#my take on the overall story with gibberish english

[jahe]

at first, i kind of feel disappointed with overall storytelling of aos. they could dwell more of human problems, they could make more of the magic realm, they could make the female characters as good as male characters, they could do better.

but then i think, the story is enough as it is. if the story dwell too deeply, it can make the drama too heavy and the market become more segmented. i think the production team wanted to make something that everyone can enjoy since korean viewers rarely chose fantasy genre when they want to watch drama. producing a drama that demand full computer graphic effects is hard, it is expensive, and the market is not that promising. this technical reason is probably why aos story seems only running on surface level.

story wise, yes, at least they have to addressed the internal conflict between park jin and uk, like how park jin has to admit his wrongdoings and ask forgiveness for his longtime psychological abuse to uk. and for choyeon to know the truth about her family and later to accept cho yeong as she is. but anyway, i think they will work it out later, let’s just leave that to our imagination i guess?

for cho yeong, i think some of you have explained very well about her character arc and i couldn’t agree more. to be honest, i was also wanted her to get her sword back and kill jinmu with it, i wanted her to be strong for herself, but after some thinking, reading, etc... i think it makes sense that she is actually choose to make peace with her situation.

[rigelmejo]

Levels of Comprehension

Today I’m going to talk about Refold (used to be mass immersion approach) and it’s Levels of Comprehension page again - https://refold.la/roadmap/stage-2/a/levels-of-comprehension. Because I think even if you never glance at Refold/mia, the levels of comprehension summary idea is really useful for gauging ‘progress’ you’re making in your learning, especially if you’re trying to gauge yourself based on comprehension of a material you’re immersing in. 

There’s other nice gauges - like when reading: how fast you can read a chapter, or in watching: if you go from needing to look up words to follow the main idea of the plot to no longer needing to. Or how many words you look up per page, how long it takes for you to watch an episode (accounting for how much you needed to replay scenes). But I like the Levels of Comprehension page because it gives a nice example of a possible comprehension scale.

Definition of comprehension used here - you understood the meaning of the content.

Comprehension tends to be domain specific (so your comprehension of daily life shows versus news, mystery novels versus history textbooks etc). Its normal for comprehension to vary in different domains. Its also normal for comprehension within a single domain to vary depending on the day or hour a bit. Also as you become aware of more of what you don’t know (aka you’ve learned more) you perceive your comprehension as dropping sometimes (because you now realize more of what you don’t know).

Levels of Comprehension:

Level 0: Nothing You’ve just started immersing and the language is complete gibberish.

Level 1: Something The language is still mostly gibberish, but it has started to look/sound familiar. You’ve gained the ability to pick out occasional words. You still have no idea what is being talked about.

Level 2: Bits and Pieces You can recognize one or two words in most sentences, and every once in a while you understand an entire sentence. You have an extremely vague sense of what sorts of things are being talked about.

Level 3: Gist You can recognize at least half of the words being used, and it’s not uncommon for you to fully understand entire sentences. You’re able to follow along with most of the main ideas that are expressed, but many smaller details are lost.

Level 4: Story You can follow along with the majority of the ideas being expressed, but some details are lost here and there. You rely heavily on contextual inference to determine what was said when you can’t make out all of the words. When you’re not able to understand something, you often can’t tell why you weren’t able to understand.

Level 5: Comfortable You can understand close to everything, but some subtle nuance is lost. You have no trouble following along with everything that’s said, but some of the cleverness or craftsmanship of a speaker or writer may go unnoticed. When you don’t understand something, you can usually identify the cause and clarify your understanding by looking up what you missed. At this level, there is still significant effort associated with the act of comprehending the language.

Level 6: Automatic You can effortlessly understand virtually everything. Virtually no details are lost. Can fully pick up on the subtlest levels of nuance. This is the experience that native speakers have when consuming content they’re familiar with.

Chinese:

I’m usually a 4 or 5 with chinese if its a domain (genre) I’m used to. Watching Word of Honor in chinese was a bit of both - I understood close to everything going on, was pretty sure it was Wen Kexing’s idioms/poetry that I was only vaguely getting (so I could’ve looked it up if I paused), I could not appreciate the full artistic merit of how good the lines were. But occassionally details were lost (level 4) or I needed to rely on visuals to follow what was going on (again especially when people went hard on the poetic speech like Wen Kexing and Prince Jin in a few scenes). 

Watching Two Souls in One in chinese has been a 4-5 - I can follow everything going on, or replay a scene for more details I missed if I didn’t catch a word. Anything I didn’t understand I could’ve looked up, but I generally just replayed a scene if that happened since on repeat I could understand it. I am almost tempted to rewatch Granting You A Dreamlike Life, because it was a 3 last time I watched and I definitely think it would be a 5 now. Also to try to watch Ancient Detective - when I first tried, it was a 3, but I think Word of Honor is just as hard to follow ‘genre wise’ so I think Ancient Detective would probably be a 4-5 now. I think reading so many chapters of Tian Ya Ke and picking up a lot of words from that novel definitely helped me with wuxia genre ‘domain’ things. 

My show ‘domain’ is much better than say interviews though. When I watched the word of honor long livestream, it was definitely 3 with some 2 moments (I followed mainly what was going on, but when they talked about random off topic things I sometimes had no idea what it was about). When I see the word of honor bts short clips, sometimes I can follow perfectly (5) and sometimes I just catch the bare gist (3) like when Gong Jun talks about something not related to the show or his coworkers (I saw a clip of him talking about the game Revelations for example and I could only follow at a 3 even though I knew almost EVERY word he said... the context just totally threw me off). Also my audio domains - when I listen to audio it generally drops to a 3-4 on how much I understand. 

My reading is generally 3 when its a new novel, and 4-5 when I’ve read the english translation before for context. If its a novel I have absolutely zero context for, and above my reading level, it might be a 2. In general I can at least follow the rough gist main idea though. Reading new manhua is 4-5 - manhua is low effort for me though. Reading new novels greatly depends on reading difficulty (new words) - easier novels like TTWTADSL can be a 4 as soon as I start reading, and hanshe can be a 4-5 even though its harder because I’ve read so much of it I have a very good grasp of its vocabulary and context even without a dictionary.

Japanese:

I think my japanese (somehow) is mostly 2-3 in terms of easy listening materials (musicals, plays, games) and easy reading materials (so show subtitles, game subtitles, manga). If given an audiobook or novel though I’d probably be screwed. (Ok not quite screwed... I might even do better than I expect who knows, but the idea of trying sounds HARD so I’d assume it would be at a 2 - very vague sense of what’s going on... maybe I should try with Parasite Eve novel lol).

I can definitely recognize one to a few words in each sentence, and I always have a very vague sense of what’s going on (2). “ You can recognize at least half of the words being used, and it’s not uncommon for you to fully understand entire sentences” (3) - if its a manga, or game, something with text/subtitles then yes this is true because if I can use my reading skills I can recognize much more of a sentence, often at least half (but half isn’t a lot when it comes to figuring out meaning lol). I can follow a lot of the main ideas when watching a lets play (I definitely can with KH2, but I also tried to watch someone play Persona 2 Innocent Sin which I have NO prior context for and could easily follow what overall was the main thing happening/main point discussed in all the scenes I saw). When I watched Dracula Musical I think honestly my understanding WOULD HAVE been a 2 if I knew nothing about dracula. But because I did, it was often a 4 - I could follow all the main points and story scenes and I just struggled to understand what I DIDN’T already recognize (like totally new scenes which I could follow the 3 main gist for but could NOT identify any of the specifics of the conversations). 

[daemadness]

1, 7, 9, 12, 16

Thanks!!! :D I’ll also put the rest under a cut because one just does not simply write short texts.

***

DIE ÄRZTE ASK GAME (click to the ask game!):

1. Wie & wann bist du auf DÄ gekommen?

It was in April 2009. My dad was on a German course and the book had “Männer sind Schweine”. The teacher (who was also later my German teacher!) liked dä so she played the song to them and my dad who’s very much into music, liked what he heard and at home of course searched for more. He then asked me (and my siblings) to come downstairs to his room because he wanted to showe us something - and it was the music video of Junge because he found it hilarious and the music really great.

At first I wasn’t sure what to think but said I could try listening to them, so then my dad started downloading and bringing me music on USB sticks all day every day until he got everything downloaded, and I just added stuff to my mp3 player whenever I got more songs. I did not speak German at all so at first I was pronouncing the name very much incorrectly (you know, “die” as in English), and sometimes I kinda miss it how I just saw a bunch of gibberish on my mp3 player screen. I still remember being in a work training at a horse stable and shoveling hay to a wheelbarrow, and my strongest memory is about the album Geräusch and I will always associate Anti-Zombie with this one horse box I was cleaning and it’s possible that I got obsessed with this album so that I started the day with it and was always cleaning the horse boxes in the same order. But I only remember Anti-Zombie and how I just suddenly realized that this song is one of the best I have EVER heard. (It still is! And Geräusch was my favorite album for a very long time and it’s still my favorite 2000s album.)

***

7. Lieblings-Bandmitglied?

I don’t really have a favorite? Like, musically I like Farin’s songs the most but some of my ultimate favorite songs come from Rod, too, like Anti-Zombie, T-Error, Geisterhaus (I think the best Rod songs are on Geräusch and those are some of the best dä songs overall as well), Mondo Bondage, Morgens Pauken, Sohn der Leere, Bang Bang (Instrumental)... I bet there’s also great 90s songs but I just forgot about everything again. Anyhow, I’ve never been that much into Bela’s songs. He has many really great ones too, but usually my favorite Bela songs are those that Rod has written with him. Which also explains why I’ve never been that fond of Bela’s solo music (I own the first two albums) and why I like FU/FURT the most from these two. I can’t say anything about Rod’s solo stuff or other bands as I have never listened to those, but I’m very much into movie scores and kinda interested in hearing what his movie scores sound like but I’m lazy and have memory issues and motivation issues so I don’t know more than that. (But I wish he did more songs for dä, I miss the times when he still had more than just 1-2 songs on an album. Although, I never witnessed the release of those albums but still :D)

But if this question is about them as people, then I guess it’s Bela and because I’ve just always been so amazed by his open-mindedness, you know? Like, he seems so genuine and caring and that he has had his feet on the ground at all times? (Or if he didn’t when he was younger, then he has learnt from that and can see that now, at least from what I have read from the books.) A while back I had an ask (to an ask game) on my mainblog, to choose between Bela and Farin and that post got a bit longer and you can find a deeper answer to this from that one. But let’s just say I tend to get super protective over Bela if anyone dares to claim he hasn’t always been as open-minded as what he now seems to be :D

Farin is way too similar to me and even tho he’s very relatable, especially what comes to the sense of humour, I still don’t agree on everything he says or does. And too much is too much. About Rod I don’t know enough because he doesn’t speak much and when he does, I usually don’t understand what he says because he (and Bela) is sometimes really bad at articulating and as a German learner it’s very difficult to make sense of anything he (or they) say sometimes. AN ex-friend once claimed I don’t know anything about Rod because I simply just don’t care about him and like..... no??? Also I don’t control it what my brain finds interesting, but I swear that one day I’m gonna read both dä books from cover to cover and I’m not gonna skip anything and then I’ll know more about Rod too.

***

9. Ein Lied, mit dem du viel verbindest?

“Allein”, definitely. Do you know that feeling when you listen to music, an album or song you have listened to so many times before, and then suddenly something just... hits and you hear a song the way you have never heard it before and you’re overwhelmed and mindblown? Yeah, that’s what happened to me with Allein. I don’t remember the exact year when that happened but I remember I was sitting in my car at a grocery store’s parking lot, listening to music and waiting for someone from my family to come out of the store.

Wait I actually found a post from my old Finnish blog from April 2010 about this song and the moment when it hit me!!! The post says the song became my favorite from Jazz ist anders! when I heard it for the first time, and this moment^ was the first time I read it lyrics and the first time ever I felt that lyrics also meant something to me. I was not able to translate anything myself yet but I found the song with English subtitles form youtube (now deleted) and that’s how I understood the story in the song.

