Beautiful and Terrible as the Cheesecake Factory

My partner and I are constantly talking about how much wasted potential is in Solo Leveling. It started off so interesting, and then turned into the same Lone Wolf Power Fantasy that so many (boring) edgy shows are. The story constantly centers the protagonist's journey into being a morally grey weirdo, while more interesting stories are happening in the background. Every time he could make a new friend, he decides instead to... Solo Level.

She was crabby. All the time. Always looked miserable when the rest of us had dessert of any kind.

It's not about being tough on crime, because the absolute toughest most brutal measure you could take against "crime" as a social problem is to alleviate poverty, and increase access to education, healthcare and social mobility.

It's about performing "tough on crime" as an aesthetic by enacting violence against a prop, i.e. minorities and the impoverished, who are fetishized and objectified to represent "crime." They are brutalized as punishment for crime, but never with the purpose of alleviating the problem of crime.

Next up someone is going to claim that the Narnia series isn't kids books.

I don't recall when I read the Hobbit, but I know I saw the original Star Wars around the same time. Honestly, I don't think you can handle one of those without being able to handle the other.

Like, he could be training for a marathon right now, but Conservative Credibility is so low that we're inventing wild theories about the ways in which they're lying to us. Even other conservatives.

I had like one, maybe two friends who were all like FUCK YEAH YOU PAINT IT WHATEVER COLOR YOU WANT, PURPLE BEDROOMS ARE AWESOME.

But when they actualy saw the finished bedroom, every single one of them was like, “Oh yeah, that’s really pretty.” (Well, the ones who supported me from the beginning were more like WOOHOO.)

MEAN YOU HAVE TO ABANDON

WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.

When I bought my house, the kitchen was multiple shades of dingy white. It was dismal, but it was now mine! So went to the hardware store for paint (well, several trips, painted swatches on panel, etc — I’m very picky. But this was the final, ‘real’ trip). It was a busy day in the paint section. There were at least five people behind me in line.

Now, remember, latex paint is slightly lighter and brighter when wet than it is when dry. And I’d decided to paint my kitchen candy-apple red. The hardware store employee took my gallon off the Paint Jiggler and cracked it open to put a dab on the top, revealing the most incredibly deep pink, and behind me I hear the entire line of people say,

“Oh my god.”

…in perfect chorus.

This is the door to my garage. It used to be white. Live your best life.

Mischief the cat says “Who goes there?”

Every visiting friend says “This is so cool.”

my garage. It used to be

white. Live your best life.

not decorating trends; those have always existed. but the idea that color and decoration is inherently childish

this is the dining room at the Eustis Estate in Milton, Massachusetts, from 1878 (where I used to work, briefly). the walls are TEXTURED MICA SHIMMER on a green background. Adult Space For Adults!

A jewelry shop in Paris c. 1901. kids can’t buy jewelry!

who can forget the classic 1950s colorful bathroom? I’m not a huge fan, but still! adult space! bright colors; decorative designs!

So here’s two examples of traditional Norwegian farmhouse interiors. You know. The kinds of places peasants live in.

This type of painting is called “rosemaling” and today you usually find it on, like, carved wooden bowls and such that are only used for decoration. But back two centuries ago, it was very common to find the interiors of homes covered in it, in projects that were painted little by little over the decades. Because it’s beautiful to look at, paint is the cheapest way of decorating your house, and what else are you going to do on the long winter nights when it’s too dark and cold to work outdoors?

But mostly, they did it because it made them happy, and it was beautiful.

There's a great scene in the book (kinda would've loved to see it in the film) where Stratt and Grace go to court where a bunch of companies have gotten together to sue the Project for IP infringement, because of all the software that they're using and sending to space. Stratt produces a bunch of papers from the UN saying "IP law doesn't apply to her" and the judge throws it out. She later explains to Grace that her showing up in court was how they stop other companies from trying the same thing.

She's got a job to do, and doesn't have time to deal with making sure everyone's on board, because realistically, that's impossible. She doesn't have time to debate the ethics of utilitarianism, the planet is literally on the line. Half of the world's population is likely to die, and that's even if Grace and crew succeed.

The film does a couple of things really well with her. The first is the karaoke party, which shows us glimpses of Stratt and how difficult it is. She knows she's sending people to die, and she seems to even kinda like them. During the chat with Grace outside, she knows what her future holds, but it feels a little like she tips her hand and shows that she kinda likes Grace, like in another life, maybe they'd be friends.

Then the scene where she actually has to knock him out and put him into the ship. She talks a big game about how it's the only choice and she's okay with it. But her performance has a lot of anguish and sorrow in it. She knows it's the right call, and she has to do it, but I don't think she wants to. She has to send someone she kinda likes into space against his will; half of the world's population is likely to die, and that's even if Grace and crew succeed.