#but seriously like 98% of jobs will not respond or you mention having any kind of personality trait they don't like and they immediately

[fuzziemutt]

How are we having "lowest in a decade" unemployment rates yet literally over half of who I know, and even myself, for a very long time literally have been unable to find jobs.

Like. How are these equating because last I checked no motherfucker is hiring out here despite the signs

[maximaxstreasurebox]

BSD Untold Origins: Anime VS Novel (3)

Quickly trying to finish episode 1 crumbs before new ep ;w; Last part of ep 1 is the theatre! More changes, but this time it involves a lot of the side characters' uhh personalities- Note; i haven't seen the preview for ep 2

Season 4 and light novel spoilers!

Gifs © @the-chikyuu-times

Episode 1 (Part 1) - (Part 2)

Episode 2 (Part 4)

"A theater?" "Yes." The deep-blue evening sky hung over them as they stood before the rectangular theater building. [...] There was a stone monument installed in the wall with the words THEATRUM MUNDI carved into it. Ranpo frowned melodramatically. "This looks so boring." "The owner here is short on staff. If all goes well, then we can probably get you a job." "What did the client hire you for anyway?" "A death threat." Fukuzawa began to walk toward the entrance. Ranpo soon jogged after him. -Page 98

THEATRUM MUNDI or 'World Theatre' is a kind of puppetry show, it can be either comprehended as the mechanical puppet plays or viewing the meaning 'puppet' as 'everyone is playing a role in the world'. A play listed on Wikipedia example (The Great Theater of the World by Pedro Calderón de la Barca):

This particular play's form called Autos sacramentales which has human characters playing as Death, Faith, Sin, Hope, ect. aka giving each allegories a personification. (that's enough art history for today *flops to floor*)

After going through the service entrance in the back, Fukuzawa walked down the staircase to the basement, where the theater owner greeted him. "So?" the owner demanded casually. "What's your excuse for being late?"

The owner was a woman in a suit, probably around Fukuzawa's age- With her chest held out and her arms crossed before her hips, she looked up at Fukuzawa with a defiant gaze. She seemed to have a tic where she would push up her glasses every few moments or so. Her wiry black-framed glasses were shaped like acute triangles. "My apologies, Ms. Egawa." [...] "Sigh. It's fine." -Page 98

Egawa's character went through some changes in the anime version. In light novel she's more ansty, doesn't have most of the confidence/professional feeling she has in anime, easily calling Ranpo from 'uninvited guest' to 'brat', and then Ranpo quickly starts exposing her uhh relationships with people, buying clothes and stuff but not taking care of her hands and nails, necklace that wasn't a gift, about to mention her former relationship when Fukuzawa stops Ranpo.

Different reactions to Fukuzawa's question(s).

"[...] 'Angels'? 'V'? This death threat is ridiculous. I'll bet it's one of the rival theaters trying to hurt the business." -Page 99

"Whatever. Just do your job!" barked Ms. Egawa, trying not to sound flustered. "I like what I do! Ugh! I've had enough of this. I seriously just can't catch a break..." She stomped off, quickly clicking her heels down the entrance hall as she left. [...] -Page 101

Murakami ('Tokio' isn't mentioned when addressing him until the play) has more changes too. He acts more impatient, even bossy towards Fukuzawa in light novel. Anime still shows it slightly, but he sounds more tired than someone on the verge of patience (and it will actually makes sense later).

[...] He was sitting in his private dressing room while religiously reading over his lines. "Uh? Excuse you." The handsome young man lifted his head up from the script and frowned. "What do you want? It's almost showtime, and I'm reading over my script." There was no one else in the room. Perched on the edge of his seat, the young man angrily threw the script to the side. "The show is about to begin. Do you have any idea how it feels to be an actor right before a performance?" Fukuzawa didn't respond. "We dive into the world - become other people. And we practive nearly a year for this moment. If you get in my way, you're dead." [...] "I'm thirsty. Fetch me some water, will you?" [...] After a closer look, the young man appeared to be somewhat pale. Slightly dark bags hung under his nervous-looking eyes as well. -Page 102-103

