#i can't think of an issue example where it would be briefly confusing even but also idk how others interpret things

[utilitycaster]

The thing that confuses me about the facial expressions, and correct me if I'm wrong, but these are all Voice Actors. With the exception of Ashley Johnson, I haven't seen any of them in a live-action role. Laura Bailey's acting has been honed to fit her medium, a medium where people can't see her face. That's not to say she can't act through expressions or body language, but to me, it seems like her default would be to convey through voice, not expressions.

Additionally, and here's where you should probably fact check me, in the past, many of the cast, including Laura, has narrated non-verbal reactions their characters have had in different situations. If they want us, the audience, to know their character is reacting to a situation in a particular way, such as lying or putting on a brave face, they don't do that in subtle, easy-to-miss facial expressions or shifts in body language. They do it in narration.

Hey!

So, most of them have been in live-action roles - Taliesin did a lot of TV acting as a child, Sam and Liam both have considerable stage experience, and Travis was in Nip/Tuck. I also have no theater training but I would assume that even if you're alone in a booth - or perhaps especially if you are, and have nothing else to act against - it helps to physically act things out. I mean, no theater training...but I do have to talk to clients over the phone and putting on a fake smile does tend to help.

You can watch the cast and they do often adopt facial expressions and postures in line with their characters. I think this is especially noticeable with Matt, since he plays many different people and his posture and expressions do noticeably change within the same episode. But we also have seen it in action. Liam as Caleb is a great example - note how he freezes when Trent's name first comes up in 2x17. Marisha and Travis are also very physical actors, and frequently embody their character's attacks. You can watch clips across campaigns and note differences in body language and expression among most of the cast depending on the character they play. They frequently narrate what their characters do as well, which I think is good both because a lot of people listen to the show as a podcast, because this is standard D&D practice, and because there's only so much you can embody while sitting down at a table. But there's a physical element and I don't think it's bad to attribute some acting in Critical Role to facial expressions.

I take issue specifically with like...well, if you're mentioning that Laura is biting her lip when she briefly glances at Liam or Marisha and claiming that this means she's secretly in love with them and those are the endgame ships, but leaving out, say, this:

or this:

you're transparently cherrypicking. There's quite literally hundreds of hours of the cast making all kinds of expressions both in and out of character, and you can probably find something that supports whatever you want, if taken out of context.

Here's actually a recent example of an out of context expression! Travis does make this face in that episode, but it happens much later in the conversation. Here's Travis when Ashton actually says he knows loneliness Laudna doesn't (around 1:48:50 in 3x49):

The expression in the post actually appears about 2 minutes later (around 1:50:40), as Ashton is asking Laudna what it was like to wake up and have people there, and if you watch it in context, it's not annoyance or rolling his eyes but intense listening to the conversation. (And, to be fair, it's possible they were just using Travis's face at a later point as a reaction...but it's still not even an annoyed face!)

You can find this constantly. It's in the Mighty Nein reunited; people claim that Caleb was dissociating when Jester says she died when he was in fact not even there (he was still polymorphed into a shark) because Liam happened to make a kind of blank expression, possibly because his character wasn't even there yet.

So it's not that the cast doesn't make expressions or embody their characters. They do! They do it a lot! But like...this is actually one of the things I was vagueing when I made this post about crumbs. People will be like LAURA BLINKED AND THIS MEANS SHE LOVES MY SHIP in an episode where Vex and Percy are fucking in the Whitestone vault, or Jester and Fjord are having a 10 minute intense conversation about the future. Expressions are just one piece (and I agree, what the cast actually deliberately says and narrates is far more important, usually, but expressions are still an important part of their acting - they're voice actors, but they're aware they're on camera) and they must be considered in the appropriate context because people will grab out of character moments or misrepresent when a cast member made a certain face or take a single frame and pretend it's a different emotion than was actually expressed to put forth a narrative they already support.

So: fine to include expressions! Great! If they weren't meaningful then our many fine gifmakers in the fandom would be wasting their time! But as with anything, they can be twisted or deliberately misrepresented, and when they're placed as immutable truth even when out of context, misinterpreted, and at odds with what the cast is actually doing and saying, it borders on deluded.

[archivyrep]

The relevance of Star Wars to pop culture depictions of archives [part 1]

My post on here back in February was met with some push back on /r/archivists, which I totally expected. One cranky archivist, with the username DependentFigure6777, declared that "any article that uses Attack of the Clones as evidence of anything in the real world is not well." I'm not really sure how to interpret that comment except that it is passive aggressive and a bit hostile. So, in this post I'll explain why Attack of the Clones and Star Wars are relevant to the real world, especially to work in archives, even though Star Wars films, animated series, and the like, are obviously fiction, and not "evidence" of any real-world archiving, especially since archivists and librarians are famously confused in Attack of the Clones, leading a myriad of problems.

