#US netflix at least i'm not sure about other regions

[crownkillers]

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE IS ON NETFLIX NOW 📢📢📢

[ofmdrecaps]

09/20/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Call To Action: David Jenkins; Samba Schutte; Con O'Neill; Hugo Pierre Martin; How To Help; Other Cast & Crew Sightings: Rhys Darby; Rosie Carnahan Darby; Taika Waititi; Samba Schutte; Leslie Jones; Guz Khan; Damien Gerard; Kristian Nairn; Hugo Pierre Martin;

Well folks. It sure is wonderful to be honking loudly with you again! (Clown or Goose, however you prefer to consider it!). This morning, David Jenkins started us all off with a very specific tweet that set off a chain reaction!

= David Jenkins =

It APPEARS that David is telling us, the fans, that OFMD is "available", and that Netflix is the streaming service to woo. Now, does that mean it's just being bought and streamed? Or perhaps being picked up by a Season 3? There has been some discussion that Netflix sometimes likes to stream a cancelled show before they greenlight another season-- and well, who knows, maybe that's what OFMD is in line for!

Source: David Jenkins' Instagram

= Samba Schutte =

Then a little later in the day... Samba started us up with a new #, #supnetflix!

Source: Samba's Instagram

= Con O'Neill =

Con joined in on the sharing!

Source: Con's Instagram Stories

= Hugo Pierre Martin =

Our "one-line" friend, Hugo Pierre Martin is back at it! He's supporting OFMD in every way he can!

Source: Hugo's Twitter / 2

The fans took David and the Crew's call to action by starting up a tweet storm! Our friends over at @adoptourcrew also kept the momentum going by putting up prompts!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

Some of our crewmates reminded us, and Netflix, we had the numbers :)

Source: Florence aka single_cat_mom on Twitter!

As of the time this post was put together, the trends got up to the following! Thank you to APurplePatch on Twitter for captureing them!

Source: APurplePatch Twitter

And a little schadenfreude for today's festivities! Thank you Ashley!

Source: Ashley aka Seven_Sugars on Twitter

Well there we are-- great job today crew! Sure is feeling good in the fandom today! If we can, let's keep the momentum up through tomorrow! Are you excited about the possibility of an s3? Well, feel free to join in the manifestations from our friend @xray-vex!

Source: Xray_Vex Twitter

== How To Help ==

I can't believe I'm saying this again-- but hey! Wanna help out with the renewal (or at least selling OFMD) effort? Please consider some of the following!

Sign the Petition if you haven't already! (Change.org DOES clear out non-confirmed via email signatures every once in a while, so be sure to check your email.)

Request Our Flag Means Death on the Netflix form!

If you're interacting with social media, use these hashtags: #OurFlagMeansDeath #supnetflix #AdoptOurCrew #SaveOFMD

== Other Cast & Crew Sightings ==

= Rhys Darby =

New Bill Napier Weather Update from Rhys today on his Substack! There was even a shout out to some of our crewmembers you might recognize! Give it a listen!

Source: Rhys' Substack

= Rosie =

More Kitten Content from the Darby Household! (why yes, I will use my one movie allowed per tumblr post to add kitten content, I regret nothing).

Source: Rosie Carnahan Darby's Instagram

= Taika Waititi =

Taika's back to his "influencer" phase again!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taika Waititi (@taikawaititi)

Source: Taika's Instagram

= Damien Gerard =

Damien's finally getting to get some relief! Congrats sir!

Source: Damien's Instagram

= Kristian Nairn =

Kristian catching up with one of his old co-stars, Issac Wright!

Source: Kristian Nairn Instagram

= Samba Schutte =

I realized I shared Samba's pics last time, but didn't say much about the new campaign! Samba's new Shop Stands campaign is benefiting the LA Regional Food Bank! First up, you can get a hoodie version of the Crew For Life T-Shirt! - Crew For Life Hoodie

Next up-- Samba is back with another cooking class! This time it's Death By Cheese! Death By Cheese Class

EVENT DATE: NOVEMBER 9 EVENT TIME: 10AM PT/1PM ET EVENT LOCATION: ONLINE

Source: Shop Stands

= Guz Khan =

New season of Man From Mobeen! Not sure if there's a date yet...but looks like Guz is sharing some pics!

Source: Guz Khan's Instagram

= Leslie Jones =

Leslie was on the Jennifer Hudson Show a couple days back!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Jennifer Hudson Show (@jenniferhudsonshow)

Source: Jennifer Hudson's Instagram

= Hugo Pierre Martin =

In case you haven't heard, Hugo is doing a Spotify Audio Series! Wanna check it out? Visit: Spotify

Source: Hugo's Twitter

== Articles ==

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== Love Notes ==

Alright, lovelies. I have so many things to say and yet no stamina to do so. I'll try to pick up tomorrow-- I just wanted to send this your way, I hope you find the ones who make you feel like you're basking in warmth and love, like the sun.

Source: StayCloseToYourself_ Instagram

[noctusfury]

Dragon Flyer Hierarchy (RTTE Headcanon and Theory)

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another HTTYD article! Sorry it took a while to write and put together since I was basically creating their lore from scratch.

Today will once again dive into the Dragon Flyers, this time concerning the topic of their hierarchy.

This is a continuation of my recent article which you can read here.

Now, be aware that this is a theory and headcanon on this end since the show doesn't really give us much background on the Dragon Flyers — even more so than with the Dragon Hunters — and we know very little about their ranks and hierarchy. This is just me taking a crack at how they function as a unit.

"Dragon-skin Meritocracy": A 300(?)-Years-Old Hierarchal System

The first part of this article will dive into my theory of what I call "Dragon-skin Meritocracy" — a system of hierarchy based on the merits of one's achievements via the possession of certain dragon skins from dragons that they slay. They are forbidden from purchasing any dragon skins to boost their own status, career, or reputation. Even leaders or individuals with wealth or influential families must adhere to this dictate.

Each Tribe in the Barbaric Archipelago has its own customs, cultures, rules, traditions, etc, concerning the etiquette of dragon skins and the art of dragon-slaying. In fact, I even hazard to guess that there are differences even between the Tribes in the Inner Isles vs those of the Outer Isles, as what those of the Inner Isles view as a top-tier dragon to hunt might not be what those of the Outer Isles view as a prestigious dragon to hunt, simply due to exposure to different dragon species that those of the Inner Isles aren't accustomed to.

