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the-merry-librarian · 5 months

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Set in an apocalyptic, mythical future, after the death of the gods and the Collapse of the world, Threads That Bind is an intriguing, layered mystery. Io Ora is moira-born, a descendant of the three Greek goddesses of fate, and as the youngest of three, she is representative of Lachesis—or, more colloquially known, a cutter: a severer of the threads between people. Stumbling across the scene of a violent and unexplainable murder, Io is drawn into the teeming underworld of half-sunken Alante, and into a conspiracy that changes everything she knows about her life and her family.

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy

Target Age Group:

Grades 9-12

Justification:

I love Greek mythology. This is probably something that people can intuit about me very quickly, just sort of based on the kind of person that I am. I grew up with D’Aulaires Book of Greek Myths and devoured the Percy Jackson series as a middle schooler, so when I read the synopsis of Threads, I was captured immediately by the premise—descendants of the gods with peculiar, miraculous powers. As for how I found it, I was browsing the BookRiot list of Best Books for Teens 2023. (Pretty prosaic.)

Evaluation:

For this review, I will be evaluating characters, plot, and setting. I’ll admit, it took a while for me to warm to the characters in this book. In the beginning, Io feels a little generic; she’s the typical troubled YA protagonist, with powers that ostracize her from others, and her personality felt muted and a little too understated. However, as the novel went on, more facets of her personality were revealed—her humor, her compassion, her strong senses of loyalty and justice. Other characters are at first presented a little one-dimensionally and could be summed up with brief titles: The Love Interest. The Mob Boss. The Older Sister. By the end of the novel, though, all of these characters have a little more depth to them. Edei, the love interest, is a lovable but quiet boy, with his own demons to face; Bianca, the mob boss, is more than a swaggering threat; Ava and Thais, the older sisters, offer their own unique brands of familial love and betrayal. While each of the cast has room to grow, I think that Threads reaches farther than many YA novels in their characterization, and allows further development in the sequels (one of which is already published; I anticipate a trilogy). The plot is also more ambitious and far-reaching than many YA novels I’ve read. It’s a mystery that begins with a murder, but it’s far more than that—Io finds herself hip-deep in a conspiracy from over a decade before, the consequences of which are still rippling through the city. Without giving away too many spoilers, I found the plot of Threads to be genuinely engaging. Intrigue didn’t have to be manufactured, it was simply generated by every new fact and twist that we discovered through the protagonist. The only aspect I didn’t immediately enjoy was the romantic subplot, although I suspect that’s a matter of personal preference: I’ve never been a huge fan of the soulmate trope. Finally, the setting of this book absolutely blew me away. Hatzopoulou’s description of this postapocalyptic world is rich and riveting—a moon that shattered into three, continents drowned under tides, cities that flood in the onslaught of neo-typhoons, isolated city-states that jealously guard resources, swarms of chimera-like beasts that crawl from the seas, and wars over the last clean water in the form of icebergs… and that’s everything that’s talked about in any kind of detail. There are references to parts of this world that haven’t even been explored in text, such as the Flying Orchards, but Hatzopoulou does such a good job of establishing the state of the world that once the Orchards are mentioned it’s easy to guess what they might be. The existence of other-born, humans with some kind of ancestry from a god or goddess, is almost unremarkable when compared to the rest of the world; it’s just a part of this new world, one that Hatzopoulou clearly put just as much thought into as the rest of it. I really enjoyed this book. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t hooked right away—it did take me a while to get into. But, I think, if one can get past the first fifty pages or so, it’s worth finishing. I absolutely recommend it to fantasy-loving teens, readers of mystery stories, and anyone interested in new interpretations of mythology.

References:

Doherty, A. (2023, October 5). The 20 best books for teens: 2023 picks. BOOK RIOT. https://bookriot.com/best-books-for-teens-2023/ Hatzopoulou, K. (2023). Threads That Bind. Penguin Young Readers Group. Penguin Young Readers. (n.d.). Threads that bind by Kika Hatzopoulou. PenguinRandomhouse.com. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/713492/threads-that-bind-by-kika-hatzopoulou/

#threads that bind #a: kika hatzopoulou #tag: young adult #g: fiction #g: fantasy

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thexgrayxlady · 6 months

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What I read in October and November

The Drowning City by Amanda Drownum - 2.75/5.00 While it was a fun adventure in an interesting setting, the character motivations felt muddy. I wanted to like the complicated politics, but the plot was sometimes hard to follow and didn't involve as much necromancy as I would have liked. I'd still give the next book in the series a chance if I found it at the used book superstore.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield - 2.00/5.00 I don't think this book is bad, it was just sold to me as something it wasn't. If this was recommended to you because you loved Into the Drowning Deep and wanted to scratch that deep sea horror itch, you may be entitled to financial compensation. If you're interested in a slightly surreal meditation on grief, with very pretty writing check it out.

The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis - 2.50/5.00 As a debut novel, it's pretty good, but I wasn't quite feeling it. I didn't realize that it was going to be as romance focused as it was, but that's my bad. I just thought I was getting something a little more Castlevania. The setting is fantastic and well described. I am all about the gaslamp fantasy right now. The magic feels really magical and fantastic in a way that sometimes a harder magic system doesn't.

Unfortunately, the main characters are a bit flat and I don't think the story was served particularly well by having both POVs. They have more chemistry with every other character they interact with than each other. I loved Domek's relationship with Kaja, but Domek on his own does not have a strong presence on the page. Ora has a very strong Not Like Other Pijavica vibe that gets old very quickly. She views the rest of her kind as monstrous vermin to an extent where when she feels betrayed by Domek being a lamp lighter, it feels disingenuous and unearned. If we saw more pijavica like her, who just want to go about their unlife in peace, that betrayal would hit much harder. The ending has a bad antagonist pileup that leads to none of the antagonists feeling as impactful as if the author had just stuck to one.

Even with all that in mind, I think the author has a lot of potential and I would love to see how she develops as a writer. You could tell that she had a good time writing this.

Dracula's Child by JS Barnes - 3.25/5.00 I genuinely like this book, and it's interesting to read a Dracula sequel written in the style of the original novel. It builds slowly, but the letters, journal entries, and newspaper clippings are mostly short, so the book doesn't feel quite as long as it is. Unfortunately, it also makes it really easy to put it down until it really gets going. But when the horror starts to hit, it really hits. All that being said, it was good to catch up with my good friends Jonathan and Mina. However, I just preferred The City of Doctor Moreau.

Murtagh by Christopher Paolini - 4.50/5.00 This is a completely biased review. I don't know if I can confidently say that this book is good, only that it brought me immeasurable joy. I loved every second of it. I would absolutely 100% read another seven hundred pages of this. Hell, I would read another 700 pages of Murtagh and Thorn doing slice of life things and side quests.

I love Murtagh and Thorn's relationship so much. They are so good to each other and deserve to have fun and act their age and not have so many responsibilities and problems thrown on them. The scene where they were just playing together is by far the best scene in the book.

I haven't read the original quartet since high school so I don't remember much, but I feel like this book does a good job getting you back up to speed. I feel like Murtagh approaches magic in a very different way than Eragon and sometimes it's very interesting and creative and sometimes you get, "Fuck it. Brute force time." Like, there is something very entertaining about a character both sorting out a magical laser beam and going, "I don't have time to figure out a clever way around your wards, so I'm going to harden the air around your head and you're going to suffocate."

As a board certified, card carrying Oldest Daughter, I liked that Murtagh was really bitter about how things turned out for him. I completely understood why he would rather swallow broken glass than ask Eragon for help. I know people thought that Murtagh and Thorn were too angsty and made stupid choices, but they are very young and have been traumatized for their whole lives, so they deserve some bad choices and bad emo poetry. As a treat. And Thorn deserves to say snarky things about said emo poetry. As a treat.

I know that some people thought that the torture went on for far too long, but I was down for it. If anything, I would have wanted more.

That being said, I have my gripes with it. The pacing is weird, and while I was just vibing and having a good time, I could see why someone wouldn't like it. The ending is very abrupt, and I wasn't the biggest fan of how some things played out. Paolini is not very good at writing poetry. I would have preferred fewer poems and Thorn snarking more at the ones we get.

The main villain's name is really stupid, and I couldn't get over it. I know it's not pronounced the way it's spelled, but I couldn't get over it. There are definitely more than a few moments where the author is too clever for his own good. Like, dammit Paolini. don't use an archaic spelling of a common word, when it looks so much like a typo, on the first page. It sends the wrong message about the quality control that went into your book.

I still think that Paolini isn't good at writing romance. While Murtagh and Nasuada are, by thin margins, his least bad romance, I'm happy it's kept to a minimum. While I'm not sure I'd read a future installment, I hope that it is similarly in the background because there are scenes from To Sleep in a Sea of Stars that I cannot unhear. I am scared by them. I am entitled to financial compensation.

In the most affectionate way possible, I hope that this book finds its way to the lonely middle school girl who needs it.

#Gray Reads Stuff #I've posted this by mistake like four times already #I didn't read much the last few weeks because I got BG3 as a birthday treat #I was in a big vampire mood in October #I had so many thoughts about Murtagh #I considered posting that review separately

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ballonleaparadise · 3 years

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Coming of Age, Part One: Decisions

So this is the first part of a swsh fic that I've been working on. I really enjoyed writing this, and hope you enjoy reading it! <3

Summary: As 17 year old Hop prepares for University, Gloria has other matters on her mind.

Word Count: 1,356

Also on A03:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/35106007

Sonia's labcoat projected the same shade of white as the ceramic tiles below. The general ora of the building today was pale and bleak, assimilar to the grizzly weather outside. Another wet day in Galar. To Hop, like most seventeen year olds, the idea of lazing around at home seemed much more appealing. However, he wanted to help out at the lab after school, even during mid October, when the days grew shorter.

"Which book did you need?" Hop asked over his shoulder.

Sonia looked up from her microscope: "The pros and cons of dynamaxing. By the way, have you looked through your college options?"

Hop stumbled down the staircase, hauling the heavy novel: "Yeah- Hammerlocke, Hulbury, Wyndon..."

"Do you have a favourite?" She asked promptly.

Hop sat next to her; "I was actually thinking about studying in another region, preferably Kalos. What do you think of Lumiose City Uni? It would be tough."

"That's such a great opportunity Hop! You should definitely apply. Make sure you have back up options though."

