#longread

[hopeymchope]

Hope's Peak and... Whatever is Going on with the "Talents" They Study

Hope's Peak Academy! Where only the greatest talents are invited to focus on the areas in which they excel (and to be studied by the staff).

The people working at Hope's Peak Academy in Danganronpa (whether staff, scientists, or Steering Committee) are pretty consistently presented as being dedicated to researching and understanding the nature of talent. They talk like talent is this hazy concept that only certain people somehow possess, so they're out to crack the code of its mysterious origins.

We have top men working on the origins of talent right now. .... TOP. MEN.

Now, I know we all eventually learn just how much of a shitshow HPA was and how corrupt its primary operators were. But the evidence of their crimes is mostly focused on how they take their interest in "Talent" much too far. So long as it furthered the study of "talent," human experimentation, endangering the lives of students, and much, MUCH more were totally on the table as far as HPA's Steering Committee was concerned. Which is very bad, yes.

However! I think the issues with HPA's intentions ran even deeper. The people in charge weren't just corrupt; they were also stupid. And this is evidenced by many of the "talents" they identified and researched.

See, Hope's Peak makes no real distinction between the types of talent they identify and accept into their walls. Even though there's a MASSIVE DIFFERENCE between the talent of someone like Junko Enoshima vs. that of someone like Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. Y'know?

(I strongly doubt I'm the first to observe how bullshit some of these "talents" are. But since I can't find any other conversations about this on Tumblr, I'm going to move forward with making my own commentary. Sorry?)

BTW, consider this: If Komaeda were somehow born earlier and was an adult by the time the 77th Class entered HPA? He could've easily been one of the staff members putting Hajime into that metal coffin.

In descending order of "I can see why they were interested" to "WTF is this," here are the four core types of Super High School-Level "Talents" that Hope's Peak Academy welcomes within its hallowed halls:

(DISCLAIMER: I include V3 students as some of the examples cited below. YES, I know they don't attend Hope's Peak in their game's main storyline. However, they attend Hope's Peak in both UTDP and DRS. That's good enough for me; you can always ignore those examples if you disagree.)

CATEGORY (A) Talents that seem to come innaately/naturally to those who have them. These are either your wunderkind types, or they otherwise gained their talent seemingly overnight. — (e.g., Yasuhiro Hagakure, Junko Enoshima, Nagito Komaeda, Miu Iruma)

My Thoughts: Okay, SURE. I get why you'd want to study how this can happen and where these kinds of skills come from. No notes.

CATEGORY (B) Talents that are developed over a lifetime of practice and/or hard work. Most Hope's Peak students we know about seem like they slot into this category. — (e.g., Nekomaru Nidai, Mikan Tsumiki, Kaede Akamatsu)

My Thoughts: My first reaction is "What is there to study/research about this?" Do the Hope's Peak staff not know that working on something for a long time can make you get way better at that thing? Y'all reminding me of Hajime in the now-classic @reddpenn comic where he is legitimately shocked to learn people can gain skills through practice. :P But HOLD UP; let's give them the benefit of the doubt here for a sec. Perhaps Hope's Peak's personnel are wondering why only some practitioners of these talents can reach such a noteworthy level of skill by the time they're teenagers? That's the most reasonable conclusion to draw about the inclusion of these students.

CATEGORY (C) Talents that are only noteworthy because these students demonstrated some above-average skill relative to their age or because they garnered attention through one specific incident. In other words: These individuals aren't nearly as exceptional as those in the previous two categories of talent, but at least they seem pretty decent at what they're being identifed for? — (e.g., Mahiru Koizumi, Shuichi Saihara, Kaito Momota)

My Thoughts: I hope I'm being clear enough about what I mean by this category. But if not, I'll try to clarify: Shuichi was supposedly recognized for his talent solely because he caught one murderer. Mahiru's photography is almost solely portrait photography and therefore not particularly noteworthy to most photographers; she's just pretty good at the one thing she happens to do. (And in truth, her mom's reputation probably played a role in her own Hope's Peak invite.) Kaito being able to pass a basic Astronaut screening exam at a younger age than is usually allowed is neat, but it's not like he's been an exceptional trainee or even gone into space; he's just the "Ultimate Astronaut" because he cheated his way into taking a test early and did surprisingly well at it. Maybe we're meant to think "Oh, Kizakura or whoever could somehow tell these students have the innate potential to be truly spectacular" or somesuch?? But that interpretation requires putting a lot of faith in this questionable-ass system (and the one HPA scout we're familiar with — a known alcoholic). Do these people REALLY demand further study? Is there ACTUALLY anything to be gained by learning about their "talents"??? I... can't see it, y'all. I don't get it.

CATEGORY (D) Talents that aren't even really a talent at all, they're just a position/title someone gained by being born. — (e.g., Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, Sonia Nevermind, Keebo)

LIVE HINATA REACTION

My Thoughts: Okay, so MAYBE Sonia was recognized by Hope's Peak as the the absolute pinnacle of refinement and royal behavior or something? But I kind of doubt it based on her actual behavior (and weird interest in serial killers) in DR2. And there's no way in hell that Fuyuhiko is the baddest-ass Yakuza, even among teenagers. You scratch that kid slightly. and you get the babychild undernearth. And Keebo? His talent is HIS OWN EXISTENCE. His "talent" is actually just his creator's talent, FFS. He's not even "High School"-AGED in reality; he's just programmed to operate at a mental capacity of approximately teenage-level. So ultimately, I'm asking: What is there to STUDY about any of these?! These aren't even TALENTS, frankly! These have got me wondering if there's some other reason to include these particular students... like perhaps Hope's Peak wants to extend their tentacles into the power/influence afforded by Novoselic royalty/the Yakuza? Or perhaps they wish the leverage Keebo's A.I. technology in their own pursuit of creating of an "Ultimate Talent"? Point is: THESE 'TALENTS' ARE SEVERELY SUS. (I have to wonder if the larger public and Reserve Coursers ever complained about how sketchy some of this shit sounds?? SURELY they did.)

ADDENDUM/NOTE: There are also those who hover between the various categories I've cited. This includes those who might be a mixture of two categories, or those whose background is hazy enough that it's not clear whether they always had their talent (A) or developed it over time (B). But I think the above list encompasses everyone we know about, either in one or multiple categories.

CONCLUSION: Hope's Peak is so vague and weird about what they define as "talents" that it's tough to say what on Earth they believe they're studying over there. Because the methodology they were employing for identifying these talents is super loose, they're inviting over SOME fascinating subjects right alongside a bunch of teenagers who... really can't reveal much of anything about anything?

How did Junko Enoshima learn to easily analyze the patterns all around her to the point that she was able to accurately predict most outcomes? GREAT question! You may genuinely be able to unravel something about inborn skillsets and unusual brain development from such a case.

How did Mahiru Koizumi become a great photographer? Uhhh, she observed some stuff from her mom and just tried a decent amount of portraits, I suppose. But she's not even that amazing frankly, she ain't taking any award-winning pictures or using any particular artistry. She's just good at smiling portraits. That's it. You ain't gonna learn shit from this.

How did Fuyuhiko become the Ultimate Yakuza? Because YOU decided he was! And that was just because of his inherited leadership role! He has NO special talent, wtf are you idiots doing?!?!

ANYWAY, that should cover all of the Hope's Peak students we've ever me—

Oh, right. There's ONE weird half-exception to this list, which I guess I'll explain for anyone who wants to be extracirricular about this topic.

BONUS! Outlier Case: Makoto Naegi (in DR1 only)

My Thoughts: In the original Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, the player/viewer/reader is made to believe that Makoto Naegi possesses no talent at all. Instead, Naegi was merely this year's winner of the annual drawing at Hope's Peak, and THAT IS IT. He was just drawn from a proverbial hat, and his presence is just a randomized factor. And SURE, by the end of the game/manga/anime, he's declared the "Ultimate Hope," but it's not like he was brought into the school based on that talent, so that's not particularly relevant. What I'm saying is simply this: DR1-era Naegi is the only known Hope's Peak student who doesn't fit into the above four categories. ............ Though this was later retconned, of course. Stories such as Makoto Naegi's Worst Day Ever (which came out alongside the first release of DR2, a mere two years after DR1 first hit PSP) and Danganronpa 3 would state that Naegi always possessed some unpredictable form of Komaeda-style inborn "luck" even if he wasn't necessarily aware of it. Which slots him into category (A). AS SUCH, he was only an outlier for literally THE FIRST INSTALLMENT OF THE SERIES. And since the first installment didn't really delve as much into the sketchy, obsessive ways the Hope's Peak scientists chose to study their roster of "talents," his outlier nature isn't really relevant anyway. I don't feel any need to justify "Makoto Naegi as portrayed in 2010-2011 continuity" for his inclusion in the class roster.

..........................but if I DID have to do that, I'd say including him among the students makes him the Control Group. :P

[tales-of-tai-shan]

А РАЗГОВОРОВ-ТО БЫЛО!

Вот и отгремела премьера долгожданной четвертой части «Кунг-фу Панды». Не я первая, не я последняя, кто пишет свой отзыв на этот фильм. Не воспринимайте это как попытку запрыгнуть в последний вагон хайпа. Может, оно и к лучшему: настроения поулеглись, все спойлеры проспойлерены и можно спокойно обсудить предмет нашего разговора. А именно – так ли плоха четвертая часть и какие у нее есть недостатки.

Готовьте чай, кофе, а может чего покрепче и устраивайтесь поудобнее. Разговор, как обычно, будет долгим.

