#its also basically been confirmed that my great great uncle actually killed himself (was I lied to as a child?)

[actual-corpse]

You ever been told something about someone you were close to that made you sick to your stomach and almost threw up?

[gay-snom]

contextualizing lwj’s coming to terms with his feelings subplot!

i wanna talk about the role of confucianism in this subplot because i think it’s something some western fans might not pick up on. basically, the sociopolitical climate of confucianism in his character arc, and a little bit about his interaction with the public image theme.

disclaimer: i’m not chinese but i do have a double minor in chinese and asian studies and have written a few papers on confucianism.

we’re gonna be talking about the novel bc i feel its a little more in-depth and nuanced than lwj’s “what is black, what is white” monologue in cql. namely the tension and misunderstanding in wwx’s first life and how lwj got his scars. i feel like it’s pretty well accepted that wwx made lwj reconsider his world view, so i’m just gonna expand on it. also i want to point out it's pretty unspoken in most of the text, but lwj is also affected by/used to explore the public image themes, as his image the is ideal confucian scholar.

confucianism is centered around the ideas of how to behave “good” in sociopolitical contexts. basically it boils down to a belief system on how society should be run. if everyone follows confucian beliefs, you will have an ideal society. the main text is the Analects, which you can read here. it’s been around for a few thousand years (like around 200 BCE ish), had a huge revival in the tang dynasty (618-907 CE). it was put on imperial exams, the emperor’s cabinet had confucian scholars, etc. this is just to say confucian values are important to historic society, especially upper-class scholars, which seems to be a role cultivators commonly fill in xianxia. here are some basic tenants:

being a gentleman/scholar/superior man (君子 jūn zǐ) : partly being learned in the arts, literature, music, poetry, etc., mostly behaving righteously and dutifully.

filial piety: usually described as obedience. it's not simply obeying everything elders tell you, it includes doing it with reverence and thankfulness for their sacrifices for you.

leading by example: if leaders/the government is righteous, the people will follow. lwj has his flock of juniors that are all strong cultivators and the lan sect is just generally known for being moral and good.

rites/rituals: a focus on politeness and holding proper ceremonies, sacrifices, and funerals

speech: there’s some great meta about the register he speaks in here, i just want to touch on think carefully before you speak, only speak sincerely, etc.

tldr; lwj is THE perfect gentleman (even his title contains the character suffix 君 -jūn, like lxc. which, while this character is not uncommon for cultivator titles, it wasn’t chosen carelessly either. also not to be confused with 尊 -zūn). seriously, look at almost all of book 10 and you'll see don't do/consume in excess, don't talk during meals, sit only when your mat is straight, etc.

okay, so Why is understanding his feelings for wwx so troublesome?

1.2 "They are few who, being filial and fraternal, are fond of offending against their superiors. There have been none, who, not liking to offend against their superiors, have been fond of stirring up confusion... Filial piety and fraternal submission! - are they not the root of all benevolent actions?"

in other words, people who are filial will never create political tension. so like, morally, wwx should be considered horrible person! he’s not only snubbed the jiang sect. he was a head disciple who undoubtedly had younger students looking up to him. and then he goes and stirs up some huge political issues! he is now a bad role model for the people below him and disrespected the people above him. lwj has an entire image to uphold, he has poured his entire life into following these rules and beliefs, and then wwx comes along. would continuing to be in wwx's life taint lwj? there are some contradicting teachings in regards to interacting with wwx:

15.4: "Do not take counsel with those who follow a different Way"

15.28: "When the multitude hates a person, you must examine them and judge for yourself. The same holds true for someone whom the multitude love."

15.36 "When it comes to being Good, defer to no one, not even your teacher."

this is part of the reason lwj had so much trouble accepting his feelings. he didn’t know how to handle this situation, making him appear distant during/directly after sunshot. if he judges wwx's intentions to be pure, it's then not wrong to be friendly with him. but wwx still is morally wrong by society's standards. now, lwj has to not only figure out his feelings, but also reconcile this with how he still thinks wwx is Not a bad person, despite everything. what if he does get "tainted" by wwx? will it hurt the reputation of his sect? that would be un-filial, right? he spent his whole life memorizing rules that are probably extremely similar to sections in the Analects, and now these mixed messages (coupled with the relatable gay panic) are overwhelming.

onto the next! there’s something unspoken in the scene where wwx discovers why lwj has the whip scars. as other posts have mentioned, lwj taking wwx back to the burial mounds and nursing him is high treason. however, this action is also extremely un-filial. also his entire image is built around being a perfect gentleman, if this were to get out to the public he would lose absolutely everything. he would be just as irreparable as wwx.

“I was worried if those from another sect found you first, WangJi would be considered your accomplice. The best scenario was his name being forever tainted, and the worst was his life being taken away right then. Thus, along with Uncle, we chose thirty three seniors who had always thought highly of WangJi... ”

there’s no way lwj didn’t know what would happen if he did this. obviously as lxc says, if this got out, he would lose basically his entire face. and even though lxc didn’t mention this, it would definitely lose a lot of face for the lan sect as well since lwj is so prominent. the decision about what elders to bring is also notable.

“...As if he knew all along he would be discovered by us, he said that there was nothing to explain, that this was it. Growing up, he had never talked back to Uncle, not even once. But for you, not only did WangJi talk back to him, he even met with his sword the cultivators from the Gusu Lan sect...”

so yeah, he obviously knew they would come for him and what the consequences would be. and he still talked back! that’s already not a good look for the lan sect. but attacking them? totally unforgivable! lwj gives up how he was raised and the importance of filial piety, what he has held on to until this major plot event. since it's basically the biggest "fuck you" to his uncle and his clan, this was not a decision he made lightly. lwj shows them he cares more about wwx and His Own ideas of right and wrong than the sect’s or society��s.

Wei WuXian dug his hands into his hair, “...I-I didn’t know... I really...”

when was the last time wwx was at a loss for words? wwx spends a few paragraphs after this lamenting how he hurt lwj, but he's not unaware of the gravity of what lwj did. it's an underlying assumption from being raised in the culture. i would argue his first instinct is "oh god he gave up what for me?" since those lamenting paragraphs are after lxc finishes speaking.

"But he said... that he could not say with certainty whether what you did was right or wrong..."

this is something thrown around a lot in the Analects, that not even confucius can say for sure what is right or wrong. what better way to show lwj is still a perfect confucian than have him paraphrase confucius himself?

“...WangJi was a model for the disciples when he was young, and a prominent cultivator when he grew up. In his whole life he had been honest and righteous and immaculate--you were the only mistake he made!”

here’s the confirmation that the world and even his family thinks of him as a perfect gentleman, the top tier of society, and it was all thrown away for wwx. this is just so heavy. the mistake thing? thats not only because lwj is fraternizing with an enemy. lxc and the rest of the sect who knew are terrified this will forever corrupt lwj personally, not just publicly. lwj was so devoted to believing this was the right thing to do he offered up everything he had. the gravity of this decision is insane. it’s very obvious that he loves wwx, it’s just that he struggles a lot internally to accept everything that is happening.

as for helping wwx leave after the massacre, is this gentleman-ly of lwj? was it actually in-line with his image? is it more honorable to save someone who is dying, at the cost of your own health, than to look away? isn't looking away a form of resentment? i wasn't able to find a specific passage about bystander-ness, but personally i think it qualifies as "bad intentions." there is also this passage for what it's worth, originally it was about government suppression:

12.19: "...What do you say to killing the unprincipled for the good of the principled?" Confucius replied, "...why should you use killing at all?..."

lwj is always more actions than words, and he was not fucking around. his core beliefs really haven't changed, and remain very strong throughout his life. he is still righteous enough to accept his punishment, graceful enough to search for wwx's body since there was no one else to do the funeral rites (10.22/10.15), caring enough to take in a-yuan, upright enough to still spend his years going where the chaos is.

just with this one action, the audience knows he has come to terms with realizing that authority isn't always just, and neither is the public opinion/opinion of other gentlemen. he has reconciled. this is him standing for what he believes is right. this is his devotion. this is his own choice. just. poetic cinema...

anyway that's it for my first meta post! i would love to hear your thoughts, feelings, opinions, discussions, other meta ideas, whatever! thank u for reading! <3

[sanchoyo]

danny phantom, season 3 episodes 3-6 thoughts!

see prev episode thoughts in this tag <3

-johnny was actually pretty civil with danny and left when he asked! thats nice. also, SKULKER?? HAD A FRAMED PICTURE OF EMBER?? oooo fuck wait had they established they were a Thing Before?? I dont think so. thats weird. its like that country boy/goth girl meme lmfao. I think i am going to choose to ignore this new info and pretend I didnt hear it. 100% unrelated to the jazz/ember fanart I already drew and posted....😳

-LADIES NIGHT EPISODE THIS IS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT. wish it didnt really center around the guys or them being pissed at them, but. willing to bet this was written by men lol

-THEY ERASED ALL THE MEN??? meanwhile, jack and danny are fishing at. silent hill or something. im glad jack is trying to read a parenting book and making an Attempt. (theyre at lake erie, but, they made it actually eerie...thats fun)

-the girls alt outfits...cute. EMBER MADE A NEW SONG TOO!!! kinda. jazz being one of the backup singers and being AWFUL. NOOOO

-'how are we going to get kitty to blow a kiss?' 'she'll have to think there are still some males in town!' ...i dont know how to break it to you, but I dont know that a 100% het girl would wish for all men to Begone. I think. I mean im not a het or a girl so I dont really know for sure. she Is probably Bi tho. esp having the other ladies in town chanting NO MEN!!! excitedly............(then again, the kiss is to get Rid of men, so, she probably would have blown it at the ladies only if they were actively trying to attack/stop them, so...I MEAN. THE DRESSING LIKE DANNY BIT WAS SO EXTRA)

-I feel like an all female cast ep couldve been way way way way cooler than that was. like. why was it still somehow all about Men. ...anyway. (where was valerie...)

-next ep opens with the observants, and, way way more of them than I expected...existed? I mean I guess them being a council/jury of some kind is what I expected from their first appearance (bc at that time they were basically TELLING clockwork to kill danny, not asking,, so I figured they had SOME kind of authority) but. there were so many. anyway, here goes vlad! letting his own hubris go brrrr. releasing a weather ghost for political gain! #justvladthings

-okay say what you will about him (he IS an asshole) but having an umbrella with his own face on it and more prepared to share is SUPER FUNNY. and him being fanned by huge wads of money by his bodyguards. SO ineffective but so Dramatic. He UNDERSTANDS that if youre rich you need to be. you know. obnoxious and kinda eccentric about it! fuckign hate when rich people are boring about it. I would trust vlad with nothing except to not be a boring rich asshole who wears...fucking khaki or some shit. man knows his Presentation Skills. and that 'V' chair in his mayoral office. is that fucking embroidered?

-maddie get your MAN PLEEEEASSSE. IM SO EMBARRASSED FOR HER. the way jack stays simping for this man. in FRONT OF HIS WIFE!!!! ...my god its like a love triangle. jack clearly loves vlad, who loves maddie, who loves jack. jack fenton is at the very least bi, right................. this is an OBSESSION . 'THE V MAN COMETH'???? i...my god. (also, on a serious note, to have a friend THIS SUPPORTIVE...and still be SUCH A DICK TO HIM (TRYING TO KILL HIM AND STEAL HIS WIFE??) NOT COOL VLAD. JACK IS YOUR 1 AND /ONLY/ HYPE MAN. if someone loved and supported me THIS HARD...LIKE. CMON DUDE.

-STOMP the fucking GAS, JACK

-this would make a great shirt design, looks like a metal band design! we love The Maelstrom

-oh, so vlad did in fact get a mansion in amity park. and its purple! good color choice! not as flashy as a CASTLE or MURDER CABIN, but still pretty eccentric, which I appreciate.

-...vlad knows the difference between picasso and da vinci? in the ep last post where we were watching him fail at conquering every historical time ever he didnt seem to know history well enough to like. be effective...was vlad taking art history at college?? (was he an art MAJOR??? we never DID KNOW WHAT HE WENT TO SCHOOL FOR. I kinda assumed business because in the masters of time ep he was still rich without ghost powers so he had to have..known something about business or something, right...but also, art and or theater FITS HIS PERSONALITY. possibly also something science-y, I guess, but I always felt like he got roped into that, esp how pessimistic he was about the ghost portal in the flashbacks to college, like, i felt like he was just there for maddie and was uninterested/un-invested at the time...)

-THIS GHOST JUST ELECTROCUTED MADDIE (THE CAT) BITCH!! THATS MY FAVORITE MADDIE!!! vlad going after vortex and being ~shocked~ .....WHEN. WHEN WILL YOU LEARN. THAT YOUR ACTIONS. HAVE CONSEQUENCES!!!

-the way this random man with a camera sees the mayor laying in an alley covered in TRASH AND DECIDES TO TAKE A PICTURE HAHAH

*snap* this ones going in my cringe compilation!

-vlad 'if we're going to defeat vortex, we're going to have to do it together!' *immediately dips after dropping danny off in front of vortex* JKASDFHKJHJKN

-DANNY CAN DUPLICATE!!! ...he couldnt even attack with it, but he DID IT!!! INTO (4) OF HIMSELF!!! SO PROUD!!!!!!!!!!

-'THE ROLLER COASTER EMOTIONS OF A TEENAGER THREATEN MY PLANS!' ...0 self awareness of his own dramatic moodiness. incredible, how dumb this man is. its very close to circling around to endearing, if he was less of an asshole. at least its very very funny to see danny shooting him with tiny lightning bolts anytime he's even slightly irritated! vlad you should be nice to danny anyway. this is what you GET

-...making sandwiches and ice cream and playing video games with your nephew is a totally normal thing. WHY is vlad acting like this is the end of the world. if you were a GOOD UNCLE YOU WOULD ALREADY BE DOING THESE THINGS!!! bitch I make my nephew food all the time and dont forget what he does and doesnt like. if u didnt know danny didnt want tomatoes, thats on u. if u, a grown adult, are gonna piss of the 14 yr old by not letting him win, u deserve to have to pay for the arcade machines he ruins because he now has uncontrollable storm powers because YOU THREW HIM INTO A FIGHT WITH THE STORM GHOST. fuck u vlad. paypal me $400,000 while ur at it tho. (also, gamer vlad confirmed)

-VLAD CAN COOK THOUGH???! I assumed he had...people working for him that did that. I mean. billionaires usually dont do that. then again, we've only seen those vultures working for him (and I guess the dairy king was AT his old mansion, but it was never really clarified if he worked there...I think he probably just Hung Out and they Enjoyed Cheeses Together. thats what I think, I dont think a KING would be working for anyone and also the dairy king was nice <3) but then again he would be a private person and we cant have anyone accidentally finding Ghostly Things, so...still, that's hilarious. pour one out for that really cute banana split that got ruined 2 seconds later

-vlad just fucking picking danny up and THROWING HIM AT VORTEX TWICE WITHIN LIKE A MINUTE. JUST ABSOLUTELY LAUNCHING HIM. BITCH THATS MY SON BE CAREFUL!!! HES GOT ORGANS AND THINGS!!!!

-danny seeing those animal commercials and feeling sad is the biggest 2000s throwback so far. i legitimately had to change the channel or walk out of the room when those came on bc id CRY AND BE SAD ABOUT THEM FOR DAYS AFTER. fuck those commercials and fuck that IN THE ARMMMS OF AN ANGELLLL song 😭

-'vlads ego almost got the town destroyed!' yes danny thats the entire episode. the entire series anytime vlad shows up honestly. this episode was just him being really embarrassing the entire time, and, me laughing about it. 10/10 would laugh at him again

-NEXT EP WE HAVE A SHAPESHIFTING GHOST?? I've said it before but shapeshifting is the power I would want when asked those 'what superpower do you want' questions...its the Best power! this guy looks like a homestuck character. ive never read homestuck but thats the vibe

-I love every time we see tuckers family, they are by far the most functional family. and dash has a lil chihuahua!!! named pookie!!! i am crying (I've had 3 chihuahuas, so I am very biased, but...) AND HE WATCHES THE ROMANCE CHANNEL WITH POOKIE. POOKIE I WILL DIE FOR YOU YOU SWEET LITTLE BABY.

-danny can lift a bus! I shouldn't be surprised, but i am proud of my son. hes got lil kid fans. i am going to cry about this

-JAZZ KEEPS A SCRAPBOOK WITH DANNY'S LIL HEROICS AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS!!! we've actually seen it on her floor before, but I didnt realize it was a scrapbook!! thats sooo cute.

-...and danny has to stand there listening to his parents saying danny phantom sucks and is a 'filthy ghost' and calling him egotistical...i am once again stealing their kids!

