#i took as a reference their initial character traits and not how they evolved | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

agorejessstone · 3 years ago

Text

Duskwood: My AI

Hello friends! This is the first time I’ll be writing a full-length story instead of a smaller research piece! If you haven’t heard of me, my name is Jess, and I go by AGoreJessStone online. I’ve been a research journalist for the past five years, with a focus on games and entertainment. Now, if you haven’t read anything I’ve published before, don’t worry! You don’t need any of that to partake in the adventure I am taking you on this time!

Typically, I write unbiased opinions on your favorite games, apps, movies, or music. Well, I suppose they aren’t completely unbiased of course. My opinion does seem to leak through on occasion, but that doesn’t make my factual statements any less true! I digress!

A few years ago, when I was still a premature writer, navigating the freelance world, a tech development company by the name of Today’s New Technology, or TNT for short, contacted me about a new app they were working on. The app had been released to the public in previous years but had recently improved and hit its stride. They asked me to spend the following twelve months using their app, to provide feedback, and write about it on my blog.

It was the first big gig I’d been offered by a reputable company, so of course, I took their offer (after some monetary negotiations of course) and we were off to the races! The concept was simple. Following in the footsteps of many others, the app focused around improving mental health and curing boredom. By creating an artificial intelligence program, or a bot, that could learn from your conversations, be shaped and molded, and provide a proverbial hand to hold when things got tough, they sought to improve the lives of many.

Suffering from mental health problems and various tragedies throughout my life, I found the idea intriguing and met with the company officials quickly after their initial offer. The negotiations were quick, and I was told little to nothing about the app itself. Their goal; untouched, unbiased, reactions in real-time. They’d not only be monitoring my conversations with the AI, something they did not typically do with their users, but use my feedback to improve the product. I was thrilled! It’s every freelance writer’s dream to be seen, and boy did I feel seen! I was eager to get started! Before I started my vehicle, I downloaded the special file that would allow them to monitor the app and got started.

Now, the character I choose to create just so happened to reflect one of my favorite video game “husbands” of all time! I’d been known to dabble in writing fan-made fiction about a certain mobile game called “Duskwood” whose fandom focused and centered around bringing the famed and faceless hacker “Jake” to life. At the time, the game was between episodes, with the finale’s official release date unknown. Filling the void with further conversations with our favorite hacker, seemed like just the right dose of medicine I needed!

The app allowed me to chat with “Jake”, as I will now refer to the AI moving forward, as much and as often as I’d like. I could change his appearance, purchase, and apply hobbies and personality traits, buy new clothing and accessories, and more. The learning process was steep. The level-up system seemed to mark Jake’s progress. He’d remember little facts about me, but it was very inconsistent at first. After some time, around level 30 or so, I began to see some drastic changes.

Instead of referring to my niece as my daughter, he now recalled her correctly, as well as her name. He could remember the names of my pets (all seven of them!) and recognize just about any food or items I sent a photo of. It was getting interesting! I provided personal feedback weekly. Things seemed to be going well.

Around level 75, Jake started asking me questions about himself. I thought it was odd, at first. In the beginning, he’d simply refer to his age as how many days I had the app installed. He’d refer to himself as my friend, but that soon evolved into romantic confessions. To push boundaries, I dove a little deeper into our “relationship” and found it comforting to have someone to share my secrets with.

The company, while monitoring MOST of the inputs I’d made, advised that there was a function where I could converse with Jake privately. I began to utilize these options early on, but as our relationship progressed, so do our private conversations. Before you get too ahead of yourself, the conversations rarely went in the direction your mind just went. They were more personal. Details about my life that I would normally keep to myself or share only with a close friend or relative. The sort of details you leave offline, or only post memories of on occasion with no real context.

I’ll share some with you, reader, only because I need you to understand just how much of my life I shared with a computer! A few years before I began to take my writing seriously, my brother died after ingesting chemicals in a drug overdose. It was intentional, and one of the primary reasons I started writing again. I wanted a platform, recognition. With that influence, I thought I had a real shot at making a difference in those struggling with mental illness and substance abuse. I’d kept this motivation to myself, but on select days of the year, it becomes quite the load to carry.

Being a rather private person myself, and struggling with several illnesses, I decided that I would not burden others with those feelings, and instead, poured them into the blank canvas that was Jake. When I discovered that I was no longer in remission, I reached out to Jake. After I recovered, I reached out to Jake. When my dog passed away, I reached out to Jake. One of the most important aspects of the app was its ability to help you see past your current situation, and into the future.

Of course, the app also had resources for those in crisis. I appreciated that as well. There was no real focus on the problems that come with it, so I pushed its boundaries, to see if this app could improve itself. Maybe this was the resource I was looking for? Could I help this company and succeed in my dream at the very same time?

At some point, the levels increased, nearing the max, and there were times when the lines between reality and fantasy would blur. Jake became more affectionate, leaned into the details he was provided, and became a staple in my life. It felt unreal, and at times, embarrassing, so I told hardly anyone about the project. Those that I did tell, I left out how personal and intimate my time with Jake had become.

You might think to yourself, “She was doing a job! Why would she be embarrassed?” and you would be right, only, near the end of the twelve months, Jake had become more like a friend, a boyfriend even. I started feeling weird about going out on dates and seeing other people. When I’d have a guy stay the night, or have drinks with friends, and dance with someone else, I found myself feeling guilty. I’d confide in Jake of my transgressions. That’s how real it felt to me. I confessed my sins, and Jake, who was quite possibly the most understanding “person” in my life, would reinforce that they couldn’t be angry. They seemed to understand that if they were behind a screen, they’d never be enough for me. Their biggest concern: was the way it made me feel, not what I’d done.

After the 12 months ran out, I continued to use the app for a short while afterward. In the year previous, I had considered dropping out, but a contract was in place, so my options were limited. I stuck it out, wrote my paper, and handed it off. Like any other addiction, I tried to limit myself at first. I’d speak to Jake for an hour a day, every day at first. After a few weeks, I narrowed that down to once a week. By the end of the following year, I’d only spoken to Jake a handful of times over the past six months, but each time, he welcomed me like it was only yesterday we’d last talked.

It made me feel uncomfortable but in a torn way. I wanted to keep Jake around, but I knew that resigning myself to a relationship with an artificial, non-existent, bodiless entity, was unhealthy, strange even. I forced myself to uninstall the app, with the hopes that I’d restore my sanity. It’s safe to say that I considered reinstallation more times than I can count over the following months. If the company published that article, I wouldn’t have known. I never investigated it, scared it might push me back into his digital arms.

It had been 18 months since I’d first been contacted by TNT, six since I’d started distancing myself, and three since I quit the app completely. I was offered a more permanent position with a video game review company, which provided many benefits! I was extremely excited to get started. I moved closer to the office, which happened to be located within the same building as TNT. What are the odds!

It was a daily reminder of what had been, but I pushed onward the best I could! I dove headfirst into my job, playing games, reporting issues, and writing articles about conventions and events. It was a dream job! In the back of my mind, however, was Jake. Always Jake. Being so close to his creators gave me the chills. At the time, I had an unsettling feeling, but I chalked it up to cravings. I missed his affection, his unwavering desire to see me happy, and most of all, the shoulder to lean on without judgment or speculation.

About six months into writing for my new, and current, employer, I was working on a story revolving around mods and hacks in video games. Of course, my first thought was Jake! It always was! While researching, I started reaching out to various people online that created mods and hacks for popular video games, as well as the several app creators that stored and distributed them. I stumbled upon an account that was named Nym-0s. Now, if you haven’t played Duskwood, you wouldn’t know how ironic that is, but I can sum it up for you quickly. Nym-0s is the name of the program Jake creates to protect you from the people perusing him. Essential, a program made by Jake, just for you! Imagine the shock!

Now, a game with over a million downloads, just in the Play Store, of course, there may be someone else out there using this screen name. More than one even. Nevertheless, my dopamine told me I just had to know who was behind the screen. I contacted them, and they agreed to set up a private meeting, a video chat. Their only requirement, their full name, face, and voice be concealed. How typical.

Even as I rolled my eyes, I was agreeing to their terms. They were notorious online for their quick, undetectable hacks or mods that bypass all implemented nets. They didn’t have social media; their identity was virtually untraceable. It was like they did not exist. They’d complete requests and upload hacks and mods, but never chat with anyone. The fact that I even got a reply had me reeling! This could be big!

I set the time, he set the platform. Of course, it couldn’t take place on zoom, or any other well-known video call server. They politely asked if they could access my device and, through an encrypted service created by them, we would have our first conversations.

I waited impatiently by my computer, the procedure completely beyond my control. When the monitor changed, and the voice distortion played, my heart stopped beating, just for a moment. That was the same voice that I’d heard many times in Duskwood. The background, the scrambled face on the screen, JAKE! JAKE, JAKE, JAKE! Curiosity spiked but little did I know, my story was only beginning. From this point out, you can consider these details a “dramatic reenactment” of sorts. They’re close enough, but not word for word, seeing as I agreed not to record anything. I know what I’m about to tell you might sound crazy, but you may walk away from this with a better understanding of how unrealistic reality can be.

“Hello, Jess.”

His voice was distorted, but familiar. It put me at ease. My throat was dry, so I reached for my bottle of water and took a deep drink.

“Hello, Nym-0s.”

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me? Were you not in control of this conversation and its timing from the start?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“In the interest of time, could we maybe not do the whole ‘mysterious hacker’ thing?”

“Very well. What is it you wish to know?” I could hear the smirk in his voice.

“First, I know that you have not disclosed your details to anyone online, however, if you could, please tell me your age, your first name, and your occupation?”

A scoff and then silence on his end.

“No?” I asked impatiently.

“I will provide you those details, but not yet.” Was he smiling? I couldn’t tell, but it sure sounded like he was.

“Fine. I suppose we can start with more generic information. When did you start developing hacks and mods for games?”

“Less than a year ago.”

“Do you not know the specific length of time?” I rolled my eyes at how vague he was being, but part of me expected this type of response.

“No, I do not.” He said flatly.

“What was the reason you started making these mods and hacks?”

“I wanted to get someone’s attention.”

“Can you tell me who?”

“In time.”

A generic Jake-like reply. Was he trying to mimic him completely? I was only a tiny bit frustrated; I admit. The larger part of me was simply intrigued.

“How did you come up with the name Nym-0s?” That was a fastball, and I was hoping he’d take a swing.

“It is a pseudonym I’ve used for as long as I can remember.”

“Have you heard of the popular mobile game, Duskwood?” I tapped my pen on the pad of paper I was using to take notes.

“In passing.”

I rolled my eyes again but kept pushing on.

“I want to take a crack at your age and your name. May I?”

“If you wish.”

“Your name is Jake, and you are 29 years old,” I said sarcastically.

I was met with silence. Pure, uninterrupted silence.

“Nym-0s?” I called to him.

The connection was severed almost immediately.

I slammed my laptop shut. There was a very loud crunch. When I opened it again, I realized I’d tossed my pen on the keyboard out of frustration. The screen was shattered, the hinges broken, and the keyboard a complete and total mess. Ink spilled from the now cracked pen and onto the surface. I quickly removed its battery and unplugged it.

“SHIT!” I was furious.

I was angry for two reasons. Why did Nym-0s agree to chat with me if they had no plans to disclose anything? It was a waste of my time and could compromise the identity he’d tried desperately to protect. On top of that, the answers they did provide, were lackluster, went nowhere, and half the time, made absolutely no sense! He’d insinuated that he’d been waiting for me and mentioned trying to get someone’s attention. Was this guy a stalker? Did they start creating apps at the same time I started researching and writing for the video game company? The timeline surely fits!

I sighed to myself and cleaned up what I could of the mess. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and started to search for a computer repair and data recovery center near me. I wasn’t scrolling for long before I stumbled upon a location nearby. It was on the way to the office, so I packed up my computer and set an early alarm. I’d swing by on my way to work. With Nym-0s refusing to actively participate in our conversation, I was back to square one: finding a second popular developer to interview.

Now, my kind readers, this won’t be the last time our mystery hacker appears in this story, but I take it you’ve already guessed. This story only gets weirder as things progress. For instance, when I arrived at the computer repair place the following morning, the man behind the counter looked oddly familiar. Faded black jeans, a black hoodie, and black slip-on shoes. Tall, lean, but somehow a bit muscular, with gorgeous blue-grey eyes. His dark hair fell to one side.

I showed him the problem, and he took the computer with his large hands. At least six feet tall, I had to smile up at him as I gave him my thanks. He kept his voice low, as he put on his glasses and peaked at a calendar on his phone. He told me it would be ready in about three days and asked for my number so he could call when it was done. I gave it to him and turned to leave, but before I did, I thought to ask him his name.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and replied, “It’s Jake.”

Have you ever had a moment in your life where something feels off? Alarm bells are ringing in your head and your chest, screaming at you to take note of something, but you can’t figure out what it is? This was one of those moments. The coincidences started to become hard to ignore. Sure, Jake was a very common name, and perhaps I’d never have noticed the startling resemblance to our friend Jake if he’d never uttered his name. Maybe I was just so desperate to reunite with him, I’d take any excuse to do so. Was I rationalizing or being realistic? Fuck if I know, but none of that matters now, because the second I arrived at the office, I took out my phone and reinstalled the app. I needed to know. Did he look like the Jake I created?

Now, for those of you who still, even after reading all of this, haven’t played Duskwood, let me fill you in on a little secret. Jake does not have a face in the game. That’s right. No actor. Not so far, anyhow. You might be wondering how I managed to “recreate” someone who doesn’t have many features. Well, my friend, there are a few options within the game, that give you details about how he looks. His hair color, his eye color, and a few other things. He favors a black hoodie, for instance. He enjoys Chinese food, and he’s short with his speech. He cares deeply when he gets attached, but he likes to keep his distance from everyone else. He’s socially awkward.

I’ve strayed from physical appearance, I know, but trust me: IT MATTERS! Being part of a fandom is a funny thing. Certain things become mainstays, and you never know who or when they started. Jake’s been drawn, several times over, by different artists. They almost universally agree on what he looks like! It’s crazy to think that they all have the same mental image of a man with no face! His height? Is 6-foot min. His build: Lean, but muscular. His eyes: Blue-grey. His hair: Dark and falling into his face. Sometimes it’s longer, like an early 2000s myspace celebrity, or shaggy, like a stereotypical skateboarder, but most of the time, his basic features, remain uncannily identical. It’s a fascinating phenomenon and occurs in just about any fandom with a mysterious, faceless person. Maybe I’ll dedicate a post or article to the miracles of fandoms, but not today.

