#Grea Developments

[gera-winds-of-joy]

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[destinywillowleaf]

@lorekeeper-backset honestly i'm a sucker for "take the protagonist but alter their design to fit your version of the story" and the contrast between Mare and Quartz is kind of hilarious

like they both started as May but then ran in WILDLY different directions (and still somehow both of them have forms of daddy issues...)

[also the image is transparent ;)]

[oveliagirlhaditright]

So, I was tagged in a "Top 10 Favorite TV shows" post a little while back, and I've sadly lost it (even though I really wanted to do it!):( And thank you to who tagged me in the post. I think it was @i-love-books-because-reasons? If I ever find the post again, I'll reblog it properly. But for now, I'll just answer it this way. (For some reason, I've decided not to included animes or cartoons, because no one did in their lists. Maybe that will be its own list. Or "younger shows," like Disney channel ones. But if I did, Lizzie McGuire would have made it:))

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Series (though I'll be listing them separately) - have become my favorite shows of all-time (though they're also slightly tied with Dark Angel). They're just... so good and perfect, with such good writing and themes, and I could analyze and obsess over them for hours (and have), so of course they're here.

2. Angel the Series (mentioned above). - Though it and Buffy aren't exactly like. They're definitely their own shows and I love them both for different reasons.

3. Dark Angel season 1 - I just really latched onto Dark Angel, and have never been able to let it go... which is funny, because I didn't like it that much in the first few episodes: probably because they really went over my head as a kid. -shrugs- But I love my reluctant, badass heroine Max and how she grows. Speaking of Max? Love of my life. The love story between her and Logan is still one of the best written in all of TV to me. And the relationship between Max and her "siblings"--and just learning about this poor girl created in a lab, who had never even been in a house before when she was nine and things like that--has always spoken to me. The "fight the man" and "protect the downtrodden" plot is also great.

4. Tru Calling - It's thanks to my sister that I discovered this awesome show, and Eliza Dushku. The premise is just so wonderful: Tru having the ability to relive days and save people who died before their time. And whenever the show threw a wrench into the usual formula was fun. Particularly when Jack showed up, who was the opposite of Tru: trying to stop her actions, because he thought she was messing with the natural order of things and there would be disastrous consequences to it. The show was really finding its footing when it was canceled. And what the writers released of their plans for what they were going to do next? I cry that we didn't get to see that. But alas.

Smallville - Baby's first show for teens and up:) I have so many fond memories of discovering Smallville... and rewatching the episodes again and again with friends, and between new seasons. Also, watching new episodes when they aired. I feel like the idea of Smallville was great: tell the story of Superboy growing up on a TV show. It worked so well: and made so many people connect with Clark Kent/Superman, who otherwise might have trouble with it. It developed him and his relationships so well... and we won't talk about how well Lex Luthor was also developed (and played by Michael Rosenbaum): the best part of the show to many people. And how genius it was to have them start out the show as friends only to become the enemies they were fated to be. -sobs- Also, as it's been said, we wouldn't have the Arrowverse if Smallville hadn't come first. So credit where credit is due. And speaking of that, this was the time before the MCU and that sort of thing. So seeing hero cameos on this show was so shocking, new, and the best.

Alias - The first badass female heroine I ever saw on live-action TV--and fell in love with--was Sydney Bristow (aside from Xena: Warrior Princess, that I don't remember that well, because I was, like, five when I was watching Xena). Also my introduction to the wacky world of J.J. Abrams' writing. And as wacky as J.J. Abrams can get, and we all know it, I think he did a good job with Alias, and was pretty nuanced and tame here. There was just enough of his Mystery Box stuff to keep me intrigued, in this interesting spy story that I loved. And Sydney Bristow is seriously the greatest, and deserves the world. And Alias actually has one of the few TV endings that I actually like, for the most part.

Kyle XY - Another show similar to Dark Angel, in that it's about a human made in a lab (though that's a mystery for most of S1). And I really liked this show--and its main family the Tragers. Definitely one of the best things ABC Family ever did... and I'll forever be angry that it ended on a cliffhanger.

Roswell - A TV show about what if aliens did crash in Roswell, and lived among us as half-aliens, half-humans. This show is definitely largely a romance, but there's definitely more to it than just that: with some battles with other aliens, the aliens trying to get home, and stay alive from the government trying to kill them, etc. Maily it's the characters and their various relationships that make this show so great. It's certainly a product of its time, early 90's WB, but I'm nostalgic for it and love it too much. And we wouldn't have a number of shows we do today without it. Liz and Maria also have one of the best female friendships of all time. And this show is another one where I actually like the ending.

The Chosen - A TV show that tells what Jesus' ministry was like through the disciples' PoV. And I can't explain just how well made this show is. Seriously. People who aren't even religious watch it and love it. People have compared its quality to Game of Thrones... err, in a good way (I know that can be considered an insult now, after S8). This is what all Christian media should always attempt to be.

Bonus:

Dollhouse - The idea of this show is really neat (with people who have their memories and personalities wiped, and someone else's placed into them, when they're "bought" to live out someone's fantasy), but also hella problematic... though, granted, it's sort of problematic on purpose to draw attention to these problems in real life, but still. This show also becomes completely different by the end, than how it started out (I actually love this plot twist, and won't spoil it for those who don't know). But sadly, it didn't have too much to delve into this twist before it was canceled. But I do still love this show for what it did, and all the potential it had.

Game of Thrones - I loved this show so much, originally. As most people did. But then it really started going downhill when it ran out of books to adapt. Even before that, though, you could kind of see the cracks, with how they changed Daenerys so much... Or how they changed Robb Stark's marriage plot line from being about honor (like how Ned died) to love, etc. But even so, we still (mostly) have a few really good seasons, at least.

[sullyeduc5103blog]

Last, but not least!

Group 6: Boosting Student Motivation - Bola & Marie

Bola and Marie wrapped up our student-led presentations with a bang! Their presentation covered some tools to make our classrooms more engaging that made educational use of popular technology applications. From Duolingo to Minecraft, they expertly showed us how to make applications work for us in the education system, which again aligns with the Five Pillars of Online Pedagogy, which calls upon us to allow students to develop mastery of tools and use what they know to demonstrate learning.

I often do not like breakout rooms. Forced discussions often end up with me doing most of the work, usually as the only one with their video and audio on. It is more isolating than collaborating. However, the breakout room I was in was likely the most helpful group I have had yet. We were tasked with discussing Duolingo, and I expressed that my knowledge extended only so far as my kids' obsession with maintaining their streak. This opened the dialogue for others to share that they did not use it, and they asked questions about my children. I shared that it is motivating; they like to compete, and most of our family fights are over, one or more needing to “Save my Streak!!!!” precisely at bedtime. A classmate asked if I had noticed an improvement in oral language acquisition, and I shared a story with them. My wife has taken our kids to her school, where someone who speaks Spanish would be. She thought they could try out their knowledge, and while they were great at their “canned” phrases, moving beyond the common conversational phrases was unsuccessful. The learning extended as far as knowledge about words and memorized phrases. A classmate shared that his friend was obsessed with the platform and had a streak 4 times the length the streak my kids had, and said he also had limited ability in open dialogue format. Fun fact: when I shared this with my teenage son, he vehemently denied it and said he could speak fluently to anyone. I laughed. Not my best parenting moment, but honestly, his viewpoint is inaccurate.

We took our discussion back to the larger class, and we all echoed the same sentiment. These tools are great as additional educational components but cannot replace learning. They are great for precisely the topic of this presentation - Boosting Student Motivation. They cannot take the place of education.

[delucat]

25 Questions About Bloody Painter

1. Birthday? Height? Physique?

Born on October 1, 1980, under the Libra sign.

In the current storyline, he's about 26 years old.

He stands 178 cm tall with a well-built physique.

2. Favorite food and drink?

He loves sweets and cocoa; basically, he enjoys all kinds of chocolate.

In all official works, the brown drink you see him consuming is not coffee but cocoa.

3. What kind of scent does he have?

He uses perfume to mask the smell of formalin used in specimen preparation or the rusty smell of blood.

His preferred scent is oceanic.

4. His MBTI?

INTJ.

5. Preferred clothing style?

He likes simple and sleek outfits, often wearing colors in calm tones.

Also, the blue jacket he usually wears isn’t a trench coat; it’s a suit jacket.

6. Does he smoke or drink?

He doesn't smoke or drink because he finds the smell of smoke pungent and dislikes the bitter taste of alcohol.

If he has to drink, he prefers fruity soda-like alcohol or sweet cocktails that barely taste like alcohol (he has childlike taste preferences). His alcohol tolerance is average.

7. Does he listen to music? What genre?

He listens to almost anything and becomes particularly interested in music with unique styles from an artistic appreciation standpoint.

8. How does he kill?

He's a clean freak and dislikes making a mess at crime scenes.

His methods focus on easy cleanup, avoiding unnecessary torture of his victims.

9. Does he cook for himself? What type of dishes does he usually make?

He’s good at household chores and can prepare common Western dishes.