1. Мое личное мнение.

Хотите услышать мою собственную оценку? Возможно, это будет для кого-то неожиданностью, но мне фильм скорее понравился, чем нет. Это хороший фильм для просмотра с семьей и не на один раз. Не шедевр с эффектом разорвавшейся бомбы, коими были первая и особенно вторая часть, но и не провал вопреки возгласам ряда фанатов и блоггеров. Просто хороший рядовой фильм. Может чуточку похуже, чем третья, но не сильно. Анимация приятная, классическая. Сюжет простой и слегка клишированный: появился новый злодей, нужно добраться из точки «А» в точку «Б», по пути встречается новый персонаж, с которым главный герой проходит путь из недоверия, сближения, ожидаемого предательства, последующего за ним примирения и совместной победы над злом. Даже юмор мне зашел, хотя на это я надеялась меньше всего! Спасибо студии «Red Head Sound», которые делали русский дубляж, за отличные каламбуры и игру слов, они перекрыли негативное впечатление от пердежной шутки и сцены кусания По зайчатами за интимные места.

Однако на протяжении всего просмотра было ощущение, что я смотрю не каноничное продолжение, а очередной спин-офф. И знаете, если его как раз-таки воспринимать как спин-офф, то претензий резко становится меньше. На мой взгляд, причина тому (помимо скромного бюджета) это фокус. «Кунг-фу Панда», вопреки названию, был не столько про «Панду», его очередное приключение и поиск своего нового «Я», сколько про новую героиню – Чжэнь – и ее развитие как личности и нового Воина Дракона. Это как раз характерно для спин-оффов, которые концентрируются не на главных героях оригинала, а на сторонних идеях и персонажах франшизы.

Причина, по которой четвертая часть была воспринята резко негативно – это пиздабольство нового режиссера обманутые ожидания и неоправданные надежды фанатов. Столько слов было про новое амплуа По, про возвращение антагонистов предыдущих частей, про Пятерку, а по итогу КПД этих обещаний стремится к нулю. Помимо прочего есть еще впечатление, что новая часть была создана не ради развития вселенной франшизы, и чисто ради коммерческой наживы и попытки нажиться на успехе предыдущих частей. А фанаты такое очень хорошо считывают, и реакция на такое вполне предсказуема.

2. А что, собственно, произошло?

А теперь в хронологическом порядке разберем детали, которые испортили многим впечатление.

Начнем с самого-самого начала – появление Лжетай Лунга. Поначалу зритель может даже обрадоваться. Так было и со мной, потому то это мой самый любимый персонаж во всей франшизе, и его появления я ждала больше всего. Но стоило изменить ракурс, а персонажу открыть рот, то раскрывается весь обман. И дело не только в подозрительной текстуре тела:

«Пусть от высоких гор до низовий долин летит весть, что Тай Лунг жив и что никто не встанет у него на пути, даже великий Воин Дракона».

Тай Лунг такое никогда не сказал бы, потому что считает Воином Дракона себя. Тут с порога дали понять, что перед нами самозванец.

Второе, что прям растоптало ожидания зрителя, это разрушенная надежда на появление Неистовой Пятерки:

- Воин Дракона, а Неистовая Пятерка тоже тут? - К сожалению, нет. Они сейчас на суперкрутых кунг-фу миссиях. Тигрица охраняет кур на свободном выпасе. Обезьяна идет по следу пропавшей кошки. Журавль стал царем крокодилов, долгая история. Гадюка ужом извивается, чтобы помирить кобров и мангустов. Или кобр, а, ладно. Богомол пытается не потерять голову от своей невесты.

Это звучит просто настолько несерьезно, что даже не смешно. У Гадюки еще дотягивает до звания дипломатической миссии, у остальных просто поручения, которые не могли занять так много времени и быть важнее той задачи, которая вскоре встанет перед По. А причина очень проста – урезанный бюджет. Студия просто не смогла пригласить голоса Неистовой Пятерки, если вообще на них не сэкономила.

Бюджет для меня вообще больная тема. Дримворкс делала столько спин-оффов по франшизе, выпустила не просто успешные, а прорывные фильмы, такие как «Кот в Сапогах 2» и «Плохие парни». Неужели из вырученного за все это бюджета не хватило, чтобы вернуть Пятерку в строй?

И конечно же, двигатель сюжета, который вызвал массу недоумения:

«И сейчас судьба призывает тебя сделать еще один шаг на твоем пути. […] Сейчас ты должен выбрать себе приемника, […] который станет новым Воином Дракона. […] После того, как ты выберешь себе приемника, ты выйдешь на высший уровень кунг-фу и станешь духовным лидером Долины Мира».

Почему это возмущает? Да потому что в этом сюжетном ходе нет никакой логики.

Во-первых, сам концепт. Воином Дракона нельзя стать, Шифу и Тай Лунг тому пример. Воина Дракона даже не назначают. Его выбирает сама Вселенная. Само это обстоятельство не предполагает, что титула можно лишиться, что его можно как-то передать и унаследовать.

Во-вторых, а не рановато ли По становиться духовным лидером Долины? По прошел через многое, не спорю. Он противостоял настоящему, принимал прошлое, боролся за будущее, был учеником и учителем, но! По моему мнению, он все еще достаточно молод для такой большой ответственности. Он жить только начал! Даже он сам прекрасно понимает, что ему не хватает опыта и мудрости, которые может дать только время:

«Ну, какой из меня духовный лидер? Я ведь даже высокопарные речи толкать не умею!»

А Шифу? Почему он не хочет стать духовным лидером? Помирать собрался?

«- Забирайте! - Нет, посох доверили тебе! Мне не суждено стать новым мастером Угвэем. Я принимаю судьбу со смирением. Правда, без обид! - По Вам и не скажешь. - Ты не принимаешь, а принимаю!»

Такое ощущение, что Шифу в очередной раз задвигает свои амбиции. Кто не помнит – напомню. Изначально он сам хотел стать Воином Дракона, потом бросил все силы, чтобы вырастить его в Тай Лунге, но обе попытки провалились. А теперь духовный лидер. По интонации и выражению лица видно, что он принимает судьбу через силу, переступая через себя.

И вообще вопрос, кем был Шифу после смерти Угвэя? Разве не он был духовным лидером Долины Мира? Он ходит в зеленом плаще, как Угвэй, ходит с посохом Угвэя, неужели он не является этим самым духовным лидером? Или он так, временно исполняющий обязанности на протяжении двух фильмов?

Ну и, конечно же, причина многих пересудов в фандоме – Чжэнь. В целом это довольно приятный, хорошо прописанный персонаж. У меня только два вопроса к ней. Первый – что, вашу мать, с дизайном? Почему она напоминает персонажа диснеевского «Зверополиса», а не «Кунг-фу Панды»? Она слишком гладенькая и прилизанная по сравнению с тем же Джунджи из «Удивительных легенд». Ее дизайн менее анималистичный и более антропоморфный, чем все остальные звери. Более того, она выглядит слишком универсально. В ней нет китайского колорита, от китайского у нее только нефритовые заколка и пряжка. Она выглядит как среднее арифметическое всех разбойников всех культур мира.

А второй, забегая вперед, это перетягивание внимания на себя на протяжении всего фильма. Франшиза называется «Кунг-фу Панда», но по впечатлениям от «Панды» тут меньше половины. Этот фильм не про становление По духовным лидером, а про становление Чжэнь Воином Дракона (кстати, почему в конце ей не вручили Свиток Дракона и не дали пораскинуть мозгами над секретным ингридиентом?). Логичнее было бы назвать фильм не «Кунг-фу Панда 4», а «Кунг-фу Панда: Наследие».

И я не спроста заговорила про второе. Над Китаем нависла потенциальная угроза вселенского масштаба:

«Императрица маскировки, способная принять любую форму, любой облик. Ящерица-перевертыш с бирюзовыми глазами. Да, я говорю о Хамелеонше!»

И что делает По? После того, как он и Пятерка вместе боролись с Шенем и его армией, генералом Каем и нефритовыми зомби, он принимает решение… НЕ ЗВАТЬ ИХ И ЗАРУЧИТЬСЯ ПОДДЕРЖКОЙ МАЛОЗНАКОМОЙ ВОРОВКИ?! Этот ход настолько наивен и лишен адекватности, насколько только можно.

Хамелеонша… Помните, с какой радостью я предвкушала ее появление в анализе трейлера?

«Это действительно тот тип персонажей, который интригует с первых секунд экранного времени. Во-первых, сам факт того, что это женский персонаж! В поп-культуре крайне мало харизматичных злодеек, поэтому Хамелеонша подкупает. Во-вторых, сама идея щейпшифтинга. Эта способность дает широкий простор как для потенциальных сценариев, так и для анимационных решений. Шейпшифтинг делает из Хамелеонши непредсказуемого и поистине грозного противника, с которым По никогда ��е имел дело. Тут однозначно мое почтение».

Так вот, забудьте об этом. Потенциал пустили в трубу, и пусть первое впечатление вас не обманывает. По началу да, это коварная и интригующая особа, но на этом все. Это очередной картонный злодейский злодей с жаждой власти и манией величия:

«Я тоже вышла из грязи и всегда мечтала стать чем-то большим, добиться уважения, власти, стать великим мастером кунг-фу. Я так старалась, но меня не приняли ни в одном додзё. Говорили, что я слишком мала, заурядна, что мне не по чину заниматься кунг-фу. Я избрала иной путь – колдовство».

