#and not just strong interests like he is interested in games EXCLUSIVELY to the detriment of obligations like. school

[2nagi]

i could write an entire 3-paragraph essay (with sources) on why yugi muto has adhd and how it affects him throughout his story but when it comes to sora it’s just. i dunno he just has it. he has adhd

[crystalelemental]

Oh man.  GamePress apparently updated the offensive tier list to be AR exclusive, and boy have there been some changes.  You know I have opinions on this one.

Okay let’s start with the obvious part: how in the hell is any Legendary hero considered above Tier 2?  Like, are we not factoring in score?  Or are we only accounting for if they score well?  Because realistically, half the time, a legendary hero is an active detriment to the scoring.  Also it turns out this isn’t just offense, but both offense AND defense, since Mirabilis is Tier 1.  So that’s gonna be...honestly, a bit confusing.  I’m sure some people can tell which is which, but I’m willing to bet others aren’t clear.

Let’s start with the biggest changes at the top.  Eliwood and Brave Roy are now Tier 1, likely because Galeforce.  Nothing else is different that I can tell.  Maybe some demotion?  But nothing substantial.  Lysithea is finally recognized as Tier 1, and I’m certain it’s because of her power on AR-D.  Girl is obscene.  Otherwise, Fallen Julia is the only other T1 Red Mage, and damn good on her.  Idunn demoted, but honestly, fair.  AR is not for her.  Armor units are not hard to handle, and are pretty bad on offense.  Especially with Thrasir existing, armor dragons just have a rough go.  Spring Idunn and Tibarn alone are T1.  What I do find interesting is that Dancer Micaiah didn’t maintain.  I guess the Hardy Bearing effect isn’t as impressive anymore.  Also Karla stayed T2, that’s...astonishing, actually.  Duo Byleth is also T2, which kinda makes sense.  Defense can’t make use of her Duo skill, and her bulk is pathetic, so any typical ranged defense unit can handle her.  On offense, it’s going to be tough.  Desperation effect is good, but conditional on having a fast team, not to mention Galeforce sets can require the foe to retaliate, like with Eliwood/Brave Roy.  So I can’t say I’m surprised she’s not on top.

Lance seems to just be B!Lucina, Duo Ephraim, and Trio Palla.  Which is fair.  Blue mages, though?  Damn is this crowded.  L!Azura and Peony, because obscene dancers.  Ophelia, because bitch.  Duo Alphonse, because immortality.  Brunnya, because honestly Fimbulvetr is perfect for this game mode, and she’s got the infantry status and abilities to do whatever she wants.  And L!Julia.  I’m willing to bet she’s more AR-D focused.  Rafiel and L!Chrom are also T1, of course.  I think what really surprises me is that Reinhardt is T2.  Is anyone else surprised about this?  I guess he’s not the most threatening thing in the world anymore, but still.  Actually wait, what’s REALLY neat is that Naga is T3.  So clearly scoring considerations are not paramount.

Axes have V!Duo Alm, Annette, L!Edelgard, and B!Ike.  Because of course.  All of them are ridiculous.  Mages have L!Celica, Thrasir, and Fallen Lyon, with beasts/dragons having Reyson.  Which, again, makes sense.  I’m glad Surtr demoted to T2.  I really don’t think of him as the most threatening aspect of AR anymore, even on dedicated stall, so this feels overdue.  Yune’s also T2, which..okay, fair.  While I think she’s great, she’s a ranged flying unit who plays defense, and her debuff game is crippled severely by Eir’s bonuses.  It’s super weird that F!Kana demoted, though.  She was T1 before, and that was entirely based on AR potential, so...okay.  Guess the meta has shifted hard enough against her.  Also, big shoutouts to Julia for maintaining T2 status.  That’s my girl.

Bows have L!Alm, L!Leif, V!Faye, and Duo Marth.  I can’t speak for Duo Marth, I don’t have him, but I feel like the fact I’ve never faced one means he’s at least not good on AR-D.  I can vouch for V!Faye, though, holy shit.  In fact can we establish Tier 0 for the primordial beings that break the world over their knees?  Anyway, Bernadetta and B!Lyn are T2, and I’m betting that’s for hit-and-run offense teams.  Also Norne’s T2 now, which is super correct.  I’ve felt this for a while, and the forum backs me up pretty hard on it: Norne’s the best common archer by a mile.  But of course, you all know what I’m going to say.  There is no way Faye is T3.  I have played her ranged defense game long enough to know that she is really strong at it.  While some threats like Lysithea can blow past her, and Thrasir isn’t always one-shot with my current supports, she is very capable of performing better than T3.  Also, poor Clarisse.  Finally gets a kickass refine that’s just not particularly great for AR, and instead of climbing the ranks of the offensive tier list, they change the conditions on her.  Girl can’t catch a break.

Dagger/Mage combos have, of course, Bramimond, Leila, Eir, and Duo Micaiah.  Absolutely no surprises here.  What is surprising, maybe just to me, is that Winter Cecilia is down to T3.  She was considered T2 for a long while, and I’d guessed that was based on AR potential.  I guess Duo Micaiah is causing substantial problems for armors across the board?  But man, Larum is T2.  LARUM.  Larum sucks, what could she possibly be doing that’s useful?

Dragons/Beasts have Fallen Female Corrin, Leanne, Mila, and Velouria.  I love everything about this.  Leanne makes sense for Defense teams, Velouria is a great Galeforcer, Mila is probably the best Light mythic for supertank strategies, and Fallen Female Corrin makes me happy because Fallen Male Corrin is only T2.  Get fucked, loser.  Your higher BST does nothing for your shit ass.  I do think there’s an argument for Caineghis in T1 for an offensive supertank, but honestly, he struggles.  To a degree I’d say he’s worse than Faye.  We don’t have any beast Mythics, and the only offensive dragon is Mila.  His DC is conditional on transforming, and he’s an armor unit.  He can’t run Null C-Disrupt, or Null Follow-Up like she can, so there are defense teams that can beat him by exploiting this.  I feel like Faye’s a lot better, but hey, what do I know.

And finally, staves.  Bridal Fjorm is the only one in T1.  Brave Veronica actually dropped, which is funny because she was T1 before solely on AR.  She doesn’t place in Arena.  I guess the meta has shifted away from Brave Veronica lately.  I haven’t been scared of one in a long time.  And hey, Maribelle is T2 as well, and Forrest got pushed up to T3!  Unfortunately, Brave Camilla was reduced to T3, so she’s still below B!Veronica.  Which in this game mode I guess is fair.

Now for the opposite end of the spectrum.  There are now 6 tiers, which I like.  I feel the subdivisions are appropriate, we have enough units that categorization was tough.  T4 for lances and swords was like 60 units before, I’m glad it got cleaned up a bit.  For red stuff, Alfonse remains at the bottom, but is no longer alone.  NY!Camilla, Chrom, V!Conrad, Beach Fiora, Hinata, and NY!Hrid are also down there.  Haha, Hrid, get fucked you loser.  That’s for January 2019, you fuck.  Mages here include Canas, Julius (ouch), Leo, Beach Leo, Raigh, and Beach Lorenz.  No surprises.  There are no dragons, daggers, or bows for red down here, the lowest they go is T4.  Hysterically, every form of red Tiki is in T4.  Also, maybe this is me not understanding something, but NY!Anna and NY!Eir in T4 surprises me.  I thought their weapons were considered great team support.  Are their stats just not optimized for it? 

T6 lances are many.  Too many, I’m not listing all of that.  What I will say is, tell my Forma Finn running on the double cav Galeforce defense team that he’s T6.  Considering I only lost two matches at all last season, and only 38 Lift, I’d say he’s doing alright.  But there are probably better options out there, I’m just working with what I have.  Mages are just Oliver and M!Robin.  Man, I hope M!Robin goes up with the resplendent.  Leave Oliver to die.  No dragons, bows, or daggers, they’re all up in T4 where...where...no.  No, there’s no way.  Lilith has warp abilities from anywhere.  NAESALA is considered T4, despite being paired with Tibarn for some of the nastiest offensive AR-D strategies out there.  Mordecai has the Smite thing.  I don’t agree with this at all.  And Ninian is T3?  Even though she’s one of the top picks for Infantry Pulse AR-D dancers?  I know Nils exists and is better in every way pretty much, but that’s a bit much to me.  I think the blue dragon/beast section is the most ridiculous by far.

There are also a lot of axes down in T6, but I agree with all of them.  The green mages make me sad, though.  Picnic Leo, Cecilia, and Female Robin.  I do think F!Robin has a lot of utility within the game, but...honestly they’re super right, she cannot possibly compete in AR.  Defense teams have no use for her, and offensive teams using her as a support are a bad idea with Panic Manor around.  Mostly Cecilia makes my heart hurt.  Come on, IS.  Null C-Disrupt Raven Tome when?  As with the other tiers, all dragons, bows, and daggers of this color are higher ranked.  That said, L!Lyn in T5.  Get fucked.  There’s also...absolutely nothing controversial about their T4 picks.  Green’s pretty well sorted, good job team.