-THIS GHOST RIPPING JAZZ'S SCRAPBOOK!!! ILL KILL YOU. SHE WORKED HARD ON THAT!!! BITCH

-yes, maddie, the one with red eyes is For Sure Actually Your Son. ignore the, red eyes... (CLEARLY she hasnt watched the other 2 eps where danny has been evil, she doesnt know red eyes= evil!!!)

-'billy fenton'.......................

-danny being stuck as phantom in his own house, no way out is a fucking NIGHTMARE. his parents pointing giant weapons against him and SHOOTING AT HIM. THIS IS A HORROR MOVIE.

-NINE INCH NAILS POSTER.

-this is the most screenshot of all time

-amorpho turning into mr. lancer because hes 'someone no one will want to be around' BUT HES WRONG, I WOULD BEFRIEND AND HANG OUT WITH MR LANCER SO FAST.

-tucker dressing as danny, now I have the full Tucker set of him being sam and also being danny. also saying 'the ghost...uh...RIPPED MY FACE OFF.' and then running. SMOOTH. NOT AT ALL CONCERNING TO ANY PARENTS.

-sam accepts the toast from jack. and then 2 seconds later is like 'why am i eating this.' THIS SHOWS HUMOR IS SO UNEXPECTED SOMETIMES ITS REALLY GOOD. and then the scene after, mr lancer running into his ghost doppelganger and being like 'YOURE GORGOUS' THEN FAINTING. I AM CRYING. AND DASH FAINTING TOO.

-sam disguising herself as danny again to help tucker run from the fentons. but leaving him shirtless in the streets. incredible. 'plEASE DOnt NOTice MY FACELessNESS I MUST LIVE IN EXILE' this episode is destroying me the humor in this show is exactly my brand of corny and cheesy

-the impromtu story made up by danny and amorpho to explain stuff to the fentons. my god they are both such bad liars. but amorpho is a good egg. wish danny wouldnt have said he didnt wanna see him in town again!! I want him to be reoccurring. not that thats gonna matter since I'm almost done with the series, but the idea of this being the Only Time We See him is :(

-NEXT EP SAYS STARRING MARK HAMILL??????!!! hello ! mr . joker....mr. star wars.... I feel like I should be. idk. taking off a hat im not wearing in respect. I shouldnt be surprised tho bc hes in a lot of cartoons as a very good voice actor, and dp has already had a lot of talented ones so I've been looking out for ones I might know, but....mr. hamill....

-sam has her own greenhouse, names all the plants, and says thank you to them (in the languages from where the plants are from) whenever she harvests from them. thats SO cute. and her lil gothy lunch box...

-and danny's lil red fuzzy lined jacket!!! ive said it before but every time the characters get alt outfits im like :D

-danny has ice powers now!!! THATS WHAT FROSTBITE MEANT. HE KNEW SOMEHOW WAY BACK THEN

-THIS SHOW NEVER LETS YOU FORGET VLAD IS A BILLIONAIRE, HUH.

-danny's lil 'holy hibiscus!' first off the 50s batman swearing is hilarious. 2nd. my username is from the flower sanchoyo hibiscus, so, shoutout to ME this ep. hi :)

-EURGH UNDERGROWTH MAKING EVERYONE PLANT ZOMBIES. HIVEMIND PLOTS SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF ME. and this dude made the city SO overtaken so quickly like how long was danny asleep?? oh god

-evil fucked up sam! now the whole trio has gone evil at some point! the voice actress did a really, really good job with making her sound like a zombie...

-frostbite's paws are so so so big compared to danny. oh my god. i want to hug the snow dog...

-the far frozen has an advanced medical stuff!!! very cool. very smart snow dogs

-im so glad danny has a friendly ghost snow dad to explain this new power and teach him!!! this is so sweet. DANNY'S GHOST SENSE WAS A PART OF HIS ICE POWER?? OOOH. COOL. we love a training montage!!!

-danny saying if he cant defeat overgrowth, that he'd want to stay with frostbite...oh my god...do you think this is the first real supportive adult figure in his life (I am NOT counting his parents because they threaten him on the daily even if they dont realize it.) I mean mr lancer is a Teacher, but he was also nice but this is different, but this is a GHOST WHO IS WILLING TO HELP HIM with his powers and also will help him when hes injured and is so so nice and comparatively so much more mature than 90% of the adults in this show!!!! god. dad frostbite is my everything.

-the framing and lighting this episode, and all the angles...they went all OUT and it looks really really good. this is my nightmare scenario, tho. like, FUCK zombies and dead city zones and hivemind shit. and using the humans as 'nutrients for the children' i am going to THROW UP.

-MALEFICENT VIBES WITH THE HORNS AND GREEN EYES! this costume kicks so much ass. sam is now mark hamills daughter, I guess.

-danny's ice powers making his eyes blue!!! thats neat. and him going for the roots underground was SO SMART. i will not stand for danny ever thinking hes stupid, hes SO smart.

almost done with the show... :"( thats a sad thought!!!

[words-writ-in-starlight]

I never stop being suprised at how well adjusted Jin Ling is, given his situation- being orphan and heir to one, potentially two great sects aside, he is incredibly normal given ones who raised him were Jiang '' I express concern by threatening to break your legs and its step up from how I was raised'' and Jin '' I will put up with all of your tantrums because i have 12342 different ways to orchestrate your death on backburner'' Guangyao. Like, how is this kid relatively normal given his 1/2

parental figures were walking mess of decades long traumas who trained him to be as deadly at night hunting as possible and schemer who sweetly smiled while being insulted for everything aand planning numerous atrocities who kept spoiling him with 400 nets and best pet in world? I blame it on Qin Su,.( 2/2)

HERE’S MY THING, Jin Ling is a wreck as a person.  I can think of several “well-adjusted” kids, some of them more shocking than others, but quite frankly Jin Ling is five traumas in a Jin crest, with a sword for a comfort item and a brand new expectation that he get his act together to run a sect.  I love him so much, but the vast majority of his influences have taught him to interact with the world on two axes labeled “Anger” and “Orders,” both of which are normally directed at him.  His only two responses to a crisis are to lash out at the person in charge or to break down into these agonized tears that he feels horrendously ashamed of.  Both of those reactionary schema can be traced pretty directly to the way Jin Guangyao and Jiang Cheng have raised this kid.

Anger: this is Jiang Cheng’s Brand.  It just is.  In fact, I’d put money that Jiang Cheng had a lot of the raising of Jin Ling, because they both handle emotion in exactly the same way--they don’t.  When Jin Ling doesn’t know what’s going on, or feels out of control, or isn’t entirely sure how to process his emotions, he picks a target and gets mean fast, because his uncle is an adult that he trusts to have his act together and that’s how his uncle behaves.  Unfortunately for both of them, it’s actually not that productive to just.  Yell at people and lash out.  It leads to things like brothers who don’t tell you about golden core transfers and potentially powerful allies who don’t trust you.

@ Jiang Cheng, bud, I understand that you have capital-T Trauma and that you’ve withstood years of people applauding you for the murder of the brother who you loved and felt massively betrayed by and kind of didn’t mean to kill but also kind of intended to kill but also kind of chickened out on killing and blamed for everything bad in your life, because that’s what your parents taught you to do.  I understand that.  Please give your nephew one (1) hug.  He would do anything for a hug from you.  I hope the whole Nie Mingjue debacle was informative to you both on this front.

Incidentally!  Jin Ling is especially unstable and prone to rash anger when this phenomenon intersects with feeling that he’s being manipulated or talked down to.  Hm.  Wonder where that could have come from.  Which brings me to...

Tears: Jin Guangyao hasn’t killed Jin Ling yet by the time of the main plot, which means two things.  First, he is sincerely emotionally attached to the kid.  On the upside, Jin Ling got a dog out of the deal.  On the downside, Jin Ling has probably been on the receiving end of a lot of Jin Guangyao’s “protective” instincts, which I think Qin Su can confirm are not necessarily the most fun instincts in the world.  They’re heavily predicated on Jin Guangyao being in control of things, which means that he relies incredibly heavily on emotional manipulation and enforcing the hierarchy he’s working within.  Examples include: Nie Mingjue, Qin Su, Jin Zixun.  Because Jin Guangyao is sect leader for most of Jin Ling’s life, that means that no matter how hard he pushes, his uncle will always have the strength of the hierarchy to back up his manipulation, which means that all the anger in the world is useless, which means that Jin Ling grew up desperately lacking in control.  And Jin Guangyao is doing it for his own good, so Jin Ling can’t be angry, of course, how could he be angry with his uncle for protecting him?  

Second, Jin Guangyao was...never planning to let Jin Ling inherit properly, right?  We’re all on the same page here?  He was anticipating, A, becoming immortal (the whole goal of cultivation) or, B, stepping down gracefully and puppeteering Jin Ling from behind the scenes, or very possibly C, both.  That means that Jin Ling needs to be manipulable, which--listen, you can say a lot of things about Jiang Cheng, but manipulable isn’t really one of them.  That suggests to me that Jin Guangyao probably went with a very basic method of trying to make Jin Ling into the heir he needed: guilt trip, reserve compliments unless certain conditions are met, make gifts and compliments backhanded when possible, reward “weak” behavior while also reprimanding it.  Basically?  If Jin Ling was being reprimanded by Jin Guangyao and started crying, he probably got called out for being weak but the reprimand stopped and any punishment was less intense than it might have been otherwise.  Hey presto, you have a kid who can’t really handle confrontation but doesn’t know how else to deal with a problem, and who understands that crying will get him out of trouble but also associates it with a complete lack of control over the situation.

Not really ideal for a sect leader, right?

Now, this is where it took kind of a turn for Jin Guangyao, because that plan would have been immaculate if not for the fact that Jiang Cheng is as direct a dealer as anyone in the cultivation world.  Yes, he’s angry all the time, can’t handle his own emotions (except by rage and tears! JGY and Madam Yu should get tea and chat about parenting), and hasn’t decided if he’s guilt-stricken or gleeful over the death of his brother.  But.  Jin Ling knows exactly what to expect from him at all times.  Pretty much the only time we see him actually confused is when Jiang Cheng says that, if Jin Ling doesn’t catch something on their night hunt, he can’t come back--and Jiang Cheng is outraged that Jin Ling took him seriously.  (I also kind of think Jin Ling is being a shit about that on purpose.  But that’s me.)

The rest of the time?  Jin Ling is offended that people take Jiang Cheng’s threats toward him seriously.  He’s pretty much completely prepared to throw himself on Jiang Cheng’s mercy when he needs help.  He postures and poses to mimic him, and breaks Wei Wuxian out against Jiang Cheng’s direct orders without fear of reprisal.  That’s not a kid who’s afraid of his uncle, except, of course, that he wants Jiang Cheng to be proud of him, and he knows that crying is a disappointment.

I’m not saying Jiang Cheng is uncle of the year, see above re: PLEASE hug your nephew, but the mere fact that he can be relied upon to react predictably, in Jin Ling’s experience, does a lot to counteract Jin Guangyao’s attempts to control him.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Jiang Cheng is the product of a toxic childhood doing his best with the tools he has, and Jin Guangyao is the product of a toxic childhood experimenting with a fun kicky new kind of toxicity in the next generation.

And honestly?  I think that Jiang Cheng having gotten some of the weight off his chest about everything, Jin Guangyao’s manipulations being exposed, and having actual friends will do a lot to help Jin Ling get his feet under him.  Not to mention his brand new uncle who is even more forthright than Jiang Cheng and is more than prepared to tell Jin Ling outright when he’s being a spoiled brat without concern for rank, plus also being willing to Give That Boy A Hug And A Sincere Compliment.

I’m not saying that the Jin Ling fic I’m planning to write is going to heavily feature Wei Wuxian going “okay!!!!  You need to learn that positive reinforcement doesn’t always come laced with poison!!!!!”  But I’m not not saying that.

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #230: THE LAST FAREWELL!

April, 1983

“Yellowjacket no more!”

Aw, dang! Hank got raptured!

Captain America, Thor, and Hawkeye is a weird collection of characters to be staring forlornly at the empty Yellowjacket uniform.

Thor hasn’t really expressed much about the Yellowjacket situation in comparison. You think they could squeeze Wasp into the shot. Just her ex-husband is all. She’s just the team leader is all.

Put Wasp on the cover, you cowards.

So last times on Avengers: Hank Pym got himself kicked out of the Avengers and out of his marriage and pretty much deserved it. He was tricked into committing treason by his arch-nemesis Egghead and sent to jail. He sat in jail for, like, a really long time. The wheels really spun on the arc.

He was kicked out of the Avengers/walked before he could be kicked out in #213. He was arrested at the end of issue #217. His trial was in issue #228.

He was kidnapped from his trial by the Masters of Evil. Then in #229, he turned the tables on them all in quite a satisfying manner and slugged Egghead in the egg head.

Then Hawkeye manslaughtered him. He’s dead.

Hawkeye arrowed the science gun to stop Egghead from shooting Hank in the back and then the science gun backfired and microwaved that egg.

This makes Hank’s victory a little bittersweet for him.

Hank Pym: “I defeated the Masters of Evil single-handed... but more than anything, I wanted to bring Egghead to justice. He was a thorn in my side for so many years. I was never able to defeat him for long, not when I was Ant-Man... and not even after I became Giant-Man! He bedeviled me in every identity I assumed. He did me the greatest wrong when I was Yellowjacket. I’d already ruined my Avengers career, when he tricked me into committing a federal crime!”

Hawkeye too is set to thinking by what happened. Maybe humming a bit of Bohemian Rhapsody to himself too.

Hawkeye: “This is unreal! I’ve never killed a man before! I never planned on anything like this happening! Yeah, but I can’t feel sorry for Egghead! If anyone deserved this, he did! My brother Barney bought the farm, stopping Egghead from killing the Avengers. And if I hadn’t acted when I did, Hank Pym would be dead! If I had to do it again... I would!”

Hawkeye: ‘Eh, fuck ‘em!’

hah.

But Hank laments that with Egghead dead, so goes his chance of proving his innocence by turning him over to the law.

Hank Pym: “Egghead was always getting away from me, Hawkeye. It’s almost as if he’s pulled the ultimate escape!”

Fun fact: There doesn’t seem to be an Ultimate Egghead! Why would there need to be? Even more than in the 616, Ultimate Hank Pym is by far his own worst enemy.

Hawkeye basically tells Hank to buck up and that there’s basically incriminating evidence lying all over the place.

He doesn’t say it but even Egghead’s dead deceased corpse is kind of like evidence. Evidence that he wasn’t dead until recently.

Captain Marvel shows up because someone finally came looking for Hawkeye.

Hank is surprised, much like others have been that this is Captain Marvel. He knew the old guy, the super saiyan. And I guess he didn’t hear there was a new one.

Hawkeye: “We’ve had a few changes since you went in the slammer, Hank. C.M. is an Avenger in training.”

Huh. Captain Marvel doesn’t even react to the dead body. Then again, there’s a lot of bodies lying all around the place.

And while Hawkeye is introducing the new Captain Marvel to Hank, one of those bodies stirs.

Moonstone has regained consciousness and assesses the situation. She could blast Hank, Captain Marvel, and Hawkeye with her coherent light pew pew but that’d just weaken her.

Like in the previous issue, Moonstone is one of the few supervillains who knows when to fold ‘em.

So she decides to skeedaddle while the getting is good but whoops.

Getting wasn’t good.

The rest of the Avengers have shown up and cornered her while she was pondering.

So Moonstone decides ‘eh fuck it’ and promises to spill all the beans if it gets her a lighter sentence.

So days later, the mostly off-screen trial of Hank Pym finally ends.

A loooot of new evidence suddenly popping up led the prosecution to withdraw all charges.

The lead prosecution witness, Trish Starr, suddenly reversing her testimony after putting on Tony Stark’s magical mental-scan helmet kind of tanked the case, really.

Wait, they really did just admit the use of the helmet in the trial when its new, unsubstantiated technology whose inventor disappeared?

Damn, I knew the Marvel legal system was wild (considering comic books as legal documents as explored in Dan Slott’s run on the character) but still!

Although it makes sense. Egghead got Trish to incriminate Hank by using the bionic arm to alter her memories. The helmet Tony invented undoes that kind of alteration. This connects the dots quite reasonably. Glad Stern was paying attention when preparing to finish this arc.

Moonstone and Beetle confirming that Egghead was using Hank as a tool also helps.

In fact, not only did the prosecution drop all their charges, the judge also dismissed all the charges. Which feels redundant? I dunno much about law, really. Just the She-Hulk version of law. Which, again, uses comic books as legal documents.

Apparently happening at around the same time, Hawkeye also had his day in court.

Literally a day.

It wasn’t a trial, just a hearing to investigate whether he was guilty of wrong-doing in the death of Egghead.

