#which is why the creation of a mechanism is marked by destruction

[dykethevvitch]

god i have so many disjointed mechs hcs and thoughts. ask me about themes and tropes

[markrosewater]

Mark -

I think the main reason people are upset about stickers is because they are eternal-legal. I myself am very excited to experience them in the limited environment of Unfinity, but will feel uncomfortable seeing them across the table in commander, as it feels too whacky compared to the “normal” style of gameplay which I have become accustomed to over many years. Even though stickers mechanically work within black-border rules, I can’t help but view them as silver-border territory, which I feel requires a certain “goofy mindset” to enjoy. I think it’s wonderful that Magic continues to push boundaries (it’s the reason the game keeps me invested and excited) however I believe it is equally critical to provide players with the option to “opt-out” should they feel that a new set/product/mechanic does not resonate with them. A good comparison would be the frustration caused by the mechanically unique Universes Beyond cards (The Walking Dead, Stranger Things, etc). From my perspective, the majority of frustration was not caused by the creation of these IP crossovers, but rather the inability of players to opt-out of interacting with (playing against) these cards in eternal formats. Thankfully, WOTC addressed this frustration by agreeing to print “Universes Within” versions, which more-or-less seems to have satisfied the upset community. In the same way that players were afraid of being unable to “opt-out” of interacting with certain cards (non-Magic IP’s), I feel the same anxiety towards being unable to “opt-out” of playing with a certain mechanic (stickers) that has now become “welded” to the game’s structural foundation. Thanks for taking the time to listen and respond to people’s frustrations and concerns, and I hope that you realize there is a powerful, protective love of “Magic” at the core of which all these emotions are orbiting. P.S. have you seen The Professor’s latest video on stickers? He sums up these concerns quite nicely.

Here’s the problem with “opt in”. It can’t work. It presumes that players all want certain things, and are equally hesitant about the same things that they would prefer to opt-in to. But that’s not how the Magic audience actually functions. (I know the echo chamber of social media often creates the illusion that everyone wants the same thing, but it’s just that, an illusion.)

Each player has their own list of what they want in the game and what they don’t. And those lists are all over the place. Let me give you an example. Here are some of things that you would have to opt in to if we removed things that a number of players have asked be removed from the game(and this is just a small version of the list off the top of my head): violent imagery, land destruction, black cards, fairy tale references, anything using counters, double-faced cards, counterspells, hybrid mana, outside play aids, stealing effects, humanoid animals, other IPs, discard, anything creating tokens, skeletons, cards that are humorous in nature, copying effects, anything “modern”, cards accessing cards outside the game/from the sideboard.

Everything you love about the game, that makes Magic Magic for you, someone else despises and wishes it weren’t part of the game. That’s why I like my buffet metaphor. The key to our success is to offer lots of different things and let the audience pick and choose which parts they want to partake in.

But what if my opponent plays thing I don’t like? Well, that’s what playing a customizable game is all about. You get to experience what makes other players happy. Maybe you’ll come to realize it’s not as bad as you imagined, maybe you’ll even come to love it yourself when exposed to it, or maybe you’ll continue hating it, but accept it as a by-product of you getting to play what you love.

That’s the core of the issue. It’s not our job to keep people from being exposed to things they hate, but others love. It’s our job to provide a wide range of gaming options and let the players sort out which pieces they want to interact with. That can be through formats, through play groups, through play spaces, etc.

To return to the buffet metaphor. Our job is to provide a wide variety of different food, so that everyone’s meal can be a combinations of things they enjoy. We’re not going to remove popular dishes from our buffet because some diners don’t like them. If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. If you hate the smell of it, don’t eat at a table where someone else is enjoying it.

“Please force players to have to ask my permission if they can play what they want to play” is a recipe for disaster.

[whatever-fanfics]

Hang on Me

~~~

Ikemen Vampire

Dazai Osamu x Reader, pt 1

A/n: First part of the Stalker series, also I am NOT fluent in Japanese at all, I apologize as there are most likely many mistakes in translations of informal/formal speech and so on, I mostly used google translate and other websites. But expect there to be mistakes. Additionally, I don't know if Dazai has a pen name in the events of the his route so I just didn't give him one directly. I also don't remember the editor having a name so I also gave him a random name.

Tw: Contains depression, stalking, destruction of property, threats

Translations:

Dazai: Ohayo/ Morning (informal)

Sebastian: Ohayo Gozaimas/ Good morning (formal)

Y/n: Ohayo/ morning (informal)

Sebastian: Matte/wait (informal)

Dazai: gochisosama, itte kimasu/ thank you for the meal, I'm leaving (informal, formal)

Y/n: Deeto/ Date (informal(?))

Dazai: nande/ why (informal)

Y/n: iya-dōiu imidesu ka? Shuji-kun?/ no,what do you mean? Shuji-kun (formal)

Dazai: Dou shita no?/ What's wrong? (informal(?))

Y/n: kiete shimatta, kako ni wa inai!/ It's gone, it's not here! (informal(?))

Theo: dwass/ fool

Theo: Verdomme/ Dammit

~~~

Dazai's blissful slumber crudely comes to an end as the suns glare unwelcomingly attaches itself to his face. As his face scrunches in brief discomfort, he opens his eyes and his gaze travels downwards to what, or rather who, should be occupying the space next to him, his sleeping lover. His discomfort from the sun intensifies as he opens his eyes to see that you were not in his arms. A shiver racks his body, he'd left the window open and the winter months have not been kind.

As he shielded his face a groan escapes his lips when he decides to haul himself up and look around the room for you, a pout rests on his face and he sighs as you are nowhere in his peripheral vision. Dazai knows there are only two options as to where his beloved is.

Quickly changing from his yukata into his daily kimono, he sets out to your room.

You weren't in your room Dazai crossed off one place from his mental list and quickly made his way to the kitchen in search of you.

~~~

Upon nearing the kitchen he heard Sebastians most recent scolding. "...honestly" the butler sighed more in concern than in irritation or anger.

"Ohayo~" a light smile graced Dazai's face as he made himself known. Upon taking in your latest creations "oh my, Toshiko-san, you've truly outdone yourself a true pâtissier" Dazai says as he picks up a piece of cut bread, 'mm banana' he thinks as he chews it. "Ohayo gozaimas Dazai-sensei" Sebastian greets, "Ohayo" you say rising from your apologetic bow. Dazai hides his frown as he takes in your appearance, disheveled sleeping attire, hair partially rusted, most likely from the little sleep you were able to get, eye bags darker than they were before, you could almost confuse them for a make up look.

"I'll go out and get more now" at your words Dazai's attention was gathered, "matte, at least wait until after breakfast" Sebastian pleaded. You nodded and started gathering the many pans and platters filled with pastries and cookies, etc.

As both men watched you exit the kitchen "Dazai-sensei..." Sebastian knew he didn't need to make his concerns vocal, but he knew you weren't well. He could see it, they all could. "Mm" Dazai agreed, his smile vanishing, while he was concerned for his lover he trusted that you would come to him, if and when you needed him, which you do. He was aware of your 'coping mechanisms' as you put it, it was healthy and yummy, in his opinion, but he knew that wasn't enough sometimes. After all you were approaching the one year mark of your saying good-bye to your home...and your time.

Putting the last of breakfast on the table as everyone, almost everyone, sorry Napoleon, trickled in. You took a seat, still in your pajamas, as opposed to everyone who were dressed for the day. "Hondje" you looked up from your plate. "Yes?" you answered, "do you need more training or did you actually forget your brains this morning" Theo confidently asked, he was worried. "Huh? Oh, no, I just didn't want my clothes to smell like food for when I go out later so.." you trailed off. You wanted to get an early start on the groceries, to make it up for Sebastian for using most of the baking ingredients for tomorrows breakfast. "Is anybody else finished?" you ask, multiple heads turn to look at you.

"You're done already?" Isaac asks, making a rare appearance at breakfast. "Ah, I'm not really that hungry, kept snacking while I was baking" you say as a matter of factly, you smile at the rest of them and take your plate to the kitchen.

Dazai decided, this was his time to act, "gochisosama, itte kimasu" he said as he followed you in pursuit.

"Shuji-san" you called him as you turned on the tap "you're not going to eat more?" you wonder if the food was to his liking, he usually likes the food, seeing as it is usually a traditional Japanese breakfast, but you made it like you always do, so maybe you did something wrong? "Mm-mm" he dissuaded your worries, "I've got and early meeting with my editor, after that I am mostly free. I thought we could get the groceries together and after..." he trailed off.

"Deeto!" a brilliant smile lit up your face in turn let up his and he nodded in affirmation.

Finishing up the dishes you animatedly told your boyfriend to wait for you by the stairs as you briskly walked to the doorway, then hiking it up to your room to change and fix your-everything.

~~~

You held a bit of breath as Shuji helped you down from the carriage. Still not used to balancing your weight on such a small step.

"This meeting shouldn't take long" he said hoping it would ease you, you nodded not worried at all. Happy wherever and whenever you were with him.

"You made it" Dazai's editor stood from the booth, as he greeted you both. After shaking Dazai's hand he took yours, you gave a slight bow more out of habit than anything else. He clumsily returned your slight bow as best he could, not wanting to be rude. He only stopped when you gave him one of your kind smiles.

Ever the gentleman Shuji let you sit first while he and his editor, Auguste, got their greetings out of the way and settled down into the booth to discuss Dazai's newest short story. As you waited for their meeting to end you pulled out your latest re-read, 'The Call of Cthulhu', H.P. Lovecraft. Though you knew to be careful, this book wouldn't be written for almost, another twenty years. You had carefully folded a cover over the book, a simple Lovecraft written on top.

As the meeting came to an end barely an hour later, Auguste took notice of your book. "Love..Cra..ft" he announced, gathering yours and your lovers attention. "English?" he questioned, you nodded, "I have to say I've never heard of them" he looked up at you, eyes shining with childlike curiosity.

"Ahh, he is..rather unknown..mostly known in Japan. Not very popular here" you chose your words very carefully. "Really, well you should introduce him to me then!" You and Shuji gently laughed as Auguste playfully boasted about his profession and skill. As you three stood up to say your goodbye's and leave.

"Monsieur, would you like me to pack this to go?" the waitress asked the elderly man sitting at the counter. His eyes which were so glazed over only moments before they sprang to life once more, "No!" he hollered moving fast enough that his hand had gotten caught on the edge of the cake, sending it toppling over, plate and all. Making a rather loud crash, as the plate broke in three and the cake landed smack onto the floor. Gathering the attention of many in the cafe, including your boyfriend, yourself, and the seniors son.

"Papa!" Auguste turned to the scene. "Please accept my apologies. I'll pay for the plate of course. Papa are you alright" you and Shuji watched in silence, while most of the cafe patrons went back to their own business. "If it's not too much trouble, can we have two cakes to go?" He asked the waitress as went to get something to clean up the mess only bending down to help once he received an affirmative nod. Your heart cracked as you saw his expression, grief and sadness written all over him "She was going to take it away, how will she know we're waiting for her if there's no cake. She loves cake" he accentuated his point with his hands and body. You could tell by what seemed like gibberish to most were the signs of something much more painful.

"I know papa..." you didn't need to see his face to know Auguste had a painful expression on him. One that you and Shuji wore often. "Please excuse me" he briefly excused himself to Dazai before fussing over his father and trying to get him to calm down.

As Auguste's father was calming down he turned his head to the side, where the glass window was and locked eyes with you. "Anne!" you could have sworn you saw tears in his eyes "Anne!" the elderly man eagerly made his way towards you, a look of fatherly love evident on his face, only now did you take in the rest of his appearance. Well dressed for a person of upper middle class, though the type of coat he's wearing was generally something you'd seen on a younger sort of man. "Anne where have you been, your brother and I have been waiting for hours! You didn't go off with that Beaudet boy did you? He's not as kind as he seems." You watched him go off in a fatherly rant, that seemed familiar in a way. You didn't pull away as he took hold of your hands and engulfed them in his own gaunt and thin hands, holding strong and firm the opposite of how he was perceived. "Would you like to sit down" you offered a kind smile gracing your features.

Dazai was unsure of what to do.

The older man did as you asked but kept his hands on your own regardless.

"Papa..." his son looked at his father a deep sense of sadness in his eyes.

"Why don't you go on to your next appointment and I'll see you later" you ended in a question so as to give him control, just like a daughter would with her father. "Ohh.." he trailed off seriously thinking it over "al-alright we'll see you at home, come Auguste say goodbye to your sister. I'll wait for you by the entrance" he said not looking back once.

You all watched him walk off in the direction of the entrance of the cafe, muttering to himself, but more calm than he was moments ago.

"Are you alright" your beloved asked you, worried of you'd been shaken up at all. "I'm alright" you eased his worries.

"I'm sorry about him, it's..it's gotten worse these days..he was confused because your stature and features well, they remind him of my sister, Anne. She has long since passed" you gave your condolences and shook your head in understanding. "I went through something similar like this with my grandfather, in my experience it's best not to try a break them out of it." you recounted. "Hm, yes that's what the doctor has been telling us as well" Auguste explained. You both saw how he didn't want to go much farther into it, so you decided to say your goodbye's and quickly took your leave.

~~~

"I think we can make it to the supermarket on foot from here" you leaned outwards on the curb than on the sidewalk, looking out as far as you could while trying to balance your lower half on the curb and your upper half trying to catch sight of the grocery store. Shuji kept his arm around your waist, firmly, as you leaned out further, "be careful" he reminded you, you mindlessly agreed and set yourself straight again. "Okay, I think I see it from here" you say, matter of factly, when you didn't get an answer you turned to your lover to find him staring off into space. "Shuji-san" he looked down to you as he felt your hand softly caress his cheek, your expression tightening with worry. His hand easily encompassed your own as he met your worry with his own gentle smile.

As you two started to walk he asked "Y/n, is it common there? That people are aware, and know what to do with elders who aren't well?" As you walked together through the semi crowded sidewalk Dazai took hold of your bag so you could hold hands, you were always more comfortable with affection than he was. Though, you trusted he would tell you if he was uncomfortable with anything. "Hm, of you mean back at the cafe right?" you asked, to which he nodded. "Not really, in my case it was because I was exposed to it so much. But unless you work in that sort of field or you or someone you know are affected by it, not many people know how to act." you finish. "it was like that before too" you were surprised by his answer, not by what he said, but because Dazai doesn't talk about his past very often.

"I think I heard about a Love-uh Craft-eh, when I was young" Dazai admits changing the topic quickly, "really?" while you knew they operated around the same time period you didn't think he would be big or even available in Japan at that time. "Ah" he confirmed, "do you like him" you hear a tinge of jealousy in his voice, swallowing your humor you answer. "As a writer, sort of...yeah" you shake your hand to and fro to accentuate. "As a person absolutely not" the matter of fact tone in your voice makes Dazai press further, "oh? Why is that" he turns to you. "Well" you start "it doesn't help that he was a raging white supremacist" you finish, "hm?" oh, 'that term might not be in use yet', "he was really really racist." you explain, "ahh" you saw him nod in understanding.

"After we're done maybe we should visit the children in the park?" he proposed, changing the subject. "Mmm, maybe, though they might not be there, it's getting colder now" you answer, winter was getting closer and it was getting dark earlier as well. You thank him as he holds door open for you, "do you wanna split up or do you want to get everything together" as if you even have to ask, he smiles at you. You converse as you gather the essentials flour, sugar, yeast, etc.

You were almost done with the list, you and Dazai split up to get the last two ingredients. Unfortunately for you, the sugar you needed was on the top shelf. Your face turns red from frustration as you try and fail to grasp the item. An angry pout settles on your face, as you drop your feet evenly back to the ground. Taking a deep breath, you reach up again, this time your fingers grasp it wobbling it back instead of forward. you squint in concentration.

You feel a hand on your shoulder, pushing your weight back down. They go for the item, reaching farther than you could. Your brief surprise dissipates as you realize who it is from their side profile. "François!" your surprised voice reaches his ears. The young man s boyish smile accentuated by the light outside. "Thank you" he sheepishly waved you off, his smile softening for you. "How was your day" he asks "oh, it was good, my boyfriend's taking me out after this" You replied unable to hide your blush at the mention of your lover, though you were surprised by his question, even so you shouldn't have been considering he almost always asks how you are.

"Hello" the way Dazai lowers himself to your ear to whisper softly to you has you scarlet red. "Dazai!" Neither man miss the way your face brightens when you notice his presence. "François" you motion to the young boy, "Dazai" you motion to your love. "Dazai Osamu" Shuji said cooly, offering his hand, he saw the way François looks at you.

Shuji looks at you the same way.

"Ah, François Beauvais" he hastily shook Dazai's hand as he introduced himself, Dazai's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he felt François' grip squeeze. A sensation he returned, his Cheshire smile widening by a fraction.

Sensing the tension you put your hand on Dazai's arm and asked "did you find it alright", as the sound of your gentle voice serenaded his ears, Dazai's tense expression lifted as his eyes met your own.

'You are the Euridyce to my Orpheus', Dazai thought as stars were held in his eyes.

An uncomfortable cough breaks you two out of your reverie. "Please pardon us" your sheepish answer only makes Dazai inwardly swoon more, you're so cute when you're flustered. "Did you find it alright" you repeat, to which he replies "yes, are you ready" as you nodded Dazai got ready to depart.

"Are you ready to pay, I can go with you to the register that way you won't have to wait in the line" the young man rushed out. Jealousy dripped down into Shuji's stomach, a silent breath made its way out his mouth. "Are you sure that's alright, won't you get in trouble?" Your worried expression matched the tightness in your chest. Dazai nodded in agreement wondering the same thing.

"Don't worry just don't tell anyone" François playfully winked at you as he held his finger to his lips. Shuji doesn't like him, "that's alright, I don't want you to get in trouble" you decidedly announced, "hm?" the young man voiced his confusion, not expecting your rejection. "Thank you for your assistance" Shuji abruptly ended the interaction. As he took the woven basket, provided by the store, in one arm placing the item he'd gotten in alongside the rest and took hold of your arm in a gentle yet firm grip, making his way toward the cashier.

You fell into step with him as you both heard the owner call out "François! Get moving!".

As you two made your way to the front to pay, your eyes met François' once more, a quick flat smile made it's way onto your face as you waited for him to finish bagging your items and for Dazai to finish paying the cashier. "Thank you" you bowed slightly, he waved you off, "it's nothing, this is my job".

You and Shuji walked out of the store hand in hand as he held the bag in his other hand.

"You wanted to go to the-" "Ggrrrrrr..." your blush more apparent then Isaac's bright hair. "Hey!" a chuckle Shuji failed to hide made it so much worse, you looked like you were ready to cry. "Ahh, I can't help it when my beautiful dove makes such noises" he confessed as his laugh died down. "You keep saying stuff like that people are going to get the wrong idea" you mutter an out evident on your lips as you look away in embarrassment.

~~~

You leaned back as a waiter brought your sweets and tea over, you both thanked him quietly. You don't think you'll be able to see the children today, looking at Shuji noticed the forlorn look upon your lovers face, "what's wrong" your worried tone reached him. "Y/n, are you unhappy" his grave tone and matching expression put you off guard "eh?" small, curt and full of confusion "iya-dōiu imidesu ka? Shuji-kun?" being completely unprepared by such a confrontation, it felt like your defenses and walls were being pulled apart. Like you were put bare for the world to see, you wanted it to stop, but you knew you couldn't do that. Not to him. "Is this about from this morning" you continued switching back to French, gathering enough of your bearings to switch languages.

"Mm" he confirmed, "are you unhappy here...with me" he added the last part quietly casting his head down in fear, maybe it's not that you don't want to be with him maybe it's that you don't want to be awa-"No" he looked up your eyes full of resolve. Sure and as unwavering as the glaring sun. "No I am not unhappy here nor am I unhappy with you" you repeat, "if this is about this morning, I just..get tired sometimes and...that's just my way of dealing with things, I have other ways but not many that I feel secure doing..here anyways" your confident look washed and faded away as you answered him.

"If that's what it is then why don't you come to me about this, that's what we're here for" you know what he means. Not the others not Le Comte, not Napoleon, not Leonardo, him, just him. "There are so many reasons as to why I don't talk about this to people, but one of the most common reasons is because..." he waited for you to continue as a lump formed in his throat from anticipation? Anxiety? Fear? Still he kept quiet as you found the words.

