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changed the music to Vs Emperor Ing B, adjusted some textures, and added sound effects! music: https://youtu.be/ch84h8SF2fE sound effects: https://www.zapsplat.com/ samus rig: https://gumroad.com/l/UQzFm alien rig: https://www.turbosquid.com/FullPreview/Index.cfm/ID/1016508

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small mercies

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Null Sector lineup for Overwatch 2

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Episode 3 of Daystone is OUT! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHZ6E9xGwzk

btw. I’m not really using tumblr any more. Come follow me on twitter https://twitter.com/vanripperart If you haven’t yet.

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You know, I really don’t mind directing folks to essays I’ve already written ‘cause this helps bring more attention to old posts I like and such, but at the same time…

I put a lot into maintaining my meta pages, and my Kill la Kill pages in particular are my pride and joy.

Like, they’re meticulously organized! I got fourteen whole sections worked out so that anyone can easily find the kinda content they’re interested in.

Wanna read about symbolism in the show? I’ve pooled together everything I’ve got on the subject!

Love character analyses? Well, I got a space for that on my meta page, too!

I even got a whole ‘nother page devoted to organizing essays by character rather than my fourteen categories! So, if you really wanna read more stuff about Satsuki, for example, it’s super easy to do so!

(So long as you’re not on mobile, unfortunately.)

And this is all just scratching the surface! I’ve also got an entire page devoted to discussing specific moments in the series, and there are even handy-dandy little sections for non-episode moments (like the Drama CDs) and for analyses focused on the changes Kill la Kill went through in its production process.

I even have a tiny section right now for the upcoming Kill la Kill game (that I can guarantee you will grow a lot this year!)

And because I know it’s a “love-it-or-hate-it” kinda thing, I keep my Piping Hot Discourse all separated out on its own page (so that you can either avoid it completely or dig right in, depending):

And, really, there’s so much more.

I know these pages aren’t the most accessible if you’re on mobile, but you can just search for “meta update” on my blog and should be able to find them!

tl;dr I’ve been working on another compiled meta book for Kill la Kill, and it will be all nice and cleaned up and such, but practically all of the content is already easily available if you love Kill la Kill discussion and analysis!

Check it out!

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((( reupload bc I wrote chad instead of anguirus ))

referenced from this video right here

kinda hate some panels tho

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Sym-bionic Titan - Lessons in love

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Doin’ It Right (feat. Panda Bear) // Daft Punk // Random Access Memories

shadows on you break out into the light

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Disappointment is inevitable; temper your expectations.

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Life Fibers, Aggression, and Separation Anxiety

Life Fibers in Kill la Kill are portrayed as violent, parasitic, bordering on predatory, and malicious. They have no consideration for their hosts, treating them as little more than a food source, an activity explicitly compared to raising cattle. Their goal, as relayed through Ragyo, is to cultivate humanity until it reaches a specific population threshold and then consuming it. They are presented with no redeeming qualities, save Senketsu who isn’t hostile to human life by design. Life Fibers are monsters in their natural state, no exceptions. However, I feel this is not entirely true.

We know that when someone puts on a garment made from Life Fibers it is a battle for conscious control, a confrontation of wills that becomes more strenuous as the concentration of Life Fibers increases, even reaching a point where an article of clothing can overwhelm its wearer. Every initial example of Life Fibers exerting control over their hosts results in the parasite lashing out and attacking anything within reach. Sometimes the alien parasites outright kill their host, an act that is counterintuitive for a species that relies on them for sustenance. And yet it is made clear in later episodes this behavior is not normal.

When COVERS are unleashed, they follow the same pattern of acquiring a human to feed on and using that source of blood to empower themselves. Unlike previous examples, these Life Fibers behave in a very organized manner, they don’t attack things indiscriminately and instead are more than capable of focusing their efforts on completing specific objectives, whether it be subjugating resistance or collecting more sources of food. The reason for this shift in behavior is their direct link with the Primordial Life Fiber.

All COVERS prior to acquiring their own hosts are connected to the Primordial Life Fiber, progenitor of the species. The transition from mindless thread to intelligent parasite is seamless. The same cannot be said for humanity’s experiments, and it is this disconnect that causes their aggressive behavior.

When a piece of clothing is created from Life Fibers it acquires some form of intelligence, or at the very least begins acting on instinct. They are placed in an alien environment without any connection to their previous existence; there is no reassuring foundation for them to draw comfort from. They are a child separated from their parent. And by being worn, their first experience is a battle with what they could only identify as food, food that is always trying to bend them to its will. From the moment of creation their existence is a struggle they cannot comprehend.