Sonia told Hop how difficult it was to get a place at Lumiose City University, and how he would have to take an entrance exam. Magnolia presented a collection of photos from her travels through Kalos, from ancient cities to sparse rural areas. Hop took pride in Sonia's approval. He considered the experience he would gain from University, and how it would make Leon proud.

The cool air spat an ouburst of drizzle, while Hop navegated the town centre. Wedgehurst was at its busiest on late Friday afternoons. Gloria and her mother, Fiona were leaving the shop, as Hop closed his umbrella. Gloria's dark hair was a little longer than it used to be, cropped just above her shoulders. The sun was beginning to emerge from the cloud cover, projecting light onto the waves of her locks. Fiona was a small lady with spectacles who carried herself well, her dark eyes resembling Gloria's.

"Did you remember about this weekend? Camping?" Gloria asked brightly, upon seeing Hop. The two occasionally went camping as a break from routine. In the local highlands, no present worries seemed important.

"Yeah! I just need to pack" Hop replied.

Gloria twirled a strand of hair; "Don't worry, I'll come over at about half five."

"At this time of year, are you sure?" Fiona asked.

"We'll be fine, it's clearing up." Gloria said assuringly.

The country road back was discouraging. A hurricane of leaves obstructed Hop's view, amomgst the light rain. Through the misty horizen, he could make out the omninous outline of upcoming mountains. Hop would only be the second person from his household to attend University. Lee was never given the opportunity due to his Champion duties, and their father was a gym leader from a young age. Their mother, on the other hand, was a graduate. She had been a pokemon science teacher, before they moved to Postwick. Now, she owned small business in Wedgehurst, unrelated to her last job, which Hop struggled to fathom.

The relief of stepping into a warm cottege was one of Hop's favourite things about living in Postwick. In the highlands of Galar, it was never too hot and the air was crisp, which suited Dubwool perfectly. Mum's face appeared at the kitchen door, "You okay darling? Your brother's here." Hearing her words, Hop rushed to the kitchen.

Leon was standing by the worktop, assembling some sort of electromic device. "Busy?" Hop teased.

Leon lifted his gaze: "Hop! Have you heard of a Pokegear?"

"Yeah, Sonia has one."

"Oh, of course...Early birthday present?" Lee sealed battery cabinet.

Hop stared in awe of the gadget. The case was deep blue, like that of his old rotom phone. His 18th was not upcoming until December, but it wasn't unusual for his brother to bring a gift home from work.

Leon turned on the screen, looking pleased with himself: "I thought as you're planning on going to Uni next year, this would help. It's a phone but it also has a radio and map- cool, huh?"

"Thank you Lee!" Hop beamed, "I'll look after it."

Before Leon had to dash back off for the Battle Tower, Mum gave them a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Usually, her eldest son stayed until Sunday, but as the League Chairman, his working hours were unpredictable. Leon offered to give Hop a hug on the way out, to which his little brother gave him a handshake. Hop didn't do hugs anymore- he was too grown up for that. He faintly heard Riahan's voice from outside, when Leon joined him in the flying taxi. "Don't forget your map of Wyndon, you never know when you'll get lost again" Hop heard Riahan laughing. Riahan was Hop's favourite gym leader- he was down to earth and easy going.

The storm seemed relentless that afternoon. Rain splattered against the desk window, sour and unpleasant as the stagnant mist. Hop still needed to ask his brother and Mum about the University application. Biting his nails, he turned to face a Bayleaf sketch that Sonia had drawn, where a League Tournament Poster had once been. Below, a bookcase which they'd installed three years ago was saturated with novels from the lab. Upon the top shelf perched a collection of Dymamaxing research. On the very bottom shelf lay some of Leon's books that Hop had devoured as a kid. As a child, he would scour every book in the house, watch all of Lee's matches, and try anything that would give him advantage as a trainer. Those days were long gone.

While the rain beckoned, Hop rang Gloria. They agreed to only set off if the weather improved. Hop spoke to the Champion in length about anything, but there was a subject which neither of them would speak of. Rumours suggesting Chairman Roses' release were floating around Hop's school, although nothing was confirmed. Hop resisted the urge to tell Bede, until the truth was clear.

***

"Opal thinks I should go on another journey." Bede announced back in August.

The two gym leaders perched opposite Hop and Gloria, their backs to the intense sunlight. The Isle of Armour was a sweet refuge during the summer. Beneath the cliff, sapphire waves oscillated in varying frequencies.

Marnie plucked a fragment of grass from the undergrowth: "I think you should. I want to go an' train in Kanto, but Piers reckons it's too far."

"You should both go! Travelling will give you a lot of experience." Hop said enthusiastically.

Gloria sheltered her face from the light: "You should convince Piers to let you go, Marnie."

Marnie shrugged: "If my bro ain't happy 'bout it, I don't know what to do. Emilie demands a yes to everything, but then she's the youngest."

On cue, Piers returned from the beach with Opal, who was frail but still dignified in her old age.

"Nothin' like spendin' time here with me, aye Marn?" Piers chuckled.

"I'm sure she's just as happy taking care of herself" Opal winked at Marnie. "Have you made your mind up about your journey yet, Bede?"

Hop also felt uncertain about travelling. Three years spent studying Kalos would limit how often he would be able to see his family, and Gloria for that matter.

***

Eventually, the thick mist turned to a clear evening glow. At 5:30, Gloria's velvet voice seeped through the door. Hop rushed to tidy himself in the mirror: He was tall and slender- and his shoe laces were undone.

"Good grief, I thought the storm was never going to end." Gloria recalled, entering. Only someone as adventurous as the Champion would go hiking at the chilly time of year. The pair left after dinner, before sun set. Soggy clay stuck to Hop's sneakers, and they squelched with every footing. Stubborn winds tugged at the Champion's berret, as she stumbled over patches of granite. The mountains ahead resembled shards of green glass, against the pale late-day light. After the sun submerged beneath the clouds, they stopped by a lake. "Here" Champion Gloria declared, unloading her backpack; "This is the spot."

#long post #pokemon hop #rival hop #pokemon gloria #champion gloria #pokemon leon #champion leon #piers #marnie #bede #opal #raihan #pokemon swsh #galar region #pokemon fic #dubwool #postwickshipping #pokemon sword and shield

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letterboxd · 3 years

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Noir Zealand Road Trip.

Breakout noir filmmaker James Ashcroft speaks to Letterboxd’s Indigenous editor Leo Koziol about his chilling new movie Coming Home in the Dark—and reveals how Blue Velvet, Straw Dogs and a bunch of cult New Zealand thrillers are all a part of his Life in Film.

“Many different types of feet walk across those lands, and the land in that sense is quite indifferent to who is on it. I like that duality. I like that sense of we’re never as safe as we would like to think.” —James Ashcroft

In his 1995 contribution to the British Film Institute’s Century of Cinema documentary series, Sam Neill described the unique sense of doom and darkness presented in films from Aotearoa New Zealand as the “Cinema of Unease”.

There couldn’t be a more appropriate addition to this canon than Māori filmmaker James Ashcroft’s startling debut Coming Home in the Dark, a brutal, atmospheric thriller about a family outing disrupted by an enigmatic madman who calls himself Mandrake, played in a revelatory performance by Canadian Kiwi actor Daniel Gillies (previously best known for CW vampire show The Originals, and as John Jameson in Spider-Man 2). Award-winning Māori actress Miriama McDowell is also in the small cast—her performance was explicitly singled out by Letterboxd in our Fantasia coverage.

Based on a short story by acclaimed New Zealand writer Owen Marshall, Ashcroft wrote the screenplay alongside longtime collaborator Eli Kent. It was a lean shoot, filmed over twenty days on a budget of just under US $1 million. The film is now in theaters, following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, where it made something of an impact.

Erik Thomson, Matthias Luafutu, Daniel Gillies and Miriama McDowell in a scene from ‘Coming Home in the Dark’.

Creasy007 described the film as “an exciting New Zealand thriller that grabs you tight and doesn’t let you go until the credits are rolling.” Jacob wrote: “One of the most punishingly brutal—both viscerally and emotionally—first viewings I’ve enjoyed in quite a while. Will probably follow James Ashcroft’s career to the gates of Hell after this one.”

Filmgoers weren’t the only ones impressed: Legendary Entertainment—the gargantuan production outfit behind the Dark Knight trilogy and Godzilla vs. Kong—promptly snapped up Ashcroft to direct their adaptation of Devolution, a high-concept novel by World War Z author Max Brooks about a small town facing a sasquatch invasion after a volcanic eruption. (“I find myself deep in Sasquatch mythology and learning a lot about volcanoes at the moment,” says the director, who is also writing the adaptation with Kent.)

Although Coming Home in the Dark marks his feature debut, Ashcroft has been working in the creative arts for many years as an actor and theater director, having previously run the Māori theater company Taki Rua. As he explains below, his film taps into notions of indigeneity in subtle, non-didactic ways. (Words in the Māori language are explained throughout the interview.)

Kia ora [hello] James. How did you come to be a filmmaker? James Ashcroft: I’ve always loved film. I worked in video stores from the age thirteen to 21. That’s the only other ‘real job’ I’ve ever had. I trained as an actor, and worked as an actor for a long time. So I had always been playing around with film. My first student allowance that I was given when I went to university, I bought a camera, I didn’t pay for my rent. I bought a little handheld Sony camera. We used to make short films with my flatmates and friends, so I’ve always been dabbling and wanting to move into that.

After being predominantly involved with theater, I sort of reached my ceiling of what I wanted to do there. It was time to make a commitment and move over into pursuing and creating a slate of scripts, and making that first feature step into the industry. My main creative collaborator is Eli Kent, who I’ve been working with for seven years now. We’re on our ninth script, I think.

But Coming Home in the Dark, that was our first feature. It was the fifth script we had written, and that was very much about [it] being the first cab off the rank; about being able to find a work that would fit into the budget level that we could reasonably expect from the New Zealand Film Commission. I also wanted to make sure that piece was showing off my strengths and interests—being a character-focused, actor-focused piece—and something that we could execute within those constraints and still deliver truthfully and authentically to the story that we wanted to tell and showcase the areas of interest that I have as a filmmaker, which have always been genre.

Do you see the film more as a horror or a thriller? We’ve never purported to be a horror. We think that the scenario is horrific, some of the events that happen are horrific, but this has always been a thriller for me and everyone involved. I think, sometimes, because of the premiere and the space that it was programmed in at Sundance, being in the Midnight section, there’s a sort of an association with horror or zany comedy. For us it’s more about, if anything, the psychological horror aspect of the story.

