#idk if i'm a good person to ask bc i'm a purist

[yisanged]

so i started orv on a whim and im really really liking it so far!! i decided to start with the webtoon adaptation, is it good in your opinion or do you think i should read the web novel instead? i mostly started with the webtoon bc i was on webtoon n it was. There. but as the resident orv expert i thought i would ask your thoughts :)

omg ORV. HIIIII blows up but then puts self together again and twirls hair RESIDENT ORV EXPERT.... ME??? i'm honored........ i don't know if i deserve the role though because uh. tb completely h i haven't read the webtoon. like i read the prologue and that's it i haven't gotten any further than that..... this is my greatest shame i'm not fit to be considered an orvtual. that being said idk if i'm the best person to ask for thoughts about novel vs manhwa? i'll do my best to lay out what i do know for you though since you went to the effort of asking me!! if any of my orvtuals that are actually knowledgeable about both want to chime in feel free. sorry if this gets lengthy even if i'm not a super loyal fan i definitely get the normals over orv

so first thing to consider about orv as a whole in any form is that it's longggggg. the novel is composed of a prologue + 99 episodes + an epilogue, but those episodes and the epilogue were further split into smaller chunks during serialization so it's 551 chapters total. korean webtoons are usually split up in a similar way, larger story arcs split into small pieces for scheduled publishing, which is convenient for comparing them. based on a cursory look at the webnovel page, the latest chapter was number 135 and it's the very first part of episode 25. in the novel, chapter 135 is actually part 5 of episode 26, so you can see a slight discrepancy, but it's really not that bad. that timing is something, although it brings up a more pressing point to consider, which is that the novel is finished and the manhwa is like. not even a quarter of the way there. a webcomic chapter weekly is probably more digestible than a 551 chapter 1.3 million word webnovel, but you'll probably catch up before it reaches the end and then you'll either just have to wait it out for the end which would probably take a really long time or just start the novel while in the middle of the manhwa or something.

how accurate the manhwa adaptation is to the novel is what i can't really say since i haven't actually read the manhwa. i've heard that there's some notable changes, and although i don't know all of them or have seen how they've played out first hand they mostly sound pretty reasonable based on what i've heard of them. some of it is just like translation stuff, some of it is to avoid weird political things? this happens a lot whenever japan and korea comes up in each others media......... uh yeah it can get kind of messy there so sometimes skirting around it is probably just the safer option. anyways, to reiterate, i really can't speak much about this since i haven't read the manhwa, but i haven't heard anything about it being like drastically different and people generally seem to say really good things about the adaptation.

for my own personal thoughts. well orv is a frame tale. a story within a story. the webnovel within orv that kdj read is like the centerpiece of the whole story. if i was gonna be some sort of a purist about it, i'd tell you the original novel is the best way to experience orv. in all honesty though, it doesn't matter that much. like i vehemently believe if you're going to get really into orv you should read the novel at some point, but like again. 551 chapters. i get that a manhwa is way more palatable than that. even for other webnovels w adaptations like this, a lot of the time i'll read some of the adaptation to see if it interests me before getting into the novel. it's only because i'm sort of biased towards orv cause it's. well. orv. that i'd really push to read the novel, not even first if the thought of all those chapters and words are daunting to you. i'd much rather people get invested in the story through the manhwa than be turned off it as a whole just cause it's so long. if you're planning on just casually enjoying the story, than yeah, the webtoon is perfect for that. though if you could be convinced to go deeper. hey. take my hand. we can viewpoint this omniscient reader..... together.

okay. anyways. recap my main points in case i wasn't clear. 1) based on what i've heard just through word of mouth, the adaptation's been staying pretty true to the original and is doing a good job of telling the story 2) the novel is finished and the manhwa is, speaking bluntly, not even close 3) PERSONALLY. personally. if you're willing to put in the work to read orv and can appreciate it's 1.3 million word swag then i'd recommend you go ahead and start with the novel. BUT if the thought of all those chapters makes you nervous or makes the story sound any less appealing to you at all then definitely go with the webtoon while it's still fresh and relatively short. the most important part of orv is the way the story waves itself, and you should be able to see that pretty well either way.

so yeah that's what i have to say. i hope i could be somewhat helpful despite the fact that i'm a shameful fake fan and haven't actually read the manhwa ^^; and I HOPE THAT YOU LIKE IT no matter which one you decide to go with :]

[impulsea]

(Ariel anon here again) ! I'd love to know your thoughts on that upcoming series called Ariel that's supposedly coming out and will be aimed toward a pre-K audience, in the vein of an Alice's Wonderland Bakery! Just read this and wow, I wasn't aware there was going to be a new Ariel series! I google'd a bit on it and to be honest, I don't there's a need for it? I feel the TV series for all it's flaws was enough (and it was aimed for a younger audience), and along with the comics and the prequel already told us enough about Ariel's life under the sea, unless this new series is going to feature a child Ariel - which it's not unplausible considering is aimed to pre-schoolers - but even so it wouldn't be the same for me? Most of the original cast is dead (Kenneth Mars, Samuel E. Wright and recently Pat Carroll) and I don't believe replacements would be able to replicate the same energy these actors put into the characters, and Ariel's original creators (John and Ron) left Disney, so it's up only to Jodi to keep her in character now. I expect this Ariel to be sanitized in a way to make her more like a "good role model" who teaches lessons to little children in each episode, which is not bad, but I personally feel that the original TV series already filled that purpose, but who knows, maybe I'm wrong and they end making a sweet show while keeping Ariel in character. Just my two cents.

