#soapbox saga | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

theremina · 1 year

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Here’s hoping some of the pundity 🥛grrlboss feminist influencers and brand-slangin, legacy-obsessed cult-of-personality types I know —the more performatively grandiose especially— read this and realize it’s spoken from a place of deep frustration over being ignored and demonized, not out of petty hate:

Put down your megaphones.

Step back from your social media pulpits.

Get over yourselves and get off your soapboxes.

Spend a lot less time preaching lofty leftist values you can’t be bothered to embody in your own lives, and allot more time for sitting in circles, face-to-face, conversing directly with peers and partners at eye level instead of triangulating, menacing, lying about, gaslighting, or otherwise undermining supposed comrades behind our backs.

Stop lecturing folks on de-escalation and actually commit to a consistent schedule of spending time in community with others, preferably people who genuinely practice what they preach and will show you how it’s done when there are no cameras, mics, or fandoms around.

Respect people as autonomous, equal individuals.

Do not ever get so high on your own supply that you start to perceive other humans as tools or sidekicks or accessories or bit-players in your own personal VIP saga, in other words…

Don’t treat people like things.

Rather than dehumanizing others in order to dodge responsibility, be humble and brave enough to acknowledge that you are not above taking part in accountability processes to assess and repair harm.

Take better care of yourselves, look after your mental health, avoid burnout, go to therapy, partake in support groups, or otherwise commit to maintaining a level of self-awareness that protects others from having to walk on eggshells, and yourself from hypocrisy.

Don’t be anarchistic in the streets and narcissistic in the sheets.

Quit pretending you’re perfect and infallibly correct at all times.

Enough with the childlike denials of the swaths of private-life devastation you’ve left in your wake and chosen to bury in order to control a public narrative.

Don’t treat people like things.

Stop dismissing more vulnerable cohort’s valid claims of harm as divisive infighting or jealousy.

Instead of bloviating about The Work That We Must Do, maybe actually do the unglamorous work it’s gonna take to mend the damage you’ve caused by habitually exploiting less resourced members of your communities.

If you are forever out there in front of hundreds of thousands of readers or listeners, saying “people are not things” and “down with hierarchy” and “fair wages for hard work”, maybe don’t behave like a bunch of furtive, selfish, dirty cops in your private lives.

Don’t treat people like things.

The gaslighting didn’t take. We see you and we know what you’re about. We don’t trust you anymore.

Do better, rock stars.

Get better. Get well.

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chikaras-garden · 5 months

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https://www.tumblr.com/chikaras-garden/735361520071049216/flirty-dick-grayson-and-his-roommate-who-so?source=share

I’m always so tempted to write fics or drabbles of the prompts that I send you, but I’m too scared to start a writing blog lol so I send them to the more experienced writers instead, aka you lol

This is so so sweet and I'm going to get on my soapbox now. A couple of random thoughts about starting to write:

If nerves about posting and external validation are your mental block, just slap whatever you're thinking in a Google doc or a note on your phone and keep it for yourself.

I have a folder on my Google Drive called "mine" where I write things I never plan to post (self-insert that uses my own name, Battlestar Galactica fanfic, a whole science fantasy saga that's been ping-ponging around in my head since I was 12) and it's not embarrassing because it's just mine. It's just writing for the sake of writing, for the satisfaction of putting your story into words, and for practice.

To me, that's self care. That's reclaiming writing from the content machine. That's romanticizing the human desire to just make something. And that's pretty beautiful, no? I think you deserve that.

You might not like everything you write. Actually, I can promise you won't. Some scenes might be tough to get through, or stretches of dialogue might not sound realistic. Maybe you'll take a break and come back to them later. Maybe you'll abandon a few pieces. Maybe you'll go back to some old work and think, "God, why did I write that?" and edit the hell out of it. No matter what, it's okay—because you're learning, and your own writing is a safe space to try, to fail, and to get back up so you can try some more. You'll only become a better writer for it.

Someday, you're going to find that you're particularly proud of something that you wrote. Maybe you like a turn of phrase. Maybe you like how you characterized someone. Maybe you like how alive the dialogue feels. Maybe, just maybe, that's the day when you're ready to share it with someone, and it'll resonate with them the same way that it resonated with you.

You'll get to experience something really special that day: the joy of experiencing your work for the first time again, but through someone else's eyes. They might see it in a brand new way compared to how you did, and for the few minutes that you're together in the little world you made, you're connected with that reader, sharing a little piece of being alive with each other.

