#i love adaptations but doing them right is an art and so very subjective!

[elysiansparadise]

hello! I hope things are well with you 💕 if it’s possible, I would love to hear your thoughts on Neptune in the 3rd house :)

Hello love! I have been slightly busy these days, but everything is fine. I would love to give you my takes on this placement. 💕

Neptune in the 3rd house

Talking to them is a unique thing, they have very deep perspectives on life, wonderful ideas capable of surprising many and the ability to see beyond the things, people and circumstances that occur around them. Naturally poetic, they dislike things that are too simple and for them a soul-touching pinch is necessary in everything that enters their minds [books, movies, music, videos, etc]. Their words can easily move the audience, there is an ethereal and touching beauty in their way of speaking. Captivating speakers even without intending to. They are an interesting and valuable mystery to discover, and I define them as a mystery because they do not usually share their ideas or thoughts with anyone, since they border on the introverted and reserved side, or in some cases even shy. They may have a great interest and knack for some branch of art, especially that which includes communicating ideas or feelings, being very effective in doing so. Many of them may doubt their abilities and also their intelligence or ability. They may be very interested in obtaining all kinds of knowledge, especially about topics that people do not dare to investigate, spiritual topics or topics that make them know themselves better on a deeper level.

In these people lies the wound of not feeling heard by their close circle, of feeling that for others what they had to say was not important, which made them close down. Within them there is a mind full of amazing ideas, an outstanding creativity that allows them to find many solutions and see things from different perspectives. They tend to be frequently distracted by the tendency to want to do several things at the same time. Daydream tendency regarding doing things they want to do or what their ideal life would be like. They may prefer deep conversations over small talk. However, these people stand out for being amazing counselors, this is due to their empathy, which makes them not advise from the point of view of what they would do, but rather what they would do if they were and lived in the context of the person. who comes to them. They have the quality of making others feel heard and understood, making conversations with them feel comfortable and natural, even if it is the first time you speak to them.

They may have difficulty following very demanding schedules or routines, preferring to do things at their own pace. They are more likely to be easily distracted and change the subject quickly. Their mind is intuitive, their sixth sense is rarely wrong, as they are excellent when it comes to reading and understanding everything around them, having the ability to read between the lines and detect all kinds of discrepancies. They adapt very easily to their environment and it is extremely difficult to lie to them. If you're not part of their inner circle or if they don't trust you yet, you'll suddenly have that epiphany: they know so much about you while you seem to know little about what lies within them. They are people with multiple interests, a curious and creative mind that leads them to dream big. Great minds that can doubt their own potential, the value of their thoughts and words even when beauty and uniqueness can be found in them. People with compassion and an ability to understand things that perhaps others are not ready to understand. They have the feeling of not finding the right words to explain what is happening inside them. Their heart can often guide their minds. The human quality in them is something that makes them beautiful beings with whom to cross paths, always leaving teachings and words that remain marked in the core of those who know them.

[superkooku]

Dionysus' iceberg

This post is what remains of an initially very long rant idea. That means there will probably be a part 2 😏.

Here's the reason for my title :

In theory, you can stop there since my meme pretty much summarizes my complaints. But since I like ranting, I'll continue 😈

The tip of the iceberg

When you think "Dionysus", which words come in mind first ?

Probably "wine", "party", "alcohol" "fun god".

These words are what most people remember about Dionysus. And yes, I'm not going to deny, they fit.

Unfortunately, my problem comes with the fact that 9.5 times out of 10, Dionysus' personality will exclusively revolve around these aspects.

Since the issue is about modern adaptations and perceptions, I'll use a modern term.

I'm sure most of you are familiar with flanderization, right ? If not, the link to TV Tropes' article on the subject is available.

Many adaptations fell into that trap for, I think, every single Olympian.

Hades, god of the dead, lord of the Underworld = Satan, evil death god, darkness and sorrow

Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty = Superficial bimbo who only cares about her pretty face

Zeus, king of the gods, lord of the sky and thunder = 100% pure God OR more recently : evil king god who constantly abuses women.

The gods are stripped of their complexity to fit simpler and more "digestible" characterizations. It doesn't help that the cultural context surrounding them is also taken away...

But this is about grape boi, right? Well, Dionysus is no exception to that rule. In fact, he might be one of the worst cases.

So far, he was never really portrayed in an "insulting" light, like Apollo in Lore Olympus or Hades in the Percy Jackson movie. Fortunately.

But, from all the popular adaptations I've seen, none of them manage to portray Dionysus ! None ! Does that make them automatically bad ? No, of course. It's just something I noticed.

God of war ? Doesn't appear, only mentioned

Disney ? Don't even try 🤣. Just a drunk goofball. Yes, that includes the fantasia segment and Hercules.

Lore Olympus? Well, he's a baby for 99.99999% of the time, so it doesn't count. But he's still a quiet little Gucci bag for Persephone.

Hades I ? Just a nice guy. But hey ! He can give us useful boons ! And I like his sass.

Maybe he'll do more in Hades II. They're usually more accurate than most, right ? Though that's not a very high bar. And they know about Zagreus ! Surely that's a good sign, right ?

Nevermind...

Here's what all these adaptations tell us :

Dionysus is the god of wine, feasts and parties

He's an Olympian

He likes to get drunk and party 🥳

And that's it.

Again, I'm not blaming anyone, but if the myths stopped with those three points, wouldn't everyone wonder why he's even an Olympian ? I sure did when I was a kid.

We have the god of thunder, the goddess of wisdom and war strategy, god of music/arts/medicine/100 other things, the god of the oceans ! Many cool gods !

And some drunk dude. He's not given any particular power, except the power to stay super passive no matter the stakes ! If the story revolves about epic godly fights (which is often the case), he's absolutely useless.

Heck, Hades II even actively depicts him as a pacifist who can't handle war. While he's not physically a weakling, he sure psychologically is.

Why is this a problem ?

I am not going to beat around the bush: this gives us a very incomplete and incorrect perception of the god.

Even the things that aren't forgotten about him (like his link to wine) aren't explored.

The thing with Hades II (that's the last time I'll mention it) is that it tries to deepen the flanderized version of Dionysus. He's not stupid, but afraid. He drinks to forget his issues.

While this characterization can be very interesting taken separately, we must remember that this isn't an OC, but an interpretation of a cultural figure.

It must be accurate ! While I can accept some liberties, I think that those should mostly be an extension of the original material, not a total deviation.

Dionysus isn't a scared little boi or a stupid drunkard you can manipulate. In fact, that's quite the opposite. And he's not afraid to get his hands dirty.

(even if the "dirt" in question is the blood of his enemies).

Under the surface

Though it's rather "stuff you can find on Wikipedia". Or by reading the myths.

More about it in part 2 of the rant...

It'll be about theater, madness, travels, link between mortality and immortality and... pirates turning into dolphins.

The actual interesting stuff about Dionysus.

Edits :

1. Thanks to @st4riel-the-w1tchling for clarifying the situation about Percy Jackson. I made my own research about BoZ. My opinion is basically still the same. Again, nothing terribly offensive, but nothing that interesting for Dionysus either.

2. I made part 2 a while ago, might as well add it here :

[thingsidrawgohere]

I just finished my first run of DA4 and let me say- I probably got my money's worth. If one wants to view the experience via a purely mercantile lens. I found many bits of cheese and touched the insides of many angry creatures. But if one wishes to frame the thing as Art- Hell, if one wants to solely discuss it as the Fourth in a series of lore-dense, narrative RPGs, then, Cousin, We've Got Problems. Three interconnected niggling ideas that kinda all lead to the conclusion- for me, at least- that modern design practices simply do not trust the player. News flash, right?

Anyways, I think I'm going to have some thoughts on this subject to avoid other thoughts, thank you.

Full-Throated Spoilers Beyond. And a lot of them. It's long.

Idea 1: DA2 is my favorite of the series. That's not the problem; it's the setup. I know what I'm about and it's interesting characters interacting over time. Flawed characters. Abrasive, opinionated, STUPID ASS ANDERS characters. The story was scaled well for a handful of total losers and it was political. The most humanly political of all the games, I think. That's a very low bar, particularly for AAA, but it felt better to stand in a street, to be personally effected by events, than to look at a literal map of icons and notes and distant decisions as in DA3. It's important, I think, for DA to be about Being, Getting Dirty. You aren't a king. You shouldn't be.

Side Note 1: DA2 is a fucking miracle. The old gag that FO New Vegas, blessed be, was made in 18 months is trotted out to display Can-Do Attitude and DEEPLY unethical labor practices. DA2 got less time, fewer reusable assets (due to a different art style), and had to rebuild most of the engine. A. Miracle.