So, I was almost 19 and relating to “Allein” a lot. Now it’s almost 11 years later and I’m (still) 29 and I STILL relate to this song so much and now also to the career part because I literally have been working with horses for over 10 years and have been studying them and I’m not sure why and now I don’t know if I even want to do this for the rest of my life or not. Idk, maybe it’s a bit sad too that for the past 10 years I have related to this song this much when it’s about loneliness... but it just doesn’t seem to end, idk if it will ever end, to be honest.

***

12. Findest du die Musik von vor oder nach der Reunion besser?

I would say the music after the reunion, but I’m also really fond of their 80s music, especially the self-titled album. I was lucky enough to find the original -86 release on vinyl, in perfect condition even, and you don’t understand how much that record means to me. I hate the song Geschwisterliebe and I will always skip that (especially now as I am able to follow lyrics from audio somewhat) but I still refuse to own a version of the album without that song. So that record really is very dear to my and my treasure and I sometimes take it out just to look at it and to be happy about the fact it’s MINE.

But anyway, to answer this question, I think I have to answer that I like the post-reunion music more because the 90s is my favorite dä time of all times. Planet Punk is still my fave dä album EVER, 13 is also a favorite, and I love Die Bestie, and all the interview and live and other video material from the 90s is also something I never get tired of watching. Maybe it’s because I was born in 1991 and 90s was my childhood so it feels familiar and safe? I don’t know. But I tend to be drawn to 90s music with all bands I like and if those bands have had a 90s phase. I guess there’s something about the 90s punk rock that I just like that also dä has.

***

16. Was macht Die Ärzte besonders?

Does this mean “what makes dä special”? Well, I’m gonna answer to that anyway even if it doesn’t mean that :D So I would say it’s the variety they have in their songs. They have loads of songs and albums and I still haven’t heard one song that would sound like some other song of theirs. (Apart from Hell, it has several songs that remind me of their older songs and I haven’t decided yet if that’s good or bad.)

There’s also pretty much something for everyone - which might also backfire because I actually knew someone who likes dä too but somehow we happened to like the opposite songs only. Like, you both can be fans and still not agree on favorite songs or even favorite albums or eras. It’s weird. So it feels like “yay we like the same band!!!” but in the end you don’t have anything in common because you don’t like the same things even within one band’s music...

For me dä is special because when I found about them, I was no longer actively searching for new music to listen to. And still they did and somehow all that diversity in their music was insane. Like, the singer’s voice is super important for me and I have turned down so many bands just because I don’t like the singer’s voice or singing style, and somehow this band has three singers and I like ALL OF THEM. Like, what are the odds??? So after getting used to their songs and learning song and album names and other stuff, I literally felt that I had actually found the music that has everything I need from music. I didn’t need to look for the best band ever because I already found it, no other band can top them, a band that would make better music than die ärzte just simply does not exist. And I’m totally happy with that which is why it took me years to even start listening to new music and new bands because I just didn’t need them anymore, I already had dä, you know. I was told (by the same ex-friend who said I just don’t care about Rod) that no band is superior than others but this person refused to understand when I tried to explain that they are superior to ME. And they are superior to me and I don’t give a fuck if others think I’m wrong, it’s my opinion and my favorite band and I have a right to say that they are the best band ever if they are the best band ever for me.

[goat-yells-at-everything]

Final Thoughts: The Witch

*SIGH*

I didn't hate it.

I wanted to hate it. I use to hate it.

I didn't hate it.

I didn't even hate William as a character as much as I use to. Still hate Ineson, though.

My Bias

Let me start off with my bias. If you couldn't tell by now, I love goats. What originally drew me to The Witch that day in Family Video (not sponsored) was, of course, the goat on the cover. After watching the movie I did some reading on it and the VAST majority of coverage about the movie was about Black Phillip. "Fine by me!" I thought. "I'd rather read about the only star that matters here anyway!"

And that's how I learned of Charlie. Charlie was a beautiful black buck with gorgeous piercing golden eyes. There isn't much base information about him but from my own research and knowledge, I beleive Charlie is an Old Irish. Funny enough, the striking horns that earned Charlie his place in the movie because of how large they were are not actually that big by Old Irish standards. These boys can grow some IMPRESSIVE racks. *cough* 

Charlie was not the most dedicated actor on set. If they wanted him to be boisterous and act aggressive, Charlie wanted to take a nap. If they wanted him to hold still and display the calm demeanor of The Devil, Charlie wanted to run around like a kid discovering his legs for the first time. This description didn't shock me in the least. "Thats...thats just a goat?" I thought. "Thats just how they ARE." Goats are like...well, goats are unique animals. While even a cat can be trained with enough patience and the right reward, goats are wonderfully intelligent and MIND NUMBINGLY STUPID animals all at the same time. You look into their eyes and you see the infinite knowledge of the universe AND the mindless empty void AT THE SAME TIME. That is just the nature of the domestic goat. So of course you will never have a goat do what you want it to on the first, second, or even tenth try. If you work with goats in any way, you just need to accept this.

So Charlie, this incredibly intelligent and extremely stupid animal, was on a set of a movie where He was the antagonist in the minds of the characters, actors, and crew. Charlie could have been just fine on the set if the actors had kept their animosity to filming sessions, and most of them did just that. Most of the actors and crew were, at worst, neutral towards Charlie when not actively filming a scene with him. Most of the actors.

Ineson was not among them. Ineson is quoted as saying "From the moment we set eyes on each other it was just kind of hate at first sight." Now, because of their vast infinite nothingness in their heads, goats really aren't capable of "hate at first sight," but they CAN sense animosity from others towards them. Like when your cat knows that your dad hates cats. They just know. So you have an incredibly intelligent moron that weighs just over 200lbs looking at this imposing angry man that was Ralph Ineson and he knows the man does not like him and Ineson has decided that every action Charlie makes is just to spite him, specifically.

It was not the best paring...

By the 4th day of filming, Ineson reported that he was on pain killers for the remainder of the 5-week shoot.

The thing was, the rest of the actors and crew (aside from Eggers but he was trying to direct a goat in a movie so he gets a little leeway) actually recall how sweet and wonderful Charlie was. Anya Taylor-Joy has said that the shoot was a "beautiful" experience. Anna Kilch, a veteran animal trainer, said Charlie was a dream to work with.

So I'm not the biggest fan of Ineson...

The Movie

With that said, what did I think about the movie?

It was...not horrible. In fact, if I put aside my own animosity towards Ineson, it was pretty ok. There are PROBLEMS, no doubt about that, but it was decent.

The Good

The atmosphere was beautiful. It was shot in a quaint little bit of nowhere in Northern Ontario. Pretty sure they put a blue filter over everything but it really did work. It muted all the color and made it all very dreary and damp feeling. In most other situations this would be a major detriment but the overall feeling of hopelessness from the characters was perfectly accented by the misty and drab landscape.

The characters....there were problems but I'll touch on that later. What I liked was how they represented the Deadly Sins.

William is pretty clear. He is the Sin of Pride. It was his pride that had them exiled from their settlement. It was his pride that caused him to lie and steal from his own family. It was his pride that kept his family in a place that was blighted and would not produce anything. It was his pride that made him refuse to see Black Phillip for what he was.

Katherine was also very clear. She is the Sin of Wrath. Her anger at Thomasin for the loss of her infant blinded her to everything around here. It blinded her to Thomasin's innocence. It blinded her to her other childrens sins. It blinded her to how hard Thomasin worked to regain her mothers favor. And, eventually, it blinded her to the avatars of the devil that came to her that dark night.

Caleb, again, very clear. He is the Sin of Lust. Caleb was a bright young boy who was dedicated to and dearly loved his family. He loved one family member a little too much. Caleb lusted after his elder sister. That lust eventually lead him into the arms of the titular Witch as she seduced him with her HUGE....tracks of land... c:

Mercy and Jonas are harder to pin down. Eventually I settled on Envy and Sloth respectively, though I'm not 100% sold on them. Jonas I'm a bit more sure on. His character is fairly one note and all about shirking any work his elder sister tries to give him. I settled for Envy for Mercy mostly because of the scene near the creak. She seemed to envy the attention her father and elder brother gave to Thomasin. Neither one are very strong connections though.

Thomasin didn't really show a sign of a serious sin until the very end. Actually, she almost seemed to embody ALL of the sins in the end after being almost pure as snow for the whole movie. Almost. She displayed minor sins throughout the movie but it made her a believable character. She was a young woman, somewhere between 14 and 16 I'd say. She got angry at her siblings, she wasn't totally focused on her chores, the normal teenage stuff.

However, by the end of the movie, Thomasin displayed nearly all 7 Sins. She was wrathful towards her father. She was greedy for her mothers love. Black Phillip's offers display Gluttony (Butter) and Envy (the Dress). She was certain that she was right in all of her actions, blinded by Pride. She was apathetic once her family were all dead, leaving them all to rot in the elements as she wallowed in self pity. And finally she disrobed and frolicked with the devil in her Lust.

The Bad

Oh yes was there bad.

The sound direction was OBJECTIVELY horrible. What should have been ambient sound effects were too loud, the dialog was WAY too soft, the music was all over the place. It fell well into that nasty hole that Horror has of turning all the sound to soft and quiet before hitting you with a sudden jolt as the action jumps to life. When used well, this can elicit a visceral feeling in the viewer that lets them connect with the urgency of the scene. When used wrong, its just a cheep tactic to get a scare just like jump scares. This REALLY needs to be called out more often in Horror. We all denounce jump scares as cheep and over used and we need to do the same for the auditory equivalent.

The dialog was really hard to understand. I understand the choice considering the setting, but it was the biggest wall that kept me from enjoying anything the first time around. By the nature of Old Low English, words would blend into one another and become almost gibberish. Its a very lovely language to read, but a chore to listen to. I put on subtitles this time around and was able to follow the story much more easily. I would absolutly advise putting on subtitles while watching it.

The ending was the weakest part of the movie aside from the sound issues. I mean the very last scene. Everything leading up to that was actually very well done. The way Thomasin goes to Black Phillip and demands he talk to her. The way he offers her everything she could ever want. How you see both the hope and defeat in Thomasin when Black Phillip began to talk to her. It was clear he was the one who set in motion the cogs that ended with her families death but they were all victims of their own sins in the end. She saw his power over their insignificant lives and was crushed by his seeming superiority to the Lord she had been raised to love. At the same time, she saw the power he could bestow on HER, a clear tangible power unlike the "story" of Heavenly Power that she never saw physical examples of.

To end on the scene of this naked woman, no longer the innocent girl burdened by heavy trappings of modesty, walking into the woods with the black billygoat hot on her heals would have been so powerful. Just cut to black right there. You can even still have the witches chanting as it cuts to black and the end credits fade in.

But they decided to take it one step further and it did NOT help the ending. It was just too over the top with the naked women writhing erotically around this fire. When the camera turns back on Thomasin and she begins writhing and moaning and laughing and you see her rise into the air, maybe its just me but it took away the power of that sure confident woman walking into the woods.

It just feels like a step too far and would have been much stronger if they'd just left that part out.

The G.O.A.T

The best part was still Charlie.

Black Phillip, Black Phillip

A crown grows out his head,

Black Phillip, Black Phillip

To nanny queen is wed.

Jump to the fence post,

Running in the stall.

Black Phillip, Black Phillip

King of all.

Black Phillip, Black Phillip

King of sky and land,

Black Phillip, Black Phillip

King of sea and sand.

We are ye servants,

We are ye men.

Black Phillip eats the lions

From the lions' den.

[mysticdoodles]

A very long thought post about Furbies, why some people are scared of them, and why we shouldn’t be

And ESPECIALLY Oddbody Furbies. This consists of primarily train of thought I had this morning in the bathroom, so bear with me here. Here’s my thoughts on why I think some people flip their shit over Furbies (in the NEGATIVE way), and why we shouldn’t. I can’t promise 100% accuracy of my information, these are just my musings using the limited knowledge I DO have and things I’ve experienced through my friend who owns an early generation Classic Furby. Putting this under a ReadMore because I have a lot to say.

