#I’ve been playing epic mickey for the past few days

[doodle-sodapop]

I love this rabbit

I wonder if others did this too..

[davidmann95]

The Kingdom Hearts III Reaction

First thing’s first: yes, I got the responses to my initial reaction letting me know I could use L2 to cycle through triangle commands, and oh my god that made things so much more manageable, so thank you.

Gameplay wise, I said what I had to say right off the bat earlier: lot of fun, best version of the traditional playstyle. Gorgeous except for when it’s the most gorgeous. Way more game than I could handle on the margins, but it felt like fun available options I could choose whether to pursue or not rather than overwhelming.

Under the cut I’m gonna talk some broad structural stuff; I’ll avoid anything overtly spoilery, but it would certainly be understandable if you’d rather stay away. Under another bolded sign though I’m going to get into MAXIMUM spoiler territory, so those who just want my basic impressions but would prefer to hold off on more than that until they have their own go at it can know where to get off.

So this game does like 90% of everything I ever wanted it to do, plus so much MORE than I ever would have expected, resulting in a finale even more grand and resonant and satisfying than I might have imagined after nearly 13 years of waiting. The problem is that all that stuff is in the last 8 hours, and it is very, very clear that’s the part of the game Nomura and company actually cared about. This wasn’t interested in being Kingdom Hearts III, it wanted to be Kingdom Hearts III Part 3/3: The Finale after Dream Drop Distance and A Fragmentary Passage covered the other biggies, to the point of as mentioned before critically compromising the beginning of the game. It reached the point where Dream Drop Distance went from just baaaaarely pulling ahead of 358/2 Days to dead damn last in my ranking of these, because it not only set the tone for what went wrong here - even if this succeeded in the end in a way that couldn’t - but sponged off vital reveals and the conclusion to Riku’s character arc, both of which 1,000,000% needed to be in here so this could be a complete sequel rather than in an intermediary story where they were weakened by context.

Long story short, Nomura and Square are going to have to think very, very hard about what kind of a role the Disney worlds are going to play in these going forward, because the enthusiasm for them on the part of the writers is visibly dead. Not across the board, passion clearly went into the likes of the Toy Story and Big Hero 6 worlds, but it could not have been plainer that Monsters Inc. and Frozen were checkmarks being crossed off, perfunctory in a way I genuinely don’t feel the Disney worlds were in the past (though that may be in large part because this time around Sora is literally just there for level grinding, rather than an immediate search for friends, stripping away the central underlying emotional urgency of I and II). It would’ve been alright if there had been a major act break of the sort II had to provide a sense of forward momentum, but as is it really is just marking time while characters other than Sora drive the plot in the background, mostly in the form of catching up with what the audience already knows. They’ll always be a part of the franchise, and obviously the iconic Disney figures in Mickey and the rest will always be central, but unless the powers that be find a fresh new angle I think it’s getting to be time to scale the movie settings back in favor of the main story and original worlds, if not to the extent the Final Fantasy elements have received.

So I spent most of the game disappointed, figuring it would pull it all together for the finale and more than satisfy me, but not enough to retroactively redeem the game as a whole. And then it retroactively went and redeemed the game, because when I say it kicks off in the last 8 hours I don’t mean that that’s where things start getting parsed out in time for the finale. I mean it’s 8 solid hours of climax, physical and plot and character, the most intense and overwhelming of the franchise, answers to real-life-decade spanning mysteries and character resolutions and endgame-scale setpieces and catharsis being delivered just one after the other after the other. It’s the entire emotional underpinning of the game in a single titanic endrun, in an experience and at a pitch I’ve never seen before. Even the parts that should have been set up earlier in the game still have the entire rest of the series and years of anticipation leading into them, and while it’s a shame it had to bank on that advantage, it worked, because when I look back on the game in years to come it’s going to be this that I’ll remember, and when I someday a long time from now play through the franchise as a whole, I’ll go through the parts that previously irritated me with a smile on my face because it’ll just be a charming interlude rather than a dead stop. I can’t put this over II’s more well-rounded experience because of those structural issues, but while 0.2 is maybe the purest expression of intent thus far in the series, its brevity, and the fact that as good as it gets its best isn’t as good as this gets, puts III neck-and-neck with it as the franchise runner-up for me.

Okay, BIGGEST SPOILERS IN THE FUCKING WORLD UNDER THE IMAGE

So being a person who exists online in the 21st century, I had some key images of the ending spoiled for me well in advance, which sucked but was also maybe a blessing in disguise, because if I hadn’t been braced when those last three seconds came...that would have been rough. It was startlingly rough as is, which is odd because as much as I’ve always liked Sora as a character and appreciated the odd way his nature as a Disney hero in a Final Fantasy dark epic makes him a perfect lead and counterpoint, I never realized the depths of emotional investment I’d attached to his specific fate until the rug got pulled out. It would be as blatant a “but there’s no body!” moment as any there’s ever been even without the secret ending and the confirmation on Nomura’s part that Sora will remain the main character, it’s an emotional blow and a setback and a mystery for the others to solve rather than a full tragic ending (and one would have to imagine the characters themselves would believe that and will act accordingly given this entire story was itself about bringing back a bunch of Very Definitely Dead Folks), but it’s harsh as hell even if it’s very clearly the next step in a Master Plan rather than purely blueballing players for the cruel joy of it. Still, even if it’s reminiscent of stuff we’ve seen before, a melancholy-at-best ending is fully within the franchise wheelhouse; if I’m right and there’s one full trilogy of main games remaining in the series (I’m guessing without many if any spinoffs, Nomura’s bosses are definitely going to have his nose to the grindstone to get through the remainder of this thing on a sane timescale so as not to have another...well, this), maybe it’ll fully establish a sad-odd-numbered-ending, happy-even-numbered ending pattern, with IV having a gleeful reunion, V ending with all seeming lost, and the grand finale letting the heroes have their happily ever after.*