DA4, on the other hand, has a series of supportive, well-adapted people who have all worked very hard on themselves in therapy and know all the fucking right words to say. They chat with one another with kindness and sober fondness. In the One Instance of interpersonal friction, it is resolved with grace and speed. I find this Horrid. They fucking forgot to give these people negative traits. It's likability slurry. They experience no hard growth, hold no horseshit ideas, suffer no lingering doubts. It's not only unnatural but it's lifeless. It becomes Written. I can see the fucking author waving at me. I've got a note from my run that reads 'Rook told the man who is forcibly living inside his head "Thank you sharing that" and I want to scream.'

And that would be bad enough except the ideas are there. You've got a reluctant father story. Someone trapped between two cultures. A older man, already terrified of aging, of death, taking a Much Younger lover. That's Fucking Meat. I can see the writers straining against something but what they deliver is still person-shaped missed opportunities that repeat, that repeat, that repeat. It's So Frustrating. There's flashes of Good Writing. Of good character beats. But Also- from my notes, a character had just held her brother as he died, inexplicably for a second time, and Rook gives her a little pep talk that ends with him asking "You good?"

And the fucking woman says "I'm good" in response. She seemed to mean it.

How does one- react to that as a viewer? I told a man who wanted to be a lich more than anything to Not and he was cool with it. He never brought up being a lich again. He wasn't even upset. I let a man's city die and he's like I Get It, Bro. No Harsh Vibes. It rings hollow.

Talking over Solas' memories, collectively pulling out the meaning behind them- that was some of the best characters-interacting writing in the whole thing. And it's HOURS into the game. A shame.

Side Note 2: A lot of a loved-one death as motivation in this old refrigerator. If you get a name and one line, Oh Boy Brother, you are prolly gonna die bad. Lazy.

If I'm going to talk about Emmrich, let's talk about his romance. I honestly thought it was bugged. I Am playing through another run as a comparative but Wow. Larian and BG3 absolutely reconfigured what's acceptable in these types of story beats. This particular romance felt regressive, in a sense. Like a last minute addition. The very definition of love coins. No charisma or honest affection between the characters. Nothing allowed to percolate (more on that in a second). Just- now you are ROMANCED. Which means on the Blue Moon instance he has anything to say regarding being in a relationship, the best you can get is a 'dearest' at the end of a sentence. I was Excited by the idea of Emmrich really struggling with a May/December situation but he Doesn't. He has a few lines implying that he Could but it leads nowhere.

And they fuck in a coffin (???) and it's not even hot (!!!). Unforgivable. Double Unforgivable. I heard there was spice in this game? This is baking soda.

Related, a few lines awkwardly dodged the question of Emmrich's previous relationships and I have an inkling, without experiencing the other romances, that this is the world's largest case of gun-shy after the backlash with DA3's non-playersexual romances. This man can not be confirmed to be Anything but Into Rook, whatever they might be. There was also a throwaway line with Taash how she prefers women and that's as much as I saw of explicit preferences. I don't envy anyone trying to address the rabidity of fandom but it feels like unnecessary acrobatics.

Side Oh No: It's so bad that I'm honestly thinking of doing a fixit fic regarding the romance/character writing. And God, I can't right now. I have to finish my other project first.

Idea 2: The pacing. That's what ruins so much. There was a scene of a gnarled, fucked-up gate, torn from its hinges. And my guy says "Something Big must have torn apart that gate" all ominous, building a sense of- Nope. The very big darkspawn is standing ten feet away on the other side. I hadn't even swung the camera around the hall to see it before my guy goes "That big darkspawn must have torn apart the gate!"

Yes, I know there's an issue in open world games these days wherein devs are allergic to a player's millisecond of not knowing where to go but this feels applicable across the whole game. A problem isn't allowed to fester. It is brought to attention and then swiftly dealt with. If there's a locked door, a difficult decision, a feeling beyond Protestant determination, it will be dealt with, Post Fucking Haste. It's like the game doesn't trust the player to hold tension.

This happens not just in barks or small set pieces. Whole arcs work this way. Like Harding's longterm personal quest. She gets a handful of lines about feeling vaguely angry or perhaps thinking she Should be More angry about Lore Dump Retcon and then at her culmination, she's fighting her own anger. A vicious, hot, searing thing- and it wasn't earned. At all. There was room to telegraph this theme, bury it in the dirt to let grow roots. They didn't. One Line was given about her people pleasing tendencies And she's not really shown to be people pleasing to her own detriment. This is Chekhov's Gun in running shoes. It doesn't work. It feels like it comes out of left field.

Hell, there was a mission that was like SURVIVE IF YOU CAN and it was like- literally a long hallway. The Pacing is all Off.

Idea 3: I don't like that I must do this but DA4 doesn't understand its own flavor. The One Thing you Cannot Do is have Minrathous, the city of slaves and blood mages, seem nice. Particularly in the poor parts of town. You Cannot have the Crows be a lovely dovey band of scamps. You Cannot have the Blight be reversible. You Cannot CANNOT say "elves have it pretty good" as my Elvish Rook said with his face flaps. No. NO. You Cannot side-step the politics of this setting. These are the bones on which these characters are hung. To lessen the world is to lessen, to decomplexify them.

You know what my elf didn't hear in the town that canonically trades in bodies that look his? Knife ear. Eh to fantasy slurs but my point is no one said a cross word to my guy. The Qunari living in the town that had been warring with the Qunari for Centuries seemed totes fine. There were no alienages. There were no proper templars- even from other regions. No Mage Circles. No mage issues at all. Hardly anything whatsoever regarding the Chantry or Andrastianism, even as the game takes place in the Super Anti-Pope town. I had a literal demon-possessed man in my party and the world did not react.

I had a friend describe this Thedas as feeling smoothed out and Yeah. It feels like all the nasty bumps have been deemed undesirable. I don't know what to make of it. Is this simply taking the world in a different direction? Is it a mandate to tone down the unpleasantness, for sales? A shift in design ethos? Is this a sign of a very troubled project as it was with Andromeda?

I don't know. Is this still a Dragon Age game without its politics? There's enough here for me to wonder if Bioware is even Bioware anymore. There's a TREMENDOUS amount of work, of skill in DA4. Just Absurd. The environments are thick, Thicc. But work alone is not a virtue. Have we ship of Theseus'd so far that the people- the real people, not the logos- who have interests aligned with what made DA1 special are no longer there? Something went wrong with this project, narratively. Something I don't know how to fix without addressing basement level assumptions I'm clearly not privy to. I hope they can.

Final Thoughts: Game development is a fucking hole into which one pours one's relationships, time, and health, physical, mental both. It gives satisfaction very rarely. They shipped. In that way, huge success. It's not even, fundamentally, a 'bad game'. But it is a victim of a modern philosophy of pre-chewed ideas and player distrust. VGs are ultimately a business and, in these last few years, there's been a unimaginable devastation to the workers in the industry- even as the money flows ever upward. The desire to sell well has morphed into a NEED to sell well, even among the 'kept' studios. Big studios, Grand Dame Studios sitting on top of past critical and financial successes, been killed by their overlords recently. No one is safe. It's suddenly quite dangerous for large studios to make anything remotely niche, remotely unclear and Bioware has both Andromeda And Anthem under its belt. They're probably feeling the pinch. They needed a hit and hits, these days, are increasingly smooth. And DA4 is very smooth.

That's just my feeling on the matter. I'll see what a second run yields.

Smaller thoughts:

I don't care about the combat but that was- odd. The illusion of depth with all the skill trees and types of damage and subsystems of attack- all boiling down to a one button push. It's odd. I played rogue on PC so perhaps it's different for other classes, on console. But I pressed the button at the man and when I got a halo, I pressed another button and then pressed the first button again. No matter where I was on the skill tree, it never changed, never felt different. I don't know. It felt. Odd?

There was a Honest To God "It's quiet- Too quiet" and it just Happened. I would have pulled out every one of my teeth to avoid that. I get the jokey-okey but fuck, man.

Where's the chest hair? WHERE? Body hair? ANYTHING? Davrin has plastic chest. It's freaky.

Gloom Howler Gloom Howler Gloom Howler. Frankly, that whole storyline had a large gulg of the farcical. I laughed my ass entirely off when, upon her defeat, the Gloom Howler said "I'm sorry" and took a nap so hard that the scene wiped to 'some time later'. That was insane editing. PACING. And- naming. Gloom Howler. Gloom. Howler.

Teeth. Dear God, the teeth.