Ее мотивация настолько ущербна, что будь с ними в одном зале Пятерка, то она бы сдулась. Богомол тоже маленький, даже меньше ее, однако он живая легенда своего времени. Журавль был обычным уборщиком, зауряднее некуда, но он тоже выбился в люди!

Да и сама по себе Хамелеонша оказалась не шибко оригинальным персонажем. Она мечтала стать великим мастером кунг-фу, как Тай Лунг. Она обирала все запасы металла Можжевелового города, как лорд Шень. Она похищала ци других мастеров, как генерал Кай.

Можно было бы, конечно, напустить драмы, сказать, какой она на самом деле глубокий персонаж, что в стремлении достичь своей мечты и бесконечных перевоплощениях она потеряла саму себя и не знает, кто она сама по себе, что у нее есть личная трагедия банально в виде усвоенных «Трех законов улицы», но где это все? Где раскрытие персонажа? Даже у генерала Кая раскрытие и связь с лором «Кунг-фу Панды» прописаны лучше.

Мистер Пинг и Ли Шань – мои личные фавориты. Признаться честно, я ожидала наиглупейшей буффонады с участием этих двоих, как это было в «Лапках Судьбы». К счастью, мои опасения не подтвердились. Каждое их появление на экране было приятным и оправданным. Однако я все равно была расстроена, потому что тут и там меня преследовало осознание, что на их месте могла бы быть Пятерка. Будем честны, несмотря на их героический подвиг и отцовскую любовь, они в хорошем смысле приземленные персонажи, любящие комфорт, размеренность жизни и стабильность. Если бы не отсутствие Пятерки, они вряд ли бы покинули свои насиженные места. Они не из тех, кто будут сворачивать горы и бороздить моря. Их поступок скорее исключение, чем закономерность.

Призыв зверей из Мира Духов так же вызвал массу вопросов. Если Хамелеонша, как она выразилась, собиралась похищать силу «кунг-фу злодеев», то почему проход был окрашен в золотой? Золотой был только у положительных персонажей – Угвэй, По, мастера Четырех Созвездий. У злодеев вроде генерала Кая и Цзиньдяо Мир Духов был окрашен в зеленый.

Это первое. Второе - почему она вызывает по факту не кунг-фу злодеев, а мастеров и прочих персонажей? Под прочими я подразумеваю генерала Кая, который к кунг-фу имеет отношение весьма-весьма косвенное, и лорда Шеня, который, на минуточку, пытался уничтожить это самое кунг-фу. Лорд Шень это вообще отдельный номер! Почему он сияет в золоте, хотя за ним столько грехов, что он по локоть в крови?! А Кай? Кай вообще в Мире Духов распался на атомы, его здесь вообще не должно было быть. Неужели в Мире духов нельзя умереть?

Еще меня отдельно возмутило отношение Хамелеонши:

«Тай Лунг, мой кумир».

Из нее такой себе фанат. Это было видно еще из начальной сцены фильма, где она в его обличье устроила террор в шахтах. Если бы она реально была его фанаткой, то знала бы, что Тай Лунг никакой не злодей, а жертва амбиций собственного учителя. В принципе, это должно было стать очевидным по тому, что сам Тай Лунг хотел вернуться обратно в Мир Духов. Он не жаждет мести этому миру, не строит коварные планы и не ищет способа вернуть то, что некогда считал своим. Он давно разочаровался в этом, хоть и считает, что правда на его стороне. Если бы жаждал, он согласился бы на сделку с ней (это, к слову, частично может объяснить, почему арка была золотой, если хотите разбор по Тай Лунгу в свете новых фактов из четвертой части, дайте знать). Все, что она о нем знает – это его владение парализующим ударом. Это, кстати, говорит о том, что она не только сама поверхностная, но и остальных воспринимает поверхностно.

Еще один момент, который меня заставил закатить глаза:

«- А что мы можем? Нас трое, а их там целая армия! - Значит мы созовем свою армию».

Казалось бы, лучше момента ввести в сюжет Пятерку не придумаешь, но нет! Вместо этого Чжэнь и отцы призвали на помощь разбойников! Гениально, мистер Митчелл, обосраться и не встать!

Ну, и то, что меня совсем убило. После дуэли По легко выбрался из клетки, как ни в чем не бывало, и одним тычком победил Хамелеоншу. Это что за гребанный косплей на Угвэя?! А я напомню, что этот черепах минимум два раза выкидывал подобную шляпу: в первый раз в первой части, когда остановил Тай Лунга только после разгрома в Долине Мира, и во второй раз в «Загадках свитка», когда он нарочно не вылечил Шифу и позволил Борову напасть на Долину. И оправдание у этого тоже такое наивное, что я в слезы:

«- По! Так ты сам мог выбраться из клетки! Притворялся? - Не притворялся, а играл роль. Ведь как косточка может стать могучим деревом, если не дать ей шанс вырасти?»

То есть он нарочно довел ситуацию до критической, подверг всех опасности, позволил нарушить баланс на границе двух миров только для того, чтобы рядовая разбойница доказала, что достойна стать новым Воином Дракона?

Ну, и, конечно, когда все закончилось и начались титры, нам показали Пятерку, и на том спасибо, блять!

3. Выводы?

А какие еще могут быть выводы? Фильм средний и хорошо смотрится, особенно хорошо смотрится, если игнорировать канон и не быть таким ярым фанатом, как я. Повторюсь, но это не тот уровень, который задали первые три части. Первые три фильмы были семейными, т.е. рассчитаны не только на детей, но и на взрослых. В них была драма, мораль, персонажи – что герои, что злодеи – подталкивали на различные философские вопросы. А четвертый получился скорее веселым приключением, эдакой развлекухой. Кто его знает, почему так случилось: потому что хотели попасть в максимально широкую аудиторию, потому что пытались пройти китайскую цензуру или, опять же, всему виной неопытность режиссера. Остается надеяться, что на последующие части, которые, к сожалению, будут, утвердят других людей, и мы получим более достойные картины.

Спасибо четвертой части за фансервис, но не нужно быть поваром, чтобы оценить блюдо. Особенно если ожидаешь в ресторане блюдо ресторанного уровня, а тебе подают столовские харчи. Физически ты наешься, а эстетически останешься голодным.

Спасибо моим читателям, что вы со мной! Жду ваших прекрасных комментариев внизу ((ヾ(｡･ω･)ﾉ☆ﾟ

[yournextflame]

Lost echoes of English translation

So here I want to discuss what was lost in translation of Marika’s echoes. English is not my native language and my grammar is quite terrible, but I hope result will be comprehensible enough to understand.

Let's start with the echoes from the Church of Pilgrimage and Third Church of Marika. They are extremely important to the narrative as they are explaining the origin of Tarnished, a reason behind Godfrey’s banishment, how the grace works and Marika’s goals. Sadly, they are often overlooked and English translation did them no favor.

My Lord, and thy warriors. I divest each of thee of thy grace. With thine eyes dimmed, ye will be driven from the Lands Between. Ye will wage war in a land afar, where ye will live, and die. Well? Perhaps that might serve you in lieu of a maiden's guidance.

Then, after thy death, I will give back what I once claimed. Return to the Lands Between, wage war, and brandish the Elden Ring. Grow strong in the face of death. Warriors of my lord. Lord Godfrey.

The choice of pronounce is interesting. Marika referers to Godfrey as お前 “omae” ( 我が王よ、王の戦士たちよ。お前たちから、祝福を奪う), a derogatory form of “you” in Japanese, this pronoun is widely considered rude and usually used for inferiors or enemies (”omae wa mou shindeiru” meme). In some cases it’s used by teenagers or family members (by the head of the household), however, in pre-Edo Japan “omae” was actually a polite form of you. Notably, she calls Tarnished omaetachi, plural and a bit more polite form of omae.

But both Radagon and Godfrey are “omae”. She doesn’t value one over another, she uses for Godfrey the same prounonce as she uses for Radagon when she calls him a dog instead of leal hound in JP. In the end they are her tools and treated as such.

A bit of offtopic, but I noticed the raise of “poor Marika was forced by the Greater Will to banish her beloved Godfrey for his ties with the Crucible Knights” and I just can’t.

Not only Godfrey’s banishment is temporary, but Godfrey couldn’t be exiled for his close relations with Crucible Knights because Crucible Knights themselves weren’t exiled in the first place. They are still in Leyndell, no one of them was sent away with Tarnished. Some of them abandoned their duty after the Shattering, but nothing in lore suggests that they were ostracized by the higher ups. Various decriptions are mentioning that Gelmir soldiers rebelled against Rykard, Cuckoo’s Knights turned their backs against Rennala, Carian Knights followed Miquella, but nowhere it is mentioned that Crucible Knights were banished from Leyndell forces.

Back on the rails.

Really didn't like the choice of translation here.  赴くままにエルデンリングを掲げるがよい was translated as “brandish the Elden Ring”, not only EN misses  赴くままに “following this way” part, which is quite important since we are talking about Elden Ring, an object which shape dictates laws of reality, and 掲げる is nowhere as offensive as “brandish”, it’s “to raise up” or “to put up”. The same verb is used for the description of Dectus Medallion (２つの割符を合わせ、掲げること) and what are we doing with it? We are raising halves of the Medallion and mending them together. 

