#this is based on a panel from book four so that is in fact:

[piningpercussionist]

I d ont want to work on this anymore you can't make me,, sorry LisIm nation-

[doctorofmagic]

Doctor Strange's disability: a (much needed) chronological review

In view of recent ableism and drama on the other social hellsite involving Doctor Strange's disability, here's my response, based on *CANON* material. (link to the thread on said hellsite here)

Stephen disability is established since 1963, back in Strange Tales #115. The story is focused on a flashback which portrays his journey from the decay of his medical career because of a car accident to his path towards the mystic arts.

Note that, in this very same issue, the Ancient One never says he would heal Stephen's *hands*, but perhaps Stephen would find the cure within. In other words, Stephen was supposed to heal his heart and soul from arrogance and egoism through magic, not a physical cure.

Also note that there are limitations within every aspect of comic books' universes. In this case, we're talking about magic. Magic is not a miracle thing. It demands training and, most recently as established by v4, a cost (Doctor Strange v4 #4).

Another clue that "magic can heal anything because it's fantasy" is not a valid argument within Marvel's magic world, as seen in The Oath. Stephen had access to the Otkid's Elixir, which could heal any disease, but the formula was lost in order to save Wong's life.

One last example comes from Spider-Man Family #5 (2007), featuring Morbius and Spidey. It establishes that healing demands the exact same price when it comes to magic.

Long story short, it's clear that the magic side of Marvel does not offer a solution to diseases through magical miracles. So this argument is totally invalid ~within~ this established universe.

Now back to Doctor Strange... No, he isn't using magic to heal his hands unlike some misleading accounts are claiming. In fact, there are several panels which show that he's actually in constant pain. Here's some examples:

- Doctor Strange - Sorcerer Supreme #48 (1992).

- Captain Marvel v10 #6 (2019)

- Doctor Strange v4 #1 (2015)

He also struggles to hold a pen and write, relying on magic to do so, as seen in the Book of the Vishanti.

Then comes the stupid argument I saw.

"Oh, but Google says his hands are healed!" is not a gotcha moment you think it is. We had FOUR MAIN BOOKS after that (Surgeon Supreme, DODS, Strange v3 and current v6). Allow me to clarify the details in chronological order.

Stephen indeed made a "magic" gamble and healed his hands. That much is correct. But it's not all (panels from Doctor Strange v5 #19 - 2019).

Waid continued this storyline in a new book called Dr. Strange (Surgeon Supreme), which would portray Stephen's duality as the Sorcerer Supreme and a brilliant surgeon. Except the book was cancelled at issue #6 (2020), leaving the character in a kind of limbo. Now enter MacKay.

MacKay kept a little bit of the former storyline as seen in Death of the Doctor Strange #1 (2021). On top of that, his hands appeared healed. However, that lasted only until Kaecilius murdered Stephen and stole his hands.

Stephen's temporal duplicate used a regenerative spell to bring original Stephen back through Kaecilius' body and the stolen hands. In here, we can see that his hands are scarred just like after the car accident (DODS #5 - 2022). OG Stephen died a second time with scars as well.

Stephen is indeed seen writing in v6 but it's not clear if he's using magic or not. Besides, he's not working as a surgeon anymore. Moreover, MacKay considers Stephen disabled as seen in this recent issue of v6 (#7 - 2023): "My own connection to the aether, the magic of the world, the power of the Vishanti, the power of the Sorcerer Supreme... Gone. Without all of that? I am just an old man with useless hands and a blade in his stomach."

In conclusion,

As of CURRENT DOCTOR STRANGE RUN by Jed MacKay and Pasqual Ferry, in the year of our lord Vishanti, 2024, Stephen Strange is a disabled character and no magic or ableism will erase that. Thank you very much.

[chemevan]

sorry for not being active on tumblr (or like social media in general) anymore take this nonsensical drawing as an apology

(based on this)

[Image ID: a four panel comic featuring joe trohman and patrick stump from fall out boy. on the first panel they're sitting on a couch playing videogames. patrick says "i love to do a double jump in mario. joe replies with "i think mario can do whatever he wants". on the second panel joe seems annoyed and says "i think i'm like mario i will read my book of the mario facts", while patrick looks at him. on the third panel joe has a book, and he just has a blank speech bubble over him. on the fourth and last panel they're both playing again like in the first one, but joe looks upset, saying "i can't read" and patrick answering with "mario has never written a book", and his text is way bigger than normal so it doesn't even fit the speech bubble./.End ID]

[tsutsumi-kurose]

I find it interesting that Tsukasa reached for Nene without hesitation. It was probably because he needs her to fulfill his goals but I wanna be delusional and say he has a heart and cares for her / people

lol it is very hard to tell with tsukasa!! but he definitely does have a heart it’s just….selective lol.

and i think the fact that it's so hard to tell how tsukasa feels about people makes him and nene such good complements to each other!! nene is so expressive and open, and tsukasa is such a mystery to the audience and especially to amane, the person closest to him. these differences play off of each other beautifully. it's nene's openness and persistence and open-book optimism that gets us so many glimpses into tsukasa's feelings and past and world view and the different attitudes he's capable of embodying and expressing. and i personally think this moment is an example of that!

i think tsukasa catching nene was a very instinctive action he took!! i don't think he gave it any thought:

i loveeee this moment and these two pages like... he makes the decision so quickly that the panel of nene falling doesn't even have time to complete!! tsukasa physically breaks into the panel of nene falling, that's how fast and split second his decision is!! it's such a beautiful use of the space on the page. and tsukasa looks surprised by himself on the next page!! tsukasa is a very calucated person who usually has the upper hand, and in this moment he realizes he has truly given that upper hand and that foresight and that planning up, that he needs to resort to the last resort of calling amane for help. he resorts to what he sees as the impossible!! so i really don't think catching her was just part of the plan. there was definitely an emotional element involved there!!

i also think nene really has a knack for bringing out new sides of tsukasa. she's the reason he revealed that he's called for hanako before with no response!! she challenges him in ways he hasn't been challenged before!! she constantly surprises him and makes things interesting for him. i think she is definitely a very unique relationship in his life, and given all the reactions she gets out of him, i would say he definitely has at least some level of emotional investment in her as a person.

you are right though, that this doesn't necessarily mean he cares about her... but i don't think it's delusional for us to hope that it means something along those lines!! after all, they've spent a lot of time together leading up to this moment, and thanks to time travel, who knows how many interactions they've had that only tsukasa has experienced at this point? there's so much we don't know about tsukasa, constantly!! and i think the way he feels about nene is one of the more confounding mysteries about him.

i think it's very possible he has a soft spot for nene at this point! or at least is developing one. I’d believe it!! after all, if nene falls to her death who will listen to tsukasa talk about amane for four hours straight??

also look at them here:

serious analysis on pause they're best friends here. they are consulting they are looking to each other they are silently communicating!!! where do we go from here!!! nene said :0!!!!! tsukasa said O_O!!!!!

okay back to more text based analysis lol: from a different angle, you could also argue tsukasa's end goal with all of this is extending nene's life, as he's working to grant amane's wish, which, to his knowledge from the conversation in ch91, would be to extend nene's lifespan. so indirectly, but still supposedly his goal in a way!! which is a way to interpret his motivations in this moment as well.

and on the topic of tsukasa's goals, i think they show his heart!! yes, he's got an agenda, but overall his agenda has really just been to grant amane's wish. and it's an agenda he does his best to fulfill, which is a way of showing heart!! he thinks this is how amane can get whatever he wants. so in a way, even if this moment was just about needing nene as a means to an end, the end and the means of getting there are all motivated by his heart!!

but yeah in summary i definitely think there's a lot of depth to this relationship and to this interaction in particular. it haunts me constantly!! i love tsukasa i love nene i love the ways they play off of each other so much!! yes i'm biased because i would steal the moon from the sky for tsukasa and nene, but i really do think she makes him feel a lot!! whether that results in affection for her i think is beautifully complicated and unclear, and i can't wait to see their relationship progress throughout the rest of the manga!!

so i am with you in your delusions anon!! keep the faith!! i certainly will!! <3

[10blue10]

HTTYD continuity: Are there two Hiccups?

First of all, thank you for all the likes and reblogs on my ‘there are two Hiccups’ post. It’s seriously blowing my mind how popular it is. So, if you read it and thought “what? There are two Hiccups?”

Well, no… but actually yes. I wasn’t being literal (I know, on the reading comprehension website? Shame on me), but the thing is, I’m actually kind of right? Just look at these examples from the wiki:

The entire series is based on the six main Dragon Riders moving away from Berk for over a year. However, in commentary, Dean DeBlois has said that they all lived on Berk between the first two films. The second film’s Art Book elaborates on this saying that they all had responsibilities on Berk which prevented them from leaving.

In other words, as far as Dean is concerned, RTTE never happened.

The series also focuses on the six main Dragon Riders exploring lands outside the Archipelago together, while both Dean and the second film’s Art Book state that only Hiccup and Astrid ventured outside the Archipelago as they were the ones drawing up Hiccup's map. The other four stayed much closer to Berk.

Again, we have a direct contradiction between what Dean claims happened pre-HTTYD2 in his (head)canon, and what we see in RTTE.

