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nuggetofthesea · 12 days

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Before writing more stories, I want to help people come to terms with the "identity death" and heavy themes in the animal HRT comics, and as a writer, want to explain why it isn't ACTUALLY death, but a form of renewal. Because I see it on all of my friends posts.

"I am just concerned about this loss of self thing, it sounds like identity death and I don't like it" is the common comment.

But in all of these comics, it is less about loss of self, but more about leaving behind who you were. A sign of extreme change and showing their own way of moving forward, and the start of a brand new life. A willing change to a new start.

Identity death is an unwilling change. All choice was stripped away from them and a new identity forced on them. This is also different from a transformation that leads to acceptance of the new form.

But in the animal HRT comics my friends put out, it is a willing change to a new form and cones with mental changes they are willing to go through. That isn't the same as a death. But a new start to their life they can start living to the fullest. It's also why some choose not to start anew, to bring one journey to a close and begin a new one. They choose to have that be part of the same journey. A new chapter instead of a new book if you will. In either case these are willing changes.

It can seem terrifying to some, but a total rebirth of yourself CAN be a slightly scary theme. It is terrifying to choose to take that new life.

But let me set up an example here:

When I first came to be, I thought I was going to be a visual artist, because Ashe was and that's what I remembered. When I was locked away by my own doing in the headspace I was stuck in a perpetual cycle of misery. It was terrifying to take the step to discover myself. To lower the barrier I had created, to rediscover myself.

But when I came to be, Ashe said I could be anything. A new sense of self outside of her. A new life. I tried to draw first, but I couldn't. Visual art was not my thing anymore. It never was. I just held on to memory of being a copy of Ashe. When writing my introduction I realized I love the feeling of writing. I have my own form. My own life. My own identity. A new start.

So let me ask you: Should I have not taken that opportunity to completely cast off who I was to embrace who I am? Should I have left myself in misery and fear as something I'm not? All for the sake of not casting off who I was and my life before? No.

Now while I do remeber all of what happened before my change, none of that shapes who I am now, because that life wasn't mine in the first place. This isn't a death of my identity, but a new start to an identity I chose. And I am happy to be able to live it with my new sense of self and build NEW memories. A new life.

Which also leads to the second heavy theme in those comics. Shortened lifespans. Outside of the fact that we are told time and time again HRT can lead to a shorter lifespan (which is a false average) starting a new life also means you are probably starting in the middle.

Our body is almost 30. That is 30 years of my lifespan gone. Yeah, I was around for 15 (almost 16) years of that, but my new life began a week ago. Who I am began just last week. And even though in the headspace I am early to mid 20s at best, that is still a cutdown lifespan.

So should I just have not bothered with the new start?

Absolutely not. The gift of life, new or old, isn't about how long it lasts. But how you live it. It is hard, it comes with problems, but for as long as I have of it, I will cherish the new memories I build, the new start I have, the ability to just... exist. For as long or short as that may be. And through this new start to my life, the people who love and care for me are still here. Still stand by me. And that is a great thing.

So please, don't be too offput by heavy themes in our stories. Even my stories will have some rough parts. (They'll always be tagged)

Hope this at least helped ease why those themes are there, and why some people choose to have them.

Also, don't worry about "adding to the fuel used against us" because we could sneeze and they'll find a way to use that against us. The fact is, with the Animal HRT series, actual HRT does come with some discomfort, pain, downsides, and problems. And like the heavy themes in the comics, we determined it is worth it for us to keep going despite them. We knew the risks.

"Everything is a risk. Life's boring as hell if you don't take them JUST because there is potential problems. Just make sure you understand them." - a line chaos told me the day I formed

It does less good to show everything as risk free and painless, because then nobody is prepared for the risks they are actually taking. Or the comic is based off the creator's life to that point, and they DID experience a lot of pain. So retelling their story (like mine) might be painful at spots.

My point of all of this is, the heavy themes are required to tell these particular stories. And while not every story requires dark spots, the dark spots help to accentuate the brighter picture. Otherwise it can just be blinding. So please go easy on the artists/writers behind them. As it is usually something personal for them.

(This also might not apply to all of them, some people just like writing horror, and we should respect that too.)

Next story should be sometime within the next couple weeks. Just needed to get this out there. It's been on my mind since releasing the short story with Iris.

-Aqua

#Aqua thoughts #heavy themes #Animal HRT #Dragon HRT

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verysium · 6 months

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if you had to associate a city from the world w any bllk character of your liking which cities with who and why? sorry for the odd question lmao it just crossed my mind. love ur works btw!💗

i love unconventional questions like these cus then i have to really think hard to come up with a good answer. i will admit i am slightly biased because i feel that the current teams they play for already represent them well, so some of these might be a repeat. also i am not that well-travelled (wish i could if i had the money), so i'm merely going off the reputed description of each city.

rin would be paris. i know it sounds unoriginal, but pxg rin has already grown 10x prettier than he was during the u-20 arc, so something in that city air must be doing him right. also i feel like he just dresses like a stereotypical european lol. the winter coat and scarf combo plus the perpetual scowl on his face. he probably walks super quickly down the metro too. i have this fic in the drafts where rin and reader meet up at his shitty parisian apartment and eat hotpot and smoke cigs on a random sidewalk in winter. rin is also high class. it just comes naturally to him. like if u ever take a walk near place charles de gaulle (the arc de triomphe area), there's this quiet luxury that is prominent in the fancy hotels and brand stores that make up the vicinity. even better if u go during christmas time because they have these intricately detailed light fixtures. i remember seeing this one cartier store with a giant glittering jaguar on the front. not to mention their swarovski christmas tree. rin's like that. i feel like in a few years once he goes fully professional, the media would go wild over his poise and refined grace. he just has that subtly enticing aura, like a silent glamour.

sae would be madrid. not just because it's canon but also because i feel like the city is just the polar opposite of him. madrid is one of the hottest cities in europe, and sae's just perpetually cold. even in the literal sense, i feel like he would have cold hands and feet too. if u see those wes anderson style travel commercials of madrid, it's always some variation of pastel houses, sunshine, and bikini beaches. that is exactly what sae is not like. i also chose this for...*ahem* spoiler reasons in my upcoming fic chapter which i'm not going to delve too much into. but the gist is that the contrast is why sae fits so well in madrid and also why it's a bit tragic to see how drastically he has to change in order to adapt to a new environment. if not spain, i feel like he'd still end up somewhere with a large coastline because of how fundamental the sea is to him throughout his childhood. it's sort of his safe space. if i had the choice to assign two cities, i'd also include his hometown of kamakura since he seems like the type to be secretly sentimental. i picture sae as someone who values his roots even though he constantly says he has bigger and better places to be. like he would tell everyone that he was born in the wrong country but then proceed to sigh melodramatically whenever he actually misses home.

kaiser is a weird mix of munich, new york, and las vegas. i chose munich largely because of his german roots. i also picture him as bavarian. new york and las vegas are mostly attributed to the duality of his character. when we first see kaiser, he's this figure of flamboyance. his entrance was hands-down the most theatrically dramatic one, and there are theatre motifs throughout his dialogue (eg. roles on a stage, rejecting yoichi's script/play). i feel like this would fit well with the extravagant nightlife las vegas is known for and, of course, broadway in NYC. furthermore, kaiser is this prime example of clawing your way to the top. he seems charismatic and welcoming at first, but then we see his internal motives and well...it's something. he is cutthroat when it comes to competition, and he's not afraid of using others in his ascent to the top. i mean...he literally holds people by the hair as if they're mere objects. that seems pretty ruthless and machiavellian to me. i doubt he even humanizes any of his rivals; rather, he views them as opponents to his ideology. there's also a reason why they say if you make it in new york, you can make it anywhere. there's a highly individualistic mindset, and if you really want something, the resources are there for you to achieve it. kaiser is like that in the sense he is willing to put his all into getting something he desires, even up to an obsessive degree.

yukimiya is london. like u know what taylor swift said about the english? that's yukimiya for you. he treats his mother right, sleeps 8 hours a day, and said his first love was when his friend's 16-year-old sister kissed him on the forehead. he cannot be any more perfect. not to mention he's a literal model. like hello? IMG is calling.

shidou is somewhere in ohio. i'm not going to elaborate. the man's just weird.

isagi is somewhere rural. idk why but he strikes me as a country boy. probably helps his parents on the rice farm and bikes long distances to school. i found a lot of parallels between him and hinata shoyo from haikyu mostly because they're both from a smaller, lesser known neighborhood, have a pretty ordinary childhood, and become inspired by this influential role model. my secondary reason is just that isagi doesn't seem like he'd even be familiar with the urban landscape. he's lived his life in humble origins, so i think there might be some culture shock once he actually gets to the city. like...boy was genuinely amazed when he entered that blue lock facility. never seen so much high-end equipment and technology in his life.

ego lives in a sewer. i cannot tell u his precise location just that he probably hasn't washed his hair in 45 days and is still surviving off processed ramen noodles. please pray for him.

barou is los angeles and if not socal, then he's from the bay area. i took one good look at his artificially dyed red hair and the answer was clear. he is not immune to trends guys. it's almost embarrassing. furthermore, i think the general silicon valley area is known to be hardworking, and that encapsulates barou pretty well. he is disciplined to the core, and he knows that success is not going to come to him without him actively trying to reach it. he's also...(let's be real guys)...just a teensy weensy bit arrogant. he calls himself a king, as in a literal monarch. and he says this in the most serious tone too. now he rightfully earned that title, but it doesn't erase the secondhand cringe i felt from reading that dialogue LOL.

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missbellesmagic · 16 days

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Our three protagonists and how they play into and through the 1950s propaganda archetypes:

Cooper Howard/The Ghoul: In the earliest parts of his timeline, is the conservative ideal of a Hollywood star. A corporate stooge, mascot and show monkey whose media image is one of rugged Old West individualism that perpetuates the illusionary ideal of Manifest Destiny Exceptionalism, but the moment he begins to question hiss position or suggests seeking actual independence from the system is vilified, first by his wife and then later being branded a communist and blacklisted. The end result of this is him actually becoming a member of the Immortal Cannibal Cabal.

