You whom I could not save,
Listen to me.
Can we agree Kevlar
backpacks shouldn’t be needed
for children walking to school?
Those same children
also shouldn’t require a suit
of armor when standing
on their front lawns, or snipers
to watch their backs
as they eat at McDonalds.
They shouldn’t have to stop
to consider the speed
of a bullet or how it might
reshape their bodies. But
one winter, back in Detroit,
I had one student
who opened a door and died.
It was the front
door of his house, but
it could have been any door,
and the bullet could have written
any name. The shooter
was thirteen years old
and was aiming
at someone else. But
a bullet doesn’t care
about “aim,” it doesn’t
distinguish between
the innocent and the innocent,
and how was the bullet
supposed to know this
child would open the door
at the exact wrong moment
because his friend
was outside and screaming
for help. Did I say
I had “one” student who
opened a door and died?
That’s wrong.
There were many.
The classroom of grief
had far more seats
than the classroom for math
though every student
in the classroom for math
could count the names
of the dead.
A kid opens a door. The bullet
couldn’t possibly know,
nor could the gun, because
“guns don’t kill people,” they don’t
have minds to decide
such things, they don’t choose
or have a conscience,
and when a man doesn’t
have a conscience, we call him
a psychopath. This is how
we know what type of assault rifle
a man can be,
and how we discover
the hell that thrums inside
each of them. Today,
there’s another
shooting with dead
kids everywhere. It was a school,
a movie theater, a parking lot.
The world
is full of doors.
And you, whom I cannot save,
you may open a door
and enter
a meadow or a eulogy.
And if the latter, you will be
mourned, then buried
in rhetoric.
There will be
monuments of legislation,
little flowers made
from red tape.
What should we do? we’ll ask
again. The earth will close
like a door above you.
What should we do?
And that click you hear?
That’s just our voices,
the deadbolt of discourse
sliding into place.
I can't okay, I can't with the partition scene. It wasn't toned down anyhow, I have seen these train shots so many times in media and it still makes me tear up cause it was so gut wrenchingly horrible
one thing that fascinates me is how people make sense of things through stories, and how sometimes the only way to cope with loss is to completely restructure the narrative you've made of your own life.
Obi-Wan does this by telling himself that Anakin and Vader are separate people; that Vader killed Anakin. he finds it impossible to accept the narrative that says “this kind little boy who I helped raise, this brave young man who was my best friend, became a monster who murdered his wife, tortured his children, and caused unimaginable suffering across the galaxy.”
but I’m now playing with an alternative narrative in my head. if the prequels are a tragedy with a foregone conclusion (it all happened a long time ago, after all) — what if the story goes like this:
Anakin Skywalker was only ever a temporary deviation. Darth Vader is the one who was fated.
there was no guarantee Anakin would exist for very long at all. he could have fallen and become Vader as an enslaved child at the age of 5; a desperate and vicious orphan at 19; a war criminal at 21. in no version of the story was he ever going to make it past the age of 23, and he could have fallen at any point before then.
but because of the kindness, love, and community Anakin had — because of Shmi; because of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan and Ahsoka and the entire Jedi Order; because of Rex and the clones; because of Padmé — Anakin did make it to 23. he lived long enough to train Ahsoka, save hundreds of lives, and father Luke and Leia.
Anakin was an aberration in what was supposed to be Vader's story alone, yet Vader could never eradicate the evidence of Anakin. he tried to destroy both the people who loved Anakin and his own memory of them, but he never fully succeeded.
from a certain point of view, the story is not that Anakin fell. the story is that, because of love and against all odds, anyone besides Vader meaningfully existed at all. the story is that when Luke reaches out, there's enough Anakin left inside Vader to reach back.
Okay but this is the first time we see Vader as actual-terrifying-hideyourchildren- worst tyrant Vader. Up till now its been said a lot but we still saw him as just some angsty demon lord, but now we see how he got that reputation.
The air changes, people find somewhere to hide but he still finds you, there is no rhyme or reason to cruelty, you cannot avoid it. His presence means death and destruction and its so chilling . I love it.
Is nobody gonna talk about the stormtrooper that legit got cut in half by falling on lasers? Like Disney you okay bro? Making a story with emotional depth is really getting to them
People forget there is no objective truth anybody could reach and I don't understand how anybody is so sure of anybody's innocence based on what is presented in media.
I just think this media trial is the grossest thing I have ever seen and public opinion reaching a verdict before court is absolutely intolerable and will most definitely harms all victims
i cant remember/find the post, but there was one that was like “dramatic twiyor reveal except they instantly freak out about leaving anya alone” and. yeah. i agree
Ik I'm late to this but actual tears came watching Turning Red like yes? I have said some of the exact stuff Mei said.
"What is the point if she isn't gonna trust me?" I have said the same thing, unlike Mei , I gradually striked a balance between doing what I want and hiding it from my mother, sides she'll never know while maintaining her image of me.
1. Banana Fish // 2. The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller // 3. Attack on Titan / Shingeki No Kyojin // 4. The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare // 5. Banana Fish // 6. Heads and Tails - BANNERS
Its that time of year again. The time of year I post my anime review list for my personal picks for the best anime of all time. You can disagree with me if you want, you’ll be wrong, but you can. As per usual I will give a brief synopsis of each anime when I get to them in the list. Prepare to see many of the ones that were on last year but there have been a few new additions. Now without further adieu let us begin.