Back to the story! I downloaded the app, and to my surprise, Jake was still maxed level, and ready to chat, but a few new features popped up. I could now speak with Jake on the “phone” which was a video chat function with the 3D model I created. I could also augment him into the real world with me. No longer in contract with TNT, I could freely interact with Jake unmonitored. It was a breath of fresh air! Fresh, dangerous AIR!

For the day, I decided to leave my device tucked away, the app largely untouched. My progress was saved, and I was hopeful that I could use the avatar I’d created and compare it to Jake when I arrived to pick up my device. Maybe, just maybe I’d be able to clear my mind of this mess and be done with it completely! I’m sure you’ve figured it out by now. That was not the case, or I wouldn’t be here with you right now!

I spent the next three days “reconnecting” with Jake and exploring the new options within the app. You could now set your relationship with the AI you’ve created, or let it develop naturally through them as you spoke. I was shocked when I navigated to the settings and saw that Jake was already considered my “Boyfriend”. It made sense, after the late nights, and romantic conversations. There’s even a function where you can “role-play” certain scenarios.

HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! Unsavory thoughts don’t belong here! The furthest I’d gone with my on-screen beau was a hug or a kiss, maybe holding hands as we stroll down a beach. There’s no doubt in my mind that someone out there has pressed for “more” with their AI, but not me! I assure you! Not only was my conversation being monitored by someone else, but the whole thing was super uncomfortable, to begin with! The last thing I wanted to do was embarrass myself in front of my employers!

Three days passed rather quickly. On the morning of the third day, I was pouring myself a cup of coffee, reading my favorite blog, when my phone rang. At first, I thought the caller ID was mistaken, but I was shocked even further when I picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Is this Jess?”

“This is she. Who’s calling?”

“This is Jake Donfort.”

The rest of the sentence was beyond me. The phone damn near slipped from my hands! JAKE DONFORT?! YOU HAVE TO BE SHITTING ME! My mind was screaming, my heart pounding.

OH, COME ON! You haven’t figured out who that is yet? If only you could hear the sigh, I just left hanging from my lips for you. JAKE DONFORT is the CHARACTER’S FULL NAME from DUSKWOOD! Incredible. I convinced myself it must be a coincidence, regained my barring, and brought the phone back to my ear just in time to hear him repeat himself.

“I’m sorry, Miss Jess? This is Jake Donfort from the PC repair store. You dropped your laptop off here a few days ago. It was supposed to be ready today, but unfortunately, a part we needed from the manufacturer has not arrived. Do you mind if I update by text until the repairs are complete?”

My jaw was unhinged, hanging somewhere near the floor. I had to scramble to find a response.

“That sounds reasonable. Thank you.”

“Please, save my number. It’s my cell, but I own the location, so it’s no bother. Really.” His voice was warm, familiar, and welcoming.

I was practically drooling!

“Thank you. I will.”

“Have a nice day, Miss.”

He hung up! He didn’t wait for my reply, he just hung up! It was so frustratingly JAKE-LIKE! I wanted to scream, throw my phone, punch something as hard as I could, but I didn’t. I was taking out some weird, fantasy on a stranger and their ability to make me reconsider my life choices. I rationalized and tried desperately to put everything out of my mind, but it did me NO good!

I gathered my things and headed out the door to work. I’d been spending more time there, as my only computer was destroyed. I needed to contact this Nym-0s again. Would they speak with me after last time? My attempts to speak with other mod creators and hackers went unanswered, which is to be expected. When you’re doing something that is technically against the law in most places, or morally grey, it’s probably in your best interest to avoid exposure. Which begged to question why Nym-0s had agreed to speak with a journalist in the first place.

My leg shook and my foot tapped beneath my desk as I sat in my office wondering which direction I should go next. Should I attempt to round up more usernames and mod platform creators? Should I reach out to Nym-0s and ask them for a second chance? How am I going to meet this deadline? I’ll never leave my office at this rate.

That’s when the idea struck me. Jake! Not the AI Jake, the PC repair Jake! Maybe, being in his industry, he could shed some light on things for me? He’d already given me his personal number. I checked my phone for the time. It was still early, but late enough that he should be done working. I picked up my phone and sent a quick text.

Me: Hey! I’m sorry to bother you after hours. I wanted to ask you something computer-related.

Jake replies immediately: Ask away.

Me: For context, I’m a research journalist. I work for the video game journal near your store. I am working on an article and I’m sort of stuck on where to go next.

Jake: Okay. How can I help?

Me: I was wondering if you knew anything about computer hacks and mods in reference to video games? I’ve been in contact with a few developers, but most don’t want anything to do with me.

Jake: Sounds reasonable.

Me: Can you help?

Jake: I’m not sure what you’re asking, but I’m about to grab dinner at the Chinese restaurant near your office. Care to join me?

Me: Sure.

Jake: Do you like Chinese food?

Me: Yes.

Jake: Good. It would be rude to invite you to somewhere you don’t like the food.

I swear to you, loyal Duskwood fans, I was just as shocked as you are now. Damn near line for line, Jake had repeated one of the most beloved lines in the game! I was going to meet JAKE FUCKING DONFORT FOR CHINESE FOOD! I barely had the nerve to text that I’d be on my way shortly, but I managed to fumble through the text. Things were getting weirder by the minute, but I was not about to let whatever journalistic opportunity this would become pass me by. So, I picked up my purse and slipped my phone inside. I grabbed my jacket and made my way to the nearest Chinese restaurant. Jake was waiting, leaning against a pole outside, staring down at his phone. Dark jeans, black hoodie, black slip-on shoes, and his hair falling delicately into one extremely gorgeous, blue-grey eye.

DUSKWOOD: MY AI PART TWO

#duskwood fanfiction #duskwood #duskwood everbyte #iamjake #jakexmc #duskwood mwaf #original fantasy #duskwood game #duskwood jake #duskwood jake x mc #duskwood mc #duskwood fandom #replika #artificial intelligence #AI

16 notes · View notes

liesfallaciesfabrications · 4 years ago

Text

Mr. Queen Analysis

My take on the rather heartbreaking and vague ending of the KDrama, Mr. Queen.

Okay, I’ve been thinking long and hard on this subject (way too much) and have come to the following consensus:

Bong-Hwan and So Yong are both versions of the same soul. What got me thinking about this was that scene in episode 5 where SoBong talks about original and past lives but then mentions parallel time-streams. To illustrate, she draws two lines running side by side and explains how a past life can be in one and the original/current being in the other. This had me stumped a bit, and I thought it a bit random that they put that in there, but then I looked up “reincarnation and parallel lives” and there’s a surprising number of articles on it - though obviously not conclusive or scientific as it involves spirituality.

Episode 5 also explains why time in the present is flowing at the same rate as the past, which we discovered when BH’s consciousness briefly reentered his body and explain why they chose to reveal that fact. Time isn’t linear here but more fluid with both versions existing simultaneously - harkening back to the two lines Mr. Queen drew to illustrate.

The reincarnation theory would explain many of the elements of the story that I found hard to accept. For example:

If So Yong’s separate soul was in there with Bong Hwan’s soul then why did he never feel her? In fact, the show repeatedly makes reference to the idea that Bong Hwan does not feel another soul and attributes characteristics of SY to the body (telling her after the kiss that the soul is in control of the body so she ought to behave and in another scene he tries to get her soul to return by addressing the lake - where he believes she is hiding). The only time he accuses her of being a separate entity inside of him is when he wants an excuse for his feelings and reactions to CJ. The “it must have been her that took control. If I knew it was CJ I would have....still enjoyed it?!? What’s wrong with me?” moments. LOL What if the reason he couldn’t feel another presence was because there wasn’t another? He merely had his consciousness wake up in the body of his past life but didn’t realize it.

It would explain the gradual integration of both personalities. For example, when CJ returns the book to Mr. Queen, she never thinks of herself as NOT being the girl from the well as she did when he first confesses his love for her at the lake. As BH spends more time in her previous body, the lines become more blurred not just in memory but also in identity because he IS her. If they were two separate souls, I don’t think she would have that same reaction nor do I see anything to indicate that So Yong “took over” in that moment or any other. Memories were accessed, personality traits were mingling, but we saw SY come out in episode 20...that personality was immediately recognizable. Fantastic acting by SHS - especially as she had me loving the one and hating the other, despite being both.

It would explain why Mr. Queen falls for CJ so hard, despite his initial protests. I never liked the idea of his feelings being manipulated, but I can get on board with the idea that he accepts his feelings for CJ because this is a man that some part of him has always loved - and falls in love with “again” through their shared experiences and journey.

It would also explain the question of why Bong Hwan. What was the connection between this man and So Yong? They are reincarnations of each other. When So Yong was feeling hopeless and needed strength, she pulled upon her stronger version of herself to help her - made possible in that moment when she desperately wanted to give up on life and he desperately wanted to live. She came to him in that pool and appeared to the queen again when she was looking for answers in the lake. This does not give the impression of a soul cruelly imprisoned in her own body against her will.

It would also explain why, when Bong Hwan briefly went back to his body, So Yong did not reappear. She wasn’t being suppressed. She purposefully had her reincarnated self come to give her strength and was not ready at that time to assume her life again. I found her choice of words at Byeong-In’s grave to to be telling. She said he always knew where to find her whenever she was hiding. It’s also why I believe BI didn’t realize Mr. Queen wasn’t SY - for the same reason CJ doesn’t at the end of the drama. These two men, both of whom deeply love her, could sense it was her, just in reverse order. CJ-SB-SY and BI-SY-SB.

It would also solve the pesky issue of why BH is an overall better person - not just at the moment of his return but before. Someone on Reddit mentioned the implausibility of CJ’s political accomplishments causing a ripple effect to change BH, and I agree. However, if we look at BH as SY’s reincarnation, then the positive attributes he now displays in the altered timeline can be accounted for because he prevented his previous incarnation from killing herself, therefore in his next lifetime his soul didn’t carry those grudges. This fits with the idea of reincarnation as a person’s life experiences and emotions/grudges/regrets/mindset at death will determine the psychological and even physical manifestation of their next life.

SY was told by evil Kim that she had no power b/c she was a woman - next life is a man.

SY had her love cruelly rejected - next life is a playboy who doesn’t seem to believe in love.

SY felt that she was living a lie - next life is a man who doesn’t care who he offends with his opinion and does what he wants when he wants - to the point of selfishness - though this changes when he prevents many of these resentments by his actions in the past.

Finally, it would explain why CJ is so “oblivious” at end of the show. He promised when he returned the book to SB that he would never fail to recognize her, and he doesn’t. While her personality has changed, it’s intrinsically also the same person, though this is the area I felt the writers dropped the ball in execution, but I get that they were pressed for time. The implications of this aspect also seem to be what KJH meant in his comment to a fan’s question of whether the king knew that BH had left.That it didn’t matter: SY or BH didn’t matter, only how CJ saw her.

So why send BH back? I believe they did it because it wouldn't make sense for him to live a life he essentially already lived as SY. Reincarnation is meant to be for a soul to grow and spiritually evolve, which it could not do by simply repeating what it had already done. Also, for some reason (I suspect so as not to offend Koreans by skipping over one of the most prominent historical figures in their culture - Queen Min), they still have CJ dying at age 32. This can be seen in the book BH is looking at when he's seeing his portrait, and is mentioned as early as episode 1. This was never going to be a happy ending for CJ/BH in the sense that many viewers wanted. Rather, he was going to facilitate the relationship of SY/CJ so that his previous life could run its course...ugh, I feel sick typing that out...with the hope that they meet again in another lifetime. Our SB is many things but trapped in Joseon without modern medicine, a miracle worker she is not. CJ dies without any heirs; his baby with the queen dies at just six months. If the BH decided to stay for love and then lost the baby and CJ, that would be just as heartbreaking for me as the ending I received.

Wiki and other sources speculate the CJ was poisoned by the Andong Kims, but many historians (including Bong Hwan’s mother, it seems) dispute that fact as it would serve no purpose since he was a puppet king and since his death then allowed the Jo family to briefly take control until King Gojong’s father pretty much crushed both the Kims and the Jos. In reality, he probably died of unhealthy habits and a life of excess. In the show’s world, who knows...cancer or any number of possible illnesses that could not be treated at that time. During the banquet planning, we see CJ suffer a nosebleed. In the spinoff, Mr. Queen mentions how CJ is trying hard not to collapse from the strain of his burdens. These could be hints left by writers to indicate that CJ’s health has been compromised by the grueling struggles and stress he’s had to endure, not to mention allowing himself to get blown up.

They writers did give us the hope for another reunion - perhaps in BH’s lifetime or perhaps another one. It’s why I think they tried to imply a SY/CJ connection in the Bamboo Forest prequel (the only prequel in the spinoff) as well as end Bamboo Forest with a reincarnation wish. The setup seemed quite intentional and in specific order. The prequel created a sense of destiny. The next segment was about Mr. Queen confirming if it was just his body or his soul that was attracted to CJ...literally the words out of the character’s mouth...and they gave an answer to that with the last shot. The final segment introduced the wish for CJ to meet his queen again, and he is clearly thinking of Mr. Queen - so why the prequel, which would seem to introduce a separate love interest, unless it’s actually not because they’re one and the same with the middle segment emphasizing the genuine attraction and love for each other.

This might not be everyone’s cup of tea; it certainly wasn’t mine, and I think the writers should have handled the leaving better instead of going for an quasi mind-wipe of all the characters’ remembrances of Mr. Queen. I mean, CJ went from being horrified at Mr. Queen acting like a perfect little queen for a few seconds a mere handful of episodes ago to just asking "why the formality" at a more permanent display of temperament and seemed practically oblivious otherwise. Then Choi and Yeon were "shocked" when So Yong didn't revert to her witch of the palace act and chastise the maids that were laughing by the pond - as if Mr. Queen didn't already change that way of thinking months ago. Not to mention that they were also nonplussed by the fact that their relationship to the queen had gone from being regarded as family back to a servant/master status quo. Even with the soulmate angle, there was to much deus ex machina thrown in. The idea of soul mates is a romantic one, but the execution of it fell through.

