#newt geizler

[buddygrouse]

my pacific rim uprising rewrite

[eddiewilldo]

These Ken's are Nerds

[thesundaytea]

Newt after meeting Hermann for the first time:

Piano therapy :’p

[kaijuposting]

Information about Newt Geiszler in the novelization that (probably) comes from the bio by Guillermo del Toro.

Newt's characterization in the Pacific Rim Novelization sure is... something. He "admires" the "public-private partnership" between Stacker Pentecost and Hannibal Chau, and he sees the impoverished citizens making their way through the Bone Slums as a writhing biomass. His views on religion are about on par with those guys in the New Atheist movement, and he's effectively described as being like a younger sibling to Hermann. He doesn't call Hercules Hansen a fascist and shove him out of the way; instead, he "skids to a halt" when Hansen holds his hands up.

But despite all of this wild... shall we say, interpretation, there's some text that seems pretty consistent with Guillermo del Toro's creative habits (or even the bio fragments from the DVD), and lines up with Travis Beacham's description of Newt.

Born Berlin January 19, 1990. Only child. Parents musicians. Strongly influenced by uncle, musical engineer, who taught Geiszler the basics of electronics; also avid consumer of manga and monster movies. Combination of these influences and genius-level intellect led Geiszler to voracious interest in all sciences. Second youngest student admitted to Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Received six doctorates by 2015, taught MIT 2010-2016, pioneered research in artificial tissue replication. Joined PPDC 2016. Psychological profile indicates profound ambivalence toward kaiju resulting from conflict between childhood adoration of monsters and contemporary observation of kaiju attacks. Borderline manic personality, poor social skills. Has performed critical research leading to upgraded Jaeger armaments. (p. 92)

Note: The bios of Raleigh Becket, Mako Mori, and Stacker Pentecost provided by Guillermo del Toro on Twitter mostly all lined up with the information in their personnel dossiers in the novelization - albeit trimmed down.

There is a noteworthy difference between the dossier and the DVD bio, however - the DVD bio specifies that Newt's father was a piano tuner, and his mother was a coloratura opera singer. So the rest of the information here probably isn't too off-base, but it's certainly been simplified somewhat.

ROCK STAR, THOUGHT NEWT GEISZLER. ONCE he’d wanted to be one for real. Now he would settle for the figurative sense… at least until they won the Kaiju War and he could get back to the business of putting a band together. He hadn’t been onstage since the Gymnasium back in Berlin, where he and the Black Velvet Rabbits had bent the heads of geeks at every all-ages club he could haul his gear to. (p. 94)

Note: The pieces of Newt's bio on the DVD don't mention the Black Velvet Rabbits, but they do confirm that Newt wants to "live the life of a rock star" and Newt performing at "all-ages clubs" in Berlin would make sense given his young age when attending MIT (he was their second-youngest student).

Now it was time to tinker, like he was building instruments for Black Velvet Rabbit. (p. 94)

Newt and his Uncle Gunter had struck the same sparks when Newt was a kid, tinkering in the basement of Gunter’s studio, where fringey techno musicians stood around making sounds and waiting for Gunter to come up with the next innovation that they would turn into the club tracks that pounded out of speakers all over Europe. (p. 95)

Note: According to the DVD bio, Newt's uncle was an "eccentric electronics engineer." Additionally, parents and parental-type figures who smoke heavily is a thing Guillermo del Toro does a lot.

Also worth mentioning is that the bio fragments in the DVD give his uncle's name as "Illia," which suggests that the bio was revised at some point. Given that the DVD bio lists Newt's age as 45, rather than 35, I think it's safe to say that the DVD bio is the out-of-date version, and "Gunter" is the newer name.

Newt preferred the term “squid cap,” because the one he had wasn’t sealed into a full polypropylene head covering. It was a naked web of receptors and feed amplifiers. If you mashed it out flat it looked like a spiderweb with big red plastic nodules at the end of the radiating strands. If you dangled it over your head, it looked like a squid with several extra tentacles… and big red plastic nodules at the end of each one. Therefore, squid cap. It would be the interface with his brain. (p. 96)

Note: In Guillermo del Toro's written works such as The Shape of Water novel, inanimate objects are frequently described or compared to animals. "Squid cap" is easily the kind of thing he'd some up with.