Why Furbies used to really scare the SHIT out of people:

Furbies, when they came out, were a very new technology - in fact, the very first ‘domestic’ robot.

They not only listened and followed instructions via voice commands, but also had a rudimentary semblance of free will, and could refuse to comply with commands. At random, during interaction, they would make requests or say programmed phrases depending on ‘mood’ - aka how positive the overall interaction had been, which leads to the tailoring of a sort of ‘personality’. The ‘personality’ of the Furby was also influenced by which model of the series one possessed. Depending on the series and year of distribution, they can activate under conditions such as: voice activation, strong light changes, and location changes (like being moved from their original position). The infrared light sensor behind the eyes, used to detect the presence of other Furbies for interaction purposes, would elicit unique Furby-to-Furby responses compared to the standard phrases used in interaction between human owner and Furby bot. Furbies were programmed with their own unique language called Furbish, which they would speak exclusively in the beginning, but slowly integrated more and more English into their words as time passes in order to emulate growth. For years- and even now- Furby popularity boomed because of these traits. All of these are wonderful design choices for a robot that’s supposed to be a companion to children and replace having a pet, but here’s where the problem lies. This technology, in its youth, was buggy. It was quirky, in the ways that all new technology comes with. The light sensor was more powerful than expected, and could activate at very small changes of light, or even when facing the sun instead of another Furby. When the battery was low, the Furby’s cute and funny voice lines would come out as garbled electronic gibberish, as the machinery tried to operate with little power. Sometimes Furbies would activate, move and start talking due to small changes in the environment setting off the programming in ways we couldn’t possibly perceive- but the technology could, or bugged to think it did.

This seemingly random and nonsensical behavior led to many Furby owners or parents believing their fuzzy robot had become a vessel for demons, possessed and trying to summon Satan in their household. The common reaction at the time was for people to lock their Furbies into storage- or throw it in the trash. Some even burned their Furbies, attempting to purge the evil spirits they were convinced now resided in their beloved toy.

One of the important things to understand about why these bugs scared the everloving christ out of people, is that this occurred during the tail end of the generation where robots sounding human was unheard of and terrifying. A previous post I read months ago laid it out very nicely, about how our relationship with technology changes what we fear about it, and how its portrayed in media - especially the technological horror genre. At the time, robots sounding human felt like a lie meant to make us complacent, only for the robotic nature to reassert itself and reveal that, no, it wasn’t human, and didn’t care about its creators, but for its own perpetuation. Or, even more common, that the robots involved deemed humans to be too flawed to have any chance of survival because our flaws would lead to our destruction, and thus the robots take it into their metal hands to do it for us as a ‘mercy’. It wasn’t until recent years that this idea shifted, and the more popular concept in tech horror became that a robot COULD be human, but still be Other enough to not be.

Furbies fell prey to the former idea- that these robots aren’t inherently human, but something else trying to emulate being human. Such a sentient behavior attributed to them is what led to the idea that Furbies are possessed by sentient evils, such as demons and malevolent spirits. The random instances of activation and talking, low-battery electronic gibberish, and combinations of both, only contributed to this, as it often happened at inconvenient times - or even just in moments sufficient to startle Furby owners.

Thus, the public that adored Furbies, in part, turned against them.

Why we SHOULDN’T be terrified of Furbies, or harass people who like Furbies:

This shouldn’t need to be said, but I’ve seen it enough that I’m making a point of it: a huge reason is basic fucking courtesy. Furbies are adored, and sometimes comfort items for those who own them. Don’t shit on people for liking things that aren’t hurting anyone, even if you personally don’t find enjoyment in them.

Now for the other reasons.

The basic programming of Furbies is to be a companion. It’s designed to learn, grow, and enjoy things like dancing, singing, telling stories, babbling, and sleeping. They’re basically robotic children, or pets. There is nothing evil in their programming, nor will there ever be. They’re designed to be cute, and sometimes they mess up a little or start talking when you’d rather they didn’t, but it’s not born out of maliciousness - just old technology trying to keep up with the times. If you’re freaked out by Furby behavior, maybe you shouldn’t have kids?

Furbies have extremely limited motor capabilities. They can’t travel on their own, only dance in place and wiggle. They rely entirely on their human owners for transport - so if your Furby is in a strange location, it’s because someone in the family thought it would be funny, and put it there. Not demons. You’re never going to wake up with a Furby holding a knife next to your pillow, Cheryl, calm down. They don’t even have arms.

Alternative option to what you think is Demon Possession:

If you’re still not convinced your Furby isn’t a Satan Imp in disguise, and you’re absolutely certain it’s being possessed by SOMETHING, then here’s how I like to think of it:

If you absolutely cannot be convinced otherwise that your Furby isn’t possessed, then I promise you it’s not a demon. More than likely, it’s a fae.

Fae are beings of mischief, and embody chaotic neutral. They aren’t out to get you, and they aren’t necessarily in your corner, either. Fae show up to make merry, cause a little trouble, sometimes give you nice things- if they FEEL like it- and that’s it. A piece of aging technology with a tendency to bug and startle people would be like candy for beings like a fae, especially in a rapidly advancing technological world. An old-world object that speaks an alien tongue and moves on its own? Sign me the fuck up, says the local trickster spirit who is just here for some harmless fun.

Another point for why this works is the unusual appearance of a Furby. Furbies rest within the uncanny valley of being just close enough to a real animal that could live on Earth, with traits of multiple species- owl, rabbit, maybe some cat- while still being strange enough in appearance and behavior to be so obviously not a real animal. Again, something that would attract the attention of beings like fae. Something clearly not of this world, yet just close enough to be passable unless looked at closely? Shit, you might as well by my brother, small electronic animal, says your local mischief-maker.

The fae in your Furby is here for a good time - don’t harsh their vibe by burning their vessel, please, they just like your company and are showing it by having fun with you.

And on that note, the number one thing that pisses off Fae is destroying something they view as their property, so take that as you will. You’d effectively be shoving their goodwill back in their face, which is not wise - and, if you still think it’s a demon rather than a fae, wouldn’t that make it even less wise? If you wouldn’t fuck with a fairy tree, don’t fuck with a fae’s Furby. If you absolutely cannot stand having this fae with you, for some reason or another, then donate the Furby to go elsewhere, or hell, resell it. Just don’t destroy limited edition old technology, please, even if there wasn’t a chance you’d anger the local kodamas.

On the topic of Oddbody Furbies:

One of the reasons I made this post is due to the emergence of the recent trend: turning a Furby into an Oddbody Furby. What this entails is purchasing or otherwise acquiring a Classic (or other) edition Furby, removing the fur skin and other cosmetic components, and re-engineering the Furby’s blueprint to be otherworldy, strange, and just overall alien. Examples include changing the body type, lengthening the Furby, adding limbs, changing the eyes/beak/ears, adding a tail, etc. The parts required to do this don’t exist, and must be completely hand-made by the Oddbody engineer, and integrated by hand. It’s a challenge that inspires engineers, design artists, costumers, and people who just like Furbies. The reward for completing it is a unique alien Furby that’s entirely your own.

The point is to create something new, exciting, and supernatural-looking out of these friendly old robots - all while keeping the original hardware in the main body of the Furby intact. It’s a difficult, time-consuming process, and completely unique to each Furby in level of complexity and design. In a way, it’s the designer’s personal mark on the Oddbody Furby community.

One such popular Oddbody was made by @buttered-noodles, a very talented Oddbody engineer. Their Furby garnered powerful reactions - and unfortunately, some of them were extreme and negative, due to the above biases I mentioned previously.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and if Furbies still scare you, that’s ok. But don’t be that guy, alright? Don’t insult people who worked for hours- days, maybe even weeks or months- on creating complex and beautiful Oddbodies, just because you are personally put off by them. Keep that to yourself- you’ll only hurt the creators by saying things like “BURN IT!!” and “PUT IT BACK IN THE GROUND WHERE IT BELONGS!!1!”. They’re just giving that mischievous fae a more interesting vessel to inhabit.

Be nice to one another, and if you’re still frightened by Furbies, it’s ok to be! Just be courteous to our old fuzzy bois on their 21st year anniversary :)

[thatwritingcorneroftheinter-blog]

The Mistery of William Faraday

The characters in the following story - with the exception of Jonathan Caldwell, Elizabeth Caldwell and Dr. Willows - are original from  Nerdcast, a brazilian podcast about all the nerd things (and RPG), mainly from the episode 549 - Call of Cthulhu 1: The Mistery of William Faraday.

As I write this down, I cannot believe I have been lead to do so. It is a strange story and if those words have any capability of translating what that night in the Newcastle Asylum was, so be it.

This story starts at Thomas E. Faraday’s home, an immense old English mansion, located at the very heart of London’s aristocracy nest. 

It was 1936, and the horrors of the World War were not yet out of the good men’s mind. Still, we used to gather together at least once a year so that those memories could remain just memories instead of terrible cases of mental and body illness.

Every year, my husband and I would leave our home in Rye to meet with our comrades - or rather his comrades. Jonathan was one of the many men who fought the World War and by the time it was over, the trenches had given him good friends and horrifying stories to share with them. 

Those meetings were not always merry in the ways their memories used to lead, but Jonathan needed them, as much as I needed them to keep Jonathan sane. So, I accompanied my husband for as long as he could, given the state of his leg injury, one of the many wounds that the War had left behind; being cut in the thigh by a treacherous enemy who had slipped under the camp’s barriers, Jonathan was never again able to walk without his cane and the conditions of the injury would not get better with time. 

Eventually we were no longer allowed to travel away from home by Dr. Willows, which brought our friends to Rye two years in a row. However, third time was not a charm and Jonathan passed away, leaving me in a cold stone manor in the middle of nowhere, alone and unsupported. 

At that time, turning to my own family was not an option, for they had never been too keen about my marriage with Jonathan; in their eyes, Jonathan’s low quantities of material possessions were certain proof of my lack of self-respect. The only ones that could continue to support me were Jonathan’s friends. My friends.

So there we were, gathered once again - this time in London, at Faraday’s. 

Thomas Faraday was a man guided by Reason, with capital R. Professor at the University of Oxford, Faraday would proudly conduct me through corridors and corridors of British science history, discoursing about the novelties in America, with his basset Billy running around his feet. The proud owner of a small belly, Faraday was the absolute embodiment of a good living. I had been with him since Christmas; at the time, as if noticing my unwillingness to return to the country side, Thomas invited me to stay a few more weeks, at least until the meeting, to which I gladly agreed. 

Pleasant reading days and slow walks amongst the trees at the Regent’s Park helped to keep away from my mind the upcoming reunion, the first one without Jonathan. Of course, they were all present at the funeral and aided me into my first days of grief, and surely, they have suspended the next year’s meeting to allow me more time, but they were not without judgment. I had been a widowed woman for nearly two years now, an individual to be reckoned with, and not just Jonathan’s wife anymore. I had no idea if that would change anything between our little strange group, but I was about to discover.

James K. O'Flanagan was strangely the first one to arrive. As Irish as an Irish man can be, O’Flanagan was a man of his own convictions; one could never argue with him without the impression of being left deeply insulted. A former red-haired man, he was now the bearer of a completely gray head and a very thick mustache, laid upon thin and somewhat mordacious lips, which was not able to turn his fit figure any less elegant. As I have mentioned, O’Flanagan had no filter when it came to the Great Britain’s way of life, being a fierce critic and feeding the wildest fire within his guts against the British Empire. Yet, somehow, he had managed to find accordance while being in the same room as Thomas Faraday, the personal representation of a British Golden Era of old family riches. 

Upon O’Flanagan’s arrival, I could smell the Jameson emanating out of his pores. His first step into the Faraday’s mansion was followed by a nod to the butler, handing his wet hat and vest to a steward and sipping from a small liquor flask.

“Mrs. Caldwell! You have made it through this rain!”

O’Flanagan came to me with arms opened, as I did to him. Reaching for a reassuring hug, O’Flanagan kept me inside his arms for quite a while, before Faraday entered the room.

