#its funny this is about a regional identity but i compared it to my national or even larger scale one

[beneaththebloodylake]

「You're thinking 'people from Kansai are stingy' aren't you. ... Actually it's just me who's personally stingy.」

literally me but with uk/europe/whatever distinction americans decide to assign me

[ayeforscotland]

Hey previous anon

Sorry i think you misunderstood me about 'the deficit', more specifically that the average Scot currently receives more in public spending and contributes less in tax than the national average. Nothing to do with the national debt, more that the way Scotland is currently run is not financially sustainable and in order to BE financially sustainable as an independent country it would have to cut the things that make it better than the rest of the UK. Or tax people more. Which is a great way to sell a referendum.

Also I know its a tired comparison but 'our trade is currently restricted by the entity we do the vast majority of our trade with, so we need to erect massive tariff barriers with it and completely restructure our export market in order to reclaim our sovereignty' really?

'None of the practicalities of making this immense change really concern me so long as we have the capacity to make the decisions for ourselves' fucking really?

There's a reason why this blog only posts about the fuckups of Westminster, funny and many as they are, and its because you don't have answers about how to make this work beyond 'it will work.' 60% of your trade is with the UK? Doesn't matter, the EU will sort it out. Never mind the presumed change in tastes and preferences or the differences in competition structure, it'll just work. Because it has to.

As it stands, support for independence is about 50/50. And running with that comparison, what happened the last time the government made a decision with little consideration of the consequences that half the country opposed?

Again its pointless because this is your identity so nothing's gonna get changed here, and I recognise the same is true for me. It's just frustrating.

Okay so I reckon you're pulling this from the annual GERS report which accounts for Scotland as a region of the UK rather than if Scotland was an independent country. This means the GERS contains multiple UK-wide expenditures which are not controlled by the Scottish Government. These costs are applied to GERS as a population percentage of total UK Government expenditure, this happens regardless of where that expenditure was applied and whether it was the Scottish or British government that spent the money. This *is* impacted by UK National Debt. There's a line in GERS called the 'Public Sector Debt Interest' which is the interest on the debt accrued by the British Government that Scotland contributes to paying off. From 2019-2020 this added up to an additional £4.5 Billion. Lastly on the economics side, several revenues like Oil & Gas taxation, corporation tax and VAT are controlled by the UK Government. Changes to those can drastically alter Scotland's income without running it past the Scottish Government. Now on to Trade - It's funny you talk about barriers when the UK has just bent over backwards to get a deal for Northern Ireland through. The only reason you would talk about erecting a barrier between Scotland and England is because you believe the British Government are going to deliberately negotiate in bad faith. And sure, you might claim that that's their right, but that's not exactly going to win anyone over to the pro-union side. I never said anything about ignoring the practicalities so I'd appreciate you don't put words in my mouth. Becoming an independent country will require hard work and effort, and it's 100% worth it if we are able to then make our own economic decisions. We barely have to look back six months to see a Tory Party tanking the economy on a whim over the course of a week. I have plenty of criticisms about the Scottish Government - it often moves at a frustratingly glacial pace to enact change. Some policies stagnate because of lack ambition from senior civil servants. But that's nothing compared to the ridiculousness of the Westminster system who are often outright malicious in their policy-making - and they hold the purse strings for the devolved governments. There is a democratic deficit in the UK, and it's why many people support independence. I know this is probably difficult for you to reconcile with which is why unionists tend to opt for the barrage of practicalities first, and you're never happy with any of the answers so you just resort to saying we've not answered the questions. At the end of the day you just don't want Scotland to leave the UK because you see that as part of your identity - and that's absolutely fine. But pretending that Scotland is some unique economic basket case is silly. I'm cool with unionsts who openly say they are passionate about the union, they don't need to dress it up.

[trobairitzposting]

fair enough yeah! this is something i've been thinking about a lot, the question of when it makes sense to smush a bunch of disparate entities together. Because to some extent, any character in heta is doing this, even seemingly unified modern nations like France or Spain have lots of regional cultural differences. Hima even took a crack at representing this in canon with the italies. I guess my sticking point with Germania is that the smushing-together seems to be something that was imposed by an outside culture (Rome) as opposed to something that came from within. Compare this to the ancient Greeks, who were regionally specific, but did have a concept of a common identity as Hellenes. (So imo, the ancient greece character in canon makes sense)

all that being said pls feel free to fact check me because late antiquity/early medieval history really really not my thing, the signal fuzzes out for me around the 500s and doesn't really clear up until the 12th century. and ultimately this is all just playing with paper dolls, so it's really not that big a deal if its one interp vs another! I also enjoy Germania having a million bickering siblings to manage, it's funny to parallel that with the canon comic where gilbert is struggling to get all the germans unified so they can make a ludwig hehe.

is germania even real. we as a society must discuss this.

[squarecarousel]

Interview with Caitlin Alexander

Well folks, we're nearly at the end of our Square Carousel journey, and there are just two interviews left – both with two of our longest-standing members! Today, we reconnect with Caitlin Alexander, who has been with the Square Carousel Collective from its very beginning almost 10 years ago. Although we've featured an interview with her here in the past, it's been so long that we are due for an update! When she's not freelancing or performing her duties as an SC admin extraordinaire, Caitlin works tirelessly on her craft, creating prints, products, hand lettered posters, and artwork that embrace the earthy beauty of nature. With a strong focus on environmentalism and a sense of community, her artwork exudes a warmth and complexity that draws the viewer in and invites them to stay a while. Read on for her gems of wisdom!