The only colorless option with units in T6 are healers, where we have Azama, Mist, Wrys, Sakura, and Lissa.  Nothing controversial here.  In fact, nothing controversial in T5, either.  What is sad but super true, is that F!Grima’s here.  All the other colorless beasts and dragons are clustered in T1 and T2, but she’s down in T5.  Expiration refine when?  Felicia and Jaffar are the lowest ranked daggers, to no one’s surprise.  None of the bows are shocking either, except I’m kinda surprised Niles isn’t at least a little higher.  I feel like his massive Res must account for something when attempting to tank out the many ranged magic threats on AR-D, right?

Overall, I...actually agree with the majority of this.  It’s a solid tierlist for Aether Raids.  There are some things I don’t entirely agree with, but would have trouble arguing in their favor in the current meta.  Like Micaiah.  As we move entirely away from armor units, Micaiah becomes less and less significant.�� I do think the blue dragon/beast section could take some revisiting, given that goddamn Naesala is down in T4, but one area that seems off isn’t bad when you have so much to organize.  I like it.  Definitely a lot better than the previous list, because at least now we’re specialized.  Before, there was always an argument that a certain unit was better or worse based on performance in a specific area.  But here, it’s more stable.  I’m not sure if there’s intent to make an Arena one, or if that’s even necessary since scoring is a lot more specific for Arena, but we’ll see.

[azebraslife]

TWSITD was bad for 3H’s narrative

Hopefully Three Houses’ DLCs will add some meat to TWSITD, but as it stands, I think their inclusion is overall detrimental to 3H’s writing. I have grievances with the narratives of many FE games, for that matter, for making a single group (usually religious, though not in TWSITD’s case) be the driving force behind most of their games’ villains. In TWSITD’s case, they’re so cartoonishly evil and have such a hand in nearly all of the game’s problems (dating back more than a thousand years, even before Seiros and Nemesis’ clash), it detracts from the gray morality that the game tries to depict.

Edelgard probably gets the worst of it, because their involvement splits her story between that of a strong-willed individual who came out of her traumatic experiences willing to do anything to see her ideal future come to fruition in her (shortened) lifetime, and a helpless girl who’s little more than a puppet for her abusers, forced to do their bidding until she can bide her time to strike back -- which is only after she’s achieved everything they want out of her (aside from her own death).

I don’t think those two aspects have to be mutually exclusive, for that matter. But its handling in 3H is bogged down by the way TWSITD is completely brushed aside for Crimson Flower’s ending while the Church of Seiros, which ironically doesn’t even have a strong hand in the things they’re accused of, takes the brunt of CF’s narrative villainy. The game never delves into the implications of having to live with Arundel (the disguise of Thales, TWSITD’s leader), and how Edelgard was very likely influenced by him, if subconsciously. Instead, CF just rolls with the idea that Edelgard is both morally and logically correct, and TWSITD are the lesser evil to be dealt with when the time is right.

If CF’s epilogue talked about her tumultuous rule and the difficulties of ruling a united Fodlan, I think it would be more palatable. But no, it's a golden ending that completely ignores the heavy implications that she’s become Seiros II. It also ignores how the Insurrection of the Seven was a response to Ionius’ consolidation of power -- and considering the fates of House Hrym, which attempted to leave the Empire in response, and House Ordelia, which provided aid to Hrym, the nobles have a decent reason for believing Ionius could become a tyrant. (In fact, Hanneman suggests to Hubert that his father’s participation may have been to protect House Vestra.)

On top of all that, due to Arundel’s involvement in the Empire’s retaliation against Hrym and Ordelia and in the Insurrection, it’s easy to draw TWSITD’s connection to them. The crest experiments on Lysithea and her siblings were test runs for the experiments on Edelgard and hers, and after the success in Lysithea, TWSITD were satisfied enough to sell the knowledge of their results to Duke Aegir as, perhaps, a solution to the dwindling number of Crest-bearing children.

The premise of doing unethical experiments to resolve their Crest issue would actually be fine narratively! Arguing that unethical scientific and technological progress is needed to spur growth would fit right in place with a story that has us inciting a 5-year-long war in the name of overturning a corrupt social order. But... that doesn’t happen. Edelgard, who is among those who suffered the most at TWSITD’s experiments and sorely wants payback, is ironically the one who has to turn a blind eye to it and let it continue. It’s also undermined through Hanneman, who achieves the fruits of his Crest research (granting and removing Crests) regardless of the route he’s on, without the bloody death toll TWSITD leave behind. He’s also basically sponsored by Garreg Mach (and by extension, the Church of Seiros), so it’s not like they oppose Crest research as long as he isn’t looting bones and hearts and blood for it.

Any argument that the Church of Seiros is suppressing technological advancement is undermined by Shamir and Claude, neither of whom were raised in Fodlan. Both question the large emphasis on religion in Fodlan, but never its technological state. There are no accounts of Almyra or Dagda having significant technological advancement, nor evidence that Rhea cares enough to try and suppress it in foreign countries to keep up appearances in Fodlan. (Which is a real accusation I’ve seen from pro-Edelgard fans.) It’s only TWSITD (and Rhea in CF) who possess any fancy technology, and TWSITD are only interested in using their tech to destroy things. Inconsistently, at that; what determines what they can target? They can target Arianrhod and Merceus, with a veiled threat of nuking Enbarr, so... why didn’t they just use it on any capital and throw the continent into bloody chaos? They develop this whole convoluted plan for revenge on Seiros, that eventually backfires them on every route (arguably even in Azure Moon, where they aren’t dealt with directly, as Arundel gets taken out far sooner than he expected).

In that regard, TWSITD’s chaotic evil nature make Edelgard’s arguably well-intentioned objectives (besides her whole beef with Faerghus’ and the Alliance’s very existences) a lot muddier. It’s quite difficult to argue a virtuous cause when you’re working with a group that wants all of Fodlan to collapse on itself through infighting. Cornelia belittles Edelgard, praising her for being a good girl and doing exactly as TWSITD wants. After we kill her, Arundel punishes Edelgard by nuking Arianrhod, destroying a key fortress and a significant number of their own troops, logistics and morale be damned. Edelgard, who isn’t in a position to reveal TWSITD as the cause of the attack, is left little option but to lie to the people and pin the blame on the Church.

And on the subject of Cornelia, TWSITD’s gambit with the Tragedy of Duscur is ridiculous. We aren’t given details, but if Cornelia was already one of TWSITD when she arrived in Faerghus and “cured” the city of its plague, they’ve been setting up Dimitri for basically his whole life. (You could also safely assume, if the premise is true, that the plague itself was orchestrated to give Cornelia soft power.) They destabilized an entire country just for the sake of pitting Dimitri against Edelgard, and it worked.

In all honesty, I think TWSITD’s involvement in the Tragedy of Duscur was a bit of a mistake. What happened could be removed of their influence and it probably still would’ve happened (the crux is that noblemen believed Lambert was too radical and was steering Faerghus in the wrong direction). Making TWSITD involved turns the tragedy into, as Dimitri says, a “sick farce” wherein all the pieces they’ve laid down move in the exact script they had in mind.

Long in short, TWSITD take away a lot of agency, turning events that would otherwise be natural results of political conflicts of interesting coming to a head into an elaborate scheme to destroy Fodlan from within. If TWSITD had a reduced presence in the story or were doing dangerous things for a more neutral cause, and if 3H was willing to take a leap of faith and make non-golden endings (let’s be real, all of 3H’s route endings are poorly written in this regard), I feel like the narrative would be stronger for it.

[stuffandsundry]

Lemme preface this with a big hello there! I didn’t actually expect anyone to reply to this post, and so comprehensively either, haha!

dynamojacks replied to your post: Alt. P5 Justice Confidant

Hrrrrrmm. Can’t say I agree with all of this. It’s not like ‘being foil to the protag’ is the flaw with the interaction - or characterisation, of all things - it’s mostly the way said interaction is framed. Also, he’s less of a direct foil to him and more an 'equal and opposite’. Goro isn’t supposed to relate to the protag entirely, that’s kind of the point. He envies him. But he’s on his level, so to speak. It’s that aspect that draws him to him.

I think we’re using foil in a two different ways here. I use it as shorthand for “we, as third parties to this story, are supposed to compare and contrast these characters”. So, yeah, he’s set up as an equal and opposite you are totally correct there, but Goro aint the one relating to the protag, we as the audience are the ones comparing them. And that’s when problems arise, because quite a bit about the protag is so open to interpretation.

He also kind of KNOWS he’s special because he’s.. seen him, and Morgana, in the Metaverse (see: pancakes ‘gaffe’). It’s not just a one-sided perception, he’s absolutely right and this is a big fuck-off hint that he’s a wildcard in hindsight.

yo what seriously? i thought that the pancakes thing happened in the hallway of the TV studio how the hell did i misremember that badly holy shit

I agree that this should have been dealt with better, and that we needed more interaction with the PT to build a collective bond. A WHOLE, WHOLE lot more. I live and breathe any writings that bring them all together, like really. But to narrow the issue down to the protag being foil just seems flimsy. They ARE fated rivals per se and for good reason, it’s just that this aspect was shafted to buggery when it got down to it.

It’s not protag being foil that’s the problem, it’s “protag is the foil, focused on almost exclusively to the detriment of any meaningful interaction with the rest of the cast.” like, yeah, it does work, to a point. but it also could be a lot better, by giving the others a chance to shine.

The ‘god’s game’ apparently meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. That was exceptionally bad writing. To build up shit like that, but for Goro’s role as wild card to mean next to zilch.