Numerous other "dragon riders" are introduced throughout the series, when the second and third films themselves stress how Berk is the only community who rides dragons. Dean elaborated on this during a convention panel explaining that that’s why Eret and Drago were so alarmed when seeing Vikings riding on dragons, and why Eret assumed Valka was one of them.

In an interview with the series creators Art Brown and Douglas Sloan, it was mentioned that the show was originally meant to have 4 seasons, spread out over the span of a year and a half, leading up to the second film. Following the many clues and mentions regarding the passage of time within the story, the last 7 episodes of season 4 were supposed to have happened during the same summer as the film. However, when seasons 5 and 6 were ordered into production, the show writers had to carry on with the timeline they had set up, which inevitably lead to the series continuing into negative time; going past the second film.

In other words, the last two seasons of RTTE aren’t meant to take place before HTTYD2 - they take place after it. If there’s better proof that RTTE is on its own separate timeline, I don’t know what that is.

The majority of film characters are portrayed severely out-of-character in the series compared to the films and film-verse media; most arguably Hiccup and Astrid. Aside from having similar appearance and even voices, their personalities and behaviors in the series portray them as drastically different people than their film counterparts.

I would argue that they are more in character during RTTE, especially Snotlout, the twins and Fishlegs. Isn’t it amazing what being fleshed out characters instead of comic relief can do? But there you have it. RTTE!Hiccup is portrayed as drastically different to his film counterpart. When push comes to shove, there are two Hiccups.

Or, you know, three, if we count the one from the books 😂.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to lamenting the fact we live in the timeline where THW exists and not the timeline where the writers of RTTE were allowed to make a full length conclusion movie.

[notebookishtype]

Hello, do you have any recs for star wars books and comics with the best lukeleia content? In my lukeleia era and I really wanna start reading some OT legends stuff but I don’t know where to start.

Stories that take place during, between, and shortly after the Original Trilogy? We are lucky to have decades worth of content set in this time period! It’s the only place we can find things published before the sibling reveal, and/or acknowledging that Luke and Leia were attracted to each other.

✨I’ve included links to every book and comic mentioned below. I don’t think it’s immoral to pirate from a corporation. If you (general) take issue with that, I have bought most items listed at least once, and I would lend it to you if I could.

✨Some of the comics are only available in large collections, you may need to scroll to find the correct issues.

Legends Books

The first that comes to mind is Splinter of the Mind’s Eye. It was published in 1978, Luke and Leia were still love interests, and it takes place after ANH. They crash land on a mining planet and discover there is an Imperial presence there.

Fun Facts:

This story was commissioned to be a low budget sequel if A New Hope flopped.

This novel also inspired some of the canon lore for kyber crystals.

I started an impromptu reread earlier this year, and I did not remember how shippy this book was. This is just four pages into the book:

Splinter of the Mind’s Eye was also adapted into a comic in 1995… and it was still incredibly shippy? I recommend both if you have the time and executive function. If you’re low on focus or time, go with the comic.

I’ve been told the novelization of A New Hope also has the same vibes, and is by the same author. So if you enjoy Splinter thats another place to look.

As far as other novels, we’re mostly looking at crumbs. Off the top of my head I know both Shadows of the Empire and The Truce at Bakura acknowledge their feelings for each other.

Shadows of the Empire:

The Truce at Bakura:

I would only recommend these if you’re interested in the rest of either story.

Shadows is a take on what happened between ESB and ROTJ, published in ‘96. Want to see how the Rebels get the plans for the Second Death Star? Read this. Want to see Darth Vader forced to play politics? Read this. If Han and Leia’s relationship is a no go for you, you might consider skipping it. Content Warning: the antagonist attempts to “seduce” Leia via pheromones. Read: rape. He is a serial rapist.

Truce takes place immediately after ROTJ, and has some great character moments for our heroes, again a lot of focus on Leia and Han. I do, however, choose to view the fact that Luke’s love interest in this book is a young Imperial Senator who we are meant to compare to Leia, through a shippy lense. I cannot escape the idea that Luke is projecting. Otherwise this book is about dinosaur looking aliens using human’s life energy to power their ships.

If you’re interested in checking any of these books out I recommend looking here or here.

Legends Comics

Splinter of the Mind’s Eye (1995)—as mentioned above.

Star Wars Tales (1999-2005) 15, Do or Do Not—Takes place immediately after ROTJ. Luke is processing after the Battle of Endor, and uncertain of his place. His feelings for Leia are acknowledged.

Star Wars (2013) 1-6, In the Shadow of Yavin—Takes pace after ANH. Leia is working with a handpicked X-wing squadron, to expose a spy. Her position in command causes friction between her and Luke. This is one of the few stories really leans into Leia having feelings for Luke.

Star Wars (2013) 15-18, Rebel Girl—Leia accepts a political proposal in exchange for a secure base location. Luke is a jealous brat about it, puts himself in danger, and plans to run away.

Marvel Star Wars (‘77–86)—I haven’t read these yet, but I’ve seen plenty of panels and pages posted on Tumblr that give lukeleia vibes, even some that take place after ROTJ. These have been gathered into several omnibuses. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Disney Comics

Star Wars (2015) 1-6, Skywalker Strikes—After ANH, the gang is infiltrating an Imperial arms factory, Vader shows up, Luke has a crisis. The Luke and Leia interactions are primarily in issues 3 & 4, but it’s a solid story arc.

Star Wars (2015) 33–Actual Publisher’s Summary: The Hero of the Rebellion & the Princess of the Revolution! Luke and Leia finally get some time alone… Unfortunately, it's stranded on a desert island.

The Storms of Crait (2017)—After ANH. Our heroes travel to Crait, in hopes of establishing a base there. Luke is delightfully flustered by a kiss on the cheek from Leia.

Star Wars Adventures (2017) 4 & 5, The Trouble at Tibrin—Leia and Luke are on a diplomatic mission that goes awry. Leia rescues Luke in this one. Acknowledges Luke’s feelings.

Star Wars Adventures Annual 2018, Mind Your Manners—Another diplomatic mission gone wrong. Not all that shippy, but discovered it while making this list, so it felt wrong to leave it off.

Star Wars Adventures (2020) 7 & 8, The Princess and the Bog, A Twin Tale—Leia and Luke are scouting base locations. Luke is terrible at following Leia’s orders, and wants to pet all the animals.

Star Wars Hyperspace Stories (2022) 2–Another search for a base location. There are several cute moments between them in this one.

Deleted Scenes & Behind The Scenes

I know the ask was about books and novels, but I’d also recommend—if you haven’t already—searching for deleted scenes, alternate takes, behind the scenes photos and promo photos, etc. There are goodies from each film, but the most substantial stuff is from/for ESB.

Is That Everything?

I doubt it. There are many other stories that take place in this time frame that I haven’t investigated yet. Here are some that are on my list:

Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor (Legends novel)

Heir to the Jedi (Canon novel)

Heart of the Jedi (unpublished Legends novel)

Star Wars (1977-1986) (Legends comics) (mentioned above)

Star Wars (2020) aka Star Wars V3 (Canon comics)

Razor’s Edge & Honor Among Thieves (Legends novel duology)

I’d bet on there being content down the timeline that reads as shippy, but that’s a whole future post.

[sianagrace]

Bedknobs and Broomsticks and the Beautification of War and Witchcraft: Siana’s Panel Presentation

Robert Stevenson and Ward Kimball’s 1971 fever dream of a musical combines action and animation, war and witchcraft, feminism and effemination, and a classic Disney fantasy touch. Based on the books by English children's author Mary Norton, the story follows Miss Price, the town's "crazy lady", "spinster", and secret witch, as she takes in three young siblings displaced from London during World War II. The four join with scammer/magician Emelius Browne to search for a spell that could “end the war”. Let’s take a closer look!

Narratives and Myths: The Disney-fication of Witchcraft

Stevenson and Kimball Disney-fy witchcraft through Angela Lansbury’s character, Miss Price. Storytellers throughout history often present witches as antagonists or villains: Hansel and Gretel (1812), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), and The Sword in the Stone (1963), to name a few. Of course, by 1971, people worldwide could associate “Good Witch” with Glinda (1939), but she was not a catalyst for similarly-natured witches. Miss Price embodies a sense of normalcy and country charm that makes witchcraft seem more like a hobby rather than an all-encompassing characterization of evil. More broadly, Bedknobs and Broomsticks presents magic as realistic, providing the audience with an “anything is possible” mindset.

Depictions of Femininity and Masculinity: Just Feminist Enough

Being a witch simply slots into Miss Price’s identity: she is a single, private, middle-aged woman who lives alone in a large home fairly far from the town center. From our first encounter with her character, we can tell that she does not conform, and has no interest in conforming, to 1940s societal expectations regarding how a woman her age should present herself.

In her article “My Fair Lady: A Voice for Change”, scholar Marcie Ray notes that as America and Western Europe called in second-wave feminism, there came a filmic trend of musicals “[employing] the single girl character to depict the changing nature of (white) female sexuality” (293) as opposed to following a strict love plot. In a later section, “Eliza as the ‘Other’”, Ray discusses the tool of othering the lead female protagonist so she appears to have room for improvement, growth, and assimilation into proper society. Miss Price follows this formula, presenting palatable white femininity and feminism, but ultimately reverting to heterosexual expectations: Mr. Browne, once her anonymous professor of witchcraft, quickly becomes her love interest.