Newsman with a newsplan: “Though he was threatened with contempt-of-court charges a number of times -- Hawkeye was found innocent of any wrong-doing in the death of Dr. Elihas Starr -- the self-styled Egghead.”

Yeah, I bet Hawkeye was threatened with contempt-of-court a bunch. And I bet you anything that at least one of the times he rejoined with “No, you’re out of order! This whole damn courtroom is out of order!”

And then the judge probably just sighed.

I mean, look at that unbelievable Hawkeye in the bottom left panel.

Anyway, I think Stern must have felt a little pent up having to start his Avengers run finishing off someone else’s story, especially having to devote a recap issue to it since the plot had been interspersed with fill-ins.

Because in the middle of concluding this arc, he throws in two plot beats that I have to assume are to set up stuff of his own.

A day after the trial, the Beetle is being escorted to a cell in a Western Pennsylvanian federal maximum security prison when he bumps into another prisoner.

What neither the Beetle or the guard notices is that the bump to “Sam Smithers” has peeled off some skin on his arm and revealed THAT HE IS ACTUALLY MADE OF WOOD!

Suspect possibly a living puppet.

And elsewhere but samewhen, IN SPACE, specifically on Saturn’s moon Titan, Thanos’ brother Eros is basically complaining about being bored.

When Captain Mar-vell died of having a lot of cancer, he asked Eros to look after Mar-vell’s... uh... -google- robot girlfriend?? Elysius.

Eventual mom to Genis and Phyla-Vells.

Soooooo, Eros has done as Mar-vell’s deathbed wish was and spent an agonizing several consecutive months hanging out in Titan’s beautiful inside forests and just having a real hard time caring about one thing for such a long period of time.

I’m not even being unfair to him.

Eros: “This is the first time in ages that I’ve spent so many consecutive months on Titan! I have ever been a wanderer! I’ve sought out adventure across the wide cosmos. Frankly, I have known romance on more worlds than most sentient beings could imagine. That’s part of the problem. Our friendship has been wonderful, but I’m having a hard time adjusting to it. My previous relationships have all been of a fleeting nature.”

‘Look its not you, its me’ except for attempting to dump someone as a friend, instead of romantically.

Not dump, even. He just kind of wants to ditch her and is asking in a roundabout way if she’s emotionally stable enough to ditch.

She goes, yeah sure, go off and have fun. And maybe she’s getting tired of his company too.

Elysius: “Look... you’ve been a great comfort to me these last few months, but now I need to be alone for a while with my thoughts.”

Geez, how clingy has he been this whole time while desperately wanting to be anywhere else?

Anyway, since she’s fine with him fucking off, he does fuck off. Right to the Hall of Science.

Where Eros’ dad is like ‘oh ffs’ when Eros tells him that he needs to use the LIVING COMPUTER Isaac to look up planets with the highest adventure potential.

Mentor of Titan is a man deeply disappointed in both of his sons for very different reasons.

Anyway, would you really be surprised if I told you that Earth was in the Top 3 planets in known space for adventure?

You wouldn’t, right?

Meanwhile, back at the plot, Hank Pym is on a boat with Trish Starr.

She wants to apologize for that time she incriminated him but Hank isn’t going to blame her for being as much a pawn in Egghead’s scheme as he was.

Trish: “Yes, uncle was like that all of his life. I think he really enjoyed using people.”

And she remembers the first time they met in Marvel Feature #5, where Egghead tried to drain her mind to power his machines. Because. Batteries hadn’t been invented? Because he’s just not happy unless he’s screwing over someone else?

Second one sounds likeliest.

She also remembers the time he car bombed her car but siphoned out most of the gas first.

Trish: “He didn’t want to kill me... only maim me. Nice guy, my uncle.”

Yeah. Its stories like that why its only Trish and Hank also Fred Sloan on a boat at Egghead’s funeral. Yeah, by the way, this is basically Egghead’s funeral.

Fred is only here for Trish.

Hank reacts to Fred so I wondered if he’s important in some way or if Hank recognized him but I checked the wiki and his main importance seems to be... this issue? So I don’t know why Hank reacts to the guy.

So Fred is just here for Trish. Trish is here out of duty, since she was Egghead’s only known family. And Hank is also only here out of duty but more archnemesis ‘can’t believe that asshole is dead and I don’t even get to feel good about it’ duty. I assume.

Hank even gets the honor (?) of laying Egghead to rest. By dumping his ashes into New York harbor.

Mostly because it doesn’t seem like Trish wants to?

So Hank quotes some Mark Twain and dumps the ashes.

Hank Pym: “‘Death... the only immortal who treats us all alike, whose pity and whose peace and whose refuge are for all -- the soiled and the pure, the rich and the poor, the loved and the unloved.’ Farewell, Egghead.”

Trish: “It’s awful to say this -- but I can’t find it in myself to be sorry. I think I’m glad he’s dead.”

And that’s Egghead’s legacy. Mourned by no one. And his death is only not cheered because the only people that cared feel shitty about feeling glad he’s dead.

ANYWAY, there’s some other loose ends to tie up.

So Hank takes a taxi to the Avengers Mansion and I guess finally explicitly explains why the mansion has seemed to change positions over time?

Hank Pym: “I never thought I’d be coming here again. The place has certainly changed since the day Jan and I met here with Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk to draft the Avengers charter and by-laws. And I still recall the time Iron Man and Thor moved the mansion back from the street to give us more privacy. What a project that was!”

Sounds like a heck of a noodle incident, Hank.

... Why just Thor and Iron Man? Did they... did they literally just shove the mansion back from the street? ... There’s... basements and caves under there. How does that work? That seems like a massive architectural project.

Hank, pls, I need to know more details. You can’t just drop that information and casually stroll away. HANK!

Captain Marvel meets Hank at the door and escorts him inside, captain marveling at how calm Hank is despite everything he’s been through.

Hank shows up to the Avengers meeting and-

Oh god, She-Hulk looks like she wants to punch the suppressed emotions right out of Jan. She-Hulk, pls.

So, Wasp is super formal, calling Hank Dr. Pym and telling him that they want to use the mento-scan helmet to see if he was under outside influence when he did all the very bad things he did.

All of the Avengers are harboring their own concerns.

She-Hulk: “I’ve read legal briefs that were more informal! She’s cool on the surface, but inside -- ! Jannie, why are you doing this to yourself?!”

Are you guys already at the cute nickname stage of your friendship or is that just the way She-Hulk be?

Cap is worried that this is rough on Jan but that she’s doing what she needs to do as the Avengers chairwoman. But he’s more worried about the absence of Iron Man who is still missing and who ignored three calls to assemble.

Thor is just internally like ‘just do the helmet, my dude.’

Hawkeye is literally biting his lip at the tension.

Hawkeye: “Jan divorced Hank after his last breakdown. If we find out that he wasn’t to blame, what’s it gonna do to the both of ‘em? I hate this! That stupid court hearing was a breeze in comparison.”

Huh, Hawkeye has a point. Even if outside influence is proven, its not as straightforward as Jan and Hank instantly getting back together, no harm no foul. There was harm. And the problems with their relationship were deeper than one incident. But it would also create this possible expectation that they should get back together because the specific incident wasn’t Hank’s fault.

And Captain Marvel is still looking at this from an outsiders’ perspective.

Captain Marvel: “They’re really hurting over this... all of them! They all care so very, very much. If I ever become a fully active Avenger, I pray that I can live up to their example.”

So Hank very calmly agrees to use the helmet. But...

Hank Pym: “Sorry... no outside influences. It would have changed a lot of things if there had been, wouldn’t it? But no, I made my own mistakes... and I have to live with them.”

Thiiiiis was the best decision for the story arc. It may seem, in retrospect, the worst decision in the long run, but I can respect the story for standing by what it has done and standing by the growth Hank has had as a result of everything that happened.

I think a lot of more modern marvel comics have gone a little wild with letting the heroes do all kinds of dubious things and also die because it can be easily undone. It was a Skrull, they were being mind-controlled, it was an AU Nazi version of them created by a cosmic cube child. Or by giving the hero some big redemptive moment like Iron Man wiping his mind to make up for doing Civil War. Or Iron Man dying to make up for Civil War 2. You can explore whatever scenarios you want without worrying about dealing with the consequences long-term.

But in this era of Marvel, they were concerned with the long-term. Not to say that there weren’t cop-outs back in this day too. But since books were expected to keep going indefinitely instead of being cancelled and relaunched, there’s less of a sense of ‘this thing is only here to play with for a little while.’ If you wrote a thing, another writer was expected to follow up on it.

And I miss that a little.

So not giving a cop-out bullshit thing that undoes Hank’s actions was bad in the long run for his image as a character. But that’s a long way from now problem, exacerbated by writers like Chuck Austin and Mark Millar who wanted to wallow in it.

For an arc where Hank fell from grace and proved himself again, taking ownership of what a garbage fire his life can be was necessary.

One among many reasons I probably won’t like the Crossing when I get to it, haha.

With Hank’s actions proven as being Hank’s actions, Hank says there’s one more loose end that he wants to help tie off.

He wants to participate as witness when the Avengers hold a court of inquiry for Hawkeye killing Egghead.

This comes as an absolute surprise to Hawkeye, who I guess never read the bylaws. Which honestly, is very in-character for him.

But it being brought up, he insists that all he has to do is enter the findings of the state judge and be done with it.

Hank insists he participate though.

Hank Pym: “Hawkeye is faced with charges because he acted in my defense. It’s only right that I act in his.”

So, the Avengers go to the first floor library, which is apparently the court of inquiry room. I feel like we’re suddenly getting a lot of details about the layout of the Avengers Mansion in recent issues.

So Wasp convenes the court all formal style, so formal style that Hawkeye thinks that stickler Cap(tain America) couldn’t have done a better job. The purpose of the court of inquiry is to determine the validity of the charge of “unreasonable use of deadly force” and determine what if any proper disciplinary action should be taken.

I think Hawkeye is annoyed at having to go through with this (read the bylaws, my dude) because when Wasp asks if he has anything to add to his claim of innocence of the charge, he says he already gave the court copies of the court transcript that cleared him of the same charge, but also decides to speechify a little, because he wasn’t accused of contempt of court enough today.

Hawkeye: “I have already given the chair copies of the transcript of a hearing of the state courts... a hearing which found me not guilty of the same charge. And I have something else to say as well!”

“I don’t deny that my actions caused the death of Egghead. But in no way did I use undue force! I found Hank Pym in mortal danger, and I used the necessary means to save him... period. After all, we are supposed to be the Avengers, right?”

Luckily for Hawkeye, the Avengers are more willing to put up with him than a state court so Jan just goes ‘ok, noted.’

Captain Marvel also has a minor change of heart on Hawkeye. I don’t think we’ve gotten her in-depth feelings on him before (although he did get pissy about her joining the team, we didn’t see her response to that) but she’s impressed because she thought he had more wind than conviction but is seeing that isn’t so. And she’s also impressed by Serious Mode Jan who she thought was kind of flighty.

Captain Monica Marvel seeing all kinds of new sides of the Avengers lately.

Also, this isn’t important and you won’t be able to see what I mean unless I included more caps than I wanted to, but in the panel establishing the court of inquiry, Monica is just standing off to the side. But in the next panel she appears in, she’s moved over to sit on a couch instead.

I think its a framing thing but its still kind of funny to imagine her going ‘wait why am I standing up’ and heading for the comfy couch.

With Hawkeye’s statement given, Wasp invites Hank Pym to speak his piece.

And Hank gets up and gives an entirely unnecessary but probably appreciated defense of Hawkeye.

Hank Pym: “Ladies and gentlemen... I have not always been on the friendliest of terms with Hawkeye. Point of fact, we nearly came to blows a number of times... back in the days when I was an Avenger. But in all the time I’ve known him, Hawkeye has never used undue force.”

“I realize that this inquiry is little more than a formality. I have no doubt that you will find in his behalf. He did, as he said, act only in my defense. Unlike my own recent case before you, there is not the slightest hint of misconduct or negligence. The only thing Hawkeye is guilty of is being a good Avenger.”

“When I last spoke before this body, at my court-martial, I was not in a rational state of mind. I was unfit to be an Avenger. You wisely expelled me. I never expected to speak before you again. And now, I can think of no finer final statement than this... It has been my sincere honor to have known Hawkeye’s fellowship... as it has to have known yours.”

Okay. So. Half a defense of Hawkeye. And half... just a general good-bye and a demonstration that he actually does know how to deliver a defense at a court-martial. Cool.

I imagine if he had a mic, he would have dropped it.

Probably not, actually. Hank isn’t that exact blend of cool and inconsiderate for a mic drop.

Jarvis intercepts Hank on his way out and asks that he come with him to the second floor study. Jarvis has taken the liberty of gathering up the personal items Hank just kind of left in the mansion and packing them for him.

One suitcase has a bunch of Hank’s clothes that he had stashed in the mansion over the years. Including some wacky ties for wacky tie Fridays and a shirt that Hank had just plumb lost.

The other suitcase is a spare Yellowjacket outfit. In case Hank ever needs it.

Then Hank and Jarvis shake hands, Hank thanking Jarvis for everything that he’s done for him and the Avengers. He asks Jarvis to take care of himself because he knows he doesn’t have to ask him to take care of the Avengers.

This is a very touching scene. Its so touching that Jarvis excuses himself to go get misty eyed.

This is a Jarvis appreciation blog because I appreciate Jarvis as well.

Then, as Hank heads back down the staircase, he is intercepted by Thor, Captain America, and Hawkeye.

Yeah, the court of inquiry resolved off-screen because of how forgone a conclusion it was.

The three Avengers basically fall all over themselves to pat Hank on the back. Hank actually looks somewhat panicked by the positive affirmation.

That’s some mixture of funny and sad that I can’t identify.

Hawkeye tells Hank how much he appreciated his unnecessary defense. Thor clasps Hank’s shoulder and tells him he’s a class act, but in Thor-y words. And Cap extends an offer for whatever the Avengers can do to help Hank get back on his feet.

Hank thanks him for the offer but he’s already received an offer from a small research foundation in the Midwest.

Seems like getting exonerated of a treason charge is the best resume of all. That and Hank’s actual impressive resume.

But Cap has some stuff to work out re: Hank because he starts off on the stuff he put on the back burner back in that Ghost Rider issue.

Cap(tain America): “Hank... I know Iron Man would agree, if he were here, that we’re all sorry about the way things worked out. We should have realized the pressures you’d been under, prior to your breakdown. I was group leader at the time! I should have -- !”

Hank Pym: “Hold it right there, Cap! What I did, I did to myself! If I could have admitted that my problems existed... If I’d been willing to open up to you folks... Well, ‘if’ can be a big word sometimes. The fact of the matter is, I screwed up. And you did the only thing you could do! I don’t blame any of you.”

Hank has boarded the personal responsibility train and goddammit he’s riding it to the end of the line!

Good for him. Good clarity for the arc to have in its last issue.

But having started to slightly shout at the Avengers that he’s taking responsibility dammit! (he looks a bit pissed when he’s responding to Cap) Hank awkwardly excuses himself.

Cap tries to stop Hank from leaving because he has reached the bargaining stage of grief, I guess.

Cap: “Hank, wait! It doesn’t have to end like this! We could make a special amendment to the by-laws! We could reinstate you as an Avenger! You could be a special reservist -- !”

Hank: “Thanks, Cap. But no thanks. Trying to play super hero was the biggest mistake I ever made with my life! I was only fooling myself in ever thinking otherwise. But if you ever really think you might need a Yellowjacket again some day...”

He hands Cap the Yellowjacket suitcase.

Hank: “... Here! All you need is a good man and what’s in this case!”

I would hope, anyway. It’s going to be awkward if he opens it up later and its full of wacky ties.

The funny thing, although not really funny ha ha, is that Yellowjacket is the one codename of Hank’s that never really catches on outside of him.

You have multiple Ant-Men, a couple Goliaths, at least one other Giant-Man. There was a second Yellowjacket, eventually. But she didn’t make a big splash.

Despite Hank’s attempt here to pass the torch, Yellowjacket is a codename that remains inextricably tied to him. Which might be the problem. If there were another, more successful or at least more endearing Yellowjacket, Hank’s infamy in the role would not stand out so much.

Alas.

She-Hulk and Captain Marvel try next to intercept Hank. They don’t know him very well but they wanted to say their goodbyes too, despite not really knowing him that well.

Its the thought that definitely counts, probably.

But Hawkeye has some social awareness for a change and draws their attention to Wasp who is hanging back, but who clearly wants to talk to Hank.

So the rest of the Avengers quickly vacate to let Hank and Jan finally have closure. Or re-closure. “I want a divorce and to never see you again” is a kind of closure.

The situation has changed, however.