Oh yeah, that resolution was very much so missing, which is a massive pity. Like you said, the whole fated rivals chosen to duke it out by god is a pretty interesting concept. I’m interested to know more about why you think that Goro’s role as a Wild Card mean zilch, though. Personally, I’ve been looking at it as: “Goro did had the potential to choose many different paths that could shape the world around him, signified by the Wild Card, but he locked himself very quickly into one path where he was simply being used as a tool by Shido. This, in combination with him holding everyone at arms length, meant that he didn’t form any significant bonds either aside from the real fucked up one with Shido, and so he inadvertently crippled his own Wild Card ability from the beginning” Actually, on that note, maybe he couldn’t have formed confidants. Whenever you initiate a Confidant in-game, it’s Lavenza’s voice that you hear, not Caroline + Justine. Would Lavenza have reached out to Akechi? Hmmm...

Also regarding Goro and fame, he’s not as hung up on it as Ryuji is/was, not NEARLY as much. One, mistranslation (not ‘public image’ or 'celebrity’, but 'reputation with adults’ and 'charisma’), and two, he knows his fame is fickle and dangerous in itself, having lived it for long enough. Ryuji romanticises it, Goro does not. Goro resents that those people do not know him for who he is, Ryuji thinks that fame will make him beloved.

Yeah!!!! This right here!!! This is a great contrast to have, they’d be amazing foils!! Ryuji and Goro are practically complete opposites, but they also share a lot of similarities too despite that. I spent like 5 min on this section the first time, so these are just the things that instantly popped into my head, but you could also draw parallels btwn the fact that Ryuji’s dad being in his life made it worse, while Goro’s being absent made his worse, or they way that Ryuji always had his mother with him vs Goro who’s mother left him alone, or the way that Ryuji is very bluntly honest about everything vs Goro who tries to keep everything hidden behind a veneer of politeness, or public perception of ryuji as a no good thug even if he honestly just wants to do the right thing vs the perception of goro as the person who would uphold justice/stop the breakdowns even if he was the very same person who was causing them, but DESPITE ALL THIS CONTRAST, ryuji is one of the most empathetic members of the team and absolutely would have tried to help Goro if he’d only known sooner what kinda trouble he was in (re: first impressions of makoto as a prick vs jumping in front of a car in order to rescue her)

(Speaking of Makoto, she’s absolutely the person that has the most parallels to Goro, and she should have been his rival. Both joined the team through some form of blackmail, both have incredible pressure but on them by the adults in their lives, both very similar characters vis-à-vis approaches to life in general, actually wait one second i have a quote from a friend on this.... “But I think Makoto works really well in terms of how they’re narratively set up as opposites? idk, like Makoto’s approach to subterfuge is to orchestrate the people around her while Akechi’s approach to subterfuge is to manipulate the people around him, Makoto’s impulsivity means she can be prone to direct confrontation while Akechi is on guard until he’s literally right at the breaking point, I just think…. it would’ve been so much more interesting to explore more of this than putting the burden on protag to carry Akechi Interest”)

and oh god im babbling sorry I HAVE OPINIONS

As for Yusuke? Madarame’s exploiting of his talent to his own ends (check), Yusuke wanting to please him but also trapped and nigh desperate to leave (check), Madarame being essentially responsible for his mother’s death (check), Yusuke having to rely on him to survive, for roof over head (check), and would be ruined, and even die one way or another if he tried to escape (check, check, and double check).                                                                      A comment Yusuke makes in Okumura’s Palace is extremely telling- about how someone who is oppressed will ‘desire for it’ (paraphrase). What’s even more telling, is when Yusuke said about Goro, quote: 'had I not met you all, I would have turned out like him as well’.   Haru? They’re both puppets to their fathers. Both are manipulated for the sake of political goals. Both are actually sweet by nature- at least, not ruthless, and really have to be pushed to be (SIU Director’s comments about the plot to FRAME the PTs as being ‘too brutal’… imagine how much more actually KILLING would be..). And both started out with a naive(ish), idealistic core, if Robin Hood and his fixation on Featherman R is anything to go by.

Eyyyyyyyyy this is some pretty hella meta, kudos to you. Like yeah!!!! YEAH!!!!!!! GORO AND PHANTOM THIEVES INTERACTIONS.... THERES THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME REAL MEATY, REAL GOOD STUFF IN HERE....GIVE US MORE OF THAT PLEASE...

And part of the reason why opinion changed per se, was realising just how flimsy Goro’s own resolve was, and how vulnerable. He wasn’t hell bent on bringing disaster, he was clinging on to straws in desperation. Ryuji’s comment, urging him to realise that he was his own person, makes this much clear. Their ire was more focused on Shido at this point. Still, they did not really forgive Goro, and made this much VERY clear. In any event, the last point might have been down to cultural differences. I’m.. not sure, but to those who understood this scene, it didn’t come ‘out of nowhere’, so you can’t necessarily say that’s a writing flaw on it’s own.    

Mmmm, sorry if I was unclear, but the two times I used ‘out of nowhere in this post were in regards to how i dislike goro approaching protag with little prior warning? So.... im not quite sure what you’re trying to say here. Out of nowhere is too strong of a term to use for this scenario, so if its a thing I’ve said someplace else in regards to the last scene then sorry, I’ll clarify now. It’s not out of nowhere, however, it stands in stark contrast to the entire team’s opinions of Akechi up until this point. Not necessarily a terrible, awful choice, but it is certainly jarring in a way that is completely avoidable. Which, again, brings me back to “give Goro and the other PT a larger share of attention instead of focusing on Protag”. Sae’s Palace would have been a perfect place for Goro’s facade to slip a little bit, and give the rest of the team a little bit of an idea of how he’s like when he’s not constantly on guard. Instead, Sae’s Palace focuses on setting Goro up as smart which............. he’s a teen detective that works with the police. We know that he’s smart already. We should have gotten more characterization in there instead! Giving us some form of transition, like, “he’s an enemy of the Phantom Thieves” -> “hmm, there seem to be some circumstances that we can relate to that made him the way he is now” -> “we understand why you did the things you did. we still can’t agree with it, but we know now.” ...Granted, the reason that I think of it as an abrupt about face could have been due to the face that they never mention Goro again after his battle. A short scene after Shido’s Palace had been cleared to look back on the impact that Goro had had on the PT would have been a great help.

thank you for your thoughts! c:

[sextonsharpwinhalstead]

Ships: Could They? Would They? Should They? Part 2

So, the last time I did this I said that the sky was the limit and I meant it! (LOL) Also there are a few ships that I know are rare (my beloved rare-pairs) that weren’t even hinted at; as well as some obvious ageism issues and exclusion of cast members so here we are with Part 2. Also, I’ve taken liberties of developing each one with bits and pieces of canon and fanon.

*Side Note*

I don’t expect this to be as popular as the other; mostly because these characters aren’t as popular in the Tumblr Fandom.

April Sexton/ Natalie Manning

Ship Name: Mexton

Why They work: Both Nat and April have a great balance of hard work, drive, and compassion for their patients. They are both strong, inspirational, and have been disappointed or heartbroken in different ways by the men they have let into their love lives. April’s nurturing side would be great with Owen, and Natalie could step up in a stronger personality role for April who is often backed into a corner or allows herself to be taken advantage of. Dates would consist of breakfast in bed, gushy text messages, and Natalie serenading April with her violin.

Why They Won’t: The show was really awful about using their friendship to boost Natalie’s needs and if we went off of that then Natalie would be horribly not-supportive when April is going through hard times. April is a catholic Afro-Latina and from a pretty strict upbringing, being out wouldn’t be easy in those worlds. Also, I honestly think if April were to get into a femme relationship with anyone it’d be with Sarah.

Natalie Manning/ Sarah Reese

Ship Name: Meese

Why They Work: The episode when Natalie and Ethan removed a prototype from the little body-hackers stomach opened the nerdy-world of a young Natalie Manning we as an audience were not privy to before. But that girl still exists within in her and it would probably be a draw for nerdy Sarah. I could see them on dates to the Smithsonian, playing the crossword over breakfast in the morning, and playfully arguing over peer-reviewed medical journals. They’d borrow each other’s scrubs and Natalie would quiz Sarah on her boards; and missed questions would mean Sarah would be doing the laundry. Sarah would be in awe of seeing a classically trained violinist whose back-up was being a doctor and Natalie would easily bond with the prissier parts of Sarah’s personality. However…

Why They Won’t: Canonically, Sarah made it clear that she does not want children and Owen (although rarely seen or spoken about since season 1) is very much a part of Natalie’s’ life; it’s a deal breaker folks.

Sharon Goodwin/ Daniel Charles

Ship Name: Choodwin

Why They Work: Meticulous, wise, funny, and successful these two have always put their careers first (even to the detriment of their personal lives). When they talk you are for sure there is a story accompanied with their advice/musings. I could see late night coffee dates where they slowly disclose little surprising pieces of their history, maybe Sharon worked as a casino showgirl to pay for school and Daniel performed his own experiments with psychedelic medicine made popular in the 60’s (on himself). They have a friendship that slowly turns into something more and they don’t feel the need to label it; they just let it be. This is the mature, relationship goals, we all want and the peace that healthy drama-free love actually is.