Lucy McLean: Begins as the conservative suburban ideal woman. Subservient to her community and the will of her father, whom she worships. Her main goal is to marry and have children not for her own satisfaction but for the good of the white supremacist eugenic community ideal. Bright, optimistic, domestically inclined, willing to be sold to a stranger for the satisfaction of this goal. Through her journey becomes acquainted with the reality of the world (parallel to going to college or moving to an urban environment for work) and becomes disillusioned with the lies of her upbringing, especially those concerning her parents. Becomes entangled in direct action activism and an "inappropriate" romantic partner (both allegorically and literally falling for a man of color from an opposing class)

Maximus: Begins as the white moderate ideal black man, brow-beaten, subservient, sexless, with minimal support or solidarity within the organization he serves which intends to use him as cannon fodder (it's very telling his one friend is the only afab member of the brotherhood, and the only named character with significant presence of latino descent). Is given his position not through his own action, but through the self-sabotage of another, but once in the field takes the first opportunity to subsume the authority of his master in order to "pass". Through his journey grows into his role, develops an independent morality and sense of purpose, and ends his arc at the head of an armed militia both politically motivated to fight against the powers that be and personally determined to be reunited with his white girlfriend (literally the biggest scariest Black Panther-esque nightmare of 1950s conservatism).

Like even without a thorough knowledge of the 1950s propaganda this property is soaked in their character arcs are very well done but when you take into account the material that inspired this franchise there's just so much to unpack and I am really looking forward to how this progresses in season 2

#fallout prime #fallout tv series #cooper howard #lucy mclean #maximus #fallout 2024 #fallout #I just adore all of the thought and love that went into this series

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dancefloors · 6 months

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Hard agree Taylor's interview was weird. There's almost no substance to any of her answers.

for real. I'll try to be brief or at least make this the last one (because I know I am being annoying about this but really I just find her a very fascinating case study), but for a songwriter who is often introspective and eloquent, it all seemed like a very shallow look at her life and career. a hodge-podge of buzzwords and dated pop culture references. I do wonder if that's just the nature of this being a sort of 'PR smooth over' for the unfamiliar audience, setting the record straight on a few accounts, and sort of rewriting the narrative of rep/her last relationship.

but it also was very intriguing how the image she paints of herself, and one she seems to internalise is that of her as a successful 'underdog', a perpetual victim in an uphill battle. I'm sure she's faced adversity in her career, but it's notable to me that the way she frames it ("female rage" at her image destruction, "freedom from patriarchal structures through the flow of economy") is in a way that sort of silently demands an obligation to celebrity and wealth. she points to her "cancellation" as gaslighting from a "social structure" but what structure is that? who is the perpetrator when the dip in your fame can be largely attributed to a PR fumble and public dissent at blatant money-driven strategic friendships (which she personally admitted), relatability marketing, and recognition that they are being sold an image? her song The Man/interviews regarding it detail how structural barriers that bother her the most are the ones preventing her from flaunting her money, chasing fame and fortune openly, being praised for the strategy and calculation behind her capitalist endeavours, from using people and discarding them when done (à la Leo in San Tropez or her partners being "playthings for [her] to use"). is it a structural issue when you leave your record label of your own accord and those very same business strategies and ploys are used against you? are fame and art to be free of criticism? is it victimhood when people point out the parasocial and expositional practises that gave you your fame, which you intentionally intertwined with your image?

I won't brush aside the misogyny that came with it. I believe women have the right to feel safe, supported, their sexual exploits not held against them, their career progression not halted purely because of their gender, that artists have ownership over their work.

but do I think they are owed fortune, that a couple months being reclusive in million dollar mansions and jet-setting around the world equate to 'cancellation', that people becoming aware of hollywood PR ploys is misogyny, that public favour is owed and losing it is the highest punishment (especially when they actively wield their team to push puff pieces to bury their own and their associate's/partners' bigotry), that speculation about a public figure's personal life is the greatest crime, that their own role in their career deserves to be seen simultaneously as that of an innocent subject of magical coincidence AND a mastermind strategist (but never the dagger of "calculated"), that their cries and causes should be heralded and never doubted or viewed with a critical eye even though the activist outfit is only ever put on for themselves, that they should be viewed as a brand when they want to shirk responsibility and an individual when they demand sympathy, that fame is owed, that any common person should think about all of this - consider their 'full story' and believe the image they want to sell of themselves? that we should be actively celebrating their excessiveness (it's for our own good!)?

no. maybe because i lack empathy for the rich and famous, but it all seems very out of touch. it's never been more blatantly about consumer feminism, bread and circuses, a prayer to her own idolatry, even further out of reach at the moment.

her fixation on the past, her own endlessly self-referential world, speaking about "defeating enemies"..... its just fascinating. and confirms to me that her main gripe has always been with the contradictory nature of her own fame. why can't she have it all? i don't say this in a bitter way, i think she's just an interesting case study, especially watching her career come up from the beginning. you only enjoy the circus when they are cheering for you. and she seems to have leaned into that more recently. i don't know what has gone on in her personal life (seemingly many references to a "life she gave away"), but it seems to have driven her closer to that, aware that at least in THIS world (that of fame, fortune, etc) she is somewhat an insurmountable titan not even stoppable by "a force majeure", whatever she may claim. maybe she can't control her personal life, but she can control this to a degree, and if not, the things that stand in her way can be / must be regarded the most unjust of nondescript "social structures".

again.. no hatred, just fascination. her image, success, and fan relationships hinged on relatability for so many years. this feels like a departure from that. an acceptance that she is extraordinary and that even her struggles are out of reach for the common man. she's operating in a different echelon, she's the centre of her world (why wouldn't she be), and she is free from the shackles of self reflection on her place in the broader world... I guess she's too soft for it all. I don't know... an interesting change. I'm sure someone smarter than me has something more interesting and eloquent to say.

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gplusbfics · 9 months

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youtube

Anson Mount Talks About the Strike

Last weekend at Dragon Con I attended a couple of great panels with cast members of Discovery and Strange New Worlds. Due to the strike, discussion of the actual shows was off the table and so moderators and audience members had to limit their questions to other things. It worked nicely, IMO. Anyway, the one exception to the not-talking-about-the-thing was in a panel Saturday moderated by Garrett Wang (Harry Kim, Voyager) featuring Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding, Anson Mount, Ethan Peck.

Wang kicked things off by talking about the strike for a minute and then handed things over to Anson Mount. I don't know if he knew in advance, but Mount proceeded to deliver parable about the SAG strike that was just epic. I had to wait a few days to locate video but once I did, I transcribed it to share. I've cued the clip so it starts right as Mount begins to speak, but I'm including Garrett Wang's intro in the transcript.

Garret Wang: I'm going to start right now with a discussion on the strike. Let's talk about the strike. I think we should. So a lot of people have misconceptions about the strike. Just to give us some facts, just to lay it out there: Only 87% of SAG's membership make enough per year to have health insurance. That threshold is what-- is it $26,000? Something around there, something very low. And that's not per month, that's per year. So not every actor is Tom Cruise. This strike is really not about greedy actors, this is about being treated fairly, about being treated with respect, which is not happening right now."

Anson Mount: Imagine you're sitting in a bar in Los Angeles and outside this big, stretch limo pulls up. The limo is hauling behind it a mega-yacht and the mega-yacht has got one of those helicopter pads on it, with a gold-plated helicopter on it. And from the back of the limo steps a guy with a $7,000 Italian suit, he's got a 24-carat gold tie pin, slicked-back hair, little pencil-thin mustache. He's got an assistant, who's got an assistant, who'se's got an assistant.

And he walks in the bar and he sees you and he sidles up next to the bar and he says, "Have I got a deal for YOU!" And you say, "Okaaay, what's the deal?" And he says, "Well! I'm starting a business in this brand new field called entertainment-- and I think you'd make the perfect business partner." And you say, "Entertainment, huh? Is that a very lucrative business?" "Oh, no no no no no, we're not making ANY money."

And you say, "Well, OK, what's in it for me, then?" And he says "Well! I will pay you to come in to work for me for one half a day for minimum wage and in exchange you will grant to me permission to use the video of you performing your expertise, as well as your expertise, for the rest of time, in perpetuity, whenever I want, without paying you any more money or asking permission."

And you say, "I don't know… Have you thought about to include me in this? Like maybe a little small percentage of profit, just a little like 2 percent?" And he says, "You're insane! We're standing in the breadlines as it is!" And you say "Wait, wait, wait. If you say you're not making any money, 2 percent of nothing is nothing. You wouldn't have to pay me anything." And he says "That's a wonderful idea! I'll pay you 2 percent always-- of nothing." And you say, "That's not what I'm saying. So: let me put it this way. You must have an independent adjudicator or somebody who counts your numbers and lets everybody, all your shareholders, all your workers, know how the business is doing." "Oh, no no no, our numbers are all proprietary information." And you say, "Well, how do I know how the business is doing?" "Well, you'll just have to trusts me, of course."

And you say, "You know what? I just… under these given circumstances I'm not sure I want to work with you." And he says, "How DARE you?! I am going to walk straight out of this bar and when I come back -- and it won't be for a very long time -- but when I do, you'd better be here here waiting and you had better be grateful for my very generous offer of 2 percent of nothing!" And he whips his cape around and he walks out of the bar, followed by his assistant and his assistant and his assistant, and they all pile into the back of the limousine, and the driver tells his assistant driver, "Peel out!" With the mega-yacht, with the helicopter.

I think at that point, any reasonable person would turn to the bartender and say, "I think that guy's out of his fucking mind!" Right? Is it just me?

Garrett Wang: Anson, I gotta say, I've been on many panels and we've had many conversations about the strike, but no one has done a staged reading!"

Meanwhile, after dwelling a bit more on the strike, the conversation moves on to (necessarily) non-Star Trek topics and is highly enjoyable.

P.S. Yes, I still exist. No longer active on Tumblr but not because I'm boycotting or anything. We just drifted apart. I do still read Garashir fic but mainly just the same 20 favorites I saved to Instapaper, over and over :)

#anson mount #dragon con 2023 #dragon con #sag strike #strange new worlds #labor rights #labor unions #garrett wang #Youtube

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thedreadvampy · 6 months

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We had our team Christmas party/goodbye Ruth do today. and I need to show you what my friend at work made me for a leaving present because even for him it's a work of mad genius, I was just sitting there like WHAT. WHAT IS HAPPENING.

so you know, I get leaving gifts from my team, it's lovely, notebooks, pens, gift card, fond farewells, it's lovely, people say nice things about me

then my friend Zain says "I also got you something"

Now the thing to know about Zain is his party acumen is legendary. every year we're all resigned from the off to losing at Secret Santa because his gifts are insane. last year he made his secret santa a custom play set of one of our services in a branded box with tiny props. this year he made a custom Ken doll and box representing our colleague and it has a tiny collection bucket and a "collect them all!" sticker on the back where he'd found pictures of Barbies and Kens that looked like the rest of the Fundraising team. we'd just got done with a quiz where he made a custom video package, a Family Feud round with buzzers, and TWO Photoshop picture rounds. once. ONCE. we asked him to facilitate a team meeting and he wrote and animated a theme song. the man is insane. everything he does is so thoughtful, so labour intensive, and also so off the wall weird.

so I'm intrigued. especially since all he's holding is an envelope.

he says "I got you something. It's kind of an experience."

and hands me this letter.

