#(There’s no way that’s not on purpose right? That’s an intentional visual gag not a quirk of style… right?!?!)

[msfcatlover]

Shoutout to Batman: Dark Victory for having the most efficient “you already know what happens here” storytelling I’ve ever seen outside of fanfiction. One guy mentions going to the circus, we see tickets on another guy’s desk, then you turn the page and BOOM! The Graysons are already dead. Turn it again, now Dick’s in the Batcave. They really did straight-up skip 2/3 of his origin, because they didn’t want to bother.

[milekael]

Some OC yapping and opinions about AUs about to go down

The other day I found my 3DS and one of the games I had is this RPG called Fantasy Life which I played the hell out of when I was a kid and I been thinking about replaying it.

So anyway I am doing that and for RPGs I like to make/adapt OCs into them than just make myself. SO late in Street Cats another main character is introduced called Trigal who I am obsessed with yet can share so little about sobs. But anyway because I like him and I don't like to separate Laurel and Olive from each other, I decided to make him in the game!!

And man looking at my usually furry characters as humans makes me go teehee is fun :3 So between that and the game really making me visualiza his storyline as a Paladin who then finds a new path I decided to draw my boy in some fantasy/medieval AU

(For reference I also added his usual design lol)

And made me think about like... I do like to have some sort of human AU with these characters is just that everything I can think of is kind of boring LOL

LIKE OKEY SO THIS IS THE THING ABOUT STREET CATS RIGHT?? They are basically humans, their anatomy is overall very human and their cat behaviors are mostly for gags. They are for all intents and purposes humans that just look like that because is both more visually interesting to the reader (Furry cats Vs the 10000th Detective series with normal humans) and is more fun for me to draw and design for lol Cats are cool!!!

Also, important to note, their setting is basically LATAM in the 80's so is not even a fantasy world lmao

Which made me realize huuh most human AUs are interesting because it puts the characters in real situations and most commonly in the modern day!!

But then in a case like this is kinda... idunno, senseless. I didn't set up Street Cats in the modern day because I thought that would be kinda boring! I like the conflict that comes out of them not having access to mobile phones let alone the internet. So if I try to think of a modern AU is not like their roles change significantly enough to be fun and instead it just adds the "This is the reason why the story isn't here lol". Same with medieval AU, if they are practically humans anyway then there is no reason why to make them furries be here or in medieval Europe lol

And is fun to think about because when I think "Well, DnD AU" then I realize that what makes it interesting is making characters anything else BUT humans!! Or if you have a human, is in contrast to the rest being non-humans.

And to further proof, I realize the one Human!AU of my characters I really really like is the one that makes The Most Changes Possible which is passing Venture to be a human agsgsg

I am very attached to human Venture agsgshd in part because thinking of her in the modern day is fun no matter what!! Do they have super powers here too or not?? What form does the Guild take??

And anyway all of this is to say that my take on AUs is that I only really find them appealing if there is some big change but it manages to keep the essence of the characters... SO TALKING ABOUT ROYAI-

Basically thats why while I thought about Royai in One Piece, it actually doesn't appeal to me agsgsv. Like if its them doing the same as in FMA canon but with the World Government thats...... thats just SWORD lol which is a canon group in One Piece, and to write something like that I might as well just do it about Koby and Tashigi lol.

Then there is the option of making Royai pirates.... but then I lose the actual bits that make me like Royai anyways so eeeehhh whatever, is not that interesting to me anymore agsgsgshdh

Thats also why putting my OCs in FMA is also not very fun for me because at that point I might as well just write about Royai lol

I like the Beastars!AU because even if I keep Amestris and Alchemy as it is in FMA, adding the social complexities of that world of animal people to the wiwis makes them extremely interesting to me because it creates a new way to communicate stuff and Situations (tm) to put them through...

And I believe at the end of the day the point is those Situations (tm). Is there new situations where you can put them that will make them react in new, interesting ways while not changing their fundamental character??? Then if the answer is yes sign me up agdhshhs

Anyway please no one take this too seriously this is one guy's opinion over why I feel sad I can't motivate myself to draw my furries as humans from time to time lol

[astroboyanalysis]

9. Robot Land

Hello again. I still don't know how frequent these will be but I have not abandoned this, I just had a big preparation for a performance assessment that took a long time.

Ochanomizu so sillies for this visual gag. Actually, there have been a lot of visual gags I didn't note, like Ochanomizu and Dr. Haido licking each other while greeting. Y'know, normal stuff.

It's interesting that Atom got as far as the room of monsters to have this qualm, although he did seem a little preoccupied before this point

I assume by "suffer" he does not mean directly Feel Pain, rather that they won't be able to live a normal life. We saw that he mentioned something similar in the plant people liveblog. It's very possible it's just me, but this seems like an outdated sentiment that would easily be co-opted into euthanasia, although obviously that was not Tezuka's intent.

He's right, but it's tricky.

When we think of robots in Astro Boy, a lot of the time they're very locked into the thing they were made for. A plumber robot will plumb, a doctor robot will practice medicine, a robot meant to act a role will act that role. The two roles I just mentioned were necessary for society, and generally those robots are shaped in a way that would let them live a normal life outside of their job.

These robots are functionally actors, but they're actors of a single role. It isn't really that they're created for an express purpose that's a problem, it's that that purpose isn't really necessary. A consciousness is being brought into the world for amusement only, and many of them are stuck in those shapes of monsters or trees that are alive or whatever.

But here we run into an issue that is common in Astro Boy, even newer Astro Boy up to 2003 (I am not as familiar with things like Atom: The Beginning), and it's that everything that has new technology in it must be a sentient robot. A major part of me thinks this is kind of silly - What is the point of putting a consciousness into a car? The car is still following your orders. The car could just as well be operated by a robot that can exit the car and live normally outside of the car, or remotely piloted by an AI as more of a tool than its own living (ish) thing. What is the point of putting a consciousness into what is functionally a puppet for children's entertainment, when this could be controlled by a "puppet master" AI somewhere and save a ton on computers and parts.

(TANGENT: Alternatively, what's the point that a robot deserves rights? If I make a robotic bug, and its sentience is very similar to that of a real bug - It seeks out dark places, it may be a little curious about if something is desirable to it or if its a foe, and that's about it- Is that bug a sentient robot? Is the role of a bug not worthwhile for a robot if that robot isn't aware of any further parts of life, and can't be by the limitations of its hardware? What if I extend it up to a robotic cat or dog? It can be clever, it can make decisions independently, it can want and it can probably, to some extent, love. Is that cruel? Why is this admittedly silly fairy-tale ecosystem not composed of a variety of levels of sentience instead of a bunch of robots capable of understanding what they don't have, that are actors playing a role instead of the role itself? Where does sentience start and end? This is a question Astro Boy doesn't evaluate, as far as I remember. But an automated traffic light is taking in information and making "decisions" based on that information. Is it a robot (in Astro Boy's definition, which is more like "AI" or "sentient")? Okay, I'm ending the tangent here.)

So, there's the major part of me that thinks everything being a robot is silly. And then there's a part of me that sees what we're doing with "AI" right now and modern technology in general (I don't think it's actually AI, by my own definition, anyway. It is not thinking, and we don't expect it to. Society's goal with current AI is not anything independent, but rather seems to be to automate jobs that people do not want to pay humans for.) and it looks pretty similar. Why does this app need AI? Why does this refrigerator need wifi to function? The answer is, they really don't. We toss extra "new" things into them so that they're more appealing as purchases, so they seem more Modern.

I suppose, to some extent, we can read this story similarly, although the issue of sentience and consciousness being involved makes it very different.

But basically. It's a silly story, it has that same silly issue a lot of Astro Boy has where everything is a robot (although in this case it's being brought into question - it just doesn't work for me because I know of many instances where it is NOT brought into question), and a much more effective way to accomplish the idea of a theme park like this would be to have individual "puppet" animatronics that are all operated by a "puppet master" AI that is located elsewhere in the park (and the part of me that likes more horror-based takes on Astro Boy likes that idea too, hehe)

Well this just seems like it might make for an unfriendly work environment full of hierarchies, doesn't it? That doesn't bode well for the theme park that's already been framed as amoral, huh?

wow yea this guys fucking wild. "kinda hard" might be an understatement though he immediately put his hands on Atom for, uh. Unclear what he did wrong actually. Saying his name too firmly, maybe?

Atom I need you to focus. That is not the most important question right now.

I can't help but think there are less cruel ways to do this.

It's a product of its time, I think, that the law and ownership are seen as so fundamental that they aren't questioned at all. Personally, I really dislike seeing Ochanomizu presented this way instead of as an idealist who does what's right, not someone so preoccupied with the law that he tells Atom, who is crying at the cruelty on display, to hurry it up and go get that woman who came to him begging for safety, and hand her right back to the robot that was terrorizing her. Also, silly little gag with Ochanomizu's nose getting bigger. Hehe awesome.

This confirms, to me, that property laws are stronger than robotic rights laws in the setting. Atom directly says they were torturing her, that she's alive, and Ochanomizu does not deny any of that, but continues to press that she is property, and Atom "stole" her, even though she independently ran away and came to him.

At the very least, I can appreciate that Atom's dad gives an "I know how you feel, but there's nothing we can do." I suppose part of Ochanomizu's transition into a more paternal character is tied with the transition away from giving Atom a nuclear family (heh. get it.) to begin with - That gentle parenting is the current norm helps too.

The manga doesn't seem to acknowledge this, but isn't this also theft by the same definition? Atom willingly went into Robot Land and they have him and they haven't given him back. This is precisely what happened with Princess Odette in reverse, but Ochanomizu doesn't bring up any argument about that (Atom) being his property.

He did do that. That was like, the main thing he came there to do.

Well, to be fair, your "property" also snuck onto someone else's property and smashed things and we thought nothing of it.

Anyway, more legality here: Ochanomizu seems scared that jail time is a real outcome, although I'm not sure if he's scared for himself or for Atom. If he's scared for himself, that tells us that a robot's actions are the express responsibility of their owner, or of their creator (I imagine the owner first and if the owner pushes the legality up the chain it goes to the creator or the manufacturer or distributor). If he's scared for Atom, it indicates that property can be tried as a human and given jail time, which sounds not very correct. So I think Ochanomizu is the one being threatened here, really. I still believe in 2003's (I can't recall if it comes up in Astro Boy media before the finale episodes of 2003) concept that if a flaw is found with a robot that causes it to commit a crime (in the case of 2003, harming a human, which makes more sense to be treated so harshly) it would be decommissioned and destroyed, and if the flaw is significant enough, all robots of that design would be decommissioned and destroyed.

Yeah this is kind of how my students are.

You simply hate to see it.

That is actually the end of Omnibus 1, so we're finally making some progress! As a reminder, there are 7 Dark Horse Omnibuses. Omnibus 2 has 300 pages of "Once Upon A Time" which is some of my favorite content from the original run of Astro Boy.

Sorry, again, for how long the gap was there. I can't promise it'll never happen again. We come back next time with Ivan the Fool!

[kingwuko]

Wuko in the Comics: Ruins of the Empire: Book 1, Part 1

Welcome to my second post on Wuko in the comics. In this post I’ll be discussing the first half of Ruins of the Empire: Book 1. Wu is a prominent character in this comic trilogy, and there is lots of character development and exploration for him. There are also a lot of scenes with Wu and Mako together, and what’s more, there are a handful of visual parallels to Korrasami!

Ruins of the Empire

Book 1 of RotE was released in May 2019. The art style is different from Turf Wars- the colors are very vibrant and it almost looks like stills of the animated series. It takes place 3 months after the conclusion of the animated series, and there is lots of continuity following the events of Turf wars. Some major plot points that carry from Turf Wars include: Wu has been governing the Earth Kingdom, Korra and Asami are in a firmly established relationship, and Zhu Li is President of the United Nations.

Plot Summary

The first half of Book 1 of RotE highlights the transition of the Earth Kingdom into a democracy by focusing on the first state to hold its elections, Gaoling. Gaoling’s election is at risk of being disrupted by Earth Empire general, Guan, who didn’t surrender when the rest of the empire did. The Krew decides to accompany King Wu to Gaoling to ensure the election proceeds without interference.

Major plot points in the first half of Book 1

We start out with a flashback that sets the timeline for the rest of the comic. In Gaoling, Commander Guan is running an earth empire “reeducation camp” and has just gotten word that Kuvira surrendered, but isn’t planning to give up so easily. He insists that his “experiments” and the Earth Empire will go on, with or without Kuvira as the Earth Emperor…. Then we jump ahead 3 months to Republic City, City Hall. We start out with an excellent frame, the first of many Wuko Korrasami parallels! Get excited, there are SO many!

Bolin is working for President Zhu Li Moon now, because, why not? He just quit his job working with Mako on the police force, and now he’s Zhu Li’s administrative assistant or something. Zhu Li is going to be introducing King Wu for a “big speech” to the citizens of Republic City. Korra gives Wu a friendly elbow nudge and asks if he’s ready. (the first of many wholesome friendship moments between the two of them)

Wu is not ready, he’s nervous. He asks Mako to read his speech for him, and Mako says no way- but then he reassures Wu that he’ll do great. “Just be yourself” Wu is immediately comforted and says that Mako always knows the right thing to say and that must be why he keeps Mako around! (I can think of a couple other reasons...) Mako’s expressions are very stoic and closed off. He’s got his arms crossed and looks grumpy (I feel like I’m always saying Mako looks grumpy. But that’s the best adjective I can come up with).

Wu begins his speech where he announces that it’s almost time for the Earth Kingdom states to begin holding elections, starting in the state of Gaoling. Grandma Yin and cousin Tu are in the audience and Yin is booing Wu, and also yelling “Long live the monarchy” while holding framed portraits of Wu and Hou-Ting.

Asami, Korra, Mako and Varric are standing behind Wu, applauding along with the crowd (well, the crowd minus Yin). Korra and Mako casually compliment Wu, saying that he's doing great and almost looks like a real leader! Wu says that within a year there will be a peaceful transition to democracy. He gets bombarded by questions and panics and starts singing. He tosses his stylish hat into the crowd, which Yin catches and says “you’ll always be my king!” Mako covers his face with his hands, Korra says ”well you did tell him to be himself” and Mako says “this is NOT what I meant”. Sorry Mako. You know Wu better than anyone so you should have known a song was coming. Zhu Li takes the podium and Wu dramatically faints/collapses into Mako’s arms. I presume on purpose.

We cut to a scene of Kuvira’s trial. Kuvira, after being read the charges against her, pleads not guilty (because every thing she did was for the “greater good”), Suyin confronts her and Kuvira apologizes but Suyin isn’t having it and forcefully tells her that apologies aren’t enough, she has to take responsibility.

We move on to President Moon’s office, where Wu is sitting on a sofa and Bolin welcomes Asami, Mako and Korra in. Mako lampshades Bolin’s many career changes. Bolin makes a comment to Mako that just because Mako has “found” himself it doesn’t mean the rest of them have. I, for the life of me, can’t figure out exactly what Bolin is trying to say here. Is he referring to the fact that Mako has “found” his career as a detective? Or something else, like his true feelings for Wu? Probably the first thing but us Wuko shippers will happily apply it to the other thing.

Once everyone is settled in, Wu asks them to come with him to Gaoling for the upcoming elections! Mako is actually not thrilled, and tells Wu that they aren’t going to be there for him to show off as his entourage. Wu is like No, that’s not it! Well, yes, kinda. He wants their help dealing with the Earth Empire loyalists being led by Guan. The Earth Kingdom army is understaffed and Wu is worried the Guan will try to prevent the elections from happening. The Krew agrees that it could be a problem, especially since it could cause other states to back out of holding elections and allow the earth empire to rise again.

So the Krew plans to come to Gaoling to show support for the elections, hopefully deter Guan from interfering, and Mako says they will keep Wu safe. Zhu Li encourages Bolin to go as well. Wu is very excited to team up with Mako again! After they leave the President's office, Korra suggests going to go speak to Kuvira to try to gather intel on Guan- Asami is not thrilled and doesn’t want to go with her because Kuvira was responsible for her father’s death. Korra is understanding and supportive and they share a lovely little kiss before Korra heads off.

