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a-lil-perspective · 4 years

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•Braids and Bavodu’e•

A/N: Directly affiliated with the “Serendipity With A Slice Of Sergeant” series, this spin-off is for Uncle Crosshair. There are three segments spanning within this narrative that each depict different phases of time. To clarify—the order will proceed as such: Middle, Beginning, End. In total adoration for this particular concept with Crosshair, I poured my heart and soul into the curation, and I hope you all find enjoyment within. Feedback, recommendations, and requests are always appreciated. @shadow-hyder @obiorbenkenobi @thegoodbatch @starflyer-104 @karpasia @kriffingunlucky @everyonehasanindividuality

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“I... do not think you’re doing it the right way, Crosshair. It says here in the guide to weave over, then under—”

“Tech, kindly close your yap so I can concentrate.” Crosshair bit out, sighing in frustration over the seemingly impossible task. “I know what I’m doing.”

He had no idea what he was doing.

But when Hunter’s daughters came bounding up to Crosshair with a hairbrush and a plea—how could he refuse?

After all, it was just one braid in a little girl’s hair—how hard can it be?

The six-year-old jittered with excitement. “I can’t wait till it’s done!”

“I can’t either,” Crosshair mumbled through a hair accessory clamped between his teeth as he worked.

A sniper and ex-Super Commando against toddlers and tresses?

No problem.

///

Crosshair’s hands smoothed over the entirety of the girl’s hair; signifying his completion, finally, of this one kriffing braid. His contentment over the results made up for the aching in his wrist. He was no hairdresser, and yet—clenching and uncurling his fingers before cracking his knuckles to alleviate the strain—Crosshair figured he’d better start building up the muscle strength in his hands; a sneaking suspicion that there would be many more braids to come.

His deduction was already confirmed when Tech promptly planted the three-year-old Rowena straight into the sniper’s lap, next.

“You have to do Ro’s hair, too.” Tech needlessly explained.

“Thank you, Captain Obvious.” Crosshair sneered, rolling his eyes and once again favoring the tactic of sardonic responses to conceal his discomfiture for whatever situation he found himself in.

“His name isn’t Captain Obvious, Ba’vodu!” Alarasmé’s high-pitched voice cut through the tension, her lack of knowledge on sarcasm pointedly intervening. “That’s Uncle Tech!”

“You’re right, ‘Lara—but tell Crosshair who your favorite Uncle is, hmm?” He encouraged, a feeling of total confidence and surety in the girl’s pending answer.

“You, Uncle Crosshair.”

Her confirmation managed to simultaneously inflate Crosshair’s ego and deflate Tech’s. The engineer’s mouth lay agape, his downcast expression symbolic of crushed spirits, and the image of Tech’s pout allowed Crosshair to become wholly amused by his vod’ika’s lack of dignity around a six-year-old.

“I... Alara... I thought I was your favorite Ba’vodu?” The engineer was utterly baffled, devastation evident in his voice.

“That was only yesterday, Techie.” The girl stated with complete disregard for her Uncle’s feelings, as if her admission towards a shift in predilection was the most justifiable thing, and a predictable reoccurrence, at that.

Apparently, it was.

“But... but Crosshair has practically had a running streak for three weeks now!” Tech whined, to which the sniper simply cast him the most smug expression the engineer has ever seen.

Had there not been small children around, Tech swore to himself that he would’ve punched that stupid smirk right off his ori’vod’s face, he was that indignant over the ranking.

So he attempted to compensate for his trauma and descending favor by kneeling in front of the three-year-old with her locks currently tended to as he worked on coercing his desired validation out of the toddler.

“Rowena, Tech is your favorite Uncle, correct?”

The toddler giggled and reached her tiny fingers out to yank at Tech’s goggles, pulling them away from his face before abruptly letting go; the resistance from the band around the back of his head causing the corrective eyewear to suddenly retract with a thwack against his skin. The sound of Tech’s yelp of pain nearly overpowered Crosshair’s cackling.

“You di’kut, you had that one coming, tryna reason with a baby,” the sniper managed to choke out through his wheezing, to which Tech scowled, soothing over both the fresh sting around his delicate eye area and his further injured pride.

“As a matter of fact, I think the response was a good sign. According to research, babies and small children naturally present with more attentiveness and personality to people they favor—“

“Awe don’t worry, Techie,” the sniper brushed his vod’ika aside with a goading stroke of snark. “It’s not your fault—not everyone can be as well accomplished as this Ba’vodu.”

It was true—while Crosshair was slightly begrudged to admit—his deft and nimble fingers that procured precision in every aspect of his work were, unsurprisingly, the most ideal candidate for constructing intricate hairstyles.

Not that he was complaining one bit.

///

“Papa! Look at my hair!!” The little girl gave a proud twirl in flaunting the new style to her Father upon his return with Uncle Wrecker.

Hunter’s eyes widened, signaling his eased integration of whimsicality and theatrics into his daughter’s exuberance. He was a natural; proof of his intrinsically befitting role of Fatherhood on display time over again.

“Alarasmé?! Is that you?! I barely even recognized you, you’re even more beautiful then I remember!” He knelt to be eye-level with his daughter in emphasizing his payments of the highest respect and reverence for her beauty; his surprise remaining authentic, and his compliment even more so.

Truthfully, he was thoroughly surprised at beholding his two daughters that day... with their hair beautifully styled... by... Crosshair?

Hunter’s brows furrowed while curiously regarding his vod, whose own attentive gaze was fully occupied with giving purpose to the last thin strands of hair on the youngest girl. If Crosshair felt Hunter’s intense gaze of perplexity boring into him over his unprecedented behavior, he had yet to acknowledge it.

He did feel it, and was pointedly ignoring.

“All done, Ro.” Crosshair announced upon promptly attaching the finishing touch to Rowena’s head before she bolted out of the chair in racing her chubby toddler legs over to Hunter, who matched her eagerness as he lovingly scooped up his ik’aad to also exalt her beauty and express his adoration for the girl’s new accessory—

So that’s where his red bandana went.

“Papa! Your turn!” The girls pulled a now flustered Sergeant over to Crosshair, who suddenly flashed Hunter the most devilish grin before patting the stool in front of him in an overly welcoming gesture; each word dripping with deliberate emphasis.

“Yes, Papa Hunter—have a seat.”

“Uh, I don’t think so—“

“I insist.”

The intense begging of his daughters mixed with the thinly-veiled intimidation tactics of Crosshair left Hunter with little choice than to flop unceremoniously down into the chair, but not before turning to greet his vod with a glare and feigned warning:

“You’ll regret this.”

“Oh, I think not, Sergeant—I am going to enjoy the absolute kriff out of this.” Crosshair smirked, playfully smacking the back of his ori’vod’s head. “Now be still and enjoy your braid. Remember to smile for Tech’s recording.”

/// *** \\\

“Do you want to hold her, vod?”

There it is. The dreaded question Crosshair knew was coming.

The nauseating one that caused his head to spin and a sheen of sweat to break out across his forehead; a question that triggered Crosshair’s urge to promptly flee the scene.

Not that the idea itself dreaded him—but who was he kidding; his hands were used to cradling rifles, not babies.

Certainly not infant newborns.

“You’re not gonna break her, vod. Don’t worry. She’s tougher than she looks.” Hunter replies with reverence for his firstborn and innate realization for the way Cross was so conflicted; as if the sniper’s contorted and downright terrified facial expression wasn’t overt enough.

Crosshair’s hands unconsciously drifted defensively in front of him, and he noted the way they were slightly trembling.

Of course Hunter noticed, too—he deliberately approached Crosshair last with news of the baby’s arrival, equipped with full comprehension for the way his vod would instinctively portray a great deal of resistance to the encounter, originating from his suffocating trepidations. Inwardly, Hunter couldn’t place fault; the prospect, his new reality, was also just as utterly foreign to a man groomed for the role of a Sergeant and super soldier all of his life. He was actually a Father now.

Crosshair’s stammering became the only audibility as he desperately searched for the right words. “I... I don’t... How do I—”

“Just position your arms, exactly like mine here,” Hunter gently instructed, stifling his slight hilarity in regarding Crosshair’s plight and uncharacteristically timid behavior. He slowly transferred the bundle, leaving a last piece of advice on how to support the baby’s head with the act of cradling.

There she is. The moment Crosshair’s fret over, the focal point of his immense stress for nine months straight; all condensed into this one moment:

A moment that forcefully yanked the air from the sniper’s lungs. Fear. Joy. Exhilaration. Assurance. Swirling emotions enveloping and succumbing to solidification; leaving his vision in cloudy haze, nearly bringing the man to his knees. The moment he swore his heart would beat out of his chest from the hammering against his ribcage and the pure adrenaline rushing through his veins.

A moment of—

“How does it feel, Ba’vodu?” Hunter’s genuine smile and elation reeled Crosshair back, momentarily.

“I...” Crosshair faltered, not trusting himself to speak. Not yet.

Don’t stare. Stay calm. Act normal. Breathe—

He swallowed hard, lowering his octave to just above a whisper and opting for the incitement of a casual inquiry as he desperately tried to compensate for the weight, or lack thereof, in his arms.

She was... way lighter than a rifle...

“What did you name her?”

“Alarasmé.”

The hard eye rolling of Crosshair briefly allowed the sniper’s usual derisive quips to surface in that instant. What a name.

“That’s too big for a baby, you di’kut.” Both men chuckled at the ribbing.

“She’ll grow into it. Besides—we figured there could be lots of nicknames to come from it: ‘Alara’, ‘Lara’, ‘Lar’—”

“That’s... better. Pretty.”

“Glad you think so, vod. You know your opinion is the only one I care about.”

Crosshair’s wry smile spread across his features, mirroring his ori’vod’s. He appreciated the former Sergeant favoring the antidote of humor to ease them both into the new transition, despite Hunter currently looking a little worse for wear.

His thoughts flickered to a more pressing question, the one that plagued his thoughts the moment medical droids ushered her back.

“And... Y/N? Is she—?”

“She’s doing great, vod,” Hunter’s smile projected reassurance.

Crosshair exhaled in relief, releasing a breath he didn’t know he’d held captive. “That’s good... figured as much, otherwise you wouldn’t even be coherent. Surprised you didn’t pass out right on the spot.”

“Me too.” Hunter’s deep laugh echoed against the stark white walls of the hospital. “But I did have to send Wrecker outside until he could stop howling from sheer excitement. And I sent Tech in there to keep an eye on her while she rests.”

“Resting and Tech do not go together, Hunter. I think baby fever is stunting your sound judgement here.”

“Cross—relax, would you? Tech’s not gonna bother anything. Everything is fine, I promise: Y/N is OK.” Hunter inhaled patience and breathed out compassion before gently continuing, a sense of fond remembrance coloring his features.

“You should’ve seen her, vod; she was SO happy. Could barely pry that little one from her arms.” The former Sergeant carefully eyed Crosshair in accentuation over his next statement. “But she wanted you to see the baby. Was askin’ about you. Wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Crosshair felt a contemplative frown tug the corner of his lips as his brows furrowed in intense deciphering of Hunter’s admission.

Y/N... was asking... about him? Wanted to make sure he was okay? Even though she was the one giving birth.

Hunter should count his lucky stars. Maker, that woman was so kriffing compassionate and thoughtful, her altruism a real rarity.

If someone were to ask; this was but one of many reasons why Crosshair loved you so damn much.

He could hardly breathe at the pang of guilt now coursing through him—talk about a real shabuir. He could’ve made himself available for support instead of trekking around the hospital to wallow in his reservations and anxiety.

Crosshair felt he did a major disservice to the people whom he deeply cared for, who relied on him—and he fervently sought to make amends.

Maybe he could start today...

The sniper’s eyes finally drifted to the bundle in his arms and settled on the baby now slightly squirming as she cooed and suddenly blessed Crosshair with the image of two pools of dazzling brown eyes reflecting; soft and warm and curiously regarding the company of a temporary acquaintance cradling her. Her face was tender; concave features and tiny lips immediately curving into a half smile.

Crosshair couldn’t breathe.

He nearly clutched his chest, seeking to address the now smoking hole in the center courtesy of a newborn, his niece, and her well placed shot point-blank through his heart.

Impressive by even an expert sniper’s standards.

It was as if suddenly, instead of blood seeping from his exposed heart, it was pure ardor forcefully expelling and completely washing away disquietude to project a vulnerability so lovingly welcomed and an intimacy so deeply cherished in that instant; an indescribable moment Crosshair wished he could capture the essence of forever.

A moment Crosshair fell in love.

With stars in his eyes and total adoration for this beautiful human created from an unrepentant devotion, the sniper quickly decided with an unwavering resolve that love was the most powerful thing in the entire galaxy—a raw purity that suddenly reached out to evoke healing and restitution through solely the grasp of her tiny fingers.

And it was with slight amusement and full reverence that Crosshair acknowledged how only a child of Y/N could have such an effect of him.

Hunter felt as he was was intruding on a private moment with the way Crosshair’s entire mood and expression finally shifted; hardened layers peeling back to reveal a raw core of delicate emotions—a demeanor in his vod that Hunter had not witnessed the materialization of in a very long time.

A tiny droplet on the baby’s blanket became the only indication to Crosshair of his emotions now manifested through his glistening eyes.

Worry and anxiety became evident on Hunter’s face as he carefully watched the silent tears now roll down his vod’s cheek and patter against the cloth swaddling his newborn daughter.

He’s crying... Crosshair doesn’t cry... Is he just utterly overwhelmed? Overjoyed? Scared?

Hunter reached out tentatively, unsure of what to do, at a loss for what to say.

Tell me what you need, kih’vod...

“Crosshair? Do you... want me to take her back now—?”

“Hunter,” the sniper choked out, unabashed in his unequivocal bliss. “She is perfect.”

Absolutely perfect.

—Such were the emotions of love and doting magnified upon the addition of another beautiful daughter; proof of Crosshair’s inflated eagerness at Rowena’s arrival evident through the scenario of Wrecker’s form nearly put to the ground as Crosshair practically shoved his way to get to the new baby girl first.

/// *** \\\

“—And he’s just SO nice, great listener, super cute, too—“

“I don’t like him.”

The now thirteen-year-old whipped her head around to regard her Ba’vodu, who nearly lost his grip on the girl’s ebony locks currently under revision of a new hairstyle.

“Uncle Crosshair, you don’t even know him.”

“I don’t have to. If any boy likes my niece, I don’t like him. It’s very simple, love.” Crosshair solidified his terse judgment with a twirl of his finger in signaling Alarasmé to revert to her original position, allowing him resumed access to the back of her head.

The eldest daughter of Hunter grumbled and crossed her arms, complying with Crosshair’s instruction. “You never like any of mine and Rowena’s friends. That’s hardly fair.”

“I don’t play fair, sweetheart. You should know that by now.”

‘Lara simply ignored her stubborn uncle in continuing with her story. “Anyway, so he approached me after a class, and guess what??”

The girl’s enthusiasm was utterly endearing, and her theatrics intrinsically drew a smile out of Crosshair. He decided to humor her.

“What, beautiful Alarasmé?? Enlighten your uncle Crosshair.”

Her barely contained excitement suddenly effervesced in the form of an absolutely delighted squeal that echoed the entirety of space and left a ringing in Crosshair’s ears.

“HE GAVE ME HIS HOLO FREQUENCY!!”

Crosshair was immensely glad Alara’s back poised to him possessed the inability to behold the deep scowl etched into her Uncle’s face in that moment.

But she was practically glowing with elation, and Crosshair wasn’t about to rob her of a childhood exuberance that was so authentically pure and wholesome.

But he couldn’t help himself—you’d think they were the sniper’s own offspring, what with the way he was utterly enamored and obsessively overprotective of his ori’vod’s daughters. Kriff. They were his literal undoing.

Crosshair suddenly emerged to behold two large pools of beautiful brown studying his face, searching for a reaction, silently pleading for his approval.

He swallowed his skepticism and disdain for some stranger, little more than a kid, contending for his niece’s beautiful heart; forcing his most genuine smile in response.

“That’s... really great, ‘Lara. I’m happy for you. Let me know if you want me to kill him.”

“Thanks Ba’vodu—hey, I can kill him myself, thank you very much—“

“Good girl, verd’ika. That’s what I like to hear.” Her assertation became Crosshair’s favorite part of the news; a sense of pride and borderline sadistic satisfaction culminating from her bold reassurance. He made no qualms of obscuring his pleased smirk from the teenager when her own suddenly reflected back at him.

“Awe. Do you feel better now, Ba’vodu?” Her animated expressions thoroughly amused Crosshair, reminding him once again of just how much the young girl favored her father’s personality the older she aged; his physical resemblance even more so.

Crosshair couldn’t get enough of it.

“As a matter of fact, cyar’ika—I do feel much better in knowing the four ex-Super Commandos in your life have done you justice by instilling in you the shameless instruction of kicking someone’s ass whenever needed. Yes.” He allowed a hand to deviate from her hair in playfully stroking her cheek before withdrawing; a sudden realization flickering. “You haven’t actually told your Papa yet, have you? You might want to—”

“No!” ‘Lara’s cry startled Crosshair. “Please don’t tell him—he is the worst and weirdest about this stuff, and Rowena already gives me a hard enough time, as it is!”

So you came to the most critiquing Uncle you have? He bit his tongue to keep from spitting out, recognizing the way that wouldn’t allay her distress.

Deep down, he also knew why both of his former Sergeant’s daughters spent so much of their time consumed with Crosshair—he was a good listener, typically calm and level-headed; not overly rumbustious, prying, or a downright troublemaker like the other men. While the sniper’s abrasive nature remained a steady inherence, his many unique forms of gentle conveyances resonated profoundly with the girls. Without fail, both females came to Crosshair for the deep conversations, always intrigued by their enigmatic Ba’vodu’s wisdom presented through his scope of very unfiltered perspectives. Sniper rifles, late night sweets, and new hairstyles were the focal point of their relationship.

Crosshair would allow himself some leniency—he was a pretty good Uncle.

Though he shifted full credit to their beautiful mother, who initially cultivated Crosshair’s soft refinement so many years ago; her two children further reinforcing that self-growth in the man.

Two children...

It‘s been five years since, but the pain of loss from what would’ve been a third child—a son of Hunter’s that never carried to full term—still heavily bore it’s remnants of poignancy.

It never got any easier to quell the grief.

“Cyar’ika... you have to tell him soon. That stubborn Daddy of yours will find out one way or another.” He chuckled lightly before softening his tone. “You know that.”

A sigh of defeat emitting from the girl tugged at Crosshair’s heart strings as he watched the way her eyes became acquainted with the floor for a long moment; harsh silence uncouth in the act of creating a palpable weight of melancholy to encompass the atmosphere.

An abrupt sound cut deep through disconcertment with the sudden clearing of Crosshair’s throat, an act that signified a redirected topic of conversing between the awkward Uncle and crestfallen teenager.

“Your hair is getting long, Alara.”

That seemed to do the trick, and Crosshair was satiated with the way her brown eyes lit up slightly and expression eased into a relaxed state as the beautiful smile that Crosshair found himself missing made it’s way to her lips once again.

“I know, Papa told me the same thing just this morning.” She stifled a laugh before continuing. “Said he was gonna grow his out even longer so that there would be competition. I told him you were gonna braid it again if he did.”

Crosshair chortled. His ori’vod‘s humor was so outlandish. “And I might just, anyway—what I wouldn’t give to see that again on your old man,” he mused in humored recollection, to which the young girl eagerly obliged in the shared remembrance.

Crosshair no more than withdrew his hands from the stylized hair before Alara’s own fingers instantly flew to splay atop her head in appraisal of the intricately woven locks. Both of Hunter’s daughters were modest in their hairdressing skills, but it was a unanimous agreement between them and their Uncle at an earlier stage that they preferred it this way—‘long chats and endearing head pats’—as the girls liked to call it.

Crosshair leaned back in the chair, analyzing his work in the form of a braided crown adorning the circumference of the girl’s head and spanning from temple-to-temple, before he allowed his own satisfaction to display.

The teenager flashed Crosshair a dazzling smile before her praise followed suit. “Nice work Uncle Cross; you’ve done it again.”

“I aim to please, cyar’ika.”

Crosshair eyed his niece for a long moment as a sense of urgency and obligation began to permeate his stance. Visible confusion danced across Alara’s features as Crosshair’s solemn gaze and hands now resting determinedly on her shoulders instantly perked her attentiveness.

“Alarasmé, I want you to promise me something.”

“Anything.” The resolution in her voice faltered briefly as her head cocked to the side in nonchalant contemplation. “Unless it’s to finally beat Uncle Wrecker in arm wrestling—that’s definitely not gonna happen.” She giggled, and Crosshair quickly matched her humor before continuing in earnest.

