#but that depends on the series and the audience reception also

[devilsskettle]

something i like to think about is like. looking at the trajectory of a film series and trying to interpret the writing decisions based on what the filmmakers are responding to at that time in the culture and what they pick up on to continue from past movies in that series and what they leave behind as they move forward, and if those decisions work and why they work or don’t work and how critics and viewers responded to each film in the series and why. and it just so happens that the easiest and most fun movies to do this with are “low brow” horror series with a lot of sequels lol especially from the lens of looking at sfx and design

[obaaaa]

Important message

I'm not going to post the numbers here because it won't help anything, but the ratings for the season on TV has been really REALLY rough, and the tendency is to get worse this month, with the return of big shows. Let's be realistic that we don't know how AMC will make a decision to maintain the series. how the project is thought of in the long term.

Cable TV is still the biggest revenue source for channels. We know that amc tv's audience is niche and it conflicts with a queer show, MW's S1 itself had a better reception than IWTV's S1 (unfortunately this is the reality) At the very least, the show depends a lot on amc+ and the platforms that also sell it, we know amc+ is far from being a top dog streaming platform.

I don't know what the situation is with iwtv on the amc+ charts, and its position with the most watched ones, but I hope it's enough. Subscribing and showing show your interest in the series is important... I really want the show to continue but the situation is very uncomfortable.

Sometimes the fandom gets too involved in fights about couples, decisions, character behavior, and forgets that the show is a product, and needs support. so stream, engage on all the Immortal universe and amc social media, it' all fundamental

[sorenblr]

since we're on the subject what are your honest thoughts on eva. me personally i think its really great in a lot of ways but also completely full of shit and really falls apart when analyzed non-emotionally (in more ways than just it's *extremely* loose Christian theming)

I think it's fantastic, at least the original series and EoE. Many of the criticisms commonly levied against it are justified- this is a series that castigates its otaku audience for leering at its grossly sexualized portrayal of adolescents while at the same time constructing one of the most vociferous merchandising apparati ever conceived around exactly that purpose- but it's greater than the sum of its defects.

In the matter of broad aesthetics, direction, and composition, I would place Evangelion near the apex of the medium. The industry mechanism necessary to create something that looks like this simply no longer exists. The philistine reaction against the long takes, which would elsewhere be recognized as part of the basic grammar of any serious film, is a credit to Anno's sensibilities as director. There aren't any characters that I particularly dislike, and I think Shinji and Asuka are near to brilliant. And the first thirteen episodes are simply exceptional, even fairly undemanding genre fare. The fucking Israfel one is just an outstanding episode of television. The dramatic idiosyncracies that the series is known for don't manifest in greater quantity until the latter part, which is I imagine where less receptive audiences will start to check out, but I think they're both necessary complements to the whole.

I think about Eva-02 catching that missile to the face on a semi-regular basis. The entire MPE scene is one of the most compelling pieces of animation ever put to film. This and the Gouf battle from 08th MS Team around the same time are the acme of the thought that emphasized plausible heft and momentum in mechanical animation.

The extent to which the original series is celebrated as 'deconstructive', or as a radical departure from previous, less 'cerebral' works, is grossly exaggerated and I think dependent on a historical ignorance of the genre. That isn't to say that it's complete equivocation, but Amuro's first character arc in 0079 is going catatonic after being compelled to fight in the ambulatory war crimes machine, and Pen Pen is not some sort of embedded reflexive criticism- he is a fun penguin who basically loves to hang out. Much of the thematic material is indebted to Ideon-era Tomino, who was at least as catastrophically depressive as Anno during the period of his most prolific cultural output.

The greater innovation in Eva is its radical orientation towards psychodrama, which I think does finally reach a deconstructive apogee in EoE. Still, the basic theme of the series, the communicative impediments to human intimacy, is also the overriding concern of the first several incarnations of Gundam- but only Evangelion will have a character literally describe the hedgehog's dilemma aloud. So a lot of the perceived deconstruction is a maximal treatment of what was marginally less explicit in earlier works, and I think Anno's direction does produce striking and beautifully affective turns on that material. But the old joke that this mecha anime is about the characters is still descriptive of the entire genre. This isn't meant to be a criticism- I think it's infinitely more engaging to consider Eva as the ultimate Lost Decade continuation of earlier forms than some sort of iconoclastic rupture from tradition.

The Judeo-Christian imagery is another point of radical continuity with hyper-influential genre fare, in this case Ultraman. Anno's recent directorial output is enough to evince the tremendous debt owed to the series, but whereas the religious iconography was a genuine article of faith for Tsuburaya, in Eva the material is valued more for its aestheticizing effect. It was only when transplanted to a Western audience that the desacralized treatment of religion assumed a transgressive quality that happened to be a perfect 'in' for adolescents nationwide. Shinji is a Midwest emo icon and I can make an AMV of the series set to Chop Suey by System of a Down? This phenomenon is, to me, more interesting than the actual thematic connections the series draws from myth, which is certainly not what the thing is 'about' in any case.

Also, I am an episode 25-26 truther. EoE is great but the television finale is its obvious complement. If you're out here telling people to watch EoE immediately after episode 24... grow the fuck up! bitch!!!*

*parody parody

[mythriteshah]

The Higuri Regalia - proud allies of Abbiocco Fine Dining - is pleased to announce the return of: The Mythril Showcase!

As a refresher to those uninitiated: this fashion show was created during the twilight days of Menphina Madness to provide the frequenters of the Etheirys Blitzball League an opportunity to show off their acumen in style outside of the Blitzsphere. Since then, Thiji Higuri - the merchant-lord and fashion nabob himself - has tested the skill and daring of haute couture hopefuls through various themes.