They both try to apologize to each other and then laugh at the awkwardness.

Hank: “Janet van Dyne, you are one in a million! After all that I put you through, you want to tell me that you’re sorry?”

Wasp: “I think we both made some mistakes along the way, but there were some good times... weren’t there?”

Hank: “Yes. But you can’t base a marriage on just a few good times. I fell for the young lady who reminded me of my first wife... and you thought you’d found the strong, silent hero. But I was never that strong, Jan. You know that now.”

Wasp: “Uh-huh.”

Damn, his prison time really did bring Hank a lot of clarity. That or the pile of therapists Tony kept throwing at him.

Hank also kind of talks over Jan here. Or at least steers the conversation. I don’t know what Jan would have said because Hank tells her that they both have other lives to lead and tells her to take care of herself.

Maybe its for the best, if, like Cap, she was going to try to shoulder all the blame for Hank’s bad decisions.

Hank walks out the door and finds Trish and Fred from the boat waiting to give him a ride to the airport. And then he is gone.

Like in the final image of the COURT-MARTIAL issue, Jan watches at the window.

“The last time Henry Pym left these walls, Janet felt like crying... but couldn’t find any tears. Today, at last, she has found the tears... for her former husband... for her team... for herself. Today, there is pain and remorse and release. There will be time enough for joy and hope tomorrow.”

Emotional catharsis can be like that.

In that the book kept going ‘Jan is really holding her emotions in and that’s probably not overall great for her’ its good that she can let it out now.

Kind of laughing at Captain Marvel and She-Hulk who only recently just met Jan being the ones going there there while the men she has known for years are just awkwardly standing in the background.

And that’s the fall and rise of Hank Pym. Apparently collected in trade as The Trial of Yellowjacket, which is a decent enough name too.

Overall, a good arc. That is kind of hampered by the need for filler and a writer change near the end. But honestly, Stern catches the ball and runs with it. He concludes the arc just as good as Shooter would’ve.

This arc is all kinds of iconic for Hank, although, unfortunately, most people are only aware of the beginning and maybe have a hazy understanding of what the ending does.

Although. This is a really good send-off for Hank. A really, really good send-off that would have worked best if he did like he said and quit superheroing forever.

That’s not to be, obviously, not in a perpetual narrative machine like Marvel. But it feels like it could have been and maybe should have been the last word on his character.

I enjoy Hank in Busiek’s Avengers and in Avengers Academy. And also, conceptually, Hank telling Reed “it’s on, bitch.” I very don’t enjoy Ultimate Hank Pym. So its a balancing act. The perfect exit for the character vs but I like some stuff when they brought him back.

Anyway.

After this, Stern gets to move on to his own material. Which he already planted the seeds for in this issue.

That’s a pun.

Follow @essential-avengers​ because of my bad puns. Also like and reblog, if you like to reblog.

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

ASM Annual 2018 rant

There will be spoilers for this and I’m going to presume you’ve already read it so I’m not going to give you a synopsis.

 In short it was at best mediocre and at worst a waste of your money.

 First of all maybe this is just me but the art was not that great. Overly sketchy, under detailed and it failed to capture the time period. If you wanna see a throwback story with art that at worst nods towards the style of the time, check out Untold Tales of Spider-Man or even better ASM Annual 1996, with art work by Ron Frenz and Romita Senior himself!

 I already complained about how Black Cat was written out of character in regards to her attitude to the black costume and how her costume was inaccurate too.

 But miraculously both things come off as WORSE in the full context of the story.

 Going back to the art, Garry Brown directly references Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8 where Spidey first got the black costume. So...he is CLEARLY checking the old artwork and using it as reference and yet...he screw up Felicia’s costume.

 And despite what I’ve seen some people say, that it was just an art flub on like one panel of one page no, he draws Felicia multiple times and the costume design is the same, Brown genuinely believed her outfit looked that way or else DGAF and drew it how he wanted. He wasn’t even entirely consistent with his own error because he draws her with white books in one panel of the comic.

 Then we get to the story itself.

 First of all in terms of judging this  story purely in isolation (which you shouldn’t do in general, but ESPECIALLY when it bills itself as an untold tale meaning it’s entire premise rests upon how it fits into the history) it’s at best okay.

 Honestly my biggest take away was like...what was the point of this story?

 Okay, I grant you a story set in the Alien Costume Saga from the symbiote’s point of view diving into its head could maybe be interesting. But you’d have to have something really interesting involved because the symbiote itself was a simplistic animalistic creature back then, it wasn’t the more evolved and twisted entity we saw in the 2000s or in more modern stories. It learned emotions FROM Spider-Man himself.

Like what was there really worth exploring from the symbiote’s POV. It didn’t change by the end of the story beyond the ways we already knew about because again, this is a flashback story.

 So basically we got an extra length story where we learn that the symbiote briefly befriended some kid.

  Wow. That was worth over $4.

 Looking at this story in the context of the time it was raising a million questions for me in terms of how the hell it fit.

 In the story Peter visits Aunt May, but it was in literally the second issue during the ACS that Aunt May and Peter had a huge falling out over his dropping out of grad school, something not resolved until AFTER the ACS wrapped up.

 The impression given by the overall story heavily implies Peter has had the costume for a little while and that the symbiote’s night time joyrides have been draining his energy by the time we get the Aunt May scene. This doesn’t add up because there wouldn’t have been time for that.

  Another arguable problem was Felicia referencing Peter taking the costume to Reed Richards. Peter does do this but much later on and I don’t think Reed’s name ever cropped up between Peter and Felicia back then. Granted, I double checked and Reed had offered Peter the chance to check out the suit from the beginning of the ACS, meaning it’s possible for that he mentioned it to her off panel. But again her attitude doesn’t add up.

 There are a few other Felicia problems too.

  Peter says he was unaware that he and Felicia were on a date, which is weird because they spent MOST of their time together fighting crime and it was made explicit that that was to them what going out to the movies or for dinner was for a normal couple.

This is literally one of Peter’ problems with their relationship, they spent so much time doing that and not just being a normal couple. Hence he broke up with her!

Later Felicia reprimands Peter for being 2 hours late and tells him he’d have to put in more of an effort if he wanted her to stick around.

There is no single moment that explicitely calls this out as OOC for her, but in context this is BS. Felicia was so devoted to her relationship with Spider-Man that she not only gave up her criminal ways (twice) and risked her life but went behind his back to get powers from the Kingpin and lied about it afterwards. She is very obviously not going to say something like that unless she was ribbing him and that was not the impression given off by the scene.

 Finally there is a scene where she enters  Peter’s bedroom via his window to just...watch him in his sleep I guess? Then Peter is slightly weirded out but otherwise chill.

Putting this stalkerish moment aside, it doesn’t jive with either of their characters back then.

On Felicia’s part she had a problem with Peter’s civilian side and preferred to minimize time spent in Peter’s company rather than Spider-Man’s.

On Peter’s part he had a major problem with Felicia coming into his apartment like this because she was being cavalier with his secret identity. A good example can be found in ASM #258 which just so happens to be the conclusion of THE ACTUAL ALIEN COSTUME SAGA FFS!

Then we have the main story itself, the symbiote’s night time activities.

This is a tiny thing but the story explains that the symbiote itself is inducing sleep and controlling what Peter feels during it’s joyrides. This makes sense and is fair enough, up until the point where Peter’s body is being physically injured.

Now, as a lover of the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon, I will admit my second favourite episode is where the symbiote hijacks Spider-Man’s body and defeats the Sinister Six, only for Peter to wake up with some bumps and bruises he was unaware of. So I feel somewhat hypocritical criticising the story from that angle.

I do not however feel bad at all about asking how the Hell did the symbiote manage to keep Peter asleep when it was literally being put through immense pain and partially slivering off Peter’s body!

Isn’t the whole POINT of symbiosis  that two organisms are one so if the symbiote feels pain shouldn’t Peter as well?

If the symbiote is feeling pain and literally losing it’s grip on Peter’s body, how is it still so in control of what he feels that it’s keeping him asleep?

How does that even make sense from a pure instinctive survival POV?

Moving on the symbiote gets overly aggressive with the criminals it fights to the point where only by taking advice from a kid in it’s immediate company does it help rescue people sans any form of gbh.

I dunno what the point of this was beyond I guess making it more explicit that the symbiote wasn’t JUST swinging around but also fighting crime. Maybe to foreshadow the symbiote when it and Brock went full lethal protector?

Anyway one aspect of the story which is inconsistent is whether anybody even recognizes Spider-Man. Now yeah in the ACS people DIDN’T recognize Spider-Man in his new black costume at first so this lack of recognition could be excused depending upon how early in the timeline this story is supposed to take place. Problem is the story doesn’t occur over like one or two days it’s obviously unfolding across various nights in which the black costume has been joyriding Peter. Peter himself is feeling the fatigue which if this was one or two nights wouldn’t add up.

In the first scene of the costume going out crime fighting a woman recognizes Spider-Man immediately, implying that there HAVE been at least some photos in the papers showing the new suit and confirming this as the same guy.

However later when we meet the kid the suit befriends in that scene the kid is seemingly unaware this guy even is Spider-Man referring to him as a new hero.

That same night the kid gets abducted by Hammerhead who explicitly calls him Spider-Man. But when the suit rescues the kid he says he doesn’t know who he is but that he could be a good hero someday.

I honestly tried to consider that the kid was referring to Spidey’s civilian identity. But the fact that in their first and last meeting he is talking about how the symbiote could be a good hero someday and told it to be less aggressive and more caring for civilians, implies that the intention was for the kid to STILL not realize this was Spider-Man.

This gets even dumber in the context of Marvel’s timeline. However you slice it if modern Spider-Man stories happen in 2018, then the ASC should’ve happened at the biggest of pushes like 10-12 years ago in 2006, probably even more recently.

How in the Hell does anyone, let alone a kid who’s likely consuming more media than older people, in like 2006 or later NOT hear about how this new dude in black is Spider-Man?

Even if he doesn’t follow the news that’s one of those things you’d pick up via osmosis.

Especially since the media doesn’t shut up about fashion and celebrities and in this case a celebrity bigger than any real life ones has massively changed his costume (and now more closely resembles notorious vigilante the Punisher).

Now let’s talk about the symbiote’s violence.

The story implies the symbiote is trying to help Peter by fighting crime for him as he sleeps. Except the symbiote is violent in a way Spider-Man never is, maiming and killing people.

This makes sense...for Venom. But the symbiote itself is not inherently violent beyond bestial instincts. It committed immense violence in the company of Brock because Brock himself was a violent disturbed individual.

If the symbiote wants to serve it’s host, it’s ‘friend’, by doing what he routinely does why does it go so much further than he does?

In fact if it’s bonded to him and knows his inner thoughts enough to induce images of Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy then surely it is aware that Peter doesn’t act like that?

A far bigger problem is the general public’s reaction to all this.

Again, people obviously know that black costume Spider-Man is the same guy as the dude with the red and blue suit.

So...why is NO ONE reporting that Spider-Man is maiming and killing criminals?

Spider-Man had been demonized for YEARS by Jameson and framed/blamed for various crimes including the murders of George Stacy, Norman Osborn and IIRC Gwen Stacy too!

If Spider-Man was now acting this way it’d be MAJOR news!

In fairness I guess the implication is that the symbiote did this stealthily enough that not too many people found out about it. And every witness that did either forgot about or shut up about it.

Which seems...kind of difficult to believe. It’s difficult to believe, especially if this story took place in the CCTV laden 2000s, that NO ONE saw this happen or else forgot or else kept it quiet. In Hammerhead’s case I do not understand WHY he never spoke about it and why he never ever brought it up to Spider-Man ever again.

 Then we get the biggest ‘You really didn’t put much effort into this at all did you’ moment of the story right towards the end.

 Okay so the implication is that this whole adventure with Hammerhead and the kid might’ve happened during ASM #258 itself when the symbiote took control of Peter’s body in the middle of that issue. I say this because the page immediately after the symbiote tucks peter back into bed is Peter taking the costume to Reed Richards.

 I do not know why but for some reason the idea that the climax of this annual transpired specifically during ASM #258 just bothers me for some reason even though I can’t seem to find any explicit contradiction or problem with it doing so.

 The same cannot be said of the actual scene involving Reed.

 The scene plays out differently in various small but noticeable ways and one big egregious ‘This is the laziest lack of editing and research ever’ kind of way.

I’ll list them out in a second but it’s easier to just to a side by side comparison of ASM #258 and this annual.

·         The ‘choreography’ (for lack of a better term) of the scene is different.  In the annual Reed and Spidey are sitting down and in the middle of examining Spider-Man’s suit when Reed delivers the news that it is alive. In the original story Reed had already conducted all his tests and Spidey was waiting around to hear the news which Reed delivered to him and Johnny whilst all three of them were standing upright.

·         Reed’s dialogue explaining the symbiote is alive is totally different and far more blasé, whereas originally it was longer and ended with the reveal as a shock, Peter reacting accordingly

·         Peter is casual about learning his suit is alive and about removing it only getting distressed when it starts clinging to him.

·         Reed wasn’t wearing a lab coat in the original annual

·         Reed was accompanied by Johnny

·         The Sonic Blaster is totally different, resembling a gun you could hold in one hand whereas in the original issue it was shaped more like a rifle

·         The annual implies Reed busted out the Sonic Blaster almost immediately after the symbiote tightened it’s grip on Peter when there was several panels depicting Peter’s struggle and Johnny and Reed’s attempts to help him and retrieving the Sonic Blaster

·         Oh yeah and there is the teeny weeny fact that in the original story, unlike this annual, PETER DIDN’T HAVE HIS MASK OFF!

 I’m sure there are some who will be like “Oh get over it it’s a tiny little mistake from a comic over 30 years old”.

 NO!

 This is not a tiny mistake.

 When your series is about a superhero with a secret identity who knows that identity and when is a HUGE deal innate to the narrative.

 But what makes this mistake so transcendentally lazy on the part of the writer and/or artist and definitely the editor(s) is that Reed NOT knowing Spider-Man’s identity is  a plot point for the rest of the story!

You ever see a video game, info book or collage of Spider-Man’s costumes and see that one funny looking outfit where he was wearing what looked like a lame blue Fantastic Four outfit and a paper bag over his head?

Yeah, this is where that came from!

Spider-Man didn’t want Reed or Johnny to know who he was so he covered up his face, necessitating Johnny provided him with an old suit and lieu of a mask gave him a paper bag.

Spider-Man is the Amazing Bag-Man for 6/22 pages of the conclusion to the story this annual is directly referencing!

It’s a fairly well known piece of Spider-Man history, being one of the more famously funny moments of Spider-Man lore and one of the great examples of the Parker Luck.

And it was all part of a historically VITAL story. Not just for Spider-Man but think how much of Marvel history has involved one symbiote or another, there were three EVENTS built around them  across the last few years alone FFS!

And the people behind this comic book blatantly didn’t bother to re-read the damn issue, let alone the over all arc!

And the most ironic part about that?

The very last page of the annual includes a message from the editor talking about how interested he was in this era of Spider-Man, how it was one of his favourites and he even recommends trades collecting the story arc!

Like fucking take your own advice maybe?

Two final points to end this rant on.

The impression given by the editor’s message and the over all story was that they seemed to think that they were the first or only people to do a flashback tale about what the symbiote was doing whilst joyriding Peter’s body.

They were not.

In fact it seems like every damn decade someone decides to tell that story.

In 1995 as part of the ‘Planet of the Symbiotes’ Super Specials Dan Slott, in his very first canon Spider-Man story ever, used that idea. And whilst it didn’t shit on the ACS in general it did shit on the character of Jean DeWolff by pretending she never had romantic feelings for Spider-Man.

Because even in his formative days as a young intern cheating his way through Marvel’s door Slott had to fuck up characterization I guess.

In the 2007 as part of ‘Back in Black’ Sean McKeever (he of ‘Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane’ fame) did another storyset during the ACS. It wasn’t wholly about the symbiote’s night time activities but it did more subtly with just a few moments get into the symbiote’s head, depicting it’s loneliness and homesickness. Whilst that story also screwed up Black Cat’s costume there were no other egregious continuity errors, the story fits pretty neatly into the histories of Spider-Man and also the Sandman.

It was infinitely better than this story which I don’t think anyone should ever regard as canon going forward.

P.S. How poorly produced was this annual?

So poorly produced that no one considered that despite it going against the literal meaning of the word this comic is the second  Amazing Spider-Man annual     for 2018!

[sparda3g]

Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 171 Review

Emotional attachment can lead to complexity within a person. “Easier said than done” is one quote that will be thrown around a lot when it comes to settling the issue. It’s up to their companion to relieve them from despair or among themselves to accept it. The arc is drawing near to the end as one battle ends, another one coming to a close. After a long period of waiting, it was well worth it for this emotional driven chapter.

