#this is one of the times the fan translation feels more accurate - problem child sounds like something aizawa would say

[delawaredetroit]

And here's a single panel that inspired tens of thousands of fanfiction. This is the well from which all Dadzawa fanfics sprung

[bleachandgrenadine]

Hopeful Predictions for the ATLA Netflix Adaptation, What They Need to Get Right, and How They Can Make it Work.

[Long Post]

**I had this post in my drafts, and after the announcement that Bryke are leaving, what better time to post this? All hope is not lost, maybe this is a good sign that it won’t go off the rails with Bryke’s shitty writing ability and bad ideas.**

Before I get into it, they pretty much need to take extra care to get everything right, because the show is nearly perfect and it is so beloved. To adapt what is widely considered one of the best animated TV shows of all time into a live action series, will be no easy feat. So here’s what I think they can do to make it the best it can possibly be. Their budget is unknown, so granted they’d need a fairly high budget to make this all work. Hopefully they do because the pressure of high expectations is on them.

The episodes will have a longer run time. Likely 30-48 minutes give or take, with some of the heavier plot-advancing episodes being closer to an hour or more. Some of the more ‘filler’ or rather side adventure episodes may be a two in one type of deal, or will simply be expanded on from the original 22 minutes to 30 minutes or so. Hopefully they will do this by adding more character moments to improve upon their development, and give the episodes a more significant connection to the main plot.

It shouldn’t be a copy and paste remake. They need to have a balanced and objective view on what elements need to be the most faithful and what can be changed and improved/expanded on. For example, I think they could add a bit to certain backstories and expand on some historical elements and lore. (For the love of god though don’t take the retconning lore from book 2 of Korra.) I’m actually going to add to this and make a Part II of things I’d like to see fleshed out.

Up the maturity of the tone a *little* bit. The majority of the audience and fans watching are going to be older, so tweaking it some may be appropriate. Many of the more mature themes and action in the original had to be censored to air on Nickelodeon. Not saying make it overly serious and dark, but adjusting it with higher stakes and suspense would make sense in the live action.

Casting. Casting accordingly to the characters’ ethnicities is a given, of course. But it might be difficult find child actors of the same age as the characters with the range needed to fill the role, including martial arts and stunt work. So I’m predicting that the cast may be a little older, and they might even age up the characters as well.

Additionally, it’ll probably take more than a year to film all three seasons, so if they cast 12-16 year olds it’ll be obvious that they’ve gotten older. SO they may have to extend Aang’s deadline to master all four elements. Idk maybe the comet is two summers away. We’ll see how they handle it.

Humor. The cartoon had, well, cartoonish moments that don’t translate well into live action if you try to recreate them. In the cartoon you had bigger and exaggerated expressions/movement accompanied by music and cartoon sound effects, not all of was like that but you know what I’m talking about. I think a good way to approach the comedic moments is *kinda* like how Marvel does it in terms of timing, delivery, how other characters react to it. This is just my personal two cents.

Bending and martial arts styles. One of the problems we saw in Shyamalan’s film was exactly how NOT to do fight/bending choreography. In the show, every movement has a purpose, and the element they’re bending has an equivalent reaction. In the film we saw a lot of over the top fancy dancy movements with no equivalent reaction. This is something most action and superhero movies get right, so they better not fuck this up.

Culturally accurate costuming but keeping the color palette of the original.

Speaking of color palette, I hope the director doesn’t go for the dark and washed out look. Don’t be afraid of saturation and a bit of stylized cinematography. It’s a fantasy world! Make it pretty!

CGI and special effects are another technical thing that could make or break this show.

Leave out the fan service, pandering, and shipping bait. If you’re not going to include certain things from the original (that are inconsequential to the series) don’t try to allude to or reference it or put in a little Easter egg. It’s awkward and more often then not disrupts the flow of whatever scene it’s thrust into, like it’s almost always an afterthought to please fans.

Script/dialogue: There was a lot of great dialogue in the original. (Iroh’s quotes should not be changed too much, that’s a given) I have a feeling that the writers may try to keep it close to the original, but I am hopeful that the end result is more depth, maturity, complexity, and more organic interactions between characters.

That’s all I got for right now, look for Part 2 soon!

[superman86to99]

Adventures of Superman #506 (November 1993)

Superman vs. Superboy! I mean, vs. Superman, since the Kid still insists that Superboy is definitely NOT his name and never will be. The two Supermen meet while the younger, radder one is dealing with some sort of deformed flying babies that are trying to kill him, which is the sort of thing that happens to you when you wear an “S” emblem on your chest.

These turn out to be deformed flying babies THAT EXPLODE, but the Kid is able to push them away with his (very non-Superman-esque) telekinesis powers. He then deduces that these things must have come out of Project Cadmus, the top secret genetic experimentation facility that created him, and brushes off the elder Superman to get back at those geeks by doing what he does best: being a brat on live TV.

So I guess the “top secret” part of Cadmus’ description is no longer accurate, thanks to the Kid. On the other hand, I kinda feel like the people of Metropolis deserved to know that there's a nearby government facility churning out genetic atrocities into their sewers.

The Cadmus gang sends Guardian to bring their wayward creation home so they can talk to him. Obviously the Kid isn't very interested, and for a while it looks like we might get the fight scene teased in the cover, but then Superman the First convinces Superman the Second that he should at least hear them out. And, while at it, ask Cadmus to tell him exactly what the hell he is. If he’s Superman’s clone, why does he have those weird TK powers? The Kid agrees, but... he doesn't like the answers he gets.

The Kid finds out that he's NOT a clone of Superman since, as established a while back, Kryptonians are damn hard to clone. So, since Cadmus was determined to create a new Superman after the original appeared to be dead, they instead took a clone of a regular, non-super man and genetically modified it to approximate Superman's powers (for instance, translating Superman’s “aura” into a telekinetic field). But who was that human DNA donor? Surely it was someone good and cool!

Just after the Kid wonders that, the quite evil and deeply uncool Director Westfield bursts into the lab and demands that this "super-punk" be taken into custody, probably so they can flush him down the toilet like Cadmus' other failed experiments. Superman makes Westfield see that making Cadmus' whistleblower disappear wouldn't look very good right now, but they can't just let him run around unsupervised. So, at Guardian's recommendation, the esteemed telepath Dubbilex is assigned to follow the Kid wherever he goes. I smell a sitcom! (Or a spin-off comic.)

As a last order of business, the Kid decides to give Superman his trademark to the Superman name, which his manager Rex Leech doesn't take too well. So what are they gonna call this teenage “S” emblem-wearing hero now? Superman has an interesting suggestion: SUPERBOY. Our young friend still isn't a fan.

But after storming out and thinking about it for a couple of pages (and trying out the name on some guys robbing a jewelry shop), the Kid realizes he's "earned" the title of Superboy and accepts it. Character development! And just in time for his solo series. ("That Non-Superman Clone Who Also Calls Himself Superman" wouldn't look good on a cover.)

Plotline-Watch:

The final page shows a shadowy figure shaped like the recently introduced Bloodthirst outfitting someone with a weapon-teleporting gizmo, then calling him "Bloodsport"... except that this dude is quite paler than the Bloodsport we met way back in Superman #4 (in an issue inked by current writer Karl Kesel, so you'd think he'd remember the character). This looks nothing like Idris Elba! What gives?!

Superboy is still bummed out because his friend Tana Moon left Metropolis without telling him where she was going, which is now known as "ghosting". In the end, Rex talks about sending Superboy on a promotional tour to establish his new brand, and the first destination of that tour will be... exactly where Tana went to hide from Superboy. This is now known as "time to get a restraining order."

Clark Kent is slowly morphing into a hipster the longer he rooms with Jimmy Olsen. For a long time I assumed all the bands listed in the panel below were made up, but turns out the only non-existing ones are “James Rock” and "Axel Rose". Luckily, Superboy was happy to give Clark's old apartment back to him (apparently only Pulitzer-winning journalists can afford it), so Jimmy won't hipsterize him for much longer.

Westfield gladly assigns Dubbilex to Superboy because it means there won't be a telepath at Cadmus to read his thoughts and find out about his evil plans (like sending the ugly flying babies after Superboy). Very clever, Westfield! Except for the fact that he thought that right in front of Dubbilex, who clearly "heard" the whole thing.

Incidentally, there's an apparent error in this issue when Superboy thinks "They won't take me without a fight!" and Guardian shows up and says "That's too bad, son. Because I don't want to fight you." How did Guardian know what Superboy was thinking? Obviously, Dubbilex patched Guardian through to Superboy's mind to assist in finding him. Now where's my damn Baldy Award?!

Is it me or is this page reminiscent of the cover to Superboy Prime's first appearance during Crisis on Infinite Earths?

Patreon-Watch:

Special thanks to your Patreon pals Aaron, Murray Qualie, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, and Samuel Doran, and welcome aboard to Bheki Latha (our first $6.50 patron ever!), Mark Syp, and Ryan Bush! You are all excellent. This month they got to read a long-ass post entitled 45 Things I Learned by Reading the “Death of Superman” Novel (Part 1), in which I talked about the stuff Roger Stern added to the canon in the first part of the Death and Life of Superman book. This includes Superman’s private thoughts on the JLI (and Guy Gardner in particular), what Lex Jr. calls Supergirl in bed, and Professor Hamilton getting romantic. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/superman86to99

But now: the Don Sparrow show! Take it away, Don.

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow​):

The end of an era, at least temporarily, as Tom Grummett draws his last Adventures of Superman issue, moving onto Superboy (and I think still doing Robin at this time?) with Karl Kesel.  He’ll return for the quarterly Superman: Man of Tomorrow and other things, but it’s a long gap until he does.

A pretty good cover, with Superman and Superboy about to tussle.   Though it can be seen as cheaping out on the backgrounds, I always love radial rays as an effect.  

Inside the issue, we have a great splash page of Superboy getting attacked by botched clones, and I love the gesture here—having his head snapping away from the camera adds to the motion and action.  Great stuff. 

Though he won’t be drawing her again for a while, Grummett excels at the new, shorter-haired Lois in these pages.  Superman soaring to the skies is a great panel as well, and I especially like the way his cape and fist slightly break the panel barrier, giving it a sense of motion, again.

The sequence of Guardian acrobatically flipping from one ledge to another is very well drawn.  Ditto the splash on page 13, where Superboy loses his temper.  The body language in this whole sequence tells the story very well, as Superman is calm and patient, confident in his ability not only to reach Superboy with his words, but also withstand him physically.  

The way Superboy snaps the carpet, but controls it mentally with his Tactile Telekinesis is a great example of his unique powers in use.  It reminds me of a technique they tried on the CW Supergirl show (but almost immediately abandoned) where they made like the Kryptonian fabric of their capes was like “smart fabric” and could be used as a weapon.  

Lastly, the dreamy, child-like expression on Superboy’s face during the Peter Pan exchange is wonderful, and a fitting end for Tom’s run on the book. [Max: You mean the William Shatner exchange, Don.]

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

I almost never like it when they reference pop culture stuff in Superman comics, particularly music.  Karl Kesel isn’t the worst offender in that department (that would be JM DeMatties a few years down the line, who had Clark Kent bizarrely asserting he loved the Beastie Boys) but Clark’s discussion with Jimmy about an apparently fictional musician working with a rolodex of early nineties names makes me cringe (as does trying to imagine how awful a “Hip Hop Lyle Lovett” or “Grunge Frank Sinatra” would sound).

The car poster on the wall of Jimmy’s bachelor pad looks for all the world like Robin’s Redbird, also a Tom Grummett creation.  (Fun fact:  Tom once told me he still gets {very small} royalty cheques from the Batman & Robin movie, because Robin’s motorcycle was called the Redbird, though that might no longer be true with Paul Levitz no longer in charge of such matters.)

Superboy (in no less than his third time calling those pink creatures “spuds”) references John Candy and Joe Flaherty’s “Farm Film Celebrity Blow Up” where the guests would frequently “blow up real good” and it does my SCTV loving Canadian heart good.  