"Die of boredom"...? Fukuzawa quietly covered his face. Bringing Ranpo with him was a mistake. He'd thought that leaving Ranpo in the lobby was a disaster waiting to happen, but this wasn't any better. He said all the wrong things. Surely the actor was going to blow his lid and stop talking to them entirely... At least, that was what Fukuzawa thought. "It's boring, huh? Well, if a brat like you says so, then it's gonna be," answered Murakami with a solemn expression. [...] "Hey, brat. What would make the play interesting to you?" "To me? Hmm..." [...] "It'd be pretty neat if one of the actors got killed during the performance just like the death threat said." A chill ran down Fukuzawa's spine. "Ha! An appropriately bratty answer." But Murakami cheerfully smirked. "If that's what the people want, then maybe giving it to them wouldn't be such a bad idea." [...] "Obviously, I don't plan on dying." Murakami faced Fukuzawa. "But as someone in show business, you think about these things. 'Would you take your life in order to achieve the ultimate performance?'... I would. Without a doubt. The only reason I haven't is because nobody has come up to me and offered to teach me the secret of acting in return for someone's life...yet. [...] " -Page 104-105

The dresser room scene is the same pretty much. Anime added a few details like the (possible) taxi driver's cameo from season 1, and a funny moment with Ranpo and the actress.

Fukuzawa has more inner monologuing, worrying he doesn't have the power to protect everyone in the theatre. Ranpo startles Fukuzawa out of his thoughts and events happen again similarly in light novel. The short scene when Fukuzawa looks away from the newspaper is a tiny added detail.

"An angel shall bring death, in the truest sense of the word, to the performer. - V." "Why didn't you say anything before?" asked Fukuzawa. "What good would that have done?" Ranpo replied as if he was offended. "You're all adults. Do something about it yourself. What good is asking a kid what he thinks is going to happen? Beside, everyone gets mad when I state the truth."

Was he talking about everything that had happened to him since he came to Yokohama? There was darkness in his eyes. "Seriously, adults don't make any sense to me." [...] "If a kid like me was able to figure it out, then surely you and the police already noticed a long time ago, right? My mother never got tired of telling me, 'You're still just a kid.' And I agree with her. [...]"

"You're still just a kid." Of course you don't understand adults. Because adults are smarter than you. Is that what she meant? It's not hard to understand why Ranpo's parents drilled that into his head, at least to a certain degree, and yet... [...] This kid didn't know anything. He had no idea that most people have no idea what's going on. - Page 110

Only after growing do people learn that others are different - [...]. They assume everyone thinks the same as they do, which often leads to conflict. That was what it meant to be human. Ranpo, still naive, may have fallen into that trap, but he did not deserve to be blamed. Nevertheless, Ranpo was an extreme case. Although he possessed such extraordinary powers of observation, he didn't think he was special. Why? Was it his parents' fault? Was it because he lived a sheltered life with parents who had minds that rivaled his? -Page 111

Random comment here from me is just that I really like how Untold Story/Origins expresses Ranpo's confusion through the whole book, a 'truth-seeing genius' who's living in a (fabricated) world view where everything can be deduced with logic and observation. Probably one of the reasons he's so bad with public transportation because schedules can change any time and reason. It can also count as a part of the 'adult world', where thoughts are not as expressed as an imaginary mind, the set rules real world brings in in contrast to imagination with endless possibilities.

"[...] When you sat down at the café, you unconsciously made sure to sit with the wall to your right, so you used to practice swordsmanship as well. After all, if the wall was on the left side, you wouldn't be able to swiftly draw your sword if something happened. You sat where the entrance was visible, which shows me you've seen your fair share of carnage in your lifetime. The reason why you barely make any noise even while walking on the hard theater floors is that you've trained for street and indoor combat. And the reason why you started to walk with one eye closed a little before we went through the unlit service entrance was so that you could immediately see your surroundings the moment you stepped into the darkness. In other words, you're trained for ambushes in dark places." Fukuzawa could feel his body gradually get colder, He slowly lost the feeling in his toes. His throat dried and tensed up as his palms began to sweat. "[...] A bodyguard's job is to protect people, so you wouldn't need to sneak around in the dark without making a sound. You quit your previous job, but you weren't working in the shadows to kill people for money like that hit man from earlier. You made that clear when you didn't show any real emotion when you talked about assassins. Plus, you didn't seem to be on your guard when you talked to the police. [...]" Fukuzawa felt an intense pain in his chest. His throat was so dry he could scarcely breathe. Everything was flickering red and black. - Page 111-112

