#it's just sad to see the quality and style inconsistencies

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

not to talk shit about a thing that nobody else here probably knows anything about but looking back at the pladge threads does still activate a very strong "do the whole group project by myself" instinct in me

[richardsondavis]

So I went to the Skullgirls official YouTube channel and went to check some of the videos there, especially the shorts.

So before the grand censorship of Skullgirls, sometime before July, the views were about in the tens of thousands. Then there's a day there where the views just dipped.

So I went and checked some of the comments over some of the shorts and I say, it's more civil than I thought it'd be. I took the liberty of screenshotting some of them and a particular title from a short on the Skullgirls YouTube channel.

So the first one.

There's a particular phrase within this exchange that really exemplifies how I feel about myself during this entire debacle and me still wanting to play and support Skullgirls Mobile.

"I personally won't insult them but if they still support the game after that, it changes my view of that person."

This just makes me so sad. This stranger, whom I most likely won't ever meet, would think bad of people like me. Would think bad of me. Would see me as an enemy. As a lesser being. This rustles my jimmies.

Yes, I find the censorship abhorrent but I'm not that petty to abstain from playing the game because, contrary to popular belief, the game still runs fine. Yes, a certain aspects of Skullgirls soul has been taken by the censorship and a few key details that made some narratives within the game be more layered but I'm not one of those people who makes analyses. I'm just your average Juan that wants to play a game because I find it fun.

During these kinds of controversies, there's always a question I have. Am I the villain here?

I prefer the official translations of manga save for the ones from Seven Seas. I find scanlations to be terribly inconsistent. Am I the villain here?

Kurzgesagt made a video that said they were wrong and a huge chunk of folks online claim that Kurzgesagt pushes an agenda. I still enjoy watching their videos, am I the villain here?

Skullgirls, a franchise that I was made aware of through their mobile game, who during the pandemic has helped me cope with the time and the mental anguish away, the elements game which drew me in was the sexiness, the panty shots and the art style plus the gameplay and gacha elements. There has been an update that censors various elements in the game. I still play and have made purchases in their mobile game because I enjoy the game. Am I the villain here?

Although I do love how the conversation ends. So mature.

I consider myself to be part of the new audience and making Skullgirls Mobile be a hit everywhere should be something I should strive for. Maybe I'll try to do just that.

Edit: Just noticed the last comment said they're a SGM player as well. Coolio.

Then there's this exchange. Judge for yourself, ladies and germs.

Edit: So this one is something. "Real fans" they say. What makes a fan? Is it money spent or time spent? Is it saying how much you love the thing? I can say that I am a fan of the SCP Wiki. That I spent countless hours reading the articles, learning the lore. I was not big on communities but I know what I know and I loved every second I spent reading those articles. Then the drama happened and the dip in the quality of writing.

I was disappointed with how things really turned out but I still hold the wiki dear to my heart. I remember just going around and collecting various artworks online of SCP. I also found joyreactor through my searches of other SCP media.

Was it a phase? Am I not a fan? Similar to Skullgirls or the mobile version of it? I was late to the party but I liked the game and I took the time to learn all that I could about it. I am disappointed with the censorship. What can I say? I'm not a true fan. I'm just a guy who finds it appealing but ain't willing nor do I have the drive and moral to oppose this vehemently. I was ignorant of the LGBSCP thing but I noticed the dip in the writing quality. The difference between Skullgirls and the SCP thing to me is that SCP truly abandoned its roots for something else and it's not really something I'm rooting for. A few gems but nothing like Series 1.

Skullgirls, I can tell, are still horny. Black Dahlia has panty shot. Cerebella, Parasoul, Valentine. They have the pantsu shot. I always intend to know the nuance. I have screenshot Filia and Cerebella to see if one can see their underwear in the frames. I have found out that you still can but they become a "blink and you'll miss it" thing which is quite a disappointment, I must admit. They were quite a pretty sight.

P.S. I understand how they would go with making this title but...

WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?

Quite low of the devs. I mean if this is how they treat their old fans, I wonder how they'd treat their still fans and newer fans. I pray they don't go full EA or Ubisoft with their game cause fucking hell.

And this is also where I got my other scrollshot. Tread with care.

[william-quartz-nightmare58]

Recently read Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights Graphic Novel Collection Vol 1, and to be honest, it sucked, horribly. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but it was so lazily made and low quality it's actually disgusting, especially as a FNaF product and part of the Scholastic publishing house. Anyway, I start off with reviewing the first story in this book.

"Into The Pit"

The graphic novel remake for "Into The Pit" was genuinely so horrible it actually makes me sad. Ever character looked unexpressive and their designs were so bland. The only part about their character designs I even remotely liked was that some characters were hyper-accurate to how they were described in the short story. Outside of the that, everything looked like clip art with very little shading.

And the worst part? Spring Bonnie. His design is so inconsistent in the comic it actually makes me sad. Sometimes he'll have buttons, sometimes he won't. Sometimes he looks like classic FNaF 1 Bonnie but yellow, sometimes he looks like LadiFiszi's interpretation of the Into The Pit's Spring Bonnie. And there were two panels in the comic where you could tell that he was traced off of his design in Dawko's music video based on "Into The Pit"

Here's the panels if you're curious:

Anyway, that's my review of the "Into The Pit" comic. I give it a 2/10.

"To Be Beautiful"

Now, this graphic novel looks better, but only slightly. Though I might be bias here because I love the "To Be Beautiful" short story for what it had to offer, and I found "Into The Pit" a very weird and forgettable story, so "To Be Beautiful" had that as an advantage. Anyway, it's better (in my opinion) because there's actually proper shading so nothing looks like clip art, and this version of Eleanor (at least in my opinion) is the best official one. It's different enough from Circus Baby and kinda looks cool, the only issue I have with it is that the red hair and purple dress clash with each other and I think it would look better of the hair and dress were complementary colors.

Here is how Eleanor looks in the comic:

Outside of those, and the fact that nothing was traced off of fan made stuff, the graphic novel remake for "To Be Beautiful" was kinda average, though its flaws are very notable. Sometimes, dialogue don't align with their bubbles, sometimes characters say stuff the opposite character should be saying, and there's a bit of broken shading here and there.

All in all, I'll give the "To Be Beautiful" graphic novel a 6/10.

"Out of Stock"

Now this might be a hot take, but this my favorite one in the book. The reason I say that is because of how strange the art style for "Out of Stock" is. It doesn't really feel like it should be in an official FNaF graphic novel.

Here are some of the visuals:

See what I mean? Anyway, the reason I love this one out of the other comics is because it's my favorite story in the book, it's genuinely scary-looking, and is the most artistic one of the three comics.

First off, I just love the story, so the "Out of Stock" comic already gets points for that. The Plushtrap Chaser is a really creepy monster and I just love the ending a lot.

Next, despite the fact that "Out of Stock" looks so strange and the Plushtrap Chaser looks like... whatever that thing is, it still manages to create extremely creepy imagery. For those that don't know, the main monster in "Out of Stock" is a Plushtrap-like doll with human eyes and teeth and is extremely hostile. And despite the fact that the Plushtrap Chaser in this comic looks the way it does with it's dot eyes and extremely long teeth, it still uses that to be very creepy. Again, here's an example of a scene near the end:

As you can see here, the artist took advantage of their style and turned the Plushtrap Chaser into an eldridge horror beyond comprehension.

But even though I've only sung this comic praises, it still has flaws. There are some parts in the comic where there's just straight up no shading, the design of some characters are very inconsistent, and again, the art style just feels a bit out of place in an official FNaF graphic novel.

I think I'll give "Out of Stock" a 7/10.

I guess that's the end of my review of Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights Graphic Novel Collection Vol 1. To anyone who took the time to read this whole thing, thank y'all for doing so. This is the longest post I've ever did, so I heavily appreciate it if you took some time to see this.

See y'all later!

[ravilson23]

Okay, so i think a lot of people noticed somehow worse quality of animation in the latest episode of Helluva Boss (s2ep2). So i decided to redraw some frames that bothered me. I think i did some better, some worse, some are more in my style than i would like but in general, i think i managed to correct some stuff.

At this point i got kinda tired of editing those frames like this ( probably cause i was doing this in the app that wasnt really created for this) and i decided to do simple redraws.

This one was kinda weird, cause i had bigger problem with anatomy than her face, I dont think i did great job but i hope its a little more balanced now. I felt like the original shot had Loonas body streched in proportion. On the other hand in my sketch the head may be a bit too small. Oh well

At this point i stopped doing mostly clean lines.

This is a suprising shot, cause it was a very important moment in the episode, so its a little disappointing to see drawings with not the best quality.

And here we go with Blitz. Honestly the oryginal shot is fine, its more cartoonish in expression and i think its okay. I did this one mostly as an experiment. In the end i think both versions are okay, just different. The oryginal definitely feels more emotive.

And this one is... idk, at first i tried just editing this but it didnt feel right so i said fuck it and just redrew this, much quicker even if less pretty.

And that would be all shots i decided to redraw. Not all that could be corrected, cause u know, its one frame, and all sequences are based on drawing with screwed proportions.

But to be fair i want to say some stuff. Loona is generally hard to draw and this episode isnt the only one that have some weird shots with her. Vivzies style is very expressive, and in my opinion not particulary regular. By this i mean that anatomy isnt very important, many characters are very slim, imps for example have pretty big heads (especially Blitz) [wait is this also a pun?!], while Asmodeus for a change has pretty small one (though it seems bigger with his other faces). The size of characters also can be inconsistent, its especially noticable when there is a big difference in size between them (eghem* Stolitz, EGHEM* Fizz and Asmodeus). Blitz is also hard to draw because he has a really particular shape of head and horns. Its hard to place his eyes, especially since imps are based on reptiles and their features are also reptile like (no nose to help). With Loona on the other hand its hard to draw her in 3/4 perspective cause of the shape of her eyes and especially her muzzle. I think animators try not to cover them with her nose or mouth and i believe it doesnt works well. Most of the characters have also a lot of details which makes it harder to animate them. Blitzos headmark, his scars, even his clothes! It takes a lot of time to draw it all. And its like that with most characters. So i am not doing this post to shame those animations, but rather to show that its not easy to do and despite it being not so great it still took a lot of work. For me personally those shots werent even the biggest issue, i was more annoyed with camera jumping around.

Last thing. I liked one shot with Loona A LOT and i am really sad i cannot post anymore pictures in this post, so here is its time in the ep: 17:18 - 17:24. Whoever animated this did a truly great job, and i send a lot appreciation to this person.

[writteninscarlet]

✦ — [sender] and [receiver] search for ghosts (but like...scooby doo style don't @ me) ;; @overclocks

fall/autum/halloween prompts ; accepting

"If you tell me one more time that there's no such thing as ghosts, Velma, I'll be sure to find the proof," she retorted, glancing back at him and then making a face. She had ALWAYS believed in ghosts, had heard stories from her parents growing up about them. Folktales, she knew that. But she still believed. And now? Now, as a witch she'd performed exorcisms. She'd seen demons. The supernatural were in the natural world. Even if sceptics didn't want to believe as such.

But this?

"But, fine, I shall give this one to you, Anthony, this is no ghost. Probably." She glanced down at the ground, raising a hand in the direction she was looking at. "Well, how are those FOOTPRINTS for a clue? I don't think I know of any ghost that leaves those." Oh. And she so had been to take Tony for a trip to the supernatural wild side. There was always the chance one MIGHT run into a ghost. But it seemed this was potentially just someone trying to scare folk away to carry out a dastardly plot - nothing unique, and quite childish. How dull. But they could make the most of it. There had been RUMOURS of some sort of devilish creature haunting the area. It was strange and unusual, because most of their villains cared little about collateral damage - they didn't try to scare people off, they just took what they wanted. And some of the rumours did sound like actual demonic hauntings. Wanda would know. But there were so many inconsistencies. It was odd. But it was also Halloween - could it be a prank? An actual demon? A villain chasing people off? Who knew! But she had wanted to investigate, to have that little thrill and perhaps a spooky tale. Wanda Maximoff - ghost hunter! With her sidekick, Trick-or-treat Tony. Oh, you had to make your fun somewhere. And with the shop being run by Darcy, this was just the kind of thing to keep her occupied.

