#And expecting him to maybe play an antagonistic role vis-a-vis the others at first maybe which would be interesting?

[babacontainsmultitudes]

I realize that "Blake Lively" is the name of an actress but the first thing that hearing it reminded me of was actually "Dirk Gently" as in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, so I guess that to say it feels like a fitting choice for what his deal appears to be 🧐.

[hcpefulmarshmallow]

Anonymous said:

Hi! Sorry it took me so long to reply! Know that you say it, it's true that both Akechi and Nagito share some kind of character archetype. I was mostly curious because, although they share similarities, they are different in other things. I tried to like Akechi, I really did, but the fact that he doesn't seem to feel remorse for his actions and sometimes is sadic when he kills shadows. (1/2)

And (SPOILER!) he worked for Shido to gain his trust and eventually kill him, but somehow was surprised to learn what Shido really thought of him?. Yes, Akechi sacrificed himself in the end to help the Thieves (I'm not fond of the "sacrifice redemption" thing) but doesnt excuse his actions. Meanwhile, Nagito cares for his classmates, tries to do what he thinks is best for everyone (but is bad ofc) and is kinda influenced by his illness. (2/2)

Then again, i watched the game on youtibe so it's not the same experience that playing it myself....

Here’s the thing, Anon: as someone who began Persona 5 feeling a deep, debilitating rage every time Akechi showed his stupid fucking face onscreen, to possibly maybe shedding a tear or two for him by the end, I’m not going to try and convince you to like him. Partly because it’s a silly endeavour, but partly because I understand that he just isn’t an easy guy to like. And I say this fully recognising that, just before, I called him extremely likeable. I hold the same to be true for Nagito, as well. It’s one thing to tolerate a character’s flaws when you understand their deepest and most sympathetic motivations; it’d be another if you met them in real life and were blindly subjected to the worst of that their personality has to offer. 

(continued under a cut for heavier spoilers and length i guess)

 That said, I’d argue Nagito is just as remorseless and ruthless as Akechi is. In his mind, so long as an action is committed to further a great hope, it is justified. I suspect their differences are less a matter of contrition, and more a matter of time. I found Nagito easier to sympathise with at first, because it’s easier to see his humanity than it is to see Akechi’s. Despite his habit of pushing people away, Nagito remains so desperate to be recognised, he seemingly can’t help letting his cheerful, apathetic veneer slip here and there, giving glimpses of his true motivations from the beginning. It also helps that, as Hajime, we - the player - notice it early on. Hajime observes pretty quickly that Nagito has probably been through a lot, and that he seems kind and understanding if a little strange. On the other hand, due to the nature of the game, Joker’s initial opinions of Akechi are entirely up to the player. You won’t see much of his true personality early on unless you’re really looking for it. This, for the longest time, he’s nothing more than a vaguely antagonistic presence with who knows what motives.

 Furthermore, Nagito’s betrayal of the group comes much sooner which, I’d also argue, helps ground his character. It gives us time to explore those motives, the implications, and how he might still fit in a group dynamic. Whereas, by Akechi’s about-face, we’re pretty late in the game and he still isn’t wholly part of the group, having distinguished himself from the PTs by demanding that they disband in exchange for his help. 

 In all, while Nagito is willing and eager to make his true self known, Akechi hides himself until the very end, making it harder to understand and explore his character. Even in the third semester, with his demise imminent, he’d rather keep the other characters at arm’s length than live his final month or so in good company. He really is that ruined for other people. With time and patience, he could become as open as Nagito is, but the game simply doesn’t have that time to give at this point. And that, I suspect, is the cause for the trouble you have with his character and not Nagito’s. Akechi isn’t allowed to be a person for very long. Anger, hostility and fear trickle through as unadulterated sadism, because we aren’t privy to his whole side of things as thoroughly as we could be. 