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You’re the only one worth seeing. The only place worth being. The only bed worth sleeping’s the one right next to you..

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The hip and happen’ dance master “Dee Jinn” sets off to rid the world of Mirage of a dark curse! 

 Use your familiar to enhance your BEATDOWN combos! 

 Recruit funky allies into your DANCE PARTY!

———-

part of something I’m gonna be setting up on twitter for the month of October where I open up a vote each week on character designs to draw. 

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Kayn, Corruption, and Tragedy

Kayn is an edgy character. Riot knows this, they specifically designed him to be edgy, catering to the fantasy of someone whose competence exceeds that of their peers and revels in their superiority as a matter of fact. And it is subverting this characterization that makes The Lure such an effective exploration of character in addition to introducing an entire universe.

If you haven’t read The Lure and have any interest in Kayn, League of Legends, or pulp sci-fi, please go read it. Spoliers ahead.

The Lure does an excellent job of adding to Kayn’s character while providing an explanation for how he came to be the sociopathic, narcissistic, overconfident fool we know and love (to hate). By far, the most important aspect of the short story is the humanization of Kayn; he is flawed, but not without redeeming qualities. First and foremost is loyalty. Kayn values relationships, from professional to personal. He respects his emperor enough to suggest pragmatic solutions he knows will be rejected.

Hardline suppression, heavier penalties, military annexation of resistant worlds. Kayn knew that an empire organized under his philosophies would be much more aggressive and unforgiving than the society Jarvan supported. Still, it was his duty to suggest these things, his duty to offer the emperor alternatives. He was an Ordinal, Kayn reminded him. That was what Ordinals did.

He expresses some resentment for the emperor’s unwillingness to even consider his potential solutions, but does not act on or foster that sentiment. What sentimentality he does maintain is for an outdated robot.

“I suppose I might get my servos melted down for transuranics, or they could donate parts of me to younger fightmeks—” “Keelo!” Kayn strode up to the big machine. “No supposing. And no feeling sorry for yourself, okay? I still need to maintain my edge. I need you to keep me on my toes. A surprise here, a surprise there, just like always.” Keelo’s optics swivelled up hopefully. “Yes?” “Yes. How can an Ordinal keep in prime form without his loyal fightmek to test him?”

It’s made extremely clear Keelo is no longer capable of fulfilling his function as Kayn’s fightmek. The robot is aware of his obsolescence, going so far as to suggest indirect suicide because he no longer has an overt value as a machine designed for combat, a suggestion immediately dismissed. Kayn sees worth in Keelo as a friend, not an object, he cares about the robot’s feelings, offering reassurance and putting himself at a disadvantage for the sake of his friend’s ego.

“Wait,” Kayn called after him. He walked over to the big machine, and plucked a tech-fleck off the fightmek’s broad back. “That’s the tracer gone. See? All gone. You can surprise me again later.”

Kayn is given a solid characterization as the story begins, outlining his motives and morals that are sympathetic if not always agreeable. As the story progresses his behavior gradually changes, becoming more aggressive as he spends time in the presence of Rhaast. This shift is not exhibited by him alone. Other characters display growing paranoia and rage culminating in a very bloody shootout when they succumb to unbridled ambitions magnified by Rhaast.

“Stand your men down, Nakuri!” he yelled, moving towards the light of the tunnel mouth. “This is lunacy!” This is the test. “Nakuri! We’re being toyed with! This isn’t you!” “Oh, but it is!” A voice echoed back. “This is me, the real me! Me for the first time! I see it all now! How it should be!” “Nakuri!” Armored fists closed around his throat from behind, and Kayn started to choke as they throttled him.

Kayn is more than capable of overcoming his attackers, but instead of giving in to the suggestion of violence he tries to reason with them first. This is an extreme contrast with how he is portrayed in other stories and in-game.

“If… not me…” Nakuri bubbled, broken, “…not you either. Others… are coming…” “Others? Just hold still. I need to get you a medivac.” Kill him. “Shut up.” Prove what you are. Kill him. “Shut. Up.”