Korra arrives at Kuvira’s prison with Naga. We catch a quick glimpse into Kuvira’s mind as she remembers a moment from her childhood when she ran away from her parents-after her parents accused her of breaking a vase, the take away her toys and lock her in her room “for her own good”, and she uses her earth bending to break the wall and escape. This and other flashbacks attempt to make us more sympathetic to Kuvira so we can accept her redemption arc in the remainder of the comics. After her little flashback, Korra and Kuvira discuss Guan. Kuvira says she didn’t know Guan hadn’t surrendered, and that Korra should consider him a major threat because he is cunning and strategic. Then Kuvira tells Korra if she wants to stop Guan, she should bring Kuvira along to reason with him and convince him to stand down and surrender. Korra is not convinced, but Kuvira tells her to take time to think about it, and she’ll be there to help when Korra asks.

Meanwhile, Guan is rallying his troops. He’s got a sizable regiment of soldiers along with tanks, and is giving them a big speech about taking back the empire and rising from the ruins of defeat. He and his troops head out of their fortress, presumably to do exactly what everyone is worried about and stop Gaoling’s election.

Mako and Wu Scenes

Mako and Wu are featured in many scenes of these comics, together more often than not!

The very first scene with Wu, he is standing right next to Mako, in the same frame as Korra and Asami. I realize “standing next to each other” might not actually be ground breaking evidence for Wuko, but it feels like a parallel to Korrasami, and most importantly creates kind of an establishing shot, planting Wu at the center along with Korra. This is kind of amazing considering he was in only one season of the show and he was largely a comic relief character that I don’t think the writers meant for us to take seriously. There is a pattern of parallels in RotE with Korrasami and Wuko, and we don’t really need to reach for them. They are right there, visually.

We also get to see some lovely moments of Korra’s and Wu’s friendship. She elbows him good-naturedly. She’s kind and supportive. She compliments him. He does seem a little awkward but overall it seems he really fits in with the Krew now, and I find it really sweet. His characterization feels very different from the show. He isn’t obnoxiously flirting with every 'dame' he lays eyes on. He isn’t bratty, or materialistic. He’s still goofy and lands some comic relief joke moments, but overall he is treated like an actual character with substantial development and plot-advancing roles.

During Wu’s speech, Mako is staring like, way too intently at him while casually complementing how he almost looks like a real leader. (Well, up until Wu starts singing, and then his second-hand embarrassment seems more intense than the others, who mostly just seem a little stunned, while Mako has his face buried in his hands). Also, the running gag of Grandma Yin being obsessed with royalty has it’s funny moments during his speech, but I really like it because the fact that Mako’s grandma is reverent, affectionate, AND outspoken with Wu would probably create an interesting in-law dynamic, right? Also, during his song, the tosses his hat out to the crowd which Yin catches like a single lady catching the bridal bouquet, and says “You’ll always be my King!” I like to imagine that she now wears his hat everywhere, along with Mako’s scarf. I know I’m reaching but Yin wearing both their accessories is another Wuko moment in my mind.

Let’s also talk about Wu fainting. After his panic-singing, Zhu Li quickly takes over and Wu steps back and dramatically faints, saying “Wu down”- right into Mako’s arms. Why into Mako’s arms? Did he step back and strategically aim himself at Mako? Technically the closest person to him was Varrick. So he had to stagger back diagonally and fall back toward Mako on purpose. Did Mako catch him with lightning-fast reflexes? Korra was also right there and she’s the Avatar, you’d think she’d react quicker than Mako. Nope. The best explanation is that Wu for sure was intentionally falling into Mako’s arms, and Mako’s ‘protect Wu’ instincts kicked in faster than anyone else's because.. Well. You ship Wuko. You know what I'm saying. <3

During the conversation in Zhu Li’s office, once again, visually Mako and Wu are parallel to Korra and Asami. They are sitting next to each other on a couch opposite Korra and Asami. However, there is this one moment where Mako is NOT HAVING IT with Wu. When Wu asks the Krew to join him, Mako is like, why? For show? No way. He says “We’re not your entourage, Wu.” Honestly that was kinda mean of him to say. I’m not sure what to make of it other than Mako is suddenly grumpy because his brother (who was visibly offended by Mako lamp-shading his career-hopping) snatched away a tray of cupcakes a moment before. Still, Wu is quick to reassure him that it’s not like that at all, and delivers the news of Guan and quickly makes a case that it’s the practical thing to do considering the political climate. Mako immediately agrees after that, and quickly flips his script to “we’ll keep you safe”. And Wu’s triple “yes” response with an excited fist in the air is enough of a Wuko moment for me.

When they leave Zhu Li’s office, yet another visual Korrasami/Wuko parallel. Korra and Asami are in the back holding hands, and Mako and Wu are in the front with Wu’s arm draped around Mako’s shoulders. Wu is very happy that Mako is coming along. Says they should get a smoothie to celebrate, and it’ll be just like old times! I’m sure Wu missed Mako. Mako doesn’t seem quite as thrilled but at this point it's really just Mako’s face. He just always looks like that. Who knows what he’s thinking inside.

What this means for Wuko

So if you are writing some fanfic or just coming up with headcanons with the comics in mind, there is a lot of material to work with right away. They are in close proximity for most of their scenes. Wu is accepted by the Krew, and he is buddy-buddy enough with Korra to presume he’s probably been talking to her outside of the scenes depicted in the comics. So there’s some potential for wingman or matchmaker Korra, or at the very least she will be happy and supportive of them getting together since she has warmed up to Wu a lot. Both Mako and Wu have matured enough that a healthy relationship is within reach. Wu clearly has affection toward Mako, and Mako still has that protective instinct toward Wu, even if he looks like he’s not having a great time (But like I said, he looks like that all the time, so I'm pretty sure he just has resting bitch face).

So that is about the halfway point of book 1. The next post I will talk about the second half of book 1. Some things to look forward to: a sauna scene, Mako, Bolin and Wu giving Kuvira the Bitchiest collective look ever, and Wu casually telling Mako that he loves him.

Wuko in Turf War

Wuko in RotE part 2

[d-ama-ien]

The scary thing isn’t that it’s going to end. Everything ends. Shows have their finales, or they get canceled, and sometimes you have to live with that cliffhanger, with the “what could have beens.” That isn’t like this. Shows may end or be canceled but they’re still there. I can go back to it as many times as I like. Not this.

We’ve known since the beginning. It was clear from the very first video- how many synonyms for goodbye did they say? How many times did they say that the videos will be deleted, that the channel’s final wish is to not be archived, that you have one chance and if you miss it then it’s gone?

I, like many others, thought “Cool, sure, okay.” A year is so far away, the deletion may as well not exist. Sure, they remind us from time to time, Unus and Annus doing their duties. Unus Annus. One Year- their very existence is a symbol of the ever ticking clock. Most of the videos are silly, fun vlogs edited with visual symbols of death, or sometimes death oriented videos that are still somehow filled with laughter. 

No one could have seen 2020 coming. Was this year the right year for Unus Annus? It was the year it happened. Was 2020 the right year for any of us? We still don’t get to stop the clock, the channel doesn’t either. The destiny of humans are debatable, the destiny of the channel is not. Humans don’t have a timer, or if there is one we don’t see it. Unus Annus has a timer in every video, ticking ever closer to its last breath. If there’s such a thing as fate, then it was surely a kind gift to fans that we had daily uploads to help us through quarantine and other low points. If there’s such a thing as fate, then it was surely a cruel trick for Ethan and Mark to have their plans for the channel ripped from their grasp.

Somehow, we made it to October. I can honestly say I don’t remember much of what happened to get us here, quarantine a blur of hard times and stress and various vlogs I can barely tell apart. Now, it’s a month before the end. Some of us were still waiting for our “birthday videos,” and as I write this, some are still waiting. MatPat posted his theory, and it’s either a stroke of luck or an intentional act that the plot has amped up from about 20% present to 100% at the forefront in the course of a few videos. The week of Halloween- a celebration of death and the after life, in some perspective. A video called “The Truth of Unus Annus.” There are 13 days left. The coffin is here, Unus and Annus have made their statement. The end is coming. They will not be stopping the clock, no matter what we or the editors or even Mark and Ethan have to say about it.

I, like many others, am a college student. I am lucky, my school is lucky, and we made it 9 weeks with zero cases. At week ten we had 3 and the college voted to send us home early- we will do week 11 in person and the rest online. The semester was already destined for an early end- we’d be moving out the week of Thanksgiving and doing our last two weeks of classes and finals online. And now the rug has been yanked from under our feet and we all have to be out a week from the day I type this. And, a week after that, Unus Annus will end. I haven’t watched all the videos. I won’t get to, and I’ve accepted that. I won’t get to finish my semester the way I was meant to, and I’ve accepted that. Everything comes to an end. We will all die.

But it’s still so scary. Because for now I remember so much- The Disclaimer Song, the dance of Italy, Ethan’s shit Russian accent, Mark eating pancakes through a ring gag when someone comes to the door and sees it through the window. I remember them choking down playdough on thanksgiving and eggnog on Christmas, I remember them camping, Mark punching a hole in the wall, and the many, many times we’ve been told “Don’t tell Amy.”

The scary thing is I won’t remember forever. And, when I forget, it won’t be there. I can’t turn to YouTube and just watch it again. I already checked my likes- over twenty grey spots will hold the places where Unus Annus videos once stood. There will probably be gifs and short clips left behind on Tumblr or Twitter- I know some blogs intend to remove all content relating to Unus Annus, I plan on keeping mine. You don’t burn the pictures you have of lost loved ones, I don’t intend to burn all references to the lost channel. It feels almost like a loved one. We’ve given them time out of our day, every day, for a year, after all. 

I know there will be those who try to reupload- even if I find one that escapes the legal team’s clutches I won’t touch it. The channel has asked of us one thing: Do not archive or re-upload anything. This is our last wish. Our parting gift. Stay true to the purpose of our final year or we shall lay down wrath upon those that attempt to escape the end.

Do not try to escape the end. I can respect that wish at the very least, after all they have given us. For all they have given, they will take, and it hurts, but I’m grateful for the time we had.

Tomorrow there will be another video. What will it bring? There are thirteen days left. Another way of Mark and Ethan torturing each other? Another staged piece for our lore building pleasures? Or just a relatively regular vlog that will bring us laughter for ten minutes as Mark and Ethan try some random skill?

The end is coming. I’m excited to see what it brings, and I’m sad to see it go.

Memento mori. Unus Annus. And thank you for everything you gave us this year.

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: Looking for a New Show? Check out Hime's Helpful Recommendations!

  If you’re reading this now, then chances are you’ve checked out anime sensations that is Jujutsu Kaisen or The Promised Neverland. But what is there to do when you’re stuck between episodes and waiting a whole week for the next exciting installment? Or worse ... what do you do when you've finished your binge? Luckily, there are plenty of anime in Crunchyroll’s catalog for you to check out!

  When it comes to scary demons, dark magic, and captivating stories, there’s no shortage of shows that can satisfy your cravings. From your genre-defying battle shows, popular fantasy worlds, or quirky titles with crazy fights, you're sure to find something from this list that will quickly become your next favorite binge:

  That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

    Fantasy world anime are all the rage these days, and one of the most popular right now comes in the form of an adorable amorphous blob slowly building up their own nation in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.

  As 37-year-old Satoru Mikami suddenly began to take a spiritual transition from one life to the next, they unwittingly made requests that resulted in their reincarnation as a lowly slime in an RPG-like high-fantasy world. In this new life, they gain new abilities and use their apparent charisma to acquire powerful allies and develop their own nation that unites all species under his guidance. 

  As far as fantasy world shows go, this rags-to-riches story has a little something for everyone. There are few things as inspiring and necessary in our world as seeing an insignificant slime creature rise up the ranks and unite everybody. Packed with compelling world-building, exciting fights, and a spoonful of emotion, Slime scratches plenty of itches, and the ongoing second season will definitely leave you begging for more.

  Demon Slayer

    There are plenty of great anime centered around fighting denizens in the dark, but Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba certainly stands out among them all.

  Tanjiro Kamado’s tough but rewarding mountain life was suddenly disrupted when his entire family was mauled by a demon, with his little sister on the verge of becoming one herself. But after showing his potential as a fighter and vowing to protect his sister who still clings tenuously to her humanity, he is recruited to undergo demon slayer training in order to harness his latent abilities and find a way to return his sister to normal.

  Ufotable, Inc. is an anime studio renowned for its unparalleled animation, and Demon Slayer is the perfect example of the team’s skill. The show is renowned for its seamless integration of digital effects to generate flowing animation and has previously topped our list as one of the best anime of the 2010s. Since its premiere, Demon Slayer has raked in several Newtype anime awards, and its first opening — “Gurenge” by LiSA — topped Oricon’s digital charts for weeks. With all these accolades under its belt, Demon Slayer is most certainly well worth checking out. 

  Mob Psycho 100

    If stylish animation and gorgeous fight scenes are up your alley, look no further than the psychedelic psychic battles of Mob Psycho 100. 

  Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama is an abnormal boy trying to live a normal life, despite his unique telekinetic abilities leading him to crazy situations. Under the misguided tutelage of con artist psychic Arataka Reigen, Mob takes on several malevolent spirits while trying to navigate his turbulent adolescence. Through his adventures, he slowly but surely develops his understanding of human emotion, especially when they gradually build up to various explosions of psychic energy.

  Mob Psycho is packed with stellar action and hilarious gags, but still finds room to offer a refreshingly heartwarming story about trying to be your own self. With two seasons' worth of episodes, this is a great option for fans of people throwing telekinesis at each other.

  Overlord

      The only thing more interesting than a fantasy world show is a fantasy world show with a villain as the main protagonist. Enter Overlord.

  The massively successful, highly interactive MMO, YGGDRASIL, is about to have its servers shut down after 12 years. Momonga, the skeletal leader of the strongest guild of the game, makes it a point to stay on until the final minutes of service. When the countdown runs out, Momonga’s player finds himself inhabiting the world as his character and still commanding his guild, Ainz Ooal Gown. Taking on the name of his guild, Ainz Ooal Gown begins to expand his rule with an iron fist while trying to find any other players who may also be trapped in the game with him.

  Overlord is unafraid to make its protagonist undergo some dark transformations. Despite Ainz’s intentions to create a stir in this new world and unite all species under his rule, he becomes gradually less hesitant to use his immense power to achieve his goals by any means necessary. With its dark overtones and unique protagonist, Overlord truly makes a name for itself among the genre. 

  Hunter x Hunter

    Love the action genre but wish the formula could be tweaked a little bit? The infamous Hunter x Hunter may just have what you’re looking for.

  Gon Freecs is a young boy who sets out to become a professional Hunter while searching for his missing father. Along the way, Gon learns how vast and diverse the world is as he meets new companions, fights terrifying monsters, and becomes stronger at every turn. There’s no telling what new adventure or threat awaits Gon and his friends as the world of Hunters opens up wide to them.

  Subversion is the name of the game when it comes to this popular and influential series. While there’s plenty of intense action to be had, Hunter x Hunter isn’t afraid to go deep into mafia politics, race relations, and even gender identity. At almost every opportunity, Hunter takes the usual tropes and turns them upside down to tell a story that’s all too raw, emotional, and impossible to look away from.

  Garo: Vanishing Line

    Jujutsu Kaisen director Sung Hoo Park has plenty of notable works under his belt, including directing The God of High School. But you might be surprised to know that JJK isn’t his first foray into demon-slaying action. He also directed Garo: Vanishing Line.

  While searching for her missing older brother, Sophie is led to the metropolis of Russell City where monsters known as Horrors prey on humans in the night. Luckily, she comes under the protection of Sword; as Garo, the strongest Makai Knight, Sword and his crew are tasked with defending the city and eradicating Horrors.

  As part of a popular tokusatsu (live-action with heavy special effects) franchise, Garo is known for its modern gothic aesthetic and compelling action. Vanishing Line continues that tradition in spectacular fashion with intense fights and an exhilarating soundtrack, not to mention an intense first opening by Jam Project of One Punch Man fame. From start to finish Vanishing Line never takes its foot off the pedal and is sure to keep you pumped all throughout its high-octane 24-episode ride. 

  The Rising of the Shield Hero

    Fantasy world shows often put their protagonists up on a pedestal, but the eponymous Shield Hero is practically dropped into adversity from the get-go.

  Naofumi Iwatani is one of four different high schoolers plucked from their dimensions into a fantasy world in peril. As each of them is armed with different weapons to combat the impending threat, Naofumi draws the short stick by becoming the Shield Hero, who is traditionally marginalized and maligned by their peers. To make matters worse, he is accused of debauchery amongst royalty and shunned by the entire kingdom he was summoned to protect. Broken and disillusioned by this strange new world, the Shield Hero must now climb his way to redemption alongside other unfortunate souls neglected by society.

