#they’re either words/things in English or other languages typically Latin or Greek

[quibbs126]

So on one hand, it does kind of suck that Elita isn’t allowed to have her pre-Elita name anymore with presumably the Disney copyright issues. Like it’s I assume why she can’t have her origin name in TF One and honestly I feel like she sticks out in that regard

But at the same time, I just have to say

Ariel is just a normal person name. Like that does not sound like a Transformer name to me, that could just be a human character’s name

Sure Orion is also a human name, but I feel like the full name being Orion Pax makes it slightly better? Like adding the Pax part as the second part of his name, it makes it not just sound like a human, at least to me. It’s flimsy but it’s something. And also Orion is the name of a constellation, so slightly more space-y

Ariel meanwhile is just a human name, no two ways about it

Hell, in her original design, she just kind of looks like a robot girl to me, rather than someone able to actually transform into a vehicle

And sure, you can change her spelling to Erial or Aerial to make it less human-like or give it a flight pun, but in the former it’s a bit weak, and in the latter case, while it’s nice and I like it, she isn’t known to turn into a flying vehicle other than her Power of the Primes toy, so it’s also a bit flimsy

I like the idea of Elita having a former self, giving her more parallels to Orion/Optimus, and I’d like to see more spins on this Ariel design, since I think Animated was really the only one to do so, but she’s also stuck with a very non-Transformer sounding name to me

It’s like when I hear there’s a bot called Minerva, though I’ve gotten more used to Ariel at this point. But also from what I can gather on the Wiki, the bot Minerva either is or is named after a human character called Minerva, so she’s got more of an explanation to have a human sounding name, even if that explanation doesn’t carry over continuities

Maybe she needs a new backstory-her name. Granted, I talk all this and I’m not sure what this new name should be. But I think she should have a new name, at least so that the character of Ariel can appear in some way again

[serialreblogger]

technically (nothing good starts with “technically” so i apologize in advance but) what “platonic” typically means in modern parlance isn’t “not sexual,” it’s “not romantic” - like, an ace person who’s married isn’t in a “platonic” relationship with their spouse, and would probably be offended if anyone tried to describe it that way, whereas two people who are having sex with each other but genuinely don’t harbor any romantic feelings will probably fall back on “platonic” as the fastest & easiest way to describe their relationship

the problem is really just that we don’t have enough words in the English language for all the different forms relationships can take. “platonic” means multiple things - there’s the original “pertaining to the philosophy of Plato” definition, which morphed and divided into “pertaining to Ideals” and “pertaining to non-sexual iterations of relationships that would typically be sexualized” (because of how Plato defined the ideal relationship between a teacher and his student; don’t get me started on pederasty right now), and finally has come to mean “pertaining to the specific kind of relationship that is otherwise known as ‘friendship’.” 

when people use “platonic” to mean “non-romantic [but not necessarily non-sexual],” they aren’t using it wrong, per se. They’re just using a more recent definition than “non-sexual relationship that would typically be strictly or primarily sexual.” In modern history, “platonic” has typically been used to refer to non-sexual, non-romantic male/female relationships because non-sexually-motivated interactions are considered unusual enough to merit labelling (the exception, chiefly since the mid-1900s when it became more common to acknowledge same-sex attraction, is when “platonic” is used to assert that same-gender individuals - typically men, because “male deviance” is generally seen as more threatening to social order and thus more strictly controlled - are or were in a relationship that was Not Sexual, and, it is implied, therefore more pure).