If you ever do start a writing blog of your own, I'd love to follow you 💋

#sorry I took your ask and made it a little preachy #but I really do believe that any person who has the desire to make something should just try #🌹— from petal.#💌— letters for the gardener.#💐— throwing petals.#💋— anon.#✏️— petal's advice corner.

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auberginebear · 2 months

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«Overall (Spoiler-free) Thoughts on Netflix's ATLA»

I liked it, even with the changes I wasn't jazzed about. It's doing a much better job than the movie, that's for damn sure, but it still cannot replace the OG. But this isn't trying to replace it, it's trying to give us a new rendition of the story.

Which is what any adaptation should do, and that people keep expecting adaptations to be carbon copies of the originals is frankly a tired argument for hating on media. Nothing can be perfect adapted, NOTHING! It's like people didn't learn from the great example of the Holes book to movie saga, where the writer of the book wrote the screenplay knowing that since there would be difference, he'd be the one to decide what they were.

Anyway, to get off my soapbox on that issue (cause I could keep talking about it for ages), this is a good adaptation and I hope we get at least 2 more seasons. If this is received well and Netflix knows what's good for them, they'll adapt Legend of Korra too as well as possibly adapt some of the stories from books and comics, including Kyoshi and Yangchen.

If you haven't and would like to read my liveblogging thread, there are spoilers there.

#atla netflix #alta

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less-than-three-3 · 1 year

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octopath traveler 2 - a masterclass in developing a sequel and an instant classic

I think that in games, when developing a sequel, it’s not uncommon to see a team take feedback and make changes that try to make it more widely received. Often, I feel that in that endeavor it’s easy to lose sight of what made the original game uniquely tick or feel like it did. Don’t just take my word for it (though what games I feel fall into this category can be controversial), it’s something that Sakurai has often mentioned before, for example.

Octopath Traveler II is a master class in how not to fall into that pitfall, and not just one of the best sequels (most improved award), but I think one of the best turn based RPG’s to date, at least by modern standards. I think it’s probably not a game that’s for everyone’s taste, but if you go in without expectations, I think it’s hard to ever really be let down. Likely spoilers below (especially end-game spoilers), but I’ll try to leave them to the end.

Before digging into the sequel though, I just want to briefly touch on octopath 1 in 2023. Something that I think about a lot is Scott’s retrospective on 3D World (I ain’t timestamping this one sorry), specifically, that 3D World was given a good bit of flack on release because it felt like it was “taking 3D mario into a bad direction” when, in a post-Odyssey world, we can really look back and really appreciate 3D World for what it is, and not judge it for what it isn’t (watch the whole video, it’s a great retrospective).

All this to basically say, I think a lot of the flack that octopath 1 got was kind of in the same vein. People really wanted it to be what it wasn’t. It’s not a Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, where you get a ragtag team of misfits banded together on a big journey, maybe with small individual branches along the way. It’s 8 very differently motivated individuals who just kind of pick each other up and just happen to help each other do their thing. The exp sharing and party system I can get being annoying, but I don’t think it’s really more than just a minor annoyance at worst, and I can get behind it being good to push the player to experiment with team composition (your leader gets somewhat overleveled but I really never found it that much more broken than synergies you get by mid-game). In another game that I love, Ruined King, they do have full party exp share, and while I loved experimenting and moving parts around to make different comps, I definitely felt that is very self-motivated, and the game doesn’t have too much in place to force you to move people around besides required character segments. Random encounters... I get complaining about it, but again it feels like idiot-proofing the level curve, because so often I see people in games with “walking encounters” just never ever fight them and then complain about being underleveled and having to “grind”.

This might feel like an odd rant to go on, and yeah it is partially just me getting on my damn soapbox and saying “octopath 1 was good actually”, but it’s important as context for why I find octopath 2 to be such a brilliant game (and because octopath 2 gives a new appreciation for these elements). I love the RPGSite review because it sums up this angle really well:

“As I mentioned previously, Octopath Traveler is meant to be a structurally open game that values player freedom. The overall arrangement of eight individual characters with eight distinct storylines may not fit the more traditional and expected structure of a unified JRPG party and a unified goal, thus some concessions are made in order to fit that vision in terms of character dynamics. Maybe it took falling in love with the SaGa games - which share some common components - for me to begin to understand what Octopath was trying to do all along, but I think this was the right direction to take the sequel in. I'd rather not see Octopath change dramatically and risk its identity in order to conform to expectations it doesn’t try to meet. If you’re looking for linear, story-driven, party-centric RPGs, there are an abundance of them.”

Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying the original is perfect. I found some of the stories not that interesting (or maybe I just never gave them a chance!), and certainly the character interactions were a little sparse and unimpactful. But that’s where octopath 2 really shines beyond its origins, because I think the entire cast is absolutely wonderful, and their interactions, both in their paired quests and side-banted, ooze character. There is certainly a disparity between characters because they are all such different people, but as you get through chapters you can definitely feel them warm up to each other and get to understand each other’s perspectives. It’s such a breath of fresh air because in the original I felt like a lot of them were kind of just, one character asking the other for advice, and then they give it? And the structure of the chapters is so varied in the sequel, including how and when to use path actions (the night/day system helps a lot), when in the original it definitely felt a bit cut and paste.

I don’t even know where to start with the characters and their stories. I guess, like with Live-a-Live, I’ll just list them from my least favorite to favorite, but just know that I loved all of them.

8. Agnea - her motivations really kind of felt the most octopath 1 out of everyone, and not necessarily in the best way? I mean, she’s pretty much like Tressa, who I love don’t get me wrong, but it is just strange to me that, throughout every single chapter, it never really, like, felt like there should really be conflict? It’s a weird way to put it, but she is pretty much just going to become a star, and that sure is the journey she goes on. I don’t even really think she has many foreshadowing moments, but I might have just missed those? She’s super adorable and lovable and brings everyone cheer, and her story is very much the lighthearted one, so I suppose it fits. I don’t know, it just didn’t fully click for me. Great member of the party, I just wasn’t the most invested. Part of it may also just be that it feels like so different from Prim, who was easily one of the best characters from 1.

I think that is literally the only vaguely negative one I have, and I didn’t even really dislike her story, I just was least invested in it lmao

7. Throne (I will be leaving out the accent sorry I’m lazy) - I think the premise and split path and internal and external qualms are interesting, but I just kinda felt like it was Therion-lite. The final twist... sure is a twist of all time. I’m not in love with her story in retrospect, but it was like good enough moment to moment. Kinda like Lycoris Recoil, thinking about it.

6. I guess Osvald is 6th? These rankings past 8 are definitely pretty wishy washy. His character and story and motivation is just. anguish. Everything sucks (for Osvald). Harvey sucks. At every step you think you cannot get more upset at the situation and it just keeps on getting worse. How. Incredible.

5. Ok I fucking love Partitio but I would be remiss to rank his story too highly, because he is just god’s gift to mercantilism. He can do no wrong. There is no growth. But he’s really fucking charismatic and funny so it totally makes sense. It’s also really funny that he is the most socialist merchant ever, and he takes down the chains of capitalism and their absurd contracts and loopholes and then that final boss fight is just so awesome. I love Partitio.

4. Hikari also goes in the middle for just being A Political War Drama (I love those). He’s pretty much simba. But like, a dark, fucked up version of simba. I don’t know if I have that much else to say about it, that pretty much is everything.

3. Castti is really really interesting. Piecing together lost memories felt a little cliche to start, but the story being put together and the final few turns of the story were absolutely gut wrenching and my god what an incredible story. She is the mom of the group, and I don’t know if she was really that much more.

2. Temenos is a really interesting cleric character, and a huge departure from Ophilia (for the better). He is pretty much just Sherlock, from Sherlock. He can really be an asshole, and it’s really interesting to see this kind of angle, and not in a “church bad” trope, but in a “church good? but we need to fix the church?”. I would probably be mobbed for not mentioning Crick. So I have. I cannot talk about Crick without massive spoilers. If you finished his story you know why. Great character, great story.

1. Ochette may not belong up here but she is by far my favorite character what a fucking idiot I love her dearly. Just too stupid to live. There are like, a maximum of two things on her mind, ever. Her arc is great. She is voiced by Yuffie Kisaragi, the best character in FF7R. I am biased. This is my write-up. What are you gonna do about it.

Speaking of Live-A-Live, I can’t help but think Team Asano working on that remake helped reinvigorate some notable improvements in this sequel. Obviously the Octopath games have a lot of flesh and blood from Live-A-Live to begin with. But the final chapter of the game felt very reminiscent of that of LAL, both in terms of literal story structure, but especially with the worldbuilding and foreshadowing dropped throughout the game. I will spare many of the details, but I really liked the way that the foreshadowing is much more apparently integrated into events, major and minor, in each character’s story.

The combat system being pretty much the same, but with an extra new gauge, is great, because the original combat system was already really great. I truly think that if you have complaints about the break/boost system, the game probably just is not for you. I vibe with it, I get it, I love it. Latent powers just add a new extra layer to how to approach turn planning and break timing. Such a small change that adds so much.