"I tried that before-before I met you that is..." your voice trailed off, your hands fiddled with one another your gaze downcast in anxiousness. "'Stop being lazy', 'we all have problems', 'you have too much time on your hand you just need to exercise'... I've told people close to me about this before and they always told me stuff like that, eventually...I just..stopped" your confessions tore a crack in his heart. How can someone, anyone, say this to you. You who are so kind, so amazing, so beautifully you.

"When I decided to tell them that what they said wasn't helpful..." he waited in silence as you tried to find the proper words "they would just stop...in-in a way...when I got more comfortable telling them that I wasn't..okay. They would always get this despondent, sorrowful look their face and that felt worse then being pitied...because I knew that they didn't know how to help me. And I don't want to make anyone feel like that, least not-especially not you. You are my happiness, how could I do that to you"

"I'm sorry" you bowed, you didn't mean to hurt him. "I'm-I'm not angry, I'm worried, I don''t want to lose you. I want to be someone you rely on" you look up at him your gaze filled with pure adoration, love and affection swirl in your heart. Your eyes water as you nod.

As you begin to eat he tells you about some of his ideas for his next stories. Never once missing how your face softens every time as you converse back and forth.

~~~

An irritated breath left your lips as you hastily emptied your bag and its contents onto the desk.

You two had gotten back barely an hour ago, you were supposed to meet him in la thermae, but when you began to empty your bag from the day you noticed, it wasn't there. The knot in your chest getting bigger and bigger.

"Dou shita no?" you were so worried about your missing item, Shuji's voice and the light from the hall surprised you. "The book, the one I had with me today, kiete shimatta, kako ni wa inai!" you cried in fear and self blame. He put a comforting hand on your shoulder, a sigh of defeat exits from you "perhaps Auguste has it? If not we could go looking for it tomorrow" he began listing off the numerous places it could be. "I can't tomorrow I promised to help Theo with prepare for the upcoming gallery" you whined in exhaustion and defeat. "Still, if it turns up it'll most likely end up at Theo-kuns office" he reminded you.

You'd forgotten, you asked Theo if it was alright to write his office address on the inside of your books incase any of them ever got lost. Since the mansion can be hard to find with it being deep in the woods. He'd said it was alright as long as you help him out from time to time.

It was getting late, while you were anxious about your missing book you were also worried about bothering everyone who were all most likely starting to get ready for bed.

~~~

While you found it hard to fall asleep completely beside yourself with worry. What if someone finds it and it and you end up ruining the future? But with Shuji soothingly rubbing circles on your back as you clung to his yukata, your mind going in circles from anxiousness.

While the thought of baking again did seem appealing you knew that Sebastian wouldn't have enough of the ingredients he would need for tomorrow's breakfast. Also you have not had a full nights sleep in almost 48 hours.

The lack of sleep did outweigh your anxiety eventually, you and Shuji fell asleep intertwined with one another.

~~~

"Ready" Theo turned to you checking his pocket watch, one of his treasured gifts from Vincent. Yawning you nodded in response while covering your mouth, he looked at you eyebrow raised in slight concern, to you it came off as offense "sorry, I didn't get much sleep yesterday" you answer sheepishly. "I don't need to know your night activities hondje" he teases turning away so you won't see his face. "What? No! I lost one of my books so I was worried about how to find it, I have the address of your office written down but still" he turned back around at the sound of your worried voice reached his ears. "Tucking your tail between your legs isn't going to solve anything, it should turn up sooner or later, I'll have some of the others keep an eye out at the office incase someone comes in" he told you as he tussled your hair.

"Thank you" your worry mostly easing over at the moment, you bow slightly in thanks. "Tch, you don't need to thank me, let's go hondje" he tells you as he starts walking back not looking back once. You wordlessly follow him jogging up to match his pace.

Dazai smiles at you as he watches silently behind the stairs railings.

~~~

A little while after you'd reached the gallery Theo noticed that some of the papers he'd needed weren't with him. You offered to help him look for them.

"Did you find them?" He hollered from across the room. It was mostly just you and a couple of Theo's employees. Most of which were moving the paintings around. The others were helping to look of rhte papers, "No" you called out definitively. "Is it possible you left it back at the office?" You turned back to look at him walking over, "If not maybe they're still at the mansion" your voice quieter not only so no one else would hear you but also because Theo was right in front of you.

He nodded in agreement "Verdomme!!!" He exclaimed, you quickly leaned back and away from him as he quickly breathed out through his nostrils to calm himself down. "Sorry, sorry" he apologized and took a few more calming breaths, "lets's-let's look again" he decided pinching around his eyes in frustration.

"We've searched three times" you reasoned. "Look, if it's not here then it's at the office. If it's not at the office then it's in your room. Documents don't just disappear like that, they have to be somewhere" you really hope you're right.

"You're right, let's head to the office and search there if not then I'll head back and you and one of the others can hold down until I get back." Theo decided, you nodded in agreement and you two swiftly made your way to his office in town. Luckily it wasn't far from the gallery.

~~~

"You start by the door, I'll start by the-" "Theodore!" you both turned to the voice that cut Theo off, it was the owner of the gallery. "Go on ahead I'll meet you inside" he told you while handing you the key, which you accepted.

You locked eyes with the other person who was staying at the office that day, the acknowledged you and went back to their cigarette.

Opening the door your gaze was immediately drawn to the papers on the floor.

"Wha...!!!" your train of thought was cut off by the sight in front of you.

~~~

"Theodore, I'm not so sure about-" "AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!"

The two turned immediately at the high pitched shriek of terror. And before the owner could ask, he saw Theo darting towards the door and up the stairs.

