#(staples of a war between two recognized ‘‘human’’ powers)

[emcads]

every time I talk about historical context with potc I need to put a disclaimer, but there’s something very haunting about the way Elizabeth’s, Will’s, and James’ personal journeys all coincide with the piracy act (which granted colonial governors the authority to hang pirates on site instead of sending them back to England). how many pirates must have made the Atlantic crossing in the opposite direction before them. how it’s not ultimately law and Englishness and Moral Righteousness that destroys the pirates, but commerce.

[dragonflight203]

Mass Effect 2 replay, Overlord:

Dranek

-Dor – HQ for the Council Demilitzarization Enforcement Mission (CDEM). The planet description mentions that the krogan armistice permits them to retain their government and personal weapons. However, attempts to give the clan on Tuchanka starship mounted weapons is still punishable by death by spacing.

C-Space still has PTSD over the krogan rebellions.

Typhon

-Aite – The largest moon will crash into the planet within the next two centuries, so despite being a garden world colonization is not extensive.

Despite this, it has city states that are fighting over minerals on the neighboring planet Moros and the helium-3 refining machinery on Ponos has been destroyed in their wars. No one’s willing to rebuild the machinery because it’s likely to be seized by another party.

And all of this has gone down in the less than thirty years since first contact. Even though there are several other garden worlds for humanity to develop.

Is Bioware even trying with the timeline in ME2?

Hermes Station

-The landing is reminiscent of ME1. The Normandy flies over and drops the Hammerhead onto the planet.

In ME1, it’s a plot point that dropping the mako requires a sizable landing zone. Illos is so impressive because Joker performs a successful drop in a smaller landing zone than considered possible.

Here, Shepard and co are dropped right on top of the facility. I suppose it’s because the Hammerhead can fly?

-You can shoot a pane of glass to get into a locked room. I think this is the fist time you can this in the series.

ME3 presents it as a new staple feature on the Mars mission, but then it’s barely used afterwards.

-The cameras start off with a blue light. The light turns green after you retract the transmission dish and gain David’s attention.

-In the control room, Archer’s log says he understands there are concerns about handling live geth but the rewards are worth the risk.

Hah. That’s a lie. Handling live geth never goes well. Ask Tali’s father.

-The geth are overlayed in green to show they’re under David’s control.

I’m curious how that works – is David controlling their bodies or communicating with them?

I’m inclined towards the former. We see later that the geth are dormant until David seizes control of them; I don’t think they ever properly “wake up” during the mission.

-The lack of dialogue from companions throughout this mission is ridiculous, DLC or no. Miranda and Tali at a minimum should have strong opinions of what is going on.

-If you go paragon, Garvin’s defensive that the project did get results. I suppose he’s feeling that pressure from TIM to produce.

-Garvin tells Shepard that David “volunteered” to be a test subject.

Uh-huh, sure buddy. If that makes you feel better. I’m damn sure David didn’t understand what he was agreeing to even if you did ask him.

-Why did David want to use the transmission satellite to get offworld?

We see at the end of the mission that what David wants is for it to stop.

How does transmitting offworld achieve that? Or killing the scientists?

I suppose at this point he’s just lashing out and not thinking clearly.

Garvin’s probably only alive because they’re brothers and David’s not hurting him out of habit.

-Garvin’s alternating between “he” and “it” when referring to the rogue vi. He can’t quite forget that his brother is in there.

-This entire project is ridiculous.

Cerberus saw how the geth had a religious impulses when they followed Saren, so they decided to create a figurehead for them to follow by interfacing a human with a vi. They’d then be able to control the geth.

This ignores that the geth followed Reapers, not Saren. Reapers are ancient, powerful machines. The heretics were in awe of them. They listened to Saren because the Reapers told them to obey him.

I don’t think the geth would be impressed by a human/vi hybrid. They’d probably recognize it as a trick.

It also ignores that only heretics followed the reapers, but to Cerberus’s credit they had no way of knowing that when the project started.

-There’s a bit of autodialogue throughout this mission. Not major, but noticeable.

-Prometheus Station is a crashed geth ship. True geth or heretic?

Probably the latter, since this isn’t geth space.

Given the geth are dormant, I’m also wondering if all the programs uploaded themselves to another server off the ship when it crashed.

-There are six coffins outside the room where you speak to Archer.

I’m pretty sure I passed by more than six dead bodies. Why bother displaying the coffins if you won’t have one for each dead person?

Vulcan Station

-There’s no tutorial for the Hammerhead. Did they just assume everyone bought the Firewalker DLC?

-The return of the space cows!

One of the biggest mysteries in Mass Effect is how they populate so many planets. :)

-I don’t hate the Hammerhead, but it has two major issues: You can’t save in it, and it doesn’t have a lifebar. You have to guess how close you are to dying when it starts wailing.

I think if both of those had been fixed, its reception would have been more welcome.

-They’re particularly infuriating if you attempt to retrieve the data packets scattered across the overworld. The game doesn’t save if you pick one up, so if you die you have to collect them all over again.

I would have greatly preferred the mako. It totally could have handled the required climbs in this mission.

-As you enter Vulcan Station, there’s a cutscene that attempts to make the Hammerhead look badass by running over two mechs. I am not fooled.

-The skybox for Vulcan Station is gorgeous. I wish more of the skyboxes in ME2 were so well done.

-How do people normally get to Vulcan Station? It cannot possibly be standard procedure to leap frog on debris over lava.

-I somehow glitched a room in Vulcan Station out of its enemies. I saved in the doorway, died, than when it reloaded the enemies were gone. Had to go back to an autosave.

-The mech kicking the override to destroy it is green. David clearly does not have strong engineering skills, for all his mathematical abilities.

-And why is David trying to destroy the override anyway? Doesn’t he want help? David, I need to get into Atlas Station to help you!

Prometheus Station

-So Cerberus uses dormant geth in their experiments. I’m sure that’s doing a lot to improve the geth’s perception of organics.

If you consider geth to be people, this is deeply unethical. As Mordin says – no experiments on species capable of calculus.

-Bringing down the barrier with the geth canon is irritating every time. Wish I could skip it.

-This station leans hard into corporate humor, but it runs into the problem that Cerberus is a terrorist organization.

So while it’s amusing for the loudspeaker to say a disclaimer that you enter the station at your own risk, it’s also puzzling.

What’s Cerberus worried about, that an employee is going to sue? How could you? You’d be thrown in prison as a traitor first for working for them.

-Credit to Bioware that the geth ship isn’t just a reskin of an existing ship model.

However, it’s still too humanish for me – why would geth need windows everywhere? Why are there terminals?

This is a geth ship flown by geth programs, they don’t need windows to see what’s happening in other rooms or termals to control the ship. They can speak to other programs.

-The creepiness is well done. The doors randomly closing builds the atmosphere.

-What is up with the floor puzzle in the last room? Why does that exist?

The geth cannot possibly have installed it. That’d be horrendously cumbersome to have on an active ship.

But why would Cerberus set up moving floor tiles instead of bridges? Surely walkways would be more convenient?

That’s just jarringly out of place, even for a science fiction video game.

-Why does David attack after you activate the override?

In Vulcan Station, he attempts to prevent you from activating the override. So presumably he does not want it performed.

Then in Prometheus Station, he just lets you walk up and activate it. He knows you’re there; he’s closing doors as you walk by.

But as soon as you activate it, he does his best to kill you.

This doesn’t make sense.

-Another bit of corporate humor: The loudspeaker reminds you that you this attack is covered by your confidentiality agreement.

Except why does Cerberus have confidentiality agreements? If you violate it, what do you think they’re going to do – take you to court?

Again, this is an illegal terrorist organization. You don’t get sued. You get you a shot in the back of the head.

I get what the writers were going for, but this would work better if it acknowledged Cerberus’s status in the universe. Play up the sacrificing for the greater good of humanity angle; a good writer could pull it off.

-I ran into a bug twice in this section that halved the amount of shotgun ammo I could carry and had to reload from an earlier save. No idea what triggered it, but saving and reloading after it occurred doesn’t fix it.

Atlas Station

-The creepy horror of this station is very well done. I wish more of Mass Effect used this type of horror.

-David’s bizarre behavior continues.

He wants you to know what’s going on. He unlocks doors for you, plays one of Archer’s logs from a vending machine, plays more over the loudspeaker.

At the same time, he keeps sending geth to kill you.

Which is it, David? Do you want me here or not?

-One of Archer’s logs says he’ll tap David into the geth network. So much for David “volunteering”.

-The same log also says TIM will shutdown the project if he doesn’t get results.

This is why TIM is culpable for what his “rogue” cells do – he pressures them indirectly like this. I’m sure the scientists know that if they don’t produce, they’re liable to be killed. You don’t “retire” from a terrorist organization.

So they get desperate, do terrible things to achieve their objectives, and TIM reaps the benefits while insisting he never approved of what they did.

-The puzzle to summon the elevator is baffling and does not feel necessary. I don’t think anything would be lost by cutting it.

-The concept that David can speak to the geth and therefore give them orders is ridiculous.

The geth “speak” using FTL communication, presumably with some machine protocol.

They don’t need to “speak” verbally. If they choose to do so, they’re perfectly capable of using the language of the other speaker.

The “geth language” with sounds is is nonsense, and I would have preferred it had been cut. Thankfully, it’s not seen again after this DLC.

-Garvin claims that hooking David into the geth neural network seemed harmless, but the device David is in is a blatant torture device.

Garvin’s ability to keep a straight face is impressive.

-Garvin: I had no choice. The Illusive Man doesn’t broker failure.

While it’s true TIM doesn’t accept failure, I’m sure there were other options. At least try cutting a deal with the Alliance!

(Why did Archer even take David with him when he went to work for Cerberus?)

-If you go paragon, Archer pleads to keep his brother, but when you insist you’re taking David away he slips up and says that David is too valuable. He fully intends to continue using David in experiments.

It’s sad: I do believe Archer cares for David. Some of his words sound real. However, he cares more about his experiments. He can’t be trusted to take care of David.

(And what is the story behind this? Why is Archer taking care of David? Why isn’t David with their parents? Are some of Archer’s actions driven by resentment – he was coerced to take care of his brother, so being useful for his work is the least David can do to pay him back?)

Normandy

-TIM sends an email to guilt trip you that while he doesn’t condone Archer’s actions, taking David away set back the potential to understand the geth for years.

I notice TIM’s not volunteering to get into the torture machine.

-Mordin says the Collectors are mockeries of the Protheans at this point.

They don’t reproduce, they clone. They’ve slowly lost more and more organic functions and have had them replaced by tech.

They’re not people anymore. Just tools for the reapers.

-Mordin love of life shines through in this conversation. He genuinely loves people: their biology, their sociology, their art, their culture, etc.

What the reapers do is a personal affront to them – they don’t just kill, they violate.

-His insight into development is interesting. Advancement is driven by the need to surpass limitation. Culture progresses as advancements occur.

If all your limitations are eliminated by tech, there’s no advancement and your culture stagnates.

How would Mordin feel about the synthesis ending?

A proper answer would require knowing more about what it entails, but he’d possibly oppose it quite strongly.

-And once again Mordin feels the salarians are responsible for what the krogan have done.

The salarians “uplifted” them before they were ready – if the krogans had developed on their own, they might have developed in a culture where they hadn’t attempted to take over the galaxy.

I have mixed feelings on that one. Perhaps it was true at the time, but how long does it remain true? The krogans have been a part of a C-Space for millennia. At some point, they have to take responsibility for their own choices.

Mordin also feels a bit condescending here to me. The salarians’ part in the krogans’ actions should be acknowledged, but it’s not their place to fix it for the krogan. The krogan should decide their own future.

[akari-hope]

lgbtq+ anime for pride month

decided to make this for anyone looking for new recommendations, or anyone who’s wanted to get into anime but doesn’t know where to start! all recs will include a summary, genres, applicable representation, and how accessible it is to people brand new to anime, as well as any major content warnings.

(a quick disclaimer for those new to anime - some series on here will NOT have explicit rep, but rather be heavily coded or have implied queer themes. however, these are included generally because the implication is strong enough to treat it as text, or because the series has been generally accepted as queer. i’ll be sure to clarify whether something is canon or coded in each entry.)

ouran high school host club (comedy, romance) summary: haruhi fujioka is an honor student on scholarship at the prestigious ouran academy, who’s only looking for a quiet place to study when he runs into the notorious host club. in his frantic attempt to leave, he accidentally breaks a vase valued at 8 million yen. club leader tamaki suou has an idea for how he can pay them back - working for the host club. rep: crossdressing/drag are staples of this series, nothing explicitly stated but there are definite themes of gender identity exploration, and the show doesn’t shy away from homosexual themes or ideas accessibility: newcomer friendly! the english dub of this series is notably good. content warnings: some 2000s-era language in regards to gay/trans people that may be seen as offensive today, one scene that implies intent of sexual assault (while there is no actual assault and it is quickly played off, it may still be upsetting to some viewers)

yuri!!! on ice (sports) summary: yuri katsuki is a professional figure skater, recovering from a crushing defeat at the grand prix final. he returns to his family home to debate what he plans to do for next season. he goes to the local ice rink to clear his mind, and shows his old friend there something he’s been practicing - his idol victor nikiforov’s latest world-winning routine. unbeknownst to yuri, he’s being filmed. the video goes viral, and before he knows it victor is standing right in front of him, offering to be his coach. rep: canon mlm romance accessibility: newcomer friendly! content warnings: a few scenes that briefly display anxiety/panic attack-like symptoms

given (drama, romance) summary: one day on his way to his favorite napping spot in school, ritsuka uenoyama finds a boy, mafuyu satou, dozing in his spot, clutching onto a guitar with rusted, broken strings. uenoyama wakes him up, berating him for not taking better care of his instrument. mafuyu, noticing his knowledge of the instrument, begs uenoyama to repair it and teach him to play. uenoyama initially refuses, but mafuyu is persistent, even following uenoyama to band practice. it’s not until uenoyama hears mafuyu sing that he changes his tune, offering lessons if he joins the band as their singer. rep: canon mlm romance accessibility: newcomer friendly! content warnings: discussions of grief and loss additional note: given also has a movie sequel, which has a scene involving sexual assault.

sweet blue flowers / aoi hana (romance, slice of life) summary: fumi manjoume and akira okudaira were best friends in elementary school, until fumi moved away. now in high school, fumi is back and attending the same school as akira once again. their relationship isn’t the same now, though. the two must navigate the new trials of high school while trying to revive their waning friendship. rep: canon wlw romance accessibility: newcomer friendly!

bloom into you / yagate kimi ni naru (drama, romance) summary: yuu koito has always dreamed of the sort of soft, heart-fluttering love in shoujo manga. when a boy finally confesses to her though she feels...empty. she begins to wonder if she only understands love conceptually, but cannot feel it. yuu is still mulling over how to respond to her suitor when she witnesses the student council president, touko nanami, turn down a love confession of her own. she decides to approach touko for advice, but then the unexepected happens - touko confesses to yuu. rep: canon wlw romance accessibility: newcomer friendly! content warnings: some mild sexual content, depictions of homophobia

stars align / hoshiai no sora (drama) summary: toma shinjou is desperate to recruit new members to the boys’ soft tennis club, which is on the verge of being disbanded due to poor performance. maki katsuragi, the new transfer student, immediately catches his interest due to his quick reflexes. toma persuades maki to join, and maki’s skill quickly becomes driving momentum for the entire team. through their shared sport, the boys of the soft tennis club explore their own capabilities and hardships as they navigate life. rep: canon nonbinary character, discussions of gender identity and sexuality accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable, but not necessary content warnings: discussions and depictions of abuse, bullying, and violence

mahou shoujo madoka magica (fantasy, psychological drama) summary: madoka kaname and sayaka miki are good friends, regular middle school girls with regular lives. one day, the mysterious homura akemi transfers into their class, and strange happenings begin occuring. they meet a strange cat-like creature known as kyuubey, injured and on the run from homura. as thanks for saving its life, kyuubey offers them a reward - he’ll grant any wish they desire, and in return they’ll become magical girls with the power to help others. homura, despite being a magical girl herself, discourages them, saying everything is not as it seems. rep: sapphic themes and implied romantic feelings accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable content warnings: blood, violence, major character death, unreality, grief additional note: madoka magica has 3 movie sequels, with a 4th on the way. while the first two are merely recaps of the series, the 3rd, rebellion, is a continuation of the story.

no. 6 (sci-fi, drama) summary: the world has been ravaged by war - the last safe haven of mankind lies in six walled-off city-states. shion is an elite resident of one such city-state, no. 6, given priority housing and treatment due to his exceptional abilities. one night, a fugitive by the name of nezumi sneaks into shion’s room, and threatens to kill him. despite knowing he’s a fugitive, shion instead tends to his wounds and shelters him for the night. when his transgression is discovered by the authorities, shion and his mother lose their elite status, and are relocated. now just a regular citizen, shion begins to discover a new side to the city he’s called home. years after their first meeting, he reunites with nezumi once more - their meeting putting in motion a series of events that will unveil the secrets of no. 6. rep: canon mlm romance, trans/nonbinary coded character accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable, but not necessary content warnings: blood, violence, major character death, body horror, insects (bees)

seraph of the end / owari no seraph (supernatural, action) summary: a virus ravages the human race, infecting and killing everyone above the age of 13. their food source now threatened, vampires come out of the shadows to take the remaining humans captive. the children of the hyakuya orphanage are among the survivors. yuuichirou detests the vampires, and is determined to escape. mikaela has hatched a plan to do just that. the hyakuya kids make their way to the exit of the vampire city, only to be ambushed by a vampire noble. yuuichirou is the only one to escape. he’s found by the japanese imperial demon army, who say they’ll use him against the vampires. believing the rest of the children dead, yuuichirou joins immediately, determined to seek revenge against the monsters who killed his only family. rep: implied romantic feelings between two men (in the manga the anime is based on this is canon, and the localization team views the relationship as romantic) accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable, but not necessary content warnings: blood, violence, death, body horror, unreality

banana fish (action, crime drama) summary: ash lynx is a runaway on the streets of nyc, taken in and raised by the godfather of the mafia, dino golzine. now the leader of his own gang, he begins investigating “banana fish” - the only two words his brother will speak after returning from the iraq war. ash meets his friend skip at a bar, where he’s shunichi ibe and eiji okumura, japanese photographers covering american gangs. however, their conversation is cut short, as dino’s men storm the bar and kidnap skip and eiji. ash sets out to rescue them and continue his investigation. rep: canon mlm romance accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable, but not necessary content warnings: blood, violence, major character death, drugs, homophobia, pedophilia, sexual assault, rape

wonder egg priority (fantasy, psychological drama) summary: after the suicide of koito nagase, ai ohto is left to grapple with reality without her best friend. under instructions of a mysterious entity, she purchases a wonder egg. ai breaks the egg in the world that materializes in her sleep, and is tasked with saving people. under the belief that she’ll be able to save koito, ai embarks on a journey where she must recognize the relationship between other people’s demons and her own. rep: canon trans characters, sapphic themes accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable content warnings: blood, violence, death, suicide, self-harm, transphobia, fatphobia, bullying, abuse, pedophilia, sexual assault, rape additional note: wonder egg priority has a special airing on june 30th, 2021, meant to wrap up the original series - as of writing this post, the series is technically incomplete.

flip flappers (fantasy, sci-fi) summary: cocona is an average middle schooler liing with her grandmother, no clear goals in mind for the future. she meets an odd girl, papika, who inites her to join the organization “flip flap”. cocona finds herself dragged along by papika into the world of pure illusion, a mysterious alternate dimension where papika searches for crystal shards. as cocona and papika explore pure illusion, they awaken to the power within the crystals, transforming into magical girls. they must learn to work together in order to unravel the mysteries of pure illusion, and their pasts. rep: sapphic themes and exploration of sexuality accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable content warnings: mild violence, unreality, mild sexual themes and nudity

noir (action, drama) summary: parisian assassin-for-hire mireille bouquet receives a strange email from kirika yuumara, a japanese student, who invites her to make “a pilgrimage to the past”. mireille makes to dismiss the email as nonsense, until it starts playing a song she recognizes from her youth. when the two meet in person, they’re ambushed by gun-wielding men. to mireille’s surprise, kirika is able to fend for herself - even more surprising, kirika has no memory of how she has such skills. the two of them team up to unravel the mysteries of their pasts, operating under the codename “noir”. rep: canon lesbian characters accessibility: some prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is desirable, but not necessary content warnings: violence, death, implied rape and csa (not shown)

revolutionary girl utena / shoujo kakumei utena (fantasy, psychological drama) summary: after an encounter with a prince who comforted her after the death of her parents, utena tenjou is given a rose-crest ring, and a promise that they’ll meet again someday. however, utena has now committed to becoming a prince herself! after witnessing the abuse of fellow classmate anthy himemiya, utena is drawn into a dangerous game. duelists with rings matching her own battle for the ownership of anthy - the “rose bride”. utena decides she must free anthy from this fate. rep: canon sapphic characters, implied romance (in the movie sequel, this becomes canon) accessibility: prior knowledge of anime tropes and themes is necessary to fully enjoy this anime content warnings: unreality, violence, abuse, homophobia, pedophilia, incest, sexual assault, rape (for a comprehensive, spoiler-free breakdown of all potentially disturbing content, click here) additional note: the movie sequel, adolescence of utena, gives more explicit canon romance than the original series. however, the original series is considered an absolute classic must-watch for sapphics.

if anyone has questions about any series on here, feel free to ask! any other recommendations, feel free to tack on! (please include a summary, rep, accessibility, and any content warnings!)

[crimsonblazw]

Zero-one is the perfect start to a new generation

artist credit:https://twitter.com/r5WitWG0y8Poz0K/status/1300385462972866560?s=20

Introduction

Kamen rider Zero-one concluded last week and I believe it to be a very strong first entry into the Reiwa era of Kamen rider. On the surface it's back to basics with a grasshopper themed main character and simple animal motifs for his forms and the other riders while the major motif of the season centers around Artificial intelligence and the concepts of free will,dreams,and empathy.

