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yumeka36 · 4 years ago

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The ending of Frozen 2...a year later

I try to stay away from touchy subjects like this, at least here on Tumblr. But since @greatqueenanna @the-blue-fairie and @vuelie-frost have recently written inspiring posts on this topic (which you can read here, here, and here), I wanted to give my two cents (well, more like a thousand cents because what I thought would just be a few paragraphs ended up becoming a mini-book!)

Just to be clear, my intention here is not to argue with anyone or invalidate their feelings about the end of Frozen 2. It's quite the opposite, actually. In my view, when we're presented with a beloved hobby that has disappointed us, we have a couple of options: one is to simply stop partaking in that hobby and move onto one that brings us more pleasure (no doubt some ex-Frozen fans have done that), or keep sticking around the fandom despite constant negative feelings about it which, I can't imagine, is that enjoyable. But there's another option too: when presented with something we don't like but won't divorce ourselves from and yet have no power to change – in this case, how Frozen 2 ended – what we can change is how we view it. The fact that people who disliked Frozen 2 are still part of the fandom even a year later shows just how strong the Frozen characters and their world are…that despite dissatisfaction, fans are still not willing to give up on the franchise and leave it in favor of another fandom. And if they're not willing to give up, but still can't help feeling let down about it, I'm hoping the reasoning I present in this post can possibly offer a fresh and, hopefully, more appealing perspective. My intention here is to help alleviate hard feelings, not entice arguments.

I also want to mention that I'm only discussing the ending of the movie, specifically the fact that Anna is queen of Arendelle and Elsa is living in the forest. I've addressed most other topics of theorizing and criticism in my Frozen 2 analysis book “Seek the Truth,” which you can read here. While I did discuss the ending in detail in the last chapter, I didn't expand on it nearly as much as I will in this post.

To make things easier, I'm going to address the most common griefs about the ending one at a time and offer my input:

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Anna and Elsa were separated for 13 years so they shouldn't be separated again.

I definitely agree that it would be tragic if they were forced apart again, unable to have a relationship like they did for most of their childhood. But the more times I watch Frozen 2, the more I just don't see that in the ending. To me, a separation is when both sides are split up against their will, unable to get together again. That's not the case for Anna and Elsa. I admit the epilogue of the movie was rushed, but out of the many loose ends it could have touched on, the filmmakers made sure to include Anna's letter to Elsa about charades night, which to me shows that they want us to know that the sisters still get together regularly (that's the feeling I get from the movie; I'm not including the questionable canon of the storybooks/comics in this, which I’ll discuss a little later). We could still infer they get together even if they didn't show the letter, because we know the forest is free again and Elsa can ride Nokk to Arendelle whenever she wants. But the filmmakers chose to show the letter to make it clear that there's nothing keeping them apart.

So then the point becomes "spending only 3 years together isn't enough." What number is enough, then? 5 years? 10 years? Any number is arbitrary for a case like this. But the length of time doesn’t matter because, to me, Frozen 1 showed how strong of a bond Anna and Elsa have despite hardly ever being in physical contact…a bond of love strong enough to thaw a frozen heart. So to think that now they could never be happy unless they're physically together 24/7 does an injustice to that bond that transcends physical boundaries. They suffered because of their separation in Frozen 1 – that was a true separation, because they wanted to have a relationship but were forced apart against their wills – and at the end of the movie, they could finally have the relationship they were yearning for. And at the end of Frozen 2, not only was their love cemented further from the epic adventure they shared, but they can continue to see each other as a family as well as live out the new roles bestowed upon them. Unlike a movie with an actual separation ending, like Toy Story 4 for example, where Woody and Buzz would never be able to see each other again except by some crazy coincidence, there is literally nothing stopping Anna and Elsa from continuing to have adventures together in future stories, while also satisfying their new duties and enjoying their lives both individually and as a family. That sounds like a very fulfilling life to me.

But the "Anna sans Elsa" book proves that they barely see each other and Anna misses Elsa a lot.

This sentiment comes down to whether you want to consider the relatively few post-movie storybooks as true canon or not. I consider them loose canon at best because no one involved with the creation of the canon Frozen movies/shorts had any involvement in their development and probably even knows they exist. There's also the fact that they're having such a minimal release – just one or two European countries have been getting them, and they're not even being released in English, which is arguably Disney's largest market. There're also conflicting implications between the stories, for example, the "Anna sans Elsa" book implies that Elsa hasn't visited for a long time, but the German comic where Elsa visits for charades implies that she does visit regularly (from @bigfrozenfan‘s translation here, she says "I wouldn't have missed an evening of charades with you for anything in the world!"). Then there's the "Explore the North Book" which shows Queen Anna visiting Elsa in the forest. Just because this book isn't a story is no reason to disregard it, especially when you consider the fact that it was the first book released to show the sisters interacting post-movie, plus it was actually released in larger markets, like the US and Japan. Even Anna's letter within the movie canon itself, telling Elsa not to be late for charades, is not written in a way that implies she hasn't seen Elsa for a long time. If anything, it implies the opposite to me…that these visits occur regularly. So what we can conclude from this is that Disney's publishing branch is releasing a few post-movie stories to limited markets to make some extra earnings, but obviously the book/comic authors are restricted with the kinds of stories they can depict; as in, they can't have stories that would affect the lore and canon, like showing Elsa's role in the forest or how Northuldra/Arendelle relationships are progressing. So they're going with safe side-stories like Anna doing familiar things in Arendelle and Elsa visiting for charades – things that can be inferred from the movie's ending but don't continue the narrative past that. This could also be why these books are having such a small release. Perhaps because the English-speaking market is so large, anything brought to that market could be seen as having relevance and clout, and Disney doesn't want that for these stories (because there's really no reason to not bring the books to other markets when children's book sales are soaring thanks to the pandemic). The "Anna sans Elsa" book is even getting a re-release with new pictures, again, only in French, which to me further illustrates the limitations on post-movie stories currently going on. So ultimately, I would not take details from these books/comics that are available to only 0000.1% of Disney's worldwide market as the "word of god," especially when they're inconsistent with each other and canon implies otherwise.

Anna isn't fit to be queen.

I'm not really sure what (canon) examples there are of Anna showing traits that would hinder her ability to be a good queen, or at least not as good a queen as Elsa. Is the reason for this because of her naivete about Hans? There's no evidence that shows she hasn't learned her lesson from that…it's not like she rushed into marrying Kristoff right away. If it's something about her personality being too reckless or something, Elsa has exhibited recklessness too, doing things without forethought like running away to live alone in an ice palace and risking her life to dive into Ahtohallan. But despite having these very human flaws, Elsa still turned out to be a good queen, so why would Anna be the opposite? Anna has proven herself to be brave, noble, and outgoing with people…all of which are great qualities for a ruler. Plus she's lived among royalty her whole life, and no doubt helped Elsa during her reign as queen, so she's not going into the position as a total novice. We barely see Elsa doing queenly activities in the Frozen canon, so how can we assume she's so much more fit to be queen than Anna? Again, I think this is another sentiment that stems from an aversion to something unfamiliar: fans want Elsa to remain queen because we've been familiar with that for years, but that doesn't mean Anna can't be a good queen, too. Canon-wise we haven't yet seen Anna do anything in the way of ruling, so why not give her the benefit of the doubt and a chance to prove herself?

The first Frozen established that Elsa shouldn't live in isolation and yet she's doing it again in Frozen 2.

In the first Frozen, Elsa isolated herself out of fear and refused to even get near anyone. What evidence is there that this is happening at the end of Frozen 2? I've heard assumptions that she's living in Ahtohallan now, but we don't know that for sure. The last scene of the movie shows her heading in that direction, but she could be visiting too. But regardless of where her actual place of dwelling is now, there's no reason to believe she's shutting herself off like she did in the first movie. The epilogue shows that she's happily interacting with the spirits, the Northuldra, and makes visits to Arendelle. Home is more than just a physical place where one dwells and sleeps; even if the forest is where Elsa does this now, Arendelle is still her home in all other regards.

An offshoot notion of Elsa living on her own in the forest is that it's somehow akin to the idea that "people who are different should live outside normal society." I don't understand this because to me it implies the person in question is being shunned; that they want to live in normal society but normal society doesn't want them. That is definitely not what's going on at the end of Frozen 2. As I'll explain in the following paragraphs, Elsa stays in the forest because she feels a newfound sense of freedom and is thrilled to explore this new world she found, but she can freely go back to Arendelle whenever she wants, and there's no indication that anyone there loves her any less (they should love her more actually because they all witnessed her save the kingdom from the tidal wave!) At the end if the movie, no one's being ostracized for being "different." Everyone's doing what makes them happy and can freely come and go as they please.

Why does Elsa need to stay in the forest? Why can't she stay in Arendelle and visit the forest?

A large majority of the hard feelings about Frozen 2's ending comes from the fact that it didn't clearly show what Elsa's role in the forest is. I definitely admit that the ending would have benefited from expanding on this, even just another line or two. But to me, it still leaves enough information for us to make reasonable inferences about what she's doing. We don't see the Northuldra or Arendellians interacting in the epilogue, which makes sense since they hated each other for decades and it'll take time to mend the relationship between them. When Elsa says to Anna "we'll continue to do this together" conveys to me that she knows they still have work to do as far as making amends between the kingdoms…she and Anna can serve as dual queen ambassadors between the two sides, a bridge, so to speak. Then there's also the fact that the spirits were angry for decades and it'll take time for them to return to the peaceful coexistent they had with the Northuldra, something Elsa can certainly help with (again, we don't see the spirits interacting with the Northuldra in the epilogue, only with Elsa).

On top of that, there's the fact that Elsa spent her whole life believing she was the only magical being in the world, and now she's discovered this whole new land of magic just waiting to be explored. As I explained in my analysis book, if we consider Elsa believing for years that her powers were a curse and no one but her possessed magic, and suddenly she's brought to a place where other magical beings exist, as well as a group of people who live in harmony with them, plus the fact that she's somehow a bridge between both magic and humans, it makes sense she'd be ecstatic and want to spend time indulging in this new land. The reason she doesn't just visit the forest while living in Arendelle is because being queen is a full time job that requires her to be present as much as possible. Trying to stay on top of all her queenly responsibilities while going back and forth to the forest all the time wouldn't amount to the kind of quality she wants for Arendelle royalty. But having someone like Anna who's already familiar with royal activities and loves Arendelle with all her heart, would be perfect for the role. Elsa never indicated it was her dream to be queen of Arendelle. She was born into the role and accepted it, and if the events of Frozen 2 never occurred, would have probably lived out her life happily in that position. But happiness isn't necessarily a final destination and sometimes things come along that alter the status quo, but also enhance what we thought was already a good life. What we can infer from Frozen 1 is that she doesn't want to live in fear and have to constantly suppress her powers and that she wants to have a relationship with her sister again. None of this is taken away from her at the end of Frozen 2: she's not living in fear but in freedom, she can use her powers without restraint and in brand new ways with the spirits and Ahtohallan, and she can not only continue to see her sister often and foster their relationship, but she can grow her relationship with herself and this new realization about the origin of her powers. And still another reason, perhaps the true purpose of the fifth spirit is more than a single task and Elsa is trying to discover what it is: what more can she do with her amazing powers now that the forest is free, both for the benefit of the Northuldra, the spirits, Arendelle…maybe even the world? There's a wealth of possibilities for future stories, and I believe this ties back to the fact that the post-movie books/comics can't touch on what her role in the forest is because it's too closely tied to continuing the canon story, and until the heads at Disney decide what direction to take it, all spin-off content will be limited.

And yes, it's true that these are just my theories, but they're theories based on many hours of rewatching, analyzing, and thinking critically about the movie, which I think is better than just dismissing the idea that Elsa has a role to play in the forest simply because it wasn't explicitly shown. Just because Elsa's new lot in life isn't spoon-fed to us doesn't mean it doesn't exist, and I think it's much more logical, and imaginative, to assume she's doing the kinds of things I just mentioned as opposed to doing nothing of significance in her life now. I prefer to be logical and imaginative, so I’m going with these reasons unless canon shows otherwise.

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After reading all this, you might think I'm in love with the ending of Frozen 2 and think it's perfect, but that's not the case. While I love Frozen 2 overall, I admit that the ending was rushed and it wasn't my first choice of an ending for the sequel I was anticipating for years. But at the same time, I'm open-minded, especially in regards to the fact that the story and characters I'm invested in are not my personal creations. They’re the products of someone else’s experiences, values, and beliefs, and I have to recognize that this is what makes them interesting even though I may not agree with everything. But who am I to say that my vision and headcanons for Frozen are somehow better than those of the filmmakers? I don't think so highly of myself as being more of an authority on Frozen than the creators themselves or even my fellow hardcore fans. But I have spent many hours of my life these past 7 years examining and analyzing the franchise and its characters, so I'd like to believe my words have at least some weight to them. That's the wonder of fiction…that someone's ideas can be interpreted and appreciated in a variety of ways by a variety of people. But that's also the tragedy of fictional stories that continue on with long gaps in between, like the gap between the two Frozen movies. During that long time, we can't help but build and prop up our headcanons and develop the feeling that we know these characters inside and out, what is and isn't good for them, how they would and wouldn't react in all situations, etc,. But two and a half hours (which is about the length of time of Frozen 1 plus the two shorts) is not enough time to show so much of a characters’ personality that we could really know them as much as we’d like (especially Elsa, who got relatively little screentime in the first movie). So when we're presented with the continuation of the story and find that the creators had a different view, a view that didn't return to the status quo we were familiar with, it can be very jarring. But that's the risk of falling in love with someone else's creations. And thankfully, the beauty of headcanons is that they're all our own and can be adjusted. Even though the outcome of Frozen 2 was not what I was expecting, it was a minimal effort to adjust my headcanons because I don't feel the ending was so outrageous and far removed from everything I loved previously about the franchise, for reasons I hope I explained clearly in this post.

If you still can't feel any better about the end of Frozen 2 despite all I've discussed here, I'm sorry…I really tried my best. All I can say now is that I hope future content will rekindle your appreciation for the franchise. I know it's been over a year since Frozen 2, which seems like a long time to go without any announcements of new material, but we have to remember that that's not a long time at all by Disney standards. The recent Disney investor's meeting proves how long it takes to churn out new content, especially on the animation side of things, as it took years for Princess and the Frog, Zootopia, and Moana to finally get new content. Disney immortalizes all their popular franchises and could go back to them months, years, or even decades later (The Lion Guard series came out over 20 years after The Lion King for example). Unlike other Disney franchises like Marvel and Star Wars that have their own production teams and studios, Frozen has to share resources with all of WDAS's other projects. So a year is still too early for the studio to go back to Frozen again, especially if you consider that it's technically only been a few months since we got new Frozen content in the form of Once Upon a Snowman. Patience is the key now and we don't know what the future holds. But I'm someone whose opinions will change with new information, so maybe tomorrow we could get an announcement about a new Frozen YA novel or Disney+ series that shows Anna and Elsa rarely see each other and Anna misses Elsa and Elsa's doing nothing noteworthy in the forest and everything I've said here can be tossed out the window. I don't think that will be the case though, so as long as we don't know anything for sure, I want to go with a positive outlook because, at the end of the day, your fandoms should lift you up instead of bring you down. Frozen is a juggernaut for Disney so I'd rather they take their time with the next installment for the franchise. It's not so much a question of "if" as much as "when" and "in what form"? So until we have those answers, I wish you all well…don't let the hope die out.

#frozen #frozen 2 #frozen2 #disney frozen

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stillness-in-green · 3 years ago

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Thoughts on Chapter 314 (and surrounding events)

Being a loose summary of several things I thought about in relation to the leaks, what they say about the series as a whole, a bit of new operating headcanon on the Peerless Thief, and a dash of how fandom is responding to the revelations. Spoilers, obviously.

This chapter makes it quite clear that the HPSC absolutely would have gone in and eliminated the PLF quietly, lethally, and wholly unlawfully if Hawks hadn't reported back the numbers that he did. The only reason the raid involved non-Commission-affiliated heroes at all is because the PLF's manpower was simply too much for the Commission to deal with via their usual methods. I'm both appalled that the disregard for human rights in HeroAca Land is somehow even worse than I thought it was and smug that that tiny little piece I recently posted criticizing the PLF's treatment has turned out to be totally justified and supported by the canon.[1] (Note that this does not absolve Horikoshi of the responsibility to, himself, treat the PLF better than paper dolls tossed into the incinerator of Plot Irrelevance when they cease being convenient to his story.) The fact that the Commission was forced to involve heroes might mean Re-Destro, Mr. Compress and the others are somewhat safer than might otherwise be the case. Because of the involvement of the unsuspecting stooges law-abiding heroes, and because the botched raid became such a huge disaster, there’s far more public scrutiny on this than would otherwise be the case. Of course, "accidents" can still happen,[2] especially in a chaotic environment, but the factors above (combined with Clone!RD murdering the bejeezus out of the Lady Prez) do, I think, suggest that there probably isn't an organized push for quick solutions going on behind closed doors.

