#kaos critic

[hermesmoly]

Kaos ultimately failed as a show for not putting Menelaus as part of their “Big Three” as if the gods didn’t ultimately use his love for Helen as a weapon that killed Trojan masses

[jeffiaz]

Watching KAOS.

[genericpuff]

holy crap okay so

I'm two episodes into Kaos

normally I keep my expectations pretty minimal because, let's be real, the Internet - and especially Tumblr - has a tendency to severely overhype new series to be way better than they actually are and it often leaves me sitting there like "that's it? that's what people were freaking out over for weeks?? that was just a bunch of cheap ships and tropes that i've seen 123785902380 times before" LMAO

BUT thankfully compared to other series like Hazbin Hotel and The Amazing Digital Circus, I haven't been worn out on excessive fandom exposure prior to watching Kaos, so I didn't really know what to expect going in besides what folks have told me so far - it's a modern-day Greek epic, and it stars Jeff Goldblum as Zeus (which is, unsurprisingly, peak casting).

That said, I'm very pleased to say that so far, the show is absolutely blowing me away. The set designs, characterizations, weaving of all the players into a central narrative led by a very coy narrator, all of it feels both refreshing and respectful to the source material at the same time.

so uh yeah that LO animated TV show... we have reason to believe now that it's gotten picked up by Amazon Prime, at least according to the showrunner's LinkedIn and posting history from February of this year that seems to imply LO may have been picked up by Amazon-

(but still, nothing's really been confirmed because they're being so tight-lipped about this you'd almost think it's because there isn't a show happening at all cough)

But even then, that means at best we still won't see anything of the LO TV show adaption for another 2-3 years, depending on how production goes.

Why am I talking about LO right now? Well it should be obvious - Kaos double-whammied LO by beating it to the punch at its own game.

I mean, just look at the creative choices alone in the design of the Underworld and its rulers, our beloved Hades and Persephone.

And yes, the entire Underworld is color-graded like this, something so simple and yet effective in communicating the nature of the Underworld and what it stands for - a place where the past lives on through the dead, paused in time, devoid of the vibrant color grading found in Olympus - or "Olympia" as its been named in this retelling - which is, by the way, a visual treat to take in every time it's featured.

(and yes, that is S-tier-companion Billie Piper on the left, but I will not tell you who she's playing, you actually really should go into this show as blind as possible for the thrill of figuring out these characters as they're introduced <3)

That's not even getting into the narrative structure of the plot itself or the phenomenal casting and acting, but again, I don't want to spoil too much as the show is quite new, and I want to actually finish watching the show myself before I get more into the details of its story and how it delivers it (I'm very much hoping I will still be singing this show's praises at the end of its 8 episodes, please for the love of god don't jump the shark, I don't think my heart can take that kind of pain again.)

All that's to say though, Kaos is, so far, exactly what us disappointed fans of LO deserve after all these years, and frankly, I feel like whatever is coming for the LO animated TV show is really gonna have to step up to the plate to both live up to the bar that Kaos has set as well as stand on its own without being affiliated as a cheap Amazon knockoff living in its shadow. Sounds a little familiar and a bit ironic, doesn't it?

[alatismeni-theitsa]

In "KAOS" nothing is anything, and everything is wrong

Two disclaimers: I am no stranger to modern art, and I have no issue with queerness in shows, or in my own mythology (I'm Greek). I am also aware that KAOS is a comedy. It's in the gutter of British comedy, but still part of the genre. At least I laughed every time they said "Oh God!". I don't believe this is the same person who wrote the great and amusing "End of the F**king World"! The premise of "The gods in our modern world" appeals to me a lot, so that wasn't my problem either. My general issue with KAOS is its horrible delivery, bad writing, and piss-poor Greek representation.

This is gonna be long and full of stupid gifs, so sit comfortably, grab a coffee or some popcorn and... pame!

The "ILoveGreekMythology" Kid

Art without context is just a pretty thing to look at. Most of the time, this context can be found within the art piece itself, as the artist has taken care to weave it in. KAOS refuses to connect itself to any context besides the names and a few vague powers. It aims to exist outside of those "boring old stories of the Greek myth" and be entirely "fresh and modern". Something impossible when the entire show and the meanings are based on ancient recorded material. In other words, KAOS is so meta that it ends up being nothing. KAOS cannot stand on its own because you need more than the viewers being familiar with the Greek myth basics to pull such a show off.

KAOS tells us "See? I know all the names of the gods, and what they did, and I know all the locations, so I am qualified to tackle this". More or less like any Western kid who takes all their knowledge from PJO and Marvel and proceeds to unironically hate ancient deities and make a girlboss out of Medusa.

Here's a Greek word for you guys, ημιμάθεια, meaning "half-knowledge". Α Greek saying very well declares "Half-knowledge is worse than no knowledge". The confidence of thinking you know enough often leads you to grave mistakes whereas the humility of not knowing prevents you from touching shit that you shouldn't. When you have no idea what the original myth is trying to say and spit on its meaning, knowing a few names and locations is just smoke and mirrors. I don't believe the audience fell for that.

And don't get me started on the "subversions". A good subversion is intriguing and thought-provoking. In KAOS, every twist was hollow - Greek myth related or otherwise.

"What if Euridice doesn't love Orpheus?" I don't know, babe. What if??? What was the point of that? What did you show us? That women's stories are dominated by men and men don't listen to women, perhaps? And you chose to twist... the love story of Orpheus and Euridice to show this?? One of the best and most tragic love stories Greek mythology has to offer?? You just mocked the myth, you didn't make anything profound out of it.

The Greek Stuff (Nothing salvageable)

I was surprised to see they had a Consulting Producer (Georgia Christou) and an Assistant Script Editor (Isabella Yianni) who happen to be Greek. And I stress that because those people probably weren't hired or utilized for being Greek. We are not sure they were involved in cultural decisions because we have no evidence and because shows with no Greek elements can have more Greeks than that on their staff.

Okay, perhaps they took 5 seconds to ask Isabella about a greeting - which they proceeded to say in a wrong intonation 🙄🤌It's where Poseidon says "ya sás" in the Fates, by the way. How he said it sounds more like "for you (pl.)" than "health to you (pl.)".

Surprise! The only Greek actor present (Peter Polycarpou) has less than 5 minutes of screen time and plays the caricature of an immigrant with a thick (and inaccurate Greek) accent. He has a canteen, selling falafel which is not Greek, and Dionysus buys from him an unidentified tortilla wrap (which... is also not Greek, if you haven't caught up).

For the show they brought in actors of Maori, Nigerian and Sierra Leonean, Pakistani, Black American, Latvian-Jewish, Iranian, Egyptian, Indo-Fijian and Malay descent and you tell me it was impossible for them to seek and find an English-speaking, skilled actor of Greek descent in a show regarding Greek heritage. Sometimes I wonder, do y'all hate us so much?

They considered Greeks only to give us a simple (and wrong) greeting and a stereotype. Crumbs, we are supposed to be happy with. By the way, there are over 70.000 Greek immigrants just in the UK, usually in the urban centers, many of them students or fairly young employees in the corporate workforce. Not the largest minority but not hard to spot either.

Another plague of Anglophone shows: Almost everyone's Greek name is shortened. Yes, we know their full names but we are told that we will use the short ones. Greeks and their "long and difficult" names am I right fellas? Because saying "Ariadne" apparently requires 5 years of Greek language training, and no English word ever has more than two syllables.

