#logh meta

[blueiight]

yooo as a fellow great enthusiast of iwtv, rgu, logh, gundam and also intertextual analysis of themes, meta, etc. ur blog is like the BEST thing ive seen in a minute!!! its like everything ive ever wanted🙏 im obsessed!!!

oh my god!!! thank u so much😢😢😢 plz dm i would love to talk to u more

[burinazar]

my time hyperf—…..my time enjoying and creating fan art and fiction for MiA S2 has really made me appreciate the size and longevity of the fandom for, and amount of extant very high quality fic/meta/discussion of, Queen’s Thief and Vorkosigan Saga and LOGH. (the feel of these fandoms is similar to me, they’re like three of a kind in my head.) (EDIT: Temeraire too, a really great selection of fic for that and similar feel…!!! i blanked its existence out of my head for this post the first time around somehow)

Even though I think they’re considered small fandoms! And sure, in the grand scheme of things, I guess it’s the case; in numbers of works, they’re probably much smaller than given popular animes of the last year, for example. But I can’t even wrap my head around that being ‘too small’ because it feels like such a wealth of wonderful stuff is out there……I appreciate it so much even though I seek out and read works for them so inconsistently (partly because for all three of them backreading AO3 inevitably makes me go ‘I have to reread/rewatch to appreciate this fully’.)

[aposemetric]

hi! i'm kinda bored these days because i've just been rewatching shows but i've got an itch to start some new ones and expand my media palate; i was told to ask you because a friend of mine said you had really good taste in anime ^_^ any recs? just list off your favorites! thanks and have a happy new year!

OH... ANON <3 you speak words that sound like birdsong to me. happy new year to you, too!

i'll list the ones i find the very best in no particular order, and i'll attempt to give a "short" description of why they might be worth your time! it'll obviously depend on several things like your own tastes and whether you've ever actually seen any anime etc., but it should cover a range of themes/genres at least :)

Hunter x Hunter (2011) 148 eps

hxh is an action-adventure story that starts out deceptively simple, but is structured in a way where each 'arc' has a wildly different theme/genre influences, meaning you really would never guess where it goes from its somewhat slow start. incredible character writing with emotional highpoints that feel like fantastic pay-off. a real journey, and one that pretty much everyone who's ever touched this show (and There Are Many) will vouch for! best of its genre, hands down.

Cardcaptor Sakura (1998) 70 eps + two films

if you're looking for something very sweet and relaxing, then this is the best pick! css is an episodic type of show you'd most enjoy taking slowly; it's a look into the seemingly idyllic daily life of this lovely cast of characters who are dealing with magic and mystery. this show feels like marshmallows, and with its intrigue captures the feeling of childlike wonder supremely well. a great take on light fantasy set in the modern world, with beautiful animation to boot!

Legend of the Galactic Heroes (1988) 110 eps + two films

if i could force people to watch anything ever, it would be this show. logh is a brilliant epic (in the literary sense) (also in the gamer sense) space opera that at a surface level seems to be about politics and spaceship battles, when it really has character-driven appeal at its core. if you just love wondering why that general looked at his right hand man like that when that other admiral made that clearly philosophically-dubious remark... well. it's genuinely a masterpiece, poses interesting political & philosophical questions about systems of rulership and domestic life and our roles in society, is funny, and has what maybe is the best character of all time. i could not recommend this more!

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (2011)

chances are you know of jjba! it's unlike any other anime in presentation and style, for which it is super well-known. jjba has the rather unique appeal of consisting of 'parts', with different casts & settings for each part, while still being a story that ultimately follows one bloodline. this means you start off enjoying a shakespearean tragedy set in 1880s england at some point, and a mafia storyline set in italy in the 2000s at another. jjba does very ridiculous and flashy things, but does them so convincingly and takes itself so seriously that you end up buying every strange twist it throws at you! jjba is just super fun.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006) 28 eps + 'The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya' film

haruhi is an eccentric show with an equally eccentric cast, refusing loyalty to any genre despite an overfamiliar setting. it's... seriously hard to describe what exactly is going on in this show. it plays into the meta of certain anime tropes, and presents characters as being prime examples of those tropes... before you learn they're acting the part knowingly. it dabbles in philosophy, drama, and sci-fi, and yet saying that doesn't represent its appeal accurately at all. it's very non-traditional, yet very easy to get into. it has the best anime film of all time. this is one where you really should check out the first episode, or a trailer, because words aren't going to do it any justice!

Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997) 39 eps + 'Adolescence' film

ourgh... this story. rgu seems like it's going to be a fun story about sword-duels, before hitting you with a genuinely harrowing examination of (gender) roles we're forced to play, systems of control and oppression, and so much dense symbolism you could write fifteen essays after one watch. it's flowery and artistic, and the type of show that requires active input from the viewer in the form of analysis and interpretation. it has a greek chorus! it's not at all hard to care for the (very mentally ill) cast of characters, and you might find yourself fundamentally changed as a person after watching this. especially if you're queer, this show will likely poke hard into your soul.

Berserk (1997) 25 eps

many recommend skipping ep1 for spoiler reasons. i recommend skipping it because it's not interesting. we r not the same. it is a story set in horses-and-knights-and-such era europe, which i generally despise, but this show is SO beautifully atmospheric in its dreamy colours and out-of-this-world soundtrack that it ends up feeling like a hazy and hope-filled memory by the time berserk reveals itself to be... a tragedy. a story that fundamentally is about two people who long for connection with the other so badly, but whose formative experiences were always irrevocably going to contort their fate. additional shout-out to the soundtrack for being completely unlike anything else, and certainly not what you imagine a show set in that era to sound like!

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) 26 eps + 'End of Evangelion' film

another very famous show, nge is all about the psychological profiles of some very disturbed characters! they have SO many issues and the show loves to make them go on introspective little journeys of suffering. packed full with symbolism (again), nge loves invoking biblical themes/symbols especially. this story is about the Human Condition and about the pain of trying to get closer to others, all wrapped up alongside some good old action.

91 Days (2016) 12 eps

finally, this is a relatively underground choice here! a very easy show to enjoy, especially for those who haven't watched anime before, 91 days offers a relatively short but well-bounded mafia revenge story. what this show sets out to do, it does quite perfectly, and so it's probably the most straightforward entry in this list. it nails its narrative well, has a fun setting (1920s america), and is really good at sticking the landing when it comes to delivering on emotions and storylines that build throughout the show!

if anyone reads this far, have a great day/evening! :)

[nonevahed]

#me incessantly writing about logh's hands down worst plot :|

it's the fact that it's LoGH's worst plot that keeps the meta writers and theory crafters coming back to it time and time again, re-interpretations of it are catnip.

[sacred-gayze]

My ears are working again. I'm listening to LoGH meta at work and I'm thinking about the guy in my life rn.