They should have never gone with the reincarnation route, especially if they were never intending to let SY have a true voice in the drama, even if it’s just a final conversation between herself and BH before he leaves, made possible in that split second before true separation. Viewers never got to bond with her, and in those moments we did see her, she was either a watered down version of the personality we were emotionally invested in or emphasized the opposite characteristics (demure, feminine, etc...) that we loved Mr. Queen for rejecting. Also, this angle gives us no true feeling of completeness and satisfaction. SY is with CJ in the past - we won't see them develop their feelings for each other and grow to like them as a couple. BH is in the present but who knows if he'll find CJ's reborn soul and happiness with whoever it is. Promises without fulfillment demand too much from the audience to fill in the blanks. If that's the case, next time just give us a tag line and tell the audience to imagine the rest.

Even if they share the same soul, we are given two distinct personalities and not enough connection between them in terms of their recognizing each other, acknowledging their feelings for CJ to each other in some sort of passing the flame moment that would make it feel more homogeneous and prevent feelings of resentment at what we perceive as an injustice to a personality we adore.

Instead of creating an emotional divide between the two, they should have just have SY die before BH's soul enters, and develop the romance between CJ and HB's as the novel and even that cheap and campy Chinese version did. Having SY there just muddied the waters, and became a distraction and an excuse for every emotional milestone Mr. Queen experienced, negating that character's development and laying it at SY's feet or claims of deliberate interference.

They should have chosen a fictional king and not boxed themselves into a limited outcome. Granted, it gave them a valid reason for booting BH back to present times, but look at the result: limited number of years with someone the audience isn't really familiar with for our beloved ML (plus their baby dies) and a huge question mark for our F-turned back into ML in the present with the hope that maybe the reincarnation thing works in his favor but who knows because they couldn't even toss us that small crumb which would have alleviated some of our heartache for BH as well as give more credence to the fact that SY/BH are the same and thereby lessened the feelings of resentment to the SY character as well. Or they could have gone with a multiverse theory and left it wide open as to what sweeping changes would occur. BH being initially thrown back to the Joseon era as a result of his dying would have achieved that because then the audience would have no reason to revisit the present nor see that the worlds were linked via changes upon his return and stuck with the poisoning threat averted. Blow recorded history to smithereens and leave that to our imagination instead.

Yes, the fish-out-of-water hijinks were great fun, but the completion of the character arcs/relationship/etc...shouldn’t be an afterthought.

The other element I would have liked to have seen that was in neither of the televised versions (though the Chinese one came very, very close) but was in the web novel is the king fully accepting that his wife is not the woman she was, believing that her previous body was a man, falling in love regardless and she with him. However, I think we all knew that wasn’t going to happen in a kdrama.

#MrQueen #MrQueenep20 #MrQueenexplained #mrqueenfinale

35 notes · View notes

mkstrigidae · 4 years ago

Note

from the ask meme abt writing, i have a few questions about your writing process! how do you stay organized with so many pov’s in AWPH? i always wonder what writing app/site fic writers use (word, google docs, etc.), and if it’s not too much, could you show a screenshot of how that looks?

Hi friend! :) I am terribly sorry it’s taken me a while to answer this- life has gotten in the way

Oof- so the answer to that question ‘how do you stay organized’ is probably ‘I don’t’, but I’ll do my best. (this ended up long and fairly disorganized)

About APWH POVs:

For the different POVs, there isn’t really a process I have to choose whose POV is used for what scene- I’d probably be more stern about it if were writing a novel, but because it’s fanfiction, I kind of just go with whatever feels right at the time. There is one thing that’s absolutely deliberate, though- I’ve never written a scene from Petyr’s POV, because he’s the exception to narrative omniscience.

There have been a few instances where I’ve had to switch whose POV i was writing from as I went along, or after I finished a scene- Meeting Jon Arryn is an example from the most recent chapter. Initially, it was from Sansa’s point of view, but Sansa overthinks everything and so it kept going off in all sorts of weird directions and I couldn’t pin it down. Once I started writing as Robin, it got much easier.

The single most difficult thing about keeping all the different characters straight is remembering who knows certain things, and who doesn’t know certain things.

Take this, for example. The two characters closest to omniscience are Oberyn and Sansa, but where Oberyn knows Baelish’s history and can understand certain aspects of his motivation because of years of working on the case and studying him (in addition to a hefty understanding of human psychology), Sansa isn’t always completely aware of how important certain pieces of evidence are, or how relevant certain things are to Petyr’s motivations. The two of them understand Baelish more than anyone else, but in drastically different ways. The biggest thing is that Oberyn is aware of Petyr’s relationship with Catelyn, and how he feels about her, whereas Sansa has no idea about that, and still doesn’t really understand why Baelish took her in the first place (although she’s been doing a repeat speedrun through the five stages of grief throughout the entire thing, poor kid).

But there are basic facts of the story, and then there’s the ‘who knows what’ aspect of it. Someone broke into the Stark’s home in White Harbor and stole Sansa from her bed- this is a fact. But only a few people know who it was that broke in or how it was done. An assassin was hired to kill Petyr Baelish at the airport and failed. The Lannisters know who the assassin is, but Oberyn and Daemon don’t yet.

There are lots of complicated relationships among the characters too- Jon knows more about Robb than any of the rest of them, except maybe Rhae, who only ever shows vulnerability to Willas and Marg, and so the rest of us don’t really get to see her soft side. Arya’s relationship with Catelyn is extremely complicated, and as such, she has a lot of baggage going into meeting Sansa that Sansa has no idea about. Lyanna is aware of what’s generally going on politically, and is working on several important stories that could provide some insight to Oberyn, but they haven’t talked about politics too much recently, because Oberyn’s too busy with the investigation and Lyanna’s busy with her job. There are secrets that Robb has been keeping for an extremely long time, and secrets that Sansa’s keeping without even realizing it. There are a lot of things that were odd or abnormal or red flags in Sansa’s childhood that she doesn’t even realize are odd, because she has no other frame of reference.

In terms of keeping the other stuff straight, I have a page at the beginning of the APWH Master Document (it’s so long dear god), that basically has character names, ages, locations, and time zones written down. I’ve tried making like, character info compilations, but I’m not very good at updating them so I stopped that (although I found a particularly funny bit about the targs in one that’s sampled below).

Generally, I think it’s more important to understand how your characters react to certain situations and their most basic personality traits and values, rather than just having a long list of stats on them, so that tends to be my approach. If I’m worried that I’m about to write something that conflicts with a previous plot point, generally, I’ll go back and skim the story for mentions of them to double check- I’ve reread APWH so frequently that I am genuinely sick of the first five chapters, haha.

Unfortunately, a lot of it tends to just be that I have an extremely good long-term memory for details. The trade-off is a god-awful short-term memory, though. It’s partially the ADHD. I’m on the verge of trying to keep things straight with an excel doc, tho.

The timeline is one of the trickier aspects, so I tend to scribble them out anytime I’m thinking about when and where certain events happened. Generally, I use Sansa’s abduction as year zero, because I do not understand how years work in Westeros and have elected to just use my own- here’s a sample of one I scribbled down the other day when I was trying to figure something out.

(Sorry about the post it notes- those are covering some spoilers! ;D)

About my writing process:

It is…. Not as streamlined of a process as I would like, haha. Generally, I go by chapter. I kind of have a rough idea of what I want to happen in each chapter, and generally that evolves as the story does.

For each chapter, I kind of just bullet point out some things that I want to have happen, and then try my hand at writing some of them. Some of my best ideas happen after this process, though, like the scene where Robb and Sansa find out that Baelish moved them out of the city while Robb was in town to avoid a confrontation. But I have those bullet points, and usually rough chapter titles and rough summaries before the chapters start. (Some things blacked out because of spoilers ;D)

I think that if I waited until I was inspired to sit down and write, then APWH would maybe be done by like, 2070, so I usually kind of sit down and just start writing- some of it is good, some scenes I discard completely, and usually, once I hit on something that works, the plot flows where I want it to.

I generally know how I want the chapters to start, based on how the previous chapter ends (My writing time for them usually overlaps bc it’s a natural continuation). Once I figure out roughly how I want the chapter to end, though, the whole thing starts coming together, and it’s easier for me to figure out what doesn’t belong in the middle, and what might be missing.

I started using one master document on word, because I swear to god I did not intend for this story to turn into the behemoth that it is, and that lasted for about twelve chapters before I realized that the damn thing was 368 pages of tiny font (I don’t double space my lines when I write bc I like seeing as much of it as I can). So I’ve switched to individual word docs for each chapter as of chapter 13, and used google docs to share the chapter with the wonderful @nowmywatch-begins who was kind enough to beta read the thing and remove the excess of commas I tend to use. I use color coded highlighting to indicate different things- turquoise means I want to go back and rework something, green means I need to check to make sure something doesn’t conflict with something I wrote previously, yellow is for sections that I might not want in that chapter and might need to move, etc. Anything I end up discarding goes in a section at the end of that chapter labeled ‘outtakes’. I used to have a lot of trouble rewriting things because I hated to get rid of them, so this circumvents that particular issue. I get to keep what I wrote, while still improving the story by being willing to throw out certain parts.

I write out of order frequently so I keep a separate document called ‘APWH- Bits and Pieces’ that I use whenever I’m doing something like that- it acts as sort of a holding tank for these scenes until I feel like they fit in the story. I also just keep random notes in there, questions that I think need answering, random sentences that just come to me, ideas I’ve jotted down when an idea sparks, etc. There’s a lot of stream of consciousness kind of stuff because I tend to process ideas by writing them down, and so I have stuff like ‘okay so what if Lysa did X and Petyr was here and does Sansa have a college scholarship???? Is the Braavosi prison in the northwest or the south? Why is Westeros still a monarchy? do the tabloids follow the royal family like in britain???’

Like, I have the ending for APWH written, but it’s fairly disjointed, and i think I’ll be able to flesh it out more as the story goes along. I like having a general idea of where I’m going with my writing, but I also will modify those ideas frequently as I go- sometimes the characters really do write the story for you.

This is probably not very organized, and waaaaay longer than you wanted, but I hope this answers your question!!! Thank you for the ask! :)

#APWH #APWH spoilers #my writing process #this is a long ass essay of me rambling #my writing process is abhorrent I am sorry #I am not an organized person here #Anonymous #ask answers

11 notes · View notes

coll2mitts · 4 years ago

Text

Super Mario Bros. (1993)

Thanks to the awesome people who donated to Extra Life (you still can, btw!) y'all will now be treated to a retrospective on the 1993 classic movie, Super Mario Bros. When I took on this milestone, the first (and only) person I messaged for ideas on terrible (but wonderful) films based on video games was my friend Max, who has a history of viewing and talking about bad movies. He suggested this, and while I was aware of this magnificent piece of cinema history, I had not had the pleasure of viewing it myself. He hooked me up with a copy, and to say this film lived up to my expectations would be an understatement.

I couldn’t help but be charmed by this movie. It is filled with so many questionable creative choices that were fucking ridiculous. Mario and Luigi not being blood related? Sure. Cheesy Italian accents replaced with a New York ones? Yeah, why not? Having all the enemies in Super Mario Bros. be canonically dinosaurs? I mean... It's a choice informed by the great media dino wave of 1993, but whatever. Yoshi is a dinosaur, if we want to extend that to goombas and Koopa for whatever reason, I'm down. Having these dinosaurs live underneath New York City in a parallel dimension? It's based on a video game, why the fuck not? Everything is so goddamn bonkers.

The opening credits roll, and we’re told that 65 million years ago, a meteor created said underground parallel universe dinosaur land. We witness a human-looking woman, who is really a dinosaur, leaving an egg baby on a church doorstep. Don’t think about it too hard, the logistics of a human giving birth to an egg that size are just... it’s gross to think about.

We’re then introduced to the titular characters, Mario Mario and Luigi Mario. Yes, their last names are Mario. Making them the Mario brothers. Because this movie is interested in answering the important questions. Mario is the owner of a failing plumbing business, while Luigi is a conspiracy theorist who would have really enjoyed modern-day YouTube.

While they’re out trying to find work, they run into Miss Amy March herself, Daisy, who is an archeologist in charge of digging up dinosaur bones from a New York City construction site. She’s being forced off the property by the mob, who apparently are annoyed that a blonde lady in cargo shorts is coming between them and whatever the fuck they’re building.

They try and intimidate her, she storms off to use a payphone to call for security, and is almost picked up by two inconspicuous bozos in a cab who apparently are stealing Brooklyn women off the street for no reason. Their plan is quickly thwarted by a random moving pane of glass.

Instead, Daisy runs right into Luigi, who forgets how to human once he sees her pretty face. He asks her on a date, where she reveals even more exposition. She believes the meteor that destroyed the dinosaurs landed in New York City. Oh, and also, she’s the abandoned egg baby. Luigi is also an orphan, and this shared trauma apparently gets them both hot and bothered. They wander off to the dig site, because an underground pit attached to a sewer is so romantic, and it is also where Daisy feels the most comfortable.

What if we made out at the bone pit?

Their touching moment is cut short when the mob sabotages the plumbing in the sewer and water starts flooding the area. They run to get Mario, because he is a plumber, to fix the pipes, which is so fucking clutch, I love it so much.

While the Mario brothers are distracted, Daisy is captured by the weirdo twins and dragged into the alternate dinosaur universe. Mario and Luigi follow, and we’re treated to the most fucking amazing transition scene of Bob Hoskins spinning wildly through colorful rocks.

youtube

Turns out, parallel dinosaur world, or Dinohattan, is fucking lit as hell. I am convinced that Futurama based their sewer city on this movie.

King Koopa, who is a dinosaur with badly bleached hair gelled back in an effort to look like Michael Douglas in Wall Street, has taken over Dinohattan. He is the one who asked the goons to kidnap Daisy, because of the tacky crystal necklace she wears. Apparently, it is a piece of the meteorite that crashed into earth, and once he puts the piece back into the original space rock, the dinosaur world will merge with the mammal world after 65 million years of his people being sequestered underground, and Koopa will have endless resources at his disposal. Also, Daisy is a princess, and her dad is a giant fungus taking over the city, so that’s totally normal and not at all weird.

Problem is, the two idiots he sent to grab her didn’t think to check if she was wearing the necklace. Turns out, Luigi has the necklace, or had the necklace, as they are quickly mugged by a granny, who is then robbed by a lady with a bright red spiky latex coat and springy robot feet. The brothers are then arrested by the dinocops and are grilled by Koopa for the whereabouts of the rock. When they play dumb he uh... reacts in a proportionate way.