It’s interesting (and a little sad) that they again note that Superboy knows things (pop culture, etc) without ever having experienced it.  I feel like there’s a lot they could do with this concept.

This issue reads very much like the end of the Superboy “Reign” issues, as Superman is more of a secondary character to the kid.  All of it begs the question of why Superman, or Guardian put up with Cadmus.  Superman has said in previous issues that he has moral problems with how Cadmus treats life with their cloning experiments, and they’ve attacked him in the past (and also stole his corpse!) so other than the fact that it’s a launchpad for Superboy’s series, there’s really no reason any of these heroes should associate with Cadmus.  Especially Guardian, who comes off as little more than an errand boy here.  He wants to bring Superboy in, but won’t promise Superboy won’t be harmed or imprisoned?  

Nice to see Superboy return to his “Slammin’” catch phrase!

An interesting bit of foreshadowing when Superboy asks Big Words whose clone he is, and who immediately enters but Westfield. [Max: That’s right, Westfield! Not Luthor! Sorry, sorry.]

[ploppythespaceship]

So I watched the Artemis Fowl movie...

Usually I make a list of good things and bad things in my reviews, but in this I literally do not have one good thing to say. Artemis Fowl fails as an adaptation, and it fails as a movie. It’s almost incomprehensible how terrible this film is -- Percy Jackson looks competent by comparison. So instead of my list, I’m gonna just talk about why it sucked.

The Plot

The movie combines the plots of the first two books in the series, with a few elements from later books tossed in for good measure. In the first book, Artemis learns of the existence of fairies and takes one hostage -- Captain Holly Short -- in order to extort them. In the second book, Artemis’s father has been captured, prompting Artemis to team up with Holly to rescue him.

The problem with combining these two is that they are fundamentally different stories. The latter relies greatly on the former to be well set up. Additionally, both are rather busy stories that need time and focus to do them well. The tension of Artemis holding Holly captive works because it lasts for a significant portion of the book. The development of Artemis teaming up with Holly works because they have hated each other for over a book now. This does not happen in the film. Everything is rushed, leading to a jumbled mess that barely makes any sense.

Artemis’s father is captured by Opal Koboi (a villain from the later books who does little to nothing in this film), who demands that Artemis give her something called the Aculos (a mcguffin that the movie made up). Artemis then captures Holly, and demands the Aculos as ransom. But when the fairies have no interest in giving him this ransom, Artemis teams up with Holly. Because it turns out her father, Beechwood, stole the Aculos years ago, and Artemis’s father knew Beechwood. The fairies send in a dwarf named Mulch to break in, and he locates the Aculos in the Fowl Manor. Mulch then teams up with Artemis, and there’s a long sequence where everyone fights a troll. Once that’s done, Holly uses the Aculos to rescue Artemis’s father. The end.

If you’re thinking that this plot makes no sense, that’s because it doesn’t. Information is presented at the strangest times, making things impossible to follow. Not to mention that character allegiances are constantly shifting for no discernible reason. There is no reason for Holly to trust Artemis, or vice versa -- yet they declare themselves “forever friends” before the end of the film. I can’t even tell you why Mulch sticks around, he just does.

The movie is also terribly paced. Despite only being ninety minutes long, it feels like it drags on for an eternity. Alternating between Artemis and Holly in the opening creates a distinct lack of tension, making it impossible to stay invested in any one thing for too long. Topping the whole thing off is the movie’s framing device -- the story is narrated by Mulch, as part of an interrogation that’s never properly explained. This setup feels so unnecessary, and it’s actually jarring every time we cut back to Mulch growling his exposition at the camera.

The Characters & Actors

I cannot think of one character that has not been butchered by the writing, the acting, or both. All of them are terrible. And across the board, the acting isn’t terribly good.

Artemis Fowl

The titular character gets it the worst of everyone. In the book, he’s a criminal mastermind. He’s cold, calculating, and eerie. He behaves so much like an adult that it unsettles people. He isn’t at all interested in typical child things, instead focusing on his own lofty goals. He’s an utter genius, learning the existence of fairies all on his own and coming up with the plan to capture one himself. Though he’s sympathetic in his own way, he’s also not presented as a terribly good person. As a protagonist, he’s almost unlikable -- it’s not until later books that he learns to have friends and become a better person.

But in the movie, Artemis is about as generic a fantasy film protagonist as you can get. He’s a more or less happy child who adores his father. He likes surfing and skateboarding. He doesn’t learn about fairies on his own -- his father tells him about them. And while he’s shown to be intelligent, it’s nowhere near the genius level he should be at. He’s so watered down and uninteresting that he’s unrecognizable as the same character. Even accepting that this isn’t the book character, he’s just boring to watch. There’s nothing interesting or compelling about this random kid. Ferdia Shaw’s performance doesn’t help -- while I’ve certainly seen worse child actors, I’ve also seen far, far better.

It’s worth mentioning that some of the best moments in the books are when something rattles Artemis so badly that the walls come down and he acts like a scared little kid. These moments work because they’re rare. This movie tosses them at you left and right. I don’t know who this kid is, but it ain’t Artemis Fowl.

Holly Short

In the books, Holly is an adult woman working an adult job -- she’s a police officer. She’s also described as having medium dark skin, with the phrases “olive” and “nut brown” being used most often. So the decision to cast a fourteen year old white actress... it boggles the mind. In fairness, Lara McDonnell did a decently good job in the role. But there wasn’t much role to do a good job with. Holly is a very bland character, with all of her drive and fire from the book simply gone. There’s also a backstory tossed in about her father, Beechwood Short, which is implemented in the strangest way and only comes up when it’s strictly relevant.

Domovoi Butler

Oh, Butler. Artemis’s bodyguard slash best friend slash pseudo father figure. A tremendously important character in the books who is barely in the movie at all. His role is so cut down that it’s absurd. I guess Nonso Anonzie was doing a fine job, but he was hardly there enough for me to tell. All indication that this man is a tremendously important figure in Artemis’s life is simply gone.

Edited to add: I didn’t initially think of anything wrong with Butler being a black man for the movie, but after seeing some complaints from others... yeah I think making a character from a family that’s been servants to a rich white family for generations now into a black man is uhhhhhhhhhh. It’s questionable.

Juliet Butler

Butler’s niece, Juliet, is in the movie so little that I kept forgetting she was there. Which is a damn shame, because I actually really liked Tamara Smart from The Worst Witch already and thought she was an excellent choice for Juliet. In the book, Juliet is the only other child around, and about the only kid that Artemis will remotely consider an equal. She’s great to balance him out and keep him more grounded. In the movie? Eh. She has a handful of lines.

Mulch Diggums

As far as being accurate to the book, Mulch is probably the closest. Though the decision to make a dwarf character not actually short boggles the mind... my main complaint is that Josh Gad likes to improvise his way through scenes, and his style of comedy is pretty grating. It gets old, fast. Throw in the fact that he’s also growling all of his lines to sound different, and you have a character that’s nearly unwatchable.

Julius Root

Speaking of growling all your lines! Commander Root is played by Dame Judi Dench in this movie, changing the character’s gender. I really don’t mind that, and the characterization is largely unchanged. What I do mind is Dench’s delivery. All of her lines are growled in such a low rumble that it sounds like she’s been smoking for eighty years. It becomes impossible to take anything she says or does seriously when she’s speaking like that. Josh Gad even pokes fun at it in a scene with the two of them, saying that they sound like “hippos with a throat infection” -- the only line to get a chuckle out of me.

Artemis Fowl, Sr.

To round it off, we have Colin Farrell as Artemis’s father. And... he’s here, I guess. Farrell mostly sounds bored in all of his scenes and it’s incredibly easy to forget about him.

Angeline Fowl

But wait! A fan of the book may ask. What about Artemis’s mother? How did the movie do her? Surely they didn’t forget Artemis’s mother! And my friends, I regret to inform you that the movie did, in fact, forget Artemis’s mother. She isn’t present, nor is she even mentioned. A major part of the books, a major force to drive Artemis’s character, just... gone. Lovely.

The Production Design

The best word I can think of is uninspired. Most things are serviceable, but unimpressive, leading to the film looking very generic. I was especially disappointed with the look of the fairy underground. A combination of magic and technology has a lot of potential to look visually interesting. Instead, the fairy police just look like the E.L.F.S. from The Santa Clause. And once you’ve seen it, you’ll never unsee it. So you’re welcome.

Additionally, the action scenes tend to be poorly shot and edited. Everything is extremely fast paced with a freely floating camera -- this makes things nearly impossible to follow. Several times I said out loud “what just happened?” because I legitimately could not tell where things were in relation to each other, and who was attacking, who was being attacked, etc. Thankfully there aren’t a lot of action scenes, but the few that do exist are pretty bad.

There are also several sequences of Mulch unhinging his jaw to burrow through the ground. In the book, it’s mildly amusing, but it doesn’t at all translate to film. It’s horrifying in every sense. The CG looks rubbery and fake, and Josh Gad’s performance doesn’t at all sell it. If there were any change from the books I would actually welcome, it’s this one. There are plenty of other ways he could dig. But nope. They stuck to that one. For some reason.

In Conclusion

This is easily the worst book to film adaptation I have ever seen. Please don’t watch it unless you’re a fan of the book and want a laugh.

[rqs902]

.

enyu’s mom calls him "公子哥" is he rich or is this a JOKE LOL and his mom is at a bar IM CRYING HAHA 

i just get a feeling youku eliminated shiwei for dramatic effect... 

but aw xue en crying over weihao and mxy saying star master kids are all worthy to lin mo 

L O L i was gonna be like oh thats nice enyu’s dad asked about his friends, he’s really been paying attention but then he starts throwing these

L O L I SEE WHERE HE GETS HIS REALNESS FROM HAHAHHAHA

LOL NOW HE KNOWS HOW IT FEELS

omg xikan wanting to call luo zheng!!!! im grateful theyre still close, theyre doing such different things now

awww mubo !!! being all supportive and protective of zuo ye 

hHAHAHA omg fan yu talking on the phone to renyu is so cute, so expressive with the gasp when renyu says they just recorded elims and then the AHHHH and OH MY GOD when he says he and zaixi were eliminated and the ALSKJLAKS and loud sigh when renyu reveals he just tricked him hahahaha theyre so cute omg can fan yu pls show up at the next perf, id die

lin ran’s “new world new me” im cry

lol renyu’s getting roasted by his team mates but at least they didnt really ditch him 

what is this set up anyway? theyre given a mission to leave, so theyre allowed to run around... but not? who planned this lol youku......