[nomadicism]

Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These (Stellar War), Chapter 13, Battle of Amritsar

Below: Flagships Brünhild and Barbarossa looking sleek and gorgeous; and Siegfried Kircheis talks some sense into a surly Reinhard von Lohengramm.

I really enjoyed Chapter 13 “Battle of Amritsar”, and am looking forward to the rest of the episodes (the Seiran film cut into episodes on Crunchyroll). It has plenty of action and interpersonal drama. Some of the characters have had their designs adjusted, the flagships got prettied up, and some of the resolution and strategy of the battle is different than it was in the OG series, and I like the way this was done much better.

Time for gratuitous screenshot collages with commentary and a little bit of meta!

Mild spoilers below.

I HAVE TO RE-WRITE THIS NOW BECAUSE TUMBLR DELETED EVERYTHING WHEN I ACCIDENTALLY TRIED EDITED THE TAGS ON MOBILE. NOOOO. MY META!

[saintscoffee]

Commentary regarding Icebergs (5) – IT GOT REALLY LONG

Ice: Kircheis is his own person—who has chosen to make everything in his life revolve around Reinhard.

*claps*

Ice: in a show that’s so clearly committed to telling the stories of individual people against the backdrop of large scale politics

Ok, here I have to disagree a bit

(To me,) LOGH is a critique on history and human behaviour, so it creates and shapes its characters in order for certain events, that will allow the author to call out whatever similar situation happened in the past, to occur. The characters lack character arcs (this doesn’t mean that they don’t change) but have a purpose in the story – aka, most are plot devices.

However, I feel like I might be misinterpreting Ice’s sentence, so I’m gonna move forward? (Call me out, if I am)

Ice: this moment, at which Kircheis can’t stand to be alone with Annerose for even one fraction of a second

That’s harsh, but I don’t remember that scene well so I can’t call it out

Ice: the relationship between Reinhard and Kircheis has changed and grown in the meantime—and independent of Annerose’s presence and influence—doesn’t matter to her at all

You know, they might have a point here

And no I’m not just saying this cus I hate Annerose

Ok, maybe a little

But, really, I can’t deny that I felt like Annerose still treated Rein and Sieg like kids at the start (but then again, I was getting used to the characters)

Ice: Kircheis’s little sideways glance here could have a couple meanings. One is “Does she know I’m dating her brother?” 

Or it could be that he feels that she’s out of his league?

Ice: Reinhard and Kircheis have quite literally left Annerose behind—she’s been stuck in the same tragic, stagnant situation for the last decade, while they’ve gone off to attempt galactic domination together. 

Ice: That they’re doing it ostensibly for her sake doesn’t change the fact that she is, again, powerless herself.

You know, I have to give credit where it is due

If Rein and Sieg just wanted to save Annerose, then they were, already, in a position where they could kidnap her and skedaddle out of there without being caught (probably)

While we know that they didn’t do it because they wanted to change the empire from the inside, it still means that Annerose’s happiness was not as important and had to continue being the Kaiser’s slave

…

Why do I feel like if I keep reading Ice, I’m gonna end up liking Annerose

Ice: it’s important for Annerose to feel like she still has a role in his and Reinhard’s lives beyond being a damsel who needs saving

Ok, I again disagree. Simply because I don’t think the author gave that much thought about Annerose.

She is Rein’s mother figure, an idealized Yamato Nadeshiko. Kind and passive but with hidden steel. She’s wise but not arrogant. The traditional Good Wife, Wise Mother. She sacrifices herself for her family. Sure, the author is somewhat aware of the displeasures of being forced to play this role, but I really doubt he planned her to be something more. I mean, he puts her on a freakin bus since he didn’t have any interest in seeing her not playing that role.

Annerose doesn’t see herself as a damsel in distress, she’s simply doing what she thinks is the best for her family and continues doing so by being a Wise Mother towards Rein. The ambiguity comes with Sieg – what role does she play towards him? She, at first, continued her WM-role as she befriended her brother’s soon-to-be-friend and encouraged him to stand by Rein. However, he grew older and she developed feelings for him. Does she stop being the Wise Mother to become the Love Interest? Nope.

… I feel like I had a point, but I got lost somewhere. Oh, well, basically: Annerose isn’t playing the role of a damsel that needs rescuing, she is playing the role of a strong mother figure towards Rein and an ambiguity towards Sieg. If she is rescued in the future, then she’ll go “yay”, if she’s not she’ll simply shrug her shoulders and say “that’s how it is on this bitch of an earth odin”. That’s the sort of character that Annerose is meant to be.

Ice: A better translation here for “talk to him” is “scold him”—Annerose is again trying to instill distance between Reinhard and Kircheis, and as you can see on his face, Kircheis isn’t having it.

How is that instilling distance…?

Ice: Annerose certainly acts like she has very little faith in Reinhard

SHE’S WORRIED ABOUT HIM

I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M DEFENDING ANNEROSE

Ice: Reinhard is, like everyone in this show, deeply flawed and fallible. 

*claps*

Ice: we finally get to meet LoGH’s very best space lesbian! Hildegard von Mariendorf aka Hilda

Replace “lesbian” with “girl” and I agree, Hilda is best girl in this show

Ice: They will be back, and they are interesting, so don’t write them off as Background Randos

Ice, Bergengrün was too handsome for me to ever forget him

-

PS: Ok, I’m starting to see how… forced some of their analysis are. I’m gonna be honest, I think I’m just gonna ignore the parts about ReinXSieg and MittXReuen from here on, unless they somehow really annoy me (cus if I went “I disagree” every time I would not get anywhere and this one already got this big)

[augerer]

whats super compelling to me about reinhard’s grief is how uncomfortable it makes everyone around him and how horrible it is to look at. . . feels like a rare and realistic depiction of what it feels like to watch someone around you like not be able to get a grip on normal behavior and seemingly either not realize it or not care.

which is a) a situation that feels very real and which i’ve personally experienced many times in my life b) realistic also for how pain of all kinds and grief specifically can make you very weird.  and is also i feel a way i don’t usually see grief depicted--not just as beautiful and tragic or even ugly and violent or hard to be around.  but vulnerable in a way that feels inappropriate and on the edge of embarrassment?

also this is contextually interesting because on top of all the normal reasons this kind of emotion is hard to discuss, its even more so because reinhard’s supposed to be everyone’s like, infallible superior.  the way everyone is always tiptoeing around his emotions that have like a deep impact on their material reality but no one acknowledges it or says anything to him.  reinhard will just be in the middle of his obvious grief and then other characters are kind of making eye contact at each other over the top of his head like Uh.... i’m looking but i’m also looking away.

and also like, Its Not Morally Right but its Definitely Entertaining that this guy has made Being Gay Personally the problem of Absolutely Everyone in the Galaxy, including You the Viewer.

[editoress]

What’s better than the dynamic between a hyper-ambitious villain and his steadily loyal best friend/right hand man?