It was you

"HONDJE!!! WHAT-!!!" he froze at the sight in front of him. Upon entering the room a foul familiar smell of iron intruded his nostrils. Covering his nose and mouth with his arm, he reached down to help you off the floor where you fell. "We-we need to...we need to call the constable"

~~~

Tag list: @loverofmanyrandomthings

A/n: I am so sorry this took so long. 😓

Please interact and tell me what you think, I would like to know what I should improve on.

[johnjankovic1]

A Renaissance Company

Capturing value-added phases of production creates wealth from productivity gains and such is how the British East India Company incubated the Industrial Revolution. The mainstay for Britain’s ascendency lies squarely in what was shipped overseas and those things repatriated back home. So whilst vast amounts of upstream cotton were procured from Bombay for mills of spinning-jennies and power looms situated in Lancashire and Liverpool the opposite of downstream finished goods like cloth were trafficked in markets abroad (Roy 2012: 202). Britain’s evolution from an economic backwater to a thriving empire thus finds its provenance in its portfolio of trade whereby commerce for its own sake was not a sufficient condition for development but rather a precursor to the differentiation later required for long-term growth. Natural endowments alone do not conduce to prosperity instead growth is a function of innovation which is why industries rebuffed the upward pressure of high labour costs wrought by the Company’s activities (Porter 1990). The mechanization of producing things became incentivized and the scale economies from refined goods by steam engine would generate far greater value than the mere extraction of materials used as their inputs. By this logic the Industrial Revolution came about from the British East India Company’s monomania for alchemy by importing dirt and exporting proverbial gold.

Export markets fell under the dominion of the Company whereby economies of scale from its ecosystem of industry and trade built America’s infrastructure with iron from metalworkers at home or catapulted railways with rolling stock in the Orient. Manufactured goods in short order exploited Britain’s comparative advantage whose profits stimulated export-led growth as a gateway to modernization. The outflow of finished manufacturers furnished colonies and in turn they reciprocated with staple commodities so that textiles traded for spices or firearms for tea (Brunton 2013: 79). The apotheosis of empire was marked by manufacturers accounting for the lion’s share of exports at 90 percent (Crafts 1989). Such a simple quid pro quo of financing imports with exports sat at the very heart of how Britain evolved from an economy actuated by artisanal craft to one of mass-production. Akin to a positive feedback loop this series of production and consumption gave birth to new industries by virtue of the creative destruction from technologies displacing old ones much like how the watermill and windmill languished into obsolescence as a corollary to the steam engine. Subsequent wealth and job creation led to the formation of a middle-class where the newfound purchasing power of households bought education that leapfrogged Europe’s own measures of literacy and numeracy.

The Company’s animal spirits in its doings and transactions hence made it the architect of an English bourgeoisie begotten by the upward mobility from higher wages in London which rode the coattails of trade. In other words if we are to render unto Cesar that which is Cesar’s then the real attribution for the middle-class belongs to the British East India Company. Observe how skilled workers from London like carpenters and masons earned more than the cost of a subsistence basket by a factor of six (Allen 2011:363). Continental counterparts of these craftsmen residing in Germany and Italy by contrast could scarcely purchase 50 percent more than the minimum essentials due to their meagre surplus. The boom of manufacturers was particularly pronounced in textiles wherein total factor productivity increased by up to 64 percent between 1835 and 1856. For a sense of scale an Englishman weaved 750 kilograms of cloth in juxtaposition with a paltry 208 kilograms woven by a Frenchman (Crafts 1989: 425). Productivity gains like these actualized by the steam engine were compulsory to cope with the influx of cotton being imported on Company ships thereby making factory industry their appendage and the Industrial Revolution a by-product.

The research and development called for by the wholesale mechanization of industry was only profitable insofar as the right levels of capital existed. Only cheap coal coupled with legions of raw materials to use that said coal could rationalize the R&D behind such an endeavour. Bereft of these two prerequisites the project would be profligate and impractical as it was in France, Germany and Belgium (Allen 2011: 17). For this reason the lateral thinking for innovation discriminated against Continental Europe when these two conditions in the wild were unique to the British experience half of which was manifestly reified by the Company’s wanderlust. The British archipelago therefore was heavily biased towards invention when output and outlays were poised to be properly scaled in the right seedbed. So while an initial laggard in trade the early adopter of technology rebounded in earnest with its quantum leap in know-how of steam engines, machine spinning and coke smelting which Europe could not easily assimilate. Famed economist Gerschenkron analogized the synchronicity needed for industrialization more intelligibly writing that ‘railroads cannot be built unless coal mines are opened up at the same time (1962: 10)’. The Company and coal in concert provided just enough fodder.

The British East India Company’s omnipresence was the very sinews of empire from geopolitics to socioeconomics. Britannia ruled the seas when risk-takers exploited opportunities of arbitrage for her market economy across distant lands in the promise of profit. Later social discontent ebbed together with growing prosperity in reaction to a ‘rising tide lifting all boats’ as economists expound. More disposable income equates to a springboard for better living standards because capital buys select foodstuff or commodious property for domestic life and not just the necessities demanded by survival. In increments a once marginalized subset of society became enfranchised in proportion to their wherewithal and property holdings until a critical mass was realized with suffrage universally extended under the Great Reform Act of 1832. The Company was integral to progressivism particularly during its infancy by enfranchising the voiceless since money speaks when employment opportunities prevail. Inevitably the Crown in league with the Company founded an export-market to turn the engines of conquest that was so multidimensional it informed decision-making in everything.

[fuckyeahisawthat]

I think I’ve finally figured out why some discussions of the morality of Crowley’s various actions toward humans feel like they miss the mark for me. I mean, in general, I’m much more interested in understanding how a character thinks about themselves and why they behave the way they do than putting them in categories of Good Person or Bad Person, but in talking about our favorite noodle-hipped demon, there was also something specific that took me a while to parse out.

It’s because they judge his actions as if he were a human. But he isn’t a human. He’s a demon.

I don’t mean this in any kind of moral sense, but in a literal, existential sense. He is a creature whose entire reason for existence is to manipulate humans into doing things that get them sent to Hell. That is what he is supposed to be doing on Earth.

Our narrative foils Hastur and Ligur show us how demons are supposed to behave toward humans. They’re supposed to see them as utterly disposable. Sure, sure, getting them to sin is the job description, and it’s clear that direct manipulation is totally fine (a la the politician and the priest that Hastur and Ligur talk about). But straight up killing them because they’re being annoying, even if they’re a loyal servant like a Satanic nun, is clearly also fine. Maggot-munching a room full of telemarketers just because it’s fun is totally cool and good bad, and even expected. This is normal demon behavior.

It’s clear that for both Heaven and Hell, treating humans with anything less than contempt is considered weird. In Hell in particular--a society of the rejected and traumatized--I’d imagine a special sort of rage against humans would have been fostered. God’s favored creation, extended the possibility of forgiveness when demons were irrevocably cast out--I bet demons are supposed to fucking hate humans. Most probably do. And both Heaven and Hell, in their distinct ways, are repressive societies with strict expectations for behavior and job performance. Deviating from these norms can result in suspicion, surveillance and punishment by the powers that be.

By Hell’s metrics, Crowley has absolutely no incentive to be anything less than horrible to humans all the time, and he’s a very powerful being. Crowley and Aziraphale may like humans. They may like living among humans. But they are not humans. They are supernatural beings with a vast amount of power over humans and very strong incentives from their respective sides to use it in particular ways.

Crowley has nothing to gain and everything to lose any time he treats humans with less than 100% demonic malice. For a normal human, giving a bunch of paintballers guns loaded with blanks and letting them scare the crap out of each other and confront some uncomfortable truths about their own capacity for violence is a pretty shitty thing to do. For a demon, the fact that they didn’t all slaughter each other is an embarrassing, and possibly even dangerous, deviation from infernal behavioral norms.

It’s clear that Crowley’s demonic works are not all just harmless pranks. His large-scale Rube Goldberg sin-generating machines, like the M25 and the phone outage, are all about pushing people to a point of frustration where some of them will lash out at another person. He knows this, and he thinks it’s brilliant. He has fun with these demonic puzzles; he’s proud of them and he thinks they’re funny. 

(Some day I’ll write another post about how for humans whose work involves hurting other humans, creating games and jokes out of it is a VERY common psychological distancing mechanism, and it can be done in ways that make these humans look extraordinarily callous and cruel. For now I’ll just point out that this is a thing, and I see a lot of this in Crowley’s behavior.)

By the standards of human morality, some of Crowley’s demonic works look pretty mean--deliberately making people’s lives harder in small ways in the hope that it’ll push them to be shitty to someone else. By the standards of demonic behavior, Crowley might argue that giving people a choice--a choice he feels he never had--is a sneaky kind of mercy. The only kind he can get away with.

In the context of this discussion, I think it’s notable that the one time we see Crowley being truly sadistic, in the sense of cruelty for cruelty’s sake, solely for the feeling of having destructive, life-or-death power over something defenseless...he’s replaying someone else’s behavior. There’s a whole other level to unpack there, but...Crowley knows how to be cruel, and he could be extremely good at it if he wanted. He makes choices in how he treats humans, and every time he makes a choice that isn’t sadism, disdain and fuckery, he puts himself at risk.

This means Crowley can be an infuriating shitlord; he can do things that range from mildly annoying to decidedly mean; and he can still be considered embarrassingly soft by demon standards, just because he has a line beyond which the bastardry stops being funny and fun. Exactly where that line is turns out to be flexible depending on what he thinks about the person he’s currently fucking with...but the fact that the line is there at all would be considered extremely uncool by most demons.

Almost everything we see of Crowley’s behavior happens when he’s under Hell’s thumb. So many parts of his behavior have been a carefully calibrated performance for so long, a performance designed to protect him and allow him to live with as much autonomy as he could claw out of of a coercive system. 

How will he act once he’s finally free of the constraints of that system? I don’t think anyone knows. Least of all Crowley. The sudden openness of the question, who am I now? is probably terrifying. 

But at least he gets a chance to find out.

[jinruihokankeikaku]

would you mind doing an analysis for a prince of blood?

Title: Prince of Blood

Title Breakdown: One who actively destroys [breaks, annihilates, forces to be destructive, wields destructively] Blood [companionship, leadership, bonds, promises, pacts, the physical body]

Aspect: Blood [Opposition: Breath; Semi-sextile: Doom and Rage; Trine: Mind and Light]

Class: Active Destruction (-5); Inverse: Sylph (+2); Passive Counterpart: Bard (+5); Functional Opposite: Maid (-2)

Role in the Session: It’s well-established, and perhaps even excessively emphasized in analyses, that Princes (and Bards) have the potential to “ghost” their opposite Aspect – in this case Breath – prior to fully embracing the destructive potential of the Aspect to which they’re truly bound. In the case of the Prince of Blood, this would likely manifest as a presentation of aloofness, an inability or unwillingness to form deep connections with others, and a sense of “flightiness” or inconsistency when it comes to keeping promises and attending to obligations – all traits which might well also manifest in an unhealthy Maid of Breath. Unlike Bards, who tend to be unconsciously avoidant of, or even merely distant from, their Aspect, Princes tend to have a conscious and sometimes rather intense antipathy toward it, which antipathy could well be exacerbated by circumstances or past experience. For example, the Prince of Blood might avoid close relationships because they believe such relationships to render them (and others) excessively vulnerable, or that such connections are doomed to failure at best and malicious exploitation at worst. They’re unlikely to forget to keep promises, as Princes are (unlike Bards) generally acutely aware of their Aspect and their feelings towards it – rather, they’ll simply avoid making promises at all, believing them to be an unnecessary burden and a ripe source of injury to themselves or others. In extreme cases of Inversion, a Prince of Blood may literally dissociate from their body or refuse to acknowledge any level of interdependence with others.

Within the Game, Princes are meant to serve as removers of obstacles and cleansers of that which arises in excess. What they are meant to remove is generally associated with their Aspect or its opposite, and often the Prince’s fate – or the Session’s – is dependent upon the direction in which they aim their Aspect’s destructive power. Princes’ initial “ghosting” phase is often the inadvertant consequence of a Prince directing their power inward at themselves (or more broadly, inward at their team), forcing their Aspect to destroy itself and, in so doing, allowing its opposite to fill the vacuum left. In order for the Prince to progress towards their destiny, and to avoid the tragic fate so many Princes succumb to, they’ll have to overcome their sense of detachment, fortifying the bonds within their group while using their skills as both leaders and destroyers to sow disorder among those that would stand between their team and the creation of a new Universe. A Prince of Blood and a Knight of Mind might mutually benefit from a relationship as co-combatants, and they’d certainly be a formidable tag-team, with the Knight granting the Prince some insight as to the sort of advantages social connection – lasting or situational – might yield. The Prince might also be able to forge an intense, if perhaps contentious, bond with a Seer of Light – the Seer’s intelligence and advice is something the Prince will undoubtedly need, though whether or not they’ll heed it is another question.

God Tier Powers

Here we have the Associative-Cyclical Aspect, Blood, which is the lowermost Aspect on the Wheel (though what this means is, of course, open to interpretation), and which is associated with physicality, gravity (literal and figurative), and perhaps most importantly, promises, obligations, and social bonds. The Prince is the Active Destruction class, and is focused on – as one might expect – destruction, both destroying their Aspect and wielding their Aspect as an implement of Destruction. Here are a few ideas as to the sort of powers that this Role might manifest…

Breaker of Chains: The Prince of Blood can cut short all that which holds people down and ties them together, whether these bonds are physical or metaphysical. They can fracture contingencies, making chains of events that would otherwise necessarily follow one another independent and movable parts, no longer fated but set once more in the hands of those participating in them. Also, they can telekinetically break chains and any other ligatures, naturally.

Bleeding Out: Blood is an Aspect strongly associated with the body and the physical, and Princes are, well, Princes, so the Prince of Blood is bound to be pretty damn good at killing things to death, probably in a dramatically violent fashion. Oh God, there’s blood everywhere!!! What have you done?? Why would you do such a thing?? Oh fuck- (A.N: wwhat i’m sayin here is that creative liberties can and should 8e t8ken wwith this power, so long as blood loss or the destruction of blood plays some part in the victim’s demise.)

Bound by Blood: It’s important to note that well-developed Princes will use their Aspect to destroy as much as or more than they destroy their Aspect itself. Therefore, like any Blood player, a Prince of Blood who’s Ascended, aware of, and in control of their power would have a talent for leadership and uniting co-players towards a common end – what sets them apart is that this end is likely to be targeted, precise destruction. They’d be able to rouse an angry mob with ease, setting blood to boil and hearts to beat.

Personality: The Prince of Blood will initially ghost Breath by disavowing personal connection and attempting to control their life through adventurousness and aloofness, perhaps adopting a bit of an imperious attitude or perceiving themselves as so far ahead of anyone else that to assist in their endeavors or commit to an alliance, friendship, or relationship would merely hold them back. However, this is a defense mechanism against a percieved lack of control in the Prince’s life – it’s not by any means an essential or permanent quality of their personality. Eventually, this defense mechanism will have to break down, and the Prince will have to realise both the dangers of destroying their own Blood (that is to say, estranging themselves from family, native and/or chosen) as well as the potential Blood has to cause destruction – as with the Knight of Blood, this realization could, perhaps, come in the form of a newfound (or hitherto overlooked) friend or ally of considerable power. However, Princes in general can be hesitant to accept aid, no matter how much they might need it, and a Prince who is especially used to protecting themselves through independence and indifference could be yet more likely to resist potential partnerships.

Once they’ve worked past that phase of their personal narrative, however, Princes will manifest their Aspect intensely, making an active effort to shake off the residual marks of their former identity. In this case, the Prince of Blood might well attempt to step into a leadership role which, despite their probable inexperience, they’ll have a natural aptitude for – though their endeavors as leader are most likely to be oriented towards conflict, as a consequence of both their Class and their Aspect.

~~

Aaaaaaaand wwith that I’m 8ack. Had to take a 8it of a 8r8k 8ut hopefully (and I know I’vve said this 8efore, 8ut…) I’ll 8e 8ack to a more regular postin schedule from here on out. My apologies for the wait; I still havve all of your requests, even though I’m wwell ovver a month 8ehind, and I am 8eginnin the process of catchin up.

~ P L U R ~

[readingontheredcouch]

Leviathan Falls speculations: How is the Expanse book series going to end?

Spoilers ahead, read at your own risk if you haven’t finished all the 8 books of the Expanse series yet!

With the title of the final instalment revealed at long last, we have received quite a substantial clue as to the possible ending of the Expanse series.

In order to understand the above statement better we need to step back and examine what one of my favourite writers, Kurt Vonnegut, considered his prettiest contribution to culture (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/09/kurt-vonnegut-graphed-the-worlds-most-popular-stories/). In a largely forgotten master’s thesis he wrote, while studying anthropology, he identified a hand full of core patterns in storytelling. The patterns are summarized as follows:

Man in a Hole

The main character gets into trouble then gets out of it again and ends up better of for the experience. Book example: Arsenic and Old Lace

Movie example: Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle

Boy Meets Girl

The main character comes across something wonderful, gets it, loses it, then gets it back forever.

Book example: Jane Eyre

Movie example: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Creation Story

In many cultures’ creation stories, humankind receives incremental gifts from a deity. First major staples like the earth and sky, then smaller things like sparrows and cell phones. Not a common shape for Western stories, however.  

Old Testament

Humankind receives incremental gifts from a deity, but is suddenly ousted from good standing in a fall of enormous proportions.

Book example: Great Expectations, Flowers for Algernon

New Testament

Humankind receives incremental gifts from a deity, is suddenly ousted from good standing, but then receives off the charts bliss.

Book example: Great Expectations with Dickens’ alternate ending

Cinderella

It was the similarity between the shapes of Cinderella and the New Testament that thrilled Vonnegut for the first time in 1947 and then over the course of his life as he continued to write essays and give lectures on the shapes of stories.

From Bad to Worse

The main character starts off poorly then gets continuously worse with no hope for improvement

Book example: The Metamorphosis

TV example: The Twilight Zone  

Which Way is Up?

The story has a lifelike ambiguity that keeps us from knowing if new developments are good or bad.

Book example: Hamlet

TV Example: The Sopranos

So let’s look at the Expanse series from this point of view. Apart from some impressively creative sci-fi and blasting off the page in space action, what did actually happen in the eight books so far?

Well, not much actually. In the beginning of the first book humanity comes in contact with the technology of a long gone far superior alien race. Over the course of the next eight books humanity tries to deal with the new reality. Immense possibilities literally open up through the ring-gates, science is advanced hundreds of years in a very short period of time. Sure, politics, logistics, law and regulatory affairs, all need to adjust. And the way humanity once again copes with change and uncertainty through the tried and true mechanism of crime, war and terrorist attacks, in the end amounts to a brilliant thought experiment and a truly enjoyable read. However, as the main theme of the Expanse series, I think we can agree that ‘humankind receives incremental gifts from a deity’ is the most fitting main theme.

So where do we go from here? Well, the destruction of the Earth by Marco Inaros and the Free Navy has caused a downwards slope in the pattern eliminating the Creation Story outcome, which in any case wasn’t a very likely scenario. So now only the Old and New Testament patterns remain. Is it going to be off the charts bliss for humanity and the crew of the Rocinante or a fall of enormous proportions? As much as I would like for the series to have a happy ending, I don’t think that off the charts bliss is a likely outcome here. Let me explain why I think that the Old Testament pattern is probably the most fitting for the Expanse series. First of all I think that he destruction of the Earth in Nemesis Games sealed the deal on the possibility of a positive outcome and marked a distinctive downward spiral in the story pattern development. There is just no coming back from the destruction of the home world for any species, and in particular such a vulnerable and pampered carbon life form as we are. But any hope for a positive outcome that still remained was shattered by the reveal of the title of the final installment: Leviathan Falls. Here we see a distinctive and downward pattern compared to the Leviathan Wakes of the first book. Not to mention the fact that Leviathan is a primordial sea snake of the Old Testament. I am actually beginning to wonder whether the James S.A. Corey writers didn’t give away too much at this point in time. Finally, looking at the cultural context wherein the Expanse series have been created, for as many of my favourite writers have said before, science fiction is a representation of the present and  not the future, and without going into too much details, I don’t think a truly happy ending is possible considering the current state of the world we are living in. The writers will probably want to caution us against hubris and discord and will want to provide a silver lining, while mirroring the bleak state of affairs nowadays.  

So what plot developments are possible within the Old Testament, or as I like to think about it, the Flowers for Algernon story pattern framework?

I think the most likely scenario is that the gates are going to close for good, cutting the Solar System off from the colonised worlds. The gates have been malfunctioning ever since they first opened, so that definitely isn’t that far of a plot stretch. What is left of humanity will have to rebuild the Solar System in dreadful conditions and without the resources of the home planet. This is going to be a daunting and dangerous task, but the silver lining in this outcome is that due to the loss of the Earth humanity will become more tolerant and more equal than ever before in its history. The Earther, Martian and Belter division is going to disappear and humans will resemble a classless society for the first time in history. So that is definitely a change for the better. And what about our crew? Wherever they are going to end up, if alive, they are going to learn to live with their own renewed insignificance. Not a very appealing end for a bunch of already old heroes. That is why I think that we will have to say good bye to at least some additional members of our beloved crew in a similar fashion we already did to Bobbi Draper.

And what about the colonies? As we have learned time and time again, most of the colonies weren’t self-sufficient enough to survive without the commodity influx of the Solar System yet. So most of the colonies will probably die, with a very few colonists surviving in extremely primitive conditions. Now I am merely speculating, but the evolution will probably run its course until in a million years the new humans will find a remainder of the alien technology, will discover the ruined Earth, the extinct Solar System and will wonder what unknown enemy could have ever conquered such a superior species. And just like that looking forward has provided us with a possible explanation of how the alien technology ever came to be in the Solar System in the first place and what unknown enemy has tempered with the ring-gates and caused the extinction of the alien race. For if we know how the Free Navy has demolished the Earth, is it such a stretch to imagine that the superior alien race has destroyed itself from within as well? And that the superior alien race was no more and no less than a previous installment of humanity itself?