Reprinted from my Wading Through the Cultural Stacks WordPress blog. Originally published on Oct. 12, 2022.

As I noted in that post, Jedi archivist Jocasta Nu in the Star Wars franchise thinks her records are "complete" and without error, but is anything but neutral. She further thinks that all the records will not have not have any issues because the information is managed by a Jedi, i.e. herself, and others who are helping her. I further noted that that the Jedi temple archives' records are meant for the Jedi, but the general public is now allowed inside and can't access the records, meaning there are definitely specific rules which influence how the records are described, collected, and arranged, rules with their own biases based on where, when, and who runs the archives. In the post I also noted that the Imperials took the Jedi records and destroyed many of these records, with Nu purging the archive files before that, using it for their own means, becoming a a place for anti-Jedi propaganda, with manipulation of archived data. I further argued that this story means that archives aren't neutral but are contested spaces going from Jedi propaganda to anti-Jedi Empire propaganda, then becoming Sith propaganda. Since it is a human institution, its organization of information and storage involves choices, as not a neutral receptacle of history, nor is its documentation accurate, comprehensive, fair or representative. There is no such thing as a "complete" archives.

This is really something that would be great for someone to write a fan fic about if they so chose, as they could touch on many archival themes. Otherwise, apart from the various articles about this by Sam Cross and Jennifer Snoek-Brown, both of whom were part of a really great video vlog/podcast about archival themes in Star Wars films which was posted on Cross's YouTube channel [1] this film has often been covered in the archival literature. I noted one such article in my post last month, by an Italian archivist. Others have pointed out Nu as an example of a "librarian" with an "unsupportive" attitude, as she is extremely unhelpful to Obi-Wan.

Harvard educator, ethnographer, and organizer Jarret Martin Drake mentioned the series briefly in his article "Blood at the Root" in the Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies, writing that "the ethical archivist, it is often argued, does not shirk this power but rather assumes it consciously and conscientiously, a wiser wielder of their force, so to say, as evidenced by the conspicuously outsized number of references to Star Wars in this genre of writing." [2] Others have gone further, saying the scene in Attack of the Clones provides a glimpse into the "kind of power archives wield and their ontological effect as sites where not only events, experiences, and histories get recorded"

Most well-known is an article by Randall Jimerson, then president of the SAA, arguing that in Attack of the Clones, "archives represent power", claiming that the film presents a "more confident view of archives" than George Orwell's 1984, and describes Jocasta Nu as a "frail elderly woman". He goes onto say that the missing planet is erased in an "act of archival sabotage" but that the film's futuristic vision of an archives "shows the limits of archival control." He then says that the "pose of omniscience" of the archivist is "truly an illusion" and quotes Eric Ketelaar who says that the power o the archivist is shown in the fact that "Obi-Wan must physically enter the Jedi Archives in his search" He concludes that in the film "the role of the archivist is crucial and powerful." [3]

The article by Ketelaar describes Nu as a "Jedi archivist", says that the film indicates the power of the archives. He asks if her claim that if something doesn't appear in records it doesn't exist is an overestimation or "typical for the dedicated professional who is so entirely taken up by her own world that external reality is rated lower than its internal representation". He further argues that Nu "suggests that the archived reality is part of the record" and notes that the Jedi archives is within a temple. Later in the article, he adds that "temples and churches convey by their architecture the idea of surveillance and power" and notes that search rooms of many archives are a panopticon, giving examples of the U.S. and U.K. National Archives, saying that researchers have to keep silent and are under "constant supervision" while researchers have a "minimum of privacy". [4] He concludes his article by saying that Nu is ensuring the archives are comprehensive, secure, and affirming her role in society. In that, she is fulfilling the societal expectation of archives: that they are secure places which store memories, while archivists use their power for empowering so that "society can be confident of the future". [5]

There a few other articles in The American Archivist which analyze Star Wars. One of those is an article in 2007 by Richard Pearce-Moses. He briefly mentions Attack of the Clones. He saying that with the rise of the Web and the the digital era, there will be "changes in public expectations for access to information". He goes onto argue that the attitude "if it’s not on the Web, it doesn’t exist" is a naive notion manifested in the film itself. He quotes a now-dead link to a Star Wars Databank entry for Nu, which states that she was so reliant on the data of the Jedi Archive that she "neglected to consider that perhaps the information could have been tampered with." [6]