The reason “platonic” is beginning to be used specifically for non-romantic relationships, whether or not those relationships are sexual, is because many people find that sex does not do much to define their relationships, whereas the difference between romance and friendship is significant enough to need a name.

it’s easy to see how this can result in confusion, though, and it’s frustrating! outside of the aspec community, there aren’t really any words that in themselves differentiate between romantic feelings and sexual attraction or activity. and it’s not because there’s not a difference: if our society didn’t already recognize the difference between sex and romance, children either would not be allowed to watch Tangled, or they would get to watch 50 Shades of Grey.

the problem is that until very recently, we have been prevented from talking about our non-normative experiences around sexuality, relationships, and gender. it has been actively unsafe for us to acknowledge our non-normative identities, sometimes literally (we all know the manifold risks of physical abuse and even death) and almost always socially (exclusion is an agony unto itself. if it weren’t, we wouldn’t have the Trevor Project).

as a result, we don’t yet have any well-established language with which to discuss those identities and experiences. we have to make do by repurposing the words we already know, or else inventing ones, often made up of combined fragments we can recognize (“demi-” “bi-” “a-” “pan-” “poly-” “-gender,” a scattered inheritance of latin and greek). there are impediments to understanding each other either way, and the need to define and redefine each word over and over to ensure it retains any meaning is constant, and exhausting. (it’s frustrating, how hard it is to communicate; when you’ve been denied the right to your own words.)

there’s also not really a word for the overarching normative dialogue that’s shaped what words we’ve been allowed up to this point; “heteronormativity,” “amatonormativity,” the “sex/gender binary” and “patriarchy” and “slut-shaming” and the expectations around “‘starting a family’ (having children),” and the intersectional bigotry against “miscegenation” - they’re all tied into the same fundamental phenomenon, the same rigid socio-sexual mores that are the inheritance of eurocolonial Christianity; but sometimes i call it “nucleofamilialism,” the enforcement of a nuclear family model with a father and a mother who have All The Correct Parts to biologically produce the Right Amount of children; the model focused on maintaining “the most basic form of social organization,” as Wikipedia puts it: the nuclear family, the nucleus of Western civilization. such as it is.

nucleofamilialism, if you like, is the antithesis of queerness, and the reason Anglo-colonial cultures lack the most basic words to describe relationships, and gender, and social and sexual experiences. we don’t have the words yet to talk about ways of being that fall outside the narrow “one man, one woman, in holy matrimony, destined for parenthood” that has delimited gender and sex and sexuality by force and by violence for centuries.

we’re all just trying to talk to each other. there’ll be misunderstandings, that’s inevitable, but it’s not the fault of the people who are Deviant that we don’t have the language to describe ourselves. we’re making our words up as we go because we don’t have a choice.

all we can do is try to hear what each other’s saying, underneath our halting, imperfect words. all we can do is talk to each other, and hope some of our words stick - hope the kids coming after us will inherit our language, or any language. just so long as they aren’t forced to live in silence.

fellas i dont know how to tell you this but if you're having sex with someone your relationship is not platonic even if you're just friends with benefits it's still sexual and therefore not platonic because platonic literally means not sexual i cant believe some of the things you people make me read

[otapleonehalf]

Defining Anime

What is anime? Before we can define something we have to know what it is we’re defining.

The Entomology of Anime

Remember the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding and how he insisted that every word comes from Greek?

So no one is actually sure where the word “anime” (written in Japanese as: アニメ) actually came from, but there are two main theories.

The first, is that it’s effectively an abbreviation of the English word “animation”.

animation -> animeishiyon -> anime

This is the currently more popular theory. The second theory, which was more popular in the 80s, is that it’s derived from the French word “animé” meaning animated or lively.

animé -> anime

But it doesn’t matter which theory you like because both the English and the French are derived from the same Latin root “anima” meaning spirit. And the Latin is in turn derived from the Greek “anemos” meaning wind.

anemos -> anima -> animation -> animeishiyon -> anime

anemos -> anima -> animé -> anime

So there you go.

Defining Anime

Anime as it’s used in the Japanese language is simply the word for animation, any and all kinds.

But anime as it’s used in the English language is used to refer to animation that originates from Japan.

Look up “anime” in an English dictionary and we get this:

Dictionary definition an·i·me noun: a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic themes. – Merriam Webster Dictionary (2017)

The dictionary definition is obviously just meant for someone who has never heard of anime and has no concept of what it could be. It gives a very generalized idea of what anime is, and isn’t useful to those who specialize in the niche interest.

As a result, English speaking anime fandom has been left to their own devices when it comes to defining the word that describes what it is they’re passionate about.