[iserlohndiary]

omg tho im so happy for u that u experienced the ride that is logh <3 In the end, who was your absolute favorite and why so? :3

ahahah thanks! and what a ride it was. i actually started watching logh while recovering from an illness and had to stay in bed for almost a month. this show saved my sanity, i swear

as for my favorite character...

listen, it's not oberstein, but omg did season 4 made me appreciate him. i'd love to hate him, to cheer when bittenfeld finally shoved him, but my brain was like, you know you only hate him because he has the audacity to be right all the time while not caring about anyone's opinion, and not giving anyone what they want, even on a meta level, as a fictional character. it's like how the characters that we like (or not) reflects something about ourselves, but oberstein made me painfully aware of that. (also, someone who is loyal to an ideal instead of a person, in a position that high up among reinhard's retinue? freaking impressive)

my actual favorite character though, is julian. compared to geniuses with some serious character flaws like yang and reinhard, i can see why some people see him as much less interesting. he is good at a lot of things, yes, but not excellent. if he was not yang's ward and successor, he would be kinda ordinary. but that, along with the fact that he is part of the younger generation, is what makes me think he is the perfect character to close this story with. he represents the end of this age of great men, after which things will be more ordinary, and hopefully, more peaceful

you *can* see him as a gary stu, what with how every named character seem to like him, but i choose to see it like...what's the saying, it takes a village to raise a child, or in yang's words, children grow up by leeching off their elders...a [representation?] of how humans take care of their youngs, which in a sense is something that the ex-alliance crowd is doing anyway, at least from yang's perspective (he explicitly said that he wanted to preserve/plant the seeds for a future democracy so that things will be easier for the next generations).

so it's like, julian represents the younger generation, and that everyone cares about him, that means SOMETHING

i guess i'm just a sucker for characters who are not just themselves, but also embodiments of what a story is all about (or in logh case, what half of the story thinks it is all about)

[fierykamuy]

Ravages of Time - Volume 22

to lengthen the session I plan to feature 8 pics per chapter, for a grand total of 64 pics, with discussions along the way

we begin with a recap of the premise for the events to come

Liu Bei accepts an imperial edict (which Cao Cao arranged to have the emperor promulgate) to attack Yuan Shu, who in turn seeks to collaborate with Lu Bu to take Liu Bei out of the picture (since as a Han loyalist he would be a nuisance to Yuan Shu's Zhongjia regime)

of course at this point Yuan Shu has been weakened somewhat due to Sun Ce's scheme as well as Liu Ye's betrayal, and thus he cannot afford to have Liu Bei ruin things further

175 also brings up one of the recurring topics in Ravages, namely the unreliability of historical accounts (particularly the 'official records')

to be clear, it's not as if Ravages is saying that since the records are biased we shouldn't learn from the records we receive and uncover (or worse, using the premise of unreliable records as an excuse to justify supporting one's favorite 'vilified' factions in the past)

rather, because the records are biased we have to learn carefully (and acknowledge that records are not just representations but they are also tools)

the paradoxical position of Ravages after all is that it uses its sources to criticize them (and without the sources and the stories of scheming, what would there be to criticize about)

its just like what Pang Tong was saying about cults. they may be false, but you can guide people with them

back to Zhang Fei, his response isn't just an instance of disparaging official historians (with the emphasis on 'official', since the dynasties of the central plains actually hire such positions to come up with sanctioned narratives about the past) but there's also a self-reflective aspect to it

how would one act not only with the thought of how one will be remembered, but also anticipating that one's actions will be misunderstood and misinterpreted as part of schemes to come

it's almost as if he's daring future generations to look at him how they (or we) would, so long as he gets his job done

and we're also reminded that Chen Deng's privileged position in Xuzhou is partly due to how he bankrolls the security and military apparatuses in the province (that's why he outright flaunts about not having to pay the usual taxes, since he pays in other ways)

an instance of corruption to be sure, but he's still playing his part in the province (while seeking to benefit from the dysfunctional arrangement at the same time)

on a side note, Ravages doesn't really do well in showcasing the official functions of the various positions in the Han government (but then again, with Han undergoing a slow collapse, this hardly matters)

Ravages can't even be bothered to display an imperial court scene with the proper protocol

and it seems Liaoyuan Huo hanging around with Chen Deng had another purpose (after all, if he was trying to search for Xiao Meng's whereabouts, why would he suddenly wind up in Liu Bei's turf)

now back to the scheming, we see the 16 moves begin to take form with plans and revelations such as this

to recap, the premise is that Lu Bu and Yuan Shu are colluding to drive Liu Bei out of Xuzhou (while Cao Cao arranges for the mess in Xuzhou behind the scenes so that he can proceed with his own move elsewhere)... but since Zhang Fei is aware of that (or rather, suspects that something like that is going on), he's making plans of his own, and here it involves luring Lu Bu into making a premature attack (this is where the deliberate rumors about Zhang Fei's drunken recklessness come in)

we also see plans being made on the part of Yuan Shu's forces

basically, given that there's an imperial edict to attack Yuan Shu, the plan is to lure Liu Bei into expending resources and troops in a protracted campaign, while Lu Bu takes advantage of the situation and seizes control of Xuzhou, forcing Liu Bei to withdraw to some backwater area... and even then, the Zhongjia troops are not content to simply play the role of a decoy and have Lu Bu take all the glory, so they too prepare a trap for Liu Bei on their front (though we don't really see much of this unfold on-panel, since the focus is more on dealing with Lu Bu)

Ji Ling and Zhang Liao also speculate that Cao Cao's imperial edict plan isn't simply to undermine Yuan Shu, but it's also meant to keep Liu Bei down while he's still weak

the chapter is also a reminder that Ravages stresses the importance of meticulous preparations for campaigns of mass conflict

I daresay Ravages is willing to cut battle scenes short in favor of preparation scenes (and yes, this includes preparations for future struggles even in the midst of battle)

before ending, the chapter also features Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong watching on the sidelines (and I find it a bit puzzling why Zhuge Liang is wearing his hat here again only to lose it again off-panel come 180)

we get hints (based on Pang Tong's insinuations) that Zhuge Liang doesn't like Zhou Yu that much (probably due to ideological disagreements rather than personal grudges)

and there's also an indirect allusion to the in-joke about how Sima Yi and Zhou Yu are similar in Ravages

I suppose the disagreement is that Zhou Yu doesn't seem to prioritize Han at all (it's one thing to serve Sun Ce with the intent of keeping him in check, like what Xun Yu plans to do with Cao Cao, and it's another thing to just empower another hegemon from another clan at the expense of Han)

though from 159 we see that Zhuge Liang isn't just a Han loyalist for the sake of elevating the imperial clan (Xun Yu's brand of loyalism is more committed to the actual institutions of Han)

rather, he sees the ideal of loyalty as a way to diminish bloodshed

to put it in another way, a typical model Han loyalist would be a social-conservative who wishes to preserve what has been inherited, with changes admitted on a gradual basis while protecting the authority of current institutions 