It’s a bit challenging to say which scenario is the best part of the chapter. Sometimes I like the first half more, sometimes I like the latter. Both scenarios carry the similar theme of attachment to the world and its people, human and ghoul. When it comes to connecting themes and character’s growth, Ishida shines brightly with his delivering on his compelling characters.

I thought the last chapter concluded the battle between Yomo and Uta, but instead, we got a definitive ending here and it’s all for the better. It’s good to know Uta didn’t die from that devastating attack. Granted, I had a hunch he was going to live, but if he did die, that would be a bit easy. The chapter treated us with a really delightful ending to their bout and if there’s more room for the series, a really good future for the two.

Uta goes into greater detail on his thoughts on life itself. The way how he described his life in the past compare to the present somewhat reminds me of Citizen Kane. In that film, there’s this “checkpoint” of a man’s life that often look back and think that’s where the path was decided. Uta had fun back then because nothing in life mattered, even when they break their legs, him and Yomo. It began to change when Yomo was heading towards a different path alas Anteiku with Yoshimura. If Uta doesn’t follow or move anywhere else, what does he have left?

I thought it was pretty sad that Uta did in fact try to help Yomo to avenge his sister because it was like his way to keep him together. You know how many stories go about revenge won’t reward you greatly, if not any. This one is no different but it doesn’t address the obvious, rather use strong words to not only address the morale but connect to Uta’s despair. They couldn’t avenge for Yomo’s behalf, but now, Yomo has move ahead of it, because the world is changing.

Uta is a man that watches the world change but don’t adapt any of it. He has tried enough to adjust, or rather recover from the losses but he just couldn’t change. Every man adapts differently; he’s just harder to crack open. Honestly speaking, I am amazed and moved by Yomo as of late, which is funny considering how much of a mute guy he was. I know he let out his inner feelings when the moment is right, but his connections and thoughts speak to me.

Yomo comes off genuine with his words that it’s a bit unbelievable. Okay, no more knocking on him; I actually like his character a lot. The thing about his words is the fact they are sincere and relatable. He doesn’t come off as a leader or spokesman for a noble peace prize; it’s just two friends talking like friends. Surprising how Yomo did once come close to become another Uta on simply saying life sucks. He lost many loved ones before joining with Anteiku and convinced himself that cruelty is inevitable. When the café was burnt down, his reaction didn’t match up to his thoughts. Easier said than done.

It’s relatable to his thoughts about what should he have done instead of following orders to stand back and watch it fall. Many of us would often think about the past action and debate if it was a mistake or not. What I really like about Yomo transcribing his past is how we get a better view of his character. He was a mute person, but his subtle reaction clued you in how he really felt about it. The most obvious display is against Arima, but it’s also the moment of change for the better.

It’s ironic due to how Arima revolved Yomo’s character for past vengeance yet it intertwined with the present with Ayato and Touka. It’s no longer about fighting for the past cause. It connects very well to theme of attachment since Yomo is now fighting forward to see what rewards him, good or bad. Uta was avoiding the change around him, so nothing seem to progress. He’s there to adjust other’s life. Yomo is part of the world changing and contributing it till the end, hence soon to be a grand uncle. Best grand uncle ever, that’s for sure.

It has a charming way to end the grudge with Yomo willing to allow Uta to earn his desire. Yomo only wants for the best for others and prefer to be taken alone and him alone. It makes sense since Uta was only part of Clowns to change shape of others, even though his target has been only on Yomo. I like how Uta’s reply simply state that they are adults now. These two had a good sit down chat over their problems and reason each other like adults. It also implies he is finally stepping forward and hopefully for a better path.

The charm is how they start talking like good friends again. The topic is amusing because even the characters themselves can see the obvious pairing that is Kaneki and Touka. Who knew that they’re shippers since the beginning? I still remember when Uta asked Kaneki on his opinion on Touka; now it makes sense. The parallel panel is a nice way to end the battle; past or present, some things never change.

The rest of the chapter belongs to Amon and Donato though not without some new revealing details that was well timed for connecting themes. You got to credit Amon to keep on striving against Donato, even against the odds. I know some fans are tired of him getting wrecked, even though most of them are understandable; however, this time is actually relatable, reasonable, and powerful.

To my surprise, Takizawa isn’t there to join along the battle with Amon or even watch him to die. I was certain that the former was going to happen. It came close that Takizawa was pulling the old Shounen method of “Don’t interfere. He is fighting for his honor!” However, the reason to not to interfere is valid because Amon is actually struggling to himself. It wasn’t because Amon is weak or outclassed completely, though wouldn’t mind to be the case. He simply can’t kill Donato due to his attachment.

Whatever the missing pieces from the last chapter were are found here, including Tomoe. Like I said before, she had the perfect chance to kill Amon, but she didn’t do anything. Although she has some pity, it shouldn’t stop her. What stopped her is fear of losing a purpose. All she has left is vengeance and that can be settled now if she like, but then what? Not a single word came out from her after that thought. It’s a small yet valuable moral to exploit on fearing to fulfill their selfish wish.

The part that got me compelled is the flashback scene with Takizawa versus Houji, back at Rue Island. It was a bout that was skipped entirely, and I never knew why. With how Ishida put two and two together, I can understand clearly why it was on hold. In retrospect, fans including me believed Takizawa overwhelmed everyone, but the truth is in and it turns out that Houji held back and accepted death.

It humanizes the theme further because that bout was more emotional influence than a typical a monster versus humans. I was left believing Houji was a cold guy that had no remorse, even though I believed he drew a tear while confirming their next target. Takizawa was a loose cannon but that one expression opened his mind; Houji did care and felt sadden to end up this way. You can argue on why he was sad like regretting to save him before, but the bottom line is he was hindered by emotion and Takizawa technically took it for granted.

Basically, Takizawa’s purpose is to watch Amon develop or die before anything. If he steps in and somehow defeats Donato, what does Amon gain from it? It’s equivalent to a guy who wanted revenge on a criminal, only to be killed by another. No lesson will be learned and if there’s no other way around it, the man is lost. Amon has always been one of my favorite characters of the franchise. I find it appealing whenever he gets a development. While the bout as a whole is pretty solid, it transpires to one of the best humanized development that the series has offered so far.

What intrigued me about Amon the most is his justice system and his origin with Donato. Normally, it would be a simple premise with a boy who grew up with an evil father-figure, now against his kind. While he did embark that journey, he however remained attached to him despite everything he stands for. This portion would challenge readers if they are fine with his struggle despite one is clearly evil. The context is what saved it for me and bonus, shined his character deeper.

It’s a complicated scenario where a character meets his/her faithful enemy who is also the one who fathered them. It has a great parallel display of his tie with Kaneki and the current situation. The two prime examples of his divine character development. He has stuck to the code of justice system based on CCG. His hatred from his past went on Ghouls and killed them for what he believed was right. Once he becomes a ghoul, his view started to change.

It’s a shame that those who are so high up on their code would be forced to be a Ghoul alas force them to wear their shoes. He established a while back that not all Ghouls are evil but they are classified as one, so that may never change. I do wonder about the aftermath, which I still press on for part 3 as long as there are other elements left unsolved. Basically, Amon established both Human and Ghoul are largely the same, and yet he can define who is real evil and Donato is one. So why can he kill him if that’s the case?

The most powerful part is how he finally developed his view about the world being twisted. Remember how he told Ghouls or Kaneki to be specific that they’re the one that ruined it. After what he has gone through, he realizes the world would be twisted by anyone and among them is him. If he let Donato roam free, he is no better than anyone he’s against; a cruel irony. It’s intriguing with Takizawa realizing late of Houji’s emotional attachment result to a sad end while Amon realizing late would result to a good end. Not everyone have a same meaning and he has to deal with it.

The ending is interesting. Amon makes a sword shape weapon, though it can be considered as a cross; a fitting design. Donato looks at him and smiles like a proud father. Amon finally pushes through and takes a huge portion of his left’s side body; similar with Kaneki to Amon in Part 1. Amon actually concludes that he loved Donato and he can’t be hold back because of it.

If it wasn’t for its context and delivery, it would be difficult for readers to accept to like a murderer. The point is Amon and Donato did come a long way in their life in the orphanage. It’s hard to dispute any connection and detach any love they harbored in the past, especially since childhood for Amon. Growing up as such isn’t easy to forget and set free. Even if he seeks for vengeance, it didn’t grow out of air. The bond exists and he had to accept that fact no matter if it is wrong.

After a long break, this chapter was a great return with emotional connection with these characters. The art is pretty solid with its nice use of parallels and expressive feelings. Yomo and Uta have a relaxing bromance ending and Amon and Donato are closing their feud soon with a strong message. It seems like this arc will end in this volume. It’s a only matter of time.

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: Naruto versus Pain, Seven Years of Buildup

  Any show as long-running as Naruto is bound to have some arcs and seasons that are better than others. The original show had the Chunin Exam and the Sasuke Retrieval arcs, but also had literally 100 episodes of filler. Shippuden had the likes of the Gaara Rescue arc, but also the Fourth Great Ninja War.

  Throughout the entire 720 episode run of Naruto, I would argue that the show was at its best during the Pain arc of Shippuden. The other three examples I listed are great stories, as well, but I think the Pain arc goes above and beyond by both paying off the setup from as far back as Episode 1 of the original show and by setting up future development for the series.

    As some set up for anyone who doesn’t feel like watching over 150 episodes of Shippuden before continuing, the overarching plot is that the Akatsuki (the group that Sasuke’s brother Itachi and shark-man Kisame from the original show were a part of) are trying to gather Jinchuriki — the Tailed Beasts’ hosts, such as Naruto and Gaara.

  By the time we get to the Pain Arc, the majority of the Akatsuki have been killed or taken out of commission in one way or another. Additionally, Jiraiya successfully infiltrated the Village Hidden in the Rain, where the Akatsuki’s leader, Pain, is based. However, when he confronts Pain, there are six people all with the Rinnegan, a legendary eye with special powers that supposedly only previously occurred in the Sage of Six Paths, the person who first created ninjutsu, the ninja magic that almost all the major characters use.

  In the ensuing fight, we see Jiraiya go all out for once, including using some kind of transformation that makes him more frog-like, but eventually, he is killed, using sheer willpower to keep himself alive long enough to carve a coded message into a toad’s back to relay some kind of information to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. 

    This marks a substantial tonal shift for the show. In a previous season, Asuma — Shikamaru’s mentor, Konohamaru’s uncle, and the Third Hokage’s son — died fighting a member of the Akatsuki who Shikamaru eventually took down. 

  When Shikamaru confronts Naruto about Jiraiya, their conversation gives some insight as to why this arc is different from the previous ones. Shikamaru takes Naruto to the hospital where Kuranai is recovering after giving birth, and he talks about how Asuma tasked him with protecting both of them and eventually training Kuranai and Asuma’s child. This leads to Shikamaru outright telling Naruto they are no longer the next generation in training, they are starting to take over for their masters and become the next generation of mentors.

    The episodes before Pain attacks are also markedly different than most other story arcs, even in the original show. Everyone knows that Pain is going to come to take Naruto, so Naruto goes off with the toads to learn the same Sage transformation that Jiraiya had used. At the same time, we get to see more of the inner workings of the Village as the intel division try to gain information from a Hidden Rain ninja that Jiraiya had captured and the cipher division works with Shikamaru to decipher Jiraiya’s message.

  This is one of the only times we get to see the Village Hidden in the Leaves as an actual organization, with multiple departments all working toward the same goal, rather than one or two small field teams trying to accomplish a mission, potentially with some off-screen help from another division, like the ANBU Black Ops.

    Unfortunately, even after decoding the message and hacking the ninja’s brain to learn about Pain’s secrets, the leader of the Akatsuki still shows up before Naruto finishes his Sage training and launches a major attack on the Village.

  Previously, we’ve seen Orochimaru’s forces attack the Leaf at the end of the Chunin Exams in the original show, however, whether through building up the villains for so long, or because the team animating and making the show had matured in the intervening years, Pain’s attack on the Village is much more visceral and personal.

  Instead of a giant multiheaded snake crashing through the Village walls and some nameless Chunin falling into the forest below, we see civilians fleeing from massive monsters trampling the streets. When major characters like Kakashi and Choji fight more than one of the six Pains at once, Kakashi dies in the process. The fight culminates in one of the six Pains using his Almighty Push ability to destroy the entire Village. Sakura, emerging from the rubble and seeing the destruction, yells for Naruto in a scene that has stuck in my memory despite having not seen the episode in years.

    Meanwhile, in Naruto’s Sage training, we also see development with respect to the show’s fighting and magic system. Sage Mode works by Naruto staying perfectly still and sensing the Nature Chakra around him, then absorbing it and mixing it with his normal chakra to create a new energy that is limited, but extremely powerful.

  Obviously, Naruto can’t just stand still in battle, so the elder toad training him offers to stay attached to Naruto so one can take in Nature Chakra while the other fights. However, due to Naruto having the Kyuubi in him, the elder toad can’t stay attached, meaning the transformation is effectively useless in battle. Then, in a truly shocking turn of events, Naruto actually has a good idea.

  In a previous season, Kakashi showed that Shadow Clones are connected to their original body, which allowed Naruto to train at hyper-speed since all the experience of the clones would flow back into him. Naruto realized that clones could maintain their Sage chakra until he needed it, then he could release the Jutsu and absorb the power, giving him another burst of Sage Mode without needing to stop moving.

  As much as people joke about how dumb Naruto is, I loved this scene ever since I first saw it. It shows that Naruto might be stubborn and not a particularly fast thinker, but he’s not an idiot. He can come up with legitimately good ideas that will help him in battle.

    When Naruto gets back to the crater formerly known as the Village Hidden in the Leaves, he's almost like a completely new character. He shows up in a completely new Sage outfit — which is almost an invert color-wise of the Akatsuki’s uniform and is close to the Fourth Hokage’s cloak, and I REALLY wish that it came back after this arc — with an oversized scroll on his back, reminiscent of Jiraiya’s outfit, and his mentor elder toad standing between his feet. Additionally, Naruto is standing on Gamakichi, who is in turn standing on his father Gamabunta, the chief toad the size of a building, who is flanked by two soldier toads of the same size. 

  After Naruto realizes he is standing in the remains of his home, he goes to fight Pain. In the ensuing fight, he is eventually pinned to the ground due to running out of Sage chakra and Hinata rushes in to save him. Her fight with Pain is completely one-sided, but she’s not fighting to kill the enemy, she’s fighting to free the boy she’s loved for years, — which she finally admits while bleeding on the ground before Pain stabs her, presumably killing her.

    In the original series, we saw that the Kyuubi’s power can manifest as a chakra cloak around Naruto. Shippuden expanded on that, showing what happens when more power leaks out and more tails manifest. We’ve seen that two tails is dangerous, but basically just the original cloak with more power. We’ve also seen that at four tails, Naruto loses all control and basically becomes a mini Tailed Beast as his skin peels off and a black and crimson half-human half-fox creature starts rampaging. Jiraiya stated previously that he had only been close to death twice in his life, and one of those times was when training with Naruto after Naruto unleashed the four-tailed Tailed Beast Cloak.

  When Hinata’s defeated, Naruto instantly goes into the four tails cloak, Pain egging him on to feel such pain and understand that peace can never be achieved as Naruto’s rage continues to increase.

    In the ensuing fight ... Honestly, just go watch Naruto Shippuden Episode 167. It’s hard to even describe the insanity of Tailed Beast Cloak Naruto versus Pain, so I’ll leave it at this: Pain basically becomes Wile E. Coyote for about 10 minutes of non-stop action. For anyone who wants to go the extra mile and get a behind the scenes look, here’s an interview with the animation director who worked on the Naruto versus Pain fight:

    Enjoy a charming interview with Shingo Yamashita, the animator behind the Naruto vs. Pain scene in Shippuden! ???? pic.twitter.com/Zw4crrbeNc

— Crunchyroll (@Crunchyroll) February 25, 2019

    At the end of the fight, Pain decides he needs to go all out against the rapidly transforming Naruto, destroying the surrounding area to create a giant sphere of stone encasing the Jinchuriki and noting that it should be easy since the Sage of Six Paths was said to have created the Moon with the same technique.

  Meanwhile, Captain Yamato — who can seal the Tailed Beast back into Naruto thanks to having the First Hokage’s cells implanted in him and Naruto having the First Hokage’s necklace that Tsunade gave him back in the original show — has been rushing back to the Village from a mission, since his hand keeps burning with the number of tails Naruto has released. He stops dead when he sees “九,” the kanji for “9.” 

    Inside Naruto’s mental landscape, he’s about to remove the seal and release the Kyuubi fully when the Fourth Hokage stops him.