It’s violent in places, obviously, but there’s very little violence actually committed on screen. It’s the suggestion. The more terrifying thing is what exists in the viewer’s mind [rather] than necessarily what you can show on screen. My job as a storyteller is to provoke something that you can then flesh out and embellish more in your own psyche and emotions. It’s a great space, the psychological thriller, because it can deal with the dramatic as well as some of those more heightened, visceral moments that horror also can touch on.

Director James Ashcroft. / Photo by Stan Alley

There’s a strong Māori cast in your film. Do you see yourself as a Māori filmmaker, or a filmmaker who is Maori? Well, I’m a Māori everything. I’m a father, I’m a husband, I’m a friend. Everything that I do goes back to my DNA and my whakapapa [lineage]. So that’s just how I view my identity and my world. In terms of categorizing it, I don’t put anything in front of who I am as a storyteller. I’m an actor, I’m a director. I follow the stories that sort of haunt me more than anything. They all have something to do with my experience and how I see the world through my identity and my life—past, present and hopefully future.

In terms of the cast, Matthias Luafutu [who plays Mandrake’s sidekick Tubs], he’s Samoan. Miriama McDowell [who plays Jill, the mother of the family] is Māori. I knew that this story, in the way that I wanted to tell it, was always going to feature Māori in some respect. Both the ‘couples’, I suppose you could say—Hoaggie [Erik Thomson] and Jill on one side and Tubs and Mandrake on the other—I knew one of each would be of a [different] culture. So I knew I wanted to mirror that.

Probably more than anything, I knew if I had to choose one role that was going to be played by a Māori actor, it was definitely going to be Jill, because for me, Jill’s the character that really is the emotional core and our conduit to the story. Her relationship with the audience, we have to be with her—a strong middle-class working mother who has a sort of a joy-ness at the beginning of the film and then goes through quite a number of different emotions and realizations as it goes along.

Those are sometimes the roles that Māori actors, I often feel, don’t get a look at usually. That’s normally a different kind of actor that gets those kinds of roles. And then obviously when Miriama McDowell auditions for you it’s just a no-brainer, because she can play absolutely anything and everything. I have a strong relationship with Miriama from drama-school days, so I knew how to work with her on that.

Once you put a stake in the ground with her, then we go, right, so this is a biracial family, and her sons are going to be Māori and that’s where the Paratene brothers, who are brothers in real life, came into the room, and we were really taken with them immediately. We threw out a lot of their scripted dialogue in the end because what we are casting is that fundamental essence and energy that exists between two real brothers that just speaks volumes more than any dialogue that Eli and I could write.

Matthias Luafutu as Tubs in ‘Coming Home in the Dark’.

What was your approach to the locations? [The area we shot in] is very barren and quite harsh. I spent a lot of time there in my youth, and I find them quite beautiful places. They are very different kinds of landscapes than you normally see in films from our country. We didn’t want to go down The Lord of the Rings route of images from the whenua [land] that are lush mountains and greens and blues, even though that’s what Owen Marshall had written.

I was very keen, along with Matt Henley, our cinematographer, to find that duality in the landscape as well, because the whole story is about that duality in terms of people, in terms of this world, and that grey space. So that’s why we chose to film in those areas.

Regarding the scene where Tubs sprinkles himself with water: including this Māori spiritual element in the film created quite a contrast. That character had partaken in something quite evil, yet still follows a mundane cultural tradition around death. What are your thoughts on that? Yeah. I’m not really interested in black-and-white characters of any kind. I want to find that grey space that allows them to live within more layers in the audience’s mind. So for me—and having family who have spent time in jail, or knowing people who have gone through systems like state-care institutions as well as moving on to prison—just because you have committed a crime or done something in one aspect of your life, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room and there aren’t other aspects that inform your identity that you also carry.

It’s something that he’s adopted for whatever reasons to ground him in who he is. And they can sit side by side with being involved in some very horrendous actions, but also from Tubs’ perspective, these are actions which are committed in the name of survival. You start to get a sense Mandrake enjoys what he does rather than doing it for just a means to the end. So any moment that you can start to create a greater sense of duality in a person, I think that means that there’s an inner life to a world, to a character, that’s starting to be revealed. That’s an invitation for an audience to lean into that character.

Erik Thomson and Daniel Gillies in ‘Coming Home in the Dark’.

What is the film that made you want to get into filmmaking? The biggest influence on me is probably David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. I saw that when I was ten years old. A babysitter, my cousin, rented it. It’s not a film that a ten-year-old should see, by the way. I was in Lower Hutt, there in my aunty’s house, and it was very cold, and there’s a roaring fire going. My cousin and her boyfriend were sitting on a couch behind me, and they started making out. I sort of knew something was going on behind me and not to look. So I was stuck between that and Dennis Hopper huffing nitrous, and this very strange, strange world opening up before me on the television.

I’ve had a few moments like that in my life [where a] film, as well as the circumstance, sort of changed how I view the world. I think something died that day, but obviously something was born. You can see what Lynch did in those early works, especially Blue Velvet. You don’t have to go too far beneath the surface of suburbia or what looks normal and nice and welcoming to find that there’s a complete flip-side. There’s that duality to our world, which we like to think might be far away, but it’s actually closer than you think.

That speaks to Coming Home in the Dark and why that short story resonated with me the first time I read it. Even in the most beautiful, scenically attractive places in our land, many different types of feet walk across those lands, and the land in that sense is quite indifferent to who is on it. I like that duality. I like that sense of we’re never as safe as we would like to think. Blue Velvet holds a special place in my heart.

What other films did you have in mind when forming your approach to Coming Home in the Dark? Straw Dogs, the Peckinpah film. The original. Just because it plays in that grey space. Obviously times have changed, and you read the film in different ways now as you might have when it first came out. But that was a big influence because there was a moral ambiguity to that film; those lines of good and bad or black and white, they don’t apply anymore. It just becomes about what happens when people are put under extreme pressure and duress, and they abandon all sense of morals. The Offence by Sidney Lumet would be another one, very much drawn to that ’70s ilk of American and English filmmaking.

‘Coming Home in the Dark’ was filmed on location around the wider Wellington region of New Zealand.

Is there a New Zealand film that’s influenced you significantly? There’s a few. I remember watching The Lost Tribe when it was on TV. That really scared me. I just remember the sounds of it. Mr. Wrong was a great ghost story. That stuck with me for a long time. The Scarecrow. Once I discovered Patu! [Merata Mita’s landmark documentary about the protests against the apartheid-era South African rugby tour of New Zealand in 1981], that sort of blew everything out of the water, because that was actually my first induction and education that this was something that even occurred. I think I saw that when I was about eighteen. That this was something that occurred in our history and had ramifications that were other than just a rugby game.

And Utu, every time I watch that, it doesn’t lose its resonance. I get something new from it every time. It’s a great amalgamation of identity, culture, of genre, and again, plays in that grey space of accountability. Utu still has that power for me. It’s one of those films, when it’s playing, I’ll end up sitting down and just being glued to the screen.

It’s a timeless classic. I will admit that when I watched your film, The Scarecrow did immediately come to mind, as did Garth Maxwell’s Jack Be Nimble. Yeah. [Jack Be Nimble] was really frightening. Again, it was that clash of many different aspects. There was a psychosexual drama there. You’ve got this telekinetic mind control and that abuse and that hunkering down of an isolated family. There are plenty of New Zealand films that have explored a sort of similar territory. They’re all coming to me now.

Bad Blood has a great sense of atmosphere and photography and the use of soundscape to create that shocking sense of isolation and terror in these quick, fast, brutal moments, which then just sort of are left to ring in the air. But I love so much of New Zealand cinema, especially the stuff from the ’80s.

Kia ora [good luck], James. Kia ora.

Related content

Leo’s Letterboxd list of Aotearoa New Zealand Scary-As Movies Adapted from Literature

Dave’s Cinema of Unease list

A Brutal Stillness: Gregory’s list of patient, meditative genre films

Sailordanae’s list of Indigenous directors of the Americas

Follow Leo on Letterboxd

‘Coming Home in the Dark’ is available now in select US theaters and on VOD in the US and New Zealand. All photographs by Stan Alley / GoldFish Creative. Comments have been edited for length and clarity.

#coming home in the dark #letterboxd #daniel gillies #james ashcroft #maori culture #maori movie #maori director #native director #indigenous film #miriama mcdowell #noir #new zealand noir #leo koziol #imagiNATIVE

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ampleappleamble · 3 years

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⭐

In chapter 9 of Anthem Infinitum, Kana straight up admits (to himself) that he's developing feelings for Axa, citing her intellect, her looks, her strength, all the things they have in common– just before she blurts something rude and expresses a strong dislike for the sea, which he holds dear. I wanted to slip this little scene in to imply a few things: mainly that Kana and Axa will not be hooking up (Axa/Aloth OTP, although Kana will get to kiss her first!), but also a little hint about Kana's constant idealism causing trouble for him. He basically lists a color-by-numbers set of reasons why he and Axa are well-suited for one another, almost like he expects the whole romance to play out like a classic novel– he even has a sort of Betty and Veronica thing going with Aloth competing for her attention! He thinks, perhaps, that pursuing her is what he's supposed to do, to want, so how could it turn out wrong? It'll be a few more chapters before he'll get down to Gabranno's office, but he'll learn there that life doesn't always shake out the way you think it should, or the way the stories make it seem like it should– and extrapolating from that, even though it seems like he and Axa "should" be perfect for each other, they simply have no chemistry as lovers. And that, just like the disappointment of finding the Tanvii ora Toha shattered, that isn't necessarily a bad thing!

#thanks for ask! ♡♡♡#poe anthem infinitum

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popentertainment-moviereviews · 3 years

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TWIST (2021)

Starring Raff Law, Michael Caine, Lena Headey, Rita Ora, Sophie Simnett, Noel Clarke, David Walliams, Franz Drameh, Jason Maza, Dominic Di Tommaso, Leigh Francis, Samuel Leakey, Sally Collett, Martin Owen, Finley Pearson, Jade Alleyne, Adam J Bernard, Elliot James Langridge, Decca Heggie, Stephen Uppal and Tanya Burr.

Screenplay by John Wrathall & Sally Collett.

Directed by Martin Owen.

Distributed by Saban Films. 92 minutes. Rated R.

If you ever wondered what would happen if Charles Dickens’ classic title character of Oliver Twist were a parkour-jumping graffiti artist in modern London – well, I guess now you can find out.

