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masterhandss · 3 years

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Personally I don't see what you see in Geordo. He seems like such a scumbag to me and is the least likable charater in the whole series. He is always trying to get her alone to push her into things of a sexual/ more romantic nature without taking how she really feels into consideration. Like he "really wants her" and thats enough for him without caring what she really wants. Honestly he is the borderline non-con villian in my mind.

I mean, it's okay if you feel like that. To each their own.

Hmmm when I think about Geordo being sexually aggressive towards Katarina, I only really just think of the anime. The manga is a much more moe-fied and toned down version of the novels, and the novels does an okay job at balancing his desires for Katarina in all aspects. I'm not saying he doesn't have that trait in the other two mediums, I just think that they aren't as intense as the anime, so as someone who consumes all three versions I just tilt my head and go "huh." Of course I'm sure there are people who read the manga and novels that still feel uncomfortable about his behavior and that's valid too.

-> light novel spoilers ahead <-

tldr, there is a lot more going on to him than just someone who offers sweet words and questionable invitations to Katarina's ears, this may not be noticeable or acceptable to some people but we get to know more about how he thinks whenever the novels puts us in his point of view. You're free to dislike him as much as you want, but I like him & don't see him as a scumbag; and here's why:

I at least find it okay that Geordo is very serious about his pursuits for her because he is aware that she is dense and will not get it until you spell it in the sky. Everyone is just walking eggshells around Katarina hoping that the girl would just develop feelings for one of them to win the harem olympics. He knows that being dealt with a good card isn't enough, so he's actively taking action in order to win her heart. I mean I don't always agree with his methods either, like the "fait accompli" line or constantly inviting her to his room alone, but really, how much of that is something he really means to do vs how much of that is his excessive flirting + our minds assuming that he really means to claim her in that way?

Lines like that are really popular with japanese fans because it makes Geordo look "sexy" and "forward", which they enjoy in their fictional stories. He knows that his position gives him an advantage so he'll try to play his cards right and use it to increase his chances in victory.

It actually reminds me of a scene from the Hamefura StoryMe game, (don't really know how canon it is but I remember the JP ver. was advertised by @/hamhura) where Geordo indirectly asked Katarina how to woo a girl he really likes, and Katarina thinking he was referring to Maria, gives all the things he usually does in order to win her heart (visit her home, give her gift, dance with her in parties, be really forward about your feelings etc). I'm not saying Katarina approves of the ways Geordo attempts to win her heart, but there's some hilarity in knowing that Geordo already had and is constantly trying all the known ways to win over a girl in the world from a young age, and still has nothing to show for it. Like no awareness, much less any *feelings* lmao. So trying to make it obvious that he is interested in her romantically and sexually seems like the next logical step to him. I mean if you go by Geordo's logic and considering the time period this takes place in, he's pretty confident that he can get Katarina to love him back and they are engaged anyways so in his head he's in safe waters to attempt to make teases about such advancements if it gives him the smallest chance that Katarina would become at least aware of him through it.

Of course I know that stuff like that won't fly here in the real world, but maybe that's why I'm so lenient personally when it comes to his (debatably) sexual teases and advances, because it's a fictional story for a japanese audience. Doesn't mean I would approve any advances like that if it happens to me, it's just that it's hard to take his actions seriously when Katarina or the story doesn't take them seriously. Like, the girl would be pushed down to a bed by RufuSora and gives her a hickey and she still thinks the man is out for her blood.

He wouldn't even be entirely wrong, knowing the identities of the characters who Katarina knows has romantic interest in her in the novels, actions does speak louder than words when it comes to her. Like I said, whether or not Geordo really means what he says when the story teases the readers with sexual implications in his words and action depends on the reader in my opinion. They are there, I wont pretend they don't but I'd argue about the level of intent depending on what scene you're talking about.

The only scenes on the top of my head where he is very abrasive towards Katarina is the "fait accompli" scene, the Book scene form the anime (S1 EP8), saying he wants to lock her in his room (LN6) and the multiple times Geordo had invited her in his room at night alone (LN6 and LN8, i think).

I've already explained why I am okay with both Keith and Geordo's Book scenes from episode 8 of the first season because they are accurate representations of an exaggerated and unhinged versions of their desires towards Katarina so I won't bore you with those details again.

He mentioned in Volume 6 that he wants to lock Katarina in his room forever and keep her light to himself, which alarmed a few people when the book came out, but he said that in a moment where he feels super grateful and loving towards her because she knew how tired he was despite his fake face and without even saying anything. It was a moment where he felt so infatuated towards her that he wished the moment where he gets to rest in her arms would last forever, thus he made such a comment. I make it sound more dramatic than it was in Volume 6, it was just a quick comment honestly lmao.

For people who don't read the novels, that last part looks very sus and raises a few red flags I know, but to be fair we can't definitively say what his intentions are because Katarina never commits to those visits. Katarina has actually become wary of those invitations, because Keith and Mary have warned her that Geordo's intentions are sexual, but I'm not really trusting the word of the two people who are most distrustful and antagonistic to Geordo. They could be right, of course, but who can really say? We assume that they are correct because they care about Katarina and are wary of Geordo, but hamefura('s novels) is full of unreliable narrators anyways, it's not like Keith or Mary would consider the possibility of it being anything else because when it comes to the third prince they always fear the worst case scenario.

If you think about it, Geordo is probably aware that winning her over with a "fait accompli" won't work at all because it'll put him in a position that will make other people push him for the throne (which he doesn't want) or could ruin his reputation in high society if Katarina or her family react to it negatively. I'm not Geordo though, so I can't really say if he even have such fears and doubts in the first place, that's just my assessment based on the obstacles he has. On the outside he is really sure of himself and confident (which he arguably deserves) and on the inside he is very careful and insecure when it comes to Katarina.

Also like, spoilers but for someone who is very forward when it comes to his physical advances, Geordo is super weak when he is in the receiving end of those touches. He gets super embarrassed and easily flustered when its Katarina who is touching him, as if implying that to some extent that he's all just talk lmao.

I don't really agree that Geordo doesn't care about what Katarina feels at all, in fact his inner dilemma in the novels is that he doesn't know what to do because in every step he takes he might do something that could ruin his image in Katarina's eyes, be it pursuing or abandoning the throne or looking like a monster in front of her. He even halts his plans to make advances towards her during the Keith Kidnapping Arc, but threw it away because he knows how much finding Keith means to Katarina. He puts what Katarina want and doesn't want as his priority, so when what she feels is unclear that's when he acts on his own intuition. The only reason Geordo feels so confident to advance towards her sexually is because Katarina never rejected him before (because she doesn't know what they mean, and all of this is for the sake of simply making her aware in the first place)

I'm not trying to make anyone think that one has to read all the books in order to understand him, I think the manga does okay at conveying his feelings too. The anime really prioritizes on making him look "sexy" for the japanese female audience, so anything he does is sprinkled with spice whether we like it or not.

I'm sorry if it seems like I'm overanalyzing all his actions just to justify them, everyone has the right to be uncomfortable with his advances if it seems too much for you. It's just that his actions, while over the top and unnecessary, are done to please the type of audience that hamefura caters to, and it's hard to take him completely seriously when the story doesn't either in my opinion. Doesn't mean he's right or that any of it is okay, but it's his method of trying to put a dent on Katarina's bakashield. When you're in a race versus your friends who Katarina all loves equally, he's gonna use whatever card he can get in order to win.

I like Geordo; I like how much of his feelings for Katarina forces him to reexamine himself and realize that he isn't a perfect prince at all, that he has lots of problems and flaws that he needs to work out in order to be someone worthy of her. I like the way he falls more and more in love with her in every interaction they have because he finally gets to have a genuinely and caring interaction with someone. I like how Geordo wants to do better and be better for Katarina and the people around him, and he wants to be able to thank Katarina directly for that through being able to show his love. I like that despite how much of a chad he acts in front of her, he's a blushing mess at the thought of Katarina returning his feelings. I find it funny when his "sexual advances" fails and gets thwarted because he's trying them on the densest person and most protected lady to ever live. I like how Geordo is so head-over-heals in love with her and how much comfort and warmth she brings to him by simply being her caring and bubbly self.

I guess it's just a matter of different perspectives. If you find him unlikeable or a villain, then you do you. I try to explain why I personally excuse his actions, but I know it wont fly with everyone. We all see each character differently and absorb the material in different ways. In fact it's probably a bad idea for me to defend him with material that isn't the anime nor manga yet lmao. I mean I'm not that much of a fan of Mary anymore, and I'm kinda scared and wary of her, but I know people don't see her the way I do and I'm okay with that.

Maybe its just me, who is the kind of person who just goes with the flow and doesn't think too hard because it's all fiction anyways

It's hard to tell all this from simply watching the anime, so I laid all my feelings down in hopes that someone out there would understand why I like him so much.

Thank you for the ask, you can ask more questions or call me out if I said anything insensitive or wrong, I know a lot of this is me overanalyzing things which might look like I'm jus stretching. As someone who is aware of the things to come in Hamefura X, I can say that I am both excited and nervous as to how everyone will react for the direction of Geordo's character.

#mh ask #hamefura #my next life as a villainess #geordo stuart #katarina claes #geokata #for some reason tumblr wont type the letter E #anyways there are my thoughts please dont hate me lmao #if you dont like Geordo then thats fine #im not forcing anyone to like him #i just wanna explain my own perspective thats all #DONT THROW FIRE AT ME #bakarina #destruction flag otome #hamehura #hamefura spoilers

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ravenclaw-craftsgirl · 5 years

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Explaining Houses and Such

Ok so I'm gonna go on a slight tangent here, so please bear with me. I will also use examples outside of Harry Potter, but those will be kept to bare minimums.

Ok so let's talk about houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

Each house is full of unique traits and abilities, yet why is it that certain houses have stigmas?

The first answer is 'well dark wizards come from X House so that one is bad'

No. Stop that. The few do not account for the many and Vice Versa.

Here are some ideas in my opinion for several failings of Hogwarts houses.

Ok so we’re going clockwise here. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

Gryffindor: The main house talked about in the mythos of Harry Potter. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s the one where good guys all come from right? I mean the books namesake comes from it, blah blah blah.

I enjoy Gryffindor as much as everyone else. But what makes a Gryffindor? Well the base traits given to us are that they’re very Brave and Courageous. Courage being the ability to acknowledge your fears and acting in spite of them. While similar, Bravery is the ability to stand up to injustice despite all of the adversity one may face. Short and simple.

But there is also a lot of negative within the house as well, as displayed by the Marauders. Arrogance and Hypocrisy.

They view themselves as better than everyone else simply due to the past accomplishments of other gryffindors, dating back to Godric. Their rich history makes them all believe that they are untouchable until reality comes in and gives them a fact check. This also leads into the Hypocrisy issue- they believe that they are higher than everyone else, despite the facy that several of their members have been muggles and halfbloods. They enforce the rules whilst breaking them constantly.

Slytherin: Oh I bet you’re thinking ‘ah bad guy house’. Stop. Slytherin house Has had it’s fair share of villains, but that is only due to bad plot hooks and the need for rivals and adversaries.