The devs were in a real pickle here, no doubt. My great sympathies. There's an Overwhelming abundance of world states that DA3 could have left on the board and I understand the balancing act between acknowledging the events of older games and staying generic enough DA4 could apply to All of them. Is Cassandra the White Divine? Or is Leliana? It's a nightmare of choices. Any of the people that Could be Divine can not be mentioned without lore issues. Who's on the throne in Orlais? Ferelden? Where's beloved so-and-so? Dorian canonically did return to Minrathous so he can 'safely' appear in game- but he fucking can't talk about Iron Bull, who may or may not be alive. Isabela canonically goes back to piracy but she can't talk about events in Kirkwall because she may not have been there for them. Oof. That's not a lot you are Allowed to acknowledge. The Poor Bastards.

Watched a braid slip off a person's shoulder, organically, as they were talking. Started at the bottom and look where we're at, technologically. And speaking on the technical, a lot of textures didn't load right. For the entire game, my guy's left shoulder armour thing had a much lower rez texture than the rest. Three hard crashes, which isn't the worst. One Wonderful mission wherein Lucanis' hair and his knives were the only bits of him to render.

I'm not touching the non-binary storyline. It was clunky, for sure, but the greatest sin was using Our words. There is canonical words for NGC/NB people in fiction and to not use them shows a fundamental distrust towards the source material and the players both. It's the linguistic version of the quest marker or the barks telling you where to go.

I still don't know how I feel about the dead Varric twist. Feels goofball but he got to hang out in his little pajamas. I wish I was in little pajamas.

Solas was pretty fucking tight but I think a lot of that was due to his VA. Something about the voice direction, in general, felt- flat? But old Solas was doing it good.

Ending. God, I get it. People are tired and satisfying endings are hard. And DLC exists, more cynically. But Hells Bells, I'm getting to the point wherein even the slideshow is annoying. Give me a fucking Ending to the Choice Game. Don't you fucking 'Spider-Man Will Return' at me, you bastard. I'm a child of fucking god.

Yes, I got the secret ending. I know. That was Also bullshit.

I feel better getting that all out of my system. Thank you for sharing that.

[palant1r]

I feel like you're a good person and smart, so here is a question for you. A fanfic site is bound to be popular with kids. Say a child is being abused, and they go to AO3 and all they see is fics romanticizing their abuse/incestual abuse/ etc. It'll tell them it's erotic and enjoyable and A-OK. If they were to read a fic that portrayed it as a bad thing though, then they can see that their abuse is bad. I know it's unrealistic to ban all fics that portray it as a good thing [1/2]

This ask is full of so many wild ass logical leaps and baffling conclusions that I debated not answering it at all, but you've caught me in a good mood with a lot of time on my hands, so.

First of all: methodological concerns. "They did a poll a while back" who the hell is They? Is this a tumblr poll? Why are we assigning any significance to whether or not half of the users who happened to see a tumblr poll that was likely produced by someone who shared their biases THOUGHT that SOMEONE THEY KNEW had seen pedophilia and incest normalized by fic? That's such an ass backwards thing to base any position on.

You want to save the kids. Sure. Admirable goal. But the premise of your proposal here is based entirely on conjecture and the results of some poll that They did. Also, hey, most underage/incest content on ao3 is WELL TAGGED. Meaning that, when someone clicks on it and reads it, even IF the actual subject matter is "romanticized" there is literally a heading for the reader saying "THIS WORK DEPICTS [THING], WHICH IS BAD"

Say a child is abused, and they read Lolita. They make the same mistake as many, many readers and adaptation makers of Lolita, and they think it's a love story, and that makes their abuse "erotic and enjoyable and A-OK."

...Where do we go from here? Do we now decide that, because Lolita is a complex work with multiple layers and a narrator that deliberately uses purple prose and invokes classical literature to hide his own monstrousness, it needs to be banned?

Why should it be the responsibility of art to impart a beneficial personal and social message not just to its target audience, but to literally anyone who might potentially come across it? Why should the writers of a genre overwhelmingly tagged as Explicit, meaning that people have to affirm that they're over 18 before reading it, on a site you have to be 13+ to use, bear the responsibility of Educating the Nation's Youth on what is Right and Proper?

Your rhetoric is familiar. Very familiar. I got fuckin steeped in it over the last summer when I was reporting on anti-trans legislation, wading through Heritage Foundation summit transcripts and hundreds of pages of bills. Hell, I saw the very phrase "normalizes pedophilia" show up in a bill explicitly targeted at banning queer books from schools. The idea that the very existence of material that is "too erotic" poses an existential threat to children, and that any censorship of art is justified if it Saves the Children, is a deeply conservative one.

A personal story: when I was young, I read The Dragonriders of Pern. This was before I'd had any education on sex ed or consent. There's a rape scene in that series. It's very romanticized. Something about it felt off to me, but it was the only sex scene I'd ever read. I just thought that was what sex was like.

About a year later, I read a Stucky fic with a rape scene. The scene was framed as, if not romantic, at least sexualized in a way that played up the danger and angst of the scene, and it was between the endgame couple. This was, I'd wager, something that you'd want banned. In the beginning chapter note, the author called it what it was: rape.

Two rape scenes, both sexualized, both between an endgame couple we were supposed to root for, only separated by their framing. One taught me a bad lesson. One made me realize that what I had read in that book was, in fact, not consensual sex.

My parents, unbeknownst to me, were going through my search history. They sat me down and said they didn't want me reading erotica, not knowing I already had been in published books. If they had their way — if they'd judged things by YOUR standards — I never would have read those explicit fics. Instead, who knows how much longer I would have gone thinking a man forcing himself on a woman was romantic? Ignorance didn't teach me anything. Experience did.

And, IDK. I think back on news stories I've heard of abused children finding their experiences in books about sex and consent, and seeing themselves in them. Being able to point out what was done to them, because they had a point of reference.

So, no, I don't think that banning every fic that "portrays abuse as good" would be remotely desirable even if it were logistically feasible. And I think you need to move past the idea that art only has the right to exist if it's good for children, saving the children is a goal to which all other ideals should be blindly subservient, and if someone says that something "harms kids" that means you need to uncritically take up arms. I say this without hyperbole: that's the kind of thinking that gets people into QAnon.

[intergalacticfop]

Dating a Jacket, Part 1

The Eighteenth-Century Assumption

Part 2 here

Sometimes you come across a piece of clothing and the date just seems a little too ambiguous. That was the case with this jacket, number 1981.314.2, held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is said to be from the 2nd quarter of the 18th century. The good people at the Costume Institute within the Met were kind enough to take detailed photos of the jacket for me, including details of construction. These images were invaluable in allowing me to create my own version, but have also given me some questions about their chosen date. I am not allowed to share the images they took for me without express permission, so if necessary I will include photos from my own jacket.

First, let us remind ourselves of what the jacket looks like:

Left: jacket, Italian, 1981.314.2. Dated 2nd quarter 18th c. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Right: my own recreation of the same jacket.

The Met gives the original jacket a moderately wide date range of 2nd quarter of the 18th century, so between 1725 and 1750. And I can see what influenced them to make that decision. At first glance, the overall shape has strong similarities with the examples below of wide-necked riding jackets.

Left: Casaquin, textile 1710-1720, garment 1720-1730. Right: Casaquin, c. 1730-1740. Both from Palais Galliera

Left: Agnieszka Emercjanna Pociej ascribed to Ádám Mányoki, before 1722. Right: Lucy Pelham-Holles by Godfrey Kneller, 1722.

Left: Sophie Marie von Voss by Antoine Pesne, 1746-1751. Right: Maria-Antonia von Fürstenberg by Franz Josef Weiss, 1758.

Please note, however, that regional fashion changes do exist and none of the examples are Italian. I could not find any images of similar jackets from Italy. If anyone does have images of riding habits/jackets from Italy in the first half of the 18th century, I'd love to see them! However, these images do show at least a moderate geographic distribution of this trend: France, Germany (Prussia and Swabia), England, and Poland. All of the examples feature a wider neckline than the close-to-the-neck style found in men's coats and in some other women's riding jackets, and also feature metallic trim embellishing the front and cuffs. So far, so good, right? Well--let's dig deeper.

First, what do I mean by "riding jacket?" I am using the phrase to denote these and other women’s jackets from the 17th and 18th century that are inspired by menswear and originally used for the purpose of riding and hunting. Some of you may be more familiar with the term "riding habit" in which the jacket is worn with a matching petticoat and maybe a waistcoat to create a complete outfit.