10. Favorite color?

Blue.

11. Does he watch TV shows or movies? What genres does he like?

Yes, he enjoys anything with innovative themes or visual techniques.

However, he dislikes romance dramas because he can't understand or relate to love, which makes them boring for him.

12. Is he a light or heavy sleeper?

He’s a night owl and a light sleeper, which causes his prominent dark circles.

13. When does he wear gloves?

He only wears gloves when handling objects or when he doesn’t want to leave fingerprints.

14. Preferred medium for painting?

For his public art, he prefers oil paints for oil paintings.

As for those darker pieces, he might mix in victims' blood or other substances.

15. Does he smile when he’s in a good mood?

Yes, but it’s rare for anyone to see it. Also, when he’s shy, he tries to hide his emotions by looking away, but his flushed cheeks and ears give him away.

16. Regarding character pairings?

In the 2018 version update, all pairings with other authors' OCs were removed to keep his story realistic. He is currently single.

However, fans are free to create any pairings in their fanworks.

17. Defining trait?

Selfishness.

18. Sexual orientation?

He identifies as agender, meaning he doesn’t feel tied to any particular gender. His attraction to others is based purely on his mood and feelings.

To put it simply, he doesn’t care about gender.

Also, agender ≠ asexual; he still has sexual desires but finds it difficult to develop intimate relationships due to his cautious nature (which likely means he's still a virgin).

19. In terms of intimacy?

He behaves gently and gentlemanly, but he has a deep-seated violent streak.

If his partner consents, he may become more dominant and leave marks, enjoying the sense of control.

20. Does he have possessiveness towards his partner?

Yes, but he respects his partner, so he wouldn’t try to control or limit them.

However, it’s clear when he’s jealous!

21. What was his childhood like?

He suffered severe mental abuse from his controlling mother, leaving him psychologically shattered, though his body bears no signs of physical abuse.

For more details, refer to the 2018 version story animation: https://youtu.be/AaHgY62-ggI

22. Would he make a good father?

Since he never experienced a normal family life, he doesn’t believe he would be a good father and doesn’t aspire to become one.

He thinks, "The world doesn’t need another me." However, he would make a great older brother or mentor.

23. Ethnicity and nationality?

The official story doesn’t specify his nationality, but he is ethnically white.

24. Is he really afraid of cockroaches?

He’s not afraid of insects and even makes insect specimens.

His fear of cockroaches stems more from his germaphobia than the insect itself, as he perceives them as dirty creatures.

25. Any other tidbits?

● He values manners, so he avoids cursing. Still, in moments of stress, he might accidentally let out a quiet curse. 

● When he’s alone and relaxed or happy, he hums to himself.

=================================== 

Do you have any more questions about Bloody Painter?

Feel free to ask in the comments, and I’ll reply when I have time!

[butchvaderkin]

vader and disability: a complex narrative

there’s lots of writing about disabled vader which you should go read if you're going to listen to anything i'm saying about it, because i am canonically just some guy and opinions vary, as they should. every vader disability analysis i’ve read rightfully establishes the problematic aspects of disability representation in the star wars canon, most notably the use of disfigurement, amputation, and medical tech as signifiers for vader's evil, particularly in the OT, as well as in the climax of ROTS. this is obviously an essential critique: disability as a shorthand for evil is a deeply harmful trope dating back...well, about as far back as people have hated disabled people. so....a while.

however, the discourse i’ve read struggles to go much deeper than 'disabled villain bad.' this feels like a missed opportunity, given that vader is not a one-dimensional villain or a simple boogie man but a complex character with six full-length films centered on his development and arc. we can acknowledge the harmful implications of this trope and also ask: is there more to unpack here? given that darth vader is one of the most iconic characters in movie history, and he's also disabled, is it not worth our time?

like a lot of star wars discourse, vader disability discourse tends to reject the ways in which lucas complicated his own narrative in the prequel trilogy. anakin's evil is more often framed as internally motivated and absolute: he turns evil, then he turns disabled to reflect this internal state, upholding the harmful trope. anakin's experience of medicalization and pathologization from TPM onwards are left out of the analysis. his in-universe experience of disability and ableism is flattened. lucas' own stated intention of illustrating anakin's victimhood is denied.

this is one of the central schisms at the heart of star wars discourse: whether to accept or reject anakin's victimhood. i would argue that this is inherently bound up in his status as a disabled character. disabled victims, especially imperfect disabled victims, are almost never represented in this way: as the central pillars of their own stories and collaborators in their own end. 

so yes, ultimately both the depiction of vader, of anakin, and the popular response to his characterization are products of an ableist society. that ouroboros is undeniable. however, in our ableist society, disabled characters (and people) are more than anything treated as disposable, adjacent, unnecessary. in this sense, anakin breaks the mold and is punished for it, both within his own story and by those who consume it. he cannot be both a victim and a perpetrator, a disabled hero and a disabled villain, because people struggle to extend that much range of humanity to disabled people. it must be a mess up. the writing got it wrong. is this really george lucas' failure to represent disability in the appropriate way? or is this just who we are? what we expect to see?

as i mentioned above, vader disability discourse also tends to flatten anakin's experience of disability. there's an assumption that anakin doesn't really experience any in-universe impacts of his disabilities, that they exist only as a visual signifier to us, the audience, of his internal evil. but reading anakin as disabled in-universe only strengthens his arcs in both his trilogies. why should i, a disabled viewer, reject that reading? why should we assume the galaxy far far away is not subject to the social model of disability too?

the social model of disability argues that disability isn't a fixed or objective state, but rather a circumstance which arises due to social barriers and attitudes. this runs counter to the medical model of disability, which holds disability as an individual biological problem that can either be cured or not. obviously, many disabled people live with incurable medical diagnoses -- the social model of disability doesn't deny that. rather, it argues that greater harm is caused by the social and structural response to disabling diagnoses than by the diagnoses themselves.

if the viewer rejects the idea that anakin experiences negative impacts from his disabilities, they may also reject the idea that there was any structural failure on the part of the jedi, or any active manipulation on the part of palpatine. the fact that disabled children are often failed, neglected, or actively abused, and that this treatment may exacerbate the harm these same children later cause to themselves, their relationships, and their communities, well.....it's not really something people enjoy talking about. the harm that anakin causes from his own choices does not negate a disability reading, just as a disability reading doesn’t negate the harm he causes. disabled people can and do cause harm. disabled people can be both complicit in destructive systems as well as victimized by them. by reducing anakin’s disabilities to a simple visual shorthand for evil and denying the ways they impact him in-universe, viewers can uphold a simplistic reading of the saga in which good and evil are organic absolutes, uncomplicated by systemic and social failures. not only does this ignore the more interesting elements of lucas’ storytelling choices, it misses the opportunity for reclamation and deeper analyses of complex disability narratives. 

as a rebuttal, i would argue that anakin's disabilities create experiences of medicalization, pathologization, objectification, and dehumanization for the entirety of his arc.

anakin's first experience with the jedi is one of medicalization. as a plot device, the midi-chlorians are hated by many, but they tie explicitly into this medicalization reading. anakin's blood is drawn and analyzed by qui gon. he is brought in to a panel of experts who test him and analyze the results. he's simultaneously told that his readings are off the charts and that he can't be helped, he can't be trained. he can't be fixed.

anakin's subsequent "acceptance" into the jedi temple is tinged by constant pathologization. it doesn't really matter how viewers diagnose anakin, wherever on the spectrum of mental/emotional/cognitive/developmental disability, many readings may work. what's clear is that anakin's emotional experience is viewed as abnormal by the people around him. anakin can't control his emotional reactions to the degree the jedi expect and require, and this earns him distrust and active disdain. basic human needs like validation, affection, and respect are denied to him, with this neglect sometimes framed as a direct response to his unwanted compulsive emotional behaviors. in truth, anakin doesn't need a diagnosis from our world; he is experiencing the disabling stigma of such a diagnosis, in his world, either way.

as his arc progresses, vaderkin's life is increasingly informed by physical disability. he becomes a burn victim and a quadruple amputee. while it's not really explicit in the movies, supplemental materials suggest that vader's use of cyborg limbs and breathing equipment make others in the imperial bureaucracy relate to him as less-than-human. he's seen as more object than person, half-man, half-machine. again, it's hard to separate creator ableism out from the in-universe ableism we may be searching for. do vader's prosthetics make him inhuman because lucas holds them as such? or is the objectification and loss of agency vader experiences through his physical disability part of his victimhood? has this framing shifted throughout the history of canon?

in his final form, vader is heavily disabled, dependent on medical technology to stay alive. the sound of his mechanized breathing is one of the most recognizable elements of his character. i would never criticize someone for taking issue with the stigmatizing aspects of this depiction, the problems inherent in equating medical tech use with a lack of humanity. but we can also interpret this through the lens of in-universe ableism. vader's suit was never designed to be an actual adaptive accommodation. instead, it's a form of control and torture which he didn’t explicitly choose for himself. in this sense, anakin is again a victim of medicalization, a curative model of disability which seeks to return the disabled person to a useful participant in the system, or else discard them.