At first glance you'd have several preconceived notions about the series,but there is FAR more than meets the eye.

Story and themes

Structurally this season of KR is made up of bigger arcs (four in total) which break down into smaller two episode arcs that make up the week to week episodes which allowed the show to maximize the monster of the week formula while the main story progresses at it's own pace (the best way to do KR in my opinion), this pairs well with one of Zero-one's biggest strengths; world building.

Each two episode arc explores the humagears' place in society and they're overall relationship with humans leading to a diverse range of dynamics that get explored over the course of the show with very few stones left unturned.

In general the thesis of the show is built on the beliefs of the humagears' creator Hiden Korenosuke,that humagears will help humanity achieve the their dreams.

At first you can take this literally given humagears can be thought of as "tools" for day to day life when in reality they where meant to grow along with humans (in other words reach singularity) and use their own passions and dreams to elevate those of humans and vice versa,the significance being that humans by nature are empathetic and social beings who have only made it so far as a species due to our ability to care for one another, humagears are meant to help humanity achieve our full potential faster.

The challenges this idea faces is a society that not only wants humagears and humans alike to become nothing more than "beasts of burden" for the upper class but also it's mirror opposite;the potential malice and selfishness that ultimately destroys lives and dreams,all of this being synonymous with the classic fiction trope or A.I. and robots representing the inhumane treatment of the common person.

Characters

While the overall show and it's smaller stories make up the backbone of the show the main characters are the heart, having arcs that represent the exact message the themes of the show are trying to communicate.

Aruto Hiden/Zero-one- Our main character. He has the staple good heart of a main rider with a strong belief in the power of dreams.

His arc is flat in order to inspire the other characters around him and further their own growth while having his own convictions tested the challenges of the show. He's very endearing and seeing how he overcomes every obstacle (even when it's crushing him) is the mark of a good main rider.

Izu-Aruto's humagear partner. It's easy to dismiss Izu's growth but her change is present but subtle. She goes from following Korenosuke's initial directives to making her own decisions,she starts off confused by Aruto's jokes but begins repeating them,and she goes from being Aruto's secretary to being his family. The evolution of her and Aruto's relationship is heartwarming and gives them on the best male/female lead dynamic in the franchise.

Fuwa/Vulcan-He starts as a staunch humagear hating foil to Aruto and a rather typical secondary rider. But after discovering his entire mindset has been "crafted" by those who want to control him his arc blossoms into a great story of a man taking back control of his life and rejecting the false and toxic ideals forced on to him, resulting in arguably the best arc in the show.

Yua/Valkyrie- While her arc can be easy to miss she represents those who unintentionally surrender their personhood to those above them while believing they retain their independence. Despite some lacking screentime she does recognize her worth and atonomy and reclaims her life (not unlike her partner Fuwa) and I hope future female riders follow her example (but with more screentime).

Horobi and Jin- Our two initial villains and the heads of the humagear terrorist cell Metsubojinrai.net.

Horobi begins as a steadfast believer in his "master" the Ark and shares it's beliefs in the extermination of humanity, beliefs he tries to pass to his "son" Jin who has concerns about their violent and forceful methods before becoming indoctrinated.

As the show goes on Jin begins to develop his own beliefs separate from Horobi while Horobi begins to experience a crisis of faith. They're dynamic is unique in KR and their arc is a perfect representation of the kinds of toxic concepts that can be passed down from parent to child but with time can be unlearned.

Gai/Thouser- One of the two major villains in the show. In many ways he's a more serious version of Dan from Ex-aid, his main position in this story being a stand-in for the greedy ruling class who will destroy as many lives as they want so long as they get what they want.

He's genuinely impressive in terms of how well calculated his plan is and absolutely loathsome for the fact he essentially caused everything wrong in the series. His eventual "redemption" is VERY hard to swallow but for food or ill does fit with the shows themes of overcoming our worst aspects and also doesn't bend over backwards to make him sympathetic.

Naki/Raiden-the other two members of Metsubojinrai.net. Wish they had gotten more screentime, especially since Naki seemed like a character that would have been cool to see more of. I do like them still and think it's cool they got their own happy endings.

The final arc

This deserves it's own section. The final arc is one of the most bold and interesting final arcs in the franchise and in my opinion is the best one since Drive.

The asset that really makes this part of the show work is the "final boss" the Ark. Despite seeming like a generic "evil entity" final boss commonly seen in toku the Ark is a methodical and truly evil being.

The Ark represents the darkest parts of human existence, mainly that our compassion/love can be easily turned into malice when the hardships of the world take it's tole on us.

Going deeper the ark's "philosophy" can also be seen as a parallel to those who think humanity is better off destroyed because of humans alleged inherent cruelty,not realizing that not only are humans not inherently cruel but that mindset is at most a trauma based response to the hardships of the world or a hypocritical mindset that give those who think it a free pass to be malicious and hateful while thinking they're "enlightened" for recognizing the alleged folly of man.

The Ark utilizes these concepts in it's final plan when it manipulates Aruto and Horobi take each other to their lowest points by having them kill each other's most treasured person,the duel between the two fueling human/humagear tension to the point of war,and it did this all without being around for most of it.

Aruto is so besides himself with grief that he essentially abandons his dream,I think what stood out to me was Fuwa attempting to stop Aruto and pointing out that Aruto is where he used to be,full of rage and hatred that can only be overcome with someone else showing you genuine empathy, which is what Fuwa is attempting to give to Aruto as a parallel to when Aruto did it for him.

The final battle is not only between Horobi and Aruto but between Malice and empathy. And in the end the two breaking down and recognizing each other's pain with Aruto winning but sparing Horobi is the final "test" of what fully realized empathy is.

Outro

2020 has been rough. I think more than ever we see what's wrong with the world and what we need to do to fix it. Whether it was intentional or not Zero-one was the rider I think we needed right now.

In a society that doesn't value empathy ,unity,or dreams we have to elevate each other and hold on to our passions and dreams for the future.

Thanks for reading ! Please like and share ! And feel free to share your thoughts. Keep your eyes peeled for future posts! Best wishes friend

[twinfoxtails]

Touhou Arcana write-up

((So... my internet was out for a few days, and I have been playing Persona 4 Golden for a while, so I decided to do a write up for all the major arcana.

Everyone’s list is very different, SO THERE’S DEFINITELY GOING TO BE DISAGREEMENTS, but if you have any, let me know what you think!

Note: This is strictly going through Arcana descriptions and meanings!

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0: Fool - Cirno, The Three Fairies The Fool represents innocence, divine inspiration, madness, freedom, spontaneity, inexperience, chaos and creativity.

Aside from the memes of Cirno being an idiot, I couldn’t think of a better tie than these two. (four?) All of them are leaders of their own right, they’re pretty much free to do what they please, and most importantly, creative and inexperienced.

I: Magician - Marisa Kirisame The Magician Arcana is commonly associated with action, initiative, self-confidence, immaturity, manipulation, and power.

THE STAPLE GIRL OF THE MAGICIAN ARCANA, MARISA HERSELF-... She’s the self confident one, immature to a fault, and her whole stick is ‘DANMAKU IS POWER’. So yep, this fits her extremely well!

II: Priestess - Rinnosuke Morichika The Priestess Arcana is a symbol of hidden knowledge or other untapped power, wisdom, mystery and patience when it appears in tarot readings.

Can’t get better than Rinnosuke himself, IMO. Father figure of both Reimu and Marisa, people approach him for wisdom at times and he’s also shrouded in mystery, and not to mention a really patient person.

III: Empress - Hong Meiling, Shinki The Empress represents mothers, prosperity, creativity, sexuality, abundance, fertility, protection, and comfort.

I really don’t have to explaint his one! Meiling is the bind which ties everyone together, as well as Shinki does, not to mention the bit about protection and comfort. There’s no better arcana for a motherly figure.

IV: Emperor - Remilia Scarlet, Toyosatomimi no Miko The Emperor symbolizes the desire to control one's surroundings, and its appearance could suggest that one is trying too hard to achieve this, possibly causing trouble for others; some elements in life are just not controllable.

‘BUT REMILIA IS BEST FIT FOR DEVIL’ you say! Devil’s more of temptation, and Remilia’s more controlling than being the symbol of temptation, and not to mention that she isn’t entirely selfish, actually caring for the residents of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

Either way, both Miko and Remilia do sometimes cause trouble around them (Remilia especially), and not to mention really ambitous.

V: Hierophant - Keine Kamishirasawa, Byakuren Hijiri The Hierophant is a symbol of education, authority, conservatism, obedience to rules and relationship with the divine.

Keine and Byakuren being both teachers in their own right, and also quite lawful as well. Byakuren also gets the extra point of being in a relationship with the divine, being head monk and all.

VI: Lovers - Alice Margatroid, Sakuya Izayoi The Lovers Arcana initially represented two paths life could lead to, and thus a symbol of standing at a crossroad and needing to make a decision.

Between Alice being in Hell with Shinki and choosing her life to be in the forest, as well as Sakuya either being a vampire killer and serving one, I think this fits pretty well!

VII: Chariot - Chen, Yuugi Hoshiguma The Chariot Arcana is a symbol of victory, conquest, self-assertion, self-confidence, control, war, and command.

Ah yes, the arcana usually tied with war gods. Both are self-confident, and these usually have a goal they wish to attain at any cost. In this case, I’d put Chen and Yuugi!

VIII: Justice - Shiki Eiki The Justice Arcana symbolizes a strict allegory of justice, objectivity, rationality and analysis. In tarot readings, it means that one will have to face a trial of their justice.

OKAY I’M SURE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DISAGREE WITH ME ON THIS BECAUSE SHE’S NOT JUDGEMENT-... But Justice is very different from Judgement, which I’ll explain below. But I feel Justice fits Eiki more, as she is the pinacle of rationality and objectivity.

IX: Hermit - Satori Komeiji, Patchouli Knowledge The Hermit is associated with wisdom, introspection, solitude, retreat and philosophical searches.

With Satori being the philosophical mind reader she is, along with Patchouli being the moving library, this is pretty much a big given.

X: Fortune - Tewi, Joon Yorigami The Fortune Arcana is portrayed by the Wheel of Fortune and symbolizes fate, luck, fortune and opportunity.

Can’t get any better than these two, for self-explained reasons!

XI: Strength - Momiji Inubashiri The Strength Arcana is associated with the morality about the stronger power of self-control, gentleness, courage and virtue over brute force. It can also represent creative or physical energy that needs to be or is about to be unleashed, sometimes out of desire to be recognized.

This is not physical strength, but inner strength, and IMO, Momiji is the most self-controlled yet also desires to be recognized by the higher ups for PUTTING UP WITH TENGUS-

XII: Hanged Man - Hina Kagiyama, Medicine Melancholy The Hanged Man Arcana is associated with self-sacrifice for the sake of enlightenment, the bindings that makes one free, paradoxes and hanging between heaven and earth.

Can’t think of anyone else but these two in this category. People in this Arcana are really self-sacrificial, and both of them fit the bill .

XIII: Death - Yuyuko Saigyouji The Death Arcana symbolizes metamorphosis and deep change, regeneration and cycles.

Do I need to explain this :D

XIV: Temperance - Reimu Hakurei, Konpaku Youmu The Temperance Arcana is a symbol of synthesis, prudence, harmony, and the merging of opposites.

No better person than Reimu herself. She’s the Hakurei Shrine maiden, mediator of both humans and youkai, going out to restore order after every incident and to keep the balance in check. Depressing job 10/10.

XV: Devil - Seiga Kaku, Kanako Yasaka The Devil Arcana represents the urge to do selfish, impulsive, violent things, and being a slave to ones' own impulse and feelings. Occasionally, it is also portrayed as a symbol of temptation.

I don’t think I need to explain Seiga, but Kanako literally tempted Okuu with the power of the Yatagarasu so SHE FITS HERE VERY WELL. MORIYA SHRINE CONSPIRACY.

XVI: Tower - Junko, Tenshi Hinanawi The Tower Arcana is commonly associated to overly arrogant, prejudiced and authoritarian organizations, which walk to their own ironic demise. Furthermore, it is also more generically used as an omen of doom and disaster.

The worst card in the deck. This card barely means anything good at all. Both are somewhat prejudiced, and Tenshi fits this arcana like A SHOE.

XVII: Star - Sanae Kochiya The Star Arcana is also commonly associated with hope, self-confidence, faith, altruism, luck, generosity, peace and joy.

Miracles. Faith. Joy. I don’t think I need to explain much about this one!

XVIII: Moon - Reisen Udongein Inaba, Flandre Scarlet, Koishi Komeiji The Moon Arcana is associated with creativity, inspiration, dreams, madness, illusions, fear, fantasy, the subconscious and trickery.

Three of them are quite creative people, with Flandre leaning quite alot into the ‘madness’ part of it. They can also sense things around them without being told, and these three are usually quite in touch with their senses.

XIX: Sun - Utsuho Reiuji, Aya Shameimaru The Sun symbolizes happiness, joy, energy, optimism, and accomplishment. Occasionally, it is also associated with one's initial happiness.

Both of them are just the biggest optimistic and energetic ball of fun you’ll ever meet, and Okuu does her job quite well! Aya... not so much, since her newspaper isn’t very popular-

XX: Judgement - Kasen Ibaraki, Hata no Kokoro The Judgement Arcana is associated with realizing one's calling, gaining a deep understanding of life and a feeling of acceptance and absolution.

You’d expect Eiki here, but Judgement is the reflection of one-self, and accepting who you are. They view the world with infinite possibilities, and I believe Kasen and Kokoro fits this out to the letter.

XXI: The World - Yakumo Yukari, Okina Matara The World Arcana is a representation of the world's totality, the symbol of fulfillment, wholeness and harmony. 

Don’t need to explain this, really! Gensokyo is primarily their creation, after all!

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Anyways, if you made it this far, thank you very much!))

[scotchfields]

Galbraith, Friedman, and the Televised Argument

I recently subjected myself to an entire season of the all-but-forgotten 1977 BBC documentary series The Age of Uncertainty, a drab early version of the now ubiquitous “television documentary”. Filled to the brim with stiff academic talk, thick cigarette smoke, hokey animation, and silly references to the New Wave, The Age of Uncertainty is a neat little time capsule. It was written, produced, and hosted by Canadian-American economist and sensation John Kenneth Galbraith, more than once dubbed “sexiest man alive,” and also remembered as a profoundly radical and influential public economist. Adopting a similar style to earlier television documentaries like Jacob Bronowski’s The Ascent of Man and Kenneth Clark’s Civilization, Galbraith had a big budget, plenty of important names attached, and complete creative control over the show’s content. With the BBC’s backing, and embracing a tongue-and-cheek, at times fiery style, Galbraith launched the first major attempt at a television documentary covering economics.

And in this modern viewer’s hindsight, the result was a complete and utter trainwreck. The Age of Uncertainty is not only boring as fuck – it ranks among the snooziest programs I have ever laid my eyes upon. For all of Galbraith’s sophistication, all of his finesse, the man’s slow monotone tests absolute limits of sustained attention to even the most passionate audience. Still, The Age of Uncertainty is worth talking about, even if it is probably not worth watching. In our day of Netflix, Kanopy, Hulu, HBOGo, et cetera, the television documentary has become a staple of living room background ambience. The Age of Uncertainty was at the apex of the format, brandishing some of its worst and best characteristics. The Age of Uncertainty also spurred unprecedented amounts of debate and rebuttal from public intellectuals. It proved, if anything, that television documentaries could matter in the real world.

Over the course of twelve episodes and three one-hour special interviews, The Age of Uncertainty explores the history of economic thought since the 18th century. Special attention is paid to the ways in which ideas shape institutions, and how history has been fundamentally altered by different notions about how the economy functions. In framing economic thought as profoundly institutional, Galbraith hopes to break down the barriers of academic discourse that, in his view, make economics needlessly complex to ordinary people. By the end of the final episode, Galbraith develops his thesis: markets, far from an abstract, complex concept, actually affect day-to-day material realities, and thus should be put under greater public, democratic control. Galbraith’s argument, rooted in an explicitly neo-Keynesian, left-of-center ideological background, connects form with content. He attempts to use accessible language, along with various methods of viewer-friendly visual storytelling, to reject free-market economics, and to propose an economic order more oriented around human need and participation. Galbraith’s use of animation, skit acting, expensive sets, and various other techniques are hit-or-miss, but do reveal the ideologies informing Galbraith and his opponents, and help us understand the relationship between an economist and the public.

Before exploring the content of the show, it’s important to understand Galbraith’s position within the economics discipline and his views on academia more generally. Indeed Galbraith’s lofty ambition in creating The Age of Uncertainty, and his more implicit desire for audience resonance and participation, both stemmed from his unique relationship to the academy. Galbraith was a recognized and even self-admitted heterodox economist, who tended to break from mainstream economic thinking on a number of important questions. Most notably, Galbraith tended to reject economics as reducible to a set of concrete laws. Human behavior, in Galbraith’s view, was a product of the institutions, communities, and cultures from which it developed, rather than any process reducible to mathematical models. As a result, Galbraith tended to reject many core economic precepts, such as the tendency towards perfect competition in markets. Economic historian Alexandre Chirat has written extensively about Galbraith’s relationship to the economic mainstream, explaining:

“Heterodox economists — and, more specifically, institutionalists — have always dealt with power in economics more than others. Whereas textbooks economists find this notion disappointing at best, Galbraith thinks, as Bertrand Russell,  that power is a fundamental concept in social sciences. According to him, “in eliding power — in making economics a non-political subject — neoclassical theory, by the same process, destroys its relation with the real world.” In other words, it destroys its raison d‘être… It is exactly because of the introduction of power in his analysis that Galbraith gives up on orthodox postulates, on one hand, and deals with the power of economists, on the other.” [2]

Chirat sees Galbraith’s power analysis as the core motive that undergirds his entire worldview. In particular, Chirat brings up Galbraith’s interest in three crucial power dynamics: the sovereignty of the consumer, the sovereignty of the citizen, and the maximization of profits. These three factors, which Galbraith sees as largely ignored by the economic mainstream, introduce elements of uncertainty to economic decisionmaking on a massive scale. Chirat considers Galbraith’s mutli-faceted power analysis as veering towards disciplines like political economy or even social theory, especially in its consideration of “socially-constructed” understandings. “Considering power in economics,” Chirat argues, “leads Galbraith to reflect on the role — and, therefore, the power — of economists.” For Galbraith, the very way academics think about issue areas like education, healthcare, and immigration determines real-world outcomes. Such a self-reflexive notion – breaking down the ideologies that form how decisionmakers think about the economy – leads Galbraith to a “pluralism regarding social purpose.” For Galbraith, “the economy” is not and ought not be synonymous with “public welfare.”

Galbraith’s heterodox economic views are expressed in both the content and form of The Age of Uncertainty. Firstly, with regard to content, the scope of Galbraith’s historical analysis seems to fit his ideological background. Galbraith makes clear the connection between “ideas,” or the economic orthodoxy that he so opposed, and lived, material realities. The history of modern society, in his view, was little more than the net outcome of ideas adopted and ideas rejected. One example comes with Episode 2, “The Morals and Manners of High Capitalism,” an episode almost singularly concerned with the rise of robber barons, and the ideology of “Social Darwinism” that permitted their existence. Galbraith says that “a strong and even dominant current of social thought in the last century set the rich apart and held that they were, indeed, a superior caste.” This current of social thought, Galbraith explains, “protected wealth,” as no entity “could interfere with the essential process” of wealth concentration. Social Darwinism, in Galbraith’s view, is an idea like any other, depending “a little on economics,” a little on “theology,” and mostly on a notion of “biology.” But this simple concept had immense power in the shaping of Western society in the 19th century, justifying the stratified social system under which nations existed. Galbraith goes on in the episode to discuss Thorstein Veblen, Norweigan-American economist and Galbraith’s “main influences.” Veblen’s ideas about “conspicuous consumption,” Galbraith argues, had the effect of beating back the trend of Social Darwinism, and targeting criticism towards the wealthy. Ideas, then, can work both ways.

In fact much of Galbraith’s analysis, from the early days of industrialization in England to the modern, postwar Keynesian period, is concerned with the nature of ideas about wealth, poverty, and inequality. He is especially concerned with how ideas are adopted, and how power relationships impact perception of ideas. In Episode 7, “The Mandarin Revolution,” Galbraith talks about the origin of the Keynesian idea, and the ways in which it fundamentally transformed society. “Keynes,” Galbraith says, “had a solution without a revolution… [When] Washington was cool to Keynes… he captured the United States by way of the universities.” Galbraith discusses how the older generation of economists roundly rejected Keynes’ ideas, while younger economists were quick to adopt them. Eventually, Keynesianism became ubiquitous, and as a result, human welfare improved. During his discussion of Nazi Germany’s response to the Great Depression, Galbraith is sure to invoke this skepticism of “mainstream” academic thought. “The Nazis were not given to books,” he writes. “Their reaction was to circumstance, and that served them better than the sound economists served Britain and the United States.” He discusses how the German motivation to borrow and spend money on public works like the Autobahn massively reduced unemployment. In the end it was nothing short of an economic miracle, where the Germans recovered from the Great Depression much faster than their peers.

In examining the ideological content of The Age of Uncertainty, Galbraith’s analysis should also be contextualized within the historical moment of the Cold War. In particular, Galbraith seems intent on understanding both sides of the conflict, and perhaps even arriving at some sort of a consensus between the two models. One of Galbraith’s main policy ideas, after all, he termed “new socialism,” and involved the extension of various aspects of centralized planning in the United States. While preserving a market-based framework, Galbraith’s “new socialism” adopted elements from the Soviet system regarding  medicine, public utilities, and the industrial sector. The twelfth episode of The Age of Uncertainty captures Galbraith’s attitude towards these two poles of capitalism and communism, concluding with a somber warning about the horrors of nuclear warfare and the common humanity shared by Americans and Soviets. “The Russians are no less perceptive, no less life-enhancing, no more inclined to a death wish than we are,” he explains. “That, indeed, is the highest purpose of politics in both countries, one that far transcends differences in economic of political systems.” While this quote digresses slightly from my point about Galbraith’s search for capitalist and socialist consensus, it still captures his attitude towards the Cold War quite effectively. Galbraith, in final analysis, viewed both systems as having merit. The “great uncertainty” of the show’s title, after all, refers to Galbraith’s view of the ideal economic system as basically undiscovered.