(You can look for my previous article on the use of dragon skins here)

Aside from the fact that they look aesthetically pleasing to wear and give the user anti-fire protection, it's also a show of one's prowess and status as a man and warrior.

As Hiccup had even said in the first film:

"Killing dragons is everything around here. A Nadder head is sure to get me at least noticed. Gronckles are tough. Taking down one of those would definitely get me a girlfriend. A Zippleback? Exotic. Two heads, twice the status. Then, there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those."

As such, in Archipelagoan society, there is a hierarchy or meritocracy that is based on what dragons you kill, and how many of them. And it's also based on how difficult these dragons are to kill.

Again, the achievement hierarchy concerning dragon skins differs from tribe to tribe, from region to region — heck, even family to family.

However, I'm going to try to create some sort of hierarchy that the Dragon Flyers might plausibly employ, since it's an organization and must have some semblance of order. (You can find the article here.)

Thus, I created this chart below:

From this chart, you'll see the following:

Flyers wearing Zippleback + Nightmare skins are Elite Flyers.

Flyers wearing yellow dragon skins are Senior Flyers.

Flyers wearing Nightmare(?) + Nadder skins are Junior Flyers.

Flyers wearing brown/poor-tanned dragon skins are Rank-n'-File

I'm only basing this on what I've seen on the show, where the ones showing the most experience and ferocity in battle were those wearing Zippleback and Gold-skins, respectively, while those below them seem to be not as experienced and are more prone to express fear and cowardice. Naturally, there are exceptions, but strictly based on what we've seen, that is my diagnosis concerning the Dragon Flyers and their hierarchy based on the dragon skins they wear. It's likely that Netflix intentionally did it this way, but I haven't a clue.

Those who wear those brown-skins (I can't tell if they're poorly tanned Nightmare skins or Gronkle-skins or what) seem to be more greenhorns than anything. Those without the pauldrons and Nadder-wing skirts appear to be more rank-and-file than the others. In contrast, those with those items seem to be slightly above them in rank — similar to how a Private First Class or Corporal is above a rank-n'-file Private.

The Hierarchy

Now, it's VERY possible that it's just a random configuration of minions without any order of hierarchy. It's possible that the hierarchy is the following:

Krogan > 12 Flyer Disciples (Dawn of Destruction & Wings of War) > Other Flyers > Dragon Hunters

Here is a graph I made which showcases this hierarchy, as I see it.

Of course, this is in Krogan's own eyes, as he deems himself and his Flyers to be above Viggo and the Hunters. In contrast, Viggo would likely have viewed himself as equal to Krogan, despite having no choice but to work with him, as his organization has mostly been absorbed or scattered.

Furthermore, the Flyer hierarchy is further divided into the following:

Krogan's Disciples > Squadron Captains > Veteran Flyers > Junior Flyers > Regular Flyers > Recruits

If you're wondering who I mean by "disciples," it's the 12 Flyers who were personally trained by Krogan and were his BEST warriors in "Dawn of Destruction" and "Wings of War". "Disciples" is what I call them, as a result.

Also, by popular vote, they'll be called "The Deadly Dozen" from now on.

Underneath them are the Squadron Captains and Veteran Flyers who lead the pairs and squads of regular Flyers. After them are the Junior Flyers, who are essentially like the Corporals or Privates First Class of the unit. Underneath them are the Regular Flyers, who are the mainstay of the force; their experience, equipment, and abilities vary. And finally, we have the Recruits, who have recently joined and have only basic training and have little combat experience.

Let us start with Krogan's Disciples, shall we?

"The Deadly Dozen": Krogan's Elites

So then, who are these "disciples," in detail?

In Wings of War, Krogan says this to Viggo after the latter questions him:

Viggo: I haven't seen your Flyers in quite some time. Shouldn't they be preparing?

Krogan: Those are twelve of my most fearless and gifted warriors. I doubt they'll have much of an issue.

<><><><><><>

As they are Krogan's elites and are close to him, they will possess the highest place in this hierarchy as Krogan's lieutenants, with Krogan possessing the top-most position as their Chief. As a result, they will be ad hoc and de facto leaders who will be in charge of important and secret projects or missions. They'll also be given limited carte blanche authority at these times, so long as they obey any direct orders from Krogan.

The foremost of whom is the Flyer Leader, who appears to be the Chief Disciple among the "Deadly Dozen", similar to how the Witch-King of Angmar was the Chief Lieutenant of the Nazgul, Sauron's servants. He was charged with hunting down the Riders in "Dawn of Destruction" and "Wings of War", and was later in charge of protecting one of the secret Singetail Nurseries in "Family Matters".

That being said, aside from these times, they'll most often act as Krogan's personal entourage, who accompany him whenever and wherever he goes anyplace, or to hunt down anyone he wants.

These Flyers would prove to be the Riders' greatest adversaries capable of besting them in air-to-air combat. However, later in the war, the Riders would end up on top as the numbers of the "Deadly Dozen" dwindled — either because of war attrition or because of reassignment to other bases or missions — or were replaced by regular Flyers who had less training and teamwork abilities than their predecessors.

By the time Krogan's and Johann's forces attacked Berserker Island, the "Deadly Dozen" would lead their fellow Flyers into battle to intercept the Riders and provide close-air support to their ground forces.

The "Deadly Dozen" is definitely a force to be reckoned with, and were Krogan's fiercest, most experienced, most loyal, and most fanatic warriors under his command, and were warriors whom the other Flyers respected and wished to emulate.

Squadron Leaders / Veteran Flyers: Backbone of the Dragon Flyer Warband

As such, whenever Krogan's Disciples were absent, the squadron leaders and veteran flyers were next in command. These two groups were the backbone of Krogan's Flyers and were essential to the command structure.

Based on what we see in the show, these Flyers often wear Zippleback or golden dragon skins. The Gold-skins, interestingly, are the only Flyers with a one-horned helm, possibly indicating some senior NCO-esque rank, as these guys are purposefully distinct from the other Flyers. They are usually tough, cruel, and experienced.

Squadron leaders were responsible for leading their squads on patrols and missions and for ensuring that their unit was battle-ready and prepared to fly at a moment's notice. It's possible that this position is less of a rigid rank and was more of a fluid position that interchanged hands frequently, depending on the mission and circumstances.

