#these are the ~humble origins~ of our morally white good guys

[quetzalpapalotl]

The contrast between these two is so funny to me.

#no we cannot say the shockops are based in the idw comics because that would mena orion is a cop and it's problematic #these are the ~humble origins~ of our morally white good guys #anyway here Orion comes with a gun and an axe #we're still portraying Megatron as a revolutionary fighting injustice because that's not problematic at all #hasbro hasbro like i get why you're so ashamed but maybe you should have thought about that before letting jro make op a cop just saying #i think the best you can do now is just embrace it and face the implications head on a la phase 2-3 #instead of trying to deny idw1 while simultaneously cashing on it #dtrsadfhgas well it's just a toy description it's just fun to see them tying themselves in a knot like this

[sunflowerstalks]

Maybe If Remus Had a Plan in the First Place This Fic Would Have Had a Name, Too

Remus is Remus, Roman is tired, and there’s a cat, too. Expected chaos ensues.

This is my gift for Pigeon, @the-pigeon, for @sanderssidesgiftxchange! I hope you enjoy your gift, and i hope your holidays were and continue to go well! Also, happy new year!! :D

word count: 2125

rating: teen and up (for slight language/innuendo)

content warnings: slight innuendo/language typical of remus, hair pulling as a stim, descriptions of bad things happening to animals (as an intrusive thought, it is dealt with accordingly), slight anxiety attack/sensory overload moment

relationships: platonic sides (all of em) with brotherly roman&remus focus, implied/background romantic roman/virgil and romantic patton/remus but it’s pretty subtle

characters: roman, remus, virgil, patton, logan, janus, c!thomas (meaning both character!thomas and cat!thomas asfhjakfh)

additional tags: high school au, punk au, heist fic, like slight conflict and then mostly fluff and comfort. also, side note, cain and abel are the twins’ cats sdhjgdskfh

“Remus.”

“Roman.”

A beat.

“Any chance you could explain… any of this?” Roman gestures wildly to the pile of metal scraps, receipts, the feral cat, and assorted other trinkets strewn across the sidewalk in front of Remus, before crossing his arms and impatiently awaiting an answer without his usual air of, well, put-together-ness.

“Well, I’d actually gotten around to finally cleaning my wallet, when—”

“The cat, Remus! Whose cat is this? Why do you have it? Why is it surrounded by trash?” Roman’s voice increased in both volume and shrillness as he went on, hands reaching unconsciously to tug at his hair.

“Hey, don’t do that shit,” Remus tugged at the cuffed jean at Roman’s ankle for emphasis, “Anyways, like I was saying, I was cleaning my wallet when I remembered that I was like, eighty assignments behind in anatomy, so I figured I could do some cool art or somethin’ with a cat! For… extra credit or something.” Remus faltered for a moment, “In all honesty, I didn’t think I’d get this far.” He had thought getting the cat would be the hard part, so now he was stuck in the swing of success without a direction to turn. Roman, however, was still stuck on the small details (in Remus’ humble opinion).

Roman took a deep breath, muttering something that sounded a lot like a prayer for forgiveness, before looking down at his brother yet again.

“Remus.”

“Yes, brother dearest?”

“Whose cat is this?”

“Do you want the honest answer?”

Roman looked moments away from manslaughter, yet managed to nod anyways. Remus’ face broke into a shit-eating grin;

“I have no fucking clue.”

---

“Let me get this straight—”

A chorus of ‘good luck with that’s and similar sentiments echoed Logan’s statement, much to his chagrin.

“Okay. Redo.”

“You can’t just say ‘redo’ IRL, Lo,” Virgil chuckled, not even bothering to look up from his phone—he had already checked out from the drama, but stayed for the simple pleasure of experiencing the familiar banter—and in fear of being called to the dean’s office for cutting class. Mostly the latter.