This time, The Regalia will be teaming up with Abbiocco Fine Dining ( https://abbiocco.carrd.co/ ) to provide an exclusive venue that will open with a sneak-peek of the upcoming clothing line! Select outfits from this arcane collection will be showcased only during this night, and will not be seen or sold anywhere else until the official release of the line. So don't miss out!

(Additional information will be provided closer to the event date!)

With two successful shows now under the Regalia's belt, the deciding of the next theme was opened to the public via poll to give proper closure to this turn; now the results have finally arrived. The theme for the third Mythril Showcase will be: "Kingdoms of the Far East." This inspiration takes from the popularized culture and history of Othard, namely during its warring periods in Hydaelyn's timeline. (TRANSLATION: this cosplay contest is based off the Dynasty Warriors/Samurai Warriors/Warriors Orochi series)

Those who wish to participate are welcome, and will be handsomely rewarded with a glamour weapon of their choosing for their efforts. This time, however, there is a twist: as there were warring factions during ancient times, so, too, will there be specific glamour weapons tailored to them! They are detailed below:

Wei: Knights of the Round/Susano

Wu: Rubellux/Tsukuyomi

Shu: Smaragdine/Shinryu

Jin: Fae's Crown

Other: Warring Triad (Sephirot/Sophia/Zurvan)

Samurai: Four Lords (Seiryu/Suzaku/Byakko)

Orochi: Hades/Seeing Horde

(NOTE: If the faction of the character you are portraying as does not contain your desired glamour weapon, you are allowed to choose from another category. It is advised you do your research beforehand to prevent confusion.)

 The top four winners will receive far more greater prizes:

4th Place Winner: An assortment of Pixie, Archangel, and Statice's Wings!

3rd Place Winner: An Island Adenium Whistle!

2nd Place Winner: A Shishioji Flute!

1st Place Winner: A Voucher of the Higuri!

(Translation: a commission of your character in the desired outfit will be made!)

(Note: Additional prizes may also be given depending on the quantity of participants!)

The event will take place on Friday, December 22nd at 7PM EST (Doors open an hour prior) - the day of the Winter Solstice! The location: Abbiocco Fine Dining in the Goblet, Ward 14, Plot 35 (Diabolos World). Whether you wish to spectate, or show off your own Power in Beauty, all are welcome to attend!

Contestants will be judged based on a variety of categories on a 1-to-10 scale.  For the sake of fairness, these criteria will be made known to all.  They are as follows:

-Emulation: Cosplaying - as accurately as possible - a certain character from a particular source of media (game/show/movie, etc.)

-Adherence: Remaining within the scope of the theme.

-Embellishment: Complimenting your outfit with accessories and other small details.

-Stage Presence: Your ability to “strut your stuff” via actions or emotes.

-Reception: How well you command the audience’s excitement and attention.

*-Innovation: Any additional nuances to your entry (using minions, reciting lines, etc.) for extra points.

(You may request to sign-up to compete by utilizing this form: https://forms.gle/Xty9CFEdD3aVq3wWA. Sign-ups will conclude prior to the contest’s commencement - 30 minutes prior to showtime.)

[fandom-blahs]

Just some thoughts

Just some thoughts. ....

ASOIAF as an IP not being overly saturated to the general audience and the years between GOT and HOTD def helped the reception and success of S1 HOTD.

Idk about the other shows they want to make, including the animated ones. At that point the burnout or oversaturation will be very real but will something like the Yi Ti show "feel" like ASOIAF or like just a grimdark anime. With HOTD it's a bit obvious that nothing really has to "feel" like GRRM's writing and in fact for many that's a good thing. I'm saying that based on how people responded to book readers who were disappointed by certain aspects of HOTD only for GRRM himself to double down on the disappointment expressed by book purists. But none of that actually matters lol people just wanted white haired fantasy race and dragons without any of what makes GRRM's writing or characters feel unique. I guess you could easily make the claim that GOT did it already by watering down many characters just so they can be likable or palatable to the general audience....and it worked

Aegon's Conquest and the stage play will do really well, I have no doubt about it. Aegon's showrunners might be obsessed with subverting it same way that Ryan and Co are when it comes to HOTD and D&D were towards the end, but it'll be funny to see tbh.

Idk about the Nine Voyages I guess it depends on how much HOTD can get the audience to care about Corlys but if MCU got people to care enough about Agatha even though the concept of her show (giving a spinoff to a "literally who" character) was a running joke for years ... I don't see why not. It helped that Agatha was a good show at the end. But so far the fact the showrunners don't have original material to work with is the main excuse for writing being shit so idk that isn't something to look forward to when they'll essentially have to make up shit for almost every single project they announced.

if they dump a lot of money into the animation side maybe, that's what drove the initial interest for Arcane. Dunk and Egg is a good story anyway but we'll see when KOTSK comes out.

Star Wars doesn't do so well because of the oversaturation but people still show up for it's games. I was pleasantly surprised to hear unanimous praise for Andor. MCU and DCU also have a problem with oversaturation but idk to me DC's Batman stuff always feels like an event, I was surprised Penguin was as good as it was.

All in all it feels very weird to see the "marvelisation" of ASOIAF but I know GRRM expressed excitement at the idea. It's just a shame that for book viewers all of those mediocre shows seem to take the priority over...actually finishing the main series

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hi! So my question is if it would be unlikely that a series of novellas could sell well? I'm hoping to make money writing, and I think each mystery (the books are going to be mysteries set in a fantasy setting.) could be a lot more interesting if it were more focused, and I would get that wonderful feeling of finishing a story about 3 times as often. But also I wonder if novellas that are so unconventional to the genres they're in could sell well no matter the length... I'm probably over thinking this. I appreciate any help you could give me.