I feel the entire house of Slytherin gets a bad reputation only due to the ill concieved notion that ‘slytherin is the pure house’ nyeh nyeh nyeh. There is no such thing as a pure house, at least not in a public schooling sense.

Slytherin are defined by their Ambition and Cunning. While these are admirable traits, they are often confused for being inherently menacing. Ambition by itself is nothing more than the desire to excell within a task or to better ones self. Without ambition, we would stagnate as a people and get nothing done. Cunning, the idea of being sneaky and smart, is superb as a heroic trait. How often in a story is the villain bigger than the hero and they need to find a different approach? Famous folk heroes that always use cunning: Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes, various figures of Greek myths. Cunning is not inherently evil.

But these misunderstood people also have flaws. While they are cunning, this often leads to Paranoia. The thought of the same thing they do happening to them often makes them take drastic measures that they cannot come back from. Much like a fire, they quickly descend into paranoia until finally they have performed so many misdeeds that they can no longer hope to live a normal life.

To compound onto the paranoia is a sense of Entitlement. They believe that if they are smart enough, strong enough or crafty enough that they can have anything they so desire, even if they really shouldnt. This too will lead down a dark road as their logic becomes more twisted with everything they take.

Ravenclaw: Ravenclaws are often considered to be the most intelligent of the houses, wisdom and all. This doesnt always mean that they know what they are doing as they are human much like you and i. The house of least representation, good or negative.

Ravenclaw is defined by their wisdom and Knowledge, both mentally focused disciplines. They are often attributed as being Intelligent, but under the surface many Ravenclaw are packing as much knowledge they can grab into their brains. Constantly learning is often one of the pass times to ravenclaw students. On the flip side, Wisdom is often described from a ravenclaw as ‘knowing what to say, when it needs to be said.’ Often being those sought out for varying problems of the student body.

Like I said, they have the least amount of representation within the HP media, but they also have their flaws.

One of the biggest flaws of Ravenclaw is Ignorance. Often being described as the lack of knowledge or understanding, this is translated into their problem solving abilities and other similar situations. While they can recite to you the one hundredth place of PI, They can sometimes miss the point entirely by overthinking a situation and suggesting ideas that don’t contribute at all. Along with ignorance comes Indecisiveness. While they can sometimes easily piece together a solution, sometimes they get into their own heads, often questioning themselves too much to make a basic decision. They are the brains, not the heart.

Hufflepuff: The house that everyone loves, particularly for a certain Magizooologist and pink haired auror, Many enjoy hufflepuff as the ‘softest’ house. While this may be true, there are also quite a few things out of place.

Hufflepuff’s are known for their Dedication and Loyalty (similar yet very different concepts.) This is displayed by Newt in his escapades in saving several magical creatures and by Tonks when her patronus changes from a hare to a Wolf in light of her feelings for Remus.

Their dedication is often what makes them masters of their fields, with some often mastering multiple traditions and schools of magic in the same amount of time it takes a normal witch/wizard to study one. When a Hufflepuffs mind is set to do something, they will see it done even if it kills them. The same can be said for people whom they have formed emotional bonds with, many times being friends for life and being there for any major and minor events with the other.

Though no one is perfect. While they are dedicated and loyal, they can also be Aloof and Indifferent. As it is also said that Hufflepuffs often lose themselves within their tasks, they will tune out the outside world, much to the dismay of others. When a hufflepuff sets their mind to a task, it is rather rare for them to think of anything else save that task. This may sometimes lead to indifference as they think of their tasks, but this indifference can also manifest in daily life as they simply greet people in a routine pleasant way. They’ve become so accustomed to people and their ways of operating that they will most likely tune them out, a sort of auto pilot if you will. While not inadvertently bad, it can still do some harm to their personal and social life.

Now that I have said my piece, I feel that an afterword is necessary. While I do have my preferences, I sought to justify each and every house in an acceptable way based on observations I have witnessed. Often it’ll be blatantly obvious, but other times it would be subtle within the character of the persons in question.

No I didn't simply look over the books and movies, I researched the various characters others have created and seen the patterns that lay within.

I hope that this has shed some light on this subject, as I know and love how inquisitive the Harry Potter fandom is when it comes to matters like this.

With that said... Mischief Managed~

#harry potter #hphm #slytherin #Gryffindor #hufflepuff #ravenclaw #fantastic beasts and where to find them #newt scamander #nymphadora tonks

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sometimesrosy · 5 years

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Wow did you see all that drama with those Rey and Ben shippers and John Boyega who plays Finn? Now I have nothing against them all but some of them took it too far. So what John doesn't like a ship, there is no need to abuse him with vicious racist slurs on social media and he snapped back posting a video of their terrible tweets with everyone to see than they started playing the victim card even though they are the ones who tagged him in their racism publicly, no one to blame but themselves.

Oh rlly? I didn’t see the latest saga, but I saw the part about how they called him sexist for shipping rey and finn, and being vaguely smutty, which I think is hypocritical for a fandom that shipped r/ylo and made a mc heroine’s journey all about a man. And they were not nonsexual either. I saw those conversations. They were mocking him for portraying what they saw as the losing side in a love triangle (but it wasn’t really a love triangle and they didn’t win it if it was.)

I didn’t see his video but I SO believe it. And I believe they attacked him with racist slurs and then played the victim. I had a very similar experience in fandom on a much smaller level. I’m not famous, and I had nothing to do with the content created, but I also was attacked by a fandom of a “winning” ship in a shipwar whose fave then died. I have been called a lesbophobe... which is a very tricky thing because homophobia is wrong and the claim turns me into the bad guy, whether it’s true or not, the evil person, right? I’m the one who’s the bigot, according to that claim, and anything I do to defend myself is seen as evidence of of it being true, no matter my past history or present actions, and it was, in fact supported by straight up lies and misrepresentations. They did this by erasing my lived experience as a domestic abuse victim which I flat out told them from the very beginning of my critique. I was speaking as a abuse survivor on what I saw. They said no I was lying, that wasn’t real, i hated lesbians. And if it was real, I should be silent because lesbians were more important than abuse victims. And I also deserved my abuse and should die and couldn’t possibly understand the TRAUMA of seeing your fictional representation in fear for her life and having love be equated with pain (while being a DOMESTIC ABUSE VICTIM WHO HAD LITERALLY BEEN IN FEAR FOR HER LIFE WHERE LOVE=PAIN.)

1. not true.

2. invalidating the trauma and experience of domestic abuse.

3. Silencing and re-victimizing the victim, not just denying the abuse happened but then adding to the abuse.

So like they attacked JB for being sexist, and then go after him for what they perceive as his weakness/character flaw. being black. They try to silence him (to which he’s like, no i don’t think so) and destroy his character by making him the villain. Using his race as the weapon.

I mean. I mean. What could they be thinking?

Why would they say shit like that?

So, I don’t have a very good opinion of fandom. Some of fandom is fantastic. There’s no where else I can talk about my super geeky love of literary analysis and symbolism in freaking science fiction and fantasy (my literary nerds don’t get genre stuff and my sff nerds are not really interested in the literary analysis obsession.) It has been a delight and a privilege to be able to con y’all into doing academic literary analysis for fun, like I enjoy. I mean. It’s not a con. I tell you what I’m doing, let’s call it a “seduction.” lol. It’s also great to find people like you especially if you’re in a place where you dont’ have a supportive community. It’s amazing for creativity and fanworks.

BUT fandom can be like a pack of hyenas. People who want power flock to this world, the internet anonymity, the power to gatekeep, the lack of self freaking reflection, this misapprehension that they can create canon to fit their preferences and fancies and whatever they say is real, and the fandom that shouts the others down the loudest is the one who gets to say what canon means.

To that I say POPPYCOCK!

Canon is canon, bitch. You dont’ get to control it because you have the biggest girl gang with the fastest hot rod. This is not Grease.

Those people attacking JB, being racist? They may think their ad hominem attacks give them control over him (like they thought calling me demon gave them control over me [hint: it didn’t]) but what it really does is reveal their OWN lack of character.

First it makes it obvious that they can’t separate fantasy from reality.

Second it shows their obsessions are out of control. (take a break kids)

Third it shows that they cannot discuss canon or argue their point with logic or evidence so they resort to non-relevant personal attacks, which means that either their position HAS no evidence to support it or they are not good enough at debating to defend their argument.

Fourth it shows THAT THEY ARE RACIST!!!! You don’t use a person’s race to drag them unless you think that race is inferior. A person’s race is not a character trait, y’all. This attitude is RACIST. and if you didn’t mean to be racist but went along with the loudest voices who are racist... YOU ARE STILL RACIST. Maybe not in the lynching way. Maybe just in the Nice White Lady (NWL) way, which is STILL RACIST. Those are the kind of people who think black people should stay in their place and sit on the back of the bus and say please and thank you when people are being racist to them, and always consider their NWL feelings when criticizing them because no one should ever make them feel sad for being racist. Not that they want to STOP being racist, just that they don’t want to feel sad about it so please don’t mention their racism, and while we’re at it, don’t disagree with them. Please and thank you, oh aren’t you a nice POC. You’re one of the nice ones.*

Listen. Fandom may be fun and we may feel like we’ve found a home here, but do not EVER be uncritical of fandom. It IS NOT a safe place. Not only can you be the target of racism and harassment and abuse and targeting, but you can also be the victim of people who are intentionally trying to manipulate you into following them and their agenda. Maybe their agenda is just to have more followers who love them, but maybe their agenda is to spread their toxic ideas and destabilize the very communities that are supportive to people who are marginalized.

To be truthful, watching the Star Wars fandom become this toxic clusterfuck ever since TFA came out was what made me realized my experience in fandom wasn’t personal or isolated, but was in fact a FEATURE of fandom, not a bug.

Y’all life does not have to be like that. And neither does fandom.

*this is sarcasm. NWLs expecting niceness when people are racially oppressed IS STILL RACIST.

#ugh

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marjanefan · 4 years

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The 12 Days of Christine and the Horror Genre

Please note this essay contains spoilers for the Inside No.9 Episode ‘The Twelve days of Christine’ along with discussion of plot points of ‘Dark Water’, ‘Under the Shadows’ and ‘The Badadook’.

The Twelve Days of Christine has been the most analysed episode of ‘Inside no.9’ with at least two in depth Youtube vlogs and other blog analyses. This reflects the regard and affection with which the episode is held. However one aspect of the episode which is worth exploring further is how the episode utilises horror tropes to tell the story of Christine’s life.

The episode is directed by Gulliem Morales who has directed ten Inside No.9 episodes in its first five series. Guillem Morales made his name with the acclaimed horror film ‘Julia’s eyes’ which brought him to the attention of Steve Pemberton. He shares Pemberton and Shearsmith’s respect and affinity for the horror genre. He like them illustrates that it is a genre which is capable both of profound insight into the human condition and of artistic merit. I have written a previous piece about another episode Morales directed ‘The Stakeout’ that pays tribute to and comments on aspects of the horror tradition.