Why They Won’t: There is a reason Daniel has been married 3 times and none of it seems good. Also, even though the show hasn’t mentioned much of her, Daniel has another daughter (aside from Robin) who Sharon would need to warm up to. Also, if we take into context the age of his daughter; we should ask ourselves how long it’s been since his last divorce and if he is even in a position to date again; Sharon too. I would hate to see some of his baggage and demons hurt Sharon when she’s had her heart broken not once (Bert) but twice (losing her first love to parasites) on the show. In all honesty I could live my entire life not seeing her cry again.

Will Halstead and Sarah Reese

Ship Name: Ralstead

Why They Work: Smarty pants. Everyone on this show is brilliant and has to be especially to be doctors, but there is smart-nerdy side to Will that seeps out in all kinds of episodes; he geeks out over medicine a lot. We have seen Sarah develop into someone who is way more confident in her abilities and willing to challenge the rules a bit more than she was in season one. They could meet on these overlapping personality quirks and interests. There would be dates where they traded off into nerd-world and then into classic fun.

Why They Won’t: Sarah is a lot more progressive socially than Will. I could see her being offended on a regular basis with some of his not so subtle sexist ways. Also, the show hasn’t stated yet but I can see Will being into more traditional life-steps: house, marriage, kids. We know Sarah doesn’t want kids and I wouldn’t be shocked if we found out she wasn’t into marriage either.

 Jeff Clarke/ Ethan Choi

Ship Name: Cloi

Why They Work: Bros’ that think they’re bros and then end up in bed together. They would’ve been bonding over their past lives in the military, swapping war stories, and trying to one-up the other in crazy hi-jinks from the past. I could see this ship beginning as the two of them going out and picking up women, having beers, and playing games but then eventually leading to quieter activities like staying in; instead. One thing would lead to another and they would wind up in bed together. I could see them being each other’s “first” in that regard.

 Why They Won’t: Machismo and homophobia would be the main stumbling blocks for this ship, one or both of them would not want to make the relationship public and it wouldn’t seem like a problem, but could you see how hard that would be in episodes like Monday Mourning? Or Cold Front? I think it would stress the little ship and it’d crack.

Will Halstead/Ethan Choi

Ship Name: Chalstead

Why They Work: Smart, hardworking, and both Chief Resident (although at separate times) these two could work. However, I could see this being another “secret relationship” but not because of homophobia but purely for professionalism. They are both incredibly focused at work and no one would even know they were together unless told. But at night and on the weekends the two can be found in bed reading medical journals, summing up the weird stories of the ED, and trying different restaurants.

Why They Won’t: Although both professional; Will is still the attending and higher on the totem pole. Even if they could be professional they are both still a bit egotistical and the fights would spill over into their home. Also, the rigid professionalism would begin to take a toll. I mean who doesn’t love a quick peck on the cheek from your partner or spouse before starting work?

Maggie Lockwood/ Will Halstead

Ship Name: Lockstead or Halwood (honestly, they have so many possibilities)

Why They Work: There are all kinds of ships that happen naturally on Med and Maggie and Will are one of them. They have a great friendship and on some ways canonically she is his only friend. A supportive friendship is always a great basis for a romantic one. This ship would be one where we watch as Will pines over Natalie and even dates Nina all while not realizing that the one person he doesn’t have to hide anything from is Maggie. He realizes out of the entire staff he is the only one that has met her family and she constantly looks out for him. In other words, the person you love has been in front of your face the entire time. She is feisty and not push over, something he definitely needs, and he has just enough confidence to take a powerful personality like hers on.

Why They Won’t: The nonsense Will has displayed with his treatment of Natalie and Nina. His behavior with Jennifer Baker; all of it would be a turn-off to Maggie. She is a charge nurse who understand order within the chaos but order none the less and that mess in season one with Will would’ve turned her off; also no one wants to be second pick…let alone third.

Maggie Lockwood/Sharon Goodwin

Ship Name: Goodlock or WinWood (a ton of name possibilities here too)

Why They Work: Maggie always has everyone’s back and none more than Sharon’s after Bert leaves. I could see Maggie bringing Sharon food, making sure she took care of herself, and sitting with her at night so she wouldn’t have to eat alone. They would reminisce about the old days of nursing together and Sharon would push Maggie to pursue more within that field. And although Maggie has expressed attractiveness to men like Connor and Jeff, women; in particular, make comments all the time on the attractiveness of both sexes without any romantic interest. In other words, the show has never clearly stated that Maggie is straight. Hanging out could lead to co-habitation, and then maybe more.

Why They Won’t: I could honestly see Sharon being into Maggie but then running from her feelings because it’s not what she’s used to. Also, this show has done NOTHING with Maggie as far as her interests go, she is work, work, work and so is Sharon; so, when would they have time to truly nourish this new avenue?

Jeff Clarke/ Sarah Reese

Ship Name: Cleese

Why They Work: This is the “It gets better” “Let me show you the ropes” ship. Sarah and Jeff could bond over the indecision they both have had in their careers. Jeff being military, then a fireman, and now a doctor. Sarah in the field but confused about which discipline to go into, emergency medicine, pathology, and then psych. She’d be shocked that he was flirting with her (just replace Noah in that “I watch you” scene and that’s how she would be). He’d be in awe of how smart she is. There would be a few dates and some really hot hook-ups…

Why They Won’t: …Before they realize there just isn’t a future there. He is a bit older and is still trying to get his footing and she is focused on being the best in psych. They would care for one another but would probably realize there isn’t enough common ground to sustain a relationship. They’d part ways amicably. (Also this is actually the rarest of ships as I don’t think these two even shared a scene together! photo courtesy of ChildofLoki)

Jeff Clarke/ April Sexton

Ship Name: Clexton

Why They Work: They both have heroic personalities. They are the type to go above and beyond to do the right thing in helping people and that compassion would be there but for each other. April helping Jeff dress his wounds after he is accidentally shot etc. Before White Butterflies, when we as an audience realized Jeff’s sole purpose on the show was to show Natalie’s ability to move on, I thought it would be a lot more fitting or realistic if he had been on the roof with April and almost kissed her. He always came across soft, and kind around her. He was the only one to implicitly express condolences to her about her miscarriage and then ask her how she was holding up. It was just that easy and no one else could do it. I could see him taking her for a drink and then they would hang out a little more and then….

Why They Won’t: But there is still only one resident spot and it went to Noah. How juicy the story-line could’ve been if they had decided to put Jeff and April together and then there would be tension about who got the residency, their break-up would be inevitable because Jeff (being the admirable person he is) wouldn’t want April to feel conflicted. He’d try and get the Hawaii residency and it would be this really sad ending to a “what could’ve been” ship.

Connor Rhodes/ David Downey

Ship Name: Dhodes

Why They Work: Connor respects brilliance and Downey was just that; brilliant, but also adventurous, wise, fun, and caring. His talent was renowned and that was what Connor would hope to be one day. Connor was not unlike Leah Bardovi in his wide-eyed admiration of David Downey. I think David saw a lot of himself in Connor as well as limitless amounts of potential. But often there were times when he looked at him that made me go…hmmm. It’s easy to cast Downey as the father-relationship Connor never had but it would also be a bit sexist of us to believe that men too can and do fall in love with other men because of “daddy issues.”

Why They Won’t: Cancer. Downey would still be sick and he probably wouldn’t want to begin a relationship knowing how heartbroken Connor would be that he couldn’t fulfill it (think “Me Before You” levels of unconsummated love). The scene when he emptied his ashes in the ocean would be even more serenely heart wrenching.

Sarah Reese/ Daniel Charles

Ship Name: Cheese

Why They Work: Could you imagine?! This would really be an illicit affair; Sarah sleeping with her mentor?! They’d be sneaking around and we’d be wondering why? How? All I could say is that the line would probably begin to be crossed after the Monday Mourning episode. Sarah being one of the few people to show concern for him, maybe she checks on him at home and vice versa for him. Seeing the other out of the work profession and opening new avenues for conversation could happen. Sarah doesn’t seem like the type to care about marriage and kids and that would work for Daniel because he doesn’t seem interested in doing either again.

Why They Won’t: Let’s be real…eww lol. Aside from the obvious father daughter vibes, this ship has platonic written all over it. I would hate to think the show would cross that line and put them together. Also, Daniel would be risking a lot of his integrity starting a relationship with a subordinate and the messy psych dynamic would be…well messy.

[bemanistyle]

Review: Deemo - The Last Recital (PS Vita)

Deemo comes to the PlayStationVita!  For those unfamiliar, Deemo is a rhythm game originally released for iOS/Android in 2013.  It tells a story of a little girl who ends up crashing through a window into a mysterious lair.  She meets Deemo, a demon who looks like Slender Man and Jack Skellington got together and made a baby.  He may be a Demon, but he’s got a heart of gold.  He quickly goes to work helping the child to return to her quest to get where she was going.  Cue the gameplay.

If you’re reading this, you’re likely a veteran of the rhythm genre, so the gameplay will be intuitive. Much like many Bemani titles, notes scroll down the screen and you have to hit them with proper timing.  As mentioned earlier, Deemo was made for mobile devices, so it makes great use of the Vita’s touchscreen.  The key-sounded notes fly down the screen at varying speeds depending on the songs tempo.  In this case you’re playing almost exclusively, the piano sections of songs.  It feels somewhat like a mashup of Beatmania with DJMAX Technika.