Luckily, Dicken’s novel is a sturdy enough piece of storytelling that it can be massaged into some odd shapes; the book also inspired the classic musical Oliver! in the sixties. While in the long run Twist doesn’t work as a movie, it is often pretty watchable, mostly because of its canny choice of source material.

The basic storyline of a young orphan in London who falls in with a band of petty thieves is for the most part intact here. However, unlike the in original story, Twist portrays its hero as a young adult (although there are some flashbacks to his childhood). Oliver Twist is played by Raff Law (son of Jude Law and actress Sadie Frost, who is a spitting image of his dad, and shares some of his film charisma).

Twist changes things simply to change them. Beyond it being set in the modern day and everyone being older in this telling than the children of the novel, the classic characters of The Artful Dodger (rechristened Dodge) and Bill Sikes (called merely Sikes here) are both played by women (singer Rita Ora and Game of Thrones star Lena Headey). Also, the criminal “family” is no longer made up of common pickpockets, now they are high-end art thieves.

In fact, honestly, other than the names and the basic premise, Twist really doesn’t have all that much in common with the novel it is supposedly based upon – or at least it takes some huge liberties with the plot. It is no longer a drama – and no one breaks out in song – now it’s more of a hyperactive Guy Ritchie-esque action caper film. And certainly, Dickens never imagined his characters hopping from roof to roof like extreme daredevils and tagging high rise buildings.

The filmmakers were smart enough to hire Michael Caine to play the central character of Fagin, the elder ringleader of the band of misfits. This is nearly perfect casting, even if Caine doesn’t exactly exert himself in this role. (You sort of get the feeling that he recognizes the fact that the film is going a little wonky, so as an old pro he just powers through as best he can.) Frankly, I wish he had let loose a little more in the part to explore the literary Fagin’s eccentric side – Caine plays him more like a fatherly small-time mob boss – but Caine is still the best thing here.

Law, in his first starring rule, does his best. He is likable, but he is saddled with a role that is frequently kind of ridiculous and some awful dialogue, so the best we can say is that Twist shows he has the potential to be a star like his dad, somewhere down the line. Ora and Headey also have roles that don’t quite work – although Headey sells the cartoonish villainy of goth lesbian tough Sikes with gusto.

Beyond Caine, the actor who comes out looking best is Sophie Simnett, adding dimensions that aren’t really in the script to the character of Red (a.k.a. Nancy, as she was named in the book and is occasionally called here). Red is caught in the middle of an ugly love triangle between Sikes (who she is obviously trying to get away from but who won’t let her free), and the cute new stunt-jumping urban artist Twist.

All of this leads to an overly busy and not very believable art heist in which plot coherence plays second fiddle to what the filmmakers feel would seem like cool stunts – including even more of those inexplicable rooftop jumps.

I do believe there is a place in the world for a modern-day variation of Oliver Twist. After all, many good modern films have been loosely based on the classics – including Clueless, Bridget Jones’s Diary, 10 Things I Hate About You, Easy A, She’s All That, She’s the Man and even sort of The Dark Knight Rises. Also, a couple of years ago, a different Dickens novel was totally reinvented (although not in the modern day) with the terrific The Personal History of David Copperfield.

Sadly, Twist couldn’t quite make that leap. (See what I did there?) However, you must give them a certain amount of credit for having the bravery to try.

Dave Strohler

youtube

#Twist #2021 #movie review #Michael Caine #Dave Strohler

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1358456 · 4 years

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Pokemon “Evolution”

It occurs to me, and has every single time when I wrote a chapter that mentioned or had Pokemon evolving, that... why is it called that?

When a caterpillar becomes a butterfly... it’s not “evolving”, it’s just undergoing metamorphosis. It’s just different stages of the same life cycle. I guess in English, the phrase “it’s undergoing metamorphosis!” might be too long or something. But in Japanese, you just add another couple of hanja characters and there you go. So... hmm.

I know of few other games that have “evolution” in it, and even in there, it’s not what “evolution” is supposed to be in real life. ... Then again, the theory of evolution in real life simply does not ever work and is just a pile of self-contradicting horsesh*t, so the “evolution” in games has nothing to really compare with.

I’d imagine that the game developers decide to have “evolution” in their game, and then research it, and then realize that it’s just nothing but assumptions, circular reasoning, and breaking laws of science. A few months ago, I said something about what happens if a theory breaks a law. If a theory breaks a law or a law contradicts a theory, you discard the theory because a law is absolute. So what happens if a theory breaks all sorts of science laws? Then get rid of the theory because it was made by someone who didn’t know these laws. And sure enough, the theory of evolution was made by someone who had no knowledge of any of these laws, who even said in his last book that geological evidence provides clear and critical objections to his theory.

I also recall saying that if you apply every science law in a fictional universe, you just wind up back in the real world with no variation. Pokemon games break laws of science, of course. One common one that you see all the time would be... the law of genetics. Ignoring species hybridization due to technical limitations (the games won’t have nearly enough space for every possible Pokemon hybrid), the IVs don’t work the way they should. If you ever looked into RNG abuse in Generation III ~ V, you know that a Pokemon offspring has 6 IVs, and only 3 come from the parents and the other 3 are randomized. And it’s also possible for all 3 of the inherited IVs to have come from the same parent. With Destiny Knot in Generation VI and VII, 5 of the 6 IVs are transferred while the remaining 1 is randomized. But every single creature in this entire planet has 100% of its DNA inherited from its parents. Nothing new is ever added. But in the games, something new is added. Otherwise, you can never get IV 31 unless you already had IV 31. ... Of course, are IVs the same as DNA? No, but it’s as close as it gets. Once again, technical limitations. DNA is far too complex to incorporate in a game whose processors have less capacity than the DNA itself.

And has any Pokemon ever used a Fire type move DOWNWARDS? Because fire doesn’t work that way. Sorry Y, but no strafing runs of fire, because you’ll only burn yourself.

And this is why you can’t dig too deep into a fictional setting. Would any game/novel creator go through such lengths to incorporate every real life mechanic? Hahaha.

That said, Pokemon universe does get some things right, such as... the law of biogenesis: life is only ever created from life. In the Pokemon world, where did anything come from? Arceus created it. Arceus also creates Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina at the same time, because in real world, time, space, and matter are inseparable. And given ORAS, it seems like the game creators were either just making a simple reference, or were actually trying to incorporate something. Though it seems extremely unlikely to be the latter, given... Japan. If it was Korea, maybe. But Japan... most unlikely.

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elithesia-autem-danguarde · 6 months

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Chapters: 5/10 Fandom: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Haruka | May/Yuuki | Brendan, Senri | Norman & Yuuki | Brendan Characters: Yuuki | Brendan, Haruka | May, Senri | Norman, Tsuwabuki Daigo | Steven Stone, Mikuri | Wallace, Nagi | Winona, Mitsuru | Wally, Odamaki-hakase | Professor Birch Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, But with elements from Emerald for the sake of future stories, Family Drama, Angst with a Happy Ending, Reconciliation, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Hey maybe sending children to prevent the end of the world isn't the best idea ever, Emotions, Familial Love, I tagged May and Brendan as a ship but they're not together yet, Background Relationships, Steven and Wallace boyfriends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Eventual Happy Ending, Minor Injuries, Still requires hospitalization though Summary:

A partial novelization of ORAS: A once silent rift in a family rips open and threatens to tear Brendan and his father apart for good after years of unresolved tension and emotions. Norman has realizations to come to about mistakes he's made, but doesn't get a chance to act on them until the whole world is threatened with destruction. But will it be too late to make things right by then?

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rho-kassiopeia · 5 years

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I was tagged by @inkwellprincess ! Thanks!

1.) Describe the plot of your WIP in one sentence.

Girl tries to run away with a crew of pirates and chaos ensues.

2.) Pick one sight, smell, feel, sound, and taste for the aesthetic of your WIP.

I’m going to do more than one...

Sight: Waves with a darkened sky above. There are no stars, and yet, too many.

Smell: Blood and sea salt.

Feel: The rough wood of the main deck.

Sound: Waves crashing against the side of the ship and melodic screaming.

Taste: Rum and blood.

3.) 3+ songs for a playlist for your WIP.

Uh... can I come back to this?

4.) Time period and location for your WIP.

Out at sea and in a small town that will temporarily be called Arobet. Takes place about 40 years after the main empires have gone to war.

5.) Any former titles for your WIP?

The Seas of Midnight. I just got rid of the ‘s’ at the end of ‘seas’.

6.) The first line of your WIP?

“As children, we hear fantastical stories.”

7.) A line of dialogue that you're proud of?

This one always makes me smile to myself, so I’ll go with this! Said by Anya.

“Come on boys. There’s a high possibility of a watery death!” A few laughs are heard throughout the room, but most shake their heads at her.

8.) A line that represents your novel as a whole?

Don’t have one yet!

9.) Sort your characters into Hogwarts houses.

I’ve never read or seen Harry Potter.

10.) Characters name that you like the most?

Not going to lie, I really like Zorada’s name.

11.) Character’s daily outfit?

I’ll answer with just Mathilde.

Blue skirt, white blouse, thick brown belt, boots, and a coat.

12.) Any noticeable birthmarks or scars your characters have?

Finley has a scar under his chin, Anya has one on her forehead, Jacob has a birthmark by his ear, and Matthew has burn marks and scars all over his arms.

13.) A character that fits a trope?

Jacob! The lovable cinnamon role with a tragic past.

14.) Who’s the best writer? Worst?

Matthew has a way with written words. Anya, however, can’t write to save her life.

15.) Who’s the best lair? Worst?

Ora can lie surprisingly well. Almost everyone can. They’re pirates, after all. Arlo can’t, though.

16.) Who swears the most? Least?

Anya swears like the sailor she is. Jacob starts sweating when he thinks about saying a cuss word.

17.) Who has the best handwriting? Worst?

Finley. Mathilde didn’t know how to write until Finley taught her, so she’s still learning how to make her words readable.

18.) Who's the most like you? Least?

Zorada is the most like me. Jacob is the least. I like to think I have something in common with all my characters.

19.) Which character do you want to be?

Honestly? Anya. She’s so much fun to write!

Tagging: @lillayalightfoot and @clarissalopeswriter . Feel free to ignore this.