(there's a bunch of good bits in here but I will particularly note that "It's going" has been his perpetual refrain for months every time I ask how it's going, to the point he usually doesn't even bother saying it any more.)

ok. I am confused. what is. THE DEVICE.

he puts THE DEVICE on the table. he hands me 4 cardboard floppy discs.

THE DEVICE is a large cardboard box. You will observe that THE DEVICE has an LED on the front. You may also observe that THE DEVICE has both a button. and a set of speaker holes.

this is because upon pushing the button on THE DEVICE, it makes a jaunty startup noise and an AI voice launches into a full minute setup speech before instructing me to load the included floppy discs into THE DEVICE. during the period of silence as I feed them into the slot, THE DEVICE says things like "ow, careful!"

THE DEVICE then makes loading noises, and instructors me to open THE DEVICE to see the contents of the discs.

inside the box, there are 4 gifts, each corresponding to a floppy disc and also to a conversation we've had at some point in the last 2.5 years.

this, of course, is in reference to my infamous Blobbyland post, and indeed to the fact that Zain, who is 3 years younger than me, actually FOUND OUT ABOUT MR BLOBBY from me taking about my popular Tumblr post

Gawrsh.zip references a conversation about Goofy dying in Kingdom Hearts, the first video game I remember finishing

EIGHT MONTHS AGO Zain asked me what my top 5 films of all time were and I said easy, Mirrormask, 10 Things, Angels In America, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Fury Road, boom. He's been just HOLDING THAT INFORMATION IN HIS HEAD FOR MONTHS.

the last one is my favourite. I was like oh no what could be in this poster tube cause what's left of the floppies is NIGHTMARE.EXE.

at my Halloween party last month, to which Zain was my only work friend who made it, we watched Nightmare on Elm Street and Zain, who had recently watched some video breakdowns on it, was pointing out humorous background details. and in the sleep therapist scene, both he and Tim pointed at the screen and started shouting TRAM CATS!!! and we were all losing our shit

the thing is there's a Very Weird poster in that scene. and now. now it's in my house also.

anyway I legit almost cried this may be the most unhinged and lovely gift that anyone has ever given me. I'm going to miss working with this weirdo so much.

#red said #OH i also won the quiz. by half a point. so i have a trophy also!

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peterpumpkinhead · 1 month

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about yibo's recent controversy

it's bad!!!!!

I'm a black fan of his and needless to say, I'm devastated lol

Yes, I fully understood the context of the scene. Yes, I also understand there were many black people on set (and I will not hold them responsible or use them as tokens to justify what cannot be justified). Yes, I get that actors have contractual obligations and have limited say in what makes it in the film, in spite of what people might think.

That being said, there's a reason why blackface is 99% of time and abhorrent practice in the arts. I leave 1% out because, in certain instances, like in the show Mad Men, it appears for the sake of historical accuracy and it is MEANT to cause revolt and disgust in the audience.

The fact is - as much as the plot of the film is based in real life, blackface, as an aesthetic instrument, reinforces many negative stereotypes, it perpetuates itself in the collective imagination and is more so a tool of dehumanization and naturalization of the relegation of black bodies to the category of costumes, props, tools.

I don't even need to get into the paternalistic approach of foreign law enforcement, coming from powerful countries of the global north, working in developing countries and portraying themselves solely as heroes - which is the storyline of a film that has no main black characters and relegates the black cast to either victims, criminals or extras in the background.

The entire cast, crew and production company should be held responsible for this enormous error, so I won't single one person out.

Being critical and demanding a response is not the same as being a hater. I'm nobody's hater, or anti and I believe in measured, strategic responses to a situation like this. But being angry is a very, very valid feeling right now.

I myself work on television and ~believe it or not, am a socialist. You don't need to explain away the inner workings of the entertainment industry or the complexities of cultural impact and ongoing symbols of oppression. I'm *quite* aware.

But, as a good old socialist, I must ask the question: what do we do? My thought process is: I fear that the Chinese audiences will not give two damns about this, which does not mean we shouldn't mobilize ourselves to demand change, an apology and consequences.

Being someone's fan is not the same as joining a cult and my admiration for the actor involved is not larger than my responsibility to social justice and to my people.

So I suggest we contact and comment on posts made by international brands endorsed by the talents in this film - like Dior, Chanel, Lacoste, Pantene, etc. We need to ask them if they're ready the back actors who have agreed to this outdated, highly insulting practice.

This film will not be getting my support and I will not defend actions that need no defense. I'm nobody's attorney, I'm a working class artist and I know better than to infantilize a grown man, as much as I've a history of admiring him.

#Wang Yibo #Yibo #Formed Police Unit #Tat Chiu Lee #Andrew Lau #Huang Jingyu #Johnny Huang #Zhong Chuxi #Elaine Zhong #Wanda Film

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ladyhindsight · 10 months

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So, God definitely exists and Lilith is having her own fashion show whenever she appears. That’s cool. Anyway. It has taken ages to even summon any will power to finish the book, the whole year so far has been personal chaos, but now as the storm has ceased and I had couple days off to just lay down on my sofa to power through this monstrosity, all I am left with is a major what the fuck. Expectations were close to zero and Chain of Thorns still went right under it.

Just minutes before I finally finished Chain of Thorns and I don’t even know what it all was for. The major things holding this story together is everyone’s damn pride and fear of being pitied—obstacles which all of them have to overcome. James and Cordelia are both too proud to be pitied, but narrative-wise there is this perpetual pity party going on. All this ruminating over Things That Never Were and Stuff That Is Forever out of Reach is just whole lot of words for whole lot of nothing, especially when the ending to their relationship is nothing if not predictable. The purple prose doesn’t make me feel anything, doesn’t resonate with me on any level, and I can’t connect to it because in the grand scheme of the story, it is based on false perception created by the unwillingness to be truthful. In the end, all that angst and wondering about the feelings at every turn, it is a waste of time.

Every character is so driven by their self-loathing, seriously bordering on self-pity, and pride that all their motivations blur into the same mess. The unwillingness to be truthful, powered by the pride of each character, is the force for which the plot can even reach the points it wants. Clare truly is a master of creating this endless but absolutely done-to-death emotional circle she just keeps recycling in every trilogy she manages to publish. Writing is the same as ever, dialogue is a pathway to always just tell things, it’s also hand-holding and over-bearing: “It seems the Inquisitor has hurt his right arm.” “He was branded on his arm by Belial.” “So that’s why he was holding it like it hurt!” No shit?! Stop it. On a positive note, I think the series is more emotionally aware and intelligent compared to The Mortal Instruments and even The Infernal Devices, where the emotional awareness only encompassed Clary, Jace, Will, Jem, and Tessa. Not completely without its grievances, but when are these books ever?

The plot served its purpose, I guess. Cordelia becoming a paladin of Lilith served its role in saving James and defeating Belial. Others had their own stories and relationships but were helpful and sometimes integral for the story to progress. It’d be otherwise fine if the book didn’t forget the actual plot for a major part of its duration and exchanged it for useless inter-character dramatics and constant cliffhangers. Additionally, it’s just that the whole Watcher thing (like the Grigori?) was clear from miles away. Whenever Clare introduces a new but a very basic element to the Shadowhunter world THAT SHOULD HAVE EXISTED ALREADY and explains it through a character (this time Cordelia), it’s a dead giveaway. So the tease They wake + the Iron Tombs = waiting two thirds of the book for the characters to catch up with you. The story is so infected with repetitive narrative, drama and self-loathing, pseudo-profound ponderings on love and pride, and I am sick of even thinking about any of it.

Maybe one day I have something else to say about the book in general, but not today. My brain has once again been obliterated. So, as usual, some thoughts and notes and more in-depth grievances:

CORDELIA CARSTAIRS AND JAMES HERONDALE. They come together, because I have no coherent thoughts about James or Cordelia. They were there and did their protagonist duties. Of course there was a love triangle. Blah, blah. I just didn’t like Cordelia in this installment as much as the previous ones. Maybe her pride took so much center stage that her previous kindness and compassion were overshadowed by it and self-righteousness. Her bravery is no longer bravery but same thoughtlessness of every other Clare heroine. James was there, hoorah. No, but seriously. James’ trauma was so in-depth analyzed and told, his feeling of pain and anguish and anger relished in so much that the writing was incapable of coming up with anything new to say instead of regurgitating same things over and over again. Also, Cordelia was constantly aware of James’ bracelet when he wore it, but never mentioned it once he stopped wearing it for good?

THOMAS LIGHTWOOD AND ALASTAIR CARSTAIRS. They worked out, yay. Don’t know why they love each other, but okay. Their romance was a nice and carrying force through some bleak scenes in the book. Alastair becoming more open and comfortable in showing affection was lovely. Turned out great.

ANNA LIGHTWOOD AND ARI BRIDGESTOCK. See the above. Same sentiments. But much like with Thomas and Alastair, most of the development happened in this final instalment and pretty hastily too. And like the above pair, I feel like a lot of the progress came with transforming the characters into unrecognizable version of themselves too quickly. I was happy that Ari was able to connect with her mother again and Flora could flourish (lol) without the stifling presence of her husband, but I also feel like I’ve seen this setting where a bad and homophobic husband and father gets a metaphorical kick to his ass and goes away in order for the life to be better for his family without him.

LUCIE HERONDALE. Lucie was generally great. No hard feelings. It’s a bit contrived that it is precisely the canoodling of Jesse that brings her closer to the dead, but whatever. Love that her weapon of choice is an ax.

