#and since this is a comparison analysis i have to make it as fair as i can.

[ponett]

I don't think this has any actual direct implications for IDW Sonic, but something I noticed is that the IDW Gen 5 ongoing ended last year? Like they're still making Gen 5 comics, but it looks like they've pivoted to making a bunch of miniseries instead of having an ongoing.

I would say this is more of a sign of the general lack of enthusiasm for MLP G5 than a sign of how IDW is doing

They seem to be shifting the art style to match the 2D series on YouTube, since by all accounts that seems to be more popular with kids than the actual main show on Netflix, so the clean break from the old ongoing may partially be to account for that. As for the move to a string of miniseries, I have to assume they just wanna sell kids the TPBs of those miniseries as standalone graphic novels, hoping that the MLP-liking kids who weren't following the ongoing might still wanna pick up a random MLP graphic novel at their school book fair or whatever

By comparison the ongoing seemed to be aimed more at a mix of kids and older fans, jumping straight into an arc about finding Discord in the ruins of Canterlot and learning more about what's happened in the time between generations and watching him be sad that Fluttershy is dead. I have to assume adult fans didn't stick with it very far past that initial arc, if they even bought those - which is a problem for an ongoing, because kids ain't buying floppy comics in 2024. So if that's the case, trying out something different that might be more appealing to kids makes sense

This is my armchair analysis as someone who isn't even reading any of these comics, anyway

[hero-israel]

During Nuremberg Trial testimony, the prosecutor pressed Einsatzgruppen commander Otto Ohlendorf: “You were going out to shoot down defenseless people. Now, didn’t the question of the morality of that enter your mind?” Ohlendorf referred to the Allied bombings of Germany as a context:

I am not in a position to isolate this occurrence from the occurrences of 1943, 1944, and 1945 where with my own hands I took children and women out of the burning asphalt myself, and with my own hands I took big blocks of stone from the stomachs of pregnant women; and with my own eyes I saw 60,000 people die within 24 hours.

A judge immediately pointed out that his own killing spree preceded those bombings. But this would become known as the “Dresden defense,” to which Ohlendorf resorted still another time, in this exchange:

Ohlendorf: I have seen very many children killed in this war through air attacks, for the security of other nations, and orders were carried out to bomb, no matter whether many children were killed or not. Q: Now, I think we are getting somewhere, Mr. Ohlendorf. You saw German children killed by Allied bombers and that is what you are referring to? Ohlendorf: Yes, I have seen it. Q: Do you attempt to draw a moral comparison between the bomber who drops bombs hoping that it will not kill children and yourself who shot children deliberately? Is that a fair moral comparison ? Ohlendorf: I cannot imagine that those planes which systematically covered a city that was a fortified city, square meter for square meter, with incendiaries and explosive bombs and again with phosphorus bombs, and this done from block to block, and then as I have seen it in Dresden likewise the squares where the civilian population had fled to—that these men could possibly hope not to kill any civilian population, and no children.

Ohlendorf thought this defense so powerful that he invoked it yet another time:

The fact that individual men killed civilians face to face is looked upon as terrible and is pictured as specially gruesome because the order was clearly given to kill these people; but I cannot morally evaluate a deed any better, a deed which makes it possible, by pushing a button, to kill a much larger number of civilians, men, women, and children.

(The chief prosecutor, an American, called this particular iteration “exactly what a fanatical pseudo-intellectual SS-man might well believe.”)

At Nuremberg, this sort of tu quoque defense (“I shouldn’t be punished because they did it too”) wasn’t admissible. Still, in the verdict of the Einsatzgruppen Trial, the judges chose to refute it. “It was submitted,” the judges wrote, “that the defendants must be exonerated from the charge of killing civilian populations since every Allied nation brought about the death of noncombatants through the instrumentality of bombing.” The judges would have none of it:

A city is bombed for tactical purposes… it inevitably happens that nonmilitary persons are killed. This is an incident, a grave incident to be sure, but an unavoidable corollary of battle action. The civilians are not individualized. The bomb falls, it is aimed at the railroad yards, houses along the tracks are hit and many of their occupants killed. But that is entirely different, both in fact and in law, from an armed force marching up to these same railroad tracks, entering those houses abutting thereon, dragging out the men, women and children and shooting them.

The tribunal sentenced Ohlendorf to death. He was hanged in June 1951.

“In the last analysis”

Nuremberg enforced a fundamental distinction. All civilian lives are equal, but not so all ways of taking them. The deliberate and purposeful killing of civilians is a crime; not so the taking of civilian lives that is undesired, unintended, but unavoidable. The errors made by a bomber squadron cannot be deducted from the murders committed by a death squad. It’s a difference compounded many times over when those civilian men, women, and children are subjected to torture, rape, and mutilation before their murder. To borrow Khalidi’s phrase, “in the last analysis,” this distinction is what separates modern civilization from its predecessors.

More disturbing is the thought that it separates the contemporary West from its peers. Otto Ohlendorf and the regime he served did all they could to conceal their deeds from Western eyes. Nazi Germany still operated in a West founded on Enlightenment values. So massive a violation of a shared patrimony needed to be hidden from view.

In contrast, Hamas initially sought to publicize its deeds, assuming they would win applause, admiration, or at least tacit acceptance in the Arab and Muslim worlds. Here they succeeded beyond their expectations. The many millions who don’t share the West’s patrimony, and who know next to nothing about the Holocaust or Nuremberg, do see things as Khalidi says they see them. (So, too, does a sliver of alienated opinion in the West, where such views are cultivated and celebrated.)

Finally, and still more disturbing, is the fact that Ohlendorf’s defense has been revived to frame the massacre of Jews. 

[ghostflowerhotpotch]

"A token to remember you by"

I know this topic has been talked a lot, and I sadly don't think I can make a proper analysis because there isn't much to say.

But I'm one sappy bastard and this blogs primarily focus was always to me to gush at stuff.

You know? When I saw the movie for the first time, I thought she really came to talk to her dad, and then chicken out at the last second.

Don't ask me what the heck was going with my eyes that day because it literally show straight up. Specially since is establish from the first movie that this picture is important to her.

You know I think is a testament of something that when Miles is talking about how every time he feels alone, he remembers the friends who get him.

And Gwen is doing the exact same thing.

This sentiment translates into the next movie, with Gwen remembering Miles constantly, and deciding to turn the picture into a polaroid.

I really found this interesting because nowadays people rarely have physical pictures (My mom had tons of photo albums back home, so the importance of keeping a token of a moment has always been present in my mind.) I have no idea how easy would be to turn a digital picture into a polaroid, but the fact that she put that effort when nowadays is doing it says a lot to me.

But even that pales in comparison to the moment I am actually talking about.

I think everyone has been asked at least once, "If your house was burning and you only have time to save one thing, what would you save?"

I always had a bit of a hard time answering that question myself; what has more meaning to me? What is the thing I knew if I lost tomorrow, I would regret not keeping it with me?

For Gwen, is obviously this picture, and I think once you reflect about the context of the situation, this just becomes more obvious.

Let's remember in what kind of situation she is, or at least the one she thinks she is trapped in right now.

At this point? She is homeless, OFFICIALLY homeless. To be fair I think she already was the moment her dad pointed a gun at her and needed to run, but even then I hesitated to call it that since she probably had a room or something at the Spider Society.

But at this moment? She has nothing; she doesn't have any friends (She has never referred to her band as such, even if I honestly think they would had been there for her if given the chance,) nowhere to go, and is stuck in a dimension where she has been accused of murder.

She doesn't have a way to travel to another dimensions (as far as she is aware,) meaning she cannot contact Hobie or Pav, or go out looking for Miles.

And what she does in this situation?

Get Miles' picture, and that's it, that's literally the only thing she went to get.

I wouldn't discard that she would get more of her stuff once the apartment was alone, to be honest it would probably make more sense to get some civilian clothes at least so she could have a change with her. Going into the apartment when she knew it was alone, so she wouldn't had a chance to get arrested would be more logical.

But none of this is about logic.

In a moment of desperation, all she cares about is getting that picture back, she is risking so much by doing this but none of that logical danger matters to her as much as it is having that back.