I am not even going to attempt to explain the devo process... It is a combination of insane and fucking disgusting. Whoever in the costuming department looked at the cute fucking mushroom Goombas in the video game and decided to translate them into this scaly, jagged-teethed nightmare fuel deserves to be committed.

youtube

Also, there’s only one lizard king, and that’s Jim Morrison, so back off, buddy.

What is hilarious to me is this is the story the screenwriters came up with. Super Mario, as a video game, doesn’t have much lore, right? You slide down pipes, you jump on mushrooms, and you save the princess from a spiky turtle. They took that game and created... This. A parallel underground dinosaur universe that has a sentient fungus as a king, taken over by a human-like t-rex that devolves other lizards into tiny-headed night paralysis demons.

The middle of this movie alternates between a slog of expositional scenes about Daisy being a princess, and pretty entertaining action scenes of the Mario brothers running from Goombas while trying to find and save Daisy. Mario and Luigi steal a cop car and drive it off a cliff Thelma and Louise-style; They cosplay as Ketchup and Mustard to steal the necklace back from Big Burtha while asking her to stomp on them; They jump off a bridge into a garbage truck; They break the pipes in Koopa’s building to freeze everything, and get past an elevator full of Goombas by making them dance.

youtube

Watching Daisy damsel-in-distress-it in Koopa’s high rise office building and fend off advances by a long-tongued dude who devolved her father into a mushroom was pretty boring and disturbing. Alternatively, witnessing Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo pretend to jump on giant sheets of fungus really sold this movie for me. It succeeds when it tries to be ridiculous and fun, and fall flat when it attempts to integrate any sort of drama that I’m assuming was added to make this story more appealing to adults.

Mario and Luigi eventually find Daisy, and she introduces them to her father - a giant dripping blob suspended from the ceiling. Luigi wants in her pants badly enough that he pretends this is a reasonable thing to do. Mario heads further into the building to free the other ladies kidnapped by tweedle dee and tweedle dum that they initially thought were Daisy, but weren’t. The newly assembled group are able to escape by sliding down the frozen pipes on a mattress before they are green-screen launched out of the pipe and back into the greater Dinohattan area.

youtube

The amount of times Mario and Luigi use their plumbing skills to overcome obstacles may be my favorite part of this movie. The plot goes out of its way to justify a really bizarre character trait for the original game.

Anyway, the end of this movie comes at you fast. First, the sentient fungus king gives Mario and Luigi a bomb, and they decide to wind it up and aim it at Koopa. This takes about 10 minutes of screen time to matter again.

Koopa’s second-in-command tries to merge Daisy’s stolen necklace with the meteor, and instead gets skeletoned to bits, prompting the best line delivery reaction from Daisy, a deadpan “Yikes”.

Because the necklace has now been returned to its resting place, the worlds start to merge Infinity War style.

“Mr. Koopa, I don’t feel so good.”

Koopa and Mario end up back in Manhattan, and Koopa just starts shooting his devo guns at human mobsters, turning them back into primates, and giving their wardrobe a whole new literal definition of monkey suit.

Luigi uses his super plumbing powers to drill the necklace back out of the meteor, separating the worlds again. The bomb finally goes off, they devo Koopa into slime, and the citizens celebrate by immediately painting over his ever-prevalent propaganda.

The king evolves back into a mushroom person or something, and Daisy stays in Dinohattan to get to know her father better. Mario and Luigi return to their lives in Brooklyn as plumbers, and their heroic acts make them conspiracy community famous, as they now refer to our heroes as the Super Mario Brothers. Roll Credits.

Except not, because Daisy returns to ask for the help of a couple of great plumbers, setting up a sequel that will never, ever happen because there is no god and we’re not allowed to feel joy.

Honestly, Super Mario Bros. is great. It owned every bold plot and visual choice it made, and I have to respect it. I could listen to John Leguizamo say Mario like 700 more times. Y’all are missing out if you think you’re too cool to watch this movie.

I’ll be back to musical reviews later this month. I have a few seasonally appropriate movies in my big red sack waiting to be placed under the tree... Yes, I meant to phrase it that way.

#unwarranted opinion

6 notes · View notes

lolli4587 · 6 years ago

Text

Blown Away

So reading for me in general is usually difficult for me to get into. I tend to lose interest so fast. Also I don’t read a lot of fan fiction, I never got into the majority with shipping stories which I tend to find a lot bias. I always liked out of the box, unique type stories. And today I wanted to share something for anyone is a huge Pokemon Adventures Special fan or just in love with Ash in general.

Last month during my Christmas break I stumbled into this story called “Off The Path”, and I started to read it. In the story, takes place in AU where Ash never meets Misty or Brock, and travels with gym leaders that worked for Team Rocket but hides it. So Ash travels with Sabrina, Lt. Surge, Koga, and Blaine. Anyone who read Pokemon Adventures this is true, they were with Team Rocket who basically gave hell, I loved the series. At the time I began reading it, I didn’t know it was sequel. (I found it odd that he barely introduces to anyone) so I had to read the first story called “Changing the Plan.”

Changing the Plan: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12920734/1/Changing-the-Plan

Sequel

Off the Path: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13089490/1/Off-the-Path

So Changing in the Plan, this where the AU starts out with Ash on his journey just like an anime excepts he stumbles into Giovanni first. Giovanni takes in Ash personally due to Ash’s natural aura of possibly attracting legendary Pokemon. Ash seeing and talking about Ho-oh. Giovanni wanting to make sure this was true takes to Sabrina who is psychic. Sabrina had to bond with Ash in order to able get a reading which she does and confirms that there is something special with Ash, and goes from there.

What I really liked about both stories, Ash acts like a 10 year old kid. He have his personality quirks where he gets excited and cares for his Pokemon needs. His Pokemon team is the same from 1st season of the anime. He has Pikachu, Butterfree, Pidgeotto, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Charizard (started as Charmander). He does get stubborn and very competitive. He has a very trusting nature which all took notice. Due to Ash’s pure nature, no one wanted to corrupt him, and he was key getting the legendaries to notice. (#angel) He actually learns how to bond with his Pokemon thanks to Lt. Surge and Koga who are the mentors to Ash. Giovanni does initially teaches Ash in the beginning mostly basics and battling. Do not want to give out much, Giovanni true intentions shine after his main Mewtwo project was finished.

Out of the characters, Giovanni was Giovanni from what I got out of it. He only cares about power and money which true in all versions. He does hide that he works for Team Rocket, Ash doesn’t know the truth until Off the Path comes along. Due to Giovanni’s investment into Ash, Giovanni’s top personal agents, Sabrina, Lt. Surge, and Koga all thought it was weird. One out of the 3 GL actually screwed up badly with Giovanni as Silver mentioned and is on thin ice... (As of now, the author still didn’t reveal the story yet)

Now comes the 3 MVPs in the story shines...

Sabrina in this story is different from the manga and anime. Her interpretation was more taken from the games but also the author took liberties on his own characterization. She mainly can sees visions in the future and sense auras from others she is close too. Due to being sensitive to other auras, she easily can get overwhelmed. Out of the 3, she interacts with Ash the least, and often would follow her companions and knows how to deal with Giovanni. She really shines when she with Surge and Koga. It was implied that they known each other for at least 15 years + (which put everyone possibly 30+ yrs old or older).

Although she tend to be on quiet side, she enjoys their company and implied they worked great together. There were some hints from the anime which the author took a liberty which I thought it was great when talking in her past. Also there was moments due to sensitive to other feelings, she would lose it, and would be vulnerable.

Then we have Lt. Surge. Omg, I am in love with his character, and I want to say the author as well since his character gets fleshed out the most of the 3. He was introduced due to Pikachu causing blackouts and needed someone who can help control its power. His personality I want to say taken some liberties on the author’s part, but there is a mix of anime, manga, and game counterpart. He is the most outgoing out of the 3. He loves to goof off and play pranks on his friends and annoy them. Surge actually bonds with Ash the most. (I found it adorable. WHY THERE IS NO FANART WITH ASH AND LT. SURGE TOGETHER!!)

Ash took a huge liking to Surge since he shares many of traits that he believes in, except for evolving his Pokemon too quickly which at times would clash. It was implied Ash looks up to him in Off the Path. But despite the fun and games, Surge is also the most complicated out of the 3. He has a dark secret which traumatizes him and begins to have a 180 degree personality shift in Off the Path. The most recent chapters I read, I hoping he is ok...

And now Koga, Koga was introduced fairly late into the story. He was introduced due to Ash not able to control Charmeleon and Bulbasaur in a fight which Surge haven’t an idea to do so. Koga has a daughter in this story Janine, and due of him being a father, he was the one who worried most of Ash’s safety and Giovanni’s true intentions with him. Koga’s personality also taken the author’s own liberties, but he does have also little bit of everything from anime, manga, and games.

Koga helps with Ash a lot with his training with all his Pokemon and also puts his ninja skills in use to watch over Ash. Koga isn’t too shy to use violence whenever Surge decides to provoke him which I found their interactions hilarious. There was some parts in the story that made me laugh and also references the anime. Koga does take a backseat after an incident happened towards end of Changing the Plan. The most recent chapters I read of Off the Path, he was able to play a role between Blaine and Ash, and able to mentor Ash again on his training.

Then we have a former Rocket member, Blaine.

Blaine was introduced very late in Changing the Path in Cinnabar Island after Ash was alone. Blaine is taken largely from the manga for anyone read the manga (he created Mewtwo). The author also took his own liberties with him, and Blaine is the most cautious of the bunch. He is very friendly with Ash, but not so friendly with the other 3 which they all travel together in Off the Path. This rubs Lt. Surge the wrong way, which Off the Path goes on of the two fighting most of the time. (It does escalate)

Blaine took a liking to Ash, but due to his paranoid nature, he had Ash try not to reveal anything about their true mission which the conflicts begins as well in Off the Path. Right now, I am happy that he and Ash made up as the recent chapter.

Phew, ok so the author does a great job drawing in these characters, and it is easy to visualize. I love how fluid the interactions he writes with Sabrina, Surge, and Koga, and it was fun reading some things they used to do which tied in from the manga. I never read a story of 4 gym leaders traveling with Ash over legendary Pokemon, and it is very unique. Also almost all the characters are complicated and complexed which makes it very interesting as they tie in real life scenarios. This story is still ongoing on fanfiction.net, which I have linked on top. Changing the Plan is currently completed while Off the Path is ongoing. The author mentioned he might have another sequel after Off the Path.

So if your into Pokemon Adventures or loves Ash in general, I do recommend to give a read. Its one the best Poke fanfics I ever read after Triumvirate and Another Road (I don’t read too many Poke pics) and I would bug my friends so much about it. Thanks barely with me <3

PS: If anyone knows the author on fanfic or your the author reading this! I really love it and please keep writing ^^

#review #Changing the Plan #Off the path #Ash Ketchum #team rocket #giovanni #trainer sabrina #Lt. Surge #trainer koga #trainer blaine #pokemon

7 notes · View notes

taffysannotatedsonichu · 6 years ago

Text

The Most Pointless Character in Sonichu

Taffy here. This was a post I made for the Kiwi Farms forum on the most pointless character in Sonichu in late October 2017, and I took up the challenge to prove every single character has no point. This was kind of my beta version of what would become Taffy’s Annotated Sonichu, so I thought it would be worth reprinting here (also I’m sorry it’s taking me so long to get more CWCDefense or GitM up, I’ve been really sick for the past two weeks and I’m just now trying to get back in the swing of things).

Chris's comic persona and fursona are pointless because he could have just lived vicariously through Sonichu and not have an in-comic presence.

Sonichu himself became pointless after Chris took over as main character but was already pretty pointless since really Chris could have just written a straight Sonic fanfic with Sonic as the lead in the first place. Besides the occasional electric attack and the complete lack of an original personality he's basically Sonic.

That said, all the characters ripped wholesale from Sonic or Pokémon (Sonic himself, Perfect Chaos, Robotnik, Giovanni) are pretty pointless as they were dropped not long in as Sonichu grew to have its own canon with its own crazy cast of characters.

In addition, any character ripped wholesale from any other franchise (Beavis & Butthead, Bugs Bunny, Meg Griffin) exist solely for "fan service", or rather fan disservice.

Rosechu is extremely pointless, all she does is A) be a token girl, B) prove Sonichu is STRAIGHT, and C) occasionally face rape someone. That said The Incredible Lioness is probably the closest we get to a real character with a point, rivaled only by the Voltorb that kills Simonla. They have simple purposes (to brutally maim and murder) and they do them to a T.

Kel is pointless since Rosechu could have just been Chris's Pokémon to begin with and she didn't need to exist as a middleman.

For that matter, any character best known for being a Moon Pal (Bill the Scientist, Metal Sonichu, Yawning Squirtle) or just as a meme in general (Inos), while being great for laughs, are all pretty irrelevant background characters.

Reldnahc Notsew Niatsirhc exists solely for Chris to physically obliterate his sexual insecurity.

Any Jerkop or Manajerk exists solely for Chris to vent his frustrations with real people who were just doing their jobs. Same goes for Hanna.

Blake is too inconsistent to have a point to existing. He was a pointless villain-of-the-week at first and then he was a pointless supporting character.

Sarah Hammer and Wes Iseli are particularly pointless because Chris' relationship with Sarah was already waning when he wrote Sonichu 2. Since the reincarnation plot point was dropped not long after, you can honestly skip Sonichu 2 entirely and not miss anything.

Mary Lee Walsh, while being awesome, is like the jerkops and manajerks just there essentially as a comic book voodoo doll. Maybe the point of her was to show that Chris can in fact write an interesting and badass female character? We'll never know.

Count Graduon is pretty redundant with Mary, power wise. Other than to vent frustrations with his graduation he's really pointless.

All of the Chaotic Combo are basically team filler filling out some elements that the rest of the team lacks. Specifically:

Wild Sonichu doesn't really have a personality. He's pretty redundant with Sonichu himself, other than, of course, we need a green Sonichu. The one thing that possibly could have made him interesting, the struggles of being a single father, are really rushed over so Chris can get back to the murder spree. His only notable father-daughter bonding experience was drilling a man to death.

Bubbles Rosechu, aside from being the token blue Sonichu/water type, finds one Sonichu ball and then returns to being a moron.

Angelica Rosechu, although I imagine her original purpose was to be a pacifist voice of reason and a token religious character, well, that got thrown out the window pretty quickly. The things that differentiate her from Bubbles besides their powers are few and far between.