“Promise me that you won’t ever let some boy or anyone break your heart. You and Ro are tough, like your momma. But that doesn’t mean you won’t always have four ex-Super Commandos on your side. So also promise me that you’ll never forget how much your family loves you.”

The girl remained silent for a moment in the absorption and intense processing of her Uncle’s heavy requests.

“That’s a lot of promises.”

“Promise me, cyare.”

“OK Ba’vodu—I promise.” She reaches up to swipe at the man’s cheek. “No need to go all soft, ram’ser.”

Ram’ser. Y/N’s favorite term for him.

“Hey, just like I have Papa’s heart, Uncle Wrecker’s, and Uncle Tech’s—” she tenderly continued, splaying a hand across Crosshair’s chest, “—I have yours, too. So mine can’t break when there’s already plenty of hearts to keep it company. Don’t worry.” She pulled the man into a tight hug before retracting and playfully prodding his shoulder, her eyes quick to sparkle with mischief.

“Now take me to the shooting range—I want to nail a target from ten klicks while sporting this hairdo.”

#star wars #Braids and Bavodu’e #Uncle Crosshair #my writing #I’m blessed by Uncle Crosshair #your antics ain’t foolin’ no one ya soft sniping bastard #be blessed by soft Uncle Crosshair #using the tags to spew everything I didn’t want to overflow the A/N section #I’m not crazy about the format... I like my paragraphs a little more spaced out #feels wonky #had to crop a fair amount out with what felt like tons of revision #but I made it work because I was hella determined to fit it all into one narrative #here’s to hoping I hit the sweet spot with the dynamics?#I want to feel so much love and adoration for this work #but editing was uncharacteristically straining on my mental capacity #one can only reread one’s own work so many times in one setting before it starts to make you go stir crazy #I don’t know how to feel.#I think I’m just tired #and writer’s anxiety 👎🏻#maybe I’ll feel different tomorrow #incessant rambling in the tags #hopefully will remember to delete these #it’s a Lil thing

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recentanimenews · 4 years

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REVIEW: The Eizouken Live-Action Movie Takes a Hands-Off Approach to the Source Material

A note on safety: The following movie review undertook the strictest of safety procedures to watch the anime film in cinemas in Japan, including washing hands with disinfectant before and after, sitting in seats apart from others, going to a cinema outside of the busy metro area, and wearing a mask during the entire runtime of the movie. We strongly urge everyone to follow the recommended safety protocol in your country and always wear a mask when in public — not just for your sake, but everyone else’s as well.

Let’s talk about faxes.

I promise that it will make sense soon.

To this day, faxes are huge in Japan. A lot of people, especially small business owners and freelancers, use them to send out invoices and the like, which must also be stamped with their personal seal known as a hanko. It’s an inescapable part of the giant, slow-to-change bureaucratic machine that permeates everyday life in Japan. Japan’s new administrative reform minister, Taro Kono, recently declared war on hanko and faxes, but it’ll be an uphill battle because Japan is basically the DMV if it became a country, with endless forms, applications, stamps, etc. It would actually be a pretty good topic for a satirical anime or something. But it’s not really the right topic for an Eizouken movie. Yet that’s what Tsutomu Hanabusa's live-action adaptation, which premiered on September 25, is ultimately all about.

The original Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! manga and anime had a pretty straightforward story: a trio of high school friends start a club to make traditional, hand-drawn anime. There was, of course, much more to it under the surface — like a look at how an artist’s environment influences their work, the very specific details that make anime feel more real, the delicate balance between creativity and realistic time/resource management necessary in any kind of artistic production, etc. The original story admittedly also had its flashier moments, though most of them took place in the imaginations of the three main characters: Midori Asakusa, Sayaka Kanamori, and Tsubame Mizusaki. On the whole, Eizouken is a celebration of the artistic spirit and a goofy, energetic love-letter to an industry that rarely loves animators back with its long hours and creative compromises.

The Eizouken live-action movie, on the other hand, has combat scenes, tactical police raids, elaborate battles, and, if I understood it correctly, a typhoon in a box. None of those are from the anime produced by the Eizouken club. They all happen within the movie’s “real” world and their goal is to push forward the idea that bureaucracy is bad.

Let me explain. In the manga and anime, the Student Council at Asakusa, Kanamori, and Mizusaki’s school was mostly an occasional roadblock they had to overcome to get some money for their club or to screen their finished anime. They did have a more prominently antagonistic role in the Culture Festival episode where they utilized their own security force, but to call them the villains would be really missing the point of the story. So anyway, the Student Council is 100 percent the villain of the Eizouken movie.

In the live-action film, the Student Council runs the school with its own paramilitary force that they use to enforce the ideas of Total Bureaucracy. They intervene in afterschool activities, merging existing clubs according to their whims, even if it doesn’t make a lick of sense. They can only be fought with signed forms and the like. They hate Eizouken because they represent disorder and because their existence challenges their rule-obsessed … rule. All of this was definitely a small part of the manga and anime but here, it’s been dialed up to 11 and given center stage, all to create an easily-recognizable Big Bad for the Eizouken girls.

Image via Amazon Prime

All of that doesn’t make the movie bad. On its own, it’s a semi-enjoyable story about insane high-school girls so obsessed with their administrative duties that they organize an armed police raid on their friends while yelling: “Don’t let them make that anime!” It’s a bit funny. But it’s not Eizouken.

An interesting thing about the live-action Eizouken movie is that it was supposed to premiere back in May (but got pushed back because of COVID-19) so it could follow the live-action series that aired before it. The series covers the events from the first chapter/episode up until the Student Council budget review, while the movie cuts down all that story into about 40-45 minutes and fills the rest of its runtime with new footage concluding with the screening of the Robot Club anime. This really hurts the movie because it was written with the assumption that the audiences have all seen the series, so a lot of crucial context is missing. Why do Asakusa, Kanamori, and Mizusaki have a problem with the Student Council? Covered in the series. How did they get their dilapidated clubhouse? Covered in the series. Why is there a cheerleader rebellion happening on the school grounds? Covered in the series.

If you’ve read the manga or seen the anime you won’t have trouble following it, although you probably will have trouble recognizing your favorite characters. Literally, the entire main cast is wrong. You remember how Mizusaki could flawlessly switch between her geek and model persona? Well, now she gets a bit flustered when people ask for her autograph. Also, there are no traces of the detailed-obsessed aspiring animator left in her (the film as a whole focuses very little on the actual act of making anime which is definitely ... a choice.) She’s not annoying or a bad influence. It’s not a terrible direction. It's just different. In the movie, Kanamori has exactly one scene where she can demonstrate her producer and money-and-resource-procuring skills and it happens off-screen. The rest of the time, she mainly yells at Asakusa and Mizusaki for not focusing. She did get a few more character-building scenes in the TV series but movies are meant to be as self-contained as possible so it would have been nice to see that here.

Image via Amazon Prime

Asakusa is probably the worst. In the manga and anime, she was an adventurer, a dreamer, a hard worker, a fully-rounded person. She had trouble with crowds or public speaking but she was brave in other areas, and she knew exactly what she wanted. The live-action Asakusa has a violent physical reaction when strangers talk to her. She also cries A LOT. She constantly has the look of a lost kitten about her, afraid of the world and what it might do to her. The animated/drawn Asakusa loved the world. She was fascinated and inspired by it to create anime. The live-action Asakusa does design to escape the real world because it scares her. Maybe this type of character could’ve worked in another series, but this just doesn't feel like Eizouken.

A lot of the choices in the movie are weird like that. The recap of the TV series happens in the form of a parody of samurai movies like Rashomon. There’s another parody of a Japanese variety show after that. A few American movie spoofs are also thrown in later. That’s possibly a commentary on modern entertainment, which would make sense in a story titled Eizouken (lit. “motion picture studies”), but the point of the anime and manga is that these girls aren’t making or studying general “motion pictures.” They make anime. Hand-drawn anime. They hammer in the difference between regular cinema and anime a lot. It’s one of the themes of Eizouken. But not in the live-action film, because, apparently, when the screenwriter read the name Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken, they took it as a suggestion to stay as far away from the source material as possible.

Have you seen the live-action Eizouken movie or TV series? What did you think of them? Let us know in the comment section!

Cezary writes words on the internet. You should follow him on Twitter.

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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 4 years

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Wasn’t gonna do a 5x11 post, but ya know what? It was a good one, and it’s fun to talk about stuff ya like.

SPOILERS.

Folks this one is LONG:

Admittedly, I don’t really understand what Brainy did with the rock and the stick, but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter, because we get Motorcycle Brainy.

I appreciate that nearly every character on this show has the impulse to go out and get a black Stealth Outfit and procure a motorcycle whenever they gotta do clandestine, under-cover stuff. (See also: Lucy, Kara, Alex, J’onn.)

ALSO appreciate the ongoing commitment to characters showing they care via food, as seen in the Breakup Feast scene.

I’ve seen this episode four times and it’s only JUST occurring to me that Lex is grabbing some of Evil!Winn’s hair and not just creepily picking lint off his shirt, after their little chat.

Lena Laments to Lex! Lost Lots of Lobe Legwork.

And then NAT CITY TOY CON!

Lex’s action figure is safe for children ages 5 and up, AND the articulation allows for lots of action and superhero poses!

(That thing has NO visible leg or arm joints, Lex will not be doing ANY action posing, whatsoever. XD)

But, for real: It’s a pretty great prop. The packaging is spot on.

Love all the Supergirl action figures in the background too. (AND WITH THE NEW SUIT I am envious of Earth Prime.)

Get ‘im William, GET ‘IM.

The Lex and Kara scene was GREAT, loved the recorder smash.

Then dramatic slow walk with wiiiiiind, very nice.

CAPE SAVE

WINN

Absolutely love the moment between him, Alex, and Kara when he reveals he has a family.

AND HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER ARE LOVELY. THAT KIDDO IS SO CUTE.

Group huuuuuuug

‘I might have missed you just a little bit.’ ‘Me too, just a little.’ ‘Yeah, well, I missed you, like, A LOT.’

Side note: Really dig Winn’s superhero outfit.

“I wanted to apologize to you, for how I treated you after you took my mother’s medallion.”

*Skeptical Thor face* Is it really hers though?

(Answer: No.)

Okay OKAY now we get to the REALLY GOOD PART but first, a bit of appreciation for Winn referencing Sam Spade.

Alright, are we ready? ARE WE READY????

J’onn’s office (which is ALREADY a cool set) gets a SECRET ELEVATOR that leads tooooo...

THE TOWwait, whoops, almost forgot:

Kara’s total nerd reaction to the secret elevator and Alex’s elder sibling-ly ‘don’t push’ while actually pushing Winn are just. *chef’s kiss*

Okay, we’re back: THE TOWER!!!!!

Complete with PAPA BEAR HUG for Best Son Winn!

I like J’onn’s Martian vest, though I do feel like he should get some finger-less gloves, or something, to complete the look.

“In the future they call it the Hall of Justice.” “I like that.”

“So like STAR Labs.” “Or the Arrow Bunker.” “A place where my Superfriends can work, whenever they should need it.”

1.) I don’t know why the casual references to the other shows are throwing me, it’s not like they haven’t done it before...maybe it’s the fact that characters besides Kara have this kind of...lived-in familiarity with this stuff that’s otherwise been reserved for her, due to the nature of JUST the lead visiting the other shows. 2.) It occurs to me that Supergirl, the show, never had a central hub like the Arrow Bunker or Star Labs that’s just for the main characters. (Well, I guess the Office of Solitude counts? Kind of?) All of the sets (aside from Kara’s Loft and J’onn’s office which are like...living spaces) require at least a handful of extras milling around in the background. I don’t know where I was going with this....*Marge Simpson voice* I just think it’s neat. 3.) J’onn calling them his Superfriends!!!! :D

“What are you gonna call it?” “I was thinking...The Tower.” “COOL.”

Kara you lovable nerd, you.

The cut from the Martian Memory Meld to Winn’s puking is comedic gold.

“And James runs a small town newspaper and mentors children? That’s adorable!”

You can tell who’s only watching the show via gifs, because this line threw them.

Alex being like, ‘BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE.’ XD

Evil!Winn’s message has Jim Carrey Riddler energy. I think it’s that ‘Let’s play to win!’ bit that does it.

Aaaand some other stuff occurs. Lex and Brainy talk, The Kara and William stuff at CatCo, Evil!Winn’s warehouse lair.

But then BACK TO THE TOWER for more nerding out and some lovely heart-to-hearts!

Winn telling Nia about Nura: :D :D :D

And then OOOOOH BOY, my favorite scene: Kara and Winn.

It starts off great, with Kara being like, ‘I bet you’re a great dad.’ And then Winn gets to talk about being a dad! And naming his little girl after his mom! ‘It was either that or Winifred.’ Heart AND humor??? AND THEN: “KARA WAS AN OPTION.” AAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWW

BUT THEN WINN’S LIKE, ‘EVERYONE IN THE FUTURE NAMES THEIR KID KARA’ HECK YEAH THEY DO

And then the scene continued to be great but I will admit that I was gripped with a sudden, terrible fear that when Kara mentioned not being too thrilled with her ‘legend’ she was gonna talk about how she betrayed Lena yet again but THANK GOODNESS IT WASN’T THAT.

Instead what we got was this nice little exchange about Kara feeling like she’s endangering William, and Winn being like: ‘you put ME in danger but I always trusted you to protect me’ which is a LOVELY bit of trust and reassurance and a nice deconstruction of the idea that heroes have to distance themselves from others in order to best protect them. Supergirl the TV show has always said and will always say NOPE.

STRONGER TOGETHER.

“Being in your orbit...it’s inspiring.” “You.”

I JUST LOVE KARA HAVING THEM THERE GOOD FRIENDSHIPS.

Then Wicked Winn’s Warehouse! Followed By Lex on a Legion Ship! Learning of Leviathan!

The Obsidian pitch sounds TOTALLY legit, can’t IMAGINE how that could be exploited for evil.

Then Toyman’s Terrible Tigers! Which Brainy Tries to Tame!

And, look. You’re either the kind of person that watches these DCTV shows and rolls your eyes at on-the-nose music cues, ooooor you’re the kind of person that applauds that kind of go-for-broke attitude.

I am one of the latter.

(BUT it’s always just gonna be...really hard to top The Flash using “Flash Gordon” as Barry jumps into a black hole.)

ANYWAYS.

Always cool to see Kara speed folks away from danger. Very nice!

Whoops, little out of order here, I got excited: prior to the super speed, we have a Winn Stand-off.

(NGL the mental image of Winn singing “Nothing Left to Lose” with his evil counterpart has been amusing me all week long.)

But I digress! Toyman seems to perish in the explosion, but given that this is a two part episode...HMMMM. I think NOT.

(I mean, there’s also the end of episode cliffhanger, so. Yeah, obvious guess is obvious.)

But for the moment, Winn’s future is safe! Yaaaaay!

Then we get the cute moment between Kara and William and YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT, I SAID CUTE. BECAUSE IT WAS CUTE.

So please put me firmly in camp: Generally indifferent to ships but certainly not opposed to more cute reporter shenanigans.

(Also she wouldn’t let him have dinner alone with the world’s saddest sandwich.)

Instead William gets to come to GAME NIGHT!

Everything about that scene is. So good.

The friendly trash-talking! The glasses bit! ‘Marty’! William saving the Jenga tower for Kara! Space Dad being there!

(Oh, forgot another scene in my haste to rejoice over game night. Winn and Brainy. T’was good.)

(Oh, no, forgot another one: LENA HAS Q-WAVES. THE GOL-DANG MIND CONTROL PLOT CONTINUES.)

And then there’s the cliffhanger and the next episode preview WHICH I’m absolutely looking forward to because MORE WINN and also KARA AND WILLIAM GET TO SING “AFRICA”.

WHICH...thank you, show, for giving us “Africa” after revealing that was Kara’s other choice, but she went with “Intergalactic” back innnnn...season...three? Well the reveal was in season four. But karaoke night proper was in season three. And “Intergalactic” was great! But.

COME ON.

IT’S GONNA TAKE A LOT TO DRAG ME AWAAAAAAY FROM YOOOOOOOOOU

Anyways. Wonderful episode! A true season highlight! David did such a good job! EVERYONE did such a good job! This fandom is the worst! And I hope that they actually DO stop watching the show, because it will be better for their emotional well-being and mental health, as well as our own!

#SG post #long post #supergirl spoilers #supergirl 5x11 spoilers

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hotoffthepressfics · 5 years

Text

Teach Me How to Dance with You

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Word Count: 4,832

Summary: After a botched mission the Reader tries to get closer to Bucky, but can she get passed his trauma and get close to the man underneath?

Warnings: Injury and violence, angst, fluff

Chapter Soundtrack:

“How ‘Bout a Dance?” - Laura Osnes

“Teach Me How to Dance With You” - Causes

“Try a Little Tenderness” - Frank Sinatra

A/N: Hands down, my favorite fic I’ve ever written. I hope you all enjoy this super fluffy piece. 💕

Distant rumbling shakes the destroyed building. Small clumps of concrete drop like hail. The heavy slab of wall shifts lower, putting more pressure on your pinned leg. You groan in pain; your brain scrambling to figure a way out. You had tried to contact the others, but your comm had been damaged in the explosion.

The mission was supposed to be straightforward. Clear out the Hydra cell, take back any intel gathered. Except that someone had been ready for you.

The ground shakes again as more aftershocks roll through the vicinity. The wall moves another inch lower. You scream this time, the pain becoming unbearable. You wonder briefly if this is where you’ll die when you hear someone shouting. You crane your neck to see who’s coming. A dark figure cautiously creeps through the dust and smoke, body in a battle ready stance.

“I’m – here! Please, help me!” Your voice grates against your throat, coughing as you inhale to speak.

The figure zeroes in on you, quickly approaching. It dawns on you that perhaps this wouldn’t be an ally, but an enemy. If it was an enemy then at least this pain would be over soon.

Relief floods your veins as soon as a certain super soldier’s features come into view. His eyes widen in recognition and he drops to your side.

“Y/N! Can you move?” Bucky asks, assessing your predicament.

You shake your head.

“No, my leg’s pinned. The wall fell as soon as the chaos started and I wasn’t fast enough to move out of the way.” You answer a bit ruefully.

You’re suddenly aware that the pain in your leg has subsided. In fact, all sensation of feeling is muted as you attempt to wiggle your toes. You fight the rising panic.

“I’m gonna lift this up and you need to move out from under it. You got that?” Bucky instructs.

You nod and brace your hands against the floor. Bucky positions his hands underneath the rubble and lifts, his metal arm whirring with the force needed to move the heavy object. As soon as it’s high enough you pull and kick with your good leg until you’ve slid clear of the debris. Bucky drops the slab to the floor.

It was like someone had dropped hundreds of fire ants down your leg, the sudden rush of blood tripling the dulled pain. You hold your breath, trying not to scream. Small black dot swim in your vision. You’re dimly aware of someone speaking, the agony making it hard to focus on anything else.

Without warning you feel yourself become weightless as two arms lock beneath your back and knees. The jostling movements as Bucky carries you quickly from the scene renew the pain in waves. You whimper pathetically and beg him to stop.

“I’m sorry Y/N. I know it hurts, but we have to get you out of here. I promise, when this mess is over I’ll do whatever you ask, doll.”

You whimper again but nod and press your face into his shoulder, the coolness of the Vibranium soothing on your fevered cheek. You hear Bucky speak again.

“I’ve got Agent Y/L/N. She’s injured pretty bad. We’ll rendezvous at the quinjet.”

Steve responds though you don’t catch it. Bucky moves quickly, taking care not to jostle you too much. You attempt to keep your whimpers and groans to a minimum, though the trek to the jet feels like an eternity. As you two come up to it Steve careens around a corner and ushers you in.

Bucky sets you onto a seat and begins strapping you in as Nat, Sam, and the rest of the team barrel into the jet. Steve walks over to you. He kneels to inspect your wound, gingerly lifting the torn cloth and prodding the flesh beneath.

“What happened?” He asks you, his piercing blues staring up at you.

“Explosion… concrete wall…boom.” You weakly mimic the slab falling down with your arm. Your head lulls to the side. “Couldn’t move.”

Steve hums in understanding and resumes his examination. He nods once.

“The good thing is the skin isn’t broken, but you could be bleeding internally. Not to mention that the bone might be broken. Fractured at the least.” He says, a little relieved though still a bit grim.

Now that eminent danger was diverted the adrenaline was wearing off. Your eyes feel heavy and you struggle to keep them open. They drift close and Steve digs his thumb into your wounded leg. You yelp and yank away from his grasp, eyes snapping open to glare at him. He grins repentantly.