in any case I can’t wait for the book to come out in 2021! I have already made some space on my shelf :)

[incarnateirony]

So, some DeanCas thoughts.

I went on a rant in a GC today -- in a good way -- and I felt like sharing my mood with the class.

First of all, I’m going to disclaimer this. I am a bi!Dean supporter, even if the following text seems to be dismissive of elements of it along the ride. But when it comes to Dean and Cas -- other, extensive, very loud wearing-a-sign-for-the-stubborn-folks that have chosen to miss the other blatant drops -- isn’t even necessary to me. On an LGBT rep level I understand it, even if I’ve had talk about the unfair moving goalposts that het culture has trained is into that they, themselves don’t have to meet -- but that’s another rant.

My general thoughts on Destiel come around the fact that what they have transcends anything explicitly about sexuality. But that isn’t a way to try to call it bromance, or claim it isn’t queer, or slap that now highly abused queerplat on as the refurbished dogwhistle for bromance rather than what it was intended for -- it’s still definitely, and majorly, queer umbrella.

It’s a nonbinary entity with a transcendental love for a single human being learning to reflect that, and to return it, even if he struggles to comprehend it. Jensen Ackles has even said similarly, himself. That alone makes Castiel canonically LGBT+ umbrella, as much as naysayers want to bob and weave around that. It’s impossible for Castiel to ever be a cismale. Literally impossible. It’s not subtext, it’s literally any basic understanding of gender theory.

But that’s just the beginning.

This nonbinary (nonhuman) entity has little to no interest -- especially when extradimensional -- to engage in any form of survival instinct that it doesn’t natively have. It doesn’t eat, it doesn’t sleep, it doesn’t urinate, and while he’s immortal, not even everybody poops. His species doesn’t breed. It has no instinct for that installed as a base line mechanism, just a learned taste for it unique to each individual, which he’s barely had time to explore -- when human, much less an angel without the biological impulse, much less in a busy lifestyle forever engaged. He might twist a demon around his finger to throw her over a flame like a bridge, he may entertain new ideas, but these are fleeting, distant ideas. So it’s never about that. What they have isn’t just about that.

This nonbinary entity has no specific demands of the man it loves, but will do almost anything with and for the man it loves. Be that dying, or watching the Lost Boys for the 127th time, or wearing a cowboy hat, or restraining -- or at least hiding -- most impulses to roll its eyes at the bad jokes. And if and when it all settles -- if they haven’t done so already -- maybe lay together. Because that IS a thing that humans do.

The queer and/or homoromantic nature of their relationship is still there. It’s still queer. And it’s not even remotely plat. Applications of queerplat recently on them are an outright appalling misuse of it beyond its intended purpose -- a repackaged idea of “bromance” now that the old dogwhistle has lost its effect. It’s entirely possible to remove fanon goggles and still look at the show and watch the sheer difference in handling between plat, frat, and romantic connections in the show.

It’s queer-romantic. But as said, if and when that dust settles, if it hasn’t quietly already -- between heartsong tethers more powerful than the forces of creation and destruction hearing the cry of pining, between mystery mixtapes, jilted lover emotions, and wifely parallel fates -- it’s not natively specifically about if Cas is a dude, or a chick, or w h a t e v e r. Should the day come that we find out Dean and Cas did the dues, it’s not because Dean is bi, or gay, or str8, or any of that -- and it’s not because Cas is or isn’t a dude. It’s because it’s Cas.

“I thought you’d gotten over trying to label me.” - Castiel, 5.04

If, under the supposition that one day physicality is confirmed, we were to put a label on them -- their specific engagement is more demi in nature than it is anything about bisexuality; it’s not about loving either/all genders equally in Dean’s case, but about not seeing a gender. A demi-pan arrangement, if you will, over a queer-romantic relationship. And again, I say this as a bi!Dean supporter, but not with obligation of specifically attaching the profound and complex nature of their relationship to what has read as, at least, bi-Dean subtext (if not deadass text for people who are choosing not to plug their ears and make absurd excuses at certain moments or are just that hetnorm.)

Don’t even try to get started arguing about Jensen’s Dated Hot Take. Actors are flawed. Actors get all kinds of ideas tangled in their heads. Mark P plays Lucifer as redeemable and deserving redemption in his head but that doesn’t bear any semblance to what’s actually going on in the product, that doesn’t make it remotely canon. Jared Padalecki thinks Sam isn’t Jack’s dad despite his own character calling him his (and the others’) kid. Actors are not writers, and at times, actors don’t even realize what they’ve communicated and presented. Or what the people making the content they’re acting for have, for that matter. Just don’t. Don’t shit up this post and go down that road. Do not be that repetitive, cyclic asshole that thinks you’re making a stellar point by being eternally regressive and on echo of things that basic logic and understanding of creative process shreds before it ever sticks a landing. Spare us all some time.

What they have is unique, powerful, intensely romantic -- and, at some point, went so far as to transition into outright domestic. If there’s a backdoor set of hanky panky going on that doesn’t make camera because it shifts the genre or mood of the show, okay -- disappointing by standard of anyone wanting to catch that roving representation goalpost we help push around unintentionally in the interest of winning arguments we’ll never win. A man can ask a woman if she wants to go to dinner as the closing act of a show without ever affirming they’re both straight (they could be pan! Straight isn’t canon! HurRr) or interested and never seeing physicality, but we all have operating brains. Mulder and Scully, a het pair that kissed, still had noromos doing mental gymnastics to try to explain why it wasn’t REALLY canon. 

People who don’t want it will never accept it. That’s something the generation wants to get used to now. But let’s make sure we don’t also move ourselves into an era of performative gays where every character must come out and say, “I AM BISEXUAL, NO REALLY, REALLY REALLY” at the top of their lungs for the great interpersonal nature of people in general to be taken as valid. Straight isn’t a factory default where it doesn’t need to be confirmed but everything else does. Start taking ownership of LGBT+ rights to exist in their obvious romance without letting het culture make YOU run the goalposts around for them in a trap game. (”If they don’t kiss, it doesn’t count! Also gays just make everything about kissing, it’s never just about a romance, you all just want porn! AHAH! Checkmate.”)

Don’t defend the content as if you have to prove it. Own it. Own your right to exist without performing. Own your right to love whether or not it works out. Own your right to be you. Culture is getting to a point where the regressives that loathe it have to defend themselves, not the other way around. Own that. Drop anchor. Don’t run to meet them in the middle, there’s never a middle, let’s look at the democratic party slide to meet the red team in the middle. Same shit, guys.

So back to the hanky panky thing -- even if that came out? Sure, as a bi Dean fan, I guess I’d be happy. But I’d also not try to label it. I’d take that lesson from season 5 Castiel. Because it’s something well beyond labels, as long as we accept that it is queer, and it is beautiful.

[magioftheseas]

the stars left behind

For @notcoolhajime

Summary: In which Hinata receives a work call that'll take him away from home and Komaeda for a time, so the two try to make the most of it before he has to leave again. Post-Canon AU. Kinda.

Rating: E for Explicit

Warnings: Smuuuuut. It sure is smut.

Notes: Yeah this pretty much is what it is. Still, hope it’s good. It’s only a little on the introspective side but...this was mostly a means of exercising my smut muscles ngl. Hhhhhh. I’m weak for post-canon hikoma though...

***Alternate Ao3 Link***

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The light filtering through the curtains is just a little too bright and he can register soft, low murmuring in the background. His hand is resting on a warm indent in the bed, and when he feels around, running his fingers over the creases in the sheet, it’s clear that he’s the only one there.

“...have you secured the parameter?”

He blinks once, and then twice, and his mechanical hand whirls as he rubs out the bleariness from his eyes.

“Survey the area thoroughly. Even if the Monokuma units are disabled, there might still be remnants... Be careful with those you rescue. Keep a close eye on them. Extensive mental evaluations may be necessary.”

Grumbling a little, Komaeda pushes himself up an yawns.

“Yes,” the voice sighs. “I am still resting from the last mission... Apologies...”

Shifting so that his legs slide off the bed’s edge, Komaeda stumbles a bit and manages to catch himself on the bedside table. When he glances up, he sees Hinata returning his stare with a surprisingly sharp mismatched gaze before quickly turning away and back to the phone.

“Once I have recovered fully, I can return swiftly. But until then, please continue working diligently in my absence.”

Komaeda clumsily steps forward, and this time, he nearly trips into Hinata’s back. Hinata doesn’t even flinch as Komaeda steadies himself, chin resting on a broad shoulder as his thin arms wrap around Hinata’s waist. Hinata pats his right hand, thumb stroking over his bony knuckles, but is otherwise unmoved.

“Yes. Yes. Is that is everything, then...”

Hinata trails off as Komaeda nibbles on his ear, teasing the lobe with teeth and lips. Admirably and rather irritatingly, there’s little other physical response, and Hinata keeps his voice infuriatingly cool.

“It will be a few days,” he says. “I only need a few more days, but of course there is also the matter of travel... Understood. Do you want an exact date, then?”

Komaeda’s lips trail down his neck, kissing and sucking softly. He whines just as softly into Hinata’s ear, and his body pressed up against his, palm running up the flat of Hinata’s stomach.

“Thursday, then,” Hinata says. “I will be prepared by then. Is that all?”

Komaeda whines again.

“Thank you. Warm regards.” Hinata hangs up, sighing as Komaeda kisses his cheek. He grimaces but pats Komaeda’s cheek, pressing back against him with a soft grumble. “Jeez, Nagito, in the middle of a work call?”

“You work too much,” Komaeda grumbles. “They’re really badgering for you to return so soon when you nearly had a breakdown? That’s horrible.”

“It’s my own fault,” Hinata says, twisting so that he can embrace Komaeda in return, or perhaps to press Komaeda’s face into his shoulder so that he won’t have to see that pouting, disappointed face. “I was overworking myself. Tsumiki said as much. I’m not going to do that anymore.”

“Easier said than done,” Komaeda murmurs. “You’re stubborn and bad at acknowledging when something might be too much for you. As expected of the bull-headed, self-destructive reserve...!”

Komaeda bites him again, but he’s still unable to leave a mark and that’s frustrating for both of them. Hinata sighs again, petting his hair and running his fingers through the soft white strands.

“I was just getting used to being a little selfish,” Komaeda mumbles against him. “And you have to leave so soon again. While I’m stuck here. Boo.”

“I’ll still call,” Hinata offers weakly. “And we can video chat, too.”

“Hmph.” Komaeda puffs out his cheek. “I suppose I can still get off if you’re watching me. You’d probably like that, huh. Even though you’re really good at keeping your expression unchanged...” His palm presses into Hinata’s warm groin, and he feels him stiffen further.  “This part of you is still pretty honest.”

Ah. And just like that, a twinge in Hinata’s expression. Hinata biting on his lips. Hinata’s own palm, sliding along Komaeda’s jaw as those fingers remain entangled within his hair. Komaeda leaning into his hand, his own fingers trailing up Hinata’s abdomen.

“...hey, Hinata-kun.”

It really was admirable how Hinata never flinched at his touch, especially when Komaeda knew very well how cold his fingers were. Hinata’s body always produced so much heat, like a furnace. It made for many comfortable, cozy nights of entwining limbs.

“If you really going to leave, won’t you indulge me for a while?”

Hinata’s lips part, and they’re all dry and swollen. Smiling sadly, Komaeda traces them with his thumb, and then, Hinata kisses his wrist. And he kisses down, down the mechanical arm he made with Souda.

Aha. How would Souda-kun even react knowing how much Hinata-kun worships this creation of theirs—

Entwining their fingers, Hinata silences those thoughts by kissing him quiet.

--

There are many things that he still doesn’t quite understand, but goes along with anyway. He’s always been that way, however, always pushing forward not merely out of necessity but his own force of habit.

The way dust particles flutter, the way rays of sun catch on another’s physique, casting dark shadows that he can so easily lose his fingers in when trying to feel them out.

He thinks to himself that this kind of experience is one he used to only ever read about.

The calloused, hot hands that roam his body, familiarizing themselves with curvatures and protrusions that he already knows have been long since memorized. The roughness, hardness of skin and sinew. How easily he could be crushed. How easily he could be consumed.

How eagerly he accepts it, even when teeth and nails dig into him with blossoming violets. It’s damp, too, and there’s a low groan as he’s being eaten. His heartbeat is fluttering, a palm presses through his ribcage, and he imagines it pushing all the way through, crushing bone and burrowing through pulsing tissue. How easy that would be. How simple.

How tenderly Hinata murmurs soft, sweet nothings, wispy little sentiments of, “I have you. It’s okay. You feel so good. I love you. I love you.”

Love is a many splendored thing, Komaeda can’t help but think as he arches his back in a soft gasp.

Hinata’s fingers run along his spine, and Hinata sighs into the bruised juncture between his marked up neck and marked up shoulder. It’ll take weeks for those to fade.

Such is likely the intent, given the situation.

They sting a little, but that heat is all-encompassing, all-consuming, especially with Hinata holding him so close, hands guiding his quivering hips and running over the curve of his ass. It’s almost blistering.

“Nagito.”

Hinata kisses his panting mouth.

“Nagito, Nagito.”

Hinata is buried deep inside of him, and yet he keeps trying to pull him in closer. And yet, he keeps murmuring his name. He already has him split open in such an intimate way, and yet, Hinata still greedily pushes his tongue into his mouth.

“Mm...” Hinata really is greedier than he is. “Ah... Hah...”

He’s drooling again. Hinata chuckles warmly, wiping the dribble from his jaw and kissing his cheek.

“Ha... H-Hinata-kun...”

Hinata kisses his ear.

“Hinata-kun...”

Their skin is slick with sweat, but his legs remain locked around Hinata’s hips. His left hand is moisture-proof, thankfully, so it still has secure purchase on Hinata’s shoulder. But he’s not going to leave any marks. Not on Hinata. Not when he’s like this.

If only we had met before all this. If only we could have made love before...

Well.

Things wouldn’t have turned out like this any other way. Probably. It’s hard to believe.

I still don’t even know why Hinata-kun likes me in the first place.

Hinata kisses his hair where there used to be scars. Ah. Of course.

“Hinata-kun,” he whines, and strains to kiss his scars as well. Hinata even helps him do so, with soft laughter as he does, and if nothing else, he can make Hinata blush and smile. Just like that. In a way that’s so blinding it hurts. Komaeda kisses those marks a few more times.

“You really are cute,” Hinata tells him.

“Hinata-kun, you’re striking.”

Hinata kisses him deeply and wetly. Their tongues entwine along with their fingers. He’s left breathless as they part, eyes shimmering before blinking back tears.

“Nagito.” Hinata kisses away the streaks, doting and adoring. “Oh, Nagito.”

“I asked for this,” Komaeda whispers as he squeezes Hinata’s hand. “But I don’t...actually know how much more I can take...”

Hinata releases his hand to brush back his hair, his other still cupping Komaeda’s cheek.

“Are you indulging, too?” Komaeda asks, leaning into his hand. “After all, you get sexually frustrated pretty easily. Without me there, I wonder what you’re going to do... Oh. If you want to seek pleasure elsewhere, I don’t mind.”

“You really shouldn’t say stuff like that.”

Hinata’s hand pulls away, and then it wraps around his cock. He pumps the length, and Komaeda shudders.

“A-Ah...”

“It’s never going to happen, ever,” Hinata says, thumbing at his silt and tracing along the sensitive veins. “It won’t work emotionally and...truth be told, I don’t even think I could keep it up. I, uh, tried to jerk off to some old magazines before and... It didn’t...work out...”

“W-Wow. I... I feel sorry for...you... Ah, hah...” Komaeda nearly wheezes out a laugh, but he ends up groaning as Hinata continues to work his cock in tandem with rocking his hips, his head spinning as he rode the motions, mind and body both stuffed with sensation. “Hi...Hinata-kun...”

“It’s your fault,” Hinata tells him lowly. “You’re just way too pretty, Nagito.”

“Mm...” He weakly shakes his head. “P-Prettier people definitely exist...”

“Pretty like you? No way. You’re one of a kind. You’re special.”

“M-Mm...!”

His hips jerk up, and he hisses when Hinata grips his cock, preventing his release. He feels his eyes sting, and again, Hinata’s warm fingertips graze against his cheek before hovering over his lips.

“Don’t bite it,” Hinata tells him quietly. In response, Komaeda squeezes him, earning a sharp intake of breath. “Fuck.”

“You’re at your edge, too,” Komaeda replies, trembling a little. “So don’t hold back. Come on.” His fingers dig in, and for not the first nor last time, he wishes that there would be bruises. “If you’re indulging, go all the way with it. Fuck me senseless.”

Just like that, Hinata pushes him down so that he’s sprawled onto the bed. Just like that, Hinata is kissing him deeply. Just like that, Hinata pushes up his thighs and thrusts in deep. He hits a spot that makes Komaeda jerk and cry out, and before he can even think twice, Hinata angles his thrusts to hit it again, harder and harsher than before.

“H-Hinata-kun...!” His toes curl as he squeals. “H-H-Hajime...!”

The bed rocks, smacking against the wall.

“P-Please... Hajime...! Hajime...!”

Hinata really is stunning like this, his mismatched eyes dark and glimmering, his skin flushed, and just the way he growls and moans in barely restrained lust. Unfortunately, Komaeda’s vision is blurring with tears and he can’t quite see what expression Hinata is making anymore. So despairing. So unlucky.

“Hajime, please... Please...”

Hinata really is radiating such heat that he feels close to melting. Despite that, his arms loop around Hinata’s neck and he arches as Hinata thrusts in all the way, piercing and consuming. It’s here where Komaeda shudders and comes, choking out Hinata’s given name and then, barely registering Hinata’s grip on his hips.

Hinata gripping him and then pulling him close, holding him in place, holding him steady as Hinata fills him with his seed.

“I really do love you, Nagito.”

It’s funny. The words sound secure. Solid when everything’s unraveling and falling apart. Full of certainty when Komaeda feels all his thoughts and all these sensations slip away, past his fingers, every atom disintegrating and leaving behind his pounding heartbeat.

Hinata kisses him once more, and it’s through that alone that he doesn’t completely fade away.

“Nagito...”

It’s warm. So warm that he can’t even feel it.

“...can you hear me? Are you alright?”

Komaeda blinks, and he shifts. He grimaces from the sharp sting, and groans softly.

“I... I’m okay.” He can’t feel it, and his eyelids are heavy so they just fall shut. He can’t see what expression Hinata is making, but, knowing him—it’s probably twisted with worry. He doesn’t want that on Hinata’s face after something like this. “Sorry. I’m going to need some time to recuperate.”

“Geez... Oh, Nagito...”

Hinata’s fingers card through his hair tenderly.

“Alright. Understood. I’ll clean us up, then.”

Not too long from now, all I’ll hear is this voice. I won’t be able to feel these loving gestures.

He hears the bed squeak as Hinata gets up. He hears Hinata’s footsteps.

I won’t even hear the sounds he makes in the room. His steps. His fidgeting.

Komaeda inhales softly, taking in the scent of sex...and of Hinata. Earthy and like pine. Sometimes the smell of rain. He wonders how long he’ll have to enjoy that.

I wonder if masturbating would really help... Somehow I doubt it. Hajime, Hajime... Ah...

“Aah.”

With a sigh, Komaeda ends up dozing.

--

When he wakes up, there’s a fragrant scent that he recognizes.

“Yo, how are you feeling? Nagito?”

Hinata touches his cheek as he stirs, rubbing sleep from his eyes and pushing himself up with a yawn. He still feels stiff and sore, but at this point, he’s fairly used to it.

“Uh.” Hinata offers him a cup of tea. “Here. You go.”

“This is the tea that Naegi-kun often brings,” Komaeda remarks, taking the cup, blowing off the steam before sipping. “It’s really nice. Thank you.”

“Yeah, you mentioned you liked it,” Hinata replies, laughing a little. “Aha, uh... Sorry for overdoing it, Nagito.”

“Mm... The tea is perfect temperature, though.”

“That’s not...what I meant...” Hinata rubs at his nape. “You know that was not what I meant.”

“Mmm.” A longer sip. “There’s no shame in losing to Kamukura Izuru,” he said. “I’m sure the Future Foundation envies my strength. Perhaps someday, they’ll have use of me after all.”

“...I don’t want them to use you.” Hinata’s mutter is low and almost irritated. “It’s just... It’s better for you to stay here away from all that.”

“Even if it means away from you?” Komaeda asks.

“Even then.” Hinata doesn’t hesitate. “Maybe even especially then.”

“Hm, hm.” Komaeda finishes his tea, noting that there hadn’t even been a tea stalk in the cup. His gaze lowers a bit. “So you think this bird cage really is best? Well. I guess because it’s you I don’t mind too much as long as you return home. That’s what you want me to say, right? That’s what I should say, right?”

Hinata doesn’t answer.

“Mm... I hope you call me often, at least. I’ll be terribly bored without you, after all.” Komaeda sets the teacup aside. “But seriously—don’t give too much of yourself to the Future Foundation. I don’t say that as a possessive lover, of course, but...”

Hinata takes his hand, squeezing and lacing their fingers together.

“...as a casually concerned individual,” Komaeda finishes, giving him a curious look. Hinata only had a weak, wry smile to offer. Komaeda blinks a few times and adds, “They’ll make an Atlas out of you if you aren’t careful enough. It’ll be difficult to face your own future with the world on your shoulders, you know.”

“I know.” Hinata kisses his hand. “Nagito... You love me, right?”

“I love you. Oh.” Komaeda’s head tilts. “I’ll try to remember telling you that for every phone call. But I might forget, so—remind me, okay? I love you, Hinata Hajime-kun.”

“That’s all I really need.” Hinata sighs. “Thanks, Nagito.”

In that moment...the atmosphere was heavy and dense, as if the very heavens were hanging overhead, sinking onto both of our shoulders.

“I love you, Hajime.”

I’ll have to reiterate as many times as it takes, even after Hinata Hajime is long gone.

[jamiekturner]

The animation movies you shouldn’t miss in your lifetime

Animation movies are not simply more sophisticated cartoons. Over the years, they’ve introduced us to some of the best cinema characters, involved us in memorable stories, and gathered millions of fans worldwide.

But which are the best animation movies to see? In fact, what makes an animation movie good? Which was the best animation movie ever?

Of course, everyone can answer these questions differently depending on what they like, but there are a few movies we can all agree were blockbusters. What makes an animation movie stand out are most of the time the characters, story, and animation style.

Here’s our collection of the 30 best animation movies of all times. Give this list a look, and you will certainly find a few of your personal favorites in there.

If not, it is time to explore the animation world and to find new horizons!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Disney’s production has more amazing cartoon movies than we can possibly gather here, but this is the story they’ll always be recognized for – the tale of the beautiful, wandering princess, the mean queen, the handsome savior, and the sidekick band of helpful and funny dwarfs.

The awesome fairytale written by the Grimm brothers was not only the kicker hand-drawn animation of Walt Disney, but also the first animation movie in the history of the moving pictures industry.

Time can do nothing against it – after almost a century, you shed some light over the old painting, and it springs to life!

Fantasia (1940)

This great animation film brings together the best of the Disney world, Tchaikovsky’s music, and magic. You will be delighted by the unique mixture of Western classical sounds and the visual game of Disney’s characters while Leopold Stokowski leads the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Dumbo (1941)

A filmmaker from Pixar shared an interesting story with us – his mother who could barely understand English, watched Dumbo and understood what his mom wanted as she interlocked trunks with him inside a circus cage. This is what makes this movie a proper animation hero – you understand it without words!

Bambi (1942)

Bambi marked some of the best moments in Disney’s history and top animated movies, such as its mother being shot by a hunter and leaving the tiny sweet fawn to fend. More than a cartoon, Bambi is a lyrical and beautiful affirmation of the miracle of life, and stands for values such as family, friends, and our glorious nature. The titular doe of this movie loses its innocence as it’s mother dies, but also grows up virtuously, gains knowledge, and becomes capable of depending itself.

Robin Hood (1973)

Robin Hood was the first animation movie to be released after Walt Disney died. At the time, it was considered to be an embarrassing, on-budget piece, but time reversed that to one of the best animation movies of all times.