Because at her lowest moment, she looks for Miles for comfort, even if it would probably hurt like hell look at his face knowing what happened the last time they saw each other; she clings to that picture and the memory of him as the only comfort she has left.

Not her father, not Peter, him.

That last line was a good way to end, but while rewatching this scene, I realize that at any moment, we see Gwen putting the picture away, meaning she may be carrying it with her when she goes to other dimensions.

I wonder if Miles would have the chance to see it, and know, how much he matters to Gwen by how much that picture means to her.

[dendrophalaen]

my thoughts on godzilla minus one

tl;dr i had a religious experience (positive) and it may be my new favorite godzilla movie

i'm going to try to organize my thoughts lmao i have never done a film analysis or review

story

i went in knowing next to nothing, so i was very afraid this was going to be heavy on the imperialist propaganda and reminiscing on the "good old days" of the japanese military

however i was pleasantly surprised to see that it was quite anti-government :]

loved the delivery of the themes of "all lives being precious" and "living on for yourself as well as for the sake of others" – not hammy or blunt!

FORESHADOWING OF THE EJECTION SEAT? chef's KISS we love picking up what the movie is putting down and getting to see the payoff

speaking of foreshadowing:

dr. noda: [takes noriko's picture]

me: oh no she's going to die

i spent like the last quarter of the movie with a headache because i was clenching my teeth and holding in tears after noriko's death ("death") AND koichi planning to blow himself up and orphan akiko

and all the ex-navy guys rallying together to defeat godzilla

i am not immune to classic story beats

semi-related i thought noriko would be covered in radiation burns, but then i realized a depiction of that would probably be insensitive

also the guys measuring radiation in plastic costs? come on now i know we weren't fully educated in the risks of radiation but there must've been some sort of better ppe

characters

i enjoyed like every character which is rare for me in a godzilla film

koichi just can't catch a break. this man gained so much trauma in a short amount of time, like he doesn't have ptsd because the trauma is ONGOING. i think he's my favorite and it's very easy to root for him

his introduction is of him as a shaky baby-faced pilot and then you find out he was supposed to be a kamikaze pilot like goddamn

i liked noriko's assertiveness ("hey i'm staying in your house now :)") and her ability to see kindness in koichi and sumiko

her struggle of wanting to become independent is very relatable. you could see the bittersweetness in her eyes showing that she felt guilty yet grateful for koichi's support........

i was surprised how quickly sumiko agreed to taking care of akiko? but it makes sense since she was (is) a mother and could not bear to see another child suffer, and akiko gave her life a new purpose

i would've liked more focus on the female characters and i don't think it's fair to just blame it on the era :playdead:

i really liked the chemistry between dr. noda, captain akitsu, and mizushima

dr. noda in particular felt like a nice foil/parallel to serizawa from the 1954 movie; he's also a scientist but he's much more personable(?)/"human"

dr. serizawa was my favorite in 1954 but he was very anguished and set on making reparations by killing godzilla (and koichi could be a parallel to him in that regard)

noda focused on protecting the living, not avenging the dead

ough mizushima. being a Youth who feels useless sure hits home

i'd say tachibana is my least favorite just by comparison to everyone else, but he's honestly so valid for his whole deal

visuals and sound

very elegant color grading, costuming, and set design!

i don't know film girl help

GOOD SOUNDTRACK the music set the scenes so well

i joked about getting my eardrums blasted by godzilla but he really was that loud. as he should be

godzilla (design, abilities, etc)

SWEET JESUS THIS IS THE SCARIEST GODZILLA BY FAR

godzilla: [shows up in the first 10 minutes with blair witch shaky cam]

me: the filmmakers are not messing around they mean BUSINESS

the rampage on odo island was rightfully terrifying

i love his texture and face. the scrunkliness of heisei with the horrifying pain of shin

i think his head is a bit small for his body, like if it was 5% bigger it would be perfect

loved the visuals of his scales flaking off after getting bombed

the nuclear fallout when he used his atomic breath in tokyo was awe-inducing

great use of godzilla as a war allegory

i saw the movie in d-box so the shotgun-blast of heat ray was intense

also coolest godzilla death. sick decapitation

the plan to imprison him in bubbles and give him the bends felt a bit silly in the moment but highlighted how desperate everyone was for ANYTHING to work

really liked how godzilla was more like an animal or unstoppable force of nature without a clear motive

i mean the only emotion you could ascribe is probably RAGE

sidenote i did think it was a lil funny whenever an object was flung through the air from offscreen. there goes godzilla having another tantrum

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Robert Reich:

Friends, A few weeks ago, at a rally in Nevada, Trump told his followers that boat manufacturers are now required to use electric engines. He claimed that someone at a boat company in South Carolina told him, “It’s a problem, sir. They want us to make all-electric boats.” (There is no such requirement.) Trump then said the South Carolinian warned him “the boat is so heavy it can’t float. Also, it can’t go fast because of the weight.” [...] I ask you: Is this the speech of a rational human being? But how much attention did this incoherent ramble attract in the media? Very little, especially in comparison with the nonstop media assessment of Biden’s verbal stumbles during the debate. Trump is showing growing signs of dementia, but isn’t facing nearly the same scrutiny as is Joe Biden.

[...] These are not isolated examples of Trump’s incoherence. During the last several months of Republican primaries, Trump repeatedly claimed that his opponent Nikki Haley was in charge of Capitol security on January 6. (Haley never had any connection to Capitol security.) He has repeatedly confused who he ran against in the past, such as stating, “With Obama, we won an election that everyone said couldn’t be won.” (Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016.) Trump has confused Biden with Obama so often that he’s had to put out a statement that the slips have been intentional. 

[...] True, Biden has occasional difficulty keeping his train of thought, as we witnessed during the debate. But Biden has gotten major bills passed. He’s been negotiating with world leaders. In terms of running the government, Biden has been functioning as well if not better than most presidents. And what of Trump? As president, he accomplished nothing except dividing the country with his paranoid bloviation, and since then has mounted an attempted coup against the United States. It’s Trump — who has a family history of dementia — who’s increasingly unhinged.

[...] But just because Trump has shown mental instability in the past doesn’t make his mental problems any less relevant now that he is seeking reelection. They’re more relevant. He appears even more delusional than before. If Biden’s difficulties are fair game, why isn’t Trump’s apparent mental decline front and center? Biden may appear frail, but he’s rational. The growing evidence of Trump’s dementia and paranoia, on the other hand, poses a clear potential danger to the future of America — if he’s reelected. At the least, the media should be investigating and reporting on it. Right?

Robert Reich’s analysis on why the press is ignoring (or downplaying) Donald Trump’s real cognitive decline problems over the past year or so while hyping up Joe Biden’s smaller cognitive declines over that same period is a must-read.

[loutalks2much]

before I speak I just wanna admit and apologize that I have not continued my gameplay on hpma whatsoever ever since my last update... oops

someone should make some sort of analysis on MC's personality or overall character because there's something about them that's so intriguing to me and I don’t know what it is ???

like the other characters have such interesting stories and each of them are the center of attention in a given year. but MC still somewhat stands out to me in a way

like they’re more of a supporting character- sometimes they barely talk (well, in comparison to the rest of the cast), and are somewhat mysterious yet so so SO normal. like there’s nothing particularly special about them; they’re super nice, sweet, brave, and fair—additionally somewhat charismatic and occasionally cheeky. idk what about them captivates me so much 😭

to me, it sometimes feels like the MC is their own character rather than me as a player but they’re also still a blank slate if ykwim?

they’re so?? enigmatic and you barely know anything about them other than they’re muggleborn. yet you can’t even find anything to be suspicious about because all they’ve ever done is risk their lives multiple times for their friends. probably to other people (seperating the in-game MC from people’s OCs) MC's like... ok, I guess- a typical and somewhat too bland of a main character. but something about them is so interesting to me and idk. I can’t place a finger on it,, it’s so weird to me 😭 like even now I haven’t played hpma at all in such a long time but out of all the characters, it’s MC who somehow stuck to me the most

[moonshine999]

Aegon and Gold 

Side note : this is a very mixed up “analysis” that sort of combines both show elements as well as some popular fan theories/assumptions since we barely had time with the character (may I remind you all, to possible infuriation, that we never saw Sunfyre up close). So yeah <3

So I do think it is said quite a lot that Aegon would wear gold to honour Sunfyre and what not and I do believe he would happily do that, it’s just he can’t.