Defining by Nationality

I want to get this one out of the way. Monty Oum, the director of RWBY, puts it nicely in an interview from 2013:

“Some believe just like Scotch needs to be made in Scotland, an American company can’t make anime. I think that’s a narrow way of seeing it. Anime is an art form, and to say only one country can make this art is wrong.“

It’s not as if only Japanese people are allowed to write haiku or play the biwa. There’s no reason anime should be enforced as an art form that’s dependent on the artist’s citizenship status. So let’s move on to a different method.

Defining by Geography

Animation that was entirely made in Japan and then solely released in Japan may have once been a commonality but contemporary anime is a vaster art form that can’t be pinned to a single point on a map, thanks to globalization. After all as western fans, we’re proof that anime has crossed boarders and expanded beyond Japan.

Many anime are not even physically made in Japan anymore. In 2012, Jonathan Clements estimated a third of the labor for Japanese animation was outsourced outside of Japan and speculates that number has only risen since.

Hand animation for in-betweens and other parts of the animating process are outsourced primarily to South Korea, but also other places like China and India, for the sake of cutting costs. A simple solution many take is to simply insist that only the lead creatives of an animated project must reside in Japan in order for that project to be categorized as anime. Yet there are many examples where none of the projects staff reside in Japan, providing widely accepted exceptions to the idea that anime must be created in Japan.

South Korean animation is included in online anime databases such as MyAnimeList, Anime-Planet and Kitsu. Films that are entirely produced and debut in South Korea like Yobi the Five Tailed Fox, The House and Oseam are counted as anime by the aforementioned sites despite having no apparent connection to Japan.

Simply expanding Japan’s aura to neighboring countries doesn’t tidy things up as one of America’s largest anime conventions has yet to realize.

Otakon tries to take the geography route when defining anime, as in anime music video, for its annual event. Here’s an except from Otakon’s AMV Guidelines via its website in 2017:

“’Anime’ footage is loosely determined by the animation studio that produced the art for the show. If it is an Asian studio, then the footage will likely be allowed. If it is not, then your entry could be disqualified.

Sorry, but by this definition, ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ and ‘The Legend of Korra’ are not ‘anime’ and will be disqualified.

We have to draw the line somewhere.”

Otakon defines anime as animation produced by an Asian studio, ergo making Avatar footage disqualified from its AMV competitions.

But whoever came up with this policy clearly didn’t choose the best wording. The studios responsible for the art and animation of Avatar are DR Movie, JM Animation and MOI Animation which are all South Korean studios. South Korea is an Asian country, ergo Avatar actually fits Otakon’s definition of anime perfectly.

It doesn’t make sense to narrow anime down to animation that was made in Japan, debuts in Japan and intended solely for the Japanese market just so it can be tied down to one spot on the planet. This method isn’t useful when there are anime conceived to cater to overseas markets like Afro Samurai, Space Dandy, and The Big O II which were developed with the intention of airing on American TV. Nor does it provide clear guidelines for when Japanese studios collaborate with talent from around the world, like in the cases Oban Star Racers and Mysterious Cities of Gold which are both French co-productions. Is it really worth excluding such titles from the category of anime in the current global era? I think not.

Defining by Art Style

This is a fun one. Anime is anime because it looks like anime, right?

But what does anime look like?

When most people hear the word anime, certain visual qualities spring to mind. Big shiny eyes, crazy colored hair that stands on end, long bodies in elaborate costumes. Shows like Yu-Gi-Oh!, Sailor Moon, Code Geass,  Tenchi Muyo!, and Lucky Star flash in our heads when we think about the art style associated with anime.

But if that’s what anime really looks like, then why would there be an discontent over shows like Avatar or RWBY being called anime?

We’ve already gone over why the country of origin of these shows isn’t the best measure, so what’s wrong with just judging an anime by its looks?

The issue with this approach is that it’s incredibly subjective. There’s no list a visual traits shared among all anime. Anime like Tekkonkinkreet and the Tatami Galaxy hardly resemble the same art style of shows like Sailor Moon.

