#which were like 30 seconds worth of dialogue

[grozen]

the fire around me

[lydiaas]

No why did they have to say the scene of the boat was weird I don't think they think it at all it's just being back in the OBX and what her parents said to him made him do this JJ no just kiss her

Oh god you've done it now, you've got me writing an essay about the word "weird". That whole scene is insanely good, maybe the best written jiara scene in the season imo, and I'm still processing it because there is so many layers there. I think I could analyse the jiara scenes in episode 4 until the next season comes out and not run out of material to talk about.

I totally get why JJ used the word weird and don't take it negatively at all. JJ does not know how to talk about his feelings so this is very on brand for him. I talk about how layered this entire scene is and there is so much alone in him choosing to say "it was weird". On one side, you've got the fact that he has had a crush on Kie for years but never considered she would return his feelings so he's somehow trying to process that they almost crossed over into something he never though possible before. Kie is throwing herself into his arms, looking at him like he hung the moon and almost kissing him? That is absolutely weird (and if you look at the fishing scene when he catches her checking him out you can see on his face how he's trying to process what the fuck he just saw) But then on the second side of it, he has that conversation with Pope hanging over his head which tells him that pursuing anything with Kiara is a bad idea and a betrayal to their friendship. You've also got the fact that he's been ripped out of what he thought was an island paradise and dumped back in the Cut where the differences between he and Kie's circumstances becomes blinding. So I think part of him uses the word weird here to put some distance between them again. He throws that out there BUT (and this is the best part of that moment for me) Kie doesn't just let it stand. She counters with "not bad weird" (so BOLD of her) and of course he agrees and falls back into that moment with her because it's not bad it was just new and scary (and the attraction and chemistry is constantly pulling them together).

AND THEN TO MAKE THIS SCENE EVEN BETTER it parallels directly with Kie calling her relationship with Pope weird (derogatory) in S2. So her saying "not bad weird" in this scene acknowledges that everything is different with JJ. In that scene where she breaks things off with pope she says "I just wanted things to go back to the way that they were" but she never wants that with JJ. She keeps trying to have the conversation because she knows the connection they had is something more that a fleeting crush and that it is worth the risk. Only when he turns her down and act out does she actually back off.

Anywhooo....those are just some very casual normal thoughts about a 30 seconds of dialogue.

[nanowrimo]

Back to School: Interview with Mike Fillbrandt, Young Writers Program Educator

NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program helps over 85,000 kids, teens, teachers, and families set creative goals and tell stories they care about. We asked some of our amazing YWP educators to share how they take on the NaNoWriMo challenge in their classroom. Today’s advice comes from Mike Fillbrandt, who teaches 9th grade English at a charter school. 

Q: What grade/ age level do you work with? What type of NaNoWriMo group is it (whole class, club, homeschool, elective, etc.)?

A: 9th grade classes, 8-12 grade club

Q: How long have you been doing NaNoWriMo with your students?

A: 5 years

Q: How do you structure the entire project (for example, do you start prepping in October and write in November, do you have kids work on it all year, etc.)?

A: Prep in October (or March depending on the year), and write in November (or April).

Q: What does a normal NaNoWriMo day look like for your students?

A: Brief self-check questionnaire, then the rest of the period to work. Some days are set aside for students to discuss their projects in small groups, to share successes, struggles, and get suggestions. Some days I hold one-on-one conferences with students to give feedback on excerpts of their projects and make suggestions for improving their writing.

Q: How do you set and manage word-count goals?

A: Students need to complete 4500 words for full points. Students who exceed 10,000 can earn extra credit. For students with special needs, I coordinate with their case manager to determine an appropriate way to adjust word goal. Students who do not reach their word count goal receive a prorated portion of the word-count points.

Q: How do you manage grading? Do you grade?

A: Yes, I grade. Grades are based on two required excerpts submitted for feedback, along with their final word count. The first excerpt, students can choose to be graded either on setting descriptions or on character building. For the second excerpt, students can choose to be graded either on plot development or on their use of dialogue. Each excerpt is worth 30 points (60 total), and the word count is worth 40 points, with a possibility of earning 50 by meeting the extra credit goal.

Q: How do you approach revision/ publishing (if at all)?

A: In my most recent classes, I have only been able to give students post-writing suggestions/materials from the packet. In previous years, we were able to use an excerpt for practice with editing/revising skills.

Q: Any NaNoWriMo tips or tricks to share with other educators? Hard-won lessons? Ah-ha moments?

A: Don't try to read every word of every student story - you'll drive yourself crazy. Instead, find a way to get a snapshot of a student's work.

Begin the process of brainstorming ideas well in advance.

Be vigilant for signs of plagiarism and/or cheap tricks to pad out a word count without actually doing any work.

Q: Have you ever run into resistance from your administration about doing NaNoWriMo, and if so, how did you manage it? What do you say to people who don’t see the point of having students write novels? 

A: When I first began, there were concerns over word count goals, which I adjusted in later years.

Q: What are the most meaningful things you or your students take away from the project? What's your best NaNoWriMo memory?

A: Confidence, belief in their own abilities, a stronger sense of time management.

My best memory was the smile on a student's face during an excerpt grading, when I told them how wonderful I thought their writing was.

Q: Anything else you'd like to add?

A: I love this project. I've been doing NaNoWriMo longer than I've been a teacher.

Mike teaches 9th grade English at a charter school. He has participated in NaNoWriMo since 2005, and has had his students participate since he's been teaching. He enjoys reading, writing, video games, disc golf, and attending a weekly writing group. He lives in Minnesota with his wife, daughter, one snake, two cats, along with an imaginary dog and an imaginary raccoon.

[hypothesis-hobbyist]

I'm a little sad that almost a year in Splatoon 3 still feels like a lesser game than 2. A lot of this is Octo Expansion raising the bar for atmosphere, storytelling, and character development such that 3's story mode going back to being 1 and 2 was always going to be a letdown. I'm troubled that we know basically nothing about Deep Cut except bandits, big Marie fans, and that Frye has some kind of ADHD going on after watching Pearl and Marina get developed into compelling characters on their own, but maybe that just needs time.

BUT. 3's other problem is splatfests. Some of this is coding/matchmaking, in that you can get mirror matches for a majority of a fest and, it turns out, be on a minority team. Money recently won the popular vote, but I tracked my matches and half of all my open/pro matches were love/love mirrors and fully 2/3rds of all tricolors I was in were love/love/love, so it should be no wonder that people are claiming a rigged result. I don't think it's rigging, I think Nintendo has bad netcode and trying to leverage it for a three-way fest model is producing a lot of negative results. It's always more reasonable to assume incompetence over malfeasance.

Tri-Color itself is also a problem. The Zelda fest was the best so far, in my opinion, because the devs made substantial changes to the map for it instead of shoehorning a 2-sided map for a three-way match. This makes tricolors sometimes very frustrating and, honestly, FAR inferior to the old Shifty Stations, which both kept things fresh and interesting during a fest that could otherwise become boring AND were built around the gimmick. The late-2 shifties were amazing. The ones that progressively locked you out of parts of the map solved Turf War's biggest weakness, in that it made the whole match count and not the last 30 seconds.

So, where do we go from here? Hopes/suggestions:

- Side Order needs to be more like Octo Expansion in terms of storytelling, atmosphere, character development. The trailer certainly seems to suggest that, but it needs to be said.

- Tricolor should be made part of the regular fest rotation when three teams are available, otherwise you get a non-mirrored 1v1 match. This would a) Make Tricolor special and b) Make Fests feel less like meaningless effort.

- Either:

Tricolor maps need to become more different from their base maps. Right now Tricolor always feels like a worse version of the base game.

OR

Bring back Shifty Stations. They really made the 2 Fests worth playing as much of as you could, a supposed to today where I grind to Ruler, make sure I got enough catalog levels to finish before the season ends, and tap out so as not to do more mirror matches.

- More frequent updates. I know that the season model is what other big games do but honestly I miss the occasional random new weapon/item cropping up. Right now there's no reason to go to the shops anymore.

- More character content. We know you have the power to do this, Nintendo. You've got a team that loves to do little bits of lore and world building wherever they can. Add more dialogue for your idols! Tell us more about splat bands! Why is Paruko working retail???

-Final, wishlist item: more song variety during Fests. It would be amazing if there were, like, an actual setlist on rotation in splatsville.

[bsaka7]

30 for the book asks!

30. give any 3 book recs to ur followers!

i always feel so awkward giving book recommendations because i never really know what kind of books people like or have read and i don't feel like im a particularly insightful reader although i do think i have at least an interest in books which give me something to think about. Anyway. I will try to choose a few different types. Under the cut because nothing I say will be short. And also thank you!!!!!

1. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

I always feel a bit dumb recommending a book that has won a Pulitzer, because well, you'd assume it won a Pulitzer for a reason. This is Whitehead's second novel to win a Pulitzer. However, I found it to be really, really, really worth it. The Nickel Boys is based off a historic reform school in Florida where a number of unmarked graves have been found, and where Black boys were systemically tortured. It's a dual-narrative book, Elwood Curtis, a business owner in NYC, and Elwood Curtis, a high schooler in the 1960s who gets sent to the reform school. In some ways, it's a dialogue between optimism and cynicism. The world can get better with work. The country is founded on genocide; there is no change. It's a short book -- maybe a little over 200 pages -- and it is really, really worth a read. It's quite different than the other novel of his I've read (The Underground Railroad), and I think I slightly prefer it, but they are both really very good.

2. Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe.

This is a book I had to read for one of my senior seminar classes for history in college a few years ago. For some reason, I've been thinking about it on-and-off lately, which is a bit ironic, because although it's an excellent read, I had some qualms about some bits of rhetoric and also the conclusion when I read it for class. The other book in the same vein, that I also think about occasionally is Imperial Reckoning by Caroline Elkins which is about the Mau Mau insurgency in Kenya and the British colonial response. Say Nothing is about the Troubles in Northern Ireland, investigating the murder of Jean McConville. I think, having also read a sort of worse book in the same investigative vein (see the other book ask I got LOL), that the sort of issues of sources and interviews and the limits and openings of oral histories is one of the most interesting aspects of the text (at least in a how-history-is-done sense). I can't say how the book reads if you have extremely in-depth knowledge on the subject, which I certainly don't, but I think the complexities it presents (on an individual level and beyond), the impressive research (and complications in that process), and the extreme readability (especially for such a heavy subject) make it an interesting and perhaps even useful popular history. I complain about popular history books a lot (it is what it is), but perhaps this one is worth a read.

3. All Systems Red by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries #1)

One thing about me, which I occasionally try to deny, is that I quite enjoy both fantasy and sci fi (the former a bit more than the latter, though this series is doing something to convince me). I read this for the little bookclub, although it's been a while since we've met, and I think I've read the first four? novellas in the series now. The main character, Murderbot, is a part robot, part human construction serving as a Security Unit. After hacking it's own control unit (governor module), Murderbot wants to watch TV and be left alone. It tries to evade detection...and yet also wants to protect its humans. It's so delightful to sort of experience this awkward prickly robot be forced into realizing that it has connections, that it has things it cares about. I believe Rhu (@traincoded) was the one that said it was tightly plotted, fun scifi and honestly I couldn't agree more. It's fun and yet very engaging and gives you a few things to think about with regards to "humanity" and whatever else you're in the mood for.

[frecklystars]

do you mind if i ask how you go about asking for cameos? im trying to go about asking for one for one of my f/os but ive never done it, what should i prepare, if anything? (if u dont wanna answer this/dont have the time thats cool, have a good day!!)