  The two talk for a while, with the Hokage confirming he is Naruto’s father (which the audience had known since the beginning of the season but Naruto was learning for the first time) and that he would only be able to help this one time.

  The show does an amazing job of portraying Naruto’s simultaneous relief at being saved, elation at knowing his parents, disbelief at knowing he is the son of the Hokage he’s looked up to his entire life, anger at his parents for having left him, and innumerable other emotions.

    The Kyuubi now back under control, Naruto emerges from the sphere and goes back down to Pain, asking to speak to the original body. The two continue to fight for a while, Naturo employing more tactical thinking than ever before by having his ultimate attack be a multilayered distraction to hide a Mass Shadow Clones Jutsu that had all used the Transformation Jutsu to hide as rocks where Pain was standing. 

  With all six Pain defeated, Naruto locates the original Pain. When the two meet, Naruto wants to kill him, but also wants to hear out his reasoning before making a final judgment on how to proceed.

    This is one of the biggest changes from before and after the Pain arc. Before the Pain arc, Naruto and his team would normally be on a mission, encounter an enemy trying to interfere or who was just evil, and the good guys would need to take down the bad guys. Even in Shippuden, the Akatsuki or other antagonists were almost certainly always in the wrong and clearly needed to be taken down.

  Pain is the first major antagonist the show attempts to make sympathetic. He was a war orphan trained by Jiraiya and who was trying to make the world peaceful … by arming himself and his nation with the equivalent of nuclear bombs to threaten all the other nations into peace or he’d teach them the kind of pain he’d been through. Not exactly the most nuanced villain in all of anime, but more in-depth than the average Naruto villain before.

  Even Orochimaru, one of the best villains in the series, starts very one-note and only becomes more developed as time goes on. Even then, his development is more along the lines of a ninja mad scientist rather than a truly sympathetic character.

    After Pain, the series changes the focus of its battles more toward “how can this be resolved peacefully?” Naruto is always looking for a way to make the world better, rather than just doing his missions and helping people where he can. This echoes as far as the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War, where Obito has become the main antagonist for a time and yet still Naruto strives to befriend him and get him to stand down rather than outright kill him. 

  In short, the Pain arc is when the series matures from “beat up the bad guy” to “try to understand the bad guy and get them to change their ways, if possible.”

    After talking to Pain for so long that Pain decided to use the last of his power to bring everyone in the Leaf back to life, Naruto returns, barely conscious from exhaustion. As Kakashi supports him in the last stretch to a crowd of people, everyone begins cheering for Naruto, including lifting him up into the air. He is no longer the shunned kid on the swing that no one spoke to, he’s not even a ninja that everyone in the village respects. He has surpassed his childhood dream and become the Hero of the Leaf — the ninja who saved the Village and protected everyone.

    The arc isn’t without flaws. It’s the first time Naruto is outright a child of prophecy, destined to bring peace to the world. Sasuke lacks almost any character motivation after killing Itachi. Naruto gets stronger off-screen at least twice during his Sage training alone. And while many characters get fitting conclusions to their character arcs, others are left in the background or their payoff doesn’t actually do anything until later (like how Hinata confesses her love … and then absolutely nothing happens).

  However, there are three reasons why the Pain arc works so well.

  Plot

The character arc and plot thread resolutions are almost innumerable. Shikamaru has taken over for Asuma and is on his way to becoming a trusted advisor and mentor. Hinata has finally confessed her love to Naruto. Sasuke has taken his revenge on Itachi — in a surprisingly tactical fight that combines strategy, emotion, and future powers I wish I had time to detail. Kakashi got to speak to his father before Pain brought everyone back to life. Jiraiya passed on his hopes of a peaceful world to Naruto. Naruto surpassed his master and became the new Toad Sage. The Tailed Beast Cloak finally fully released but Naruto managed to fight it back. The First Hokage’s necklace broke. The Fourth Hokage and Naruto spoke. Naruto knows who his parents are. Naruto is finally acknowledged by the entire village, not only as a splendid ninja but as the Hero of the Leaf. The list goes on. 

  Foreshadowing

The Pain arc introduces the audience to the Rinnegan and Sage of Six Paths — both of which become increasingly important as the Fourth Great Ninja War goes on — and eventually become integral plot points to defeating Kaguya, the final boss of Shippuden. 

  Scale

Additionally, Pain’s Planetary Devastation and Almighty Push are the first times (outside of a filler arc or two) we’ve seen abilities of that level of destruction, which opened the door for future fights to scale even higher, eventually reaching the point of reshaping the entire landscape to create new mountains and valleys incidentally during the conflicts. While not exactly ninja, the series had long since left the realm of actual ninja techniques, so increasing spectacle is a welcome way to make the battles more exciting. 

  This is why I think that the Pain arc is the best in the series. It works as both a culmination of the series' past and as a gateway to the series’ future, both in terms of plot and visuals.

  What is your favorite part of Naruto Shippuden? How does the Pain arc stack up to the more recent Boruto arcs? Let me know in the comments below!

    Kevin Matyi is a freelance features writer for Crunchyroll. He's been watching anime for as long as he can remember, and his favorite shows tend to be shonen and other action series.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[ruffsficstuffplace]

And The AWRD Goes To... (Part 21)

Thud!

Akko let her head hit the table in front of her, her hands still on the thick, heavy, old tome she had just pushed away. “I give up...” she sobbed into the wood. “This is it, I’m done, I’m doomed... not even two days into Haven, and already I’ve washed out of Huntress training…”

The students around their table either gave Akko looks of sympathy, or annoyance at distracting them from their own reading and homework.

Diana sighed, and put a bookmark on the passage she was on. “I would suggest taking another break, but it seems like this method of studying is ineffective for you, say the least...” she said quietly.

“It’s really not...” Akko replied as she raised her head from the table, rested her chin on the surface. “Aww, I wish Weiss was here… she and Uncle Nick always had this way of taking complicated things and explaining them in ways I’d understand...”

Meanwhile, in a different section of the library, Weiss was doing just that. “Bellici-Noh is basically giving investors the odds that their investment might be worth this much in the future, assuming everything stays roughly the way they currently are, and absolutely no dramatic or catastrophic changes happen in the meanwhile.

“Think of it like an artillery specialist giving their commanding officers the odds for this particular type of mortar shell to hit a target, this far away from their most ideal firing position, how much damage the explosion might do, and how efficient it is compared to a different type of munition, all based on current battlefield conditions, the weather outside at the time, and all known types of shell, not including ones in development, or not yet formally deployed.

“I have to emphasize, though, the BeN’s predictions rarely, if ever, come close to reality; sometimes, they even tend to be really off the mark, like during the actual firing, it suddenly rains, that shell’s effectiveness drops dramatically in a moisture-rich environment, and, uh, assume that none of the engineers on-site can modify the shells, logistics can’t send them a different batch, and they’ll have to fire anyway, despite knowing full well it performs poorly in the rain, because command already paid for it, and can’t get a refund.

“… Sorry, weapon analogies are really new to me.”

“It’s totally fine, I actually really get it now!” Ruby replied. “Except one thing: if the BeN’s so unreliable in predicting the future, why do they still use it?”

“Because, even if the exact numbers are almost always off, it’s a good measurement for a company’s health in the present, and how likely they are to be profitable, or just still be in business in the future.”

“But can’t you do that without the predictions? You know, just look at how they are right now?”

“Not exactly, Ruby. Maybe the company’s just a brand new startup, and even though it may be small now, they’re primed to take advantage of a huge wave, or even a hot new industry like never before, such as the very first CCT-focused companies.

“Ah… think of like the first mass-production and deployment of fully-automatic firearms; no confirmed kills at time of first deployment and Mantle pushed itself even further into their resource crisis with them, but everyone could tell they were a good investment with how they could mow down hordes of simulated targets with ease…!

“… Aaaannnddd on an unrelated note: add comparing the first tech giants with one of the darkest turning points of the Great War to the list of weird, questionable things I’ve done in the name of studying!”

“There a lot of those?” Ruby asked.

“Oh, plenty!” Akko replied. “Not just analogies, either—mnemonics, weird stories so I could remember the sequence of things, songs, even—we always had to switch things up so I could stay interested and remember it.

“I guess it also really helped that Uncle Nick always had a lot of office supplies lying around, since he’s always learning something new himself, so I could get really creative with my own notes.”

“How so?” Diana asked, putting a fresh sheet of paper over her notebook.

“Oh, lots of ways: sometimes I’d just redraw graphs, maps, and formulas, in ways that I could understand them better, sometimes I’d make flash cards on all kinds of paper and with all kinds of pens, and sometimes we’d even put up cards, pictures, and my notes on the forest by her house, connect them up by string, and I’d just follow them to see how they all connected.”

“Wouldn’t that last one have been more efficient and simpler if you just drew a concept map on a piece of paper?” Diana asked as she wrote down notes.

“Oh, we tried that, but the problem is I’d start fidgeting and get antsy when I sat still for too long, and having to walk all the time helped with that,” Akko replied.

Diana nodded. “It all seems like quite a lot of work, effort, and cost in supplies, though.”

“It was definitely a good thing grandpa can get supplies in bulk and on the cheap, yeah,” Weiss said. “But it worked, and it got Akko through Combat School.” She sighed. “Man, I really hope she can adapt to all this reading and conventional note taking, there’s no way we could ever find the space nor the time to build something like that up here in Haven—just the stockpiles alone would take up a quarter of our room.”

“Maybe it’s not entirely impossible, though!” Ruby said. “I think I might be able to figure out some way to make it more space efficient, and less time, resource, and work intensive if I had enough opportunity and materials to experiment. I mean, the crux of the system was that it was varied enough to keep Akko from getting bored, sometimes move around and exercise, right?”

“You really think you’d be able to build something like that?” Weiss aksed.

Ruby snorted. “Weiss, please! I’m a weapons engineer: understanding, designing, and refining systems are kind of my thing.

“Sure, the ultimate goal won’t be killing Grimms and fighting off potential human opponents as quickly, efficiently, and simply as possible, but when you really get down to it, the design of any weapon is based on making a whole lot of potential actions be possible and efficient with the one machine.

“It’s kind of like how Shooting Star’s designed:

“It needs to have a stable, secure handle for the blade because of all the high-impact, heavy trauma it experiences every time Akko fights up close or defends with it, so it’s breach-loading, to provide the least amount of internal mechanisms and moving parts that might get damaged or knocked out of alignment from the reaction of melee attacks or recoil.

“And even though its rate of fire and maximum ammo capacity is pretty bad, it compensates for it by being able to fire shotgun shells, grenades, and Showstoppers without completely breaking apart from the sheer force of the blast traveling out up the barrel like other, lighter, more mechanically complex types of shotguns would.”

Weiss stared at her.

“… Sorry, did I go overboard again…? That tends to happen, as I guess you’ve noticed...”

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Diana replied, “it was actually quite interesting, and a good insight into how your learning process works, and what’s effective for you—we might even be able to use this, if ever we find we really do need to recreate that system here in Haven, somehow.”

“You want to call Akko, start figuring out how to do just that?” Ruby offered. “Maybe I can even go find Constanze, see if she can help.”

“No, best not interrupt either of them,” Diana said. “They’re probably deep in their work right now, and sending a message will only distract them. Best we see if you all you really needed was a reprieve from the history books, and just float the topic once we all meet up for dinner, or continue studying in our room.”

Akko sighed. “Okay you’re right,, I guess I’ll just try again…” she said as she sat up and straight, put her game face on, and pulled the book from earlier back to her.

Thud!

Akko let her head hit their table in the dining hall, sobbing as she pushed the book away once more. “I give up, for real this time—I just can’t do it!”

Diana sighed as she took the tome, carefully shut it, and put it into one of their many loaded backpacks and borrowed bags from the library. “You know what Akko, I think it might be better if you and Weiss study together again, but only until we can figure out some system or method for you,” she said as she picked up her chopsticks, and returned to her bowl of katsudon.

“How about we spend the rest of tonight doing that?” Ruby said as she picked up a new croquette from her plate. “We could start testing it as early as tomorrow, when we get back to our assignments.”

“It might be better if we do it over the weekend, once we have a better idea of what ALL of our classes will entail, and our professors’ respective expectations,” Diana replied. “It wouldn’t serve us well if the system we create on Wednesday turns out to be lacking by Saturday,” she said, before she put some more food into her mouth.

“I disagree,” Weiss said, “everything I’ve ever done with Akko tends to be created, modified, and refined on the fly—extensive planning from the get-go just tends to fall apart pretty soon.”

Akko groaned, her face still planted on the wood. “Can we please not talk about studying anymore? I already lost my appetite from it...”

“Want to go talk a quick walk outside?” Weiss asked. “I’m already done with dinner, after all,” she said, gesturing to her empty plate.

“Yes please…” Akko said as she stood up from the table.

“Don’t take too long!” Diana called out as they left. “I want to get back to all these as soon as possible, but I’m not going to haul them to our dorm with just Ruby for help!” she said, gesturing to their bags of books.

“We won’t!” Weiss called back.

Soon, the two of them were walking around the side of the dining hall, passing by the numerous herb plants and vegetables the kitchen staff grew on-site, other students and staff taking their dinners outside, or talking walks themselves. They could still hear the din from inside, but it was muted now, so you could easily tune it out and speak normally over it.

“Why is huntress training so overloaded right from the get-go…?” Akko muttered, her fingers rubbing her temples. “Do you even remember half of the speeches from our morning classes? Because I don’t! Was it even really necessary, or were they just giving us a preview of all the reading we’d have to do, but spoken?”

“Like grandpa and grandma said, it’s to weed out those that don’t have the determination or the drive early; I don’t, but I took notes; I’d say yes, it was important to set the tone of the class right off the bat; and probably!” Weiss replied. “Maybe you really should have taken grandma’s offer for a summer class  about what academy life was going to be like.”

“No! No way!” Akko cried, taking her hands off her temples and crossing them in front of her. “I said I’d regret it if I wasted our last official summer as kids on that, and I sure as heck don’t regret it now! All this homework and reading sucks, but at least I didn’t waste a once in a lifetime opportunity I’d never have again, and I made sure that you didn’t, either!

“Speaking of which… how are you holding up?”

“Fine!” Weiss replied. “Nothing I haven’t already griped about back when I was in the hospital, and Diana and Ruby are turning out to be great teammates! Though, uh, I’ve got some new concerns about Ruby’s sister and the influence JAYS might have on ours...”

Akko nodded, before she stopped walking, and gave Weiss a pointed look.

Weiss hesitated for a moment, and said, “Like I said, it’s fine. I’m fine! Nothing to report.”

“You sure…?” Akko asked quietly. “Not getting those thoughts again? Didn’t miss any days?”

“Yes, no, and”--Weiss hesitated”—well… okay, I missed the morning of Initiation, but it’s fine! I held up all day, didn’t I?”

“Except for the part where you passed out twice.”

“That was probably more from the exhaustion of pushing my semblance so much, having drained my aura too far!”

“And what you mumbled while Ruby was carrying you…?”

Weiss winced. “It’s supposed to stay in that cave, right?”

“And it will!” Akko sighed. “I knew it felt like I was forgetting something important that whole morning, I just couldn’t figure out what… why didn’t you get your things out of storage?”

“I couldn’t find a good, quiet opportunity to do it!” Weiss shot back. “You saw how packed the Great Hall was that morning, and a lot of them were already waking up—what if they saw me…?”

“Then they probably wouldn’t have cared, because they were too busy getting ready for Initiation and thinking about what they needed to do that morning,” Akko replied. “If they were suddenly that interested to find out what you had in your suitcase and what you were doing with it, then that would have been a different problem altogether.”

“Okay!” Weiss said, holding her hands up. “I got paranoid and made a mistake! I promise, it won’t happen again.”

“And you’ll tell them, too?” Akko asked.

“Yes, like I said, I’ll tell them too!” Weiss said, exasperated. Then, she looked back at the dining hall, suddenly looking fearful. “How… how do you think they’ll take the news…?”

Akko put her hand on Weiss’ shoulder. “I don’t know, Weiss; I guess we’ll just deal with it when it comes up, like we always do.” She gently coaxed her face back to her, and smiled. “And I’m going to be right there by your side, like I always am, and always will be.”

Weiss teared up, before she pulled Akko into a hug, buried her face in her shoulder. “What did I ever do to deserve you…?” she sobbed.

Akko just smiled, and hugged her back.

Thud!

“Phew! That’s the last of them!” Ruby said as she and Akko admired the books now neatly stacked on the floor, within easy reach of both Diana and Weiss.

“Thank you, you two,” Diana said as she grabbed ancient history texts off the top of one. “My apologies again for my arms failing me earlier; I’ve just gotten far too used to Atlas’ high-speed lifts and trams everywhere, it seems.”