Aligning with the ongoing feminist movement at the time of this film’s production, Mr. Browne’s masculinity, and attached agency, come into question rather than being accepted as fact. His introduction in the film establishes him as a trickster, con artist, and coward. Miss Price turns him into a bunny multiple times, to which he replies “Miss Price, a word about your tactics: if I know I’m being changed into a hawk or a tiger, or something with a bit of flash, but always a fluffy white rabbit? It’s incorrigible!” This power dynamic cements Miss Price, and her playful, modern take on femininity, as the authority and lead throughout the film.

Class and Racial Subtexts: “Portobello Road”

The backdrop of World War II connects all the characters in this film through an environment devoid of abundance, and an expectation of having “less than”. Any hints of wealth or a British upper class can only be seen in what’s left behind during the height of the war rather than through individual characters.

The over ten-minute-long “Portobello Road” musical sequence demonstrates this time of unity through scarcity through color, music, and performance. The street, either through set building or editing, appears gray in itself and tinges everyone walking along the street similarly. This area of London feels communal and bustling while simultaneously being economically disadvantaged. The song, sung by all five of our lead protagonists and by the large ensemble, speaks of riches, fantasy, and possibility: the Portobello Road market is a symbol of hope, even if momentary and unfeasible.

There is little racial or ethnic subtext in this film - past, of course, the significance of WWII and all those groups ostracized, interned, and killed during the time. Portobello Road, however, curiously introduces a densely diverse enclave of London, including spotlight moments of Sikh soldiers, Scottish dancers, and Trini performers. Past their brief musical moments, we do not analyze or revisit these characters. We are, however, shown our five white protagonists interacting with these minority groups in a normalized, meaningful way: dancing, playing, and smiling alongside each other in this utopian street fair. This scene aligns more with the decade of the film’s production (late-60s and early-70s) than it does with the period in which it’s set (1940s). 

Significance to the Audience and Temporality

As briefly mentioned earlier, the character development in Bedknobs and Broomsticks is critical to ensure the comfort of 1970s audiences. Miss Price is just feminist enough, the children as just boisterous enough, Mr. Browne is just crass enough, and everyone is just poor enough. There are many things a contemporary audience can problematize about this film: Miss Price’s reverting to patriarchal expectations of marriage, love, and motherhood; the romanticization of war and, specifically, WWII; Mr. Browne’s sexist remarks about women's memories and professional capabilities. At its core, however, this is still a Disney fantasy with loveable, quirky characters, catchy musical numbers, and an entire additional animated world to fall in love with. There’s a steadfast formula that makes this film enjoyable despite its generational immobility.

Critical Discussion Questions

How do we create lovable characters whose backgrounds are classically/traditionally/stereotypically rooted in horror, antagonism, and/or villainy (ex. witches, con-artists, monsters)?

What generational differences do you see embedded in your film / what changes should/would be made in a remake?

Are love plots actually necessary to the plot of your film or other musicals? What would look different about the trajectory and public reception of the film without a love plot?

@theuncannyprofessoro

[transformers-mosaic]

Transformers: Mosaic - Fragments David Ellis

wada sez: Gather 'round, gather 'round, I have two more lost scripts to show ye. These were shared by David Ellis, who wrote just a single Mosaic to be released: "War Story". Not for lack of trying, though! It's shocking to me that nobody picked up either of these scripts, as they're both remarkably good.

"Hobby Time" (Bumblebee) [2010-09-21]

Panel One Iconic image of Bumblebee's robot mode as seen in the "--ation" trilogy. He's projecting a holomatter image of his holo-driver, the nameless hippy-chick female (and be sure to have her image flicker a bit so make it clear she's a hologram and not an actual human). The look on her face is inert; his is full of concentration.

(Also, leave room for the story's title and credits.)

CAPTION (Bumblebee's narrative): Holograms. CAPTION: For Autobots and Decepticons alike, it's functional.

Panel Two Cut to a view of Bumblebee's vehicle mode driving down the highway with the same holo-female at the wheel. Maybe show another car passing by, to get a sense of the Autobots being seen by others on a regular basis. In fact, would it work for the POV of this panel to be from inside some motorist's car?

CAPTION: It allows us to hide in plain sight on various worlds, without the natives wondering why we "vehicles" are moving around without drivers. CAPTION: Find a native, scan it, make a holo, and take care of business.

Panel Three Ideally, this panel should cover the width of the page. It's several versions of the same holo-female, each with a different outfit and hairstyle. The first could be her hippy-chick outfit as seen in the comics; another could be a Goth look; another could be a businesswoman, and so on. Heck, one could be wildly improbable like an heiress with a classy ballroom gown, or something from a Victoria's Secret store window (if that's not too risque), to show that while Bumblebee is aware of the idea of different looks on the same human, he's still experimenting and doesn't yet grasp the subtleties of fashion.

CAPTION: For me, it's something different. CAPTION: A fascination, for lack of a better word. CAPTION: The others don't notice, but I see so many different humans wearing so many different things. CAPTION: There's a point behind it; I know there is, and I want my holo-driver to blend in.

Panel Four We see Ironhide and Jazz watching Bumblebee as he crouches in a corner of their base, projecting his holo and looking for all the world like a boy caught playing with a doll. They look amused; he looks annoyed that they're teasing him.

CAPTION: The others are on my case about it. CAPTION: Prowl tells me not to waste energy on holomatter unless I'm on a mission. Jazz and Ironhide think it's funny. CAPTION: But they don't get it.

Panel Five Tight closeup of Bumblebee modifying the holo-girl's hairstyle. His face has the concentration of an artist's, as if this practice is fulfilling some inner creative need.

CAPTION: This war with the Decepticons leaves so much destruction and chaos, that it's a nice change of pace just to... CAPTION: ...create. CAPTION: And I find myself wondering...

Panel Six Cut to a police mugshot -- front view and side view, holding a nameplate in each one -- of a woman looking very much like Bumblebee's holo-girl, but she doesn't look much like the happy, idealized image Bumblebee carries around. She has a very weathered expression on her face, as she's not happy with the whole arrest-and-booking procedure; she looks like she's been through some hard living. The name and serial number can be whatever you want to put on there, just make it look like a convincing mugshot.

CAPTION: ...whatever happened to that human I scanned once? CAPTION: What's her life like? Is she anything like the way I imagine her? CAPTION: Maybe I'll find out one day.

END

wada sez: I'll be perfectly honest, David Ellis is clearly a cut above the vast majority of Mosaic writers. There's a few things here which make me roll my eyes—the rubbish title, the way it zeroes in on this one woman from Infiltration, and the twist of "aha, she was a criminal all along!"—but it's technically competent stuff that feels like it's engaging with actual human emotions through a uniquely Transformers lens. It's the idea of an image of a person as a proxy for the person themself; of idealising someone until the image becomes entirely divorced from the truth of that person. This is made more complex by the fact that this is also a form of self-actualization for Bumblebee; the woman he's fixating on forms the basis of an identity he is constructing for himself on Earth. The sentence "boy caught playing with a doll" evokes gender non-conformity to me—but on a much more direct level, I imagine many online Transformers fans would relate to this in the sense that we're all too old to be playing with toys, from a typical perspective. It's a story that invites interpretation and should resonate with people for different reasons, meaningfully building upon a minor beat from the official comics. For me, it's the final panel that really lets the script down—I think the dramatic irony of knowing the truth about the woman takes us out of Bumblebee's perspective without adding much to the story. Surely the tragedy here is that Bumblebee's life is so completely removed from human experience that he will likely never see this person again, and certainly never understand her! This next script is also thoughtful in its own way...

"Last of the Line" (Optimus Prime) [2010-09-21]

NOTE TO ARTIST AND COLORIST: This story takes place in the "Transformers: War for Cybertron" video game continuity. As such, all character designs and backgrounds should be noticeably in keeping with that game's aesthetic, with the exception of the last panel, which is '80s-era Generation One.

Also, except for the last panel, all characters should be in colors other than those we've come to associate with the canon characters. We're dealing with player-controlled character models from Team Deathmatch, explained here as other 'bots who walked off the same assembly lines as the characters we know.

Panel One Splashy panel of War for Cybertron's multiplayer Autobots charging into battle on the "Molten" map. We see a dark blue SPEEDSTER SCOUT (Sideswipe's body), a red INTERCEPTOR JET SCIENTIST (Silverbolt's body), a green DEFENDER SOLDIER (Warpath's body), and – most notably – a gold HEAVY RIG LEADER (Optimus' body).

The Leader is bolstering his teammates with a War Cry ability, so it'd be cool to see the glowing effect around the Autobots (likely via computer coloring).

(Also, leave room for the story's title and credits.)

CAPTION (Optimus Prime's narrative): This war has consumed our entire race. CAPTION: Not just as a collective…

Panel Two Reverse-angle shot of four Decepticons, toward whom the Autobots are charging. Bringing up the read is a CRUSHER SOLDIER (Brawl's body); leaping skyward is a STALKER SCIENTIST (Slipstream's body). Charging out in front are two ENFORCER SCOUTS (Barricade's body), distinguishable only by their differing color schemes. Most of the focus should be on the Enforcer Scouts.

