#and folks that’s just one arc. go watch 2003

[bambeebirdie]

This is for @bluepeachstudios ‘s Ghost in a Shell. It’s really good you should read it.

I looked at exactly one picture of Jupiter Jim and went “yeah this should be enough to draw him.” I will not be answering if it actually was

Have some bonus content under the cut!

And sketches

(I love any character who can say “I don’t want to go back to prison” it’s like the funniest thing to me)

[ctrl-alt-tahu]

The Everyman Problem

So, I've had a kernel of a Bionicle post rattling around in my for a couple weeks that I haven't quite been able to articulate, but I think I might have the angle to explain it now.

I'm an "old Bionicle fan": by which I mean, I'm old enough to have got into Bionicle in the "Mata Nui" era (2001-2003). A glance at the notes on my big [unfinished, looking abandoned] alt-canon fanfic shows that I'm old enough to have disliked the change of the Toa from Mata to Nuva... in 2002.

So, which that as background, remember that I'm old enough to remember a time when it wasn't known at all that Matoran, Toa, and Turaga were all the same "species."

Thinking back on it, I don't think I initially "noticed" the revelation that no only were the Turaga were former Toa, but the Toa (Metru) were Matoran before that--Takanuva too, but he was something of a special case. In 2004, I was really just absorbing that Vakama, Onewa, etc. were former Toa--that "Toa" might mean something other than "single demi-urgic hero of each element." I got there eventually, as far as acceptance goes, but it part of my age-related fade out of the Bionicle fandom.

2006, on the other hand, emphasized the other part that I'd ignored more during the LoMN/WoS era: that Toa came from Matoran. I still don't love this, but until last night I couldn't really lay a finger on how to express why.

I thought it might just be my habitual stick-in-the-muditude: you changed Jaller from Captain of the Guard! You changed Matoro from Nuju's stoic interpreter to a worry-ridden saviour.

I also thought it might just be the genre shift: it's all fantasy, of course, but it's a different thing from the island mythology-vibe of Mata Nui to the Lost City of Atlantis vibe of Metru Nui (and then the vibes beyond). I like the Toa more as unique elemental avatars than evolved Matoran, but that's not really it either.

Last night, though, I watched later era Marvel movie--it doesn't matter which one, because they all have this problem--and as the credits were rolling, I realised that the reason I don't really like the MCU is much the same as this "problem" I had with Bionicle: if just about anyone can be a superhero, you lose the "ordinary" members of the story.

Putting it another way, I realised I prefer "chosen one" stories to "X-men" stories. This is probably the Tolkien fan to some extent: you can have a world full of magic and heroes and super-powers, but if it also has "ordinary" folk, their specific importance in the story is that they ARE ordinary: Gandalf and Aragorn are heroes and amazing, yes, but Frodo never "levels up"--he is a greater person at the end of the story than the beginning, but it is the growth of an ordinary person.

Because superheroes are so common in the MCU (or DCU, etc), it's hard to have ordinary people be front and center--and harder still for them to stay ordinary people. And something like that is my problem with where Bionicle went that I don't think ever fully resolved for me: part of the wonder of Mata Nui, the whole storytelling point of MNOG is that the Matoran contribute to the victory too: they have no mask powers, no elemental powers, but they are there to help the heroes and do their part and its essential.

This already starts changing with MoL, it changes more with LoMN, and by the time we get to the Voya Nui arc, we've gone "Full MCU": everyone in the story can be a Toa.

I think, if the Inika had been "four or five" new characters and only one "already-known" Matoran, I'd have been much happier. But when you take the most prominent Matoran from every tribe and make them all Toa... who's left? The headcanons that the Chronicler's company become Toa too both satisfy and don't work for me for this reason. They satisfy me if they leave the Inika as Matoran, because I think that was a better way to go; they annoy me if they're BOTH Toa now, because that exacerbates what I think is the "problem" here.

It's not really a problem, objectively, but it is my subjective sticking point. And it's the reason that even though I might keep most of this lore, despite the grumbling, I'm willing to jettison completely and utterly the idea that "only some Matoran are destined to become Toa." Destiny is always a hard thing to make work in the story, but the Doylist result is that Matoran now come in two categories: Special Protagonist and Ordinary: and the Ordinary is now completely swept off the stage and I really don't want that: I want the story to include a real focus on some powerless, ordinary individuals.

So I'd rather it be that ANYONE can turn into a Toa: they don't, maybe, because the circumstances lead there, but every Matoran has that potential. Because if anyone COULD be a hero, then at least when they do become a hero, it's more ordinary.

But I'd still rather that none of them could--but I'm not sure that is a concept you could return to without retconning Gen-1 so far that you end up with Gen-2. And I don't think I want THAT either.

[thedawningofthehour]

I love fics that are just excuses for worldbuilding, like can you imagine the ramifications x thing would have if we were to bring it to reality? I love it.

By the way, doesn't tmnt already have an Atlantis in 2003? and it's the source of most of the mutants in the series. Which is weird, utrom are only responsible for the turtles, Splinter and leatherhead.

The Atlantis lore is interesting, they got power from a cosmic crystal and used it to create slave mutants, but they bit off more than they could, and their empire crumbled. I wondered if some of their lore could apply to rise? Mostly because of the avians. Other than 12April and 03Bishop, they are the most human passing mutants in the franchise.( Other than that blue one, I think it's a concept art of raptarr) and could bring interesting ramifications, like, are You mutant enough?

Maybe? When did that part happen? I think I stopped watching somewhere in season 4, I distinctly remember the farmhouse arc but I don't remember Donnie getting double-mutated. But my recall is also not super reliable because I had undiagnosed ADHD as a kid, plus my parents would go through phases of "all homework must be done before you can do anything else," and since my parents were straight-up insane homework usually took 5-6 hours starting in like second grade. (my mom's a lot better now but holy cow she never should have had kids) Since TMNT was on right when I got home I didn't get to catch it that often. This was the olden days folks, if I wanted to watch the episodes on my own time I had to rent the VHS from Hollywood Video!

I'm not making another Yokai city. The worldbuilding for one is enough to kill me.

[crypticbeliever123]

Someone who's watched the 2003 TMNT series recently as an adult please tell me, am I really the only one who thinks it's overrated?

Like it has to be nostalgia right?

Utrom Shredder stopped feeling like a real threat in season 2 partly because he stopped having as menacing a presence as season 1 and mostly because he lets Hun and Stockman get away with far too much. Like it's hard to take him seriously when he makes more threats than he carries out.

Karai was barely the Shredder at all even though she got the title sequence for a season and a half even as season 5 was hyping up the tengu Shredder who because he looked, acted, and sounded basically just like the old Shredder but give him mystic powers had the same danger feeling as Ch'rell, to me at least.

Plus I know I've read something about how the Justice Force existing in TMNT is justified by "if the audience can accept talking ninja turtles why not superheroes" but that just brings up the question of WHY THE FUCK DO THE TURTLES EVEN HIDE?! Like Dr. Dome has a see through skull and nobody bats an eye, but the humanoid turtles who interact with homeless folks on the regular who assume they're just REALLY into cosplay, would freak everyone out????

Plus it seems like the first few seasons really liked to save the animation budget with flashback recaps of previous events or felt the need to over explain things that have happened even when every character in the room ALREADY KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED. Casey and April's romance is bland and boring but at times I'd almost rather watch an entire series of them instead of hearing the turtles remind us of what we and the other characters in the room already know.

Season 2 also had the annoying habit of having multi-part episodes which is fine if you do one or two 2-parters per season but season 2 had if I recall the 5-part Fugitoid arc and then two separate 2-part arcs for the Triceraton invasion. I had this same issue with the og Justice League series where all but one episode was a multi-parter and just makes the story feel dragged out.

Then there's Stockman who keeps being revived and kept as a brain in a jar for evil science even though HE'S LITERALLY INCOMPETENT AND UNTRUSTWORTHY!!! Why tf do Ch'rell and Bishop keep him around, especially after he backstabbed Ch'rell in the climax of season 1 and caused an entire mutation outbreak in season 4? Just let the megalomaniacal moron rest in fucking peace already!

Also can we just talk about how Hun was the original simp? Like that man was so fucking devoted to Utrom Shredder that even in a dystopian realm where Ch'rell had fused him to Stockman and was literally going to execute him this purple dragon bitch still begged for his master to take him back! Like we get it, Hun, you want to ride the Shredder's alien dick. Good God that man was loyal not to a fault but beyond fault. Never seen a bigger simp in animation before or since I swear.

The turtles don't feel like teenagers except Mikey and it's mostly because of their voices. They all sound like adults.

The garbage man did not need to exist. Most disgusting fatphobic and ableist caricature of villainy I've ever laid eyes on and his episodes are just gross.

Master Splinter calling Yoshi his father in the season 3 finale felt like it came out of nowhere. And I don't recall him calling Yoshi that afterward either.

Splinter knowing Shredder was an Utrom was a stupid retcon and just causes problems like my guy you couldn't have bothered to tell your sons that cutting off the Shredder's head would be pointless? And the Guardians were already canonically in the know in season 1 and didn't think anything of it when Shredder's head came off like "well done Leonardo you definitely killed the Shredder and we have no reason to inspect the body or be concerned whatsoever". The foreshadowing for the Utroms is great in some aspects but it makes retcons and general writing like this feel so stupid.

And lastly and this might just be me but the humor just doesn't hit home for me. It's funny in a way but not always. And the dialogue feels forced or stilted at times. I just don't get the hype and I want to.

This isn't to hate on any fans. I'm just genuinely curious what y'all see in this show that I just don't. Like what you like but please tell me why so I can maybe see the merits of it myself.

Like the main good point I can see is Leo's trauma arc but that's so late in the series it's just...

[flame-shadow]

Gonna ask three questions, if that's cool (the furst geing vert predictable, sorry): which Queen from Bug Fables is your favorite (including Hector because of course)? What Character from Silksong looks most interesting to you (let's not include Lace 'cause I'm pretty sure she's most popular)? And this one's a tad random, but what are some Star Wars Characters you really like? I'm not that into the series but if I'm not mistaken you kinda are, and I don't know, it coukd be fun to hear.

More questions is totally cool haha

If we're including kings, then Hoaxe is my fave ;P But excluding usurpers, Vanessa and Elizant tie. Vanessa since she's a wasp (personal bias) and Elizant because she's got a cool mask.

I have been avoiding Silksong stuff, so I am deliberately ignorant of who has been revealed so far. I hope Lace is an interesting character, because right now I don't like her for oversaturating artwork when we don't even have the game yet or know her as a character.

Ooooh boooyyyy. Ehehe, so, General Grievous and Obiwan Kenobi are the two I like best. I'm a prequels kid, so I am very fond of that era and those characters. The Clone Wars microseries from 2003 and having the Episode 3 visual dictionary (idk if that's the actual term but that's what i remember it being called?) are what hyped me up so much for Greivous. He was ruthless in the microseries, and I have been a little disappointed with his less competent depictions ever since because it felt like he got watered down so favored characters could survive encounters with him (which, I get but I don't have to like). And the books I read which had him in it were always so good. Obiwan is a pretty classic fave character for folks, and I am among them. He's just a neat character! We watch/read him go through arcs and struggle and stuff, and he's likeable which also helps. And honestly, it's fun to see what situations he gets put in where you know he has to survive because he's in one of the later movies, but you're still left wondering how the author will get him there, haha

[trainsinanime]

Just watched episode one of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and man, either I was in completely the wrong mood for this, or this was just really boring. It all just feels so generic, you know? Here's Sam, doing some stuff. Here's what his arc is going to be, the object he has to claim for himself. There is the Bucky, and his arc, the apology he's gonna have to make. I get it.

