Tokutember 2023 Day 10: "Motorcycle"

Boss Kamilkaze and the rest of the Gorma Stooges from Gosei Sentai Dairanger

Phrasing

Stella's Killaz: Hell's Most Dangerous Group

Just a fun idea that I have.

"We did it, but others told us to."

We thought it would be fun. Wars were always a civilized business after all. It was supposed to be grand, sweeping, and romantic. Two armies would clash, there would be lots of daring do, and once this grand conflict was over that was that. You didn't hold a grudge. It was a relief from the boredom of jobs at home. You got done, shook hands, picked up the dead, and that was that. We didn't have a quarrel with the other male, this was between our bosses, see? It's the way of things. We challenge a dominant power to see who is better.

We were just following orders.

We took their Jupiter bases and wondered what all the hubbub was about further inward. Something about the targets we hit. I didn't understand. Sure the bases didn't have any weapons, but this was war. We were doing our jobs.

They opened up on us at the asteroid belt, with hundred megawatt transportation lasers and mass drivers. We didn't expect that. This was supposed to be civilized! They made us fight our way through the belt, forcing us to lose ten fighters for every kilometer of space. They were using civilian equipment against us! Those lasers were for high speed transportation, those mass drivers for cargo delivery! Why did they not use proper warships? We were just doing our jobs.

The Martian colony, here we thought would be the great decisive battle. They threw dozens of ships against us. They used their megawatt lasers and mass drivers. Their reaction drives burned out anything that got close. They screamed their hate at us and we didn't understand. We were just doing our jobs.

We dropped bombs on their colonies, we seized their stations. We took them fair and square. But they were savage. Our troops landed and they were gunned down by heavy machine guns. Machine guns designed hundreds of years ago! And their designs had stayed the same. Their rifles and tanks were certainly different, but that machine gun, that Browning, had stayed the same. And they screamed at us. They called in close air support, they planted mines, they did everything they could to bleed us dry. We destroyed what the officers said to. We blew up domes. We destroyed train lines. Even those that had nothing to do with the war effort. So what? What's that got to do with us? We did it, but others ordered us to. And isn't it our right as conquerers? We were just doing our jobs.

Their anger only grew worse. As we moved, they continued to throw everything they had at us. Soldiers sacrificed themselves so their fellows could retreat in good order. They did those kamikaze runs they are so proud of. And the prisoners were angry. We gave them supplies, and still they cursed us. We tried to be nice, to compliment them on their skills, and they were silent. They called it "interrogation". We called it friendly chats.

"Why do you force us to destroy so much expensive material? Damage to private property is very uncouth, you know! It's very expensive!"

"You bombed civilian targets!" The fighter pilot snapped at us, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Your people use private machinery rather than weapons to fight us! Well you do both, but that's beside the point!"

"We didn't hide troops in civilian domes!" The pilot shouted.

"That was what we were ordered to do. It was not my doing. The commanders simply felt a show of force was necessary."

"Necessary?! You son of a--!" We had to restrain her then.

"What inspires this loyalty?" I demanded, "You fight as though more depends on you than your life! What demands such high sacrifices?"

"If it means beating baby killers!" She snarled, her head pinned by one of my soldiers. She managed to move it, "We'll throw everything we've got at you! Someday we'll defeat you! And then you'll see who's laughing!"

I was flummoxed. "Why do you do this? Why do you fight so hard? You're only doing your job!"

She seemed confused by that. "Of course I am!"

I knelt down to where three of my soldiers held her, "Yes! So why fight so hard? Why do you defy us like this? Why do you make us kill and destroy private property?"

She seemed baffled. "What do you mean? I fight because I'm part of the UN Defense Force! Why else?"

"But you don't need to fight this hard. We fight, one of us loses, we shake hands! That's war!"

She looked befuddled, "The fuck is wrong with you, *bug*? What kinda war is that? Sounds like a slapfight!"

I tried to dumb it down for her. "You plant mines. You set traps. You crash your ships into ours. What kind of war is that? What inspires this loyalty, this desire to sacrifice so much? You are but an employee of your masters. They demand no less than you doing your job, and no more. You do not need to go beyond!"

She confusedly said, "Because that's war, idiot."