 - Marika never wanted to give up on the Elden Ring, a creation of the Greater Will (Elden Stars: It is said that long ago, the Greater Will sent a golden star bearing a beast into the Lands Between, which would later become the Elden Ring)

 - she expected that Elden Ring will be repaired in the end and in a certain manner (if you look at the grace before Godfrey’s bossfight the grace claims Tarnished as a target. I assume she wouldn't want Tarnished to win because Tarnished has a freedom of choice in the end - 3 different mending runes, Age of Stars, Frenzied Flame, unlike Godfrey who will do exactly what she wants)

 - she lowkey hints that she is going to shatter the Elden Ring by saying that it should be mended for some reason in the future

I guess that “with thine eyes dimmed, ye will be driven from the Lands Between” is what make some people think that Godfrey and Tarnished were exiled by the third party because EN uses passive verb “will be driven”, while in JP it’s clear that Marika herself dimmed the eyes of Godfey and Tarnished and sent them away そして、その瞳が色褪せたとき、狭間の地を追放する. Marika never speaks about her actions in passive form, she is always in charge and controls the situation. “I will banish you from the Lands Between” instead of vague “will be driven” (presumably by someone else).

tl;dr: Godfrey’s exile isn’t a punishment, it’s a part of Marika’s machinations. She wants to create an army of the strong, immortal warriors for her future plans.

Just to be clear, in this post I’m talking about goals that are mentioned/estabilished in dialogues or descriptions. I’ll try to keep at bay theories and headcanons.

What Marika wanted before she got locked in the Erdtree:

 - to create Tarnished

 - to shatter Elden Ring/repair it again

 - Tarnished were supposed to slaughter demigods and a god. (Your kind are meant to challenge them. To slay them. The demigods. And their a god/ Use my masterpiece to slay a god.That is all that I have lived for. And my promise to Q-queen Marika. - master Hewg) It’s never specified, who is a god in question - Marika/Radagon, Elden Beast or any of ascended Empyreans. It’s worth noting that Tarnished mission doesn’t revolve about killing only a god, demigods, Marika’s children and faravaway descendants, should be killed too. 

What Marika wanted after she got locked in the Erdtree (questionable):

 -  set the Erdtree aflame and burn the impenetrable thorns

I put this one in questionable category because there is no direct confirmation that Melina is Marika’s daughter/collaborator, even though eveything screams about it. However, I believe that Melina was created in response of Radagon blocking the Erdtree with his rune:

(while browsing Melina’s dialogues I’ve found something interesting, Melina refers a person, who blocked the Erdtree (Radagon) as a “husk of a self” in JP or “husk of Erdtree’s being” in EN, which almost confirms my old theory that “Radagon of the Golden Order” we are fighting is animated corpses, this is why he doesn’t speak, use magic or drop the remembrance)

The consequences of the placement of this rune on the Erdtree are outstanding to at least and deserves their own post, here I want to mention the most basic one: it leads to the destruction of the Golden Order.

The Golden Order was created by confining Destined Death. Thus, this new Order will be one of Death restored (Mending rune of Death Prince)

I also can’t get over the comedy of Morgott religiously protecting Erdtree for centuries because he naively believes that Erdtree blocked itself (The Erdtree wards off all who deign approach) without knowledge that Erdtree is blocked by Radagon.

And this rune sends Two Fingers into “404: The Greater Will not found” mode until the end of the game. Also, the sealing of the Erdtree is contradicting with Radagon’s attempt to mend the Elden Ring, but it’s an offtopic.

Let’s talk about echoes again, here is a line from “leal hound” speech in Queen’s bedchamber. 

O Radagon, leal hound of the Golden Order. Thou'rt yet to become me. Thou'rt yet to become a god. Let us be shattered, both. Mine other self

さあ、共に砕けようぞ！我が半身よ！

Come, let’s shatter together. My half-body!*

Direct translation is half-body, but 半身” used by native Japanese speakers talking about the D twins, “other half” or “other self” still works. But the most notorious change is that it’s another example when Marika uses passive “let us be shattered in EN”, while in JP she invites Radagon to join her. I’m genuinely fed up with “Radagon was sent to control Marika” plague of headcanons, there is nothing that suggests his control over her at least from Marika’s POV. It’s the opposite, he is “omae”, Marika’s subordinate, he is  黄金律の犬よ, a dog of the Golden Order, her dog, considering that she is a god of the Golden Order. She doesn’t hide from him that she is going to shatter 砕けよ the Elden Ring, even more so, she approaches him about her plans and expects that he will participate or more like obey her order.

(”dog” in a major insult in many Eastern countries, for example in Genshin Impact it’s censored in chat)

お前はまだ、私ではない。まだ、神ではない。

This quote (you’re not yet me, you're not yet a god) is pretty much the same in JP, but I’ve found it’s interesting that Marika calls Radagon half-body, but doesn’t consider him as a god. “Gods” in Elden Ring are vessels of the outer gods or the Elden Ring, in the end we can see Elden Ring in Radagon’s body, he became a god, but prior to it he was a half-body and not yet a god. It’s confuding, yes. Him not being a vessel of the Elden Ring implies that he had physical autonomy and was separate from Marika, however, she calls him a half-body.

Hear me, demigods. My children beloved. Make of thyselves that which you desire. Be it a lord. Be it a god. But should ye fail to become aught at all, ye will be forsaken. Amounting only to sacrifices…

I was surprised to find out how many people in Western fandom view this quote as a motivational speech. In Chinese and Japanese there is no way to read this quote as something positive, Marika doesn’t aspire her children to become something (ie “follow your dreams”) like a caring mother or gives them a freedom of choice, she limits their options to “Elden a lord” and “a god” 王であれ、神であれ, very specific positions in Elden Ring verse. Even then she has an army of Tarnished with a task to wage war on the Lands Between and a smith, who was cursed to forge a weapon against demigods and gods. Makes me wonder if she encourages her children to fight each other on purpose, following good old “divide and conquer” rule.

(However, she doesn’t reinforce them to become Elden lord)

To be fair, EN ignored もう “soon”, so maybe she expected that the strongest demigods are going to succeed her as a god/elden lord, but they failed and she decided to become a god once again. (Remember that before the Shattering Two Fingers began to pick new Empyreans to replace her?)

Wait, didn’t Marika discovered dark secrets of the Golden Order? Isn’t Erdtree is a parasite that syphons souls to the alien invader the Greater Will? Isn’t Marika  a savior from an evil cosmic horror?

Greattree doesn’t exist. 

The Greater Will... granted souls.

…すべては、大きなひとつから、分かたれた 分かたれ、産まれ、心を持った

けれどそれは、大いなる意志の過ちだった だから、戻さなくてはならない

All that there was divided from the One Great. Divided, born and given heart. But it was a mistake of the Greater Will (Hyetta)

(Seriously, what’s up with EN constantly describing something without involvement of the subject of sentence? EN sounds like “fractures and births” happened without the Greater Will, it completely misses the point of the conflict between the Greater Will and the Frenzied Flame, the followers of the latter believe that creation of individuality, disparity and kokoro was a mistake because it’s the root of the suffering. It’s a a reference to Gnosticism)

Okay, here is a famous echo from Minor Erdtree Church:

I declare mine intent, to search the depths of the Golden Order. Through understanding of the proper way, our faith, our grace, is increased. Those blissful early days of blind belief are long past. My comrades; why must ye falter?

“depth of the Golden Order” isn’t a thing as well,  黄金律の探究を、ここに宣言する Marika does a research of the Golden Order, but in a less formal way. 

JP: あるべき正しさを知ることが、我らの信仰を、祝福を強くする

Marikas promises that she will increase the grace of the people, who will follow the right way, while in EN “the grace will be increased” (by whom?) English translation and removal of Marika’s agency, name more iconic duo. She basically encourages her comrades to follow her teachings, she is a religious leader, a god after all. While without a context this quote may sound like something motivational (see: “children beloved”), you should remember that the Golden Order founding rule is “there is no god but Marika” and her religion was becoming more and more fanatical over the course of history to the point when incantation book of Two Fingers became a heresy. The blissful early days weren’t half as bad. 

I’m not going deny that in way this quote sounds like Marika has certain doubts about the Golden Order, but the thing is that the Golden Order is her creation and in the end it’s just one many Orders that can be created with the power of the Elden Ring. The Greater Will isn’t representative of the Golden Order, it’s about Order in a more broad sense. 

Even Marika understands the difference:

The Erdtree governs all. The choice is thine. Become one with the Order. Or divest thyself of it. To wallow at the fringes; a powerless upstart

我らの律の一部となるか？それとも律の外にあり・・・

Genuinely speaking, I have no idea, who she refers in that quote from Grand Lift of Dectus, but maybe it doesn’t matter. She tries to estabilish(?) political alliance, if you can call it one, considering that she is talking from a position of power. EN creates an illusion of freedom (”The choice is thine”), while in JP this quote reads more like: “Join our Order or die in the ditch”, where she views Order as the source of her power.

And the last one, the echo from the First Church of Marika:

Hark, brave warriors. Hark, my lord Godfrey. We commend your deeds. Guidance has delivered ye through ordeal to the place ye stand. Put the giants to the sword and confine the flame atop the mount. Let a new epoch begin. An epoch glistening with life. Brandish the Elden Ring, for the Age of the Erdtree!

導きに従い、よくここまで戦ってくれた

EN is at it again, “you followed my guidance” instead of someone else’s guidance. Marika leads her army by her own volition, EN makes it sounds like she was ordered to do it.

エルデンリングを掲げ、我ら黄金樹の時代を！

The first echo in chronological order mirrors the echo from the Church of Pilgrimage, Marika uses “raise Elden Ring” when she leads her army to fight the Fire Giants and eventually estabilish the age of the Erdtree; she uses the same wording when she sends Tarnished far away with a goal to return them back, fight and raise Elden Ring (again). 