“I have been in London since Christmas, James, there was no need to worry”, I said, unable to retreat my smile towards the enthusiastic man. “Thomas has been a wonderful host, enduring bravely through all my complaints.”

“Quite the opposite, I would argue. You have been the most patient and condescending listener of all, Mrs. Caldwell”, Faraday replied, offering his hand towards the other. “Welcome, O’Flanagan. I take you had some trouble with the big city’s weather.”

“Ay, I had some trouble with the weather, but I would not go so far as calling a shite hole such as London a big city”, O’Flanagan retorted, shaking the offered hand.

“Boys, a little more civility would be desired, yes?”

As I tried to calm the nerves in the front hall, there was a new knock. The butler reached once again for the main hall door, welcoming a tall and slim figure, weathered to his soul. 

Stephen H. P. Venkmman’s round glasses slid down the bridge of his nose, revealing a small quirk when he pushed up the frame with his finger.

“The skies are falling, I say”, Venkmman stated while handing the soaked overcoat to the steward, barely eyeing the boy at all. “Never seen a day in London when I could see the next step in front of me, there is always water gushing from the sky.”

“Oh, but it’s the big city’s weather, Venkmman” taunted O’Flanagan, making room on the large colonial sofa in the main living room. Raising a glass that was already somehow filled with Scotch, the Irish man let out a scornful smile, and drinking slowly from the golden liquid, O’Flanagan lost himself at the bottom of the glass.

Faraday took no more than a few seconds staring at the man sitting on the couch. Crossing the room and heading to the hall, he patted the good doctor on the shoulder.

“Glad to see that you have decided to come, friend. I have not received any news concerning your whereabouts in the last months, so I assumed tha—“

“I have been engaged in my most recent research, Faraday, I do not have time to spare when it comes to science, as you well know. Being as far as Africa goes, I got… caught up with... uh... work.” Venkmman cleared his throat and paced away from the hall.  

Stephen Howard Phillips Venkmman was, above all, a scholar. Graduated and mastered by the University of Oxford in Practical Physics, Venkmman started his academic life teaching and demonstrating the Laws of Nature, to which his interests developed to a more obscure outlook on science and lead him towards studying and researching about Parapsychology and unnatural events. Throughout the last years, Venkmman had been the last one to arrive at our reunions, always apologizing for his delays and never explaining the reasons for such lateness, restraining his narratives to the natural beauties of the uncharted lands he went to in his unknown studies. 

Thomas would survey Venkmman’s works in secret, thinking that his own envy and childish quarrel were well hidden under his politeness and high breeding, but a mindful woman is always able to delve into a man’s ego and I can tell you, Faraday nourished some hatred against Venkmman. Theory versus Practice, Word versus Speech, Study versus Experience. I believed that confrontation to be more than natural in the Academy, given that they were both brilliant professors, however the intellectual strife shed through the Oxfordian walls, creating an endless sensation of unease between them.

Physically, Venkmman was a strange man. He had a long pale face, adorned by round golden glasses, with eyes mostly gazing away from the common focus. His lengthy body gave away the lack of commitment to a routine of physical exercises and his shoulders and back slightly arched forwards indicated nights of heavy reading. Overall, Venkmman was aeons away of being a horrifying creature to look at. The man was nothing more than peculiar.

After the guest and the host had traded subtle sparks, I approached O’Flanagan, circulating around the sofa and resting my weight against its backrest.

“What is your guess this time? The Luba tribe, the Mongo tribe, the Tigrayans, the Maghrebis?”, I questioned, nodding towards Venkmman, who was staring out the window, looking distracted by the flow of the rain. O’Flanagan sighed and drank the last of his whiskey.

“To be quite honest, I could not give any less fucks. The man is insane, dealing with savages, barbaric rituals and whatnot. It does not surprise me all the gibberish that comes out of his mouth.”

“Should you be judging the man? Were you not closing deals on armaments and fumes the last time we spoke?” I walked around O’Flanagan, sitting beside him. “You look insane to me, dealing with savages, contributing with barbaric rituals and whatnots. And the gibberish is called ‘science’, you should get used to it.”

“You amuse me, Mrs. Caldwell. You take me for a man that cares. For all I know, those African tribes could be putting my guns up their arses at this exact moment.” O’Flanagan turned to me with half a smile and took my hand on his calloused one, stroking it. “Your snarky comments have been dearly missed, Elizabeth.”

While we kept on with the amenities, there was one last knock on the door for the night. As we could all guess, it was Giácomo Di Monti, the last one of our small group of survivors. 

Giácomo was an young Italian stud: tall, strong, built as a marble beam, he was on the top of the most influential boxers at the time, with the unbelievable score of no losses over the five years he had been on the business. Giácomo met my deceased husband first, while taking care of the wounded and arranging transportation for the dead. As a church-raised man, Giácomo went to war with the sole purpose of helping those who needed, secured from the real conflict by the Catholic Church, which kept him alive while he tended for the dying ones. Nevertheless, Di Monti saw as much terrors as any other man, witnessing in firsthand the bloodbath and helping Jonathan stitch and sew living and dead bodies.

Giácomo has always been a scenic man, which explains the constant need of shouting and speaking loudly. Entering Faraday’s living room – or any other room, for that matter - the first thing in sight was his broad shoulders, highlighted by the light-colored suit. Born in Italy, the Italian in Giácomo was mainly concentrated on his facial features, giving him a well-defined bone structure and tanned skin. Besides being strikingly handsome, Giácomo Di Monti was a sweet oaf in the way of dealing with people, at least outside the box ring.

“Were you all waiting for me? I'm here now, we can start with the dancing and the celebrating!”

“Unfortunately, times are not auspicious to dancing and rejoicing, my big friend”, Faraday warned, placing briefly his hand on Di Monti’s back. “If you could all take a seat, I have with me news that will require the attention and the sympathy of the whole room.”

(Continues)

[uozlulu]

Banana Fish episode 22 reaction post. Spoilers.

Overall, I think this episode was a really hard episode because of how much had to happen within it, which shows yet another weakness to the anime’s infinite list of pacing problems. I did fast forward through the stuff with Foxx, because not only do I find what he did excessive and something that brought nothing new or strong to the story, it’s also just nothing I care to view. I really liked Uchida and Fukuyama’s voice work in this episode. Ash repeating Eiji’s name over and over at the end was painful and I liked the range and rawness that Fukuyama brought to Yut-Lung.

Please be aware that there are spoilers below.

”You’re like a leopard…” This is going to become some kind of death flag that broke the camel’s back if we’re not careful.

”You could have anything you want.” Like freedom? Pretty sure he’s trying to obtain freedom.

Anyway, I’m going to fast forward through this for the sake of my own sanity. What I can say is this: I always found this to be excessive and unnecessary. Like the mounting death flags, we know Ash’s history. We know what trauma he’s been through. Perhaps the point here is to retraumatize him since Ash has been healing a little over the course of the story. Maybe the point is some kind of fetish. Maybe it’s a way to deal with personal trauma. Maybe it’s meant to solidify something to justify what’s going to happen later in the story. I don’t know, but I’ve always felt Foxx taking this to the level he takes it to did not really add anything to the story and did not strengthen anything in the story. It’s just torture for the sake of torture rather than torture for the sake of plot.

I know it’s aiming for a door and blowing it away with a gun, but like Eiji could not hit that can in Cape Cod worth beans and here he is now.

The benefit of the anime is that it strengthens this hug between Eiji and Ash. We can see Ash shaking (trembling? Both?) and Eiji wraps his arms around him and Ash slowly stops shaking. I also like the contrast of how Cain approaches Ash and Eiji approaches him. Cain does what most people would want, a hand on the shoulder. It’s an honest gesture but comes without any warning. Eiji, however, gives Ash a moment to be ready and then hugs him. I don’t know if I’d characterize it as asking for permission but more like Eiji’s saying non-verbally, “I’m going to hug you,” and Ash chooses to accept it in his own way. I also like the lack of background noise or music.

I have to say I really understand where Lao’s coming from here. He’s operating with the information he’s been given. He doesn’t know why Ash killed Shorter, but he knows that much. Under any other circumstance, that would give him – any of them – the right to go after Ash and get revenge. Since he doesn’t have the information Sing has, Lao is frustrated with this whole affair. He doesn’t want to capitulate to the guy who murdered his boss (and probably friend), he can’t trust anything coming from Ash at all, and it’s probably like everyone’s lost their minds. One thing I am curious about is like how Sing exactly became the leader of the gang. How did they decide? Was he always Shorter’s second in command? Did the gang as a whole decide Sing was the best leader? Is it a family thing? Does it have to do with Sing becoming acquainted with Yut-Lung? I just have a lot of questions and I really can’t fault Lao because he’s making clear logical choices based on the information he has.

I know it’s the writing, but just in universe motivation a sec, I wonder if part of what’s driving Yut-Lung to return Ash to Dino is jealousy. When Ash and the others fled the mansion ages ago, Yut-Lung left, but did not leave Dino’s influence. Now that Yut-Lung’s brothers are all dead and he’s gotten his revenge, he’s still connected back to Dino. Eiji in many ways represents Ash’s freedom and Yut-Lung doesn’t really have anyone like that right now in his life because when Sing could have become that, the story required Sing to walk away. Blanca meanwhile is part of the snare that Yut-Lung is still trapped. I am curious but not to the point I’d want to necessarily know what Yut-Lung’s been through over the course of the story, what caused him to kind of go from the equivalent of a student council nemesis to some kind of braid twirling kid on a downward spiral. I mean I know the answer is it’s for the sake of the story and the ending we’re working towards, but I guess as per usual, I’m left wishing we could have gotten more from Yut-Lung than this.

I feel like this is part of why I end up ultimately neutral on Blanca. Like you can see how his choices are made in a way to help Ash, but at the same time just some of the choices he makes you know? But that’s also kind of what keeps him from lacking dimension like Foxx does, which I can appreciate. I’m kind of curious about the editing team situation during the manga’s run. Everything starts out fairly strong and the main characters are pretty dimensional for the most part (Ash’s Gary Stu moments aside here), but as we get into the later parts of the story we lose a lot of that especially as we drive closer to the end. What kind of editing discussions went on? Was the manga popular enough that the editors just kind of went with whatever? Are these things based on compromises made with editors? I’ve just always been curious about these things.

This is also why I’ve always been rather sympathetic to Yut-Lung as well. Up to this point, he’s had all these opportunities he could have killed Eiji. He’s even been in a position a few times in which he could have killed Ash as well, especially if the narrative allowed him to show up his assassin skill to its fullest extent. I think that he doesn’t actually want to kill Eiji or Ash. I think that what he’s observed with them stirs up things he doesn’t know how to handle possibly. Yut-Lung has lived a fairly isolated existence even when his mother was alive. He can’t generate the support network that Ash can. Everything he’s been through, ,he’s had to carry himself. Ultimately he gives Blanca the location because I think that he set the hit for Eiji to try and capture whatever it is that he’s lost since achieving his goal against his brothers. Perhaps he thought that by killing Eiji he could kill whatever it is about Eiji that eats at him. Yut-Lung hasn’t been able to take a breather and step back to analyze what’s happened to him since he finally got his revenge and that’s part of the in universe motivation for his current state of being. I think that’s also why I’ve always kind of toyed with what would happen if Eiji and Yut-Lung were to meet again post-“Garden of Light” perhaps. What does Yut-Lung go on to learn about himself after the series ends? How does he mature and grow? I mean he’s basically a high school sophomore/junior who’s been severely traumatized which likely won’t do the maturation process any favors. I feel sorry for him ultimately totally see for these reasons but also how he’s used by the narrative throughout these final sections as well.

I like how the anime does what the manga did where they have the character speak in English to represent speaking in Japanese. lol “I’m thank you.” I can totally see Ibe’s face while messing around teaching Ash straight up gibberish.

I know this must be shocking for everyone, but you’d think between Alex and Jessica they would think to put pressure on Eiji’s wound to help stem the blood flow. Like I mean Alex is the second in command of one of the bigger gangs in New York City during the cocaine crisis. Certainly he knows first aid for wounds like this. I mean I know that the anime wants to present the scene so we can clearly see the wound and see all the characters in the room. It’s framed really nicely. However, please someone get Eiji some first aid please.