I don't think Nagant has been around for a terribly long time or that there was an uptick in vigilantism in recent years—I think the scene where she mentions vigilantes becoming accepted as heroes is just in reference to the early history of heroism. It's in keeping with what Tsukauchi Makoto described in Vigilantes, and forms the basis of the current system—the current system that Nagant was a single cog in a big machine grinding away to preserve.

Speaking of Nagant and the system, it's interesting to me that one of the groups Nagant apparently targeted at the HPSC's behest was corrupt heroes—those who colluded with villains or specifically goaded/incited civilians into using their quirks illegally, thus turning civilians into capital-V Villains in the eyes of the law. One might easily say that targeting corrupt heroes (albeit using a much broader definition of "corrupt") was Stain's whole shtick, but it actually puts me more in mind of the Peerless Thief, Harima Oji. Harima punished greedy or corrupt heroes with theft, and presumably with a measure of declaration and exposure,[3] then distributed their money back to the streets. Someone who ridicules those who abuse their power, and gets away with it for long enough to build a reputation: that right there is a recipe for a folk hero. The HPSC, in whatever form they existed at the time, obviously couldn't let that go on—such repeated humiliations would weaken peoples’ faith in (and obedience to) the system the HPSC was trying to build. At the same time, though, it would also weaken faith in the system to openly acknowledge that system's flaws, to acknowledge that some pretty awful people had found their way into the heroics business specifically for the power and ability to abuse it that the title of Hero afforded them. Public trials would make it a matter of record that some heroes—and, accordingly, heroes at large—did not deserve the public's unquestioning faith. Obviously in a system that was built from the ground up on faith, that was unacceptable. And so Harima was branded a supervillain for exposing the system's flaws, while the corrupt heroes who embodied those flaws to begin with were—and continue to be—quietly disposed of at the HPSC’s discretion.

There's a lot of talk around about how Lady Nagant is stupid, or hypocritical, or delusional, or whatever other dismissive adjective people want to use, because she expresses a preference for AFO's rule over the HPSC's. Firstly, I think it's dubious Lit Crit to fault a character for not being a Paragon of Rationality, especially when they're under the cascading stressors Nagant has been under since she was, what, 13? 14? Forced to live this dichotomy of smiling gallant hero and ruthless covert assassin, had her life threatened by the man who'd taken her in,[4] probably dumped in Tartarus until such time as her trial could be held,[5] and kept in those ghastly, dehumanizing conditions for who knows how long? How shocking, that her objectivity might be somewhat compromised! Secondly, it's not like she's saying that AFO's rule would be a sunny walk in the park. The kanji she uses doesn't even mean "better"; while it can mean serene or tranquil, her more likely meaning is clear/transparent. Her phrasing indicates that she's aware it would be pretty bad; she's simply of the opinion that at least his rule wouldn't be a sham, a pretty lie. It would be bad, but everyone would know it. No one would have these comforting illusions they could lose at any time; if you stepped out of line and got shot in the head by an assassin, well, at least you would probably know you that being defiant was running that risk, rather than never seeing it coming because you'd been told all your life that Heroes Didn't Do That To People. Again, this is a woman whose life was shattered no less than three times by the duplicity of the highest acting authority in this comic.[6] She doesn't have to be Objectively Correct By The Standards Of Ethical Utilitarianism—nor do you have to agree with her choice that because she doesn’t want to live in the Matrix, no one else should get to either—for her opinion to make sense from her own perspective! Thirdly, while I think it's fair to say that the HPSC and AFO actually use fairly similar methods to recruit followers and punish dissenters, we have no idea how much Nagant herself knows about AFO's recruitment tactics other than her own brief experience of it. And while AFO is a controlling and manipulative bastard, at least in his case it's coming from a man who openly styles himself as a Demon King, not an organization positioning itself as lawful regulators of the protectors of society at large while secretly training child soldiers to flagrantly violate every law protecting the human rights and due process of that society's people.

Overhaul's presence is delightful, and yes, he is a victim of Hero Society, if only because Hero Society could have put him in some kind of prison-based rehab facility after Shigaraki was through with him, but chose to dispose of him in Tartarus instead, for absolutely no justifiable cause. I suspect it's only due to Horikoshi not being very interested in the harsh realities of the trauma caused by enforced isolation[7] that Overhaul is the only Tartarus escapee that talks to himself and has dissociated from reality almost completely. Overhaul's maiming was not the fault of Hero Society, nor did Hero Society force him to torture Eri and repeatedly commit cold-blooded murder. But his madness? Yeah, I'm pretty comfortable laying that one at Hero Society's feet, actually. I can’t wait for Deku to have to face the victim that Chisaki Kai has become due to levels of systemic cruelty and negligence that really ought to be criminal—and which, if this were real life, would be.

--------Lately, footnotes are really popular with us!--------

[1] Lady Nagant: *talks about how the Hero Society everyone believes in is illusory, a thin fake over a brutal reality, and that returning to the false simplicity of that status quo will only cause history to repeat itself* Me, two weeks ago: Hero Society will never stop creating its own villains so long as, every time it fails people, it does nothing but shrug and write off the victims as unavoidable, inevitable sacrifices for the greater good.

[2] Yes, I'm still highly suspicious of the "Destro committed suicide in prison" claim.

[3] Compress tells us Harima “preached reformation,” but regardless, you don’t dress up in a modified kabuki costume and waltz midair through nighttime cityscapes raining cash out of the sky if you’re trying to keep your activities a secret.

[4] And her family situation couldn't have been much better than Hawks', if she was targeted by the HPSC to begin with. I would guess she was an orphan in the childcare system, easy to move from whatever alternative care arrangement she was in, be it an orphanage, a group home, or simply mature enough despite her relative youth that she lived alone on government support payments—that kind of thing isn't as unbelievable in Japan as it is in the U.S.—to the HPSC's care.

[5] And given what we learned between this chapter and 297, I doubt she was even allowed to be present for it. Japanese law states that everyone by default is supposed to be present for their own trial, but as in the U.S, that right can be waived if the defendant proves themselves to be a threat to the safety of the judge, court staff and other attendees. And of course, what a threat the HPSC could have painted her as being!

[6] At least until Hori deigns to show us a damn Diet session.

[7] To say nothing of the physical consequences of spending six months stuck in a tiny room with no natural light while frequently being strapped into a straitjacket, of which there should also be several.

#bnha spoilers #bnha 314 #boku no hero academia #hero public safety commission #paranormal liberation front #harima oji #lady nagant #overhaul bnha #my writing?

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itsclydebitches · 4 years ago

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YYH Recaps: Koenma Appears

Welcome to episode two, everyone! Before we get to the recap proper, I want to continue down Nostalgia Lane for a moment. Remember how last time I mentioned a Hiei bookmark I used daily back in middle school? Well, I tore through an old "treasure box" I created as a kid (a collection containing everything from a shark tooth to a small book on witchcraft. You know, the important things every child needs) hoping to find it... but I didn't. It's a hard life we lead.

However, I did find some other YYH relics that I thought you all might enjoy seeing. Behold — and, if you'd like, laugh at — my collection:

First up is a picture of young Toguro and Genkai that I wanted to use as my bookmark, but found that it was too wide. For the record, I didn't (and still don't) care about Toguro much, he was just the byproduct of finding a cool Genkai picture. Not shown is the back of the image with the names of my classmates because I made them all sign this along with our yearbook.

God bless my friends for putting up with me.

Second is a collection of very pretty trading cards that I ordered from god only knows where. I have vague memories of not finding any at my local comics shop and convincing my mom to let me order on The Olde Internet. Did I want the trading cards to trade them? Absolutely not. They exist to sparkle and make my heart happy.

Finally, I've saved what is perhaps the best for last. Now, you have to understand that grade to middle school age Clyde did not have the education that she would receive later on, which includes a knowledge of the ephemeral nature of fanworks and the importance of accurate record keeping. What this means is that I have absolutely no context for this. No author, no explanation... just the image itself.

Was this a standalone fanart? A part of a fic? Some specific request or just the will of the artist? I cannot answer these questions. I tried a reverse image search (which is, admittedly, the extent of my tech skills) and you know what the single hit I got was? "Fiction." Thanks, google. So yeah, I can only assume that my child self considered Kurama giving a de-aged Hiei a bubble bath adorable enough to save, but the artist wasn't important enough to jot down for future viewing. Sorry about that, mystery artist. And, as should go without saying, if anyone does know where this came from please let me know! Though I suspect that this is a case of a YYH-specific site closing down and the fanworks getting lost along with it. That happened a great deal before the age of AO3 when volunteers decided to put their time and talent towards saving fanworks of all sorts...

But enough of all that. Let's get to recapping!

As we established last episode, Yusuke and Botan are on their way to the spirit world to kickstart Yusuke's ordeal. Watching this after over a decade of consuming other media, I really appreciate that Yusuke acts like a human person and asks lots of questions about this. When Botan is cryptic for the sake of the audience — we're going to see "the person" who can explain everything — Yusuke is justifiably like, and what person would that be?? I mean, this is also a way to establish basic facts for the viewer and it simultaneously feeds into Yusuke being someone who is difficult for the sake of being difficult — "If someone wants to say something, they should come to me!" — but it's just nice to see a character who doesn't accept cryptic BS because the story needs them to. If Botan gives an unclear, but ~dramatic~ explanation, Yusuke is going to call her out on that.

So she explains that they're going to see King Yama and Yusuke is all whoa whoa whoa, there's royalty involved? Suddenly, he's not so adamant that they come to him.

Botan tries to reinforce this rare spark of humility and demands that Yusuke be on his best behavior from here on out.

Pff. Yeah right.

But “he can send you to oblivion forever if he wants to!” is a suitable enough threat to cow Yusuke for now. Which is interesting considering that a few hours ago he was happy to accept hell as his rightful ending. Granted, we could argue that there's a big difference between hell and oblivion — a character may not be afraid of punishment in the same way they are a lack of existence — but I'd say this ties more into Yusuke's development at the wake. Now that he's accepted that people care for him and that he should strive to return to them, the threat of having it snatched away actually means something. Even if that line is otherwise positioned as a comedic moment.

Botan flies them through a portal where we see the River Styx below and Yusuke comments on how big everything is. At first I was like, "What are you talking about? You were just flying over some major city in fictional Japan, wasn't that big too?" but this line makes more sense when they reach the palace and you realize that yeah, it's big. As in, the camera blurs while tilting down its length to show how insanely tall it is. Yusuke and Botan are tiny gnats at the gate's entrance.

"Oh man, what a pad!" Yusuke says and sure, that's one way to look at it lol.

Botan announces that she has a "new arrival" and the gates open for them, but so far there's no one else around. One part of me wants to question the time and budget put into this scene because shouldn't there be, like, thousands of people? Even just waiting outside? The idea that this is the hub of the underworld and that Botan is responsible for ferrying all the souls, yet she is guiding just this one (1) dude for a solid day is, from a world building perspective, kind of nuts. But beyond the need to develop Botan as a character (she can't be a part of the story if her job is treated realistically, with all the endless work that entails), I think this choice functions rather well from an atmospheric perspective too. Meaning, this moment is supposed to be rather tense for Yusuke. He just died, just found out the afterlife exists, just discovered a desire to get his life back, and is now about to meet a King who can toss him into oblivion if he's rude — which Yusuke always is. So this is a Very Dangerous Moment and their relative isolation feeds into that. As does the setting. Yusuke flinches back from the hallway, saying that it looks like a giant throat, so he is now literally walking into the belly of the beast.

Suddenly, the size of the palace isn't an indicator of awesome wealth, just general intimidation. Also, check out the spikey purple mountains in the background and the harsh reds of the scene, especially compared to the soft yellow of the river. All of it is designed to create an, "Oh shit" reaction in both Yusuke and the audience.

Yusuke's image of King Yama matches these surroundings:

Oh wait! Wrong character ;)

He's massive, red, shadowed, and poses a formidable threat. And how does Yusuke deal with threats? By fighting them! Even those he can't hope to beat. Remember, this isn't a situation where Yusuke has any power here, but he still desperately holds onto the possibility that he might. What if he gets off a punch on King Yama's nose? Then goes for his eyes? Yeah, that'll work!

Overlooking the fact that it absolutely would not — Yusuke's fantasy conveniently skips how he escapes Yama's clutches — what exactly is Yusuke hoping to accomplish here? Somehow take over the entire underworld? Escape as a ghost and live out his afterlife in hiding? We don't know and that's because Yusuke doesn't know. He doesn't think ahead, he just obeys this instinct to fight. An instinct that, crucially, overrides everything else. Botan has already told him that all Yusuke needs to do is be polite and everything will be fine, but it's not even that Yusuke believes that he can't achieve that; that he knows himself too well and, fearing a slip, starts planning for a potentially inevitable confrontation. There are simply no plans outside of battle plans. Yusuke just hears about someone vaguely intimidating and his brain jumps straight to, "How do I beat him in a fight?" no matter the odds, or that other options are readily available to him. Again, much of YYH's characterization occurs though its comedy, so outside of the general humor of witnessing this fantasy, it actually does a stellar job of reinforcing precisely who Yusuke is. In life the only thing he had going for him was his ability to fight. It was his one joy, his one skill, arguably the one good thing he did if we frame those reflexes as "saving" the kid... so is it any wonder that fighting dominates his every thought? It's all he knows.

And, as we'll see down the line, that single-minded obsession is very useful to the spirit world.

For now though, Yusuke finishes his absurd plans to take down King Yama and Botan asks what in the world he's muttering about back there. Which is an unintentionally hilarious line because by the end Yusuke is not muttering, but full on shouting. Botan. How did you not hear him?

Not important. They reach the next door and we get our first inkling that all is not as Yusuke (and we) expect when Botan leans into an intercom to say that they've arrived. Tech in a fantasy spirit world? This feels not only out of place, but rather... mundane? That's the point. When the doors open Yusuke expects his super scary monster, but gets... a whole lot of monsters that aren't scary at all!

The underworld is run by various demons (or ogres), though their looks are contrasted with the harried office worker personalities they've got going on. Someone is running by with a comically tall stack of papers. Someone else is shouting into a cell phone. The first two demons we see cross paths, looking like they're about to punch one another, just as Yusuke expects... except they're just dramatically getting out of the other's way, worried not about the hierarchy of this realm, but the fact that someone is behind schedule. The nerve!

"This place is a madhouse!" we hear somehow shout and yeah, that's the joke. The afterlife is just as chaotic, overworked, and — ultimately — boring as any human office. For all the strangeness of seeing hundreds of demons, this is familiar.

Which, alongside Botan's bubbly nature contrasting assumptions about the Grim Reaper, is one of the first instances of YYH undercutting the viewer's expectations in terms of looks. No one entirely looks the part they play in this tale and if you're trying to teach people to look past surface characteristics... there are worse ways to do it. Horrifying creatures with horns and sharp teeth? Nah, they're just chill dudes trying to do their job. Cutesy girl who looks like she belongs in a mall reading magazines? Nah, she's the Grim Reaper. Terrifying delinquent with a spine-chilling reputation? Nah, he makes faces at kids and saves them from cars.

Of course, the "nah" isn't accurate either. These are monsters with horns, Botan is a cutesy girl, and Yusuke is a delinquent with that reputation. The message isn't so much that people look like Thing A, but get to know them and you'll discover they're actually Thing B, it's the idea that you can be A and B (and C, D, E...) simultaneously. People — or rather, seemingly simple archetypes — can, in fact, embody multiple characteristics at once.

We'll get our third example in just a second.

Yusuke makes a comment about this being the "dead people stock exchange" — accurate — and Botan leads him to a more ornate door past all the desks. It's clear they've arrived at King Yama's office, since she's bowing and formally presenting him to... someone. Yusuke looks around for the giant beast he's imagined, only for a tiny voice to hail him from the ground.

Looks are deceiving!

“This is Yusuke Urameshi and he’s honored to meet you." Botan knows what's up. She knows Yusuke isn't going to express anything of the sort without some prompting. Too bad he's busy cracking up at this apparent child running the show. Side note: Yusuke has a fantastic laugh.