I’m not sure where the thing with Sam and his sister is going. This might be a more interesting arc than “gotta acquire pizza plate”, maybe, later down the line. The actual plot of “here's an app based flash mob robbing banks” doesn’t seem interesting. I’ve seen the trailers, I know they’re doing Zemo, but I never found that guy the least bit interesting either in the comics.

I did read a review criticized the show's politics beforehand, and didn’t find it very compelling because it was just all over the place and incoherent, but now I realize that this is because the show's politics are just all over the place and incoherent. Actually, it might be more accurate to say that the show doesn’t have any. Do borders and jurisdiction matter or not? Eh, who cares. We can’t be seen in Tunisia but will be there anyway; we can’t be seen in Lybia and that matters for some reason; we don’t know whether we have jurisdiction in Switzerland (easy answer: No you don’t) but we’re just gonna try and arrest people at gunpoint there anyway, because nothing matters. It’s not quite as stupid as Agents of Shield, but it’s getting a lot closer than it should be.

The initial sequence in particular seems to be just, “we need to make Sam look cool and heroic. How about we have him go to a place where people speak Arabic, and have him kill lots of folks with superior technology? That is the universal shorthand for good guy, right?” I really have to wonder, does that story still work in the US? Probably yes, what with their kind of creepy soldier worship. But in the rest of the world, it stopped working in 2003, and hasn’t exactly recovered yet. This show clearly didn’t spend any time thinking about it. It does make sure that the people who speak Arabic are portrayed friendly, and the people who get killed by the heroic US soldier are all white, and I suppose it wants to get credit for that. Sure, whatever. But it assumes Team America World Police as the default state of being, which is arguably questionable and definitely boring.

I’m willing to give the show another shot next week, in the hope that maybe Sam and Bucky actually meet and their relationship becomes the interesting part in this. But so far? Not impressed. In fact, I stopped several times to instead look at Hawkeye set pictures, and man, I had way more fun with that. They got the dog, and purple, and Kate and arrows! There’s a guy in a track suit, and a truck that says “Bro” on it! And Clint’s gonna be deaf in it!

[recentanimenews]

RECS: Want to Watch Old Anime? Discotek Has You Covered

Every anime season brings a new roster of hits, but the shows of the past recede into the distance. Certainly, there are some exceptions and niche fans keep the spirit of ongoing series like Gundam alive. But with the continued emphasis on new and exciting anime, it’s tempting to forget the multitude of great shows and movies that already exist.   The Discotek label has fought consistently over the past several years to ensure that anime’s past is preserved. Run by industry stalwarts, they’ve done the impossible time and time again: they tracked down the masters of cult OVA Project A-Ko, painstakingly restored the 2001 remake of Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier from thousands of damaged tapes, and much of their best stuff is now available for streaming.

  If you’re looking for something a little different or simply looking for a new show to watch, why not travel back into anime’s past? Here are some great TV series and movies as enjoyable today as they were when they were produced.

  These are just my own recommendations, picked from the great sea of Discotek titles. But if you want to explore further, and check out titles including real-life inspiration on Yoko Taro, Sister Princess, you can find their shared Crunchyroll catalog list here.

  Note: The titles listed are largely only available in the United States and Canada.

  Movie Night

  Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer

    One of the best-known anime directors ever, Mamoru Oshii first made his mark with an outrageously popular animated sitcom: Urusei Yatsura, the series that put the queen of romantic comedy manga Rumiko Takahashi on the map. Oshii struck a balance throughout the TV series between hilarious comedy and experimentation, but it was in the second Urusei Yatsura film, Beautiful Dreamer, that he really went all out. This surreal time loop story keeps finding new ways to defy audience expectations throughout its runtime both as an atypical Urusei Yatsura tale as well as a sterling example of just how imaginative and ground-breaking the Urusei Yatsura anime could be at its best.

  GoShogun: The Time Etranger

    GoShogun: The Time Etranger is that classic anime standby: a film completely different in tone and content than the franchise that spawned it. Released four years after the original 1981 super robot series, The Time Etranger spends much of its runtime focused on the dreams and anxieties of sole female cast member Remy as she lies in a coma at the hospital. Examining “what happens after” a final super robot fight, it remains an enjoyable film with smarter writing than you’d expect.  The Time Etranger is also a notable favorite of the great 80sanime Tumblr.

  Night on the Galactic Railroad

    Kenji Miyazawa’s novel Night on the Galactic Railroad might be best known to English-speaking audiences as a reference point for anime like Mawaru Penguindrum and Galaxy Express 999, but in truth, it’s one of the most beloved Japanese children’s stories ever written. An anime film adaptation was released in 1985, directed by the famed Gisaburo Sugii and scored by Yellow Magic Orchestra member Haruomi Hosono. Also, the characters are all drawn as cats! While slow-paced, it’s a strong adaptation that captures the charming and whimsical spirit of the original novel.

  Other Discotek movie recommendations:

All the other 6 Urusei Yatsura movies

Jin Roh

Like the Clouds, Like the Wind

Ringing Bell

  Mecha

  Giant Gorg

    Folks talk up director Yoshiyuki Tomino as the key creative force behind the original Gundam. But don’t forget Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, the talented character designer behind both Mobile Suit Gundam and Zeta Gundam. His most personal anime project is Giant Gorg, the story of a young boy who stumbles across a giant robot on a mysterious island. Rather than a Gundam-style war narrative, Giant Gorg is a proper adventure story in which the young cast spring from cliffhanger to cliffhanger. A white whale in American anime fandom for years, it was finally licensed for distribution in the United States in 2015. Don’t forget this fantastic mash-up between the Giant Gorg OP and the Perfect Strangers theme!

    Mazinger Edition Z

    In Mazinger Edition Z, cult-favorite director Yasuhiro Imagawa reimagines Go Nagai’s classic robot series to create a unified setting packed with pulpy thrills and conspiracies: The giant robot Mazinger has a past history involving the Greek god Zeus! The villain Baron Ashura is recontextualized as a deeply tragic villain with the best story arc in the series! We’re even given Tsubasa Nishikori, a Go Nagai staple who here becomes Imagawa’s best-written female character! 

  Mazinger Z is absolutely suffused with the spirit that made Imagawa’s earlier masterpiece Giant Robo so beloved and is an essential watch for any fan of that series. Not to mention that it ends with a cliffhanger brutal enough to make Go Nagai jealous.

  Other Discotek mech recommendations:

Dai-Guard

Gunbuster 2

Tetsujin 28

  Comedy

  Cromartie High School

    Anime comedies speak to the time that they were made, but there’s something uniquely timeless about Cromartie High School. You could say the show is funny because it’s set in a high school whose roster of delinquents includes a robot, Freddie Mercury, and a gorilla. But I think it goes even further than that: Cromartie High School is funny because its rowdy delinquents live lives just as boring as our own. When I watch Cromartie High School, I think not “what weirdos!” but “same, bro.” True in 2003, true in 2021.

  Other Discotek comedy recommendations:

Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan

Cat Girl Nuku Nuku

Golden Boy

Samurai Pizza Cats

  Drama

  Key the Metal Idol

    Key the Metal Idol is a truly weird series. Directed and written by Hiroaki Sato, one of three animation directors who brought anime film masterpiece Akira to life, it’s the story of an android tasked by her creator to become human by making 30,000 friends. It’s a series that skewers the entertainment industry but is also loaded down with science fiction exposition. It’s a series that’s deeply in love with the work of David Lynch. Key the Metal Idol is flawed and idiosyncratic, but it’s also a genre-busting original far ahead of its time. And the opening credit sequence rules.

  The Twelve Kingdoms

    Fantasy anime are a dime a dozen these days, but for my money, no recent title comes close to The Twelve Kingdoms. The series has its share of magical creatures, epic duels, and even more elaborate fantasy worldbuilding than you can shake a sword at. But most of all, it’s a story about people and growth. Twelve Kingdoms puts its cast of scared teenagers in a crucible and subjects them to intense pressure until those teenagers realize, to their shock and genuine awe, that they can handle anything the world throws at them. Twelve Kingdoms deserves consideration along with Berserk as one of the greatest works of epic fantasy that animation has to offer.

  Other Discotek drama recommendations:

Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting!

Honey and Clover

Kaiba

True Tears

  What are your favorite older anime? Is there an anime BluRay or DVD you treasure most? Let us know in the comments!

    Adam W is a Features Writer at Crunchyroll. When he is not evangelizing Kaiba to his friends and neighbors, he sporadically contributes with a loose group of friends to a blog called Isn't it Electrifying? You can find him on Twitter at:@wendeego

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

By: Adam Wescott

[norcumii]

The Rex/Obi theory

Since apparently we can pin a post, bringing this back from the old blog even though I really ought to do a better write up and just post it as meta on AO3. As always, ship and let ship, we’re all here to have fun, etc.

First off: background sources. Post Blue Shadow Virus, the Naboo gave Rex a set of guns. They are very shiny, very nice, and named Negotiator and Vigilance. Now, given that Obi-Wan has “The Negotiator” as a title, one has to wonder about “Vigilance.” Since Anakin is known as “The Hero With No Fear,” it’s probably not him.

It has also been pointed out to me (thank you, @morecivilizedage) that Obi-Wan’s flagships were the Vigilance and Negotiator. Which…yeah.

Later on, it seems the shuttle that Cody and Rex take in Rookies is named The Obex.

…I am not a fan of the name smushing habit people have for ships, but that’s…kind of blatant.

Also, I recently found out that Sideshow put out an Obi-Wan figure, based on the 2003 Clone Wars design (the modern Clone Wars, and what’s declared current canon, was the 2008 version). To my admittedly limited knowledge, Rex does not exist in the ‘03 show. If nothing else, he’s not listed as a character on the IMDB page. HOWEVER, part of this figure’s design is a wrist com hologram – of Rex. Not Cody. Not another Jedi. REX. WHO DOESN’T EVEN EXIST IN THAT SHOW, WHICH HAS SCREENSHOTS SHOWN ON THE BOX. They didn’t have to call the hologram Rex, and it’s out of continuity to the presented Obi-Wan, and would calling this hologram “Rex” instead of any other clone really sell more figures?

Gotta admit that’s Interesting.

Now, given I totally pick and choose data from non-show sources (…see the horrific novelizations of The Clone Wars – or better yet, please don’t. Character assassination abounds), we need to look at the actual show.

It starts with the movie. Cody has a minimalist presence in there, whereas Rex interacts with Obi-Wan a lot. There’s several scenes where there’s some lovely close interplay, including a bit where Obi-Wan is ordering Rex to pull back – while gripping Rex on the shoulder.

Take a moment. Consider how often you see on the show Obi-Wan touching anyone. He doesn’t tend to initiate that, and it’s rarely outside of a combat situation. But that man can’t seem to keep his hands off Rex. Watch with that in mind, and please, feel free to tell me I’m missing things.

So back to the Blue Shadow Virus. When Anakin is freaking out to Obi-Wan because his wife and student are liable to be the first to die, he wants to know how Obi-Wan can not be on edge. “I’m just better at hiding it.” Take the parallels – Padme and Ahsoka are Anakin’s family. Now, Obi-Wan is prolly also having a HUGE internal freakout because they are in THE hanger that started Duel of the Fates in Episode I, but if he’s hiding the same sort of emotional breakdown, who is that about?