LOL jin fan tryin to reason why theyll be ok going to guangzhou 

did their group just get special permission bc director li hao?

hahaha ayyy zhan yu jumped first, you go child! not surprised somehow that he’d love it

lin mo’s group went to the same place? LOL but also they seem so much more under control LOL such a guai group 

LOL WHY ARE THEY SO LOUD HAHAHAH i dont think ive ever seen people that loud on a roller coaster LOL 

LOL why am i not surprised enyu is the one carrying xzx 

i cant with xzx and his heelys omg

leave it to csp to relate bungee jumping to some great deeper meaning for zlj’s personal growth hahahah but good on the kid for going through with it. interesting that zixin said he sees himself in zlj so much

HAHAHHAHA THIS FACE

when reminded he’s the hormone representative his face changed so fast im crying 

ycw is laughing his butt off and i love how it says “children’s playground” in the background

when ycw gets thoroughly ignored

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA OSCAR’S SSHHHHHHHH AND XUE EN TELLS HIM TO WATCH HIS “LANGUAGE LANGUAGE” HAHAHAHHA 

i just realized theres an english speaking line in this group :’) syh, xue en, oscar 

awwwwwwwwww them all planning to sing him happy birthday on the dot and setting it up so he can be at the top at that moment awwww thats so fun

LOL the way that oscar cursed his way to the top and is sweating so hard LOL the poor kid omg HAHAHHA

aw he can tell syh drew the card

LOL ITS OKAY OSCAR I STRUGGLE WITH READING TOO 

get you a friend like ycw who’ll tell you that you can decide how to pronounce words right, just because its your birthday 

struggling to read xue en’s handwriting LOL 

HHAHAHAHHAHAHA HOW DOES XZX RECOGNIZE IT’S HUANG ENYU BY FEELING HIS PECS HAHAHHAHA

i feel the need to just say huang junrong looks so adorable in his bright yellow outfit hahah

there’s two types of kids in this group: hjr and enyu screaming their butts off, and lin mo and xzx wallowing in regret of their life decisions

hjr and enyu always saying its too short when the ride ends LOL

lin mo talking real talk over dinner about their feelings BC HES A REAL LEADER and knows how important it is to address this. these concerns are obviously very present in his mind, even when theyre out having fun to relax, and he’s still trying his best to figure out how he can help them and motivate them. 

makes sense that they would include enyu interview clips bc hes surely spouting the real talk, but i think its interesting its mainly him and lin mo getting screen time. 

enyu would be the one to speak up and say something when lin mo is trying to talk to them though. i think theyre both right though, im guessing lin mo is in part too nice, bc he doesnt feel comfortable enough with them to be as strict as he normally is, bc he knows they have reason to not be motivated and he feels bad for them. but at the same time, he brings up a good point that they themselves need to have their own motivation. it cant just be him putting in effort. and i HUGELY respect that he is telling this to them straight up bc its a hard conversation to have, esp bc im sure he wants them to like him as a friend. but i respect that he knows if they have problems they have to air them out bc lack of communication will be too costly. 

momo is lucky he has someone like enyu on his team who’ll actually talk to him with real opinions rather than just hide in fear of disrupting the status quo. literally enyu is the one voicing that he doesnt want takeout and he doesnt want to stay up late, and other people agree, but the surprise on lin mo’s face just tells you that he wouldnt have even realized these are things that are bothering his teammates unless they straight up told him, and thankfully enyu did, bc lin mo thankfully is reasonable and willing to change his habits for the sake of the group TO HELP THEM. hes willing to do anything he can to help them, as long as they tell him what they want from him. huang enyu’s lesson in communication, dont let people guess, just tell them straight up 

its interesting bc its clear enyu respects lin mo a lot, says he has the experience and the skill and the right to yell at them to get it together, but hes still not afraid to tell lin mo he thinks lin mo should be more strict with them. and then i respect lin mo for not backing down when being criticized and for strongly insisting that they need to put in effort themselves too. he cant force them to do anything they dont want to do themselves. they themselves have to want to do well. 

lin mo is really out here taking care of his group of children and leading them and helping them and looking out for them and im just floored by his leadership yet again. i really hope they can pull it together. 

lin mo is a dork and stanning him leads to mostly either second-hand embarrassment or disappointment. from qcyn to snzm, it just always feels like he’s being mistreated and taken advantage of and stepped on, and sad things just keep happening to him. but then he has these moments where he reminds you of why he’s worth stanning. why it’s worth waiting for something good to finally actually happen. and why he deserves those good things. its just so nice to see hes getting some appreciation and recognition for the things he does. at least youku let us see his leadership in action. 

aw 

totally not surprised akey is there to drive the conversation for their group’s real talk time. tyger co-leader translates clearly hahah

LOL LI HAO TOTALLY FORGOT THE SNZM DANCE LOL

im like not surprised xikan’s group got the least adventurous adventure bc hes not afraid to show how serious hes taking this competition, but also somehow still feel like hes not getting better treatment relative to being number one?? maybe im just overthinking 

honestly all things considered im okay with this being the debut group

i mean i love ycw and zry but i feel like this makes sense to me.

this looks scary lol lin ran wyd

but yea even the way they framed the cliff hanger for next week... why do i just feel like xikan is not being treated with the respect he deserves?? 

anywayyyyyyyyyyyy for 少年營業中

LOL gz’s impression of zlj watching scary movies sounds so accurate im ded

zixin is so adorable!! i love his outfit too ahhah 

LOL gz’s sassy response to zlj responding when xue en says he’s gonna talk about a cute trainee with highly regarded visuals 

why am i totally not surprised xue en didnt get scared but zixin got scared AGAIN lol 

why do i suddenly get the realization that we hardly ever see ycw and zlj interact 

it just feels weird to see them together even tho they obviously have overlapping friend groups lol....

poor shiwei isnt even here and they keep talking about him LOL at least theyre not even really roasting him LOL ycw and yzx too nice for that

im just DYING at the cto gege’s laughing SO HARD HAHAHA 

and ycw’s face LOL 

xue en’s laugh made this ep worth it LOL

wow should i be happy that lin mo is finally in the next ep of this side show, or sad that jin fan never got to appear and itll be the last ep :( im also excited to see lin ran again! wow its weird to think that snzm is ending soon, it felt like the first 7 eps were like a slow burn and now its a mad rush to the end 

[cath-with-a-c]

This is the comment I woke up to on Friday morning. The amount of bigotry hiding behind the almost polite and seemingly thoughtful wording is astonishing. 

I’ve responded to it already, informing the individual behind it that I won’t be discussing the points of the comment with them, as they’ve resorted to personally attacking me, which is...dumb. I mean, attack my work all you like, it either helps me grow as an author by learning from my mistakes or as a person by growing a spine and defending my work. But coming after someone who has no connection to this and can’t defend themselves because they are no longer with us? Low and disgusting. (Also wow, they’ve taken the time to find the only truly personal post I have on tumblr, and it’s more than a month old, what a commitment to come off as pathetic, really)

Anyway, while talking to that particular individual is out of question, I still kinda wanna address the certain things in the comment because wow, my first queerphobic comment and an excuse to talk more about “Nothing and Everything”, my boys and myself? How can I pass that?

(this is like... a long-ass one... prepare yourselves)

(I’m gonna refer to the commentator as “Fox” and, probably, “them” because well, I don’t know what their preferred pronounce are)

NB! I’m using the term “queer” as an umbrella term to mean everyone who isn’t strictly straight and/or cis-gender.

Let’s start from the top

1.

The best part about slashfic writers is that when they write about child abuse, child sex abuse, and drug and alcohol abuse while including gay characters, is that they’re really writing about the lives of gay men without realizing it. To you, gay men being abused and that being the arbiter of their homosexual identity is too homophobic to fathom. But you still confirm it in subtle ways, and that always brings a smile to my face. 

Now, English isn’t my first language, so I might be missing something, but If Fox meant being the arbiter of as in defining, being the reason for, than no, it’s not homophobic. It’s just dumb. One, there isn’t a single relevant scientifically accurate study on the abuse causing someone to “turn gay”. Two - there might be a correlation (and it’s not necessary there, I’m just guessing), but the cause and effect will be the other way around, queer kids get abused more because they are queer, not become queer as the result of the abuse. And, most importantly, three - in terms of sexual orientation, you can’t turn someone queer, as well as you can’t turn someone straight. It’s something you are born with and discover as you go along. 

And also the other two queer characters, Rob and Penny, weren’t abused by their parents and/or other family members, but we will touch on that later. 

2.

“The Brotherhood had no problem with homosexuality” - Of course not, and neither do the Templars. It’s the Current Year. You can marry/have sex with whomever you want, whatever you want, whenever you want.

Ignoring the fact that this was taken out of context, and the whole phrase has a slightly different meaning, there are two things that are factually wrong with this statement. First - even in the Current Year, there is a ton of places where being openly queer is dangerous, from the countries that have “anti-gay” laws (ranging from “you can be gay, but stay quiet or go to jail” to “die a horrible death for being gay”), to certain, let’s say, traditionally oriented places in the US. Second - this is not Current Year. The bulk of the story takes place between 1998 and 2003, this phrase is taken from the chapter taking place in 2003, 16 years prior, things were, let’s say, slightly different.

Also, I don’t understand why Fox tried to make this sound sarcastic, we are talking about two societies, with one canonically being for freedom and choice and the other one relying on public favor to propel their agenda, of course, none of them will have qualms with the GRSM community, 

3.

“Honorary gay parents of a gay kid” - Well no wonder the kid is gay. Look at the environment xe/xim/xer grew up in.

I like how Fox uses the non-binary pronounces referring to Penny, when the only thing that has been said about her/them is “I’m into girls.” Also out of 16 kids on the Farm, only 3 are confirmed to be queer. They’ve all grown up in the same environment, so that statement is... meaningless. And in case Fox was referring to Rob and Des turning Penny “gay” well, they’ve also been close with Sam and he’s - what a shock - straight! So again - meaningless.

I’m gonna skip Fox shitting on my friend’s art, again - such remarks are low, pathetic and not worth discussing, let’s get to the juicy stuff. 

4.

It’s amusing, no, to have a pansexual – an individual who is attracted to ‘all genders’ - writing about gay men so much? How many genders are there? Thousands? 51? All on the spectrum? Regardless, tumblrinas are as big on their sexual identities as they are on their activism. In this case, we have a person – presumably female – getting wet over two dudes banging. I’m simply wondering if they packed enough lube and had their enemas. Maybe it was hidden in their stash?

Well, as a matter of fact - they didn’t have lube in their stashes because the only way to get it was to essentially ask one of the adults going to the city to get it for them, can you imagine a 16yo asking something like that? Death from mortification would be the most likely outcome.

Seriously though, I write what I like about whom I like. The only thing it has to do with me being pansexual is that I have more confidence in writing non-straight characters and relationships because I know it’s fine, and my queerphobic background can’t silence me anymore. Also - Desmond isn’t gay, he is bisexual. Rob is gay, true. 

The amount of genders is still up for debate, in my personal opinion it’s all on the spectrum, and the only reason gender issues don’t come out in fiction as much as sexual orientations do is that gender in a lot of cases is a more personal thing than orientation, that’ll inevitably reflect on the inter-character dynamics. A lot of genderqueer people are fine with using male or female pronounces, which to an outsider would put them in respective categories. There are, of course, androgynous people, trans people, non-binary people and others for whom gender and the perception of their gender are important in day to day life - and there are more and more stories featuring them.

Also, on the note of pansexuality - it’s not “attraction to all genders,” it’s having an attraction to the person regardless of their sex or gender, those labels play an insignificant part in me deciding to pursue a relationship. (Also also there might be like a ton of things to discuss in regards to how sexuality relates to gender identities, but not here, not now)

And yes, I’m afab, so yeah, “female” and I do “get wet over the two dudes banging”. Fox got me. Now what? Shame Fox seemingly can’t conceptualize that I “get wet” because I wrote those boys in a story that contains a hard emotional journey full of heartbreak, and I do revel in the short happy moments they’ve got together. The sexual/sensual part is hot because it’s those particular two guys, not just random two guys. 

Oh, and the last thing here - I don’t know if it’s news for Fox, but not all people in a homosexual relationship engage in anal sex. Especially teens in their first relationship. Just saying.

Let’s skip another personal attack part, here we go, sorry that the phrase is broken up

5.

she educated a pansexual SJW into confirming every negative and dirty secret in the gay community: a brutal, abusive father, societal ‘homophobia’, drug and alcohol abuse, and feeling inadequate compared to heterosexual people.

Tbh, this is the part of the comment that had me confused for a moment, as I mistook Fox for one of the “hardcore gay” people, that think that with letters added to LGBT and by putting everything on the spectrum we somehow affect negatively the “real” gay community. The next paragraph cleared this shit for me tho.

Right off the bat - SJW isn’t a dirty word, Fox shouldn’t try to sell it as one. And I won’t label myself as a SJW, because as of now, I lack the commitment to the cause. 

For the next part, I’d really, really like to quote a line from one of my fav vines “Bitch, where?” but for the sake of politeness, I’ll go with “Citation needed,” because from all of the things mentioned, the only one that is really prominent in the text is the “brutal, abusive father”. Societal homophobia isn’t exactly in the text (pay attention, teen Rob is cautious about adults being homophobic, it’s a valid fear a lot of queer teens have prior to coming out, but the general atmosphere isn’t homophobic. If I wanted it to be, adding a scene of public shame/shunning for someone caught in the act wouldn’t be hard), no drug and\or alcohol abuse (1 scene of teens trying drinks for the first time doesn’t count - surprise, teenagers try drinking), and feeling inadequate is mentioned once as a fear of a nine-year-old Penny, who has no frame of reference other than heterosexual behavior of the others, and is corrected almost immediately by Rob.

