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thrudgelmir2333 · 2 years ago

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Response to a Reddit Post: Is the fanfiction portion of the fandom dying?

I'm currently working on a series of Tumblr posts about my characters, starting with my main, but I realised I had more work on my hands than I thought, so I kind of put that project on pause.

In the meantime, in the interest of keeping my Tumblr account active, I've decided to start sharing some Reddit responses I make to certain topics, since many times they tend to be as big as blog posts in their own right. I'm not gonna go back and repost here everything I've ever written on Reddit, I'm just gonna repost stuff I do from now on cause it's a shame to let all that typing go to waste.

Starting with my response to this Reddit Post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/SaintSeiya/comments/13dbofy/is_the_fanfiction_portion_of_the_fandom_dying/ ------------------------------ I can't speak for other fanfiction sites, since I've only as of last Summer been posting outside FF.net, but I would say that while the fanfiction portion of the fandom is not dying, it is definitely going through a bit of a drought. There's just not much to write about right now.

I think that in order to have the kind of thriving fanfiction you're probably picturing with this question, you need a number of things:

-Creative Appeal: the premise (in this case Saint Seiya) needs to be experiencing a surge of widespread media fascination. This doesn't mean commercial success, it means people need to see something in the premise that stimulates their creative interest and that they can easily get other people to care about their writing of it by just appealing to the common interest in the premise;

-Demographic Appeal: fanfiction writing is something that, unfortunately, is still very demographically driven, being considered a hobby of teenagers, minorities and adult women for the most part (in other words, people whose viewpoint is usually absent or misrepresented in mainstream media, encouraging them to seek alternative or amateur storytelling).

-Sexual Emotion Appeal: Fanfiction is also a space for experimental and restricted forms of writing to bloom. People get attached to a property or franchise, notice that it has romantic tension that goes unfulfilled, and write about it to make it happen;

-Experimental Storytelling Appeal: A franchise good for fanfiction writing is one that makes itself open to different types of storytelling. The MCU is great for this because it has made clear to its fans that it has no qualms in mixing Hulk stories with Dr. Strange, time travel and parallel universes.

So in a lot of ways you could say fanfiction-fertile environments are environments with a lot of 'untapped potential', at least from the perspective of the fans.

When you look at the landscape of Saint Seiya, you'll see the last big surge of fanfiction was in the late 2000s and early 2010s, when Lost Canvas was coming out. Whether you like Lost Canvas or not, it is undeniably an ideal manga to spur fanfic sentiment in Saint Seiya, with its cast of well-drawn characters, heavy enphasis on the emotional aspect of the fighting (rather than action) and even its (spoiler alert) reveal at the end that the whole story is largely a timeline construct by the character Mephistopheles Youma, indicating that this universe is open to things like alternate timelines and viewpoints.

This fertility is further enphasized by the fact that a lot of the LC Gold Saints are... kind of selfish assholes. Many of them pop up late in the story when they could have been helping from the beginning, many of them seem to have people in their lives they value more than their duty and many act outright more interested in the battling in and of itself rather than the grander purpose of the Holy War. Sasha is almost a circunstancial element in their lives and that's kind of what makes them more human and liable to have stories written about them.

But classic Saint Seiya is a rather straightforward story, especially after Sanctuary. The characters' drives are very strongly centered around the main conflict and they very rarely allow themselves self-interested moments. We are so starved of characterisation on the Gold Saints that to this day people still ship Mu and Aldebaran together because they had ONE conversation early in Sanctuary Arc about what they thought of Pope Arles.

This all ironically in SPITE of ND, which has a rather colorful bunch of Gold Saints and even time travel, because the very rigidness of the SS format and Kurumada's slow storytelling pace are discouraging any sense that there are real character consequences for what happens each chapter. I mean, how many people have absorbed into themselves that Shiryu is now more or less officially rid of his Shoryuha's heart weakness after his most recent power up in ND?

The big exception is Shun; Shun has a lot of fanfiction written about him, or written with him, or written about characters interested in him (like Ikki or the Specters). You would think that, in the typical fanfiction manner, it's because of his mixed gender role in the series, but I would disagree, because another big fanfic appeal in SS is Hyoga, of all people.

I think Shun and Hyoga appeal to fanfiction writing because of all the characters, these two seem to act like they have a wisdom separate of the main conflict going on in the story. Shun is always the one reminding everyone else that they shouldn't be violent just because they're fighting a war, and Hyoga is always the one talking about having loved ones beyond the Bronze Saints (namely his teachers and his mother) as a consistent part of his characterisation (and not a pretend motivation like Seiya with Seika). Shun is also the one among the Bronzes to have been made a vessel of an enemy God, Hades of all people, which contributes to the sense he has somewhere to go to other than being another Power Ranger in Seiya's team.

There is a direct relationship between characters with selfish dimensions to them and fans wanting to write fanfiction about them.

So if we have Lost Canvas, Shun and Hyoga, why the drought?

As we move further in time away from stories like Lost Canvas, naturally it's relevance diminishes. New generations of Saint Seiya fans are not going to know who the hell Kardia is and they won't care. Instead, they have stories like Omega (which was experimental with Saint Seiya, if anything) and Saintia Sho (an all female story).

While Saintia Sho is great, the problem, fanfiction-wise, is that Chimaki is very upfront about her characters' interests. There's no need for Sho fanfiction of her pairing up with Kyoko because Chimaki does it herself in her own manga, so if you're interested in Sho, you almost could say you are too satisfied. It's potential is already tapped. Sho kind of destroys its own fanfiction potential by embracing its sexual tension. We've basically stopped short of having Shoko and Kyoko kiss in the series.

And Saint Seiya fans are not gonna write Omega stories because it tried to appeal to its most anti-fanfic demographic, male shounen fans, who made it into a hate-meme. So it's a mute point.

This leaves Dark Wing (which is basically a Isekai fanfiction of its own right) and Episode G.

Episode G just sucks for inspiring fanfiction. It's ugly, it has bad photography, it has the emotional tension of a teenage graffiti on the principal's hall and it has pretty dull Holy Wars that exist pretty much as excuses to draw Gold Saints looking mean and shooting shiny beams at weirdos in black armor. I challenge anyone to think of an interesting fanfiction to write about it. You can't. And no one has. In my 13 years of following the fanfic communities, of all the SS spin offs, Episode G has barely, if ever, had stories written about it by fans, much less popular ones. The closest to it has been Jenny DeVic's More than Gold and even she expressed disappointed on Episode G's handling of the Evil Pope Aiolos plot.

This not to mention that the people who DO like Episode G for its stories are the type that will more likely express it by going on Versus Forums and argue with strangers about math, rather than talk about why it's characters resonate with them. Which is rather revealing, if you ask me.

As for Dark Wing, I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with it, but in general people don't like writing fanfiction about other people's fanfiction. I also think the fandom's understanding of that manga is the least developed and the story is kind of flying under everyone's radars, so people feel both a lack of supply and demand for stories set in it.

So there's really not a whole lot of reason to get into SS fanfic writing as of 2023 because, well, frankly, it's not that easy as just opening up Microsoft Word or Google Docs and type about how pretty your favorite Silver Saint looks. You need a story to tell, and reactions to look forward to, so unless conditions for high interaction between writers and readers are met, it's not gonna be worth it.

As for classic Saint Seiya, most fanfictions, especially the ones that keep going, have either been SS rewrites or attempts to continue unto the Heaven Arc. This reflects the main demographic of fans feeling unsatisfied with Saint Seiya, in other words its "untapped potential". Rather than being character oriented, the fanfic appeal seems to be plot oriented.

Which is just fucking sad cause no one wants to read someone other than Kurumada finish HIS story. :| Especially when he's still alive and trying to do it.

So are there fewer fanfictions? Well, to reiterate, yes and no. If you pull up official numbers, it's probably the same as always, like people are saying here.

There IS, however, definitely less gems and definitely less interest from the fans in reading them, which creates a feedback loop that makes the landscape feel abandoned or biased against. The only thing that can really fix this is either a change in attitude about what we should expect of amateur fan writing OR another Lost Canvas type manga. And this is both Saint Seiya's responsibility and our own.

#saint seiya #os cavaleiros do zodiaco #fanfic #fanfiction

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captainseamech · 2 years ago

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Verses List

I know that I have a lot of verses and I know it’s a mess to keep track of which is which sometimes, but I decided to scatter all my verses together and divide them accordingly in a way that you can easily blacklist them if so desired with a very small info about it for those interested! This list will be updated as the verses are added/removed. You can also take this as a small guide through my verses!

Note: listing the crossover verses accordingly doesn’t mean that I will stop using the correct tagging for those who doesn’t want to see content from said fandom over my blog. Tumblr has the constant problem of not tagging blacklisted tags accordingly, so it would be a good idea to blacklist the verses tags too as a safety method and precaution.

Main Timeline

— Main (not tagged): High Tide resides on Earth around the oceans afloat in his ship, occasionally docking on land to meet the others. He spends some extra time over Griffin Rock since it’s his main earthling residence canonically, but he’s mostly found in the ocean either in his submarine form or inside his ship

— Bittersweet and Strange / Past-war verse: A verse residing before war striked Cybertron, considered to be the so called Golden Era; High Tide can be found using his blue lenses for the sake of his trauma and insecurity as he now resided in Iacon

— Way back Home / Post-war verse: The war is over, Autobots finally won the war and Cybertron gets to raise again. High Tide tends to visit his home planet once in a while for the good memories and seeing how the restoration is going on to see if he can help somehow, but his main goal is to explore lo and behold through other planets as the spacefairing mech he once wanted to be as the opportunity to do so was never achieved until this very moment

— Being a Marine Biologist / Human verse: Resides on High Tide hiding himself in his holoform and trying to learn more from humans, disguising himself as a captain and having marine biologist as a bonus ‘profession’

— The Killing Machine / Gladiator arc verse: A verse specifically made for the time High Tide spent in the arenas acting like a gladiator for a certain period of time before war in many different cities, his biggest achievements (and unfortunately trauma) happening in Kaon’s main arena

Canon divergence

— Teacher? Again? / RBA verse: During some events of R.escue B.ots A.cademy, High Tide was called to teach the younglings about proper water rescues just like he did before with the main team

— I don't recognize this place... / IDW verse: Focused even so slightly on IDW comics franchise, a bit more specifically on MTMTE/LL which I have yet to read it all

— Temporary Second Commander / TFP verse: Since Ultra Magnus had the misfortune of his hand destroyed by Predaking and other damages aside, the team agreed to call High Tide over to be a commander until Ultra Magnus gets a full recovery

— I hate how tall the Cons are / Animated verse: This is a completely different verse that has no big connections towards the alignment series. Despite High Tide being one of the tallest bots from the Autobots (only losing for Bulkhead), the Decepticons still intimidates him a little

AUs (Alternative Universes)

— Divinity of Waters / GodFormer AU: Instead of being a normal Cybertronian, he’s now presented as a Deity that resides in large portions of water like oceans, presenting a merfolk kind of body and being able to mass shift in order to change his size at any presented time. The name High Tide was brought to him by outsiders, not by him since he considered himself to not have a name since the beginning of his existence

— Masked Warrior / Knight AU: High Tide is now presented as a knight in shining armor, his face never to be revealed to anyone he doesn’t have a certain level of trust involved. He’s extremely loyal to his superiors, doing everything possible to complete his mission and to keep the other’s safe. This verse can also happen in any fairytale-like/royalty-like setting for convenicence sake

— I'm deeply sorry for your new body. It was all my fault / ChiefBot AU: a small AU between me and @memoriiae where High Tide blames himself deeply for failing on protecting Chief Charlie and now he has to spend the rest of his life knowing that ChiefBot was now there to stay

Crossovers

— Into a Mystery / MSA verse: High Tide ended up traveling to another dimension after his dog, but both of them ended up stuck in that dimension and now they have to stay with a weird group in a very unusual place

— In a Fairy Tale / Fantasy verse: A verse that goes around famous fairytale tropes, circulating around royalty, magical creatures, talking animals and more! In this specific verse, High Tide is stuck on his 6'2ft size for the sake of interacting more with this magical world

— Feeling Determined / Undertale verse: This verse is still a work in progress!