Okay so first let’s just get straight what gold can mean for him. 

Yes of course, it’s the colour of his most beloved dragon. They aren’t strongest dragon - rider bond in all of Targaryen history for nothing. Sunfyre was able to kill dragons much larger than him, defended Aegon in crisis and would not go down without a fight even when he was on the brink of death. Looking at the larger picture I think Sunfyre represents a sort of freedom for Aegon. To fly anywhere he’d like, on his own terms, never to be found and be freed from these shackles of duty that he (initially) does not want. Sunfyre also symbolises him finally having bonded with someone. His father acted as though he didn’t exist ; his mother was too young and pressurised to shape him into a worthy heir (and taking whatever means it takes to do so). His dragon is his very first true bond, him claiming the dragon alone is proof enough that he is a worthy Targaryen (in his head) 

Other than Sunfyre however, gold is also the colour of the first dress we see (a grown up) Helaena in. His lady wife and younger sister. Now going off the show alone, sadly we do not have any scenes of them together but in context and background clues alone (Helaena laughing at his taunts at Jace, Aegon getting jealous when she accepts Jace’s offer, Helaena looking at him with pity/worry when he is crowned - knowing what this means for both of them and so on) I do not think that their marriage is a utter disaster (as some fans suggest). Gold is the first impression of his wife, the mother of their three children. Who do you think he had the courage to vent his heart to when he got too drunk in their shared rooms? Who do you think he constantly sends gifts to, as an apology for not being around? Who do you think Alicent brings up first when the Dyana situation happens? (“think of the shame on your wife..on me”). I do believe that Helaena is some source of happiness for him. It may have taken years to develop a strong bond ,as he did with his dragon, with her but they are there. After three kids and six kingdoms to manage, I think it is fair to assume that they get along fairly well.

Now obviously there is a lot more to Helaena and Aegon’s marriage than “getting along fairly well” but for the convenience of the post and the topic at hand, I have had to make it somewhat more concise. 

So Gold is definitely a positive colour for him. But one thing that is not gold is the very symbol of his title, claim and rule. His crown.

The crown of the conqueror is black with the red ruby in the middle. I’ve also heard some people call it a dark silver (which would be the direct contrast to gold). So while gold represents his freedom and happiness, silver (the direct contrast) or black (the title colour representing the opposing faction) represent the cage of duty he has to put himself in for his and his family’s safety. During the coronation itself, he does not wear dark green (as he did earlier) or gold (even though he may prefer it) but rather black to represent this in a way. 

In comparison, the crown worn by Rhaenyra (the key figure of team black) is gold. And I think arguably Rhaenyra (even as a Royal woman in Westerosi society) has more freedom than Aegon.

Also the gold crown of The Old King was also worn by Viserys. I do not think that in Aegon’s perspective, his father was a source of happiness in any way. But what could have been, was his crown. Gold and the symbol of King Jaehaerys I, someone who had a long, relatively peaceful reign over Westeros. Since the idea that he was to inherit the throne was put in his head so early, he must have thought about it quite a bit. He did not want it of course but if it had to be done then perhaps, he would have desired a reign like the Old King’s. (Not to mention, he and Helaena named their first borns after Jaehaerys.)

A few comparisons to my Alicent “analysis” : 

So similar to Alicent leaving her childhood memories with Rhaenyra behind when she became queen (abandoning the colour blue), Aegon also leaves his freedom behind when he becomes king (not wearing gold or green but black)

Both her eldest children and now king and queen (Aegon and Helaena) are following her patterns and reaching their breaking points and have had a shift in their wardrobe to symbolise as such.

[great-cats]

The Compress Analysis (1/?)

(From: This Post) Ⅰ - Ⅱ - ...

Introduction

I’ve seen quite a number of people put forth their Mr.Compress analysis, so I figured I might as well pitch in. Do note that while I will try to keep this as canon analysis-y as I can, I may very well veer into “what I wanted him to be as a character” or “this is more headcanon than canon” territory. Since he’s a character with less than satisfactory coverage in the canon (when it comes to his actual character) I’m totally allowed to do that, of course (because I said so.) So, what is it exactly that leads a man from a relatively straight path to the depths of…whoops, wrong script. So, what went into the guy? What devious mixture of character traits makes up one Atsuhiro Sako, and how has the way in which those traits were fostered or hampered in his life made him into the man he is today?

Part Ⅰ: The Personality

We all know Mister to be a fellow who has quite the way with words. He’s humorous even in the midst of battle, has a knack for complaining, and loves a good monologue. But, besides his showman like attitude (which is mostly a byproduct of Kent Williams’ playing of him in the Dub anime, and not nearly as present in the Sub/Manga…), who is he really? Below the flamboyance and keen intellect, he’s a reckless and cowardly individual who, despite his claims, is quite prone to getting attached and leaping into the fray for others. He chastised Twice for getting attached, and yet he jumped at overhaul– yes, the guy who makes people explode with one graze –without thinking for the sake of his peers. Perhaps he had only wanted to preserve the league because they were his best ticket to furthering his own goals, but its still one step (or leap?) closer to him getting more connected to those bastards.

We know he’s a coward, though. That’s pretty common knowledge after his lines throughout the various arcs in which he got into a scuffle or two. The aim of this post is to delve a bit deeper into that sort of thing. He’s a prideful, cocky man with way too much apparent confidence in himself. We can even see that in his chasing of the Harima legacy, which is objectively much larger than just him, and quite possibly out of his reach. And yet, he pursues this unfeasible goal as if it’s something he can accomplish (with the league’s aid). But more on that later. What a lot of people miss about Atsuhiro is his rudeness. On multiple occasions he asks things of others without so much as a please, ridicules even his allies, and overall acts quite rashly for a man who seems so mature. That’s not to say that he isn’t mature in comparison to the league, but he does have his fair share of faults that make him wildly imperfect. On the other hand, he borders on being mildly pacifistic in his actions. He’s not a man who relishes in violence, misery, or even petty theft. He’s a fellow who lives for the big, flashy, ideal spectacle, and not so much the more cruel villain-y traits (again, more on this particular stuff in another section)

Enough about all his flaws, though. He’s a man who, while being a crook, holds righteousness in rather high regard. It’s one of his main goals in life, after all. He’s extremely loyal to his ideals to a stubborn degree, which makes him be able to persevere through the pitfalls of society and take things into his own hands (or hand). Personally, I don’t really see him all that malicious in his actions. He maims/kills people out of self defense from what we’ve seen, and doesn’t cause harm unless warranted or otherwise necessary. And even then, he hardly seems to relish in it. He can be rude, but that doesn't prevent him from being warmer with the league on occasion. This is especially true for Toga, AKA the youngest member of the league (that saw it past their debut arc. Sorry Mustard). He's vaguely parental but again, in a reluctant manner that still tries to reject attachment. He gets along with Dabi surprisingly well and even acts as a voice of reason for the burnt up gentleman. But, he has no particular interest in clearing up his daddy issues or anything.

A big thing that comes to mind for me is "what makes Atsuhiro excel in his field? Why hasn't he been caught after all this reckless cockiness' Well, for one, he’s a deceitful fellow who keeps all his cards close to his chest even with all the boasting. He can talk a hero's ears off, but seldom does he actually reveal any personal info in doing so. As seen when he first debuted, the man has good strategizing skills and is armed with an innate ability to misdirect and distract audiences from his true intentions/actions (unfortunately, we don’t see nearly as much of this as I’d like). He can even shield his own emotions with both an expert handle on his body language and tone. But besides that, he really hones in on the concealment of his facial expressions provided by…

Whoops, you'll have to wait for Part Two for that one! Come back later for some more incessant rambling featuring the topic of "The Mask" I will post it at some point but considering the hour is getting late, it may very well take a few hours.

[1moreff-creator]

Happy Birthday Nico Hakobyan!

Meow meow! (Our favorite cat person's birthday has arrived!)

Mrow. (As always, small character analysis + fun facts + songs!)