The Age of Uncertainty’s visual style compliments Galbraith’s ideological message by twisting and contorting the traditional science-documentary format. In doing so, Galbraith attempts to break down the barriers between audience and expert that he feels needlessly complicate economics for ordinary people. The ultimate goal, then, is to demystify economics, uncovering the ways in which free-market economic ideas create their own logic and embed themselves within society. For one, The Age of Uncertainty employs animation to visually articulate Galbraith’s lectures.  In the first episode, “The Prophets and Promise of Classical Capitalism,” Galbraith notes how the computer “can be made to reach back in time,” before revealing an elaborate metaphor for serfdom using an animated village. In the animation, buildings represent individual power and status, with a castle atop a hill equalling the state, a less ornate castle representing the landlords, and small houses representing agrarian villagers. The animation is arranged in the form of a pyramid, with the poor villagers at the bottom and houses slowly increasing in size as they move up the hill. The point of the animation, Galbraith explains, is to convey the strict nature of precapitalist society, wherein peasants were locked into their position at the bottom of the pyramid. The animation, however, is rather difficult to understand at first, as the various buildings don’t have obvious meanings. This invites a degree of ambiguity on behalf of the audience. If Galbraith’s goal is to connect on a human level with his audience, his visual materials should probably be more explicit.

The Age of Uncertainty also takes advantage of grand, expensive sets. In the fourth episode, “The Colonial Idea,” Galbraith tries to convey the turbulent and brutal nature of 19th century European politics with a massive, life-sized map of Europe painted on the floor. Atop each country stands a soldier, played by a real actor, dressed in a military uniform appropriate for his particular country and weilding a sword. The actors, apparently representing the military of their respective countries, take turns clashing swords with one another in an almost rhythmic, dance-like fashion. The scene is clearly meant to portray 19th century Europe as rife with aimless, nonstop bloodshed, but mostly comes across as silly and cheesy. Only several minutes later in the episode, Galbraith discusses British Empire, and in particular the 1947 partition of India. Outlining the chaos and bloodshed that occurred in the subcontinent, Galbraith uses what appears to be real archival footage of mass migration and human displacement. Spliced into the archival footage, though, are scenes of actors clashing swords. The juxtaposition of real, tragic archival footage with more obviously fake scenes filmed on set, both following the comical “map of Europe” scene, seems rather tone-deaf.

The public reception to these visual techniques, and The Age of Uncertainty at large, was mixed at best. Some critics dismissed Galbraith’s lectures as overly complex, despite his efforts to use relatively simple language. Others favored his speaking style and appreciated his command of language. The main criticism of the show, though, focused on the sets and animations. Critics tended to dismiss the visual style of the show, which rather than aiding understanding, actually “distracted” them from Galbraith’s message. The Historian Angus Burgin has written about the reception to The Age of Uncertainty on both sides of the Atlantic:

The extravagant and self-conscious visuals in The Age of Uncertainty seemed to have done little to make Galbraith’s arguments more rhetorically compelling for his audience. In America, George Stigler (1977) wrote that the documentary had fulfilled his “fears about the effective use of television” as a  medium for economics, as Galbraith “made no observable attempt to use visual methods to illuminate ideas”: in England, one observer noted that Galbraith’s visuals seemed as though they had been “mischievously” devised by a conservative think tank “to distract attention from his message.” Silent reenactments and composed dances, it seemed, were a disruptive complement to Galbraith’s narrations; in a series on the social sciences, viewers manifested a preference for visual economy rather than excess.

Criticism was also directed towards the ideological content of The Age of Uncertainty. For the most part, ideological criticisms were divided along partisan lines. Prominent figures like Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, for example, dismissed The Age of Uncertainty as left-wing propaganda. Notably, the American economist Milton Friedman released a ten part series entitled Free to Choose: A Personal Statement as a direct response to Galbraith’s program. Released in 1980, Free to Choose features a loosely similar style to The Age of Uncertainty, with Friedman narrating a variety of historical case studies of economic thought and policy. The main difference is Friedman’s focus on an explicitly political agenda. In contrast to Galbraith’s chronological, step-by-step history, Friedman organizes his program based on specific, hot-button policy topics. Episode titles range from “What's Wrong with Our Schools?,” to “Who Protects the Worker?,” to “How to Cure Inflation.” Where Galbraith maintains a pretense of objectivity, Friedman openly confesses his biases, and essentially outlines how the free market is the solution to the problem of each episode. At the end of each episode, Friedman engages in a debate with a prominent expert on the opposing side of the issue. Friedman’s debating style and overall charisma were praised.

Burgin has written about the relative success of Free to Choose compared to The Age of Uncertainty. Overall, he attributes Galbraith’s failure to a few main elements: Galbraith’s “stiffness,” the “cheesy” production techniques, and perhaps most importantly, the lack of a strong “unifying” theme to encapsulate Galbraith’s ideas. On the latter, Burgin sees Friedman’s message as concise enough to resonate with audiences in a single sentence: the free market works. He explains how Friedman’s charm was based around this simplicity:

“At the center of his appeal, however, lay the force of the market metaphor. While Friedman’s rhetoric aligned well with the requirements of late twentieth century modes of transmission, Galbraith never found a way to distill his views in such simple and broadly applicable terms. As one journalist wrote before the release of either documentary, to be an “economic superstar” it was necessary to arrive at a ‘fixed view of the world, learn to state it forcefully and cast unremitting scorn on those who disagree.’”

Burgin expands:

“Galbraith, as one might expect, was horrified by Friedman’s means of  persuasion. He found the arguments Friedman adopted “simplistic” and perhaps even “purely rhetorical,” relying “almost wholly on passionate assertion and emotional response” (Galbraith 1981b). He marveled at the “radicalism” of economic ideas in the early 1980s, labeling himself a dispositional “conservative” by comparison.”

Burgin’s analysis of the problems that plagued The Age of Uncertainty helps to explain much of why the show failed to gain traction. In addition, his comparison with Free to Choose, a more critically and commercially popular program, helps to underscore the public’s lack of interest in Galbraith’s lecturing style. However, Burgin’s analysis is incomplete insofar as it fails to consider what the proper role of an economist should actually be. Perhaps Friedman is better at concisely communicating his ideas to the public, but is this necessarily better for the public? What is the proper relationship between an expert economist and their audience?

These questions have been debated constantly by economists for decades. It might be useful to view the debate in the context of television history. Galbraith, as evidenced by his show, clearly favored some role for economists in connecting with audiences and ensuring that their ideas received a wide public hearing. However, his “horrified” response to Friedman’s rhetorical style also suggests that he opposed any oversimplification of complex ideas. The scholar George Stigler, cited by Angus Burgin, agrees with Galbraith. Like Galbraith, he sees the economist as needing to straddle a line between maintaining authority and fulfilling a social need. In turn, he sees economists as inherently in conflict with vested interests – be it corporations, or labor unions – who seek to manipulate the public agenda through more sly, unscrupulous tactics. For Stigler, though, the economist ought never sacrifice personal integrity, as academic truth will win out in the end.

One contrasting view on the role of economists, particularly relevant to The Age of Uncertainty, comes from economist Samuel Bowles in his essay “Economists as Servants of Power.” Like Galbraith, Bowles sees economics as inherently political from the outset. In particular, both are interested in how “social constructions” of power shape material realities. However, Bowles takes the discussion further by exploring how the state apparatus, monied interests, and professional economists feed off of one another, and in turn develop ideas symbiotically. Bowles argues that experts, in their close proximity to power, either “figure out ways to ameliorate social conditions which run the risk of being politically explosive,” or outright “obfuscate the roots of inequality and hierarchy,” which in turn “constricts the range of policy alternatives.” As a result, Bowles argues that economists should drop all pretenses of being apolitical, and should assume more activist roles in pursuit of egalitarianism. In short, Bowles not only believes that economists should consider both how power shapes the world, but also that economists’ priorities are shaped by power. The conclusions are significant. While Free to Choose connected Friedman with the public on the surface level of his rhetoric, deeper down, his methodologies were still informed by his close relationships with institutions of power like the Republican Party, the US Treasury Department, think tanks like the Hoover Institution. Thus, in reality, Friedman’s conclusions were actually developed at a distance from the public.

Over the course of twelve episodes and three one-hour special interviews, The Age of Uncertainty explores the history of economic thought since the 18th century. Galbriath’s ultimate objective, which forms the entire trajectory of the show, is perhaps best conveyed in the opening chapter of The Age of Uncertainty’s accompanying book. “What people believe about the workings of markets and their relationships to the state,” Galbraith argues, “shapes history through the laws that are enacted or discarded.” In framing economic thought this way, Galbraith hopes to demonstrate the close proximity of “economics,” broadly understood, to real peoples’ lives. In turn, he hopes to make the economics discipline more participatory and open.

Galbraith’s argument, rooted in an explicitly neo-Keynesian, left-of-center ideological background, rejects mainstream economic thought, viewing power, institutions, and outright “social constructions” by academics and policymakers as crucial in human decisionmaking. A variety of techniques, including animation, skit acting, are used to make this case. These techniques had a mixed reception among critics and audiences, mostly coming off as stiff and tone-deaf. Especially compared to the more charismatic, plainly rhetorical style of Milton Friedman, Galbraith largely failed to fully involve the public the way he wanted, and to connect economic ideas with lived realities. However, the notion of involvement with the public is complex. As scholars like Samuel Bowles have argued, there are different ways in which an economist can be “close” to the public. More important than an easily-accessible communication style is a research methodology that invites participation from various stakeholders from throughout society. In this sense, Galbraith’s desire for a more participatory economics discipline, and one that connects ideas with the material world, might be the more authentically “public” style after all.

Theodore Molina

1 Angus Burgin, Age of Certainty: Galbraith, Friedman, and the Public Life of Economic Ideas

2 Chirat, Alexandre. “When Galbraith Frightened Conservatives: Power in Economics, Economists' Power, and Scientificity.” Journal of Economic Issues 52, no. 1 (2018): 32

3 Chirat, 33

4 Chirat, 35

5 Galbraith, 45

6 Galbraith, 213

7 Galbraith, 342

8 Chirat, 31

9 Burgin, Angus. Age of Certainty: Galbraith, Friedman, and the Public Life of Economic Ideas. In: Tiago Mata/Steven G. Medema (eds.), The Economist as Public Intellectual (= History of Political Economy, annual supplement), Durham 2013. 51

10 Burgin, 50

11 Burgin, 30

12 Bowles, Samuel. "Economists as Servants of Power." The American Economic Review 64, no. 2 (1974): 129-32.

[kaiserdingus]

Night of the Vampire Robots - 1995 Cartoon Network Retrospective

Most anime fans in the US over the age of 25 will tell you they got hooked on anime through Cartoon Network’s Toonami block, which aired weekdays from 1997 to 2004. The block would introduce staples such as Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and Gundam to a national audience, as well as more obscure shows like Tenchi Muyo and Outlaw Star. Toonami was created by Williams Street, Cartoon Network’s in-house production studio responsible for Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Adult Swim.

Well before the launch of Toonami and its success as the premiere anime destination on cable TV in the early 2000’s, Cartoon Network broadcast three animated movies in a one-night event called Night of the Vampire Robots. The marathon aired on Saturday night, January 28th 1995, and featured three anime movies from Streamline Pictures: Robot Carnival, Vampire Hunter D, and Twilight of the Cockroaches. These movies weren’t new, they’d previously been released in theaters and had previously aired on the Sci-Fi Channel, as well as TBS and TNT.

Streamline Pictures were a small film distributor in the late 80’s and early 90’s who would release anime movies and OVAs to American theaters. Founded by Harmony Gold’s Carl Macek and animation historian Jerry Beck, Streamline’s goal was to introduce Japanese animation to American audiences beyond poorly dubbed Saturday morning cartoons. They dubbed and released several noteworthy anime films in the early 90’s, including Kiki's Delivery Service, Akira, and Fist of the North Star.

Anecdotes from viewers who tuned in detail the marathon as being heavily edited, which isn’t surprising considering the mature content in Vampire Hunter D alone. The format of the marathon was similar to that of the Cartoon Network retrospective series Toon Heads. During commercial breaks an announcer would talk over clips from the movies and explain the cultural relevance of Japanese animation.

For this retrospective I watched Twilight of the Cockroaches on Amazon Prime Video, I watched Robot Carnival and Vampire Hunter D on VRV. These versions differ from the ones that aired on Cartoon Network, being uncut and more faithful to the original Japanese releases. 

Robot Carnival

Robot Carnival is a package film that was released as a straight to video animated film in Japan, but received a brief theatrical release in the US. It features nine short films centered around robots, some of which are full of action, others can be sad and introspective, and some can be funny and over the top.

The first thing I noticed during this movie was the beautiful animation. Each of the nine shorts is a work of art that could never be produced today. Japan's economy was booming in the 1980′s, resulting in a wave of great animation. Among the animators who worked on the film are Katsuhiro Otomo, creator of Akira, and Yasuomi Umetsu, creator of the Kite series. Only two of the shorts feature spoken dialog, the rest rely on visual cues and the soundtrack to carry the narrative.

The central theme is robots, with each short being about robots in one way or another. One short is about a man who creates a robot who yearns for affection, exploring the idea of what it means to be alive, or to be human. Another segment is a parody of World War 2 era Japanese propaganda films, taking place during the 19th century and features a giant Japanese mechanical wooden robot fighting an invading Western robot.

Vampire Hunter D

Vampire Hunter D is the least obscure of the three movies, having been widely available on home video and given a sequel in 2001. Its based on the popular book series by Hideyuki Kikuchi, and is credited as the first horror anime for adults to feature graphic violence and sexual imagery. This was the movie you didn’t want your parents walking in on while its on the TV.

D is a dhampir, a half-human/half-vampire, with a giant cross sword and a parasitic left hand with a sassy mouth. When the evil Count Magnus Lee begins hunting a towns woman named Doris, D is hired to protect the woman. The movie takes place in a far off future that resembles the late 19th century. Guns are actually high powered laser rifles, and the horses are cybernetic. Its alluded to, but not explained, that the vampires are actually aliens from another world who’ve settled on Earth.

For much of the movie D is seen struggling with his identity, as his father was a vampire and his mother was a human. The humans live in fear of the vampires, and anyone bit by one is cast out of society. D recognizes the suffering vampires have brought upon humanity and vows to protect humans from them. 

Vampire Hunter D was a minor hit in the US, prompting the creator to allow a sequel to be made with the West in mind. A PlayStation game would launch in 2000, followed by the sequel Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust in 2001. The books would eventually be translated and released in the US starting in 2005, and there were plans for a licensed American comic book that were canceled at some point.

Twilight of the Cockroaches

Twilight of the Cockroaches is a movie that blends live-action with animation, similar to Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The movie is about a colony of cockroaches who live in the apartment of a depressed man who can't be bothered to exterminate them. The cockroaches are depicted as cartoon characters with humanoid features, the humans are portrayed by live actors on a set.

The cockroach colony feeds off the unkempt nature of the man in the apartment. He orders take-out and leaves piles of uneaten meals on the counter tops and tables, creating a feast for the cockroaches he largely ignores. The younger cockroaches go out in the open without fear of being attacked, while the older cockroaches understand the need to stay in the shadows. The fears are eventually realized when the man starts dating a woman who isn't fond of cockroaches. In order to impress her, he agrees to clean the apartment and exterminate the roaches, leading to a war between the roaches and humans.

The story is an exploration of genocide from the perspective of the victims. It's true humans generally dislike cockroaches, but the movie presents them in a sympathetic light. The film is shown from the perspective of the cockroaches, showing the humans as larger than life figures. Common sounds the humans make, such as footsteps, boom with a loud intensity that help make the audience feel small.

Twilight of the Cockroaches was relatively obscure even in its time, though it did manage to influence later films. The 1996 MTV film Joe's Apartment was inspired by Twilight of the Cockroaches, boasting a similar plot about a society of cockroaches living in a man's apartment. Director John Payson has been open about taking inspiration from Twilight of the Cockroaches, and outside of the basic premise, the two are completely different movies.

Even though Night of the Vampire Robots was a one-night event, Cartoon Network aired the movies individually during the Summer of 1995. For three weeks in a row Cartoon Network would air each movie at 12:15 AM on Saturday night, during what they called Saturday Japanime. As far as anime for an adult audience is concerned, these would be the last until 2001 when Cowboy Bebop premiered along with the rest of the original Adult Swim line up.

Where to Buy

Robot Carnival (Amazon)

Vampire Hunter D (Amazon)

Twilight of the Cockroaches (Amazon)

Support Y2K FunZone on Patreon

[thehollowprince]

Endgame - Tony Stark

WARNING: MAJOR ENDGAME SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT!!!

I figured I’d start with Tony, because as anyone who follows me, or has seen my blog knows, I do not like this character.  This movie is no exception to that, in that I wasn’t a big fan of what they did with his character in here, but there were moments I actually did like.  So I’m going to make a list of what I liked and what I didn’t about his character and then some thoughts on his overall arc throughout this movie and the MCU in general.

I will try to keep the dislike section away from being blatantly “Anti Tony” but I make no promises.

Also, these lists will have bits from other characters that were a part of the main six’s journeys, so just keep that in mind.

Fair warning, the likes section is probably going to be a lot shorter than the dislike list, which won’t be too long either.  The Russos kept their word in that the Avengers from Infinity War that took a back seat were given more in this film, but Tony was still in it a bit too much for my liking, especially with how everything played out.

With that out of the way, let’s do this.

LIKES

Morgan Stark 

Pepper’s Iron Woman suit

Tony and Howard

“I am Iron Man”

Rhodey and Pepper being by his side

Proof that Tony Stark has a heart

Let’s start with what I liked about his story arc in Endgame.  I loved Morgan.  His daughter was adorable and he had a great little relationship with her, from what little we saw of it, away from everyone (left) and living in a cabin in the woods.  The whole scene where he says “Shit!” not knowing his daughter is sitting right there was hilarious and precious all at the same time.  Add to that the fact that she blackmailed him into getting her a treat for her silence and my heart was won.

How he acted with Morgan was a great shift in his character from all of the previous movies and I’m assuming it had something to do with having a biological child, as opposed to this whole concept a good percentage of the fandom likes to pretend is a thing (”Irondad”), but more on that later.

Pepper’s suit that she wore at the end was amazing.  I loved it so much better than any of the other IM suits used throughout any of the movies, and I loved during the epic battle at the end how well the two fought together.  Plus Pepper being included in the big Girl Power team-up at the end of the fight is the stuff of legends.

As anyone who followed me over this last year knows, I’m not a fan of Tony’s (and his fandom’s) constant need to blame everything wrong he ever does on a combination of things, one of which is his relationship with his father.  This is probably the most screen time Howard got in any of the movies and I did love that Tony used it to connect with his father over something they now have in common - having kids.  It was nice to finally see Tony put aside all his issues and recognize that his father was a human being.  Also, Jarvis being there was amazing!

More on this in the Dislikes section, but Tony’s response to Thanos’ “I am inevitable!” line being “I am… Iron Man.”  It was a nice callback to the first movie and the comics and I’m glad they ended his character on that note.

As he lay dying, which I didn’t take nearly as much pleasure in as I thought I would, I did like Rhodey and Pepper being there by his side, and Pepper’s little speech to him, telling him he could rest now, which was a nice callback to earlier in the film where she asked him if he could rest if he didn’t help.  As much as I don’t like them together, it was a touching moment to see him die with his wife and partner at his side.

The wreath with the original arc reactor put on the lake was just a nice touch, in my opinion.

DISLIKES

Nebula

His return to Earth

The Five Years Later

Still building suits

His superiority complex and attitude in general

His treatment of Scott Lang

“Do you trust me”

The constant quips and sarcasm

Peter Parker

One

His funeral

Okay, this one might upset people, but I did warn you.

For starters, I did not at all like the way they (The Russos) had Nebula act around Tony while they were on the Guardians’ ship.  Granted, they did a lot of character assassinations in this movie, but this was one of the ones that stood out the most to me, especially given how she treated everyone else throughout the rest of the movie, with her usual disdain except for her sister and Rocket.  Having her be so kind and nurturing to him just felt like something out of a fanfiction by someone who worships Tony but never saw any of the Guardians of the Galaxy films.  Though, I will admit, having him in his dying moments open his eyes to see Carol blazing in to save him and then her setting the ship down like it was nothing was pretty spectacular.

The moment he’s back on Earth, he just starts in with his bullshit again.  I’m sorry, but blaming Steve for the epic loss that they all faced was such a childish move, but that’s become something of a staple for him.  Blaming all of his problems and failures on someone else, even when they’re not just his failures.  It’s always someone else’s fault, because self-reflection isn’t a strong suit of his character, nor is his capacity to let it go.  Him standing there and yelling at Steve, as if everything was entirely his fault because Ultron blew up in his face and his “suit of armor around the world” didn’t pan out the way he wanted was such a dick move.  We’ve seen how Thanos and his forces dealt with Wakandan technology, which we all know is better than Stark Tech.  So for him to think that the Ultron Project would have even been able to stop Thanos, especially once he was armed with the Infinity Stones is pure hubris and I’m sick and tired of it.

The five years later scene, particularly when Steve, Scott and Natasha come to him for help after they thought up a way to fix it all, just made my blood boil.  I know no one wants to admit this, but Tony didn’t lose anyone in the snap.  And no, I’m not counting Peter as someone close to him, because up until the scene where Peter went poof, he’d been nothing but disdainful or outright neglectful of him.  The three that showed up to ask for his help lost everything, and while it is understandable that he didn’t want to lose what he now had, his outright dismissal of them was infuriating.  Especially when you factor in that he had to have his ass handed to him, and watch everyone else lose their loved ones before he finally put aside his ego and settled down with Pepper.