“And I would argue that you cannot say ‘IRL’ in a verbal conversation, yet here we are,” Logan paused for emphasis, adjusted his necklaces for the umpteenth time, and smoothed his hands over the table again before continuing, “Regardless. The situation that you—and I mean you two,” he gestured to the twins, “there is hardly a ‘we’ fault-wise here—have gotten into, is one of... feline larceny, without a known victim? Is that correct?” Remus nodded sheepishly—or as sheepish as his wolfish features could get, all teeth and eyes—while Roman just stewed in rage. Remus’ backpack laid halfway zipped on the lab table, and every once in a while a pink nose and whiskers would find its way into the light before being shoved back by a flurry of hands, aware of what yet another detention would mean for the twins. They couldn’t all just skip, though—they learned that the hard way from the last time one of Roman and Remus’ harebrained schemes had made its way from “a slight nuisance” to “an unignorable thorn in everyone’s side that also somehow ends with arson.” So, they had some past experience in handling the, well, experience that the twins brought along with their company—but they normally had at least a lead to work with.

“How,” Janus started, massaging his temples despite only just then contributing to the wreck of a conversation that their art class had devolved into, “do you steal a cat, and not know who from?” Remus just shrugged.

“It wasn’t intentional. I needed a cat, a guy had a cat, I didn’t ask questions. Was I supposed to?” Remus asked, eyebrows drawn together—normally, he’d be a sarcastic shit that would drive the group insane on (some level of) purpose, but now he just seemed genuinely afraid—of the consequences of his own actions, but, still—progress. Logan opened his mouth to offer his advice, but was silenced by the jarring ring of the bell. He sighed. This was going to be a long day of way more stress than he was qualified for—the twins were going to owe him another stick and poke if he had any say in the matter.

---

Remus must have been a wonderful, wonderful man in his past life. He had to have been. Because, somehow, by some good grace, he managed to make it through another two classes on his own, and to lunch in one piece, with a living cat by his side—well, in his backpack, but the merit stands. Logan could honestly say he was impressed—not that he would tell him that, though. Nevertheless, the six friends reconvened at lunch—still without a direction to turn.

“I could just put him back where I found him,” Remus started, attempting to break the icy silence at the table with a jackhammer as always.

“Do you even know where that is?” Roman scoffed, incredulous.

“Well, no, but I could get close.”

“This isn’t helping,” Logan interjected, “How about you bring it to a shelter? One nearby where you found it?” The table nodded in general agreement, but Remus only frowned.

“But that isn’t where I got it from. What if it has an owner? What if the closest shelter isn’t a no-kill shelter, and we go to all the trouble of saving the cat only for the fucks at the shelter to hurt it?” Remus’ pace picked up with his heart rate—despite only having this cat for maybe six hours, if anything happened to it, Remus had a pretty good idea of what he’d end up doing.

“We can check for that, can’t we, Lo?” Patton chimed in, placing a calming, steady hand on Remus’ shoulder, which sunk, relieved, at the touch.

“Possibly. But, regardless, it isn’t Remus’ cat. Our priority is to get it back to its original owner, if it has one,” Logan pointed out, “If that isn’t possible, then we need to reevaluate our plan, come up with another, and settle for a different goal.”

“Have we at any point today even actually had a plan?” Virgil snickered, ever the pessimist—it wasn’t like he was really helping as he was, once again, staring at his phone.

“Well, it’s not like you’ve done much besides stare at your phone today, edgelord,” Remus snarked, though it came out as more of a mumble—his face was pressed into the table, and his eyes were on the cat in the bag.

“You’re gonna have to get better nicknames, Dukey, we’re all edgelords here,” Janus deadpanned, smudging an unhealthy amount of eyeshadow around his eyes while Virgil and Remus argued over their respective contributions.

“Okay, can you, my brother,” Roman pointed to Remus, whose teeth clacked with how fast he shut up, ”and you, my boyfriend,” he pointed to Virgil, who could only look the smallest bit abashed,  “calm all the way down? Stop arguing, holy shit—” Roman took another breath, relishing the silence that had fallen over the table before pushing on, “—how about we all go, together, and fix this shit? I mean, what could go wrong?”