Many of these jackets have trends directly borrowed from menswear like pockets and button-fronts, and fasten at the center front without a stomacher. However, as riding jackets and riding habits became an acceptable part of fashionable dress, some of these characteristics may have been adapted, or vanished almost entirely, as is the case with the two French casaquins seen above. These jackets represent the way that practical garments adapted to fashionable tastes. You can see Mme Gaspard de Peleran wearing a very similar jacket in this sketch by Liotard–its equestrian nature is denoted by the long riding whip she holds in her hand.

Madame Gaspard de Péleran by Jean-Etienne Liotard, est 1738-1742 (my estimate is based on Liotard's residence in Turkey from 1738 to 1742, where the subject's husband was French Consul in Smyrna)

So where do my doubts about the Met's jacket come from? Well, it's mainly the construction. When we look at extant riding jackets, however, the vast majority of the (admittedly few) originals have front waist seams, something absent from my own. The brocade casaquin above? waist seam. The pink casaquin? can't say, hidden by lace, could be either. This 1730-1750 riding jacket from the Snowshill Wade Costume collection was even patterned in Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion Volume 1, pp 24-25, so you can really see the waist seam:

Whether plain or ornate, you'll probably find a waist seam!

Left: Riding Jacket, 1740s, John Bright Collection. Right: Riding Coat, 1750-1759, V&A Museum.

I found exactly one riding jacket which clearly does not have a front waist seam, and it's from very early in the period:

Jacket, 1710-1725, Palais Galliera.

If we look at paintings, we do find a few more examples that seemingly don't have a waist seam. Some of these might be artistic license or simply the artist not wanting to paint every single seam, but I'm inclined to believe at least some of them, like this painting by Nicholas Lancret:

Picnic After the Hunt (detail) by Nicolas Lancret, 1735-1740, National Gallery of Art.

Why do I trust it? The waist wrinkles. Ask me how I know...

Okay, so, a waist seam of lack thereof isn't proof one or the other about dating. But there are other oddities of construction as well. For instance, looking at this picture of my own jacket, do you see the pocket? These pockets have no flap and are cut straight across, whereas every other example I've shown so far has a pocket flap. This is much more in keeping with men's coats from the same period:

Left: Coat, British, 1720s, Met Costume Institute. Right: Coat, German, 1720s-1730s, LACMA.

Also, where are the rest of the buttons? The jacket held by the Met has 100 buttons total--33 along the front, 8 along each pocket, and 17 along the side and back vents. These men's coats, the most button-heavy of all the examples shown here, have buttons along the fronts, below the pocket flaps, and along the top cuffs, but none running along the vents:

In addition, the Met jacket has large contrasting cuffs, which does not seem to be as much an element of jackets from the 2nd quarter of the 18th century, unless it matched a waistcoat.

Top: Le Repas au retour de la chasse (detail) by Nicolas Lancret, c. 1725. Bottom Left: Anna Katarzyna Orzelska by Louis de Silvestre, c.1730. (red waistcoat matching cuffs is just visible at front opening below lace). Bottom Right: Coat, c. 1735, National Museums Scotland.

None of these cuffs have a heavy trim around the edge though, like the pleated pink ribbon and silver braid on the Met's jacket. It is possible that the cuffs and trim are a later addition, but just comparing the braid on the cuffs to the braid on the rest of the jacket, they appear to be the same 4-strand silver metallic braid.

While this does not rule out the possibility that they were an addition made at a different time, it does make it, in my opinion, most likely that the cuffs are contemporary to the rest of the jacket. In addition, most cuffs of 1725-1750 jackets and coats are cut separately to the sleeve and then attached, whereas the cuffs of my jacket are cut in one with the sleeve and folded back.

So where does that leave us? Well, the Met appears to be correct in noticing that wide-necked riding jackets are largely a phenomenon of the early-to-mid 18th century. The large turned-back cuffs and lack of a waist seam would probably push this earlier in their proposed date range, closer to the 1720s than the 1750s. In my next post, however, I will introduce another possibility--what if the jacket is earlier? Maybe even much earlier?

Part 2

Additional Resources:

Images of more riding jackets found at the 18th Century Notebook from Larsdatter

@vincentbriggs has detailed posts on 1730s coat construction here and here, and in general is a font of knowledge for 18th-century tailoring.

jeannedepompadour.blogspot.com has a good collection of images of early 18th-century riding jackets.

Janet Arnold, Patterns of Fashion vol 1. Originally Published 1972, reissued 2021 by School of Historical Dress.

[levshany]

What's your favorite thing about Belos? Do you have any headcanons about him? Also, I love your art and how you draw him!

My favorite thing... Should I pick just one? Well, if we're talking about the look, it's his hair. If we're talking about the temper, it's his hardworking

And here are my headings about him. I'll start with the most common ones, and end with personal ones that I haven't seen from anyone yet:

1. Belos is a retrained left-hander. He holds all the instruments with his left hand, but writes with his right, since it was previously believed that left-handers subject to devilish influence.

2. Phillip's mother was burned on charges of witchcraft. Perhaps little Philip even had to witness this terrible scene.

3. Belos was often ill at the beginning of his journey through BI. And I'm not talking about a curse, but about local infections, to which he had no immunity. Over time, his body adapted, and later the curse itself began to neutralize all poisons and infections.

4. Belos really had fun while communicating with the Collector. These two have the dynamics of a king and a jester, and the jester is allowed to interact with the king as equals, making fun of him, giving advices, and generally talking to him as a friend. Thanks to this feature, a trusting relationship was often built between the king and the jester. With Collector Belos could afford himself to forget he was an emperor and just chat about whatever came to mind.

Perhaps Belos could even tell Collie details of his life that he could not discuss with anyone else. He was going to get rid of the kid anyway and didn't allow them to have contact with the outside world, so there was no need to worry about spilling something to anyone.

5. It was Belos who built the portal door. This headcanon even has confirmation in Philip's diary, where one of the pages depicted scheme of this very door

6. The picture of the witches dancing around the campfire is based on one of Belos' real memories. I'm sure witches have such parties/rituals, and Belos was a witness to them. I like this massive wall of fire and it seems to me that it is somehow connected with the fire that occurred during the battle of the brothers

7. Some people think that Belos doesn't eat anything other than palismen, but I headcanon that he still eats normal food, it's just that his diet is severely limited due to his inability to digest most of the foods of the demon realm

8. Little Philip didn't allow anyone except his brother to touch his head and hair. This is the intimate area

9. Belos wrote a huge number of magic books. It is unlikely that this person was limited to only one diary. To keep order in the covens and teach witches the "correct" use of magic, books and guides were needed. So Belos wrote at least a book for each coven, but I'm sure there are many more. Maybe even Belos signed some of them with pseudonyms.

It is possible that some of his works have survived and are still used to this days for an in-depth study of a certain type of magic.

Wooooo, so far these are all the heads that I remembered for now! I hope you enjoy it :3

[ghostvalley2]

hi i have never heard of nanbaka and i am asking about it ?🎙(<-holding the microphone up to you)

Hello I love you and you will regret asking this

Nanbaka is an action comedy manga series originally published online by Futamata Sho. It’s set in Nanba Prison, the most highly-classified, high security prison in the world boasting absolutely no successful escapes and containing the most dangerous and cunning criminals. Our four main protagonists, Jyugo, Uno, Nico and Rock, are just teenagers whose crimes were benign - but they ended up in Nanba anyway because they escaped from literally everywhere else. 

Key features of Nanbaka include A) the very vibrant, highly saturated artstyle full of overly colourful characters and bright patterns that look like it came directly from 2010 deviant art:

[ID: A screenshot from the opening of the anime adaptation showing the main protagonists. From left to right: Rock, a tall muscular man with a purple and red overgrown mohawk and bright orange prisoner jumpsuit; Nico, a scrawny, Mexican-American teen with long, spiky, neon green hair, a bright orange prisoner jumpsuit and bandages on the right side of his body; Jyugo, a Japanese teen in a black and white jumpsuit with curly black and red hair, heterochromic eyes (purple and green) and clunky shackles on all limbs; and Uno, a lean white man with a long, blonde and pink braid wearing a blue and white striped jumpsuit and matching hat with a black vest top underneath. They are all sitting in a row apart from Jyugo, who stands in the middle. The background is a highly saturated, pop-art inspired gradient from white to black, and has sparkles. End ID]

And B) The fact that although it is a comedy, it becomes dark remarkably quickly and flips from low-stakes comedic bullshit to intensely dark, serious themes, usually with no buildup or warning, for the rest of the series. The first arc. For example. Starts off as a very lighthearted tournament setting with steaks no higher than “if the guards win they get a big paycheck bonus :)” and ends with the audience finding out that uhhh the main character is an old human test subject who can now consequently turn his limbs into massive, dangerous knives at will, has disfigured an old friend with them, and is now so clinically depressed that his only reason to keep going is the possibility of finding the person responsible for the experiments.