Even with the world decimated, he still can’t stop with the suit building?  Seriously?  Sure, it came in handy later when Pepper donned it for the big fight, but he was working on that before Steve and Nat even showed up.  He wasn’t preparing for the fight, he was just doing what he always does and feeding his addiction to those suits.

Another thing that bugged me about them coming to him for help was his whole attitude about it.  Not only how dismissive he was to Scott, but since when is Tony an expert on quantum physics?  There was no build up to that, no mention of it before, and it just smacked of something they threw in there to try and find a reason for Tony to rejoin the Avengers for this final film.  Between Scott and Bruce, and with Rocket’s brilliance and Thor’s knowledge of Asguardian science, they should have figured it out.  But no!  We had to have the Tony be the one to save the day.

You’ll get a theme here about my dislikes all being related to the blatant fan service of those who worship Tony Stark.

In regards to the way he talked to Scott throughout the entire film - I didn’t like it.  I didn’t like his dismissive attitude or his constant barrage of insults.  Scott Lang is probably one of, if not the, nicest character in the MCU and he doesn’t deserve to be treated like that by some bored billionaire with a grudge.

The “Do you trust me?” line was aggravating as hell.  Anyone who watched these movies knows that Tony doesn’t trust his teammates, or even treat them with basic respect half the time, and given how he acted to Steve upon his return to Earth, and how they left things at the end of Civil War, I think the addition of that line was a slap in the face to any of the people who loved Steve’s character over the years.

The constant sarcasm got old about seven or eight movies ago.  At some point these writers and producers have to realize that being a sarcastic asshole isn’t really a personality, despite how much they try and pretend it is.  It’s 2023 in this movie, which puts Tony over fifty.  It’s way passed time to just let it go.  He doesn’t always have to get the last word in.

I am not a fan of all of this whole "Irondad" farse that so many people have fallen for. The few times they've interacted at all, Tony has been either outright dismissive, if he even pays attention to him at all, so for Peter to come back and that hug to take place, not to mention Peter crying while Tony was dying bugged me. We've seen absolutely nothing in the MCU that would support this behavior aside from blatant fan service.

Tony looking over and seeing Strange holding up his finger (not the finger I would have chosen) to indicate this is the one time in 14 million that they stopped Thanos annoyed me.  Not the fact that Tony got the stones for that final snap, but the fact Tony was even able to touch them.  Before anyone comes for me, I’d feel the same way if it had been Steve or Clint or T’Challa or Sam or Bucky or whoever.  One of the things we’ve been shown throughout the MCU was how damn powerful those stones were.  Hell, the Power Stone killed almost everyone that ever touched it, with my understanding being that humans would have been disintegrated on contact.  But someone, Tony Stark, the middle-aged man was able to hold all six Infinity Stones and perform a snap?  I mean, sure, he died in the end, but he shouldn’t have been able to do it at all, especially when we saw how using the Stones nearly killed Thanos, who has been proven to be vastly stronger than so many of them, Tony included.

I also really didn’t like the funeral.  Yes, it was nice to see his friends and family there, but the further back they went, the more I kept questioning “Why?”  Why were all those people there?  The Bartons and the rest of Team Cap and that random kid behind them?  Carol?  Some of those people barely had any interaction with Tony, if at all, and suddenly they’re all there to mourn him?  I don’t know if the whole thing was supposed to be an homage to the fact that an era has ended in the MCU, but the whole scene left something of a sour taste in my mouth.

FINAL OPINION

Anyone who has followed me over the years knows that I don’t really like this character.  It started out with mild dislike, but then just snowballed into outright hatred, so this film, which managed to pull him back even if only a little, helped me remember some of what I originally liked (read: didn’t hate) about the character. 

The whole Tony exiting the MCU thing by having him sacrifice his life just reeked of fanservice and RDJ’s heavy-handed negotiation skills.  It’s been a constant in every movie he’s been in, except Homecoming, that he has to have the big emotional climax.  This film marks the fourth time that Tony has decided to leave superheroing behind, and at this point, it’s just become a gimmick.  Even though this time he is confirmed as dead, I don’t really feel all that bad for the character because of MARVEL’s insistence in putting him in movies where he wasn’t needed and I’m sure they’ll find a way to bring him back somehow for future installments.

This character could have been so great over the course of the MCU, but the writers just stuck with the same tired old tropes and put them on repeat, even up to the big heroic sacrifice in the end, which fell flat to me because he already had more than one of those.  Those being his flying of the nuke into the wormhole back in The Avengers, and then his destruction of all his suits in Iron Man 3.

They tried this so many times already that it lost it’s uniqueness for any of those who are invested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

[newstfionline]

Thursday, September 2, 2021

UN: Weather disasters soar in numbers, cost, but deaths fall (AP) Weather disasters are striking the world four to five times more often and causing seven times more damage than in the 1970s, the United Nations weather agency reports. But these disasters are killing far fewer people. In the 1970s and 1980s, they killed an average of about 170 people a day worldwide. In the 2010s, that dropped to about 40 per day, the World Meteorological Organization said in a report Wednesday that looks at more than 11,000 weather disasters in the past half-century. The report comes during a disaster-filled summer globally, including deadly floods in Germany and a heat wave in the Mediterranean, and with the United States simultaneously struck by powerful Hurricane Ida and an onslaught of drought-worsened wildfires. In the 1970s, the world averaged about 711 weather disasters a year, but from 2000 to 2009 that was up to 3,536 a year or nearly 10 a day, according to the report, which used data from the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters in Belgium. The average number of yearly disasters dropped a bit in the 2010s to 3,165, the report said. Most death and damage during 50 years of weather disasters came from storms, flooding and drought.

Ontario to require COVID-19 vaccine certificates (AP) Ontario on Wednesday became the fourth Canadian province to announce residents will have to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to enter restaurants, theaters, gyms and other indoor public venues. Premier Doug Ford said the vaccination certificate program will take effect Sept. 22. Initially, residents will show a PDF or printout of the vaccination receipt they received when they got their COVID-19 shots, along with a government-issued piece of ID such as a photo health card or driver’s license. The province is expected to launch a system in late October that will send everyone a QR code to accompany their vaccination receipt. It will also launch an app that will allow service providers to scan the QR codes as proof of vaccination.

Biden defends departure from ‘forever war,’ praises airlift (AP) A defensive President Joe Biden called the U.S. airlift to extract more than 120,000 Americans, Afghans and other allies from Afghanistan to end a 20-year war an “extraordinary success,” though more than 100 Americans and thousands of others were left behind. “I was not going to extend this forever war,” Biden declared Tuesday from the White House. “And I was not going to extend a forever exit.” He is under heavy criticism, particularly from Republicans, for his handling of the evacuation. But he said it was inevitable that the final departure from two decades of war, first negotiated with the Taliban for May 1 by former President Donald Trump, would have been difficult, with likely violence, no matter when it was planned and conducted. “To those asking for a third decade of war in Afghanistan, I ask, ‘What is the vital national interest?’” Biden said. He added, “I simply do not believe that the safety and security of America is enhanced by continuing to deploy thousands of American troops and spending billions of dollars in Afghanistan.” The president lamented an estimated $2 trillion of taxpayer money that was spent fighting the war. “What have we lost as a consequence in terms of opportunities?” Biden asked.

Flames Threaten Lake Tahoe (1440) California’s Caldor Fire continued its steady advance toward one of the state’s most popular natural tourist destinations, with the flames just 3 miles from the town of South Lake Tahoe as of yesterday afternoon. The town, along with neighboring resort destinations, had mostly emptied out Monday, as a mileslong line of cars marched toward Nevada to avoid the danger. More than 50,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders, and officials estimate 33,000 structures may be at risk if it continues to advance. As of this morning, the fire had burned almost 200,000 acres and is currently at 18% containment. The flames are advancing from the southwest side of the lake eastward, and have engulfed a large portion of Route 50, the primary eastbound road into the region.

Officials urge those who evacuated to escape Ida not to return (Washington Post) More than a million people began a second day in darkness in storm-stricken Louisiana, facing the possibility of days or weeks without power. Local and state officials continued to urge those who evacuated to stay away, warning that coming home now could mean returning to an area largely without water and power, struggling with limited services. Louisiana officials said those in particularly hard-hit places who chose not to evacuate may end up leaving anyway, as they find themselves dealing with the strained resources. The near-total failure of the region’s energy grid coincides with a sweltering southeastern summer and little respite for residents. Cars and generators will eventually run out of fuel; service stations can’t pump gasoline without electricity. Cellphone batteries will expire. Water treatment systems will buckle without a reliable power system.

Homeschooling reaches critical mass (Axios) The number of U.S. kids who are homeschooled has nearly doubled during the pandemic. Nearly 2.6 million kids have switched from traditional school to homeschooling since the pandemic began, according to a new report from the Bellwether Education Partners, commissioned by the Walton Family Foundation. Now the total number of homeschooled kids sits at about 5 million. According to census data, more than 11% of U.S. households are now homeschooling. Some parents have lost faith in traditional schools, others fear exposing their kids to the coronavirus. On top of the families who have pivoted to homeschooling, there are millions more who have moved their kids from public school to private school. In fact, the total number of kids who have switched schools is a whopping 8.7 million, per the Bellwether report.

Venezuelan opposition declares end to boycott, agrees to participate in local and state elections (Washington Post) Venezuela’s main opposition parties on Tuesday announced an end to their three-year boycott of elections organized by the government of President Nicolás Maduro, abandoning one of the main tactics of their long struggle to oust the authoritarian socialist by agreeing to field gubernatorial and mayoral candidates in upcoming races. The opposition, whose candidates in past elections have been harassed and banned by Maduro’s government, has boycotted all votes since 2018. On Tuesday, its leaders acknowledged the likelihood that the local and regional elections in November would again be rigged against them. They portrayed the decision to field candidates as a last-ditch effort to reignite their base and restore democracy to this beleaguered South American nation. Others, however, saw the move as simply a nod to the new reality in Venezuela, where Maduro has significantly strengthened his grip on power. Several people familiar with the inner workings of the opposition conceded the decision came in part because rank-and-file opposition members were clamoring for an end to the stalemate that has left them jobless for years. Many saw no endgame to the opposition’s strategy or any real chance that Juan Guaidó, recognized by the United States and more than 50 other countries as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, will ever assume power.

Polarizing Decision (Reuters) Relations between the EU and Belarus have worsened sharply over the past year since President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory in an election his opponents and Western countries say was rigged. The EU slapped economic sanctions on Belarus and has accused Lukashenko of deliberately encouraging hundreds of illegal migrants to cross into Poland and the Baltic states Latvia and Lithuania in a form of “hybrid warfare.” Poland began building a barbed wire fence last week along the border in an effort to curb the flow of migrants from countries like Iraq and Afghanistan coming through Belarus. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s government formally asked President Andrzej Duda to impose a state of emergency for 30 days in parts of two regions. That would give Polish authorities the power to restrict the movement of people, including non-governmental organizations in the border areas. Human rights groups strongly criticized Poland’s approach, saying Warsaw must provide more humanitarian aid to those stranded on the border. Morawiecki said the blame lies with the Lukashenko regime that “decided to push these people onto Polish, Lithuanian and Latvian territory in an effort to destabilize them.”

Sri Lanka declares economic emergency to contain food prices amid forex crisis (Reuters) Sri Lanka has declared an economic emergency empowering the authorities to seize stocks of staple foods and set their prices, to contain soaring inflation after a steep devaluation of its currency due to a foreign exchange crisis. The president of the island nation, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, on Monday declared an emergency under the public security ordinance to maintain the supply of food items such as sugar and rice at fair prices. The emergency came into effect from midnight. The government has appointed a former army general as commissioner of essential services, who will have the power to seize food stocks held by traders and retailers and regulate their prices.

Australia now aims to ‘live with virus’ instead of eliminating it (Reuters) Australian authorities on Wednesday extended the COVID-19 lockdown in Melbourne for another three weeks, as they shift their focus to rapid vaccination drives and move away from a suppression strategy to bring cases down to zero. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews flagged a staggered easing of the tough restrictions once 70% of the state’s adult residents receive at least one dose, a milestone he hopes to reach at least by Sept. 23, based on current vaccination rates. “We have thrown everything at this, but it is now clear to us that we are not going to drive these numbers down, they are instead going to increase,” Andrews told reporters in Melbourne, the state capital, after a lockdown for nearly a month failed to quell the outbreak.

Taliban focus on governing after US withdrawal (AP) After the end of the US airlift, “Afghanistan is finally free,” Hekmatullah Wasiq, a top Taliban official, told The Associated Press on the tarmac. “Everything is peaceful. Everything is safe.” He urged people to return to work and reiterated the Taliban’s offer of amnesty to all Afghans who had fought against the group over the last 20 years. “People have to be patient,” he said. “Slowly we will get everything back to normal. It will take time.” A long-running economic crisis has worsened since the Taliban’s rapid takeover of the country in mid-August, with people crowding banks to maximize their daily withdrawal limit of about $200. Civil servants haven’t been paid in months and the local currency is losing value. Most of Afghanistan’s foreign reserves are held abroad and currently frozen. A major drought threatens the food supply, and thousands who fled during the Taliban’s lightning advance remain in squalid camps. “Afghanistan is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe,” said Ramiz Alakbarov, the local U.N. humanitarian coordinator. He said $1.3 billion is needed for aid efforts, only 39% of which has been received. The challenges the Taliban face in reviving the economy could give Western nations leverage as they push the group to fulfill a pledge to allow free travel, form an inclusive government and guarantee women’s rights. The Taliban say they want to have good relations with other countries, including the United States. There are few signs of the draconian restrictions the Taliban imposed last time they were in power. Schools have reopened to boys and girls, though Taliban officials have said they will study separately. Women are out on the streets wearing Islamic headscarves—as they always have—rather than the all-encompassing burqa the Taliban required in the past. When the Taliban last ruled the country, from 1996 to 2001, they banned television, music and even photography, but TV stations are still operating normally and the Taliban fighters themselves can be seen taking selfies around Kabul.

Taliban takeover propels tiny Qatar into outsize role in Afghanistan (Washington Post) When the United States was forced to relocate its diplomatic mission from Afghanistan on Monday, it chose Qatar, a longtime mediator between the West and the Taliban and more recently the only government viewed as capable of coaxing the Afghan militants to stay engaged with the world. Qatar’s relationship with the Taliban stretches back years, reflecting the affinity of the small Persian Gulf state with Islamists and its wish to be a regional power broker. Its unique position has paid huge dividends in the last few weeks as Qatar played a pivotal role in helping the United States and other countries extricate tens of thousands of their citizens and allies from Afghanistan after the rapid Taliban advance. Qatar’s connections with the Taliban have made Doha the ­go-to contact for countries seeking influence in Afghanistan, as well as for desperate Afghans trying to leave and news media and nongovernmental organizations seeking help with evacuations. But Qatar also runs the risk of tarnishing its reputation if it is seen as too quick to embrace a brutal Taliban government, analysts said. “Qatar is happy to be important again, but it is also worried about the optics,” said Cinzia Bianco of the Berlin-based European Council on Foreign Relations.

Hezbollah hammered with criticism amid Lebanon’s crises (AP) Driving back to base after firing rockets toward Israeli positions from a border area last month, a group of Hezbollah fighters was accosted by angry villagers who smashed their vehicles’ windshields and held them up briefly. It was a rare incident of defiance that suggested many in Lebanon would not tolerate provocations by the powerful group that risk triggering a new war with Israel. As Lebanon sinks deeper into poverty, many Lebanese are more openly criticizing Iran-backed Hezbollah. They blame the group—along with the ruling class—for the devastating, multiple crises plaguing the country, including a dramatic currency crash and severe shortages in medicine and fuel. Critics say that rather than push for reform, Hezbollah has stood by its political allies who resist change. They say the group is increasingly pulling Lebanon into Iran’s orbit by doing its bidding, and that U.S. sanctions against Iran and Hezbollah have made things harder. Where Hezbollah was once considered an almost sacred, untouchable force fighting for a noble cause—the fight against the Israeli enemy—it is now seen by many simply as part of the corrupt political clique responsible for the country’s epic meltdown.

Doctor’s orders: ‘Nature prescriptions’ see rise amid pandemic (Reuters) When Annette Coen went for a health check-up last summer in Washington state, she and her doctor discussed concerns around her weight and asthma. Then her doctor offered a novel prescription: regular hikes in the woods. He gave Coen a one-year pass to Washington’s state park system and told her to “go for walks, go camping, do what you need to do,” Coen, now 53, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. A year on, she said the park prescription was a “great experience” for her and her whole family. “I have lost 30 pounds (13.6 kg) since April this year ... just being out and about,” she said. With the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting the health benefits of spending more time outdoors, a growing faction of the U.S. medical community is prescribing time outside the same way they would traditional medication. In more than 500 scientific studies in recent years, researchers have linked time spent in nature with decreased anxiety, reduced risk of obesity and even reduced overall mortality, said Maryland-based pediatrician Stacy Beller Stryer.

[infamouslydorky]

Y’all asked for my BS essay so here ya go..

Absurdity of Violence

           Absurdity of Violence is a gallery assembly of six works from the 2007 online class-based first-person shooter video game Team Fortress 2 developed by Valve and curated around Hannah Arendt’s quote:

"Violence is by nature instrumental; like all means, it always stands in need of guidance and justification through the end it pursues. And what needs justification through something else cannot be the essence of anything." 

To break down Arendt’s quote in relation to this game: "Violence is by nature instrumental" meaning violence in itself is a tool or device made to carry out a particular function, that function being to maintain control over people allowing a person or government to have power. Violence “…always stands in need of guidance and justification through the end it pursues." The words "guidance" and "justification" are brought up referring back to how violence is an instrument or "tool" and tools are designed with a purpose preceding its conception. A hammer is designed to put a nail in a wall. Essence precedes existence. What makes this quote distinctive, however, is the last sentence:  "And what needs justification through something else cannot be the essence of anything." Ardent is saying how using the purpose of something else to make an action or use of a tool right or reasonable means the tool inherently has no reason so violence is a tool without a reasonable purpose. Violence is therefore absurd. There are times when the existence of violence precedes the essence and is justified by senseless means. It becomes important to consider the idea of "when is violence reasonable" when applied to any day and age as violence is something that comes up perpetually throughout human history and even in entertainment like video games.

Hannah Arendt wrote extensively about the philosophy of violence applying it to Enlightenment ideas of “reason above all” resulting in the thought of “when is violence ever reasonable?” She focused primarily on physical violence and how the balance of violence versus power dynamic would operate in more governmental or, more accurately, political facets. Power, by her definition, was in the “polis” or “the people”, “assembly”, and so on. Violence is an implement to maintain the assembly so that they follow obediently, allowing governments or people in high positions to maintain their status of control, for power is control over the “polis”.

There have been many instances where art is political or philosophical in its visual statement. However, it is not often that people consider video games art, let alone a form of art with political or philosophical undertones. Video games began with Pong, A game where the objective was to pass a “ball” into the opposing player’s goal, replicating actions much like tennis in a pixelated form. Video games have since become a more and more elaborate as an interactive art medium. The conception of a video game begins around a central idea, usually a game mechanic, especially in earlier games, and elaborates on it via the controls. Over the years, more types of video games have come forward. Some examples of types of video games include retro (like Pac Man or Pong), platformer, racing, survival horror, and first-person shooter.

FPS, or first-person shooters, are a type of video game that innately come with a sense of violence as the primary objective of this game type centers around the killing of players on the opposing team to reach an end goal, be it a payload, capture the flag, or other game modes. Being that Team Fortress 2 is a class-based FPS, the gameplay fluctuates depending on which character or class the player chooses in order to balance gameplay. Each class has an opposing class that is a complete foil to them. On top of that comes the dynamic of weapon choice for any of the nine classes in what is the most efficient choice in weaponry to eliminate an opposing player. Online servers can hold up to fifteen players on both the RED and BLU teams leading to simultaneously the most violent and absurd battles to ever come to fruition as cartoon violence is a staple of the game.

Arendt details how in some cases, a certain level of violence can be necessary such as in the civil rights movement, though she says violent acts like Mutually Assured Destruction (M.A.D.) is insanity. M.A.D. is the concept that both sides have the equal threat of weaponry guaranteed to destroy each other worlds over, so it stagnates the fight in an ultimate stalemate as no one wants to die. Even the idea of perpetuating war to make a need for weapons development (the military-industrial complex) could be considered insanity. In a humorous happenstance, TF2 (Team Fortress 2) reflects both aspects of M.A.D. and the military-industrial complex within its lore and gameplay.

Team Fortress 2, while it is an FPS game like Call of Duty, Overwatch, or Battlefront, the latter three games at most may have humorous elements sprinkled in game. TF2 does not take itself seriously in tone whatsoever, opting for complete absurdity within both its lore and game mechanics. As an example, game mechanics wise, whenever a character is killed, they “ragdoll” causing the character to be laid out in a ridiculous manner as if they have no bones whatsoever. More specific mechanics like “rocket jumping” is applied to the soldier class, where the character aims at the floor with his rocket launcher and jumps across the game map via explosions. It is the ultimate Michael Bay Experience.

Arendt wrote her article for a New York periodical in a time when revolution was all around, the year 1969. Around this time was the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., The rise of the Black Power Movement, the communist threat, the assassination of Robert “Bobby” Kennedy, the French revolution with university students, and the Vietnam war, to name a few hectic events. In conjunction to the historical hot mess of wars and revolution in the late 60s, the game TF2 takes place within the same time period, capitalizing on the high tension of the political tides of the time, especially in relation to protests against war as the entire game is centered around nine mercenaries hired to fight a senseless war.

2Fort, Valve, Game map/interactive media, 2007

2Fort is a map centered around the “capture the flag” game mode. This particular game mode is based around the two teams (RED and BLU) trying to seize the opposing team’s intelligence or “flag” and returning it to their own team’s base until the team has “captured the flag” three times. Each team has their own designated side of the map where their home base exists, be it RED or BLU. There are modified variants of this game mode where the cap score or endgame score can be virtually endless so in-game it becomes senseless to even bother with attempting to win. It adds to the absurdity of the violence as the violent actions that players commit on opposing team members no longer has a purpose as the game mode is completely changed making the purpose of the original game mode become irrelevant and quite literally pointless. The objective of the game, therefore, becomes one of strictly eliminating the enemy team, removing the justification for the violence. Some players choose to embrace the idea of senseless slaughter simply to aggravate opposing team members as some find extreme joy in other’s frustration. In other cases, players may choose to recognize the senselessness of the modified game mode and make peace with opposing team members via mutual in-game taunts that cause their virtual characters to interact in a peaceful manner. Either way, it becomes relevant on a personal scale whether or not a player chooses to act on the irrelevant justification of violence in the modified game mode and partake in senseless violence.