---

The answer was a lot. A fucking lot could go wrong when six seventeen-year-olds tried to coordinate anything, let alone an amateur heist.

Remus managed to get through the rest of the school day without much incident, but the rest of them were not so lucky, managing to receive a grand total of three detentions and six failed tests from lunch to the end of seventh period between the five of them. The teens recounted the horror stories of sixth period; Patton gesturing wildly from the driver's seat, Remus sat quietly (for maybe the second time in his life) in the passenger seat, and the remaining accomplices squished together in the back seat (which would fit three people at most for any group that wasn’t them). Also in the back seat was the cat, who had been dubbed “Thomas” for the time being—he was sat in Janus’ lap, curled up around an abandoned ball of yarn that had been left under one of the seats. The car ride across town would have been incredibly tense and unbearably long without the feline, and for that, Remus was grateful—even if he still had a sinking feeling of guilt swirling in his stomach.

---

           After a surprisingly uneventful car ride (except for the stop at a drive through for a morale boost (Patton’s words) of coffees and drinks which ended, after a rather nasty pothole, with a massive stain on the roof of the car), the party settled into the waiting room at the—no-kill, Remus triple checked—animal shelter. There weren’t enough chairs, so the group made more of a pile around Thomas, some of them standing, and the others sitting both on chairs and the floor. Juxtaposed with the sterile white of the walls, they stood out like the emo cousins that they basically were. Remus bounced his leg, up, down, up, down, over and over. He kept knocking his knee against Janus’, which jostled Thomas every time he did.

“Sorry,” Remus mumbled, trying to focus on holding still.  But it itched in the back of his brain, guilt and stress and fault and all the wonderful, terrible feelings churning, over and over. The clock behind the desk was too loud, and Remus couldn’t do anything about it because they wouldn’t even have to be here if not for him. So he kept his mouth shut and tried not to cry—for all of two minutes, because that was when Janus decided that he had had enough, and shoved a ball of fur into his arms. For a moment, Remus was terrified he was going to fuck it up, hurting Thomas or himself or causing some other inevitable disaster, but Thomas just pushed his warm face into Remus’ palm, and suddenly, somehow the only thing Remus could feel was loved. He choked out a wet laugh, unable to contain the bubbling build-up of emotions that had been brewing since he first saw Thomas that morning. His friends all looked at him, concerned at first, but all they could do was coo at Remus being the softest they had ever seen him. He sniffed, and gave them all a watery smile.

“Thanks, guys.”

“Sincerity? In my brother? It’s more likely than you think!” Roman teased, poking his brother in the arm. Remus stuck his tongue out at him, and the teens devolved into familiarity, playful taunts and sincere joy, waiting to be called back for Thomas’ check up.

---

While the veterinarian had been momentarily taken aback at the request for all six visitors to be in the room during the appointment, she also hadn’t seen a reason to say no at the time. Thus, once again, like the clowns they were, they piled into the room and crowded around the table, Thomas at the heart of it all—confoundingly calm given the situation, at least to the onlookers.

The veterinarian introduced herself to each of them, and began examining the cat for any injuries, microchips, or anything out of place.

“He seems to be healthy, no broken bones or infections…” The doctor said, reaching for a handheld device, “If he’s microchipped, and I’m able to reach the owner, you boys will be off the hook, okay?” Remus cringed, but nodded—he needed to remember that Thomas wasn’t his before he got hurt. She ran the scanner over Thomas’ back, and hummed.

“I’m… actually not finding anything. You said he was lost?”

“I don’t know for sure,” Remus confessed, “I found him on the street, so he could be a stray.”

“It seems he was a very lucky one, for sure. Most cats his age are incredibly susceptible to outside bacteria—finding you guys likely saved his life.” Remus’ eyes widened, and his hand reached for Thomas almost instinctively.

“You said that he doesn’t have an owner?”

“Not that I can determine, no. Did he have a collar, any sort of identification?”

Remus shook his head.

“Well, there are two options in the meantime; we can hold on to him, and put him up for adoption through our services, or you could adopt him. He needs to be immunized and neutered, first, but where he ends up is up to you guys.” Remus thought to himself for a moment.