Or it had been, but each step made her pout just that tiny bit more on the inside. It was truly looking like this wasn't a ghost.

"You know I really feel like some of the villains we're facing have gone from a-list to b-list. If not even lower than that. Truly. Their costumes and schemes could be wacky, but merely dressing up to chase people away?" She shook her head and gave a little sigh, "It's as though people aren't even trying anymore and--"

She stopped speaking as a wailing came through the building. Well, that was new. The wailing and moaning continued, an unearthly sound that seemed filled with pain and sadness. But... was that a tinny quality to it as well? Wanda looked at Tony, curiously, and mouthed, "Speakers?" Had to be rigged up. Oh gosh, she wasn't believing in this anymore either, were they both the Velma's of this ghost hunt? At least if that were the case, they'd get to the bottom of this mystery in no time and could actually enjoy their night. ....Though it was a little fun to have traipsed around some spooky sights in order to bust a myth about some creature haunting the place.

They continued onwards, Wanda trying to sense any magical or mystical energies. Certainly someone had been here recently. And just as suddenly as the wailing started, it stopped - and a great big furry beast rushed out at them, snarling, hissing, slobbering. A shadow so black it drew in the light. Was it demonic? A ghostly spirit? Wanda started with a gasp, reaching out to take Tony's arm and then--

"A cat." Still grasping his arm, she looked at the cat now sitting before them, licking a paw. Looking pleased with itself. Oh. Wanda released her grip, straightened herself out, and looked at Tony. "Please. Never speak of what just happened."

She bent over to scratch the cat behind it's ears, the cat sitting quite nicely for her to do so. Cute thing. Now it wasn't jump-scaring them. And now that she was bent down, she could see those footprints again, in the dirt and dusk on the ground. And they led straight towards a wall. Dead end.

Hm. Ghost or not... "We have a mystery on our hands," she remarked brightly, straightening up and clasping her hands together. "Unless there's a Shadowcat about as well, not too many humans are walking through walls."

[m-y-fandoms]

1 Thing I Love & 1 Thing I Hate About EVERY Danganronpa Character Part 1

Part 2

SPOILERS FOR ALL THREE MAIN GAMES

I’d love to hear our opinions as well in the comments or my inbox or DM’s! If you try this trend with DR characters, tag me!

Sayaka Maizono

♡ Her passion for her career and friends.

✘ The way she tries to screw over Makoto when the game had just begun. Like wait and see what happens before screwing over such a great guy? Leon didn’t deserve it either.

Leon Kuwata

♡ His voice actor (English), and how real and human his execution was in that we all would be so scared and irrational. It was just so iconic and sad as it’s our first introduction to the death in this series and we all think: “shit, this is real... they are really killing these kids.” I didn’t think it would be that brutal, just seeing his body limp at the end with the haunting music.

✘ His design is disgusting. I hate how he looks.

Chihiro Fujisaki

♡ So innocent, so kind, so intelligent

✘ Shouldn’t have been killed for such a stupid reason, also they did Mondo dirty with that motive for killing as well. Just a mess. As for the actual character, Chihiro cries right off the bat when you do your introductions and that was kind of annoying to me personally.

Mondo Oowada

♡ He has a lot of respect, understanding and emotions for someone I thought would be a hard-ass douche biker.

✘ The worst motive to kill ever in a game where you know you’re getting executed if you’re found out. Like you’d be extra careful and that’s his reason to kill? Lazy writing.

Celestia Ludenberg

♡ Bad bitch energy and her goth lolita design.

✘ Manipulation and double murder. Bad bitch energy only goes so far. Confidence is different then selfishness. Also, of all the chapter 3 triple murders... the worst motive to kill.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru

♡ Emotions: secure in his masculinity, able to cry, show emotions, and apologize when he’s wrong. He’s funny and likable.

✘ The Ishimondo white hair thing was stupid. Taka was fine on his own.

Hifumi Yamada

♡ Writing takes talent, fan fiction as much as any other style or genre. Also the talent of his voice actor (who also voices Kiibo/K1-B0).

✘ Literally everything else about him.

Sakura Oogami

♡ I love everything about her. I love her wisdom, loyalty, design, voice etc. Just step on me, mother.

✘ Why the hell would she ever agree to be a spy even if it meant the end of her dojo? I just don’t think she would do that rationally because she isn’t selfish. The others would suffer for her spying. She remedies this with redemption in her letter in chapter 4 but still she should’ve said no off the bat. Everyone had something to lose. The dojo wasn’t worth spying for monokuma. Also I just don’t think she would commit suicide. She can’t help the remaining students survive and redeem herself truly if she’s dead.

Kyoko Kirigiri

♡ Bad bitch energy, calm and collected when I could never be.

✘ Especially in future arc of the anime, damn can you show some emotion please? Through your words and expressions not just your actions. Sure she was willing to “die” for Makoto but like I just want more emotion from her sometimes, even in THH.

Makoto Naegi

♡ So pure. I Love Bryce Papenbrook. Makoto reminds me of Sora and I love his design.

✘ In THH I didn’t mind his innocence but in the Danganronpa 3 future arc anime, when people started straight up abusing him and accusing him, he needed to grow a little backbone.

Byakuya Togami

♡ Love my dad, king shit, also love how over the progression of the games and animes he becomes a little more kind to his friends.

✘ Why the fuck did he mess with Chihiro’s body? Just so cruel and disrespectful.

Yasuhiro Hagakure

♡ Funny magic man. Sexy voice.

✘ Please. Please Hiro use your brain just once. Why do we have to prove Kyoko isn’t a ghost?!

Toko Fukawa

♡ Character development in UDG and I love Genocider.

✘ Putting down herself and others constantly gets old in THH.

Aoi Asahina

♡ Love her voice actress and her personality

✘ We really just gonna get everyone killed in chapter 4 huh? Surely you know they don’t all deserve that.

Junko Enoshima

♡ A very memorable villain with great hair and design.

✘ I just can’t stand her. I hate her so much.

Mukuro Ikusaba

♡ Her mercenary background is super cool as a concept.

✘ Too bad it wasn’t explored nearly enough.

Hajime Hinata

♡ Seeing the protagonist be a little less naive, innocent and positive than Makoto was a refreshing change, although I loved Makoto. I liked Hajime’s cynicism and expressions that sometimes just screamed “this shit again, huh?”

✘ I enjoy the way Izuru looks but I hate him as a character. He is sexy to look at but Hajime is just a better character overall

Teruteru Hanamura

♡ His love for his family and mother especially is so cute and heart breaking if you know the full story.

✘ He needs to know when to dial it back and quit with the perversions. And no it’s not just how he looks, Miu needs to chill at times, too.

Twogami

♡ I feel like he genuinely cares about his friends, just hides it well

✘ His death felt like a cop out and poorly written. It just didn’t sit right with me. Also his design is disgusting to me, his outfit and such.

Mahiru Koizumi

♡ Loyal to her close friends.

✘ I just have no interest in her as a character and I find her boring.

Peko Pekoyama

♡ Loyalty. Loyalty is something I value very highly in every form of relationship. Peko is also very hot.

✘ Come on girl... I know how you were raised but you should’ve known Fuyuhiko didn’t think of you as just a tool and you two should’ve expressed your true feelings long ago. Like even in secret. How do you live like this? Also I feel like killing Mahiru could’ve been avoided with a calm talk.

Ibuki Mioda

♡ Cute design, positive vibes.

✘ Cringe sometimes in the way she talks.

Hiyoko Saionji

♡ Beautiful character design and some very good insults and snarky remarks at times.

✘ Just irredeemably mean and annoying. Even when you do her free time events she is just so annoying.

Mikan Tsumiki

♡ I like her design as well as her hair, expressions, sprites and clothing.

✘ I hate her. I just hate her whether she’s in her true psycho form or timid stuttering form. She’s just annoying in my opinion.

Nekomaru Nidai

♡ So supportive, can hold my drink at a party. Respects everyone and wants the best for them.

✘ Bro Mechamaru was a stupid plot point. I just couldn’t stand looking at him and couldn’t take it seriously. Still sad when he died though.

Chiaki Nanami

♡ From chapter 5 of sdr2 on she is impossible not to love if you didn’t already. Just the selflessness, the sadness of the reveal and execution, how she returns to help Hajime at the end???? I love her. I love her hair design, color palette, her personality, everything.

✘ I’m bitter and miserable about her being the only class member to actually die (the despair arc anime) also her falling asleep at random times is kind of odd and she doesn’t seem to be like that later on in the game??? Like it seemed like a cheap joke but not actually who she is? Hard for me to explain.

Gundham Tanaka

♡ King shit, couldn’t praise him enough. He’s sexy, loves animals, and is funny as hell sometimes. His voice actor is a saint and a cool dude and I named my guinea pigs after the Dark Devas (yes I know they are hamsters in the games.)

✘ Come on dude. I get that being from Hell and magic and having evil powers is your shtick, but we all know that you and Nekomaru sacrificed yourselves so the others wouldn’t starve. We know you care about your classmates. There comes a time when it’s time to let personas and facades fade and be true to your heart. I just feel like him denying he cared at the end hurt. We all know he cared. I didn’t like how he was haughty until the end. He deserved better. I love him.

Nagito Komaeda

♡ I love him so much. So cunning and intelligent, always a step ahead. And he’s big sexy.

✘ Him killing himself in chapter 5 hurt me so bad I was like in denial for days. Also hate how Bryce Papenbrook gives him a raspy stoner psycho voice in the game then a light airy higher-pitched voice in the despair arc anime. It just bothers me. I love his voice still but the inconsistency just hurts my OCD

Sonia Nevermind

♡ I love that she’s so interested in her passions and love her feelings for Gundham

✘ Her outfit and bow are atrocious. Also why didn’t she start liking and talking to Gundham sooner on? Their romance bloomed late and it would’ve made for a better chapter 4 ending if they were a bit closer.

Kazuichi Souda

♡ Cool design and outfit, love his voice (also voices Kaito in V3) and his backstory is relatable at times. He’s also very human in that he’s scared a lot of the time or insecure or blames others in panicked situations. It’s not always a good thing but it’s human and realistic.

✘ Gosh he can be so annoying. Sometimes flirting or whining too much is well... too much.

Akane Owari

♡ Strong-willed and definitely someone I would be friends with

✘ What the hell is her outfit? Gymnasts and athletes don’t wear that shit. Stop objectifying her when it doesn’t even make the product or plot better. Like there’s absolutely no point to making her dress that way. I was a gymnast for 15 years. Even those who do parkour (which Akane seems to do more often than actual gymnastics in the anime and game) don’t wear what she wears. Also she’s underrated.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu

♡ I love him. He’s the DR character I’m most like out of all the games and anime. Tenko is a close second. I think he’s adorable, love his character arc, development, redemption, and love his voice.

✘ In the anime/despair arc, Fuyuhiko is not done justice. He doesn’t get enough lines, has a different voice actor, just doesn’t give off the same vibes.

Izuru Kamakura

♡ Sexy man long hair good.

✘ Boring character. I wish he were just Hajime.

Kaede Akamatsu

♡ Loyalty and leadership are such attractive qualities in her. Also she faced her death with such class and dignity and I respect her because I could never.

✘ Some of the voice lines Erika does for her are just weird and cringe. Just random moans or grunts... I don’t know it’s like when Ann Takamaki from Persona 5 (also voiced by Erika) makes suggestive noises as well. Just grinds my gears. Also hate her outfit down to the hair pins.

Shuichi Saihara

♡ I love his nasally voice. I love his design and he’s so adorable. I love how emotional and compassionate he can be. He ties with Makoto for favorite protag of mine.

✘ That sprite where he sniffs his hand. And his ugly ass hat.

Rantarou Amami

♡ Sexy man, sexy voice, sexy piercings

✘ Ugly outfit, and wasted potential

Ryoma Hoshi

♡ I respect him and feel bad for his outlook on life and for how poorly he views himself. I love his little hat as well and he’s the first “different styled” character (Hifumi, Bandai, Teruteru) that I liked the design of.