"Shut up!" Fukuzawa exploded. As if his spirit were physically gushing into the room, the glass shook, the lights clicked, and the theater employee walking in the distance let out a slight yelp. Martial arts masters employed a similar phenomenon when they attached with their chi. Being right next to him, Ranpo took the brunt of Fukuzawa's unconscious yet fiery attack. After being pushed back a few steps, Ranpo fell on his rear as he if had been hit with a large invisible mallet. He blinked, still sitting, with a perplexed expression. The master class-level chi energy attack had knocked him unconscious for a second. Fukuzawa suddenly returned to his senses, albeit startled.

"Sorry... You all right?" He approached Ranpo and helped him up. "Buh...?" Ranpo was still idly blinking. Fukuzawa was overcome with sense of shame. It was inexcusable for a martial arts master to use what could be considered condensed bloodlust on an ordinary person. It was evidence of just how disturbed Fukuzawa was. [...] -Page 113

(I feel like) Fukuzawa was so much more upset than it's showed (it was still great tho, poor Ranpo;;;; ). Fukuzawa's offer to Ranpo happened right before Ranpo's observation of Fukuzawa, so the novel continues with both he and Ranpo having barely any time to recover before the bell rings, signaling the beginning of the play.

"Don't... talk about that," Fukuzawa finally managed to say. "I get it now. You're the real thing." No secrets were safe in Ranpo's presence, but he had no idea he was special, which was exactly why this wasn't the time to be getting worked up. There had to be a way to get Ranpo to recognize his abilities; Fukuzawa would need to think of something. [...] "Come on." Fukuzawa grabbed Ranpo, whose eyes were still glazed over, and headed toward the door to the auditorium. He would have Ranpo observe the stage. The boy might be able to figure something out that way. Thoughts raced through Fukuzawa's jumbled mind. He still felt on edge. Having his secret known startled him, and he was taken aback by Ranpo's powers of observation. But was that it? It was as if something else lurked in the depths of Fukuzawa's uneasiness - something he was in no place to deal with right now. - Page 114

[tessatechaitea]

Teen Titans Spotlight #9: Changeling

I feel like this is the first appearance of the Changeling logo.

It's as if General Immortus knew that one day Niles Caulder would be just a head! Or, more probably, Grant Morrison fucking remembered this one panel and thought, "I'll turn The Chief into a disembodied head!" Unless it was Rachel Pollack who did that. What am I? The Doom Patrol wiki?

Cliff Steele has just been on another adventure where his body was torn apart. At least I'm assuming it was because whenever he or Red Tornado are in a super hero battle, they usually get torn to pieces. Somebody's got to be and you can't do it to Batman. But Cliff is tired of it and he's ready to retire to a ranch in California. I wonder why Grant Morrison's run didn't take place there? Cliff and Garfield wind up at the New York Zoo because Garfield wants to fuck the lioness and Cliff wants to buy hot dogs that he can't eat.

Based on the repartee between Robotman and Changeling, I don't think the crowd are the only people to mistake Cliff for Cyborg.

The previous caption was a criticism of the writer, Paul Kupperberg. Was it too subtle? I know it wasn't on the level of Ann Nocenti criticism where I once questioned how she survived the surgery that replaced her brain with Jello pudding but sometimes you need a little subtlety in your life. Like when you want to masturbate but all you have on hand are your sandpaper masturbation gloves. I don't know if that final sentence had anything to do with subtlety. I think it had more to do with me introducing the public to my new invention! It, um, needs some work.

I first read Changeling's line as "You're obviously a fat." Not because I often misread the fuzzy text of old comic books but because I saw the kid in the first panel and my brain began thinking, "How do I make a hilarious and inoffensive fat joke about this kid?"