Zhuge Liang's way seems more to be about using the virtue and ideal of loyalty (which so happens to be directed at Han, though it could really be directed at anyone else) as a way to govern people and keep the peace (thus his suspicion about calls for regime change is not because he thinks Han is always good, but that those who seek change may have other ulterior motives in mind)

thus I've mentioned before that of the 8, Zhuge Liang may be the most ideologically abstract and committed (and thus the events in 180 would agonize him so much)

176 may cover the duels of a particular battle in Liu Bei's campaign against Yuan Shu, but the narrative and textual details here cover more than just the battle

take for instance the floating text for the chapter, we can note that the Ravages 'narrative voices' do more than just recount the story or hype certain characters (since they also take on meditative and reflective tones)

whereas the narrator in, say, something like Kingdom behaves more like a storyteller (or for example, how the narrator in LOGH is akin to a presenter of a documentary), the voices in Ravages are more like commentators performing the processes of introspection that the composer may have done and the readers are expected to do

there's also a meta-fictive element in the chapter, as the floating voices don't just comment on what's going on, but also seem to comment on both the gimmicks of warfare as well as the conventions and tropes of texts about warfare (and since participants of war also make and hear tales of warfare, the conventions also bleed into the subjectivities of those who fight 'real wars' we see this when soldiers, cops, and activists gamify their feats)

this brings us to the dual character of military campaigns involving armed people... on the one hand, there are the considerations of the balance of forces (and how to take advantage of asymmetries to deal decisive blows), and on the other hand, there are the considerations of morale (and how to manage it with gimmicks such as rumors and duels)

this also provides a good excuse for texts (Ravages included) to feature duel scenes, haha

read the comment and think back at how fight scenes in many texts involve the contenders trying to justify themselves (either in monologue form, or while openly arguing)

also note how various factions make use of propaganda to present their side in a better light while vilifying opponents

Ji Ling of course isn't just content to make his point, he invokes the sages to make his case look wiser (just as Guan Yu dismisses arguments for regime change by noting the inscrutability of the heavenly will)

this brings me to another point, that not only can we learn from the insights of various thinkers, we can even weaponize those insights (and many regimes and societies have done just that for instance how the Han appealed to Confucius while refining 'legalist' mechanisms to form a Confucian-Legalist political order)

(on that note it can be said that perhaps in certain instances Ravages twists the citations in ways that scholarly researchers would frown upon, but just as with historical texts the words of the philosophers are also tools in the power struggle)

this tidbit highlights the performative and spectacular aspects of war (and war stories)

we can acknowledge that when described in terms of the processes of mass slaughter, war is at its core a boring and bloody affair... but what provides the spice in the mix are the stories embedded into the event by the agents with their different passions and interests (and to enhance the drama, what else would the architects of the power struggle do but set up a good show)

thus those in command come up with ways to manage morale and hype up the troops, with the help of stunt actors who relish in the performance (because in the first place, they too have internalized the narratives of hype and glory attached to war)

similarly, skilled storytellers manipulate their audiences into getting invested in certain angles

this isn't to say there are no interests and goals and principles at stake and that it's all just for the drama, but at some point things get storified to motivate masses of people into following through

incidentally, the chapter provides another way of looking at historical records with a critical lens 

whereas the 'straightforward' indictment accuses historical records of various sorts of biases and slants, the 'indirect' meta-fictive insinuation notes at how narrative conventions and textual devices are already baked into the historical records 

  on a lighter note, it would be nice to have memes involving Xun Zheng and Yu Gi Oh (since he's called the king of duel, haha)

he gonna activate his trap card and banish challengers to the shadow realm 

 too bad Guan Yu has a reverse trap card

now back to the zone of the duel itself (since for the most part in the re-read I've been highlighting the thematic elements and the social commentary) Ravages reminds readers that its approach to fighting does not shy away from underhanded tricks (for instance, Xun Zheng's style involves taking out the horse before the rider, whereas Guan Yu's style uses the horse mainly as a jumping pad while tricking opponents into underestimating him)

neither are interested in drawn-out jousts on horseback

I didn't feature the pic where Liu Bei and Guan Yu talk about how one rises to fame by stepping on others, but it's important to bring it up (especially considering that in war conquerors tend to hype up their feats by assimilating those of the vanquished and this tendency gets passed down to when we engage in power level discussions and matchups)

the floating text began its remarks on battle conventions by pointing to the speeches on morality, and it wraps up with the use of embellishments and tall tales to celebrate the glory of the winner of a given round

of course, duels on their own do not determine the outcome of a battle much less a campaign (and in Ravages the iconic duels between the big names hardly change the course of the battle, though they make for interesting dramatic subplots and moments of spectacle)

and yet in certain instances, duels and their results (and the rumors that are generated in the process) can be used as tools to manage morale or buy time before the big attack, as is the case in this chapter

thus at the end of the day it is still the soldiers who fight and win wars, albeit under the direction of the schemers and with the aid of spectacles and stunt actors

now we enter 177, the chapter that so impressed me when I first read about it in tv tropes, so much so that it led me down this path (and elevated my expectations for stories about warfare and statecraft in the process)

the chapter begins with a summary of what has been going on in Liu Bei's front (and basically 176 is just a small part of the engagement)

recall that in 175 Zhang Liao and Ji Ling agreed on a broad strategic plan, that is to attack Liu Bei from the back (presumably this means not just Lu Bu's backstab, but also Ji Ling luring Liu Bei to advance so far that a reserve troop can be used to cut off Liu Bei's route back to Xuzhou)

basically at this point, even as Liu Bei brought the bulk of the troops in the campaign, Zhang Fei and Lu Bu are drafting troops and minions with the help of funds from merchants (Xu Dan on Lu Bu's side, Chen Deng on Zhang Fei's side)

on a side note, historical records usually label them as 'outlaws' as if they were just a motley gang (just like how state apparatuses disparagingly call various insurgent organizations as rebels and bandits), but many such forces are more like minor warlord factions that happen to be based in the outskirts

at any rate, the plan to take over Xuzhou involves these 'outlaws' who presumably have a grudge on Liu Bei (though of course there's a twist to all this)

thus far

Lu Bu wants to take over Xuzhou (with the help of outlaws)

Zhang Fei wants to lure Lu Bu into a trap at the provincial seat of Xuzhou (by pretending to be reckless) 

Lu Bu plans to arrive at the city under the pretext of helping fight the outlaws on their way 