“Sorry Y/N, but we need to you stay awake until we can get you properly checked.”

“Well then, stop probing my poor leg and get this thing in the air already!” You whine, a little too petulant. You were hurt; you were allowed to be a little childish.

He leaves you be and begins giving commands to head back to the tower. Bucky takes the seat to your left and straps himself in. You incline your head towards him, trying to focus on his movements to stay awake. When he’s finished he rests his hand against his thigh, waiting for lift off.

You study his hand for a moment. On instinct you reach for it. Bucky pulls back the second your fingers make contact with his skin, but then he turns his hand over and laces his fingers with yours.

Silence passes between you two for a beat, then you mumble, “Dancing.”

Bucky cocks his head towards you, one eyebrow quirked. “What?”

“You said… you would do.. anything I asked. I want… you to.. dance with me.” You pant, the effort to remain conscious taking its toll.

He smirks and narrows his eyes at you, “Any particular reason for that request?”

You clumsily shake your head, eyes dropping closed. A sharp pain spreads over your cheek. You crack open your left eye and scowl. Bucky’s smirk widens and releases his hold on your pinched cheek.

“Alright, it’s a deal.”

•••

Recovering from you injury was a bitch. The silver lining had been that, thanks to Tony’s fancy, high – tech machines, you’d be able to walk again. The dark cloud had been the endless, and oh did you mean endless, weeks of healing and physical therapy.

A super soldier with incredible healing abilities you were not. Damn them.

No matter the struggle, you’d been determined to make a fast recovery. Tony Stark’s annual Avengers Gala has been two months away. Normally that wouldn’t interest you much, but this time was different. This time you had the procured promise from one Winter Soldier for a dance.

You recall the night you’d found a somber Rogers nursing a glass of whiskey, though it didn’t do much for him. You’d sat and listened to him reminisce about the good ol’ days. He told you how Bucky would try to set him up on dates and force him to go dancing. Steve bragged about how light on his feet Bucky used to be. He could sweep any dame he wanted off onto the dance floor and she’d be his. However, once he’d come back he never indulged in such things anymore. He figured Bucky felt he didn’t have a right to, after all the damage he’d caused.

It made your heart ache. After all he’d been through Bucky deserved more than the self – hatred he’d been made to feel. You wanted to give him back a piece of himself, even if for a moment. The problem was you’d just never had the nerve to broach the subject with him.

Until the accident. Perhaps it’d been the thought of never seeing him again without telling him how you feel, the delirium from your injury, or a bit of both. Whatever the case, you couldn’t stop picturing a scene with just the two of you dancing, Bucky smiling ear to ear. The image was so perfect you could believe you had died. So, without overthinking it, you’d asked him.

You’d been elated when he agreed. You worked hard and it had paid off, and he’d been there to help you initially. However, as the weeks went by Bucky became more reclusive. A dark shadow seemed to hang off of him, and it made you nervous. The Gala couldn’t come at a better time.

Now you sit in your wheelchair impatiently waiting for the elevator to take you down to the party. You smooth your hands over your curls and down to your white dress skirt, fiddling with the twin splits up to the tops of your thighs where intricate lace peaked through. You could walk now, in short bursts, but you couldn’t pass up the little show you could put on once you joined in the partying.

The elevator doors ding and slide open to reveal a very sophisticated Natasha. She wore a form – fitting, slate gray dress. Her fiery red hair is piled high on her head, little ringlets falling to frame her face. She looks stunning, as always. Nat whistles when you come into view. You roll your eyes but you grin widely. As you both settle into the descending compartment you shiver. Your veins buzz with the nervous anticipation.

“Are you ready?” Nat asks as she grips the handles for your wheelchair.

“Umm, excited, yes. Ready?... I’m not so sure yet.” You respond.

Nat pushes you out of the elevator and towards the double doors at the end of the hall. She steadies the seat as you stand.

“It’s going to be great, now get in there!” She encourages.

You take one last deep breath, roll back your shoulders, and waltz in. Your first steps are little wobbly, and you question for a moment if wearing the heels had been a good idea. You find your balance though and walk a little more confidently.

The event is in full swing. Civilians and agents mill about, chatting, laughing, and schmoozing the other Avengers. So many beautiful people but you are only interested in finding one in particular. As your eyes scan the crowd Steve steps in front of you, arms spread wide to take you all in. A beaming smile splits his face.

“Look at you! It’s good to see you are up on your feet again.” He exclaims, wrapping you up in a giant bear hug.

You laugh softly and return the embrace.

“Thanks, it’s good to be able to move around on my own. Have you seen…” you let the sentence trail off, slightly embarrassed to be so intent on the task at hand.

Steve pulls away and chuckles softly. He stands to the side and points to the bar in the far right corner.

“He’s over there. It took a lot to get him dressed and down here, so he’s brooding over a glass of bourbon. Seeing you might cheer him up though.” Steve pats your back good naturedly and steps behind you to greet Natasha.

Your heart flips inside your chest at the sight of him. Bucky looks stunning in the black, tailored suit. His dark, shaggy hair slicked back from his face. He turns his head at that moment to gaze out at the crowd. A small strand of hair falls rebelliously over his forehead, making him look a little more vulnerable than usual. As if attracted to your gaze his dazzling blue eyes lock onto yours. Your spirits dampen a little at the dark circles under them, his look a little hollow.

You begin to make your way over to Bucky, but every few feet someone stops you to congratulate you on your recovery and make small talk. Your gaze drifts back to Bucky every now and then. He had turned back around, hunched over the bar.

After what felt like an eternity you finally made it over. You lean against the counter and shift your body towards Bucky, beaming up at him. He continues to bore holes into the countertop. The circles under his eyes appear much worse this close up. Your smile falters a bit. You reach up for his hand.

"Hey, are you okay?" You squeeze your fingers around his metal palm.

His eyes flick up to your face, breaking himself out of his daze. He inhales deeply and adjusts his stance, drawing his hand out of yours in the process. You try not to let your disappointment show.

"Yeah, I'm great. Couldn't be better." He states flatly, a small lopsided grin forming but it doesn't reach his eyes.

He looks a little wild, like an animal caged and in desperate need to flee. You study him silently for a moment before you attempt to reach out to him again. Placing a gentle touch against his shoulder you try once more to get him to confide in you.

"I just... I'm worried about you." You hope your eyes convey the feeling and sincerity in your words.

Bucky holds your gaze for a beat before he scoffs.

"No need to worry about me, doll. I'm as fine as a warm, summer day in July." He takes a swig of his bourbon, grimacing as it burns down.

He returns to sullenly staring at the counter. You watch him sadly, letting your hand drift slowly down his metal arm. You feel each ridge through his suit. The band changes songs and your mind registers the slower tempo. Your smile regains its strength and you renew your efforts to draw Bucky away from the bar.

"Come on, I think I know a way to cheer you up" Your voice eager as you turn to pull him to the dance floor.

The farther you walk away, however, you feel Bucky's hand disappear from your hold. You slowly spin back and watch as Bucky pushes off the bar counter and heads to the exit, dragging his glass along the top. When he reaches the edge, he throws back his head and downs the rest of his alcohol. The glass clinks against the surface as he sets it back down and leaves through the doors you had entered.

You stand there at a loss, your high spirits quickly deflating. You knew it was silly to think so, but it felt like all eyes were on you and had witnessed your spectacular failure. A hand brushes against your shoulder and you jump. You look up at Steve's sympathetic face. At least one person had seen. He holds out his hand to you.

"I may not be as good a partner as him, but could I have this dance?” Steve asks.

You force a small smile and place your hand in his, your vision becoming blurry with unshed tears. He leads you to the dance floor and pulls you into position. You allow him to lead you through the song, eyes downcast at your feet.

"Hey."

You glance up to Steve's face. He smiles gently. "Give him some time, he's going through a bad spell."

You cast your eyes to the floor once more, saying nothing. The band closes the song and Steve tucks your arm through his, leading you around the room to mingle. You put on a brave face, being polite and friendly. A little while later Sam asks you to dance and you nod, pulling away from Steve. It's enjoyable and you appreciate their kindness in trying to cheer you, but you just want to wallow in self – pity. After an hour passes you decide enough time has passed to make excuses and retreat to your bedroom.

Everyone urges you to stay and revel a little more but you blame your departure on your healing leg and bow out. It wasn't a complete lie; a slow ache had begun in your muscle. Only when the elevator doors slide close do you allow yourself to shed the tears you'd been holding at bay. Some enchanted evening this turned out to be.

•••

Bucky shoots up off of his bed as his nightmare jolts him awake. He pants heavily, blinking to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. He looks down at his chest; the white dress shirt he'd passed out in clinging to his form from the sweat pouring off of his body. Bucky flops back down on the mattress breathing slowly to calm his rapidly beating heart.

It was just a nightmare. It wasn't real. Y/N is safe.

Probably. He hoped you were safe. He'd retreated from Stark's asinine party to ensure you'd be safe. From him.

The nightmares weren't an unusual thing. They'd plagued him since he'd come out of being the Winter Soldier. His past misdeeds coming back in pieces to haunt him. Now, though, they had begun to morph. Making Bucky believe he might be responsible for everything that failed in missions against Hydra. He had been their assassin after all. Couldn't they still find a way to control him?

They now begun to convince him he had caused the explosion that hurt Y/N. His relief had been so instantaneous when he'd found her that he'd wanted to do nothing more than hold her and keep her safe. He had determined to get closer to her when they got back. Then the nightmares made him realize how wrong he'd be for Y/N. Bucky had nothing good to offer her; just heartache and pain.

Since then he'd started distancing himself from her. He had intended never to set foot downstairs tonight, but Steve had been so adamant he attend Bucky couldn't really say no. The moment Y/N walked into the room he'd wanted to pull her close and never let go. She looked so radiant, and when she'd seen him? That smile would keep him warm for days. Bucky loathed how much he'd enjoyed her touch. She was too good for him. She didn't understand the things he'd done, not really. Which is why he'd needed to leave.

Here in his quiet room Bucky could strengthen his resolve to let her go. He swallows, the saliva sticking to his parched throat. He needed another drink, though it did nothing really. Just quenched a thirst. Figuring the party had long ended he makes his way back downstairs to the bar.

He's surprised to find Steve sitting alone at the bar when he arrives. Steve pours and downs a series of shots attempting to get enough alcohol in his system to generate a buzz. Bucky slides into the seat next to him and pours himself a shot. Steve glances over and snorts. He shakes his head in disapproval.

"You're a real jackass, you know that?" Steve says, a tinge of anger to his voice.

Bucky raises an eyebrow. "Not that I'm disagreeing, but what is it for this time?" He challenges.

Steve inclines his head to stare at Bucky for a moment. He shakes his head again and throws back another shot.

"If you really aren't aware then maybe don't make promises you don't intend to keep. My god, you didn't have to see her face. It was like you'd kicked a puppy.”

Bucky furrows his brows. Now he was really confused. He downs his own shot and slams it onto the counter.

"Kicked a puppy? What the hell are you talking about?" He demands.

"Y/N! She'd been working so hard to be able to dance with you tonight but your head is so far up your ass that you can't appreciate all that effort. A beautiful woman wanted to make you happy, but you're too busy focusing on sulking. I'm certain she's given up now." Steve brings the glass to his lips but thinks better of it. He sets the glass back down.

Bucky sits stunned. The alcohol he'd just consumed churning uncomfortably in his stomach. He had made Y/N that promise, hadn't he? That's where she'd been trying to lead him tonight but he'd been too stubborn to notice. He had wanted to keep her safe, not hurt her with his perceived callousness. Bucky rests his head against the counter, exhaling loudly.

"I'm an idiot." He admits to Steve.

Steve hums in agreement. Bucky needed to make this right, at least for Y/N's sake. He lifts his head and gazes at his lifelong friend.

"Help me fix this?" He asks.

"How?" Steve stares at him one eyebrow cocked in question.

Bucky mulls it over for a minute, an idea formulating. He smirks and says, "Do you think you have a way of getting onto Stark's landing platform?"

•••

You had gone to bed hours ago but sleep was far from you tonight. You'd wept heavily and though the tears had stopped flowing your depressed mood kept replaying the disaster of tonight over and over, trying to discover what you'd done wrong. To top it all off, you really had overdone the walking. The dull throbbing of over exertion radiating up your thigh, adding to your misery.

It'd all been for nothing.

You thought sadly. You could get up and take some pain killers, but you decide to use the pain to indulge in your pity party.

A soft knocking sounds at your door. You ignore it hoping whoever it is will assume you'd fallen asleep and leave you alone. A minute passes before the action is repeated. Again, and again. The fourth time you sigh in frustration. You'd think they'd get the hint! You sit up in bed pulling the covers up to your hips before you lean over and switch on your beside lamp.

"Come in." You grumble trying to infuse as much annoyance into your voice as possible.

You weren't really sure who you'd been expecting, but it certainly hadn't been Bucky. You glance down at his feet as he stands in the doorway, unable to meet his gaze. Neither of you says anything for a moment. Beginning to feel awkward you clear your throat.

"Is there something you want, James?" You rarely used his given name, but your feelings were still raw from his snub. Endearing nicknames were not what you wanted to use right now.

When he still doesn't respond you huff and shift away from him, flinging the covers over yourself. You really didn't want to play games. You hear his footsteps approach and travel across to the other side of the bed. You shut your eyes as soon as you feel the covers slide down your head and body. Another moment of silence passes. Finally, Bucky sighs and murmurs,

"Y/N, please look at me."

You want to refuse him, but curiosity won out. You slowly open your eyes and peer up at him, hoping the puffiness from your bout of crying isn't noticable. Bucky kneels, carefully picking up your hands and gingerly holding them against his firm chest. You feel the steady rhythm of his heart underneath. You glance at your joined hands than back up to his face, eyebrows quirked in confusion.

"I want a do over." He says finally, "I'm a complete idiot, I know. I need you to understand that I never wanted to hurt you. I made you a promise, and I never break my promises. Just ask Steve." He winks and grins widely, trying to alleviate the tension.

His mood swings were starting to make you feel like you were on a roller coaster. One moment he was sweet as honey towards you, the next he was acting like he wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole. It was getting tiresome.

"James..." You pull at your hands but they remain firm in his grasp. You inhale a shaky breath, tears pricking your eyes anew.

You drop your gaze to your body lying on the bed. You had wanted to give him one perfect night. The gift of one good memory out of so many bad ones. Now instead of the gorgeous gown you’d been wearing you were dressed in a plain chemise. Your curled hair brushed out, not to mention your face. It was scrubbed clean of makeup, a combination of you washing or crying it off. No, this was not how you had pictured yourself appearing when you made this memory. You offered a more practical excuse than this however.

"James, it's too late. I wanted tonight to be special for you, but I can't even stand right now. I – I overdid it tonight. My leg is killing me and I'd be useless as a dance partner." You laugh bitterly.

Bucky is quiet for a few seconds, his thumbs grazing the backs of your hands lazily. You can physically see the lightbulb go off in his head when he gives you a sly grin.

"I can work around that."

•••

After a little more convincing on his part, you agree to Bucky's do – over. He cautiously scoops you up and carries you bridal – style out into the hallway. Just as he had the day you'd been injured, although this time was much more pleasant.

Inside the elevator you rest your head on his shoulder, content to be close to Bucky like this. You let your eyelids shut for a moment, soothed by his even breathing. The elevator dips as it stops. You’re aware of the gentle sway as he resumes walking but you keep your eyes closed, trusting him.

“Open your eyes, doll.” Bucky whispers softly.

You comply, looking up at his face before shifting your gaze outwards. Your breath is taken by the sight.

Amid the stars and city lights below Tony’s landing pad twinkles with flashing lights. A soft wind blows a few strands of hair across your face as Bucky moves you out onto the center of it. The blinking lights illuminate you both. It was like you’d stepped out into the middle of the sky, surrounded by the tiny celestial bodies.

Lost in your wonderment you’re caught by surprise as Bucky gently drops your legs. He easily catches you by your waist before your feet even touch the ground, careful not to put weight on your healing leg.

He draws you closer, placing your feet atop his as the sound of an old forties song begins to play around you. You hold Bucky’s gaze with wide eyes, speechless.

“I know it’s a little late, but may I have this dance?” He asks in earnest.

You can only nod shyly. He smirks and wraps his metal arm around your middle, supporting your weight as he moves his feet to sway to the music.

As the music continues you laugh quietly, a little giddy from the whirlwind of emotions you’d felt that night. You press your cheek against his shoulder. Trying to memorize the feel of his arm pressed to your back. The soft material of his dress shirt wrinkled beneath your hands. The words of the music playing. You feel Bucky’s breath whisper against your ear.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to realize my mistake. I just… didn’t want you hurt because… of what I am. What I’ve been.” He admits.

You lift your head to stare into his clear blue eyes, the low light deepening them. Suddenly you’re aware of the hidden emotion in them, afraid of what they’ll find in your returning gaze. He was opening himself up to you, part of him expecting you to reject him. You notice his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows, uncomfortable with your scrutiny.

You smile sweetly, placing a gentle hand to his cheek, brushing your thumb along his cheekbone. His eyes flutter closed as he presses his face into your palm, so touch starved.

“Everyone was some darkness in their past, Bucky. You, Nat, Steve, Sam… even me. You can’t dwell in it forever, but if you must then let me stay in that darkness with you.” You intone quietly.

Bucky doesn’t respond, letting your words work themselves into his mind. The song slows and he dips you. You let your knees bend with the motion, holding his gaze. Without much thought you lean up and press your lips to his.

You would have thought you’d prodded him with a taser the way he jumped back. So caught off guard he drops you flat on your back, breaking the magic of the moment. You burst into laughter as Bucky swears and drops to his knees, apologizing. He scoops you into his lap, running his hands along your body, inspecting if he’d hurt you.

“I’m fine, Bucky. I’m a little sturdier than that. A little fall isn’t going to kill me.” You grasp his face between your hands, forcing him to meet your eyes.

“You’re a good man, James Buchanan Barnes. I believe in you, even if you don’t.” You say gently.

He glances down a moment, his hands trailing along your waist as he draws you closer.

“I’m beginning to understand that.” He says just before he captures you lips once more in a burning kiss.

EVERYTHING TAGLIST:

@booktvmoviefangirl @lowkeybuckyb @mrsdaamneron @xxashy999xx @c-ly-g @coal000 @rroguebones @ghostlyrose2 @part-time-patronus @emelielwh @peaceinourtime82 @buckysforeverprincess @geeksareunique @amnahs9695 @v-2bucky @scarlet-skywalkers @lokilvrr @thisismysecrethappyplace @sacre-bluhm @tatertot1097 @until-theend-oftheline @amoonagedaydreamer @marvelouspottering @thatfanficstuff @chuuulip @averyrogers83 @ellaprime68 @shield-agent78 @jewels2876

BUCKY BARNES TAGLIST:

@bloodiedskirtts @igotkatiepowers @misplacedorphan @superwholockwannabe @moonstruckhargrove @ladysergeantbarnes

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #james bucky barnes fanfiction #james bucky barnes x reader #the winter soldier #bucky angst #bucky fluff #marvel fanfiction

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bbq-hawks-wings · 5 years

Text

More Hawks HCs!

I feel like the Hawks tag has been a little bare as far as HCs go for a little bit so throwing my hat in once again while I wait for dinner to cook between stirrings.

Finances:

Hawks grew up dirt poor - like concerningly poor. Now that he's rolling in the dough he literally has no idea how he would ever spend it all.

What's more, he doesn't WANT to spend it willy-nilly. He grew up with the mindset that money was a responsibility, not a luxury. He takes his responsibility very seriously.

When he started hero work and immediately shot to the top and saw his checks swell at breakneck speeds, the first thing he did was hire a finance manager to make sure he planted his money into investments instead of burning through it or letting it sit stagnant.

He has a diverse enough portfolio that should he be out of work for good today he still wouldn't need to work another day in his life if he didn't want to.

But now that he's settled he makes a point to donate large amounts to charities focusing on underprivileged families and children in particular.

He tries to keep it under the radar, though. Part of it is him desperately trying to avoid the top hero spot but another part is a genuine sense of humility trying to do what's right.

He actually ended up with a personal procurement staff at his brand consultant's suggestion. People who are clearly paid enough money are often expected to act like it, and he almost caused a scene when he was on a live interview and learned the actual cost of his ensemble that had been picked for him.

He looked somewhere between horrified and absolutely going to be sick (Do you know exactly how many rotisserie chicken dinners that could buy?!?!), but he recovered and got someone else to hold his credit card for him. Now all he does is tell them his tastes in clothes, furniture, etc. and they find and buy it for him so he doesn't have to look at the price tag, and they only get something when he speaks up to mention it.