— This better not be a wormhole! / ISWM verse: High Tide assumed himself to be the captain of a spaceship crew, of course trying as hard as he can to not yell at Mark whenever a wormhole hit their spaceship

— Across the Galaxy / Star Wars verse: Coming from a different galaxy and planet, High Tide was mistakenly classified as an android and now has to spend his time with the Skywalkers until a better classification is presented

— Ahoy and Avast in the Greatest Space! / Treasure Planet verse: Having the title of Captain Armstrong through the galaxies he decided to resign from his captain position and try to be in a crew as only Tide the crewmate to hide his identity

— I'm not a Robot / FNAF verse: Taking place before the last released game, High Tide changed his designation to Circus Tide in for being able to disguise as a 6'5ft f.untime animatronic and using a bowtie to module down his voice

— Am I a Superstar? / Security Breach verse: After being transferred to Mega Pi.zzaplex, Circus Tide got an upgrade to be 6'9ft tall animatronic that roams around the place without a main attraction or anything else really in mind, but one of his abilities consists in fixing other animatronics better than humans could do so

— Everybody Scream / Horror verse: The Entity took a hold of our sea mech unexpectedly, shoving him out to a whole new dimension and shrinking him down to 6'2ft through unknown means

— Feels like Home / BH6 verse: High Tide now resides in San Fransokyo, the technology around and how sentient the robots semmed to be making the mech not feel weirded out and strange across that new dimension. His size is still up to debate, maybe around 6'2ft is acceptable or even a few inches taller with Minimi-Watch usage

— Of Hooves and Magic / MLP verse: High Tide decided to visit equestria, assuming the form of unicorn/sea pony. This verse is still a work in progress

— Heart of Crystal; Soul of Gold / Steven Universe verse: This verse is still a work in progress!

— Faster than Light / Sonic verse: This verse is still a work in progress!

— Bizarre on a Standing level / JJBA verse: This verse is still a work in progress!

— Trapped in Ink / BATIM verse: This verse is still a work in progress!

— Digital Body with a Human Mind / TADC verse: After putting a strange headset on, High Tide (named like that after getting in this place) was sent into a whole new digital world with no memories of his previous name, age or how he was like. Maybe he was not even human before getting in here...

#🛳 | outside the ship / ooc #[ after days of work it's finally here!!! ]#long post tw

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bamfdaddio · 3 years ago

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X-Men Abridged: 1981

The X-Men, those back-to-the-future mutants that have sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them, are a cultural juggernaut with a long, tangled history. Want to unravel this tapestry? Then read the Abridged X-Men!

(Uncanny X-Men 141 - 152) - by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, Brent Anderson, Dave Cockrum, Jim Sherman, Bob McLeod and Josef Rubinstein

While I also committed various fashion atrocities at the age of 14 (tye-die and fauxhawks, oh my), even Liberace would find Kitty’s outfits too much. (Uncanny X-Men 149; Uncanny X-Men Annual ‘81)

We dial back from the v. epic scope of the last few arcs. Instead, 1981 is just a lot of fun! We get:

Storm and Emma doing a Freaky Friday!

the X-Men vs. Magneto (again!)

A surprisingly effective Alien rip-off

An dystopian future! (OoOoOoOo)

Last year was the year of the Dark Phoenix, this is the year of Kitty Pryde. That’s not to say Jean’s death is swept under the rug: all throughout, we see her friends mourning her loss or remembering her fondly. (Scott even gets to have a demonic adventure about it.) But in general, Claremont puts Kitty in the forefront, fleshing out his YA-addition to the team. And what would a YA heroine be without a grim dystopia? Roll out the iconic Days of Future Past!

To be fair, 2013 was a dark time for all of us: What Does the Fox Say somehow got to the top of the charts and I was still watching Glee. (Uncanny X-Men 141)

How cool would it have been to see a name like Jonothon Starsmore or Eva Bell on those tombstones?

Anyway, that’s Kate. Kate’s had it rough. Mutants are at the bottom of the foodchain, most X-Men are dead and only a small cadre of resistance fighters remain, Sentinels dominate, and while she is married to Piotr, her children have been murdered. Bleak. Luckily, the rebellion has concocted the plan to shunt Kate’s spirit back in time to prevent this awful future from happening. (You’ve seen Days of Future Past, the last passably good X-Men film, you know what’s up.)

Let’s do the time warp again! 1981!Kitty’s mind gets taken over by 2013!Kitty, who promptly tries to convince the X-Men that a new Brotherhood of v. Evil Mutants will try to kill Senator Kelly, a presidential candidate who tries to put the mutant menace on the agenda. (Mutants tend to blow stuff up when he’s around.) Since the X-Men recently took a literal trip to Dante’s Infero and also befriended a cosmic world-ending entity, they basically shrug and go: “Yeah, this checks out.”

Off to Washington they go (zoommm) and there, they happen upon the Baddest Bitches in Herstory:

“How dare you hate mutants, senator Kelly! We’ll fix that by killing you!” (Uncanny X-Men 141)

This All-New, All-Different Brotherhood consists out of:

Destiny, a blind woman who can see the future. Definitely the eeriest member of this group. Badass lesbian, though that won´t be canon for years.

Avalanche. Greek who makes things shake. Is a long-standing member of the X-Men Rogue’s gallery, but rarely features in the spotlight. I think he got more characterization in four years of X-Men Evolution than he ever did in the comics.

Mystique. Shapeshifter. Ruthless and unhinged, the Cersei Lannister of the X-Men universe. Absolute legend, secretly the wife of Destiny, currently not as unhinged as she’ll be later. Immediately implied to be related to Nightcrawler: it’s the yellow-eyes-blue-skin-combo.

Pyro. Can manipulate fire, not create it. Absolute pillock, in all the best ways of the word. Originally intended as gay, but they decided to make him Australian instead. (?!)

Blob. Big, strong, immovable. We’ve seen him before.

One of the details in this fight I enjoy is that Storm is still struggling with her leadership, although she has a better grip on things than Cyclops:

Wolverine then proceeds to use those iconic but deadly claws about twice per issue for the next, oh, forty years. (Uncanny X-Men 142)

While the X-Men fight the Brotherhood in the present, we cut back and forth to the future. There, the X-Men consist out of some familiar faces - Storm, Colossus, Wolverine - and some surprises: Magneto (in a wheelchair), Franklin Richards (son of) and an unfamiliar ginger girl called Rachel. (She’ll be important later.) We even learn (one of) Magneto’s names: this is the first time he’s canonically called Magnus.

One of the strengths of Days of Future Past lies in its brevity, the way it tantalizingly taunts us with a brutal but familiar future without giving away too much. It’s single-handedly responsible for all those dark future timelines the X-lines are so fond of which will eventually culminate in time-displaced grandsons from alternative dimensions and the impossibility of a succinct answer to the question: “Who’s Cable?” Too much of a good thing and all that.

Still, what Days of Future Past does so successfully is:

Put the idea of the mutant menace back at the forefront, hammering home the metaphor of mutants being a minority. Mutants being put in camps and being forbidden to breed should - regretfully - make us think of all too many real life equivalents. (Specifically, all of the imagery harkens back to the Holocaust.)

It starkly shows what happens should the X-Men lose, reminding everyone of the stakes. The X-Men are here for a reason: bridging the gap between mutants and humankind. If they fuck up, we end up with mutant concentration camps.

It helps that the X-Men in the future almost all die horribly: Franklin is incinerated, Storm is impaled… It's brutal stuff. The only one to survive is Rachel, who wonders if their plan actually changed the future or if they created an alternative timeline. (It did the latter, sorry ‘bout it, Rachel.)

In the present, Kate chases after Destiny, who trains a gun on senator Kelly. I always wondered how this works: if Destiny saw the future, she knew that killing Kelly would trigger a terrifying future. What in the current Marvel timeline made her decide that the Days of Future Past was better? Did she see her own death? Did she see the Onslaught-crossover coming? The Chuck Austen run? What was it?

In any case, time-anomalous Kate stops Destiny from killing Kelly and the future is safe! For now. Kate disappears, Kitty returns to her body and some of the Brotherhood are apprehended. All is well, for now.

After being a key figure in DoFP, Kitty is also the main character in the Christmas special, which is basically a straight up horror and a pastiche of the Alien-movie.

Seriously, John Byrne still isn’t sure why he wasn’t sued by Ridley Scott for this. (Uncanny X-Men 143)

If you love Kitty Pryde? Read this issue. If you’re not convinced you like 80’s Kitty? Read this issue. It’s not continuity relevant and it’s basically Kitty playing the part of a Final Girl in a horror where she’s being chased by a demon, but it’s so good. It showcases all her strengths and her foibles. Kitty’s intelligent, cute (sometimes preciously so) and brave, but she’s also young, self-conscious and hot-headed. And it's not as if the other X-Men automatically adore her: Storm berates her all the time, she’s afraid of Kurt because of the way he looks (though she grows out of that) and she fights with Professor Xavier a lot. Moreover, she has a clever power-set for a young superhero who faces menaces on a daily basis: a thirteen year old who can go intangible is far less likely to have reality ensue on her and be dramatically offed because she's better at protecting herself.

I’m sure there are people who thought Sprite was hogging the spotlight, but I, for one, say she brings more to the table than, say, Angel. She’s not the Dawn Summers of this franchise.

Scott also gets a side quest. Poor guy can’t catch a break: first the love of his life dies, so he quits the X-Men, then he realizes he can’t do much else than be a superhero. He becomes a sailor on the ship of spunky captain Lee Forrester, is drawn into the sadistic plans of a demon unironically named D’Spayre and then shipwrecks in Bermuda with Lee.

The X-Men, meanwhile, are tormented by a team-up of Doom (who’s currently Latverialess and working on a comeback) and Arcade, that annoying crony. Locke, Arcade’s dom, has kidnapped the loved ones of the X-Men (Moira MacTaggart, Jean Grey’s parents, Illyana Rasputin and Amanda Sefton) in order to blackmail them into getting Doom to free Arcade. Apparently, Arcade accidentally insulted Doom and DOOM DOES NOT FORGIVE THAT FOLLY.

While the B-Squad (Polaris, Havok, Banshee and Iceman) goes to save Arcade’s hostages, the X-Men sneak into Doom’s castle. Well, except for Storm, who doesn’t give a single fuck and simply flies up to Doom, demanding an audience. Doom likes the cut of her jib and invites her to have dinner. (This is pre-Tinder, so this is a legit way of scoring a date.)

If Storm has a flaw (I said if!), it’s got to be her atrocious taste in men. (Uncanny X-Men 145)

The X-Men find Arcade’s cell empty, while Arcade casually saunters up to Storm and says hi. Storm realizes too late that this is a trap: while the X-Men are all trapped in Saw-like traps, Storm is encased in ‘living chrome’.

If you remember she’s claustrophobic, you know why this is a bad move.

While the X-Men free themselves from their traps - Polaris hilariously has to deal with a murderous merry-go-round - Storm is slowly driven mad in her prison, triggering a worldwide tempest. (She causes Lee and Scott to shipwreck.) Under the threat of Wolverine’s claws, Doom releases Storm - or rather, unleashes her.