  A Cinderella story in every sense of the word, The Rising of the Shield Hero draws its appeal from its protagonist having to overcome the odds and fight back against the forces that oppose him. While it can be hard to sit through when it comes to raw emotion and some questionable content, this anime has plenty of inspiring moments as marginalized folks work their hardest to become heroes of their own repute.  

  Attack on Titan

    Chances are you’ve at least heard of the anime sensation that is Attack on Titan, and with the show approaching its end, there’s no better time to see what all the hype is about.

  Humanity has spent thousands of years walled off from the outside world in order to keep Titans away lest they feast on humans. Eren Jaegar has long wondered what the world beyond the walls was like, but he gets a rude awakening when Titans break down the walls and begin a violent invasion. Vowing revenge on them, Eren joins the Survey Corps and swears to do everything he can to eliminate every Titan in existence.

  This popular anime is known for its unparalleled animation and mysterious story that takes several unexpected turns. As long as you can stomach the violence and sit through some terrifying visuals, there’s something for everyone in Attack on Titan from heart-warming relationships to intrigue and high-stakes drama. As the show comes to a close with its final season, there’s no better time than now to jump onto the giant-slaying phenomenon.  

  Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-

    Nothing messes around with the rules of the fantasy world genre quite like Re:ZERO: Starting Life in Another World. 

  In typical fantasy world fashion, gamer shut-in Subaru Natsuki is summoned into a medieval fantasy world rife with magic and monsters at every turn. For all intents and purposes, he now lives in a game world, especially whenever he dies and comes back to life sometime before his death like a checkpoint revival. With his newfound power, Subaru attempts to survive in this strange new world and help out his growing band of companions, especially when it comes to Emilia, a young elf who’s in the running to become queen of the Kingdom of Lugunica.

  Re:ZERO is rife with powerful drama as Subaru uses grim knowledge of his past lives in order to do good. This darkly compelling fantasy has been praised for its complex world and nuanced characters, and has even accrued many Newtype anime awards in 2016, including best director and best protagonists. If you like the idea of traversing murky corners and tough moral choices, then Re:ZERO might just be your next big obsession.

  Which of these shows do you think you'll check out? Comment below and tell us!

      Carlos (aka Callie) is a freelance features writer for Crunchyroll. Their favorite genres range from magical girls to over-the-top robot action, yet their favorite characters are always the obscure ones. Check out some of their pop culture editorials on Popdust as well as their satirical work on The Hard Times.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Carlos Cadorniga

[elmidol]

And How We Love the Dead (NSFW)

Three Blind Tooke Part One Resistance is Futile

Read on AO3

Warnings: dubcon, angst, mentions of death, stockholm syndrome, oral, sex

Three Blind Tooke Part One: Resistance is Futile Chapter Twenty-One: And How We Love the Dead

If you forget what you’re fighting for, Remember me, dear daughter. When you’ve finally won your war, Then come home to your father

You were, tragically, in love with a man whom you had never met; in love with a dead man. In truth, you had become infatuated with the idea of a person, one who was built around your own morals and your idolization of General Organa. That you had placed the psyche of this false love into the shell of Kylo Ren, your enemy, had you suddenly at a loss for words. You stared at the two tattoos on your fingers. In that moment, Kylo Ren would be interrogating Poe Dameron, would be attempting to break the man. It was not as though you had ever known Ben Solo. You reminded yourself of this as you slipped down to your knees.

Cupping your finger with your other hand, you felt your eyes narrowing while your gaze ran over that tattooed name again. Ben Solo. A ragged breath choked you, leaving you in a short coughing fit.

Should I break it for you, tooke? Remove it completely?

It was only after he had left the room that you had realized why he had marked you with his former name at all. It was not only due to the emotional response it aroused from you. It had struck you that he had likely recalled your words, of how the past shaped who you became. Snarling, you twisted your hand to instead peer down at the tattoo of Kylo Ren. This was the being who was tangible. No mere idea, no fantasy. The broken man, Kylo Ren.

How many will he break in return? you wondered, squeezing closed your eyes and once more praying that Poe Dameron would have the strength to resist the Force user. Having been on the receiving end of his probing, however, you could not fault Dameron if he did break. And if he does break… Is the map already safe? Although how he possibly could have ensured that, I…

“He doesn’t even exist, and you let me hold onto that fantasy… Why?”

His footsteps echoed through the room, louder when you fell silent. You dared not look in his direction. By his walk alone, by his calmness, you knew he had broken your ally. Your stomach churned, the acid building up inside of it, and a curse made itself known in the back of your head. A swear that you repeated mentally more than single time. It did not, however, reach your lips. Those were much too preoccupied with repeating the inquiry, that strained out why? that grew more desperate in tone upon its third utterance.

“When you were a little girl,” he began, his foot falls pausing as he halted in the center of the room, “you imagined there was a planet that consisted solely of children. Foolish ideas…your parents never discouraged such fantasies.”

“So,” you bit out, feeling a level of bitterness once more rising within you, “to you I’m a child.”

“In your ideals—yes. Cracking. Breaking. Shattering. They are similar, and yet—I have no need of an irreparable shell. The Resistance has offered up countless such creations already.”

“I don’t think you were so thorough with Dameron.”

“The pilot? He broke, tooke. He was perhaps a more formidable foe than others, and yet how weak in the end. A droid—troops are being sent even now to retrieve it. In time, your general’s dreams of employing Skywalker’s help will be nothing more than that. Childish fantasies.”

“So…You’re a nightmare then?” There was a single second of silence, and then a deep chuckle reverberated in the room. “You’re Kylo Ren… There is no Ben Solo. That’s…it’s all in the past, I get that. Some nightmare.”

“I thought of you, tooke…” Those loud foot stomps again, drawing closer to you. You at last lifted your gaze so that you could peer at that cold mask. His strides were sure, so confident, and your resolve had already been wavering. Your mouth opened a fraction of an inch, your eyes searching along his visor. “While inside his head, I thought…of you. You—how many walls you have thrown up to keep me away. How much information about your childhood you gave in order to protect the secrets of the Resistance.

“To you, that is only in the past. That little girl—you are no longer so foolish, so small, so weak. You wanted me to be Ben Solo, tooke, because you wanted me to be weak. To be able to defeat me.”

“I…” Your voice caught in your throat as you realized just how true his words rang. Wrapping your arms around yourself, cupping your upper arms with your hands, you shuddered and gagged.

“You feel quite like a damsel in distress, yet still you want to save yourself. You are aware of your own strengths—are not ignorant of mine. You idolize that general of yours, and for what purpose? Such pretty words she speaks, yet have you paid attention to the actions of the Resistance? Undermining the New Republic—are they not mere hypocrites? Building an arsenal of their own…” A scoff, which was emphasized by the mask he wore. It gave his distaste a greater depth that you could hardly ignore. “Your mother had spoken ill of the Resistance…and, even under my control, you had reacted poorly.”

“What?” The word nearly caught in your throat, the vowel emphasized drastically.

“Speaking against her political views… Supporting both the Centrists and the Resistance while denouncing the Populists. How frustrated she became.” Though he said no more, you well knew that he had not given you the full story, had avoided spilling any of the gory details. Kylo Ren stretched an arm before him, his fingers splayed. You tilted your head back the slightest bit, staring at his palm. Even from this distance, you could feel his touch on your flesh. The leather sticking to you, pressing you down—yet there was no force behind it, nor any Force. Merely a visual; that familiar limb in your line of view.

Another step towards you, his pace even, his hip dipping as he swung forth his other leg. Though you could not tear your eyes from the palm of his hand, you could see his every move all the same. “You’re crying, tooke,” he said so simply.

“Once upon a time…you were Ben Solo…and something broke…and now you’re Kylo Ren… But I don’t know who I am. I broke…I’ve been broken so many times, and I don’t know… I want to cling onto the idea of Ben Solo. I want to pretend that I can go back to who I used to be. Can I? Can I continue pretending?” His hand met your flesh, directly over your heart. “It doesn’t work like that, does it?” No response. He stood there before you, touching you and holding his head at an angle while considering you. “We have to leave the past behind us. You’re Kylo Ren…and I’m… Who am I?”

You placed your hands on his forearm, shifting onto your knees and trailing your limbs up towards his shoulder. His hand on your chest kept you from fully reaching your destination. You winced at being blocked in this manner. “I’ve raped you, tooke—and now you want me. I defeated you in so many ways…and now you crave my attention. Are you truly so lost?”

“Isn’t it what you’ve been wanting?”

“You have not admitted defeat, tooke. You have not yet given up… This is—different.” He allowed you to press against his fingers, the man curving each of those digits so that you could at last reach his shoulder with both your hands. You pulled yourself up to a greater height on your knees, leaned your weight onto him, and stared from an angle at his masked face. He, in turn, was watching you.

“Maybe it’s that…you’ve done everything in your power to destroy me…but you’ve only broken me. I can mend… You can’t destroy me though. You did rape me, knowing it was the one thing that would hurt me the most aside from killing those I loved—and you had no access to them. I didn’t fear death…in a way, I still don’t. I have no idea who I am anymore, and yet… You went through that as well, didn’t you? Transitioning from Ben Solo to Kylo Ren. Discovering your own feelings, your own self… I thought I had done that by joining the Resistance.

“And then you came along. You’ve torn down a lot of my defenses, Kylo Ren. You took so much. But…you’re my enemy, and you shouldn’t have given me anything at all in return. Not a book. Not something to hold onto. This wasn’t intentional on your part either. Sentiment… You call empathy a useless sentiment, especially when it’s for an enemy of the First Order. In your eyes, though I am an enemy, I am more a tool now. Do you have empathy for me, Ren? Do you have compassion for me? Because you aren’t letting me destroy myself right now…and how many times have you claimed that you would?”

A static-filled noise escaped him, and you could not discern the nature of the sound. Was it frustration? Humor? You weren’t certain. Kylo Ren cupped your hands in either of his, his thumbs to your palms so that you were able to again see those markings, his names. “The past…and the present…” He placed your hands against one another, entwining your fingers together. “And together they have you begging for mercy.” You stared at the way your fingers were interlocked, at how indeed you were made to look as though you were praying, begging. His names visible to your eyes. “Begging me to…feel something…for you. You want to mean something to me, tooke.”

His hands were still upon yours, cupping yours together and not letting you go. You felt the leather against your naked flesh, and how cold did it seem. How harshly it seemed to bite into you, that smooth material. Kylo Ren lowered his face towards yours. You could see your reflection in his helmet, your breath fogging his mouthpiece when he ventured to draw that close. Puckering your lips, you kissed his mask as you had in the past. He chuckled.

“You came to gloat, didn’t you?” you whispered. “That you broke him when I was praying and begging you wouldn’t. This is all so ironic to you, so fucking humorous.”

“And here you are: fighting again. I missed you, little tooke.” Your heart hiccupped in your chest at these words, at the way he set his mask against the side of your neck and nuzzled you. “And he did fight—yet you should be proud. You have put up a better fight than him.”

“I was trained to resist you,” you uttered, sliding closed your eyes. “Everything was about you… That’s what amuses you, right?”

“Yes.”

Kylo Ren withdrew from you, his hands at last leaving your flesh. You felt cold, colder than when he had been touching you. Shivering, you heard your teeth clattering together and knew that he could hear this as well. The man did not comment, however; on the contrary, he seemed almost distracted. He turned on his heel, striding towards the door to the room, and left. Less than three seconds after the door closed behind him, you both felt and heard the explosion. A light rocking, which had you gripping at the bed sheets to steady yourself.

We’re under attack… Oh, gosh, if this… If the Resistance can destroy this ship…they’ll take out Kylo Ren and General Hux both.

The idea of such a victory over the First Order had you leaping to your feet. You rushed over to the wardrobe, pulling out some of Ren’s spare clothing; a shirt and a pair of boxers, both of which you quickly dressed in. You had not missed the fact that Ren had failed to seal the door upon exiting. He likely had sensed the attack seconds before it occurred. Perhaps he was headed towards the bridge—or did he have a ship he piloted to fend off attackers? You shook your head to erase such thoughts, focusing instead on slipping out of Kylo Ren’s quarters.

In the chaos of the Star Destroyer being under attack, the stormtroopers rushing through the hall paid you no heed. Having not even realized you had tensed up, you felt yourself relaxing. The muscles in your legs suddenly did not ache as you walked through the corridors. Where you were headed, you were not entirely certain. Your eyes scanned the hallways. Poe Dameron was a pilot. If he could be freed, then…

It…couldn’t be… What a stupid thought.

You shook your head again, continuing forward. How Poe Dameron would have managed to get free, you had no idea. It was nearly impossible. Nearly, though not quite. You cocked your head to the side, listening. It sounded only as though a minimal amount of ships were attacking. The alarms were not going off. Perhaps a single ship…one piloted by the Resistance member. A smile made its way to your face. If he was free—that was worth more than your freedom at this point.

I don’t even know how he could have… They likely had—have?—him restrained to one of those dreadful interrogation tables. How would he get free…

A blaster was pointed at your chest. You stopped walking, staring at the nozzle. “Prisoner number—“ You felt your eyes glazing over as the man spoke, the male stormtrooper informing you that you were to be returned to a cell. He did not drop his guard as he approached you. You bit down on the insides of your cheeks. It was set to stun, his blaster. The members of the First Order feared killing you, feared Kylo Ren’s reaction. You lifted your chin, staring at the man and daring him to pull the trigger. “Forward!”

“Shoot me.” The finger on the blaster’s trigger twitched, however the stormtrooper did not fire at you. Another blast, another rocking of the ship. He was knocked forward a step. As he tried to steady himself, you swerved and ducked low, thrusting yourself forward and knocking the blaster so that he could not shoot you. The ‘trooper released a noise of indignation and attempted to elbow you in the back of your head. Having dealt with a more powerful foe—having faced Kylo Ren—you easily dodged, worked the blaster out of the man’s hands, and stunned him with his own weapon.

You turned on your heel, stumbled forward two steps, and abruptly stopped. Your entire frame stiffened, your eyes widening. Rather than breathe heavily, your lungs instead decided to slow their progress. There was a low buzzing in the back of your head. You knit your brow and blinked repeatedly.

“Do you not even care that he’s dead?” your mother’s voice rang in your ears. Your mind hardly registered them, your focus on the tasks Kylo Ren had assigned to you. Denounce the Populists of the New Republic. Speak against the Resistance. A single death, no matter how important nor personal, would not and could not distract you. It was unable to return your mind to your own control.

The blaster slipped out from your fingers and clattered to the ground. You stared down at it dumbly, still blinking and now releasing a humming. Denial. Mm-mm. Over and over, in a particular rhythm—as though you were singing out your denial. You rejected the truth, the only meaning your mother’s words could have had.

No, you thought, that was not reality.

Raising a hand, you cupped your mouth and swallowed down the bile that rose. Your stomach churned, acid noisily swirling. It was not as though you had consumed much at all; a blessing in disguise. You likely would have vomited otherwise. With another shaky breath, this one deeper than the previous few you had managed, you forced yourself to walk towards the nearest window. All the explosions had died down. Yet the roar of multiple TIEs flying around the Star Destroyer had gripped your attention. A stormtrooper transport shuttle, which was heading down to Jakku.

Jakku was a merciless planet you had never set foot upon. If Poe did escape…can he survive this? The planet itself. But no one else could have caused such mayhem to the Star Destroyer like that. How did he escape? Force, thank you… For letting him escape…

You set the very tips of your fingers to the glass. Is he really dead? A black shadow behind you, reflected in the window. You allowed your eyes to focus on it, the ships blurring as Kylo Ren’s figure became clearer. He did not utter a single word to you. The stormtrooper you had stunned had not stirred; you wondered, passively, how long he would remain unconscious.

“It’s so unforgiving… He’ll survive it,” you said before you realized you were speaking at all. The man behind you merely took a step closer. “I wouldn’t have gotten very far…”

“You do have capabilities as a pilot then.” You pressed your lips into a thin line. Yet again you had spilled information to the First Order without meaning to. “We had suspected as much.”

“I am alive in case the Resistance attempts to train more… To confirm any suspicions you may have in regards to the Resistance—like with Poe Dameron. And your ability to use me to further the First Order’s political agenda… Is my father dead, Ren?” His silence was answer enough. “And my mother thought…she thinks…that I don’t even care. That’s what hurt her, isn’t it? Or at least one of the things that did.”

“You are foolish to believe the pilot will survive, tooke. Once more with that false hope. Once more holding onto the dead—onto people you have never even met.”