#tagged #The Sea of Midnight

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shockwrites · 6 years

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Tales from the Odyssey

Author’s Note: Shoutout to Riot Games for making fun and interesting sections of lore for their character skins and doing absolutely nothing with them. Really appreciate these wonderful ideas not being used in any sort of side video game or movie or Netflix show whatsoever

Series: League of Legends

Pairing: Yasuo/Alcohol None

Length: 1407 words

Rating: Safe (wow that hasn’t happened in a while)

Pants. Yasuo’s longtime threat.

He really should’ve taken the time to set aside credits for an actual pair that didn’t require an arduous never ending battle just to get one foot inside. A shame that the chore had always been relegated to sober Yasuo who was too busy dealing with interplanetary beasts, being on the run from a galactic empire, and the antics of the other psychopaths on board his ship.

Hangover Yasuo could barely put on his pants without drunkenly stumbling to the floor.

A quiet moment was spent aimed at the ceiling, contemplating the shitty life choices that led to this truly fine point of his life. The quiet sounds of Space Lizard scuttling over to him on the floor briefly took his attention. It eyed its captor-turned-owner curiously. Yasuo returned the gaze with a raise of his eyebrow.

“Man,” the tinge of alcohol still clung to his taste buds, “I sure do look pathetic don’t I?”

Space Lizard chirped in response before blowing a slime bubble from its muzzle. Yasuo loved when it did that. For reasons. Reasons that earned it a nice comfy spot on his shoulder. This life was certainly a low point him but it sure as hell wasn’t rock bottom.

“Alright, back to the pants.”

The rec room of the Morning Star was never dull. From the very moment Yasuo stepped through the doors, he already heard the crazed laughter of the ship’s defacto pilot followed by an earful of explosions. A quick side step avoided impact from the remains of their last table. Another chore for sober Yasuo.

“Jinx, what have we talked about bomb testing on board the ship?”

“Uhhh, ‘Jinx is free to do whatever she wants whenever she wants’?”

Within the first day of meeting her, Yasuo had a gut feeling that she wasn’t keen on following orders. Or anything that didn’t involve shooting things. It took quite a bit of time but through weeks of Jinx related accidents, the captain finally managed craft a disciplined means of ensuring Jinx’s cooperation:

The Glare.

Just the right amount of pout combined with a careful raise of the eyebrow and a sharp, disapproving gaze that managed to stop her dead in her tracks.

The psycho redhead huffed in disappointment. “‘Any and all Jinx related shenanigans are to be kept to the specially crafted Jinx Blast Room’.” She recited on command.

“Thatta girl.”

As he strolled out of the rec room, he pretended not to notice the tongue she stuck out at him.

Yasuo wheezed from the sheer force of the air being knocked out of his lungs.

He groaned silently, his back now flat across the dirt while he stared at the sky. Gladus IV had a surprisingly beautiful sky despite being a deserted rock floating in this empty star system. The gorgeous stars and distant moons were still seen among its bright blue sky, filling him with an oddly satisfying feeling, as though the constant threat of world-ending emperors and horrors from the stars was on pause.

“HEAD’S UP, BOYS!!”

And then ooze landed on his face.

Space Lizard, now scuttling up to his face, responded with an immediate cleaning of his left cheek. Yasuo had deduced that the subsequent licking his pet gave him was an odd combination of adorable and disgusting. Still, he couldn’t help but appreciate reptile saliva more than alien guts.

Malphite’s stone chiseled mug slowly popped into view. “You okay?”

“Well…” Yasuo casually made a popping sound with his lips. “I’m not dead so that’s something. Jinx didn’t get eaten did she?”

The rock monster shook his head, pointing towards the still cackling Jinx dancing from her current victory with her rocket launcher atop the now dead alien carcass.

“Oh. Lovely.”

Lights. Dimmed.

Doors. Locked from the inside.

Space Lizard. Napping on the carpet.

Everything was set.

Yasuo seated himself comfortably on his rug, the one possession he managed to salvage from the day that he was framed for his brother’s death now in his hands.

Possessions rather.

Her heart thrummed in her ribcage as Harriet’s bright blue pools locked with Jett’s striking gaze.

The silent hum of the ship’s engine. Perfect white noise. The window behind him had the flawless view of the stars and passing nebula with just the right amount of light. Yasuo thanked his sober self for remembering to make this particular room of the ship soundproof.

Jett leaned in instinctually, unable to pry himself from Harriet’s magnetic presence.

It was a relatively new hobby of his. One that the rest of the crew respected enough to give their captain his space whenever he indulged himself. What was it about those cheesy lines that kept him so interested?

Her breath locked in her throat, Harriet finally decided she couldn’t keep it a secret from him any longer.

“Jett, I must confess it now! I’m not really human! I’m an android!”

A silent gasp escaped Yasuo’s lips as he clutched the book in his hand.

“I knew it!”

It was official. This was his favorite romance novel yet.

“You’re better than I initially assumed.” Kayn mocked.

Another clash of the blades rang in Yasuo’s ear. A meaty swing of Kayn’s scythe narrowly whizzed past Yasuo’s face. He could hear it. An inhuman beat of the alien sickle, humming from the yellow orb of ora energy floating within the weapon. A low shudder ran down his spine as he could’ve sworn he heard a voice. A malicious presence whispering from the scythe the emperor gripped so closely.

“For a captain of such a motley crew of miscreants, I’m quite impressed. Such a shame I have to spill your guts across the wall.” Kayn spat with a psychopathic grin that would’ve made even Jinx blush.

Yasuo clutched Song – his trusty sword that had seen countless skirmishes.

That wasn’t named for any explicit reason.

Or held any emotional attachment to him.

Not even as an heirloom or anything.

He just bought it at the store.

A rending swipe of Kayn’s scythe just barely tore his stomach open. The captain charged, sure that his opponent’s hefty weapon came at the cost of speed. He cleaved down on the emperor’s head with the intent of splitting his skull open.

Instead, he was met with the alien scythe’s blade clashing with his sword, somehow moved with inhuman levels of speed and strength.

Kayn’s mad visage stared Yasuo directly in the face. “Any last words, Captain?!”

“…I’m gonna need a drink after this.”

Yasuo plopped on the couch.

Another day of scavenging turned into an impromptu alien scuffle as per usual. Jinx and Malphite clamored over their recent haul of useful scrap and shiny baubles that could possibly return a decent profit. That yielded the captain a nice chance for some peace and quiet.

Everything ached. Yasuo’s body was conditioned. Trained to handle punishment that would break the average human being. Still, that didn’t mean those little bruises didn’t leave lasting impressions. He didn’t bother to move, only letting his eyes shut softly and drift to whatever amount of sleep he could get before something else goes wrong.

“A captain heralds the heaviest burden does he not?”

Aaaaand there it goes.

Yasuo’s eyes popped open. The voice didn’t have a specific point of origin. There was only an echo that resonated within his mind. That meant there was one possible source.

“Sona.”

His eyes scanned the rec room, before discovering the mute templar casually sitting next to him on the couch. The newest member of the Morning Star crew was a stark contrast from…well, the rest of the crew. Her total silence was so disciplined. So unlike Jinx and Malphite to the point where Yasuo would often forget she was even aboard the ship.

“The only ‘heaviest burden’ I have is making sure no one touches the alcohol I have stocked in the fridge.”

Sona’s chuckle sounded off his mind. Telepathy was far from the weirdest sensation he ever experienced but it still left an alien feeling in his brain. Not the literal alien feeling thankfully but alien all the same.

“I can sense that you find your current direction…difficult.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” Yasuo sighed, leaning further into his seat. “But a challenge is a challenge.”

Sona smiled. “Good to see that you’re coming to terms with your current path.”

“Mmhm.”

…

“You’re drunk aren’t you?”

“Big time.”

#league of legends odyssey #yasuo #jinx #sona #malphite #league of legends #safe

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ihateboys · 6 years

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do all the lesbian asks queen please

ALL OF THEM omfg only because u said please... ilyFemme or butch? - femme :)Do you have a “type”? If so, describe it- i have answered this so many times and i’m embarrassed Plaid button-ups or leather jackets?- i don’t own any leather jackets i would like to but i like flannels too. as an around the house thing or a tie around waist accessory... femme flannel Describe your style- i don’t know! i’m trying to wear more colours lately but i’m a bit boring since most of the time i wear work clothes :( on weekends i guess a little 90s? grunge mixed w cordelia chase? lots of chunky boots and baggy t shirts w pencil skirts and skinny jeans Describe your aesthetic- im a gemini Favorite article of clothing?- is my new handbag clothing. if not thennnnnn hmm.. my new banksia(?) print skirt Favorite pair of shoes?- my silver heel chelsea boots Current haircut?- platinum blonde with a fringe, just below armpit length !! Any haircut goals for the future?- i’ve been maintaining this and growing the length for over a year now i love stability Describe the best date you’ve been on- i went on so many dates with my ex gf they just sort of blend together after a while lol ! Describe the worst date you’ve been on- ppl who have been following me for more than like a month or two know who the crazy sagittarius bitch is............... she couldn’t talk about anything apart from how much she wanted to fuck me and all the ways she was going to do it and i had met her like half an hour before..... LITERALLY SO BAD you all know alreadySingle? Taken?- very single If taken, talk about your girlfriend/wife!If single, what are you looking for in a potential girlfriend/wife?- someone grownup, emotionally mature, fun, has lots of things to talk about like me, not a pushover but doesn’t boss me around, taller and more masc than meDescribe your dream wedding- a good party. good music. not too many people! i’m wearing the most beautiful dress anyone has ever seen Do you want kids?- yes i want 4 If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?- right now, where i’m about to move to! in the future i don’t know! Favorite lesbian movie?- eh.. but i’m a cheerleader i guess.. Favorite lesbian novel/story?- the miseducation of cameron post or leah on the offbeat (bi)Favorite lesbian song?- girls by rita ora Favorite lesbian musician?- young ma What lesbian stereotypes do you fit into, if any?- butch/femme, no father figure, ? don’t know Ever been assumed to be nothing more than a gal pal?- yes by old people If a woman wanted to woo you, what would a surefire way to accomplish that?- take me out on a date, be thoughtful, talk to me a lot Be positive! What do you like most about being a lesbian?- not having to date men!Are you more of a cat person or a dog person?- cat lol i hate dogs Turn ons?- i hate this question like i never know what it means really Turn offs?- being BORING!!!!!!!!!!Do you usually ask other women out or do you wait for them to ask you?- usually i ask tbh! What is your dream career?- it’s a secret Talk about your interests or hobbies!- i need to pick up so many hobbies i’ve been thinking about lol.. i have no interests only music What is the most attractive quality a woman can have?- being genuine!Do you love easily or does it take time for you to warm up to someone?- i love easily 😭Ever fallen for your best-friend?- nopeEver fallen for a straight girl?- noThe L-Word: yes or no? (love it or hate it?)- love it but didn’t watch past s3Favorite comfort food?- grilled cheese Coffee or tea?- tea .... but iced coffee Vegetarian? Vegan? None of the above?- i try my best for someone with an eating disorder Do you have any pets?- my mum has a catEarly-riser or night-owl?- honestly early riser lolWhat is your sign?- gemini sun!Can you drive?- no not at allWho was your first lesbian crush?- lindsay lohanAt what age did you know you were a lesbian?- know for sure was 15At what age did you come out (if you have)?- 15 :)Are you crushing on anyone at the moment (celebrity or otherwise)?- no i wish Talk about your dreams/aspirations for the future- future stuff is scary! i keep it inside i don’t want to jinxLeast favorite gay celebrity?- i’ve been thinking about this too long i can’t think i’m about to pass out THANK U FOR THESE

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laciviltacattolica · 2 years

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STRADE DI CICATRICI | Claudio Zonta S.I.