Make Earth Cool Again

Q: Comparing your early work from your first few years after college to your most recent pieces, you've kept a lot of the textural, playful essence of your style while refining certain elements. Has your process changed much since those early days, and if so, what do you now do differently? 

 A: Such a great question straight out of the gate! My process has changed quite a bit since I graduated in 2011 (almost a decade ago... yikes!). In college, part of my crafted identity as a brand-new illustrator was my traditional use of gouache paint. I actually, in all honestly, was kind of a snob about it, because so many people in our department worked solely digitally. I felt that digital painting was a crutch, which I suppose can be true in some cases, and possibly even more-so when you're applying that to college students, but I certainly had no ground to stand on. In reality, my snobbery kept me from learning critical tools, as I never took Photoshop or Illustrator classes, aside from the one that was required for graduation. This hindered my work a great deal outside of college, given that illustration is so often paired with graphic design, and editing work for clients was so much more difficult traditionally. In 2013, I got a job designing t-shirts, and lied to the company, saying I knew how to use Illustrator. Luckily it was remote, so I was able to teach myself without anyone hovering over me, but that was so foolish, looking back, given the expensive education I got at SCAD should have been my opportunity to learn those things. I introduced digital work more and more over the years, and by 2016 or so, I was primarily a digital artist. Gouache will always have a place in my heart, and I will still break out the tubes occasionally, but working digitally has allowed me to grow so much more as an illustrator, with the ability to edit, paint with more detail, and having more control over color and layering. 

Q: Of all the projects you've done in your professional career, which would you say is closest to your heart? 

 A: Probably the picture book I worked on a couple of years ago, titled "Cool For You." I had a lot of creative freedom for that project, and the subject matter of climate change is personally very important to me. Working with the author, Marianna, was really wonderful, as well. 

Cool For You book cover

Q: The Southwest influence on your work is pretty significant, and I think it's safe to assume you appreciate the majesty of the landscape in your region of the country. However, if you had to live in another state, which would you choose and why? 

 A: Funny you ask that, because I've actually considered moving from Texas to Colorado lately! The culture there is still very western, but I appreciate the liberal point of view (Texas has been grating on me lately, even living in Austin), and the landscape is even more stunning out there! I'd be close to so many inspiring National Parks. Plus, summers wouldn't be 8 months of the year and over 100 degrees for half of it! 

Travel West postcard (1 of 6)

Q: TV shows or movies? 

 A: Lately, Jordan and I have been watching New Girl on repeat. I'm not usually one to watch a show or movie over and over again, but I think we really just needed something light and fun, since life has been so very stressful over the last year.

Q: What's your favorite subject to draw? 

 A: This one is hard! I'm torn between people and landscapes. People are more fun and comfortable for me, and I could knock out a bunch of them quickly. Landscapes are always intimidating, and I'm nervous the whole time, feeling like I can't remember how I did it the time before. It's so strange, because it always ends up fine! But since I feel that way, the payoff is so much greater when I feel satisfied with the final result. 

Q: What would a perfect day look like for you? A: I probably would have answered this totally differently pre-COVID, but in this current world we live in, I would absolutely love to have what used to be a normal, uneventful weekend day for me: Jordan and I would sleep in a little, see an early afternoon movie at the Alamo Drafthouse where we'd eat lunch, then spend the rest of the afternoon browsing used book stores and estate sales, and then meet our friends at the neighborhood coffeehouse for dinner and Trivia Night. I will be so happy to have that again. 

Cover art for East Side Magazine

Book Lover Ladies series- The Book Clubbers

Q: What have you learned from your years at Square Carousel, whether organizing behind the scenes or as a contributor? 

 A: Oooof!! So SO many things! Wow... well, I'll go with the most obvious first: as a member, I learned how to continue to make portfolio-worthy work, even without jobs coming in. That was definitely the most valuable thing about Square Carousel, in my opinion, and hopefully what everyone else got out of it, as well. It can be so hard for fresh graduates to keep up that momentum, and the group saved many of us from becoming stagnant. In terms of running the group... it's been rewarding, but honestly very difficult throughout the years. There have been many ups and downs, and finding the right balance between structure and patience can be extremely challenging. I'm super proud of Elizabeth and myself (OG members!) for keeping it running through the messes-- we've been through some shit together! My major takeaway is the importance of diligence. Projects, businesses, organizations-- they all need at least a couple of people who just keep chugging along, always maintaining the structure (schedule and accountability) and balance (rules and lighthearted encouragement). 

Moth magnets

Q: As the readers are aware, Square Carousel drawing to a close soon. Do you have any plans for what you'll do with the extra time you'll have after our tri-weekly challenges end? 

 A: You know, I actually haven't thought about this too much yet. It's probably because I'll just fill it with more self-imposed projects and deadlines, since I was able to bring that skill I learned in Square Carousel into the rest of my career a while ago. (Or more real jobs! That would be ideal!) I'll miss the community though, and hope to find a way to keep that aspect of freelance life alive. Instagram friends, anyone? 

Q: What's your quirkiest habit? 

 A: Jordan told me recently that he found it weird and endearing that I joke-sing to my cats in the kitchen about really stupid stuff... so probably that! Official Cat Lady© status achieved.

Caitlin and Buster Keaton the Kitten

Q: What advice would you give to a newbie illustrator just starting out today? 

 A: I'd give them the hard advice that our professors didn't really give us in school: there is no way this is going to work out for you if you're not incredibly committed to pursuing it. Now, don't get me wrong-- I'm not telling anyone to have an unhealthy work/life balance because I think that's a toxic sentiment. But you have to keep illustrating and illustrating and illustrating, and arguably more importantly, keep networking and networking and networking. You're going to be rejected or ghosted more often than not, but if you really want it to work out, you're going to keep doing it anyway. And taking critiques if industry folks offer them, to grow and become better. Don't become stagnant in those critical building years.