 With regard to the Shido thing, I kind of read that as a rare moment of his emotions getting the better of him. He’d always wanted to get back at his father for abandoning him and his mother. Make him pay for the hellscape of a life he trapped them in. Much like Joker, he’s met with a perceived injustice, and he wants to right it via his own means. Of course, whether what he’s doing is “right” is up for debate, but I digress. To find out that Shido knew who he was all along and was still, after all this time, willing to discard his own son must’ve hurt. To realise he never stood a chance, for his life’s work to suddenly become nothing. You know, the whole “My expectations were low, but HOLY FUCK” thing? The game puts a heavy emphasis on Rotten Adults failing kids, but with his charm and sophistication, it can be easy to forget that Akechi is one of those failed kids too. I think he reacted like a child because, deep down, he is: a child fueled by a childish anger, and that’s why the game doesn’t condemn him the way it does Shido himself. There’s this implicit hopefulness that, through atonement and support, Akechi could change himself. Become a better person. But, because of his terrible, horrible, bad, bad father, he’s once again robbed of a chance of a better life, and it’s all he can do to make sure he doesn’t drag others down further than he has with his bad choices. 

 Yeah, I’m not too fond of the Sacrifice As Redemption trope, either. I would have preferred a proper character arc. But, I do think it demonstrates an ability to be selfless and contrite, if not a willingness. Stripped of his dreams and left with nothing, he really could have done anything in that moment. And he did That. 

 Of course, it’s possible that my interpretation of Akechi is a little charitable, do bear that in mind. I have a weakness for these types of characters, and my perception may well be biased. Due to my experience with other complex characters (like Nagito), I kind of just want to see the best brought out in him. (What can I say? I grew up shows like Avatar, complicated characterisation and quality redemption arcs Do It for me.) That said, it’s not at all invalid to find Akechi’s arrogance, selfishness and disregard for others offputting, with or without a reason for him to be such. The way he exists in his story vis-à-vis the whole foil thing I discussed in my last post is similar to Nagito’s role, and they share a lot of characteristics that are fun to discuss. But they are, ultimately, different characters. It’s okay to feel wildly different about them. 

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Maxie & Archie

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Generation VI of Pokemon had many flaws, and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are arguably inferior to Emerald in many regards, but one thing is for sure: the remakes took two of the worst, most idiotic villains in the entire franchise and made them into interesting, likable characters. The original Maxie and Archie had the most needlessly nonsensical plans imaginable, resorting to ludicrous acts of eco-terrorism for ridiculously stupid goals; in the remakes, their reasoning is expanded upon and instead of merely being the poor man’s Team Rocket, Archie and Maxie and their respective teams became respectable and engaging antagonists.

Motivation/Goals: In the original games, well, let’s just say that these two had some of the stupidest plans imaginable. Archie wanted to flood the world with water so that people and Pokemon could live together, and Maxie wanted to expand the landmasses for a similar reason. The thing is, there plans make absolutely zero sense, particularly the part with the meteor and the volcano. It makes even less sense for Archie, but with Maxie it’s just dumb as all hell. How do you expect to expand the landmass by erupting a volcano in the middle of the continent, ding-dong?! But again, Archie isn’t much better, because he’s clearly not thinking through the ramifications of flooding the planet and expanding the seas. These two are morons no matter what way you slice it.

Thankfully, the remakes polish their motivations and refine them, while still keeping them as eco-terrorists so you don’t feel too bad about thwarting them. Archie wants to return the world to nature, acting as a force of vengeance against the people who have encroached on Pokemon habitats and polluted the sea; meanwhile, Maxie wants to expand the landmasses to further humanity’s progress at the expense of Pokemon, with him viewing peaceful coexistence as foolish and something that holds humanity back. These are pretty complex and interesting arguments that they put forth, but again, this is a children’s RPG series, so they’re eco-terrorists you gotta defeat before they destroy the world. At the very least, the remakes do show that as misguided as the two are, they’re still pretty noble and more well-intentioned than other villains in the franchise.