Coincidentally, short names are cool in Anglophone imaginary universes and the "long" names are not. it's so strange Anglophones never make universes where it's cool for Greek names to be spoken in full hmmm... They don't even want to practice saying a whole Greek name for just 2 minutes in preparation for a show full of Greek names. And don't give me that "Greek is hard" shit when we only talk about a few syllables. If Greek kids can learn English since first grade and people here can sing English songs and spell English names, you have no excuse.

They also said the name "Fotis" means light, which is close enough but... ugh.. It's like saying Sebastian means "respect". I am not sure if they asked anyone or what their research was here. If I had the writers in front of me, I'd be like:

(This character from an all-time favorite Greek show is called Fotis)

They also made the flag of "Krete" an alteration of the Greek flag and the local Cretan flag. Which is the stupidest move, because they had to remove the religious symbol of the cross to make the flag fit the universe. These are flags created based on 1) Christianity 2) the Greek Revolution of 1821.

National Greek flag to the left, local Cretan flag to the right:

Flag of the KAOS' "Krete":

The only time they seriously took into account anything Greek, was the time when they decided to remove the religious symbol of our ethnoreligion AND (from what I could observe) keep the nine stripes?? The nine stripes of our national flag represent the syllables in "Freedom or Death". The colors are from the white foustanela of the mainland attire and the dark blue vraka of the island attire, the clothing of the Revolution fighters. (That's more of a meta explanation but the characteristics of the flag were decided during and nearly after the Revolution.)

I think I don't have to explain it more but it's not a homage to put the nine stripes in an ancient era where they have no meaning, and to replace a cross??? Let's... not replace religious symbols on national flags, okay? Thank you.

Another cultural element they changed was making everyone have a dedicated coin to pay Charon. Orpheus has Euridice's coin, "her coin", and he's meant to put it on her before she got buried. In Greek culture, any coin would do. Sorry that our culture restricts your script, dear writers. I guess you had to bend this too, in order to create a cohesive plot with a semblance of a twist.

Finally, the many "Kerberus" dogs were cute and I can understand the creative decision behind that. However, in a show full of inaccuracies, this made me roll my eyes a little. I think the showrunners know that Kerveros is not a breed of dog, and there can only be one of him because he doesn't have any other "Kerveros" to breed with. On the other hand, as demonstrated from art/writing on the internet, quite a lot of Westerners are not exactly aware of how our monsters work, so forgive my uncertainty 😅

Nothing is Anything

Every element KAOS played with ended up meaningless. In the words of a Lifo article:

“Zeus is a paranoid authoritarian dictator in mid-life crisis who fears losing his power and murders his aides to vent. Hera is a promiscuous goddess who repeatedly betrays Zeus and has mutilated mute priestesses for protection. Dionysos is a spoiled and immature zoomer who, apart from pranks, indulges in orgies with all genders. Poseidon a sadistic god of the sea, who tortures the crew on his ship for fun. Prometheus is gay and killed his lover so he could overthrow Zeus. Orpheus is a famous pop singer and Eurydice does not love him. Theseus is black and gay. The Erinyes are tough-as-nails mechs that look like they stepped out of ‘Sons of Anarchy’. The Fates resemble a three-member jury in a talent show. The Trojans are a terrorist group that acts against the gods. Crete is more reminiscent of California than the Mediterranean.”

The "River Styx" is a sea, the "River Lethe" is a lake, the gods are nothing more than spoiled humans, the Moirai are drag queens, the Cave is a club where you have to take a quiz to enter the underworld, and generally everything is modern, flat, mundane and anticlimactic. The producers aimed to achieve a work so meta that a "river" is now a concept, a metaphor, whatever you have in your heart. And those who want to see a river when we speak of a river are probably uncultured swines and don't understand postmodernism. Never mind that rivers are rivers in Greek mythology for a reason. That's not culturally interesting enough to explore compared to the new, cool approach of not assigning meaning to anything. That totally shows love for the original rich and meaningful material...

And the reason behind all this subversion? Probably the shock factor. They brought the characters to a point where they said "We have to save the world from Zeus" - Zeus! The father of gods, heroes and humans! - just because they could. It gives off a certain type of smugness that I personally don't like. I mean, I would like the smugness and cheekiness of KAOS if it wasn't a vapid and practically meaningless show. As nothing symbolizes anything anymore, we are just led from hollow plot point to hollow plot point.

If you cut it out of any cultural influence and see it as a story then it's... okay, I guess. But when you consider that it's meant to derive from certain material and it fails spectacularly, it's not a good story. It forgets its bases and doesn't play with the ancient elements at all. Disney's Hercules did it better, FFS!

Bad Writing (pt.1)

KAOS is not without recognizable themes but their demonstration is so juvenile and heavy-handed that it fails to influence a viewer of average intelligence. For instance, "Riddy" says to her religious mother "You dedicated your whole life to Hera, what about me?" Okay, KAOS, we get it. At the same time, this theme nulls itself because it turns out that Ridy's mother was right to do what she did, as she had a greater goal in mind. (And this, kiddos, is called Bad Writing, because your themes and scenes contradict each other)

The biggest theme I spotted was a criticism of religion and religious people who say "Do as I say, not as I do" and create exceptions for themselves. Only, it's not a criticism of anything real, in this case. It's a fact that some people in the clergy tend to preach peace and love and then they do harm, but we don't know, for example, that The Goddess of Marriage is a cheater and yet she pressures everyone into strict marriages. By focusing their wrath on divine beings who are not known for their hypocrisy, the creators missed the mark.

I can give KAOS props for how it handled Trojans to reflect real issues regarding how immigrants and war refugees are mistreated and blamed. I'd argue it was the only (nearly) well-done theme in the whole show because it had the least on-the-nose delivery and some genuine/serious scenes. But that's it.

More Bad Writing!

Jeff Goldblum's Zeus is shit. He'd crap his pants in an argument with a stern Greek dad/uncle his age. Is this character supposed to be intimidating? (Laughs in Mediterranean) That's not to say that Goldblum is not a good actor, but this role wasn't for him. The same can be said for the other actors, too. They are competent but they only give off the air of "The Greek gods if they lived in London, from the minds of people who think beards and body hair are an affliction". In addition to being misplaced, the actors cannot show their talent when following a script that resembles a children's book.

Why does THE GOD Dionysus have the maturity of a 15-year-old? I repeat, The God Dionysus. He's a freaking deity, and a very old one at that. He is not a teenager neither in appearance nor in experience. In our culture, he is mystical, mighty, wise. Why did they downgrade him so? Just for the plot? This is not Dionysus just because you named him so.

The dialogue rarely takes itself seriously to the point it has you wondering at times "Do people talk and behave like that?". In a comedy where everything is meant to be already extreme and parodied. Even in comedies, something must occasionally be serious so there is a healthy fluctuation in tone and the funny moments can hit you. In KAOS very few scenes treated their impactful dialogue as it should be treated.

The queerness and diversity (good elements, in general) were worse off for being in KAOS. Like, I want these elements to be there. I'm just sad about the whole situation. It's not enough that the show is shit, now you also give an additional reason for conservatives to shit on diverse and queer characters because they are part of a stupid narrative.

I'm the type of person who doesn't mind the queerness of Astyanax and Theseus being lovers in the context of this specific show but they're still the oddest pairing to me because they're from the most irrelevant myths and eras. Also, Astyanax in my mind is a baby who died tragically, for little reason if we are honest, so to bring him back and make him a love interest is... ekh.