Caitlin’s studio

Q: Anything else you would like the readers to know? 

A: Yes – thank you so much for supporting Square Carousel through our amazing ten years of challenges! We really appreciate everyone who has kept up with us, checking out the illustrations for each prompt and reading our posts and interviews. Y'all are wonderful, and we hope you'll continue to find us, wherever each of us fly from here! And on that sweet note, we say goodbye for now! Check out Caitlin’s website for more, and follow her on Instagram for new art when it drops.

Join us next time for our final interview!

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

What do you think Napoleon would feel about the Le Pens? Like I know he’d hate their guts but the extent 👀

God fuck the Le Pens. I feel dirty thinking about them. (Though weirdly funny that Marine kicked her dad out of FN. Like you know you’re too deep down the rabbit hole of fuckery when Marine kicks you out. [and yeah, of course it’s all part of her image cleaning up gimmick. Wherein I’m sure she thinks the same as him, but is trying to “soften” the image of the party. And, based on the last election, it’s working. So that’s horrifying.]) All this to say: fuck the Le Pens; white supremacy etc. 

Anyway - assuming we’re still going for “Napoleon from 1815 woke up August 22, 2020″ base for our thought experiments here. 

Overall, yeah he’d think them short sighted, idiotic, and would probably have some elegant-yet-crude insults for them in Corsican. Let us take a brief, and not at all comprehensive, stroll down the Le Pens (and FN by default)’s terrible policies. Then I can scrub my brain out because they are absolutely foul people. 

behind a cut because it’s long. 

Economics: First off, Napoleon and I are the same in that we neither know anything about economics. He did not have a firm grasp on how the economy worked. Which I sympathise with, because it seems very fake and made up. 

Anyway, he did a lot of modernization, raised taxes, created a lot of public works programs to stimulate the economy and improve connectivity (gotta build all the roads and canals. Actually though, as a public infrastructure keener, I support this). He did lay the foundation for the centralized bank of France. (Something Biddle would get all hot and bothered over. Nothing sexier than centralized banks.)

Napoleon also introduced a whole loan system for businesses to try and keep them afloat and improve local industry. He was keen on protecting property rights, um, tried to regulate the currency to protect it against inflation. Idk, he did other things that I’m not going to get into. 

Comparing Napoleon’s hot economic takes from 1815 to 2020? A bit hard. So I’m going to guestimate on this. 

I think, once he understood how the world functions now, he would be pro-globalization and the various free trade agreements that are in place (CETA, PCAs etc). He might disagree with details therein, but the broad philosophy is one I think he’d support. 

I don’t know if he would be pro-single currency. I suspect he might be anti-the Euro, while still supporting the broad intents of the EU. 

He would support a strong public sector - so government controlled postal service, utilities, schools etc. In that, and the anti-Euro view, he would align with Marine, at least. Not sure about her POS father. 

No idea what his views on the Havana Charter would be. Probably mixed. 

EU: I’ve touched on this before, I think Napoleon would be pro-EU, over all. He’d just think France should be the hegemonic power. Why isn’t France making all the decisions? This is dumb. Who does Germany think they are? Etc. Therefore, he would disagree with the Le Pens who think the EU is the anti-christ and the cause of everything bad that ever happened in France (I exaggerate, but they do blame the EU for a lot of things so you know, it’s not that much of a stretch).

Immigration: This is where they would diverge significantly. Like apples and moldy toast kind of different. I’ve touched on Napoleon’s immigration policy before, so I’m not going to wade into it again. But yeah, needless to say Napoleon would be like “let everyone come. They want to come to France? They are French. More is better. The end.” 

The only thing is, he was very pro-assimilation. Not really into the “patchwork quilt” approach to the philosophy (and implementation) of multiculturalism. Which, to be fair, is a very modern view and not something I would expect anyone from 1815 to agree with, or consider a general good approach to dynamic, multicultural societies. 

But yeah, the Le Pens whole moratorium on immigration, hatred of anyone foreign, that would be an anathema to Napoleon. He would vehemently disagree with that stance. Napoleon believed alloys were stronger. You took different people, boiled them down, and melded them into a unified French identity. That was his Hot Take on the matter. Again, pro-assimilation, which is an inherently conservative stance by 21st century standards, but a very average stance by early 19th century standards. His immigration and citizenship views were overall liberal for the time. 

Indeed, the whole creation of a unified French identity was in its infancy during his life. He contributed heavily to it, but for his lifetime, identity was strongly linguistic and regional. You’re Gascon before you’re French, you’re Basque before you’re either French or Spanish, that sort of thing. 

And of course, his views on this were heavily informed by his own experience and identity as a Frenchman and how it was received, or not, by his own people, as well as other monarchs and countries. (Tsar Alexander liked to brag that he spoke better French than the Emperor of France. And I believe the Times once called Napoleon a “Mediterranean mongrel.” Charming. So, he had a fun and exciting adventure in European class, ethnic and racial politics of the early 19th century.)

Napoleon would also disagree with the Le Pens that citizenship and nationality are indivisible. He was into the whole “if you decide you are French then you are French, no matter which side of the Rhine you were born on”. 

Secularism: They’d actually probably mostly agree on this. In that religion has no part or place in government and there should be a clear and strong separation of church and state. 