“Instead of a Dark Lord, you would have a queen, not dark but beautiful and terrible as the dawn! Tempestuous as the sea, and stronger than the foundations of the earth! All shall love me and despair!” (Uncanny X-Men 147)

The memory of Jean brings Ororo back to herself and she starts undoing the superstorm she created. (If only climate change were reversed that easily.) Their confrontation ends by Storm easily forgiving Doom, because she apparently trespassed on his grounds without adequate cause.

Mkay.

All of Arcade’s hostages return to their homesteads, except for Illyana Rasputin, Piotr’s sister: she’s staying at the mansion for a while. Angel, who’s sort of been a part of the team since the Phoenix thing, has had it with Wolverine and his ‘tude, and decides to quit the X-Men : he doesn’t want to be a part of an outfit that has a killer like Wolverine on it. (Or maybe he’s just mad Claremont didn’t give him any storylines: his presence has been mostly pointless.) It’s too bad he left before Kitty started experimenting with her outfits: I bet he would have loved her ugly-ass costumes.

Equally inconsequential is the introduction of a brand new character, who then proceeds to disappear from the narrative for the rest of the year:

Black Tom has tried to kill you at least twice, but him sending you a long-lost daughter doesn’t give you pause? Ugh, Sean, you deserve Moira. (Uncanny X-Men 148)

Intrigued by Theresa? TOO BAD, WON’T SEE HER AGAIN ANYTIME SOON.

Another new character is the lonely, decidedly mutant looking Caliban, who can sense “people like him” and is on the lookout for companions. Like many lonely people who try and grasp at friendship, he decides to overshoot his shot and ruin the night of Storm, Kitty and Jessica Drew at a Dazzler concert. Because he tries to kidnap Kitty, the girls react a trifle aggressively. When they realize their mistake - the eerily pale Caliban is a simpleton rather than a menace - he’s already fled. No mention is made of the Morlocks yet!

There’s also another dull annual where the X-Men team up with the Fantastic Four to save Arkon’s dimension from the Badoon and yaaaaawn. Far more interesting is the landmark issue #150. Slowly, through the adventures of Scott and Lee Forrester, Claremont has been setting things up for the return of a favorite villain. While the X-Men investigate Magneto’s old base in Antarctica on a hunch of Professor X and tangle with Garruk, Scott and Lee survive Storm’s tempest, only to wake up next to a strange island that seems to have been raised from the ocean.

It’s apparently some ancient citadel from a long forgotten civilization with a fondness for squid statues. (I don’t know man, I’ve never been to the Bermuda Triangle, maybe this is just super-accurate.)The tentacles make Lee Forrester feel very amorous, but before Scott can tell her he is way too repressed to just have sex with an attractive someone he’s known intimately for a month or two, Magneto saves his ass by revealing he, in fact, raised this island from the seafloor.

Oh, Magneto. So extra.

My ambitious little mutant demagogue then proceeds to take the entire world hostage, showing how much he’s grown from the pompous, raving madman from the sixties. (Sure, Magneto is still a bit of a madman, but increasingly, he starts being on the right side of history.)

“I’m trying to make Magneto more sympathetic.”

“Just put him on a page with some bigger villains who are less noble, like the Vanisher, Count Nefaria, or…”

“Reagan, Thatcher and Brezhnov?”

“Er.” (Uncanny X-Men 150)

It’s obvious Magneto is being pivoted as a more noble villain, codified into the well-intentioned extremist we know and love today. Not only do we get the first hints at his past, fleshing out his motivations, he’s also not wrong. Humans are historically not great at taking care of the planet or each other.

When the Russians call his bluff and launch nukes at Magneto’s new island, he quickly disarms them. His retribution is swift and ferocious: the entire citadel is a machine that massively amplifies his powers. He sinks the submarine that launched the missiles, condemning the entire crew to death, and he casually erects a vulcano in a Russian city in Siberia.

Damn. Not messing around this time.

Despite his good intentions, Magneto is still definitely in the wrong: not only because of his methods, but as Scott points out: if Magneto unifies the world under his kind of benevolent dictatorship, all of that will simply fall apart as soon as Magnus dies.

In a way, Magneto is just as big a dreamer as Charles is: Charles believes in peace and integration, whereas Magneto believes his iron fist will be enough to make a perfect world happen. Both of them ignore the reality that acceptance is difficult and messy, because you’re trying to change essential human nature: the fear of the other. Magneto believes in big, sweeping gestures that will fix the world in move, while changing the world is also boring, hard work. One step forward, two steps back. Magneto just wants to leapfrog to his ultimate goal.

The X-Men fly over the citadel, returning from Antarctica, and their plane crashes into the ocean. (Magneto does not brook planes over his territory, humans!) The Professor is also nearby, looking for Scott with Moira, Peter Corbeau and Carol Danvers. The X-Men sneak onto the island, but to their horror, their powers are nullified by some machine of Magneto. They reunite with Scott, who formulates a plan to thwart the would-be ruler of the world.

While the rest of the X-Men go to trash the machine, Storm, Kitty and Lee infiltrate the control chamber where Storm finds a sleeping, shirtless Magneto. Once again showing her terrible taste in men, she is not weak in the knees at the sight of a sleeping Magnus: instead, she contemplates killing him.

Storm knows how dangerous he is, but she also knows that he’s a great man who’s fighting for ideals, no matter how misguided. She hesitates too long: Magneto stirs, suspects an attack and tosses her out of the window, to her death.

Magneto quickly undoes the sabotage the other X-Men have wrought to his machine. A fight erupts. Storm, meanwhile, has managed to grab hold of a ledge. She crawls back up and smashes an important-looking computer, restoring everyone’s powers.

The battle turns grim, but Scott sends Kitty away to wreck Magneto’s machinery. She sneaks off, following Scott’s orders and destroying both Magneto's power-up device and all of his plans by phasing though the computer circuitry. Magneto senses this and furiously gives chase. Overcome by rage, he attacks Kitty and disrupts her phasing power with a magnetic bolt, seemingly killing her?

Everything about this story beat is great: mama bear!Ororo, mournful Magnus and even the fact that Kitty’s godawful outfit serves a narrative function: highlighting to us (and Magneto) just how young she is. The fact that Kitty’s Jewish is just icing on the cake. (Uncanny X-Men 150)

And thus, the softening of Magneto commences. 1981 might be a year with wildly varying narratives, but it has given us at least three enduring legacies to the X-Mythos: a new kind of Magneto, a fondness for dystopian futures and the character of Kitty Pryde, who's really come into her own this year.

Ugliest Costume: Kitty! Purposefully, but still. Best costume, by the way, goes to Destiny, with her creepy, creepy golden mask. Just imagine this lady casually strolling across a battlefield, eerily calm and collected, dodging everything you throw at her. Awesome design.

Best new character: I usually pick one character - what good is having a shared award when declaring the best of anything? - but this year, it’s going to one of my favorite couples: Mystique and Destiny. Can’t wait to see more of them.

Most audacious retcon: Blob somehow retroactively becomes a member of the original Brotherhood, which is not what happened. Ever weirder is Xavier pondering that he never met Magneto before his attack in X-Men #1, while their cordially adversarial relationship rooted in a youthful friendship would soon become a cornerstone of the X-Men.

What to read: Uncanny X-Men 141 - 143 and 150 - 152

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thankskenpenders · 4 years ago

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Enerjak Reborn: Epilogue

It’s time to answer the question on everybody’s mind. How did Ken respond to Ian killing off Locke, one of his pet characters?

Well, the answer, as you should expect, is: poorly

Now, it’s important to remind everyone that Ken has not actually read the arc. He never read any of Ian’s run, to my knowledge. But his fans were sure to tell him all about it and ask him how he felt

Eventually, in 2010, two years after this issue dropped, we got a response from Ken talking about how he felt about Ian’s run. (Again, even though he wasn’t actually reading it himself.) Said response is worth reading in full if you’re interested in all this drama and Ken’s mindset. You literally get to see the guy brag about how he actively ignored what Bollers was doing when the two were sharing writing duties, as if this is a good thing that makes him a better writer. He also criticizes Ian for using the previous writers’ characters instead of introducing even more characters to the bloated Archie cast in his first few years on the series. But the relevant part to the discussion of Enerjak reborn is here:

“I especially don’t consider anything either does with any of the echidna characters – especially Locke – to be canon as neither created the characters nor established them in stories as the viable fan favorites they’ve become. No matter what Ian writes, he can never alter the fact that in MY universe, the events of Locke’s passing as depicted in SONIC #143 is canon. Anything he writes can easily be counter-written by a better story with an alternative solution.”

Let’s just brush past the very funny part where he calls Locke a “viable fan favorite”

So yeah. Penders was VERY unhappy with the way Ian wrote Locke, and the way Locke’s death in Enerjak Reborn meant that the timeline depicted in Mobius: 25 Years Later wasn’t the one true future of the series. He’s also gone on record saying that he thinks Ian didn’t get the relationship between Locke and Knuckles. When asked about Ian’s work, this has always been one of the major things that’s bothered him

On a broader level, his ramblings here are reflective of how he views comic franchises in general. A particularly illustrative quote from him is provided in the comments section below the article I linked:

“The only work I consider significant to any character is the work done by the original creators. Anything done afterwards by anyone else pretty much doesn’t count. For example, I consider the original issues of FANTASTIC FOUR by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to be the only stories that matter in the entire run. Anything being done today is by writers and artists who are simply building off the work Stan and Jack originated. I apply this standard to just about every character I ever enjoyed over the years.”

This odd mindset explains a lot about Ken. It explains why he hates that Ian kept using his characters, and why he actively avoided building off of the work of his contemporary writers at Archie. I can see what he means on some level, of course. When another writer comes in and adds more novels to a series after the original author dies, I generally tend to ignore those. And I skipped a good chunk of Twin Peaks season 2 because it had less involvement from creators David Lynch and Mark Frost, making a lot of it feel like filler. But we’re talking about a licensed comic, one that had been a collaboration between multiple writers based on the work done for the games and cartoons from the very beginning. Ken was never the sole writer--he wasn’t even there for the first year--and he was writing stories centered around characters he hadn’t created like Sonic, Sally, and Knuckles. He doesn’t take credit for creating any of those characters, but the hypocrisy still seems to be lost on him

But of course, we’re not just talking about Ian’s handling of all of Archie Sonic here. We’re talking about Locke. And as Ken has said himself, Locke was based partially on his own father. And that’s really the kicker here

As I’ve said many times before, I try to avoid psychoanalyzing Penders and digging into his personal life. I don’t know the guy, and that’s his own business. But it’s hard not to when he literally says shit like THIS to fans

Locke is emotionally abusive towards his wife and son. Locke is also based on Ken’s dad. Ken refuses to see Locke as abusive, even though that’s exactly what he wrote, because that would mean acknowledging that his own father was abusive. So there’s always an excuse for why father knows best. It was a different era! They’re not humans! He could see the future! He might have hurt Knuckles, but it toughened him up, and he was always there for him in the end! The dad is never, ever at fault. The moms, on the other hands, are mere bystanders to the child rearing done by the dads. It’s just sad, really

I get why Ken would be bitter that Ian took this fictionalized version of his late dad, went “hey, this guy’s an asshole,” and then killed him off. I get why that would upset somebody. He wrote a very personal story there. But it’s not like Ian was pouring salt in a fresh wound--Ken lost his father all the way back in 1982. I know this because Ken literally dedicated the M25YL story about his version of Locke’s death to his dad. It had been nearly 30 years when he wrote this response to Ian’s work. That’s plenty of time to see a goddamn therapist instead of projecting all of your baggage onto Knuckles the Echidna and writing stories for kids about how you should never question your dad ever

The irony, though, is that Ian’s different take on Locke is arguably way more nuanced than Ken’s ever was. In his final moments, Ian’s Locke turns into this tragic figure who only realizes too late that the way of life the Brotherhood had raised him to believe was a mistake, that he had failed his son by passing those beliefs on to him. But he’s still held responsible for what he did. He’s a horrible dad, and the characters around him call him out for his failures, but you pity him for only now realizing what he had done