Rhaast manipulates the situation to ensure his freedom, effectively cornering Kayn with no other option but to wield the interspatial monster. He taunts Kayn, alters his perception of the world, continuously pushing him towards the edge of sanity until something breaks. It’s this transition that emphasizes the tragedy of Kayn; someone who is caught in events beyond their control and is cruelly led to believe he can restore order. Kayn is a proficient killer but chooses restraint where possible, he is sympathetic towards others and honest, and these positive facets of his character are in the process of being destroyed as the story ends. The Lure begins with Kayn as a deeply flawed hero and ends with the complete destruction of his moral character, a transformation exemplified by mirroring his introduction.

The scythe flashed. The severed halves of the old, battered fightmek crashed to the deck and lay there, sparking and twitching, as the light in his optics died. “Surprise…” said Kayn.

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Ryuko: Senketsu, if I go too far, I’ll need you to stop me.

Senketsu: I cannot promise that. It is you who is wearing me.

Ryuko: Sheesh, you’re an outfit that doesn’t have much give, you know that?

Senketsu: But when you were out of control, you did stop. Using your own willpower. That is why I am not frightened in the least.

Ryuko: Gotcha. We’re all responsible for our own actions.

I’ve written pretty extensively on Ryuko and Senketsu’s relationship and why I think it’s so healthy, positive, and commendable (to put it mildly). But I don’t think I’ve focused enough attention on the above scene from episode 13, “Crazy For You,” which is a particularly strong example of the merits of Ryuko and Senketsu’s partnership.

On a surface level, the moment emphasizes and is utterly dedicated to the importance of good and proper communication—something especially noteworthy in a series that even describes itself as having a “lightning pace” (episode 16). By focusing so heavily on Ryuko and Senketsu’s conversation, there’s a considerable significance placed on talking to and being honest with a friend; the message is clearly and unambiguously that in any close relationship, it’s absolutely crucial to be open and truthful with one another. Otherwise, you’re not going to get along well. As Mako puts it earlier in the episode, you’ll just be “glarin’ at each other.”

Of course, a scene devoted to the positive effects of strong interpersonal skills probably doesn’t seem all that groundbreaking, but in an action-comedy anime, I love the inclusion of such a thing. It would have been so easy to gloss over emotions and provide viewers with over-the-top battles and little else, but Kill la Kill decided to breathe some real life and soul into Ryuko and Senketsu’s teamwork. The two of them have to endure hardships and struggles just like any real relationship, and just like in any real relationship, they have to work through those hardships and struggles to come back together.

More on that line, the moment is also remarkably humanizing—and sweet—for Ryuko. Throughout the episode, Ryuko hides her guilt and self-hatred behind flimsy assurances that she’s all right and explosive anger and rage. She smiles reassuringly at Mako’s mother, Sukuyo, and she yells fiercely at Shinjiro Nagita, but in the end, she finally, finally reveals everything on her mind to Senketsu. We’re then left with a character who is far more than an infallible hero or the “straight-up punk” that she describes herself as (episode 8); Ryuko is a flawed, complicated human being whom viewers can readily empathize with, and, as a result, it’s incredibly endearing to see her let down her walls and allow someone into her heart. 

Kill la Kill comes off as a strangely affecting and memorable series due to all this narrative weight placed on real-life emotions and feelings while the characters inhabit a world that’s one of the most ridiculous to ever be put on screen, and when it comes to the included scene at the top of this post, I think that’s a phenomenal thing. Because that scene? It’s also wonderful when you consider the history of how relationships have been portrayed in fiction.

While Ryuko and Senketsu are far from the “norm,” it’s not at all uncommon for a fictional story to imply that it’s essentially one person’s “responsibility” to keep another person in line. In the article “The Vulnerability of the Relational Self: The Implications of Ideals of Gender and Romance for Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence,” author Elizabeth McManaman Grosz discusses this topic at length, arguing that “the notion that a special woman can tame the beast” and “is thus, in a way, responsible for controlling his beastly nature” is one of the widespread cultural discourses that effectively “primes” women to accept and brush off instances of abuse (81, 88). 

Again, of course, I recognize that, in many ways, Ryuko and Senketsu really don’t have any place in Grosz’s argument. For one, Grosz exclusively utilizes the work of Western authors and philosophers to support her position, and entire other books have been written concerning Japan’s ideals of gender and romance and their implications and effects (believe me, I’m in the midst of reading through just some of said books). On top of that, the fact that Ryuko would be taking the place of the “man” in the situation I screenshotted for this post does question the applicability of Grosz’s article here.