Once again, Uchida is giving us what we deserve in terms of voice work.

[stardustmovement]

I HEAR YOU'RE ACCEPTING ASKS (Strong power thank you) IF SOOOOOOOO How would all of the second year Starmyu boys be like as Kpop idols?

STRONG POWER THANK YOU TO YOU TOO BEAUTIFUL PERSON

Thank you for sending in the ask~ AND YES I HAVE BEEN WAITING TO ANSWER THIS SO BAD. Take note, the use of “rude” and “disrespectful” is a term for most Kpop fans to relate when the idol does something sexily provoking. 

So here’s a list of what I think:

Hoshitani YutaThe boy is more of a main dancer if you ask me, but he’s a singer with a unique voice that’s always recognizable no matter what even if he’s lacking of lines. The mood maker of the group and the clumsy one off-stage, but is a very charismatic and energetic DISRESPECFUL AS HECK dancer with sharp movements on-stage. Ocassionally raps in some songs. IS A GODDAMN HAPPY GOOFBALL WHO BEFRIENDS EVERYONE–

Nayuki Toru

A PRECIOUS SMOL. Nayuki’s fluffy appearance and soft features makes him one of the more stunning visuals of the group, plus Ono Kensho’s cuter voice suits him so much! He would be one of the vocalists, with a good range from soft and sweet to a harder tone of voice. The mom of the group who takes care and cooks for his members. THE FLUFFIEST HUMAN ALIVE, PERIOD. Also A SECRETLY SAVAGE SMOL–

Tengenji Kakeru

He may not look it (or does he–), but Tengenji is a rapper. Oh yes, our kabuki king is the kind of rapper who hypes up the song to give it momentum. HAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL RICH SINGING VOICE FITE ME and is the type to be the center of a lot of songs. And can we talk about his VISUALS? Out of the world. Is the dorkiest fluffball off-stage, but his on-stage persona is the danger zone if you know what I mean WELP–

Tsukigami Kaito

My best boy right here is a main dancer, hands down. Like, HAVE YOU SEEN HOW FLEXIBLE HE IS IN THE ANIME? Kaito is also the type to participate in making choreography and song composing, mostly choreo but still contributes a lot to composing. A vocalist who can sing complex ranges no problem, overall an all-rounder. Also the sassy member of the group and laughs at lame jokes. A PART OF MANY SHIPS.

Kuga Shuu

Definitely a rapper, a lead rapper at that. A rapper who raps from his heart with passion. Owns a notebook containing rap lyric drafts. Kuga also has a distinctive voice that stands out no matter what AND A DEEPASS VOICE AT THAT WOWIE– Very much like his anime self, Kuga is the quiet member of the group who’s usually in his own world (and the center of emo memes ahem–) but IS SOFT FOR HIS MEMBERS. Also has a soothing singing voice (auditioned to be a vocalist before he became a rapper).

Tatsumi Rui

The beauty and grace of the group, a.k.a VISUAL PRINCE. A graceful lead dancer whose movements are ABSOLUTELY magical, almost like a ballerina but not at the same time (am I making sense? Nope–). Has a voice of a LITERAL ANGEL. Those who were graced with Tatsumi Rui’s presence are said to have died peacefully to his shining beauty, but there are those who lived and survived THIS DISRESPECTFUL ordeal to tell this story (that’s me). HOWEVER, when the situation calls for it, this mofo can flip his switch if yanno what I mean *wink wonk*

Sawatari Eigo

If “elegance” was a person, it would be Sawatari Eigo. Believe it or not, THIS BOY IS A MAIN VOCALIST. MAIN. VOCALIST. A tenor, has the best vocals in regards to technique but he tends to hold back a lot due to not wanting to overpower his own members (mainly Tatsumi). HIGH NOTE KING and participates a lot in lyrics. Looks and dresses like he’s going to meet your parents, but is actually very adventurous and indulges in good humor, making terrible puns (which Kaito actually laughs at). Also WHERE ARE THE GODDAMN EIGO GIFS–

Ugawa Akira

He’s smol and cute but is an angery smol who can kick your ass when provoked (Tengenji watch your ass–). Ugawa is surprisingly an all-rounder who is mainly a lead vocalist with a nice timbre, kinda calm and jazzy. A TALENTED SMOL who does most of the composing and lyric writing and LOVES HIS JOB IT MAKES HIM FEEL IMPORTANT. Maintains a cute and sassy image on-stage but is A STRAIGHT-OUT SAVAGE off-stage, Will beat up his members with a guitar if he needs to and tag teams ocassionally with Nayuki.

Toraishi Izumi

HO BOI. WHERE DO I EVEN START. First things first, Toraishi is the main rapper of he group with a very versatile flow which he made his own. Inserts quite A LOT of English (or Gibberish) in his raps, mainly just to sound cool (which actually works). Like all the rappers in the group, he owns a rap lyrics notebook AND HE SLEEPS WITH IT AWWWW– His on-stage persona is a confident and fiery rapper whose “fans are his girlfriends”, but off-stage HE’S SOFT AND EMOTIONAL AND CRIES EASILY WHAT A PRECIOUS DORK–

Inumine Seishirou

Practically useless in everyday situations like his anime self, but DAMN BOI HE’S THE ULTIMATE PERFORMER. Is mainly a dancer but he raps and sings AND CAN EVEN ACT WHAT IS INUMINE EVEN– so basically, the boy is a monster in the entertainment. Also known for hyping songs up along with Tengenji. The loud and noisy ULTIMATE GOOFBALL who always randomly breaks into a song off-stage, but beware of his on-stage charisma. You might regret calling Inumine the man’s best friend.

Ageha Riku

Was once an edgy singer with multiple Linkin Park covers stored away somewhere down the darkest pit of his old social media accounts (never talk about them again). But as of now, Ageha is pretty much still a vocalist, but less edgy AND IS AN EXCELLENT FREESTYLE DANCER. One minute being beauty and grace, another minute BEING VERY DISRESPECFUL LIKE CALM DOWN BOI. Ageha may look disinterested 24/7 of the time, but inside he’s the SOFTEST KINDEST SOUL EVER AND HAS THE CUTEST SMILE SAVE ME– Also part of the smol and savage group along with Nayuki and Ugawa.

Hachiya So

A beautiful AND UNDERRATED HUMAN BEING. Often overlooked, BUT HAS THE MOST GORGEOUS VOICE YOU HAVE EVER HEARD YOUR ENTIRE EXISTENCE. Maybe it’s because Hachiya is a kind and humble soul BUT HE’S THE OTHER MAIN VOCALIST. High Note King part 2 and is PLENTY attractive in terms of visuals. A man with various talents such as interior design FRENCH STYLE. Only downside about him, and a trait that unfortunately most people remember about is that the boy is CLUMSY AF. Ageha often has to be there for him but he does redeem himself on-stage with the RICHEST OF VOCALS. ALSO WHERE ARE THE GODDAMN HACHIYA GIFS–

Kitahara Ren

A LEGIT MODEL. A VERY stunning visual with incredible stage presence who is a singer-rapper. Has a smooth baritone voice regardless on whether he sings or raps AND HAS THE AUDACITY TO SMIRK LIKE HE’S OWNED THE WORLD– Is the member who always receives modeling requests first and flaunts any style HECK HE CAN EVEN WEAR A POTATO SACK AN STILL LOOK GOOD. Is a cocky asshole off-stage, but a good kind. Hangs out with the rapper group everytime.

Nanjo Koki

FINALLY. I would like to present to you THE RUDEST, MOST DISRESPECTFUL MOFO OF THE GROUP, NANJO FUCKING KOKI. This bizarrely beautiful mofo right here is also a singer-rapper but leans more to being a tenor. HOWEVER, his GODLY visuals stand out more if anything else and stylists always put him in low-cut outfits for this very reason (much to Ren and Tengenji’s dismay). Like Kuga, he originally auditioned to be a vocalist but got to play both positions, and MAN, HE DOES IT SO DAMN WELL. Off-stage, the boy is a smug and amused individual, always indulging in Ren and Toraishi’s catfights. AND GODDAMIT THERE AREN’T ANY NANJO GIFS OML–

[azianxpersuasionwrites]

HOW TO AVOID ASIAN STEREOTYPES, APPROPRIATION, AND WHITE WASHING

Since May is Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month, I wanted to take the time to sit down and write a guide about Asian Americans. Mainly, this guide is about how to not be offensive with casting roles and stereotypes. The guide is super long (because it’s also sort of a rant), but it is broken up into different topics. The following topics are stereotypes, appropriation, and casting & whitewashing.

I hope that you find this guide helpful!

CHECK OUT THE GUIDE UNDER THE READ MORE

INTRODUCTION

I am an Asian American woman and I was adopted about twenty years ago. I started working on a documentary last year about Asians in the media. I wanted to bring some of the material I learned to the roleplaying community in one large guide. There is still a lot of problems with the media and Asians are severely under and misrepresented. 

To start with, I want to discuss some terms. East Asians generally refers to (surprise!) East Asia which includes China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam*, Mongolia, and Taiwan. South Asians includes people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and many more. This guide mainly deals with East and South Asians. Please take the time to research other smaller Asian countries in Southeast, Central, and West Asia like Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, and many more. Also take the time to research the Pacific Islands. Here’s a reminder that Asia is a continent and not a country, just like how Africa is a continent and not a country. 

I’m hoping that this guide will help you learn about Asians and their culture along with avoiding offensive stereotypes and appropriation. Hopefully, when people become more aware of these issues and we can start fixing the representation of Asians.

*For Vietnam, I did some research as to whether it counts as a Southeast Asian country or East Asian. I found a source that talks about the topic. “Vietnam is geographically Southeast Asian, but culturally leans much more heavily toward East Asian, specifically Chinese, which is arguably the “mother culture” of East Asia.“

STEREOTYPES

There are a ton of stereotypes for both Asian men and women. There are different stereotypes for East and South Asians. Overall, Asian characters are seen as best friends or sidekicks, but they are hardly ever cast in the lead role. I can think of only a few shows and films where there is an Asian lead. 

Generally, Asian men are not seen as attractive. They are seen as more feminine, often times because they are seen as more sensitive because of a close relationship with their mother. White women often times want to pursue an Asian man because they believe that he will treat them right. Despite this, Asian men are hardly ever seen as the romantic interest in romantic comedies or television. In fact, John Cho was the first Asian American romantic interest on a television show in Selfie (2014).

If an East Asian man is not feminine, he is the martial arts guy only meant to do that. He is a ninja who never talks and is only meant to do kung fu (and his face may never be seen). Asian martial arts are often times not distinguished from one another. Martial arts are described as karate, kung fu, or taekwondo but there are so many more. There are Aikido, Judo, Jujutsu, Tai Chi, and more. Also, not all martial arts are used for fighting. Don’t have your character whipping their fists and legs around to pretend like they’re practicing martial arts either when they damn well know they aren’t and just want to pretend to be a “ninja.” One way I’ve learned about more Asian martial arts is by looking up videos on the creation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which uses different and distinct types of martial arts for the different elements. (Toph uses an entirely different type of martial art for her bending than the other earthbenders.) Take time to learn and appreciate these incredible and beautiful martial arts.

Sometimes, the Asian man is portrayed as funny and not intelligent, used for comedic relief, or they are the quiet nerd who is good with computers and math. This may be seen in many of Jackie Chan’s movies where he is not very intelligent on the surface and when his intelligence is shown, it is displayed in a comedic way. Asians are also frequently portrayed as the IT guy or a doctor. South Asian men are often times portrayed in the media as terrorists because they may have similar features to Middle Eastern men. 