Ken, on the other hand, gestures at Locke doing horrible things, then tells you to forget about all that and stop questioning him. Knuckles pretends he has a totally normal Leave it to Beaver-ass father-son relationship as soon as they reunite in the Knuckles series. As an adult he thinks back on how great a job Locke did raising him, even though Locke literally took him from his mother, raised him to believe that his mother and the rest of his species were all dead, and then pretended he himself was dead for six years of his son’s childhood (among MANY other things)

M25YL gestures at those very same themes of not repeating your parents’ mistakes that Ian touched on in Locke’s final moments. Knuckles is raising Lara-Su very differently from how Locke raised him, and Locke admits that he wishes he had raised Knuckles differently on his deathbed. But his decision to suddenly admit wrongdoing in this flashback to his death feels unearned and arbitrary. Locke is never at fault. We cannot question Locke. Knuckles turned out fine, so don’t worry about it. Locke might regret the way Knuckles raised him, but Knuckles is not allowed to hold any ill will towards his father or question his methods whatsoever. We’re allowed to gesture at the idea that Knuckles doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the previous generations, but those vague mistakes aren’t allowed to be anyone’s fault. That’s just “how things were”

Ken would do a lot more than just complain about Ian’s handling of Locke on the internet, though. Because you see, the way Ian wrote Locke is commonly cited as one of the main reasons why Ken started copyrighting his work, right up there with Bioware basing the story of Sonic Chronicles partially off of the Knuckles comics without his blessing. And those copyrights, of course, were what started the legal battle that would kill off the original Archieverse

#StH 184 #tkp post #Enerjak Reborn

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tyrantisterror · 3 years ago

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THE A.T.O.M. CREATE A KAIJU CONTEST 3-D!!!

YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE SAFE! YOU THOUGHT THAT THE TIME OF MONSTERS WAS AT AN END! BUT YOU WERE WRONG, FOR NOW YOU MUST WITNESS…

THE A.T.O.M. CREATE A KAIJU CONTEST 3-D!!!

That’s right, it’s back! Celebrating the publication of The Atomic Time of Monsters Volume 2: Tyrantis Roams the Earth! (which in turn completes The Ballad of Tyrantis arc for this series), I’m holding another monster design jam. The third of such jams, in fact!

Like the first A.T.O.M. Create a Kaiju Contest, the aim of this contest is to create kaiju that would fit within the setting of my big kaiju story series, The Atomic Time of Monsters. Think of it as me letting you into my sandbox to play with my toys for a bit, or like you’re being put in the director’s chair of a new ATOM-verse kaiju movie. That means your entry does have to fit into ATOM’s world, which in turn means that yes, there are limitations to your creativity here. But limitations can be good sometimes - they can make us explore options we wouldn’t consider when given completely free rein to do what we want!

(also you don’t have to make a three dimensional image or anything, the title’s just a pun on how the third movie in a monster movie franchise will often be a 3-D film)

Read below the cut to learn the rules and whatnot:

THE RULES:

1. You are limited to one entry per person. Work hard and make your entry count!

2. Your kaiju must have some sort of description of its physical appearance and its personality - you can submit a drawing or a written description (or both!) for the physical appearance depending on what you’re most comfortable with. Using the same template/format as my official ATOM Kaiju Files (https://horrorflora.com/monster-menageries/atom-kaiju-files/) isn’t required, but it was cool when people did it in the last contest, so feel free to do so this time too!

3. The kaiju you create must specifically be created for this contest - no repurposing characters you made for other, wildly different stories. This is not “trick TT into drawing/canonizing my main OC” time.

4. The kaiju must fit the setting and aesthetics of ATOM. I’ll explain this in more detail down below.

5. The kaiju should add something meaningful to the world of ATOM. The more unique and interesting your kaiju is, the more likely you will win the contest.

6. Don’t make your kaiju too dependent on pre-existing ATOM characters - no “Tyrantis’s long lost evil brother who’s the strongest kaiju in the world.” These should be to Tyrantis’s story what War of the Gargantuas is to Godzilla’s movies – heroes (well, monsters) of another story in the same world.

THE REWARDS:

I will make pencil sketches of the top 5 entries in the contest.

I will then make fully rendered illustrations (lineart, colors, & shading) of the top three entries.

The winning entry will be made into a model ala the ones I’ve been making for ATOM’s core 50 monsters, which can then be shipped to the person who created it (should they be able to cover the shipping costs). That’s right, your kaiju could be brought to life in THREE GLORIOUS TECHNICOLOR DIMENSIONS! (Hey, we worked the gag title in to the prizes!)

THE DEADLINE: All entries must be submitted by July 3rd, 2021. You can submit it here on tumblr, via the horror flora e-mail, or any other channel you know how to reach me through. I’m in a lot of places.

THE GUIDELINES (TO HELP YOUR ENTRY FIT THE RULES AND WIN):

The smartest thing you could do if you want to win this contest is familiarize yourself with the world of ATOM by, y’know, reading all the material I’ve published on the subject. In addition to the many kaiju files that are free to read on horrorflora.com, there are now TWO, count ‘em, TWO novels in this series for you to peruse, both of which establish many of the rules of the setting as well as its general themes and tone! You can get them in either paperback or e-book formatting (I’d recommend the former over the latter since I lack the technology to make a really nice ebook, but if money is an object, the kindle version is only $1). Here’s the links again if you missed them:

Vol. 1: Tyrantis Walks Among Us!

Vol. 2: Tyrantis Roams the Earth!

However, since I know reading a bunch of stuff is, y’know, not something everyone is inclined to do, I’ll jot some good bullet points for you in an attempt to outline how ATOM works in a brief, easily digested way:

ATOM is an homage to the monster fiction of the 1950’s and 60’s (i.e. the Atomic Age), and is set in those two decades, albeit an alternate universe version of them where, y’know, monsters and space aliens exist. If you aren’t familiar with the monster fiction I’m referring to, there will be some reference material provided at the end of this post along with some recommendations for further research.

Kaiju/giant monsters in ATOM work under very specific rules. There’s a full description of those rules at this link, but here’s the jist:

ATOM Kaiju are created created by the radiation of a mineral called Yamaneon, which naturally converts harmful radiation into its own unique energy. In natural circumstances, it takes hundreds of years of exposure to Yamaneon radiation for a creature to become fully transform into a kaiju (luckily, Yamaneon radiation slows the aging process while speeding up the healing process). However, an explosive burst of energy - such as the geothermal and kinetic energy released by an earthquake, or the blast of a nuclear weapon - can speed up the process, turning a normal animal into a kaiju within a matter of seconds.

All ATOM kaiju can heal grievous wounds within minutes or even seconds, are supernaturally strong and durable, and can convert harmful radiation to harmless energy that they then feed off of. Kaiju do not have an equivalent of old age, and can theoretically live forever (though their violent lifestyle means that few do).

ATOM Kaiju generally don’t need to eat unless they are severely injured, getting most of the energy they need from solar or geothermal radiation - but many still have instincts that drive them to seek out food from time to time.

Most ATOM kaiju stand roughly 100 feet tall (depending on their body shape), i.e. smaller than the original 1954 Godzilla. There are exceptions to this rule - younger kaiju can be smaller, while exceedingly old kaiju can be significantly larger, but these are rare.

In general, ATOM kaiju are significantly more intelligent and emotionally complex than people expect animals to be, though most are incapable of speech or complex tool use. There’s a reason ATOM Kaiju Files have a “personality” section.

Most ATOM Kaiju are tooth and claw fighters - ranged weapons are a rarity in this setting.

While the terrestrial monsters in ATOM look strange, they are intended to fit within the taxonomy of animals in reality - reptiles, mammals, fish, arthropods, molluscs, etc.

ATOM’s mesozoic era was dominated by a fictional clade of crocodile-relatives called retrosaurs, which are based on the outdated paleoart that one would find in the 1950’s/60’s fiction - i.e. when dinosaurs were viewed as trail dragging lizards instead of strange birds. You can learn more about retrosaurs here (https://horrorflora.com/2016/11/15/atom-kaiju-file-bonus-a-guide-to-retrosaurs/).

Kaiju appear on every continent in ATOM, but certain areas tend to be dominated by different types.

North America is mainly besieged by retrosaur kaiju and giant arthropods.

East Asia is technically also mainly plagued by retrosaurs and big arthropods, though they tend to look more fantastical and mythic - and, often, oddly well suited to being portrayed by a person wearing a monster suit.

Russia is beset by prehistoric monsters that seem to come from the Cenozoic, particularly the Ice Age.

Western Europe is plagued by creatures that vaguely resemble creatures from myth, if they were also prehistoric. Dragon-y lizards, fiery birds, etc.

Towards the mid-way point of ATOM’s timeline, earth is invaded by a coalition of aliens from different solar systems called the Beyonder Alliance, and as a result a bunch of alien monsters can be found on earth.

Mars and Venus both host (or hosted in Mars’s case) animal life. The surviving Martians colonized Venus, and sent some of their kaiju guardians to earth to help us fend off the Beyonders (who are responsible for the destruction of Mars’s ecosystem). Martian and Venusian kaiju have specific anatomical quirks, which you can see by looking at these kaiju files:

Venusians:

https://horrorflora.com/2017/01/03/atom-kaiju-file-29-karamtor/

Martians:

https://horrorflora.com/2017/01/17/atom-kaiju-file-39-kemlasulla/

https://horrorflora.com/2017/01/17/atom-kaiju-file-40-podritak/

https://horrorflora.com/2017/01/17/atom-kaiju-file-41-sombarvot/

https://horrorflora.com/2017/01/17/atom-kaiju-file-38-ullawdra/

Giant robots exist in ATOM, but are big, bulky, and incredibly expensive. Fancy beam weapons also exist, but are similarly clunky - there are no sleek, elegant machines in ATOM.

Since the fiction ATOM takes inspiration from was made at a time when interplanetary travel was only just beginning to be possible, its scope is significantly smaller than modern sci-fi. Alternate universes/dimensions were pretty uncommon because the idea of alien planets still held a lot of wonder to it. So, as a general rule, don’t try to go farther than the one galaxy.

ATOM is a setting for stories that are focused on humanity learning to coexist with monsters, rather than humanity destroying them. A certain level of sympathy is put into almost every creature of its canon, even the ones that are meant to be villains.

REFERENCE MATERIAL

Here is a playlist of 1950′s monster movie trailers.

Here is some reference material from various monster comics of the 50′s and 60′s.

Good movies to track down to understand ATOM’s inspiration and tone include Ghidorah the 3 Headed Monster, Son of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, Them!, The Black Scorpion, 20 Million Miles to Earth, Gamera, The Giant Claw, and The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.

And here’s the intro cutscenes for all the different giant monsters in the PS2 videogame War of the Monsters.

#The Atomic Time of Monsters #The ATOM Create a Kaiju Contest 3D

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stitchandani · 3 years ago

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How would you say the continuity for the franchise would be? Neither the movies, show, or even anime have a good timeline to set their events within. The show and anime basically have no connection between their episodes as well. Would your hypothetical Stitch and Ani be similar?

This is a fantastic question. ArtistIssues and I have hashed it out together before, actually. We believe the continuity of the shows (Lilo and Stitch: The Series, Stitch and Ai, and the Stitch! anime) and films (Lilo and Stitch, Lilo and Stitch 2: Stitch Has A Glitch, Stitch! the Movie, and Leroy and Stitch), as well as the Experiment 626 video game are all connected and do have a continuity that can work (especially if you ignore really poor writing choices in the anime, which is necessary 90% of the time you're watching it, really, because the Japanese dub was operating as if what happened with Yuna was an AU, not a continuation, while the English dub behaved as though it was all very awkwardly tied together).