Veteran Flyers, as their name implies, are those who have accumulated a lot of experience and were essentially the NCOs of the Thunderband. They were the wing leaders of every pair of Flyers — the Senior Flyers, if you will, accompanied by their wingman.

As you can see from the pictures above, the Gold-skin Flyers seem to hold this position more often than not. This seems to imply that they are often veterans or have some commanding ability.

However, this doesn't seem to be restricted to just them, as we see in the photo below. As such, it can be speculated that either anyone who is senior can be a wing leader, or such a position doesn't even exist and pair groups are more of a teamwork-oriented unit than having a true hierarchy.

For example, look at these two Flyers as they take down Stoick in "Darkest Night".

Or these two Flyers when the Twins were chasing their tail in "Dawn of Destruction".

So it's very possible that in pair-units, it's more of a fluid, teamwork-focused unit with a dash of hierarchy, similar to the Riders' command structure (albeit less flexible since they have to obey Krogan's commands to a T).

On to the next group!

Junior Flyers: The Runner-Ups

Junior Flyers are those below the Veteran Flyers and often fill the wingman roles in the pair-units, and would probably be similar to the corporal or sergeant ranks, in contrast to the Goldskins' senior sergeant or ensign ranking. The one above is one of those "Deadly Dozen" Flyers prominently shown in Seasons 5 and 6.

Junior Flyers are often portrayed wearing one pauldron, white markings, Nadder wing skirts, and Nightmare tunics. This implies they have some status in the Flyers organization, since Nightmare and Nadder skins are impressive skins. (However, as Hiccup mentions that slaying a Nadder only "gets you noticed", it's probably more of an expected minimum requirement in order to even start ascending the hierarchy.)

Similar to the Zippleback and Gold-skin Flyers, they seem to be experienced, ruthless, and tough warriors. Unlike the former two, however, the Junior Flyers seem to be far more expressive and more likely to express fear or uncertainty if something doesn't go the way they expect.

Which leaves us to our next layer in the hierarchy.

Regular Flyers: The Rank and File

The rank'n'file. The wings on the sky. The wannabes. The grunts. The minions. Whatever you wanna call them, this what makes up the Regular Flyers, the second-lowest part of the hierarchy, who are given no command positions, few protections, and fewer distinctions and trophies to set them apart as warriors.

Often portrayed as Flyers who lack pauldrons and even shields, they are often given menial tasks and missions that those further up the hierarchy can't be bothered to do. In fact, they can be called the apprentices, disciples, or even squires to the Flyers of the Upper Ranks. Their wish is to be recognized and gain much fame, wealth, and glory for themselves and rise up the hierarchy. Their ultimate ambition is to become a part of the "Deadly Dozen," their Chieftain Krogan's personal retinue.

However, even then, they're not the bottom-feeders of the hierarchy. There's one more group of Flyers.

Ranker/Fledgling Flyers: The Snubs of the Litter

The Fledglings. These are basically the greenhorns, "boots", or "Shinies" of the Flyers. They just passed their Flyer Cadet Training School exam and are easily recognizable by their distinct lack of everything aside from a helm and a vambrace made of Monstrous Nightmare skin. Other than that, the rest of the outfit looks badly tanned and not as quality as the others further up the hierarchy. They're also noticed for their distinct expressive natures, easily showing their lack of experience and emotions too easily — particularly fear and uncertainty.

Due to their bottom-most rank, and derisively called "Stubs" (basically wings that haven't come out and developed yet, practically meaning "flightless bird") or "Shedders" (as in discarded scales) by the more experienced Flyers, they are basically given all the unwanted tasks, chores, errands, and assignments as a form of hazing. Despite this, they are proud to be a part of the force and look up to the Higher Echelons, and look down on those beneath them, such as the Riders and the Dragon Hunters, often using them to feed and clean the Singetails in their place.

Dragon Hunters: The Grunts and Footstools of the Organization

While not strictly a part of the Dragon Flyers, the Dragon Hunters are the grunts who do the heavy labor, patrols, security, garrisoning, as well as the capturing, feeding, and cleaning of Singetails. They also serve as walking target dummies for Flyer training. They do all the dirty or unwanted work for the Flyers, who view such work as beneath them (which is usually the case since they're always high up in the air 😎).

Flyers always outrank the Hunters in status, similar to medieval knights and men-at-arms.

Often called "Tuskies" in a derogatory manner (viewing them no better than boars), Flyers aren't afraid to look down on them with disdain or indifference; they [the Flyers] often throw all the unsavory jobs to them, particularly when it comes to caring for the maintenance of the Singetails. They view them as clumsy, unreliable, vulgar, noisy, and stupid, and make it a point to never get close or communicate with them anymore than necessary except when giving orders. They don't hesitate to use them as fodder against the Riders and dragons, and even enjoy forcing them to act as target practice for them.

Neither side trusts nor likes each other. Nonetheless, their mutual fear of Krogan drives them to work together for the sake of his plans. They often use the Hunters for ground-to-ground and ground-to-air combat, while the Flyers provide cover for the Hunters in close-air support.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this is my idea of what the Dragon Flyer hierarchy might've been like.

Again, keep in mind that I could be totally wrong and that Netflix had no rhyme or reason or purpose for the Dragon Flyer designs or outfits. Meaning that the Flyers could be much more fluid than I expected.

However, I personally feel that my theory and headcanon is plausible, even possibly correct. Even if the canonical hierarchy is literally just consisting of Krogan, the "Deadly Dozen," and everyone else below them, with the Dragon Hunters being at the very, VERY bottom.

What do you guys think about this? Like the hierarchy? Or think that there's anything I'm missing or should add? Or perhaps got your own thoughts? Let me know what they are! 🤓

Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I plan in the near future on posting an article with some fanedits on what I think the Dragon Flyers could look like if they were a large organization, and what ranks they would have. Look forward to it!

Long Live the Night!

— Noctus Fury

[mays-corner]

(This post is a bit random so if you get it you get it if you don't get it it's fine)

It's 2024. I should be going to the disco, which I dislike.

Instead, I decided to hyperfixate on a Welshman.

One thing that baffles me to this day, and trust me it has happened more than once, is has anyone ever tried to protest at least a bit to still have Matt as John? Did no one try hard enough? Or have the attempts failed?