The episode uses soundtrack (including sound effects), lighting, and pacing in similar ways to horror films. In particular the sequence at the end of ‘April/Easter’ where Christine sees ‘The Stranger’ for the first time and the smashed eggs utilises tropes from horror to considerable effect . There are other occasions in the episode such as the sound of the car alarm/doorbell on the change between September/October (Halloween) where the soundtrack uses techniques from horror. The tropes discussed in this essay are not just used in the films I discuss below but in many different horror films such as ‘The Poltergeist’, ‘The haunting’ and ‘Jacob’s ladder’.

The episode also builds tension and mystery in a similar way to the best horror films. We do not know at first what is happening to Christine but we know it is not good. When we find out that Christine has apparently received a Valentines card from her first boyfriend who had been dead for several years we begin to sense something is not right. This is before we see ‘The stranger’ for the first time. Christine’s growing disorientation and distress as the episode is conveyed incredibly well.

For me ‘The Twelve days of Christine’ fits in with three acclaimed horror films which tell the stories of single mothers whose home and young child comes under threat from dark forces – Hideo Nakata’s ‘Dark Water’ (2002), Jennifer Kent’s ‘The Babadook’ (2014) and Babak Anvari’s ‘Under the shadows’ (2016). These films are set in (presumably) 1980s Japan, modern day Adelaide (Australia) and Tehran during the Iran/Iraq war. Despite their very different setting they all examine the anxieties around motherhood of the central characters and how these women have to fight for their children in often hostile situations and societies. Each of these films are each worth a deep analysis in their own right and can be interpreted in any number of manners. I recommend WeeLin’s analysis of ‘The Badadook’ as an example

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D02G8QWYXDY&

Horror often gets criticised for problematic portrayals of women and violence against women. There are certainly many films in the genre which are problematic but then this is an issue with most film genres. In these three films and in ‘The Twelve days of Christine’ we see rounded (and usually sympathetic) female characters who all have inner lives and hopes and fears. We see their struggles and their courage. Importantly they are also allowed to have flaws. They show the impact of social issues their central characters face. They take the hard work of motherhood seriously. It is worth noting that ‘The Twelve days of Christine’ is the one episode of ‘Inside No.9’ that has a central figure who is not played by Pemberton or Shearsmith and she is female. Not only that but Christine’s experiences as a woman are the focus of the plot. She is a deeply likeable and sympathetic character (unlike a number of central characters in other episodes!). Sheridan Smith gives a truly astonishing performance as Christine and she brings her to life wonderfully. (As an aside Pemberton and Shearsmith have written some really interesting and worthwhile female characters across Inside No.9’s five series).

The three films I mention concern women who are going through traumatic experiences who find their homes and child under attack from a mysterious force- Yoshimi (Dark Water), Amelia (The Badadook), Shideh (Under the Shadows). In ‘Dark Water’ Yoshimi is struggling within a sexist society to provide for and keep custody of her child. In ‘Under the shadows’ Shideh is contending with both an appalling war and a highly repressive government which has just banned her from studying to be a doctor. In ‘The Badadook’ Amelia is trying to deal with grief and mental illness. The forces that threaten the central characters and their children Mitsuko (Dark water), The Djinn (Under the shadows) and the Badadook all can be interpreted as representing and embodying these threats.

In ‘The 12 Days of Christine’ this figure is ‘The stranger’ (Reece Shearsmith). We first see ‘The stranger’ about a third of the way through the episode at the end of the April/Easter sequence (when we also see the smashed eggs). Then we hear his voice over the baby monitor in ‘June/Father’s Day’ where he apparently takes Jack. We then see him in ‘October/Halloween’ where he is holding Jack saying ‘I’ve got him’. Some people theorised that ‘The stranger’ is actually the ghost of Christine’s first boyfriend but Reece Shearsmith stated this is not the case on the audio commentary of the episode he did with Steve Pemberton. Shearsmith also discussed the work that went into creating the right look for ‘The stranger’ to make him look sinister (with his steamed up glasses and rainmack). Something that is worth noting is that on both occasions when ‘The stranger’ apparently takes Jack, Adam actually either has him or is collecting him. Could ‘the stranger’ represent Christine’s knowledge that Adam will now have to be responsible for raising Jack alone?

One important difference between ‘The 12 days of Christine’ and these three films however is that it gives a logical explanation for Christine’s experiences and who ‘The stranger’ is. Christine is not forced into a final confrontation with him. He is not some malevolent force but just some man who happened to step into the road. He actually managed to rescue Jack and is clearly guilt stricken at what has happened. He is far more mundane and human than he first appears. However his carelessness contributed to the crash which kills Christine.

Another apparently supernatural event that occurs is when the eggs smash against the walls and floor Christine’s flat during ‘April/Easter’. Eggs are symbol of rebirth and fertility so the broken eggs can be seen as symbolic of Christine’s (unsuccessful) struggle to stay alive. We see these broken eggs when we see Christine seriously injured in the car. However I also have my own thoughts on the eggs as a symbol. When we next see need Christine in ‘May’ she is heavily pregnant. We see her express her fears that the arrival of the baby will change and put pressure on her relationship with Adam. These fears are sadly realised. Could the broken eggs also symbolise the fact that Christine would soon be pregnant and her fears about what motherhood would involve? (These are just my own thoughts)

Wee Lin made an interesting observation on the significance of Christine’s burn which we see in ‘November/Guy Fawkes night’. She argues when Christine realises it was her, not Jack who burned their hand on a sparkler as a child, it is her realising that it is she not Jack who is seriously injured. This may also represent Christine taking on the wound on Jacks behalf, in effect ‘sacrificing’ herself for Jack.

In all three films there is a young child of around six/seven (Ikuko, Sam, Dorsa)- about the same age of Jack at the end of the episode. This is an interesting age as it represents a particular point in a child’s cognitive development. They still retain a level of innocence of young children while having a growing awareness and knowledge of the world around them of older children. They also have an ability to react and understand events while being too powerless to alter them We do not hear Jack speak but we can tell from his face at the end that witnessing his mother’s death will be an event that will have a profound impact on him.

It is important to note why Christine only remembers events that occurred in the flat. It was a place where a lot of important events in her life happened. Not only that but its meaning changes as her life changes. It goes from being her ‘batcherlotte’ home to a family home to her home with Jack. This fits in with Christine’s journey from her early 20’s to late 30’s from carefree single girl to wife and mother to divorcee and single mother. Indeed we could say the flat is a representation of Christine’s psyche. Horror films (along with other genres of literature and films) regularly use single locations to represent the psyche or characters relationship to the circumstances of their lives (such as The Haunting and The Yellow Wallpaper).

As noted before ‘The 12 days of Christine’ provides a rational explanation for all that Christine experiences and she is not obliged into a final confrontation. So what is the real horror in ‘The 12 days of Christine’? Several times we see Christine’s anxiety about her relationship with Adam and its eventual failure. We see her distress in her discussion with her father at the end of ‘September/First day of school’ at her feeling that her life is in a rut (she has been in the same flat and job for many years and is a divorcee). We also see her anxiety about being abandoned by the people she loves. Some have explored the idea that the episode shows Christine’s fear that she will develop the dementia that took her father.

This is why the end of ‘The 12 Days is so affecting. In her final moments Christine realises her life was full of love and that she had meaningful connections and times with others. Sheridan Smith’s beatific and peaceful smile in the final moments shows Christine’s realisation of this. She can at least leave her life knowing that she loved and was loved by others. The ending of the episode may be tragic but is not horrific. In the end what is so powerful about ‘The 12 Days of Christine’ is that it shows that even an apparently insignificant life has meaning and purpose and how each person is connected to each other.

As an aside I always recommend this terrific blog as their analysis of individual episodes is always incredibly insightful and detailed

https://dodoswords.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/inside-no-9-review-series-two-the-12-days-of-christine/

#Inside no.9 #Reece Shearsmith #Steve Pemberton #sheridan smith

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merryfae · 7 years

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Yall mind if I rant: The Sequel Nobody Wanted

The newest comic got me to question my stance on Korra/sami yet again (the dashes here exist to keep it out of the tags, just in case that’s still a problem). The short version of this is that my stance really hasn’t changed. (Also, just a headsup, I haven’t read my old anti k/s post in a long time, but it’s probably full of logical fallacies and the lot, so…what I’m getting at here is please don’t judge me based on what I’ve written in the past).

I remember when I loved LOK. Book 1, I was able to look past the flaws, because the tension, characters, and atmosphere was so good. Book 2, the flaws became harder to overlook, but the Avatar Wan episode was definitely an experience. Book 3 was an entirely solid outing, though I missed some of that original atmosphere from Book 1. And then Book 4. I was so excited for the finale, because Book 4, despite its flaws, had been pretty great. But through the majority of the finale I was thinking to myself, “is that it?” Like, don’t get me wrong, there were some good fight scenes between Korra and Kuvira, and Mako’s sacrifice was pretty powerful, but most of it was underwhelming. It felt less like a wrap up of the show, and more like a wrap up of that season. Nothing from past seasons really tied together with the exception of the spirit portal. Plot elements from past seasons that could have been integrated into the show were dropped altogether. I don’t know. It was disappointing.

So I was already in a bad mood, and the entire ending with Korra//sami kind of killed it even more for me. Because representation is important, no doubt. I push for it a lot myself. But not when it impedes the storytelling. The storytelling of LOK? Didn’t warrant it. This is coming from someone who, at the start of Book 3, loved the idea of Korra/sami. Their interaction in the car? Adorable. Asami sparring with Korra? Great. But there was nothing in future episodes to build up to a romantic conclusion. There was a scene where Korra blushed when receiving a complement from Asami. That’s the only scene between Korra and Asami that implied romantic intent. That and Mako’s whole, “What is with you two???” thing when they all go out for lunch, but goodness, if that wasn’t the most forced, inconsequential conflict I’ve seen in this series. I mean, if you have to tell the audience that there’s something going on between these characters instead of showing us, maybe there’s a reason a portion of your audience didn’t latch on to your intent.

The problem with every scene where Asami and Korra interact (aside from the fact that they don’t bond over internal, character-building struggles, and instead just solve external problems together) is that most scenes are just Asami supporting Korra emotionally. Which, okay, for another character, that could imply romance. However, Asami’s character is already naturally caring and nurturing. She was already a character who was entirely supportive of the rest of the cast, so it’s no stretch of the imagination by any means to view her supporting Korra with tea or her offering intimate support when Korra is devastated in the Book 3 finale as inherently platonic. And, given that she was a support figure already, Korra sending her letters that the others “wouldn’t understand” can likewise read as platonic. This would be different if a character like, say, Opal interacted with Korra in similar ways after her introduction, a character who did not exist to offer unconditional support to our main leads already throughout the show, and whom Korra alternatively exhibits support for in Book 3 (or maybe I just really like their air bending scene together. I don’t know. Don’t hold me to that one). And that covers basically all of Korra and Asami’s interactions – Asami offering Korra support, and Korra accepting (usually) that support. That is, aside from those short (very short) but sweet moments at the beginning of Book 3. Plus, Book 4 takes place after a years-long gap as well, so the fact that we’re only shown them interacting once outside of the finale in Book 4 really speaks volumes. Which is not to mention that, aside from that last scene they have together, they hardly interact in the finale at all. I wanted to like this ship. I really, really did. But not when the writing didn’t add up.