THIS WILL BE LONG! Read more under the cut.

[[First let me say, since you asked if Stitch and Ani would hypothetically be detached, the answer is no because: Stitch and Ani is set up in such a way that it can be connected to the anime (and is without question definitely connected to the series and previous films), but it can also be disconnected from it. There is, for all intents and purposes, no Yuna in Stitch and Ani; we don't even mention her. There's nothing to indicate the Experiments ever left their One True Places, or that Hamsterviel broke out of prison, or that Gantu was fired a second time because of karaoke (yuck). In fact, none of that is canon in Stitch and Ani. We can still say that Lilo and Stitch had a falling out when she went to college. We can still say, too, that Stitch and the others left for a while, but maybe they didn't end up in Japan. If it were a proper show on Disney+ or something, that's probably how it would go. No ties to anything but the first half of the franchise, which ended with Leroy and Stitch.]] "How would you say the continuity for the franchise would be?" Well! The continuity for the franchise, as far as we can tell, seems to go like this:

0. Experiment 626 Video Game

1. Lilo and Stitch 2. Lilo and Stitch 2: Stitch Has A Glitch [note: Lilo is said to be 7 in this film; therefore this film takes place either one year or two years after the events of the first film, which is why the house seems like it's not fully built/everyone isn't in their permanent rooms yet if you look closely]

3. The Origin of Stitch short

4. Stitch! the Movie 5. Lilo and Stitch: The Series [note: Lilo would be 9, going on 10, by the end of this film, which is jarring but her voice definitely shows it, plus the characters repeatedly say that the events of the series took up 3 years of their lives] 6. Leroy and Stitch 7. Stitch and Ai [many things point to this series having taken place soon after Leroy and Stitch; particularly the dialogue between Jumba and the Galactic Federation council, the Grand Councilwoman stating that Stitch had been allowed to live on Hawaii for "many years", but all his flashbacks include Lilo still being a child, so it can't have been far off from Leroy and Stitch. Also, the show is meant to have happened briefly, with the plan being that Stitch would eventually return to Hawaii with Ai's help] 8. Stitch! anime [note: Many people are okay with thinking the anime is non-canon and none of it happened, and I'm one of them, though you can't for sure find a direct quote from Chris Sanders discounting it. So for the purposes of fairness and inclusion I'll proceed as if it is, in fact, canon] 9. Stitch and Ani Now, I know the majority of the things in the anime just don't make sense in terms of continuity, and for those things, you sorta just have to...either ignore them? or decide that it all has to do with the black hole Jumba and Stitch got sucked into in the pilot episode. Jumba says, almost as a covering-all-your-bases kinda thing, that it could spit them out anywhere in time or space, "even alternate universe". [That actually plays a slight role in Stitch and Ani, too.] As for Stitch and Ai, the biggest continuity error I can find is Stitch having some OP new ability. Which is fine, because it can easily be shut down later. Stitch Has a Glitch is harder, specifically because Pleakley goes to the beach with David in it, and if this is to take place before the series (it clearly is, for so many reasons) then it wouldn't make sense in Stitch! the Movie for Pleakley to say at the beginning that it's his "very first day at an Earth beach". Actually, that just makes no sense for any of the things beforehand, because in the first movie he's on the beach at least twice. So. Silly writers! Also, I know the house doesn't look right in the second film if you compare it to what it is in the series, but it's easy enough to just observe and realize that they're all kinda still figuring out where everyone goes in that house. ((I can write more on this in another post if you want, and probably will, so keep an eye out.)) Experiment 626 isn't too tricky to explain, either, even though it seems that Stitch Has a Glitch kinda made it obsolete. But ArtistIssues can provide details on that! As for Stitch and Ani, it works completely whether the anime/Stitch and Ai are canon or not. All you have to do is say that Lilo went to college, got a boyfriend, married him, had a kid, and at some point during the end of her college time, she and Stitch had a misunderstanding and he left. And Jumba went to get him and never came back, and Pleakley had already left on a research trip earlier that year. So that's not hard to say, no anime needed! For years they were separated, until one day Ani and Lilo run into him purely by chance and they're all reunited. And then Stitch and Ani truly begins. It's easy! You get all the flashbacks and characters' emotional development without having to mention Yuna or Ai or any of the spinoffs. So that's how I think it all works!

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hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger · 5 years ago

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I’m reading and so far enjoying Absolute Carnage a whole heck of a lot and I’m thinking to myself why is that? Why in fact is this story working for me when most other crossover event stories don’t? This inevitably led me to think about what those few event stories I do like even are.

Off the top of my head Contest of Champions II, World War Hulk, Annihilation, Annihilation Conquest and at the tippy top Infinity Gauntlet (the main book not all the tie-ins) and Secret Wars 1984.

I started to notice some things.

a) Almost all of these stories are built upon a fundamentally simple premise (Annihilus invades space, the heroes fight in a tournament, Thanos becomes God, etc)

b) A lot of them are event crossovers that don’t characters from multiple franchises in big ways in the stories. That is to say lots of heroes show up in Infinity Gauntlet but the number of really truly central characters in it is relatively small and don’t include like half a dozen people from X-Men, F4, Spider-Man, Midnight Sons, etc

c) Most of them are very action heavy

Why is it these factors contribute to making an event crossover successful?

Well to the first point, it’s simply put because by having a clear cut hook it allows all the tie-ins and such to not veer too far off course for that premise and allows the main book to keep it’s eye on target as it were.

The second and third points are I think interconnected.

See when you really break it down, it takes a whole heck of suspended disbelief to make the Marvel universe work.

And I don’t mean because you have to accept the conceit of radioactive spiders or lizard formulas. I mean because you have to accept that stuff and mutants, high tech suits, confirmed aliens, confirmed deities of every religion, confirmed parallel timelines, dimensions and universes, time travel, etc.

Consider for a moment how Lord of the Rings or Star Wars actually demand less suspension of disbelief of audiences because the fantastical elements are all mostly cut from the same cloth and if they aren’t there aren’t THAT many to juggle, so making them mesh together and create a sense of verisimilitude isn’t that hard.

For Marvel though an awful lot of the time to make a Spider-Man or Daredevil story work demands you outright ignore every other Marvel series out there. Look at Aunt May’s current situation dealing with cancer. If you were being realistic within the context of the Marvel Universe there would be at least 3 or 4 obvious solutions to her problem and that’s a very conservative estimate.

This is why I think making good crossover event stories is so difficult, because you need to find a way to balance vastly different concepts and characters, some of which aren’t even tonally on the same page. The X-Men are metaphors for prejudice because they have super powers, but the F4 are wacky superhero celebrity explorers from the Space Race and Thor is a Shakespearean God figure and Captain America is a politically charged figure from propaganda.

This is a fundamental problem with the Avengers. I’ve talked about this before but one of the biggest problems with the Avengers is that their stories tend to be about little beyond just BEING the Avengers. Occasionally it’s more than that, but usually it’s just they are the Avengers and they are Big Damn Heroes who kick ass on a Big Damn Scale. The X-Men in contrast might do that but they also have the idea of adolescence and prejudice to fall back on to give their stories substance. The F4 can do the same as an exploration of technology, weird sci-fi concepts, celebrity and above all else, family. Part of why the Avengers have this problem is because they were intentionally built from characters never designed to work together or in team environments. Neither were some of the X-Men but if you know Wolverine will be on your team then you know he’s fill a certain role and you can sort of tailor the other characters in response to that.

Most comic book event crossovers have the Avengers problem but magnified because now you got dozens of characters not designed to work with all these other characters.

That’s why having a simple hook for an event (like Carnage is going to try and kill everyone who’s worn a symbiote) works so well because it’s something that can easily be applied to any comic as a tie-in.

It’s also why stories like Annihilation or Absolute Carnage work more effectively because they aren’t crossing over everyone, but rather a subset. Annihilation used cosmic characters. Cosmic characters aren’t a monolithic group but there is a certain greater cohesion between all of them collectively as opposed to having Punisher, Doctor Strange, Super Skrull and Conan the Barbarian. The same is true of Absolute carnage which thus far is concerned with Spider-Man characters or street level characters.

Alternatively you can feature large groups of characters who do not really jive together but utilize them as secondary or tertiary characters whilst you instead focus upon a more select cast of figures, preferably with a clear cut central main character to make sure the story remains focussed whilst still having scale.

This is exactly what both Infinity Gauntlet and the film Infinity War did. Neither would have worked if the lead characters were the heroes trying to stop Thanos rather than Thanos himself trying to BE stopped by the heroes.

Finally if you are going to throw all these disparate characters together and make them the point of view focus, not only does having a simple story help a whole hell of a lot, but having an action story first and foremost sells it.

Let’s be real, that’s why the concept of the crossover is enticing. Seeing heroes fight together or one another is the box office draw and by simply making it a fight comic you side step clumsy attempts to have substance that will fall apart when you have literally dozens of characters to juggle who are all conceptually vastly different to one another.

This is the key to Secret Wars’ success. I know it sounds nuts to say having little substance worked in favour of a story, but in this case it really did. By having Doom be the main character and the events be beautifully drawn and paced out action set pieces (set outside the regular books so as not to disrupt them) the story worked like a charm. No fuss, no muss, pick it up enjoy characters hanging out, bouncing off of one another or cool battles and you are done.

It’s a whole heck of a lot better than promising to be about something substantial but falling flat as a pancake like civil War did.

#Absolute Carnage #Carnage #Thanos #Infinity War #Infinity Gauntlet #Secret Wars

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theprocrastinatingalien · 6 years ago

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Star Trek - New Golden Era?

Back in the late 90s we had what most fans would call 'the golden age' of STAR TREK.

We were at the point where we had two series running at the same time (DEEP SPACE NINE and VOYAGER) as well as the movies starring the cast of THE NEXT GENERATION. All in all, it was a great time to be a part of the fandom.

Then the franchise lost it's stride a bit, and we entered the dark ages - no Trek whatsoever. Sad times.

Luckily, STAR TREK has now been reinvigorated! In 2009 we got the first of JJ Abrams' movies. Set in an alternative ('Kelvin') timeline, we got to see younger versions of classic iconic characters such as Kirk, Spock and McCoy. We've had three movies now with this young cast (lead by Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto), and we're expecting to have two more over the next few years. In theory the fourth movie should start shooting next year, and at some point we might be treated to a story pitched by Quentin Tarantino.

Trek has always been best on the small screen though, and last year we finally got a new series to call our own in STAR TREK: DISCOVERY. Currently we're getting monthly 'SHORT TREKS' as we await the second season in the January.

Now, let's be honest, not everyone is enthralled by the Trek we have right now. There's a negative sir within the fanbase that can't (or won't) get onboard with the movie line at the moment, as it's not 'prime', and there's a similar issue with DISCOVERY, as it's a visual reboot and some people just don't like change.

What we've got right now, is Trek for a new generation. It's mindful that the Trek we knew grew a little stale, and they're appeasing to modern audiences. For the franchise to survive, they have to. This post isn't about all that though. This post is about the fact, that there is a LOT more on the way.

Aside from DISCOVERY we can now expect at least three more series on the way, with the potential for more.

PICARD

It was a massive surprise when Patrick Stewart himself revealed he'd be returning to STAR TREK, picking up 20 years after Jean-Luc Picard's last adventure. This will likely be an ongoing series (originally it was believed to be a limited outing)… and it's going to bring a different take on the character. Presumably the visuals will be more in line with what we see in DISCOVERY, but we don't know that for certain. Right now we now Stewart is onboard, there are currently no plans for other TNG actors to appear, and one of the writers and producers on the show is Michael Chabon, a Pulitzer prize winning writer who just served us a well received SHORT TREK.