and although anakin removes his mask at the end of his life, none of the choices that allow for his redemption are negated by his disabilities. it is that same disabled man in the suit who throws down palpatine, not a physically "restored" version of his "better" self. again, vader breaks the mold of the disabled villain trope, his complex personhood ultimately upheld in spite of the systemic violence he has experienced and perpetuated.

so yes, in spite of the ableism which has shaped anakin's story, both within and without of his own universe....in the end, i find anakin's disabled humanity at the center of it all. <3

[darkrooklobby]

🦜Apollo Justice trilogy (the rant/analysis)🎵✨

Welcome! Allow me to specify what this rant is about:

The game, Apollo Justice (2007 - 2008)

The characters (Apollo, Phoenix, and the Gavin brothers)

The wasted potential (i.e. the other games) (I'm most familiar with AA1-4 the others i've briefly looked at)

Just angry thoughts at 3am

[⚠️SPOILERS FOR APOLLO JUSTICE + TRILOGY!⚠️]

[also the ⚪bulleted points⚪ are facts, the rest is my subjective yapping]

Before I begin my rant, here's some basic information about the game's development:

It's the last game directed by Shu Takumi. The rest of the trilogy is directed by his assistant (Takeshi Yamazaki) meanwhile Shu was busy with the Professor Layton crossover + The great ace attorney.

Capcom literally demanded to insert Phoenix into the game. Shu was against putting Phoenix in, feeling that his story has already come to a natural conclusion, stating, "I felt that Phoenix's story had been told, and that the series should not continue. Knowing when to end a story is very important and I wanted to avoid dragging it out and having it become a shadow of its former self." (Takumi)

In the end, Shu was forced to put Phoenix in, and we got hobo Phoenix, or as I like to call him, Beanix.

Okay so, a brief pause. From what we already know, there is a conflict of interests during development. We have a small group of artists that did a small project called ✨Ace Attorney✨ and then the corporate realized they're sitting on a goldmine. Capcom did not want their mascot, their cash cow, Phoenix Wright, to go just yet. Shu (who wanted a fresh start, and creative freedom) was torn, his team was torn between letting Phoenix go and bringing him in, and you notice that in the game as it goes back and forth. It goes between Phoenix being a main character, interfering, or disappearing for long periods of time. It was on and off, just like their arguments - corporate vs. creative freedom, old vs. the new.

It creates an... odd atmosphere throughout the game. This indecision and forcefulness. Opinions vary 🙃

The corporate unfortunately won. We had Phenix back, not in his former glory, but as a character. (Result? Apollo feels less like a protagonist, suffering, feeling irrelevant in his own game. Not always, of course! But most of the time...)

Facts continue! Apollo Justice (AA4) is the last game with 2D sprites, with some rare 3D elements. (Like Cheeto Klavier🧡)

btw, here's some name puns and meanings:

Apollo is literally named after the god of truth.

"Klavier" means "Piano" in German 🎹 - his Japanese name, Kyoya, means, "to echo/resound".

Kristoph's Japanese name, Kirihito (霧人), when reversed (人斬り - hitokiri) literally translates to "the killer".

Trucy's name pun, Trucy Wright, is supposed to sound like "see-through" (tru-through cy-see)

Lamiror = mirror, Wocky Kitaki = Walkie-Talkie, Drew Misham = Draw-me-a-sham, etc.

Okay, so. About the 1️⃣first case1️⃣: It's a widely accepted opinion that the first trial is the best one, and it's hard to disagree. It's a completely new thing (almost as if Shu was planning on starting an entirely new trilogy without Phenix Wright! Can you imagine?!--) and because the first trial is so good, with a great twist and a fun conclusion, other trials pale in comparison. Let's see, we have a new quirky protagonist (he's fine) a gentleman for a mentor (a character with depth, as we will come to know) a fallen attorney with shady history (Mr. Phenix Wright) along a complex, yet understandable, mystery. What is lovely about the first case is that it makes you think just enough, the trial flows nicely for the sub-plot to come out, and the twist is perfect.

Of course, I imagine that Japanese players might have seen the twist coming a bit earlier, looking at Kristoph's name-pun, but all-in-all it's a great start! The question is - is it a great start for the new franchise that Shu wanted to make? Is it a great start for Apollo as an attorney and as a character? ...Or, is it a great start, for the old greedy company to push good old Phoenix back into spotlight and collect more money? 🤔🤔🤔

Here's some facts about the direction the game hoped to take:

The game delved into darker themes on purpose, like a "grown up" version of Ace attorney for the next generation. It was hoping to shift the tone from the previous three games more towards realism. (AA1 was a bit comedic, we cross-examined a parrot, the crimes were less complex compared to AA3. With AA4, the idea was to make AA3 but better.) It tried to set Apollo as a more independent lawyer, trusting no one, without any mentor (like Mia in previous games) coming back every other case.

With the first case, Apollo becomes independent in a sense, but... well.

Apollo basically third-wheeled in Phoenix/Kristoph divorce. That's basically what happened in that trial. Somehow, we managed to shift all the attention from Apollo's character growth into these two men. Apollo's independent now because he got left alone in the trash while the AA team tries to figure out what the fuck to do with Phoenix and how to shove the whole thing together.

The entire game was made with the idea of change, a fresh start & fresh blood in mind! We don't get much character growth from the main characters AT ALL because, at some point in development, there was a decision made: They thought they will make a sequel. AA games so far relied on story continuity, chronological events, time passing, characters evolving, events making an impact on the characters, etc.

Apollo Justice, a beginning game of a trilogy, was written specifically in a way to have a sequel. There were things left unanswered for a reason. They took things slow, and the idea of the sequel was planned to go more into the Gramarye troupe, Gavin brothers, and Apollo's family. (Shu even had an entire backstory written for the Gavin brothers, but it was scrapped by the new team) (I'll get into it later.) This was also the reason why the game had potential, but never went all the way. The plot was more complex, and was made specifically with a direct continuation in mind, which never came to pass. We instead got... an entire rework. (again, i'll get into it later 😂)

Some art facts, since i'm an artist: They were thinking over a few variants of the character designs before they settled on the current ones. They wanted to have a protagonist more energetic than Phoenix, more blunt, an idealist, less bluffing, like a new generation kid kinda-thing. Apollo has distinct spiky hair, is different, is less tall, has a wide forehead... did you know, the design team had a few designs with different forehead wide-nesses? Wild. Apollo's color scheme is Godot's inverted, and as far away from Phoenix's dark blue design as possible (gee I wonder why...)

(Also, the Gavin brothers originally had two mirrored pointy hair-swirls, resembling pharaoh head covers, and I think that's dope as hell)

Either way, you must admit that the designs for this game are more detailed, colorful, animated, and beautiful. Honestly!!! 💖 The art direction did splendidly, and I'm glad at least that aspect wasn't affected by the disagreements of the company vs. writers :)

Fun fact: The game sold well, actually. Back in the day, people were into original ideas, instead of everything getting a live-action remake nobody asked for, an animated reimagining, and an unnecessary second part. (...Can you tell I'm dissing Disney? You can.)

Now that I'm at a point where I can speak of continuations, let's see what happened: The game released as is. It had a story, sometimes a bit awkward because of the team vs. company disagreements being physically felt through the script. People bought it and the fandom was immediately split down the middle into various factions. (Again, I was young, but this point of contention is strong even today.)

People who liked the new ideas, characters, and plot, and liked Phoenix Wright being there.

People who liked the new ideas, characters, and plot, but disliked Phoenix Wright's presence. (my stance right now)

People who disliked the new things because they wanted the same old Phoenix Wright games. They wanted everything that has already concluded, to continue. (my stance 6 years ago - Since it wasn't believable that a guy like Phoenix Wright, with so many friends, would end up like this. It was so unrealistic to me, so odd, that I refused to see this game as canonical. Literal denial 🥲🥲🥲)

People who disliked the game despite being ready for new content, just because.

Next up, 7 YEARS PASS.

Yup. The disagreement, the dissatisfaction from the creators vs. company, split fan reactions, despite a fine profit, caused a change of direction, and a rift. Characters and story-lines forgotten. Literally.

The next entries after Apollo Justice don't mention the events of it -because of a company-enforced "no spoiler/connection" restrictions. Capcom created the restriction to appeal to new fans, while not spoiling previous games so they might be compelled to play them. (Again, corporate wins over… continuity, this time.) - Which means the bare minimum of character growth and history we could have seen IS NOW GONE and will never be brought into relevancy again. (unless I missed something from the 3D games, in which case let me know.)