Parallels are important. Take The Deserter. That is THE  shipping episode. Watch how Obi-Wan reacts throughout: he’s grumpy at first, because Grievous is up to the usual shit. Then he coms in to find out what Rex’s status is – and upon hearing Rex has been shot, his immediate reaction is worry, concern – I’d almost say he’s distraught. His orders to Jesse to hustle up and help them take down Grievous is more snarled, harsher, and from that point on Obi-Wan has an edge to him that wasn’t there before. This particular battle has become personal to him, and when Grievous gets away, there is genuine ANGER that a Jedi should not be expressing. What the hells else has Grievous done this   episode or the last to merit that sudden change?

As for the literal parallels, Cut is Rex’s counterpart. They are contrasted again   and again throughout the episode, and that culminates with Rex bidding Cut and his family farewell – so that Rex can go back to HIS family. So. If Rex is Cut, then the kids are obviously the other troopers under Rex’s command, and who does that leave as Suu’s counterpart?

Who is it that Rex talks to immediately? G’on, guess.

Also, Obi-Wan cannot stop gushing to Cody about Rex. I imagine poor Cody has to put up with this a LOT.

In fact, we can show that he does! The episodes with the Zygerrian slavers  – Kidnapped, Slaves of the Republic, and Escape from Kadavo – are just chock full of this. The main crew takes out two BARC speeders. Anakin has Ahsoka riding shotgun in the sidecar, while Obi-Wan has Rex. The intriguing bit is that Cody is left for cleanup and directing the rest of the clones, even though technically Rex is ordinarily in charge of a larger battle group (depending on what bit of canon you’re looking at). There’s that exchange in the slave mines OP mentioned (2 slightly different versions and commentary are linked). There’s also the sequence where Rex gets permission from Obi-Wan to take the shot and be a bad ass on the villain (“I’m no Jedi” indeed). That interplay is subtle, and implies the two work together and closely enough that a glance and a nod are enough to convey what’s  going on. Sure, the 501 and 212 work together often, but Obi-Wan has his own second-in-command.

Interestingly, Cody does not show up after the first episode in this arc. Given that they have the voice actor on hand, and the Wolf Pack is called in at the end for the rescue, tossing Cody and some 212 into the mix would have been easy. So that dynamic has implications.

Not factual enough yet? Screenshots of character positioning being more like a romance moment than in a war flick not good enough?

Let’s go to the Citadel arc. There’s more of the circumstantial evidence, where Rex can be interpreted as having Obi-Wan’s back more than one might think is usual.

But then there’s this gifset. As the mixed 212 and 501 soldiers are thawing from carbonite, watch Obi-Wan in the background. He nopes out of Anakin and Ahsoka’s tiff, and goes over to chat with Rex and Cody. When Obi-Wan gets over there, he raises his arm to do the shoulder grip thing (like I mentioned above, in the movie!). It might not be clear from the gifs, but there is not enough time for Obi-Wan to do that twice before he goes to the one arm behind the back kind of “at ease” posture. When he steps away from the troopers to be the Actual Adult in the room to Anakin and Ahsoka, Rex stands a bit straighter, in proper military posture, and dusts off his armor. It might not be a universal gesture of “aw yeah, I’m awesome,” but it sure seems pretty satisfied. Poor Cody meanwhile is watching the move, which  helps capture the viewer’s eye (and leaves me wondering if he’s going “what the hell is up with you?” or “do not make me hose you down”).

I would honestly love to know someone else’s interpretation of that with un-shipping goggles on. ‘Cause I admit, I don’t see it.

That, folks, is why I ship it like mad. There’s more circumstantial evidence throughout the show, like how Obi-Wan and Rex interact (like a married couple, or in fact often like Anakin and Padme are presented at their best). There’s Rex being extra fancy and staring at Obi-Wan WAY more than Anakin in The Voyage of Temptation, otherwise known as “Satine and Obi-Wan in a Shuttle and Anakin Being Oblivious.” There’s the simple implication of the chemistry between the characters, though that is obviously open to interpretation.

This is animation. It takes time and effort and money to animate a simple shoulder grip, or a specialized gesture such as buffing one’s nails. Voice acting is an art where you have to convey so much emotion with what can be small adjustments to words. Scripts have to go through so much oversight and tweaking to convey a particular story, within the wide scope, and themes and plot threads have to be carefully considered. This isn’t chance, this isn’t one   writer/animator/storyboarder going off into the weeds because they had a Neat Idea.

I really do think it’s canon.

-----------

Random other bits I’ve gathered while re-watching the show:

During the movie, when Rex is told that General Kenobi’s been captured, he just freezes. He goes from digging around off screen for what I suspect is a new ammo cartridge, stills, then yells at the soldier that they have to hold  out, now keep. fighting. It’s less rallying the troops as a bit of emotional pushback.

During Voyage of Temptation, when Anakin is sassing Obi-Wan in the elevator about Satine the possible old flame, Rex is right there in the elevator with both of them (along with poor Cody). Rex isn’t on Anakin’s flank, but Obi-Wan’s (little odd, but I don’t recall offhand how they filed in). And Anakin is “sensing some anxiety” from Obi-Wan about Satine. I love how there’s now another reason for that.

In an…‘interesting’ coincidence, it seems that when Rex got shot in The Deserter, that’s the exact same place Obi-Wan gets shot in Deception. Nothing conclusive there, but it’s intriguing.

from The Zillo Beast Strikes Back – The first time we see Rex, Anakin is giving him orders to “Stay with General Kenobi” – there’s the implication that he’s already with the General.

They’re continuing to leave breadcrumbs in Rebels.

[socialyawkdude]

Top 10 animes for first time viewers

Hello, my socially awkward friends,

I’m back after a much-needed vacation to bring you the content, which you crave. In recent weeks, I’ve been approached by friends and colleagues, about what amines they should watch. To say that it was a loaded question is an understatement. With the world of anime and manga being so vast, it's hard to know where to start.

After thinking it over, I’ve decided to follow suit of my supernatural top 10 and do a top 10 for anime for beginners.

Today's post will cover amines for first-time viewers. Let me start by saying that, This Is my Opinion! Please do not jump my bones because of the line-up. Now with that being said, let get this party started.

 (10) Sailor Moon/Sailor Moon Crystal

Written by Nanoko Takeuchi

Genre/subgenre: Magical girl, action, romance, shoujo, superhero

Manga original run: (December 28, 1991, to February 3, 1997)

Anime Run: Sailor Moon (1992-1993) 46 episodes

   Sailor Moon R (1993- 1994) 43 episodes

   Sailor Moon S (1994- 1995) 38 episodes

   Sailor Moon Super S (1995- 1996) 39 episode

   Sailor Moon Sailor Star (1996- 1997) 34 episodes

The series follows the adventures of the protagonist Usagi Tsukino, a middle school student who is given the power to become the titular Sailor Soldier. Joined by other Sailor Soldiers, they defend Earth against an assortment of evil villains.

 Let us start with a classic, remade for the modern-day. For quite a few of my generation, Sailor Moon was our introduction to the world of anime. I can remember watching sailor moon, in the early morning before the school bus came. Sailor Moon was the beginning of my love affair with anime.

 Now here is what I got to say on sailor moon. It is a bit wonky, timeline-wise. Sailor Moon's overall timeline can be a bit hard to follow. That is if you are going in-depth with it. As long as you stay away from the headache inducing timeline, you’ll be ok.

 (9)Bleach

Written by Tite Kubo

Genre/subgenre: Action, Adventure, Shonen, Supernatural, Comedy

Original manga run: August 7, 2001 - August 22, 2016

Original anime run: October 5, 2004 - March 27, 2012

366 episodes 

 What can I say about Bleach? It is one of my favorite anime’s of all time. It's not perfect but what is? You have a diverse cast of characters, a good story and plenty of action. In my opinion, that makes a great anime for beginners. For me, Bleach was my return to anime, after years of not watching. I think that I've watched this anime from beginning to end, one too many times. 

 I'm talking watching the U.S. airing up to the point that I had the watch in Japanese. I finished the anime a full 2 years before the finale aired in the U.S. I would highly recommend this anime to any beginners.

 (8) Restaurant to another World

Written by Junpei Inuzuku

Genre/subgenre= Fantasy, Isekai

Manga Original Run: November 18, 2016, to June 25, 2019

Anime original Run: July 3, 2017, to September 18, 2017

12 episodes

 I was recommended this anime by a friend of a friend. I am going, to be honest; I didn't know what I was getting into. This would be my first experience with isekai anime. Looking back on this anime, it is quite an anime. Not much action, but at a great story. I would not recommend watching after a 420 session, you will get the munchies.

 (7) Sword Art Online

Written by Reki Kawahara

Genre/Subgenre= Isekai, Fantasy, Action, Adventure

Light Novel Original Run: April 10, 2009, to present

Anime original run:

Sword Art Online = July 8, 2012, to December 23, 2012

Sword Art Online II= July 5, 2014, to December 30, 2014

Sword Art Online Alicization = October 6, 2018, to present

  And here we go again with another isekai. The genre in itself is pretty much the same across animes. Someone dies and is sent to another world, but Sword Art Online is different. Instead of dying and going to another world; our main character is trapped in a virtual world and if he dies there, he dies in the real world.

In general, I've been pretty hard on SAO because of its a little too real world for me. It deals with some very real-world issues. To give some examples: Death, rape, incest, and other issues. To top it all off, with it being 2019; we are only months away from when the anime begins. (Where is my damn nervegear?)

If you can get past all of that it's a decent anime. The first arc is by far the best. The second arc is OK and the third I haven't finished yet. Sword Art Online is a good anime for beginners, in my opinion. Plus, Sword Art Online always puts out a beyond great soundtrack.

 (6) The Saga of Tanya the Evil

Written by Carlo Zen

Genre/subgenre: Isekai, fantasy

Manga Original run: April 26, 2016, to present

Anime original run: January 6, 2017, to March 31, 2017 

12 Episodes

 Here we are with the last isekai on our list. I understand that there have been quite a few listed, but besides the honorable mentions, there are no more. The Saga of Tanya the Evil is the perfect end of the isekai on this list.

Following the usual isekai tropes, Tanya the evil can best be described as a fantasy, historical alternative reality anime; taking place in a world similar to World War 1. As of this post, I'm only eight episodes in and quite enjoying it. I highly recommend checking it out.

 (5) Fairy Tail

Written By Hiro Mashima

Genre/Subgenre: Shonen, Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Manga Original run: August 2, 2006, to July 26, 2017

Anime original Run: October 12, 2009, to Present

328 + episodes

 It was around 7 years ago that a friend recommended fairy tail, to me. At the time, it wasn't my cup of tea. I was following Bleach, at the time, and hadn't leaped into the world of anime. Fast forward several years and it is still not my cup of tea. Now here is the thing, even though I may not be into fairy tail, ii know a good anime when I see it Given that fairy tail is entering its last full season; it a great choice for beginners and old alike. This is why I’m giving it the number 5 spot.

 (4) Attack on Titan

Written by Hajime isayama

Genre/Subgenre: Dark fantasy, post-apocalyptic

Original manga run: September 9, 2009, to present

Original anime run: April 7, 2015, to present

 Attack on Titan is one of those manga/animes that is a hit from day one. With a post-apocalyptic feel straight out of someone's worse nightmare. This isn't the zombie apocalypse folks; this is something far worse. The following that Attack on Titan has garnered is on par with American shows like The Walking Dead. 

Along with the manga and anime, Attack on titan has spawned a live-action movie in 2015. In my opinion, the movie was just as gory and the anime, but a little toned down. If your a fan of post-apocalyptic shows like The Walking Dead, this is one that you have to check out. 

A little piece of advice, do not watch the movie until you have seen the first season.