LOWER DECKS

Whilst it won't be the first animated series for Trek, STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS, will be the first to be billed as a half-hour comedy. That, in itself, is a departure from the norm, and might take a bit of getting used to. We'll have a chance to do just that, as it's already got a two season order. It will be written by Mike McMahan, a self-claimed fan of the franchise, and the creator of RICK & MORTY. This comedy will focus on - as the title suggests - those that we don't normally get to see. No captains, chief medical officers or engineers. Our main characters here will be on a lesser starship and will likely be the 'janitor' getting the rubbish jobs.

We now have another series in the works...

SECTION 31

Whilst many thought Section 31 would be at the heart of DISCOVERY - and they certainly had a presence - the second season is likely to include more of the shady faction of Starfleet, touched upon in DEEP SPACE NINE and ENTERPRISE. We now seem to have a whole series dedicated to them, and it's likely to be lead by none other than Michelle Yeoh, reprising her role of Philippa Georgiou, the Mirror Universe Emperor.

It's exciting, isn't it! Isn't it? The fact we've got so many plans for Trek coming at us… yes. Although what those series are going to bring us might cause a few neck ticks. As I've already mentioned, not all fans are welcoming to the current offerings, and as these new series are likely to be within the same direction, not everyone will be open to them.

Speaking personally... I AM excited, although a little cautious. I was VERY excited about the PICARD series. A little surprised it's an ongoing series though. Let's be honest, Patrick Stewart isn't getting any younger, and I can't help thinking a one off limited series would've been a better idea - a swan song to the character. As to the animated comedy, it's definitely the least favourable idea of the three for me. I've not watched RICK & MORTY, but I'm not a fan of the animation style, and I worry LOWER DECKS will share that visual. I'll give it a go, of course, but I'm not entirely convinced it's the right direction for the franchise at this point. I do like the idea of the SECTION 31 series, although I can't honestly say I'm excited by Emperor Georgiou being the lead... again, I'll give it a try. I am more than happy enough for more Trek in my life. I just hope the quality is there.

One fear is that we will find ourselves over-saturated by it all. Honestly, with DISCOVERY and the movies, that's already a fair amount to focus on. The PICARD series is a good inclusion, as there's many who are yearning for adventures beyond NEMESIS and VOYAGER, and this series will give us that. I guess, as it's SO different, the animated comedy can work alongside them easily enough. Not sure we need the SECTION 31 series just yet though.

We have no real timescale plan but the way I see it, I think CBS want DISCOVERY to start each year (January time), we're just off from the second season. We could then have the PICARD series possibly September time? The cartoon could overlap either. But where does the SECTION 31 one come? In 2019, or held back until 2020. I reckon the first option.

TREK needs to be a little careful. Don't rush it. Don't think we need a Trek on screen every week of the year. Realistically I plan to turn out for whatever you send our way... but don't get carried away and drop it all on us and burn yourselves out. What we've got now, and what we know we've got coming are more than enough to be getting our heads around right now.

I have such high hopes for DISCOVERY season two, and rooting for the movies to get their casting into place, and I'm very excited about the PICARD series. For me, the rest can wait for a moment.

But that's possibly just me. Still, once again, it's a great time to be part of the fandom.

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Episode 10 Review: Terra Firma, Part 2

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This Star Trek: Discovery review contains spoilers for Season 3, Episode 10

Ever since Star Trek: Discovery jumped forward in time, we’ve all been wondering exactly how Michelle Yeoh’s Emperor Philippa Georgiou was ever going to manage to launch a Section 31 spin-off, if her character was stuck 900 years in the future with the rest of the crew. Many of us likely assumed that the show couldn’t possibly go forward, given the current status quo of Discovery itself. We were apparently all very wrong about that.

“Terra Firma, Part 2” is not just an action-packed conclusion to last week’s Mirror Universe cliffhanger, but a surprise sendoff for the complex villain turned at least vague antiheroine. In it, Georgiou is ultimately found worthy of what is essentially a third chance at a new beginning and is sent back to a time in which her former universe and her current one existed close enough to one another for her to survive without her body breaking into pieces. (Since the show has very obviously underscored that that point is around when we last saw the Discovery, it seems likely that’s where she’s headed and where our future spin-off will take place.)

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That this all occurs thanks to the intervention of the Guardian of Forever, the apparently omniscient sentient time portal that first appeared in The Original Series episode “The City on the Edge of Forever,” is just the icing on the cake of a well-done story that continues to show us the creative ways in which Discovery is willing to embrace and interrogate its own history. (Sorry, Carl, I too kind of thought you were Q at first – or at least a distant relative. My bad!)

Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Episode 9 Easter Eggs & References

By Ryan Britt

Did Star Trek: Discovery’s Georgiou Just Create a New Timeline?

By Ryan Britt

The idea that Georgiou is being tested by way of being sent back to her former life and weighed by the decisions she makes with the knowledge she’s gained since she left it is a sci-fi trope as old as time. And it’s a testament to how far Georgiou has come as a character that we now actually feel confident that she’ll make better choices this time, even if she tries to impart many of these new lessons through her old learned ways of violence and pain. Perhaps her assumption that she can torture things like optimism and hope into her wayward daughter is something she’ll need to work on in future. Just a suggestion.

Discovery’s Mirror Universe is so over the top that it’s all still fun to watch, even if it’s often the furthest thing from subtle. From the gleefully murderous Captain Tilly (my queen!) gleefully torturing Michael to Michael mercilessly killing her former allies, there’s a lot of next level darkness here. But there’s also a surprising amount of heart. Georgiou’s recounting of her response to Michael’s childhood night terrors is an unguarded glimpse into the woman she used to be – one that was actually not entirely monstrous, was capable of kindness, and who existed well before she encountered the idealistic, well-meaning crew of the U.S.S. Discovery.

Her embrace of the Mirror Universe Saru, who is a slave, doesn’t end with her saving him from a grisly fate at the I.S.S. Charon dinner table. The two become something like confidants and even sort of friends, enough that this Saru sees something in her that’s worth protecting, even at the risk of his own life. That she tells him the truth about vahar’ai, though there is no obvious benefit to her in sight, is perhaps the most admirable thing she’s ever done and is a genuine sign of how far she’s come.

Perhaps it is the layers that Discovery has so painstakingly added to Georgiou that underscore how gratuitously one note Mirror Michael is, who responds to everything with rage and betrayal, who schemes because she doesn’t know how to do anything else and who only understands pain. The idea that this Michael was always doomed, that “some endings are inevitable” and the question was never whether or not this Michael survived but if Georgiou tried to do her best by her anyway, was oddly lovely.

It’s a difficult balance, softening a character like Georgiou’s without losing the jagged edges that make her so compelling and fun to watch. But Discovery has done an admirable job of it and certainly shaped her into a figure that’s capable of leading a series on her own terms. Will she ever become one of the quote-unquote good guys? Probably not. But she’s definitely not a villain anymore, either. So I look forward to seeing what’s next for this character and for Michelle Yeoh, who remains phenomenal and deserves the entire world.

But it is fair to take a moment to wonder what, precisely is going to become of Discovery without her. True, Georgiou hasn’t had nearly so much to do in Season 3, as Discovery’s focus has shifted to exploring the new version of the world they’ve found themselves in and solving the mystery of the Burn. But this is a ship full of such relentlessly idealistic do-gooders that they absolutely need someone like the Emperor, whose darker elements provide not just balance – and truly epic one liners – but a necessary alternate perspective on difficult subjects like war, death and how to survive in this considerably more brutal future.

Perhaps this episode is also meant to hint that Michael, with her simmering internal conflict about her place in this new world the crew of Discovery has found themselves in, will become more of that morally grey figure, who pushes boundaries, makes hard choices and questions authority. But Georgiou’s blunt forthrightness is something that’s not easily replaced and that, ultimately, this series will truly miss.

Additional Thoughts

Truly, I held out hope for a surprise Jason Isaacs sighting until the absolute last possible moment. There was so much untapped potential in Lorca for me, and he’s a character I wish this franchise would somehow find a way to go back to.

How much did I love the reversal of the series credits to reflect the Mirror Universe? Even the Terran Empire icon behind the title card!

Once again, this episode would have been better served by keeping it strictly focus on Georgiou, whether she’s in the Mirror universe or the Prime one. The need to cram in updates about what’s happening on the Discovery – outside of the impromptu wake for Georgiou that closes out the episode – just felt jarringly out of place.

The post Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 Episode 10 Review: Terra Firma, Part 2 appeared first on Den of Geek.

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ericvick · 5 years ago

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How Hotel Giants Will Handle All Those Brands Post-Coronavirus

Shuffled Not Shaken Out: How Hotel Giants Will Handle All Those Brands Post-Coronavirus

Coronavirus travel fears have temporarily shuttered many hotels around the world. But when those doors reopen, the trend of rampant hotel brand expansion seen in recent years may take on a different look.

With the rise of alternative accommodation competitors like Airbnb, hotel companies began to add brands that appealed to different price points as well as different tastes. Marriott wound up with 30 brands following its 2016 merger with Starwood. Hilton launched its 18th brand, the “affordable lifestyle” Tempo, earlier this year. Accor operates 39 different hotel brands around the world.

IHG CEO Keith Barr cautioned against brand buildup becoming brand bloat. Analysts said the trend would be vulnerable in a downturn. The current coronavirus downturn is greater than almost anyone could have predicted, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the industry is on the cusp of a wave of brand extinction.

“A hotel company is going to have to look hard at how to recover all those brands,” said Makarand Mody, a marketing professor at Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration. “That said, the decision to lose a brand is still a big one.”

Get the Latest on Coronavirus and the Travel Industry on Skift’s Liveblog

Finding Identity Through a Downturn

With occupancy at many of the world’s hotels in the single digits, hoteliers and major hotel companies today are focusing more on survival than looking ahead. But once travelers begin to return, major hotel companies will have to reassess their brand portfolios and recalibrate what each flag stands for.

Brands with uncertain futures like W Hotels and even Marriott’s planned rejuvenation of Sheraton could be particularly vulnerable in the current downturn, Mody said. Marriott de-flagged five W Hotels in two years before coronavirus impacted the hotel industry, and the hotel giant wasn’t far along in its planned brand overhaul to Sheraton properties.

But long-term contracts with hotel operators make shutting down an entire brand arduous for major hospitality companies. Instead, the company could decide to cool off on introducing new brands or extend the timeline given to operators to invest and adapt to new brand standards.

Story continues

“The amount of effort and investment put in to creating a brand, especially one of scale like Sheraton, creates a scenario where, if you do decide to retire the flag, the big danger is all your franchisees are now out on the open market,” Mody said. “Operators would have no obligation to stick with you as Marriott. They then become open for poaching by the IHGs or Hiltons of the world. That could be why a company is hesitant to retire a brand.”

Marriott did not respond to Skift’s request for comment, and IHG and Hilton were not able to comment in time for publication.

Rather than run the risk of a brand shakeout leading to a further loss in operations, hotel companies could decide to reflag over de-flag.

“You may see some collapse of brands into each other simply because it will be more efficient to market, promote, or re-launch that brand,” said Flo Lugli, president and founder of travel consulting firm Navesink Advisory Group. “Brand leaders might say, ‘This is a Westin today, but here’s a list of 100 Westins that aren’t meeting the brand standards, so let’s reposition them down into Sheraton.’”

It is still a costly investment to change a flag affiliation, as everything from signs to bedding and restaurants need to change to meet the requirements of the new flag. But the parent brand is likely to see it as a better choice than losing an operator to a competitor.

“If there are lead brands and owners can’t comply with standards or planned refreshes, then there could be an option for them to go under a new flag rather than retire an entire brand,” Lugli said. “The objective is not to lose any of those hotels but reposition them into another brand where they can get the desired average daily rates based on the property’s condition and location.”