6.

Was this about Assassin’s Creed? No, not really. Despite you being a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE fan, you don’t really respect these characters. Miles is a douchebag, it’s true, but he’s respected even by Otso Berg. That should tell you something. 

(I’d like to see an example of Fox-approved, really-about-Assassin’s-Creed fanfiction, for a future reference, but alas, they’ve commented from as guest)

Interesting how me not liking or respecting Bill, canonically abusive douchebag known for alienating people because of how cold and manipulative he is, translates into me automatically not respecting every other character in the series. 

Also, I don’t see how Otso Berg respecting William as an opponent should sway my judgment. I’ve mentioned here on my blog that I like Garnier de Naplouse as a villain - how self-assured he is, and how much quiet intelligence he has. Do I like him in general as a person? No. Do I respect him? No. He tortured people. I relished in seeing Altair murder him. 

With Bill, him being a douchebag and abuser is a deciding fact for me, I do not respect abusers, no matter how great they may be. But tbh, on the leadership front, I can’t quite decide if Bill is a fine leader given the circumstances, or if the number of instances of him being canonically shitty as a leader is big enough to call for his removal. 

7.

You crafted him into a predictable homophobic dad, albeit he isn’t Christian. I was waiting for the Bible to be thrown at Desmond.

Again - citation needed. One instance in the text of Bill being homophobic. Not abusive, not overly-demanding, but homophobic. 

(Spoiler alert - there isn’t one.)

As for the Christian associations - well, it’s in the tags. Literally. In this story, the Brotherhood is a cult, like the JWs, or the LDS church, but with Creed instead of a holy book. And I guess I succeeded in conveying the feeling.

8.

In another Tumblr post, you wrote about how William is very abusive to Desmond, and how that is inexcusable. You bring up Nikolai and putting his child out in the cold as punishment, and earlier, cited Philosophy Tube in regards to solitary confinement (which really shows a lot). How do you explore this concept?

I wonder what me citing Philosophy Tube shows, except for maybe that I find Olly to be a very pleasant narrator and that the themes he touches on are rather interesting (Olly is precious, protect Olly).

I think I was rather unsubtle with showing what exactly abuse, inflicted by Bill, did to Desmond. And not, not “turn him gay”, about that in a moment. I don’t delve like deep into what was happening in Desmond’s head because this story is from Rob’s perspective. Not Desmond’s.

This story isn’t about the relationship between Bill and Desmond. It’s about Desmond not living in a vacuum all those years on the Farm.

Write William being SO abusive he turns his son gay. You make him so homophobic Desmond reacts by engaging in self-destructive behaviour and, in turn, becoming your average gay man. Your OC, Richard, Robert is merely the bridge.

“Bitch where?!“ (c) 

1. Desmond isn’t gay. He is bi (because I’m keeping it as close to the canon as I can and I love Elijah to death). It’s in the tags, and it’s in the tags rather than stated because Desmond’s sexual orientation isn’t the point of this story, 2. Bill isn’t homophobic, at least not openly. There’s a different issue within the Brotherhood, the fact that they expect everyone born into the Brotherhood to have kids of their own. This is the source of Rob’s unease and perceiving adults as not reacting positively him or any other kid in a queer relationship.  3. If I wanted Bill to come off as homophobic, I’d portray him like that. Using slurs, for example.  4. Bill abuses Desmond not because he thinks his son is gay - he thinks his son is weak. In general. Not related to orientation. Like in the fucking canon. I’m merely turning the abuse factor up to eleven. 5. No one abused Rob, his father is shown in the text to be one of the best parents on the Farm - and Rob is gay. No one abused Penny, her family is mentioned briefly, but I specifically did it in a way that shows that they are nice - and she is a lesbian. Another boy, Colin, got abused by his strict mother - and he is straight. Desmond got abused by his father - and he is bi. There is no correlation between abuse and being queer.  6. Desmond's self-destructive behavior came from him being abused on a daily basis for most of his life and having no way out. Again, if it was linked to his orientation Rob would do that stuff too. He doesn’t.

9.

You make these characters gay because, as a ‘queer pansexual person’ you can. But you don’t really make them human. In fact, every single negative stereotype you want to protect yourselves from our oh-so-bigoted society are confirming them, while simultaneously denying that they exist.

In short, everything and everyone acted the way I expected to, and was written the way I expected a queer pansexual to write them: meaningless, with only the sexual identity taking place. Funny how that’s the only identity politics that’s allowed. Everything else is oh so bigoted.

I’m not denying the existence of the stereotype, I’m just not acknowledging it as valid, because it’s not. It’s like blaming violence on video games - you’d be hard-pressed to find a youngster who doesn’t play a semi-violent game of some kind, with blood and murder, but every time someone brings up that another shooter was playing those games, they forget to mention how many youngsters play and don’t commit murder as a result.

The same way Fox keeps bringing up the “abuse turned Desmond gay” without acknowledging that there’s a ton of straight teens that get abused worse than Desmond in this story, or the two queer kids right in the text who weren’t abused.

It’s also funny that Fox is adamantly holding to the “sexual identity” thing, despite the fact that it came up only in 5th chapter (with 4 chapters before that having nothing to do with sexual orientation) and it’s not even an identity/orientation thing. It’s the “relationship between Rob and Desmond” thing and “Desmond is clinging to as much happiness as he can because he has none” thing. The only time orientation comes up in term of identity it’s when Rob talks to Penny and thinks of himself as a closeted gay man, but it immediately switches back into the “relationship between two people” again. 

10.

You call yourself an AC fan? 

Yes. Yes, I do. Ain’t nothing some bigot on the internet can do about it ;)

(If you read this through to the end, I applaud you, thank you for your time <3)

[periodicreviews]

Some key differences between Netflix’s and ADV’s release of Neon Genesis Evangelion

Last night I watched 5 episodes (1,2,8,23,24) of Evangelion on Netflix with the new English dub. As someone who has seen the entire series at least 10 times with the original ADV dub, the small incremental changes build up enough to discourage me from watching the rest of the episodes.

I realize that currently everyone is hating on the new dub but I felt like I needed to write something as a way to organize my thoughts and pin down exactly what bothers me about it. I don’t blame the voice actors, who do just fine with what they’re given in the script. I dealt with the cast changes before between TV to End of Evangleion to the new Rebuild movies. Some worked for me and some didn’t.

But at the same time, I’m very attached to that original cast and the emotional response I had to their performances. So I’ve tried to focus on things besides line delivery or how well I think a new voice matches my idea of a character.

I understand as well the difficulty in not just translating Japanese, but adapting a show as difficult as Evangelion. But in some cases, the changes to the script affect how a joke plays or break the viewer’s (or at least my) immersion.

“Big boy”

In episode 1 and 8, the word “big boy” is used and it seems like a strange word choice. In episode 1, after Shinji breathes in LCL for the first time, here are the lines:

Netflix English subtitles:

Shinji: This is so gross

Misato: Deal with it! You’re a big boy!

Netflix English audio:

Shinji: This is so gross

Misato: Just deal with it! Come on, be a big boy!

ADV Platinum DVD audio:

Shinji: “I’m gonna be sick”

Misato: “Stop complaining! You’re a boy you know?!”

 Just for reference, the Japanese word used here according to the Netflix Japanese subtitles is 男の子 (Otoko no ko). jisho.org defines this as boy; male child; baby boy​.

To be honest, until I looked it up, I remembered this line being “You’re a man, aren’t you?” in the original dub. They may say that at some other point in the show. But I think there’s still room for criticism even if the difference is just “boy” vs “big boy”.

When I hear “big boy”, it seems like something that would be directed at someone much younger than Shinji at 14 years old. It’s the kind of phrase you typically hear, contrasted with the word “baby”. Like if a 6 year old boy was crying and their mother is trying to get them to stop, saying “You’re not a baby anymore, you’re a big boy, so you need to stop.” The word “big” implies there is a “little” version of boy that you don’t want to be associated with and in my mind that “little boy” is a baby. “Big boy pants” can also be used to imply a male who has recently moved beyond diapers to regular underwear.

“Boy” just by itself lets you focus more on that Misato is implying he’s whining like a girl.

Personally, I find the dilemma between behavior that is associated with boy vs girls a lot more interesting than just Shinji being scolded because he’s acting too young. Of course, as I say that, I hear Gendo’s line from the Rebuild movies “Shinji, you need to grow up.” So the two aren’t mutually exclusive. But there’s still a lot in Evangelion that focuses on gender roles and characters that don’t necessarily fit into one spot easily.

Even if “big boy” is a more accurate translation, I think it would’ve made more sense to English speakers or at least Americans if they had just used “boy” in that particular situation.

 Kaji and Shinji

After watching episode 1 and 2, I skipped to episode 8 Asuka Strikes. A little into the episode, there’s a scene with Misato, Kaji, Shinji, and everyone else at a table. Kaji tries to play footsie under the table with Misato but is rebuffed. Kaji then turns to Shinji and asks how Shinji likes living with Misato.

Netflix English subtitles:

Kaji: She used to flop around in her sleep. She still do that?

Netflix English audio:

Kaji: Does she still make a fool of herself, when she’s sleeping?

ADV Platinum DVD audio:

Kaji: “Tell me something, is she still so, wild in bed?”

ADV Platinum Subtitle:

Kaji: So, does she still toss and turn in bed?

 Given that the subtitles from Netflix and ADV match up, it appears that this would be the more “accurate” way of saying this line. The way those are written, the joke is still implied that Shinji and Misato are sleeping together and having sex, but it’s somewhat subtle.

The Netflix English audio comes out not as clear and leads to everyone’s dramatic “WHATTTT??!!” after Kaji’s line becoming slightly confusing. This first time I heard it, I didn’t really get what Kaji was saying. There’s just something about the delivery or that pause where the comma is throws it off just enough. The phrase “make a fool of herself” also isn’t something I hear often or ever when referring to sleeping.

I can definitely understand Netflix not wanting to change this line as much as ADV did.

However, I think this deadpan line followed by the huge reaction from the others in the room works best when you take it to the extreme like the ADV audio. The shock from the others is driven not just from Kaji’s implication, but how overt he is with it.

 Other little things

On Screen Text

One of the first things I noticed is that the English subtitles do not translate all text that appears on screen. In 2019, it’s unfortunately rare that you get everything translated like you did with the ADV release of Evangelion. Misato’s letter to Shinji, the bottle of toothpicks hiding Shinji’s penis, and even the Japanese episode titles go untranslated. There are a few that appear like Shinji’s transfer application and Gendo’s “COME” on the letter to Shinji. So it’s hard to tell if this was a stylistic choice or just coming down to lines per dollar it would cost.

Fly Me To The Moon

I know everyone else has already complained about this, but I haven’t seen a lot of why it’s important. Obviously there’s the connection between Rei and the moon and because it’s part of the original work of art. But more than that, it’s that extra unique twist to differentiate it from other anime. You watch the cliffhanger in Episode 1 and it just ends with a song most people associate with Frank Sinatra.

I don’t remember how I felt when I first heard it, but I do remember how I felt when I heard “Roundabout” by Yes in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. The contrast really caught my attention and got my mind thinking, “Wow they are really using this song right now. I’m more curious about where this show is going to lead.” In part, that reaction was probably driven by my mind first connecting it to Evangelion’s ending.

This time around, maybe people would’ve associated it with Jojo and it might’ve kept a few more people watching. In the end, those few extra viewers clearly weren’t worth it to Netflix especially when the next episode is triggered right as the credits role.

Lines that cut off

I don’t remember exactly where in the episodes these lines are. But there were several times where a line someone was saying would abruptly end. I think one time was when Shinji said “K”, as in like “Okay”, but it sounded like the audio had been cut too closely and didn’t fade out like it naturally would as someone was saying it.