He has good people, though. They still try to keep costs down for his sake. He still buys all his own food, though.

Still, some habits are just a little more deeply ingrained, and he practically breathes the "reduce, reuse, recycle" mantra. He's often praised for taking care of the planet; but honestly he's just so thrifty deep into his bones it hurts to be wasteful.

He also can't help but resent people (often entitled people born into money) who don't understand how fortunate they are and take everything, especially people, for granted.

Family:

Hawks was an only child (wait and watch Horikoshi throw an enormous family in my face later) and lived with his mother, father, and grandmother.

Gran-gran was his favorite playmate, and the two were thick as theives. She was the one who really cemented many of his key values as a person as well as taught him how to fly.

His grandmother was not a conventionally attractive woman. She had pronounced, almost masculine features; a scowl that could send people running, wild hair, and a long, prominent nose. She looked like a tengu, though the wings on her back also earned her the mean nickname of "harpy" from time to time as well.

Hawks' good looks are thanks to his late grandpa - a guy with a much more bird-like quirk.

Gran-gran was clever, though, and tough as nails! She wasn't afraid to make her grandson earn all his victories in their games, but she was also doting and praised him when he did well or did his best.

God, what he wouldn't do to spend just one more festival with her watching the fireworks again. He misses her more than even he realizes.

Hawks' father did his best to provide for his family, but the financial hardships got on top of them more times than he's proud of. Sometimes it was hard for him to look his family in the eye.

His mother also tried to bring in money with odd jobs, but often ended up sick and having to rest at home. Her telekenesis quirk was what gave Hawks his quirk's competitive edge to it.

Hawks always wanted brothers or sisters, but it was never financially in the cards for them. To this day he loves big families, and the sight of parents juggling three or more children always makes him smile.

If he hadn't been taken away to boarding school for his training and separated from his family, they probably would have bonded even closer and continued to grow again. He'd hoped for that when he agreed to it; but he didn't understand the depth of the situation or the greed/desperation of the Hero Public Safety Commission.

Personal life:

Hawks is too busy for a pet, but that hasn't stopped him from wondering what kind he'd get if he could.

He really does just get along well with birds, so he'd probably get one, but a smaller one that probably wouldn't outlive him. He couldn't do that to the poor thing, nor could he only get one. Bare minimum he would ever get of any pet is two because even if he wasn't as busy as he was he probably still couldn't necessarily give a social bird the time it needed to be happy. Friends are a must.

As much as he loves the personality of the larger birds, he knows it takes a lot of patience to live with them on top of the life span thing, so he'd probably get some parakeets or cockatiels.

He'd be lying if he didn't admit getting chickens has crossed his mind on several occasions.

If he had to pick a fuzzy buddy, though, he likes ferrets. When they're not bouncing off the walls full of energy, they're out cold for a good snooze. (That's the life!)

Learning how to play an instrument is also on his bucket list. He knows it's so basic, but he would love to pick up the guitar. He doesn't expect to be any kind of amazing musician and his singing voice is less than stellar; but he'd just like to be able to play some of his favorite tunes for himself from time to time.

He's an easy person to like, but he is not easy to love or live with. Much of his darker personality traits come out the more time he spends with people. They aren't "evil" traits, by any means, but much more like survival mechanisms developed by the lifestyle forced on him that are clearly unhealthy the longer you look at them.

Like his instinctual need to control any given circumstance or interaction. It's not something he does out of malice; but it becomes obvious if you look close enough. He doesn't feel like he has agency over his own life, and people on all sides are always trying to take advantage of him.

He also ever so subtly changes his persona depending on the situation and company present. It's such a habit at this point even he doesn't realize he does it. We've seen before that he can expertly read a room and react accordingly.

Hawks is also used to putting up emotional barriers between himself and people with potentially meaningful relationships to him. Whether consciously or not, since losing his family he's afraid of losing people important to him again.

This poor man is also unbelievably touch starved. His childhood was filled with affectionate hugs and roughhousing as it was one of the few things they had in spades. Now, not only is he alone in the middle of a VERY "hands-off" society, he has his public image to manage as well.

Someone get this guy a therapist, seriously! He's too close to the situation to realize how precarious and easily compromisable his mental health state is, but on all sides are people that would discourage him from seeking therapy because it could be considered as being "weak" where mental illness is stigmatized.

Hawks has only been truly furious once in his life as a adolescent. It was terrifying for everyone there at the time as he completely let loose and lost control in the heat of the moment. He tries to keep himself reined in since then, but as with many other things doesn't realize he may be making it worse by bottling up his frustrations and shoving it down.

That isn't to say he's incapable of deep, meaningful relationships - romantic or platonic - but the amount of firm patience and persistence needed from the other party nears sainthood. He craves those relationships and NEEDS them, but he's deathly afraid of losing them as well as being vulnerable and taken advantage of.

If he got even just one or two people that could truly love him unconditionally like that, that would be enough for him to completely reprioritize everything. His hero's heart was born out of love and uncertainty about tomorrow as a child; and Commission or not he would have become a hero in the end anyway. As a grown man, that kind of love would drive him to be a force to be reckoned with the kind that would make his past accomplishments pale in comparison.

To be clear, a good friend or a lover would not "fix" him, but would certainly help and encourage him make the time and space he needs to examine and work through his own issues he's let bottle up for so long. There just isn't much pushing him to do so while he's as isolated as he is.

(I've made myself really sad now...)

He's a generous friend and lover, though, once he allows himself to open up. Though from an outside perspective Hawks really doesn't need much - just patience and time and attention - to him it's everything, and he'll do nearly anything to show his gratitude for it.

(That's a little better)

That turned out way longer than anticipated, but here ya go! I promise I'll get back to writing (haven't forgotten those kiss prompts!) soon. I have a commission and a painting to finish, but now that baby takes regular naps I can finally take time for me again!

#hawks #hawks mha #mha hawks #hawks bnha #bnha hawks #hawks hcs #she writes

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derangedsilence · 4 years

Text

Karlheinz

Permissions

Please feel free to check any of the Sakamaki Bros.’ permission lists. It’s pretty repetitively the same.

The only exceptions:

Shipping - Within any verse he’s participating in, it’s entirely possible for him to form romantic and/or sexual partnerships with anyone who suits his needs, fancy, etc. Canonically had three wives, you know what you’re signing up for if you aim for this. However, as Karlheinz is very good at controlling his partners to suit his needs, I would prefer that many of his romances not get commented on by the public unless they’re somewhere they could be witnessed or if the individual themselves talks about it. Feel free to ask me!

Participation - Hop into getting involved in plots and storylines! Just do the dashboard commentary thing and tag this blog so I can be sure to see it. This much is the same. However, for some people, plots will need to have certain secrets kept, etc. until later. You’re still welcome to get involved, but it might be better to discuss with me and any other involved players how to participate instead of commenting on the grapevine for those particular plot aspects.

Biography / Stats

FULL NAME. Karlheinz ALIAS. Tougo Sakamaki, Reinhart AGE. Appears 35-45 || Actually significantly older at 2000+ BIRTHDAY. Unknown GENDER & PRONOUNS. Male, he/him ORIENTATION. Heteroflexible. He’ll play it up for whoever can be used. SPECIES. Vampire. OCCUPATION. Vampire King (of the demon world), Japanese politician, school nurse... RESIDENCE. Someplace in the demon world, but visits the Sakamaki household from time to time.

HAIR. White, reddish/purple-ish EYES. Golden BUILD. “What the fuck, man, it’s like you’re photoshopped.” HEIGHT. 6'2'' ADDITIONAL NOTES. A known shapeshifter, not even his sons are sure they’ve seen his real form. He can easily appear as a man, a woman, etc. to suit his needs.

ZODIAC. I Hate You, Vampire Dad is a zodiac, right? ALIGNMENT. Unknown. POSITIVE TRAITS. intelligent, charming, goal-oriented NEGATIVE TRAITS. merciless, sees people as means to an end, lacks the ability to feel deep emotional attachment

BIRTH PLACE. Japan NATIONALITY. Japanese PARENTS. Unknown SIBLINGS. Sibling: Richter. Wives: Beatrix, Cordelia, Christa (also his cousin). Sons: Shuu, Reiji, Ayato, Kanato, Laito and Subaru Sakamaki EXTENDED FAMILY. Adopted Sons: Ruki, Kou, Azusa and Yuma Mukami. Bastards: Kino, apparently? EDUCATION. Unknown SPECIES. Vampire NOTABLE SKILLS. Being the worst dad ever, running extremely complicated and often successful experiments, is charming enough to be able to convince people who are fully aware of his nature that he really is sincere for them specifically, etc. LANGUAGES. All of them FAVORITE FOOD. The fruits of his labor

PUREBLOOD. Inhuman strength, increased speed, vision, hearing, and smell. Fast healing & healing saliva. TELEPORTATION. Can teleport instantaneously. FLYING. He can fly. SWORDSMANSHIP. S OTHER. In addition to the racial abilities of a pureborn vampire, he also possesses the highest level of magic in the Demon World and his power is considered by his race, as a whole, as well as his sons, as “Godlike”. Karlheinz is capable of unleashing his magic and destroying the entire Demon World. In addition, he can shapeshift and change his appearance as it suits him. Oh, did we mention he also has the ability to MANIPULATE TIME and REVERSE EVENTS until he’s satisfied? WEAKNESSES. None? DISLIKES. People not doing what he wants them to do in his experiments.

Appearance

*Will be updated as various ‘personae’ are implemented.

As ‘Karlheinz’, at least as most of his sons know him: A pale-haired, golden-eyed figure who dresses in extravagant capes. His hair falls past his knees in waves and he looks absolutely ethereal.

As ‘Reinhart’, the school nurse, he is pale with blond hair wrapped into a ponytail and wears glasses.

Personality

One of the most powerful creatures in the demon world, he is viewed by the vampires (the bat clan) as a God. Which may or may not affect his personality, but the fact is that it is universally understood that a man that’s over 2000 years old is in want of a new life goal. Or death.

INTELLIGENT AND MANIPULATIVE: Karlheinz rarely directly engages these days, usually pulling strings in the background. He manipulates for the better and for worse, only determined to get closer to his personal goals. If that heals some and hurts others, so be it.

AFFECTION: It’s well-known that demons do not experience the same emotions as humans, or at least, they do not act on nor feel them the way humans would. Even within the “emotions” and “bonds” of demons, Karlheinz is incapable of deep affectionate sentiments and believes that all demons are similarly incapable. He is obsessed with human emotions despite or because of his inability, glorifying them and incorporating them into his new demonkind 3.0 ideas. His inability to feel this deep affection doesn’t save him from confusion and hesitant behavior on the rare occasion his plans and experiments are not succeeding.

It’s worth noting that he is considerably kinder when engaging with humans, as he blatantly punishes his own kind for their very nature (of which he is entirely aware). However, humans break much more easily, so this may be a necessity for engaging those tools compared to his sons.

FAMILY: His sons, wives, etc. are all tools and test subjects with which to create a new race and “save” the Demon World. If they become failed experiments, he has no issue disposing of them himself. When it comes to his kids, he’s extremely neglectful but does not hesitate to order their punishment when they displease him. He’s imprisoned Laito, sent Shuu to the North Pole, and tossed Subaru into the ocean. Most of his abuse was directly on his wives and directly affected how they would raise their sons, however, for which most of the Sakamaki children loathe him.

PRINCE CHARMING: Karlheinz excels at charming and manipulating others. As with Cordelia, he promises everything to obtain them, spoils them, and then acts in whatever manner best executes his experiment.

History

Under construction.

Quick summary: Really good contender for ‘worst dad’ and ‘worst vampire dad’ awards.

Verses

Brief summaries of the verses for Karlheinz along with potential links for those less familiar with Diabolik Lovers but still want to interact with him. For the sake of keeping things clean, encouraging community-wide and cooperative storytelling in roleplay, and not letting things get too crazy, verses will be limited. More may be made over time as needed.

Summaries:

VERSE - HAUNTED DARK BRIDAL

Karlheinz is...somewhere. Doing things. Like usual.

*This verse will be typically be the default, 'main verse'. In this, it is assumed that Yui Komori is staying at the Sakamaki household with some version of the first game having taken place. If the second game is included, it's with the idea that Yui stayed with the Sakamakis.

Verse Details | Tag: #V; KARLHEINZ; HAUNTED DARK BRIDAL

VERSE - MORE BLOOD

Karlheinz is somewhere doing things, but now there’s Mukamis!

If for some reason it's absolutely necessary to differentiate between the verse above and a verse where More Blood has certainly occured, but Yui did not (at least initially) stay with the Sakamakis and instead is currently living with the Mukamis or was, until recently, still living with the Mukamis. Rivalry abounds and attempts to procure Yui are likely.

Verse Details | Tag: #V; KARLHEINZ; MORE BLOOD

VERSE - MISC.

Posts that could take place in the Sakamaki or Mukami verses but involve duplicates (whether Yui or others) in the same scene in a manner that would be hard to pass off as typical flow for those verses. Also includes nearly ANY time fellow characters are staying at the mansion, otherwise we’d end up with verses of 20+ additional characters hanging out in the Sakamaki villa.

Verse Details | Tag:#V; KARLHEINZ; MISC

SITUATIONAL VERSE TAGS

#V; KARLHEINZ; UNIVERSAL

Posts that can easily be assumed to have occured in either the Sakamaki or Mukami verses, typically answering asks, etc. that aren’t directly related to events unique to their timelines.

#V; KARLHEINZ; WHAT IFS & #V; KARLHEINZ; ONESHOTS

Likely reserved for one-off threads exploring a “what if”, a romantic meme that would otherwise be inappropriate, etc. If a meme doesn’t quite fit with one of the existing timelines, it’ll get one of these.

Trivia

Successfully cucked by Richter for years, but he kind of encouraged it to begin with so who really loses?

Can and will wear you out in the bedroom and leave you a flower to wake up to in the morning.

Gave Reiji a pocketwatch that shows how much time is left until the end of the world. Demon world? Human world? Who knows.

Really just wanted to know if Shuu would actually fight back against polar bears when he sent him to the north pole. Now he knows.

“Even when he loses, he wins” is a theme with this guy. I hate him, too. I know.

Tags

THREAD / WRITING TAG: #echoes in the halls; karlheinz

HEADCANONS: #hc; dialovers; karlheinz

IMAGES: #itt // karlheinz

MUSIC: #music; dialovers; karlheinz

#blog; stuff #blog; muses

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turtle-paced · 6 years

Text

Revisiting Chapters: Sansa I, ASoS

Fun and interesting chapter! Probably not on my personal favourites list, but one necessary to get to some of my favourites.

Sansa’s ASoS story so far...

Following the Battle of the Blackwater, Sansa’s betrothal to Joffrey is off. Huzzah! But this means that someone else has to marry Joffrey, and Sansa’s about to meet the lucky lady.

Now on to the chapter.

Tyrell Politics

This chapter is aaaaaaall about the Tyrells. The last time we saw them, back in Catelyn’s ACoK chapters, we didn’t really see them because Catelyn was focused on Renly, Stannis, and Brienne. Until now they’ve basically been muscle for other forces. Now we’re getting a proper introduction to several of the personalities behind that muscle, the soft power to the hard power. It’s just as formidable.

That soft power is apparent right off the bat, as Sansa watches Margaery enter the city. It’s a big public procession with flowers upon flowers, and the people of King’s Landing love it. Sansa’s now aware that it’s the images they love, not the person and her deeds.

The same smallfolk who pulled me from my horse and would have killed me, if not for the Hound. Sansa had done nothing to make the commons hate her, no more than Margaery Tyrell had done to win their love.

But it’s just such a pretty picture. Sansa’s got the idea behind this now. First we see these tactics pointed at the people of King’s Landing, and then we see them pointed at Sansa.

As soon as we start with the Tyrells in person, starting with Loras, we see a family working together, with just about every Tyrell present brought into this scene save Mace. Loras escorts Sansa to dinner, past Garlan training in the yard. Not only are Garlan’s skills hightlighted, they’re highlighted by Loras himself - and there’s no envy in Loras when he says straight out that Garlan’s a great knight, and the better swordsman.

Then Loras hands Sansa over to Margaery, who starts to work on Sansa like the professional she is. The rest of this chapter is devoted to a good-cop-bad-cop act aimed at extracting relevant, sensitive information from a young girl who’s seen her father murdered in front of her and recently been through a siege, aside from whatever else Joffrey might have done to her. They’re doing this in order to verify for themselves what Littlefinger told them about Joffrey, before they commit themselves to regicide. Cautious, and very sensible. Through this scene, Margaery and Olenna work as a team to get the information from Sansa. Alerie Tyrell’s role is less clear, but I wouldn’t be shocked if she did the background work of keeping the conversation and food service going in the rest of the room while Olenna and Margaery did the interrogation.

Let’s get into the play-by-play.

Step one: make sure the environment is comfortable as possible. Physical comfort, yes, with the firelight and the sweet rushes, but just as important is making sure that the room Sansa walks into is one she feels she can talk in. First, Sansa has to walk past the very impressive-looking Erryk and Arryk, physical security for the room. Next, Margaery refuses to stand on formalities, getting on first-name terms with Sansa within thirty seconds, and sending Loras away with a gesture of physical affection. Then she brings Sansa into the aforementioned comfortable, nice-smelling room, into a social environment more welcoming than dinner with just Margaery would be - the aim is to make sure Sansa feels she is amongst friends. They also feed her, not just a good dinner, but her favourite lemon cakes as well.

Note also that the ladies in the room are from all over the Reach. This is partially to make up a gap in GRRM’s worldbuilding (in which neither Catelyn, nor Lysa, nor even Queen Cersei have ladies-in-waiting), and partially a good indication of how the Tyrells manage dynastic politics and access to power.

Step two is Olenna’s job. What a character. Literally, what a character. I take her funny speeches with more than a grain of salt; she knows that there are people listening in. (She didn’t pull that trick with Butterbumps out of nowhere.) She’s fine with people finding out the light dinner conversation.

Olenna starts by launching a comedy broadside at Sansa.

On Renly:

“Gallant, yes, and charming, and very clean. He knew how to dress and he knew how to smile and he knew how to bathe, and somehow he got the notion that this made him fit to be king.”

On Loras:

“Loras is young,” Lady Olenna said crisply, “and very good at knocking men off horses with a stick. That does not make him wise.”

On Mace:

“As to your father, would that I’d been born a peasant woman with a big wooden spoon, I might have been able to beat some sense into his fat head.”

“My son ought to take the puff fish for his sigil, if truth be told. He could put a crown on it, the way the Baratheons do their stag, mayhap that would make him happy.”

On the Tyrells more generally:

“If truth be told, even our claim to Highgarden is a bit dodgy, just as those dreadful Florents are always whining. ‘What does it matter?’ you ask, and of course it doesn’t, except to oafs like my son.”

Olenna carefully lets the air out of some equally carefully constructed political images, in order to construct a persona for herself. She starts by insulting her family (in on it), the Baratheons (dead), and the Targaryens (also dead), firmly establishing that she’s a rude old lady who’ll say anything about anyone, before she moves on to saying rude things about the Lannisters. She establishes the irreverent pattern before heading into things that may or may not be interpreted as treason. Her honesty (or “honesty,” depending) also helps set the tone. If she’s blunt, it helps others be a bit more honest as well, to return her candour.

She also waits for the meal to be served and attention to be directed elsewhere - namely, at Butterbumps. This is also where she starts in on actually being the bad cop.

Lady Olenna was growing impatient. “Why are you gaping at Butterbumps? I asked a question, I expect an answer. Have the Lannisters stolen your tongue, child?”

“You said that. You know, child, some say that you are as big a fool as Butterbumps here, and I am starting to believe them.”

Sansa’s repeated attempts to deflect by saying Joffrey’s handsome, and also handsome, and if you’re looking for something nice to say about him, he’s handsome, go absolutely nowhere - but nor can Olenna get anything else out of her until she swaps back to kindness as a means of getting Sansa to open up. And not just fobbing her off with “don’t be scared,” but actually providing sympathy for her position.

The old woman turned back to Sansa. “Are you frightened, child? No need for that, we’re only women here. Tell me the truth, no harm will come to you.”

“My father always told the truth.” Sansa spoke quietly, but even so, it was hard to get the words out.

“Lord Eddard, yes, he had that reputation, but they named him traitor and took his head off even so.”

Just words, sure, but a firmer implication of what Olenna believes about Ned’s execution than she ideally might have wished to give. Especially where someone might hear her. At this point, Margaery interjects, showing that she’s been paying close attention to what’s been going on.