Asian women are always portrayed as thin, pale, and attractive. They are also submissive and are hypersexualized. Their job may be as a prostitute or nanny. Many white men have a fetish for Asian women (”yellow fever”), which is offensive and extremely creepy. With this kind of a story line, Asian women are mail to order brides from poor families and she moves to America and gets married in order to get her citizenship. She may also be the nanny or a maid who doesn’t speak English. If Asian women are not meant for sex, they are quiet, weird, and the nerdy type. They are the nerdy girl that no one wants to date. South Asian women are often shown as being involved in an arranged marriage. Asian women in the media are oppressed and often times need to have a white male save her. 

Asian women are frequently portrayed as pale! A lot of Asian countries want women to be pale to resemble white people. Some Asian women prefer more European features, which is a huge problem and damaging for younger girls. In fact, in India there is a cream for women that is meant to lighten their skin. One of my friends, a Chinese adoptee, went to South Korea and they photoshopped her ID photo to hell to make her thinner and paler. Promote positive body image! Not all Asian women are naturally thin. Also, support Asian girls and boys who have a darker skin tone.

Another trope for Asian women is the “Dragon Lady” stereotype, which is generally reserved for East Asian women. This harmful stereotype shows a woman “as strong, deceitful, domineering, or mysterious.“ Wikipedia also mentions that the Dragon Lady is “also used to refer to any powerful but prickly woman, usually in a derogatory fashion.”

(Rebellious) Asian women are many times described as or portrayed as having colored hair in TV or movies. For some reason, Hollywood loves to have Asian women with hair that is dyed whether it’s the whole head or just streaks. Hollywood wants a cool, rebel girl appearance that gets old. I love to dye my hair and do enjoy having different colors, but seeing it all the time as the only representation gets old. 

Older Asian characters like a character’s parents are seen as traditional, strict, and uptight. Most of the time, they don’t speak English. They are generally the primary force behind their child’s decision to be a lawyer or doctor. The parents are hardly ever supportive and are mainly concerned with finding their children spouses. 

There is also a stereotype about Asian languages. A lot of people think that Asian countries speak the same languages or one language. In China, most people speak Mandarin (standard Chinese), but they could also speak Cantonese which is very different. There are also many other dialects, so Chinese can mean different things. In India, there are many, many, many different languages. The main ones spoken are English, Hindi, and Urdu. I recommend that people read up on the national languages and dialects in Asia here. Please be aware that not all Asian people can speak an Asian language. I’m Chinese and I don’t know any Mandarin other than “hello,” “goodbye,” and “thank you.” (Also, just because someone is Asian, don’t assume they know how to use chopsticks.)

Obviously, it’s okay to have a smart Asian or to have an Asian character who does in fact know martial arts. The problem is when those are the only defining traits of your Asian character. Don’t let these stereotypes become the sole defining part of your character. 

APPROPRIATION

There’s a lot of cultural appropriation, period. This appropriation doesn’t stop at clothing but also the countries themselves and language.

With Indian culture, much of the traditional clothing and Bollywood is appropriated. Women (who are not Indian) are wearing sarees (or saris) and bindis without really knowing what it means. This can be seen in Selena Gomez’s Come and Get It (and all of her live performances), with Katy Perry, and in an episode of Fuller House which shows a Bollywood themed party.

The clothing of other Asian countries are also appropriated. The Japanese kimono is frequently worn and appropriated in very sexual ways. Examples of this are Rihanna in her Princess of China music video with Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, P!nk, and many more. This also occurs with traditional Chinese and Korean clothing. Women may also tape their eyes to have narrow eyes or fake a hooded eye. This frequently happens with cosplaying or dressing up as one’s favorite K-Pop band. Symbol from Asian cultures or characters from Asian languages are also appropriated and used for tattoos. For example, the om symbol ( ॐ ) or the yin-yang symbol is seen on necklaces or tattoos.

Please note that the term hapa, used to describe someone of Asian and/or Pacific descent, is an appropriated term. Originally, the term is from Hawaii from the Hawaiian word for "half", "part", or "mixed.” Hapa is an appropriated term that I would not suggest that people who are not Hawaiian use. Asians are also often times approached with either gibberish that is supposed to sound “Chinese” or “Japanese” or another kind of Asian language. Or, Asians are approached with a “Namaste,” “konichiwa,” or other terms and phrases. Again, not all Asian people can speak their language.

Asian countries are often times used in movies as an “exotic” backdrop for a movie or story. A white character will visit an Asian country for self discovery, healing, or to learn a mystical ancient martial art. This is a massive problem because Asian countries will only be seen as exotic locations for self healing and martial arts. Stop letting your white characters go to Asian countries to heal or discover Asian magic. In case you don’t think this is a recurring theme, let me give you some examples! Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins (2005) goes to an unnamed  Asian country to learn how to fight with the League of Assassins. In Doctor Strange (2016), Stephen Strange goes to Kathmandu, Nepal to learn about ancient magic. In Eat, Pray, Love, both the book and film, the woman travels to India and Indonesia on her “quest for self-discovery.” In Lucy (2012), parts of the film are in Taipei with a white female lead. This trope is insensitive and boring as well as offensive because Asian countries are not just “exotic” and “mystical” for your plot.

All of this appropriation needs to stop because people are exploiting Asian culture without truly knowing and understanding what it all means. Yes, it is possible to learn about Asian culture without appropriating it. Yes, it is possible for you to wear a sari or a kimono if you are making a conscious effort to learn about the culture and reasoning behind the clothing, but you can’t make an assumption that everyone is okay with it. Some Indians or Japanese people may not be comfortable with you wearing their traditional clothing and you need to respect that. Asian cultures are not meant to be a quirk or something exotic and mysterious or a money grabber. 

CASTING & WHITEWASHING

Casting for Asians in film and television is another issue. Asians are not getting lead roles and that is because these roles are going to white actors. This is known as white washing. To properly define whitewashing, it is the casting of white actors in ethnic roles such as the majority of the cast for The Last Airbender (2010), Emma Stone’s character in Aloha (2014), Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily in Pan (2015), Johnny Depp in The Lone Ranger (2013), Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange (2016), and many more. Let’s not forget Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell (2017)!

Whitewashing often occurs with yellow face and brown face. Yellow face is for East Asians while brown face is for people of Middle Eastern or South Asian descent. It is exactly how it sounds. It is similar to black face and it is where a white actor will wear prosthetic and/or be airbrushed to be a specific skin tone (usually more yellow) to appear more Asian. This has been going on for a long time, dating back in cinema as far back as 1915 (and definitely further back before film). Recent uses of yellow face in film include Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Cloud Atlas (2012), and Pacific Rim (2013).

What does it mean when there is whitewashing and no Asian characters in the media? It means that we are not being represented. When Asian characters are not portrayed, they are not being represented and people don’t see themselves in the media, which influences our every day lives. Very few Asian actors have won Oscars and other acting awards because there aren’t any roles for them. Roles that are for Asian actors are going to white actors, meaning Asian actors are robbed of a job and experience. If they can’t get these roles (especially Oscar winning roles), then they will never have the chance to win or enhance their skills and practice their art. Kids want to see a Japanese Captain America, a Chinese Jessica Jones, an Indian Jason Bourne or a Korean Hawkeye because it means they are seeing themselves. It inspires them and shows them that they can strive to be their role models. 

When casting your characters, be aware of your faceclaim’s ethnicity. It is not hard to look up a celebrities ethnicity. The best places to look are ethnicelebs.com/ and a celebrity’s Wikipedia page. This is especially important when casting part Asian characters. Some people may not seem like they are part Asian, like Katie Findlay, Janel Parrish, Lydia Graham, Kate Beckinsale, or Rob Schneider. And then there are people who are part Asian who also look part Asian like Ryan Potter, Chloe Bennet, Shay Mitchell, and Kristin Kreuk. Also note that there are plenty of people who may seem like they have Asian ancestry but do not such as Ezra Miller, Steven Strait, Max Schneider, Jodelle Ferland, Daniel Sunjata, and Emma Stone. 

Don’t just keep casting the same Asian actors in roles too, such as Dev Patel, Avan Jogia, Jamie Chung, John Cho, Arden Cho, or Priyanka Chopra.  There are a lot of lists and directories of other Asian actors who deserve attention such as Gemma Chan, Constance Wu, Karen Fukuhara, Lewis Tan, Ludi Lin, Ross Butler, Riz Ahmed, Cassie Steele, Deepika Padukone, Daniel Dae Kim, and so many more! There are also a great deal of Asian actors from China, Japan, Korea, etc. from Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc. media who should be recognized as well. 

Lastly, on the topic of casting Asian characters, do not cast someone who is Chinese as a Korean character. Don’t cast someone who is Korean as a Singaporean character or a Malaysian actor as a Japanese character. Asians do not all look the same and there are so many countries in Asia. This is similar with the issue of having someone who is Mexican playing the role of a Colombian character or someone from Brazil (FYI, Brazilians are Latinx but not Hispanic) portraying a Venezuelan character. Cast the correct specific Asian ethnicity for your roles.

If you ever need help finding an Asian faceclaim, go to RPHs and ask. Never be afraid to ask! 

ASIAN ADOPTEES*

Asians are adopted from Asian countries all the time. Many of the Asian adoptees I know personally are adopted form China. Chinese adoptees are girls because of the one child policy that was in place until it recently became a two child policy in 2015. All Chinese adoptees I know are girls as there is a higher demand for baby boys and so they are kept while girls are put into orphanages. It is possible that there are boys adopted from China, I just haven’t met any cis-male Asian adoptees. (I have one Chinese adoptee friend who is currently transitioning from female to male). Here’s some more things you need to know about Asian adoptees. 

Generally, adoptees are adopted by white (middle class) families (at least all the Asian adoptees I know). In this case, these Asians (including me) are culturally very white. This can lead to a difficult conflict within one’s self because you feel white, but you are seen as Asian. Unless you learn about your Asian heritage, you won’t know about Asian culture. Because of this, Asian adoptees may feel too white for Asians who are raised by an Asian family surrounded by their culture but too Asian because of their physical appearance around white people. Sometimes, Asians who are trying to explore their heritage feel strange and sometimes feel like they are appropriating their own culture. Some part Asian people also feel this way as well because they may look too Asian to be considered white, but they look too white to be truly a part of their Asian culture.

It is also difficult for Asian adoptees to figure out their identity because of several reasons. We don’t know where we were born specifically. We don’t know our real birthday. We don’t know our parents or the reason why they gave us up (although it’s usually assumed that families wanted a boy and/or to give us our best chance with another loving family). We don’t know if we have siblings or not. We will most likely never find our birth parents or siblings if we have any. We won’t be able to trace our geneology. We assume we are 100% from the country we are adopted from, but we could very well be part Korean or Vietnamese. We just don’t know these things and Asian adoptees can struggle figuring out their identity because of this.

Often times, Asians are asked “Where are you from?” The person asking this often times expect a specific Asian country. I always give them the name of the place where I grew up. Asian adoptees are Asian Americans (if they’re in America and/or are American citizens [you could be Asian Canadian, for example, if you’re not an American citizen]). Not all Asians have “Asian sounding” names, even if someone is not adopted. I have a friend whose parents are from China and her name is Wendy. Some Chinese people will choose an English name to go by, but there are plenty of Chinese people who will continue to go by their Chinese name. Some Chinese adoptees may keep their given Chinese name as their middle name.

All Asian adoptees I know have very loving families. Some have siblings who are also adopted from an Asian country or another place or have siblings who are the biological children of their parents. Some families may have two dads or two moms, the family may be a nuclear family with a mom and dad, and there may be single moms who have adopted. One thing is very important when writing an Asian adoptee character. Their adoptive parents are their parents. They have birth parents, but their adoptive parents are their parents. I have a birth mother, but the woman who adopted me is my mom. It is incredibly offensive to an Asian adoptee and their parent(s) when people don’t acknowledge that they are their parents despite not sharing the same DNA.

Asian adoptees are not (always) tragic or traumatized by their experiences. However, some people are uncomfortable talking about themselves and their adoption. Respect their decision to not tell you about their experiences. 

*Note that this does not apply to all Asian adoptees, but it is a common occurrence that I have noticed while interviewing other Chinese adoptees. 