Before getting into the gushing praise for the rest of it, the reason this is at 90% of everything I wanted rather than complete: Kairi is bizarrely shortchanged here compared to every other central character, especially given her relationship with Sora is the foundation of the very end and she’s the logical main protagonist for IV. Even her ‘death’ isn’t my issue so much - by the end of the game Sora has rescued literally every other main character from beyond the veil of the afterlife or a living hell in fairly rapid succession, she’s just the last and biggest deal to him personally - as that even a few more scenes with her would have shored up so much. Not that her material isn’t good when she is there, I absolutely do think it was, and the emotional buildup from the series up to this point was more than enough in my opinion to carry her stuff through, but it’s the equivalent of, say, Lois Lane appearing out of nowhere at the end of a Justice League story to provide the impetus for Superman: obviously this works and makes sense because we know how much they mean to one another, but in the context of this as a lone narrative it’s a little out of nowhere. Riku gets it pretty bad too, if not as much so, but he has the ‘excuse’ of having his character arc resolved in Dream Drop Distance. Still though, it means the central trio is scarcely a thing in here the way it was in the past, though it looks like the next game is going to be entirely about getting them back together and hopefully they’ll stay as a complete unit from there on out.

Also prior to gushing praise: if Dream Drop Distance hadn’t happened, it would be so easy to restructure this in a way that would make the whole thing satisfying instead of just a perfect chunk of it. Open the game with Sora and Riku going into the Realm of Darkness to save Aqua, have Sora succeed but in the process of THAT lose his powers (making it a noble sacrifice on his part foreshadowing the end rather than a non-fuckup that the player pays for); Aqua has to recuperate, preferably with Kairi and Lea so they can get more screentime, Sora’s off regaining his powers and tracking down clues to the location of Castle Oblivion since it was under Organization control and therefore hidden, and Riku’s off with Mickey having his DDD arc. Stick the reveal of the real Organization XIII midgame, and keep the finale almost exactly as is. That way, plot and character’s doled out throughout, character screentime is rebalanced, and everything that worked stays working and comes to the exact same conclusion.

Gushing praise time: holy fuckin’ cow, this hit me in ways I did not see coming. The reunion of the other two trios was something I looked forward to well enough but not anything I fully expected to outright bowl me over, but by god they pushed those buttons as hard as they could and made them everything anyone could need them to be. But that was expected, to one extent or another; what I don’t think anyone could have seen coming was, in the final gasp of this saga of hilariously, broadly Arch villains, every single one of them turning out to be a real goddamn human being with understandable emotions and motivations and implied history and arcs. Monsters see the light (with the contextually hilarious exception of the one character fandom MOST wanted to see get a face turn with Vanitas, and even he finds understanding and peace) after a whole series of believing there’s one in the darkness when only one or two major characters had made a turnaround, and it doesn’t just make this game richer, it retroactively improves the entire series thematically and emotionally, as well as setting the stage for more of that approach based on what we know of what’s to come. And action-wise, it really does go for trying to beat II’s last Xemnas fight, and while I don’t know that it manages it in sheer cool thanks to that final laser blocking/dual wielding finale, it I think really does come out on top in the fights leading up to it and the spectacle and the emotional power and the beautiful interface screw (after the shit with the tornado earlier!), nevermind the absolute end where Our Nerd Dad Luke Skywalker** shows up to give his blessing to the franchise and usher out the story as it was.

As for the pair of post-credits scenes: in each instance I had something spoiled for me, but also in each instance not the BIG thing. I knew Xigbar would live and summon the Foretellers, which honestly is not that shocking for me. That he IS one of them, that he’s been putting on an act (one clearly in the shape of his teacher) and been a bigger villain than Xehanort THE ENTIRE TIME? I believe that got a literal gasp out of me, and THAT’S before it turned out that after bullheadedly clinging to the idea that she’s still a main villain for all these years, Maleficent might actually end up a main villain again. And the secret movie? I had the title spoiled - and god what a perfect twist, the most gleefully apeshit moment in the game and already probable best moment in gaming of the year coming back around in a completely serious way to define the future of the franchise - but assumed wrongly that it meant Sora would be in some way ‘reincarnated’ amnesiac as Yozora and needing to be returned to himself. But nope, Sora’s for real out there alive as himself in...something like the real world? Or The World Ends With You, which I understand is at least a lot closer? And Riku’s gonna wind up stuck out there too? And because Yozora’s there it means they’re in some kind of fuckin’ Flash of Two Worlds! situation?! Or if it’s in the same physical realm (which I have to doubt or Sora would rush home as soon as he got a ship) it’s the equivalent of that dope two-part Terra Obscura arc in Tom Strong?! Sora and Riku, trapped in a world where Kingdom Hearts is a Dark, Realistic Modern Urban Fantasy (which, if Sora got here by dying, does...does that mean Gritty Realworld! AU Kingdom Hearts fanfic is that universe’s version of hell? Because that would be beautiful) (did “This is a fantasy based on reality” end up carried over as the logline to Final Fantasy XV from Versus XIII? Because if not, absolutely use it here to keep that gag going) and having to fight their way back to their world and friends, hopefully with Kairi going on her own playable adventure on the other end of the cosmos to find them since there’s no way she wouldn’t be leading the search? And with the Master of Masters waiting in the wings, the perfect villain in general because if Sora is the MOST Disney character in this universe he appears to be the LEAST, and especially perfect here now that Sora’s symbolically if not possibly literally on his turf? Waiting I’m guessing another 3-5 years is gonna be hell (I’m guessing IV’ll be announced next year or maaaaaaaybe late this year because thus far Kingdom Hearts has never gone with no announced games on the horizon longer than the end of the next calendar year, and we’ll see how development goes after that; like I said, I imagine the pressure is on for Nomura), but this could not look more like my shit.