In addition, isn't Astyanax supposed to be crippled after a fall from the city walls when he was a baby? Sorry to change subjects but the show is so convoluted and with so many issues that it's extremely difficult to stay on track with what's wrong.

To the person who thought this show was a good idea:

Whatever. Bye. I'm fucking done.

[sarafangirlart]

I’ve been thinking of @margaretkart saying that more ppl should make Greek mythology ocs rather than bastardizing preexisting characters, this got me thinking abou Kaos, it had two characters Anatole and Klara, a couple that wanted to bring their child back from the dead:

https://x.com/sarafangirl_art/status/1850107828783964665?s=61&t=PeMIHzTIeQEy4qrwMa2Y7w

long story short they have to compete with Orpheus to be given access to the underworld and bring back their son.

These characters barely have a single line of dialogue but the performances are so compelling and I rooted for them more than any other character in the show, so much so I wish the show was about them instead.

Tho note that Anatole is a guy and he has a female Greek name which is weird as hell especially since it’s a french male name too lmao.

[shannananan]

Hey critters, if you're caught up in any way with what's going on in C3 post Downfall

I cannot recommend netflix's KAOS enough.

Want to know what conversations beyond the divine gate look like re: "family" and their relationship to mortals and mortals finding the fallacies of the gods.

Lots of connecting threads there my friends

[aucoba]

From what I know, Hera is the goddess of marriage. Not of faithfulness.

From what I know, Hera made Hercules kill his wife and child. Just to spite Zeus.

From what I know Hera is the queen of the gods, and marriage is a messy thing.

Her cheating on Zeus doesn't chock me at all. She does whatever she wants with her body, and what she wants to be is the Queen

[moonlightperseus]

listening to charlie covell talk about kaos on the ampersand podcast halloween special has me so upset it got cancelled. this had been their passion project for several years, and netflix didn’t even give it a chance 😭

[superkooku]

So, remember when I said I probably wasn't gonna watch Kaos ?

Well, long story short, my family members asked to watch it with me because they found it kinda funny and, out of curiosity, I did. The first 3 episodes at least.

So, for all the fans, it's not a hate post but I'm still gonna complain, because yeah, there are problems. Just know that you're free to enjoy whatever you want, I have no problem with it.

I'm gonna add a "read more" just in case you don't want to read a (mostly) negative rant about your favorite show 😝. But of course, any friendly debate or counterargument is welcome on this post.

There will be some positives but it's mostly in a "if we forget the source material" way. Which Kaos did multiple times. But it was quite difficult for me to do.

My impressions

You know when doctors watch hospital series and point out every mistake and/or inaccuracy ? Like "No, that's not how anatomy works" or smth ? And somehow kinda being entertained by the mess ? That was me 😅. The whole time.

I don't have anything to say about the actors. They did a good job.

About cultural accuracy, that's obviously not the priority here (unfortunately). But I honestly prefer letting actual Greek users criticize the details like @margaretkart , @katerinaaqu or @wordsmithic. Btw I feel this isn't the type of shows you three would like (I myself spent the whole time finding errors lol).

Why so many shortened names ? I thought it was only Eurydice (Riddy still sounds dumb) but here they are saying Ari for Ariadne and Nax for Astyanax. Three syllables isn't that much, guys.

I kept thinking "You're a wizard Ari" the whole time. (In my language, the H in Harry is silent)

Hades and Persephone were cute, ngl. I don't know, just seeing them work together not in a toxic dark romance setting is refreshing. I just wished Hades was more intimidating. Not evil, per se, that's dumb. But more kingly. Because the Underworld is his domain.

The video explaining how the Underworld works to the shades is fun.

For the 100th time IT'S HERACLES, NOT HERCULES !!!

Thank you @sarafangirlart for mentally preparing me about Hera X Poseidon because... WTH was that ???? I audibly cringed and explained why Hera would never do that.

And for Hestia being a dog... seriously. Why ? How about we actually respect the goddess of the hearth ?

But you did NOT mentally prepare me for Zeus "originally being a human". No he wasn't 🤣🤣. Again with the gods being killable. I really hate it.

I'll repeat it : Ariadne being in the anti-god prophecy is stupid. There are way better choices than a freaking olympian god's wife

Eurydice falling out of love feels weird. It's one of the most healthy pairings in mythology 🤦‍♀️. I prefer the Hades version, she feels more like a fleshed out character and has a more legitimate reason to be mad at him.

Zeus and Prometheus' relationship is kinda fun. Especially Zeus just seeking wisdom from him and teleporting him to the eagle again.

Conversely, I don't like Zeus himself. Probably one of my biggest pet peeves in the show. He just follows the modern "Zeus is 100% horrible" approach. I'm bored by it at this point.

And Zeus would NEVER murder his infant child !!! He'd hide it, protect it, like he did with Dionysus when Semele died.

Godly red blood my beloathed 😭. Where is ichor ?

And yes, Wikipedia is right, Theseus and Astyanax are lovers in this.

(I'm referring to this post. All my problems with this are still relevant) :

If they desperately wanted gay/bi Theseus, Pirithous is literally right here.

Btw why does Theseus work for Minos ? Why did both the Immortals movie and Kaos forget that Theseus is a king and not some financially struggling guy ?

Also, for Kaos alone, he tried to save Athenians by fighting for them, for his people... and to solidify himself as king too. But he still succeeded in saving them.

(here I am defending Theseus. Yup...)

I feel the one who'd bring Ariadne to bloody shows and encourage her to break rules would be Dionysus. Not Theseus. (The Dionysus X Ariadne shipper in me is talking)

Though I still buy him trying to charm her in order to get her help. But yeah, not as much a complaint than something I noticed.

I couldn't resist explaining to my family that they never met, Astyanax died as an infant in most versions and that Minos kept ATHENIANS captive, not Trojans.

When we saw the Minotaur's silhouette, my brother and I sang Batman's theme song 🤣. Because, again, why respect the "bull-headed" man depiction when we can make it lame ?

Polyphemus' depiction was also disappointing btw

Some characters should have more fantastical aspects imo. Like the Erinyes or the Fates. And I needed some time to recognize Charon.

I like some characters like Prometheus, Medusa (she's too attractive but I like her sass), Hades/Persephone and... surprisingly Dionysus.

Ok. I'll finish off with Dionysus (because I love complaining about him in particular)

So, on one hand, this version is pretty fun. I like his energy, how he's not afraid of anything and just chills with mortals. He has a very "cool bro" energy. I liked the scene where he drove the truck in a "idgaf" way. And his dedication to help Orpheus to find a purpose is really cool. Overall if he was an original character, I'd honestly really like him.

On the other hand, as a representation of Dionysus the god ? Not really.

I'll only say he's one of the best, not because he's very accurate, but because the bar is extremely low 🤣🤣. Like at least he isn't a stupid drunkard or a background character.

But it's still very disappointing. The fact that in Episode 1, he's introduced as the god of wine and madness. And yet the second part isn't used at all 🤣. Feels like a decoration rather than the core part of his mythological character.

Also, Dionysus isn't insignificant. He had a whole journey proving his worth, traveling, expanding his cult. I'd understand Hera calling him that (in his youth, before he helped her with Hephaestus), but Zeus ? No !

Zeus values his son, he even trusted him to go to India and make them believe in the gods. He saved his son twice if we count Orphism, then enthrusted Hermes to hide him from Hera. Because Zeus can be a good father at times, yk ? 😂. He's not a horrible demon, just a representation of kings.