Zhang Fei plans a banquet to gather pro-Lu partisans into the main city

incidentally, the 'cheng xia yi ju' motif is in play in the volume, insofar as the sides are trying to gather under the walls (in different ways)

what's fascinating about the chapter is that it painstakingly notes the various factors being considered and mobilized for what is a rather minor showdown

the calendar is weaponized (Zhang Fei setting the date for the banquet, Cao Bao's lackeys getting a convenient troop rotation schedule)

urban layouts are weaponized (Zhang Fei noting how the alleys can be used to ambush Lu Bu's troops, Cao Bao planning to set fire to a particular quarter as a decoy, Chen Gong buying up houses as outposts)

rumors are weaponized (stories of Zhang Fei's recklessness becoming a hot topic as reported by Chen Gong's spies, mainly to gather more outlaws to the fray)

finances are weaponized (Chen Deng planning to bribe the outlaws to outbid Xu Dan, not to mention the extra spending to ensure Zhang Fei's ambush troop becomes more mobile)

as the factions keep planning, the scenario becomes more and more complex

remember that the basic premise is that Lu Bu wants to capture the provincial seat and thereby control Xuzhou, while Zhang Fei wants to lure Lu Bu into a trap

for the sake of that both camps have gone as far as spreading exaggerated rumors, sending spies, rigging security schedules, laying an ambush in alleyways, preparing to set an area on fire as a decoy, anticipating the fire attack and repurposing it as a signal, etc.

and this is just the preparatory stage, like rehearsing the parlor games for the party, haha

essentially though, the plan hinges on which side the outlaws will take

supposing the outlaws join Zhang Fei, Lu Bu can be trapped in the city with little room for escape

supposing the outlaws join Lu Bu, Zhang Fei can be squeezed with Lu Bu holding the city center (if he gets there) and the outlaws positioned outside the city gates

and then there's this page

it's almost as if Ravages is talking about not so much the struggles and intrigues of the last days of Han, but the convoluted arrangements and contests of the 20th and 21st centuries

basically an indication that Ravages isn't just some story about warfare and statecraft, but also a commentary on warfare and statecraft (and a commentary on stories about warfare and statecraft), in narrative form

and this makes Ravages far more sophisticated than many other tales dealing with similar topics, as exemplified in the

though I really wish there were more texts to rival Ravages in this respect

ultimately it's these complex aspects (rather than the usual moments) that drew me to the series in the first place (and in this regard I may be part of a super-minority) and while it doesn't represent a scholarly innovation (though I argue that Ravages can be a site for further research) it nonetheless raises the bar with regard to what stories can do (and how they can stimulate further thinking)

to briefly review the situation

Lu Bu (who is colluding with Yuan Shu) plans to take over Xuzhou by first taking the administrative seat (with the help of outlaws) while Liu Bei is away fighting Yuan Shu's forces (as a result of an imperial edict arranged by Cao Cao)

Zhang Fei (who wants to pre-emptively get rid of a potential threat) plans to lure Lu Bu and his associates into a trap by organizing a banquet (and spreading disinfo about his recklessness)

Cao Bao's henchmen are in charge of the security detail on the day of the banquet as well as preceding days

Chen Deng pours in financial resources to help Zhang Fei entrap Lu Bu

(a reminder that both Chen Deng and Cao Bao are influential in the province, having served Tao Qian previously)

the gimmick is that Lu Bu comes to the city under the pretext of sending aid when in fact he's planning to seize the city center before the outlaws arrive

Zhang Fei for his part arranges for only the south and east gates to be open on the day of the banquet, since the streets in those quarters are narrower and good for an ambush

Cao Bao, given his influence within the city, plans to set a fire on a certain spot in a bid to distract the hidden ambush troop

Chen Deng is persuaded to spend even more resources to increase the mobility of the ambush troop, with the anticipated fire to be seen as a signal to commence the operation

as a side plan, it seems the troops supposed to supply Liu Bei are also given secret orders to attack Lu Bu's base in Xiaopei on their way back

on the day of the party, both sides exercise extra caution, mutually anticipating one another's plans

Cao Bao may have brought several guests and escorts with him, but the number of collaborators is too many to list (with some acting as scouts on the lookout for suspicious movements throughout the city)

in turn, the ambush troops try to keep themselves hidden so as not to attract the attention of the security forces under Cao Bao

as anticipated, while Lu Bu is also on his way, Zhang Liao proceeds to enter first to lead the vanguard (and is let in with the help of insiders at the gates)

we've already been told that the ambush is set in the east and south quarters due to the narrow streets there, so the closure of the north and west gates is less about keeping spies out (Cao Bao's collaborators are already present in the city) and more about forcing Lu Bu to go through the narrow streets

of course, throughout the party, Zhang Fei is still keeping up appearances of being a carefree drunkard, to make Cao Bao lower his guard and strike prematurely

an amusing part of the chapter concerns the code words and phrases being used to convey information (basically a pretext for Chen Mou to engage in minor word play, haha)

incidentally, many stories of stratagems and intrigue in the central plains have involved puns and innuendos and veiled insinuations, so this is in keeping with the tradition

additionally, the reference to Zhurong is a deliberate one, a hint that a fire attack is about to begin anytime soon

in another note, while it's nice to see Ravages incorporate tidbits of folklore here and there (ranging from Tengri to Chisongzi and Chiyou), aside from the Taiping sects we don't see religious movements and practices being explored in much detail throughout the series... hopefully this lacuna is addressed in future developments

the security scheme even involves the commoners as part of an effort to feign a sense of panic and manufacture controlled chaos (basically a 'bavarian fire drill' in the language of conspiracies, haha)

I just want to say that in terms of banquet intrigues, Ravages really raised the bar with this one

other twists and turns and traps at feasts and parties simply pale in comparison to the '16 moves'

too bad this minion has been named in deluxe volume 11 as Lu Chang, but I like how he and Cao Bao have complementary outfits

and so with a nicely drawn fish dish as a signal (not to mention Zhang Fei offering to show guests how he fetches items), the real party is about to begin

there is a particular policy objective (which will be revealed more clearly in the chapters ahead) there is the broad strategic plan (that is to say, the overall struggle for the city and by extension the province)

there are the operational details (basically the preparation and implementation of the 16 moves)

I stress operations rather than tactics since Ravages seldom gets into the granular aspects of specific maneuvers

the nice thing about 179 (for purposes of re-reading) is that it's relatively fast-paced, with the players beginning to take action

basically the initial battle plan of Lu Bu's main invasion force involves splitting into 3 groups (the first to handle Zhang Fei's troop, the second to secure the gate, the third to head to the city center following Zhang Liao's vanguard)

to be fair, throughout this charade, Zhang Fei made sure to keep the commoners safe using appropriate evacuation protocols (and arguably, Lu Bu's battle plan doesn't involve causing that much mayhem and disturbance, but only inflicting enough to distract Zhang Fei and secure the city)

also, another interesting feature of Ravages is that it includes occasional snippets of commoners commenting on the situation

in many cases they are shown to be perceptive (and at times rather cynical too)

they may not control that much leverage in the power struggle, but they are not completely disempowered as they are still able to make some sense of what's going on and articulate what they have in mind

posting this just to showcase an instance of Ravages camera tricks (it just so happens that there are too many flat closeup panels by comparison)

the struggle for the city also involves its own iteration of the besiegers getting besieged, haha

also, the last Lu Bu body double to be killed on-panel

considering that 177 and 178 are 2 days apart, my speculation is that Lu Bu could have snuck in using a supply wagon perhaps on the middle day or earlier in the day of the party (knowing that Cao Bao's henchmen handled the security detail)

And I daresay common ground of Fei and Liao to allow Lu Bu snuck in was hinted beforehand.