Class rebalancing/skill changes were also very noticeable for the better. I feel like a good amount of people must have complained about access to aoe because good aoe is pretty much a premium now, unless your name is ochette (and even then you really have to look for it) or osvald (scholar privilege, ig). Support skills shifting around makes for different dynamics in approaching battles, and I especially love the new hidden classes, specifically Inventor, though Arcanist and Conjurer are neat too (though Arcanist gets really broken... but it’s ok because merchant is a pretty weak class otherwise?). My only real complaint is that I wish you could refund/re-allocate JP in some way, and that’s just because I love experimenting with class combinations.

The day/night system giving pretty much 2 of every “ability” per time of day makes pretty much any comp good for just roaming around town stealing getting to know the townspeople. Having time-specific passive abilities is a neat function, but I think there is definitely a good amount of room to build upon this. A very great seed planted for a future game. There will be a future game, right?

Being up to level curve was only really a struggle for one level jump, I think it was right before chapter 3, but I think they make patching up those last couple levels really easy with all of the exp boosting tools they give you, and really early (I had not equipped them because I thought it was only for the equipping character - no, they’re bonuses for the whole active party - and that’s probably why I got a little behind). Otherwise just going through chapters, traveling from one place to another, exploring the side dungeons, the natural leveling pace felt, well mostly unnoticeable, which I think is the best place for a leveling curve to be?

Dungeon design strictly in terms of explorability is nothing mindblowing, but it more than makes it up with the visual and sound design. Even now 2DHD still looks fucking wonderful and I wish so badly for the DQ3 remake to come out and other 2DHD games to come out. And yes, the music is incredible. I feel like often people just mention the battle themes, and yes, they go hard, but with both Octopath 1 and 2 every single environment has such unique sonic character. I don’t necessarily know if the best town themes come close to my favorites from the original (Orewell my beloved), but just the sheer variety in character, instrumentation, and composition is very much still ever-present, and I wish Yasunori Nishiki many many more opportunities in the future because he is genuinely one of the greats. Even better, though, like in any good musical design, is when the sound just cuts out. There is nothing more unsettling, especially in a game with such a lush soundtrack, than silence. Every such moment is incredible. I could literally make an entire separate essay on the sound design of these games (I have), but I won’t gush on and on here.

Octopath Traveler II is a game that really really plays into its strengths, and even while it successfully patches up most of of its original’s actual weaknesses, it is very much its strengths that continue to really shine. It is an RPG experience unlike any other out there, and if it’s one you are keen to experience, you will have a wonderful time. This is one of my favorite turn-based RPG’s, followed closely by Team Asano’s own Triangle Strategy, and I think it still has incredibly high potential to continue to iterate on its niche. I absolutely think this will be one of the more influential games of the genre for the future - a modern classic, while still feeling solidly rooted in its inspirations from the SNES golden era.

#octopath ii #octopath traveler #jrpg #jrpg review #octopath spoilers

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jennathearcher · 8 months

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chia

chia ⇢ what’s an inside joke you have with someone else?

I feel like this was specifically targeted at all of our NJPW related inside jokes so I'm using this as an opportunity to highlight some of our greatest hits 8D

any time some shenanigans breaks out and the official starts frantically ringing the bell to try and put an end to it: "THE BELL, SURELY" formerly known as "THE BELL DOES NOTHING"

TJP starts talking during post match comments: "*unfolds soapbox*"

any time every member of the match is laying on the floor at the same time: "naptime"

when Naito tosses his hat to Bushi: "HAT 8D"

referring to Shingo as "Daddy <3" in a loving and at least somewhat genuinely paternal fashion

"all hail" the moment Great O-Khan makes his entrance

"Zack Sabre Jr. is made of worms"

and of course referring to Despe as "CARTOON MAN" any time he does......anything really

I also have a fondness for my "LORGE MAN. VERY HANDSOME" whenever Hikuleo appears :P

And that's not even getting into things like the endless saga of Tana breaking his teeth and sometimes his bones :P which has escalated into our CONSTANT CONCERN FOR THE BONES OF ANY NJPW WRESTLER OVER THE AGE OF 40 and also Will Ospreay just because he's insane XD

#thebarefootking #save tag

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edwardskhakipants · 2 years

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OK just kidding you can do Rosalie for character bingo too 😆

Just like all the other Cullens, Rosalie had been done dirty by the creator and obviously needed more screen time. I'm going to take this as an opportunity to get on my soapbox about Rosalie because not only did I think she deserved better, I also wanted so many different routes for her character.

I wanted her to be the actual Queen Bee Bitch SM was too scared to make her. Actually cruel and selfish and vain to the point where it affects the story. Emmett won't hunt James because Rose said no. Bella can't join the family because Rose isn't on board.