By the time we reached the lunar perimeter, our force was battered beyond belief. Forces were still fighting over Mars, and the Mercury and Venus attacks had been blunted. We finally encountered their war fleet. Many of the ships were barely finished. They had been pulled out of the dock yards still with workers aboard. Why was that? Our leader hailed their fleet admiral. He congratulated them for their clever tactics and admonished them for their unsavory techniques. He gave them a list of booty to recover, requested a refuel, and gave them a time frame for when we would be on our way. The war was over, we'd made it to their homeworld. This is how the great competitive wars are always done. Something about this confused the Admiral. "This isn't a game!" They spat. "War isn't defending dots on a map! It's death! Vast organized death! Are you telling me you came all this way for FUN?!"

"No, we came here to see who is better."

"That's the same thing."

"No it isn't." Our leader said dismissively. He paused, "Tell me, what inspires this loyalty in you? Aren't you just doing your jobs?"

"What?"

"You're just following orders. So are we. What inspires this unthinking, undying loyalty? You're just following orders, as all civilized beings should. We are just following orders." The comm line went dead. The humans unleashed a terrible display of firepower. They learned a long time ago that loyalty is not simple deference. And that war is more than just orders, it is not romantic.

War is not a game to them.

my wonderful bestie gave me this idea <3 || long post + angsty

being a solider in the force had it perks, you got to say you were a solider, you were thanked for everything you did and you got to serve your country. however it was when you got told this mission wasn’t going to be a good one.

you sat at the pre-mission briefing, a clip board in your hand of all the details. price telling the force what were to happen and how it was to happen; he always had everything meticulously planned. you rested your head into your palm. these briefs were long, excruciatingly detailed and exhausting; hearing every possible mistake that could be made and how to avoid it was never a positive of working with the team but you had to suck it up.

you looked around the room, ghost was paying attention, he had to, he was always so aware of what everyone was doing he was probably already planning what each of you would do in tomorrows mission.

soap was paying attention, his fingers flicking the pen between them, he could never truly sit still even after all this time. he had to be doing something he was like an eager puppy waiting for the go sign.

gaz however had his eyes pinned to price, he was always all or nothing. you liked gaz for that aspect with the friendship the two of you formed he was always a hundred percent into it.

this briefing seemed to go on for longer than usual, it was a sucide mission. it hadn't been directly disclosed but it was, it was like the kamikaze. you didn’t really know how to feel about this, you had no choice you were to fight your best and make it out alive even if there was a slim chance that all five of you would.

the mission was tomorrow morning and you knew ghost would be down your throat with every move you made. even if he was somewhat the unofficial boss of you, he made it clear that he didn’t like you around. he made it quite obvious he found you a nuisance and that the force was better off without you.

at first when he’d say these things it got to you; why wouldn’t they. he was horrible, it was in his nature. you got told over and over again to ignore his nit picking but when it went from calling you a nuisance to telling you every little thing you were doing wrong; it had you uneasy around him. always trying to gain some positive attention from him that you never got. you eventually stopped and that’s when it was bitter between you.

you headed to your barrack that night, thinking of the mission ahead. normally you’d never overthink about them like this but how could you not, it was a suicide mission. how could you do this if you didn’t trust one of your teammates.

it took a lot for you to fall asleep that night; and when you finally did, it was harsh, full of nightmares of the past lives that you had seen been taken. this job wasn’t for the faint of heart, it was for the people who could take the pressure; and you could.

waking up the next morning you got dressed and prepared for the day instantly, you had no time to loose. you were on the plane there in almost fourty five minutes.

you took note of everyone’s appearances, everyone knew that today was not a lucky mission. you however stayed strong, you weren’t going to be the one to mess it up, not this time.

getting onto the ground it was worse than anticipated. even ghost looked a little overwhelmed about it all. the five of you began filtering into the buildings and starting your attacks, you had of course been put with ghost he had called you ‘a liability if left alone’.

‘it’s not looking good,’ you tell him, your sniper held up close, you’ve never felt pressure this tremendous before. your heart thumping in your chest, the silence was deathly, anything could pop up right now.

‘I know it’s not sergeant,’ he spits at you, ghost never referred to you as your name, the one time he did it was like he was spitting out poison.

The two of you started running, gaz had got caught in a battle between a few of the opposing, price was shouting through the comms, an anxiety laced throughout his voice.

the two of you got to gaz, he looked just as nervous when you got there. he had a scratch on his leg, getting caught but he managed to get out; it didn’t look good though, black stone and rubble already making it into the wound, the worse it looked.

‘price we need to stand down,’ ghost tells him through the comms feeling pissed that gaz had already been injured like this. it wasn’t as fatal as it could possibly be but it didn’t look good either.