CAPTION: …but as individuals as well. CAPTION: We are born on assembly lines, batches of us, numbering in the hundreds.

Panel Three One Enforcer Scout (#1) transforms into his car mode, while the other (#2), continues firing his EMP shotgun.

CAPTION: Hundreds of the same model… CAPTION: …but each one is distinct. ENFORCER SCOUT #2: Flank 'em if you want, but I like the direct approach!

Panel Four The Heavy Rig Leader cleaves #2 in the face with his Energon Axe, causing #2 to drop his shotgun. #1 can be seen in car mode behind Heavy Rig, peppering him with machine-gun fire.

ENFORCER SCOUT #2: Agk! ENFORCER SCOUT #1: Serves you right! CAPTION: Each one has become a fighter in this war…

Panel Five Splashy panel of the CRUSHER SOLDIER in the Autobots' midst, clubbing Heavy Rig and Speedster Scout with his Energon Hammer while using his Whirlwind ability.

CAPTION: …but some are better soldiers than others.

Panel Six Heavy Rig lies on the craggy magma ground, his armor shredded by Crusher's hammer. It's the instant before the Autobot explodes. Maybe include Crusher's foot in the panel as he walks over Heavy Rig's body.

CAPTION: Very few of us from ANY model line have survived to the present day.

Panel Seven Cut to OPTIMUS PRIME (the real one, not just a Heavy Rig), G1-style, set against an Earth backdrop, perhaps a forest of trees in the Pacific Northwest – as far away from Cybertron's Molten map as one could get.

His posture is contemplative, as if it bothers him how few of his kind have survived.

CAPTION: Hundreds of thousands of lives lost. CAPTION: Individual sparks extinguished. CAPTION: Leaving precious few to carry on the model line, and the Cybertronian race itself. CAPTION: I fear this war will lead to our extinction.

END

David sez: This one is based on the "Transformers: Warfor Cybertron" video game. It occurred to me that in a way all those multiplayer matches with player-created Transformers could actually be in continuity, since they're products of assembly lines. The multiplayer matches represent early skirmishes in the Autobot/Decepticon war, and that's why we haven't seen the countless iterations of the model lines that must have existed. They were blown to smithereenies.

[spinnertop]

I feel like Wally and Barry superspeed stress clean/organizing when they don't want to deal with anyone or are avoiding a situation. Kinda like how speedsters go into Flash Time or whatever it's called when they're panicking or trying to hide their feelings from their friends.

I see it being similar to the Young Justice comics (at least I think it was YJ, but correct me if I'm wrong) where Bart went into Flash Time ignored the other members of the Core Four when they came to see him, and was just... reading all the books in the library. Like my dude was so fast, they couldn't see him. You can get a better understanding of it from this post by @givemewallywestorgivemedeath where they have specific comic panels showing just how bad speedsters are at healthy coping.

Like imagine for a second that they do this. Barry Allen, at least my understanding of him which is partially based off a lot of headcanons (and projection but shush), is fairly organized. I think back to one of the animated comics (which might not be canon, I'm not sure but I liked the story) from a couple years ago, where he'd just come back to his job as a forensic scientist and was shoved into the archives for a while to organize everything. He seemed happy doing it, even using a little superspeed to hurry along the process. And I feel like a forensic scientist has to be somewhat organized and clean if they want to keep all the facts of a crime straight. I know it's a fandom (I think) interpretation that Barry takes cases when he's stressed to keep his mind off things, but imgaine him, when he's alone in the house and can't rant to Iris for whatever reason, he just goes full malewife mode and obsessively does a deep clean of the house, going as far as to reorganize the plates and glasses in the cupboards and taking meticulous care that it looks comepletly imacculate. Once he's done, he's probably hungry so he cooks himself a meal. He then has to put everything back in exactly the same way. Then he looks at the time, and knows Iris should be home soon, and speedruns setting up a romantic little date for the two of them.

And then Wally. There is no doubt in my mind that the man compartmentalizes everything. In the comics I don't think he's all that neurotic, but I still feel like everything has a place in his mind, however odd it might be. Especially when he was younger with the fab five. There was home, where he had to be quiet and obedient or else fear for his safety at the hands of his father, and his "job," if you can call it that, where he's a quippy extroverted kid. When he grows up, I think it starts applying more to time periods in his life than aspects of his present life. Most of it would be due to the overlap between his personal and superhero life, so it would be near impossible to seperate the two at this point. I mean, the guy works for his Justice League coworker when their both civilians, and one of his best friends, who used to be a super villian, works in the same building. Instead of a here and there situation, it would be a before and after. Before and after he got his powers, before and after he met Linda, before and after escaping the speedforce, and so on.

This might just be me projecting, but sometimes organizing or cleaning in one area of my life, can help make sure I can seperate everything evenly (for lack of a better word), and I can definetly see Wally doing the same, happening mostly before he got trapped in the speedforce when it was there vs here, but occasionally now when he gets overwhelmed. Sometimes when he stayed with the titans, they'd walk into the kitchen to see it comepletely reorganized. Sometimes Barry or Iris would visit him and see his room looking like it was a memorial rather than a 14-year-old's room that was actively lived in. As an adult he reorganizes and painstakingly cleans everything. Kids left their toys out? What are you talking about, they're neatly put in the bins like they should be. Stains on some the the clothes? Might as well do all the laundry. Oh, and don't forget to perfectly fold, match, and put them all away. Finished some leftovers and needs to clean the tupperware? No problem, while he's at it, he'll match the lids by size and reorganize the plates and bowls to save more room. Sometimes he completely changes the wat something is normally put away and leaves detailed notes to everyone who might, who just maybe, might have the slimmest possibility of being affected, telling them where he put everything.

Are they legible? Perhaps, on a good day. Probably not. It entirely depends on how he decided to write said notes. Did he decide to bullet point everything, skipping lines for each new point for visibility, or did he decide to write it like a fanfiction author who has never heard of an enter key? Does he use proper punctuation and grammar, or does he write like a seven year old during English? Is the handwriting even readable or is it just chickenscratch that only a pharmascist can read? Who knows? Wally West does what the vibes demand, and right now the vibes demand dyslexics to suffer! Or that a speedster halfway across the world responding to his stress and just perked up like a cat who has been awoken from a nap? Who knows? Not him! It's probably fine.

It was, in fact, not fine, as Linda broke into her own house instead of using her keys and speed talked at Wally to make sure her husband was okay. She then smacks him upside the head for making her worry so much.

[randomcomicbookreading]

Ms Mystic #2 (1984)

I bought this comic-book because of the Neal Adams cover. Nice surprise after discovering he is the author of interior pages also. Even not being a Continuity Comics' book, Ms Mystic is property or Adams, according the credits. In fact, it had a reprint/relaunch on Continuity a few years after.

The basic concept lies on a group of ecologist super-heroes. At the beginning of the book, we have a resume page that tells the story so far, more than enough to understand everything. We are in the middle of Ms Mistic (and friends) origin story: She comes from another dimension, brought to our planet by accident by a group of tecno-ecologist scientific warriors, while they were in the middle of a battle against the security forces of a specially toxic factory. The second issue starts with an inconscious Ms Mystic exploring the story of Earth in the astral plane. There, she makes contact with Mother Earth (really) and convinces her to provide elemental powers to the team, that is fighting (and losing) in the physical plane. Voilá: We have a full brand new super-hero team. The narrative/stylistic core of the book can be found in its central pages, where the events of physical/astral planes are narrated in parallel along double pages, dividing both narrative lines with a strong black line.

The astral section is based on a psychedelic near-Metal Hurlant imaginery, with our heroine naked but "convenient covered" in the fashion of Barbarella. Mother Earth looks like she comes from a Victor Moscoso poster. In general, coloring is outstanding in comparison with the average comic-books of that time, supported by a equally superior paper quality.

The physical battle section is more conventional, with a general design fully valid as base to create a toy line, with the homogenic super-hero team uniforms, the techno-monster evil warriors and action vehicles.

It's remarcable that, in oposition to other sensationalistic covers by Adams, this one reflects a literal scene of the interior. In fact, the cover is used as first panel on page 24. Also in the cover, we can watch a clearly intentional joke from Neal Adams, depicting the elemental super-team as if they were the Fantastic Four.

This second chapter of Ms Mystic finished in a thrilling way, with the main character cruelly impaled by the death device where she was restrained (it would not be possible in a Comics Code Approved book). I've had enough curiosity to look for the next issue on the Internet and dowload an old scan. I'm not going to spoil, but I can say that the #2 was the last one penned by Adams before passing his role to one of his clones.

Purchased at Radar Comics (Madrid) for 2€

[nagisasstunningpersonality]

I posted 114 times in 2022

That's 25 more posts than 2021!