He even goes so far as to accuse Botan of lying to him.

“Why would I lie about such a thing?!”

“Why would the spirit world be run by a toddler?”

It's true! That’s a legitimate question! I love that Yusuke asks questions. The "toddler" goes on to explain that he's actually the "mighty Koenma," son of King Yama, though he's lived fifty times as long as Yusuke, "so watch your mouth." Assuming Koenma knows and/or remembers how old Yusuke is — fourteen — and is good at math, that puts him at seven hundred years old. He looks good for his age!

"And in addition to knowing the secrets of the universe," he says, "I am quite potty trained."

You've gotta love Koenma.

Yusuke's attitude changes drastically once they get down to business. Koenma produces an egg, saying that Yusuke's ordeal is to hatch it and face what comes out. The hatching part isn't difficult, all he needs to do is keep it on his person. The challenge is in the fact that this egg will feed off his spirit energy and that energy in turn will change what kind of creature develops. If his spirit is wicked and cruel, so will be the beast and it will devour Yusuke upon hatching.

However, if his spirit is good and kind, the beast will become a sort of guardian, guiding him back to his living body.

Note though that throughout this conversation the egg is always a "beast." It's a "monster." It's not necessarily intentional, but there's a strong bend towards the negative here in the description that really emphasizes the whole "ordeal" aspect. Koenma briefly reassures Yusuke that he can remain a ghost if he prefers, but he's already made up his mind. Despite another threat of being lost to a void — this time through spiritual digestion — Yusuke takes the egg almost without hesitation.

He regrets it later though.

"I can't believe I did that."

Can we blame him? I'd be nervous about some egg feeding off the energy of my soul too and I'm a former, almost straight A student (damn you, math) with no life-altering regrets and a general desire to put as much good into this world as I'm able. I’m boring. But what if those occasional, mean little thoughts you have add up? What if the prejudices you're still unlearning stack against you? Does the egg care about what you do, or only how you feel about the act? This sort of test would eat me alive!

Maybe literally.

Good thing Yusuke doesn't have time for an existential crisis!

Just as he's beginning to regret this decision, Botan points out that it won't matter if he passes if he doesn't have a body to return to. Now, why wouldn't he have a body? Maybe because his mom is set to cremate him tomorrow.

Whoopsie.

Yusuke is, understandably, distraught. We get another excellent exchange:

“Botan, is there any way for ghosts to communicate with living people?”

“Yes.”

“SO ARE YOU GONNA TELL ME?”

I swear, Yusuke is the only smart protagonist. I mean, he's dumb as a sack of bricks at times, but that's neither here nor there. Bless this fictional boy for reacting like an actual person.

Botan explains that people are more attuned to the spirit world when they're asleep, so Yusuke can deliver a message to someone in their dreams. Seems easy enough. They first head to Atsuko, but find that she's raging drunk and nowhere near sleep.

"You fool!" she yells. "No one gave you permission to die!" Atsuko continues to yell about how plenty of people survive car accidents, so why couldn't you? "Were you mad at me, Yusuke? Didn't I raise you right?"

Botan comments on how sad the display is. Yusuke's response?

“The only thing that’s sad is now she’s got one more excuse to act that way."

Y'all, that's some mature shit for a goofy shonen anime. Yeah, Yusuke recognizes that, while she's obviously heartbroken, his death has just given her another reason to do what she's been doing for years: drinking herself into a stupor. Toss in Atsuko putting the blame on Yusuke — "No one gave you permission to die!" — plus the belief that she did do a good job — "Didn't I raise you right?" — and it paints a rather bleak picture. This is by no means an uncommon theme. Negligent parents, whether they're framed that way or not, are pretty common in shonen series, but it's still rather jarring to re-watch this as an adult and go, "Oh. The situation’s like that." It's honestly a lot when you remove it from YYH's otherwise humorous, casual context.

Yusuke heads to Keiko's next and finds her sound asleep, commenting on how her room looks more "girly" than when they were kids. Check out that smile!

He's about to try and deliver his message, but Keiko is in the midst of a nightmare. “She’s crying… what’s wrong?”

Oh my god. Remember how I just said Yusuke is also the densest protagonist around? Example A right here. You just died, you fool! You just saw Keiko collapse at your funeral. What do you think is wrong??

We get a peek at Keiko's dream where she is — shockingly! — thinking of Yusuke. He's far out of reach, walking away and unresponsive to her calls. Keiko soon trips and Yusuke disappears completely.

Luckily, she has the real thing at her bedside. Yusuke tries talking to her and at first it's unclear if this supernatural stuff is really working. That is, until Keiko murmurs about how heavy he is.

Reassured, Yusuke delivers his message that Keiko needs to help Atsuko pull herself together and, most importantly, call off burning his body. We get this very soft and pretty background to establish their yet unspoken feelings for one another, though Yusuke gets close with, “I’m coming back. I don’t want to see you cry anymore" as he brushes her tears away. Aww.

Keiko wakes, thinking at first it was just a dream, but no, "I'm sure I felt it."

The next morning she heads to Atsuko's to explain the dream, only to first hear that Atsuko had a dream too, this one about Yusuke "living in some other world full of ogres and he kept knocking them down until he became their leader." It sounds absurd, of course, but it brings Atsuko some comfort to think of her boy in a place like that and Keiko backs down. Right, she'd only had a comforting dream too.

Now, there are two important parts to this exchange. The first is that this is an excellent example of how you let the characters drive the story, rather than forcing the characters adhere to the plot you've come up with. Meaning, in the latter situation, our cast would have needed to have their personalities twisted and the viewer's suspicion of disbelief tested to give Yusuke what he needs: a sleeping family member willing to believe his message. But it absolutely makes sense for Atsuko to be drunk rather than sound asleep, so Yusuke can't rely on her. Likewise, it absolutely makes sense for Keiko to be asleep, but not believe the dream once she's woken up. After all, how many times have we been persuaded by something in the dead of night only for things to look more logical and less likely in the morning? The characters act both like themselves and like people who do normal, people-ish things, which means that Yusuke runs into more conflicts. That's good! It not only raises the tension and stakes — now he has less than a day to convince someone — but makes his inevitable success feel that much sweeter. A less well written show (cough-RWBY-cough) would have had the characters change their personalities, behave in unlikely ways, or just come up with a sudden, contradictory solution because Yusuke needs to keep his body. Instead, Yusuke actually has to work for that within the bounds of the rules established and the likeliness of each plan succeeding. The first one fails? Move onto plan #2.

Second, this dream of Atsuko's has some cool implications within YYH's world. Meaning, we're about to learn in just a moment that some people are naturally more aware of the supernatural than others, even when they're not asleep. We'll also see down the line that spiritual awareness tends to run in families... so perhaps Atsuko possesses more than the average mother? I'm not saying it's necessarily intentional on the author(s) part, but we can choose to read this dream as evidence of spiritual awareness — true insight into the world Yusuke was just in and the fantasies he'd had about conquering it — rather than just a coincidental joke for the viewer. After all, Yusuke gets his own spiritual awareness from somewhere...

(Okay, so there's totally another, canonical reason for that, but we can have both!)

So, as Yusuke puts it, “This dream business isn’t gonna cut it.”

“There’s always the final method," Botan says.

“You always this vague?”

I am literally living for these interactions.

Botan explains that the more extreme form of communication is possessing a living person, but there are two rules attached: it has to be someone you know and the vessel has to be someone who is quite spiritually aware, as discussed above. Atsuko isn't a contender because the story hasn't acknowledged that she might be sensitive, that's just my own headcanon now. Yusuke outright says, “In that case I’m screwed. There’s no one like that!"

Cut to good old Kuwabara.

At first it looks as if he's just oh so conveniently sensing a spirit right when the audience has learned he has this power, but in reality it's Yusuke and Botan flying behind him that sets it off. Again: this show is pretty good about keeping things internally consistent, rather than making choices because That's Just How Stories Work, I Guess. Kuwabara's friends note that he's acting strangely and I love this detail that apparently one of the guys is new to their group because the other two need to explain that this is the "tickle feeling." Ever since Kuwabara was a boy he's been able to sense the dead around him. Some nice, some... not so nice.

He looks directly at Yusuke — even though he's not able to see him — and declares that what's following them is “A puny low-level ghost, like a haunted racoon or something.”

I'd support Yusuke's anger more if he hadn't just exclaimed his surprise that Kuwabara serves a purpose 😂

Yusuke is pissed enough though to proclaim that he won't do it, nuh-uh, no way is he possessing this guy's body. Botan's response is one of my FAVORITES in the WHOLE SERIES:

"Here's my impression of Yusuke: look at me, I’m burning!”

Literally 75% of this series is just about a found family sassing one another and I love it.

Obviously this helps Yusuke remember his priorities and he grudgingly agrees to the plan. Botan prepares Kuwabara's body somehow — idk, spiritual magic or whatever — and warns Yusuke that he only has an hour to find someone and warn them because a human body can't handle possession any longer than that. Sure. I buy it.

So Yusuke takes control and please ignore the incredible ethical issues here. The show will never acknowledge them again.

He blurts out, “Hey, check it out! I’m inside Kuwabara, feeling smooth!"

Istg I don't remember the series being this unintentionally gay. I don't even ship Yusuke/Kuwabara and I'm digging the possibilities here lol.

Back on track, his friends drag him with, “Looks like he’s back to normal” because again, 75%. What's not normal though is Kuwabara (Yusuke) suddenly charging down the street to leave them behind. He heads straight to the restaurant where Keiko's parents work, demanding to see her. They're rightly concerned about this stranger barging in and screaming for their daughter.

Upon asking who he is/why they should tell him, Yusuke makes his biggest mistake: “Because it’s me, you guys, I’m Yusuke!”

Obviously the time limit and raw emotion of knowing who he is has outweighed the knowledge that, you know, no one would believe that. Yusuke has spent the last two days bopping around as a ghost and familiarizing himself with some of the afterlife's insanity. The knowledge of what's normal for everyone else — AKA, not dead boys appearing in strangers' bodies — is not at the forefront of Yusuke's mind.

So, Keiko's parents react accordingly! The father in particular is disgusted by this claim, going so far as to threaten Yusuke with his knife and outright insult Kuwabara's looks: “Yusuke was never ugly like you… we were close family friends with that boy!" His wife chimes in that this kind of joke is particularly heinous on the day of his funeral. Between Atsuko drunkenly blaming Yusuke for his death and Mr. Takenaka grieving for what he might have been, this is one of the few times we see someone just sad for Yusuke's passing, exactly as he was and without regrets or criticism. "We were close family friends with that boy" paints a nice contrast to the delinquent persona Yusuke was cultivating.

As he's thrown out of the restaurant he says, “We should have special passwords for times like this!” Fun fact, my family does! Well, not this exact situation lol. I was given a password as a child to memorize in case my parents ever needed to send someone else to pick me up or interact with me in any way. If the stranger didn't know the password, I was to kick up a fuss. I rest easy with the knowledge that this password would not doubt assist me if I was ever in Yusuke's position!

With Keiko's parents a bust, Yusuke starts sprinting to everywhere she frequents with the hope of running into her. Or at least he tries.

Yusuke is suddenly waylaid by a group of nameless teens with a bone to pick with Kuwabara. And you know what? I like it. I wonder how much of my praise stems from coming off of RWBY Volume 8, but it's just so nice to watch a story where the plot — simple as it is — hangs together. We've established that Kuwabara is a street fighter. Last episode we watched him start a fight with Yusuke. Yusuke is on a time limit. Now Kuwabara's tendencies have created a new hurdle for Yusuke!

Needless to say, Yusuke kicks butt, even in Kuwabara’s body.

As one guy is passing out he says, “Man that hurt! I didn’t think anyone could throw punches that hardcore except Yusuke Urameshi."

Yusuke: “Darn, giving Kuwabara a good name." LOL

You think this challenge is finished though? Nah. Over the course of about half an hour Yusuke encounters a comical number of people trying to get even with Kuwabara.

As always, I like the nods towards this writing decision to help justify it, with Yusuke wondering how Kuwabara has pissed this many people off. If you want to pull off something that has a low chance of happening, it can help to give the characters a "Seriously?" moment. If both they and the audience are on the same page over how ridiculous this situation is, the audience is more likely to accept it once the character does.

By the time Yusuke escapes his hour is nearly up. However, thanks to some coincidental plotting, he spots Keiko's friends just across the street!

YYH does a decent job of making its characters feel like they have their own lives outside of what's immediately happening on screen and we get a good example of that here. We pick up the girls' conversation partway through, both of them worried about Keiko's state of mind and, given that we'll see in a second that Keiko was in the store with them, it implies that something happened to reignite this worry. They're off enjoying their day, doing their own thing, there was an event we're not privy to, and now we catch the response to that. It just helps make the characters feel more well-rounded even though they are, at their core, one-dimensional background characters who don’t even have names yet.

Case in point: the one girl is still concerned with their image. "People are starting to say things!"

Yeah, your friend's childhood friend just died. Hopefully they're saying, "Poor thing."

Anyway, Yusuke runs up to ask where Keiko is only for both girls to run away screaming. Turns out his face is messed up from the numerous fights and Keiko's friends are easily scared.

Luckily, Keiko comes out just a second later and Yusuke is faced with the challenge of how to convince her in, oh, about five minutes. Remember, we've already established through Keiko's parents that just saying, "I'm Yusuke" doesn't work. That's why he hesitates. It's not just drama for the sake of drama, he's stuck.

“I’ve known her my whole life, there must be something between us that only I would do!”

Yeeeeaah. About that 😬

Suddenly inspired (I suppose that's one way to put it...) Yusuke runs up behind Keiko and grabs her breasts. “Keiko, nice uniform! They’re so squishy!”

It goes without saying that, like flipping her skirt up, this isn't okay. More specifically, the problem lies in the story framing this as a joke for the audience, something to laugh at despite Keiko's discomfort, rather than the concept of two childhood friends actually be that comfortable with one another. But, as already established, this is one of the more ehhhh aspects of Yusuke's characterization that, luckily, will mostly disappear as the story goes on.

Note though that the show clearly wants us to think highly of this. Not just as a "joke," but as a smart solution to his problem and more evidence of their inevitable relationship — the background becomes the same soft, bubbly background we saw during their dream conversation. And, admittedly, it does work. Keiko instinctively slaps Yusuke hard enough to knock him to the ground and he starts laughing, saying that he doesn't care what anyone on the street says, she hits the hardest.

What I do like about this is that the assault isn't the only thing Keiko bases her faith on. Not only has she already had the dream, we get to see Yusuke from her perspective, showing all the mannerisms she picks up on by superimposing Yusuke's real body over Kuwabara's. Indeed, she says as much: “I knew it was you from the first time you spoke…and it’s not just your stupid gags, or how you laugh. There are ways you move and speak that in a hundred years I wouldn’t forget."

Catch me crying in this club!

Knowing she believes him and that he's almost out of time, Yusuke reiterates his message: please don't burn my body and also keep Mom on track. Only, you know, it's phrased far better than that lol. As he speaks, both Yusuke's and Kuwabara's voices overlap until the latter grows fainter and only Yusuke's voice remains. His body too. It's a nice touch, avoiding the awkwardness of Keiko having this moment with a stranger, even if that is what's happening on some level.

“I know I’ve been a bum to you at times, but please wait for me."

His hour up, now we can get the awkwardness! Kuwabara comes out of his weird trance thing to find Keiko crying against his chest. Wow, he thinks, this girl must be really into me!

God, to have the confidence of Kuwabara.

Of course, Keiko quickly realizes it's not Yusuke anymore and slaps him too for cuddling her closer. My favorite thing is that when she does this a crowd INSTANTLY appears. I mean they TELEPORT in. We needed an audience for Kuwabara's shame and YYH delivered, all logic be damned.

“Um, sorry about that!” Keiko yells as she runs away, because she's a good person who recognizes that weird spirit things just went on and Kuwabara isn't actually to blame.

“No, that’s okay. I probably deserved it," Kuwabara responds because he's also a good person and I didn't appreciate him nearly as much as I should have as a kid.

Keiko runs all the way to Atsuko's place where she finds her dressed for Yusuke's funeral. She blurts that Yusuke might still be coming back and Atsuko goes, "He already has." Turns out she opened his coffin to "smack him one more time for leaving me" — yikes — and found that his heart had started beating again, just as Koenma said it would.

Being in a shonen anime, they apparently decide to just trust Keiko's message rather than, idk, taking him to a hospital or something.