So that’s, after all these years, Kingdom Hearts III: an understandable, maybe unavoidable, but still crushing disappointment that undermined itself narratively before it even began production and ran on a burned-out crew that could never meet the impossible expectations surrounding it. Until it suddenly winks, brushes itself off, and lives up to damn near EVERYTHING on its shoulders in the most incredible ways possible while also transcending its previous limitations as a story right in front of you, and then breaking your heart before planting the seed to repair it and charting a path towards an even more exciting future. All said and done, I liked it a whole lot, and it’ll always be special to me.

* At this point, I really could go for the ending of the whole thing literally being Sora and Kairi walking into the sunset together, with the camera panning up into the sky and text (not mysterious narration like in the past, but old-school Disney-cartoon-style outside-the-world of the story cursive text) appearing to declare 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓁𝒾𝓋𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝒾𝓁𝓎 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇. That is the level of closure and myth and satisfaction it’s gotta be building towards after everything thus far and everything to come.

** If you are reading this without having played or watched the game: given I know that’s now in the realm of possibility, no, I don’t literally mean Luke Skywalker showed up.

Yet.

[chelledoggo]

Softwald [an Epic MickeyxAU fanfiction] - Chapter 3: A Talk Over Tea

Oswald is warmly welcomed into his temporary new home. He and the Soft Couple get to know each other better over some tea and refreshments. He reluctantly begins to open up about what’s on his mind.

chapter 3 of my Softwald AU backstory fic~

no content warnings

Oswald headed down the stairs. Luckily an overnight duffle bag was enough to pack what he'd need for the next few days: some pairs of blue shorts and some toiletries.

Ortensia was waiting downstairs by the mirror. She'd just got done explaining to the kids that their daddy would be going “on vacation” for a few days.

Yeah, thought Oswald. A vacation from sanity, maybe.

“All set, honey-bunny?” Ortensia asked with a smile.

“As I'll ever be,” Oswald sighed in reply.

Ortensia hugged him and patted him on the shoulders.

“Now remember, the point of this is to relax, so don't worry about me and the kids. Just think nice, happy, relaxin' thoughts, okay?”

Oswald mumbled in agreement, and Ortensia gave him a kiss to send him off.

“See you in a few days, honey!” she chimed.

Oswald put on a convincing smile for her and the kids.

“Bye, sweetie. Bye kids. I'll be home before you know it.”

He waved back at his family, and then took a deep breath before stepping through the mirror.

He stepped back into the same cozy pastel living area from before, except now it was being lit by candles, and some soft classical music played on a home stereo.

What, am I walking into a spa or somethin'? Oswald thought to himself. I know he was gonna help me relax, but this is kinda overkill.

“Hey, Oswald,” a voice whispered nearby.

Oswald looked and saw Softwald and his wife (whom Oswald mentally decided to refer to as “Softensia” from now on) standing in the doorway to another room. They were both smiling warmly, like two greeters at a luxury retreat welcoming a VIP guest.

“Please, come right this way,” Softensia whispered. “We've got some nice, relaxin' peppermint tea on the kettle for you.”

“...Alright, then,” Oswald smiled hesitantly and walked into the next room.

A very fancy afternoon tea setup was laid out. There were tiny sandwiches, scones, and sweets lovingly arranged on the table, along with a fresh bouquet of some sparkling native flowers.

Oswald surveyed the spread skeptically.

They're not gonna poison my tea or somethin', are they? he thought. These folks are way too serene. It's kinda weirdin' me out...But Ortensia seems to think they're on the up-and-up. She's always been a pretty good judge of character...for better or worse.

Oswald took a seat at the table and waited for tea to be served.

Hmm...Those cupcakes look good, Oswald thought. Hope they didn't put anythin' 'special' in them...although it would explain a lot, I suppose.

Softwald walked in with a pot of hot tea and poured it in each cup. Oswald had to admit, it smelled pretty nice, although he'd always been more of a coffee guy.

After the three of them sat down, Oswald spoke up.

“I hope this doesn't sound rude,” he began. “But there's something I've been meanin' to ask you two. Why do you whisper all the time? Is there someone else asleep in the house?”

Softwald smiled. “It's alright. Actually, this is the only way we're able to talk. If we raise our voices too much above a whisper, it hurts our throats.”

Softensia closed her eyes and added. “It doesn't bother us, though. In fact, there's somethin' kind of relaxin' about it, y'know? We've always really liked peace and quiet, so I guess it's fittin' that we always whisper.”

“...Should I whisper, too?” Oswald asked, suddenly becoming aware that he might be breaking the quietude.

“It's alright,” Softwald assured him. “You don't have to if you don't want to.”

“Oh...Alright, then...” Oswald still kept his voice to at least a murmur, just out of consideration. He took a sip of his tea. He was pleasantly surprised at how nice it tasted. Sweet, but not overpowering.

“This is really good,” Oswald complimented. “Where did you get it?”

“Oh,” Softensia replied. “We actually make our tea ourselves. We have a garden out back where we grow our herbs and veggies.”

“That's nice,” Oswald remarked. “Gotta be a little bit nicer than getting them at the supermarket.”