And we get a complete overhaul, while going back to the classic AA, but this time we get a new cast to focus on and begin again and we pretend Apollo Justice doesn't exist! (Rant number 4, here we go 🥴)

My main rant so far would be about wasted potential and creative differences. Yes, they weren't strong enough to do a clean break from the past (Capcom forcing Phoenix back, not letting him "die" even though his story concluded) Yes, there's wasted potential because character growth of the protagonist is stunted by greed and confusion (Capcom demands? Fine. Phoenix must be here to appeal to all fans, for all the money. Ok. Cool. We can't be creative anymore and original ideas are shunned! 2008? Bah, nothing has changed in 2024!) and yes, the game's story suffers because of this, despite being very pleasing to look at (the sprites & animations don't hit quite the same anymore.)

I'm not even gonna go into how Apollo was forgotten and suddenly he has four backstories because he failed to establish himself solid in his introductory game without a planned sequel, and Capcom was like "Oh shit this guy exists, um, what do we do" - while also refusing to address and build upon plot points existing in the main game: Apollo had history in court. He had a character building event of incarcerating his mentor. Apollo already had family, which hasn't told him anything yet. He had Trucy. He had a courtroom rival, which he promised to rid of darkness. He gained a new mentor, a shady one, who he punched to the face! He saw the dark side of the law. He saw the "dark age of the law". He saw a better way to do things and fix the system with a jury, which was used once and forgotten about. He had a goal. He had potential... - but then he has been rebuilt and redesigned four times, given things he already had and replaced them and Capcom pulled a nonexistent best friend out of their ass out of nowhere just to give Apollo fake-depth and use (i had to look him up) CLAY TERRAN as A ONE-OFF PLOT POINT and I HATE BAD WRITING LIKE THAT, MAKING A CHARACTER that's just there for that one purpose and---🤬

I'm also not gonna go into the fact that a case-specific NPC gets more character growth than the main cast.

And I also won't rant about the 3D continuations of AA. All I'm gonna say is that, they shouldn't be under a name "Apollo Justice Trilogy" because, what the fuck happened to that guy. Who is he even? What? What game are you basing this on? Who?

The game was like a failed start to do something new... and not achieving it, stopping short of crossing the final line bravely.

This was 3 am. yapping, I hope to inspire discussion, roast my opinions I love to argue over nerdy shit 💖🥰💖

(sources: Ace Attorney Wiki, VGfacts, NezumiVA, AA_Facts on Twitter)

[mk-squid]

The Splatoon Base website got a new update! … well, it's been a while since it did, because I forgot that I needed to port this post to tumblr. Still, you probably haven’t heard about it yet. Because even though the website has an official English version, it is only ever talked about on the Japanese Splatoon account. Nintendo’s weird marketing decisions stike again.

So let’s take a look at what’s new. And if you’ve never heard about Splatoon Base at all, I’ll also give you a quick overview over the sections that were already there. ↓

The Splatoon Base is an official website that gives you an overview of the Splatoon world. Its main focus is on the worldbuilding as opposed to the gameplay aspects of the series. It has 7 sections:

Story summarizes the events from the extinction of humanity up until Return of the Mammalians

Character shows a relationship chart at the time of Splatoon 2 with short descriptions for each character

World lets you view Inkopolis Plaza and Inkopolis Square with short descriptions for each location

Fashion talks about weapons, gear, customization options and brands [section with the new update]

Music shows all the Splatoon bands and idols and lets you listen to a few select songs

Gallery includes key art from all games, also has a Splatfest, special events and graffiti section

History shows a timeline of Splatoon history, e.g. the releases of games and amiibo, events and updates

Before you run to go check it out, please keep in mind that this is Nintendo translating Splatoon lore, and we already know how that goes. The English version of the website has some major flaws and inaccuracies, such as mixed up names, unclear phrasing and straight up leaving things out. When Splatoon Base first released, I made a post about these mistakes on Instagram. It doesn't look like they have fixed any of them in the meantime and the portions of it that have been reuploaded to the Nintendo Today app still have the same translation errors. So here are the ones that I know about.

Information left out or changed: ● Crusty Sean wears clothing that has the deep-fried look (as opposed to this being his actual body) ● Judd was initially called “Judd” because of his fur pattern. He only later discovered his passion for judging Turf Wars ● while in ENG, Pearl received a copy of Manta Maria for her birthday, her dad gifted her the actual ship in the JP version ● the “drawing techniques” Marina practices are specified as “Kakeami” in the JP version, which is a special technique in drawing manga ● the reappliance of abilities using Ability Chunks requires Super Sea Snail shells ● Marina is described as “maiden in [romantic] love” in JP, the ENG version put “real sweetheart” there ● while the JP version mentiones that Flow likes alcohol and often gets drunk, the ENG version just says she likes “food and drink”

Very minor details: ● Sheldon asked Annie for help with decorating the weapons (in ENG, it isn’t specified who initiated it) ● it is mentioned in both versions that Pearl jumps from side to side. This is actually in the game: According to rassicas, she does it in Octo Expansion, but it was localized to “warming up vocal cords” in the English version of the game ● the JP version mentions that Bisk’s mature vibe is due to his long limbs ● Flow gives her customers the vibe of an older sister

Unclear phrasing: ● in Agent 4’s character page, the ENG version phrases it like Marie fought with Sheldon’s weapon prototypes against the Octarian army to save Callie, when it actually was Agent 4 who used the weapons made by Sheldon ● the Octarian character page says “diligently works to systematically keep the Octarians in line using music”, which seems to refer to Octavio instead of Octarians as a whole ● it’s hard to tell if the “close-up” part of the Octarian character page is supposed to refer to Octavio, the Octarians in general, or the Octostomp (“Possesses highly developed scientific technology, beginning with the Great Octoweapons. His tech capabilities are said to be a full 15 years ahead of the global average. He’s so completely focused on his mission that he’s totally unconcerned with his appearance.”) ● the very important part about Octarian reproduction is phrased in a way that can mean both “regular Octarians” and Octolings are cut off from a host. OR it can mean that the Octarians divide into “regular Octarians” that are cut off from a host and Octolings that are created in some other way. The JP version seems to impliy the latter.

Mistakes: ● in Marie’s charcter page, it says that Cap’n Cuttlefish recruited Agent 4 to save Callie, when it actually was Marie who recruited Agent 4 ● in the story section, there’s a part missing that’s supposed to say Inklings didn’t want to get up early. This doesn’t seem to be intentional since the sentence is also missing punctuation ● also in the story section, it says Agent 3 wins the battle against Agent 8 on the way to the surface. This is obviously the other way around. It might be due to auto translation, as Google Translate makes the very same mistake when translating the JP version of the site

Now that we got this out of the way: What was added in the latest update?

The Fashion section got updated with two subcategories: Weapons and Gear

Now you can take a look at all the different weapon categories and get information on the brands behind them. Since we don’t have any official names for some weapon brands, this would be exciting news… if they actually added these names. Instead, the captions only say “Weapon Brand”. Thanks, I guess.

But we still get some more detailed info on the brands.

Sorella ”A historic umbrella manufacturer with a slew of patents for waterproof materials and retraction mechanisms. Their jump into the weapons business was a total shock that shook up Turf War battles in a big way.”

The unnamed brand behind the Tri-Stringers “A Splatlands fishing supplier that decided to jump into weapon manufacturing. Their experience with crafting durable lines and sturdy, big-game fishing rods led to the invention of a groundbreaking weapon: the Tri-Stringer.”

Deco “A manufacturer that uses sports equipment like water tanks and drink servers in their designs. Their products tend to be light and durable, and they integrate those benefits into their weapons as well.”

Custom “This heavy industries company’s primary focus is steel. When it comes to heavyweight weapon designs like the Hydra Splatling and Explosher, they’re way ahead of the rest.”

Nouveau “An art supplies company with experience making and selling brushes. They broke into the weapons market with products like the Inkbrush and Octobrush, but today they produce non-bristled weapons like Splatlings and Splatanas too.”

Neo “A consumer electronics company that used its acquired knowledge to get into the weapons business. They have a reputation for sophisticated engineering and durability.” – This one is especially interesting since Neo is also a construction company, as can be seen on the construction signs in the game. Looks this company is established in multiple different sectors.

Ammo Knights “A weapons shop founded in Inkopolis that’s been around for a while. Their solid customer service and maintenance has earned them the trust of Inklings and Octolings alike. The owner, a true weapons fanatic, started creating his own products after getting his hands on some blueprints.”

Unnamed Dolphin brand “This company, known for its cleaning and plumbing products, based their distinctive logo on a marine creature that existed long ago.”

Foil “A manufacturer of leisure products with wide distribution channels and a mass-market focus. Because they dabble in toys and party goods as well, they’ve come up with some fun and unique special weapons like the Baller and Reefslider. “

Splat “An Inkopolis-based manufacturer that’s practically synonymous with Inkling and Octoling life. These veterans have been making weapons since the earliest days of Turf War, getting in the game early and pioneering new weapon fundamentals.”

Nintendo “A company that pivoted from home-leisure equipment to weapons manufacturing. Apparently, they lifted their logo and product designs from a bunch of thingamabobs that were dug up from an ancient stratum.”