Ohghgh it's been a hot minute... god I miss cameo... their layout may have changed since I've been gone but I can absolutely give you tips 💖

Check the publicly posted cameos. See how long or short they are and determine if it'd be worth your money. I always think it's good when someone gives me over 40 seconds of dialogue, but most of the time it can range from 30 seconds to 1 minute or more, depending on who you purchase. My longest F/O cameo was 10 minutes and my shortest was about 20 seconds. And even the 20 second cameo is special to me! But not everyone feels like it's worth it when a cameo is super super short. For me it depends on the F/O and the voice actor, like if Steve ever gave me a short cameo, however rare that was, I didn't mind because I love anything Starscream could possibly say to me. But if I were to request something from any VA other than Steve for a less major F/O and they gave me only 20 seconds... it wouldn't feel worth it to me. But everyone is different!

Ok for the cameo request itself. What do you want to feel when you open it? Do you want to be comforted? Do you want to feel loved? Do you want to feel encouraged?

Normally, I request encouragement, even if I'm not really needing a specific feeling. Sometimes I think "damn I want a F/O to talk to me" and I will request a pep talk like "you've got this!" or something soft like "remember you're loved and you matter!"

I cannot stress enough tho, you have to tell the VA that you want it in the character voice. Sometimes you can tell a VA "hey I love this character. anyway can I have a pep talk" and they'll spend the cameo time talking about the character, instead of having the actual character do the encouraging. Which is still nice, but when your hopes are up for your F/O to talk to you and you don't get that, then it's a little disappointing. I normally write mine as "May I please request [character] saying [insert phrase I want here]?"

The character/word limit absolutely kills me. I wish I knew how to navigate around that. I just shorten "you" to "u" and "and" to "&", stuff like that... the way they split it into sections doesn't help much either :')

If you want your F/O to be romantic but you're too shy to request a straight up "I love you" you can always say "I have a crush on this character" and the VA will completely understand and probably slip in a little flirty line for you. Voice actors are most likely used to ppl getting crushes on their characters, esp if their character is WELL loved in their respective fandom (i.e. Silco from Arcane). Once I requested a cameo from Princess Bubblegum's voice actor from Adventure Time, and I was a little too shy to just up and write "can you say something romantic to me" so I just said "I have a little crush on PB" or something, and she responded with a lot of flirting sdfkljsdf

Also bonus points if you want them to call you a nickname, I normally write it in the "what should [voice actor] know about you?" and I write "can you have [character] call me [nickname] too?" like for silco's VA I asked him to call me his "fallen star" and he was rly soft w/ it...

I hope any of these could be of help 💕

[adamwatchesmovies]

The 33 (2015)

The 2010 Copiapó mining accident was practically made for a feature-length film adaptation. Of course, there are a few liberties taken here and there but the essentials remain. Though you will find some familiar - some would say clichéd - elements in The 33, it works as a straightforward inspirational disaster story.

In Chile, the San José mine collapses, trapping 33 men deep underground. Though they made it to the mine's rescue chamber, they have little food and water. Determined to survive, they band together under the leadership of Mario Sepúlveda (Antonio Banderas) while their families above pressure the government to begin an extensive rescue operation.

Besides Mario Sepúlveda, you might not remember everyone’s name, but enough time is spent with key people for you to recognize who’s who. That one’s the Bolivian (Tenoch Huerta) who's worried the Chileans won't accept him - particularly when food runs out. There’s the one who loves Elvis Presley (Jacob Vargas), the pastor (Marco Treviño), the alcoholic (Juan Pablo Raba) who never got the chance to reconnect with his sister (Juliette Binoche), the one whose wife is pregnant with their first child, the one everyone is laughing at because up on the surface, he has two women fighting over him - his wife and his mistress. In addition to the 33 miners, there are many characters on the surface to keep track of: the Minister of Mining of Chile (Rodrigo Santoro as Laurence Golborne), the driller who supervises the rescue operation (James Brolin), several of the wives or sisters and more. This could've been a major issue, and director Patricia Riggen keeps this in mind. The 33 structures itself in a way that if you’re confused about who’s who, it will only be for a half-second. The editing and dialogue - more so than the characters’ faces, which become increasingly dirty and thin as more time is spent underground - ensure you know who you’re dealing with in each scene. That's practically a miracle in itself.

Though some of the story does exactly what you expect it to, it does these scenes well. The mine's owner has to roll his eyes when the initial safety concerns are brought up. The miners have to ration their food and figure out plans while waiting to be rescued. Their families have to make sure their voices are heard. The government has to worry about what the voters will say if the operation fails. A better film would have more scenes like the miner’s “last supper”, when they use their imaginations to bring in all of their loved ones to transform an omen of dread into a beacon of hope but there really any bad scenes in the entire running time.

The 33 makes you feel the feels you expect, makes you wonder what you would do if you were put in this exact scenario, keeps you guessing enough that you remain invested all the way through and leaves you pleased because all of your expectations were met. I don’t think it’s a picture you’ll come back to over and over again, but that’s fine. While it lasts, The 33 tells an interesting story you’ll be glad to have seen and as a rental, you'll get more than your money's worth. (On Blu-ray, September 30, 2021)

[xtruss]

Truth Behind the Disappearance of Baloch Citizens in Pakistan’s Balochistan Province

Balochistan Has Been in News For a Pervasive, Volatile Issue of Disappeared People

— Durdana Najam | December 30, 2023

The Writer is a Public Policy Analyst Based in Lahore

Balochistan has always been in the news for the wrong reasons. There is never a quiet moment in the province that occupies Pakistan’s largest landscape. If not marred with insurgency or repeated natural disasters, expedient politics involving Sardars, Nawabs and local politicians threaten the province’s peace and stability. For the last many weeks, Balochistan has been in the news for a pervasive and volatile issue of disappeared people. A group of young adults, mostly, started a protest march from Balochistan’s southern Kech district towards Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, to register their anguish over the killing of a young boy allegedly in the Counter Terrorism Department custody.

The noteworthy feature of the protest was its gender formation. Young, aspiring women were in the lead, seeking redressal of their grievances from the state. Who else would they turn to if not the state, often compared with a mother, responsible for protecting, sacrificing and looking after her children regardless of complexity or adversity level? However, like any other relationship, a mother-child relation is also reciprocal. Let’s put it this way: a state-citizen relation is a two-way street built on mutual respect and goodwill. In this context, let’s examine Balaach Mola Bakhsh’s relation with the state.

Like in any crime, there are two versions to the Balaach killing too. One is that of the law enforcers i.e. the CTD, and the other is of the victim’s family.

As per the CTD statement, Balaach was killed in “armed clashes with the militant” on the Pasni Road in the north of Kech’s district headquarters, Turbat. He was not the only suspect killed in the clash; three more breathed their last in the encounter. The clash between the CTD and the militants took place in a house at Pasni Road where a group of insurgents were hiding. The whereabouts of the house were tipped off to the CTD by none other but Balaach. During the operation in which Balaach served as a guide, a gunshot from the insurgents proved fatal, and he died.

As per the family statement, Balaach was arrested on October 29. However, he was not produced before the court until a month later. And later, he was eliminated in an extrajudicial killing by the CTD.

This discrepancy is worth sorting, and only an impartial investigation can gather the truth. The burden is on the Balochistan government and the political stakeholders of the province, who spend more time in Islamabad than their constituencies.

However, some questions are worth attending, such as: Is the state involved in the so-called forced disappearances? Is the state only behaving rogue by killing and dumping the Baloch insurgents without giving them the space and luxury of dialogue? Do bullets fired in Balochistan only target the Baloch people? Or do they also harm other victims? Who is responsible for the miseries of Balochistan?

Disappeared people can be divided into three categories. One category of disappeared people is those who have taken up arms against the state. They leave their families and start living in remote and undisclosed places. The second category of disappeared people are those who leave their homes, either due to personal reasons or to earn their livelihood, but for some reason never return or contact their families. The third category is of those who are picked up by the state on the charges of insurgency.

Their disappearance of those who voluntarily leave their families either to join insurgency or to walk out of their responsibilities cannot be blamed on the state. Any attempt to do so is a deliberate attempt to seed discord between the state and its citizens.

So far, 77 per cent of all cases of disappearances have been solved.

As for the second question whether the state engages with the rogue elements in Balochistan, the answer is evident in the number of insurgents that had recently surrendered.

Gulzar Imam alias Shambay and Sarfaraz Bangalzai were pardoned despite the fact that they had committed heinous crimes. The state has declared amnesty for all those willing to renounce violence. Even Balaach had been allowed to get mainstreamed despite being involved in spreading unrest in Balochistan, targeting law enforcement agencies and killing innocent people. He was caught red-handed with five kilograms of explosives. In 2021, he attacked FC vehicles and checkposts with hand grenades. The same year, he murdered a shopkeeper, a Baloch citizen and a resident of Ghotki in Turbat.

As for the third question: do bullets fired in Balochistan only target the Baloch people? Or do they also harm other victims? The answer is evident in the data that tells us that in the last ten months, 22 incidents of target killings have been reported in Turbat. Six labourers were killed in October and four in November this year.

Finally, who bears responsibility for the sufferings in Balochistan? The answer lies in the conduct of the Baloch ruling class, comprising Sardars, Nawabs and politicians. They bend every law and rule to their advantage, which has impeded Balochistan’s progress despite the announcement of lavish reform packages. If the Baloch stakeholders choose to stand with their people and build a robust local governance system, no external power responsible for the unrest will have any reason to meddle.

Tragically, no human rights organisations or advocates have ever expressed their condolences or demonstrated in support of the labourers who lost their lives in Balochistan.

Balochistan could be a simmering issue, but it is solvable — a right perspective and honest leadership are all required to put things in order.

— Published in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2023.

[dornish-queen]

GQ MEXICO - PEDRO PASCAL 2021

It seems that Pedro Pascal is in all possible universes. Here and there. In the past, in the present, and in galaxies far, far away. Today, the actor is considered the great entertainment reference and one of those in charge of saving a franchise that seemed lost. Enough reasons to talk exclusively about discipline, gastronomy, creeds and how he traumatized his father in 30 seconds.

The RAE defines 'creed' as the set of ideas, principles or convictions of a person or a group. For example, by creed, one can leave his country and be in exile. It happens that one can leave the loved one behind. Or simply live in another reality. And also one can put on a helmet to pretend never to take it off again. If that is the path to follow, the creed says that it must be done with the profession of faith and without stopping to look. Turning the pages of the script for The Mandalorian , the Disney + series that revived passion and nostalgia for the Star Wars franchise , Pedro Pascal came across this definition in every dialogue and moment, and reflection carved his way.

More than two decades have passed since the Chilean-American, Pedro Pascal, began his acting career and today, named as the great reference of 2020 , he misses the theater and it still hurts him not to have the discipline to exercise and maintain a diet sana while acknowledging the irony of having the best year of her career in the midst of one of the worst in recent history. But even in physical solitude, the man who carried the best-selling Christmas baby rescues many positive things and shares his vision of the universes he has traveled through, his passion for distant galaxies and how to traumatize your family with a simple scene of TV. In an interview, the Mandalorian of Latinamerica.

IMDB named you the 2020 benchmark in entertainment, a year in which the world took refuge in fiction. How was living your best time locked up and what do you rescue on a human level from it?

