#something something 'its hypocritical to make this post about it then' 1) different context 2) block me and move on about it then shjgdfk

[foxpunk]

do people complaining about meme bandwagons and incorrect meme usage like. hear themselves kasjdhgf

[notebook-13]

…Look, I know nobody really cares about Overhaul’s characterization, but I spent enough time puzzling over wtf is his deal while I was watching the anime that I may as well make a post about it. Especially considering how he’s come up in recent chapters in relation to Twice and Hawks, one thing that strikes me about Overhaul is that he wants to be normal, and to accomplish that, he tries to change the world instead of himself.

On the surface, Overhaul’s goal was to establish himself and the Hassaikai as the rulers of the underworld using the anti-quirk serum, thereby repaying the “debt” he owed the Hassaikai boss for giving him a home, but I think there’s more going on.

Overhaul’s goal was to eradicate the belief that human lives have inherent value. He planned to do this by destroying quirks, since he perceived them as the basis of people’s belief that they matter.

Since Overhaul’s dialogue is confusing, here are two other translations of his lines:

“Because people are endowed with these things called ‘quirks,’ they can dream. Dream that maybe they can be someone that matters…they’re all sick in the head! So wipe that smile off your face! Thanks to the power of that girl you were trying to save, everything you’ve worked so hard to cultivate…has just been reduced to naught!” (Ch152, mangastream)

“The diseased…have been given quirks, and that lets them dream. Thinking you can actually become something is an illness of the mind. It’s funny! With the power of that girl you’ve come to save, everything you’ve worked to cultivate…has now gone to waste!” (Ep74, Funimation subs)

Basically, people want to matter, and they use their quirks (symbolizing individuality, and human deviation more broadly) as proof to say they do. So when Mirio loses his quirk, Overhaul’s reaction isn’t, you’re cured, you’ve been purified, you’re normal now. His reaction is, now you are worth nothing, you are a good-for-nothing deku, the illusion of value your life held is gone, everything you held dear was actually a lie.

I think that’s why Overhaul can use his quirk with impunity without seeing the hypocrisy. He essentially views people as infected mice infatuated with their own disease, but he knows better! He knows everyone is worthless! So he’s the only one who’s immune to this mental disease of ~being special~, he doesn’t get any delusions of grandeur, he’s the only one great enough to change the world—etc. When Shigaraki removes his quirk, Overhaul’s illusions are torn away the way he was expecting from Mirio.

But Mirio stands up to Overhaul and asserts that he still chooses to find value in his life without depending on whether he has a quirk. That’s the underlying reason why Overhaul is repulsed by heroism: it’s built on the ideal that people matter, their suffering is bad, they deserve to be saved, and so forth.

These are concepts Overhaul resoundingly rejects, for reasons never explicitly stated, but I think a fair interpretation is to say Overhaul’s noticed that he’s different from other people, and he’s afraid it means there’s something wrong with him. This fear is on par with an existential terror, so he can’t acknowledge it directly, but it drives him to go above and beyond to prove he is a normal person who does belong in the Hassaikai, specifically, and in society more generally.

First, for context:

^^ Regardless of how the yakuza are in reality, in Japanese pop culture their image is two-faced. They can be chivalrous gangsters (honorable criminals who offer shelter to outcasts and uphold the vestiges of samurai culture) or they can be villains (relentless hypocrites who prey on outcasts and commit staggering violence). Even down to the clothes they wear, the boss and Overhaul embody these two yakuza archetypes, and accordingly, they can’t coexist.

At the core of their power struggle is what it means to be a yakuza, and whether Overhaul belongs as one.

This reaches its climax when Overhaul tells the boss about torturing Eri, and the boss tells him it’s time for him to leave the Hassaikai. Overhaul puts the boss in a coma because he can’t bear to be rejected and branded a deviant for his cruelty (“straying from humanity,” “soulless heresy,” “how little do you think of people?”). The boss pretty much outright tells him there’s something wrong with him.

Overhaul never talks about why he thinks so lowly of people. It could be any tragic event in his life, whatever went down before he met the boss, sure, or even just the simple fact that his quirk enables him to disassemble and reassemble people like objects, but I think the answers are in the material Horikoshi emphasizes: in his relationship with the boss, whom Overhaul fixated on as a kid.

The feature that strikes me most in Overhaul’s relationship with the boss is the (lack of) acceptance between them. Overhaul seeks the unconditional acceptance the boss offered him as a child so intensely that I can’t help but think there’s a deeper motive: validation. The “debt” Overhaul feels is an imprecise label for his discomfort; he feels pressured to earn his place in the yakuza because, on some level, he recognizes that he doesn’t belong here among chivalrous gangsters. He consequently overcompensates, though going to such extremes just underscores he is different, but he wants to win the boss’s validation that badly because, without it, Overhaul feels like a freak. He’s afraid that there’s something wrong with him. This emerges most pointedly in his “germophobia.”

Given that he 1) literally breaks into hives and flies into murderous rage when he’s touched, 2) considers heroism and quirks to be a disease, and 3) breaks into hives multiple times purely from the force of his emotions—I think his phobia shouldn’t be taken at face value.

In some way, Overhaul is “allergic” to society. He doesn’t belong in this world, among these cultural values, which is why he seeks to change society.

“return humanity to normal”

^^ Overhaul wants to change the world to match his version of normal, and, remarkably, the fact that he believes it’s more feasible to change the world than to change himself says leagues about how immutable he believes his differentness is. By destroying quirks, Overhaul wants to make everyone the same: worthless. He resents that other people even want to be different because feeling like there’s something wrong with him is his greatest fear.

Shigaraki is Overhaul’s main foil, but…there’s a reason why Twice introduces him.

Twice (narrating): There’s no place for insane guys like me in society. As for the people who heroes like to save…yeah, they’re always the good, virtuous ones. Anyway, I finally accepted me for me and decided to make myself useful to the League of Villains because I wanna be okay with being me. What I’m searching for now is other people just as crazy as I am. The aimless wackos looking for a place to belong… [Overhaul debuts, complaining that he’s surrounded by sickness] Twice: (staring at Overhaul) But now those nutjobs are starting to carve out a place for themselves in this world. Twice: “Okay… To ask…or not to ask?!” Twice: Whether it’s us or the heroes, everyone’s starting to take on a different look nowadays. Knowing who you are is what really matters. Who you wanna become…what you wanna do… It’s real, real important.

Ch115, viz.

Twice’s narration frames Overhaul as someone who’s just as freakish as he is, and it foreshadows “a place to belong” as a key theme of Overhaul’s arc—a theme that Overhaul’s first flashback (to when he met the boss) cements. Overhaul wants somewhere to be accepted and belong precisely because he’s a “crazy wacko” with no place in society. Usurping the boss is Overhaul’s attempt to carve out a place for himself in the world, to fashion the Hassaikai (and society at large) in his image.

Twice’s narration also highlights how Overhaul doesn’t know who he is or what he wants, and consequently, he turns out to be a humungous hypocrite who can’t uphold even a single of the principles he professes. He double-crosses the boss, he isn’t sure if he wants to commodify quirks or eliminate them, and he can’t accept that he, like everyone, is worthless. He’s so afraid that there’s something wrong with him that he instead insists that everyone else is “sick,” everyone else is wrong, not him, he’s the only normal person. Unlike the LoV, who are more or less okay with being outcasts, Overhaul sets out to correct this difference because he can’t bear it.

…And Twice’s foiling underscores Overhaul’s lack of emotional attachments. It’s ludicrous to think Twice would ever lock Shigaraki away and then release him after Twice’s clones have toppled society. Overhaul’s interest in the boss is as a source of validation to help him repress his fear that he’s abnormal, not in the boss as a human person with feelings.

While fighting Deku and Eri, Overhaul recalls putting the boss in a coma. He follows up his flashback with these lines:

Overhaul: “None of you are looking at the big picture here!! What I’m annihilating is the world itself!! Its very structure!! So a pathetic little would-be hero driven by his emotions…reaching out for whatever petty sense of justice he stumbles across [meaning the status quo]…can’t stop me!!”

Ch158, viz.

The “none of you” is very telling—Overhaul is referring to the boss as well as Deku. He resents the boss, and his resentment of heroes is partly a sublimation of that—both Deku and the boss are driven by compassion Overhaul lacks, which disturbs him, so he needs to lash out and tell himself that his motivator, "logic,” is normal.

But regardless of the underlying reason, his most important motivators are that he doesn’t value human lives, and that he feels alienation because, on some level, he fears there’s something wrong with him for that. (<– the boss basically tells him so, by spurning him for being cruel.)

^^ When Deku delivers his final blow, knocking off Overhaul’s mask and sending him crashing to the ground, Horikoshi reveals Overhaul’s face for the first time. It’s a plain face; the mask hides no quirk-related anomaly; ironically, Overhaul’s "remedy” to his phobia (the plague mask, to stop himself from breathing the same air as others) makes him look like more of a weirdo than if he went without it.

His flashback here gives us a glimpse of what it is that inspires Overhaul. Overhaul remembers walking in the rain in the boss—a memory that prompts him to make a last stand…but also, a memory that causes him to break out into hives. Once you look, it’s clear he has no hives before he remembers it.

This is a positive memory, but it’s also an intensely negative one.

Because, deep down, Overhaul knows the boss will never thank him again. Out of buried resentment for the way the boss withheld his acceptance and made Overhaul feel like a freak, Overhaul made a point to trash everything the boss loved—he turned the Hassaikai into villainous bastards and carelessly offs the boss’s devotees, he followed through on his evil plan to use Eri as the base for his anti-quirk serum, and he, uh, put the boss into a coma. He even rejected the name “Chisaki,” the name of the strange man who tried to be a yakuza but whom the boss discarded anyways, and named himself after his quirk in order to “remake” himself into someone new. Clearly, like everyone else, he’s invested in his quirk as a crucial aspect of his identity –.–

But embracing his “true nature” isn’t enough when Overhaul knows that the boss will never accept him again, when he is still different, which is why Overhaul wants the world to change to match his views on humanity, so that he’s normal.

Another time Overhaul spontaneously breaks out into hives is when Shigaraki leaves him.

No hives when Compress and Shigaraki touch him to remove his arms. Overhaul seems to be in shock. But Shigaraki’s words finally penetrate.

“You should just sit back and watch!! Have a nice life!”

“I just want to repay the debt I owe you. So please, just sit back…and watch.”

It’s these words from Shigaraki that prompt Overhaul to break out into hives, probably because, by sheer luck, Shigaraki quotes Overhaul’s last words to the boss. Before putting the boss in a coma, Overhaul told him to sit back and watch—one problem with that being, obviously, that someone in a coma can’t watch. So (again by sheer luck) Shigaraki actually does Overhaul one better and fulfills his words better than he did.

Similarly, Shigaraki is stealing Overhaul’s life’s work—just like how Overhaul stole the boss’s life’s work, the Hassaikai—and Overhaul’s quirk, just like how Overhaul stole Mirio’s…but Shigaraki steals them better than Overhaul did. It’s Overhaul’s lofty ambition to use the quirk serum change the world, to establish himself as normal and at the center of his new society, that serves as the basis of Overhaul’s self-esteem.…and it’s Overhaul’s quirk that gives Overhaul his name.

By removing his quirk, Shigaraki strips Overhaul of the name he gave himself. He’s no longer Overhaul, and he’s not even the boss’s man “Chisaki” anymore—he’s the nameless child on the streets whom everybody shuns. The outcast, the reject, someone who can only sit on the sidelines and helplessly watch.

Overhaul’s arc ends on the contrast between them. Overhaul is introduced as the mature, more methodical villain who threatens to supplant Shigaraki as AfO’s successor, but the story unmasks him as an irredeemable, reprehensible hypocrite who can’t stand by anything. Shigaraki, however, proves he’ll stand for what little ground he ekes out, and he copes with his resentment over his outsider status by openly acknowledging it and bonding with fellow outcasts to forge their own home. 

Ultimately, I think the core of Overhaul’s character boils down to 1) he doesn’t believe that people matter, 2) he feels intense alienation and isolation, and 3) he’s afraid he’s abnormal. How those three things interrelate, which of them is cause and which is effect, is flexible. I figure his hatred of quirks stems from one of these, probably (1).

Power is another consideration, one that I didn’t look at in my analysis since I think his thirst for power is his attempt to belong/alleviate his sense of abnormality by gaining status. And, though I think Overhaul is framed as a sociopath-like person whose lack of empathy is innate, I think there could be a solid characterization made for his extreme lack of empathy being a consequence of nurture, like he feels like a freak due to a childhood tragedy.

Miscellaneous Overhaul details;

Overhaul doesn’t seem to break out into hives when he touches dirty inanimate objects, like the floor; his phobia of “dirtiness” is focused on people.

His phobia is implied to have escalated or begun during adulthood. He didn’t seem to wear a mask as a kid, nor did he seem to break into hives before the canon timeline (Overhaul has no hives in any of his flashbacks, even when he’s cutting Eri or surrounded by gore).

Overhaul begins to wear his plague mask after a major argument with the boss over proper conduct for a yakuza.

Despite being Overhaul’s father-figure, the boss called him “Chisaki” instead of “Kai”—he might’ve been too traditional/stuffy to use Overhaul’s given name even when he was just a kid.

Mirio reminds Overhaul of the boss, which is why their fight gets so personal.

Overhaul hates Eri so much because they’re similar—both are “aberrations” who don’t belong. Eri is emphasized as a mutation who was rejected by even her mom, and the boss explicitly links their quirks…except that Eri has what he wants: the boss’s acceptance and a “normal” compassionate disposition, the latter of which he viciously leverages against her in order to punish her for it.

And also like…by virtue of being a young, little, helpless, sweet girl, meaning that she’s the perfect victim heroes always want to save more than anything, her life is disproportionately valuable to people, and that’s the sort of sentimental value Overhaul wants to destroy.

More reading;

If you somehow want to read even more about Overhaul, I only vaguely remember what these analyses are about bc it’s been a while since I last saw them, but each of these should have an interesting perspective on him.

Youtube video “The Beauty of Kai Chisaki” about the Buddhist context of Overhaul and the Shie Hassaikai.

A second youtube video called “Eri’s Quirk Explained with Philosophy” (about Overhaul, Eri, and the return to innocence) are both worth checking out. 

^^ I won’t link them directly because I’ve heard tumblr filters posts with external links out of searches.

Overhaul lost because people cared about his victims.

Linkspooky interprets Overhaul’s phobia as evidence of his repressed guilt, and they’ve also compared him and Shigaraki.

This conversation about Overhaul’s motives.

[angels-heap]

Okay hello I feel like you are Wise and Know things... it’s kind of hard to explain but is it wrong to just... Enjoy Things? With all the HL pisscourse going around it’s making me nervous about liking things like TF2 and missing something critical and huge in the media I consume and being labelled as a bad person for doing that. ESPECIALLY for liking characters like GLaDOS or Wheatley from Portal. I want to just Enjoy Things but there’s guilt tied to not being critical about every single detail

Thanks for reaching out, friend, and I’m so sorry to hear the current nonsense has you feeling this way. I have a hunch you’re not alone, and although I don’t claim to have all the answers here, I hope hearing my thoughts on this helps alleviate some of that guilt. This got long and I’m not putting it under a cut because it’s important. 

The short answer to your question is no; it is not wrong to just enjoy things. You don’t have to constantly examine all your favorite media under a microscope and incessantly highlight or dwell on its faults to be a good person or a good consumer of media, and here are a few reasons why:

(CW for brief mentions of all the squicky/potentially triggering things that tend to come up in ship discourse conversations.)

1. It is virtually impossible to find a truly unproblematic piece of media.

And that’s okay! Media is both created and consumed by people, and people are notoriously imperfect and complex. Sometimes creators choose to explore dark or taboo themes that are always going to squick some people out, no matter how well (or poorly) they’re handled. Sometimes content creators are actually terrible people who deliberately try to perpetuate their messed-up ideas through media. Sometimes creators’ deeply internalized prejudices seep into a work in a way they may not even consciously realize. Sometimes consumers’ experiences or prejudices color the way they perceive a piece of media and may lead them to a very different interpretation than what the creators intended.

Point is, there are a lot of shades of gray here. We should always strive to do better as creators and consumers, but the goalposts for “perfection” are always moving.

There’s almost always going to be something about your favorite media—no matter how benign it is—that rubs some people the wrong way, or (perhaps unintentionally) perpetuates harmful stereotypes, or starts out okay but doesn’t age well down the line. Period. That’s an uncomfortable truth that we all have to sit with. But don’t despair, because…

2. It is still okay to engage with and enjoy media that you know is problematic. Even if it’s really problematic. For real. I promise. The media you consume does not determine your worth as a person. 

Since you specifically mentioned Valve games, I’ll start out by clarifying that (as of July 2020), Valve games and their fandoms are pretty benign overall. Perhaps in the future, more of the humor will start to age poorly, or Valve will make some extremely questionable design choices with their next game, or Gabe Newell will be outed as a prolific serial killer, or whatever, but for now, there’s really nothing about Valve games that should make the average person go, “holy shit, you’re into that?!” when you bring them up in polite company. (And anyone who insinuates otherwise re: Half Life shipping discourse is either very confused about the definition of certain words or is maliciously trying to stir up controversy.)

That said, everyone has a different threshold for what they do and don’t want to see in media, and those boundaries are totally valid! But it is absolutely possible to enjoy even notably problematic media (e.g., Game of Thrones, the new Star Wars sequels, old movies where the directors were huge assholes to the female cast members, etc.) without being a bad person or a bad social justice activist. Instead of rambling about that at length, I’m going to link you to this excellent blog post on the subject.

The big takeaway here is that you can love a piece of media while also acknowledging its faults. In fact, I’d argue that a key part of loving something is being able to think critically about it and trying to hold its creators to a higher standard whenever possible. However, that doesn’t mean you have to be constantly analyzing it or prefacing every single public acknowledgment of your love for it with an “I know this is problematic and I swear, I just like it for XYZ” disclaimer, because…

3. Tumblr’s black-and-white thinking about media consumption is not healthy, “normal,” or (usually) present to the same degree in other virtual or real-world spaces.

I think most of the people on Tumblr who seem to be on a constant (and ultimately futile; see point 1) quest to find the One True Unproblematic Media have good intentions. I really do. And I applaud them for actively trying to understand and un-learn their own biases while becoming critical consumers of media.

Unfortunately, for a bunch of complicated reasons I still don’t totally understand and won’t get into here, some online communities tend to take these things to such an extreme that, in their quest to create a safe and/or inclusive environment, they actually end up creating an even more hostile one. To reference the recent drama again, nowhere is that more apparent than with “pro-ship” vs. “anti-ship” discourse.