I mean-

I'm a newer fan (even with content crumbs I am a fan) still, so I can't be sure, but I'm amazed that in all these years that have passed, no one ever did anything, and now he can't even play Constantine (I think).

And now, the only role I've seen is him dubbing John 💀

Ignoring this discourse about John, I've decided to search for other roles, movies, and series, and what I've found was interesting, to say the least.

I am becoming passionate about him for various reasons. Other than wanting to revive pre-pandemic activities, I have noticed a pattern: I enjoy searching for things that I only watch. These are some thoughts I had about some things I could not find in Italy:

Hard to find (for example, I'm still searching for "The Halcyon," and the funniest thing about this is that in Italy, it was shown on TV (on an RAI channel, RAI is an Italian broadcaster) during 2017 and it's not available on their platform.

Region-locked content (the DCAU being region-locked is such a crime; we only have House of Mystery, and that's it) or even trying to watch a simple cameo when the entire series is region-locked (the Harley Quinn one). However (and this is good news), while searching for Away (one of his movies to watch), I found Tubi and used a free VPN. It was slow, but it worked, and I watched it.

Expensive (I paid Assassin's Creed Black Flag in installments, so that wasn't expensive, but still...)

It was a play, so they haven't recorded it, but to see and better understand the role he played (in this case, read), I read Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, and it was still effective.

Not even available on Chili (an Italian streaming platform on which you can rent or buy movies), the title only appears but is not available for streaming (lol).

Using Vinted or secondhand shops in general (it’s not the best time for me to go fully secondhand, but I suppose I could find some things there).

At the moment, I've watched just what I could easily find without resorting to piracy (which is ironic, since in Assassin's Creed Black Flag, Matt voices Edward Kenway, a pirate.).

In this list of things I could easily find, we have:

Constantine (thanks to another fan)

Criminal Minds/Criminal Minds Suspect Behavior (I had Disney Plus for a month, so I've watched it from there)

Flypaper, Adverse (Prime Video)

Arrow (Prime video)

Legends of Tomorrow (Netflix and Mediaset infinity)

House Of Mystery (Amazon prime, you have to rent it but still)

While writing this I found that "Layer cake" is on Sky, which I have and Now TV too.

Pocket Money (While watching it I just understood two words out of an entire short and I'm a c2 in English 💀)

Away, Wild Decembers, Armistice, Blood Monkey

So, you might have been asking yourself... Have I gone mad? To search and find for stuff not even available in my own country? In my own continent, too?

But I thought this is what comes with being a fan of someone, even if the career is what it is.

Considering me being unlucky, I was never able to see Matt when he acted and then had premieres at the same time.

Asssassin’s Creed Black Flag? I was 10, a child, lol.

Legends Of Tomorrow? I liked anime, manga and everything japanese.

And the list goes on...

It's nice to see what was like and what I couldn't live, gosh, I'm praying hard that we get to see him act again, I want and I wish to be present, live or not.

I wanted to make a really nice speech but nothing comes to mind, when I get it maybe I'll post it 💀

[khaoala]

bibi!!! do you think the thk iqiyi version will be different from the youtube version??? i'm still quite unsure because kidnap is also labeled as uncut for netflix and yet the version on youtube is still uncut. i'm predicting that it will be on iqiyi for some countries just like back when they put we are on iqiyi 👀

so here's the thing, right? i'm not actually that sure. if i remember well, they also labelled only friends on oned as uncut even though the versions were the same (and we can't argue that of was less hot than thk by yt standards, after all we had boston riding that top d and fucking a different dude every other ep) (tho i do see how bondage and blindfolding can be categorized differently). so, honestly, we'll have to wait and see, though i do think they'll be different.

off the top of my head, i can only remember cooking crush having many cut scenes from the yt version. like a lot. but then they were distributed by wetv so that's another story, too. idk how it worked for we are, but as long as i have at least one version on youtube, i'll be happy (y'all i was so upset about 23.5 bc of their deal with netflix and it wasn't distributed in my region. that's when i learned to use vpn).

regardless, not only bc of giffing purposes, but also because i enjoy re-watching eps of shows i like (i rewatched that first ep of only friends maybe more times than i'm comfortable sharing), i can see myself watching both if they end up being different.

[drawnaghht]

"Wait hold on is there a Japanese dub? Or am I reading wrong oop"

@freakova Yes! yes there is! :D :D whoever edited that TVtropes page I mentioned is wrong, I'm not sure if they just didn't have the track available bc of region-restrictions on Netflix (like here for example, we don't get some shows) or bc they have some downloaded version which only has other tracks, but whoever recorded/ripped it originally, didn't have the JP dub track. I suspect it might be the latter.

I know I watched a bit of the japanese version in august, so I wonder if it's those 2 options or maybe even that most people don't watch netflix on PCs/laptops on their browsers, and so they miss out on the extra dubs on TV. That's smth that I often miss on our Netflix, i.e. some shows will have a finnish dub (the closest language to estonian where I don't need subtitles myself), but if it's smth super popular, it won't show the option for the finnish dub on the TV version of netflix at all. Japanese is a language very often missing in the TV version for many things, doesn't seem to be related to how J is in the middle of the alphabet, but rather, whatever system of regions Netflix uses to give suggestions to users. But if I switch to finnish on my PC, it will continue that show/other shows with available dub in my selected language. This goes for subs too!

Lol if u have a friend with Netflix or have it yourself, you can check it out. I have watched it with japanese dub + sub on at the same time to get any interesting language/delivery differences but also just to watch it out of curiosity. this is what I base some of my posts on too like the one's about names, but when I was just curious to see what the JP subtitles were like I got curious abt the dub too and then switched to both. It's

I also added this on the TVtropes page as a source to avoid ppl changing it, but Usagi's japanese VA, Kengo Takanashi, actually tweeted about his involvement for the airing of S2 (for those unfamiliar with voice actors there, like I am, he plays Link in the newer Zelda games. But also, fun TMNT trivia: he plays Donnie in the Bayverse japanese dub hehe x3 )

I think I found this randomly while going through twitter searching for something else. Definitely did not know about this VA before, but it's cool how happy he seemed about tweeting abt this show.