Pronunciations

The way characters pronounce things has changed dramatically in some cases. It’s hard to tell if this is directing or actors saying it this way. Given its consistency, it seems more like how they were directed. SEELE, usually say-lay in ADV is now Zee-la for Netflix. Fuyutsuki’s name is weirdly broken up as Fu-Yu-Tsuki, with more of a pause between fu, yu, and tsuki, which makes it feel less like one word that flows. I can live with all that, but I really can’t stand Lance of Longinus.

In ADV, it was typically, lon-juh-nus. In Netflix, it’s lon-jai-nus. If I’m reading the pronunciation correctly from Wikipedia, Netflix is saying the word correctly in English, while the ADV pronunciation is closer to the Japanese pronunciation. The problem is I couldn’t stop thinking about how much it sounded like vagina, which sounds like more of a personal problem.

Longinus /ˌlɒnˈdʒaɪnəs/

Vagina /vəˈdʒaɪnə/

  At the end of the day, I think it’s great that more people have access to Evangelion. I hope that people enjoy it as much as I have and can get something out of it. But at the same time, I feel like Netflix aiming for more of a middle ground approach, in terms of script and emotional intensity, might cause the show to stick out less than it could’ve.

Sure the content is all the same, but it doesn’t feel like it flows as well. People get mad when you don’t match the Japanese exactly. But if you try to match it exactly, it can become unintelligible to English speakers. So maybe this was always a no win scenario.

I hate to come off as one of those butt-hurt fans who hates anything new and only wants more of the same. Personally, I enjoy the new path that the Rebuild movies are taking. I don’t think the original show needs to be remade like Sailor Moon Crystal. It’s only because of that deep connection with the original dub that I’m worried people watching the new dub won’t connect as deeply with the show.

From now on there will always be that question when I ask someone if they’ve seen Evangelion. They will more than likely say “Yes I saw it on Netflix.” Then if they say “it was okay,” I’ll always be thinking, “Would they have liked it more with the ADV dub?”

[thegospelofnagisa]

The Netflix Evangelion dub is out and there's already some serious controversy. The new dub/translation changed two of Kaworu's lines "I love you" and "You're worthy of my love" to "I like you" and "You're worthy of my grace". As you can imagine, fans were pissed and accused Netflix of downplaying the homosexual subtext. But as it turns out, they changed nothing because that's actually closer to what he said in the original Japanese. Studio Khara demanded a more faithful translation which is...

why it sounds very awkward at times, like how they say Third Children instead of Third Child like the old dub did. Simply put, using a translation that is 100 accurate to the original isn't a good idea because what sounds normal in Japanese doesn't translate particularly well in English.

I’ve heard about it, I have not seen it yet, but I don’t understand why they are so angry, I mean, one of the fundamental principles of shipping is reaching things out of their ass.

These are kind of people who turn a simple gaze between two characters into an uncontrolable desire to fuck between them, these are the peope who ship character for the most mundane reasons such as “being in the same chapter” etc....the standars for hardcore shippers are low....so....

How is the change to those lines a problem? He still shows apreciation for Shinji, which is far better than the examples I’ve described above...so what gives? Just because now the grass is not as green as it used to be back in 1930? It’s still green, who cares? You can still get the same message, and you’re right, the lost in translation element, they should take that into account.

But yeah, I think it doesn’t change anything, they can still ship it, Kaworu’s feelings are still the same, he just says a different word.

To all the people who have a problem with that change, grow up.

[sparda3g]

The Seven Deadly Sins Chapter 267 and 268 Review

It’s been a while since I last review the series’ chapter. I had a complication with my new laptop to get my day started, but now I am back in motion. I apologize for unable to get chapter 266 review done. Now I am back for the latest chapter; however, there were two releases. I guess you can say it’s my karma, can’t escape from working hard. On the bright side, we have two chapters to enjoy.

The first chapter was largely a buildup, picked up right where Estarossa lost his mind and proceeded to choke Elizabeth, because love hurts. It’s sad how I thought, “As expected. Oh the humanity! Will anyone please save the princess?!” Sorry, my expectation has shrunk. Fortunately, she ends up saving herself by shooting magic right at his face. It’s the least she had to do; she was about to die. Honestly, if someone did save her from that, that is kind of sad. My hope for her was rising and nothing can ruin that…

Right?

An interesting setting for Estarossa to choose to hide her at, concerning that it was a secret meeting place between Meliodas and her. Estarossa truly believe he is his oldest brother; I can’t say that’s sweet of him. Of course, Elizabeth will be touched by the sight since it is nostalgia and all, so I didn’t mind her reacting this way. For now. Shame that it does resort to a love triangle war though, especially Estarossa being involved in this mess.

The next conflict against him is setup back at the plain field with the Archangels and King getting ready to set off. I wonder if this is how the series’ battle will be like going forward; teamwork is the only way to win. It’s nothing wrong with that; just feel like one-on-one will become Meliodas and very few others exclusive. Anyway, it makes sense for those three to be the only one to go since they can fly; sorry, no flying nimbus. If this was a Seinen series, I would be very afraid for King to die because of marriage in mind, but I am worried in a lower capacity level.

Before anyone can say, “Sausagefest,” Derieri insists to join along as well because she can fly too. This is when it finally put her trust into the test due to her status. At least the Archangels aren’t so rude with her. It’s  evident that only Ludociel is a bona fide douche of Archangels; good for others. Human can bad mouth at her all day, so it’s natural.

I was happy that King is the one to step up and defend her, mainly because his journey in the past spiritually comes in handy for a reasonable decision making. I couldn’t see any other way. I don’t know if King will tell her the story, though I think it’s that important. So long she has someone’s support, she is allowed to go. I do get the feeling that this is her endgame, but maybe Nakaba will surprise me. We’ll see. Now we have a demon, a fairy, and two Archangels. Sounds like a really strong team.

It segues to a better yet simple insight of Estarossa and his struggles in the past. As said before, he’s like the bastard child that no one would want or befriend with. The reason why he loves Elizabeth and Meliodas is because they didn’t laugh at him. It’s a familiar story of social outcast getting loved by one and eventually fallen in love. The problem is he’s a villain and most importantly, Elizabeth always have her eyes on Meliodas. What a shocker.

Even in the midst of depression, she still talks about him and ask Estarossa to help her. To be fair, Meliodas is the prime target, so I won’t blame her for bringing up the topic in this dreary mood. I unintentionally feel bad for Estarossa to be stuck with this hell of being neglected by two obsessed lovers. Who’s the actual villain here?

The one part that is questionable and honestly, I’m curious for probably a reason that wasn’t intended is whether that one memory of his is true. He states that Meliodas once told him that he will work things out with him and Elizabeth. Elizabeth is confident that he would never say that. If you take it out of context, I would think she’s an asshole for being so damn sure. Hell, do we even know what Meliodas meant if that part is true? It sounds like something of an older brother trying to make the relationship work, but not necessarily make them lovers. I wish the translation was more accurate or the tone was better suggestive because that respond somewhat pissed me off. It better be false to escape this mess. “I’m sure your memory is mistaken.” It better be…

Estarossa does go mad and the Commandments begin to swallow him up. He resumes back to choking Elizabeth out cold, only it’s a strangle rather than a chokehold. She started it, so serve her right. At least, she’s on cue to be damsel in distress, so why I even bother hoping. Estarossa form a ball shape, filled with the Commandments’ energy. He lost his mind to drag her into the abyss, so he can eat her. Look, if it does put her into Kaneki’s state in the last episode of Tokyo Ghoul Season 1, I will eat all of my complaints and put her on a throne; no more from me.

It’s an interesting comparison with Estarossa and Meliodas’ current state. That would mean Estarossa will go through the transformation phase similar to Meliodas in which is taking time to complete. The state is like a cocoon, waiting it to break. What I would like to know if Meliodas can come in contact with other Commandments or other similar procedure he’s in. If so, he may detect Elizabeth in danger and plan will change. It does sound like a perfect setup for those two to go head-to-head with similar power-up. It’s only matter of time.

The second chapter is pretty straightforward, but entertaining none the less. It’s all about Ban, the guy who has been missing for a while. The color page did give it away, so it wasn’t much of shocker. However, it does hold more than one meaning behind it. While there isn’t much to cover in plot aspect, the joy comes from the journey and how far he has gone.

It does start off strange with some wolf covered in black energy or whatever, leaving some fans wondering what is that at first. I quite like the imagery of the setting. It’s artsy in a way, something like Limbo the video game. It’s a nice change of pace in its atmosphere; Nakaba should do more of that technique. It becomes clear that it’s Ban when it remembers the Fountain of Youth and sure enough, he recovers to his normal state. Well, his human state to be exact.

These two chapters used plenty of large panels, sometimes a page worth, for impacting effect or cool designs. In this chapter, it’s mainly for the detail and exploiting the hardship journey. Purgatory is true hell and even for an immortal, it can still “kill” you. Your body may not break, but your mind will.

Ban grew crap load of hair but that’s because time travel fast in there. With the mixed of an image of a lost man and his current mental state, it would appear he has lost his mind, close succumb to eternal hell. It’s effective when even Ban was scared out of his mind. The double page is really good. It’s like watching some guy going to an endless journey; wandering around for centuries (literally).

I feel bad for Ban to suffer this magnitude. It’s agonizing how he keeps calling for Meliodas like he really can’t take it anymore. Immortal isn’t shaping up to be incredible. It’s telling when he begins to speak to himself, questions and all. You can argue that he’s doing so to keep in check of his humanity’s state, which is plausible. Either way, he’s fallen into the despair that could one day take him to emptiness.

We are treated with a nice fun action with some silly looking black dragon, but this type of nature is amusing and I do miss it. It’s a good change of imagination in its lore, so not everything has to be vicious in design. The dragon reminds me of Meliodas’ old sword, but I believe that is the point by the end. It brings a fun action between the two. It was a good timing on its end since Ban needed a distraction to prevent total insanity. It’s funny how I thought we have a new hairstyle for Ban, only to get his head blown away and regenerate with the usual cut. It’s a good thing that I didn’t jump ahead to think there’s an art error since time travel really fast and such.

It’s good that it was established a while back that Ban and Meliodas have a solid friendship, so it’s nice yet a bit sad how much he has struggled to retrieve his best friend’s emotion. Luckily, Ban has a lover that is far tolerable in compare but my point is his reminder of Elaine waiting for him causes “Meliodas” to speak from somewhere. All this time, that funny looking dragon is “him.” It’s charming how two friends always find a way to challenge each other, no matter where.

Now that he has found “him,” it does make me wonder if he will return once actual Meliodas “hatches” from transformation or will it be for a while, leaving room for Meliodas to cause chaos. I don’t even know how can Ban escape from there. He now holds the game changer; it’s only matter of how long it will take.

Overall, the two chapters were good for its setup. Archangels, King, and Derieri is an impressive dynamic; hopefully it takes them a while to get there for some amusing interactions. Estarossa lost his mind because this romance has been mind-numbing. It leaves a sign of potential two brothers’ battle coming soon, possibly after with those four arrival. Ban’s journey was creeping and amusing. The artwork for both chapters are pretty solid with nice detail with its single page use. The second chapter benefited greatly from extra spaces and impacting inserts. The combine of two doesn’t make it feel like two chapters in total, but it covers enough setup to engage an exciting event for the next. Plus, both end page of each chapter connects each other. It won’t be long now before another round of carnage ensue.

[maevelin]

why the hell do people assume that Rhaegar's annulment automatically makes his first two children bastards? They were conceived and born while their parents were officially husband and wife (otherwise there would have been nothing to annul), therefore they cannot be bastards by definition

It depends on the grounds of the annulment. If Rhaegar aimed to declare his first marriage with Elia initially not legitimate then his kids by her would be considered to be bastards. However he would need a very serious reason for this to even stand and considering the history of marriages in his family tree that would be one hell of a difficult thing to do. I think most people have in their minds King Henry VII and his treatment of Catherine of Aragon and the rest of his wives when they hear the term annulment here.