“You’re welcome, and don’t sweat it, it happens!” Ruby replied.

“Anything else you two want us to do?” Akko asked.

“None at the moment!” Weiss replied as ran her finger along the spines, pulled out a student’s copy of the Mistral Constitution. “Unless you two want to try exercising your brains again, I guess you two can take the rest of the night off.”

“Woo!” Akko cried, throwing her arms up into the air. “Hey, you two aren’t going to spend all night hitting the books, are you?”

“Absolutely not,” Diana replied as flipped back to the pages she was on, got her notebooks and her pens ready. “I’m already sleep deprived from my research into the Shiny Rod, and we all know what sort of unpleasantness THAT leads to...” she mumbled.

Akko blushed. “Sorry about that, again… Weiss?”

“Going to go to sleep as soon as I start feeling tired, Akko, don’t worry,” Weiss replied as she scanned through the pages of the first and second articles. “Also, Sucy said her ‘Infinite Energy’ tends to have pretty intense and sudden crashes followed by long periods of deep sleep, so you might need to go through dramatic methods to wake me up tomorrow morning.”

“Got it!” Akko said, saluting. “I’m just going to be introducing Ruby and the Shiny Rod to Starlight Crusaders, feel free to join us if you want to take a break from the books early!”

Diana blinked, and looked over her shoulder. “Seriously...?”

“Very seriously!” Ruby called out as she changed out of her uniform and into her pajamas. “Even if it is just a kid’s show, and pretty simple as a result, the wide range of characters, plotlines, and scenes might really help the Shiny Rod better understand Akko, and thus, help her talk with it!

“If nothing else, then at least I’ll finally find out why my classmates from grade school wouldn’t shut up about this show.”

“Fair warning, you might end up bingewatching entire seasons in one sitting!” Weiss called out. “It started with my little brother, Whitley, and the addiction just spread to the rest of us!”

Ruby and Akko went off to go watch it at one corner, the Shiny Rod in Akko’s lap and audio receivers in their ears, Diana and Weiss continued on with their homework, going about with their evening plans  until sleep called, and they started turning in.

Diana yawned as she raised her arms up and stretched, rocked about on her cushion before she got up from her desk. She made a mental note of all the tasks and reading that still needing doing tomorrow, before she looked at Weiss, and frowned. “Weiss? Aren’t you getting tired?”

“Nope, not really!” Weiss replied. “Like I said, whatever Sucy gave me is pretty 60 to 0.”

Diana checked her scroll, propped up on her desk like a timer and clock—10:13 PM. “It’s getting rather late… are you sure you don’t want to call her, ask for something that might put you to sleep?”

“No thank you, I’m pretty sure it’ll wear off any time now,” Weiss said. “Her estimate’s only off by like what, fifteen minutes? ‘Science is only predictable, precise, and rigid once someone’s figured out just what the hell it is you’re supposed to be looking for,’ like my grandma would say.”

“Fair enough… sleep well, when it comes calling, I suppose,” Diana said, shutting her scroll before heading off to change.

“Thank you, Diana, good night,” Weiss said, before she returned to her work.

By 5 AM, Weiss was looking over her shoulder and at her sleeping teammates as she unscrewed the lid of her prescription bottle, forced her hands to stop shaking as she shook out her daily dose, swallowed it dry before she slammed the lid back on, stuffed the bottle back into her underwear drawer.

Then, she carefully, silently shut it, and slipped into her futon, rubbed her hair against her pillow and tossed and turned as quietly and discretely as she could. She pulled out her scroll, and after confirming that she looked like she had just had a poor night’s sleep than none, she sent out a message:

“Sucy, we have a problem.”

[sunshineinmyveins]

okay but my get down thoughts:

Because it’s almost Monday and I have seen NONE YET.

Behind a cut because spoilers abound (and that’s a sentence I don’t think I’ve written since 2009).

- First and to get this out of the way, it is DEEPLY troubling that in a show that’s supposed to be as diverse as it is and as representative of hip hop/disco culture as it is, The Get Down has positioned all of its darker skinned characters as the most morally corrupt (Fat Annie, some of her gangsters, Cadillac to a certain extent) or corruptible (Cadillac again, Shao, Boo Boo, Yolanda if you count her attack of morals as the disloyalty it’s presented as). 

Meanwhile, the lightest skinned characters - Zeke and Mylene - are about as incorruptible as it’s possible for them to be. Ra-Ra is also, without question or contest, Good. And while Dizzee sits in a similar space, his queerness also removed him from much of Part Two’s larger narrative in a way that was both magical and also did a huge disservice to his character.

- To continue in this vein, the fact that the only major Black female lead is Fat Annie is appalling. By her very nature and name, Fat Annie is a product of fatphobic stereotypes. Adding to that, she’s dark-skinned which perpetuates negative, colorist and anti-Black ideas that deliberately attack dark-skinned Black women and contribute to their continued oppression. She’s both positioned as kind of a mammy (with her creepy mommy schtick) and a hypersexualized predator (with her rape-y everything else), delivering a one-two punch that combines two of the most harmful stereotypes about Black women into one nasty character. And as one of, if not the ONLY, irredeemable villains of color on the show (one can argue that even Mylene’s father who we saw brutally beat both his wife AND daughter was positioned as empathetic in the end after the truth dropped and he killed himself), she’s aligned within the narrative with the likes of the Yale and Yuppie racists rather than being given the same nuance and empathetic treatment as the rest of the POC cast. 

- Last major complaint is also tied into something I really enjoyed about the series as a whole, and loved seeing played out again here: I needed more Dizzee and Thor and queerness in general. And I’m genuinely torn on this because I absolutely adored the comic book motif and the fact that Dizzee is the heart of the story - made sweeter by the fact that he, himself, thinks it’s Boo-Boo - means SO MUCH TO ME. I thought the exploration of this beautiful, bisexual alien was wonderfully done and minimalist in a way that worked but also edged along the line of “we’re too cowardly to actually explore non-heterosexuality in the same way we explore heterosexuality”. Dizzee and Thor’s relationship plays out in visual metaphors. And even the moment when Dizzee and Thor confess their love to each other happens in a drug-and-dream state that doesn’t actually exist. I don’t know that I needed a cut-to-black sex scene, but I wanted at least ONE concrete moment between the two of them that wasn’t just Dizzee painting a stripe down Thor’s face (which was STILL SO LOVELY). Also, you don’t get to make Dizzee the heart and soul of your story, give him a grand total of 30 minutes screentime (and that’s being GENEROUS) and leave us on that kind of cliffhanger. That’s just emotional manipulation.

- Speaking of queerness, though, I LOVE the motif of Queer Spaces as Safe Spaces in The Get Down. Though there are Black spaces that are safe, not all of them are. On the flip-side, I think all of the queer spaces we see in The Get Down are presented as welcoming, warm, restorative, and transformative. From the club Thor takes Dizzee to at the end of Part One, to Ruby Con - which is only made unsafe by Mylene’s militantly religious father’s invasion - to Jackie’s apartment in the finale, and even Thor and Dizzee’s crash pad/love nest, queer spaces are presented in a way that reminds me of how it feels every time I walk into a gay club or bar. I do wish we saw these spaces as more diverse because there’s something unsettling about how they seem predominately white, but there’s something so special about the fact that the two most open and supportive and magical environments our main characters find themselves in are The Get Down, and queer clubs/homes. It’s also historically important to the history of disco that these queer clubs are vital to the growth and development of Mylene’s career.

- MORE ON QUEERNESS BECAUSE CAN WE TALK ABOUT SHAOLIN FANTASTIC FOR A SECOND? So after Part One, we all were like “Shao, you’re obviously in love with Books, come on, son.” But Part Two leaned HEAVILY into this subtext. I wish we’d gotten something more resolute out of it (again, I don’t know if it was cowardice or what) but I will say the development of the subtext was still really emotional for me. First, there’s Shao’s obvious jealousy in the first episode. This isn’t anything new, but it’s blatant and almost uncomfortable to witness. And then, after the show at Les Inferno when shit hits the fan, things get real. Mylene confronts Shao and during their horrible, ugly fight she finally brings up what’s been lurking under the surface about Shao’s possible feelings for Zeke. Shao says “I ain’t no f****t” because of course he does, and she tells him to get his own man. And then he says more horrible things to her because Shao is kind of a terrible person and it turns out, queer or not, Zeke is basically the only person Shao loves or has probably ever loved.

But queer or not? That’s the question. WE DON’T KNOW. One super significant, absolutely beautiful scene to me was when Shao realized where they could find Dizzee and tracked him to the crash pad/love nest. This is where I think we could’ve at LEAST seen Dizzee and Thor in a more compromising position but either way, Shao walked in and knew exactly what was up. Even before the tag to the scene, I thought it was incredibly significant that of all the characters to find Dizzee alone (by entering not only a literal queer space but Dizzee’s very queer narrative), it was Shao. But the tag is lovely, with Shao essentially designating himself as a safe space for Dizzee and validating Dizzee’s sexuality. This from the one character who uses the f slur the most out of anyone other than, perhaps, Cadillac. Which may or may not be purposeful and significant (but is certainly as annoying and hurtful in Part Two as it was in Part One).

Also I have to say here that I don’t know if I’m mixing up Shao’s story with Todd Chavez in BoJack Horseman (which I also just binged) but I feel like there’s a moment in Part Two where Shao implies that his romantic/sexual life and/or understanding of sex/romance is stunted because of what Annie did to him. This obviously doesn’t mean he’s queer, but if this moment happened it does indicate that Shao’s never really had the chance to figure out what he is. Either way, we see exactly how much his trauma has affected his relationship with Zeke during their breakup. Later, when Annie threatens to kill Zeke she refers to him as Shao’s boyfriend. It’s an attempt to emasculate him, but Shao’s response now - rather than saying he’s not gay - is to say that Zeke’s not his “fucking boyfriend” in a tone that’s at least as defeated as it is defensive.

There’s something innately Other about the way that Shao’s feelings for Zeke are framed and that’s been the case from the beginning, but combined with some narrative play and the way third parties are starting to respond, it’s pretty clear the question of Shao’s sexuality hasn’t been answered. Whether he’s bisexual, gay, or homoromantic ace, I think the door  has at least been left open.

- And while we’re on Shao, I have to say I don’t remember if Part One really delved into his history of abuse. I think the implication was always that his relationship with Annie was toxic and abusive but in the way of a drug kingpin with a favored pet. So while I definitely read it for what it was, it wasn’t confirmed until Part Two. Shao comes as close as he can to admitting that he he’s been raped and brainwashed by Annie and the thread of his story that addresses the wounds he obviously still carries is subtle and powerful and PAINFUL. And the way that Cadillac is folded into that story was really moving, too. The show went from playing their jealousy as the trope of “inadequate son hates the favored adopted son” to really looking at the roots of abuse leading to that situation and to Cadillac’s codependency. And the moment between Shao and Cadillac when Shao lays it all out there and tells Cadillac he knows they both suffered the same abuse was HEARTBREAKING. And shocking in the best way. The fact that this show allowed this kind of vulnerability between two of the more hyper-masculine characters in the show is HUGE. And this is where yes, I’m probably reading too much into it, but I do find it really fascinating that these two men who were sexually abused and are still BEING abused use the f-slur the most liberally. It probably means nothing but it is really fascinating. 

- Though I think they did Yolanda dirty (and I get it, it made for great conflict, just really annoying) I DO appreciate Mylene’s loyalty to her girls. And their loyalty to, and belief in, her. Yeah, there’s some sketchy purity stuff involved with Mylene that contributes to this, but it’s also really refreshing to see a story where the most drama the girls had was because one of them wasn’t comfortable being half-naked and grinding on strangers in a club. The rest of the time they love and support each other and that’s awesome. 

- The love story between Mylene’s mom and her uncle-dad was SO BEAUTIFUL. I mean it was beautiful in Part One but other than Shao/Zeke and Dizzee/Thor, I think it’s probably my favorite. Just so well-written and well-acted and lovely and painful.

- Still love that The Whites are pretty much globally THE WORST on this show. And love that their proximity to queerness actually indicates how trustworthy they are. Thor? The best. Jackie? Troubled, possibly not to be trusted, but all-in for Mylene. The Australian director guy? Suss until he comes to Jackie’s apartment party. And everyone after that is pretty much trash.

- Honestly some great, shocking moments and zingers in the dialogue. The musical set-pieces were all FABULOUS. The use of music throughout was just top-notch. I was deep in my feelings and loved every minute of it.

- But mostly I LOVE MY PRECIOUS BRONX BABIES AND WANT THEM ALL TO BE SAFE AND HAPPY FOREVER.

. . . I think that’s it. A day has lapsed since I started this tbh so I think some of my thoughts have since drifted to the back of my mind and might yet come back. 

[servampfanarts]

Could you, I dunno, just write the headcanons about your rev AU down? Because I'm like itching to write a story set in that universe and I know so little and since you're basically the creator I don't wanna include things that you didn't confirm

It took me way too long to answer (Argh this was important to answer TT^TT I know). I don’t feel proud right now, buut, let me answer to your ask now

I want sum up as much relevant facts for each character as I can think of right now. This is going to be a long post,

About Kuro: Kuro lost his parents when he was a child. His uncle took him even though he isn’t home often and can’t reach Kuro. Kuro is very distant -to everyone. He thinks nothing is worth the effort or at least that is his excuse for not facing his life. Kuro says he doesn’t want a friend or call someone a ‘friend’.

About Mahiru:Mahiru feels a high responsibilty for anything. As the oldest brother he looks after his siblings a lot. But even they don’t know if every smile Mahiru showed them was an honest one. Their happy family changed one day as Mahiru had to make the final decision whether to kill their creator or not. Mahiru did kill him, alone, it’s what his responsibility as the oldest told him to do.Mahiru can’t leave Kuro alone, he must help him to be happy again. Unfortunately a thread for the seven Servamps occurs that distracts Mahiru from his goal.

About Lilly: Lilly is the son of the rich Sunouwai family. Since he was young he got sick easily and had problems doing sports or anything exhausting. His family takes great care and protects him, he is the warm sunshine of this big house. He is used to Misono, his Servamp with high temper. Lilly’s older cousin (or step brother?) is Jeje; they were best friends when they were young, now, they don’t see each other often.

About Misono: Lilly’s Servamp. He has been a Servamp for the Sunowai family for a long time. Very short tempered but has a great heart for kids. But Lilly worries him just as much as the subclasses he takes care of.

About Mikuni: Mikuni has always been a guy who protected his brothers from the shadow. He gets along with Mahiru very well, but he himself couldn’t be a babysitter, he’s not good at showing empathy, at least not in a way others would understand. He usually only talks to intelligent people. 

About Jeje: Jeje enjoys peace. He works in an office every day and earns a lot of money. Sometimes he misses his family.

About Hyde: Crazy human with no sense of reality. He seems like he has given up on sanity, which makes him more than unpopular for the people around him. He also overreacts a lot.Once this spoiled person picked up a hedgehog to tease it, a Servamp entered his life.His whole attitude changed a lot! Though he still overreacts..

About Licht: A weirdly talented but very creative Vampire. A few years ago he got scouted as a pianist by Rosen Crantz, who coincidently happened to listen to Licht experimenting with music on a piano.In his freetime Licht enjoys sitting in the middle of pure nature, feeling its just as pure peace. But then a filthy human interrupted his peace. As an angel he knew that his Mission would be to purify this demon in human shape!

About Sakuya:His behaviour is one of the seven mysteries of the world. He acts up all cheery and he’s the only one in class who talks to Kuro. They don’t seem to fit as friends at all and Kuro acts like he doesn’t want him around either. But Sakuya had this feeling that Kuro was someone who wouldn’t build up a world of lies around him like everyone else did. He thought he could trust Kuro whose eyes seemed as full of suffer as his own  

About Uncle Tooru:He tries his best to teach Kuro the most important virtues in life and tries to let Kuro smile again. His jokes sadly don’t seem to be too effective though.

About Hugh:His family runs an onsen and Hugh already learned to handle reponsibility (as far as possible for an elementary schooler). He’s absolutely confident about himself and about how a good person has to be. One late evening he met the Servamp of pride for the first time. Even though Tetsu is more than twice his height he isn’t afraid of him.. actually he is more like making Tetsu his playing partner (Of course this isn’t just simple playing, but saving the world’s peace! thaha)

About Tetsu:A simple Vampire. He follows the ones he trusts. Tetsu never complains.

Those are my thoughts.But my thoughts for this AU don’t have to be the only acceptable truth, I only think of how I’d like it to be and I’d enjoy seeing how other’s would like it to be as well.