The banning of religious clothing, though, I don’t think Napoleon would support that. I would argue that he’d think it infringed on personal rights too much, and he was keen on protecting those. Like, his policy towards integrating France’s Jewish population was to try and assimilate them, yes, because he viewed everything as being consumed by the monolith that was the French Empire. But he wasn’t like “no wearing a tallit or kippah.”

Abortion: Guys, Napoleon is a culturally Catholic man from 1815 who thought women’s crowing jewel were her children and that France really needed to increase its overall population. I think we can all figure out what his views on abortion would be. Marine is pro-legality of abortion, but she personally is like “it’s eViL and a serious MoRaL IsSuE” etc. 

Gay Rights: Napoleon’s whole political approach was to bring in the people on the margins and normalize them (assimilate; one of us, one of us) as a means to increase the base of the population who would support him. As he viewed marriage as a strictly secular, civil ceremony, and not a religious one, there could be a possibility of slowly talking him around to it. That said, he also viewed marriage as a declaration of intent to make many babies (for his army). I don’t think he’d be pro-queer couples adopting, no matter what. So, who knows. 

That said, he wasn’t like “lock up the gays”. And as gay marriage is established in France currently, I don’t know if he’d be pro-abolition since it’s mostly a popular/accepted law and he was all about that sweet, sweet public approval rating. 

So if he came around to it, it wouldn’t be for altruistic reasons. At the same time, he wouldn’t be like “make it illegal”. He was very “w/e just show up to work on time Cambaceres, jesus.” (Cambaceres: It’s midnight, sire. This isn’t normal work hours. Napoleon: SAYS WHO???) 

Women in Politics: Well he’s obviously 100% against that. Ladies belong at home with the bebes. Le Pens, obviously, aren’t. Though Jean, I think, is like Trump where he’s pro his daughter being in politics (until she chucked him out of FN), but he would expect his wife to be a Proper Housewife. That weird conservative man thing about the role of wives and daughters. 

-

There’s my fly-over guestimation of Napoleon v Le Pens

It’s very, very hard to figure out what Napoleon, a man born in 1769 and died in 1821, would think about politics, economics and society in 2020. I tried to gauged based on his broad, philosophical views and how he acted as ruler. But he was also someone who was very analytical and would be capable of understanding the world as it is today and the realities that are in place. He might find them off putting or bizarre (ladies as heads of states?? what about your children??) but he was an imminently pragmatic man who would look at a situation and go “alright, this is the reality of the system and society I am now in” and would adjust himself accordingly. 

In the end, trying to figure out how a man from 1815 would react to today’s politics is very difficult, if not outright impossible. His understanding of what liberal meant, what conservative meant, etc. were so different to our understanding that I would never place him in one camp. He had changing, dynamic views, and that would be reflected in his understanding of politics in 2020. 

Overall, I think he would disagree with a lot of the stances of the Le Pens. Would he hate them? No. Because Napoleon didn’t really hate people based on their political views. He saw too much of the Revolution to go for extreme personal reactions to political stances; also he was too much a pragmatist and understood that you never know who might be an ally in the future. 

Napoleon might look down on the Le Pens, he might find them personally disgusting, he might view them as stupid (honestly, he’d probably just think they’re dumb and quickly move on), but he wouldn’t hate them. 

-

Because this is tumblr, I must now declare my political stance because I was too calm in most of that assessment. 

1. Fuck the Le Pens & Front Nationale 

2. Nationalism is spooky and I am always suspect when it comes up in political discourse in the year of our lord 2020 

3. I am bi and non-binary, which isn’t actually a political stance (or a personality), but tumblr is Like That so I thought I’d include it. 

4. I support: lgbtq rights; trans rights; universal health care; easy and open access to education; improved access to education at primary school levels (because that’s a huge impact on people); ACAB; separation of church and state; prison reform/some form of abolishment - I’m still thinking through my views on this and how it should be approached; land back; Aboriginal and Treaty Rights; immigration; no more kids in cages jesus christ; don’t drink bleach; democracy is good, punch fascists etc. etc. 

[megaboy335]

Mega’s 2019 Top Anime List

Another year of anime has come and gone. This year I ended up watching a lot less due to the over saturation of Isekai and light novel anime, but there was still plenty to enjoy. As usual I consider any show that ended this year as a contender to be on my list. This is simply my opinion and there will be spoilers below.

1) Pokemon Sun & Moon

Starting this list with a show I watched for 3 years, Pokemon Sun and Moon was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had with the Pokemon anime. It took the best aspects of XY and added loose animation to the mix. Ash and friends have never had so much personality as each episode brought the characters to life in new ways with funny facial expressions. As an adaptation of the game, Pokemon SM did better in some areas compared to others. The trials were simplified or restructured to account for Ash’s classmates being trial captains in the game. While the Kahuna battles were spaced out very far apart in the anime. I always thought it was strange that in-between major story battles, Ash barely ever thought about the challenges.

The two major story highlights of the anime are Lusamine’s arc and the Pokemon League. Lusamine’s story was the main plot of SM and it played out almost exactly like the game. Her downfall to her Ultra Beasts obsession and then Lillie knocking some sense back into her mom is still an emotional highlight of the series. In any Pokemon anime, the Pokemon League is what brings meaning to Ash’s entire journey through the region. SM’s league is similar to the game where it’s the first league of the region. The rival pairings and matches were completely predictable, but it ended with two big surprises. First, Ash was actually allowed to win for once (matching your character becoming the first champion in the game), and secondly he had a full 6 v 6 match with Kukui. It spanned 3.5 episodes with Ash’s Litten completing its character arc by reaching its final form during the battle. It was a rare match where both parties are battling it out for fun and it ended with a flashy finale of two hype Z-moves. Pokemon SM will be remembered for its simplicity, yet ambitious approach in always showing something new week after week.