Personality: It’s not even worth going over the originals, because they’re pretty flat, bland characters who are just there to be the boss you fight to progress the story. There are some elements that got recycled into the remakes, such as their remorse over their terrorist actions as well as their genuine love for their Pokemon (as evidenced by the fact that both use Crobat), but that’s about it.

In the remakes, both are very distinct and fun characters. Archie is now a friendly foe, a buff and handsome pirate who is quite chummy with the player despite their opposition to him. It’s absolutely clear that he loves Pokemon, and apparently as children he and Shelly were even pals with Jirachi! He’s also pretty damn smart, seeing as he easily outmaneuvers Maxie at every turn in Alpha Sapphire. Maxie, while still courteous, is rather aloof and stoic, rarely showing emotion until he’s beaten in battle.While he doesn’t have quite as much going on as Archie, he still marks a nice contrast to the boisterous pirate by being a calm, collected scientist.

Final Fate: In the originals, both regret their actions upon seeing the destruction that Kyogre and Groudon unleash upon the Hoenn region, and return the orbs to Mt. Pyre to make amends. In the remakes it’s about the same, though they hand the orb to the player and will even join your side in battles in the Battle Maison after the Delta Episode comes to a close.

Best Scene: Obviously any battle with them, particularly the climactic battles in Emerald and the remakes. The original designs in general had pretty awesome showdowns during Gen VII’s Rainbow Rocket plotline as well.

Best Quote: These quotes, which handily sum up what they’re about:

"The land... It is the stage upon which humanity stands. The land exists so we humans might continue onward and upward, stepping into the future... For us to continue growing and evolving, humans require a grand stage upon which to stand. A land upon which we can stride forward... A land we can explore...develop...exploit... This is the basis for the growth of all human endeavor. That is why we, Team Magma, must increase the landmass of the world! Believe that this will lead to a future of eternal happiness for humanity... And consequently for all life!"

"The sea is an irreplaceable treasure for every living thing on this planet. But with our selfish extravagance, humanity dirties the great ocean, destroying this source of all life... Day by day, we're all destroying our most precious resource! If we humans suffer from our actions, well, maybe we'll end up getting what we deserve. But what about the Pokémon in our world? The Pokémon that no longer have a place to live because we stole and soiled their seas? The Pokémon that won't have a place to raise their young and watch them grow? We are creating a world in which innocent Pokémon suffer as a result of our actions... And that is something that I can't forgive! That's why I came to a decision, see? The foolish actions of my fellow humans, the seas we have blighted, nature itself... I will return everything to its unspoiled beginnings!"

I’m sure you can guess who said what.

Final Thoughts & Score: Archie and Maxie are relatively simple antagonists, but I think they played their roles well enough. As bad as their original versions were, they served as a nice step up from the more lowkey plots of Team Rocket and helped raise the stakes for the series, introducing teams that wanted to harness the powers of legendary Pokemon to destroy or reshape the world to their liking. And hey, even if the originals are pretty lame, at the very least in one alternate timeline their visions come true and they get to join up with Team Rainbow Rocket right before their deaths.

The versions from the remakes are easily the superior ones though, because not only do they fix the numerous idiotic flaws that the originals had in their plans, but they expand and add more flavor to the original characters while still maintaining the elements that worked about them in the first place. Archie is definitely the more impressive one; I find him to be a much more interesting and intriguing personality, especially because of his relationship with his cohorts and his mysterious childhood friendship with Jirachi. Remake Archie earns a nice 8/10 because of this.

Maxie, while a character I definitely find less fun than Archie, is still an incredibly solid antagonist and leagues better than his original iteration, so I think a 7/10 is warranted in his case. At any rate, both are better than the original white bread morons who antagonized the players of the Gen III games, who pretty handily earn a 4/10 each. They’re by no means the bottom of the barrel, but they’re idiotic schemes are so poorly planned that they make Captain Planet’s villains look like Mensa in comparison. Frankly their showing in the Rainbow Rocket plot is the only thing that keeps them from a 3, and even that’s a bit suspect because it isn’t the exact same Archie and Maxie of the Gen III games, just versions of those villains who succeeded.