He sounds really nice as Usagi! He has that youthful and curious but annoying quality to it which makes Usagi unique and he sounds just as excited as the original, so the acting is on-point too. I've heard some people say that they like the JP dub over the EN original, but I honestly like both. There is a bit of a difference between Kengo (JP) and Darren (EN) with how different of a timber their voices have, but it's a very subtle difference. I've also watched the finnish and german dubs (both languages which I actually understand/speak more than japanese) and those also had very good Usagi voices. The russian dub versions sounds a bit deeper/ older but otherwise, the acting itself is fine, so it doesn't really bother me. In some versions, either Tetsujin or Gen sound either too young or too old for their roles, but otherwise, most of the dubs for this show at least, sound pretty good and similar to the og.

Anyway, I am not thinking of doing a spring cleaning on TV tropes now to clean up any more old/misleading info hehehe >:3c

[shipcestuous-two]

A bit of news from Italy that I think you and your followers might find funny, or at least interesting.

So, in 2017 young writer Erin Doom posts her original story Fabbricante di Lacrime (I think the title it eventually got in English was... Tear-Smith? The Tearsmith? Something like that) on the Italian side of Wattpad. The story is a success with her audience, so eventually, in 2020, she pulls it from there and self-publishes it on Amazon. Big, important Italian publishing house Salani hears about its success and decides to publish a new edition in 2021. The book tops best-sellers charts in Italy and becomes a bit of a media sensation, both for its number of young female fans and its history, but also due to Erin Doom's attempts to avoid the limelight (iirc, as of now she's done only one major interview on a famous talk show), until in 2024, Fabbricante di Lacrime gets a movie adaptation to Netflix, starring two young and relatively unknown actors (one of them, iirc, on his first filming experience as he's mainly a model and rapper) in the roles of the two leads.

In between all this, though I'm not as sure of the timeline here, Italian BookTube notices the book. Two Youtubers best known for their hilarious reviews of terribly-written books, in particular, both choose to review it and, in doing so, put it on the map, so to say, in Italian social media, sparking both conversation and memes about it. When the movie comes out, at least one of these Youtubers (afaik) is pestered with requests to review it by his followers, and eventually agrees after posting a reaction to the trailer. After that, reviews, commentaries, and even parodies of the movie by other Youtubers start to appear. Some more serious, criticizing the way the movie handles some very serious topics in half-assed ways and the messages it may send to young audiences, and some just making fun of the cringy dialogues, general lack of logic in the plot, and the attempts to make the story look like it's set in the US because that's "cooler" when Erin Doom simply put an "American high school show about transgressive troubled teens" coat of paint with the occasional dash of pseudo-"Gothic" England over something that might as well have just been set in Italy and then the movie made that effect even worse by having most of the actors have thick Italian regional accents that instantly ruined any "exotic" atmosphere.

Now, why am I telling you all of this? Because the book and movie that sparked such conversation are about a romance between adoptive siblings.

Here's what I remember of the plot (I'd like to point out that most critiques of the story do have a point, as it is absolutely a confusing mess, so might be missing something or forgetting some stuff that wasn't as ridiculous as the rest): Nica loses her parents as a small child and is sent to an orphanage that might as well be some kind of Victorian workhouse, run by the tyrannical Margaret, who doesn't even allow the children to keep any of the personal objects they might have when coming to the orphanage and subjects them to terrifying punishments if they break any of her awfully strict rules even on accident. There, she meets Rigel, Margaret's favorite and her enforcer, who seems to immediately just hate her and spends the next years picking on her and bullying her.

Fast-forward: Nica and Rigel are now seventeen, and Nica is finally about to be adopted by a nice couple. But just as they're about to take Nica home with them, they hear someone playing the piano in another room... that's Rigel, and the couple is so impressed with his talent that decide to adopt him, too. Nica is understandably very anxious about this, fearing that Rigel will make even her new life hell, but he threatens her, claiming that if they don't think the two of them can get along like a real family, they'll just send them both back. Nica is angry and upset with him and compares him to the villain of a fairy tell the orphans used to tell each other, where once upon a time, in a town far away, everyone lived happy and peaceful lives, free of any pain of sorrow, until one day the Tearsmith forged crystal tears and put them in everyone's eyes, thus making them able to cry. (I'm mostly including this to explain the seemingly nonsensical title. This fairy tale doesn't actually have much weight in the story beside Rigel turning it on Nica and telling her "no... YOU are my Tearsmith" at one point. It doesn't even have a real meaning. Is it a kind of Fall from Grace thing, with humanity losing its innocence because of the Tearsmith? Or is the Tearsmith a misunderstood hero, because you can't have true, meaningful without also know what it's like to suffer? Who knows! The whole thing is kind of put aside anyway for another, somewhat clearer fairy tale reference, comparing Rigel to a wolf to say that, like wolves are just animals and not inherently evil but fairy tales always cast them as the villains, Rigel himself isn't evil but felt he had to embrace a role that was imposed on him... even if, tbf, even this is ruined a bit by Rigel calling Nica "moth", because she's named after a kind of butterfly, instead of continuing the comparison by calling her "little lamb" or "Little Red Riding Hood" or anything else a little more more fairy tale.)

Nica tries to make friends at school, and succeeds to an extent, but she's naive and sheltered and kind of a fish out of water. This attracts the attention of Lionel, a seemingly very nice boy who starts shyly hitting on her. Nica is unsure but sort of just goes with it, until she finds out Rigel has beaten up and threatened Lionel, telling him to stay away from her. Rigel won't tell her why he did that, and Lionel is determined not to let himself by intimidated, even as tries asking Nica to tell her "brother" to leave him alone. Meanwhile, Rigel flirts with Nica right in front of their oblivious adoptive parents to make her uncomfortable, as well as doing stuff like getting all up in her space and grabbing her wrists and whatnot in private, but he's still emotionally distant and aggressive, even forbidding her from ever coming into her room.

Obviously, that doesn't hold. Her adoptive mother tells her to bring him his clothes she's just washed and she walks in right as he's taking off his shirt. She catches him brooding and soulfully playing the piano one evening when the parents are out and then all of a sudden he has a fever and she has to drag him to his bed and take off his shirt again to make sure he doesn't overheat, but being ill apparently makes him vulnerable and needy so instead of kicking her out after that, he asks her to lie down with him and cuddles up to her so that their parents almost find them in a compromising position. And other stuff like that, until Nica convinces herself that Rigel is really just a poor misunderstood little meow meow (even if he's not actually treating her any better when he's lucid) and buys him a birthday gift despite him telling her he didn't want one... even if Lionel accidentally bumps into her, causes her to drop the gift and break it, and then gets super jealous when she' gets upset over that and is all like "I thought you didn't even like your violent asshole brother!?"

Then, various drama. The adoptive parents throw Rigel a birthday party and for some reason invite both a "family friend," who turns out to be actually the girlfriend of their secret and recently dead son, and a friend of both Nica and Rigel from the orphanage. The dead son's girlfriend rightfully calls out the adoptive parents both on trying to bury the memory of her boyfriend and replace him with some new kids without even disclosing anything about it to them and also on randomly picking up random orphans like there's a special offer at the supermarket, but is made to look like her own pain is making her totally unreasonable. The friend from the orphanage takes Rigel aside and tries to make him admit that he only ever bullied Nica because he's been in love with her since they were little children, but he says that he can't allow her to fall in love with her (which is why he can't treat her with basic kindness, I guess), then tries to convince Nica to be a witness in a trial that will be held against Margaret because to many of the orphans are afraid to speak up on the abuse they suffered, but Nica wants to put it all behind herself, so she refuses. The school both Nica and Rigel go to organizes this annual event where girls have to keep their lockers open so their secret admirers can sneak in a rose to declare their feelings, so Rigel puts a black rose in Nica's, but then Nica's friend who's a little bit goth tells her that black roses mean an unhealthy, obsessive love, so Nica figures it out and literally runs out of the school and goes home to confront Rigel (who, it seems, had a free day despite also briefly coming in to leave the rose?) about it, and while he denies everything, she kinda tries to push herself on HIM for once and he seems into that, but naturally the parents come home just then so they have to stop and leave the whole thing hanging and unresolved.

After all that, Nica accepts to go out with Lionel, but he's fed up with how she seems to care more about her brother (yep, he keeps calling him that!) than about him so he tries to rape her. Luckily, Rigel comes to the rescue, but Lionel isn't done yet and, before running away with his tail between his legs, he tells them that he's figured out what's going on between them and that he's gonna tell everyone, including their parents, that they're both brother and sister and lovers. Nica, shaken by what's just happened, has /consensual) sex with Rigel.

Finally, some time later, Lionel tries to run both Nica and Rigel over with his car and, to save themselves, they have to jump out of the way and into the river. Nica's fine, but Rigel need to be taken to the hospital, where the doctors inform her and their parents that he has some vague neurological problem (which is why he had that fever that made him half-delirious in the first place) and the fall put him in a coma. Nica is devastated, and so are the parents, but they explain that for them the situation is even worse because Rigel's just rejected his adoption as it was about to be finalized so now they don't know how to handle everything that's just happened. Nica figures out that Rigel only did that to make her happy (or protect her, or whatever) and that he was willing to go back to the orphanage fro her sake, so she calls her friend who wanted to get her to be a witness in Margaret's trial and tells her she's in.

On the day of the trial, Nica is asked to give her version of the events and, instead of giving an account of the suffering and humiliations SHE was put through, she talks about how Margaret actually hurt Rigel the most. The defense argues that what she's saying can't be true, because if Rigel refused to be adopted by a perfectly decent couple, than that means he loves Margaret and sees him as his true mother, which in turn means she can't be that bad. Nica replies that, by singling out Rigel as her favorite, Margaret actually isolated him from the other children and taught him that he was a mother like her, which was really the greatest torture of them all, because he never learned how to love. Her speech is so moving that everyone stands up and starts clapping (no, I'm not joking) and Nica tirumphantly runs to the hospital to tell Rigel they won. (No, the trial isn't actually over and no verdict has yet been given.)

Rigel suddenly wakes up, obviously. And, because they aren't technically brother and sister anymore (no, there's no thought spared to whether Rigel will stay with Nica and her adoptive family, be adopted by someone else, or be placed in a foster home for a year until he ages out of the system, since it's apparently a given that Margaret will end in jail and the orphanage will be closed for good) they kiss without worrying about anyone seeing them, at last.

And... that's it really. But, I suppose, at least for some of Erin Doom's young fans, it might be Baby's First (Pseudo-)Incest. Maybe they'll move on to, say, the Italian dub of Marmalade Boy next. And who knows where they'll go from there...

In the meantime, I'll just be eternally amused that we got an adoptive brosis YA best-seller!

Thank you for laying out the entire story so that we have all the info. I'm going to check out the movie. I'll either find the angst unbearable or I'll love it.

I'm thrilled to hear that an adoptive sibling romance was so popular! And Erin Doom has quite the success story, from Wattpad to Netflix adaptation! It's inspiring, really.

[langernameohnebedeutung]

Would you have any recommendations on where one could hear/learn a German accent? I'm learning the language but my most recent teacher said that my accent/pronunciation is not very good despite being at a B1 level. I think this is probably due to I have not one, not two, but THREE separate American accents already because of how many times we moved when I was younger, so adding another accent is hell my mouth cannot keep up. Thanks for your time.

Hey sorry that I took my time answering this.Okay, first of, Josie’s personal opinion time (feel free to skip this lmao): It’s not bad to have an accent. Everyone has an accent - not just because of your native tongue but also because of the people around you, your class, family, friends or whoever you practice with. I have a German accent and probably always will have, because I learnt English from teachers with German accents, with partners and fellow pupils who had a German accent and now I study English at a German university and people around me still speak with the same accent. 90% of the conversations I hold in English are German-accented English. But at this point, I refuse to consider my accent “inferior” to...a Yorkshire accent or a New York accent just because those are “native” accents. Of course, it’s also not bad or anything to want to sound like a native speaker and I’m not going to tell you that if you truly want to speak like a native-speaker you shouldn’t pursue that interest - but it’s something few people really 100% accomplish, so pls make sure you’re not putting the actually important things like vocab, grammar and you know - enjoyment - on hold to pursue something really elusive that your teacher thinks is important. It is very hard to accomplish especially for someone not living in Germany and Germany is a country with a lot of different regional and foreign accents, so most of us have some experience with different pronunciations - so you will most likely be understood.