58 posts created (51%)

56 posts reblogged (49%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@decadentrot

@raimeiii

@fo-the-deadlineholic

@zlimzlap

@nagismells

I tagged 44 of my posts in 2022

#assassination classroom - 43 posts

#ass class - 43 posts

#ansatsu kyoushitsu - 33 posts

#karmagisa - 18 posts

#karma akabane - 14 posts

#nagisa shiota - 10 posts

#akabane karma - 6 posts

#ask game - 6 posts

#shiota nagisa - 2 posts

#adhd - 2 posts

Longest Tag: 39 characters

#can you tell i wrote a paper about this

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Behold - Assassination Classroom Iceberg

This is just my opinion obviously, and things I thought were kind of relevant. Explanations below cut!

Tier One

Shounen Jump - the weekly manga magazine Assassination Classroom originally was published in Yuusei Matsui - the series creator Nagisa's gender - in reference to the amount of people who think Nagisa's a girl for some period of time

Tier Two

Ramen gun meme - a viral tumblr post using the clip of Gastro preparing ramen with a gun which blew up far outside the fandom Koro Q - The fantasy chibi spin off manga and anime Manga only villains - Numerous characters (usually assassins) who only appeared in the manga 365 Days - The movie, featuring adult Karma and Nagisa remembering their days in class Toonami rerelease - Recent broadcast on an anime channel which has caused a sharp increase in new fans

Tier Three

Live action movies - two movies adapted from the ass class story Kunudon - the nut mascot of the school. Featured in weird BDSM situations within Koro Q Sonic Ninja - movie (loved by Karma and Nagisa) in the series. Has a whole trailer post credits in one of the episodes Nagisa's gender (controversy) - in reference to the portions of fans who fetishize him, write him as a female etc., and the fans who push back against it Pop culture references - numerous references to other anime like One Piece, Naruto, etc., but also other properties such as Pirates of the Caribbean Asano's mother - a character who barely exists aside from one manga panel, where you can see her back

Tier Four

Mobile game - a card collecting app/game where multiple illustrations of all the characters were released. No longer running. 3DS game - game based on the main story. Wasn't released outside of Japan nor translated Korotan - four book series for teaching English, but also included short stories. Most significant is Korotan D, which features the kids after graduating high school 7 years later manga - a number of short manga pages featuring a few characters in the future found in the Graduation Album. Karma discourse - never ending internal fights about whether Karma is a good person or not, especially over his Nagisa jokes

Tier Five

Korosuu - similar to korotan books, but focused on maths. Less well known due to incomplete English translation (i know im still working on it i swear-) Everyone owns the mountain - lesser known fact that E Class used their money to legally purchase the 3E class building and mountain Hachiouji - the real life city Kunugigaoka is based on Korosensei's nationality - more so because it's unknown, though there are a lot of fan theories OVA - an adaptation of the Kyoto arc before the anime was made, featuring a different voice cast and art style

Tier Six

Yada is LGBT - it's subtle but this is canon, and so she's the only definitively not straight character in the series Bonus songs - the releases of the OPs came with some bonus tracks sung by the cast (you can find them on spotify) "half middle two" - the worst translation in the series, of Karma's codename. It was meant to be a reference to the cultural phenomenon of a teenager living in a fantasy world where they're the best at everything. The shed - cursed location (i.e where Irina gets 'helped' by Korosensei) Timeline - for Aguri to have been the 3E teacher, the school year has to have lasted more than a full year Takada and Tanaka - two bully characters often seen from main campus. Weirdly implied to be gay for each other.

Tier Seven

Fuwa meta - Fuwa often breaking the fourth wall (esp in the manga), and implied to be the writer of Koro Q Bitch Sensei and Karasuma's daughter - Introduced in the seven years manga, but a lot of people missed that they have a canon child Kayano's dad is evil - a theory but with decent proof that Aguri may have been somewhat forced to marry Yanagisawa

Tier Eight

Commodore Matthew Perry - the historical commodore who came to Japan in the 1800s and forced the country to open up borders for trade (basically one of the most important Japanese historical events). In the manga, his image is shown when Bitch Sensei is teaching how to seduce foreigners. Karasuma's dead sister - referenced on the ass class wiki, with little explanation or general fandom knowledge as to who, how, or when Kayano pregnant - a theory some fans had due to the positioning of her hands in the final manga chapter

96 notes - Posted January 7, 2022

#4

Hey, Toonami people, just for you I'll explain Karma's codename.

Long story short they localised this terribly.

The Japanese is actually "chuunihan" and comes from the phrase "chuunibyou" or "second grader disease". It refers to middle schoolers who develop a kind of fantasy coolness complex where they think they're super self important - sometimes so into anime/games that they outwardly act like they're a protagonist.

The "han" here means half, so basically they're saying that Karma has protagonist kun disease but he goes about it in a half assed lazy way

111 notes - Posted January 17, 2022

#3

Never forget

There are a lot of people who believe that this man is heterosexual.

I repeat.

People genuinely believe

See the full post

139 notes - Posted October 28, 2022

#2

The AUs I have fully developed at this point but will probably never write

- Nagisa is an assassin who murders Karma, but this comes back to bite him in the ass when Karma turns into a ghost and starts haunting him. At first he sticks to poltergeist shit, but somehow he ends up falling in love

- Karma, being an edgy teen, decides to summon a demon to do his bidding. Considering he doesn't know what he's doing, he ends up summoning Nagisa, an incubus. Except, this is literally Nagisa's first job. Then there's the fact that Karma has no interest in doing incubus... stuff. He just wants Nagisa to fetch him food, mess with Gakushuu etc. They end up having to hug alot so Nagisa doesn't starve. Surprisingly innocent and wholesome

- A straight up Barbie in an Island Princess retelling, just with Japanese flavour. Nagisa, the son of a samurai lord, comes across the long-lost prince having been sent to scour some nearby islands. A bunch of intrigue and plot occurs, but the most important parts are that Karma is feral enough to sleep in trees, and he can still talk to animals for some reason.

- Percy Jackson AU (because I'm trash) where Nagisa is a child of Thanatos (or Hades, I haven't decided) and Karma is a son of Nemesis. Honestly, I feel like that alone speaks for itself.

- Assassin Nagisa and lawyer Karma. Nagisa's on trial for murder, and Karma falls in love with him over the course of trying to defend him. He ends up pulling out all the stops, and by some kind of magic gets Nagisa off the hook. After which, Nagisa tells him he was guilty the entire time.

- The super cool Harry Potter AU I came up with before we found out how cursed JK was. Like this one I'll definitely never write, but Nagisa as the actual heir of Slytherin just chatting to snakes in his sleep...

- An AU where they both actually had good parents. AKA, Karma's a kind, respectful, emotionally balanced kid. Nagisa's far less unnerving. They were dating but broke up when Nagisa went into E Class, and this time Karma never got suspended...

Long story short, my ability to make literally anything into a karmagisa au is frightening. The worst part is I could write DETAILED posts on all of these too.

156 notes - Posted February 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

What’s this about koro Q and karmagisa?

Okay strap yourself in. This became a Karma sexuality meta. warning for koro q spoilers.

This centres around Bitch Sensei and her 'charm' ability. Note that Nagisa 'charms' (read: he doesn't actually, everyone just thought he was hot) 3E in chapter two, but what I'm talking about here is the sort of mind-control ability, which is consistently represented by a heart around the head.

This section of the panel speaks clearly. You can only be charmed if you're attracted to women. Hell, "are you gay" is right there (I don't have access to the Japanese rn so I can't double check the exact wording).

See the full post

264 notes - Posted July 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[qocsuing]

HYPER-DURABLE CARBON FIBER WALLET WILL MAKE YOU DITCH THAT TERRIBLY OLD LEATHER BI-FOLD

HYPER-DURABLE CARBON FIBER WALLET WILL MAKE YOU DITCH THAT TERRIBLY OLD LEATHER BI-FOLD

There was a time when “money” meant physical valuables. Belongings, jewelry, and coins made of precious materials like gold or silver. In this pre-cash era, it made sense to use a leather pouch to carry your items. As we moved to banknotes as currency, the flexible leather bifold wallet still made sense. BUT… we’re now 250 years past the Industrial Revolution, so why are we somehow still clinging to this prehistoric ancient material for making our wallets?Get more news about Men's Wallet Carbon Fiber,you can vist our website!

A dominant part of our financial institutions are now online, with more people using cards to make payments than actual banknotes and coins. This transition also demands a cognitive shift in the definition of what a wallet should be… and what it should look like. The Masverano Wallet is a part of that global movement towards a new future with a better wallet. Crafted from carbon fiber with a durable plastic chassis underneath, the Masverano hopes to be everything you’d expect from a wallet of the future. It’s sleek-looking, strong, spacious, lightweight, functional, secure, and uncomplicated.

The Masverano wallet’s design is simply a modern classic. It isn’t ancient, like your leather or fabric bifold, it isn’t overtly complicated like some over-engineered modern-day wallets we see today. It cleverly holds your cards between two robust carbon fiber plates, blocking them from view as well as RFID-protecting them. Your cards stay concealed, as does your cash (unlike modern money clips), and you don’t really need to struggle with mechanized triggers and spring-loaded deployment systems that deploy your cards in a fan-shaped pattern. You’re a classy urban citizen, not a street magician.

The Masverano wallet’s simplistic approach is clearly visible in its design too. The wallet is broadly made of four parts – two high-quality 3K carbon fiber plates, a PA 66 plastic frame, and a silicone band holding the entire thing together. On the inside, it has space for as many as 8 credit cards or a combination of credit cards and business cards, and a crawl-space built into the plastic frame in the middle easily allows you to store banknotes, coins, or even a key inside. Your cash stays hidden inside the wallet, and can be accessed on command. Easy peasy.