2) Mob Psycho 100 Season 2

Mob-Psycho continues where it left off in season 1. The main protagonists have come away from a battle with Claw and now daily life resumes. This season featured a love story, Reigen’s arc, deeper exploration into psychic powers, and the return of Claw. Just like in season 1, Mob continues to excel in two major areas. First is of course the animation. An average episode of Mob is literally that one stand-out episode of a one cour anime. Psychic power usage is often a reflection of emotions and they are animated in different ways depending on the characters thoughts in a particular scene. There were so many highlights this season that it would be impossible to list them all.

Mob’s second strength is the character writing. In season 1 Mob was a boy struggling to create his own identity. This season Mob actively tries to break out of his shell and become his own unique person. We see this through his efforts with the fitness club, again when he separates from Regien, and again as he shows everyone that having psychic powers is no substitute for personal growth or status. Mob is no longer a timid boy like he was at the start of the series. He can now stand on his own two feet and help others who are struggling to get up. Considering there is still a little more manga left to cover, I can only hope it gets one last season to finish out the story.

3) Kaguya-Sama: Love is War

In order to understand the appeal of Kaguya-Sama, just for a second imagine if Death Note was a romantic comedy. Both of the protagonists are locked into a battle of wits to outsmart the other in the events of daily life. The mere act of choosing a vacation spot, going somewhere, or giving an item to each other suddenly becomes a high stakes duel. Kaguya-sama follows Kaguya herself and Shirogane as they try to avoid being the first to admit their love for each other. The side characters only help to add wildcards to each battle such as Chika being able to change the tide of battle with a single phrase.

I enjoyed seeing how absurd each battle would become week after week. The presentation is simple, yet very effective in this anime. Resources were definitely allocated for use in certain places for maximum impact. The voice acting also helped a ton in selling just how important each battle was in the minds of the characters. Overall, the series knows how to play with your expectations. Some battles turn out as expected, some with a twist, and others end on some kind of middle ground. However, each battle brings them a little closer together. I can’t wait for the next season in April.

4) Run with the Wind

Almost all sports anime revolve around high school students trying to become as good as possible and win nationals before the 3rd years graduate. However, Run with the Wind takes a different approach to this formula. It focuses on a group of college students who, at the start at least, would rather do anything else than run. It takes about half of the show before our group of characters even get on the same page about running. I enjoyed how this anime put us into the heads of each character. Some have personal reasons for not wanting to run, while for others it was something trivial. However, by committing themselves to the team they each gained a new outlook on themselves and those around them. It was quite literally an uphill for the team to reach the level of success they got at the end. The final run brilliantly showed how each character learned from the experience and how the time they spent on the team was a positive life changing moment. Run with the Wind shows that it's never too late to try something new.

5) JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind

Jojo is back on the list after an extended break between parts 4 and 5. Compared to previous stories, Part 5 is most similar to part 3. There is a quest to clear and it involves the main group traveling across the land and defeating enemy stand users each step of the way. The differences between part 5 and its previous stories becoming apparent right away. First off, the protagonist is not a traditional Joestar. He is the son of Dio born from when he had Jonathan’s body. Secondly, the group of main characters are not exactly good guys. As mafia members they display a sense of unity, but lack the high integrity of previous Jojo characters. A connection they all share is being looked down upon in society, but placing a place in the world through Bucciarati’s squad.

The aspect that makes or breaks a JoJo story for me is usually the villain. I consider Diavolo to be the weakest of any villain across the various JoJo stories. During the early arcs of the story, Diavolo comes off as an interesting character. He has a mysterious personality and will clearly stop at nothing to keep his identity hidden, including killing his own daughter. The series then adds layer of complexity when we meet his alter ego Doppio. The two personalities are clearly distinctive, but the line between which one is charge can be murky. However, his character intrigue quickly comes crashing down as the final arc fully brings Diavolo into the limelight. The story comes down to who can control the stand arrow, which is a sharp contrast to previous villains who drove the final arc on the back of their eccentric personalities. While JoJo part 5 is still a good anime, it will always come near the bottom of my favorite JoJo parts.

The Year of High Profile Weekly Shonen Jump Anime Adaptations

As the 2016-17 hits from Weekly Shonen Jump have aged up, all of their anime dropped in succession this year. I am a huge fan of the magazine, so here’s a section with some quick thoughts of their anime.

The Promise Neverland - The anime changed the escape arc from a mental battle to a horror series. While animation is definitely better suited to playing with the idea of show don’t tell, the result ended up being telling the story through a different lens. While I appreciated the idea, I feel it came up short. The loss of Posuka Demizu’s art was another major blow to the mood they were trying to create.

Kimetsu no Yaiba - When the manga first began, I never imagined it would become a 1+ Million seller. Ufotable brought their top class digital effects to a manga that at a quick glance would make anyone think it would be the last series to get such treatment. The anime brought a lot to the table and greatly helped to bring the manga to life. It was a great experience from start to finish (episode 19 is a major highlight of the year). I’m looking forward to the upcoming film.

Dr. Stone - Compared to the other Jump anime this year, Dr. Stone’s animation and presentation stuck very close to the manga (if not even inferior to Boichi’s creative spreads at times). The aspect that sold this anime best was the voice cast. They brought so much life into the characters and conveyed the passion each one has for science and learning. I enjoyed seeing Senku create his inventions in animated form.