The camera tilts up to show that Yusuke has been watching all this, including that both women break down again and comfort one another. Aww. How heartwarming.

What's less fuzzy though is this mysterious egg. Yusuke takes another look and finds that it has developed a heartbeat too, presumably in time with his body's. He theorizes that he did decent things today, right? But Botan (teasingly) points out that he did beat up a lot of other kids. Rather than getting angry, Yusuke remains uncharacteristically pensive, emphasizing the magnitude of what this means for him. He's got to get it right.

No pressure or anything! We'll have to see how Yusuke balances his karmic scales in the next episode. Until then, I'll try not to put all my TV time into Star Trek: Voyager :D

See you then! 💜

#YYH #Yu Yu Hakusho #YYH recaps #mymetas

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dropintomanga · 5 years ago

Text

On the Industry, Fans, and Piracy - My Feelings on Manga Today

This year has been quite an interesting one for anyone who’s involved in manga industry happenings with regards to piracy.

As most of you may know, an infamous manga app known as Mangarock was finally shut down this year after years of proliferating as a “legit” manga-reading app on the Apple and Google Play Stores. They finally got shut down when a Western comic artist found their work being distributed on the platform. While this was good news, there has been criticism about whether there were signs of subtle prejudice towards manga (since it’s a foreign medium) as it took a Western comic to bring things to attention.

There was also the news of Mangamura, a well-known Japanese raw scan site, and how the head honcho of the site got arrested in the Philippines this year and will face consequences for his actions. (Update: 12/21/2019 - Now Mangastream and Jaimini’s Box are out of the game with regards to scanlating popular titles)

While this is good news for people who love to support the manga industries in both Japan and overseas, things are still the same. The pirates will keep coming over and over again. I wonder when enough is enough or maybe I’m just tired of hearing the same old debate on legal vs. illegal manga.

I see multiple Twitter threads from pro-industry folks on why everyone should support buying manga. I also see threads on why manga publishers suck. They’re both right if you ask me.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how this industry vs scanlators fight is similar to what I’ve been reading about in the mental health field recently - psychiatry vs. anti-psychiatry.

Psychiatry advocates believe that taking medicine is the best way to solve mental health problems and mental illness. They realize that things can happen in the human brain that lead to something worse. However, they think a lot of issues warrant medication when it may not be the best solution.

Anti-psychiatry advocates believes that medicine isn’t the best way to solve mental health problems and mental illness. They dislike how the mental health care system treats people with mental health problems. Yet they believe that “mental illness” doesn’t exist.

So throwing it back to manga -

The manga industry believes that supporting the industry involves purchasing their books at any costs. You buy the books, you support the mangaka drawing them. Yet the system that drives the industry is terrible. As we all know from Bakuman and tales from manga professionals, the system to become a successful mangaka involves often-poor working conditions in the form of long hours, strict deadlines, and a good amount of isolation.

Scanlators believe they are doing the manga industry a favor in providing free exposure to titles that would go undiscovered by fans. More often than not, scanlators do what they do without any care for profit. However, they tend to go a bit extreme with regards to translating certain text. Some scanlators also become a bit too egotistical for their own good and end up causing ridiculous drama among other scanlation groups over material they are technically stealing.

Tying this back all together with all regards to comparing psychiatry vs. anti-psychiatry and industry vs scanlators, there’s a third party being affected that’s ignored in both debates.

For the 1st war (psychiatry vs. anti-psychiatry), there’s not enough focus on the seriously mentally ill. The seriously mentally ill are the community suffering the most right now and present a great deal of harm to themselves and others. A 3rd party group that addresses them would utilize certain views and rejects certain views from the psychiatry and anti-psychiatry movements to help the seriously mentally ill. They are often forgotten as a lot of money goes to those whose mental health issues aren’t as bad on both sides.

For the 2nd war (scanlations vs. legal manga), you can argue that there’s a huge crowd of fans that are willing to pay for manga as long as you give them almost everything on one platform a la Steam/Netflix at a very low price. That platform also needs to be easily accessible with little-to-no regional restrictions. There are so many fans in certain parts of the world that can’t purchase manga due to lack of access to bookstores/libraries or availability of them. I’ll put this in caps in case people don’t get it - THE WHOLE WORLD IS NOT THE UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER NOTABLE AND PROLIFIC COUNTRY. I sometimes think certain fans that are able to buy manga forget how lucky they are.

A side note: While a huge step forward for legit digital manga, Viz’s Shonen Jump isn’t enough because not everyone likes shonen. All the other subscription services are fine, but everything’s kind of fragmented a bit compared to how Crunchyroll has almost everything anime-related (though they are going through a big streaming war that’s causing fragmentation as well). Though to be honest, I think the scanlation community and the manga industry have to band together on one thing I think both sides can all agree on - it’s the relative value of manga compared to other forms of media in general.

To explain, I watched a video feature on the mangaka Shinichi Sakamoto, creator of Innocent and Innocent Rouge. Sakamoto goes into a discussion about manga’s value that really got me thinking. He talks about how manga is treated as “disposable” and how he tries to make his works worth keeping and remembering.

In the end of the video, Sakamoto says: “I feel manga is something that is read, then thrown away. For example, people would read a manga during their work commute and throw it away once they finish reading it. Or they would read a manga at a restaurant during lunch break. Then they would close it once the food is served and forget about it. I thought at first, manga was something that was read then thrown away. However recently, since I started to adopt my current style, I now want to make something that stays close to readers. Something that remains. It’s what currently motivates me to draw manga.

I ask myself what to do in order to make something that stays for a long time, using themes or opinions that they stay engraved in the minds of readers without being forgotten. I keep this in mind in order to leave something behind. It is what motivates me.”

The quality of manga made in Japan isn’t the best. The paper is comparable to toilet paper. If you ever browsed through a manga magazine in person, it feels like going through a super-thick newspaper. Compare that to overseas volumes of manga and it’s a world of difference. I’ll admit that publishers like Viz Media, Kodansha Comics, and Yen Press do a great job in making their printed manga high-quality albeit at a higher cost to fans.

Yet I realized that there’s a larger number of manga fans who don’t care about quality as long as what they want is accessible and cheap. That’s a big reason why scanlations have exploded and will continue to do so. Convenience is something that a lot of outside forces now push onto everyone. I frankly love print books, but I wonder what if the price of printed manga volumes reaches a certain point that makes me go “Yeah, I don’t think I can buy printed manga anymore.”

In the end of the day, even if you make it look pretty as hell and close to a luxury product, manga is still a “throw-away” item with little relative value to a lot of fans thanks to how it’s originally conceived in Japan combined with how internet culture takes advantage of what the meaning of “free stuff” is. Not everyone will find a sense of belonging with manga the same way that fans do.

There are certain folks that support purchasing manga that say things like “Wages need to be raised because they’ve stagnated” and when it comes to fans reading manga on an illegal site, their views sound like “You should buy no matter what” and/or “Just don’t buy.” I know there are those who will point to manga sales and they still aren’t exactly affordable to some fans. 20%-33% off titles with a high price point to begin with may not feel like a significant discount to someone who may not be a hardcore manga collector. Maybe it’s better to say, “You know what? Let’s just smash capitalism for ruining everyone’s lives” or better yet, “Let’s promote wage growth so that manga fans can actually purchase manga and manga artists can survive.”

For now, let’s all be like Sakamoto and promote how valuable manga can be because appreciating the arts makes people better human beings than learning how to make a “efficient” website/software program look good for someone whose end goal is usually profit. The arts is what keeps people from turning into robots. Yes, this sounds like I’m saying “Let’s have the manga pirates keep doing what they’re doing then.” What I’m suggesting is that everyone from the top down (government, etc.) has to take charge in promotion of anything related to the arts (which manga and comics in general are a part of), not just the regular folks, as they appear to be all on-board the "let’s mindlessly consume/produce everything with ruthless efficiency” train.

I feel sympathetic towards anyone who works with on the American side of manga publishing (or anything that’s based in Japan) because Japan’s mentality on promoting their works overseas is awful. The Japanese want a level of control in how they want to be perceived outside of their own country. Compare that to a country like Korea (where K-Pop is now featured on major American TV networks), you can see how bad Japan is promoting their own brand of pop culture to the world. If you want an example, just look up Nintendo’s history of taking down anything overseas that looks to violate their principles of promoting their games.

I realize that I’m sounding like this Japanese manga creator who criticized publishers for how they handle piracy. Well, I dislike how manga publishers or professionals involved with the manga industry will shame fans for reading scanlations/raws. Almost everyone that reads scans/raws tends to be a fan of manga in general. A lot of them may not be unaware of the nature of scans (especially fans who meet mangaka in person and tell them they read them online). And even if they were aware, have you noticed how wages have stagnated for a lot of people across the world versus inflation?

Plus, how often do shame tactics work on people? They’re just as effective as most diversity training workshops hoping to change people’s bias on visible differences (spoiler alert: not very well). They never change anyone’s minds at all due to being short-term solutions that ignore the shamer’s role in perpetuating the problem. I realize changing minds takes a long time and requires a LOT of nuance (AKA not good for making immediate money), so it’s easy to focus on quick and fast.\

I also don’t like how scanlators disrespect localization efforts at times. I don’t like seeing multiple instances of swear words when most Japanese (or people in general) don’t talk like that in real life. Yes, some localization efforts are full of cringe. Appealing to a bigger array of new readers is important to having an industry thrive. Having just loyal customers isn’t enough.

Loyalty can only go so far. So many people don’t care about brands and/or will switch whenever it’s convenient to do so. There’s always a psychological disconnect between community and profit. That’s why you try to get as many new consumers as possible so they can become great word-of-mouth spokespeople for your stuff. Given how a good number of anime/manga fans stop consuming either medium after a certain age, replenishment of fans is an absolute necessity. I wish scanlators who frown at legit translators who bust their asses off to make manga accessible to a wider audience realize this.

There’s a final thing I want to address regarding the whole debate about scans and it was something I noticed at Anime NYC this year. So this year, Artists’ Alley and the Exhibit Hall were put right near each other on the same floor. In years past, they were separated via different floors or on different sections far away from one another in the same floor. I had a troubling thought and reading one convention recap reinforced it.

It’s the fact that Artists’ Alley is almost always fan works and the close proximity this time clashes with the Exhibit Hall vendors’ sale of official merchandise. There are anime industry members who dislike an arrangement like this with good reason. Bootlegs are a problem in an industry largely associated with piracy. Yet fans LOVE Artists’ Alley. Anime cons can’t just gut them to please industry folks. Supporting the fan artists at Artists’ Alley is a win-win for fans and con organizers.

Also, some of the artists at Artists’ Alley I spoke to all read scanlations in some way, shape or form when discussing certain series. I have no damn desire to play moral police with those artists because I know they are lovable and messy people. Just enforce the golden rule - don’t be a dick in a public setting even if you have a good reason to because you will never change anyone’s views that way.

I know some issues have to be made public, but go through proper channels first since I don’t want to see someone being labeled a mood killer without proper context in places that are supposed to be safe for fans.

Another thing - I have friends (both ‘20s and ‘30s) who work full-time jobs that read manga in not-so-legal sites. Some of them I’m very close with. I’m not ending friendships with them over the fact they may consume media differently. The one thing I can say is that even the best of the best will have questionable beliefs/do questionable things and all you can do is figure out what’s really important to you - their actions or the consequences of their actions. Don’t expect the people you idolize will think the same way you do in every thought you have. Everyone has their own closet of behaviors and thoughts that will always irk others.

So for anyone who’s confused on whose side I’m on, I’m on neither. I know the truth is a lot more complicated than what most people will tell me. I do want manga to thrive more overseas. It’s just that outside of Japan, regardless if you pay for or pirate a manga, there’s no appreciation for lifelong reading. Reading is treated as a pain than pleasure in the Western part of the world. Many anime fans are only tempted to read a manga because of how cool an anime adaptation of a certain series is or just from buzz.

More than anything, I feel like there should be a bigger effort in promoting a sense of lifelong reading. I sometimes get jokes from corporate folks that I like to read and it’s depressing since libraries are always threatened by budget cuts. Reading books (fiction & non-fiction) has helped me processed a lot of things for my mental health. We got to do a better job in emphasizing that reading can be for fun and not just for achievement. Still, buy whatever manga you can for the artist’s sake if you really like the works (not for the publisher’s due to how I feel about capitalism sometimes). If you still want to read or prefer scans, then that’s your thing. You know, I’m glad I’m not really a pro-industry person and a pro-fan. I live in both worlds and feel like I have a balanced understanding of how people act in certain situations versus how they behave normally. I make a joke now that if anyone who works in marketing wants to really understand what their customers are like, they should go to a DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) and see the misery there.

I guess you can say I blame Japan more than anything as I do buy what I can from the American side of things. I know the hard-working folks in the U.S. manga publishing business probably get frustrated with Japanese bureaucracy to a certain degree at times.

Next year will be the start of a new decade after a decade of slow then fast growth in all things anime and manga. Things are going to get better and worse for anime and manga. Maybe once Luffy finally gets the One Piece treasure will manga piracy be severely hampered by then. I have some doubts because this is all reliant on what Japan will do as manga is here to stay in overseas markets. I know more Japanese manga editors have been traveling overseas to understand what’s going on outside of Japan. That’s a good start. So I just hope that the final chapter over here involves cultivating a joyful love of reading because I feel technology has to really pick up on that.

When reading really matters to everyone and takes some precedence over video in the minds of people, maybe we can see some meaningful progress in a battle where we might be fighting the wrong side(s) and/or missing a bigger part of the picture.

Regardless, it’s a fascinating and fun time to be a manga fan. I’m glad to have met many people who love and read manga regardless of how they consume it. Those experiences have provided so much value for me.

Manga may be considered “trash” in many ways, but to loosely quote a certain popular Naruto ninja, it’s at least better than giving up on the true joys of life.

Addendum (12/21/2019) - Two days after this post was made, two of the biggest manga scanlation groups on the net, Mangastream and Jaimini’s Box, decided to stop translating all Weekly Shonen Jump titles. I’m indifferent about either platform going away (or completely gone as Jaimini’s Box is still doing titles from other manga magazines). The one thing I will say is that Mangastream took advantage of the growing push for convenience in the minds of people over the last decade. I think about how much tech companies have abused “convenience” to generate unintended division and in some ways, Mangastream was like a tech company when they saw their ego being stroked by the large fanbase they were getting.

Photo Source: The Japan Times For one of my favorite takes on scanlations, read “Why Do Scanlations Persist?” from What Is Manga? There’s also this podcast from GeekNights about manga distribution in the United States which added some fuel to this post.

#manga #manga piracy #fandom #anime #otaku culture #relative value #manga industry #lifelong reading #scanlations

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3smuth · 5 years ago

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To the Champions of Kamigawa

Not too long ago, Blogatog slipped back into a familiar discussion about Kamigawa and its popularity – more specifically, the lack thereof. In the process, a lot of old arguments arose about the set’s power level, about its proximity to Mirrodin, and the state of Standard at the time it was released. And as true as all of those things are, MaRo has made clear that when he refers to the popularity of Kamigawa as a setting, there are several axes on which they grade a set, and that Kamigawa was unpopular in all of them. And yet, people continue to claim that the creative, the setting, the world of Kamigawa just wasn’t given a fair shake. The fact is, that’s just not true.

Now to be completely clear, I personally liked Kamigawa block. At the time I was no good at evaluating the power level of cards so that hardly mattered to me, and many of the elements of the block seemed cool, different, and just ~weird~ enough to catch my attention. But the thing that’s important to understand is that “weird” is – almost by definition – not popular. There is a certain amount of weirdness, of newness, of difference that players expect and even demand from every set, but every degree of just weirdness you put into your work beyond that actually just makes the finished product more inaccessible to a general audience. When you play up weird for weird’s sake, you just make it hard for people to connect with it.

Kamigawa turned ~weird~ up to 11. I think a lot of the champions of Kamigawa underestimate just how off-putting the setting really was for an average consumer. So I thought it might be useful to go through piece-by-piece and try to evaluate how much weirdness there really was in the set, and how much of that weirdness was going needlessly beyond what the average player demanded.

Kami - We might as well start with the elephant in the room – or perhaps the unrecognisably surreal mass of tusks and trunks that would be the Kami of the Elephant in the Room. The Kami introduced more weirdness into the set than every other element combined, and this was actually by design: they were fully intended to seem otherworldly, that was how they were selling the premise of the plane. The problem here is not with that intent, but with the execution: the Kami were not only very, very weird, they took up so much of the set that they would have pushed the set over its weirdness quota entirely on their own. Nearly half of all the creature cards on Kamigawa were Spirits, and the art for nearly every one of them looks like it was contrived by Salvador Dali – while this is a cool effect individually, forcing players to try and wrap their brains around this several times in every pack they open is just way too taxing. Again, even with none of the other things on this list, the Kami (as they were executed the first time around) likely would’ve turned off enough players to make Kamigawa a middling set. But, of course, they didn’t stop there.