“Sometimes I pretend you’re human in more than your body alone. And then you open your mouth. That mask you wear is so fitting.”

“You miss it—hiding behind a mask as you fire upon defenseless officers of the First Order.”

“It’s so sick. Missing one of the ugly aspects of war. Missing the anonymity of it. At least then Iknew who I was…and now… You never answered. Who am I? It’s horrible… I didn’t react to my father’s death. And now I can’t stop crying.” It was true; tears had been running down your face since before the Force user had arrived. No sobs—you felt difficulty in breathing, yes, and yet you not released a single sob. “You think you’ve won. You don’t yet have the map. People will resist you—you won’t win. Even if you do finally manage to defeat me completely, that small victory will be nothing. You’ll lose.”

“‘The Resistance will not be intimidated,’” he uttered with a snicker. You flinched, turned around, and faced him in full. He was closer than you had realized, a mere foot and a half away was all. “Even the pilot said this line. Yet how badly you all tremble, you Resistance members, when you think of the successes of the First Order. I’ve broken you—repeatedly—and I broke through his defenses as well. The droid will be retrieved. It is foolish to continue deluding yourself that things will happen differently.”

“I hate you.”

“No. You simply miss your father. Your mind can hardly wrap around the truth—that he is dead. You’re still in denial. Poor, little tooke.” Your lip quivered. “You finally accepted that Ben Solo is dead, that he was but a stranger to you, an idea. And now—a true loss.” The first sob started to rise, prompting you to swallow thickly. You did not want to break down in front of him, did not—it tore painfully from you, and your legs swayed, giving out on you so that you collapsed to your knees on the ground. “You’re my fix, tooke—shattering you would be foolish. Do you need my body, hmm?”

“I…y…yes,” you sobbed out. Kylo Ren bent down long enough to scoop your arm into his grasp. He tugged you up to your feet, ignored the unconscious stormtrooper, and led you back to his quarters. Wrapped up in your misery, in your loss, you saw nothing wrong with any of these actions; perceived no faults in your obedience towards your enemy.

The moment the door closed, he began to strip. None of his actions were rushed. His helmet came off first, and thus you were able to see those brown orbs watching you. He observed every one of your movements. You brushed at the tears that were still flowing, rubbed your raw eyes, and felt your entire body spasming as you held back wails of sorrow.

This was a dangerous game—for him as much as for you. Being compassionate towards an enemy. Him allowing you to use him to come to terms with your sorrow. Your hands pushed the boxers down your hips, forcing the material to slide down your legs and pool at your feet. Kylo Ren set aside his cowl, next his shirt. You removed the final article of clothing from your body and stood naked, bare before your enemy yet again. He, unlike many times previous, fully disrobed. Just as bare. Just as vulnerable. As though, because you had accepted him—Kylo Ren—you had earned some semblance of respect from the man.

It was not sex; it was familiarity. Your body knew his, and so when he pressed it against yours, you instinctively clutched at him. You wound your arms around him, your fingertips pressed to his flesh, your face buried against his chest. Breathing deeply, you inhaled his scent. Familiar. Calming. You felt as though you were drowning, your mind spinning and in a fog. Dead.

Kylo Ren pressed you down to the bed, laying you out before him and sliding between your legs. “Ren,” you whispered, your voice growing hoarse from all the sobbing, from the tears that were choking you. His tongue on your jawline, and then trailing up along those dried tears. Over the bridge of your nose, back down again. He lapped at the salty residue prior to placing the first kiss upon your lips.

“You do not care that you failed to escape,” he said after the second kiss. “You built your life around me—even before you were captured.” You grit your teeth to keep them from chattering. Kylo Ren tilted his head to the side, watching you at a new angle. His breath was warm on your flesh. “Poor, little tooke.” He hooked his hands around you, tugging at you whilst thrusting up. You hissed at the intrusion, at the feeling of him stretching you open with his cock. “You need something familiar to hold onto.”

“It’s horrible!” you croaked.

“Yes.” This time, when he lowered his mouth onto yours, you kissed him back, your lips moving desperately against his.

There had been only so many holovids of Kylo Ren; the man generally did not leave survivors when it came to his battles with the Resistance. What few there were, however, you studied. Ip says he’s human, you would remind yourself as you watched the creature on the video twirl his lightsaber before executing a blow that cut through the life of one of your allies. You obsessively watched the videos, memorizing his every attack pattern. You listened to any tale of him that you could.

Always searching for a weakness in his defense. You devoted hours each day to him. Weeks. Months. More than a year.

And now you were in his bed, throwing your head back and gasping as he moved within you. His hands were on either side of your head, propping up his torso as he crushed his lower body into yours. You felt him brush up against your clit whilst at the same time his cock stroked you from the inside. You gasped then gulped.

You had left behind your parents to defeat this man. Instead you had been taken hostage. Instead your father had died in your absence—and your mother believed that you did not care at all.

“He’s the reason I was fighting!” you cried out, twisting. Kylo pulled back, waited for you to roll onto your stomach, and clutched once more at your hips. He tugged you against him, reentering you. You dangled your head and squeezed closed your eyes. This embrace was familiar to you. So cold. So warm.

Reaching behind yourself, you pushed at the man’s chest. Kylo Ren grunted, however he allowed you to push him away. You whipped around, finding that he had already rested back, propped up on his elbows. You placed your hands once more on his chest, pressing him down all the more as you climbed up his body. The man licked his lips. You straddled his face, fresh tears spilling while he wound his arms around your legs and tugged you down. His mouth enveloped you, and you threw your head back.

Your hands were in his hair, tugging. Kylo Ren moaned, hungrily sucking and lapping at you. You ground down against his face, rocking and riding his tongue as he fucked you with it. “R-Ren,” you whispered, choking on the word. “It’s…it’s not…it’s fucking…it’s not fucking fair!”

A force threw you off of him, slamming you onto your back upon the bed. You felt yourself pinned there. Kylo Ren climbed up your body so that he could align himself with you. When he entered you this time, he kept his gaze locked with yours. There was something—not quite sympathy, but something akin to it.

It was as though he knew the true source of your pain. Death. The ugliness of war.

It was tragic, that you had fallen in love with the idea that was Ben Solo. A dead man, a man you had never known.

You had once known death, though you did not remember the experience.

Perhaps, you thought while clutching desperately to Kylo Ren when he allowed you to freely move your limbs; perhaps you had felt peace in death, and just maybe that had to do with you being with your father once more.

“Ren,” you whispered again. His response was to kiss you, his mouth possessively working against yours, his tongue dominating yours. You moaned, both in pain and pleasure; you did not know which one, ultimately, won out.

[In my deepest agony, The one to hold me— My enemy?]

[ayankun]

yalright let’s do this

AGENTS OF SHIELD SEASON ONE REWATCH COMPLETE BREAKDOWN MEGAPOST

hella spoilers for the entire canon up through season 5, but not 6 because I only saw it the once and am having a hard time remembering ANYthing about it.

I cannot determine specifically what it was about this season that caused to be branded “literal garbage” in my mind-hole for seven years.

Best guesses:

there’s some cheesy stuff that probably didn’t sit well with me at the time, and, at the time, there was no way of knowing that that kind of stuff was going to be ultimately eradicated

there’s some good stuff, like character stuff and plot stuff, but it didn’t successfully implant positive emotional responses in my brain-hole, leading me to be frustrated/offended at its own self-importance

there’s some stuff that just Doesn’t Work.  I won’t call anybody out, but there are some main side characters whose casting, in my opinion, leaves much to be desired.  when it comes to acting ability, I feel that it’s important to have the ranges of your entire cast match each other.  if you’re gonna hire B-listers, at least make sure they’re ALL B-listers.  if you’re gonna splurge and get some S-tier talent, pleeeeease don’t embarrass the B-listers by thinking you’re doing them a favor by including them on your project.  Understood, this opinion is highly subjective and I can’t expect everyone in front or behind the screen to buy into it, but it’s definitely a pet peeve of mine that causes strong reactions in me*

some of the plots are tired and/or straight up boring.  I got through them easily this time through because I was able to focus on the things I like, which is largely character interactions and re-learning the backstory for stuff that I know will continue to be important later on.  imagine listening to your grandpa’s stories about his life, but instead of telling you the cool stories about going to the moon or whatever, he’s telling you in great detail about the time he got his shoelaces stuck on like, a rusty nail sticking out of a fence.  It’s not a great story but it does explain why his mom only bought him velcro shoes after that and one time when they were trying on shoes in the store a couple of years later, some other kid started making fun of him for having velcro shoes and long story short your grandpa’s relationship with that kid is what got him interested in astrophysics and also he married that kid twenty-five years later -- but right now the story is specifically about spending forty minutes trying not to get tetanus.

Now that I’m older and wiser, what really surprised me throughout, though, was that not only was I not having any type of reaction that validated my “literal garbage” classification, I was noticing that there was A Lot of stuff that ticked a lot of boxes.

I’m talking technical stuff, the textbook basic filmmaking stuff, the stuff that I subjectively find objectively “Good” because it means that creative decisions were made with intent and were also executed proficiently enough to make that intent clear.

I’m talking SYMMETRICAL NARRATIVE which has to be one of my all-time favorite techniques, one that I personally use a lot, and I’m very biased in responding favorably when I see it, so I think ultimately this is a huge reason why this season cannot be classified as garbage this time around.  Because it shows that they cared!  It shows that they had A Plan!  It’s an emotionally satisfying technique that can be used to great effect when tipping the audience off to how far we’ve come from where we started.  It creates this nice tidy structural loop which I find very appealing.

Just real quick, you see this in individual episodes or even scenes, too.  Here’s a classic A+ example from episode 2:

Simmons has given Skye a bottle of water as a gag because that’s what happens on planes, and that bit is a set up to this bit, where Coulson is talking about how he rebuilt the Bus from the “studs up” and it demands to be treated with kid gloves; ergo:

Only to have the thing completely wrecked over the course of the episode.  In the denouement, “just starting to warm up to this place,” Coulson says ruefully, righting a broken glass as if that will put the plane back together; Skye immediately tosses a coaster down and moves the glass on top of it.

As a callback, it juxtaposes the starting-state and ending-state in your mind and highlights the contrast between the two.  And it’s also a nice character-building beat where you, the audience, get to observe Skye’s character in that she remembers a trivial detail that happened to be important to Coulson.  You also get to see Coulson observing the same, and you understand a little bit more about both of them.  *chef’s kiss*

So this is a pretty powerful and common technique, and I guess you could say that any well-resolved narrative is by definition going to recall you to the specifics of how it started.  Like ep 1 we start with Mike and Ace, their call and response “what are we/we’re a team,” and an understanding of Mike’s desire to be his kid’s guardian and hero and his desperate search for the tools that will allow him to become that.  In the finale, we see the pay off where Ace (via Skye) reminds Mike of this motivation, and Mike is finally in the position to protect his kid by taking out the Big Bad.

But I don’t want to go through the list to demonstrate that everyone’s character arcs likewise left them in a thematically resolved position relative to where they started.  Obviously this is an expectation of all (well structured) narratives. 

(And I don’t really mean to talk about callbacks themselves, such as Fitz’s obsession with monkeys or May’s repeated demand of “don’t call me that.”)

Stuff that only comes up at the beginning and the end.  Here’s the kind of symmetry that I mean:

Skye’s use of GPS encryption and the location of the diner where she first meets Mike.  Both topics come up in ep 1, and are revisited in ep 20 when she’s stalling for time against Ward and brings him to the diner by telling him that it’s the GPS coordinates necessary for decrypting the drive.  It says, last time you were here, Skye, you were living out of a van and fangirling over people with superpowers; now you’re an official agent of SHIELD (fun while it lasted, anyway) and you’re currently doublecrossing your own doublecrosser who was directly responsible for transforming you into the competent spy you are today.

Same thing: the only time we see Lola fly is at the end of ep 1, when Coulson and Skye are heading back to the Bus, and in ep 20 when Coulson rescues Skye from off the Bus.

Ep 2: 0-8-4.  We’re introduced to the very first object with the titular designation, and Simmons idly wonders “imagine what it would do to a person.”  Ep 22, it’s used to evaporate Garrett.  Same ep, we also meet the little, what even is it, that dendrotoxin EMP (??? I don’t recall whether the gadget is named) that Ward uses, and Coulson uses it in ep 17 to incapacitate Garrett.

Similarly, all the cool alien gadgets we spent the first few episodes gathering and locking up, including that first 0-8-4, are all broken out into the wrong hands in ep 18.

Also in ep 2 we are introduced to the idea of being thrown out of the airplane and Skye & co specifically prevent Ward from being sucked out.  We’re introduced to the concept of Coulson’s cellist!  Fury also makes a cameo (”talkin to me about authority”) ! 

It’s a little later on, but ep 6 has Simmons jumping out the plane, and Ward proving his Good Teammate status by jumping out after her (while Fitz is struggling on his way to do the same).  Ep 21, Ward boots FitzSimmons out the plane, and in ep 22 Fitz finally has the chance to properly save Simmons himself.

Ep 19 Coulson has a chance to save his cellist (again)

Ep 22, Fury comes back all Deus ex Machina and relinquishes authority of SHIELD directly to Coulson.

There’s also some dialogue recycled on purpose to make a point, like Fitz-Simmons introductory scene is recreated almost verbatim in ep 21:

Ep 2, talking to Skye about his mission vs ep 18 talking to Raina about his mission

(gotta admit, the man took this role seriously.  check out that cheekbone game he achieved in such a short time)

And again, Ep 1 Ward vs Ep 18 Ward.  They even framed it the same!!

All this to say, Season 1 is Structurally Sound and it has my blessing.

Now let’s move on to the list of things I liked that surprised me:

It’s pretty well polished, visually.  Joss Whedon’s veteran control of the director’s chair is readily apparent in the pilot, setting the visual tone for the series.  There are some made-for-tv shots over the course of the season, sure, and the least impressive compositions tend to involve CGI backdrops, but they do make the most of their interior sets and work hard to dress up various LA locations to, er, inspire the idea of the international scope of the show.  In my last update, I talked about ep 8 The Well in the context of Quality Directing, so it definitely goes above and beyond the basic shot-reverse shot when it wants to.

Ward.  Just for the record, I think Brett Dalton is great at his job and really brought exactly what they wanted to this character.  Eps 1 and 2 are a little shaky and stiff, but everyone’s performances are, as they let these characters coalesce around them.  I remember not liking Ward when I was watching this live, and honestly I think this was intentional.  He’s that character that you expect that you’re expected to like, you know, the traditional cocky savior type that lots of those fancy heroes are.  But because he’s so tropey in his characterization, you’re just ... over it?  And then when they flip the script and you’re supposed to hate him -- WOW.  It’s like two Christmases at once.  They took something you were already doing and rewarded you for it.

I’m not unaware of the “redeem grant ward” phenomenon.  I’m aware that the character had fans who were honestly drawn to and appreciative of the character before that persona was revealed to be a lie.

And honestly, it’s not that I like OR dislike Ward at all.  As a person.  It’s annoying that he’s a cocky bad-boy.  But it’s sweet when he plays nice with Simmons.  It’s embarrassing that he and May have “a thing.”  But it’s cathartic when he opens up to Skye about his past.  And Then, the sequence where we know he’s Hydra but Skye doesn’t.  And Then, the sequence where Skye knows he’s Hydra but he doesn’t.  And Then, his weird yucky confusion where he still wants to pursue something with Skye or doesn’t want to put down puppy-dog-eyed Fitz.

As a character, Ward is a great character.  His set up is so bland that the twist does appear to come out of nowhere, but on a rewatch all the groundwork is there.  His characterization as a baddie is enthralling.  I’m forecasting into season 2 a bit, but you want to follow his nefarious exploits just as much as you want to see his ex-friends smash his face in.  Brett Dalton played it right, A+ good job.  It makes Framework!Ward just that much more of a beautiful thing, to get to see what it would have been like if the Season 1 persona had actually been the man.

Also as covered in the last update, I was really very pleased to see how much character work was being done in this season.  Because I only watch and rewatch starting from the second season, there are important plot points that I’d been grudgingly attributing to this season about which I’d forgotten the specifics, such as, what’s the deal with Gravitonium, howcome we hate Ward so much, where did they get that memory-torture-machine, why are you acting like I recognize Titus Welliver’s character?  What surprised me was how much of a focus there is on character development as well.  A lot of good origin story stuff, like how green FitzSimmons is and how soft and good-hearted Skye is and all the reasons we respect and trust May and all the reasons we would follow Coulson to the ends of the earth.  Watching a found family start to put down roots is worth it, too, ten times out of ten.