But I find Grosz’s thesis compelling in regards to Kill la Kill because, in a lot of ways, Ryuko and Senketsu do rather embody typical positions of men and women in fictional stories both East and West… except, the roles are reversed. Ryuko is the unruly, aggressive, and hot-blooded protagonist just as a man often is, and Senketsu exhibits many traits that are traditionally associated with women; he’s sensitive, emotional, and a considerable worrywart. Further, while I find the term “love interest” both degrading and unfitting for Senketsu in a series that Word of God denies any romantic intention for, I have to admit that he fits many of the conventions. In an anime with a cast primarily composed of women, the fact that Senketsu is arguably coded as male makes him, just as the standard heteronormative “love interest,” the most narratively significant character of another gender in the show (for just a few other examples, see Ran from Detective Conan, Sam from Danny Phantom, Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon). Whether I’m watching an anime or an American cartoon, I don’t think I’d be too surprised to see a scenario like the one from the end of Kill la Kill’s thirteenth episode, where a man tells a woman that he’s afraid of losing control and needs her to be there for him so that he doesn’t.

What makes Kill la Kill different is more than the simple reversal of roles, though; Kill la Kill also reverses the harmful implications of this standard set-up. Instead of it being Senketsu’s “job” to “lead [Ryuko] to ‘moral decency,’” as philosopher Immanuel Kant noted a woman must do for a man in the late eighteenth century and of which Grosz argues is an ideal continued on even to this day (such as in sports culture, as elaborated upon in Susan Bordo’s The Male Body: A New Look at Men in Public and Private), Senketsu outright tells Ryuko that she must be in control of herself (qtd. in Grosz 87). It’s not Senketsu’s responsibility to keep Ryuko from abusing him, and the fact that both understand and acknowledge this is, well, good. Senketsu is not going to write off or blame himself for any mistreatment he receives from Ryuko because he feels he failed in “pleasing” her, and Ryuko’s ending sentiment that “[w]e’re all responsible for our own actions” indicates that she feels the same way towards him. Both Ryuko and Senketsu are cognizant of each other’s emotions and needs, and they will not allow abuse to continue without a word about it, as is sadly often the case in reality (Grosz 95).

It would still be nice to have an actual situation in which a man is in the standard “man” position, but I’m happy to see anything like this at all. Abuse and mistreatment are seriously discussed, the responsibility for poor behavior is placed solely on the actor rather than the receiver, and the fact that this kind of moment receives so much focus in the first place absolutely signifies the importance and power of proper communication with a loved one. Ryuko and Senketsu are my most favored relationship in all of fiction, and it’s scenes like this that really emphasize why.

Sources

Bordo, Susan. The Male Body: A New Look at Men in Public and in Private. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999.

Grosz, Elizabeth McManaman. “The Vulnerability of the Relational Self: The Implications of Ideals of Gender and Romance for Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence.” Women’s Studies, vol. 47, no. 1, 2018, pp. 80-97. 

Kant, Immanuel. Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View. Translated by Victor Lyle Dowdell. Southern Illinois UP, 1978.

Kant, Immanuel. Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and the Sublime and Other Writings. Edited by Patrick Frierson and Paul Guyer. Cambridge UP, 2011. 

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I just want to take a moment and appreciate the work they put into Dark Samus.

They didn’t need to give her unique animations, or even unique special effects, but they did; they were faithful to her origins as a horribly mutated metroid. She floats instead of running, because the very idea is foreign to a creature that spent most of its life airborne. She throws her entire body around when attacking or dodging, contorting into very awkward poses, barely familiar with how to move around as a humanoid creature. It makes a nice contrast with Samus’ stiff and disciplined motions.

The little details in her “armor” are great as well, with veins spreading from gaps and holes, the seams following very organic curves along her body, and that beautiful phazon glow. Not to mention the organic missiles and bombs at her disposal.

The team working on Smash really nailed her aesthetics as a humanoid abomination.

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Quick Guide to Punctuating Dialogue

“This is a line of dialogue,” she said.

“This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a speech tag.”

“This is a full sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence.”

“This is a sentence followed by an action.” He smiled. “They’re separate sentences, because I didn’t speak by smiling.”

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title: Face to Face words: 1018 summary:  He was so tangled in her fingers pulling free would rip out more than knots.

Alternatively: How Samson learned to stop being a heartless parasite and adopt a human child whose life he ruined.

It was a mistake, no two ways around it.