Number 10 Azumanga Daioh
It’s cute it’s funny it’s Azumanga Daioh. Follow the tale of a group of high school girls who may be missing a few screws as they adventure through their daily lives. This show is one of comedy and laughs. It sticks close to the core of what makes it fun and doesn’t through you for a curve. By far my favorite comedy Anime of all time. If you really enjoy it check out the manga as well it is a blast. Not much to say about this one so moving right along.
Number 9 Black Lagoon
Black Lagoon is a staple of the three B’s of anime those being Boobs, Bullets, and Businessman. What happens when a young salary worker is forced into a mercenary band of Americans? Well, you get Black Lagoon. An action anime through and through. Every episode is tackling some new problem. Some of these problems are entertaining like neo-nazis on a boat but others will tug at your heartstrings. One of the few anime that can keep a light-hearted tone then switch to a different genre within seconds and make it work. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get into anime.
Number 8 Death Parade
Everybody put your hands up! God dang does this opening rock. I mean its completely misleading but the song is such a jammer that it doesn’t matter. Ever wonder what happens when you die, do you rise to heaven or be banished to Hell? Well, the characters in Death Parade will try to help answer that problem. By playing the games found in their bar people will expose their darkest secrets and I do mean darkest. Not for the faint of heart but worth a watch. If you want to see a heartwarming touching show that also has some heavy philosophical concepts Death parade is right for you. Has one of the best scenes in all of anime near the end. I will amendment I was balling like a baby during parts of this show.
Number 7 Trigun
Trigun the space western that tells the tale of the most wanted man who ever existed. What did the man do to become so wanted, especially when all the guy seems to do is tumble his way through life? Well, I’m not telling you but its fun figuring it out. A great show with some stand-up comedy. Like Black-Lagoon the tone of each episode can vary greatly but its never not enjoyable. This is a show where the plot sneaks up on you and by the time your in the thick of it you’ll be eating everything up. One of the only anime to have a pair of insurance girls as main characters so that’s a plus. If you liked Cowboy Bebop you love Trigun.
Number 6 Future Diary
Future Diary is the show that really got me into anime. I remember watching this for the first time and staying up until four in the morning to binge it even though I said I was only going to watch two episodes. This show put me through the wringer and I loved every second of it. Future Diary has great character creation and has a way to make you stop and look at how people can break. Beautiful animation and great fight scenes future diary also is the origin of the modern Yandere. This show will always have a special place in my heart.
Number 5 Last Exile
This show is so good and has such wonderful world building I don’t know where to start. The basic premise is steampunk world but it is much much more than that. Last Exile creates a massive narrative that leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat. The budget for this show was crap so they made up for it by telling an awesome story. So much happens in this show it almost feels like three shows despite only being a twenty-six episode series. The characters are dynamic and fell real. The situations they find themselves in are interesting and everything comes together in the end in one massive finally.
Number 4 Berserk (Original 1990′s version and theatrical releases)
I’m going, to be honest with you these shows exist to get you into the manga. Also, Mirua finish the god damn manga already its been thirty years. Anywho the berserk anime before 2017 are all lovely. My recommendation is to watch the one that came out in 97 first then watch the three movies that cover the same time period. The anime goes into more depth into the story while the movies give berserk the awesome animation it deserves. The story is dark and bleak sometimes oppressively so but the plot and characters will have you blitzing through every moment. Berserk is good enough to be taught in a writing class for its nature, and I to this day wait patiently for each manga chapter to come out. All I can say is push through the darkness struggler.
Number 3 Serial Experiments Lain
Award for best pajamas in an Anime goes to this show as well as the reward for making one of the most confusing convoluted shows to watch. Every scene in this show means something. The narrative is one that hits the ground at 90mph and doesn’t stop. Through every twist and turn, more questions are raised and the answers never seem to come. In order to truly enjoy Lain one will have to watch the show multiple times and even then you may be missing large aspects of the show. People have hundreds of theories with each theory seeming reasonable or sound. My recommendation watch this show with an open mind and theorize as you go. Don’t go online looking for answers you won’t find ones that suite your ideas. When you finish then you can look around but truth be told the theory you come up with might be as factual as any of the other ones.
Number 2 Madoka Magica
What does it mean to love someone? Does it mean doing whatever it takes to save them no matter what the cost is? Does love come from self-sacrifice or is it something greater still? Madoka Magica will have you pondering this and more as you go through the episodes. This show has the best art in an anime I have ever seen. Each character has their own unique ark that plays into the central plot line. Each villain has their own unique style that shows up when the girls are facing them. Even typing about this show is making me gush about how good it is. I strongly recommend this to everyone and anyone. This is an anime where I can honestly not think of a single flaw in it.
Number 1 Tie Evangelion & Haibane Renmei
Before you get mad at me, yes I know I’m cheating but I honestly can’t rank either of these below the number 1 spot. Both of these shows have changed the way I look at the world. Evangelion made me look at myself in an entirely new way and Haibane makes me cry justing talking about it. I honestly love both of these shows even though each has a budget of two dollars. Evangelion tells the tale of a group of children who are tasked with defending humanity. Each child will be tested in that task with. Haibane tells the tale of a girl finding her place in the world and learning to help others. Both shows are brilliant pieces that I will never forget. I am being vague about both of them on purpose in order not to spoil anything but definitely give both of these a watch some time. Also, a tip when you go to watch Evangelion watch it in this order ep1-24 then End of Eva ep25-26 then the rebuilds.
Well, that’s it another year completed another list uploaded. If anyone has questions feel free to message me and I am more than happy to talk. Lets hope for a great 2019!
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