Hightower, Valve, Game map/ interactive media, 2010

Hightower, like the aforementioned 2Fort, is a game map that players can play against each other on. Again, each team’s home base is set on opposite sides of the map, however, Hightower does not operate on a “capture the flag” game mode. Hightower is a “double payload” map. “Payload” is a game mode where one team (usually RED) defends against the opposing team (usually BLU) attempting to blow up the RED team’s home base by pushing a bomb-cart across the map and destroying the enemy’s base. “Double payload” is when both teams must push a bomb-cart into the opposing team’s base and defend their own base simultaneously. In most conventional maps that follow the “payload” game mode, the enemy team’s base is on the polar opposite side of the map, having a huge skirmish area in between the ends of the map. This map, however, has both opposing team bases directly next to each other, so, realistically speaking, the bomb is probably going to blow up one’s own home base as well, making it an act of mutual deterrence. The objective behind the violence is once again completely senseless. In the end, there is no true victory. Only destruction.

TF2 Comics: Loose Canon, Valve, Web-comic, 13 pages, 2010

                As far as the game’s lore goes: a British industrialist and weapons manufacturer, Zephaniah Mann, during the mid-1800s, is convinced by his twin sons Redmond and Blutarch Mann to purchase land in the American Southwest as his sons believe that the land is abundant in an invaluable resource known as gravel, yet they do not know that gravel is completely useless rocks that cannot be used to run steam-powered engines or formulate gasoline as they believe. Angered by his wasted purchase of land, in his will, Zephaniah sentences his sons to have to share the land while his fortune went to his maidservant, Elizabeth and his company (Mann Co.) went to his aide, Barnabas Hale. Unable to settle their differences over the land, the two brothers each hired a set of nine mercenaries to completely take over the other’s portion of land and thus began the senseless gravel war. Blutarch Mann hired Rattigan Conagher (The grandfather to the engineer class character, Dell Conagher in-game) to make a life to extend machine so that he could outlive his brother Redmond and gain the land by default. Elizabeth’s granddaughter, Helen, then hires Rattigan to extend Redmond’s life too via a second life-extending machine so the war between the two truly will never end. The machines run on the rare and valuable element “Australium”, which has life-enhancing and giving properties and is only found in Australia. Redmond and Blutarch Mann wage war, ravaging the natural land and destroying the local town for their petty squabble. The violence does no one good as no brother will win in this endless stalemate.

            Mann Vs. Machine, Valve, Animated Short, 3 min 1 sec, 2012            TF2 is a game that has been around for ten years. How could it stay relevant for so long? Answer: the game has updates that adjust gameplay, add lore, and add game modes. In this particular case, there was the Mann Vs. Machine update which added a new game mode where any six players at a time could face off with a swarm of robots that attack one’s team in waves. One brings up the aspect of robots as Hannah Arendt mentions

“…that ‘within a very few years’ robot soldiers will have made ‘human soldiers completely obsolete,’ and that, finally, in conventional warfare the poor countries are much less vulnerable than the great powers precisely because they are ‘underdeveloped’ and because technical superiority can ‘be much more of a liability than an asset’ in guerrilla wars.”

What remains canon according to the comics accompanying the update is that the nine mercenaries defeat the army of robots made by Redmond and Blutarch’s estranged genius third brother Gray Mann. The mercenaries’ personal motivation for defeating them at all is within their job description: being paid to kill, be it human or machine, so long as the payroll comes in. Generally speaking, it could be argued as an unreasonable purpose to act violently since they end up with so much money at one point that they end up using it as fuel for a fireplace so their original purpose to act out in violence becomes absurd and “...cannot be the essence of anything.”

TF Comics #6: The Naked and the Dead, Valve, Web-comic, 274 pages, 2017            Team Fortress 2 is considered a sequel to Valve’s Team Fortress Classic which came out 1997 (ten years before TF2’s release) though they bear little resemblance to each other. Valve ties together its previous game with its sequel via the comics as the second group of nine mercenaries Redmond and Blutarch hired from the 1930s (the TFC mercenaries) come into play when the events of TF2 take place in the 1970s. The Team Fortress Classic (TFC) members now work under Gray Mann to eliminate the TF2 Mercenaries as well as track down as much Australium as possible by finding Helen, “the Administrator”-a woman who watches all the actions of the mercenaries of TF2 and disembodied voice that narrates the status of each team in game, playing both the RED and BLU teams. The TFC mercenaries figure out the value in Australium and betray Gray Mann, killing him. In this issue, it details how in every way the TFC mercenaries are more advanced and competent than the TF2 mercenaries though the TF2 mercenaries win in the end. In Arendt’s words: “…All violence harbors within itself an element of arbitrariness; nowhere does Fortuna, good or ill luck, play a more important role in human affairs than on the battlefield …” One brings this up as there is a literal “Deus ex Machina” scene with God, as an actual character in the story, reviving one of the TF2 mercenaries. Even if the tool of violence is used against the TF2 members, there is no point as they canonically are much like roaches and simply will not expire. There is usually some round-about way throughout the comics that they come back regardless of what happens to them.

Meet the Medic, Valve, Animated Short, 4 min 10 sec, 2011            As no stranger to animated shorts, Valve produced a series of Meet the Team videos introducing the different mercenary classes one can play as. Most of the series came out in 2007 with the game’s debut, though some of the series has been added as later installments. The Meet the Medic short, being released in 2011, emphasizes on not only the mechanics of the healer class but the character’s distinct personality. The Medic could easily be mistaken for a benevolent figure given the bias associated with most healer class personalities, however, the Medic chooses more so to heal as a byproduct of his sick curiosity. It is his job to heal teammates, though it brings him more pleasure to do harm to others than good, generally. An example of this is the existence of a live disembodied head of the Spy class character within his refrigerator. Is there a reasonable purpose for the Medic’s actions? No, though to answer the question of “what if” takes precedence over any standard of Modernist Enlightenment “reason”. “Violence by nature is instrumental…” and in this case, is used as an instrument for discovery as opposed to maintaining power or control. The Medic is not “constrained” by moral standards or the Hippocratic oath for that matter. There is irony in that the character has a bust of Hippocrates, “the father of medicine” and famed inventor of the “do no harm” oath; opting to use the bust as a weapon to bludgeon opposing team members in-game.  

[silvokrent]

All in the Job - 1

In which Glynda contemplates submitting her two weeks notice.

Of all the responsibilities she held, courtesy of her numerous job titles—Huntress, Professor, Academy Liaison, Deputy Headmistress of Beacon—there were some that Glynda could have done well without.

Which wasn’t to say she resented her job—far from it. Ruthlessly ambitious almost to a fault, Glynda relished a challenge, and would have never contented herself with anything short of what passed for the layperson as occupational masochism. Hence why she’d spent the majority of her career fine-tuning the ability to juggle her professional obligations, which included everything from organizing interdepartmental faculty meetings, to sorting out whatever problems Ozpin couldn’t (or didn’t want to) deal with that day. She had distinguished herself early on as a multitasker with a sharp mind, uniquely qualified for the task of corralling her students and putting out the (sometimes literal) fires that were as much a staple of the school year as the homework and detentions were.

No. Glynda enjoyed a challenge. And working at a school for trained killers presented no shortage of that. Destroying Grimm, dismantling crime syndicates, foiling terrorist plots: all occupational hazards, most with which she had minimal qualms.

The caveat, she’d discovered, well into her tenure and past the point of no return, was the political nature of her job. Something that Ozpin had conveniently “forgotten” to disclose when she’d first signed her contract.

Years later, and she had a pretty good idea as to why.

With no small amount of effort, Glynda dug through her handback and produced the necessary documents for the door greeter. “I’m here representing Beacon Academy, as is my employer,” she said. And that was as far as she got before she sneezed.

The porter recoiled, his face creased in disgust. That expression deepened when she none-too-subtly swallowed down the mouthful of phlegm that had dislodged itself from her lungs.

He held the invitation and license at arm’s length, delicately pinched between two fingers. “I should remind you,” he said, “that all guests in attendance are required to leave any weapons outside the building. That includes—”

“Yes, yes,” Glynda snapped, “I’m well aware. As you can see, I’m unarmed.” Unless one happened to look up her dress and notice the crop holstered against the inside of her leg, but really, what was the point of arguing semantics? “I hardly pose a threat to anyone here.”

“Not unless you cough on the buffet table,” he muttered, and Glynda made sure to fix him with her patented Disapproving Teacher Scowl. The porter flinched at the steel in her gaze.

“Your belongings.” He was quick to push the offending items back into her hands, then brush his palms down the front of his vest. “Enjoy the party, Professor Goodwitch.”

I most certainly won’t. But she kept that comment to herself. Glynda inclined her head, once. “Thank you for the—” and she stopped to give a dramatic intake of breath, lips curled in the beginnings of an unmistakable sneeze. She watched through half-narrowed eyes as he pinwheeled backward, nearly tripping over himself to escape the blast radius. Panic, quickly replaced with indignation, colored his face as Glynda delicately pinched the bridge of her nose. “False alarm,” she assured him, in a falsely-cheery voice. And with that said and done, Glynda turned and strode inside.

She blamed the vindictiveness on the store brand cough medicine, half of which she’d downed before leaving her apartment; then, as an afterthought, had shoved the rest of the bottle into her handbag. Given the circumstances, it felt warranted.

The reception, while not on par with the ostentatious standards upkept by Atlas’ and Mistral’s elite, was still headache-inducing. Embroidered, fabric banners canopied the ceiling, fluttering gently whenever the waitstaff scurried by. Backed against the far wall she spotted the aforementioned buffet, and it certainly was a spectacle, wafting clouds of steam from the assorted dishes and hors d'oeuvres. The guest tables were subject to the same lavish treatment, with ornate centerpieces encircled by dozens of candles that flickered whenever disturbed by the motions of a passing guest. Glynda scoffed. Of course they’d have no problem with fire hazards, but gods forbid she be permitted to walk around with an unbrandished riding crop.

And there, tying it all together, branded on every wall lest any of them forget why they were here, was Vale’s coat-of-arms.

The soirée was about the self-congratulatory pomp for the councilors as much as it was a display of gratitude for their sponsors. Election cycles ran on campaign promises as much as they did on bribes and charity, and not a single attendee was under any delusions otherwise. The post-election parties were little more than a formality at this point, a tradition kept alive because someone, somewhere, years ago had convinced themselves that these little displays of wealth and power were enough of a testimony their newly-reformed government wouldn’t relapse into an all-consuming bloodbath.

Glynda snorted aloud, only to regret the gesture when it sent her into a coughing fit.

As Ozpin’s intended successor, she was expected to attend. Sick or otherwise.

At least, she mused to herself, when Ozpin took leave of his office—by death or retirement, though almost certainly the former—she would be spared from the nightmare of having to run for reelection. It was an intentional quirk legislated by the King of Vale in the aftermath of the Great War: not only were the leaders of the Huntsmen Academies automatically granted Council seats, but they were immune to term limits and had to be nominated by a coalition of their peers. Decades later, and it was still something that politicians liked to moan about when gossip grew stale or Ozpin had done enough to piss off his colleagues.

Which was the second reason why she had dragged herself through the snow and consigned herself to this torture: because Ozpin had asked.

She thought “asked,” but truthfully, “begged” was more appropriate.

Ozpin was a great many things—cordial, shrewd, altruistic, and relentlessly devoted to his school—but even his patience had limits. The downside to his position was that while it granted him the political influence of a councilor, it also meant that he was working two jobs under the guise of one. Which wasn’t to say that Oz wasn’t qualified for the task—far from it—only that he was a Huntsman first, politician second. Training fledgling Hunters to defend humanity was something he was peerless at, and never a day passed where Glynda didn’t admire that trait, the circumstances of his curse notwithstanding.

What made these parties (and his job) so unbearable was that his colleagues were a bunch of donkey-faced bastards.

Ozpin disliked them for trying to interfere at Beacon. The other councilors despised him for being untouchable. Frankly, it was a miracle he hadn’t shoved his cane up their nether regions. And unlike Glynda, whose absence would be noted but otherwise inconsequential, Ozpin didn’t have the luxury of taking a sick day. She wasn’t merciless enough to leave him trapped here making small talk in this bureaucratic hellscape, so instead, she’d sucked up her cold and come.

A server extended a tray to her, and without thinking Glynda took the offered champagne flute.

“—gone too far this time! You’ve overstepped your boundaries, and I refuse to sanction this lunacy.”

“Then I suppose it’s a good thing I don’t require your permission to proceed,” came the mild reply, “given that the school is under my jurisdiction.”

Speaking of which.

With a long-suffering sigh, Glynda moved on autopilot toward the conversation, the throng of people around her parting as she brushed past. There was an equal likelihood of that being due to the thunderous expression on her face as it was the mucus that she could feel glistening above her lips. For one treacherous moment, she lamented the fact she’d chosen a sleeveless dress. Her nose was starting to itch.

She spotted them by the windows. Ozpin stood with his left hand braced against the silver pommel of his cane, a half-empty coupe in his right. The man across from him showed his age, slightly hunched and half-balding, and with a rather unfortunate gut that the tweed suit and pleated shirt did nothing to hide.

“I fail to see why this has you so distraught,” Ozpin said. He tipped his head to one side. “We’ve used this procedure for years, and to my knowledge no one has voiced any objections.”

“Sometimes,” the councilman growled, “I wonder if you even bother to read the requisition forms your staff submits before you sign off on them. Otherwise, you’d fully understand my ‘objections.’”

“I review every document given to me, as you well know.” Ozpin raised the glass to his lips, his expression betraying nothing. “If you’d be so kind as to enlighten me on the issue, perhaps I can help mollify those concerns.”

“‘Concerns,’ he says.” The councilman sneered. “As if importing Alpha Beowolves is a mere trifle, and not a matter of kingdom defense!”

Glynda lurked just beyond Ozpin’s periphery. She’d bail him out if it became necessary. For now, though, she leaned against the nearby column, content to watch her friend verbally assassinate the other man.

“That’s what this is about?” A hint of surprise colored his inflection, and Glynda recognized it for the façade that it was. They would’ve been stupid to not anticipate a bit of an uproar over that particular request, which was why she’d offered to have it submitted during the tail-end of the elections. This time of year, overworked and success-drunk politicians tended to say “yes” to the mounting paperwork stack on their desk just to make it go away.

Burrell, bless his shriveled black heart, was apparently the exception.

“We’ve successfully handled live Grimm transport for years,” Ozpin pointed out. “Need I remind you that procurement is necessary for my students, so that they have ample training fodder?”

The other man’s complexion paled by a shade or two. “You’re telling me,” he said, in a disquieted tone, “that you regularly pit your students against high-level Grimm variants reserved for licensed Huntsmen?”

“Of course not.” Ozpin sounded amused. “We have Boarbatusks for that.”

Burrell’s jaw clenched.

“The far more dangerous subspecies, however, are necessary for the research conducted on-campus,” Ozpin amended. He regarded the wine in his glass. “Of which the Council has been made well aware in the past, so why the sudden protests? The containment facilities are up to code. If you’d like, I can produce the documents from last year’s inspection—”

“I don’t know what I find more disturbing,” he said. “The fact that you equate transporting Alphas with Boarbatusks, or your cavalier attitude regarding civilian endangerment.”

It was subtle, and to the untrained eye would have gone unnoticed. She didn’t miss the way Ozpin’s grip tightened on his cane.

“The risks involved haven’t changed, Burrell. Merely your overestimation of them.”

“Entirely unnecessary risks at that,” Burrell spat. “You run a combat school, not Merlot Industries. You’re supposed to be killing Grimm, not u-hauling them into Vale just so your staff can dissect them."

“The now-defunct Merlot Industries was the only global corporation with a scientific agenda concerning Grimm. Since their disbanding, there has been a gap in the field of Grimm research. Our ability to fight them is contingent on our understanding of them, which is why the school’s laboratory work is just as important as its field counterpart.” His expression hardened. “And if you would be so kind as to not equate Beacon Academy with that organization.”

“Why?” Burrell asked. “Because you think that what you’re doing is any saner? Care to explain to me the difference?”

Ozpin rested his glass on the table to their right, both hands now firmly clasped over the cane. “The difference,” he said, “is ethics. Dr. Merlot was a Machiavellian cultist whose obsession with the Grimm led to him no longer following safety protocol, so he could acquire more specimens faster. My staff adheres to a set of strict guidelines when conducting research, so that we may prevent catastrophes like Mountain Glenn.”

“It took the kingdom years to recover from that.” The councilman motioned with his drink. “The losses we endured at Mountain Glenn were substantial, never mind the resources we funneled into that project only for them to be wasted.” He went to take a draught from his glass.

“I’m relieved to see that your concerns about the lien weren’t misplaced. For a moment, I feared you might actually be worried about the casualties,” Ozpin said.

Glynda watched as Burrell proceeded to choke on his drink.

Ozpin waited until he resurfaced from his glass, his cheeks flushed and flecked with beads of wine. He glowered over the rim of his coupe, to bet met with a carefully-neutral expression by Oz.

“What,” he asked, “did you just say?”

“I could be off my mark,” Ozpin acknowledged, as though he were theorizing on the end of a charming novel, and not lampooning his colleague. “But as I understand, you spoke out at length against how much of Vale’s annual budget was allocated to my school. I believe the phrase you used was ‘indiscriminate black hole of lien.’ And while I can agree on a need to review funding distribution, strangely, you didn’t seem to have any suggestions for where that money could be spent otherwise.”

The councilman’s expression was slowly morphing through the entire color spectrum, from a sickly off-green to a now livid red.

“When one of my teachers first sought approval for capturing and transporting Grimm,” Ozpin continued, “we went through a significant amount of red tape. A committee was even formed to not only redefine Grimm trafficking and establish special research permits, but to investigate the motive behind the request. As I recall, you headed that committee.”

“I assume you’re getting to a point.”

Ozpin went to retrieve his glass. “I find it strange,” he admitted, “that after everything else we’ve brought to the school—Ursai, Creeps, Nevermores—you would suddenly object now. A more suspicious man might go so far as to note how coincidental it is that the approval period for the request coincides with Vale’s fiscal review. A timely opportunity to boycott the request on the premise of its potential dangers, and then take the lien that was diverted from us and spend it elsewhere. Some might go so far as to call it a conflict of interest.”

The look Burrell gave him was incendiary. Glynda was surprised Oz’s lapels hadn’t begun to smoke.

“This is all conjecture, of course. I would hate to implicate you in something so scandalous and unequivocally untrue, so shortly after you secured your Council seat. For your own sake, it may be in your best interest to defer to my judgment on the matter, lest more suspicious men subject you to their scrutiny.”

Ozpin raised his glass in a toast.

“You have no right—how dare you—I would never—” Eloquence deserted him. The councilman made a peculiar gargling sound in the back of his throat, like a blender full of rocks. “My concern,” he ground out through clenched teeth, “has and will always be the welfare of Vale’s people. If you think I’ll allow you to jeopardize that by letting one of your crackpot fool teachers hoard Grimm in the city—”

There was a subtle shift in Ozpin’s demeanor. Glynda stiffened. “The professor who oversees them is a highly esteemed and capable Huntsman. It is thanks to his work that major crises have been averted. You would do well to remember that.”

Indignation (and alcohol) did a lot to deaden a person to social cues, and Burrell continued to talk like a man who didn’t care if he woke up with a knife between his ribs. The intensity of Ozpin’s stare didn’t waver. “I remember him now. Fat bloke, rowdy, prone to self-aggrandizement. Rather hard to expect someone like him to manage Grimm when he can’t seem to manage his weight.”

Coming from the man that resembled a walrus in a suit.

But the councilman had found Ozpin’s trigger, and was twisting the knife with each word that left his mouth. “Yes,” he said, his speech slowing, becoming more deliberate. “Your subordinates were always a peculiar lot. For a prestigious academy, your staff does little to uphold its reputation. Trigger-happy celebrities with no sense of decorum”—he gestured to Ozpin’s green suit—“whose willingness to gamble with public safety borders on masturbatory, given how much of your career involves suicidal thrill-seeki—”

“Good evening, councilors.” Burrell jumped. Ozpin gave his own version of being startled, a fluttering tap-tap of his cane against the floor. His expression thawed somewhat as Glynda took up the spot to his left, the tension easing from his shoulders. “Burrell, I never had the chance to congratulate you on your reelection. The Council seat is lucky to find itself occupied by you once again.”

Burrell squinted at her, as if gauging the sincerity of her words. She could practically feel Ozpin’s eyebrows receding into his hairline, and she discreetly stepped on his foot.

“I appreciate the sentiment,” he said at last. He didn’t seem to begrudge the change in topic; not when it meant having a chance to talk about himself. “These last few weeks have been monstrously busy. One wonders how I’ve found the opportunity to rest. You would think insomnia were a prerequisite for the job.”

“A necessary evil. One that we’re all familiar with,” Glynda agreed. “Our work doesn’t sleep, and neither do we.”

“Which is exactly why we need events like this. To indulge and relax. An escape from the stress of our everyday lives.”

Or a source of additional stress, depending on who you asked.

“Not for all of us.” Glynda turned to Ozpin. “I was looking for you, actually. We need to discuss the travel arrangements for that upcoming mission in Atlas. I’m afraid it can’t wait until tomorrow.”

Ozpin made a noncommittal noise. “Too right you are, I suppose.” He accepted the arm she offered him, threading it through hers and giving Burrell the faintest inclination of his head. “Enjoy your evening.”

She ignored the glare that followed them as she steered Ozpin across the room. Waited until they’d put enough people between them before she leaned into her friend’s side.