Regardless, it’s hard to deny these two managed to get one of the most impressive glow-ups of the franchise after years of being overshadowed by the next generation’s villain.

[rolandfontana]

You Want Hope for U.S.-China Relations? Utah is the Gold Standard

With the U.S.-China relationship waffling between antagonistic and somewhat conciliatory (on the U.S. side), many are looking for a glimmer of hope. If there is hope for the U.S.-China relationship, and for returning to increased global economic integration, it will come from Utah in this and the next generation. Why?

Utah’s Roots Reveal Its Desire to Embrace the World

Brigham Young, Utah’s first governor, is famous for stating that Utah would one day welcome the world to its state. That statement has been baked into the ethos of Utahns for generations, from both religious and economic perspectives. Utah hosted the world for the 2002 Winter Olympics and recently became one of two finalists for hosting the 2030 Winter Olympics. Utahns believe internationalism is key to their economic purpose: that being open and outward facing to the world makes Utah more competitive. Utah’s Governor’s Office of Economic Development hosts more than 60 diplomatic visits from up to 30 nations each year.

Utah Residents Speak 130 Languages, More Than Any Other State

Even though the state’s composition is 87% Caucasian, Utah resident speak 130 languages, which is more than any other state in the U.S., and 120 of those languages are spoken for business purposes. Many Utah residents and their family members have lived abroad for lengthy periods of time. They have learned the languages in-country and appreciate international cultures. As a result, they see the world’s citizens differently, not as outsiders who threaten their existence but as friends to embrace and with whom to do business.

Utah’s Schoolchildren Are Learning Foreign Languages in Dual Immersion Programs

Utah is home to 3.2 million people, which is less than 1% of the U.S. population, but its schoolchildren comprise 20% of those in Mandarin dual language immersion programs nationwide.

Utah’s many residents who speak foreign languages have pushed for more internationalism in their schools, wanting to provide more opportunities for their children to be competitive internationally in their future careers. In 2008 the Utah Senate created the Critical Language Bill with the support of then-Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. (who is fluent in Mandarin from time spent in Taiwan as a young man). The primary sponsor of the bill, then-Senator Howard Stephenson, had traveled to China and determined Utah should be the vanguard state in producing school age children  fluent in Chinese and other foreign languages. Utah’s dual language program was born out of those efforts. Utah initially aimed to have 30,000 children in its dual language programs by 2015, and that goal was met in 2014. This year there are over 53,000 students enrolled. Children in the dual language immersion programs begin in first grade, where they spend half their school days learning in Chinese, German, French, Portuguese, Spanish, or Russian in one of 224 school programs. The dual language immersion program has never been tainted by political concerns. Utah’s legislative and executive branches have been in sync in their desire to have Utah’s children stand out among their peers. Utah is home to 3.2 million people, which is less than 1% of the U.S. population, but its schoolchildren comprise 20% of those in Mandarin dual language immersion programs nationwide. As these children mature and enter the workforce (the first class graduated high school in May 2019), they will have nearly earned a minor in the foreign language they have been speaking since they were in elementary school.

Utah’s Companies, its Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), and World Trade Center Utah Are Export-Focused

Recently I sat down with Miles Hansen, the CEO of World Trade Center Utah. We discussed Utah’s continued optimism regarding U.S.-China and U.S.-everywhere international relations. Like the rest of us, he acknowledged concerns with the effects of the trade war, but he remained optimistic about Utah companies’ abilities to continue to thrive and be resilient in China and elsewhere. When I asked him if Utah is still the “belle of the ball” vis-à-vis most other states, he confirmed that Utah’s economic growth continues to be a topic of conversation among state economic development agencies and that international trade plays a significant role in Utah’s success. Utah, known as the “Crossroads of the West”, is positioning itself further to be a logistics hub for domestic and international trade, adding an inland port that is expected to be completed in the coming years. Utah is one of the few states in the U.S. with a trade surplus, which is why Vice President Mike Pence recently visited Utah to speak about USMCA (NAFTA 2.0).