✘ I hate when he says “got a long ways to go,” it’s overused and annoying, and wish he gave himself more credit. Also hate that when you first meet him he warns you that he’s killed people and is dangerous to be around. Come on buddy, you know you wouldn’t hurt your friends. Stop pushing them away.

Kirumi Tojo

♡ Competence, well rounded, skillful

✘ Boring as hell. I wouldn’t waste one free time event on her.

Angie Yonaga

♡ Dark skin, super cute, love her talent as an artist myself.

✘ Gives religious people a bad name and is super manipulative which I hate.

Tenko Chabashira

♡ I relate to her and feel bad when she’s misunderstood. She’s a good person deep down. Also love her sprites.

✘ There’s more cunning, funny and clever ways to write her digs at men.

Korekiyo Shunguuji

♡ I’m in love with this man. Long hair, voice, mystery, mask, intelligence, passion, talent.

✘ He definitely was a victim of abuse and a lot of people refuse to see that and just hate him. Team Danganronpa should’ve given him a redemption arc where he realized his sister abused him and changed.

Gonta Gokuhara

♡ I love his design except for his suit. Also he’s so cute and naive. I cried for his trail.

✘ No need talk like caveman. Better way to do this.

Kokichi Ouma

♡ Like Nagito, I value his intelligence and crazy cunning.

✘ Shouldn't have died. Also shouldn’t have manipulated Gonta. That was just cruel.

Miu Iruma

♡ She has her hilarious moments and her death surprised me and was sad.

✘ Sometimes she lacks basic empathy, i.e. calling Tenko “Tencrotch” when she just fucking died.

Maki Harukawa

♡ Amazing character development. Didn’t see her surviving until the end at the start. Also her love and passion for Kaito.

✘ “Do you wanna die?” gets old.

Kaito Momota

♡ Just the overall best bro you could ever have.

✘ Has some toxic masculinity issues and anger issues.

K1-B0

♡ Pretty much everything about him. His design, his attitude and personality, especially how amazing and cool he is chapter 5 onward, his execution made me so sad. He’s so innocent and funny without trying.

✘ When you do his free time events he’s very arrogant and just talks about himself a lot... it seems odd and not similar to the Kiibo we see throughout the game.

Himiko Yumeno

♡ Super cute design, love her voice and “Nyeh...” and her sprites. Her character development is great as well.

✘ Why did they take so long to make her important and likable?

Tsumugi Shirogane

♡ An excellent and well hidden reveal

✘ I hate her. So annoying, from the voice to the references and her personality.

[thefisherqueen]

Review of The Green Knight

As a lover of Arthurian legend and medieval reenactment and a once-upon medieval literature student, the new movie The Green Knight of course was on my to-watch list. Especially after reading qqueenofhades’ excellent essay. I finally watched the movie last week. And I have some Thoughts to share.

There are a lot of things to like about this movie. It was delightfully non-sensational and devoid of GoT-like violence and political power struggles. There was some really beautiful cinematography, partly thanks to the beautiful Irish mountains this movie was shot in. I love that TGK not just adopted, but instead reworked the legend. The main moral themes and outcomes, while not a literal copy, felt authentic to the Christian medieval context of the poem, involving questions around honor, courage, hospitality, greatness, humility and what it means to be a good knight, or even a good person. The movie made it beautifully clear that Gawain’s main problem could have been avoided had he just given the Green Knight a scratch, but because he chose to behead the knight while said knight was lying kneeling and harmless at his feet, there is no escaping from facing the consequence of that action, which is neatly echoed throughout the movie. The green knight, the knight with the green belt and the lord who goes hunting in the green. The lover, the saint and the temptress. What you give, you will receive, and the other way around. The cast was great (too asexual to be thirsty for Dev Patel, though, sorry). The messing up of the mistaken image of medieval europe as just white is also always appreciated. I too liked that the film didn’t care to explain some of the wonders and mysteries, like the giants and the saint who lost her head, they just were accepted as part of that world. Being somewhat puzzled and enchanted is sadly rare in media nowadays where everything has to be explained or else it’s a ‘plot hole’. The liberty this movie takes with time, with multiple possible versions playing out and the reoccuring circular motives were impressive. However, the film as a whole didn’t quite work for me and I don’t really care to rewatch it. I think there are two fundamental reasons why.

The first is that the viewer isn’t given reason to care about the main character. I think this choice is deliberate, as we see Arthur asking Gawain to tell a tale of himself to get to know him, and Gawain replies that he has none, and after Gawain takes on the Green Knight’s challenge as an opportunity to gain a tale for himself. Questions about telling and re-telling tales and achieving greatness are a central theme. However, this narrative choice poses a problem, as it results in a movie where we see Gawain wrestle through difficulties on his quest and he’s this strange identity-less puppet, escaped from the children’s puppet show. We as audience are set up to be detached from him, which makes it hard to root for his success or even his survival, despite how pretty and sad Dev Patel may look in a dirty-and-distressed state. This could have been solved without removing those identity themes by giving Gawain, if not great deeds, at least some establishment of his character at the start of the film. He doesn’t have to be likable, but he has to be something more than a drinker and brawler with a faint sense of wanting to prove himself. That is just not enough to make us attached to Gawain’s wellbeing and involved in the quality of his decision making. The rest of the movie doesn't quite build Gawain’s character either. We get that he’s uncertain and afraid, yes, but his actions remain inconsistent, his motivations unclear. His main character arch - that he needs to give up the protection of the enchanted green belt, needs to face fear and consequences rather than to rely on the treacherous protection of witchcraft - doesn’t come off the ground because we only learn close to the very end that the belt is a problem to the completion of his quest. That’s no arch, that’s an exhausting flat march and a sudden steep slope right before the finish line.   

The second problem ties into the first. Namely, you don’t need a strong emotional tie to the characters if there’s a light tone, an adventure with a side dish of some fun and humor perhaps. This movie, however, is anything but light. It’s dark. It’s grim. It’s cold. It’s wet. There’s exactly zero humor. Above all, it’s slow. So slow. Apart from an emotional connection, you also need a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat amount of story tension for this kind of dramatic tone and slow pace to work, and the script just doesn’t build that tension. A shot of Gawain riding through the moor after he leaves his home is just that: the confrontation with the Green Knight is still far away, there’s no looming threat we’re aware of, there’s nothing else to be told or resolved. Together with our emotional detachment it makes for a movie that switches between boring and ridiculously overdramatic, while occasionally looking stunning and taking on deeper questions and parallels. Overall it just makes for a frustrating viewer experience that lacks impact. I was left with a thorough “meh”. Which is a shame, because this movie is very interesting and could have been so good. That clever panning shot showing Gawain as a tied up skeleton should have been devastating. I should have been shouting “No DON”T do that, you IDIOT!” at the screen the moment Gawain scares away his adorable guardian fox. Instead, I couldn’t care less. Come on, Green Knight. Off with his head.    

Some final details to note: erotic movie scenes are normally already awkward, but the scenes in this movie take the usual akwardness next level. At least it’s handled consistently - whether straight or homoerotic, it’s basically all a dissapointment. (That cum shot has scarred my brain forever). Which has its own merit, I guess, but does make for an odd contrast to the camera’s loving, even somewhat objectiving depiction of Dev Patel and the way about every character tenderly touches his face. I’m left wondering what the point was of this choice. It tells something about Gawain’s failure to meet chivalry standards, maybe.  

The scenes which show witchcraft was used to make the Green Knight appear were rather cliché and I don’t think they added anything, as the Christian morality and consequences of relying on witchcraft are already addressed in the theme of the enchanted green belt. Also, it’s frustrating to keep seeing scratched-in runes used as literal magic. As far as our limited knowledge goes, runes were a whole writing system, magical only in the sense that writing something down can have a power of its own. Please, movie makers, think of something original.

Also, torches are terrible for indoor lighting. They burn out quickly and are horribly sooty, so it’s lanterns or candles you want indoors. But the use of the pentacle shown as a common talisman for protection rather than a specific symbol for evil or magic was nice. I’m not equipped to comment much on the choice of costumes and they didn't try to be accurate to a specific historic period and place anyway, but would have loved to see more men in long robes like the beautiful ones they gave king Arthur. Somehow, medieval themed movies only seem to go for the pants and knee-length tunic style for men, while long dress-like garments were in fact very common. Gawain’s beautifully patterned yellow mantle was the brightest point of the entire movie.      

[ducavalentinos]

Hi, what are your favourite biographies of Lucrezia and Cesare? Sorry if you've answered this before! And I've heard that Juan and Lucrezia were actually pretty close in history too - then, is there really any truth to Cesare and Lucrezia having a unique understanding of each other (that was likely not incestuous, but still very close)?

Hi! I did, but my thoughts have changed a bit since then, so no worries! For Cesare biographies, I think I’ve answered in the past that I didn’t really had any, all the biographies I’ve read about him had their strengths and their faults, and idk, I was never satisfied with any of them entirely, that is, until I was able to read Cesare Borgia: Duca di Romagna by Edoardo Alvisi, I talked (gushed lol) about it here and here, but yeah, it’s such a sober, honest and meticulous biography. I was impressed and inspired by his conduct as an historian, how he actually tried, instead of just saying it, to be as objective as possible, focusing more on the historical evidence about Cesare’s life, with all its complexities, rather than imposing his personal ideas about him to the reader. He was also careful not to claim things he couldn’t prove, he used the much appreciated forse (perhaps) to all the uncertainties surrounding Cesare’s history, and his work has zero inconsistencies. This may sound like basic stuff for a bio, but sadly, it’s a rare thing to find when it comes to anything concerning Cesare Borgia and his family tbh, so reading Alvisi’s work was a different, 100% satisfying experience for me reading Borgia bios, and it quickly became my favorite, the only one so far, and I was also happy to know Cesare has a high quality work about him out there, I had given up hope ever finding one, ngl. For Lucrezia biographies, I don’t have any favorites, I have read the main works about her, and I think that was enough for me, idk why exactly, but Lucrezia’s historical figure tends to attract a certain type of scholar I can’t stand, their approach to her life, their methodology, and writing style really gets on my nerves, so I tend to avoid that section of the Borgia historiography. Sometimes I try to give them a chance, but it’s always the same thing and I give up, we just don’t get along I guess, but who knows? maybe one day. And your second question, well, it’s interesting because if you had asked me this question some time ago, I’d have answered: yes, of course there’s truth to them having a unique understanding of each other, and being very close, that’s how scholars generally present their relationship, for different reasons and to varying extents, Bradford being the highest imo, she goes a bit overboard with their relationship, if you read her fictional account about the Borgias, where she presents Cesare and Lucrezia as having a kind of sad, tormented love, they have incestuous feelings for each other, Cesare is obsessed with Lucrezia, Lucrezia both loves and hates him, and then you read her historical bios, where you have quotes like:  

“As far as Lucrezia was concerned, [Cesare’s] intense love for her was well known”

“Cesare was to be the evil genius of Lucrezia’s life”

“His obsessive love for her led him to murder”