In this one and a previous echo the Golden Order isn’t mentioned, I assume that it wasn’t estabilished during war on Giants.

Here are my final observations:

The overall tone is very different, in JP Marika speaks like warlord from medieval Japan, she is a military dictator, who bosses everyone around her. EN refined her speech pattern like a lot, it added flowery old English, which is not bad in terms of autentic fantasy atmosphere, but often portrays her like a passive bystander or a subject of someone else’s actions. Is this the reason behind fandom’s obsession of turning Marika into innocent damsel in distress, who was oppressed in fifty different ways? I mean, I can’t say that EN translation is bad, it has a different purpose than 1:1 accuracy, but in terms of lore and characters portrayal it’s quite questionable. 

Well, it’s over, if you read this, thank you and sorry for my grammar again. I hope it was helpful.

P.S. Thank you @subterranean-subalternsmall for pointing that “半身” used by native japanese speakers talking about the D twins, “other half” or “other self” is still a way to call Radagon

[dizzyduck44]

Let’s have a talk about maturity.

Yesterday at Monaco we saw some examples of why they are the 20 drivers in Formula 1.

George in changing conditions still trying to work the maths out to make sure he doesn’t lose a position. Benefitting the team and him.

Charles accepting everything that befell him with grace.

Oscar was being reeled in by his team mate. Next thing we know Lando is ahead, we all assumed team orders. Apparently not. Which means Oscar made one of two choices. He chose to give Lando the place back of his own accord. Or he saw how fast Lando could go and thought right I’ll follow him and copy. Which ever it was, it meant he stayed on Lando tail safely till the end of the race.

Lando and Oscar now flying come up behind the third fastest man on the track. Max’s engineers tell him not to hold up Lando and Max agreed. Protect the win, he knows what Lando can do in the rain.

Lando gets behind Max and decides not to risk his or their race. Oscar admitted at this point he knew there was little chance of an error in front of him with those two so was happy to stay put.

Maturity. Four young drivers calculating the odds and safety of their competitors, 1 showing grace and humility in defeat.

Which is why I am so angry at Pato O’Ward. On better fuel and tyres, to make a risky unnecessary move with 7 laps to go when you could win the biggest race of your career, stupidity.

And on an oval when you make those choices you put others at risk.

Pato is the same age as Lando, been with McLaren just as long. Yesterday I understood why Oscar was brought to the team. Pato is not mature enough for F1 yet.

Those comparing it to Sochi are having a laugh. The team freely admitted in Russia in rapidly changing conditions they gave Lando the wrong information about the rain and he based he’s decision on that information. They actually did exactly the same thing yesterday.

Pato had perfect conditions, all he needed to do was be patient.

After the race in Sochi Lando apologised to the team. Plato’s interview was a little petulant. Again, maturity

I would love to see Pato win the Indy Series and the Indy 500 and drive in F1. He needs to do some growing up first and quickly if he wants all his dreams to come true.

[spookcataloger]

The British Blackout of 2013

Storys too long; just listen to it

[citymaus]

“A few days ago, a story was circulating about how the infrastructure bill, which was recently passed by the House of Representatives, included funding for research on beacons to be worn by cyclists and pedestrians to make them legible to autonomous vehicles. A story in Forbes noted that the bill “formalizes the acceptance of so-called ‘vehicle to everything’ (V2X) technology that, on the face of it, promises enhanced safety on the roads for pedestrians and cyclists.”

I know a Mexican village through which not more than a dozen cars drive each day. A Mexican was playing dominoes on the new hard-surface road in front of his house—where he had probably played and sat since his youth. A car sped through and killed him. The tourist who reported the event to me was deeply upset, and yet he said: “The man had it coming to him.”

The assumption in the tourist’s statement is clear and brutal: it is the responsibility of humans to adapt to their technical milieu. For the sake of a development he likely neither needed or desired, this man’s environment was transformed so as to render it hostile to him, but it is somehow his fault for failing to promptly adapt himself to the new reality. As Illich notes, there’s not even an air of the tragic in the tourist’s claim. One can imagine some not-too-distant future when a cyclist is struck and killed by an autonomous vehicle and an observer declares, “Well, she wasn’t even wearing her beacon, so she had it coming to her.”

As I thought about Illich’s anecdote, my own parental anxiety to convey to my children the importance of minding the cars around them at all times appeared in a new light. When one remembers that it has not always been necessary to carefully train a child, with ritualistic precision, just so that they can walk about without fear of mortal injury, then the whole thing takes on a rather absurd and malicious character.

Once you see this dynamic in one set of circumstances, you start to see it again and again. In innumerable ways we bend ourselves to fit the pattern of a techno-economic order that exists for its own sake and not for ours.” 

read more: theconvivialsociety, 21.11.21. 

[redswaberkez]

ayo whos ur favorite deus ex character btw nice art

ohhhhh GOD my time has come. and so have i (wRONG GAME)

tldr

i love "main" 7-8 of them equally. What is a main to me? ofc Adam, Frank, Megan, Malik, Eliza, JC and Alex D. One special place in my heart is for Vaclav

big text below

Thank for compliment btw 😖

Spoilers alert ? idk

(warning my english is gonna be sometimes sooo rusty i guess)

DOUBLE WARNING I don’t rule out that over the many years of being in dxs fandom, the main concept of game's lore in my head just didnt messed up with my own headcanons. it is alteady messed up. cuz. yk) me n my besties created the full story aND - [GUNSHOT]

yeah i know it is strange to say, that dx has more main characters that just. Adam, JC and Alex D, cuz. They are Literally The Main chars. But back to my seven.

As i said before i love them all equally, for different reasons. One thing abt dx as a game is that characters arent plain and they are multifaceted.(?)

Adam

I love Adam for his complicated story, personality, for his own struggles, motivations and how they are represented in game. These small environment storytelling pieces and music that creates the mood (wait redswa it isnt abt the environment). What im trying to say. Through the gameS - dxhr and dxmd - we can see how Adam is healing from his trauma, and how heavy it was. Also needet to be noted how he interacts w another characters. AND this tension between him and Frank but how at the end of the day (but lit at panchaea) Frank is still cares a lot abt Adam.

Also Adam is just like my bestie. Moral think for yourself. Yeah.

Pritchard

ONE thing i need to say abt frank is HESSS JUST LIKE MEE FRR, and now imagine some kind of cringe sigma phonk playing on the background. Yeah thats it. I relate to him so much but like. in more✨deep infj cringe way✨ Have you evere feel like Pritchard is gonna explode from nerves or even neurotism? Or like from blast of incomperhensible mess of feelings but he hides it? This is what im talking about. Heyy dont judge me i need to project some shit to my faves okay???? Damn how could you tell i have a lot of hc on dx? i have no idea!

I love Pritchard's informality. I mean. BRO WHY YOUR BIKE IS EVEN ON YOUR WORKPLACE???? AND THIS FINAL FANTASY POSTER???? AND THIS TV INSTALLATION??? honestly?understandable.

In Prague, Frank is still reminds Adam abt himself. Yeah i knoe it is for game purposes, but imo in lore perspective: Pritchard is gathered a lot of info for Adam (basically dxhr retelling), and this small detail: Adam keeps Pritchard's book. (i know you can find them anywhere in Prague, but still (methink eidos gaf later abt this texture and put it anywhere jus because lmao))

This ^^^ is Frank btw

Ok enough abt Pritchard cuz then its gonna be endless

Megan and Malik.

Another notable thing that i like in dx series is that women in game arent sexualized. They arend "simple and f🤮ckable objescts" Megan is a scientist, on a verge of the greatest innovation. Yes. We dont know much abt her bc she is literally missing. Malik is a pilot. Damn i love her sm. Her chardesign. Strong and powerful charisma and nonconfotmity. Faridah's sidequest in Hengsha???? MY GIRLLLL GO AND GET AND BEAT SHIT OF THIS ASSHOLE. 👊👊👊👊

I remember how sad was i, when Malik was killed in dxhr and how happy was i to find out her little gift in Prague.

Overall kinda sad that there is not much screentime of them.

AND another notable thing. Megan and revolver. Revolver as an inspiration. OK I GOT IT

Eliza

Its 2028 and AI is already taken big steps in development. Questions of self-consciousness of an AI were asked in a lot of sci-fi creations. And deus is not not an exception. Love how Eliza obtains her own conscious during the game and how it leads to project Hyron at the end. I have a lot of thought abt p. Hyron overall. Another topic ngl.

And ofc her design is beyond all praise. Thank you designers for NOT making her oversexualized.

During dxmd Eliza is also questioning a lot of essential questions. I know she does. But cant remember what exactly it was. Need to replay tho

JC

My bad, i still cant play through dx original, so i can only rely on his vibes. His vibes are good and silly. He has big meme potential cuz hes test-tubed. Not sorry tho

bro im laughing and exploding from this meme like 3 yrs but RIGHT NOW DURING ANSWERING YOUR ASK I UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS IS SOYJAK REFERENCE AND NOW IM DYING LIKe x3 TIMES I WAS SO BLIND MY VISION WASNT AUGMENTED TILL NOW

Alex D

When my pc even didnt existed and i was a laptop player, when the grass was greener....... I played dxiw. Yeah it isnt so big, but for its times it is good enough. Alex also radiate vibes of small and silly-stupid-Bi guy, the one who is gonna trip on air.