He was an idiot, an ignoramus, a monumental mook, too busy sitting on a dame’s brains to use his own. And why bother? She had a good head on her shoulders. He’d let her call the shots and go along with whatever little idea crossed her mind, popping out if things got hairy. It was a pretty sweet deal. That she had no idea where to go or what to do was just icing on an already delicious cake. The plan was foolproof.

The problem, he realized, was Filia.

She wasn’t a fool. A bit starry-eyed, a little wet behind the ears, but not a dope. She wouldn’t fall for a few lies. No, the only way to keep their convenient living arrangement was to go with a long con; butter her up, be the eyes on the back of her head, tuck her in at night, all that jazz. He was her blanket when they couldn’t crash at a safe house, thrashed every creep that tried to play fast and loose with her innocence, and wiped away the tears when she hit another dead end looking for her past. He meant to play along, but at some point it stopped being a game.

It was easy being the backseat driver of host that didn’t give two shits about him, even better when they didn’t mind abusing his power for a quick caper; when the going got tough he dropped them like a hot potato. Use and abuse them. The life of a parasite.

Filia, unfortunately, had a heart. Made of gold. And she kept it on her sleeve. If uncovering the truth about her past wasn’t such a priority she’d probably help every little, old lady that needed a hand crossing the street, or pulling kittens out of trees, or something else just as trivial. He put up with it, for the most part, only once asking why she bothered.

“It doesn’t hurt to help someone else.”

The answer was too simple, too straightforward. Coming from any one of the thugs crawling around New Meridian, he’d have laughed at such an obvious lie. But it was Filia, the little lost girl who minded her Ps and Qs not two feet from the gutter. Filia, who had nothing, and still managed to give. Filia, who believed every word that came out of her mouth, and he knew it; he lived in her head, after all.

She was a good kid going through hell, and he put her on the fast track.

Watching her struggle came with the knowledge that it was his fault. Sure, she wanted to break free of her gilded cage, and he gave her a way out, but it didn’t excuse dragging her to the streets. He’d done her wrong by that, he just didn’t know it until he saw how much of a sweetheart she was. By then it was too late. Even if they pieced her memories together and she went back to being a pretty princess of the Medicis, he was a parasite and she his host.

He could have- should have ignored the guilt that twisted him up, tied him in knots and left Filia with a bad case of bedhead. But ignorance was a luxury he couldn’t afford, not with the truth in her scuffed heels and frayed skirt, her torn up stockings and muddy sleeves.

When he recommended they take up some easy work for a few dollars, it wasn’t for her benefit, he just didn’t want to be stuck with a host that smelled like yesterday’s trash. New clothes were part of the deal. A healthy meal for her kept him fed too. Basic necessities, nothing he wouldn’t do for his latest meat puppet. A couple of white lies for her, and himself.

After the fifth joint threw her out for having an extra mouth on the back of her head, he took matters into his own hands. He slipped his fingers into pockets that wandered too close, snagged unattended purses, and swiped whatever loose change caught his eye. It felt pretty good finding a use for his sticky fingers that didn’t involve a cheap thrill. She never asked where the cash came from, but the dip of her eyes said more than enough, and damn if it didn’t tear him apart seeing her so disappointed. Utensils of a sharpened persuasion could put him in a tizzy, but the thought of tugging her spirits even lower cut him to the quick. He still nicked chump change of course, they needed the money, but he exercised discretion whenever a golden goose came strolling on by.

And he just kept slipping.

Flying under the radar took a backseat to digging up her memories. Every little snippet made him squirm as the bigger picture slowly took shape and his dirty deeds started to stack up, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull her off track. Between the tears and tired smiles reality began to set in, a heavy lump in his throat that sank to the bottom of what should have been his endless belly. He couldn’t keep the wool over her eyes, not anymore. She needed to know.

Come hell or high water he’d do right by her.

He didn’t split when she dragged them through New Meridian’s underbelly, or the burnt-out labs that had Her Majesty’s egrets breathing down Filia’s neck and his face. He didn’t jump ship when her sleuthing skills took them down the blessed Trinity’s rabbit hole straight to the unbeating heart of a demon. He didn’t give her the slip as she set aside her own wish for the sake of a lonely girl, a decision so disgustingly sweet, but so very Filia. And when the first pinch of damnation pricked her bleeding heart, made her gasp and double over, pain that was as much his as it was hers, he wiped away the tears.

When the end came he’d be there to help her cross the threshold. And sock whatever god came to greet them.