We all know the story of Robin Hood – the hero of the little people who steals from the rich. He was animated several times, but none of his adaptations was as charming and memorable as the one made by Disney’s animators.

The concept was the same as in fairytales – whistling rooster narrators, a maid for Robin to fall in love with (Marian), and a furry squad of brave friends helping Robin recover what Prince John has stolen.

Belladonna of Sadness (1973)

What inspired Japanese director Eiichi Yamamoto to create this unbelievable psychosexual animation was Jules Michelet’s book on witchcraft and feminism called La Sorciere.

The beautiful yet disturbing piece was released in 1973, and the ones who saw it certainly remember how shocking it was for the standards of that time.

In 2016, there was a new Belladonna release in the U.S., and it had pretty much the same effect on people. Even modern society finds such animated fantasy traumatizing, and is not prepared to embrace how scandalous it is.

For instance, the heroine gets visually assaulted, and some viewers may find that disturbing.

In short, you may like or dislike the story behind it, but this animation is certainly a masterpiece. It was created in a unique and delicate manner, using a pleasing pastel palette of watercolors the human eye enjoys.

Street of Crocodiles (1986)

Movie production in the 80s was almost entirely digital, but that didn’t prevent visionaries Timothy and Stephen Quay from drawing one of world’s best stop-motion pieces. Their short animation features a hatched-faced puppet with a decaying body that navigates a bunch of dancing screws, and creates a feeling of being stuck in a vivid dream that won’t let you wake up.

The piece attracts interest even today, especially among surrealist and stop-motion artist. The Quays were actually inspired by Jan Svankmajer and the writer Bruno Schultz, two of Poland’s best known names in the surrealism world.

My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Two years after Street of Crocodiles, the world was introduced to an even better animated film -My Neighbor Totoro. It has been 30 years since, and this movie still lifts up the spirit of those watching it, as it features one of the most heart-warming stories.

The main characters are two adorable Japanese children leaving their home to find magic. Along the way, they discover a wondrous cat bus and a gentle giant named Totoro who helps them accomplish their mission.

This makes Totoro one of the best cartoon movies suitable for all ages: everyone could enjoy a supernatural, slightly uninhibited delight.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

Robert Zemeckis is the name behind this groundbreaking, hybrid crime/comedy movie. First of its kind, this movie treats the murder of a bunny, and features an iconic toon-loathing detective working on the case.

‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ broke all records of production expense. It cost more than any film produced during the 80s, and became the 2nd highest-grossing movie in 1988.

Akira (1988)

Kanye West appointed Akira as the leader among its favorite films, and many of us can agree with him. The incredibly detailed sci-fi movie doesn’t stay behind names such as Matrix or the Blade Runner, while its imaginative urban setting display makes it the finest Japanese animation ever created. In fact, Akira has become a cult with millions of followers worldwide.

The main protagonist is a Neo-Tokyo teen biker called Tetsuo. Tetsuo’s mission is to release the unlawfully imprisoned psychic Akira, and his way there features the best action scenes ever to be seen in the animation world.

The Little Mermaid (1989)

There’s almost no girl out there who didn’t dream of becoming a mermaid, and they own this to one of Disney’s most compelling stories. This romantic movie follows the life of beautiful mermaid Ariel whose dream was to have legs and to live on land.

It is with Ariel that Disney’s renaissance took off. We all associated the Faustian tale with making important choices in our life, such as the one Ariel made when giving up her voice to pursue being human.

Her love story with charming prince Eric provided us one of the most memorable movie soundtracks, and we learnt to love her despite of her stubbornness. This is why The Little Mermaid still counts as a favorite Disney movie.

Beauty and the Beast’ (1991)

Do you remember the love story of Bella and the Beast? Next to the inspiring story of Bella’s pure soul discovering the prince inside a buffalo, this movie caused a drastic change in the world of best animation, causing many people to take it seriously.

Looking at the magnificent ballroom sequence and the couple’s first dance, we found it hard to believe that the film was computer-generated. Actually, Beauty and the Beast was so good that it became the first animated movie to earn a Best Picture Nomination.

Aladdin (1992)

Yup, these were the golden years of the Disney production of animated films! Following the success of Ariel, Bella, and their prices, animators recreated another iconci character, and that was Aladdin.

Prior to this movie hitting screens, many people were unaware of the inspiring and romantic rags-to-riches story, despite of it being a classic 1001 Nights tale.

It follows the dreams of an open-vested, homeless, and hopelessly in love boy who’d set an eye on a rich and beautiful princess. As hard as his evil enemy Jafar tries to get her, she still falls for Aladdin, the boy with the magic carpet, Robin Williams-voiced genie, and enormous heart.

FernGully (1992)

FernGully is another classic in the animation world that treats the destruction of Earth and all creatures that live on it. It was created for children, and they loved how protagonist fairy Christa fought against the destruction of her Australian rainforest.

Her assistant was a boy named Zak, and her enemy was a logging company attempting to wreck her world. You may find it interesting to know that this movie inspired Avatar and the creation of princess Mononoke.

Porco Rosso (1992)

Ain’t this a weird film! And yet, a lovely one! Hayao Miyazaki presented us the story of an ex WWI fighter pilot from Italy, and that pilot happened to be a funny red pig. For protagonist Porco Rosso, being a pig is nothing bad – he still canoodles with beautiful ladies assisted by Fio, his mechanic protégée. This film is both engaging and historically rich, and is definitely worth watching!

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

As his projections show, Tim Burton comes up with the weirdest pairings ever – beetles and juice, hands and scissors, and this time even Hallowing and Christmas. In this movie, we get to meet the pumpkin king and his sudden Christmas joy. And right when you think it can’t get better, you hear Danny Elfman’s live performance of ‘What’s This’.

The Lion King (1994)

Here’s another of Disney’s major works with a Shakespearean background. Instead of Hamlet, we’re acquainted with a lion family and their friends from the jungle, and we get to see some of life’s most important values on screen.

The film also has iconic musical sequences – the renowned soundtrack, for instance, is many people’s association of a beautiful childhood.

The music was written by Hans Zimmer, a legend among composers who actually manages to turn emotions into sounds. As Simba and Nala tussle in the grass, their love warms our hearts, the same as Scar’s betrayal makes us angry and eager to help Simba discover that he has no fault for his father’s death.

As we watch on, we get to adore Simba’s little Hakuna Matata friend, or the buds Timon and Pumbaa as they help him become king of the jungle.

Toy Story (1995)

Toy Story is Pixar’s first and arguably ultimate achievement. It was such a success that it turned the company into a film franchise, and it set the standards of how a perfect movie should look.

We will remember it by the iconic ‘personalities’ of Woody, Hamm, Rex, and Buzz; and for its immense contribution to what toys meant in our lives. According to many viewers, Toy Story is the best animated movie ever!

Perfect Blue (1997)

Japanese director Satoshi Kon made a pretty successful animated prototype of legendary Black Swan. This movie is far from a pass-time show, and we wouldn’t recommend it for kids in any case. Its protagonist is pop star Mima who decides to try out acting.

Her fans are furious about it, in particular a creepy stalker that tries to invade her life in many different ways. That, however, is not the worst thing to happen to Mima – she starts tormenting herself with her alter ego – an imaginative ‘her’ that questions her decisions, and brings her in all sorts of compromising positions.

This movie is sexually explicit, compromising, and even haunting, and gives us a pretty good overview of celebrities’ troubles with media violence, exploitation, and lack of personal space.

Hercules (1997)

What better than an animation to make Greek mythology fun? The epic tale of demigod Hercules and his parents Zeus and Hera inspired many professionals in the movie business to bring these characters to life, including beautiful Megara Hercules saves from evil ex-boyfriend Hades.

Even after 20 years, this is a movie every kid should watch – the movie that teaches us that strength is only good when used for a good cause.

Mulan (1998)

Remember the cute Chinese heroine who joined the army to ensure her dad doesn’t have to go? Hardly did any of us forget her epic appearance on gender’s funeral to ask if there were Huns to fight!

Mulan was also the long-awaited Asian reappearance on screen, and a role model for young women who didn’t abide to sexist norms. She was noble, brave, and extremely fun to watch – just the way we’d all like to be! Along the way, she even fell in love with Captain Li Shang, and gave this amazing story the love crown it deserves.

What made the Mulan movie even more memorable were the voices of the protagonists – the mini dragon Mu Shu was voiced by amazing Eddie Murphy, while the voice behind Mulan’s beautiful interpretation of ‘Reflection’ was none other than Christina Aguilera. Could it get any better?

Princess Mononoke (1998)

Princess Mononoke is not a typical and soothing animation movie. The visceral and dark story is often considered as Miyazak’s best movie, and there are many reasons for that.

Following Ashitaka’s efforts to reintroduce peace between the generous gods and destructive humans, you are provided with a truly imaginative and epic visual experience. This is why Princess Mononoke became the 7th highest-grossing animation of all times.

The Iron Giant (1999)

The Iron Giant is a much underestimated animation movie, and we believe this is so because of it being misunderstood. Rather than attaching an ‘antiwar’ label on it, we should look deeper under the surface and understand that Brad Bird’s guns are not simply killing machines – he questions how it’d be if they had a soul. Interesting, isn’t it? Put it on your list!

Chicken Run (2000)

Chicken run is not just the funny story of a loud rooster and his fellow chickens escaping certain death – it is the stop-motion parable and homage of The Great Escape that shows us how the wreckage of capitalism looks like.

It is also a very well produced piece whose scrappy heroines are to be quoted and remembered, and it definitely deserves a look.

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

If you’re into animation, there’s no way you missed Monsters, Inc. Its memorable snappy interplay and dizzying action sequences guarantee some serious fun to the viewer, as protagonists Sulley and his single-eyed associate Mike scare children to help Monstropolis.

Ain’t it just great to see these beasts’ freaking out as fearless moppet Boo takes over their turf?

Shrek (2001)

What made Shrek so popular is without doubt his suitability for audiences of all ages. Children thought of it as a fantastic fairy tale of distressed damsels, dragons, castles, and a princess to be saved. Adults, on the other side, enjoyed the amazing pop culture references this animation had to offer, in particular the great soundtrack that pandered exactly to them.

This movie also has one of the best acting crews behind it – DreamWorks animation chose Cameron Diaz to voice Princess Fiona, Mike Myers to voice the titular ogre, and incredible Eddie Murphy to voice the faithful donkey steed. Could it possibly get better?

Spirited Away (2002)

Spirited Away was based on Alice in Wonderland, and it was so well execute that it won an Oscar. The legendary tale of a wondering little girl and her magical ride into the land of the Unknown never stopped fascinating people, an effect Joe Hisaishi ensured with his new ideas and great moving instrumentals.

The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

‘The Triplets of Belleville’ is signed by ‘Illusionist’ producer Sylvain Chomet. It is a family movie of a concerned grandma looking for her grandson, and a piece aiming to warm everybody’s heart. It will impress you from the very first opening sequence, and you will definitely want to watch it again.

Finding Nemo (2003)

Inspired by the great success of under-the-sea animations, Pixar created what’s perhaps the most fascinating story of its kind – Finding Nemo. Protagonist Nemo is in fact a small clown fish that ventures through the scary sea to find its father, and whose journey is paired with the most exciting adventures.

Nemo meets surprisingly friendly sharks, cute turtles, and other sea creatures that need his help – the most memorable encounter, however, is the one with space cadet Dory, a character viewers loved so much that Pixar made a separate movie about it!

The Incredibles (2004)

Any animation expert out there can confirm that animation movies are not all about visual. A large portion of their success depends on the story they tell, and Incredibles is a movie that can prove that.

The great comic book inspired an even better movie, as it brought former superheroes Bob and Helen Paar and their family on our screens. We were simply thrilled by villain Syndrome’s crime-fighting revenge, and we can easily compare the action in this anime to any well-rated fighter movie.

RATATOUILLE (2007)

Here’s one more of Pixar’s masterpieces that combines great visuals, intriguing stories, and memorable characters. It treats the unusual alliance of rodent Remy and kitchen assistant Linguini, both working on Remy’s dream to become the chef of a great French Restaurant.

The best part of the story – their dishes manage to fascinate critic Anton Ego, just the way their personality fascinates the audiences!

WALL-E (2008)

The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is not the only great achievement of WALL-E. This movie was also recognized for acknowledging the dangers of pollution and human waste.

WALL-E is the main character in this animation – the Earth’s last robot that’s been alone for 700 years, and has thus developed a very curious ‘personality’. The loner is challenged by a newer robot model coming down to Earth, and the two of them create what’s today one of Disney’s most charming works.

Up (2009)

‘Up’ has just the right features to delight all audiences – funny characters and exciting chases to make kids laugh; and a precious adventurous experience for the parenting squad. Widower Carl and wilderness explorer and adventurist Carl take us on an unpredictable journey to South America, and lift our spirit up with every achievement. This is a movie you shouldn’t miss!

Coraline (2009)

Stop-motion animations company Laika picked an interesting book to adapt: Coraline by Neil Gaiman. As a result, they created a scary, yet very exciting movie, showing us how frustrated kid Coraline escapes from her parents and falls into trouble.

Coraline reaches a sinister and creepy world of Stepford-like replacements, including a terrorizing spider lady that follows her around. All she wants is to come back home, and viewers are there to join the journey. Certainly a piece of art!

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

The Princess and the Frog was created by John Musker and Ron Clements, a popular cinema duo we’d have to thank for masterpieces like Moana or The Little Mermaid.

Their latest hand-drawn fairytale takes place in the jazz age, and follows the story of a waitress who’s in love with an enchanted prince (frog), and becomes a frog herself. Give it a try!

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Fantastic Mr. Fox is based on Roald Dahl’s amazing fox story. Screenwriter Noah Baumbah teamed with popular filmmaker Wes Anderson to adapt this tale for our screens, and introduced us to the most popular movie fox ever.

This urban fox struggles to return to its natural wild habitat and save its community – a mission that may cause retaliation against other animal species, or facing one’s own mortality. Now there’s a movie packed with integrity and values that is suitable for all generations!

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

‘How To Train Your Dragon’ is one more of Roger Deakins’ cinematography legends – a thrilling and adventurous tale with beautiful painterly visuals, fully 3D enabled flying sequences, and a story to remember.

Instead of picking a celebrity crew to maintain the pop-culture gag, DreamWorks focused on the sequel and let the story lead the way, and that’s where the magic began. The central moment in this animation is the unique friendship of a Viking boy and a dragon, something that’ll remind us all of our beloved childhood pets.

Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)

Watching the Under the Red Hood movie, you get a rare chance to experience the real Batman flick without the Joker taking over. In this occasion, Batman tries to defeat an evil vigilante who stops him from restoring order in Gotham City.

We warn you – the movie comes with some serious action and bloodshed, but it is a genuine delight for supporters of this genre.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (2013)

This is the tale of Mike Wazowski, a wannabe Scarer who enrolls at a University of Monsters. The movie follows his rivalry with natural-born Scarer Sulley, as a result of which they’re both kicked out of the program.

What they have to do to get reaccepted is to win the program’s Scare Games. The challenge is – they have to join the least respected fraternity on campus (Oozma Kappa), and they have to work at the same time.

Frozen (2013)

Frozen won multiple awards for being the best animation film, and owes it to a variety of factor. This tremendous piece warmed our hearts with wonderful characters, as well as a perfected storyline presented to us with amazing graphics.

For those who haven’t watched it, Frozen follows the epic journey of the fearless and positive Anna, as her faithful reindeer Sven and mountain man Kristoff help her find her sister Elsa.

They’re headed to the kingdom of eternal winter Arendelle where Elsa’s icy powers are trapped and endangered. To get there, Anna and Kristoff face a number of terrible obstacles, including snowmen and mystical trolls. Of course, they win in the end.

Ernest & Celestine (2014)

Ernest & Celestine is an engaging animation film that treats the topic of stereotypes and prejudice. It introduces us to the unusual friendship between street musician Ernest (a bear) and dentist Celestine (mouse) that doesn’t resemble any previous U.S. movie production.

World of Tomorrow (2015)

World of Tomorrow is one of the best short sci fi movies you’ll ever watch. You will need exactly 16 minutes to explore Don Hertzfeldt’s work of art where he showcases his deep admiration for the sci-fi genre.

The Netflix blockbuster explores a variety of popular topics. As sweet little Emily looks into the future, she meets her own grown-up clone, and joins a memorable, sentimental journey to learn more about her.

Basically, World of Tomorrow has two roles – entertaining toddlers who identify themselves with Emily, and taking adults on a futuristic trip where they question the ideas of cloning, virtual reality, and time travel.

Anomalisa (2015)

Anomalisa is a very romantic drama/comedy brought to us by director Duke Johnson and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. At first sight, it is an ordinary love story between a motivational speaker and an ordinary girl named Lisa. What makes it so popular then?

The team did an excellent job putting longing and anxiety on screen, and promoting this film as an accurate study of human character, an analysis of modern malaise, and, well…a parody. The takeaway message to remember this movie by is – Keep going, no matter what!

Ups, we almost forgot. This movie is hilarious!

Inside Out (2015)

You all remember Inside Out, the masterpiece of animation that won the ‘Best Animated Feature Film’ Academy Award. The leading character is Riley, a girl with personified emotions ready to convey a simple, but meaningful message: We are all human beings, and life doesn’t always treat us nice. This is why critics in Cannes went all crazy about it.

The Little Prince (2016)

Mark Osborne used Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s classic The Little Prince to create an exciting story about a girl looking for her childhood. The movie is respected for its excellent blend of computer-generated animations and paper cutouts.

Tower (2016)

Many Hollywood movies treat attacks and incidents in the U.S, but what is really special about Tower is that it does so using animation. The storyline goes back to the 1966 shootings at Texas University, and it blends in a unique way animated characters, genuine broadcasts, and personal testimonies.

The Red Turtle (2017)

Michaël Dudok de Wit, the Dutch animator to sign this piece, likes to refer to it as an original ode to nature. This hand-drawn miracle is nothing like the previous works of Studio Ghibli – it displays the love story between a mute castaway and a shape-shifting turtle, and it features no words at all.

COCO (2017)

COCO will be remembered for many things, but most of all for its heart-melting soundtrack ‘Remember me’. This was Pixar’s pioneer musical film, and a piece that won viewers’ hearts as soon as it appeared.

The layered and colorful story takes place in Mexico, where young Miguel Rivera fights to become a renowned musician. His family bans music for him, but he persists pursuing a career like the one of his idol Ernesto de la Cruz.

Doing so, Miguel discovers the secrets in his family’s history, and his charming friend Hector from the Land of the Dead helps him all along.

If you enjoyed reading this article about animation movies, you should read these as well:

The most popular DC animated movies to watch in a lifetime

48 Of The Best Short Animated Films (Oscar winners included)

34 Of The Best Motion Graphics Studios And Their Work

Amazing Adobe After Effects Tutorials You Need To Watch

The Best Animated Movies For Adults: The ones to put on your list

The post The animation movies you shouldn’t miss in your lifetime appeared first on Design your way.

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[anotherramblingfangirl]

Take the Fifth:

Summary:

After all that she's done for it, Quintessa will not allow Cybetron to be destroyed. Nor will she ever allow the great devourer to rise once more.

Even if the only way she sees that can ensure both of these things, requires the deaths of over 7 billion people

Link: AO3

Fic:

She made them.

She made them and was one of the first to be made.

The fifth.

Only a few like her even existed at the start. Those created by Primus himself, those who existed for a purpose: to ward off a great evil.

His brother. His opposite. The great devourer.

Unicron.

And they fulfilled that role.

One long, long battle filled with so much destruction left him decrepit. Not dead, not yet.

But defeated, left derelict and banished away for now.

It was then that she had time to think, as the rest of her siblings turned to their own ambitions.

During this battle against chaos himself, she'd witnessed so many civilisations as he'd been pushed back from one planet to the next.

People, not built for any purpose, but simply living their lives. Building their own civilisations and striving for greatness as one whole community.

So many wondrous civilisations like that.

So full of growing, thriving life.

And she wanted it.

She had nothing against any of her fellow Primes, not yet, not then, but they were so few.

Why did they have to be so few? They were powerful, they had a habitable planet in Cybertron that could house billions and yet they numbered only just over a dozen.

That could not stand. She would not let that stand.

Cybertronians would have their civilisation too.

She would not just be a Prime.

She would be the Prime of Life.

She would see her dream through.

First, it came time to practice. She would not let her own people be the test run.

A few words whispered in ears, Primes and aliens alike convinced that their own goals would be furthered by her own...just a few lies told.

Here and there.

It would be worth it in the end. When it was done.

They would thank her.

That's what she told herself as the first part of her plan came to fruition.

As she breathed life into a new race. Albeit one that was organic, not mechanical like her.

They named themselves and the planet they resided after her.

Her subjects.

It was then that her trouble started. Had she known then, been older then, wiser then, she might have been more careful.

But back then...well, back then she was Quintus Prime and everything was going perfectly in her mind. Why should she make any changes to her plan?

So she set about her task.

Leading Liege Maximo onto her side had been easy enough. Wouldn't like subjects to rule over, after all? Cybertronians were glorious, should they not take more steps to spread that glory? Wouldn't it be fun?

All he had to do, was to spread some half-truths here and forget to mention a few facts there, and it would be easy.

All he had to do, was exactly what he already did.

Alchemist and Solus were harder.

They did not have such lusts for power, anxious to be exploited.

But they did have one thing that could be used, in that they were far more like her than of their other siblings.

They loved to create too.

Craft magnificent inventions that would not be found anywhere else across the stars.

Would creating life not be another magnificent and yet also wholly benevolent challenge?

That appeal there, was what got her the Emberstone crafted.

An artefact that could breathe life into metal.

An artefact that, at some point, came to later be called the Allspark.

They questioned what she would do with it. Solus being especially insistent and Quintus knew that Alchemist would have been too, had he not spent so much time partying, overcharged, with aliens.

They knew that harvesting enough resources required to do what they wished could not be done to Cybertron, not without rendering it too barren to support the new life they aimed to create.

She told them not to worry. She had a solution and would sort the problem.

They called her too idealistic as she turned in private to her first creations.

They had been made by her and would obey her in this.

Would they not like mechanical subjects too, after all? Servants to help with tasks too dangerous for any organic to have to do.

Should they help her they will share in her power and rule alongside the Primes as was their right.

The deception was necessary.

While she may have created them, they were unruly.

They knew that as her progeny she had a soft spot for them, would not just wipe them out should they prove troublesome, and repeatedly they had tried to exploit that.

Should she let down her guard for even a moment they would gain the upper hand.