«La scrittura non va in esilio». La vincitrice dell’edizione 2021 del concorso letterario (e umanitario), promosso dal Centro Astalli di Roma – il Servizio dei gesuiti per i Rifugiati –, è una giovanissima studentessa del Liceo Scientifico Vittorio Veneto di Milano, Alice Formica. Il suo racconto, intitolato Strade di cicatrici mostra uno stile drammatico e appassionato, che riesce a tradurre in parole ed emozioni, certo, il drammatico viaggio che i rifugiati devono compiere nel tentativo di cambiare la sorte della propria esistenza; ma anche l'infibulazione, una pratica alla quale devono sottostare ancora oggi molte ragazze di alcune zone dell’Africa. «Il mio corpo è una mappa che racconta una storia. La racconta per me che ho perduto la voce, al buio, dove non arriva la luce»: così inizia il racconto di una ragazzina di nome Saida il cui corpo porterà le cicatrici dell’infibulazione e, successivamente, quelle inferte dai carcerieri libici; unico balsamo diventa la sua fragile amicizia con Eno, uno spiraglio di fioca luce nel tempo della prigionia libica, sufficiente appena per non soccombere definitivamente: «In Libia non serve sperare, puoi solo pagare e aspettare, aspettare la morte o il mare». Poi il viaggio continua per il Mediterraneo, il salvataggio e l’approdo, che brucia come salsedine sulle ferite, perché il dolore per il proprio drammatico vissuto continua: «Ce l’ho fatta, sono sopravvissuta, le mie ferite sono ora guarite e racconteranno per sempre storie di infinita violenza, ma nessun sorriso gentile basterà mai a curare l’agonia che provo nel petto ogni giorno, ogni volta che percorro la mia mappa, la mappa che racconta la mia vita. Nessuno riuscirà a curare il dolore di essere rifiutati dalla terra che doveva darti amore». Alice Formica narra il corpo come metafora geografica ed esistenziale del cammino dell’essere umano, dell’odio che subisce e dell’amore che riceve o dona: corpo come voce dell’anima che implora umanità, dignità e fedeltà alla vita. Il racconto Strade di cicatrici si è trasformato in una graphic novel realizzata con disegni dal tratto poetico e allo stesso tempo ruvido e drammatico di Mauro Biani, mentre durante l’evento di premiazione il testo è stato letto dalla voce appassionata di Donatella Finocchiaro.

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#letteratura #migranti #graphic novel #Youtube

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juvoci · 3 years

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9 January 2021

9 January 2021.

3:54 PM.

So, I’ve written about writing fiction on this blog before, and this much has become clear to me: It seems that I enjoy writing about fictional worlds, rather than writing stories within those fictional worlds.

So, in this blog post, I’m going to write about a fictional world that I’ve been creating, and perhaps someday I’ll publish a novel or something of a story within this fictional world.

But, until then, I’m just gonna write about it. But why am I writing this on my blog? Why am I publishing this for all the world to see?

Because, well, I have this weird mental thing, which I can’t seem to figure out, nor seem to change... and that weird mental thing is this notion that, if something isn’t immediate relevant, I can’t really find the motivation to work on it.

In other words, I need to work in real-time in order to feel like my work is meaningful and thus be motivated to actually work on my work work work work work work... shoutout to Rihanna and Drake.

So, yeah. I’ve found that if I just publish my work (almost immediately or instantaneously; and even actually immediately and instantaneously, when I stream on Instagram Live or YouTube Live or Twitch TV, etcetera), then I have much more motivation to actually continue working.

Whereas, when I don’t publish my work (almost) immediately, I start to feel... disconnected, irrelevant, lonely in the work.

I guess I just like sharing stuff. I want my work to be an ongoing conversation, not something I slave away at by myself for days upon days upon days and then release to the world.

My friend Zane recommended that I write Flash Fiction. No, that’s not the right name for it. What is it called? It’s this kind of fiction where, every few days or every week or whatever, the author releases a new chapter of the story. Well, I don’t know if it has a name, but it’s a good idea. I might try that in the near future. If I forget, please remind me.

ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ

It is now 4:07 PM. I’m feeling a little antsy, so I’m going to do some exercise — yoga, weight-lifting, etcetera — to release some energy. BRB.

4:17 PM. Random thought just occurred to me. Another reason I like publishing my writing immediately is because I like talking to people. When I write and publish in real-time... it’s as if I’m talking to you, the reader.

Only losers go to school. I taught myself how to move. I’m not the type to count on you. Because stupid’s next to "I love you".

So what can you show me, that my heart don't know already? 'Cause we make our own sense, and you're qualified to me.

— Lyrics from Losers by The Weeknd featuring Labrinth

5:01 PM.

A beautiful and hilarious quote by Lucky Yates. He tweeted it on the day of the Capitol Attacks in Washington DC.

I should post a vlog on YouTube about my experience with marijuana. The flower has played an interesting role in my life thus far.

5:12 PM.

Cracks create beauty, and beauty is broken.

5:56 PM.

Oh, yeah, I was gonna write about my fictional universe. I’m making some coffee right now. It’s a little late for coffee... but today feels like a coffee kind of night.

So, anyways, the universe I’m creating is called Universe 1830. First, I’ll explain what exactly this universe is, then I’ll explain why I’m creating this fictional universe.

So, what is Universe 1830?

Well, like I said, it’s, um, a fictional universe. Just like any other universe, it has stories, locations, characters, history, culture, technology, etcetera. You can think of Universe 1830 as a sub-universe of the larger Universe (the Absolutely Infinite Universe). (Or maybe the Universe of all Universes, or something.)

The numbers make it interesting because then you can imagine infinite universes numerically. For example, Universe 1, Universe 2, Universe 3, Universe 40, Universe 50, Universe 60, Universe 700, Universe 800, Universe 900, Universe 1000000 Universe 2000000, Universe 3000000, Universe 4000000000, Universe 5000000000, Universe 6000000000, Universe 7000000000000... I think you get the idea. INFINITE Universes.

And then Universe 1830 is just right there in between Universe 1831 and Universe 1829. (Impressively, pretty close to Universe 1, actually.) (Just kidding, the numbers are arbitrary, simply for labeling purposes.) (Maybe someday I’ll play around with these numbers.)

So, yeah, Universe 1830 is a sub-universe within the larger literally completely infinite Universe.

Universe 1830 has its own canon. And, for now at least, this canon can only be written by me, this individual, Juvoci. Perhaps, in the future, I’ll permit other writers to write within the 1830 Universe. But, for now, I will preserve that right for me alone, for the sake of keeping 1830 a contained project.

Of course, anyone can write fan fiction for Universe 1830, if anyone is so inclined. All such writing will only be part of the “1830 Fan-Fiction Universe” unless I adopt it into the Official Canon.

Get it? Got it? Cool. Moving forward.

Why am I creating this fictional universe?

There’s a few reasons.

1 — Writing fiction is a great way to explore and discuss real world issues. By using fictional locations, places, names, characters, histories, etcetera... I can explore real world issues in a different context and without name-dropping. (But that isn’t to say that I won’t name drop. 😏)

2 — I love writing fiction. Contemporary Fiction, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Fiction, Historical Fiction... it’s all good fun to me! I just love writing, language, ideas, worlds, universes... I just love it.

3 — I can’t think of any more reasons.

6:19 PM.

So, yeah, I guess that’s what and why. Did I miss anything?

Listening to music by Victor Norman right now. It’s like dark and minimal Drum and Bass... or something. Right up my ally, whatever it is. Good stuff.

Oh, another reason I want to create a fictional universe is because this world we live in now is messed up in so many ways. I feel like we, as a global society, need to start telling ourselves a different story about what this world is. We need a new mythology. So I’m hoping that potentially by creating this fiction universe called 1830, we can meld and blend our real-world mythology with this fictional mythology and hence create a new story and context for ourselves and thus create a better Earth.

Like, for example, different “realms” or “planets” in Universe 1830 worship certain pantheons of gods; and we here as humans on Earth can use these gods as symbols and heroes and idols and signposts. These gods can give us motivation and direction.

And later, in this blog, I’ll talk about some of the gods.

But, remember, I’m literally going to be building this universe in real-time, while blogging on the internet... so not everything I write is immediately canon. I might make edits later.

That being said, I am going to create a wikipedia (either on this website or on Fandom or both) which keeps track of the characters, locations, stories, yada yada. So this blog will sort of act as a “sketchbook” for Universe 1830, and the wikipedia will act as a sort of “logbook” for Universe 1830. I’ll elaborate on this further, in the future.

6:32 PM.

💜 This is my favorite heart emoji, by the way. Although, I wish there was a pink one. There is a pink one, but it has some shit on it or something.

7:04 PM.

So, Ora is perhaps the first character I should talk about in Universe 1830, because Ora was the first character I ever created for Universe 1830.

So, who is Ora? Well, Ora is... alot of things, lol. I created him in 2015... so he’s been developed for awhile.

But, yes, Ora is a male, a man, a he. I suppose, that is the first thing you have learned about Ora.

Now, does this mean that Ora has a penis? I don’t know, maybe. At certain points in Ora’s existence, he is a male human... so I suppose that, yes, Ora, at certain points, has a penis.