Characteristic Races - While the Kami were designed to feel alien and otherworldly, the other side of the conflict was intended to feel material, corporeal - to feel familiar. Additionally, it had the responsibility of communicating the theme of the set, delivering on tropes that would allow players to recognise the setting as inspired by Japan. This overloading of responsibilities - serving as both the familiar contrast to the surreal Kami, but also as the unfamiliar contrast to a normal Magic setting - would've been a difficult task for any setting, but let's consider how well it was delivered upon here.

Kitsune - I’d consider the Kitsune a 'success', insofar as foxes are something the average person might actually be able to see a connection to Japan in. The problem with the execution here is that while the typeline clearly claimed these creatures were foxes, the creatures themselves were designed around a stylised representation of foxes used in traditional masks – a very specific element of the culture that the average person wouldn’t be able to connect. Red elements on actual anthropomorphized foxes would’ve been cool; having some of the Kitsune wear actual masks would’ve been cool; but taking away nearly all the identifiable features of foxes for the sake of a reference most players were never going to get? Needlessly - and unsuccessfully - weird.

Soratami - Whereas the Kitsune were something some portion of the audience would find resonant with Japan that was simply executed in a way that made them inaccessible, the Soratami were inaccessible from the ground up. The association of rabbits with the moon is much less well-known, and the Soratami are even more ambiguously rabbits than the Kitsune are foxes – the typeline isn’t even used to inform it. That said, the idea of Moonfolk is actually cool enough that I think this would have been a successful application of weirdness in isolation, but in practice it just became one more inaccessible reference that most players couldn’t follow.

Nezumi - An outlier on the plane, the Nezumi actually succeed – amazingly enough – in looking like what they are. The biggest issue here is that there’s no particular resonance between rats and Japan for most of the audience, but offbeat anthro races are something they still do from time to time, and I can’t lodge a specific complaint about it here. Probably not coincidentally, the Nezumi were my favourite characteristic race on Kamigawa.

Akki - Many planes have Goblins, and apparently Kamigawa is no exception. The goblins of Kamigawa look relatively little like traditional Goblins, instead drawing on folk stories of the kappa and adopting shells. This is doubly weird: most players aren’t going to know anything about the kappa, and those that do are going to know them as amphibious, river-dwelling monsters, not analogs to Magic’s Goblins. Now personally, I quite like when they change up the look of familiar characteristic races to show the differences between planes – Tarkir and Ixalan did so pretty successfully – so I’m not highly inclined to complain about the Akki, but I can’t help but feel it’s a little forced when the change doesn’t even make sense to those familiar with the source.

Ogres - These aren’t technically a characteristic race, but they show up in enough numbers that they’re worth mentioning. Interestingly, the oni tropes that Kamigawa’s ogres play into actually line up reasonably well with traditional ogres, so they don’t actually seem particularly weird. I actually think the Ogre/Demon execution on oni was pretty successful, with most of those cards being understandable even to those who aren’t familiar with the source material, yet still unfamiliar enough to communicate that we aren't in Kansas anymore. Again, one of my favourite aspects of the original block.

Orochi - The Orochi, however, somehow manage to do everything wrong at once. They fail to look like the snakes they claim to be, trading in snakes’ single most identifiable feature (all tail with no limbs) for the literal opposite of that (six (!!) limbs with no tail), but even if they did look like snakes, nobody particularly associates Japan with snakes anyway. I honestly can’t even figure out what they were trying to do with these, but whatever it was I can't say that they succeeded at it.

Humans: Given the strangeness of the other races, the bulk of the responsibility for familiarity fell upon the humans of Kamigawa - and in a sense, they achieved that: the Samurai felt like Samurai, and the Ninjas felt like Ninjas. But bear in mind that these things would themselves be the ~weird~ elements of any other set. These things on their own would have met much of the demand for new and different that most players had, but instead of serving that role they were forced to provide comfort and familiarity – a role they weren’t particularly well-suited for, and actively prevented them from capitalising on how cool and different they were. When the most familiar part of the set isn’t actually fundamentally familiar, it makes the entire set feel inaccessible, which is exactly the effect that Kamigawa had on so many players.

Other denizens: In the entire block, there are exactly three creature cards that are not one of the types listed above: one hound, one insect, and one beast. What this meant, more than anything, is that there was no real refuge for players who weren’t into what the block was doing. If a player who loves Green creatures found the Kami too surreal, and the Orochi too confusing, and just didn’t particularly resonate with the monks of Jukai, there was next to nothing for them in the entire block. One card in the last set, and even that is more than Red, Blue, or Black got. Modern Magic sets make sure to have individual cards that are individually appealing, so that when players don’t buy into the set as a whole, there is at least something there to catch them. And this was probably Kamigawa’s biggest failing overall: not only did it force players to ante up to a lot of weirdness, but when they weren’t willing to buy in it sent a clear message that they weren't welcome. If you really want to understand why so many players felt like Kamigawa wasn’t for them, it’s because the set told them it wasn’t. They just listened.

Now, there are lots of things they could have done better. A lower density of Spirits, and toning down some of the more surreal aspects, especially in the common ones: a tangled mass of human limbs with multiple faces and floating, disembodied eyes can certainly be a thing that exists in the world, but does it need to exist in every pack? More resonant and relatable characteristic races would help: make foxfolk enjoyable for people who just think foxes are cute, or introduce a characteristic Green race that doesn’t make you wonder how someone forgot the name for a snake with legs is “lizard”. They could have thrown in more random Japanese tropes, rather than tying every element of the set so tightly together that nothing else fit: it looks like they came accidentally close to including a Boar-Deer-Butterfly trio in Saviors, but loosening up the themes could have allowed for much more of that. There are lots of things they could have done, but didn’t – and the world they would’ve ended up with if they had would be different enough from the Kamigawa we got as to be largely unrecognisable.

And that becomes the fundamental question going forward: is there a way to completely rework the 90% of the setting that didn’t go over well without it feeling like something fundamentally different? And if 90% of the setting needs reworked anyway, should we really bother constricting ourselves to the 10% that was decent? I won't pretend Kamigawa didn't have successes (the Spirit Dragons, for example, are still quite popular to this day) but whether revisiting those successes warrants the limitations that a return would demand is a question that has to be approached very critically. And it's a question that many of Kamigawa's champions may not like the answer to.

[NOTE: I actually wrote up this post about a week ago, and I resolved that I'd simply post it whenever the topic cropped up again. Mark answered a question about Snakes that led to a small discussion about the Orochi in the comments, and I figured that was cause enough for me. Enjoy!]

#magic #mtg #kamigawa #blogatog

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tetsuwan-atom · 5 years ago

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Villain Headcanon: Lucius Einholt

This one has been a long time coming. You’ve seen him on the blog already doing the rounds in one particular interaction and coming up in another. Now that there is a proper story and background fleshed out for the main story, I can present thee for all to view. This is a relatively new character, originally conceived for one particular interaction, but has of course been expanded to tell a wider story in the main context. This then is the story of Lucius Einholt, Lord Master of the Dark Arts.

Faceclaim is Young Black Jack.

Trigger Warnings include: Experimentation, Self Experimentation, implications of mutilation and self-mutilation.

Lucius is an interesting character.

As a baby, he was raised by caring parents, born in Victorian times. A family who had long tried to throw away a shaky past from generations ago, to begin a proper life, a real life, away from torment, controversy and suffering. The Einholt family cherished their precious son, taught him values and morals. They raised him to be a good boy, to be kind among all.

...But he was only ten years old when he was whisked away from his life by forces who had been watching him his whole life. Forces who had actually been watching his family, for many a time, many a century, even. He was confused, scared, why did these people take him away from happiness and love?

It was because he was supposed to be their saviour, their messiah resurrected, to lead them to a new dawn, a new empire which would consume the whole multiverse. It was a destiny he did not know of in the beginning, no. These grotesque beings kept him isolated. They had to study him, observe him. His morals and values had to be crushed.. and they weren't sure how to do that. They could break him, destroy his psyche, but he was not supposed to be a puppet, he was supposed to be the one to rule. They too, could not force his anger, for it might prove a curse on their species. They had to turn him into that ruler, something which would take a lot of work.

Through his late childhood and teens, he was looked after by maids and servants, treated like royalty. Royalty was supposed to be pampered, after all. When he asked why he was here, they said it was simply for his own good.. and he will see the reason one day. They also put him through training, they needed him to be a fighter.. and he was surprisingly capable, but not enough. They had to make him a good fighter, better than a good fighter, for to rule was to be strong.. and while he had the makings of a strong boy, he had to be stronger than them all.

Scientists experimented, with what would be realised as the dark. Infuse him with that darkness, that energy, make him the darkness' best weapon. Spells of such torture, such pain, coupled with surgery, infuse his organs, manifest strength in the dark. A stronger body, stronger muscles, stronger heart. The initial scars were from this phase, the initial phase of working on him, to make him a carrier, a breathing weapon of darkness. Even part of his face was modified, as a consequence of enhancing his vision, his eyes. Again he asked why, he pleaded why in his emotions, why make him like this. Again, they said it was for his own good.

Finally he reached an age where they believed him to become a man. An age where they could finally tell him what he was meant to be.

He is a great descendant of a powerful man they called the Demon King, who was well prominent in Samurai-Era Japan. The Demon King was an entity that they believed ruled the underworld, controlled demons, created and manifested all sorts of dark horrors. He was selfish, cruel, he sought domination across all of life to plague with demonic hellspawn and rule it all at the very top. But his success was not to be, as a legendary Samurai, known to many as the Lightning Tiger, would challenge the Demon King and drive him to his death, in an active volcano, the only thing on the mortal planet powerful enough to consume him and extinguish his very being.

They wanted Lucius to follow in the Demon King's footsteps, to become that new generation, a new Demon Emperor who could harbour in that new age, in a world that was ever changing. But Lucius, he had different ideas. He found his ancestor sickening, disgusting, he, could not lead such an abominatory cataclysm that would consume all that lived and breathed. They picked him because he was the closest they had ever seen to the Demon King, like he could well have been the son of such a man. Nobody else in that bloodline fit like him, he was the perfect fit.. but he was not going to take up this offer, he would reject it outright. These beings that tortured him, turned him into that weapon that would guide them.. and he was meant to be put on that pedestal? To spread it everywhere? No. He could not be that Emperor.. and he condemned them all for such a greedy, selfish view.

These demons, they of course did not like his answer to their proposal. They got angry, enraged, their messiah had rejected them, their objective, their goal. They saw red, blind red.. they turned in an instant and all they wanted was to tear him apart limb from limb. No true Demon Emperor would turn his back on his own kind.. and he was their own kind, he could not be anything like his parents with his makeup. They saw him then as weak, pitiful.. he had to die. He had to be eliminated, their search to continue once more.

But... he wasn't going to let them kill him. They made the biggest mistake in turning him into a wielder of the darkness first, then telling him what they wanted him to be. It meant that he was too powerful already to exterminate.. and he was able to get out, killing and maiming as many demons as he could to escape the hellhole maze that they made underground. He got out, he saw light, he saw freedom.. but he was lost.. he was without a home, out in the open world. A world unfamiliar to him.. a world that would not be kind to him, as he searched for a new home. He could find his parents, he could reunite with his family, but the experiences he found back in the mortal plane would lead him to believe that it was best to instead let them think he was dead.

Every place he went to, every town, they sensed something in him, something which brought fear, anger, repulsion amongst the population. They sensed his darkness, his abnormality. The infusion of negative energy had left part of his hair white. He was physically a freak and the energy he gave off, nobody wanted to go near him. Every town and city he went to, he was ran out of, nobody could trust him. He was like an outcast of this world. The good, the kindness instilled in him, it was beginning to wane. How can you be kind to someone if nobody will give you a chance? How can you show these people that you are a good person if the darkness reeks all over you, that they can smell it on you, that all they see from you is an individual to greatly fear, to stay away from. Get close.. and he might kill you in the dead of the night. That's what they thought..and word spread around like wildfire. Now towns he was visiting, they already knew of him, they came at him with pitchforks and knives, with torches, they wanted to kill him. They blamed him for their troubles, their sorrows, that he killed people just by being in town, that the flowers died all around him, that the sun was darker and the clouds brewed. They were all blind to his soul, they just saw him as the Devil sent from Hell. He was not safe anywhere, even when walking alone in a forest, they tried to pounce on him, tried to kill him.. and in having to defend himself, to have to end lives, he did not feel good about it.. but in that defence, they saw even more reason to get him. They spun the story that he murdered those poor souls who were trying to tame him, that he was to become a criminal, that he HAD to die no matter what.

Everyone was looking for him now, nobody could rest easy while this supposed Son of Satan was on the loose.

Thankfully, word got to the right people as well.. and soon he was being sought out by another party. In a moment where a whole army chased after him, a whole congregation charged with ending his life, he was found by someone, a group of people, who used magic and trickery to confuse the angry mob, shielding him to let him escape.. and in getting him out of danger, they would reveal themselves to him. There was one village, remote, nobody knew it existed, for good reason. They were known as the Order of the Dark Arts, a cult by any other name to the villages. They hid themselves away for the same reason Lucius was running, for they were persecuted, chased, the nearby towns wanted to eradicate every single one of those 'Satanistic Believers' as they called them. The Order took Lucius in, housed him, kept him safe. They were hospitable, they taught him their ways. They worshipped the dark, that the night kept them safe, only bathed in the moonlight when it shone. The darkness showed them to be wary of the light, first persevered as the light of flames from torches of the mobs that used to hunt for them, but also in that the sunlight would hide the deviousness, the hunters in their droves. They used the darkness to see, to give them solace. They practiced dark magic to further their safety, they showed him what it could do for him.

The thing that won him over, was that they were not seeking to dominate the world or the multiverse. They just wanted to live in safety, as a peaceful community, that worshipped the darkness for what they saw as their comfort.

They did not see it as nothingness or extinction, they saw it as strength, resolve, union, comfort, happiness. They celebrated, they congregated. It was a community that bred and flourished. He would become part of that community, showing resolve to become their leader, their protector. He lead only in the stead that he had to keep them safe, for he was one of them, he was filled with that darkness, that negative energy.. and he found a purpose in this village to show kindness, even in the circumstances that he was in.

He trained more, he experimented further on himself only in ways shown by the Dark Arts to further his strength, his speed, his power. He did all he could to become more and more powerful, to become unstoppable. His body now littered with scars from all he did on himself, the pain he bore through, for pain was an indicator that one was to become stronger in the end.. and he was, he found himself truly in a position to take care of the village that raised him. He would become their Lord Master, a title that was once held by an individual who birthed the town, killed while rescuing his kind many a moon ago. Lucius would become more than his predecessor.. and he lived with this Order, studying the darkness, researching it, reading about it, wanting to know all he could, doing away with the cliches, the misconceptions, that the darkness was not something to be feared, that it did not mean consumption or destruction. There was peace in it, not peace in death, but peace in life, that one can live in it, around it.. and that darkness must always be present in the multiverse, just as present as the light. No more, no less.

His powers and experimentation had allowed him to outlive all that he knew, the villagers that he lived with, they all grew old, they died.. and their offspring grew old and died.. and so on. He was their constant, almost like their God.. but he never wanted that title. He did not see himself as a God, he saw himself only as their Lord Master, their protector, to shield them in the darkness from those who sought to annihilate them. Centuries passed, but they did not move with the times, the changing landscape. Even as the 20th and 21st century came past, they did not catch up. To them, their world was still a time away, still in the Edwardian times, only just running around in Tin Lizzies, but without the magic of electricity. The darkness did all they needed, the magic gifting them with homes, clothes, means for food, everything. They were happy. He is their Champion of the Dark.. and he will forever keep them safe... to forever keep their peace, the peace he always wanted. As well, he still bears the last name of Einholt, in memory and tribute to his long lost family, the family that raised him and loved him.. and he hoped that they are looking fondly on him, that he is still their good natured boy, the boy he brought them up to be.