I wanted her to soft side to show over the course of the saga. She was cruel at first, only because she is fiercely protective of Edward and didn't want him hurt. I wanted her to create a realistic bond with Bella, concluding with Bella giving Rose and Emmett her unplanned child, so she could have her happily ever after, just like Bella got hers.

I wanted Rosalie to find empowerment as a vampire. To find out that she never wanted to be a wife and a mother bc those dreams were forced onto her. I wanted her to be a badass scientist mechanic who is also the most skilled, poised, and deadly vampire alive.

There were so many great places to go with the bones of Rosalie's character! But SM was too scared to let her characters grow and made them stagnant with weak bonds, zero dimension and forced relationships.

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bluegiragi · 1 year

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konig is very good for ghost and soap in the soapbox saga finale <3

read the full comic (29 pages) on patreon!

#drawing this kiss was honestly one of my favourite parts #but yeah omg i spent the last 2-3 days just committing to getting this finale done #its by far the longest 'episode' in the series and im very proud of how it came out #also this comic series ended on such a sweet note despite the filth #love my boys #also the soapbox saga has technically ended but im definitely not abandoning these three #im far too attached to konig by now #wet cat and his two doms #konig #ghost #simon riley #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #john mactavish #soapbox #soapbox saga #giragi art

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rookie-critic · 1 year

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Rookie-Critic's Film Review Weekend Wrap-Up - Week of 4/24-4/30/2023

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019, dir. David Leitch) This was a good off-shoot for the F&F series. The Rock & Jason Statham feel comfortable as the titular duo and have excellent on-screen chemistry, and the action feels clean and exciting, which is no surprise considering the film was directed by John Wick-veteran David Leitch, who fits the franchise like a glove. I really enjoyed all of the climactic fight scenes with Hobbs' family in Samoa. Honestly, the more Cliff Curtis can be in major feature films, the better. Idris Elba and Vanessa Kirby also make for great additions to the growing franchise. It never really blew my mind like some of the mainline Fast films have, but I don't think it was really trying to. Sometimes a movie is just good, dumb, clean fun, and that's perfectly alright with me. I just hate that this film (along with a multitude of other behind-the-scenes reasons) means that we probably won't be seeing Luke Hobbs in any of the remaining Fast movies.

Score: 7/10

Currently available to rent/purchase on digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.) and on 4K, Blu-ray & DVD through Universal Studios.

F9: The Fast Saga (2021, dir. Justin Lin) After the wholly disappointing and, frankly, upsetting misstep that was The Fate of the Furious, I was curious to see if F9 would continue the downward trend, or if it would step its game up to bring some of the franchise's former glory back. When in doubt, trust in Justin Lin, who comes swooping back into the franchise for the first time since Fast & Furious 6 to save the day, with fan favorite character Han Lue in tow. This is biggest, wildest fast film yet, and I mean that as a compliment. That's not to say that it's the best (that honor is still held by Fast Five), but it does return a lot of the wonder and sincerity that Five, Six, and (to a lesser extent) Seven had. Not to mention that it is the first film in the franchise to incorporate Sean, Twinkie, and Earl from Tokyo Drift into the family in a major way since Tokyo Drift (if you don't count a tiny cameo from Lucas Black's Sean in Furious 7). Nothing about F9 feels as baseline or low-effort as the stuff in Fate did. Even the introduction of a mysterious third Toretto sibling that, for some reason, we hadn't heard about for the past eight films feels out of place or shoehorned in. Needless to say, where Fate of the Furious had me wondering if the franchise was receding in quality, F9 has me just as pumped to go see Fast X in May as I was after watching Fast Five.

Score: 8/10

Currently streaming on HBO Max.

Guy Ritchie's The Covenant (2023, dir. Guy Ritchie) I went into this with a lot of apprehension. I was not a huge fan of the last Guy Ritchie film that tried to take a more serious approach to its tone (2021's Wrath of Man). It had a lot of grandstanding machismo bullshit that I hate to see in modern filmmaking. However, Ritchie really surprised me with The Covenant. He has Jake Gyllenhaal acting at the top of his game here with an equally impressive turn from Dar Salim as Ahmed the interpreter. While the story is fiction, it highlights a huge problem in the aftermath of the War on Terror: thousands of Afghani interpreters were hired by the U.S. military and promised special immigration visas for their service; a promise that turned out to be hollow. It sends its message without grandstanding and is critical of the U.S. military without putting itself on a soapbox. The film does tend to get overly self-indulgent during big sweeping climactic scenes and in certain emotional ones, as well. It's the one thing about the film that feels out of place, but even in spite of that, The Covenant is an excellent film and proof that Ritchie is capable of making a more serious-minded, message-oriented film than the humorous heist or caper films he's known for.