Just like how Liao agreed to free Meng, because it would negatively affect Lu Bu

For the 180th chapter analysis, check this link - https://www.reddit.com/r/RavagesOfTime/comments/fbssrf/chapter_180_analysis/

essentially 181 is where the party is about to wind down, but not without revealing some surprises along the way

the nice thing about action scenes is that (unless one wishes to discuss the nuances and niceties in the choreography and the paneling) one can go through them fairly quickly

one thing to note is that while the narrow quarters restrict Zhang Liao's effective range (and moreover can presumably lead to situations where a miscalculated swing can lead to the blade getting stuck or someone's grip on the weapon messing up), the narrow quarters also restrict opportunities for evasion

another nice touch about Ravages is that it depicts weapons and armor as being fragile

even though Zhang Liao had the upper hand in that round when it comes to melee weapons, Liaoyuan Huo has some surprises in store (too bad we don't really get to see this segment on-panel)

Ravages also likes to add subtle hints winking and nudging about the next steps and the upcoming revelations

in this case, Liaoyuan Huo insinuates that Zhang Liao and Zhang Fei may have secretly agreed upon something

I mentioned previously how the schemes of Lu Bu and Zhang Fei hinge on which side the outlaws would take, and it's amusing that these outlaws (other than Cao Cao) turned out to be the biggest beneficiaries during this incident

this is the equivalent to the same set of hired guns playing with and profiting from two rival groups that seek to outbid one another in securing the mercenary services

and then Zhang Fei makes his big reveal, that it turns out the strategic goal all along was to abandon Xuzhou (since given Liu Bei's reputation as a heroic loyalist, certain warlords elsewhere would like to welcome him, not to mention this further tarnishes Lu Bu's reputation)

yet one has to wonder way they did not purged those outlaws

I think the outlaws were militarily powerful (they could be the same group as the Mount Tai bandits who show up on-panel in 231, defecting to Lu Bu's side after Xun Yu's abduction), and neither Lu Bu nor Liu Bei would want to waste effort suppressing them completely

now not to be outdone, Lu Bu unveils his own twist, the so-called sixteenth move (which involves Chen Gong taking a troop with him to a low-key city in Xuzhou, where Chen Gui is harboring and protecting Liu Bei's wives)

deluxe volume 11 also gives the full name of Wu as Wu Hui

more importantly, the two sides were careful not just to minimize their own casualties, but also to minimize the adverse impact on the commoners (and that is why it often takes a complex method to do something simple, since one has to consider many factors)

there's also a side discussion touching upon how the uninvolved can see through the charade

this is not to say that outsiders are familiar with all the details the insiders have to deal with, but outsiders can surmise the wider picture (or at least the broad outlines of it) and ask the bigger questions since they are not as caught up in the moment, wrapped in the fog of war

an alternate translation of the quote from the Analects goes:

"If the Way is being realized in the world then show yourself; if it is not, then go into reclusion"

this can either refer to Pang Tong taking his step, or perhaps Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei lying low

the 'five hegemons' may also be an indirect reference to the five hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period

and then there's the foreshadowing of a realm split into three, roughly along geographical lines 

there's a minor design error in the painting though as shown in the chapter title page, since Sima Hui and Pang Tong speak of the 5 mountains arranged as a northern one, a southeastern one, and three in the south (and southwest) lumped together, but instead the painting shows two northern mountains and three southern ones... still, the painting looks nice nonetheless

essentially the prediction is about a tripartite balance whereby one faction holds the areas north of the yellow river, another holds the eastern areas by the long river, and the third holds the south-central heartland plus the southwestern mountains (for the most part the 3 kingdoms after Han adopt a similar arrangement with the notable exception being that Wu rather than Shu gets to hold the south-central area instead due to the intrigues involving Guan Yu's downfall though story-wise the prediction does not state for instance who will control the northwest)

now even without Lu Bu's sneaky move, we must consider that Yuan Shu has more resources than Liu Bei, and so had the campaign dragged out Liu Bei would be at a disadvantage despite having the talents of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei

of course it's revealed a few pages later that this incident of Guan Yu threatening to execute Zhang Fei (low-key playing with Liu Bei's sentiments about the brotherhood) was all for show - to nudge Liu Bei a little more towards the breaking point into the dark side

now, we're not shown how the Zhongjia troops were able to defeat the Han loyalist troops (since last time we saw, Liu Bei was able to secure at least one stronghold)

however, I could speculate the following scenario: with Lu Bu's sudden takeover of Xuzhou, Zhang Fei was forced to withdraw (while certain other troops simply surrendered to Lu Bu), which means the frontlines could no longer count on supply deliveries or fresh reinforcements... and since Yuan Shu presumably has more troops in reserve (not to mention the agreed-upon plan between Ji Ling and Zhang Liao in 175 to strike Liu Bei from behind), perhaps the surprise attack was timed just when Lu Bu was able to drive Zhang Fei out

this means at the very least that Yuan Shu's troops are not total pushovers when they have the advantage, haha

in another note, we could see that Liu Bei deeply feels bad about the people who lost their lives (and doubly so since his efforts ended in failure, not to mention he lost his territorial foothold, and his wives are hostages)

and thus begins Liu Bei's journey to the dark side (eventually as he gets darker he discards his dark cape and sticks to a light-colored robe green if we are to believe the game pics)

let us recall

Liu Bei in the early chapters was willing to be misunderstood and engage in some underhanded schemes, but his red line was that he refused to take advantage of others for his own gain (Guan Yu nudged him a bit by convincing him to play the part of a hero, Zhang Fei outright hijacked his plans to remain a straw sandal bandit by drugging him)

then Liu Bei slowly accepted that in troubled and messy times, some form of self-serving behavior is unavoidable, but nevertheless he remained steadfast in upholding loyalty to Han and treating a guest well (Zhang Fei's next plan was to further cultivate Liu Bei's ruthless side while also enhancing his reputation as an underdog, 2 birds in 1 stone)

eventually after almost being killed by Lu Bu's second backstab Liu Bei becomes more self-interested and becomes more protective about his reputation, coming to see it as an asset and a weapon in the power struggle (arguably in the late game he remains sincere and sentimental, but less about Han and more about those he deems his bros and pals)

on Guan Yu, while it may seem that Ravages didn't renovate his image as much (Chen Mou even admitted that his sacred image is too influential to be tweaked that much), but one can note that perhaps in Ravages Guan Yu isn't that awesome of a paragon for virtue (Zhang Fei even hints at that in a monologue in 102), but neither is he a fraud who only pretends to be virtuous... rather, it would seem that (like many people) he's simply trying hard to uphold the examples of the sages and would like to maintain a similar reputation (the further nuance explored in later chapters seems to be that he doesn't simply maintain the reputation of being virtuous, but also virtuously tries to perform the persona that the virtuous do not care about being praised for appearing virtuous)