But despite all his good, his care, he is to this day still labelled a target, a target of misconceptions, of fear, of uncertainty. The modern age brought information to people at such rapid pace, including organisations of intelligence and science. Forces outside deduced his story, his lineage, they read up on his publicised kidnapping, they tracked down the underworld and found out that he was the descendant of the Demon King from all those years ago.. they did not know of his peace.. and they were concerned that he was out there, on the loose.. and that one day he would rise again and become a threat to all life and mankind. They would seek to find him, to subdue him.. to kill him before he could get the chance. After all.. it's in his lineage... right?

You have to ask yourself. Is he really a villain? Or is he only made out to be, a scapegoat, in the eyes of the blind light, that's seen in so many people, populated across the globe... and the multiverse...

Lucius, by nature, is a sophisticated individual. He endeavours to be kind, but he is also very wary, especially of outsiders. Centuries of living in his solitary village showed that trust to outsiders does not come easy, in fact, it rarely comes at all, unless you can prove that you are not biased, that you are not blind, that you can see beyond your misconceived teachings and can respect the other side of the coin. He does not tolerate judgement or bias, of any sort. He will defend his people to the death, from any and all foes. They are his world, his life, his everything. He is a researcher, avid in many teachings and wants to know more about the world around him and the greater multiverse, even keen to research the other side, even if he is a fully dedicated follower of the Darkness for all of eternity.

He is listed as approach with extreme caution. Indeed, you should approach with caution, but not for the reasons that they want you to think...

Verse Specific:

Bladena Verse ( @xbloodsoakedx ): In this verse, Lucius was whisked at birth to the Church of the Great One. There, he was experimented on brutally, in many different ways, even going so far as to try and shatter his psyche. He was one of many ‘Weapons’ created to protect the church from all threats. In his case, he was crafted to protect the world against the likes of warriors like Rokuro Hengawa, powerful entities who came close to eradicating the Church entirely. It is in that nature that he is aptly named the ‘Atomite Killer’ in confidence, since he was literally made to threaten even the most powerful of Gods. A common theme is that he is supporting and working alongside the Church’s newest weapon, Violent Violet.

#Headcanon #Villains #May be edited in the future depending on ideas

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the-asia-trip · 5 years ago

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Days 10-11: More Korea

There's a lot of things that have struck me about Korea, but chief among them is the hyper-commodified nature of everything. Japan has this too, but in Korea, there's a strange desperation to it. Every public space I see in Seoul is given over shopping. There's fake Supreme clothing in the gift shop at the DMZ museum. People love to buy things here, especially clothes. Especially fake designer clothes. The South Korean economy has long been lauded as miraculous, one of the "Asian Tigers." Still, being here, I can't help but wonder what's actually fueling it.

As I said in my last post, this is a society where the Cold War never ended. From an outside perspective, it feels like they're in the 34th year of 1985. That isn't meant to paint an overly negative picture, mind you. It's a very, very cool place to visit. The food is excellent, the scenery is staggering, the people are friendly, and there's no shortage of rich history and culture to immerse yourself in. There's not a lot that's not to like. It just so happens to be the only country on earth that's currently split in half, locked in an immovable stalemate with a mirror version of itself.

On my third day in Korea, I tried to get out of the city. I hopped on the subway for about 50 minutes and found myself in Mangwolsa, on the outskirts of Seoul. A 20-minute walk later, I found myself on a pleasant hiking trail dotted with temples, shrines, and Buddha statues. Apparently, fall in Korea is very, very pleasant.

After that, I headed back into Seoul to check out Seoul tower. Situated on a mountain in the middle of the city, it offers panoramic views of the entire Greater Seoul Area and was the perfect way to end the day. Sipping a beer on the observation deck, watching the city lights of Seoul come to life, I was reminded (as I have been at many, many points on this trip) exactly how lucky I am to be able to do stuff like this. To dispense with authorial voice for a moment—this whole trip has been really really really fucking cool. My wanderlust is, at once, sated and worse than ever.

After checking another box off my Korea list and eating some delicious dukbokki, spicy stir-fried Korean rice cakes, I headed back to my hotel to rest up for my last day.

This morning, I went to the border. You knew this was coming.

I checked out of my hotel at around 8, and met the touring company's bus around the block 5 minutes later. From there, we drove about an hour north of Seoul to Odusan Observatory, where the plan was to look across the Imjin River into North Korea (the actual border is currently closed due to an outbreak of African Swine Flu, which isn't harmful to humans but is a major concern for South Korean livestock). Unfortunately, it was too foggy to see anything, so we proceeded on to Imjingak Park, a kind of open-air museum/memorial to the events of the Korean War, about 20 minutes to the north.

The atmosphere at Imjingak was almost theme-park-like, not helped by the hordes of Chinese tourists present taking selfies and group photos like they were at Disneyland. A significant takeaway: South Korea really wants a railway through the North into China. Thanks to the DMZ and their notoriously-isolationist neighbor, the bottom half of the Korean peninsula has effectively been an island for 70 years, and they're very, very eager to change that. Various posters and installations around the park talk of a railway to Berlin, Paris and London. Obviously flying would be easier to any of these places, but it's the symbolism of the thing that seems to matter (and the reduced logistical costs of transporting goods by rail rather than shipping and planes).

Some highlights of the Park: a section of fencing where visitors can leave messages for the people of North Korea, a restored bunker complex, and a bridge that was destroyed during the war.

Once the fog cleared, we headed back down to the Observatory. There, through a pair of binoculars, I got my first (and probably last) glimpse into the world's most isolated state. Over the Imjin River, across a distance of about 2 kilometers, you can see into Amsil, North Korea. It's a small village, which my tour guide said is kept in relatively good condition since the North knows that it's the most that many people will ever see of their country. I didn't see any people, although a guy in my tour group said he saw someone walking between two buildings at one point. It's hard to gauge the whole country based on 4 kilometers of coastal village scenery, but on the whole, it felt pretty eerie.

We got back on the bus, and that was that. I looked into North Korea today. Again to dispense with formality, some real bucket list shit.

The final stop of the tour was the War Memorial of Korea, a museum dedicated to the Korean War (and every other war in Korea's 2,000+-year history). Among the highlights, a wall featuring the names of every serviceman who died in the Korean War, and an extensive gallery of artifacts from the war itself, from M1-Garands to PPSHs to a B52 Stratofortress that's parked outside the museum. Also present, hundreds of artifacts of past wars including a full-scale turtle ship, a kind of armored galley designed to repel Japanese invaders in the late 16th century and one of the most enduring symbols of pre-modern Korea.

After the museum, I grabbed a quick tonkatsu at a nearby restaurant and headed back to my hotel. I'm there now, sitting in the top-floor lounge, killing time before I head to the airport. Overall, I liked Korea a lot. I'd definitely come back here, although next time I'll be hitting up my Korean friends when they're not out of the country or slammed with work and exams.

Arriving in Korea marked the unofficial halfway point of the trip, and now I find myself around 2/3rds in. Tonight I head to Taiwan, where I don't really know what to expect. Japan is Japan, and Korea, I've always had a cursory familiarity with through Korean friends and the peninsula's influence on global culture. Taiwan is a blank space for me, though, in a good way. I'm not sure what I'll find, but I'm excited.

I won't get overly sentimental here about how the trip is almost over, because it's really, really not. I go back to work a full week from tonight. This point in the trip gives me a good moment to reflect on how it's all been going though.

So far, and I cannot stress this enough, so good.

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surveys-at-your-service · 5 years ago

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Survey #214

“if you are dead or still alive, i don’t care.”

Do you wear perfume or cologne? Very very rarely. Typically if I have to go somewhere formal or something. What was your favorite grade in elementary school? Probably 5th. Do you own a debit card? No. A credit card? No. Are you in debt? I don't pay for anything that could cause me to be in debt. When is your birthday? February 5th. What song are you listening to now? "I Don't Care" by Apocalyptica. What was the most traumatic experience of your life? The breakup with Jason. Have you ever lost a friend to drugs or alcohol? Kinda. Who was your childhood best friend? Her name was Brianna. Are you still friends now? We just drifted apart. If not, why? ^ Do you believe in Karma? Nope. What do you thinks happens to us when we die? I don't pretend to know. I hope some sort of eternal peace for those deserving, but who the hell knows. What age do you think you’ll die? Idk. 70s/80s? My grandparents lived pretty long. About how long was the last book you read? I haven't a clue. Have you ever read a play before? Yeah, in school. A play not written by Shakespeare? I don't think so. Have you ever read a play outside of school? No. Have you ever edited Wikipedia? No. Have you ever edited any other wiki? A lot... I'm one of the admins at the Silent Hill wiki, a content mod or something I don't remember on the SotC one, and I occasionally edit the meerkats wiki, which is an atrocious mess that I try to clean up where I can. Is there a website [besides social networking] that you check almost daily? A lot. Do you use your phone as an alarm? Yep. Do you listen to music while you sleep? No. Do you get scared when you know some virus or sickness is being passed? I don't get "scared," just very paranoid of germs. Are you realistic? In some ways. Do you own a romper? No. What popular social media platforms AREN’T you on? Snapchat, and then I have a Twitter solely to like Mark's shit lmao. What does your computer’s slow-loading cursor look like? It's a spinning light blue ring. Do you prefer Microsoft Word or Pages? I've never heard of the latter, so. Would you rather have a trampoline or swimming pool? A pool, please. Do you have the same favorite colors you had when you were a kid? Pink, yes. What do you like to put in your tea? N/A What do you like to put in smoothies? I don't really drink them. Do your stuffed animals have names? Some. What was the name of the first porcelain doll you got? Bitch miss me with that haunted doll shit. Do you sell any products? If so, what? No. Do you know how to knit? No. Do you have an inspiration board? I have one on Pinterest of hair colors I like. Do you have a colored teddy bear? Maybe up in the attic somewhere. On what day is your local grocery store the busiest? I'm sure it's the weekend. What day do you usually go grocery shopping? Mom doesn't have a designated "day." Do you own a bobblehead? No. What do you make wishes on? Nothing. Wishes aren't magic. Well, I do on birthday candles, but that's only as a tradition sorta thing. What’s the best natural pain reliever? It depends; sometimes nothing natural works. What’s your favorite Paramore song? "That's What You Get," probably. Do you like scrambled eggs? Yes. Have you ever made a recipe you found in a magazine? No. Have you ever done a craft that you saw in a magazine? I don't believe so. Are you bitter about anything? I am permanently and inexplicably bitter towards my former primary doctor that fucked up my entire body thanks to keeping me on a medication and her being an ignorant fuck to the side effects, apparently. What is your favorite color for cars? Burnt orange. What is your favorite color for bridesmaid dresses? *shrugs* If applicable, what’s your favorite dance costume that you’ve had? It was some sort of black dress-ish thing. I can't remember clearly. What’s your favorite flavor of mouthwash? Minty? Just ffs don't have alcohol in it. Do you drink CapriSuns? If there's nothing else to drink, sure. Do you prefer caramel or peanut butter? Peanut butter, I think. Do you like strawberry shortcake? No. Do you like butterflies? Yeah, they're my fave insect. Do you know any dances? Only the ones that literally tell you what simple move to do lmao. Did you go anywhere yesterday? No. Do you like yellow or blue more? Blue. Do you wear rings? Only one. What’s the last you got out of the freezer? French toast sticks for lunch yesterday. How often do you go for walks? Never, sadly. Walking along my road is scary with how busy it is, I CANNOT handle the heat, and for the time being, I can't walk far at all with my knee problem. Do you go on the computer or watch TV more? I say enough I don't watch TV, but I'm always on my laptop. What is something you’ll never eat again? Why? Brussel sprouts. 'Cuz they're fucking disgusting. What is currently happening that is scaring you? Abortion rights being taken away/wrongly modified is pretty scary, honestly. What would be your personal hell? The Christian Hell because fuck that heat lmao. What made the ‘weird kid’ at your school weird? He, I shit you not, would not say a word, but if he absolutely had to speak, he kept it very very short and quiet. He was always looking down and isolated himself. I felt really bad for him; he was so obviously depressed, but I was always too unsure of how to approach him and try to be a friend. What is a word you personally find offensive? "Retarded" when used incorrectly. What instantly puts you to sleep? Instantly go to sleep??? Please teach me how. What song is in a language you don’t speak, but you love it anyway? Well, I don't speak German fluently, so like, a shitload of Rammstein songs. What is something you would like to do if you weren’t judged for doing it? Tbh cosplay sounds so fun. What’s a movie you think everyone should watch? Why that one? Johnny Got His Gun. It shows just how fucking disgusting war is. What was the most unexpected good thing that’s ever happened to you? Senpai Noticed Me. What is the funniest fact you know? Idk. Oh, I might be mistaken, but I think the guy who invented the segway died via driving off a cliff on a segway. Big 'ole oof. What’s the kindest way a stranger has treated you? I remember as a little kid, the people in front of us in line at McDonald's paid for our meal. What is the biggest design flaw of your body? I have this random, deep dimple on my right ass cheek like what the fuck. What is the strangest thing you have ever felt? OKAY SO when I was in the process of having my ears cleaned back when I had that wax adhered to my eardrums, one step was having warm water like pounded into my ears, and it somewhat tickled but also felt oddly good, and it was just really weird. What makes someone immediately unlikable? Acting like they're above everyone else. Who’s a villain you sympathize with and why? Darkiplier hunny my poor husband. I won't answer "why" because yeah spoilers. What is something you regret to NOT have done? Fuck it, I wish I'd had *complete* sex w/ Jason. I was in love with him, and I'll probably never experience genuine sex again so like- What’s the weirdest thing you put in a microwave? Idk? What movie changed your life for the better? I'm not sure. Oh, wait, I remember when I was still Christian, God's Not Dead really touched me, but we know how I am religiously now. What’s something your relatives don’t know about you? Many probably don't know I'm bi. What’s something your parents did, which you have sworn never to do? Have children before marriage. Back when I wanted kids. What’s the most annoying thing your pet does? My cat is obsessed with trying to lie on me as he'd done as a kitten, but then I can't see over him to see the laptop. Teddy scratches a lot and won't listen to "stop" for anything. What’s the biggest sum of money you’ve won? Uhhhh. I have no clue. Have I ever? Idk. Have you ever smoked weed on April 20? No. Tell me about the last event that made you really, truly happy? Oh boy. Can you name three good things about your most recent ex? He's funny as fuck, super intelligent, and hard-working. Have you ever thought about how the world will end? Yeah. What object do you own that has the most sentimental value to you? The pebble I got from my partial hospitalization program. What’s the best memory you have of your father? Him teaching me to ride a bike. What was on the last sandwich you ate? Ham, cheese, and mustard. Do you prefer gold or silver jewelry? Silver matches more things, but I'm allergic to it. I find gold in general prettier, too. Have you ever gotten back together with an ex? No. What is your favorite Thai dish? Never tried Thai food. When was the last time you made out with somebody? February. Are there any candles in your bedroom, and what scent are they? No. When was the last time you went to a birthday party? Last month for my niece. What pet names do you use with your significant other? A whole lot. What brand is your toaster, if you have one? We don't have a toaster, but a toaster oven. I don't have the slightest clue what brand it is; it's ancient. Have you ever dated a smoker? If not, would you? No and nope. What’s the name of the store you usually get your groceries? Wal-Mart or Harris Teeter. Would you rather travel to Japan or Scotland? Oh man, I don't know! I guess Scotland. Does your house have a porch/balcony? We have a decently-sized back porch. There's a front one as well, but it's tiny. What was the last movie you saw and who did you watch it with? I watched The Shining by myself. What’s your favorite type of bread? Pumpernickel. Do you share a middle name with any of your siblings? Yes. Can you cry on command? If so, have you ever used it to your advantage? No. What time does the sun go down where you live at this time of the year? Like, 8:30-ish. Would you rather pay to get your nails done or do them yourself? If I literally had to get them done for whatever reason, I guess I'd pay. Me doing them myself would be a nightmare, especially with tremors. Did you ever fail your learners/drivers test? I haven't taken it yet. Do you have any stickers on your car? I don't have my own car. Blackberry, Droid, or iPhone? iPhones. Do you like diet soda? NO. I don't just not like the taste, but the artificial sweetener gives me crazy headaches. Do you watch Pretty Little Liars? No. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? No. How old were you the first time you drank alcohol? I don't remember. WAIT shit dude, I was young. I grew up going to a Catholic church, and during that "eating the blood and body of Christ" thing (I forgot what it's called), we sipped real wine. Yes, even the kids. That shit was NOT grape juice. Name someone you’ve become a lot closer to recently: No one. What was the last fight you had with your parents about? Dad, I've got no clue. Mom, about her constantly shit-talking my dad and I no longer wanted to hear any of it in my presence. Does your car have a sunroof? N/A Did you ever have braces? Yes. Are you from the South? Yes. What does your last status on Facebook say? It was something about the bullshit Alabama abortion law, I believe. I barely ever ever make my own statuses. Do you tip your server when you go to a restaurant? I never can because yeah, no money, so I can't even pay for the meal. If I could, of course I would. Have you ever snuck out of your house? No. Are you friends with people on Facebook that you actually hate? No? Name your favorite Ke$ha song: I guess "Take It Off." What’s your favorite place? Ah man, the tattoo/piercing parlor I go to. What was the last comic book you read? It was one of the Silent Hill ones on the app years ago. What’s the worst trouble you’ve ever gotten into? Probably when I ran away from home in like middle school. Do you know anyone your age who has a child? A good number, but I mean I'm 23 so that's not exactly strange. Ever had a friend online for a long time without seeing a photo of them? A few. The last time you threw up, what caused it? Medicine that was known for nausea. Did you have any foreign exchange students at your high school? I don't think so? Any foods from other countries you would like to try but haven’t yet? Not off the top of my head. Do you think the world would be more peaceful without any religion? Maybe. Probably. Idk. Have you kept the same icon here for a long time? Yeah. I don't really take pictures of myself, so. Why did you choose your icon, anyway? It's the most accurate representation of how I look on the daily. And it's not horrendous. Does it hurt your feelings when people talk shit about things you love? Sometimes. It doesn't hurt my feelings, but rather it makes me deathly embarrassed because I feel stupid for liking it and like they're making fun of a part of me. Can you be friends with people with opposing political views? Yes. Are there any fandoms you used to be in, but left? I don't think I exactly "left" them, just lost big interest, like Rhett & Link/GMM. I still love the guys, but I don't watch them anymore. Warriors is another example. Do you prefer ruffly or regular potato chips? Ruffled. Do you write down your own recipes, or just commit them to memory? I don't cook. Can you do any impressions? No. What color do you want to dye your hair? Currently I want to dye it lilac, but I can't afford a professional to do that. What is a food you enjoy, but don’t have very often? Shrimp. Favorite fictional world? Wonderland. Do you carry pepper spray? No, but I want to. Have you ever had to use it? N/A Have you ever been kicked out of a public place? Why? No. Do you donate to any associations that care for animals? I don't have my own money. Have you ever worn those Drunk Goggles? Yes, in D.A.R.E. Can you agree to disagree, or usually get upset over conflicting views? It depends on the topic, but it's generally very easy for me to agree to disagree. Rodeos – entertaining, or cruel? Animal abuse. Who is the best female rocker? Why? Ohhhh good question. I like Lita Ford, for one; great singer and she fucking slays the guitar. She seems cool, too. Do you care what kind of toilet paper you use? Not really, no. Do you still have any decent arcades nearby? No. Bullfighters who get gored kind of had it coming, right? Yes. They fucking deserve it. Have you ever accidentally found porn when looking for something else? Thank God no. What do you like on your burger? Cheese, ketchup, mustard, a little bit of mayo is fine but not mandatory, pickles, and very little onion is okay. What do you NOT like on your burger? Lettuce and tomato. Do you like 'loose meat’ sandwiches? Like sloppy joes? Yeah. Have you ever seen an unwrapped mummy in person? No, but that'd be pretty fucking cool. What things have people shamed you for? Besides the obvious disagreements like political subjects, I don't know. Do you always reply to private messages? (On any website) Yes, unless it's spam or advertisement. Are there any 'adult stores’ in your area? I wouldn't know. Have you been inside of them/shopped there before? No. Who was your favorite actress to play Morticia Addams? Anjelica Huston. What is the next film you want to rewatch? Idk. I don't really watch TV or movies to begin with. What is the next film you want to see for the first time? I've been wanting to see Jacob's Ladder for a very long time, but I have to find a time I actually *really* feel like it to possibly enjoy it. A movie you love even though it’s cheesy? I'm sure there's something, but idk. Share any song lyrics you misheard? When I heard "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix for the first time, I swore the lyrics were "excuse me while I kiss this guy" instead of "kiss the sky." What was the last song you heard for the first time and enjoyed? I both enjoy "Bad Girl" by Avril Lavigne and see it cringy as fuck at the same time. Who are some of your favorite female fictional characters, and why? Heather Mason from Silent Hill 3 is up high 'cuz she's a badass, CYNDER FROM THE LEGEND OF SPYRO SERIES BECAUSE SHE'S COOL AS ALL HECKIN' HECK AND ALSO #AESTHETIC, and I've fallen more and more in love with Tyrande Whisperwind from World of Warcraft now that she's become vengeance-crazed and more interesting than she already was. Oh, and then there's Bayonetta. Why? You know why. A character (in anything) you wish hadn’t been killed off? In recent news, BRING BACK STAN THE MOTHERFUCKING WATER MAN, MARK. Have you ever had to hit up several stores in search of one item? What was it? I'm sure I have at some point. Do you have any calluses on your feet? From when I used to walk outside for hours, you have no idea- What was your last big purchase? A plane ticket. Have you ever eaten grits? I HATE THEM SO MUCH. Do you always dress right after a shower, or do you like to chill in your towel/robe for a while? I put clothes on right away. Have you ever looked up your state’s laws and read them? I don't think so. Have you ever had to talk to a lawyer? I feel like I did have to once for something...? Have you ever been in pain so bad you passed out? No. I sincerely don't know how I didn't when I had to get that cyst drained, though. I have no words for that pain. Can you have kids? Well, physically, yeah. Doesn't mean I ever will or even want to. If you could get rid of one of your allergies, which one would it be? POLLEN. Do you have any cousins that look like you? No. Who do you know who is dating someone that looks way too old for them? Idk. Have you ever gone on a Facebook deleting spree? Yeah. What's a good example of "don’t knock it till you try it"? Waffles with peanut butter spread over them with syrup. What is surprisingly painful? Hm. "Surprisingly." OH, something I say as well as many others: Getting your nose pierced is more painful than you'd think compared to other piercings. Which person shaped you the most? Probably Jason. Or Mom. Have you ever been 4-wheeling? Yes. Do you live anywhere near the woods? There's a wooded area beyond the field. Do you have any important anniversaries you celebrate? Mine and Sara's. Can you rap? I don't even have to try to say no. Do you know how to use a DSLR camera? Yes. Tell me about the sickest you’ve ever felt. Oh man... I remember in elementary school, 3rd grade I think, I had the weirdest 3-day "sickness" where I felt every single moment like I was right on the very verge of vomiting. I went to the ER on the third night, but they couldn't detect what was wrong. Next day, I woke up miraculously fine. Those days were horrifying for someone who is terrified of vomiting. Any important birthdays coming up? My nephew's isn't far off. If you could play one instrument flawlessly, what would it be? Electric guitar. Have you ever heard of Hollywood Undead? Do you like them? I love some songs, like others, don't enjoy or care about a handful, and then truly haven't heard most. Have your friends ever told you something really personal? Was it weird? Well yeah, close friends do that often. It's not weird. Has anyone ever called you a coward before? Who called you that? No. Have you ever written a whole song before? What was the title to it? No. Are you a Jeffree Star fan? Or no? Do you think he’s awesome/dumb? I loooove that funky alien man. I find his work ethic incredibly inspiring and he seems so super accepting and is just very radiant and positive. Has your grandmother ever made you anything? Not including cookies. I don't think so.