The only reason I mention that last bit is because of the interesting things happening in pop culture regarding the difference between sex and gender. Honestly, the debate is beyond me. I say, “be whoever you wanna be” and “I’ll call you whatever you wanna be called”. So, yeah, I guess that, when I say “Ora is a male”, I’m basically just saying that he was born with a penis, and likely still has one (assuming he’s in human form). (“Human form?” you’re asking. Yes. Ora has more than one form. I’ll cover this later.)

But, also, I suppose that, when I say “Ora is a male”, I’m also saying that his masculine energy is stronger than his feminine energy. Now, what exactly the difference is between masculine energy and feminine energy is... complicated, and not something I even completely understand. It’s more of a... feeling. Stuff just feels masculine or feminine to me. It’s hard to explain. It’s almost... an emotion. Maybe I’ll dive deeper into this topic another time.

But, let’s get back to Ora. Who is Ora?

7:15 PM.

Like I said before, Ora has multiple forms. So it can get a bit complicated when we talk about what or who Ora is. But I’ll begin from a place of simplicity; when Ora was a human.

(I suppose I should write all of the lore in past tense? As if all the events of Universe 1830 occurred back in the day? Perhaps? Not sure yet.)

Ora was a human in the Realm of Zunora (a realm which has many other names) on Planet Zunora (a planet which has many other names).

Who is Zunora? Zunora is a god / goddess. (Zunora is known to appear in both male and female forms, so I’ll henceforth refer to Zunora as he, she, and they. That being said, Zunora appears most often in her feminine form... so I’ll usually refer to Zunora as female. She tends to reserve her masculine forms for when she needs to be dominating. Deeper voice, bigger frame, etcetera. Classic biological differences.)

(Fuck, I’m writing in present tense now. Whatever, screw worrying about tenses. 😂)

For the sake of convenience, I’ll simply refer to Zunora as a “god”. Honestly, in my mind, “god” can apply to male and female gods. Even distinguishing goddess from god is kind of insulting. They’re all just gods, they’re all just actors, they’re all just princes, etcetera...

So, yeah, Zunora is a God. Zunora is a God of Light. Her colors are yellow (or gold), black, and white. Zunora is a God of Inspiration, Creativity, Radiance, Spark, Lightning, Electricity...

Indeed, Zunora is a God inspired by the Sun. So any (or at least most) of the Sun’s characteristics, are characteristics of Zunora. The name Zunora comes from the English translation of Sun Aura. (I will explain the history of language in the Realm of Zunora at another time, and at that time I will explain exactly what I mean by “English translation”. But, in short, it’s an effort to maintain the “realism” or at least “realistic feeling” of the “fictional” universe.)

That being said, when Zunora was created, she was created to be the aura of the Sun, and not the Sun itself. In other words, Zunora is symbolic of the light surrounding the Sun... but not the literal Sun itself.

Now, you may have noticed that “Ora” and “Zunora” are quite similar in that they both have “ora” in them. Look at you, Einstein! Atta-boy! Ehem. Sorry.

But, yes, Ora is derived from Zunora. (Or, perhaps, Zunora is derived from Ora? Queue the suspenseful music!) Just exactly why Ora is named after Zunora is something I’ll probably cover in a story about Ora. (A story which I’ve already finished some percentage of and I hope to publish someday.)

8:21 PM.

Sorry, got distracted by the news. Watching Reuters videos about the Capitol Attack on January 6. Reuters is a great news source. They are more diverse, (relatively) less biased, and less anxiety-inducing, than other news sources. I highly recommend checking out their videos at reuters.com/video.

It’s amazing how many military factions there are (and have been). The FBI, the Maryland National Guard, the Capitol Police, Antifa, the US Coast Guard, the Red Army, the People's Liberation Army, the Korean People's Army... I mean the list goes on and on and on...

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more and more understanding of why militaries exist. Peeps be fucking shit up, and sometimes we need an elite force of trained soldiers to stop the fuck-uppery. That being said, I still think that, at the end of the day, violence isn’t the answer. I still hope and dream for a world without violence. And I think we can achieve it.

I’m a believer! I couldn’t leave her, if I tried!

Then I got the idea: 1830 will be a non-violent military force. We use our minds to inspire change, not physical force. Sounds kinda corny, right? Whatever.

Oh, by the way, 1830 is different from Universe 1830. 1830 is a real-world community, while Universe 1830 is a fictional universe. Hm... this could get confusing. Maybe I should give Universe 1830 a second and more practical name. How about... Fable Union? Sounds good. Universe 1830 is now also called Fable Union. Great.

So, yeah, 1830 is a religion, a non-violent military force, and a... newspaper?! Surprise!

Yes, 1830 is also a media outlet, a digital magazine (and perhaps someday physical), a newspaper.

Sigh... 1830 is alot of things. Lots of potential. But only Time will tell what it truly becomes.

Stop looking at me like that. Yes, I am aware that I’m a little crazy. (Just kidding, I’m 100% sane. Just kidding, I’m not. Just kidding, I am.) (I am.) (Seriously.) (Okay, not that seriously... but... seriously enough.) (Wtf am I talking about?)

8:36 PM. Jeez. I’ve spent like the entire day writing. Cool.

But, yeah, 1830 is a platform for intellectual and political conversation.

Let’s get back to talking about Ora.

8:48 PM.

Maybe I should just continue writing the fictional stories about these characters, instead of explaining it all here, because I feel like... if I keep writing about them in this format, I’ll end up just spoiling the stories... and that’s no fun, right?

But everytime I try writing the fictional stories, I lose motivation, as I mentioned in another recent blog post. Hm...

Fuck it. Let’s talk about something else. I need to think more about how I wanna approach Universe 1830. Sorry for the false alarm! Oops, I mean Fable Union (also known as Universe 1830).

Let’s talk about Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Cryptocurrency in general.

Firstly, I wanna post a screenshot. In the Economics Explained Discord (great YouTube channel, highly recommend it), I simply asked this question: Thoughts on Bitcoin (or Cryptocurrency in general)? And I received some pretty interesting responses. Here is one of the most interesting responses I received:

Don’t stare at money too long, it’s Medusa! — Kanye West

Sorry, just thought of that for some reason. It’s true, though. Yes, what a wise intuition that was! Before we begin talking about cryptocurrency, which is money of course... let us acknowledge that we must not over-indulge in money! Fair warning.

But, yes, let’s go over this interesting response regarding Cryptocurrency.

This Discord user (whom I won’t name, for the sake of privacy... but if you read this, and want me to credit you, let me know), begins by saying a bunch of stuff about oil and Ethereum and petrodollars, but I don’t quite understand what he’s (I’m guessing it’s a dude, because most people on Discord are probably dudes, but I don’t really know for sure) trying to say here. Please let me know if you understand. But, moving on...

Something he says, which is super interesting to me, which is why I exclamation-point-emojied it, is “The whole idea that supply cannot be changed is just false.” And, at first, when he said this, I was like: “Wait, whoa, what? Isn’t one of the major points of Bitcoin that it has a limited and thus scarce supply? But this statement by this anonymous Discord user completely contradicts that.

But then I thought about it... and, wait a second, I think it might be true! What if a government, slowly but surely, built itself around Bitcoin, such that it held Bitcoin as its central currency, and then could export subsidies and import taxes, as it pleased, through Bitcoin, in order to control the supply and demand of Bitcoin.

In other words, control of Bitcoin’s availability, through subsidies and taxes, is essentially synonymous with control of Bitcoin’s supply.

In other words, being able to control Bitcoin’s value, by controlling its availability, is essentially the same as controlling its supply.

See what I’m saying? I’m honestly not sure if I’m making myself clear, or making any sense. It makes sense to me, anyway.

So, in other words, yes, there will (supposedly) only ever be 21,000,000 Bitcoins in existence. But manipulation of Bitcoin’s value is about the same as manipulation of Bitcoin’s supply.

HOWEVER, if Bitcoin becomes the GLOBAL RESERVE CURRENCY for ALL countries... then it should be more stable, because then there will be competition, and not a monopoly, over the Bitcoin’s income and outcome, and thus value.

This is actually the best result, in my opinion; that Bitcoin becomes the Official Global Reserve Currency. The OGRC...? 😂 Official Global Reserve Exchange... or OGRE. 👹 Lmao.

9:40 PM.

If Bitcoin became the world’s official reserve currency... that would be dope. Why? Because it actually does, numerically-speaking, have a static supply. This means that governments, corporations, individuals, nobody can create Bitcoins out of thin air (unlike dollars *cough*).

That’s why Bitcoin is such a great reserve currency. And other currencies, like the US dollar, the Chinese yen, the Russian ruble, and Ethereum (ETH), can be backed by the value of Bitcoin.

Just as a side note, I wanna acknowledge how awesome of a name Bitcoin is. Hats off to whoever came up with it. I mean, it is kind of an obvious choice, no doubt. But it’s so beautiful in its obviousness and simplicity. It’s a great name. There are some other cryptocurrencies with great names too, though. Tether, for example, is a great cryptocurrency name. (Although, I’m not sure whether or not Tether is as good an investment as it is a name...)

Returning to the anonymous Discord user’s posting, I’m gonna define a few terms he mentions, for you and for myself.

petrodollar : In America, the petrodollar is any US dollar paid to oil-exporting countries in exchange for oil. The dollar is the preeminent global currency. As a result, most international transactions, including oil, are priced in dollars. Oil-exporting nations receive dollars for their exports, not their own currency.

blockchain : A system in which a record of transactions, made in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency, are maintained across several computers that are linked in a peer-to-peer network.

smart contract : A computer program or a transaction protocol which is intended to automatically execute, control, or document legally, relevant events and actions according to the terms of a contract or an agreement. A self-executing contract, being directly written into lines of code. This code exists across a distributed, decentralized blockchain network.

I was going define unspent transaction outputs (UTXO) and account-based chains... but it turns out that they’re just super technical terms that aren’t super relevant to the average consumer... so I’ll just skip over those. You can research them on your own, if you’re interested.

11:21 PM.

Got distracted again. Starting to get pretty tired.

The Discord user says that Ethereum has a higher throughput than Bitcoin. This means that transactions can happen faster on Ethereum (I think, but please correct me if I’m wrong). I’ve heard that Ethereum might end up being a currency which is used more often, but uses Bitcoin as its reserve currency.

10 January 2021.

1:37 AM.

Yeah, I’m pretty tired now.

I just played some Magic the Gathering (MTG) for the first time in months. I actually streamed it on Twitch. It was quite fun, honestly. I might continue. I really love that game. It’s a great game.