“So, Oswald,” Softwald began. “I'd really like to learn more about you. Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?”

What is this guy, a shrink? Oswald thought to himself. Nevertheless, he politely put on a smile.

He proceeded to give the soft couple a brief summary of his current life in Wasteland. How he has a position as the leader, and raises 420 children with his wife. He talked a bit about his friends, his hobbies, his old cartoons, and his brother Mickey. He specifically avoided sharing too many negative details, however, as he was still a bit afraid to open up about his feelings.

Despite this, the next words out of Softwald's mouth wrote Oswald into an emotional corner.

“Things seem to be going pretty well for you,” Softwald said with a smile. His expression quickly turned into one of calm concern. “You still seem pretty stressed, though. Is there something bothering you? Your wife seems pretty concerned, and I'd really like to help you as much as I can.”

Oswald looked down nervously and stirred his tea a bit.

“It's alright,” Softwald assured him. “You can tell me what's on your mind. I won't judge you. I promise.”

Oswald sighed in submission.

“Alright, fine,” he began...

He then told Softwald about his rough past. How he'd been a star, but was quickly forgotten. About the Thinner Disaster and the events of the Blot Wars, including what had happened to his wife. About his resentment and reconciliation with his brother. It became easier and easier to be honest about his past as he continued speaking. He felt himself on the verge of tears a few times, but quickly pulled himself back and put on a brave face.

“...And now...I mean...Everything in Wasteland is great right now. I'm still in touch with Mickey, and he's been telling me people in the real world are starting to remember me again. But somehow...I dunno...I still feel uneasy. I still think about the past a lot, even though I know it's done and over with. And sometimes...I wonder if I even have any worth anymore.”

There was a moment of silence. Softwald and Softensia looked at Oswald with empathetic attentiveness.

“...Heh...Sorry,” Oswald chuckled. “Things got...a little bit too real there, huh?”

“Oh, no no no,” Softwald replied. “I'm really glad you told us all of this. It'll make it a lot easier for me to help you out.”

Oswald looked down, still feeling ashamed.

“Oswald,” Softwald continued. “Your emotions are perfectly valid. You've been through a lot in your life. It's understandable you'd feel this way. What's important now is we find some positive ways to help you heal.”

Oswald scoffed sadly. “Hm...You mean all that new-agey meditation stuff? Just sitting around and humming all day? Is that supposed to cure me?”

“Well...no,” Softwald replied honestly. “It's not a 'cure' by any means. But, if it's something that ends up working well with you, it can be a good coping mechanism. Whenever you start to feel unsure, you can always find ways to center and calm yourself so you can re-approach those feelings with a clearer mind. It's more of an 'aid' than a cure. Finding healthy coping mechanisms is an important step on your healing journey.”

'Healing journey?' Oswald thought to himself. Now he's some sort of hippie guru life coach or something? Well...I suppose it can't hurt. Anything to make Ortensia feel better.

“Alright,” Oswald nodded. “I guess I'm game for anything.”

Softwald's face was practically glowing with joy at the sound of Oswald's words.

“That's great to hear,” he whispered. “I really look forward to helping you out.”

The trio finished their tea and food while engaging in lighter conversation. When they were finished, Softwald and Softensia escorted Oswald to the guest room he'd be staying in.

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 20 August 2018

Quick Bits:

Aphrodite V #2 is pretty damn great. Jeff Spokes’ artwork is instantly compelling, drawing in the reader with darkness and interesting angles into this increasingly enthralling story of a machine cult from the future by him and Bryan Hill.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Avengers #6 concludes the first arc in widescreen fashion. Lots of action and big ideas from Jason Aaron with gorgeous art from Ed McGuinness, Paco Medina, Mark Morales, Juan Velasco, and David Curiel. Again I’m reminded of those early issue of JLA from Grant Morrison and Howard Porter. This has been fun so far and I’m intrigued by what else they have in store.

| Published by Marvel

Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs & Eldritch Men #1 is a very welcome return, even without Jill Thompson for this go around. The artwork from Benjamin Dewey is beautiful as he reminds us that he’s one of the best nature artists in comics, and possible beyond. His animals are just stunning. The story from him and Evan Dorkin is also interesting, suggesting some arcane traps luring in the paranormal. Great stuff for all ages.

| Published by Dark Horse

Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack #12 concludes the series with an epic battle between the forces of heaven and hell as it teaches us the true meaning of friendship. It’s funnier when you actually read it. This has been an entertaining series from John Carpenter, Anthony Burch, Jorge Corona, Gabriel Cassata, and Ed Dukeshire, with this final chapter also delivering a nice farewell to the movie as well.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Black Hammer: Age of Doom #4 has some very interesting revelations that ultimately only lead to more questions than answers. What’s going on isn’t nearly as cut and dried as we were led to believe last issue and the mystery has just deepened. Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston, Dave Stewart, and Todd Klein have managed to elevate this story higher again.

| Published by Dark Horse

Black Panther #3 finally parcels out a tidbit of what might actually be going on with the series and the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda, just in time for a surprise attack and more action. Thankfully, the art from Daniel Acuña is still overwhelmingly gorgeous.

| Published by Marvel

Britannia: Lost Eagles of Rome #2 is even better than the first issue. The mystery deepens as Antonius and Achillia reach Egypt and find incongruities they don’t expect within this province of the Roman Empire. The artwork from Robert Gill (with colours from José Villarrubia) is probably among the best I’ve seen from him, really bringing some very strong work here with backgrounds, vehicles, and character designs that are particularly impressive.