Bokuben - This might not exactly be considered “high-profile”, but I can’t help but find myself impressed by the anime week after week. It adds a few touches here and there to better tell a cohesive story and occasionally adds a scene or two. I appreciated the heart the anime brought to the series through the seiyuu. Introducing a new seiyuu unit from the cast was also a nice bonus as well.

Best OP/EDs of the year:

1) One Piece Opening 22 - The One Piece anime has changed dramatically under Tatsuya Nagamine. This opening is fast paced and filled with future story teases. It changes the format by cutting the op run time down to 2 minutes and includes clips of the episode. The final sequence of Luffy vs. Kaido always gets me hyped each to watch the episode each week. 

2) Mob Psycho II Opening - This opening feels like a natural continuation of the first season opening. It once again showcases how the show is full of creative animation and unusual characters.

3) Mix Opening 1- Mitsuru Adachi is known for his nuanced writing of giving characters the space to convey their thoughts. This opening fully shows these traits through its sequence of character shots that feel like a natural usage of his writing style. 

4) Kaguya-Sama Chika Ending - Cute song and amazing choreography. There’s a clear reason why this swept across the internet last winter

5) JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5 Opening 2 - Not only is Traitor’s Requiem a very cool name for a song for this part of the story, but the plot teases are perfectly timed in the song. The opening animation also kept on giving with the villain version and Giorno later recapturing the opening.

This brings 2019 to a close and another decade comes to an end. As my way of recapping the decade, here is a list of my top shows in each post I have made since I started posting them in 2014:

Space Brothers

Hunter x Hunter

Kill la Kill

Nisekoi

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 3

Sore ga Seiyuu

Death Parade

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 3 (Second Half)

Hibike Euphonium 

One Punch Man Season 1

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4

Mob Psycho 100 Season 1

Yuri on Ice

Konosuba Season 1

Sakamoto Desu Ga?

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

Tsuki Ga Kirei

Re:Creators

Ero-manga Sensei

Owarimonogatari (the Monogatari series in general)

Hugtto Precure

A Place Further than the Universe

Yuru Camp

Dragonball Super

S.S.S.S. Gridman

[timtamtalestakestwo]

Easter Adventures: Part Two

Please scroll down for Part One if you haven’t already seen it!

At the end of our first adventure I still had another 10 days of annual leave to go, and unfortunately Tom had to go back to work so I did the next part solo.

I had decided to fly out to Tasmania to visit my 4th state, hire a campervan and explore as much as I could in a week! It was somewhere my dad has visited many times for work and had always spoken very fondly of it so was excited to see what was in store!

Day 1: An early morning flight out of Sydney meant arriving in Hobart by 09:30. As I stepped off the plane in my shorts and T shirt, my body had a bit of a shock to be greeted with a blistering cold wind! I wasn’t quite prepared for the significant drop in temperature Tassie had in store compared to sunny Newcastle! I picked up my ‘camperwagon’ (essentially a people carrier with the back converted into a table/sofa which could then be made into a bed, with a roof box on top and an ‘esky’ to keep my food cold) and warmed up inside, looking at a map of Tasmania to decide where to go! Hobart is very busy on a Saturday due to their famous Salamanca markets so my plans to have a quick look around were swiftly abandoned due to the sheer terror of trying to find anywhere to pack this vehicle 2.5 times the size of my normal car! So I drove out of Hobart CBD up to famous MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) which was described by David Walsh, the owner of all the artwork, as a ‘subversive adult Disneyland’! It is no secret that I struggle with the concept of a lot of modern art pieces and this was no different, although it was a very impressive museum and I did understand some meaning to some of the works…! 

Once I had exhausted by art gallery capacity, I started the drive down to Eaglehawk Neck and the Tasman Peninsula. My first impression was the sheer amount of roadkill – every 50 metres or so there were carcasses of wallabies, possums and wombats. However during a brief drive in the dark that evening, I could see why as the roads were teeming with animals trying to cross! I found a spot at Tessellated Pavement which lacked any ‘no overnight camping’ signs and decided to park there for the night! Before nightfall (which is at 5pm this whole trip..!) I made some visits along the jagged coastline to the beautiful Tasman Arch, Devil’s Kitchen and blowhole! Without wanting to use up the battery life on my head torch on day one, I was in bed by 6pm!

The ‘Tessellated Pavement’.

Tasman arch

Day 2: An early morning video call with my lovely girl friends in England who were having the first weekend get together there without me! Whilst extremely sad not to be with them, it was absolutely amazing to catch up with them and made extra special by the news that one of them is pregnant! 

I then drove further into the peninsula to go to Port Arthur, the famous former convict settlement which in the 1800s was the destination for the hardest of convicted British criminals. The area was chosen for its location as a ‘natural prison’ – surrounded by miles and miles of dry forest, this place was un-survivable for anyone who tried to escape, although there were some both funny and sombre stories of those who tried (none were successful)! The level of torture they endured whilst in prison was extremely harrowing to hear. There was also a ‘Separate Prison’, a new model of prison where prisoners lost their identity, were called only by numbers, could not speak, had masks on and were confined day and night. It was thought that this model would bring the prisoners’ minds to a ‘more healthy condition’ but all it did was make them all very mentally ill. ‘Point Puer’ was an island within the area where boys as young as 7 were sent from the UK for crimes (one boy was sent for stealing a toy from a shop!) and in contrast to the Separate Prison, were taught skills and crafts to give them a focus and provide opportunities for life after prison – prisons like this were then set up in the Isle of Wight to save having to ship them all to the other side of the world! The day I went also happened to be the 23rd anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre – a terrible mass shooting at the historic site, and one of the worst in Australia which led to fundamental changes in national gun laws. 