They might not immediately come to mind when the medium of anime is mentioned but that doesn’t mean they don’t still exist within that medium.

And then there’s anime that imitate western animation and actively defy typical Japanese aesthetics, like FLCL or Panty and Stocking.

In the case of Panty and Stocking, not only is the whole show modeled after a western art style (as opposed to only a few seconds), but the content of the series is effectively a love letter to western media. Under the assumption that anime must have a certain look to it, a show like Panty and Stocking would have it’s anime status revoked.

So even if there is a supposive art style only anime can have, when did that art style come into being?

Classics that originate from the 1960s like Kimba the White Lion and Sazae-san pull heavy inspiration from western animation.

Astro Boy fits in much better with characters like Steamboat Willie and Betty Boop than he does with any of the characters from say, Akira or One Piece. So is it really okay to exclude works as important and influential as Astro Boy from anime because the art style is dated?

Personally, I’m glad not everything in anime shares the same art style. I’m not sure the medium would have the same appeal if every thing looked like this.

(This is from Kamichama Karin by the way.)

The medium of anime clearly encompasses infinite art styles that don’t necessarily share key qualities with each other, rendering art style a useless means of defining anime as a whole.

So what methods of defining anime are even left at this point?

Defining by Intended Audience

This is my personal method of defining anime and it’s the most practical method I’ve encountered, and that is  to define anime by intended audience. If an animated work is intended for a Japanese audience OR an audience of anime fans, then it’s anime.

Here’s a flowchart to help explain it:

Let’s run through some examples with this method:

Sailor Moon

Is it an animated work? Yes -> Was it originally made for a Japanese audience? Yes -> It’s an Anime

RWBY

Is it an animated work? Yes -> Was it originally made for a Japanese audience? No -> Does it resemble Japanese animation? Yes -> Was it made for fans of Japanese animation?

The creators of RWBY have been explicit about how they set out to create something that anime fans would enjoy, so the answer is Yes -> It’s an anime

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Is it an animated work? Yes -> Was it originally made for a Japanese audience? No -> Does it resemble Japanese animation? Yes -> Was it made for fans of Japanese animation?

Well, Avatar aired on Nickelodeon and was geared toward children who watch Nickelodeon, whether those kids knew about or liked anime wasn’t relevant. No -> It’s not an anime

But the creators of Avatar have talked about how they took inspiration from Japanese animation and Asian media and knew that what they made could appeal to anime fans and wanted those fans to be able to enjoy the show as well. Yes -> It’s an anime

So something like Avatar could be argued either way BUT AT LEAST YOU CAN ARGUE IT!

You can back up which ever conclusion you reach with this method using context that surrounds any title. No more debates that are baseless like:

“But Avatar looks like anime!” What does anime really look like? Style is subjective. There are plenty of anime Avatar doesn’t resemble at all.

“But Avatar isn’t from Japan!” Neither is a lot of anime. Anime is medium of art, one that can, has and will continue to expand beyond Japan’s borders.

This method gives one the ability to construct a logical argument on why something should or shouldn’t be considered anime.

That said, there is a hole in my method. That hole is a universal audience. What if an animated work is aimed at everybody?

There’s a few examples that I think fit this case.

Ghibli movies, specifically the more recent ones, are made while the staff is well aware that their work is going to be seen overseas and that their audience is not just confined to Japan. Ghibli films are popular all over the world, and not just with anime fans.

Pokemon is another example of an anime becoming a international phenomenon. It has effectively grown out of the label of anime and is something much bigger that’s meant for global audiences to consume.

So is it possible for something to expand beyond the label of anime and become something more universal? I consider the examples above to still be anime. I don’t think it matters, at least for now, but it is worth thinking about as our world and the media with it becomes more and more global.

So next time you’re debating what is and isn’t anime, try considering who was intended to consume the work. It could make navigating those grey areas of anime a little easier.