| Published by Valiant

Cold Spots #1 is the start to another horror series from Cullen Bunn, this time accompanied by Mark Torres with the artwork, and as per many of Bunn’s previous tales, this is a great start. There’s a genuinely creepy atmosphere from Torres’ art and the plot of a missing daughter and her child, amidst the spooky maybe-ghosts, is a good one.

| Published by Image

Daredevil #607 gets into how there can possibly be a Mike Murdock running around New York and it’s an interesting and possibly hazardous diversion. Gorgeous art from Phil Noto.

| Published by Marvel

Die!Die!Die! #2 is more entertaining over-the-top humorous action that feels like it’s channelling Garth Ennis. Great art from Chris Burnham and Nathan Fairbairn.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Hunt for Wolverine: Mystery in Madripoor #4 is probably the most succinct in sticking to its plot without real deviation of all of these minis. Basically sticking to the thread of these X-women tackling the Femme Fatales. It’s been a relatively decent story from Jim Zub, Thony Silas, and Felipe Sobreiro, even if the art’s been a little uneven. There’s a really nice sequence of Psylocke finding herself again in this issue, though, from Leonard Kirk and Andrew Crossley that has interesting implications going forward.

| Published by Marvel

Jughead: The Hunger #8 is a great jumping-on point for new readers, offering a bit of a history lesson and summary reinterpretation of the events of the overarching plot of the series to date. Great work from Frank Tieri, Pat & Tim Kennedy, Joe Eisma, Bob Smith, Ryan Jampole, Matt Herms, Andre Szymanowicz, and Jack Morelli.

| Published by Archie Comics / Archie’s Madhouse Presents

The Life of Captain Marvel #2 continues what is shaping up to be possibly one of the defining and quintessential Carol Danvers stories. I love what Margaret Stohl is doing in bringing out the backstory and interpersonal dynamics of Carol’s family. The art from Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Fonteriz, and Marcio Menyz in the present day and Marguerite Sauvage’s flashbacks is wonderful.

| Published by Marvel

Mr. & Mrs. X #2 continues this fun ride, tossing in Deadpool and more of the lesser used intergalactic X-characters. The dialogue from Kelly Thompson is hilarious and the art from Oscar Bazaldua and Frank D’Armata is great.

| Published by Marvel

Old Man Logan #46 begins another arc tying up loose ends before the endgame of Dead Man Logan kicks off. Wrapping reconnecting with Alpha Flight around a horror story evoking shades of The Thing and Slither results in a wonderful story perfectly fitting Damian Couciero’s artwork.

| Published by Marvel

The Punisher #1 is both a continuation of Matthew Rosenberg’s stories and ideas from the last volume of the series and a kind of back-to-basics approach to Frank Castle. Basically, he’s lost the War Machine suit, but he’s still taking on the world-spanning super-villains. It’s pretty epic and this is great jumping-on point. The dark humour is perfect, reminding me of Garth Ennis’ work with Castle, and seriously this is probably the best art that Szymon Kudranski has ever done. Along with Antonio Fabela’s colours, it’s like he was born to draw The Punisher.

| Published by Marvel

Royal City #14 is an introspective end of saying farewell to the past and accepting change to move forward. This has been an interesting series from Jeff Lemire, focusing on his most often used theme of family, and it’s been a good exploration of their different dynamics.

| Published by Image

The Sentry #3 is pretty dark, telling the flipside of the first two issues from Billy Turner’s perspective as he goes about stealing Sentry’s identity. This is almost at Kid Miracleman levels of demented. Jeff Lemire is playing with some interesting ideas here, beautifully brought to life by Kim Jacinto, Joshua Cassara, and Rain Beredo.

| Published by Marvel

Shadowman #6 has some truly beautiful artwork from Renato Guedes, as this arc of Jack falling through time visiting the different holders of the shadow loa takes an interesting turn in ancient history.

| Published by Valiant

Shanghai Red #3 is probably the best issue to date, as Molly reunites with Katie, recriminations are hashed out, and we get a bit of a tour of Portland. Christopher Sebela, Joshua Hixson, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou have tapped into something unique here, and this tale of revenge and some of the lesser told side of American history is incredibly compelling.

| Published by Image

TMNT #85 brings Leatherhead back into the fold, with very interesting and potentially dangerous ramifications following the war between the Utroms and Triceratons. Brahm Revel’s clothes-peg take on the Turtles is an interesting visual choice.

| Published by IDW

The Thrilling Adventure Hour #2 I find better than the first issue. The humour hits home a bit more for me and the leads of Sadie and Frank don’t seem nearly as insufferable as the first issue. The art, though, from MJ Erickson and Brittany Peer is just as good as the first. Entertaining stuff.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Venom #5 is another great issue. The mythology-building in this series is just incredible, growing Venom and his world into so much more. Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, JP Mayer, Frank Martin, and Clayton Cowles are creating magic.

| Published by Marvel

West Coast Avengers #1 is a great debut, filled with action and humour, as this highly dysfunctional team comes together. It’s nice to see Kelly Thompson doing more Hawkeye and Hawkguy, and the collection of characters coming together to make up the team are bizarre and fitting, carrying on a few of the themes and plot developments of the previous Hawkeye and America series. Though you needn’t have read any of that before you pick this up. Making it nigh unmissable is the gorgeous art from Stefano Caselli and Triona Farrell. This is fun.

| Published by Marvel

Witchblade #7 returns for its second arc, continuing the extremely high level of quality that Caitlin Kittredge, Roberta Ingranata, Bryan Valenza, and Troy Peteri set for themselves.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