Basically, “pro-shippers” believe that fiction is entirely separate from reality and therefore, “problematic” content (up to and including p*dophilia, inc*st, noncon, etc.) has just as much of a right to exist as any other content; this makes some sense on a purely intellectual level, but in the real world, obviously things are much more complicated than that. “Anti-shippers,” on the other hand, claim to be specifically against the aforementioned Big Three Bad Things in theory, but in practice, they’re basically the fandom purity police; they strive to criticize and shut down any media or fandom activity that could be even remotely construed as problematic, because they seem to have a (perhaps well-intentioned but ultimately misguided) perception that discussing anything “bad” in fiction will glorify/condone/promote it in real life and that all creators of “bad” fiction are inherently malicious. Often, they’re willing to twist definitions and jump through some very strange hoops to justify why something is “bad.”

The truth lies somewhere between those two extremes; fiction absolutely can (and does) impact reality, but not in such a clear-cut cause-and-effect way. People can see or read about dark/complicated/problematic things without condoning or enjoying them in real life, and conversely, people can dislike even relatively benign things without having to have an extreme, profound reason for feeling that way. People can also enjoy “bad” media while being fully conscious of what’s wrong with it and taking steps to ensure that it doesn’t negatively influence them, or they may lack the knowledge/context to understand why something is “bad” at first and change how they engage (or don’t engage) as they learn. There’s a lot more nuance to this issue than Tumblr is willing to acknowledge, and as a result, a lot of innocent people who just want to enjoy things in peace get sucked into some truly absurd drama that can be really hard to deal with. And that sucks. A lot.

So, TL;DR: Almost all media is at least a little problematic, but that’s okay, because the media you like does not determine whether or not you’re a good person. (And especially if your primary interests are Valve games... you’re good, mate. Seriously.)

The fact that you’re even asking me this question shows me that you’re being a thoughtful, responsible consumer of media, and that’s all anyone can reasonably ask of you without being a gigantic hypocrite—because whether they’ll admit it or not, everybody who’s perpetuating this discourse both on and offline likes something “problematic.” It’s impossible not to, unless you live under a rock and consume exactly zero media. Take care, and try not to let the discourse get to you! Go forth and enjoy things! (As always, my inbox is open for follow-up questions.)

ETA: Here’s another excellent tumblr post on this topic! And another one! 

[fuckyeahcharmcaster]

Post 666 on this blog

How about commemorating it by analyzing a recent Twitter thread by none other than Geoffrey Thorne, writer of the much-maligned (and deservedly so) “Couples Retreat”?

Immediately a falsehood - McDuffie never ran Ben 10 and Thorne never pitched/wrote for it. 

It was Ben 10: Ultimate Alien (the rebranding of the series Ben 10: Alien Force) that McDuffie ran and Thorne pitched/wrote for. He should have used “franchise” rather than “show”.

REMEMBER THIS. It will be important later.

Hoo boy, here we go....

1. Given which episode it was, I wouldn’t call that “lucky”.

2. It seems like Thorne is definitely the guy behind the alleged spin-off Dwayne McDuffie proposed to the network. In regards to that I respect his passion, but not much else.

3. OK, some context is needed here: he is calling himself a “Charmcaster shipper” because this entire thread was sparked because one of his writer buddies who works on Supergirl was getting a lot of grief from Kara/Lena (”Supercorp”) shippers about how things have gone down on that show. But the problem is that this makes no sense - you cannot be a “shipper” of just one character. What he is describing is being a Charmcaster fanboy, NOT a “shipper”.

…..Where do I even START?

1. First off is the most glaring part: Thorne has completely re-arranged the order of events in his mind. The episode which making explicit that Charmcaster was evil and crazy, “The Enemy of My Frenemy”, aired BEFORE his episode, not after. Also, it wasn’t even separate by “a few weeks later”, it was literally just one week. I can’t believe he got this so wrong.

2. “There was much back patting when my Charmcaster episode came out”. HUH? I sure as Hell don’t remember much in the way of back-patting; most people were disgusted by it and also still upset about the previous episode. This is flat-out revisionist history on Thorne’s part.

3. I truly believe that Charmcaster being “straight-up evil and not a little bit crazy” was NOT meant to be the take-away from “The Enemy of My Frenemy”, which is why it ended in the way it did. But because what Charmcaster did in that episode was fucking genocide, that’s still exactly the take-away many viewers took away from it, and if even Thorne has come out and admitted that it was his take-away from it too, then you KNOW that episode fucked up.

4. “These were adults, mind you” - aaah, so in spite of him previously throwing shade at live-action folks throwing shade at animation because it was seen as “kids’ stuff”, suddenly he’s throwing shade at adult fans of an animated series for being emotionally affected by it. What a fucking hypocrite. I guess the millions upon millions of adult viewers who were outraged by what befell Daenerys Targaryen of Game of Throne are justified because that show is live-action, but there’s something wrong with adult viewers if they have a problem with this?

5. The biggest insight here: there really wasn’t any communication between the writers of UAF...and what’s more, Dwayne McDuffie didn’t bother tightening up the scripts enough to make them consistent, nor apparently did he tell any of the writers crucial information they probably ought to know when writing their episodes. Why was Charmcaster’s behavior so different in “Couples Retreat” compared to where “The Enemy of My Frenemy” left off? Because Thorne didn’t know about that episode. Why did Kevin suddenly act hypocritically scornful toward Charmcaster in “Couples Retreat” despite empathizing with her at the end of “The Enemy of My Frenemy”? Because Thorne didn’t know about that episode! Heck, it was clearly McDuffie who put in lines like “Charmcaster killed us” in the final script, since that little detail took Thorne completely by surprise when “The Enemy of My Frenemy” aired. I hate to speak ill of the dead, but Dwayne McDuffie SUCKED when it came to this franchise!

Thorne then talks of rude fan harassments he got afterward, and on this count I’m actually siding with him because that kind of crap is never acceptable. But then he gets to this, which he claims was an email response he gave to a certain belligerent fan before blocking them:

Oooooh, now he’s doing the number thing! Convenient!

1. Maybe not intentionally, but you certainly have been spreading several falsehoods. 

Also, you actually used the “Internet Tough Guy” routine? Really?

2. Solid point, but I do question just how many kids were “amused and excited” by the stuff that UA, especially in its second season, did. I especially question how and why a creepy, dysfunctional, possibly ephebophilic relationship is supposed to “amuse and excite” children.

3. HIGHLY presumptuous. Not every show has the same effort put into it, and even on shows were effort is clearly being put into one or more department, other departments may suffer. Game of Thrones is one such example: the writers there admitted to not giving a crap. No matter how stellar the acting, music, design, effects, etc. were the whole way through, the writing suffered more and more and it ultimately decimated the positive view of the series.

4. OK, I will personally agree with that statement. Others, however, may not.

Case in point, this excerpt from the South Park episode “Free Hat”:

George Lucas: These are my movies. I made them, and I have the right to do whatever I want with them. Stan:  You're wrong, Mr. Lucas. They're not your movies. They're ours. All of ours. We paid to go see them, and they're just as much a part of our lives as they are of yours. Kyle: When an artist creates, whatever they create belongs to society.

For the record, I believe there is truth to be found in both arguments. I think the ideal stance is somewhere in the middle, where creators are allowed to be held more accountable by the public for the things they put out but are also not controlled and told what to create by fans. Sadly, at the moment I have no idea how such a system that would enable this would work.

I post this last part because the replies it got from two Supercorp shippers are hilarious:

In one ear, out the other. I almost feel sorry for the guy. Almost.

But that does bring up a good final point: while the fictional nature of fictional characters should absolutely never be forgotten to the point where real people are being hurt (the Star Wars franchise has plenty of horror stories where that has happened) and it certainly sounds like there were some verifiable nuts who went after Thorne, there’s a difference between that kind of insane harassment and customers being able to use a platform to call out the creators when they feel like a huge disservice to characters who mean a lot to them has happened. Simply asking for some basic consistency and integrity to be maintained with fictional characters, or asking for creators to stop stringing fans of characters along with false promises like queerbaiting, is not unjustified. Again, I must bring up South Park here.

Kyle: I think... they are real. It's all real. Think about it. Haven't Luke Skywalker and Santa Claus affected your lives more than most real people in this room? I mean, whether Jesus is real or not, he... he's had a bigger impact on the world than any of us have. And the same could be said of Bugs Bunny and, a-and Superman and Harry Potter. They've changed my life, changed the way I act on the Earth. Doesn't that make them kind of "real”? They might be imaginary, but, but they're more important than most of us here. And they're all gonna be around long after we're dead. So in a way, those things are more realer than any of us.

Fictional characters matter to people in ways that are real. Fiction can change the world.

And I don’t believe asking that those characters be treated well is a crime of any sort.

[fatebreaking-a]

Vent channels are frustrating, an outline. I shouldn’t have to say this, but don’t reblog. Somewhat hypocritically, a vent.

1. You can’t moderate them. If you tell someone to not vent about something, they’ll feel silenced and bad. You have to rely on everyone to be personally responsible and careful with what they vent about ( impossible ).

2. It’s not a place for debate or discussion, because venting is largely soured from someone’s frustrations and emotions - they’re upset which is why they’re venting. And everyone knows better than to respond to a plea of emotion with logic - that’s not the point of a vent channel. It’s the same as telling someone who got into a car crash about statistics related to crashes to get them over their fear. That’s not how it works.

3. It breeds negativity and anxiety. Vent channels exist to ‘let off steam’ or ‘to get help’, and it’s usually both. So if you don’t look and someone needs help, it’s trouble. And if someone’s letting off steam, it’s a downer. Furthermore, they’re not transient - they’re always in the same place.

4. Because of (2), it can lead to scenarios where people say stuff that’s just wrong, but it’s not for debate. And it brings up ‘is silence the same complicit agreement’. Because it’s an emotional argument, and it’s often at the expense of someone else. “No offense but [the thing you like is bad]”. Sure. I’m not offended. I know it’s not a personal attack. I still feel bad. Telling me not to take it personally doesn’t mean I enjoy watching things I like be deconstructed as ‘bad things.’

5. Unlike venting privately, much of what’s been mentioned here is because vent channels are public.

None of these reasons are against the vision that “people need an outlet for their stress and worries”, but the same things that cause people to vent are propagated by vent channels. It just becomes a license to recklessly say what you like, protected under ‘well I’m just venting’.

But what you say is permanently recorded. It’s visible to anyone who comes by after. And sometimes, it leads to people quietly biting their tongue and attempting to stifle their frustration, because ‘vent channels’ often overlap with ‘vagueing’. You wouldn’t talk trash about Sona to my face, but doing it in vent is fine, as if I am not going to read all your complaints. And it’s the same for any other champion.

It’s also typical for people to vent about the same thing again and again. Every two weeks or month, it’s the same topic. And if it’s about a person? “It’s okay, they’re not in the server” is something I’ve heard. What about the people who get along with that person? 

A policy of avoiding responsibility for your words and the effect they have on others isn’t a great one.

There’s a stark difference between “my job sucks and my mum is a titanic jerk” and “the content that you like shouldn’t exist”. Does that sound completely ridiculous and something people wouldn’t say? How about “Yasuo shouldn’t have gotten two skins in a year”? “This ship doesn’t make sense and I hate it”? 

I’ve been using discord for RP servers for years now, and it’s always the same stupid pattern. And it’s the same thing that makes me leave. Not the vent channel.

That’s not the problem.

The problem is people who are wholly irresponsible with their words and what they decide to vent about, and the channel and community that enables that.

The problem is people who recklessly speak purely from their emotions and expect that no one else’s emotions will be moved and no one will be affected.

And that all it takes is one person to ruin what is meant to be a place for people to destress. 

Vent channels are abused. And that’s what’s frustrating about them. It’s carte blanche to be not so conscientious with what you say, which is something people already do.

Own what you say. If you wouldn’t say it on your blog, what makes you think it’s fine to say it in a vent channel? Because you’re among friends? Not everyone is super close to you. And I’ve seen one too many times that policies about venting are selectively enforced. Which brings us back to 1. If you have an unpopular opinion, good luck. If you disagree with someone’s attitude, good luck.

-------------

Afterward & Disclaimers: 

“But aren’t you making an appeal of emotion right now”? Yeah, little bit. But I own what I say here. And this is a transient post. It will get deleted. And it will disappear on the dash, because as posts pile up, this will not get scrolled to.

“But ‘X’ ship really is wrong! You shouldn’t generalize.” And you shouldn’t construct examples that exist only to be knocked down. I obviously don’t approve of any underage ships. And yeah, that one Riven ‘ship’ is weird as fuck. But you don’t see me yelling publicly that I hate certain Sona ships, even though I totally do.

“But freedom of speech.” Your words have consequences. Fuck around too long and people will stop listening to you or hanging around you.

“But sometimes people need to get their frustrations out.” Is the emotional value of someone destressing more important than the stress it gives someone else? Can you really make that judgement?

“But people are wrong and I need to say it. They keep saying so many things that are wrong. XYZ is bad. They need to know.” No they don’t and no you don’t. Not everyone enjoys things for the same reasons as you. People who are ‘casual’ with their knowledge shouldn’t be degraded. Don’t be surprised if always tearing things down ( and god the community loves to tear things down ) causes alienation. Just because I like something doesn’t mean I’m giving Riot a pass and not holding them up to some standard. I just want to enjoy the thing. And I ( personally ) am willing to own what I say and the claims I make. Many people aren’t. Therefore, the problem. S’not like I could say “I hate Sylas” in a vent channel, and yet “Demacia’s boring as fuck” is totally allowed, ay?

And by the way, all this could mostly be avoided if you just talk to your friends and vent privately. Needless to say, a server of 30 people is not privately, even if the server itself is a private one.

In summary: Carte blanche to not watch what you say causes trouble. The selfsame means to allow people to destress is a source of that stress, and the tolerance for intolerant negativity is not great.

Disclaimer: This is based on my experience over the years. If you’ve had a really good experience with vent channels ( perhaps because you have a very different personality type or take than I do, or the far less likely option that you are a magical unicorn, or somehow people’s stresses just don’t stress you out and it all washes off or who knows what ), that’s great. Really. But that isn’t everyone’s experience and it certainly isn’t mine. And a tendency to be ‘generically rude’ isn’t one I agree with. Especially promoting it, in its various contexts ( one of which is the vent channel ).

The end.

[yurireview]

the stupid arrogance of a small part of the Bumbleby fandom

hello dear followers of RWBY Do you remember the small incident of BB and WR? Many said "the anti are trying to make those 2 fandom fight"

But the reality is that there is a small part of the Bumbleby fandom that feels superior and believes that it can say any stupidity and since they are now "canon" they like to give their "arguments" and when you contradict them, they become the victims ... but I just saw a post and I think it's a great opportunity to address this issue that has been bothering me for 1 month

First, who the hell is she to say something like that?

It is rare that these fans keep saying that the Whiterose fandom wants to be compared to the Bumbleby and the "Try to blame us" so that we "force" them to match the WR.

I'm going to clarify something and I think I speak for all the fandom WR (We do not give a shit to be compared with the Bumbleby) in fact I'm very happy that we are separated because giving the same development to everything is stupid... for God's sake personalities of Ruby and Weiss that would be impossible they have their own little drama and it works well.

Do you really think they are one of the best lesbian romances of animation? by God that's so arrogant ... obviously I do not deny that the Bumbleby has some development is good, but...Do not you know that there are more than 50-60 lesbian couples  or ship yuri  that are better built, more time on screen and explicit in the animes, manga or Manhwas?

In fact I just saw the chapter 1 of an anime and really there was more lesbian  subtext than in 3 volumes of pure "Bumbleby" (this is not fanservice ... if you have heard of Carole and Tuesday is a very serious project)

Vol 1 Bumbleby vs WR

It is rare that I speak of the "great development" because again if we go back to Vol 1, was there Bumbleby?

The reality is that there was nothing and his fandom can not deny this reality, in fact until Weiss had more development with Blake and that is sad

They have the scene of chapter 3 ... where Yang makes Ruby talk to Blake (a scene of 1 minute that eventually turned into a friendly fight between sisters) it is rare that I read about how it was "undoubted" that Yang had in love with Blake ... but let's be honest (that's nothing from there)

chapter 6-7-8

The reason why I put these 3 chapters is because they literally had scenes of 30 seconds in each chapter ... I think the most relevant thing is that Blake chose Yang as his partner. But again this is "Indication of romance"? I mean, do you really blame a part of the fandom for "doubting" of that ship?

If we compare it with the Whiterose in the First Volume the comparison is ridiculous.

as I mentioned earlier in a review where some of these Bumbleby shipper complained that I pointed out something true (that the Bumbleby had almost no screen time in the first 3 volumes)

Again you can not compare (3 minutes, where Sun spent more time with Blake in only 3 chapters) with 22 minutes of Whiterose and 18 minutes of developing the initial Arkos friendship

All the development that the Whiterose received in the first volume (in addition to screen time ... I repeat it to Bumbleby worshipers) can not be compared.

In fact, even the meeting of Ruby and Weiss took a more special approach than that of Bumbleby, Ruby's expression is so evident in that detail

the conclusion of her initial problems as teammates and Ruby desire to want Weiss to accept her was a genius, again the BB did not have anything

even the development given to Ruby as a leader thanks to Weiss in his conflict over the issue of "Leader" was again more focused than the Bumbleby ... so again say that the BB was the "Best" since the beginning is ridiculous, because there really was no argument to support the ship but there is fun.

cof cof The Whiterose was the most popular ship of that time cof cof

they had their intimate moment in the Vol 2x6 before the Dance ... even though it is remarkable, they really left it very "Random" because again Who would have said something if all the night of dancing had been between Yang and Blake)

Before they say anything it is obvious that it was an important moment for Yang character

It's strange to talk about the Dance because really Blake and Yang only got 20 seconds of "Dance" and really there was nothing at all ... I mean she literally stayed with the end with Sun (I mean if they really wanted to focus the Bumbleby like them they mention ... why all that stupidity with Sun was necessary)

It's so foolish to mention that Ruby did not do anything with Weiss at the dance for 3 reasons:

The first one (She did not want to go, she did not know how to dance, she felt uncomfortable in the dress ... it literally was in the worst place) but if we go back to the scene of chapter 4 of that Volume (Ruby did not let Neptune and Weiss connect, because she wanted to go with Weiss ... besides that there if she felt comfortable) I mean it's character consistency

which Yang did not give a shit

The second: Unlike many characters, the dance did not have anything important for the character of Weiss and Ruby ... with Weiss it was only for Jaune to have character development so that he would approach Pyrrha ... with Ruby apart from what she said before, she had to follow Cinder and be out of the party

Did you see the foolishness of that anti WR argument?

It's strange how Weiss narrative instead of more "Straight" does not have any development with the boys, unlike Blake

even here they destroyed the ship of Weiss and Neptune (never to use it again) because they really only did it to develop Jaune as a character

Whiterose in this volume also received more screen time ... which is funny according to the arguments presented by these Bumbleby fans.

Again the Bumbleby was only focused on chapter 8 of Vol 3 (before that he did not get any screen time in that volume and even the Blakesun received a very good blush)

I do not dismiss the Bumbleby moments because of its importance ... but really there is very little time on the screen and that's why I say that the Bumbleby really started to develop from here but that's not why it's the "best romance" or the "Only path".