‘fine, get them on the plane,’ price says, his voice a faint buzz in your ear piece.

gaz could barely walk as ghost through him over his shoulder, beginning to jog to the plane with you fatefully behind.

he had got gaz on the plane as you saw the enemy opposing. you pulled your sniper up to defend, you weren’t quick enough.

you woke up in hospital four days later, a gun wound to your thigh, a pain like no other. you opened your eyes looking around the room, cards and flowers from people you never even spoke to before but it must of been fatal at the time. to your left ghost was there. he sat in the chair, head in his hands.

‘what are you doin’ here?’ you mumble your body’s exhaustion hitting you hard.

ghost stood up, walking over to the bed his mask in his hands, looking up at him his face scarred and teary. you had never seen him without the mask. his blonde hair spiky from being in his hands. ‘thought you’d never make it.’

‘well i’m ‘ere,’ you mutter, your leg in agony from the surgery. he lets out a dry chuckle at this.

you were so confused, he hated you more than anything else and yet here he was? ‘you hate me,’ you tell him, ‘and your ‘ere.’

he didn’t really have an excuse on why he hated you, you were everything he wasn’t and that’s why he loved you. even simon himself didn’t know what exactly he felt for you but seeing you always so happy and so full of life. it was something he could never comprehend. but when you were around him he felt like everything felt right and that was something he couldn’t allow himself to feel.

‘I really don’t know,’ he grumbles.

‘is this gonna be a love confession?’ you ask tiredly, it always happened in the movies.

‘thanks you saved me the time,’ he says with the same familiar dry chuckle. simon crouched down to your level. ‘I don’t know why I hated you, because I didn’t. I love you.’

‘you love me?’ shocked wasn’t even the right word to describe how you were feeling.

‘along those lines, what you did out there was brave, and stupid.’ he says with a half smirk.

‘don’t just gloss over it, you love me,’ you say, maybe the drugs they had been pumping into your body during your little coma was kicking in.

‘I do, is that what you wanna hear?’ this was why he fell in love with you.

‘yes,’ you smiled.

YOU KNOW YOU LOVE ME. XOXO, GOSSIP GIRL. ↳ a collection of sentences from the Gossip Girl (2007) series.

"I'm not a stop along the way. I'm a destination."

“Three words. Eight letters. Say it and I’m yours.”

“If you’re going to be sad, you might as well be sad in Paris.”

“Once men have tasted caviar, it baffles me how they settle for catfish.”

“Whoever said money doesn’t buy happiness didn’t know where to shop.”

“We’re sisters. You’re my family. What is you is me. There’s nothing you could ever say that would make me let go.”

“You can’t make people love you, but you can make them fear you.”

“Haven’t you heard? I’m the crazy bitch around here.”

“Here’s my advice. Have a little faith, and if that doesn’t work, have a lot of mimosas.”

“Don’t go all Notebook on me. Not now. I need you.”

“I have an idea for you: quit. Your boss is a bitch. Let’s go to lunch.”

“Destiny is for losers. It’s just a stupid excuse to wait for things to happen instead of making them happen.”

“We’re not servants to our emotions. We can control them, suppress them, stomp them out like bugs.”

“You need to be cold to be a queen.”

“Don’t let people tell you who you are. You tell them.”

“I didn’t come back for you.”

“I’ll just stay home, eat lots of gelato, and write about how true love is nothing but a myth.”

“I’d ask you how you are, but I don’t really care.”

“You know my mom: If it’s not broke, break it.”

“There’s something vibrating in your pocket, and I really hope it’s your phone.”

“I hate that stupid headband.”

“I remember everything you’ve read to me. In case you haven’t noticed I don’t really let go of things so easily.”

“I like the way I feel when he looks at me. Like I wanna believe in myself.”

“Earn the spotlight on your own merits. You’ll feel better.”

“Even if it’s the biggest kamikaze disaster of my life, it’s my disaster.”

“You are no one until you’re talked about.”

“When Prince Charming found Cinderella’s slipper, they didn’t accuse him of having a foot fetish.”

“I don’t read Gossip Girl. That’s for chicks.”

“So, actually, I’ll be living out my nightmare. Trapped in the city with only you to talk to.”

“She doesn’t know me. Nobody knows me. It’s cool. It’s fine.”

“Yeah, well, your fashion emergency was solved so I figured my work was done.”

“You can’t fight against who you are.”

“You gonna strangle him with your scarf?”

“You don’t just give up because things are hard.”

“You know it’s love when you start talking like an assassin.”

“I just want to be the person you can bring anything to.”

“Affairs with married people, threesomes — it just so happens everyone’s problems are within my area of expertise.”

“I just don’t get it. I organized everything the way she likes it. I mean, I even made sure my bowtie matched her dress.”