Coming back to Dionysus, in my mind he's a fun guy 50% of the time... and a menace to society the other 50%. And a free spirit with zero limit 100% of the time.

Also, where are the maenads and satyrs ? Why is he alone ?? He has a big following !!! I'd feel like in his moments of doubt, he'd ask Silenus or hang out with them.

Finally, him helping Orpheus is hilarious considering that

1. Orphism. Orpheus should have recognized him instantly.

2. Orpheus dies dismembered by maenads. In a way, Dionysus DID help Orpheus to reunite with his wife, huh 😂😂 ?

The scene where he and another guy made love in the toilet reminded me of the Prosymnus myth... that comes from veeeeeeeery late sources. Idk how to feel about it. I would have preferred him to show his might as a god.

(plus I don't like sex scenes in general. Yeah, I had to skip these parts 😅.)

More about my opinion on this version of Dionysus here :

Global conclusion

Idk I'm mixed about this. I don't like how they handled most of the mythological depictions, but independently, it was kinda enjoyable. Some scenes are fun independently from the myth.

I don't have a lot to say about the plot : interesting for an original show, stupid for a mythology adaptation (wth is that prophecy ?).

I think I'll keep watching the show, just to laugh a bit 🤣.

Btw seeing how they handled the couples, I'm glad characters like Odysseus/Penelope, Perseus/Andromeda didn't appear 😅. I'm betting they'd be portrayed as misogynistic cheaters or smth.

And Penelope or Andromeda as women who hate their husbands and have no common characteristics with their myth versions.

[bugwolfsstuff]

Kaos got cancelled?

Mutals who like it im sorry but

FUCKING YESSSSSSSS

FOR ONCE NETFLIX ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING RIGHT

[stupendouspizzacomputer]

INSANITY (Hellaverse x isekai male redear) Gods:

•The Big G/God

•Zeus (Percy Jackson/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Epic the Ithaca Saga) (Pagan)

•Era (Kaos/Netflix/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Epic the Ithaca Saga) (Pagan)

•Poseidon (Percy Jackson/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Epic the Ithaca Saga) (Pagan)

•Hades (Percy Jackson/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Epic the Ithaca Saga) (Pagan)

•Persephone (Orv/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Epic the Ithaca Saga) (Pagan)

•Apollo (Percy Jackson/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Epic the Ithaca Saga) (Pagan)

•Athena (Percy Jackson/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Epic the Ithaca Saga) (Pagan)

•Ares (RecordofRagnarok/Shuumatsu/Ragnarok/RecordofRagnarokseason2/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Epic the Ithaca Saga) (Pagan)

•Aphrodite (RecordofRagnarok/Shuumatsu/Ragnarok/RecordofRagnarokseason2/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Epic the Ithaca Saga) (Pagan)

•Osiris GebSon (Kingdom hearts) (Pagan)

•Grim Reaper Anubis (Kingdom hearts/Dogs of Tumblr) (Pagan)

•Isis Gebdottir (Kingdom hearts) (Pagan)

•Horus Osirisson (Kingdom hearts) (Pagan)

•Set GebSon (Kingdom hearts) (Pagan)

•The Formless mother (Elden ring) (Pagan)

•The Sealed God of Scarlet rot (Elden ring/Eldenring) (Pagan)

•Unnamed God of the Twinbird (Elden ring/Eldenring) (Pagan)

•The Frenzied Flame (Elden ring/Eldenring) (Pagan)

•The Greater Will (Elden ring/Eldenring) (Pagan)

•The Full, Dark, and Twin moons (Elden ring/Eldenring) (Pagan)

•The Blood Star (Elden ring/Eldenring) (Pagan)

•The fell god (Elden Ring/Eldenring) (Pagan)

•Unnamed Ancient Dragon God (Elden ring/Eldenring) (Pagan)

•The God-Devouring Serpent (Elden ring/Eldenring) (Pagan)

•The Gloam-Eyed Queen (Elden ring/Eldenring) (Pagan)

•The Primeval current (Elden ring/Eldenring) (Pagan)

•The Abyssal Serpent (Elden ring/Eldenring) (Pagan)

•Xie Lian (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Mu Qing (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Shi Qingxuan (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Feng Xin (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Jun Wu (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Yin Yu (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Yushi Huang (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Shi Wudu (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Pei Ming (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Fu Yao (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Nan Feng (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Pei Xiu (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Jian Yu (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Lang Qianqiu (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Quan Yizhen (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Ling Wen (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Jing Wen (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Ming Yi (Tgcf/Heaven official's Blessing) (Pagan)

•Shiva (RecordofRagnarok/Shuumatsu/Ragnarok/RecordofRagnarokseason2) (Pagan)

•Buddha (RecordofRagnarok/Shuumatsu/Ragnarok/RecordofRagnarokseason2) (Pagan)

•Erlang (Black myth wukong) (Pagan)

•The four Heavenly Kings (Black myth wukong) (Pagan)

•Nezha (Black Myth wukong) (Pagan)

•Jade emperor (Black Myth wukong) (Pagan)

•Sun Wukong (Black Myth wukong) (Pagan)

•Galaxia (Naruto) (Pagan)

•Aether (Naruto) (Pagan)

•Gaia (Naruto) (Pagan)

•Titan (Naruto) (Pagan)

•Thanatos (Naruto) (Pagan)

•Maui (Disney) (Pagan)

•The Changebringer (Critical role/Bells Hells/Dimension 20) (Pagan)

•The Wildmother (Critical role/Bells Hells/Dimension 20) (Pagan)

•Venti/Barbatos (Genshin Impact/Genshin/Genshinimpact) (Pagan)

•Zhongli/Morax (Genshin Impact/Genshin/Genshinimpact) (Pagan)

•Raiden Ei/Beelzebul (Genshin Impact/Genshin/Genshinimpact) (Pagan)

•Raiden Makoto/Baal (Genshin Impact/Genshin/Genshinimpact) (Pagan)

•Nahida/Buer (Genshin Impact/Genshin/Genshinimpact) (Pagan)

•Focalors (Genshin Impact/Genshin/Genshinimpact) (Pagan)

•Egeria (Genshin Impact/Genshin/Genshinimpact) (Pagan)

•Mavuika/Haborym (Genshin Impact/Genshin/Genshinimpact) (Pagan)

•Murata (Genshin Impact/Genshin/Genshinimpact) (Pagan)

•Cochanina (Genshin Impact/Genshin/Genshinimpact) (Pagan)

•Xbalanque (Genshin Impact/Genshin/Genshinimpact) (Pagan)

•Greater Lord Rukkhadevata (Genshin Impact/Genshin/Genshinimpact) (Pagan)

•The Tsaritsa (Genshin Impact/Genshin/Genshinimpact) (Pagan)

•Raiden (Mortal Kombat) (Pagan)

•Fujin (Mortal Kombat) (Pagan)

•Emperor of Mankind (Warhammer 40k/Warhammer40ktacticus/Warhammer40kofficial/40karchives/Warhammer40000/SecretLevel) (Pagan)

•Aniger (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Anoia (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Astoria (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Bibulous (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Bilious (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Blind Io (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Errata (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Fate (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Fedecks (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Flatulus (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Foorgol (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Ikebana (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Jimi (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•The Lady (Luck) (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Libertina (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Neoldian (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Nuggan (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Offler (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Patina (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Petulia (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•P'tang-P'tang (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Reg (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Seven-Handed Sek (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Sweevo (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Urika (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Vometia (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Wilf (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Zephyrus (Discworld/Terry Pratchett) (Pagan)