I should note though that his beard his shorter than the usual depictions, haha

here Pang Tong basically recaps Zhang Fei's strategic goals (and while he doesn't know Zhang Fei's other goal about fetching a 'Liu Bang' and remolding Liu Bei further he speculates that the departure would give Liu Bei the opportunity to swallow up the domains of Liu Biao and Liu Zhang)

incidentally, in the Romance it is Pang Tong who manages to conveniently convince Liu Bei to take an ambitious step and seize control of Yizhou from Liu Zhang, so it's amusing to see a nod to that early on (even though Pang Tong is also misleading Sima Hui into thinking he's backing Liu Bei, when in fact he's paving the way for Liu Chong)

Pang Tong's iconic line for this chapter may perhaps indicate that of the 8, he's the one who relishes in intrigues and power struggles the most (even though he's a Han loyalist of sorts)

also, the description given to him was mis-translated... Pang Tong is pragmatic [實用] rather than utilitarian [功利] (Guo Jia's views may be closer to a broadly consequentialist approach to morality)

ironically he joins Liu Bei's side later on

for those familiar with the period it's a foregone thing (though Ravages messes with that expectation by having him help Liu Chong first)

if only Liu Chong had stronger bodyguards

other than the report that the hostage scheme allowed for a relatively bloodless takeover, what is interesting about this page is what it hints at: Lu Bu wanted to capture someone valuable

I think the reference is to Liaoyuan Huo

the discussion about old wounds and new wounds also suggests that regardless of Lu Bu's reputation, he's still fragile (and he's weakening bit by bit)

but the struggle is all the more magnificent for that

and for someone who schemed and betrayed his way to power to decline and fall by way of scheming and betrayal... similarly terrifying

and then of course there's this twist, which explains why Sima Yi was shown in the last part of 175

for those outlaws to receive three sets of bribes, materially speaking they're the biggest winners in the engagement (though since they're also part of the scheming game, they wouldn't simply waste what they have received for momentary enjoyments)

this also lays out the plan to undermine Lu Bu from within, by secretly co-opting the Chen clan to cooperate with Cao Cao

Chen Deng must be unhappy about it since Cao Cao's troops conducted the massacre in his home province years ago

and there's still a long way to go before Liaoyuan Huo earns the full trust of Liu Bei's core team...

anyway, that ends the special re-read of volume 22

in a nutshell the hostile takeover of Xuzhou is but a small piece in the larger geopolitical struggle, but what Ravages did was to make a minor skirmish more convoluted (and by extension, rendering the overall situation in a more complex manner)

basically to sum up the developments in volume 22

generally for those who don't mind reading Ravages in a non-linear fashion, I recommend checking out the one-volume mini-arcs (particularly volumes 6, 19, and 22 since 25 contains too many big narrative turns) as condensed samples of what the Ravages text has to offer

whereas volume 6 is a neat indicator of Ravages transitioning into a more cerebral approach (though I must point out that the mind games and the reflections are already there from the start, though in the first arc the action is more prominent) and while volume 19 is the initial step beyond the first 150 chapters (themselves a workable and longer snapshot of how Ravages stepped up and matured), volume 22 is perhaps that one volume that neatly packages many salient schemes and themes together in one concise bundle

now if one were to come up with a broad outline of the story covered in volume 22 it would be as follows

chapter 175: there's gonna be a party (and it will be a fun one) chapter 176: meanwhile, for those missing out on the upcoming party... chapter 177: hey let's prepare some stuff for the party chapter 178: on the night of the party and we're counting down to the main event chapter 179: IT'S PARTY TIME chapter 180: in the meantime, someone who isn't on the party is exposing what parties really mean chapter 181: party's almost over, time to wrap up chapter 182: the mourning after the party

[gurguliare]

what will your Next blog title be? an obscure logh quote, or your best incomprehensible out of context tag? ps i love your blog and your meta

1) there’s nothing to say “speak of cao cao and cao cao arrives” ISN’T an obscure logh quote, since logh takes place 3000 years in our future and characters in-universe have pictures of cao cao on their bedroom wall 2) i don’t know because i had a hell of a time formatting current blog title with this theme, and it still looks ridiculous, yet the thought of changing it depresses me. thank you though. i appreciate the interest.

[yangssunglasses]

From 24/7 Fandom asks: 4, 10, 18

Thanks for sending this again! I didn’t get any asks yesterday so if there were any others, I wouldn’t know, because tumblr ate them.

4. What’s your happiest fandom memory?

I can’t say I have one definitive happy memory. Just making friends  and having fun make happy memories to me. And of course those times when canon gives us good content and we all celebrate.

10. What kind of content do you most enjoy seeing from fandoms (art/fic/meta/theory/etc.)?

I enjoy everything, it’s good to see fandom being active. It’s inspiring to me to also participate and create when I see fanart/fic/meta etc. What I particularly like is fandom humour, memes, crack and the like. If there’s a good joke, I want to hear it! :)

18. What’s something you would most like to change about a fandom you’re currently in?

Well, it’s banal, but I’d like people to chill more and just enjoy the thing. How many haters spewing hate in wrong tags do I need to block? How many spammers?

And in Logh fandom, I wish there was more communication. It’s hard for me to keep creating and improve when I get no comments or anything. Even if I screwed up, I wouldn’t know. So yeah, communication in fandom is the key. If people don’t talk to each other, it’s not really a fandom.

[chilled-ice-cubes]

i’ve gotten a buncha new followers for some reason so hi ig

this blog literally has no theme if u followed for one funny shitpost pls be prepared for me to fill ur dash with gifs of my new hyperfixation any moment

my “evergreen” fandoms are probably naruto, pjo, hxh, jjk, bnha, the silmarillion, logh

i’m currently deeply into mr robot and pjo

i watch a lot of seasonal anime too

[sasuke voice] goals? i have no goals. i have an ambition. to be the only anime blog on tumblr where you can find narusasu fanart, random 90s anime gifs, meta about prestige tv and weekly shonen jump shitposts all at once

[firebatvillain]

Yuletide Letter

Dear Yuletide Author,

Thanks for writing - I’m really excited for this Yuletide, now that I have time for fandom in my life again. I hope you’re excited as well! I’m FireBatVillain on Ao3, FFN, and Tumblr. The stuff I’m including in this letter is optional, but I hope you consider them as you write. Whatever you make, I’ll appreciate it regardless, and I look forward to whatever comes. Some preferences below the cut.