In fact there was still nothing romantic in the scene and do not come with the "destroy everything you love" because again all the fandom knows that the BB did not have anything romantic until then and that phrase works for everything.

that it has become romantic is one thing, but it could have been used in any context and it works (in fact I'm glad they took that route)

Chapter 12 Vol 3

It is rare that they also mention that "the Whiterose did not receive focus" in the fall of Beacon ... when the reality is that all the main dynamics were focused

Obviously the Arkos received the best ... because there was not going to be another time to do it (now or never) ... but the others received the same time (obviously from the moment where Adam cut Yang arm, you could say that just started the Bumbleby ... but before that they did not have material to be a ship destined to the "canon" because nobody really knew what they were going to do and their "development" is not the best because there is no time on the screen

The difference between the Blakesun and the Whiterose

It's so silly to say that they did not focus on the separation of Ruby and Weiss unlike the Bumbleby ... but it's odd that she did not mention that in Vol 4 (in Yang entire argumentative line she did not mention Blake, there was only one small scene to the interpretation where she sees the books and if you know deduce you can see that she misses Blake ... that's all)

What I find hypocritical here is that they really are the same scene (both miss someone) and again the scene is easy to interpret ... but here they only see "Bumbleby"

The Blakesun became a friendship for the simple fact that Blake had linked more to Yang because of what happened with Adam ... that's all that turned his old dynamic into a new ... it's called development)

Not to mention that the show was betting on the Bumbleby

The scene where really focus the fact that Yang misses Blake and that she "needs" is in the 5x8 ... where he spent the entire half of the chapter ... it served much to awaken the fandom.

Weiss narrative in that volume was divided between Yang and Ruby but leaning to Yang in the first half of that volume because she had to be the bridge so that Yang could understand and forgive Blake the moment she saw her (in addition to that to develop their friendship, because Yang-Weiss had very few interactions, that is evident before Vol 5) ...the funny thing is that again they do not focus on them in Vol 6 because it was not necessary anymore) so that argument is very bad

I must admit that I get quite angry that they say "there is no change in Ruby to see Weiss almost die"

which is a lie, in fact a rather detailed approach was given to Ruby concern for Weiss (in addition to the detail that she pulled Jaune's hands away from our beloved Weiss)

Speaking of Jaune (it is not ironic that the show and the Staff did not want to focus some of Weiss-Jaune dynamics that almost does not exist and did not take advantage of the best opportunity for that)

The end of Vol 5 is a clear example where Weiss did not dedicate 1 minute of his time to Jaune (or even to thank him)

I love the hypocrisy of that little part of the Bumbleby fandom when they say "hey look for a moment Bumbleby" but when they see another moment literally the same ... they like to deny it

This scene between Weiss and Ruby was one of the sweetest, in fact Weiss never dedicated this look to anyone else ... the experience of "almost dying" brought her closer to Ruby and only a stupid could not see it.

The Bumbleby received his moment as well ... but then they went back to the group dynamics, I mean, do they really bother with that?

Whiterose in the Vol 6

Returning to his argument that "there was no change" this is false from the start.

I love that the opening 6 showed Ren and Nora with Ruby and Weiss as the most “affectionate and supportive” dynamics

What is the only thing these Bumbleby fans saw? ... yes, this was

It's pretty hypocritical like those Bumbleby fans who claim that Ruby already "defined" her relationship with Weiss by calling her her "Best friend" in Vol 3 but they really ignore all the development of her emotions towards her in the next volumes and of course (Blake  also saw Yang as a friend at the beginning ... she did not fall in love with her from the beginning, in fact she liked Sun)

With Weiss the same applies ... in fact they ignore all of Weiss development with Ruby and his contrast with other characters, which other characters called his "family" relationships .. but let's move on to his next argument

They mention that "Yang and Blake tend to make it more personal"

This is partly true ... but it is evident because Yang and Blake had a traumatic event that involved both, not because their dynamic is full of "drama" means that the other is not worth it, I mean the drama is fine (but not everyone likes that kind of development)

In fact it's funny that she mentions Ruby phrase ... but she forgot to mention that that volume focused on the dynamics of Ruby and Weiss from the beginning...besides they brought Sun and Neptune (sinking both ship with the RWBY team girls)

They love to focus on how the Vol 6 focuses the Bumbleby up on its combat dynamics (when literally the Whiterose stands out much more)

They love to point out how Blake focused on Yang when they both disappeared... but when it comes to the Whiterose (they did the same thing) ... they say "Do not count" jajajajajajaja is ridiculous

Again the show instead of focus on group dynamics, focus both ship separately and intimately ... the scenes of Weiss and Ruby do not have the drama of Yang and Blake (but that's not why there is no development)

Besides that it's obvious how Yang does not highlight anything next to Ruby when it comes to Weiss

The happiness and the conford that Ruby gives to Weiss is unique in its dynamics, this volume focuses more, it is called "Development" when you live many experiences with someone (without needing to be, super dramatics...eventually the feelings change and they become closer)

Even in this scene the show focused primarily on Weiss and even mentioned it in RWBY (Review) which was a topical in the "ship" discussions in this volume ... so again its "Little approach" is ridiculous

Besides that it's obvious how Yang does not highlight anything next to Ruby when it comes to Weiss

There were so many moments in which the show could do the "group dynamics" that they mention so much ... but really the show ultimately focuses on Ruby and Weiss on how these small events make them closer, as Weiss emotions towards Ruby are unique.

Again Blake and Yang do not stand out in anything in their interactions

Even when the Bumbleby was focused on this volume (there were several episodes in which nothing happened) Is this bad? no ... but it is understandable, this happened with other relevant ship

With Ruby and Weiss it was the same, the ship received a lot of time on the screen, a more dynamic dynamic and had its breaks in the Volume ... then in the end having great moments

The scene where Ruby wanted Weiss to be by her side for emotional support and her presence comforting her is simply a genius

His dynamic excelled over the others (except for the BB who were fighting against Adam)

The worry and anger of Weiss by the risky of the actions of Ruby giving a funny moment and at the same time very intimate between both (does not count according to the Bumbleby) because there is no "drama" ajjajajajajjaaj

Even though the Bumbleby was the main focus of the final part of Vol 6 (the Whiterose stood out in a great way ... they gave them so many scenes together and very "shipping") that you would have to be a hypocrite and hater to deny it

The Bumbleby had its best moment and conclusion in this volume and that is very good.

it is obvious that the Bumbleby has to be the main development in this Volume (because not even the arc of Weiss has started that will be given in Vol 7 that obviously will be given together with Ruby) ... all those "arguments" are idiots and easy to deny)

As you could see the arguments to "disprove" the Whiterose are very ridiculous and really say that "They have no bad intention" even when they label it with "Anti WR" is really absurd... but then nobody can tell them anything because they change the story and blame the Whiterose.

Seriously, what the hell did the Whiterose fandom do to the BB on the Vol 6 that are bugging a lot?

which brings me to the last part of the text (which is the most absurd)

As I mentioned before, who the hell wants to "force" them to ship the Whiterose? I hate that stupid arrogance, we do not need them or anything like that ... our fandom from before is already one of the biggest and we never did anything to them, besides that the Whiterose has a different development and that makes it better (because I dont want to see BB 2.0).

Ruby is the protagonists

Another thing that I realized with these "critics" is that they do not understand that Ruby is the protagonist ... her development is different, everything with her has to happen later on.

For something, the dynamics of Ruby and Weiss develops more slowly, has more time on the screen and in the next volume began the Weiss arc that will literally involve Ruby in something much more dramatic, this is not "speculation" of Vol. 6 and the whole narrative is ready ... it's something that that small part of Bumbleby fans do not understand or do not want to understand

Because both Blake and Yang have less relevance than Ruby in the first volumes, they have less screen time in their dynamics before Vol 6 and their ship recently had a satisfactory conclusion in this volume (I do not deny the symbolism or the "parallelism") but I will not go through the negative side that many see in the BB.

This is understandable because they are not the main protagonist, they do not have the dynamics with more time on the screen is obvious...the character of Ruby covers more, there is no time just for ship and even so his dynamic with Weiss is the best developed of his character

The matter with the RWBY Manga

Something quite hypocritical is that really that small part of BB fandom gives relevance to all the moments of his favorite ship in these mangas ... but as you know, the Whiterose has even more moments in the manga and there they close their eyes saying "this it's nothing canon "

even in the new official RWBY manga (published in the Shonen Jump) that many in the fandom, even the Haters have praised for their good narrative, has as its main focus the Whiterose ... literally here is a person who has more knowledge of how to write a story and his favorite dynamic is the Whiterose where he makes it clear that he pairs them and his moments are not few, so again, why give more material to a ship ... that does not make sense? but to the Bumbleby that is the "canon" there is very little in that manga (but there is) because the author also understands that there is yuri

know that manga will follow the official history of the Vol but clear with details of the author and as we see (remains excellent) and RT gave his full permission, it is obvious because they do not give ship material between Weiss-Jaune-Jaune-Ruby or  other ship unimportant to the future

Conclusion

Since the recent Vol 6 ended and the Whiterose became much more "relevant" as ship because now you can get a consistent narrative of all the development of both girls ...some Bumbleby fans feel the need to "discredit" because .. .they are "the canon WLW" and it is very stupid.

Bumbleby fans do not complain about stupid couples like Sun-Weiss who has no fucking sense (not even the WR complain about that) (do not complain about Jaune-Weiss who does not have a minute of development in this volume)

They want to have a "unique" narrative in which Blake stays with Yang because this is something "revolutionary" ... but they want to match Weiss with a boy with whom she has no development in a pathetic cliche ("because she is straight" ) when actually until Blake had more Focus on that unlike Weiss... that there is literally 0 development with guys.

As of the end of this volume, they are beginning with their "inoffensive" arguments to try to discredit Whiterose.

-First they started with "pedophilia" (which is stupid) -Then they followed that a "vocal" part of the Whiterose fandom sexualizes Ruby (which is funny because Yang is the most profaned character in all RWBY and with more parodies and material in the Rule 34 hetero-lesbian) without mentioning that this argument is very silly because it's internet and a popular series will always have porn of all kinds (you have to live in a bubble if you think only lesbians like BB)

Then they say that "we force them to shippear" which I explain here is ridiculous (Also again ... you stop labeling your post with "Tag" from Renora, Arkos or other ship ... many times, but nobody tells you nothing, here the Whiterose does not do that almost never and when does it is to focus a point ... but apparently this Bumbleby fan are fucking elitists)

I think I said what I had to say and for every member of the Whiterose fandom that reads this (Do not let this little part of the Bumbleby fandom tell you that nonsense, then they are complaining "there are all hating BB because they are homophobic" ... now I understand why they hate them, they want to annoy another fandom that does not do anything to them ... although at the end of the day, they do not know a shit about what might happen in the series and their arguments are so unimportant that it has no relevance) .. But it's always good to bring out your nonsense

I like the ship Bumbleby I made several reviews in their favor (but that 5% of their fans have me getting tired with their hypocrisy and believe themselves superior when they come out with those pathetic arguments)

Having said this I say goodbye and until the next

[fostersffff]

Complete Black Eagle (read: Edelgard and Rhea) Thoughts

Now that I’ve finally finished both Silver Snow and Crimson Flower, I feel like I can put all of these thoughts out without worrying about a last minute twist. It’s entirely possible based on how much I’ve seen people talk about route differences that once I play Golden Deer and Blue Lions I’ll have changed my opinions, but barring some really wild and extreme stuff, I can’t imagine changing all that much. A ton of text under the break:

Edelgard

There was a Korean poll that was published recently where Edelgard was voted the #1 most disliked character in Three Houses... and also the #2 most liked character in Three Houses (behind Lysithea). It’s not a surprising result to see considering that she is the inciting antagonist, and that you don’t really understand why she does any of it unless you happened to start with the Black Eagles, but even then, IntSys felt it necessary to split Black Eagles into two routes, just in case you still didn’t want to side with her. But that’s what I think I found to be the most compelling thing about Edelgard: that she is a decidedly morally gray character, and how you feel about her comes down to looking at all of the things she does and asking “is this worth it?”

Part of what makes her so compelling to me is that no one understands her role better than Edelgard herself. She has no delusions about what she’s doing, and she never even makes an attempt to sugarcoat it to anyone around her. I made a post back when I first started the game about how I thought it was weird that her first support with Byleth ends with her talking about how she’s prepared to go down in the history books as History’s Greatest Monster without any context, but as the blanks fill in and time passes, it’s clear that she’s completely and utterly true to her word. "The ends justify the means” is the best description of her philosophy, but unlike a lot of characters (and people) who use that to justify their actions, she doesn’t take any solace in it, or use it as a way to offset the responsibility for all of the lives lost in the war. The end may justify the means, but it doesn’t make the means any less horrific, and even if the end result is a better world, it’s a small comfort to the countless people who died for it.

I think something crucial to sympathizing with Edelgard is that as far as she is concerned, she didn’t “initiate” hostilities with the church. When she kills Dimitri in the Crimson Flower route, she says “if only we were born in a time of peace, you might have enjoyed a joyful life as a benevolent ruler”, which sounds comically hypocritical in isolation coming from the person who declared war in the first place. But it’s because as far as she’s concerned, the systemic oppression resulting from the Church of Seiros’s influence on every Fodlan society means that true peace simply hasn’t existed since long before any of them were ever born. To Edelgard, there’s been a cold war between the Church of Seiros and humanity for a thousand years, and she took it upon herself to finally make it hot.

“Cold war” might sound exaggerated, but there’s something to that idea going on the evidence we’re presented with. At best, the church is ignorant to and/or idle on the suffering of the common folk and the corruption of the nobility all across the continent that exists because they grants noble status and political power to families that happen to have Crests. At worst, the church is intentionally passive about those problems because preserving the status quo and their absolute control is more important, and to act in any way to try to fix those problems directly could threaten their status as the center of power in Fodlan. Speaking of their control: isn’t it odd that the Church of Seiros was involved in each war for independence, maintaining their foothold in the old nation while also branching out and ensuring they were the dominant religion in the new ones? That the only time the church acts on their own (outside of an immediate threat like bandits) is when they are made aware of heresies, however mild, at which point they act decisively and without any shred of mercy, sending a sign to anyone who would dare try to cross the church? That, with the exception of Seteth and Flayn, the most devout members of the Knights of Seiros and the church have a fanatical devotion to Rhea specifically, and not Sothis or the doctrine of the church? The most insidious thing is that even if someone with the power to pose a threat to the church wanted to fight against them, the only people who could realistically muster up enough military might to challenge the Knights of Seiros would be nobles, and the fall of the church would also mean there would be nobody to legitimize their claims to nobility. Nobody would be willing to risk their noble status, and all of the perks that come with it, like that.

Except Edelgard.

This is actually what I like most about Edelgard, and why I was right to compare her to my favorite Fire Emblem villain: Zephiel. Zephiel’s goal in Fire Emblem 6 is the complete eradication of humanity and giving the world over to dragonkind, because he believes that humanity is a blight. He never says “I will lead this new world of dragons” or “My followers and I will live on to see the world of dragons”, which always led me to believe that he would eventually turn his sword on himself*. Edelgard, like Zephiel, does not intend to just conquer Fodlan and then just enjoy the spoils- once all of her affairs are in order (dismantling the church and nobility, re-establishing the church and turning nobility into a meritocracy, eradicating the Tunnel Snakes**) she finds a suitable successor (read: not her child) and then retires into the sunset (at least in the ending where she marries Byleth). And, if you don’t like Edelgard- or even if you do- this happy ending might rub you the wrong way, because even though her resolve was unshaken and she walks her path to the very end, it was still an incredibly violent path. This leads to another question that I’m sure people can argue forever: does Edelgard deserve to have a happy ending?

I’ve seen Edelgard described with a lot of terms that I don’t really think apply to her- like, at all- but I’d never seriously argue that she did nothing wrong. She is a dictator, and a warmonger, and regardless of which route you chose a tragic amount of life is lost as a direct result of her actions. Her alliance with the Tunnel Snakes is an entire can of worms of its own, because despite the fact that she has no control over what they choose to do on their own time, she is effectively still condoning their actions by relying on their power. The worst of it, as far as I’m concerned, is lying to her own people about who caused the destruction of Arianrhod and the loss of life there to prevent an internal conflict. I think with all that in mind, there are a lot of people who are locked into the conclusion that no, she doesn’t deserve to have a happy ending. 

But! To create the world she envisioned, one where Rhea was no longer manipulating the world from behind the scenes, a world that would improve the quality of life for everyone in future generations, she was never going to have a choice in how she did things. Think of how openly and casually Rhea talks about how enemies of the church must be eliminated, without any room for discussion. Would a diplomatic call for the Church of Seiros to disavow the current system of nobility based on the possession of crests and for Rhea to step down as archbishop be met with anything other than hostility not only from the church, but from the Kingdom and Alliance as well? Even something as simple as publicly renouncing her own faith to try to motivate a cultural change just within the empire would’ve probably had Rhea dispatching Catherine to cut her down for heresy, just like she did for Lord Lonato. And the final, most passive alternative- returning to the empire after graduating from the academy, ascending her father to become the next puppet of the cabinet, hoping that she eventually bears a child with a major Crest or else watch her own children undergo the same torture she and her family went through. That’s just completely unacceptable, especially when that kind of self-sacrifice is only to the benefit of the nobles and the preservation of a rotten status quo that also only benefits those same nobles- and Rhea, of course. No matter what, she was going to have to sacrifice, and while what she chose would involve the most bloodshed, it also had the best chance of making things better for the greatest number of people when all was said and done, so her getting to have at least one ending where she is completely successful and is rewarded on a personal level doesn’t strike me as inappropriate at all.

A lot of what I’ve talked about with Edelgard has to do with the church, which is inescapable considering every single action she takes is motivated by the church. So ultimately, one of the most important questions to consider when asking “is all of this worth it” is “is Rhea really that bad?” Well...

Rhea

This bitch is fucking insane holy shit.

It’s kind of a nice feeling to feel suspicious of a character from their introduction, only for things to actually be way worse than you could’ve ever expected. For what it’s worth, this isn’t a case of me hating the character on a writing level, it’s just that I find everything about her character to be loathsome even under the best possible circumstances.

What makes Rhea so despicable is how simple and selfish her entire motivation is. Every single action she takes and emotion she expresses can all be traced to an obsession with her mother. It’s not that she believes she needs Sothis’s guidance to deal with a problem that neither she nor the whole of humanity can’t deal with on their own, or that the world will only be at peace if Sothis is around to protect it, it is literally just for her own sake. And on its face, I can deeply sympathize with going to crazy lengths to want to see your mother after she was tragically taken away from you. I also love my mom! But there’s a bunch of lines- both explicitly stated and implied- Rhea sprints past at an Olympic pace that I (and hopefully most other people) would not cross. These include:

Having twelve children*** and trying to turn all of them into your mother.