The gameplay is pretty shallow.  The notes all fly down the screen at random parts.  There wasn’t any sort of visual flare added to the highway, as it puts a piece of art in the background and has notes, all a drab dark color, move over it.  You tap the screen corresponding with where the note is.  Given that it’s touch sensitive it’s pretty generous with the timing and location in order to improve accuracy.  There is one rating based on your timing, if you hit in the window you will get a “charming”.  If you miss the window you still keep your combo, but you don’t get the charming rating.  There are speed mods included as well.  This helps to separate the notes a bit more, but the uniform color still makes it difficult to read at times.  There are three difficulties easy, normal and hard so just about anybody could pick up and play.  Being quite familiar with the genre, I moved right to hard.  I feel most familiar with the genre will.

One thing that immediately stood out to me was the music.  The first few songs were melancholy piano ballads, evoking a feeling of darkness or isolation.  The more you play, the more songs you unlock.  This also ties together with the story line.  As Deemo plays his piano, the oak tree that started the size of a shrub continues to grow, moving the child ever closer to her goal.  It adds another layer of reward for your playing besides just striving for a new high score.  As you unlock more music it becomes clear there is a wide range of genres to be heard.  The music for the most part, is fantastic.  There are a few songs that wouldn’t surprise me had they been made on fruity loops, but that is far from the majority, as most are great.  Some are simply piano ballads, largely inspired by piano artist Yiruma, and the composer best known for Miyazaki films, Joe Hisashi.  Some on the other hand are high energy J-pop, vocals and all.  The range is very wide, which clashes a bit with the overall mood of the game, but it adds some much needed variety.

For those who have experienced Deemo on mobile and not on Vita, is it worth it?  Afterall Deemo is $14.99 on Vita whereas on mobile it’s free.  Outside of price, there are a few pros and cons for choosing the Vita version.  First is that this will be the most complete experience of Deemo you can have.  There are loads of DLC packs for the mobile version that are bundled with the game on the Vita version.  There are also more DLC song packs to be had, but those will not be free.  This version also comes with a few extra modes such as “after story mode” for when you finish the game, or “link play” for multiplayer via ad-hoc connection.  The artwork and cut scenes have also had a nice revamp for the Vita version, which is nice given the art is one of the game’s strong suits.  On the other hand the Vita may make for an awkward platform for the game given the size of the screen. As mentioned earlier, Deemo was made for mobile devices, which are far more compact and easier to navigate the touchscreen on than the Vita.  Normally one of the great features of Vita, the screen may come as a detriment to those with smaller hands or fingers.

Overall I enjoyed my time with Deemo. The story is heartbreaking, the art is interesting, and the music is outstanding. Personally I’d recommend giving the game a shot on the phone, and if you find yourself hooked, invest. Don’t expect much new in the field of rhythm gaming from Deemo, but it’s fun and familiar, and a good little time waster. If nothing else, watch the cut scenes and enjoy the heartbreaking story.

* Review copy provided by the development team or publisher

Review: Deemo – The Last Recital (PS Vita) was originally published on bemanistyle ♪

[contrastbalance]

music becoming visual

This edition of contrastbalance is primarily about music becoming more and more visual, part of the reason I want physical copies out. Everyone featured in this entire thing has a strong image in some way – some are bold and some are enticing. Some use it as a stand alone statement, others to create something as eye catching as they do ear catching. Others use your eyes as a horizontal platform, ingraining into your cheekbone to reach being one step more relatable over the process of rolling out releases and 5 steps away from their ephemeral counterparts.

In early 2014, everyone’s favourite adopted artsy sibling Dev Hynes gave a stellar Ted Talks. The lecture’s focus was his understanding of the neurological condition of synaesthesia, and also featured a beautiful soundscape using keys he associates with certain colours. His projectile talent becomes far more transparent, opening up to the sniper focused audience, all while the speaker is reminiscent of Grace Jones mixed with a Lemony Snicket character.

Chromesthesia is the more particular type of the condition where colours link to sound, another known carrier is Pharrell. In an interview with Psychology Today he talks about over-active parts of his brain being forced to temporarily halt. He states “you ask any great rapper or writer or musician, and they’ll tell you their craziest ideas come from the shower or the plane because in both places there is sensory deprivation.” Williams linking his heard with his seen when meeting minds is integral to his much covered juxtaposition, which everyone knows he’s interested in creating. He sees his music the same as he does with getting dressed and everything else in between, drawing variation from a multicultural background, he is maybe someone you wouldn’t expect to be interested in what he is.

When A$AP Rocky was a can of spaghetti with the little sausages bursting onto a line of bridesmaids in 2011, what people who make music wear was at one of it’s highest points of fast changing scrutiny. He and the Mob were seen in the places to be, alongside the elite likes of Jeremy Scott, Michele Lamy and Kris Van Assche.

He had grown up bouncing between Harlem and Soho, at a young age mixing with people who inspire inspirers. Tales of acid-induced friendliness at SXSW give some sight into his individual and groups’ participating stabs at hedonism – but he has mixed in plenty of the high-brow sensibility to brilliantly market himself as someone standoffish when it comes to actually being a designer himself, a lane that has distracted musicians from every corner and status. He said in an early interview with SBTV “I’m not a designer, I’m not a fashion designer, I could consult like ‘yeah that’s dope but maybe you should fix this collar a little,’ but I don’t know the first thing about designing, I think that’s disrespectful to the culture. For me to just take advantage of it due to my fame, come in and pretend I can design – that’s not what I do.” Genuine interest and admiration saw designers, models and everyone hanging on in between every side of water huddle around Mayers, safe in the knowledge that artists are very aware of creative processes of those adjacent to them in other fields. He’s in the same vein of Bowie in terms of recreating himself.

While he’s admitted that Long.Live.A$AP leaned too much on the logical option at the time of trying to jump into pop minefields, At.Long.Last.A$AP showcased his genre-blending abilities. Following and probably coinciding with the hardship of losing one of his closest friends, fellow inspirer-of-inspirers A$AP Yams – seemed like he was having fun after making something he was sure he wanted us to hear and see. From the outside he’s the most pertinent visible link between underground music and wide arrays of fashion, and didn’t need to capture considerable numbers in pop audiences to do so.

Donald Glover’s creations always seem to meet at a drunk yoga class. The casual nature in which the creations are born is easily recognisable and even portrayed on-screen. Where Rocky and other massive acts could be described as embodying the more material, often recent and biographical side of rap, those like Kendrick Lamar, Chance The Rapper and Glover prefer telling interpersonal stories that drop listeners in the midst of varying turmoil.

Moonlighting as Childish Gambino, a dad and a guy who seems to place a lot of emphasis on changing his facial hair, Glover lives a really quiet life. His first exposure to the public eye came after Tina Fey was shown a spec screenplay for The Simpsons by David Milner, intrigued, she dug up some of the short films Glover made while at New York’s Tisch School of the Arts as part an improvisational comedy group, and she subsequently hired him to write for 30 Rock at just 23. After an 89-episode stint as Community‘s Troy he was written off the show, later stating that he casually asked to leave because his “heart wasn’t really in it. They, thankfully were just like ‘yeah’ and they let me go”, to Vibe Magazine, which wasn’t imparted to public knowledge at the time – leading many to boycott the show confused about the demise of a character and actor that had quickly impressed and maintained the sole reason for them to bother watching.

Not until 2013 and the rollout of because the internet would he post pictures of handwritten notes on Instagram, one stating “I didn’t leave Community to rap, I don’t wanna rap. I wanted to be on my own.” He says he was “mildly inconvenienced” by the resulting phonecalls.

Ambition to create using so many different artforms, even ability to do so at the level Glover consistently does is one thing, balancing all of them into your waking hours with a newborn is different. In August 2013 work began with FX on Atlanta, around following his short-lived recommencement with Community, around finishing because the internet, around shooting self-written short films featuring tripping pornstars, around the Deep Web Tour, recording and releasing STN MTN and then a day later Kauai.

Atlanta premiered on FX on 6th September 2016. It follows around Earn, who dropped out of Princeton to return back to Atlanta and become a full time slacker, part-time Airport salesman, part-time parent, post-retirement-occupation-time boyfriend. He realises first what his cousin is doing, then an episode length later that said cousin Paper Boi is on the brink of rap stardom and takes on an impromptu role as his manager. In the past few years the city has reached previously inaccessible heights in recognition as a culturally rich paradise for particularly African Americans – while the pressures of rubbing shoulders with some of the country’s artistic, business, innovative and sometimes underworld elite is present in the feel of the series, it’s Glover’s real-life cool in the face of doubt that makes the show so fluidly, deftly written, quaintly shot and highly addictive. “I tried to, I just wanted to make Twin Peaks with rappers,” he offers on The Ellen Show.

There is a brooding undercurrent that’s gained the critical acclaim and also a commissioned 2nd series just 2 weeks after it first aired. An all-black cast is few and far between, but been done – and all-black writing team is a less talked about issue in conversations about opportunity. President of FX, John Landgraf says of the pre-production meetings; “with Donald, he didn’t always articulate his vision in a way that we could see it, but his passions and ambition were clear.” There’s so much scope for a quirky show with (to many viewers) unconventional dialogue to go so wrong, just look at Bored to Death.