“Go on.” It was Margaery who urged.

“Calm yourself, child,” the Queen of Thorns commanded.

“She’s terrified, Grandmother, just look at her.”

Olenna also has to speak a bit more openly about the fact she knows people are listening. She calls in Butterbumps to provide that extra layer of security and make sure Sansa knows it’s an extra layer of security. The Tyrells have to work hard to get this information out of Sansa.

Step three is the follow-up. Having given them the information they want, the Tyrells promise Sansa a reward for her cooperation.

“You will love Highgarden as I do, I know it.” Margaery brushed back a loose strand of Sansa’s hair. “Once you see it, you’ll never want to leave. And perhaps you won’t have to.”

Note the physical contact here, too. Sansa’s not had a lot of non-violent physical contact in the past year, let alone affectionate physical contact.

Close reading this is creepy as hell. Sansa’s emotionally exhausted, people are offering her affection and safety and explicitly “the beautiful magical court she had once hoped to find at King’s Landing”…if only Sansa will agree to marry Willas. Willas might not be so bad, but the rest of it, and the method of presentation and procuring Sansa’s consent feels more than a little sinister. The Tyrells’ offer is backwards for Sansa, the easy way out. It takes her backwards to a time where she couldn’t see how things worked.

Of course she wants it. And of course the story can’t let her take it.

Here’s another interesting thing that comes out of the conversation.

[Olenna] patted Sansa on the back of the hand. “Now, child, the truth. What sort of man is this Joffrey, who calls himself Baratheon but looks so very Lannister?”

So we know that Olenna knows about the incest. Given that Margaery’s right there and stays silent, it’s a fairly safe bet that Margaery also knows about the incest at this point too.

Sansa’s Lessons

Underpinning the Tyrell politics is the development of our PoV character, whose analytical abilities are tested here in her first chapter and, as fitting for a first chapter not even halfway through the series, not yet up to the challenges around her. Oh, she’s closer. We see her do some good thinking right at the start.

She’s to be queen now, she’s beautiful and rich and everyone loves her, why would she want to sup with a traitor’s daughter? It could be curiosity, she supposed; perhaps Margaery Tyrell wanted to get the measure of the rival she’d displaced. Does she resent me, I wonder? Does she think I bear her ill will?

We’re seeing Sansa work through options and possible hidden motives, based on the disparity in their social status. She even considers that Joffrey might have put Margaery up to this in order to humiliate her. She’s partially right; getting the measure of her is one of the objectives, but not for the reasons she thinks.

Perhaps she was doing Margaery Tyrell an injustice. Perhaps the invitation was no more than a simple kindness, an act of courtesy. It might be just a supper. But this was the Red Keep, this was King’s Landing, this was the court of King Joffrey Baratheon, the First of His Name, and if there was one thing that Sansa Stark had learned here, it was mistrust.

She’s been learning that quite well. Worse, that passage is followed by this one:

Even so, she must accept. She was nothing now, the discarded daughter of a traitor and disgraced sister of a rebel lord. She could scarcely refuse Joffrey’s queen-to-be.

Sansa knows it could be a trap. She knows there could well be malice at work here. The idea that the night might end with her stripped naked and beaten occurs to her. And she can do nothing about it except play along. Playing along is the wise move, because Sansa’s now consciously sticking it out until a deadline (which I’ll talk about in a bit).

Then, ‘cause she’s still a kid, most of her analysis of Margaery goes out the window when who should come to escort her to dinner but Loras, and - in a moment that’s kind of funny, really, before the conversation goes sour - she realises that he’s still super hot, incredibly mega-hot, and she is very distracted by this fact.

Sansa was finding it hard to walk and talk and think all at the same time, with Ser Loras touching her arm.

For the remainder of the chapter, we see exactly where Sansa’s still got plenty to learn. Her encounter with Loras is the chapter’s pattern in miniature; she realises quickly that Loras doesn’t actually remember her from the Hand’s Tourney, but continually puts her foot in her mouth afterwards. It’s plain to see why Sansa does so - it’s a happy memory and she doesn’t like it being hollowed out in her currently miserable situation, and there’s no way she could know about Robar. Analysis of the general situation is coming along nicely - but Sansa’s application of skills to a new and changing situation is still a bit shakier.

It’s always worth keeping in mind, too, that all Sansa’s analysis is running against the repeated accusations levelled against her in-universe of being stupid. The poor girl keeps second-guessing herself.

As we see, a great deal of the good-cop-bad-cop goes right over Sansa’s head. She’s learned caution and mistrust, but only got to the first layer of Margaery and Olenna’s objectives. They genuinely did want to hide this conversation from the Lannisters, as much as possible, and this is what Sansa picked up. The offer to marry her to Willas is likewise genuine, and this Sansa can believe. What Sansa doesn’t think of is that she’s a secondary objective, great to have but not needed for House Tyrell, expendable if that advances the primary goal of making Margaery queen.

In terms of the thrust-and-parry of the conversation, Sansa is continually on the back foot. Normally, conversational grace is a strong point of hers, but this is an interrogation and Sansa’s aware of the fact (if not everything that went into carrying it out). She’s more than aware of the potential consequences of actually saying it. Up to and including a scenario where the Tyrells call the betrothal off.

Oh, gods, thought Sansa, horrified. If Margaery won’t marry him, Joff will know that I’m to blame. “Please,” she blurted, “don’t stop the wedding...”

In terms of characterisation, we see Sansa’s courage throughout. She’s petrified. The whole time. That’s why the Tyrells have such a hard time getting the information from her. But she manages to say it. It’s all right there.

“Joffrey,” Sansa said. “Joffrey did that. He promised me he would be merciful, and cut my father’s head off. He said that was mercy, and he took me up on the walls and made me look at it. The head. He wanted me to weep, but...”

“A monster,” she whispered, so tremulously she could scarcely hear her own voice. “Joffrey is a monster. He lied about the butcher’s boy and made Father kill my wolf. When I displease him, he has the Kingsguard beat me. He’s evil and cruel, my lady, it’s so. And the queen as well.”

The truth. Whatever illusions she had about her past interactions with Joffrey are long since gone.

Moreover, Sansa retains her loyalties to her family. She knows her abusers are abusers. She’s determined not to bond with them, and not to think of Joffrey and Cersei as anything but evil and cruel - even if that means she has to hold her tongue, terrified the whole time that she might be found out and beaten for her opinions. This is a pretty damned impressive feat of psychological resistance.

A Note on Loras

Ouch, that conversation with Sansa.

“That was when Lord Renly was killed, wasn’t it? How terrible for your poor sister.”

“For Margaery?” His voice was tight. “To be sure. She was at Bitterbridge, though. She did not see.”

“Even so, when she heard...”

Clear implication: Loras is the one for whom Renly’s death was terrible, not Margaery. Sansa picks up on this a mite too late. In the meantime, we see that Loras’ mourning for his lover is severely crimped by the fact he can’t openly say that they were lovers. One wonders how many times he’s already heard people give their condolences to Margaery, totally ignorant of Loras’ own grief. And yet he must carry on performing heterosexuality for this clueless little girl. No wonder he loses all warmth.

Then there’s the fact that the conversation touches on the fact that Loras murdered Robar Royce. He says “slew,” but the fact is that Loras found Renly dead, and in his grief, he didn’t just punch the men who were guarding him, he killed them.

“It was after you unhorsed Ser Robar Royce,” she said, desperately.

He took his hand from her arm. “I slew Robar at Storm’s End, my lady.” It was not a boast; he sounded sad.

This is also part of the deconstruction of Sansa’s romantic image of the Tourney of the Hand; what was to Sansa an innocent sporting occurrence is now known to her to end in real violence, the interaction of murderer and victim. Loras feels guilty, as we can see right here (and will see again later), but Robar is still dead.

Chapter Function

It’s a first chapter - it’s there to make an opening play without revealing the author’s whole hand. Critically, for both audience engagement and the character’s psyche, what this chapter establishes right out of the gate is that Sansa can now see the finish line. This also advances the buildup to the Big Event itself, working on the mentions in Tyrion I, and hints that it’s not going to be quite as glorious an occasion as Tywin thought it might be.

No one can save me but my Florian. Ser Dontos had promised he would help her escape, but not until the night of Joffrey’s wedding. The plans had been well laid, her dear devoted knight- turned-fool assured her; there was nothing to do until then but endure, and count the days.

Joffrey’s wedding. Then things will be different. The end is in sight. We just have to hang in there, with Sansa, until Joffrey’s wedding. It goes without saying that the author will make it as hard as possible for Sansa to endure until then. The issue of matrimony comes up at the start and finish of the chapter, first emphasising by implication that Sansa’s now unattached, and then proposing an alternative. So there’s no possible way this could work out - could this possibly be linked to the endurance test the author’s putting her through?

In terms of Sansa’s ongoing skill development, we’ve got a progress check of sorts. We see how far she’s come, and then we check in with Olenna and Margaery to see how far Sansa still has to go to attain mastery of her political skillset.

We also get a good look at a bunch of the smaller pieces that go into the “Kinsglayer stew” and Joffrey’s assassination. In bringing up Robar Royce, we’re reminded of Loras’ murderous temper. The fact that the central conversation even takes place is a hint to future events, because the conclusion that Olenna and Margaery are verifying Littlefinger’s intelligence is a conclusion only possible with hindsight. Most telling, perhaps, is this:

Lady Olenna Tyrell and her granddaughter exchanged a look. “Ah,” said the old woman, “that’s a pity.”

Olenna and Margaery, looking at each other and saying, “Ah.” Again, Margaery has acted throughout this chapter as a partner in Olenna’s interrogation. At no point does she express surprise or shock. It very much seems as though she’s familiar with all the background information Olenna is. She’s just as much “ah, that’s a pity,” in learning that her betrothed is a monster as her grandmother. And she shows just as little fear. When you go back and read, you know that you saw the moment House Tyrell committed itself to the Purple Wedding.

Without the foreknowledge, you just have to wonder what their nonchalance means.

Miscellany

Garlan’s sword skills look like a bit of a Chekov’s Gun, don’t they? Also featured in that brief snapshot of training are the Kettleblack brothers. Of particular note is Osfryd beating up on Morros Slynt - Morros Slynt being not only a squire, but a recently-made squire at that, which the reader knows. Good guy, is Osfryd.

This chapter provides us with our first sighting of Taena Merryweather, “a sultry black-eyed Myrish beauty.”

Willas Tyrell too rates a mention, with his bad leg and good heart, and his love of reading. Another probable Chekov’s Gun.

The final few lines of the chapter give us our first ever mention of Oberyn Martell, introduced as someone that the Tyrells (or Olenna, at least) Do Not Like. “That snake of a Dornishman,” specifically. Already snake imagery and the sense of the Dornish as a cultural other.

Clothing Porn

A bit vague, but Margaery Tyrell is described as “splendid in green with a cloak of autumn flowers blowing from her shoulders.” Ditto with Loras later in the chapter, his clothes are basically described as “white,” but his cloak is fastened with a brooch in the shape of “the rose of Highgarden wrought in soft yellow gold, nestled on a bed of delicate green jade leaves.” (Sansa’s a bit too distracted by Loras’ intense hotness to focus on much more.) We also have Erryk and Arryk, “two guards in gilded halfhelms and green cloaks edged in gold satin, the golden rose of Highgarden sewn on their breasts.”

Food Porn

Broth of leeks and mushrooms. We know that Alerie Tyrell was planning to serve boar and lemon cakes, and eventually cheese, but the actual food isn’t described in more detail.

Next three chapters

Melisandre I, ADWD - Davos IV, ADWD - Jaime VIII, ASoS

The list runs through to about August at the moment, but if you have a chapter you want analysed, send me an ask with that specific chapter, and I’ll add it!

#ASoIaF #revisiting chapters #cw: violence #sansa stark #margaery tyrell #olenna tyrell #loras tyrell #a storm of swords

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innayatparihar · 3 years

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Layering Campaigns for Effective Digital PR Strategies

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Giving you've done your exploration and you know your image/customer, you're in a solid situation to have the option to allocate a decent measure of your financial plan to a mission that, in the event that it falls off, will draw in either the volume or the particular pertinence of connections you need. It's excessively simple in this game to part your wagers across such a large number of more modest missions; in the event that you need to win enormous, be prepared to contribute the time.

#digital strategy #pr strategies #campaigns #onlinemarketing

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anamedblog · 5 years

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On the Road Again

by Ilgın Külekçi, ANAMED PhD Fellow (2018–2019)

The debate on comparing “who knows more, a traveler or a reader,” might be a long-standing cliché, but still pleases everyone who enjoy both.

Certainly, they complete each other and most of the good stories come out of travels! From the ‘Odyssey’ to the modern times, it has been the core of many books, films and songs. ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’ or only turning back home, a journey has always the potential to bring adventure, experience, and knowledge.

As a researcher focusing on antiquity, traveling is—fortunately—one of the methods of learning as well as also a voluntary duty in summer. During my undergraduate studies, the necessary course “Ancient and Byzantine Architecture” included—traditionally—a trip to the western Anatolia which provided the opportunity to explore the ancient cities to us, the students of architecture on their first year.

The short four-day program was efficient to visit Didyma, Priene, Miletus, Aphrodisias, Magnesia, Hierapolis, and Laodikeia. I remember that the incompleteness in everything we see was a disappointment for some of us who were expecting huge temples and gigantic theaters. (By the way they were the most evident remains!) Even if these trips were not the was not “the moment” that I decided to study architectural history, I started to enjoy the empty and sometimes tedious landscapes, which come to life with what I hear or read. My experience may also have been close to a typical satisfaction of any tourist walking after the guides. However, when the surrounding gets wilder one cannot be dependent on someone, then an elaborated observation and wider research becomes necessary before the departure, in order to create its own imaginative game!

The excursions begin with the archival research which allows to re-experience the memories from previous trips and also see the transition or to make comparisons. Apart from our own diaries, the research history is always requisite to be considered. Thus, we get interacted with the paths the other researchers followed and recorded what are already vanished. Especially the travel notes constitute key references in various fields. For the archaeology in Asia Minor the travel books of foreign travelers from the 17th century to 19th century are rich resources. Their objectivity for any detail might be suspicious; however, once entered this world, I also enjoy them as novels. Each has its own “way” to perceive the environment, and thanks to the most unnecessary details they mention, the scene—whether fiction or reality—becomes complete.

Some famous travelers including Richard Chandler, François René de Chateaubriand, Charles Mc Farlane, F. V. J. Arundell, and Charles Texier witnessed the village of Menemen (Izmir) where I make my research on one of its small hamlets, Buruncuk. None of them describes the ancient site Larisa (Buruncuk) that I am working on directly, but while passing there, some mention its name and draw an image within an itinerary. In 1828, C. Mc Farlane tells how they crossed the Hermos River with men and animals in fear; Arundell in 1830 takes the note on their rest in the han in Menemen, complains about the unexpected guests but also makes fun of it: “by this self-invited society, that we arose after a night of misery, and vented our discontent by changing the name of Many-men, in to another more appropriate.” Among them Richard Chandler was a member of the famous Society of Dilettanti, a special “dining club” for a group of young British aristocrats, active in 18th century. In addition to discussing art on dinners, they have organized travels around to explore the ancient Greek art. Therefore, the travel itself becomes a professional work to be carefully completed and of course taken as a serious task. In 1764, R. Chandler with William Pars, a young painter chosen for this travel, and N. Revett, an architect, embarks at Gravesand. The importance of their mission is underlined with the instructions of the society:

“Whereas the Society of Dilettanti have resolved, that a person or persons, properly qualified, be sent with sufficient appointments to some parts of the East, in order to collect informations, and make observations, relative to the ancient state of those countries, and to such monuments of antiquity as are still remaining, (…)” (Chandler 1971, 5). Then six instructions are listed to facilitate their orientation and to explain their duties. The second one describes the expected work on site: “fixing upon Smyrna as your headquarters, you do from thence make excursions to the several remains of antiquity in that neighbourhood, at such different times, and in such manner, as you shall, from the information collected on the spot, judge most safe and convenient, and that you do procure the exactest plans and measures possible of the buildings you shall find, making accurate drawings of the bass-reliefs and ornaments, and taking such views as you shall judge proper; copying all the inscriptions you shall meet with, and remarking every circumstance which can contribute towards giving the best idea of the ancient and present state of those places.” (Chandler 1971, 5-6).

Following further notes and the financial issues, finally in the last instruction the society warns the excursion group not to fight with each other (!):

“(…)that perfect harmony and good understanding, which is so necessary, as well to your own happiness, as to the success of the undertaking, will subsist among you; yet, in order to prevent any possible dispute, which might arise about different measures, in the course of this expedition, we expressly declare, that the direction of the whole is hereby lodged in Mr. Chandler, assisted by Mr. Revett: and though Mr. Revett and Mr. Pars should protest against any measure proposed by Mr. Chandler, it is our meaning, that any such difference of opinion should not in the least interrupt or suspend your operations, but that, at the same time that such persons as dissent from or disapprove of what is proposed, shall transmit to us their reasons for such dissent, they do notwithstanding continue to pursue Mr. Chandler's plan, till they receive our further orders for their conduct” (Chandler 1971, 6-7).

These travel notes are mostly analyzed as part of art movements or orientalism, but they are also good examples for the gravity of the travelling concept itself. Besides a certain discipline, the journey cannot ignore the pleasure of sightseeing and sharing moments. A similar approach exists in Azra Erhat and her friends’ boat trips to western Anatolian coasts. They don’t follow a strict mission but the intellectual group is highly conscious of the richness of the cultural history and natüre of Asia Minor. Erhat, the well known translator of Homer in Turkish, published these legendary travels as ‘Mavi Anadolu (Blue Anatolia)’ in 1957 and ‘Mavi Yolculuk (Blue Voyage)’ in 1960.

Concerning the group members and their experiences, their voyage can also be evaluated as a unique art form. In her books, Erhat aimed to create a full guide addressing the travelers, explained the philosophy behind and how people can make holidays avoiding the industrial tourism.

In primary school, the question “What did you do last summer?” or “could you please describe your holiday” were the questions for the first essays after holidays at school, and also the curious question with friends after a long school break. Quite similarly in the Autumn of 2016, after being back from the fieldworks and extended holidays, our discussions and sharing memories went far beyond with Bilge Ar, a close friend and a good travel company of mine. The interest in learning from each other’s travels evolved into the idea of making our own tourist guides with experienced friends’ references and suggestions. That is how we started organizing a seminar in our faculty: “Architectural History Travel Notes.”

Friends visiting different places during the year were invited to share his/her memories. Some of the presentations were as part of an academic research, some were just touristic. These evening talks in the cold Istanbul days united a small group of friends which reminded the appreciation of the journey itself. From Persepolis to Iceland, Tiflis to Jolfa, each talk traced a unique frame. Now looking at this series fast forward, I remember them so vividly and excited as the posters hided in a way.

Nowadays as the spring is on its way, we started to enjoy the sunny weather on the terrace at ANAMED, and the conversations go on with the idea of organizing a small trip to somewhere. It is hard to decide the destination: Iznik, Çanakkale, Izmir, or even further east Kars? Even if it would not be realized, I am very happy to dream with fellow friends, who also take the excursions as a serious task and are currently on their journey!

References:

Chandler, R. (1738-1810) [Clay, E. (Ed.) 1971]. Travels in Asia Minor 1764-1765. British Museum: London.

Fig 1: Students at Hierapolis, May 2017

Fig 2: The theatre at Miletus, (Chandler, R. (1971) Travels in Asia Minor 1764-1765. British Museum, London, Cat.9)

Fig 3: Azra Erhat, Mavi Anadolu, 1969, Bilgi Yayınevi

Fig 4: Announcements of the seminar 2016-2017

#anamed #fellows #impressions #fellowship

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the2travel · 7 years

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* World Travel Tips : The Revolutionary Street Art Project That Inspired Banksy And Empowered A City's Youth

Travel Tips -

John Nation just wanted to give teenagers in Bristol, southwest England, a safe place to spray-paint without fear of arrest and prosecution.

Little did the then 21-year-old youth worker know back in 1984 that his “Aerosol Art Project” at the Barton Hill Youth Center would go some way to shaping British and global street art over the coming years and decades.

It spawned an entire generation of influential and genre-defining artists ― including Banksy. But as Nation, now 54, told HuffPost in a wide-ranging interview, the initiative also almost ended up costing him his job, his reputation and his liberty.