But again, she was a Prime and back then the idea of anyone gaining the upper-hand over her was preposterous.

So she had them set their best scientist into building the Seeds, away from the prying eyes of her people to help make her people. Then she sent of their best explorers to put them to use.

Not just any metal would do. She had a very specific ideal for how things should turn out.

Once her subjects had fulfilled their role and brought the desired metals to it, it was then a matter of making something of it.

A fraught process and also the specific point where they started unjustly turning against her.

Where did you get that metal Quintus?

That was none of any of their businesses. She didn't see any of them offering to help in retrieving it, so they had no right to ask of her now.

And besides, she hardly knew herself. Her subjects had been free to collect from wherever they saw fit. She didn't know the specifics and was as such hardly fit to answer whether any planets chosen were populated.

She was sure if there were, they'd recover eventually.

Life possessed a remarkable capacity to do just that.

But most of the Primes just weren't happy with that answer.

They still made use of the metal of course, worked away it and the Emberstone combined brought forth the first denizens of their new civilisation.

But they grumbled about it the whole time.

If we find evidence of something Quintus, you will suffer the consequences!

Hardly.

Liege stood to her defence. As did Megatronus.

Even Onyx took pity and advised against anything overtly harsh.

The rest knew they could not start something with her without causing a conflict.

A conflict they would not then risk having, for the results would surely be catastrophic.

And as far as they knew, this was then of it anyway.

They had their people, now it was time to govern.

Even then though, she would not risk being caught prepared, lest they change their minds.

She recruited her knights and in secret she also had her staff forged.

Knights to defend her, one for each prime, and the staff to stop everything she had built, everything that she had worked for and that she now deserved being ripped away.

Until it all was anyway.

Something she could scream and scream and scream about until that screaming caused her vocorder to shred.

If she just let herself, as would be so bitterly tempting were she weak.

It wasn't her fault, what she had banished for. It wasn't fair!

They may perhaps have been her subjects but she had not ordered the Quintessons to invade. She had not known they even planned to, or the devices they'd developed to turn her people into the drones she had once promised them.

They had been far, far cleverer than she had given them credit for.

She made them pay nonetheless. Used her staff and ripped away the world that she had once given them, using it to instead fuel and damage the wreckage that the Quintesson onslaught has wrought upon hers.

Quintessa for Cybertron.

And that, that act, had been the final straw.

It had been genocide, yes, there had been huge and indiscriminate casualties, yes, but the species were not all dead.

It had been but a warning.

A warning for the greater good.

A warning on exactly what would happen to those who tried to invade.

A warning against those who challenged a Prime's might.

A warning that she would issue as many times as it took until all enemies either learned or died.

For that, her own knights turned against her, taking her staff from her and running.

For that, before she'd been able to take any action against that treacherous waste of metal, her own family turned traitor on her for her alleged deceptions.

Her!

Banished her!

She refused to go down without a fight, but it was a fight that, in the end, she lost.

Was forced to leave the people and the home she loved so dearly for the crime of protecting it.

And later, when it was far, far too late she would find out the worse news she possibly could have.

Of how, in her absence...it fell.

First went down the Dynasty of Primes.

Betrayed much like she had been.

Those who had remained on Cybertron wiped out. Leaving only smatterings of offspring behind to carry forth their legacy.

A legacy which most of those smatterings did not even know what truly entailed.

And then...then it was the war.

The war which started and ended just about every other aspect of Cybertron that had survived the Dynasty's collapse.

From the civilisation to the very planet itself.

With it's last remnants still being thrown away over an over.

Thrown away, she would later find out, for Unicron.

She had finally found the location of the beast only to learn that Optimus Prime, progeny of Prima himself, was siding with saving him over Cybertron.

And so, for the first time in so many millennia after her banishment, she came home.

She came home, no longer baring the title Quintus Prime, but that of the planet which took it's name from it, before she left that place all but destroyed.

Baring it as a mark of both pride and a sign of what she was willing to do again.

She came home and she waited and she acted.

It seemed that while the Autobots were determined with their disgustingly single-minded pursuit to sacrifice all for evil incarnate, the Decepticons were much more agreeable to her goals.

They would help her stop him from ever getting the chance to wake up.

Then came the fabled Prime, and once he was under her control, back in line, it was just a matter of being able to retrieve her staff.

Then she could fix everything.

But the Autobots still refused to understand.

Refused in their stubbornness to sacrifice one planet, one, for the sake of not only their home, but so many others!

Should Unicron get the chance to fully wake up, should this "Earth" not be destroyed, then entire star systems would die before they even have the chance to realise what was happening.

Chances are, that they would not be able to stop him again.

He would kill everything!

And while she herself was not a stranger to genocide, when she did it, it was for a purpose.

Unicron did it simply to sate his own hunger.

How could the Autobots, knowing all that, still think it was her that needed to be stopped? Try slay her and not the beast?

Had she not teleported, she would have been dead and the rise of the great devourer rendered inevitable.

She was on his surface now, masked with the appearance of a human woman.

Alive and once again waiting.

If there was one thing her banishment had improved about her it was her patience.

He might know she was there now, might vaguely recognise her in his state of mostly-slumber, but for now he was still powerless to do anything about that.

She had time.

She would still have her way.

She knew how to kill him, after all.

The Autobots would not stop her.

And when they inevitably tried to, she would reek a great and terrible revenge upon them for what they have done.

For she would not allow Unicron or anyone who took his side to outlast the civilisation she'd fought to have even created.

For she would not allow Unicron or anyone who took his side to outlast Cybertron.

For she would not allow Unicron or anyone who took his side to outlast her.

[aion-rsa]

Godzilla vs. Kong: A Brief History of Mechagodzilla

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this article contains spoilers for godzilla vs. kong.

It may not have quite the cache or iconic status of Mothra or King Ghidorah, but Mechagodzilla has managed to become a consistent element in the Godzilla movie universe for years. And now the metallic wonder makes its Hollywood debut (not counting Ready Player One) in director Adam Wingard’s Godzilla vs. Kong, the fourth film in the modern MonsterVerse that kicked off in 2014 with Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla.

Ever since making its first appearance in 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, the gigantic robotic reptile has stuck around as a relatively constant thorn in the side of his flesh-and-blood counterpart. If Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra are the Joker, Penguin, and Catwoman to Godzilla’s Batman, then Mechagodzilla hovers near the top of the second tier of rogues, the equivalent to a Two-Face or Mr. Freeze.

Mechagodzilla’s first appearance some 47 years ago came during the Showa era of the original Toho Studios series of Godzilla films. It was the result of some creative brainstorming following two absolutely terrible entries in the series, Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) and Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), which featured two of the big lizard’s more uninspiring enemies–a cyborg with a buzzsaw in its stomach and an oversized beetle, respectively.

Faced with the task of freshening up the Godzilla movies via some better antagonists, Toho execs were intrigued by the success of the robot anime genre in Japan at the time, and also wanted to recycle the idea of Mechani-Kong, the android Kong seen in the animated 1966 series The King Kong Show and the largely disastrous 1967 film, King Kong Escapes. Between Mechani-Kong, Gigan, and the robot Jet Jaguar, mechanical monsters already had a presence in Toho’s kaiju films, paving the way for Mechagodzilla.

Toho

Mechagodzilla in the Showa era

In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, the title villain is the creation of alien invaders from the “Third Planet of the Black Hole,” who plan to use the robot to conquer Earth. Mechagodzilla’s initial rampage–in which it’s actually disguised as Godzilla–sets it against veteran Godzilla ally Anguirus, before Godzilla himself gets involved and goes head to head with the robot. A third monster–the massive protector deity King Caesar, also making his screen debut–gets involved in the action as well, helping the big G defeat his metallic counterpart in a rousing finale.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, which didn’t arrive in the U.S. until 1977, under the name Godzilla vs. the Bionic Monster, earned somewhat more at the box office than Godzilla vs. Megalon, even though the franchise was well past its glory days. Critics were a little kinder to the movie too, although not that much: Monthly Film Bulletin pointed out that it could have been “much less shambling than it was.”

Nevertheless, Toho tried again the following year with Terror of Mechagodzilla, the 15th film in the Godzilla series and the last of the initial Showa era. Even though it marked the return of director Ishiro Honda, who had helmed some of the franchise’s biggest classics, Terror ended up becoming (relative to inflation) the lowest grossing entry of all the Godzilla films–a distinction it sadly holds to this day.

The story followed a plot hatched by a mad scientist and the same aliens from the previous film to rebuild Mechagodzilla and team it up with a new monster called Titanosaurus in the hope of defeating Godzilla and wiping out humankind, but our fire-breathing hero and his human allies eventually smack that scheme down.

Interestingly, the screenplay for Terror of Mechagodzilla was written by Yukiko Takayama, who won a contest to provide Toho with an original story for its next Godzilla movie. Takayama’s initial concept for Titanosaurus was a pair of creatures called Titans–which is, of course, the overall name given to the giant creatures that now inhabit the MonsterVerse movies, including in Godzilla vs. Kong. The Titans in Terror were combined into one monster due to budget concerns.

Two Titans, or one lonely Titanosaurus, it didn’t matter much, because the financial struggle of Terror led to Toho ending the Showa era and putting the entire Godzilla franchise on ice for nearly 10 years. But while the big G re-emerged in 1984 with The Return of Godzilla (a.k.a. Godzilla 1985), it would be another nine years until a shiny new version of his mechanical opponent turned up in the Heisei era.

Toho

A new Mechagodzilla for the Heisei era

1993 brought Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, the 20th film in the franchise and, strangely enough, not a sequel to the 1974 film of the same name. This time out, the United Nations’ military anti-Godzilla unit, G-Force, uses the remains of Mecha-King Ghidorah from the previous film, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, to create two machines capable of battling Godzilla: a weaponized aircraft called Garuda and a robot named–you guessed it–Mechagodzilla.

G-Force also has another advantage: it’s in possession of a new Baby Godzilla and uses the infant’s cries to lure Godzilla into battle with Mechagodzilla and Garuda. The latter two ultimately merge into something called Super-Mechagodzilla, and just when it looks like the big green guy is on the ropes, Rodan (who had been nearly killed by the machines earlier in the movie) shows up for a late assist.

Read more

Movies

Godzilla: First 15 Showa Era Movies Ranked

By Don Kaye

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From Skull Island to Godzilla vs. Kong: A Complete MonsterVerse Timeline

By David Crow

As with the other films of the Heisei era, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II benefits from a more serious approach and better special effects than were available in the 1960s and ‘70s, earning the film good reviews and decent box office. The Mechagodzilla suit itself was much more rounded than its predecessor in the earlier films, although still played by a man inside.

Toho

Mechagodzilla enters the Millennium era

It was another nine years before Mechagodzilla showed up again, and it was after the Heisei era had ended and the Millennium era began. The movie was 2002’s Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, and like the other movies in this era, it ignored the events all previous movies except the original Gojira and essentially rebooted Mechagodzilla.

In this case, Mechagodzilla, nicknamed Kiryu, is literally built on the skeleton of the original Godzilla by the Japan Self-Defense Forces. It’s piloted remotely by humans, but the plan to use it against Godzilla backfires when memories of the original Godzilla’s death are triggered in the robot, causing it to go on a rampage of destruction. The Self-Defense Forces eventually regain control of it and send it into battle against its counterpart, although this time the movie ends in a draw.

Mechagodzilla seemed to strike a chord with audiences and critics again, as reviews and box office for the film were among the strongest of the Millennium era. That is perhaps also why Mechagodzilla returned a year later for Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., the 27th Toho film and second to last of the Millennium era. It was also (unusual for this run of films ) a direct sequel to its predecessor, picking up with Kiryu being refitted following the damage it sustained in the previous movie.

It’s theorized that Godzilla keeps coming back to fight Kiryu because of the bones that are part of the robot’s design, so plans are made to shut down the robot and instead let Mothra defend the human race from Godzilla. But when Mothra herself is defeated by the giant fire-breathing dinosaur, the Self-Defense Force has no choice but to let Kiryu get back to work. The film ends with monster and robot plunging to the bottom of the ocean, with a sequel strongly hinted at.

Toho

A modern Mechagodzilla in the Reiwa era

There was one more live-action Godzilla film from Toho in this sequence, Godzilla: Final Wars, but Mechagodzilla sat that one out. Yet a new edition of the cyborg would show up in the so-called Reiwa era, making brief appearances in two of the films from the anime Godzilla trilogy.

In the first, Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017), it was built by humans and aliens to counteract Godzilla, but is never activated after the latter destroys the construction facility. In the follow-up, Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018), nanometal remnants of Mechagodzilla are used to rebuild the facility as well as three battlesuits, but the complex itself, dubbed “Mechagodzilla City,” begins absorbing everything around it under the direction of the aliens, until Godzilla destroys it.

And that was it for Mechagodzilla until it was revealed only recently that a new version of the robot was created for Godzilla vs. Kong. While the previous versions of the robot had solid metal bodies–albeit changing over time from a very mechanical to a more organic look–the new Mechagodzilla is harsh, skeletal and chain-like, powered by the surviving neural network of a severed Ghidorah head and piloted through the combination of a remote control panel and a telepathic human–until a new power source makes it self-aware and able to control itself.

Just as its appearance has changed over the years, so has Mechagodzilla’s arsenal of weapons, which started with missiles and energy rays and graduated to more powerful and plentiful versions of those, while adding plasma grenades, laser cannons and shock anchors in later movies. The “Absolute Zero” flash freezing cannon also came later, while the new Hollywood edition uses a red proton beam, plasma fists, and shoulder-mounted missile launchers, along with a nasty-looking drill on the end of its tail.

“The idea of Mechagodzilla in a big MonsterVerse version, in a Hollywood kind of grounded reality, just sounded so cool,” enthuses Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard about including the robot in the new movie. “To be a director that gets a chance to put their own spin on the design of that, it was just like I had to do this movie from there. They would have had to convince me not to at that point.”

Mechagodzilla has regularly made lists of Godzilla’s most fearsome enemies, so it’s easy to see why it was selected to become the one antagonist that could possibly take on both Godzilla and Kong. Some 47 years after the robot first came clanking to life, it’s getting to, pardon the pun, prove its mettle once again.

Godzilla vs. Kong is currently in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi RSS FEED OF POST WRITTEN BY FOZMEADOWS

Warning: total spoilers for The Last Jedi.

After weeks of frantically speed-scrolling through my various social media feeds when anything that looked like a Star Wars spoiler appeared, I’ve finally managed to get out and see The Last Jedi. Despite my diligence, I didn’t go in completely unspoiled: I knew the general shape of the fan discourse surrounding the characterisation, which means I had some context cues and a smatter of details to work with, but not the major plot points. Now that I’ve seen the movie, however, I’m electing to write my own review before catching up on other people’s opinions, so if I touch on something that’s already been dissected at length without referencing said discussion, that’s why.

In broad-brush strokes, I enjoyed The Last Jedi. Assessing it purely on its own merits, there was a lot it did right: the cinematography, special effects and original creature creation were wonderful, I loved Rose Tico, and there was a pleasing balance of drama, emotion and humour, the requisite scenery-chewing deftly subverted by moments of self-aware comedy, especially in the opening exchange between Hux and Poe Dameron. Mostly, it was solid.

Mostly.

But.

The thing is, no Star Wars film is an island. The Last Jedi is the second film in a trilogy of trilogies, one whose core trio were clearly and intentionally mapped to the heroes of the (original by creation-date, second by internal chronology) series in The Force Awakens: Finn to Han, Rey to Luke and Poe to Leia. This being so, it was easy to mark the other narrative similarities between The Force Awakens and A New Hope – most notably, the parallels between the Death Star and Starkiller Base, both of which were destroyed in the respective finales, but not before their destructive power was unleashed. Which makes comparing The Last Jedi to The Empire Strikes Back not only reasonable, but – I would argue – necessary, if only to determine whether the decision to parallel the new with the old has continued beyond the first film.

The short answer to that is: yes, The Last Jedi is structurally akin to Empire, but not always to useful effect. The long answer, however, is rather more complex.

As a writer, there’s nothing that makes me crave a metaphorical red pen quite like a story where, for whatever reason, I can see the authorial handwave of Because Reasons gumming up the mechanics. If The Last Jedi was an original film, detached from the Star Wars universe, I’d be able to tell you that the problem stems from the poorly-forced sexist clash between Poe and Holdo, and that would be that. But because The Last Jedi has borrowed certain key narrative structures from Empire, there’s a clear template against which to measure its narrative choices, which makes it easier to infer the hows and whys of various changers.

A quick refresher in Star Wars, for those who haven’t watched the original trilogy lately. The Empire Strikes back begins with the Rebel forces being ousted from Hoth in a massive battle. After fleeing the planet, Luke goes to Degobah to train with Master Yoda, while Han and Leia spend some time dealing with a broken Millennium Falcon and the pursuit of Boba Fett, kissing and bickering and generally cementing their chemistry before finally going to track down Han’s old buddy, Lando Calrissian, in Cloud City. Frustrated with Yoda, Luke has a premonition of danger and goes to rescue his friends, as Lando, who’s been strong-armed by Darth Vader, hands Han and Leia over to the Empire. Han is frozen in carbonite after Leia declares her love for him, Luke loses a hand and learns Vader is his father, and the film ends with the pair them, plus Lando, escaping as they resolve to rescue Han.

By comparison, The Last Jedi follows a fairly similar arc. The film opens with the Rebellion being ousted from its base and pursued in a space battle. Rey attempts to persuade Luke to help her, while Poe and Finn are left dealing with a fleet that’s low on fuel as they try to outrun Hux and the First Order. As Leia lies injured, Poe clashes with Holdo over command, which results in him sending Finn and Rose on a secret mission to find a codebreaker who can help sabotage the First Order’s ship. Unable to the codebreaker, Rose and Finn return instead with DJ, a stranger who claims he can help them, but who ends up betraying them to the First Order. Unaware of this, Poe mounts a short-lived mutiny against Holdo. Meanwhile, frustrated with Luke and experiencing an odd connection to Kylo Ren, Rey goes to try and turn him to back to the light, only to find that Snoke was the source of their connection. Kylo kills Snoke and his guards with Rey’s help, reveals the truth about her lost parents, then betrays her in turn. In the final battle, Rose is injured and declares her feelings for Finn, and the film ends with the rebellion united but still fleeing.

Based on this, it seems clear that The Last Jedi is intended to parallel The Empire Strikes Back, both structurally and thematically. All the same elements are in play, albeit recontextualised by their place in a new story; but where Empire is a tight, sleek film, The Last Jedi is middle-heavy. The major difference between the two is Poe’s tension-and-mutiny arc, which doesn’t map to anything in Empire.

And this is the part where things get prickly. As stated, I really love Rose Tico, not only because she’s a brilliant, engaging character superbly acted by Kelly Marie Tran, but because she represents another crucial foray into diverse representation, both in Star Wars and on the big screen generally. There’s a lot to recommend Vice-Admiral Holdo, too, especially her touching final scene with Leia: I still want to know more about their relationship. I am not for a moment saying that either character – that either woman – doesn’t belong in the film, or in Star Wars, or that their roles were miscast or badly acted or anything like that. But there is, I suspect, a truly maddening reason why they were paired onscreen with Finn and Poe, and that this logic in turn adversely affected both the deeper plot implications and the film’s overall structure.

Given how closely The Last Jedi parallels the main arc of Empire, it’s narratively incongruous that, rather than Finn and Poe heading out to find the codebreaker together, the pair of them are instead split up, decreasing their screen-time while extending the length of the film. But as was firmly established in The Force Awakens, Finn and Poe map to Han and Leia – which is to say, to a canonical straight couple. Even without the phenomenal on-screen chemistry between John Boyega and Oscar Isaac, that parallel is clear in the writing; and in Empire, Han and Leia’s time alone is what catalyses their on-screen romance.

That being so, I find it impossible to believe that Finn and Poe were split up and paired with new female characters for anything other than a clumsy, godawful attempt to No Homo the narrative. Rose and Finn’s scenes are delightful, and their actors, too, have chemistry, but every time we cut back to Poe and Holdo, the story flounders. Everything that happens during Finn’s absence is demonstrably redundant: not only does it fail to move the plot forward, but in trying to justify the time-split, writer/director Rian Johnson has foisted a truly terrible mini-arc on Poe Dameron.

Specifically: after Leia is incapacitated, Holdo is given command of the rebellion. Seeing Holdo for the first time, Poe looks startled and states that she’s not what he was expecting. When Poe, recently demoted by Leia for ignoring orders, asks Holdo what her plan is, Holdo dismisses him as a hot-headed “flyboy” who isn’t what they need right now. Not only doesn’t she tell him where they’re headed, she apparently doesn’t tell anyone else, either. This failure to communicate her plan to her people is, firstly, why Finn feels he has to light out on his own, which is how he meets Rose, and is secondly why, once Finn and Rose come up with a plan to infiltrate the First Order, Poe decides that they can’t risk involving Holdo.

As we eventually learn, Holdo does have a plan – and a good one. There is literally no reason why, given the steadily escalating fear and anxiety of her crew, who are watching their companion ships get picked off one by one, she doesn’t share the full details with the rebellion. Instead, she leaves it to Poe to figure out that she’s refuelling the transport ships to evacuate – and when he panics, pointing out (correctly) that the transports are neither shielded nor armed, she likewise doesn’t elaborate on the fact that they’ll have a cloaking device to shield them and a destination close by, one where they can land and take shelter while the main ship acts as a decoy.

Because of Holdo’s decision to withhold this information, Poe thinks that she’s given up and is leading them blithely to their deaths, and so stages a mutiny – one in which he’s supported by a number of other, equally worried crewmembers. Happily, Leia recovers from her injuries in time to reclaim control, and only then does she let Poe in on Holdo’s plan. Poe suffers no further consequences for his actions, and even when they talk privately, both Holdo and Leia seem more amused by his mutiny than angry at what he’s done, rendering the whole arc moot. Except, of course, for the fact that Finn and Rose, on their mission from Poe, bring DJ into the mix – and DJ, who knows about the cloaking device, betrays this secret to the First Order, who promptly open fire on the transport ships.