Having a grandchild and trying to turn them into your mother.

Maintaining direct control and influence over multiple sovereign nations over a span of a thousand years so you can continue to try to bring back your mother without anyone bothering you.

Keeping your closest friends/relatives/allies out of the loop on all of your completely unethical experimentation because deep down inside you either know how fucked up it is, or that they would try to stop you.

Ordering your subordinates to burn down the city full of innocent bystanders you are currently occupying to try to kill the grandchild who you put your mother into.

The one that disturbs me the most is what’s implied by the ending of Crimson Flower. In Silver Snow, Rhea tells Byleth that they were stillborn, and that their mother begged Rhea to put the Crest Stone into Byleth to give them a chance to live. But at the end of Crimson Flower, Rhea’s death causes the Crest Stone on Byleth’s heart to fade away, which should result in their death. But after a few moments, their heart starts up normally and they go on living as normal. They lose Sothis’s power in the process, but they’re just as healthy as they were before they obtained it. This leads me to believe that Byleth may have actually been born healthy and that, after their mother had passed from complications due to childbirth, Rhea placed the Crest Stone on their heart anyway. Or- it’s even possible that Rhea killed the mother herself, removing her Crest Stone heart after sensing that Byleth might be a better vessel because of their parentage. After all, Rhea is the only person who truly knew what happened in there. Jeralt had no idea about the exact nature of Byleth’s heart, only that they had no heartbeat, and Seteth and Flayn didn’t know about anything at all. Obviously, that’s all just speculation, as far as I’m concerned something like this is totally in line with Rhea’s character.

Now, to revisit the question of “is Rhea really that bad”, Edelgard doesn’t know about any of Rhea’s personal fucked up shit. What she knows about is what the church has done and what has happened under their watch and thus with their implicit blessing, that Rhea is actually The Immaculate One, and that she has been the sole driving power of the Church of Seiros since the church was initially founded. On a personal level, her own life and the lives of all of her family members were destroyed by the Church of Seiros’s influence on society via crests. And it should be noted that Edelgard’s not stupid; she’s very likely aware that the Tunnel Snakes are the ones who performed the blood reconstruction on her and her siblings at the behest and/or with the consent of the Empire’s cabinet and Lord Arundel, and she even addresses how awful they are and that she really wants no part of them when she approaches Jeralt and Byleth as the Flame Emperor. But, back when I first suspected that Edelgard was the Flame Emperor, I made a joke about how she has to deal with the fact that the Tunnel Snakes are dabbing on a mountain of corpses while Rhea is cripwalking on an even bigger mountain of corpses. But that wasn’t accurate- it’s not just that Rhea’s mountain is bigger, it’s also composed of people who are still alive, but suffered because of the Church of Seiros: Dorothea’s childhood spent as a wretch because she was born a commoner, the abuse Bernadetta endured from her father to make her noble wife material, Caspar and Sylvain’s brother being shunned from their families for the crime of being born without a Crest, Lysithea suffering the exact same procedure as Edelgard to increase her family’s noble standing, Hanneman’s sister dying from trying to bear a child with a Crest, to say nothing of the characters I haven’t seen the stories of yet. In the grand scheme of the game’s universe, this is only a sample of about 30 characters: what about the potential hundreds of thousands of other lives with stories similar to- or possibly worse than- the main cast? And what’s more, Rhea is not gloating about how big her pile is. She’s so utterly preoccupied with her mother that doesn’t even notice the mountain beneath her, and that might actually be worse.

Both

Finally, I want to briefly touch on the way both characters interact with Byleth, and how they handle things when they’re made into the villain. No matter what route the player chooses, Byleth does something for Edelgard that she has never experienced before: unconditional protection. She was prepared to fight the bandit, and she saw him coming from a mile away so I imagine she could’ve handled it, but Byleth still jumps in front of her to protect her. This is why Edelgard puts so much stock into Byleth, much to the chagrin of Hubert. It’s not that she doesn’t trust that Hubert and the rest of the Black Eagles are capable of helping her, but to them, she is Edelgard von Hresvelg, heir apparent of the Adrestian Empire. Even if their friendships with her would suggest otherwise, there is an ocean of difference between them because of their stations. But to Byleth, she was “simply Edelgard”. She has never experienced that kind of interaction in her entire life, and especially not when there was danger involved. This is so ingrained in her that even in the route where you most directly oppose her, after having spent a full year getting to know and understand her and still choosing to fight against her, her last words are “I wanted to walk with you.” Even that phrasing- that she wanted to walk with them, not that she wanted them to walk with her- says so much about how strongly she feels about Byleth. Is it waifubaiting? Oh baby is it ever, but it doesn’t make it less solid

On the flipside: something I really genuinely hate in games (and stories in general, but it crops up the most in games) is when people have unflinching, unwavering faith in the player character for no good reason. It’s why I think Persona 4 is a worse game than 3 despite being better in almost every other meaningful way. This almost certainly has to do with me not liking Rhea from the start: appropros of seemingly nothing, she is as dotting as any mother would be, she entrust you with an entire class of students lives with zero credentials, and in addition to that she is constantly assigning Byleth the most important tasks because she just has so much faith that they’re destined for greatness. Unlike the situation with Edelgard, helping fight off some bandits is not reasonable precedent for trusting someone this much. And the biggest reason I appreciate Rhea as a villain is because all of this turns out to be a ruse. All of this is in service of currying Byleth’s favor, to get them to trust her, to make them feel special, so that when she asks them to sit on the throne so Sothis can take over their body, they wouldn’t think anything of it. And you know it’s all been a ruse because of how unbelievably fast her turn is if you side with Edelgard. There’s no consistency between the Rhea who gently stroked your hair and sang you a lullaby when you were recovering from your trip to the shadow realm and the Rhea who calls you a failure and is going to rip your heart out of your chest.

*I’m extrapolating a lot of information about Zephiel and the world of FE6 in general because we just don’t have access to as much lore as we do in Three Houses, but I think what I’m saying are reasonable conclusions

**I call Those Who Slither In The Dark “Tunnel Snakes” for a number of reasons: it’s shorter, it functionally means the same thing, and it’s funny to me

***I refer to the vessels Rhea created as her children because that’s what I understood them to be when I first played Silver Snow, but upon rewatching the cutscene what she actually says is “I tried to bring her back by creating a body, and then burying a Crest Stone within it”. This could mean her own children that she bore, but it could also mean a number of other things, like vessels “created” from normal humans she acquired. For my own headcanon, the utter detachment she shows for Byleth when they side with Edelgard leads me to believe that they are, in fact, her biological children, but she refers to them so clinically because she felt nothing for them except disdain for not being able to house Sothis.

[pekorosu]

no.6 novels thinky thoughts

--------

so… i ended up finishing all 9 vols in about a week haha.

my overall impression? it was… alright, i guess.

not that i didn’t enjoy it, in fact, the first half was great! by the time i reached the end though, i had mixed feelings. sat on it for a week or so but a lot of it remains a vague hhhmmmmmblah blob that i’m not done figuring out. 

i still wanna make a post as a form of closure for myself though, so i’m just gonna dump whatever comes to mind here. don’t mind me.

so... the ending. i guess it was supposed to be open-ended in a hopeful way, but it just came across as unsettling to me. the ~chosen one~ thing rubbed me the wrong way, because shion was entrusted with an enormous responsibility that no 16 year old should even be shouldering in the first place. (i mean yea okay he did willingly accept it, but still. why only him? why aren’t they all collectively responsible?) 

meanwhile the actual perpetrators get to escape all the consequences by just… dying. just like that. and the rest of them, especially the adults… they’re pretty much useless? even the ones that wanted to do something by staging a revolt ended up being unreliable either bc 1. they were drunk on revenge or 2. all that power was getting to their head. ironically, rou was like “it’s all on us, the adults” but in the end even he decided to just spend the rest of his life chilling out underground -_-

on top of that, shion had to let go of nezumi. idk about y’all but that ending, that “promise to meet again” kiss was like… i couldn’t help but wonder if nezumi only did that because shion was all “a world without you is meaningless” and he had to give him something to cling onto. followed by shion’s devoted “i’ll keep waiting” which… idk, something about it felt utterly depressing. to be fair, nezumi always keeps his promises and the epilogue was vaguely hopeful i guess, but it still didn’t give me the sense of closure that i needed. 

to clarify, i’m not saying it’s a bad ending. it’s realistic and the implication that there’s still a lot of work to be done is very much in line with the story’s themes. just that something about it didn’t work for me personally, plus the lead up to it felt rushed, so it left me feeling :/ when i was done.

the plot… well, it started out exciting but turned out to be rather anticlimactic? the shift from science to supernatural had a proper build up, but still felt like a letdown for some reason… 

i think... maybe it’s bc dystopian stories tend to culminate in a huge battle and stuff like that, while this one just… didn’t. there was no final showdown with the Big Bad. there was chaos, but it hadn’t descended into total devastation yet, with the ultimate message that maintaining peace is always more preferable in order to prevent any more senseless deaths. and i guess that threw me off a little? not in a bad way, it was just unexpected bc i’m so used to the whole “final boss” format.

speaking of which, the antagonists were very one-dimensional, and for dictators they were surprisingly… weak. i mean, i get that hubris was precisely the reason for their carelessness and subsequent destruction, but it felt too convenient, too simple.

and i was sorta expecting something more gruesome when they got to the top floor of the correctional facility. idk, i guess brains floating in tubes just couldn’t compare with that scene of them climbing a mountain of corpses+half-alive people, which i had the misfortune of reading right before dinner. that was straight up horror.

and for all its depiction of the horrors of a police state, of poverty, famine, genocide… i felt like it stopped short of something. this isn’t meant to be a proper critique ofc, just that i remember feeling like the writing came across as wishy-washy or superficial at times, even though i knew the author’s intention wasn’t to hand out answers, but to get the readers to think. something about the way it was handled left me feeling unsatisfied i guess. 

that said, there were stuff that i did like! eg. i liked how the story dealt with the “we’re all human beings” statement from shion. it started out as a simple, idealistic “all lives matter” kind of thing, only to be turned on its head when he comes face-to-face with the kind of atrocities no.6 has committed. then it becomes less about that and more “our shared humanity means that we too have the capability to become cruel and apathetic.” or at least, that was my takeaway. 

hmm… in hindsight, i think it does what it set out to do well enough. that is, to convey a certain message to a certain group of people (teenagers i guess. this is YA after all). to inspire them to think for themselves, to realise that apathy is dangerous and to take responsibility for their own learning, but also to know that doing the “right” thing is not just about good intentions; it is constant hard work but still important work... among others. all of which are solid themes and messages. god knows when i was younger and learning about all this for the first time, even the simplest things would leave me mindblown for days. if i’d read this back then i imagine it would’ve left a bigger impression too.

the main highlight for me though, was probably the character scenes. i was surprised to find out how introspective the story was, with the majority of it dedicated to the characters’ internal thoughts and conflicts. 

sadly though, the side charas’ POVs (like inukashi’s and karan’s) ended up becoming tediously repetitive and draggy despite starting out strong. and safu… poor safu, she pretty much got the shortest end of the shit stick being the Plot Device Damsel In Distress Who Is Eventually Fridged. i had higher hopes for her ):

as for the rest… i don’t really care about rikiga… and who else… oh right! small nezumi team! hamlet, cravat and tsukiyo. 10/10 love them, would never get tired of their cute little squeaks.

and the protags… shion started out kinda bland but ended up being the easiest to relate to haha. eg. his constant struggle to reconcile his personal ideals with practical reality. and it was interesting to see how he confronted and came to terms with some harsh truths. he always tries so hard. sometimes it hurt to read, but it made me want to root for him and in a way, it gave me strength too. 

also his apparent “lack of interest” in sex/women/etc... i know it’s generally played for laughs or to highlight his ~naivete~ or ~immaturity~, but whatever lol it’s something i can relate to it v strongly.

nezumi took a while for me to warm up to even when i understood why he is the way he is. the callousness, hostility, volatility… they’re all defense mechanisms rooted in his trauma, but still, knowing that didn’t make him any less irritating lol. he could be deeply hypocritical at times and his tendency to randomly explode at shion was grating. on the plus side, it’s always very satisfying whenever we do get a glimpse of his more vulnerable side.

them as a pair though… i’m not a huge fan of the “fate brought us together” trope so i was skeptical at first. nezumi being so prickly and moody at first didn’t help either, but shion. oh shion, he tried so hard to worm himself into nezumi’s heart, to prove himself worthy, that i couldn’t help but be charmed. to me, they started out more like “snarky senpai and curious kouhai” as opposed to “friends” or even “potential enemies” as nezumi liked to insist they were, which made for an amusing dynamic. 

and while they did grow on me over time, they don’t make me feel that INTENSE CHEST STABBING feeling that i get with other ships. idk why, i mean, their sarcastic exchanges were amusing, their brutally honest arguments were compelling, and the pining (which is my #1 weakness) was through the fucking roof with shion. but still, something was missing.

sidenote on something the author mentioned in the guidebook interview (my own rough t/l):

I like writing about relationships between people of the same sex, not just boys. When it comes to the opposite sex, the end result of being attracted to each other is always romantic love, or getting married…… To a certain extent, the “template” for that is already fixed, isn’t it? But when it comes to the same sex, there can exist a connection that can’t be expressed in the usual cliched words like friendship, camaraderie, love, hatred… I think there’s meaning in writing about relationships that can’t be clearly defined. What’s between Shion and Nezumi is a “one-of-a-kind connection” that’s born out of a certain situation, out of certain experiences that only they have gone through. I wanted to find out what exactly that connection is, which was why I wanted to try writing it. Of course, that “one-of-a-kind connection” would probably exist between people of the opposite sex as well. After all, the feelings that emerge from a chance meeting of two human beings can never be something that’s mass-produced. But still, I think the one thing that I really enjoy writing about has got to be the unique emotions that develop between people of the same sex.

i know she doesn’t mean anything negative here, but idk… it kinda reminds me of the way yoshida akimi discussed ash and eiji’s relationship in banana fish, and the way she discussed what she found so special about same-sex relationships that is lacking in m/f relationships. and something about it bugs me so much. i don’t even know why or how to explain it… 

it sounds like to them, there’s something fundamentally “different” about same-sex relationships. "different” doesn’t necessarily mean “bad” and in fact, it even sounds positive in this context because the implication is that that “difference” allows for more freedom and variety in relationship dynamics. but i guess, the closest thing that i can come up with is that it sounds… othering? i don’t know….......

speaking of which, i suppose shion/safu is a subversion of that typical m/f relationship. shion can never love her the way she wants him to, which is heartbreaking, but also refreshing in a way.

and you know what… it just occurred to me that maybe, maybe… it’s the same with shion and nezumi. and maybe that’s why something about them feels off to me. i mean, obviously the strength of their feelings for each other is indisputable, but idk if the essence of it is the same. 

shrugs. anyway, yeah.

the honest truth is that, while i enjoyed their interactions immensely, they just don’t ignite the same fire in me as all my other otps. that said, i still do have a lot of thoughts on them! maybe that’s a post for another day.

some other stray thoughts:

- was it ever explained how nezumi built his robo rats? or where tf he managed to gather so many gold coins? was this something the story just handwaved or did i just forget?

- nezumi wanting to leave on a journey at the end baffled me. even though him eventually leaving was foreshadowed a couple times, he never really struck me as a wanderer to begin with. but now that i think about it… i wonder if he’s leaving bc he wants to, or rather, needs to look out for any other remaining forests and natural environments. that’s what his people did, didn’t they? protect the forests. i wonder if he’s going to go look for others like himself. after all, he’s the only surviving indigenous person left in the area surrounding no.6, isn’t he? hmmm.

language-wise... this is my first proper japanese (light) novel so i’m feeling kinda accomplished rn! lol. it was surprisingly not as tough as i had expected. i think the most difficult part was actually reading the quotes at the beginning of each chapter bc it’s in a font that’s so hard to make out.

oh, and again, some parts felt really redundant. i kept wondering if it was a language thing or an author thing. either way, i felt like there were quite a few unnecessary rehashes that could’ve been omitted to improve the pacing. 

sequels, other adaptations...

i’ve not read “beyond” yet, which apparently has sequel-ish bits? i’ve ordered it, it’s on its way, but i have a feeling my impression won’t change that much even after i’ve read it. heck, it might get worse judging by all these lukewarm reviews. i’m definitely gonna see this through to the end, but i’m feeling kinda scared now lol.

i might check out the anime? based on the summaries on wiki, it sounds like quite a lot has been altered, but i’m still curious about the visuals. dunno if i’d wanna check out the manga. if it’s exactly the same as the novels or the anime then maybe not…

oh yeah, their anime/manga versions look quite different to how i imagined them! mine’s closer to the novel covers i guess. especially nezumi. i imagined him with short hair. maybe not all super saiyan like the one below, but yea.

lastly, i just had a good look at all the vol covers and i actually think they look pretty cool! i’m really glad i chose to get this version instead of the bunkobon. i mean, i don’t know if i will ever reread this again, but at least the covers are nice to look at haha.

[wcamino-confessions]

@lt because I know your reading it

What the ever loving fuck are you doing? Okay I can understand attempting to ban me, it had the word Virgin in it and andro was manipulating you, alright fine idk I didn’t get banned anyways. But treating smoke like shit is going over the bar pal. Now sit down and hopefully read through this because at this point I’m half convinced y’all are just skimming past anything shitting on y’all

Point 1

Get the fuck of your moral high horse of bias. Y’all nearly didn’t promote smoke because he had a “bias” that the pop ban wasn’t exactly fair. Sit back and listen to yourself. Listen to the words your saying. Because if you can’t tell that’s the most hypocritical fucking thing I’ve ever heard in my entire 13 lifespan. Want me to pull out my Harry Potter sized book about examples? Page one, fenris was banned because andro and some other guy had a bias ((andro even admitted it)) and only took skkorty yelling to get them unbanned. Page three, nightcrawler, don’t @me I’m 99% convinced the only reason the Lt didn’t hide nightcrawlers traced post was because night was popular and they already featured it. Took me yelling at Leonie and dark to have it Hidden for tracing, I’m sure if a level 5 unpopular user posted traced photos it would have been hidden ASAP. Page twelve, souls demotion was complete bias, you guys demoted him for having a different opinion, acting aggressively ONCE, then venting, then continued to only offer him a curator position. If that’s not bias I don’t know what it is. Even the way you guys treated smoke was because of bias against wac. It’s okay for you guys to falsely demote, ban, and let things go under the radar but when smoke expressed pop ban wasn’t fair without even doing anything he’s suddenly unfit for a curator job? Also sassy, yes milk did say the n word on her own without using the context of a song or mentioning a song. Please read screenshots before listings to people’s bs.