•Ryuk (Death Note) (Pagan)

•The Earthshaker (Dragon/Dragons/Flight Rising) (Pagan)

•The Tidelord (Dragon/Dragons /Flight Rising) (Pagan)

•The Flamecaller (Dragon/Dragons/Flight Rising) (Pagan)

•The Windsinger (Dragon/Dragons/Flight Rising) (Pagan)

•The Stormcatcher (Dragon/Dragons/Flight Rising) (Pagan)

•The Icewarden (Dragon/Dragons/Flight Rising) (Pagan)

•The Lightweaver (Dragon/Dragons/Flight rising) (Pagan)

•The Shadowbinder (Dragon/Dragons/Flight Rising) (Pagan)

•The Gladekeeper (Dragon/Dragons/Flight Rising) (Pagan)

•The Plaguebringer (Dragon/Dragons/Flight Rising) (Pagan)

•The Arcanist (Dragon/Dragons/Flight Rising) (Pagan)

•The Holy Mother (Silent Hill) (Pagan)

•The Overlord God of Darkness (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•The Golden Dragon God of light and Golden power (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•The Omega God of Destruction and the Oni (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•The Firstbourne Goddess of Dragons and Elemental power (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•The First Spinjitsu Master God of Creation and Spinjitsu (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Garmadon Demigod of Destruction (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Wu Demigod of Wisdom (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Great Devourer Goddess of the Serpentine (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Lloyd Demigod of Energy and Golden power (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Flareis God of Fire (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Byran God of Earth (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Freeze God of ice (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Raijin God of Lightning (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle) (Pagan)

•Aquaria Goddess of Water and the Sea (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Fujin God of Wind (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Chillby Demigod of Death (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Skelton God of the Underworld (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Trigon God of War and Cats (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Lavalord God of Magma and Volcanoes (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Milba Goddess of Life (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Jin God of Djin and Magic (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Horax God of the Sky (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Seris God of the Moon and the Night (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•The Preeminent Goddess of The Cursed Realm (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Neuron God of the Mind (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Zoom God of Speed (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•The Jungle Dragon Dod of Jungles and Islands (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•Wohira Goddess of Storms and Thunder (Ninjago/Ninjago Dragons rising/Lego/Legoninjago ha un botto di perle esilaranti) (Pagan)

•The Father-The God of order (Bleach) (Pagan)

•The Mother-The Goddess of Chaos (Bleach) (Pagan)

•The Daughter-The Goddess of Good (Bleach) (Pagan)

•The Son-The God of Evil (Bleach) (Pagan)

•The One-The Goddess of Independence and Justice (Bleach) (Pagan)

•The Outsider-The God of Anarchy (Bleach) (Pagan)

•The Engineer-The God of Creation and Invention (Bleach) (Pagan)

•The Joker-The God of Trickery and Thieves (Bleach) (Pagan)

•The Reaper-The Goddess of Death (Bleach)(Pagan)

•The Soul King-The God of Souls and Reincarnation (Bleach) (Pagan)

•Katsumi Scarlet-The Goddess of Vampires (Bleach) (Pagan)

•Yuu Hoshiko-The Goddess of the Maidens (Bleach) (Pagan)

•Yakumo (Yu Yu Hakusho) (Pagan)

•Raigo (Yu Yu Hakusho) (Pagan)

•Majari (Yu Yu Hakusho) (Pagan)

•Kaiki (Yu Yu Hakusho) (Pagan)

•Cthulhu (The Simpsons) (Pagan)

•Ymir Fritz (Attack on Titan) (Pagan)

•Entity/"It" (tbhk) (Pagan)

•Kami-Sama (tbhk) (Pagan)

•Odin (RecordofRagnarok/Shuumatsu/Ragnarok/RecordofRagnarokseason2) (Pagan)

•Thor (RecordofRagnarok/Shuumatsu/Ragnarok/RecordofRagnarokseason2) (Pagan)

•Loki (Disney/Loki/Marvel/Mcu) (Pagan)

•Kim Dokja (Orv) (Pagan)

•Han Sooyoung (Orv) (Pagan)

•Erastil (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Iomedae (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Torag (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Sarenrae (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Shelyn (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Desna (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Cayden Cailean (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Abadar (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Irori (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Gozreh (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Pharasma (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Nethys (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Gorum (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Calistra (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Zon-Kuthon (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Urgathoa (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Norgorber (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Lamashtu (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Rovagug (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Nalsa (Monster hunter/Monster hunter wilds) (Pagan)

•Akatosh (Skyrim/The Elder Scrolls) (Pagan)

•Arkay (Skyrim/The Elder Scrolls) (Pagan)

•Dibella (Skyrim/The Elder Scrolls) (Pagan)

•Julianos (Skyrim/The Elder Scrolls) (Pagan)

•Kynareth (Skyrim/The Elder Scrolls) (Pagan)

•Mara (Skyrim/The Elder Scrolls) (Pagan)

•Stendarr (Skyrim/The Elder Scrolls) (Pagan)

•Talos (Skyrim/The Elder Scrolls) (Pagan)

•Zenithar (Skyrim/The Elder Scrolls) (Pagan)

•Aha (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Akivili (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Ena (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Fuli (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•HooH (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•IX (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Idrila (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Lan (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Long (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Mythus (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Nanook (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Nous (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Oroboros (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Qlipoth (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Tayzzyronth (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Terminus (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Xipe (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENRPUTE) (Pagan)

•Yaoshi (Honkaistairrail/Hsr/DATENROUTE) (Pagan)

•Sung Jinwoo (New Monarch of Shadows) (Sololeveling/Manwha/webtoon/Gates) (Pagan)

•Rimuru Tempest/Rimuru/Rimurutempest (Tensura/Tenseislime/Thattimeigotreincarnatedasaslime) (Pagan)

•Sinister (Skibiditoilet/Skibidi/Domstudio) (Pagan)

•The collector (Toh/The owl house/Thanks to them/Owl house/Toh fanart/Toh collector) (Pagan)

•Korra (Avatar the last Airbender/Atla/Avatar) (Pagan)

•Aang (Avatar the last Airbender/Atla/Avatar) (Pagan)

•Roku (Avatar the last Airbender/Atla/Avatar) (Pagan)

•Kyoshi (Avatar the last Airbender/Atla/Avatar) (Pagan)

•Kuruk (Avatar the last Airbender/Atla) (Pagan)

•Yangchen (Avatar the last Airbender/Atla/Avatar) (Pagan)

•Szeto (Avatar the last Airbender/Atla/Avatar) (Pagan)

•Salai (Avatar the last Airbender/Atla/Avatar) (Pagan)

•Gun (Avatar the last Airbender/Atla/Avatar) (Pagan)

•Zalir (Avatar the last Airbender/Atla/Avatar) (Pagan)

•Wan (Avatar the last Airbender/Atla/Avatar) (Pagan)

•Painted Lady (Avatar the last Airbender/Atla/Avatar) (Pagan)

•Tui (Avatar the last Airbender/Atla/Avatar) (Pagan)

•La (Avatar the last Airbender/Atla/Avatar) (Pagan)

•Sougo Tokiwa (Kamenrider) (Pagan)

•Gwyn (Darksouls) (Pagan)

•Gwyn's Firstborn (Darksouls) (Pagan)

•Gwynevere (Darksouls) (Pagan)

•Gwyndolin (Darksouls) (Pagan)

•Filianore (Darksouls) (Pagan)

•Lloyd (Darksouls) (Pagan)