Score: 8/10

Currently only in theaters.

Chevalier (2023, dir. Stephen Williams) I'll just say up front that my bias might show a little in my scoring of this one. I have never been the biggest fan of 16-1800's period pieces. I'm not sure what it is, but something about them has just never gelled with me. That being said, there's nothing really wrong with Chevalier. In fact, it is, in my opinion, much better than the average film of this sensibility. The acting is fantastic and it sheds light on an oft-overlook but quintessentially influential figure in both classical music and the French revolution. The music is a huge plus in the film's favor, of course, and the costumes are, as is the case with most film's set in this era, masterfully crafted. I think my biggest qualm with the film is that it stops right as the French revolution is getting started and then tells the audience that Chevalier went on to be a great leader during the Revolution. Maybe it's just me, but I think that sounds interesting enough to make it's own film about. This almost makes me wonder (and I don't ever really feel this way about films) if this would have been better suited as an 6-8 episode miniseries as opposed to a film. We still could have focused a 2-3 episodes on Chevalier's childhood and young adulthood in France's pre-Revolution music scene, but then dedicated an entire half of the show to his accomplishments during the Revolution. Regardless, I don't want that to take away from the fact the Chevalier was quite good, and definitely worth the ticket price. I just think more could have been done with the wealth of untold history that exists within the lifetime of this figure.

Score: 7/10

Currently only in theaters.

Polite Society (2023, dir. Nida Manzoor) This movie absolutely ruled. It gave me all of the frenetic energy of the best Edgar Wright films while also giving me the genre-bending and jaw-dropping off-the-wall attitude of something like Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. This was a film that wasn't afraid to go for it in every way, shape, and form. From campy-but-well-choreographed fight sequences, to plot twist that twist so hard they'll make your head spin, to an unabashed approach to a female-empowerment narrative. Not to mention a story that is very uniquely Indian that touches on the nature of arranged marriages and classicism. Polite Society had everything that I look for in a film, and is a very early contender for the best of 2023 list. I'll save some of my more in-depth thoughts on stuff like the acting, writing, and cinematography for this week's full-length, but just know that if anything I've mentioned above sounds even remotely interesting, make this a priority watch (I don't want to say definitively that this is the best of the weekend's new movies because I haven't seen Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret yet, and I hear that is pretty amazing, as well).

Score: 10/10

Currently only in theaters.

A Good Man (2014, dir. Keoni Waxman) Yikes. Just... yikes. Friday movie nights with my college friends can get pretty wild sometimes. I've never seen a Steven Seagal film before, and maybe this wasn't the best one to start with (or, inversely, maybe it's the best one to start with). Seagal is clearly past his prime here (or, again, maybe in his prime, depending on your perspective), and looks like he's constantly on the verge of passing out. His words come out slurred and mumbled like he's on his deathbed, and his "action" in the film is cut around so heavily you really never see him actually do anything. The story is non-existent and the writing contains some of the most unintentionally hilarious one-liners I have ever heard in my entire life (I'm partial to the one where Seagal utters the baffling sentence "Well, I'm sorry to hear that, because now I'll snatch every motherfucker birthday." No, there's no typo there, that is verbatim what he says. My meme review is that this is great. Real "The Room" caliber stuff, here. My actual review is that obviously Seagal is a lunatic that is just self-funding whatever production he can fart out in an afternoon at this point. Honestly, if you want some quality takes on this, visit the Letterbox'd page.

Score: 1/10

Currently streaming for free with ads on Redbox. Tzi Ma should be above stuff like this.

Sisu (2023, dir. Jalmari Helander) I really wanted to love Sisu. I'm as much a fan of mindless action movies as the next guy, but the truth is I thought it was just ok. It delivers on exactly what it promised everyone in the trailers, one-man army kills the crap out of some Nazis for 91 minutes, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. There are a handful of really fun set pieces and lots of entertaining gore for fans of that kind of thing, but it just felt incredibly hollow. There are no characters in Sisu, only templates of archetypes that things happen to. No one learns anything, there's no journey to be had, merely an avatar quickly making his way through bodies to get to a destination. I'm not implying that every single movie needs to have some grand, elaborate story with deep and complex characters and rich subtext or anything like that, but I would have liked at least some substance to this. There are still things to enjoy in Sisu, and from what I've read I'm a slight outlier in not thinking this is incredible, but it just didn't connect with me. However, don't let that stop you from seeing this in the theater. The cinematography and style alone are worth the big screen experience.

Score: 6/10

Currently only in theaters.