Point 2

Hey! Hey Lt! Wanna hear something funny? It’s called a team, a team is when a group of people work together to finish a certain goal. Sound familiar? Well it should! Because it’s in your name! Wowwie what a surprise, you guys are supposed to be a TEAM. I don’t know about you guys but I think a team are supposed to work together not against eachother. Here’s the gist of it Lt, people have opinions, people have friends, let them have it, unless the opinion is moral fuckin trash people are allowed to disagree with what you have to say. That being said, nearly not promoting someone because they have friends and are “anti-Lt” ((something wack because smoke was Lt when this happened)) is straight up stupid. I’d make the argument that having smoke be a Lt member who’s also friends with a bunch of critiquers can cause better communication between the sides. As long as that bridge of communication isn’t abused it’s easier for different opinions and offerings for features to be recommended as well as a better relationship with your members. Creating a opportunity where we can reach a middle ground is now thrown out the window thanks to you guys hating us so goddamn much. Listen, if you guys hate me, hate me, don’t hate people who are friends of me and are in no way responsible for my actions. If you disagree with me, disagree with me, don’t disagree with my friends who are trying to make the amino better because you don’t like me. Your quarrel is with me, not my friends.

Point 3

We’re also members, wa isn’t populated by just the 8 of you. You guys aren’t the only people who care about wa and want the best for it. Bottom line people on wac just want to make the amino a better place for people around them and themselves. No matter how aggressive they are. Yes, I won’t lie, harassment is awful and if people are harassing you then it’s awful. But most people here ((aside from crackhead anons)) just want to be in a place where they can enjoy it. Your making the amino to tater your needs, not the people who first built up said amino in the first place. The more your ignore us the more aggressive and violent we get because we’re tired of you guys making shitty decisions making are experience worse instead of listing to our suggestions and creating something that atleast the majority can agree with. This has always been a issue with the Lt, you guys aren’t the only one on wa, and your not the only one trying to make wa better. So stop acting like a paranoid owner who only feeds his passive dog once a week because the owner is scared of the dog. And when the dog finally gets aggressive from starvation you blame the dog despite the fact your a major contributor to most of its problems. Toxic fans are bad and you can’t fulfill everyone’s wish. But you don’t have to make shitty decisions either.

In summery, your treatment of smoke and how you treated him because of bias against wac and him having friends with people from wac is disgusting. Smoke deserved better, is smoke perfect and automatically in the clear? No, because smoke has done some mistakes on the Lt aswell, happens to everyone. But in the end smoke wanted the best out of his community, and I’m starting to think you guys don’t.

Tl:tr respect your teammates friends and opinions, the community in the ends just want a better environment so don’t always go ignoring them, Lt is bias as fuck so get off your moral high horse of bias, smoke deserved better.

[ringo-ichigo]

[2] Apollo tried to rape Daphne. I could go on like that, but it's a lot to look into and f you're so invested in your religion you should do that by yourself. Your post just shows how much you actually know about them. The whole mythology is full of incest, adultery, rape and murder yet you say the comic is disrespecting them. To be honest, you just seem like a wannabe this way.

[1] Sorry to burst your dream bubble of perfect entities, but you're so wrong on so many levels. Maybe you should read yourself into the whole lores behind each god and goddess before you say the comic is disrespecting them. You say Zeus wasn't a manwhore, when he raped several women, Kore even included. He cheated on Hera on so many occasions."

Oh wow! It’s almost like the myths are something that should be viewed with care in a religious sphere as they are not viewed within the religion as a holy text! Omg, wow, who would have thought! Newsflash: given proper context, many myths read more like parables. The Apollo myth you mentioned is actually something he incited in most tellings for mocking Eros and claiming he was above Eros’s influence. So Eros shot him with an arrow of passion and Daphne with repulsion. Almost like Eros was teaching Apollo a lesson and the takeaway was “no one is above Eros’s control.” 

Seriously, this is something that’s been debated since ancient times how accurate they are. And others are flat out parodies of real life things the Greeks were familiar with. And still others were written by people who just wanted to spice stuff up/are essentially fanfiction. And even back then, lots of them were considered disrespectful. So yeah, religiously, many myths are ignored because there is just no way to figure out how literally/truthfully they should be taken. Not to mention, when you put them into historical context, we see that societally, the Ancient Greeks viewed standards of consent very differently. Which makes it very hypocritical to try to apply OUR moral standards to them. And this is also ignoring that a big part of the beliefs of the religion is to view the gods as perfect and above mortals. That hubris concept? It’s religiously about thinking yourself equal or above the gods or judging them. So in worshipping them, I choose to go “yeah, I cannot judge the gods for their actions.” But in general, shocker, my religious practice has little to do with the myths. I didn’t start worshipping due to the myths. I don’t structure my practice around them because, frankly, historically the Greeks didn’t structure around them religiously either.

But since you brought up incest... let’s pick that apart a bit. Do you remember that thing about the gods being above us? The Greeks had the gods with siblings as consorts because they felt those were the only ones worthy of being with them. Those were the only ones of equal standing and thus worthy of being their spouse.

But even if I set aside the idea of religion, the comic is bad writing and disrespectful. I’m bisexual and I find the way she shows Persephone’s body voyeuristic and quite frankly disgusting. Persephone is presented artistically as a piece of meat to drool over. Which, sorry, if you want people to focus on a character’s struggles, maybe keep her ass and tits out of the frames more in order to keep the focus on the character instead of her body. But wait! We can’t do that or we might have to give her a consistent face! I could dig Persephone being cute at first... until I started to notice that I knew more about her body shape than about anything else about her. The fact that I think of Persephone’s look in this and all I can remember is her fucking body and her face comes secondary is a sad state when I can think of almost every other character in any other comic I’ve read and see a face first. The writing uses very serious issues lightly as if they are nothing more than a trope. And even using them as tropes, she’s playing trauma bingo due to how liberally she uses them, and it reads less as actually giving a damn about these issues and wanting to shed light on them and more “too edge for you” and a bid to stand out. Can’t get too serious or we might have to actually acknowledge how mishandled some of them are.

But really, you’re too much of a coward to own your own words and beliefs by hiding behind anon. Because it’s easier to sit there and think you’re smart before ACTUALLY DOING DEEP RESEARCH ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE HISTORICAL, SOCIETAL, AND RELIGIOUS CONTEXT. Also free tip: don’t try to lecture people about their religion if you know nothing about its practices. You only come out looking like an idiot.

But just to really point out how stupid you are: The thing you're so up in arms about is the fact that I told the comic's fans that POSTING SCREENSHOTS OF SAID COMIC AND TAGGING IT WITH THE TAG FOR THE RELIGION WHEN THE SCREENSHOTS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RELIGION WAS NOT RIGHT. And sorry, but even if we take it being a religion’s tag out of the equation, that's false tagging. It's wrong and can even be against ToS. But add to that that as you can see in the notes on my original post that several other religious people and even just fandom-central blogs are pointing out that this is not respectful or right. That they're also going essentially 'Guys, don't take fandom stuff into non-fandom related areas, especially when said area has said it doesn't like the thing you're a fan of.' That behavior of falsely tagging something is not acceptable. That’s what my original post was about: a request that the fandom not use a religion’s tag when tagging their fandom/screenshot posts. You have missed the point that they were falsely tagging stuff because you’re too busy trying to play a gotcha game--which you didn’t even do well because apparently the last time you thought about Greek mythology was when your teacher vomited the latest telephone version of it into your open maw. The fact that they’re doing this with something that many in the religion find abhorrent is just a salt in the wound thing. Bad enough you’re adding junk in our tagged searches. But to make it even worse, it’s something many of us actively have come to dislike due to its issues. It is not controversial to ask fandoms to keep their fandom within relevant tags and not falsely flag things. It’s asking for common decency and that they follow ToS.

[commentaryvorg]

Danganronpa V3 Commentary: Part 4.5

Be aware that this is not a blind playthrough! This will contain spoilers for the entire game, regardless of the part of the game I’m commenting on. A major focus of this commentary is to talk about all of the hints and foreshadowing of events that are going to happen and facts that are going to be revealed in the future of the story. It is emphatically not intended for someone experiencing the game for their first time.

Last time in chapter 4, Maki opened up about her past, she and Shuichi and Kaito were ADORABLE FRIENDS, Kaito was a huge hypocrite on the topic of burdens, twice, Kokichi helpfully suggested some improvements to Monokuma’s script like an absolute moron, and Kaito’s bonus training for his sidekicks was totally not him desperately trying to prove that they still need him or anything.

Now for the last of chapter 4’s free time!

Shuichi:  (What can *I* do? The only thing I’m good at is solving mysteries, but I can’t figure out this academy.)

That’s not the only thing you’re good at, Shuichi! Your detective’s brain also makes you pretty good at coming up with plans. That plan with the cameras in chapter 1 was really not a bad plan if you ignore the fact that the entire premise of it (that the mastermind wouldn’t have a way of knowing about it) was flawed. But of course Shuichi wouldn’t think that or want to attempt something like that again since it indirectly got Kaede killed.

Keebo:  “What can we each do to make sure that we all survive…? We all possess Ultimate talents. There *must* be something we can do.”

YES IT’S ALMOST LIKE THE ULTIMATE ROBOT COULD GET US OUT OF HERE OR SOMETHING.

Geez. I was mostly not being too mad at Keebo because I figured he was largely oblivious to the difference his weapons could have made anyway, but this makes it a whole lot less excusable. (And again, there is no indication given that he’s not doing so because of his inner voice, which is the only truly justifiable reason that would make sense within the story.)

So that’s even more reason for me to not hang out with Keebo here like I wasn’t going to anyway, because that should by all rights lead to Shuichi persuading him to use his weapons and get everyone out of here today. And that’s obviously not in line with canon.

Gonta:  “Hi, Shuichi! How can Gonta help you today?”

Heh, this mostly just sounds like a polite, gentlemanly greeting, but in this chapter’s context, it definitely has undertones of “please tell Gonta he can help you today, Gonta really wants to be able to help you today”. Sorry, Gonta, I’d love to, but we’re already best friends; Shuichi needs to spread his friendship around others too.

Miu is in the computer room as she was all day yesterday as well, but interestingly, right now Kokichi’s hanging around in the corridor not too far from it too. He does apparently help her set things up for their Virtual World trip, so maybe that’s what he’s doing right now.

Despite Kaito not showing up anywhere on the Monopad’s map due to what is presumably a programming oversight (even characters who aren’t available should have their locations shown, with the understandable exception of Kokichi in chapter 5), he does exist during this free time slot and is perfectly available to hang out. The wiki says he is unavailable right now; the wiki is wrong. He’s in the warehouse. You’re welcome.

(The first time I played through this game myself, during which one of my missions was to find every piece of optional dialogue I might not have seen from Youtube playthroughs, I was determined not to give up on finding Kaito here and resolved to manually check EVERY SINGLE ROOM IN THE SCHOOL IF I HAD TO. Thankfully I started from the bottom up and the warehouse is on the first floor.)

Kaito’s reason for being in the warehouse probably has something to do with the fact that it apparently contains medicine. Like, you know, painkillers and stuff.

Kaito:  “I can see my training is already having results for you and Maki Roll.”

It is, and Kaito has every right to be proud of himself for that!

But it’s also interesting that while a lot of the characters are focusing on thinking about what they can do, since that’s what they discussed at breakfast, Kaito is instead focusing on what he already has done. Almost as if thinking about what he can do in future is painful and discouraging because there’s almost nothing he can do (short of suggesting even more bonus training for his sidekicks, which still isn’t going to help them escape), and so he doesn’t want to dwell on that.

Kaito:  “But don’t slow down here! It’s important to keep up your training every day.”

It is! Shuichi and Maki (with the addition of Himiko) are absolutely going to keep up their training every day when they get out of here.

(Also, remember back in chapter 2 when I mentioned that I’d started doing exercise myself thanks to Kaito? I’ve been doing that every single day for a little bit over a year now, and it’ll be several months more than that by the time this part I’m writing actually gets posted. Kaito is the best.)

Anyway, we’ve been on a roll with Maki lately in the rest of the story (pun totally intended), so let’s continue that by hanging out with her, shall we?

She happens to be in the dining hall, which is just across the corridor from the warehouse and therefore tantalisingly close to where Kaito is. They could all hang out as a trio again! Kaito would also want to hear more of Maki’s heartbreaking backstory! No? No. Silly game mechanics.

Maki:  “Something only I can do… I can think of just one thing. …I know what you’re about to say. But… that’s the reality.”

Oh, Maki. That’s not the only thing you can do!

Maki:  “Of course, I’ll think about… other things I can do.”

Exactly! You can fight and protect us!

Shuichi:  “I didn’t know that assassins were scouted.”

As the event proper begins, Shuichi just straight-up continues the conversation they were having last night. This is why I had to save Maki’s third FTE until now at the earliest – because having this before that scene just does not make sense.

Maki:  “It’s better if you didn’t know. Also, there’s no need for you to know.”

I dunno, Maki, if more people knew that there were child-slave assassins out there then maybe some people would be able to do something about it and this horrendous practice might stop. She just can’t see it that way, because she’s had to accept this as her reality in order to cope.

Maki:  “The orphanage I was raised at was run for that reason.”

Shuichi:  “…What do you mean?”

Maki:  “To raise potential candidates for assassins.”

Yup, that’s the truth of her orphanage. That’s not remotely fucked up at all.

Shuichi:  (How much is Maki carrying on her shoulders…? Such small shoulders…)

Heh. You sound like Kaito, Shuichi.

Maki:  “The basic training forces your body to go beyond its human limitations. They physically beat us to help us withstand torture, and taught us how to die when needed…”

Happy fun Free Time with upbeat music as our friend casually tells us about how she was tortured.

(It really is a shame Kaito couldn’t be here to hear this too. He would 1000% want to help her carry this awful burden just like Shuichi is doing, even though all they can do is listen.)

Maki:  “The only option left when you fail a mission is to die, right? Dying sooner is the nicer way out. It’s much better than being tortured alive.”

…I mean, she failed that one mission with the katana and didn’t have to die for it. I guess what she’s really talking about is if she were to get captured by an enemy of the assassin cult that would use her for information.

At least this means that when they’re all considering group suicide in chapter 5, Maki would know how to also kill herself painlessly at the end of it. You know. Reassuring thoughts.

Shuichi:  (I can’t bear to think of what Maki had to go through…)

I know, Shuichi. It may have never really happened to her, but she’s still having to live now with the memory of it, believing that it really happened to her, and that’s not fucking fair at all.

Maki:  “They tried to drag my dignity and tear it… To make me feel empty…”

They were trying to turn her into an empty, cold-blooded killer without a heart. And they didn’t succeed.

Maki:  “I wouldn’t have accepted the job in the first place if I knew I couldn’t do it… But most importantly… If I broke, then *that girl* would replace me…”

We’ll hear more about this next time, but she’s talking about her best friend from the orphanage. She put herself through what she knew would be literal torture and refused to break under it because if she did, then her best friend would go through that instead. God, Maki is amazing.

(Again, technically none of that really happened to her, but thanks to those fake memories, the person standing here is someone who really would do that kind of thing.)

Shuichi:  “That girl?”

Maki:  “… Sorry… Pretend you didn’t hear any of that just now.”

But it seems like, at least for right now, she’s not quite ready to open up that much. She’ll get there, though.

Kokichi:  “I bumped into Kaito, and he ended up giving me a lecture. He told me to think of a way to escape…”

Kaito has still been trying to get through to Kokichi! He still hasn’t given up on Kokichi and believes there’s some semblance of a decent person inside him who actually wants them all to escape! Kaito is so good.

(It also seems that, despite his earlier declarations, Kaito realised that punching him again might give off the wrong impression and decided to just stick to words this time.)

Kokichi:  “But the only idea I can think of is becoming the blackened myself.”

And… Kaito’s not wrong about Kokichi, but he is underestimating how massively, completely inconceivable it is to Kokichi to actually acknowledge that buried part of himself and start being co-operative. What’s about to happen tonight isn’t going to be for lack of Kaito trying to stop it, but even Kaito isn’t enough here.

Kokichi:  “That’d entertain everyone.”

Which is exactly what Monokuma wants, you are playing right into his hands and you should know this, you goddamn idiot.

Gonta:  “Nrgh… Gonta tired… Gonta think too much…”

Awww, Gonta. He’s been trying so hard.

Gonta:  “Rest is important, too… Gonta have to make sure he not useless when everyone need him!”

“When”. He’s still managing to stay so optimistic that that time will come. (Which it will. Sooner and far more tragically than you think, Gonta. Gaaaaah.)

Anyway, this time, in the very last chance we have for it, we’re hanging out with Kaito. Come on, now – you didn’t really think for a second I was going to go through the story without maxing out his FTEs, did you?

Kaito:  “O-Oh, Shuichi… What’s the matter?”

Just like he did a day ago, Kaito doesn’t seem super-thrilled to suddenly encounter Shuichi wanting to talk to him.

Kaito:  “Yeah, I don’t mind talking, but… My stomach hurts a little. Can we talk somewhere I can rest?”

But this time, he’s actually being somewhat honest about what the problem is. That’s pretty remarkable. Sure, for Kaito to be admitting to Shuichi that his stomach hurts a little, it must really be hurting one hell of a lot, but still. Kaito being willing to show even just a tiny bit of vulnerability in front of his sidekick is such a big deal and warms my heart. It’s okay, Kaito. Shuichi isn’t going to be any less inspired by you just because you’re struggling with a lot of things yourself, you absolute wonderful moron.

Shuichi:  (I spent some time with Kaito… Didn’t he say his stomach hurt last night too? I hope he’s okay…)

I’m sure Kaito hates the fact that his tiny nugget of honesty is making Shuichi worry about him and doesn’t want him to do so at all… but Shuichi absolutely should be worried about his friend.

Kaito:  “Hey, you got a minute? I got something to talk about.”

Shuichi:  “Ah, okay…” (He seems upset…)

Shuichi’s already getting the sense that there’s something more forceful about Kaito than usual as we start the event proper, and boy is there a reason for that.

Shuichi:  (Did I do something to make him angry?)

This, however, is not that reason. But of course Shuichi is lacking enough in self-assurance that he would immediately think this is somehow his fault. Of course it wouldn’t ever occur to him that maybe Kaito has issues and problems of his own and that might be what’s at the root of this rather than Shuichi having done anything wrong. (And this won’t be the only time Shuichi misunderstands Kaito in literally exactly this way.)

Kaito:  “I’m just gonna say it! What are you moping around for!?”

Shuichi:  “What?”

Kaito:  “When my sidekick is moping, it really ticks me off!”

Shuichi:  (I’m… moping?)

Shuichi isn’t moping. He’s still not a shining paragon of confidence or anything, but he’s been able to be a lot stronger and more positive lately. His own reaction to Kaito’s accusation just now shows that even he didn’t really think there was anything he was being particularly negative about, even though Shuichi is usually his own biggest critic.

Kaito disapproves of moping because it’s just wallowing in your negative feelings without making an effort to make it better. But in this context, the effort to make it better that Shuichi is supposedly avoiding would be asking Kaito for help. Right now, “Why are you moping?” really translates to “Why aren’t you letting me help you?”

Kaito:  “I told you, man! Don’t hesitate to talk to me if something’s wrong. But you’re still keeping stuff from me! Am I not reliable enough!? Spit it out! If you bottle everything up, it can’t get fixed!”

What this whole thing really is is Kaito projecting weakness and worries onto Shuichi in another desperate attempt to show that Shuichi still needs his help. His “Am I not reliable enough!?” in particular shows what’s really going on. Kaito is terrified that he really isn’t reliable enough, not now that he’s dying and Shuichi solved the previous trial entirely without him and is seemingly strong enough that maybe he doesn’t really need Kaito’s support any more.

(It could also perhaps seem like Kaito is projecting his own behaviour of hiding his illness from his friends, but like last time, I don’t think the fact that he is incidentally being hypocritical here is the point. If the point was Kaito deflecting, that’d mean that acting like he wants to help Shuichi would just be an excuse to distract from his own problems. But of course Kaito wanting to help Shuichi could never be an excuse – Kaito always wants to help Shuichi, and that’s the real problem.)

Shuichi:  “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not looking for advice…”

Kaito:  “You’ve got some guts trying to lie to me.”

Shuichi:  “…”

He’s not lying! Shuichi wouldn’t lie to Kaito, not about his own weaknesses and struggles, nor about wanting Kaito’s advice for his problems. He may sometimes hesitate to talk about what’s bothering him until Kaito prods him a little, but he has never and would never outright lie about it once prodded if something really was wrong. And if that wasn’t proof enough, Shuichi’s staring at Kaito here with a sceptical face like he’s wondering why Kaito even thinks this.

Kaito should know perfectly well that Shuichi isn’t lying here. So it’s really quite delightfully messed up that he would rather tell himself Shuichi is lying to him than face the idea that Shuichi doesn’t need him.

(Even though the only way in which that’s really true is that Shuichi happens to not particularly need his help right now. That’s a completely different thing from not needing him at all… but Kaito doesn’t seem to realise that.)

A couple of times previously, Kaito did a similar thing of starting off a conversation with someone by trying to make it about him listening to their troubles and helping them – once with Kaede in an invitation dialogue, and once in his first FTE with Shuichi. Both those times, though, when they didn’t need to talk to him about anything, he accepted that and was happy to start talking about something else. But not this time.

Kaito:  “Fine then! Listen up…”

Shuichi:  (Kaito encouraged me, complimenting me about my talent.)

If Shuichi isn’t going to ask for Kaito’s help despite Kaito insisting that he totally should be doing so, Kaito’s going to help him anyway, aggressively complimenting him and telling him he’s awesome so that Shuichi can see how inspiring and encouraging and important Kaito still definitely is. (Really, Shuichi had no reason to have ever stopped thinking that about Kaito in the first place, but apparently Kaito doesn’t see it that way.)

You may have noticed from the way I’ve been talking about this event that I’ve been casually assuming despite the flexibility of FTEs that this is definitely taking place during chapter 4, and that all of this is a part of Kaito’s canonical arc that I’ve been talking about the rest of the time. And the thing is, this event really does have to take place in chapter 4, going by the keeping-FTEs-in-line-with-canon logic I’ve been using. Kaito’s fourth FTE mentioned Shuichi being his sidekick, putting that in chapter 3 at the earliest, and while there are two slots in which Kaito is available in chapter 3, the second of those has him already feeling too unwell for it to be believable that a proper FTE would have canonically happened then. So this fifth and final one has to happen, not necessarily this late, but definitely during this chapter.

But even if that weren’t the case, I’d still consider this event practically a canonical part of this chapter. While nothing in it explicitly mentions chapter 4-specific details, this is so clearly written for Kaito’s chapter 4 state of mind as he desperately tries to compensate for the fact that he’s dying by being as helpful as he can to his sidekicks. It fits in beautifully with the rest of the hints toward that we’ve had so far up to this point – in fact, this event is significantly less subtle about it than anything else has been, which is why I’m happy I saved it until the end like this.

Shuichi:  (I should tell him… Then he’d understand why. I told him all about the case that got me the title of Ultimate Detective. I told him everything… so that he would know how untalented I really am.)

However, it seems like all of Kaito’s aggressive compliments just made Shuichi feel like he doesn’t deserve them and actually start to feel bad about himself. Now, at least, he has something to talk about that Kaito might be able to help him with, even though he genuinely didn’t need to talk about this when this conversation began.

(I don’t think Kaito was deliberately intending to bring Shuichi’s issues out by complimenting him, though. That’s far too underhanded and manipulative for Kaito to do no matter what state of mind he’s in. Plus, I’m not sure he’s even that consciously aware of the reasons he’s been acting this way, which he’d have to be for this to be deliberate.)

Kaito:  “I see… So you were chosen after you solved a case.”

Shuichi:  “Yes, and the most important part… I just happened to find some evidence that was missed. I accidentally solved the puzzle. It was all coincidence, happenstance…”

As soon as Kaito says something that puts things in a vaguely positive-sounding light, Shuichi’s immediately jumping to insist that no, that’s not the point, he barely even deserved to solve that case. It’s hard to know how true it is that it was all just a coincidence, but I’m inclined to think it wasn’t. Even if it is just a matter of Shuichi noticing something everyone else missed, that’s still him having better observation skills than anyone else on that case, which is something that’s important for a detective to have. Shuichi’s just likely to not want to give himself enough credit what with how much the outcome of the case traumatised him.

Kaito:  “Geez… You worry about the most trivial stuff, man.”

Kaito, you’re the one who was fishing for Shuichi to be worrying about even the tiniest thing so that you’d have an excuse to help him.

Shuichi:  “You have no right to say that! You don’t know what I’ve been through!”

Kaito:  “Hah! Nice! It’s good to see you actually have some bite to you.”

Shuichi’s response is a dialogue option that I picked, but I like this one, because I enjoy Kaito being proud of him for being able to stand by his own feelings, not even caring that Shuichi doing so involved snapping at him.

(Mind you, Shuichi was also standing by his own feelings earlier when he was asserting that he didn’t need any advice from Kaito right now, and Kaito was much less on board with that, but, you know.)

Regardless, when Kaito said “trivial”, he was really talking about the culprit’s feelings.

Kaito:  “He killed someone and was trying to get away with it! He’s a bad guy!”

This is an instance of Kaito’s often fairly black-and-white way of thinking, but even so, him putting things this simplistically helps Shuichi move away from worrying about how the culprit felt. Even if the guy wanted revenge, that still doesn’t justify murder, so Shuichi was right to expose him for it. Kaede and Kirumi’s crimes so far during this killing game were much less black-and-white, such that Shuichi has a decent reason to feel at least a little bad about cornering them, but that one guy? Screw him, he’s nothing like them.

Kaito:  “If he’d gotten away with it, he’d be crushed by the weight of his guilt. But you got him before that happened! He should be thanking you!”

It’s also very appropriately Kaito of him to see Shuichi’s job of catching criminals as important because it forces the criminals to take responsibility instead of running away from their own actions and the pain they caused. I especially love that Kaito even sees this as a good thing for the culprit himself. This will be a very relevant idea during this upcoming case in particular, in terms of a certain someone Kaito has already been trying to get through to a lot.

Kaito:  “I’ll support you all the way! I know you did the right thing!”

This might still be Kaito overzealously trying to compensate for his own feelings of inferiority, but it’s adorable all the same. This is all Shuichi really needs from him at this point – not necessarily major advice on specific problems, but just knowing that Kaito’s there for him and on his side no matter what. You’re already doing enough, Kaito. Just keep being you.

Kaito:  “And not just with that guy! From now on, if anyone holds a grudge against you… I’ll kick their ass!”

This is not ironic foreshadowing to the extent that one might think, because Kaito is never going to hold a grudge against Shuichi, however much it might seem that way. Of course, Kaito would also definitely want to kick the ass of anyone who even seems to hold a grudge against Shuichi, even briefly, just because doing so would hurt him. So… that’s a thing.

Kaito:  “So you just gotta follow the path you believe in! You’re my sidekick. So don’t hold back, and rely on me whenever you need to!”

These are Kaito’s voiced lines for his final event, and they couldn’t be more appropriate. They’re adorably full of him believing in and supporting Shuichi, with just a dash of that delightful undertone of him desperately wanting Shuichi to still rely on him even if maybe Shuichi doesn’t need to quite as much any more.

Shuichi:  “Kaito… thank you.” (Alright, so he’s foolhardy. But he supports me and expects nothing in return… He does so much for me… I could never turn my back on that. I will never betray his support and trust. I will never break my bond with Kaito!)

While Shuichi is completely oblivious to what’s going on with Kaito and why he’s being so aggressively supportive right now, it’s still just absolutely heartmelting how grateful he is for everything Kaito does for him and trusts him so wholeheartedly in return. For all of Kaito’s issues that this event has been subtly full of, they’re still incredible, adorable friends, which comes across so strongly here. Most FTEs, when they end on emphasising how much the protagonist has become friends with the subject, are kind of dampened by the knowledge that this is just an optional side thing that isn’t really there in the canon storyline. But here, this just serves to highlight the canon adorable friendship between these two even more and I love it.

And if only Kaito could hear everything Shuichi is thinking here. He would never turn his back on you, Kaito! No matter what weaknesses you might have and no matter what mistakes you might make! You have so much less to be afraid of than you think.

Shuichi:  “…I understand, Kaito.”

…Shuichi doesn’t really understand. He only understands the fact that Kaito will always be there for him, and while that’s true (or at least, Kaito has no intention of ever making it untrue), that’s not remotely the full picture here.

Shuichi:  “I will always depend on you.”

This sounds adorable on the surface, but is potentially pretty messed up if you think about it too hard. Ideally, what Shuichi means is, “I will always depend on you when I need to”, which is the healthy way of looking at it – everyone needs to depend on other people sometimes, and it’s great that Kaito will always be there for him during those times.

But… that might not actually be what Shuichi means. I’ve mentioned multiple times that Shuichi is pretty overly dependent, hence him latching onto Kaede and Kaito so easily… so he might be okay with the idea of always needing to depend on on Kaito. Which he shouldn’t! Nobody should want to be constantly dependent on someone else their entire life, and it’s especially unhealthy if it’s on one single person, no matter how reliable and genuinely well-meaning that person may be. Shuichi should want to become someone who doesn’t need to depend on someone else most of the time, even if that someone else is Kaito.

Kaito:  “Yeah! Just leave it to me!”

Under normal circumstances, Kaito would probably be able to pick up on this and recognise that it’s unhealthy and assert that Shuichi should be striving to become more independent. After all, his former sidekicks he mentioned last FTE no longer need him any more, and he seemed perfectly happy with that.

But in the state of mind Kaito’s in by this chapter, he’s not about to do that. Kaito may be a little bit like this even at the best of times, but right now especially he has become incredibly co-dependent – meaning, he’s pathologically dependent on the idea that someone else depends on him. He needs to be needed. And that’s pretty messed up of him too. There is definitely a large part of Kaito that’s worried Shuichi already doesn’t really need him any more – but he’s not letting that part have a say and continuing to insist that of course Shuichi should be constantly depending on him.

Shuichi’s dependency and Kaito’s co-dependency make them a perfect match for each other in a wonderfully messed-up kind of way, and that dysfunctionality lurking beneath the surface is another of the many reasons I enjoy their friendship so much. If it weren’t for this, things wouldn’t be about to fall apart like they do, and this chapter and the beginning of the next wouldn’t be nearly as delightfully heartwrenching.

Shuichi:  (Kaito’s smile was as bright as starlight. I couldn’t help but smile back.)

Bright like he’s a luminary or something! Space imagery! FRIENDS.

Shuichi:  (…Everything is going to be okay. As long as we have this, we can move forward.)

Oh boy, it sure—

isn’t going to be even remotely okay barely twenty-four hours from now.

Shuichi:  (Sometimes I feel as though I’m dragging him down, but I know I’ll catch up one day.)

You’re not, though, Shuichi! This could not be more completely opposite of how Kaito sees things! Kaito feels like he’s the one dragging Shuichi down, which is precisely why we just had this whole event of him desperately trying to show that he isn’t and that Shuichi can still benefit from his support! But Kaito has apparently managed to successfully convince Shuichi that he’s completely invincible and doesn’t have any problems of his own, so Shuichi has no goddamn clue.

Shuichi:  (I bet he’d laugh and tell me I have a lot of nerve for a sidekick.)

He wouldn’t, though. The entire point of Kaito’s sidekicks is supposed to be that one day they’ll reach even greater heights than him – we went over that in his previous FTE. Kaito should laugh and then tell Shuichi how proud he is of him for coming this far. I guess Shuichi genuinely never did realise that most of the reason Kaito was telling him about his former sidekicks was to imply that the same thing applies to him.

Or, at least… Kaito should show pride in Shuichi if Shuichi ever overtook him. But that’s Kaito at the best of times, and those are not the times he’s in right now.

In the report card summary for this event, there’s also a very similar line to the one from before:

“Kaito, I know it seems as though you’re dragging me along, but I’ll be right there beside you.”

This is such a delightfully ironic line, and the writers clearly knew exactly how important it is since they essentially included it twice. Oh, Shuichi, if only you had any idea just how completely backwards you have it. If only Kaito would tell you what’s really going on in his head, and then you could support him in return and help him figure things out. But then, this is Kaito we’re talking about here.

All of Kaito’s previous FTEs featured him talking about himself, like FTEs are supposed to. And in general, the final event in particular is meant to involve the subject talking about their biggest issues now that they feel comfortable doing so because of their growing friendship with the protagonist, and maybe having the protagonist help them a little with that. But in Kaito’s final one, he doesn’t talk about himself at all. Because of course Kaito would never talk about his issues, especially not to Shuichi, who needs to see him as strong and invincible in order to be able to rely on him, or so Kaito is irrationally convinced. (And if he somehow miraculously did talk about his issues and Shuichi helped him with them, that’d probably mean that what’s about to happen in the main storyline shouldn’t happen the way it does any more, which we absolutely can’t have.)

Yet this final free time event of Kaito’s still manages to be thoroughly about his issues, not even despite the fact that he doesn’t talk about himself and makes it all about Shuichi’s issues instead, but precisely because of it. It is so appropriate for Kaito that things should be this way, and I love it.

---

[Next post]

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

A long post, but really important. These are tweets from two good tweet threads: here and here

Image descriptions under the readmore

a tweet from Marcus Halley, @word_made_FRESH on twitter says 

Helpful reminder, because I saw a progressive LGBTQ Christian use it (and then delete it): polemical usage of the word "Pharisee" is both antisemetic and unfaithful to the scriptures. Modern Xian interpretation of the Pharisees is deeply influenced by centuries of Antisemetism.

three reply tweets added on to the thread by bodhidave, @bodhidave3, say

1# New Testament scholars emphasize that the rabbinic movement (= "the Pharisees") and the Jesus movement were natural "sibling rivals." Both were looking to embrace forms of religiousness largely independent of Temple ritual.

2# But what was then a rivalry, because they were "close," became deadly when Christianity gained ascendancy in following centuries. The rabbinic movement survived the Roman destruction of the Temple, but in time were a minority in what became the Christian Empire.

3/3# (Theologically, rabbis were looking at making all of life "holy" - living mindful of the Divine with priestly purity guidelines [kosher]. The Jesus movement began as more eschatologically prophetic group, expecting the imminent in-breaking of the Divine Kingdom.)

Another tweet thread by Micahel Weiss, @RotationlSymtry, reads

The word "Pharisee" is an English rendering of the Greek rendering of the Hebrew word "P'rushim", which probably comes from the verb "parash" = "to set apart".  So "P'rushim" might have originally meant "Those who are set apart", "Separated Ones", or possibly "Separatists".   2/

According to Josephus, the distinguishing features of the Pharisees' belief system were "exact application of the laws", a belief in the eternity of the soul (including punishment for the wicked and reincarnation for the righteous)...   3/

...and a belief that while everything is in the hands of God or fate, nevertheless humans have free will to choose good or evil.  Josephus doesn't say much more than that about specific doctrines.   4/

However, Josephus himself was not a Pharisee, and it's uncertain how much personal knowledge he had of the sect.  If you want to know what the Pharisees actually believed, you'd do better to look at their own writings.  5/

Fortunately, we have access to a large corpus of Pharisaic writings, because what we know today as the foundational corpora of "Rabbinic Judaism" -- midrash and mishnah -- are the product of the Pharisees.  6/

Actually that oversimplifies things quite a bit, because by the time the oral tradition was redacted into written form, the word "Pharisee" was no longer really being used. More accurate to say that the followers of the Rabbinic tradition viewed themselves as the successors... 7/

... of the Pharisaic tradition.  That detail aside, it's accurate to say that from the perspective of Jewish history, "Pharisaic Judaism" is synonymous with "Rabbinic Judaism", which is synonymous with "Judaism."  8/

Of course there were (and are) non-Rabbinic Judaisms, too.  The Sadduceean tradition was anti-Pharisaic, and the Pharisee vs. Sadducee dynamic is the background context for much of the NT.  9/

The main point of contention between the Pharisees and Saducees was regarding the oral tradition. Pharisees (and later Rabbinic Judaism) held as a fundamental point of doctrine that the Torah was revealed in two complementary corpora: one written, and one oral. 10/

The Written Torah was just the surface structure, the part that was explicitly visible; the Oral Torah tells you what the Written Torah *means*. The Oral Torah, to the Pharisees, was *most* of Judaism.   11/

The Sadducees regarded the entire notion of "Oral Torah" as absurd nonsense. If it wasn't written down, it didn't exist for them.   12/

So for the Sadducees, Judaism was mostly about Temple-based rituals (sacrifices) and the purity codes that surrounded them. Pharisees did not dispute the centrality of those rites, but saw in addition to them an entire world of non-Temple rituals.   13/

To take just the most obvious examples:  lighting Shabbat candles at home, washing hands before eating, etc. are all Pharisaic rituals that function to decenter the Priesthood as the primary locus of holiness and recenter holiness in people's private homes and behavior.  14/

Now to Christians who are unfamiliar with this backdrop, the word "Pharisee" has a very specific meaning. In the NT, "Pharisee" is used almost exclusively in conjunction with the word "hypocrite".  Where does this come from?  15/

One possible source of the view that Pharisees were hypocrites:  the Rabbinic view that one should (must!) perform the mitzvot regardless of whether or not you "feel" them. Mitzvah means commandment, and commandments are not conditional on your emotional or spiritual state.  16/

Rabbinic Judaism teaches that a person should perform mitzvot whether or not it feels spiritually meaningful, and (more important) that regular performance of mitzvot will lead one eventually to a spiritually meaningful experience.  17/

At its most basic level, the teaching is: It doesn't matter whether you feed the hungry and house the homeless because you love the poor, or because you want a tax deduction, or because you want to be respected by others. What matters is that the poor are fed and housed.  18/

Eventually, if giving to the poor becomes a habitual practice, the giver will come to feel its spiritual effect, and will come to give for the "right" reasons. But the motivation is not what matters.  Do it because it's the right thing to do, whether you "feel it" or not.  19/