“Listen, there’s nothing wrong with keeping your options open. I don’t think your parents are going to be mad at you for choosing your own path. Unless… they’re related to my parents.”

“Some might call this a fustercluck. But on the Upper East Side, we call it Sunday afternoon.”

“There’s a weak link in every chain, and it’s just a matter of time before this one snaps.”

“One thing about being on the top of the world? It gives you a long, long way to fall.”

“So we should just be anonymous losers who eat lunch alone and never get invited to parties?”

“Well, keep dreaming. Maybe one day she’ll actually know your name.”

“The sound of your own voice annoying you?”

“Even you should know that jealousy clashes with L.L. Bean pants!”

“I came to tell you in person. You win.”

“The only human contact that you don’t pay for is the people in this house.” 

“That’s not fair. Everyone’s topless on Valentino’s yacht.”

“You know you really put yourself on the radar tonight. Better not make that mistake again or you’ll pay for real.”

 “Don’t look now, but those are the JV mean girls.”

“He gave six girls from Nightingale gonorrhea of the throat last year.”

“I wouldn’t have had to do it if it weren’t for your smear campaign against me.”

“If we wanted to have sex, we’d just go to a hotel.”

“You’ve come to my rescue enough times, let me help you for once.”

“I don’t need a guy to make me feel fulfilled, especially when he’s unavailable.”

For the top 5 prompt: Top 5 Eggman boss battles.

This is yet another list that probably shifts depending on the day, because there's a lot of good ones.

5.

An underrated one. Like Rush Adventure in general.

There's no deep reason, I just think it's a neat fight, and since it uses the Jeweled Scepter, that grants it a plethora of unique magical attacks that you don't often see in an Eggman battle.

4.

I couldn't decide between these two, so fuck it, they're both here. Can you blame me? They're both well-known, and for good reason.

The Egg Walker marks the end of Tails' story, and it follows up the race to the missile in the city. The battle itself is fine, if perhaps a bit easy, but Eggman's tranquil fury in the cutscene prior really sells the mood. Shame he's rarely been given opportunities to show that side of himself since then. But that's where Stellar comes in. Either way, between that and Tails standing his ground, it's a great moment for both characters.

As for the Viper, we all love the obvious meme, but like the Walker, the fight is also fun in itself, and is reasonably tricky for a final boss. But as weird as it might be to say, the ending is what really makes it for me. The way the music stops the instant you get the last hit in, the way Tikal warns you about his kamikaze dive, the way the lonely sound and visuals of the explosion lingers before culminating with what could be mistaken for a volcanic eruption... awesome.

3.

It's an awesome mech. It's an awesome battle. It's an awesome moment for both the hero and the villain. Capped off with descending towards the center of the earth. As someone who considers Unleashed flawed in ways that I can't ignore, even I can't deny that this is one of the game's standout moments, and it deserves all its praise. I'd argue it's a better final boss than the actual final boss, and I'm not just saying that because the latter is another giant monster... okay, maybe that's part of it.

Shout out to the Generations version, because I really enjoy that one in its own right.

2.

Oh boy, here comes the controversial one. How dare I put anything from Forces on a top five that isn't derogatory, amirite.

In all seriousness... look, say what you will about the fight itself. I think it's alright, but I get why it might be considered perhaps a little anti-climactic compared to what it could have been as far as gameplay goes. And you guys know that I always consider gameplay to come first and foremost, no matter how good or bad the story of the game in question is, so it's not like I'm ignoring that part. And of course, there's the Nega-Wisp Armor reskin aspect that everyone complains about, which caused Twitter to throw the baby out with the bathwater and consider Eggman's position as the final boss to be the true problem. Which is probably why the final boss of Frontiers ended up being a talking ballsack. Thanks, everyone.

Anyway, all that said, I think there are certain elements that elevate it in spite of its ultimately okay status. There's the music, but that goes without saying for a Sonic game that isn't Chronicles. But another factor is the combination of the seriously underrated sound design, with the complete and utter silence on Eggman's part, which like @skaruresonic, I interpret it as the doctor being too focused on killing your ass that he disregards his usual banter, and like the Egg Walker cutscene in SA1, I think the effect really works, regardless of the actual intent or reason behind it.

So yes, I'm putting it as #2 for these overlooked attributes. I'm not sorry.

1.

The finale of S3&K will always be particularly special to me. There have been many great Eggman throwdowns, but this one illustrates how the doctor's high octane levels of pure determination rival Sonic's own; perfect for an arch-nemesis. There have been godlike figures who go down after a single fight, meanwhile this mortal man belts out a bonanza, because the mere concept of giving up the Master Emerald does not compute.