The strength of family relationships and friendship. For them, we endure this physical loneliness. I do find it ironic that in 2020 I received projects so well received by the public, although they were carried out before the pandemic and their impact was during it, and that year I was isolated and alone. But I must emphasize that this loneliness is a privilege when many people had to continue working, surviving and maintaining the functioning of the world. We only had to be alone, but they more than that and you must value it too.

Among the activities you have missed, how much do you miss the theater?

Much indeed. It's something that I miss the most and being with people without being afraid. See a play and return to those experiences of being with people doing and living things in common. That is what I need most, in addition to my loved ones.

Disney fully entered streaming and its strong letter has your face, what do you think of the discussion of platforms against movie theaters?

There are incredible things in streaming and many people develop great projects that they did not have access to before. The diversity of voices is gaining ground and it is important to recognize that opportunities grow exponentially and boundaries change. It is incredible the availability that we have to very well made content and how creative people can share their work in different ways. But I also want to be honest: limiting the experience of watching content only on our gadgets or at home is a mistake that affects the stories we can tell. You have to achieve a mix of opportunities and challenges.

You jump between the fictional universes that mark the last decades until you reach the universe of universes. What is your first Star Wars memory and how do you summarize the essence of this legendary story?

For me, Star Wars is nostalgia itself. It is one of the primary things in my memory, of my childhood. I came to the United States with my Chilean family when I was less than two years old and one of my first memories is going to the movies with my dad to see the saga ; it becomes one of those romantic childhood things that opens your mind, so imagine how special it is to participate in this project. I think the creators of The Mandalorian perfectly understand this nostalgia and that power, and they managed to count on that element as a great ally for the world of Star Wars and I couldn't be happier to be part of it. (From which we expect the third season The Mandalorian)

The Mandalorian exploits the power and nuances of your voice, did you have that letter on your resume?

I didn't know I could do it, but I resorted to my theater preparation, which was very physical on all levels and feelings. There are elements that have to do with and that are essential to create a role, and they teach you that the voice is something primary, something you have to start with and you cannot hide. Now I have learned much more about the importance of that, and how to use it economically. The body also has to do with that, because something very subtle communicates something. In The Mandalorian , I had a great time figuring out how to do it, they gave me the opportunity to develop it in different ways. The opportunity to be very intense at it.

What happens to the ego when someone works under a suit and a mask?

In the conversations about the project, before doing it, we were communicated the idea and the concept of the entire season , so I clearly understood what it was. I wanted it to be the most powerful version of what they were trying to accomplish, so there was no point in involving my ego, you know? It was already very clear what the project meant, so I knew about the character , the piece that it represented for him and the opportunity that it was for me, so I was only focused on executing in a better way the part that touched me in everything this. In the theater, I worked several times under a mask and it helped me develop the experience.

It seems that The Mandalorian has a very theatrical base ...

Exactly, and thanks to the physical experience of working in theater, doing a play a few times a week, discovering how your body and your voice communicate , being part of a whole image, and how you will tell that story visually, I achieved this character. I never imagined that it would be something I would have to use on such an important Star Wars project .

On the list of entertainment greats, there are names like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, do you think John Favreau should be added to the list?

I think your name is already included. Without a doubt, it is in that category and it is incredible. His vision fascinates me. I remember an episode in the second season , and I had some boots and I walked so much in the snow, it stuck to them. He figured it out, so he talked to the art department about the kind of boots you need when you're out in the snow. They approached me and gave me new ones that fulfilled the idea I was looking for. He noticed it in an instant. It is such a wonderful detail and it is repeated to scale in every session with him. He thinks of absolutely everything and his vision of the use of technology is admirable. He is someone who makes you feel motivated and always sees how to achieve the goal.

One of the reflections in the series is on how and under what circumstances a man can break his creed and way of life. What makes you break with your beliefs?

I think that you must follow your heart so as not to regret anything; Although sometimes it brings pain or conflict, deep down when you look back, everything is worth it because it was what you heard in your heart. I am very afraid to deny that feeling or not to attend to it. I am 45 years old now and I cannot believe I have a finer philosophy. Make it more disciplined. It's ridiculous, but I'm trying to accept that I am and it's all I can say, "follow your heart." Although, you know, I'm not on a good diet yet, I still have trouble sleeping or exercising.

Still good at Chilean empanadas?

Yes, I couldn't stop. And also how good that I do not live in Mexico City because I would only spend it eating. I could move my whole life to defe just to eat.

I want to deviate and ask you, with whom did you see the chapter of your death in Game of Thrones and what traumas did you cause in your family?

For me, no trauma. I separate myself well from the characters , although I fully understand that if I were a Game of Thrones audience and loved that character, it would make an incredible impression on me. Thank you that it was not. I had to interpret it and there was a model of my head to be crushed that way with the tubes and the fake blood, you know? Me lying there, with pieces of my meat, it was funny in the end. But not for my family. For them there is nothing funny but traumatic. My dad's voice changed completely when we saw the episode, he turned around and said: “I didn't like it, Pedro . No, Pedro , not this ”.

The media found similarities between your villain in Wonder Woman: 1984 and Donald Trump. When playing a character with characteristics like this, do you humanize him or do you understand him?

The project had nothing to do with the former president. They always told me that my character in Wonder Woman: 1984 was emotionally messy, and I took that and took that as far as possible. Instead of creating it with images or certain inspirations from life, it was more to work with what was on the page. Personally, what made sense to me is the size of the story that is being told and there is always more, and we all want more. Creatively, if this makes sense, that meant "blowing her out of the park." Connect a hit with the character and be committed to telling his story faithfully, in a way that was true to me. So all the exterior elements found their way.

What a way to start 2021 with the theme of the Capitol ... How do you perceive that moment?

I am not a politician and it is not that I do not have an opinion about this type of event; however, it is not necessary to state the obvious. My opinion would be very simple compared to that of a person who studied this, who knows how to act in these kinds of scenarios; I believe that I am next to the majority who experienced this, which is the logical result of what we have experienced during these years and we are all horrified . It was distressing to see this violence.

If you had the monolith in your hands, what would your wish be?

My wish would be… it's impossible, really (laughs). I think it is to be together again, with less fear and that people have the opportunity to connect.

What is your position on the reality that Chile has experienced in recent years and how has the relationship with your country been since exile?

It is something that I am developing and I continue to do in my life, trying to understand that it is my home. To be in Chile is to be at home, but my life has been very nomadic, living different things and having many influences; so it is strange, I do not feel with the title of a complete Chilean identity nor with an American one.

Neither here nor there?

In a sense, but I'm also completely both. My parents are Chilean , my brothers were born there before my parents traveled, and I came back sometimes because my family is very large; in fact, my parents came back. It has always been there, it continues to develop, and it will be a part of me. I don't know if it answers your question, but it has a lot to do with who I am.

What is your relationship with Latin American cinema? Are you interested?

Much, it has invaded me in life like American cinema. The movies that I carry in my heart, seeing something like Y tu mama was also something that changed me; I also love the work that comes out of Chile , and the only thing I can say is that it is a cinema that needs more access and projects.

Today you have a comedy with Nicolas Cage on the door, can you tell us something?

It's my first shot at comedy , as a complete story within the genre. Speaking of American influences , in the 80s I saw all the films where Nicolas Cage appeared , he came into my life and it's great to be his partner after seeing all his performances.

How is the relationship you have with the comedy genre?

I love it, I have done a lot of comedy in the theater, what happens is that in film and television issues , I was always part of drama castings . And in the cinema, you go where the doors open; Although I identify with one or the other, I think that being an actor , one goes and does what one has to do. Comedy is something unique, it is very challenging because it must be very real to be funny, you cannot hide or use normal tricks. I was very excited to have this challenge in front of a camera.

Finally, Pedro, after going through so many fictional worlds, literally, what do you dream about when you sleep?

I dream that my bathroom is dirty, that I haven't done my math homework, that the oven is on and all that stuff. Sure, there are times when I close my eyes and see myself in all these projects , although my conscience is with the anxieties of the day that you can imagine.

Without a doubt, Pedro Pascal is a particular type .

English Tranlation: Google Translate

SOURCE:  GQ MEXICO

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 292: You Say Jeans

Previously on BnHA: Horikoshi was all “well anyway here’s that Touya reveal I foreshadowed like a million years ago, viva la 2020.” Dabi was all “hello world, I’ve killed 30 people and today I’m going to explain to you all why” before he proceeded to explain ABSOLUTELY NOTHING but everyone was so distracted by his tale of child abuse and hero conspiracies that they didn’t much seem to notice. Can’t Ya See-Kun’s Shark Friend was all “IS THIS THE END OF HERO SOCIETY AS WE KNOW IT”, and Horikoshi was all “STAY TUNED”, and then Dabi set himself on fire and leaped off of Machia’s back like the chaotic evil, I-just-bleached-all-my-brain-cells weird little fire man he is, ready to burn everyone to crispy bits before they could even react properly to his whole big revenge speech. Fortunately he did not succeed on account of THE RETURN OF THE JING, THE JOAT, BEST FUCKING JEANIST, back from the dead by popular demand in what critics are calling “the best fucking comeback since Jesus himself.”

Today on BnHA: Best Jeanist snatches up Machia and the rest of the League with his fiber steel cables before you can say “more like BEAST JEANIST amirite.” Dabi gets all worked up and lights Hadou on fire which is a real JERK MOVE, and is all “THIS RIGHT HERE IS ALSO ENDEAVOR’S FAULT”, which, NOT SUPER CONVINCED ON THAT, BUT OKAY. Anyway so then he burns up all the cables holding him which is crazeballs btw, and then he and Shouto start fighting, and so basically the whole thing is a literal hot mess and we’ll see how that goes. Meanwhile Tomura wakes up and summons some Noumus, and poor Jeanist has to deal with those on top of the still-attempting-to-rampage Gigantomachia, and everyone else is all “we can’t help you on account of we’re all half dead”, and so it’s looking really bad. And then -- and I can’t stress enough how much I don’t even have the faintest idea how to segue into this next part -- the chapter ends with Mirio!?! just sort of POPPING UP OUT OF THE GROUND all, “SURPRISE, BITCH”, and it literally was so surprising that I am still just kind of speechless. WELL-PLAYED, I GUESS, lol wtf.

lol okay so the first page in the RHA scan is just the “three musketeers” movie promo image that we all already saw a few days ago. but it does confirm that (a) it is indeed a movie, and (b) that it’s set for a summer 2021 release! how exciting

okay so now back to our special Dabi edition of Making a Murderer

“ray of hope” oh hell yes. SAVE US MR. JEANIST

I guess he had a TV in his private hero jet or something?

gotta say, “dammit Dabi” does not even remotely sound like Authentic Best Jeanist Dialogue to me though. gonna need Caleb to see to this. well but what do you guys think? does Best Jeanist curse?? I personally feel like he’s one of those guys who NEVER EVER swears no matter what, except under the most hilariously trifling circumstances. like he’s eating an avocado one day and he accidentally stains the cuffs of his beloved jostume green and he’s all “FUCK”

btw how fucking rich is Best Jeanist though that he has his own fucking plane? the thought just suddenly occurred to me, you know? like even Endeavor, whose agency has its own on-site luxury apartment suites for all of his interns, still drives around in a dinky little car that Bakugou has declared to be too small. which, I guess we know why he felt that way now, seeing as the guy he previously interned with apparently gets around in Jeans Force One

anyway so back to the part where Jeanist shows up to save the day!! YEAH JEANIST WOOOOO

