The story going around with this pic is that some HOA would not let a fellow fly an American flag  and this was his response...



Now HOAs  are a pernicious blight upon our civilization and and those that run them and think they are swell are bad and should feel bad.  Thus there is a lot to like about this story. However, this story breaks down upon the slightest thought. The quidnuncs that form Home Owners Associations are going to have as one of their first despicable acts, strict rules on what colors their victims can paint their houses. Thus this made little sense unless the fellow was just going whole hog in an effort to stick his thumb in their eye.



It turns out after 2 minutes of image searching that this is actually a dispute with a local historical society. Historical societies that enforce repair regulations are like HOAs with government sanction so this is actually even a better story than the fake (assuming Captain America here doesn't end up in jail).

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I got this grim but interesting image from The Daily Mail, which has some amazing and very sad pictures.of the tornado damage in Oklahoma and Kansas.



It's bad....and there are more storms on the way.
more...

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Anime Blogger Ubu Roi has had a rough year.

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...to be on Oklahoma or Kansas.

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In this episode we learn a few things.
Though its area has been reduced considerably by the grinding and pressure the now thawed global glaciers exerted as well as the rising sea levels of the now completely melted icecaps, there IS dry land...just not much.

 
After Ledo (convinced that it is a Hideauze) attacks the whale squid, he crawls up onto a barge covered in whalesquid guts....I was previously under the impression that the whale squid was just a big ass squid, but a close inspection during this episode revealed that it had too many eyes....and then there is this amongst the squid chitterlings....



THAT is something I never bothered to screencap. But we've seen them before. It's a Hideuze tooth much like the ones our hero had carved into a flute for Amy and her brother.



Ledo and Bellows are interrogated by Ridget due to the gravity of the situation.

Attacking, let alone killing a whalesquid is deeply frowned upon, not only because of folk tales, but because they are extremely dangerous animals that can devastate an entire fleet.

Ledo tries to  explain that the Hideauze are a transcendental threat and the fleet must take action.
He explains through his auto-translate that he is duty bound to destroy this Hideauze outpost. Ridget points out that Whalesquids have been around as long as anyone can remember and are in general only a threat if molested. They are extremely powerful creatures however, and killing one could endanger everyone under their charge.

It seems that Bellows and Ledo were salvaging equipment in an area with a lot of Whalesquid activity Before the Whalesq...HIDEAUZE showed up and Ledo engaged it there were indications (unconfirmed) that the area was a treasure trove of pre-cataclysm tech.



Knowing this, Pinyon attempts to put together a crew to explore the wreckage and tries to hire Bellows to dive for him in whalesquid territory. She refuses, mocking him and his dreams as childish and prideful....She perhaps goes too far as it is revealed to be common knowledge that Pinyon's brother was killed by a whalesquid. Pinyon nearly looses it and almost hits Bellows before he leaves.

We also find out that Ferrock is indeed in poor health and he is advised to take time off and stay in a wheelchair.

Ledo stops trying to speak the language and goes around trying to explain to people the peril he believes they are in.

To remove any doubt for him, Chamber, Ledo's Giant Robot confirms that a genetic test he ran came back positive for Alien Enemy of Humanity.

Ledo decides he has no choice, he suits up and prepares to go battle the Hideauze to save the people of Gargantia.

At this point a HUGE pod of them is detected heading for the fleet. Ferrock orders silent running and has all ships cut power. To assist morale he (with GREAT difficulty) stands up, walks to the con, grabs hold of a railing and remains standing for the duration of the crisis.

Ledo fears that if the creatures get within striking distance of the fleet, they will annihilate it before he can stop them. However, he is stopped short of his mech by Ridget and several armed Gargantians. Ridget says that if the fleet is attacked she'll have no objection to him cutting loose, but she threatens to shoot him to prevent him from attacking first. 



The Hideauze pass directly under the fleet causing some eerie vibrations but no fatalities.

 
 
Ledo stands down.

EPILOG:

Pinyon meets with the council of captains and formally requests to be released from his contract.  Pinyon wants to attempt to salvage the advanced tech he believes is in Hidaeuze territory he's assembled a volunteer crew to that end and Ledo has agreed to work for him.  If they are lost it will be away from Gargantia and Gargantia will be under no contractual obligation to get involved at all.



At this point a bombshell is dropped.