On May 11, the day after tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports were raised to 25% from 10%, I attended the Utah-China Trade and Investment Forum in Salt Lake City. This event was co-sponsored by World Trade Center Utah (WTCU) and China’s Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC) and was the culmination of months of coordination on both sides. I was amazed to see over 85 Chinese government officials present, including Xu Xueyuan, Minister from the PRC Embassy in Washington, D.C., the #2 diplomat from China to the United States. Speeches were given in English and Chinese, with real time translations into both languages and a host of university students providing real-time translation for face to face interactions among attendees. Other notable Chinese attendees included the Deputy Secretary General from Jiangxi Province, the Vice Mayor of Yancheng Municipal Government in Jiangsu Province, the Deputy Secretary General of the China Chamber of International Commerce, the President of the US-China Guangdong Chamber of Commerce, and the General Representative in the US for the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). The forum definitely had some tension in the air, but the Chinese delegation seemed to recognize that subnational cooperation (Chinese Provinces to U.S. States and trade group interactions) was the best hope for two national governments at each other’s throats.

Key Utah companies with international ties enthusiastically welcomed the Chinese delegation. The President of the Utah Jazz discussed the importance of the Chinese market to the NBA. doTERRA’s head of International Market, China, South Asia described doTERRA’s entry into the China market in 2014 and its desire for continued growth and connection to Chinese consumers. doTERRA’s head of Global Communications, Government Relations, discussed her three children who are in a Chinese language dual immersion program. USANA’s Executive VP of China (who speaks Chinese), and a President of NU SKIN Enterprise Groviv Systems all spoke in extremely warm terms (NU SKIN’s general counsel, who attended but didn’t speak at the event, is fluent in Mandarin). Val Hale from Utah’s GOED encouraged the delegation by stating, “We are excited and prepared to do business with China” and “You are welcome in Utah.”

Utah Continues to Lead Other U.S. States in Economic Development

Utah’s economic accolades in recent years are hard to ignore:

#1 Best Performing Large City (Milliken Institute 2019)

#2 Best Place in America to Start a Business (Inc. 2019)

#2 Best Economy (U.S. News & World Report 2019)

#2 State for Small Business Lending (Lendio 2019)

#3 Best Economy (24/7 Wall Street 2019)

#4 Top State for Business (CNBC 2019)

#1 State for Private Sector Job Growth (State Policy Report 2018)

#1 State for Entrepreneurs (Amazon 2018)

#1 State for the Middle Class (SmartAsset 2018)

#2 Best State for Business (Forbes 2018)

#2 Best State to Start a Business (WalletHub 2018)

#1 State for Upward Mobility (Bloomberg 2017)

#1 Broadband Speeds in Western U.S. (Akamai 2017)

Jon Huntsman, Jr. is Returning Home to Utah

Jon Huntsman, Jr. is returning home to Utah after serving a two-year stint as U.S. ambassador to Russia. Huntsman is a towering political and economic figure in Utah. He previously served as ambassador to Singapore (1992-1993) and China (2009-2011). He was the Utah governor who signed off on Utah’s dual language immersion program. He is fluent in Mandarin and has probably picked up some Russian by now. He could run again for governor of Utah or maybe even President of the U.S. He’s a spry 59 and he has a lot of energy left to devote to Utah’s economic growth and ambitions.

Utah’s businesses are engaging with the world, and Utah is preparing tens of thousands of its schoolchildren to do the same. Where Utah leads, other states will follow, and if they don’t, it will be Utah’s students leading the future U.S. workforce in global trade and international relations.

You Want Hope for U.S.-China Relations? Utah is the Gold Standard syndicated from https://immigrationattorneyto.wordpress.com/