ANYWAY. Jyugo’s (the protagonist’s) depression is actually the reason it struck such a chord with me despite being objectively a bit of a messy series because it touched specifically on his extreme anhedonia and lack of motivation, making him someone who wants nothing and feels he leads an empty existence as a result. I was the same age as Jyugo when I first watched it and related heavily at the time!! I was very touched to read about it and about how his friends still love and value him, and want to share the things They love with him. Jyugo has nothing unique that makes him happy or that he wants to do but starts to find peace and healing as he engages with the things that make others happy and it’s so!!! Aught!!!! I’m normal about him ok. Look at my boy

[ID: 3 pieces of official art of Jyugo. From Left to right: Jyugo holding a cat called Kuu, Jyugo eating an ice lolly wearing swim goggles on a bright blue background that reads "SUMMER" in bright pink and yellow text, and Jyugo drawn in black and white on a black and bright red background wiping blood from his face. End ID]

Other themes in Nanbaka that I adore include corruption in the justice system, dehumanization, and healing from your cycle of abuse and violence and replacing it with a cycle of forgiveness and compassion. It's also been praised for its disabled characters, ethnic diversity in the cast, and subverting a lot of expectations of Japanese media, although I'm not an expert on. Any of those so I can't speak on it as much. Unfortunately and I will be 100% honest here you Do have to read through a bit of bullshit before you can get to any of that - it reaches chapter 174 before even mentioning that the series is set in a dystopian police state in the future.

Anyway uhhh if for some reason you read all that and still fancy getting into it I recommend watching the anime then reading the manga afterwards - it's not as good imo but it will help you understand the manga more because the writing really really is a bit of a mess. But it's worth it. to me.

[dayeongi]

15 Questions for 15 People

I was tagged by @hesmiledlikeaweatherman (thank you!💖)

Are you named after anyone?

I was named after my father!! eugh!! But my middle name: my sister was a nightmare until my mother picked what she wanted, so that's my favorite name.

2. When was the last time you cried?

This past weekend!! Stress >:((((

3. Do you have kids?

I don't!! I want to have them in the future! one or two. Preferably both at once so I'm only pregnant once lmao. In the meantime i'm doing therapy and researching parenting methods for whenever. I'm only 28 so I want to wait a little longer

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

When i was a kid I did tae kwon do, karate, ballet, and swimming but they always ended up taking me out. I can't do team sports because I taste blood and I'm so ruthless and intense it scares me a little. But I love swimming!!

5. Do you use sarcasm?

It's taken me a LONG time to understand sarcasm; even now I sometimes don't get it. I think I just take people at their word. Whenever I've used sarcasm I always do it with this very over-the-top lilt, because I want to make sure my words are coded as that and not as me meaning what I said....

It's exhausting honestly, but if i get it right, it's funny

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Their voice! I don't really register people's faces until i'm more acquainted

7. What's your eye color?

I have very very very dark brown eyes! you can only see that they're brown if the sunlight hits them right (and blinds me lmao)

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

Both!! i feel like they serve different purposes

9. Any talents?

Languages! Once I find the cheat code for how they work , they unravel. It's very exciting!

I've also been told I'm really good at crafting, and singing. (I've won a few contests) I also have a very good long-term memory, but i recall things in pictures.

The other thing i'm good at is problem-solving. Once i stop freaking out that is lmao. One time I got mugged in south korea, was left with no cash, lost, and not able to speak the language, cried a little then traced my steps till i found the nearest metro station, then went from there.

TL;DR - i'm very good at learning and adapting!

10. Where were you born?

Mexico!

11. What are your hobbies?

I collect pretty things like a crow. I like reading, doing art both digital and traditional, sewing, sculpting, home renovation, building, writing, singing, doing my make up, swimming, watching anime and movies, traveling, and hanging out with my pets

12. Do you have any pets?

Two cats and a dog!! Coco, a lynx point siamese (5 y old), Joy (4 y old), a siamese, Choco, my 14 y/o mixed breed dog.

Surprisingly I never ended up asking for them Pet distribution system at its finest.

13. How tall are you?

I'm 170 cm!

14. Favorite subject in school?

English Language has always been my favorite class! I was the most excited about my Sociolinguistics class in university but it was taught by a nasty tool so he ruined that. Also Korean language class. Language classes in general.

15. What is your dream job?

Right now? Being rich enough that I don't have to work so I can write. I'd love to be a successful published writer. Singer, and also fashion brand owner. Oh well. Trying to be realistic

Tagging but no pressure! @shipmistress9 @powerful-niya @shrimparmy @backgroundcharacterno5 @lalanaranj-a @nandosango @ruejanerue @keroppri @chaosnojutsu @rapa3llah @fictionalnormalcy and anyone else that would like to do it!

[kailysander]

I love seeing your Avalon characters!! Is there anything else we can learn abt them?

Thanks so much for asking! Avalon is a story very close to my heart and is honestly kind of the antithesis of Golden Hour. I don’t get to work on it often, so you’ll have to put up with some (very) old character art.

It can be a bit to bite off explanation wise due to it being scifi, so I did my best to make sure context was available for character descriptions:

Glossary:

Avalon- Name of the story, but also the name of a very technologically and ecologically advanced utopian city-state. They’re generally a closed off society, save for special exchange programs and the culture itself is based on the philosophy that you can learn intrapersonal empathy through your relationship with plants and nature (how to love and care for something that cannot speak or communicate directly to you). There’s a lot I can say here but the main thing is that some generations ago they handed their judicial system off to an AI/OS called Venus that now oversees nearly all aspects of their society. There are a lot of very interesting aspects to their societal structure but I won’t go listing em all out.

Avalonian- Someone who was born in and lives in Avalon. Genetically distinct variation of humans. Typically verdant or cerulean in complexion, Avalonians have been subject to genetic modification for many generations, at first as a way to better protect their bodies from residual radiation present in the area, and much later down the line for things like temperament/superficial aesthetics/etc., though genetic diversity is still very present, as it is understood to be beneficial and important. Typically, Avalonians have their genetic sequences picked out by Venus for the specific purpose of fulfilling a role in their society.

Venus- the AI/OS in question. Does not have a physical body for sometime, but may eventually have something similar to a large flower (as it is illegal in Avalon to construct AI that imitates a human person). As Avalonians do not have true parental figures do to being born of extracorporeal pregnancy (artificial womb), so Venus is often regarding as a mother figure.

Scena- Huge indoor city located in modern day Los Angeles. Ended up clinging to golden age film as a cultural identity, and has a very deco vibe about it. Steampunk without the steam, import economy reliant on what technology and recourse Avalon is willing to share. Typically non-Avalonians live here, and there are a lot of human-bodied AI running about as well, usually as household servants or entertainers.

Minervan- a person born in Avalon who exiled to live in one of the embassies/territories outside of Avalon itself. Typically they haven’t done anything heinous but a little bit of off-behavior in a very strict society + a review of their genetic code may show they have a propensity to. The less advanced OS in this society is named (you guessed it) Minerva, and they do not have a line of contact to Venus. Not considered to be Avalonian by Avalonian standards.

Characters of importance:

Laurel Leigh (she/her): an android originally from Scena that unlocked sentience & free will as result of a fluke injury to her CPU. Not having much of a schema between right & wrong, she often participates in whatever might offer a bit of camaraderie. Generally kind and enthusiastic, she retains an encyclopedic knowledge, though the contents of which is often inapplicable to the real world outside of a trivia competition.

Eli (He/him): Having run away from his city of origin as a teenager, Eli has lived in the highly hostile outskirts for some time now, and has learned to adapt to surviving in the extreme weather and pollution. Worry-prone and serious, he is often very protective of Laurel for her gullibility and vulnerable state, and is generally a bit suspicious of Avalon’s habit of hoarding resources and innovation for themselves. Generally a well meaning, if slightly blunt individual, he has a knack for getting others to question their own resolve and introspect a bit. He is highly intelligent and skilled in improvised engineering.

Solani Fusarium (they/them): The main character of the story, and the hardest to describe in short since their character goes through a lot of growth.

An Avalonian who works in agritech, specifically in the realms of meat cultivation & animal welfare. Very intelligent but can be a bit socially daft toward non-Avalonians in a way that can feel both patronizing and overly familiar, though does not harbor ill-intent beyond a bit of teasing.