The jar of kaiju brain put him in mind of an old movie with Erich von Stroheim. (p. 115)

Note: Erich von Stroheim is the kind of guy an anti-war film buff like Guillermo del Toro would know something about. Furthermore, this also suggests that Newt doesn't only like monster movies - he's quite possibly a film buff in general.

Gunter’s laugh, from his belly, roughened along the way by cigarettes. Uncle Gunter who gave people things before they could steal from him. The gear in his studio. A new sound, one that nobody had ever made before. Lines on a monitor danced out the data, expressing it. Ecstasy of sound and idea, endlessly dividing inside Newt’s mind. (p. 117)

Note: This is exactly the kind of character Guillermo del Toro would create.

“You know, some believe the kaiju are sent from heaven,” Chau said. “They think the gods are displeased with our behavior.” That’s because people are superstitious monkeys until they’re taught better, Newt thought. He remembered seeing some kind of documentary on kaiju worshippers, the Church of the Breach and others. Some of the names— Disciples of the Overlords of the Lands Below was one he remembered. There were prayers to the kaiju, people claiming that they were entitled to religious holidays during kaiju attacks, all that kind of bullshit. (p. 186-187)

Note: This particular piece of writing is a hell of a thing, because it displays a hostility toward religion that neither Guillermo del Toro nor Travis Beacham seem to share. With that said, the character of Newt Gotlieb in the draft script was established to be an atheist, and Travis Beacham essentially said on his blog that Newt didn't go for the whole kaiju worship stuff because "he's a total man of science, through and through." So I'm pretty confident that Newt in the film was conceptualized as an atheist - albeit not this much of an asshole about it.

He was a terrible dancer, fully aware of and undaunted by his terribleness. (p. 214)

Note: Again, the kind of stuff Guillermo del Toro comes up with.

So yeah, that's the novelization material that I am pretty confident came from Guillermo del Toro's biography for Newt, because it matches his general creative style or is corroborated outright elsewhere.

[skellabelle]

hermann is no longer amused by newts shenanigans

[kowabungadoodles]

Not many people come to the first movie night but Newt doesn’t mind at all. He makes it a monthly event and slowly people start to trickle in... but they sit far, far away from the sofa where the k-science division are always arguing in whispers over popcorn, special effects and where are you putting that FOOT, Newton?!

Dedicated to the 2-3 people on here who are still as in love with these two as I am. 

[ahauntedcowboy]

he’s a kaiju groupie. he loves them.

[kasplonk]

Keeping an edit of Charlie Kelly in my drafts like man keeps a picture of his wife in his wallet

[wildwoodart]

Why not watch Pacific Rim (2013)? We’ve got:

Raleigh Becket: Actual Golden Retriever

Mako Mori: So cool she has her own anti-sexism test

Stacker Pentecost: Coolest dad in the universe

Chuck Hansen: Probably would have been a Frat Boy if not for the Apocalypse.

Newt Geizler and Hermann Gottlieb: Chaotic dating. It’s honestly a miracle their lab hasn’t blown up.

[dumdumdugs]

Folks I haven’t seen any of the Godzilla movies but I worship pacific rim so my question is do you think Godzilla would love Newt Geizler? Would Godzilla help kick Kaiju ass?

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 016: Let's finish 1972! (ASM 110-115)

MASTERPOST

Dear readers,

This is it! The Lee-Ditko team is about to break up! Conway is going to take over Lee's mantel, a 19 years old dude entrusted with what was already a renowned character.

The last batch was painful at times, captivating some other times. I especially enjoyed the fanservice.

Want some context? Keep reading!

So this set of issue, Lee's last ish, introduces... the Gibbon.

And to be fair, the Gibbon is a nice character. For his last (regular, at least) outing, Stan introduces a character with a lot of empathy. Ostracized for his face and abilities, Marty is a gentle figure and immediately nice to the hero, which you never get enough of in these comics.

Both artists also gift me with some supreme Parker whump that just keeps on going. So here's a few panels to celebrate that!

A look at everybody's outfit: I particularly enjoy Harry's! It feels modern, in his own way. Is it because he has a much better mental health since he left the hospital? Maybe. Gwen has bold red, it suits her well.

Pete's still afraid of Flash stealing his girl, but Flash actually just promised Gwen he'd try to be a friend to Peter, which is great development. They do become roommates later on... Or is Ned?

Anyway, we get to see Peter's O-Face once again.

This issue's giving me everything I ever wanted: angst, whump, Parksborn, it's great.

When Pete wakes up, the Gibbon tries to speedrun TASM2 and quickly feels betrayed when Spidey laughs at him for suggesting they'd partner up.

Not far from them, somebody seems to be satisfied with what his gaze has set on.

A requested villain? No way... Surely... It can't be... The Wall?

(It isn't.)

Lee's last regular issue is a surprising delight, in spite of the first look I had at it. The ridiculous costume is acknowledged, and there's plenty of soap. Luv it.

I wanted to check out the reader's letters, but my scans don't have them and the archive I used last time was deleted. In the space of two weeks!!!! This is absurd.

Anyway.

Let's make way for baby Conway! What's his first SM story gonna be like, under Lee's supervision?

Well Kraven's sure gonna show us with his fabulous dancer's soles and sexy pantyhose. Turns out he wants revenge for his dino pet (understandable). So Kraven's basically Newt Geizler, nice.

As implied in the previous issue, May is going away, letting the readers (and the writers, who don't know what to do with her) breathe a sigh of relief. Peter wonders with whom May could leave, completely forgetting that she has a girlfriend in the person of Anna.

Kraven drugs the Gibbon and subsequently takes over him. It's no time for nipple lasers!

This leads me to think the reason Gerry Conway started in the middle of a mini-arc was for Lee to show him the ropes. The style is pretty much identical to Stan's, maybe so as to not shock the readers (in the same way Romita tried to imitate Ditko's style in 39-40).

(Peter looking like a sad boi.)

The issue features nice word art for Kraven's commands to the Gibbon.

Issue #111 is a nice one, not that remarkable. The Gibbon gets out of Kraven's grip, but nothing's too conclusive...

I have the letters, though! James Brandwein hopes Stan "doesn't do something dumb, like kill [Gwen]". Hahaha. He also hopes that Peter doesn't get married. Did he plot Mephisto's inference with the plot? Hmm!

Mark Wilson asks for a mystery villain, whose identity shall be unknown for years! He should be satisfied with the upcoming Hobgoblin storyline. He argues that back in the day, the Green Goblin's identity was a source of discussions with fellow fans. (I guess this ask actually inspired the Jackal, but his identity would be revealed not too late.)

In issue #112, Peter gets a few new facial expressions. The mystery of May's disappearance (because it's a mystery now, apparently) paces the issue. Gwen gets some welcome characterization and also says Flash had promised he wouldn't ~ride~ Peter anymore. She's very disapproving of their bedroom activities, obviously.

Doc Ock announced his arrival through Romita having a lot of fun drawing great perspectives. And continuing in issue 113, the perspective shots are at least nice to look at. The issue also advertises Team Up because they need that sweet money, but I don't care about it.

I was just thinking I missed the side characters when Randy Robertson pops up, which makes me very happy. He's no Hobie Brown, but he's still Randy.

The Peter whump continues to my delight, and Doc Ock looks for a nightclub. He's always had that Elton John look, so I'm not surprised. Seems like the gangs are fighting ahead, and a "Mr. H" namedrop leads me to think Hammerhead's back... I'm already dealing with him in Insomniac's Spider-Man DLC (hey, remember when he died but was revived after his death being a life-changing event for a developing character? that sucked!) And his squared head appears a few panels later, so I was right. The two villains start fighting, but Peter gets whumped harder and offers me some nice shots...

... and the whump soon turns into shirtless visuals, as is bound to happen...

... and turns back into whump so whumpy I might have written it when I was a teenager. 19-year old Gerry Conway doesn't disappoint.

Romita completely succeeds at making Peter look frail in these issues (and particularly this one), so kudos to him. Please produce more of this, please.

In issue #114, Peter finds himself a passion for architecture.

More importantly, Professor Warren's back too. Gerry Conway, I see you... And Gwen once again gets angry at Flash for him making fun of Peter. Déjà vu... but it makes me think Flash and Gwen could be a compelling couple...

Turns out May was at Ock's, being a nice little houseworker, and she does not take Spidey intruding gladly.

In the letters, Jeff H. Berlin complains about Peter's distrust of Gwen, and I agree with him. He has no faith in her and immediately jumps to the wrong conclusion.

May got away, and this is just a nice set of panels.

All is well that ends well (Ock does have a word with May before leaving with the cops called by Robbie), but Peter truly looks like a puppy with his shojo eyes.

Yeah, because making an old lady work is very nice of Ock.

Like I said, very sad puppy indeed.

You know, I'm very glad to have read this arc, because it gives context to what happens later... Hammerhead's first appearance and rivalry with Doc Ock, May's behavior, the relationships between Gwen, Flash and Peter... and since we just finished up with the year 1972, next time, we'll enter year 1973. That's right, baby, two (arguably, three) years I've fully read before, and multiple times too!

The Green Goblin (finally) comes back, in multiple ways! The first Clone Saga is ashore! Are we ready?

I repeat:

ARE WE READY?!

[buddygrouse]

pacific rim scientists forever in my heart

[eddiewilldo]

HERMANN. I love him. SO much

[voxceleste]

tiny brain: unironic girlboss cersei

bigger brain: insane, self-hating, and internalizedly misogynist transmasc femme fatale cersei

galaxy brain i only evolved today: insane, self-hating, and internalizedly misogynist transmasc child bride alicent hightower

newt geizler this. wei wuxian that. the public can’t fathom the kinds of fictional characters i will decide are trans guys in my head for maximum chaos

[selamat-linting]

vagueposting but newt geizler would never listen to lemon demon or mother mother. he used to play in an actual band and had a full sleeve of tattoos in both of his arms and body. he is a NERD. do people not know the stereotype of hardcore guitarists looking like the biggest geek on earth? that man would have listened to fit for an autopsy and the acacia strain.

[stcrforged]

the two last months had been more eventful than his thirty six years combined together. he and dr. geizler newton had been on a few more dates. the feelings for the other had ONLY grown during the time they spend together outside the shatterdome, outside their laboratory. it almost hurt, how much he cared for the biologist. what this how it felt to love someone? to truly, deeply and madly love a person? but that was not all. the kaiju attacks had increased and the time between them declined quickly. and then it happened. the DAY. he and newton had drifted with an extraterrestrial brain. the jaegers had bravely fought back and the breach had FINALLY been closed. of course there was a big celebration at the headquarters. it was difficult to believe that it was done. the war was WON. hermann was happy and glad to be alive after everything that had happened. he was perhaps even more relieved that his colleague and friend had survived. speaking of which, where was he? brown orbs looked around, searching for the tattooed man that couldn’t be find in the crowd. the mathematician began to walk towards the only logical place where newton could be in this cheerful moment, in this historically time.

it was THERE, in their shared space, where he found him, cleaning the blood of his face. “ let me help you. ” pale hand reached out for a damp cloth with alcohol. with gentle and slow momvements hermann began to wipe away the dirt, cleaning the small cuts. deep down he could feel his heart beginning to race, drumming fast against his ribs. as if it wanted to escape the cage of bones. THOSE green eyes were truly gorgeous. just like him. throat suddenly felt dry. all these strong emotions were overwhelming. it CLOUDED his mind and better judgment. maybe that was why he suddenly stopped. fingers brushed the other’s now clean cheek softly as a warm redness began to spread. he leaned closer, gaze resting upon lips.

it was QUICK and a bit clumsy. their glasses clank together as he kissed the kaiju groupie. something bubbly escaped him while he kissed newt. a laughter. “ what an absolutely disastrous first kiss. ” but it doesn’t matter. not for him. for he is so HAPPY in this moment. the happiest he has ever been. and then it dawned upon him. eyes wide open. “ i’m sorry! i should have asked first! it’s just all these emotions. i’m so happy that i could die and - ”

@seeliecourt liked THIS for smooches