ILU JEANIST YOU REALLY ARE THE BEST!! HUGS AND KISSES!!!

lmao we just saw Gigantomachia take out like a hundred guys not ten chapters ago. and Best Jeanist shows up and takes him down in like two seconds. HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES LEAGUE OF VILLAINS. BET YOU’RE WISHING YOU’D TAKEN HIS QUIRK NOW, AFO. GET FUCKED YOU OLD SPUD

KACCHAN IS SO HAPPY TO SEE HIM AWW

SIDE NOTE, IIDA, YOU AND I ARE GONNA HAVE WORDS LATER ABOUT YOU ACTUALLY AGREEING TO PUT HIM BACK DOWN. YOU DO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS CHILD IS STILL DRIPPING BLOOD ALL OVER THE PLACE FROM HIS MULTIPLE STAB WOUNDS, RIGHT? WAY TO ASSERT YOUR AUTHORITY THERE. I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE CLASS PRESIDENT NOT THE CLASS CLOWN, COME ON NOW

LMAO DABI IS FRANTICALLY TRYING TO DO THE PLOT MATH

SHOULDA CHECKED MORE CLOSELY MY GOOD MARK. LOOKS LIKE YOU MISSED THE “MADE IN CHINA” STICKER ON THE BOTTOM. YOU HAVE BEEN BAMBOOZLED. OR ACTUALLY, I GUESS THE MORE ACCURATE WORD HERE IS JAMBOOZLED, AHAHAHAHA. JEANS

HOLY SHIT DABI

I legit almost thought that was Tomura for a second. you two look so alike now with the white hair and the crazy eyes

meanwhile, Shouto is still crying and it’s a lot to take, you guys. lotta feels

ffff come on Jeanist you better do something awesome again here, the mood of the chapter is starting to slip now

YES, GOOD, THAT’LL WORK

WELL YOU TELL ME, SPINNER. I GUESS THAT MEANS BEST JEANIST IS OFFICIALLY THE STRONGEST CHARACTER IN THE SERIES NOW. SORRY I DON’T MAKE THE RULES

ffff now Spinner is trying to wake Tomura back up. nah, how’s about we not do that

OH MY GOD HADOU YESSSS

MY GIRL OUT HERE WITH THE “NO THANK YOU” BOUT TO CURBSTOMP THE BIG BAD WITH HER QUIRK KSFHLKLK WHO HERE HAD “HADOU SAVES THE DAY” ON YOUR WAR ARC BINGO CARDS, YOU LOVE TO SEE IT!!

HEY!!!!

fucking son of a... fffkfkff... someone please reassure me that fire isn’t Hadou’s weakness. someone. anyone. also could someone please dial an ambulance and send them to Horikoshi’s house. but not just yet. first I’m gonna need you to wait about fifteen minutes or so while I take care of some things

well all right then, Dabi. so you wanna go on then and explain to us all how this, too, is somehow Endeavor’s fault?

oh I see, you’ve decided that since he’s responsible for “creating” you, everyone you hurt and kill is in truth really being hurt and killed by him! well now, that sure is convenient as fuck I guess

(ETA: that’s a nice effect with the panel sides getting all warped by Dabi’s quirk though, just noticed that.)

amazing how quickly you used up that sympathy card my guy. Shouto please kick his ass, I’m fucking done lol, you can all sort out the rest in therapy later

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE DIAL BACK DEKU’S EMPATHY STATS JUST A LITTLE BIT, HOLY --

“TODOROKI-KUN IS HURT THE MOST”, HE SAYS, WITH HIS ARM BONES SHATTERED INTO LITTLE TOOTHPICK-SIZED PIECES. I MEAN, HE’S PROBABLY TALKING MORE ABOUT MENTAL ANGUISH GIVEN THE CONTEXT HERE, BUT STILL. THAT’S ENOUGH HEROICS FROM YOU ALREADY FOR ONE DAY

NOOO JEANIST

LOTS OF SMOKE IN THE AIR RIGHT ABOUT NOW AND MY BOY’S STILL DOWN A LUNG. GOD DAMMIT

“if the number one suffers a total loss here, this country will fall to pieces” well okay, real talk though, I think the “country falling to pieces” part is pretty much unavoidable at this juncture. you all are just gonna have to try your best to pick up those pieces after the fact and see what you can do with them. if I were you I’d be less worried about the number one’s reputation and more concerned with the half-dozen child soldier interns who are still on the field and very much at risk of being burned to death should you suffer that “total loss.” please try to keep it together here for them

OH FOR FUCK’S

I really thought RockLockRock was gonna come into play here. USE YOUR QUIRK TO LOCK THE ROPES IN PLACE YOU DIP!! if he seriously just sits there and does nothing when his quirk could be the deciding factor I am cancelling his useless ass cute kid or no cute kid shfkjdls

(ETA: is he even there?? did he and Manual just hightail it out of there?? “well good luck, children.”)

also, we’ll put this aside for now to perhaps speculate about later, but what’s with Tomura remembering his dad’s house yet again in that far right panel?? and being itchy again?? I still have yet to fully work out the psychological mechanisms at work as far as his itchiness goes, so I’ll admit this is intriguing to me. it seemed like it was connected to his decay quirk, but then why is it acting up again now. what is this lol

yuh oh

forgot about these guys. looks like these heroes aren’t having such a fun time

oh fucksticks

excuse me ma’am but I don’t like this. you do know that my kids are all there, right. all burnt and impaled and broken-boned and the like. well except for Iida. he’s fine still. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN I FEEL LIKE WATCHING HIM GET TORN APART BY FOUR HIGH ENDS, WTF

HORIKOSHI YOU MOTHERFUCKER I SWEAR TO GOD

god fucking... okay look. Horikoshi. you win, okay!? congratulations, you win, this is your show and we’re all just sitting here at your mercy. fine. go ahead and just kill off everyone ever, then!! what am I even gonna do about it. stop reading?? fuck

this whole thing really went from zero to fucked before I could even blink huh. I really thought this was gonna be a turning point chapter for the heroes. shows what I know I guess??

meanwhile this motherfucker is just SCREAMING

ngl, if I wasn’t currently terrified on account of things suddenly taking such a drastic turn for the worse, this would be the coolest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. Jeanist my man, I hype you up like it’s my job because you are the greatest fucking meme character in the history of time, but make no mistake, you are also highkey WORTH ALL THE HYPE AND THEN SOME

seriously, though. don’t fucking mind him you guys, he’s just standing here in the coolest pose of all time taking on Gigantomachia all alone with one fucking lung because the substance pumping through his veins is COLD-BLOODED LIQUID DENIM, and DENIM FEELS NO FEAR

Best Jeanist really needs to get his own theme song. -- oh my god I just finally thought of a title for this post. lmao and it’s the dumbest thing. omg

MEANWHILE THE TODOROKI BROS ARE OFF IN THEIR OWN DRAMATIC LITTLE FIRE WORLD

which one do you think is the Mario and which is the Luigi. well, but I mean, Dabi clearly thinks that he’s the Luigi though and that’s why he’s so mad. nobody wants to be Luigi. what a life

THAT’S IT, SHOUTO!! POINT OUT ALL OF HIS HYPOCRITICAL BULLSHIT, I WANT ANSWERS

JUST TO CLARIFY, IT’S THAT NATSU, NOT SOME OTHER NATSU!! SO WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF!!

OH, WELL IN THAT CASE

BUT OF COURSE. THAT WOULD MAKE IT ALL WORTHWHILE, holy shit. okay I’m just gonna go ahead and say it, Dabi is a piece of work. I really thought this arc would make him more sympathetic at long last, but it seems like it’s doing just the opposite?? this is like an anti-redemption arc. I don’t relish the thought of venturing into the fandom tags once I finish reading this lol

(ETA: well folks, I’ve done it. and actually it was pretty interesting because there are apparently like ten different things that people are mad about, and so it’s like. each post is a new adventure lmao.)

so Shouto is all “BRUH HAVE YOU COMPLETELY LOST IT” and Dabi is all “YES”, basically? like, he says he’s completely lost his feeling for anything. omg. but you were so sweet. how does that even happen

“finally I can kill you” okay for real what the heck is your damage bro?? can we not. I like Shouto just the way he is, un-killed

oh shit and now the Noumus are here

cue Bakugou diving in to save his mentor, STAB WOUNDS BE DAMNED!! actually it would make more sense for it to be Iida, but if Kacchan is really fixin’ to go full Shounen Dumbass here then he might as well go all out, y’know

-- unless of course, Deku decides to activate another quirk??

“last I checked, the main character of this series was still me” OH? WELL I SUPPOSE THAT IS TRUE, SO PRAY TELL, WHAT HAVE YOU GOT LEFT UP YOUR SLEEVE YOU SUICIDAL BRUSSELS SPROUT

fucking love how he’s all “HAHAHA WITH MY NEW QUIRKS I CAN STILL DO STUPID SHIT EVEN WITH MY ARMS AND LEGS GROUND TO A FINE POWDER” btw. what can I say. Deku gonna Deku

FMMFHDKUHK W H A T

HOLY SHIT. HOLY FUCKING SHIT. WHAT THE WHAT. QUE THE FUCK

(ETA: okay look, all the love in the world to the brave scanlators who take time out of their lives to translate the leaks every week just so we can read the chapter a couple of days early like the addicts we are. that said, translating Mirio’s signature “POWER!!” -- which was already written in English in the original scan -- to “POG-CHAMP” is just a whole new level of wtfuckery from them lmao. is the Lida person back at it again?? amazing.)

MIRIO!?!?! SHOWS UP TO SAVE THE DAY?!?! POGS HIMSELF UP OUT THE GROUND TO BEAT THE NOUMUS LIKE IT AIN’T NO THING. JUST LIKE WE ALL PREDICTED!? I’M SORRY, DID YOU NOT SEE THAT COMING?? YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOUR DAILY HOROSCOPE FROM ASTROLOGY DOT COM DIDN’T HAVE THAT ONE IN THE CARDS?? WAS IT NOT OBVIOUS?? TODOROKIS PLUS BEST JEANIST EQUALS MIRIO??

hot damn. Tintin really saw the writing on the wall with the impending Dabi Discourse and was all “NOT SO FAST” lmao. “HERE’S A BRAND NEW THING FOR YOU ALL TO DISCOURSE ABOUT” MIRIO YOU WILD CHILD. YOU GLORIOUS THUG

MEANWHILE LET’S NOT FORGET WHAT MIRIO HAVING HIS POWERS BACK ACTUALLY IMPLIES. HOLY SHIT. SUDDENLY WE CUT BACK TO ALL MIGHT’S OFFICE, ALL THE WAY BACK AT UA. ERI BRANDISHES HER TOKOYAMI-GIFTED BUSTER SWORD, A DETERMINED GLEAM IN HER EYE. “I HEARD YOU WERE TRYING TO HAVE A GIRL POWER ARC WITHOUT ME.” OH. MY. GOD

[tigirl-and-co]

Fave eps of the 63 astroboy anime?