That afternoon I drove up to Freycinet National Park and set up my camp at the beautiful ‘Friendly Beaches’. There was a stunning sunset (this will be a recurring theme of this blog post…) and lots of very friendly wallabies! I made a big hearty pasta dish on my stove and sat star-gazing at the very clear night sky!

Day 3: The sunrise from the beach the following morning was equally stunning and was a lovely calming way to start the day! I drove down into the National Park to do a long walk down to the clear waters of Wineglass Bay, across the barren isthmus to Hazards Beach and then an undulating bush walk! Arrived back to a wallaby investigating my van and when I went to go fill up my water and left the door open, it tried to hop inside! Northward bound, stopped off at a few places including Bicheno – famous for its penguins and blowhole before reaching Bay of Fires – again another beach stop, and if the fiery sunset was anything to go by I can see where it gets its name! I had company whilst I made dinner that night – a wallaby with its joey and 2 possums who seemed very persistent in trying to get in on some of my curry!

Day 4: Tea on the beach with the sunrise! Waking up before 6am after a good 11 hours sleep each night was a pretty foreign concept to me! I packed up and drove back down to St Helen’s, 10 minutes away as I had spotted a public shower in a carpark whilst driving past the previous day! This was my first shower of the trip and it was so very needed. I never thought a $2, 3 minute slot in a grotty shower in a public restroom would feel like the best shower of my life! I was heading away from the coast I had rather fallen for, and inland towards Launceston! It was a stunning drive, varying between windy narrow roads up mountains, barren plateaus, and profiles of jagged mountains from surrounding National Parks! Instead of trying to navigate my van around another city, I went straight to Cataract Gorge, just on the outskirts of Launceston, and did a beautiful walk along its edge! This was followed by a drive north along the coast of the Tamar River; the region is famous for its many wineries but unfortunately being my only driver, I was not able to indulge in such activities! 

Cataract Gorge

View over Tamar River

Day 5: Treated myself to my first meal not cooked on a camping stove for breakfast and went out to a café called Bryher in Launceston. It was top on the Tripadvisor list for breakfast and I can see why! They used all local and seasonal ingredients, and I was served up an enormous and filling bowl of porridge topped with quince, walnuts and brown butter – absolutely perfect! Today, I was starting my journey south again, but this time through the centre, which involved some very very winding mountain roads up to the Central Plateau Reservation. Gone were the lush landscapes of the coast, and replaced with dry and bare trees as far as the eye could see! I found a beautiful spot to camp next to mirror-like Meadow Bank Lake which proved for a lovely afternoon of photography!

Day 6: I had rather been looking forward to the sunrise from my current spot but woke up surrounded by a fog right up to my windows – I couldn’t even see the other van parked only a few metres away! However over the course of 30 minutes, it lifted to exposure a rather stunning misty sunrise so I was by no means left disappointed! It was only a 30 minute drive to my next stop: Mount Field National Park, where I had decided to spend my penultimate night! It is famous mainly for its waterfalls and platypuses! My van was set up right next to the river where I know platypus sightings were regular but despite all my attempts, involving crouching silently for a very long time at dusk and dawn, I didn’t see any! I did a few lovely walks around the National Park and was again joined by a possum for dinner! 

Russell Falls

A Tasmanian Pademelon

Day 7: Savoured my last bit of countryside before driving back to Hobart for an explore! The parking was just a stressful as I remembered so ended up quite quickly driving out and up to Mount Wellington which overlooks the city and surrounds! I was unprepared for how cold and windy it was up there but the views were to die for! There were no campsites or overnight-camping-friendly carparks in Hobart so ended up finding a quiet-looking residential street in Sandy Point. After getting used to trying to sleep with the van angled downward into the gutter, it was looking promising until the road became a boy racer’s playground at about midnight. Not the best night’s sleep but considering the quality of the previous 6 nights, I could hardly complain!

Day 8: I spent my final morning exploring the famous Salamanca Markets in central Hobart, and the very autumnal Botanical gardens of Tasmania which were beautiful! It was sadly the end of my trip, so it was back to Newcastle and a new job in Belmont Hospital!

There is so much left I’d love to see in Tasmania, particularly Cradle Mountain National Park where I have a list of hikes to do already! I was utterly blown away by the place so it’s safe to say this will have been the first trip of many, I hope!

[alienation2016-blog]

New Post has been published on Alienation

New Post has been published on https://alienation.biz/news-release-submissions-as-a-marketing-weapon/

News Release Submissions As A Marketing Weapon

The invention of news release submissions was in the beginning meant to be a conversation device between corporations and the media. It changed into a manner of saying vital news and product introductions to the information outlets that would distribute it of their medium. The Internet has modified all of that. Today’s information launch submissions are commonly an advertising and marketing tool that can permit verbal exchange directly from the business to the consumer.

The expertise that maximum Internet users frequently visit information sites has triggered entrepreneurs to peer news releases as greater than simply a method to announce the news. It is now a way to get the eye of Internet users who may probably turn out to be customers.

To get the maximum attention from an information release submission you’ll want to observe a few essential hints. You will want to maximize the visibility of the file. The first tip may also appear a bit obvious, but make certain you’ve got truly were given something to write approximately. The content material of an information release submission has to be newsworthy. Just like the vintage days of press releases, you need to have some thing worth writing about. Boring might not keep the attention of maximum on line readers.

Take benefit of more than one angles for the story. Think about the tale in a variety of various methods and publish the information file to several special news wires. Remember to rewrite the article so that it covers a wholly exceptional angle at the identical story.