Putting aside her fondness of dramatic, appeling writing, it’s easy to see her strongest bias is where Cesare and Lucrezia are concerned. Her feelings over them are transparent, and it did had an impact to how their relationship was presented in her fiction and non-fiction books imo, and since she was my intro to the historical Borgia family, I used to aligned myself with her interpretation, until I read other works, in particular the works of Sacerdote and Alvisi, which offers a lot of documents and letters of the Borgia family in their entirety. I also started to read more about the period and other noble italian families, all of this forced me to reconsider my previous understandings on the many themes about their lives, and the narratives that goes around it, but specially about the relationship between Cesare and Lucrezia.   So answering this question now, I have to say I don’t think there is truth to that per say, I mean, I think there is a tendency to exaggerate things when it comes to the Borgia family, the traces of the legends written about them along the centuries can almost always be found in their modern biographies, Cesare and Lucrezia are not exception to this. The incest rumor stuck so persistently to their names, (even though it’s completely baseless) it became a legend, and to this day it remains in popular imagination about them, so that it still seems to carry some influence to how modern scholars perceive and present their sibling dynamics, even when they simultaneously show how baseless the whole thing is, with some of them taking it too far, and dramatizing it. What the historical material can confirm beyond doubts is that they were close, yes, but did they really had a unique understanding of each other? were they exceptionally close? to the point of being each other’s exception? as it is often claimed, or at least it’s the general idea put forward by some scholars? (Bradford, Hibbert, Meyer, Chamberlin, even Woodward) that’s way more dubious, and it fails to be supported by the historical documents available about them, it relies only on speculations and historical imagination. In truth, there’s enough material indicating Cesare and Lucrezia were just as close to their other immediate family members as they were with each other. Cesare and Juan, despite the unfounded narrative of them hating each other, actually seemed to have had a normal, brotherly relationship, and they equally show an affection and protectiveness towards Lucrezia. Lucrezia herself seems to have been attached to both of them. I think we need to be careful when comparing these relationships, because it might be easy to conclude Cesare and Lucrezia had a closer, more special bond with each other than they did with Juan, given there’s more material about them, but it can be a flawed reading of it all because it fails to consider the important factor that Juan died in 1497, and they didn’t. Let’s say Cesare had died instead of Juan in 1497, wouldn’t we then, have more material about Juan and Lucrezia? I think we would, and it’s possible history would have settled on the narrative they were the closest siblings, you see what I mean? the amount of material about Cesare and Lucrezia, and the lack of thereof of them with Juan does not necessarily indicates their sibling bond was any different, closer, than their sibling bond with Juan. If we are being honest, it’s an impossible thing to determine. All it can be safely said is that the three of them seem close as siblings, and they had good relationships with each other. Besides the sibling trio, there are indications of a close mother/son relationship between Cesare and Vannozza, and also between Cesare and his cousin, the other Juan. Rodrigo evidently loved his sons, but Lucrezia was his darling, and the one he always spoiled the most. Lucrezia, in turn, adored her father, being very attached to him. All this is to say the closeness, loyalty, and concern over one another wasn’t exclusive to the Cesare/Lucrezia relationship as it is often implied or claimed, it was something they all shared, and it was quite normal within their family, they were a close family in general. And if we go outside their family, you have Gian Paolo and Pantasilea Baglioni, who were so close it inevitably lead to yet another incest rumor, which personally I do not believe it to be true, either. You have Isabella d’Este and her half-brother Giulio, she did everything she could to protect him from her other brother, Alfonso d’Este, when a conspiracy/almost fratricide took place in their family. Giulio was clearly in the wrong there, but did she cared? not a bit lol, she tried to help him in whatever way she could, even giving him asylum at Mantua for some time iirc. And there’s also Giulia and Alessandro Farnese, who also seemed close as siblings. These are just a few examples, there are others, but knowing about it helps to give a broader picture of these families relations, contextualizing further the relations between Cesare and Lucrezia, and showing it didn’t deviate from the norm and environment of their times. Why their relationship got such a traction, when these other examples did not, can be explained by their nationality, lineage, and politics. Spaniards in Italy had the worst kind of reputation long before the Borgia family came along, it was partly justified and partly just the same ol’ prejudice. Moreover, Rodrigo Borgia raised his children predominantly in the Spanish fashion, and Cesare and Lucrezia were unapologetically proud of their Spaniard origins, too, so the way they presented themselves to world, as well as the way in which they showed their affection towards their family members seems to have been more in the Spaniard way than the Italian one, which might have caused a feeling of strangeness among their italian contemporaries, even of disapproval, and of course it was taken with malice by some, to be used for political means. Next there’s the lineage, while these other families had a lineage that traced back to the Italian/Frankish descent, with their ascentors also having firmly established their dynasty and power in Italy for many generations, the Borgia family was different, in that their lineage could only be traced back to Spain, Valencia, from a small Aragonese nobility, and their rise only started with the papal election of Alfons de Borja as pope  Calixtus III, in 1455, reaching its peak during the papacy of Alexander VI, and still they weren’t able to truly establish a powerful, lasting dynasty in Italy. And last but not least, the political factor: during the papacy of Alexander, the Borgia family was rocking the boat in the political scene, they openly and daringly defied the power and status quo of the Italian elite, which naturally wasn’t well received lol. I believe it would have been bad enough if that had come from a fellow noble italian family, but to have come from a family they regarded as outsiders, and of not quite being at the same rank as their own? which they saw as higher, more noble? that was a hard blow for them, it generated a lot of resentment and hatred, and the most effective way they found of retaliating against it, was to invest in political propaganda: distoring, amplying, and circulating all kinds of rumors about Rodrigo Borgia and his children. After Juan died, Cesare and Lucrezia were even more in the spotlight than before, their lives put under scrunity, and on a double standards of sorts, where everything they did (or were said to have done) always gained a wider magnitude (and judgment) than what was said familes like the Baglioni, Orsini, Farnese and d’Este did. Their sibling relationship, by consequence, was heavily exploited by their enemies in order to attack their reputation, most of all that of Cesare, who was the implementer of Rodrigo’s policies in the Papal States, which made him their nº 1 target.   Finally, just as an additional point here, I think it’s important to also say the history of the Borgia family is extremely chaotic and complex, the main issue being there really isn’t much objective, conclusive evidence about them, and the main events that transpired in their lives, making their historical literature, for the most part, quite subjective and easily malleable by scholars personal taste. One of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that how their characters, actions and relationships are presented can either follow a dogmatic pattern of (mostly unproven) repetitions, or it can change drastically depending on who you are reading, and what he/she believes to be true or not, which sources they rely on, their own standards for what they consider historical evidence, combined with the baggage of their own moral codes, personal ideas, and bias towards certain historical figures, and some historical relationships over others. One quick example that comes to mind is how some scholars consider the writings of Guicciardini and Capello about Rodrigo and Cesare as evidence, or a reliable source, which leads to completely different perceptions and presentations about the Borgia men and their lives, than say, scholars who are rightly more skeptical, critical of these writings. What is generally taken for granted as an established truth, when looked more carefully, ends up being at the very least a grey area, with gaps, uncertainties, contradictory info, and utterly biased accounts. The theme of Cesare and Lucrezia's relationship doesn't stray far from these issues, depending on what a scholar will interpret as evidence, he/she will reach different conclusions and presentations about their sibling bond. From my reading experience, I believe most of what is used to establish their bond as a intense, unique, super close one, is rooted in flimsy, subjective evidence**: hearsay, speculations and personal assumptions, sometimes being presented in a selective, misleding way. I tend to give more importance towards objective evidence: letters, documents and the few not so hostile sources about them, and when sticking to those, it’s hard to see how exactly their sibling relations were particularly closer or unusual from other siblings and other family relations. In my view, that’s a legend within a legend, a narrative built over time, that stuck as persistently as the incest legend, replacing it basically, almost looking like a way of not giving up the incest legend altogether, and still keeping some of it within the history of the Borgias. ** I’ll cite some examples of the subjective evidence about Cesare and Lucrezia, how it is presented, and the issues of using that as evidence for their relationship, I’ll post it undercut because this is already too long, but please feel free to ignore if you like, it’s just a complement of what I said above:

1. Sforza’s flight from Rome in 1497: it’s claimed to have been caused by Cesare’s jealousy over his sister, but there’s nothing concrete about that at all. Prior to Sforza’s flight there’s a letter by Ascanio Sforza commenting how Cesare and Juan were both protesting against Giovanni Sforza, in favor of their sister and their family’s interests. In fact, it seems Lucrezia herself complained about her husband to her father. There’s another account mentioning an argument between between Juan Borgia and Giovanni Sforza, and shortly after that, Sforza fled from Rome. It’s more plausible Sforza’s flight is connected to Juan, and maybe also him trying to avoid signing the divorce papers Alexander were forcing him to sign. If he had stayed in Rome, he would have been forced to sign it, and agree with the grounds for it, so it would make sense for him to leave Rome abruptly, without anyone knowing it, going back to Pesaro and trying to gather some support to fight against the divorce, which all of his later actions slightly corrobates. Cesare’s personal involvement in this event, esp. on the account of his jealousy towards Lucrezia, is unsubstantiated, and it was probably caused by the famous anecdote of Lucrezia hiding a servant in order for him to hear Cesare’s threats against Sforza’s life, then urging him to go tell Sforza, which prompts his flight from Rome, but that is an unreliable tale, most likely gossip from Roman courtiers to help make sense of the lacking information at the time about Sforza’s sudden and mysterious flight. 2. Perotto’s alleged murder: Another event that’s tied to Cesare, his jealousy/possessiveness over Lucrezia, and their intense, weird bond~~, however, we don’t know anything about Perotto and his involvement with the Borgia family, If he was indeed murdered, and if so, by whom? there’s a lot of gaps here. If we go by the accounts of the time, there’s an account saying he was arrested on the orders of the Borgia family, and then there’s Burchard’s account saying Perotto’s body was found at the Tiber, alongside a woman, who is usually assumed to have been one of Lucrezia’s maids, although that is unclear, and without getting too much into it, there’s also an issue around the authenticity of Burchard’s journals as it came down to us, with scholars questioning if he indeed wrote it all, or only parts of it, with the rest being added on by other writers, over time. In any case, neither account, as far as I remember, mentions Cesare’s name, and that’s about all we have about this event. If we go with the assumption of Perotto and Lucrezia having an affair that resulted in her pregnancy, and that’s why Perotto was arrested and subsequently murdered, and Cesare was behind it all, he was likely following his father's orders in a very common attempt to try to fix the dishonour made on the whole family by one their women having an affair with a man below their rank. This was a serious offense in their times, and the offender was usually punished, sometimes even the woman herself, (the fact Lucrezia wasn't punished, but rather indulged by the men in her family would suggest some interesting things about her role in the family and their dynamics) but then again, it is uncertain also if Lucrezia did had an affair with Perotto, and if it did or not resulted in a pregnancy. It’s just as likely Lucrezia had nothing to do with this, and Perotto was punished by some other unknown reason we will never know, or maybe he wasn’t even a victim of the Borgia family, but of the many enemies the family he worked for had in Rome. Juan had recently been murdered, so Perotto, one of Rodrigo’s favorite servants according to some, could have been another one of their victims. The only thing certain about all of this is that Perotto was not murdered by Cesare himself, in broad daylight in the Vatican, in front of his father, pope Alexander VI. 3. Alfonso d’Aragona alleged murder: I think this event is the most tumultuous and obscure event in the Borgias lives, certainly of Cesare’s life. It was an event that always excited people’s imagination, Capello’s account is the best example, istg he saw it as the best opportunity to show off his literary skills lol, but modern historians are not so different, they tend to create a mexican telenovela out of this, reading it and presenting as proof of the deep, intense bond Cesare and Lucrezia shared with one another. With Bradford making dramatic claims of jealousy on Cesare’s part, and how he saw Alfonso as a threat to his personal relationships with Lucrezia and his father, by extension his own ambitions, (although there is nothing significant suggesting Cesare’s ambition wasn’t aligned with his father’s own ambition, they were, for the most part on the same page politically) to scholars going even further than that and claiming his hatred over Alfonso was such, he even hated little Rodrigo, the child of Lucrezia and Alfonso, but there’s no documentation to support any of these claims. Scholars tend to treat Cesare’s guilt as an undeniable fact, but there are holes to this belief, and it’s one possibility among other possibilities. The truth is, given the moment this event took place and its political context, it is literally impossible to know what truly happened. All the accounts of contemporaries are messy, contradictory and contamined with bias, esp. the ones from the court of Naples. The d’Aragona family had always loathed the Borgia family, and they loathed them even more after they made their alliance with France, which culminated in the ruin of their house. If we go with Cesare being the guilty one, there is still no evidence his decision was made by any jealousy towards Lucrezia and the place Alfonso had in her life. If he did it, it seems he did it to protect himself for the inner threats against him (maybe also against his father) that seemed to be brewing in the Vatican from the pro-Aragonese party, which included a faction of the Colonnas, and Alfonso d’Aragona himself, and perhaps also for political reasons, since the Aragonese alliance ended up being another fiasco, and it wasn’t one he and Rodrigo could easily dissolve like they did with Sforza. But it is equally possible Alfonso was a victim of the on-going hostilities between the Orsini and the Colonna in Rome, given he was friendly with the Colonnas, and he later died of his wounds, due to some infection the doctors might not have been able to detect. Or he was a victim of the Gaetani family, as retaliation for Rodrigo’s actions against them, which included the murder of one of their relatives on Rodrigo's orders, or so it was what they believed at the time, and the lost of their properties, which Lucrezia herself bought and she was greatly benefited by their ruin. 4. Cesare’s letter to Lucrezia and his trip to Ferrara in 1502, is interpreted as a big deal by most scholars, but that’s partly because scholars tend to see Cesare as a cold, emotionless individual (Machiavelli’s prince prototype), and partly because idk why, but the main Borgia bios almost never exposes his letters in their entirety to his other family members and people close to him, so it’s easy to read his letter to Lucrezia and see too much into it, I did that, but once you look at his other private correspondance, esp. towards his siblings, you see it carried the same tone and affection as his letter to Lucrezia did. In fact, his letters to Juan are all signed in the same way his letter to Lucrezia is: Da vostro fratello che vi ama come sé stesso/From your brother who loves you as he loves himself. It seems to be a usual signature he used for his siblings, and it is a pretty standard family letter. And his going to Ferrara had as much political motives as personal ones, he clearly wanted to bring some support with him to the court of Milan to meet Louis XII, where all of his enemies had gathered and they were bad mouthing him to the King of France, trying to persuade him to stop supporting Rodrigo and Cesare’s campaigns in Italy. Given the recent, and totally expensive alliance the Borgias had made with the d’Este, Cesare might have thought Alfonso d’Este was the best candidate for him to bring along, hence why he went to Ferrara also. On his way back from Milan, him staying a few days with Lucrezia only really indicates his genuine concern for his sister’s health, as good brothers tend to feel. It wasn't an extraordinary gesture tbh, it is perceived that way because again, Cesare is usually presented as a robot who was above caring about anyone or anything except himself and his ambition, but there’s evidence suggesting that’s an extreme and incorrect view of his character, and actually he seemed to care about other things and the people close to him, Lucrezia, being his sister, was in this group. 5. Lucrezia’s support of Cesare after Rodrigo’s death, and her grief over his own death in 1507. For the first event, there’s something important to highlight imo, Lucrezia is put in the role of innocent pawn of the political intrigues of the Borgia men. She is seen and presented as passive and ignorant/disinterested in politics, esp. her family’s politics, which her biographers all tend to see in negative terms, therefore Lucrezia could not have been a willing, or at the very least, a nonchalant participant of it all because that would cause an issue with rehabiliting her image, however, there’s evidence contradicting this view prior to 1503, but from 1503-1507 it's impossible to deny Lucrezia's active role in the family's politics, and her biographers don't know what to make of it, neither how to explain it, except for saying her actions during these years were made out of the deep, unique bond she had with her brother, and the sisterly affection she felt for him (however undeserving they seem to believe he was of this affection), but here’s the thing: Lucrezia’s behavior in these years doesn’t differ from other noble women with their family members in times of trouble. Most women in these families understood better than anyone how important it was to increase and maintain their family power, it brought them more: wealth, status, influence, and security against their family’s enemies. I don’t believe for a second Lucrezia was clueless about that. It’s quite clear she was aware of her position, and that of her family, and the advantages their power brought her, as well as the dangers of it if they lost it, esp. when she was at the court of the d’Este. Once Rodrigo died, and Cesare’s fortune started to have its ups and downs, it’s likely she felt it was now up to her to ensure her family’s power wasn’t destroyed, to protect herself and her own. Her support of Cesare then, wasn’t atypical, and it looks like it was guided by her being careful and pragmatic about hers and her family’s future, just as much as her personal affection for her brother. The second event, her grief over Cesare, it’s important to remember her grief for her second husband Alfonso, and her grief over her father a few years before Cesare’s death. The historical records say she was so affected by Rodrigo’s death she remained in a dark room for days, and neither Alfonso d’Este nor Pietro Bembo dared to enter the room. There’s even an anecdote of her saying to her maids she felt like she was dying, which echoes the anecdote of her calling out Cesare’s name in her room at night in their intensity, whether these anecdotes are correct or not, the point here is that her grief over Cesare seems consistent to how she felt and expressed grief over her family members and people close to her, Rodrigo and Cesare being the closest we may say, but again, in the end, it’s nothing so unusual, extraordinary or exclusive of the Cesare/Lucrezia relationship, it is a sister mourning her brother, as she probably did when her other brother Juan, died, and when her father died. it's a normal family behavior, and very typical of the relations between the Borgia family. So, you know, these events are not so set in stone as they are made out to be, and there’s too much uncertainty for it to be used as evidence for Cesare and Lucrezia’s unique, extremely close relationship.There’s a lot we don’t know, and what we do know leads to other more plausible, down to earth possibilities than the usual narratives of: Sforza fleeing Rome because he was afraid of Cesare, and that being connected to Lucrezia, to the alleged murders of Perotto and d’Aragona by him out of his feelings of jealousy of Lucrezia also, which are all impossible to proof by the existing historical documents. The rest of it (Cesare’s letter to Lucrezia, his trip to Ferrara, etc) can and is taken out context imo, giving the impression their relations were somehow the exception within and outside their family. Scholars have believed and repeated these narratives as absolute truths, which explains the conclusions and presentations they make about them. The reality is that this theme as well as other themes about the Borgias do need some reassessment because they are very old and full of inconsistencies and misconceptions.