•Velka (Darksouls) (Pagan)

•Seath (Darksouls) (Pagan)

•Havel (Darksouls) (Pagan)

•Flann (Darksouls) (Pagan)

•McLoif (Darksouls) (Pagan)

•Fina (Darksouls) (Pagan)

•Nameless Blackssmith Deity (Darksouls) (Pagan)

[edsonjnovaes]

8 Bilhões: Somos Todos Responsáveis (8 Billions: We are all responsible) 1.2

8 Bilhões: Somos Todos Responsáveis (8 Billions: We are all responsible) – Nelson Kao. 01 dez 2024 Brasil | 2022 | 29′ | Documentário. 6 FICASC Direção: Nelson Kao, Andrea Urushima e César Shundi Iwamizu. Existe Guarani em SP – 2024 dez 04 Ailton Krenak, líder e pensador indígena, fala sobre a dor do Watú (o Rio Doce na língua Krenak). Doente com o maior desastre ambiental da história…

[breakingarrows]

Homefront: Invasion Media, Justified Violence, Images with no Substance

Homefront is a strange artifact of the seventh generation of consoles. Its setting is the familiar fantasy of an invasion of the United States by a foreign power and it came from a studio and publisher who would cease to exist less than two years after release. Homefront attempts to present images of horror, and has a desire to ponder whether we are justified to enact horror upon the enemy in return, but this was never going to be the game that ascended its duty to be budgeted entertainment beyond all else.

In Homefront the United States is invaded by North Korean forces and the game picks up two years later as you are recruited into a resistance movement that culminates in joining the US Army for a counter-attack on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Homefront joins the likes of many works of fiction engaging with the idea of a foreign invasion of the United States, namely Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Red Dawn. John Milius, the director and co-screenplay writer of Red Dawn, one of the most famous works of invasion fiction, is credited in Homefront as creator and writer. A later exposé in Game Developer by Leigh Alexander would reveal Milius did no writing work on the game, which was instead largely attributed to  C.J. Kershner. It would not be surprising if THQ simply paid Milius for using his name in marketing rather than for any actual writing work.

Why do we so often fantasize about foreign invasion? Invasion literature has been around since the late 1800s, and while the Cold War provided the greatest backdrop, the genre persists to this day and has expanded into video games. A contemporary invasion by a foreign power is not always the choice. Sometimes it is invasion by aliens: Resistance 2, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, or alternate history takes: Wolfenstein: The New Order/New Colossus, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty. I find contemporary history the most interesting, as it lays bare the motivations and collective feelings of the people both behind their creation and those who play them. In an interview for IGN, Michael Thomsen asks Lead Level Designer Rex Dickson why North Korea and America, Dickson explains, “The reason we chose America and Americans is because—if you look at Eastern Europe, Africa, or Iraq, they're used to violence. There have been wars in these countries, they're exposed to it. America is unique in that we have this mentality that we're almost indestructible. We're the kings, we're dominant. We live this life of excess and convenience that most people don't have. Ripping that away from average Americans is a key theme in Homefront. Of all the cultures on the planet Americans are perhaps the least equipped to deal with something like this. Most people wouldn't imagine that it could happen, let alone how they would react to it if it did happen. Some of these other cultures are hardened by this stuff and have seen it for years. Americans have almost never seen it, and wouldn't it be interesting to explore how they would react if it did happen here?”

When the Soviet Union crumbled so too did the universal boogeyman for American fear and propaganda. The specter of the Soviet Union still shows itself within fiction, just look at the Ultranationalist faction of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for that, and while modern Russia remains a favored source for antagonistic forces, just look at the rogue Russian general in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), Homefront originally picked the other national boogeyman and successor of the Soviet communist fears: China. However, this was an element changed by Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President of Core Games at THQ who had a very hands-on role in Homefront’s development, as detailed by the exposé. Unfortunately for Kaos Studios, China also happens to have the largest market of potential customers. The effect of this market can be felt in many industries, though one of the most illustrative is film, with even the titanic Marvel Cinematic Universe changing The Ancient One in Doctor Strange from Tibetan monk to Celtic woman and Iron Man 3 having additional scenes in which Chinese surgeons operate to remove the shrapnel in Tony Stark’s chest. It is ironic that the remake of Red Dawn released in 2012 also had China as the invading force and was forced to change pre-release to instead substitute in North Korea, reflecting Homefront’s development. Despite these changes, Homefront would sell well but not well enough to save either Kaos Studios or THQ from shuttering within two years, and Red Dawn would be a box office bomb and still not be released in China despite their post-production edits. It is a strange relationship between the US and China, as it is apparent that the US dislikes, fears, and yet relies on the economy of China. This fear is to the point that people fantasize about a Chinese invasion and then realize they need to sell it to the Chinese market to succeed. It is perhaps this reliance that feeds it, an ouroboros of dependency.

There is also, within fiction, the need to position the United States not as the aggressor but as the underdog. This is why with the transition from World War 2 to “modern” warfare, Call of Duty traded the frontline soldiers for special operations. We now valorize those who don’t have access to the excessive force available to the modern army but are instead constantly outgunned and outmanned. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’s segments centering on the USMC had them hopping from one location to the next in a futile effort to locate and arrest opposition leader Khaled Al-Asad.  It is the British SAS who end up locating, and executing, Al-Asad, not the USMC. This failure within Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is an obvious allusion to the United State’s own efforts to find and capture Osama Bin-Laden that didn’t succeed until 2011. In the modern time the US does not have an equivalent force to face off against on the battlegrounds of fiction. We like to imagine Russia and China have the potential, but the truth is that US spending on military continually outdoes the next ten countries combined. Instead, we either fictionally depower the US through some economic crisis or build up a new opposing force, both of which are done by Homefront. Here North Korea unites with South Korea before annexing, through subterfuge, Japan and other Southeast Asian nations upon which to draw up the manpower required to invade the unstable United States.

Fighting an equivalent force who is the aggressor fulfills two desires: one is that it gives the player a challenge to overcome that also fits cogently within the fiction, and two, it allows us to commit justified violence that we are denied in our real life. I don’t think it is too much of a stretch to claim that everyone has to deal with things they wish they could change in real life but lack the power to do so. We come up against and our feeds are filled with things that we find unjust, but have no ability to circumvent or stop. We also cannot take out our anger against it in a justified way, and so we find different outlets for this anger. Some pick to bully and harass people online to the point of death, others might just schedule an appointment for a wreck room where they are given lease to enact violence they cannot do in everyday life. Engaging in fiction is another outlet for this anger, as we can place ourselves within the mindset of a character who is allowed to enact justified violence against their offenders. In games we get to more actively occupy the role of someone who can do what we cannot. For works such as Homefront, there is also the tinge of patriotism as we get to fight for our country, within the familiar images of our country, though here, as in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, it can mean those symbols of America are a Hooters and White Castle.

We are generally positioned as the victim due to the presumed innocence that comes with being invaded. In our reality the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq were failures. Having the US invade another country, however justified the fiction may make it, would call to mind too many questions and doubts regarding our own current history. Instead we become the ones whose homeland is threatened. This theme was surprisingly contemplated by developer David Jaffe in his unproduced pitch titled “Homeland” which also saw the US invaded by China but was meant to reflect the US’s own invasion and brutality towards Afghanistan and Iraq. Homefront, however, does not present itself as an expression meant to make the player reflect on the feelings of those whose homes we have invaded in the past. Instead, it is a call to commit justified violence against a brutal enemy.