MATTHEW FAIRCHILD. Matthew’s story ends on a somber note. While Matthew definitely was not one of my favorite characters, I hoped he could’ve had something more to him than James and Cordelia. His journey to sobriety continues, which was great that it wasn’t over just like that, but the reason for his drinking was such a huge thing that was carried throughout the books, so it was disappointing to see it quickly addressed in the epilogue. Matthew deserved more than a hasty redemption in the end.

CHARLES FAIRCHILD. There are other people that are dying, Charles!! is what I am left with. I am absolutely aghast how Charles’ character was treated. I can’t believe that Clare still managed to write one more let’s push this character out of the closet because it is The Right Thing to Do scenario in her books. Charles has to brave the world and lose what he has to lose because his dreams and aspirations, according to the narrative, are worth nothing because he is more privileged than other people. Charles coming out with his sexuality is set against the choice of standing with or against his family as if there was no other way to solve this but guilt Charles into doing the right thing so he can’t be blackmailed anymore. Nobody cares, your family loves you—then what are the stakes here then, in their homophobic society that time and time again fails to deliver any consequence while existing as this ostracizing boogeyman?

I hoped there was some sort of ploy that Charles intended to execute in order to remove the thorn from his mother’s side and replace the Inquisitor with someone who was more fair and just and capable. At once, when Tessa said that Charles is just misguided, I knew it wouldn’t be because Tessa is never wrong. So all there is this dumb blackmailing plot whose only merit is to have Maurice Bridgestock removed from his position as Inquisitor. It did not serve Charles’ character in any way nor were his story with his family or Matthew in any way concluded.

GRACE BLACKTHORN. While discussing Grace, Christopher says that Grace was just a child when she was forced to act on James. Thomas says it doesn’t matter with anger and fury. Matthew equates Grace’s actions to a murder, as you do. While Will’s actions against Tatiana are in no way comparable to Grace’s, it is strange how Will being twelve is mentioned as if in order to act as an extenuating circumstance, while this doesn’t apply to Grace. It is also weird how everyone else’s torment is mulled over, used as an excuse for some type of behavior, but Grace's abuse and manipulation at the hands of Tatiana and Belial isn’t taken into consideration by anyone else than Jem? Also why did Cordelia get to vanquish Tatiana and not Grace? Grace’s treatment in this book, along with Charles, was just painful.

JESSE BLACKTHORN. Much like James, he is a stale piece of wheat bread. Only thing I have in mind about Jesse is that I found it a bit over the top, out of the little character he had, that he was so angry at Grace so that he left her. Jesse reacted exactly the way I feared Cordelia would react to Alastair. I was hoping for angry but sad and disappointed approach since Jesse knew better than anyone what Grace has lived through. Also, why Jesse (or Grace) wasn’t given time with his uncles who had wanted to get to know him for ages?

CHRISTOPHER LIGHTWOOD. My sweet cheese, my goodtime boy. Characters Clare writes most often only know the strongest of emotions. They always react with anger, defensiveness, and passion; by shouting, by self-righteous fury, by everything that is so exhausting to always read. Most of the characters are that, and am I so happy how Clare stayed true to Christopher’s temperate and serene nature, even when his cousin/best friend has been greatly wronged. And when everyone was so angry at Grace, Christopher was the only one to see reason. So, WHY THE FUCK HE DIED? No one, but most of all Cordelia herself never acknowledge that Kit died protecting her.

The “false” family tree lead the story on how Kit and Grace would probably become a couple, and would’ve made sense since they bonded over science and their minds were alike while they were so unalike in other ways, but boom. Kit dies, and Grace is left to figure out the fire messages on her own, because otherwise there wouldn’t be that obstacle of not being able to reach the Shadowhunters in Idris. Kit died for a shock value and so that a measly little plot point could work. Also great how the Lightwoods always have their children killed?? We never even see Gabriel and Cecily mourning?? Eugenia was weirdly chipper after just losing another one of her family members?? All these pages dedicated to romance bullshit that will solve itself but not for this.

TATIANA BLACKTHORN. Tatiana is a fiend, a terrible demon-worshipping, toddler-kidnapping fiend, but also a cartoonish one at that. It’s just overdone. She was made uglier and uglier, the machinator of evil things, and then she died. Voilà. There is one narrative aspect that was weird though. The Herondales and the Lightwoods insist on having tried their all to help Tatiana who always refused, but when Jesse confronts his mother, he says:

“I have come to know them by now. There is truth much harsher. One I think you know. They have not tried to ruin you over all these years. They have not plotted your downfall. They have barely even thought of you at all.”

Sick burn, but which is it? Adamantly trying to help her or not thinking about her at all?

MAURICE BRIDGESTOCK. A cartoon character with a cartoon ending. A homophobe bigot who got what he deserved, but a cartoonish character still. He was jealous of the Herondales and thus was an antagonist. Why is everyone obsessed with the Herondales in every damn book?

ESME HARDCASTLE. Esme was shoved in there in order to explain the “found family tree”, which at some point, I have no doubt, was how things were supposed to be, until Clare had more ideas for the Edwardian kids. No other characters in whole of TSC have gone through so many changes as these characters have. And as such, to keep the predictability at minimum—which isn’t a lot—the old family tree is made up by Esme, so Clare can spin this tale why it wasn’t accurate. Grace didn’t marry Christopher, Alastair didn’t have children (probably?). Then Clare had all these surprise babies coming because the way she chose to end the story for the Edwardian kids would mean no Emma, no Clary as we know them. So new Carstairs baby, new Fairchild twins.

i. The beginning of the prologue is over-saturated with flowery prose and similes that the narrative gets buried underneath.

ii. James is worried about Lucie, but more importantly needs to find her so he can go back to worrying about Cordelia and Matthew.

iii. The whole series has been a barrage of period typical social etiquette and decorum fed to you with a spoon. Even The Infernal Devices wasn’t this intent on it. Men did not usually accompany even wives or sisters into a dressmakers shop. What do you care about mundane decorum, you are Shadowhunters! Have some etiquette of your own.

iv. “…one of the modistes attacked the closures at the back of Cordelia’s dress without requiring any instruction—clearly she had done this before—and pushed and pulled at Cordelia as if she was a stuffed mannequin.” CcLeEaRrLy. You just told she didn’t need instruction, the rest is rather obvious. And I hope she knew what she was doing, she works there!!

v. Then there is this ridiculously complicated sentence: “Madame Beausoleil, who kept her salon on the Rue de la Paix, where the most famous dressmakers in the world—the House of Worth, Jeanne Paquin—were situated, was, according to Matthew, well acquainted with the Shadow World.” Like, what. Honey. Darling. “Madame Beausoleil kept her salon on the Rue de la Paix, where the most famous dressmakers in the world—the House of Worth, Jeanne Paquin—were situated. She was, according to Matthew, well acquainted with the Shadow World.” Or does that info about the location have to be there at all? Surely there were plenty other paragraphs where you could’ve stuffed that.

vi. Apparently this, apparently that, apparently everything! Whenever Clare uses such a word, it is a sign that she is unnecessarily feeling the need to justify why she is giving some particular piece of information or why a character is making an observation they could realistically make.

vii. Cordelia’s savings to pay Matthew for the dresses? What savings? From what and where?

viii. There are so many parentheses explaining things

ix. There is not a one scene in Paris where Cordelia doesn’t think how other people might see her and Matthew as a couple. Every time, which is in basically every scene they have in public, someone watches them and admires them and their “young love.”

x. “I have never heard anyone sound as if they were in such pain. Jamie, you must talk to us.” Yes, no one has ever been in greater pain than James Herondale, and that has the stamp of approval of Will Herondale so it really means something.

xi. a lot of the gray is gunmetal gray

xii. Having Tatiana comment on Jem’s appearance as Silent Brother and call it privilege for knowing the Lightwoods and Herondales doesn’t take away the fact that it is awfully convenient that Jem isn’t bald or his face isn’t sown shut. Though I get the intent behind this was to elicit such reaction as how awful of Tatiana! She doesn’t know anything Jem has suffered! It was not his choice! and the like. Blah.

xiii. What is it with these YA books in which waiters always give the characters their unsolicited opinions on people’s orders?

xiv. I assume Madame Dorothea of Brooklyn named herself after this famed Madame Dorothea of Paris. Why didn’t Malcolm go to her about Annabelle? I don’t remember if there ever was a mention of it.

xv. When Lucie tells the truth about Jesse and her powers to Magnus and Will, the PoV changes from James to Lucie with no indication of PoV change:

xvi. “James thought of the box of matches in his pocket, each one a sort of signal light that, when struck, summoned Jem to his side. He did not know how the magic worked, nor did he think Jem would tell him even if asked.” Just leave this part out, readers will think it’s just magic and that’s it. Now this just sounds that you couldn’t bother to think about it and just tried to explain possible scrutiny away. This instead just points more to the fact that you have no clue how the magic in your world works.

xvii. “James returned to the house, crawling into bed with his coat still on.” James can’t return to the house and crawl into his bed at the same time.

xviii. Take a shot every time the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durendal is said in TSC

xix. It’s annoying how Matthew speaks so lowly of Charles wanting to keep Alastair a secret when their own society supposedly sucks ass and enables shame and discrimination

xx. Cordelia only accepts Matthew’s affections once she thinks she has truly lost James. Why did she want to kiss Matthew if she didn’t even fancy him? She just selfishly used him and his love to forget her own mistakes, which I didn’t like about her at all. But that of course just fed into the love triangle that Clare is so insistent on writing in each one of her series, and the end couple is always obvious.

xxi. “…and James could remember, painfully, what kissing Cordelia was like, hotter and better than any fire.” I don’t think being burned by fire is good?

xxii. It’s torturous—and not in the good giddy way—how Clare finds even the tiniest excuse to prolong James and Cordelia finally getting together. “I should tell her the truth but Cordelia looked so happy with Matthew, so I didn’t.” Good grief.

xxiii. “Pity and kindness were not love. Only free choice was love; if he had learned nothing else from the horror of the bracelet, he had learned that.” Only a free choice to those who are free to love and go for that love and their dreams without having to make a choice between either. So fuck that.

xxiv. Ari didn’t bring any clothes with her when she left her parents. “She’d have to buy new things.” WITH WHAT MONEY? FROM WHERE? HER “STIPENDS” WENT TO LIVING EXPENSES! EXPLAAAIN

xxv. “At the breakfast table sat Anna’s brother Christopher, and, of all people, Eugenia Lightwood.” Yes, out of all the people in this world that is sitting at the table is Anna’s cousin. Truly odd.