 (3) Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

Written by Coolkyoushinja

Genre/Subgenre: fantasy

Manga original run: May 25, 2013 to present

Anime original run: January 11, 2017, to April 6, 2017

13 episodes plus OVA

 If there was ever an anime that should be the official anime of this blog, this is it. Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid has been one of my favorite animes that I've seen in recent years. This is not the usual action-pack thriller, that you'll usually see from animes that make there way west. It the cute and funny story of Miss Kobayashi and how she ended up with a dragon maid and the adventures that follow. I would recommend this to anyone, anime watcher or not.

 (2) Fullmetal Alchemist/ Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.

Written by Hiroma Arakawa

Genre/Subgenre: Adventure, dark fantasy, science fiction, shonen

manga original run: July 12, 2001, to June 12, 2019

Anime original run: 

( Fullmetal Alchemist) October 4, 2003, to October 2, 2004

51 episodes plus the movie Conqueror of Shamballa (2005)

( Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood) April 5, 2009, to July 4, 2010

64 episodes

 Here we are at the number 2 spot. This was a toss-up for number one, but I decided against it. I would suggest watching Brotherhood because it follows the manga beginning to end. Fullmetal Alchemist ends at episode 51 and it is up the movie, Conqueror of Shamballa to bring an end to the story. I saw Conqueror of Shamballa and overall the movie was great. Well deserving of the praise it got from film festivals around the world. Do yourself a favor and check out this anime.

 (1) Dragon Ball /Z/GT/Super/Heroes

Written by Akira Toriyama

Genre/Subgenre: Action, Adventure, martial arts, shonen

Manga Original run: 

Dragonball= December 3, 1984, to June 5, 1995

Dragonball Super= June 20,2025 to present

 Anime original run: 

Dragonball(1986 to 1989)

Dragonball Z( 1989 to 1996)

Dragonball GT( 1996 to 1997)

Dragonball Super( 2015 to 2018)

Super Dragonball Heroes(2018 to present)

 And here we are at the number one spot. Come on, everyone should have seen this coming. Anime lovers and non-anime lovers have heard of the Dragonball series. While I was fighting for Fullmetal Alchemist to be in the number one spot; it wasn't going to happen. The Dragonball series is perfect for new anime viewers fro many reasons. One of the main reasons is if you get confused, there is plenty out there to help you understand what’s going on. The Dragonball series has been around in manga form since 1984 and anime form since 1986. There is plenty out there to help newbies and confused them, at the same time. Just don't watch the shitty American made live-action movie.

  Honorable mentions: Konosuba, Ghost in A Shell, Food Wars and Naruto

   Like always my friends, don't forget to like/share/reblog and follow. To get more of an idea of what's coming, you can follow me over on twitter at @socialyawkdude. 

[dbzebra]

☕️ OH YKNOW WHAT AT THAT NOTE? Talk about that dbs broly movie cuz yknow. That’s a hot topic of the ages that folk feel particularly really strongly about

ooooh ive been waiting for this one. We watched this together on discord so you know my general feelings but Im happy i got this ask lol.

putting this under read more cause it gets long 

The new movie that everyone seems to love and adore.... that I dont. It was a pretty middle of the ground, meh overrated af movie. Not bad, just nothing special. I enjoyed watching it sure, but not something I have an inkling to return to anytime soon if ever. It was just ‘there’ for me. 

First, I’ll say the good stuff. The visuals looked really pretty. Nobody was THAT out of character of the existing cast (save for the ending), which i feel weird to have to even mention it as a positive, but nothing really stood out to me as a defining moment for the little cast we had besides Goku’s “youre not a bad guy, i can tell” or w/e. SUPER SAIYAN 1 IS STILL GOAT. It looked soooo good in this movie i wish we couldve kept it the whole time instead of Blue. But i will say, Blue looked much better in this movie than the series. The darker-blue with the lighter blue eyes was a nice change from instead of the ugly bluish-green the series did. Also the aura looked better. Backgrounds like the ice area and even Planet Vegeta were amazing. Action was great too. little Bulla was cute. The OST i liked (the chanting really grew on me) and Blizzard is a banger i love that song. Oh and the aritisic license they took for the fusion scene with the reds and blues spiraling together was great

Anyway thats all the positives I have lmaoo

This film includes Minus and I already went in depth on why I hate Minus with a passion and why it’s the worst thing to come out of modern Dragon so yeah moving on. But the fact that they devoted screentime to Gokus backstory which ultimately served no purpose to the story of the film and couldve been used more valuably elsewhere. 

I said the action was good, and it was, but it almost too good. At times it was so fast to tell that was going on and really lessened the impact for me. Like when they went into the other dimension or whatever, Gogeta went blue and Broly went LSSJ (idc if the name is different name, itll always be legendary SSJ to me lmao) so ast it was a blink and you miss it moment. like what? those moments shouldve been given even a little bit of focus. 

Next the cast. Goku and Vegeta. AGAIN. snorefest. no Gohan, Piccolo is just there to show them the fusion, Goten and Trunks are still kids and look like babies (and Pilaf gang is with them which is another can of worms), no Android 17, who the series established as one of the top 4 fighters on Earth. 

Do we get any of that? Nope. Just the two Blue and Bluer fucking again and again I. dont. care. anymore. Their dynamic is so boring and played out id rather watch paint dry. It was fun in Buu Saga, hell it was even fun in GT, but DBS constantly forcing this dynamic and Vegeta as the second Main Character needs to fucking STOOOP. Toei and Toriyama has no idea how to further Vegeta’s character because theyre stuck in this infinite loop. 

Vegeta doesnt want to help Goku, he mentions Bulma and/or Trunks, Vegeta blushes, and then he decides to help. THAT HAPPENED LIKE SIX TIMES IN DBS ALONE. It happened in Buu saga as well, but it organically worked cause it was the first time but Bulma and Trunks were ALREADY DEAD/ABSORBED. The look on his face wasnt blushy or pouting for a gag, dude was legit shocked. I rag on Vegeta but he had some legit great moments in the early arcs and later parts of Buu Saga. Anyway im off track. They repeat that same exact character moment OVER AND OVER. cant tell you how many times we had “my Bulma, my bulla, my Trunks, my cabba” in the Tournament of Power alone, and this movie is no different.

DO SOMETHING ELSE FFS

Then we have Broly. ohhhhhh boooy Broly. if you can even call this version of him Broly. His backstory is kinda the same as original movie 8/Broly LSSJ, but its more tragic becuase according to most fans, if youre background is a sobstory, that equals better character. NO. sure it could, but that trope was so worn out so long ago I hate it. “waaa his life was bad, hes not a bad guy” bruh i dont care thats not Broly. just make an OC if you wanna do that. but nope. gotta use the marketing! (More on that later)

People like to criticize Z Broly as “he hates Goku cause he cried” or “all he says is Kakarot” which both are false. On the first point, Broly is a psychopath. He was stabbed as an infant and left to die along with Paragus cause he was too powerful. Then that same day Planet Vegeta explodes practically on top of them. The rest of his life hes basically either being controlled or on a rampage. So that one moment of peace is “ruined” by Goku in a sense cause he subconsciously associates that with Goku. On the second point, Broly was already mentally unstable and then nearly dying, getting caught in the explosion of a SECOND PLANET and then being frozen for seven years will fuck anyone up in the head. Z Broly in the original movie was sadistic af and he had a lot of memorable moments and lines that werent just screaming Kakarot, that Second Coming made him infamous for. 

New Broly is legit a man-baby. People talk about old Broly having no personality and this new version having a deep character, but I dont see it. He acts like a child when hes with Cheelai and Lemo and then once the fighting starts he doesnt say a single word but yell. SOUND FAMILIAR?? But he gets a pass because the canon police says so right??? fuck off. New Broly is boring. Im tired of trying to make the Saiyans into ThEyRe noT aLl BaD sEe The SaIyAns ArE AcTuAlLy GoOd!!!11111 ugh i hate it. keep Broly a psycho and keep Bardock a prick. even that guy that went with Buzz Lightyear I mean Paragus was a sweet guy who couldnt fight because of course he was. At least they kept Paragus being a prick when he killed him. Tho his death was lame. 

Cheelai’s overrated af. Shes just green bulma lmao. and the fact that they included the “big soft-spoken man gets mad and saves girl from drunk lowkey-rapey pervert” trope just had me roll my eyes like dude stop. Lemo was fine? Nothing against him but didnt do much for me either.

FUCK. FREEZA. i went over this one before too so ill be quick with this as well. I hate hate hate the fact that they brought him back not once but twice in DBS, but even worse that they left him alive to do whatever tf he wants including going back to mass murdering people and expanding his army again. Goku and Vegeta just LET HIM LIVE. Why tf did they go all out and attack Broly, but not Freeza? when one of them was fighting Broly th other easily could have taken out freeza but nope we need a token villain like Joker or Skeletor cause unoriginality. Even at the end, Gogeta does a full power blast to wipe Broly tf out, but when Freeza tries to kill Cheelai and Lemo (two innocent people, feelings on them aside) Gogeta basically just shakes his finger like nuh-uh! dont do that! and then he flies off. Just let this mfer die already im sick of seeing his ass. FUCK I HATE IT SO MUCH GFGFFGFGFGF

Lastly this movie is legitimately Dragon Ball Fanservice The Movie. 

Gogeta vs Broly, which the games have been doing since fucking 2003, is the main point of this film. Theres no originality whatsoever. Minus is discount Father of Goku special, and then its a mashup of Broly LSSJ and Fusion Reborn (both of which are superior movies imo). This creatively banrkupt shell of a franchise cant think of anything new, so they legit remake an old movie, through in fusions because that sells like hotcakes, and make the animation pretty because thats all that matters.

Imo, this movie, like 99% of Super, is all flash and flair but no substance at all. At least this movie looked nice. unlike the show. 

ok thats all i got lmao

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Three Lobed Recordings

For 20 years, Three Lobed Recordings has explored the outer reaches of psychedelic music, presenting Bardo Pond’s heaviest, most improvisatory albums, documenting the American primitive revival via recordings of Jack Rose and Daniel Bachman, listening to emanations from space-age folk troubadours like Wooden Wand, Sunburned Hand of the Man and Matt Valentine and generally pursuing the beauty of experiment, wherever it occurs. To celebrate these past two fruitful decades, label founder Cory Rayborn lists ten of the albums that define Three Lobed (and, necessarily, leaves out others equally valid and interesting). We look forward to lots more in the decades to come.

Personal Choice Cuts from the TLR Catalog (in no particular order, 9 of which might be different if you were to ask me tomorrow).

Gunn-Truscinski Duo — Ocean Parkway (2012)

Ocean Parkway by Gunn-Truscinski Duo

Every time I listen to this album, especially the title track, I feel transported. Long ago my college roommate Jon Nall articulated a test for transcendent songs, for the ones that impact you no matter how many times you hear them. He summed those all-time tracks up as the ones where the hairs on your arms uncontrollably stand up every time you hear them. While every track on this album does it for me every time, throwing me into a sort of uncontrollable head nod and body sway, I am always fully taken away by the entirety of the title track and Steve's swirling guitar build over the entire eighth minute punctuated by the ecstatic tones he hits at 9:06. Yow. The feeling I get from this album is why the label exists.