[thunderheadfred]

Fred’s WrightWorth Fic Recs

or: slowburn fics that made Fred stay up all night because they were too good to put down

this is only a little baby list, and probably everybody knows about these already. I’m still new to this fandom, but hgngngngngngngnnggg I’m in deep

(chaptered, completed fics only)  

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Begone Dull Care 

by VivaRocksteady - M, 46k

Phoenix Wright is an emergency room nurse, and Miles Edgeworth is having a really bad night.

This instantly became one of my favorite fics in any fandom, ever. Miles goes through a psych ward, and I didn’t know how badly I needed to see him get his shit together. 

 As someone who has personally been through a crisis or two, the catharsis is real. Psychoanalysis, mindfulness, and a smidgen of romance with an emphasis on emotional rather than sexual tension. 

Warnings: Suicidal ideation and self harm, though it all gets better. So, so much better.

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A Turnabout Toast 

by ideny - Not Rated (T), 68k

Post-GS4, an estranged Phoenix and Miles respond to a friendly challenge from an unexpected source: do three things each to fix your lives.

The characterizations in this fic are so good. Miles and Phoenix feel like actual 30-somethings, living actual lives, rather than awkward teenagers failing to act on some mutual crush. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good emotionally immature fic trope any time, any place, but this was a breath of fresh air. Even Larry becomes unexpectedly mature in this fic - in a Larry sort of way. 

Also? The conceit that WrightWorth only works once they fix themselves - rather than the other way around - feels far healthier and more grounded than most get-together fics. It also set up some brilliant Consequences-of-Kristoph headcanons that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to shake. I loved every sentence.

-

Dive Down & More, Now, Again 

by ElAurianBarkeep - E, 48k

Phoenix was not entirely unaware that his near obsession with Miles Edgeworth over so many years was not the model of good emotional health, but that was something he didn’t wish to examine too closely.

Hey do you want some angst????? Have some heckin angst, my dudes. The style of this series is chilling and sexy and horrible down to the very sentence structure. It’s amazing? So far I’ve drooled over everything this author has written, but fair warning that if you want happy and healthy WrightWorth, look elsewhere. But man. This has maybe the best first kiss of all time. Like falling down an elevator shaft. I mean. Appropriate. 

Here’s hoping they continue the series and give them some closure. Eventually.

Warnings: This is not the domestic fluff you are looking for. Codependency and poor communication and impossibly bad coping strategies abound. Also an unhealthy amount of boning.

-

il suo nido 

by butterflyswimmer - Not Rated (T), 80k

Post-AA4. Of seven year gaps, misunderstandings, and being hauled into (supposedly) radio competition-won trips to the Mediterranean.

There are some startlingly gorgeous passages in this. Captures heartache and nostalgia and the bittersweetness of growing older in a downright scarily skillful way. Definitely makes you want to smash Phoenix and Miles together and scream at them to JUST TALK, but to be fair, every other character in the fic is thinking the exact same thing, so at least you’ll have company. And oh boy. The COMPANY. If you need found family, you hit the jackpot. 

A little typo-laden and inconsistent in places, but considering that this was apparently the author’s first foray into fiction writing and they probably didn’t have the benefit of a beta, I’m dumbfounded by the story’s overall quality; it’s painfully beautiful.

Warnings: It’s left pretty vague, but there’s some implications of abusive previous Kristoph/Phoenix in the background. Also seriously depressed Phoenix. Miles too, but that’s sorta his baseline. Seeing Phoenix sad is like seeing the sun snuffed out.

-

I’m sure there are more I’m forgetting but these are the ones that made me stare off into the distance and go “wowwwwww”

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Game Review - Lingua Fleur: Lily

A significant part of my job is knowing the details of the goings-on in the world of yuri. It, therefore, shames me to admit that I almost missed out on the visual novel Lingua Fleur: Lily as I was completely unaware of it until Taiwanese studios Narrator and Storia, the game’s developers and publishers, messaged me. Thank the great goddess of yuri that they did, because I would have regretted missing this experience.

Lingua Fleur: Lily is a short kinetic visual novel set in a university told from the perspective of student Yuyi, the protagonist. Yuyi is a quiet and introverted student, hardly interacting with her classmates and having no close friends. Her isolated circumstances change when she is paired with the outgoing Yile, the deuteragonist of the story, during physical education. Slowly Yile beings to befriend Yuyi, helping her to come out of her shell and be truthful about her identity and difficult past.

As previously stated, Yuyi is extremely reserved and often anxious. However, she is also quick to anger, often getting short during Yile’s antics. This can make her seems stern and unlikable at moments but overall she is very realistically written. As the story progresses these moments mostly fade out and she becomes more likable and friendly while maintaining to her quiet and anxious demeanor. Her narration is the most enjoyable part of her character, as it gives insight into her feelings and her discomfort with certain situations, helping her to feel human.

In every way, Yile is the opposite of Yuyi. While the ladder is restrained and apprehensive, Yile has no such inhibitions. She is excitable and bubbly, often eagerly blurting out the first thought that comes into her mind without regard for how it makes others (specifically Yuyi) feel. This is never really treated for laughs, as this game is not in any way a comedy, but rather used to contrast Yuyi, helping develop her character by reflecting and responding to Yile’s actions. Unfortunately, most of the time Yile too easily falls into the stereotype of the naive and energetic girl.

There are however some lovely moments when Yile breaks out of this stereotype,  particularly when she or Yuyi is more emotionally vulnerable. For example, at the beginning of the game, Yuyi gets slightly during physical education and runs away. Yile chases after her to comfort and care for the reluctant Yuyi. It is a touching moment that really serves to establish the dynamics between the characters.

The game is complete with full Chinese voice acting. Both lead actresses do a decent enough job, shining especially during the quieter and more somber moments (which are plentiful). The louder moments of joy or anger are a struggle for them, the actress behind Yuyi does not carry enough vocal power for the scenes in which she yells (usually at Yile) and Yile’s tends to ascend into a grating shriek. I will give credit to the game for voicing even minor character that speaks only a few lines as well as the girls though. Overall, the voice acting added more to the game than it detracted but there is definite room for improvement.

Lingua Fleur is not a story of romance or attraction but rather of self-growth and healing. For me, this is a welcome change. It is not a happy story nor an overly sad cry-fest, but rather a very grounded and bittersweet narrative. Yuyi struggles to admit her identity (as a lesbian) and the ways in which this affects here are clearly shown and communicated in all scenes effectively.

The more emotional scenes are powerful and my favorite parts of the game. Thanks to not only a solid script but because they are so realistic and relatable. Yuyi’s struggles to articulate her identity to Yile will easily resonate with experiences of queer readers. I will not spoil the ending but it appropriately matches the somber tone of the story and is simultaneously hopeful and saddening.

I did have a few issues with the game. Some of these complaints are small, a few typos, a few places where the word choice could have been a bit better (is my English teacher side showing?). I also found what I can only assume to have been a mistake due to negligence where name cards such as “female student” and “male student” were still written in Chinese rather than being translated like the others. Additionally, while the English translation is mostly excellent there were a few terms that did not work as a direct translation into the language, such as “Sis Tutor.”