The build-up also goes a long way: S3&K as a whole establishes and maintains this aspect of Eggman's character throughout. He's going to get the Death Egg back up and running, and nothing is going to stop him. His robots set the jungle on fire. He himself destroys the ruins in Marble Garden, in the hopes that Sonic will get killed in the process. He's not even phased when the Death Egg falls smack dab into a volcano; his dedication never wavers. Then come the endgame, where he finally fucks off with the Master Emerald after telling Knuckles it was Nothing Personnel Kid, which is followed up with a dramatic chase through the crumbling Sky Sanctuary, which then culminates in the final showdown aboard the eponymous vessel... and then continues even after it blows up.

It's iconic, it's fun, it's climactic, and Eggman's ridiculously exaggerated refusal to quit being on full display cements it as one of my favourite Eggman portrayals, despite hailing from a 2D game with no dialogue.

Honorable mentions (that currently come to mind):

Death Egg Robot, cause c'mon, it's a classic. This mostly refers to the original Sonic 2 version as well as the variations in Generations and Mania.

Egg Shrimp (Sonic Advance 2), for being petty enough to abduct Vanilla after his plan's been foiled, and for the badass moment afterwards in which Sonic narrowly saves Vanilla.

Egg Emperor, because I don't care if it's Metal Sonic, it's an Eggman mech, he's trying to mimic Eggman, shut the fuck up or I'll do a in-depth Shadow the Hedgehog level tier list. The design is rad as hell, and it has the iconic TAKE THI-TAKE THIS, TAKE THI-TAKE THIS.

Egg Salamander (Sonic Rush), for capping off the dynamic between Sonic and Blaze... and because Wrapped in Black.

Nega-Wisp Armor, because the fight is fun despite its simplicity, and it's noteworthy because Eggman finally got to be the true final boss of a 3D mainline installment for the first time. And it only took a decade...

The endgame for Mania, in which Eggman menacingly jumps around in a Pokeball and then holds his own in a three-way standoff instead of being tactlessly upstaged like he's nothing.'

The one in IDW that doesn't exist.

Tonight's session has a very massive boss battle. It was like an automated fortress. It was a stationary, ginormous mech that had a ton of annoying shit it did. One of the skills the boss did every turn was to summon a swarm of kamikaze drones. These drones would appear. Charge their attack. And then, if it got to their next turn and they hadn't been dealth with, they'd launch themselves at a random target and explode. They had no hp but there were a lot of them and if we didn't kill them before their charge phase ended, they'd do 40 damage to a random person.

I was playing a cleric and just burned my only level 5 to drop a Dawn on the spawn point of the attack drones. They would spawn. Begin their charge round. Then immediately blow up from ending their turn in Dawn.

You're welcome/I'm sorry for this, but Surge & Amy as Ichigo & Momoko from Shimotsuma Monogatari

I wrote about how I think I'd like Surge & Amy to have a similar dynamic as them. Friends but too stubborn to admit it.

However, aesthetically it's easy to peg Amy as the feminine looking Momoko and Surge as loud delinquent Ichiko

But character wise. Momoko wants nothing more than to be independent and live only by her own whims, not caring who she hurts in the process. Her heart's been hardened so much It takes her the entire movie for her to realize she cares enough about Ichiko to save her from being gang jumped in a field in the countryside.

Meanwhile Ichiko is loud and brash but it's to mask a past where she was bullied and taken advantage of. She's used to being in a crowd and relying on people but wants to make friends and do right by people. When she makes genuine connections with someone (like Akemi-san and her offscreen boss), She would never think to betray them and always defend them. Her growth is about learning to stand up for herself and to be her own person.

Therefore Surge is Momoko and Amy is Ichiko in this situation.

...yes this was an excuse to talk about Shimotsuma Monogatari/Kamikaze Girls. If you (the person reading this) doesn't know what I'm talking about, you're in luck there's a new blu-ray out, you should probably watch it.

i might draw Surge in "Baby the Stars Shine Bright and Amy in Yankii wear at some point. this does sound mighty tempting.

rhaenyra covered in blood daemon going kamikaze and covered in blood caraxes burning shit laenor cheering and seaSMOKE!! the white hart showing up for rhaenyra and her slaughtering the fuck outta the boar and strutting through camp covered in blood like a boss ass bitch queen and the whole episode was chefs kiss 🤌

"THE FIRST RED KING: UNNO YUTAKA"

Unno is a former member of the "Kamikaze Special Attack Corps", a suicide squad. When the war ended and after having failed in his last mission, his accumulated frustration and anger caused him to wake up as the "Red King".