The tie-in stuff wasn’t as overstated and stifling as I remembered it being.  They were allowed quite a long leash even this far back.  Centipede is based on Extremis, but helms a a unique narrative.  The Asgardians-of-the-week are just MacGuffins for driving character stories.  Turns out all of SHIELD has been Hydra all along!  Sucks to be you, a show about the Agents of SHIELD ... oh wait, Daddy MCU’s insane twist is mirrored in the DNA of your team’s composition AND baked into your overall season arc?  Well then.  Carry on!

Engaging with Season 1 explicitly as a prequel is a powerful thing.  First time through, I had the distinct realization that “too much of a good thing” was at play regarding Coulson.  He’s everybody’s favorite MCU character in 2013, hands down, but ... getting intimate with him for 40 minutes a week really waters down his mysterious G-man appeal.  BUT.  After spending six+ years with the man, Season 1!Coulson is a precursor to the 3-dimensional Director you’ll fall in love with, rather than a distortion of the one-liner MCU!Coulson you thought you wanted.

So what’s next!  Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and here all all the things I associate with AoS that were not present in Season 1:

Robot hand.

DaISy JoHnsOn

AGENT/DIRECTOR MACK where is he I need him

Fitz’s facial hair

Their underground SSR base with the exposed brick, I miss that place all the time

Hive, Bobbi*, Hunter, Kyle MacLachlan, Maveth (everything** about Seasons 2 and 3, really).  Robbie Reyes.  Aida and Kasius!!  I know these things are temporary, but they’re so important to the best bits and I love them.

Getting to see episode after episode where there are scenes at a time containing a majority (up to 100%) of women and/or POC characters with executive agency, and none of those characters are token or temporary but were placed there with intent to normalize a diversified cast.

My absolute favorite episode of all time, 4x15 Self Control.

Things I am not looking forward to:

**Lincoln.  I’ve seen these seasons four times and just now I had to google his name because I wasn’t sure it wasn’t Logan.  He’s garbage and I’m glad he’s dead.  Other opinions are available.

Misc. Thoughts

*I said I wouldn’t name names but Adrianne Palicki is a C-lister who can swing a B+ if the stars align. I love Bobbi, though, especially the way the character’s reputation precedes her, how her adorableness complements her badassness.  In fact, the character’s a great foil to May, who is also a badass lady and S-tier agent but has a completely different approach to being those things.  Bobbi’s a reminder that badassness and aloofness are not correlated at all.  Also there’s a headcanon out there that she’s non-binary (one of the reasons she prefers Bobbi over Barbara) and that is a concept I can get behind.  Bobbi’s perfect and I’ll fight you if you don’t agree.

Poor Trip!!!!!!!  When you always start from Season 2, he’s really just a flash in the pan, there and gone.  I’ve always been like, “well, he didn’t really have a home here, no carved-out niche, so I guess getting Coulson’d and becoming something to avenge is the best a character like him is gonna get.”  But now that I see that he comes late to the game as a literal stand in for Ward, his story is that much sadder.  He was never intended to BE a character.  He’s introduced with Garrett as a pawn/distraction during this arc’s who-is-Hydra shell game, he’s kept to demonstrate what kind of friend and agent Ward should have been, his defining character trait as a gentle flirt only serves as a catalyst for Fitz’s coming to terms with his feelings for Simmons.  The poor guy is just a walking plot point, up until the bitter end.  :<

I had entirely forgotten and/or never tracked the fact that Fury put together Coulson’s team specifically to monitor him after project T.A.H.I.T.I.  I’d forgotten the distrust Coulson has for May after he perceives that she has betrayed him by being a part of this.  It’s a season-specific reveal that is literally never mentioned again.  It’s important to the fabric of the narrative of that particular arc, offering up May alongside Ward and Trip as fodder for the aforementioned shell game, but the true inciting incident of this entire show just gets swept under the rug and ceases to matter.  I’m kind of :/ about that.

When you’re bi and non-binary, you’ll get a lot of mileage out of wanting to be/be with Daisy and/or Fitz, don’t judge me

In conclusion, Season 1 is the opposite of literal garbage, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is my favorite show and my favorite MCU movie, Daisy Johnson is my favorite Marvel superhero (not related to Season 1 but still true), and nobody had better spoil Season 7 for me pleaAAASE don’t let it happen.

[douxreviews]

Charmed - ‘Memento Mori’ Review

“The Charmed Ones are needed now.”

A tremendous sense of foreboding and an understanding of the compelling side of this supernatural world helped to elevate ‘Memento Mori’, an hour that was laden with overwhelming exposition and some questionable motivations.

At the close of ‘Switches and Stones,’ Macy’s demonic vision allowed her to catch a glimpse of Charity at Vera manor, standing at the window where Marisol fell to her death. My initial suspicion was that there may have been more to this than meets the eye, but this episode didn’t give me much reason to suspect anyone else other than this Elder who apparently abided far too strictly by the rules of the magical world.

I’m a little flummoxed that Charity’s reason for killing Marisol, someone she cared deeply about, was to stop her from bringing a potentially dangerous witch into the world – in the form of the darkness-tinged Macy. But this episode would have you believe that this is all it took for her to turn on one of her closest friends. It’s a rather extreme choice to make, even considering what was at stake. Maybe there’s still more to learn, but a lot of the flashbacks here felt rather concrete, as did Charity’s mind-set. She did give us a few vague references to things the sisters didn’t fully understand. Maybe when we get the full picture later on Charity’s actions will make more sense.

After Charity was stopped by the sisters and Harry, she was banished to Tartarus, but before she arrived she was saved by a jailbreaking Alastair. Was there some familiarity between them that hints at a pre-existing relationship? It may simply be down to their elevator run in early on in the season, but maybe Alastair has worked his magic on Charity more than once. It’s definitely something to think about.

I did enjoy the general direction of this episode, in spite of my above reservations on the Charity front. There were some fantastic visuals throughout, notably one shot of Macy finding that trunk where Elder Priyanka’s body was stashed after Charity killed her. It really reminded me of that OG Charmed moment when Phoebe walked into the Halliwell attic for the first time. I wonder if it was intentional.

I also loved Macy this week. Though it was a tad cliché to watch Charity manipulate those around her into believing Macy may be the evil one, Madeline Mantock actually sold the hell out of it. There was just the right blend of panic and genuine darkness to her performance that would certainly give her family pause when considering all the facts. Thankfully the hour didn’t dwell too long on these suspicious, and it wasn’t long before Mel and Maggie figured it all out.

With Charity outed, we finally got that massive reunion moment between the Callahan sisters. I’ve mentioned before how much I adore Leah Pipes and though she was not a big feature during this episode, she was a total scene stealer when she finally did appear. With Charity still out there somewhere, there’s potential for the series to fully explore the dynamic between these two witches, notably Fiona’s defiance of Charity’s belief that she was always the good, rule abiding sibling. Fiona hinted at her own potential to go further in light of her sister’s downfall, so she may not be all that innocent either. I’m excited to see how what she grows into either way, and I’m even more excited to see how Charity falls into this new power dynamic.

Potions and Notions

The Vera sisters had a wonderful Power of Three moment, with Macy’s vision revealing Marisol’s bravery in unbinding their powers, and using her final moments to finish the spell. They have much more purpose now in knowing that their mother died for them to finally be together.

I didn’t realise how much I liked Marisol until she reappeared this week. The show hasn’t fully explored the Vera family history so I hope there are plans to dive into it next season, and to keep Marisol a major part of that exploration.

Fiona seems to have similar transportation powers to her sister.

Parker was spiked by his father via Lucy. I'm not into the whole Parker thing, but I'm kind of loving the stupidity of Lucy being the go-between for Alastair's plans.

Spells and Chants

Marisol: “The Charmed Ones are needed now.” Charity: “But a Charmed One compromised by blood magic, Marisol. Nothing could be more dangerous.”

Marisol: “Macy is good. She's kind. She's brilliant, and I believe in her.”

Fiona: “I'm the one destined for greatness, sis. You'll always have our memories. Scorpions will make sure of that.”

A lot of this season has felt overwhelmingly silly at times, with the writers opting to forgo the captivating magical elements in favour of cheap gags, but recent episodes have turned that approach on its head. ‘Memento Mori’ was a tad frustrating at times, but it certainly sucked me in thanks to its dark but self-aware approach, and it set the stage for some enticing power plays further down the line.

7 out of 10 magical tracking devices.

Panda

[aion-rsa]

Superman & Lois Easter Eggs are a Love Letter to Every Era of DC History

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains Superman & Lois spoilers.

Superman & Lois Episode 11

If you just tuned in to Superman & Lois episode 11, “A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events” a few minutes in, and perhaps without having seen the previous episodes, you might be forgiven for thinking that this is in fact the pilot episode for a brand new show about the Man of Steel. While every other Arrowverse superhero began life with a fairly detailed origin story episode (or season!), by the time we first met Tyler Hoechlin as Superman and Bitsie Tulloch as Lois Lane, both characters were meant to be well established in their world and careers. The actual first episode of Superman & Lois reminded us that these two were so “seasoned” that they’re already the parents of twin teenagers!

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So there are still plenty of questions to be asked about the backstories of our title characters, and “A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events” is a big step towards that. But it’s so much more than a “how did Lois and Clark meet/Clark’s first time in costume/Superman getting established in Metropolis” episode. It’s a genuine love letter to both of these characters, and one that successfully encompasses the entirety of their 83 year history.

Oh, and it manages to do all of that while ALSO still moving the main story of the season forward nicely. It’s an incredibly versatile episode, and a fine piece of storytelling in its own right, making the well-worn beats of the Superman origin story feel fresh and vital, without losing sight of everything else the season needs to do.

Young Clark Kent and the Fortress of Solitude

The opening of this episode, with young Clark trudging through the arctic, carrying the sunstone and trying to figure out both his and its purpose, is the first of many nods to Richard Donner’s 1978 superhero movie masterpiece, Superman. Clark is even wearing a similar red check flannel jacket to the one Jeff East wore in a similar scene.

Jor-El

The concept of Jor-El as an AI that runs the Fortress of Solitude (as well as the Fortress itself stemming from a Kryptonian artifact) also traces its roots back to Donner’s Superman film. That was the first time we got the notion that Clark had to learn about his powers and alien heritage from the collected memories of his biological father and his people, and it’s updated nicely here.

Man of Steel

Clark’s first flight in the arctic, with Jor-El’s words ringing in his ears, well…again, Donner’s Superman. But specifically the way it’s presented here with Clark’s powerful takeoff and unsteady first moments it feels a lot like a similar moment in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel.

The Fleischer Superman Costume

While we did hear Superman say “my mom made it for me” in the first episode, here we get to see more of why that actually happened. Clark’s current suit definitely feels like something slightly alien, perhaps the Kryptonian ceremonial wear it was hinted as being in Donner’s Superman (the first place to use the “S” as a Kryptonian house crest), Man of Steel, and recent DC Comics. But for the majority of Superman’s comic book history, it has always been the case that Martha made Clark’s suit for him.

Superman & Lois splits the difference, though, with Martha having made Clark’s first costume…one that happens to look exactly like the first screen interpretation of Superman ever: the classic Max Fleischer animated Superman shorts which first arrived in 1941. If you haven’t seen these, please do so. They’re gorgeous. Spending more time with that suit in this episode is a real treat, and it’s a perfect illustration of why “less is more” with superhero costuming.

It even kind of explains why the “S” on the original suit wouldn’t be the perfect Kryptonian symbol that Clark and Supergirl wear in the present day: Clark probably helped her design it from memory, since the first time he would have seen his family crest was when the Jor-El hologram appeared to him in the Fortress!

Also, this may or may not have been intentional, but Martha telling Clark “go save the world” before his first adventure also happens in J.J. Abrams never-filmed Superman screenplay, which despite it’s reputation, when it gets stuff right, it really gets it right. I wrote about that in much more detail here.

First Day on the Job

The episode cheats ever so slightly by reusing footage from the pilot with Superman catching the green PT cruiser and chatting with the citizens of Metropolis. But it’s worth repeating that this is a gloriously realized homage to the cover of Superman’s first appearance in 1938’s Action Comics #1. But everyone knows that, right?

But here we go one further, with the revelation that this wasn’t a random flashback, it was truly Clark’s first act in costume as Superman! Again, a nice little tribute to Action #1.

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane…

Superman changes back into Clark in a phone booth. I’m not sure at what point in Superman history that the “changing in a phone booth” became such an accepted bit of pop culture lore. It did happen in at least one of the aforementioned Fleischer Superman cartoons, and infrequently in the comics themselves, and almost NEVER in live action. In fact, Donner’s Superman even had a quick sight gag about this, when Christopher Reeve’s Clark is looking for a place to change for his first public act in costume, and gives one of those “modern” (for 1978) non-enclosed phone booths a bemused look.

A passerby notes to Clark that Metropolis’ new hero flew “like a bird or a plane.” This of course nods to the famed narration first popularized by The Adventures of Superman radio show (more on that in a minute) and the Fleischer cartoons: “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…Superman!”

The Daily Planet

We don’t spend a heckuva lot of time at The Daily Planet on this show, but when we do it tries to capture the manic, bustling energy that we saw in Donner’s Superman (wow, that keeps coming up a lot…and with good reason).

Also, how good is Paul Jarrett as Perry White?

Lois Lane

Lois showing Clark the ropes at The Daily Planet is something that goes all the way back to their earliest appearances. I will die on this hill: Lois is slightly older than Clark, and is also the more experienced and better reporter. Even with “all those powers” (the real ones know) she’s at least one step ahead of Clark in the reporter game.

This one might not be intentional, but the montage of Lois and Clark on the job together reminds me very slightly of a montage page from John Byrne and Dick Giordano’s Man of Steel #2, where Lois, trying to track down Superman during his early days in Metropolis, keeps showing up just after he has left.

Lois and Clark staying late on the job has echoes of both the pilot episode of 1993’s Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and the “rooftop scene” from Donner’s Superman. It is the former in that it’s the first indication of a romantic attraction brewing between them (and significant because up until that point in history it was ALWAYS the case that Lois was attracted to Superman and not Clark). But there’s also a hint of the latter in their playful but wary flirtation.

But that’s subverted further with Lois’ exclusive interview with Superman. Just as in Donner’s film, Lois lands the first exclusive interview with the Man of Steel (there it was in private for later print publication, here it’s on TV). But again, Lois isn’t interested in Superman, because she’s already in love with Clark. It completely eliminates the old “love triangle” where “Clark loves Lois, but Lois loves Superman, but Superman wants to be loved as Clark” which has been a staple of the legend for years. This isn’t a bad thing, mind you.

One more thing from that lovely evening scene with Lois and Clark working late: when Clark is getting ready to leave, Lois asks him “what’s your hurry?” In Superman II, when Lois was suspecting the truth about Clark, she asked him “What’s your hurry, Superman?”

Atom Man

OK, the inclusion of Atom Man is some next level stuff. The character first appeared in 1945 on The Adventures of Superman radio show. There, he was “Heinrich Milch” (hence the “Henry Miller” of this episode), a Nazi empowered by Kryptonite in his bloodstream.

We met a different Atom Man in the second Superman movie serial in 1950, the appropriately titled Atom Man vs. Superman. There, Atom Man was the alter ego of Lex Luthor. One of these days I’m going to get around to writing about Columbia’s Superman serials, but today is not one of those days.

The Atom Man we meet here is based on the visual design from Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru’s EXCELLENT (seriously, I can’t stress enough how absolutely great this book is) Superman Smashes the Klan. That Atom Man was based on the “Henry Miller” version of the character, and thus the racist nonsense spouted by tonight’s villain is appropriate.

One other cool thing about the use of Yang/Gurihiru’s Atom Man? In Superman Smashes the Klan, Supes is rocking a version of his costume that looks very much like the Fleischer suit. The folks on Superman & Lois know exactly what they’re doing. One callback to the movie serial version? It seems that Henry Miller is bald and stocky, much like the very first screen Lex Luthor Lyle Talbot was in Atom Man vs. Superman. It’s like an Easter egg singularity!

Now FLY (do not walk) to your local comic shop to buy a copy of Superman Smashes the Klan which, in what will probably be my final mention of The Adventures of Superman radio show for tonight, is loosely based on a DIFFERENT adventure from the radio show. Anyway, it’s great and the best Superman story to hit comics in approximately a decade or so. Thank me later.