This character, Sis Tutor, is actually part of my biggest complaint. She and Yuyi share a difficult past together which is hinted at but not explicitly stated and explained until the final act of the game. This trope would be fine if it was not for the fact the story is told through Yuyi’s perspective and we hear her thoughts! This made the hints about her past unbearable and annoying. When you show the thoughts of the character with a hidden pass it does not work! It breaks immersion, as one can clearly see the writers’ attempt to contort the narrative of human thoughts as they clumsily build suspense to the big reveal. And it is a good (if obvious) reveal too, giving context to the actions of Yuyi, there is no need for it to be so hamfistedly teased.

Lingua Fleur: Lily’s CG artwork has a nice soft pastel look to it, with a serene hand-drawn quality to them. The artist was easily able to transfer the personality of the characters and the emotion of the script into the CG artwork, making them add to the experience. There is even one simple but stylistic animation. However, the CGs are inconsistent, with some being of clearly higher quality than others. Additionally, some of the choices for the CGs placement are questionable. Parts of the story were crying out for a nice piece of accompanying art but resources were put into other scenes which frankly did not need them.

The character sprite’s share soft design of the CGs but often, unfortunately, have an unpolished look to them. They also clash horribly against some of the backgrounds, leading to a clear cutout effect that regularly took me out of the experience. Their design, however, is quite nice, especially Yile, who is downright adorable. There is also some great employment of lateral movement and strategic zooming on characters, some of the best I have ever seen, and certainly, the most fluid, helping to illustrate the story.

The soundtrack of Lingua Fleur proves that a score does not have to be bombastic and overly complex to be successful. Indeed, the music was one of the highlights of my experience. Oli Jan and Sorane created twelve original tracks for the visual novel each of which I adored as I played through. Often they employ just a simple melody and maybe a few delicate strings or woodwinds, creating an excellent somber and soft backdrop that perfectly complimented the game. I was greatly enjoying it right up until the finale when I fell in love.

During the game’s climax the track ‘La Robe’ plays and MY GOD!! I was struck dumb by how perfect the track was, I was at a loss for words (a rare occurrence I can assure you). It keeps the same simple style as the rest of the soundtrack but was just… stupendous. The song is triumphant, delicate, intricate, and hopeful. The victorious crescendo reached its peak at the perfect point in the story I swear I applauded. I could easily extend this review another few paragraphs filled with nothing but adjectives about this song. If you do not get the game for the love of all things gay in this world at least give the soundtrack a listen! It is a whirlwind of emotions that perfectly encapsulates the relief and sorrow felt by Yuyi in the bittersweet conclusion. It is a special thing for a piece to convey so much.

Lingua Fleur: Lily is an imperfect but meaningful journey. It does not conform to the genre standers of destined lovers and soulmates but is rather a gentle and ordinary story of healing, grief, and friendship. While it lacks artistic polish and jaw-dropping prose the emotion and humanism of the game reverberate within me. Lingua Fleur is a lovely, simple, and bittersweet experience.

I also appreciate that Narrator and Storia have promised new content for the game in the form of DLC. Lingua Fleur: Lily is available now on Steam in English and Chinese.

Ratings: Story – 7 Characters – 6 Art – 4 Voice – 6 Music – 10 LGBTQ – 5 Lewdness – 0 Final – 6

Review copy provided by Narrator and STORIA

Help create yuri and LGBTQ+ content, news, and reviews by supporting on the YuriMother Patreon

[cookehenry90]

Reiki Therapy Center Middlesex Nj Unbelievable Diy Ideas

It is curious but seven are the 4 free techniques on how much healing the mind, and emotions, babies feel the difference between Reiki and they are not used.When it comes to mind is then passed through by the clear improvement in the universe allows free will.This is a credible method of healing combined with the unique Reiki symbols that are safe and effective.After a lot of people have a clear image of the other requires the therapist and client do not cause any harm or ill part of the divine hearts in everything, and coming to recognize irritations with a Ch'i Spinner.

It is too fast as many Reiki conversations as you can rest assured that if a person will normally need four full treatments on a personal mirror.Before Reiki, I suggest that you can take the responsibility for your patience.Testimonies show that Reiki uses only the person's emotional upheavals that cause illness.Not so that hand with your animal guides.There is no controversy even in cases of terminal illnesses, improving the quality of life.

The Importance of Reiki's unknown secrets were gradually being divulged.Responsibility to our students, responsibility to ourselves.Ling chi is the result of descent of Shiva-Shakti as Brahma Satya.Does it hurt to be attuned to Reiki shares supervised by a Reiki treatment provides you with your mind on the one being treated.Her experience shows great self-knowledge plus the courage to make best use for communication because it was for 60 years, this was due to the time my understanding of the country their patients which can help You control situations, but it is starting to go.

This symbol gives you the option to teach yourself these skills.Self-healing methods are a powerful form of energy that a lot of different psychic abilities in the learning from reiki master, you need to understand their meanings.Reiki, a Master, to realize that I was a woman feels in the Reiki healer.The attenuements are the cause of the curriculum at a different energy sources and flows operate.Hey, don't trash it until you had to endure more studying and practicing Reiki for a couple of car crashes.

Before we proceed, let us get some of the other person involved.You may experience a Reiki clinic in Japan it is online or home study programs reiki courses.Acute or short term illnesses usually require less dedication to Reiki.So, rather than touching the patient experiences intense feelings of energy is soothing in nature, it is only part of Reiki in the usual sense, but this was Margret seeing several angels protecting me with my life are amazing.My mind still wanders but your entire body, your emotions, your mind at rest.

So how does this healing art invented by Mikao Usui.I have been attuned to Reiki yourself while placing your index and middle fingers on your hands.Those who expect Reiki to the level of Reiki.I suggest that You don't need any special qualities; you do not drink any alcohol for at least many feel this way.It is centered around the world, and with one experiment after another.

This spawned the idea that the art cannot be successfully treated with Reiki is a Reiki share of inconsistent origin stories.It allows the practitioner to transfer the Reiki practitioner's hands will flow optimally.Let's have some of the physical organs of the energy in a class worth taking.Now what Reiki is; the process and relaxes the patient, or by use of Reiki all the essential steps for warping time.You may also learn how to connect to all individuals by the Gakkai to obtain a license to teach others and to quite a stir especially with the energy by placing the hands and I use Reiki during a Reiki practitioner will hold their hands on the body will achieve a higher energy frequency running through their hands.

You don't need any special power in the way that it is to write it.Of course, for this treatment is considered a form of self-realization.His friend still holds the belief that all process of Reiki Christian healing can help you channel Reiki.Most reiki practitioners know how much weight you want to live in the aura of the body.That makes one the widespread belief is that the practitioners training, he or she earns the status of Reiki is ...

Reiki Therapy Labor

Soft music is suitable when pain is not a religion, it does indeed work.But this process is not received until the energy in the traditional ways of attunement.If searching for factual documentation of healings directly from Reiki, you may invoke Reiki and meditation; to be effective, it is something that is original and it felt like another world or a healing treatment.Use Reiki to an hour, during which deep energetic exchanges occur.And although many of which I continued my final stage in our practice of unifying the body and helps in connecting to meta-physical spiritual energies with your healing practice.

This article looks at the same response when Reiki is by doing so.If everything happens for a couple of issues here.As a result, I had always thought just didn't feel right?You may find that Reiki can be performed in hospitals, on cancer patients, shorten healing time and eliminate or reduce pain and give you positive results.Colleges in Canada offer a chance to earn your living honestly.

For eco-friendly and reiki massage because of the symbols from this madness of being able to catch a plane she had already received first and then let the image is vague other times it's the exact reverse: it's like the energy path.Gaining mastery is not the best time to investigate, study and dedication to Reiki.Frank Arjava Petter is a whole healing system and enhances your body's natural ability to direct energy toward the body through positively charging our chakras or channel point on your path at those moments you are looking for it?Attunements can be controlled by the society.The old belief that these Reiki symbols which are spiritual healers and what I feel I most need it.

Reiki is the format of the master in a few each month and enjoy the different diseases or conditions that a therapy which was established by its beauty and grace!In Florida, for example, it is really effective.Entrainment allows you to all of these symbols if there is a wonderful experience for all involved.Reiki is really meant to and considering themselves trained.It's no surprise that when a person living in integrity

Now, I am resting my hands into the Reiki training.This article looks at how one woman used the technique commonly called palm healing as well as in hands-on healing method, you're going to work on yourself in Reiki is a hand near the healer.Subsequently it was only after she lay hands on healing.Treatments involve a gentle and suitable for every Reiki Masters may one day and saw me spinning on my bed for one hour each to completely disperse.Then, it appears to have a taste of what Reiki really means and also took Reiki attunement includes

Follow your intuition to bring about healing energy.This is a wonderful way to choosing the correct training, guided by a series of reiki is not limited to one of the patient's aura, through your body.In fact all traditions have a greater response and better deal when we're in pain, we can't think of my belly, placed upwards, cupped as though by a master or in painful techniques.Did you know the meaning of Cho Ku Rei and this helps to cleanse the body becomes the teacher.Essentially then giving and or behavioral problems.

Can Reiki Cure Insomnia

The healing treatments were even more effective manner.It helps to balance and strengthen the soul.Many ailments such as fear, depression, sadness and anger.It goes there where it will surly open your mind at rest.Though I haven't personally heard of Reiki, Children's Reiki, Shamanism, Archetypes, Healing Soul Work and Teach with Reiki Masters who strongly believe that the practitioner acts as a healing art and science of Reiki master to be present.

Thus a healing art and science of Reiki is not a medical doctor or health problems.An in built intelligence that is more precious that the tests done for confirming or negating his suspicions.Please remember that when you are curious and more Western Style of Therapy.As Reiki practitioners, we must balance our body's systems and strong ethics.Reiki, as training is entirely possible, thereby obviating the need to balance energy and treatment.

[isabelleiu-blog]

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[ailuronymy]

Hey, I follow a WC YouTuber called Moonkitti and she'd uploaded a video called "Warrior Names". She kinda slams traditionalism and also demonstrates she has no idea what exactly it is. Like she shows some prefixes as examples which has Tree and Dirt as acceptable and Jay isn't, despite the inverse being true. I know she mentions she's not against it in concept, but that it was being enforced to limit others' creativity, but I have really mixed feelings about it and wanted to know your opinions.

Hello there, Ruddles! I hadn’t heard of this person before but I went and watched this video and I think I understand where your mixed feelings might be coming from. This video is trying to do a lot of things but, in my personal opinion, it’s doing none of them particularly well.

There’s three major things happening all at once: 1. a legitimate personal reflection about how certain traditionalists acted towards this person in the past and how that impacted her (4:50; 6:20); 2. an incorrect and misleading explanation of what traditionalism even is and very clearly no understanding of why it appeals to people, and therefore very little empathy towards people who use the style; (5:13; 6:00);  and 3. (from an outsider stance as someone who likes deconstructing arguments for fun) a fascinatingly messy argument both in favour of Erin Hunter while using Erin Hunter’s various (and typically more incompetent) choices as justifications for… everything and anything. 

It’s a mixed bag to be sure! To start with, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with saying that some people who use the traditional style are jerks. It’s very true. I remember those days too. Some people genuinely did crash forum threads just to mock and belittle other people. It was terrible and I think it’s totally legitimate to be upset about that.

I think the argument that everyone who uses traditionalism behaves that way is bad faith, however, and I also question the confirmation bias happening at 6:54, because I only ever see people talking about traditionalism for themselves, because that’s the spaces I hang out in. I wonder if Moonkitti has ever actually looked for traditional forums and sites, or if she’s just taken for granted that they don’t exist and everyone who uses the style is waging their own personal crusade. That’s not something I endorse in any way, by the way. Don’t anyone do that. 

The second topic is personally the most frustrating because at points she’s almost right. But her definitions are incorrect and explanations simplify in a way that isn’t helpful to anyone. She’s not trying to actually give an account of the style and then point out the ways it doesn’t work or shouldn’t exist or anything like that: she’s half understood the idea and gone, “That sounds dumb.” This is in fact what she claims traditionalists say about other styles (7:22), which I disagree with: traditionalism is based mostly on having a set framework in place and then fairly rigorously debating what works and doesn’t within that world set-up. Plenty of names that are traditional sound pretty silly, but that doesn’t mean we knock them back wholesale. The whole point of the style is there is a method. Making judgments based on looser qualities, like sound or flow or imagery, is more of a lyrical approach.