X-Men Red #7 advances us a bit further as the X-Men attempt to uncover evidence of Cassandra Nova’s influence on the world and thwart her attack on Atlantis. Tom Taylor has definitely been taking a slow approach to unfurling this story, but it has allowed for the beautiful art from originally Mahmud Asrar and now Carmen Carnero & Rain Beredo time to breathe.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Amazing Spider-Man #4, Avengers: Wakanda Forever #1, Barbarella #9, Bedtime Games #3, Betty & Veronica: Vixens #9, Curse Words Summer Swimsuit Special #1, Days of Hate #7, DuckTales #11, Gasolina #11, Hack/Slash: Resurrection #10, Hit-Girl #7, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation #6, Lumberjanes #53, Mammon, Mickey Spillane’s Mike #3, Night’s Dominion - Season Three #2, Old Man Hawkeye #8, Quantum & Woody! #9, Red Sonja/Tarzan #4, Redneck #14, Stairway - Volume 1, Star Wars: Darth Vader #20, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #23, Sullivan’s Sluggers, TMNT: Bebop & Rocksteady Hit the Road #4, Wasted Space #4

Recommended Collections: Avengers: Back to Basics, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Cloak & Dagger: Predator & Pray, Deadly Class - Volume 7: Love Like Blood, Giant Days - Volume 8, Jimmy’s Bastards - Volume 2, Li’l Donnie - Volume 1: Executive Privilege, Lockjaw: Who’s a Good Boy, Postal - Volume 7, Sex Criminals - Volume 5: Five-fingered Discount

d. emerson eddy too wonders where all the cowboys have gone. Is it a nefarious plot from some shadowy organization? Or are they all just at the Calgary Stampede?

[its-a-queer-thing]

hey! i haven’t send anything in a while so all these feelings are sorta bottled up in my mind and i just needed to share them with you! soo. I got real sick and i’ve to stay home for a few days. Skipping school gave me more time to watch shameless and even though i dont wanna admit it, that’s all i’ve been doing for the past two or three days :“) NICE.

anyways!

i’m on season 5 currently, and shit just got real. real bad, real weird, real messed up! I knew Ian was going to turn out being bipolar, but the first time the mania started to kick in, it fucking terrified me. No seriously, all Ian scenes right after he’d got back from the army were nearly giving me chills. Knowing that "it” was going to happen made me so uncomfortable somehow. Damn, Cameron is a GREAT actor.

for the past two or three seasons, i honestly hated Lip for doing stuff he did to Mandy and so on, but after that, seeing how he truly cares about his family even though he’s terrible at relationships, i kind of still like him. idk.

Steve disappointed me. a lot. His comeback was epic, but i don’t trust him anymore. and i honestly don’t care about whether him and Fiona is going to happen again or not. He’s an asshole. at least for now.

The drama between Vee and Kev scared me a lot because i LOVE them and their beautiful relationship, but i know they’ll find ways to each other. ahh.

anyways, getting to the actual question, this isn’t really related to what i talked about, but whatever. so. who is your favorite female character and why(i hope i havent asked this already omg)?

personally for me, it’s either Mandy, or Svetlana. Or both. Svetlana has had a major development if you ask me, and instead of a dumb hooker, i see her as a different.. strong woman who has been though  A LOT but still managed to be who she is now. Idk, i think she’s hilarious.

thanks for putting up with my long ass lectures hahah <3

I’m so sorry you’ve been ill, love! I hope you’re feeling better now!

Yes! Cameron is so underrated, same as Noel! I pray they both just keep getting more and more jobs because they are both so crazy talented and deserve every single role they want! And Ian was bonechilling in season 4 with how quick he would go from laughing hysterically to super serious, from relatively calm to murderous, just... fuck! And then 4x12 brings me to my knees. Gallavich can’t have one goddamn episode of happiness because even in 5x01, Mickey is so blissed out to have his family dynamic, his boyfriend and wife getting along, he’s got a new scam going that should be relatively easy to keep going, life is good right?! THEN we find out that Ian is cheating on him and rejecting any possibility that he’s like Monica. And it just keeps going from there and fuck my heart just can’t take it! T_T

Yeah, Lip and I have gotten along ONCE and that was in season 3 when he called everyone on their shit for letting the pedophile go just because she was a woman. Because even when he was taking care of Liam, I think he only took care of him to the extent that he did to a. get back at Fiona moreso than he believed she couldn’t and b. to get girls. It’s no coincidence to me that he was being rejected left and right and could only get his third or fourth choice to fuck him and then suddenly he brings Liam to school and BAM. Chick magnet. I think he milked that for all he was worth and no one will ever be able to tell me otherwise. Then in season 5 he acted like he gave a shit about Ian but what exactly did he do to show it? Not much. He criticized Mickey, talked to Mickey once, and talked about how guilty he felt being away from his brother when all he had to do was call him once or make the effort to visit him at the Milkovich house, awkwardness with Mandy be damned. MAKE PLANS! Go out and DO something! Invite him to dinner! FUCK! And finally the way he tries to convince Mandy to stay... He really thinks he’s God’s gift, especially with Mandy who has really low standards, and it’s disgusting. He takes advantage of her low standards to seem like a prince by spouting out sweet shit to her when he knows she’s vulnerable, and thinks that throwing his magic dick in her followed by telling her she deserves better and inviting her to breakfast is going to get her to stay. Fuck Lip. FUCK. Lip.

Steve was character assassination. Get used to it, love. Sadly that’s Shameless’ game. They love to tear their characters down after they’ve left so that the audience will stop asking for him. It never works, but that’s what they do. Granted, Jimmy/Steve was never THAT bad, but they really upped the asshole factor  for season 5 and it was really frustrating that they brought him back literally just to stir things up because they couldn’t get creative and think of a new conflict. Very disappointing, indeed.