Flange, the leader of one of the largest fleets joins Pinyon in asking to be released from his contract. He states that the technology of the great lost age is worth great risk for the benefits it could gain humanity. He makes clear that he harbors Gargantia no ill will and hopes one day to return.

Ferrock os horrified at this for a number of reasons. The loss of Flange's ships will gut the fleets defensive capability. Unstated, it probably occurs to Ferrock that Squid aliens will not be impressed with the legalities of severing contracts should they come bent on revenge. If this HAS occurred to Ferrock he's not saying because as the episode is ending he's suffering a massive heart attack.

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After the horror and flashback to yet more horror in the previous two episodes this one begins with a somewhat upbeat revelation...As far as is known there were no civilians eaten by the giants! Everyone made it through the gates before they were closed except the soldiers fighting the delaying action. The military, however has suffered mightily and as the episode begins Mikasa is going back to rejoin her friends  and assist in the survivors in an orderly retreat.  She arrives to find Sasha Potato Girl trying to rally a bunch of thoroughly demoralized troops, which include Armin.


And then,  Mikasa's eyes...just sort of die.



I must say this about the artists in this show. They really have the portrayal of dead, soulless eye's down pat.




I mean they've nailed it. The stills don't quite do the effect of this justice. While not particularly graphic the dead thousand yard stares in this episode are haunting in a way that really stays with you.


Of course, in MIkasa's case this is due to her leaning about Erun's fate. As one would expect she does not handle it well...



Here is the situation.

Their martial art involves a harness that includes power operated cables, grapling hooks and ascenders all powered by natural gas cylinders and supplemented by very short bursts from a rocket in the small of the back.  This allows them to swing about like fighters in some Xia brothers film and get to the vital spot on the back of a giants neck.

Well, after all that fighting, their gas cylinders are running low and without them they cant hope to make it to the wall, let alone scale it to reach safety. There is a facility with a recharge facility, but it is overrun by giants and most of the logistical command staff have fled.

Potato Girl and a male recruit named Connie Springer are  trying to organize an assault on the place to get at the natural gas depot and relieve those trapped inside , but no one will move.

At this point Mikasa of the dead eyes motivates everyone by the straightforward method of calling them all cowards and not worth saving and that she'll kill all the giants herself and abandon them...but they can come if they want.

It's unclear if motivation was her intent but it has that effect.

On the way Mikasa is separated from the group when she runs out of gas. Armin and Connie detach to find her but she has crashed in a heap at the foot of a giant in the wrong end of a dead end alley. As she contemplates why she is continuing to resist the inevitable, another giant shows up and rips the giant menacing her asunder....Armin arrives and scoops Mikasa up to the roof. He gives her his (barely used) cylinders   and blades. He, Connie and Mikasa watch the bizarre spectacle of the Aberrant Titan vanquishing others while ignoring them.





This episode ends with our protagonists pretty much in the same position as when it began, but a lot happened in between their making little progress. This battle is in it's third episode, and yet it doesn't seem to be dragging yet....which is unusual.

Mikasa had a moment of introspection that was interesting in that it had two aspects. On the one hand she determined that she is not going to give in to despair and she will fight to the bitter end. This is pretty straightforward and while well stated and inspiring it's not really unusual. What was unusual was the other thing she concluded. She reflected upon the fact that she's in a defacto leadership position and reflects on how this entails a good deal of DOWNWARD s well as upward loyalty.

 Mikasa has been portrayed throughout the show as a very decent person, but she really does grow in this episode even as she dies on the inside. There aren't many shows where this has come to the fore and off the top of my head I can think of only three other fictional fantasy female leaders who have had this virtue. Meia Gisbourne and the Captain in Van Dread, and to a slightly lesser extent Bellows in Gargantia.  This may not be a focus of the series but it is was refreshing to see this ethical point addressed.

There was also plenty of dystopic horror, and gruesomely gruesome gruesomeness, so the show hasn't had a sudden shift in tone...it's still hard to watch. But it remains intelligent and I note that nothing in this show has been extraneous...so that crazy ass giant means something.



Also, for those who've been watching the show : what happened to the key?

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I don't know WHERE I got this. It was in my unsorted .gif folder.
It's interesting though as it does show how music media evolved over 27 years and how fast the changes became in the 2000s.

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Golly! I wasn't expecting THAT.

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On a purely speculative note. Regards the last post,  I was....