They are ultimately the person who ends up playing hosting/playing ambassador to Eli and Laurel when they arrive as unexpected guests to Avalon. This rather leisurely stay not last terribly long as there is a general focus on getting them back out as they do not have visas, and Solani follows them out to Scena on a six-month exchange program after about a weeks time. Originally not seeing eye-to-eye, Eli and Solani grow much closer over this time, and all three of them become very tight knit (Solani and Laurel have always gotten along.)

Without giving away much, Solani breaks some Avalonian rules through good intention and is entirely exiled as an alternative to literally being executed

Not even allowed to live in a Minervan embassy, they are left in an odd state where they cannot really be defined as Avalonian or “human”, this experience of existing in between states and learning to redefine values outside of their formally very rigid structure mirroring Laurel’s situation. Solani, now aware of Venus/Avalon’s propensity for cruelty is now painfully aware of their own a concept that had never occurred to them. (Avalons are not cruel, therefore nothing I do can be cruel.)

They go to live in Scena and get a receptionist job at a company that manages railways. Generally, this period in their life is pretty tough for them, though they remain determined in the resolve to remain empathetic and ethical despite the bitterness and anger that grows in them. They begin to uncover what purpose they were born for.

The Ambassador (she/her): A nameless Avalonian known only as “The Ambassador” who is something of Avalon’s PM. Considered to be the direct interpreter and physical “body” of Venus before the actual body is constructed. Caring but strict, may come across cold. Also considered a mother figure.

Lesser characters:

Avium (he/him): Solani’s (former) partner. Seems to be a bit rebellious, but is in truth very status-quo.

Selah (he/him): A Minervan and Solani’s coworker, an engineer at the railway company. Becomes one of Solani’s closer friends, and often checks them in to the Embassy so Solani can be in a more familiar environment for periods of time. Seems to oscillate between being generous and selfish, has a habit of acting out of interest.

Tom (he/him): A [non-Avalonian] archivist and inventor that lives in a remote part of Avalon. He manages most of Avalon’s history, including parts that are not known to the general public and is the person set to invent Venus’ body.

Ada (she/her): Tom’s daughter. May not be human.

And ofc there’s much more minor cast as well, but no one I have pics of haha

[freetheshit-outofyou]

Hi Sir.

First, thank you for your years of service.

But thank you also for your intelligent, interesting, often funny, always thought provoking Tumblr!

(My own Tumblr is, um, less high minded.)

We may be very different men in some ways, but your ideas on government, self defense, outdoor recreation, food, nature, married life, and most other subjects are right on, Sir!

On marriage, I happen to have a husband, not a wife, but I think for both of us the experience is an amazing journey of discovery and adaptation.

On self defense, I was never in the military. Honestly I don't know what half the weapons you post are. I just try to do a little karate, and lately a little kobudo in my "old age." (59, the oldest I've ever been!) But I marvel at your evident skill and breadth of knowledge. The whole point of being able to fight, after all, is to attain peace.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts online, Sir!

Just when I’m sure the Human race is beyond recovery someone pops up and reminds me there are still good damned people on this blue sphere we call home. @hoss-sc, First and foremost, thank you for your kind words, with that said I have been accused of a great many things, High Minded is not one of them, but I'll take what I can get. Thank you, it is my honor to have served, I found more than I’ve lost and it changed my perspective on so much. It is true we are different men but as I have found, people as individuals, devoid of the separations and segregation that are placed on us by society and governments see more eye to eye than we know. When you understand that the very people, organizations and governments that keep putting us in little boxes are the very one’s fanning the flames of hate and distrust. Reminds me of this scene from Men In Black.

I don't have much need of those little boxes, those categories that we are yoked with. I chose who I like, or dislike, based on who they are not who I'm told they are. As I have said many times on here I don't care where a person comes from, who they bend a knee to, who they sleep with or what color they are. My baseline qualifier is what kind of Human they are. I have never had one of those artificial sub-categories clarify a person for me, only time and actions can so that. The chaff will always separate from the Wheat given enough time to do so.

I am pleased you and I have much more in common than not. I think every Human has Rights that exist before the laws of men. I think life outside teaches more practical lessons than and room and 4 walls can. I think Governments should be small and people should be allowed to be free. Hoss, I’m glad you have found your love and your happiness, damnit it is a rare thing in this age of instant gratifications and disposable relationships. With that said I have been married 3 times, the first one left me while I was deployed, the second one stabbed me and the one I spent all those years looking for, well, we’ve been together 17 years this July. I don’t care if one is in a same sex relationship or an opposite sex relationship, who people sleep with has very little to do with me or what I think of them. I’m sure you and I could have long conversations about the boxes society has created to keep people both locked up and hidden in. Self-defense, Man this hits me to my core. EVERY HUMAN HAS THE RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE!! Self-defense is the cornerstone to living a life free from oppression either from thugs and criminals or oppressive governments. I think everyone should learn a form of unarmed self-defense and learn to use firearms because deferring your safety and the safety of those you love to someone less concerned about your survival just isn’t the greatest option. I taught unarmed self-defense for 10 years and I have taught armed defense for close to 30 years, each one is an important aspect in our personal responsibility to not live in victimhood. A few years back I started training in Filipino martial arts (kali, escrima, arnis) with a guy out at NAS Fallon, it is so different from the traditional Jiu Jitsu I started with in the 90’s and the Gracie style of Jiu Jitsu I did for many many years and the same style my kids do now. I trained at if for a little over a year before the guy got orders and I haven’t found an instructor since, small town blues. I cannot accurately express how important I feel self-defense is. But, as you know, as we get on in the years all the shit we did to our bodies in our younger more rambunctious years starts to slow us down. I’ll be 53 in June and all those “Oh shit, I survived that!” moments remind me that I am not quite a spry as I once was, but I’m also not dead. I will never be as fast or agile as I was at 20 or 30 or even 40 but I will never go down without a fight, it’s just not in my DNA. Thank you again, I mean that from the deepest places in my soul. “The ultimate aim of martial arts is not having to use them” ― Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy

[kitkatt0430]

What's a character you haven't written about but would like to? O r a character you'd like to write more of, if you prefer

How about two for the price of one. 😉

I wrote Homeward as a response to a prompt from @avatarskywalker78 and in it included two OCs who are the E90 version of the Tornado Twins. Dawn Allen and her brother Jay. And I really want to write more for these two, though right now my focus is on other places.

So what I know of these two thus far is that they were born identical twins, but Dawn was quite insistent about being a girl when she was still very, very young and while Barry and Tina were a bit confused at first, they were supportive of their daughter even when they didn't really understand her. They've had their powers since early childhood. But Barry and Tina were very good at explaining to a child's understanding of logic why exposing their powers to others wasn't safe.

Jay is, of course, named after their deceased uncle, Detective Jay Allen. Dawn picked her name herself because she thought sunrises were beautiful and Dawn is when they happen. I don't know what name she was given at birth, but it's not really relevant unless I ever decide to write something about back when they were still babies.

By the time the baby twins were born, Tina had come up with a chemical formula that would bind with certain pain medications, increasing the amount of time it could last in a person's system. It'd probably cause a normal amount of pain meds to overdose a normal person, but in a speedster it makes the medication work - and last - the way it's supposed to. Tina was able to adapt the formula to bind to puberty blockers for Dawn and then to her HRT later on.

Jay has, absolutely, gotten in trouble for punching a school bully who would misgender Dawn. But Dawn has also gotten in trouble for punching that same kid for bullying Jay over being artsy. Tina had to be the one to scold them over resorting to violence first and not last because Barry was trying too hard not to say 'good job, slugger' to Jay and 'that's my girl' to Dawn.

Dawn wants to be a CSI like her dad, though she's just interested enough in pure research that Tina still has a chance to steer her towards a career at Mercury Labs instead of forensics. While Tina and Barry have a friendly 'rivalry' over Dawn's career choices, they've also made sure she knows they'll respect whatever she chooses. It's her life, she should live it the way that makes her happy.

Jay was nervous to admit he wasn't all that interested in science. He's good at it, but he's not really drawn to it. Unlike Dawn he really just... does not know what he wants to do with his life, so his parents suggested he do an Associate's Degree in General Studies. Which he could then build on for a Bachelors in whatever ultimately catches his interest. He still hadn't figured it out when Barry was captured by Zoom and imprisoned on Earth-2, but he either figures it out while Barry's away or not long after his dad gets back. Jay wants to be an art teacher.

They're both really close to their Uncle Julio and Aunt Sabrina, who are both in the know about the Allen family Speedster Powers. They're less close with their Aunt Eve (Dt. Jay Allen's widow) and their cousin Shawn, but that's more because of the distance between where Eve and Shawn moved and Central City. They do love Eve and Shawn and enjoy the chance to see them whenever possible.