Okay, so I'm only at episode 55 out of i think 109 in the english dub, but I can tell you my faves so far!

this got real long real fast, so I'm putting it under a readmore :3c

-episode 11, 'Strange Voyage' I've talked a lil' bit about this one before, but I'll elaborate. I think this episode is tastefully dark, but has some really great sweeter moments as well. Like when Louie(?) agrees to watch Marble, and then... proceeds to do so. He's never mean to her, and while he's not kind, he's willing to talk with her. Also Astro decides that keeping the little girl away from the notorious criminal is unnecessary, and decides that she and the criminal should play chess instead. As for darker moments, the ending and this particular line come to mind

and then Marble, who is like 5, claims that there must be a heaven for robots, because Astro deserves to go to heaven. Also they try to kill a man by shoving him out the airlock. But yeah, if you're looking to decide whether or not this show is worth it, check out this episode

-episode 7, 'Zero, the Invisible Robot' So this is the Denkou episode, and for some reason they made him a gorgeous man that I'm in love with. But he's named Zero here. I don't know what else to say that hasn't been said, other than I maybe teared up a lil'. Don't judge me. I'm a sucker for 'I just want to be good/do a good job' type characters (which is why I'm also a fan of bobo and abra cadabra) and I think it's really funny that they were like 'we have to make him BEAUTIFUL' and he's only visible for like 5 seconds total.

-episode 53, 'Dogma Palace' This episode is absolutely dumb as dogshit and I'm completely obsessed with it. It seems like it's gonna be cool and dark and in the last like 7 minutes you find out that everything's all fucked cuz the king was like 'o ye i used 2 keep bees! My favourite bee was this fucked-up evil one from outer space that liked to mind control people!' and he did not see how this could have ever gone wrong. May I recite to you the greatest lines of dialogue in tv history?

*while panning over freed child slaves* "You can be a king who believes in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!" "Yes. I'll start a new country, a country without slaves, or monsters, or super-bees!"

also the king is named 'El Doopy' and his elite task force are the Super Troupers

-episodes 44 and 45, 'The Heart of Cleopatra' It's another 'I want to be Good but I am forced to be Bad episode, with the added bonus of being Cleopatra-themed. Also it was bizarre but heartwarming to see Muslims and Islam being treated (somewhat) respectfully in a cartoon from 1963. Like they were literally just praying. It might not have been *tactful* bc this show has never heard of tact in its life, but I don't think it was *offensive* and it certainly wasn't mean-spirited

-Episode 10, 'The Spirit Machine'

-Episode 52, 'The Snow Lion' I had been looking forward to this episode after hearing that the 80's version was batshit, and I was NOT disappointed. The main villain is this little space wizard man with a flying lion made of snow, except the snow is alive and eats energy, and also apparently the wizard called in the girl scouts to help him invade earth. Sadly, the girl scouts were never seen.

like right in the middle there's this fucking somber as hell scene where Elefun hold's Astro's lifeless body, and he says 'I'll put you in the robot hall of fame if it's the last thing I do.' and so we get a 30 second long sequence of Elefun somberly walking down the halls of the robot hall of fame with Astro in his arms, until he reaches a pedestal. He then sets Astro up, and goes 'at least we can face the end together' and kneels down and rests himself on the pedestal, and fucking. just sits and waits to die.

And then some stuff happens and we get back to astro fighting a flying space lion made of snow.

~

Thank you for the ask! This was really fun~ I know I tend to ramble a lot lol, but I hope this gave you some insight into what sort of stuff I like!

[neptuneofthesky]

MCC 15 WINNER'S POV [RECAP]

RED RABBITS

DREAM

MICHAELMCCHILL

QUACKITY

SAPNAP

I was a little bit late, I first joined Quakcity’s stream to listen to his mcc song, which was great by the way!! (go listen to it!!)

Quackity said that he is Florida, that is why he isn’t using the green screen, Dream is in the next room, and Sapnap is streaming from the bathroom.

Then I joined Dream’s stream and I was there the whole time.

1st Game, Parkour Tag

Dream was a god in parkour tag, like, it was literally a manhunt, he hunted them faster than me desperately trying to fall asleep. That's all I want to say. He popped off.

They ended up in 3rd place overall.

2nd Game, Battle Box

The pinks dunked the reds lol.

Quackity popped off in battle box.

They did really good at the beginning of the battle box but then the victory ✨ got in their head ✨ but they still won 6/9 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), they overall did really really well.

Quackity was doing really well, he was in Hall of fame at 8th place after battle box, and Sapnap was in first!

They were still in 3rd place overall.

Dream told Tubbo that he hated him, then jk<3. He also said hi to Niki.

3rd Game, Sky Battle

First-round

Dream said that his aim was very off today.

Quackity said that don’t let it get to his head.

Dream laughed and said that it's already in my head.

Dream got 3 kills.

Michael got 1 kill.

Quackity got 1 kill.

Sapnap got 2 kills.

The round ends and they got 2nd place.

Second-round

Dream got 5 kills.

Michael got 1 kill.

Quackity got 2 kills.

Sapnap got 3 kills.

The round end and they end up in 3rd place.

Third-round

Dream got 8 kills.

Michel got 2 kills.

Quackity got 2 kills.

Sapnap got 7 kills.

The last round ends and they end up in 2nd place in Sky Battle.

They end up in second place overall.

p.s. pink parrots did really well and ended up in the first place overall<3

4th Game, Sands Of Time

Dream had a bg of a different dteam fanart this time.

I don’t really know what to put about sands of time, because it was really fun just to watch, they had really nice communication and coordination.

And Michael popped off.

They coined 2754 coins.

And Dream threw tomatoes at Tommy and then twerked.

They end up in 2nd place overall.

Sapnap was in 2nd place, Dream was in 4th place, Quackity was in 10th place and Michael was in 13th place.

p.s. pink parrots were awesome and were in the first place then<3

5th Game, Hole In The Wall

Hbomb subbed in Pete, they were happy because of that, they were also happy because they manipulated the votes. (in this round, it was the fan voting for the game thing)

Dream privately messaged Wilbur.

Dream: ily

Dream: jk

Wilbur: I need space

Dream: wtf

Also, Sapnap went to change his pants because his balls were getting bigger.

First-round

Dream said that they were not colorblind so they won’t have any problem.

Sapnap won the first round, he did the Hbomb glitch thing, and he said he loved glitches and he loved Hbomb and he wanted him to be his cat maid.

Second-round

Everyone said ranboo looks snazzy and complimented him in the chat.

Also, they had this conversation:

Sapnap: "I am so hot and sexy."

Dream agreed with him.

Quackity: "You have a hot and juicy ass."

Sapnap: "You would sure like a piece of it."

Quackity: "Oh wait, I didn't put my clothes back on."

Sapnap: "No, no, keep them off."

Dream: "Okay guys, spam space harder than Quackity spams his mother- wait I mean how hard I spam his mother."

Quackity: "That was messed up, dude."

Dream: "Spam space harder than George tries to see colors."

Quackity: "Yes, I like that. I will spam space harder than I spam George's mother."

Sapnap again won, this time it was a glitchless win.

And Quackity said that is why Sapnap has big balls.

Third-round

They kept talking about how big Sapnap's balls will get when he wins this one too.

Sapna ended up in 10th place.

Dream ended up in 4th place.

Sapnap ended up 1st in top players of hole in the wall.

Their team also ended up in first place in hole in the wall.

Red rabbits ended up in first place overall.

Sapnap was in 1st place.

Dream was in 3rd place

Quackity was in 16th place.

Michael was in 20th place.

Sapnap said that he was nervous about TGTTOSAWAF, so Dream hyped him up, then Quackity and Michael followed, then they continued to talk about Sapnap’s balls.

6th Game, Ace Race

Sapnap went to pee, they said it's a part of Strat.

Then started to diss Sylvee during their second lap.

They all did trash, except sapnap, he ended up in 12th place.

Tommy whispered to Dream, 'dumb fuck'.

They all agreed that the map was indeed pretty, but they didn't like it.

Then everyone hypes up Niki<3.

They end up in last place in Ace race.

But still, Sapnap was in 1st place overall and Dream was in 4th place overall.

They dropped to third place overall.

7th game, TGTTOSAWAF

Greens dunked pinks lol.

First-round

They ran the freaking ad everywhere, so I couldn’t see the first half.

Michael, unfortunately, couldn’t complete it, so they hyped him up.

Second-round

Michael again didn’t make it, so they hyped him up, and told him and Quackity to follow Dream.

Third-round

They all made it this time, and Michael ended up in 6th place!

Fourth-round

Again, they all finished, and their team was in 4th place.

Fifth-round

Sapnap ended in 2nd place! Unfortunately, Quackity couldn’t complete it.

Sixth-round

Tommy was pissing off Sapnap since he also screwed him up in the 2nd round. Unfortunately, quackity couldn’t complete the race again so they hyped him up.

Then they ran ads so I don’t know what they were talking about, but according to the chat, they were still hyping each other up

Red rabbits ended up in 4th place overall.

p.s. Pink parrots ended up in first place overall<3

8th game, Survival Games

They decided to do the buddy strat, Michael will stick with Dream, Quackity will stick with Sapnap.

Quacky: "You are my side bitch Sapnap."

Sapnap: "No, YOU are my side bitch."

And Sapnap got excited so Dream told him to not be out for blood. [that is such a cool dialogue I am definitely using that in their dynamic]

They also decided to stay away from people.

Their coordination was really good, even tho someone straight-up went in, the other pointed it out. They all listened to each other.

Survival games were really really fun to watch, they freaking popped off, like actually popped off, they were in first place. I recommend watching it from their pov!

They overall got first place<3.

Also, Sapnap got 4k points and was in 1st place, Dream was in 3rd place.

The Final Showdown: Dodgebolt

Red Rabbits vs Yellow Yaks

Sapnap went to take a piss.

I myself had to take a piss, but the hype was too much. And it was 3 am then.

They all said it's a win-win situation, because if they win they will be happy, and if yellow wins, which has Captain Sparklez in it, which will break his curse, will also make them happy.

First-round

Sylvee and Quig hyped red up.

Tommy said he’ll be happy if red loses and he’ll clip it. (/j)

Sapnap got Punz and Jack.

Seapeekay got Quackity and Michael.

Dream got Captain Sparklez and Seapeekay.

Red rabbits won the 1st round.

Second-round

Captain Sparklez got Michael.

Sapnap got Punz, Seapeekay and Captain Sparklez (king popped off).

Sylvee was continuously hyping them up, along with Wilbur.

Jack got Sapnap.

Dream got Jack.

Red rabbits won the 2nd round too.

Third-round.

Sapnap got captain sparkle

Punz shot Sapnap.

Dream shot Punz and Seapeekay and Jack.

WIN FOR RED RABBITS!!

Sapnap got 1st place AND 4k points, so close to Techno’s record! Congrats Sapnap!

It was 3:16 am, and it was worth it!

And then Dream raided Sapnap, and stayed on his stream along with Michael, Scott, Ant, Punz, Hbomb (these were the only people I could comprehend). Niki thanked Sapnap and Dream and because their chat sent support to Niki during ace race, Dream and Sapnap said thank you for acknowledging that we sent you support(/s), and Quackity was talking with the pinks and Jack.

Then they just discussed the game and a couple of other things, I wasn’t really concentrating because I was pooping. At 3:30 am.

Quackity raided sapnap and joined their call along with Jack.

And the thing I comprehended was that Sylvee was so supportive of red rabbits that she drowned all the “hate”(/j) comments. And they again talked about stuff.

They talked about who they want to team with next mcc.

And then Sylvee joined their call and talked about the game

And then they continued to talk about things, I was drunk by then. I was drunk on the fact that I am not asleep yet, and its almost 4 am.

Quackity popped off in battle box. Congrats to him for his first win ever!