The big boss, who returned from a kamikaze attack, was exactly like a kamikaze attack, he was not afraid of death and even wanted to die.

His physique was unexpectedly small, boyish in face, but his fearless gaze as he looked around him had an extraordinary attraction. A majestic atmosphere that makes you feel that things are different filled his whole body and overwhelmed the viewer.

"CLAN OF FIRST RED KING"

Clan name: Kagirohi-gumi

Kagirohi-gumi's fortress is a small bar called "Yakumo", which seems to undergo many reconstructions due to the rages of Suwako, its owner.

Sakazuki Fire Cup: In the Kagirohi-gumi, the introductory sake cup is filled with the fire of the "Red King". Only those who were prepared to drink from that much hotter fire could join the family and be empowered along the way. By the way, Unno always drinks the same as the boss.

Kagirohi-gumi has two main members.

Okuma Tamataro: According to his family record, he is 25 years old. The only son of the Kanto Okuma group that hired him as a goalkeeper. Through repeated fights, he became a bad friend. After the death of his father, Sayataro, he handed over control of the group to him, and together they became Kagirohi-gumi. Commonly known as "Onikuma".

He is reportedly quick to fight and uses fire fists.

Todokoro Suwako: According to the family record, she is 23 years old. Her family died in an air raid. She is the owner of the restaurant where she worked for the first time in this town. A mistress who always accompanies him and who handles the administrative affairs of Kagirohi-gumi, commonly known as "Hanakumo."

With her power, she produces many red threads that burn the air and extend from the tip of her hair, moving at high speed, burning and cutting everything in her path.

“ Il metodo Falcone

«Nemico numero uno della mafia», l'etichetta gli resterà attaccata per sempre. Circondato da un alone leggendario di combattente senza macchia e senza paura, il giudice Giovanni Falcone, cinquantadue anni, ne ha trascorsi undici nell'ufficio bunker del Palazzo di Giustizia di Palermo a far la guerra a Cosa Nostra. Queste pagine ne costituiscono la testimonianza. Non si tratta né di un testamento né di un tentativo di tenere la lezione e ancor meno di atteggiarsi a eroe. «Non sono Robin Hood,» commenta in tono scherzoso «né un kamikaze e tantomeno un trappista. Sono semplicemente un servitore dello Stato in terra infidelium». Si tratta dunque piuttosto di un momento di riflessione, del tentativo di fare un bilancio nell'intervallo tra vecchi e nuovi incarichi: il 13 marzo 1991 il giudice Giovanni Falcone è stato nominato direttore degli Affari penali del ministero di Grazia e Giustizia a Roma.

Lontano da Palermo.

La partenza dal capoluogo siciliano, il distacco da una vita che si alternava tra auto blindate, dall'atmosfera soffocante del Palazzo di Giustizia, dalle lunghe notti a leggere e rileggere le deposizioni dei pentiti dietro le pesanti tende di una stanza superprotetta, dai tragitti tortuosi con la scorta delle auto della polizia a sirene spiegate sono forse stati una specie di sollievo. Ma Falcone non si fa illusioni, non dimentica il mancato attentato del 21 giugno 1989. cinquanta candelotti di tritolo nascosti tra gli scogli a venti metri dalla casa dove trascorre le vacanze: «È vero, non mi hanno ancora fatto fuori… ma il mio conto con Cosa Nostra resta aperto. Lo salderò solo con la mia morte, naturale o meno». Tommaso Buscetta, il superpentito della mafia, lo aveva messo in guardia fin dall'inizio delle sue confessioni: «Prima cercheranno di uccidere me, ma poi verrà il suo turno. Fino a quando ci riusciranno!».