Hundreds of rebellion soldiers die because Poe and Holdo so disliked each other on sight that neither one trusted the other with vital information – and for the rest of the film, this is never addressed. But of course, Johnson can’t address it, not even to hang a fucking lampshade on it, because the entire scenario is manufactured as a way to justify Poe’s protagonist-level screentime while Finn is away – which is also why, contextually, their antagonism doesn’t even make sense. The film begins with the premise that the entire rebellion, who’ve just been flushed out of their single remaining base, is on the run together – so why the fuck haven’t Poe and Holdo met before now? Especially as both are shown to have a close, personal relationship with Leia, it rings utterly false that they’d not only be in the dark about one another, but start out instantly on the wrong foot.

As such, the coding around Poe’s surprise at Holdo – that she’s not what he expected – is a lazy misstep. Traditionally, when hotshot male characters say this about a new female commander, it’s a sexist dogwhistle: oh, I didn’t know we’d be getting a woman. But why would Poe Dameron, son of Shara Bey and devotee of General Leia Organa, be surprised by Holdo’s gender? He wouldn’t, is the answer. Flatly, canonically, he wouldn’t. But if there’s some other aspect of Holdo that’s meant to ping as unusual besides her being female, it’s not obvious. It would’ve made far more sense to write the two as having a pre-existing antagonistic relationship for whatever reason: instead, we get Poe cast as an impatient, know-it-all James Bond to Holdo as Judi Dench’s M, who doesn’t have time for his nonsense when they first meet, but who ends up forgiving it anyway.

It’s like Rian Johnson looked at the Poe Dameron of The Force Awakens – a character universally beloved for being vulnerable, funny, charming, honest, loyal and openly affectionate – and decided, Hey, that guy’s an awesome pilot, which means he’s a COOL GUY, and COOL GUYS don’t play by the RULES, man, especially if it means listening to WOMEN – they just A-Team that shit in secret and to HELL with the bodycount! And anyway he’s HOT, so he’s ALWAYS forgiven.

Dear Rian Johnson, if you’re reading this: I like a lot of what you did with this film, but FUCK YOU FOREVER for making Poe Dameron the kind of guy who gets a bunch of his friends killed, then has a mutiny, then indirectly gets even MORE people killed, and never shows any grief about or cognisance of his actions, all because you wanted to avoid fuelling a homoerotic parallel that you openly queerbaited in promo but never intended to fulfil anyway. GIVE US OUR GODDAMN GAYS IN SPACE, YOU COWARD.

Anyway. 

The point being, the entire plot of The Last Jedi suffers because of a single, seemingly homophobic decision – unnecessarily splitting up Poe and Finn to avoid further Han/Leia comparisons – and the knock-on consequences thereof. Which is where I bring out my metaphorical Red Pen of Plot-Fixing and say, here is what should’ve happened. Namely: Poe and Holdo should’ve had a pre-existing antagonistic relationship, but one that didn’t prevent them from sharing information like grown-ups. Rather than Rose being part of the rebellion, she should’ve been the codebreaker they were sent to retrieve on Holdo’s orders (because two plans are better than one, and why not try both gambits?). This voids the need for DJ, who barely appears before disappearing again, so that Rose-as-codebreaker retains her status as an important, well-fleshed character who interacts with both Finn and Poe, and whose introduction works to map her onto Lando Calrissian. If you really must keep DJ because Benicio del Toro and thematic betrayal parallels (more of which shortly), he can be the dubious guy with First Order secrets that Rose has been trying to recruit for the rebellion, which explains why she’s with him on the casino planet in the first place, and how he’s so easily able to cut a deal with Phasma. BOOM! You’ve just saved a solid 20 minutes of redundant screen-time without degrading Poe’s character or undermining Holdo’s for no good reason and without dumb sexism creeping in. You’re welcome. 

(Also. ALSO. Not to take away from how lovely that Finn/Rose kiss was, but let’s just take a moment to peek into the other timeline, the one where Stormpilot gets to go canon the same way Han and Leia did in Empire. Let’s imagine Finn and Poe bickering in the casino, getting all rumpled during the escape while Rose and BB8 exchange Meaningful Looks and scathing droid-beeps about the two of them. Let’s imagine, during that final battle on Krait, that it’s Poe, not Rose, who stays behind to forcibly knock Finn out of that self-sacrificing dive towards the enemy gun; Poe who grabs Finn and kisses him because they should fight for what they love, not against what they hate, before passing out injured, thus completing the parallel of Han going into carbonite after kissing Leia. Let us gaze upon that world, that glorious thematic act of completion, subversion and queer recontextualisation, and then quietly wish a pox on everything in our cruddy Darkest Timeline that conspired to make it unhappen.)

And now, with all that out of the way, let’s address the Rey/Kylo issue.

As I said at the outset of this piece, I tried my best to avoid spoilers before watching the film, but no matter how quickly I scrolled through feeds or closed my tabs, I still knew that a lot of people had come away rejoicing in the idea that Rey and Kylo were being set up romantically, while an equal number had not.

And I just. Look. While I’m not going to stand here and tell people what to ship or on what basis, both generally and at this historical moment in particular, I find myself with an intense personal dislike of narratives, canonical or otherwise, which take it upon themselves to woobify Nazis, neo-Nazis, or the clearly signposted fictional counterparts thereof, into which category Kylo Ren and the whole First Order falls squarely. I don’t care about how sad he feels that he killed his dad: he still fucking killed his dad, and that’s before you account for the fact that he demonstrably doesn’t give a shit about committing genocide. In the immortal words of Brooklyn Nine Nine’s Jake Peralta: cool motive, still murder. Except for how the motive isn’t actually cool at all, because, you know, actual literal genocide.

From my viewing of the film, I honestly can’t tell if Rian Johnson wants us to think of Kylo as a genuinely sympathetic, redeemable figure, or if he’s just trying to improve on the jarring, horrible botch the prequels made of Anakin’s trip to the Dark Side by showing us his complexity without negating his monstrousness. Or, well: let me rephrase that. In terms of the actual script and what takes place, I’d argue that, even if Kylo is given a final shot at redemption in Episode IX, he’s still not being primed as Rey’s love interest. It’s just that the question of how much Johnson wants us to care about Kylo as a person, regardless of anything that happens with Rey, is a different question, for all that the two are easily conflated.

Yes, Rey and Kylo touched hands. They did! And Kylo killed Snoke instead of Rey! This is what we might call a low fucking bar for romantic compatibility, but hey: it’s not like white dudes in cinema are ever really called upon to jump anything higher. More salient in terms of the Star Wars universe is the fact that, after they defeat Snoke’s guards, Kylo’s appeal to Rey to join him and rule the galaxy together is an almost word-for-word callback to the offer Anakin makes Padme in Revenge of the Sith, right before he force-chokes her into unconsciousness, leaves her pregnant ass for dead and turns into Darth Vader. The fact that Anakin and Padme are also sold as a tragic romance prior to this moment is not, I would contend, the salient hook on which to hang the hopes of canon Reylo. Aside from anything else, Rey is mapped to Luke and Kylo, very clearly, to Darth Vader: with clear precedent, Rey’s desire to turn Kylo back from the Dark Side can be heartfelt without being romantic.

(Also, I mean. The connection that Rey and Kylo had was deliberately forged by Snoke to exploit their weaknesses, which is why they each had a vision of converting the other. Though we’re given a hint that the link remains in the final scenes, it ends with Rey shutting the door – both literally and figuratively – in Kylo’s face. I’m hard-pressed to view that as destiny.)

As for Kylo himself, his characterisation reads to me as deliberate, selfish nihilism. Kylo is conflicted over his murder of Han Solo because it impacts him, but at no point does he hesitate to reign down destruction and death on strangers. His desire to turn Rey to the Dark Side is likewise covetous, possessive: she is powerful, and he wants a powerful companion in the Force, but one who, by virtue of being his apprentice, will be subordinate to him – not a judgemental superior, as Snoke was. This is reflected in the way DJ’s betrayal of Rose and Finn is paralleled with Kylo’s decision to first help Rey when it benefits him, and then to turn on her afterwards. Like DJ, Kylo is mercenary in his allegiances, helping whoever helps him in the moment, then discarding them when the relationship is no longer useful.

The death of Snoke itself, however, is rather anticlimactic. He was a looming, distant figure in The Force Awakens, and while there’s an established tradition of Star Wars villains showing up and looking cool without their origins ever being satisfactorily explained at the time, this is vastly more annoying in Snoke’s case. Unlike General Greivous, Darth Maul or Boba Fett, Snoke isn’t just the random antagonist of a single film, plucked from obscurity to thwart the heroes: he’s the reason Ben Solo turned to the Dark Side and become Kylo Ren. Presumably, the hows and whys of Snoke manipulating the young Ben could still come out in Episode IX, but if it never gets addressed onscreen, I’m going to be deeply irritated.

On a more positive note, I enjoyed what the film did with Luke’s arc, for all that it’s not what I’d expected. To me, one of the most fascinating arguments in Star Wars discourse is the question of the Jedi, their morality, and how it all set Anakin up for failure. The Jedi ideology put forth in the prequels is the kind of thing that sounds superficially deep and meaningful, but which looks increasingly toxic the more closely it’s examined. The ban on children, marriage and close relationships outside the Order; the extreme youth of those taken for training combined with a forcible, protracted separation from their families; the idea that fear necessarily leads to anger, and so on. Luke describing the Force to Rey as something that existed beyond the Jedi, an innate aspect of the world, felt both refreshing and intuitively right, even given the necessity of respecting the balance between light and dark. The appearance of force-ghost Yoda felt a little pat, as did his ability to call lightning, but he still had one of my favourite lines in the whole film, delivered in support of Luke’s choice to step away from the Jedi teachings: as masters, we become the thing they surpass.

There were other, smaller niggles throughout than my issues with Poe and the no-homo restructuring of the plot: the handwaving of distances between Luke’s world and the main fight in a story that hinged on fuel supply; the sudden appearance of trenches and tunnels into the caves on Krait when everyone was meant to be trapped inside; the random appearance of an Evil Ball Droid to play momentary nemesis to BB8; the on-the-nose decision to show a random white slave boy, holding a broom he Force-summoned like a lightsaber, at the very end of the film. And as wonderful as it was to see Billie Lourd on screen, the knowledge that Carrie Fisher will be absent from Episode IX – the film that was meant to have been her movie, just as Harrison Ford had the The Force Awakens and Mark Hamill had The Last Jedi – rendered both her presence and her mother’s all the more bittersweet.

  Ultimately, The Last Jedi is a successful-but-frustrating mess, which is kind of how you know it’s a Star Wars movie. I’ll be forever angry at the carelessness with which Rian Johnson treated Poe Dameron and Vice-Admiral Holdo, but even if I could’ve wished for a different plot structure, I’m always going to stan hard for Rose Tico, who was warm and kind and intelligent and who stole every scene she was in. LESS REN, MORE ROSE – that’s my new motto.

Here’s hoping that Episode IX delivers.

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[multiverseforger]

Jonathan Osterman is born in 1929 to a German-American family. Jon plans to follow in his father's footsteps as a watchmaker, but when the U.S. drops the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, his father declares his profession outdated and instead forces him to work toward a career studying nuclear physics. The incident represents the turning point in Jon's potential future from watchmaker to nuclear physicist, and foreshadows Doctor Manhattan's "exterior" perception of time as predetermined and all things within it as so determined, including Manhattan's own reactions and emotions.

Jon attends Princeton University and graduates with a Ph.D. in atomic physics. In early 1959, he moves to a research base at Gila Flats, where experiments are being performed on the "intrinsic fields" of physical objects which, if tampered with, result in their disintegration. Here he meets Janey Slater, a fellow researcher; they eventually become lovers. During a visit to an amusement park in New Jersey, Janey's wristwatch is broken, which Jon promises to fix. However, one month later, Jon discovers he has left the repaired watch in his labcoat inside a test chamber. While he is inside, the door to the chamber closes and locks. The researchers are unable to open the door or override the countdown, and Jon's body is torn to pieces from the force of the generator.

In the following months, a series of strange events and apparitions occur at the research base, leading residents to speculate that the area is haunted. It becomes apparent that Jon is progressively re-forming himself during this time, as indicated by a series of partial bodily reappearances: first a disembodied nervous system including the brain and eyes; then as a circulatory system; and then as a partially muscled skeleton. Each time, the appearance lasts for only a few seconds. Jon eventually fully reappears as a tall, hairless, naked and blue-skinned man, glowing with a "flare of ultraviolet."

Before WatchmenEdit

Jon gradually becomes a pawn of the U.S. government, which gives him the code name "Doctor Manhattan"—a reference to the Manhattan Project—and a costume which he begrudgingly accepts. Doctor Manhattan chooses as his emblem a representation of a hydrogen atom, whose simplicity he declares to be something that kindles his respect; accordingly, he painlessly burns the mark into his forehead. This preference for material mechanisms marks the beginning of his declining humanity, which is progressively mirrored by his gradual shedding of the uniform; by the end of the 1970s, he refuses to wear anything at all except during mandatory public appearances.

However, Manhattan's presence tips the balance of the Cold War in the West's favor, and U.S. foreign policy becomes more militaristic as a result. At President Richard Nixon's request, he secures an American victory in the Vietnam War one week after Manhattan's direct involvement, which subsequently allows Nixon to repeal the 22nd Amendment and serve up to five terms. Moreover, far from solving the problems underlying international tensions, Manhattan's presence exacerbates them while stifling their expression, which inevitably builds toward disaster; the entire plot of Watchmen occurs during the countdown to a potential nuclear war.

Since he works for the U.S. government, Manhattan is exempt from a federal law outlawing costumed heroes, but spends much of his time conducting research. He is single-handedly responsible for the shift to electric-powered vehicles, and Adrian Veidt credits him with causing a huge leap forward in a myriad of science and technology sectors. As a result, the technology of the alternative 1985 of the Watchmen universe is far more advanced. During the only meeting of the Crimebusters group, Manhattan becomes attracted to Laurie Juspeczyk, the second Silk Spectre. His relationship with Janey ends acrimoniously shortly after, and he begins dating Laurie.

Events of WatchmenEdit

At the start of Watchmen, Manhattan works at the Rockefeller Military Research Center, where he lives with Laurie. Rorschach comes to inform the two of the murder of Edward Blake, aka the Comedian, and warns them that all former costumed adventurers are being targeted by a "mask killer." Manhattan dismisses Rorschach by teleporting him outside, and encourages Laurie to go out with Dan Dreiberg, the second Nite Owl. Shortly afterwards, Manhattan attends Blake's funeral with Veidt and Dreiberg, reflects on his association with Blake during the Vietnam War, and senses the presence of the former villain Moloch.

During an appearance on a talk show, a reporter ambushes Manhattan with allegations that he caused cancer in his former associates, including Janey. Seeking solitude, he transports himself to Mars. The Soviet Union exploits his absence by invading Afghanistan and sparking an international crisis. Eventually, Manhattan brings Laurie to Mars to discuss why he should aid humanity, an argument Laurie inadvertently wins when she realizes to her shock that her father is Blake, a man she despised for sexually assaulting her mother. From this revelation, Manhattan is amazed by the improbable chances that occurred to result in the birth of Laurie, a chain of events he sees as a stunning "thermodynamic miracle." Realizing that, by extension, this miracle can apply to any living thing on Earth, Manhattan is persuaded to return to Earth to protect humanity rather than disregarding it as insignificant.

Veidt is found to have framed Manhattan as part of his overall plot to avert World War III by attacking New York with an engineered monster, killing half of the city in the process. Although Manhattan and Laurie return too late to stop Veidt, they teleport to his base in Antarctica to confront him. Veidt tries to disintegrate Manhattan, only for Manhattan to restore himself more quickly than Veidt expected. However, upon seeing that Veidt's plan has averted war, Manhattan realizes that to expose him would be too dangerous for life on Earth, and agrees to stay silent. Rorschach leaves with the intention of exposing the truth, causing Manhattan to vaporize him. Manhattan decides to depart Earth again, suggesting that he desires to find a galaxy "less complicated than this one." When Veidt asks if his plan worked out in the end, Manhattan replies, "In the end? Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends."

In the DC UniverseEdit

"The New 52" and "DC Rebirth"Edit

After departing from the Watchmen universe, Manhattan was aware of the DC Universe being filled with hope inside humanity, and traveled there to find a place among those people and start a new life. But at some point, his visions showed him an arms race among metahumans that caused an incoming "World War III", leading Manhattan to have a confrontation with Superman, and then he saw "nothing".[6] This revelation led Manhattan to modify the DC Universe's mainstream timeline in order to fix the fissures caused by the several Crises across the Multiverse. However, those actions would not get the expected result, which would lead to the creation of The New 52.[7]

During the events of Flashpoint, Manhattan misled Pandora into convincing Barry Allen to merge three separate timelines (the DC Universe, the Wildstorm Universe and select Vertigo titles) in order to create Prime Earth.[7] The merger enables him to erase ten years from the reverted universe, which not only reverses the age of its inhabitants by ten years but also causes the multiple resurrections of several deceased characters.[8]

In the new timeline, Manhattan prevents the last wizard of the Council of Eternity from revealing to Pandora how to open the skull shaped box,[9] and kills Owlman and Metron after the former tries to access the secrets of the universe.[10] However, the Convergence caused by Brainiac and Telos restored the Multiverse, bringing back the pre-Flashpoint timeline.[11]

Doctor Manhattan used Abra Kadabra to trap Wally West within the Speed Force, and this modification in the timeline also caused other speedsters in the likes of Jesse Quick, Bart Allen, Jay Garrick and Max Mercury to be removed from history and trapped in the Speed Force. However Wally West was saved by Barry, therefore initiating the events of DC Rebirth. Doctor Manhattan then kills Pandora after she finally realizes that he was the one responsible for all of the sins for which she has been blamed.[8] Barry and Batman later began investigating the unknown force behind these changes,[12] learning from Lilith Clay that "Manhattan" was a prominent thought in Kadabra's mind when he claimed responsibility for removing Wally from history.[13]

Eobard Thawne attacks Batman as he is studying a blood-stained smiley face button left embedded within the wall of the Batcave. When Thawne picks up the button, he is briefly teleported away, returning with the left half of his body charred to the bone. Just before his death; he claims to have seen "God.”[14] Using the cosmic treadmill to chase after the radiation emitted from the button among the timestream, Batman and Barry discover Thawne as he was trying to reach "God.” Upon reaching the unseen figure, Thawne boosted his ability to exist as a paradox before he was vaporized by Manhattan, leaving only the button behind. Sometime later, Manhattan picks up the button as he recalls his dialogue with Laurie.[15]

Manhattan puts Bruce Wayne in contact with the Flashpoint Thomas Wayne, who tells his son to not become Batman before his "death" and the destruction of the last of the Flashpoint timeline,[16] prompting Bruce to not respond to the Bat-Signal the following night. Manhattan also saves Jor-El from the destruction of Krypton, before conditioning him to see only the very worst of humanity.[17] Jor-El assumes the identity of Mister Oz and tries to convince his son Kal-El, or Superman, to abandon Earth. However, when Jor-El begins to realize that he has been pushing against his son too far, he is pulled away. Superman acknowledges Jor-El's warnings even as he rejects his misanthropy.[18]

During the events of Heroes in Crisis, Batman suspects that the massacre on Sanctuary might be related to Manhattan's actions.[19] This theory was later proven to be partially true, as Wally gets in contact with Metron's Mobius Chair, which grants him part of Manhattan's powers.[20]

Events of Doomsday ClockEdit

During the events of Doomsday Clock, seven years after the events set in the Watchmen universe, Ozymandias (Adrian Veidt) is determined to find Doctor Manhattan in order to restore the world from chaos after his previous plan for world peace was exposed by Rorschach's journal.[21] Veidt narrates that he is able to track Doctor Manhattan, because Doctor Manhattan leaks electrons as his intrinsic field was stripped during his initial accident and an event caused by Veidt. Using the Owlship to quantum tunnel, accompanied by Rorschach II, Marionette, and Mime, Veidt follows the electron trail left behind by Doctor Manhattan to the DC Universe where they land in Gotham City.[22] Later, it is revealed that Doctor Manhattan is responsible for preventing the Comedian's death by teleporting him to the DC Universe.[23]

Doctor Manhattan recalls various events in which he indirectly killed Alan Scott and thus brought about changes in the timeline. On July 16, 1940, Alan Scott was riding on a train over a collapsing bridge, but he survived by grabbing onto a green lantern. He continues his life, eventually "sitting at a round table wearing a mask" and later testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee but refusing to implicate anyone in his employ. On July 16, 1940 again, Doctor Manhattan moves the green lantern six inches out of his reach so that Alan Scott dies in the train accident and leaves no family behind, as the green lantern is passed through different locations. At a fun house in the present time, Bubastis II begins glowing, so Ozymandias moves him closer to the lantern to let him feed on Doctor Manhattan's temporal energies left on the lantern and thereby force Doctor Manhattan to their current location. Doctor Manhattan immediately proceeds to transport himself and the Watchmen group away, separating them from Batman and Joker. He tells Ozymandias that he isn't returning to their world as he's in the middle of something. He reveals that he didn't kill Marionette in the robbery years back because he saw what her child would do and that she is pregnant again. He also reveals that Ozymandias lied to Rorschach about having cancer, so Ozymandias admits to Rorschach that he deceived him and used him for his help. Doctor Manhattan then tells everyone that he came to the DC Universe looking for a place among them, but that he saw a vision of "the most hopeful among them. Heading toward [him]. Now hopeless." and then nothing in the future thereafter. Doctor Manhattan returns the team to the fun house. He himself returns to Mars, reflecting on a vision set one month in his future: a confrontation with Superman that may result in Superman destroying Doctor Manhattan or Doctor Manhattan destroying everything.[24]

On Mars, looking at a Legion Ring that once belonged to Ferro Lad, Doctor Manhattan contemplates on the events in which Ferro Lad sacrificed his life to save Earth's sun and thereby caused his ring to careen through time, the events in which he himself moved Alan Scott's lantern and thereby caused the ring to never have existed, as well as his confrontation with Superman set one week from now. On Earth, Batman and Superman are recovering from a massive explosion, which has produced a fog of tachyon particles that obscures the immediate past and future to Doctor Manhattan. Meanwhile, after tracing the energy signature of the explosion to Mars, many of Earth's superheroes travel in several spaceships to Mars for a confrontation with the suspected perpetrator. However, Batman believes that they are being "played" as he is not sure if they have the right person. With the heroes surrounding Doctor Manhattan, Martian Manhunter telepathically broadcasts Doctor Manhattan's final vision of Superman to everyone. The heroes believe that Doctor Manhattan is trying to destroy Superman and all of them before Superman destroys him. As Doctor Manhattan easily deals with the attacks by the heroes, he curiously examines and discloses the nature of the emotional spectrum by dissecting Guy Gardner's power ring and stating that the magic used by the Justice League Dark is from the "scraps of Creation." To prove the point that even hope decays, he shows Ronnie Raymond that Professor Martin Stein purposefully caused the circumstances where Raymond and Stein merged into Firestorm in order to learn more about metahumans from the inside. Back on Mars, refusing to believe the events of the past that was shown, Firestorm angrily attacks and harms Doctor Manhattan upon which the heroes realize that Doctor Manhattan is not invulnerable and destroy him. However, the superheroes watch in shock as Doctor Manhattan reconstitutes himself before he attacks and incapacitates the heroes.[25]