The issues that Atlanta portrays Earn tackling are those held varyingly stagnant over long spans of time in different lights by different people – police brutality, parenthood, mental health, institutionalised fear, gender identity, exploitation, flawed or complete lack of ethics in the entertainment industries, attitudes to firearms over racial lines and also portraying Justin Bieber as a black teenager in a charity basketball game – at no point does the show make an effort to not seem like it was written by an all-black team looking outwards. Glover downplays any political role the show may play in a Wired interview, while giving some insight into the casual first steps towards the brilliance the show exudes: “I like it when black people are hit with a certain light, like purple. It just felt good to play around with the look of the show.” An incredibly curious person, no one could’ve written the dialogue for Van and Jayde in the restaurant in the ‘Value’ episode without having experienced a defining moment while leaning over fumes from a squash based appetiser.

Gambino reached what you could call the 2nd phase of marketing with Awaken, My Love! reaching almost 200 million Spotify plays. The album was first played alongside a full band and 6-part choir at PHAROS, a Joshua Tree installment that Glover curated with Wolf and Rothstein, Microsoft and Miles Konstantin. The latter developed the PHAROS Earth app, purchasable for $99, locked to the phone and owner acting as a ticket to the 3-day wilderness based festival, that Glover would state would be his only live performance in 2016. The app was to make sure no tickets could be accordingly resold for such an exclusive event, and after the phones were checked for eligibility at entry they were placed in magnetically locked bags that were handed out – to halt any leakage from the cult event to the outside world. The event placed so much emphasis on first hand purity, as broken down into 5 sections upon purchasing the app – “tribe, ritual, experience abstraction, architecture, language.”

Another peek at Glover disillusionment, this time with technology was displayed by a complete clearance of his Twitter and Instagram accounts at the end of 2014, only returning with a Tweeted countdown in June 2016. “Be helpful. Do not be a detriment. No irony” the app also stated alongside the 5 human experience intuitives. In September fans appeared at Joshua Tree in the “vibrancy colour” of blue, that acted as another entry requirement. Wading through a mixture of Brokeback Mountain sets and a party in a garage ambience the crowds saw an artist in full control of everything they were seeing.

Due mainly to cold callers from Birmingham we’re probably now in the stage of evolution where we know not everyone is going to have a fully suitable voice for their chosen direction in life. Expectations naturally make up reaction and Rick Astley had all you shallow bastards annoyed. If you do listen to people’s music based solely on physical appearance you’ve probably got a relatively neo-nazi dad and you’ll frequently set fire to the family balaclava lexicon so you won’t have to accompany him on his shopping list. Album art is the forward-thinking way to live up to or fail to with regards to listeners expectations that they made with their eyes.

They act as a documentation of what they entomb and the location of the graveyard, modern graphic design actively swingy-chairs into the shins of people holding wine who don’t move out the way. When previously artwork was revealed ahead of release to moonwalk dropping breadcrumbs, that was a linear step like most steady marketing – today the rules often get told as you consume the experience. It lets you in for an all round view of a possibly new genre of image and you can easily find the cover you want to see, it might not match what you wanted to hear but you remember what you saw and go from there – much like casinos in the UK.

The hopefully budding romance of Zack Fox and Thundercat is communicated to the “here for this” spectators vibrantly through the covers of the deluxe vinyl copies of Drunk; feline optical illusion, trap mixtape reminiscent kaleidoscopes of viagra, guns and horses, also a seemingly constipated album artist. The visuals are a cue to using humour to help push through dark moments, it’s just as abstractly debilitating and distracting as that is. In an interview with Creative Review, the mystic force formerly known as Bootymath summarised: “I definitely just wanted to capture my sense of humour, which some would consider absurd or psychedelic. When life is just punching you in the back of the head, you start laughing at shit that doesn’t even correlate – it’s a coping mechanism but it helps create timeless inspiration. I wanted to inject those experiences and let designs be bold and confusing.”

If the Drunk covers would be for the Peter Saul fans, Bonobo’s Migration is probably whispered to those into Dan Flavin. Simon Green’s 6th album cover was designed by Neil Krug – responsible for visuals accompanying sounds from Lana Del Rey, The Weeknd and Tame Impala. The art dads know Bonobo from scenic and melancholy drives drowning out your wife in the boot, and the story of how the album art came about is equally as Californian-style ritualistic.

The consistency of the crispness Krug captured definitely affected his sleeping pattern horribly – he would drive out into the Mojave in the middle of night to have a chance to capture the divinity in the area’s sunrise. Picturing the desert came from Green’s recent life choice of moving to Los Angeles, while finalising tracks he would drive out to find required portions of solace. In an interview, also with Creative Review he says, “You can hear things in a new way just from moving environment. The car test is a classic thing. Producers will say, ‘take a drive with the music’. I like to go up to the mountains – there’s lots of really weird and wonderful landscapes around where I live – and just spend time with the music. It’s very inspiring… it can spark an idea that you might not have had if you’d just been sat in an air conditioned studio.”

The intensity of the supposed subject and the serenity it’s happening in narrate Krug’s skill as a press photographer and the same contrast correlates very effectively as something that could stand without explanation. The cover designer says in the same interview: “Once Si and I sat down and talked I knew the artwork needed to be something other than just landscape images. I thought, if this is going to grab your attention and create a narrative – you need something else in there – but what’s in there can’t be too loud or comment too much on what the music is. It had to stand out in an unusual way.”

Another past-time visual components to music can choose to aim at is discourse on identity. 2016 was a massive year for image around music, particularly in acknowledging vulnerability in places it wasn’t seen previously. I was losing my mind watching a reaction video of Frank Ocean, and the channel owner states “he doesn’t know how to market himself apparently” – yet the singer has had strangers from passing by cars shouting “Frank where’s the album!” If people verbally assault you for more of just you, you’ve created a demand for yourself in infinite ways for constant consumption. Beginning with Endless, Ocean perfected the unorthodox rollout of artistic identity that included two albums, a magazine, a seemingly for-view-only clothing line, pop up retail locations, a music label and apparently a racing team. The most adored gift to date was in the shape of Blonde.

Forever a mystery in an information age, Ocean’s most revealing statement came from that Tumblr note, which in turn made you a chiropractor studying the backbone Channel Orange, just as expected after that he money-danced into the abyss. He stands so close to the likes of West, Knowles, Mayer that reflections off of royal-like jewels fully expose his complete innocuous desire to go and live and them come tell us about it, although he seems to be making that arthouse full time. Post Channel Orange activities forced him to enter into the wilderness, absolutely no interest in TMZ harassment. He has all the cliché qualities to live as a genius like those who handed the torch to him, including the inhuman work-rate; Blonde‘s clear perfectionism required it’s creator to work for at least 17 house a day at the height of production and there’s rumoured to be 150 versions of ‘White Ferrari‘. Apart from a casually released ‘Nikes‘ video, none of the tracks have received even slightly the treatment you’d expect to see for as a single.

Since the album was released at the end of August 2016, Ocean has already given a short interview while wearing Vans in the White House, a longer form conversation in the New York Times, had a filmed interview about the making of possibly his last stab at an “album format” and even released one and been featured on another song – he seems all set to fire himself off to the moon.

What made Blonde all the more enticing was the visual attitude around the release – in the most unconventional cyclical portrayal he maybe could’ve thought of. There is a consistency throughout most of the imagery and what it’s getting it. Self reliance is the quality many align with Ocean’s character. In the New York Times article he revealed that since Channel Orange and the following borderline unwelcome attention, his label and management situation had grown all the more murky, and he had been in the process of buying back his masters from Def Jam. His deal with the label was covering two albums – after they indefinitely shelved his would-be solo album Nostalgia, Ultra he released it himself, Channel Orange followed just over a year later. Personal privacy requirements aside, the label still needed a second release, so Ocean slapped them with the carpentry tutorial that was Endless on the 1st of August 2016, to end the “seven year chess game” – less than 3 weeks later Blonde was released on his label Boys Don’t Cry.

His possible last album-album will be remembered as a great one – widely played and picked apart for years. Blonde lends from many corners, musical and lifestyle. Vulnerability is also set into specific genres, a recent champion of divulging is the Seattle based synth-pop artist Perfume Genius. An artistic contradiction with shared qualities of an 8-year old child prodigy, his music has been growing into larger sounding forms. His melancholic intimate pianist base-point works well bouncing off of lyrics about his past substance abuse issues, his sexuality, his living with Crohn’s, modern wellbeing concerns of gay men inside masculinity and domestic abuse.

Along with the growing mechanics, the nature in which the recordings take place has majorly shifted. Just like the growing catalogue of projects which is set to extend in May, Mike Hadreas is experiencing strength in numbers in terms of albums, fans and relationships – namely with Alan Wyffels, who alongside Mike is 8 years sober. Perfume Genius could very well be in the same philosophical field as Zack Fox, using humour to patch up some past, some continuing difficulties, struggling to not look back with angst upon death threats from school days and even a hate-fuelled beating that forced him to elope with a lifestyle from Seattle all the way to New York. In that city Mike fell into the common grounds of coming of age searching, ending up with you shaking next to a radiator. “When you are a drug addict and alcoholic, you function in crisis mode all the time. Learning and Put Your Back N 2 It was Mike processing those things. Too Bright was a lot of anger. And this album is like, ok, we’re on the other side” Alan tells Fader.