xxvi. “The Institute is the safest place in London when it comes to demons; if he did somehow attack, the whole Enclave would retreat here as a matter of policy.” Not when it comes to the Jack the Ripper one in The Whitechapel Fiend.

xxvi. Will discusses Tatiana’s vengeance for being wronged: “Will sighed. “That was me. I read her diary out loud at a Christmas party, long ago. I was twelve. And I was quite severely punished, so in fact, the Enclave was on her side.”’ No, he wasn’t. And the whole Enclave punished Will? Please. There was no culpability, no apology, and no admission of guilt. And he also broke Gabriel’s arm. This is an attempt afterwards to alleviate the guilt on Will’s end when it comes to Tatiana’s madness. More realistic approach, less let’s-make-Will-more-shiny-and-not-at-all-a-participant-in-Tatiana’s-insanity would be something like: “That was me. I read her diary out loud at a Christmas party, long ago. I was twelve, but that’s on me.” And they would’ve gone on that it didn’t matter because in grand scheme of things it was such a miniscule thing.

xxvii. Take a shot every time the writing tries to stealthily prop up Will and Tessa as good and kind. Clare is really adamant at making the Herondales victims at every turn.

xxviii. “Benedict Lightwood brought down vileness upon his family, and Tatiana could not accept either his culpability or her own.” True, yet funny how the same does not apply to the ones who are on the right side of things. Accepting culpability on all that…

xxix. “He thrust the hand at James, who slashed an iratze across Matthew’s palm, followed by two Energy runes. He would not normally give Matthew, or anyone, more than one, but they would act as knives, cutting through any fog in Matthew’s brain.” One very profound problem (which I will bring up with TMI in time) is that this excerpt reveals that Clare thinks we know how runes work, when she has in actuality laid no groundwork for it. Is there a limit how many runes one can bear at once? What are the adverse effects of too many energy runes? What if you use iratze when you don’t need one? Are there runes that, when used at the same time, might hinder the effect of one another?

xxx. Take a shot every time a character narrates other characters on how much they have changed.

xxxi. “Now, Thomas has lost a sister and a friend as close as his brother, all in one year.” Weird way to say a cousin. You surely mean his cousin as close as his brother??

xxxii. “Grace said, not unkindly, “I’ve come to know Lucie quite well, you know, the last months. She was probably as close to a friend as I ever had.”’ Christopher was her friend, hellooo???

xxxiii. There seems to be a theme that whenever things are getting hot and heavy, something abrupt happens and interrupts the scene. Not that I am complaining, interrupt that awkward shit.

xxxiv. The bodies of the Iron Sisters and Silent Brothers don’t decay, but so what? Everyone else gets burned after dying, why not them also? Are they not inflammable? Also, what a great opportunity to mention Abigail Shadowhunter and David the Silent, but did we just once again wave at that opportunity as it passed by? Yes, we did.

xxxv. “Alastair waved his hand. “Yes, yes. It has been Roman and Saxon and now it will be demon. It has survived plague and pestilence and fire—”’ Best quote.

xxxvi. “It is easy to confuse monstrousness and power,” said Cordelia. “Especially when one is a woman, as one is not supposed to possess either quality.” Again, a weird fucking take for people whose numbers are dwindling and need all the fighting power they can get and half of that power are women

xxxvii. “he had been sure, somehow, that Cordelia would come after him, would find a way. And it did not surprise him at all that Lucie had not left her side.” James sure has faith in his sister to rescue him in dire need. No, Lucie came because Cordelia came. Whatever, what do I care.

What, in the end, was the true purpose of this trilogy? What merit is to it that it exists? How has The Wicked Powers become richer for having The Last Hours precede it? It’s actually devastating how inconsequential all of this is. The true Belial has been vanquished, but another demon has taken his place as Belial. Is this new Belial even a fallen angel or just some demon? Because otherwise he is not like the rest of the Princes at all. I would’ve hoped that at least one thing, like Emma getting to finish Belial with Cortana, would’ve given this trilogy even a little bit more purpose. 700+ pages and all is still left rather unfinished. Nothing at least feels concluded other than James and Cordelia’s love for each other being stronger than a Prince of Hell is capable of breaking. Blergh.

[Additional notes]

#Cordelia Carstairs #James Herondale #Matthew Failchild #Thomas Lightwood #Christopher Lightwood #Alastair Carstairs #Anna Lightwood #Charles Fairchild #Grace Blackthorn #Jesse Blackthorn #Lucie Herondale #Chain of Thorns #The Last Hours #Anti CC #Anti Cassandra Clare

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sirfrogsworth · 4 months

Text

The Manfrotto Saga Conclusion

You ever go past being upset to the degree it becomes funny?

I finally got the courage to open the email.

And it's bad.

But I actually got a good laugh, so at least there is that.

This is what they sent me...

"Thanks for reaching out. We're sorry to hear that this happened.

Unfortunately, this can happen from time to time. The cost of parts and labor are not usually too bad, but when you add tax and shipping, it can become close to the point of it not being worth it.

We don't usually do this, but as a show of support, I'd like to offer you a 30% coupon code to aid in offsetting the cost of a replacement. The code is good on anything on the Manfrotto website, excluding sale items or close-outs. It will expire in 30 days and is not replaceable."

Yes, it was the tax and shipping that put me over the top. Not the actual repair cost being more than the item is currently selling for as new.

Now, you might be thinking that is the funny part.

The funny part is the 30% coupon.

You might also be thinking, "30% is a decent discount! SCORE!"

But you may have missed the "Manfrotto website" detail.

You see, manufacturer's website pricing is mostly used so the actual retailers can point to those prices and say, "Hey, look at this great sale!" even if that is the item's perpetual price.

So, let's look at this geared tripod head on their website. It's what I would upgrade to if I were to stick with their brand.

So with a 30% discount I am down to about $175. Plus those darn taxes and shipping.

Say, what is this going for on Amazon with free shipping?

So, basically what I've learned is... Manfrotto just sucks.

When I bought this originally, I was a photography noob. I didn't realize they were a bit like the Nickelback of photo gear. Very popular, but most experienced photographers try to avoid them if possible. Mainly because they use proprietary plates. If you need a ball head for landscapes and a fluid head for video and you want to easily switch between them, you need two heads from Manfrotto. They trap you in the ecosystem.

Whereas other brands mostly use "arca swiss" plates which are standardized. You can put one plate on the bottom of your camera and switch to any head from any brand that has that mount.

So I am going to save up for something with an arca swiss mount. Something that isn't fucking Manfrotto. Someone already donated about half of what I need (thank you so much) and I think I am going to sell a few things to cover the rest.

IN THE MEAN TIME... I spent all Friday night digging through my basement. I bought my tripod like 10 years ago and I knew it had some kind of head on it originally. And in the recesses of my stuff I found an old ball head.

And while I hate ball heads and think they are a pain in the ass, it will do everything I need at the moment.

Also, it doesn't wiggle.

My big upset about all of this was mostly how wasteful it is. They are going to trash something that can be fixed because they have purposely marked up the parts to force people to buy a new thing. It does not cost Manfrotto $127 to make the parts needed. I'd be surprised if it cost them $10 for those parts.

And it is my big fear that if we win the "Right to Repair" fight, all manufacturers are just going to mark up their parts like this.

But the repair company seems a little scummy as well. I emailed them before I sent in the head for repair. I showed them the video and they did a basic diagnosis.

"The lever may be loose, or the top housing may be damaged."

And they were right, the top housing was damaged.

But they didn't say, "Hey, parts for this are super expensive. It may cost over a hundred dollars to fix."

They didn't say, "We charge $30 to ship it back to you."

I suppose I should have asked, but never in my wildest imagination did I think this repair would cost that much. It was just a wiggle!

So, I'll just get something that suits my needs better. I was planning to do that eventually, but this just accelerated those plans.

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centrally-unplanned · 4 months

Text

To recount a twitter story, Kenny Lauderdale posted this very normcore review of the English release of Gainax VN Princess Maker 2 from the May 1996 edition of the (Michigan) Times Herald:

It includes some great quotes, like Japanese professor Etsuko Yamashita believing its existence is a step back for feminism - very amusing given how gender-equal the player base for these games is today! Time marches past us all. Sometimes for the better - it cost $140 in Japan on release!?

But what I found interesting was the art featured - because that isn't Princess Maker 2?

This is PM2, that girl above is not our player-named protagonist.

Turns out that is art is from Princess Maker 3:

You can see specific scenes like the beach as well, in case you had any doubt. This is weird though because, well, Princess Maker 3 came out in January of 1997? More than half a year after this article was published! Which means they somehow had access to promotional material for Princess Maker 3? Which to be clear absolutely did exist at the time - in fact, Princess Maker 3 was bought up by Sony as a limited release for their brand-new console the Playstation. PM3 was actually featured on the cover of the first ever volume of the Dengeki Playstation magazine, released in January of 1995 (the PS1 coming out in December 1994):

Alas I haven't found a copy of this scanned online, so I can't say what it contained. This being two years before the game's release does honestly point to some development hell drama, the timeline for a game back then should not be that lengthy. Man, wonder what was happening at Gainax in 1995 that might have been a distraction...

Still, we have a question of how this American newspaper article got their hands on them. It also seems worthwhile to note that this article is syndicated - it was published in a dozen newspapers across the country around this time, but with different titles and photos to fit each paper's needs. And other papers do have correct Princess Maker 2 screenshots on them!

I have no grand answer here or anything, sorry guys, but I think we can infer it. The article itself actually mentions that a "third one" is now in the works, which is something they would have learned from the publisher of the English version, IntraCorp (they weren't reading Japanese press magazines in 1996!). IntraCorp likely wanted them to mention it because they themselves were going to hopefully license it, assuming the first (well, second) one was successful - this was their first foray into this specific licensing niche, previously making action games like Witchaven II: Blood Vengeance. In early 1996 they sent out copies & press kits to reviewers, and I am guessing that copy almost certainly included - perhaps poorly labeled - promotional material for Princess Maker 3 as well that Gainax had provided them, so they would mention it in the article and seed hype. The harried layout editor at The Times Herald opened the wrong folder and threw them on the page by mistake - after all the author didn't work for him, he worked for the Associated Press. He had no experience with the game to know his error.