Games are violent, much more so than any other medium. The amount of bodies you destroy frequently tops those of even the most excessive 1980’s action flicks. Due to this, that excess of violence has to be justified, usually by making the enemy less than human through their actions and disregard for human life and decency. When replaying Fallout 3 some years ago the thought that dominated my mind was the way the Capital Wasteland beckoned the player to reflect the violence present everywhere back onto its citizens, from raiders to super mutants and ghouls. While playing Homefront that same thought came through, especially during the level “Heartland” in which you make your way through a “survivalist” base decorated with human body parts in such a way that reminded me strongly of the raider and super mutant locations of Fallout 3. Places that displayed such a level of horrific dismemberment that you would never think twice about committing such acts yourself. Here, in Homefront, it assuages the players' consciousness that, while you are fighting fellow Americans, they are less than the citizens of the America you are fighting to liberate. They are less than human, haven’t you witnessed their brutal acts of killing for sport and fun, of executing captured soldiers and lamenting that they won’t have anything else to do during the day? Squadmates comment on the brutality and how while they also hate the invaders, they would never debase themself to this level of violence in retaliation. The Korean People’s Army, or KPA, are also very violent figures. Their oppression of Montrose, Colorado is on full display during the introduction, which uses the sit and look mechanic of exposition made famous by Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The KPA abuse and kill, force those who remain to live in squalor, and respond to their losses by bombing an entire city. Homefront beckons the player to reflect this violence back onto them, through not only violent resistance but also through immoral weapons like white phosphorus.

Similarly to its appearance in Spec Ops: The Line, white phosphorus is a horrific weapon whose appearance brings into question the morality of whoever is using it. In Homefront it is the resistance member Connor who obtains and orders the usage of white phosphorus rounds during an assault on a fuel depot of the KPA. It appears in an earlier level with comment from your more level-headed resistance member Rianna (whose status as a woman is thankfully affirmed by her bare midriff amongst the fully covered men) who questions the ethics behind its usage. Connor is an angry man, someone who has been radicalized by the KPA’s actions and has no qualms about using every means available to reflect their violence back on them. He justified the phosphorus rounds as the KPA was going to use the weapon against their people, so why not do it first?

The first mortar round ignites a wide area, leaving enemy soldiers to walk around screaming and burning. A second round misfires and nearly kills you and Rianna. Connors comments lay bare his intense hatred of the enemy, such as burning soldiers being met with the retort, “Thought I smelled Korean BBQ!” Rianna’s counters are supposed to balance out his attitude underneath the guidance of their leader Boone. However, returning from a mid-game mission you find Boone dead and the Oasis, a retreat hidden amongst the suburbs in which the resistance lived in peace, destroyed. This could be the moment Rianna becomes radicalized like Connor. Were this a better written game her radicalization might have been explored. Perhaps she would become even more extreme than Connor, or reconcile her anger with the universal injustices war brings about. Instead we only get the few dialogues I can draw this potential from, as the rest of the game progresses without much mind given towards this arc. Sadly it exists more in my mind than in reality. Connor sacrifices himself in the end, allowing the US military to drop bombs on an approaching convoy of KPA vehicles to secure the Golden Gate Bridge, bypassing having to answer the question of whether his methods, anger, and willingness to commit any act of violence in the name of resistance was worth the victory. To Connor the answer would be yes, but no one else gets a chance to speak.

Not only does Homefront fail to engage with the themes of violence but also frequently fails to sufficiently present images of violence. Throughout the campaign you will be presented with images of horror that, while depicting horrible things, fail to have substance or texture to them.

There are some effective images in the game. Early on you witness a mother and father executed as their child cries. After, the soldiers walk away and leave the kid to tearfully walk to the bodies of his parents. It's cheap, like killing the dog, but still effective at evoking revulsion and sympathy. Later on you will ascend a treehouse, a symbol of childhood, which is subsequently blown to pieces by the KPA. The visual metaphor is a bit heavy handed, but again, effective. Lastly is when you encounter a community of survivors living on a cul-de-sac of single family houses, the epitome of  the American Dream, and end up having a firefight within them. At the outset a mother and her screaming baby are trapped in the same house as you. Having a screaming baby cry as you kill enemies in the front yard of an American suburb is something I don’t think I have ever played through or will again. Michael Thomsen for IGN’s preview of the game felt much the same way, “I felt like I'd made a horrible mistake drawing the Korean attack into this woman's home, imperiling her and her child without any benefit to them. They weren't fighters or rebels, and my reckless scramble across the city was costing them the remnant shelter they had kept for themselves.”

Homefront’s obsession with American images extends to the innocence of children, as throughout the first half of the game you are presented with the destruction of their innocence by the KPA again and again. The parents executed in front of their child, the destruction of a treehouse, a baby amidst a firefight, sleeping toddlers and a baby in the resistance Oasis base, the sounds of children playing just out of sight, waking up to drawings of children taped to the bottom of the bunk, moving through an emptied school, and a mother wailing as a child coughs within the labor camp. It never commits to showing violence enacted directly upon children, as when you return to the destroyed Oasis later the only bodies are those of adults. Children are the epitome of innocence and purity, and the image of their constant destruction at the hands of the invaders is another way the game beckons and justifies your violence towards them.

An area in which Homefront fails to have the dramatic effect intended was in the mass gravesite you discover. Within the baseball field’s diamond (yet another twisted image of Americana) the KPA have been digging mass graves and filling them with the bodies of those within their labor camps. The sight of it enrages Connor, and later you are forced to hide amongst the bodies in order to avoid detection. The moment is supposed to be horrifying in both that a mass grave by itself is a horrific sight, but also that you are now amongst the bodies and cannot cry out for fear of discovery. Hiding amongst the dead is not a new act, but video games lack the texture or care required to sufficiently render the horror of it, especially budget titles such as Homefront. When white phosphorus is used it fails to capture the real terror of it, the heat, the smell, the damage it can wreck on a human body even when not fully engulfed as is so often depicted in games. I remain steadfast that games do an injustice in gamifying weapons such as these. Their acceptance erodes what we are willing to give over to thoughtless entertainment and undercuts the severity of their real life use and consequences.

Homefront stumbles not only in depicting a horrific occupation but also in emulating the type of game it is clearly modeled after: Call of Duty. It was not until the final mission of the game set against and on top of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco that I felt the thrill of virtual combat take hold. Homefront lacks the funding afforded by Activison and therefore falters in both moment to moment movement and feel but also in spectacle. Even here at the final hour the limits of the budget shine through, as the landscape of San Francisco is clearly a flat image. A sufficient matte painting backdrop for a multiplayer level in Call of Duty, but not a very impressive landscape to view as the helicopter rides into battle. Their vehicle mission in which you pilot a helicopter yourself and escort some tankers is painfully slow paced but a relief from the even slower stealth sections of the mission prior in which you simply sit and wait for the companions and game to both tell you when exactly to pull the trigger. Most of the game is following Connor and occasionally pushing square to enact canned animations. Even the ladder climbing is something you don’t control but instead just watch after engaging. John Walker for Rock, Paper, Shotgun would go so far as to say, “Homefront is barely a game. I'm drawing the line here. It's an interactive cutscene with occasional shooting galleries.”

This is the sort of middling game from this generation that I have a morbid curiosity in and am somewhat happy to finally play. As a game it isn’t very good, as a work of art it is at least a text that I can draw various readings from. As an entry in the first person shooter genre I think it fulfills the role of generic shooter you might see played in the background of an episode of any network television drama for a few seconds. A fitting metaphor for Homefront is that even a rotting corpse can provide food for fertile soil, and while many readings are provided by this text, it remains a work that exists more for dissection than entertainment.