CW Transphobia, bullying, blackmail, death threats, murder attempt

-Nico is the Ultimate Pet Therapist! This is because, as they've explicitly stated, they like interacting with animals more than humans. They feel as though there are many unwritten rules of human conversation they don't fully understand, while animals are a lot simpler by comparison. Mood.

-Their secret may also play into why they prefer interaction with animals. It was "No one accepted you for your identity. You were constantly mocked by your family, your peers, and everyone else." Basically, people made fun of them because they're non-binary, to the point apparently they threw rocks and mud at them :(

-Speaking of secrets, the quote on Mai's page associated to them is "Everyone confided in her." Presumably they came out to Mai out of their own will, instead of being essentially outed by David (which is one of the many morally wrong things with David's whole "sharing secrets" operation, but this ain't about him).

-And speaking of secret quotes, the one on Nico's page's source code is "Why should I own up for the mistakes that someone else made?" A bit vague, and one which will probably only make sense with future context. Although, it may actually be referencing something we already saw.

-Time to talk about The Gym Incident.

-Ace got Nico's secret at the start of CH2, and because of his own set of issues, he decided to use this power over Nico to bully them relentlessly. Now, Nico also got Ace's secret, but for one reason or another never brought it up. Possibly because they had a "better" idea for how to stop the bullying: in the heat of the moment, Nico threatened to kill Ace. I mean, killing the guy is a lot simpler than the blackmail equivalent of mutually assured destruction, and we know how Nico feels about complicated social rules and norms.

-Thankfully Hu stepped in before things escalated further, although her method might have been, uh, flawed. Giving her friend the benefit of the doubt, she blamed Ace for everything and slapped him. Which, yes, Ace was horrible to Nico. But the death threat should probably be addressed, shouldn't it? Or should they "not be forced to apologize for someone else's mistake?"

-One thing led to another, and Nico tried to kill Ace in the gym.

-To be fair, the whole situation is still surrounded in speculation, but they have admitted to it. To be clear, I don't actually think this is the situation their secret quote refers to, since they did say "I shouldn't have done that" in the trial, so they presumably feel enough remorse to feel like maybe they should apologize, even if Ace is far from blameless. Or maybe I'm wrong and this is the situation the quote refers to, who knows.

-Additionally, they never denied stealing Rose's turpentine to pull this off, so it's very possible they did.

-Oh, yeah! Nico and Rose and friends :D (or at least they were before the turpentine thing). They shared an FTE, which only had a 0,4% chance of happening apparently :O

-It's a very sweet one, where they vibe for a few minutes without talking, then call each other cats, and talk about their issues with communicating their feelings. It's revealed Nico has a pet cat named Tractor (because he meows very loudly), which is pretty old, and that they miss other cats they knew before the killing game. Also, when Rose brings up she's scared of what she knows because of her memory, Nico drops this while thinking of the killing game:

Nico [thought]: Everyone here probably is afraid of themselves and what they might end up doing.

Foreshadowing is a narrative device-

-Their numeral in the the David MV is VIII (8), which is "even if I try to think, IDK!!!". Explained at 1:58:22 in this video, though it's not too complex.

-According to Color Theory they get light blue, with the words "cry, cry, idk!!!" I don't think I need to explain why this applies to Nico, who might actually have more crying sprites than the rest of the cast combined (I don't think that's true, but you get the idea). Mood.

-Their birthday, December 19th, lands on National Hard Candy Day, National Harry (yes the name) Day, National Oatmeal Muffin Day, and National Emo Day, among others. At this point I'm no longer surprised by these things.

Fun facts!

-They like cat-themed things and dislike bathtubs. Cat behavior.

-Like most of the cast, they're American, right-handed, their sexuality is unconfirmed and their hair color is natural.

-They don't have a favorite color, as they are not interested in such things, but their least favorite is white. They find it unsettling.

-Nico cuts their own hair, as stated in their FTE.

-Their favorite ice cream flavor is "the flavor." No elaboration. Mood.

-They smell like a kitty-cat.

-Their favorite food is unprocessed and natural food.

Songs!

(I was really tempted to give them some of Muu's songs from Milgram, but whether or not they work depends on what their secret quote actually means so :p)

+The Chattering Lack of Common Sense by Ghost & Pals

+Scapeg∞at by Ghost & Pals

+God-ish by PinnochioP

+Karma by CreepP, CircusP

+Nobody Makes Sense by PinnochioP

+Monster by KIRA (listen evil Nico lives rent free in my head ok?)

+The Spider and the Kitsune-Like Lion by MASA Works Design (So about the evil Nico thing-)

+And Happy Birthday! Sung by kitties of course.

(Wow I did not have a lot for them rip)

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Gus Fring

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Breaking Bad is known for its fantastic cast of characters, all of whom have some level of critical acclaim and iconic status. Seriously, go to Wikipedia and go to any character’s page from the show (basically every major character has one) and look at the “Reception” part, pretty much all of them are universally beloved. Chief among that crowd is the only villain in the show to give our rascally villain protagonist Walt a run for his money, the criminal mastermind that is Gustavo “Gus” Fring.

If you think I’m going to do anything other than add to those heaps of praise, you’re surely mistaken; I love Gus as much as anyone else who has seen the show. But where most are willing to overlook certain aspects of the character that don’t work so well because he is cool and gay, I acknowledge those flaws and love Gus anyway. We are not the same.

Motivation/Goals: Gus is a businessman, plain and simple. Be it Los Pollos Hermanos or his secret meth business, Gus wants perfection in every aspect of his professional life. That being said, he’s a pretty fair boss, and if you pull your weight you will be rewarded; he treats his employees at Los Pollos Hermanos so well that you know the show takes place in a fantasy world, because no boss is that nice. And he was way too lenient with Walt all throughout that man’s career working with him.

Of course, Gus is also driven by revenge. Don Eladio, Hector Salamanca, and the rest of the cartel are responsible for the death of his lover Max, and Gus refuses to rest until the entire operation has crumbled, with only him left standing tall and Hecor lefty broken and crippled to be finished off last as he’s the one who pulled the trigger. It’s a very classic villain motivation, and it helps give a little bit of sympathy to a character who is otherwise too cold and mysterious to really delve into the mind of. At any rate, it makes it very easy to root for Gus and cheer him on as he plays his supposed superiors for suckers and orchestrates their downfalls all while coming up with dozens of plans to cover his own ass.

Performance: Giancarlo Esposito has such an air of elegance and menace to him when he’s playing Gus. You can really see why he man ended up typecast after this, playing cunning antagonists, because he really kills it here. He does have one incredibly major flaw, though: He’s not a native Spanish speaker like Gus is. This leads to pretty much any point where Gus is required to speak the language falling flat, especially since most of the time he’s up against actors who are actually fluent and even if you’re not a native speaker you can pick up on how clunky he is in comparison to Michael Mando or Tony Dalton.

Final Fate: Gustavo Fring got outplayed by both Walter and Hector, and the result is perhaps one of the single greatest villain deaths of all time.

As many have pointed out, it is genuinely hilarious how Gus hated Hector so fucking much that he refused to die in the same room as him. And hey, maybe this isn’t very accurate to how a person would realistically look after taking an explosion directly to the face… But it’s one hell of a cool visual. Sometimes it’s better to check realism at the door for the sake of symbolism and cool prosthetic gore.

Best Scene: I think it is genuinely hard to top Gus’ awesome moments, even if he doesn’t ever really get an entire episode of focus. I think his crowning moment, the moment where we as an audience and Walt as a character learn that us is not even remotely fucking around, is his silent preparations before he comes up to his lackey Victor and violently slits his throat in “Box Cutter,” before equally silently getting dressed once more. Right before leaving, he simply says, “Get back to work” before leaving a stunned Walt, Mike, and Jesse behind.

There’s also Gus taking down Don Eladio and all his capos in “Salud.” It’s such wonderful, beautiful vengeance, and it’s all made better by the fact Gus poisoned himself, went to the bathroom, neatly placed a towel on the floor and knelt down on it, and then induced vomiting. This man would pick the fruitiest way imaginable to save his own life.