Viability of a Series of Fantasy Mystery Novellas

This is a tough question to answer because there are so many variables. I'll do my best to address them all, though. :)

The most important variable is the general viability of a fantasy-based mystery. Is that something that would sell? Yes. Fantasy mystery is a growing genre, though the "fantasy" part tends to be more urban fantasy, paranormal, and alternative history. Which isn't to say more traditional fantasy settings and mystery don't or wouldn't sell. There are readers for pretty much anything--if you can find them. Which brings me to the next variable...

If you pursue traditional publishing, you're likely looking at a small, independent publisher. Their reach won't be as wide as a traditional publisher, but if they already publish fantasy mysteries, they would have some built-in audience. For self-publishers, it can be very hard to find readers--particularly for hybrid genre books. So, the viability of your series will really depend on your ability to market well and find readers. Fortunately for you, mystery is one of the genres that does well in self-publishing. That's not a guarantee of viability, though. It just means the readers are definitely there if you can get their attention. Which brings me to the final variable...

Even if you find an audience, your ability to sell books is going to depend on the quality of your product. Readers gravitate toward covers, blurbs, and marketing that looks professional, and books that are well-edited and polished. If you don't put in the time, effort, and often money that is required to produce a quality product, your books aren't going to sell well. And, even with that quality, if you don't have a compelling enough plot to draw people in, all the effort in the world won't be enough to sell copies.

So, is there a market for fantasy mysteries? Yes.

Does this mean your novellas will definitely sell well? No.

Is it possible they'll sell well with the right investment of finding readers and producing a quality product? Yes.

Is finding readers and producing a quality product a guarantee the novellas will sell well? No.

The bottom line is no one can say... you just have to give it a try, do your best, and see how it goes. Get that first novella out there and see what the reception is like. Get a feel for how big an audience you can personally reach, how engaged they are, and how willing they are to read another book. If it all goes well, get that second one out there, and so on. That's how you get a series out. Book by book. :)

Finally, a word of caution: I shudder when I see people say they're hoping to make money with writing. Unless you can get a paid writing position (such as a journalist, technical writer, copywriter, speech writer, etc.), it's difficult to make money as a writer. And writing books isn't the cash cow a lot of people imagine it is. Very few authors (even traditionally published ones) make enough money to quit their day jobs. With self-publishing it's even harder to make money, because not only do you not get the cash advance you can with traditional publishers, it's actually very difficult to get your book into brick and mortar stores. And you absolutely can't do that unless you invest money in your book--professional cover, professional editor, ISBN number, etc. Even then... even when you have a really professional, well-written book that makes it into bookstores, you still really have to become a viral hit in order to sell enough copies to make back what you put into the book quickly and still have money in your pockets. For most self-published authors, making money is a long game, requiring years of putting in the time, effort, and money to create a backlog of quality books that are well-marketed. If you have a solid backlog, you'll probably make a little money. But you still probably won't be able to quit your day job. ♥

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[princeorion]

Playpals: Unit 001 Special Edition Bad B*tch

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This and another project are another two projects I've made that are intended for my subscribers and Patreons. Still working on some demo stuff for the other one. Both, if you can guess from the tone of this one, are intended for a mature audience. I was concern given I've made it clear I work strictly PG-13, but since I've opened subs I can put that content behind a paywall, maybe make a special tier. I don't work strictly PG-13, but I never upload any of that stuff. These two series though will dabble in it. Playpals can be more implied and not seen, but the other series is not. I'm still on the fence about this. I'd still like to keep things clean, but I also like making compelling stories, which the unnamed series has alot of. Dunno, depends on the reception this gets I guess.

Special Thanks for my Patreon backers: The Black Pharaoh

Null

Tacocat598

[godsofdeathloveoranges]

Between a fem Near and Fem mello who would be more popular?

Hmm idk if you meant in fandom or in canon but-!

I think fandom-wise a fem!Mello would probably be more popular, especially with a more western audience. People tend to like hot, fiery bombshell blondes (most) of the time + i think a fem!mello would have the sensual appeal that misa does. It would definitely be appealing to see more of a tough girl- especially because the other female characters are only really there to be used as pawns in light's game (aside from lidner and naomi- who did end up being tricked by him but damn if she didnt give him a time of it), and i think people would like the "take no shit" attitude. ... but it depends tho bc fandom is largely populated by a very particular annoying type of ("dudebro") fan, the type that hates female characters that are TOO loud or aggressive, the way Mello is. I find that a lot of male fans like Mello for his agression and more (stereotypically) masculine attitude (though mello is VERY queer with his croptops and leather and long hair), as well as being somewhat of an underdog- i have a feeling the same fans are the ones who'd despise the very same traits in a female counterpart.

Near would be split into three receptions. 1) hated even more feverishly- near was NOT generally liked by the fandom back then- i didnt get into DN until about... 2015-ish? But even then you could tell from the fics and fan reception more from the time that people did NOT like Near at all, and it was rare to find someone that did. I largely suspect this is because he's just very misunderstood- like being seen as emotionless/uncaring when he's just guarded, seen as cocky when hes just confident, seen as 'getting lucky' rather than credit being given to his intelligence. This would be a LOT worse if he was a girl- just look at Misa. Whilst yes, the series does unfortunately downplay her intelligence a lot and turns her into pretty much comedic relief for most of the last third, there are times you can see just how smart and calculating she can be also- that are frequently ignored because shes. Well. A girl. Same would go for fem!near- absolutely everything would be an asspull, people would hate her for being "the worse, girl version of L", and people would respond more negatively because if they already hated near for beating light to begin with, theyd hate even more for a GIRL to do it. 2) the people who'd like fem!near for the appeal of a cute female character- some fans just like cute anime girls and... tbh valid. Some people like characters less when theyre girls, some like them more! I do think early receptions to near might have been more positive if there was that moe factor (and yes near is moe as a boy too but yknow what i mean). She'd definitely be a cute waifu to a lot of people. 3) the people who like near pretty much the same, just that near is a girl now. Id definitely have found a fem!near interesting- the underdog aspect would have been even moreso, and id have loved to not only see light get his ass handed to him by a girl, but a female character who actually got the writing they deserved? Yes please!