Admittedly, some of this is subject to change once I finally start writing additional fics for the series, but this is where I am with them right now.

[brsb4hls]

I think one of the main issues with not only s2 but some of s1 as well as that only neil was involved with the creation of both of them because terry unfortunately passed away. It lost something vital in that moment. In s1, they still had the book and I think s1 did a good job as far as adaptations go with some grievances, but now in s2, it's whatever neil is going to do and with how active he is on tumblr and how the fans are and how he's reacting to them, it's losing the spirit of the original even further. Not BECAUSE the ship is canon, but everything else surrounding the ship and how we got there and how the writers and the actors are changing the characters more as they progress from one season to the next. I watched s2 feeling giddy for more good omens and very quickly that giddiness turned sort of confused and disappointed. I didn't want disjointed filler fanfic with a loose plot. It didn't fit. It didn't feel right. Overall, I didn't hate the season, but I didn't quite like it either. The handful of you good omens critical blogs have summed it up very well for me and I'm surprised it's not a more popular opinion. I've just seen a couple people talking about how book fans are complaining which is the most dismissive way to put it. I'm not sure if people are blinded by their theories and canon ship or they just don't care that this season felt almost fanmade, but I'm sad that the book and tv show versions are now miles apart rather than cousins.

That's a long ask, thank you for sharing!

I actually did like season 1, too. The book is very hard to transfer to tv imo and choices had to be made.

Technically, Adam is the main character, but putting more focus on him would either mean a) a kid show with a lot of stuff about the them or b) more Anathema and conspiracy theories discussion.

That probs wouldn't have worked that well, so Gaiman made the two most colourfull characters the protagonists and in order to flesh them out added to their relationship.

Other stuff was added for comedic reasons or drama. Which I get.

So season one was a fair interpretation with necessary (to appeal to a mainstream audience) changes.

And both actors were doing an amazing job, so that helps.

Another plus is that a lot of new fans had so much fun with the material and created a ton of art/fics and revived the fandom.

And then it went off the rails somehow.

The thing is, Good Omens isn't a drama. A lot of dramatic events happen, but they feel understated, it's mainly weird, quirky and funny.

It also isn't a love story. In the romantic sense.

There is a lot of love in the book.

And I truely do not know what exactly happened, that turned such a unique little thing into the most bland, generic romance.

Probably capitalism.

I mean, just watching Crowley and Aziraphale trying to weather everyday life without having their jobs anymore would have been hilarious, but probs to niche.

And I would love to know what made Gaiman change his tune in regards to the nature of their relationship.

He does not really answer stuff, though, he's good at circumventing.

I hope at least it wasn't tumblr that influenced him. In most cases a creative process suffers from too much social media interaction. (Season 3 could get even worse).

The fandom dynamics regarding criticsm are always complicated.

I do speculate that most hyper positive fans are fairly new, just in it for the ship and going with the flow.

Also critcism is kinda a four letter word these days.

Sadly.

I mean it can be fun and relieving to went or pick apart or even ridicule and as long as it's tagged correctly nobody gets hurt by it.

Maybe 'Good Omens' also is a sore subject, because after years of being vague, Crowley/Aziraphale actually got canonized, and no matter what they represent as, they do look like a gay couple to the general audience, and people might be afraid criticsm might reflect badly on the representation they finally got.

Who knows.

In the end, one can always cherry pick. I do like some scenes, I do ship Crowley/Aziraphale, but I'm disappointed that their characters went full on angel/demon cliche contrary to the appealing, nuanced book versions.

And yeah, there is no actual plot so we might as well have gotten smth like Crowley tries to earn money by becoming an uber driver or smth (there's great fanfic about that).

But that's just me, I do get why people enjoy it. Criticsm just helps to deal a bit with the disappointment, because, like you, I was initially thrilled about the second season.

[novelmonger]

I just finished Trigun Stampede, and it's left me feeling so disappointed, because it could have been...so much more.

To be fair, I have to acknowledge that the storyline is distinctly different from both the first anime and the manga, and while it retains certain similarities to both storylines, it's kind of its own story--and not a bad story, either; it was engaging and interesting in its own right. I especially liked how it handled Vash and Knives's history, what it did with Wolfwood's backstory, and how it wrapped things up at the end.

But the point is that my disappointment with Trigun Stampede has nothing to do with which anime is a closer adaptation of the manga. (I'm due a reread of that anyway; there are a lot of details of the Trigun Maximum portion that I don't remember very well.) When I compare the two animes, I just...enjoy the first one so much more.

It's all very subjective, of course, but here are some of my thoughts:

Where's my girl Milly? :( Why'd they take her out? Did they really think Roberto was a good substitute for silly Milly, the giant girl with the huge gun and the innocent voice, who comes across as an airhead but is actually really sharp? I'm sorry, I'd much rather have her in the party than a jaded, world-weary alcoholic who honestly feels like a less-interesting Wolfwood most of the time. Also, having Milly around meant that Meryl could take the role of the straight man most of the time, whereas the Roberto-Meryl duo is like...two straight men. Just doesn't have the same spark as Meryl and Milly :/

Vash is so much less goofy in this one, he's practically a different person. I mean, yes, his heart is the same, and in a lot of ways the goofiness is a mask and something Vash uses to keep himself from despair (better to laugh than to cry and all that). But it's still a huge part of his personality, and a huge part of what I love so much about Trigun in the first place. I love how the first anime will switch back and forth between being utterly hilarious and dead serious. Trigun Stampede, on the other hand, is almost entirely serious. As a result, the serious moments don't have the same impact as they would have if they came at the tail end of a string of ridiculous hijinks. I probably wouldn't think of that if I hadn't seen the first anime and knew how the story would feel with that kind of tone, but there you are.

There's so much less time to get to know the characters. You can really tell that Trigun Stampede's primary target audience is people who are already fans of the story, because they don't let the story breathe in the beginning. I really got the sense that we're supposed to already know who these people are and why we love them, rather than getting introduced to lovable characters for the first time. I have to wonder whether I would care about any of them if I didn't have tons of episodes where I'd gotten used to them and their quirks and had the time to really learn what they're all about.

WHERE IS BRILLIANT DYNAMITES NEON?! HOW CAN YOU BRING IN THE BAD LADS GANG WITHOUT THEIR FABULOUS LEADER?!?!?

Okay, I'm going to say it: I hate the animation. Sometimes it looked really good (particularly everything with the plants), but other times--especially when it came to character animation, particularly facial animation--it was so...sluggish? It was like the mouth movements couldn't keep up with the voicework, and every movement a character would make would take twice as long as it should, like they were moving through water or something. I'm certainly not against CG animation in anime, but I've seen it done so much better than this. I didn't know such a stylized art style could veer into the uncanny valley, but that was the feeling I got over and over again while watching this anime. It was so distracting that sometimes I found myself staring at their faces without reading the subtitles, and had to back up.

Oh, that reminds me: I'm sure there's a whole host of reasons behind them changing Vash's voice actor, but...I'm sorry, Masaya Onosaka is Vash the Stampede to me. He did such a good job with both the serious and the goofy sides of the character. Yoshitsugu Matsuoka did a great job; I have no complaints with his performance. But...he's just not Masaya Onosaka. It's probably a good thing that this iteration of Vash wasn't as ridiculous and all over the place, because I'm not convinced Yoshitsugu Matsuoka could have pulled it off.

The new character designs were okay for the most part. Not my favorite, but generally not a problem (though I'm not a fan of Meryl's outfit; it makes her look like a kid somehow). The only real problem I have is that Vash's floppier, softer hairstyle makes Wolfwood's nickname "needle noggin" just...not work very well. It was clear why he would give him such a nickname when Vash's hair was sticking straight up like a shock of wheat, but this way? Doesn't look like needles at all. His hair isn't noticeably spikier than anyone else's.

There weren't really any surprises or suspense in the story, because everything was shown in a fairly straightforward way. Not necessarily a problem, I suppose, and it makes sense that they have to cut to the chase more quickly when they've only got 12 episodes to work with. But I missed the way the first anime would just drop hints, show a little bit of a flashback, then move on for another episode or two. Particularly when it came to the nature of what, exactly, Vash is. They basically tell you right away in the first episode what's going on, rather than letting you wonder and slowly piece it together over time. I don't like that.

All in all, Trigun Stampede just doesn't hold a candle to the first anime. Now I'm off to rewatch that one, and then probably reread the manga.

[inventors-fair]

Just Junderneath: Alara Runners-Up ~

Our runners-up this week are @hypexion, @i-am-the-one-who-wololoes, and @stupidstupidratcreatures!