#survey #quiz #questions #bored #random

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magicalgirlartist · 7 years ago

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Finally drew my Sentinel Comics OC, Diamond Heart! I originally came up with her as a concept for a fan deck a couple years back, and am planning on transferring her to the RPG once it comes out.

Character notes, lies about publishing history and story arc, and game mechanics below the readmore. (With deepest apologies to mobile users.)

Character Notes

Diamond Heart is an archetypal magical girl. Her civilian name is Yukiko Chevalier. She grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She’s of mixed heritage, being both Japanese-Canadian (mother) and French-Canadian (father), but she doesn’t speak much Japanese--mostly English and Quebec French. Her outfit, though difficult to see, is made up of a silver dress, white jacket, gloves, and boots, and metallic blue accents, plus an actual diamond heart as an embellishment to the jacket. Her powers mostly involve bursts of magical energy and transformation.

Publishing History (all lies)

Diamond Heart is a relatively new character in the Sentinel Comics lineup. Back during the manga boom of the late 90s/early 00s, Sentinel Comics acquired the translation rights to a few different manga series, mostly short shonen series and some superheroes. One of these series was a magical girl series called Heart of Diamond (Daiyamondo no kokoro, although honestly only weeaboos called it that), which had seen limited success in Japan due to everyone comparing it to another, more popular magical girl series, saying it was a direct ripoff. However, the Sentinel Comics translation was very popular in North America and it brought in a new reader base for them. One of the things readers liked was that they stuck very close to the original script, or at least as close as possible, rather than going the 3Kids route and making it take place in America or changing the characters’ names for no reason.

Unfortunately, Heart of Diamond was the only series that took off for Sentinel Comics. The other series didn’t sell well, and the translation rights were eventually sold to other companies. Heart of Diamond was one of the few series that was completely translated by Sentinel Comics. This left Sentinel Comics with a bit of a dilemma: Heart of Diamond sold well and brought in a previously untapped market of teenage girls. How could they hold on to that when Heart of Diamond ended? It was only about 30 chapters long, after all.

So they did what comic companies do best: reboot. (okay that’s not fair but still) Once Heart of Diamond ended, they announced a new book called Diamond Heart that would be coming out soon. Said book featured a new protagonist with the same powers and costume as the old one, but with a new supporting cast. Two new girls (Emerald Heart and Topaz Heart) were added to the roster, bringing it to a team of five (up from three in the original manga). Her mascot also got a makeover, going from a floating jelly-like ball (affectionately nicknamed Slime-chan by fans) to a small stone creature, a sort of cross between a less-ugly gargoyle and a less-gigantic inuksuk. Her basic story stayed the same--fighting evil aliens (called Titons) that live on Saturn’s moon Titan, but she was now officially part of the Sentinel Comics universe, and the team had full control over her story.

Reactions were...mixed. Some Heart of Diamond fans felt like Yukiko and Diamond Heart were just “fake ripoffs” of their favourite thing (which was already 100% a ripoff but y’know). Most fans took to the new book, though, and Diamond Heart ran right up to the Oblivaeon event.

Most issues of Diamond Heart followed the original “monster of the week” formula that Heart of Diamond had used, though with more focus on the overarching story about the Titons. There was also some focus on how the team fit into the Sentinel Comics multiverse as a whole, but as the Canadian setting was relatively separate from the rest of the major goings-on in the other comics they tended to remain fairly isolated. They knew of other heroes and other heroes knew about them, but there wasn’t a lot of cross pollination happening. The weird part of Diamond Heart was that it was trying to follow a very Japanese plot, but doing so from a very western perspective. Comparisons to Sentai Rangers were drawn constantly among western fans. Occasionally the book would have crossovers with other heroes (notably Nightmist, the Argent Adept, and Guise) in an attempt to boost sales, bring new readers in, and reestablish Diamond Heart’s place in the multiverse. These crossovers usually only lasted about an issue or two before going back to regular production.

Story (also lies)

At the start of her grade 11 year, Yukiko found a necklace with a sliver-white heart-shaped pendant in her new locker. She figured it had belonged to the last person who used it and tried to figure out who that was to return it to them, but no one she asked about it had ever seen it before. She kept it as a good luck charm and started wearing it everywhere.

It wasn’t long after this that an alien attacked her school, screaming something about a silver-white necklace. Figuring they were looking for her, Yukiko tried to escape, but ran into a short, round creature made of rocks just before she could escape the school. It introduced itself as Rochmananov, Guardian of the Heart Stones, and told her she’d been chosen to lead a team of magical warriors against the evil Titons. Naturally Yukiko didn’t believe it at first, assuming she’d bumped her head and everything happening was some kind of hallucination, but Rochmananov managed to change her mind by getting her to say her transformation incantation, “Heart of Diamond! Release!” She transformed into Diamond Heart, and though still a bit in shock was able to defeat the alien attacking her school with Rochmananov’s help.

Afterwards, Rochmananov (later nicknamed Rocky) explained that it had hidden the Diamond Heart in her locker so she’d be able to find it, as it was her destiny to lead the Gem Hearts. Yukiko wasn’t particularly enthusiastic, thinking that anyone else would do a better job, but Rocky insisted she was the right person. The two of them set about assembling the rest of the team, which was fairly easy thanks to Rocky’s ability to see people with magical potential. After a few issues they had the whole team--Sapphire Heart (Michelle), Ruby Heart (Neha), Emerald Heart (Charlee), and Topaz Heart (Jackie).

As a team, the five of them protected Ottawa and searched for a way to bring an end to the Titon threat. They fought other enemies as well, mostly in crossovers, but generally all their foes were Titon-related. They stayed in Ottawa up until the OblivAeon event.

Signs of OblivAeon started showing up in Diamond Heart around the same time as they did everywhere else, though since there wasn’t a lot of activity in the Ottawa area before the event itself, there wasn’t much. Teams had been told to wrap up story threads and loose ends before OblivAeon showed up to reset everything, so shortly before the event itself was published the Gem Hearts found a way to magically transport themselves to Titan, and in a several-issue climactic battle finally defeated the Titon King. They used a Titon spaceship to get back to Earth, having exhausted most of their powers in the fight, and by the time they returned the OblivAeon attack was in full swing.

The team mostly fought Aeon men and kept to the ground protecting civilians, unable to do much else with their depleted powers. Finally, Rocky revealed that he had a way to give them a power boost, giving them his own energy to restore them at the cost of his life.

Michelle, Neha, Charlee, and Jackie all tried to find help through the various multiverse portals, and were still in those other worlds when OblivAeon was defeated and the doors between worlds slammed shut. Yukiko, devastated by the loss of her friends, searched desperately for a way to bring them back, but couldn’t find anything. After the Sentinels of Freedom were formed, she went to them looking for help, and that’s about where things stand now.

Character Arc (still more lies)

Yukiko starts the series as a cheerful teenager, friendly and always willing to help. She doesn’t have a very high opinion of herself, though, and has to be convinced of her own self-worth constantly through the series. As the series goes on, she matures more and even manages to ask her long-time crush Parker Matthews on a date. Parker eventually becomes aware of his girlfriend’s secret, and spends a lot of time worrying about her as a result. He tries to go with her to meet the Sentinels of Freedom, worried about her safety, but she tells him she can take care of herself and goes alone.

Part of Yukiko’s character arc (in the Sentinel Comics universe, she gives up the mantle of Diamond Heart in the Mist Storm universe) was to deconstruct the “power of friendship” trope. Part of her power set as Diamond Heart is to amplify others’ powers or take their power and add it to her own. Because of this, she feels more like a supporter than a leader. Her friends make her strong, but as far as she’s concerned she’s useless without them.

Card Game Mechanics (yet more lies)

The Diamond Heart deck is made mostly of oneshots with four “ally” cards (the other Gem Hearts), one“mascot” card (Rocky), and one equipment card (her Diamond Pendant). She has 28HP. Her base power is called “Glittering Diamond Burst!” and its text reads: “Diamond Heart deals one non-hero target 2 energy damage.”

“Ally” cards have 7HP each. Their power names are in the flavour text at the bottom of each card. Each “ally” card gives the player an added ongoing passive effect:

Sapphire Heart: Reduce all damage dealt to Diamond Heart, allies, and mascots by 1. (“Dazzling Sapphire Shield!”)

Ruby Heart: Increase all damage dealt by Diamond Heart, allies, and mascots by 1. (“Searing Ruby Blast!”)

Emerald Heart: At the start of your turn, each Hero target regains 1HP. (“Healing Emerald Wave!”)

Topaz Heart: At the start of your turn, choose one of your Hero targets. They deal each Villain target 1 Energy damage each. (“Roaring Topaz Storm!”)

The “Mascot” card has 5HP. Its card name is just “Rochmananov.” It grants the player access to the following power: “Reveal the top card of your deck. If it’s an Ally, put it into play. Otherwise, discard it.”

The Diamond Pendant is an equipment card and therefore has no HP. It grants the player the following passive effect when in play: “You may draw or play one card at the end of your turn.”

The rest of the cards in Diamond Heart’s deck are oneshots. Some include:

The Power of Friendship: Diamond Heart deals one Villain target X energy damage, where X is the number of hero targets in your play area.

Secret Identity: Diamond Heart deals herself 1 Psychic damage. If she takes damage this way, you may draw two cards now.