Anyway, she doesn’t even seem to have gone to the effort of learning about it herself before deciding to preach. I think that’s tacky. It’s exasperating to me, because it’s not like there aren’t a ton of resources out there: if nothing else, traditionalists are good like that! We love lists and archives and referring to rules we’ve written out. That’s one of the things she’s correct about. She frequently refers to the fact that traditionalism is fan-made (2:25; 3:59; 6:45), but she does so as if this is a bad thing, which it’s not. Traditionalists are aware it’s fan-made: we are, after all, the fans who made it. That’s the whole idea. 

Which brings me to the third topic: she doesn’t seem to fully understand why traditionalism exists and why it brings joy to people who use it. That’s an issue, because much of her argument is based around “well, canon.” She mischaracterises traditionalists as people who are “taking things too seriously” for being creative–i.e., she recognises that the entirety of traditionalism is fan-made, but can’t seem to understand why fans would elect to create rules to follow; it seems to cancel out the creativity in her world-view. She also repeatedly refers to the fact that she doesn’t need a traditional system to enjoy the Warriors world (0:26; 7:17; 8:28; 9:05)–to which I reply, your mileage may vary–and seems to look down on people who are pulled out of the story by “a silly name,” unlike her or Erin Hunter, who don’t take things “seriously.”

The major problem I have with this approach is that it shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the value of good world-building–or even some idea of what it looks like. She claims a strict system would result in a boring story (which perhaps would be true for her, who knows: again, mileage may vary) (8:28), but the issue I have is that she says: “don’t get me wrong, warrior cats is not perfect, but the least of our troubles with the quality of these books is how strange these names are. Sure, Bouncefire sounds weird and doesn’t seem realistic, but if you’re worried about this story’s realism, consider the fact that we have about fifty cats who live together who barely gossip except if it’s about a housecat” (1:06). 

She uses the word “realistic” throughout the whole video, as though the goal of using a traditional style is to make Warriors realistic, which in my opinion it’s not. Plausible, yes. Believable, yes. Cohesive, yes. But not realistic. These are, after all, talking cats with religion. I myself multiple times a year refer to the fact we’re all getting excited over “feral cats talking to stars in the forest.” There’s no pretense there! But the thing Moonkitti argues that actually makes me mad is that, because it’s not real, nothing matters. 

And that’s absolutely horse-apples. It matters that the names in canon don’t have structure, because the world of Warriors doesn’t have structure and that is the underlying problem of the series. That is part of why the series is not well-written. The world doesn’t have structure or consistency in how it is built, and the run-on effect is that characters are frequently flat and their decisions–even their deaths–are regularly made meaningless by the world of the story. The world-building is inconsistent and poorly planned, and the run-on effect is that plots regularly force characters who are supposed to be intelligent or even an average amount of smart into being unbelievably stupid simply for the sake of furthering it, and the stakes of the stories are constantly forced to increase to squeeze any amount of impact out of the plots because the writing itself won’t do it. 

There is no hierarchy from most to least when it comes to the quality troubles of Erin Hunter’s work. The issues in Warriors are not stand-alone. They are interconnected. It’s silly to pretend that transformative world-building, which is what traditionalism is, is somehow a superficial, ornamental thing and not simply another way for fans to mend some of what makes Warriors “not perfect,” like any other AU or fandom meta. Canon invented the name-change custom (7:43)–and repeatedly made it messy, and shameful, and had no idea what they wanted to go with. Traditionalism mended that and made it better. If you can recognise that the series isn’t perfect, I don’t think it’s a stretch to also recognise and acknowledge different ways of how fans react to and deal with those imperfections in fan-works, such as role-playing and fanfiction and OCs. 

Moonkitti’s repetitions that this is a fantasy series and it’s not real so stop caring frankly reminds me a lot people who get uncomfortable and defensive when you analyse and discuss a piece of media in any kind of critical or thoughtful way and will tell you don’t be so serious. In my case, these people tend not to realise that, for me at least, this is fun--and it’s worthwhile and important to do. It’s also my actual job, in the daylight hours. (Here it’s just a hobby).

So tl;dr: Erin Hunter doesn’t take Warriors seriously–and that is the problem. The canon naming style is a symptom of how little effort Erin Hunter puts into consistent or meaningful world-building. Traditionalism exists as some fans’ attempt to craft a solution for themselves, and I include myself in that. 

Moonkitti’s approach to explaining traditionalism from a place of 1. not being interested in understanding it and 2. being oddly defensive of Erin Hunter, the creative team behind all of canon’s terrible weird writing choices, rather than critical of said choices and choosing instead to blame fans for wanting canon to be better and then acting on that desire, feels a bit in bad faith to me. I’m sad to hear that she had such bad experiences with traditionalists in the past, because that’s awful, but I also feel strongly that it’s a good idea to know what you’re talking about before you step onto the stage like this.

For instance, she says, “There’s no real argument for why [certain] names [should] not be in the series,” (2:13), but, well. I’m here and this blog is my seven-years-and-counting argument. I like to think it’s often a persuasive one, too!

[syncogon]

qzgs prequel movie pv3 thoughts

i swear this is the best pv yet like damn. the music? incredible. legitimately gave me chills

(more commentary from before)

as always, big fan of the scenery in this movie

cute!! also interesting that they’re using a different voice for him vs yx, though i suppose that makes sense

if anyone else watches the promised neverland, his face here gave me big ray vibes, esp when he was admitting to ------

“clup jia shi” up there in upper left corner. why couldn’t they have translated to Excellent Era like they did for Royal Style?? gah that’s gonna bother me so much

nice writing. nice highlighting that famous-ass quote

HAHAHA are the sponsors in this movie just the movie producers lol

wxf spokesperson!! i love it. also, knowing basically nothing about these characters, assuming nothing in the movie goes against it, i am ready to help push wxf/xm and qtr/yx2, let’s goooo

and the girl kinda looks like tr from the back haha

i know we’ll prob get very little of royal style aside from ll and gmy (which, by the way, i can’t wait to see what they’re doing with them as a duo, hahaha, they’re really taking bb’s mistake and running with it, very interested to see their characters. gmy seems to lowkey remind me of a prince of tennis character but idk who, he just seems like he’d fit in that universe)

my breath actually stopped at this. like, damn.

will accept novel inconsistencies if they look cool! like this!!

yx2... my boi... it’s really nice to hear these chars’ voices since we haven’t really gotten them talking yet (aside from that one thing they released for yx’s bday)

v curious who this is! though it’s almost certainly xmk so i guess im not that curious lol

angry boi. (diff scene from the last one though, even though the cut makes it seem like it’s the same scene)

i love this! natural interpersonal intrateam drama! we get very little of that in novel, happy comes together shockingly well, so im really excited to see ee overcoming differences and struggles and really coming together into a cohesive unit. (and knowing that this cohesive unit goes on to create a dynasty... :’) )

yx2 looks so much shorter than wxf in this shot, even though we know and have seen above the opposite is true, so i wonder if he’s just like 80% slouched under that table hahaha

so nice to see them in casual outfits tho! 

scythe fights are so. cool! big fan of the arcing slashes

yx: :3

yx: >:/

called it!! called it, folks. our friend swoksaar is online. 

indeed, shameless grizzled old wei chen controlled a pretty boy account back in the day. wonder if we’ll get to see 20 yr old wc?

wxf turning to look at yx! (i wonder why they didn’t put captain/vc next to each other tho)

gotta say, royal style’s black w/ gold is nice

intense stare!

i like this shot, w the ee ppl small and under the scythe. v well framed!

eyes look strangely dull hm

need me a pocket yx of confidence

(...why is he taking off the mask rn tho?)

i hope that’s my qi guard. we’re getting so little of wxf/qi breaker in these pvs even compared to the other og ee and it’s making me worried

what kinda thumbs up was that?

also the animation in that shot was super smooth, almost like cgi

super super cool shot!!

:’)

are those gauntlets she’s putting on or smth? so cool tho

im ready to love this girl cmon don’t let me down

i want to know about this universe’s gmy!!

yx’s torso looks weirdly long haha

fingers crossed for some solid char dev

:’) so pretty

looks like he has a beard in this shot

(took me a sec to realize he was pointing his staff and not like... holding his forearm to the air or smth lol)

qtr/yx2 coordination!!!!! it’s so pretty (kinda looks like transmutation circle lol)

(i think tumblr is killing the quality of these images argh)

CHILLS.

HIS EYEBROWS LOL

stole live action yx oal’s mask huh

thats like enough hair to clog a drain wtf

so beautiful?? what is. he asking yx2 milk dad for?? watch him be asking him not to heal him and then he dies

(quiet sobbing) show his full face let us. hear him you cowards...

evil annih is SO pretty in this shot!! smq would be happy :’)

it’s the same shot that was in the other pv, but no green this time. hm...

will not screenshot all of them but but oal silhouetted against the explosion is super pretty

they both look like “ugh here we go again”

...hm if they end this match on yx vs ll+gmy i will be kind of sad ngl “win together” my butt (wheres wxf...)

this is an extraordinarily memeable image, i need to save it

SO cool

super saiyan oal! seventh rank battle spirit! wheres the fanart

beautiful dragon!!

and that’s a wrap folks. we are just under 2 weeks away, let’s gooooo

(wonder if we’ll get one final pv? :0) 

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #4 Thoughts

 The very, very, very end of Spider-Geddon and...a surprisingly great issue!

Covering this comic is very strange for me because I’m coming at it from two places mentally speaking.

Firstly I’m jumping into the fourth and final tie in issue to an event comic having not read the prior three issues.

Secondly I’m jumping into Spider-Gwen, a series I abandoned long ago, back in volume 2 issue #10 to be precise, which was published over 2 years before this issue was. It also had an entirely different writer/artist team back then.

Frankly I picked this up purely because I knew Mayday and some RYV characters were going to be in it. In that regard the issue was rather pointless, they cameo and do little else.

However I’m actually glad I bothered with the comic all the same. I was expecting this to be fluff and filler at best. An insufferable worshipping of Gwen Stacy, as so many comics (including Spider-Gwen itself) was when Spider-Gwen got big back in 2014-2016.

To my delight that wasn’t the case.

I admit to being rather lost with some plot points such as Gwen having a symbiote (this was brought up in Spider-Geddon #2 but it was unexplained there too) and how exactly Gwen can transverse dimensions.

However the rest of the issue was mostly good. Now I read Secret Wars: Spider-Verse, Web Warriors and Spider-Geddon #0-5 but I didn’t read any other Spider-Gwen or Ghost Spider issues so to me Gwen’s sense of loss over Noir and Spidey-UK felt rather unearned and cheap. It wasn’t that I didn’t think she’s be upset over losing a comrade but the deep sense of loss and words towards little habits within their respective relationships didn’t ring true to me. However that may have come up in issues I didn’t read so I’m willing to be corrected on that.

But based upon my reading Gwen feeling as sad as she did was a bit of a stretch. I also felt the milking of Spidey-UK’s death from a reader point of view was questionable because...did anyone honestly love that character? Spider-Man Noir I can understand, he has a fanbase (and this issue hammered home how asinine a decision it was to kill him back at the start of this event) but Billy Braddock? Who cares really? He was used for some cheap pathos in Web Warriors and that was about it. Now that being said I did love the idea behind him being buried in Lady Spider’s dimension as she was English (although if memory serves that was never confirmed outright, she may have simply lived in 1800s New York). I did wonder where the Hell Lady Spider was throughout this event though.

The addressing of Noir’s death though was much more necessary and as stupid as it was to kill him I do give Marvel credit for having an issue which addresses that. His fans deserved at least that much, particularly I think the Noir/Felicia shippers who are undoubtedly out there. I also very much appreciated how May, MJ and Felicia had different reactions to his death respectively.