@hypexion — Dregscape Sifter

This almost feels like a Horizon-y card, but I'll drop that kind of speculation in favor of its reality: that this card straddles the line between Grixis' graveyard shenanigans and the artifact tempo of Esper. It's a card that wants to attack and indeed sift, it's made of materials from both planes, perhaps constructed by an Esper wizard on the hunt or a Grixis meddler using it for resources. There's a shared kind of scavenging between Esper and Grixis subjects that I'm finding compelling here. As a card by itself, let's return for just one moment, because it's just plain good as an uncommon.

Whatever Esper wants to do, or whatever the blue and black general shell wants, I like the idea of having unique graveyard manipulation. Really the only place I feel myself let down by this card is the clinical nature of the flavor text. There's no sense of stakes or surprise there. I would've perhaps wanted some kind of direction here, or more implication, if there hadn't been any at all. I just wish that there was nuance. Why does a blue card care about sangrite, exactly? Who made this little beast? Jund's inclusion here raises questions that don't come close to getting answered.

@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes — Adapted Rhino

I was about to be snippy and point out that there aren't non-sentient rhinos on Alara, and then Cliffrunner Behemoth runs me over. Ya got me. There are a number of interesting things about this card—the implied compleation, the ability of these creatures to adapt, the nature of the wilds on Alara, where this particular species exists and how, etc. We run into the semi-clinical flavor text issue again, but this time, it's got the question of "okay, how are they adapting?" in the art description. Great! I would've loved a different name to give separate comparable words than "adapt" and "adapted," but that's small potatoes. The way that this interacts on the field answers those questions, too: they're adapting to the species around them just as much as the world.

What this card encourages you to do is to play up one side or the other so you don't just have a 2/2 (although let's be real, it could be a 3/2 or even a 3/3 in today's world), but what it's daring you to do is play a 4-5 color pile of creatures. To me, that's hilarious. Jam them all and go nuts. It's clearly a dare built into the options, but it's not something you have to take. The deathtouch and lifelink are nice touches and allow for even a little splashing to go farther. What's also hilarious but more empathetic is the fact that you have the correct wording for the first ability and forgot to update the same correct wording for the second. ... Also, I just noticed, why isn't this a rhino if the name is "Rhino" and the established creature type is "Rhino" as well? If this card didn't play so well and imply a multicolor environment with flexibility, I'd be glowering at you right now.

@stupidstupidratcreatures — Vithian Salvager

Well. This one's weird. And I love it, but it's REALLY weird. But not so weird that I don't know what it's going for. There are lots of activated abilities these days, and in fact, almost half of the nonland permanents from the original Alara block fit into this card's gameplan. Unearth is the one that stands out, of course. What're you gonna do with all that unearth? Good stuff, hopefully. But artifacts with activated abilities and whatever would love this too. I love that this works for tokens as well, even if that may be pretty overpowered. Make a Treasure, use it to cantrip on a three-mana creature? That...may necessitate a "nontoken" clause there. Trust me.

As for the feeling, though, I'm looking at this thing, and I don't get a flavorful sense of Alara in the same way. It's still a very good card and the aesthetic design does feel like it belongs on Alara, but the card itself? I'm not feeling the rush of the world. That's okay when we're going into the part of design where everything comes together, y'know, where we're adding pure mechanical ideas to how a set's designed. Alas, I'm an emotional boy. I would like to see this card played and see how much sacrificing I can jam with card draw. Beyond that, my heart's stony and calculated. Great for deckbuilding! Not as much for making me leap with joy. Not that I've done much leaping, honestly, my leg tends to fall asleep writing commentary.

Commentary to be written as I cook today! @abelzumi

[thatgirlonstage]

irt the richard iii anime, that's a totally fair reaction to have! I must admit that i have absolutely zero knowledge about the play and the history that inspired it, much less about how the play came about and what the intention behind it was. So my ignorance definitely helped with my enjoyment of the anime; it's a lot like enjoying shyamalan's avatar if you've never watched atla. The demographic for the manga and anime is shoujo– and it shows. Some viewers even likened the show to fujoshi bait and i must say i cannot disagree with that assessment. That said, one thing i noticed near the tail end of the show was that the narrative definitely showed how the tudors are sowing seeds of propaganda throughout the kingdom through plays and incitements intended to villainise richard so i think they have that going for them at the very least. Anyway the anime on the whole will most probably not appeal to shakespeare enthusiasts but personally i really enjoyed what they had to offer. Especially the internal struggle of the wants of one's self vs duty. The duality of rejecting and accepting one's inner desires. And above all else, i gotta say i really enjoyed the romance 😂 it was very messy and delicious despite the egregious censorship and questionable animation quality.

Anyway, cheers mate and i hope you're not bothered by my previous recommendation. Hope you have a nice day

Not bothered at all!!! My reservations about the theme of disability aside, it absolutely sounds like my shit and the whole reason I fell in love with Shakespeare in the first place was that they're these stories that you can take and reinvent and make your own and retell in a thousand different ways. I am right at this moment trying so hard to get my hands on a copy of the feral cats Romeo.Juliet movie that the latest Um Actually episode mentioned. Return to the Forbidden Planet is one of my favorite plays I've ever watched in my life lmao it was such a batshit hilarious time. Also one of these days I'm going to finish watching the Romeo x Juliet anime, I was just trying to watch it I think while I was still in college and I kept losing track of what was happening, but I fuckin loved what it was doing.

All of which to say I may very well still decide to check this out! It just pinged concern because I do think there are a handful of Shakespeare plays (Othello, Merchant, RIII, maybe Taming and Measure for Measure as well) that deal very heavily with prejudice and social issues that are still very present and serious issues today (as opposed to like... I think you can do whatever you want with Edmund in Lear because people in modern society mostly aren't shunned for being born out of wedlock anymore, that's not a thing you're going to really offend or hurt anyone with), and as such warrant some extra care in adapting, imo. And even those plays I'm not saying you can never take apart and reassemble into something new and different, just, like any piece of art, it's subject to criticism if you do it poorly. Also, full disclosure, I worked on a production of Richard III fairly recently (our director, a couple of our designers and crew, and a good chunk of our cast all self-identified as disabled), so a lot of conversations about how to approach that play with respect and in a way to open the floor to disabled folks are still very fresh in my mind, which may well have intensified the knee-jerk worry.

Thank you for expanding, and if nothing else I'm so fascinated to know this exists. I always like adding weird and wild Shakespeare adaptations to my repertoire of knowledge.

[semper-legens]

84. Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, by Bryan Lee O’Malley

Owned: No, borrowed from my brother. Page count: Unknown My summary: Scott Pilgrim is doing alright. Sure, he’s unemployed, his band sucks, and he’s dating a high schooler, but that’s not gonna get him down. But then Ramona Flowers rollerblades into his life. Strange, sarcastic, and kind of sweet on him, Ramona looks to be exactly who Scott needs in his life right now. That is, until trouble looms on the horizon. Ramona’s seven evil exes are coming...and Scott is in for a world of hurt. My rating: 3/5 My commentary:

Ah, Scott Pilgrim. A classic of nerd media, and rightfully so. The comics are these days less well-known than the movie Scott Pilgrim versus the World, which was developed while the later comics in the series were still being written. I read the entire Scott Pilgrim series many, many years ago, but I don't really remember it very well, so while I was at my brother's place I idly decided to read the first from his collection. While I ultimately didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I was going to, I don't think that was the comic's fault, and it's still a solid little narrative.

So why didn't I enjoy it so much? Well, as I said, I'm much more used to the movie based on these comics - and at least with this early content, the movie adapts its source material very literally. Much of this book made it into the film almost 1:1, which meant I was mostly bored reading it because I was just remembering the movie rather than getting immersed in the book. That's not really its fault, though, and I'm sure that if I had continued with the other books, I would have found that effect to lessen as the series went on. That said, this is a blog about my subjective opinions of things, and my subjective opinion of Scott Pilgrim this time round was a resounding 'meh'.

Of course, that's not to say that the comic itself is boring. There's a reason both it and the movie based on it became so iconic. The simplistic art style is both cute and readable, the dialogue sizzles off the page, and the characters and world are quirky in a way that's fun and engaging and not just annoying, which is a hard line to walk. I love the idea of being just a regular person living in a video game like world where you can have a hyperspace portal running through your brain or you can beat someone up to make coins fly out of them. It's a neat idea, and the casual way this is introduced as an aspect of this world works really well. It's a good comic! Just not one I enjoyed this time round.

Next up, back to my weird special interests, and a prisoner of war camp in World War Two.