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BFM RMC Sport Article Aminata Diallo Article (September 21, 2022)

Joking disclaimer: still sounds like a (unfortunately rejected?) writer's room pitch from Criminal: France.

Serious disclaimer: I went back and forth about translating this. On the one hand I do find the whole affair fascinating. It says a lot about how public perception is so easily manipulated. On the other hand, this contains quite violent language, targeted at both specific individuals and groups (including Lyon players), and that really put me on the back foot. I don't want to be seen as encouraging or condoning either that kind of language or behavior. Racism and targeted harassment are things that genuinely bother me. It puts me in a situation I am, to be frank, uncomfortable with: I think this story is important (and interesting), but I am far from at ease at the possible fallout from translating these messages. I don't want to be seen as encouraging abusive behavior, be it towards the victims or even those who committed the acts.

I bring that up because, let's be honest, certain fandoms have encouraged abusive and/or invasive behavior in the past, even if they are currently practicing revisionist history. Obviously what those blogs did is not on the same level as this whole affair - nor am I pretending it is - but you can still draw a parallel in their behavior. You might argue that you "only" made "snide remarks", but you knew full well the influence you had, and the targeted harassment that would entail. Actions have consequences. You're putting words out there, encouraging actions, and then turn around and act appalled when people suggest it could come back to you.

With that in mind, allow me to now step off my soapbox, stop lecturing about morality, and give you the insight about a truly wild saga.

HAMRAOUI-DIALLO AFFAIR: "KILL THAT SON OF A ...", THE "VIOLENT" PERSONALITY OF AMINATA DIALLO AS DESCRIBED IN THE INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

RMC Sport was able to read the investigation report put together by investigators of the Versailles gang division this September 16. Over 37 pages, investigators linked together events in the Hamraoui-Diallo affair. A part of this report report referred specifically to the "discovery of the existence of a longstanding sporting jealousy" between the two players.

Aminata Diallo's personaloty is revealed through the 37 pages of the investigative report put together from the police officers of the gang division (referred to as "BRB") of the Versailles Police Department. Looking into the assault on Kheira Hamraoui in November 2021, the investigators analyzed messages dating back to 2019. For them, those exchanges "allow an insight into the conscious decision and unwavering will of this player to become as success as possible in her footballing career."

In August 2021, the women's section of Paris Saint-Germain is in preseason in the United States. It's at this date that the communications, accurately reproduced, between Aminata Diallo and an individual named Abdourahmane D. made their way into the investigators' report. This individual is considered by investigators as her "confident".

"I don't have time to lose"

"It's just preferences and I don't have any luck. It's always at my position, there's no loyalty," confides the former PSG player in a WhatsApp message. "At the end of the day, it's favoritism and it's playing time you totally deserve and you won't get because of that. (...) At the end of the day, you need to be [playing] on the field. At the end of the day, they look at whether you played or not (sic). If you don't play ... you're not on the French national team."

For the investigators, the jealousy was already "deep rooted" towards her teammate Kheira Hamraoui, who was favored by Didier Ollé-Nicolle, the head coach at the time. This animosity "would escalate as the weeks went by" towards the former head coach and ex-sporting director Ulrich Ramé. It was an "injustice" felt by the midfielder who, once again, blamed one person: Kheira Hamraoui.

"I'm telling you, I'm going to finish the year as a starter ... I'm talking about right now, I don't have any time to lose," she says to her contact. I'm patient, but we can't leave anything to chance. (...) It's time wasted, lost of rhythm. So we have to say immediately: done with the central defense! I am playing immediately. There's an injury, I'm immediately playing. Okay so you had some good matches, do it for a month, all that for when everyone comes back [from injury]?! (...) Because right there, what happened with Kheira, she hadn't trained with us since the match against Roma, she comes back (...) as a starter in the game against Bayern while you, the entire time she was out, you were doing what needed to be done!!"

"I told him to end her, and he ended her"

This "jealousy" as described by police officers will intensify day by day, week by week. "I didn't know this but she isn't liked Kheira by all the youngsters and other girls in the group. Thinks too highly of herself," Amina[ta] Diallo affirms in a message. "The others, they're all humble and nice. Her, she's too much. (...) Everyone feels that way, that's what I heard. I didn't see it myself (...) with Kheira. It's only since this year that I've gotten to know her and she has disappointed me. (...) haha, my friend know a lot of things about her, I told him that. He told me (...) that he heard that if she does something to you or whatever, he'll fuck her up. (...) I know him (...) he can be very threatening and while I would never wish her any harm, even if I was evil, jealous and manipulative like she is ... I could tell him, end her, and he would end her."