“Hey, Roman. How mad do you think Mom would be if we brought Cain and Abel home a new friend?”

---

The answer? Not mad enough to outweigh her happiness at Remus’ smile with Thomas in his arms. And even though he didn’t end up getting the extra credit in anatomy, Remus’ circle of best friends grew by one, so he thinks he did alright in the end.

#sanders sides #creativitwins #intruality #prinxiety #ts roman #ts remus #ts virgil #ts patton #ts janus #ts logan #c!thomas #cat!thomas

[padme-amitabha]

You know I’m glad suitless!vader isn’t canon or that Anakin still retained his good looks if it means cant Disney make him a fuckboy in the comics! It was bad enough worry this writers would try to spin some weird sexual fantasy bullshit with Vader and some potential love interest...

I couldn’t agree more! It’s one of my biggest pet peeves in the fandom. Anakin’s journey is modeled like every tragic hero’s: his own choices and his flaws are his downfall. His injuries are a result of his own actions. I don’t see any reason to prefer Suitless!Vader other than because he would still have his good looks. If Anakin had not been stopped on Mustafar, he would have been unbearable and he would be even more arrogant because of his abilities. His defeat was necessary as Count Dooku predicted in the beginning of ROTS (“Twice the pride, double the fall”). Anakin shows his arrogance when he is denied the Rank of Master and shows it again on Mustafar when he decides he can overthrow Palpatine. The first time it leads to his moral downfall, and the second time it leads to permanent physical injuries. Star Wars has morals and the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker is a cautionary tale. It’s like a curve: the more Anakin rises in station in life, the more his arrogance grows and in ROTS, it peaks and then falls to the point he no longer cares about his force potential and he is back to his original position as a slave.

While Hayden is a very attractive man and helped bring the character of Anakin Skywalker to life, he isn’t Anakin; the actor is not the character. A character is more than just his looks. Still, there’s fanfiction for that. But I just can’t condone Disney sexualizing him or making him another Kylo Ren because that’s exactly how a Suitless!Vader is portrayed in most fics (and would probably be in the actual story). Besides, growing more and more powerful without check would make him a Gary Stu. His defeat was proof that being the Chosen One didn’t grant you immunity or plot armor. His injuries humbled him and he learned from his mistakes so he grew as a character. Anakin as a child was a simple good-hearted boy but being raised in the order - where everyone thought he was special - had made him arrogant. He started believing he was special and better than others. His constant complaining makes sense and his defeat made me realize he was not invincible.

I think Anakin has always been a prideful person (especially since he was of humble origins and longed for a life of significance) but he still managed to keep it to himself (like you can see him relent in the council meeting and he mostly complained to people he trusted like Padmé and Obi-Wan). It’s in the body language: he wants to be free and exercise free will but, in the end, he’s very submissive. In the same way, Vader has big plans with Luke but in front of the Emperor, he is submissive. He didn’t attack his Master till the very last moment when Palpatine wants to kill and not injure Luke. Becoming Vader was a part of his character development and it’s so much more interesting to see a hero actually struggle to adjust to his new life and deal with the repercussions and become a villain in the eyes of the next generation of heroes. I think it’s so much more relatable because everyone has dealt with mistakes in their lives. We are all shaped by our experiences.

 I don’t care all that much about sequel trilogy or their new content but it does bother me when they change pre-established characters for fan service. They just had to change Lucas versions of Anakin and Vader to fulfill fanboys’ male power fantasy when Lucas tried so hard to establish both of his heroes as  anything but generic male protagonists from action movies. I don’t think Marvel Vader is completely horrible but the way he deals with pain and memories of his past makes me completely unsympathetic towards him and I don’t believe he deserves redemption (especially since he continues to repeat the very things he regrets in the first place and because he is unnecessarily brutal). He is not Lucas!Vader so I don’t particularly care about other people’s fanfictions. Both TCW!Anakin and Marvel!Vader are more stoic than their Lucas counterparts and some of their actions are completely out of character, and they are also more overpowered (Lucas Anakin and Vader didn’t win in every duels they fought). And that sexual fantasy bullshit enrages me because while people are free to amuse themselves in whatever way they want, it should not be in Disney material they label as canon. They didn’t even need Suitless!Vader to come up with these absurd storylines.