The positive way to look at this is that our behavior is not conditional based on our internal state. "Na'aseh v'nishmah" means "We will do it (first); the inner experience comes later."  20/

But of course the negative way to view this exact same principle is that the external practice need not be matched by an internal conviction.  From an anti-Pharisee perspective, Rabbinic Judaism is full of people performing empty rituals without an inner experience.  21/

Also worth mentioning here that Rabbinic Judaism did not and does not place any special emphasis on whether one gets an "eternal reward".  The teaching is "S'char mitzvah, mitzvah" -- the reward for doing a commandment is that one has done a commandment, full stop.  22/

So that's the source of the "Pharisee = hypocrite" canard. It is true that Rabbinic Judaism is primarily concerned with the performance of the mitzvot, not with the inner state of one's soul.  23/

But here's the thing about this critique:  the Pharisees were FULLY AWARE that their approach to Jewish practice had a tendency towards excessive displays of outward piety that were not matched by an inner dimension, and they critiqued THEMSELVES for their own hypocrisy!  24/

For example, in the Talmud (Sotah 22b) we find the phrase "the curse of the Pharisees" explained as a reference to several different types of Pharisees, each of whom is overly pious to the point of absurdity.  25/

So Pharisaic Judaism was self-aware about the internal tensions in its approach: the sages of Rabbinic Judaism all agreed that a focus on ritual precision was essential (so that one would know the proper ways to obey the mitzvot), while at the same time...  26/

...recognized that this emphasis had a tendency to pull some people toward a superficial, outward performance that emphasized religious punctiliousness at the expense of inward spirituality. In other words, hypocrisy.   27/

So when Christians call Pharisees "hypocrites", they're not saying anything about us that we don't also say about ourselves.  28/

And yet, having said all of that:  using the word "Pharisee" as a synonym for "hypocrite" is, I maintain, offensive and anti-Semitic.  29/

"Pharisaic Judaism" is "Rabbinic Judaism" which is just "Judaism", so if you say "Pharisees are hypocrites", you are insulting all of Judaism and reducing us to our worst tendencies.  30/

Yes, sometimes we act without attending to the inner dimension of our practice.  We know that, and we know that can be a problem.  But you know what else we do?  We ACT.  31/

When something needs to be done we DO it.  We see a need and we ACT on it.  Whether we want to our not, whether we feel it or not.  If a mitzvah needs doing, we DO it.  32/

Characterizing that as "hypocrisy" is insulting and reductive.  Judaism is about doing the work.  Sometimes you don't feel it; we do it anyway.  And that's the end of this thread, for now.  33/33

[translationandbetrayals]

ALIIEEEENZZZ!! in anime (A very, very confused rant about a anime and “power relations” tropes between humans and aliens)

So I just finished watching Planet With and it was sort of interesting, it cannot be said that it has the best story, soundtrack or graphic arts (be it animation, character design, backgrounds, etc) but certainly interesting because it got me thinking about how aliens are depicted in anime compared to other media.

Planet With:

If you do not know what anime show I am talking about, Planet With is a science fiction series that is about a alien boy with amnesia and a big cat that eats the eats the boy and then transforms into a neko-mecha… oh yeah and there is also a vegetarian maid.

Fig 1.- The main characters of the anime Planet With

  I will try to make this as spoilers-free as possible but in interest of this post I find it sadly inolvidable to talk about the aliens in this anime… By the way, this is your last spoiler warning: 3, 2, 1…

The main conflict in Planet With has to do with the evolutionary stage of telepathy, when a species begins to become psychically sensitive there two main evolutionary paths that can be taken by the collective and individuals of the species: evolving for love or evolving for power. Nebula, a collective of various and diverse alien species and races have evolved via the path of love but have seen what has happened to those who chose the evolutionary path for power which results in a “dragon”, Nebula tends to be a little bit jumpy about dragons because once upon a time there was a very big galactic dragon that did the minor naughty sin of GENOCIDE OF AN ENTIRE PLANET.

  When the humans start evolving into telepaths, Nebula cannot help but notice that the humans are following the evolutionary path of power and it is from here where the interaction between Nebula and Humanity begins. Typically at this stage the story will present the aliens as something completely negative, since most story that talk about opposing ideals and ideologies display the conflict in a reductive manner, one sad being common sense and the other simply bad, mad, and silly (An example of this would be Thanos plan to solve all of the universes problem in the film Avengers Infinity War). Surprisingly Planet With presents the aliens and their meddling in human affairs with quite some nuanced:

  Fig.2.- Examples of the “bizarre taste” of the aliens

  1.- The political splintering of a alien polis because of a mutual problem:

Nebula is in essence a pacifist civilization, they believe in diplomacy, collectivism and love (You can see this reflected in their bizzare taste), it makes sense that their “arch enemy” is the dragon, which is a being of pure empowerment of the individual but crazed with his own sense of justice fueled by individualism. Despite all of the positive aspects it has to be said that Nebula has been traumatized by the actions of the Dragon and this results in desperate and extreme conclusions when it comes to a possible new dragon (This coming from the new human telepaths). This results in the sealing faction (being led by a big white dog) which concludes that the humans have to have their evolution sealed (this means trapping the entire human species into a eternal dream state where all of their ambitions and fantasies are satisfied, killing their ambition and wish to grow, connect and evolve), but there are those that believe that being this extreme is aggressive and hypocritical of a civilization that claims to have evolved from love, these are the pacifist faction (who are led by a big blue cat).

  2.- The position of each faction of Nebula is clear and honest:

What I love about the political conflict is that it is obvious that the two alien factions are annoyed by their political opponents but they do not use pseudo-over the top-unnecessary-philosophy to justify their position or criticize the other one, in fact the sealing faction is able to convince some humans to help them because of past events that gives them some credibility (the same can be said about the pacifist faction).

Fig.3.- Leaders of the two Nebula factions (Left: pacifist faction; Right: sealing faction)

3.- The problem of a “intervention of a foreign power” is addressed 

Of course, the series those conclude that one of the factions is wrong and the other is right and this would be a “black and white” situation but this anime is self aware of the political context of its story. One of the human telepaths (the most powerful of them) has some extreme political ideas about individualism but does make a good criticism about Nebula when he is fighting against the sealing faction: “You are imposing forcefully your values onto us, how is that not a invasion?” This is a fair criticism, since one must ask as a citizen of a nation that decides to get involved in a different countries conflict “Why do we intervene into others problems? Are we justified in doing so? Does our actions reflect what we claim are our good willed intentions?” We can see these questions revealing certain military interventions in our reality being not only problematic but tragic (You may pick any of the United States wars against terror/evil/danger). But in the anime I would personally say that the intervention of Nebula (in the context of the complete story) is not only necessary but is actually beneficial to the human species because, you know: diversity.

  One last thing I wish to clarify about the multiple conflicts and interactions between the Nebula factions and the human species is that it is not a battle of opposing ideologies or the nationalistic supremacy of any of the sides, because in the end of the day all of the characters (except for the dragon) want the best for humanity but simply disagree what is actually the best; I will admit, this is a not only a optimistic but a ideal (even utopian) political situacion, it kinda of gives me a weird Star Treky vibe. And I really appreciate that, since this kind of depiction of the political + social relationship between aliens and humans in a anime is actually quite rare. How rare? Well I am glad you ask because I made a list!

  I would argue that most relationships between aliens and humans in media is one of power, be it technological, physical, social, spiritual, or the capacity of one market to commodify almost anything. Unless it is a situation where the humans and aliens are sort of equals in terms of power (and even if this is the case…),  typically the relationship will result in one group abusing the other; be it a invading them, eating them, exterminating them, changing them or commodifying the population (be this slavery, food stock or tokenism). This tendencies is related to what aliens usually represent in media: the other, the unknown, the powerful, the grand administrator, the madness, the colonist or the colonized. The list that will be presented below is based on this argument of mine (This list is composed mostly of anime that I have watched, so no this list does not contain all anime that depicts hostile aliens):

  Some anime that depicts Hostile alien tropes (Includes Spoilers):

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Aliens wants to oppress us

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Aliens wants to change us against our will

Guilty Crown: Aliens wants to change us against our will

Darling in the Franx: Aliens wants to invade us

One Punch Man: Aliens wants to invade us

Dragon Ball Z: Aliens wants to invade us*

Eureka Seven: Humans are a eco-hazard towards Aliens

Eureka Seven AO: Aliens wants to change us against our will

Suisei no Gargantia: Aliens wants to exterminate us + Humans are a eco-hazard towards Aliens

Gantz: Aliens wants to invade us + commodify us + eat us

World Trigger: Aliens wants to invade us

Sidonia no Kishi: Aliens wants to eat us

Gundam 00: A Wakening of the Trailblazer: Aliens wants to change us against our will (But hey, we kinda of like it in the end)

Terra Formars: Aliens wants to exterminate us

Kill la Kill: Aliens wants to invade us +  change us against our will + wants to eat us

Bokurano: Aliens wants commodify us*

RahXephon: Aliens wants to change us against our will

Sailor Moon*: Aliens wants to invade us + eat us* 

Heroic Age: Aliens wants to exterminate us

Sousei no Aquarion: Aliens wants commodify us

Aquarion Evol: Aliens wants to invade us + commodify us (To be more precise they want to steal all of the women)

Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster: Aliens wants to exterminate us

Top wo Nerae2! Diebuster: Aliens wants to exterminate us

Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199: Aliens wants to exterminate us

Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse: Aliens wants to eat us

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (I think it’s a anime?): Aliens wants to eat us (kinda)

Blue Gender*: "Aliens" wants to eat us

Captain Earth: Aliens wants to invade us?

Rinne no Lagrange: Aliens wants to invade us + oppress us

The Macross Franchise: Aliens wants to invade us 

Finfa Kikoutai Majestic Prince: Aliens wants to invade us

Kurogane no Linebarrels: “”Aliens”” wants to change us against our will

Seikai no Monshou: Aliens wants to invade us + oppress us

Godzila (cgi animated trilogy): Aliens are a hazard + change us against our will

Soukyuu no Fafner: Aliens wants to eat us* + change us against our will

Neppuu Kairiku Bushi Road*: Aliens are a hazard

Ultra man: Aliens are a hazard

Sky Girls: Aliens wants to eat us?

Argento Soma: Aliens wants to exterminate us

Sentou Yousei Yukikaze: Aliens wants to invade us

Gunparade March: Aliens wants to invade us

Silent Mobius: Aliens wants to invade us

I:Wish you Were here: Aliens wants to change us against our will

Reideen:  Aliens wants to invade us

Gene Shaft: Aliens wants to exterminate us

Starship Troopers (ova+movies): Aliens wants to invade us

And we can keep on going

  Of course there are some exceptions like :

Seikaisuru Kado: Alien in a space cube comes to help humanity

Level E: Comedy where some aliens are nice, some are not and others are simply mad

Urusei Yatsura: It is a romantic comedy…

Oban Star-Racers: All galactic species/races are “““fairly””” competing on a space race (but of course there is stigmas and tensions between the participants)

Red Line*: Again a space race

Space Dandy: Comedy where some aliens are nice, some are not and others are simply mad

Tetsuwan Birdy Decode*: Some aliens are responsible space cops (or citizens) while others are criminals

-------------------------------------

Total:

Hostile Aliens Tropes: 49 tropes out of 46 animes 

Aliens wants to invade us: 17

Aliens wants to oppress us: 3

Aliens wants to eat us: 9

Aliens wants to exterminate us: 8

Aliens wants commodify us: 3

Aliens wants to change us against our will: 10

Aliens are a hazard: 3

Humans are a eco-hazard towards Aliens: 2

  Exceptions: 7

-------------------------------------

IMPORTAN VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1CQ7Vwz8Eo

Pedro Pons

[lopsidedsnake-blog]

Edward Burtynsky and Chris Jordan: Environmental Art and New Technologies

by David Perras

               A surprising number of people are in denial about the irreversible negative impacts that humans are inflicting on the planet. Despite all the studies which are being conducted and all the facts that are being presented, some people still refuse to believe that humans are impacting the planet in such a significant way. People will continue to live wasteful lifestyles because they just don’t see how much garbage they are actually producing. This is because in developed societies, waste is usually cast out of sight or shipped off to developing countries. Since it is not in view, our waste is rarely thought about and it becomes difficult to visualize just how much we are producing and how much of an impact we are having on the planet. Maybe if someone showed the world just how much humans are changing the planet, those who are in denial of that fact would believe it.

               Landscape photographers Edward Burtynsky and Chris Jordan make use of new technologies such as the drone and photoshop in order to capture and convey to the world the impact that humans are having on the planet. The new technologies that these artists employ capture the interest of the viewers through their mesmerizing and thought-provoking depictions of post-consumer and post-industrial landscapes and, through questioning, gain the publics interest in their environmentalist causes. In using these new technologies to document and portray the impact of humans, there is a sort of dualism which arises. On the one hand, they are using these new technologies for ecological purposes but on the other hand, these same new technologies are contributing to the waste and ecological impact of humans. This hypocrisy will be discussed in terms of whether it is justified or not.

               Edward Burtynsky and Chris Jordan both make use of new technologies in their artistic practices. In Edward Burtynsky’s case, he employs the use of the drone. Essentially, a drone is a remote-controlled hovering craft that is usually made up from a quad-copter configuration (a helicopter with four props rather than one) with a camera attached bellow it. The advantages of using this sort of configuration for photographical purposes is that the operator of the craft can capture elevated points of view of their subject which were previously only possible through the use of helicopters. This new technology has revolutionized aerial photography and made it extremely accessible to the masses. One can procure a drone for as low as a couple hundred dollars whereas helicopter rides can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Also, for the most part, drones are electric an extremely efficient in contrast to helicopters which pollute the atmosphere through their use of fossil fuel combustion engines. The drone is truly a game-changer when it comes to aerial photography.

               Chris Jordan also makes use of new technologies to create his works. Unlike Burtynsky, instead of using new hardware Jordan uses new software. The software in question is none other than photoshop. Although photo editing software has been around for a little while now, it is still a relatively new technology that can allow artists to manipulate images and create interesting transformations and juxtapositions. This new technology allows artists to create any image they desire in as little as a few minutes. Some of the features and tools that photo editing software such as photoshop allows the user to do would be extremely painstaking or even impossible to recreate in an analog format. It is also fairly accessible as anyone with a computer or smartphone can download photo editing software or apps for as little as zero dollars. The advent of photo editing software has opened up a world of possibilities when it comes to creating images.

               Before diving into the works of the two artists, it is important to consider the validity of environmental and ecologically inspired art. Environmental art consists of works that are created with or about nature and the natural environment.[1] Ecological art is a sub-genre of environmental art which consists of works of art that have to do with how humans are changing the landscape and processes of the earth.[2] A case study by Marks, Chandler, and Baldwin called Environmental art as an innovative medium for environmental education in Biosphere Reserves posits that:

               “art events that connect people with environmental issues can foster environmental engagement and encourage behaviour change.”[3]

               Marks and his colleagues affirm this hypothesis through a couple of case studies where they find that environmental and ecological art can help raise awareness of ecological issues and cause individuals to be more concerned with the issues at hand.[4] More of marks’ findings and ideas will be elaborated bellow alongside the works of Jordan and Burtynsky.

               Another issue must be considered before discussing the artists works in relation to their ecological concerns. There is an irony which presents itself in the works of Burtynsky and Jordan. That irony is characterized by the fact that in a lot of the artists’ works, the artists are showing or representing the effects that new technologies are having on the planet. The artists are depicting images of mines used to extract natural resources such as precious metals which are used for creating new technologies such as cameras, drones, and computers which run photo editing software. The artists are also depicting landfills of e-waste which contain discarded electronics such as the new technologies they are employing. It seems awfully hypocritical of Burtynsky and Jordan to be depicting these landscapes in order to foster environmental action when in fact they are contributing to these issues by using new technologies which have damaging consequences to the environment. On the other hand, it could also be argued that their practices are validated since they are using them for a good cause in such a way that the awareness and concern they generate counteracts the damages they inflict on the environment as a biproduct of creating such works. This “one step back, two steps forward” approach and its effectiveness will be evaluated bellow in regards to the works by both artists in conjunction with Marks’ ideas and findings.

               Although Chris Jordan and Ed Burtynsky employ very different methods for creating their art, they share a similar subject matter and theme for their works. Both artists have a very different approach to depicting human altered landscapes. That being said, a lot of their works are quite similar in terms of their formal qualities. Consider, for example, Ed Burtynsky’s Densified Oil Filters #1 (see fig. 1) and Chris Jordan’s Cellphones #2 (see fig. 2).

Figure 1. Edward Burtynsky, Densified Oil Filters #1. 1997, Chromogenic colour print, 122 x 152 cm. Flowers Gallery, https://www.flowersgallery.com/artists/edward-burtynsky/works/view/14340-densified-oil-filters-1-hamilton-ontario-canada (accessed December 1, 2018).

Figure 2. Chris Jordan, Cellphones #2. 2005, Photography, 111.76 x 228.6 cm. http://www.chrisjordan.com/gallery/intolerable/#cellphones2 (accessed December 1, 2018).

               In both of these images the entire frame is completely covered in discarded objects. In Burtynsky’s case the image is of a landfill from an elevated point of view whereas in Jordan’s image, the discarded cell phones are edited together into one picture. Both of these images present a very disorienting landscape due to the fact that the viewer cannot discern any horizon line or frame of reference in regards to the environment from which the images are taken. This technique gives a kind of abstract and surreal interpretation to the images which, upon initial consideration, can deceive the eye of the viewer and cause them to further reflect on what it is they are looking at. These borderline hypnotic images mesmerize the viewer and capture their attention, thus eliciting deeper consideration of what is being represented and the context in which it is being shown.