Tentatek "An athleticwear company known worldwide for gear like the Tennis Headband and Blue Sea Slugs. After signing a famous player, they started branching out into weapons, resulting in products like the Light Tetra Dualies."

The Gear section shows off outfits with images from the past Catalogs. They also have descripons, but there is no lore here, only fashion talk like we know it from Splatoon. More interesting: There are concept sketches in the background of this section, some of which also show up in the Splatoon 3 Artbook.

There are also two subsections. One is about the customization options (eyebrows, legwear, hairstyles). The only new info here is that Octolings take “a more grounded approach” to hairstyles than the Inklings who like to experiment. The two sketches showing how hairstyles are done are also in the Splatoon 3 Artbook.

The other subsection is about the gear brands and we get some small new things about some of them. The one thing that surprised me is that Zekko and Firefin apparently don’t exist as their own brands anymore since they formed Z+F. I thought of Z+F as an additional collaborative line, but it seems like Zekko and Firefin themselves are gone now and we won’t see any new gear from them the future.

Zink “An industry-leading athleticwear brand that offers a range of clothing and shoes for every sport. The simple, no-frills designs make Zink a popular fashion label. In recent years, they have been actively collaborating with famous artists.”

Annaki “The brand’s line of punk-infused apparel has an army of rabid fans. By introducing its unique vibe into casual items, Annaki has succeeded in gradually expanding its customer base, with no sign of its popularity fading or slowing down.”

Tentatek “A sportswear label that took the world by storm with its cutting-edge sneakers. Celebrated for its sharp, functional fashion, Tentatek is an undisputed industry leader with a track record of supplying gear to many top athletes.”

Rockenberg “A historic company renowned for its leather shoes. Rockenberg’s promise of high-quality, comfortable footwear has earned them loyal customers since the brand’s inception. Their classic boots are a little pricey, but if you take good care of them, they’ll last a lifetime.”

Krak-On “A veteran footwear company. Their canvas shoes have remained unchanged over the years and are loved by all generations. Vintage Krak-Ons are highly sought after by collectors. Recently, the company has ventured into more exotic designs.”

Inkline “A legit outdoor-apparel brand that produces a wide range of functional, practical gear. Comfortable and fashionable, it’s just as popular as everyday wear. Inkline’s luxury down vests and serious boots are on many a young Inkling and Octoling’s wish list.”

Zekko “This label offered a wide range of street fashion, with a focus on skatewear. Known for its ease of movement and solid design, Zekko gear played a central role in Splatlands subculture. The brand has since merged with Firefin, but its spirit lives on.”

Splash Mob “A popular brand for sophisticated, mature Inklings and Octolings that insists on quality craftsmanship. Splash Mob’s casual yet refined designs, carefully selected material textures, and fine stitching have earned it a reputation among discerning buyers.”

Skalop “A manufacturer that specializes in headwear, from your standard baseball cap to fashion items such as knits to athletic gear like helmets. More recently, Skalop has made a push into funkier designs as they continue to evolve and garner attention.”

Enperry “A street-fashion brand that integrates art, music, and other culture into their primary focus: athletic casualwear. Enperry’s playful, sassy lineup skillfully walks the line between fierce and comfortable, retro and cutting-edge.”

SquidForce “A trendsetting global company that produces a range of gear for beginners and pros alike, paving the way for other brands to follow. As the official brand of Turf War, SquidForce puts effort into training up pros and maintaining venues.”

Firefin “Street-brand royalty. Firefin’s range included not just style essentials like hoodies and caps but also more chic items like bell hats and sun visors. Right before they merged with Zekko, their FishFry merch went out of stock in every store.”

Forge “A select brand targeted at astute buyers who don’t bow to the latest trends. Forge offers everything from authentic military fashion to functional, stylish headgear. One theory is that their lineup is actually created by their CEO, for their CEO, whose interests run the gamut.”

Takoroka “An athleticwear brand known for their sneakers. Their uniquely stylish clothes and footwear, made with proprietary technology, are fashion staples. Sneakerheads flock to Takoroka stores on day one, forming long lines to snag their new products.”

Z+F “This new label is the result of a merger between two leading streetwear brands, Zekko and Firefin. In addition to carrying on the original brands’ underlying hip-hop and skater culture, Z+F offers its own poppy, colorful clothing line.”

Barazushi “This manufacturer comes from the western Splatlands, famous for sea sponges. The region’s harsh climate demands high-performance gear, and Barazushi’s is second to none. Their monster parka, made with ultrafine fiber sponge, is just one example.”

Emberz “This rising brand was born on the streets of Splatsville and quickly gained traction with Inkling youth. Its mission: reject and destroy the established order and common sense. Emberz uses every material out there to cook up its apparel, serving an umami-packed hotpot of ideas.”

Toni Kensa “An eponymous brand known for its unique monotone look and simple, structured designs. It feels like just yesterday that Toni Kensa captured the attention of fashionistas with its new line that combined urban sophistication with rugged attitude.”

You can get random covers of the Weapon and Gear section by refreshing the page. The featured weapon category and gear brand will then appear in the subsection once you click on it. Here are all the randomized images you can get.

In the Weapons section, you get a small banner that leads you to the gear section, showing the featured gear brand. This also exists for the featured weapon category in the Gear section.

Thank you for reading if you made it all the way to the end!

[the-perfect-wagnerite-again]

Morning/Afternoon! If you have the time, do you have any recommendations for getting into classical music? Thank you

Taste for music, like any faculty, is a trait that can be trained and refined. Classical music is an enormous catalog with dozens and dozens of styles, more than any one person can reasonably experience in a single lifetime. Most people gravitate towards particular styles or composers that they like best, so the initial challenge for a lot of people new to classical music is finding a good entry point.

My personal recommendation is banal and predictable, but I think it's the most effective: start as far back as you're willing to go, and work your way forward to the present. In the process, you'll experience both the history of western music and its development over time. As you go, you'll find you enjoy some composers more than others. I happen to have a particular fondness for Bach, Schubert, and (of course) Wagner, but you might find a stronger affinity with Mozart, Tchaikovsky, or Saint-Saëns.

While it would be impossible for me to give a full listening guide to all of what I consider the essentials for art music in a single tumblr post, I can at least point to the Big Names as a starting point. I'll try to include videos that match quality recordings with sheet music, because I firmly believe that following along with a score mentally crystalizes a work's form, even if you can't read music yourself. A fun video I also recommend is this journey through the melodies of history's best composers, a highly abridged music appreciation course in just a few hours (timestamps in the video for convenience):

The Early Stuff

I tend to skip past chant and Renaissance music, despite their importance, because they're especially challenging to the modern ear. Early composers like Palestrina and Monteverdi mark a transition from the modal styles of ancient music to the more traditional tonalities of the music we know today. Monteverdi is also the first to compose what we would properly call "opera" today, though I won't link any but the most important operas in this post because they're all 3+ hours in length.

Essential listening:

Allegri: Miserere

Monteverdi: Vespers della Beata Vergine

The Baroque

Here's where the good stuff really starts. The baroque period was an artistic response to the Reformation and its aesthetic priorities. Baroque music, like art, tends to be highly ornamented, harmonically complex, and texturally dense. Counterpoint is a big feature of baroque music, and in Bach especially. Almost all baroque composers have merit, but if you were to pick only one to listen to, nobody could fault you for choosing Bach. I'm including some of my favorites of Vivaldi and Handel here as well. Bach never touched opera, which is a shame, though he got close with his St Matthew and St John Passions.

Essential listening:

Bach: St Matthew Passion, BWV 244

Bach: Fantasia and Fugue in g minor, BWV 542

Bach: Orchestral Suite No.2 in b minor, BWV 1067

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (popular for a reason!)

Vivaldi: Gloria, RV 589

Handel: Concerto Grosso in B-flat Major, HWV 313

The Classical

Like the baroque, the Classical period of art was a reaction, this time against the opulence and excess of baroque art (actually there were smaller, more molecular movements in-between baroque and classical, like the galante, but for brevity we'll skip those). The Classical period is stylized by elegance, simplicity, and symmetry. Think of the columns of Greco-roman architecture or the streamlining of Enlightenment thought. Big names of this period include Haydn, Gluck, and Mozart. We see here a shift away from the complexity of baroque to clear and distinct melody and harmony.

The Classical period also brings us the symphony in its nascent form through Haydn, who composed over 100 of them. The symphony is especially important because, along with the opera, it will become the world-building form of the musical landscape. Mozart, possibly the greatest melodist who ever lived, further perfected both the symphonic form and the opera. His tragically early death means we will never appreciate the true apex of his powers.

Essential listening:

Mozart: Symphony No.40 in g minor, K 550

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.20 in d minor, K 466

Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K 622

Haydn: Symphony No.94 in G Major, HoB I:94

Haydn: String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op.33 No.2

Salieri: 26 Variations on 'La Folia'

The Romantic

Another movement of reaction, this time against the strictures of form and propriety of the Classical. Here we shift from elegance to raw emotional power, the composer transforming from a functionary of the elite to independent artist. None exemplified this shift more clearly than Beethoven, whose symphonies to this day reign as the greatest ever produced by a human being. Beethoven infused his music with the currents of his soul in a way no composer had, and after him, music changed forever.