Okay, a lot of words~ I hope I could put my thoughts into words well enough owo/ thanks for reading

[preciousmetals0]

Divining Dow Headlines; Bob’s Your Uncle at Disney

Divining Dow Headlines; Bob’s Your Uncle at Disney:

Getting Sentimental on the Dow

Ever have one of those mornings when you read headlines from the major financial publications … and you nearly spit your coffee all over?

I had one of those this morning. I watched as the headlines trended from “Dow Rallies 250 Points in Recovery Rally” to “Dow Rallies 200 Points” … to “Dow Up 100 Points” … then back to “Dow Rallies 350 Points”…

You get the picture.

When it comes to spit takes, there’s nothing like Dow headlines following a market rout. (I don’t know why I find this funny. I know I’m not right in the head. It’s why you like me … right?)

Now, I’m not one of those fervent Dow watchers — at least where the economy’s concerned. The Dow has long been disconnected from the actual U.S. economy. No, I view the world’s most-tracked market average as more of a sentiment indicator.

I follow the Dow for the same reason I follow the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) — as an indicator of market fear or market complacency. The more the Dow appears in financial headlines, the more I know that market sentiment is shifting.

With the financial media reporting on every 50-point move in the Dow this morning, I know that fear has returned to the market in a big way. Recent VIX activity confirms this, as the “fear index” is up roughly 48% since Friday’s close.

That’s a considerable jump, and it may lead you to conclude that the COVID-19 outbreak is now priced into the market. I’m not convinced that’s true.

For instance, the Federal Reserve doesn’t seem to be taking COVID-19 very seriously. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester recently said that she has priced the virus into her forecasting model, but still projects “healthy consumption growth” and a “pickup in investment spending.”

Investment spending with this much uncertainty? Have you met U.S. businesses?!

Elsewhere, Fed Vice Chairman Richard Clarida said that it was “too soon to even speculate” about the virus’s impact. He said this to the National Association for Business Economics … right after speculating that the virus would considerably impact China’s first-quarter economic growth.

The Takeaway:

So, it’s too soon to speculate, but you’re still speculating … and that speculation isn’t good.

Let’s put that speculation in perspective.

Remember the SARS outbreak? When it hit China back in 2003, the Chinese economy only accounted for about 4% of global gross domestic product (GDP). The country was a blip on the radar back then.

However, the Chinese economy now accounts for close to 19% of global GDP. China’s economy was basically shut down due to COVID-19, and it’s still struggling to fully come back online. That’s pretty far from a blip. That’s a considerable impact on the global economy.

I’m all for “Rah-rah, go U.S. economy!” After all, we have the lowest unemployment rate in decades, consumer spending is strong, the housing market is on fire … but the Fed needs to take notice of what’s going on outside of U.S. borders.

The COVID-19 situation will take the shine off this rosy U.S. economy. The coronavirus correction isn’t over, and somebody needs to tell it like it is.

If that “somebody” is Great Stuff and not the Fed … so be it.

Good: To the Maxx

I’m starting to think that the “retail apocalypse” isn’t real … or, at least, it’s not quite the narrative we’ve been sold. I mean, sure, you have your struggling companies like Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBY). But then you have retailers like TJX Cos. Inc. (NYSE: TJX).

TJX runs T.J.Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods stores, and the company is killing it right now. The retailer reported that fourth-quarter earnings spiked 19.1% year over year to $0.81 per share, as revenue rose 9.9% to $12.2 billion. Both figures easily beat Wall Street’s targets.

Furthermore, TJX said that same-store sales grew 6% on the quarter, nearly doubling the consensus estimate for 3.1% growth.

But wait … there’s more! The company also announced plans to hike its dividend 13% and repurchase $1.75 billion to $2.25 billion in stock.

That said, TJX was cautious in its outlook, but nowhere near as negative as other retailers. The company’s first-quarter and full-year guidance puts the top of those earnings ranges about $0.02 per share below Wall Street’s views. Not too shabby considering COVID-19 fears.

Better: What About Bobs?

It’s the circle of life. Bob Iger is now officially the former CEO of The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS).

Last night, Iger suddenly announced his departure from Disney after leading the company for 15 years. “We’re not concerned at all about creating any confusion,” Iger told a confused Wall Street. But it’s not like investors didn’t see this one coming.

At last year’s investor day meeting, Iger told attendees: “2021 will be the time for me to finally step down.”

It seems that Bob moved his time frame up just a bit — after repeatedly moving it back in years prior. Still, Iger leaves behind a considerable legacy, including the acquisitions of Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar and Hulu, as well as the Disney+ launch.

So, who’s replacing Bob? Well, Bob, of course.

Stepping in to fill Iger’s rather large shoes is Bob Chapek, the former head of Disney’s theme park business. Chapek bills himself as a direct-to-consumer kind of guy: “Everything I’ve done in my career has been about the consumer. … Parks are about as direct-to-consumer as you can get.”

While DIS investors are understandably nervous about Bob replacing Bob, Disney is in such a solid market position that it’d be difficult to mess things up at this point. And clearly, the new Bob understands Disney’s consumers very well. During the past three years, Chapek has helped push Disney’s annual park revenue growth above 10%, after it lingered in the single digits for years.

In other words, the Iger dip in DIS shares looks like a bullish opportunity. Buy DIS, and Bob’s your uncle.

Best: A Force to Be Reckoned With

There’s a lot to unpack with Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE: CRM) today, so you might want to sit down for this.

First, the company posted stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results. Earnings, revenue and order backlogs all exceeded Wall Street’s expectations.

But spending also topped the consensus expectation, with 14% of revenue going to research and development. Investors reacted negatively to this fact. It’s like they don’t realize that Salesforce.com is investing in itself to catch up with the Microsoft Corp.s (Nasdaq: MSFT) and the Oracle Corp.s (NYSE: ORCL) of the world.

Second, co-CEO Keith Block announced that he’ll step down. Block is staying on as an adviser for CEO Marc Benioff, so this news isn’t all that big of a deal for CRM investors. Still, news of CEOs departing is typically a bearish driver for stocks.

Third, Salesforce announced that it’s buying industry cloud mobile software company Vlocity Inc. for $1.33 billion. Vlocity strengthens Salesforce.com’s presence in the cloud mobile market. And, according to Ray Wang of Constellation Research: “It keeps Google from buying them and could generate $10 billion in additional industries revenue growth.”

So, we have heavy spending, a retiring CEO and an acquisition all in one day for Salesforce.com. However, CRM shares only lost about 2%, so more than a few investors see the value in the company’s heavy spending on growth. If you haven’t already, CRM is worth looking into.

I knew that I was right! Great Stuff readers are some brave souls. Last week, we asked you how you felt about options trading. 41% of you want to know more about options, and 40% of you want options trades now!

I hear you loud and clear! For those who want more options, I have a bit of a treat coming for you next week. Starting Wednesday, March 4, we’re giving you three days of Options 101 … Great Stuff style.

We’ll round out on Friday with one of our favorite options strategies … and maybe we’ll even sneak in a trade idea! (Market willing…) So, be sure to tune in!

Now, on to today’s poll of the week:

Great Stuff: Your Bloodbath Bath Bomb

Are you enjoying this week’s bloodbath? I’m relaxing in mine with a lavender-and-lemon bath bomb.

I joke, but I’m sure it’s been painful for your portfolio. Sometimes the laughter is all that keeps us going. Just remember: It’s not the end of the world.

If you’re looking for a pick-me-up, a video featuring experts Jeff Yastine and Ian King caught my attention this week: “Coronavirus Hits South Korea, Italy — Fearless Investors Will Prosper.”

[embedded content]

If you haven’t watched it yet, I won’t spoil the ending for you! (I won’t lie, it’s a tear-jerker.)

Needless to say, Ian King’s optimistic perspective was contagious. He’s always thinking about innovation, change and what the world will look like 10 years down the line.

Much of these trends rely on now-weakened supply chains in China and South Korea … but this virus isn’t strong enough to stop world-changing technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G and Big Data — exactly the tipping-point trends that Ian focuses on.

So get up, I say. Get up! You’re not dead yet. You’re not going on the cart!

I truly believe that, if you’re positioned to ride these huge tech trends in the years to come, this week’s volatility is nothing more than a chance to load up at a discount. And Ian King’s Automatic Fortunes is your front-row ticket to research on the most exciting tech breakthroughs of our time.

Click here to learn more about the one tech trend that Ian believes is set to soar — coronavirus be damned.

Finally, don’t forget to check out Great Stuff on social media. If you can’t get enough meme-y goodness, follow Great Stuff on Facebook and Twitter.

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff

[goldira01]

Getting Sentimental on the Dow

Ever have one of those mornings when you read headlines from the major financial publications … and you nearly spit your coffee all over?

I had one of those this morning. I watched as the headlines trended from “Dow Rallies 250 Points in Recovery Rally” to “Dow Rallies 200 Points” … to “Dow Up 100 Points” … then back to “Dow Rallies 350 Points”…

You get the picture.

When it comes to spit takes, there’s nothing like Dow headlines following a market rout. (I don’t know why I find this funny. I know I’m not right in the head. It’s why you like me … right?)

Now, I’m not one of those fervent Dow watchers — at least where the economy’s concerned. The Dow has long been disconnected from the actual U.S. economy. No, I view the world’s most-tracked market average as more of a sentiment indicator.

I follow the Dow for the same reason I follow the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) — as an indicator of market fear or market complacency. The more the Dow appears in financial headlines, the more I know that market sentiment is shifting.

With the financial media reporting on every 50-point move in the Dow this morning, I know that fear has returned to the market in a big way. Recent VIX activity confirms this, as the “fear index” is up roughly 48% since Friday’s close.

That’s a considerable jump, and it may lead you to conclude that the COVID-19 outbreak is now priced into the market. I’m not convinced that’s true.

For instance, the Federal Reserve doesn’t seem to be taking COVID-19 very seriously. Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester recently said that she has priced the virus into her forecasting model, but still projects “healthy consumption growth” and a “pickup in investment spending.”

Investment spending with this much uncertainty? Have you met U.S. businesses?!

Elsewhere, Fed Vice Chairman Richard Clarida said that it was “too soon to even speculate” about the virus’s impact. He said this to the National Association for Business Economics … right after speculating that the virus would considerably impact China’s first-quarter economic growth.

The Takeaway:

So, it’s too soon to speculate, but you’re still speculating … and that speculation isn’t good.

Let’s put that speculation in perspective.

Remember the SARS outbreak? When it hit China back in 2003, the Chinese economy only accounted for about 4% of global gross domestic product (GDP). The country was a blip on the radar back then.

However, the Chinese economy now accounts for close to 19% of global GDP. China’s economy was basically shut down due to COVID-19, and it’s still struggling to fully come back online. That’s pretty far from a blip. That’s a considerable impact on the global economy.

I’m all for “Rah-rah, go U.S. economy!” After all, we have the lowest unemployment rate in decades, consumer spending is strong, the housing market is on fire … but the Fed needs to take notice of what’s going on outside of U.S. borders.

The COVID-19 situation will take the shine off this rosy U.S. economy. The coronavirus correction isn’t over, and somebody needs to tell it like it is.

If that “somebody” is Great Stuff and not the Fed … so be it.

Good: To the Maxx

I’m starting to think that the “retail apocalypse” isn’t real … or, at least, it’s not quite the narrative we’ve been sold. I mean, sure, you have your struggling companies like Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBY). But then you have retailers like TJX Cos. Inc. (NYSE: TJX).

TJX runs T.J.Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods stores, and the company is killing it right now. The retailer reported that fourth-quarter earnings spiked 19.1% year over year to $0.81 per share, as revenue rose 9.9% to $12.2 billion. Both figures easily beat Wall Street’s targets.

Furthermore, TJX said that same-store sales grew 6% on the quarter, nearly doubling the consensus estimate for 3.1% growth.

But wait … there’s more! The company also announced plans to hike its dividend 13% and repurchase $1.75 billion to $2.25 billion in stock.

That said, TJX was cautious in its outlook, but nowhere near as negative as other retailers. The company’s first-quarter and full-year guidance puts the top of those earnings ranges about $0.02 per share below Wall Street’s views. Not too shabby considering COVID-19 fears.

Better: What About Bobs?

It’s the circle of life. Bob Iger is now officially the former CEO of The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS).

Last night, Iger suddenly announced his departure from Disney after leading the company for 15 years. “We’re not concerned at all about creating any confusion,” Iger told a confused Wall Street. But it’s not like investors didn’t see this one coming.

At last year’s investor day meeting, Iger told attendees: “2021 will be the time for me to finally step down.”

It seems that Bob moved his time frame up just a bit — after repeatedly moving it back in years prior. Still, Iger leaves behind a considerable legacy, including the acquisitions of Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar and Hulu, as well as the Disney+ launch.

So, who’s replacing Bob? Well, Bob, of course.

Stepping in to fill Iger’s rather large shoes is Bob Chapek, the former head of Disney’s theme park business. Chapek bills himself as a direct-to-consumer kind of guy: “Everything I’ve done in my career has been about the consumer. … Parks are about as direct-to-consumer as you can get.”

While DIS investors are understandably nervous about Bob replacing Bob, Disney is in such a solid market position that it’d be difficult to mess things up at this point. And clearly, the new Bob understands Disney’s consumers very well. During the past three years, Chapek has helped push Disney’s annual park revenue growth above 10%, after it lingered in the single digits for years.

In other words, the Iger dip in DIS shares looks like a bullish opportunity. Buy DIS, and Bob’s your uncle.

Best: A Force to Be Reckoned With

There’s a lot to unpack with Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE: CRM) today, so you might want to sit down for this.

First, the company posted stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results. Earnings, revenue and order backlogs all exceeded Wall Street’s expectations.

But spending also topped the consensus expectation, with 14% of revenue going to research and development. Investors reacted negatively to this fact. It’s like they don’t realize that Salesforce.com is investing in itself to catch up with the Microsoft Corp.s (Nasdaq: MSFT) and the Oracle Corp.s (NYSE: ORCL) of the world.

Second, co-CEO Keith Block announced that he’ll step down. Block is staying on as an adviser for CEO Marc Benioff, so this news isn’t all that big of a deal for CRM investors. Still, news of CEOs departing is typically a bearish driver for stocks.

Third, Salesforce announced that it’s buying industry cloud mobile software company Vlocity Inc. for $1.33 billion. Vlocity strengthens Salesforce.com’s presence in the cloud mobile market. And, according to Ray Wang of Constellation Research: “It keeps Google from buying them and could generate $10 billion in additional industries revenue growth.”

So, we have heavy spending, a retiring CEO and an acquisition all in one day for Salesforce.com. However, CRM shares only lost about 2%, so more than a few investors see the value in the company’s heavy spending on growth. If you haven’t already, CRM is worth looking into.

I knew that I was right! Great Stuff readers are some brave souls. Last week, we asked you how you felt about options trading. 41% of you want to know more about options, and 40% of you want options trades now!

I hear you loud and clear! For those who want more options, I have a bit of a treat coming for you next week. Starting Wednesday, March 4, we’re giving you three days of Options 101 … Great Stuff style.

We’ll round out on Friday with one of our favorite options strategies … and maybe we’ll even sneak in a trade idea! (Market willing…) So, be sure to tune in!

Now, on to today’s poll of the week:

Great Stuff: Your Bloodbath Bath Bomb

Are you enjoying this week’s bloodbath? I’m relaxing in mine with a lavender-and-lemon bath bomb.

I joke, but I’m sure it’s been painful for your portfolio. Sometimes the laughter is all that keeps us going. Just remember: It’s not the end of the world.

If you’re looking for a pick-me-up, a video featuring experts Jeff Yastine and Ian King caught my attention this week: “Coronavirus Hits South Korea, Italy — Fearless Investors Will Prosper.”

[embedded content]

If you haven’t watched it yet, I won’t spoil the ending for you! (I won’t lie, it’s a tear-jerker.)

Needless to say, Ian King’s optimistic perspective was contagious. He’s always thinking about innovation, change and what the world will look like 10 years down the line.

Much of these trends rely on now-weakened supply chains in China and South Korea … but this virus isn’t strong enough to stop world-changing technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G and Big Data — exactly the tipping-point trends that Ian focuses on.

So get up, I say. Get up! You’re not dead yet. You’re not going on the cart!

I truly believe that, if you’re positioned to ride these huge tech trends in the years to come, this week’s volatility is nothing more than a chance to load up at a discount. And Ian King’s Automatic Fortunes is your front-row ticket to research on the most exciting tech breakthroughs of our time.

Click here to learn more about the one tech trend that Ian believes is set to soar — coronavirus be damned.

Finally, don’t forget to check out Great Stuff on social media. If you can’t get enough meme-y goodness, follow Great Stuff on Facebook and Twitter.

Until next time, good trading!

Regards,

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff