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watch-grok-brainrot · 4 years

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hello, can you explain cwn's titles? how did he get them and what are the implications?

Ooooh! I have been meaning to look into this so thank you for asking and making me get off my lazy butt.

So CWN, according to baidu, has also been called: 楚宗师 (Chu Zongshi)、玉衡长老 (Elder Yuheng)、玉衡 (Yuheng)、师尊 (Shizun)、神仙哥哥 (Fairy/Immortal- gege)、恩公哥哥 (Savior-gege)、仙君 (Xianjun/Immortal [a formal way to refer to a cultivator, very polite])、夏司逆 (Xia Sini)、夏师弟 (Xia-Shidi)、晚宁 (Wanning [wtf baidu, this is obvious])、宝贝 (baobei [mo ran is a dog, no class, barf... maybe bark?])、小白菜 (little cabbage)、楚仙君 (Chu Xianjun)、西子芙蕖 (Lotus Xishi [1], referring to his beauty and his red lotus home)，临安楚郎 (Young Chu of Linan [young indicates a male youth... but that’s not an easy thing to translate])，and ‘晚夜玉衡，北斗仙尊’ (Yuheng of the night sky, the Beidou Immortal). [Note: i translated all of these without having read the rynn/suika translation so if i’m misaligned, oh, well. It’ll be good enough.]

Since most things cwn is called are self explanatory (feel free to send a followup if you disagree), I’ll focus on ‘晚夜玉衡，北斗仙尊’. So 玉衡 (marked blue in the figure below) is one of the Chinese names for Alioth (aka Epsilon Ursae Majoris), the brightest star in constellation Ursa Major (aka the big dipper, as shown in the figure). 北斗 is the Chinese name for Ursa Major. 北 meaning north and 斗 meaning some sort of funnel/dipper thing. Sometimes the constellation is referred to as 北斗七星 or the seven stars of beidou.

From a story perspective, the title 玉衡 was given to CWN when he became an ender at Sisheng Peak. (The big dipper is often traced in daoist ritual walks. Since cultivation and wuxian/xianxia is somewhat rooted in daoism, the nod to the constellation makes sense narratively.) His work in protecting the people made him stand out from everyone else in the cultivation world. Imagery-wise, remember that (according to wiki) Epsilon Ursae Majoris is the 32nd brightest star in the sky and definitely stands out in the constellation. And since 玉衡 is in the big dipper, calling him the Beidou immortal makes perfect sense.

In my searching, I also learned that the other elders (other than 戒律 Jièlǜ which means discipline and probably refers to that elder’s role in the sect) that came to mind for me and @wanning-of-the-night-sky / @merelhyn were all stars of the big dipper or related to the constellation in some way. In the figure above, Pojun, Lucun, and Tanlang are marked in red and Xuanji is marked in yellow. Xuanji shows up as parts of the name of two different stars and also as an old chinese term for the group of four stars marked by yellow circles. (IMO, from a deranged (affectionate) Meatbun perspective, I think she picked a pretty name for CWN and thematically matched the rest of the Sisheng elders to his name.)

Another thing found interesting is that 琁玑玉衡 is the name of an instrument/tool related to ancient Chinese astronomical/astrological observation. Googling it yielded images of disks with a hole in the middle and notches on the outside.

[1] Xishi is a famed chinese beauty. One of the 4 greats in chinese history. there is an idiom that Mo Ran used at CWN when CWN was making wontons for him after Shi Mei’s death -- 东施效颦 which means mimicking someone’s actions but making a fool of themselves. The idiom comes from a story where Dongshi, who is unattractive, mimics Xishi’s actions. Dongshi ends up seeming less attractive and makes a fool of herself.

Jièlǜ: T.T I wish I had a big dipper name!

Xue Zhengyong:Uh... sorry. Discipline is important. Take one for the team.

JL: But why. I’m an elder too!

XZY: look at it this way: you having a dipper name will make it so we no longer represent every other star. You would throw things off balance! Would you be Wuqu? Wenqu? Jumen? You can’t really be Lianzhen because that would conflict with Yuheng. You’re out of luck friend.

JL: ...

Then again, I’d like to think Jièlǜ actually has a big dipper related name but no one knows it or remembers it.

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underthedekutree · 4 years

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Young Link might have PTSD - Part 2: Termina is NOT a Parallel World, Technically

This is a continuation of my last post so if you’re seeing this and haven’t read it, go here.

This is the part where I somewhat smoothly segue into Majora’s Mask. Link, lonely and filled with unprocessed trauma, leaves Hyrule in search of Navi. According to most sources (which take from Hyrule Historia probably? don’t quote me on it), Link falls down a hole into Termina, a parallel world to Hyrule, that contains many familiar looking denizens of Hyrule, but playing different roles. And well, if you probably guessed by the title, I have a rather different interpretation.

Okay, so in a nutshell my theory is that Termina is in fact all a dream, kind of like Koholint Island. Except the one dreaming up this world isn’t some deity like the Giants or Skull Kid or the Moon. It’s Link.

(big explainey hoo hah below)

Evidence 1: Link begins the game sleeping. Yes, I know literally every Zelda game begins this way and it’s a whole tradition thing. I am beginning with the weakest points first and working my way up to the strong ones. We’ll get there.

Evidence 2: The reuse of character and environment models from Ocarina of Time. The literal IRL reason for this is of course the game famously being given only one year of production time, which meant that the most practical method was to reuse as much material from MM’s predecessor as possible (eg. Romani Ranch sign is the Kakariko Village sign, and still says Kakariko Village on it). It seems like a rather offhand afterthought for Nintendo to chalk it all up to “oh its just a parallel world like Link to the Past or something. But think of it like this; when we dream, we often see familiar people from throughout our lives put in strange and unexpected situations, like that irritable old farmhand you hated so much is now a depressed circus master for some reason. Dreams don’t make sense. Things you know will mix with other strange inexplicable things, fleeting thoughts in your mind, all roughly tied together by whatever emotions you had been feeling when you went to bed. Malon is split into two people, Romani and Cremia, her older and younger self. This might reflect how Link feels about Malon, that she changed so much in those 7 years that she’s like a different person entirely, that it’s hard for him to process that they are the same, because the change was so shockingly sudden for him.

Evidence 3: Gorons in the snow, Gerudo by the sea. Yes, I know that sounds a lot like good evidence for a parallel world (that’s why the idea is widely accepted in the first place, it has merit), but it also works in as dream world evidence too. As a child, my family was obsessed with skiing. We would go to the same mountain every winter, and we would stay at the same lodge. It almost became like a second home for me. So much so, that one night I dreamed that my house had been replaced by the lodge, so it wasn’t on a snow-capped mountain, but in a bushy Australian suburb. Okay that kinda got off subject but I’m bad at conclusions so in summary Dreams Just Be Like That (tm). You get what I’m saying right? No? Sorry, let’s just move on.

Evidence 4: The Milk Bar. AKA my favourite location in the game! It’s often overlooked as the “haha funny they couldn’t put alcohol in kids game so its kiddy milk hee hee”, but it is actually a strong thematic pillar of Majora’s Mask. As I mentioned in Part 1, if you put a 9 year old in a 16 year old’s body and call him an adult before ripping that all away is probably going to leave the kid with an identity crisis. What is a mature place open at late hours when children are sleeping? A bar. What is a drink associated with the young, being produced for the purpose of helping children grow? Milk. No please don’t go I swear there’s more to this, stay with me. In order to gain access to the bar, Link must prove he is mature enough by wearing a mask, a disguise, like Adult Link is to Young Link. Being adult isn’t earned through years of natural living experience and mental development, it’s a thing you are given by adults to just BE when they deem you worthy, at least from how Link sees it. So that is the amalgamation of dream thoughts that is the Milk Bar. Is it mature? Is it childish? What is the line between the two? Is there one? It’s the culmination of his anxieties and confusions that he doesn’t know how to express. Another, smaller expression of this anxiety is the Clock Town Guards. When Link is a Deku, the guards say they don’t allow children outside the gates. When Link turns back however, the guard goes to stop him because he looks too young, but sees that he has a sword, and lets him pass. Why the sword? Well, in one way this is a callback to Kokiri Forest, where Mido doesn’t let Link see the Deku Tree until he has a sword. But also, what is the item that lets Link travel through time and become an adult in OOT? The Master Sword. Link seems to believe that adulthood is measured by the things you have, physical markers of maturity, which is how lots of children see adulthood. You’re an adult if you can drink, if you’re tall, if you’re married, if you have a house, a car etc. But in reality this isn’t how it works. Heck, I’m technically an adult but I sure as hell don’t feel like one, because I know I still have things to learn about responsibility, patience and all the other things, that can only come with time, which is the moral conclusion of OOT, but clearly Link missed the memo. Don’t get me wrong, there are some indicators to show he’s grown a bit. He can ride Epona, use the bow, do flips like some kind of acrobat etc. But those strange and confused feelings linger, and manifest in the young boy’s dreams.

Evidence 5: The four transformation masks. The four masks represent different aspects of Link’s self, and the way he grew and changed in OOT. Deku Scrub the Innocent, Goron the Confident, Zora the Mature and Fierce Deity the Hero. Link began only knowing the Kokiri Forest, and nothing of the world outside. As he set out on his journey, he grew more confident in his skills and defeated greater foes. When evil took over, he learned from his fatal mistake and worked to right it. And when it was finally time to face the greatest threat, he was ready, with all the heart pieces, bottles full of fairies, Biggoron Sword in hand. At that moment he struck the final blow he probably felt like the strong and unstoppable hero everyone in Hyrule told him he needed to be. And that feeling of pure uncompromising strength, with the whole world behind him, manifested in the Fierce Deity. Fierce Deity is much taller than Adult Link, and packs so much of a punch that he can beat Majora without batting an eye, like some overpowered Super Saiyan. It reminds me a lot of Undertale, with young Asriel becoming what he imagines to be an all-powerful godlike being, like something you’d see as a children’s drawing. Fierce Deity gives off those vibes, like “he has a HUGE SWORD that SHOOTS BEAMS OF LIGHT and he’s 8 FOOT TALL and CAN KILL ENEMIES IN A SINGLE BLOW!!” Before the final battle on the moon, when Majora gives you the mask, he childishly asks if you want to play a game of good guys and bad guys. And the good guy always wins, no matter what. Fierce Deity makes the final boss a cakewalk, but its supposed to.

Evidence 6: Anju and Kafei. Short one, because it falls a lot into everything else I’ve said regarding childhood vs adulthood. Kafei is effectively a switcheroo of what happened to Link in OOT. An adult shrunk back to childhood, uncomfortable in his new body and looking for a way to fix everything. He’s a reflection of how Link now kinda feels like an adult in a child’s body, because he had started to be used to being called an adult.

Evidence 7: The Moon. I haven’t super touched on the main meat of the game yet, so here it is. The moon and the 3 day mechanic is an allegory for constant mounting pressure, that builds and builds, never ceasing, because the world is in danger, and there’s only one person who has been chosen to save it. I’ve always been interested in the Chosen One narrative, and how different media explore the idea of the world’s very existence being pushed onto one person. How at the end of it all, they can never be the same again after all they’ve gone through. When you’re somehow expected to hold up the Moon itself single-handed, and your life and everything you care about suffers because you’re putting everyone else before yourself. That feeling of complete loneliness under a crushing weight, and although other characters may come to help you, in the end its still all down to you, and you never had a choice in any of it, as all the decisions were made by someone else. You must do what they tell you. Believe in yourself, believe...

Evidence 8: Skull Kid. The story goes that long ago in Termina, the Skull Kid and the Giants played together, until one day, the Giants left, leaving the Skull Kid alone and heartbroken, with nobody to turn to. As life moves on, things may change, and people always come and go from your life. Your friend might move overseas, or stop texting you, or you might fall out of friendship after an awkward event from which you could never recover (no, these have totally not all happened to me, shut up i’m fine), or your fairy companion might just disappear without so much as a goodbye after their task is complete. And it feels like you didn’t matter at all. That they never really cared about you, and you’re as easy to drop and move on from as a child’s toy. You might get angry, and want to shut them out, and give them a taste of their own medicine. Majora’s Mask teaches you that this isn’t the case. Life is ever changing, but you will always have the memories of times with your friends, and a chance to make more with new friends, like a sassy talkative fairy sprite and her shy brother or a child made of wood who wants to destroy the world. Friends come from unlikely places, so accept that change will happen and hope that wherever the people you knew are, they’re okay. You’re thinking about them, so they might be thinking about you too. And who knows? Life is unpredictable. They might just come back one day, and it’ll be like they were never gone.

Evidence 9 (the final one, I promise): The Song of Healing. At the end of all things, after losing ones you love, connections to family and friends, memories of things long past... you need time to heal. Link’s journey through Termina is a constant gauntlet of running into his own past traumas, forced to relive them again, and again, and again. But sometimes you should take a deep breath, gather your thoughts, and take time to heal. Although it can be important to confront your fears and learn to surpass them, it is exhausting, and you can end up more emotionally broken than when you started. The three masks all had regrets of powerlessness; unable to protect your community, your loved ones, or even yourself. Troubles you’ve gone through that keep plaguing your mind, and you’re wondering if you’ve done enough, seeking answers where none can be found. And the best thing you can do... is accept and move on. Be kind to yourself, and give yourself time to heal. Link’s way of processing his grief and trauma is to create an entire hellscape world in his own head, but not everyone processes it the same way. Sometimes you feel like you need to busy yourself, or listen to soothing music, or talk to people you trust, or spend copious amounts of money, or make some angst art, or cuddle your plush toys until their stuffing squeezes out. Sometimes life hits you in the face and you want to blame yourself for standing in the firing line, but it’s not your fault. It’s okay to feel however you feel, whether you’re drenched in a pool of tears or you just feel numb, it’s okay and natural. You’re okay. You’re here.

Okay so it got kinda personal at the end there but I hope it was informative, and made you think a little bit differently about Majora’s Mask and Ocarina of Time. You probably want to go back and play them now. Me too.

So was this all just an excuse for me to gush about how cool Majora’s Mask is? Hell fucking yes it was. Congratulations for making it through my monstrous ramblings, you get the secret prize of looking at my weird art on my DA. Here you go. Have a nice day, Zelda Nerds.

#long post #legend of zelda #majoras mask #young link #fierce deity #zelda theory #wow i cant believe i never realised i wrote fuckig outset island instead of koholint im dumby af

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p-and-p-admin · 4 years

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Interview given to The Severus Snape and Hermione Granger Shipping Fan Group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/199718373383293/

Hello DeepShadows2 and welcome to Behind the Quill, I am pleased to have this chance to chat with you.

Many of our group’s members will know you as part of our Mod team but they might also know you as the author of Peculiar and of Good Night, Sweet Prince (written for our last Prompt Week of 2020!)

Okay, let’s jump right in. What's the story behind your pen name?

I grew up in the martial arts and my 'warrior name' was 'kage urufu' or Shadow Wolf. When I was in Creative Writing in high school, someone else was writing under that pen name, and they were more popular, and I was told I 'wasn't allowed to copy her name' by our teacher. So I went back and forth between some names and finally came up with DeepShadows. It is because during karate Kamp's ninja night games I would find the darkest spots in the camp and wait to sneak attack my enemies to steal their flags. The 2 comes from the fact that my first ever FF.net account got deleted because I put up lemons there instead of AFF.net.

Which Harry Potter character do you identify with the most?

Honestly, it is a mix between Severus, Draco, and Minerva. Each in their own way was in positions they would have rather not been in at one point in time, but made the best of those situations. Do you have a favourite genre to read? (not in fic, just in general) Strangely enough, I am really into my 70s Feminist Sci-Fi. Like Darkover and Tanith Lee's 'Don't Bite the Sun' Series. As for Fic, I am into many scenarios and it changes according to my mood. Recently I've been into fluff slice of life.

Do you have a favourite "classic" novel?

Oof. Asking me to pick solely one is a crime. I have always loved Gone with the Wind. If I had to point at one, it would have to be it. But I honestly went over 15 titles in my head trying to decide which one would be the winner.

At what age did you start writing?

I have been telling stories and writing them since I was young. I could read and write at age 4 because my grandmother wanted me to be ready for school. My first written story was at 5 ish and I still have my Crayola blue five-line story about a Unicorn named Pepper.

How did you get into writing fanfiction?

I got into fanfiction when I discovered that ff.net existed. My first fanfic is still up there under this pen name, but it is miles and leagues from my current quality. Spelling is still atrocious though.

What's the best theme you've ever come across in a fic? Is it a theme represented in your own works?

Honestly, hard to say. I love post-war fics. I love when the narrative is close to canon, but uniquely not, so it handles like it is an extension of the world and not a separate world.

Theme wise, I am a sucker for hard-hitting drama.

What fandoms are you involved in other than Harry Potter?

I was into Kingsman, but not as a fic writer, but a Tumblr role-player. It's been a while, so mostly now I'm just back to being a Potterhead. It's where I began and where I always come back to.

If you could make one change to canon, what would it be? Do you have a favourite piece of fanon?

Snape lives! You cannot tell me that a POTIONS MASTER who spends ALL DAY every day keeping students from POISONING themselves and who personally makes BLOOD REPLENISHERS for the infirmary would not have been prepared for an attack from Nagini. It is not secret knowledge that Drama King Voldy likes to have her do his dirty work and Severus would have been prepared for the off chance he was discovered and attacked. He lived.

My favourite piece of Fanon.... hmm... I like a lot of Fanon. It's hard to put my finger on just one piece that I enjoy.

Do you listen to music when you write or do you prefer quiet?

Music! Nearly all of Peculiar was written to Folklore by Taylor Swift.

What are your favourite fanfictions of all time?

Cake and a Cup of Tea by Cybelle Somewhere I belong by .... I can't remember Not Only a Granger by my friend Ferporcel

Are you a plotter or a pantser? How does that affect your writing process?

I am a Pantser. I have beats and thematic key points I know I want to hit, but the characters sort of fill out the story as I go. Sometimes I surprise myself with where I end up and I love that. Example: Draco/Krum was a total accident in Peculiar, but I love everything about it.

What is your writing genre of choice?

Hurt/Comfort and Drama/Angst

Which of your stories are you most proud of? Why?

Peculiar and Good Night, Sweet Prince.

Did it unfold as you imagined it or did you find the unexpected cropped up as you wrote? What did you learn from writing it?

Oh, my goodness, the unexpected cropped up. Peculiar was only supposed to be a 25 chapter post-war, post-divorce AU that turned into this beautiful beast. Characters were created as I went, and some side characters became major plot devices or turning points. I learned that sometimes my brain knows what it is doing before I know what it is doing. There were hints and notes of what was going on that I wasn't even aware.

How personal is the story to you, and do you think that made it harder or easier to write?

There are points that are special to me. It made it easier and harder to write. Having experience with some subjects Hermione goes through makes it easier to translate the emotions into words, but simultaneously, some of those factors are trauma-based and I had to navigate myself through.

What books or authors have influenced you? How do you think that shows in your writing?

I draw influence from everything I read. That is a key reason I don't read anything similar to my current work while writing because I don't want to accidentally lift from someone else.

Do people in your everyday life know you write fanfiction?

Two of my roommates are readers and I get people barging into my room after a post a chapter yelling 'OH MY GOD'. I also have a typed and printed review handed in person to me by my roommate that is on my inspiration board where she says 'Fuck you, but with love'. My entire friend group knows I write fanfiction and I get some of them to read it from time to time. My mom won't read peculiar until it is finished because she doesn't want to nag me for chapters.

How true for you is the notion of "writing for yourself"?

YES! I started Peculiar because I couldn't find what I was looking for. I wanted a high emotion, high stakes, drama and background rich fanfiction in which Hermione has completely broken and has given up on herself. Where she has nothing and no one and has lost that spark in her. I wanted Ron bashing where he is a villain and yet isn't the same time. I wanted Severus to be indifferent to her at first and slowly discover her suffering and set out to help her for the sake of the school, and it develops into more through feelings severed early on just after the war. I wanted her to have to overcome trauma and recover for herself, not for Severus, but instead with him and that they heal from their past together while facing continuous challenges that attempt to tear them apart. Along with other factors that haven't come to be yet, so I won't want to spoil.

How important is it for you to interact with your audience? How do you engage with them? Just at the point of publishing? Through social media?

I love my audience. It actually brought me here. Shout out to Geek and Tattoo for bringing me to this group’s Discord server. I answer every comment, I respond to any statements or comments I notice on social media. I'm an open person with my audience, which is why when I had to go on hiatus, I told them exactly what was going on.

What is the best advice you've received about writing?

Write what feels best. If you don't like what you are writing, no one else is going to. If you don't want to write a certain scene but you need it, write an article or a letter about it.

What do you do when you hit writer's block?

I cry. Then I put on the music that inspired the story/scene and I pace my room, going over the potential dialogue and basically acting out what I think should happen until it sounds right.

Has anything in real life trickled down into your writing?

Yes. Many of my OC characters are modelled after some of my real-life friends. And some other events have easily transitioned into events that Hermione and Severus have gone through.

Do you have any stories in the works? Can you give us a teaser?

I am currently writing the next chapter for Peculiar. I won't give a teaser, but I will say that Hermione and Severus give Rita Skeeter a delicious taste of revenge.

Any words of encouragement to other writers?

Don't stop, but also be kind to yourself. Not every writing session is going to be your best, but you won't have better days if you give up. Also, if someone doesn't like what you write, forget them, as long as you are happy with it, that is what matters.

Thanks so much for giving us your time.

#fanfiction #fanfic #snamione #writing #ss/hg

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peppersandcats · 5 years

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Flash stuff, comics and TV

So, I am finally up-to-date on The Flash in both comics and TV format, and I have some thoughts. The comics ones are mostly in the “oh come on are we expected to buy this, clearly you are aiming for that” vein, and the TV show ones are very mild and possible super-obvious, but since both deal with what both what is happening and what I think is going to happen, both might be spoilers so I’m putting them under a cut.

To be clear: please do not tell me anything about these assumptions that does not come from existing text. So for example:

“but in issue 76 we saw X” or “in episode 6 of this season Y happened, so we might get Z fallout” is totally fine. Yay analysis! Would love to hear from you!

“in the comics X happens, so that might mean Y for the TV show” is also cool.

“the comics writer said he’s aiming for X” or “a casting decision has been made so we know Y is still showing up/is not on the show anymore after this point” is really not fine please do not tell me that. I do not want to hear it. Thank you.

Also: discusses possible upcoming character death. I know some people would rather not see that, so mentioning it now.

With that in mind, here are my “I am okay with being wrong about this, but I bet this’ll happen” thoughts:

Comics

Oh, comics. Len has apparently turned into a vicious blowhard, Lisa is picking a fight with him, evil King Cold rules over Central, all is lost, no-one is paying me enough to pick up extra titles from DC to find out what all space and time being broken means, dour, dour, grim.

With that in mind, I have a possibly-more-cheerful read on current Snart events than the one initially presented. I’m going to keep in mind Len’s mention of the Rogues going with Lisa’s plan (issue 78 “Without my sister, the whole plan is on hold.”; issue 79 “This isn’t Lex’s plan. It’s not even my plan. It’s your plan.”), and assume that that was true.

This means that I think (hope) that what they’re going for is a long con. That the Snarts are running with a plan where Len plays bad guy to Central City, Lisa tries to convince Barry to use mega-uncontrollable Speed Force power against Luthor by pitching it as "save my brother he's gone bad", and the end goal is that the world-breaking nonsense and Luthor both get taken down while the Rogues get to keep all the shiny new tech in a world that isn’t weirdly broken by evil.

The big thing that kept throwing me about the narrative presented to Barry is why is Len keeping Barry alive?

Because, look. Right now everyone thinks the Flash is dead (seriously, those guards in the throne room were absolutely thinking “jeez, boss, we’ve heard how the Flash died in your arms three times already this week”), and yeah, that’s good to keep Central hopeless. And Len is coming across as mean as hell. But then why hasn’t he really killed Barry? He’s not angling for the “I will build my reputation with a grand execution!”, because then he wouldn’t be talking up how he’d already killed the Flash. He might be keeping Barry alive just to torment him, but then there’d be no benefit to lying about how he’d killed him. Dude’s stuck in Ice Heights, not even the Trickster* can make a dent in that, it’s not like someone is going to mount a successful rescue.

*Please insert usual where-the-hell-does-he-get-those-wonderful-toys rant here, I’m sure you’ve heard it from me by now.

And if Len was building part of his power on the “I will crush Central City’s spirit by letting them know I have taken down the Flash!” foundation, then Lisa’s “oh no, we can’t let people know you’re alive” seems a bit odd.

So if I take a step back, what I see isn’t “Lisa has a heart of gold and is begging for the Flash’s help.” It’s not even “Lisa is vamping Barry and feeding him a sob story about how her brother has gone bad.”

What I see is “the Snarts have a secret plan that involves no-one knowing that the Flash is still alive, so it doesn’t get back to Lex Luthor. Right now the genius supervillain has a massive blind spot about the existence of a terrifying Speed Force bomb, and Lisa is collecting pieces of Mirror Master’s tech. Those are totally the kind of things you could combine to break Luthor’s secret reality-busting stronghold, which would enable you to get rid of him but still keep your super-cool empowering tech.”

And if Len and Lisa are in cahoots on this, the bombast makes a lot more sense. “My sister has been in hiding ever since I took over Central City... and she reveals herself by stealing from me?" is a performance for the benefit of the two-high level mooks who were following Len and could probably hear him through the open doorway. Giant ice-wolves aren’t anything to do with Lisa being scared of dogs when she was a kid (which didn’t really come across in her reaction to them anyway), they’re just really cool and the speech is Len hamming it up for whoever in his citadel is spying for Luthor.

(I mean. It’s Luthor. You’re working with Lex Luthor, you gotta assume.)

So, yeah. I’m still hoping we’ve got the Snarts running a very sensible long con, which combines the best aspects of “we are crooks who want cool stuff” and “we’re not evil, evil is dumb.” Fingers crossed.

Okay, minor stuff, but I think I’ve finally decoded the symbols on the Monitor’s door!

I was assuming, pretty much, that these referenced the Justice League. The Flash in particular has been throwing in asides to the Justice League since its inception (everyone’s seen the mural at CCPD headquarters, right?), the last crossover involved a building that has people who don’t watch the show assuring me that it’s meant to evoke the Hall of Justice, one of the trailers mentioned seven heroes, here we have seven symbols, etc.

Left to right, I think these represent

Black Lightning - it’s not a logo, but the shape evokes the lightning streaks on the torso of his costume. This one was one I kept getting stuck on - I kept thinking “Trident! ...but it makes no sense for them to bring in Aquaman.” Then I went to catch up on Black Lightning a little and it clicked.

Canary - I honestly was thinking White Canary because I really want to see LOT involved, but Sara doesn’t wear a face mask. Therefore, probably need to go with Black Canary (who is a founding member in at least one version of continuity, lord knows which one, I have trouble keeping track)

Flash - that is, to me, obviously his cowl. Little bit coming down in the middle, little chin covering pointing up, wing-y bits on the ears, we’re good.

Martian Manhunter - this one I’m the least sure of, but given the options available, I think it has to be him. He’s totally a Justice League guy, and the hex with straps pointing up and down to the sides, echoes his costume torso.

Supergirl - again, I was staring at this for a while, completely lost, but now it looks to me like a really stylized ‘S’. If it was narrower on the bottom than on the top, it would look a lot like the family logo.

Batwoman - this is both a scarier-looking mask than the second image, and can be read as a figure spreading their wings to either side. (Huh, I suppose it might be Hawkgirl? But I’m betting on Batwoman. If I’m wrong, that’s okay! I have been wrong before)

Arrow. I mean, really, just Arrow. It’s an arrow-head. Arrow.

And I mean, I don’t necessarily think everyone’s going to survive through this. Oliver Queen in particular I think is going to die. Whether that means Roy or Mia steps up to try and become the Arrow, or whether they leave a seat empty at the table to honour Ollie’s sacrifice, I don’t know. But: Arrow in the JLA of the CW.

But.

Arrow is TV, but in a lot of ways it’s still comics. You know how it happens when people die in comics.

I think we might get to see Ollie as the Spectre.

It fits with the well-meaning darkness and the grim drive. It fits with the judgement of "you have failed this city". It fits with the green hood. The recent “hey, vigilantes working with the police” feel like it gives Ollie a sort of cop-if-you-look-at-him-sideways aura that makes him line up better with Jim Corrigan and Crispus Allen--hell, even Hal Jordan functionally comes across as a space-cop. Even Corrigan’s death thematically echoes Ollie’s first (presumed) death by drowning on the Queen’s Gambit.

I would like that. I have long loved the Spectre, and I would not be where I am as a DC TV fan--hell, as a DC fan--if Arrow hadn’t clicked with me.

I would like it if Oliver Queen, that grumpy control-freak secret-keeping self-righteous ass, could still be there on some level. He means a lot to me.

#commentary #the flash spoilers #dc tv #dc comics #crisis on infinite earths #my commentary #theories #leonard snart #lisa snart #the flash iss. 83 #the monitor #justice league #justice league dc tv #oliver queen #the spectre #arrow #here for a positive fandom experience

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lit--bitch · 4 years

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Current-Reads (20/04/2020 - 26/04/2020) 🍓🐢

(Disclosure: I don’t know anybody I’ve been currently reading this week. 😊)

Adding the preface again here: every Sunday without fail I throw up the freshest literature and photography I’ve read over the week, sometimes it’s a book, sometimes it’s a piece I saw in a magazine or an online zine, sometimes it’s something I saw on social media, etc. Sometimes I add ‘RECOMMEND’ next to a few of the titles, but that’s not to say I don’t recommend all of them, I just love some pieces more than others. Not everything will be everybody’s cup of tea, yanno, c’est la vie. And any titles that you see in bold are hyperlinked so if you click or tap them they’ll direct you straight to the source… or shopping basket.

This week I’m gonna throw in a red herring and tell you about something I’ve been watching as well as what I’ve been reading, because I think it’s really cool and definitely appropriate for the age we’re living in at the moment.

So I’ve been reading: Susan Sontag’s As Consciousness is Harnessed to Flesh (Diaries 1964—1980) which was edited by her son, David. I also read an interview on Granta from March between Rachel Long and Morgan Parker. I’ve also tucked into a couple pieces on Fence, Lexi Welch’s ‘Astroturf’ and Anthony Michael Morena’s ‘The Whale’. I also saw Cecelia Knapp’s poem in Bath Magg Issue Three (but the whole issue is an absolute smacker, it’s great). Last but not least, I’m up to episode 5 of a brand new thing called The Midnight Gospel. It is crazy good. And it’s on Netflix right now.

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Cecilia Knapp, ‘I Used To Eat KFC Zingers Without Hating Myself’, Bath Magg Issue #3: I really loved the whole of Issue Three, I guess I was quite struck by this particular poem for its “staccato-ness”. This poem is buttered with present-day references. But they’re not necessarily about creating a familiar environment. Rather the object of familiarity is found within the assemblage of places, snacks and thoughts, all of which compound the grief ‘I’ is experiencing. The ‘I’ ruminates on life’s banality and their personal insecurities in living banality: ‘I need a thigh gap. I use emojis / to avoid conflict. Worry I’m a gentrifier. Watch docs about murdered women’. The vapidity is funny. The pain is not. The insecurities deepen. Your body, your life, continues the ache of day-to-day routine, and finds no resolution in the things which may or may not stand to comfort oneself when ravaged by loss. The poem feels quite loose, and disinterested. It’s a sore poem, but its array of references make it colourful. It sort of reminded me of Édouard Levé’s work a little bit? But if Édouard Levé had been a pop culture fanatic chewing HubbaBubba bubblegum on the London Overground. Bath Magg is a pretty exciting new magazine, (been around just under a year I think?) and they’ve published a lot of great writers, many of whom are emerging and I’ve spotted some quite established peple in there too. Kudos to their rubber ducky logo. It’s run by Mariah Whelan and Joe Carrick-Varty.

In Conversation with Morgan Parker and Rachel Long, Granta Magazine: I deeply love Morgan Parker’s work, she’s, in my opinion, the master of titles. I can’t think of anybody who titles their work as well as Morgan Parker does. And I love the depth of honesty and charisma in this interview. Like yeah, it appears to be a generic Q/A but, it genuinely feels like a conversation, and it’s welcoming and unpretentious. Rachel Long asks some penetrating questions, and Morgan’s answers are so detailed and self-aware. Most of the discussion revolves around the action of writing poetry in general and where does that impulse arise from, but they do discuss Morgan’s latest collection Magical Negro which came out February last year. It’s a narrative on black womanhood, on micro-aggressions and reoccuring violence, it’s about breaking down white perceptions of blackness, and dissolving those projections. What I love about Morgan Parker is she’s tackling this fucking idiot thing where (mostly) white people think she’s attempting to represent all black women in her writing, which is, by Morgan’s own admission, impossible. Her work is a duty to herself, to the background she’s lived and lives, and to unpack that discourse in her own way. And if it resonates, then great! I felt all this was inherent in the interview and only adds to my respect for her, and to Rachel for being such an attentive interviewer. BTW Rachel Long has a debut collection coming out this July, My Darling from the Lions.

Anthony Michael Morena, ‘The Whale’, Fence Portal (Streaming) (RECOMMEND): I can’t tell you how much I adored this beautiful mass of whale and word. It’s an essay which references the American Natural History Museum’s Blue Whale model. The writing is thick with feeling and fat with concern. It blends monologue, memoir. It’s non-fiction and documentary. It’s elusive, enigmatic, fragmented. It’s like broken biscuits and blubber. To me it felt like a note on the offences of climate change, the emotional response and grief as we bystand erosion and corrosion, the loss of life, and the urge to merge something back together as it dissolves and fragments before our eyes. It’s as personal as it is public. A gorgeous and complex piece.

Susan Sontag’s As Consciousness is Harnessed to Flesh (Diaries 1964—1980) (RECOMMEND): I felt so afflicted reading Susan Sontag’s diaries, because y’know, it’s the equivalent of invading an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh’s tomb. Like, leave people alone. At the same like, this woman. These diaries are still shaping me, and each section leaves you with the weirdest aftertaste. Her personality permeates through every detail, every line-break, every reference and articulation of feeling. You learn so much, you gain so much from her perceptions and observations. How do I contain Susan Sontag? How do I describe these diaries? Not at all. Just buy it.

Lexi Welch’s ‘Astroturf’, Fence Portal (Streaming) (RECOMMEND): My eyes locked onto this piece and just didn’t really stop reading. Lexi’s voice is enamouring and hypnotic. It’s so violent too. You’re lunged into friction burns and sports injuries, time and progression, the tensions between collectivity and individuality, family and sexuality, or as Fence put it, ‘lesbian eros’. This piece felt acidic. At times you can’t tell if the ‘I’ is indifferent or hurting to the point of numbness. It straddles so many different thematics, and breaks down a lot of conventions pertaining to the “ideal experience” of family relationships and team work. The resolution seems to be that in spite of people, our collectivity is defined by our collective solitude. This essay kicked me around a football field. It takes a good few repeated reads to appreciate its kaleidoscopic shifting, but it’s definitely one of my favourites.

The Midnight Gospel, from Pendleton Ward and Duncan Trussell, Netflix: (RECOMMEND) So the other day my friend Ben linked this to me and I had seen the trailer ages back and thought “Oh yeah I really wanna watch that”, but just forgot. After his reminder, I started watching it and ever since I’ve been saying to loads of other friends “Have you watched ‘The Midnight Gospel’ on Netflix?” because I’m d y i n g to talk about it with everybody.

I literally can’t categorise this “TV show” to you. It’s like if animation had a baby with a philosophy podcast and then put that baby onto an IV drip of psychedelics. It’s this swarm of different stimuli which you kind have to zone in on and absorb individually and yet somehow collectively.

So like, “Clancy” is a spacecaster who sets up “spacecasts” (podcasts) with creatures from other simulated worlds and he interviews them. But when Clancy transports himself into these worlds, it’s not like they’re sat down on some cream sofa with two glasses of water like it’s animated Oprah. No, his interviewees are like in the middle of fighting off a zombie apocalypse or meditating on a mountain or trying to find and save their lost lover. And Clancy just joins them on the journey and interviews them about their “specialism”. These are real people that are being interviewed like, the first episode is with Dr. Drew Pinker. And when you’re watching it, you think that the animation is totally separate to the conversation exchange the characters are having, but that’s not true. They have intersections, they have meaning. It only becomes obvious that it has meaning right at the end of each episode, but if you lock on you’ll see it’s all relevant throughout.

One of my friends was like “Oh I might stick that on tonight and have a joint” and I was like, don’t fucking get high when you’re watching this because it’s already intense enough as it is, like you know that Pendleton Ward and Duncan Trussell have felt some real shit to create this absolute rare jewel. In my opinion, you don’t need cannabis to appreciate these discussions. But if you wanna do it, then hey it’s a “free country”. And it’s not as though there’s a serious, central core plot like there is with Rick & Morty, I mean there is a kind of overarching plot but it’s not always integral. Like ultimately we’re invested in Clancy’s story but also all the stories of all the other people that come his way. There’s multiple plots, there’s multiple dimensions and ways of seeing. It’s a programme which delivers on multiplicity, which manifests itself in everything and everyone we see and know and touch and hear, etc, etc.

This production articulates some of the revelations that psychedelics can give you. Psychedelics don’t make you see the world literally like these animations do, but the sensations of the animation are reminiscent of an acid trip’s oscillating moods and sensitivities. It’s really cool, and it’s very poignant, and it’s my new favourite show to watch. And what’s so great about it is that, it requires multiple watches in order to really absorb everything in its entirety, so it’s a series you can just keep going back to even after you’ve seen them all. It’s re-watchable. Just fundamental goodness all round. Best way to indulge in it is with ice cream. 🍨

***

So that’s it for this week, next Friday’s review is Annie Ernaux’s A Girl’s Story translated by Alison L. Strayer, published with Fitzcarraldo Editions.

Stay safe and well as always, my little caramels. 💁🏽

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swedeandsour · 4 years

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Anna of the North Speaks on Typography, Being Awkward and Her Love of Billie Eilish

Words: Peter Quincy Ng

Music is all about connection, and for Norway's Anna of the North, that means honesty in your craft. So for Anna Lotterud, and especially now that she's gone solo and parted ways with her former bandmate Brady Daniell-Smith, that means doing things her way. It's part of the reason why Anna of the North, idolizes Billie Eilish, the industry outlier that showed the world that there is no formula to musical stardom.

For Anna of the North, being fun, silly and sometimes awkward with her feelings has been no limit to personal success. Previously featured alongside industry heavyweights such as The Chainsmokers, Frank Ocean and Odd Future, Anna knows that it's not about being the coolest girl in the room, but keeping it one-hundred with her music and her fanbase. Speaking to the small-town Norwegian artist about her previous life as a graphic designer, and how she navigates life as the captain of her own ship, the fun and bubbly Anna Lotterud gave us her best answers in a simple and direct way.

You come from Gjøvik, a quiet town not far away from the Olympic town of Lillehammer. How has traveling changed your worldview outside the Scandinavian, small town mentality?

I've grown a lot. When you leave a small town you usually go to Trondheim, Bergen or Oslo; and I went to Oslo to study graphic design. That was my first time out of the small town. I was really comfortable, Norway's really safe and I was with my friends and family. Gjøvik’s a really nice place to grow up, but sometimes you need to be challenged and go out, and that's why I'm traveling and making music; you get caught up in new conversations and culture. Traveling has made me who I am, yeah and live my dream.

You have a new record out, and like your last it's also a break-up album. This one's a bit different because it's a solo album, so did you feel a bit naked and vulnerable putting your emotions out there knowing it's all you?

(Laughs) Definitely, well you're out on your own you feel people are going to judge it as your own work and that makes it really hard. But definitely being alone, because when it was me and Brady, you could like blame the other (laughs). Now when you're traveling with the band, it's going to be all me that's going to get all you the, you know (laughs). At the same time writing this album was really important to me and felt really good because I got to be one-hundred percent who I am. Also because you can tell it's inspired by being awkward and that it's a positive record even though (thematically) it’s quite melancholic. You can almost figure out that it's my first record alone because there's this excitement around it and it all feels very innocent. I feel that to be able to allowed to make every decision is super hard but it also allowed myself to push myself and be as creative as possible. It's a really big responsibility, but it was fun and there was no one to tell me, “blah, blah, blah, you should do this!”

“Lovers”

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There's a lot of otherworldly electronic sounds on your last record, but your music now feels more organic and conventionally more pop these days. Was it a conscious decision to keep things fun, simple and accessible?

They're two different albums and as I just said, it's me alone now. I was just at a different place at my life. “Lovers” was more sad and down and this album is more happy and upbeat. Like I love playing “Dream Girl” live because it has more of a groove to it, but “Playing Games” and “Time to Get Over It” kept some of the old stuff. I don't know what I'll be by the third album. I'll just have to follow who I am. Everything is inspired by me and my feelings and how I'm feeling at the moment, but I guess when I wrote “Dream Girl” I felt more alive at the moment (laughs), I don't know how to describe it.

“Dream Girl”

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Well, I think you've proved yourself on SoundCloud as a successful artist. but I heard your friend uploaded your music as a prank. They must be pretty lousy pranksters.

(Laughs) I woke up and I was like, well now I'm an artist! I guess I would have never done it, if I hadn't had that push.

Anna’s first track on SoundCloud “ILYAF 1996″

Since you've lived a previous life as a graphic designer, how important is style and aesthetic to the Anna of the North, especially when people love fitting artists, and especially female artists in boxes and categories?

I think for me it's everything, and I see the same things in (music software) Logic as in Adobe Photoshop. where you create something from nothing. It's the same thing but just as a different medium. For me, I need to feel proud or happy (with the result). To put it simply if I was going to be an actor could never play a role that was really far from my actual self. It would have to be a part of me, as in everything has to be a part of me. I have to be honest to myself and proud of what of I do.

What type of work did you specialize in? And Is Anna Lotterud a Comic Sans girl?

I would say Gotham is my font, but it's been so long since I've done any typography. That was actually my favorite part. I would have loved to do packaging design and make things more environmental friendly, but I like to play with large titling fonts, I love that.

It's frequently mentioned that you're your own fashion designer.

(Laughs) It's quite simple actually! It's all fonts again! I love everything that's creative but again it's about being comfortable in what I'm wearing and I won't like something that wouldn't represent me, because that would be wrong

One of the motifs on the last record, I see beyond the solid colors and Scandinavian minimalism, is that you love pets. Tell me the story about Anna and the animals?

I mean I just love animals and I can't help it. I mean I just had this idea where I wanted a lot of animals (laughs)!

So, back to your music. You seem to have a humorous element to your music, I think you are a self-described "Weird Ass White Girl". Knowing that your music is all about love and tragedy, has it been a coping strategy to just laugh away the pain?

Yeah, it's always been to not take myself too seriously. You know like dark humor (laughs)? But not too dark! You know life is really hard, and you can knock yourself about everything, and especially on “Dream Girl” more than the “Lovers” album like was a really heartbroken and, “Oh I don't know what to do with myself!” type of album. “Dream Girl” was more ironic, like my life sucks but I whatever; I'm going to get past this with confidence; like believe in yourself; and fuck everything, I'm going to be happy.

Anna of the North, may be just as well known as a collaborator than the soloist Anna of the North. Tell me how a "Weird Ass White Girl" could partner up with Frank Ocean and Tyler the Creator.

Frank Ocean was the easy part, he was already on the song and I didn't know it. It was all very organic, Odd Future reached out to me. Tyler really liked my voice on “Sway” and wanted me to work on a song with him “911”.

Tyler, The Creator “911 / Mr. Lonely”

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You mention, Billie Eilish as an inspiration, on how not having this "perfect", conventionally pretty or cool girl could make out it out there. How important is it in an age where streaming has cut the artist narrative?

I think it's really important that there's something totally different in her. You know how a slow song now can be a radio single? Today there's a recipe or formula for how songs should be and I think it's really cool that she's doing her own thing, and (that) she shows labels, radio and the industry that there are no rules.

I think what makes Anna of the North is so attractive, is that there's an honestly to Anna Lotterud even if sometimes a little weird. Besides, who cares about being cool when you can be alone with a giant ice cream cone like on track "Thank Me Later" right?

(Laughs) I just like to have fun, be creative, you know?

“Thank Me Later”

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#anna of the north #anna lotterud #Norwegian music

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salvatoreschool · 5 years

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Legacies: “Screw Endgame” Writers Preview The Episode

Executive Producer Brett Matthews and Thomas Brandon are the writers of tonight’s game-changer episode of Legacies airing at 9PM ET/PT on The CW and both writers hopped on the phone with KSiteTV yesterday to preview this story which sees Hope and Lizzie teaming up in a very Eighties-like setting at the same time a dance is happening with a similar look.

“Screw Endgame” is the title of this one, and it picks up with Lizzie (Jenny Boyd) now being one of the only people who remembers everything about Hope (Danielle Rose Russell). Some minor spoilers for tonight’s show can be found within; you have been warned! A post-mortem discussing more spoilery topics will be up after tonight’s show has aired.

On to the interview!

KSITETV’s CRAIG BYRNE: Can you talk about the choice in the writers’ room to make Lizzie the first person to remember Hope?

BRETT MATTHEWS: Honestly, it wasn’t a choice. It was one of those moments where it was just our natural instinct and on an undeniable gut level, but it’s like when you put your writer hat on and you go, “well, who’s the best person?”

It’s her, because who is in the worst situation?

Obviously Lizzie’s blood allegiance is to Josie — they’re literally twins. Hope Mikaelson is her frenemy at best leading into this episode, so Lizzie is just obviously the ideal person to be put into the situation because it is the stuff of great drama.

THOMAS BRANDON: The dramatic fun of it is Lizzie has such a hard time keeping a secret. She’s such a declarative character; she just tells everyone how she’s feeling at all times. So the idea of giving her a secret, to be the only one in the world that knew that Hope was back and having to hold that from everybody, just seemed like it would lead to some great episodes, and it’s certainly something she will struggle within the next episode. “How do I keep this secret, the biggest secret of all time?”

What can you preview about the Hope and Lizzie reunion, for the people who haven’t seen the episode yet?

THOMAS BRANDON:

What we discover is after the events of Episode 4 where Lizzie remembers who she is, Lizzie and Hope are thrown together and working together to solve a problem that I don’t want to spoil. The problem demands that they fight the monster before they can actually talk about everything that’s happened. Fighting the monster is their therapy, and it’s their way to get through all the choices that have been made where Hope came back and chose not to tell everybody.

BRETT MATTHEWS: For Lizzie, it’s like, they are in a life or death situation and have to rely on each other, but she wants to know the fundamental question of the season up to this point, which is why. “Why didn’t you tell us you were back?” That’s going to be the answer she is trying to find, even as they’re trying to survive the monster of the week.

THOMAS BRANDON: The really interesting journey for Lizzie will be once she goes through this experience with Hope.

What if Lizzie, at the end, kind of gets it?

What if Lizzie understands why Hope did what she did, and what if going forward, they decided to keep it secret, and how will that go?

Can you talk about how then 1980s settings came up when breaking this episode?

BRETT MATTHEWS: Yeah, I mean, that’s just where Thomas and I come from. We knew we wanted to do a decade dance. We’ve been trying to do one for two seasons now, because it’s a tie to our past and sort of thematic of it being tied to the show’s past. I’ve probably written a handful of those over the years of Vampire Diaries.

It’s sort of a tie to our pasts. We’re products that generation. We saw Star Wars, we wanted to do what we do for a living as a result, and that’s just where our brains go when it comes to nostalgia, when it comes to specificity, when it comes to a a decade, we really wanted to explore this very vibrant time in our minds.

Our cast, mind you, has no idea what the Eighties were. That’s sort of the fun of it, to view it through that lens. I think our director Barbara Brown, and our editor, Evan Warner, latched on to a lot of those same elements, being products of that same generation.

It just gave the whole episode a wonderful specificity, and a zeal and a passion that I think was the right fit for us. And it’s also the other stuff of Legacies. It’s the ridiculous wardrobe and the jaw dropping soundtrack. It’s all the great things, and let’s be honest, it was about seeing Matt Davis in an Indiana Jones costume. That’s really all that mattered to us as writers.

When writing an episode like this, were any of the song choices in the script, or was that all picked later?

THOMAS BRANDON: I don’t think any of the song choices were in the script, but we talked extensively with our director because some of the time, you’re going to take us in post, but some of the time if there’s choreographed dancing, or if there are camera moves that are being tied to certain beats or rhythms, you need to know in advance what those are going to be so the actors and the camera people can all practice.

So, it was a little mixture of both. We have a phenomenal music supervisor, Chris Moliere, who got us a list of over 200 songs, both originals and covers. It’s kind of a wacky thing to listen to like four covers of the same song in a row, hearing four different takes on it. And it was about us finding the surprising version. You don’t normally necessarily think of Take On Me as a romantic song, but you find the romantic cover of it.

BRETT MATTHEWS: Chris Moliere is really one of the best in the business at what he does. He’s exceptional. You think of all of the great song placements we’ve had over the near decade of doing this together, and it’s just amazing.

Do you think relationships in life are now less complicated for Hope, since very few people remember their histories with her?

BRETT MATTHEWS: I think I think the problem is, she remembers her history with that. And I don’t know, once that elephant exists in the room, that anything’s easy. I think in some ways, actually, it might be a lot harder.

Because, you know, friendships, relationships, ups and downs, you at least have that mutual history, and she’s in a really terrible position in the season where the history is one sided, and the burden is hers to bear alone.

So if anything, I would say it’s more difficult.

What can you tell us about what Sebastian is up to and how MG and Kaleb factor into that?

BRETT MATTHEWS: This episode gets to the bottom of exactly what kind of vampire Sebastian is. He’s a vampire from sort of the Vampire Diaries universe set in the world of Legacies, and what does that mean? Kaleb and MG are really the perfect spirit guides to usher a Gothic vampire into the modern woke world of vampires that a Legacies vampire exists in.

Sebastian is somebody who would be really comfortable having a beer with Damon Salvatore. MG and Kaleb live a very different lifestyle as vampires. It really is an opportunity for sort of self examination and reflection on some of the stories we’ve told in the past and in the same universe, but in a totally different palette. The world has changed so much in the short time between The Vampire Diaries and Legacies that Sebastian really is a vehicle for us to explore all those issues, and what that means.

THOMAS BRANDON: The best vampire to to create that tension in that and that contrast with MG. MG has definitely been the vampire who’s the most evolved, and who wants to change the stigma of what vampires are, and to change the definition of what vampires could be, and here comes this black-clad Gothic vampire straight out of another show there to kind of reinforce stereotypes.

It’s almost like MG’s worried that Sebastian’s out here making us all look bad. So he’s struggling not just with Sebastian, who’s into the girl he’s into, but he’s struggling with the fact that Sebastian represents a point of view that MG is trying to leave behind.

What has been your favorite part of Legacies Season 2 so far?

BRETT MATTHEWS: For me, the show is a joy. It’s about good things, and friendship, and the occasional tragedy. But what I love the most about this show is that if you have a good idea, we can do it. The show is elastic in all the best ways. It’s lighter, it’s fun. The show is exactly what I want it to be, and so that’s one of the joys.

Julie [Plec] has really created an elastic sandbox, and it’s really fun. I love the monsters. I love the characters. I love what the show is saying about the world. I think it would be harder for Thomas and I to illuminate things we don’t like about it.

THOMAS BRANDON: This year, it’s been the cast. I thought the cast was really good in Season 1, and somehow, they stepped up for Season 2. I’ve seen them do some really extraordinary work, especially when you get to be on set.

I’ve watched them approach a scene, and they approach it so thoughtfully. The greatest joy you can ever have with a writer is to write a line and then have an actor come up and deliver it in a way that even better than what was in your head. You feel seen and protected and saved as a writer. It’s like, “oh, thank you. You took something that was an idea and you actually made it real and lived in, and to the point where you forgot that you wrote it.”

BRETT MATTHEWS: It’s the cast; it’s the crew. It is the greatest joy for a writer. You write something, you put your guts on a page, and then people come along, understand it, and make it better. That’s really been the joy. I’d [also[ say that’s the joy of Season 2 is we’re not finding it anymore. We know what the show is. The actors know who the characters are. The directors know how the show looks and moves and so hopefully, we’re just another year better at it. I feel that we are, and I certainly hope our fans feel the same.

I feel very strongly about Season 2.

I think if you liked Season 1, you’ll love Season 2. That’s always the goal; to just get better every year.

You can find a trailer for tonight’s Legacies episode “Screw Endgame” below; some preview images can be found here. Our thanks to Brett Matthews and Thomas Brandon for taking the time to do this interview!

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rikka-zine · 5 years

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Teaching Global Science Fiction in Tokyo: An Interview with Dr. Pau Pitarch Fernandez (part 2)

3. Global SF class at Waseda University

PPF My first year teaching at Waseda University, I offered this class, calling it just "Japanese SF". And nobody signed up. Can you believe that!?

ーーNO I CAN'T.

ーーCongrats!

PPF I was thinking about how to set up the course. My training is always to look at the history. In my other literature classes, like I had a Mystery Fiction class that I also taught last year. In that one, I started with Edogawa Rampo and the last reading is Confessions by Minato Kanae. We had some Edogawa Rampo, we had some Tani Jouji, we had “Fingerprints” by Satou Haruo. They read “The Devil's Disciple” by Hamao Shiro. I wanted to have them read Points and Lines by Matsumoto Seicho too, but it was too long.

That class, I had conceptualized through a historical narrative from the genre’s origins, the Golden Age, Henkaku (*2 It means unorthodox, alternative, more innovative mystery. 変格), Shakai-ha (*3 Social, political mystery. 社会派), Iya-Misu (*4 Disturbing mystery. イヤミス = 嫌なミステリの略). But I thought that would not work for Science Fiction. The genre is so vast and so rich, it is impossible to do something like that in 15 sessions. It is impossible to give them a full history. Maybe if I chose only classic, English-language, male authors' SF, I could put together something that could pass for that. But that is boring, and I didn’t want to do it. I wanted to put as much East Asian SF as possible. I also wanted to have a sense of this wide feel. So I chose to go with a thematic sequence, rather than a historical one.

We started for instance with Utopia and there we read Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" and "Minority Report" by Philip K. Dick. Then for Dystopia, we read “A Record of Nonchalant” by Satou Haruo. You know that one?

ーーI know the name but only the name.

PPF Oh, you should read it. It is a short story from 1929. And it is basically cyberpunk without information technology.

It is a world where the social class is represented through depth. If you are very poor, you live very far down. If you are rich, you live high up. It is a story of a character who wakes up at the bottom of society and slowly starts climbing up.

I think he wrote it as a kind of satire. If you read reviews from the time, people were comparing it to Kappa by Akutagawa. So I think people read it as Aestheticism, or a kind of Swiftian satire. There are some ironic references to proletarian literature or the Shin-Kankakuha (*5 新感覚派 is a literary group means “new impressions”). The social criticism is very clear. But at a certain point in the story, the main character is given the option of turning into a plant, a human-vegetable hybrid.

ーーWhat.

PPF That seems to allow him to access the higher classes. "Thanks to having me turned into a plant!" Then he ends up living at the top. When I was reading, I was like, "this is cyberpunk." He doesn't know IT and he could not think of computer networks. But this idea of hybridizing the human and something else in order to advance, and sacrificing the human side... All that reflection about what it means to be human, when does one stop being human, etc. I think it is a fascinating story. He never wrote anything like it again. I think it was like a test, some kind of experiment he was not really happy with. But it is really interesting considering it is from 1929. It is very nice and crazy.

Together with “A Record of Nonchalant,” they read "Folding Beijing" by Hao JingFang. In the class I tried to help them think of genre and abstract terms like Utopia. All these connections to like religious ideas, or political ideas in utopian socialism. Once I got them thinking in those terms then they started seeing a lot in these texts. Especially the utopias. I think, at first reading, they may seem boring. But then every utopia has its dark side and once they started thinking about that, arguing, analyzing it... It was great to see how their image of the text was really changing. They saw a lot of depth and complexity there.

I think once we moved to Dystopia, it was easy to relate because it is such a common genre in YA fiction. Everybody has read The Hunger Games. So they could definitely relate to that part. But I don't think they had stopped to think about all the moral complexity behind it, and it was really interesting to see them go through those texts thematically. If I had done the historical thing, we would have read Satou Haruo at the beginning and “Folding Beijing” at the end. It would have taken a long time to connect them. But bringing them together with the utopian texts was very interesting. I think it works better for science fiction if I had them thematically. Because students are already familiar with the main patterns.

Another unit that I had was on Exploration and there they read "The Women Men Don't See" by James Tiptree Jr. And they also read a story by Nnedi Okorafor's "From the Lost Diary of TreeFrong7". That one appeared on Clarkesworld Magazine. What I did before we started talking about Tiptree's was have them think about fiction they knew about exploration. Indiana Jones or all those classics from the colonial 19th century. A white hero going into the unknown and discovering the natives and fighting the bad ones, converting the good ones, you know, that kind of very paternalistic approach.

ーーLike Avatar?

PPF That's a good example.

So once they were thinking in those terms and then they went back to really thinking about what they had read. They started seeing how Tiptree is writing on top of this tradition of the white male explorer hero. And she is totally subverting it with the narrator at that point. "That's why we get this narrator". Everybody hated him, and they said "I hate this story, I do not like this guy." That is the point! You are not supposed to like this guy. Because this guy, he thinks that he is that kind of hero, and you want to look for a hero in that mold in the story, but there isn’t one. All you have is these women who just want to get out of here.

I think it worked really well to activate that kind of imagery that the students already have in their heads. Then they could understand why Tiptree (who also had that imagery) was writing on top of or against it. She knew that you would activate those images, and she prepared her twist accordingly. You get all the shocking moments.

Do you remember the end of the story? These aliens appear and the woman who is the main female character asks the aliens to take them away from Earth. “I can't stand it anymore. I’ll just live anywhere else but here. I hate this place.”

At the beginning, one of the students said "Well, I did not get why we need the aliens. Oppression, sexism is bad. You can tell that story without the aliens.” But then we were reading through it and thinking about how the aliens worked in the text, how would the story change without them. Then I think the students realized SF allows you to move the stakes to this cosmic level, huge scale. You are not talking only about the woman having had a terrible life. You are not only talking about all women of her generation having a terrible life even. You are talking about womankind in the cosmic sense.

This is not a problem of now, or the next ten years, or the last 100 years. It is so entrenched in this male/female oppressive relation, that this character has no other option but to leave the planet. In any other genre, you would need a hugely dramatic speech about why this is so transcendental. In SF, you just need aliens. When the aliens are there, she just needs to say "I don't care where you take me, I just want to be out of the planet. Just take me, take me please."

You already get that cosmic sense. "Wow. This woman is ready to leave the planet. This is really bad and entrenched. There is no easy solution. Because if there were, she would try it. But she could not. It is too big for this woman to deal with. So she has to leave the planet.”

SF is not just about "Okay, Let's put robots here and let's put a spaceship there.” What I like about it (and this is something that you cannot find in any other genre) is that it opens up this space for its themes to have this huge impact because you are talking about whole planets, talking about whole species, and talking about the universe. This cosmic scale that makes it really powerful.

Another text I really liked to teach was "Final Exam" by Megan Arkenberg. It is basically an apocalyptic story but told through multiple choice questions. That one was really refreshing for the students, because they had never seen a story told in that fashion. Again, it activated all these images that they already know, like all the apocalyptic Armageddon stories. It is a good sample for the wide variety of SF. I would love to have time to watch Gojira, and read I am Legend with them, but we don't have that kind of time. But thanks to a story like this you can bring it all into class discussion.

I want the students to ask themselves: “What do I know about this already?” Once they have activated that knowledge, if they come back to think about the story they can see that double layering. I tried to find texts for the syllabus that would allow us to have this multi-layered reading. I think that is very unique to SF. I mean, maybe every genre has it. Maybe I should not say unique. But I think it is very striking and very rich, how every science fictional text shares in all this repertoire of images.

On the other hand, that can make stories very formulaic. One of the criticisms that I you often hear is “science fiction is formulaic, always repeating the same patterns.” I’ll concede that is a possibility, if you don't do it right. But if you do it right, the fact that you have this repertoire gives you this richness, that's amazing.

Every time I start a science fiction book I am thinking of all my science fiction knowledge and activating it. Okay, this is a galactic empire. Maybe it’s an evil empire and there’s a rebellion, but sometimes it's subverted and the story brings you to think "Oh, wait! Maybe the rebellion is not that nice. Why was I thinking..."

So how the genre has this potential to always keep you on your toes, while going back to this shared knowledge. I think that's fascinating about science fiction. It makes it very rich and stunning. I'm definitely not buying this criticism of genre fiction as very repetitive. If you read bad examples, it can be repetitive. But people who are good like Megan Arkenberg...she does such an amazing job, using all these references and then making something so fresh. I think it definitely opened my students’ eyes to the possibilities of SF.

ーーThank you very much.

*Dr Pitarch-Fernandez has never attended to any Japanese SF events. He has been busy for taking care of his children now. But he said that he would like to attend one day in the future.

He told that “We can’t meet Greg Egan in any conventions in the US or even in Australia. But in the case of Tobi Hirotaka, we can meet him. So why not try a chance?” (Tobi regularly attends Un-Con, a local SF con in Shimane prefecture and occasionally attends other conventions in Japan.)

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bthump · 6 years

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top 10 berserk quotes?

lol this is a tough one. ok i’m trying to think of quotes that are good in and of themselves, bc it’s way too easy to pick lines that are just representative of scenes i like. but here goes.

10. “Not good enough, just two or three broken bones. If you wanna stop me, you’re gonna have to crush my skull or pierce my heart. Just like you, slug!“

That double whammy of badass and delightfully on-the-nose wrt Guts’ black swordsman monstrosity.

9. “The power to protect someone and the power to be with someone are different.“

So in part this is just selfish lol because it’s one of my defenses against the “Guts, protector of the branded girl” shit. But more generally I do love this as a distinction and it’s a theme that we see a lot of in Berserk - protecting/saving people vs actually being at their side.

8. “Those who die on the battlefield are not royalty, nobility, or commoners. They are the defeated, who die.“

This is just a really cool line lol. I mean it’s relevant to Griffith’s focus on equality from an interesting angle, like it’s great as an insight into Griffith’s mentality. But mostly it’s just cool af.

7. “Don’t talk to me in that same voice!“

It’s an obvious little line but to me it really sells Guts’ inner conflict and how agonizing this reunion is for him because he still loves Griffith. And it highlights the way Guts draws a distinction between human Griffith and Femto/NGriff. Also it was this or the “I’d forgotten my urge to kill” bit and I went with this for the sake of variety lol.

6. “Because people fear the unknown, they speak the same words to one another. Because they fear the unknown, they distrust words they don’t understand. Because they fear the unknown, they believe in a doctrine. Because they fear the unknown, they reject other gods. People must cope with their world because of the unknown. Because of fear, they label outsiders. Paganism. Foreign languages. Different races. All manner of social classes. Everything that separates people is here at this place. And so is that which proves that all this is mere child’s play. The ultimate unknown. Yet… why is it? My chest is filled with… no. Everyone here is filled with exaltation. What a radiant chaos this is!“

This is a nice climactic speech to usher in Griffith’s utopia, and a pretty good illustration of why it’s not going to turn out to be secretly evil lol. At the very most there may be positive and negative aspects, but this is p emphatically portrayed as positive. Also it’s just an epic speech to punctuate humans and apostles teaming up, and I dig this whole sequence.

5. “Even so… incidentally… I found someone I really wanted to have look at me.“

Oh Guts. This is the heart of Berserk right here.

4. “May we run rampant with hatred and wild joy just to crush with these fangs the true light that burns us.“

The true light that burns us is such a fucking line man. Guts wants to kill Griffith for the same reason Griffith made the sacrifice. To escape their feelings.

Like, yk how Ganishka and Griffith’s final confrontation had that whole high fantasy, spiritual connection between godlike beings who are the only beings that exist on the same level vibe? Complete with the whole apostle instinct to love their god, yk kind of like some takes on angels’ relationships to god/god’s light, yadda yadda yadda? And the climax of the MF arc has that grandiose line about “it’s within darkness that true light is discovered”?

Well I picked this version of the true light line because I swear all that intense thematic fantasy stuff is straight up just a metaphor for Guts and Griffith’s mundane, very human relationship. Like NeoGriffith’s magic aura that draws people to him is symbolic of what Guts felt for him, and he felt for Guts, completely without magic influence. It’s a not uncommon way of heightening the intensity + significance of a relationship/love in general by paralleling it to world changing fantastical magic stuff, and imho Berserk is playing completely into it, with Griffith and Guts’ relationship specifically.

3. “The life you couldn’t take by your own hand, the life of the person you loved the most and hated the most! You gave it to us! So that you could bury your fragile human heart.”

The purpose of this line is to tell us why Griffith sacrificed Guts, and I love it. I love going into the Golden Age knowing this. I love how the Black Swordsman arc sets up Guts and Griffith’s relationship so effectively. It’s so good.

2. “Man takes up the sword in order to shield the small wound in his heart sustained in a far-off time beyond remembrance. Man wields the sword so that he may die smiling in some far-off time beyond perception.“

Berserk.txt. I love it when a story lays its themes out for you like a welcome mat, and this is a great one. Swords as coping mechanisms is right here.

1. “Among thousands of comrades and tens of thousands of enemies… you’re the only one. You’re the only one… who made me forget my dream.”

This was the inevitable first choice lbr. It’s basically a description of my number one favourite romance trope as the immensely satisfying climax to an all around fantastic arc about these two dudes and their feelings for each other. It’s perfect.

Bonus:

“I’d forgotten that the night was this vast, this deep…”

especially paired with the title of the following chapter, when Griffith ruins his life: “Start of the Everlasting Night.”

I just cannot get enough of that light imagery in relation to Guts and Griffith, and vast, infinite night as an illustration of their lives without each other is ideal.

(Also just include Griffith’s torture chamber monologue in this list in spirit. I didn’t add it because there’s like 5 separate lines I could consider faves in it lol, and also it’s obvious and I’ve talked about it plenty before. But yk, that whole monologue is side by side with #1.)

#ty for asking!#ask #a #b #Anonymous #griffguts #theme: opinion

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be17forever · 5 years

Text

My Honest Review of “An Ode”

Let me preface this by saying, I am absolutely a Carat, I’ve been a Carat since Mansae era, and I will continue to be a Carat. That said, there were a lot of things in this newest album “An Ode” that made me really think. I wanted to review and process my thoughts on the album honestly, as a fan, as a music lover, as a listener.

1. Hit: I don’t really think I need to delve into it because a lot of my initial reactions have been blunted since I’ve been repeating it pretty non-stop for a month now. Key point: I really didn’t appreciate the song much on first listen and not even with the whole performance. I mean, the performance is definitely impressive, but it didn’t really jive with the music or wow me in a way that “Getting Closer” did. However, I blasted it on speakers, realized that’s what the song was really suited for, and really came to appreciate it a lot more.

2. Lie Again: Hands down my favorite song on the album. It obviously cannot be a choice for title song, but the quality is really close to what I expect from a title song. Great choice for instrumentals, great catchy chorus despite it being a mellow slower song, good build up through the verses. Vernon’s part references DWC, and this self-referencing is what I love about Seventeen. It is the best part of being a long-term serious fan of their music, though I know it can be divisive because it alienates new listeners (though DWC was fairly popular, so maybe not?) This song is the follow-up song that DWC deserved instead of “Without You” (possibly my least favorite sub-song from Seventeen, ever, and definitely my least favorite on Teen, Age). The bit after the bridge is a bit of a weak point, but not super jarring to the whole song. Great mixing. I don’t look at line distribution for each song because I don’t think a measure of “how much” part a member got in a 13-member group really means anything, but nothing stood out as a particular problem. Overall, a very well-rounded and well-executed song. There’s really not much to say because I think the song speaks well for itself.

3. Fear: I hate saying negative things about it because it is the title track and I have been so looking forward to it, but there were some points that made it just lackluster. Some errors were glaring, to a point that I don’t think I’ve ever felt about their songs, not even in the early days.

First, some positives. I think “Fear” did really well in terms of synthesizing the R&B base with slightly Arabian/Eastern/Medieval thematic bits with EDM, hip-hop, and their usual rock elements. It sounds like something I might have heard on the radio in mid-2000′s but with contemporary elements that remind me we’re in 2019 already. This entire album is fairly consistent in keeping to the R&B genre, which is honestly a hard move for them because Seventeen has been more rock or punk-rock based for so many of their albums in the past. “Fear” has also managed to keep the HHU from pitching their lines too low. The HHU, including Wonwoo, are not naturally low deep gravelly when they rap. They can pull off that kind of sound in studio, but it’s really difficult to do when they perform live. That’s why you’ll hear them often just doing their lines in a completely different tone than the recorded line. I hope they continue this decision into future songs because it makes it less jarring to hear the rap lines during live performances. Seungkwan’s voice shines like no other in this song. The song really plays to the best qualities of his vocal style. I know lately, there have been accusations of under-utilizing the main vocalists, but no one can say that with this song because it is clear that Seungkwan was very well incorporated into the song. Jeonghan also really fit well into the style of the song. His vocals really stand out, which is a huge achievement for someone who was not utilized much at Seventeen’s debut.

That said, there are just a lot of things that felt sloppy to me about this song. Now, I cannot tell if these are mistakes or deliberate stylistic choices. However, some of these points are not just my personal opinions, they kinda go against the rules in a meaningless way. The mixing is really clumsy with the song. The beginning line from Wonwoo sounds a lot like how Mingyu started “Getting Closer”. But the glaring difference is that there is no musical anticipation into the part, nor is there a momentum out of that part before the first drop into the verses. There are so many quick fixes they could have done to the little instrumental that comes after his part to offset this, but because of the lull, the song immediately loses impact. I’m not sure what kind of effect they were going with doubling Joshua’s part. It sounds unnecessary, but I do like that they started absolutely bare with just the voice for the verse. It creates at least a little bit of tension into the rest of the first verse, which builds up by ping-ponging between more vocally artistic lines and rhythmic rap. Everything gets wrapped up by Seungkwan’s “Someone tell me, what should I do?” And then.

Nothing.

They recover the momentum that was lost through the whole verse, and then there’s just no impact into the chorus. It’s a real shame because I think “The way I love” bit is fairly catchy, so if they had a strong start to the chorus, the whole thing could have been really catchy. Also, the chorus is just a bit too short for “The way I love” to shine. Mentally, I wanted to hear another repeat of the chorus. Now, I’ve made my peace a long time ago with the fact that Seventeen just isn’t really going to chase after trends for their title songs. They’re not going to force themselves into a catchy hook just so the song can be catchy. But “The way I love, the way I love”-- that line is just so naturally perfect as a catchy tune, so it’s a little disconcerting that this wasn’t taken an advantage of.

I really like the idea of taking away the instrumentals and having Jeonghan just stand alone with that whispery, haunting voice to give a fresh-start feeling for the second verse and keep it from being stale. However, I do believe there was a legitimate mixing error for this part. You can barely hear his part during this section if you keep a constant healthy non-eardrum-perforating volume on the song. If it is that hard to hear his part, casual listeners won’t even pay attention to it. And the whole cessation of the instrument and how wistful Jeonghan’s voice is should have made this part the absolute high point of the song. You do not have to lower the volume so low on the vocal track to keep the atmosphere because you literally just cut away the backing instrumental and his tone is enough to give that feeling. I just have a difficult time getting past this as just a stylistic choice. The second verse is also quite boring compared to the first aside from Jeonghan’s part. Coups’s verse tries to give a little change on the rhythm, but it just doesn’t really work for me, personally. Then we move into the chorus, but it’s better this time because of the little “Oh, oh, oh” break and “The way I love” repeating.

I really feel quite neutral about the bridge. It doesn’t really stand out until it launches into “This is love”. And then there’s just a lot of overlapping elements. I’m not sure if they felt pressured into trying to use all of the members, or as many as they can, for this last bit, but there’s just a lot going on in not a particularly cohesive way. The two vocalists belting, for example, is quite impressive but feels like an afterthought.

The reason why this song fell a little short for me were primarily the editing choices that made me keep guessing if a certain effect was there intentionally or if it was a mistake. If it was an error, that is something that should not have gone uncaught on the first full albums in 1.5 years; if it was intentional, it was poorly executed. The lyrics-- I’m going to be completely honest. I’m fairly fluent in Korean, and the lyrics are really confusing. I’m not sure what kind of message they’re trying to send-- don’t love me, I’m poison, love me, my mind is corrupted, I’m afraid... If Woozi one day said that this was a song representing a conversation between two people or like a case of DID and two personas within a person warring, that would be a plausible explanation of what’s going on in the lyrics. And Seventeen lyrics are usually not like this at all. Seventeen songs have fairly elegant and figurative lines, cohesive story that makes sense, etc.. It’s part of why the song sounds good as segments (aka the teaser bits) but doesn’t really work together when it all comes together.

I do still really like the overall genre of the song. They were really true to incorporating all the elements they said they would use. The HHU, I felt, was more well-incorporated than they have been for the last few comebacks. Seungkwan and Jeonghan’s voices pop out like no other. And it’s really, really difficult to make a dance song that is in a minor key and using scales/progressions that are not part of the more typical, Western music and have it sound natural but sophisticated. I imagine it may even grow on me after a while. But there were just some choices that felt a little bit flat and unpolished compared to what I had anticipated from the teasers.

4. Let Me Hear You Say: I felt very meh about this song. It’s a cutesy song, and it serves its purpose. Nothing really stands out good or bad about the song. It reminds me a little bit of “Without You”. Let Seventeen have one cutesy almost-vapid song on their album, ok?

5. 247: Definitely not my style, but it blends well with the R&B theme of the whole album. It has all of the elements of those sticky R&B bedroom anthems reminiscent of male solo artists like Taeyang, Rain, or (for those closer to my age) Brian McNight. But minus the stickiness. I do wish that they incorporated a little bit of team element to it-- this whole song could have been sung by a single male artist and I would not have felt weird about it. A group should be accomplishing something different than what a solo artist brings to the table. This is my least favorite performance unit song from Seventeen, but that is not saying much because all performance unit songs are, in my definition, glorious hits, home runs, true bangers. This one just fell a little short of legendary.

6. Second Life: I hear the “hip-hop” elements... ok, Woozi, ok. I appreciate that Seventeen’s vocal unit feels more adventurous than sticking to ballads. This is also a quite meh song for me. The weird stop in the bridge is a bit jarring... to be honest, I don’t think anyone on the vocal unit could have pulled off the effect they were trying to go for, though. I think the lyric content is really warm and appealing to a slightly older audience.

7. Network Love: I love this song, and not just because I’m a filthy American 외퀴. I love the theme of it. I love the playfulness they have with the lyrics (“I 좋아 = 아이 좋아”). That is also another divisive element about Seventeen’s music that I love but sometimes alienates the public. The whole build up and drop into the chorus is just masterful. The lyrics are witty. If this was a group song, it could have been a decent contender for title song. The theme is very relevant and authentic. Honestly, if Lie Again was a little less perfect, this would be my favorite off the album.

8. Back It Up: We’re starved for a good HHU song, ok? What a great addition to the HHU’s discography AND this album simultaneously. I mean, my favorite is and will always be “Un Haeng Ill Chi” and “Check In” is also just so well-polished, but “Back It Up” is a great change of pace. I like that they just went ham on the lyrics, on the song, on the mixing. It shows the versatility of the song’s creators. The only sad thing is that the lyrics are so confident and ambitious about achieving more as a group, but in real life, this kind of drive and ambition is only expressed in the 3-ish minutes they have on stage and not reflected in the aggression of their activities and artistic direction.

9. Lucky: I wonder if Woozi is secretly on a mission to receive credit for the best use of pan flutes and bossa nova elements in a kpop song. He’s managed it once with “Fast Pace” and now he’s done it again with “Lucky”. It’s a very light song. There are a lot of things in this song that can be difficult to pull off because they’re not conventional, but it really works on the macro level. A stark contrast to how “Fear” fails to make unconventional choices sound intentional and cool. I love that the lyrics tell us to “slow down” and the whole song has that on-your-toes kind of fluttery rhythm. Light, bouncy, solid group b-side.

10. Snap Shoot: This must have been a strong contender as a title song. I’m almost mad that it’s not (even though it is completely contrary to the whole dark Seventeen/growth theme they’re trying to turn over in 2019). The choir starting the song off is perfectly whimsical. It really took advantage of many of the members. For example, Joshua and Woozi sing comparable parts in verses 1 and 2. But they sing it with their own flow and style, it almost feels like a completely different melodic line. And it works well for both of them. The chorus is super catchy. The concept of the song is really true to the times. It can really work as a summer or a winter song. Very universal, very likable. There’s absolutely no rule that Seventeen “must” do a bright, poppy song. I think that frame is something we have to keep resisting against, especially for older fans who’ve seen the peak of the carefree boyish days. But if we look at the songs that they’re really known to the public for, such as Aju Nice, Pretty U, and Mansae, they certainly have that brightness as a known group characteristic, and they’ve nailed getting a cohesive and inclusive group sound down to a science since those early days. So it naturally follows that Snap Shoot sounds almost effortlessly perfect.

11. Happy Ending (Korean ver.): I know people really want Korean versions of the Japanese releases because the Japanese singles/titles are great, and they show off new elements of Seventeen. But I am of the camp that if a song has lyrics in it, the melodic line must accompany the natural rhythm and flow of the lyrics, not the other way around (reinforced by my one-time brief conversation with Sondheim). Have you ever seen the “Kevin may not be smart, but he’s strong” meme? That’s what the song feels like to me. And this will happen for any song you try to translate into another language. It’s so, so, so difficult to keep the fluency of the words while retaining most of the original melody. Not saying it’s impossible, but this particular version did not excel in this regard and the new version only made me want to sing “Kikasete, kikasete” every time because the original was just so catchy.

Final thoughts: This will not be a make-or-break album for me. I still hear a lot of the Seventeen I fell in love with or grew to appreciate. Some of the b-sides from this album, like Lie Again and Network Love, were truly great songs. But this made the less stellar songs stick out even more in contrast. I did like that they’re venturing into the “dark Seventeen” territory more because as much as old fans love it and still miss it, the teenagers are no longer teenagers and Seventeen does not have to box themselves into one image. I really appreciate that they changed up the basis of their sound to the more R&B territory, undoubtably guided by Bumzu, who has quite a history in that area. And they really stuck to it through the album. Though not as cohesive as YMMDay had been, the album does play like the songs, for the most part, belong together. That is kind of a lost art in the kpop world nowadays. CD’s are for pretty packaging, the tracklist shows off the width of the group at best, and no one seems to care for how the songs work together in order. When you listen to “An Ode”, it sounds like an entire album. Seventeen is a group in kpop that is quite counter-cultural in this way. I also really appreciate the effort that went into the music video production. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but it was a lot of things that the fans had been asking for a long, long time. The visual for the music video for “Fear” is definitely striking and appealing. That’s a big part of the music in kpop, so it would be irresponsible not to mention how well the MV works with the music.

That said, there are few disappointments and choices that seemed questionable, especially when it comes to title track “Fear”, which should be their best song from the first full length album they’re dropping in over 1.5 years. As a Carat, I cannot be afraid to speak about things that are not working for me in this album. First off, I don’t have this delusion of grandeur that because I had some suggestions about improvements to this album, Seventeen members will take my specific words to heart and be so hurt and broken over it. If they don’t get the kind of reception they were hoping for, it can be saddening. But they still have literally thousands of Carats-- including myself-- supporting their future endeavors. Second, just because the members worked on the album themselves does not mean there’s no room for constructive criticism and feedback from the fans, industry professionals, and even the general listener. I appreciate all the hard work and sleepless nights they put into the album and simultaneously have things that I wish were thought through more carefully. As a fandom, we can’t label everyone who points out a few flaws as a complete heretic. That’s how we only grow insular and never end up reaching full potential. When there is no room for criticism, no more feedback and no desire for changes from fans, that’s when a group hits stasis. And as my old chemistry teacher (perhaps erroneously) liked to say: absolute equilibrium in a living thing means death.

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douxreviews · 5 years

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Legends of Tomorrow - ‘Nip/Stuck’ Review

"Gary Green is all the man we need."

This episode title got about 1000% funnier after the reveal of Gary's evil nipple last week.

I'm just saying.

Technically, this week's title only represents two out of the three plotlines. What we really get is more like Nip/Stuck/Sunday in the park with Neron, but it's hard to complain too much about it since it's both a solid joke and a pleasant reminder that the show Nip/Tuck was a thing once. Plus, and it hurts me to say this, the Constantine stuff was really the weakest of the three plotlines.

That's probably a good place to start. At the end of the last episode, Neron-in-Ray's-Body teleported away from the Waverider taking with him Gary and Constantine. I actually missed, at the time, that John had been taken with them, and so I was a little confused when we opened in the ice age with Him and Neron and no Gary in sight. That said, they cleared up pretty quickly that Gary had been sent to the Time Bureau, although why Neron would bother to do this was a little unclear at first.

Gradually, however, one thing became very clear. Neron is probably the most competent villain that the Legends have ever encountered, and his 'to do' list is shockingly task oriented. What Neron wants, ultimately, is his lady friend Tabitha to be released from Hell. Once she's out there's probably some idea about conquest and domination, but for now all we really see is Neron being laser focused on getting her out. Seriously though, how nice would it be if step two was just him and Tabitha taking a nice vacation in the wine country and getting a couples massage?

In any case, Neron has clearly taken a moment to troubleshoot his plan, because he's very efficiently begun from 'the Legends will try to stop me', reasoned that forcing John to use his magic over a very large trap will be a nice way to get them out of the way, foresaw the hitch of the Legends just calling the Time Bureau to rescue them and headed that off by getting Gary on his side and having him make the Time Bureau unavailable to help.

So, despite how things look at first glance, all three of the plotlines this week are just three different pieces of the same plan, and neither Neron nor the show feel any need to overtly point that out. Indeed, the most impressive part of Neron's plan such as we see it this week is just how not flashy it is. He's not showing off for anyone or trying to impress his enemies, or any of those common villain-flaws. He's efficiently anticipating threats and neutralizing them while simultaneously maneuvering John into the position of either allowing both himself and an innocent to be sent to hell, or to stabilize the portal to Hell which will allow Tabitha to come back to him.

And the ultimate result of this well prepared and competently executed plan? He wins. Absolutely, 100% Neron achieves exactly what he intended to do, with no hiccups whatsoever. There are precisely two things that happen which Neron didn't intend, and neither of them matters to him in the slightest. The Legends manage to escape from their snowy grave and Constantine decides to swan dive into hell to save Ray, and neither otf those things matter, as they have zero impact on Tabitha's successful escape.

The Swan dive into Hell was a nice resolution to a theme that's been bubbling away under John's plotline. He's repeated many times that he's a complete bastard, that he's a monster, that he's a horrible person. Because believing that about himself is kind of Constantine's character brief. But the emotional climax of that theme was probably the easiest thing to miss in this episode. We're told that the Puca only mirrors those that are around it. If you're angry, it's angry, If you're violent, it's violent. And when it's alone with John, it's kind. Judging from the look on John's face when the Puca heals his forehead, he didn't miss the significance. That's what brought about the change of heart that led him, the first one to board the 'Ray's gone and never coming back' train, to jumping into Hell to bring back his friend.

That's just a really solid emotional through line.

Meanwhile, The Waverider is trapped below 500-odd feet of snow during the ice age. Sara immediately makes the logically correct choice to turn power down to minimum so that they can conserve it as long as possible while they slowly freeze to death while bickering. How nice was it, by the way, that they were all wearing spare Captain Cold jackets because Snart left a supply of spares. That was just adorable.

It's easy to give Ray short shrift as compared to his team-mates. He's the sunny, optimistic one, and that's a character type that it's just way too easy to make fun of these days. Character's like Mick and Sara, with all their gruff cynicism are just more fun to watch, we tend to think. How wonderful is it, then, that the secret to the Waverider's escape was to find and embrace their inner Ray, turning the heat back up to full and determining to enjoy each other for as long as they can, because even if all they have is each others company, that is not nothing. The answers in the Cards to Save the Timeline game were a little on the nose, but I don't care. The Legends were saved by the magic power of optimism and friendship, and that's just fine by me. We need more of that. Also, please mass produce that card game, I want to play it.

Which leaves us with Gary and his hypno-nipple, Stepford Wife-ing his way through the Time Bureau and interrupting Nora's new hire paperwork. This is basically your by the numbers 'all of your friends are being turned against you, one by one' template, although it's very well done. It also must have been nice for Adam Tsekhman to get to shake things up in his portrayal of Gary, although I do wonder if he was told early on just how much of the plotline this year was going to be driven by his nipple. I feel like that would be a weird burden to carry. It's thematically pleasant that this plotline too was solved by remembering that you aren't alone. In this case, Mona and Wolfie. It would appear that Wolfie is essentially a separate personality from Mona, and can take control of just portions of her body to communicate, which is interesting.

So, three distinctly separate plot threads, all of which are really just different parts of the same plot thread, all of which essentially boil down to the idea that 'friendship is good'.

This episode just works really, really well.

Everybody remember where we parked:

The first stop for both Neron and the Waverider is the Donner Pass in the Ice Age. This is little less precise than they usually get, as there were at least five ice ages, and they tended to last for a little while. Things get a little more specific when the Legends trace John's magic and realize that he's 1.3 million years in the past, but that still seems like a suspiciously round number.

It also begs the question of whether the Donner Pass would actually exist 1.3 million years ago. Wikipedia assures me that the Sierra Nevada range began it's uplift 4 million years ago, so it's theoretically possible, I suppose. But let's be honest, they really only set things there for the sake of a few cannibalism jokes.

Next, Neron takes john to a 'Celtic village' in 55 BCE. That's 'Before Current Era', which is an alternative phrasing to B.C. although they both refer to more or less the same thing. It's a little odd that a show that's already confirmed the existence of Christ would use the more neutral term.

Quotes:

Nate: "And who knows what he’s doing in Rays name, or his perfectly grass fed organic butter-body."

Nate: "What do we do till then?" Zari: "Stress eat." Mick: "Drink." Charlie: "Yeah, how’ve you lot survived until now?"

Gary: "Let’s rap for a sec." Mona: "Is Gary cool now?" Co-worker: "That’s impossible."

Gary: "No need to stress. Unless your infraction is looking too good in that suit. Agent Reyes knows what I’m talking about." Mona: "Oh my god, I think she just swooned."

Sara: "There is such a thing as too much exposition, Gideon."

Nora: "My forms keep getting rejected because records show I’m fifteen and living in a mental institution."

Charlie: "Good thing that this Snart bloke kept a supply of supply of jackets though, innit? They smell good, too, actually. What is that, is that sandalwood?"

Sara: "Look, I know that book convention was important to you. And I’m really glad you got to go." Mick: "I’m glad you have Ava."

Sara: "Look, Ray would want us to have faith that we will escape. He wouldn’t want us cold and miserable. So right now, we are going to enjoy our time together. Let’s go."

Wolfie: "You will do no more harm with your nip-ple!"

Ava: "It’s a long story, but Gary took over the bureau. He nip-notized everyone." Nate: "Yeah, you’re gonna have to explain that."

Bits and Pieces:

-- So Tabitha is the fairy godmother from 'Witch Hunt'. I did not see that coming. Did they meet in Hell after the team sent her there? Are fairy godmothers all really demons? I have so many questions.

-- They seem to have forgotten that Mick likes Ray. That was sad.

-- It's out of character for Mick to question Sara's decisions. That felt forced.

-- It appears that Wolfie ate Gary's Evil Nipple. Is Gary still evil? He did choose to go with Neron at the end.

-- 'Gary's Evil Nipple' is going to be the name of my new punk band.

-- Dragon eggs need more heat than that. They should be kept on a fire because their mothers breathe on them. Yes, I am a Ravenclaw.

-- It's surprising that we went anther week without Wixtable the Dragon hatching or becoming particularly relevant. Perhaps they're saving him for the finale.

-- Everybody knows that Zari and Nate are hooking up and responses are in the positive to indifferent range.

-- Neron slicing his own throat was a really nice effect. And of course John couldn't not stop him.

-- calling John 'Johnny' was Dez' thing, not really Neron's. It seems odd that Neron is still doing it.

-- Honestly, the gimmick of John's ancestor being the one who was persecuting the Puca felt a little gratuitous. Like, they really only did it because they thought it would be fun for Matt Ryan to play a different part for a bit.

-- 'Persecuting the Puca' is going to be the name of my new punk band.

-- Back in the day, the Hellblazer comic's letter page was constantly full of the debate about whether it was pronounced Constantine rhyming with 'mine' or Constantine rhyming with 'mean'. The publisher was very clear that it was 'mine'. I suspect we've ended up with the other pronunciation entirely because of the Keanu Reeves film, which isn't as bad as you remember by the way.

A deceptively elegantly structured episode that comes down whole-heartedly on the side of optimism. What's not to like?

Three and a half out of four creepy nipples.

'Creepy Nipples' is going to be the name of my new... oh, never mind.

Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.

#Legends of Tomorrow #Sara Lance #John Constantine #Ava Sharpe #Ray Palmer #DC Comics #Arrowverse #Legends of Tomorrow Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews

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codynaomiswire · 6 years

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Random TTS/RTA Names Pattern

I started to notice this pattern as I’ve been tagging the different posts I make or reblog for TTS/RTA:

So many of the members of the main cast for TTS/RTA have TWO different names that they go by - their real name, and then their nickname/assumed name.

I mean:

- Rapunzel --> Raps (or “Blondie” as Eugene’s pet name for her)

- Eugene Fitzherbert --> Flynn Rider

- Cassandra --> Cass

- Maximus --> Max

- Arianna --> “Dare-ianna”

- Frederic --> Fred

- Arnwaldo Schnitz --> Lance Strongbow

(And though not main characters per se:

- Wilhemina --> Aunt Willow

- Montgomery --> Uncle Monty

- Adira --> “Weirdo”, “Weird Shadow-Lady”

And then most (if not all) of the pub thugs going by their nicknames (though we can assume that they have other real names that we are just never told about), possibly Pete and Stan’s names being the shortened versions of their real names “Peter” and “Stanley” (though I could be mistaken on this and these are just their real names, but maybe they could be their nicknames), and of course the Captain also having a real name that we haven’t heard (yet), with “Captain” being the nickname/title people just always address him by.)

Now, maybe I’m just reading too much into things here, because I mean yeah, even in real life most people have real names and then nicknames that they go by. Nothing new or special there. But...I just get the feeling that this feels so much more prevalent in TTS/RTA than in most other series I’ve watched? And I’m wondering if it means anything more than just, “Oh yeah, we decided to give each character a nickname, because DETAILS!”

I mean yeah, in certain genres like spy/detective shows, superhero stories, etc., you have characters go by code names or secret identities etc., but I don’t feel like this is so much of a thing with fun fantasy-adventure series like TTS/RTA, especially when a good chunk of the characters don’t really have any cause to have some sort of special heroic or rogue title/alternate identity for themselves (exempting Eugene and Lance here of course). Maybe I’m wrong, or I’m just over-analyzing things, but since we’ve seen the writers of TTS/RTA put so much symbolism and detail into their story already, I can’t help but wonder if this is indicative of some sort of theme in the story that either hasn’t been stated yet, or has gone understated?

Maybe it’ll never be overtly stated or anything, but I wonder if giving the characters two different names is meant to be a parallel to the whole “sun and moon” theme of the story, ties into the whole “plus est en vous”/“there is more in you” motto of the show, and/or how certain elements of the story serve duel purposes - ex. the black rocks being both their own story element while also representing King Frederic’s thoughts and feelings about Rapunzel growing up and not wanting her to leave the kingdom, Varian serving as both the plot’s needed antagonist while also the catalyst that prompts Rapunzel into moving on from her childhood and making King Frederic realize Rapunzel needs to grow up, has grown up, and that she needs to go and expand her horizons, etc. (hopefully I interpreted those explanations accurately, though sorry Chris for any misconceptions on my part xP).

It’s also interesting to note that one of the ways Eugene shows he has changed in the course of his life is insisting on being called “Eugene” as opposed to “Flynn Rider”, and that it’s characters like the Captain, the Baron, and Stalyan - who are more reluctant than others to let go of Eugene’s past - who (at least for a time) insist on continuing to call him “Rider” instead of “Eugene”. (Though the Captain does seem to go back and forth in calling him “Rider” or “Fitzherbert”, though I think he settles on that last one by the end if I’m not mistaken?) Food for thought!

Anywho, basically all of this is to say that I wonder if giving the characters each two different names is a deliberate, thematic act on the part of the writers of the series, or if it’s just a fun thing that they threw in for realism, or it just kinda happened completely by coincidence. Idk! Just kind of fun to think about! :D

(This also makes me wonder - if this is indeed a deliberate pattern - if Varian will eventually earn his own nickname or title later on the series since he has inhabited/will continue to inhabit (?) such a plot-driving role in the series, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see!)

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liesonthefloordramatically · 6 years

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Okay, since AO3 apparently doesn’t want my full essay of context notes dropped in the endnotes, here they are in all their unabridged glory.

(Link to the fanfic if you somehow managed to stumble on this accidentally.)

Holy cow, kids! We did it! We made it to the end!

The genesis of this fic was seeing someone complaining about Jotaro not using Star Platinum: The World that much and going, “Oh, but that’s obviously trauma though.” I tried to explain this to anyone who would listen, and then wound up accidentally writing 17k of fic because I have a surfeit of emotions about JJBA and trauma.

This is, by the way, the longest piece of fiction I’ve written since 2011. Holy frick. (Also my first time posting a multi-chapter fanfic.) I had a ton of fun writing this (maybe….too much fun), and hopefully you had fun reading it too.

Here are the long-promised notes since I’m an incorrigible nerd who put way too much thought (and research???) into this ridiculous thing. I don't think you need to read these in order to understand the fic (at least, you shouldn't if I've done it correctly), but in case you're interested...

PTSD - surprise, this is a fic about PTSD. PTSD manifests in different ways for different people (and for different types of trauma), but in terms of this fic, the main symptoms I decided to run with are: hypervigilance, perception of time becoming weird/sense of foreshortened future, dissociation, and sleep-related issues (although there are also a bunch of other symptoms that make an appearance). I picked this particular cluster for obvious thematic reasons (Star Platinum’s abilities look a lot like/interface particularly poorly with PTSD), but also because I wanted to write something different than standard depictions of PTSD, which tend to be focused on nightmares and flashbacks. I also wanted to write PTSD-related hypercompetence, because it's not something I usually see depicted--PTSD is often represented as declining functioning (I suspect in fanfic this has something to do with the tendency toward hurt/comfort) rather than being outwardly very functional but not necessarily in a healthy or constructive way.

Japanese religion, in general - I leveraged six years of graduate study for this fic, so all Japanese religion facts given are Real and Accurate. My personal headcanon (as is probably clear from this fic) is that Holly would be pretty gung-ho about a lot of Japanese religious practices whereas Jotaro is probably...lukewarm at best, and approaches them much like many Japanese youth would have during that time period, i.e. as customs that they don’t necessarily attach deeper spiritual meaning to.

If you have deeper knowledge of Japanese religion, there are a bunch of little Easter eggs hidden throughout this fic, but I’ll leave it up to you to find them. Have fun.

Spirit possession - When I first saw Stardust Crusaders, I thought it was fascinating that Jotaro immediately took Star Platinum to be an evil spirit--after all, given the religious trends in Japan at the time, that wasn’t an unreasonable assumption!

Spirit possession has a long history in Japanese religion, but it’s been most prominent in the modern period as part of various New Religious Movements (NRMs), many of which have been founded by people who claimed to be possessed by spirits or gods. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was an “occult boom” along with the emergence of second-wave Japanese NRMs, sometimes referred to as the New New Religious Movements. These groups tended to be based on the idea that the universe is fundamentally chaotic and you have to train in order to ward yourself from that chaos (which often takes the form of malevolent spirits) and/or develop superhuman abilities. (The most famous of the Japanese New New Religious Movements is Aum Shinrikyo, which was founded in the mid-1980s but achieved international notoriety with its 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway.) The official kanji for Stand (幽波紋) 100% looks like something that would be used by one of these groups.

In general, Japanese understandings of spirit possession don’t necessarily align with Christian understandings of spirit possession. Namely, Christian views of spirit possession seem to be mainly negative (as people are understood to be possessed by demons), whereas, historically, spirit possession in Japan was seen as dangerous but not necessarily evil. “Being possessed” does not necessarily look like the sort of “speaking in tongues, head spinning around” type of demon possession either--the verb for being possessed (憑く), a variation of which appears in the first episode title for SDC, can refer to a variety of conditions, from having a supernatural entity inhabiting your body (pretty “classic” possession) to having a supernatural entity attached to you or following you around to help or hinder you (maybe a little closer to what we’d call “being haunted” in English). While people could be possessed by harmful entities (or by well-meaning ones who are nevertheless disruptive), they could also be possessed by positive ones. In fact, before the Meiji period (1868) there were classes of ritualists who would get spirit possessed professionally--like shamans or spirit mediums. Spirit possession was excised from Shinto in the modern period, so some of these ritualists no longer exist (miko, for example, no longer get spirit possessed), but others--like the itako (blind spirit mediums mainly located in Northeastern Japan)--do.

There are some NRMs (Omoto is the first that comes to mind) that believe/believed that each person has a “protective spirit” (or something similar) that watches over them and can influence their lives in positive or negative ways. Through training and personal growth your protective spirit could also level up; sometimes this meant gaining supernatural abilities but it could also mean your protective spirit literally moving to a different level of the spirit world (from the “bad spirit world” to the “good spirit world,” for example). This protective spirit could be an ancestor or it could be a completely unrelated entity.

When we first see Jotaro in jail, he has a bunch of books on various spiritualist/occult topics, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that he would be aware of the ways that spirits/spirit possession were being formulated in Japan at the time. So I picked up that idea and ran with it as far as physically possible.

(Plus, I haven't stopped screaming since seeing the kanji for Stand so now I'm trying to pull all of you down into “maybe Stands are modeled on spirit possession” hell with me.)

Spirit medium or victim of possession - One of the big ways to divide up spirit possession is whether it’s voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary possession means you choose to be possessed; involuntary means it just sort of happens to you (and you can’t make it stop happening). There’s also the category of induced possession, which is where someone else makes you possessed (and then usually communicates with or controls the spirit that’s possessing you). If you think of Stands as a form of spirit possession, it’s probably involuntary (users, for the most part, don’t choose to be), and, in the case of folks who aren’t born Stand users (especially folks who get their Stands from one of the arrows), induced. But, on the other hand, how you’d classify it depends on whether you see users as constantly possessed (in which case it’s involuntary) or only possessed when they summon their Stands (in which case it’s voluntary).

Kamigakari, which is mentioned specifically in the last chapter, is a form of involuntary possession in which a person is possessed by a single entity (usually a deity). In the modern period, this pattern is most frequently seen among the founders of NRMs--often they undergo a period of extended suffering or trauma before becoming possessed by a deity that uses them as a vessel to spread correct teachings (through uncontrollable preaching, automatic writing, etc.) and right the wrongs of the world. They often go through a period of fighting with or trying to exorcise the deity before finally making peace with it and accepting their role as its vessel/mouthpiece. Again, took this idea, ran with it as far as physically possible.

Evil spirits - Jotaro specifically refers to Star Platinum as an “evil spirit” (悪霊) in the first episode of SDC. This is a pretty broad category in Japanese religion that just refers to spirits (not necessarily ghosts) that are evil. The term is sometimes (especially from the 1970s onward) used specifically to indicate the spirits of dead people who have come back for revenge (specifically tatari, which is too complicated a concept to go into here). (The more specific term for people who were wronged in life, died, and then came back to wreak havoc is goryou (御霊), but that’s mainly used to refer to beliefs and practices that were in vogue over a 1000 years ago.) Long story short, “evil spirit” could arguably mean that Star Platinum is the ghost of Jonathan Joestar back for revenge or it could mean that it’s just a spirit (not necessarily the ghost of anyone or anything) that is evil.

Are Stands actually a form of spirit possession? - I leave this as an exercise for the reader.

(Okay, slightly less cop out answer: for the purposes of this fic, it does not actually matter, because at the end of the day this is a fic about Jotaro coming to terms (or not) with himself/his trauma/his Stand rather than the exact mechanics behind it. One of the things I find really interesting about spirit possession is the way it's used to make sense of and come to terms with nonsensical and unbearable situations, so that's the way I've chosen to employ it here. If you want to read Stands as a type of spirit possession, I’m certainly not going to stop you, but if you don’t buy it, that’s legit too.)

---

I think that’s all the notes I have for now, but if you want further information/clarification/bibliography/context notes for something mentioned in the fic, let me know in the comments or drop me a line on tumblr and I’m happy to infodump at you until the cows come home.

And, hey, thanks for coming on this bizarre adventure (*audible wink*) with me.

#DON'T LOOK AT THIS UNTIL THE FRICKIN' CHAPTER GOES UP I gotta post it so I can link; you know how it is #Queenie actually says something on this blog #parallelism palooza #listen. sometimes you're in grad school for so long. that you write JJBA fic about spirit possession.#it's like. fine.#meta is fake; you can only trust your fists

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spaceorphan18 · 6 years

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hey! i'd love to jump on the marvel bandwagon but i have no idea where to start. what movies should i watch & in which order? help! x

Hello Nonny!! And thank you for asking me this - made my day, really :D

Well - the first thing I’ll ask is do you have a favorite character, or a character you want to know more about? Cause, let’s say you want to know more about Captain America - I’d sit and watch all the Cap movies, or movies that he’s in. If, however, you’d like to experience things beyond a single character well then ---

SO’s Guide to the MCU:

So, these are in chronological order - the order they were released, and this is the order I suggest you watch things in. They kind of flow into each other really nicely. Note: There are also a bunch of TV shows, too, but I haven’t watched any of them, nor do you really need to for an understanding of the movie universe. So, here we go:

Phase One:

Iron Man - This movie kicked the whole thing off in 2008 and is the story about Tony Stark becoming Iron Man. Tony Stark is a billionaire who sells weapons for a living, but when he’s kidnapped and nearly killed, he rethinks his life’s priorities. It’s a solidly good movie, and I do recommend starting here as it lays the foundation for everything that comes after it. It also kind of gives you a feel for how Marvel movies run, so you can get an idea if this type of movie is your thing or not.

The Incredible Hulk - Not to be confused with the (supposedly) awful film from 2003 named Hulk. This version of Hulk is not much better, and it i the one film that I recommend skipping over entirely unless you really want to see everything. Hulk is gonna be recast for Avengers anyway, so there’s not really anything here that connects to the rest of the MCU, and it’s not really that good of a film in the first place. FWIW - Bruce Banner created a serum that accidentally turns him into the Hulk, and that’s pretty much it.

Iron Man 2 - The continued adventures of Tony Stark and Iron Man. This movie gets a lot of crap, but I don’t think it’s all that bad. It’s not necessary if you want to hit the highlights, but if you enjoy Iron Man, I do recommend it. It also introduces Black Widow.

Thor - Oh, Thor. Thor is a demi-god, based on Norse Myth, who lives in a place called Asgard and has a magic hammer named Mjolnir. If you want to do your homework before watching the Avengers then I do recommend this - even if it’s a middling film. Thor and Loki’s relationship is one of the highlights of the MCU, so that alone makes this film worth a watch. Also, there’s a brief introduction to Hawkeye. However, it’s not necessary, as I made it all the way to a few weeks ago without seeing it and managed to understand everything just fine.

Captain America: The First Avenger - Captain America is original just a scrawny kid named Steve Rogers who just wants to do good in the world. The Cap movies are slightly better than the Iron Man and and a lot better than the Thor films, so I’m going to recommend all of them. This one is also is a solidly good film, it’s a nice intro to Cap, gives some background and depth to the MCU, and sets up The Avengers. Plus Peggy Carter.

The Avengers - Avengers, which brings together Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye, is possibly one of my all time favorite films, and I definitely recommend it over everything else in phase one. If you are a little iffy about whether or not you’ll like the MCU - maybe start here, and see if you like the characters, then go back and watch their origin stories if you are interested.

Phase Two:

Iron Man 3 - The continuing adventure of Iron Man. It’s a bit wonky, but Tony’s story is really compelling as he struggles with PTSD. I think if you’re an Iron Man film, it’s worth the watch, but maybe not if you aren’t as interested in his character.

Thor: The Dark World - Like the first one, this film struggles a bit, and also like the first one, the only redeeming thing about this film is Thor and Loki’s relationship. It is pretty skippable if Thor isn’t your thing.

Captain America: Winter Soldier - The best film in phase two, it’s Cap and Black Widow against the government in this high stakes political thriller. It’s a well done film that has ramifications on the entire MCU, so I definitely recommend it!

Guardians of the Galaxy - This is the MCU’s version of Star Wars, complete with scrappy characters. It’s mostly about Starlord, who comes from Earth and was abducted at a young age. Space stories aren’t my cup of tea, but this film is well done, funny, and sets up a ton of stuff that will be played out in later films. I recommend at least seeing it once so you know who these guys are because they will be back.

Avengers 2 - I’ll be upfront, it’s not as good as Avengers 1, but there are some good things in it. And it’s the whole crew back together again, which is always fun. I do recommend seeing it at least once since it introduces some important characters and plots that get carried into phase 3.

Ant-Man - Ant-Man is Scott Lang, a down and out criminal, who is recruited by a scientist to steal back some technology. This film is mostly stand alone, but it’s a fun little heist-comedy. It’s not needed for the greater understanding of the MCU, though there are nuggets in here, but if you want a light-hearted film to watch one evening, I do recommend it!

Phase 3:

Captain America: Civil War - Don’t let the title fool you, this is really Avengers 3. I love this film since it explores the various dynamics among the Avengers - especially getting into the heart of Tony and Cap. But even if you’re upset that it’s not fully a Cap movie, I strongly recommend this one since this film sets up so much going forward and will be referenced a lot in other movies.

Doctor Strange - Strange is an unusual character that represents the mystic side of Marvel comics. He’s a surgeon who’s wrecked his hands, so he’s forced to find new ways to heal and stumbles upon some seriously weird mystic shit. It’s a solid film, but I wouldn’t say that it’s a stand out. If you’re interested in Strange and his beginnings, or just a Benedict Cumberbatch fan, I’d say check it out! But it’s not really a necessity.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 - I’ll be honest with, I had a hard time getting through this movie. If you’re a fan of space stories, or just really like GOTG and its characters, I’d say watch it - but feel free to skip if it’s not your thing. It’s not really that good of a movie.

Spider-Man Homecoming - I’ll be honest, I’m biased and love Spider-Man, so this is an automatic yes for me. Peter Parker’s just your average high school kid who got bit by a spider and has super powers. (Though, I’m assuming you know this partially since most people know about Spider-Man.) If you watched Civil War and found Peter Parker endearing - yes check it out! It doesn’t have a lot of bearing on the MCU as a whole, but it’s a fun, low stakes, high school story that I think is worth watching.

Thor: Ragnarok - Finally a Thor film that’s good! Yes, I whole-heartedly recommend this film. It’s a great comedy, and finally gives Thor some good character development. It also has a lot of influence on Thor’s character going forward.

Black Panther - Black Panther is the king of Wakanda - an advanced African country, who keeps its borders closed to the outside world. Another definite yes! Like Spider-Man, if you found Black Panther interested in Civil War, check this one out! It’s incredibly solid, has really engaging characters, and is more thematically complex than a lot of MCU movies. I recommend it!

Avengers: Infinity War - This film is a masterpiece of everything that’s come before it. If you can watch it in a theater - I do recommend doing it that way for the experience. However, it does rest on the shoulders of everything that’s come before it, so it may not have the same weight if you haven’t seen most of the rest of the MCU.

Upcoming Phase 3 -

Stuff that’s not been released yet

Ant-Man and Wasp - After the heaviness of IW, I think this will be a fun little adventure story and already looks worth checking out.

Captain Marvel - MCU finally gets their act together and has a female character as their lead. This should be interesting, especially since Captain Marvel will probably play a big role in Avengers 4

Avengers 4 - The conclusion of Avengers 3, and the finale of the first three phases. It’ll be interesting to see how all of this pans out, and will set the stage for anything that comes after it.

So, there you go, Nonny, hopefully this helps a little bit! Honestly, the only film that I straight up don’t recommend is Hulk -- but like I said first, I’d stick to following characters you enjoy if you feel a bit overwhelmed by everything. If you want more information, let me know!

#mcu #Anonymous

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