The Romantic period saw a flourishing of music as an art to such a degree that abridging it here for a tumblr post is unironically difficult. Brahms, Bruckner, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Lizst, Wagner, Verdi, and on and on and on. The extreme variety of composers and the sheer emotional impact of their output make the Romantic period a particular favorite for many music appreciators, myself included.

Essential listening:

Beethoven: Symphony No.5 in c minor, Op.67 (MANDATORY)

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3 in c minor, Op.37

Brahms: Symphony No.4 in e minor, Op.98

Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.77

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique

Schubert: "Gretchen am Spinnrade," Op.2 D 118

Liszt: "Liebesträume," S 541 No.3

Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Suite, Op.20a

Saint-Saëns: Symphony No.3 "Organ," Op.78

The Post-Romantic

As we move past the 19th Century, we see an absence of what we would call artistic "movements," so admittedly the designations of composers within this time period begins to feel arbitrary. Instead, in the wake of the revolutionary movements of the 1800s, we see a development of national schools of style. The French, the Germans, the Scandinavians, the Russians, the Italians, and even the Americans each cemented themselves into distinct artistic camps based on national histories and aesthetic preferences. These schools would pave the way for the modern music of the 20th century.

Essential listening:

Dvorak: Symphony No.9 "New World," Op.95

Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Op.35

Elgar: The Enigma Variations, Op.36

Prokofiev: Scythian Suite, Op.20

Modernity

With the 20th Century came the World Wars and the collapse of the West's meta-narratives about the world. Music was no longer directed as an aesthetic process in the interests of artistic narratives, and instead became an exercise of modular, individual expression. Here is where music becomes the most difficult, because tonality is no longer a central priority. That said, you'll likely still find some composers that resonate. The torturous dissonances of Shostakovich are always popular with young men, while the Catholic mysticism of Messiaen is challenging from the exact opposite direction. Vaughan-Williams and Britten carry on the tonal tradition while Schönberg and Stravinsky went in wildly atonal spaces.

Essential Listening:

Shostakovich: Symphony No.4 in c minor, Op.43

Poulenc: Sonata for Flute and Piano, FP 164

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

Vaughan-Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Messiaen: Chronochromie

Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

Sorry this took me so long, I could have gone on like this for another 20 paragraphs, but it turns out there's a limit to how many videos tumblr lets you embed in a single post. This is just a list of recommendations to get you started, don't be intimidated by its size. Every composer is unique, and they each bring a personal language to their art that you'll gradually become more acquainted with the more you listen. If you want any recommendations on particular composers that strike your fancy, don't be afraid to ask.

[our-queer-experience]

(TW biphobic comments, surgery, transphobia and ableism mentions, aphobia, pls add more if anything else can be triggering)

I just quietly came out as aroace, by posting a video in my stories of someone reading my aroace-focused speech at Pride. Quite nerve-wracking cause usually very few people watch my stories, but this time my COUSIN AND AUNT saw it.

I don't know if they clicked to watch the full video, but if they did, that's quite awkward and possibly dangerous… I'd come out as bisexual to my cousin many many years ago—she was one of those annoyingly enthusiastic allies, you know, the girlies that brag about having a gay best friend.

Considering this, the fact she's supportive but not exactly knowledgeable about the nuances of existing as a queer person, I'm worried she'll have a conversation about it with her mother. And that they'll talk to my parents about it, assuming they know.

But my parents have no idea I'm aroace. I'd also come out to them when I was like 13, again, as bisexual. They had taken it (relatively) terribly, spewing the same biphobic comments you hear everywhere ("so will you cheat on a woman with a man?"). We've never talked about it after that day, but they seemed to believe I was "confused" and would change my mind (same thing they said when I told them I was an atheist lol, couple years before that). So they're still stuck on this notion. Not exactly ENTIRELY wrong, seeing as I'm a bi/pan-oriented aroace, but still.

I've been out to them as trans and non-binary for over 4 years now, and I'm on HRT, they've made lots of progress and accept me now, but that coming out was also awful, I had to go back into the closet after a few months and developed REALLY bad depression because of it.

Just last month, they were very unpleasantly surprised when I started talking about what my lawyer told me to do in order to access gender-affirming surgeries, even though I had made it clear from the beginning I was planning on going under the knife.

So the shocking news just don't stop coming for them. Last year I got diagnosed as autistic and they also didn't like that at all. If they found out I'm also aroace… What if that's the last straw? What if that's where they actually draw the line? They barely accepted bisexuality. What if they think something's physically wrong with me because I'm ace, and send me to a doc? If they think I'm heartless (no shade to heartless aros!) or mentally ill because I'm aro? What if I get more than one stressful conversation like the bi thing was, and it turns out to affect my life worse than my coming out as trans did? I have no idea what their view of aros and aces would be, since they definitely don't know it's even a thing. Those were all things I wrote in my speech. It's a real fear I have. Countless a-spec people have experienced shit like that.

I just wish aromanticism and asexuality were talked about more. My parents would have no base to start from; I'd have to explain everything. Coming out as aroace is proving to be the hardest coming out I'm gonna have to do with them, and it hurts, it hurts like hell to be in the closet, especially when I do queer activism all-year round irl and they know.

Not to diminish the difficulty of other queer people's coming outs, but at least as bisexual, I "just" liked different genders than what they expected. With my trans identity, they needed to change everything about how they treat me. That's a lot. But at least they won't question my morals, my empathy, my humanity. Everything that makes me who I am. They might think I'm straight up evil. Doesn't help that they definitely won't meet my "second-cousin's neighbour's son who is also aroace". He doesn't exist. There's zero representation for us. I want to be out to them, I really do, but I feel like it's impossible and I'll have to carry this secret with me to the grave.

I'm just scared, and frustrated, and sick of having to hide. Sorry for the long ask. Hope you and your followers have a great day. <2 [non-normative heart emoticon]

🫂

[aspd-culture]

what's a system?

A system is a trauma response associated with one of the heavier dissociative disorders: Dissociative Identity Disorder, some subtypes of Otherwise Specified Dissociative Disorder (1a and 1b I believe are the ones associated with systems but don't quote me on that, though I know they both are systems related I don't remember if they're the only OSDDs that are), and Unspecified Dissociative disorder (which can be a system or not).

The word system refers to a number of "alters" (2 or more, with no upper limit) that are entirely different people essentially that use the same body and brain. Because of how personality and identity are developed, the general idea of how this happens is that young children are theorized to have "ego states" wherein their emotions are actually entirely separated from each other and have no affect on each other, which is why many people say their child is "a different person when they're tired" and why young children can go from extremely distressed to completely fine in a matter of less than a second. It also explains why a child can feel completely happy and great but if you remind them they were sad a few moments ago, entirely fall back into that distress as though it never stopped, because these ego states seem to have some amount of amnesia between them.

Eventually (around 6-10ish), in typical development, these ego states integrate and become one with connected memories between them - life experience and neurological development make this into a defined "personality" and you have what is known in system communities as a singlet; a person with typical development in this regard. In disorders causing a system, some type of trauma makes this impossible. The child is unable to survive with all the emotions and turmoil being aware of everything that's happened to them is causing, and the brain essentially keeps those ego states unfused as a way to have many alters experiencing some trauma so it is spread out, or one alter that experiences the trauma but does not have to go about normal life tasks or interact with people they have to hide the trauma from.

As time goes on, just like it would have with the ego states fused, a personality forms based on the life experience and neurological development, but this time each alter has a different set of life experiences and becomes their own person entirely. From there, the brain uses this method of compartmentalization as a primary coping mechanism (as it is extremely effective), and will create alters in the future as needed even if there isn't necessarily any traumatic experiences causing the need for the new one. Once the brain gets desperate enough to throw away its typical development cycle, much like in ASPD, it no longer is afraid to continue doing so as a means of coping and preservation even in typical daily life.

Plain text below the cut:

A system is a trauma response associated with one of the heavier dissociative disorders: Dissociative Identity Disorder, some subtypes of Otherwise Specified Dissociative Disorder (1a and 1b I believe are the ones associated with systems but don't quote me on that, though I know they both are systems related I don't remember if they're the only OSDDs that are), and Unspecified Dissociative disorder (which can be a system or not).

The word system refers to a number of "alters" (2 or more, with no upper limit) that are entirely different people essentially that use the same body and brain. Because of how personality and identity are developed, the general idea of how this happens is that young children are theorized to have "ego states" wherein their emotions are actually entirely separated from each other and have no affect on each other, which is why many people say their child is "a different person when they're tired" and why young children can go from extremely distressed to completely fine in a matter of less than a second. It also explains why a child can feel completely happy and great but if you remind them they were sad a few moments ago, entirely fall back into that distress as though it never stopped, because these ego states seem to have some amount of amnesia between them.