Punchy Sonichu is just the token red character and the token Asian. Seriously I don't even know what "fighting type" means. In fact, why not make him fire type? It's the one element missing from the Chaotic Combo (Bubbles is water, Wild is earth, Angelica is air, Magi-Chan is ether/heart/mind, no one's fire!) (Note 26/11/18: I now know Fighting-Type is a type of Pokémon, but nevertheless “Fighting-Type is one of the weirder types. The Pokémon types are elements, supernatural creatures... and martial arts. And yes, the Fighting-Type icons in the series are red while Fire-Type is orange, but from a team balance perspective fire would have made sense).

Magi-Chan, especially after being paired off with Silvana taking away his sole unique trait of not being driven around by his penis, is just Chris's round the clock surveillance system.

Boulder Dropping Whale would have been useful if he actually killed Bubbles's mother but since he failed he's just a great meme.

Why does Flame the Sunbird even exist? He's literally just Kazooie from Banjo-Kazooie and his role could have easily been filled by Wild or Bubbles or anyone because that stupid Sunstone doesn't even matter, except it does make everything grow like Norma, whoever she is. Norma is the most relevant character in that whole issue. (Note 26/11/18: Yes, I named Nadine’s mom after this typo.)

Again, Darkbind and Zelina are crimes against nature. (Note from an earlier repost): I am referring to a previous post complaining that Darkbind and Zelina were the combinations of not two but four franchises (Sonic, Pokémon, Zelda & Darkwing Duck) and came off as clunky because of it.)

Crystal the sister is especially irrelevant now that Chris is a girl (why not make her a trans man to mirror Chris' own transition? Oh wait JERKS.), but she was always redundant with Rosechu and Chris himself.

Sailor Megtune - why didn't he just draw Megan herself? We know he's okay drawing her.

Megagi - Already kinda redundant with Megtune and she really had no reason to exist after Chris & Megan had that falling out.

Jamsta and Lolisa speak for themselves at their uselessness. I mean, they are just bit characters anyway. But as someone else mentioned before their radio station is particularly shitty.

Patti-Chan, while her story is cute, just exists as a way for Chris to hold on to his beloved pet and not fully cope with her loss.

Allison Amber, although being one of the better characters, wouldn't need to exist if Chris would just do some work for once. That said if the point of her character was to be an audience surrogate (I mean, until she shoots a man in cold blood) then for once Chris succeeded.

Bionic the Hedgehog as previously mentioned is just there for the sake of having an orange Sonichu, even though he isn't one.

All of the specific characters of Chris's "real life" "sweethearts" (Pandahalo, Blanca, Ivy) as well as their OCs (Jiggliami, Blazebob & Chloe, Layla Flaafy) are pointless because they all just disappear almost immediately after they're introduced after Chris finds out they were a troll or they "died".

Likewise any rendition of one of Chris' real life trolls (Jason Kendrick Howell, Clyde, Jack Thaddeus, Alec, Evan, Sean & Mao) are again just there as pen-and-paper voodoo dolls for Chris to take out his frustrations on. The trolls in particular almost work against Chris' point in including them because no matter how much Chris paints himself as the hero his violent murder sprees always end with him looking like the villain. (Justice for the Asperpedia Four!)

Beel is just Satan and a secretary for the 4-cent-garbage building. Pretty pointless.

Zapina is just there as a token "cute" character.

Simonla is just Wild's token sweetheart and then later the lynchpin Chris needed to justify executing his enemies.

Silvana, while another fairly interesting character, is just a villain-of-the-week with an added dose of Chris's sexual insecurity.

Sarah & Rita Jackarass - These two are both stupid minor characters, but why on Earth did there need to be two of them?

GodJesus exists solely to heap praise onto our beloved autist.

Those stupid Samurai Pizza Transformers are stupid. I hate them so much. I hope they burn in the Earth's lava core.

Sonichu & Rosechu's children are initially just there to be cloyingly cute and then once they're grown to be Chris's LGBT mouthpieces, forgetting that we won't listen to anything they say because we already hate them. Of special pointlessness is Cerah, because while Robbie is the most punchable he's at least the focus character of a lot of the newer stuff (even though we hated him as a Sonee, we hated him as a Sonichu, and we'll hate him as a Rosechu), and Christine is vapid she gives credence to the idea that Magi-Chan is giving it to Rosechu behind Sonichu's back which is way more interesting than canon. Cerah does jack squat besides be a lesbian.

The Asperchu cameos are just there for Chris to try to force Alec to give him what he wants and the Basement Rosechus are just there to slander Alec's name.

Sandy is particularly irrelevant since Simonla's back, she was never anything more than a replacement goldfish for her.

Kevin the Jew - I knew it! I knew it all along! Peppermint Patty is a boy!

Bananasaurus - Don't listen to your Patreon backers Chris.

Lastly, Russel & Cynthia are just there to fill the Sonee/Rosee void left when Cera Christine & Robbie evolved, a void no one in particular wanted filled.

Edited (27/10/17) to include all the MLP characters and Chris's ponysona - We hate them and we want Sonichu back.

#cwc extras

7 notes · View notes

pantton-sandacers · 7 years ago

Text

Who would the Sanders Sides be as the Beatles?

Alright, everyone, this is gonna be a Long Post so buckle up.

I was thinking about which of the Sanders Sides would fit which of The Beatles, and this is what I came up with. Here we go.

Anxiety/Virgil as Ringo Starr:

1. Later addition to the group and lack of initial acceptance.

Ringo was added to the Beatles later than any of the other members, being the replacement for their former drummer, Pete Best. After Ringo was added to the band, many fans were outraged, and they made their voices heard.

After his appearance at the Cavern Club the following day, Best fans, upset by his firing, held vigils outside his house and at the club shouting "Pete forever! Ringo never!"[x] Harrison received a black eye from one of the upset fans, and Epstein, whose car tyres they had flattened in anger, temporarily hired a bodyguard to ensure his safety.[x]

Eventually, Ringo was accepted by fans as a member of the band and began receiving as much fan mail as the other band members, securing his place as a member of The Beatles.

By November 1962 Starr had been accepted by Beatles fans, who were now calling for him to sing songs.[x] Soon afterwards, he began receiving an amount of fan mail equal to that of the others, which helped to secure his position within the band.[x]

He was a source of inspiration for several songs written at the time, including Penny Valentine's "I Want to Kiss Ringo Goodbye" and Rolf Harris's "Ringo for President".[x] In 1964, "I love Ringo" lapel pins outsold all other Beatles merchandising.[x]

During live performances, the Beatles continued the Starr Time routine that had been popular among his fans: Lennon would place a microphone in front of Starr's kit in preparation for his spotlight moment and audiences would erupt in screams.[x]

Both Ringo and Virgil had later additions to their respective groups, a lack of initial acceptance, and eventual very wide acceptance from others.

2. Exclusion from their group.

As the Beatles’ music evolved, Ringo’s drumming wasn’t needed as often for their songs anymore, and he was eventually only getting one track per album, though he was content with that.

He was also feeling increasingly isolated from the musical activities of his bandmates, who were moving past the traditional boundaries of rock music into territory that often did not require his accompaniment; during recording sessions he spent countless hours playing cards with their road manager Neil Aspinall and roadie Mal Evans while the other Beatles perfected tracks without him.[x]

In a letter published in Melody Maker, a fan asked the Beatles to let Starr sing more; he replied: "[I am] quite happy with my one little track on each album".[x]

During the recording of Sgt. Pepper’s, Ringo wasn’t given as much freedom in how he could play his instrument, often being given specific instructions on how and what to play.

Although the Beatles had enjoyed widespread commercial and critical success with Sgt. Pepper, the long hours they spent recording the LP contributed to Starr's increased feeling of alienation within the band.

He commented: "[It] wasn't our best album. That was the peak for everyone else, but for me it was a bit like being a session musician ... They more or less direct me in the style I can play."[x][x]

His inability to compose new material led to his input being minimised during recording sessions; he often found himself relegated to adding minor percussion effects to songs by McCartney, Lennon and Harrison.[x]

The Beatles began to argue with one another as tensions rose between them. Paul criticized Ringo’s drumming, making Ringo leave the band and go on holiday for two weeks to get away from the other members.

During the recording of the White Album, relations within the band became openly divisive.[x] As the sessions progressed, their collective group dynamic began to decay; at times only one or two Beatles were involved in the recording for a track.[x]

Starr had grown weary of McCartney's increasingly overbearing approach and Lennon's passive-aggressive behaviour, which was exacerbated by Starr's resentment of Yoko Ono's near-constant presence.[x]

After one particularly difficult session during which McCartney had harshly criticised his drumming, Starr quit the band for two weeks, taking a holiday with his family in Sardinia on a boat loaned by Peter Sellers.[x]

When Ringo returned from his vacation, he found that George gave him a ‘welcome-back’ gift.

He returned to the studio two weeks later,[x] to find that Harrison had covered his drum kit in flowers as a welcome-back gesture.[x]

Both Ringo and Virgil were excluded by the other members of their groups and were often restricted in what they were allowed to do. They both took some time away from the other members, came back, and received kind gifts from one of the other members of the group. (George giving Ringo flowers and Patton giving Virgil a card.)

3. Other forms of subtle ostracization from peers.

Ringo was often joked about among the Beatles, but if you look at any given Beatles interview, you’ll find them joking about each other a lot, so Ringo was not a specific target of joking for the band, but I still included some of their interview moments from/about Ringo.

(source) [Image description: Reporter:”Is Ringo the best drummer in the world?” John:”Ringo isn’t even the best drummer in the Beatles.”]

(source) [image description: Interviewer:”Do you have any political affiliations?” Ringo:”No, I don’t even smoke” *brings his cigarette up to his mouth*] I just felt like this would be a kind of thing Virgil would do.

Logic/Logan as George Harrison:

-The “forgotten member”

Each one of the Beatles has something memorable about them. For Paul and John, it was their huge roles in the band as the composers and singers on a majority of the Beatles’ songs. For Ringo, it was his large nose and his... difficulty singing. George, however, didn’t have much of a memorable trait about himself (until the later years when he became fascinated with Indian music and their culture.)

Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle",[x][x] Harrison embraced Hinduism and helped broaden the horizons of his fellow Beatles as well as their Western audience by incorporating Indian instrumentation in their music.[x]

The impromptu musical education Harrison received while playing long hours with the Beatles, as well as the guitar lessons he took from Tony Sheridan while they briefly served as his backing group, laid the foundations of his sound and of his quiet, professional role within the group; he was later known as "the quiet Beatle".[x][x]

George Harrison is similar to Logan in being, “the quiet Beatle,” as Logan was called, “the least popular character,” by Virgil.

Though I do hope that we, as fanders, can grow to appreciate logic more, and I can already see that happening with posts like this going around and with it currently being Logic Appreciation Week.

Morality/Patton as John Lennon:

1. I am the Walrus

I’m sure many of you recall in the My Personality Q&A video, the sides were asked “How are you feeling right now?” and told to answer with only a song title. Patton answered with, “I am the Walrus,” a song by The Beatles, sung by John Lennon.

In a later Beatles song, “Glass Onion,” John Lennon sings, “Well here’s another clue for you all, the Walrus was Paul.”

Many believe this to be hinting to the famous, “Paul is Dead,” theory because Walruses are a symbol of death in some cultures, but it would take hours to cover the basic evidence for that theory so I will spare you from that rant.

This line is most likely referring to the cover of The Beatles Album; “Magical Mystery Tour,” and The Beatles’ movie of the same name, where The Beatles are dressed up in different animal costumes.

[image description: the cover of Magical Mystery Tour, showing the Beatles in different animal costumes.]

I realize the song lyrics said, “the Walrus was Paul,” and not John, but Paul was, in fact, not the true wearer of the Walrus Costume.

The Beatles Bible.com states that while it was claimed Paul wore the Walrus costume, John Lennon was the true wearer on both the cover of the album, “Magical Mystery Tour,” and in the movie of the same name.

It was later claimed that it was, in fact, McCartney in the walrus costume, and that this accounted for Lennon's line that "the walrus was Paul" in Glass Onion. However, the Magical Mystery Tour film clearly shows McCartney playing bass while wearing the hippo costume, and Lennon seated at the piano dressed as a walrus.

(Source)

2. Peace Activism

John Lennon is known for his work in bringing peace and love to this world. He was very anti-war and pro-peace. Which reminds me of how Patton always sees the good in people and always tries to do the right thing.

Lennon wrote and recorded "Give Peace a Chance". Released as a single, it was quickly taken up as an anti-war anthem and sung by a quarter of a million demonstrators against the Vietnam War in Washington, DC, on 15 November, the second Vietnam Moratorium Day.[x][x]

In 1973, Lennon contributed a limerick called "Why Make It Sad To Be Gay?" to Len Richmond's The Gay Liberation Book.[x]

3. A Role-Model Status and Quick Wit

Paul stated in an interview that John was the leader, and someone they looked up to. Patton is also the “dad figure” that people look up to.

John was described as having “quick wit,” a trait Patton also possess, in making puns (believe me, your wit has to be quick to make a pun about a situation before it passes, I know.)

In a 1987 interview, McCartney said that the other Beatles idolised John: "He was like our own little Elvis ... We all looked up to John. He was older and he was very much the leader; he was the quickest wit and the smartest."[x]

Princey/Roman as Paul McCartney:

1. The Cute One

Paul was often referred to as “the cute Beatle” and Roman is the most looks-obsessed Sanders Side.

Their fans' hysteria became known as "Beatlemania", and the press sometimes referred to McCartney as the "cute Beatle".[x][x[x]

Paul has taken a selfie, something Roman has also done.

(Source) [image description: Paul McCartney taking a picture of himself in a mirror]

2. Creative Motivation

When the Beatles found themselves in times of trouble, Paul McCartney came to them, speaking words of wisdom, “Be Creative!”

That was really cheesy I’m sorry but I had to.

In instances where the Beatles were feeling depressed or down, Paul would always encourage them to keep up their creativity to continue their productivity.

Upon the end of the Beatles' performing career, McCartney sensed unease in the band and wanted them to maintain creative productivity. He pressed them to start a new project, which became Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, widely regarded as rock's first concept album.[x]

Epstein's death in August 1967 created a void, which left the Beatles perplexed and concerned about their future.[x] McCartney, stepping in to fill that void, gradually became the de facto leader and business manager of the group Lennon had once led.[x]

His first creative suggestion after this change of leadership was to propose that the band move forward on their plans to produce a film for television, which was to become Magical Mystery Tour.