Roma è soltanto in apparenza una sede più tranquilla di Palermo; ormai da tempo i grandi boss mafiosi l'hanno eletta a loro domicilio. La feroce «famiglia» palermitana di Santa Maria di Gesù vi ha installato antenne potenti. Senza contare la rete creata dal cosiddetto «cassiere» Pippo Calò, con il suo contorno di mafiosi, gangster e uomini politici. Le ragioni per le quali Falcone ha scelto Roma come nuova sede di lavoro sono diverse: nella capitale di Cosa Nostra non poteva più disporre dei mezzi necessari alle sue inchieste e il frazionamento delle istruttorie aveva paralizzato i giudici del pool anti-mafia. Era diventato il simbolo o l'alibi di una battaglia disorganizzata. Conscio di non essere più in grado di inventare nuove strategie, l'uomo del maxiprocesso, che aveva trascinato in tribunale i grandi capimafia, non poteva rassegnarsi a rimanere inerte. Ha scelto di andarsene. Le informazioni da lui raccolte possono essere utilizzate con profitto anche lontano da Palermo. Certo, non dovrà più svolgere personalmente le indagini, dovrà invece creare condizioni tali per cui le indagini future possano essere portate a termine più rapidamente e in modo più incisivo, dando vita a stabili strutture di coordinamento tra i diversi magistrati. Il clima nel capoluogo siciliano è cambiato: è spenta l'euforia degli anni 1984-87, finita la fioritura dei pentiti, lontano il tempo del pool antimafia, dei processi contro la Cupola istruiti magistralmente. In questa città impenetrabile e misteriosa, dove il bene e il male si esprimono in modo ugualmente eccessivo, si respira un senso di stanchezza, il desiderio di ritornare alla normalità. Mafiosi regolarmente condannati sono tornati in libertà per questioni procedurali, alcune facce fin troppo note ricompaiono nei ristoranti più alla moda. Le forze dell'ordine non hanno più lo smalto di un tempo. I pool di magistrati sono ormai svuotati di potere, il fronte ha smobilitato. Cosa Nostra dal canto suo ha rinunciato all'apparente immobilità. La pax mafiosa seguita alle pesanti condanne del maxiprocesso, da un lato, e al dominio dittatoriale dei «Corleonesi» sull'organizzazione, dall'altro, non è più salda come prima. Si moltiplicano i segnali di un progetto di rivincita delle «famiglie» palermitane per riconquistare l'egemonia perduta nel 1982 a favore della «famiglia» di Corleone, i cui capi, latitanti, si chiamano Salvatore Riina, Bernardo Provenzano e Luciano Leggio, quest'ultimo in carcere. La mafia sta attraversando una fase critica: deve riacquistare credibilità interna e rifarsi una immagine di facciata, in quanto entrambe gravemente compromesse. «Abbiamo poco tempo per sfruttare le conoscenze acquisite,» ripete instancabilmente Falcone «poco tempo per riprendere il lavoro di gruppo e riaffermare la nostra professionalità. Dopodiché, tutto sarà dimenticato, di nuovo scenderà la nebbia. Perché le informazioni invecchiano e i metodi di lotta devono essere continuamente aggiornati.». “

Giovanni Falcone in collaborazione con Marcelle Padovani, Cose Di Cosa Nostra, Collana Saggi italiani, Milano, Rizzoli. Prima edizione: 13 novembre 1991.

One good thing DS2 did and it was smart enough for ds3 to get on with it: you can directly trade boss souls for weapons instead of all that bullshit in ds1. Unfortunately you also gotta clean a room full of kamikaze every time. Because it’s ds2.

A translation off the original text hosted at genius.com. Translated text will be highlighted with this color. This song has been stuck in my head for years! A LOT of liberties taken bc I really want to preserve the rap as much as i can (and potentially mess it up ;; if this can be improved in anyway please let me know)

[Intro] B-O-S-S until I fuckin' die (Die) B-O-S-S still wanna wanna kill some more B-O-S-S until I fuckin' die (Die) B-O-S-S still wanna wanna kill some more I am the boss here, B-O-S-S Look at my necklace, ayy, it do be shine, eh I am my sensei, teachin' me fight, ayy Can't give up, yeah, this a game, yeah

[Refrain] Wow that's crazy, how'd you pull that off? So I'm asked but hell if I even know myself I gonna hit you like kamikaze, whoever you are I feel nothing, I feel nothing

[Verse 1] (Hold up, hold up) Why can't I be like the [ ] with the silver face? I just want to live my life at my own fuckin' pace I'm tired of being from the human race If God the judge, then help a [ ] beat the fuckin' case (Woo) Why can't I be like the [ ]with the silver face? Stompin' [ ]down, puttin' [ ]in they place And my skin so brown, you might think it chocolate cake But life ain't sweet, my [ ], I'm just gettin' to the cake (Ayy) I'm the underdog (Underdog), ignore my fate (Ignore my fate) Never gave a fuck (Nah, nah) in the first place (First place) I'm just gettin' buck (Gettin' buck) like I'm Silver Face (Silver Face) I'm just diggin' in the motherfuckin' record crate That pussy sweet on the first date (Uh) I ain't had shit on the dinner plate (Woo) The boss man shitted on my fuckin' chestplate (Uh) Thinkin' way too hard, I think I over contemplate