Though as unbelievable as that crazy obsessed stalker nurse issue was, it still sent the message “Don’t be crazy and fancy Darth Vader”. The nurse got what we had all predicted in the end but Kieron Gillen’s OC is the worst character to ever exist because it seemed like he was having fun including his twisted fantasies. The entire “potential love interest” bit is rubbish because nobody can replace Padmé. Anakin was a demisexual and a romantic and sensitive guy but like TCW they want him to act like a straight white male and rob him of his individuality. Vader in the movies was respectable and this OC made everything into a joke. Did we see Boba Fett and other bounty hunters joking around with Vader and him tolerating that sort of nonsense in ESB? These writers have been given far too much creative liberty to screw around with good and complex characters. At this point, I think the comics are what I hate the most about Disney’s Star Wars.

#ask #anakin skywalker #darth vader #suitless vader #anti disney #anti disney star wars #anti marvel bs

[lunaannkoenig]

On my quest to the ultimate list of tropes, here is what I have so far.

-Drop your weapons...All of them (followed by character dropping and ungodly amount of weapons)

-Chosen/Found Families (Band of characters with familial bonds though few or none are related)

-The Calvalry to the Rescue

-Chosen One

-Love Triangle

-Underdog Defeats Powerful Foe

-Old Grumpy Mentor Comes Out of Retirement

-Villain Redemption Arc/Antagonist to Ally

-Character who hates everyone sacrifices self

-Morally Gray Characters

-Antihero who is really a hero

-Love Interests bandaging each other's wounds

-Insta Love

-Trauma Love (2 characters fall in love through traumatic experiences)

-Platonic Love (2 friends with matching sexuality— as in heterosexual or homosexual— do not fall in love with each other)

-Missing Person with Dark Secrets

-Teenage Detective Solves Cold Case

-Marriage of Convienience turns into True Love

-Not Like the Other Girls

-Loud Outspoken Best Friend

-Nerdy Kid with Popular Friend

-Key Witness Has Amnesia

-Boy Who Pretends He Doesn't Love Girl (But Really Does)

-The Gruff Older Character Whose Life is Change by a Precocious Child

-The Plain Jane Who Gets Her Man

-The Unlikely Hero of Humble Origins

-Heroic Last Stand Against Overwhelming Force

-Wise Old Mentor Who's as Badass as Can Be

-Teenager Gains Power on Birthday

-Hero is Instantly Good at Everything

-Hero Struggles Through Training to be Badass

-The Prophecy Guides The Hero

-Magic Swords with Cool Powers

-Dysfunctional Characters Team Up on Quest

-Forgotten Ancient Technology

-Blacksmith Turned Hero

-Lovecraftian Ancient Horror God

-Magical School/Camp

-The White Savior

-Strong Female Character

-Girl Falls in Love with Rapist

-Interrogation Where It's Told in Splices Between Characters

-Interrogation Where the Stories Hilariously Conflict

-Manic Pixie Dream Girl (quirky girl whose entire purpose is to make a boring guy less boring)

-The Reluctant Hero

-Dark Lord

-Orphaned Protagonist

-Forgotten Heir

-Wise Wizard (who likely dies... Gandalf, Moirainne, Dumbledore, etc)

-European Medieval Setting

-Black & White Morality

-Summoning an Evil Entity to Make a Contract

-Magical Artifact/Object of Great Power

-The Quest

-Scientists Create/Find/Genetically Alter a Super Predator and Accidentally Release It

-Forbidden Love

-The Funny Best Friend

-Fake Dating

-Weird Small Town

-Privileged Villains

-Betrayal is the Name of the Villain (someone we love and trust is secretly our villain)

-Who Dunnit

-Villain is Someone Completely Unsuspicious

-The Final Boss is Not the Final Boss

-Religious Basket Case Villain

-Villain is a Monster

-Monster isn't really a Monster

-Unrequited Love

-Unrequited Hatred (You hate the villain, they barely acknowledge you)

-Magical Creatures

-Keeping Secrets to Protect Someone

-Character Finds Out Dark Secret and is Instantly Okay

-Bury Your Gays

-Choose Between Job and Love Life

-City Slicker Falls For Country Boy/Girl/Person

-Everyone Ends Up With Someone

-“I have something to tell you"" then they die.