Now, the my actual answer to your question: 

Listening to people always helps, so does talking. I noticed it when I was still in school. I started watching American shows and it strongly affected my vocabulary and pronunciation - mind you, we were taught to speak strictly British English, American English was an evil taboo - but later I discovered my love for British films and tv shows and I reverted to the English I learnt at school, for the most part (not regarding the language level but the variety). So I definitely recommend exposing yourself to native German-speakers bc otherwise, your main influence will be your fellow students.

There are a lot of German shows on Netflix - you can check if some of them have English subtitles, I know “Dark” for example does. (I’m not sure about Vorstadtweiber, but if you want to get a taste of a Viennese accent, this might also be fun to check out. “Extra3″ is a German satire show that puts all its episodes on Youtube and with a VPN you can also access the ZDF Mediathek and RTL-Now, two very big German tv channels). 

It’s especially helpful to watch out for words you’ve so far only seen in their written form so that you know you struggle with. If you hear them, maybe stop the video and try to repeat it. If you’re interested in specific accents from specific regions (which might be a bit hard, mind you) you can also look for some source material from different regions. For example the German audio of “My Fair Lady” has her speaking with a very thick Berliner accent instead of Cockney, so that’s something you might find interesting bc it’s a film you might already be familiar with. Another tip: I noticed about myself that I easily start thinking in another language, even if I’m really far from fluent and miss words. And doing that I noticed that my inner monologue still has a German accent but it’s much weaker than when you know. my actual physical mouth is involved, for some reason. I can also imitate different English accents in my head much better than I can when I speak - you might try that and even talk to yourself. If there’s no one to tell you you are doing it wrong, it becomes much easier to experiment and have fun with language. 

In my experience, it also helps to imitate the accent the speakers of your target language have while speaking your language: I noticed that when I was practising Russian on duolingo: Now, duolingo makes you repeat sentences to practice your pronunciation and my Russian pronunciation was horrible - until I purposefully tried to sound “Russian” - suddenly Duo understood what I was saying. So you might try to speak German with what feels like an exaggerated German accent to you, even if it feels weird at first. (I do the same when I want to sound British)Another thing that helped me (much more than teachers ever did) is to watch English people contemplate and imitate and play with German accents - because even if it’s something I made fun of a lot these last days, it’s interesting and helpful, because if done for comedic or storytelling purposes (I’m going to give an example of that later on), it often highlights the aspects that make it sound different from a native pronunciation and help you localise these aspects in your own language use. That said - the reason I make fun especially of British people playing Germans is that their accents are often based on other British people pretending to be German, not actual Germans so it sounds...very different from the way we speak English. So keep in mind that it’s not always authentic. (Personally, I still think I learnt how not to pronounce the word “convenience” from an episode of Blackadder but that’s another story)

Okay I threatened that I would add an example on how accents in media might help you understand your own accent better:

There are many examples of English-speakers pretending to speak German, but since you are already at B1 and probably speak better German than most of them (many just say stuff without knowing the words or even...just make up sounds that they think sound German), so I picked a film scene that I mentioned in a post a few days ago: the pub scene from Inglorious Basterds (which I saw on youtube is apparently popular for language teaching purposes). 

It’s interesting because Michael Fassbender is half-German and knows the language somewhat so he at least knows what the words he’s saying mean. Also, he’s surrounded by native speakers which make for good comparison material. (mind you, Inglorious Basterds is obv. a film about the NS-era so while the German they speak sounds rather modern, I can understand if you would like to avoid that content. Especially since the second video ends in a shooting.)  I couldn’t find the whole scene online but if you have the DVD, you might want to look into it, because it’s much longer than the excerpts I found online and maybe you can spot more of the language patterns I will point. (It also has Christoph Waltz in it and his Austrian dialect which might also be interesting to you)

Now, what you need to know is that Fassbender plays an English spy pretending to be a German officer - but when someone points out his accent, he tries to pretend to be Swiss. He does a pretty good job speaking German actually and a German would understand every word he is saying (unlike we do with some other actors pretending to speak German) - but it’s also very obvious with every word that he’s not a native speaker (and no one would actually mistake him for Swiss.) (btw if you want to check out what an actual Swiss dialect sounds like: (x) (I could imagine it’s very difficult for English speakers, because it has a lot of “ch” sounds and is very guttural. 

Now, back to Inglorious Basterds:

The first thing that’s very interesting to look at is the first 30 seconds of the first video because it’s clear that they made Fassbender exaggerate his accent because in that scene it leads to a German soldier he’s talking to noticing and pointing out his strange pronunciation. At 0:35 in the first video it’s very, very obvious when he yells the word “zurückkehren” (which finally makes the soldier address the issue)- because he pronounces it “zurück-kerr-än” - a very typical pronunciation with an English accent. Whereas a German would usually say: zurück-kehr’n”  (You can compare it to one of the Germans saying “zurückkehren” at minute 2:30) It is also interesting to compare how Fassbender pronounces an “r” vs. how the Germans do it - because he pronounces it like you would in English, while the German “r” sound is a bit harsher and produced a little bit further back in the throat. (Tip: If You can feel it vibrate in your mouth, you’re doing it rrrright). 

When he says “rrrrrüpelhaft” it seems as if he’s trying to pronounce the “r” like a native speaker there - but overdoes it. (Fassbender does the same exaggerated “r” sound at 2:56 with the word “Regisseur” and at 2:33 with “Riefenstahl”) - which just sounds a bit off. Compare it to Til Schweiger at 1:00 saying “betrunken (oder völlig) verrückt”. btw If you compare the way Schweiger says “sprechen” in that sentence with Michael Fassbender saying “sprechen” at 2:35 you will also notice the difference in the way they pronounce the “ch”.In that sequence at 2:30, Fassbender also says “gesehen” a lot - and always pronounces it G-esehen, while a German would probably pronounce it ge-seh-’n