“Play nice,” she murmured.

Ozpin sighed. “You say that as if I have no self-control.”

“I noticed they let you through the door with your cane. Were you planning on using it, or did I only imagine that look on your face back there?”

He carefully extricated himself from her grip. His arm free, Oz went to take another sip from his glass, his expression the closest she’d ever seen to guileless. “They wouldn’t part an old man from his walking stick, would they?” he mused.

Glynda fought the urge to roll her eyes. “If you keep talking like that you’ll only give Burrell another reason to call for your resignation.”

She didn’t miss that brief flicker of dislike. “Over my dead body.”

“He’d probably find that quite agreeable.” Out of habit, she went to pinch the bridge of her nose, only to belatedly peel her fingers away from the cartilage. Glynda pursed her lips at the tacky feeling. To her surprise, she suddenly found a napkin being pressed into her hand.

“Here,” Ozpin said. She murmured her thanks as she blew into the napkin, while Ozpin looked on, his face etched with worry. “You look like death warmed over, Glynda.”

“That’s putting it charitably.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t stay home.”

“Don’t change the subject,” she snapped, even as she felt the last dregs of chastisement slipping from her. Another sigh, this one a concession of defeat, as she wadded up the napkin and discarded it into a nearby bin. “Did you honestly think I wouldn’t come?” she asked instead.

Ozpin averted his gaze, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. “I merely wish you’d taken tonight to get well. Not that I don’t appreciate the company, only that I’d rather it not come at your expense.”

“It’s a cold, Ozpin, not the plague. I’m not about to be carried out on a stretcher by paramedics.” The sniffle at the end of her words belied her somewhat. “Besides,” said Glynda, ignoring the persistent itch climbing up the back of her throat. “Someone needed to be here to make sure you didn’t ‘accidentally’ maim one of your colleagues.”

The indulgent, vague amusement faded from Ozpin’s voice. “I think I’m capable of being out in public without a chaperone.”

Glynda stood with arms akimbo. “Even I wanted to individually break all of his fingers. I can only imagine what indecent thoughts were going through your head.”

“Then perhaps those thoughts are best left unsaid, for your peace of mind.” Which was about as much of an admission as she’d expected to get out of him, but even so, she wasn’t entirely surprised to see him frowning at his drink. “I’ve spent a lifetime having less-than-flattering comments hurdled at me. There’s very little one can say to me that I haven’t heard before, and even less that can genuinely upset me. But to so blatantly disrespect my staff, and expect me to stand by and tolerate it…”

Wordlessly, Glynda took her champagne flute and tipped its contents into his glass. The gesture of solidarity wasn’t lost on him, and he offered a grateful, albeit humorless smile.

Ozpin inspected the carbonated liquid. “There isn’t enough alcohol in this building,” he said wryly, “that can get me tipsy, let alone drunk.” Nevertheless, he polished it off in three long swallows.

“The downside to having a robust Aura and a magic liver,” Glynda said. That managed to elicit a soft laugh from Ozpin.

“The enhanced resistance to illness and injury is helpful,” he conceded. “Certain other side effects, however, I could do without.” He hailed one of the waitstaff and exchanged the empty coupe for a crystal goblet, fizzing with a burgundy liquid that Glynda couldn’t name. “Beacon’s medical staff are convinced I’m some sort of biological anomaly.”

“Which is code for, ‘they didn’t teach me this in graduate school, and now I’m questioning my education because the headmaster’s medical chart scares me.’” Curse or not, Ozpin’s ambiguous immortality had its share of perks: greater stamina, considerable pain tolerance, and an increased damage threshold for his Aura. It couldn’t protect him from everything, but as far as combat failsafes went, you couldn’t ask for much more.

Apart from asking to not be cursed in the first place, but thousands of years later and the gods didn’t seem inclined to budge on those terms.

“I think most of them have adopted the mindset of ‘the less I know, the better I’ll sleep at night.’ Something that I can’t entirely fault them for,” Ozpin added. He drained nearly a fourth of his glass in a single take. Idly, she wondered how many more of Qrow’s bad habits he planned on picking up.

“Is that actually doing anything to you?” Glynda asked instead.

He swirled the wine in his goblet. “I can become inebriated, if the alcohol is potent enough,” he said at last. “Or if I drink a considerable amount. But I doubt the drinks here have a high enough ethanol concentration to affect me. And as much as it would get me out of…mandatory socialization…I’d rather not spend the night running back and forth to the restroom.”

“If I didn’t know any better”—she did—“I’d say you were trying to get drunk from the placebo effect.”

“Trying,” said a familiar voice from behind, “and failing miserably by the looks of it.”

There was a delayed reaction on her part, where she turned to face the owner of said voice and found the neurons in her brain momentarily forgetting how to synapse. Brought on by a sudden bout of mental fatigue, and the slow-acting cough medicine that was probably doing more harm than good at this point.

“I know the suit looks bad, but you don’t need to give me that look,” he said in mock-affront.

Lucidity returned, and now Glynda partially understood the source of her muddled brain’s confusion. “What are you doing here, Qrow?”

Qrow rolled his eyes. “Nice to see you too.”

If the setting itself wasn’t throwing her off, then his attire certainly was, a worn khaki suit with gold accents that hung loosely around his shoulders and waist, perfecting the scruffy homeless look he had going. His presence here was dissonant enough, without having to contemplate his outfit and who he must have mugged to get it.

A sudden, nagging realization hit her.

Glynda rounded on Ozpin. “You liar. You thought I wasn’t coming.”

His composure faltered, if only for a heartbeat, smoothed over with the image of ageless tranquility and concern he’d long ago perfected (and she’d long ago stopped falling for). “That hardly seems like a fair accusation.”

She leveled him a flat look. “Branwen,” she repeated. “What are you doing here?”

Qrow took a swig from the flask that he’d somehow smuggled past security. “Plus one,” he said, with a sidelong smirk at Ozpin.

He had the grace to look sheepish.

“I can’t believe you.” Glynda couldn’t decide what annoyed her more: that he was so terrified by the prospect of being stranded here, with no one for company except the voice in his head, that he invited Qrow Branwen; or that she’d been replaced with Qrow Branwen. “After all the things I have willfully put myself through over the years for you, did you seriously think that a party was going to be my breaking point?”

“I can’t believe you volunteered to do this,” Qrow said, and Glynda didn’t imagine the brief flash of alarm on Ozpin’s face.

“Meaning?” she asked.

“Meaning you need to step up your negotiation tactics,” Qrow told her. “Because you’re out of your mind if you seriously think I agreed to do this out of the goodness of my heart.”

Tonight was clearly meant to test how much lower she could set the bar where her expectations were concerned. So far, it had yet to disappoint.

“You bribed him.” It wasn’t a question.

“I promised to compensate him as a thank you for going out of his way and doing me the favor,” Ozpin clarified, though he paused to give Qrow a look of mild exasperation. “Something which you seem determined to make me regret.”

Qrow shrugged. “My discretion costs extra. Not that I’m opposed to bargaining,” he said, with a grin that immediately sent a conga line of unholy thoughts through Glynda’s head. A hint of color crept into Ozpin’s face that had absolutely nothing to do with the alcohol in his hand.

She sighed. “I’m already feeling nauseous from the postnasal drip. Please don’t make me vomit, or I will aim for your suit.”

“It’s not mine, so be my guest.” He plucked at one of the sleeves. “A little splash of color would probably liven up the palette anyway.”

She watched as Qrow toyed with a loose thread on the cuff seam. “I know you disdain formalities, but even you have standards where appearance is concerned. You couldn’t have bothered to show up in something less—”

“Offensive?” Qrow offered. He flashed her a razorblade smile, taking the time to indulge in a stretch that showcased the outfit’s shabbiness. “Sorry I didn’t rob a boutique for the occasion. I had to borrow a suit from Tai at the last minute. It’s not like I keep fancy clothes lying around in my closet for formal events, at least not since—”

Not since Summer’s funeral.

An uncomfortable truth, one he clearly hadn’t meant to stumble upon so unwittingly if the way he cleared his throat was anything to go by. A hand reached up to comb through unkempt hair, an idiosyncrasy Glynda recognized for what it was: unease.

It was immediately countered by a second idiosyncrasy: a bracing nip from his flask, which he then pocketed as though nothing had happened.

“Y’know”—Qrow tossed an accusing look in Ozpin’s direction—“maybe if my boss paid me more I’d be able to afford a nice suit.”

“I’m noticing that tonight’s conversations have a theme,” Ozpin said. He was tactful enough to follow Qrow’s lead. “If you take issue with your salary then you’ll have to negotiate with your current employer. Though as I understand it, Signal pays its teachers relatively well.”

“Because my teaching gig isn’t a cover for my super-secret field job,” Qrow said, and he gave Ozpin a light jab in the shoulder. “Come off it, Oz. Like you don’t have a say in what goes on over there at that madhouse.”

“Madhouse?” Glynda asked, at the same time Ozpin said, “Last I checked, Signal has a headmaster that thankfully isn’t me.”

“And she regularly consults you on course content and staffing, which is the reason why I work there. Q.E.D.” He folded his arms over his chest. “You ever had to teach a classroom full of prepubescent kids? It’s like herding lemmings—the attention span of a rodent mixed with suicidal tendencies. You’d think they all have hero complexes with how often they try to throw themselves into the Grimms’ mouths.”

“If I recall, two of those ‘lemmings’ are your nieces,” Glynda pointed out, and she glared in Ozpin’s direction when he had the audacity to smile into his drink. Because enabling the man responsible for impressionable children was such a fantastic idea.

Again, he shrugged. “They’ve got good heads on their shoulders, and between the two of them I’m not worried. They’re not about to go do something stupid; Tai and I made sure of that. The rest of their classmates, on the other hand…” Long fingers reached up and kneaded at his temples. “You’d want a raise too if you had to deal with the bullshit I did.”

“Perhaps if you didn’t spend all of your paychecks on alcohol you could afford a new suit,” Glynda remarked, a tad waspishly. As if to prove her point, he froze mid-motion in the act of snatching an unattended flute from off one of the serving trays. Their gazes met, and he offered her a rakish grin that did nothing to impress, sidling back to Ozpin’s side now brandishing his prize.

“I teach, therefore I drink.” His eyes lingered on the headmaster long enough to at last goad a response out of him.

Ozpin adjusted his glasses. “I stand by my previous statement. And even if I were inclined to believe your salary was insufficient, I’d like to point out that procuring lien has become no less tedious an undertaking.” Qrow cocked a brow, and Ozpin suppressed a sound that bore some distant relation to a snort. “Do you think I have the ability to just magically will money into existence?”

“Yes,” said Qrow.

Glynda found herself making an expression that mirrored Ozpin’s own flat one.

“What?” he asked. “With all the weird fucking shit I’ve seen you do, you seriously expect me to stop suspending my disbelief now? After what you did to me and Raven—”

“Qrow,” Glynda warned.

His jaw shut with a near-audible click of teeth. “Anyone that hears us isn’t going to care, and anyone that would care can’t hear us.”

She grudgingly conceded that he had a point. The background ambiance created by the guests and the music on the speakers was as good of a smokescreen as any for their conversation. There were, admittedly, worse ways to tempt fate.

Didn’t mean she had to give him the satisfaction of being right.

“Unlike him, I’m not about to bargain for your discretion,” she muttered. “At least try to pretend you know what ‘subtlety’ means.”

“Perhaps we should relocate to the balcony,” Ozpin suggested, with a quelling look aimed at Qrow before he could continue to argue for argument’s sake. Years of loyalty won out, and the other man relented with a “yeah, okay” under his breath.

“Believe it or not, my abilities aren’t limited by imagination. They do come with certain constraints.” Ozpin began to herd them in the direction of the staircase. It didn’t escape her notice that he was scanning the crowd, no doubt checking that the coast was clear and they weren’t about to be ambushed by any marauding politicians. Evidently satisfied, he continued: “Even though it bypasses our traditional understanding of reality, magic still operates within definable parameters. No amount of wishful thinking can get around them, however convenient those powers appear.”

“Get back to me when you figure out how to turn water into wine,” Qrow said. “Then I’ll hear whatever you have to say about ‘definable parameters.’”

“He has a point, Oz.” Glynda had the momentary satisfaction of watching them both glance back over their shoulders to stare at her in surprise. “After all,” she continued, “you managed to turn a drunk into a bird.” Her gaze slid in Qrow’s direction. “Too bad you couldn’t give him the magical power of sobriety.”

Qrow flipped her off. “You’re hilarious.”

Ozpin turned to climb the stairs, but not before she caught his amused expression. “Let’s not go asking for miracles, Glynda.”

“It’s when you say stuff like that,” Qrow muttered. “What the hell qualifies as a miracle for someone who can literally break the fabric of reality?”

“It would be more accurate to say I ‘bend’ it,” Ozpin replied, and suddenly Glynda had a newfound insight for where he got his teaching philosophies from. “I thought you would have known that, seeing as we’ve had this conversation before.”

“We have?”

“On more than one occasion.”

“Weird how I don’t remember that.”

“As I’ve mentioned before,” Ozpin said, “the curse allows, and sometimes even requires, temporary violations of spacetime and conservation of mass. As for restrictions, some of them come from not just continuous and voluntary usage, but passive siphoning. With every reincarnation cycle, each new host receives fractionally less magic than before, which limits what I, my predecessors, and my successors are capable of—”

“Oh wait, I remember now.” Qrow mounted the last step and leaned against the handrail. “How do you make magic sound so boring.”

“The same way you make it sound absurd by suggesting I wave my hand and conjure lien from the ether,” Ozpin retorted. Glynda took up the spot to his right, watching the guests mill below the balcony.

“A part of me almost wishes you could, and I don’t mean that entirely in jest,” she said. “Ulterior motive or not, Burrell does have a say in funding. If he chooses to contest the matter we’ll have more to worry about than just Peter’s disappointment.”

“You already got cornered by that greasy jackass?” Qrow stopped fingering the lights wrapped around the balustrade to look at him. “No wonder you were meerkating the room. The hell did he want?”

“The same thing he always does,” Glynda muttered.

Ozpin propped his cane against the railing. “I wouldn’t worry too much,” he said, only to be met with a dubious noise from Glynda. “This isn’t the first time he’s attempted to sabotage me, and it won’t be the last. He loses a little credibility every time he pulls a stunt like this, and he knows it, so I don’t think he’s willing to press his luck. I suspect that tonight was about testing the chinks in my armor as much as it was antagonizing me for its own sake. His way of reminding me that he could be a…threat, if he so chose.”

“Please.” Qrow snorted. “My corgi could kick his ass.”

“Though I suppose,” he went on, in more airy tone, “if our budget was somehow cut, we’d be faced with the interesting dilemma of how to keep the lights on at the school. Of course the Grimm housed in the containment facilities would have to be either killed or released…”

“Transport’s a no-go,” Qrow said. “I mean, if we can’t afford to pay the electric bill for running the Atlas-tech enclosures, and Burrell’s tightening the regs on relocating Grimm, then we’d have to release them somewhere local.” There was a hint of menace in his smile. “How about his living room?”

Glynda opened her mouth, about to weigh in, when she noticed Qrow turn to look down the opposite end of the balcony. Something akin to resignation soured his expression, however briefly, before he sighed and went digging for his flask.

“Speaking of Atlas-tech,” Qrow said.

This time she didn’t have to suffer through the embarrassment of a delayed reaction. Though if she was being honest with herself, nothing short of amnesia could ever make James Ironwood unrecognizable to her. His aesthetic was memorable in a deliberately imposing way, a white tailcoat with navy accents atop a slate-gray military dress shirt. As he neared their posse, Glynda could make out the medals pinned to his uniform, and the Atlesian aiguillettes that denoted his status as a Council member.

“Ozpin!” He reached them in three long strides. The headmasters shook hands. “It’s been a few months. How have you been?”

“Not as well as I’d like, but better than you’d originally assumed,” Ozpin answered, a little cryptically.

Whatever that meant, James apparently understood, because his face lit up. “I’m pleased to hear it.” His gaze fell to her, and he smiled. “You look lovely, Glynda.”

“I have an upper respiratory tract infection and I’m currently coughing up enough mucus to drown a slug.” This time, Glynda did roll her eyes. “Flattery hasn’t worked on me in ten years, James. Try again.”

James held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Keep my distance. Message received.” At last his eyes lighted upon Qrow (who was in the middle of spiking his own glass with the contents of his flask), and his demeanor abruptly shifted. “I didn’t realize that these events were open to the public.”

“They aren’t, and I’m not ‘the public,’” Qrow said, eyes narrowed. “Oz invited me.”

James clasped his arms behind his back. “Glad to see that nothing’s changed since my last visit,” he said, with a pointed look at Qrow’s suit.

Qrow made a noise in the back of his throat. “I think I almost forgot how much I missed you, Jimmy.”

“Behave,” Glynda said. “Both of you.”

“I didn’t realize that you were going to be here,” Ozpin interrupted. He sipped at his drink. “Why didn’t you tell us that you were the Atlas Council’s representative? We would have met up with you upon your arrival.”

“It was a last-minute decision,” James admitted. “Originally we were going to send Hyland, but something came up and she wasn’t available. We couldn’t very well not send someone, so…” He shrugged. “We drew straws. I lost.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t jump at the chance to come, with how often you rave about Jacques Schnee’s parties,” Qrow said, unable to keep the contempt out of his voice.

James’ brow furrowed. “Attending his social functions is more of a formality at this point. He’s a useful ally, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“So this isn’t your kind of scene,” Qrow said.

“No.”

“Really. It’s stilted, boring, and mechanical—just like you.”

His jawline tightened. “At least my mere presence doesn’t endanger the people around me.”

Perhaps it was too much to hope for, Glynda thought brokenly, that they could go one night without antagonizing each other.

Qrow laughed, low and dark and devoid of mirth. “Trust me, I wouldn’t be here if I thought my Semblance was going to bring down the building.”

Some of the combativeness faded from James’ expression, replaced with curiosity. “Then what are you doing here?” he asked. “Clearly you didn’t come for the drinks or conversation.”

“Yeah, no, fuck that. I’ve got all the drinks I want right here.” He lifted his flask and gave it an emphatic shake. “Like I said, invitation. I’m here to pull the fire alarm when Oz gives me the signal so we can make our little jailbreak and run for it.”

“You make me sound as incorrigible as the students,” Ozpin said. He pursed his lips. “If you’d be so kind as to refrain from anything that might get me fired, I’d appreciate it.”

Qrow smirked into his drink. “Is that an order or a request?”

“Qrow.” “Order it is, then.” He took a deep draught of whatever poison he’d mixed for himself, grimacing as it went down. “We still need to think of an exit strategy for later. I don’t suppose you can turn on the sprinkler system from here?” he asked James.

“Even if I wanted to,” the other man replied evenly, “my implants wouldn’t be able to remotely access them. They’re only meant to interface with my prostheses, which are a closed system.”

“Maybe that’s for the better,” Qrow mused. “I don’t think this venue has enough rice so we’re fucked if you get wet—”

“How’s Amber doing in Atlas?” Glynda pointedly asked, glaring at Qrow as she spoke. He mouthed a “it’s a valid concern” at her as he retreated into his alcohol.

Years of military conditioning had given him an ironclad grip on his temper, so James merely scowled at Qrow as opposed to dropkicking him off the balcony. “She’s settling in,” he said, his inflection considerably warming. “Though I think the climate is taking some getting used to. On her second day there she left the campus to go shopping in the city; something about blouses being ‘incompatible with the weather’…”

“I told her to pack warmly,” Glynda sighed. “Atlas’ winters aren’t Vale’s. She’s going to get sick.”

“Said the woman in the sleeveless dress.” Qrow arched a brow.

She debated the pros and cons of ignoring that remark, before realizing that he would find a way to lord it over her anyway. “Yes, I’m aware that I’m sick, thank you for stating the obvious. I’d like to point out that I had this cold before tonight.”

“Just saying.”

“Kindly don’t.”

“Is Amber keeping up with her training?” Ozpin politely inquired. He glanced between the two, as if debating whether to intervene, or ignore them and simply let nature take its course. He’d clearly opted for the latter.

“She’s currently enrolled in a few classes at the Academy, and I directly oversee her training whenever I can spare the time,” James assured. “I’ve also asked Winter to step in every so often and give her private sparring sessions.”

Ozpin frowned. “Is that wise, James? I know you place a good deal of trust in your subordinates, but the less people we involve, the safer it is.”

“Amber knows not to use her powers out in the open, and Winter’s only assisting with weapon proficiency. They can still train together if Amber relies solely on her staff. It’ll be good experience for her to spar against an older, more agile opponent.” He clapped a hand on Ozpin’s shoulder. “And even in the event of a worst-case scenario, you needn’t worry about Winter. Atlesian Special Operatives are trained to be discreet with handling sensitive information. I trust her.”

Ozpin considered this. “As long as certain precautions are taken, I’ll allow it.” His eyes crinkled in a smile. “You speak highly of her.”

“Why wouldn’t I? She graduated top of her class and is easily one of my best specialists,” James said. He straightened. “I couldn’t have asked for a better operative. She’s ambitious, loyal, a ruthless fencer—”

“—emotionally constipated, a frigid bitch,” Qrow added.

James closed his eyes and inhaled. “You know,” he said, in a voice clearly strained with effort, “I’m sure if you both sat down and talked about your problems like adults, you would get along.”

He cast him a sidelong look. “I’d rather have you shoot me.”

“That could be arranged.”

“Gentlemen,” Ozpin said, but it didn’t sound like a reprimand. Rather, his voice had taken on an apprehensive quality that Glynda couldn’t quite place. Only when she followed his line of sight toward the stairs did a sense of déjà vu creep over her.

“I wondered where you’d disappeared to,” said the newcomer, a woman in matching black slacks and blazer, with a long sheet of silvery-blonde hair. She regarded the headmasters with an expression that was unreadable, though not unfriendly. “How was your flight, General?”

“Uneventful, but I’m not complaining.” James dipped his head. “It’s good to see you again, Councilor Integra.”

“Likewise.”

Ozpin cleared his throat. “Did you need me for something, Integra?”