I used to be a pretty competitive Magic player. For a brief time in 2019, I was ranked in the Top 400 players worldwide on Magic Arena.

5:44 AM.

I feel pretty distracted, in life, generally-speaking. Modern life demands my attention in too many directions at once. I’m glad to be moving to Oregon soon, into the wilderness, for awhile.

Focus is so important.

“There must be a better life...” he says, “somewhere... beyond.”

6:17 AM.

Part of me honestly thinks that the whole fictional universe thing is kind of dumb. But I think I might just be over-thinking it. I think I think? Yes.

But seriously, I feel like it could be dumb. But then part of me loves it, and wants to keep building it. I’m not sure how to feel about it.

Is there a way for me to continue working on it without feeling like it’s kinda dumb? Or is it just actually kind of dumb?

No, I don’t think it’s just dumb. I think I just haven’t put enough effort into it to make it seem like something that’s actually cool. Maybe it will just take more work.

Bear with me. I’ll figure it out. Someday.

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#philosophy #economics #bitcoin #crypto #cryptocurrency #stockmarket #finance #psychology #spirituality #motivation #wholesome #pot #weed #scifi #fantasy #fiction #creative writing

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crystalelemental · 6 years

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I've gone on record stating that Gen 3 is not my favorite, and I stand by that. I think Team Aqua/Magma had a lot to do with that, being far less interesting than they should have been. As much as we mock IGN for it, the fact that the latter third of the game is a bunch of surf routes with the same Pokemon over and over is also frustrating. Also, since I'm in the middle of playing the remakes of ORAS, I find it really frustrating the things that they changed, with my biggest gripe being that I wish my rival would go away forever. That said, the Pokedex itself has always been something I appreciated. A lot of my favorites came from Gen 3, so I tended to remember the Pokemon in the region fondly, even if the region wasn't my favorite.

TOP 15: 15) Mightyena line - There was so much competition for this slot, it's ridiculous. Ultimately though, I have to give it to Mightyena and its pre-evolution, Poochyena. Both have great designs, but the thing that stood out to me most was that, in the early game, we were given a Dark type. That's really atypical! Usually you go through the normal types, the Flying types, and the bugs, until after the first gym. But Gen 3? You got things like Mightyena right away; it wasn't even rare! Combined with things like Seedot/Lotad and Ralts, you had some interesting types going into the first gym. Mightyena is a great starting point for introducing how unique Gen 3 and its Pokedex are, and I think it stands out a lot because of it.

14) Nosepass - Imagine being a kid who had faced Brock back in gen 1. Imagine again that you started with Red and Blue, and didn't pick Charmander. Odds are, you blasted through him without a second thought. Literally no issue. Now, imagine going to Roxanne, blasting through her Geodude like they're nothing, and then encountering Nosepass, who can tank those Grass and Water hits just fine, and hits pretty hard for early game. Nosepass is awesome. It's a fantastic tank, who can take all sorts of hits in that early game. While it doesn't hit particularly hard later on, its main draw is as a wall among walls, with great support options. The concept of basically being a walking easter island head statue is also comical. It looks funny, but it's adorable too, making for a fantastic overall Pokemon.

13) Absol - This is a Pokemon that gets a lot of favoritism based on aesthetics. It's a sleek and pretty Pokemon, but also has a great role. It tells of impending disasters, and is a fun but short-lived character in Red Rescue Team as well. I really like Absol, and just wish it could be a bit faster so it could have a solid competitive niche.

12) Aggron line - We've had big bipedal rock monsters before, like Rhydon and Tyranitar. But Aggron is just a different kind of cool. Its sleek metal plating and terrifying design are fantastic. The fact that it starts out as the cute little Aron only helps add to its charms. Best of all, you get it super early game. Rhydon was surprisingly late-game, and Tyranitar was literally only attainable when you had nothing left to do. But Aggron? You can run one the whole game. I love the ability to do that.

11) Metagross - YEAH! Metagross is a beast, and a strong contender for my favorite pseudo-legend. It's literally a walking tank, with the glorious Steel/Psychic typing. It had one of the few Steel moves in the game that was actually useful, and back before the nerf, Steel covered all of Psychic type's weaknesses, making it a defensive and offensive nightmare. I love the entire concept behind this behemoth, too. It's a walking robot monster, whose evolution is basically just it gaining more legs until it becomes Omega Weapon.

10) Breloom - I'll get to a similar case later, but Breloom is a favorite based on typing. Grass/Fighting was unreal at the time, and it did super well for itself. Plus it's just cute. A tiny little punching mushroom child, with stubby little arms that apparently shoot out to hit really hard. It's a quirky concept with a fun design, and I adore it. Plus, Spore with the abilities it would later get made it a surprisingly brutal enemy to face.

9) Roselia - IT'S SO PRETTY! Such a gorgeous Pokemon. Grass/Poison was pretty overdone, even at this point, but I just loved the appearance of it.

8) Swampert line - Dual-type starters, at this point, were still relatively rare. Venusaur had Grass/Poison, but so did every Grass type in gen 1 barring Tangela. Charizard had Fire/Flying, but the fact it wasn't Dragon is stupid. Gen 3 introduced new dual-types for starters, and one great one is Water/Ground with Swampert. While the combination had been done before with Quagsire, Swampert offered far better overall bulk and damage output, on top of its excellent typing. It's also goofy-looking, but in a really charming way. It's just so loveable, and every evolution retains that cute look.

7) Flygon - Flygon is just cute to me. It looks like such a friend. Being a Pokemon that exists in the sandstorm-focused desert area was also cool. I really liked that there was an entire region dedicated just to the new weather effect. Shame that Sandstorm was such a pain in the ass, but it's a really cool area!

6) Altaria - Altaria is so pretty. Just a fluffy cotton ball bird...dragon. It's apparently more of a songbird, too, which is just heavenly. It also got a great mega evolution, receiving Dragon/Fairy typing, which is hilarious and excellent.

5) Latias - I'm guessing this run of Dragons is proving I really like the soft, friendly dragons over the big intimidating ones that actually do well, huh? Dragon/Psychic was, at this point, the coolest typing I had ever heard of. But what's cooler than that? How about a super adorable Dragon/Psychic type. Oh, what's this? It gets a hold item that boosts special attack and special defense 50%? That's ridiculous, I love it. Latias is the more defensive option of the two, which I always felt was better if you factor in hold item. The added defensive bulk is going to matter more than slightly more physical offense from their perspective. Of course, Latios having much better special attack is ultimately better in competitive, but Latias still has her use, and is super cute.

4) Blaziken line - Remember when Fire/Fighting was a novel type? Remember when its introduction was a kick-boxing chicken creature? Those were the days. Torchic is one of the cutest starters, and its final evolution is surprisingly still an elegant design. It was such a cool idea, and I love that Hidden Abilities brought it back to the top.

3) Mawile - It's such a cute little creature. Cute and terrifying, and excellent combination for sure. It's a shame that Mawile ultimately was a forgettable Steel type in terms of competitive use, but the acquisition of Fairy type and the best mega really helped it out on that front, too. So I guess it's basically perfect? Sounds about right.

2) Milotic - I never caught one in gen 3. Not fairly, anyway. I could never figure out how to get Feebas to show up. In fact, I don't think I've ever captured a Feebas. I've always traded for it. It's just so hard to find. But man, is the final form ever beautiful. It's such a gorgeous Pokemon, and an excellent tank to boot. Everything about Milotic is wonderful.

1) Gardevoir line - Don't you judge me. We all knew this would happen. If you read anything in this post or the ones before it, you know elegant and cute are the biggest draws for me. Gardevoir is both. It's also a Psychic type, so bonus points there. Also, as mentioned in the Mightyena entry, it's super early-game. Rare, sure, but you can have a Psychic type from nearly the very start of the game. I love Gardevoir so much, it's definitely an all-time favorite, and it should come as no surprise that it winds up being the favorite from this generation.

BOTTOM 10: 10) Pelipper - I like Pelipper. Its reason for being here is that so many Gen 3 Pokemon are great, it just doesn't stand out as much as the others. I have literally no complaints, I just locked myself into "it has to be 10" and here we are.

9) Huntail - Same as above, it just doesn't hold as much aesthetic appeal.

8) Seviper - If there's anything I actually dislike here, it's just that it's pure-Poison type. We had a Poison snake already. I would've liked to see a different typing added in. Poison/Dark at this phase of the game would've been amazing.

7) Zangoose - Still good, but it loses points based on my frustrations with Pokemon Coliseum.

6) Glalie - Getting closer to legitimate frustrations, Glalie is here because its design doesn't captivate. Snorunt is cute, but it evolves into an angry face in a block of ice. Not exactly all that interesting.

5) Volbeat - Did nothing legitimately wrong, but I am upset that Volbeat gets a lot of nice and unique tools that Illumise does not. I like Illumise. I think its color scheme is a lot better. But Volbeat gets the nice tools, so whatever I guess.

4) Ninjask - Please stop speed boosting, I am begging you. You do nothing else but Swords Dance, Speed Boost and Baton Pass, please do something else.

3) Slaking - Okay, actual legitimate complaints. Slaking's problem is it goes backwards. Vigoroth was a nightmare to face, and I have a friend who stated that facing Norman's was the reason he started to respect Normal types as something other than early-game fodder. But Slaking? It re-acquires Truant, which is an awful ability by any standard, and requires very specific team support, on Doubles only, to mitigate. Anyone who sees Slaking knows exactly what will happen, and is probably more than prepared to shut it down. It's a nice design, and a nice concept, but it's been so ruined by the ability it is burdened with that it's virtually unusable.

2) Plusle/Minun - Possibly less legitimate complaint, but I feel more strongly about it. Plusle and Minun are cute and have solid designs, but their great sin is being Pikachu clones for the new area, kicking off the trend of needing an electric rodent in every area. Worse, they do not evolve, offer little in the way of any competitive value, and existed to show off the introduction to Double Battles with their unique abilities and access to Helping Hand. Beyond this, they offer very little, and are the reason we have to always have a new electric rodent that ultimately winds up having no competitive niche.

1) Grumpig - Literally the only one on this list I dislike. Spoink is cute, and Grumpig is...not. It just looks irritable and not all that friendly by comparison. It's also nothing too impressive competitively, and offers little in the way of uniqueness, losing the quirk of constantly bouncing around like Spoink did to...just be grumpy. It's a Pokemon I might like more on its own, but as an evolution of Spoink it doesn't seem as interesting.

#regional pokedex opinions #hoenn pokedex

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