Also, Michael popped off in sands of time, also congrats to him for his first win! (/j) [this is based on a joke guys made in the beginning that it's first time for Michael to play in a mcc ever]

They also made jokes about how Michael is a mcc virgin(/j) and Quackity lost his mcc virginity last time. and Sapnap also mentioned that Dream was there when Sapnap lost his mcc virginity

They fucked it up in the ace race, but their comeback in survival games was amazing and phenomenal.

And truly, survival games, ugh, they popped off my lord. and if it was build mart instead, they were fucked.

They broke a curse too, this was the first win for a red rabbits team!!

Also, pink did really well, but they screwed up in the survival games., that's why they got third place.

During the survival games, Dream said that they won’t engage on the pinks because they didn't want to mess up their first place.

Everyone had really fun, and I also had really fun watching it. I’d recommend you all to go listen to Quackity’s song if you haven’t already, and watch the survival games from different povs!

And once again, CONGRATS RED RABBITS!!!

[modernpaw]

Endorphins

Dan Jones x Female Reader

Summary: While running around The Capitol one morning, you chance upon Dan from work.

CW: Mentions of sex, a little swearing, implied unsafe sex, AFAB reader

Words: 1.8k

This day is not going well, and it's barely even begun. You sigh as you hobble over to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, keeping most of your weight on one ankle. You came here at the break of dawn to get some exercise, to stimulate the production of those elusive endorphins, which you were then hoping would help you manage the mounting stress at work. But because you're not an active person in general, and because you're still getting used to your new running shoes, you ended up landing awkwardly on your left foot and twisting your ankle. So much for stress relief.

Maybe it's just slightly sprained, you think as you carefully lower yourself on the steps. You try to rotate the affected ankle and wince when you feel a twinge of pain.

Okay, definitely sprained.

You're not sure how you're going to walk back to your car, much less drive back home. The worst part of it all is that you haven't even been running long enough to make the injury worth it.

The view of the Washington Memorial looks beautiful though.

You lean back on both hands, deciding to enjoy the peace and quiet, before you allow yourself to continue worrying. After all, it's not like you can change anything. What was that quote you saved on your Pinterest board just the other day? The only thing you can control is how you react to things out of your control.

At 5:30 in the morning, and on a Saturday at that, the entire area is devoid of the usual tourist crowd. There are a few early birds, but because they know how not to hurt themselves within the first 20 minutes of their run, none of them linger around in one spot for too long.

Certainly none of them are paying you any attention. Except maybe for that one person who looks like he's headed your way.

Great. Maybe if you make yourself look as nonchalant as possible, he wouldn't realize that you've twisted your ankle. The last thing you want right now is to be given unsolicited advice. You already get a lot of that from work, thankyouverymuch.

He gets closer and closer, and to your mortification, you realize that it's not a stranger at all, but someone you actually know.

Oh for heaven's sake, you think exasperatedly. You came here hoping to find a solution to your work stress, not to exacerbate it. Why the fuck is the universe sending you Dan Jones right now?

It's probably too much to hope that he hasn't seen you.

Dan is one of the staffers at the Senate office. You may have harbored a tiny bit of a crush on him when you first started working in an adjacent office, but that kindling of a spark was promptly extinguished when he challenged you to rethink your stance on an environment policy and basically implied that you were naive and idealistic. The thing is, he wasn't even rude or obnoxious about it. He was just right.

And you didn't like that. Well, not specifically the fact that he was right, but that you were wrong. You still don't. You worked your ass your entire life just to avoid being in that situation, and it took Dan all but one minute to dismantle all your hard work. Okay, that's a bit melodramatic, but he did shake your self-confidence a bit. I mean, it was your first week at work!

Had he been mean or awful about it, your ego might have forgiven him more, might have found solace in the fact that there are one or two things that are deplorable about him, but he wasn't and there aren't. And so you tamped down on that crush hard. Made sure it never reared its ugly head again and worked your ass even harder to make up for that initial embarrassment.

Now, though, it looks like you're being served another slice of humble pie.

"Hey," he greets out in a friendly tone. "I thought that was you."

"Hi, Dan," you greet back. "Er, fancy meeting you here."

You try not to cringe at the response you just gave. It sounds like lazily written dialogue in a spy movie, or worse, the first 20 seconds of a cheap porno.

Dan is, of course, unaware of your private turmoil. "Oh yeah, I come here most mornings," he answers, casually pulling his right leg up from behind with his opposite hand to stretch his quads. "I didn't know you run as well."

You try not to stare at his thighs, but you can't help it when they're right in your line of sight.

"Oh I don't run often," you say. And then not knowing what possessed you, you add, "To be honest, I don't run at all. This is probably my first time running in, I don't know, five or six years."

Dan does the same quick quad stretch with his other leg before settling down next to you with his knees to his chest. As he interlocks his hands over them casually, you turn your head to look back at the Washington Monument, so that you don't accidentally get caught staring.

Jesus, does this man ever not look good? Anyone can look dapper in a properly fitting blazer, but Dan is just wearing a nondescript hoodie and running shorts.

He says something, but it doesn't register, so you ask him to repeat it again.

"I said would you like to run together?" he says. "No pressure though."

Reminded of your predicament by his choice of words, you wonder if you should just tell Dan that you sprained your ankle.

"I can't," you answer weakly.

You can tell that your own choice of words has confused him, but he doesn't press, only nods his acceptance. He moves to get up, and your brain, probably drugged up due to a belated release of endorphins, pushes you to say something.

"I twisted my ankle!" you blurt out.

A look of concern passes over his face and he moves a few steps down to sit right beside where your feet are currently stretched out.

"Which ankle?" he asks.

"The left one," you answer and you wince again as your injury makes itself known. Is it just your imagination or did the pain get worse?

"You should have said something earlier," he murmurs. Before you can react to that, he hovers his hands over your left ankle. "May I?"

Once again, your traitorous self answers and you nod your head.

Dan carefully unties your shoelaces, taking the time to loosen them all the way up before gingerly cradling your ankle with one hand and oh-so-gently removing your shoe with the other. As he proceeds to remove your sock, his fingers lightly brush against your skin, and a gasp escapes you.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs softly, mistaking your response for one of pain. "I'll be fast. I just want to see how swollen it is."

You give him the green light, and he continues to divest your foot of the white cotton. The more skin he unveils, the more the two of you realize just how serious the sprain is. Your ankle has practically doubled in size, confirming your earlier suspicion that you won't be able to drive back home.

"We should get this iced and then elevated," he says, looking back up at you.

"I don't really have anything with me," you answer.

He gently lowers your foot back down, but doesn't take his hand off it. In fact, as he takes a moment to contemplate something, you feel him caress your ankle reassuringly. The pain on your foot gradually blurs, and you barely manage to hold in a moan of pleasure, pumped up on endorphins as you are.

"I have an ice pack in my car," he volunteers. "It's not that far. I can go get it now, but I also think it's best if I drive you home, so you can rest properly."

Oh, you think to yourself, surprised. While a part of you probably knew that he wouldn't just leave you alone, you didn't expect him to go so far as to take you home. Then again, it's also the most Dan thing he can do. Your mixed reaction must have shown on your face because he quickly backtracks.

"But, uh, perhaps there's someone we can call to pick you up?'" he asks, a bit of red creeping up the sides of his ears. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to overstep."

He looks adorable like this. Dan is normally such an infallible force at work. In the last 12 months since you met him, you've never seen him appear this flustered once, and your stomach can't help but flip flop at the possibility that this is all because of you.

"No, I'm good," you say with a smile. "I did bring my car though."

He still looks a bit red, but you see some of his composure returning. "We can come back for it later. Right now, though, this foot is our priority. It's criminal how long we've allowed it to remain untreated."

Is Dan Jones flirting with you? You decide that the only way to find out is to flirt back. "That's a serious allegation, Mr. Jones," you remark coyly, not missing the way his breath hitches ever so slightly at the way you addressed him. "Perhaps this warrants an internal investigation"

"Oh I'll even lead it, ma'am," he answers, his eyes darkening as he meets your gaze. "And I'll make sure to be very thorough."

You shudder at the implication of his words. There's something about Dan that makes you think that he could be a gentle lover, but would also not hesitate to literally fuck you six ways into Sunday if you ask for it. You feel yourself getting wetter by the second. God, it feels like the endorphins are really working your body double time.

Dan turns his back to you and bends his knees slightly. "Get on," he says, tapping his shoulder with one hand, further cementing your theory that this man will absolutely ruin you in bed. "I'll give you a ride to the car."

You lick your lips and do as you're told, resisting the urge to recommend a better preposition. Once he's certain that you're secure, he extends both of his hands behind his back to hoist you up, and slowly stands back to his full height. He then tugs his elbows closer to his hips, so that not all your weight is on his arms, inadvertently making you rub your already sensitive folds against his back. A soft whimper escapes your lips, one that you're certain did not go unnoticed seeing as you practically moaned right into his ear.

You hear him swear in frustration and he gets a move on. Each step has you rubbing up against him, giving you some modicum of relief one second and then wrenching it away the next, but you bite your lip and you hold you tongue. You know it'll be absolutely worth it when you get to his car. You just hope to fucking god that he's parked it in a secluded spot.

Tagging: @paper-n-ashes

If anybody else wants to be tagged in future adcu stories, just let me know! :)

[wordsnstuff]

Guide To Writing Historical Fiction

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Know The Period Well

When writing a story that takes place during a time you have no primary experience with, it’s important to do your research and not only be able to recall facts but be able to apply historical context to the plot. It’s especially important to consider diversity in period pieces and avoid whitewashing your cast, even if your story is set in a historically white place. The most obvious offender of this is England, but there were many people of color in premodern England that are completely underrepresented in modern fiction about the time.

Balance Drama and Accuracy

Realistically, you’re not writing a school report. There are corners you can cut in order to prioritize the plot and characterization over textbook accuracy. However, if you’re going to misrepresent something, be elegant and intentional about it. Make sure that the moment is worth it and that it serves you to do so. Convenience is not a reason to not do your due diligence.

Readers Will Find Errors, No Matter What

Accept that some readers will not understand that the nature of fiction is not to teach them about non-fictional things. There will be nitpickers, history buffs, “intellectuals”, and internet warriors who take it upon themselves to find and scrutinize every inaccuracy. You cannot avoid it, no matter how careful you are. Remember that your job is to entertain and provoke thought. Leave textbook writing to those who get paid for it.

Be Specific With Time and Place

Being vague about where and when your story is taking place may relieve you of heavy research about specifics, but it will take away from the reader’s experience, and that should always be your priority. People have prior knowledge about time periods and locations, so use that to your advantage. The more specific you are, the less work you have to do in order to create a world in which your characters can exist. Of course, you have to paint the picture, but at least this way you won’t have to design it.

Time and Place Shapes Your Character

Do not place contemporary people in a different time and location, put them in a corset and expect your reader to be immersed in that historical setting. Most of your work in characterizing for this genre will be contemplating what context and circumstances will shape your characters and how that will manifest in the way they think, feel, and behave. Place emphasis on this part of the process, because no matter how well you paint the background, it will be ruined if you have stick figures all over it.

It’s Gonna Take A While

Think about how long it takes to research a history paper versus how long it takes to draft. It’s the same with historical fiction. You will spend about 30% more time in the planning stage than you will in the writing stage. If you don’t have a passion or at least an interest in history, this genre is not for you. There’s no shortcut and there’s no way around it.