^{"You were putting the politics below the fold!"}

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So...
I have some friends on Twitter who wonder "What's the big deal?" "Why RU so upset? H8er!!!" I have one friend who wrote in Davros in the last election...because he couldn't see any difference.
140 characters is not enough to explain anything involving complexity,
so for them I'll go point by point to the best of my abi....what?

^{"PoliTIIIIIIICCSSSS!" "Oh GOD! MAKE HER STOP" "Put it below the fold PLEASE!"}

Oh right...

Sorry...
Below the fold it goes!

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Not long ago I was reading thread on a naval history forum that discussed a proposal by the German Navy to use their Biber midget submarines in the Mediterranean Sea as well as for local defense. Attacks were contemplated on Alexandria as well as some other North African harbors.

Unfortunately the thread initiator made an error which rather derailed the thread....

...and caused this to happen.
more...

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Surprises:
Attack on Titan has lots of them,. Gargantia on the Verduous Planet has surprises too, but they are usually of an entirely different sort....
more...

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1 As they say on Twitter, "Gargantia: even if you have no marketable skills, you can find love with an underage exotic dancer".

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at Wed May 15 11:49:34 2013 (RqRa5)

2 Yeah.
Regards the latest episode.
That whole bit in the restaurant was...odd. I actually did a double take wondering if it really was them because it seemed to make no sense that it was.

They did mentioned earlier that they were doing a dance 'for the festival' but I'm still not seeing how that cameo makes any sense...

...unless Pete's assessment is correct.

Posted by: The Brickmuppet at Wed May 15 13:20:00 2013 (F7DdT)

3 OK I just rewatched it...It's a cafe in a food COURT and the stage act IS part of the run up to the festival. (God knows what the main act was). I was confused because most of the actual festival takes place off camera.

It was still a bit gratuitous.

Though not as gratuitous as the "SEE!? WE'RE HIP! WE HAVE GAYS!!1!!  AND THEY'RE ALL OVER THE TOP QUEENS BECAUSE....GAAAY!!. LOOK AT OUR CRAZY GAY PEOPLE. THE'VE GOTTEN OUT OF THE GAY CAGE!! WE'RE EDGY!  IT'S NOT ASSAULT BECAUSE...THEY'RE GAY...SO THEY CAN'T HELP IT. IT'S FUNNY. AND IF YOU DISAGREE YOU'RE  A H8ER UNLIKE US BECAUSE
"

Posted by: The Brickmuppet at Wed May 15 14:13:39 2013 (F7DdT)

4

"Amy has a pet flying squirrel"

...are you sure it's not a sugar glider?

I mean, a sugar glider?  The stripes look like it.

Posted by: Mikeski at Wed May 15 21:14:46 2013 (Zlc1W)

5 It's Otou-san's quip, not mine. He's referring the popular screencap of Ledo saying "I had no idea it was so hard to find a job".

Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at Wed May 15 22:31:10 2013 (RqRa5)

6

...are you sure it's not a sugar glider? 

No I am not.

The series is set so far in the future it could be an evolved chipmunk or a gene modded chinchilla. It looks more like a cross between a Delmarva fox squirrel and a flying squirrel given the pointy ears.

I probably should have said flying squirellish indicator of female lead status.

Posted by: The Brickmuppet at Thu May 16 08:54:45 2013 (F7DdT)

7 (B)Riget has those glasses again.

Posted by: Mauser at Fri May 17 06:03:05 2013 (cZPoz)

8 Indeed -- red half-rims. How did I miss that? (probably because I was concentrating on the dancing girls.)

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at Fri May 17 12:13:30 2013 (+rSRq)

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One day, long ago, the world ended.
Huge giants just showed up and started...eating people. This seems to have coincided with a near complete technological collapse as society is now sporting renaissance era tech.

Society, furthermore now consists of a walled area of Europe that looks to be a bit smaller than Andorra. The walls, over 150 feet high seem impervious to the giants. As a hedge, there have been built two secondary walls protecting progressively smaller areas. For 100 years there have been no breaches and humanity has developed a sort of pleasant if neurotic normalcy within its' prison.

Within this womb of denial reside these three young misfits. Left to right we have...

OK,  the end of episode 1 and most of episode 2 involve a particularly large giant 3-5 times as big as any others showing up and kicking in the gate to the walled territory. The smaller giants then swarm into the city where they begin devouring the populace. Meanwhile, the military, who would find this situation tough in the best of times, is very nearly useless due to having become complacent and confident behind their walls.  The soldiers are routed and most that are not devoured flee. A few take the time to to assist the civilians  like Hannes here.