Various Artists — Eight Trails, One Path (2012)

Eight Trails, One Path by Various Artists

Record Store Day is tough. I love the attention and cash it puts into the hands of independent retailers but hate how commodified it has become over time by the powers that be / majors who see it as an excuse to pump out a bunch of junk that will end up being shelf warmers and ankle weights on those same retailers they claims to be supporting. The first few years when most of the titles were truly from and by indies it was a lot of fun. That was the feeling that led to wanting to put out an RSD title in mid-2011 (an illness I’ve since overcome). Originally conceived as a joined pair of split 7"s, it morphed into a triple 7" and then to a full length album. I wanted to showcase different approaches to solo guitar work and set out to ask a lot of my favorites. I also wanted to put together a special package which was fleshed out with help by Casey Burns on graphics, Grayson Haver Currin on words and Jeff Mueller on printing. I’m still amazed at the interlocked nature of all of the contributions to this one, from Six Organs’ spiritual sibling to “Ascent” in the form of “Stranded on Io” (a track that is a wordless tale all within itself) to the circular beauty of David Daniell’s “Housewarming” and everything else on here. I really love this record.

Tom Carter — Long Time Underground (2015)

Long Time Underground by Tom Carter

Late in 2013 I was chatting with Tom about what shape a record should take. He wanted to go to Black Dirt and get a good, clean capture of what he had been working on with Jason Meagher. TLR is always onboard with a Black Dirt election. Fast forward several months and family TLR was visiting some friends in Vermont around the same time Tom was in the area. We met up and he handed off the masters for a double LP. While we knew that the mix of Tom’s playing, Tom’s writing and Jason’s engineering was going to be magical but we had no idea of the exact form or how insanely potent the album was going to be. Damn. Seriously, just listen to this stuff and absorb that these are all single takes, no overdubs. Haunting and celebratory all at once.

Daniel Bachman — The Morning Star (2018)

The Morning Star by Daniel Bachman

It is pretty fun to watch the arc and path that Daniel’s writing, recording and performing have taken over the last 15 years. From powerhouse steamroller to the intersection of musique concrète and acoustic drone, his current location could maybe have been seen in his early recordings but you likely would have lost most of those dice rolls. The Morning Star speaks to me in so many ways but the stunning bookends of “Invocation” and “New Moon” always hit like a ton of bricks. What is amazing is how Daniel can turn these album cuts into live performances. I saw “New Moon” several times while Daniel was in the process of touring this 2016 self-titled album, always transfixed by it live — the album version loses none of that potency. On the other hand, Daniel re-created “Invocation” at the 2018 Three Lobed / WXDU Annual Ritual of Summoning to stunning effect.

The Michael Flower Band — self-titled (2008)

The Michael Flower Band by The Michael Flower Band

An audio / aural bomb blast, a kosmik rearrangement of the space/time directly around the listener. This take no prisoners statement from Mick Flower (guitar) and John Moloney (drums) is a deep slice for catalog enthusiasts. Just tune into “Balinese Falsehood” and try to not get fully lost. Years ago I described this as “biker psych for the third eye rider” and I’ll stand by that statement fully today.

Wooden Wand and the World War IV — self-titled (2013)

Wooden Wand & the World War IV by Wooden Wand & the World War IV

Picking between Wooden Wand titles is hard for this particular enthusiast but if forced I think I have to push the needle towards the intense Crazy Horse vibes of this studio corker. Surrounded by the “Briarwood” band, perhaps the most telepathic folks with whom Toth has ever played, the results are electric and transfixing. Will I kick myself tomorrow for not picking Clipper Ship? TBD...

Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore — Ghost Forests (2018)

Ghost Forests by Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore

I don’t remember when it came to me, the fact that there wasn’t a deliberately ground-up collaboration between Meg and Mary in existence. I had to ask them if that was purposeful or a gap that was truly something that we should remedy, a question where I had my fingers crossed the entire time. They were both really into the concept, it just took the triangulation of busy satellites to make all of our desires into reality. The results are as sturdy, sheltering and invisible at the edges as the album's title, facts that we are all the better for each time we wrap ourselves in this particular fabric. An all-timer.

Jack Rose — The Black Dirt Sessions (2009)

The Black Dirt Sessions by Jack Rose

I had the good luck and fortune to get to know Jack back in the Pelt days and watch his transition from that ensemble into the singular player and performer that he was for the last eight years of his too short life. Watching a Jack set was always a tiny miracle. I remember him calling me one day, telling me that he had gone to record with Jason Meagher and he had a record that he would really love for me to put out if I was interested. Not only was I most most certainly interested, but I was amazingly humbled and flattered that this friend who I also considered a modern master had recorded something specifically for me without even discussing it with me first. That level of trust was the gift and magic of Jack. If he believed in you that belief gave you all of the power you needed to make anything reality, you were suddenly bulletproof. Every track here is a stunner but “Cross the North Fork” always pulls me in, dares me to turn my attention anywhere else. Rest in power, friend.

Chuck Johnson — Crows In The Basilica (2013)

Crows In The Basilica by Chuck Johnson

Every track on this perfectly constructed and sequenced album is flawlessly beautiful but “On A Slow Passing In Ghost Town” is one of the top 10 tracks in the entire TLR catalog in my estimation. Exactingly and properly composed, performed and recorded.

Bardo Pond — Peri (2009)

Peri by Bardo Pond

The love of Bardo Pond was the seed that initially drove me to create a record label. Their single-minded determination to seek audio truth was apparent to me ages ago and so very inspirational. I ate up everything — the releases, the live shows, the live recording — and I hung on every note. The band had a lot of really, really great tunes that they had been working on between 2001 and 2003, the period between their departing Matador for ATP Records. I could never shake the power of several of the tracks from this era that sort of got abandoned to the shifts of time. After several conversations with Michael Gibbons two albums were born from that period and from some other exceptionally potent tracks. Batholith was the first of these two albums and Peri, the second. Both are so very special to me, the fruit of knowing folks needed to hear these compositions. When writing here I have to pick Peri today as it closes with “Silver Pavilion,” an all-time Bardo Pond thesis statement of sorts.

[youknowmymethods]

Content Creator Interview #8

Here we are again folks, number 8! This time we’re continuing on from last week’s interview with a bit of role reversal, @ellis-hendricks posing questions to her friend and beta @geekmama, chatting about Brit-picking, bad writing habits, favourite authors, and, most importantly, which of Sherlock’s shirts does it for her. 

But starting off with a recap of last week’s intro...

We are, respectively, a Californian and a Geordie, and we got to know each other through reading and reviewing each other’s fics (geekmama’s ‘Time of the Season’ series was one of the first fics I read and loved). Geekmama has been writing in the fandom for around 3 years, and I’ve been doing the same for around 2 years, spurred on by the end of series 4 (and the ILY scene in particular). We started beta-reading each other’s work around a year ago, and are always discovering new and unexpected words and phrases that don’t translate across the pond! Although we’ve used the same set of questions for these interviews, we haven’t seen each other’s answers – so it does mean that if nobody else is interested, at least we will be!

Series

 ellis-hendricks: Was there a particular moment in the series that set the ship sailing for you?

geekmama: I think it was A Scandal in Belgravia, and specifically Sherlock’s unprecedented apology to Molly, that got me thinking that the possibility was there, that it wasn’t just Molly’s schoolgirl crush vs. Sherlock’s needs when the game was on. I have to say, even though the Sherlock/Molly ship is easy to board, Mofftiss, etc., were very clever about leaving the way open for other pairings throughout the series. Even the ILY scene and its fallout could be interpreted very differently, if one was so inclined. It is really thanks to all the amazing fanfic authors out there that I jumped on board and took up residence on the good ship Sherlolly.

ellis-hendricks: What's your favourite episode and why?

geekmama: I love bits and pieces of all of them, but the one that I’ve watched more than any other is The Sign of Three. It’s heartwarming, hilarious, and only mildly heartbreaking. Even the villain of the piece, as little as we see him, has a motive one can understand.

ellis-hendricks: If you could ask/tell the series writers one thing, what would it be?

geekmama: Killing off Mary was a mistake, and I don’t care if that event sets up the entire story arc of season four, you should have thought of something else. Come on! You are brilliant writers, you could have done it.

ellis-hendricks: Do you have a controversial opinion about the series? E.g. a character who everyone else hates, but who you love?

geekmama: Or everyone loves but you hate? I’d say Moriarty qualifies. Andrew Scott is very cute, but though he’s in a number of the episodes we’re never given much insight to his character’s motives. Moriarty is pretty much just murderously insane in canon, and I don’t understand how one gets around that to write Molly/Moriarty or any of the slash pairings.

ellis-hendricks: Have you ever, when watching an episode, cracked a case before Sherlock?

geekmama: Well, if the writers want us to, then we’re given the information to crack the case before Sherlock.  The series is about him, after all. The cases are secondary.

ellis-hendricks: With whom would you rather be stuck at a wedding table –

Janine or Irene?

geekmama: Janine, she is just fun and rather ordinary, whereas Irene has numerous ulterior motives under her veneer of smug vanity.    

ellis-hendricks: Donovan or Anderson?

geekmama: Anderson, since he actually felt remorse for what they did to Sherlock, and came to admire him, too. There might be more to Donovan than what we’re given, and certainly that’s what fanfic is for -- I’ve made her a sympathetic character in a couple of my own fics. And apparently she and Sherlock have some pretty interesting history between them.

ellis-hendricks: Who would you rather bring back in series 5 - Mary or Moriarty?

geekmama: Mary, of course -- she is a far more well-rounded (and loveable) character. One wants to know more about her.

ellis-hendricks: Whose house would you prefer to live in - Sherlock's, John & Mary's, Molly's or Mrs Hudson's?

geekmama: Probably Molly’s, though Sherlock’s would be tempting. Molly’s looks pretty state-of-the-art in the ILY scene, if rather bland -- I couldn’t imagine Molly living in a place that’s all granite gray. It doesn’t reflect her personality at all, and I didn’t even think it could be her home the first time I saw that episode.

ellis-hendricks: In your opinion, who has been the best series villain - Jim Moriarty, Charles Magnussen, Culverton Smith, or Eurus Holmes?

geekmama: Eurus. We’re at least given some idea of her motives, and one can feel some sympathy for her, even though she is as insanely murderous as the other three. The other three are pretty equally revolting.