(meme with pom dog says "I will gnaw out your heart and eat it")

Look at him. Hes got an ears, unlike his brothers, but he has ZERO braincells. JC and Paul at least got some braincells, maybe one, or two and they are belong to Paul. Cost of an ears = cost of brain

Alex tried to fool up an AI. I would venture to say that he even flirted with her, and got rejected. Local bidlow tried to gop-stop (bandits tried to steal) his jacked and he could give it to and be like "better be pissed on than punched😖"

Yes, He is a silly fool (noneg, with love) but hes got a big heart like. At least, i remember so.

And last but not least

Vaclav

Love him for his light distinctive punkie nature, with big heart and ready to help whenever you need it. Vaclav tries his best so much. In library we can find cz-eng vocabulary with medical terms, when ig most of his patiens are czechs... says a lot

I would say that vaclav is silly but not stupid, not even naive. We can find him on Dvali's blacklist, but he is important for them. (but we also remember that otar just dont like him cuz vac knows radich's secret and otar is not (mb that the reason why vaclav is blacklisted))

well how to say it.. he's soul is good and lovely, he is not evil or dark. Idk cant find an eng analogue.

But in srb and ru we have доброћудан [dobrochudan] (literally good-lovely) or добродушный [dobrodushny] (good-souly)

actually this gif sums everything abt him very well

Thank you for ask! I really liked to talk on this topic

[thegildedcentury]

Gamer Madness or Go Ask Emilio – Gaming, Moral Hysteria, and The Bishop of Battle

[mitchipedia]

“But while Trump, with his lazy, Barnumesque persona, projects a fundamental lack of seriousness, DeSantis has an intense work ethic, a formidable intelligence, and a granular understanding of policy. Articulate and fast on his feet, he has been described as Trump with a brain.”

[atavist]

His mother got duped by a man who claimed to love her—so he headed to Nigeria to find the con artist who broke her heart.   The Romance Scammer on My Sofa. The latest incredible true story from The Atavist.

[hopeymchope]

Oh man, I love Juzo and do think he's suitably complex, but he is a GIANT bully! He literally beat up Hinata for just trying to go into the main building if I remember right? And Hinata did that to prevent a MURDER. It makes me wonder how Natsumi got in the main building to be murdered. Is it just that Hinata doesn't come from an influential family so he gets to beat him up while letting Natsumi do the same thing? Oh my god, I hate Munataka sometimes too. I mean, I feel bad for him? I feel bad for him. But he literally told Makoto to k/ll himself. I mean sure, he thought Makoto might be the one who started the killing game—which is ridiculous and I'm not even sure he believes that at all, to be perfectly honest, because why would a traitor do what he suggested what's even the point in suggesting it, but even if we were going to take that claim in good faith, uh, still probably shouldn't say that. I will say I personally like Natsumi, even though her actions are inexcusable—I find her somewhat sympathic in the fact that a lot of her actions are rooted in insecurity. I mean, you could also be like, cool motive, still bullying to that and I think it'd be super fair, but I definitely sympathize with her a lot better than say, Hiyoko. I do think that since she's a kid (or was when she died I mean) she has the potential to grow out of it a bit, if she can just get her head out of her ass, since I don't think we should give up on kids, full stop. Like, obviously Natsumi isn't real so if you don't like her that's obviously fine, but I think I come at it through the perspective that, if she was real, she should be given a chance to change and get better. Which would mean an adult telling her off and inforcing real consequences, I think. While still remaining sympathetic and keeping a big eye out for abuse since a lot of bullies (especially elementary and younger) are just mimicking behaviors from adults in their lives. Teach the kid to be better and give them a real chance. But of course, this should be done by adults, not the kids in the situation because kids (especially the bullies victims) should not have that pressure and responsibility put on them. Honestly, I find the adult characters like Juzo who act this way way more upsetting, because they should know better. They're no longer a kid. I do still think Juzo's motivations make him sympathetic, but it in no way excuses what he did. Natsumi's actions aren't even excusable, even if I think she probably has the motivation I sympathize with the most. She definitely didn't deserve to die (and neither did Sato).

I don't know if you've ever tried to watch/read this, but I think you'd hate how BNHA handles Izuku and Bakugou's relationship. I know I do. It keeps putting the responsibility of making Bakugou into a better person on Izuku, his bullying victim. Not a great look, imo.

Note: The bit about Juzo is referencing this post.

Hajime was attempting to enter the main building to talk to Mahiru AFTER Natsumi and Sato were already found dead. But otherwise, yeah; he was trying to get into the Main Building, and Juzo beat the shit out of him and gave him a speech about how he needed to "know his place." He later claimed to Yukizome that he was just trying to protect Hajime from getting involved in the murder case and getting hurt as a result, but I'm pretty sure that a lot of people could've done that WITHOUT physically assaulting him while totally degrading and devaluing him. To make matters worse, his little speech would be the final tipping point that would make Hinata decide to sign on for the Kamukura Project.

UNHELPFUL.

I always kind of thought that Sato must've killed Natsumi in the Reserve Course Building, though. After all, we see Mahiru have no problem visiting the Reserve Course to see Sato, so clearly Main Course students could swing over at any time. Or, on the flip side, you could always assume that guests are allowed in the Main Course building so long as they were escorted in by Main Course students. That way, it's easy enough to assume that Natsumi was taken there by Fuyuhiko and Sato was taken there by Mahiru, and uh... events unfolded from there.

Hm. If we assume that the basics of what we're told in DR2 Chapter 2 regarding Natsumi's death are largely true, then I wonder how well Sato knew Ibuki, Hiyoko, and Tsumiki?

Munakata's basically the real antagonist of Future Arc IMO. The "mastermind" is ultimately irrelevant compared to Munakata's aggressive slide into — let's just call it what it is — despair. I don't mean the capital-D "I'm a remnant and a Junko devotee" kind of Despair, but rather, the lowercase-d "I'm devoid of hope of all hope" kind of despair. I suspect that Chisa was slowly working on his corrupting his way of thinking over their years together between Despair Arc and Hope Arc, and this is where all those chickens come home to roost.

He becomes very Black/White in his worldview, deciding that anyone who does aid or even could potentially aid the cause of Despair must be destroyed. Which is kind of ironic for someone who we’re clearly supposed to feel “gray” about by the end. .... And sadly, living in modern America has increasingly made me feel sympathetic to his worldview. I, too, am coming around to the idea that the only way we can deal with the hate and oppression of the other side is to give them no fucking quarter or forgiveness, ever. When shit gets THIS goddamn bad, and the other side is THAT fucking twisted, I guess that’s just how it starts to feel. 

Thankfully, Naegi was able to still see that the “Remnants of Despair” had the potential to be restored, redeemed... and maybe one day, forgiven?  

I guess Natsumi does deal with a lot of insecurity, but there are certainly plenty of other insecure DR characters who don’t lash out and create a toxic environment all around them. Shuichi, Makoto, Tsumiki, Chihiro, Mitarai, Seiko, Kazuichi, Hajime, and Ryoma aren’t making others feel like shit or threatening their lives, right? Uh, except for when some of them were still Remnants/brainwashed. :P 

However... I guess Natsumi has some like-minded company in the form of Ruruka. She, too, projects absolute confidence outwardly but is actually internally insecure in a manner that is utterly destructive and toxic to those around her. I wonder if there’s some kind of parallel to draw between these trios. Natsumi = Ruruka, Mahiru = Seiko (or is Hajime the Seiko?), and Sato = Izayoi? Those last two are both in the “twisted love drives them to take terrible actions” camp... and both situations are ultimately tragic for everyone involved. OH SNAP, there’s another “trio” we can parallel in this story - Munakata, Sakakura, and Yukizome! But in THAT particular trio, everybody involved is ultimately a toxic presence... so I’m not sure how that necessarily applies. I guess Chisa is probably the Seiko/Mahiru, and uh, Juzo is the aggressive bully so he’s probably the Natsumi/Ruruka? Which makes Kyosuke the Sato/Izayoi... OOHHH SHIT that totally works. His twisted love for his (unbeknownst to him) brainwashed girl ultimately drives him to his terrible actions! I think we have a winner here!

Cinematic Parallels?

But okay, back on-topic now: It’s definitely easier to accept these kinds of characters as inviting their own fates within the realm of fiction. With better communication and — as you suggest — an adult who could step in and steer the most toxic members into a form of treatment, things didn’t have to go as badly as they did for any of those people. A little understanding from someone in authority and the ability for them to self-reflect could’ve saved five or six lives here. The sixth one being that, if Natsumi hadn’t been killed, Hajime never would’ve received that fateful dressed-down and pummeling from Sakakura. Which might have given him pause about the Kamukura Project for long enough to bow out, but who can really say? Ultimate, in a perfect world, maybe none of them had to die.

And hey, none of this is me saying that Natsumi and Ruruka aren’t responsible for their own fates. They definitely invite what is brought down upon them in tons of ways. But I can blame them and say that they majorly suck without also saying they were beyond any hope, you feel? 

For that matter, I’m also not saying Natsumi and/or Ruruak would become good people all of a sudden if they were cared for and listened to. Personally, I’ve never seen bullies actually grow up into good human beings in adulthood. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen just because I haven’t seen it, and more importantly, this is fiction! Such redemptions are much more believable/possible in fiction, IMO. Just look at Fuyuhiko’s turnaround in DR2. 