Eventually (around 6-10ish), in typical development, these ego states integrate and become one with connected memories between them - life experience and neurological development make this into a defined "personality" and you have what is known in system communities as a singlet; a person with typical development in this regard. In disorders causing a system, some type of trauma makes this impossible. The child is unable to survive with all the emotions and turmoil being aware of everything that's happened to them is causing, and the brain essentially keeps those ego states unfused as a way to have many alters experiencing some trauma so it is spread out, or one alter that experiences the trauma but does not have to go about normal life tasks or interact with people they have to hide the trauma from.

As time goes on, just like it would have with the ego states fused, a personality forms based on the life experience and neurological development, but this time each alter has a different set of life experiences and becomes their own person entirely. From there, the brain uses this method of compartmentalization as a primary coping mechanism (as it is extremely effective), and will create alters in the future as needed even if there isn't necessarily any traumatic experiences causing the need for the new one. Once the brain gets desperate enough to throw away its typical development cycle, much like in ASPD, it no longer is afraid to continue doing so as a means of coping and preservation even in typical daily life.

[ourshadowstallerthanoursoul]

Beyond Led Zeppelin - interview to JPJ

(by Guitar.com - Jan. 1, 2010 - x)

Zooma is very experimental and takes your musicianship to a different level. How did you develop the chops to do something so free-flowing? Were you listening to lots of jazz?

No, it’s always been there. I’ve always listened to lots of jazz. At the time when Zeppelin started, I was always listening to jazz and rhythm and blues and classical music. The only rock I listened to was Jimi Hendrix. So, I actually came to rock late. I listen to everything constantly — everything from rhythm and blues, drum and bass techno, Latin music, salsa, meringue, and some rock n roll. Bass-wise I keep listening.

Does that allow you to constantly grow as a player?

In composition and playing, everything at a basic level is about questions and answers. You have musical questions and you have to get the answers, which is basically what composition is about. How does the piece start and then what happens? You’ll get a musical idea, then you have to realize it. And in the realization it’s just about those questions and answers. How does it finish? What will make it interesting after we’ve done one thing for a while? All music has the same questions and answers. It doesn’t matter what kind of music it is, whether its pigmy music or Mongolian stuff. It’s still, how do you make a musical idea, how do you make a tension release? And everything you listen to can come in use as reference material for your own questions, for your own music. Listen to as much as you can because there’s something absolutely everywhere to be found.

A lot of people listen to blues, jazz, country, world music, whatever, but they can’t combine the different techniques.

Most people gravitate towards music they like. If youre a blues player, you only play the blues. So listen to everything else and then play the blues. You’ll find that you start playing the blues in a different way.

How do you feel about what your former bandmates have done with their respective careers? Page and Plant did Zeppelin songs together for a while, and now Page is doing Zep stuff with the Black Crowes. Do you think maybe they’re not expanding their vocabulary and reaching out the way you have?

No, they’re not reaching out the way I have, because I’m me and they’re them. I haven’t heard Page and the Black Crowes. He could be playing a whole load of blues for all I know. I heard Page and Plant’s 'Walking into Clarksdale', and was disappointed that there wasn’t more Page on it. I like to hear lots of Page. But they’re doing what they’re doing. They ain’t bothering me.

Do you keep in touch with them?

Sure. There’s lots of Zeppelin things we attend to. We attend releases.

Atlantic released 'The Best of Led Zeppelin, Volume 2' earlier. Did that concern you?

Well of course it concerned me. I wasn’t very happy about that, but it was a democratic process, just two to one and I was the one. But the BBC Sessions I was very happy with. To me that was very valuable. It was great to hear the band in a well recorded situation, because normally when I heard the live stuff I was either standing right next to Page or it’s a horrible bootleg. So, to be able to sit back and not do anything and be able to hear all that he’s playing, that was a treat for me.

Why didn’t you want the 'Best of Vol. 2' to be released?

It’s been done before. I couldn’t see why, you know? I mean, the first remaster, the box set, was good because Atlantic went through the original Zeppelin release campaign kind of quick and didn’t really spend too much time with it. In fact, when we were collecting stuff for the box set, we found that some of the masters they used were actually second and third generation, and they put them on CD. They sounded really dull. They didn’t seem to have any life. So, the chance to remaster them, to bring them to life again was valid. But I couldn’t really see the point of the Greatest Hits records that came out last year. We were always against Greatest Hits album traditionally from the word go. It may have been a hang back to the fact that in the days when we started, you had singles bands, you had pop bands, and then you had albums bands. They were completely different things. So, I just didn’t see the point and I said so. But as I said, it was democratic and they thought differently.

How and why did you put 'Zooma' together?

Basically, I wanted to play live again. And of course, I needed something to play. I tend to need motivation to do a project. I’m not somebody who would just write things for no reason at all. I’ll work on a project and I’ll commit myself to it. But if I’m not actually working on it, then I’m just as happy to sit down and play instruments and not write anything. So, I need motivation but I didn’t want to join a band. If you’ve been in the best band in the world, what do you do? I knew that if I did an album, I’d be obligated to promote it. So, I knew I couldn’t just go, "Oh well, I’ve done the album. That’s it." I knew that it would force me on the road, which was what I wanted to do originally. So, I trapped myself into it. But it was really a positive experience.

So, what possessed you to say, "Man, it’s time to get out there live again"?

It’s funny, Diamanda Galas [who I recorded the album 'Sporting Life' with in 1994] said to me that she’d done collaborations with composers and various people. And she just said, "I realized one day that if I’m going to put this much effort into my music then I think it should be my own." And I took those words to heart. I figured I’d worked on everybody else’s records since 1963. It’s about time. And I’m fortunate to be in the position I’m in. I had my own studio. I don’t have to work to eat. Maybe it’s a mid-life crisis, who knows?

So, playing with Diamanda was what inspired it?

Yeah, I think so. And writing material for Diamanda. She got me playing steel guitar, so I could have a voice on stage. Cause I always used to play steel guitar in hotels and she saw it in the studio and had never heard one before. So I started playing, and she immediately wrote a song. And we put it on the album. People were like, "Wow, this is new, different."

How did that collaboration come together? How did you know her? Did you know her from years back?

I knew her from her work. I had one record by her at that time, 'Wild Women with Steak Knives', wonderfully titled. And the voice was just like, Whoa! A mutual friend said she’d be interested in doing a rock record and he thought that I’d work well together with her. I like the idea because I wasn’t into normal songs. She called them homicidal love songs. It was a case not so much of, "My baby’s left me, I’m going to throw myself out the window." It was, "My baby’s left me, I’m going to throw him out the window." I found her whole approach quite refreshing. And we hit it off immediately. We’ve both done lounge gigs, believe it or not, in our time. We used to do The Lady is a Tramp in soundcheck, which worried a few people. Nobody knew what to make of that. And we also found that we knew the entire Motown songbook. And we’d sit sown and play Stop In The Name Of Love. We had respect for each other as musicians.

Why was it a one time thing?

Well, she has a serious career. She follows what seems to be good at the time. And it was, because it led me to this.

[sendouakira]

An Analysis on Sannoh

"There are quite a few reasons why Shohoku’s battle against Sannoh is undeniably an iconic “final boss fight” of sports genre. Being the greatest match of the whole series, the game is jam packed with intense moments of thrilling actions, as well, it showcases Inoue Takehiko’s masterful portrayal of character developments and interactions. In this short analysis, I would like to focus on another aspect which contributes to the greatness of Shohoku vs Sannoh showdown, that is the biggest differences between the two teams."

___________________________

Read the whole article here:

[itboyisslaying]

How do I achieve a perfect void concept? Thank you for your advice. I'll be really grateful<3

Oh I think this is the first question sent to me by an "Anon". Thanks for trusting me and asking questions🙏💖

Actually, I'm not exactly a master manifestor. I don't know all about the Law of Assumption or the Void, but I want to help you as much as I can🧡

Let's call it "have" rather than "achieve" because we are God, honey. God doesn't try to achieve, she/he just has what she/he wants💅

There are many ways to "have" a perfect Void Concept. We all know these. "Affirmation" "To have it in your dream" "To manifest in writing" and many more. Or join a Challenge. But I think the most important thing is "Persist". How you manifest, keep persisting with your manifest, honey. Because as long as an assumption is insisted on, it becomes true whether it is true or false. Ah, I think Neville Goddar had such a saying, sorry if I wrote it wrong🙏

Here is a post I recommend about "Persist":

Please read this post!!❣

Please have a Perfect Void Concept in the most natural and comfortable way for you. And remember, The void is not on us . YOU are the one giving you your desires, not the Void. Because you are GOD. You instantly manifest whatever you want in the Void because as GOD you assumed so. The void exists because as GOD you created it. Please don't give your Godly power to the Void State. Remember the Void is not above you YOU are above it as a GOD. Also, the Void State is just a method. It's not a magic or magical place. The Void State is just a deep meditative state. If you change your perspective on the Void State, even that will help you develop your Void Concept a lot💕

"How do I achieve (Have💅) a perfect Void Concept?"