I think both characters would be more well recieved now, the way their male counterparts are- especially near, who's much more well liked by this generation of fans than the previous one. I think people would pay them more attention, bc holy shit strong female characters who are morally grey (mello) and very neurodivergent-leaning (near but tbh mello too).

Now IN CANON i think things would be v interesting

Near might have a slightly more difficult time with her team and presenting a case- not the SPK, i genuinely dont think they'd have a problem being lead by a female lead, but i think near would definitely have a lot more problems (from external sources) in general when it came to being in an authoritative role, and would definitely see a lot more pushback when it came to decisions. So she'd let NO ONE outside the team think she was female- as far as everyone would be aware, 'N' would be a man, and the voice filters would reflect that, maybe even purposefully pitched down a little. Of course, Near is canonically voiced by a female VA anyway, so its not like her voice would change, just that she'd be more conscious of it. She'd also be aware that she could use that to her advantage, knowing Kira wouldn't be looking for a woman. This would continue when she succeeded L. As far as everyone would be aware, L would be a man- and this would benefit her greatly on field missions (if there ever were anyway), with people (if ever suspicious) assuming she'd be L's secretary at most.

Mello would definitely definitely use his- or, rather, her looks to her advantage. I think it would be a lot harder for her to climb the rungs of the mafia though, and she'd probably have to work a lot harder and rely a bit more on charming her way up than earning respect the way a man would. Still posing a threat, dont get me wrong, but she wouldn't be stupid to think that she'd ever earn the same level of respect as a man would (i mean its the mafia lets be real here idk much about the criminal underworld but i think its fair to say it's male-dominated and probably quite misogynistic). That probably makes it easier for her to gather intel on potential traitors and targets, though. But mello was never the head so much as a right hand man (at least to my knowledge feel free to correct me if im wrong), so that's probably a more palatable position to the other mafia members than if she had her eyes on the top.

[asknarashikari]

Something has been on my mind for a bit of a while now...and I'd like to your few cents on the matter.

Do you think overly ambitious shows can be...a bit of a gamble? Or does it more so matter that the production team knows what the hell they're even doing? Or is it both? Like overly ambitious shows can very satisfying if done right, but on the other hand they can be a huge pile of frustration if done poorly especially if said outwardly ambitious show raises expectations with it's potential.

Like we get something Kamen Rider Build actually handled it's ambitious ideas and high proportions quite swell for the most part and the writer seems to know what they're doing and what they are hoping to achieve... and then we get something like Kamen Rider Geats which held a lot of potential and naturally would raise expectations, (and higher expectations usually end up leading you to greater frustration) it had a strong start only for that plane to become turbulent and crash hard during the final fourth, especially that endgame arc, considering Takahashi relapsed to previous habits that didn't age well over the years and use ideas that don't quite work. Plus this ambitious rider show kinda screwed the perception and drew out the nastier side of the fanbase, even though the show had it's glaring flaws.

Long post ahead

It's definitely both.

I think it does take a lot of skill to pull something ambitious off, and having people who know what they're doing leading and working on the project does go a long way in making it successful. After all, people who have experience would know what work and what doesn't, what the current trends are that could work for or against them, how much they can push certain concepts without alienating different parts of the audience, how to execute the concepts effectively with a consistent quality.

And of course, it takes experience to balance making the show match their ambitions and wishes, and being pragmatic about not only what works for the audiences but other stakeholders involved in the production. For example, writers for Kamen Rider usually have to write around toy releases, which is something they don't have control over. There's also the fact that this show is primarily watched by children, so they can't get too highfalutin about it or their primary audience would be turned off.

However, it's still a gamble because in the end, the success actually depends on audience reception, who may feel differently despite all the effort put into the show itself. And the audience not only is fickle about what they feel works or not (such is the nature of trends), but also can have a variety of opinions on how well the ideas are executed. Some can feel that the show is peak and see it as perfect, others are more openly critical about its flaws, and still others feel the show failed to live up to their expectations at all.

I think in Geats' case, especially as far as my own opinion goes, it's a mix of both. Takahashi had great, ambitious ideas for Geats on paper, but he and the rest of the production were unable to execute them in a satisfactory way, especially in the latter part of the show. And he also had some ideas that he should've known better than to do. (Honestly, I'm baffled he did the Darth Tanuki arc at all when the reception for Daiji's similar arc in Revice was poor across the board.)

On the other hand, Geats is a popular series, with people who think of it as average/mediocre or not good at all being in the minority, so I suppose he did something right. I just happen to be one of the people who see its flaws more, would rather have seen things handled differently and definitely don't hold it up as the pinnacle of Kamen Rider.

As for the nasty fans... that's not something I hold Takahashi at fault for. Geats may have been the show to bring them out of the woodwork but it was still their choice to be nasty fuckers, though in my case it definitely colored my opinion of the series for the worse.

[biblioflyer]

What is Picard's narrative style?

Just sort of thinking aloud here, but I'm finding myself rather baffled by a particular sort of response to Jack Crusher that seems to be a reaction to a saccharine, uncritical adoration of him that I'm somehow completely unaware of. Maybe there's a huge area of the web that is fawning over Jack that I'm just not seeing because of the whims of the algorithm.