As a final disclaimer: I am ALSO absolutely not saying that every vicious character is always potentially redeemable. Because, for example? Endeavor from BNHA is just so far past the Moral Event Horizon that there’s no point in even trying. The way he treated women/his wife and his children are just beyond the point of forgiveness. (Naturally, Horikoshi wrote him a “redemption arc” anyway. Motherfucker should be forced to walk the Earth alone forever, eternally attempting to find peace by aiding every person he meets, doing good deeds until the day of his death in a vain attempt to make up for the psychological, emotional, and physical damage he caused.)

Yeah, I did used to watch/read My Hero Academia before I couldn’t take it anymore. And there’s even a pretty healthy “Anti-Bakugo” tag on this Tumblr to prove it. :P So you’re right, I DO hate how that was handled. Although Horikoshi is supposedly FINALLY going to make Bakugo express remorse, I’m told.

Wow... it only took eight fucking years.

[tales-of-tai-shan]

ЧТО НАС ЖДЕТ?

Чуть меньше суток назад вышел трейлер вот уже четвертой части франшизы «Кунг-фу Панда». И... это вызвало неоднозначную реакцию. Как у меня, так и фандома в целом. Давайте сделаем вдох-выдох и спокойно проанализируем доступный нашему зрителю ролик, чтобы понять, а что, собственно, мы увидели.

1. Первый кирпичик.

Вопросы у зрителей возникли уже в самом начале трейлера. Синопсис таков, что По предстоит стать духовным лидером Долины Мира и найти приемника на титул Воина Дракона. Почему это возмущает? Да потому что в этом сюжетном ходе нет никакой логики. Это очень напоминает ситуацию в сериале «Рыцарь Дракона», когда император лишил По этого титула.

Во-первых, сам концепт. Воином Дракона нельзя стать, Шифу и Тай Лунг тому пример. Воина Дракона даже не назначают. Его выбирает сама Вселенная. Само это обстоятельство не предполагает, что титула можно лишиться, что его можно как-то передать и унаследовать.

Во-вторых, а не рановато ли По становиться духовным лидером Долины? По прошел через многое, не спорю, но! По моему мнению, он все еще достаточно молод для такой большой ответственности. А Шифу? Почему он не хочет стать духовным лидером? Помирать собрался?

2. Антагонистка.

Тут уже едва ли у кого найдутся претензии. Это действительно тот тип персонажей, который интригует с первых секунд экранного времени. Во-первых, сам факт того, что это женский персонаж! В поп-культуре крайне мало харизматичных злодеек, поэтому Хамелеонша подкупает. Во-вторых, сама идея щейпшифтинга. Эта способность дает широкий простор как для потенциальных сценариев, так и для анимационных решений. Шейпшифтинг делает из Хамелеонши непредсказуемого и поистине грозного противника, с которым По никогда не имел дело. Тут однозначно мое почтение.

Также в трейлере показали потенциальный конфликт, на котором может быть построен будущий сюжет. В одной из сцен мы видим у Хамелеонши жезл, который был дарован По Угвэем. Стало быть, она каким-то образом его украла, чтобы вызывать мастеров из мира духов.

К слову о мастерах...

3. Внезапный камбэк.

Фандом давно грезил о возвращении Тай Лунга на большие экраны, о том, чтобы его история логически подошла к концу, а в идеале - об арке искупления. Но никто не надеялся, что это реально случится! Зрителю показали реального Тай Лунга! Многие фанаты после сливов трейлера боялись, что личного появления первого антагониста франшизы не случится из-за Хамелеонши и шейпшифтинга.

Но не рано ли мы радуемся?

Трейлер длится две с половиной минуты, Тай Лунг появился только на десять секунд из них. И это вызывает некоторые опасения. Хамелеонша вызвала его из Мира Духов, поглотила его силу и мощным ударом отправила... А куда, собственно, она его отправила? В нокаут или обратно в Мир Духов? Вот это заставляет задуматься. Не исключено, что эта сцена будет единственной для Тай Лунга, а в трейлере его показали, чтобы сыграть на чувстве ностальгии и привлечь старых зрителей, потому что в ролике показали очень много новых и незнакомых персонажей, куда-то задвинув старых (об этом я поговорю позже, наберитесь терпения).

Хотя надежда, что у Тай Лунга будет своя сюжетная линия в этом фильме, есть. Он присутствует на постере к фильму, что может обнадеживать. Хотя кто знает, вдруг тут та же ситуация, как с Риком «Зомби Боем» Дженестом, который был практически на всех постерах к фильму «47 ронинов», но на самом экране присутствовал от силы минуты три.

Говоря о постере, мне понравилось, как на нем выглядит Тай Лунг. Он выглядит довольно возрастным, и это даже хорошо, учитывая, что ему по самым скромным оценкам около сорока лет. Интересно посмотреть, как это обыграют в будущем.

4. Новые лица.

А теперь перейдем к тому, из-за чего в фандоме поднялся кипиш. Претензия первая - Шень. У меня нет нареканий к актрисе озвучки, звучит даже хорошо. Однако дизайн просто провальный. Шень выглядит так, будто она персонаж не «кунг-фу Панды», а «Зверополиса» - мультфильма гребаной мышиной корпорации, конкурента Дримворкс. Слишком мягкие и слишком антропоморфные, человечные формы. Не говоря уже об одежде, которая не соответствует китайскому сеттингу. К тому же, сама идея, что она, разбойница до мозга костей, будет новым Воином Дракона, звучит неправдоподобно. Тай Лунг и Тигрица кажутся более убедительными претендентами на роль приемника, чем Шень.

На этом претензии не заканчиваются. Второй претензией стало то, что По и Шень для борьбы с Хамелеоншей решили собрать команду. Думаете, они позвали на помощь профессионалов? Совет мастеров кунг-фу? Неистовую Пятерку? Хуй там плавал Увы и ах... Это оказались какие-то совершенно рандомнейшие персонажи, которых По и зритель видят в первый раз и которыми как будто пытаются заменить уже полюбившихся героев из предыдущих фильмов.

5. Неприятности не заканчиваются.

А теперь поговорим о вещах, оставшихся за кадром. Естественно, самый очевидный вопрос - где Пятерка и обещанные злодеи из прошлых фильмов, чье появление обещали зрителю? Как заверил режиссер, они будут, однако в каком качестве - интересный момент. Особенно учитывая, что эти комментарии всплыли уже после того, как фандом взорвался от недовольства.

Говоря о режиссере. Тут у меня для вас плохие новости. Обо всем по порядку.

Итак, виновником инфоповода является Майк Митчелл. Что мы о нем знаем? Начнем с того, что он не имел значимой роли в работе над франшизой ранее. В первом фильме он был креативным консультантом - далеко не самый важный человек в структуре. В третьем он был исполнительным продюсером. Звучит пафосно, но по факту это не имеет никакое отношение к креативу и искусству в целом. Исполнительный продюсер отвечает за организацию и финансы - буквально бухгалтер от мира кино. Звучит уже не так претенциозно, согласитесь?

Справедливо можно заметить, что раз Митчелла посадили в режиссерское кресло, значит у него есть опыт. Давайте рассмотрим три самые свежие его мультфильмы. И что мы видим? «Губка Боб в 3D» (2015), «Тролли» (2016) и «Лего. Фильм 2» (2019). Чуете этот запах? Если вы не поняли, к чему я клоню, объясню. «Кунг-фу Панда» - это франшиза для семейного просмотра. Говоря «семейного», я вкладываю в это понятие то, что эти фильмы рассчитаны не только на детей, но и на взрослых. В них заложены не только шутки-прибаутки, но и серьезная драма с глубоким посылом. А перечисленные мной мультфильмы были созданы чисто на детскую аудиторию. Они до безобразия простые, поверхностные, герои зачастую черно-белые. Это говорит о том, что велик риск, что у четвертой части фильма снизится возрастная аудитория, а там уже и до испанского стыда недалеко.

К сожалению, уже есть тревожные звоночки. Так, в трейлере мы можем наблюдать минимум два признака детского мультфильма - «кавайный элемент» в виде трех зайчиков и пердежная шутка. Это настолько низкая планка, что ожидания от фильма буквально падают!

Мне хочется верить в лучшее. Мои ожидания держатся чисто на Тай Лунге и надежде на достойную арку для него, но в то же время я боюсь повторения истории с «Винкс» и 8-ым сезоном.

Спасибо за прочтение. Буду рада вашим комментариям и дополнениям к обсуждению ( : ౦ ‸ ౦ : )

[yournextflame]

What’s wrong with Ranni’s Two Fingers?

Let’s start with the obligatory - they are alive. Two Fingers of every other demigod are long dead, Two Fingers at the Roundtable Hold are broken and every other character questions them and how trustworthy they are, but Ranni goes on the special quest to kill hers.

And as I kept looking, I found more and more odd things about them.

Appearances: hairless, smooth, a few times bigger than regular Two Fingers , no dip on the palm, different color. They don’t look like the same creatures at all.

Champions would gather at the Roundtable Hold in days long past, when the Two Fingers were masters of oration, their flesh yet full of vigor ( Coded Sword)

Two Fingers at the Roundtable are old, they are dry and crispy, same goes for Two Fingers at Divine Towers, but Ranni’s Fingers are bleeding.

(Ranni’s Two Fingers are showing more similarities with Fingercreepers, the color and the texture are almost the same, but still not identical.)

Placement: Cathedral of Manus Celes (Hidden Hand from latin or... Celestial Hand). Ranni’s Divine Tower is empty. Can Fingers walk? Teleport? Why would they change their location?