As he incapacitates the remaining heroes, Doctor Manhattan recounts the first time he arrived in the DC Universe on April 18, 1938. He meets Carver Colman. As they talk in a diner, Doctor Manhattan sees all moments of Carver's future until his death prior to April 19, 1955. Overhearing news of a mysterious man who lifted a car over his head, Doctor Manhattan leaves and witnesses the first appearance of the Golden Age Superman. From there, he witnesses the beginnings of Alan Scott/Green Lantern, Jay Garrick/The Flash, Hawkman, Atom, Doctor Fate, Sandman, Spectre, and Hourman, and the formation of the Justice Society of America. Doctor Manhattan then sees a different timeline where Superman was never a member of the JSA and first appeared in 1956 instead (Silver Age/Earth-1). Doctor Manhattan witnesses several variations of the death of Superman's foster parents: Jonathan and Martha Kent, the origins of Superman, and also when a young Superboy met the Legion of Super-Heroes. In order to appease his curiosity, Doctor Manhattan moves the Green Lantern away from Alan Scott, preventing the creation of the Green Lantern and the formation of the JSA, in order to see how the changes affect Superman. In the process of doing this, Doctor Manhattan realizes that this universe is not part of the Multiverse and it is the Metaverse, with the Multiverse reacting to the changes within this universe (hence why there have been endless parallel worlds, none at all, 52 universes, and a Dark Multiverse). Having changed history in the Metaverse, Doctor Manhattan created the New 52 Universe and as he witnesses the first appearance of the New 52 Superman, he is confronted by Wally West of the Pre-Flashpoint Universe, who briefly escapes the Speed Force to warn him that he knows what Doctor Manhattan did and that the heroes of the DC Universe will stop him, before being dragged back in. Doctor Manhattan likens Wally's appearance to the Metaverse fighting back at the changes done to it, an innate hope that fights back to the surface. He returns to Carver Colman on June 8, 1954, 10 seconds before he is killed by his mother, and he thinks upon the future he sees where Superman attacks him, believing that he will either die by Superman's hands or destroy the Metaverse. Back to present day, Doctor Manhattan returns to Earth and ponders on the fact that he is a being of inaction on a collision course with a man of action (Superman), and to this universe of hope, he has become the villain.[26]

After arriving on Earth, Manhattan meets Superman in person during Black Adam's invasion on the White House, with Ozymandias watching.[27] Manhattan witnesses Superman's fight with Black Adam and Russia's superhero team called the People's Heroes. He eventually reveals to Superman that he is the one who has been tampering with reality, and has also caused the death of Jonathan and Martha Kent. Manhattan expects Superman to attack him, but Superman instead protects him from Pozhar and then tells him that he should use his powers for good. Manhattan is inspired by Superman's heroism and his pivotal role in the fabric of reality; he undoes part of his actions, restoring much of the pre-New 52 timeline. Many characters are brought back into existence, including Superman's parents. Manhattan also goes back in time and changes Carver Colman's future for the better. He then goes back to the Watchmen universe, bringing Rorschach and Ozymandias with him. Manhattan saves his Earth by making all nuclear weapons disappear. Afterwards, he takes Mime and Marionette's infant son with him and proceeds to raise him on his own, so he will become their Planet's equivalent to Superman. Eventually, Doctor Manhattan goes back in time and changes his own past, creating a timeline where he never becomes superhuman, marries Janey and raises a family with her. Doctor Manhattan then erases himself from existence, transferring his lifeforce to the Planet and his powers to Mime and Marionette's son. He leaves the boy—whom he has named Clark—to be adopted by the former Nite Owl and Silk Spectre.[28]

After Doomsday ClockEdit

The events of Justice League #39 reveal that Doomsday Clock actually occurred in an alternate reality, however its impact was large enough to affect the mainline DC universe.

During the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal, Wally West reveals Doctor Manhattan's energy is Connective Energy, and after he restored the DC Universe,[28] the Quintessence's members collected that same energy against Perpetua. The Batman Who Laughs has Wally prisoner to get Manhattan's powers, but Wonder Woman suggests to use both the Connective and Crisis Energies in order to create an "Anti-Crisis". The event also features the "Final Bruce Wayne", an amalgamated version of Batman and Doctor Manhattan that The Batman Who Laughs wants to exploit in order to become "The Darkest Knight" and create a Multiverse consisting of chaos.[29]

[1ovefoo1]

The Journals Of Nabokov's Lolita If She Had Become A Writer

Losing portions of your identity already in childhood  Custom Made Jewellery At the quit of each pilgrimage in my youth, there has been a line that was always a painful revel in for me in my cognizance developing up and with time its depth and disillusionment increases. It has taught me that handiest knowingness and completeness can start with the route of self-cognizance. And now that partnership, reconciliation and compassion on this nonetheless divided society on this continent that we stay in forces us to grow together and see each other in a greater actual and correct mild. It is a manner of seeing people in groups who stay in poverty, the clarity of warfare, the monotony of routine and who are starved of art, poetry, and literature. It is a manner of locating themselves poised in an exhilaratingly smooth international, but they only hear the lonely sounds of weeping and it has turn out to be like a system. Its mystique strengthens our soul.

All children are quite.

We can choose to see the panorama we live in as a wasteland or a paradise however what do the most inclined residents of this planet see it as? We can not clear up the escalating issues of today without imagining and visualising the quit outcomes of answers. Even writing comes with its own mythological totem pole and so we have to create new pictures of our lifestyles and background via our tales, the wealth of our collective life reports. There are still feelings of worry and vulnerability that usually tests us, the philosophy of guy, the anatomy of melancholia, our multiple identities, cutting-edge man and it is a powerful dynamic for any author and poet to stay in nowadays. Life mirrors artwork and art imitates lifestyles in comic, dramatic and alluring ways. What is humanity? It is the frail human bones of the human circumstance, it's miles you and I and it's miles all our tales. The web page is most effective a dead landscape until you fill it up with phrases and language creating a centre of hobby. At heart are we still war youngsters?

I lift the stainless transfer of the intellectual ropes and the chains (it's an improvement). It is a most effective a track of depression from my youth revel in that took me to darkish locations and noticed me cross the strains of society, the borders of rivers of mild that traversed the palimpsest of the red columns of my heart. This transfer felt like a magical component. I went from status at the brink, to freedom (with all of the components of the gadget, a mantle, and all the futile parts of fairytales, making imprints of circles inside the sky above a typhoon, raging insomnia). Something modifications whilst we grow older. People feel alone in unique methods as they lay down in darkness, slide into a pose again and again; concentrate to me, pay attention.

Will I go away you guessing at the intensity in the back of my words? Will you embody me after I fall, my art, this mighty vessel and a poet in her gilded cage, travelling onwards into oblivion? I gesture to the moon and stars and back once more, like a memory pinned down in a stream. A mother's poised flesh, a neck, phrases which can be flying like bats job my memory of how quick love turns to hate. Pale in alluring pix of smoke and mirrors and the coronary heart grows bitter and bloodless like a lake, which is whilst melancholy and insanity collapses in on itself and all hell tends to interrupt free. The residence is falling, falling down round me, just like the melody that comes from fingers on a guitar or a flame that has a negative fine to it, greater disconnected and fragile. Dazzling is the shock of trauma when you're in the center of it.

Don't positioned it collectively for my sake. I melted wherein my skin touched the pores and skin of water. Under I was more human, bolder yet nevertheless misplaced and cheated. My coronary heart felt like snow, I may want to sense arteries turning white. What changed into as soon as a purple catalyst bleeding in hushed tones is now Braille, wet and bittersweet, reminding me that there have been nevertheless guns at every growing of the solar. Don't positioned it collectively for my sake. Whether I wanted them to be there or now not, whether or not I desired to awaken or not. It is simplest my mirrored image this is lifeless inside the water.

Don't put it collectively for my sake.

Writers are often voyagers with smooth perceptions, clarity of imaginative and prescient whilst faced with the parallel global, factors of the darkest elements of humanity. Good morning, middle of the night. We maintain each other up with the rites of public scrutiny; inform ourselves complaint could be the death people (what does that imply to the most green). I want to drown. I want that experience. The revel in of being pressured to sacrifice that loveliness of the haunting recreation of connecting truths to the politician who's at the middle of you. No half of-lifestyles lived for me. Give me a guide for being fragile, so I can disable and correct all the data effects on those bloodless strains. Let me magazine them. Read the entirety Africa and you'll triumph due to the fact seeing that youth you've got been an apt pupil pouring your know-how right into a distillate, standing at the edge. If it turned into bleak, left you with the present of elation at and reminiscence of the ghost of potatoes and meat in your plate. If you feel darkness in moments of being, in case you feel the loss of your ego, it diminishing and that the simplest ownership you'll go away this global with is your bodily frame, then this is a adventure you must remain dependable to its cumulative development. When I do not consume, once I do not sleep there is an intelligence this is frozen stable, given substance in the madness. There's a motive for the whole lot underneath the solar. Emancipation always leads to verbal exchange although it is on the opposite facet of the sector.

The query I ask myself most often in recent times is, what are different writers wondering, analyzing right here, what do their soul's appear to be, what's the most poetic/emotive issue to come from their historical past and what's the most sacred issue to them and about the facts they're giving me thru their literary global? We're sitting on tens of millions of years of creation right here; art, earth, sky, diamonds, rage, literature, imaginative and prescient, feminism, summer, writers, writers, writers writing. There's a writer born each second. Most of all we want each different. Good morning, midnight, hour of blue. I locate in that also lifestyles quiet the writer's soul longs for, the silence that is like a horrible scar before it marks itself as refuge, it manages itself as an severe feeling of joy, a looking ritual, a spiritual rite, an brilliant country of calm in that identity of all identities that is created without borderlines, joints where there may be constantly a motivating space for beautiful gaining knowledge of.

I frequently wonder on the circle of relatives and historical past, the self-evaluation of African writers and assume to myself that the voices, male and girl will fuse in a sacred settlement and their storytelling on the way to emerge, will emerge (with a word that has turn out to be second-nature to me) as a collective. We will prosper, go that established threshold together, converting, seizing the spinning internet of history, turning into penning confessors of the intimate, commune with the virgin delivery of interpretation with the anonymous, the creative fable, gift and the innovative impulse falling into whole infinity. Should we be calling ourselves simply simple and simple writers? Which is the most real? Why ought to we label ourselves? A domestic of writers is a profound network, like mind will often meet like mind. A community of writers is a home anyplace you discover yourself in the international.

Our self-possessed technology writing for the maximum component out of defiance is making the motive the declaration, the platform 'the waves'. If our muse is wrapped in stone, then so has been deception, identity concept, social and political remark for, if our soul is the ghost of our spirit then what we've learnt have to both be shielded or go underground. That's the undisclosed beauty of and the brutal violence in mortal thinking that we're continually in deliver of. This journey is an historical one, savage and lonely. The pattern of the pensive mechanism connected to the clarity of mild is ambitious in the imaginative and prescient of literary introduction and pen-and-watercolour creativeness as it's miles to the dark facet. The underpinning alchemy the experimental constructs inside the absence of margins and destruction is giving us the clue to the exit, an entreaty to immortality.

Youth has taught me the key to sacrifice. Of where writers of shade will build empires of gold wherein nobody can contact us. I write due to the fact I am advised to and due to the fact it is the sum elements of my pilgrimage. It is a music of despair from early life revel in, a hiding location, wherein I sense on my own in different methods, in which I communicate with my palms, a distillate in a barren region of rumours of darkness and tough laughter. If I am no longer writing, then I am no longer living, my thoughts isn't always loose, a clown now not realising his aim fantastically. It is merely a view of lifestyles via a lens where I occasionally experience at the mercy of the inhabitants, a stranger of their unusual international, sick from living the photograph of urban burnout. The avenue of restoration is tough, toughs you out from inner-out.

Beneath us, the floor is us writers' usually making examinations, searching the unicorn, the flight, the thread, the coincidence of the kaleidoscope drowning in us and the lifestyles of kismet, dream of pace, sweetness within the stomach. So we come to be the solar, the stars that shine perfectly and countless, the footprint, the intact channel, the feathered plumes of love. We come to be greater humane with the useful resource of the sight of our  eyes, the frightened, occasionally lunatic imaginative and prescient in our thoughts's eye. What is the situation? We are the state of affairs. What is the warfare? We are the battle and both are internal, each have terrifying factors, both burn and as we comply with that light because it bounces off phenomena, we shop it or abandon it. We're Masai-dreaming-philosophical-mode, symptoms of vertigo showing thru, turning people into gadgets but that is what writers do - we count on, we put together for it, the lacking link, the alibi, and the ultimate of the human freedoms, to pick your mindset between history and reliving it.

The lifestyles of a female author isn't always liberating till she forgoes touch with identification and ego, until it comes all the way down to battle traces drawn among boundary and voice. Until she gives the complete of herself to similarly look at, training, studies and her lifestyles, her being and soul is governed via that. Until that could be a image of what domestic way to her. I do not talk for this generation, the student, the wife and the mother who is additionally a author. People have their personal reality and language continues to be a ordinary tongue for me. Truth is as though we plant ourselves in a river and so we come to be enmeshed with the aid of it to the factor in which we can't tell wherein we meet it and wherein we, our live, heat human frame ends.

To me, I fear voyeurs, on foot around with my lifestyles history inner their heads after which there may be me, ever so willing to give it up at a second's notice without any hesitation in any respect. What is inaccurate with me? What finally defeated me, all of that anger bottled up, fizzing internal of me? Was it the holocaust in formative years that exploded in my face just like the freezing cold in wintry weather, while I played inside the dirt, performed at 'being mother' or turned into it the struggle veteran internal of my harm, rage and brutality, the poet's internal-out atypical sensitivity, the black canine of despair, that coveted prize of recovery, pushing by using like a pulse, that accompanied spells of mental contamination that got here in children.

On the wings of a poet writing approximately a prayer for desire: Nothing about teenagers diminishes, approximately dying and culture. It remains a surprise to the device whilst it arrives on the scenario, the scene of the volume of sky assembly a infant caught within the float of time. A typhoon is raging inner my head, deep internal I am a still existence, a parent's reflection glittering. The lifeless does no longer speak of minutiae. They not can bask inside the orange disc of the solar with their infinitely best our bodies, ideal smiles. They have left us to invest in a shroud. Couriered shrouds are as foreign to the inhabitant because the splitting of the atom, populace dynamics and the recuperation of a refugee's spirit on formative years dirt.

The woman writer speaks in code. Women communicate in coloration, in based wavelengths of them, crossing over from idea to speech with poetry written on their walls in their silence, in their honeyed wonderings, their glimpses into the expanding illuminations of flame. If handiest we did now not understand too past due that we are stained from adolescence.

There are men on this world and then there are girls (it doesn't absolutely rely what type they're) and then there may be me, the lady who has by no means completely grown up. There's something of an 'Alice in Wonderland' or the higher half of Peter Pan about me. I am absolutely lovely at the beginning it appears.

Vulnerable, I actually have depth, there is a poignant sadness in my eyes but I stay inherently pure. Arrogance and pleasure can in no way quite project close to the lack of confidence of a kids, the gamine. There is nothing about the word sex object that can be traced back to me. If I am stained by something it's miles lipstick and coconut oil on my palms (for my hair). In the hair salon women stand round me braiding my hair exclaiming the prowess in their men, consuming hake from the deli on the corner save, doing my nails. I already sense a fraud as if nature is ganging up on me. This isn't me. This isn't who I am or need to be. But do I want to be 'Alice' forever. One day I can be too old to recall any of this stuff. But I've already learnt that love releases you from wounds, turns salt into gold.

I become after his flesh and his spirit. You see God in love could hold his soul. Love poured out of me like a sonnet even while I heard his voice in my head like a mixed tape masterpiece that I should hit replay on all of the time. 'You're a baby that needs to be supervised, advised what to do, placated, a docile, docile infant. So how are you going to mom my youngsters in case you're a baby? How are you able to be a spouse if you did not have a mother, some mom-figure, a female role-model?' He was the only who found me destitute in squalor, in poverty of the spirit, identification and the mind living on the road. He wrecked my psyche, my ego and it turned into years earlier than I ought to finally allow pass of him. The dating was bittersweet. It taught me that the whole lot in existence worth yearning for and maintaining onto is fragile. It served as a reminder that now I am bored with the bloodless. Cold men with their bloodless fingers tying the threads of my coronary heart collectively shutting light, all sensibility out, amassing those threads, accumulating them like hunters within the wild.

That's the hassle with developing up, getting old. The world receives meaner, men and women and even sometimes youngsters get meaner in case you don't play by means of the regulations of the game. I suggest the sector at big may be a simply miserable kingdom with shark enamel geared up to rip and pull at any moment. And whilst that rug of affection is pulled out from beneath you whether or not you're a infant gambling inside the dirt or a baby gambling in love your spirit can become dispossessed, misplaced, displaced. Men, their arms could feel like moss or wind or winter, water in a spring. Women were a distinct kettle of fish. I attempted to trap them however they danced in a hurry, sprinted out of my draw close. They had their personal wishes, which meant that they had their own youngsters, pressures, depression, unhappiness, they had to vicinity their own issues and houses in order. They did no longer need me to name them 'mom'. I have taken the 'internal me' past and returned. When I make touch with its imaginary blueprint it is a pretty image harking back to a constellation.

[venjix5]

Emperor Nechronos

"Pink was simply tired of your talents. She doesn't care how funny and playful you are, she thinks you're a nuisance. In fact, the reason why she abandoned you, because... she doesn't love you anymore." ~Emperor Nechronos talking to Spinel. “You took everything from me when you destroyed my home planet. Now I'm taking everything from you.” -Nechronos preparing to destroy Homeword and kill White Diamond for revenge. Emperor Nechronos (also known as Dark Emperor Nechronos or simply Nechronos) is an cybernetic warlord and conqueror, a cyborg who serves as Steven's archenemy and main antagonist in Steven Universe Future and Spinelverse. He is the powerful leader of the Nemetrix Empire, an organization of bio-robotic terrorists that scours the galaxy by destroying every last Homeworld Gems in the universe. He is the reason for braking Spinel's heart and turn into a crazed villain. It is eventually revealed that he was formerly Nk'rah, an alien known as a Metronian. He is by far the most powerful of the cyborg aliens whose power surpasses White Diamond. Species: Metronian/Cyborg Height: 80ft Alias: Dark Emperor Nechronos Emperor Nechronos Nechronos Lord Nechronos Nk'rah (real name) Professor Nk'rah The Emperor The Dark Emperor Master Nechronos Master The Robot Emperor The Mechanical Tyrant The Mechanical Emperor The Mechanical Overlord The Stranger (by Spinel) The Gem Breaker The Gem Killer The Perfect Gem Killing Machine Monster Giant Robot He Who will Shatter Us All Occupation: Minister of Metronia (formerly) Ruler of the Nemetrix Empire Gem Hunter Hobby: Shatter every last Homeworld Gems in the galaxy. Hunting and killing Homeworld Gems. Making Homeworld Gems suffer. Shatter Homeworld Gems. Torture Homeworld Gems. Trying to kill White Diamond. Goals: Eradicate all Homeworld Gems in the galaxy. Avenge his family and people's death. Kill White Diamond and destroy Homeworld with his black hole gate. Kill White Diamond Kill Steven Universe and all the Crystal Gems. Type of Villain: Vengeful Cybernetic Overlord Allies: Nemetrix robots His unnamed family Enemies: Steven Universe Crystal Gems Homeworld Gems White Diamond Yellow Diamond Blue Diamond Peridot Lapis Spinel Voice Actor: Mark Oliver (deep, robotic voice) Frank Welker (robotic voice) Personality: As Nk'rah, he was once an authentic, enthusiastic, friendly and genial alien scientist in Planet Metronia. He clearly looks for potential in his people and displays a qualitative measure of the futuristic technology. Nechronos is also an experimental, inventive, brilliant, and presumably revolutionary man, responsible for coining Nk'rah's Laws of Robotics. He is also very caring with his family. However, after White Diamond destroyed his planet, Nk'rah was tortured, ominous, brooding, vengeful and ruthlessly destructive. He was an immensely tragic figure motivated by the loss of his family due to White's ambitions of ruling other planets, leading to a bitterly and hatefully murderous resentment of White and her Homeworld Gems with a lust for vengeance. As Nechronos, he becomes murderous, relentless, merciless, serious, destructive, brutal, deranged, ruthless, dark, arrogant, aggressive, short-tempered, cruel, deceitful, manipulative, and vindictively vengeful, desiring to destroy White Diamond and Homeworld Gems to get revenge. He is also very sadistic making Gems suffer like he has suffered. Despite of his vengeful nature, he has tragic side about his family, always looking at the picture and watching recorded videos of them. Abilities and Powers: Strong Sharp Claws (Nechronos has very strong, razor sharp claws, which he repeatedly used in attempts in combat or murder.) Immense Strength Immense Speed Immense Durability Enhanced Acrobatic Skills and Reflexes Enhanced Agility Enhanced Jumping Enhanced Dexterity Enhanced Stamina Enhanced Endurance Enhanced Armor Invulnerability Hyper Beam Portal Creation Flexible Shoulders Explosion Immunity Pyro Immunity Dark Energy Generation (Nechronos is capable of generating endless amounts of Dark Energy, which make him stronger and faster than average individuals. Nechronos manifests this in many forms, such as launching Dark Energy blasts and other attacks.) Dark Energy Blasts Dark Energy Ball Dark Energy Beams Dark Energy Shockwave (Nechronos' most powerful move, he creates a powerful burst of Dark Energy, spreading all around him. The thicker the aura is around Nechronos's arms, the more powerful the attack becomes.) Dark Energy Claw Creation (Nechronos' can generate large claws of Dark Energy from his arms which he uses to fight his foes.) Dark Energy Arsenal Optic Beams Mechanical Tendrils Extendable Neck Extendable Cybernetic Tendril Fingers (He also has the ability to extend his cybernetic fingers into long tendrils which can cut through anything with ease. The tendrils is very durable. He also uses his electrokinesis to make his tendrils electrified.) Extendable Arms (Nechronos' arms can extend up to 40 meters each. He can shoot them to the top of buildings or grab things very far away. The cord attaching them is very durable.) Defusion Beam (Nechronos fires a beam from his hands that can cause a Fusion Gem splitting back into their original selves) Weaponized Body (Nechronos can make turn his hand into a powerful blaster and other weapons.) Teleportation Skilled Combatan Formidable Fighting Skills Super-Genius Class Intelligence Expert Tactician Swordsmanship Leadership Dark Electrokinesis Dark Pyrokinesis Dark Aerokinesis Dark Laser Beam Emission Ice Blasts Computer Port Robot Manipulation Technopathy Immortality Mind Control Immunity Summoning Robot Minions Space Survivability Intimidation Telecommunication Pin Missile Audiokinesis Sonic Disruptors Sonic Cannons Sonic Force Fields Underwater Breathing Enhanced Digging Head Rotation Energy Redirection Rapid Spin Interstellar Travel Drill Hand Arm Blade Shockwave Clap Shock Waves Dark Unibeam Missile Launcher Lasers Sensor Systems Repulsors Energy Blades Ball Form (Nechronos can convert himself into a ball for attack or mobility.) Electric Tentacles Self-Repair Limbs Can Function Independently Advanced Weapons Arsenal Flight Weapons: Fusion Cannon Grind Cutters Large Scimitars Sword Energy Whips Electric Whips Hand Blaster Robot Bugs Dark Halberd Robot Minions Robot Drones Energy Buzz Saw Missiles Bombs Axe Drill Hammer Electric Discs Microbots Laser Gatling Guns Giant Flail Giant Black Kanabou Laser Cannon Spinning Top Rapid-Fire Laser Plasma Ball Disintegrator Three Overhead Beam Cannons