Finally, there is his scene in “Fun and Games,” the first and only time we see Gus just out enjoying himself. We get to see him pretty obviously flirting with a sommelier, but as soon as the man leaves for a moment Gus makes the decision to commit himself fully to his mission and rule out the possibility of love again after what happened to Max. This is the moment where we see Gus fully become the man we know him as in Breaking Bad, and it’s honestly pretty tragic. He could have been happy if he’d just let go some of his hate, and maybe he’d even still be alive.

Final Thoughts & Score: Gus is one of the best villains ever to grave television, and considering he’s in a show filled to the brim with some of the greatest villains ever devised, that’s really saying something.

Part of what makes him so genuinely great is just how utterly unknowable he is. Over the course of both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, he is almost like a god of the criminal underworld, untouchable and mysterious. What very little tidbits we get of his past paint a conflicting picture that could mean any number of things, and at every other point he manages to command respect and fear from all those around him, with those not wise enough to do so ending up dead by his masterful machinations. It ultimately makes the single scene where we see him not doing business, the one where he flirts with the man at the bar, so much more impactful. We see that Gus has rejected his humanity, his chance at ever being happy again, so that he can be consumed by his work and his vengeance. Gus is what he is by choice.

It’s why, even if it’s not really “good” that Walt won, it is so satisfying and cathartic. Gus spends his screentime pulling off superhuman schemes and feats of vengeance, orchestrating the deaths of the entire Salamanca family and his own cartel superiors, and yet he is done in by an absolute bumbling buffoon of a criminal like Walt. It’s a classic case of David and Goliath, with the untouchable adversary being taken down due to viewing his foe as so far beneath him that he didn’t realize he was screwed until it was too late. Gus was sadly too smart for his own good, never bothering to consider the erratic chemistry teacher could ever pull off anything big enough to defeat him.

With all that, Gus gets a 10/10. With how much I love Gus and how I consider him one of my favorite villains ever, you might be wondering why I didn’t bump him up to a 10.5 to denote him being a cut above the garden variety 10. Well, Gus has one issue with his character that I feels really hampers him in crucial moments: His inability to speak Spanish. Giancarlo Esposito, despite being an absolutely fantastic actor in every other regard, does not speak Spanish and needs his lines given to him phonetically. Native speakers have called his accent stilted and unnatural, and it has led to moments that should be epic and powerful such as his monologue to Lalo before killing him becoming nonsensical gibberish to trained ears. Considering that character is a native Spanish speaker, this is an absolutely unforgivable and glaring flaw. It certainly doesn��t ruin the character, but it does hold him back just a little bit.

But it really does speak volumes that as soon as Gus is taken out, the quality of the villains just plummets. The final season has Walt facing off against a bunch of Nazis and fucking Lydia, the annoying businesswoman. The final season is still peak, but boy are those villains living in Gus’ shadow. In spite of his flaws (or, well, his singular but rather major flaw), he’s still one of the greatest villains in television history, and is up there with Walt and Saul as the greatest villains in the series.

[tomedonaki-hakujou]

COMPARISON OF SYNTHV VS CEVIO KAFU

(FROM THE VERY LITTLE SCRAPS WE HAVE RIGHT NOW LOL)

turn up your volume!

from this trailer -- the difference is EXTREMELY subtle but i'm pretty sure it's there!!

and for good measure, here's one with a high-pass filter:

my analysis on this under the cut!

both synthV AI and cevio AI are, at their core, AI singing software, that means they'll have similarities in how they process voices -- we just don't have a fair means of comparing them until now with kafu!

because the tuners of SV kafu were close to the originals, it makes it even harder to tell the difference, but when i heard marshall maximizer i was absolutely certain this was SV kafu we're hearing. there's a certain clarity to SV kafu's voice that cevio kafu doesn't have -- instead, she has a bit more of the "engine noise" -- or to put it simply, roughness. i always felt like part of marshall maximizer's charm or sound signature was taking advantage of kafu's engine noise and being a bit "hard to hear" the lyrics -- which became almost totally absent in the clarity of the SV version.

another tell-tale sign of this is listening for the breaths; in "phony" SV kafu doesn't breathe as much on "nazo nazo" while cevio kafu does! this is because of cevio's auto-breaths versus SV's manual breaths. cevio breaths are more sharp, while SV breaths are more subtle/light/shallow. her releases on the "nazo nazo" are quite different.

i'm also pretty sure on "jealousies" the tuning is just straight up different? there's a vibrato/waver on "jera jera" on the original that isn't present in the SV version. cause why would they tune an entirely different cevio version for the synthV trailer if this wasn't the synthV voicebank.

for "cute girlfriend" i can't hear as much differences. it's definitely up to how well you can hear a synthV versus a cevio voice. or maybe this highlights how despite the differences in the engines, AI processing is still AI processing -- it's just how kaf's voice interacts with an AI. kaf's voice, in general, has a certain trait that i think is a bit more amplified with the cevio processing, but that trait is still audibly present in the synthV processing since it's an innate part of her voice.

i've always felt a bit vindicated? or alone? in being able to tell vocalsynth voices apart, but it IS one of my specialties to be able to pick out what makes certain voices distinct from others, and to be able to pick up on those subtleties -- once you're aware of those subtleties, it sounds all the more obvious what the differences is. it's easier to tell the difference between two entirely different vocalists, like kafu and rime, or sasara and futaba minato (despite the horde of people who say they sound "exactly" alike) -- but it's a bit more of a challenge to tell the difference between the same vocalist, just on different softwares; and especially if they're making such an effort to preserve the same or similar charms of the original cevio kafu onto SV. this also proves to me that the main charm of kafu isn't quite the engine noise, it's the formant-shifted vocal and the AI processing of kaf's voice. even in synthV, as realistic as it is, it's still AI processing, it's not perfectly 1:1 with real voices.

of course we're inevitably gonna get (especially overseas users) kafu SV works that take advantage of the "gender" parameter and tuning to make her sound more like kaf, but the fact the official kamitsubaki team is placing an emphasis on keeping her close to cevio kafu is a huge win in my book.

then again maybe i'm just stupid again and all of this writing was for naught... who knows, that's probably the case since i'm almost the only one who can hear these kinds of things, so it makes me doubt myself if i live in reality ;;

[kerubimcrepin]

Liveblog 7: episode 4

Sorry for the long wait. First I had finals in uni, then I spent a week drinking and replaying disco elysium after celebrating new years eve, sooo yeah. But, for now, until the exams, I am back.

Let's begin! :)

Joris is so quick to find him and look at what he's doing. I love how dedicated he is to it. Kerubim is just... immediately tired.

Glad to know my fic's characterization of him being tired of Joris's questions the second they're asked is still holding true.

Very well said for the guy whose house even, after cleaning, is a major death hazard. But ok.

I LOVE YOU JORIS. I won't read too much into this, because there really isn't much here, but really, Joris knows how to manipulate Keke.

Manipulating adults is kinda THE thing kids have to learn. He's very good at this.

To come back to the past post's Lou Divorce Theorising, it's important to note that both of them were equally unhinged and prone to breaking up with one another. A very deep and meaningful relationship.

We will see later what he means by "It's not my fault I have fans," in the depictions of his relationship with her that aren't censored by him being the storyteller.

AKA the fact that mostly, it means him cheating on her. Lol. I'll talk about it during one of the most important episodes of this entire show.

Anyway,

The thing is that, despite how awful they are together, he really does love her.

He can't really stop playing the role of the macho playboy who gets all the chicks, even for love, because that's his entire self-esteem, but it doesn't mean the love isn't there.

(Something-something, I will elaborate on the role of masculinity in Kerubim's story, and how it worsens his already bad, uh... mental everything. But that's a talk for not-the-literal-fourth-episode-of-the-show.)

When he thinks about her, he thinks about her silliness first and foremost, instead of her looks. Even after they part ways, he blames himself for decades. And that's love.

To be fair to him, Lou can't stop manipulating & stringing him along herself. Neither of them is a very good person.

As I've said, thats a very, uh, deep and meaningful relationship they have here.

God, I really, really love the art style of this show.

"My very own puppy-girl was catomized" that's a whole ass new sentence that's never been said before.

ANOTHER character analysis moment: What really bothers Kerubim the most isn't saving his lover, but being The Hero, especially to her. And I really think it says a lot about him, even if he does love her.