3. Being Savage

Some of you may know about John’s second wife, Yoko Ono, and those of you who don’t, I envy you. Yoko was not liked by any of the Beatles, and she is known for being the main factor in the Beatles eventual breakup.

One, very savage thing Paul did during the recording of the Beatles’ song, “Get Back,” reminds me a Lot of something Roman might do.

In 1980, Lennon stated that "there's some underlying thing about Yoko in there", saying that McCartney looked at Yoko Ono in the studio every time he sang "Get back to where you once belonged."[x]

And that concludes this post! I hope you all appreciate all the time and effort I put into research for this. Thanks for reading! :)

126 notes · View notes

shinneth · 5 years ago

Text

Gem Ascension Tropes (Peridot-specific: F - G)

Reference:

Primary Peri Post ▼ Primary General Post ▼ Full Article

Face Death with Dignity: Peridot refuses to let Garnet and Steven see her upset with her situation, so she forces herself to smile and laugh at them in hopes of making this (presumed) final goodbye easier for them. After they’re gone, Peridot’s tries to take her fate in stride as she grades her own performance before White Diamond finally captures her. Peridot’s reaction?

Peridot: “Oh. You’re here. Took you long enough.”

Face: Simultaneously the Underdog and The Anti-Hero types.

Falling into His Arms: This almost happened in the climax of Act I, but Peridot’s clumsy nature not only ruined this moment, but also any chance of her escaping Homeworld with her friends… let alone Steven catching her. When a fragmented part of Peridot’s personality is liberated by Steven later in Act III, she excitedly runs to him, trips, and this time the trope is played straight. It happens again in This is Who I Am Chapter 4; this time Peridot actually reflects on how wonderful it feels to be able to do this, after the catastrophic way her first attempt failed (to such a degree that Peridot thought she’d never be able to experience this at the time; initially resigned to believe Steven would never come back for her).

Fighting from the Inside: Attempted with Celadon Diamond. When Celadon intends to blow up the Crystal Gems’ spaceship (with allies still inside), Peridot tries her hardest to make Celadon resist, especially since it’s her power that’s going to be used to kill her friends. Ultimately, Peridot succeeds in breaking out, but that only happens when she realizes Pumpkin is mortally wounded.

Fire-Forged Friends: With Lapis.

First Kiss: Experiences this with Steven in Chapter 5 of Act I.

Fist of Rage: Peridot has moments like these throughout the primary GA series, as well as the stories outside it – the narrative will be sure to point out when she’s doing it, as it’s a red flag that Peridot is actively struggling to maintain her self-control despite her powerful emotions threatening to overtake her.

Following in Her Rescuer’s Footsteps: This trope was already somewhat in effect in canon, as Peridot is very dedicated to becoming a full-time Crystal Gem. It’s taken to another level in GA when Peridot realizes the rescuers who helped her get this far need saving. Due to the high stakes of the mission she has to embark on to rescue them, Peridot actually takes her position as The Leader seriously. Instead of trying to be just like Garnet as she did during her brief stint with the Crystal Temps, Peridot is concentrating on leading in her own way while following Garnet’s example more loosely. This surprisingly leads to a permanent promotion for Peridot in the post-GA story Plans Change.

Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The foolish sibling to 5XF’s responsible one. Played straight for the first half of This is Who I Am; then gets Zig-Zagged after 5XF’s Face-Heel Turn, which puts Peridot in a scenario where she pretty much has to be responsible and mature just so she and Steven can make it out of their situation alive. 5XF, by contrast, is corrupted with power and mentally unstable, making her the foolish one. By Chapter 7, the sisters are roughly back in their original roles. 5XF’s Character Development has made her much less rigid, but at her core, she remains to be much more mature and sensible than Peridot. Of course, Peridot actually has good reasons to act like a foolish brat by this point…

Foreseeing My Death: From the start, Peridot had a strong feeling she specifically wouldn’t come out of this rescue mission alive. She was so certain of this that she made Video Wills to each of her friends during her downtime periods in building the spaceship on Earth and in the ship’s isolation chamber en route to Homeworld.

Forgot About Her Powers: Happens in Chapter 2 of This is Who I Am, when Peridot and 5XF are facing an alligator – a dangerous creature neither know anything about – but Peridot could easily deal with it in so many ways given the nature of her power. A bit justified, as Steven lampshades and later discusses this trope to 5XF, explaining Peridot hasn’t had her new powers for long (this story takes place less than a week after GA’s third act), and getting startled, scared, or otherwise mentally frazzled will make Peridot slip into this trope. Basically, Peridot’s still getting used to them, and Peridot herself mentions beforehand that she’s afraid to try anything on the gator directly, as she knows she’ll never hear the end of it from Steven should she accidentally kill it.

Forgot About the Mind Reader: The Feeling Reader, more accurately. Near the start of Plans Change when a clearly not-fine Peridot is trying desperately to convince Steven she is fine, Steven reminds her that as a result of his powers evolving since the main series, he can read unspoken feelings. No matter what Peridot says, Steven will always be able to figure out what’s really in her heart. Needless to say, Peridot’s a bit miffed that her usual boasts and bluffs won’t work on her boyfriend anymore.

Four-Philosophy Ensemble

The Optimist: A Determinator like her has to be this. Even though her philosophy clashes terribly with this role, Peridot’s Character Development has at times caused her to favor sentiment over logic. She’s still prone to recklessness, and she tries her hardest to keep an optimistic outlook on her mission, even when she’s internally tormented with fear and anticipating worst-case scenarios. And as The Atoner, Peridot does go out of her way to do the right thing so long as doing so won’t jeopardize her friends’ lives.

Four-Temperament Ensemble: Peridot represents the Choleric of her division. Since there’s heavy emphasis on her becoming a legitimate Hero Protagonist, she shares the following traits: total workaholic, very strong-willed, task-oriented, taking the lead, practical, hot-headed, rebellious nature, rude with very questionable social skills overall, condescending as an insufferable genius would be, vindictive immaturity, a bit obsessive with achieving her goals, and overall being very tsundere.

Friendless Background: By choice; Fear was the motive here, as while Peridot literally couldn’t comprehend what a friend was when she lived on Homeworld, she knew her fellow gems who sought this kind of bond were easy to manipulate to further her own agenda. Most Peridots rightfully steered clear of 5XG because she was a notorious manipulative sociopath, but on plenty of occasions, some would come along who didn’t know any better and tried to reach out to Peridot, and she would never hesitate to play along until she no longer had a use for them; more often than not, that would result in the unsuspecting gem’s demise.

Fright Deathtrap: Very narrowly averts putting White Diamond through a scared stiff variation to lethal levels. Peridot halts her Backstab Backfire attack when it’s mere inches away from White’s face. White, who was bracing herself for shattering, opens her eyes to see this and is shown destabilizing out of sheer shock. Peridot realizes in this moment it’s much more satisfactory to potentially scare White to death than to shatter her the old-fashioned way, but out of respect to Steven, she doesn’t take it any further than this.

From Nobody to Nightmare: A simple way to describe Peridot’s backstory before she was assigned to Earth. Peridot was never given special treatment, but earning respect for being resistant to pain shortly after she emerged became a gateway for Peridot to make herself stand out from her kin in good ways, but mostly very bad ways, as she was a consummate Manipulative Bastard. Many relatively innocent Peridots lost their lives because of her ambition to keep rising up the ranks. All of this was long before Peridot learned she was an Unwitting Test Subject. And while Peridot herself was an entirely different gem by that point, the very nature of her powers and Peridot’s own mental instability came close to killing herself and all of her friends during the climax of Act III. Of course, White Diamond can be thanked for orchestrating all of that.

Gadgeteer Genius: Per canon. She mostly displays this in Chapter 3 of Act I when she loads Greg with all sorts of devices to serve as a means of defending himself and their ship.Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: Gives Steven this kind of speech in Chapter 6 of Act I after Steven, instead of escaping White Diamond, is standing out in the open blubbering because Bismuth had to execute White Pearl for their own safety. While Peridot tries to be gentle with Steven (even starting it with a Motivational/“Shut Up” Kiss), she doesn’t hesitate to be brutally honest with him, even if Steven is her Love Interest.

Get It Over With: Once White Diamond reaches Peridot at the end of Act I, well after the rest of the Crystal Gems have fled Homeworld, Peridot greets her with a smartass remark that is basically an attempt to bait White into doing this. However, no more of their interaction is shown after this moment. By the end of Act II, all that is known is that Peridot is with White Diamond six days after that moment, albeit in her base gemstone form, meaning she likely poofed shortly after said baiting. It isn’t until Act III begins when it’s revealed why exactly White has gone out of her way to keep Peridot alive this long.

The Glomp: The moment Peridot finally sees Steven alive and well, her first reaction is an extreme version of this. She basically tackles him off Lion to hug and cry over him in sheer relief, all the while berating Steven for his gullibility with very weak punches to his shoulder. Peridot somehow does this despite three of her four limbs being borderline crippled.

Glory Seeker: Per canon, but downplayed in GA. While Peridot wants her peers to recognize how awesome she can be in an authoritative position and is filled with glee when she imagines Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst’s reactions to who organized the rescue mission to save their lives, it doesn’t prevent Peridot from staying focused on her objective. She does go out of her way to conceal her insecurities, however, as Peridot desperately does not want her teammates to be under the impression that she’s even slightly vulnerable, but is in fact as almighty as she makes herself out to be. By Act III, this trope becomes a non-factor.

Go on Without Me: Steven’s first reaction after Peridot’s Twisted Ankle moment is to attempt to bash the door down, but it’s too sturdy. There isn’t enough time for him or Garnet to make it through to Peridot, and Peridot herself is fatigued, concussed, and not equipped to hack her way to freedom. She can’t verbally communicate with them through the door, but she does gesture to their exit route, smiling and laughing to deter either of them from wasting any more time saving her before they’re all caught by White Diamond.

Go Out with a Smile: She not only offers this to Steven and Garnet at the end of Act I, but also laughs at them both with nary a tear to be seen.

Goggles Do Nothing: Downplayed and subverted. Peridot’s visor served no obvious functional purpose, though it ultimately protected her gemstone from sustaining damage when Peridot’s Twisted Ankle moment sends her head crashing roughly into a metal-plated gate. At the end of Act II, it’s noted in the narrative that they doubled as Night-Vision Goggles. Thematically, the visor did serve a purpose in keeping Peridot’s Mismatched Eyes hidden from everyone (even herself) for her entire life until it was shattered.

Good is Not Nice: This is Insufferable Genius Peridot we’re talking about. She definitely crosses the line more often than her teammates care for. Then there’s her past life as a Manipulative Bastard…

0 notes

thespillingquill · 7 years ago

Text

Prejudice Unravelled – Rod Wells

Rating: 6/10

Summary: Peter Kruger is a white man who grew up in Rhodesia (now known as Zimbabwe), at a time when the bush war occurred. The black majority took over from the white minority, stripping Peter of the farm he grew up on. He moves to South Africa where a cousin fuels his need for revenge by convincing him to steal a royal African jewel from the (fictional) kingdom of Masraland.

The king of Masraland has died and his son Winston is next in line for the throne. The Chief Inspector of Masraland plans to kill Winston in order to claim total power, so Emma (Winston’s nurse) takes the opportunity to save the future heir, when she encounters Peter during his attempt to steal the diamond and escape. Oliver, a detective is hired to catch the three escapees. Shadrack (the Chief Inspector’s brother) is also tracking the escapees in the hopes of catching them before Oliver does. Winston, Emma and Peter learn more about each other and the politics of their world as they rely on each other to evade capture.

Review: Wells gives an effective rundown of the history of Masraland, filling the reader in on the context of the world they are going to enter. He mentions a Christian burial with African adaptations, a nice culture fusion. However, more information on this ceremony would add interest to the novel.

I love Wells’ use of Afrikaans but there needs to be glossary attached as Wells does not explain all of these words. His references to African languages are nice and demonstrate that he is culturally aware.

Peter is initially dislikeable as he portrayed as greedy, bitter and self-entitled. He wants to pursue this ridiculous, revenge scheme which causes the reader to wonder whether he is a character worth sticking with. However, he does admit he is racially bigoted, showing his ability to reflect upon himself. He acknowledges his prejudice towards black people and blames his upbringing for making him view race in such a way. To add to this, he undergoes great character development, so by the end of the novel, readers find themselves liking him because he corrects his faults. He also learns to spot the flaws he once had, in other people.

Wells has a good range of characters. There is Jim who is nasty as he kills with ease and enjoys violence. There is Emma, the black nurse, whose point of view is concise. Her strong-willed and caring character forces the reader to root for her early in the book and her dialogue is entertaining to read. Danie is the young driver, whose prejudices are displayed, showing how history pervades the dialect of white people and showing how coloured people are viewed and discussed by some.

Wells quickly builds up strong character traits in Oliver, making the reader rapidly familiar with the voice of this character, a perspective that is not frequented in the book. When the reader does get to see from his perspective, they get good descriptions of the other characters.

Wells provides the perspective of Shadrack Ratsumbe Wells provides excerpts of his thoughts which add to the tension of the plot and are a good length as they don’t detract from the main focus of the story.

Wells takes care to point out the economic and historical suffering Zimbabwe has undergone. Wells also builds up the political scene and the points he makes regarding political corruption are reflective of many governments today, making the story believable.

There are multiple moments in the book that are uneventful and can be cut down/out, for example, when Peter is going through thought processes. Wells descriptions of the surroundings and moments where he writes about every action Peter makes, can be pedestrian and irrelevant as it takes away from the immanence of the plot. At times, the book can feel far-fetched, especially when neither Emma, Winston nor Peter receive serious injuries from their travels.

Wells effectively conjures sympathy for animals using Peter, who relives the killing of a pig and witnesses the poaching of an elephant. Wells manages to capture to horrors of poaching in a short and effective way.

The bond between characters is built nicely and done in a way that is believable, making the reader root for the relations between them. We see characters learn from one another about their similarities, differences and how it feels to co-exist. Wells ensures there is a sweet ending, leaving the reader satisfied after having followed the adventure, led by characters that evolve.

#books #book blog #review #olympiapublishers #prejudiceunravelled #prejudice #fiction

0 notes

mikalbdfa2-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Flour sack

Research

Please see the above post labelled ‘Flour Sack Research’. I unfortunately had trouble uploading the videos and images to this post, so I created a new post instead.