In a text message to her cousin, the player also brought up the violence that could be inflicted on Kheira Hamraoui: "Oh like we have to let her be! You'll see how this ends! (...) About, the entire staff has seen Kheira for what she is. It's just the head coach lol. (...) From the intendant to the doctor, no one likes her. They think she's arrogant, a a cheater, thinks so highly of herself. (...) They can go fuck themselves. I don't give a fuck about people, me. They know I'm not fucking around and that God is good. Just look at Échouafni (editor's note: predecessor of Didier Ollé-Nicolle as head coach of PSG)."

Before continuing: "There you go, if you ask my brother, my family, what I should have done is cut his legs off. I fucking him hate him (talking about Echouafni), he's the only one that I literally hope bad things happen to. Him, you tell me that one of his kids died, there I would say whatever (editor's note: as in good). I fucking hate him ... I hesitated about fucking him his life, but Allah made me forget about that, taught me to trust him. Nothing but douas (editor's note: Islam curse) for him ... Now he's fucking fired!"

"I wish bad things on all of them"

Aminata Diallo was detail-oriented. Off the field, but also on it. Having scored a goal during a game in October 2021, Diallo remembers that only Kheira Hamraoui was the only one who didn't congratulate her for the goal. "She was the only one who didn't say congrats for the goal (...) This is serious, Abou. Everyone else was super happy for me. (...) That's competition for you. She's panicking [stressing out] and trying to put pressure on Dabritz [editor's note: German player for PSG -- now at Olympique Lyonnais] and not on herself... It's because she's afraid. Don't worry I'm acting as though I don't get it, but I get everything. Be it so Allah rewards me and protects me from evil men. Whatevs, I get why no matter where she went it was a disaster. It's impossible [to work] with her."

Aminata Diallo's moment of glory came October 18, 2021, when Kheira Hamraoyi had to withdraw from the French national team [camp]. Aminata Diallo is therefore called up by Corinne Diacre. "Call Sonia (Editor's note: Sonia Souid, Aminata Diallo's agent at the time], make her understand that I am not giving them anything and it's time for a really big contract for Ami. I'll see her Sunday night, god willing. I'm going to tell her my conditions but in terms of salary 25-30k (editor's note: 25,000 to 30,000 euros -- per month. Me: this would put her in the Diani/Hegerberg/Renard range bonus and image rights exempt), nothing less! You need to talk to Sonia. We're going to say, she gets along well with Ramé. He likes me, god bless, they'll give me the ax. Abou, it pisses me off, I was too nice. (...) I'm going to be fucking ruthless from now now! (...) Don't ask me to hold back, I don't need anybody, but to work for fucking free, I'm not going to play ball. I wish nothing but bad things for them, I only need my people."

Investigators will conclude: "At that moment it became clear that Aminata Diallo believed that getting rid of Hamraoui would end her woes and would launch the success she so desperately desired. This feeling was predominant in her conversations transcribed in messages linked to a phone owned Aminata Diallo.

"He was trying to be cute, he underestimated me, now it's time for him to pay up"

This exchange also highlights Aminata Diallo's "violent side" which appears in older messages. Like in May 2020, where she writes about one of her teammates: "We need to drag her out by her fire and dump oil on her [then set her on fire] (...) Fucking bitch (...) Everyone is going to eat her alive." Or, about an opponent: "Allah is going to punish those Lyon players, they're going to suffer such humiliation, fucking destroy them because of their shenanigans and arrogance. (...) Allah, he is good and he is just."

"As these exchanges went on, investigators witnessed the violent nature of Aminata Diallo," the investigator's report observed. A partnership emerged: that of Aminata Diallo and Cesar M., the player's former agent. In January 2020, for example, Amina[ta] Diallo wrote: "Paris is done for the season [Note: Lyon was ahead on points before the season was canceled due to COVID in the spring], I might as well prepare myself to get humiliated again. I don't give a fuck about Cheyrou (PSG director at the time, now at Lyon], Echouafni, it's been since last year that I have been faced with fucking assholes, manipulators and incompetents."

In exchanges with César M., Aminata Diallo wanted to out Bruno Cheyrou, then sporting director of PSG: "he is underestimating everybody .... Everyone is going to fuck him over, it's going to drive him nuts (...) He must be freakoug out (...) He was too cocky, he underestimated what was happened. Now he is totally fucked (...) LOL when I see him, I'm going to laugh in his face. Fucking kill that asshole!! Fuck him up within an inch of his life!"

#aminata diallo #tw: emotional abuse #tw: domestic abuse #I guess #tw: violent death #love having to put all these trigger warnings!

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