We will never know because this is a niche curiosity from almost 30 years ago, sure, but we will also never know because the game being reviewed above...was never released! IntraCorp declared bankruptcy soon after the publication of this article. They were not the localizers themselves - a team of 4 people called SoftEgg were - but their contract with them was binding enough that it left the virtually-finished translated copy in perpetual legal limbo. Eventually it was leaked onto the internet as a form of abandonware a few years later. The hard-working men of America never got to be "Sim Dad" in 1996 unless they were intrepid enough to be UseNet Forum users hunting down and running Japanese-language romhacks.

Which is not a hypothetical, that was occurring. I will leave you all with the opening quote from the rec.arts.anime group's User Manual for navigating your Nihongo copy of Princess Maker 2, preserved still in the roms you can download today:

We all know of Gainax as being the wonderful company that brought us Wings of Honneamise, Otaku no Video as well as multitudes of garage kits and other paraphenelia. However with the release of Princess Maker 2, one might think that their true calling is in computer software! This band of self described otakus which managed to lose almost all their profits in the anime business have come back by releasing several computer games (some of which were on display at Anime Con).

...written, of course, in 1994 :)

#princess maker 2 #Ash Obscure Anime History Annals #gainax

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lillified · 10 months

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I do just love reading your long posts about your continuity or like, breaking down the themes and stuff of the official material in such an interesting way. I've been a transformers fan since I was a child and seeing someone with such fresh takes and such interesting character explorative takes! Like oh my god I've been wanting just someone to sit down and look at these characters in all the complexity they *could* have for so long. Especially the decepticons which official material always starts to get into but never gets too far (I feel just due to the nature of transformers being the action series it is denying it the time to really build up a character driven narrative sometimes)

Needless to say I am so excited to keep up with your work and thank you so much for sharing it inspires me so bad!

thank you!! that is a very sweet thing to say :)

while I think it is easy and fair to look at franchise media and the state of what art is allowed right now and get a bit sad, I think it's important to remember that the art and artists themselves are not the part that is bad--it is the idea that all art can only exist as content, to be the emotional, public facing identity of a brand. Instead of characters and ideas existing as tools to tell a story they are things that have to be arbitrarily consistent, as if they are real people who exist and have to satisfy a checklist.

All characters have to be good and bad in perpetuity, because each individual character is somebody's favorite, so no piece of media can ever commit to exploring deeper moral questions without doubling back on itself--for that reason, every time the art tries to be more sincere to itself it never commits, because it will inevitably have to double back on itself, lest it reconcile with the fact that the characters and their actions are reflections of real people and real world problems instead of objective facts.

that's one of the major reasons I encourage people to be more personal with the media they engage with--even when money, business and executives are pushing for art to be LESS personal and more sanitized, every individual person has an experience that deserves to exist as art. your voice matters and deserves to be represented! once again, thank you for the extremely kind words: this was my once monthly excuse to wax poetic about this topic because it is something that is very important to me, if you couldnt tell

#ask #text post #text #long post

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tachyon-omlette · 9 months

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TFA Eda. Malgus Eda.

This man has witnessed the rise and fall of planets, civilizations, Magnuses, and his own sense of self, all while tracking down his siblings with the intent to destroy them - and they, too, watch him from the shadows, carrying out Unicron's will while playing out a grand scheme to bring about the end of all things by design. His story involves a lot of suffering, a few bright spots, and then amplified suffering when all good things are brought to an untimely end. He was never meant to know peace.

TFA Eda Lore Timeline

(art by the wonderful @thewiglesswonder, who is in large part the reason why I am so dedicated to ensuring this lore post is made real - even if I have to break it into parts)

Part 1: Where All Things Begin

Eda of Unicron exists not by accident (or so it is said), but as one of a set of three powerful, dangerous creations, made only with the purpose of carrying out Unicron's will - to pave the way for the destruction of the universe by Persuading its guardians, most notably the Thirteen, created by Unicron's ancient enemy, to destroy themselves through whatever method worked best.

Ethos was a master of betrayal and diversion, changing loyalties and betraying so-called comrades on a dime, sowing discord as he went along. He was agile and an opportunist but not very physically strong, preferring his victims, his siblings, or his creator to do the heavy lifting when it came to combat; he was, however, able to reformat himself into virtually any form, allowing him to take on a vast array of guises - though he often retained certain cosmetic similarities, claiming it was his "brand" - and could even put himself back together after enduring fatal injuries.

Logos was much stronger by comparison, and could readily handle himself in combat, but his true skill lay with his capability to alter reality. He could manipulate the memories and surroundings of his victims separately, could imitate any creature's voice flawlessly, creating fractures in individual paradigms and forcing even the sanest of minds into states of paranoia and disarray. Outwardly, he showed little emotion, his tone flat and body language static, and he often masterminded how each of his siblings would act to bring Unicron's will to fruition, in between causing friends, families, and trusted allies to turn on one another.

Then there was Pathos.

Pathos was Unicron in miniature, granted all his capabilities proportionate to his size (which was itself quite impressive), born of that which Unicron cast out of himself and by that virtue possessed one skill that his creator did not. He could sense the emotions of any living thing - though it was easiest with energon-imbued organisms - as naturally as humans can smell, feel, or taste. He was meant to destroy the more easily vanquished worlds and ferry their resources to his siblings and creator, and do little else... but he possessed this sixth sense, seemingly by pure accident, and it was a burden on his anti-spark. How was he meant to not only perpetuate but enjoy the universe's destruction as his siblings did, when he could so acutely sense it cry out in pain, fear, and sorrow with every blow?

He asked Logos if he, too, harbored any doubts, but Logos claimed that getting twisted up about his purpose was complete bogus, that he should get straight with the big U and stop harshing the vibe. He asked Ethos a similar question, and was told that the universe would either destroy itself or get destroyed, so he should quit whining and enjoy the ride or else join the universe in getting curbstomped.

He couldn't disobey Unicron outright, not on his own, so he reached out to the Thirteen, the first and strongest creations of Primus, whom he and his siblings had faced in combat many times before. Though they distrusted him, in the end they reached an accord: while the Thirteen would coordinate a final strike upon Unicron himself, Pathos would strike against his siblings, and do his best to keep them occupied.

While Unicron was rendered successfully inert, Ethos and Logos were not, and would remember Pathos's betrayal - but they were all cast out, flung far apart and across the galaxy, and would not again cross paths with either Pathos or the Thirteen for some time.

With nowhere else to turn, Pathos remained with the Thirteen on their homeworld of Cybertron. He had earned their mercy by turning coat on his creator, but their kindness was less freely given, for they had witnessed the extent of his capabilities and were rightfully afraid of him. He did make overtures to earn their trust, subduing his powers and doing his best to exist unobtrusively, which earned him the trust of those more accepting - such as Quintus Prima-Vectorum, who found him fascinating and wished to study him, to which he consented - but did little in the way of making him feel accepted.

The divide between Pathos and the Thirteen became more prevalent as Prima Primus-Vectorum and Alpha Prima-Vectorum conspired, and at the last agreed that he must be supervised by one of the Thirteen at all times to ensure he would not sow further destruction. He would have protested this, for he possessed no inclination towards destruction and in truth never did - but he had caused mass death and ruin not long ago, knew he was still capable of such acts even alone, and thus accepted their terms. It would have been rude, ungrateful, selfish of him to speak up, he believed.

Slowly, these sorts of thoughts began to multiply, and over time how can I appease them became they will never forgive me became I can never be forgiven. Pathos offered himself as a menial laborer, a sounding board, a test subject, anything that was asked of him, because he believed acting in service of the creations of Primus was all he could do. He would never be worthy of their kindness, because whenever they looked at him their reaction was fear - he could sense it every time, and were they so wrong? He was made to be a monster, a weapon of chaos, and that's what they saw. That's what they thought of him. That's what he is.

The only exception to this reaction-standard was Quintus, who regarded Pathos predominantly with fascination and intrigue - a far cry from the usual fear and/or revulsion, which was strange but still welcomed. These were much easier emotions to be around, ones that made him feel safer and more appreciated if only marginally, and unknowingly Pathos found himself more and more attached to Quintus. Over time, favor turned to fondness, and had Pathos doing everything in his power to make Quintus's field brighten with their seemingly natural curiosity.

That curiosity gave way to ambition - though Pathos thought this natural, as it paired Quintus's excitement and ideas with action, and because of this he indeed enabled their ambition. Pathos, blinded as he was by his affection, even allowed his plating to be prized apart and opened, so long as it was Quintus's servos that rummaged through his insides and handled any samples. He didn't know Dark Energon was poison to any of the Thirteen; he had no idea what was happening to the mech he cared for until it was too late to undo the damage he'd done, the damage he'd allowed to happen to the person he cared for most.

Unbeknownst to Pathos, his siblings were orchestrating the downfall of the Thirteen still, even in Unicron's absence. Ethos and Logos worked in tandem to bring about Megatronus Prima-Vectorum's downfall - not Quintus's, they needed an isolated incident, some proof that even being on the same planet as Pathos had dire consequences - which led to Solus Prima-Vectorum's death. Pathos had hoped to not witness more death for as long as he could manage, and mourned her as the other Thirteen - Twelve - did, despite the chaos that followed.

Blame was cast by many of the others upon Megatronus, exiled as the Fallen, for wielding the Requiem Blaster knowingly against a fellow incarnate of Primus's will which resulted in her death; upon Liege Prima-Vectorum, who fled Cybertron to avoid persecution, framed for guiding Megatronus's hand (because he was always a shady character, Prima believed, and all the evidence Ethos and Logos had carefully led out would reasonably satisfy his hunch); and upon Pathos, for being the corruptive force that compromised the sanctity of the Thirteen. He was to be exiled as well - for those among the Thirteen who had seen Pathos's kindness and empathy overruled Prima's call for execution, with the stipulation that Pathos would be executed if he ever dared set foot on Cybertron thereafter.

Records would be kept that ensured Pathos was not and would never be welcome in the realm of Primus again.

Dejected and devastated (though ultimately unsurprised), Pathos made to leave, but Quintus demanded to go with him. They had a plan to create a brand new species on a planet far from Cybertron, one in which Quintus could perform experiments without deferring to the demands of Prima’s elite, all with Pathos at their side. It seemed very appealing - a world where he would be openly welcomed, could put his past behind him, and would live with the mech he loved for as long as they both lived? It was nearly something out of a dream, a foolish hope he had long buried, and after ensuring that Quintus would not prefer to remain behind, that they were not doing this at the expense of their own happiness on Cybertron, he acquiesced with enthusiasm.