The beauty of the Masverano lies in the fact that it draws a fine balance between being modern and traditional. It reinterprets the wallet’s design and function for modern times, but still functions somewhat like your standard wallet by opening like a book to reveal what’s inside. If you want to access your cards, you can either open the wallet and grab the card you need, or slide your thumb into the notch in the carbon fiber panel to push your cards out and pick one, or simply tap to use it at a payment terminal.

By virtue of its sandwiched design, your cards and cash get conveniently segregated. The cash sits right in the middle, fitting into the cutout in the plastic chassis, while your cards get divided by the chassis into two zones. You can either divide your cards based on how often or rarely you use them, or by the type of card, be it a payment card, an ID card, a public transport card, or a business card.

[masterchef901]

We're weird here, right? Yeah? Good. Let me tell you about the fucking MAGICAL narrative journey that is the CoD Zombies story. It's weird, it's jank as hell, and by the end it has me thinking seriously on the implicit meta-narrative to it. Also, the story ends like 4 separate times.

So we begin with CoD: World at War.

"Nazi Zombies", a minigame unlocked by beating the main story, where you get to feel more justified in sinking lead into a horde than possibly anywhere else in gaming, or life for that matter. Over the course of the original maps, the devs see positive fan response and put a little effort into it. We get perks, fancy technomagic laser guns and wonder-weapons, and even some characters and lore.

That lore, by the way, is "The nazis were experimenting on mysterious rocks that turned out to turn people into zombies. Then the zombies broke out. The end." Our heroes, meanwhile, are all simple as hell. A Japanese honor-obsessed samurai, a German mad scientist, a Russian whose only desire in life is vodka, and an ultra-macho rambo-esque American with an IQ only marginally higher than that of the zombies they'll be working together to slaughter. Basically, all stereotypes, but played for that over-the-top sort of comedy enough that I'll be generous and call them 'caricatures' instead. This group would eventually come to be called "Ultimis".

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Back by popular demand, is the Zombies mode, now no longer exclusive to the nazi brand of zombie, because the story's going international. This time, our heroes are going on a tour of WWII-era conspiracy theories. Ancient Vril mysticism, Shangri-La, nazi moon bases - basically the plot of Iron Sky 2. Simple, except not really, but definitely absurd in a fun, goofy way. Notably, the loading screens and advertising also framed these maps in a sort of "comic book"-y way, to help us understand the level of narrative consistency and complexity we'd be seeing here.

(Before continuing, by the way, we also have the absolute TREAT that is the map "Five". Seriously, go watch its opening cutscene, and then imagine those characters being your friendly voices for the duration of the game)

The critical thing here is that, while WaW had some "easter eggs", they were just cute little bits and bobs. "Interact with some rocks hidden around the map, play a song", stuff like that. But Black Ops easter eggs were something else entirely. Trying to explain these feels like explaining the conspiracy theories that inspired the maps. "Go stand on the floor panels to enter Eclipse mode. Then find the four wall-dials and set them to specific values. Now use the shrink ray on a specific rock, which you must then shoot around the map until it lands on the temple." Stuff like that. And even though nobody realized it until the end, they were all connected - if you do all the easter eggs leading up to it, then the Moon egg culminates in the mad scientist character taking over the zombie horde. And then you blow up the Earth.

That's right, they decide to just go flying beyond all chance of imagining this stuff was happening on the fringes of history, it was all-along the story of an apocalypse enacted by a mad scientist and his rival engineering events against him. The End. This was the BIG moment that grabbed the attention and imagination of me and others as a kid. It took Zombies from "neat" to "COOL", and, for better and worse, secured this storyline and style as the "zombies breadwinner" for several games to come.

Side note: I don't recall exactly when they did this, but at some point Treyarch's writers realized that it's maybe a bad look to have one of the playable characters be "'German scientist who helped create the Nazi Zombies", on account of, y'know, the fact that that makes him a nazi. So at some point they did that thing where they "soft-retcon" in some audio clarifying that actually while he was always a psychopath, he was only ever in it For The Science (tm) and it was actually his rival Dr. Maxis who signed his research team on with the reich.

I'm not sure if there's a term for this sort of the thing - when writers don't really retcon in the sense of overwriting previously established facts, but use "reveals" to try and overwrite the meaning of those previously established facts. Yes, technically that's what all good reveals do, but it's also obvious in times like these that there used to be a clear understanding of the lore on both the authors' and audience's parts, which the author has since decided they don't like and want to redo. "Oops, that previous evidence/event didn't count because of contrived circumstances you knew nothing about and could not possibly have guessed."

If I sound like I'm going off on a tangent, I want to be clear - firstly, this sort of practice always frustrates me, because it makes it clear that the author is readily willing to "cheat" in the game that is the communication of a narrative, and secondly because that's secretly what this whole mega-ramble is actually about.

Black Ops 2: We Care About The Lore Now

So, Treyarch wanted to do more Zombies, and they liked the vibe they had so far, so they decide to stay in the storyline that exploded earth. The characters - now a farm girl, a nerd, a hobo, and a schizophrenic guy, all American, all came off more annoying than the "comedic" take Treyarch wanted. This group would be dubbed "Victis", and not only were these characters poorly received, but the story itself would feel aimless. How do you one-up a grand master scheme and the apocalypse? What are our survivors even doing? Treyarch has our old mad scientist and his rival acting as voices in the Victis gang's collective head to try and vie for control of the zombies, and this story would ultimately culminate in one of them (based on player choices involving arcane steps punctuated by some oddly sexual ones) winning the power struggle, and either way, some type of "the world ends again", either with the mad scientist turning the world into his plaything, or (the canon ending) the rival scientist enacting some weird arcane collapse that will let him be with his daughter. Either way, we don't revisit this world again.

I specify world because the characters will return, and even in the same game, actually.

But first - in the middle of the Victis plotline we take a brief visit to Alcatraz for an unexpectedly great zombies experience that's entirely disconnected from either of the plotlines so far. I bring this up only for completeness sake, and for a point that'll hopefully become clearer later.

Anyway, we now return to our regularly scheduled zombie programming - by which I mean, a whole new experience, Origins, featuring "modernized", more tasteful renditions of our original Ultimis team. We're introduced now to a strong-but-disciplined American soldier, a now safely WWI-era not-quite-mad German Scientist, a world-weary Russian who uses alcohol to tastefully take the edge off, and a Japanese samurai warrior who's struggling with the decaying traditional idea of "honor" in a World-War 1 setting.

This "new" (yet chronologically older) variant of the team would be dubbed "Primis".

And this time the plot has them freeing the spirit of a young girl, Samantha, daughter of Science Rival Guy Dr. Maxis who we'd just seen end the world (twice) from some weird arcane trap on the battlefield "of the Great War" so she can go to a mysterious place called "Agartha". Also, the ending cutscene shows her and "Eddie" (who appears to be a child version of our playable german scientist) to be playing with dolls and action figures of the zombies and the playable characters - implying that in fact our whole storyline thus far was "just a game", and the shift of control over the zombie hordes in the first game to Edward Richtofen was in fact just "Eddie" taking his turn playing as the zombies.

It's easy to forget for those of us who've kept up with the story since this, but I cannot overstate how confusing this entire situation was to resolve from a lore perspective. Options were:

1: As implied in the cutscene, acktually "it was all just a game". The lore that players had worked hard to uncover was all, within its own canon, a game being played by children. This was wildly unpopular, but also quite possibly the authors' intended interpretation because in a very real sense, it all WAS a game, and the lore mostly WAS made-up by players out of scraps of lore they'd found.

2: Our four protagonists had acktually all met for the first time in WWI, then again incidentally wound up together again after un-developing as characters due to Magic Rock Exposure (tm) in WWII. Somehow the little girl freed in Origins and her dad whose brain got put in a drone during that process both get put back into their bodies, I guess.

3: It's all a parallel universe with its own separate continuity; the little girl and Eddie believe they're just playing games with toys when in reality they've been shipped off to copyright-safe-Heaven and "games with toys" is how they cope with the trauma of their zombie-filled lives.

BLACK OPS 3: MORE

So, Treyarch picks option 3. Makes sense, it keeps us gamers feeling like our investment was in something worthwhile and not arbitrarily patched together, while also allowing them some more narrative liberty. Easy, right?

WRONG

Rather than just roll with "We're doing zombies again in a newer, cleaner universe", they have to tie everything up ALL together. Our new plotline is that ACTHSDHALY the zombie-rocks came from a bunch of eldritch tentacle-creatures called Apothicons from super-hell. We meet Dr. Monty, who's basically like if Willy Wonka was actually secretly God who's trying to get the kids safe and sound up in heaven and the now eldritch-based zombies sealed back away.

We follow Team Primis as they go back into our first universe to harvest the souls of Team Ultimis (so, their own original souls) which will somehow allow them to go to I-can't-believe-it's-not-Heaven too. They go there, shit accidentally goes wrong when eldritch-satan breaks out, but the gang beats him up with guns and Monty is able to re-establish his perfect world.