I have a feeling this reaction might be dependent on what framework people are looking at the show through and whether its the classic Trek framing of pulp drama and "protagonist centric morality" where Jack is somehow supposed to make us feel seen and be presumed to be correct in all things.

Which I think flies in the face of the sort of "prestige drama" framing of the streaming era where the protagonists are limited and fallible and while they may be motivated by high minded principles, adhering to those principles is not always easy: see also Crusher and Picard talking themselves into executing Vadic or Seven executing the gangster in season one, and the right course of action is not always obvious. I strongly believe that this is the more appropriate way to analyze Seasons One and Two of Picard, and I suspect Discovery becomes a richer series if one adopts this posture.

Speaking of which, this is all very reminiscent of criticism of Burnham oddly enough, which makes it extra odd and ironic because it also seems to be rooted in lingering anger over how the fandom has responded to Burnham and a perceived hypocrisy in the reception of Jack. Don't get me wrong, I got to like the guy even though I dislike both the secret lovechild trope and the messiah antichrist trope, but if I had thought I was supposed to assume he's objectively correct about everything and uber special, that would not have been the case.

If the assumption is that characters like Burnham and Jack are pulp action heroes then yes, the entire plot falls apart like a house of cards because they repeatedly do very poorly thought out things that turn out through happenstance to have been the right move after all for reasons no one could reasonably predict ahead of time. Additionally the plot winds up centering them as a key element in saving or condemning the Federation, the galaxy etc.

However! Greek tragedies involving Fate with a capital F also deal in self fulfilling prophecies and narratives that are going to fulfill themselves no matter how the characters try to resist. Some of the darkest stories humanity has ever told involved predestination paradoxes.

Which to me means that if we are to assume that modern Star Trek is more like The Expanse, Babylon 5, or even Deep Space Nine; absolutely no one should be assuming Jack is supposed to be an audience surrogate. He's just another mortal flailing his way through the story who didn't ask to be a chess piece in a Borg Xanatos gambit and, if anything, keeps trying to get people to stop dying in his stead.

People who are making these choices are very explicitly doing it not because Jack is uniquely deserving, but because he's not. The argument advanced time and again is that of solidarity. That actually the Vulcans are wrong and throwing people to the wolves because it would be more efficient from a consequentialist view is an error.

Now you don't have to buy that and I don't think Picard S3 actually did a great job of making this argument (major credit to Todd Stashwick for making what could easily have been yet another in a long line of Starfleet antagonists who have taken consequentialism too far and made him seem like the smartest guy in the room a lot of the time.)

But! If you think for instance that Turkey ought to be kicked out of NATO for its treatment of the Kurds with full recognition of the potential of earthquakes in the geopolitics of Southeastern Europe and the Middle East, or that the US is right to risk nuclear war to help Ukraine*: then there is an argument for sending a message to bad guys that there are people who will put skin in the game because its the right thing to do even if the risks are extreme. You could even make consequentialist arguments for following one's conscience that are rooted in solidarity and inspiring better behavior from others who may be inclined towards timidity.

*You are free to disagree with either of these propositions if that disagreement is rooted in reality and a legible ethical argument, I'm mainly using these as analogies rather than trying to sell the reader on them. The what, hows, whys, and other contingencies of geopolitics are fussy, the consequence vast, and I don't mean to flatten them.

Admittedly the debate over individualism vs consequentialism and Jack's narrative role is an argument that I think would have been strengthened if the series hadn't done an abrupt 180 on the recurring themes of the validity of people trying to solve problems on their own without having to be in Starfleet.

But there again, I get what was trying to be signaled by putting Jack, Raffi, and Seven on the bridge: Starfleet is turning the corner on excessive proceduralism. Which incidentally forgets that at several points in the narrative, the entire season might have been derailed if people had listened to Shaw, although I'm not unaware of the counter arguments about solidarity, humanity, and standing up to bullies....these just weren't arguments that were made well.

[moonlit-tulip]

Yesterday I was chatting with a friend about comics, and he was complaining about how the pressures of the webcomic industry are slowly pushing in the direction of turning panel layout into a lost art, with sites like Webtoon increasingly moving in a "the comic is a vertically-stacked series of single panels, no complex layout required"-type direction, losing all the artistry of the more traditional "panels need to be laid out within pages, pages need to be laid out against one another in spreads" approach to comic-layout.

This seems plausible, as far as it goes. (I don't read much on Webtoon or its imitators, due to finding their format abstractly Off-feeling for reasons which may or may not be related to this, so I can't comment much on paneling trends there; but I do need to go pretty far out of my way, when selecting comic-reader software for local comic files, to find readers with actually-good handling of spreads, and I always have the vague feeling of something being lost when I read things like more-traditional webcomics which, although they do within-page panel layout, don't do spreads at all and are thus constrained to the canvas of a single page layout-wise.) But also, separately, it got me thinking...

So, currently, pressures in webcomics are pointing in the direction of removing layout-layers. Single pages instead of spreads; then individually-separable panels instead of pages; and if people can find ways to shrink things down still farther in the future without alienating their audiences too much then I expect they will. This is, as far as I can tell, a symptom of the broader mobilification of the internet, the switch in assumptions from "most readers are on desktops with reasonably-sized monitors wider than they are tall" over to "most readers are on phones with tiny monitors taller than they are wide".