I just realized I should mention the writers and artists of these old issues since they're not on the cover. The artist is Dan Jurgens and I already mentioned the writer. I don't know what inkers do so I don't remember who the inker was. And the one thing I've always refused to do in my comic book reviews over the last eight years is to mention the letterer! Mostly because I always hated reading letters from fans who praise the writing and drawing and then offer a throw away line about how easy the typeface was to read thanks to Costanza or whoever! Oh, and I actually really forgot about the colorist until just now! That was Adrienne Roy! Who better to color some kid green than good old Adrienne! Cliff walks off in a huff when people begin to actually recognize him. He should have thrown in a few "Booyahs" and offered to show off his white noise cannon. Um, wink, wink! I'm not proficient at flirting. Before Robotman can find a quiet bathroom stall to wish he could cry in, Mister 104 attacks! I know. You're thinking the same thing I'm thinking, right? What happened to Misters 1-103? Oh, and probably, who the fuck is Mister 104?! But then I'd be disappointed if a Doom Patrol villain showed up and I recognized that villain. Their villains should get a "What the fuck?!" reaction at least ninety percent of the time. That's another thing the television show got right! How many scenes have Crazy Jane shouting "What the fuck?" and then Cliff responds with "What the fuck?" and then Crazy Jane is all "No, fucking seriously! What the fuck?" and then Cliff is all "What the fucking fuck fuck fucking fuck?!" The show uses the F-word a lot! Luckily Changeling remembers who Mister 104 is and thinks through Mister 104's entire origin for us. It turns out Mister 104 can turn into every known element on the periodic table. He's only Mister 104 because that's how many elements were on the periodic table in 1965 when he first appeared in Doom Patrol #98. Except when he appeared in that issue, he was Mister 103. So either he hadn't looked at a periodic table since 1961 when he first attacked the Doom Patrol in 1965 or Arnold Drake, the original Doom Patrol writer and co-creator, fucked up. Or maybe there was a plot reason for it in the story, like Mister 103 just despised Helium or maybe Superman paid him to never turn into krypton(ite)? Still, this is 1987! He should be Mister 109! I didn't learn all of that from Changeling's thought bubbles! Some of it I learned because Mister 104 mentions that when he last encountered the Doom Patrol, he was left as "a mass of free floating destabilized atoms" and the editor helpfully noted that took place in Doom Patrol #106. In 1987, I would have just thought, "Oh, okay. Whatever." But in 2019, I can use the Internet to find out all about that issue! Suck it, me in 1987 who didn't learn anything new or helpful in any way and who couldn't pretend like you were super smart and knew all about the periodic table because you didn't have Wikipedia like a stupid idiot! Ha ha! Apparently Mister 104 appeared in other comic books I've read (like The Doom Patrol vs. Suicide Squad Special) but it's understandable that I don't remember him. Partly because he may have been going by Atomic Man or Atomic Master and also because he's just kind of stupid. But stupid in just the right way that Doom Patrol villains should be stupid!

Don't read this text if you're trying to avoid spoilers for Teen Titans Spotlight #9: Changeling!

It looks like Mister 103 first takes on the name Mister 104 here. But what's odd is that he tells Cliff, "You might remember me: Mister 104!" And Changeling thinks, "That's Mister 104!" I guess Paul Kupperberg couldn't abide the fact that Arnold Drake fucked up and he had to correct him. I bet he was fuming for over twenty years! He probably got a job as a comic book writer simply to fix this mistake from his childhood! But then, I suppose everything can be explained away by simply invoking Crisis on Infinite Earths. That probably changed things somehow.

That's your argument for why you'r going to win this fight?