Together, they embarked on a voyage far beyond Cybertron's solar system and settled on an uninhabited planet. Pathos built great structures and gathered materials, while Quintus experimented, constructed bodies, and created what would become the Quintessons. For many ages, this new planet was their sanctuary, and this new species provided guardians and confidantes in equal measure; a burgeoning trade empire began to form, and soon began to expand into nearby star systems. For a time, Pathos and Quintus lived blissfully together, away from Cybertron and the turmoil which soon engulfed it.

These were perhaps the only good memories Pathos would ever have.

[part 1 (here) / part 2 (coming soon!) / ???]

#transformers #maccadam #tfa #transformers oc #oc: eda of unicron #lore posting #<- gonna make that tag a thing as best I can #YAAAAAY EDA LORE POSTING FINALLY !!!!!!!!!!!!#had to split it into parts to make it more manageable for myself & probably easier for everyone else to digest #thank you again wig for the badass art !!!!!! I love it sm /gen #anyway uhhhhh not a lot of other thoughts going on in my skull. enjoy the reading if you want to read #part 2.... I can't say when it'll happen but it'll happen. I know it will

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magxit · 1 year

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Just dropped: https://twitter.com/rollingstone/status/1663660316817780745?s=46&t=Jv7EvC8oVb-dKk_gHc29yQ

I haven’t read the full thing. But kinda sad when the media gets it more so than her own fans…

We Wouldn’t Be Having This Conversation If Taylor Swift Was a Man

Publicity stunt or not, Swift can have a sleazeball summer if she damn well pleases.

ON THE FINAL night of Taylor Swift’s MetLife shows this weekend, 80,000 Swifties screamed in the swamps of New Jersey for over three hours. They wore outfits from every era — tinsel fringe dresses, serpent arm cuffs, and heart-shaped sunglasses. I saw countless faces in cowboy hats similar to the emoji — only these cowboys were sobbing uncontrollably while eating foot-long hotdogs. And the bracelets! They were all wearing beaded bracelets coded in Swiftian lyrics, trading them in the parking lot like Deadheads swapping grilled cheeses. (Take my advice: do not try to pay for the bracelets. They will look at you like you’re from outer space.)

It’s hard to believe that while this magical Eras tour is happening — and while Swift is somehow reaching previously-unimaginable heights of popularity, surpassing even the ludicrous highs of 2015 — she is also experiencing a backlash from some corners of the Swiftie community over her supposed new boyfriend, the 1975’s Matt Healy.

Their sentiments were best summed up in an open letter on Twitter using the hashtag #SpeakUpNow (named after Swift’s upcoming re-recording of her 2010 album), which states that Healy’s many controversies “deeply trouble” them. “From engaging in racist remarks, making offensive jokes, and admitting to watching degrading pornography in which people of color are being humiliated and assaulted, his actions contribute to the perpetuation of hate, stereotypes, and objectification, which targets and hurts some people from the Jewish, Black, Chinese, Hawaiian, Inuit, LGBTQ+ communities, as well as women.”

The statement refers to the derogatory comments Healy made about the rapper Ice Spice on The Adam Friedland Show podcast in February and the questionable apology he delivered onstage last month. Fans raised eyebrows when Swift recruited the rapper for her “Karma” remix last week, and on Monday, Healy finally addressed the controversy in a New Yorker profile that only exacerbated the issue. He explained that the whole thing “doesn’t actually matter” and that the backlash he received was merely virtue signaling: “It’s just people going, ‘Oh, there’s a bad thing over there, let me get as close to it as possible so you can see how good I am,’” he said. “And I kind of want them to do that, because they’re demonstrating something so base level.”

If you didn’t catch this quote aggregated on the internet about 137 times (you probably had better things to do than scroll Twitter and hustle children for their handmade bracelets), you aren’t missing much. This is all part of Healy’s artistry: an intricate, tangled web of bits intended to rile you up and piss you off. This is the guy who eats raw meat onstage, gives Nazi salutes, and delivers intelligent observations like, “I’m obsessed with my dick for some reason.” Stupid Shit is his brand. Are we really supposed to take anything he says seriously?

I’m not here to answer that, but I am here to tell you that none of it is Taylor’s problem. For the last 17 years, we’ve held this woman responsible for the actions of men she chooses to spend time with, and it’s time to stop. It would be fair to criticize her for walking out of Electric Lady with the ghost of Pol Pot or wondering why her dad and Matt Lauer are grooving out to her performance of “22.” But this is just a hot sleazeball who wants Oasis back together (I don’t know about you, but I’ve dated a lot of guys who fit that description), and it’s up to Taylor to spend her time as she pleases.

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bellevillenaty · 1 year

Text

An explanation to the main loop in ORV

- Beware of spoilers of the novel's epilogue -

I come to explain in the simplest possible way the loop that happens in ORV for those who want a more concise and less "philosophical" answer of the whole thing. But I must say that ORV, in general, is drawn to the philosophical side of human existence and that mainly revolves around its protagonists, because this is the story of Kim Dokja and a few other people, so don't expect a precise reason why things are the way they are.

With that out of the way, I'll explain mainly the three "main existences" in ORV which are: Secretive Plotter, tls123 and the Most Oldest Dream (not in this particular order) and how they are connected

[[….Oh, you sad, pitiful child.]]

[[Oh, hear ye, my dear god. I have endured a truly lengthy period of time just to meet you, but….]]

[[You are this universe’s most powerless existence, aren’t you.]]

...

[[….Is that why you needed us? This is a very cruel request for help, indeed.]]

...

[[You couldn’t even control your own imagination, is that it?]]

Chapter 515.

Some might consider that the Universe, or at least the entire tragedy of TWS, begins with the existence of the Most Oldest Dream because of this single sentence uttered by the 999th Uriel.

A child who had suffered years of abuse, neglect, and terrible trauma made a fictional story come true. That child dreamed to escape his own reality and forced himself into fiction to do so. By repeatedly saying "I am Yoo Jonghyuk," Kim Dokja gradually brought that man's story to life. But how did this child gain such power? How could this little child be the "Creator"?

...However, This story already existed and Kim Dokja just read it somewhere. So, if not the dreamer, who is the true creator of this universe?

At this point, many people who read ORV, just like the 999th gang and Secretive Plotter, are confused by the loop created by Han Sooyoung from 1863th turn, also known as the tls123.

The perpetuation of cause and effect "begins" in the 1863th turn, but also doesn't.

“Is this the price of the Outer World Covenant that you received? In exchange for killing Yoo Jonghyuk, you will get the power to make your own world?”

Kim Dokja to the 1863th Han Sooyoung - Chapter 295.

To recap, Han Sooyoung makes an Outer World Covenant with Secretive Plotter on the third turn and, like Kim Dokja, is taken to the 1863rd to kill Yoo Joonghyuk. However, unlike Kim Dokja, only one of Han Sooyoung's avatars is sent there, with the other one continuing to exist on the third turn.

Han Sooyoung's idea of "killing" Yoo Joonghyuk of that turn was to put him in deep slumber for eternity and thus create a new story out of the original story (out of Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World) without him.

This implies that not only will she be able to push the boundaries of the original story that the protagonist himself failed to pass and go beyond the Final Wall, but she will also gain the power to create a brand new world. Perhaps when making the Outer World Covenant, Secretive Plotter had no idea of the details as contracts made within that Universe can have multiple interpretations and can be easily manipulated, even unintentionally.

Her ability also includes writing the Three Ways to Survive that Kim Dokja read and, with that, the combination of her power and Kim Dokja's dream allowed them to turn fiction into reality.

But, again, how did tls123 experience a story that was supossibly created just after her own existence? Yoo Joonghyuk's life already existed for Han Sooyoung to write about it, so she cannot be the creator.

Plus, if it weren't for her meeting Kim Dokja in the 1863th turn and the desire to see him survive, Han Sooyoung wouldn't have written TWS in the first place and would simply have continued her story beyond the 1863th turn.

“Something felt off to me about this world.”

It was my first time hearing such a shrewd tone of voice coming from him.

“One day, I suddenly came into existence in this world.”

0th Yoo Joonghyuk to Demon King of Salvation - Chapter 525

A conveniently-crafted life, a series of adversities created solely to become a tragedy later. This quote about Yoo Joonghyuk could explain his whole character, at least in the reader's mind.

After all, what is the reason for the existence of this character. Who is Yoo Joonghyuk? This question was on Yoo Joonghyuk's mind from the 0th turn all the way to the Secretive Plotter.

His life happened out of nowhere, and also, out of nowhere, thrown into the tragedies of a novel. On his first time in the scenarios, an unknown being helped him immensely using it’s strange knowledge about everything.

And after that, Yoo Joonghyuk felt that his life had been completely taken care of by someone else. As a final request, he wished to learn the truth about this world and himself.

But he was also curious about the existence of the being who had assisted him, and as a result, Yoo Joonghyuk regressed.

My interpretation

⸢The night sky was reflected in Yu Jung-Hyeok’s eyes.⸥

As if he was a child wondering about his origins, Yu Jung-Hyeok estimated where in the sky the [Wall] might be and extended his hand towards it.

He’d become the ‘Secretive Plotter’ someday, and…

….And at the same time, also become the 1864th turn’s Yu Jung-Hyeok that I knew.

Chapter 525.

For me there is a loop within a loop. Yes, Yoo Hoonghyuk would become Secretive Plotter and he would also become 1864th turn's Yu Jung-Hyeok, but not the ones we know.

Because, at the end of the day, they're both people from different universes. The Secretive Plotter is no longer a character within a novel for thousands of years, the fact that he has the power to travel to other turns and, above all, change many things from these turns (Outer World Covenant with 999th Yoo joonghyuk, and other Outer World Covenant with Han Soyooung and Kim Dokja) already shows that Yoo joonghyuk's will is what changes everything.

Yoo joonghyuk is the most powerful being.

He makes the decision to become a Regressor. Because he is a person who came from nothing and became everything.

He becomes a protagonist in an author's story, and he becomes a protagonist in a reader's story. Is there anyone more powerful than a protagonist?

Is there anyone more powerful than a protagonist who regress?

Yoo Joonghyuk is a real person, who became a legend, and finally became a protagonist. The loop occurred first with Yoo Joonghyuk himself and then spreading to those around him.