-Enemies to Friends

-All Adults Are Evil

-Romantic Stalking

-Friends to Lovers

-Bookworm MC

-Roadtrip

-Consensual Romance (characters specifically ask and receive consent)

-Close Quarters in Romance as a vehicle for romance

-Power Couple (No power imbalance, even if their strengths are different)

-Romantic interest loves dogs (Hades and Persephone in Lore Olympus)

-Protective/Overly Protective Partner

-"Love Interest or Big Burly Guy who says ""Hey Buddy I'm protecting you from her."""

-Man who defies or hates his powerful father figure (sometimes an uncle)

-Grouchy love interest

-Rebel with a cause

-Charming Antagonist

-Bromance

-I'm not your dad but I'm your dad

-Dandy/Fop being witty and charming

-Big Scary Softie

-Drunken Confessions

-Accidentally overhearing key information

-Trapped in a closet

-Inanimate objects come to life

-Blind Prophet/Seer

-Bottom Storage (villain isn't killed off but is put in a glass prison in a basement somewhere)

-Over complicated board/card game that the audience only sees glimpses of

-MC assumes another character's intentions are the exact opposite of what they are by misinterpreting their actions

-Age Gap Romance

-Bottomless Bag of Usefull Stuff

-Anti-Villain

-Omniscient Narrator who Contradicts the Characters

-Dry jokes during dire situations

-Men who love their wives and talk about it frequently

-There's people chasing our MCs and where we've chosen to hide has us close

-Confession of Love on the death bed

-Kissing in the rain

-Cute But Viscious

-Strong female character who is actually bad ass

-Crazy Family

-Falling in love with an AI

-AI takes over the world

-Getting trapped in a game or book

-Resurrection

-Damsel (with no agency) in Distress

I know that this is incomplete and it includes tropes that need to die a firey death, but the ultimate list has every last trope. Is your favorite missing? Your least favorite? Let me know!

#writers on tumblr #writeblr #writing #writing inspiration #writing prompt #writers #tropes #i love this trope #trope talk #trope #reader #booklr #bookish #books #bookworm #booknerd #storytelling

[aion-rsa]

How Batman: Soul of the Dragon Pays Homage to 70s Kung Fu and Bruce Lee

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Batman: Soul of the Dragon sets Gotham’s caped crusader in a vintage martial arts homage. Directed by Sam Liu, who also directed the animated movie version of one of the greatest Batman graphic novels ever published, Batman: The Killing Joke, this is the 42nd project in the ongoing DC Universe Movies series.

However, Soul of the Dragon is an original tale, not based on a precedent comic. Like the eye popping anime-style film Batman Ninja, this is a completely stand-alone story. Batman: Soul of the Dragon is yet another chapter in the many creation tales for Batman. It tells of his martial indoctrination and joining him on this adventure are three of the best martial artists within the DC multiverse: Lady Shiva (Kelly Hu), Ben Turner a.k.a. Bronze Tiger (Michael Jai White), and Richard Dragon (Mark Dacascos). 

“It’s a 70s martial arts action-adventure drama with a great sense of humor,” says Dacascos. Like so many Hollywood martial arts stories, Batman: Soul of the Dragon is told in two time periods: the present-day problem and in flashbacks to the original martial arts lessons that offer solutions. It’s a storytelling motif that can be traced back to the pioneering David Carradine’s Kung Fu TV show and Bruce Lee’s iconic Enter the Dragon. 