During the battle, Mister 104 turns into a lot of different chemical compounds, proving that he was indeed a molecular engineer. But Robotman manages to thwart each of his different shapes with punches, proving that nerds just can't win in physical combat. Eventually, Mister 104 sets a fire that traps the fat kid from earlier who didn't have enough sense to get the fuck out of the way. Interrupting the battle is a scene where Mento plots the downfall of the Teen Titans with the help of his captive, the star of the next issue of Spotlight, Aqualad! Back to the fight, Changeling saves the kid and drops him off by the hot dog stand. He sees some canisters and the fat kid says, "Those? But that's just soda gas!" Who the fuck calls it soda gas? I lived through 1987 and I don't remember ever saying, "The soda gas in this soda really hits the spot!" Maybe calling it carbonated water or carbon dioxide or carbonation would have given the game away too early! Changeling appears as a giant ape wielding cans of carbon dioxide to smother Mister 104's flaming fury. And this time instead of transforming into some other element, he's knocked out cold! Way to go, soda gas! Teen Titans Spotlight #9: Changeling Rating: C+. The entire point of the story was to show that Robotman's estimation of Garfield Logan has grown and that he now sees him as a real hero. I guess the reader is suppose to think, "Yeah! If Robotman can admit that Garfield is now a real hero and not some jerk off jokester who causes more problems than he solves, I should probably think that too!" And since I'm a totally average comic book reader, I'm totally a Garfield Logan fan now! He isn't obnoxious and annoying at all in the way I thought! He's a real hero! Not as big a hero as soda gas but still pretty great!

[tonidorsay]

Ok, Tumblr peeps... ya'll are tough and cynical, but hey...

Yeah, I know. Fuckin Boomers fuck the world, the Xers do jack but watch it, and now you gotta clean that shit up while paying fucking debts or working for one third what they made at the same job.

So you know I wrote a book. I am writing more of them. Not the boring ass trans shit book that none of ya want, but a fun book about magical girls and stuff.

Only, it isn’t all that fun all the time.

You see, the Girls are fighting the Agents of Oblivion. Oblivion is the personification of his name, and that means he’s the end of everything.

He even has five Riders, because he thinks Apocalypse is a candy ass and that other guy is distracted.

But before we get to them, we gotta uncover what’s going on.

So, let’s talk about villains for a moment.

Oppression. Be it misogyny or transphobia or racism or the rest, it is always an expression of a formula.

I express that formula directly: Anxiety/Aversion/Animus, singly or in any combination plus social power is how oppression works.

Now, social power stems from those things which act to limit or hinder individual Agency – social power is Structure.

What if all those things were demigods?

Lesser powers, their will bent towards service of their masters?

Anxiety, Aversion, and Animus are The Three. This cycle of effort to bring Oblivion through, they are the major leaders. They played a role previously, but they didn’t succeed because they served other forces.

They are partnered with The Five: Apathy, Avarice, Deceit, Privilege, and Stigma.

The Five are the ringleaders of the larger group known as The Structure.

All of them have lesser demigods working for them.

Anxiety, for example, has Humiliation, Disrespect, Inadequacy, Alienation, and Terror working for him.

Animus has Aggression, Frustration, Insecurity, Envy, and Hate. Those last two have been around a very long while – they were Known in Ancient Greece. You might recall a less flattering version of Strife, who has gone solo, from the Disney Hercules.

He’s still pissed about that. Which might be why there has been so much of him in the Disney back offices and leadership team over the last several years…

There are over 60 of these buggers on the sheet I am referencing that lays out all the ways they work and interconnect.

One of Stigma’s Lieutenants has jumped ship, though. Seems he both wised up to the fact that when Oblivion comes, they all go to, but moreso it seems his power is not as influential as it once was – he is disrepute.

You may get to know him as Alley.

Avarice is the de facto head at present, and one of the most Powerful. So powerful he may just have assumed a role as a person on Earth. And be influencing events more directly.

Any of this sounding vaguely familiar?

Feel like you are living in a world that is controlled and dominated by demigods who corrupt people with miasmas and humours?

These are the folks that the Contras are fighting. Sometimes they are easy. Lazy or distracted or overconfident. Sometimes they are hard.

But they are Gods, able to twist reality and warp things, and as the gals climb the ladder towards the Tower, they will fight more and more of them.

Sometimes they will be joined by The Party. The Party is the West Coast magical guy team.

Yes, you read that right. Magical guys. And they will be done straight. Gay, trans, one AceAro who has a dark sense of humor.