The problem here is how vaguely this term was used in the show without pointing out any potential implications. The writers only focused on a way to further push Jon’s legitimacy and his claim on the throne without actually thinking all the way through about how they presented what they used as a loophole to fit into their narrative. And since they did not bother with paying more attention to the details and honoring the background of their history as they should then the fans have every right to assume whatever they want when it comes to this. The writing here was superficial and messy and if we take under account only the show’s canon then Rhaegar is not filtered through a very positive light.

But in truth in his case depending on how the annulment was used this could not bring any implications to the line of succession.

This is not just about how Rhaegar treated Elia in a personal level or what happened after that. If we are talking about the annulment here we need to focus on the motives and the characters are play.

We know that Rhaegar fucked up but he was not known for cruelty. Even to his relationship with Elia. People spoke of his ‘noble’ intentions and all that but no where they speak of him as the kind of person that would be cruel and unjust to his own children.

For all we know this could be one way for Rhaegar to not go against the Faith by pushing polygamy that would be a very sensitive issue and more so since he wanted to overthrow his father and would need all the support he could get. That would also include the Martells so despite his divorce with Elia his two first heirs would still be backed up by the House Martell.

I think that at that point in time the Martells hardly cared about Rhaegar’s affair no matter how they truly view it. I think their priorities would be Elia and her kids. To ensure their safety and to promote and protect the interest of Elia and of her children. Both when it came to the imminent threat they were facing (Mad King and even the upcoming Rebellion) and their future position when it came to who would succeed the Mad King and Rheagar. This is very complicated and it becomes more so since Rhaegar married Lyanna and kept her in Dorne. In secrecy yes but how possible would it be for no one to know they were there? Especially the rulers of Dorne. That could not be a coincidence in my opinion. It is contradictory to Rhaegar’s interests so why especially Dorne? Something does not add up.

I think Rhaegar was searching for a convenient loophole to keep everyone happy in terms of power balance. Elia had to be returned to her family safe and sound but The Mad King kept her and their children with him so Rhaegar and the House Martell had to ensure their safety. Rhaegar had to give concessions at both sides while he was obviously still dangling along his obsessions with the prophecies and his potential feelings for Lyanna and his plans to overthrow Aerys (and probably wanted to be certain that he had three children before going up against his father in case he would not win. First he wanted to ensure that the prophecies would come to fruition before he would make his move. He went all wrong about it of course. He was absolutely certain that his House was secure no matter what the outcome of his plans would be. He could not imagine what was planned underneath his nose and what was coming. He already had heirs. Viserys was also alive. His third sibling -the third head of the Dragon from Aerys was in its way-. He took a lot of time. He did not see what was coming and how he and his House would be also betrayed (by the Lords he thought were supporting him) and the rebellion broke out by those that took advantage of his stalling and mistakes and obsessions).

As far the annulment goes he probably wanted to legitimize Jon in terms of legality and not in terms of succession before his first son. And also Rhaegar died before he knew the gender of his third child. He probably believed that he was going to have one more girl and that Aegon from Elia was the Prince from the prophecy. And so he probably aimed to give more legitimacy to his daughter from Lyanna too and make her equal with his other two children so all three of them would be united when their time to rise would come. I think he wanted to make sure that none of his children would be bastards and not the other way around.

Do not forget that Rhaegar was obsessed with the Dragon having three heads. That does not only mean that he would do anything to get the third child. It also means that he wanted above anything else and before anything else to ensure that he would have three children no matter what. That meant he cared for all three and believed that all three had a role to play to how the prophecies would unfold including anything concerning the Prince that was Promised and/or Ahor Ahai and the Long Night.

Ironically he was not that wrong. I know that his obsession make him seem nutty (which he probably was lol) but he was not wrong was he? The Long Night was coming. The signs were there. Magic was returning to the world. Either Jon is the Prince that was Promised or he is an intricate part of that prophecy in the end Rhaegar was right in believing that his child (if not children) would have a great role to the Great war. But prophecies are never clear and you cannot control them or even translate them accurately. And if the Dragon had to have three heads then in the show those that were left were Daenerys, Viserys and Jon and Viserys died and so did the dragon that was named after him and now belongs to the Night’s King. So the Dragon does have to have three heads (let us put a question mark in books for the whole Griff thing).

And in all that mess we are still to know what Elia’s stance was in all of this. We know how her story ended and we know how people decades later have portrayed her (as a victim, as collateral damage, as a loving mother, as a martyr and even a saint etc etc) but we hardly know anything about her true agency. About how her mind worked and how she was able to play the game. Before we victimize her and give all power to Rhaegar we should truly think of who Elia truly was. She was a Martell. She was the woman that rose to power through marriage and was meant to become a Queen and the mother of the future ruler of Westeros. She was brought up in a Kingdom with powerful individuals that accepted and respected women in position of power. Her siblings have been portrayed as empowered characters but all we know about Elia is that she was the victim of the story. And now an annulment is thrown at us carelessly. I feel that her voice is missing form all of this. In the same way I think that for example Margaery Tyrell’s true agency and voice will be missing in a few decades later and history will portray her as a different person from who she truly was. History is written by the victors after all and true facts and characters are lost in obscurity.

[annieoftheshitposts]

this post used to be a link to the old canons page but i’m turning it into a text dump of the revised one for people on mobile [or who have bad wifi/computers that the fancy schmancy script on the canons page wouldn’t play well with.] theres a lot sorry not sorry. here we go.

Canon Info

 Much more is said about Annie in external sources than the game itself, here's copypastes of all I know of and go by.

From the 3rd DLC Character Voting page:

As popular figures in nationwide folktales, a children’s television adaptation of Annie and Sagan’s adventures was inevitable. The show’s success lies in its pair of live action hosts, who are as convincing as their cartoon counterparts. Though what the public learns about the real Annie might surprise them. Annie is a seasoned fighter who has been around for a long time, acquiring many skills and powers along the way. Her sword is forged from a meteorite and can channel the power of the stars in its sweeping cleaves. Her right eye bonds her to her Remote Parasite and partner, Sagan, who grants her powers of a galactic motif. While some of her abilities carry more of a sparkly magical girl motif, Annie tries to execute them with the same sternness.

From "The canon info thread" on Skullheart Encore forums:

-Annie is several-century-old. Her immortality was gained when her parents wished on the Skull Heart so that Annie would never have to experience the hardship of adulthood, thereby making her forever a child. -She has had many different weapons and abilities throughout her life. - Sagan, her remote parasite. keeps her right eye in his mouth. - She’s physically not able to swear due to her condition - She is familiar with Double due to her experience fighting Skullgirls - Annie has encountered a lot of Skullgirls and has killed a lot, but not the same a lot. She’s seen the cycle multiple times and seen how they become stronger each time and is looking for the underlying source now. - The Annie of the Stars show is very similar to the Super Mario Bros. Super Show with live action segments with cartoons and PSAs and commercials in between. - Sagan can talk. Somehow. - Annie hides her immortality by getting a new hairstyle every few years. The show tells the audience that they have simply changed the actress. Eliza also pulls a similar trick

and finally some other misc. scraps that weren't covered above:

-annie has some kind of "super" or "powered up" form, in which she seems to fuse with sagan. it can be seen on her

move concept sheet, in the end of robo-fortune's story mode, and as a very tiny feature on one of robo-fortune's merch posters, but to my knowlege it's never really been talked about.

-she's been depicted with an "incognito outfit", presumably for going out in public and not being recognized by fans.

-sagan is named after renowned astrophysicist carl sagan. this isnt really relevant to anything but it's not on the wiki so i figured i'd share :b

-and this random pic of annie in the past with a different look, plus gun and minus eyepatch, apparently official art from the "digital art compendium". i haven't seen the source for this one myself though, and count this one more as speculative canon since that ingame image up there with her eye uncovered doesn't show a scar or any kind of damage from this.

-another canon fact about annie is she is strong and brave and i love her.

Headcanon (Annie)

this is pretty disorganized bc i come up with and revise random shit on a fairly regular basis, but the very least it should be all here and up-to-date. [though on this text post version i may forget to keep it updated oops.

she can still only normally see from the one eye in her head [and likewise probably has terrible depth perception lmao], but she can “project” her vision into the one sagan has if need be, during which time both he and her main eye are blind.

even though sagan’s vision is his own and she doesn’t actively “see” through that eye most of the time, the stuff he sees still becomes part of her memory and she can recall it if need be, though it’s far less tangible and kind of a surreal experience trying to do so.

the space where her other eye was is now just...space. like empty starry void stuff. yes, TECHNICALLY, you could put stuff in it but why would you. sagan can feel when something interacts with it and it’s really just weird and uncomfortable for both of them.as sagan is the source of their powers, the strength of her abilities is slightly dependent on her distance from him. something like long sustained flight is really only capable if they’re touching, but she still has ample firepower and ability to zip around for a pretty good range otherwise.

Not interested in anime

absolutely hates being called her full name; hasn't gone by anything other than "Annie" for longer than anyone that should be alive today should know.

part of her curse of eternal youth is remembering everything up until the point it kicked in and she stopped aging [i.e. when she was Actually a kid] exactly as well as if she hadn’t aged.

from that point however, a lot of it is hazy as shit aside from more recent times [as you’d expect from someone who’s been around hundreds of years]. this one's gonna be angsty as shit when i address it and you can thank @sandstriker for that. fucker.

also hates being restrained. by the concept sheet and beo's story, her fighting style is very kinetic and relies heavily on mobility; take that away and you get one very uncomfortable and very angry starchild. [this one's 'cause of y'all with the handcuffs asks. this is part of why she's so agitated rn.]

what's in the pouch? whatever is alternatively convenient. is it snacks? is it a quick incognito disguise? is it her whole entire sword? who knows. i think it might be infinite hammerspace in there.

i haven't put much though into this side of her story yet, but i've decided part of the mythos of the "annie of the stars" character as a figure of legend is that she literally lives, among the stars.

if there's enough folktales about her to base an entire show off of, i'm willing to bet she used to be less elusive when she was just about fighting skullgirls before dedicating herself to the whole "looking for the underlying source" thing.

Headcanon (Sagan)

tl;dr: as far as things go here, he's essentially a cat and/or younger sibling.

Sagan's canon information and characterization is basically nonexistant, so i got to do pretty much whatever i wanted with him lmao.

simply put, he's a little gremlin of a partner, but he is genuinely good-natured and a happy-go-luckly little dude. mischevious, loves to get up to Shenanigans, go off and hide/disappear to fuck knows where for several hours, climb and sit on tall things[or failing that, annie's head], etc. @sawkinator has described him, regrettably accurately, as "the Token Disney Animal Sidekick". he has a lot of mannerisms like an animal, but is still very much a being of at least average human intelligence. he's also surprisingly indestructible. far from invincible of course, but in canon he's been shown to be quite stretchy and...possibly have minor shapeshifting capabilities?? he's pretty much immune to being squashed and feels very little [if any] pain from most things. really, as far as i can tell he's pretty much a weird sentient plushie. like, if it's not going to damage a plushie, it's not going to hurt him; examples being: getting knocked back really hard or falling a long way? not a problem. fire? problem.

Sagan tends to be somewhat nonverbal and generally only uses a few words or short phrase at a time when he does speak, which sounds something like the voice clip below. that being how it is, he can be kind of inscrutable and more than a bit jarring to most people--though at this point annie's been with him more than long enough to be completely desensitized to it and doesnt quite get why anyone would be perturbed. fortunately, with that familiarity also comes understanding, and she can easily "translate" and articulate more from his expressions. this understanding is a two-way street, and on its other side is sagan's sensitivity to her moods. annie's not particularly...communicative of her emotions, but sagan can always tell when she's having an off day or something's bothering her, and is far better than anyone at helping her feel better. all things said and quirky antics aside, he and annie are exceptionally close and fiercely protective of eachother the moment it comes to it. they don't make a big deal of showing it outwardly, but they know they've always got eachother's backs.

he's taken quite a liking to beowulf as well, and beo defintiely shamelessly enables sagan's shenanigans.

as i see it, annie may be the passion and power of their operation, but sagan is the heart and soul. beowulf is like....comic releif and emotional support. not entirely necessary, but certainly welcomed to have around. yeah. listen im a big sap i just want them all to be good friends ok. i love them.

also sagan does like and watch a lot of anime.