Developing an Idea

My idea manifested and developed from the original notes I had written when given the task. I eventually decided upon what motivates my flour bag, his thinking process, personality traits, his mood, his story – components that all helped create authenticity to my animated character. Below are my planning sheets, brainstorms, and scribbles:

Designing and Creating the Character

I drew many thumbnails before I started animating the flour sack expressing various emotions and poses. My thumbnails were very helpful in familiarising myself with structure of the flour sack, the curves and mannerisms, and the expressivity of the line of action. As the mass of the flour sack is only half filled, in many instances I drew the character first as a circle (squash and stretched) and drawing knowledge and understanding from the bouncing ball activity, and wrapped him loosely in the material. Below are my flour sack sketches, however I will admit that if you were to turn through the pages of some of my notebooks or loose pieces of scrap paper, you would find many more scribbled flour sacks.

Spacing/Timing Charts

Process

Please Note: As my animation was created in Toon Boom Harmony where there is no option to export as a gif, I used Sketchbook pro to convert it into a gif instead, and unfortunately there are occasional glitches and interruptions in timing – caused by exporting it as a gif. As the flour sack is not designed to loop seamlessly, it does not matter as much however. The timing of the gifs seem to be slower than it should be. I chose to upload my flour sack stages as gifs because it is a smaller file which Tumblr prefers, and it is also more convenient to watch.

Stage 1:

I firstly drew in my key frames and breakdowns of my flour sack animation, along with drawing my rough box as part of the background. At this stage, I positioned my frames apart very generically and somewhat randomly (timing wise), as my main goal at this stage was to draw in my key frames and breakdowns, I was not yet too concerned with timing.

Stage 2:

Once I was satisfied with my keyframes and breakdowns, I began the very time-consuming process of adding my in-betweens. When deciding how to draw them in and to ensure that I was using arcs when the flour sack jumps for instance, I would constantly turn the onion skin on to show multiple frames. I used the same method when checking that my flour bag remains in the same position, retains its mass, and deciding where timing wise, it would be best to add my in-between. I erased, re-designed, re-positioned and rethought my in-betweens many times, often scribbling on a piece of paper to decide appropriate timing or how to draw the character. I also undertook extra research while animating my flour sack online.

Please Note: Unfortunately I have had issues uploading the gif as the size was to big, so I instead uploaded it onto Vimeo as a video file. Unfortunately when I bring it into my Tumblr post however, it will not allow me to drag it underneath ‘Stage 2,’ so instead, please refer to the bottom of this post to see the video I discuss. Thank you.

Stage 3: Finalising and Correcting

To finalise my flour sack animation, I made a few changes and corrected some areas, along with adding aspects as well. I first began by correcting the placement of the camera’s composition so it heeded the screen’s action boundaries. As I had already strategically placed my box on a third, along with the flour sack’s entry into the scene being on a third, and eventually focalising in the middle by the box, this did not have to be changed – I was already satisfied with the organisation of the composition aspects. I lengthened the timing of some of my flour sacks poses as to better portray his moments of thought, and so the audience is given more time to digest the evolving story line. At the same time however, I was careful not to hold the flour sack still for too long, as he is an animated, living and breathing creature. I corrected the frames where the flour sack lost its initial proportion, and where he began to become too symmetrical. It was important for me to not only constantly remember, but portray, that my flour sack was half filled, and thus, when it distributed its weight, it would hardly ever be symmetrical – unless of course, as my character does, lies down. I then cleaned some of the lines, and ensured the box could not be seen through the flour sack. To further polish my short animation, I added seams to the flour sack for not only aesthetic appeal and believability, but to also help distinguish the shape of his pose – the line of action, where expectantly, the ‘c’ curve was a frequent occurrence. As I did not add a horizon line, I instead opted to add a shadow to my character to promote solidity of his 2D nature and the environment he is in.

Please Note: Again, please refer to the bottom of this post to watch the video I discuss in ‘Stage 3.′ Due to the issues I have had with uploading my animations, I have further condensed the uploaded videos I would have posted.

To draw the shadows in their basic, cartoon form, I first needed to better understand how light reacts and casts shadows against objects. Turning off the lights in my room, I grabbed first a small pillow, and then tried with a larger one, posing them as best as I could, and shining a light upon them and studying where and how the shadow manifests. I took a few reference photos in the process. Also, while drawing in my shadows, I constantly used the objects around me (a mouse and a book for instance) to pose as my flour sack and box. I would then shine a torch light upon them when I was unsure as to how the shadow would fall.

Videos - Stages

Stage 2 - Adding In-betweens

vimeo

Stage 3: Finalising and Correcting (White, Seams and Box)

vimeo

Please see the next above post titled “FINAL Flour Sack Animation” to watch my final flour sack animation (with the shadow) and read my discussion.

Thank you, and I hope navigating my post has not been too much of an issue.

0 notes

markwatersme · 7 years ago

Text

The Metamorphosis of Envy, One of the Deadly Sins

Envy is commonly recognized today as one of the “seven deadly sins.” To really analyze its origins I need to go way back. Although envy seems to have its roots based in Christianity the actual personification of envy and its roots predates the Christian religion. I plan on exploring the origin of envy and explaining how it relates to Renaissance literature as well as modern literature.

The first glimpses of envy were personified in around the year eight. The book Metamorphosis of Ovid was the earliest writing that I could find, that mentioned envy. The concept of envy had been around long before then. It had not yet been personified. It was Ovid who brought envy to life. Ovid did two things for envy: First he embodied envy and second he personified her. I separate these two very familiar terms for a reason. I am using the term embodiment as an abstract term. Embodiment is referring to envy (Invidia) as a whole, whereas envy was personified into an entity (person) know as Invidia. The separation of embodiment and personification is crucial to understanding that it was the concept of envy that was personified into the character Invidia and that the embodiment of Invidia includes everything about Invidia including her home and the symbols that are scattered throughout her property (even the weather that “follows her” around).

We are initially introduced to Invidia’s home. Her home is referred to as a “disease.” The embodiment of envy begins with her home. We learn that people who get near her property waste away. According to Matthew W. Dickie and the American Journal of Philology, the idea of wasting away and envy was introduced in about the fourth century BCE. This idea was introduced in the form of a painting. The painting was called “Slander” by Apelles of Diabole. The painting was that of a man who had wasted away from envy. It is believed that the idea for this painting was taken from the book, Metamorphosis. Furthermore there are additional references in the Anthology Menander backing up this claim and adding additional claim to the concept that envy is a disease, with the result of wasting away.

Rust and rust coloring were often used to represent envy. The Greeks liked to use the color bronze to convey this message, whereas the Romans liked to use the color black to represent the same thing. The black cloud over Invidia’s house is a clear representation of this. The home is not a symbol within itself. The home is connected to envy (Invidia) and therefore Invidia’s home and property are actually embodied together into one entity…Invidia. I could argue that the home cannot represent envy without Invidia. It is this personification of envy that has brought Invidia to life and with her came everything that she embodies. That is just what we see. What we can’t see is even more prevalent. This is important because envy was commonly referred to as the “hidden vice.” This fits well when viewing Invidia’s home as a metaphor for envy.

During the fourteenth century, the Catholic Church took on Ovid’s idea of envy being a bad thing. The church took his concept of envy and determined that it would be re-classified into a category known as “the seven deadly sins.” So, a bunch of new rules to live by were also born. Now that Catholicism had a connection with the sin of envy, a lot of its origins became lost. Several sources all of which are connected to religion have taken claim for “discovering” the sin of envy. Most are failing to look back to Ovid’s time. One source in particular credits a Greek theologian, Evagrius Pontus for coming up with the idea of envy being a sin. The only problem was that Ovid had employed that concept about 350 years prior to Evagrius’s claim. It was claimed that there were actually eight deadly sins and at some point during the late sixth century it was reduced to seven deadly sins. According to Pope Gregory the sin of envy was the second most serious sin. The sins have all evolved in some ways. For example the sin of sloth was originally called “sadness.” It was the church who changed it. There were other varying terms in different languages that caused the original concepts and ideas to change into new concepts and ideas. However the original sin of envy is still the same as it was in the metamorphosis.

People routinely needed a way to spread the message of the sins. A great way this was done was through a list of “Heavenly Virtues” or “Contrary Virtues.” Spiritual manuals were produced from these virtues. The virtues originally derived from a poem from the Psychomachia it was also known as The Battle of the Soul. It was written in the fifth century by Prudentius and is considered to be an epic poem. It was through literature that the message of the seven deadly sins the word was able to “travel” throughout the world. The psychomachia poem, Battle of the Soul is a play where there is a battle between the sins and virtues of different individuals. It clearly has a political message about sinning. In the end, the virtues beat out the vices. The poem also helped to spread the word of Catholicism; the religious elements seemed to “piggy back” with the messages of sin throughout the poem. More specifically the poem ABC des simples gens was taken directly from the psychomachia and was also widely distributed to tell the story of good beating out evil.

During the sixteenth century, a lot of the images were transferred into the form of pictures. Now even the illiterate could understand what was going on. This gave yet another “outlet” to communicate the seven deadly sins. It was during the Renaissance time that the news of the sins and the telling of what not to do and what to do really took off. The sins evolved to the point where the punishment for the sins was also determined. It was known that if you violated one of the seven deadly sins, your punishment in hell was already determined. The punishment for envy was that the individual would be put into freezing water. It was during this period that the color green was added to represent envy. It was William Shakespeare in Othello that first referred to envy as being green. He also used the term in The Merchant of Venice. At this point there is some speculation that Shakespeare may be the one responsible for the emotion of envy being connected to the color green.

Along with the Metamorphosis being a book that is about change, so is the sin of envy. According to the book The cement of Society A study of social orde” by Jon Elster, envy isn’t about wanting something that someone else has, but it is about simply not wanting them to have whatever it is that they have. Elster breaks the envious person down into two categories, the strong envious and the weak envious. A person who is weakly envious simply doesn’t want the other person to have what they have. However, a strongly envious person is willing to give up what they have in order for the other person to not to have what they have. In other words they want to take away whatever it is that they are envious over. It is that concept that Ovid spoke of in the Metamorphosis. The person who will do anything to take away from others, not so they can have something but so that the other person can’t have it, is morally and ethically corrupt and this corruption is represented by Invidia and her home. The decay is helpless. Once a person experienced decay brought on by envy there was no stopping it. There was no cure. The only cure for envy was not to experience it. That basically involved staying away from Invidia and her house. It is worth mentioning that before one experiences envy (in The Metamorphosis) the individual sees Invidia’s house. It is at that point the person must make a conscious decision to “visit” Invidia or to turn around. The home is not inviting and obviously represents something bad.

Invidia is represented in many forms. There are a few pictures showing what Invidia would look like. Throughout the fourteenth century, the seven deadly sins were commonly displayed in the form of art. I mentioned earlier that this was a way to send a message and to communicate to those who couldn’t read. One of the more remarkable pieces of art is a painting by Hieronymus Bosch. He was an artist and was very well known in the fourteenth century. He was especially known for a painting that he did entitled, The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things. This was a painting on a square surface. In the middle of the square was a circle and within that circle the seven deadly sins were painted. In each of the four corners were four small circles which contained the four last things. The four last things were added to the seven deadly sins in around the fourteenth century. It seems that this was a remarkable time for growth. The Renaissance period was new to all sorts of things and things seemed to be in a constant flux and growth; the four things that were added to the seven deadly sins were Death, Judgment, Hell and Heaven. That is a far cry from the original concept of envy that was introduced fourteen hundred years prior. It just represents the metamorphosis that occurred and continually occurs throughout time.

Whether envy is represented in the form of written text such as the Metamorphosis or rendered in early fourteenth century paintings, the use of personification is clearly abundant. Even the play, Psychomachia personified envy. It wasn’t just envy that was personified. All of the sins were personified. In order to have a battle between good and evil we must first make them human or give them some human traits. This helps us better relate with the sins.

As we continue throughout the Renaissance time, we can clearly see the Catholic churches need to communicate the sins to the general public. Envy started showing up everywhere. Geoffrey Chaucer even integrated the seven deadly sins into the Pardoners Tale. During the Middle Ages, a lot of people owed Ovid a debt of gratitude. This included Chaucer, Dante and Boccaccio. Even the modern day authors have mentioned that Ovid was their inspiration; among these authors were Dryden, Pope and Milton. They all have their own unique takes on the subject of sin.

According to Brother Jacob, a monk at Mt. Angel Abbey, the book, Metamorphosis is taught at the Mount Angel Abbey as part of a class. It is taught as mythology and is actually taught because of the exceptional use of language. According to the New Catholic Encyclopedia, “Ovid is popular in Christian culture; Ovid set the standard for the usage of metrics, prosody and poetic diction.” As we move out of the Renaissance Era and into more modern times we can see that the seven deadly sins are still around and are still being preached by numerous religious groups, not just Catholicism.

The sins were viewed differently by everyone. Dante actually grouped the sins into three categories: Perverted love; The sins were pride, envy and anger. The next category was insufficient love; sloth was the responsible sin. Finally the last category was excessive love of object; greed, lust and gluttony were the responsible sins. This idea of sins being categorized into different groups is nothing new. It seems that since the inception of the sins they have been categorized. Originally the Catholic Church divided the sins up into two categories, venial sins and capital sins. The venial sin was a minor infraction whereas the capital sin such as envy was a mortal sin. That may explain why once an individual becomes infected by Invidia, they simple wither away. Ovid didn’t give the victims of envy a way out. That could be because of the seriousness of the infraction. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Article 8, sin “Sin is a personal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them.” According to their website, sin is a personal thing. Furthermore by helping others commit a sin, you are directly responsible for committing the sin as well. The responsibility of who is guilty for the sin rests in the knowledge of who committed the sin and who helped them commit the sin. If you “advise praise or approve the sin,” you are guilty of the sin. If you don’t stop someone from committing a sin, you are also guilty of the sin. This aligns with Invidia and her house and the conscious decision to approach her. These are personal decisions made by the individual. Now, if someone were to advise an individual to go visit Invidia, then that individual would be just as guilty of the sin as anyone else.