Something that many German learners struggle with - that you can observe in these videos as well - is the pronunciation of infinitive verbs. German verbs, as you know, usually end in “-en” (gehen, sagen, sprechen, hoffen. etc). Now, German speakers usually barely utter the second “e” at all, it’s often: geh’n, sag’n, sprech’n - it*s something that sounds a little off sometimes when Fassbender speaks, because he often puts more emphasis on it than a German would for example when he asks “Haben Sie den Riefenstahl Film gesehen?” or at 3:24 in the second video when he says “aufsteh.en.”You can also observe the impact of the native English - at 2:50 when he says “Brüder” it comes out as “Brüddr” which sounds a lot like “brother” - while in German, the “ü” is stressed and the “r” is almost inaudible.I think the biggest challenge for English-speakers is the “ch” (which unexperienced speakers often turn into a “k” sound - for example turning “Nacht” into “nackt”, always fun). You can see Fassbender struggle a little with that a few times as well (it’s particularly important to keep in mind that there are two “ch” sounds - the one produced in the front of your mouth like in “ich” or “frech” or the one produced farther back in your mouth like in “Nacht” or “Bach” - so if you encounter a word with a “ch”, it’s best to check out which one it is.You can also see him struggle with the long words in German - he basically forces “tausendjähriges” out very quickly which sounds very strange and mechanical and at 3:20 in the second video he has a different strategy and stresses EVERY part of the world Hauptsturmbannführer: “Haupt. Sturm. Bann. Führer.” which sounds ... strange even when done for dramatic purposes. You can compare that to the way the German actor says the same word at 3:31. (especially if you pay attention to how they pronounce “Führer” you will notice the proximity issue. “Führer” is a word that many English-speakers find difficult to pronounce and I think it’s a) because many English-speakers are familiar with the word “Führer” but never heard a German pronounce it b) because of the close proximity of an “ü” and two “r” sounds. When Fassbender pronounces “Führer” it sounds very much like an English person would pronounce the world in an English context while the German guy pronounces it like a German does - that’s something else to keep in mind, that words you might be familiar with like “Volkswagen” or “Weltschmerz” or any of the others are usually pronounced with an accent when English-speakers use them (The same is, of course, true for any other loan words)

There*s a similar scene in First Class also with Michael Fassbender sitting in a pub with Nazis (seriously that’s... a huge part of his repertoire it seems) which you might want to check out bc again, he speaks German and the other guys are native speakers so if you want to keep looking for different pronunciations and accents, it might be interesting. 

(Also “Auslautverhärtung” is a big issue with English-speakers and German-speakers. The reason why German speakers tend to say things like “sayin-k” and “goin-k” and “leavin-k” is because the last sound of a word is usually spoken harsher in German than it is English. English-speakers often have the opposite problem and swallow the last sound a little. I didn’t notice particularly jarring examples of that in these scenes, but it’s still something to keep in mind)

All of that said and done and dissected, I think natural development and interacting with native speakers is much more effective and fun than just trying to avoid certain pronunciations or imitate how other people sound, especially bc I don’t want to bore you with technicalities or even worse, make you nervous about speaking because honestly? Accents are fun and everyone has them. Don’t worry too much about it

If you speak slowly, people will understand you and if you spend some time around native speakers, it will help a lot, it has a strong impact on the way you speak (so obviously i recommend listening to a lot of spoken German, watch films, shows, youtube etc.) And yes, pronunciation is important - you need to be understood after all - but having an accent is natural. Everyone has at least a regional accent and I don’t understand why foreign accents are automatically considered a flaw or a sign that someone isn’t able to communicate fully in that language they learnt. 

I recommend you focus on words and grammar and listening and reading comprehension and let things grow naturally and don’t actually enjoy having an accent. There’s nothing wrong with it.

[averagezerowaster]

I would love to make my home zero waste but unfortunately I live with my parents who don't necessarily agree with it (they think it's ridiculous) so I was wondering what little tips you had so I can least know I'm making a bit of a difference but they won't.

I think it’s really cool that you reached out and are trying to make a difference. It can be hard when the people we love just don’t get it. I know some of my family members were like that when I first went vegan and zero waste. But there’s a whole community of zero wasters for motivation and support so you’ll never feel alone!

Just remember that it takes time to make a lot of these changes. I’ve been working on myself for a long time and I am still learning things every day! So work at it at your own pace and don’t ever let the haters get you down for trying to do a good thing. 

Here are some simple changes you can try out: 

With Christmas coming up, try to buy people sustainable gifts with no packaging and wrap gifts in newspaper or something recycled. Or give the gift of an experience somewhere! Let me know if you need ideas :) 

Use a cloth hanker-chief instead of Kleenex (any old clothing fabric cut up works! I like to have a few on hand) and wash them when they get dirty

Use a shampoo/conditioner bar for hair and bar of soap for your body. If you live in Canada you can get them at Bulk Bark for a couple bucks with no packaging!

Wear you’re clothes more times before washing them to save on water and energy from doing laundry

If you have a car try to drive less. If it’s a 30 min walk or less try to walk or bike

Educate yourself! Spend some time listening to podcasts (Zero Waste Countdown is really good), watch documentaries (I like Cowspiracy on Netflix), or read books (Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson - I rented from the library!)

Eat less animal products, especially meat. Or if you’re up for it, go Vegan, I’m sure your parents would love that lol. But really, go at it at your own pace, any reduction in animal products is a great way to help the environment (food wise and any goods you buy)

Avoid buying new things. Go through your stuff and see what you have first and if you need to buy anything, always try buying used first

Pack a lunch instead of eating out! Take out is the worst for disposable packaging, cutlery, etc. 

Reduce the amount of water you use (ex. shorter showers) or turn off the lights when not in the room

Spend more time outside. It will help you to appreciate why you’re so passionate about being zero waste and helping the planet

Always have a To Go kit with you. I keep a small mason jar with a cloth napkin, a fork and spoon, and a water bottle with me at all times. It’s great for if I want to take something small home or avoid disposable plates or cutlery

Try to cut out food items that you eat that come in disposable packaging and opt for the zero waste ones 

If you get a period switch to a menstrual cup and cloth pads. You’ll save a tonne of waste from not using tampons or disposable pads. Plus plastic applicators are horrible for your health

Try making DIY things like lip balm, deodorant, toothpaste, etc

Learn about the proper way to recycle where you live, it’s different for every region. 

Being Zero Waste isn’t about having less, it’s about having more of the good stuff by cutting out the harmful and unnecessary things. So that we have more time for the things that really matter (spending time with family and friends, doing things that truly make us and others happy, taking care of the world we live in!).

Sometimes people don’t get the lifestyle from us just speaking about it but when they see us putting it into action, they may be more understanding. Maybe over time your parents will see your hard work and will begin to understand why taking care of this planet is so important for you. I’m always a message away of you have questions or need support 😊 don’t give up, I believe in you!