[Chorus] On your mark, get set Go run straight ahead On your mark, get set Go higher than higher On your mark, get set Go run straight ahead On your mark, get set Go higher than higher On your mark, get set Go run straight ahead On your mark, get set Go higher than higher On your mark, get set Go run straight ahead On your mark, get set Go higher than higher

[Post-Chorus] It's ending, this world, and in this dangerous world right now Take your finger off the trigger, I'm not really a killer I just came to figure how to make my life better Run away, I am legging it Here on out, I wanna make it better

[Verse 2] Marason with the my bro, marathon with the my bro B-O-S-S dig it love it a preachy psycho Personal chauffeur after shitfaced? Ain't got that, y'know I don't gonna lie, yo, this here is my zone

[Refrain]

Wow that's crazy, how'd you pull that off? So I'm asked but hell if I even know myself I gonna hit you like kamikaze, whoever you are I feel nothing, I feel nothing

[Verse 3] Courage in my right love in my left hand Don't need either I just need that freedom Give me a chance to run and I'll run You realize too is this too real Goals' in sight and your body's fluttering out like an extinguisher barely putting up any fight Marason solo play like an exhausted school principle in conbini relaxing for sabbatical Screwed up is this world, don't have vocabs Red bandana, shot straight into your heart Anyway you just don't cry, don't cry Play's an impossibility, this is real world game

[Verse 4] I understand [ ], I got it Copy that bitch, I be on it Things I don't know, I don't really trip about it Criminal stuff, I don't fuck with that (Woo) What it do? What it do? What it do? What the fuck you on? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? You know where I'm from But I don't know where the fuck I be from I cannot believe what the fuck I have become (Ayy) Pull up, pull up, pull up, pull up, I be runnin' wild NaniNaniNaniNaniNani, I'm the devil's child Arigatou, bitch, beat that pussy up I'm on a roll, bitch, Neo Tokyo A future exists we be wildin' out, A future exists we be wildin' out Pull up, pull up, pull up, pull up, I be runnin' wild NaniNaniNaniNaniNani, I'm the devil's child

[Chorus] On your mark, get set Go run straight ahead On your mark, get set Go higher than higher On your mark, get set Go run straight ahead On your mark, get set Go higher than higher On your mark, get set Go run straight ahead On your mark, get set Go higher than higher On your mark, get set Go run straight ahead On your mark, get set Go higher than higher

[Post-Chorus] It's ending, this world, and in this dangerous world right now Take your finger off the trigger, I'm not really a killer I just came to figure how to make my life better Run away, I am legging it Here on out, I wanna make it better

Episode 20: The Heated Escape

what are they escaping from? i don't see them making a decisive escape this episode, but i could be wrong

good on amuro for letting kamille speak!

good on beltorchika for asking what's wrong and not just assuming!

say what you will about the romance here, the vibes are immaculate

i love how they have to just tow the psycho gundam because it's too big to hold

i like this guy pointing out that no one is ever specific enough to give useful information when asked a question in this show

the federation factions fighting each other is always good to see

i could not be a mobile suit pilot, it takes me like 3 hours to get used to being awake every morning

the newtype resonance seems bad

well at least he's letting them know about the kamikaze attack before it happens

beltorchika: when amuro's around you he takes too many risks! kamille: what the fuck do you want me to do about that? talk to amuro about it!

come on, what's the selfishness of a woman and how does it differ from manly selfishness? you're telling me a man wouldn't say "please help my girlfriend return safely" in a dangerous situation?

kamille deciding to take on four on his own feels like maybe he was listening to beltorchika? idk

i like fours cockpit being in the head. makes the psycho gundam feel like its own thing

i thought it was green noa, not green one?

kamille spilling his guts here is a good scene. he clearly has a lot on his chest that he needed to get out, and no one else he felt he could talk to. i don't blame her for pulling a gun on him though

everyone is very confused about four crashing into her bosses ship. which makes sense, since i think four is also confused

four! you should just shoot woodard!

rip four

fridge count: 3

and with one last psychic message to help kamille get back into space-

she's not dead? just dying i guess. the ship still explodes, so she's dead, just lasted longer than i thought

rip woodard

and the insert song is playing while bright moves the argama to pick kamille up

emma's back! it's been like 9 episodes! and quattro and katz and fa are elsewhere, so maybe she'll get some focus

excited to be back in space, which has historically meant good things. i say historically like i'm not just talking about the one show, but you know