[genericpuff]

I’m gonna have to disagree with you that Kaos is any better than LO. It’s all the same bull crap.

Kaos just seems like live-action LO, both having a boring storyline with bad or fetishized characterizations of the Greek Gods and figures, and both looking artistically beautiful and some cool concepts, but badly executed. The only difference is that Kaos has more LGBTQIA+ themes than LO, has a tiny bit more Greek references, and gets much darker. That’s pretty much it.

As a Greek who studies our myths and stories extensively, I’m tired of the west trying to take and rearrange our stories and retell them ‘with a modern, western lense’. It’s exhausting and infuriating.

It’s time the west gets over its fascination with us and move on.

Fair opinion! Honestly, the initial post I made about it was after only watching the first couple episodes. Now that I've finished it, I can definitely see actual glaring issues with it, both in their characterizations as well as in how they kind of lose the intrigue after a few episodes of the setting and elements of them being gods. Which are all issues that LO have as well.

Though I will say, LO has those issues far more than Kaos does, but what really separates LO from Kaos, in my opinion - the creators of Kaos aren't pretending that Kaos is more than it is. To me, Kaos isn't in any way a singular Greek myth retelling, more so a fun "Greek epic" style story featuring the gods in a modern setting, the way LO could have been if Rachel hadn't tried to make it into something bigger than it was (and if she didn't put herself on a pedestal as a "self proclaimed folklorist"). I can watch Kaos and appreciate it as a fun Greek myth inspired piece of media because that's pretty much all it's trying to be. Meanwhile LO gives us middle-school-level writing with very little real Greek myth influence (aside from what it benefits Rachel to do so) that even goes so far as to outright disrespect the myths that they were based on... all the while people praise it as the greatest Greek myth retelling ever.

I think Kaos is miles better than LO because it at least tells a more coherent story than LO ever could have, with a lot more attention paid to the stylization of a Greek epic (compared to LO which tried and failed to implement those same things, such as the Fates, self-fulfilling prophecies, and witty narration as to retell a story that's already happened).

Granted, that story still takes a lot of liberties with the source material (some that I enjoyed, others not so much), but in that regard, I refer to the above - Kaos isn't trying to be an actual retelling like LO did, so I view it the same way I do as something like Hercules or Hades, where the people who made it clearly love Greek myth and wanted to do some Greek myth-inspired story with their own twists on the narratives, and it paid off in a story that, in spite of their flaws, still feels intentional and thought out.

LO, by comparison, is just a mess of ripped off half-baked ideas thrown at a wall and filled in with self-fulfilling power fantasy garbage written by someone who claims to have deeper knowledge of the myths but clearly doesn't. It's hard to enjoy LO in spite of its flaws because it's all flaws and they're so deeply-rooted in the context of Rachel's own biases and sexual preferences that you really can't separate it from that once you know if it.

I do have some criticisms of Kaos and some of its more creative choices - Hera cheating on Zeus with Poseidon (literally wtf lmao), Persephone still being the "I went down there willingly!" archetype (though at least she's not 19 in this, the casting for her and Hades was great), as well as the fact that things weren't wrapped up by the end of the first season which really bums me out because now it's up to the mercy of Netflix to give it that second season - but ultimately, from a story-writing perspective, Kaos absolutely did accomplish having an actual narrative with themes and goal-driven writing that LO failed in having. That comparison doesn't make Kaos a 100% perfect show without flaw, but I made the comparison initially anyways because much of what I enjoyed in Kaos was what I expected from LO (and ultimately didn't get).

That's just my own two cents though! And I need to make it clear - I am not a Greek person! I have no say or merit within the discussion regarding Greek myth and how it's been appropriated!! - so ultimately... my opinion of these things really aren't as valuable as someone who actually is Greek or studied heavily in it.

So that said, I can completely see the merit in your own arguments that a lot of these "modern retellings" tend to miss the point of the stories they're trying to retell (esp with the criticisms I outlined above) and are often chewed up through a Western lens. The lesser of two evils is still evil. But if we're purely talking Kaos vs. Lore Olympus here as modern entertainment that are both attempting similar things... I'd be way more likely to rewatch and recommend one over the other. Plus there are a lot of adaptions out there made by Westerners / non-Greeks that are incredible and are, at the very least, amazing stepping stones into the world of Greek myth for those who want to learn more about it. Out of the pool of ongoing modern Greek myth retellings/inspired works - Blood of Zeus, Hades/Hades 2, Kaos, Epic: The Musical, Hadestown, Hercules, Percy Jackson & The Olympians, and Lore Olympus - it's not hard to guess which one I'd be the least likely to recommend as gateways into Greek mythology. If those titles were organized in a list of best to worst, Kaos isn't at the top of that list, but it's sure as shit higher than LO 💀😆

[alatismeni-theitsa]

i watched the first ep of kaos with my mom and I'm so confused as to why this show was made. Genuinely. My mother likes it but I'm just a bit flabbergasted. I'm not Greek, so I could be wrong, but it's just like...idk I think hadestown spoiled me lol. Why did Eurydice just die and not choose to leave Orpheus of her own will? I swear the only thing I liked about the first ep was Orpheus's song, but it's just like...eh? I don't know. I'm confused as to why this was even set in modern day. I checked if 'kaos' was a real thing in Greek mythology and it pnly comes up with the void before the universe was created. Idk I just find this show confusing. They couldn't have just used original characters?? Why did they use Greek gods? I am so confused lmao

This ask came before I released my review of KAOS , so I gave some priority to writing the review instead of answering asks, but honestly, I had the same question as you, anon. I watched the whole thing because I wanted to write the review and in the end I thought "Wait... that was it?" I want to see good Greek myth content and good shows out there. I was pleading with the show episode by episode to give me something. But it continued making no sense.

"They couldn't have just used original characters??" This was my question as well. Like... you have a family drama plot basically and the actors don't resemble or act like the Greek gods. At this point just make a Succession type of comedy and be done with it 🤷

IGN praised it more than it should (who trusts IGN fully at this point tho) but at least they wrote some very true things.

Shot in Malaga, Spain, and with an abundance of U.K., Irish, and American accents in the sound mix, the Cretan scenes feel more like spring break on the expat-infested Spanish Riviera. Maybe that was the intention. [...] It wouldn't be new for a UK production to Anglicanize stories inspired by classical antiquity or religious doctrine either – here's looking at you Atlantis, Rome and Good Omens. But the oversaturated cinematography and cheap, tacky-looking production design of both Kaos' earthly realm and tracksuit-loving Zeus's heavenly villa (complete with inflatable pink flamingos, gold jewelry, and a staff dressed like ball boys at a 1980s tennis tournament) dampens the epic stakes.

[...]

The result is eight hours of narrative excess ricocheting between intrigue and tedium, as it plods towards an un-thrilling finish line.

Preach IGN, preach. (A phrase I didn't expect myself to write for various reasons, but hey...)

Btw, Riddy didn't want to die, her death was an accident. She knew that she was going to die at some point but she had no control over her death.

[sarafangirlart]

u are popular

concerningwolves tumblr com/post/762574734124843008/

Lmao, I never proclaimed myself to be an expert tf.

Sorry I pointed out something that the vast majority of Greek mythology fans who watched the show have pointed out already. Hera would never cheat, especially with Poseidon, end of story.