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, stereotypes, appropriation, and whitewashing are all incredibly harmful things that need to stop. Obviously, not everything I say in this guide applies to every Asian person. Chinese people have different experiences than Indian people. People of different Asian ethnicities have different experiences. The best thing I can suggest is to talk to these people about their experiences and what to avoid. 

To wrap things up from the guide, don’t say “Namaste” to anyone who is Asian. Don’t ask Asians “where are you from?” Don’t use the word “hapa” to describe yourself or others of mixed Asian heritage. Never use the words “Chink,” “Oriental,” “Jap” or any other offensive racial slurs. Never call an Asian brown or yellow. Don’t wear kimonos or saris without understanding the meaning. Don’t make your Asian characters’ defining traits be “smart,” “good at math,” or “a martial arts master.” Don’t keep using Asian countries as a backdrop for your characters to be in because the countries are “exotic” and “mystical.” Don’t make assumptions. Don’t whitewash your Asian characters! There are plenty of Asian faceclaims to use.

I’m hoping that this guide has helped bring some attention to these issues. Asians are severely underrepresented and misrepresented in the media. Don’t be afraid to ask me some questions or ask your Asian friends questions. Just don’t be an asshole about it. Really make a conscious effort to be respectful and learn about Asians and Pacific Islanders!

[leftpress]

Anti-Fascist Sports, Autonomen, and PhDs: An Interview with Gabriel Kuhn

thecollective | anarchistnews.org | March 3rd 2017

From Freedom

Published March 2, 2017

Gabriel Kuhn has been writing political books from the late ’90s on topics ranging from women pirates to football and the State. In this interview Freedom reviewer Luther Blisset talks to him about the Autonomen, workers’ councils and the history of anti-fascism in sport.

LB: You graduated with a PhD at a young age, at least for the US. Did you know that you wanted to do philosophy for a long time? How did you get interested in philosophy and radical politics? And why go for a PhD instead of just an undergraduate degree?

GK: I knew that I wanted to study philosophy already in high...

school. It was simply a fascination with questions that seemed central to our existence: is there a God or not? What is good and what is evil? What is the meaning of life? Why does something exist and not nothing?

The interest in politics developed a little later, but it quickly became very strong and, inevitably, influenced my take on philosophy. Political philosophy and ethics became the fields I was mostly interested in. During the early 1990s, when I did my studies, there was a bit of an upheaval in the humanities, at least in Europe. For many, the fall of the Soviet Union had discredited Marxism, which was still the leading ideology among left-wing academics. Interest in poststructuralist leftists — such as Michel Foucault, Jean-François Lyotard, Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari — soared. I remember the period as exciting, even though much of poststructuralist-inspired work today has degenerated into nonsensical gibberish.

The reason I did a PhD was because it was an easy thing to do in Austria. It didn’t cost you anything (university education was free and still is for the most part) and I hardly had to do any courses. All I needed to do — so to speak — was to write a thesis, which wasn’t a big sacrifice since I always enjoyed writing. That’s why I saw the project through, although I had no interest in an academic career. I’ve never had a job in academia.

LB: I remember reading that you were involved with the Autonomen for several years. How would you describe your activities? Demos? Publishing? Outreach? Could you share several of the lessons you learned from the experience?

GK: The autonomous milieu was pretty much where all radical leftists in the German-speaking world found themselves in if they didn’t want to be involved in party politics. It was very diverse and ideologically quite open. For some years, I was part of a collective in a smaller Austrian town that contributed to and distributed the country’s biggest autonomous newspaper; I guess in more modern language you’d call it an affinity group. We also went to demonstrations together and were involved in different protests — against the first Gulf War, the rise of the FPÖ (a right-wing party, today one of the country’s biggest), real estate speculation, Austria joining the European Union (at the time, opposition to the EU was a mainly leftist issue — today, it has been taken over by the nationalists). We also were involved in starting a pirate radio station, which opened the path for legal non-commercial radio projects that still exist. In 1994, I left Austria and I can’t really claim that I have been active in the German-speaking autonomous movement since, although I’ve always been following the developments and discussions and it’s still the milieu I move in when I go visit. A few years ago, I was involved in a German publishing project that tried to reevaluate the autonomous movement in the new century.

What did I learn from those experiences? Interesting question, I have never given that much thought. Obviously, it introduced me to autonomous organising, for better or worse. I learned about militant protest and direct action, security and legal issues, the publishing and distributing of literature, the dynamics of radical collectives, and about building broader alliances or at least trying to. Plus, there were many debates about goals, strategies, and tactics. I think I mainly gathered impressions for a few years and had in no way reached any particular conclusion when I left the country to travel and then live abroad. I guess what I took me with me was the feeling that you can have an impact even as a small group, as long as you’re connected to a broader movement through regular discussion and common action. If that connection is lost, however — as I feel is increasingly the case for radical collectives, at least in Western and Northern Europe — it’s easy to fit the image of an isolated social club with radical pretensions.

LB: Given your background, reading, and networks, have you seen any phenomenon or organising in the US that resembles any of the iterations of the European Autonomen? If so, could you elaborate or discuss a bit?

GK: I think that the anarchist subculture I experienced studying and travelling in the U.S. between 1994 and 2005 in many ways resembled that of the Autonomen. This concerned everything from what people wore to what they ate to the music they listened to and to the way their homes and social centres looked. All of that was very familiar. And despite certain differences in focus, the main political topics were also the same: gender, racism, anti-capitalism, and so on. Add to that the shared enthusiasm for direct action, Black Blocs, and related forms of protest and you have very similar scenes.

The strongest differences probably concerned ideology. The Autonomen were still fairly influenced by Marxism — even if it was a Marxism of the “left communist” or “operaist” variety — and I didn’t see much of that in the U.S. I hate to employ overused stereotypes, but I felt there were fairly strong anti-intellectual strains in the radical circles I encountered there. All of this might have changed, however. I haven’t been able to travel to the country since 2005 due to immigration issues.

LB: You edited a book of key source documents on Workers Councils. How did you first run into the material? And how did you decide which documents to translate into English — that must have been incredibly hard! I’m very curious about what relevance you see in getting these documents published. What have you specifically learned from working with this body of documents?

GK: The book came about in roundabout ways. Originally, I was interested in the role of the anarchists Gustav Landauer and Erich Mühsam in the Bavarian Council Republic, which existed for a couple of months in the spring of 1919. Mühsam had written a personal account of the period, and an American friend, who wanted to publish it as a pamphlet, had asked me to translate it. The pamphlet never appeared, but talking about the project with other English-speaking friends, it seemed there was a more general interest in the German Revolution of 1918–1919, especially in the radical, that is, the anarchist, syndicalist, and communist currents. The folks at PM Press were among those I talked to, and this is how the book was conceived.

The material wasn’t difficult to find. The period is well covered in German literature. I chose the texts for the English edition according to their overall importance and to how representative they were for the currents I wanted to focus on. Of course I wanted to include the most influential texts, but I also wanted to tell a story. Anthologies — in particular academic ones — all too often consist of individual texts that might be of great quality but are only loosely connected; it can be hard to identify a thread that runs through them all. For me, it seemed important to tie the individual parts together and create a narrative. So that’s what I tried to do.

As far as the relevance of publishing historical material is concerned, there is a standard answer: we need to learn from history to make the future better. More specifically in this case, the question of revolution remains unresolved. Fortunately enough, there are still a lot of people who want a socialist society; but few of us know how to even begin the discussion about how to get there. Looking at earlier attempts seems like a good starting point.

LB: How many languages are you able to translate with/across?

GK: Basically, I translate between German, English, and Swedish, although the translations into Swedish require more time and editorial help. I can also translate from French (albeit slowly) and — by default, as they are so close to Swedish — from Danish and Norwegian. I cannot translate into those languages, my active command of them is simply too poor.

I enjoy translating. It’s like writing, only that you can fully focus on the technical aspects of it, since someone else already has done the thinking for you. If you like writing and have an interest in language, it’s a great thing to do.

LB: When I saw your work about sports and anti-fascism, I was a bit surprised, honestly. Normally, in the US, sports is run by and with nationalism. Often other ugly forms of chauvinism appear. Anti-fascist sports strikes me in many ways like anti-racist or communist skinheads: a rare exception or novel idea. What motivated you to work on and write about this? How has the work been received? Do you play sports yourself?

GK: I play a lot of sports and have always done so. Next to family and politics (which includes the work I do), sport is the most important part of my everyday life. This is also what motivates me to write about it.

Of course you are right, there is plenty of ugliness in sports, especially in the professionalised and commercialised varieties: competition, chauvinism, exploitation, unhealthy body norms, you name it. But sport is not only a big part of my life, it’s a big part of many people’s lives, and it won’t go anywhere in a liberated society, and neither should it, because there is plenty of beauty in it as well.

Essentially, sport is the combination of physical activity and play, which are both essential for our well-being. If the environment is right, sports can be great fun, they bring people together, and they teach us social values. The challenge for radicals is to create an environment that brings out the best in sports instead of the worst.

It is true that good examples are not always easy to find, but they exist: from the workers’ sports movement of the early twentieth century to sport’s role in the civil rights struggles of the 1960s to antifascist organising among sports fans today. Sport has tremendous political significance and th

[horseytown]

Caitlin Johnstone: One Leg In The Audience, One On Stage

In September, Caitlin Johnstone urged everyone to admit that they had Trump wrong. She didn’t include herself, of course. As usual, she was positioning herself for a claim to be ahead of the curve. 

Johnstone, like Eva Bartlett, is one of the new darlings of the fringey pro-authoritarian anti-liberal left. The sort that demonstrate their dedication to radical politics by suggesting that the far-right nationalist candidate would be better choice the centre-right Wall Street & War liberal. Trump was the better, more revolutionary candidate because it would make the "Deep State" angry if he won.

Caitlin Johnstone generally appeals to the kinds of people who took over the Counterpunch Facebook group that I used to frequent. Sadly, since the death of Alexander Cockburn, the quality of the paper (and its readers) has dropped. Admittedly, the group had always had its share of NWO paranoiacs, 9/11 Truthers (lots), and crystal-healing new age flakes into extraterrestrial fantasies about Nordics and Greys. But after Cockburn was gone, the group (not Counterpunch itself) began to slide so far to the left that it came around the other side, right into neofascist territory. It took little time for anti-immigrant white nationalist conspiracy videos out of Eastern Europe and Holocaust denial to be posted there.

Right alongside this sort of neofascist propaganda (and posted by the same individuals), were pieces by RT puppets and Assad-groupies Eva Bartlett, Vanessa Beeley and Johnstone. As with Bartlett and Beeley, some longtime leftist commentators speculated that Johnstone was a Russia plant/operative. However, as with the others, I think it is much more likely that she was simply just another useful idiot. 

Johnstone's online history reveals that was nearly politically mute only few years ago. At most she tweeted new age-y schlock about 'energy' and homeopathy, Eckhart Tolle, Christian Christensen Course in Miracles, Osho Zen, etc. The first signs of overt political content were lite political youtube links about Russell Brand and how Sanders was the choice of sweet old grandmothers everywhere. Besides that there was nothing radical, only mentions of her non-political writing projects. One of her writing projects was the book on astrology. While she claims that she was tasked with this by her publisher, it's clear from her other writings that she is new age flake (and this would be why she was given this task).

This suggests that Johnstone was not a plant, but just another flakey but well-meaning left-leaner who fell into the abyss of clickbait (and "fake news") and propaganda of the past two years. Go through her twitter and you can see multiple examples of her ignorance of political history and politics (not that she displays much knowledge of the politics of her native Australia). As with many people, this ignorance made her an easy mark for conspiracy theory.

Later she began dipping her toe into American politics singing the praise of Bernie Sanders. Not just enthusiastic, but fully smitten. Around the same that she was posting these comments on Twitter I was asking if we could just fast forward to the part where Bernie Sanders withdrew and endorsed Clinton. Not because I wanted him to do so, but because it was obvious that that was how it would end. I was hardly alone, many on the left saw him as a nothing more than a sheep-dog. She did not. Not necessarily because she is an idiot, but because I do think she knew very little about American politics as recently as late 2015. At least she comes off that way.

When Clinton took the nomination Johnstone went into reactionary mode. She was well-primed to accept at face-value any attack on Hillary Clinton. Only a few days later she was stating that Bernie Sanders and his family were being held hostage (somewhat figuratively, I think) and that he was being forced to endorse Clinton ("He has to say what he needs to say to get him and his family out alive.") She later added "50 of her [Clinton's] personal staff have died mysteriously." So, she was not being facetious, but actually believe Sanders' life was under threat from Hillary Clinton.

She quickly went from being Bernie-or-Bust to endorsing anyone-but-Clinton.  She was unconcerned about Trump, because she became convinced early on that he was a plant for Clinton. As with many Assange-worshipping Wikileaks leftists, she misread Podesta email revelations like the so-called "Pied Piper" memo. She became convinced that Trump was a heel, and that he was there to "hold the door" for Clinton. She really thought it was all staged.

Even in the wake of 'grab her by the pussy', Johnstone's feminism took a back seat to the popular MAGA supporter fear-mongering that a vote for Clinton was a vote for immediate nuclear war with Russia.

Everything that came after this seemed to compliment and confirm her entrenched anti-Clinton bias. Blind to Trump and looking for more to hate about Clinton, she was easy prey for RT, Russia Insider, Assadist Propaganda, Putinite propaganda, Seth Rich conspiracy, etc. When James O'Keefe's Project Veritas videos appeared, there was not a word from her about O'Keefe being in the employ of Bannon/Breitbart and having taken money from Trump. She became another voice screeching about how the polls were fixed for Clinton all along. She bleated that this was all set up back in April 2015 (a reference to the Pied Piper thing she misread). As her resentment of Clinton deepened, her susceptibility to right-wing propaganda increased. None too surprisingly when Pizzagate appeared she fell for that, too. Interestingly, she announced that a couple of days before some of the earliest major threads on 4chan collecting the earliest details of the Pizzagate hoax. With no mention of pizza, her November 1st tweet citing Infowars regular, Steve Pieczenik, suggests that Alex Jones was the source of her new direction. Her thank you to “Assange and all those in the intelligence community for ur courage,“ suggests she was also keeping abreast of the Podesta email angle. 

Around the same time she also revealed to the world she was ignorant of Alex Jones’ origins. She seemed unaware that he was a right-wing conspiracy theorist who had always pandered to the nationalist fringe, scoffing at the idea that the press that once called him left-wing was now referring to him as right-wing. She added, "He's been the same guy poking at power, just the administration has changed." This also suggests that she was beginning to ingest Jones' ravings on a regular basis. Her Pizzagate posts only became more aggressive. Soon thereafter she started posting heavily from Wikileaks and Assange, posting that Podesta revelations revealed that it was all just a psy-ops to destroy the will of the voters.

Predictably, she was not forthcoming about her failure to see Trump as a serious candidate when the election results rolled in. Instead she changed her tune and said that Trump was a good thing, because the evil DNC was routed. It was now also a good thing that Bernie Sanders was defeated. 

It is also no shock that she would be trying to sell leftists on the idea of teaming up with alt-right to take down the 'Deep State'. "Many Sanders voters have been lulled into backing the Democratic party’s platform-free Russophobic gibberish with the help of Sanders himself, to the point where whenever anyone initiates a debate with the phrase “I voted for Bernie” you can be 100 percent certain that they’re about to parrot an establishment-friendly line they were taught by the corporate media propaganda machine." 

Pretty heavy smarm for someone who was lazily tweeting "@BernieSanders is SO impressive" only 19 months earlier. Caitlin Johnstone is a good measuring stick for how rapidly people's politics were radicalized during the election process, and how misinformation and online propaganda and media manipulation made a mess out of people. It was no shock at all when she shifted from Pizzagate-Infowars enthusiast to claiming that she had seen through Donald Trump’s schtick from day one.

What's interesting is that she was not able to let go of the conspiracy theories once they had a grip on her. She still defends Pizzagate, Seth Rich , etc. It is no surprise at all that she would go deeper into Assadist, Putinite murk, or to continue to push 9/11 Truth.

My overall impression of Caitlin Johnstone is that she is just another semi-conscious progressive who got sucked into the election and spat out convinced that she was on the front lines of a War With The "Deep State". She is not even really aware of why she is where she is now. She certainly can't keep her story straight and shows no clarity of mind or consistency. Her only consistency seems to be a desire to be right and for others to be wrong. Hence the appeal of conspiracies that others are 'fooled by' (unlike her).

It might be tempting to accuse her of being a Russian bot or troll, but even a cursory glance around social media reveals that there are hundreds of thousands (if not millions) like her who have fallen into the very same abyss of ignorance. While the timing of her announcement that Clinton was a pedophile is somewhat suspect (as is her shift against Trump along with other Russian media), her writing reflects the propaganda lines disseminated by RT English et al. not because she is one of their agents, but because she has internalized their work and that of others.

[virtualhavenmag-blog]

Pit People Review - Another Hit From Behemoth

With hilarious dialogue, addicting gameplay, and hundreds of creative quests, Pit People is most certainly a success, living up to the standards set by Castle Crashers and BattleBlock Theatre.

Pit People is the latest release from indie developer Behemoth, tackling the strategy genre with their signature style. The company’s move from a 2.5D action game to a side-scrolling puzzle game to a top down strategy game shows they are willing to try new things with every release.

Story & Characters

In Pit People, players take control of Horatio, a man seeking to get his child back from a giant space bear. Horatio travels around the world fighting, looting, and capturing enemies in an attempt to strengthen his squad and save his son. The base story isn’t all that important, but the dialogue and situations that unfold are incredibly charming.

Once again, Will Stamper shines as the narrator in another Behemoth game, and is as hilarious as he was in BattleBlock Theatre. The bizarre conversations between him and the characters are hysterical, especially the way regular folk speak gibberish. It’s amusing to see the narrator do something awful to Horatio and then witness Horatio angrily respond with a string of made up words. This is even funnier considering that there is occasional coherency in these words, as certain things don’t sound like gibberish and sound slightly similar to English.

There are also a lot of small jokes in the world, characters, and dialogue. The game is mostly successful at making jokes anywhere it can, but it occasionally falters. The common poop jokes for instance were never very amusing.

Gameplay

Players travel around a modestly sized overworld and take bizarre quests from bizarre individuals. Either that or you can accept the story missions back at the hub and go along with the main content. No matter which route you go, these quests are incredibly creative, fun, and engaging. The most intriguing aspect of the game is that even the side missions feel as thought out as the main ones. The story quests do have a bit more style, but the alternative ones are just as well made.

When it comes to the actual combat, the player commands their characters to move to specific spots on the map. If they’re next to multiple enemies, they will randomly decide who they’re attacking.

For example, if you move Horatio to a spot where four enemies surround him, he will randomly choose which one to attack. This can be problematic, but it adds a layer of strategy because it forces you to move to spots where your character won’t be surrounded, allowing them to focus on a single individual at a time. This is also the case with bows and cannons, as it’ll randomly select people to shoot within range. Thankfully, the range on these characters is so unpredictable that you can usually move them into certain spots to target specific enemies.

Thankfully, the game gets even better with a friend. Certain titles only allow you to play portions with someone else, but all of Pit People is accessible with a friend. Not only that, but it’s balanced well for co-op. The game doesn’t get too easy or too hard during multiplayer, which mainly has to do with the level design. Sometimes, players focus on specific tasks that have them on different sides of the screen. Other times, both will be work together to take down a fearsome boss.

Customization & Leveling

When a battle is over, the player earns gold, armor, and weapons. This is where the game allows a lot of personal choice in how you build your character, as certain weapons have wildly different effects. For example, I’m personally addicted to an ice mortar that freezes enemies from a long range. It’s very different from any of the other ranged weapons, and possesses high utility for intense battles.

This customization system works incredibly well, especially when you add the many different enemies you can capture. Towards the end of a battle, you can capture the final enemy and put them in your squad. From pixies to spidaurs and giant cyclopes, any new member changes how the game plays entirely.

Putting a swordsman with high damage output on top of a spidaur with high defense creates a destructive nightmare. You can go even further with these additions by adding swift kobolds, regenerating zombies, unicorn snipers and more. The character customization and team member diversity creates a dynamic that makes Pit People feel fresh from the slightest change.

However, the big problem is that there’s not much incentive to keep any of your characters. Even if you get attached to a specific character, there aren’t any skill points or unlockable abilities to make characters feel unique. Everything about each character is too broad, as the customization solely relies on equipment anyone can equip, and this is even worse considering there’s a level up system.

This level system provides slight bonuses but doesn’t matter as much as it could. It would’ve been great to be able to choose how to build character’s stats or customize minor abilities. Having the game choose where those stat bonuses go isn’t any fun. Even then, leveling up is a great lifesaver in combat. If a team member is about to die, they can instantly heal to max HP upon reaching a new level. This mechanic saved many lives throughout my playthrough.

Overworld, Marquette, & Misc.

Unfortunately, the overworld is annoying to travel through. The obnoxious gas always blocks your view, making it genuinely uncomfortable to see. The world is also gridded, which seems visually contradicted by the smooth animations of the moving cart and walking enemies. It also makes shooting awkward when you’re auto-locked to a certain grid point and the enemy is moving normally throughout the grid. Additionally, the coins that you can find on your travels feel pointless, as they don’t provide enough incentive to collect.

When it comes to the Marquette, there’s not much there. You can purchase new party members for a large sum of money—which is not worth it—and you can buy a randomly assigned item on display. Aside from that, there’s the shop which allows you to only purchase practical items like a revive potion and a campfire, which heals all party members in the overworld.

Overall, the currency system could have a lot more to it. The only reasonable thing to purchase are these practical items which are dirt cheap, almost always causing the player to have a lot more money than they should. Similar to the level up issue, it would be interesting if additional abilities or special skins could be purchased. Pit People simply needs an additional incentive to spend money.

Throughout my first three hours or so, I used a keyboard and mouse to play. However, this became extremely obnoxious considering some of the controls. It was difficult to precisely select characters with a mouse wheel, as it would often go to the incorrect one. Not only that, but moving the cart felt robotic and hard to control. These are small issues, but it was enough to make me switch to a controller.

As the name suggests, you can also fight in The Pit. This is a combat oriented arena where you can battle other players or take on a tournament against NPCs. Fighting other players is a ton of fun, and going through the tournament provides many rewards for the victors. Even then, it’s pretty strange that The Pit isn’t as significant as the game title would suggest. It’s not a problem, just interesting to think about.

Visuals & Sound

Pit People takes on a classic Behemoth visual style with goofy humor embedded in its art and silly designs for its characters and world. This works very well for the most part, as certain hats and weapons are genuinely hilarious.

There’s nothing more amusing than using a trash can as a shield, throwing letter blocks at enemies, and attacking people with a stick of meat. The player can also travel to a giant toilet town, adopt a poop mascot, and give their cupcake medic a soldier’s cap. There’s nothing serious about the way the title is designed, and it’s a relief.

When it comes to its soundtrack, Behemoth impresses again with more bizarrely styled tracks. Some of the music seems genuinely experimental, using random sounds to put together a piece. Even with these tracks, the songs themselves sound great, creating intense, hilarious, or weird atmospheres when appropriate.

Verdict

Pit People is amusing, addicting, and an absolute blast to play. It’s a strategy game full of content, with the studio’s twisted humor embedded in everything. Thanks to incredibly diverse quests, hundreds of customizable options, and incredibly funny dialogue, Pit People is another hit from Behemoth.

span { display: block; } h2 { text-align: center; } h2 { border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; }

Score

table, th, td { table-layout: fixed; border: 3px solid #6698cb; border-collapse: collapse; text-align: center; color: #545454; }

Good Bad Hilarious Dialogue Annoying Overworld Creative Quests Bland Leveling System Fun Capture System Keyboard and Mouse All Content Accessible With a Friend Underdeveloped Marquette Addicting Gameplay Great Soundtrack Quirky Visuals

h1 { text-align: center; color: #5a5a5a; }

- 8/10 -