Blog Canon

miscellaneous happenings that either have continued relevance/significance, or y'all just won't let die. there's not a overarching plot to this thing at all, but geez we’ve kinda gathered some history here huh?

taught sagan to say fuck [and other swears, in her stead]. he used to have to do it on command but he's gotten really good at filling in for her.has a

stoat fursona that beo helped her make. she thinks it's neat/cute but has no real attachment to it.

attempted to sue the crystal gems for ripping off her entire shtick [it didn't go well]

beowulf also taught her how to dab.

@sparkeletran is a nuisance and must be stopped

the 70$ pile of high school musical merch. sagan and beo both wear the t-shirts sometimes. she hates it. don't let her attitude fool you though this is actually the best and most important ongoing joke in this whole damn thing.

the first handcuffs stint. they’re gone now but they had a good ~30-post run, and she did take to learning lockpicking because of it.

this.

hey. guess fucking what lads. handcuffs ROUND TWO 'cause y'all just don't fuckin' quit. the first mini story arc sorta thing, in which she visits the cirque des cartes and has an aggravting encounter with taliesin. [currently ongoing][hopefully soon ending]

[[redacted for ""spoilers""]] due to said encounter with taliesin

sparkeletran is a nuisance,

"the official annie of the stars instagram is just cat memes but with sagan" it's canon but i haven't decided whether it's something she would have had already or a recent thing. [either way, hasn't been touched on yet due to the arc taking so long]

badart annie is sorta like her own thing at this point but nothing that happens with her is canon; she p much just shows up for exceptionally dumb posts. we did give her noclip though which is terrifying. on that note i may as well include the things that are Not canon but y'all won't let me forget

beo's animated belt thing. look. it doesnt talk.

spray-on boots.

the lawnmower weapon

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh homestuck

[jstevens1015]

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER

Hey! Alright so one of the main reasons I decided to start writing on Tumblr at least semi-regularly was to translate some of the thoughts in my crazy and sporadic mind to a concrete format. Sometimes the thoughts build up so much and I never express them, whether verbally or written, so it can become overwhelming. While I am an English major with a Bachelor’s degree, I still find myself struggling to formulate thoughts and reasoning that make sense to anyone but myself and I am even worse about committing these thoughts to memory or paper so I am going to use this as not only a writing tool but hopefully as a self-improvement tool as well.

With that being said, I’d like to take this opportunity to express some feelings that I’ve been having lately about one of my favorite passions: video games. YO THEY ARE SUPER GREAT. But maybe also super awful at times.

I’ve had a love affair with video games since I was maybe around four or five years old. My dad was a big video game fan when he was my age and carried on this passion throughout early and middle adulthood. He lived through the Atari era so he was basically on the fuckin’ landing grounds of the creation of my favorite past time. I remember him telling me how great games like Pong and Pac-Man were and how he couldn’t believe how far they advance in terms of graphics and capabilities every time there is a new system release. 

The first gaming system I ever had was a Sega Genesis. I have some splendid memories of playing Sonic the Hedgehog, Mutant League Football, Streets of Rage 2 and many more games that I can’t possibly remember all at once. And since I was a young and dumb kid, I even got to experience some of the more obscure titles that most older folks wouldn’t have played at the time. These would especially include licensed movie titles like Power Rangers and Home Alone, among others. While games based on movies often get a bad reputation, I distinctly remember enjoying these two titles particularly because of my ever-growing love of the source material. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie game was a side-scrolling beat ‘em up very similar to Streets of Rage 2 so that is likely why I enjoyed this title so much. And man was it a shit ton of fun playing Home Alone and setting traps for Harry and Marv to fall into.

Okay. Let’s get back on track. So my dad started my love for gaming by sharing his memories and experiences and by purchasing me a Sega Genesis. Blah blah blah. Flash forward to my teenage years. By this time, I was long past my 8 bit and 16 bit gaming days and was into 3D gaming systems that were far advanced from the good ‘ol Atari or Genesis days. I watched in amazement as my dad marveled again at “how good this shit looks” and forever possessing the “what will they do next” philosophy and mindset.

On a related note, I remember the day that we finally got high speed internet in my household. Although we lived in the country and were only able to obtain speeds of 1mbps, it was like luxury living for people who formerly lived with dial-up internet. The reason why this is worth mentioning is because this now opened up a whole new world for me: the world of online gaming. Boy, did I not have a clue how great and equally terrifying this would be for me. 

As I became older, I became at least slightly more skilled at playing games than when I was younger. However, I could not understand why the people who played games online against me in multiplayer modes were so much better. I struggled with this a lot and, admittedly, it’s a personal problem that I still have. I’m not sure if I have a competitive complex that I don’t like to reason with or if it’s something else but goddamn do I have some gaming-related anger and self-esteem issues. You would’ve likely heard me yelling in frustration in these angst-driven years, screaming phrases such as OH MY GOD THIS GUY HAS KILLED ME TEN TIMES IN A ROW AND I HAVEN’T EVEN LEFT MY RESPAWN AREA. WHY AM I SO BAD AT THIS? WHY IS HE CROUCHING UP AND DOWN ABOVE MY CHARACTER’S DEAD BODY?!?!

There is a point I’m going to make. God I’m bad at this. SEE THERE IT IS AGAIN. 

My parents, especially my dad, became very angry that I was angry over a video game. The hobby that he once loved so much had mostly become a thing of the past (besides occasional sports games) so he couldn’t possibly understand why a simple hobby was making me so angry. I tried reasoning with him, stating the idea that he was likely angry when he lost to the AI on his older games. He told me he never remembered getting angry because “it was just a game” and “it’s just a computer” and that he never reacted in such a strong way.

Then, it clicked. 

The reason why I get so angry about playing games online is because I am personally interacting with real human beings and not just a computer, not just a form of artificial intelligence. A real, living, breathing, swearing, mother insulting person. And people. SO MANY PEOPLE ALL ONLINE AT ONCE. And these real people don’t give a single fuck about my feelings or how bad I am at the game. Their mission is to make their player beat or destroy or kill my player. It’s truly just a game and shouldn’t hold such a great weight on anyone’s mind but online gaming has a way of making it feel personal and I think that’s why it still has the ability to fill me with such a completely unjustifiable rage.

This brings us to present day. While I still play games online quite often, I feel that my experiences and feelings have changed. I am no longer a child or even a teenager. I am a twenty-five year old man with two part-time jobs, a fiancee, a cat, an apartment to clean and maintain and bills to pay. SO WHY THE HELL AM I STILL GETTING MAD OVER VIDEO GAMES? 

I think that we, as an obviously imperfect species of living biology, are always striving for better. I have clearly evolved and matured as person but there is still that part of me that wants to break shit and throw things when I lose. Maybe I’m just a sore loser. I probably am. BUT. There is so much shit wrong with this world, especially in 2017, that we tend to expect to gain happiness and success out of the hobbies, interests and activities that we spend our free time on while the rest of our time is spent working or sleeping. I’m not sure if this is true for everyone but I think it’s true for me. I think that everything in my life is so uncertain, so messy, so complicated and so challenging for me that I expect my hobbies to provide me an escape from reality and responsibility and send waves of happiness to my screwed up brain. 

Speaking of happiness, I want to mention one of the main reasons why I was prompted to write this very long post. Well, maybe not long by Tumblr standards but surely by my own!

I have recently been playing a game called Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds. It’s a PC game I’ve been playing with my friend Ben on Steam. The elevator pitch for this game is imagine you’ve been put into a Hunger Games style world where you are dropped on an island and must fight to the death with all the other inhabitants. It is simply amazing to realize that there are up to one hundred people in any given match of this game and it could be one hundred different people that you are fighting every time. One hundred different characters that represent one hundred real people, just like you and me. Except maybe not as nice. This game is super stressful, intimidating and difficult at times but HOLY SHIT it is fun. I can honestly say it is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had with a video game. The constant desire to finally get that win, or “chicken dinner” as the game refers to it, is the pure carnal force that is driving me to keep playing. I keep telling myself the frustration will pay off and I will eventually win.

Well, long story short, I have played countless matches of this game with Ben and I had never won a game of it until last night. We have made it into the top ten out of fifty teams on several occasions and have put over fifteen hours into this game so far but had never won up until this point. I won’t describe this play-by-play but here’s the general gist of it: my friend Ben died early in this match so I was left alone to proceed through the rest of the match. At first, I was completely unsure of how I could possibly proceed without him but then the number of players left in the game started sinking lower and lower until I was finally in the last ten remaining. And then eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. There were three players left, including myself. I had not landed many accurate shots in this match thus far and was almost sure that I would blow this. At last, I fired my virtual assault rifle and eliminated the last player. A screen popped up that said, “WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!” and gave me some match statistics. I was in a state of shock as Ben yelled in excitement and couldn’t believe it. After hours of trial and error, I had finally won. 

I know this post may sound completely trivial and unimportant to anyone but me. The truth is that video games mean a lot to me and being good at them means more than I wish it did. But I think that video games aren’t nearly as irrelevant or pointless as some people make them out to be. Personally, this was a learning experience for me that I needed to have long before adulthood. Sometimes, trial and error is the only method that leads to success. But if you don’t try in the first place, you can’t even reach the point of error. I worked past my fear of being bad at video games and the judgment that would follow by the other players and I accomplished a goal.

Simply put, I expect too much from video games. They have given me fun and happiness for years but how dare they not do this 100 percent of the time or else it will inevitably lead to me being pissed off and destructive.

So thank you, video games. You non-living, virtual, amazing, bullshit, absolutely wonderful creation.

[bitterwarmth]

Doppio and Diavolo: Who is the Original Personality?

Just a few notes before we begin:

I am in no way a licensed psychologist, as stated in this post I have taken a few courses in psychology (One being centered mainly around abnormal) so I merely have some knowledge to make a detailed theory on the matter. If you have, and or know someone with any disorders talked about in this post and I get information wrong, please correct me so we can all better educate ourselves.

Also note, this my opinion and my theory on the matter, if you disagree with me or have an argument for the opposite side, you very well could be right and i’d love to hear your theory as well. I am just a simple Jojo fan, making a post because i love Vento Aureo, and psychology greatly interests me.

Also, Trigger warning of graphic description, abuse, Blood, and mental disorder

And Spoilers for the Vento Aureo story

That being said, let’s begin.

For a little backstory on me, Doppio and Diavolo are one of the main reasons i decided to read Vento Aureo in the first place. I had been introduced to the story through the All Star Battle game for the ps3. the vague outline of the plot made me ask quite a few questions about the villain and what his problem was.

So I started up my laptop one day, found a place to read Vento Aureo and- Found nothing I didn’t already know.

Now, I just want to add, for anyone who read the bad translation (much like me when I first read it), here is a link to a place where you can download a MUCH better translation. Be noted, it is not finished yet.

Back on topic, the bad translation luckily did not point me away, as i still loved the story and really wished there was more information on Diavolo and Doppio. Not long after, did i take an abnormal psychology course in college and it gave me some new information to ponder on, and this is what I concluded.

DOPPIO IS THE ORIGINAL PERSONALITY

Sorry, I wanted that to be dramatic.

Again, I could be wrong about it, I am not Araki after all, but i’m simply here to share my ideas and the evidence I have for it.

Click the Cut, To read on if you are interested.