               Edward Burtynsky is aware of the fact that he employs the method of capturing the viewers attention through depicting mesmerizing images in order to generate attention for his cause. In an interview documented by Enright Robert, Burtynsky explains his thought process behind this method:

               “What would happen if I went out and reported in a haphazard way the subjects I've looked at, if I didn't care about the light, if I shot in 35, made 11-by-14 prints and said these are the terrible things we are doing to the planet? If I did that, no one would look, no one would stop. I think when there is this cognitive dissonance, you're drawn into it, and if I get it right, you're drawn in by something that creates a sense of wonder.”[5]

               Essentially what he is saying is that if he didn’t employ this method of using new technologies to capture mesmerizing points of view in extremely high quality, his works wouldn’t land with the public and wouldn’t generate any concern for his cause of depicting the ways in which humans are having an impact on the planet. it can be extrapolated that if he didn’t use this method, his use of new technologies that have an environmental impact would be in vain and that he would be doing more harm than good for the environment. Although, if he did shoot in analog formats, there would be a different and potentially less damaging impact to the planet but he most likely would not gather the attention from the masses that he does when employing new technologies. Burtynsky takes a calculated risk and succeeds in doing so as his works are now widely recognizable in both artistic and environmentalist spheres. This method is in alignment with Marks and his colleagues’ theories and findings in their study as one of the conclusions they draw is that the formal qualities and their subsequent emotional reactions can elicit curiosity and concern for the environmental issues at hand due to the fact that they captivate the attention of the viewer.[6]

               Chris Jordan employs a slightly different method when creating his works. In order to create his images, Jordan represents scientific data in order to synthesize the abstract information of the statistics into visual information.[7] For example, Jordan will gather the information on the number of cell phones or plastic cups that are discarded over a given period of time.[8] Then, he will source a quantity of said discarded objects and photograph them in piles. Then, through editing software, he’ll seamlessly collage the images together so that the total number of discarded objects depicted in the final image represents the exact number of those objects discarded by Americans over an arbitrary period of time.[9] This method of representing data synthesizes the information and allows the viewer to visualize the abstract numbers that are being brought to light through statistics. Carolyn Kane describes in her paper The Toxic Sublime: Landscape Photography and Data visualization that she does not believe that the mathematical sublime represented by the data being used by Jordan adequately translates into the aesthetic sublime of his works[10]. Despite the possibility of the truth of that claim, it can still be argued that Jordan’s works function in a way that foster environmental concern. In a similar fashion to the way in which Burtynsky gathers attention to his works, Jordan aims to mesmerize the viewer through the use of repeated shapes and vivid colours. This technique allows the viewer to consider the work from afar for one desired effect but then lures them in close to inspect the individual little juxtaposed objects of the work.[11] This technique made possible by the new technologies he employs in creating his works effectively draws in the viewer and thus captures their attention and possibly their concern for the issues that are at the core of his works. Jordan’s method of creating works of art with ecological concerns also aligns with Marks’ findings as they convey:

               “Creative communication approaches that promote the environment in imaginative and engaging ways through formats such as environmental art, can complement scientific discourses by translating complex concepts into ‘meaningful, attractive and accessible forms of information.”[12]

               He effectively translates abstract data into a visual language for the viewer to interpret. Seeing these great numbers of juxtaposed objects which represent the waste created by humans over a period of time might help people realize how wasteful they are being and encourage them to be more concerned about the amount of waste they are producing.

               Burtynsky and Jordan effectively show previously unseen landscapes to the viewers. Thus, allowing them to see and realize the damaging effects that human activity is having on the planet. they employ techniques meant to grab the attention of the viewer to possibly elicit deeper reflection on the issue they are representing. But is this enough to justify their hypocritical use of new technologies to depict the damages that those same technologies are having on the planet? if we solely consider their uses of the new technologies for bringing to light ecological issues then it seems like their practices are justified. But, unfortunately, it is not that simple. Once we consider the fact that in most instances Burtynsky and Jordan had to fly by airplanes (which emit a lot of pollution in the air) to locations in order to capture their images, among other issues, the justifiability of their practices as a whole might be a little more questionable. Not to mention that Burtynsky doesn’t always use drones to get his aerial shots but mostly gets those pictures through the use of helicopters which emit a considerable amount of pollution. It is virtually impossible to come to a definitive answer on whether their practices are doing more harm than good. But, if anything, they succeeded in showing the world that humans are making irreversible changes to the planet and its processes by presenting undeniable evidence of those changes. And, if seeing is believing, then they’ve theoretically successfully caused people to believe and see the extent to which humans are impacting the earth in a negative way.

Endnotes

[1] M. Marks et al., “Environmental art as an innovative medium for environmental education in Biosphere Reserves,” Scholars Portal, October, 2017, https://journals.scholarsportal.info/details/13504622/v23i0009/1307_eaaaimfeeibr.xml (accessed December 1, 2018)

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Robert Enright, “The Fine and Excruciating Construction of the World: An Interview with Ed Burtynsky,” Border Crossings 30, no. 1 (2011): 22-37. https://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=470ffa3a-9198-4437-9a3d-b4ba9e9b1827%40sessionmgr4006&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=asu&AN=505396185 (accessed December 1, 2018)

[6] Ibid.

[7] Carolyn Kane, “The Toxic Sublime: Landscape Photography and Data Visualization,” Theory, Culture & Society 35, no. 3 (2018): 121-147. https://journals.scholarsportal.info/pdf/02632764/v35i0003/121_ttslpadv.xml (accessed December 1, 2018)

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Marks, “Environmental Art”.

Bibliography

Enright, Robert, “The Fine and Excruciating Construction of the World: An Interview with Ed Burtynsky,” Border Crossings 30, no. 1 (2011): 22-37. https://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=470ffa3a-9198-4437-9a3d-b4ba9e9b1827%40sessionmgr4006&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=asu&AN=505396185 (Accessed December 1, 2018)

Kane, Carolyn, “The Toxic Sublime: Landscape Photography and Data Visualization,” Theory, Culture & Society 35, no. 3 (2018): 121-147. https://journals.scholarsportal.info/pdf/02632764/v35i0003/121_ttslpadv.xml (Accessed December 1, 2018)

Marks, M., L. Chandler, and C. Baldwin, “Environmental art as an innovative medium for environmental education in Biosphere Reserves,” Scholars Portal, October, 2017, https://journals.scholarsportal.info/details/13504622/v23i0009/1307_eaaaimfeeibr.xml (Accessed December 1, 2018)

[knightofbalance-13]

We all are.

http://dudeblade.tumblr.com/post/163386771476/i-am-so-tired

Yeah, we all are, you two. Well, not me. I find this kind of logical deconstruction fun.

I am so tired of being told that I have to be The Good Gay™ and take all the homophobia and harassment and beatings and everything with a smile on my face in order to be respected. That I have to be grateful when someone laughs in my face because they noticed me!

Okay, let me break this down quick:

1. Yeah, you do have to fight for it. Respect is not entitled to you, it is something you earn. You earn people’s respect by doing the right thing, by being cool headed and logical in debates, by enduring. You can’t just have respect handed to you: That devalues the concept. Yeah it sucks but welcome to life.

2. What homophobia? What Harassment? What beatings? I’ve never seen that around here and if it is as common as you say it is, then surely you can prove it. How do I not know you are just crying wolf for attention or trying to make yourself look like a victim to do whatever you want or maybe you were being a dick about something that is only tangently related to your sexuality at best? Without context and proof, why should anyone listen to you?

And if it’s not happening directly to you: Then don’t talk abut it as though it is personally happening to you. Especially if it’s not happening in your country since who knows what the other country is like and the way you talk groups all of humanity together which we are NOT a hivemind.

And what does being a “good gay” actually entail? because with you Invested, it could mean anything from “taking abuse” to “not screeching homophobia at everyone who doesn’t exactly agree with you.” Because I have seen you attack people for saying you are looking too deeply into stuff when you YOURSELF agreed you were looking too deeply or when a content creator just thinks shipping has gone out of hand (http://invested-in-your-future.tumblr.com/post/161686615570/wait-can-i-ask-what-the-issue-with-murderofbirds). And BTW: Being called a bigot in this world of ours is worse than being black or LGBT or whatever, especially since minorities are treated as not being ABLE to be bigots and that the “majority” should just take the abuse with a smile.

Because unless you are one of The Good Ones™ who always is nice no matter what kind of privileged bullshit Straights™ keep spewing, then you are literally a demon for daring to feel awful and to want to have equal rights.

Exactly that: equal rights. Equality. That just means that people should stop caring about you and treat your argument about your sexuality and race the same as everyone elses: Nonexistent. People stop giving a shit about what you are both ways and treat you as WHO you are. And considering this is the type of person who screams homophobia at everyone who disagrees with you (including members of your own community!)

And you talk about the “privileged bullshit Straights” when you used a similar statement to be sarcastic about the situation with the Good Gays, meaning that you are being malicious towards straight people the same way you perceive malice being directed at LGBT people, especially since the context of this post stells me you want every straight person to support whatever you do because you are LGBT: You are literally being a bigot the same way you say people are being towards you. A straight person calls you out for calling a series creator(s) homophobes for not pandering to you immediately and not supporting your attacks on them? Well, then they are a bigot and not being a Good Straight and is wrong.

You want equal rights? Okay then: You are a liar since you lied about JAC’s video being anti-LGBT when it was anti-shipping, you tried to portray Murderofbirds as being a homophobe when eh just dooesn’tw ant to get into the whole shipping debacle. (http://invested-in-your-future.tumblr.com/post/161686615570/wait-can-i-ask-what-the-issue-with-murderofbirds) as well as lied about them being involved in the BMBLB controversy. Which brings me to my next point: you act like BBLB is being homophobic when this exact same thing happened to Black Sun shippers so by your logic it would be equal because they did it to the biggest hetero and homo ships in the fandom. (http://invested-in-your-future.tumblr.com/post/162372941890/you-know-its-funny-people-keep-claiming-rt-is-so) You misinform people by saying the person is calling you a crazy feminist when they were just asking you why you have to act like everything is political and they don’t want politics in their media, which is good considering how blatant politics ruin media. You are a hypocrite in saying that there are homophobes in the fandom when the top ships in the fandom are LGBT (Bumblebee, Sea Monkeys, White Rose, Freezerburn, Lady bug, Monochrome, Nuts and Dolts) and you are seen as weird for not shipping LGBT, a big compliant in the fandom is no LGBT characters and the big names are LGBT. You act like you are entitled to representation and such even as you attack and insult whereas if someone criticizes you, they are labeled with one of the most dangerous labels in our society. None of this is because you are LGBT: I would say this all to a straight person. What is going is that you are just not a good person and it becomes associated with your sexuality because you force the two together.

Its kind of hilarious because it all stems from the very same heteronormative bullshit of “normalcy” - unless you conform to the privileged heteronormative society and say “thank you, kind sirs” for every hit, the Straights™ will go out of their way to shame you and claim you are not normal or you are dangerous.

Heterosexuality IS normal: it is literal the norm being about 75-80% of americans at most  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_sexual_orientation#United_States / http://www.alternet.org/sex-amp-relationships/19-percent-americans-dont-consider-themselves-heterosexual)  and  around 5% at least (http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/us-adults-overestimate-homosexual-population-much-tenfold) fact is: being heterosexual is normal. Not being hetero isn’t bad: it just means you’re not normal. And that’s not a bad thing for sake.

And homosexuals DO have more rights in some aspects than heterosexuals: If a baker doesn’t want to bake a cake for a heterosexual couple, no one would bat an eye. But if not for a homosexual couple, a controversy is created. If a straight person is stereotyped, it’s fine but you can’t be stereotyping gay people. This comes right down to phobia: homophobia has a lot of stigma behind it whole many people refuse to acknowledge heterophobia. Straight people are not the only privileged people on the planet.

And guess what? You, Invested, ARE dangerous. Not to straight people but to your own brethren. You keep talking this way, acting this way, speaking this way and thinking this way soon enough people will give up on trying for representation and equality because they will think the LGBT community is unpleasable and just not even bother anymore. And at time, real bigots will come in and take that one step further and start taking your rights away again. until the world you are talking about actually happens.  All because you keep asking to be treated specially and differently instead of equal.

Well you are goddamn right I am dangerous threat to society - I have ALL episodes of Orphan Black and L Word on DVD and I am not afraid to watch it!

... You’re an idiot. That has nothing to do with the topic at hand. And if you want t live in your little bubble for the rest of your life: Well, humanity won’t be missing much except for another bigot,

And now for...Dudeblade.

The “Normies” should be afraid of disgruntled minorities. They should be very afraid. Nothing is scarier than a person who wants equality, and has nothing to lose. This is why the Civil War happened people. The African Americans weren’t going get their equality by being The Good Black™ and taking all the shit that they took back then. Why should the LGBT+ Community be the same?

First off: These people are not like African americans back then: They have rights now. They have equality now. Now, they are asking to be treated like delicate angels who should have whatever they want. And they are going to fuck it all up for everyone. Stop defending these people, Dudeblade: you’re just making things worse.

And you’re right they didn’t get their equality in the Civil War. Ever heard of Jim Crow laws? Segregation? the Grandfather Clause? All happened after the Civil War and all limited the rights of africian americans. The time they got their rights was, shocker, the Civil Rights Movement in which they acted EXACTLY the way you mock. The only thing that extremeists got in that time were fear and their cultural counterparts: When the Black Panthers went to far, the KKK rose up as a result. Do you WANT an LGBT version of the KKK? because that is what will happen when things go too far.

[shenmeizhuang-blog]

current standing + ramblings

*I wanted to do a more official, “pretty” post but currently it’s a bit...inconvenient to fully use Tumblr. So, here goes:

The Advisors Alliance (大军师司马懿之军师联盟): I do have some catching up to do, as I’m currently only 22 episodes into the 42-ep Season 1, which just completed its run a few days ago. Admittedly, I’m slightly apprehensive as I’ve read complaints that the latter part of the show becomes a bit...illogical, but time will tell. 

Where I am currently, warlord/king of Wei Kingdom (despite the current “emperor” of Eastern Han still existing) Cao Cao is about to die; with the earlier eps essentially covering protagonist Sima Yi as he assists unfavored son Cao Pi to gain the position of Crown Prince and faces adversary Yang Xiu, the deaths of the recent characters mark a pretty obvious shifting point; while the earlier eps had that whole Nirvana in Fire vibe that came with an advisor placing an unfavored son on the throne (although frankly, I ship just about everything EXCEPT Sima Yi and Cao Pi), as well as Yang Xiu and Cao Cao’s dominating presences that assisted in holding the show together, the latter eps risk being somewhat messy. 

The first episode was somewhat of a challenge to complete, with me having to even reference a dictionary multiple times, but eventually it becomes not that hard. Additionally, I find this show freaking ADORABLE -- there are just so many brief breaks of humor, heartwarming domesticity, and the ridiculously shippy romance between Cao Pi and Guo Zhao. Easily the best thing about this show is simply the cinematography and execution, so even if events become messy/illogical (though this is a considerably smart show), this is an amazing show to dunk my eyes into simply for the pretty. 

Admittedly, I know next to nothing about Three Kingdoms history, except like the super super basic, so I can’t really comment on historical accuracy (the show does utilize historical events such as battles or someone’s ascension for time skips though). I KNOW that apparently Hua Too died way later than in the show, etc., but frankly I would rather see a well thought-out story than a dry retelling of history. 

But I’m also hypocritical, and find that the show wants to emphasize Sima Yi/ everyone’s connections a bit TOO much -- like, what is the point of having to make Guo Zhao related to the Sima family? I ship her with Cao Pi a lot, but so many times it feels like she’s there to assist in saving someone in the Sima family (’tis a time where people’s lives are endangered essentially every 30 seconds). Additionally, since my cousin was watching this on TV, I saw a scene far far later where Zhen Fu 被打入冷宫 and she needed assistance or something and she freaking asked for Sima Yi. Because, of course, EVERYTHING comes back to him. 

Acting-wise, everyone is quite solid, and very surprisingly I actually recognize a lot of the actors, which makes for a very nice viewing experience. (Admittedly Li Chen feels...like Li Chen rather than Cao Pi, though the mustache I think actually helps diminish that a bit. Wang Jinsong’s portrayal of Xun You blew me away, though I’m slightly irritated by the fact that he (among 崔尚书 and other characters) essentially served as sacrifices -- some of the more minor characters tend to serve purposes to push forward the plot or give some advice rather than actually be characters. (Although they do an amazing job portraying this show’s antagonists so far). 

I really do like Yu Hewei as Cao Cao, even if people say he’s essentially channeling Chen Jianbin’s performance in San Guo (which I DIDN’T see). Personally, I can’t shake away the image of Chen Jianbin as Emperor Yongzheng (in Zhen Huan), so if I watch 3K 2010 for whatever reason it’s all going to very peculiar for me.

But, overall: I like it! I love its dramatics, humor, and cuteness rather than find it off-putting, and no matter what’s stored for the future, I will still fondly look back upon the earlier episodes at least. 

Love Lost in Times (醉玲珑): Despite the more peculiar-looking hairstyles, surprisingly one of the biggest perks to this show is the gorgeous cinematography and directing. Everything is just so very pretty -- EVEN compared to The Advisors Alliance, making this a really nice show to just relax my brain with. This is a weekly show (the horror), airing only two days a week, so with me not completely invested yet but still enjoying, I’m not biting my nails and praying for new episodes/for Thursday to come yet can more easily stay on schedule. 

Located in the kingdom of Western Wei, which interestingly is the location of a whole lot of currently airing shows (even AA technically takes place in Wei, though in a much different context), this is a world where the royal family struck a deal with a clan of witches/sorcerers (although I’ve only seen a total of two magical males in the witch clan’s realm hehe). This entire high fantasy/alternate realms is a pretty unique concept, and nicely melds with simple palace politics. But despite all the wonder and pretty, it’s very clear that the main point is the star-crossed (literally, with Qingchen being this 阴星 who is actually fated to meet 阳星) love between our leads. So far the pacing is very nice, and four episodes in, there’s already a very clear set-up . . . that is, leading up to Qingchen resetting the universe, Yuan Ling forgetting like everything, and everything angsty all starting over again. 

Admittedly, if not for the unique high fantasy concept the entire royal-political arc would be very generic. And like...why Fourth Prince AGAIN? LOL. (People say that the original novel is essentially a rehash of BBJX, especially since the original saw our protagonist time traveling from the modern day, but the romance and political events at least in the drama feel WAY TOO DIRECT and simplified for me to even make a slight association. Also, the main point of BBJX is like the freaking time travel aspect . . . erm anyway, I could rant forever about BBJX so I won’t.)

Despite the quick and refreshing pace, the one thing I find difficult is shipping the OTP, and they’re getting married despite all odds like next episode. Because, already? 

My favorite thing about this show, prettiness aside, is actually this show’s main antagonist, the seventh prince Yuan Zhan -- 1) Xu Hai Qiao but 2) unlike the other Evil^TM characters, he feels like the most complex and multifaceted character compared to everyone else (including, and especially our likable but so far typical leads, though I do also enjoy seeing Yuan Ling’s stubbornness and resourcefulness that would’ve resolved all the issues of most star-crossed romances), and is, Yuan Ling aside, someone I would entrust as a ruler. He’s sly and definitely some parts morally dark, but I enjoy seeing his ambition, the facade he creates, as well as his own perspective the justifies his own actions. He isn’t inherently evil or anything, just has a different 立场 and different motives than our leads. It’s just that his headpiece looks like either a cake or a flowerpot XD. 

Acting: both Shi Shi and William Chan are mediocre, though I think nicely compliment each other in prettiness and mediocrity, but side characters such as Liu Yijun as the horrid and corrupt Emperor, Han Dong as Qingchen’s shifu, Han Xue, Xu Hai Qiao as Yuan Zhan, Zhang He as 9th all delivered solid performances. 

It’s still a largely simplistic show that’s largely about the romance (*coughs* the title), but if well-done I’m always here for the angst. Overall, given that I didn’t really anticipate this show or have that many expectations, it’s a good show so far. Okay and randomly the opening theme sounds rather off-putting -- I would suggest skipping over that.