He just immediately starts congratulating himself on being a good boy, and asking her if she also thinks he's a good boy. His self-esteem is so, so bad.

Another theme of the show that is introduced early on is luck, and Kerubim's relationship with it.

I think Ecaflip just got tired of watching Keke suffer, honestly.

She only likes him on her own terms. When she gets to make him feel indebted, or lucky, but not as if she were a damsel and he were her savior.

It makes their relationship sort of one-sided, but it's far from the thing that is most toxic about it.

Let me be pretentious about this for a second, since this shot composition WAS chosen by someone, and put into the show on purpose.

The whole shot, including the two of them, is blue: the color of being non-confrontational, stagnant, and predictable. It can mean honesty and deceit, being unforgiving or free, and most of all, it is a color that often represents sadness and loss.

They are walking on water here, which is the first thing that one might notice. I will not reference the bible, in a cartoon analysis, but it does conjure up connotations of being at one's prime, and having the strength to do anything.

In comparison to the clouds which surround them, they seem like giants, walking through the sea, which conveys well how his youth must have felt — the whole world is on a platter, and his strength was larger than life.

But the storm clouds surrounding them above and below, in turn, just seem even more giant and looming.

It also brings to mind the connotations of the saying "to have one's head in the clouds." Absentminded, unknowing of the facts of the whole situation.

Overall, this shot puts their relationship well: They were young, beautiful and capable together, travelling the whole world, — but in the end, their bond is marked by sadness, because they were never willing to address their faults in time, and it drove them apart.

And most importantly, the colors disappear when she slaps him, so in a way, it is a very romanticized view on things.

Pretentious tangent over.

This is our first clue in the show that Kerubim might lie and change the stories he tells, but it is also our clue to take what we are shown seriously regardless.

True, everything shown might be in-universe fiction, but despite Kerubim's narration, we get to see exactly what happened here. So it's best to just take things as they are presented, but with a small grain of salt.

There's something to be said about the way they are both walking towards more of these storm clouds, or the way she is walking to the left (in cultures with languages that go from left to right, characters walking to the left often symbolizes moving towards the past and stagnating), with him running after her, but eh. I think I may just be reading a lot into it.

It is still fun though, no?

This whole show, in a way, he is chasing the past, telling stories of their lost love. And in a way, he'll always be chasing after her, no matter how doomed their relationship was.

Though it's a very bleak depiction, compared to one that will follow later in the show.

...Perhaps, judging from some concept art, he'll keep chasing her that way, even centuries after she stops living. But that remains to be seen, if Waven takes us there.

If that's the case, it just adds a layer of tragedy to their relationship.

Even if she never left him, they wouldn't be able to live together forever. She was mortal. He is not.

And that's all there is to say on the matter, I suppose.

(This is a small edit from future me: Kerubim can't stop talking about Indie and Lou in Dofus MMO, even though it happens 200 years after the show. Which is depressing. But I'm still waiting for him to talk about them in Waven, to decide just how depressing this all is.)

[hoperays-song]

Analysis of Johnny's Character Design Pt.1

CW: Discussion of malnutrition, poverty, and childhood hunger

So, one of the first things that you notice about Johnny in terms of character design is how small he is. This is incredibly noticeable in Sing 1 when you compare him to his family, with him barely reaching his dad's shoulder when standing flat on the ground.

However, while that could be dismissed as Marcus being older, we do see Johnny around gorillas who are implied to be close to his age in Sing 2. And he is still noticeable shorter than them.

Now, most people's first thought would be that Johnny might be a different subspecies of gorilla. After all, those all have different height and weight ranges. But, we actually can't use this line of logic here as Johnny has been called a Mountain Gorilla. Which is the second largest gorilla subspecies in the world. And the least endangered gorilla subspecies are smaller than Mountain gorillas. Meaning that yeah, he should be much bigger than he actually is.

So why isn't he? Well, as I discussed in my analysis of the gang and why they likely turned to crime, Johnny and his dad would likely be below the poverty line, even with money from their crimes. Meaning that they would not have money laying around to cover their expenses in the slightest. And one of those expenses would be food.

There isn't a ton of research in malnourishment of gorillas that I found readily available online (which I think is probably a good thing since that means its not that common in nature so yay), so I will just be using the common indicators from humans and other great ape species.

Some of these indicators however, are blatantly obvious on Johnny once you know what to look for.

Hair Thickness and Shine

The first thing that is an indicator that Johnny is malnourished is his hair (yes, Gorillas have hair, not fur). Hair is actually used a fair bit by people in healthcare as a way to se what the potential health problems a patient is facing. Common things that can be diagnosed with hair as a symptom are things like anemia and thyroid issues. However, as your hair is very dependant on your health (think about those multivitamins that help your hair as well as other parts of your body), it is a way to see malnutrition.

When you are malnourished, your hair becomes brittle/course, thin, and dull. It loses pigmentation as well. It also tends to fall out, with hair loss being a huge indicator. And while we never see Johnny actively losing hair in the movie, we see the rest of the indicators.

See the similarities in the texture and shine quality of the hair? The child's face is censored for their privacy of course, but that photo comes from an article talking about malnutrition and childhood hunger in Nicaragua and is a before photo from their program.

But let's look at Johnny's hair real quick. It's very brittle/coarse looking but not thick. The coarseness might make it seem that way, but look at his hand. The hair is patchy, as if it is very thin and has been falling out. The dullness of his hair is pretty obvious, though, it does appear shiny due to the spotlight. Again if you look on his hand, it has no natural shine to it. The lack of pigmentation is going to look the most different between species obviously, but it's import to point out that Johnny's hair is way more brown here than we see it in Sing 2, aka, a loss of pigmentation. His hair is pretty bluntly saying he's malnourished.

However, these effects can be fixed! Typically, in a lot of cases that is, these effects of malnutrition on hair will disappear (or start to) after six months of nutritional stability. Which makes sense when we see Johnny in Sing 2! I put the time of the movies to be about a year apart, and this makes sense with the changes in Johnny's hair. It's thicker, no longer course, and has a shine to it. The amount of brown has evened out more naturally into his hair, looking more like natural highlights in comparison to a loss of pigmentation as it did earlier. These changes are especially obvious when you look at Johnny's hands. The hair there looks full and isn't patchy, and is the place where we can easily see the natural shine. Johnny has been eating regularly for at least six months. His hair has healed.

Posture

Now, this one is not used at all from what I can see online (or from when I bugged my medical friends) as an actual diagnosis aid. And I will admit the original study on this was conducted a very long time ago. However, several medical institutions do still seem to list diet as a thing that can effect your posture, so I'm going to run with it (I do not have a medical degree, I just know wayyy too many doctors).

The thing that effects your posture in terms of nutrition is your vitamin intake. Several vitamins, namely vitamin D and calcium, are essential for bone health. And your spine, surprise surprise, is made of bones. If you do not consume enough of these vitamins, your bones become weak and supporting body weight is difficult, leading to you likely having worse posture than normal.

And in Sing 1, which character has arguably the worst posture I have seen in my entire life? Johnny.

And again, this is a thing that changes drastically between the two movies. And is absolutely something I want to contribute to the clear change in the amount of food this kid is eating.

Sorry, this was the clearest photo I could easily find. But! Look at that difference! There is still a slight curve, which is in most people's posture, but it has greatly improved. His bones, muscles, and ligaments are getting the amount of nutrition they need to actually work properly and support his body.

Size/developmental Milestones

Now this is the most obvious one and the thing that kicked off this research deep dive. Johnny is obviously smaller than his father and uncles in Sing 1, who are the same subspecies as him. However, I will agree, that is not a fair comparison. Marcus, Stan, and Barry are mature adults and have finished growing. Johnny is still a juvenile-young adult in the gorilla lifespan (I place him as 17 in Sing 1).

However, that does mean Johnny should be closing the gap with them, or starting to, in terms of height and weight. But he clearly isn't. In fact, we see that he hasn't grown by Sing 2 either, when gorillas around his age are very clearly bigger than him.

Malnourishment stunts the growth of children significantly. In fact, that is typically one of the first signs doctors look for (think of how your height and weight are checked at every doctor visit). This effects millions of children worldwide every day and it is very very important to remedy this as quickly as possible.