Most analysts interviewed for this story don’t expect a mass hotel brand retirement to result from the coronavirus downturn in travel, especially if the owner is happy with the brand and continues to make timely franchise payments.

“In the initial recovery, I’d expect new supply would come from only the strongest brands,” said Linda Canina, professor at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.

Travelers (And Brands) Stick to What They Know Best

Hoteliers may find brand affiliation to be beneficial during the hotel industry’s recovery, especially as guests seek familiarity in their initial foray back into business or leisure travel. If the trend sticks, that could be enough for hospitality giants to double down on adding more brands.

“The best goal is for a company to make sure they have something for everybody, which is why they would want many brands,” said Anne Lloyd-Jones, a senior managing director at hospitality consulting firm HVS. “This event doesn’t change that need.”

Brand affiliation can drive occupancy on the upswing, as global hotel companies’ reservation systems, loyalty programs, and marketing budgets can easily lure travelers making their first trips after coronavirus-related precautions subside. But that initial run to familiarity could also curtail the launch of any new brands in the works.

“This is a question of risk aversion and what is the appetite of risk for owners in the upside,” STR Senior Vice President of Lodging Insights Jan Freitag said. “What is the appetite to put up a brand flag that doesn’t exist yet compared to one from a stable with a long track record in a recovery environment where group and business travel isn’t rebounding sharply?”

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daydreamer0078 · 5 years ago

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10 Best Netflix Series of All Time that You Shouldn't Miss

I think it's the perfect time for you to binge-watch Netflix series. You know what I'm talking right haha ! Netflix has become one of the best streaming services since it has providing good quality content for the audience. There are tons of series and shows on Netflix as well as movies. You may don't know what to watch now and might get confused which is the perfect series to watch right away. Don't worry, we've listed some of the best Netflix series you can watch. Among all Netflix shows, there are 10 Netflix series that you shouldn't miss. While you're at home, you can watch the following series. I think once you start watching them. You may binge-watch because of their gripping screenplay and content. We've listed out best 10 Netflix series of all time you must watch. Let's have a popcorn tub and watch the series ;) :

10.The Crown

( Image credit: Netflix) Seasons: 3 Episodes: 41 IMDb Rating: 8.7/10 Cast: Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, Matt Smith, Tobias Menzies, Vanessa Kirby, Eileen Atkins, and more... Plot: Queen Elizabeth's life reign from her younger years to the 21st century. Description: The Crown series is highly lauded for its magnificent cinematography, epic execution, and characters. It is a great watch series if you haven't seen this yet. WATCH NOW

9.Sex Education

( Image credit: Netflix) Seasons: 2 Episodes: 17 IMDb Rating: 8.3/10 Cast: Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, and more.. Plot: A young boy with a mother who is a sex therapist sets up a new business at school with his fellow high school classmate. Description: If you're really looking for a fresh comedy with hilarious characters. Then, this is the perfect Netflix series for you to watch right now. Especially, if you're a teenager, you can relate to so many aspects and will enjoy the whole series. WATCH NOW

8.Narcos

( Image credit: Netflix) Seasons: 3 Episodes: 30 IMDb Rating: 8.8/10 Cast: Pedro Pascal, Wagner Moura, Boyd Holbrook, Alberto Ammann, and more.. Plot: The series is based on real story of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. The DEA agents tracks and sent on a mission to capture him and other drug kingpins. Description: Narcos is an interesting and crime drama series. Once you started watching it, you may not leave until you watched the whole series. It is highly acclaimed by many people for its storytelling, interesting screenplay, and fantastic production values. WATCH NOW

7.Breaking Bad

( Image credit: Netflix) Seasons: 5 Episodes: 62 IMDb Rating:9.5/10 Cast: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Betsy Brandt, and more.. Plot: A chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with stage III Lung cancer decides to manufacture and sell methamphetamine to secure his family's future. Description: Breaking Bad is one of the best series ever produced by Netflix. It is highly recommended and greatly praised for it's engaging storytelling, fantastic characters, and acting. The people who have finished this series addicted to this one and haven't found a perfect replacement for this series. WATCH NOW

6.Black Mirror

( Image credit: Netflix) Seasons: 5 Episodes: 22 IMDb Rating: 8.8/10 Cast: Daniel Lapaine, Hannah John-Kamen, Michaela Coel, Charles Babalola and more.. Plot: The series explores how modern technology in the future reality affects the relations between humans and brings out darker aspects of society. Description: This series will make question yourself about how technology affects you. It is one of the best sci-fi and dark series you shouldn't miss. It looks up about modern technology and brings out dark aspects of the near future that disturbs in some ways. WATCH NOW

5.Mind Hunter

( Image credit: Netflix) Seasons: 2 Episodes: 19 IMDb Rating: 8.6/10 Cast: Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Anna Torv, Sonny Valicenti, and more.. Plot: In the 1970s, two FBI Agents sent on a task to interview and study serial killers to resolve crimes easily in the future. Description: If you love crime drama films like Seven and Zodiac. Then, it is the perfect series for you to watch. It is lauded for the gripping screenplay, fascinating story, and intense characters. WATCH NOW

4.Dark

( Image credit: Netflix) Seasons: 2 Episodes: 19 IMDb Rating: 8.7/10 Cast: Karoline Eichhorn, Louis Hofmann, Jördis Triebel, Maja Schöne, and more.. Plot: Set in a german town, the disappearance of two young children discloses the secrets and exposes hidden relationships among four families. Description: It is one of the best fictional Netflix series ever made. You must watch this dark fictional series which has greatly acclaimed for it's thrilling story and screenplay and many people who have watched it regarded as MASTERPIECE. WATCH NOW

3.BoJack Horseman

( Image credit: Netflix) Seasons: 6 Episodes: 77 IMDb Rating: 8.7/10 Cast: Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Aaron Paul and more.. Plot: BoJack Horseman, a star in Horsin in the '80s and '90s concerns about popularity, depression, addiction of drugs and alcohol and sustaining relationships. It explores black-comedy and life philosophy in an alternate reality where humans and animals live side by side. Description: Even it is cartoon series. This series has a depth and real philosophy that make you think seriously. It has the elements of comedy, emotions, and dark aspects. It is highly lauded for its depth storytelling and fantastic experience. WATCH NOW

2.Money Heist

( Image credit: Netflix) Seasons: 2 Episodes: 31 IMDb Rating: 8.5/10 Cast: Úrsula Corberó, Álvaro Morte, Itziar Ituño , Pedro Alonso and more.. Plot: A group of robbers who leads by a professor strikes on a money-printing factory and robber 2.4 billion euros. It's all about they take off and run away from the police. Description: Once you start this series. You will binge-watch for its addictive screenplay and gripping storytelling. It is highly praised for acting, cinematography, production values, action choreography, and so many aspects that make you binge-watch. WATCH NOW

1.Strange Things

( Image credit: Netflix) Seasons: 3 Episodes: 33 IMDb Rating: 8.8/10 Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown and more.. Plot: A young boy in town disappearance leads to supernatural events around the town. It's all about how his friends and family confront those supernatural events. Description: This is the best sci-fi series produced by Netflix. If you watch Netflix series and haven't watched Stranger things yet. Go ahead and watch this series right now. It is greatly acclaimed for its cinematography, fantastic storytelling, golden sci-fi mood and ensemble cast. WATCH NOW So, these are the best Netflix series you can choose. Considering all series plots and genre, choose what you like and enjoy the series as long as you're in the home. If you're not a person who watches series but instead movies. I would recommend you to go and visit the below link and watch them if you haven't watched them yet : 10 Best Movies in 2019 that You Must Watch If You Haven’t Seen If you love the genre of action and adventures : 5 Best Action Movies and Franchises of All Time You Must Watch I think this is the perfect time for you to start MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE : MCU Timeline – Watch Every Marvel Movie in Order You might be interested in these articles, Have a look at them. 16 Most Anticipated Movies in 2020 Best Hollywood Movies of 2019 that You Must See! MARVEL PHASE 5 MOVIES AND SHOWS LIST HUGE MARVEL PHASE 5 LEAK – MCU Read the full article

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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The Nets will regret firing Kenny Atkinson

Will the Nets really be better without Kenny Atkinson?

The Nets didn’t fire Kenny Atkinson for basketball reasons

All things considered, the Brooklyn Nets have exceeded expectations. The team’s best available player, Kyrie Irving, only appeared in 20 games before a lingering shoulder injury led to season-ending surgery. Caris LeVert has missed 25 games and in 14 of them he came off the bench (after returning from thumb surgery). Those two plus Spencer Dinwiddie (Brooklyn’s leader in total points by nearly 400) shared the court for a grand total of 67 minutes.

Elsewhere, Brooklyn’s roster had inconvenient hindrances. At least one of Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan were always on the floor, two gravity-killing bigs in a league that increasingly requires spacing at all five positions. Wilson Chandler’s 25-game suspension compelled Taurean Prince to be Brooklyn’s only full-time power forward. There was positional overlap, mixed with too much transience.

Making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference is not the most difficult task, but such grueling circumstances — significant injuries to key contributors, under the aura of anticipated progress — typically precede a total meltdown. These Nets could easily be where the Chicago Bulls or Detroit Pistons are, caving in to an uphill battle during one of the stranger gap years in recent NBA memory.

Before the season even began, Kevin Durant’s Achilles injury placed the Nets in an uncomfortable grey area, like a trustee who can’t access their looming fortune. But Kenny Atkinson, Brooklyn’s head coach of nearly four years who was let go over the weekend, did not let them beat themselves.

Atkinson has been romanticized as a cultural trend-setting figure who habitually squeezed more from Brooklyn’s sum than its individual parts seemingly could. His vigor enhanced a brand of basketball soaked in sound judgement and analytically-influenced decisions. Players who weren’t always talented enough for the roles they had to fill still saw Atkinson’s vision and executed it within a system that played the percentages on both ends.

He will be a candidate for several job openings this summer — be it in Houston, Washington, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans, Cleveland, Minnesota, Philadelphia, or somewhere else. He’s accomplished, with respect among players who made undeniable leaps under his eye. D’Angelo Russell, Joe Harris, Dinwiddie, and LeVert are just a few who benefited from Atkinson’s leadership. No coach will please every player, but there’s sweat equity in his style most respond to. On Saturday, the Nets robbed us from ever knowing how it would’ve worked with superstars who, before the season began, were vocally supportive of the culture and system Atkinson helped instill.

“He’s gotten us to this place right now,” Brooklyn’s general manager Sean Marks said during a press conference on Saturday afternoon. “With mutual discussions between the two of us, we both decided it’s time that we should move on.”

The Nets have suffered bad losses since the All-Star break, including a 141-118 blowout in Atlanta and a 118-79 defeat at home against Memphis. But to maintain that Atkinson wasn’t the right voice for Brooklyn’s locker room (as Marks has) does not justify letting him go when you consider who is actually in said locker room, and how many of them will still be around when the Nets are good enough to contend for a championship.

If the disgruntled figures were Durant and/or Irving, though, that’s a different story. Those two, Marks, and, most importantly, new owner Joe Tsai, are the four most influential opinions driving this franchise forward right now, and obviously none of them strongly felt like Atkinson was the right man for the job.

Coaching is complicated, but from most of what we saw about Brooklyn’s product, Atkinson was hardly the problem. On the court, Brooklyn took good shots and forced bad ones. On the day Atkinson was fired, they had the eighth-best defense in the league despite never having a single plus wing defender on the roster. (Iman Shumpert’s cup of coffee was the closest facsimile of this critical type of player.)

