouse. You win when you give over 80% of right answers. Four-round per person and a total of 600 questions are prepared. Can you break through this deadlock?!

Cybernetic High School IV / Ape Hunter J

In the 18th Year of Heisei era, an abnormal situation was developing in Japan, where people amused themselves with record breaking prosperity. That was "damage by apes". Those apes whose thyroid hormone was enlarged by ultraviolet rays poured through the broken ozone layer in 1980's and mated was causing a number of disasters in men’s society.

Then there appear hunters specialize in apes. You are one of the "Ape hunters". One day you were requested to search the Cybernetic High School for an ape possibly infiltrated school. The story section takes adventure style where you collect information by questioning. If you find a suspect, use the permission given by school master to play a quiz game with a girl. The game style changes when you have a match to make a choice among three things. The questions consists of maniac quiz and sports quiz. When you give over 80% of right answers, you win, and a girl takes off a clothes. You have to clear up the four levels and check if there is an ape tail in the bottom. You can play by clicking the screen by MOUSE

For NEC PC8801

Princess Maker

CHILDCARE SIMULATION GAME

The story begins when a hero who saved their country took charge of an adopted daughter after his retirement. Ten-years-old girl dreams of marring a prince. You must bring up a girl to a lady suitable for a princess for the next eight years till eighteen so as to realize your dear dream. This is a new type of simulation game that you experience a father of a daughter. To start with you must educate her to enter the castle. There are many things to learn;scholarship, etiquette, and military arts. She could cover the expense of education by working part time. This will be a good lesson for her. Once in a while, she'd better take a rest or go on a vacation and relax. Otherwise she might be ill with too much stress or might take to misconduct. Everyday communication is quite essential, too. As she grows, she starts to care about how towns people talk of her. It's not a had idea to take part in a beauty contest. You want to see the results of her military arts at an official meeting after hard training. It was long but short eight years. She's now eighteen years old. How did she grow up now? Has their dream came true?

For IBM PC/2 PC55 Series

SILENT MöBIUS

In 2023, mysterious lucifer folks, secretly invaded tram the odd world, was causing troubles one other another in cybernetic city Tokyo. Attacked Mystification Police Department (AMP)was established against them. Six beauties with special ability will challenge on the secret of the advent of lucifer folk and the creature traps caused by them.

The original author: Kia Asamiya. It's published serially in a monthly comics “Comic Compu” and rising in popularity. It’ sbeen advancing into the multimedia field; comics, character goods, novels, and at long last adapted for the games to meet your wishes.

All of a sudden in 2026, the Titanic which were believed to have sank deeply in the Atlantic Ocean at her maiden voyage, appeared up in the sky in Tokyo. You as a marine-archaeologist have get out to trace the movement of the Titanic and to clear up a mystery with five members of AP:Katumi, Nami, Yuki, Kiddy, and Lebia. GAINAX, known for “Royal Space Force" and “Gun buster”, presents you cyber psychic SF adventure of beautiful art!! Operation is easy. You can move by clicking the screen with a mouse. You must Solve the mystery by observing and analyzing every part of the ship remained as it was to 1912. On the way, you might have to throw yourself to their traps even though you know its existence when it's necessary. To take action s in the ship, you will form a group of three. There will he some story changes depending on the selection of characters, so you can enjoy the game over and over again. Now, can you break down the cleverly engineered traps by lucifer folks and put a stop to a tragic voyage in a limited time?

For SHARP 68000

SUPER Battle Skin Panic

“Rashin-kassatsu-ken is the strongest martial arts for assassination on earth, with which you become stronger by taking off your clothes. Mimi Bando, the last transmitter of the arts, entered your school. She intended to lead a life as an ordinary girl, but challengers approached her one after another aiming at the symbol of the transmitter. A plot by vicious people from the depth of the earth was half hidden and half visible behind the scene. A mystery arose another mystery and the rage of battles! !

This is card battle adventure game without caring about appearance. Can you survive through this battle? The story section advanced in an adventure style and the battles in a card battle style. A card battle being by selecting one card out of five cards.  (The number of the cards remains five.) The enemy fight with you by automatic computer operation. Various cards are dealt randomly and victory is matter of a chance and the strategy. Keep in mind not to take off too many clothes. Otherwise the shame point exceed 100 and won't be able to take part in a battle.