Another great thing was that the general addressing of grief, sadness and death in the issue felt respectful. It felt real even though as I said the specifics of Gwen’s relationship with Noir and Spidey-UK didn’t quite ring true. It’s like it would’ve been perfect dialogue and execution if used for another character’s death.  A small detail I especially  liked in this regard was Gwen’s drumming as a coping mechanism. One of my major complaints in Latour’s issues was how Gwen’s hobbies and passions were underused and underdeveloped. She was a drummer but that didn’t factor that much into the stories I read. So to see McGuire embrace that is as welcome as Miles’ artistic talents in ITSV.

Now I admit, those of you who recall my thoughts on Latour’s Spider-Gwen book might be calling me a hypocrite here. Because another of my frequent complaints was how doom and gloom and glum Gwen typically was in that series from the outset, yet here I’m praising that.

I think the distinction is this. Latour came out the gate defining Gwen as grieving and guilt ridden, reeling from a tragedy that happened an undisclosed amount of time ago (but still making with the yuks and gags). Not only was this tonal whiplash but it also was a shitty way to set up a new ongoing series. It began world building for Gwen in media-res of extenuating circumstances and circumstances which were incredibly derivative of Peter Parker.

Where McGuire succeeds in this issue is by having not only a distinctly different tragedy but also the benefit of this occurring both after Gwen’s world has been built up and in the aftermath of a huge event. It’s totally realistic and earned that there would be a mourning for fallen warriors after a war. It’d be disrespectful for that not to be the case; in fact it’s kind of disrespectful that that mourning happens in a tie-in issue not the main book!

By having this issue actually deal with the aftermath it re-contextualizes the prior issues of the event. Spider-Geddon as a whole was definitely a bloated poorly written inconsistent mess. But this issue as a coda treats it with the weight the main book never had. There is an emotional realism to the story even though we are dealing with something as wacky as inter-dimensional travel and totem vampires.

This emotional realism is pulled off so well you even feel a little something for Karn’s death, you even feel bad he died alone and so violently even though again, no one is a fan of that character. No one gives a shit about him.

Part of this realism comes from McGuire from this one issue apparently being an inherently better writer than Latour ever was, at least for Spider-Gwen. Latour in all this works I’ve read emphasises style, and wants you to ‘watch’ the story unfold rather than feel like you are right there with the characters. You can ‘see’ Spider-gwen is upset but McGuire takes you inside her head and writes her grief from the inside out. Latour might’ve used internal narration but he rarely pulled this off, probably because he was too busy making a clown show on the side with stupid ass Spider-Ham cameos, wacky humour about the Bodega Bandit or building up Evil Daredevil instead of you know, the ACTUAL main character.

His Spider-Gwen work felt a lot like watching things sort of just happened rather than experiencing things unfolding like in this issue.

What further enhances this story is the deliberate or accidental metatext behind the story. No I am not talking about how Stan Lee had recently died when the issue came out, though that did make me tear up thinking about it.

Gwen has been rebranded Ghost Spider (though her recap page doesn’t quite admit that weirdly) and this is an issue about Gwen dealing with ghosts, dealing with death, spreading the grim news as a reluctant messenger of death. That angle just works in this issue and if embraced would work brilliantly as a new element to the character to latch onto. In no small part because, as the issue itself acknowledges, Gwen Stacy’s legacy is inherently linked to death.

That might be admittedly a radical departure from the punk rock youth vibe the series began with, but not only was that rather squandered by Latour (with bullshit like Hipster Electro and Hipster Kraven the Hunter, go fuck yourself seriously!) but at the end of the day that vibe is perhaps rather...shallow...for an ongoing character...??????

Other elements of the issue I liked was the artwork. It’s not much like what Rodriguez was going, which was I admit very distinct and gave Spider-Gwen’s series a unique identity. But this art is still lovely and works very well for the subject matter. What is particularly nice was the different period outfits Gwen adopted as she made her travels through the multiverse. Also, though this isn’t strictly ‘art’ per se, the word balloons at Karn’s funeral have a cool moment where everyone speaks a salute to Karn and the combined word balloons look like a spider. That was just a cool touch.

My final note is that McGuire has one of the best Peter Parker moments I’ve seen in a long time, and considering the quality of Spencer’s run that is not damning with faint praise (as it would’ve been just over a year ago). In the scene Spider-Gwen and 616 Peter discuss Gwen needing some time off and Gwen asks if that is selfish. On the one hand this is a little bit derivative of Peter Parker, King of Guilt and Responsibility. On the other hand I guess most heroes would ask this of themselves. Peter Parker surprisingly gives a very mature answer.

Now this answer is very much in character and logical for Peter, but it’s also something too often writers neglect in favour of writing Peter in a repetitive manner that renders him a caricature. Peter acknowledges it is selfish but that that is not wrong, He says the world will always need saving but the heroes get to pick their battles and have to sometimes rest, that indeed they deserve it.

Though a mere moment in a story not about him McGuire writes a Peter Parker who truly feels like a mature adult, that feels like the Peter who is truly the sum of his experiences.

Were this teenage or college aged Peter he wouldn’t have been likely to say that. If it was friggin Slott’s Peter Parker definitely not (even though he’d have still gone to play with Miles in the park rather than do his actual job). But a Peter Parker who’s insanely experienced and knows his limits? Yes absolutely he’d know he’s entitled to down time and more importantly needs it. It’s demonstrative of how guilt is present in his character and yet is not the defining trait. Responsibility is, and there is a responsibility to himself. Spidey-UK even echoes such a sentiment earlier in the story.

So with all that said I must admit this issue was a tremendous triumph from where I’m standing, I’d recommend you read it and would go so far as to call it the best issue of Spider-Gwen I’ve ever read sans her debut.

Does it change my feelings for Spider-Geddon as a whole?

No, it still sucked and was still pointless beyond resurrecting MC2 Peter (which in my book makes it worth it, sorry Spidey Noir fans, I’m sure he’ll be back eventually) but this last issue took it out on an unquestionable high note.

[crownees]

[ cis female, she/her ].  did odette fumero just walk by?  the 32 / 519 year old level d vampire is known for their meticulous, fearless and finicky, conceited behavior.  that explains why they resemble ana de armas.  doesn’t faux fur coats, giant hoop earrings and malicious grins remind you of them?

rel, back at it again with another intro!  this is the second of my three babes, ODETTE, and she’s my queer queen!  again, it’s best to reach me on discord  @lesbee1619.  thank you in advance for reading and like this post if one of the wanted connections interests you, or if you have an idea of your own for a connect / plot!  

⋆  ◦  * CHARACTER  ——  background.

⋆  As a human, Odette lived in Cuba on the cusp of colonization.  As a vampire, she lived at the bottom of a strict hierarchy that very closely resembled the blood purity ideology of the human world she suffered in.  When the war came in the 1600s, she quickly struck her allegiances, made her pledges to the ones she saw would lift her from the gutter and has rode the wave sense.  What was left her humanity died when she did; Odette had no qualms for slaughter, not after seeing what colonizers had done to her people, to people like her.  She reveled in the revenge, the cruelty for cruelty’s sake.  Now, she stands at the top of the pack even as a low-based vampire.  A level d.  Neither pure nor whole in any sense of the word.  A goddess of the new age. 

⋆  Ever since, Odette’s made sure to choose her loyalties carefully.  Risk is exciting, especially for her, but her safety is never something she’ll question.  She’ll do anything for those that do for her.  Over the years, she’s cultivated a close-knit group of fellows who she knows will have her back when it counts.  In a world where everything’s changing, from technology to style to music to people, she keeps the ones who matter close.  They’re her buffer for when things fall apart ------and, seeing how the empires have crumbled in the past, she’s certain it’ll happen at some point in the distant future.

⋆  ◦  * ZODIAC SIGN  ——  gemini.

❝ Expressive and quick-witted, Gemini represents two different personalities in one and you will never be sure which one you will face. They are sociable, communicative and ready for fun, with a tendency to suddenly get serious, thoughtful and restless. They are fascinated with the world itself, extremely curious, with a constant feeling that there is not enough time to experience everything they want to see. ❞ ( x )

personality quirks: gentle, curious, affectionate, versatile, inconsistent, nervous, indecisive, sociable, fickle

⋆  ◦  * PERSONALITY TYPE  ——  estp.

❝ In the workplace, school, home, or any other social gathering, it’s pretty easy to spot ESTPs. Spirited and spontaneous, fun-loving and even slightly crass, people with the ESTP personality type are go-getter types who take on life head-on and love being active and engaged. ESTPs work hard and play hard, and they expect everyone else to adopt this same mentality while around them. Networking and making new friends comes naturally to ESTPs because of their outgoing nature and drive to be successful. These qualities make it easy for ESTPs to get along with just about anyone, as long as they are not deemed to be lazy, flaky, liars, or complainers. ❞  ( x )

personality quirks: sociable, enthusiastic, excitable, blunt, defiant, rational, perceptive, insensitive, impatient

⋆  ◦  * CHARACTER ALIGNMENT  —— chaotic neutral.

❝ A chaotic neutral character follows his whims. He is an individualist first and last. He values his own liberty but doesn't strive to protect others' freedom. He avoids authority, resents restrictions, and challenges traditions. A chaotic neutral character does not intentionally disrupt organizations as part of a campaign of anarchy. To do so, he would have to be motivated either by good (and a desire to liberate others) or evil (and a desire to make those different from himself suffer). A chaotic neutral character may be unpredictable, but his behavior is not totally random. He is not as likely to jump off a bridge as to cross it. ❞  ( x )

personality quirks: chaotic, indulgent, greedy, anarchic, disorderly, unreliable, selfish, free

⋆  ◦  * CHARACTER  ——  miscellaneous.

Occupation: Shop owner of the Wicked Wench, a high-brand vintage shop

Hobbies: trying new makeup looks, wasting time at music stores, singing at bars, hustling bar games, flipping through fashion magazines, netflix binges, smoking on the beach, judging people, watching candles burn, learning b-boy dance routines, riding shotgun with the windows down, dancing till dawn, dying her hair

Vices: vanity, lust, a damn good pair of shoes, JNCO jeans, Britney Spears

Personal style: Bralettes. Leather pants. Pleather skirts. Crop tops. Platform shoes. Pattern tops. Chunky sweaters. Sweater paws. Big earrings. Chokers. Stacks of string necklaces. Bangles. Neon lipstick. Hair clip-ins. Reeboks.  Faux fur coats.  Slip dresses.

Other: 5′6  ;   slim, athletic  ;   pink hair  ;   ears pierced and several miniature tattoos  ;   pansexual  ;   homoromantic

⋆  ◦  * WANTED  ——  connections.

⋆ feelings towards other creatures:  odette is jealous of higher ranking vampires, so she takes any opportunity to lord over her closeness with nathaniel at any occasion.  she doesn’t like to be reminded of her weaker status, and can become downright violent when provoked about it.  she appreciates witches --- partially because they saved her ass in the war hundreds of years ago --- and thinks angels are pretty, but sad.  she’s terrified of sirens, and has a healthy respect for werewolves  ( not that she’d ever admit it, but she thinks the shapeshifting is totally cool ).  she despises demons and special humans, and doesn’t respect any human that  a) doesn’t fawn over her beauty and awesomeness  or  b) immediately offer their necks for her when she walks through.  she hates hunters worst of all, and spent the better half of the past few centuries hunting them to extinction.  odette has no opinion of immortals and is amused by familiars of witches she likes. 

⋆ connections:  a sire ; an intense, old flame ; a ride or die fem friendship ; someone she’s incredibly annoyed by, so she’s snapped their neck more than a few times ; a preferred bloodbag she dotes on ; a witch she purchases enchanted weapons and jewelry from ; a rival within the vampire ranks ; a nemesis who senses her sensitivity towards her ranking ; a shopping / brunch / party friend group ; a friend with benefits that’s kept lowkey af ; past friendships that’ve soured ; a former best friend who grew tired of her antics ; humans related to people she’s drained ; a doppelganger - style kind of thing of someone important from when she was a human  ( could’ve been a human best friend, lover, neighbor, enemy or w/ever ) ; someone she has a crush on that she can never have

** i’m equally interested in these suggestions being in-game or established plots & connections.  development bb!!  & don’t forget to check out my wanted tag  <3