Things I like:

Bittersweet endings, angry or sad endings with a spark of hope in them, happy endings. Good communication, wordplay, honor, pointless heroism or love even if it won’t succeed. Meta, canon-compliant off-screen fics that explore things are great! So are non-canon-compliant fics that fiddle with the story and its premises. I love fics that are allegories for other things. I’m cool with any seaworthy ship. I also like revolution! Death to kings! No gods no masters!

Things I don’t like:

Monarchist/feudalist/aristocratic apologia, mpreg, character bashing, and extreme underage.

I’m okay with characters in a feudal or monarchist setting, and even protags who are monarchs, and even these characters triumphing as monarchs as long as the story itself isn’t apologia for monarchism. Characters who like monarchism, who think of themselves as good kings, who want to restore the throne, etc - all good by me. Saber or Iskandar in Fate/Zero, Reinhard von Lohengramm from LoGH, etc is excellent. I just... would prefer not to read a work where the final moral of the story is that democracy is bad and we should all be ruled by a single person with absolute unchecked power, as presented by the author.

Some other notes:

Unrequested characters, ships, and ideas are A-OK with me, as is NSFW content. Please feel free to use whatever prompts you like and don’t feel constrained by my suggestions here. I do not mind darkfic.

Requested Fandoms:

Fate/Zero - Saber, Lancer

If you’ve seen or read Fate/Zero, you know how heartbreaking this interaction was. To find honor and solidarity and respect on the battlefield, only to have it ripped away so… it was a tragedy. And like any good tragedy, all the pieces were set in motion long before it ended in tears. Maybe it’s too much to ask for it to end another way… if it’s possible, that would be great. If not, any scene with these two that heart-wrenching and with that glimmer of happiness will be good.

I am generally a fan of the interactions between Waver, Iskandar, and Gilgamesh as well. Honestly you can just go nuts in this one and do what you want, don’t feel constrained on my behalf, it’s all good stuff in there. Saber and Lancer are optional here, just write something that will capture some of that feeling and that you'll enjoy writing.

Mother of Learning - Kirielle, Novelty

I know MoL is a real niche fandom, so I’m shooting in the dark here. If you happened to match with me on this fandom, I’m game for anything, though my two favorite characters are Kirielle and Novelty. Both get a happy ending of sorts, but particularly with Kirielle, I really feel for her. There was so much in her life that she had to struggle against, and we only get a glimmer of the person she could be and the determination beneath the surface as she chafed beneath the oppressive expectations of the Kazinski parents. I’d love something about Kirielle and Novelty becoming friends, or any little story about Kirielle. Novelty is optional here.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes - Reinhard von Lohengramm, Yang Wenli

I’ll admit to not having watched nuLOGH! I’m just here for those deleted scenes that you could imagine playing out as Reinhard von Lohengramm and Yang Wenli clash in terms of ideals and minds. This could happen any time between when they first meet on the field of battle to the end (or beyond). The politics and ideas of this series are kind of A Lot so there’s no need to encapsulate it all, but I always found the conflict between these two fascinating - and I’m not just talking about spaceships blowing up.

Babel-17 - Rydra Wong

Ok, we are here in the rarest of rare fandoms, a novel in which the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis is literally true and plot-relevant, a novel in which you can have memetic encoding in language that fundamentally changes your goals, a novel dense with ideas and over half a century old. If you matched with me on this fandom, please just write anything! I'd love anything that happens as Rydra goes to make peace, about the alien conflict that lays over the story itself, about the social and sexual/romantic structures we're introduced throughout the story, or even about Babel-17 itself, as a weapon or as a tool. Whatever you write, I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

–

Thanks for reading through! Hopefully this gives you some ideas. Avoiding the DNWs is significantly more important than any of this. Please consider this paragraph a blanket permission to ignore my requests, and do what makes something good, what inspires you, if that conflicts with these requests.

Thank you.

[originaldetectivesheep]

Spring = Pull The Other One, But Still New Anime

I still keep smashing my car into icebanks getting out of the parking lot in the morning, but most of what I was watching this winter is either done or finishing this week (Sangatsu no Lion, though, who can tell) and according to the calendar it's nearly April and the spring shows will be starting soon, so here's what I'm going to be at least trying out in Q2.  Writeups on this season will go out once everything actually finishes.

Gegege no Kitarou Nil Admirari no Tenbin Uma Musume: Pretty Derby Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Die Neue These - Kaikou Tokyo Ghoul:re Tachibana-kan to Lie Angle 3D Kanojo: Real Girl Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai Megalo Box Hinamatsuri Gurazeni Amanchu! Advance Piano no Mori Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara - Toutsuki Ressha-hen Golden Kamuy Souten no Ken: Regenesis Fumikiri Jikan Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii

After too much time trying to be different, I don't have a lot unique to comment on the new, relevant titles this season.  Like everyone else, I am amped about Golden Kamuy and Gurazeni getting adapted, moderately skeptical about the two nerds-in-love shows getting anywhere close to Netjuu from last year, and approaching UmaMusu behind a hazmat shield hoping for at least an interesting explosion when it loses contain.  What does stick out is how many friggin shows for olds there are in this slate: my coffin-bait contemporaries and I remain chained to this hobby with new Kitarou, a full-season Piano no Mori, yet another Fist of the North Star rework and, somehow, a revival of GODDAMN LoGH on ACTUAL TELEVISION.  What is wrong with people, honestly.

To substantiate, I was one of about fifteen North American nerds to actually sign a pledge to pay $1200 for a full-run subtitled DVD release of the original Legend of Galactic Heroes, in the days before Kickstarter forced people in those straits to put their money where their mouth was.  Predictably, it never happened and I was never billed.  I would still pony up that dough.  I was and am utterly unsurprised that practically no one else did.  LoGH is a cultural institution and a gigantic inflection point in Japanese military sci-fi, but it is also a barely-animated sequence of over 100 OVA episodes of space Prussians and the Space UN blowing each other up that doesn't actually start to have anything happen for the first, literally, like twenty episodes.  The series has been a significant influence on my own approach to military SF, and rewards the investment if you're willing to put up with the glacial pace, bad German, and reinforced-brigade-scale cast, but this was funded piecemeal by fans to start with, and it's hard to think of what advertisers could find in it worth paying for -- or what the story is even going to get to in only twelve episodes.  One way or another, we'll find out.

In other news, I've been posting less fiction and less meta-updates because I've been trying to write for publication this year; a pro debut is still a long way off, but in between the sheaves of rejections, I'm getting some more traction and hopefully improving.  Writing thirty things in three months and publishing zero of them, though, is kind of a bummer, so I can officially announce that I'm going to be running another free project here in the summer season: Tales of the Missing.  Inspired rather loosely by interesting missed-connections posts, this mostly-romance series is a chance for me to build some range and do stuff that I'm not doing in the SF/fantasy/horror markets, and the general circumstances of the source material are weird enough that it can hang consistently with the other weird-fiction stuff I've run out here.  Mark that as coming in July; more information as the release gets closer.