But suppose one resists the mobilification effect and designs a webcomic primarily targeting desktop monitors, as in the old days (except now even bigger since monitor sizes have gone up in the last decade-and-a-half). Two-page spreads will be back on the table, at a minimum, allowing the same depth of layout-complexity as in paper books (and thus allowing one to ensure that, if one's webcomic eventually is printed into a paper book, it comes out looking good for the format). But, also, there's no deep reason things need to stop there. Once one decides to push in the direction of layout-complexity within a modern webcomic, there's nothing preventing the use of much fancier layouts than that. Three- or four-page spreads, instead of two-page, because one isn't limited by the logistics of book-spine-design any more; pages located in different positions relative to one another, rather than all the pages being lined up horizontally; pages of different shapes and sizes depending on what information they're conveying; and...

...and I've just reinvented the Infinite Canvas here, haven't I. Whoops. (Or at least a variant of it, with less focus on scrolling-in-place-of-hyperlinked-pages (since that's more the Webtoon thing which this is ~directly a reaction against) and more on spreads which, despite their largeness, can all fit readably onto a single monitor.)

Still. It does seem like there's some room for interestingness here, for those inclined to grasp at it (...and better at art than I currently am), vaguely analogous to the recent attempts at revival of Bespoke Personal Websites. Maybe a modernized Infinite Canvas variant is actually a meme worth spreading, to see if it can help counteract the layout-simplifying excesses of the mobile era in the comic sphere (at least in those particularly receptive to it) like how Neocities et al. are helping-on-the-margins to counteract the mobilification of people's personal sites!

[selkiewrites]

For years now, I’ve been filled with ideas of a grand medieval fantasy world, many of those ideas gone and forgotten as it’s developed in my head. For context I practically grew up on Eragon, visual media like HTTYD and H20 (props to fans of that), and a larger than normal dosage of celtic culture. See, I went to celtic language revival primary school, and though in reception I recall having to say grace before lunch sometimes, that didn’t last—the rest of my time there was filled with folk music, tales and cultural practices.

Now many years later, I’ve always thought to myself that my world was too cliche, too much “already done” and not enough “wow, that’s new”. Despite that it never went away. Some of my favourite music is soundtracks from high fantasy shows, like Game of Thrones (though as we know the show itself turned out awful, the music is stunning), and when I listen to those pieces I’m back in that world again, or possibly another one. So here I am, dedicating a blog to my musings, whether they be tidbits of writing advice I’ve picked up or actual content and worldbuilding to do with this place I wish was real.

I think a lot of people get caught up in cliche, myself included. I love the themes in my childhood favourite media as well as media I currently love. The question is how do you distance yourself adequately to not be a thief of ideas, while also taking inspiration? The line is subjective, and that's my biggest problem. Some people argue that Eragon, at least the first book, was a ripoff of Star Wars. I can definitely see where they're coming from. At the same time, though, a large portion of the overlap is that they both employ the Hero's Journey. There are other similarities, but there are also a lot of similarities between Hamlet and The Lion King. Both of those stories are massively famous stage productions now, without the majority of people pointing out the "stolen" ideas from Shakespeare's famous work. The line between "stolen" and "inspired" seems to move depending on the audience, the perceived quality of both works, and perhaps whether the "original" is a beloved classic or not. Hamlet, for most, is read or seen closer to adulthood, whereas for a lot of people Star Wars was (and still is) a childhood favourite series. If you're looking for someone to say it's okay to worry about this, then here I am saying it. If you're worried about it, it probably means you're doing your best not to plagiarise. You can still put the story you want to tell down on paper no matter if you aim to publish or not. Cliches and tropes aren't ever going to go away, and each one has an audience that adore it. They're what often attract people to new media, they're what tie us together, the common threads you can often find people talking about when it comes to discussing their favourite media. Things are a little cliche for a reason—they're done so often because people enjoy them. Enjoy your writing like many people out there would.

[mythriteshah]

The Higuri Regalia is pleased to announce the return of: The Mythril Showcase!

As a refresher to those uninitiated: this fashion show was created during the twilight days of Menphina Madness to provide the frequenters of the sport an opportunity to show off their acumen in style outside of the Blitzsphere. Since then, Thiji Higuri - the merchant-lord and fashion nabob himself - has tested the skill and daring of haute couture hopefuls through various themes. This time, The Regalia, now official League Sponsors of the EBL, is providing this as a new avenue of competition for spectators, fans, and players alike!

With two successful shows now under the Regalia's belt, the deciding of the next theme was opened to the public via poll to give proper closure to this turn; now the results have finally arrived. The theme for the third Mythril Showcase will be: "Kingdoms of the Far East." This inspiration takes from the popularized culture and history of Othard, Hingashi, and the surrounding regions, namely during its warring periods in Hydaelyn's timeline. (TRANSLATION: this cosplay contest is based off the Dynasty Warriors/Samurai Warriors/Warriors Orochi series)

Those who wish to participate are welcome, and will be handsomely rewarded with a glamour weapon of their choosing for their efforts. This time, however, there is a twist: as there were warring factions during ancient times, so, too, will there be specific glamour weapons tailored to them! They are detailed below:

Wei: Knights of the Round/Susano

Wu: Rubellux/Tsukuyomi

Shu: Smaragdine/Shinryu

Jin: Fae's Crown

Other: Warring Triad (Sephirot/Sophia/Zurvan)

Samurai: Four Lords (Seiryu/Suzaku/Byakko)

Orochi: Hades/Seeing Horde

(NOTE: If the faction of the character you are portraying as does not contain your desired glamour weapon, you are allowed to choose from another category. It is advised you do your research beforehand to prevent confusion.)

 The top four winners will receive far more greater prizes:

4th Place Winner: An assortment of Pixie, Archangel, and Statice's Wings, as well as a Tsukumogami Parasol!

3rd Place Winner: A Quaqua Horn & Uolosapa!