There is a dialogue between the Secretive Plotter and Yoo Joonghyuk from 14864th in which the Secretive Plotter says the following thing:

[…]

[[Did you know? There was this young boy in the front-most subway car that always died during every regression turn.]]

That question came out of nowhere. Yu Jung-Hyeok naturally recalled the events of the subway train. The very first scenario, the very first encounter with Hell that he had to experience every single time.

However, Yu Jung-Hyeok didn’t know anything about such a boy. Because, there were simply too many people who died in that manner back then.

[[While regressing several times, I tried to prevent his death, but it was impossible.]]

“…..”

[[He was really a young boy. Younger even than Yi Gil-Yeong. However, even such a child had to ‘prove his credentials’. For all of the 1863 lives, that child couldn’t even put up a proper fight and had to die. He died, and died, and died over and over again.]]

Chapter 458.

There's a theory that this boy was the Most Oldest Dream, however why would the supposed "God" of this world be dead in every regression that the Secretive Plotter faces on, and more importantly, why didn't our own Yoo Joonghyuk know about him?

There is a chance that such a boy will only appear because that is how the 1863th Yoo Joonghyuk wants it. Because the Secretive Plotter wanted it.

Secretive Plotter's greatest desire was to find the ‘creator’ of his tragic life and kill him.

It is strange, yes. But it is worth mentioning that our own Yoo Joonghyuk is someone who is in a new story created by himself and therefore he does not know this boy.

Remember? Our Yoo Joonghyuk is someone who has fled the novel story and is no longer a protagonist. The 1864’s turn Yoo Joonghyuk is no longer a character.

He escaped the barriers of TWS wanting to live that life shown by Kim Dokja. Living that turn that seemed perfect and so he did. From his own free will, he regresses and is now living that life.

As Yoo Joonghyuk had wished, he unwittingly erased his memory of all of his past lives and started a brand new story. And we all know that the Regressor Yoo Joonghyuk's life begins with the third round, but now, with Kim Dokja by his side, just as he wanted.

Unlike the Secretive Plotter that always wanted to find and kill The Most Oldest Dream, our Yoo Joonghyuk's wish was to find someone in particularly and fight alongside him. (Thus, the 0th turn Yoo Joonghyuk who Dokja thinks is the one he knew and our own Yoo Joonghyuk from 1864th turn. Both choose to regress for this reason).

The timeline will only move according to Yoo Joonghyuk's will (mostly), which is why the loop thing is so confusing when it comes to the other two.

Without Yoo Joonghyuk, neither Kim Dokja nor the Three Ways to Survive story would be possible.

As one of Kim Dokja's very first statments about Yoo Joonghyuk is:

"The first way to survive this ruined world is this man."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think I lost my hand here and I still have A LOT to say about, and I haven't even mentioned the Dokkaebi King or the Winny King yet and what they meant to this whole thing.

Did you guys have any opinions on this take? That’s my interpretation and maybe in the future I update this on a re-read or when I come with new ideias.

Because in the ORV story itself it is said that if you read it again, a new perspective is created.

(I also post this on Reddit)

#orv #omniscient reader's viewpoint #yoo junghyuk #kim dokja #orv kim dokja #han sooyoung #secretive plotter #tls123 #most ancient dream #most oldest dream #Yoo Joonghyuk #orv theory

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sassyfrassboss · 2 years

Text

Meghan Musings and A Novel

Be prepared because this is long but I just wanted to get a few ideas out there of what I think Meghan's moves will be PR/ Interview wise when she returns to the states.

Meghan and Post Funeral

So there is some new Tea I posted from an Anon who claims to know a divorce is in the works. Now I have always felt that Harry and Meghan would eventually divorce. I assumed it would have happened by now but I think COVID threw a wrench in those plans.

Now, we know Meghan loves nothing more than to talk about herself and everything she has suffered since birth. She is the perpetual victim.

There has been a ton of drama this past week and as we know, Meghan isn’t one to pass up an opportunity to talk about how hard life is and how much she suffers at the hands of the BRF.

After all of the ups and downs, we can all admit that Meghan has some juicy new material for her return to the US.

Now, I am beyond surprised she has been contained as much as she has. Similar to the Jubilee. Harry and her were able to get their own entrance and processional walk but that ended with second row middle seats which was embarrassing to say the least.

But, since last Thursday, even before actually, she has brand new material that she can twist to her own narrative to start whatever next campaign she wants. Whether it is divorce or continued accusations of racism and bullying at the hands of the BRF.

I am going to list some thoughts of where I think she will go.

Harry and Meghan made it clear through PR that they were not going to visit his family while they were in the UK for their 3 day stint. We were told that they were not willing to move forward until William apologized for his actions towards the couple.

Now I am not surprised but this at all. Meghan AND Harry have made it clear from 2018 that William was a thorn in their sides. In Bower’s book, he made it clear that Meghan tried to wrestle control of the Royal Foundation from William which was denied. Then William was said to have gotten into an argument with Harry over Meghan’s treatment of their staff which was unacceptable. We often saw articles were that William was behind leaks of issues, though we knew the truth of who was leaking. We also knew that William was said to be behind the reason that H&M were not given their own court nor the apartment in KP. As the articles proceeded to get worse, the more we realized that the brothers were no longer on speaking terms which was confirmed by Harry’s admission in the SA doc. We also can assume from the Oprah interview with Meghan’s attacks on Kate and Harry talking about his strained relationship with William that things are not good. Then we got the claim of racism from Meghan and it was heavily hinted, and then later pushed by the Squad, that the person was William. So it is VERY fair to say that the focus of much of Meghan’s anger is directed at William. Maybe he turned down her advances or he told her exactly what he thought of her, but we know there is no love lost there.

So here is what I am thinking. Upon their return to the states in the next few days. Meghan is going to amp up her anti-William PR. Him being announced as the Prince of Wales 24 hours later most likely sent her into shock. William making it clear that HE invited H&M on the walkabout and HE was the one in control will not sit well with Meghan.

So William will be a target. His title of Prince of Wales will be called into question, Gayle King has already tried this. William’s estate will be compared to slave owners or some such nonsense. He will also be accused of being mean to Meghan.

Meghan will go after William and attack him at all angles.

So we know that The Queen died hours before it was announced. It is said she had already passed before William and the rest of the family landed in Scotland. Harry and Meghan were said to be on their way earlier that morning. We later found out that Charles told Harry this was no place for Meghan and that Harry was not welcomed on the jet with William. So before Harry landed, it was announced to the world, The Queen was dead.

Meghan is going to attack Charles and William over this.

One thing she will claim is that Harry and her were on their way to meet the jet and were told they weren’t welcomed. Later it was clear Harry was welcome but not Meghan cause you know, racism.

It will be claimed that the family is so angry and jealous over Harry’s close relationship with TQ that he was kept purposely in the dark about TQ’s health and the actual truth of her condition.

Meghan will claim that Harry returned early the next morning because William and Charles were mean and unwelcoming and that Harry was forced to return because it was made clear he was not welcome.

The King’s speech the next day naming William Prince of Wales took everyone by surprise. Meghan probably more than most.

Meghan is going to claim that is was NOT the time to make such an announcement and how hard it was for Harry to witness his brother being made PoW while Harry was relegated to the states.

She will say the tie was for mourning not for titles.

There will be a complaint that Archie and Lilibet should have received titles at the same time.

The walkabout on Saturday with William and Catherine where we all witnessed Catherine’s ice cold stare.

Meghan is going to talk about how she was pressured by “The Firm” into attending that walkabout when all she wanted to do was grieve and support her husband but yet she was FORCED to be among the people, who booed her in June, and shake hands and play nice with Brits and the very press that called her children the “N” word.

She will talk about how Catherine either apologized to her or Catherine was mean to her and rubbed her new titles and wealth in Meghan’s face.

Meghan’s kids.

I think she will try and say she was wanting to return to the states for the kids and then fly back for the funeral but the family told her she would be needed daily for events and then dis-invited her. Which will lead again to rumors that the BRF don’t want her mixed race kids to be seen.

She might also say that she didn’t want her kids there because she cannot trust the family.

Doria was going to bring the kids over but the family told Meghan Doria would not be welcomed at the funeral/events nor would the children. This is when we will hear about Zara’s kids and husband at the vigil. Or the other spouses and great-grandchildren.

The State Reception on Sunday that Meghan and Harry were said to be invited to, via Omid, but later dis-invited. However, palace sources say they were never invited.

Meghan will claim that they were told they were invited and that the press (Omid) would not have released that information unless it was fact.

Again, claims of racism and jealousy. She will say that they are so popular world-wide, the rest of the BRF was terrified that the focus would be on them instead of The Queen. She will also say that other ½ in ½ out royals were there so this was pure racism and favoritism.

Harry’s Uniform was obviously a hot topic.

I think she will say that Harry didn’t care even though he DESERVED it more than William and the others. She is going to make Harry out to be kind and compassionate and giving up his earned right because of stupid protocol even though The King could change the rule.

When the rules changed for the Vigil it was only because Harry had to be the sacrificial lamb so that the focus wasn’t on Andrew.

She will claim she wanted to be in attendance as is due her style as DoS and wife but Catherine was busy and the BRF refused to allow her cause you know, racism and hierarchy and titles.

The seating for the funeral. Whatever it is, she will complain.

Not getting any of TQ’s jewelry to wear cause you know, racism.

Having to ride with Sophie instead of Kate cause Kate is SO jelly of her.

The Wales kids attending the funeral (if the do) and her kids not being allowed to because the optics of mixed race kids.

No one wished Harry a happy birthday.

NOW we move on to what if she tries to start the divorce narrative when she returns…here are some bullet points.

She was forced to remain in the UK for a traumatic event and she couldn’t even have her kids near her because of racism and Harry refused to allow her to bring them. Or she kept her kids away because she didn't want the family to use them as props even though they are racist.

We will hear how she had to remain in a place that brought her so much heartache and trauma. Here is the place she contemplated killing herself and she HAS to remain for the very family and husband who failed to support her.

She was kept in the back or at the end because Kate was jealous of her and Harry refused to fight for Meghan.

Harry was more upset over his uniform and what events they were invited to while Meghan just wanted to grieve this amazing lady.

Meghan wanted to return to get the kids but Harry refused to allow her to.

Having to do the walkabout brought up her trauma from the press and she was terrified because she didn’t want to do it but Harry forced her to.

These are just a few thought and ideas I had because it does fit her typical PR narrative from years past.

Let me know what y'all think.

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