Morgan Edge, Tal-Rho, and Zeta-Rho

This episode continues and reinforces the “nature vs. nurture” debate around Morgan Edge that began last week. Here, the mirroring of his journey with Clark’s is made even more pronounced. Clark was given good guidance by Jonathan and Martha, and those lessons were only reinforced by Jor-El, while Tal-Rho just had those impulses amplified by Zeta-Rho in his desert fortress. Jor-El sent his only son to escape a dying planet in the hopes that he could help another one. Zeta-Rho sent his only son to revive a dying planet at the expense of a vibrant one.

The “headband” that Tal-Rho is using to insert himself into Superman’s memories (and Supes has a matching one) feels like a subtle nod to the fact that headbands were the height of Kryptonian fashion in the comics from the late 1940s until John Byrne’s reboot in 1986.

The apparently successful “turning” of Superman at the end of the episode had better be a red herring. This show has faked us out so many times in its final moments, I really can’t imagine they’re gonna do something as obvious as giving us an “evil Superman” for even one episode.

Other Cool Kryptonian Artifacts

When Clark returns to Smallville and tries to meet up with Lana, there are two films playing at the theater: one is an instalment in the Harry Potter franchise. The other is Friday Night Lights, the movie that inspired the TV show that has been a surprisingly strong influence on a lot of elements of Superman & Lois.

For the Smallville fans, there’s a “Teague’s” sporting goods store visible on the street, as well, possibly a nod to Jensen Ackles’ Jason Teague character from season four of that series.

Yes, Lois does indeed call John Henry Irons at the end of the episode. Steel is coming back!

Clark Kent is a Seinfeld fan! It’s canon! Why is this so significant? Jerry Seinfeld is a noted Superman fan, and on the famed TV show (the greatest TV comedy of the ’90s), there was a very visible Superman magnet on his refrigerator in many episodes. Wait…that causes reality problems that are going to make my brain hurt.

Was anyone able to catch the names of the books on Clark’s nightstand? They look like old sci-fi paperbacks, but I couldn’t tell for sure.

I didn’t spot any significant names in Clark’s yearbook, but I’m old and my eyes are going, so if you spotted anything, please let me know in the comments!

The post Superman & Lois Easter Eggs are a Love Letter to Every Era of DC History appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3hcrosr

[raendown]

Inspired by this wonderful, amazing piece of art gifted to me by @inconveniencedneutrons​. Saw the image and immediately started to write. ;)

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Word count: 3625 Summary: Madara wins a contest and receives a prize, complete with delightful wrappings.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

Madara made it three steps in the house before coming to a halt as the door swung shut behind him and dropping his forehead against the closest wall, eyes falling closed and what little air was left in his lungs draining out in one great rush. What a day. One of those days when he very seriously contemplated the murder of his own best friend, motive to be noted as ‘overwhelming stupidity which can no longer be borne’.

He wasn’t entirely sure where Hashirama had gotten the idea for a tournament between willing members from the different clans. There had been some sort of drivel about promoting a healthier attitude towards competition between the clans as well as something about a safer outlet for the energy they were all used to putting in to fighting over territory and clan pride – but Madara knew better than to believe all that. Everything instinct in his body was convinced that Hashirama had conceived of this plan mainly as a way to draw Tobirama out on to the practice fields once more with two purposes: firstly in the hopes that his brother would show up in that ridiculous crop top again and secondly so that he might have all the amusement of seeing Madara’s reaction this time since he had missed it initially.

All his plans turned out to be for naught, however, as Tobirama failed to even show his face all day. The tournament had been even larger than Madara feared it would be and despite not taking part in most of the preliminary fights, he was still exhausted to have gone through the sheer amount of exercise that he had. By the final rounds it had been more a test of endurance than skill but he was still proud to have come out the victor.

First place always felt good, there was no denying that.

The only thing dimming his enjoyment of the day, the thing which stopped him from floating in to his home with head up high on the wings of success, was the lack of Tobirama’s presence. As much as he would never admit to it, he’d been rather looking forward to showing off a bit while Tobirama looked on. The man hadn’t exactly been subtle about his recent hints that the two of them might have a chance to become the two of them. An opportunity to display his skills had seemed like the perfect chance to flirt back a little – which was decidedly hard to do if the person he wished to impress chose not to be there.

Perhaps taking out his frustration for the matter on his opponents that day hadn’t been the most sportsmanlike action. It certainly hadn’t done much other than exhaust him even more than would have been strictly necessary. But Madara couldn’t bring himself to regret the way he had conducted himself. Maybe being this tired would help him get to sleep quicker than usual and if he was lucky he could skip right to the steamy dreams of a certain someone which had been plaguing his nights of late.

Straightening up with a slight groan, Madara set his sights on the end of the hallway and forced his heavy feet to pick themselves up, heading towards the bedroom where a nice soft bed awaited to catch his tired form. Dinner never even occurred to him. All he wanted was to change out of his sweaty training clothes and cover himself with the new fur blanket Izuna had given him as a gift. He was certain that it was mostly meant to be a gag gift, the intention being to tease him about his ever-growing crush on Tobirama, but the joke was on Izuna because Madara adored that blanket more than words could say. It was warm, comfortable, and alright yes it did in fact feel as though he were drifting off to sleep with his face burrowed in the furry ruff strapped to the collar of Tobirama’s armor.

With his thoughts taken up mostly by innocent things like sleep Madara was completely broadsided to open his bedroom door and discover a sight which could in no way be described as innocent.

“I’m sure you’ll forgive my absence today,” Tobirama drawled from where he had spread himself out on top of the fur blanket. “I thought it might cause a little upset if I were to be so obvious about who I was…rooting for in the tournament.”

“Hnnggg!?” In the back of his mind Madara was glad that he hadn’t been holding anything as he surely would have dropped it at the sight before him. Tobirama bent one leg and lifted an arm to drape his wrist over the knee, fingers clasped around the handle of a small uchihwa fan patterned in the colors of the Uchiha clan.

“Do you like my new shirt? I had it specially made just for the occasion. The rest of the outfit is a traditional uniform worn by certain athletes in one of the lands to the west. They’re meant to be motivational, as I understand it.”

Madara had to admit, he certainly would have been motivated if Tobirama had been cheering for him on the sidelines wearing that; maybe not motivated to fight but definitely motivated to do something.

If it had only been the shirt his mouth would have immediately run dry just the same. Still emblazoned with the same two words that his first had been, this crop top was even shorter and it was done in the same red and white as the rest of his outfit. His shoulders were bare but his arms were covered by sleeves that reached from wrist to halfway up his bicep and appeared to serve no functional purpose. His feet were clad in white stockings which ended in red lace around mid-thigh. Madara would have called that the most risqué part of the ensemble if not for the extremely tiny skirt of soft looking pleats which had been deliberately arranged in such a manner that it only just barely some interesting bits of anatomy.

Swallowing, clearing his throat, and humming three times as he searched for words, Madara still found that he had nothing more in his head at the moment than a few visual scenarios which all included red and white fabric.

“I do hope you’ve got the point, Uchiha, otherwise we’re both wasting a lot of time sitting here looking stupid.”

“You do not look stupid,” Madara breathed, his eyes tracing the white pleats and the flashes of red peeking out from between them.

“Oh? How do I look then?”

Even though his words were anything but innocent, Tobirama still managed to sound genuinely curious as though he hadn’t the faintest idea what he was doing to the man who was all but devouring him with heated gazes. Madara breathed harshly through his nose and dared to take a single step forward, fingers twitching with the desire to touch all that pale skin currently on display. All for him. Just for him.

“You look delicious,” he said in a voice as raw as his honestly. A flash of surprise crossed Tobirama’s face before his lips tilted up in a smirk.

“Would you like a taste?”

No second invitation was needed. Wondering if hadn’t fallen asleep in the hallway and already started dreaming, Madara nearly launched himself at the bed. All signs of exhaustion fell away as he landed one knee in the thick fur between Tobirama’s legs, slammed one hand down beside Tobirama’s smug little face, and used the other to wind in to his hair and pull him up for as fiery of a kiss as he could manage. Judging by the deep groan he earned in response, Madara thought he’d manage the kiss just fine.

Unable to stop himself after so long of looking but not being allowed to touch, Madara pressed the full weight of his body down on top of Tobirama to enjoy the way they molded together. Fingers gripped bracingly at his hips for a moment before slipping underneath his loose shirt and it took a bit before he gathered the strength to pull away so that it could be torn off over his head. Then he was leaning back down for another kiss and with his chest bare he could feel so much more of the man squirming underneath him.

“Shall I assume you won today, then?” Tobirama asked between kisses, breathless in such a beautiful way.

“Won? Oh, the tournament.” Madara dropped his head to suck at the tendons of Tobirama’s neck. “Don’t be insulting; of course I did.”

“Then I think you’ve earned a reward. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Gods yes!”

With a wicked smile Tobirama rolled his hips. “Then go on and take it,” he rumbled.

Madara shuddered as he released Tobirama’s hair, using that hand to reach down and slide his hand up the outside of Tobirama’s leg, delighting in the transition from silky stocking to warm skin. He didn’t bother to slow or stop as his fingers slid underneath the material of the pleated skirt – and then a helpless whimper escaped him when he discovered that Tobirama was wearing nothing underneath.

“Filthy little boy toy,” he whispered. Tobirama gasped as he bit down on the neck he was still enthusiastically marking.

“And yours for the playing with.”

Another shiver wracked him. Madara only just barely held in the words, but he very much hoped that this new toy was also his for the keeping. Emotions could come later, however; right now his cock was running the show more than his heart and it seemed the situation was much the same for Tobirama.

With just one flick the skirt was out of the way and he was able to wrap his hand around Tobirama’s length, teasing him with light strokes and gentle swipes of his thumb across the tip. His partner writhed under the touch and swore at him, demanding more, but Madara ignored him. A rush of power had already gone to his head as he watched Tobirama falling apart under his touch so easily and there was no way he would be ending this so quickly. If he was allowed to play then he was going to play.

It was actually quite a compliment to his own skills in bed, at least in Madara’s opinion, that he was able to reach over to the night stand and rummage around for a half forgotten bottle of lube without Tobirama even seeming to notice. Tobirama seemed entirely caught up with the attention he was receiving, both hands twisting in the fur blanket while his hips worked to try and press himself deeper in to the fist stroking him. He actually growled when Madara took his hand away, then quieted again immediately when he saw the lube.

Rather than make any snarky comments he only reached up for a pillow to tuck underneath his hips and spread his legs a little wider for Madara to settle the rest of his body in between them. With the skirt flipped up the way it was and nothing else of his already skimpy clothing having been removed, Tobirama looked like a wet dream, especially with the way his chest was heaving as he struggled for breath and a red flush of pleasure had stained his cheeks as well as the tiny bit of chest visible over the collar of his tiny shirt. If he had been delicious before then there were simply no words for him now. Madara wasn’t certain he was going to recover from this but it was a doom he would march to willingly any day of any week.

Of course, eagerness did not mean that he had to rush things. Half the fun of sex was in enjoying his partner’s reactions and he was very interested to know how Tobirama would react to further teasing, Could he get the man to beg? Just the thought of sweet words of pleading falling from between those lips had his cock twitching where it was still confined in his clothes.

As it turned out, Tobirama had no time for teasing today. Rather than beg prettily, he gave Madara perhaps ten seconds of circling his hole with light stokes before he lifted his head to glare tightly and demand in a hoarse voice that Madara get on with it before he took things in to his own hands. While that would definitely have been a sight that he would have liked to see, Madara forced the image to the back of his mind and gave what had been asked of him before he could ruin this one chance.

The first finger slid in easily enough, followed by a second, and by the time he had three fingers scissoring inside the man Tobirama was writhing and bucking as though he could hardly contain his own reactions. Watching him was breathtaking; enough so that Madara very nearly forgot his own pleasure and almost brought Tobirama over the edge with nothing but his fingers.

When Tobirama began to frantically gesture towards the clothes he was still wearing, Madara felt a wave of heat go through him for how badly the other wanted him. He was gentle as he pulled his fingers away but wasted no time in reaching down to tear open his trousers and push them down almost violently. The material nearly ripped but he couldn’t have cared less. All that mattered right then was getting naked and getting naked fast. Tobirama, on the other hand, was perfect the way he was in his little outfit.

Grabbing the lube and spreading a bit extra on himself – hips stuttering at the first touch since all this excitement started – Madara then tossed it carelessly off the bed and shuffled his knees forward so he could line himself up with the stretched hole eagerly awaiting him. Tobirama’s head tossed back as he pressed in, exposing the graceful line of his neck and freely displaying the red marks Madara had left there. The sight of him gave Madara a possessive little thrill, knowing that it was him who had left his mark behind, him that was giving Tobirama pleasure, him that had Tobirama so open and comfortable enough to let go the way he was doing. Clenching his teeth against the sheer need running rampant in his veins, Madara worked himself slowly inside the willing body underneath him.

Once he was fully seated he didn’t even pause for a second. He pulled his hips back before slamming them forward again, enjoying the startled cry Tobirama gave and the way his entire body clenched. Then Madara began to fuck in earnest, holding Tobirama’s bucking hips in place with both hands while snapping his own again and again until he almost felt his eyes begin to cross with the pleasure.

If he were in his right mind he might have made some kind of snarky comment about how tight Tobirama’s ass was but instead that same tightness was too distracting for him to even think of forming words. Ultimately it was his undoing.

Both of them were letting out small frantic noises as he straightened himself to stand up on his knees and used the leverage of the position to pound in to Tobirama as hard as he dared, aiming for that sweet spot and making both of them gasp when he finally found it. His new vantage point had him holding Tobirama’s thighs, long legs tossed over his shoulders, and almost pulling himself in with each thrust.

Spread out underneath him, he noticed Tobirama was starting to look a little desperate.

“Touch yourself,” he growled. “Make yourself come for me. Let me see you dirty that pretty skirt of yours.”

He’d never seen a hand move so fast, which was saying something considering Tobirama was rather well known for his speed. But nothing he had seen before compared to the flash of white he witnessed as Tobirama reached for his own cock where it was bouncing just beneath red and white pleats with every thrust. A moan escaped him as he fisted himself tightly and tried to stroke in time with the rocking of their bodies.

Almost immediately his pale thighs began to quake and Madara knew that it wouldn’t be long before both of them came crashing down. He concentrated on maintaining the pace and keeping the right angle, wanting more than anything to fuck Tobirama straight through his orgasm. Of all the fantasies he’d ever had, his favorite was the idea of watching Tobirama paint himself with cum and fucking in to his pliant body until he’d completely spent himself.

Getting to see that fantasy become a reality was almost more than Madara’s sanity could take. He watched Tobirama’s breathing rush faster and faster until he was gasping for every breath, one hand holding his tiny skirt up out of the way while the other worked frantically over his cock. When Tobirama came his back bowed and his hole clenched almost impossibly tight. His hand stilled and his jaw clenched with a feral sound as he spilled himself over his own fingers, painting his abdomen in to the most obscene picture of edible perfection Madara had ever seen.

Only a moment later Madara was coming as well, emptying himself in to Tobirama while his entire body shook under the pressure of such an intense orgasm. He barely noticed a garbled collection of vowels clawing their way up his throat, too focused on the way Tobirama twitched and shuddered with every movement, obviously overwhelmed with sensation.

When if felt as though he had nothing left to give, Madara collapsed forward and only barely managed to catch himself on his hands so as not to crush Tobirama. It took him several heartbeats to find the strength to open his eyes and when he did he was rendered breathless by the image he found.

Arms lifted to curl around his head, Tobirama was stretched out in such a way to perfectly show off not only his body and the outfit he had put on just for Madara but also the amazingly debauched after effects of their activities. His hair was mussed and his stomach was dripping with his own cum, some having even landed on the crop top. Madara was momentarily distracted by the urge to lick him clean. Then he shook his head and leaned down to take that smirking mouth in a kiss much softer than the one they had started off with.

Part of him hoped the kiss conveyed all the emotions he was keeping hidden inside. Another part of him hoped those emotions stayed hidden.

“I certainly wasn’t expecting that when I came home,” he murmured lowly.

Tobirama quirked an eyebrow and drawled, “Surprise.”

“Oh are we right back to being a priss then? Because I’m very tired and if you’re not going to be nice to me after that then I might just fall asleep on top of you.” Madara glared mockingly, unable to hide the fact that he was still grinning dopily. He was also unable to hide the thrill which ran through him when Tobirama smiled back and the expression was edged with something positively wicked.