2nd Place Winner: A Shishioji Flute & Kuromaru!

1st Place Winner: A Voucher of the Higuri!

(Translation: a commission of your character in the desired outfit will be made!)

(Note: Additional prizes may also be given depending on the quantity of participants!)

The event will take place on Friday, March 29th at 7PM EST (Doors open an hour prior)! The location: Higuri Regalia Aldenard Branch HQ in the Goblet, Ward 7, Plot 43 (Balmung World). Whether you wish to spectate, or show off your own Power in Beauty, all are welcome to attend!

Contestants will be judged based on a variety of categories on a 1-to-10 scale.  For the sake of fairness, these criteria will be made known to all.  They are as follows:

-Emulation: Cosplaying - as accurately as possible - a certain character from a particular source of media (game/show/movie, etc.)

-Adherence: Remaining within the scope of the theme.

-Embellishment: Complimenting your outfit with accessories and other small details.

-Stage Presence: Your ability to “strut your stuff” via actions or emotes.

-Reception: How well you command the audience’s excitement and attention.

*-Innovation: Any additional nuances to your entry (using minions, reciting lines, etc.) for extra points.

(You may request to sign-up to compete by utilizing this form: https://forms.gle/Xty9CFEdD3aVq3wWA. Sign-ups will conclude prior to the contest’s commencement - 30 minutes prior to showtime.)

[alisa-hitechpcb]

Applications of Flex PCB

1 Consumer electronics

Flex PCBs enable the production of foldable smartphones, tablets, and other electronic devices. It has high durability and flexibility. These foldable gadgets are widely used in today’s world. Because of their flexibility and lightweight construction, they are used highly for wearable electronics. They can be sewn into garments or worn as elastic bands.

2 Medical Equipment

Applications like Endoscopes use flexible circuits, which allow for compact designs and easy transit through the body’s cavities. Flex PCBs are commonly used to make medical wearables like health monitoring gadgets and smart medical patches.

3 Automotive sector

Flex PCBs are used in the interior of automotive industrial which includes flexible dashboard displays, sensors in the seat, and numerous other components. By using flex PCBs here will utilise the space effectively. They are also implemented in sensors, control systems, and lighting applications that require flexibility for installation in limited places.

4 Aerospace and Defence

Flex PCBs are employed in satellite systems where weight, space, and dependability are important factors. The flexibility enables easy integration into small places within the satellite. Flex PCBs are frequently utilized in military equipment, including aircraft and communication systems, due to their ability to endure vibrations, shocks, and severe weather conditions.

5 Industrial Automation

Flex PCBs can be implemented in a variety of industrial sensors, control systems, and automation applications that require compact design and reliable performance. They are also integrated into robotic systems to provide the flexibility required for the robotic joint movement and congested routing in places which are tight.

6 Communication Devices

The adaptability of flex PCBs is useful in building conventional antennas and devices for communication. They will provide improved signal reception for the antennas. To achieve sleek designs, Flexible PCBs are used in smartphones as well as other mobile devices.

7 LED Lights

Flex PCBs are often used in flexible LED strips because they are easily bendable and conformable to various shapes. This is beneficial for both ornamental lighting and architectural applications.

8 Innovative Displays

Nowadays, TV screens are a lot more curved than often. This is implemented in TVs for the best experience for Cinemas, sports or even web series for the audience. This is achieved by using Flex PCBs in order to occupy the space effectively.

[meltykarasu]

Final Fantasy VII Remake Advent Calendar — Dec. 22

Here we go — the climb up the Sector 7 wall was a prelude, but the Shinra Building is the final dungeon proper and consumes three entire chapters of an eighteen chapter game.

Cloud and company emerge onto the catwalks before the building. Security is tight, and Barret suggests a suicidal charge straight through the front. Cloud spies a rear entrance and the party slips aboard a cargo truck that slipped into the parking garage. They carve their way through the security in the garage and head up to ground level.

In the lobby the group is immediately stymied by doors requiring keycards. Cloud spies one in the reception desk — which is currently closed off by a force field except through the top. Tifa leaps and monkey-bars her way over to it and secures the card.

I went up the elevator, incurring a few combat encounters and a scene where Tifa watches a man who calls his mother to find somewhere safe given the danger in the city over the last few days. The group also scares a woman half to death.

The elevator lets out at floor 59 — six shy of Hojo's laboratory on floor 65. The group signs up for a self-guided tour up the next few floors. Floor 60 is a museum extolling the virtues of Shinra and displays images and exhibits about the various departments and the president.

Meanwhile, in a series of asides, we are introduced to the unfolding intrigue of Shinra. Scarlet, the domineering head of Shinra's Advanced Weaponry Development, is in the midst of overseeing the development of new materia when an experiment goes wrong. Hojo of the Research Division menaces Aerith. Reeve Tuesti, the head of Urban Development, displays his distaste for Shinra following the collapse of Sector 7. President Shinra and Heidegger of Public Security discuss their PR narrative tying the troubles in the city to AVALANCHE and further out to Wutai.

And finally, Palmer of the Space Program is enjoying a cup of tea in the hall when he is passed by a familiar man in a black cloak...

Cloud and company watch a video presentation discussing Shinra and their view of the Ancients, who apocryphally sought a "Promised Land". Shinra believes it is a place rich with mako energy. As the presentation wraps up, it glitches out to reveal—

A meteor hangs apocalyptically over Midgar, windstorms and tornados buffeting the town. People flee in terror.

And Sephiroth appears once more to menace Cloud.