 Your writing

 ellis-hendricks: What was your first fic? What prompted it, and how do you feel about it now?

geekmama: My first in the Sherlock fandom was Visiting Hours, written in March 2016. I first watched seasons 1-3 of Sherlock in October 2015 and I’d been reading other authors’ work for several months. There were ideas I wanted to explore, and I wanted to see if I could still write at all, lol! I hadn’t written anything since July of 2013, when I celebrated a decade of being in the Pirates of the Caribbean fandom with a series of ten 50 word drabbles. Visiting Hours is only 100 words, official drabble length, and it’s held up pretty well, I think. I don’t hate it, at least.

ellis-hendricks: Which fic are you most proud of/most attached to, and why?

geekmama: This is a really difficult question since I’ve written quite a few Sherlock fics. If I had to narrow it down, maybe Idiots in Love, which is part of the Aftermath series and from Greg Lestrade’s pov, which is always fun, and The Kensington House, kid!fic from my Time of the Season series. But then there are all  the holiday fics… and the historical AU’s…

ellis-hendricks: You write great AUs set in other historical periods - do you prefer this or present day?

geekmama: I’ve read, and written, a lot of historical fiction, and certainly writing it comes much more easily to me than writing something set in the present day -- particularly current culture in the UK. It’s a good thing my dear Ellis_Hendricks is willing to Brit-pick for me. I did my best, but I’m sure my early Sherlock fic has plenty of errors in that regard. That was the most difficult thing for me when I was beginning to write in this fandom. However, I have grown to enjoy writing fic set in the present almost as much as writing historical fic.

ellis-hendricks: What are your worst writing habits?/What are your most overused phrases, plotlines, etc?

geekmama: Wow. There are probably a LOT of bad habits (run-on sentences, excessive use of parentheses and ellipses, etc. etc.etc.), and overused phrases/words. As for plotlines, I find the (comparatively) reality-based canon of Sherlock to be somewhat limiting to begin with (which is why AU’s were invented, I suppose). I try not to repeat plotlines, but of course I’ve used post-ILY scenarios multiple times (and no doubt will again -- the anniversary is coming up on the 15th), and I tend to overdo the h/c as that’s one of my favorite things.

ellis-hendricks: Do you have a writing routine? Where and when? And is everything digital, or are things ever handwritten first?

geekmama: Laptop, ideally in the morning, alone in bed (except for a pile of snoozing dogs), with no distractions like music etc. I can write with the TV or music on, but it takes a lot longer to produce anything. I haven’t produced finished handwritten works since I was in high school, and when I first got back into writing in late 2003 it was on a laptop I borrowed from work -- and it was a revelation! I wouldn’t bother handwriting more than a drabble or the outline of a story, now. Computers FTW!!!

ellis-hendricks: Who do you enjoy writing the most?

geekmama: Sherlock (if I have to choose -- I love Molly, Mycroft, and Lestrade pov, too).

ellis-hendricks: Who do you find easiest/hardest doing first person POV? - Sherlock seems fairly easy a lot of the time (hopefully readers agree -- I may be way off base, who knows?), and maybe Molly for hardest. We see so little of Molly over the course of the series it’s sometimes difficult for me to get a handle on her.

ellis-hendricks: Which fic would you recommend to someone who has never read your stuff before? - Benefit of the Doubt, maybe. I like the way it came out. It was one of those that practically wrote itself.

ellis-hendricks: What do you value most when it comes to feedback?

geekmama: Any feedback is very much appreciated, from Kudos to brief comments, but it’s always nice when someone references a particular phrase or idea they liked. I know how difficult that is to do, sometimes, though.

ellis-hendricks: Would you ever go back and revise old fics - or do you consign them to history once they're published?

geekmama: If I discover (or someone points out) an error I will go back and correct it, but I don’t really revise my stories once they are posted.

ellis-hendricks: What's the nicest/weirdest bit of feedback you've ever had? And does feedback ever influence what you write next, either within a story or in terms of future fics?

geekmama: I have to say I’ve had a lot of great, encouraging comments over the years, and maybe a few negative ones, mostly on FF.net, which I pretty much ignore, though one or two brought up interesting points. I think mostly people leave a comment if they really like something, or just go away if they don’t. Feedback does influence what I write to an extent -- say if someone really wants more of a certain story, or aspect of a story, that gets me thinking how it could be done.

ellis-hendricks: Do you - or would you - write other pairings?

geekmama: Well, yes, I’ve written Mycroft/Lady Smallwood, and John/Mary, and I have a few fics that reference Lestrade/OFC. And of course there are other F/M possibilities. But mostly it’s Sherlock/Molly.

ellis-hendricks: How would you define your style? (E.g. mine was called 'fluffy realism’, which I quite liked!)

geekmama: I agree with that ‘fluffy realism’ definition, the sweetest stuff and easily related to. I would call mine “Romance” if I had to choose a word, the old definition of romance that entails fluff, angst, humor, adventure -- all the stuff that makes a story interesting and fun to read.

ellis-hendricks: What's your method in approaching a story? Do you plan methodically, or wing it?

geekmama: I am somewhere in between. With longer fic I sometimes use an outline, but more often I have a basic plot in mind, complete with ending, and think about it until I’m finally ready (and have the time) to write it.

ellis-hendricks: Who do you write for? Is it you, or are you thinking about trying to please your audience?

geekmama: Mostly me. I started writing fanfic in the Pirates of the Caribbean fandom because I wasn’t seeing fic that went where I wanted to go with that story. With Sherlock it was some of that, and the fact that I wanted to further explore these compelling characters, and writing fic was the best way to do that. But I do write for my audience, to an extent, and it is fun to accept a prompt or theme from someone and write to it. In the PotC fandom we had a weekly drabble challenge for years, and I really miss that sort of thing.

ellis-hendricks: Do you have any WIPs, and do you think new chapters will ever see the light of day?

geekmama: I do have a WIP, Souvenirs, for which I’ve written a couple of additional chapters, and hope to finish some day. But it sort of got waylaid by the whole post-ILY thing. I may finish it. You never know. I also hope to write some more of that Regency AU, Uncertain Terms.

ellis-hendricks: Are you working on anything at the moment?

geekmama: I’m going to try to write something for the ILY Anniversay (January 15th).

ellis-hendricks: What’s harder for you - writing the start of a fic, or coming up with a decent title?

geekmama: Writing the start, I guess. Titles are usually easy. It’s plot and particularly a good ending that take a lot of work.

 Reading other people's fics

 ellis-hendricks: What are your favourite tropes in the fandom?

geekmama: Post-ILY scenarios, for sure, h/c, kid!fic, Mary is still alive, Christmas stories. Etc.

ellis-hendricks: What things are likely to turn you off a fic?

geekmama: Bad characterizations (we read fanfic because we want more of the characters we love);  poor editing / grammar; too many crazy tags; Intro posts that have TMI (I don’t want to know that you’re bad at titles/summaries/etc.), or that solicit reviews too blatantly. Well, those things and just stuff I don’t want to read -- bad porn, excessive violence (torture in particular), stories focusing on characters I dislike. I’m kind of picky, actually. But we write and read in a particular fandom for personal pleasure, and I think authors have to expect that their work won’t please everybody (or maybe anybody - who knows?).

ellis-hendricks: Can you recommend 3 favourite fics that aren't your own?

geekmama: Only 3??? Well, I’ve printed out miabicicletta’s A fearful hope was all the world, and sunken_standard’s Fumbling Toward Ecstasy, so I guess that counts for something. It’s virtually impossible to choose one of  Ellis_Hendricks’ fic, they reference so many of my favorite tropes and are all of them deliciously  memorable. But then, how can I leave out Quarto’s Competition? Or Emma_Lynch’s Quarantine? Or so many others?

ellis-hendricks: What compels you to leave comments on top of kudos?

geekmama: If some idea or turn of phrase stands out for me, and if the fic is well-done in general.

 ellis-hendricks: Quick-fire questions!

 John's TEH moustache or his TAB moustache?

geekmama: TAB (I don’t think we are meant to like his TEH moustache, are we?).

Sherlock's purple shirt or white shirt?

geekmama: Gah! Why do I have to choose? Purple, then.

Molly's stripy jumper or cherry cardigan?

geekmama: Stripy jumper, I think, as their relationship is more fully developed at that point.

Mary's christening outfit or black-ops gear?

geekmama: Christening outfit, for sure.

 Submitted by OhAine: this is a joint question for Ellis and geekmama: Do you feel that working together as betas has changed the way you both write?

geekmama: Not really, my process is the same and any input from Ellis_Hendricks is given after the fact. I edit the story accordingly, but there are usually only minor changes involved. I am particularly grateful for her “Brit-picking” skill, which obviously makes her far more valuable to me than I am to her -- it’s surprising how many little differences there are between the UK’s culture and California’s. I was woefully ignorant about that when I became involved in this fandom, and I don’t feel I’m much better now, really.

Next week, Friday 12th April 2019, @thisisartbylexie interviews @writingwife-83

[ayotofu]

Fullmetal Alchemist for the salty ask meme

dammit ray how did you manage to pick the fandom that i’m probably the least salty about (which is in part because i watched it after it had already been out for a while and the fandom was largely dead)

also bro ur supposed to send me specific numbers jfc oh well we’ll see how this goes

What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?*

Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?*

answering these together because it’s the same one: RoyEd. Age differences tend to squick me and even when they changed the ages in fics i could never get over it lol

Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?

not for this one, no–again because I was never very involved. what are the controversial fandom opinions here even?

Do you have a NoTP in your fandom? Are they a popular OTP?*

again, RoyEd. Platonic or bust.

Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?*

not this particular fandom, no

Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?*

i actually didn’t like EdWinry much (i didn’t dislike it, i just mostly saw it as platonic) until i read some fics with it

Is there anything you used to like but can’t stand now?*

i mean. a lot of the 2003 show lmao if that counts

Have you received anon hate? What about?*

i mean, i’ve definitely received anon hate, but thats always been about discourse or the fact that pidge in voltron is 0% cis or that one time i said that i kinda shipped zutara, never about FMA lmao

Most disliked character(s)? Why?

ahhhhhhhh, envy probably? he always kinda annoyed me lmao

Most disliked arc? Why?

hm idk i mostly dislike arcs that i feel are both unnecessary and annoying and FMA is so tightly controlled that there really isn’t anything i feel is unnecessary so i don’t know that i dislike much of anything–though i did always hate that brief moment where Al like. thinks Ed created him to be a puppet or something?? like jfc Al why are you putting so much trust in a serial killer here

Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

i liked Rose, and I feel like a lot of the fanbase doesnt, but i could also be wrong about that *shrug* but idk, i just thought she was an interesting and likable and realistic character and tbh i didn’t get why so many people hated her

Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

again, are there any unpopular arcs? i mean, i still have some measure of fondness for parts of the 2003 anime, even though most people hate it (which i really don’t blame them for, i just have fondness anyway)

Unpopular opinion about XXX character?

YOU DIDNT SPECIFY A CHARACTER SHITDICK but uh, edward elric is ace as fuck sorry i don’t make the rules

Unpopular opinion about your fandom?

????? idk bruh

Unpopular opinion about the manga/show?

??????? idk bruh

If you could change anything in the show, what would you change?

give a little bit more closure, i guess, regarding ed and al’s relationships with the military folk. we don’t really see them interact again after al gets his body back and i want to see that

Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…

man i dont know the show’s pretty great. OH YEAH LETS NOT KILL NINA AND HUGHES THERE YOU GO

Does not shipping something ‘popular’ mean you’re in denial and/or biased?

no?? never has and never will i can’t believe this i even a question tbh different people have different tastes jfc

What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

idk, the lack of focus on platonic relationships sometimes? but that’s me in every fandom

What is the purest ship in the fandom?

idfk probably AlMei if we’re being real

What are your thoughts on crack ships?

g o  f o r  i t

Popular character you hate?

ENVY THE FUCKING ASSFUCK

Unpopular character you love?

i mean, she’s not my fave, but again, rose?

Would you recommend XXX to a friend? Why or why not?

HELL FUCKING YEAH IVE DONE IT BEFORE AND I’LL DO IT AGAIN

How would you end XXX/Would you change the ending of XXX?

i mean, again, a little more closure on ed and al’s relationships with the military guys

Most shippable character?

tbh i don’t think much about FMA ships but maybe Roy? there’s a lot of other military folks i’d ship him with. Also Winry ships well with like every lady she comes into contact with if you think about it

Least shippable character?

Olivier Armstrong because she’s aroace as fuck fight me

[lonepiper5758]

Long long ago, @ladywiltshire​ tagged me in an 11 Things Tag and I really wanted to reply, so here goes. Thanks for the tag! and sorry for my extreme tardiness.

1. Do you remember your first time watching or reading Fullmetal Alchemist? What was your first impression?

I saw 2003 first and even on first viewing I thought it was a bit “story of the week” and the overarching story was developed in a piecemeal fashion. This was not helped by the fact that life was very stressful and I’d often drop off to sleep for a bit during the episode. :-/ But I still thought it was pretty good.