He seems absolutely focused on intense personal growth, which is admirable for a 35 year old. Also in Fader, Mike says of rehab – “I didn’t talk at all for the first four days. I was so terrified. Then there’s something so freeing: there’s lots of group therapy, and you’re just around people all the time because you’re all locked together. By the end of it, I was facilitating the discussions.” His ability to let loose is maybe most striking on his first album’s 3rd song, ‘Mr Peterson‘ about a school teacher who groomed and took advantage of him and subsequently committed suicide.

The new album is said to be a triumph of overcoming personal demons, but fears about growing hostility in his native country are just as scary as we move into increasingly accepting mindsets and heightened security measures see people referred to as “eggshells.” The response of strength in numbers also has Perfume Genius looking to create his new album in an innovative-to-himself manner, creating the melodies before the lyrics. His growth from nihilist to domestic bliss he admits doesn’t feel fully solid, but at the time it’s being focused on by the man himself and those observing prove important – that ascending joy with a gay backdrop is what the outlying masses need.

I take credit for the words and absolutely zero of the photos.

[bigbooksandhottea-blog]

Women Writers: Comics and Beyond

               This is, first and foremost, a literature course. This course specifically focuses on contemporary literature written by women, sometimes with a female audience in mind, but generally for the masses. It’s easy enough to describe the course itself, that is, as long as words like “literature” are generally agreed upon. However, this isn’t always the case, especially since in this course we will be studying things like comic books, which are considered by many not to be literary material.

               Since this is our first unit in the course, talking about comics as literature and how we define literature seems important. The dictionary definition of literature seems to be entirely occupied with the written word, ignoring the true purpose behind literature. Although, this is probably wise on the dictionary’s part, since bringing purpose into the mix has a tendency to throw things off balance. For example, I personally would consider literature art, as my definition of art aligns more with how Scott McCloud defines art in Understanding Comics, but at the same time, German philosopher Immanuel Kant defines art as necessarily not having purpose, which limits his ideas of what can be art to a purely decorative realm.

               If we broaden the definition of art into something that can serve a purpose, then literature becomes included. This is because literature must always serve a purpose to be considered literature. There is almost always some sub-context or deeper meaning involved in literature, regardless of whether or not it is comprised exclusively of written words. The common saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is a generally true one, although slightly hyperbolic. If this was universally true, I would simply be able to post a picture instead of this essay, but no picture could embody all that I am trying to convey, except of course, if I drew it myself.

               This is where comics come in, in the symphony between written words and sequential art. The art is most definitely the most important aspect of what makes a comic a comic, but the words provide the literary basis for the story as a whole. I personally cannot think of a picture that can tell a story as precisely as words can, and words can never have the same descriptive power as a picture, but combining the two results in both a clear and descriptive story that, if you’ve ever read graphic novels by Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman or Dave McKean, can truly be called literature.

               However, this class does not deal with the likes of Alan Moore or the vast majority of mainstream comic book authors. These authors get the vast majority of fame and acclaim, especially in the comic world. When asked to think of a prominent female comic creator, we are left with very few, the most well-known of which is probably Fiona Staples, co-creator of Saga. Which begs the question, why are there so few women getting recognition in comics?

               Until recently, comics were a “boy’s game,” often focused on white, male superheroes saving their respective cities from chaos. Many times, this chaos was at the hands of a woman, in fact, many of the most well-known Batman villains are women (Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy just to name a few). It was a time when a “strong female character” was one who broke the rules and brought madness upon society, someone who would eventually be beaten by the male protagonist anyway.

               This idea of the “strong female character” hasn’t improved much. For a while there was an oddly specific character type used to describe a woman who had no real purpose, drive, or passion, merely a few personality quirks that helped the main male character see that he didn’t have it so bad. This type of character became known by the term “manic pixie dream girl,” essentially an empty sidekick. The best excuse I can come up with for characters like this is relatability. Much like McCloud describes a certain simple, iconic style used in comic books to help readers relate to the characters, writers that do not have the ability to rely on pictures make their characters as broad as possible for relatability’s sake.

               Although I cannot rightly call it literature (despite having a strong abstinence theme) the Twilight series is a big offender of this, proof that female authors can be guilty of this as well. The narrator, Bella, despite being the supposed main character, is always playing second fiddle to her love interest, whom she shows an unhealthy obsession for. This is perhaps because she is so boring. She is described as relatively plain, white, brown hair and eyes, and a passion for literature and using big words incorrectly. Her most defining feature is her inordinate clumsiness, a cheap way to get women to relate to her, because let’s face it, everyone has tripped over their own feet at some point. It is not a personality trait.

               Gradually we shifted away from the “girl as shell” trope and female main characters became more popular in genres like young adult. However, this presented another problem. In the great tradition of young adult, books generally involved some sort of adventure or romance, usually both. Adventure stories generally call for a specific type of character, which for a long time has been portrayed as male. This means that female main characters such as Katniss from The Hunger Games and Tris from Divergent are more or less men in the bodies of women. Now, far be it for me to say that all women have to feminine or soft, but when you’re reading about somebody who’s entire existence is based off of physical prowess, it can be hard to see them as distinctive from their thousands of male counterparts.

               In this way, many modern writers have separated the female from the feminine. This is not always a bad thing, since all people (female or not) possess some feminine traits, just as all people (including females) possess masculine traits. But in the case of stripping out the feminine in its entirety and replacing it with the masculine, this is extremely detrimental to young people reading these books and thinking that there is nothing to strength besides the physical. This is important to everybody, not just women. Feminine traits have been deemed unworthy for so long that people of all genders have forgotten their importance.

               If the terms “feminine” and “masculine” as separate from “female” and “male” don’t seem to quite make sense, it is because the society we live in has issues with differences from what’s considered an acceptable norm; women are more emotional, men are more physical, etc. etc. etc. The feminine itself seems to be described rather well by Clarissa Pinkola Estes in Women Who Run with Wolves. However, even in this book (or at least what we’ve read of it), she limits this feminine power to women, as if men do not have the power to be intuitive or creative. Despite this oversight, I understand why it was done and why feminism in general seems to be non-inclusive of men.

               Women have been dependent on men for so long that now that they are finally able to show what they can do, it is shocking. Our culture needs this shock, it needs to hear what women have to say without the influence of men dictating their words. It might just be surprising how much we have to say.

Lily Allen’s got the spirit (nsfw/use headphones)

[shycrusadecollectionworld-blog]

Effective ways to Create A Strong Financial savings Fund

The other day I had a determined call coming from my good buddy, B. That was her man's birthday party & she would certainly promised him a covered he 'd never forget". If the pictures are actually clean, creating is sharp and also the profile review is appealing, this may draw in lots of brand-new fans. If you are actually going to utilize the amount of money for a first residence or to deal with an impairment, you can easily likewise stay away from paying out income taxes on profits for early drawbacks. However in Web Site , the dons from well-made, well-fitted tees, produced theirs in England from home-spun cotton and also still make a profit selling them for a 3rd from the cost. I have no money to begin and also especially no cash for a product that is a waste of time. Likewise, you can easily as well as ought to generate an example advertising think about private fundraising to offer your proponents a suggestion from exactly how they can engage in carrying out the fundraiser to genuinely raise the maximum quantity of money possible. Like the just recently arrested Russian family members, most of the killers were qualified to earn ample loan via legitimate ways and, rather, opted for an illegal way of life. This is feasible to create loan through blogging, however it will usually certainly not take place swiftly. When someone needs a minor duty to be performed-- such as checking the schedule from a product at a store or acquiring details from potential clients as component of a market research initiative-- they choose you to perform the work. Many thanks for discussing as well as permitting me to pass that on for that is actually SO true" laughs as well as standard education. Yes, loan will buy doctors as well as health care therapy, as well as depending upon the attribute from one's ailments, it could even redeem health. Or even if the team is your personal", completion result will still come to be a lot more meaningful if there's cash vulnerable. I am actually only beginning and truly cherish the suggestions I would certainly love to at some point make money doing something I enjoy so much! That is actually greater than any of its other shoes (including the seemingly unavoidable Stan Johnson), and accounts for 10 per-cent from Adidas' income in 2015. If the supplier includes trade-in market value, they could generate cash on the variation between exactly what they purchase your car and also what they acquire when they sell it. Yet individuals which carry out more prosocial costs," utilizing their loan to get factors for others and also to contribute to charity as opposed to obtaining factors for themselves perform experience a long-term rise in their happiness. Provided, they are actually likewise certainly not successful however,, yet according to info that is actually been mentioned regarding them, their sales are actually remaining to speed up, predominantly coming from their B&M sites, in contrast to online.