The presentation wraps up and a man opens the door. His name is Hart and he leads the party up into the archives at the behest of the Mayor of Midgar, Domino. He reveals: He is AVALANCHE's man on the inside and has been hiding the party from the wider Shinra security intranet — and he can get the party up to the next couple floors, updating their keycard and pointing them towards another collaborator who will provide another keycard, should they respond with the proper countersign — "The Mayor is the best."

So they head up into the employee recreational area and find the collaborator beside the Shinra VR simulator. He tells them to fight a simulated fight in order to get the keycard which is definitely not the devs realizing there hasn't been a fight in like twenty or thirty minutes depending on if you chose the elevator or the emergency staircase.

You can stick around and fight for some armor and Gil Up and Exp Up materia. I did so and it took like an hour or so?

Cloud heads back to the stairs and is interrupted by a pair of infantrymen. One of them prepares to call intruders but the other says, no, this is Cloud, my old buddy from basic training. Cloud grasps his forehead in pain. The infantryman says wait here and he'll go grab Kunsel (applause from the Crisis Core players in the audience for mention of a side character).

Tifa shows concern and Cloud brushes it aside and sets off for the stairs.

[ramurosa]

Okayyyy yaaaayyy.

I watched OHHC wayyy back as a tween as most people have. It was one of my first anime’s and this was before I had any idea about how the industry surrounding the anime and manga worked and before I knew how to pirate anything other than anime. So when I watched OHHC I adored it but it didn’t go father bc i was like! 13! And unaware of fandom spaces!

I tried to read it about half a year back but I got busy. The reason I’m starting again now is because I was rewatching some of the anime episodes. I do… love it a lot… it has its issues as many older media (it’s not even that old) have, but I can deal with distasteful jokes or outdated/insensitive terms well, so it’s not an issue for my consumption of it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an issue or harder to read for others.

This entire thing is a bit weird to write because I feel a lot of fondness and love for this entire series but I don’t know how to put it into words… it’s kind of perfectly tailored to me, it’s the type of media I really identify myself with, especially Tamaki… I like him so much because he feels like some other flamboyant version of me, one that my flaws won’t really allow me to be (born to be a flamboyant boy, forced to be a socially awkward girl. Many such cases). Not to get to into this train of thought but my dad is really into spiritual stuff, I call it his hyperfixation and I don’t believe in it the same way he does (wrong wording here. I may believe in it in a way but I also think it’s a bit too constricting sometimes when it comes to the gender stuff. It’s like the spiritual version of those guys who take one biology class and then begin to insist there are only 2 genders because there’s only 2 chromosome options. I digress.) but I do believe there is some element of truth in the inherent feminine and masculine in nature. And whatever Tamaki is, it feels like that masculine part of me. Which is funny because he’s definitely trans. This is such a long winded way to say I feel gender envy for an anime character, but I swear it’s more than that. I wouldn’t really label myself as trans, but I am whatever this is. I don’t know what it is… but I hope it illustrates the intimate connection I feel to this media, even if just a little.

Back to OHHC, because I wanted to do some simple comparing on the visual side of things! First off, if you were an weeb in the 2010s (and I say this from a western perspective. I don’t know much of anything about the domestic success of OHHC but I think that doesn’t matter for now as 1 series can take on different lives depending on the audiences consuming it. I also think older manga and anime fandoms may have been more in touch with the JP side of things, simply because that was the only way to get more content, and that isn’t necessary anymore with the current mainstream status of anime and manga. Even so, the reception of any given media by a western audience is automatically different from that of the intended Japanese audience. So I still believe my nostalgia filled vision of 2010s OHHC through my 13 year old mind is inherently authentic.) and even just a bit artistically inclined, you’d know the OHHC anime art style is iconic. In general, the animation is very good. But the art style is very different from the manga. That’s not unusual, but these days, anime adaptations almost always look infinitely worse than the manga. Older series don’t suffer from this as much, and I think that may be because people want exact copies of their favourite mangas these days. I think that may be because of anime’s rise to mainstream, but to be fair, the lack of artistic nuance in media is a pretty global thing. It’s something that ebbs and flows with the tides of history. C’est la vie. (Also still want to be clear there have been some beautiful anime’s especially this, and last year, so maybe the tide is turning, but it definitely wasn’t like this back in 2020.)

I keep going on tangents, but what I think is the primary reason behind the style change between the OHHC anime and manga, is to simplify it and make animation easier. It retains the typical bishonen look but its shape language is simplified to make more time for the animation of movement. There’s a lot of dramatised flailing around in OHHC that wouldn’t have been possible to animate if they decided to follow the manga more closely. The simplified shapes and flat colours make for really good and recognisable silhouettes.

Two more secondary notes: god the panelling sucks. Most older manga have abysmal panelling and OHHC isn’t worse relative to other works. But it’s definitely bad. Panelling has become more appreciated in recent years which is really good to see, and makes reading this stuff all the more nostalgic.

Second note is that as far as i can tell, they redesigned the twins! I need to give the manga a bit more time to be sure, because the earliest chapters of a manga tend to look a lot different from the rest, but I thought it was a really funny immediate change. Because manga Kaoru and Hikaru are UGLY!!! I’m so sorry! I hate their fuckass bowl cuts! I love them but not their bowl cuts. I’m sure this too will change and improve (I’d be surprised if their anime appearance wasn’t at least inspired by how they look in the manga. It’s adapted up until volume 8, so I will revisit this point when I get there.), or maybe I’ll learn to love the bowlcut. Either way, funny!

These are my thoughts rn. I’ll read chapter 2 later today.

Decided I’m gonna read 1 chapter of Ouran highschool host club a day bc I’ve been wanting to read this manga for way too long. I’ll be fine in late November let’s hope I can keep this up

I have a lot of thoughts regarding this manga… but that’ll come tomorrow. It’s almost 6 am and I am very tired.