Common Struggles

Believable dialogue… Your writing style is your business, and the density of your writing style should usually go hand in hand with the intensity of the dialogue. If you’re writing a historical fiction in a modern voice, don’t break that up with extremely dense dialogue with vocabulary that the reader will have to pick apart. A happy medium, no matter the density of your narration, is usually a safe bet, where it evokes a time period but doesn’t directly copy it. This makes it clearly understandable by the reader but doesn’t destroy their suspension of disbelief amongst denser or lighter narration.

Little details… Guess and check. This is what editing is for. Well, that and nailing the historical voice, but that’s another issue for another time. If you’re on a roll on your first or second draft, don’t open google and agonize over one detail. Have someone more knowledgeable look over it later or do more research in the interim between writing and editing and then check yourself during the next stage.

Vocabulary… This is, again, a guess and check sort of thing. Finish the draft in a way that is clear above accurate and then highlight the words and phrases you’re unsure of before going through and checking each one. Again, you’ll spend more time editing than writing with this genre for this very reason.

Historical Norms… My best advice for getting a feel of what life was and wasn’t like during a certain time period and in a specific area is to read other texts that are reliably accurate and set/about the same time and place. It’s an easy way to get accustomed to the setting as the writer and eventually visualize that place when you’re writing it.

Retelling versus implementing… It’s really easy to lose sight of that line between setting your plot amongst a historical event and making that historical event the plot. I’d say a good way to make sure you’re not writing a narrative textbook is make a timeline of each scene in your draft and if more than 40% of your story centers around a historical event and the ins-and-outs of it rather than the fictional events within the plot, then you’re probably going a little heavy on the history.

Medicine/Technology… I’m not necessarily well-versed in historical medicine or technology but I do know that @inky-duchess can offer quite a few resources on medicine and that regarding technology throughout history, just write your first draft and then go back and fact check. Highlight technological inventions that are mentioned in the text and check that they were already in use at that time.

Other Resources

Resources For Writing Period Pieces: High Middle Ages & Renaissance

Resources For Writing Period Pieces: 1600s

Resources For Writing Period Pieces: 1700s

Resources For Writing Period Pieces: 1800s

Resources For Writing Period Pieces: 1900-1939

Resources For Writing Period Pieces: 1940-1969

Resources For Writing Period Pieces: 1970-1999

Things To Listen To When You’re Working 

Useful Writing Resources

Useful Writing Resources II

Resources For Worldbuilding

Resources For Plot Development

Writing About Another Era

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[chiseler]

Hero of Our Nation

I first encountered Roger Ramjet on a Chicago public access station in 1983. It was part of an early morning show apparently aimed at stoner insomniacs. The show came on at five and also included episodes of Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp, that awful Beatles cartoon, and a weather report clarified by some appropriate pop song (“Here Comes the Sun” or “Here Comes the Rain Again”). I was usually up and around that early for some godforsaken reason, and originally started watching on account of Lancelot Link. Always did love that Lancelot Link. But Roger Ramjet was, well, let’s just say it was a revelation.

Roger Ramjet, “ that All-American good guy and devil may care flying fool” (as he compulsively introduces himself) was a none too bright and none too coordinated drug-dependent space age superhero in an ongoing battle against the assorted forces of evil (or more specifically, N.A.S.T.Y.) to preserve the American Way of Life. He was square-jawed, straight-laced, straight-faced, and True Blue if little else, so hyper-patriotic that nearly every time his name is spoken aloud an American flag, a bald eagle, or a rotating ring of stars appears on the screen. After catching one or two episodes, I forgot all about Lancelot Link.

The show was easy to overlook, especially when squeezed between the Beatles and some secret agent chimps with a psychedelic band. The episodes were only five minutes long (maybe seven with the abrasive theme song filling out the opening and closing credits), and were so crudely drawn and animated it might at a glance seem like something a couple of junior high school kids threw together in their basement one weekend. The shows were so primitive they hardly bothered with niceties like “backgrounds” satisfied instead to settle for rudimentary suggestions of a setting. But the writing was so sharp and the voice talent so good what it really felt like, if you paid attention, was a spoof of a ‘40s radio serial like Sky King or Gangbusters, complete with a soap opera organ and illustrated by a handful of jerky drawings scratched out by someone’s kid. People who thought Jay Ward’s Bullwinkle and Dudley Do-Right were crude when compared with the output from Disney or Warner Brothers had no idea what “crude” meant. 

Looking at it today what it reminds me of more than anything are the paper cutout animations of the earliest episodes of South Park, before they upgraded to Flash. Along with the lo-fi stylistics, the humor was clearly aimed at an adult audience while pretending otherwise.  You may not find any child molestation jokes or crass religious cracks in Roger Ramjet, but for 1965 the lightning-fast humor was pretty hepcat and sophisticated, with undisguised satirical references to the Cold War, Central American turmoil, and the  Vietnam War (“Hey kids, this is Roger Ramjet,” demanding that you stay tuned to this station to see my next adventure,” Roger announces in his commanding superhero baritone. “Or I’ll see to it that all you little rascals are drafted.”) . Mixed in with the topical jokes we also get some highly unlikely name drops, from Noel Coward and Henry Cabot Lodge to James Joyce and bawdy nightclub performer Rusty Warren, as well as film parodies and  literary nods to the likes of Catch-22 and Catcher in the Rye.  It’s also a little less than what you might call racially sensitive by modern standards (consider Mexican revolutionaries The Enchilada Brothers, Beef and Chicken).

While a lot of the more timely jokes might be lost in the murk of the over 50 years since it first aired, there’s plenty of rapid-fire absurdity that’s timeless, from the misspelled title cards punctuating the narration to the self-consciously dumb coked-up adventures.

Bullwinkle aired from ‘61 to ‘64. Roger Ramjet came along a year later and Jay Ward’s influence is undeniable. The difference was Roger Ramjet crammed the equivalent number of bad jokes, references, and plot twists of a typical 8-part Bullwinkle serial into each five-minute episode, both mirroring the rapid-fire screwball dialogue of the ‘30s and the frenetic quick-cut comedy to come along a year or two later in shows like The Monkees and Laugh-In.

The episodes were produced with essentially no budget and were cranked out very quickly by a small team of writers, voiceover artists and animators with solid day jobs in radio and TV. They were all seasoned pros, some dating back to the days of classic radio, who worked on the show after hours as a way of letting off a little steam and tossing around a few cynical, subversive  cultural jabs their day jobs wouldn’t allow. The show was created originally by animator Fred Crippen  (who went on to work on some pretty dreadful crap like the Extreme Ghostbusters  and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Ken Snyder, an ad exec who moved over into producing cartoons. They brought in a remarkable team of voice talent and comedy writers, including Gene Moss (the voice of Smokey the Bear) Jim Thurmam (who did a lot of kids shows including Sesame Street), Dick Beals (the original voice of Gumby), and the great Gary Owens, a drive-time deejay in LA who would get national recognition soon enough as the on-screen announcer for Laugh-In. Although they would all get specific credits in the end (Crippen as director, Moss as a writer) it was a communal effort, in which everyone contributed to the writing, and everyone, even the executive producer, did a few of the voices. Apart from the regular crew, careful listeners might also catch a few uncredited guest appearances by some surprisingly big names (I’m told Sinatra and Dean Martin appear in an episode, but I’m still looking for that one). Owens was the star, though, as his ability to read the most ridiculous lines in a dramatic deadpan made him the perfect Roger Ramjet. Together they made 156 episodes (about 150 still exist), which were sold directly into syndication in ‘65 as half hour shows, each containing three unconnected adventures. I can’t say as I’m exactly sure who they thought their target audience was at the time, except maybe each other.

Much like William Conrad in Bullwinkle, each show opened with our narrator, Steve Allen alum Dave Ketchum, setting the mood and the scene (“In today’s depressing episode,” he’d begin with dramatic enthusiasm, or maybe it was an “existentialist episode,” “phlegmatic episode,” “rickety episode,”  “hairy episode,” or “ethnic episode”). Then we’re out of the gate at a breakneck pace, with a flurry of gags coming from every direction. “Ramjet rode into Boot Hill,” we’re told,  “where the men were men and the women were men, which can get pretty old after awhile.”

While none of the shows are connected, there are a few recurring characters and locations worth remembering: Roger hails from Lompoc, an actual California town (“where nothing ever happens, and seldom does”) and  takes his orders from General G.I. Brassbottom, a no nonsense military man who “hadn’t had an original idea since he was a civilian.” He’s also assisted by Yank, Doodle, Dan, and Dee, the unusually chubby  kids who make up the American Eagle squadron. Like Roger, all the members of the squadron wear their white jumpsuits and flight helmets at all times (Roger even wears his helmet on dates), and in true superhero sidekick fashion, their primary job is to get Roger out of scrapes and make sure his drugs are handy. 

That’s one little detail more than a few casual viewers have taken umbrage with. Roger, see, is a pretty hapless character most of the time, but he repeatedly saves the world thanks to a little help from his Proton Energy Pills (PEP), which take five seconds to kick in, then give him the strength of 20 A-Bombs for 20 seconds. Modern viewers seem a little uncomfortable with the idea of a superhero gulping amphetamines in order to function, but all I can say is, well, it was a different time, and hey, it worked for Roger and Elvis both.

The proton energy pills come in handy when dealing with his arch-nemesis Noodles Romanoff, the short, trench coat and fedora wearing head of N.A.S.T.Y. (the National Association of Spies, Traitors, and Yahoos). Romanoff may not have a Natasha, but he does have a gang of cronies and thugs who all mumble in unison (save for one, who can’t seem to get the rhythm). 

Along with Romanoff and his gang, Roger also has to contend with some lanky alien robots, the Solenoids (voiced by executive priducer Ken Snyder), and their repeated efforts to invade the planet in assorted ridiculous ways (in one episode, they begin kidnapping all the Miss America contestants, who “were disappearing faster than co-eds at a Dartmouth weekend.”)

When not saving the world, Roger found himself competing with the smarmy hotshot test pilot Lance Crossfire (who sounds an awful lot like burt Lancaster) for the affections of Lotta Love, the fickle Southern belle with a taste for the finer things in life.

Then there are the adventures themselves. Some seem standard superhero fare, but only to a point. Earth is besieged by flying saucer attacks (sort of). Roger’s hometown is terrorized by a werewolf (sort of). Roger plays tennis with a kangaroo, or becomes the first man to surf in space,  or, in a personal favorite, attempts to stop the flow of bootleg comic books into America’s drug stores.

Actually, there’s an interesting moment in that one that revealed just how subtle you could be even with animation this unsophisticated. Okay, so Noodles Romanoff, see, is replacing real comics in drug store racks with bootlegs in which popular superheroes are humiliated, all in an effort to destroy the morale of America’s children. After Brassbottom shows Roger a few examples (the issues include “Superman Gets Beat Up by a Chicken!” and “Ratman Stubs His Toe!”) he explains that if this sort of thing continues, “America’s kids won’t have anyone to look up to except YOU, Ramjet.” Then, for just an instant in that crude and jerky style, Roger cuts his eyes toward the camera, revealing in that moment everything we needed to know, namely that it’s what he’s always wanted.

Thirty years on and that still sticks with me.