And then there’s the fact that Bryke’s claims that Korra/sami was intended from the beginning are obviously false. I mean, they’re on record saying that after Book 2, relationship drama had come to an end, and they were ready to focus on friendship. If I remember correctly, the voice actors had to be called back in after the finale had already been finished in order to include that last scene with Korra and Asami. It was literally last minute.

It certainly doesn’t help that I dislike basically every ship in LOK. I never liked B/opal either. I didn’t like M/asmi, and Ma/korra didn’t have the best development itself. Honestly, I don’t think Bryke are good at writing romance period. But I’m angrier about Korra/sami, because not only is it a relationship involving the show’s main character, but it’s the central focus of the scene that ended the entire show. Say what you want about Kat/aang, but at least that ship was planned and introduced beyond minimal amounts of subtext from day one. It was a consistent part of the story. And alternatively, if LOK had ended with Ma/korra like it did in Book 1, I wouldn’t be necessarily pleased with it, but at least there was a textual history there between the two.

And I hear the arguments about how Bryke couldn’t include textual evidence of Korra/sami because it was a ship between two women. Okay, point taken. I mean, they did admit that they didn’t even bother asking Nick until last minute, but I digress. But jeez, you could at least develop their relationship a bit, couldn’t you? Again, the only conflicts these two face together are external ones. Korra and Asami fight a gang. Asami carries Korra away from danger while Mako and Bolin fight off baddies. Korra and Asami escape/crash/rebuild an airship. In none of these scenes together do they have any meaningful interactions. Maybe you could count Korra grinning at Asami for two seconds while they rebuild the airship. Maybe. But they don’t bond over anything or talk about anything except what’s happening to them at the hands of outside forces (or essentially, what’s relevant to the plot). Hence why Asami’s offer of unconditional support of Korra in the Book 3 finale rings a little hollow. It’s just Asami doing what she’s been doing the whole time, albeit with a more emotional framing.

And all this could all lead me to explaining why I didn’t like the conclusion of Korra’s character arc, or why I didn’t like how Asami was essentially a plot device until Book 3, and even then, she wasn’t given any real development. (In fact, I’m actually kind of bitter that the show didn’t write Asami better. Her entire character basically revolved around A) the love triangle nonsense or B) her father/company). But if I were to go in depth with that, it’d take another thousand or so words, and I’m amazed I even had the drive to write this whole thing in the first place. In short, the show really is a mess.

Now, I’m only writing all this because I’ve seen panels from the comic. The first few panels I saw, I figured I shouldn’t judge too harshly. I didn’t see enough of the actual comic to draw a conclusion. But with the new ones out, it’s safe to say that the comic seems relatively out of character for both Korra and Asami. Seriously, maybe one sentence in there sounded like it could come from Korra. I implore you all to switch the dialogue and pretend Korra is saying Asami’s lines, and Asami is saying Korra’s. Do you feel the character-charged dialogue? Me neither. And anywho, I’m a bit frustrated people are hailing Korra/sami as the epitome of representation when it’s really…not. It’s hard seeing Korra develop into a nearly unrecognizable character for me, because she was the saving grace of the show from day one.

Korra/sami isn’t the only ship that’s frustrated me like this. I downright despise several forced ships in fictional media, especially when it’s detrimental to a character’s development. I didn’t like J/ashi from Samurai Jack. Krist/anna or Kristoff/anna or whatever the heck it’s called from Frozen was pretty awful. Several Marvel movies (of which I am a fan) have awful romance subplots (Sta/ron and Bruce/nat are the biggest offenders). At the end of the day, Korra/sami isn’t the biggest offender. It does offer quality bi representation between two WOC. But that doesn’t mean we have to like it. Go ahead and enjoy your ooc comics folks. Who knows. Maybe it’ll actually be good.

#anti korrasami #anti bryke #shipping nonsense #i really hope i don't come off as pretentious #as i gain more confidence i'm always worried about asserting myself #do i sound like a jerk?#also #my inbox is open so if you wanna have some polite discourse #hit me up #also also #did i write this whole thing only for no one to read it?#yes yes i did #and a headsup #i didn't write this out of anger #i wrote this because i love fictional analysis #this honestly started off as a one paragraph thing that i wasn't planning on posting #but i had so much fun i ended writing a bajillion words

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vividly-insipid-99 · 7 years

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countering the "13 reasons why I dislike the show 13 reasons why" post

I saw this post titled “13 reasons why I dislike the show 13 reasons why” and it brought up some very valid points. However, I felt that the person was being misled by the show. So may I present to you 13 reasons (11 really, you’ll understand why) why 13 reasons why is not sending out a wrong message PS : I’ve jumbled up the order of the points for my convenience :3

1. The American Foundation of Suicide Prevention has specific guidelines on how to safely portray suicide without inadvertently causing more deaths, and the series blatantly disregards those guidelines in graphically showing Hannah slitting her wrists. This could literally result in more deaths by suicide, which is NOT OKAY.

8. The show provides no resources for those struggling with similar issues to Hannah, which again goes against the specific guidelines of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. It is not that hard to do research and find these guidelines, so it is clear that the creators of the show had little to no interest in taking advice from professionals or considering the potential negative impact they could have, which is honestly just disgusting.

I strongly agree with points 1. and 8. Though show deals with the aftermath of suicide, and is in no way obligated to train anyone to deal with suicide, the courteous thing to do would be to provide a few helpful resources in the credits. It raises awareness about the same but doesn’t provide instructions to proceed about how to prevent it, which is truly disappointing. In the book, Hannah swallows pills, which isn’t as graphical, but still doesn’t safely portray suicide. I’m still angry that care wasn’t taken to avoid the same. Moreover, I’m embarrassed to have not known that there was an American Foundation of suicide prevention, with strict guidelines as such.

It isn’t a perfect show, definitely being hyped much more than it should be, but it isn’t entirely flawed, and it definitely isn’t trying to send out a negative message, here’s why.

2. It glorifies suicide by making it seem like killing oneself and leaving tapes/a note/etc is the only way to effectively send a message to the world, when in fact, the opposite is true – the most effective way to send a message is to survive, thrive and tell one’s story.

It showed how everyone dealt with it in their own way. Some realized their mistake. Some denied what they’d done to her, even during the legal confession. Some(Alex) took it very personally and attempted suicide. It shows us the raw reality of the effect of Suicide on young adults

3. It simplifies suicide by making it seem like it is a direct result of bullying, sexual assault, etc. when in reality the issue is far more complex.

Clearly did not. Suicide is caused by a series of incidents that pile up and ultimately crash upon you. The string of events was portrayed. We’ve seen Hannah tough at the beginning though rumors about her spread around like a wildfire, at the very first week of a new school. Then we watch her slowly crumble, when something as meagre as not receiving those cartoons in her compliment box crushes her completely.

4. It conveys other characters as unhelpful and unsupportive when Hannah tries to reach out, which could discourage viewers from seeking help themselves.

5. It does not effectively address the subject of mental illness, which is a major component in the issue of suicide.

10. It is highly offensive to many people struggling with mental illness and suicidal ideation because it never really delves into Hannah’s character, or portrays her as having mental illness (a major factor in most suicides) - it just makes her seem dramatic and attention-seeking, which perpetuates stereotypes.

4.,5. and 10. seemed redundant. Suicidal thoughts can be caused due to an undiagnosed mental illness. If anything, I think it breaks the stereotype that one must be diagnosed with a serious mental illness in order to be qualified to commit suicide. Her friends, family and teachers clearly haven’t been educated about these illnesses and have thus failed to provide her with professional medical care. I’d like to believe that your schoolmates will try to help you if you reach out to them, just as much as the next person. It’s simply not true. The show brings to our attention how ignorant most adults and young are about mental illnesses, how lightly suicidal thoughts are treated and how these issues need to find a place in the mainstream education syllabus.

6. Hannah essentially blames others for her death, when in reality suicide is a choice made by those who commit it. Yes, things such as bullying and sexual assault can be a main factor in suicidal ideation and mental illness, but the decision to commit suicide is solely in the hands of the individual. Of course, that’s the theological explanation. I think it’s obvious to the viewers that she was solely responsible for committing suicide but everyone else(except Clay) contributed their fair share.

7. One of the characters justifies her self harm by saying “it’s what you do instead of killing yourself”, which simplifies and glorifies self harm by making it seem like a good “compromise” instead of suicide. The show tells us a story. It doesn’t intend to convey that every single human is able to face their problems and deal with them logically. Self harm is an issue that’s been stereotyped. However romanticized it may seem, people do cut themselves to distract themselves from mental trauma. It’s all about perspective. You could see this and decide to cut yourself to draw attention, or you could learn that there are people who do the same and that you should be more sensitive towards them.

9. The school counselor Hannah speaks to brushes off the clear signs of her being a suicide risk, which is literally against the law and not something any qualified professional would do.

Portrayal of how negligently school counselors are chosen(if they are, even)

11. It does not offer a healthy solution or way of coping with traumas such as bullying and assault - the only “solution” it offers is suicide, which, as mentioned previously, the show glamorizes and simplifies.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS SHOW IS NOT A SELF HELP GUIDE TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE FEELING SUICIDAL. TEENAGERS AND CRITICAL THINKERS AND THOUGHTFUL WATCHERS. WE UNDERSTAND THAT HOW HANNAH COPES WITH HER PROBLEMS IS NOT THE WAY THAT WE MUST WITH OUR OWN That being said, the show makes us more aware of the way we treat people.

12. Hannah makes other people like Clay feel irreparably guilty for her death, which is cruel and inconsiderate, and not something most people who commit suicide would actually do. The show treats suicide as “the perfect revenge”, when in reality suicide is about feeling hopeless and sad and is a very personal decision.

Point well made. I strongly disagree with Tony’s statement of Clay causing her death. I’m even against how they showed that one clip of how things would be gone if Clay had stayed. Mr. Porter specially mentions that “You can’t love someone back to life” to which Clay replies, “you can try”. I call bs on this scene. It purely propagates romanticization of suicide. However keeping in mind that this is a story, not an instruction manual, I’m personally thankful that a character like Clay exists. He’s an accurate representation of those who’re constantly afraid of just being. From Hannah’s suicide, he learns to start afresh. He even talks to skye, after it all. He decides to put his past behind him, learn from the mistakes and grow which is ultimately a positive message. Note : I’m not in any twisted way trying to say that a suicide will teach us what Clay learned. I’m only saying that this was the case for him, and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how hard the circumstances or how dire the consequences.

13. As someone who has personally attempted suicide and knows the stories of countless others who have, I do not feel that the show accurately and fairly portrays the issue, or adequately addresses the main factors in suicide. To me and many others I have spoken to, it is downright offensive, lacking in research, and overall poorly done.

Again, as someone who has personally attempted suicide, I can tell you there is no clear cut reason to it. There’s is no accurate reason that drives you into committing suicide. There aren’t specific points to list out. One day, you look back and realize that multiple things over due course of time have gone miserably wrong. However, I believe sexual abuse here is a major one. New environment, an optimistic 16 year old. Mocked, offensive pictures and rumors developed within a week. Being excluded by those you thought you could trust. Body objectification that everyone assumes to be a compliment with barely anyone understanding how sensitive such issues are. Constantly being followed by someone you barely know, who could even pose as a potential threat. Again, having obscene rumors spread about you by someone you trust, in their self defense. . Classmates beginning to use you as baits, freely touching your body as they please, describing you with empty adjectives such as “easy” or “desperate”, making you feel like you have no say in it all. Your private and most intimate feelings being paraded over by someone you barely know, without consent and being broadcasted to wretched mongrels who fail to understand a deeper of meaning of anything at all. Being indirectly responsible for someone’s death, but too suffocated to be able to muster up the courage to say anything. Reaching the ultimate state of paranoia where you forget to trust even the ones who genuinely care about you. Helplessly witnessing a sexual abuse. Helplessly being a victim of sexual abuse. Trying to seek for help but failing to put your thoughts into words, finding communication ineffective and finding your own mind a dangerous place to live in, with no one to confide in. Are those enough “main factors” for you?

#13 reasons why #netflix #debate #jay asher #hannah baker #clay jensen #suicde #tw: sucide mention #thirteen reasons why #13rw #long reads

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Marvel’s Loki: Making Sense of the MCU’s Time Travel Rules

https://ift.tt/3gqwWz4

This article contains spoilers for Loki episode 1, Avengers: Endgame, and perhaps the very fabric of reality itself.

Nobody said time travel was easy. When Marvel Studios officially introduced temporal shenanigans into its cinematic canon in Avengers: Endgame, it did so with noble intentions. Our Avengers had to save the universe and recapture the 50% of the population that Thanos dusted away. The easiest way to do so was with a dash of Pym particles and an entanglement within the Quantum Realm.

Unfortunately, however, engaging with time travel means engaging with its rules. Now that the studio’s third Disney+ series Loki has brought the God of Mischief into contact with the Time Variance Authority and the Time Keepers’ Sacred Timeline, the Marvel Cinematic Universe faces the unenviable task of making sense of the impossible.

Through one episode, Loki has done a solid job of explaining the rules and stakes of time travel as it applies to Loki, itself. Still, some questions remain about how the rules of time established in Loki apply to Avengers: Endgame’s time heist and the rest of the MCU at large. For a proper example, take a look at these very astute questions raised by Brit in the comment section of our Loki Episode 1 Easter eggs article.

“Please can we have a Q&A article on this. Aren’t there already two timelines? One with Steve Rogers in the Avengers and one where he stayed in Peggy? (Editor’s Note: Phrasing) And a third where Thanos left? Either way, aren’t there already multiple? And shouldn’t Steve Rogers be classed as a variant as he went rogue?”

The simple answer to all of these questions is that, despite its interconnected nature, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is made up of individual films (and now TV shows) written by individual writers. So the events of Avengers: Endgame may not make perfect canonical sense in Loki. We know for a fact that Loki’s TVA adventure was not conceived of until Avengers: Endgame had already been written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. In an interview with EW, Marvel head Kevin Feige revealed that Loki stealing the Tesseract was never designed to lead into another time travel story.

“[That scene] was really more of a wrinkle so that one of the missions that the Avengers went on in Endgame could get screwed up and not go well, which is what required Cap and Tony to go further back in time to the ’70s,” Feige said.

If the time travel rules of Loki are to be consistent with the time travel rules of Avengers: Endgame it will be only because the later show retrofitted itself to work within them. For what it’s worth, Loki head writer Michael Waldron (who previously wrote for the timey wimey Rick and Morty) claims that the show’s approach to time travel rules are bulletproof.

“I was always very acutely aware of the fact that there’s a week between each of our episodes and these fans are going to do exactly what I would do, which is pick this apart. We wanted to create a time-travel logic that was so airtight it could sustain over six hours. There’s some time-travel sci-fi concepts here that I’m eager for my Rick and Morty colleagues to see,” Waldron told Vanity Fair.

In that same interview, Waldron notes that Avengers: Endgame presents the rules of time travel as The Avengers understand them. Perhaps this means that Loki will correct the Avengers in some areas and clarify the rules in future episodes. If that’s the case, Loki will have a lot of work to do. As we understand all the rules now, the time travel of Endgame does appear to be at odds with the time travel of Loki in several respects.

Hopefully, the show will explain away those inconsistencies. In case it doesn’t, however, let’s try to do it ourselves.

Why Were the Events of Endgame Sanctioned?

Thanks to Loki episode 1 “Glorious Purpose” we have one bit of useful canonical information when it comes to the time travel in Avengers: Endgame. When Loki stands trial for his timecrimes, he tries to pass blame onto the Avengers. But the judge presiding over his case, Ravonna Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), tells Loki that everything the Avengers did was supposed to happen.

How can that be the case though? Just about everything that The Avengers did appears to fly in the face of the Time Keepers’ mission of maintaining the Sacred Timeline. Tony and Steve’s team sent no fewer than 11 individuals back in time to three distinct time periods. They then removed sacred objects from those time streams, brought them back to the present, used them, then returned them to their appropriate locations in time. How on Earth did that not create dozens if not hundreds of new timelines that threaten the singular supremacy of the Sacred Timeline?

I’ve got two potential explanations for that, both of which are imperfect and flawed. But absent further information from Loki, they might be the best we can do for now.

The first option is that perhaps the TVA is oversimplifying how neat and tidy the Sacred Timeline looks. Within the TVA offices, the visual representation of the Sacred Timeline is a single straight line on their computer monitors, with potentially dangerous new timelines being represented by jagged fresh lines branching off from the main line. While this is a helpful visual for the TVA office drones to keep an eye on things, it might not represent the full reality of the Sacred Timeline.

The Sacred Timeline may be a gnarled, ugly beast with one long branch spreading out into infinity and smaller twigs doubling back on themselves along the big branch. This would mean that it’s possible for time travel within the Sacred Timeline as long as it’s occurring on the Sacred’s Timeline main branch and with the Time Keepers’ blessing. Why would the Time Keepers sanction some time travels and deem others as unacceptable Nexus events? That’s anyone’s guess.

The other possibility comes from a theory within Endgame itself. The closest that Marvel’s Infinity Saga conclusion gets to addressing the “rules” of time travel is via a conversation among Scott Lang, James “Rhodey” Rhodes, and Bruce Banner. All three men have their opinions on time travel, but the film gives Bruce the final word, subtly suggesting that it’s his interpretation that’s correct. Here is what he has to say:

“Time doesn’t work that way. Changing the past doesn’t change the future. Think about it, if you travel to the past, that past becomes your future and your former present becomes the past, which can’t now be changed by your new future.”

Let’s call this the Subjective Theory of MCU Time Travel. A certain kind of time travel is allowed and effective as long as the time traveller understands that the nature of time comes down to their subjective experience of it. Bruce Banner can’t create a new timeline when traveling to the past because he’s aware that the past is now a part of his own subjective future. As long as his story ends up where it’s supposed to be, which is to say activating the Infinity Gauntlet in 2023, then everything will be ok.

And that brings us to a certain time traveling lothario…

Why Didn’t Steve Rogers Create A New Timeline?

The idea that Steve Rogers didn’t create a new, unsanctioned timeline by living out an entirely new life with his lost love Peggy Carter is truly baffling. If Loki can create a Nexus event by picking up the Tesseract, how can Steve Rogers abandoning Captaining America in favor of smooching Peggy for 50+ years not?

Well, maybe we can make sense of this by combining our two theories above. For starters, the Sacred Timeline has to accommodate for other smaller, sanctioned timelines within itself – it just has to! Any decision you do or do not make creates new possibilities and new universes. When you choose to wear a blue shirt in the morning as opposed to a red shirt, you are creating an entirely new unseen universe in which you wore that red shirt (and probably won the lottery or something, I don’t know).

Going back to that gnarled branch analogy from before: perhaps the Sacred Timeline isn’t so much of a single line but a series of lines contained within a larger line – fiber optic cable-style. Steve Rogers going back in time and living out a new life is just part of one of the smaller, sanctioned lines clinging onto the main one.

There’s also the reality that Steve did what he was required to do at the end of the day. Having delivered all of the Stones back to their respective places he returned to the present an aged man (and looking like Joe Biden). He then presumably passed away peacefully of natural causes in the timeline that he was supposed to die in at the precisely correct point.

Loki: Is the TVA The Most Powerful Entity in the MCU?

By Alec Bojalad

Loki’s Success Hinges on Marvel TV’s New Storytelling Strategy

By Kayti Burt

That new past was Steve’s future like Bruce said it would be. Therefore it affected only him. What of all the people Steve interacted with in his new life though? It’s possible that they just dissipated away once Steve returned to the present or their lives carried on normally inside a pocket universe contained within the Sacred Timeline. There’s also a darker possibility that the TVA had to go in and liquidate that whole timeline once Steve had exited it. Sharp-eyed viewers have spotted what looks to be Peggy Carter in Variant prison garb in the background of Loki’s first episode.

That would be a pretty upsetting conclusion to Steve and Peggy’s character arcs, but it would resolve the temporal headaches created by his time travels in the ruthlessly unsentimental way that only the TVA can pull off.

Why Are Variants Allowed on the Sacred Timeline?

At the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, there is at least one Variant from a separate timeline existing within the Sacred Timeline. That is, of course, the Guardians of the Galaxy’s Gamora. Thanks to the Avengers’ meddling, she arrived in the Sacred Timeline alongside Variant versions of her “father” Thanos and her “sister” Nebula. Variant Thanos and Variant Nebula are eventually dispatched by the Avengers but Gamora remains behind as a curious sideways world version of herself in a new reality. How is this allowed?

The answer to this is a very well-reasoned “because the Time Keepers said so.” As far as we understand it, the Time Keepers only goal is to maintain the sanctity of the Sacred Timeline. If that means bringing in reinforcements from other timelines, then so be it.

But wait a minute, Alec, you just said “other timelines.” How could Variant versions of Thanos and Gamora even exist on a separate timeline to join the Sacred Timeline if the TVA is so adamant on stamping out other timelines? I don’t know, man. My head hurts. It likely goes back once again to that “big branch” or “fiber optic” cable analogy though. It’s quite simply not possible for there to not be alternate timelines once time travel comes into play. So those timelines have to exist as appropriate branches attached to the main branch. Those Variant Gamoras, Nebulas, and Thanos were therefore never Variants to begin with. They were merely different aspects of the same character from different parts of the same timeline.

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Is this all complicated? Yep. Does it make perfect sense to me? Absolutely not. That doesn’t change the fact, however, that there is one unshakable tenet of the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon when it comes to time travel now thanks to Loki. And that’s that the events of Avengers: Endgame happened exactly as the time stream needed them to. Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanov, and company are not Variants. No one went “rogue.” That reality makes it harder to fully understand and explain away why dozens of Nexus events weren’t created by their actions. But explain it away we must, because the Time Keepers say so.

Loki airs new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.

The post Marvel’s Loki: Making Sense of the MCU’s Time Travel Rules appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2Tku0fl

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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nazih-fares · 7 years

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A while ago, I finished an interesting written by my colleague Jason Schreier over at Kotaku called Blood, Sweat and Pixel, telling the stories and problems of 10 different AAA and indie developers faced when creating their games. One of the chapter was all about Destiny, and it got me realize how much one of the biggest commercial successes of recent years, was a flawed title that took almost three years to get on solid grounds, numerous studio creative changes, but yet became something that involved a huge community of players all around the world including myself (proud hunter right here). Despite somewhat lukewarm criticism and negative feedback from early adopters, this shooter like no other has found its way, after a series of free updates, 2 DLCs and 2 expansion packs (The Taken King and Rise of Iron). Now almost 3 years after its first release, comes the sequel, Destiny 2, a way to fix many core issues from the original and hopefully start off fresh.

To say that the first Destiny was criticized by the press and players is something lots know already. This merge between MMO and FPS had lots of flaws during the past three years: a story badly written and incomprehensible unless you visited the Bungie site (to read Grimoire cards), grindy, too expensive with all the DLCs, and let’s not forget about the plethora of bugs that whether were abused for good intention or not is a different story (I’m looking at you all Raid cheesers). Nevertheless, players stuck around, and devout Guardians continued to voice their discontent at the game, in hope that Bungie will listen, but it seems they had other plans: create a sequel that will become a fresh start for everyone. Now clocking more than 35 hours of play in Destiny 2 (a shy number in comparison to my 923 hours on the first Destiny), trying a plethora of activities, finding new loot, I’m pretty sure there is still much to discover, but at least I can say one thing: Destiny 2 deserves your time, because it finally fixes some of the core issues of its predecessor.

Throughout my reading of Blood, Sweat and Pixel, I learned the main issue behind Destiny’s rather lack of story. Months before the first planned release of the game, Bungie studio executives had asked that the script be rewritten, due to a lack of clarity from the original one. Too linear, according to them, this new change of order had consequences on the development of the game, as one could imagine, and sadly Bungie gave birth to game that was praised for its shooting mechanics but pretty much nothing else. As sad thing, coming from the studio that create epic stories of challenges and rise to power (the Halo series), but throughout the 3 years of the first Destiny, The Taken King and Rise of Iron became a testing ground to put some sense in the lore of the game and its rich story (and plus we got amazing content creators like My name is Byf decrypting and explaining the lore better than the game makers). With Destiny 2, the studio had the chance to start on a good foundation, almost reminding us of the days of Blizzard’s World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, a clean wipe for everyone, so they build upon what worked and what needed to be fixed.

Destiny 2 takes place a small year after the SIVA crisis introduced in Destiny: Rise of Iron. Crota and Oryx are just bad memories (or good memories for you accomplished raiders), and the game recounts a short summary of your past exploits in the previous version, if you played it. It recalls the date of your rebirth on Earth Cosmodrome; the day you triumphed over the Darkness in the heart of the Black Garden, your first victory in the Vault of Glass raid; the day you reached the Lighthouse on Mercury; when you became an Iron Lord; and so on. It is also an opportunity to remember with whom some of these accomplishments have been done, and like many Destiny players around the world probably believe: the experience is not necessarily to know how you play, nut with whom you play. This small introduction was therefore quite moving, I must admit, enough to almost shed a tear among those who spent hundreds of hours on the first opus. The newcomers though, will be introduced to the universe of Destiny by a summary of the previous events in a well done, if not better than actually playing the first game. Destiny 2 did well to differentiate between the veterans and the beginners, adapting the numerous dialogues of the game; incorporating the enormous – hidden – lore of the series in an easier way for new Guardian, who can thus discover a brand new world. The others, who have known the horrors of The Dark Below, fought the blight of the Takens and saw the snowing peaks of Felwinter are treated as they should: as Destiny Veterans.

The script of Destiny 2 is finally quite simple in its own way. The last city on earth, still standing since its creation, is suddenly attacked by the Red Legion, an elite faction of the Cabal Empire. Encountered in the first game, the Cabals had until then constituted only a vague threat; a few outposts on Mars were filled with exhausted troops, but never truly a representation of the terrible power of this military empire. The Guardians are rapidly outnumbered and the city falls into the hands of the invader; the player, in a final desperate attempt, tries to attack the mothership and falls head-to-head with Dominus Ghaul, the leader of the Red Legion. You then understands that Ghaul’s aims is to seek out the power of the Traveller, a divine entity that has been dormant for centuries, after protecting humanity and to whom the Guardians owe their powers. What happens next is that Ghaul encloses the sphere god in a sort of gigantic harness, which has the effect of depriving all the Guardians of their Light, becoming vulnerable and mortal, and are eliminated one after the other, while the few survivors are forced to retreat.

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In short, Destiny 2 tells the story of the Guardians’ long struggle to get back their City, free the Traveler, and triumph over the Red Legion while getting back their lost powers. Without telling you too much, know that the adventure will lead you to four corners of the solar system, like the first episode, but this time to organize the resistance or counter-attack. Overall, the game has some solid good writing and offers some of the most epic moments of the series, probably because of a switch in creative writing leads, including Senior Narrative Lead Jason Harris. Well served by numerous cinematic and plenty of dialogues with new and old characters, the plot progresses at a good rhythm and remains clear, from the beginning to the end. Screenwriters also had the good idea to include the point of view of the other side; with a set of cinematics that show what’s going on with Ghaul while you progress through the story, and obviously helps understand the Red Legion’s intentions, and their final goal. If it never really surprises, this campaign has the merit of being straight to the point and even emotional, recalling what the studio did better back in the early 2000s, as we remember the epic stories of Halo to Halo Reach. The first moments of this defeat against the Red Legion reminded me of Halo Reach’s eight campaign mission New Alexandria, in which the Noble-6 landed wounded and almost unarmed, in a city invaded by the Covenants forces. Destiny 2 however, retains its own identity, avoiding to pour the theme too much into the suffering of humanity, with dramatic moments, well served by an excellent soundtrack done by Skye Lewin, Michael Salvatori and others… Some tracks are fit of epic movies, and I can’t stress on how amazing they are in terms of composition but also variety, so I’ve included a sample of one of my favorite one which you can hear below. Plus, I’d like to thank whoever was in charge of the sound effects this time, as the weapons aroused my senses, like the low throbs of the Graviton Lance pulse rifle, or the volley of rockets coming out of the Wardcliff Coil rocket launcher.

While Destiny 2 is all about a fresh start, the game still uses key characters known to fans, such as the trio of Zavala, Ikora and Cayde-6, but also introduces some new ones, all rather well done, starting with my personal favorite called Failsafe. The latter is an AI, one of the only survivors of a golden age mission on Nessus (roughly 500 years before the event of Destiny), which now suffers from a multiple personality disorder that makes it rather amusing. Sometimes jovial and helpful, Failsafe can be more squeaky and sarcastic without any logical transition. On Io, the player will meet Ashar Mir, an awoken scientist whose personality is closer to your grumpy uncle than a helpful nerd, then on the EDZ (which we’ll explain more later on), you’ll meet one of Bungie’s first ever gay characters, Devrim Kay. These characters aren’t just there for show, but important to each planet as they give the player many information about the places but also dedicated quests. In the end, the Destiny 2 campaign finds a certain balance here, with its epic clashes, its moments of doubt and its hard blows, without taking itself too seriously. It’s a formula that may not please everyone, but the regulars of the studio production will recognize the Bungie tone, which likes nothing more than drop fun jokes even when the end of the world is near.

Dominus Ghaul, leader of the Red Legion

It easily took me around 10-15 hours to see the end credits of Destiny 2, which followed a sort of linear path that is at the choice of the player. Technically, Destiny 2 guides the player to concentrate on key story quests, but you have the choice to do other things like sidequests called Adventures. On the other hand, since some story missions are only accessible when the player has reached a certain level, it was necessary for me to go into PvP or Strikes (matchmaking cooperative missions with three players) to get enough experience and obviously better gear and weapons.

While the first Destiny was finally quite simple in its unlocking system, players gradually unlocked new planets, and from space he could choose a mission, whatever it was, or go for a stroll on the planet of his choice to do patrols or just farm for ressources. Bungie has thoroughly reviewed the way its game was built, and now every Destiny 2 planet has several landing zones, but also different missions and quests, which are all up to the player to decide what to prioritize. Story missions are even located on the map, so you have to go there to activate them, but you’ll end up finding other things to do on the way, such as Adventures, which act as smaller scripted set of missions, or explore Lost Sectors, (secret zones which house mini-bosses and loot boxes), or a plethora of public events that guardians in the area can join, and of course returning patrol missions. Destiny 2 broadly resumes the basis of what its predecessor did, but constantly enrich the experience, like The Lost Sectors, for example, are only an evolution of these small dark caves in which sometimes there were no real interest in discovering.

The planets themselves follow the same logic of evolution of Destiny 2. Larger in size, they are also richer, with vast areas filled with varied visual elements, enemies, secret chests and all sorts of loot to discover. The game makes the effort to propose even more complex levels to invite the player to explore each planet, and succeeds on all front with some interesting verticality notably on Nessus and IO. If the first Destiny had us visit Earth’s Cosmodrome, the Moon, Mars and Venus, Guardians in Destiny 2 will visit previously mentioned IO, Nessus, and Titan, one of Jupiter’s satellites. Gone are the Russian plains of the Cosmodrome, as we discover the lush forests of the European Dead Zone, well known to PvP enthusiasts; in fact, several maps of the first Destiny were located precisely in the EDZ, like the Widow’s Court. In general, each destination has its own identity, almost making it a character of its own: Titan is a hostile planet, abandoned by humanity, home of methane research centers and arcologies.

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The latter have unfortunately been invaded by a well-known enemy of the players, the Hive, which almost gives a sort of Alien movie side to Destiny 2. Nessus on the other hand reminds me of Venus, full of warm colors and impressive alien vegetation, home to vast vex ruins. IO finally is know as the last thing the Traveller touched before the Collapse, a “religious” place for Warlocks, and home of the biggest vex building you’ve ever seen.

You will spend plenty of time on these new planets as the game offers many missions. If I liked them to be higher in count in comparison to the first Destiny, I must admit that the developers have learned the lessons of the past. Destiny 2 stands by itself with the current content, even though expansions are planned for the months to come. With a total of 35 hours of play with the core game, I still have a lot of things to do and endless grinds, as the most hardcore of us fans will seek to reach the highest power level of 350, and without the need of replaying missions and other tedious tasks from the original game. Because yes, if anything, Destiny main problem was this weird cycle of having to replay story missions with different modifiers such as harder difficulties (Heroic missions). Numerous games do the same like the Diablo franchise, but these mechanics were not something that players really liked, and throughout the Destiny cycle these were pushed to the side. Instead the Destiny 2 introduce different weekly and daily activities that surely will have you venture in the same locations of the games, but without a feeling like you’re doing the same thing every time, namely Milestones and Challenges. The later are small secondary tasks that are dependent on either the game mode you are playing, or which planet you’re on. For example, it could be a task to kill 75 Fallen enemies on Titan, or maybe kill 5 Guardians with heavy weapons in the Crucible. There’s basically 3 challenges per activity (Crucible, Raid, Strikes) as well as per planet, giving you the chance to build XP and rewards faster. The other more important tasks are Milestones, which are usually more complicated, but will give you larger rewards such as powerful gear (usually higher power level than the one you have), and usually are linked to the most challenging part of the game like finish the Raid, Nightfall Strikes, newly introduced Flashpoints and Lord Shaxx’s Call to Arms (I’ll get back to all these later in the review)

All this mention about loot made me realize that we should probably talk about its new system, and especially how it affects the character that adorns and wields it. Like in the first Destiny, players will be able to pick one of the three classes: Titan, Warlock or Hunter, which will each have, after several hours of play, three different sub-classes. While most expected a new class or at least sub-classes to be added in the game, Bungie’s choice makes sense as it would be too random to add it at this point. Instead Bungie introduces redesigned subclasses, especially on the front of the starting ones like the Titan’s Sentinel, Warlock’s Dawnblade and the Hunter’s Arcstrider, which ultimately are an evolution of respectively the Titan’s Defender, Warlock’s Sunsinger and the Hunter’s Bladedancer.

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This does not mean that the subclasses haven’t really changed since the original Destiny, but on the contrary, have completely different skill trees. While the logic is still to have a cooldown ability of a grenade, your subclass skill, and a Class Ability Modifiers on top of your Super, the changes are dramatic for Destiny veterans, which will need to revisit their strategies. In my case, as a Hunter, I had to learn the hard way that gone are the invisibility perks of the Arc class, but instead, the Arcstrider is an agile high-risk subclasss with numerous tricks to lower your cooldown timers for all abilities. On that front, cooldowns are no longer subjected to the stats of your armor, since the trinity of Discipline, Strength and Intelligence have disappeared, instead relying on your nodes activated in your skill tree. This is a great thing for skilled players, especially when it comes to PVP, as they will be able to reload their skills fairly quick and inflict more damage because of the way they play, instead of betting on the armor stats like in the previous Destiny.

On the other hand, improving your character still depends on your loot and gear. The good news at least is that the system is much clearer than in the first game (and trust me, I’ve seen numerous changes in the past three years). In Destiny 2, loot can be found almost everywhere and in all activities, with revised drop rate on all front, so it won’t take you days before you find a legendary engram. The same thing applies in crucible, where I got my first exotic after a mere 8-10 hours of. On top of that, the original Destiny reputation system has been scratched, in favor of a system of tokens that are more interesting. The Vanguard have their own led by Zavala, Shaxx for Crucible, but also each planet’s key character has their own “ranking” system. Basically, the more you do task that help each person, the more you get token which you can hen redeem and level up your “allegiance” to eventually unlock Legendary Engrams, which decrypt into a series of themed weapons and armors (shaders and other cosmetic loot as well). Plus you can now join actual clans with all your friends (the old groups), which has its own reward system on a season basis, as well as buffs throughout period of time.

The new loot system is redefined to reduce endless grind

In short, the possibilities of the new loot system are numerous and if you were already addicted to that in the first Destiny, then the sequel will probably eat all of your spare time as you hunt for the best. There is however a small change that will not please all Guardians and especially devotees of the RNG gods: the rolls on weapons are no longer random. If in the first Destiny you could have three completely different scout rifles for example, with their own perks, and the most hardcore of all Guardians would keep on playing until he gets that god-roll. With a fixed roll for each weapon, this hunt is over, but at least we don’t need to spend a bunch of glimmer (the in-game currency) and farm for resource to upgrade everything anymore. Another small detail that also makes a big difference in terms of weapons and gear, is the addition of the mod system. First of all, since weapons now are split into kinetic (non-elemental weapons), elemental weapons and heavy slot, your loadout is now more strategic than before, since you can literally equip anything in all three spots. Are you more of a long range shooter? Then put on a Kinetic scout rifle, an elemental one in the second slot, and maybe a sniper rifle in the heavy slot. The choice is yours, and once you start playing around with the mods, which can drastically alter a weapon core to the point of turning an Arc rifle into a void one, the possibilities are endless. Finally I’d like to end a note on the front of the weapons with the simple fact that I’m glad to see that overused original Destiny weapons like Sniper Rifles and Shotguns are now considered heavy weapons, which changes drastically the way Guardians have been playing online competitively, and I welcome the new weapon types which are the submachine guns and grenade launchers (Machine guns on the other hand are gone).

Speaking of competitive gaming, Destiny 2 offers its dedicated PvP game modes, known as the Crucible. At launch, it allows the player to choose between two dedicated playlists: Quickplay or Competitive. The first is undoubtedly the more casual, with a compilation of classic game modes like Control and Clash; while the Competitive playlist focus on more complex modes. It’s thanks to the latter that two new game modes have been introduced. The first is directly inspired by Counter-Strike, known as Countdown, requiring a team to place a bomb on one of the two spots on the map; while the other team must either defuse the bomb or kill their opponents. The second game mode – Survival – pits two teams in a classic death match, except each side has a limited number of respawn.

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Even though it’s lacking custom games, or the ability to just play specific modes, Destiny 2’s crucible marks a real good evolution when compared to the first game. The first reason is that since weapons have fixed rolls, it brings an easier way for developers to put balance in the game, even when it comes to each class strengths and weaknesses. If, at first glance, the Striker Titans or the Warlock Dawnblade seems dangerous, they are counterbalanced by weaknesses and key changes which shouldn’t be overlooked. For example, a Titan Shoulder Strike does not kill instantly, but actually can slightly imbalances its wielder, who must yet quickly chain the charge with a headshot in hope to defeat his enemy. Very often, the defending guardian has enough time to respond even before the Titan may have deal the fatal blow.

The other important change in the game’s crucible is the change to a 4v4 system, which is closer to what competitive shooters are opting for nowadays (with the exception of Overwatch of course). This decrease of set teams has helped Bungie to shrink the size of their Crucible maps, but turning them more complex and full of key clash area

The bravest of all guardians can now try their skills in the Trial of the Nines

All this would be a real pleasure if there were no defaults, and sadly the first one is important for me: when it comes to design, some maps seems like they were done better than others. Without really being bad, Vostok is a map located near the Iron Temple, which is too large and sadly constricts Gaurdians to clash in the middle area, within the corridor path in the mountain. Players are also scattered away from each other at each respawn, which often results in a second, fast but painful death, alone against two enemies that are going in a rotation. The second issue is that even though weapons are rather balanced on paper, auto rifles seems to be everywhere, due to their higher than normal reach and unbelievable accuracy that makes the use of slower weapons such as Scout Rifles or Pulse Rifles obsolete (unless you have the Mida Multi-Tool). Yet, I’m not worried on that front, as Bungie has always been very responsive and quickly balancing the Crucible, so I’m pretty sure it will happen soon.

Back in Destiny, the Trials of Osiris was the ultimate test for PVP, pushing guardians to go through an intense challenge of winning 9 games in a row of elimination mode, to eventually be granted access to the lighthouse on Mercury for some of the hottest armor and weapon loot (all themed after ancient Egyptian mythology). This time in Destiny 2, our challenge is the Trial of the Nines, which change every week, with a challenge to pass through 7 consecutive wins, and discover some strange prophecies from mysterious Nines.

The new Levathian Raid bring all the best from the previous edition in one package

Before we wrap this up, shouldn’t I talk about the raid? This ultimate test of teamwork still requires squads of six players, in order to overcome the numerous events in a large scale mission and eventually beat the final boss. This first raid – since I assume more will come with the upcoming announced two DLCs – is really well done. Directly linked to the lore of the Cabals, the Leviathan raid took the best of the four previous original Destiny raids and merged them into one. This raid is staged with relay systems as was the case for the Oryx one, and even a stealth phase like the Gorgons Maze of the Vault of Glass. The game also added two features that makes the job harder for those used to cheese things around. First of all, the Raid are now free of checkpoints, meaning there’s no way of coming back to any part of it after returning to orbit. The second key thing added is on the front of respawn mechanics. Each player has one resuscitation token for each area in the raid, and once the token has been used, he cannot revive anyone else. This makes things complicated, because if one member of your party stays dead for more than 25 seconds, then the whole team is wiped.

Finally, take the time to thoroughly explore the raid as it seems that the developers have hidden many secrets and some of them have yet to be discovered. Note that it is now possible to use a matchmaking system, and join another squad to do the raid via something called guided activities, led by “shephards” which should allow solo players to do all activities more easily.

Destiny 2 was reviewed using an Xbox One digital copy of the game purchased by the writer. The game is also available on on PlayStation 4 and coming soon on PC via Battle.net. We don’t discuss review scores with publishers or developers prior to the review being published.

Without aiming to revolutionize the recipe, Destiny 2 does exactly what you’d expect of it: to correct the numerous defects of a game which had the base of becoming a legendary experience. A while ago, I finished an interesting written by my colleague Jason Schreier over at Kotaku called…

#Activision #Bungie #Destiny #Editor&039;s Choice #Featured #FPS #MMO #Multiplatform #Multiplayer #Online Only #Singleplayer

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michaeljchan · 8 years

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Gay Conversion Therapy and Its Effectiveness in Changing Homosexual Thinking

Homosexuality has always been present in nature, but its acknowledgement among humans in political and social settings has only come to light in the past several decades. Conflicts regarding homosexuality and ‘fixing it’ through conversion therapy grew and developed when society projected extreme and polarized views of the subject. Media portrayal of the two extremes drove forward the emotional and rational perspectives behind the two arguments, creating a growing discomfort among those who do not know which side to stand with. Even greater discomfort is settled within the queer population, for they do not get a strong say in legislation’s progress in support of the LGBT+ community because of their lack of representation in today’s governing bodies. The justifications and evidence that support the arguments for both society’s acceptance and disapproval of homosexuality have risen out of religious beliefs, generational differences, scientific research, and geographically based social norms. On a global scale, those who identify as gay often derive their homosexual identity through rational thinking that makes sense of their experiences with homoerotic content that shape their self-concept and thoughts about their sexual identity.

Culture within the United Sates has changed; progress has been made towards the acceptance and greater legal protection of queer people, but there are areas in the United States that are different from the progressive ideas that the government is trying to strengthen through legislation. Specifically, extremely religious groups and people who believe that heterosexuality is innate lack compassion for queer specific problems. To specific groups of Christians, homosexual thoughts and actions are some of the greatest sins one can commit and need to be fixed to save their soul from going to Hell. To those who believe that homosexuality is just a misunderstanding and confusion in one’s life, therapeutic strategies are used to get the ‘ill’ client back on the path toward their natural heterosexuality. The reparative strategies used in conversion therapy incorporate experiential learning practices and reconfiguration of one’s rational ideas about their sexual identity, which are purposed to revert the client to their natural ‘straightness’ despite the growing falsity of the idea that heterosexuality is innate. However, there are caveats to conversion therapy methods. Some procedures incorporate ideas that rely on combining rationality with empiricism, which have conflicting viewpoints, because rationalization allows the mind to make sense of experience, but experience is what humans have used to survive and evolve, prompting doubt in the process of rationalization paired with empiricism. Thus, the effectiveness of the practice uncertain on a technical level.