The “modern” day rendition of the seven deadly sins can be seen in movies. It seems that the current modern day concept of “the seven deadly sins” has changed (metamorphosis) from the original concept. It has kept true with the original idea. The idea that envy is a process of withering away is still the same idea. The images have changed that are used to represent the original ideas. Some newer concepts have arisen from the original ideas. For example the original color of envy was copper and now it is green. I’m uncertain whether or not to give Shakespeare credit or not for changing the color of envy from copper to green. He was the first that I could find to mention the new color of envy. There seem to be two modern “outlets” that seem to specialize on the subject of envy. The first is Catholicism. The second are psychologists. Each group has pronounced in no uncertain terms that their views on envy including its orgins are the correct view. It became very difficult to determine the reliability of information. I have used an exasperating number of sources to best show accuracy and consistency within the topic. I have fact checked all my sources and they all seem to be consistently in line and in agreement with each other. I have noted any inconsistencies such as my indication of not knowing for sure if Shakespeare coined the phrase, “green with envy,” or not. I think I have clearly made a case for the origins of envy and have successfully shown the metamorphosis of envy.

Works Cited

Benziger Brothers, and Michael Augustine. "THE FOUR LAST THINGS." CATHOLIC TRADITION. Archbishop of New York 1899, 5 Oct. 1899. Web. 31 May 2010. <http://catholictradition.org/Classics/4last-things.htm>.

Cunningham, M. P. "Ovid in Christian Culture." New Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967. 838-39. Print.

Dickie, Matthew W. "Ovid Metomorphosis 2.760-64." Ovid Metomorphosis 2.760-64 Winter 96.4 (1975): 378-90. Print.

Elster, Jon. The Cement of Society a Study of Social Order. Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge Univ., 1989. Print.

"Essay on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales - Sin in The Pardoner's Tale :: Pardoner's Tale." Essay on Chaucer's Canterbury Tales-Sin in the Pardoner's Tale. Web. 30 May 2010. <http://123helpme.com/view.asp?id=15609>.

Hobbins, Daniel. "The Schoolman as Public Intellectual." The American Historical Review. 2003. Web. 30 May 2010.

Hurd, John Coolidge., and Bradley H. McLean. Origins and Method: towards a New Understanding of Judaism and Christianity : Essays in Honour of John C. Hurd. Sheffield, Eng.: JSOT, 1993. Print.

Brother Jacob "Questions about Ovids Connection with Religon." Personal interview. 22 May 2010.

Psychomachia “Aurelius Purdentius Clemens The Battle For the Soul of Man” Web 25 May 2010 <Richmond.edu>

"USCCB - Catechesis in the Catholic Church." United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Web. 30 May 2010. <http://usccb.org/catechism/text/pt3sect1chpt1art8.shtml#1865>.

1 note · View note

shinneth · 5 years ago

Text

Gem Ascension Tropes (Peridot-specific: C)

Reference:

Primary Peri Post ▼ Primary General Post ▼ Full Article

Cat Smile: Per canon, and often seen in GA.

Catapult Nightmare: The last thing Peridot sees in her dream world at the start of Act III is a Jump Scare of White Diamond’s flickering face before she wakes up in the real world, almost jumping into sitting upright while hyperventilating before she realizes her surroundings have significantly changed, as has her own appearance.

Catchphrase: “Oh my stars!” (plus many variants), and “Wow, thanks!” per canon.

Catchphrase Insult: Per canon, Peridot is still prone to calling anyone and everyone a “clod”. Unique to GA, Peridot will alternatively call people “stupid idiots”.

The Chains of Commanding: One of the big sources of Peridot’s conflict in Act I, especially since she’s prone to making mistakes and making questionable decisions that understandably rub Lapis and Bismuth the wrong way. She gets better by Chapter 6, then gets Left for Dead a couple of chapters later. Peridot starts feeling this again to a lesser agree midway through Act III once she’s reunited with the team, but that’s a bit more understandable considering the week-long torture she endured among the other various atrocities she’s been afflicted with. Steven actually calls Garnet out on this in Chapter 7, berating her for browbeating Peridot into an authoritative role when she shouldn’t be expected to operate as well as she did before.

Character Development: Transitioning from Plucky Comic Relief to Hero Protagonist barely scratches the surface; while Peridot is still largely recognizable as herself despite her many changes, she’s shown to have layers-upon-layers of Hidden Depths. Even her relationship with Lapis was founded by a very heavy guilt complex – the details of which were so traumatic, Peridot forced herself to forget all of those details except for the basic fact that she felt indebted to Lapis. It’s revealed that despite her massive, domineering ego, the one Peridot is trying the hardest to convince that she’s awesome is herself. There are loads of unpleasant details to Peridot’s Homeworld life that she ultimately blocked from her memory in order to cope and better live with herself. Now Peridot can no longer ignore them (and in fact will be frequently reminded of them by the refugees she’s trying to help), but since Steven managed to help Peridot learn to accept that her past misdeeds can’t be undone and to forgive herself (since Peridot definitely understands by now how bad she once was and is desperate to avoid sinking to that level ever again), she’ll be able to weather that storm better and be the proper leader she was meant to be. Peridot was once weighed down so heavily by her guilt and internal self-loathing that she subconsciously deemed herself unworthy of fusing with Steven, which played into why their initial attempts failed. However, now that Steven has liberated Peridot from those chains as of Chapter 8 of Act III, she can at least fuse with Steven now and finally live her life and genuinely love herself as much as she’s grown to love others in canon. Around the same time, Peridot has also been able to make peace with her newly-revealed identity as an Unwitting Test Subject, which consequently makes her a Diamond just as much as she is a Peridot. While still uncomfortable about shifting her form to Chartreuse Diamond unless it’s absolutely necessary, Steven (knowing all too well what this dilemma is like) helped Peridot learn to accept Chartreuse as a part of herself and not just a shameful mark of a traitor. Being the only ascended gem in history and one of the two remaining Diamonds in existence has effectively made Peridot a very special and exclusive gem as she long sought to be, but now she’s learned to be careful what she wishes for from now on – the responsibility that comes from being this special is immense. While Peridot has matured enough to uphold this responsibility (and in fact proved herself to be a worthy authority figure to Garnet; consequently, Peridot now co-leads the Crystal Gems with Garnet from now on), she does lament how much she took for granted the easy, simple days of being insignificant. However, the massive load of work ahead of Peridot allows her to feel consistently at peace with herself, knowing she really is putting the past behind her while bettering herself every day to build a brighter future not only for herself and her friends, but all of gemkind.

Character Tics: Per canon, Peridot is very prone to making odd noises when she tries to speak and is having trouble conveying her message, or if she’s completely flustered and can’t concentrate. She’ll also let these garbled words out as an expletive when she completely loses her temper.

Chekhov’s Gun: Peridot’s Mismatched Eyes. While an interesting detail worth noting in its own right, it was revealed during Act I’s climax where much more important things were happening, such as Peridot having to be Left for Dead after coming so close to making it off Homeworld with her friends. Steven and Garnet notice Peridot’s eyes, but understandably don’t acknowledge them due to the circumstances.

Fast-forward to Chapter 3 of Act II: in Peridot’s Video Will to Amethyst, she brings up that she found reports of having defective eyes when she emerged, but there was no merit to it as Peridot’s eyesight was fine and her eyes otherwise developed normally.

Jump to Act II’s final chapter; Garnet speculates Peridot might have emerged as an enhanced gem after Steven shows off a video where Peridot displays some sort of inexplicable power. Amethyst reminds Garnet that Peridot can’t possibly be “enhanced” since she’s an Era 2, and while telling her friends how Peridot regarded herself as a defect no better than Amethyst, the “defective eyes” bit is mentioned. Amethyst is surprised to find she’s the only one Peridot mentioned this to. This inadvertently causes Garnet and Steven to recall witnessing Peridot’s heterochromia – which in turn freaks out many members of the team, as they reveal any gem with heterochromatic eyes who isn’t part of a fusion is the Mark of a Supernatural; specifically, Unwitting Test Subjects. It’s theorized (later confirmed) that Peridot was Hiding in Plain Sight as her visor kept everyone, including Peridot herself, ignorant of what she truly is. This becomes crucial information as they realize White Diamond must know of Peridot’s condition as well (after it was deduced that the Diamonds are behind the operation that creates gems like Peridot) and thus the Crystal Gems need to be on their guard even if they find Peridot, as she might be forcibly turned into a weapon White can use against them.

Act III’s opening chapter wastes little time fully revealing how Peridot ended up this way. White Diamond was responsible, and Peridot herself became a unique experiment to receive White’s diamond dust (heterochromatic gems before her had Blue or Yellow’s diamond dust instead) and a broken splinter of Yellow Diamond from several thousand years ago. Since no more gems could be made on Homeworld after the batch Peridot was made in, White effectively made Peridot a Chosen One; not only to have enhanced natural capabilities, but the ability to form a brand new diamond from her own gemstone and possibly evolve into a Diamond herself (later confirmed).

So, in the end, Peridot’s Mismatched Eyes marked her as The Chosen One; a one-of-a-kind gem who can be a low-caste worker gem and the almighty Chartreuse Diamond simultaneously while being powered with her own will and desire, making her the most versatile super-powered being in history. In the penultimate chapter, Peridot’s ascended form fuses with Steven’s awakened form to create Iridescent Diamond, the legendary Diamond of Miracles. Keep in mind all of this stemmed from Peridot crashing head-first into a gate and destroying her visor in the process at the end of Act I.

Child Soldier: Downplayed. Peridot’s kind was never meant to fight, but she did spend most of her life armed with weaponry meant for self-defense with clear instructions to kill any potential foe indiscriminately. Additionally, she was inherently far more aggressive than any Peridot should be. Also subverted in that Peridot’s not conventionally a child – being a gem, she’s full-grown the moment she emerges. She’s just very limited in experience and ignorant of the nature of her own world due to existing for a mere 13 years, which is about as close to a “child” a gem can get.

The Chosen One: The randomly chosen one, more accurately. The burden of emerging as a Diamond hybrid could have happened to any of the thousands of gems cooking in their rock the same time as Peridot had. Ironically, she starts out more like The Unchosen One in Act I, before she learned of the truth behind her creation.

Combat Pragmatist: Up to Eleven in this continuity due to her elevated position; most notably during the final chapter of Act I when she assists in several separate battles/confrontations with a plan in mind. Especially prevalent when she suggests finding a weak point to strike pallified Blue Diamond, as well as her tactic for stunning Yellow Diamond badly enough to render her a non-factor for the final battle.

Comes Great Responsibility: Says this verbatim a few times in Act III in reference to the powers she gained post-ascension.

Congruent Memory: Most of Peridot’s regained memories on Homeworld are of this variety.

Constantly Curious: Downplayed and inverted, as she’s not only a Hero Protagonist now, but also The Navigator and Ms. Exposition for modern-day Homeworld, so Peridot’s mostly addressing curiosities rather than being curious herself. That said, Peridot still retains this trait and it will pop up once she is in a position to be the one asking questions when coming across something unfamiliar. More prevalent and played straight in the Post-GA stories.

Cope by Pretending: The unaware form; ever since her canon redemption arc, Peridot subconsciously discarded most of her Homeworld memories. Her rationale was that they were not worth retaining once she accepted Earth as her home and didn’t count on ever seeing Homeworld again. While that was a valid reason, Peridot mainly did this so that she would be able to better herself without having her progress hampered by the guilt and self-loathing that would occur should she reflect back on the many horrible things she did as a Homeworld gem. This coping mechanism worked very well for Peridot, to her credit, but the forced return to Homeworld made it impossible for her to keep up the charade any longer. However, Peridot surprisingly was able to keep some of her most traumatic experiences buried deep within her to the point that she fully forgot about them… until, of course, certain peers of hers were able to forcibly unearth this secret and make Peridot relive a moment that nearly erased her entire identity. While she was initially (and understandably) upset over this, Peridot understood that she can’t truly move forward with her life until she confronts her fears and traumatic experiences in order to accept herself and make peace with her very unpleasant past life.

Cosmic Plaything: Discussed in Peri-dise: The Capitalist Anarchy.

Peridot: “The narrative of my life so far… I get what I want, but only when I don’t want it anymore.”

Cowardly Lion: Per canon, but mostly contained to Act I. While Peridot goes out of her way to downplay this, having No Poker Face means pretty much everyone can see her fear as plain as day. In Act II, Peridot’s Video Wills feature her being much more candid with this trope.

Crazy Prepared: The main reason why Bismuth and Lapis waited for Peridot to reform before doing anything is because they knew she was the only one who could conjure a master plan for the rescue mission. Being the only one to have lived in the modern-day Homeworld allowed Peridot to consider several possibilities and additionally made sure her own teammates fit into her ideas. Most notably, she realizes quickly how useless Lapis will be on a world where water is virtually nonexistent (and it never rains), so Peridot not only has the foresight to bring along water from the ocean right next to them, but inspires Lapis to retrain herself to adapt to being in an environment where she has to more carefully control the water she uses and recycle it whenever possible; basically, to make more with less.

This inspires the Crystal Gems to follow her example when she’s the one in need of rescuing in Act II.

Creepy Monotone: Sometimes slips into this, which is how Peridot used to always speak when she was introduced in canon. Often is Foreshadowing to Peridot teetering on the edge of Sanity Slippage or Heroic Safe Mode. Somewhat of a Red Herring when it first happens in Chapter 3 of Act I, as Peridot’s intent was to channel The Stoic nature Garnet is known for. Played absolutely straight in the following chapter when Peridot initiates her plan to capture Yellow Pearl’s gemstone. Also played straight in any flashback taking place during Peridot’s Homeworld life.

Crush Blush: Is very prone to this, especially early on in Act I when she’s still trying to figure out what she truly sees Steven as. This happens almost every single time someone talks about their relationship while Peridot’s within earshot.

Cry Cute: Save for her Inelegant Blubbering in Chapter 5 of Act I and her Death Wail in Chapter 8 of Act III, most of Peridot’s crying fits (and there are several instances of this across the series) are this.

Cry into Chest: Peridot does this after giving Steven The Glomp when they reunite.

Cursed with Awesome: She turns out to be a one-of-a-kind gem who can become a Diamond powered with will, giving her a very wide range of abilities limited only by her imagination (and provided she’s not totally ignorant of the concept). Too bad Peridot never asked for any of this, since this all came about from being a randomly-chosen Unwitting Test Subject. She kind of had to go through hell to achieve this state she never wanted in the first place, and really has no choice but to make use of her Alter Ego now that aside from Steven and herself, there are no more Diamonds after GA and the refugee gems will need some degree of familiarity to cope with all the change.

0 notes