Sometimes they will be joined by the Rebels, who have been at this a lot longer, as they gained their powers when they were in their early teens. They are on the East Coast. Vermont, specifically.

Oh, I should note that two of this team are a couple, and the black gal is Justice and the other gal is Liberty, and yeah…

Trans gal on that team, too.

I absolutely promise that Nazis get punched (one gets a full missile launcher shot at him in the first book!), and there will be two occasions where the orange one gets what is coming to him. As well as his cronies.

I can also state that apparently, and over my objections, later in the series we will see giant robots and we will see Kaiju. I was trying very hard not to let that happen, but, well, you know how villains are,

Motherfuckers do not know when to give up. Specially these villains, who more often than not understand that monologuing is bad, and killing them is more fun if it hurts a lot.

ContraMagica is a 300 plus page Outline spanning at least 11 books.

It may take the form of a light novel and the conventions of the magical girl and magical idol genres, but it is a full on, hard core, old style fairy tale structured within the Hero’s journey that has given us Epic Fantasy works from Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter to Song of fire and ice and more.

Except, for once, all the lead characters are women, and both women of color and lgbt women are everywhere.

If you have ever read my what is series, you likely know I understand this stuff on the “academic” level. You probably know that I get these things better than pretty much 98% of our haters.

This is what happens when you take those things and put them into a really fun story. One that is inspired by Ghibli films and Ghost in the shell and Madoka and Yuki Yuna and the darker stuff but still brings out the light.

Maybe you hear me talk about girl power and you think, oh fuck no, not more of this live and peace and kindness crap.

Well, this isn’t that kind of girl power.

When you get a moment, go out and do some research. Seriously. Go out and find twenty five characteristics that define what the fuck Girl power really if. Broaden your search into the power of the feminine, too.

It will take effort. Because the vast majority of it is either Terf shit that stops at three things or religious shit that stops at five or a bled of both that says smile bitch and say thank you when he pulls out.

Sorry, that doesn’t do shit for me.

But there is value in womanhood, in the bonds of it and the aspects of it that need not be opposite of or complementary to masculinity.

And toxic masculinity is rampant, as well.

I had to figure that out. I had to dive into it and go beyond the silly shit and let me tell ya, I got 40 elements of Girl Power.

That change things in a subversive way that you know I love.

That is the power of these gals.

But wait!

Even after all of that, and I know ya’ll are like “yawn, yeah, whatevs”, there are a couple more things…

Each of these gals has five romantic aspects to them. Over the course of the novels, they will explore these, from crushes to the two separate romantic leads for each on, to the person who keeps making stuff hard, and to the friend who is there for them.

Yeah, even the Ace lead. She’s Ace, but she’s not Aro. But she has more going on, and what you might think is her basis for being Ace ain’t it.

And then, of course, these women are not whole people. The Contras don’t have the happy background of your usual Magical girl. All of them had lives that sucked, lives that hurt and broke and pushed them.

Remember, again, I am both a sociologist and a psychologist. These gals have issues. And I am just starting to explore them. For instance, there is a moment mentioned in book one where Lark, who is easily the baddest black magical girl I know, with her everyday goth look and her Victorian plus maid powered gear and her snakes and Houdon force and old brujha, is accosted by guys on Campus and is pretty much unable to respond and it falls to the Latina gal to come in and scare them off.

Why would she be that way? Why did Tally spend forty plus years waiting for mr right, and what happened that she might do it again?

These are gals with issues you will recognize.

This is ContraMagica. It isn’t going to be PreCure or Sailor Moon (neither of which I have seen more than two episodes of, btw, lol).

It is everything I have in me – all of it – poured out for you, but cleverly disguised as a kick ass magical girl superhero women’s story hidden in the YA field.

That is all of it. If you still go meh, well, I at least tried, lol.

But tell people about this. Let them know that I have five years or less locked down of my life to tell this massive story, and if I am lucky, maybe make a bit (seriously, a buck a book is what most authors make on trade paperbacks retail, so it takes like everyone to make an HP).

It isn’t great art. Not war and peace.

But i like to think it’s a going to be a great read.