I'm conflicted, because on one hand, I love The Little Mermaid so much that it's hard for me to resist expansions upon the franchise...however, as I mentioned in my previous asks, there were certain projects that were so damaging to Ariel's character integrity that I'm also a little resistant? It's nice to have new content, but when that content just continually takes us further and further away from the core of the film...I'm not sure.

I'm a huge fan of the original four princesses, and I have yet to see any of the first three be successfully adapted into anything outside of their original films. Ariel had more luck, but I think it was by virtue of the entire voice cast still being alive to maintain their characterizations and to add authenticity to their projects. Of the cast that's regularly used, Jodi's the only one left, and she's majorly shifted in her personality as of the past few years. The more and more I look back on certain things I was dissatisfied with, the sequels especially, I see that she wasn't enough to save Ariel from bad writers and creative talent who misunderstood her. 

For what it's worth, it seems the Junior Ariels how will be innocuous though, given its target demographic...but I feel like that's going against the company? Walt wanted the animated features to hold their own against the contemporary films they were going up against. He didn't want Snow White to be viewed as Sesame Street or Barney- he wanted it to be able to hold a candle to Gone With the Wind and Casablanca, and it does. While I understand that there's a sector of Disney that appeals directly to an extremely younger audience, I feel like they should leave the classic movies out of being incorporated in this way, because it's a bad look for the brand. The old Disney movies- and those of the Renaissance- pushed for reality and adult stories and mass appeal. The newer Disney movies now, like Frozen and Tangled and Moana, are extremely infantilizing the artform and having a show like Junior Ariel is just going to perpetuate that and the ideology that "The Little Mermaid" is only for babies instead of the deeply complex, adult story it actually is. That's not even getting into how all of the queer-coding will be removed, the way it has been in the sequels, because it would be considered "too inappropriate" for the camp they're trying to pitch this project to.

[youngjusticeslut]

Hi! Can you plz explain Wyynde's history and or character? Was he really a purist(*sweats bc idk what that means but am guessing pro-ppl of pure blood?*)? I have no clue who he is but I'm so happy Kaldur is happy!!! (I would search this up myself but I'm on vaca and I don't remember him from previous episodes of Young Justice)

Hello there! I would love to. Buckle in, my friends. 

(Putting this under a cut because it is long and also picture heavy)

Wyynde first appeared in Young Justice tie-in comic #14: Under the Surface…

As many people have previously pointed out, he was a Purist, following the instruction of Oceanmaster. Now, you might be wondering: What is a Purist? I’m glad you asked! According to the YJ Wiki: 

The Atlantean purists are a group of extremists who believe themselves to be the direct descendants of the “real” Atlanteans. They consider any Atlantean with inhuman attributes to be impure and refer to them as “fish-heads”. Under the guidance of their leader, Ocean-Master, they seek to purge Atlantis of such aberrations.

Yeah, it’s no bueno. Also important to note, Kaldur would be considered impure, as he has visible gills.

So, what is Wyynde’s role in this issue? Unfortunately, not a good one. 

The issue begins with a band of Atlantean purists (Wyynde is likely among them) branding a slur onto Topo. 

Needless to say, Kaldur is very unhappy that his friend was so brutally attacked and branded. He, M’gann and Conner speak with Tula and Garth about this sudden uprising of the Purists, but they don’t get very far, for another attempted attack occurs. 

This is the first time we see Wyynde (second from the top, on the right), clearly engaging in Purist rhetoric. Kaldur manages to prevent the fight from occurring, much to the dissatisfaction of the Purists. The next time we see Wyynde, he is in the crowd as the Purists listen to their leader, Oceanmaster.

This is the last time we see Wyynde in this issue, but the struggle is far from over. The Purists, under Oceanmaster’s command, attack Queen Mera and a whole bunch of shit goes down. They lose the battle that day. 

Now, we don’t really know what happened to Wyynde after this issue, except for that he has abandoned his Purist ideology and later became an associate of Aquaman. The next time we see Wyynde is in 3x17, when he and Lagoon Boy discover the Reach ship that had activated after receiving a distress signal from the downed war bugs. 

As we all know now, he seems to be in a relationship with Kaldur and the two appear to be quite happy. 

But, if you’re reading this and feel a tad uncomfortable, you’re not alone. Yes, Wyynde was a purist. He engaged in a physical attack on Topo that scarred him. So, why would the show actively put Kaldur with what is essentially, an Atlantean racist?

If you want my two cents, I’d step back and look at it from this point of view: neither of these men are innocent. While with Black Manta, Kaldur did horrible things: he was responsible for the deaths of the Kroloteans on Malina Island. destroyed Mt. Justice, ‘murdered’ Artemis… and these are just the things depicted on-screen! Needless to say, he probably has a ton of regret, and guilt. I’d be willing to bet that Wyynde felt the same way. The two likely bonded over their shared guilt and experiences, and used each other to heal and move forward. 

Now, should Wyynde be forgiven for his mistakes? Should any racist? Maybe. Maybe not. Who’s to say? We can’t exactly give a clear cut answer, considering we don’t know Wyynde’s path to redemption. However, I’m willing to keep an open mind. Kaldur is happy, and per Greg, is in love with Wyynde. He wouldn’t fall in love with a bad person. People are capable of change, and though they may not be forgiven for their previous misdeeds, what’s important is that they grow, change, and move on. 

And that’s the tea on Wyynde!