We first saw him in episode 1 drunk at his post and generally not displaying a good military bearing.  In episode 2 he runs in to engage a giant, takes one look at it, realizes he is drunk, unfit to fight and heads for the hills. However, he somewhat redeems himself when he returns  to save the kids, wrenching them from their mother as they attempt to extricate her from the rubble of their house. He pulls them out kicking and screaming as the giant he did not engage devours their mother in front of them*.  (I'll spare you the screen cap).

As mentioned before there are 3 walls. They are called Rose, Maria and Sina...in the course of episodes 1&2 the territory between Rose and Maria is overrun. The gates of Wall Maria have to be closed to save those inside and 1/3 of the human population is lost.


^{* We see Hannes later in episode 4. He's still the same friendly guy, but he's gotten his act together and has become the very demanding captain of the gate guard for Wall Maria. Hannes is determined to never repeat his mistakes and ensure others don't either. An interesting theme of redemption from a frequently dystopic show.} 

^{"Why yes. My name actually IS Potato Girl. You gotta problem with that?"}

5 episodes in the show has really caught my interest and has a lot of potential. I intend to keep watching in the hope it lives up to it. I'm certainly looking forward to episode 6 because episode 5 seems to be taking the show in a very unusual direction.....
.No really...I GOTTA SEE EPISODE SIX!

Unfortunately, as I type this Crunchyroll has announced that...

Due to a materials delay, episode 6 will be delayed

Ghaa!

UPDATE: Well they finally showed number 6.
That was downright Wheadonesque.
This show is brutal but it is genuinely surprising me. At this point things have progressed so far that a more detailed & spoileriffic summary is really needed to discuss the show.

The reason for the stress regards Episode 6 was that Episode 5 ended on what I assumed was a cliffhanger.

In episode 5:
The Giants began flooding the city, but this time the military engaged with great determination and discipline albeit to little effect. However, Erun's team was completely green. When one of them was eaten, he rushed in rashly to avenge his fallen comrade, and his team followed him in support. Things went south very quickly as they ended up surrounded. Armin saw something particularly horrific and his brain went into BSOD mode. Erun was gravely injured and several of the likeable characters we'd come to know got eaten....including Armin...however Armin is a Player Character, is in the credits and that just cant stand so Erun overcame the pain of his missing foot and did a completely improbable rescue from the closing mouth of the Giant pulling Armin free!.....

 However, this left him in a rather tenuous position...



Of course Erun is the main character. He has dreams and aspirations. His shirt is not red and....oh.



...and  then our hero was bitten in half and swallowed. (Roll Credits)

Thus the anticipation of...
Episode 6:
I expected a cop out of some sort in this episode but...no...To my astonishment it appears that the protagonist is still quite dead!
The episode begins with some other soldiers who have stumbled upon the random crumbs of Erun's team which consist of lots of blood, Eruns hand and a catatonic Armin. Armin recovers enough to travel but is haunted by survivors guilt which is further fanned by one of the less likeable rescuers.




He advances to the rear and along the way finds progressively more disturbing imagery that forces him to confront the do or die nature of the world.

The rest of episode 6 is mostly a Mikasa story and between her kicking ass and dispensing justice....


...there is also a brief flashback to the murder of her parents*. This was an incident in which Erun had saved her when he was 9 years old. She immediately returned the favor. At the end of the episode she volunteers to assist the units that are left behind and runs to check on Erun and Armin's unit, unaware of the grim news she is about to receive.


Wow.

That was QUITE unexpected.

The closest thing I've seen to this was the opening episode of Gai Rei Zero  which was an intentional misdirection, but that was only one episode. 

This drives home a point that does not get enough attention in movies....

Those rows of crosses at Arlington and other war graves, the people under them were not supporting characters or supernumeraries. They were human beings with dreams, hopes ambition and just as much to contribute as anyone.

Erun has been the lead, the focus and the glue for the cast for 5 whole episodes. This is a remarkable decision and potentially quite interesting. The secondary characters are all quite quirky and this presumably means that Potato Girl and company will have more of a chance to shine.

This IS Studio IG so I assume that Mikasa will be the lead if anyone is. However I'm through assuming with this show.

_{* We also learn that even when the entirety of humanity is at the absolute end of it's rope and restricted to one tiny corner of the planet, there will still be pervy white guys willing to pay top dollar for an Asian chick.}

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