The human mind is a powerful tool shaped by societal values and traditions, influencing how one sees themselves and views their undesirable traits, creating a frame in which one must fit themselves in to find acceptance from others and themselves. Through exposure and experiences with new sentiments and sensation, certain feelings and thoughts are acknowledged. According to empiricist David Hume, experience is a powerful force on the human mind, for “custom is the great guide of human life. It is that principle alone, which renders our experience useful to us, and makes us expect, for the future, a similar train of events with those which have appeared in the past.”[1] Hume says, “the mind has authority over all its ideas. It could voluntarily annex their particular idea to any fiction, and consequently be able to believe whatever it pleases; contrary to what we find by daily experience.”[2] Rationalist René Descartes concluded that “[humans] make mistakes because the faculty of judging the truth, which [humans] got from God, is not […] infinite.”[3] Applying Hume’s logic, the understanding of one’s sexuality is guided by customary experiences that shape expectations and ideas that the mind can easily accept and refute because the mind has ‘authority over all its ideas.’ In the extreme religious perspective, Christian traditions and practices normalize heterosexual tendencies and thoughts, which should in theory make all of its followers heterosexual. Descartes makes the point that the human mind is imperfect, so error in thinking is inevitable. Both the extreme religious perspective and ‘other’ group’s perspective view all humans as innately heterosexual because of custom and human nature. The physical compatibility between male and female bodies and societal values of the past have created social norms that not only forcibly prompt heterosexual experiences in daily life, but glorify them. The flaws of the human mind that Descartes describes justify the logic of both groups’ arguments, but the mind is shaped by new experiences that could easily change the framework of one’s thoughts when participating in conversion therapy, supporting Hume’s ideas about experiential learning. Among both extremist groups, the inner turmoil within a conflicted homosexual is sometimes too strong for the mind to simply eliminate homoerotic ideas, which prompts the call for conversion therapy to fix what society has deemed broken and deviant from custom.

The psychological analysis of conversion therapy strategies raises doubt on the effectiveness of the strategies in changing the actual feelings one has toward homosexuality because aversive stimuli are merely associated with homosexual acts rather than change one’s framework of homosexual ideas. Psychotherapeutic approaches in repairing one’s sexuality are often based on the assumption that the client’s homoerotic thoughts are undesirable, which are sometimes not true. The therapy’s strategies are “based on the premise that homoerotic impulses arise from faulty learning. [Studies] seek to counter condition the ‘learned’ homoerotic response with aversive stimuli, replacing it with the reinforced, desired heteroerotic response.”[4] The goal of conversion therapy is to change how one views homosexual content, but it is unclear whether the resulting correction in ‘faulty learning’ actually eliminates the client’s urges for homoerotic content or whether the opinions of the clients are merely shaped to fit the frame of thought created by conversion therapy. Homoerotic thoughts may still be present in the mind post-therapy though. Those recovering from conversion treatment are “not likely to emerge as heterosexually inclined, but they do often become shamed, conflicted, and fearful about their homoerotic feelings.”[5] Those who have experienced conversion therapy commonly “notice a temporary sharp decline in their sexual responsiveness,” and those who found therapy to be a failure “often report increased guilt, anxiety, and low self-esteem.”[6] In theory, the exposure to corrective actions of homosexual thinking work because the mind is powerful enough and capable to believe what it wants. The practice of conversion therapy works on a surface level, but it is limited in changing the deeper internal thoughts and feelings within a person because the past experiences with homoerotic content can only be suppressed and not forgotten. The inner drive to change also plays a role in the effectiveness of conversion therapy. Lacking the desire to change prevents the mind from fully submitting the client to the therapy process, making rationalization meaningless and experiences traumatic. When looking at the effects of psychotherapeutic conversion therapy on the mind, the exposure to experiential learning shapes the client’s mind, but homosexual thoughts are underlying because experiences leave lasting impressions. The exposure to new experiences and sensations should prompt a reconfiguration of one’s ideas, but results have shown that not all clients are effectively ‘fixed’.

The techniques of conversion therapy often include methods that involve exposure to extreme levels of stimuli, prompting learned associations between homosexual thoughts and pain, which has been found to be partially effective to most who share their experiences. Samuel Brinton, a survivor of conversion therapy, vividly remembers his experiences of the mental and physical psychotherapeutic processes he went through as a teenager to eliminate his homosexual thoughts. Brinton willingly entered therapy. In the mental segment of therapy, he was told that “[He] had AIDs, [he] was the only gay person left in the world, because the government found all the other gays and killed them as children, if they found [him], they would kill [him],” traumatizing him and keeping him in the closet[7]. In the physical segment of therapy, Brinton’s “hands [were tied] down and blocks of ice [were] placed on [his] hands, then pictures of men holding hands would be shown to [him].”[8] Brinton was forcibly taught to associate a male’s touch with the pain that the ice in his hands inflicted. The technique was so effective that Brinton’s father “could hardly hug [him] anymore. [Brinton] would scream out in pain.”[9] The next method used to strengthen the association between homosexual contact and pain involved the heating of metal coils and pictures of homosexual couples and heterosexual couples. Blistering heat was applied to the coils attached to Brinton’s body when images of two men were hugging and heat was removed when a man and a woman were hugging. The last stage of Brinton’s physical therapy involved being stuck with needles in his fingertips that would electrocute him when pictures of explicit acts would be shown to him. At the completion of his reparative therapy, Brinton contemplated suicide by jumping off the roof of his three-story home because “God did not want [him] on this Earth anymore.”[10] Brinton did not jump. Suddenly, he runs into his mom’s arms and says, “’I’m changed! It’s done! It worked! Epiphany from God!’ The pain finally stopped.”[11] The process of reparative therapy did not ‘fix’ Brinton’s homoerotic thoughts. They were merely suppressed. While at university, Brinton came to terms with his sexuality after living with other males and meeting a lesbian couple, recognizing that there is a gay culture. The therapy temporarily fixed Brinton’s state of mind, but his homosexual thoughts were still attainable in his mind. Brinton retained his ‘sinful’ thinking even though he claimed to be cured from the ‘illness’ he was struggling with.

The tactics of Christian-based conversion therapy are reliant on the single belief that homosexuality is a sin and cannot be validated by anyone because it is so irrational and God could not have made someone with homoerotic thoughts. In ex-gay ministries, the sentiments of disgust in the homosexual lifestyle and deep guilt that those with homosexual thoughts have are the dominant emotions that are explored deeper in ex-gay ministry conversion therapy to ‘save’ clients from the ‘gay world.’ In ex-gay ministries, many pieces of literature label homosexuality with the ‘ick factor’, which “is rooted in the subconscious realization of what is normal and what is not, and which forms an inescapable part of our being.”[12] According to the texts, homosexuality is irrationally concluded, so ex-gay ministries work to bring rational sense into clients to derive heterosexuality through methods of exposure to the customs and normality of ‘straightness’, which are embodied by all because every human is the ‘child of God.’ The guilt clients have about their homoerotic thoughts before entering conversion therapy is believed to emerge from “unconscious desires, anxieties, and conflicts.”[13] The strategies of conversion therapy in ex-gay ministries do not work to uncover the meaning and existence of guilt, because “the meaning- and even the existence- of guilt is not immediately available to consciousness. It is, instead, a matter for interpretation and for the working of unconscious conflicts and resistance.”[14] Clients of ex-gay ministries are prompted to uncover the ‘innate heterosexual thoughts’ that have yet to be found and explored. By participating in the conversion therapy of ex-gay ministries, undiscovered hatred and disapproval of the homosexual lifestyle are ‘discovered’ by clients, allowing their thoughts on homosexuality to be changed because the newly introduced ideas shape their mind, creating hatred and disgust. The new experiences and undiscovered thoughts that clients are exposed to paired with the desire to change alter the way the client views themselves and their surroundings, altering their thoughts and ideas.

Not every person who goes through an ex-gay ministry’s conversion therapy experiences change. Braden Bradley was sent to conversion therapy after his parents found out he was gay. After seeing five different therapists and lying to all of them about “wanting to be fixed” and how he “[wants] to be straight [and not] live the gay lifestyle,” Bradley became certain about his homosexuality, leaving therapy[15]. Bradley drove two hours to his last therapists and told them that he was lying. He said, “I’ve been praying to God and I think the decision that God and I have come to is to accept my own sexuality, to accept who I am as a person because I actually felt closer to God when I accepted myself.”[16]

The potential power that conversion therapy has is dependent on the participant’s state of mind and willingness to change. Brinton wanted to end his homosexual thoughts and feelings. Some progress was made in converting Brinton’s homosexual thoughts to something not homosexual, but it was only temporary. Brinton’s desire to change allowed him to find limited success in conversion therapy. Bradley did not want to change his homosexual thoughts. His lies gave him time to gain comfort and confidence in his sexuality and his relationship with God. The desire for Bradley to change was not present, so Bradley’s homosexual thoughts remained constant throughout therapy.

Experiences shape the human mind, but the molding and accepting of the ideas derived from experience are determined through Descartes’ theory of rationalization. The lasting effect of conversion therapy is often caused by specific moments that incite sudden realization in the client’s reflection of new feelings uncovered during therapy. If Brinton had not been exposed to the LGBT+ community while at university, his story could be different. His exposure to something once suppressed by therapeutic strategies revived his pre-therapy thoughts. Due to Bradley’s reluctance to changing, his mind was not willing to reconfigure his thoughts, so it did not. His mind ‘had authority’ over his sexual identity. Though homosexual feelings and thoughts may be suppressed, the experiences that led to one’s recognition of these feelings have already shaped their thoughts and ideas, giving the individual personal experiences of coming to terms with their sexuality. In general, it is difficult to remove the impressions that experiences leave on the mind. Conversion therapy can help those who cannot tolerate their homosexual thoughts and urges in finding comfort in their lives by associating their homoerotic urges with an aversive stimulus, but the client must have the mindset and desire to change, or conversion therapy is not effective.

[1] Hume, David. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. Ed. Eric Steinberg. Vol. 2.

Indianapolis: Hackett, 1993. Print.

[2] Hume 31

[3] Descartes, Rene. Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy. 4th ed. Indianapolis:

Hackett, 1998. Print.

[4] Haldeman, Douglas C. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1994, Vol.62(2), pp.221

227 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

[5] Haldeman

[6] Haldeman

[7] ImFromDriftwood. “Conversion Therapy – ImFromDrifwood.com”. Filmed [September 2011].

YouTube video, 5:14. Posted [September 2011].

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf5dqzcy3bc.

[8] ImFromDriftwood. “Conversion Therapy-ImFromDriftwood.com”

[9] ImFromDriftwood. “Conversion Therapy-ImFromDriftwood.com”

[10] ImFromDriftwood. “Conversion Therapy – ImFromDrifwood.com”

[11] ImFromDriftwood. “Conversion Therapy-ImFromDriftwood.com”

[12] Burack, Cynthia Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society, 2015, Vol.20(3), p.220(8) [Peer

Reviewed Journal]

[13] Burack

[14] Burack

[15] ImFromDriftwood. “Conversion Therapy Doesn’t Work. ‘I Actually Felt Closer To God When

I Accepted Myself.”. Filmed [June 2016]. YouTube video, 6:52. Posted [June 2016].

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsP73TAJPnY

[16] ImFromDriftwood. “Conversion Therapy Doesn’t Work”

#Gay Gay conversion therapy conversion therapy LGBT

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