Behavioral pattern of Empyrean Shadows:

War Counselor Iji explained that he locked Blaidd because he was an instrument of Two Fingers, a living time bomb that can turn against their Empyrean if Empyrean turns against the Two Fingers.

But if Lady Ranni, as an Empyrean, reists being an instrument of the Two Fingers, the shadow will go mad, transforming from a follower into a horrid curse.

But Maliketh never betrayed Marika or went inherently mad despite her treachery or the Shattering, in either his prime form in Farum Azula or his hidden identity Gurranq. He died, trying to keep his promise to guard the Destined Death.

Tarnished, why wouldst thou... Why... Tis no matter. I hereby vow, that Destined Death shall not be stolen again.

Forgive me, Marika... The Golden Order... cannot be restored.

(wouldst thou...gull me? Why...shatter...)

Blaidd, “a colossal failure on the part of Two Fingers” as Ranni called him, attacks us while there are Black Knives on the ground around him. He says that  he doesn’t want to betray Ranni, but clearly mentally unstable and hostile to Tarnished. I’m still unsure what happened to him, was he driven mad by Two Fingers or our wrong assumptions about his loyalty.

And, of course, it is suspicious that Blaidd, a walking kill switch, was approved by Rennala, who was actively pushing Ranni *to weave night at being* as she says at the end of her bossfight.

Blaidd is Lady Ranni's stepbrother. Ranni's mother, Queen Rennala, approved of him, and they played like siblings from childhood.

This moon was encountered by a young Ranni, led by the hand of her mother, Rennala. What she beheld was cold, dark, and veiled in occult mystery.

Why would Rennala, a descendant of Nox, who were punished by the Greater Will, accept an Empyrean Shadow from the Greater Will’s vassals?

Assassins:  In Ainsel River Tarnished encounters Baleful Shadow, who resembles Blaidd the Half-Wolf. They even share the same moveset. However, the Baleful Shadow's sword is imbued with Destined Death, not the Frost enchantment that Blaidd's sword is enchanted with.

My thanks. Twas more of a challenge than I envisioned. Now I can finally stand before them.

if by “them” Ranni means Two Fingers it raises a lot of questions about nature of the Baleful Shadow.

We know that Roundtable Two Fingers have their own clan of assassins, Confessors. But...

The assassins were charged with eliminating Tarnished who had strayed from guidance (Assassin's Approach incantation)

Roundtable assassins are hunting Tarnished, nowhere is it said that they are used against Empyreans or have any connection to the Destined Death. While nothing in the game says that Two Fingers can’t use assassins to pursue Empyreans, I have no idea where they can get an access to the Destined Death, considering that it was stolen once and then Maliketh imbued it to his body.

Conclusion: in everything but name Ranni’s Two Fingers are different from the rest of their crew. Their design, how they are controlling their Shadows, location, they are alive.

This returns back to the initial question - why Ranni’s Two Fingers aren’t dead and what killed Two Fingers of other demigods?

Two Fingers can’t die because demigods are dead, some of them are serving two demigods at once, more over, from brother Corhyn we can learn that Two Fingers are ancient, he calls their incantation book heresy because it predates existance of the Golden Order.

That... is a work of heresy. Its incantations bear no lineage from the Erdtree.

My main theory is that Two Fingers are linked to the grace, and Marika switched it off from them, leaving only Two Fingers at the Roundtable Hold, who were tasked (or more like Enia was tasked) to deceive Tarnished. If Two Fingers were dependant on the Greater will, they all would be dead after the Shattering.

Anyways, Ranni’s Two Fingers aren’t dead.

Here comes my wild speculation:

Ranni’s Two Fingers aren’t vassals of the Greater Will. They are vassals of the Dark Moon.

As I mentioned in one my previous posts, the Greater Will and Dark, Black and Full Moons are mysterious, celestial themed godlike entities that are never named outer gods. if Frienzed Flame can have Three Fingers, is it possible that Moons have their own servants? I think yes.

Predicting the questions about the Age of Stars and why Ranni wants to kill vasssals of the Dark Moon: Three Fingers are burning the body and implanting Flame of Frenzy inside the future Lord of Chaos, Two Fingers are probably responsible for the creation of offshoots (Radagon/Marika, Miquella/St.Trina, Malenia/her “daughters”, after all Hyetta described the Greater Will as something that fractures the one and gives a soul).

Maybe, it’s the Dark Moon vassals, who actually controlling their Empyreans and gods? 99% of mind-altering or fate-changing magic in Elden Ring comes from Nox or Carians. Puppets, Celestial Dew, Starlight Shards (it was once used in the Eternal City as an ingredient in intoxicating draughts), bewitching Moon, the whole concept of fate being bound to the stars so tight that members of Carian family can’t die without their stars moving again.

The only exception I can think about is Miquella’s bewitching branch, and it’s almost funny how everyone is freaking out over this item, while ignoring the rest.

The snowy crone taught the young Ranni to fear the dark moon as she imparted her cold sorcery.

[dizzyduck44]

Three important things we learnt this weekend.

3. Lando Norris is done being a backmarker.

For the last few years, unprompted, another driver (former or current) will tell you how good Lando is.

This has been his worst start to a season in 5 years. He has not had the car or the luck. But as a plucky teenager called Sebastian Vettal taught us, sometimes all you need is talent and bravery.

Spain was the first warning that Lando was done with being an “also ran”. I’m not sure anyone knows how he got that car to P3 in quali, (only explanation given “I was risking a lot”), but Canada. Canada was the screw it I’m gonna drive like a Max or a Lewis or a Fernando. God knows how the car was hitting the quali times it was, but we all sort of pushed it aside as it was changing conditions and the red flag didn’t give him the reward he deserved.

Then we came to the race. Slow start but then he found the rhythm and let’s be fair, he was the most entertaining part of the race.

Thing is, in a week driver’s spacial awareness was questioned and during a race he was given a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct (????), what he showed on the track was anything but.

Wheel to wheel racing, but never being so close that the other driver felt it was dangerous. He went for braking moves that he knew he could pull off, but others weren’t expecting at all. The only move he went for I don’t believe he knew he was going to pull off was the final move on Ocon, at which point 95% of your brain says this isn’t going to come off, but the other 5% says what if my tyres are better than his and he goes wide. Either way he was ready for either eventuality.

He is one of the best drivers on the grid. I can’t understand how that is still in doubt for some people.

Yesterday told me as a McLaren fan what Stella means. The team are not quite at Lando’s level (maybe time will show Oscar’s as well). A 4 star team, with a 5 star driver.

Either way, Lando has decided if he finds any pace it that car, he’s gonna have some fun.

[spookcataloger]

I AM YOU (2013)

[nietzchewasright]

[ Finnish philosophy at RPG Maker]

„...never has a religion, directly or indirectly, either as dogma or as allegory, contained a truth. For all religions grew out of dread or necessity, and came into existence through an error of the reason.“

— © «Human, all too human», Friedriech Nietzche.

As you know, The Radist — owner of ORT — has sunk deep into the Fear & Hunger community because of the rather specific and unusual experience from both games, and the second part, Termina, is replete with memorable characters, plot twists and a style that recalls a vicious mix of Shadows Over Innsmouth, Resident Evil IV and Pathologic. Overall, the head sawing simulator was a hit.

But at the same time, like any good work of art, «Fear & Hunger» also has some philosophical part, which seems that only people from Eastern and Northern Europe could carry through and reveal in themselves — and a little bit from each of these parts of the world is in Finland.

And this philosophy lies in the name of the game — Fear and Hunger. Or rather — in what does the name stand for: the actual God of Fear and Hunger, who within the universe of the game is born at the very bottom of the world, in the deepest pit where no man has set foot, and at the darkest time of humanity - in the Dark Ages, when humanity is slowly decaying from the whims of royal snobs who want to live in luxury, often making literal sacrifices in the name of it.

It would seem that what good can a deity with a name like that do? And... No, in the second part we suddenly find ourselves in an alternate-fictional 1940s, when mankind is really made some reasonable progress in engineering and technology.

And there it tells us that it was only thanks to this deity that humanity's progress took place, which stimulated it to grow and evolve according to the principle of natural selection — overpower and survive for fear of falling into existential terror or physical exhaustion and starvation. And if you are really afraid of something, you avoid it with all your might. In this F&H world, a certain deity, who, frankly, is in some ways a trivial personification of natural natural processes, prompted such a leap. As in reality, so are most of the deities described by mankind.

And it's true: in our New Dark Ages, things are pretty bad, if you think about it, but they're still bearable. The Radist usually calls it the in-between state: we don't seem to be starving, we have food, we can live and even satisfy the higher needs of Maslow's pyramid, but that is where the joys end; although, of course, one can get lost in video games or hobbies of some kind. But there is anxiety, as well as the realization that the world is going wrong, with a growing conflagration spreading throughout the world and touching us personally in one way or another.

And it is in these times that many ask the question: «Yes, it's possible to live, but is it necessary?»

And this can be seen in the suicide statistics among the residents of those CIS countries, for example, and gradually it is taking over more decent countries as well. And drug and alcohol use are also some kind of indicator — a well-to-do and contented person will not drown his thoughts in chemicals.

It is rather ironic that works with such themes and philosophical messages are becoming more and more popular nowadays. O tempora, o mores!

And toward the end.

Speaking of Gods, which abound in this fictional universe. The moral of the games is literally that man needs to be free from the influence of any deities; in Friedrich's books, one such deity is literally the state.

Something tells me that the next titanic philosophical work on stoicism and overcoming will be written in Finland.