Rainbow Gem Love Barrage!: Diamond Heart deals one non-hero target X energy damage, where X is the number of oneshot cards in your trash.

Here to Help: Search your deck or trash for an Ally card and put it into your hand. If you searched your deck, shuffle your deck.

(non-comprehensive list, also has never been playtested because it doesn’t exist let me live)

RPG Mechanics:

The Sentinel Comics RPG isn’t out yet, but when it is I’ll make Diamond Heart for real and put her mechanics here.

#sentinels of the multiverse #sentinel comics oc #DEEPEST APOLOGIES TO MOBILE USERS #art #fanart #traditional mediums

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oppelyannis90 · 4 years ago

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Reiki 7 Chakras Mind Blowing Unique Ideas

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Reiki Therapy Tampa

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Is Reiki Cure Paralysis

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#Reiki 7 Chakras Mind Blowing Unique Ideas #Reiki Symbol Kriya

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brianjacob · 4 years ago

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The Corona virus reality.

We're about 4 months in, Cases have skyrocketed, and a lot of people have died. It's about time people stopped the whole hoax BS. Numbers are from June 25th 2020.

1. Globally 9,808,267 have been listed as having the virus. 493,993 have died. That’s half a million loved ones that are no longer here y’all. That’s a 4.999% fatality rate. (For every 100 people you know that have it, 5 will die) 5,299,920 have recovered, and 4,014,354 are still active cases. Some of those folks will die, but many will get over it.

2. In Florida. 122,960 have been listed as having the virus. 3,366 have died. That’s a 2.74% fatally rate. (For every 100 people you know that have it...about 3 will die.) Only 21,651 have recovered. If you want to know the rate of death, and are smart enough to google… do the research yourself. (Deaths/Total Infected) x 100 = the % of death.

3. "The numbers are going up but deaths are going down.” That does not mean Floridians have somehow beat this. The sun’s only giving you a tan and some Vitamin D, not immunity…. It takes 1-4 weeks for folks to die or recover from this. You will only see the deaths increase in 2-4 weeks. And if we actually obey some mask and social distance rules, our infection rate will go down as well. So 4 weeks from now, the number of deaths could climb while cases are low. The variable of time needs to be accounted for in your assumption.

Ellie Murphy put it best. “What does lead time bias have to do with #COVID19? Well, we switched from only testing people who had really serious severe symptoms to testing a much wider group of people with milder or even no symptoms. Many of the new cases are much earlier in their disease process. Lead time bias tells us that we can expect to see a longer delay between detection & death because we are detecting people earlier in the disease process. This does not mean people are surviving longer! That’s the sneaky lead time bias talking!!“

4. It’s mislabeled, it’s not that serious, it’s like the flu.They are counting diabetes, heart attack, blah blah blah as Covid Deaths. Well it is a Covid death. Almost all those folks were doing fine with their conditions controlled with medication, healthy diets, and exercise. The disease exasperated their pre-existing conditions, and made their body unable to handle it, thus succumbing to their body’s deterioration resulting in their subsequent death. It is a Covid Death, because if they had not gotten it, it probably would have been business as usual. Also we don’t know much about this disease as it is evolving as fast as we are fighting it. We are seeing it attack 30–40 years olds at a much higher rate than before. Kids are facing weird symptoms, and we do not know the long term damage it may cause. NBA players are saying they are still dealing with the after affects months after recovery and a negative test result. There is lung scaring, and many many other things we still do not have a grasp of.

5. Almost all other nations whose citizens respected their scientists, and authority are almost fully recovered, and back to semi-normal. We seem to not care about our fellow citizens, or our scientists. That’s why it’s a FACT that we have the most cases, and most deaths in the USA. Non debatable. That’s why other states are not allowing Floridians to travel to theirs without a 2 week quarantine. That’s why other nations are looking into imposing a ban of US citizens traveling to their shores. We did not flatten the curve. We have created a new one. Facts.

6. The Protests raised the numbers. NO. People not wearing masks, and gathering inside for long periods of time did. Texas, Arizona, Florida… all states with low protesting, all states that opened up early 2–4 weeks ago with some citizens that don’t want to follow any decency rules, are showing the increase. In almost all the film you watch, you see the vast majority of protestors wearing masks. They have been diligent about this. Could some of them have spread it, but of course, we cannot rule that out. But being outdoors and wearing masks have all helped. Close proximity, heavy breathing, poor circulation/ventilation, all indoors is a recipe for disaster. Alcohol makes it worse. Let the politics go. This is a humanity thing now. We need to squash this for all of us, not to prove a president or governor is right or wrong. People shouldn’t die for political loyalty during a pandemic.

7. Masks work. There is science around this. Every nation that has seen a drop has it’s citizens masked up. You are wearing it mostly to not infect others if you are currently asymptomatic, but have the capability of spreading it. Like all things(consider seatbelts, airbags), can you still get sick & die. Possibly, but the risk is significantly reduced. And NO, you cannot faint or die from CO2 poisoning,. Tell that to the doctors that wear stronger masks, and do 12 hour surgeries. You can wear that mask for your grocery run. Calm down.

So what do we do… what can we do? Somethings are simple, and some we must rely on the experts to help. Social distancing, and masks are easy, but let’s also avoid enclosed places, time with our elderly relatives and friends, and large gatherings. As we maintain those guidelines, we wait for our incredibly gifted medical & scientific organizations to come up with solutions, medications and the vaccines needed to shield us from this long term. But that requires time. Like HIV, and other diseases that had high infection and death rates, we had to put a plan together to avoid getting the disease, testing ourselves and our loved ones, and being careful. Did we eradicate it? No. But are we getting closer and closer to beating it? Yes. One main difference is when we heard or saw stories about HIV/AIDS deaths, the pictures and the stories were gruesome. The media has kept away from showing how bad the body does with this disease, how it disfigures and scars your lungs, or how it constricts your blood flow, causes cardiac swelling and scarring, or even how it causes brain inflammation encephalitis, seizures, loss of consciousness or strokes. This is a scary disease, but doesn't sound so scary when compared to the “Common Flu.”

In addition, we have been here before. Referencing the CDC: The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin. Lasting February 1918 to April 1920, it infected 500 million people–about a third of the world's population at the time–in four successive waves. The death toll is typically estimated to have been somewhere between 17 million and 50 million, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in human history.

Mortality was high in people younger than 5 years old, 20-40 years old, and 65 years and older. The high mortality in healthy people, including those in the 20-40 year age group, was a unique feature of this pandemic. Control efforts worldwide were limited to non-pharmaceutical interventions such as isolation, quarantine, good personal hygiene, use of disinfectants, and limitations of public gatherings, which were applied unevenly. Social distancing measures were introduced, for example closing schools, theatres, and places of worship, limiting public transportation, and banning mass gatherings. Wearing face masks became common in some places, such as Japan, though there were debates over their efficacy. There was also some resistance to their use, as exemplified by the Anti-Mask League of San Francisco. Vaccines were also developed, but as these were based on bacteria and not the actual virus, they could only help with secondary infections. A later study found that measures such as banning mass gatherings and requiring the wearing of face masks could cut the death rate up to 50 percent, but this was dependent on them being imposed early in the outbreak and not being lifted prematurely. So we’ve been here before, and we have an outline of time, spread, and effective solutions till a vaccine/medication is made. We just need to listen to it, and follow through. We are significantly more educated, and our science has come a long way since 1918. If we take this seriously, and practice good habits, we will beat this thing. When it comes to work, this is a huge issue. For a large segment, working from home is available. But for many others, this simply does not exist. This is when we need an empathetic and properly functioning government to step in. All retail businesses and the like should have been granted immunity for the year from expenses, leases, and other fees. Emergency & Essential staff should have been provided the proper PPE and an upgrade in their pay. Unemployed folks should have had an easy time dealing with collecting unemployment benefits, and a new assessment program should have been created to teach them how to do work from home jobs to get them back in action sooner than later. These are just a few of my ideas, but many others can be found online that can easily be implemented. Forcing a parent to choose between their small business and feeding their family during this crisis is an impossible position to be in. Unfortunately we did not care, and chose to bail out billionaires, and Companies that should have been more diligent about saving for a rainy day or using the insurance they can afford to shield themselves from collapse.

We all get it. This is an emotional time, families are struggling stuck at home with each other or with homeschooling their kids, businesses are suffering or have shut down, our entire way of life has been dismantled. I know 13 people that have passed away from this. I’ve heard of over 100 stories in network that have had it, and are battling it. Some winning... some struggling. I have countless family and friends on the front line fighting this disease. Many in my immediate family circle. If we don’t ban together and beat this thing like other nations have by being unified... then the disease has won in more ways than one.

#coronavirus #covid #covid19 #masks

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curdinway-blog · 7 years ago

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Spirited Away

Spirited Away is the greatest anime film of all time. Its accolades stretch to astonishing heights; it won the Japan Academy Award for Best Picture, is the only foreign film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and has been widely acclaimed by film critics as one of the finest animated films of the century. It smashed box office records in Japan, overtaking James Cameron’s fabled Titanic. It enjoyed robust box office drawings in the United States and worldwide as well. To this day, it is the most famous work from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, and one of the most beloved and iconic animated features to ever grace the screen.

If there is any work that invites immediate comparisons, it is MGM’s classic The Wizard of Oz. Like that film, Spirited Away has plenty going on beneath the surface, but is celebrated most for the sheer scope of its imagination, bursts of color, and visual inventiveness. Miyazaki literally births a whole new world, limitless in its possibilities and bizarre to our normal expectations, and utterly rich in wonder. There are absurdly large babies, talking frogs, pieces of soot performing menial labor, and a 6-handed man working a furnace. The principal setting is one of the all-time greats; a dazzling, ritzy bathhouse for wayward spirits where humans are not welcome.

Into this strange new environment drops Chihiro, a girl still struggling to deal with an impending move. A new home and school end up seeming pretty mild by the time the girl’s parents turn into pigs and she is stuck wiling with an unscrupulous witch and a horde of wacky creatures for her freedom and survival. Spirited Away is a growing-up story, and a great one at that. Critics and audience have marveled at the way Chihiro progresses through the movie from apathetic, weak, and frightened to a newly self-reliant and strong person. The movie has also been lauded for its cleverly submerged themes. The problems faced by Haku, one of the resident spirits, and an appallingly gooped-up “stink spirit” are concerned nods at pollution and environmental concerns, while the workers’ lust for gold and Chihiro’s parents’ rude advances at a food stand are condemnations of greed.

The characters are some of Miyazaki’s best, and oh so memorable. Yubaba is a manipulative and opportunistic witch, whom you might hate if she were not so damn good at running that bathhouse. Haku is an amnesiac, whose current condition has him struggling to do good as he grows increasingly cold. Lin is a hilariously sour woman who takes Chihiro on as her protégé. But the best of all is No-Face, a sprite who goes from sad and lonely outcast to absolute blood-curdling nightmare in about zero to sixty, then somehow manages to reverse course again.

Leading and anchoring everything is Chihiro. Surely one of Miyazaki’s finest heroines, Chihiro was reportedly fashioned after the daughter of a friend who visited the director on occasion. As stated previously, her personal growth is remarkable characterization and a true joy. However, I have always been bothered by reviewers’ initial assertions of Chihiro. “Lazy”, “cowardly”, and “whiny” are common adjectives; even Miyazaki seemed to share the sentiment, referring to her and real-life girls her age as “lazy bums.” It is worth noting that the people Chihiro was a stand-in for are now roughly my age. That’s right; Miyazaki, a Baby Boomer, was trashing Millennials before it was cool (joking, of course). It is interesting that my assertion of Chihiro is so much different…and perhaps that is because I identify with Chihiro so much. Kids fear differently than adults do. Irrational fears predominate, and are often not given serious credence by adult figures…such as Chihiro’s parents. Childhood fears are often more deeply intense as well; catastrophic, paralyzing events made worse by the fact that children have not yet developed the emotional maturity and skills to manage them. To me, it is not at all unnatural for Chihiro to be depressed and upset by such an upending life event. I had difficulty managing my various fears well past her age. Chihiro’s apparent apathy may be a side-effect of her emotional struggles; alternatively, they may also simply represent a relative inexperience with work which is not out of place for someone of her years and maturity.

Moreover, Chihiro has a good heart. She consistently acts with sensitivity, compassion, and generosity throughout the movie, letting in No-Face when he is left outside in the rain, pursuing friendship and meaningful relationships over wealth, and risking her own safety and comfort repeatedly to help loved ones and strangers alike. This is in marked opposition to the characters around her, who manage to be far more efficient, resilient, and self-reliant than her, but are also motivated by empty capital (gold), are consistently self-serving, and lack emotional warmth and compassion. When Miyazaki criticized girls like Chihiro as “lazy bums”, he also added that he knew they had tremendous potential as well. Notice that when the “stink spirit” enters the bathhouse, it is Chihiro who recognizes the problem instead of just trying to get the job over with and the unwanted guest out. Her removal of tangles of garbage from the spirit’s side is symbolic of environmental clean-up; suggesting Miyazaki believes Chihiro and her kind will bring greater emphasis and effort towards meaningful environmental protection. Extrapolate further, and you can say the same for social empathy and non-materialism. If we truly take this analysis to the extreme and consider Chihiro to be a surrogate for Millennials and the bathhouse workers to be a surrogate for Baby Boomers, an interesting dynamic emerges. Chihiro learns from her stewards’ tough love to become an independent, resilient, and confident actor so that she can bring her inner disposition forth to do good in the world. At the same time, Chihiro gradually thaws her teachers, so that they can act more empathetically and selflessly. This successful generational interplay helps both parties to better themselves; perhaps, an applicable lesson for today’s divided society.

One of the finest aspects of Spirited Away is in that it refuses to sugarcoat the process of growing up. There are a lot of joys to be had, for sure; Chihiro has a grand adventure, after all, making new friends, overcoming obstacles, and opening her horizon to beautiful new things. However, there is definitely a darker side towards becoming an adult. Fear and uncertainty are an easy observation in her maturation and in ours; the only way to improve one’s mettle is to test it. Less apparent to me, at least the first time around, was Miyazaki’s less-than-flattering critique of the modern workplace. Essentially, once Chihiro becomes employed at the bathhouse she is treated as an adult, and we become proxy to a fascinating array of observations. First, there is the perception of being trapped. Whether it is Yubaba’s contract, Chihiro’s obligations to her now-pig family, Lin’s lamentations that she would love to leave the place, or the liberation presented by a train ticket away, the bathhouse’s oppressive atmosphere is an easy stand-in for many modern workplaces. There is also notably an aspect of distance and isolation to everyone who works there; in Haku’s case, the longer he has worked there, the colder and more aloof he has become. The necessity to watch out for one’s self as an adult separates us from one another, Miyazaki argues. That effect is a mere trickle into the core vein running throughout the movie: loneliness.

Notice the water which surrounds the bathhouse. On my second viewing, it struck me that the supernatural flooding is not merely a plot device to prevent Chihiro from escaping her situation; it is also a visual representation of the world as viewed by an adult. The infinite horizon of its waters provokes the vast expansion of worldview that comes with growing up, but also an increasing sense of solitude, emptiness, and personal reflection. Joe Hisaishi’s wonderfully sensitive score frequently adopts a longing, minimalist tone, and we feel a certain absence and sadness in the events happening onscreen. Of all Chihiro’s various trials, the impact of loneliness strikes most devastating and realistic of all. Miyazaki’s solution to this common adult malady is friendship. The essential nature of friends to a normal and healthy adult life is driven home by Chihiro’s experiences. Fear, threats, and harsh treatment do not significantly transform Chihiro. It is only when she is approached from a place of support and caring that she finds courage and stability to act with decision, and the confidence in herself to succeed and respond to failures. Even as relationships with family fade, the relationships we form with others can help us reform a socially abundant life so that we can thrive and be happy.

Growing up is a process. Fraught with peril and difficulties, chock-full of excitement and rewards, it is as tumultuous and constant throughout life as it is necessary. The fear we have as children towards change may mute somewhat as we grow older, but it is still ever-present, accompanied by a second, sharper note…nostalgia. The takeaway message of Spirited Away is that we don’t really have to be afraid, because we’ve been there before. By the end of the film, it is not entirely clear what Chihiro will be facing next. She has no guarantee of ever revisiting her friends at the bathhouse, or her friend from her former school. But she has stopped looking backward towards what has been, and is looking down the road to whatever comes next, reassured by the fact that whatever happens, she can handle it. That is what matters.

That is what growing up is all about.

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