While I understand what he is saying, it would be a stretch to say the computer systems of the Jedi Archives are like the internet. Its more like an intranet, as it can only be accessed within the archives and not outside of it. Neither of these reviews noted something interesting about Nu, as noted in the "expanded universe" part of that entry: that Nu had been Archives Director for 30 years, but is not a frontline warrior, and "in addition to serving as custodian of the records, she would prepare mission briefs for Jedi taskforces and Knights on assignment." I wish something like that had happened in the film. Something akin to that did happen in the animated series. In the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode "The Lost One", Nu explains the records that the Jedi Archives has on Sifo-Dyas. [7]

© 2022 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Continued in part 2

Notes

[1] See Cross's articles "Tool of the Empire, Tool of the Rebellion: Star Wars and the Archive" on Pop Archives and "Page Turners, They Are Not: The Last Jedi and the Archives" in The American Archivist Reviews Portal. Also see Snoek-Brown's "The Jedi librarian", "The Jedi Librarian vs. Darth Vader", "A funny thing happened on the way to the Jedi library…", and "May the archives be with you | Shining the spotlight on the Jedi librarian" on Reel Librarians.

[2] Drake, Jarrett Martin (2021) "Blood at the Root," Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies: Vol. 8, Article 6, p. 2.

[3] Randall Jimerson; Embracing the Power of Archives. The American Archivist 1 January 2006; 69 (1): 20-21. doi: https://doi.org/10.17723/aarc.69.1.r0p75n2084055418.

[4] Ketelaar, Eric. (2002) "Archival temples, archival prisons: Modes of power and protection," Archival Science 2, p. 2, 8-9. The pages used her are in the PDF version on academia.edu, not those in the original article in Archival Science.

[5] Ibid, 10.

[6] Pearce-Moses, Richard. (2007). "Janus in Cyberspace: Archives on the Threshold of the Digital Era". The American Archivist 70 (1): 15.

[7] She also has a big role in the episode "Holocron Heist", a smaller role in the episodes "Lightsaber Lost" and "Assassin" as I noted in my post on the topic.

[pride-of-storm]

i was a legal assistant for like two hundred hours and using 'v' for 'versus' will never leave me

[annonmaly]

Ok, It's Not Red. So What? (continuation)

Noé and his left eye

At this point, I'm wondering why I decided to do this. At first, I just saw this official artwork collection, and I'm like: "These are cool, let me post something short about what I think (cos' I got a lot of time). Some of these ideas may already be out there. But still, I may drag someone else in this 'what if' hole I'm in". I meant this to be one post with 500 words only. But lo' and behold! I'm now on the fourth part of this thought dump. My lazy brain is so proud of me right now.

These posts could be read separately. But if you have some minutes to waste and have nothing better to do. Check out the previous parts here:

Part 1: Regarding some of VnC Artwork

Part 2: Oh, It's Not Red

Part 3: Ok, It's Not Red. So What?

No promises that it's worthwhile tho'.

Hopefully for the last time, a friendly reminder that best in writing is an award I never received. I'm not the person who could analyze, explain, or theorize things. Please bear that in mind while reading. Photos are not mine, of course. Also, spoiler alert to be safe.

Now that I said everything I want to say. Let's finish this thing. This would be the last absurd idea that I want to share.

I read this theory a while ago that Noé's left eye was partially blind. This was the result of his injury during his childhood. As proof, Noé always received an injury on the left side. I totally agree with this theory. There's something wrong in that left eye of his. What if Noé's left eye lost its original power? Or What if it's not his eye to begin with? Sounds farfetched? Yeah, it is, but give me a break here. This was on my head for a long time now, and this needs to be out of my system.

Ok, first, let me tell you why I think his left eye is suspicious.

1. Noé had an eye injury when he was a kid. But after a while, it healed as nothing happened. This could easily be explained. It was healed totally by his vampire's power.

2. How and when he received that injury is questionable. (Actually, that whole story is suspicious) Did he receive it before or after being kidnapped? I don't much about slave trade in VnC world. But, if you're going to sell something you don't want it to have visible damage, right? (Sorry if the comparison sounds offending)

3. This may be for artistic purposes. However, there are panels where Noé's left eye was hidden by his hair or something. Most of them are when he is emotional. Or, more precisely, when it's about Vanitas. This is not always the case, and maybe I'm just reading to it more than necessary. But let me give you some examples:

(I had a hard time in this cos' I'm confused about what is left and right)

Let me briefly explain the picture from left to right

Bal Masque Arc: (It is not noticeable in this arc, actually. But when Noé is scolding Ruthven, we can't see his left eye.) The image above is when human Vani told Noé to leave him alone Then the one beneath is the moment when Noé declared that he will stay with human Vani.

Catacombs Arc: This is the time when Noé forgot to cut his hair. His left eye is hidden at about 90 percent of this arc. I only saw it again when Noé got angry with the weird doctor because he keeps calling human Vani by number "69". Even after the conclusion of this arc, his left eye is hidden.