“Too tired for another round?”

“Well, not if it’s on offer.” He couldn’t resist one more soft kiss. “But you get to be on top this time. I did all the work the first time so now it’s your turn.”

Before answering him Tobirama rolled them both over with no warning, somehow managing not to separate them. Madara found himself on his back with Tobirama across his hips, softened cock still trapped within the tight hot body above him. All in all, he’d been in worse positions in his life. He was definitely a fan of the way Tobirama’s smile turned suddenly gentle while he lifted one hand to stroke down the line of Madara’s jaw.

“You like the outfit, I see,” he observed.

“I do.”

“Do you like anything else?” He tilted his head to one side like a curious bird and Madara felt the last bit of tension in his body slip away; he knew an offer when he heard one.

“Everything,” he said. “I like everything.”

“Well enough to keep it?”

Madara huffed and tugged on the edges of the other’s skirt. “You’ve already dressed yourself in my clan colors. Just you watch me try to keep them there. Don’t start what you can’t finish, as they say.”

Lifting his head up only to drop it back down in the other direction, Tobirama let his smile sit for a moment more before he snorted and tossed his hair. Then he deliberately ground his hips down and sent frissions of excitement sparking up both of their spines. Apparently that was all the time he was willing to spare for mushy emotional things, even if they’d really only beaten around the bush without speaking about anything straight out.

Which, if he was being honest, was usually the way Madara preferred things anyway. Confident now that they both wanted the same things, he wasn’t upset in the least when all softness fell away in favor of raising the heat back up immediately. He pulled Tobirama down for a kiss and within moments they were clawing at each other as frantically as they had before.

As he finally – finally ­– got around to removing some of Tobirama’s clothing, Madara decided that the stupid tournament today had at least brought him one good thing. He would have to send Hashirama a gift basket or something.

Without telling him why of course. He wanted to live to enjoy his prize, after all.

[renanimationnuab]

STORYBOARD SESSION:

“Story Artists do everyone’s job before they do it.” - Valerie LaPointe, Story Artist at Pixar.

What is storyboarding for?

- To work out the core idea and structure of a project.

- Visualise action described in a script.

- Portray physical/ visual gags that can’t be written.

- Determine the costs and production time of a project.

- Identify issues in the structure of a script > Timing of an action in the animatic.

- Work out character performance.

- Communicate: Ensure cohesion across departments and production phases, guide animators, assets creators etc...

- Act as a blueprint for the project.

- Sell the idea to other people (pitch).

STORYBOARDING IS THE PROCESS OF EDITING A FILM BEOFRE IT IS MADE.

Every shot must serve a purpose: Cutting is used to shift the audience’s focus to important aspects of the story. Make sure the viewer will be able to follow the flow of the shots and scenes without getting confused. 

In structuring your narrative (i.e. deciding on the sequence of panels) you should think about what information you want to give to the viewer at what point in time, and what effect you are aiming for. The same images cut in a different sequence can create suspense, interest, humour etc...

“The secret to storytelling is delaying.” - Control the flow of information. - Francis Glebas.

The way I’d have the scene.

 Directing The Eye:

Drawings can be loose. Shading or spot colour only to separate out background/ foreground and direct the eye to the most important information.

Rule Of Thirds:

Vary Your Shots.

- Close-ups, medium and wide shots, up-/downshots create a visual rhythm and help to convey the atmosphere and emotional content of a story.

For example, close-ups are usually used either to draw attention to a detail that might otherwise be overlooked, or to show an emotional reaction.

- Wide shots establish your character and the situation and give you the opportunity to include lots of information without lengthy explanations.

- An up-shot (looking up at a character from below) makes a character look heroic or threatening, a down-shot on a character gives the impression of isolation, being small and forlorn.

The 180 Degree Rule / Line Of Action.

The 180 degree rule is a cinematography guideline that states that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another. When the camera passes over the invisible axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line and the shot becomes what is called a reverse angle. Reversing the angle is commonly thought to be disorienting and can distract the audience from the intent of the scene.

[thotyssey]

One of New York busiest, most in-demand and outspoken nightlifers, David Serrano made his name giving us life from the DJ booth… and these days, he’s officially capturing our lives in the photo studio.

Thotyssey: Hey David! So, how has Crazy Covid Summer been treating you?

David Serrano: It’s been interesting. I got Covid early in March, so I was able to get passed it quickly. Unfortunately, with the bars closed, I haven’t been working much… but I am not wasting this time. I’ve been really focused on leveling up my photography skills.

Glad you’re feeling better! I did see you just released a whole bunch of gorgeous pics of some of our famous queens. Are these shots you took a long time ago that you’ve finally been able to get to, or are have you been arranging new shoots during this downtime?

A little bit of both. I’ve been able to do several shoots during lockdown, and have several lined up. But I’ve also been going into the archive and pulling out some of my favorites that may have not had a chance to shine yet. Definitely using this time to be as creative as possible.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

[All photos by David Serrano]

Do you think you have a favorite subject yet, as far as the people you’ve shot?

I love people with over the top looks. Pretty is fine, but it can be a bit boring. Anyone that pushes the envelope with their aesthetic is what I gravitate towards. I recently released a shot of Androgyny that I love, with her giant red Mohawk. It’s very punk. I like that. I also love anyone that can just let go in front of the camera and go big. They’re not worried about looking foolish or pretty. And I love shooting dancers, ’cause they know how to move. I shot FiFi DuBois, and we had some really dynamic shots.

You’ve been doing nightlife photography for a few years, but for a long time you were better known in NYC as a DJ. I think it’s really just been the past few years that you really stepped up as an in-demand photographer. Was that intentional, or did it just kinda happen that way?

It was purposeful, for sure. I’m definitely interested in moving in that direction with my career. I’m 43 now, and I’m wanting to work more outside the clubs… but still staying within my nightlife community, like my work on The X Change Rate with Monet. I’ve spun the big clubs, and that was fun when I was younger. But as I get older, my priorities are changing. I prefer to work more shows now, and work more closely with the nightlife artists… so these are steps that I am making to expand my skill sets.

Before we talk more about Now, we should visit Then! Where are you from originally, and how did you begin as a creative person while growing up?

Okay, that’s a long story! I was born in Port Jefferson, Long Island, but moved to upstate NY right outside Woodbury Commons when I was three. I lived there ’til 10th grade, and then moved to South Carolina for a year and a half. Then I finished high school in a small town outside Orlando, Florida. My dad had retired while I was in high school, so we moved and I ended up going to three high schools.

I knew I wanted to do something creative since I was a child because my mom told me, “do something you love, and you will never work a day in your life.” So I gravitated towards the arts. It was always between music and film. I actually started college as a film major at UCF, but ended up switching my major my last semester to music production, which is what my degree is in.

When I turned 28, I moved back to NYC to pursue a career in music as a singer / songwriter. I released a song with Junior Vasquez called “Not Again,” aptly named ’cause it was the only song we did together. I made no money from it, so I decided to pivot and got into DJing instead. I loved it, and that became my career. I also started working in graphic design, which then led back to film. And here we are today… full circle moment.

Was it Junior who taught you how to DJ?

Um, no… LOL. Actually, I consider my DJ parents to be Xavier and Corey Craig. They helped me a lot, and gave me advice when I first began. My first gig was filling in for Xavier at Barracuda, which became my first residency in 2007. And as of March, I was still there.

As far as bars and big parties in the realm of nightlife go, what have been some of your favorite memories and highlights of the past decade-plus for you?

I enjoyed my time at Stage 48 spinning upstairs in the pop room, along with my time at XL working “Hot Mess” with Lady Bunny and Bianca Del Rio. I also loved working Drag Brunch at the Highline Ballroom, and of course the multiple Glam Awards I’ve spun. Those are just a few that stand out. There have been so many. I’ve been very lucky.

I always wondered… what would happen if you won a Glam while you were DJing the awards show? Would you play your own music intro and run up and accept, or just, like, wave from the DJ booth?

I’d have them toss it to me, LOL! Or I’d walk in an awkward silence. Fortunately, it probably won’t ever be an issue.

We’ll see you up there soon enough!

In what huge ways has the nightlife biz changed since you started out?

Social media has definitely impacted nightlife, for sure. People don’t need to go out to the bars and clubs to meet other gay people. Plus, because the world is more open and the LGBT + community is more accepted, the crowds have become more mixed and smaller. Drag has exploded after almost dying out because of Drag Race, and drag has become more mainstream… and has moved from only being hidden away in the underground scene. This is why I’ve felt it necessary to evolve myself. Otherwise you get left behind.

It’s true, within nightlife there is a clear path for drag performers (that fit certain criteria, like being cis men) to elevate, but that path is not so clear for everyone else in the biz right now.

Speaking of social media… you have a very unfiltered presence there, lol! Whether you’re discussing politics (you’re a very progressive Bernie man), pop culture or even nightlife drama, you often say exactly what’s on your mind. Today that’s almost like a death sentence (or at least an entirely stressful situation), with all the canceling happening. Do you care what people think about your social media posts?

I am a native New Yorker, and Hispanic to boot. We don’t hold back our opinions. Couple that with the fact that I’m older and come from a generation that wasn’t coddled or given participation trophies for everything, and my personality can easily trigger overly-sensitive types. I don’t like those people and don’t want to be around them anyway, so speaking my mind keeps them at bay. I have no interest in giving them any power.

People that are in my circle know me, and don’t have any issues with me. I’m actually easy to work with, and very chill. But I don’t have time to baby anyone, or give a platform to anyone talking nonsense or creating problems when none exist.

Actually, what are your thoughts about nightlife folks (promoters, DJs, performers, venue owners) who did those large, undistanced and unmasked parties during lockdown, particularly in those first months?

We all have to be careful and responsible… but I understand people needing to earn a living. If you’re being irresponsible and not wearing masks in public indoor spaces, then you’re asking for trouble. But at the same time, we need to be pragmatic and not Mask Nazis. If someone is outside without a mask and minding their own business, leave them alone. If they’re inside a public place, feel free to say something. As for the public parties packed with no masks, that’s not smart… but we know who these people are. They’re not usually known for their good decision making skills.

[Photo: Maxim]

Lol! Tell us a bit about The X Change Rate, Monet X Change’s fun talk show care of the BUILD Series that airs on YouTube and is filmed for a live studio audience (pre-Covid, of course). She’s had some amazing guests, and naturally she’s a great hostess herself! You’re the house DJ there, naturally.

Monet is great–super sweet to work with, and I was gagged when she reached out to me and asked me to be a part of her show. The crew is amazing, and it’s really inspiring and humbling to work in such a professional environment.

Hopefully you’ll both be back in the studio soon!

I sure hope so.

It must be old hat at this point–but still cool–to have seen so many queens you’ve worked with over the years get cast and do well on Drag Race.

Yes, it’s so surreal to see so many of my friends make it on the world stage. It’s inspiring… but also hard to reconcile. To me, they’re just my friends. To their fans, they’re superstars. It’s weird, but very cool.

So it’s almost impossible to answer this question nowadays, but what else is coming up?

I’m currently in the process of creating some amazing images with Danny Logan, formerly known as Dallas Dubois. He’s become an amazing costume designer since leaving drag years ago. He’s gone on to work in television and film, and is doing very well for himself. We have some incredible, politically charged and poignant concepts in the works… so look out for them.

That should be amazing! And finally: there was a lot of new music this summer. Did anything stand out as your favorite song or album for you?

You have no idea. There have been SOOOO many great songs. I am really into the 80’s synth pop sound, that has made a huge splash on the scene this year: from The Weeknd to Gaga, Dua Lipa, and Miley. They’re all killing it. Right now, I’m loving Miley’s newest song “Midnight Sky.” She’s serving major Stevie Nicks vibes, and I am here for it. Not to mention the video is giving me major visual inspiration for my shoots!

Thanks, David!

Check Thotyssey’s calendar for DJ David Serrano’s upcoming appearances, and follow him on Facebook, Instagram (also one for his photography), Twitter and YouTube. All photos care of David Serrano unless otherwise labeled.

On Point Archives

On Point With: David Serrano One of New York busiest, most in-demand and outspoken nightlifers, David Serrano made his name giving us life from the DJ booth...

[rallyanime-blog]

Summer 2017 Anime Pre-Op 3.0+1.0 [FINALE]

The last and most anticipated part of the Summer 2017 Anime series: Anime you probably should skip.

You Should [Not] Watch

18if

No beating around the bush. 18if had what was perhaps one of the most atrocious first episodes I have ever had the displeasure of sitting through for a variety of reasons.

The foremost reason being its terrible animation and its sense of aesthetic design. I understand that the point of 18if is that it is set inside of a dream world with assumedly trippy dream visuals. However, 18if completely fails at this because these dream worlds are nothing more than an ugly mish-mash of over saturated colors and static backgrounds. This dream world lacks cohesion in any sense of the word and simply slaps together any prop or object possible under the guise that its O.K as long as its a dream.

When I think of a trippy dreamworld I think of the Witch encounters in Madoka Magica. Really, literally anything SHAFT has ever produced is crazier and more dreamy than whatever 18if is trying to achieve. This doesn’t even scratch the surface of how terribly directed this show is.

Frankly, the directing is boring as sin which wouldn’t be worth mentioning if we did not consider the type of world that 18if is trying to create. Not only is there extraordinarily limited animation, but the directing does nothing to hide it nor does it do anything to highlight the weird world that the characters are supposed to inhabit. Once again, Studio SHAFT and Akiyuki Shinbo make the directing in this show look like an absolute pile of garbage when compared to the strange, trippy, yet alluring visual direction put into even the most normal of SHAFT shows. At the very least Hand Shakers had the common decency to go all out with its visual style even if the end result looked like ass.

That isn’t to say that 18if does incorporate some weird directing techniques such as the windowed talking and the decapitation. However, they are too few and far between to be considered an artistic style whilst simultaneously not actually being in service of anything in particular. If anything, it makes the boring parts of the show look worse by comparison. It doesn’t help that this show is horribly paced and practically screams to be over within the first half.

I would talk about the character animation. If there was anything. Of course, that is to be expected from a show of this caliber.

Finally, the actual story of this show is as bad as its visual direction. Our MC is trapped within a dream world with the task of finding his way out and helping others in the process. There, he meets a strange girl and a talking cat scientist (The only tolerable character in the show). He thus fights a witch who has what may be the most cliched and boring backstory of all time before helping her ‘wake up’ I guess. If you can’t tell I’m having a hard time summoning excitement for this show. 

Our plucky protagonist is of course the most cookie cutter, do-it-all nice guy with absolutely nothing interesting in his personality, design, or ethos that we have all come to abhor. Of course her helps that poor girl and of course he has witty banter with the cat guy. It’s almost astonishing how fast he comes to turn with his situation after a bit of exploring. It’s also astonishing how he constantly flip flops between confused kid to quipping ‘couldn’t even care less’ hardass. It’s almost as if the writers didn’t put any actual thought to his character or than the fact that he is the vehicle for their stupid story.

I could on and on about this abomination of a production but for the sake of this post I’m cutting it off here. Don’t watch this show. Just don’t.

Hajimete no Gal

Hajimete no Gal is the newest iteration of the ‘gal girl’ genre that has proliferated in anime and manga over the past couple of years. 

Unfortunately, HnG is no Galko or Gal Gohan. From what the first two episodes tell us about this series is that it is another harem rom-com with the main gimmick being that our MC believes that our main heroine is sluttier than she actually is. What I will give it credit for is having the MC and main girl hook up first and let the development happen later. Even if this type of development is not entirely original or unique in the slightest, there is still a lot of untapped potential from starting off your romance like this. However, it’s rather difficult to appreciate this plot point considering the entire rest of the show surrounding it.

Simply put, Hajimete no Gal is a dumpster fire burning through any semblance of good ideas and potential it could of had. 

What was immediately apparent to me in this show was the absolutely glacial pacing and terrible comedic timing. This first 23 min episode felt like an absolute eternity as scenes drag out much longer than the actual content of the scene allows for. By content, I mean the “humor” and the “erotica” that this show has lovingly offered to us.

HnG is painfully unfunny. Jokes stretch out much longer than is ever necessary. When you thought it was over, the characters will go on to even further explain the joke and run it into the ground. Most of the humor revolves around how disgusting of human beings the main boys are. I’ll touch on them a bit later. Needless to say, HnG recycles the same three gags and ideas in order to kill time until the ED. The strange lack of an OST in most scenes serves to make the humor weird and awkward and not in a way that was intentional or funny.