“For work? No. At least, nothing that can’t wait until next week,” she said, but with the casual evasiveness of a person who’d been waiting for an opportunity to get their foot in the door, and now had one. “But I did however receive a few concerns I need to address with you.”

“Concerns?” Ozpin echoed. “In regards to what?”

If Glynda had been expecting to hear Burrell’s name coming out of her mouth, she was sorely mistaken. “Do me the courtesy of not looming over the guests. Your combined presence is starting to unnerve people. Either disperse and mingle with the crowd or wallflower if you must, as long as you do it on the first floor.”

Not bothering to wait and see if they’d comply, she turned on her heel and swept back down the stairs.

“…a pity she’s retiring next year,” Ozpin said, after a moment. “I’ve always found her the most reasonable of Vale’s Council.”

James exhaled. ���That was unlucky.”

“Well, it’s not like we were making an effort to hide,” Qrow said, his fingers wrapping around the banister. “And Huntsmen in groups do tend to draw attention, she’s not wrong about that.” He swore softly under his breath. “So much for waiting out the storm up here.”

Ozpin’s eyes fluttered shut, and he leaned into his cane. “We don’t need to stay for the full duration,” he murmured. “Merely another hour or so.”

“You make your job sound like an endurance test,” Qrow said.

James swapped a look with Ozpin. “It isn’t? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Not the words I would have used,” Ozpin said, peering contemplatively at his glass, “but I suppose anything more accurate would involve profan—”

Glynda sneezed.

It took effort to not gag on the mucus sliding along the back of her throat. With a grimace, she coughed it back down, unable to suppress the knee-jerk shudder that followed. Lifting her head back up, she was caught off guard by Qrow’s rather intent expression, which was now disconcertingly closer than it had been a moment ago.

“Can I help you?” she asked. sandpaper.

He peered at her a heartbeat longer before declaring, somewhat unnecessarily, “You look terrible.”

“You don’t say,” she said through clenched teeth.

Her first thought was that he was clearly more drunk than he was letting on, only to then have that thought fizzle out like a wet firecracker when he reached forward and, before she could flinch out of range, graze his fingertips across her forehead.

She swatted his hand away. “What are you doing?”

“You look really terrible, Glynda.” He folded his arms across his chest, head tipped to the side in feigned deliberation. “I think you might have a fever. We should get you home so you can sleep.”

“For the last time, Branwen, it’s a cold, I’m not going to—” Her thoughts came to screeching halt and hastily backpedaled. “You can’t be serious.”

“I don’t see you coming up with any better ideas,” Qrow retorted. “Unless you want to stay here and eat shitty appetizers all night.” He turned to his superior. “You in?”

It spoke volumes of Ozpin’s loss of fucks to give via alcohol that he didn’t even try pretending to object. “James and I will notify Integra and the other kingdom representatives.”

“You’ll notify her,” James corrected him. “It makes sense for you to leave under the guise of taking her home, and Qrow’s not obligated to stay so no one will begrudge him leaving. But I can’t imagine anyone being happy if I left, too. You don’t need a three-man escort.” A rueful smile ghosted over his face. “See to it that you actually do get some rest.”

“You can see to it yourself,” Glynda insisted. There was a part of her that would, in retrospect, take the time to process everything she was saying. Right now, that part of her brain was taking backseat to twenty milligrams of cough medicine and an acute headache. Consequences be damned; she wasn’t about to abandon him. “Correct me if I’m wrong,” she began, “but didn’t we just get done telling Burrell that we needed to finalize our preparations for the Atlas mission?”

Ozpin narrowed his eyes in thought. “We did,” he said.

“If I’m indisposed, you’ll need someone to step in and help oversee those plans,” she concluded. “And who better to take over than the Councilor in whose kingdom said mission will take place? We’re cutting it rather close with the deadline, so the sooner you two leave, the sooner you can prepare.”

She could count on one hand the number of times she’d seen James gape. It was gratifying to know that her underhandedness ranked up there with the discovery that magic existed.

Qrow whistled. “Think it’ll work?”

James scrubbed at his face, before his hand came to rest at his chin. “Like you said, it’s not as if we have any other ideas.” But beneath the cool composure was an earnest hopefulness that he wasn’t quite able to mask, that betrayed just how miserable he would be at the prospect of the alternative.

It wasn’t her most eloquent plan, but desperate times…

“We’ll meet you outside.” A hand snaked around her shoulder before Glynda could protest, and she found herself being guided down the stairs. “Gotta make it look convincing if we want to sell it,” Qrow said by way of explanation. He discarded his partially-drained flute on a passing table. “Try coughing on one of the servers. That ought to do the trick.”

“You’re enjoying this,” she accused, without any heat.

“And you’re not? Don’t try to deny it,” he said, “you wanted an excuse to nope the fuck out of here as much as any of us.”

Even if she had the energy to deny it, she wouldn’t have bothered. It was late, she was sick, and gods, was it really that cold out? Glynda reflexively reached her hands up to wrap them around her arms as they stepped through the doorway. Crisp winter air burned in her lungs, and her breath fogged around her face. She stamped out the treasonous impulse to duck back inside the venue.

“What's taking them so long?” she heard Qrow mutter.

Then, not even fifteen seconds later, they appeared silhouetted against the building entrance. They stopped long enough to exchange words with the porter before crossing the street to join them.

“I can’t believe that worked,” James marveled. “I thought we’d have to—” His eyes jumped to Glynda when she failed to suppress a shiver. “Glynda, you’re freezing. Here”—he was already shrugging out of his overcoat—“I have a shirt on underneath, take my coat—”

“You don’t have to—” The protest died off as he draped the heavy fabric across her shoulders. The effect was immediate, and she allowed herself to sag into the garment, enjoying the residual warmth leftover from his body heat. “Thank you, James.”

His features softened. “Of course.”

Ozpin reached for his glasses. He’d produced an eyeglass cleaner from somewhere on his person, and was now running the cloth over the lens. “James and I were saying that we rarely have an opportunity to get together, outside of work. Would either of you be interested in getting dinner, now that our night is free?” He donned his spectacles, and in the lamplight his smile held a hint of mischief. “It’s the very least I can do for inconveniencing you both.”

Qrow shoved his hands in his pockets. “You paying?” he asked.

“I think I can manage to cover dinner,” he said. “My financial troubles notwithstanding.”

She caught James’ perplexed frown. “Don’t ask,” she sighed.

“It will have to be a restaurant where other guests won’t find us,” Ozpin added. “I imagine they wouldn’t take kindly to hearing that we…exaggerated your illness and used our jobs as Huntsmen to get out of a mandatory event.”

“Oh don’t worry, Oz.” Qrow smirked. “I know a place.”

I like to headcanon that the Wizard’s magic is a bit like the serum used on Steve Rogers, so Oz, his predecessors, and Oscar are all stuck with the side effect of magically-enforced sobriety.

For those of you that that were curious, and want to know what the chapter title translates to:

Latin: veni, vidi, vinavi – “I came, I saw, I drank.”

vīnum – “wine”

– > [ vīn- ] – stem – > [ vīn- ] + [ -āre ] – verb-forming suffix for the present infinitive, “to wine” or “to [drink] wine” – > [ vīnāre ] + [ -āvī ] – conjugated for first-person singular perfect active indicative, “I drank wine” = vinavi – final omission of macrons

I’m pretty sure that somewhere I just made a Latin enthusiast cry, but oh well.

[aion-rsa]

When Spider-Man Becomes Venom

https://ift.tt/39Uw3LD

If being Venom was like being in the Beatles, then Peter Parker would be Pete Best. His stretch of time in the late-80s wearing his living, black costume is a staple of his history. Before it turned Eddie Brock into a box office giant, the symbiote made for a badass variant look for Spider-Man that still holds up to this day. It’s the ultimate story of how we can lose ourselves to power, even if a loved one beat you over the head with lessons about responsibility.

Over the years, Spider-Man did rejoin with the symbiote a few times, usually in the name of heroism. In Venomized, a Venom symbiote from another reality bonded to him for a little while. At the end of Dan Slott’s lengthy Amazing Spider-Man run, Eddie Brock let Spidey borrow the symbiote so he could fight the Red Goblin (Norman Osborn as Carnage). These days, Parker and his former tights at least have an understanding.

This April, the team of Chip Zdarsky and Pasqual Ferry will be doing a four-issue take on Marvel’s What If? by giving us Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow. The idea? Spider-Man not only never gets rid of his hungry ooze pants, but he embraces his hungry ooze pants!

Yes, we see Peter Parker intentionally bond with what would have been known as the Venom symbiote and keep on keeping on with the crime-fighting. What happens when such a pure-hearted hero goes all-in on wearing clothes that constantly tell him to bite people’s faces off? Guess we’ll find out soon enough.

Then again, Peter holding onto the symbiote is an idea that’s been visited time and time again. Not only has it popped up in issues of What If?, but also in other forms of Marvel media.

WHAT IF THE ALIEN COSTUME HAD POSSESSED SPIDER-MAN?

In the fourth issue of What If?’s second volume, Danny Fingeroth and Mark Bagley jumped onto the then-recent introduction of Venom by doing an issue about what would have happened had Peter Parker taken too long to figure out what the deal was with his black costume. He couldn’t get in touch with the Fantastic Four, so he instead met up with Dr. Connors, which was a fruitless venture. By the time Reed Richards was able to investigate, the symbiote was already bonded to Spider-Man and wouldn’t be removed so easily.

Puppeting Parker’s body, the symbiote escaped captivity and hid in the city for several days. Spider-Man eventually came across a rampaging Hulk, which convinced the symbiote to leave Spider-Man for this upgrade of a host. Abandoned, Peter Parker appeared as an old man due to how much the creature sucked him dry. Using his final hours to design a sonic gun that could destroy the symbiote, Peter’s body finally gave out.

The symbiote eventually left Hulk for Thor. Interestingly enough, Banner was left cured of being the Hulk while the symbiote claimed what happened to Parker was a mistake. Whether it was telling the truth or not, it still took over Thor’s body and tried to hide out in Mount Rushmore. Luckily, Reed Richards had Black Bolt’s epic voice on speed dial and that took care of that.

Well, except for Black Cat getting the kill shot thanks to that aforementioned sonic gun.

SECRET WARS: 25 YEARS LATER

The final issue of the second volume of What If? took a look back at the original Secret Wars event and wondered what would happen had the heroes and villains been stuck on Battleworld for a generation. This Jay Faerber/Gregg Schigiel collaboration had Galactus and the Beyonder kill each other, meaning that all the survivors were stranded. Much had happened in those 25 years, but for the most part, the heroes and villains put their differences aside. Sure, there was something in there about Dr. Doom shacking up with the Enchantress, only for her to leave him for Thor and Doom killing her because of it, but otherwise you had the Wrecking Crew chilling out with Hawkeye and She-Hulk like old friends.

The stars of the one-shot were the offsprings, like the daughter of Captain America and Rogue or the son of Human Torch and Wasp. Spider-Man only had a couple moments, but they were incredibly interesting. He seemed colder to everyone and there was a curious debate over whether anyone had seen him eat anything.

During the climactic battle, Klaw blasted Spider-Man with some sonics. The symbiote pulled away to reveal nothing underneath but Peter Parker’s skeleton. This turned out to be far from a surprise to the heroes as Human Torch saved him and moved on without a second thought.

THE ANIMATED SERIES FINALE

Straying away from the Venom symbiote, there was a time in the comics where Ben Reilly – back when he took over being Spider-Man – was the host to the Carnage symbiote for a few hours. Nothing really happened with it, but he looked rad as hell and it made for a cool cover image.

The 90s Spider-Man cartoon ended the series by doing its own prototype version of Into the Spider-Verse. The final two-parter took place in “I Really, Really Hate Clones” and “Farewell, Spider-Man.”

In an alternate reality, a version of the Clone Saga storyline happened, only in this one, Peter was more of an asshole to Ben Reilly instead of treating him like a brother. When Peter found out that he was possibly the clone, he got extra pissed about it right around the time when the Carnage symbiote was nearby. He became Spider-Carnage and created a plan to destroy the multiverse.

A team of Spider-Men from different realities came together to stop him. After visiting a world where Spider-Man wore armor and was successful and happy in every way, the cartoon’s main Spider-Man realized that Uncle Ben was probably alive in that universe. That Uncle Ben confronted Spider-Carnage and got through to him. Although the man within wasn’t strong enough to expel the symbiote, he was able to sabotage his own multiverse-destroying plans via sacrificing his own life, all the while begging for forgiveness for all the horrors he committed.

WHAT IF? THE OTHER

Peter David and Khoi Pham did a one-shot where the Venom symbiote returned to Peter at the absolute worst time. The Other was as storyline where Spider-Man seemingly died, but survived in a cocooned form. After getting in touch with his inner spider, he was reborn with more primal abilities that unfortunately didn’t last too long. This alternate version had Spider-Man refuse the rebirth. Everyone already mourned him and he didn’t want to have that happen all over again. He remained in his cocoon, choosing to let nature take its course over time.

Read more

Comics

We Are Venom: The Many Characters Who Wore the Symbiote

By Gavin Jasper

Comics

Venom: Riot and the Life Foundation Symbiotes Explained

By Gavin Jasper

At that time, Mac Gargan was Venom’s host and the symbiote could sense Spider-Man’s situation. Knowing Peter was ripe for the picking, the symbiote left Gargan and consumed the husk of Peter Parker. With the symbiote in full control, he was neither Spider-Man nor Venom. He was Poison.

Poison confronted Mary Jane and Aunt May, but realized they wanted nothing to do with him. Poison instead left and spawned a new symbiote child in order to bond with and reanimate the corpse of Gwen Stacy.

Yeah, lot of laughs going on in that story. Sheesh.

WHAT IF? AGE OF APOCALYPSE

Age of Apocalypse was already a bizarre alternate universe. Rick Remender and Dave Wilkins made it even more batshit insane by having Legion accidentally kill both Xavier and Magneto. In this reality, Nate Summers joined with a superhero resistance team to take out Apocalypse and there’s all sorts of crazy stuff going on.

At one point, the team came across a nest of Peter Parker clones engulfed in a giant black web of symbiote. A horrified Captain America (wielding Mjolnir) had them destroy all the brainless Spider-Man clones before moving on to the next big challenge.

WEB OF SHADOWS

Back in 2008, Activision decided to go all in on the whole symbiote thing by making a Spider-Man video game based entirely around a symbiote invasion and symbiote-possessed versions of different heroes and villains. A fight with Venom led to Spider-Man getting some of the goop onto himself, allowing him the option to become Symbiote Spider-Man. Venom’s symbiote started expanding and latching onto hundreds of other New Yorkers, overwhelming the city with chaos.

After teaming up with and/or fighting lots of Marvel characters, Spider-Man took on a kaiju version of Venom and convinced Eddie Brock to fights its influence. Depending on factors, Venom would either die from heroic sacrifice or Spider-Man’s hands.

There are various endings based both on how much time you’ve used the symbiote and how much of an overall dick you’ve been. Too much of the black costume could at best cause Mary Jane to break up with you. At worst, it could cause you to conquer New York as leader of the symbiotes.

VENOMVERSE

Since Marvel did the Spider-Verse comic event, Cullen Bunn and Iban Coello did a natural knockoff of sorts called Venomverse. While it had no real connection to the Spider-Man story, the gist was similar: various Venom hosts from the multiverse had to team up to face a threat that was hunting them down.

The mainstream Venom was the only Eddie Brock host involved as the rest of the crew included the likes of Mary Jane, Captain America, Dr. Strange, Rocket Raccoon, Deadpool, Gwenpool, and so on. There was also a Spider-Man in there and while they didn’t go too far into his background, he was the only one who seemed to recognize Eddie and harbored unexplained resentment.

The threat came in the form of Poisons. These tiny, white creatures on their own didn’t seem to be much of a threat, but when one would make physical contact with a symbiote and its host, it would engulf them and completely take over. The Poison, the symbiote, and the host would turn into some kind of white, armored creature permanently.

Spider-Man was one of those to fall victim to the Poisons. This led to a rather cathartic fight to the death between Venom and Poison Spider-Man that Venom won.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Now, you might be saying, “Didn’t you JUST talk about a story where Spider-Man was a symbiote monster called Poison already? Isn’t this confusing?” Yes. Yes it is. So confusing that when they released a Marvel Legends figure for Poison Spider-Man from Venomverse, the profile information on the back of the box described the story from What If? The Other instead. Whoops!

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from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3iA9UpT

[cryochronism]

Quinn goes to great lengths to rebrand the Institute from the reputation as the bogeyman of the commonwealth,to one that seeks to advance humanity and bring PEACE to Boston once more. No one knows the link between the (former) Director of the Institute and Shaun. No one knows about her affiliation with the Institute until after the broadcast, which only occurs right on the coattails of the defeat of the Brotherhood. No one knows that she is the Director. The surface know and see her as the General of the Minutemen who brokered a peace agreement between the Institute to stop the kidnappings, and acts in some ambassadorial capacity towards the Institute.

This is further implemented in a number of ways:

Canonically, a public announcement is made in which the Institute, narrated by the Sole Survivor, delivers a message of the Institute’s goals. This speech was initially written by Shaun, and takes an isolationist approach that warns the surface not to interfere with Institute plans – something that doesn’t negate the already dim view the surface has.

Quinn does NOT make this speech (an option that can be canonically taken in-game), instead choosing to deliver a message that takes a more cooperative tone. Being a former lawmaker and with a family history STEEPED in politics, Quinn understands the value of diplomacy – as well as withholding information when necessary. She downplays the details and importance of the nuclear facility, instead bringing a narrative focus towards establishing alliances and groundside efforts across the Commonwealth.

In an effort to sweeten the pot, supplies of food and other necessary staples are given towards established cities, settlements, and tradeposts. Synth patrols are established surface-side to help keep the roads clear of raiders and hostiles, and will often assist caravans as needed.

A detachment of synths are established within Diamond City’s marketplace as a means for citizens and travelers to interact and learn more about the Institute. Though the Gen-One and Two models are limited in programming, they can give generalized answers to satisfy superficial  curiosities. Gen-Three ambassadors are later established as a means of further building ties with the city. Negotiations to do so within Goodneighbor are still ongoing.

Quinn will brand herself in a diplomatic capacity when interacting with most individuals and acting in an “official capacity”. She’s mindful of the past image people had (and still have) of the Institute, and is also keenly aware of just how sinister and insidious the Institute has been (and, perhaps, continues to be). Isolationism only furthered fear of an unknown force – Quinn wants to change that perception. However, she is and will always be very hands-on in coordinating missions and furthering HER goals for the Institute, and isn’t afraid to wear many hats.

As politics or any forms of power are wont to do, Quinn relies on deception. She relies on withholding information and twisting it. She manipulates. And she relies heavily on accomplishing goals through that, and through subterfuge. Her most telling examples of that would be how Far Harbor and Nuka-World were handled. Quinn will project an image of peace, but her methods to get there can be ruthless. People that choose not to cooperate or place themselves in opposition to or interference of her goals will be accounted for.

The Institute may now appear more forthcoming, open, and friendly to the surface, and will behave as such, but at the end of the day this is still a COVER for them to continue operations more easily. People may choose to distrust them, but as time wears on and they continue to establish themselves as providing safety, food, necessities, and balance to the Commonwealth, that narrative will shift. This works in their favor, and it works in Quinn’s.

LAST POINT, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY: the surface does not KNOW about the former Director of the Institute. The surface does not KNOW that Shaun was that Director. VERY FEW PEOPLE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO SHAUN. EVEN FEWER KNOW THAT SHE IS THE CURRENT DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE. A huge reason why the Railroad was so blindsided by Quinn’s betrayal was because they had NO IDEA that she had met Shaun, discovered who he really was and had become, and that he had convinced her to join him. While the surface may know that Shaun was kidnapped due to the article Piper writes, only Nick and X6 know the true fate of Shaun —- and Nick COMPLETELY disavows and leaves Quinn after the conclusion of the game until the events of Far Harbor occur.

Another thing I want to mention (even though I’ve mentioned it before in many other posts) is that Quinn isn’t siding with the Institute because she agrees with them. She’s doing it because she recognizes:

Their technology is the only way to help better humanity and bring peace and order, as well as potentially undoing the damage wrought by the Great War.

Synths are her progeny. They are made from her son’s DNA. They have wants and fears and dreams just as any other person. They are her legacy, and she devotes her life to working to grant them freedoms and opportunities without resorting to destroying the Commonwealth like the Great War had once done before. 

If she’s going to work to truly free them (and not just memory-wipe them like the Railroad does, which feels akin to murder) and grant them their rights and agency, she has to do it by changing the power and control of the Institute. This starts with Binet and Li.

[synthmama]

Just to clarify some things since it’s coming up more and more regarding the Institute and Quinn’s leadership and direction with it (especially since not everyone is familiar with the route it takes), here’s some specific notes that can help paint a better idea of how she works as the Director and how the environment is shaped by her decisions.

The short version is this: Quinn goes to great lengths to REBRAND and PROJECT the Institute from the image of the BOGEYMAN OF THE COMMONWEALTH, to one that seeks to advance humanity and bring PEACE to Boston once more. No one knows the link between the (former) Director of the Institute and Shaun. No one knows about her affiliation with the Institute until after the broadcast, which only occurs right on the coattails of the defeat of the Brotherhood. No one knows that she is the Director, but instead knows that as General of the Minutemen, she brokered a peace agreement/alliance with the Institute to stop the kidnappings, and now acts as the surface-side “ambassador” to the Institute. 

This is further implemented in a number of ways:

Canonically, a public announcement is made in which the Institute, narrated by the Sole Survivor, delivers a message of the Institute’s goals. This speech was initially written by Shaun, and takes an isolationist approach that warns the surface not to interfere with Institute plans – something that doesn’t negate the already dim view the surface has.

Quinn does NOT make this speech (an option that can be canonically taken in-game), instead choosing to deliver a message that takes a more cooperative tone. Being a former lawmaker and with a family history STEEPED in politics, Quinn understands the value of diplomacy – as well as withholding information when necessary. She downplays the details and importance of the nuclear facility, instead bringing a narrative focus towards establishing alliances and groundside efforts across the Commonwealth.