Except, uh, he tried to delete the Primis crew while he was it it, but don't worry, that random moment in Alcatraz earlier was act[coughing fit]ally super-duper important and drinking the blood of those prisoners let out heroes survive! BUT ACTASKFHALY THIS WAS MONTY'S PLAN ALL ALONG and he teleports them back in time to fight in-

oh right so "the great war" from origins wasn't in reference to WWI, it was

actually

the site of The Great War between humanity and the apothicons, and Monty time-travels the crew back then to be the heroes of legend that set up Origins to happen, creating a time loop. Characters are, this whole time, saying "the paradox must be resolved" without ever explaining what it is.

But yeah anyway the whole ride this game leads to a big "it was all a time loop" cycle deal, and also the tone has slowly shifted from BO1 comic-style to something that feels more like an "Avengers"-style quiptacular with MORE budget, MORE stakes, MORE lore that actually isn't a good thing because the more lore they pile on the more twisted and absurd the story has to get and also it occurs to me that "going avengers" actually is kinda the natural conclusion to "being like comic books".

BLACK OPS 4: BUT WAIT THERE'S FOUR

So at this point, Treyarch and Activision in general are spending more focus on trying to figure out a new angle to Zombies, but nothing takes off. Infinity Ward's "Zombies in Spaceland" was a whiff, Cod:WW2's "reboot" of Nazi Zombies didn't stick, and their new "Chaos" storyline featuring mixed-religious lore was also met with lukewarm-to-poor response (sidenote here: now that we're in a proper era where it's common practice to ask "What if Ra punched Odin in the face while Ares watches" we really should establish a term for it, like "Mixed-Religious Combat" following the form of "Mixed Martial Arts).

SO They felt some pressure to go back once more to the cash cow what is their absolute mess of an "original" zombies story, now termed the "Aether" arc. They don't have many maps left to develop this but that doesn't stop them from opening the story again, and this time the writers have fucking HAD IT with this story so they decide it's time to fucking END it.

Here's your finale: Victis crew (the all-american team nobody liked) are back, slightly better written this time, on the map that had gone the longest without a remake (notably, in keeping with modern media practice, every zombies map from from the Ultimis-Primis plotline had been remade at least once by now), and they make a macguffin.

Then Primis Nikolai (the russian guy) uses it to wish a new, zombie-free universe into existence and sends the kids away into it.

Also he poisons and kills all of Ultimis and Primis. Then has the kids shoot him. THE ADULTS ARE ALL DEAD NOW AND THEY GOT BANISHED TO SUPERHELL WITH THEIR MULTIVERSE THE END. Nikolai gives us some lore mumbo jumbo about how the arcano-babble and the eldritch-babble had done some techno-babble that "bound the team's destiny forever to the apothicon menace", so that the only way a universe could ever be free of zombies would be for him and his friends to all die.

And the thing is, he's right. Because if you've followed this far, you're probably seeing a pattern: People like these characters, even in their worst-written moments, and Activision isn't going to just let that go unmilked. As long as there is any possible way for these characters to return, they'll be brought back and the lore is going to be held and gunpoint and forced to cook up a reason for them to be there shooting zombies. So the only possible way to let this tortured, tangled mess of a plot finally reach an actual ending is to kill its protagonists - and not just kill them, but write them off so conclusively that there's no chance of resurrection, no more alternate universes containing them, NOTHING. THEY ARE GONE. And true to the Homestuck-ass law that was inspired by this exact effect, the only way death can stick from a narrative sense is if everyone's death is either a Just end or a Heroic sacrifice to nobly ensure a better life For the Kids.

Samantha and Eddie (at this point nobody asks why Eddie even exists or what timeline these kids are from) are finally safe. The end.

COD COLD WAR THE STORY KEEPS GOING

As if to prove my point, Cold War Zombies picks up with a new set of protagonists... and an easter egg featuring the return of Samantha, now slightly more grown up, I guess, and also with superpowers? And then she flies around a bit, before finally heroically sacrificing herself out of the story for good. Eddie - now a full adult Edward Richtofen once more - is a "big reveal" in a cutscene afterwards, confirming that, in fact, there will be no peace fucking ever until every last character from this beautiful, twisted plot is gone.

EPILOGUE

And I want to be clear, it is beautiful. I wouldn't have followed it this far or spent two hours learning just how much I have to type about it if I didn't love every second of it, especially the seconds spent hating on it. I could, and probably eventually will write another essay at some point on how fucking much I love jank-ass "broken" things like this.

But for now, I hope y'all see my points here. It's this weird case you see happen every now and then where people just fall in love with their characters, and won't ever let go. Certainly doesn't help that the authors of those characters can't figure out how to write anyone else decently, but this is just one of many franchises I've seen where the unwillingness to let go of a fan-favorite leaves the plot tied in knots as it constantly has to try and present a NEW BIGGEST THREAT EVER that becomes a BIG DRAMATIC CONCLUSIVE FINALE that then needs even bigger contrivances to bring the favorites back.

It's done a fucking number on Halo's story, which is impressive because a lot of halo's core fans never even really consider that it has one. It's hard for me to talk about Halo here without thinking to myself "STOP TALKING ABOUT JOHN"

Same deal with Marvel, same with Homestuck, same deal in a lot of cases that I'm sure you're aware of too.

So as my closing thought and my reward to you for reading this far, here's some homework! What the fuck do you call these problems? What do you call it when lore starts to go sour because it's spent too long being about the same thing? What do you call it when fan demand forces writers to rethink their endings repeatedly? What do you call it when writers "cheat" their way around prior writing, re-contextualizing everything so much that it's hard to actually believe anything they say anymore and we're just left to sigh and feel odd relief when they say "Somehow Palpatine has returned" without further explanation because at least that means ONLY the ending of the original trilogy has its weight retroactively worsened?

[miralme]

Dlight by the sea

Additional bikes can be rented through RentGearHere. This home does not provide a golf cart, nor are they allowed in Watersound West Beach 844 steps (.4 mile) to Watersound West Pool "Sea D'Light" is located in Watersound West * As with all rentals in Watersound West, this property does not have access rights to Watersound Beach Club. No matter your means of transportation, you are just minutes to shopping and fine dining. Traffic will never be an issue while enjoying life in the slow lane. You can enjoy the convenience of riding a bike to all of your favorite places throughout Seagrove and Seaside, or head east and grab a burger at The Hub, or continue onto Seacrest and Rosemary Beach. In addition, the resort sits directly off of Scenic Highway 30A. The beach access is approximately a 10 minute walk along a boardwalk featuring scenic dunes and unspoiled beauty. Watersound West’s resort setting provides private beach access. The 2 additional guest bedrooms each have queen beds and private baths, flat panel televisions, and both are connected to a large balcony overlooking a wooded nature preserve. Upon ascending the second level, the loft is home to 2 sets of built in bunk beds for a total of 4 twin beds. This level also hosts the master bedroom suite with a king bed and a private bath with a large walk-in shower, oversized soaking tub and dual vanities. The features of this outdoor setting include a dining table, 43” TV, hanging day bed, built-in gas grill, and plenty of seating and space for your entire group. The large wrap around screened porch allows you to enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings, and can be your second living room. Just off the kitchen is the large laundry/mud room with full-sized washer and dryer. The chef’s kitchen, with commercial grade appliances, including a wine fridge, has everything you need to pull off an impressive repast. The dining area has seating for 8 with 4 additional bar stools on the kitchen peninsula and 2 more at the island. The first level, open floor plan provides for lots of space to be together and plenty of opportunities to find some peace alone. ft of living space, and enough driveway space to hold up to four cars.Įntertaining at “Sea D’Light” is fun and enjoyable, and it is perfectly designed to do so. Not only an elucidating description of Southern Folk Medicine, but also a fascinating account of how a healthcare system evolved to meet the needs of the people of this country, this book presents a comprehensive look at a uniquely American concept of healing based on self-care and personal responsibility.Located on the south side of 30A in Watersound West Beach lies “Sea D’light”, a 3 bedroom 3 and a half bath haven that offers 2625 sq. The four elements and four tastes form the energetic foundation of the principles and practices, which recognize each individual's uniqueness and the fact that people with the same disorder might have totally different symptoms and therefore might there need totally different herbal remedies. Light's extensive knowledge and experience informs her explanation of the Southern Blood Types, which is different from any other indigenous system. Light continued as an apprentice with the late Tommie Bass, a nationally renowned folk herbalist, as well as other herbal Elders throughout the Appalachians and the Deep South. Light shows that this is not a forgotten system, but an active, viable approach to herbalism that is readily understood and easily put into practice.Ī fourth-generation herbalist and healer, the author began her studies in the deep woods of North Alabama with lessons from her grandmother, whose knowledge had its roots in her Creek/Cherokee heritage. Several cultural and healing traditions merged together over a period of time to create Southern Folk Medicine, which draws from the medicine systems of the Greeks (humoral system, astrology), Native Americans (indigenous plant use, spiritual traditions, elements), African (spiritual traditions, foods), and the folk medicine of the British Isles (elements, humors, superstitions, herbs). In everyday language, she explains how Southern and Appalachian Folk Medicine was passed down orally through the generations by herbalists and healers who cared for people in their communities with the natural tools on hand. Light has studied and worked with herbs, foods, and other healing techniques for more than thirty years. Get contact details, videos, photos, opening times and map directions. Located on the south side of 30A in Watersound West Beach lies Sea Dlight, a 3 bedroom 3 and a half bath haven that offers 2625 sq. One of the system's last active practitioners, Phyllis D. Find Sounds-d-Light Disco in Southend-On-Sea, SS1. This book is the first to describe the history, folklore, assessment and diagnosis methods of Southern and Appalachian Folk Medicine(SAFM)-the only system of folk medicine, other than Native American, that developed in the United States.