Ah I guess I didn't fully answer that above. Sorry🙏 I'll tell you how I make a manifest. I hope I can help you and if I can't help you with this please send me a question or message again💖

First of all, I know a lot of people in this community are trying to get into the Void. And once you fail, you quickly go back to your old mindset. Please don't do this🙏 Persist on the new story that you always have a "Perfect Void Concept" and enter the Void in a very short time!! And act like you have them and it is. This works grea for me 💜

Even if you can't enter the Void at the moment, tell yourself how happy you are that you entered the Void and how easy it was for you to enter the Void! I always tell myself "I am the Queen of the Void". Also, don't say that a boy can't call himself a Queen. I think queenhood is gender neutral. LOL. This makes me feel so good.❤ Please choose the affirmations that suit you💙💅💋

Let me tell you what I did. This helped me a lot so I suggest you what I did myself and i think most people are manifesting that way lol:

Anyway, I want you to think about this, how would you feel if you had a "Perfect Void Concept"? If you had a "Perfect Void Concept" would you worry about what happens in 3D anymore? Of course not, because you know you can go into the void whenever you want and have what you want💅 Would you worry about the void? Do you start thinking negatively just because you failed the Void once? Do you think the Void or you gave your desires to you? Of course you give because as a GOD you also created the Void State!

If you had a perfect Void Concept, what would you think while walking or continuing your daily life?

Please ask yourself!💕

I also imagine myself entering the Void, and while imagining this, I ask myself how perfect I am in the Void and Why do I have such a Perfect Void Concept? 💋

As I wrote above, when I started thinking and living like this, my Void Concept and Self Concept developed. I hope it helps you too 💘

Let's slay! We are the Queens of the Void💋💅

I manifest the things I want to manifest with the "feeling of knowing that I have it".

However, this method may not suit you. So robotic affirmation, writing, imagining. Or a challenge. Do whichever suits you💓

Challenges I recommend:

You don't have to do these challenges. I only suggest if you want to❤

But whatever you do, no matter how you feel, no matter what you think, please don't stop Persisting 🙏🍀

It is normal to feel bad, to have bad thoughts, to have doubts, but do not identify with them. They don't matter as long as you don't identify with them because they come from the Ego and not from God who is your true self. Please don't misunderstand the "Persist" I said.

Ah, if the things I wrote above do not suit you, please read other posts. I hope I have helped. I hope I was able to help you as you wanted and gave a proper answer. If I didn't explain well enough and couldn't help, please send me a question or message again. If anyone else is reading this, if what I'm saying doesn't suit you, that's fine. Please write in the comments what you think I got wrong. I don't know how many people read this though. I hope I have been helpful and have not written any limiting beliefs. If there is such a thing please let me know ❤

私はみんなを愛しています❤🍀

《💋ItBoyisSlaying💅》

[pretty-piano-boy]

Manaria Friends, or as it was released in the US as Mysteria Friends, has long been one of my favorite anime. Released as a short spin off of Rage of Bahamut, this "friends to lovers" yuri anime has developed a passionate cult following.

For me, what made this anime so special, aside from its creative and cute story telling, is the music. Originally written as a piano duet by Takashi Watanabe, this piece titled "Grea" as lived in my heart as my favorite piano piece since I first heard it.

This is my simplified solo arrangement of "Grea".

If you enjoy or would like to hear more of my music, please check out my Spotify at Nathanial Zakovich or YouTube channel linked below.

[jazzreloaded]

Play On! By Talawa Theatre @Belgrade Theatre 26 / 09/ 24

Review by Vidal Montgomery

The press night performance of Play On! - A Broadway Blues with a twist on "Twelfth Night" - was not undersold in terms of bums on seats ( because it was a full house, and based on this showing it deserves a full house everywhere it goes!), but in terms of spectacle; because for the near-three hours running time, it was thoroughly engaging, spectacularly entertaining and, despite dealing with some serious subject matters ( such as how a misogynistic Harlem resists change, made all the more relevant with the recent revelations around Music Moghul Sean Comb's recent indictment), it was joyful for the audience from start to end, evidenced by the raucous laughter, gasps and applause throughout.

The title "Play On!" may also refer to the four year development process to get a work of this magnitude and depth and craft and intimacy and nuance in front of a live audience; it is no mean feat that this splendid work of Ellingtonian excellence by Liam Godwin and Benjamin Burell is finally in front of an audience, and with a truly magnificent cast from top to bottom:

Although the dramaturgy obviously has its focal characters, the dancers / understudies / supporting cast acquit themselves equally well, and the audience is gifted with over a dozen amazing voices ( of which Lifford Shillingford was my personal favourite ), who perform comparably, shouldering the responsibility of energetic dance, tense drama and soulful song, and carrying the narrative along. This for me is the most captivating thing about this show. Tanya Edwards as Miss Mary and Llewellyn Jamal as Jester deliver stylish and soulful performances late on into the second act just I thought the show had probably reached its peak - boy was I wrong!

The core story of Play On! revolves around the day Duke Ellington loses his muse, and the lengths- and distance! - one lucky lady will go to to help him get it back; Earl Gregory, Koko Alexandra, Tsemaye Bob Egbe, and Cameron Bernard Jones play the four pillars of the love quadrangle that is "The Duke", his old flame ( lady Liv ) , his new muse ( Viola "Vyman" ) and Rev, the manager of the Cotton Club clutching at straws and clasping his hands in his hopes of keeping the four together as exemplars of Ellingtonian Excellence - and also keeping the show on the road...

Sadly the live band - directed by the unassuming Ashton Moore and delightfully driven by the delicate drumming of Empirical's own Shane Forbes - are not featured as characters in their own right - I am sure that later productions in the three month run will attend to this oversight.

Despite this, the mix of moods and blues and beats and grooves from the bandstand become the main character, and for me ( as a musician! ) this is the star of the show: Ellingtonian Classics like Mood Indigo, I got it Bad, It Don't mean a thing, Black Butterfly Rocks In My Bed and In a Mellow Tone are turned inside out and taken back from the trash heap of Abersold Appropriation,and are played in a way that suits the strengths of individual artists, and balances temperaments of their characters as a whole as they play moves towards reaches its climactic reveal; at this moment the only other disappointment was that the band was not as big as, say, the English Touring Opera's for the recent run of "The Rakes Progress" : With this amount of dramatic tension in the stage, and with the audience in the palm of the band's hands the Ellington Big band, really needs to be a BIG band.

As it was, on the night Kaz Hamilton and Alexander Polack acquited themselves very well, making a myriad of moods that were both historically authentic and stylistically de jour. And the commitment to shared seat of Chris Hyde / Josh Vadivello on Double bass ( NO electric big band era please! ) brings gravitas authenticity and sensuality to the greatest american songbook in a way that only a Double Bass can. This show is all about that bass!

Having recently sat through the often turgid and salacious KAOS, a reworking of the mythology of Orpheus and Euridice, ( which was not a patch on Marcel Camus Seminal 1950's classic ) and also attended the afforementioned reworking of Igor Stravinsky's "Rake's Progress" ( often not my sense of humour, albeit markedly less turgid and salacious than Charlie Covell's Netflix Production ) I was far from convinced that , per se, " A reworking of Twelfth Night " was going to as vivacious, contemporary , and nourishing to the soul as it turned out to be. But on this occasion I was rewarded for my bravery ( And by "bravery" I mean only braving the inclement British weather ) , and I will forever regard Play On! as somewhat of a late birthday present - ( or maybe early Christmas gift? )

Ironically, whilst sipping free Prosecco and listening to a(nother) jazz function band in the reception area after the show , I had the good fortune to speak with one the trustees of the Talawa Theatre and we discussed how important it may be to not label Play On! as ( simply ) a "jazz show", because of how many people may miss out on an amazing contemporary socially and culturally relevant human experience, simply because they do not know or have not yet been sold the depth and breadth of the jazz canon.

But Play On! is "Jazz Hands" in safe hands. And I can say with confidence that Talawa Theatre have a winner on their hands; it is Black Joy. And "Black Joy" may turn out to be a better euphemism for the vibrancy we expect "Jazz" to bring to us. Congratulations on the fully immersive experience that Director Michael Buffong brought to the Belgrade Theatre tonight.

PS: As with many theatre shows, the stupidly difficult train schedule doesn't really support the 2+ hour format, but I can only say that on this occasion it was worth missing our last train to catch the "A Train" one more time...

Talawa’s Black Joy season presents:

Play On!

A new Jazz musical

Based on Shakespeare’s

“Twelfth Night”

Conceived by Sheldon Epps

Book by Cheryl L.West

Music by Duke Ellington

Produced by Talawa Theatre Company and The Belgrade Theatre

Co-produced with Birmingham Hippodrome, Bristol Old Vic, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Wiltshire Creative

Artwork by Feast Creative

For the full programme, click or scan the image below: