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alastanor · 4 years ago

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To start, I would like to thank @cis-het-angel-kinnie for bringing this video to my attention, even if it was to praise the video rather than to point out it's flawed arguments against Charlie for main character.

If you have not seen the video yet, I recommend giving it a watch prior to reading this or you may be confused.

Click to read more...

What Is A Protagonist?

I am not bringing up this question because I think the source used was incorrect. However, the statement that "protagonists ask questions and antagonists make arguments" is an oversimplification of both roles. And I am going to explain why.

The trope of protagonist vs antagonist is an age old theme which has been used countless times throughout storytelling's history in books, plays, films, and story-driven video games. As such, the definition of both roles has continued to flourish and evolve over time. It is no longer good vs evil.

While @diregentleman used books written by, I assume, published writers for his argument, I am going to use Creative Writing and Literary Experts from a Masterclass article.

In the article, a protagonist is described as this:

"In storytelling, a protagonist is the main character or principal character or group of characters in a story."

More than one character is capable of being an antagonist in this story. Given that demons are meant to be redeemed, fitting the theme of the story, it is fair to surmise that all (or the majority of) the demons surrounding Charlie are protagonists in some form.

The article goes on to state that the protagonist's goals reflect the overall story goals and the plot moves forward based on their decisions.

This being said, Charlie's overall goal reflects the premise of the story, that being that Hazbin Hotel is a story about redemption. This is a goal that Angel Dust does not have.

In DireGentleman's video, he claims Angel Dust joined the Happy Hotel with the intention of being redeemed, albeit skeptical whether it could actually be done. This is actually inaccurate, and we see this in both the pilot and the comic.

Angel does display skepticism straight from the gate, but when they explain their reason for approaching him (that no one else has agreed), he makes this face:

Does that really look like someone who believes redemption may be possible? But for further establishment of just how little Angel believes redemption is possible, Angel also laughs them off and calls their goal "lame."

The only reason Angel agrees to Charlie and Vaggie's proposition is because it is a rent free place to stay. He admits as much just a bit further into the comic. By the end, Angel says "Redemption, it's silly. Huh, Nuggs."

The tone we are led to believe he uses is one of contemplation and relief. Relief due likely to the fact that there is some light at the end of the tunnel to the shit situation he was in.

This is just comic evidence, of course. If we go to the pilot, when Angel is engaging in the turf war with Cherri Bomb, he explains that he is using Charlie and Vaggie for free rent. Further exemplified when he later asks if participating in the turf war meant he didn't have a free room anymore. But also in his conversation with Cherri, he also admits that he is still taking some drugs behind Charlie and Vaggie's back. Something that we see immediately toward the opening of the pilot when Angel buys a bag of Angel Dust.

Character Dynamic

I cannot emphasize this enough, the Hunicast is NOT a good exemplifier for character dynamics. Every single "character interaction" is based on fanon, not canon, and they are prompted by the fans themselves. Only Viv really knows exactly how Angel and Alastor would canonically interact. It is no better a source for character dynamic than the wiki is for accurate information. IE, some things may hold true, but the majority of it is not and it is better just to wait until it is confirmed canon.

Moving on...

There is a lot of focus on Valentino as a main antagonist, based entirely too much on the hope that Angel will be the main protagonist. And this is really just disingenuous when you consider there are two other implied Overlords, as well as several other sources of strife within the world of Hazbin Hotel.

An Antagonist is someone working against the protagonist to prevent them from achieving their goal. Alastor would not meet this criteria, as he is a self-professed observer and conflict creator. But he is not a main antagonist. Someone working against the goal of redemption could be anyone from the Overlords (which, far as we know, would include Valentino), Lucifer, or even Heaven itself.

Where antagonists come into play, quoting Masterlist once again, I think these two types of antagonists were overlooked:

A conflict-creator. An antagonist doesn’t have to be a “bad guy.” Sometimes, they’re just a character whose goals are in direct conflict with the protagonist’s, like Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice or Javert working to arrest Valjean in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables.

The protagonist themselves. The main source of conflict in a story can be from within the protagonist themselves—their shortcomings or insecurities are keeping them from reaching their goal. A prime example of this is Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. While Holden comes into conflict with many characters in the novel, the ever-present antagonizing conflict comes from his own obsessions and insecurities.

Now, why did I bring up these two types? Well! I'm glad you asked! You see, where conflict-creator comes into play would line up more with Alastor. He isn't really the bad guy, but he does create some friction where his goals meet with Charlie's. He is a professed observer, but it is strongly believed that there is something else, another goal, that he has omitted.

As for the Protagonist themselves, this lines up pretty strongly where Charlie is concerned. You could argue that it does for Angel too, but Angel's goal, as mentioned before, is not Redemption. That goal is Charlie's, and hers alone. Yet it is her naivety, inexperience, and insecurities surrounding her failures as a princess that are holding her back from achieving her goal. Going by this, not only do we have multiple protagonists, but we also have multiple antagonists.

"So far, no one else's past is wrought with tension like Angel Dust's."

Even if this wasn't a sweeping, dismissive statement made with limited information, it would still be incorrect. Why? Because each and every character in Hazbin Hotel is going to have their own story to tell. Stories that will each be as relatable and wrought with tension, the only reason we know Angel so extensively is because Viv put the most work into him. She has admitted that Alastor and Angel were characters she wrote based on past dealings and experiences she had. Let those implications sink in a bit.

Now, to further this, people don't need to empathize with a character to like them. They can sympathize as well, even if they personally cannot relate to the emotions the character is feeling.

And where Angel is concerned, he is not addicted to drugs. Angel has used drugs to escape the pain of his trauma. His response in the pilot to having his drugs stolen from him is not one of a typical addict. Which leads us to believe the drugs are simply a coping mechanism more than they are an addiction.

Real Audience for Hazbin is 12 to 16

I would really fucking hope you are joking. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that this was said by someone who isn't a parent. While yes, kids will be sneaky and watch or play things they're not supposed to, a show with drug use/abuse, rape, sex, physical/mental/emotional abuse, and suicide is as much for them as Rick and Morty.

Further, it is not just these themes that make the show for adults. It is the format of the storytelling. Yes, you can complain about what you consider issues with the pilot. But at the end of the day, it did it's job. It established the story premise, introduced important characters (Fat Nuggets does not fall in that category, calm down), gave a basic understanding of their relationships to each other, and get the audience interested in continuing the series. Considering the views for the pilot and the resulting disproportionate growth of the fandom, I would say it did that in spades.

Hazbin Hotel is not Steven Universe. I cannot say this enough times, and the reason I cannot is because I cannot tell you how many times I have come into contact with the underage side of the fandom griping about lack of lore, griping about lack of production information, and overall being exceedingly impatient. At the risk of sounding like an old miser, the underage side of the fandom has never had to wait for additions to a series. Like waiting for Homestuck updates, or the new release of a Harry Potter novel. They have had a steady schedule of content, along with shows that give exposition dumps "in the first 3 minutes."

So don't look at Hazbin Hotel through the lens of kids' show fandoms. It has so much more to offer than that.

Alastor vs Valentino

No, this is not about whether Alastor could beat up Valentino. In the video, DireGentleman pulled a huge pet peeve of mine and lumped Valentino and Alastor together, labeling them both "monsters." Which is opening a huge can of worms for me. So, I will give a brief summary of why that is wrong, and provide a link to one of my other posts for deeper diving.

So, there is a reason why Valentino is more hated than Alastor is. Lumping them together is a mistake.

Valentino is a pimp that abuses and manipulates his victims through intimidation and (implied through) some kind of addiction to the red smoke (whether that is real or symbolism is yet unknown). He takes who and what he wants, be damned the consequences or who gets hurt. He is incredibly self-serving, with no consideration for anyone else. He uses people like pawns, and when those pawns refuse to do what he wants, what does he do? He forces them to do it anyway.

By comparison, while Alastor may use his people like pawns, he also has more consideration for them and doesn't abuse them (far as we can tell). The evidence to support this is the attitude of those serving under Valentino vs those under Alastor. Niffty and Husk both seem to not have a problem with Alastor, and where Husk is concerned it seems that his attitude toward Alastor is their typical banter. But definitely nothing that displays abuse. In fact, when Husker is hesitant or even refusing to do as Alastor asks, Alastor doesn't force Husker. He offers payment in the form of something Husker genuinely likes.

Now, while some might argue this is also manipulating through addiction, one could look at it this way. However, Alastor didn't make Husker an alcoholic. That was Husker's vice to begin with, Alastor simply has no intention of fixing it. After all, Alastor has said he doesn't think anything can change a sinner.

For further explanation and delving into Alastor, click here.

Parents don't 'get' Charlie = Disney Princess

Once again, we fall upon the slippery slope of disinformed statements. While the joke was made that the princess of hell expresses herself best through song, parent issues do not equate to being something that is relatable primarily or only to kids and teens. It's kind of offensive that there is a sort or implication in this statement that adults don't have issues like insecurities surrounding their own failures, or parent issues like what Charlie has or worse. And once again, we fall into the empathize vs sympathize realm and I once again will say that the audience does not need to empathize with the protagonist to make them a good protagonist.

Charlie is a failed princess, her people don't respect her and didn't even prior to her hotel announcement. Yes, she is sheltered and naive. Likely due to how little she was able or allowed to interact with sinners. After all, her ex-boyfriend was from another hellborn family. One that, from what we can surmise, interacts rather frequently with the Magne family.

And it is because of this naivety and inexperience that her method to redeem sinners will not work.

In the video, DireGentleman states that we can pretty much assume that Charlie's redemption methods will work. But her methods, as we see in her song, is to inject demons with meds and take away/burn their vices. She is seeking immediate resolutions to problems that require therapy and a long process that should be making sinners want to change. All Charlie is currently accomplishing is earning the ire and scrutiny of her people. This is why I previously mentioned that Charlie is both protagonist and antagonist, as she is getting in her own way to accomplishing the goal of redemption. And this is where we find that Charlie meets the "starts out being wrong" requirement mentioned in the video as well as "admiring a character for trying."

Charlie is also in a perfect position to be the tour guide for us, the audience, as we observe the metamorphosis of every demon who needs to be redeemed. She is, once again, surrounded by those who need to be redeemed which means we will witness every character arc. This includes Angel, who does not need to be the central focus for us to witness his story.

Finally...

It was stated, or at least implied, that Hazbin Hotel's pilot is no longer relevant. This is a statement that pretty much leaves me puzzled. The only way it would be irrelevant is if Hazbin went in a completely different direction, and we have no reason to believe it will. Vivziepop is still creative director for Hazbin Hotel, and A24 is notorious for giving creators their creative freedom. What A24 is doing is animating, making VA regulations, and ensuring there is an air tight lid kept on the project. Especially given it's popularity in such a short amount of time.

Contrary to what DireGentleman said, Hazbin Hotel will definitely live up to it's hype. Being picked up by A24 will not compromise the show simply because it's not in the same realm of indie production that Helluva Boss is. And it's a bit unfair to Vivziepop to imply as much.

In Conclusion...

Please do a bit more digging in regards to not only the show, but everything surrounding it. Don't lump fanon and canon together and expect them to be equal sources, and please do not claim an obviously adult-audience show is more fit for children and teens.

And lastly, please do more digging to better understand media and storytelling. Reading books is great, but what you were using as the foundation for your arguments were far too simplified and vague,, given the complexity of the protagonist and antagonist roles. Overall, the video just came across as one huge helping of Angel Dust bias with a side of strong dislike for Charlie.

#Youtube #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel charlie #hazbin hotel angel dust #hazbin hotel husker #hazbin hotel video critical #video analysis #long post #diregentleman #counter argument

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hiddendreamer67 · 5 years ago

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The Dragonfly Curse

Summary: Roman often gets hit with small curses by the Dragon Witch- little things being forced to speak only in rhyme or becoming incredibly clumsy for a day. He hides this from the others, as to him they’re punishment enough for his failures. They’re small measly problems- which makes this latest curse ironic in that he’s reduced to a four-inch tall dragonfly-winged fairy.

Words: 4,780

This is a commission piece for @i-will-physically-fight-you! Thank you again for commissioning me, this was so much fun to write. :) My commissions are open! More information available on my blog.

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Roman treaded through the forest, footsteps light as he fought to keep his presence unknown. Uneasily he twisted his wrist, the handle of his blade recognizing the familiar movements as he gave the sword a small twirl to calm his nerves. It grounded him, reminding him that even in this vast expanse Roman still had strength. A strength he had to wield if he intended to protect those he loved.

Imagination could be a fickle thing. Once upon a time, Thomas was young. His dreams were filled with puppy dogs and rainbows (the symbolism ever present in his gay subconscious), and Roman was happy to traverse the magical paradise that had appeared through a portal in his room. Back then it was a magical place, so full of laughter and cheer. Roman had always wished he could bring some of that wonderous joy into his own room so that he could let his fellow sides in on the fun.

Now, Roman’s greatest fear was exposing his family to this hell.

As Thomas had grown older, the Imagination had become overgrown with negative creations, a side effect of the dark sides no doubt. For far too long Roman had blamed Virgil for the shadow figures that now crept behind every tree, or the inky dark marshes that threatened to swallow unsuspecting villagers whole. Now Roman knew better; the horrible demons lurking around the Imagination had appeared on their own, independent of a single creator, instead representing something far darker than the embodiment of anxiety himself.

Roman chuckled darkly to himself. Maybe Virgil would be amusedly offended at the idea of something having a more terrifying aesthetic than his hundred layers of black eyeshadow. The image was nice to chuckle at, but Roman knew it would never be a reality. He couldn’t let Virgil, or anyone else he cared about for that matter, ever learn about these invaders. They were Roman’s problem alone, his burden to bear. Why else would the portal into Imagination only exist in his own room? Clearly this was his purpose as a knight- to protect those he loved, even from fear of danger itself. Ignorance was bliss, surely.

Of course, Roman was unable to hide everything from the sides, much as he wanted to remain covert. There were times when Roman would… lose. The Dragon Witch was a formidable opponent, much as Roman loathed to admit it, and she took pleasure in laying curses upon Roman for her amusement. These curses were hardly permanent but would carry into the mindscape. Perhaps this was the Dragon Witch’s way of trying to affect the world beyond this accursed land, knowing she herself could never get past the portal. Sending back a defeated and hexed Roman was the closest she could get to throwing something of her own into the mindscape.

Thankfully, these curses had never been particularly threatening to Roman’s physical form, just his pride. That only made them hurt worse in Roman’s mind. Was it not enough to be defeated in his own realm? Must she bruise his fragile ego? But in this way, she knew his weaknesses. Stabs wounds healed. The echoing laughter in his mind did not.

Roman thought back briefly, recounting some of her more memorable curses. One of the first had been upon his tongue, turning it a dull silver in mockery of the phrase ‘silver tongue’ and forcing the princely figure to only speak in rhymes. The others thought he was just being dramatic as ever, putting up with his antics as Roman attempted to compliment Patton’s cooking skills and ended up launching into an eloquent soliloquy about the talent of the heart to bring such “delectable, respectable, selectable treats to the table, how my dearest Patton have you proven yourself so able-“ and so the rhyming continued. Roman had even enjoyed that one, leaning into it to test his own feats of poetry. He challenged Logan to a rematch of their rap battle, this time proving himself a worthy opponent.

The Dragon Witch had been less than pleased when he returned the next week, whistling a nameless tune and declaring how “your devious plan backfired; I’m feeling rather inspired!” Perhaps it was his jesting that had earned him the next hex, cursing him to become unstable on his feet. Roman had spent the day tripping over himself, spilling water any time a cup was placed in his hands and falling flat on his face on more than one occasion. Roman could only play those instances off with the line “I’ve falling for you, my fairest Virgil!” so many times before it was clear that this behavior wasn’t going to end. Virgil told him to snap out of it, and Roman was forced to spend the rest of the evening in his room willing his boots to stop making a fool of him.

So the curses continued, slowly accumulating through the years to remind Roman of his failures. Each lasted only a day, gone by the time he woke the next day. Never the same curse- after all, being part of the Imagination, even the Dragon Witch had standards. Unoriginality wouldn’t stand. Normally Roman would appreciate this creativity, but used against him it was less than pleasant having to bravely face his punishments. Which is why Roman made it a point not to lose often.

Roman paused, his feet stopping atop the large carpet of leaves painted in beautiful golden hues. It would be a beautiful sight, if the stillness in the air did not make the hairs on the back of his neck stand so unpleasantly.

“I was almost thinking you would not show.” Roman spoke up, raising his voice. He kept his gaze straight ahead, giving no other indication he knew there was a trespasser amongst the woods. “Or rather, if you’re attempting to be sneaky, you need to work on your dramatics, you son of a birch.”

There was a giggling through the air, as though the trees found this insult particularly amusing. Roman thought they might, and he gave a small smirk, radiating the essence of a casual hero who was sure of his blade. Perhaps if he imagined himself as such, it would prove true.

“Son of a birch?” A tree, darker than the rest, appeared insulted off to the left a few more paces down the path. The foliage shifted, the tree shrinking and curling in on itself as a woman emerged from the wreckage. She looked annoyed, the atmosphere immediately darkening as she stepped forwards. “I was an aspen, you royal twig!”

“Well you’re certainly as-pain in my butt.” Roman retorted. The trees merely groaned at that one, a few of the younger saplings muttering amongst themselves as though trying to figure out what exactly he meant. Roman rolled his eyes. “Alright peanut gallery, I get it, not my best work.”

“Peanut gallery, now there’s an idea.” The Dragon Witch put a finger to her chin, as if considering an idea. “Perhaps when I beat you today I’ll turn you into a peanut plant. Or better yet, I’ll trap you in a peanut gallery comic, so you will be forced to watch everyone laugh at your antics.”

“I’ve already been a comic book character.” Roman groaned, pretending to be bored as he stretched out a crick in his neck. “And you did a strawberry bush only a month ago. Have you really run out of curses so soon? You seem a bit lost for inspiration. How about I do you a favor. After I kick your butt, you can spend the week thinking up better ideas.”

“You make me laugh, Prince Roman.” The Dragon Witch said, but her mouth was still a flat line. “But perhaps you should save the theatrics for your stage.”

“Gladly.” With no more fanfare, Roman charged, sword at the ready. He took a swipe at the Dragon Witch. Unsurprisingly, she disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke. Knowing this trick, Roman wasted no time in bringing his elbow reeling backwards, satisfied by the ‘oof!’ of pain that came as he painfully elbowed her in the stomach. Roman had no qualms against playing dirty against a girl, especially because gender is a social construct and she started it.

“Why, you little-!” Before she could wrap her claws around Roman the prince rolled to the side, coming up to face her head on again. The Dragon Witch growled, a ball of green flame appearing in her hand.

“You wouldn’t.” Roman squinted, trying to gauge how far his opponent would go.

“Oh, I would.” The Dragon Witch sneered, tossing the flame to the ground. Instantly the golden leaves began to catch fire, the flames spreading as quickly the entire scene became ablaze.

Roman’s eyes widened only momentarily before he began to frantically dash back down the path, the flames licking at his heels. He knew that the trees themselves would likely be protected, mere puppets designed by the Witch who wanted an audience (she always was one for theatrics), but everything else in this forest was fair game.

“You’re insane!” Roman yelped, shaking his leg briefly as his pants briefly caught fire. The Witch cackled at this, giving chase through the path as the green flickers did nothing to harm her. If anything, they curled around her ankles, hugging their creator gently.

“Liar liar, pants on fire!” The Dragon Witch seemed to only find humor in this scenario, grinning manically.

“What are you, twelve?” Roman huffed, his breathing becoming heaving as he fought to keep running. Why didn’t Thomas go to the gym more often? Probably due to Patton’s love of cookies. Even if Patton was a fluffball, at this particular moment Roman was wishing he could change a lot of the heart’s habits if only to gain a little more endurance for these aggravating chase scenes. When he got back to the Mindspace, Roman was certainly going to fill Thomas’ dreams with more eye candy muscled men in the hopes of inspiring him to exercise even once.

Too distracted by thoughts of shirtless men, Roman was oblivious to the branches reaching out for him until it was too late. The wooden limbs wrapped around him, forcing his sword to clatter to the ground as one of the tree spirits tugged him into a tight grip.

“No fair!” Roman pouted, watching the Dragon Witch approach with a devious smirk, her flames coming with her.

“What’s wrong, Prince Roman?” She feigned ignorance, lifting her hand to direct the flames to begin climbing the tree, getting closer and closer to his legs which were desperately trying to kick out of their way. “Come now, surely you haven’t been bested by a few candle flames and a tree? Get up, Prince Roman. Fight. Where’s that courageous hero who dared to march into myrealm just hours ago, dressed in regal colors and claiming ownership of a land he can never hope to control?”

“I YIELD!” Roman suddenly declared through gritted teeth, his knees tucked up to his chest as the fire licked at his boots. To declare himself unsuccessful hurt more than their burn, and as the flames disappeared Roman felt the own fire of determination dying in his heart.

It seemed recently it had burning out quicker with each battle, these losses slowly taking a toll on even his resolve.

“Aww, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” The Dragon Witch teased. Roman gave her a defiant glare.

“I already yielded, there’s no need to drag it out.” Roman huffed, slumping back in the tree’s embrace. “Just get it over with, do your thing. Give me your curse and I’ll be on my way. What will it be, the comic or the plant? Well? What are you waiting for?”

The Dragon Witch paused, her expression for once perfectly blank. “Why aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Why should I be?” Roman shrugged, feeling a bit proud that he could make her scowl even in her victory. A conversation was still a battle when it came to the Dragon Witch, and at least Roman could win this. “Your little curses are nuisances at best. Your strongest has only ever left me cowering under a blanket for a day. Just a day, nothing more. Nothing sticks. You can’t hurt me, not in any real way at least, because everything you do is temporary. Your magic is just little parlor tricks.”

“Little parlor tricks?!” She screeched and spat. “How dare you! You insufferable pest, you incompetent sprite, you infinitesimal thorn in my side!” The Dragon Witch’s eyes blazed with a fury unmated by any Roman had ever seen, and for the first time in forever Roman really did feel afraid. She struck her hand across his face, leaving a scorching mark with a familiar tingling feeling of magic.

“There.” The Dragon Witch hissed, letting the tree drop Roman into an unassuming pile on the ground. “How’s that for a parlor trick?” Without another word she spun on her heel and left. The fact that she didn’t stick around to watch her spell take effect was a sure sign that Roman had pissed her off more than usual, which likely didn’t bode well for whatever unfortunate hex had just been quite literally slapped upon him.

Roman groaned, his body feeling like it was collapsing in on itself as Roman curled up into a tight ball. A searing pain had begun just along his spine, and Roman heard the fabric of his shirt begin to tear. Rude; he was particularly fond of this ensemble. But even Princey couldn’t lament the ruination of his garments for long, instead letting out a gasp as another round of fiery discomfort shot through his back. Was this the curse? To be in misery for a day? It certainly made Roman regret being so mouthy.

Thankfully, the pain slowly began to ebb away, leaving only a dull ache in its wake. Roman felt as though something was laying across his back, and new nerves connected to these new appendages. Cautiously Roman opened his eyes, looking back for confirmation.

Wings- he had wings. Dragonfly wings, to be exact. It seemed the Dragon Witch was still just as fond of draconic irony as always.

“Well that’s not so bad.” Roman decided. Sure, they were painful to grow, and they would certainly be impossible to hide, but Roman had stayed in his room during a curse before. He gave them a cautious flutter, wincing as one wing smacked him in the face. Perhaps this would take a bit more practice.

Roman stood up, gaining his footing on the slippery leaf below him and prepping for a test flight. Wait… yes, that was leaf, singular. Roman stared down at his feet incredulously, not believing his eyes. That had to be a very large leaf, unless…

The princely figure let out a groan, looking up to see his suspicions were confirmed. The dark trees now loomed over him, appearing to be hundreds of feet tall. It wasn’t just wings, then. The witch had cursed Roman to become a fairy of all things, reduced to nothing but a poor copy of tinkerbell.

At this size, Roman was even more wary of Imagination land, picturing all the horrible creatures that could make quick work of him. He had to get back, now.

“Alright, faith and trust and all that jazz.” Roman psyched himself up, scrunching his face and giving his body a shake to let out his nerves. He focused on getting his wings to flap properly this time, nearly crying out in relief when his feet left the ground.

“Don’t look down.” Roman instructed himself, firmly keeping his gaze forward as he shot through the air, beginning to get the hang of flying as he dodged the various brambles. More than once Roman nearly went headfirst into a spiderweb, skidding to a stop at the last moment. Thankfully he reached the exit on the other side of the forest without becoming prey to any of the shadowy demons. He was relieved that the door still recognized his presence in this form, swinging open wide. Roman wouldn’t have been able to open it himself.

“…woah.” Roman floated inside, momentarily shocked by how unfamiliar his own bedroom looked at this size. He settled down onto his desk, thrown off by the way he had to look up to see the bristled tips of his paintbrushes. How odd.

A knock came at the door, so loud and intimidating that Roman nearly jumped out of his skin. “Kiddo?” Patton’s voice was clearly gentle, but still it rumbled with an unnatural quality. “Do you want to join us for lunch?”

“Ah, no thanks, Pat!” Roman called back, hoping his nerves weren’t heard in his voice.

There was silence, and then another knock. “Kiddo? You in there?”

Oh, of course- an impulse to hit his own forehead overcame Roman. If Patton’s voice was so loud, it only followed that Roman’s voice must be quiet in comparison. He’d have to commit if he wanted to be heard.

“NO THANKS!” Roman called again, this time cupping his hands to his mouth to be heard.

“Oh, okay!” Patton sounded relieved, if not a bit disappointed. Roman deflated slightly, knowing this was another consequence of the curse. He hated letting Patton down. “Well, uh, I’ll check in on you again later!”

He would, of course, the little puffball.

***

Roman tried not to let the knot of guilt twist in him too tight when Patton came back to ask at dinner, then again at breakfast, and a third time at lunch the next day.

This was the longest day of his life. Roman groaned, collapsing back onto his pillow. It only took a few moments for him to realize this was a terrible plan, nearly getting stuck as he sunk into the overly plush surface. Why wasn’t he back to normal yet? It had been 24 hours, hadn’t it?

Patton came back again at dinner. He was more insistent. Roman snapped at him, and it hurt.

What was he meant to do? Roman couldn’t sleep that second night, his wings beginning to twitch anxiously. A curse had never lasted this long before. Should he tell the others?

The new fairy quickly shook his head. No, he couldn’t do that. Going to them meant admitting defeat. He would have to come clean about his rivalry with the Dragon Witch, letting them know of all his countless failures. What would they think of him? What sort of creativity was he if he couldn’t do his one job of keeping Imagination in check? Roman had to protect his family, not the other way around. Besides, he could only imagine the jests he would receive in this form:

“It seems you are incapable of even performing your own tasks adequately-“

“You tried your best, Kiddo, but leave it up to the real sides next time-”

“What’s the matter, Princey? A little thing like you couldn’t possibly help-“

A knock on the door jolted Roman out of his thoughts, the fae rubbing at the wetness on his cheeks. When had he started crying?

“Roman?” That was Logan’s voice, so cool and calculating and pleasant in tone. “We have been sent to retrieve you for breakfast. Are you alright?”

Roman couldn’t even work up the energy to respond. He just let his head loll to the side. Sooner or later the others would learn to leave him alone. Maybe they’d even forget about him… if he was going to be stuck like this, it might be for the best. Roman was useless.

“I can feel the sulking from here.” A third voice muttered, Roman’s sensitive ears picking up Virgil’s annoyed tone. “I say we just break in.”

Roman quickly sat up. What? Them, here? No, they couldn’t see him like this! He flew into the air, eyes scanning for any place he could hide.

“I thought you were against barging into bedrooms?” Logan spoke.

“Nah, just my room. Call me a hypocrite.”

Roman panicked, hearing the doorknob begin to turn. Without hesitation he dashed out of sight, settling onto the top of his wardrobe. Just in time, too, as moments later his fellow sides came barging into the room.

“PRINCEY, GET UP!” Virgil’s volume made the tiny side cringe, Roman pressing his hands firmly to his ears. “…princey?”

“It appears he’s not here.” Logan sated, the two gazing at the bed with conflicting amounts of bewilderment.

“Yeah, thanks, Sherlock.” Virgil’s facial features had turned decidedly blank, trying to process what was right in front of him.

“You do not sound thankful.” Logan murmured.

Virgil ignored his quip, throwing the blanket off the bed. Of course, the entire thing still looked untouched. The anxious side began to run his hands through his hair, seeming conflicted before he rushed back to the door. “PATTON, GET UP HERE!”

There was a frantic pounding of footsteps, Patton clearly running up the stairs before he too appeared in the doorway. “What is it? Is Roman sick?”

“Sick in the head- he’s gone.” Despite his angry words, Virgil looked frantic, and Roman felt far more than a twinge of guilt.

“This is peculiar.” Logan frowned, a hand put to his chin. “The mindscape is only so large. It contains each of our respective spaces and one communal area. Thomas is asleep, so he’s not there, and none of us have seen Roman in over 48 hours. Where could he possibly have gone?”

“Uh…I have an idea.”

The other two sides looked where Patton was pointing, the door to Imagination still ajar.

No! Roman’s eyes widened with fear. The others couldn’t go in there, they’d be killed for sure! Roman had always lied about Imagination, treating it like a magical secret only for him so that they would never know the true misery he faced every day.

“Do you think his realm would grant us access?” Logan took a step closer, making Roman tense up. “I was under the impression that subconscious domains were only accessible by the primary side.”

“Well, the door’s open.” Patton shrugged. “It’s worth a shot, right?”

“Hold on a minute, Pat.” Virgil reached an arm out, grabbing Patton’s forearm. “I don’t like the look of this. Roman’s an idiot-“ Hey! “-but maybe there’s a reason we shouldn’t go in there. We don’t know what it’s like. Maybe we’ll get corrupted just like you guys do in my room.”

For once, Roman was relieved Dark and Brooding was always so cautious. Maybe his friends would be safe after all.

“Virgil, it’s Imagination.” Patton removed Virgil’s hand with a smile, crushing all Roman’s hopes and dreams. “It’s not going to hurt us! I bet it’s got cotton candy clouds and singing flowers and puppies everywhere. “

“I take it back, that’s much worse.” Virgil cringed, but he allowed Patton to take his hand and guide him forward.

“Assumptions will get us nowhere; there is only one way to know for certain.” Logan reached for the handle-

“WAIT!” Roman cried out, his voice shrill and high-pitched as three heads whirling around to meet his terrified expression. Roman gulped, still frightened of their reactions but knowing he had made the right decision. It was better they looked down on him forever if it meant they stayed safe.

Still, having three giants focused on him was nothing to sneeze at- even with all his pomp and circumstance, Roman found himself continuing to huddle against the top of the wardrobe, knowing the jig was up.

“…Roman?” Patton called out, his voice softer than it had ever been. “Is that you?”

Roman winced. “Yeah, it’s… it’s me.”

He was thankful for his high vantage point, but he knew that if the others wanted to get him down it would be an easy enough task. He might be able to fly, but there were three of them for goodness sakes. At this size, a butterfly net could overpower him.

Roman groaned at the imagery, trying to get these thoughts out of his head. Why was he so frightened of the people he loved? Sure they were bigger now- er, he was smaller now- but they still had to care a little bit for him… right? Logan wouldn’t really pin him to a board and Patton wouldn’t really squeeze the life out of him and wow these images really need to stop right now get a GRIP, Princey!

“Are you harmed?” Logan asked, his question surprising the creative side. Logan was often ignorant to other’s state of being.

“Just my pride.” Roman admitted.

Virgil quirked an eyebrow, but it lacked its usual sass. His expression was more shaken than it should be, and the emo looked paler than usual. “Care to tell us what’s going on?”

Not really. Roman wanted to say, but he knew it was too late to back out now.

“Will you come down from there, Kiddo?” Patton took a step forward, cupping his palms and looking ready to catch Roman. He gazed at those hands for a minute, contemplating the risk before he fluttered down to stand in Patton’s palms. This action earned a series of gasps as his wings had previously gone unnoticed.

“It was the Dragon Witch.” Roman admitted, rubbing at his arm self-consciously. “She cursed me to take this form.”

“So, you’ve just been hiding up here all alone?” Patton looked just about ready to cry. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I didn’t want you all to think any lesser of me.” Roman ran a hand through his hair. “I know you all think of me as foolish already, and I thought- if you knew how much I failed, that would just be used against me as well. I’m not the protector I pretend to be. I’ve tried to hide this from you because look at me now! A few inches tall and wings on my back like some laughable child cartoon character. I couldn’t stand the mockery on top of everything else.”

“Roman, that is preposterous.” Logan said firmly, earning an elbow to the side from Virgil that didn’t stop the nerd from continuing. “Regardless of your current stature, you are a core element of Thomas’ personality. We require your input. We function best as a cohesive team. Sharing information about your own struggles will only better us as a unit because we will be better equipped to assist you.”

“The nerd’s right.” Virgil rubbed the back of his neck, looking guilty. “Jeez, Princey, I mean… I know we call each other names, but I don’t mean anything by it. I just thought that was our thing. I’m not gonna mock you when you’re clearly hurting, that’d just be cruel.”

“Failure is normal, kiddo.” Patton reached his thumb up, rubbing it comfortingly along Roman’s side. The sensation was strange, but not unpleasant. “Just because you failed once doesn’t mean you’re a failure.”

Roman winced. “Ah, actually, it’s… it’s more than once.” The words began to spill out of him, gaining momentum. “I lose to her so often, she always has the upper hand and it’s never the same curse and I keep hiding them from you but they only last a day and this one hasn’t stopped and I don’t know what to do and I’m going to be tiny and useless forever-“

“OY!” Virgil’s shout made Roman flinch again, and the anxious side had the decency to look sheepish. “…sorry. But you need to cut it out. Panicking is my thing.”

“Roman, it doesn’t matter if you’ve failed a hundred, trillion, billion times.” Patton corrected his wording.

“That’s not statistically possible.” Logan looked confused.

“You will never be a failure in our eyes.” Patton insisted. “You are brave, and kind, and lovable, and you bring so much to the table every single day. We couldn’t do it without you, Kiddo. And even at this size you’re the same amazing Prince we know and love. You’re just… a pocket prince now!”

“Roman, I admit that curses are not my area of expertise.” Logan adjusted his glasses. “But, I believe that with our efforts combined, there is certain to be a way to reverse these effects, especially given the knowledge the previous curses all took time to wear off.”

“Let us help you.” Virgil said, his tone bordering on pleading.

Roman looked around at his family. His fantastic, brilliant, amazing family. How could he have not trusted them with this? Of course they wouldn’t see him as lesser, just because of a small curse. His failures were not what defined him.

“Okay.” Roman agreed, feeling nearly overwhelmed with the love he had for them all.

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the-desolated-quill · 5 years ago

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Fearful Symmetry - Watchmen blog

(SPOILER WARNING: The following is an in-depth critical analysis. if you haven’t read this comic yet, you may want to before reading this review)

Do you know what’s my favourite thing about Watchmen? Even when offering damning criticism about superhero archetypes and America’s corruption, it never loses sight of the average joe. And that’s what Fearful Symmetry is all about.

Fearful Symmetry explores the fallout (get it?) after Doctor Manhattan has left Earth, exploring how regular American citizens react to the news that Russia has invaded Afghanistan and that the chances of total nuclear annihilation has increased exponentially. We see the news vendor and the comic reading kid again, which means we get more snippets from Tales Of The Black Freighter. I would love to know how Moore came up with the idea of having Black Freighter interspersed throughout the novel to provide poetic irony. I know some readers don’t really care for it, but I personally really like it. Not only does it give us some nice bit of info about this alternative America, it also highlights specific themes at play within a particular issue’s narrative (as well as foreshadowing what will happen in issues to come. Wink, wink).

In the Black Freighter storyline, the unnamed pirate captain has used the corpses of his crew to make a raft in the hopes of getting back home. We also see him eat some seagulls and kill a shark. Lovely. Now for those who have read the graphic novel and know what happens at the end, this serves as a really sneaky reference to what happens in the final issue, but we’ll talk about that when we come to it. For now lets concentrate on how it relates to this issue. America is in a state of paranoia and turmoil. Their superhuman nuclear deterrent is gone and Cold War tensions are increasing exponentially. It’s getting more and more likely that World War Three is going to happen. So what do people do? Some resort to their baser instincts, such as the man who kills his daughters because the youngest said “Wah,” which he mistook for ‘war’ during a moment of intense hysteria. Others, like Joey, are trying to make the best of it. Joey asks the news vendor to hang her poster promoting a benefit gig for ‘Gay Women Against Rape.’ The news vendor was first introduced to us as a brash and somewhat bigoted old fart, and though he does make a snide remark about Joey, he still hangs the poster up for her, presumably for the same reason he let the kid have the comic for free. Life’s too short. We also see the otherwise timid Dan make a move on Laurie, inviting her to stay at his house now that Manhattan is out of the picture. The point is, like the pirate captain, people’s morals and priorities are changing in response to a sense of impending doom. The pirate captain, a once respectable gentleman, has been reduced to using his dead crew as floats for his raft and snatching seagulls out of the air for food. In the interests of survival he’s changed to the point where he no longer recognises himself.

The attack of the sharks could also be symbolic of what happens with Adrian Veidt. An assassin tries to kill him, but is violently stopped before taking a cyanide capsule to avoid talking. There’s the obvious parallel you can make about how the assassin is the shark and Adrian is the prey, but considering what happens in the issues to come, it could also be seen as a subtle hint that this assassination isn’t quite how it first appears. The sharks were drawn to the captain’s raft because of the corpses. Is Adrian really just an innocent victim here? Could he have somehow done something to bring the assassin to him? Hmmmm....

Very quickly I just want to say that I love how the assassination is played out. Obviously there’s the composition where the beginning and the end of the issue match each other symmetrically throughout, culminating in this beautiful two page spread:

But also I’m impressed with how Alan Moore is able to keep his cards close to his chest and not give the game away too soon. Yes this is a dramatic moment, but it doesn’t appear to be that significant on a first reading. When I first read it, I just assumed this assassination was a response to the growing hysteria surrounding the Cold War. I never thought it would come back to bite us on the arse in the last issue, but now I’m getting ahead of myself.

Another possible parallel could be with what happens to Rorschach. The two detectives from the first issue are given a tip regarding his location with the use of the code phrase ‘raw shark.’ Admittedly not very subtle, but the symbolism works regardless. Rorschach is the only one investigating this hypothetical ‘mask killer’ just as the pirate captain is the only one who can warn his family of the impending arrival of the Black Freighter, but their plans are scuppered thanks to the sharks.

Ah yes, now lets talk about Rorschach because we get a lot of new information about him in this issue. A significant portion of Fearful Symmetry is told from his first person perspective, accompanied by another excerpt from his journal. What I find particularly interesting is how Rorschach views himself. Secret identities are a very common superhero trope, but Rorschach takes it a step further, claiming that his vigilante persona is his true self while his civilian getup is his ‘disguise.’ He even goes as far as to refer to the Rorschach mask as ‘his face.’ This links back to what I was saying about the first issue where I compared Rorschach to Moon Knight. He’s so psychotically obsessed with vengeance and his absolute morality that he has no other life outside of Rorschach. Everything he does feeds back into his primary mission. Punishing criminals in increasingly violent ways. It’s pretty disturbing and not something superhero stories tend to explore. Daredevil and Batman might come close, but they’re always viewed as being noble men doing what’s necessary to save their city. Rorschach, however, is far from noble. Remember, he flat out admitted in At Midnight, All The Agents that he has no interest in saving people. He just wants to hurt those he believes deserves to be hurt, often for relatively minor crimes. The ex-supervillain Moloch has his fingers broken and then gets shoved into the fridge just because he possesses illegal prescription drugs and an unlicensed firearm, which, yeah, is very naughty of him, but he’s not actually hurting anyone. Does he really deserve the same harsh punishment as an attempted rapist or a murderer? Does the attempted rapist or the murderer deserve such a harsh punishment, come to that?

As I said before, this is a sick power fantasy for him, which the end of Fearful Symmetry confirms conclusively when Rorschach is arrested. He wears elevated shoes to appear taller and puts on a rough voice to sound more intimidating than he actually does. It’s revealed that Rorschach is in fact the homeless man carrying the ‘The End Is Nigh’ sign we’ve seen throughout the novel.

This was such a good twist. I honestly didn’t see it coming the first time I read it, and I love how Alan Moore throws you off the scent. Rorschach’s speech bubbles are wavy and he speaks in broken sentences without pronouns, whereas the homeless man has normal speech bubbles and speaks in fuller, more complete sentences. It’s great misdirection and the reveal is wonderfully executed. Plus it makes total sense. He’s the only background character to appear in major plot relevant scenes, which explains where Rorschach gets his information, and who’s going to suspect a homeless man of being a superhero?

There’s a lot more to discuss about Rorschach, but I’ll save that for the next issue, which explores his origins in great detail. For now, lets end by saying Fearful Symmetry is a gripping read that utilises its structure and narrative to great effect.

#fearful symmetry #watchmen #alan moore #dave gibbons #dc comics #review #spoilers

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chicagoindiecritics · 5 years ago

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New from Every Movie Has a Lesson by Don Shanahan: MOVIE REVIEW: Jojo Rabbit

(Photo by Kimberly French courtesy of 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Special Presentation of the 55th Chicago International Film Festival

JOJO RABBIT— 5 STARS

There is a little recurring action, a motif if you will, in Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit that surrounds tying someone else’s shoes. Think for a moment on the intentions behind that little gesture for a moment. Damn near like Christ washing his Apostles’ feet on Good Friday, the act of knotting those troublesome laces is like a bow to lower yourself for someone else. The purpose is to provide soft stability and firm strength for those in need at the place where their feet meet the stalwart steps of their fate. Patience is asked and used to cancel out tedium. The shoe itself doesn’t matter. It could be clown shoes or combat boots, and the paused shared moment of guidance and comforting safety between the helper and the wearer would be the same.

Those beautiful and gracious moments, slowed way down in between all the hustling hilarity in Jojo Rabbit, let you know exactly where the heart of this movie truly lies underneath the scathing satire. It is in the benevolence of helping people rather than warring with them. The titular young boy needs every ounce of such affection and the combat boots of Waititi’s movie are the clown shoes. Gusto meets gravitas in one of the most oddly poetic and beautifully brazen movies you may ever see.

A wonky version of Fox Searchlight’s logo anthem leads to a breakneck German-language rendition of The Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (talk about a tone-setter) as we meet Johannes “Jojo” Betzler (the debuting Roman Griffin Davis), a ten-year-old who feels ready to become a man. The ladder in front of him to achieve that belonging sense of mettle is a weekend-long Hitler Youth camp alongside his bespectacled bestie Yorki (scene-stealer Archie Yates). With a Meatballs-level of lampoon, the booze-soaked Captain Klenzendork (Oscar winner Sam Rockwell) and dryly brutal Fräulein Rahm (Rebel Wilson) instruct these girls and boys in the proper indoctrination necessary to fit in.

LESSON #1: BE THE RABBIT — Between the finer points of killing and grenade safety, the training goal is clear. When Jojo won’t snap the neck of a rabbit, he is teased, branded as a fearful coward, and gets sidelined as a gopher and office helper. The symbolism of a rabbit is brave, witty, sneaky, and strong. All of those desirable qualities are present, yet undeveloped in Johannes.

Based on Christine Leunens’ novel “Caging Skies,” all of Jojo Rabbit is presented through this child’s point of view. Molding Jojo’s impressionable moral clay are two presences, one positive and the other toxic. The most well-meaning is his mother Rosie, played Scarlett Johansson. She is a progressive woman challenging the Nazi status quo and secretly hiding a teenage Jewish girl named Elsa (Thomasin Mackenzie of Leave No Trace) in the attic. Rosie’s advice always brims with encouraging alacrity. Between this and the upcoming Marriage Story, seeing Johansson play a mother is nothing short of an emotional epiphany. This is a side of her that we’ve never seen.

The more damaging voice comes from Jojo’s zealous imaginary friend, the führer himself Adolf Hitler. Played with pure camp by writer-director Taika Waititi, his uncouth false god is a cheerleader of cruelty. No joke is off-limits for his apparition of atrocity. Waititi’s maniacal manifestation is an absolute hoot. For Jojo, Hitler is an idol that is difficult to deny or disbelieve.

LESSON #2: WHEN ACTUALITY HITS — Using the word “reality” in this comical setting is leaping too far. Stick with actuality instead and just look at the objects and actions. Knives hurt people. Grenades explode. Soldiers die. War destroys. Germans are fallible. Jews are regular people too. When the wrongs and horrors of war arrive, the movie shifts. Jojo Rabbit swells and elevates beyond farce with this actuality.

LESSON #3: LEARNING EMPATHY — Rosie motivates love and soothes Jojo’s fears and misguided ambition, but the kinship with Mackenzie’s Elsa is what transforms hearts. Her character is never made the victim and that’s a beautiful, confident condition to maintain. Befriending the trapped refugee grows the boy’s sympathies, sheds misconceptions, and cleanses away the dirty propaganda spewing from the invisible Hitler and his very visible followers of the Third Reich. A kid pushes aside fake devotion to see how every life and its innocence matter.

Every wholesome peak and harrowing valley of Jojo Rabbit is crafted with equal parts panache and tenacity. What begins as crass caricature becomes crystalized constitution. One moment you’re yukking it up to some off-color humor and minutes later you’re wondering if there’s dust in your eye. If this is not the eventual winner for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, start a new boycott. The tonal balancing act written by Waititi is astounding and imaginative. The movie’s enriching third act builds one of the best crescendos of recent memory, all ending on a quaint dance that stands in staunch comparison to that opening Beatlemania.

The filmmaking artists around the writer and director follow his tottering pendulum with their own dexterity and excellence. Cinematographer Mihai Mălaimare Jr. (The Master) dabbles with speed and framing akin to a Wes Anderson film only to linger or skew angles and placements just enough to equal all the weird whimsy on display. The same came be said for the soundtrack. Cheeky song inclusions are equaled by composer Michael Giacchino’s orchestral hops between Jojo’s theme of precocious patriotism and a genteel nocturne for Rosie.

LESSON #4: EVERY WAR FILM IS AN ANTI-WAR FILM IN DISGUISE — There is a bigger purpose afoot in Taika Waititi’s movie and it’s this lesson. Yes, there is a premise here which gleefully jokes without boundaries, but the formative goals of pro-peace and anti-hate could not be more clear. To dig deep and evoke optimism out of both present and past anxiety, Waititi borrows this existential bit of poetry written by Pre-Nazi German writer Rainer Maria Rilke to frame his film:

Let everything happen to you

Beauty and terror

Just keep going

No feeling is final

If that citation doesn’t nail the filmmaker’s desire and respectful sentiment through all the wit and irony, nothing will.

LOGO DESIGNED BY MEENTS ILLUSTRATED (#835)

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tranxendance · 6 years ago

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So about Golden Kamuy...

The story is ongoing, although the anime is over for the season, but surely there will be another season in the future, so I won’t give my full thoughts review-style yet. Instead, something i’ve noticed about the characters that i’m sure is intentional but I don’t know enough about eastern symbolism to have figured it all out yet.

You see, I noticed that, after I made the ‘Surrounded by Bears’ post to be a funny fucker, that wait, actually most of the main characters do represent animals in some way. The most obvious one, I think, is Sugimoto. Notably tenacious, strong and fierce, fights hardest when backed into a corner. Even the scars on his body and his striped scarf sort of resemble a tiger’s stripes.

Just look at this fucker.

Which would mean the ‘escape king’, often comic relief Shiraishi is a monkey. His hair and sideburns and big ears kind of look capuchin-like.

Tanigaki is probably representing a bear, which is symbolically the animal spirit that takes you to the afterlife in Ainu mythology. Also he’s big and burly and buff and hairy, so the gay body-presentation term works the same exact way.

Inkarmat is the one I actually figured out first, since she looks like a classic representation of a fox in human disguise, in Japanese fiction. Plus her fortune-telling is based around that fox jawbone she’s got.

There’s others I haven’t quite figured out yet. Ogata seems to be a different kind of large cat. Something like a panther, that’s sneaky and attacks from the trees? Plus the scars on his cheeks and his eyes make him look cat-like, but I don’t think a panther would fit in with the otherwise very Japanese set of animal mythology.

And there’s more I haven’t figured out or might not fit in with this scheme, but I had to get this out of my head somehow!

#golden kamuy #gk #feel free to add on to this or respond if you have theories #or if you know more about japanese and ainu mythology than me!#long post

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twdmusicboxmystery · 6 years ago

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Robert Kirkman. What's your opinion on him? And do you think he likes Beth and Daryl the popular non CB characters? I know he's a troll so I don't pay him much mind, but I wonder where he stands in bethyl. I think I heard he doesn't care for them together or something and that he killed CB Andrea in response to bethyl? If so then I hope he doesn't have much control over the show. SG and AK are bethylers I believe.

My opinion of Kirkman is probably more positive than most TD-ers. I know he’s said some things that have come across as very insensitive to Beth and TD over the years. Personally, I don’t think he hates us or her character at all. Has he said some negative things? Yes. Can he come across as insensitive and troll-ish, as you said? Definitely. But I believe that it’s about throwing everyone off the track. I think he’s doing his job and trying to confuse everyone so no one can pin down what the plan is.

Let me give you an example. Kirkman famously said the thing about how Beth and Daryl didn’t miss out on some big romance because she died. That SOUNDED like he was saying there was no romance between them. But we can all tell there was, so it’s a ridiculous insinuation anyway. Of course certain haters picked up his statement and ran with it, which is annoying, and made most Bethylers and TDers hate Kirkman for saying it.

Then, not long after that, they did the panel where someone asked Norman if Beth and Daryl would have gotten together romantically if she hadn’t been shot. He replied, “there was a taste of it in the air.” That may not be a confirmation of Beth’s return, but it’s a confirmation of the romance between them, which is a direct contradiction of what Kirkman said.

I believe tptb put conflicting information out their on purpose to generate buzz and throw people off the track. I think they’re behind most of the click bait articles–you know, the ones that have claimed Daryl will die every year since S3?–and that they were behind the Donnie craze this season. Kirkman is the one who most often says things that SEEM to shut the idea of Bethyl down. I think he’s taken that role on himself for the sake of keeping things secret, or maybe because Gimple asked him to.

As for my TD conspiracy theories, I don’t think Kirkman meant with this statement that there was no romance there. As with most things anyone close to the show says about Beth, I think they choose their words carefully and then sit and cackle evilly in an office somewhere because they know they’ve confused or misdirected the audience. I think Kirkman secretly meant that Bethyl wouldn’t miss out on a major romance, because he knew she’d return several years later and the romance would come then. What he said was sneaky, and insinuated something, but wasn’t a direct confirmation of anything. All his statements can and should be interpreted in this light.

And what about his Beth is Sophia 2.0 line? He didn’t mean that Daryl thought of Beth as a child. Think about all the symbolism we’ve analyzed, specifically the Missing Girl theme. He wasn’t making a statement about Beth and Daryl’s relationship. He was pointing us toward the symbolism and the circular arcs. Which in itself shows that he’s totally in on the big picture and is referencing it with these seemingly negative statements.

So anyway, sorry for the long ramble. While I completely understand that sometimes what Kirkman says can be frustrating because the haters ALWAYS run with it, try to look at his statements in the big picture of things and what he might be trying to convey vs. how most of the fandom is interpreting that. I can’t hate the dude. I think he’s doing his job and, quite frankly, he’s doing it pretty well. Let’s face it: even though the writers leave symbols and Easter eggs for us to find, they probably get annoyed with TD sometimes. We catch pretty much everything eventually (we think 😉), constantly shout about Beth’s return from the rooftops and never shut up about it.

Oh, and to answer your final question, even if I’m completely off base here and Kirkman really does hate Beth’s character, he has absolutely no say about what happens in the show. His arena is the comics and I think they use him as a kind of consultant. They’re constantly deviating from the CBs in whatever way they want. Gimple is in charge of the show, not him. (Yet another reason I think his statements are calculated. He couldn’t say any of this stuff without the approval of the tptb, just like all the actors and anyone else associated with the show.) I just personally believe he’s 100% on board and plays the game and does and says exactly what Gimple tells him to. Just my opinion, though.

Hope that helps! Xoxo! 💖

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

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inkyardpress · 6 years ago

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20 Paperbacks to add to your TBR

Real talk: we can all agree hardcovers make for gorgeous collectors’ items, but there are times when only a paperback will do. They’re easier on the wallet, way more portable for reading on the go and they’re easy to conceal (oh, say, for some sneaky reading during family functions). Here are 20 new and upcoming paperbacks we wouldn’t want to live without:

The Black Witch by Laurie Forest

Powerful magic. A deadly legacy. A world at the edge of war.

Evil looms on the horizon, and for Elloren Gardner, granddaughter of the last Black Witch, pressure to live up to her magical heritage is building. Elloren’s people, the Gardnerians, believe she will follow in her grandmother’s footsteps. But Elloren is utterly devoid of power—in a society that prizes magical ability above all else.

Granted the opportunity to study at the prestigious Verpax University, Elloren sets out to embrace a destiny of her own, free from the shadow of her grandmother’s legacy. But the university may be the most treacherous place of all for the granddaughter of the Black Witch, and Elloren soon realizes that the world she knows is not what it seems. If she is to survive the coming danger, she’ll have to free her mind from the assumptions she was raised with, and learn to trust the very people she’s been taught to hate and fear.

Add The Black Witch to your Goodreads Shelf!

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

The first day of senior year:

Everything is about to change. Until this moment, Sal has always been certain of his place with his adoptive gay father and their loving Mexican-American family. But now his own history unexpectedly haunts him, and life-altering events force him and his best friend, Samantha, to confront issues of faith, loss, and grief.

Suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and discovering that he no longer knows who he really is—but if Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he?

Add The Inexplicable Logic of My Life to your Goodreads Shelf!

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadow.

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, Enne has only one lead: the name Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn't have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne's offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless Mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi's enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city…

And she’ll need to play.

Add Ace of Shades to your Goodreads shelf!

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Secret Identities. Extraordinary Powers. She wants vengeance. He wants justice.

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies — humans with extraordinary abilities — who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone... except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice — and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.

Add Renegades to your Goodreads shelf!

Runebinder by Alex R. Kahler

Magic is risen.

When magic returned to the world, it could have saved humanity, but greed and thirst for power caused mankind's downfall instead. Now once-human monsters called Howls prowl abandoned streets, their hunger guided by corrupt necromancers and the all-powerful Kin. Only Hunters have the power to fight back in the unending war, using the same magic that ended civilization in the first place.

But they are losing.

Tenn is a Hunter, resigned to fight even though hope is nearly lost. When he is singled out by a seductive Kin named Tomás and the enigmatic Hunter Jarrett, Tenn realizes he's become a pawn in a bigger game. One that could turn the tides of war. But if his mutinous magic and wayward heart get in the way, his power might not be used in favor of mankind.

If Tenn fails to play his part, it could cost him his friends, his life…and the entire world.

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(Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation About Mental Health edited by Kelly Jensen

Who’s Crazy?

What does it mean to be crazy? Is using the word crazy offensive? What happens when such a label gets attached to your everyday experiences?

In order to understand mental health, we need to talk openly about it. Because there’s no single definition of crazy, there’s no single experience that embodies it, and the word itself means different things—wild? extreme? disturbed? passionate?—to different people.

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy is a conversation starter and guide to better understanding how our mental health affects us every day. Thirty-three writers, athletes, and artists offer essays, lists, comics, and illustrations that explore their personal experiences with mental illness, how we do and do not talk about mental health, help for better understanding how every person’s brain is wired differently, and what, exactly, might make someone crazy.

If you’ve ever struggled with your mental health, or know someone who has, come on in, turn the pages, and let’s get talking.

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The First to Know by Abigail Johnson

Dana Fields's father never knew his parents. When Dana secretly does a DNA test for her dad, hoping to find him some distant relatives for his birthday, her entire world implodes. Instead of a few third cousins, Dana discovers a half brother her age whose very existence means her parents' happy marriage is a lie.

Dana's desire to know her half brother, Brandon, and the extent of her dad's deception, clashes with her wish not to destroy her family. When she sees the opportunity to get to know Brandon through his cousin, the intense yet kind Chase, she takes it. But the more she finds out about Brandon, her father's past and the irresistible guy who'll never forgive her if he discovers the truth, the more she sees the inevitable fallout from her own lies. With her family crumbling around her, Dana must own up to her actions and find a way to heal the breach—for everyone—before they're torn apart for good.

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The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

On Christmas Eve five years ago, Holly was visited by three ghosts who showed her how selfish and spoiled she'd become. They tried to convince her to mend her ways.

She didn't.

And then she died.

Now she's stuck working for the top-secret company Project Scrooge--as the latest Ghost of Christmas Past.

Every year, they save another miserly grouch. Every year, Holly stays frozen at seventeen while her family and friends go on living without her. So far, Holly's afterlife has been miserable.

But this year, everything is about to change. . .

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Someone to Love by Melissa de la Cruz

Constantly in the spotlight thanks to her politician father's rising star, Olivia Blakely feels the pressure to be perfect. As the youngest girl in her class, she tries hard to keep up and to seem mature to the older boy she's crushing on, even as she catches his eye. But the need to look good on camera and at school soon grows into an all-consuming struggle with bulimia.

As Liv works toward her goal of gaining early admission to art school, including taking part in an upcoming student show, her life spirals out of control. Swept up in demands to do more than she's ready for, to always look perfect and to succeed, Liv doesn't know who she is anymore. It will take nearly losing her best friend and even her life for Liv to learn that loving herself is far more important than earning the world's approval.

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The Wicker King by K. Ancrum

When August learns that his best friend, Jack, shows signs of degenerative hallucinatory disorder, he is determined to help Jack cope. Jack’s vivid and long-term visions take the form of an elaborate fantasy world layered over our own—a world ruled by the Wicker King. As Jack leads them on a quest to fulfill a dark prophecy in this alternate world, even August begins to question what is real or not.

August and Jack struggle to keep afloat as they teeter between fantasy and their own emotions. In the end, each must choose his own truth.

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Oh My Goth by Gena Showalter

A note from Jade Leighton’s journal

Years ago, a tragic accident robbed me of my mother and emotions. Because I find beauty in darkness and thrive outside social norms, I’ve been labeled a “freak” at school. I know my continued apathy hurts my loved ones, but I’m not about to change. Nothing will ever hurt me again.

Then I wake up in an alternate reality…and everything else has changed. Goth is in. I’m considered cool, and my archenemy—the formerly popular Mercedes—is the freak. But my real friends won’t talk to me...and the new boy is getting under my skin. As my world spins out of control, I’m desperate to return to normal. But the more time that passes, the less I’m sure what “normal” really is.

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Stealing Snow by Danielle Page

Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent her life locked in Whittaker Psychiatric—but she isn’t crazy. And that’s not the worst of it. Her very first kiss proves anything but innocent…when Bale, her only love, turns violent.

Despite Snow knowing that Bale would never truly hurt her, he is taken away—dashing her last hope for any sort of future in the mental ward she calls home. With nowhere else to turn, Snow finds herself drawn to a strange new orderly who whispers secrets in the night about a mysterious past and a kingdom that’s hers for the taking—if only she can find her way past the iron gates to the Tree that has been haunting her dreams.

Beyond the Tree lies Algid, a land far away from the real world, frozen by a ruthless king. And there too await the River Witch, a village boy named Kai, the charming thief Jagger, and a prophecy that Snow will save them all.

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Our Own Private Universe by Robin Talley

Fifteen-year-old Aki Simon has a theory. And it's mostly about sex.

No, it isn't that kind of theory. Aki already knows she's bisexual—even if, until now, it's mostly been in the hypothetical sense. Aki has dated only guys so far, and her best friend, Lori, is the only person who knows she likes girls, too.

Actually, Aki's theory is that she's got only one shot at living an interesting life—and that means she's got to stop sitting around and thinking so much. It's time for her to actually do something. Or at least try.

So when Aki and Lori set off on a church youth-group trip to a small Mexican town for the summer and Aki meets Christa—slightly older, far more experienced—it seems her theory is prime for the testing.

But it's not going to be easy. For one thing, how exactly do two girls have sex, anyway? And more important, how can you tell if you're in love? It's going to be a summer of testing theories—and the result may just be love.

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They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today.

Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure—to live a lifetime in a single day.

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Four Weeks, Five People by Jennifer Yu

Obsessive-compulsive teen Clarissa wants to get better, if only so her mother will stop asking her if she's okay.

Andrew wants to overcome his eating disorder so he can get back to his band and their dreams of becoming famous.

Film aficionado Ben would rather live in the movies than in reality.

Gorgeous and overly confident Mason thinks everyone is an idiot.

And Stella just doesn't want to be back for her second summer of wilderness therapy.

As the five teens get to know one another and work to overcome the various disorders that have affected their lives, they find themselves forming bonds they never thought they would, discovering new truths about themselves and actually looking forward to the future.

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Mirror Mirror by Cara Delevigne and Rowan Coleman

Friend. Lover. Victim. Traitor.

When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

Sixteen-year-old friends Red, Leo, Rose, and Naomi are misfits; still figuring out who they are and who they want to be. Life isn't perfect, but music brings them together, and they are excited about what the future holds for their band, Mirror, Mirror. That is until Naomi vanishes before being pulled unconscious out of the river.

She's left fighting for her life in a coma. The police claim it was a failed suicide attempt, but her friends aren't convinced. Will Naomi ever wake up? What - or perhaps who - led her to that hospital bed? And how did Red, the self-styled protector of the group, fail to spot the warning signs?

While Rose turns to wild partying and Leo is shrouded by black moods, Red sets out to uncover the truth. It's a journey that will cause Red's world to crack, exposing the group's darkest secrets. Nothing will ever be the same again, because once a mirror is shattered, it can't be fixed.

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The Ravenous by Amy Lukavics

From the outside, the Cane family looks like they have it all. A successful military father, a loving mother and five beautiful teenage daughters. But on the inside, life isn't quite so idyllic: the Cane sisters can barely stand each other, their father is always away, and their neglectful mother struggles with addiction and depression.

When their youngest and most beloved sister, Rose, dies in a tragic accident, Mona Cane and her sisters are devastated. And when she is brought back from the dead, they are relieved. But soon they discover that Rose must eat human flesh to survive, and when their mother abandons them, the sisters will find out just how far they'll go to keep their family together.

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Bad Girls with Perfect Faces by Lynn Weingarten

When I looked up, his smile was wide and real. “Ready?” he said.

I faked a smile back. I had gotten so good at faking things.

I thought: You brought this on yourself, Sasha. You will have to pretend forever now. He squeezed my hand again. He couldn’t begin to imagine what this actually was. He had no idea what I’d done. What any of us had.

When Sasha’s best friend Xavier gets back together with his cheating ex, Ivy, Sasha knows she needs to protect him. So she poses as a guy online to lure Ivy away.

But Sasha’s plan goes sickeningly wrong. And she soon learns to be careful of who you pretend to be because you might be surprised by who you become…

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Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she's just Andi, their friend and fearless leader.

But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder's all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi's past.

Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two.

Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their shipor just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.

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Dumplin’: Movie Tie-in Edition by Julie Murphy

Soon to be a movie from Netflix—featuring Jennifer Aniston, Danielle Macdonald, Dove Cameron and others, as well as a soundtrack from Dolly Parton!

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

Add Dumplin’ to your Goodreads shelf!

#paperback books #ya books #ya reads #bookworm #book recommendations

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letstraveltoorion · 6 years ago

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Why a story about Master of Orion? (Part 2)

2018-09-10

Although I explained why I’ve decided to do a story on Master of Orion, I’ve never really explained the reasons behind that story. Reasons that are both complexes and quite nebulous in some area.

First, I must admit this is not my first attempt at writing. For as long as I remembered, I’ve tried very hard to come up with a story. Usually, those attempts were basically my take a story I liked and spines it my way. Today, I recognized those failed attempts as trial runs for a story one day I will write. Some of these failed starts were based on Yoko Tsuno (French Graphic novels), Robotech (my favourite setting), Battletech, Jovian Chronicles, Heavy Gear and others. All of them grandiose in my mind … all of them, except maybe one, were sent to oblivion.

To be frank, I’ve lost faith in my abilities to come up with a good story. I keep dreaming but I never come up with anything … worth writing for. That is, until a couple of years ago … sometimes in 2016, I stumble upon “the dialogue”!

The Seed

One particular weekend of 2016, not fully awake yet, I surprised myself imagining a conversation between two entities in regard of a third party. It went like this:

“They’re courageous and clever … maybe we should help them a bit?”

“No!” Responded the second being. “Leave them! They are below our considerations, not worth our energies.”

“Really?” interjected the first being, “I notice they have mastered the primary basic of nuclear energy, and they have managed to build a starship to travel beyond their solar system…”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Protested the other one. “Giving enough resources, time and a good dose of luck, any animals could develop nuclear weapons and build starships! It doesn’t mean they have reached enlightenment at all…”

At this point, I “woke up” with the realization that “I got something! I do not know what it is, but I got something!”

This realization leads me to reflect on our perception of civilizations throughout history and how we “rank” them through their scientific and technological achievements … but then, I came to ask: What if another civilization had “other” criteria’s? How “we” will be judged by “them”? What if a civilization put more value on the philosophical concepts rather than technology? Or how good are we to make the lands fertile and bountiful? Or in a more exotic way, what if they value magic or psi powers?

Sure, I must not be the first one to think about these concepts but, it got me thinking about how I could explore these concepts…

This was the seed for my story.

The Field

Having the seed is one thing, but to explore this seed to its full potential, I needed a canvas, a sandbox, where I could explore and play with it in any way I saw fit. I chose “Master of Orion” mainly because I enjoyed the game and working a story in that setting should to be fun to do. I said “should”, as it turns out much more work than I originally thought. To be honest, Master of Orion is just a frame for my story. A strong and solid frame in where I can weave anything I want. This frame provided me with textures and flavours along with a general guide line or a starting point to depart from.

Since that frame is quite neutral, neither good nor bad, this means for the story I’m writing that it success or failure will rest solely on my shoulders…

Damn! This is pretty heavy.

The Water

Following my original reasoning, I started to gather data to assist me in my world-building process. During that time, I stumble upon two pieces of information that would shape both the type of story I will tell but also the background of the story…. The primordial “spark” if you wish.

The first information was the myth of Orion himself. On how he would hunt and kill every creature of the Earth was stopped by a scorpion sent by the gods and also, on how both were placed in the sky as constellations … the Scorpion forever chasing Orion in the Milky Way.

Now, I’m sure the people at Microprose probably never thought of the full implications in symbolism then when they put out their second game Master of Orion: Battle at Antares. On how this title fit perfectly with the mythology of Orion.

The second information I stumble upon was the fact that Orion was known as Osiris by the ancient Egyptians. This in turn, let me investigate the ancient Egyptian’s myth which proves to be a bountiful as I’ve found many elements I could apply into my story.

As you can see, this is an opportunity way too good to pass up…. Those ancient myths, or at least some part of them, could be used a background source for long past events that shaped the current universe. So, Mythology will be the water of my story; past events have dramatically affected the galaxy and those ramifications are still felt today.

Mythology also gave me a way to study the interaction between the gods and the mortal. Why? Because: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” (Arthur C. Clark). Which means that if mankind has to, one day, deal with a type II or type III civilization (from the Karshev’s Scale), their achievement will look like magic to us and they will probably act like gods toward us.

As water is required for life to grow, I will use mythological tales to infuse life in my story; especially when I have to deal with occurrences that happened thousands of years ago that are still impacting the current events of today.

The Fertilizers

Because a story is, like any other story, a living thing that will grow and evolve as I’m writing it, I will also require some “fertilizer” to help it grow. In this particular case, this will apply to the multitudes of books, novel, comic books and Bandes-dessinnées (French Graphic Novel) I have at my disposal. As I move forward, those books and publications that inspire me for this story will be posted into my Bibliography section of my blog. Also, by reading the description I’ll write about them, you’ll be able to see and understand what part of this specific book or story is fuelling my imagination. But here a few examples:

RPG

Among these sources, you’ll find Role Playing Games (RPG) such as Traveller and 2300 AD, mostly for their world-building materials (very good sources of inspirations). Empire Galactique, one of the rare French RPG by François Nedelec which I love because it gave me a sense of grandeur of what could be a real Galactic Empire. Although the rules are a bit obsolete, its encyclopedia galactica gave me a sets of rules for commerce and judicial systems.

There is also the series Numenéra and their Cypher system by Monte Cook, which include other universe like the Strange, Predations, etc. But Mostly Numenéra because it gave me a visual look of what could be the left-over of a type one or two civilizations. Without their work, my imagination would never have flared up as it did for this project.

But before I go any further, I must also do a special mention to an almost forgotten RPG from TSR (now Wizard of the Coast); the grandfather of the sci-fi genre in the RPG industry… I named Starfrontiers! Launched on the heel of Advanced Donjons & Dragons, perhaps around the same times as Traveller, this game capitalized on the AD&D enthusiasm, this little space opera RPG, although quite cheese by today’s standards, had quite a few details right and to my surprise, can still be relevant today with only a few slight modifications. But what I retain the most from that game was their antagonist: the Sathar! The sathars were an alien race that were enigmatic, sneaky, highly advanced in cybernetic and very deadly … all the marks of a great villain.

There is also the multitude of books of the G.U.R.P.S. by Steve Jackson Games. Due to the intensive research that went into those books, they provided me background or layout on subject I was not familiar with or, like the rest of us, got warped vision of Hollywood and TV shows.

Also, I need to include the multitude universes published by Palladium Books. Their unique take on different subjects was enough to fire my imaginations. Going from their high fantasy world of Paladium World to their post-apocalyptic future of Rifts, and not forgetting their take on the Vietnam War, or the Robotech franchise to their Superhero or super spy genre, every one of them had something to contribute or get inspiration from.

Lastly, I must also include the work of Games Workshop in Warhammer 40,000. Not because of their dystopia future they describe but for the simple fact it was the, maybe not the first, but the most recent example of what it would take to have an Empire on a GALACTIC scale. On that level, their take on the subject is unchallenged and unmatched.

Books and Novels

Other sources of inspiration come from old stories and novels, such as the work of A. E Van Vogt (more specifically the novella “The Monster [a.k.a. Resurrection]” published in 1948. There is also the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs [mostly the Barsoom series] who are still a great source of inspiration for me.

Another writer is Edmond Hamilton who happens to be the writer of one of my childhood hero Capitaine Flam [Captain Future in English]. I didn’t make the link between both of them until a few years back. At the time my favourite story by him was “the Dead Planet”, which I read as part of an anthology. It was when I started to do my research for this current work that I came to the realization of who he was and de facto gave me a greater respect for the man and his work.

Of course, there are many other writers whom I can name here but let just say it will be easier to simply read about them in my Bibliography section of my blog. However, I can’t end this part of my reasoning without talking about one of the most influential piece of science-fiction to me: Perry Rhodan.

Perry Rhodan is a German science-fiction serial novel that started in 1961 and still going strong today. The brainchild of Karl-Herbert Scheer and Clark Darlton, their story started with the first venture of man to the moon and ended up pitching our hero onto a massive galactic background. Right from the beginning, the series had beam weapons, jump drives, teleportation, psychic powers, alien [both humanoid and not], positronic brain, robots, a dying galactic empire, etc. If one thing could define the series, it is the scales of things: EVERYTHING is done on an epic scale. Going from ships that vary between 800 metres and 2.5 km, to planet size arsenal and factories, to engineering on a galactic scale … everything is HUGE. Trust me, what could be a better source of inspiration if you want to do an epic space opera than the grandfather of the genre?

Out of my French side, there are also two little-known writers that I really enjoyed and have influenced my work: Frank Dartal and P.-J. Hérault. Frank Dartal, on which I could barely find any information at all, wrote stories in the 70s and 80s that are still readable by today’s standard … which is quite an achievement if you think about it. The second, P.-J. Hérault, impressed by his profound humanity and his love for flying which he managed to infuse all of his work.

Games

As I mentioned earlier, two games that I plan to use as a source of inspiration and, also I might also include elements of both in my story. The first one is another computer game by Binary System and the other is Galactic Empires, the collective card game by Companion Games.

Starflight … back in the late 80s that game was one of the best in the genre. Part action, part quest, part exploration and part business … but most important, 100 percent fun. Back then, it is quite poetic to have a ship for which you had to hire the right crew and be sent on a mission to find the cause that makes your sun going nova. As you explore the space around you, collecting minerals and clues, meeting aliens and fighting some implacable enemies, until you find the culprit and destroy it. As I said, 100% fun! However, it was in their sequel, Starflight 2, that Binary System lifted the veil on some of the questions that were left unanswered in the first game. Mainly who were the Uhlek and where they came from. This origin story game me the idea of a great antagonist, a Sauron or Galactus type of antagonist that may, one day come to threaten all life in the galaxy, if not the universe itself. Lastly, because the game was so good, I might include some of their alien races in my story. The beauty of it all is that it will mix perfectly to what I want to write and it will not contradict what was already published in Master of Orion. But don’t worry I’m still very far from that goal and I do not even know if I’ll ever reach that point … as it stands right now.

This brings me to the second game: Galactic Empires. This game came out in the wake of Magic the Gathering card game. However, although well thought the game never really took off. However, they had some great ideas in it. Because of this, I intent to use some of them in my story. More specifically things like spatial phenomena, some space creature, a few strange planet and, of course, some alien races. Among those are the Krebiz Capitalist Alliance, the Indirigan Tribes [space nomads] and but not least, the Space Dragons.

What? Space Dragons? Well, since there was a space dragon event in the very first Master of Orion, I thought it could be nice to reintroduce them in my story … but I intent of tweaking them to make them a bit more … galactic!

That said, there are also numerous movies and TV shows that I could name but I need to conclude this so…

In conclusion, the main reason why I’m doing this is to give a canvas for my creativity and a means to keep my sanity. In the last few years, I came to realize that one of the reasons I was not happy at my work was the simple fact that I had no venue for my creativity. The day-to-day work only serves to grind my mind and personality into dust. That if I didn’t do something fast I was running the risk to see my soul die! And because the feeling of being useless and powerless can kill a man as surely as a gun or cyanide would be the main motivation for this story.

I am not looking for fame or fortunes. I just want to write and tell a good story that will entertain you and make you dream a bit… If you like what I wrote and make you want to know more … then I have reached my goal.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Come on board, the journey is about to start and, I hope, it will be amazing.

Alain Vollant.

#Why #Orion #MOO #Writers Notes.

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tumblunni · 7 years ago

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Okay.. like.. man... Shadow of Mordor.. why... why you tease me... There is literally a rival personality in this game that says ‘we are soulmates’ and ‘I didn’t know the human fiend would be this beautiful’ and ‘I savor our moments together’ and talks about having a beautiful spring marriage?? And from the tone of the voiceacting it seems uhh.. rather more likely that all these ambiguously gay orcs are supposed to be there for the ‘funny’ and the ‘eww disgusting i want to kill him even faster’ That’s the intended reaction Somehow Absolutely no intended aspect of ‘oh my god why in the fuck does the engine make me fight this man who wants to smooch my protagonist, what did he ever do wrong’ HOW DID THEY NOT PREEMPT THIS???

seriously its so WEIRD there are like ten different types of ‘friendly rival’ personality that don’t even act like they want to fight and then they fight and at least the regular friendly one has dialogue like ‘ha he’s actually a sneaky bastard who’s just saying he’ll surrender to make you let your guard down’ none of that for the flirtman none of that for the TWO DIFFERENT DIALOGUE SETS OF FLIRTMAN, WITH VARYING DEGREES OF HOMOPHOBIA just A Man Exists And Says You Are Handsome, Now Kill

and like the only reason it’s left in this weird Ambiguous Space Of Maybe Bad Or Not is because well you have to kill everyone else too, and everyone else is also supposed to be comic relief and seen as repulsive and killable but still its really awkward and still I feel SO FRUSTRATED because how the fuck did the developers not think this was endearing!! that it would make people feel bad killing him!! that people would want some sort of alternate option!! involving actual orc marriage!! WHERE IS MY ORC MARRIAGE!!

and also there’s like only two female characters in the entire world, your uncharacterized wife who dies in the prologue just to provide a reason why you kill the orcs, and an equally personalityless love interest for a side character who exists to be damsel in distress sidequest time so like the evidence of protagonist being heterosexual is rather flimsy he has no chemistry with this woman and then she dies immediately and then he goes like 80 hours before even seeing another woman ORC RIVAL MAN HAS SO MUCH MORE CHEMISTRY HOLY SHIT YOU’RE LIKELY TO ENCOUNTER MORE GAY ORCS IN THIS GAME THAN WOMEN

and seriously all the moral questionableness of the damn plot! lots of people have said it better in more detaield reviews but seriously it was a bad choice to give a complex personality engine to the enemies in this game and not the humans. and to have a story entirely based on ‘all orcs are evil so murder them grotesquely’ paired with gameplay that conclusively proves they absolutely aren’t heartless monsters at all. The protagonist is essentially identical to Sauron, he’s just enslaving orcs by mind control instead of like.. recruiting them. Seriously Sauron actually gives them more free will than you! But of couuuurse you don’t enslave HUMANS too, so its fiiiiiiiine....

But anyway I’m bringing that up cos I was thinking about how ORC MARRIAGE would work SO WELL with this plot and could even fix a lot of those problems! Cos like.. what if protagonist’s bloodthirstiness was actually aknowledged? What if he actually noticed that he was becoming just the same as the orcs, in the name of taking revenge on them? And what if instead of enslaving them through magical mind control, it was the logical conclusion of a warrior species respecting him for being like them? You could just win over these different warlords by defeating them in combat! It’s so simple, why didn’t they use that instead!!! And then like... you could have both good and bad orcs. And also factions of the other species too! Fight Sauron’s other minions, and even rogue factions of evil humans/dwarves/elves! And maybe the goal could be to win over the majority of the orcs and get them to leave the dark army and come join the humans, instead of just killing them. You’d be like The Fightin’ Ambassador! And naturally this would all work SUPER WELL if at the same time you were having an amazing classical love story of two men from different countries showing each other the best of both worlds, and joining together in a grand marriage symbolizing the union of the races. AND THERE WOULD BE A GRAND WEDDING AND BUNNI WOULD CRY A LOT

And also this plot could work well with adding a multiple endings aspect? Cos you could totally play it like classical LOTR and just play the orcs against each other and destroy them all, or you could join the dark side and turn against your former bretehren, or you could happy orc marriage neutral peace time. Or maybe another neutral ending that’s more like ‘protagonist fucked off and forgot all about his quest’, lol? You just become a super famous gladiator overlord amoung the orcs, and keep on fighting and boozing forever instead of actually addressing the main plot. Also like.. I don’t know super much about orc worldbuilding in LOTR yet, but wouldn’t it be cool if they were like vikings and norse mythology? i mean, that’s usually the go-to for ‘warrior race’ characters when it’s supposed to be a positive thing. or just in general it would be nice to imagine what fully rounded orc society would be like. What do they do when they’re not fighting? What sort of industries do they have? What are their houses like? What about their cuisine? Their non-battle tailoring? Or is it a big cultural concept to always wear battle gear for boasting rights/to be prepared at all times? Would that affect how they create battlewear, if it has to be comfy enough to wear 24/7? How do things work in an all male society, and also why were they created to be all male anyway? And how is their mythology and religion and stuff affected by the fact they were created? I mean it’s already just interesting enough that they were created by a dark lord yet went off and became a very autonomous society doing all sorts of other stuff for their own reasons.

also WHAT ABOUT ORC MARRIAGE I’m gonna stand by my headcanon of it being intertwined with warrior laws, like ye olde pirate matelotage. And maybe humans kinda see it the same way as that? I.e. something you can do in secret while off adventuring, because its sorta ‘lawless land’. So there might be human LGBT couples who travel to orc lands in order to get married! Big buff orc priests that can carry the entire wedding reception down the aisle! OH OH OH and just imagine orcs as that general ‘warrior race guy but good’ archetype? Like, friendly cuddly big dad who buys a beer for everyone! or the ‘stoic and obsessed with honor’ guy, like a samurai or a paladin. Imagine the whole wide variety of job classes humans get given in fantasy settings, and imagine if other races weren’t just ‘the one singular job guys who all have the same personality’

Also I like to imagine Orc Marriage Guy is the cuddly beer dad version! Maybe a bit like Brian from DDADDS? Like you’d start off having him as your rival in battle, and he seems like a stuck up gary oak guy. But then he gets a big ol giant crush on you when you prove how buff you are. Orc: Ha! I bet you can’t [extremely ridiculous challenge]! Protagonist: *extremely ridiculous challenge* Or: (OH NO HE’S HOTTTT) And it could be cute imagining protagonist being a bit oblivious to it at first, and orc guy being embarassed about expressing his feelings cos of how rude he was at first and all ‘aaaa what if he doesn’t like meeee’. So protag is totally baffled why his rival suddenly starts blushing and runs away at the speed of light. “Come back and fight me, you cur!” Totally thinks this is just ego rivalman making fun of him somehow, starts doing even more Buff Feats of Handsome to prove he’s the strongest, everything spirals into increasingly more blushing. Finally one of the warlord’s underlings is like ‘CMON BOSS, SPIT IT OUT’ and they all get together to arrange a date between the two of you. ten thousand fold army of wingmen! And you end up becoming fire forged pals and then dating and marrying but still being sort of a ‘bash brothers’ kind of thing where you’re a lil competitive but in a nice way? Like you still spar together and go on big adventures together and fight giant dragons and give them as a romantic anniversary gift to your husband. And together you are the most powerful couple in the kingdom! And adopt ten thousand underlings as your new sons. THE END

bunni gets way too invested in headcanons sorry

#bunni plays shadow of mordor #also i know protagonist has a name but i don't know how to spell it #lol

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huntedbyacreature · 8 years ago

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my SWCO highlights

First of all, it was so lovely to meet people I’ve connected with online (@bastila-bae, @vulpeculavincere) in the flesh, see some tumblr friends I’d met up with before (@holocroning, @starwarssuccumbed), and meet other Reylo supporters who have crossed my dash (@cobwebbing, @mnemehoshiko, @theknightsjedi, @judaas, @bensolodefensesquad, @thewayofthetrashcompactor, among others).

Day-by-day highlights and some photos of my Aphra cosplay below the cut.

Thursday, April 13

Watched 40th Anniversary panel livestreamed into one of the overflow stages because I didn’t arrive early enough the night before to make it to the sleepover. I got up at 4 am instead. I hadn’t slept much the past few nights due to work and personal stress. But had I known (or had it been rumored) John Williams would be gracing us with a live performance I would have rearranged my life to be in queue by 7 pm. Even though not all of us made it to the live room, we all received that beautiful limited edition Carrie Fisher tribute poster (an increasingly valuable item on eBay).

Missed the live Ian McDiarmid panel but caught livestream. What a sparkling wit and fine classical talent. Can you believe he’s 72? One of my favorite speakers of all the panelists.

Having learned my lesson, queued up early (5 pm or so) with @vulpeculavincere, @bastila-bae, @holocroning, @starwarssuccumbed and others for the sleepover for the next day’s Last Jedi panel. Navigating the interminable queue was a deathly underworld-like experience but I’m glad I made that journey with such an excellent group and oh, yes, the payoff was well worth it.

Rian Johnson. By now everyone knows about his surprise visit around 11 pm as captured on video and reposted on various media outlets. And what a surprise! You see the camera panning to shocked fans. I had been napping and when I awoke to the megaphone, with Rian Johnson standing right there, I just ... could not believe my eyes and could not function. Was I dreaming? Dazed and then jolted with the dawning realization Rian was just a few feet from where I was a disheveled lump shivering in my sleeping bag in the queue, all I could do was mutter “oh shit oh shit oh shit” under my breath in shock. Later, when Rian was working through a tunnel of fans signing badges and posing for photos (bless him, what a magnanimous gift of four hours of his time), I worked up the nerve to meet him and tell him how much I loved all his films. I’m so grateful for that opportunity.

Friday, April 14

The Last Jedi panel. I was tired and listless that morning. Yet, once in the room, my heart began to race. Thanks to @holocroning and @bastila-bae for enduring my screams and enthused hand-grabbing during the poster reveal and teaser trailer premiere. I’m told my hand squeezing intensified when we got a glimpse of the Jedi Order starbust symbol on the cover of that ancient tome, with its promise of Jedi lore yet to be explored. There were SO MANY HIGHS from this panel, too much to relive here, need to gather my thoughts later. (Now I’m experiencing a sort of post-SWCO comedown after all the endorphins released.)

Post-panel boozing. Also refueling, rehydrating and finally reuniting with a bed after nearly 18 hours on a concrete floor. A nap, to booze again. Of course, the rest of the day also involved obsessively rewatching the trailer and reading the breakdowns and watching the discourse unfold.

Saturday, April 15

Slept in, then dressed up in my Aphra cosplay. (Yes, it was the first time I used any marker on my skin, and I hadn’t thought to apply any fancy tape technique. So my rendition of Aphra’s neuro-hacked arm was rather sloppy.) What was really cool throughout the day was how many people approached me to tell me that Aphra was their new favorite character (in addition to complimenting me and asking for a photo). She’s flawed and messy, a mercenary who looks out for herself and makes some morally questionable choices as opposed to a pure “do the right thing” type, so it’s wonderful that people seem to embrace such a roguish female character. She’s also gay and hits on women in the comics.

One of those people who stopped to ask for a photo, as I was walking around checking out the exhibit hall show floor, offhandedly mentioned he was going to be on the Marvel Comics panel. As my slow mind searched for possibilities, given the only panelists announced were editor Jordan White, writer Charles Soule, and artist Phil Noto, @bastila-bae kindly jumped in to fill in the gap: “You’re Matt Martin, aren’t you?” My jaw dropped and I think I could only manage to repeat his name with a dumbfounded and then mortified look on my face. (Clearly, I have very limited social recovery skills.) Somehow, I expected the Lucasfilm Story Group creative executive, one of the hallowed keepers of the canon who sift out the apocrypha, to look ...older?

Marvel Comics panel. So many exciting projects in the works. For example, the new Vader comic that picks up right after ROTS, or ”Vader Year One” as Charles Soule puts it. Charles thinks of Anakin and Vader as a spectrum and loves “sneaky Sheev” so I’m thrilled someone who can uncover psychologically complex angles is writing this series. Also, coming this May is Screaming Castle, the crossover comic arc that features Luke and Aphra teaming up “on a faraway alien planet and winding up in the clutches of a sinister alien queen”, playing with the gothic fantasy horror genre (which Matt is apparently a big fan of). During the panel, Jordan White asked the Aphras in the room to raise their hands and then picked out another Aphra and me, inviting us to come up to the stage. Then he handed over his iPad with the first issue of Screaming Castle. I was, again, in a state of confusion and shock. “Go on, read it, you can sit over there.” So, during the panel, I got to read Screaming Castle! As I told Jordan after the panel when all the Aphras were invited backstage for a group photo, it was such a treat to get a first look at the comic, especially for Marco Checchetto’s stunning artwork.

Backstage post-panel. Here I am, in close proximity to those who actually know all the secrets (Matt and the Marvel Comics editors) and of course I can’t pester them with my burning questions. Besides, at that moment I’m too overwhelmed (fangirling overload) to formulate any coherent thoughts. I manage to chat a bit with Charles Soule (center photo below). Later on, I see that Matt tweeted the group photo below with the caption “my year is made” (he’s so kind), Marvel Comics editors Jordan White and Heather Antos also posted group photos, and the creator of Aphra himself, Kieron Gillen, retweeted in approval. Same, Matt, my year is made.

Sunday, April 16

This anticlimactic last day was all about slinking back into my usual anonymity, walking around the convention halls observing all the ingenious cosplays, taking it all in. Some Easter Sunday highlights included a Stormtrooper sporting bunny ears walking around with an Easter basket and a Lego Hux cosplayer in pink cap and yellow romper complete with pink ice cream in a cone.

I met another Aphra, who really identified with the character, as a half-Korean, as a gay woman herself (her girlfriend stitched together part of the outfit) and as ...a droid builder! She showed me the BB-8 she built, which was on display in one of the show rooms. Exploring the rooms set up by fans exposed me to a part of the fandom (the crafty guilds of droid builders, helmet and suit fabricators, and other professional quality costume and prop makers) I had never interacted with.

I saw David Collins randomly, at the bottom of the stairwell outside the exhibit hall, and was able to tell him how much I appreciated his Star Wars Oxygen music analyses (given my classical music background).

Generally, across the four days, I was so impressed by the quality and variety of cosplays, the creativity and labor-intensiveness involved. There were mass gatherings of rebel pilots and imperial pilots. Stormtroopers, deathtroopers, snowtroopers, sandtroopers. Plenty of mashups, including sandtroopers in beach outfits. A group of Matt the Radar technicians. KOTOR cosplayers with Darth Revan a popular choice. Elaborately regal Padme cosplays. And of course all the Kylos and Reys. Families of Han, Leia and Kylo. Lots of Rogue One characters as well, including a skillfully wrought Saw Gerrera and several Chirrut and Baze pairs.

This was my first Star Wars Celebration, and I’ve never been to any comic con either, so it was an unparalleled experience for me. Unforgettable, for all the highlights above and more. This fandom ... it’s so much bigger.

#swco #star wars celebration 2017 #personal #aphra cosplay

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