As much as I hate the drama between Kev and V, I kind of liked it just because it’s relatively unrealistic to have a couple NOT have issues. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they had their issues, but they were generally resolved in two episodes MAX. So this was interesting because they also really got to the deep rooted problem and started looking a way to get past it, which is SUPER important. I also love that they showed the father getting uber obsessed with his children and the mother just not connecting the way she feels like she should. It’s great because it shows that there isn’t one right way to parent and there isn’t one right way to react to a life change like that. Some mothers don’t instantly latch to their children the way they are told they will and it sets up a lot of disappointment when it doesn’t happen. It was an interesting discourse.

Favorite female character is probably V. She is loyal to a fault and does what she has to do to get by and isn’t ashamed of it. She  loves fiercely and isn’t afraid to take charge and I LOVE that in a woman. And Shanola Hampton? She is H.O.T. HOT! Such a beautiful woman inside and out. <3 She is probably the only female character on this show that hasn’t seriously pissed me off tbh lol.

Svetlana and I have issues. It’s not just that she raped Mickey, but that she knew that what happened between them was nonconsensual but didn’t seem to understand that he wouldn’t want to be around her or see his kid. It may be that she is with that group of people who believe that men can’t be raped or something, but I will never forgive her for jumping to the blackmail game when Ian came back. She could have reasoned with Ian or told Mickey “look, it’s clear you don’t give a shit about the baby, but I’m keeping it and I can’t do it alone. We’re already married so why don’t you just help me with the kid. You don’t have to play husband, just be a father to the kid and help me out financially.” And if he still didn’t come along, just keep working on him and get Ian and Mandy involved! Be resourceful woman! She KNEW what would happen if Terry found out Mickey was still gay and to spite Mickey’s fear would put his life in very real danger just to get her way (and to support her child, I understand, but again... There are different courses of actions that could have been taken). Then there are future things that make me dislike her, but I’ll wait until I know you’re there to discuss them. :)

Much love, dear and I hope you get better soon if you aren’t already! Send me more of your thoughts when they come to you! <3

[giantsfootball0]

What’s behind the downfall of the New Orleans Saints’ defense – New Orleans Saints Blog

METAIRIE, La. — Identifying what has gone so epically wrong with the New Orleans Saints’ defense is kind of like the age-old “chicken or the egg” debate.

The Saints keep changing their defensive players, coordinators and schemes because they’ve been so lousy on that side of the ball. But they keep struggling on defense because they have no continuity.

The Saints have started 55 different defensive players since the start of the 2014 season. And 23 different defensive backs have started at least two games in that 50-game span. Both are the highest totals in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

By contrast, the Minnesota Vikings have used only 26 starters since the start of 2014. And the Denver Broncos have had only eight defensive backs start multiple games since then.

“There’s no consistency. I mean, there’s new faces every year. Nobody even gets to know each other. And because they’ve been bad, they just keep rotating guys,” said former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle. Former Saints cornerback Jabari Greer echoed the same sentiment when asked for thoughts on why New Orleans has continued to struggle on defense through multiple players, coordinators and systems.

Dennis Allen, right, is the latest coordinator that coach Sean Payton, left, has turned to in an effort to fix a defense that has struggled to stop anyone over the past few seasons. Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports

In less than four years, the Saints have used five different players in the middle linebacker/”quarterback of the defense” role.

Some of it has been bad luck — injuries to key starters such as Delvin Breaux, Nick Fairley, Keenan Lewis and Jairus Byrd, among others. Some of it has been impatience with players who were inconsistent in New Orleans but have thrived elsewhere — such as Malcolm Jenkins and Akiem Hicks.

And a lot of it, Saints coach Sean Payton readily admitted Thursday, has been missing on too many defensive draft picks and free agents, including linebacker Stephone Anthony, a first-round selection in 2015 who was just traded to the Miami Dolphins for a fifth-rounder.

“They’ve just had issues with keeping a consistent starting 11 on the field,” said Greer, who noted that was one of the strengths during the successful defensive seasons he was part of in 2009 (the Saints team that won the Super Bowl), 2011 and 2013. “And I think having a different voice in the leadership positions over the last three years is something that’s been a problem. They haven’t had a four-star captain like they do on offense with Drew [Brees] and Zach [Strief]. So when you have a shift in leadership that’s been dramatic over the past three years, you have the results.

“The roots are not as deep.”

Burning through coordinators

To an extent, the defense has always been the Saints’ Achilles’ heel during the Payton/Brees/general manager Mickey Loomis era. No NFL team has gained more yards since Payton and Brees first arrived in 2006 (405.1 per game). And no NFL team has allowed more yards (360.5 per game).

Some of those struggles date back to coordinators Gary Gibbs and Gregg Williams. But it has really become an epidemic since 2012 as the Saints have burned through coordinators Steve Spagnuolo (2012) and Rob Ryan (2013-15). Current D-coordinator Dennis Allen took the reins after Ryan was fired in November 2015. The Saints also fired longtime linebackers coach Joe Vitt and longtime defensive line coach Bill Johnson this year, bringing in Mike Nolan and Ryan Nielsen.

Under Spagnuolo in 2012, the Saints set the NFL record for most yards allowed in a season (7,042). Then, under Ryan and Allen in 2015, the defense set NFL records for most TD passes allowed (45) and highest opponents’ passer rating (116.1). This season, through two games, they’re on pace to shatter all three of those marks.