In the end, though, the characters and storylines are secondary at best In Roger Ramjet. At heart it’s  a matter of trying to keep up with all the lightning-quick  jokes and wordplay, the non-sequiturs and references. In the five minute span of one cowboy-themed episode I counted nods to at least seven classic Western films, from High Noon to She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and I suspect I missed a few. It really is such a dizzying blur of dialogue and bad puns and cultural references, sometimes, christ, even just references to old jokes that take the form of bad puns (“Waiter, there’s a spy in my soup” or “how many angels can swim in the head of a beer?”), that absurd as it all is, repeated viewings are a necessity to catch everything. It’s a bit like having the complete contents of an issue of MAD magazine jammed onto a single page. It can make your head hurt after a while, but it’s worth it. Whether the density and the pace make it better or worse for stoner viewing is something, I guess, each stoner will need to answer for him or herself. Lots of bright colors, though.

In 1965 there was nothing new about making cartoons with adult sensibilities in mind. Betty Boop and Bugs Bunny were made to be shown as short subjects to largely adult audiences. Jay Ward’s cartoons a few decades down the line were near-revolutionary for smuggling hip, subversive political humor into what had become an exclusively child-friendly format. What made Roger Ramjet so radical was it’s blend of ‘30s radio style with mid-’60s cynicism, as well as its foreshadowing of our shrinking attention spans, a hyper-condensed proton pill of comedy and commentary disguised as just another dumb, low-rent superhero cartoon. Although it’s barely remembered today, its influence is still evident in most any subversive animated show you can name, even if they’ve slowed things down a bit.

by Jim Knipfel

[drrrsankai-blog]

Reality TV Show Writing Meme!

Rules:

- Choose 6 OC's canon characters.

- Put your OC's names in list of numbers and answer the questions with your OC's names instead of the number, write at least 100 words to answer.

- Once an OC is evicted, you must choose the next consecutive number to fill in the question. E.g. If [1] is evicted, choose [2]. If [6] is evicted, go back round to [1]. (I fucked this part up but idc)

Cast:

1. Aoba

2. Shizuo

3. Namie

4. Ran

5. Shingen

6. Erika

Warning:

OOC (gets worse as it goes along honestly), c r a c k, dark humor, insanity, and Namie being Namie (and Erika being Erika...).

1. Welcome to the House! Introduce the OC's and what their luxury item would be.

[1] Aoba: Luxury item? A pool.

[2] Shizuo: Another pack of cigarettes. *doesn't know what it is*

[3] Namie: Well, there's not much of anything that comes to mind... except a fine night out with my darling Seiji~

[4] Ran: Fucking ew.

[5] Shingen: Hmm...hm, hm, hm. I need to think about this one...

[6] Erika: All the doujinshis on my wishlist!

2. There are 3 bedrooms, 1 with 2 double beds, 1 with 2 single beds and 1 with only 2 matresses on the floor. Who pairs up with whom, is there an argument over who should get the better room, and how is this resolved?

No one's happy, except Erika who comments that it feels like a sleepover (and Ran who yells out that 'we're literally living together for this'). However, Namie has already grabbed Erika's arm to lead her into the room with two single beds, because 'the only man she'll sleep in a room with is Seiji'. Erika doesn't get time to object before the door slams behind them. Leaving only the other four...

Shingen rubs his chin, trying to decide which remaining options were better. If he chose the room with the double bed, he surmised he might get lonely since there'd be no other weight in it, so the mattresses on the floor sounded like a better option.

Shizuo heads into the room with the double beds. No one follows him in.

Aoba and Ran look at each other, mutually scowling the thought of having to share a room with the blonde, then scowl at each other. Ultimately, they decide on taking the room with the mattresses on the floor.

By the time Shingen makes his decision, he finds everyone gone and the room he had decided on occupied. With a droop of his shoulder and a small, disappointed sigh, he heads into the double-bedded room with Heiwajima.

Then...

"Wait a minute, this is my house! Why the hell don't I get to call the shots?!"

Namie, laying in bed and staring up at the ceiling, hearing Shingen's voice: What an idiot.

3. Now they've decided where they're sleeping, they make their way to the living room but find that it is empty expect for a few large and heavy boxes which hold the furniture which [1] and [4] have been told to put together within a time limit, how well do they do?

Aoba: Do I look like someone with a body who can handle all this hard labor?

Ran: Thanks a fucking lot, pipsqueak.

Aoba: Seriously. Why can't we make Heiwajima do it?

Ran: Because he'll crush our fucking skulls?

Aoba: Oh.

Aoba: Well, if I told him you asked, then I'll both live and not have to do it.

Ran: *throws an empty box at him*

4. The furniture's together, now for dinner and a rest! [2] and [5] are designated for cooking first. What do they cook? Do they work well together? Does their cooking go down well?

Shingen: *wearing an apron, flattening dough with a rolling pin* I'm baking a cake~! Teehee~

Sheenwuh: *walks through the door, notices Shingen, and then walks back out it*

Shizuo: Um.

Shizuo just sits on the couch eating potato chips instead.

5. A few days pass and a relationship is growing between [3] and [6], is it a good one or is it a bad one? What measures are made to make their relationship blossom, or stop them from attacking each other on sight?

Erika: *talking nonstop about BL, cosplay, and anime*

Namie's internal dialogue: [shut up shut up SHUT THE FUCK UP]

Namie ends up leaving, throwing Shingen out and angrily informing Heiwajima he has a new roommate.

Shizuo is actually taken aback and does not argue.

6. A week has passed and it's time for an eviction! Someone hasn't put in their penny's worth and needs to be gotten rid of. Choose one OC, and have them say their weepy, or exuberant, goodbyes.

Ran: Good fucking riddance.

Namie: *bored voice, dull tone* I'm so sad.

Erika: Aw, maybe next time. :(

Shizuo: Do I know you?

Shingen: Do I know you either?

Aoba: I'm a student. I don't have a job. I can't pay rent. What do you expect?

7. There's a siren in the middle of the night! [1] has tried to escape with [3] as accomplice, however they are both caught, who blames whom, and what is their punishment? Do the other house-mates suffer for it?

Aoba: I'm still here?

Ran: You're still here? Great.

Namie: Why did I agree to this...?

Shingen: For money?

Everyone looked at the floor where there were several pieces of glass from the window having been broken.

Shingen: Well, if you win, you can use it to pay me back~!

Namie: Can't wait...

8. The next task appointed for them arrives in the form of a letter and a pack of bendy wires. They pick up the letter and read that housemates [2] and [4] must make a cube using the fewest number of wires possible within 30 minutes of time. Do they manage it?

Ran: What the fuck? Why?

Shizuo: Uh, nah.

9. That evening, they find alcohol in the refridgerator and a karaoke machine in the living room. However, it is incredibly hard to set up and it's instructions are in Japanese. [5] and [6] are bullied into geting it sorted. How do they get on?

Erika: *staring hard at the instructions* Well, I recognize the characters... It's just...

Shingen: Those bastards! This isn't the version I ordered!

Erika: ...this is in Chinese, not Japanese.

10. Eviction time! Eviction this time is based upon house-mates behaviour and performance in the last week, and sadly, [1] and [3]'s escape attempt has not impressed the higher hand. [1] or [3] must go, choose, and have them say goodbye.

Aoba: I thought I left 6 questions ago...?

Namie: *leaves without a second thought*

Shingen: What about my window???

Shingen looked at Aoba who merely shrugged his shoulders. Then it occrured to him...

"You two were really going to climb down from a 30 story building...?"

"The danger makes it exciting."

Namie, thinking to herself: I was thinking of just going down the fire escape, but okay.

11. Confessions Time! Having been together for two weeks, how do the house-mates feel about the others? How do they feel about the evictions? Let's listen to them now.

Erika: Kishitani-san is okay for a roommate. He's kind of odd, though...

Ran: You want to talk about being weird?

Shingen: You're okay yourself, Karisawa. A bit hard to follow, but okay.

Ran: My little rat-think of a brother is finally gone. Couldn't be better.

*phone rings*

Shingen: Hold on a moment.

Shingen: Hello?

Sheenwuh: Dad, when can I come home?

Shingen: Anytime, son.

Sheenwuh: No, I mean, when is whatever's going on over?

Shingen: Can't hear you either, son, roger. *hangs up*

Shizuo: ...

Shizuo: Do I have to be here or can I leave too?

12. [1] and [4] have become very close, and [6] is jealous and decides to confront [4] about it, what happens?

Erika: Wow, so you miss your brother after all~!

Ran: What??

Aoba: *peeks through hole in the wall* Peekaboo!

Ran: *screams*

Erika: Ah, brotherly love... I think that'll be the next BL manga theme I read about...!

Shizuo:

Shizuo: I've decided that I'm killing myself instead.

13. Their next task is to simply tidy the house, however, they have to do it blindfold, [5] cheats and [2] does nothing, such disobedience so late in the game earns them a time-out and their luxury item is taken away, how do they cope?

Shingen: Ooh~! Kinky.

Shizuo: I'm going to be next to jump out this fucking window I swear to god--

Erika: (But nobody actually jumped out the window...);

14. Due to the cheating in the previous task, the electricity in the building is cut, and the living room is locked off from them. [4] suggests a game of hide-and-seek, does anyone get injured in the dark? Does anyone take this moment to be naughty with another housemate?

Ran: Anyone wanna play Hide-and-Get-Hammered?

Shingen: Is that a drinking game, I see?

Ran: Heh.

Erika: I'm pretty that's not how it's played... or what Izumii-kun means... *she inclines her head, trying to see if Ran's holding something behind him*

15. The living room is open to them again and inside is a television, an XBOX and four Guitar Hero guitars, a not stuck on the television let's them know that it is a play-off between [3] and [6].

Who wins, and did they realise the loser would be evicted?!

Neither of the two are particularly interested in video games, but it gets pretty heated between them (Ran and Erika). Ran calls her a "fujo bitch" throughout, and Erika wins by sticking her bare foot in his lap and freaking him out, causing him to fall onto the floor (and into the loser's seat).

Ran: Yeah, whatever. Fuck this.

Erika: Well, Kishitani-san, it looks like it's just you and me.

Shingen: That it seems.

Shizuo: Uh, guys... I'm still here...

16. With only three house-mates left, tension starts to rise, [1] becomes super-competitive and starts taking over any tasks given to them. [1] accepts a task before even hearing it, and it's challenging them to sit in a bath of maggots for half an hour.

How does [1] react and do they complete the task?

Shizuo: That's fucking disgusting.

Erika: But you said you'd do anything...

Shizuo: *stares at her, eyebrow twitching*

Erika: ...OK.

17. Another Confession. Poor [2] is starting to suffer from cabin fever and is sure the others are out to get them. Let's listen to their ranting.

Shizuo: You know what? Fuck these nutjobs. *leaves*

18. The house-mates realise they are quite quickly running out of food, and find three unlabelled tins in a cupboard, with blindfolds next to them and a letter explaining that two tins are sliced peaches, one is dog-food, they must each choose a tin with their blindfolds on.

Who gets the dog-food, and evicted?

Erika: *walking in the direction of Kadota's place, smiling* Aw, I hope Dotachin's dog will like this brand...

19. The final task denotes the winner of the entire game, the final two house-mates are given an envelope, inside is the instrutions of their last task, they simply are.

"Choose."

Does this shock them? Do they choose themselves as the winner or the other? Do they give their own victory up, or are they selfish?

"Dad, I fucking live here."

"Hmm. I guess that makes both of us the victors, then?"

"Dad, why is there no food in the house?" the brunette asks, looking through the fridge. Then he looks towards the balcony and nearly screams.

"WHY IS THE WINDOW BROKEN???"

20. Now it's (quite abruptly) over, tag someone!

I will not but you can steal it. xD