Why? Because as a whole, stunted growth is largely irreversible. While the child can recover weight pretty easily, height isn't the same. Even if they do eventually get nutritional stability, it's unlikely that they will actually grow to the height they could have been before. And I feel like that is a prime example of what has happened to Johnny.

While in the year between the two movies Johnny has clearly had nutritional stability and has largely recovered in terms of health, he hasn't grown much, if at all. And Johnny is 17-18 years old (by my estimate, he could be as old as 19 in Sing 2 but that is the eldest I'm able to believe), he should still be growing. However, again, when we compare him to other gorillas his age, he is significantly behind in growth. And will likely remain that way his entire life.

So...

In summary, I believe that, despite the drastic measures taken by Marcus, Stan, and Barry to support him, Johnny did grown up malnourished, resulting in his growth being stunted. This malnourishment was replaced with nutritional stability in the year between the two movies, likely while he was in foster care and the debt of the garage was payed off by Nana or another capable party. Despite this dietary change between movies and Johnny's newfound health, his growth had been stunted for long enough that the damage was irreversible, leading to Johnny being so noticeably small compared to other gorillas who are around his age.

------Mentioned Analysis------ Gang's reasons for crime analysis:

[forkaround]

BL Fandom is QUEER

So, I wanna make my individual post about Playboyy too. Throw my hat in the mix.

For reference check out this and this post by @lurkingshan, @waitmyturtles, @technicallyverycowboy (I hope I've linked the first post right)

Strap up coz I don't think anyone is going to like what I have to say.

To the point of the first post:

Camp:

I can see Playboyy being Camp but it's not very good at that. Why am I saying this? Because without Den having tweeted it's Camp, I doubt anyone would be saying it's camp. In fact it's one of the first things you see when someone is saying Playboyy is Camp - that Den said it. If it was clear from the get go that clarification wouldn't have been necessary. I don't put any stock into what a writer tweets about. I only care what the show is telling me. And the show is saying 'I'm not very good at Camp'.

But I don't think this is a Cheewin problem. I don't think it has anything to do with his direction. Cheewin has produced stable pieces of work. SCOY, Bed Friend, SML, War of Y, etc. But then again, a director can't save a bad script.

As for the sex scenes I believe they are supposed to be like that. Mostly because the team can't quite figure out how to do underwear adverts.

Themes:

waitmyturtles has talked (In a diff post) about Playboyy working with Huge themes and I'd kindly disagree. Wealth Disparity has never been a new theme in Thai BLs. Though sex work is new, it's new only to BLs. What Playboyy is doing, the ground it's playing in, while it's revolutionary for inside the BL fandom, it's not particularly new outside of it. Why I bring it up? Because even then it's doing a bad job. They aren't reinventing the wheel and yet it's lacking.

I understand that this show is about sex work but I doubt it's target audience is sex workers only.

I think I've mentioned this before but if Playboyy just had a once over on the script I think it could do a better job to be a show. (No matter what genre or vibe you write, there are some basic elements to writing that are not being obeyed here, like characterization.) Den has been busy this last year, he had War of Y, Man Suang and Only Friends before this. All very heavy things. It's understandable that one can get tired. It would have been better if he has a second writer on this show especially since there are 16 episodes.

To the point of the second post:

I think even today BL fandom refuses to or at least often forgets that the people at the forefront of BL fandom, the people watching Playboyy and Last Twilight and Pit Babe and The Sign, are queer.

No one who is straight or doesn't like gay stuff is out here watching gay stuff. And no one who is watching Playboyy is here for a romance or 'chaste and tastefully abstract NC scenes'. We've all seen the trailer. We all know what's coming.

Playboyy can and should be compared to Only Friends because Den worked on both of them. We might as well compare Playboyy to War of Y (written by Den, directed by Cheewin) and Man Suang (co-written by Den). It's a fair comparison.

SandRay weren't a good couple. Neither are FirstSoong.

This show annoys me because it has potential. If it choose a thing to do it would have direction. But what it lacks is logic.

And yeah you can say camp =/= logic or whatever, but if I can disprove the claims this show makes with a single google search I think it deserves to be called out.

BL fandom is Queer but this show is Khichadi.

I might make a writing analysis of this show but I'm too sleepy rn. GN.

[spaceorphan18]

Glee Musical Retrospective: You Can't Always Get What You Want (Sectionals)

Sung by: New Directions Original Artist(s): The Rolling Stones

Oh where to begin with this...

Story Analysis

You can't always get what you want But if you try sometimes, well, you just might find You get what you need

There's a set up for this song earlier in the episode -- where Will is talking Finn into returning to New Directions, and tells him that he can't always get what he wants. Which inspires Finn to pick this song for their big sectionals number.

Thematically - the song works for the story, and works for the whole concept of Glee. In life - you can't always get what you want (hence the general popularity of the song). But sometimes you do get what you need out of your circumstances.

Finn doesn't get the girl - but at least he still gets to be a leader and have those who rely on him (and bonus not having to be a teenage dad).

The glee club doesn't get to rise to the top of the hs hierarchy but, they at least get a family in which they can safely be themselves.

Even Will doesn't get a working marriage - but at least he finds that love still exists.

The song is very on point for the message the show is trying to create. The world sucks - but at least you can find people who are like you enough to make it worthwhile. Glee has never been a subtle show - and this song hits the nail on the thematic head a bit hard.

And I went down to the demonstration To get my fair share of abuse (Singing, we're) Gonna vent our frustration (If we don't we're gonna blow) A 50-amp fuse

Understandably - they don't sing any of the verses that are more related to drugs and drug culture. By the do include the one about civil rights. While it's not a one-to-one comparison, it makes sense that the ND would sing about standing up for being different -- getting shoved down because of those differences and singing about how they want to be them anyway.

Technical Analysis

So, fun fact - apparently Dijon Talton, Harry Shum Jr., Heather Morris, and Naya Rivera helped with the choreography for this number - I wonder if the scripted line about Matt, Mike, Brittany and Santana doing the choreography was a nod to this.

That said - the dancing here is a bit rough and loose. It's intentional (and I'm just completely sidestepping away from the conversation that it's in anyway believable that the ND could pull this off hours before) but it does feel more like the kids bopping around the stage haphazardly than any cohesive dance number.

The cast sounds fine, even if it's a lot of the same arrangement of group numbers we've heard consistently throughout the Front 13. Finn and Rachel lead the group, with Mercedes coming in at the end with that big note. The back up vocals are blocky - and while yes, in the style of a show choir, feels (as usual) too big to be just twelve voices. It's a fine number - but maybe it's me personally - it's one rock number that I don't know if works in its translation to show choir number.

Just a couple of minor things -

The cast is hilariously over the top happy in this number. I can't tell if they're breaking or laying it on too thick.

I can't with the audience standing up as if it were a rock concert. I'm already beyond having to suspend my disbelief for this illogical plot, the audience just breaks my brain a little.

I should mention the ending bit - the hands raised as a call back to DSB.

vs. The Studio Recording : It's becoming apparent to me just how much other sound mixing they do for the episode performances - such as adding audience cheering, atmospheric sounds, etc. Also - there's about another minute of added song. But instead of including the other verses - there's a strange turn in the song that feels very Glee-ish, and less Rolling Stones. It was kind of unexpected since most of these songs have been diligent copies of the original. I wonder if there was a note that the original lyrics were a little too risque but they wanted a longer version of the song?

vs. The Original Version : There are a lot of different 'original' versions of this song - including the one on the album that features a choir - which Glee does mimic in its own performance. I linked one that has a really young Mick Jagger in it, though, cause I thought it was kind of fascinating. Of course - the other thing that picking one of these classic rock songs is a nod to Don't Stop Believin' - the song that set the tone for the series. Glee, of course, does a very much watered down version of it, and unlike how Glee's DSB feels inspired and magical, I think this one feels a little more Kidz Bop-ish.

Anyway - I did a whole deep dive into the original inspiration for the song, and what the verses mean (the chorus is, perhaps, pretty self explanatory). I couldn't find one single account - even Mick Jagger has conflicting thoughts on it. But a lot of it revolves around dealing with culture at the times -- and a lot of it drug culture. As I said above, it doesn't surprise me that almost all of these references are cut from the Glee version - which I have to wonder if it was a note from the network, or a choice that Glee itself made.