[This post was adapted from my panel “But That’s NOT Anime!”. The information in this post was last updated Aug. 2017]

OtapleOneHalf.com // OtapleOneHalf.tumblr.com

[fractempyreal]

Do you have a rules page/bio page? I keep trying to load your site but it keeps crashing almost seconds after I do on desktop? Sorry, didn't want to bother you but I was just curious. Thank you

I do! It’s on my theme and it’s the star that’s hovering above the little info box to the right, but I’ll put them here under a readmore if you can’t get to them. Note that some of these do need to be edited, and the bio is limited for the most part until I kick myself to finish it, but this is the gist of it.

RIFP mobile users. Here we go:

✔ CROSSOVERS, OCS, DARK THEMES, PLOTTING, MUTUALSX M!A’S, HARASSMENT, SHIPPING, DRAMA, PASSWORDS, INCEST, PEDOPHILIA, ETC.

CANTO I: BEGINNING

This is an independent RP blog for the character Vergil from Devil May Cry. This blog is in no way affiliated with the games, & all content on the blog belongs to their rightful owners. Content on this blog will be NSFW in terms of BLOOD, GORE, DARK THEMES, POTENTIAL BLASPHEMY, & SEXUAL CONTENT. Vergil will be a mix of game & book canon along with my own headcanons, potentially with a slight canon divergence in terms of the post-events of DMC3/Nelo Angelo, at least until there is more known about Devil May Cry 5.

Vergil is not a kind person, nor is he weak. If you challenge him, he will respond. I do not hold back my muse & I ask that you not try to be cheeky & test this unless you are willing to accept that Vergil will indeed wail on your muse to put them in their place. Respect my muse, I respect yours.

Most interactions will take place Post-Nelo Angelo incident unless requested otherwise.

Triggers will be tagged _______ tw, & if there happens to be something specific that you need tagged, please let me know! I have no triggers of my own, but I do ask that the DADDY KINK BE TAGGED.

On the subject of Nero being Vergil’s son, this is not something I’ll consider as canon UNLESS IT’S ALREADY BEEN DISCUSSED WITH THE MUN.

I do not send in passwords. I make it a habit to go onto a person’s blog & read their rules, so I hope that I’m given the same courtesy in return.

I don’t do M!A’s.

I DON’T TOLERATE INCEST, PEDOPHILIA, RACISM, DUB/NONCON, OR ANYTHING OF THE LIKE. PLEASE DON’T FOLLOW ME IF YOU WRITE OR CONDONE THESE THINGS.

CANTO II: THE DESCENT

I am a HIGHLY PRIVATE & SELECTIVE BLOG. I run multiple other blogs on top of this one, so I will not have time to RP with everyone & for this, I apologize. There are, of course, other fantastic Vergil blogs to follow & interact with in the DMC RPC!

I will follow where I see a possible interaction. I am MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE, meaning that I will only interact with people who I am in a mutual follow with. Some things that tend to have me turn away from following a blog aside from incompatible muses is too much OOC content, inactivity, missing about/rules page ( this applies to both canon & OC blogs ), or simply not a lot of effort placed into replies, since I do tend to read people’s replies.

I typically unfollow a blog after an inactivity period of 4 months without hiatus notification unless they’re a friend. If this happens to be a category that you fall into, & you return to a blog that’s been inactive & I have unfollowed, simply hit me up or like some of my posts so that I realize you’re still around for me to follow back.

I don’t press for exclusivity. Usually, a person’s muse will naturally become a main muse for me, but that does not necessarily mean that I won’t interact with a duplicate. Please do understand that, being a private RP blog, those who I have known for a long time will be prioritized, but I will get to other threads in a ( hopefully ) timely manner.

On the note of exclusivity, I don’t really practice it outside of shipping. Otherwise, I am open to interacting with other duplicates of Vergil as long as the other mun is comfortable. DMC muses, I won’t be practicing exclusivity with simply because I wouldn’t want to tie someone down when I can’t promise high activity.

I sometimes don’t notice the moment that someone’s followed me. I typically follow back after 3-4 days. If I have not followed you back in that time, then know that I have made my decision & ask that you respect that. Trying to harass me into following you will not work in your favor & will result in a hard block.