Then Second Son learned of Brotherhood and persuaded me that it was even better so I watched it and was BLOWN AWAY!  The brilliant story arcs, the amazing and believable characters, the complexity of the world, beautiful artwork, flawless animation, fantastic music, arghhh….. just W*O*W!!!

So now I am finally reading the Manga and the learning all the stuff that was left out of Brotherhood and being blown away by this amazing work all over again.

2.  Tell us about The Fave™.

I’m really torn between Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye as The Fave™. And can you have one without the other? But today I’ll say Roy Mustang. He’s this great balance of power and dorkishness. And that’s part of his appeal because a character who is constantly epically badass is boring. I also think he’s appealing because as a leader he’s motived by his desire to protect those around him, and not to exercise power over them. And that makes his relationships with other characters far more meaningful.

He is heroic and flawed and there’s so much we don’t know about him, and how his values developed which ads a layer of intrigue. I just want to sit down and have coffee with him and generally offer to help out with any plans he has going at the moment.

Source: hisokan

3.  Do you have a favourite fan work? Fanfics? Comics?

The works of “That Hoopy Frood” (That_Hoopy_Frood) on AO3 impress me hugely. And Elena’s @theysangastheyslew art constantly amazes me with the way she can pack it with narrative and character.

Then there are so many shards of brilliance floating across my dash I’m hesitant to start listing people for fear of omitting some. Suffice to say I hold my mutuals in very high esteem.

4.Hit me with an analysis/opinion you have on the series or characters!

Now I suspect others have said this but, I think that the energy to transmute matter, or at to least to start the reaction, originates directly from the alchemist performing the transmutation. This explains why just about every alchemist we see is pretty lean. Performing alchemy consumes energy and burns body fat.

This is why Colonel Mustang is often napping when he should be doing paperwork.

In the case of Edward Elric, performing alchemy from such a young age has contributed to his underdeveloped stature. As a result of less alchemy/fighting during the months immediately preceding the Promised Day, he was able to grow a bit.

As to other analysis, I have been known to go on a bit about Episode 19.

(Just wanted a gif with Riza. :) )

5. Tell us about a project you have going on! Or if you don’t have one, maybe something you’ve always wanted to write or draw?

No big projects. I’m trying to finish a few things in my WIP folder, all of which are likely to be pretty short. I’m always torn between thinking my writing is waffling on and not pithy, and then wondering why I write short one chapter things?

I’m planning to have a go at Royai Week 2017, even though I suspect I’ll crash and burn because -

Not sure how I’ll go responding to prompts.

I think I write quite slowly.

Life will probably flare up and get in the way.

6.  Favourite opening/ending number and why?

I really love the animation in a few opening/ending credits, but for the combo with the music my favourites are -

Opening 1 “Again” by YUI - great song, heaps of energy and nice synergy in the editing. Love the bit where Ed and Al start unraveling. (And of course the now infamous “Harder Colonel”.)

Ending 4 “Shunkan Sentimental” by SCANDAL. - again I like the song and I like the visual of travelling through the tunnel.

7. Tell me about a scene that really touched your or made you realize something about yourself.

A scene that always hurts is just after Bradley murders Martel while she is inside Alphonse. How Alphonse is just sitting there in a pool of Martel’s blood. For a young man who is so compassionate and caring to be so powerless to help and to have the trauma of her lifeless body cleaned out from inside him. It always says something to me of how there is a cost when we try to help. 

Showing genuine care and compassion will cost you, so be prepared.

8. OTPs! Who are they? Why are you WEAK FOR THEM??

OK, so as mentioned above in Q2 Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye are The Fave™ so no surprise that OTP = Royai! 

The obvious care, trust, understanding, dedication, fondness and just everything they have for each other, of course they love each other, that’s part of the package. It’s all the stronger because they don’t get to be smooching and holding hands. Their relationship, with all its pragmatism and unspoken truths is the result of intentional choices and not transient feelings. There is a maturity about them and they stick together no matter what is thrown at them. 

At this point I’m going to melt just thinking about them and rely on quoting a post by @mylieutenant because I think she says it so well.

“The thing with Roy and Riza is that they don’t have to get sexual, romantic, or even touch each other at all, for it to be clear they have chosen each other as partners in a common goal for a long term, possibly for life. In this partnership there’s trust, respect, communication, affection, and even need.

This much is established in the series. So, does the fact that there’s no conventional sign of courtship make this ship any less canon?”

9. Funniest headcanon you’ve ever seen. Go!

This is vain but I think a funny hc is one I put forth about Major Armstrong - 

“Major Alex Louis Armstrong personally employs a group of tailors who work endlessly to re-supply him with uniforms and other clothes after he rips them off.  Homeless people in Central who find his discarded clothing use the fabric to build temporary shelters.”

Remembering that I am Tumblr sub-atomic - this one post seemed to double my followers in one afternoon????

10. What spurred you to join the fandom?

WelI… I really like FMA and one bored day about a year ago I thought, I want to look at pictures of Mustang. (This is possibly unusual for my demographic, but hey, so what!)  So I googled and somehow ended up reading some FMA fanfics on AO3 and I thought “Jeeze! You can do this??!! I wanna try!!”

So I started having a go at writing and posted a couple of stories on AO3. Then reading stories on AO3 and some folks referenced things on Tumblr. It seemed Tumblr might be a fun place for discussion and to share stories. So I very tentatively wandered into Tumblr-land and have found a really cool corner filled with friendly, creative, helpful people.

And if that fits the definition of “join the fandom” that’s it!

11. Definitely the same question… have a fandom meltdown here and tell me why you love your fandom or show/comic so much!

Yeah? Why do I love this show so much? Sometimes I catch myself fangirling in my mind over Roy Mustang and then I think, hang on, this a fictional character and I’m 20 years his senior, so just grow up and calm down. Then I see a screen cap or something and I’m thinking good god he’s fantastic. Is it just that he’s a good looking representation of a bunch of interesting and admirable character qualities? Is it the combination of character and narrative? What?? Why am I like this?? There is No Hope. I am lost!

So there’s my answers. I really enjoyed thinking this through. Thanks again for the tag.  I’m not tagging ‘cos it was soo long ago….  Thanks if you’ve read this and happy day to you. :)

[spectrumscribe]

how did you like the new episode!

Just watched it, and oh am I fucking salty.

I live reacted to the happenings in the episode as I watched it, so you can all see my opinion form as it did.

Read on below, spoilers for folks who haven’t seen Season 5 episode 1 yet.

Nice to see that Raph and Casey are still The Worst andbeing bros now where’s my jonatello friendship

Cults in the sewers. Nice.

They all look like ET tho.

Raph continues to be Casey’s self-restraint, which he sorelyneeds more of.

And cut to the opening sequence.

Okay so personally speaking, as a big fan of cowboy-bebop, I’mkind of digging the new opening? I mean they forgot Casey in it, but I like themusic. The animation could be better, but eh, I’ll take what I can get at thispoint.

Love how there’s nofucking continuity with the fact that they just lost their fucking dad. Fuckthis.

Why aren’t they mourning. Christ.

On the other hand, fanboy Leo is back. I like this Leo betterthan hero Leo by about 100%.

“-too disturbing forkids.” – right up my alley, then.

Okay so idk if anyone else feels this way, but captain Ryan’sbehavior and characterization reminds me of a certain other leader who needs to quite slapping around his team members. (emotionally and physically.)

That’s probably not what they’re trying to metaphor here,but you know, I can have my own opinion.

“-so Casey Jones andhis sidekick Raph gave chase.” – Casey you are a blessing to us all.

Love how pissed Raph is in this shot.^^^

Apparently Donnie has sensors in the sewers, and bothers tokeep track of the homeless population. Interesting. Would’ve been nice if they’dbrought this in earlier in theseries, when it would’ve been more useful.

EY IT’S CULT TIME NAUGHTY CHILDREN HOORAY

Why are there so many caverns under the city omg

FURBIES

FUCK FURBIES DONNIE WHY DO YOU HAVE THOSE

April’s powers are amazing and I love her?? So much.

WHY FURBIES THOUGH. DONNIE FUCKING WHY.

Does anyone else have irrational fear of those? Or that awestern side of the world thing.

oh god so many furbies everywhere

I’m enjoying the team ups. It’s a good change from theusually ‘b-team’ ‘a-team’ nonsense. Leo+Mikey and Donnie+Raph gives better roomfor their individual dynamics to shine. Plus you know, the team humans (if Aprilcan be really counted for that) deserve some time off from their crazy mutantfriends.

Chanting time. Lovely.

Guys no don’t interrupt chanting time, that’s rude.

Someone tell that alien-thing to wash its mouth out, who knows where Mikey’s hands have been.

You would all be dead 3000x over if not for Donnie’sinventions. Be grateful you little shits.

Oh they’re immortal-ish. Great.

Ah fuck there goes Mikey again. Why do they always do thisto him.

Jesus Christ his arm. Leo’s arm.

AH HA THE POLICE

Do these men even knowwhat shit goes on in this city.

Moving to the lair and-

THAT’S NOT HOW YOU FIX A DISLOCATED ARM I SWEAR TO GOD

I KNOW FIRST AID. THAT’S NOT HOW YOU DO IT.

Leo would be in so much pain, my god. I hate the blatant disregardof reality in this show sometimes. (fictional setting, yes, but still.)

Casey hates magic? Anyone remember him saying that before? Idk. (maybe something to do with him getting cursed last season? probably.)

Mikey no. This isn’t Ghost Busters. yet

Oh lovely, more domestic abuse. Fucking love that.

Had to stop the video, Jesus Christ. Wow I hate this showsometimes. Like right now. Fucking GOD.

“What did I tell youabout the imagination thing? Focus!” - what the shit Raph, what is yourdamage?? You hit Mikey out of the blue, fortaking a moment to imagine something? They’re not in battle, Mikey’s not inthe middle of an important conversation, the fuck is wrong with him thinkingabout something else for a moment?

^^^One of these days, this kid is going to fucking snap, and I amgoing to support him in his rage. (also, @redworld96 for the awesome video links. thanks for those.)

Once again, Donnie is the one who figures things out. Maybe they’llthank him this time around. spoilers: they didn’t

Oh no. The angst moment. I knew it was coming.

“Do not be sad, my son.”-SPLINTER YOU ARE DEAD, WHY THE FUCK WOULDN’T HE BE.

Had to pause again, because FUCK. Here we go with the bullshitty nonsense where Splinterappears to exactly one kid, and one kid only, even when he has three other sons and a daughter, PLUS theother two humans he basically adopted.

Yeah, just show the fuck up Splinter and tell your grievingkid not to be upset you’re dead and have left them with minimal training and noguardian. Fucking sure.

My god I hate this. Telling them you’re always with them does not make it so. Holy fuck that’s nothelpful at all you’re just driving him crazier.

Oh and now he’s gone. SEE I TOLD YOU. AND LEO TELLS FUCKINGNO ONE ABOUT IT. HE’S GONNA HAVE LIKE TEN KINDS OF COMPLEXES WHEN HE GETS OLDERAND I WON’T BLAME HIM FOR IT.

Why won’t you kids just communicate how you’re all feelingfor once? FOR. ONCE.

Ninja time it seems. Nice to see them acting like a team, even though their ‘leader’ is keeping secrets. Ithink I’d personally be pissed if a sibling of mine kept the fact that our dead father was still sort of around and able to talk to us. What the shit.

I’m already tired of this. le-fucking-sigh.

Why are there so many weird caverns under NYC. Seriously. There’sa whole canyon, and now a cult cavern too. How have the people of NYC notnoticed this.

Love how Tigerclaw’s reaction to his master dying is tostart a cult. Bruh, fucking same.