[the-valiant-valkyrie]

why wigfrid's magmatic skin sucks butt and why it needs a redesign a week ago

a (disproportionately) long and detailed analysis

DESIGN WISE (INDIVIDUALLY)

Being a sequel to the gladiator skins- and, obviously, the Forge event that originally introduced them- it’s perfectly logical to harp on a more fiery motif than the previous, more barbaric warrior approach they went with previously. On top of that, a consistent theme with the Magmatic skins is the use of gold accents, which Wigfrid already has in her main aesthetic anyways. You could logically assume, then, that it would be no small feat to mix red and gold (colors she already has regularly) into a cool looking brawler-type outfit, right? Wrong. You would be wrong you would be the wrongest you’ve ever been in your life. Observe:

The biggest and most obvious flaw with this design is the overbearingness of the saturation. Absolute misuse of the color yellow- especially when compared to the red and the glaring white of her skin (which can not be altered since that’s the shade that white skin tones take within this game, meaning that all skins should be built with this tone in mind). There is NO place for your eyes to rest here! All of the colors are simultaneously battling for your attention. Also, you really should never make gold that yellow like. ever. Gold always has orange hints to it, it’s not giving a gold, or even a brassy feel. It’s evocative of plastic.

DESIGN WISE (COMPARATIVELY)

I think the fairest skins I can use to compare the Magmatic skin to are her classic skin and her Forge skin. Classic is applicable for obvious reasons, but since Magmatic was supposed to be a follow up to the Forge, I think it’s perfectly fair to see why one fails and the other succeeds.

Notice- even beyond the point of Magmatic’s sharp increase in saturation- a particular feature about the palettes of these three skins. Magmatic contains the least amount of color variation here. Even less than her original skin, which is only four colors. A skin that’s supposed to be more unique and lucrative to the original is sporting less (and worse) color variation.

Speaking of the quality of the colors, when compared to the other two skins you can notice something else about the colors. Her original and Forge skins have a complementing palette, meaning there’s not really any particular color that feels out of place amidst each other. While one could argue that the contrast between all three of Magmatic’s colors could stand on its own as a half decent palette of colors, they weren’t used properly enough for that point to matter! The other two skins sport a healthy use of all three colors, where Magmatic completely swallows the outfit in bold, clashing tones without any regard for tasteful splashes that wouldn’t melt your eyes out. “But Savvy-” I hear you calling into your electronic devices, “-But Savvy, you’re looking at the portraits. That doesn’t really matter when you’re critiquing the skins themselves!” first of all yes it does bc when people are drawing characters in skins they hardly ever pull up the skin itself; they pull up the portrait, since it’s usually more detailed. But the Magmatic skin still fails to be as good as its predecessors within the actual game sprites!!

Outside of her original skin (which is supposed to be stripped back in comparison to the others, obviously), the other two skins do gain a bit more color variety than their portraits would suggest. Where Forge gains an extra two (technically three) tones, Magmatic only gains one. “One is better than nothing thou-” no it isn’t and here’s why.

The extra tone Magmatic receives is a deeper shade of red- meant to separate her hair from her clothing, which the portrait would suggest is the same shade (and, just as a side note: that candy cherry red in the portrait is abnormally bright. Considering that her in-game hair color is the exact same as her regular and Forge skins, it’s a mystery why they chose to portray it that way). But if we actually take a closer look at that deeper red, we can see some orangey tints to it- a little bit of a natural rustiness. This is good, in a vacuum- some more natural tones would very much be appreciated in comparison to the hot colors we’ve previously received.

But there’s no point to the different shades of red. They’re so far away from each other that you would barely notice in casual use. Compare it to the Forge skin, where three different shades of red overlap to create some fun visual contrast. The strip of paint to draw your attention to her eyes and face, the deep burgundy of the twine that holds her hair back, or the strips of her helm. The color difference is useful, and employed in a way that highlights just how much color variation there is, and how it's used to its full potential.

And if you think I’m nitpicking, yeah, I am. I have to. Because there’s only four colors, and one of them is useless. 

Another thing I think is an absolute tragedy is the misuse of armor. Out of all the cast, Wigfrid and Wilson are the only two characters to include armor in their Magmatic skins at all (pardoning WX, who is made of metal already so I don’t think they count). And where Wilson can get away with only having some shoulder pads, half a chestplate, and… a groin protector?? Wigfrid absolutely can’t.

Just LOOK at her Forge design. The 3D-esque effect of the helmet as it grips to her head, the scaling of the arm protection that drapes all the way down to her wrists, the detailing on her gloves, the attention devoted to the legs and feet even with their lack of space to utilize, the strips of leather that bound everything together. Wigfrid is a warrior, she was born for badass armor designs, and Magmatic completely dropped the ball.

A body devoted mostly of what looks to be red cloth of some variety, accented few and far between with a chestplate sporting a singular strip, what appears to be a sash that keeps the golden texture somehow, and hands and feet that sort of just look like she took a little dip in mustard. Where I can appreciate the design that went into the shoulderpads, it pales in comparison to the Forge’s dedication, and for a skin that’s supposed to be Forge Two it’s a major miss. 

DESIGN WISE (AS A WIGFRID SKIN)

To me one of the biggest issues I have with this skin is that it doesn’t really feel as though it harps on any motifs, themes, or design choices that are really evocative of Wigfrid as a character. I can appreciate the attempt to harken back to her helmet and the wings on it by bringing that motif back in her headband, shoulderpads, and feet. However, not only do I find it to be a bit of an overuse of the design (it’s just one trope stapled onto her three times), but I find the bird aesthetic of her headpiece to be confusing as well.

Certainly, Valkyries in Norse myths are hearkened to and compared to ravens, but even if its meant to be a raven carved into the front, the bright gold is such an un-ravenlike color that it kind of just turns into looking like a generic bird of prey. The attempt to conform so heavily to one attribute of her aesthetic ends up taking two steps back, instead of even half a step forward.

But really, what’s most jarring about this skin to me is the hair. Wigfrid’s usual twin braid look is the one defining feature that makes Wigfrid’s profile look like Wigfrid at all. More- I would argue- than her head and body shape.

If I were to ask you which of these two characters is Wigfrid it would take you less than two seconds to tell me. But if I were to show you, for instance, a silhouette of her Verdant head (JUST the head, not the rest of the design here since we’re just focusing on hair)-

-I would be surprised if you could tell me who she was at all. And even then, it would probably be more the fault of the leaves that frame her head rather than anything particularly indicative about the hair itself.

More often than not, Wigfrid’s skins conform to this motif of braided hair. And even the ones that don’t will usually stick to one of two ‘back up trends’ to vaguely keep her silhouette recognizable. They’ll either:

Keep the hair shorter, but still frame the face symmetrically 

Or- in the case of specifically her Refresh skin- keep the hair braided, but let the style get an asymmetric twist

Even when the skins don’t stick to the trend of twin braids, you can at least make a case for why they wouldn’t be doing so. Her Roseate and Triumphant skins are braided back to give the illusion of a more refined air, and even then, the nubs that stick out from behind the back of her head hold symmetry. Her Refresh skin, while only having one braid, excuses itself with its focus on a more aerodynamic and sleek appearance- which comes through in the posing of the portrait specifically.

The twist on her Forge skin’s hair was perfect; a slightly wilder look at the ends, tied together with some sort of twine or leather. It gives the look of needing to make due with resources at her disposal, keeping her hair in check and a little more out of the way without dampening the impact of the warrior feel.

But not only is her Magmatic hair inconsistent from the portrait to the in-game sprite (the portrait makes it resemble more of a ponytail, while the sprite doesn’t show any sort of layering between the back of the head and the dangle of hair), and not only is it asymmetrical with no stylistic benefit, but the style itself is completely purposeless! It doesn’t make a statement about the situation she’s currently in. It doesn’t tell a story or fit aesthetically with the rest of the design. It doesn’t make Wigfrid look or feel like Wigfrid at all!

AND ALSO THEY FORGOT HER GAPTOOTH IN THE PORTRAIT!!!!!!!!!

PAIN AND MISERY ONE THOUSAND YEARS!!!!!!