“I think having a different voice in the leadership positions over the last three years is something that’s been a problem. They haven’t had a four-star captain like they do on offense with Drew [Brees] and Zach [Strief].”

former Saints cornerback Jabari Greer

Payton — an offensive-minded head coach — has been a constant through all the struggles. So it’s fair to wonder how much of a role he’s had in the defense’s demise. And he doesn’t shrink from that responsibility, saying, “It’s never gonna be the coordinator’s defense himself. It’s gonna be the Saints’ defense, No. 1.”

Payton could be accused of running Williams out of town because of a personality clash, and of not having much patience with Ryan or Spagnuolo because of their historic struggles. But it’s hard to argue that any of those coaches deserved to stay, particularly considering Williams orchestrated the infamous bounty program that cost Payton a one-year suspension and the Saints two second-round draft picks.

Plus, Payton’s relationship with Allen is as strong as he’s had with any defensive coordinator, and that hasn’t proved to be a magic solution so far.

Ryan accused Payton and Loomis, in part, of ruining a good thing in 2014 by trying to mimic what the Seattle Seahawks were doing after the Saints had a good defense in 2013 (swapping out Jenkins for Byrd in free agency and drafting Stanley Jean-Baptiste in the second round in 2014, among other failed moves). But Payton ultimately fired Ryan during the 2015 season because his defense was too undisciplined and was plagued by assignment, alignment and substitution errors.

The area where Payton deserves — and accepts — the most blame is in the personnel decisions that have missed the mark the past several years.

The Saints whiffed on Anthony, Jean-Baptiste and several midround picks in the draft. And they whiffed on free agents such as Byrd, linebacker James Laurinaitis and cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Champ Bailey.

Payton and Loomis collaborate equally on personnel decisions, along with top personnel executives such as former personnel director Ryan Pace, current pro personnel director Terry Fontenot and current college scouting director Jeff Ireland. All have some hits and misses on their track record.

But Payton said they’ve been improving in recent years.

“From a personnel standpoint … making sure that it’s something I’m comfortable with in regards to personnel and making sure that we’ve asked the right questions so we know the player can learn and we know the player can fit in this role [is important]. And I think that process recently has served us very well,” Payton said.

Plagued by the secondary

Both Greer and Shanle note that the Saints bailed too early on Jenkins, who became a Pro Bowler with the Philadelphia Eagles (though in Hicks’ case, Greer said he understood why a change of scenery was probably a win-win).

“If Coach could go back, I’m sure that he would keep [Jenkins and safety Roman Harper in 2014], because they brought much more to the team than just performance and stats,” said Greer, who now analyzes the NFL for TSN. “Their leadership and that stability on the back end was key to keeping our team mentally afloat when the hard times came.

Safety Kenny Vaccaro, a 2013 first-round pick, has been plagued by inconsistency as part of a secondary that has had tremendous turnover since the start of the 2014 season. Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

“We had a really good defense; we were pretty opportunistic. But the thing is, we were pretty consistent with the starting lineup. You know, we had the same 11 on the field for an extended period of time. … Because in the middle of the game, when you’re in Week 8, 9, 10, you need to understand how your teammates play, what their tendencies are, how they react to motions, to shifts.”

Greer pointed to an ugly play near the start of Sunday’s 36-20 loss to the New England Patriots: Second-year safety Vonn Bell moved rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore out of press coverage after running back James White shifted from the outside to the inside, something Greer said is usually a no-no. And White wound up gaining 12 yards on the third-and-5 play.

“When I saw that, I realized that they were disjointed, that they were not communicating effectively. But those are little nuances you get when you’ve played with a player for a long period of time,” Greer said. “Teams are gonna use motions and shifts to make those defensive backs communicate. And if they’re not comfortable communicating with each other, if they don’t know each other’s playing styles, they’re gonna be in for a very long season.”

Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro is a 2013 first-round pick who has taken turns excelling and struggling throughout his four-plus-year career in New Orleans (including his benching late in the loss to New England). He has mentioned multiple times this year how difficult it is to develop chemistry with different players constantly rotating through the secondary.

“I’ve been here through it all, through a thousand different members in the secondary,” Vaccaro quipped the other day.

Vaccaro was expected to be the one veteran member of the secondary to provide some glue and guidance this season, but he has struggled along with the younger players. Shanle said he and former Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma have talked about how they would have loved to play with Vaccaro. But he said Vaccaro is “the most bipolar player I’ve ever seen as far as consistency. When he’s on, he’s one of the best players in the league. When he’s off, I just don’t get it.”

Shanle said he sees potential in the Saints’ latest defensive incarnation, including rookie starters Lattimore, linebacker Alex Anzalone and safety Marcus Williams.

“But that’s been the problem — they’ve been way too young on defense the past few years,” said Shanle, who now analyzes the Saints for Cox Sports Television. “I believe that Dennis knows what he’s doing. But I don’t care if you bring Wade Phillips in, Buddy Ryan, whoever you want to bring in, I still think you’re not gonna have a great defense, just because some of the mistakes these guys are making on the back end.

“Everybody knows the secondary’s been the Achilles’ heel of this team. I mean, we saw it in ’09 — when we finally fixed the back end, we were able to do what we wanted to do on defense and be aggressive and play man [coverage]. Until you do that, all you do is try to do smoke and mirrors to cover up for those guys back there.”

The post What’s behind the downfall of the New Orleans Saints’ defense – New Orleans Saints Blog appeared first on Daily Star Sports.

from https://dailystarsports.com/2017/09/22/whats-behind-the-downfall-of-the-new-orleans-saints-defense-new-orleans-saints-blog/ from https://dailystarsports.tumblr.com/post/165634392866