Asks & questions about my muse are open to anyone, but interactions/memes are limited to mutual. Personals are free to follow my blog as long as they are aware of RP etiquette & don’t reblog threads or spam like/reblog my posts as it ruins my notifs bar, & will result in a hard block. You are more than welcome to reblog images that I reblog.

CANTO III: INTEMPERANCE

THIS BLOG WILL MORE THAN LIKELY NOT CONSIDER SHIPPING WITH ANYONE UNLESS WE ARE ALREADY CLOSE FRIENDS. Considering how difficult it would be to ship with Vergil, not to mention that I’ve had enough issues in the past concerning ships & I would rather avoid it. I ask that this wish be respected.

If by any chance I decide to smut with someone, the post will be properly tagged with a simple NSFW so that it’s easily caught by blacklist. Depending on my partner, I can either place the post under a cut or not.

CANTO IV: INFERNO

I do not tolerate anon hate, theft or constant vague blogging/drama from anyone. Callouts are fine when they have fundamental reason to be spread & I will tend to reblog a couple depending on the level of seriousness, such as theft, abuse, racism, etc.

AGAIN, DO NOT FOLLOW ME IF YOU SUPPORT WRITING INCEST, RAPE, PEDOPHILIA, UNWANTED SEXUAL ADVANCES ,OR THINGS OF SUCH NATURE. There is no debate, no ifs or buts, just turn around & leave. I have been in the fandom long enough that I’ve seen the ships that dominate the community & I want to see absolutely NO PART OF IT on my blogs.

CANTO V: ALL HOPE ABANDON, YE WHO ENTER HERE

My name’s Whitney! I’m a 22+ year old nerd that’s been stuck in DMC hell ever since I was 8. Save me.

I am a busy person, working two jobs & attending University. With that being said, things will be slow on this blog. While I don’t mind being reminded about a certain thread, I would appreciate not being harassed over replies. I’m just here to have fun.

ABOUT

NAME: Vergil

AGE: Old af, appearance to be in his early 40’s in events of DMC5

GENDER: Cis Male, he/him pronouns used

SPECIES: Half-Devil, Half-Human

ALIASES: Dark Slayer, Son of Sparda, Nelo Angelo, The Alpha and the Omega

LANGUAGES: English, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Dimoori Sheol

HEIGHT 6’5”

HAIR: A snowy white with a bluish sheen to it, it’s appearance is rather sleek. Pushing it back away from his face more often than not, it can at times look rater spiky despite the reality that it’s extremely soft & silky to the touch. With his hair down, the relationship between him & his twin is irrefutable, thus the act of pushing his hair back is to keep himself from looking anything like his brother.

EYES: Powder blue, like that of ice. They’re piercing—– haunting—– they’re the eyes of a man that has seen much as well as lost. There is seemingly no warmth to them, & accentuate that there indeed is a difference between he & his brother.

DISPOSITION: Usually a cold & aloof man, he is one of few words. He is not warm nor friendly towards strangers, disregarding them from the get-go unless he finds use of them. Most put him off as cold & unfeeling, which in most cases is correct as long as it’s someone that he doesn’t know. It can be unsettling to make an attempt to interact with him if you have no reason to. He doesn’t like having his time wasted.

BODY TYPE: Aside from being imposing in stature, his physical makeup is also rather intimidating. Broad & extremely muscular, he maintains the appearance of an individual that puts himself through vigorous daily training. HE IS EXTRAORDINARILY POWERFUL, & HIS STATURE DOES LITTLE TO HINDER HIS SPEED.

GENERAL APPEARANCE: A picture of elegance & class, he dresses himself in only the finest materials. He is always clean shaven & his wardrobe is well-maintained. Usually dressing in dark colors, they accentuate his sharp features as well as bring out the piercing, pale iciness of his gaze.

SPEED     ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ AGILITY     ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ STRENGTH     ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ DEFENSE     ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ STAMINA     ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿ STRATEGY     ⦿⦿⦿⦿⦿