[shaneladams]

Dark Age Defense Reviews - Scam or Does it Really Work?

With the rising frequency of extreme weather events, natural disasters, and the increasing dangers of war, learning how to survive and keep your house illuminated is more important than ever. If you're eager to learn, Dark Age Defense may be the ideal option. Simply following the step-by-step method is said to give you a safe, sustainable source of endless renewable energy when our old power grid breaks due to harsh weather, conflict, and so forth. Get Dark Age Defense For A Very Special Price

What is Dark Age Defense?

In a nutshell, Dark Age Defense is a handbook that will show you how to create and maintain electricity during an emergency. This tutorial discusses something known as the "Infinity Coil," which is based in part on Nikola Tesla's research. What's more, this technology may not be available to the general public for another decade. However, you may use this technology to aid yourself and your family in times of need.

According to the author, this technology is superior to any current alternative solution, such as backup generators or solar panels. This is due to the fact that solar panels fail much too frequently, and these panels may easily be destroyed or damaged in a natural catastrophe. Generators, on the other hand, are loud, need a big amount of fuel, and are only intended to power the very bare minimum of equipment in your home. Does it Really Work? This May Change Your Mind 

How does it work?

The Dark Age Defense is a new digital survival book that seeks to provide readers with the information they need to overcome any power disaster. This survival handbook, according to Paul, will offer you and your family with a comprehensive "compass" to help you navigate even the darkest of days. This thorough survival handbook assures that no matter what occurs, you'll be ten steps ahead of any potential risks. Inside the program, customers will discover the following:

The lawful "Felony" method boosts the infinity coil's efficiency by 261% more than any other power source.

How to exploit the entire legal "Felony" system to bring a dead automobile back to life.

When the power goes off, the first thing you should do is wait 30 minutes.

Detailed directions for constructing an amazing "Force Field" around your home.

How to construct a suitable-sized "Infinity Coil" for powering your home and assuring the safety of your family.

How can one construct seven infinite coils in a short amount of time using the "Pencil Squared" method?

Discover the "Cosmo generator," which generates power from the air.

How to make an infinite coil generator out of a Fisher Toy, perfect for those on a small budget.

By employing scripture sources, how does the infinite coil demonstrate God's existence?

Dark Age Defense Additional Add-On Bonuses

In addition to the resources indicated above, if you acquire the Dark Age Defense System, you will earn extra benefits. These extras will give you all you need to withstand any natural catastrophe, emergency, or crisis. These four benefits are as follows:

Water On-Demand 

Without a question, water is the most important survival necessity. Water on Demand teaches you all you need to know about generating, purifying, and storing clean drinking water. You'll learn the three most frequent mistakes people make while shopping for water, how to identify if your water is safe, and how to manufacture simple, at-home filters to remove contaminants.

Generate Oasis

This lesson will show you how to grow the meals you'll need to survive. Among the subjects discussed are foods that will sustain you in any setting, a strange superfood excellent for kid growth, the "sock fertilizer method," and how to cultivate the most densely nutritious superfoods.

Bulletproof Escape

In rare cases, it may be essential to abandon your house and "bug out." When the circumstance calls for it, Bulletproof Bugout tells you how to put together a 72-hour "special forces survival pack." It will also teach you how to navigate even the most difficult terrain in order to keep you and your family safe. Finally, it will teach you the most important questions to ask yourself before packing your belongings.

Escape from the Grid

The third add-on is Off-Grid Escape, which uses real-world examples to show you seven safe havens resistant to Blackout Day. These safe havens feature cutting-edge grids, are freedom-friendly, and will allow your family to thrive rather than merely endure.

When users buy the Dark Age Defense System, you get all four extras for free. Given the value of water, shelter, and food, these perks alone make the Dark Aged System worthwhile.

Final Thought 

Dark Age Defense System is an excellent lesson for keeping the lights on even in the direst of situations. It is ideal for people who are new to survival, need to enhance their existing systems, or want a fool proof strategy to safeguard their family in the event of a disaster. Users and their family will never have to worry about running out of electricity again thanks to the DIY Infinity Coil. Dark Age Defense's information is derived from actual specialists and might be the difference between life and death in a crisis.

Everyone understands that when a calamity strikes, it has a terrible impact on the individuals who are impacted. You and your family must be prepared for the greatest outcome, and this program will assist you in doing so. It shouldn't be too tough to use the program's principles, especially if you desire to keep developing. Grab Dark Age Defense Today For A Very Special Price 

[ravensvirginity]

NTT Trigon Writing Guide

Trigon, at the surface, is a pretty basic character, and even when you go deeper, that mostly holds true. However, there are a couple quirks that I feel are important to capture while writing him to keep him interesting and in character. This guide is focused primarily on NTT Trigon, but also works for pretty much any other comic book version. 

1) Trigon Sucks

The number one character trait and the thing almost impossible to get wrong: Trigon is literally the worst ever. He’s committed practically any atrocity you could imagine with no remorse. His entire existence is based solely in absurd, total evil. Imagine your shitty dad (or a friend’s if you don’t have your own) if he was also a genocidal maniac and you’re already well on the right track. 

2) Trigon cares about Raven

The only thing that even vaguely contradicts his seeming hatred and indifference towards every living thing is his daughter, Raven. He’s shown multiple times to care about her well-being, kind of (not wanting her to die is already a huge step up to how he treats most living things) and desperately want her to rule beside him.

[Image ID: two panels of Trigon from the New Teen Titans. The first one, from NTT vol 1 #6, has Trigon saying to Raven “And you believed me, Raven? Surely you must now realize that I lied! I merely wanted you off the earth so you would not die with the rest of those maggots.” The second one, from NTT vol 2 #5, has Trigon saying “Arella... you were merely the vessel which carried her. Your milk nurtured her but my blood gave her life. How dare you claim I did not love my child when I sacrificed one hundred billion souls in her name. To escape the neververse I siphoned the life from my dimension--their souls gave me the power to come here--to claim my daughter. Now I use the four billion Earth souls I have clamed to return to my worlds, to populate my planets... to rule as a true ruler should.” End ID]

3) Trigon is a terrible father

(TW: mentions of child abuse in this section)

Just because he loves Raven doesn’t mean he isn’t terrible to her. Remember, Trigon is the literal worst. He loves Raven because he sees her as an extension of himself and the only other living thing worthy of a modicum of respect because she’s his daughter. He sees himself as having ownership over her due to the fact that he created her. 

[Image ID: a collection of panels from the New Teen Titans. The first one, from NTT vol 1 #6, are two panels of Trigon speaking, one saying “You are my daughter, and therefore a god like myself, and far above the rabble whom we command. They are hardly worth our attention, let alone our discussing the value of their lives.” The second is from Tales of the New Teen Titans #2, also of panels of Trigon speaking, saying “Daughter, that soul-self is your darker side... the part of you that is me! I baptize it now, Raven--instill it with all my essence.  Thank all the dark gods, you are mine!!! ...You are the daughter of Trigon!” The third is also form Tales of the NTT #2, of a vision of Trigon in Raven’s nightmare saying “No, daughter. I have come to claim what is mine!” and Arella, looking on at the scene, saying “Azar!” The final panel is from NTT vol 1 #25, and has a bubble of Trigon saying “I am you, Raven. You are evil as am I.” and Raven responding “No! No! I will not let you be released. I will not become your daughter of death!” end ID]

When Trigon realizes that Raven won’t passively put up with his cruelty or join him willingly, he begins sending her nightmares and mentally torturing her for months until her sanity crumbles. Even before then, he does things like punishing her by killing a child in front of her (NTT vol 1 #6) and physically torturing her until she admits that she’s his daughter (Tales of the NTT #2). 

I think he does know that he’s treating her badly, but simply doesn’t care because he believes it’s his right. I think he also believes Raven would be happier ruling beside him and giving into her true nature vs trying to be a hero. Having him be too uncaring towards her (eg viewing her as disposable or trying to kill her) is out of character, but so is him being too nice to her. 

4) Misc

Just like Raven, Trigon has an unnatural, kind of formal way of speaking. 

Trigon is shown to be very manipulative and is capable of acting charming to get what he wants (eg making Arella fall in love with him). 

Trigon is really old. It can be fun to keep that in mind while writing him.

In NTT, Raven is Trigon’s only living child after over a hundred failed attempts, which I think makes her even more special to him. 

Trigon canonically has a dog in NTT vol 1 #6. Not that relevant, but I think it’s fun to bring that up.

In conclusion, Trigon really isn’t that complicated. Just imagine the worst thing he could possibly do/say in whatever situation he’s in and having him do it will usually work.