To start, let’s talk about Dissociative Personality Disorder (The new name for Multiple Personality Disorder) as a whole. this disorder is one of great controversy in the Psychological world. Why? Because a great number of people don’t believe it exists. There at least two different points of view i could discuss in detail about why people don’t believe it, but to make it short, some people believe therapists cause the disorder by making the patient believe they have it, or the person is simply lying. This often leads to misdiagnosis, and why there is no real research done on it. The disorder entails that a person, often a victim of abuse (be it sexual, physical, etc.), will often develop one or more personalities to better deal with the situation. That is the extent of information that Vento itself gives to you. Vento also adds that there was a case where someone's personalities developed different physical looks as well, though i don’t know how true that is.

Ill add more information as we talk now about Doppio and Diavolo.

Diavolo... has really no backstory, or at least not one i have found in Vento. The information given to us (for now at least) is that he was born of a women in prison, and sent to live with a priest back in his home of Sardinia. However, if you go on the wiki page for Diavolo, we get more backstory. If anyone knows where i can officially read Diavolos full backstory, let me know, I really want to read it. The information the wiki gives us is what I stated, with some add ons about him being called ‘Frank, yet timid and not too bright’ and how he eventually kidnapped his mother, sewed her eyes and mouth closed and buried her before setting his town ablaze, ‘Solido Naso’ being labeled as a casualty. Some people say that his timid, uneducated personality was a lie, and he was possibly always diabolical. Polnareff implies abuse was also a factor, considering the second personality, however this was not confirmed.

Now, let us think for a moment, about all of this.

Let’s say, for argument sake, Diavolo was the original personality.

I could go with that, there have been cases of developing personalities that appear to act more childish, or timid, or of varying ages. On the assumption Diavolo was abused, he could have made Doppio to deal with the abuse, as that seems to be what he does currently. However, The current motivation of using Doppio is out of the fear of being found out by the public, and not out of fear itself. I feel, if Diavolo was as evil as he is now, and that the timid act was a lie, would he really take the abuse? Would a child as strong willed as Diavolo, really allow abuse to happen to him? It is very possible that Doppio was developed to deal with abuse or things Diavolo himself doesn’t want to, especially considering how Doppio is used today.

However, let’s think more about their relationship and about Doppio himself.

Diavolo does not allow harm to come to Doppio, for the most part. During the Metallica fight, Diavolo constantly wanted Doppio to run or give Diavolo an opening to attack Risotto. Doppio, did not allow him to. When the cab driver threatened Doppio, Diavolo took over, when the Fortune teller was getting too handsy, Diavolo took over. Yes, all of those people were in danger of learning Diavolo’s face, and yes it’s implied that Diavolo dies if Doppio does. To add, yes you can point out that Diavolo didn’t even care that Doppio was killed during the fight with Silver Chariot Requiem.

But that's just how Doppio was, and how everyone was in Diavolos eyes, tools. Everyone was a tool, Doppio just got special treatment. There are two ways to say this, either Doppio was the second personality, and was made as a tool, or Doppio is the main personality and Diavolo was just stronger.

There is the evidence I have for the alternate argument, now I will talk about my theory more fully.

For starters, 

Doppio fits the description the neighbors gave more accurately. Doppio is timid, he’s a bit uneducated at times, and yeah, he’s pretty frank.

Remember this?

Doppio has been shown to not exactly hold back opinions on things, and he’s pretty blunt about turning down this Fortune teller's predictions. So that is my support for the frank part of it, next we will talk about the timid part.

Don't think i really need pictures for this, everyone knows how Doppio is.

Doppio is a scared little... 33 year old man... in the body of a teenager.... yeah.

Anyway, Doppio isn’t really the brightest crayon in the box either, not to say he’s dumb, but he constantly has Diavolo to decide things for him, and he jumped in front of a car....

For a bug...

No, i’m not going to talk about how he doesn’t remember a lot after talking on the ‘phone’ to Diavolo, that comes later.

So Doppio seems to fit ‘Solido Naso’ better than Diavolo does, and plus, Doppio shows more signs of abuse. Now, I luckily have not been abused, however from the point of view of people who have been and my psychology courses, these are common signs: 

Cowering, acting as if everyone will hit you or hurt you, and in one case, jumping at the sound of Aerosmith nearby.

Granted, if i was being threatened by Risotto or that jackass driver, yeah i would be pretty scared.

But for a member of Passione, and such a high rank at that, to be so afraid of even a fortune teller. It’s a bit odd. If Diavolo was the main personality, even if he needed to hide in public, why send a personality that submit and cower at any danger, and risk revealing your identity?

In fact, that happens! Diavolo murdered one man on the way, almost ripped out the driver's eye, and well, Risotto.

You could say Doppio is the alternate, and Diavolo used him to take the abuse for him, but please keep reading for more support on Doppio.

Another interesting fact to keep in mind, is Diavolo talking to Doppio and taking over Doppio whenever he pleases. There are some cases where the original personality can pick and chose who takes over, however in Diavolo and Doppio’s case, that does not seem to be true. In most cases, the personalities come and go as they please and the original has no control. Much like Doppio, does not decide when Diavolo shows up, but Diavolo can decide when Doppio shows up. This would be a different case if there were more than two personalities, however there is not. Doppio never shows in Diavolo’s control, but Diavolo always shows when Doppio is in control. Could Diavolo just be more powerful? Of course. However, think about this fact.

Doppio’s headaches.

Often, the original personality shows signs of change, or a warning of when a personality switch is happening. This could anything from a sneeze, to a motion, or a headache. What does Doppio have whenever Diavolo takes over, or when he changes back?

He gets a headache.

Diavolo does not.

You could even say him talking on phones is a sign.

And now the moment we have all been waiting for, the memory issue.

Believe it or not, alternate personalities have that power in real life. I watched a video in my abnormal psych class where a man with multiple personalities had headaches when he changed, and did not remember anything between the change to when he comes back. He did however, have an alternate personality who remembered everything. This video, among other information and cases I saw, shows that the alternates have the power to remember everything, but the original can possibly be blocked off.

Much like how Diavolo blocks off Doppio from memories of events, or even after talking to Diavolo on ‘the phone’, Doppio forgets everything after Diavolo has any influence over him.

Finally, Doppio’s violent tendencies.

Yeah, he has them, it’s not always Diavolo.

The above is a scene that happens before Doppio changes to Diavolo, you can tell because his appearance has not changed to that of Diavolo, and his eyes do not have the triangle in them.

Though the eye gouging was Diavolo, Doppio is still showing hostility after Diavolo releases control.

I am including these pages, because although you can see some Diavolo influence in his eyes, in All Star Battle and Eyes of Heaven, this line is spoken by Doppio and not Diavolo. I will consider the games as sources, because they are official products of Lucky Land.

Also this:

Apparently Doppio has stone cold killed some people before now, or at least is implied to.

The other thing I can say about this is, read the fight against Metallica. It is a fight where Diavolo has some influence over Doppio by speaking to him, but for the most part, Doppio is the one fighting. Also I say read it, because it is a very good fight (Doppio for next Playable fighter, please).

Now the issue of Epitaph.

I have no real evidence or explanation for this, but in my opinion, I think this is due to Doppio having low fighting spirit. Diavolo, being the stronger willed personality, probably is able to control Kin Crimson as a whole, while Doppio could probably also control King Crimson, but due to his blocked memories and submission to Diavolo, probably does not have the will or knowledge to do so.

That’s all i have for my Theory of Doppio being the Dominant, and again, you could very well turn this around and say Diavolo is still the dominant. I would believe you. however, I just feel that Doppio shows more signs of a typical person with the disorder.

Thank you so much for reading the whole thing, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

I hope you all have a fantastic day.

[booksandchainmail]

nanoha vivid liveblog: episode 2

When we left off, Vivio was training with her new plushie magical integrated thingy, and Nove had run into our favorite angsty LARPer

the most polite of serial street duelists

gods her name just keeps getting more and more elaborate. Also, is it ever explained where the Heidi part comes from? Or did she just pick a vaguely germanic belkan name.

Ok, those are awesome titles

nove gives zero fucks

fuck yeah! assert the right of your friends to not be defined by their pasts lives. *stares pointedly at einhart*

Also, does nove’s hoodie have an attached tie? bc that is awesome

oh my god einhart

the angst

Oh cool this time the op has lyrics attached

…gay

I’m really glad they kept the whole eye symbolism from OG nanoha (“that girl with the sad but beautiful eyes”), since vivid seems to be taking a lot from it tonally/thematically. It feels very full circle in a nice way.  

REALLY GAY

this is honestly just the best summary of nanoha as a whole

she does the foot tap thing! idk why this is a thing in anime, but i’m a fan

hnnng

hey. Nove. Remember that thing you said about her being a kid? Maybe keep that in mind.

the return of the rollerskates

This franchise sure has a thing for leotard and short poofy coats doesn’t it?

Here we have the rare anime phenomenon of a reasonable adult giving sensible advice

But alas, einhart is too emo to hear

Her determination to be in a very different show is adorable

Yeah, I can imagine that trying to drag warriors and the children of important people who have tried to move on and lead normal lives back into fighting would be a hot button for any of the combat cyborgs

The angst, it burns

That said I appreciate the consistent translation as queen, which is more accurate for olivie etc, even though the source material (or at least the random german) used king a lot

dominom pizza

Ok, I know ive been teasing einhart a lot for how wrapped up she is in the past drama, but this is genuinely tragic. She’s a child stuck with all these memories and associated trauma that she has absolutely no way to process or cope with, and so instead she’s just living with all this guilt she inherited, and trying desperately to hold herself above the standards of adult soldiers in a long-ago war. No wonder she sounds so drained and regretful all the time.

Gods. She’s twelve. And just… gods Someone please give this child a hug I mean I know vivio will be there to help soon, but this is painful to watch

But do we get to see her? Do we?

WE DO HELL YEAH

Please please please please give us tia as well I kinda still want to spell her name tea bc that’s the version that I saw when I was younger But consistency and all that I guess

Tia! My favorite of the forwards probably. And she’s looking as good as always. 

Come to think of it, she knows a fair amount about feeling guilty and afraid about not being strong enough, and pushing yourself too hard to the point where you collapse and risk hurting others

They’re just girlfriends! (you can’t really see it in a still image, but they turn to look at each other at the exact same time)

ITS HER! I know i get excited about a lot of characters showing up, but I remember reading the Vivid manga as it came out, and waiting every month for scraps of information on Belka, so getting to see Olivie so soon and so much is really cool for me.

Sorry claus, unfortunately you are too male and your romance to heterosexual for this show.

Ok, a side effect of those inherited memories is she talks like a Shakespeare character

Tia tia tia tia!

snort

please keep mildly roasting einhart

The best girlfriend, complete with food

Ok, looking at those photos: a bunch of vivio and her friends, plus one of caro and erio, and one of tia and subaru.

Probably a good thing einhart doesn’t look closely at them just yet

Sister! It just makes me really happy to see them all being family now. Nanoha is the best show for enemies-to-family fluff

Oh so now you spell it teana

Wait, this is subaru’s apartment, yes? So why is it “they” who took her in? Unless Subaru and teana live together... Please let that be true Come to think of, that bed they had einhart recuperating in is way too big for one person…

Nove in a tank top appreciation post

no particular reason, i just like having the two of them in the same picture

this guys nose looks wrong

HA! so it is spelled tea. you can fuck right off with your inferior spelling from earlier

im glad to see tea hasnt stopped snarking at subaru in the past four years

Im a fan of how nove is vaguely tsundere about being a teacher

Im also just a fan of nove in general

thats, uh, sure one way to describe a terrorist crisis

last tea and subaru appreciation post

uhhh

okay then

fate is permanently flustered by her wife

this nerd

The shows commitment to translating all the belkan titles as queen runs into and promptly ignores a bit of a problem with claus ingvalt

I would like to point out that some wiki sleuthing would indicate that the belkan war ended only a hundred years ago, which seems a bit too recent to be shrouded in myth

i completely forgot to listen to the ending last time, so here it is (with lyrics!)

The world reflected in your eyes/looks a little different from the way it had been until yesterday

that is real gay. and also once again a callback to nanofate way back in season one

this whole silhouette martials arts fight is really really cool. and also, once again, really really gay

this is a very pretty visual to leave off on