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A really excellent functional podcast along with great deals of wonderful workable aspects that you could start implementing today, so without further farewell, Elizabeth Elegance Saunders Ways to Spend Your Opportunity Like Loan." Elizabeth Poise Saunders, welcome to the program. There's little bit of point in providing customers rebated, however entirely unlikely prices packages only to remain in the activity if it is actually visiting cost you money and time in the end. Fortunately, I located an incredible way of sparing cash through devoting funds (smarter)! She is the writer from the book, Ways to Spend Your Time Like Loan." Today on the podcast, our company discussed opportunity debt, that emotion where you merely do not have enough opportunity to accomplish things that are crucial to you. 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The amount of funds you create is merely part of the tale; how you spend that money also creates a huge distinction. Under the hood you'll find a complete classic, however very reliable Ferrari V12, delivering 770hp and also seeming more like a Formula 1 automobile compared to a street auto. Yet others assume regulators remain in the wallets from exclusive rate of interests that do not want supplements on the market to begin with. This was Lifescan's hope that this agreement could possibly carry more research programs in to the lighting as well as from the black market. If you want to oppress the wealthy, invest in the broad market marks and merely keep them forever. Stop suggesting fat loss is actually the option to discovering clothes that match when it's certainly not and also - as a result of because brand names will certainly consistently reduce and also size in a different way - never will certainly be. Due to the fact that accomplishing this is actually not simply unfunny, this is actually detrimental. Removed of the hook of income by which to generate our people to follow their false management, they have turned to exhortations, pleading tearfully for recovered assurance. A bunch of people examine specialist startups like Uber as well as point out wow they cost Billions in an analysis but that indicates squat, they just in February introduced they were profitable. This is going to just never ever happen if these teams perform certainly not recognize and accept the thinking for relevant revenue sharing. Obviously therefore-- it is actually a daring statement to make, an opinion that only somebody in a posture of benefit may make; yet I understand-- I know-- that Dunham indicated no harm through saying this. Just what she would like to carry out was actually feel sorry for women who have actually aborted. ReviewMe - To get involved, you should have a weblog as well as this has to be actually active.

[viralhottopics]

Trump’s Impending Presidency And Rising China Sea Tensions Are Putting Asia On Edge

PERTH, Australia As the inauguration of Donald J. Trump approaches, a number of world leaders are making last minute moves, bracing for Americas new president and his unpredictable foreign policy methods before theyre fully solidified. Asia is no different. There is more going on in the region than Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillersons stray South China Sea comments. The looming possibility of an American retreat from the world and an escalating U.S.-China rivalry has nations busy, worried and watchful.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has made it clear that he plans to prioritize American interests as head of state, which could leave a vacuum for China to fill in Asia. But before Trump makes good on his promises (if he does) and Chinas President Xi Jinping follows through with the thoughts he offered at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week (if he does), regional players are complicating matters with both appeasement to Beijing and naval and weapons sales.

Vietnam is taking six more patrol boats from Japan and has indicated its intention of buying Indian missiles. At the same time, its top leader was in Beijing discussing peace and cooperation in the South China Sea as outgoing U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made a last-ditch attempt to shore up U.S.-Vietnam ties while taking the odd side swipe at China.

The looming possibility of an American retreat from the world and an escalating U.S.-China rivalry has nations busy, worried and watchful.

Whats next? There are a few possibilities, all of them requiring significant strategic calculations within Asia. There is a possible move away from One China and a far more aggressive presence that would essentially try to stop China accessing its newly built islands, but there is also talk of an American retreat from the region and a scaling back of bases in South Korea and Japan.

The spotlight thus far, especially in American media, has been on the U.S.-China war of words. Donald Trumps secretary of state pick, Rex Tillerson, made strong comments during his Senate confirmation hearing last week comparing Chinas island building in the South China Sea to Russias annexation of Crimea. His remarks that China would not be allowed access to those islands had many in Southeast Asia wondering exactly what U.S. policy in the region would be.

Handout . / Reuters

The contested South China Sea islands have been a source of contention among many regional players for years.

The bellicose Global Timesof China wrote, among many things in response, If Trumps diplomatic team shapes future Sino-U.S. ties as it is doing now, the two sides had better prepare for a military clash. The paper is state-owned but not a direct government mouthpiece. Its excitable belligerence reflects a hawkish element, but its editorial policy values the sort of color that gets its editorials re-reported widely in the West.

Regardless, the Taiwan factor remains, with Chinese media also saying this week, Beijing will have no choice but to take off the gloves.

But beyond Trump and China, the region has been busy the past few weeks getting things in order before Inauguration Day:

1. Japan and Vietnam are building on already strong ties

The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images

Shinzo Abe visited Vietnam on his recent Asia tour. 

The upcoming visit by PM Shinzo Abe is a good start for an eventful year in bilateral relations, read a tweet from Vietnams ambassador to Japan before Prime Minister Shinzo Abes Hanoi visit. Eventful is rarely a superlative sought in diplomatic circles, and the prime minister seems to be hoping against anything too eventful even as he bolsters Vietnams naval capabilities, with six expensive new patrol boats. We will strongly support Vietnams enhancing its maritime law enforcement capability, he said. Abes skittishness across the region in an apparent attempt to counter Chinas assertiveness was obvious, with some helpful checkbook diplomacy in Indonesia and the Philippines and a meeting with Australias Malcolm Turnbull in his recent four-nation visit.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership was also a focus of the visit and his meeting with Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Both are hoping the deal could still be salvaged in some form.

2. Vietnam is maintaining good relations with China and publicly discussing peace in the region they contest

Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

Hanoi and Beijing seem willing to play down maritime disputes for now. 

Meanwhile, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong has just visited President Xi Jinping in Beijing, at the latters invitation. A Xinhua tweet suggested they enjoyed a comradely tea chat. International media have widely noted the two nations issued a joint communiqu saying they would manage their differences in the South China Sea.

Thecommuniqu saidthe leaders opted to, manage well their maritime difference, avoid actions that complicate the situation and escalate tensions, and safeguard the peace and stability of the South China Sea.

This sort of rhetoric is not new both nations frequently favor cooperation but the promise to safeguard peace, and at such a high level, is promising. There is extensive bilateral engagement between the communist neighbors and that tool favored especially in communist nations, a steering committee, to oversee their bilateral cooperation. This is useful when managing disagreements.

3. Hanoi is also pushing Beijings buttons with other moves

Bloomberg via Getty Images

New deals by Vietnam may not be looked upon favorably by China. 

In recent weeks Vietnam has also discussed missile sales with India to Beijings worry and irritation; its state-owned enterprisePetroVietnam has signed a deal with Vietnams Exxon Mobil branch for the gas development in Vietnam, (Tillerson, you may recall, was chairman of Exxon Mobil).

The Indian arms sales are significant in that theyre yet another brick in a growing and comprehensive defense partnership. Its talk of selling the surface-to-air Akash missile system to Vietnam, an Indian-built system good at shooting down the kinds of airborne things China has been installing of late, that pushed a rebuttal in the Chinese media: China would not sit with its arms crossed. Previous Indian-Vietnamese cooperation has been sniffed at.

The Exxon Mobil deal is an important one as it will involve offshore gas exploration and will also irritate China. China has, according to reports from analysts, tried to intimidate Exxon Mobil into not investing in Vietnam. It is one area of U.S.-led cooperation faring better than some.

4. Obamas Pivot to Asia gets its final act

AFP via Getty Images

In his last trip, Kerry tried to salvage the TPP.

On the heels of hawkish comments by his likely successor Tillerson, outgoing Secretary of State John Kerry visited Vietnam one last time to highlight the importance of their growing relationship and promise, despite a deeply doubtful TPP, that free trade mattered for both nations. Though he skipped mentioning China by name, he did refer to countries big or small (big usually means China in diplomatese) and that all should refrain from provocative acts. Mostly, he tried to underline the importance of the growing Vietnamese-American partnership and the mutual commitment to free and fair trade (bilateral trade now valued at $45 billion).

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hopes the TPP has a last-ditch chance. But its loss has undermined trust in the U.S. at a difficult time. Phuc told Bloomberg last Friday, I still believe the new administration of the United States will reconsider its perspective on the TPP and will also try to achieve a new generation agreement that will benefit all parties concerned.

Donald Trump has not said much on Vietnam during his campaign. There were mentions of Vietnam doing too well out of trade with the U.S., to the latters detriment, but he has also said he looks forward to good cooperation in a phone call to Phuc last year.

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

Rex Tillerson’s comments about the South China Sea have many fearing confrontation with Beijing under Trump.

Tillersons hawkishness is not exactly useful from Hanois perspective. Vietnam welcomes stability, a rules-based order and an approach that will not antagonize China. An upset China may lash out and Vietnam is proximate. The reaction to the Philippines win last year in the Hague was, as I reported,muted. Chinese aggression is a problem for ties but also creates domestic issues like protests. Chinas violation of Vietnams Exclusive Economic Zone in April 2014 led to factories being trashed and workers killed. The factories were actually Taiwanese, but it didnt stop China evacuating many of its citizens across the border with Cambodia.

At the same time Vietnam has been clear in its desire for a continued U.S. presence in the region, useful possibly to balance or counter Chinese aggression but not to provoke it.

The extremes of either option isolationist or expansionist will throw many Asian nations into a further scramble.

So whats the future for Asia under Trump? Only time will tell and were mere days away from the unveiling of that reality. Guessing what the new administration will do is very imprecise science and professional predictors have been wrong about most of the domestic campaign. But the extremes of either option isolationist or expansionist will throw many Asian nations into a further scramble. Leaders and foreign ministers of nations with stakes in the game and a penchant for the rules-based order may just be getting their travel plans ready come Friday.

Related…

Avoiding China's Wrath, Philippines Defers Upgrades To South China Sea

U.S. Needs To 'Wage War' To Block South China Sea Access, Chinese Tabloid Says

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