Pre-Gevaudan Arc: We all know what happened the night before this. In the panel above, his eye was hidden when he was expressing his guilt. Then when he's being honest, Mochijun-Sensei showed his left profile.

Misha Arc: I know it's still fresh in your memories. To make this short, they are fighting to the death. The above panel is when Noé's reevaluating the events that happened. Then below is when he realized that he did not look at human Vani properly.

I'm a VaNoé shipper so I could go on all day, but I think I already get my point across. There's a pattern here when human Vani and Noé are having an issue. Or when Noé can't understand the former, his left eye is hidden. After they kiss and makeup Mochijun-sensei shows Noé's left eye.

I think I already established that Noé's left eye is weird, so let's move on. If you encountered my prior post, I assumed that Luna and Noé are twins. Let's ignore that notion. For now, I will settle with the idea that the blue vampire and Noé are related. They could be siblings, parent-child, or kinsmen. I'll believe that Noé is related to the blue moon vampire until Mochijun-Sensei says otherwise.

So, I emphasized Noe's hidden eye a moment ago. Who else out there that we don't see her left eye? Yup, the vampire of the blue moon. (I already mentioned this on my previous post)

This is not related but look at these panels:

After hearing human Vani's childhood story, Noé and Luna both asked the question about hating the vampires. Take note that Luna is on the right, the eye that was she's not hiding. Noé on the left profile, the hidden eye at times. I don't know if there's a meaning in this or what, it's just interesting.

Going Back,

If Noé is related to the blue vampire and the cursed book. (I think Grandpa DeSade won't ask him to observe the book without reason, he possibly be the real owner). Maybe at some point, his eyes are blue. Or maybe one of his eyes is blue. The left eye, perhaps?

So far, we only saw Noé gazing at the blue moon in the first chapter.

Left profile, left eye, interesting. (I'll say this again and again, Sensei is shady. Even that smile)

Well, it's his right eye. However, it's his left that noticed the moon first.

Next...

The whole sentence is "and see for yourself with your own eyes..." Is it just a coincidence that the panel with the words "with your own eyes" was a close-up of Noé's left eye? (He's still looking up the blue moon here)

Now, assuming that his eyes are blue before. What happened? As I said earlier, maybe he lost the power of his left eye or just transferred it to someone. Is there someone heterochromatic that is always with Noé? Oh, yes, Murr.

So, in a nutshell: What if Noé has the power of a blue and red moon vampire before the series' timeline started? (He's kind of special since it would only show when he's using his vampiric powers) Then, something terrible happened that we don't yet. And they had no choice but to transfer that power to Murr?

At one point, I imagined that Noé and Murr exchanged eyes, but dismissed it since I thought that Murr's eyes are red. But now that I changed my mind about Murr's eye color, I think this could still be a possibility.

I'll leave it up to your imagination as to how everything happened. This is just a half-boiled theory I had that needs to get out of my mind. I'll try to expound it furthermore when I found out more (or maybe I would already change my mind)

This scene would negate my thousand words post entirely. Because the injury Noé had is shown when he met Sensei for the first time. This means he should still be heterochromatic here. The old man knows that he's a vampire. So, it's either, Noé told them, or the couple saw his vampiric characteristics. They would tell Noé that his eyes was strange, right? But it looks like had no idea at all.

(I'll just copy and paste from my previous post)

I believe that Mochijun-sensei is keeping the timeline vague since it would reveal too much information. I mean, we don't know how long time passed from the day Noé was found by the old couple to the day Sensei brought him to the castle in the forest. Keep in mind that the vampire's growth differs for each person, as well. Also, is the story the Noé and Sensei told trustworthy? As far as I could tell, Sensei is shady, like really. Besides, Noé's memory is also not reliable. After all, someone out there may have the ability to manipulate memories. What if Noé was was born ages ago and was induced to sleep for a long time for whatever reasons?

(Copy Paste ends here)

I really love Noé and Murr. You see, the title of the series is The Case Study of Vanitas, but I'm more curious about Noé. My guts tell me that he would unexpectedly surprise us in the future chapters. Do you have any ideas or thoughts you want to share about VnC? tell me, I'm so bad at digging gold here.

That's the end folks, I warned you this might not make any sense. I'm just a person who has a lot of time on hand got bored waiting for the next chapter. Still, I had fun writing this. It's entertaining to crack our heads with the possibilities of what would happen in the story. But remember to always respect the authors. It's their work and art.

Note: I wrote this to indulge my over-thinking self. This is just a random theory, thoughts, assumptions, and/or head-canons. Thank you for taking the time to read and understanding if I made any mistakes or post whatever it is you don’t agree on.