The “fanservice” of HnG is also abysmal. These fantasies not only drag on like everything else in the show, but these scenes also do the bare minimum for their intention. This show has the subtlety of a falling road roller. It thinks that just throwing tits in ass in your face is enough. And not just tits and ass. But uncomfortably close pantyshots and boobshots that do little in the way of arousal given how little the audience can actually see.

 Abject sluttiness is certainly hot for some people, but the fact that these are just fantasies also remove any element of tangible human connection to the main girl that would actually warrant special attention and attraction as the show tries to force down my throat. Outside of the dreams, HnG makes sure to place special focus on more pantyshots and boobshots as if the audience will find any of it special or arousing.

The characters in this show are boring at best and offensively bad at worst. Our MC is a wet fart whose soul purpose in life is to get laid as fast as possible. Understandable if wasn’t for the fact that he is so completely passive in his actions that he lacks any semblance of a personality outside of his libido. What more could you have expected of a lazy audience surrogate.

His friends are perhaps the worst of group of obligatory MC friends I’ve ever seen. These lovely gentlemen have literally one gag associated with each of their characters that becomes immediately old the millisecond they begin speaking. This wouldn’t be so terrible if it weren’t for the fact that they occupy so much screen time and speaking lines that by the halfway point I was already wishing for death. 

Our main girl (or should I say ‘gal’) is probably going to become a more endearing character than what this show deserves. However, it’s unlikely that she will ever reach the status of ‘good’ let alone ‘Galko’ tier given what this show has shown me. It is almost completely likely that she will end up as the pure maiden with the heart of gold that this show makes apparent in its premise alone.

Special shout out to the harem members showed off in the first episode that will inevitably lose as tradition dictates. So don;t get too attached.

The animation being featured in this show is mediocre to just bad. Set design and background art is bland school and city design whilst the colors are nothing special. The character art and animation is sub-par. It all looks terrible. As already mentioned, HnG rarely incorporates a backing track making the overall atmosphere and tone of the show strange and unappealing.

After all this shit I’ve talked about Hajimete no Gal, I can’t say 100% say its a complete lost cause yet. The second episode actually had jokes. It had jokes! Three exactly. Exactly three jokes that had good comedic timing and made me smile a bit. A good improvement over the zero jokes the first episode had. I will begrudgingly maintain that HnG can become a halfway decent rom-com if it actually starts exploring the romantic elements of its premise starting literally right now.

But if you aren’t an M like me, I would suggest giving this show a pass for the time being.

In Another World with my Smartphone

If there is one thing I appreciate about this show, it is how brazenly this show embraces all of the tired and universally despised elements of the isekai genre and how it rolls it all into one show.

The absolute worst thing that I can say about this show is how completely dull and boring the thing is. It immediately abandons the central conceit of the show: the smartphone and instead just has the MC be broken OP in every stat from the start. The show then just proceeds to be the worst and most egregious stereotype of all isekais to date. 

The MC has the most basic template personality of all time. The girls are nothing more than generic anime girls taken directly from a concept art page.

The animation and music is below average. This entire show is completely below average. The only positive that I can give this show is that it is not offensively bad. It didn’t make me want to kill myself like 18if and HnG did.

I think that it is in your best interest to just skip this show.

Knight’s and Magic

Knight’s and Magic packs what seems to be three entire episodes of content in a single episode. I think that it is a bit unfair to put Knight’s and Magic on the same playing field as the other three shows in this list. However, I still believe that this is still a completely lackluster series on the whole.

I actually quite liked the opening scene set in the real world. There was interesting shot composition and aspect ratio tricks. It also served to effectively characterize the MC and the type of person he is non verbally.

However, the rest of the episode goes on to have our disturbingly obsessive MC be put into the mind of a normal child (What the hell happened to this child’s actual soul anyway?) and then go on to be the most brilliant son of a bitch who ever lived. The show fast forwards through his child’s entire training and introduces the friends and rivals he meets via narrator. I can’t fault the show for trying to get past all the boring set up for the show, but it still feels rushed and unnatural. Thankfully, it seems that this show is going to be slowing down as indicated by the end of the first episode.

I also somewhat appreciate how the MC doesn’t have any innate talent other than his autistic obsession with mecha and his ability to hyper focus on studying and learning magic. He is clearly supposed to be the smart character who can outwit his opponent. That being said, our MC is not all that interesting on his own outside of his capacity to learn and do cool shit. The other characters aren’t anything interesting either.

The animation is O.K but not particularly unique or that interesting. If Knight’s and Magic is your type of show, I would recommend at least trying to check it out. However, I can’t in good conscience give it a bonified recommendation. 

I think that will conclude the series of the Summer Anime 2017 Preview. Look forward to more anime and manga posts in the future. Thanks for reading!

[zak-animation]

Rowan Atkinson: Mime as Character Performance

Continuing my initial research into mime performance, in this post I’m exploring the work of actor Rowan Atkinson, for his work on the British television sitcom Mr. Bean. In these sequences, the characters sneak into a bathroom and watch a horror film at the cinema. Whilst not strictly a mystery box, these two sequences evidence similar performances: having a character enter the scene in a specific way before changing expression, and exploring body language and performance to demonstrate an exaggerated change in emotion.

Toilet Humour In this first example, we see Atkinson’s character of Mr. Bean enter a public restroom. From the second he enters the frame, however, we can see he’s walking with a purpose. With an arched back, rigid head movements from right to left and a focused demeanor, the audience knows the character is searching for something. This is conveyed not only from the head movements but also the speed of entry as he walks through the door: it’s a fast movement. This instantly tells the audience that he is purposely in the restroom, walking with intent.

When the character notices what might be his missing item, the movement slows down - as he slowly approaches the subject to take a closer look. Unfortunately for the naive Bean, this is another gentleman using the urinal. What is ultimately a toilet humour gag represents an interesting approach to my task, however, as Atkinson conveys a convincing and honest sense of surprise when he eventually realises his current situation. The arched, curious body language becomes quickly straight, as he recoils in horror and surprise. The hopping of the feet further serve to convey this idea and grasps the chest in an effort to calm himself down.

It’s a quick sequence, but Atkinson is able to communicate a great deal of information to the audience through exaggerating the performance and shifting from a quick, searching pace to a much more calculated, slow approach to demonstrate his curiosity. This is a successful example of the type of performance I will be looking to create in my own animated outcome for this project.

Movie Fright In the last example, we follow the character of Mr. Bean, along with a friend, watching a horror movie in the theatre. Rowan’s body language, to begin with, is relaxed, taking up a large amount of space before settling in on a more closed body position. This relaxed posing is completely lost when the scares start happening, as he demonstrates a clear change of both body performance and facial acting. Atkinson pushes this ‘scared’ pose to the extreme, creating a fast, intense and dramatic change of emotion through exaggerated performance. The surprise of the motion comes from the lack of any anticipation, and the audience is sold Atkinson’s terrified persona by the added follow-through motion of the quick hand on the chest - as a way for him to calm his nerves. It’s just a movie - but here, Atkinson is demonstrating a clear use of exaggeration within his acting to further communicate the idea to an audience.

This also could be reflective of the feeling: when we do get scared, even if it is from a movie, the world suddenly turns on its head and everything else fades away. Atkinson could be using exaggeration here to visually represent not only the action but the feeling of absolute terror that can be found lurking in the cinema.

Heavily inspired by pantomime performances, Atkinson makes use of clear posing, lines of action and timing to present the audience with an exaggerated performance that is more reminiscent of a cartoon than reality. This allows the audience to easily understand what is happening, and as such, Mr. Bean can be enjoyed without sound. As all good works of visual storytelling should, the story is conveyed clearly through visuals. Atkinson’s eccentric performance as Mr. Bean is able to capture everything about a specific emotion and feeling, through the use of exaggerated posing and performance that presents these ideas to the extreme. This serves not only to aid clear visual storytelling but to further embody the feeling of such strong emotions such as terror.

Next, I will be looking into a more contemporary application of these ideas of exaggerated performance, looking at work of American comedian and actor Bo Burnham and how he incorporates what is essentially mime, into a live show. This is the second in a series of research posts exploring the art of performance through a range of different artist influences, as a way to demonstrate my own independent research into exaggerated performance for the mystery box assignment.

References

In the Toilet | Funny Clip | Mr Bean Official.  (2018).  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrRSnHXgt8Q&t=26s

At the Cinema | Mr. Bean Official. (2018).  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aIfMX7FBbI

[recentanimenews]

Quan Zhi Gao Shou – 03

The Gist: This week introduces Xiao Tang, a female player who appears to be new to Glory and has come to the cafe for guidance. Like many in the cafe, she’s become aware of Ye Xiu, not only for his string of skilled first-kills but also for his unusual classless-character and all-crafted gear. To the cafe owner’s annoyance, Tang wants to pursue a classless like Xiu. However, the two women quickly move on from any conflict when Tang is willing to watch the owner’s deep collection of tutorial videos… even though Xiu snarks that they are 9 years out of date.

Tang has decent APM and is a quick learner but we don’t know anything significant about her. While it’s likely that she will end up in Xiu’s team of noobs and weirdos, her current role is the same as the unnamed onlookers of the cafe — simply a perspective to show us Xiu’s growing impact on Glory’s popular culture.

To QZGS’ credit, showing us Xiu’s impact through Tang and keeping Tang only one step removed from the background, is a decently subtle conveyance. Unfortunately, QZGS also has nameless characters utter unintentionally hilarious lines like “I’ve truly broadened my view today” and “He is truly wearing money” when they view Xiu’s all silver armor and gatling-gun-spear-warhammer-umbrella.

This is unfortunate because the crowd-tells-us format is much more conventional and the opposite of subtle. (It’s used by many manga artists to convince the viewer that a character or action or item is cooler or more important than would be obvious to the viewer on visuals alone) The resulting contrast makes Tang’s more restrained and interesting expression of the same narrative concept less impactful. It feels like the creators don’t trust the viewers to be smart enough to get the point, which is kinda insulting…

It’s worth noting that King’s Avatar is brought to you by McDonald’s. At least, that’s what appears to be the case, as several long-sweeping glamor shots are dedicated to the brand (and it featured prominently in the background of the first episode).

While the scene itself isn’t terribly obtrusive, perhaps even making a cultural point about the characters, the product placement itself is jarring. Not counting an inexplicably photo-textured tree outside an office window, the food packaging is the highest detail content in the episode. The rendering quality is high enough, it may even be output with real commercial grade frames and textures from McDonald’s itself.

This choice is bizarre for a few reasons but the biggest is one of QZGS’ core failings. Simply, if Glory is so important to QZGS’ world, and the pro-players are a significant vector of Glory’s connection with the masses, we should see physical evidence of Glory and the pros all throughout the world. Putting Glory branding and themes on the food packaging would have been a very easy way to show that. However, since no such attempt was made, the food only reads as a commercial for a real world brand, and the believability of the QZGS world is again diminished.

Similar can be said about the photographic tree. From a technical stand point, it’s a very lovely panning shot with a shift in ‘camera’ focus from the tree to the wall of the office. The colors are rich and it sets an interesting mood… except it doesn’t. Like the food, it doesn’t expand our understanding of the world beyond being ‘pretty’ and if it is an intentional attempt to contrast the beauty of the real world against the claustrophobic, dark, and lower render quality of the online world and the interior of the cafe, it fails without more scenes to reinforce that point. Animation is expensive and time consuming so, if a scene does not aadd value, why create it in the first place?

Back in Glory, the three most powerful guilds are camped outside a graveyard watching a bunch of noobs foolishly go after a world-boss. While none of the guild captains especially like or trust each other, often having lost major club events at the hands of one another, they eventually agree to work together to take down the boss when the noobs get squashed.

Except one of the noobs turns out to not be a noob so much as a chaotic idiot who passes up finishing-move-openings of his own making to do things like slap the boss and cause said boss to go into rage mode. (comically, this character has wolverine claws on his right hand and carries a brick in his left)

Xiu shows up too and quickly takes charge, APM/Umbrelling the heck out of the vampire-gunman-boss’ head. Of course this spurs the guilds into action, as they don’t want to let Xiu score another first kill on the server. Too bad for them, Xiu has anticipated this outcome and uses the noobs to max out the Boss’ redline counter attack, effectively dumping an army of zombies into the charging guilds.

Xiu, Wolverine/Brick, and the noobs from Xiu’s previous party manage to take down the boss in the ensuing chaos. Little Little Moon is even there. As before, Xiu only wants the glory and the crafting materials and everyone but the guilds leaves happy. And even though the guilds are not happy, a quick back and forth over messenger leaves them without much room to complain. World bosses only exist for first kills anyway…

Can a westerner appreciate the nature of Chinese storytelling, which has not yet adopted western standards as universally as the Japanese? Can a Chinese show be criticized for failings in timing, sound design and narrative purpose as established by western convention? Should Chinese viewers be expected to have the ability to the difference between nationalist propaganda, clichés, or quality?

There are two core ways to approach art made outside of your own culture and choosing which is appropriate depends on context. The first approach is to judge the art strictly on its source-cultural’s standards and is appropriate for art made exclusively within those cultural standards and for that culture only. Think of this as the art history method, because it applies mostly to pre-global cultures or situations where the artist knows something ‘isn’t right’ technically, but has a reason to do it anyway. For example, pre-renaisance art often contains figures of all different sizes that make no sense in space but that isn’t important to critique because, in that cultural context, the figures size showed his or her importance.

The second approach is reflective of the foreign culture’s response to your own culture. The key is that the artist/creator is aware of you own culture’s norms and is either emulating them or using them to make a comment about the foreign culture. In this case, critiquing the effectiveness of that culture’s use of your own conventions is just as important as what that culture could be saying about those conventions. A funny example of this is Russian ‘Cowboy’ movies in the 1950s, which had a political message, as well as a popularity because all-things-american were popular, even in Russia.

QZGS clearly falls into this second category, as it employs many western techniques, and its subject matter is relatable to topics in the western world. In techniques, QZGS uses discordant sound effects to punctuate sight-gags and guitar/rock music to assert ‘coolness.’ It is also clearly made to be an ‘anime,’ which could be argued to be cultural appropriation from the Japanese for the sake of coolness too.

In topic, QZGS touches on capitalism, sense of identity and belonging, virtual addiction, and aging out. While the views on capitalism (notably spearheaded by villainous blonde people) are obviously Chinese-state message norms, westerners can relate to all of these concepts. Quite easily in fact, because so many western norms are exploited in their delivery.

The delivery of those norms fail miserably. Take the sound that accompanies Tang’s decision to try Classless for example. It’s not only misaligned with the gesture, but the sound itself is wonderfully out of place. The result feels slapped on because the creator knows a western-style joke would have a discordant note there, but the creator has no idea why or how to use it specifically.

In another example, as seen in the image above, we are treated to 6 seconds of floor tile. Eventually, Ye Xiu steps into said frame, after hearing people talk about him in the background, but the 6 seconds of floor tile is mostly without sound or motion or purpose. Certainly this creates nervous tension through our expectation that something will happen, which is based on conventions of story telling where showing the viewer a dark and empty space at shoe level will mean something… but, in this case, it appears to mean nothing.

More importantly, lingering on floor tiles and empty frames has no Chinese cultural significance either. It’s just empty, unanimated space and like the photographic tree it begs the question: why?

Verdict: Thus far, QZGS features a hero that’s smarter and nicer than most. The fighting is conventional and the twistless-take on the virtual MMOs, there are no stakes to be had. The viewer knows that hero will win the fights at hand and even if he didn’t, what would it matter? There is no drama.

Then there’s the product placement, which you could read a few ways. The cafe boss is proud, ignorant, and hauty so, of course, she’s taken by western fried foods and a bit of a glutton. (She’s not even willing to give thanks to Xiu for buying the food for the group) Is this misogyny a Chinese cultural norm or is it simply to reinforce how this glutton woman is losing her connection with Chinese culture (she’s not even aware that a cultural hero is sitting next to her) or does it have no meaning at all? It’s hard to answer, given how un-thought-out QZGS has been to this point.

Yes! QZGS is constructed well enough to be watchable. In the future, it may even serve as a snapshot for how far Chinese animation and popculture has come or where they are going. QZGS may even produce interesting musings on intenet adiction and the emptiness of modern life — the core cast all exist only to play a game, which is just an MMO.

For now? It’s just people hanging around playing an MMO that isn’t notably original or interesting. If that’s not enough to hold your attention, go watch something else.

By: oigakkosan