But where did the weirdo ET’s come from.

Leo is visibly struggling with being a leader. I can feelanother arc all about him coming up. Yikes™.

Captured again. Beautiful. Now see? This is why Splinter’s whole “I have taught you all I know” was a fucking lie. They clearly do not know everything he had to teach them, andtelling them they did was really shit parenting and sensei-ing.

Honestly, Splinter at the end there was just shit allaround. Continued once again by him visiting only Leo, and not sparing even a peep to his other grieving kids. It’sofficial, 2014/16 Splinter is the best splinter, and 2003 Splinter was milesbetter than 2012 him. And- 2012Splinter is now on par for shittiness with 2007 Splinter, which I did not thinkwas possible. Ta-fucking-da.

“-so we can beat youagain?” – Leo exactly who is captured right now? You. It’s you. You are notbeating anyone here.

Wow. The ET’s are Mole people. Why am I not surprised.

When in doubt summon a demon. I can abide that. I’d do it ifI had nothing to lose.

Seriously how does New York not notice how batshit theircity is.

Shit. Shit.

Demons. Holy fuck.

I have a small crush on the dragon dude. I’m really digging his design. #it’snotbeingafurryifit’sscaley

I’m laughing bc Kravaxas definitelywants to murder TC for this. You can just hear it in his voice.

Hi yeah I’m down for the demon villain. I’m a sucker forthem, 100%.

Mikey can’t catch a break this episode. Poor sot.

Oh ho ho shit,Kravaxas really hates TC.

Why can’t Donnie do anything ever? Why won’t they give himthat?

At least everyone’s getting the same treatment.

Get fucked, Leo.

OH HEY. PEOPLE SHOWING CONCERN FOR DONNIE. A thank you to Raphand Casey for giving a shit, for once.

Slow-mo oh no. Thank god for red heads.

April is better than these people deserve. But fuck, not more people trying to use April fortheir own ends. Christ, can’t the narrative let her have control of herself/herlife for once?

The amount of murderous intent in Kravaxas’ voice is myfave.

Oh yup. There it is. Leo asking Donnie to solve theirproblems. Again. And no thank you insight, not for this favor or the work he did earlier.

“Can we get our handson, say, two or three dozen tanks?” – Casey. No.

At least I got some jonatello interaction, even if it wasextra stress on Donnie’s part.

April can read minds now? What??? That might be a problem,since she semi-lives with five teenage guys, lmao.

Why does TC love Shredder so much? Idk. Maybe they were athing, somehow. With the pairings this show comes up with, I’m not surprised byanything anymore.

Aaaaaaaaaand fade to black.

 ————————————————

Overall opinion? Salt.

I’m firmly in the part of the fandom, small as it seems tobe, that sees a good portion of the brother-brother dynamics as abusive, and I didn’tenjoy the moment between Raph and Mikey atall. It’s frustrating for me to watch, and it only fuels my vitriolicopinions on things. Hated that part, same as all the other parts in the seriesthat’ve been the same content.

Plus, Donnie being asked to solve everything for everyoneyet again. He looks so tired, give him a vacation and a restraining order onhis family.

The other parts were sort of… meh, for me? I mean, I’m happy for more canon content to fuel mywriting, but it didn’t give me anything in terms of emotion? Besides anger.

Like, there’s been zerocontinuation on the fact that their actualfreaking dad just died. You don’t just moveon like that. No one except Leo, because of course it was just Leo, showed any sort of mourning emotions overtheir dead dad. They’re seventeen maybe,and on their own in a world that wants them dead.How the hell are they supposed to just pick up and carry on fine like without any sort of grieving process?

0/10 for emotions, continuity, and satisfying content forme, excluding this-

-because Mikey deservesto get mad. If they ever address the amount of anger he’s got stored up in him,and do it properly, I’ll be over thefucking moon. But likely, even if they did, they’d devalue his legitamentfeelings, and tell him to get over it and grow up. Fuck canon for making meexpect exactly that sort of low quality writing.

Just. Augh.

So far, I liked onemoment in this episode, and it was only because it made me justifiably angry. That’s notexactly a resounding applause on my part of things.

Here’s to hoping they pull a hat-trick out their asses,because I’m not expecting anything good from this season so far. (I have hopesfor the vampire arc, but oh they are wishful ones.)

[movieswithkevin27]

The Lone Ranger

Championed by director Quentin Tarantino and noted film critic Matt Zoller Seitz as a prime candidate for re-evaluation, I must say that I agree. With an knack for being over-the-top, The Lone Ranger may drag in spots, but is a tremendous time with audacious action set pieces at every turn. The soon-to-be-famed train sequence at the end and the opening sequence on a different train are phenomenal. While the middle could be a bit better and the film does go on for far too long, The Lone Ranger is a fun film that feels like a throwback to the bombastic days of 1970s and 1980s blockbusters. Channeling childish energy and a sense of childlike wonder for the mystery of the film's hero, director Gore Verbinski creates a blockbuster movie that is out of place in year 2013.

Since the days of Steven Spielberg revolutionizing the blockbuster movie in the 1970s and 1980s with fun adventure films that more than satisfied adults and became nostalgia for kids of then and now, the blockbuster movie has changed. Now, the films are shot like television shows, have quips at every turn that distract from the action, and are easily digestable. They lack intrigue, a sense of adventure, and feel manufactured. Now, of course, a lot of this comes from the resurgence of the studio's power in the filmmaking and the death of the big budget auteur. Yet, director Gore Verbinski has shown an ability to operate with a big budget and still come out on top with his 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean. Though its sequels have slacked and been overly manufactured, the original is a fun, bombastic, action-packed, and guilt-free excursion across the oceans with Jack Sparrow. Taking that same energy and sense of adventure and applying it to The Lone Ranger, Verbinski's film was met with incredible levels of ridicule in the United States. As mentioned, some of his peers and noted critics such as Seitz or those in Britain found great value in the film. This is no mistake as the film seems to have escaped those entrusted to critique it. Accustomed to the new age blockbusters, critics could not stomach this throwback to old school blockbusters. While recognizing its action set pieces, its flaws and plotholes became the focus and, as such, were easily derided. The sooner folks realize that every film is flawed and has plot holes, the happier we will all become and all those plot holes do is distract from the fun that the film conjures up. There is no going through the motions or checking off boxes here. Rather, Verbinski sets up John Reid (Armie Hammer) and Tonto (Johnny Depp) to have an audacious adventure in order to stop Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner) and Latham Cole (Tom Wilkinson), while saving Rebecca (Ruth Wilson). An old school premise and execution, The Lone Ranger is pure energy.

This energy really is infectious to watch. As said, the middle part of the film takes a bit too long to get through. This likely where the film loses people as the plotting is a bit much at times and can seem a bit convenient. Of course, the film never loses its sense of fun with Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp having incredible chemistry with one another. Occasionally making light of their situations, the jokes always land, as does the Native American mysticism delivered by Tonto. Really setting the scene and marking the film as one about avenging the death of the Comanche tribe that Tonto was apart of, The Lone Ranger is essentially a lesson in the horrors committed against the Natives in the name of "progress". However, adding in mythology regarding the Natives that Tonto has made up as a coping mechanism, the film often becomes quite sad when you learn how Tonto wound up where he did. Yet, he is not as crazy as he seems as many of his "made up elements to explain the world" actually do explain things and allow the film as a whole to make a lot more sense. Though hardly realistic and decidedly over-the-top, the film is told as a story from Tonto to a young boy in 1933. As such, elements are likely exaggerated and exist solely to extend the legend of The Lone Ranger. Plus, the banter that it creates between Tonto and the Lone Ranger is always rich and rewarding with some great humor to it, as a result of their chemistry together and comic delivery.

The film also adds in some solid supporting characters in the form of characters such as Red (Helena Bonham Carter). Though underutilized, Red is a madame in a brothel with an ivory leg that she hides a gun in. A little bit crazy and unafraid to use her leg as a weapon, Red has some great comedy to her, largely thanks to Carter's performance. As the villains, Tom Wilkinson and William Fichtner are terrific. Wilkinson, portraying a cruel businessman after wealth, is calculating, smart, and unfeeling. As the brother of the businessman, Fichtner plays an outlaw wanted by the law. Brutal, cannibalistic, and truly evil, Fichtner plays a terrifically menacing bad guy that instills great fear in our hearts. All of these supporting characters are solidly written and really add great depth to the plot. As opposed to the characters in other blockbusters nowadays that are terrible villains, the ones in The Lone Ranger are worthy adversaries that Verbinski develops and explains thoroughly how Tonto and the Lone Ranger have come to fight them.

This solid character exposition continues for its heroes with Tonto, a former Comanche who is now without a tribe, constantly trying to avenge the loss of his tribe to the evil brothers. Seeking somebody to assist him in this journey, the spirit horse (who Tonto tries to figure out whether it is "stupid or just pretending to be stupid") leads him to John Reid. Portrayed as a serious man by Hammer, Reid is coming to Texas to be a district attorney and is more concerned with the law than anything else. In the beginning, he turns down a woman's offer to pray with them in order read a book about government by John Locke. Committed to law and order, Reid is a serious man who has little time for anything else, even Rebecca. However, when Butch Cavendish (Fichtner) kills his brother, Reid puts on the mask and becomes a new man. Calculating and determined to succeed, he is unknowingly helping Tonto and learning from Tonto. Through Tonto, he not only learns an appreciation for the Natives, but learns how to become less serious. Though he is committed to justice, he realizes that justice is not always found via the law and that people must sometimes take justice into their own hands when the law lets them down. For John, that time is now and he is there to assist Tonto in bringing down the men that tricked Tonto in giving up his people all those years ago.

As may be clear, this film is a little bit crazy. Fortunately, so were films such as Indiana Jones. Hardly based in reality and always on the look out for bombastic moments of action, The Lone Ranger is a film with terrific action and a knack for capturing it. Via the lens of Bojan Bazelli, the action in the film is exquisitely captured and whoever choreographed and blocked the action deserves an award because it is tremendous. Unrelentingly adventurous and action-packed, these bursts of thrills and colors are well thought out, explained, and executed. Though the film itself may have some plot hole issues, the action lacks any such issues with each element playing in perfectly to the conclusion of the film and the sequence itself. The brilliance of the action extends to the cinematography as a whole that is really terrific. There is one shot in the beginning of men riding into town where the men are completely silhouetted that is brilliant. There is another during one action set piece in which Tonto rescues John Reid from the railroad men that is equally well shot in which a train, billowing smoke, backs up at night. With the light from the train shining on everybody and the train itself, the scene is gorgeously captured. Heavily utilizing smoke effects at every turn, The Lone Ranger uses that smoke with great mystique and captures it brilliantly, but Verbinski also uses it to his advantage to keep some action mysterious and unpredictable, while adding to the legend of his heroes with them being adorned in smoke on more than a few occasions. Gorgeously captured and making the most of its desert setting, The Lone Ranger is a beautiful film.

Beautiful, well-acted, well directed, and action-packed, The Lone Ranger instills infectious fun wherever it goes. Undeserving of its poor critical reception, the film is a bombastic throwback to the days when blockbusters had heart and soul and still reflected the vision of the director. While Verbinski may not strictly be an auteur, this film is a product of himself and shows off his love of old westerns, the original series, and old school blockbusters. The latter really shines through with the film being relentlessly nostalgic in its plotting, characters, and dialogue, with fresh jokes and gags that complement the action and character arcs without distracting from them. Through this, Verbinski is able to craft a film that is enjoyable, adventurous, and that possesses a sense of childlike wonder that has long ago left the big studio blockbuster.