Nation was just 18-years-old when, in 1981, he became an outreach worker at the youth center in his home neighborhood of Barton Hill. “We helped kids deal with the nitty gritty of life [...] providing sexual health awareness, talking about drugs, that kind of thing,” he told HuffPost. A trip to Amsterdam in 1982 sparked an interest in graffiti, which he saw adorning the Dutch capital’s streets. “I started reading whatever material I could.”

Coincidentally, some of the 14 to 19-year-olds attending the center were also becoming interested in the art form. Inspired by movies such as “Wild Style” and “Beat Street” and the painting of Bristol’s earliest-recognized graffiti artist 3D (a.k.a. Robert Del Naja from Massive Attack), Nation said they’d spend hours copying outlines of the work featured in the seminal book “Subway Art.”

When one teen returned from New York City with photographs of the graffiti he’d seen, Nation allowed the teen and his friends to paint the club’s front wall.

“Barton Hill was rough,” Nation said. “At that time the club was very territorial, seen as right wing, predominantly white and very hostile to outsiders.” Its exterior walls, he said, were mainly daubed with anti-authority slogans such as “No Police State in Barton Hill” or ones promoting the far-right movement, the National Front.

“These guys produced a piece that was so vibrant,” Nation said. “It helped break down some barriers. Lots of these guys listened to hip hop, reggae and black-inspired music. Lots of the artists they looked up to were black, hispanic and Puerto Rican, but they were in a predominantly white area. Being involved in graffiti opened their eyes and helped to lower their prejudices.”

I nspired by what the teens had produced, Nation sought permission from his employers at the now-defunct Avon County Council authority to set up the “Barton Hill Aerosol Art Project” — a place he envisioned would let the youngsters, some of whom were only a bit younger than him, to “express themselves freely and legally” on the center’s walls instead of tagging or painting unauthorized spots on public or private property which could lead to their arrest.

Cheo and Inkie were among the first generation of budding street artists to attend the center, which had the added appeal of being the only one in the city with an indoor skate ramp. Before long, the artists covered most of the building with their work.

“Once word got out that it was a safe environment to paint and look at books and photographs and watch films about graffiti, then people from across the city started coming,” Nation said. “Once you had that one group of people give it their seal of approval, others saw it was safe and followed suit.”

At its peak, more than 40 youngsters regularly attended the project. Graffiti writers from across the U.K. also visited, and it inspired other authorities from around the country to launch similar initiatives.

“It was a great atmosphere, very expressive, very creative,” Nation added. “There was never any bad vibes or competition, none of that element. It was all about being a crew and a togetherness and I still think that’s true to all the guys who still know each other and paint now.”

Not everyone was in favor of the project, however. Unbeknownst to Nation, from 1988 to 1989 the British Transport Police surveilled the center and several of its artists as part of a city-wide investigation into graffiti tagging and criminal behavior.

“There was never any bad vibes or competition, none of that element. It was all about being a crew and a togetherness and I still think that’s true to all the guys who still know each other and paint now.”

John Nation

Operation Anderson sought to profile graffiti artists suspected of criminal damage and culminated with a series of raids on properties across the region. Police arrested dozens of people, including Nation. Officers searched his home and the center. “Bearing in mind that I was running an aerosol art project, there was no way there wasn’t going to be any material at the center,” he said. “It was like an Aladdin’s Cave for them.”

Police seized a “massive stash of paint” Nation had procured from the project’s sponsors and his treasured 5,000-plus snaps of graffiti he’d either taken himself or been sent by writers from around the world.

Nation believes police thought the club was “some kind of ‘Axis of Evil’ that was the main meeting point for all of Bristol’s illegal graffiti writers and a place where other writers from across the country would come.”

“It wasn’t that at all though,” he said, although he acknowledges some of the artists were painting on unauthorized spots on their own.

As was revealed in the BBC documentary “Drawing The Line,” (above), police matched tags on the artwork in the club to tags on illegal works across the city.

They charged several artists with criminal damage. Nation himself was charged with suspicion of conspiracy to incite individuals to commit criminal damage.

“Their main case against me was that the photos and books I had, if shown to a young person of impressional age, would incite them to go out and commit criminal damage,” Nation said. “They also said I was covering up for the young people and I was duty bound to divulge information on them. But I didn’t assist them whatsoever. I answered ‘no comment’ to pretty much everything.”

Several artists were found guilty of criminal damage and received fines. Nation’s charge, however, was dropped on the day his trial was due to begin after prosecutors offered no evidence of incitement.

A post shared by John Nation (@johnnation) on Jun 1, 2017 at 8:53am PDT

Nation says he then consciously used the subsequent press coverage to promote his project’s work and to argue that without a place to legally paint, “the illegal culture of the art form just gets reinforced.”

Following the police raids, Nation says many of those involved in the city’s street art scene went “underground for a while.” “It was like they were regrouping,” he said. “Many of the guys arrested took a break, lessened their illegal activities, and some decided painting legally was the only way.”

Nation says the publicity did inspire, however, a new generation of artists to begin visiting the project ― with one of them being Banksy.

“As a young boy, he’d come to the center and watch people paint. He was heavily into hip hop culture, graffiti, and Barton Hill was where it was happening. Every weekend there was fresh work going up on the walls and people would exchange ideas,” Nation said.

“He says he called it his religious pilgrimage every weekend to go. Many of these guys had their own crazy, little dreams and he said what Barton Hill showed him was very powerful, that you could go on to follow those dreams.”

At that time, Nation says Banksy (who despite multiple attempts and theories has never been officially identified), wasn’t producing the political or social commentary pieces that he’s since become globally famous for.

As part of a crew with some slightly older teens, Nation says he was “into graffiti and letterforms and writing.” He also didn’t stand out “as one of the graffiti writers you’d call a ‘top boy,’” nor was he using his “Banksy” moniker either, says Nation. “The Banksy thing came later.”

Nation claims Banksy is “without doubt” the biggest contemporary artist in the world right now, but admits he didn’t foresee his rise to prominence during his early days of painting at the center. Instead, he believes Banksy truly began to make his mark when he changed his style and began using stencils.

“Not only could he paint quicker, he could paint more locations and produce more work. He started off with quite crude stencil work, like the rats, then he started progressing to more clean work, more sharper,” Nation said.

“These smaller stencils started appearing across the city and for me, it’s once he made that conscious decision to change the style of what he was painting and the content of what he was painting when he exploded,” he added.

Banksy himself admits in his book “Wall and Piece” that his switch in style came when aged 18 transport police chased him through a thorny bush after spotting him painting “LATE AGAIN” on the side of a train.

“The rest of my mates made it to the car and disappeared so I spent over an hour hidden under a dumper truck with engine oil leaking all over me,” he wrote. “As I lay there listening to the cops on the tracks I realized I had to cut my painting time in half or give up altogether. I was staring straight up at the stenciled plate on the bottom of a fuel tank when I realized I could just copy that style and make each letter three feet high.”

Nation said that change led Banksy to “strike an accord with first and foremost the Bristol public, and then the British public.” “Lots of people who wouldn’t be into street art could relate to the simplicity and the fun and the characters he was painting. As he’s become more mature, the images and message have become more hard-hitting — he’s a clever guy.”

A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on May 7, 2017 at 6:40am PDT

Nation does question how Banksy creates some of his works, such as the “Brexit” piece (above) that he unveiled in Dover, southeast England, in May as a commentary on the U.K.’s referendum vote to leave the European Union.

“Yes he painted it, but he’s got to have a team of people that set up the scaffold and he must have approached the people who own the property before that,” Nation said. “You can’t just rock up and set up a scaffold on the side of someone’s property without there being no questions asked. It’s a huge wall. It’s massive.”

With so much history between Nation and Banksy, one may assume the pair remain close and in touch. When faced with the suggestion, however, Nation responded with a stony silence before changing the subject.

While the legacy of the Barton Hill Youth Center often focuses on Banksy, many of the center’s other alum have also gone on to enjoy hugely successful careers. Jody Thomas, who in April gave HuffPost a helping hand in unveiling its new logo (below), has painted and exhibited his signature photo-realistic style around the world:

But for him, it also all began at the center, which he first attended when he was just 15 years old after being encouraged by a school friend who’d described Nation to him as “outspoken, politically militant and not one to suffer fools.”

“It felt like I was being led to meet the leader of a despotic cult,” Thomas told HuffPost, adding that Nation “didn’t disappoint” when he finally met him.

“He immediately went through my school folder of work based around the comic art of 2,000 A.D. and classical painting and drawings,” he said. “I think he saw in me the opportunity to add a different artistic dimension to the club’s repertoire and left me to recreate on the walls of the club what I had on paper.”

“For me, John is the ‘Darwin’ of street art in the U.K. and gave me an opportunity to express the art that spoke to me all those years ago.”

Jody Thomas

Thomas credits Nation as being at “the forefront” of the street art movement at that time. “His energy and personality has garnered him an amount of respect amongst Bristolians on the level of any rock star or public figure,” he said. “For me, he is the ‘Darwin’ of street art in the U.K. and gave me a opportunity to express the art that spoke to me all those years ago.”

The admiration is mutual. Nation still remembers the day that Thomas first brought in his work which was “totally different” to what was being produced in the club at the time. “I thought to myself, ‘fucking hell, this is amazing. He’s 15 and painting like this?’ I thought, ‘this boy is going to go far,’” Nation said.

“At first he wasn’t accepted as much by the graffiti lads. Jody was into indie music and a lot of that music had dark imagery on its album sleeves,” he added. “He embraced that kind of artwork. He painted small pieces, then he painted these two black and white heads (below) and that was it. I have a lot of time for him. He didn’t stick to what everyone else was doing. He just wanted to be an artist and express his talents.”

Inkie, a.k.a. Tom Bingle, also emerged from the center. He’s since worked as a head of design at SEGA and hosted his own shows across the globe. Recently, he painted alongside Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the “Hope” poster that came to define former President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.

For Inkie, Nation’s project acted as a vital “central hub” for the city’s graffiti artists in the pre-internet era of the late ‘80s to mid-90s. “Without this center and John’s support of our artwork, Bristol would not have had the scene it maintains today,” he told HuffPost.

By 1991, however, Nation had become disillusioned with the restraints he felt the authority was putting on him and quit.

“ I was seen as being quite outspoken, left wing and a bit of a socialist,” he said. “But I’m proud of what I did back then. And the fact that people still talk about then and what I achieved for me is justification for what I did do.”

Nation went on to forge a successful career in promoting dance music events across the U.K. and the NASS action sports and music show in Somerset.

With the explosion in the popularity of street art, which he puts principally down to the rise of the internet and social media, he’s since come full circle ― and now gives regular tours of Bristol’s scene via the WhereTheWall tour.

“People from all over the world come, and no one tour is the same. Street art is here today, gone tomorrow. The art form is transient,” he said.

In April, Nation curated his first ever solo show, “Graffiti Nation,” at Bristol’s Upfest gallery, the home of Europe’s largest live street art festival.

He also worked with Inkie on the “See No Evil” art exhibition in 2011 and 2012, and remains a fierce advocate for spaces where artists can legally paint. He’s also set to feature in another BBC documentary, which will analyze the U.K. street art scene in the decades since Operation Anderson.

Nation’s pedigree, knowledge and influence of street art and the genres that umbrella term encompasses have seen him nicknamed the “Godfather” of the Bristol (and increasingly British) scene. But it’s a label that doesn’t sit well with him.

“I look back and I feel that all those years ago I was vilified and I could have possibly lost my job,” he said. “Then two years ago I’m being used as the face of Bristol tourism as someone who represents it as a progressive, cultural city. Who would have thought it?”

“I get called the ‘Godfather,’ but I’m not. I just had a faith and a belief in these young people when no one else would give them the time of day,” he added. “I’m just lucky enough that i’ve been involved in the graffiti scene and seen it emerge. Bristol is not what it is because of me, far from it. I’m just one cog in the wheel, just like Banksy and all the others.”

Check out John Nation’s Instagram, Facebook and the tour website for WhereTheWall.

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mushironotes · 4 years

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Permissions

Shipping?

Duplicates? Multiple ‘Yuis’? What about character that aren’t on the dedicated castmates list?

Fighting?

Harming?

Killing?

Can we send shippy memes / etc.? Sure, we can still explore what-ifs, drabbles and oneshot threads, but the main focus will be on the storyline here!

Can we know about ______’s past before interacting? No, not unless you have genuine reasons for it like being one of his brothers.

Can we have characters comment on the events of the timeline? Yes, if they “catch sight of”, “overhear a rumor”, “a familiar saw X”, or any other sensible reason, then characters can be aware of and comment on events. I wholly encourage characters participate in the character’s life! Please tell the story with me!

Can we rescue _________ from the Mushiro household?

Can we reference interactions we’ve had with one of the Mushiros (or the housekeeper), etc. to your other muses? I mean...sure? If you want? There may be exceptions to this, but for the most part, go right ahead.

Biography / Stats

FULL NAME. Yuu Mushiro ALIAS. Prince, Emperor, King (schoolmates and fans) AGE. Appears 17-18 || Actually significantly older BIRTHDAY. December 5 GENDER & PRONOUNS. Female, she/her ORIENTATION. Homosexual / Feminine-sexual SPECIES. Vampire (Pureblood) OCCUPATION. High school student of the night school known as Ryoutei Academy. 2nd year RESIDENCE. Mushiro mansion.

HAIR. Black EYES. Black BUILD. Fit, athletic HEIGHT. 5'9'' TATTOOS. None. PIERCINGS. Several piercings along both ears, all simple black studs. ADDITIONAL MARKINGS. OTHER. Right-handed

ZODIAC. Sagittarius POSITIVE TRAITS. Assertive, proactive, NEGATIVE TRAITS.

BIRTH PLACE. Japan NATIONALITY. Japanese PARENTS. REDACTED. SIBLINGS. Three younger siblings. EXTENDED FAMILY. REDACTED. EDUCATION. High school (likely several times over) SPECIES. Vampire NOTABLE SKILLS. LANGUAGES. Japanese, English, Russian FAVORITE FOOD. LIKES. DISLIKES.

PUREBLOOD. Inhuman strength, increased speed, vision, hearing, and smell. Fast healing & healing saliva. TELEPORTATION. Can teleport instantaneously. FLYING. Can fly. OTHER. Can control and summon familiars. Can animate nonliving objects and control them as familiars. Can transfer soul(s) from one vessel/body to another. Has nightmare-inducing levels of pyrokinesis - is able to set bodies (and nothing else) on fire, control how it spreads, as well as set entire towns on fire at once. WEAKNESSES. Truly holy objects weaken her more in the human world, but it’s tolerable, if irritating.

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Yuu Mushiro is an emperor. One careful step into a room and she’s claimed her territory. With a voice that

History

Verses

Brief summaries of the verses for Kanato along with potential links for those less familiar with Diabolik Lovers but still want to interact with him. For the sake of keeping things clean, encouraging community-wide and cooperative storytelling in roleplay, and not letting things get too crazy, verses will be limited. More may be made over time as needed.

Summaries:

VERSE - HAUNTED DARK BRIDAL

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Posts that can easily be assumed to have occured in either the Sakamaki or Mukami verses, typically answering asks, etc. that aren’t directly related to events unique to their timelines.

#V; YUU; WHAT IFS & #V; YUU; ONESHOTS

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THREAD / WRITING TAG: #echoes in the halls; azusa

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guidetoenjoy-blog · 5 years

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The best movies on Netflix Australia: great films you can watch right now

New Post has been published on https://entertainmentguideto.com/awesome/the-best-movies-on-netflix-australia-great-films-you-can-watch-right-now/

The best movies on Netflix Australia: great films you can watch right now

If you& apos; re new to Netflix and want to find the best movies to watch, or you& apos; re tired of browsing the app for 30 minutes before finding something to watch, you& apos; ve come to the right place. With thousands of movies at your disposal, it& apos; s easy to get stuck in binge-watching mode, but procuring the honest-to-goodness best films can be a bit of a hassle.

The best VPN for Netflix 2019 Top trending movies on Netflix Australia( May 2019)

In an effort to determine the best of the best, we& apos; ve put together a list of the greatest possible movies you can watch- curated by TechRadar editors and backed up with ratings from IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes- so that you don& apos; t have to sift through the muck. We& apos; ll keep this best-of list up to date with the latest movies that are must-watch, so you waste zero screen hour searching.

Below, you& apos; ll also find a hand-selected listing of the top trending newly added movies on Netflix Australia at the moment. Here& apos; s what we think you should be watching this month. Alternatively, you could also skip immediately to your prefer genre via the drop down menu above!

1. The Perfection

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A deliriously twisty and sinister horror cinema, The Perfection follows the demented relationship between musical prodigy Charlotte( Allison Williams) and rising star Lizzie( Logan Browning ), who threatens to upstage Charlotte at her former school. Without devoting too much away, The Perfection is absolutely unpredictable- not even the trailer above can truly give you an idea of what the movie has in store for unsuspecting viewers. Just know that The Perfection isn& apos; t afraid to get gross or venture into shocking and uncomfortable territory.

IMDB Rating: 6.2, Rotten Tomatoes: 84%

Watch The Perfection on Netflix right now

2. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

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Netflix& apos; s highly-anticipated new cinema Exceedingly Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is finally here, and while it doesn& apos; t quite live up to the hype it generated from its manifest at Sundance, it does feature an perfectly magnetic performance from Zac Efron, who plays the depraved serial murderer Ted Bundy. Told from the perspective of Bundy& apos; s former girlfriend Liz( Lily Collins ), Extremely Wicked attempts to explain how any rational human could have fallen for the horrific assassin& apos; s innocence claims. Leaning heavily into Bundy& apos; s reported eloquence and charm, the film occasionally induces the killer of over 30 young women seem like an underdog, which may rub some the wrong way. Of course, that approach does serve the film& apos; s ultimate goal, which is to provide the spectator with an understanding of how someone as evil as Bundy could emotionally infiltrate person or persons& apos; s life to such a degree.

IMDB Rating: 6.8/ 10, Rotten Tomatoes: 58%

Watch Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile on Netflix right now

3. Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce

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Netflix nabbed a huge exclusive when it locked down the rights to Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce- an in depth documentary showcasing the megastar& apos; s awe-inspiring performances at Coachella 2018, intercut with extensive behind-the-scenes and rehearsal footage. More than an incredibly entertaining concert movie, Homecoming also acts as a rallying cry for women of colour the world over. A powerful and politically-charged statement that just happens to be filled with absolute bangers, Homecoming is surely to please Beyonce fans.

IMDB Rating: 7.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 98%

Watch Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce on Netflix right now

4. The Highwaymen

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Famous bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde have been immortalised in popular culture thanks in big part to the classic 1967 movie about their exploits, but what about the lawmen responsible for terminate their killing spree? Netflix& apos; s new original movie The Highwaymen aims to tell their story once and for all. Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson star as Frank Hamer and Maney Gault, two real-life Texas Rangers who are brought out of retirement with one aim in intellect- to find Bonnie and Clyde and set them down for good. Despite being divisive amongst critics, The Highwaymen features terrific performances, assured direction and beautiful cinematography, dedicating this story the prestige film therapy it deserves.

IMDB Rating: 7.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 53%

Watch The Highwaymen on Netflix right now

5. Triple Frontier

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After years of service to their country with little to show for it, a group of soldiers( Oscar Isaac, Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal and Garrett Hedlund) sets out to rob one of the wealthiest and most dangerous cartels in South America. Of course, things exactly don& apos; t go to plan, and now the team is on the run with upwards of $ 250 million in drug fund. Can they escape with the money and their lives? Directed by J. C. Chandor( A Most Violent Year ), Triple Frontier is an edge-of-your-seat thriller with terrific performances and fantastic cinematography( believe us, the film looks spectacular in 4K HDR ).

IMDB Rating: 6.6, Rotten Tomatoes: 72%

Watch Triple Frontier on Netflix right now

6. Hereditary

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An instant classic of the horror genre, Hereditary tells the terrifying story of a family haunted by the dark secrets of its own ancestry. Toni Collette devotes a career best performance as Annie, a mother who& apos; s driven to uncover her family& apos; s cryptic past after an immensely tragic occurrence foliages them devastated. The route that Hereditary unfolds is truly unpredictable, with a number of shocking moments which are guaranteed to leave spectators speechless. While it can be a tough watch at times, Hereditary is a rewarding and immaculately-crafted horror experience that& apos; s well worth taking.