On Saturday, I asked Marks if Brooklyn’s playing style and on-court aesthetic had any impact on the decision to part ways with Atkinson. “No. I think the way they’re playing, we’re very supportive of the system that Kenny and his coaching staff have put out there. It’s about how they were implementing that system, you know, were the right pieces in the right places. I mean, that takes all of us there, so that didn’t factor in.”

Taken at face value, this passes the smell test. The Nets don’t post up. They don’t take mid-range jumpers. Their offense is third in location effective field goal percentage and their defense is second. This doesn’t mean their approach to basketball is the only one worth pursuing, or even the smartest way to accentuate Irving and, eventually, Durant’s skill sets, but what those numbers do say is Brooklyn was sensible and organized with Atkinson at the helm.

There were issues with the rotation, and Atkinson struggled to find balance among his best players, being that their strengths overlapped so harshly on the offensive end. On one hand, staggering Dinwiddie and LeVert kept one offensive creator on the floor at all times. On the other, there must also be some forward-thinking incentives at play, and an urgency to cultivate as much on-court familiarity as possible before Irving and Durant join them next season.

Atkinson is of the player development mold, which puts other areas of coaching under a microscope. During last year’s playoffs he didn’t entirely acquit himself as a tactical magician, but adapted to an environment where match-ups dictate results. He swerved towards iso-ball — the only playoff team that isolated at a higher frequency was Houston — and unleashed his guards on a Philadelphia 76ers defense that couldn’t contain all of them. (It was a strategy which forced JJ Redick to the bench for longer stretches than Brett Brown would’ve liked.)

Brooklyn’s crunch-time offense was generally fine under Atkinson, but there were hiccups here and there over the past couple seasons. In late December the Nets lost to the Karl-Anthony Towns-less Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime. It was just one game jumbled into the regular-season grind, but I can’t help but remember the last few minutes of regulation, when Brooklyn kept running the same stack pick-and-roll action down the stretch, even after it became clear the Timberwolves knew what was going to happen.

A few seconds after Ryan Saunders lets his defense know what’s about to happen, Atkinson jumps out of his seat and gives the exact same hand signal when his players screw up the execution:

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One player later they ran the exact same thing. Again, it was off-beat. Again, they scored zero points.

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This doesn’t look good, but one could argue that Atkinson was a victim of the talent (or lack thereof) Brooklyn had on the floor. That same action with Durant and Irving has a different result, whether the defense knows what’s coming or not.

Long before those two hyper-accelerated Brooklyn’s timeline, rumors about Atkinson’s job being in jeopardy started to percolate. Last December, when the Nets won two out of 14 games, including eight losses in a row, veterans in that locker room could sense a change on the horizon. They were 8-18 when they snapped their losing streak with an overtime win over the eventual champion Toronto Raptors. The Nets saved their season by winning nine of their next 10 games. It was the type of turnaround players who don’t believe in their head coach never make (including a three-point win in Philadelphia against the healthy Sixers).

Whether this year’s roster was sick of Atkinson or not, a firing of this magnitude necessitates a look back at what led the Nets to where they are. The decision to sign Durant, Irving, and DeAndre Jordan is one just about every general manager would make if in the same spot Brooklyn was last year. It’s a no-brainer, in almost every sense. But it’s worth wondering how things would’ve shaken out under less stressful, more patient circumstances.

The NBA is all about taking advantage of opportunity when it’s presented by fortuitous timing. The Nets had enough cap space to sign two stars with championship experience who were ready to win right now.

The alternative would’ve likely been to re-sign Russell, keep Dinwiddie, and ink Levert to an extension. Develop continuity with that core, hope Allen develops three-point range and becomes a legitimate franchise center, and stay as financially lean as possible without falling off their upward trajectory to attract free agents in 2021.

Again, no general manager would prefer Door B if Kevin Durant is walking through Door A, but that parallel universe is a fascinating one to consider, especially if the next couple years end in disappointment and Marks is the one looking for a new job.

What comes next is anybody’s guess. During his press conference, Marks sidestepped a couple questions about what type of coach the team will pursue this summer. Brooklyn’s opening is the most high risk, high reward opening in quite some time. And the question now becomes who can pick up where Atkinson left off and lead a team that hasn’t won two straight playoff series in 17 years to the NBA Finals?

Any serious candidate must command immediate respect from Irving and Durant and be familiar with world-class pressure. Is that Ty Lue or Jason Kidd? Mike D’Antoni or Brown (assuming Houston and Philly let them go)? Is it a Van Gundy brother or Mark Jackson? Is it Mike Krzyzewski, who recruited Irving to Duke and coached Durant on Team USA? This last option sounds impractical, but given Marks’ ties to the San Antonio Spurs and the downward trend the organization appears to be on … what about Gregg Popovich?

It’s probably too dramatic to describe Brooklyn’s situation as “a mess,” given that Durant is theoretically talented enough by himself to overcome just about any level of organizational dysfunction. But to achieve their goals the Nets can’t afford to be dysfunctional. As if there wasn’t already enough pressure, whoever they hire as their next head coach will walk in with sky-high expectations despite the absence of any runway to forge chemistry or build culture.

The decision to march ahead without Atkinson at the helm speaks to deeper, unknown issues that have little to actually do with the game of basketball and could not be resolved. We always knew the Nets would look very different next year. It’s a shame we’ll never get to see what that could’ve been with the same coach who helped get them where they are.

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daleisgreat · 8 years ago

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Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

Welcome back to my latest entry going through the Fast and Furious franchise. Today I am covering the third movie in the series, 2006’s The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (trailer). If you are going through my blog archives and am curious why there is no entry for 2Fast, 2Furious, that is because as I stated in my blog for the first film that is the only film in the brand that I loathe and do not own so I am going to pretend it does not exist. -I always considered Tokyo Drift a side story in the F&F universe since Vin Diesel & Paul Walker’s characters take a backseat and this film focuses on one Sean Boswell (Lucas Black). After getting in a nasty wreck in a street race gone awry with high school rival Clay (Zachery Ty Bryan), Sean is sent packing overseas to live with his father (Brian Goodman) in Tokyo. Even in the Far East Sean cannot escape the thrills of the underground street racing scene after getting introduced to it by new friend, Twinkie (Shad Moss aka Lil Bow Wow).

-I ended up watching Tokyo Drift twice. The first time I watched it with the Giant Bomb staff commentary like I did with the first film, and the second time with director commentary from Justin Lin (Tokyo Drift marks the first of four straight F&F films that Lin directed). The Giant Bomb crew once again was a riot to listen to especially since GB head honcho Jeff Gertsmann flew nationwide to join up with the East Coast office’s crew to specifically watch this film with these guys. Jeff has a lot of awesome stories about relating to this film with his rambunctious street racing tales growing up and lays down some knowledge on drift culture and goes in depth on some car industry lingo when appropriate. Lin also had a lot of nonstop insight throughout and had a lot of love for the cast and I got a kick of his memory of car enthusiasts riding him on swapping out the engine of a Dodge Charger in order to make it drift-worthy. I also appreciated Lin explaining what it took to pull off and how grateful he was to get a certain cameo at the end of the film. -The opening race scene where Sean and Clay race is awesomely cheesy where the two demolish a new expansion of residential areas under developmen. There is silly a BluRay GPS extra feature where each driver’s location is shown on an overlay map on the screen. I nodded along enthusiastically following the dots with intense driving action playing out to Kid Rock’s “Bawitaba” in the background.

-Tokyo Drift is the final movie in the franchise to have street racing be the primary focus of the film. Tokyo Drift’s hook on the racing is by introducing drifting to the street races. I recall being surprised at how the film made it seem like it was this revolutionary technique that was only applicable in Japan, but that was probably because I played too many driving videogames that had a drift feature such as various Need for Speed and Burnout games by 2006. Regardless, I loved how the film embraced drifting here by introducing the antagonist street racer of the film, DK aka Drift King (Brian Tee). He smokes Sean in an early race in the film as Sean is flummoxed at this radical new car technique, but luckily Han (Sung Kang) takes him under his wing and shows him the ropes at making him a master drifter in a well-produced montage. -Spoilers ahead, skip this paragraph if you have not seen Tokyo Drift. Yes, Han makes his F&F debut in this film, and even though he bites the dust to set up the final act, Justin Lin loved the character so much that he brought him back for the next three films. When asked about this in interviews, Lin simply stated that F&F 4-6 all take place before Tokyo Drift. Sure, why not. That is fine, because Han is an awesome character and Kang nails his laid back role and even has a couple throwaway loose references in Tokyo Drift on how he use to ride with ‘The Family’ that formed in the following films so it all makes sense anyways. If you are new to the series and absolutely want to watch the films in the proper canonical order then the correct way to do so is starting off with the first two movies, then skip to four through six, but skip the post-credit scene at the end of six, then watch Tokyo Drift and then the F&F6 post-credit scene and continue on to seven and eight. If you can follow that, then you will be set and the timelines will all fall into place….I think.

-The two best scenes in the film are when Sean and Han have a serious life moment with rooftop soccer in the background and the final mountain-top race showdown between DK and Sean. It is appropriately ridiculous and filled with countless ‘yeah right’ drifts and stunts. This race went out of its way to show how advanced Japan cell phone tech was in 2006 by being able to live stream and broadcast the race with the latest flip-phones available at the time. Also, I hope you made the connection by now that F&F 4-6 all take place a couple years before the introductions of smart phones, so even though they are ubiquitous in those films, just think of them as alternate model flip-phones and avoid thinking twice about it. The race was the ultimate thrill ride and a fitting end to a surprisingly enjoyable film that did not prominently feature any of the cast from the first pair of films. -There is a significant amount of extras on the BluRay, but unless you are seriously into car culture and drifting then you can easily skip at least half the extras. If you are a big gearhead, you will absolutely eat up Drift: Sideways Craze a one hour look at the pro drift racing scene and a few other shorter extras on drift culture. If I were to recommend just two of the 11 extra features (totaling around two and a half hours!), then check out Han’s Last Ride and Tricked Out to Drift. Those two extras break down the gang car chase scene and how the filmmakers modded the Dodge Charger in the film to make it drift-worthy. There is also a feature-length ‘Picture-in-Picture’ BluRay exclusive extra that combines all the extras and constantly switches between them all when appropriate throughout the film so that could be a better way to take in all the extra features, but I would rather suggest checking out the director commentary from Justin Lin instead. -I still recall regretting going to the theater when initially seeing The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and thinking it was going to be a complete waste with none of the noteworthy cast in it. I was glad to be proven wrong. Tokyo Drift is far from the best film in the series, but I would still give it a strong recommendation because it is a fitting swan song for races and driving being at the forefront of the movies before the series transitioned into the over-the-top-yet-amazing-what-will-they-do-next CG experiences that we know them as today. Other Random Backlog Movie Blogs 3 12 Angry Men (1957) 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown 21 Jump Street Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie Atari: Game Over The Avengers: Age of Ultron Batman: The Killing Joke Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Bounty Hunters Cabin in the Woods Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The Winter Soldier Christmas Eve Clash of the Titans (1981) Clint Eastwood 11-pack Special The Condemned 2 Creed Dirty Work Faster Fast and Furious I-VIII Field of Dreams Fight Club The Fighter For Love of the Game Good Will Hunting Gravity Guardians of the Galaxy Hercules: Reborn Hitman Ink Interstellar Jobs Man of Steel Marine 3 & 4 Mortal Kombat The Replacements Rocky I-VII Running Films Part 1 Running Films Part 2 San Andreas ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Steve Jobs Source Code Star Trek I-XIII Take Me Home Tonight TMNT The Tooth Fairy 1 & 2 UHF Veronica Mars Wild The Wrestler (2008) X-Men: Days of Future Past

#random movie #Fast and Furious #tokyo drift #lucas black #justin lin #zachary ty bryan #shad moss #brian tee #sung kang #brian goodman

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