Give your audience a cause to click thru from the document for your website. A desirable technique for doing that is to consist of a free document within the press release if the reader clicks thru. Anything that you can provide to inspire a click on through will usually paintings. People love freebies.

Get a list collectively of media contacts. Email them the record along with an excellent summary of what the news launch submissions incorporate. Offer a number of the writer’s exclusives with you if they may carry your press release. That will pass an extended manner in the direction of encouraging a great reaction for your launch.

Write a weblog version of your press launch. Submit this weblog launch to the social media sites and get interested that manner. Make sure you are writing in a way this is precise to the cultural group you’re posting to. Check out the sites first and be sure you could seize the taste of the writing.

There are many ways to get the phrase out approximately your enterprise. A nicely-written and timely press launch is simply one powerful way that marketers are coming across for online corporations. Get in on the action and write up your press launch now.

  News Profiteer Review

  Henry Liu isn’t always a savant by way of the regular definition books of Forex trading, He has never traded for any bank, or directly even for a trader but he has neatly panned out his Forex trading thoughts in a way that it’s far supporting many retail the Forex market traders get the satisfactory out in their business. His news profiteer machine bases itself on essential news releases. He tries and sees the entire Forex buying and selling thru special eyes. According to him, there is usually the technical perspective gift to a dealer. It makes him compare diverse lines of market traits, and candlestick charts. Further, there are the Fibonacci retracements to do not forget. The technical angles although, do not put together a trader for few marketplace uncertainties. There is also the mental attitude, one that shall we a dealer benefit a toehold on associated baits of cash which leads to extra greed and fear.

Henry Liu believes that the entire buying and selling marketplace with all its revel in pass over out on a very valuable dictum. It is thought approximately one hundred thousand instances but trade pundits deliberately deliver it a pass over. It is essential information trading. Henry Liu, in his newsletter tries to provide such basically tradable news and his neutral views on their impact. According to him marketplace impact of such news is all at once excessive and but the boardroom dividend declarations and critical mergers get a pass over inside the trader’s e-book. So Liu in his news profiteer evaluate offers all neutral evaluation on tradable news, those which have a high impact on marketplace and adds details of trade including time of news launch, associated figures and route of motion after the new is out; whether it’s time to promote or purchase.

In his ebook he prescribes notable approaches to always continue to be at the higher flank of the device and generate as many as 25-30 pips consistent with alternate. The information profiteer system objectives to take away the inconsistency gradient associated with buying and selling and correctly does so. People mainly find it irresistible when Henry Liu makes a speciality of a number of lesser or extra than the quantity of pips. It is then that his erudition inside the subject involves the fore. He can exchange London, he can exchange Nikkei and within any feasible time-frame. The desirable component is, via his information profiteer evaluate he we could us alternate as well and take advantage of it. 25-30 pips in keeping with change are not any suggest business and it is all possible through paying heed to essential news releases.

Henry Liu indicates that there are two forms of buyers; individuals who research all the technical jargon of the topics and apprehend its execution. Such humans grace boards and on-line exchange rooms however there is by no means enough shekels in there stay money owed. Others who handiest apprehend the theory of rally and correction, assist and resistance however analyze the effect of essential news on international the Forex market change and come to be being the eventual winners. News profiteer enables you get the pleasant understanding of marketplace cycles, specific times for access and exit from the markets and much more. Believe within the strength of information launch and you’ll draw shekels you never concept feasible.

  Where Do You Get Your News?

  The different day, a person on the Online Think Tank had requested me how come I am up on all of the cutting-edge news – he requested; “where do you get your information besides?” What was he genuinely asking is if I were given a maximum of my information online, from the newspaper, radio or TV? Interestingly enough, I get my news from all the one’s assets. Online, I take numerous RSS feeds, ezines and surf the net news. You see, as a big “news consumption junky” myself, I can say that both on-line and offline news is vital.

Where do you get your information? Where can we tend to get most of our information? Yes, this is an excellent question, and some say information is like politics and all news is local, which means that you need to read the neighborhood newspaper, watch the nearby TV, pay attention to the local radio and visit localized online portal venues. Great information for nearby media at a time whilst tons of the marketing greenback is shifting towards on-line venues.

But how people get their information is in reality hard to say. For many like me, it is a mixture of assets. Maybe, but with out proper studies, it’s far simply all speak. In fact, I study an exciting blog the alternative day that addressed this problem and noted multiple surveys that contradicted every other, executed of the path by the media of each extraordinary venue, convenient certainly. It seems to me that this gentleman’s weblog makes a high-quality point in that he indicates these “information polls” for what they may be. What is that famous saying; liars parent and figures lie, often sufficient is the real truth.

In B2B Magazine that’s a print magazine touting the greatness of Online Marketing, that is funny in itself, it confirmed a study that radio, TV, and newspapers had been creating a mild come again in advertising and marketing, of path that is only due to the fact the ones media stores work fine for elections and there are huge bucks being spent. Thus, they must keep up the image that human beings are viewing, for that reason more studies, “done by them” to sell themselves. Still, I observed it ironic that B2B Magazine agreed with the stats.

Of direction, while it comes all the way down to it, most politicians are becoming an extra percent in their contributions on line so there is lots of push for treasured content material, domestically, regionally and even nationally and internationally. I discovered your remarks spot on, and that is a deep question, that I too would love responded with empirical information, real studies, independent. Indeed, I loved this gentleman’s blog about the media and the way people get their news, it truely was given me questions, and I hope I surpassed this on to you.