IMDB Rating: 7.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

Watch Hereditary on Netflix right now

7. The Dirt

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If Bohemian Rhapsody was a little too sanitised for your penchant, you may want to check out The Dirt, an unflinching music biopic about glam metal attire Motley Crue that revels in the debauchery of the band& apos; s sex, narcotics and rock& apos; n& apos; roll lifestyle in the 1980 s. Never shying away from Motley Crue& apos; s more outrageous( and utterly disgusting) antics, The Dirt explores the highs and lows of being a rock star with no sense of ego control in regards to partying, women and hard drugs( the movie& apos; s Ozzy Osborne scene is particularly revolting ). Be advised, the cinema competitors The Wolf of Wall Street when it comes to sex, nudity and drugs, often feeling seedy and exploitative in its portrayal of women( almost every female character in the film is a disposable groupie or horrible person ). That said, when viewed as a period capsule of a particularly crazy moment in music history, The Dirt is immensely watchable.

IMDB Rating: 7.1, Rotten Tomatoes: 42%

Watch The Dirt on Netflix right now

8. La La Land

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Though it& apos; ll always be remembered as the cinema that was accidentally read out as Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 2017, La La Land would still have been a deserving winner regardless. Written and be determined by wunderkind filmmaker Damien Chazelle( Whiplash, First Man ), the movie is an all-singing, all-dancing love story about a jazz pianist( Ryan Gosling) and an aspiring actress( Emma Stone) who fight to stay together as their dreams pull them apart. Equal parts joyous and heartbreaking, and featuring two megastars at their most charming, La La Land is one of the best romantic musicals in recent years.

IMDB Rating: 8.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Watch La La Land on Netflix right now

9. Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

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It was promised to be the most high-end, luxurious island-set music festival experience known to man, with supermodels, yachts, five-star accommodation and dining all set to provide an experience unlike any other. Unfortunately, festivalgoers were in for a rude shock when they arrived at their supposed paradise, instead seeing a put that seemed more like an internment camp than Club Med. Netflix& apos; s original documentary Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened tells the story of how this event unraveled, going from party of the century to Hell on Earth.

IMDB Rating: 7.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Watch Fyre on Netflix right now

Got a Stan account too? These are the best movies on Stan: a list of the top movies streaming in Australia nowWant some more prime amusement? These are the best movies on Amazon Prime Video: top films to watch in Australia right now

As tech enthusiasts, it& apos; s perhaps unsurprising that we& apos; re obsessed with science fiction here at TechRadar. From glorious space operas to mind-bending movies that build you think, there& apos; s something for everyone on our listing of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix Australia.

Child of Men

Image credit: Universal

Long before Brexit, celebrated director Alfonso Cuaron( Gravity, Roma) offered a dystopian vision of a near-future Britain turned anti-immigration police state. The world has plunged into chaos as it awaits imminent extinction following an unexplained epidemic that& apos; s attained everyone infertile. Though it& apos; s been decades since the last human was born, a pregnant refugee named Kee( Clare-Hope Ashitey) suddenly seems, leading a desperate rushing to deliver the expectant mother to the safety of The Human Project- a group of scientists working to cure the world& apos; s infertility. Reluctant ex-activist turned government flunky Theo( Clive Owen) is initially called upon to get much-needed transit papers, but it quickly becomes apparent that he& apos; s the only hope Kee and her baby have of attaining it to their destination alive. A filmmaking victory, Children of Men is at once unbelievably poignant and unbelievably intense. Keep an eye out for the heart-pounding single-take scene which assures Theo and Kee venture into a war zone in order to make it to the coast.

Watch Children of Men on Netflix IMDB Rating: 7.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

Annihilation

Credit: Netflix

If you& apos; ve find writer-director Alex Garland& apos; s previous sci-fi masterpiece, Ex Machina, you& apos; ll know to expect a wild ride with his follow-up, Annihilation. Based on the highly regarded novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation follows a group of women who set off on an expedition into an environmental disaster zone where the laws of nature don& apos; t apply. Natalie Portman leadings the pack as a biologist sought for her missing spouse, and she& apos; s joined by Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez and more. Though the film has only just been released in theaters in the US, Australia is luck enough to be one of the countries getting the movie on Netflix right away. Equally brainy and scaring, Annihilation has all the makings of a modern science fiction classic.

IMDB Rating: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 87%

Minority Report

Credit: 20 th Century Fox

What if you could prevent slayings before they& apos; ve resulted? More importantly, what would you do if you were due to be sentenced over a murder you haven& apos; t committed yet? That is the premise of Steven Spielberg& apos; s spectacular sci-fi film, Minority Report. Loosely based on the Philip K. Dick story of the same name, the cinema sees Tom Cruise play the head of a futuristic& apos ;P recrime& apos; Division tasked with stopping assassins from to be undertaken by their violent actions. They can do this thanks to the clairvoyant abilities of three siblings known as& apos ;P recogs& apos ;. But what happens when this trio of soothsayers predicts a assassination carried about by Cruise himself? Spoiler alert, he operates! A visually stunning film that& apos; s filled with ingenious and forward-thinking technological notions that will likely become a reality in years to come, Minority Report is intense and action-packed.

IMDB Rating: 7.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

Interstellar

Credit: Warner Bros.

One of Christopher Nolan& apos; s most ambitious movies, Interstellar imagines a future where Earth is on its way out, and humanity must venture out beyond our galaxy to find a suitable new planet to call home. Among these astronauts are Cooper( Matthew McConaughey ), who must leave his children behind, despite the journey perhaps lasting several decades, and Brand( Anne Hathaway ), who is on a mission to track down her partner in the far-off reaches of space. Simultaneously thought-provoking and mind-bending, Interstellar is a true science fiction spectacle- one that rewards multiple viewings.

IMDB Rating: 8.6, Rotten Tomatoes: 71%

We all love a good scare( so long as we& apos; re safe and sound at the end of it ), so with that in intellect, we& apos; ve taken the liberty of shining a spotlight on some of the best horror movies currently streaming on Netflix Australia. These freaky flicks are guaranteed to send chills down your spine!

Get Out

Image credit: Universal

Before you check out Jordan Peele& apos; s latest film Us, it might be worth watching( or rewatching) the writer-director& apos; s debut feature, Get Out, which is an absolutely brilliant horror film dealing with race relations in America. Upon meeting his girlfriend& apos; s white parents for the first time, African American man Chris( Daniel Kaluuya) begins to feel a growing sense of unease- particularly in the presence of the family& apos; s all-black personnel. Before too long, the seemingly-progressive family& apos; s all-too-accommodating demeanour starts to unravel, eventually revealing a horrible truth that will show Chris just how much danger he& apos; s actually in. Insightful and suspenseful in equal measure, Get Out is one of the most socially-relevant horror movies ever constructed. It& apos; s no wonder Peele won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay on his time out of the gate.

IMDB Rating: 7.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 98%

Watch Get Out on Netflix right now

Dawn of the Dead

Image credit: Universal

George A. Romero& apos; s 1978 original may be king, but Zack Snyder& apos; s fast-paced Dawn of the Dead remake is still a terrific zombie film in its own right! Thanks to an excellent script by James Gunn( Guardians of the Galaxy ), Snyder& apos; s directorial debut is still one of the best in his entire filmography, with fleshed out( and fleshy) characters to root for as all hell violates loose. Holed up in a suburban shopping center, a group of people from various walks of life come together to fight for survival during an all-out zombie uprising. Scary and action-packed, the 2004 version of Dawn of the Dead is one of the best horror remakes around. And, with the recent announcement that Snyder will return to the zombie sub-genre once more( for the Netflix& apos; s Army of the Dead ), now& apos; s the perfect time to revisit this positively ghoulish flick.

IMDB Rating: 7.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 75%

Velvet Buzzsaw

Credit: Netflix

Writer-Director Dan Gilroy( Nightcrawler) delivered a film that& apos; s a whole lot crazier than we were expecting with Velvet Buzzsaw. The supernatural/ satirical horror movie is set in the art world, where a series of paints by an unknown deceased artist begin to take revenge on those who worship money. The film stars Nightcrawler alums Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo, along with John Malkovich, Daveed Diggs, Natalia Dyer, Tom Sturridge, Billy Magnussen and Zawe Ashton. It won& apos; t be everyone& apos; s cup of tea, but if you like your cinemas left of centre, you simply might appreciate Velvet Buzzsaw.

IMDB Rating: 5.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 66%

Apostle

Credit: Netflix

In the grim tradition of The Wicker Man and The Witch comes Apostle, a gory new folk horror tale from Gareth Evans, director of The Raid films. Set in 1905, Apostle watches Thomas Richardson( Dan Stevens) infiltrate an island-based cult which is holding his sister Jennifer( Elen Rhys) for ransom. Led by Prophet Malcolm( Michael Sheen ), the cult is entering a particularly dark time — its harvests and livestock are rotting from inside, as if the people are being punished by their deity. With the community in dire straits, Malcolm and his adherents have become murderous ogres, resorting to horrific, medieval practices in a vain attempt to restore life to their home. In other words, a terrible time to be discovered as an invader! With Apostle, Evans has not lost his knack for bodily demolition, with several scenes of torture and violence that may be too much for some viewers. Those with strong bellies, however, will be rewarded with a nail-biting horror story with unbelievably production design and cinematography that& apos; s willing to go to some genuinely dark places. It& apos; s nerve-jangling score is also worth keeping an ear out for.

IMDB Rating: 6.6, Rotten Tomatoes: 77%

Credit: Warner Bros.

Get ready, fright fans — the highest-grossing horror movie of all time has attained its style onto Netflix and is bound to attain you scared of jesters all over again. Based on Stephen King& apos; s classic novel of the same name, It follows a group of tightly-knit adolescent misfits known as The Losers Club as they investigate an evil force-out that& apos; s been stealing and murdering children in their small town for decades. With its late& apos; 80 s setting and talented cast of young performers, It is bound to appeal to fans of Netflix& apos; s brilliant series Stranger Things( and not just because Finn Wolfhard superstars in both ). As far as Stephen King adaptations run, it& apos; s one of the very best, managing to strike the right balance between horror and heart. Simply put, It is the kind of crowd-pleasing scare film we& apos ;d like to see more of. We recommend watching It before the upcoming sequel, which takes place 27 years later and sees the children all grown up and terrorised by Pennywise the Dancing Clown all over again.

IMDB Rating: 7.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 85%

Jaws

Credit: Universal

The film that defined the term& apos; blockbuster& apos ;, Steven Spielberg& apos; s classic fright film Jaws has swim its route onto the the service and is hungry for more viewers to chomp on. When an aggressive great white shark starts eating swimmers in the lead up to Fourth of July weekend, the mayor of a popular tourist destination situateds a bounty for the shark& apos; s head. The township& apos; s sheriff( Roy Scheider ), an oceanographer( Richard Dreyfuss) and a shark hunter with a grudge( Robert Shaw) set out on the seas to take it down for good. They& apos; re gonna need a bigger boat…

IMDB Rating: 8.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

It Follows

Credit: Rialto Distribution

Considered a modern horror classic by many, It Follows ensures a young girl( Maika Monroe) terrorised by a sexually-transmitted demon. This terrifying apparition appears different every time and will chase you relentlessly until you either pass it on by sleeping with someone else, or until it catches up to you and finishes you off for good. To stimulate matters worse, if the person you pass it on to dies, it will turn its attention back to you again. Did we mention that it can only be seen by the people that have been& apos; infected& apos ;, so your friends won& apos; t be able to help as much as they& apos ;d are ready to? Yeah, it kinda sucks. Stylish, atmospheric and with a terrific John Carpenter-inspired synth score, It Follows in an effective horror movie which may suffer a little from a few odd decisions by its characters, but is still well worth watching.

IMDB Rating: 6.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

The Babysitter

Credit: Netflix

One for the horror comedy fans, the Netflix Original film The Babysitter, from director McG( Charlie& apos; s Angels ), is an energetic and fun flick with some killer one-liners and a star-making performance from Aussie actress Samara Weaving( yes, she& apos; s related to Hugo ), whom horror fans may recollect from her role in the first season of Ash vs Evil Dead. The plot is simple: kid develops a crush on his incredibly cool babysitter, merely to find out that she& apos; s sadistic, devil-worshipping killer with groupings of equally psychotic friends, all of whom are planning to kill him. Though he& apos; s a total wimp, he must now fight back in order to survive. Gory and funny in equal measure, The Babysitter is a hell of a time.

IMDB Rating: 6.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 71%

Documentaries offer unprecedented insight into the lives of real people and the extraordinary events that surround them. Fiction is great, but fact genuinely has the power to move and inspire people like nothing else. With that said, here are some of the best documentaries currently available to stream on Netflix Australia.

Get Me Roger Stone

Credit: Netflix

The Trump presidency has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons, and has been a source of entertainment for late-night indicates and comedians across the US. There are books aplenty already published on the Trump White House, yet the world is yet to meet the President-maker,” the trickster”, behind the scenes. Get Me Roger Stone is about the man who puts a Republican in the White House, employing every( underhanded) technique he maybe can to get his man the top chore. And he does so unashamedly. The documentary follows this self-acclaimed ” agent provocateur”- reminiscent of a dapper character right out of a James Bond novel or movie- as he uncovers everything he’s done during his long career, from Nixon to Trump. The documentary not only sets the subject, and his Nixon tattoo, centre-stage, it also reveals how the American democracy works in its current form.

IMDB Rating: 7.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 87%

Amanda Knox

Credit: Netflix

Following the enormous success of its original docu-series Building a Murderer, Netflix has once again returned to the ever-popular& apos; true crime& apos; well with Amanda Knox. The Netflix Original documentary tells the harrowing story of an American exchange student who spent four years in an Italian prison after being convicted for the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher. Forced to endure the prosecution& apos; s various character assassination tactics, including public slut-shaming, Knox maintains her innocence at all day, with her appeals eventually reaching Italy& apos; s Supreme Court. Amanda Knox is an effective and genuinely eye-opening documentary that is not to be missed.

IMDB Rating: 7.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 85%

We love a good thriller, which is why we& apos; ve narrowed down some of very good ones that are now available to watch on Netflix Australia. These cinemas will have you on the edge of your seat in suspense, so sit back, try to relax, and enjoy.

Zodiac

Image credit: Paramount Pictures

Director David Fincher revolutionised the modern-day serial killer thriller with his masterpiece, Se7en, so when it came time to revisit the genre with Zodiac, the visionary director opted to tear it back up again( in a good way, that is ). Eschewing the grim flashiness of the aforementioned film, Zodiac follows the true( and still unsolved) Zodiac murder spree that took place in across the US during the 1960 s-7 0s. Fincher approaches the morbid material with the various kinds of journalistic attention to detail and intense investigation that would become incredibly popular several years later( just imagine how celebrated Zodiac would be if it were released now, in the time of total true crime preoccupation ). Jake Gyllenhaal plays Robert Graysmith, the real-life newspaper cartoonist that would eventually dedicate decades of his life in the endeavours of the Zodiac killer& apos; s true identity. The rest of the cast ain& apos; t shabby, either- Robert Downey Jr( not playing Iron Man ), Mark Ruffalo( not playing Hulk ), Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox and Chloe Sevigny star in supporting roles. A gripping true narrative, Zodiac is a must for dedicated true crime enthusiasts. It also stimulates for a terrific companion to Fincher& apos; s serial killed-themed Netflix Original series, Mindhunter.

IMDB Rating: 7.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

The Villainess

Credit: Madman Entertainment

Equal components Oldboy and La Femme Nikita, The Villainess is a female-driven Korean revenge thriller with the most incredible and original action sequences this side of The Raid — seriously, the first-person knife opposes and shootouts in this set Hollywood action movies to dishonor. Sook-hee( Ok-bin Kim) is apprehended after to be undertaken by a killing spree that leaves dozens of crooks dead. She& apos; s given a choice: develop to become a ruthless assassin and receive liberty after ten years, or spend the rest of her life in jail. Obviously, she prefers the former, and before long it becomes clear to her that her rampage was spurned on under false pretences. Now, it& apos; s time to stimulate everyone pay for what they did to her.

IMDB Rating: 6.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 83%

Gerald's Game

Credit: Netflix

2017 has been a great year for Stephen King adaptations( ahem, The Dark Tower aside ), and the new Netflix Original film Gerald& apos; s Game joins It and 1922 in the upper echelon. In an attempt to rekindle their matrimony, Gerald( Bruce Greenwood) and Jessie( Carla Gugino) retreat to a remote lake home. When a sex game runs awry, Jessie is left alone and handcuffed to the bed and must overcome her mounting paranoia and deep, personal demons. Though the film largely takes place within the one room, Gerald& apos; s Game remains thrilling from start to finish. It also features one of the best performances of Gugino& apos; s career.

IMDB Rating: 6.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

Drive

Credit: Pinnacle Films

Drive is the film that constructed it cool to love Ryan Gosling. Based on the fiction of the same name by James Sallis, this pulpy thriller is one of the most stylish films of the past few decades, having almost single-handedly resurrected the neon& apos; 80 s synth-pop scene. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn( Bronson, Only God Forgives ), Drive considers Gosling play a nameless stunt driver who were responsible as a shady wheelman by night. When a job runs horribly incorrect, this& apos ;d river& apos; must dispense violent justice to construct things right for those he cares for. The cinema& apos; s immense influence can be felt across all forms of media- the video game Hotline Miami, in particular, owes a large debt of gratitude to Drive. A loving ode to the early tough-guy crime movies of Michael Mann, Drive is essential viewing.

IMDB Rating: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 93%

We& apos; re serious cinephiles here at at TechRadar. It& apos; s not all about Star Wars around here- we enjoy a good tear-jerker, too. There are many sensitive drama cinemas streaming on Netflix Australia right, and these are some of the best ones. So grab a hanky and get ready for a heavy night in.

Roma

Credit: Netflix

An astonishing ode to motherhood in all forms, Roma is the most personal movie to date from visionary director Alfonso Cuaron( Children of Men, Gravity ). On newspaper, Roma is not the easiest sell- a subtitled black and white film about a live-in housekeeper spoken almost entirely in Spanish and the indigenous Mixtec language, Cuaron& apos; s latest is nonetheless riveting from a cinematic standpoint. More a series of vignettes than a traditional three-act narrative, Roma examines the life of a Mexico City family in the early 1970 s during a hour of great social upheaval. Described by Cuaron as 90% autobiographical, the film provides some insight into the famous director& apos; s early life, although the story is witnessed primarily through the eyes of his custodian, Cleo( Yalitza Aparicio ), who would become a loved member of the family. One of the most gorgeously photographed cinemas of the year, Roma deserves to be seen on the largest screen possible. Shot altogether in 65 mm, Roma would make for an ideal theatrical experience. However, if that isn& apos; t an option, you won& apos; t be disappointed by the Roma& apos; s breathtaking 4K Ultra HD presentation on Netflix- simply make sure you maintain tissues on hand, because it& apos; s very likely you& apos; ll shed a few tears during the film.

IMDB Rating: 8.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

American Graffiti

Credit: Universal

George Lucas took the world by storm with his phenomenal blockbuster Star Wars in 1977, but it wasn& apos; t the first masterpiece the filmmaker had helmed- American Graffiti was released merely four years earlier in 1973, marking the arrival of one of the most exciting voices in cinema. A nostalgic coming-of-age tale, the 1962 -set American Graffiti follows a group of friends on their last night in township before heading off to college and the rest of their lives. Naturally, these kids expend the night cruising the strip in their amazing era-specific hot rods, saying their goodbyes to friends and girlfriends and get up to some mischief before they have to grow up and face the real world. Released merely 11 years after the time in which it& apos; s define, the cinema shows just how much American life would change in such a short time, predating not only the Kennedy assassination and the Flower Generation, but also the Vietnam War. While American Graffiti is undoubtedly a feel-good film with an incredible rock& apos; n& apos; roll and doo-wop soundtrack, it& apos; s also a bittersweet reminder of innocence lost, with the movie& apos; s objective throwing some cold water on an audience lulled into remembering& apos; the good old times& apos ;. Starrings Ron& apos; Ronny& apos; Howard, Richard Dreyfus and Harrison Ford.

IMDB Rating: 7.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

Dunkirk

Credit: Warner Bros.

A harrowing tale of grand-scale survival against all odds, Christopher Nolan& apos; s film Dunkirk re-enacts one of the most significant events in World War II — namely, the evacuation of over 300,000 Allied soldiers who is currently trapped in the French port town of Dunkirk with no supplyings and barely any ammo while surrounded by heavily armed German forces-out. Codenamed Operation Dynamo, Winston Churchill& apos; s decision to enlist every available civilian boat capable of reaching Dunkirk resulted in the vast majority of stranded troops being rescued. Had the scenario gone another way, the Allied forces may have lost the war. Following the events by land, air and ocean, Nolan offers a surprisingly intimate look at the evacuation, despite being set against an epic backdrop. One of Nolan& apos; s best cinemas to date, Dunkirk is a must-see war film the explores human fortitude in the face of almost certain death.