In an effort to sweeten the pot, supplies of food and other necessary staples are given towards established cities, settlements, and tradeposts. Synth patrols are established surface-side to help keep the roads clear of raiders and hostiles, and will often assist caravans as needed. 

A detachment of synths are established within Diamond City’s marketplace as a means for citizens and travelers to interact and learn more about the Institute. Though the Gen-One and Two models are limited in programming, they can give generalized answers to satisfy superficial  curiosities. Gen-Three ambassadors are later established as a means of further building ties with the city. Negotiations to do so within Goodneighbor are still ongoing. 

Quinn will brand herself in a diplomatic capacity when interacting with most individuals and acting in an “official capacity”. She’s mindful of the past image people had (and still have) of the Institute, and is also keenly aware of just how sinister and insidious the Institute has been (and, perhaps, continues to be). Isolationism only furthered fear of an unknown force – Quinn wants to change that perception. However, she is and will always be very hands-on in coordinating missions and furthering HER goals for the Institute, and isn’t afraid to wear many hats. 

As politics or any forms of power are wont to do, Quinn relies on deception. She relies on withholding information and twisting it. She manipulates. And she relies heavily on accomplishing goals through that, and through subterfuge. Her most telling examples of that would be how Far Harbor and Nuka-World were handled. Quinn will project an image of peace, but her methods to get there can be ruthless. People that choose not to cooperate or place themselves in opposition to or interference of her goals will be accounted for. 

The Institute may now appear more forthcoming, open, and friendly to the surface, and will behave as such, but at the end of the day this is still a COVER for them to continue operations more easily. People may choose to distrust them, but as time wears on and they continue to establish themselves as providing safety, food, necessities, and balance to the Commonwealth, that narrative will shift. This works in their favor, and it works in Quinn’s.

Last point, but most importantly: the surface does not KNOW about the former Director of the Institute. The surface does not KNOW that Shaun was that Director. VERY FEW PEOPLE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO SHAUN. EVEN FEWER KNOW THAT SHE IS THE CURRENT DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE. A huge reason why the Railroad was so blindsided by Quinn’s betrayal was because they had NO IDEA that she had met Shaun, discovered who he really was and had become, and that he had convinced her to join him. While the surface may know that Shaun was kidnapped due to the article Piper writes, only Nick and X6 know the true fate of Shaun —- and Nick COMPLETELY disavows and leaves Quinn after the conclusion of the game until the events of Far Harbor occur. 

Another thing I want to mention (even though I’ve mentioned it before in many other posts) is that Quinn isn’t siding with the Institute because she agrees with them. She’s doing it because she recognizes: 

Their technology is the only way to help better humanity and bring peace and order, as well as potentially undoing the damage wrought by the Great War. 

Synths are her progeny. They are made from her son’s DNA. They have wants and fears and dreams just as any other person. 

If she’s going to work to truly free them (and not just memory-wipe them like the Railroad does which feels akin to murder) and grant them their rights and agency, she has to do it by changing the power and control of the Institute. This is a slow process that is covered HERE. 

[ramajmedia]

Manda-Lore: 10 Things You Need To Know About Mandalorians Before Watching Disney’s The Mandalorian

Bounty hunters are cool no matter what fandom they belong to. However, among all these tough-as-nails guns and swords for hire, one stands out as the most stylish of them all, Boba Fett. Sadly, he got eaten by a Sarlacc and was defeated by a blind man... by accident. Thankfully, Disney was kind enough to do justice to their other Star Wars bounty hunters in the form of The Mandalorian.

RELATED: Star Wars: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Boba Fett's Suit

It's pretty much the Boba Fett fan service show we Fett fanboys have been clamoring for over the years. Of course, it's not exactly about Fett but another strong, silent type badass who wears the same armor - the iconic armor of the Mandalorian race in Star Wars. So before the show officially lands, it's time to brush up on your Manda-lore. Here's what you need to know about Mandalorians.

10 A RACE OF WARLIKE SUPERCOMMANDOS

These guys are pretty hardcore. They were born and bred to be conquerors and conquer they did. Mandalorians are human but they are of a different breed since they originated from warriors, bounty, hunters, and mercenaries. That is something they used to full effect. They even managed to have their own commendable pocket in the universe called The Mandalorian Space; it's their conquered domain.

Due to their reputation and expertise for war, they have become feared in the Outer Rim. Eventually, their aggressive expansion led them to the Jedi's area of jurisdiction in the Inner Rim. As you can imagine, the Jedi did not warm up to their arrival and quickly resisted the Mandalorians. All-out war between the two factions ensued.

9 THEY HATE THE JEDI

The Jedi Order and the Old Republic that they were defending proved to be more than a match against the Mandalorians. The race of warrior humans soon became outmatched with the Force on the Jedi's side. Still, they quickly adapted and built new technologies in order to counteract the formidable Jedi knights.

RELATED: Star Wars: 10 Characters Underused Throughout The Whole Series

The Jedi were unyielding (they had to be) and the Mandalorians were stubborn, meaning their conflicts were long and drawn-out. One could even assume that the Mandalorians treated the Jedi as their sworn nemesis faction. Due to having several wars and victories against the Jedi Order, Mandalorian warriors soon became known for their capability to fight the Jedi; they are among the few (probably the only) non-Force users in the Galaxy who could go toe-to-toe with Jedi.

8 ONE OF THEM BECAME A JEDI

It wasn't until a Mandalorian named Tarre Vizsla took over that the Mandalorians shared a prolonged peace with the Jedi. Tarre was from a prominent house (royalty) in Mandalore and was somehow inducted into the Jedi Order. There, Tarre became a Jedi and was considered as the first Mandalorian to do so.

Eventually, Tarre would return to his home planet to set things straight; he became the ruler of Mandalore at one point. He was well-liked- even revered by the Mandalorians, despite being a Jedi. Tarre even had a statue of his own which the Mandalorians erected in his honor after he died. Likewise, the Jedi also respected him enough to recover his lightsaber after his death. Speaking of which...

7 THEY POSSESSED A REALLY COOL LIGHTSABER

Tarre, being a unique member of the Jedi Order, simply had to distinguish himself from his space-monk peers. So, after graduating from the Jedi Academy, Tarre built himself a special kind of lightsaber. It was neither green, blue, nor purple-- it was black.

RELATED: 10 Things We Know So Far About The Mandalorian Season 1

Tarre called it the Darksaber and its shape resembled an actual saber instead of the usual popsicle light-beams most Jedi used. The coolest part was that it had a white glow but a pitch-black blade. Move over Mace Windu, Mandalorians got more swag than you. Anyway, such a unique lightsaber became a symbol of leadership among the Mandalorians; they even stole it back from the Jedi after the space-monks recovered it.

6 THEY DESTROYED THEIR OWN HOMEWORLD

Soon after Tarre's death, the Mandalorians went back to their old ways. Warlords vied for power and waged a civil war against other warlords all the while waging another war against the Jedi. War after war on many fronts did not bode well for the Mandalorians' homeworld.

During their final struggle with the Jedi, the war caused a cataclysmic event of planetary proportion on Mandalore. This destroyed nearly half of Mandalore and turned the planet into a barren and uninhabitable white desert.

The Mandalorians only survived because they adapted and built dome cities to shield their civilizations off from the devastation. Only then did the Mandalorians gave up in their war and dreams of expansion.

5 THE SITH RULED THEM AT ONE POINT

Because of their extreme capabilities of withstanding the Jedi, one would think that Mandalorians would've been a valuable asset to the Sith and they became one at one point. During the Clone Wars, Darth Maul, who was previously thought to be dead, turned out to be alive. He was then rescued and repaired by Pre Vizsla, a descendant of Tarre Vizsla himself who wanted to plunge Mandalore back to its warlike state.

RELATED: Star Wars: 10 Hysterical Palpatine Memes That Are Too Funny

Maul eventually killed Pre after the latter managed to unite the warmongering Mandalorian clans under his banner. Essentially this made Maul the effective ruler of Mandalore and the Sith managed to rule the Mandalorians. His rule was short-lived though; Maul was quickly deposed by peaceful Mandalorians who allied with the Jedi.

4 THEY ALSO HATE THE EMPIRE

Maul did try to take Mandalore back but its current acting ruler, Bo-Katan along with the Republic's help, fought against him. The siege of Mandalore, however, was interrupted by Darth Sidious after he initiated Order 66. Maul managed to escape the carnage and his failed campaign.

Meanwhile, Bo-Katan was left as the ruler of Mandalore and refused to recognize the authority of the abruptly-formed Galactic Empire. She was momentarily replaced by the Emperor's puppet but came back to power again thanks to a young Mandalorian rebel who found the Tarre's Darksaber.

3 THEY DRESSED LIKE BOBA FETT

Now, let's talk about style. That Mandalorian uniform is simply too awe-inspiring yet mysterious at the same time to omit. Boba Fett wore it first and it was noticeably weathered and old in the original trilogy. Meanwhile, his father, Jango, wore a shinier version of the Mandalorian armor.

RELATED: Star Wars: George Lucas' 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Creative Decisions

It's arguably a more intimidating version of the Republic clone armor and the headpiece resembles the fearsome appearance of the Corinthian helmets in ancient Greece. This uniform is a staple Mandalorian armor too; it's what they use for war against the Jedi after years of adjusting their military technology and combat techniques to stand a chance against them.

2 JANGO AND BOBA ARE NOT MANDALORIANS

If you haven't heard of this heartbreaking canon reveal already, then we're so sorry to tell you that it's official; both Jango Fett and his clone son Boba are not Mandalorians. That painful truth was okayed by George Lucas himself. It was revealed in episode 12, season 2 of Clone Wars where Prime Minister Almec from New Mandalore denies Jango Fett is a Mandalorian.

Turns out Jango might have just acquired his armor from a hapless Mandalorian and then went on to dress the part. Now, since Boba is an exact replica of Jango himself, he's also no Mandalorian. This leads us to another questionable fact, courtesy of George Lucas' film/TV canon choices...

1 THE CLONES AREN'T MANDALORIANS

We all know that Jango Fett was chosen to be cloned due to his exceptional bounty hunter and mercenary skills. He has certainly shown that he knows how to handle the Jedi in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, especially during the fight against Obi-Wan. In all respects, such a feat is so Mandalorian; back then when we thought Jango was a Mandalorian, it made sense why he was the perfect clone template.

Turns out, he wasn't Mandalorian, and neither was Boba. That means the clones are just clones of some random seasoned human. Granted, Jango is fearsome and dangerous but making him and Boba a uniform thief (basically a fake Mandalorian) somewhat reeks of injustice. Hopefully, The Mandalorian gives us the "Boba Fett" we all want and have been waiting for.

NEXT: Star Wars: 5 Ways The Mandalorian Might Be Better Than A Boba Fett Movie (& 5 Ways It Could Be Worse)

source https://screenrant.com/mandalorian-things-need-know-before-watching/

[mrleopard25]

Doctor Who: Regeneration Series Revisited - The Second Regeneration

Time Lord: “Your appearance has changed before, it will change again. That is part of the sentence.” The Second Doctor: “You can’t just change what I look like without consulting me!”

Story (from “The War Games” and “Spearhead From Space”):

     The Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe arrive in what they think is No Man’s Land during World War I, but quickly learn that they are on an alien world where human soldiers from different time periods have been gathered and brainwashed to fight each other. The Aliens in charge hope to collect the best soldiers from these “games” and use them to form a brutal army to conquer other worlds with. Aiding them is a renegade from the Doctor’s past, who is only referred to as the War Chief.

     The War Chief hopes to use his skills at time and space travel to lead the Aliens in galactic conquest, but the Doctor joins up with a rebel faction on the planet to topple the Alien rule and stop the Games. Unfortunately, upon sizing up the situation fully, the Doctor realizes that he is simply incapable of returning the thousands of soldiers to their homes, as not only can he properly the TARDIS (especially to so many destinations), but also the War Chief’s time machines are inherently faulty and dying.

     The Doctor realizes his only choice is to summon his own people, the Time Lords, as they will be able to accomplish such a task easily. But the Doctor reveals that he is a renegade as well; it is against Time Lord law for him to interfere in other cultures, even for good. The Doctor finally decides that he has no choice, and summons the Time Lords. The response is almost instantaneous. The soldiers begin vanishing off the battlefields while the Doctor and his companions race for the TARDIS to escape.

     After a brief respite the TARDIS materializes on Gallifrey, homeworld of the Time Lords, and the Doctor is taken prisoner. First he testifies against the Aliens, in particular their leader, a sinister man known as the War Lord. The Time Lords find his actions abominable and sentence his world to be placed in a fold in time, so they can never interact with any other species again. The War Lord himself is disintegrated (youch!).

     After the Time Lords return Jamie and Zoe to their homes and wipe their memories, the Doctor himself is placed on trial for stealing the TARDIS and temporal interference. The Doctor maintains that he is proud of the evil he has fought, while condemning the Time Lords for doing nothing with their great power. The Time Lords deliberate on the matter and decide the Doctor is partially right, but can not go unpunished. They sentence him to exile on Earth, a planet known for its frequent alien attacks, and force a regeneration upon him.

     The Doctor is sent to Earth in the 1960′s (or is it the 70′s? The UNIT stories were meant to take place in “the near future”), unconscious and in custody of UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce), an organization dedicated to fighting alien and supernatural incursions. He finds his memory has been selectively wiped and the TARDIS sabotaged. His arrival coincides with the landing of spheres around the globe that are bringing mannequins to life. The first Nestene invasion has begun...and they want the Doctor.

Production:

     The production team at Doctor Who were having a great deal of difficulty with the sixth season. The ideas and scripts were becoming more and more intricate, with more interesting ideas, but ultimately they were becoming significantly more expensive. Another bit of trouble was the decision by the BBC to air Star Trek which, with its superior budget, made Doctor Who look like the cheap kid brother (coincidentally, this situation would happen again in the late 80′s with the Seventh Doctor being programmed against Star Trek TNG). To compete, it was decided that the next season should be made and broadcast in colour. This, of course, meant another increase in budget.

     The earliest idea to combat the increase was to have the Doctor Earthbound in his stories. Already there was groundwork for this; UNIT and the primary character associated with it, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, were introduced in “The Invasion.” (Yes I know Lethbridge-Stewart was introduced earlier, in “The Web Of Fear” but he wasn’t a brigadier yet, not was he in UNIT).

     But the next question was why the Doctor should be Earthbound at all. Luckily there was still a lot of mystery surrounding the Doctor’s origins and the story “The War Games” was to be one to answer some of those questions while leading into the next season. The Doctor’s homeworld and race, the Time Lords, were finally introduced; an ancient race of great power but were too bureaucratic to interfere with events. The only thing that would cause their involvement would be abuse of time travel, something the Time Lords felt they had dominion over.

     And as if to fully bring the era to an end, Patrick Troughton announced he would end his tenure as the Doctor after three years. He had found the role rewarding but very demanding. Just like with William Hartnell, the workload was intense: filmed “as live” and 48 weeks a year working. As such it was decided that part of the Doctor’s exile would include a change of appearance - the word “regeneration” was still not used.

     The regeneration itself wasn’t fully seen on screen. There was a spinning effect used and Troughton grunted as though under serious strain...he contorts his face and a few other effects are used, but the episode ends with him spinning into darkness. The first scene with the Doctor in the next season simply shows the TARDIS materializing and Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor stumbling out, still in the Second Doctor’s attire.

     A staple was introduced with this regeneration, and that is of the Doctor recuperating after the regeneration. For the first two episodes the Doctor is barely conscious, as if the process has been a tremendous strain.

     Although this season was relatively short, it was a tremendous success. The BBC was considering cancelling the show but after seeing the strides the show had made in production quality (while within budget) and how accessible the show was to new viewers (you hadn’t needed to have seen the previous seasons to get the premise of the show), the series remained on the air. And it would only get better. The Pertwee era lasted five years and was even broadcast in North America on PBS stations. A whole new audience was being introduced to Doctor Who. There was more to come as well. More revelations about Gallifrey and the Time Lords would be had, a rival Time Lord known as The Master would be introduced, and 10th anniversary special called “The Three Doctors” would unit Pertwee with both his predecessors. 

Analysis:

     First of all I must state that the regeneration was handled very well. It made logical sense to cap the end of that season in such a fashion and it made sense within the confines of the story. Here we had probably the most epic story to date (maybe “The Daleks’ Master Plan” takes that title though) with an immense problem brought up at the resolution: the soldiers need to go home. The Doctor promised them he could do it. The method he thought would work was not an option. The means to fulfill his promise was within his grasp but to do so would sacrifice his freedom. He (and the War Chief) knew that the instant he contacted the Time Lords, the reaction would be immediate.

     And I absolutely must congratulate the portrayal of the War Chief. He is exceptionally intelligent, sinister, conniving, and a great counter to the Doctor. There are many words that go unsaid between him and the Doctor, thoughts communicated through the eyes. Also worth a note, the War Chief immediately recognizes the Doctor and with hindsight we know that (generally) Time Lords recognize each other regardless of regeneration.

     Speaking of which, the War Chief is presumably killed by order of the War Lord near the end of the story, but one wonders if he didn’t just regenerate afterwards. With hindsight we can say “why not?” And if he did, what became of him? I would say he was most likely caught by the Time Lords and tried as well. And if I were to put a wage on how THAT trial went, he was probably executed.

     It’s at this point that I want to mention Season 6B. There is a popular theory amongst both fans and members of the production teams at Doctor Who (especially Terrence Dicks) that the Doctor did not regenerate right away but was instead recruited by the Celestial Intervention Agency (you know...the CIA?), an undercover agency operating in Time Lord society that discretely influences events in the universe. The reasoning behind this makes sense; the CIA would need an agent with experience to go out on dangerous missions but would need to be able to deny association with said agent. The Doctor fits the bill. It would be after they grew tired of him (or more likely, he tried to escape them) that his regeneration and exile would be imposed.

     Why has this theory gained so much notoriety? A few reasons. Let’s look at the episode evidence first. In “The Three Doctors” (1973), the Second Doctor is pulled into affairs by the Time Lords to deal with the being Omega. Wait...hold on, how were the Time Lords able to snatch the Second Doctor so quickly? He was on the run from them! Well, if he was an agent acting on their behalf, he would be at their disposal. Next is the involvement with the CIA. In “The Deadly Assassin” (1976), the Doctor gets a real brush with the CIA through their contact Chancellor Goth, who just happens to be played by an actor who portrayed one of the Time Lord judges in “The War Games.” Or is he the same character?

     In “The Five Doctors” (1983) the Second Doctor meets up with the Brigadier years after his retirement and proclaims “I’m not exactly breaking the laws of time, but I am bending them slightly.” Strange that the Doctor now seems to have the ability to control the TARDIS. Later in the story, the two bump into phantoms appearing as Jamie and Zoe, who recognize the Brigadier. The Doctor corrects them, noting that after the Time Lords returned them to their homes, their memories were wiped. How could he know this? It hadn’t happened to him yet! Or had it?

     And then finally in “The Two Doctors” (1985) the Second Doctor and Jamie are on a mission from the Time Lords to investigate temporal experiments being held on a space station. And the Time Lords have dual control over the TARDIS! This makes no sense given the chronology of events we see during the Second Doctor’s tenure. Note also that both the Doctor and Jamie are quite visibly older, and although you could chalk that up to the actors being older, it seems most likely that this falls within the 6B theory.

     Terrence Dicks, the man with a longstanding production history with the show (including writing “The War Games”!), and Robert Holmes, writer of “The Two Doctors”, both advocate this theory. In fact, Dicks wrote a novel called “World Game” that takes up right after the end of the Doctor’s trial and into his recruitment. Unfortunately, even though the BBC Doctor Who archives even include a page devoted to the 6B theory, the canonicity is still questionable.

     Finally some remarks on “Spearhead From Space.” Anyone who’s seen “The Three Doctors” and “The Five Doctors” know that the Second and Third Doctor don’t actually get along very well. This is probably because the Third Doctor is a representation of his impending exile and the Second Doctor is a reminder of the freedom he lost. So when the newly regenerated Doctor finally gets a mirror and sees himself, it’s quite funny in hindsight that his first words are “Oh no!” At the time it was meant to mean that the Doctor was simply shocked at how different he looked, but now we can interpret it as him begrudging that he’s now become the man he wasn’t very fond of.

     Interesting to note, this Doctor has a cobra or dragon tattooed on his arm (hard to distinguish). It’s a popular theory that this is a branding the TIme Lords gave him to mark his status as a criminal. Well, in reality Jon Pertwee got it in the Navy, but they didn’t try to hide it...

     At the end of the first episode we see the Third Doctor has escaped the clutches of the Autons were were kidnapping him from the hospital, and has made a break for the TARDIS. A trigger-happy UNIT guard shoots at him and he collapses. In the next episode it’s revealed the bullet just grazed him, but if that were true, why did he lapse into a coma? Knowing what we now know about regeneration, notably with the Tenth Doctor being able to regrow his hand within a certain time of his regeneration, we could easily speculate that the Doctor was shot through the head and healed! Makes more sense to me at least.

     The story as a whole is pretty good. The character portrayal of Channing, the lead Auton, is downright chilling. He has this alien intensity about him that made him perfect for the role. There is also some downright hilarious and excellent dialogue between the the newly regenerated Doctor and his attending physician; the surrounding dialogue about his condition also really illustrates how alien the Doctor is. There is one thing the brings this story down however. Look, I’m sorry, I don’t know why writers do this occasionally, but we don’t need hillybilly-redneck-yokel characters. This trapper Hibbert is an idiot and the story suffers every time he’s on screen - and he doesn’t even get shot by the Autons to compensate!

And Another Thing:

     That nurse treating the Doctor after his regeneration could be best by a Grade 8 biology student.

Third Doctor: “Don’t you recognize me?” Brigadier: “I’m positive we’ve never met before.” Third Doctor: “Oh, dear. Oh, I...I can’t have changed that much, surely? Oh I must see what they’ve done to me. Can I borrow...can I borrow a mirror please?”