IMDB Rating: 8.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 9.2

Your Name

Credit: Madman Entertainment

A worldwide phenomenon, Your Name is the highest-grossing anime film of all time — that& apos; s right, bigger than any Studio Ghibli film or science fiction blockbuster. That a simple story about a young girl from a rural township switching bodies with a young man from bustling Tokyo hit such a cord with audiences is a testament to the heartfelt writing that helps bring these animated characters to life. Makoto Shinkai& apos; s film is the kind that will have you laughing one moment, then crying the next. A joyful and beautiful love story told in a unique and cerebral route, Your Name is one of the true anime masterpieces, sitting alongside the likes of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Grave of the Firefly, Spirited Away and the legendary Akira.

IMDB Rating: 8.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

Good Time

Credit: Madman Entertainment

Good Time stars Robert Pattinson in the type of performance that will induce you forget all about his involvement in the Twilight saga. We& apos; re talking young De Niro good, here. When his mentally-challenged brother is snatched by the police after a bank robbery, Connie( Pattinson) sets out to do anything he can to free his brother before getting sent to the brutal Rikers Island jail complex. This sets off a night that spirals out of control highly fast. There& apos; s pretty much no way of predicting what will happen next. Gritty and grimy, Good Time is an intense film with an incredible soundtrack and fantastic cinematography. One of the best films of 2017.

IMDB Rating: 7.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Beasts of No Nation

Credit: Netflix

As Netflix& apos; s first original movie, Beasts of No Nation had a lot to prove. The VOD scene had traditionally been associated with low budget indies and D-grade horror movies, but with Animals of No Nation, Netflix managed to convince people that high quality( dare I say, Oscar-calibre) films could be streamed at home and shown in theatres at the same time. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga( True Detective season 1 ), Beasts follows the loss of a child soldier& apos; s innocence as he& apos; s been necessary to do unspeakable things. The cinema makes like a sledgehammer, never shying away from the brutality and horror experienced by this young boy( played masterfully by newcomer Abraham Attah ). Equally powerful is Idris Elba& apos; s portrayal as the son& apos; s remorseless and despicable commandant. Though not what you& apos ;d call a crowd-pleaser, we hope that Netflix continues to bring us brilliant movies like this.

IMDB Rating: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Blue is the Warmest Color

Credit: Universal/ Sony Pictures

As soulful as it is erotically-charged, it& apos; s not hard to see why Blue is the Warmest Color won the highest prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival- its portrayal of two women who fall in love and allow each other to discover their true egoes is truly special. Though Emma( Lea Seydoux) is a blue-haired free spirit, Adele( Adele Exarchopoulos) doesn& apos; t feel comfortable in her own scalp. While Adele& apos; s friends initially shun Emma due to her sexuality, she soon realises that Emma is the only person with whom she can express herself openly and bare her soul to. Together, the pair experience the ups and downs of a mature relationship, while also exploring social acceptance and their sexuality. A beautiful masterpiece that will take you on an emotional roller-coaster throughout its lengthy 3-hour running hour, Blue is the Warmest Color is a film you won& apos; t soon forget.

IMDB Rating: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Okja

Credit: Netflix

Korean director Bong Joon-ho( The Host, Snowpiercer) is an eclectic filmmaker, and his latest work, Okja, is in a genre all of its own. Is it an adventure film? Is it science fiction? Is it a drama? Is it a fairy tale? Is it satire? The answer is … all of the above. With a style that& apos; s somewhere between Spielberg and Miyazaki, the movie follows a young Korean girl& apos; s quest to rescue her best friend Okja, a super-pig that was created by the multi-national conglomerate Mirando Corporation for the purposes of consumption. Flipping between heartbreaking and joyful at the drop of a hat, Okja is an emotional roller coaster of a movie that may well have you reconsidering your dietary selections.

IMDB Rating: 7.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 85%

Need a good giggle? Netflix Australia is home to some terrific comedies, with a number of hilarious movies ready to stream in an instant. Some are light-hearted, while others are pitch black. With that in mind, there& apos; s a comedy for everyone below.

Game Night

Credit: Roadshow

Max( Jason Bateman) and Annie( Rachel McAdams) are well known for hosting awesome weekly board game nights for their friends. On this particular evening however, Max& apos; s shady brother( Kyle Chandler) gets the group involved in his real life kidnapping, which results them to guess the whole thing is a game night mystery. Before long, the group finds itself in real danger with some murderous crooks, and they& apos; ll need to use their board game problem solving skills to get themselves out of this hairy situation! Stylishly directed and cleverly written, Game Night is head and shoulders above most other American comedies released in recent years.

IMDB Rating: 7.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 84%

The 40 -Year-Old Virgin

Credit: Universal

Unlucky in love, nice guy Andy( Steve Carrell) has yet to go all the way with a woman despite being 40 years old. While he has quietly resounded himself to the possibility that he may never lose his virginity, his rambunctious co-workers( Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen and Romany Malco) have attained it their mission to get Andy laid , no matter what. And, just when you think you have the movie figured out, it reveals itself to be a amazingly sweet narrative about relationship and moving into the next stage of life. Featuring more gut-busting one-liners and sexual mishaps than you can poke a … stray … you get where we& apos; re going with this, Judd Apatow& apos; s The 40 -Year-Old Virgin is one of the most hilarious comedies of the 21 st century.

IMDB Rating: 7.1, Rotten Tomatoes: 85%

Coming to America

Credit: Universal/ Sony Pictures

Perhaps the most charming and endlessly entertaining comedy of Eddie Murphy& apos; s career, Coming to America takes the standard& apos; fish out of water& apos; idea and weaves pure magic with it. Unhappy with the arranged marriage set up by royal mothers, Prince Akeem of the wealthy( and fictitious) African nation of Zamunda defines off for America in search of love with help from his squire, Semmi( Arsenio Hall ). Before long, Akeem autumns for the smart and independent Lisa( Shari Headley ), heir to the McDowell& apos; s fast food restaurant empire. Insistent that he win her affections with his personality and not his wealth, Akeem and Semmi pretend to be poor and acquire chores at McDowell& apos; s. Now, the pair must contend with Lisa& apos; s over-protective parent( John Amos) and her jerk boyfriend( Eriq La Salle ). Full of heart and bloody hilarious, Coming to America is a comedy classic.

IMDB Rating: 7.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 69%

Hot Fuzz

Credit: Universal

Following the success of their classic rom-zom-com, Shaun of the Dead, director Edgar Wright, superstar and writer Simon Pegg and co-star Nick Frost teamed up once again to bring their hilarious sensibilities to the buddy-cop movie genre with Hot Fuzz. London super-cop Nicholas Angel( Pegg) is involuntarily transferred to a village in the English countryside for making his superiors look bad by comparison. There, he teams up with dim-witted( but well-meaning) policeman Danny Butterman( Nick Frost) and together, the pair uncover a slaying conspiracy. If cinemas like Point Break and Bad Boys II are in constant rotation at your place, you perfectly owe it to yourself to grab a Cornetto and watch Hot Fuzz.

IMDB Rating: 7.9, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Though they live on the other side of the law, we as people tend to be fascinated by criminals. Whether it& apos; s the prohibit lifestyles they lead, or the fact that they live those lives on the edge and do things most of us wouldn& apos; t dream of, something about their tales constructs them cinematic gold. Here are some of the best crime movies now streaming on Netflix Australia.

The Wolf of Wall street

Credit: Roadshow

The characters in the fact-based film The Wolf of Wall street may very be completely reprehensible with little-to-no redeeming qualities, but damn if they aren& apos; t freakin& apos; hilarious. An adults-only tour through the real-life antics of white collar criminal Jordan Belfort( Leonardo DiCaprio at his most unhinged ), the cinema revels in the excess and debauchery of Wall street in the 1980 s, where thieving yuppies expend millions of dollars on drugs, hookers and extravagant lifestyles they did not earn. While the movie& apos; s three hour runtime might scare off potential viewers, Martin Scorsese& apos; s energetic direction keeps the action moving at a lightning-fast pace. The cinema was also starrings Margot Robbie& apos; s in her breakout role, playing Belfort& apos; s ever-suffering wife, Naomi. Jonah Hill is also incredibly funny as Belfort& apos; s partner in crime, Donnie. If you love Scorsese& apos; s classic film Goodfellas, chances are you& apos; ll enjoy this just as much.

IMDB Rating: 8.2, Rotten Tomatoes: 78%

Snatch

Credit: Sony Pictures

A rollicking crime caper movie from Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels writer and director Guy Ritchie, Snatch takes everything great about that movie and dials it up to 11. Featuring a large cast of colorful cockney robbers, including Jason Statham, Stephen Graham, Dennis Farina, Benicio Del Toro, Vinnie Jones and Brad Pitt( particularly memorable as an unintelligible Gypsy boxer ), Snatch flies thick and fast with hilarious quotable lines and energetic performances. Whether they& apos; re chasing after a diamond the size of a fist, or betting on illegal bare-knuckle brawls, you can expect these characters to end up getting into all kinds of mischief.

IMDB Rating: 8.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 73%

Casino

Credit: Universal/ Sony Pictures

Re-teaming with their Goodfellas director Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci once again play violent gangsters in this 1970 s-set crime movie based on real-life stories from the glory days of Las Vegas. The two play former best friends who not only vie over a gambling empire, but a woman( Sharon Stone ). If you can stomach the eye-popping violence on show here( this really does make Goodfellas look tame by comparison ), Casino is one of the best crime movies in Scorsese& apos; s amazing filmography.

IMDB Rating: 8.2, Rotten Tomatoes: 79%

Buckle up for some heart-pounding entertainment with some of the most kick-ass action movies now streaming on Netflix Australia. Adrenaline junkies will get a kick out of every one of the brawny movies listed below.

The Nice Guys

Image credit: Warner Bros.

Shane Black, writer and director of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, returns to the world of gumshoe sleuths with The Nice Guys, a smart and funny mystery that establishes Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling as a comedic match stimulated in heaven. Set in the late& apos; 70 s, Crowe& apos; s tough guy enforcer squads up with Gosling& apos; s bumbling private eye to solve the mystery of a dead porn superstar. Filled with hilarious one-liners and terrific action sequences, The Nice Guys is the kind of movie they genuinely don& apos; t make anymore, which builds its very existence something of a miracle, wouldn& apos; t “youre telling”?

IMDB Rating: 7.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

Watch The Nice Guys on Netflix right now

The Night Comes For Us

Credit: Netflix

One of the most incredibly violent action films ever stimulated, The Night Comes For Us is a martial arts gangster epic( featuring several actors from The Raid series) where blood and body parts are offered up by the barrel. A fierce killer( Joe Taslim) betrays his Triad gang members to protect an orphaned little girl. Now, the entire Triad is out to claim his head, including his former best friend( Iko Uwais ). What ensues is an unrelenting bloodbath of martial art mayhem that never slows down for the rest of the movie. We& apos; re not kidding when we say that this film might be too violent for many action junkies- heads are smashed in, throats are slashed, thumbs are chopped off, bodies are blown apart and guts are rent out with alarming frequency. If you thought The Raid was violent, you ain& apos; t assured nothin& apos; yet!

IMDB Rating: 7.1, Rotten Tomatoes: 88%

John Wick: Chapter Two

Credit: Universal/ Sony Pictures

In the first John Wick, they killed his puppy, sending this boogeyman-like professional killer( played by a never-better Keanu Reeves) on a bellowing rampage of retaliation where no noggin remained bullet-free. In John Wick: Chapter Two, our favourite head-shooting hitman is on the defensive, as he is betrayed by an old associate and left to fight off every trigger happy assassin in New York and abroad. With even more insane stunt work and myth build than the original film, John Wick 2 is an action-packed middle chapter which promises to end in an almighty bloodbath for the upcoming trilogy-closer, John Wick 3: Parabellum.

IMDB Rating: 7.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol

Credit: Paramount Pictures

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to watch Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol on Netflix before the latest film in the saga, Mission: Impossible — Fallout, reaches theaters. Why should you do that? Because the fourth entry in the M: I series, which is directed by animation legend Brad Bird( The Incredibles, The Iron Giant) is not only very good Mission to date — it& apos; s one of the best spy movies of all time, period. Ethan Hunt( Tom Cruise) and his team( which includes Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton) must stop a half-crazed madman( the late Michael Nyqvist) who believes the only way to save the world is to destroy it. Featuring brilliant spy antics, clever gadgets and the best stunts of Cruise& apos; s death-defying career( seriously, one particular sequence which takes place on the world& apos; s tallest building is positively vertigo-inducing ), Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol is as close to perfection as these kinds of movies get.

IMDB rating: 7.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 93%

The Warriors

Credit: Universal/ Sony Pictures

Set in a heightened version of New York in the dirty 1970 s, where the streets are ruled by violent gangs in crazy attires, The Warriors follows one particular gang( we& apos; ll give you one guess as to what they& apos; re called) that& apos; s framed for the killing of a visionary gang leader during a city-wide midnight summit. Originally meant as a peaceful event, The Warriors must now make it back to their home turf at the other side of the city with every other gang in town out for their blood. Will they survive long enough to prove their innocence? And will the real perpetrators get what& apos; s coming to them? A fantastic piece of& apos; 70 s pulp, The Warriors is a guaranteed great time. And while its vision of colourful gangs lording over the slums of NYC seems outlandish, it& apos; s a lot closer to the reality of the time than most people realise. To learn more about this bygone era, check out the documentary Rubble Kings, which is also streaming on Netflix( read more about it on Page 3 ).

IMDB Rating: 7.7, Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

Wonder Woman

Credit: Warner Bros.

The DC Cinematic Universe has had a bit of a rough start in its attempts to catch up to competitor Marvel, with movies like Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad unable to adequately please both fans and critics. That all altered with Wonder Woman, the first DCU movie to receive universal praise across the board. Perfectly cast as Wonder Woman a.k.a. Diana Prince, Gal Gadot breathes warmth and love into the world& apos; s most famous female superhero. Diana is swept into the wars of man when charming pilot Steve Trevor( Chris Pine) crash lands near the hidden island of Themyscira, home of the Amazons. Sensing that WWI is the doing of Ares, the God of War, Diana sets off with Steve into the world of man to end the war( and Ares) once and for all. One of the greatest superhero movies of all time, Wonder Woman is a victory. Now let& apos; s hope we get more DC movies like this…

IMDB Rating: 7.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Credit: Disney

The sequel to Marvel& apos; s 2014 phenomenon, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 determines the intergalactic heroes thrust into another escapade, one that could expose the identity of Peter Quill& apos; s parent. Even more spectacular than the first cinema, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continually aims to surprise the audience, with simultaneously keeping its action and comedy levels high.

IMDB Rating: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 83%

Mad Max: Fury Road

Credit: Roadshow

The world has gone to hell following a cataclysmic event, plunging headfirst into madness and chaos. All that remains is a wasteland governed by tyrannical men, inhabited by downtrodden hordes, and hopefully, rescued by mythical heroes. Immortan Joe( Hugh Keays-Byrne) rules with an iron fist, doling out meagre amounts of water to the masses, while keeping a stable of wives for himself to breed future warlords. His most trusted Imperator Furiosa( Charlize Theron) has betrayed him and freed these women from their lives of sex bondage. Now, the chase is on, as Immortan Joe and his party of warboys set out to retrieve their “property”. If Furiosa and co. are to succeed, they’ll need the help of Max Rockatansky( Tom Hardy ), a wandering road warrior in search of a cause. Director George Miller has crafted the most dynamic, vibrant and sensational action blockbuster of the decade with Fury Road. it’s an inventive, high-octane kick in the guts to a film industry that play around it safe for far too long. The chases and stunts in this film are unparalleled. Best of all, the cinema& apos; s cut-to-the-chase plot manages to sneak in a powerful and extremely timely rebuttal to patriarchy.

IMDB Rating: 8.1, Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

Need some kid-friendly entertainment that will stimulate the whole family happy? We& apos; ve selected some of the best family movies that Netflix Australia has to offer. Each one of these films is guaranteed to leave you feeling warm and fuzzy.

How to Train Your Dragon

Credit: DreamWorks Animation

One of the best animated films of the past few decades, How to Train Your Dragon astonished everyone with its tale of a young Viking boy who eludes his village& apos; s dragon hunting ways to become the very first dragon rider. When Hiccup( Jay Baruchel) stumbles upon an injured Night Fury, the rarest and most-feared dragon in existence, he manages to befriend the being( which he adorably names& apos; Toothless& apos ;), eventually teaching his family a valuable lesson in the process. Packed with incredible action and adventure, How to Train Your Dragon is a classic that can be enjoyed by both young and old.

IMDB Rating: 81%, Rotten Tomatoes: 98%

Beauty and the Beast

Credit: Disney

An utterly enchanting and altogether magnificent live-action adaptation of one of Disney& apos; s most celebrated animated classics, Beauty and the Beast absolutely nails the source material — maybe even betters it in some regards. Much of the praise can be bestowed upon Emma Watson, who plays Belle with grace and warmth. The same can be said about Dan Stevens, who spends the cinema injecting life into the computer-generated Beast. Luke Evans comes close to stealing the present, though as the vicious and vain Gaston. We& apos; re also pleased to report that all of the original cinema& apos; s songs are present and accounted for, so gather the whole family and settle in for a wonderful night singing, giggling and crying.

IMDB Rating: 7.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 71%

The Lego Batman Movie

Credit: Warner Bros.

If you loved Will Arnett& apos; s hilarious take on the Caped Crusader in The Lego Movie, you& apos; re going to be over the moon to see him take centre stage in his very own block-filled blockbuster! In The Lego Batman Movie, all of the Dark Knight& apos; s villains are teaming up to take over Gotham City, and it& apos; s up to Batman and his newly adopted sidekick Robin( Michael Cera) to stop them! With an incredible cast of comedic superstars in tow, including Zach Galifianakis as the Joker, Conan O& apos; Brien as The Riddler and Riki Lindhome as Poison Ivy, The Lego Batman Movie keeps the chuckles coming for its entire runtime. Quite frankly, it& apos; s the best Batman film since The Dark Knight.

IMDB Rating: 7.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Credit: 20 th Century Fox

Wes Anderson( The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom) is a writer/ director know for his whimsical and inimitable style, with characters who are fleshed out( irrespective of whether they& apos; re actually people) and have warmth and heart to spare. With his first foray into family-fare, Fantastic Mr. Fox, the visionary filmmaker succeeded in creating his most accessible film to date. Based on the classic story by Roald Dahl, the cinema follows a wily fox( played with unbelievable charm and terrific comedic timing by George Clooney) who bandies together with his family( voiced by Meryl Streep and Jason Schwartzman) and friends( including voice run from regular Wes Anderson collaborator, Bill Murray) to fight off the mean farmers that plan to destroy their homes. Featuring wonderful stop-motion animation, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a heartfelt and hilarious movie that& apos; s destined to become a family favourite.

IMDB Rating: 7.8, Rotten Tomatoes: 93%

The Iron Giant

Credit: Warner Bros.

Criminally overlooked by audiences upon initial release, The Iron Giant is an animated cinema that has steadily grown in appreciation over the years, to the point where many traditional animation purists now consider it an undisputed classic. The feature-length debut of director Brad Bird( The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol ), and Set during the 1950 s at the height of the& apos; Red Scare& apos; period of America& apos; s history, The Iron Giant tells the story of a lonely boy named Hogarth( Eli Marienthal) who makes a new best friend in an enormous amnesiac robot( Vin Diesel ). The robot eventually realises that he was actually constructed as a weapon, and before long, the authorities find out about him and set out on a quest to destroy the gentle giant. Now the boy and his metallic friend have to protect each other at all costs. A touching cinema in the tradition of E.T. the Extra-terrestrial, The Iron Giant deserves to be considered as not just a terrific animated movie, but as one the greatest cinemas of the& apos; 90 s, period.

IMDB Rating: 8.0, Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

Back to the Future

Credit: Universal/ Sony Pictures

A time-travelling classic from director Robert Zemeckis( Forrest Gump) and producer Steven Spielberg( Raiders of the Lost Ark ), Back to the Future ensure 1980 s teenager Marty McFly( Michael J. Fox) race back to the 1950 s required so that his mothers gratify during high school and fall in love- he better succeeded, because if he fails, he& apos; ll be wiped from existence in his current timeline! To do this, he& apos; ll need help from Doc Brown( Christopher Lloyd)- an eccentric scientist who& apos; s constructed a functioning hour machine in the form of a DeLorean sports car. A fantastic fish-out-of-water tale that leans heavily on 1950 s nostalgia, great performances and terrific visual effects, Back to the Future can be considered a high-watermark from everyone involved.

IMDB Rating: 8.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 96%