In many ways, Batman: Soul of the Dragon is a tribute to Enter the Dragon, when the Kung Fu and blaxploitation genres were at their height. Richard Dragon is an homage to Bruce Lee’s character ‘Lee’ in Enter the Dragon (just like in so many Jackie Chan films, the name of Lee’s character was the same as his real name). In some scenes, he dons a similar black catsuit as Lee wore when infiltrating Han’s subterranean lair but stops short from yelling ‘Wataaah!’ when fighting. 

Enter the Dragon was a game changer for martial arts movies, but it was also in the wake of the popularity of spy films of those days, specifically James Bond. Enter the Dragon is also a spy film, and it came out at a pivotal time for the Bond franchise, the same year that Roger Moore took over 007 in Live and Let Die. The spy film genre was immensely popular during the Cold War of the ‘60s, but by the ‘70s, it was looking to reinvent itself to remain popular. Enter the Dragon had the potential to launch a spy franchise for Bruce Lee, but his untimely and shocking death cut that short. Tragically, he died just prior to the release of the film. In some ways, Richard Dragon makes us ponder what a sequel to Enter the Dragon might have been like.

With his groovy afro and jive talking banter, Ben Turner steals a page from the character of Williams (Jim Kelly) from Enter the Dragon too. Batman is faintly akin to Roper (John Saxon), a token white guy amidst a diverse cast. Even the funky soundtrack by Joachim Horsley echoes the music of Enter the Dragon’s composer Lalo Shiffrin. 

“In the 70s I was very impressionable,” reflects Dacascos. “The music brings you right back to that time. I love it. I love Enter the Dragon.” 

It’s ironic that Batman would honor Bruce Lee in this way. For many, the Batman TV show of the mid-60s was their first exposure to the Little Dragon. Lee’s earliest Hollywood role was Kato, the chauffeur of The Green Hornet, which became a spin-off series of Batman, running for a single season on NBC in 1966-67.

Who is Richard Dragon?

Batman: Soul of the Dragon is a complete reimagining of Richard Dragon. In the original comic storyline, Dragon was Richard Drakunovski, a Caucasian character. He first appeared in the novel, Dragon’s Fists: Kung-Fu Master Richard Dragon by Jim Dennis, which was published the year after Enter the Dragon premiered (Jim Dennis was a pseudonym, the combination of the two authors’ names Dennis O’Neil and Jim Berry). The character was later adapted to comics by DC. 

In the original DC version, Dragon was a classmate of Ben Turner, both of whom trained under O-Sensei (played by the venerable James Hong in Batman: Soul of the Dragon). Lady Shiva was also part of this Kung Fu lineage. O-Sensei’s goddaughter Carolyn Woosan was Lady Shiva’s sister. After Woosan was killed, Lady Shiva was tricked into thinking Dragon was at fault and hunted him to take revenge. Eventually, the trick was foiled so Shiva and Dragon became allies, united against a common foe. 

In the comics, the world of Batman doesn’t cross with Dragon’s until much later. Dragon goes on to become a trainer of many DC heroes, notably the first Batgirl, Barbara Gordon. In another story, he helps Batman rehabilitate after sustaining injuries from Bane. 

In a later alternate narrative arc, Dragon’s title is usurped by his villainous student, Richard Diaz Jr. This is akin to the Richard Dragon depicted in CW’s Arrow and portrayed by Kirk Acevedo. Bronze Tiger also appears in the Arrowverse portrayed by Michael Jai White, so Batman: Soul of the Dragon marks his reprisal of the role in the animated DC universe (As a side note, David Giuntoli voices Batman for Batman: Soul of the Dragon; Guintoli is married to Elizabeth Tulloch, who plays Lois Lane in the Arrowverse, including the forthcoming Superman and Lois).

However, neither Drakunovski nor Diaz figure into this latest incarnation of Richard Dragon in Batman: Soul of the Dragon. Here, he’s more like a Bruce Lee clone, only cooler. Dacascos didn’t follow the comics or the Arrowverse depiction. 

“Yeah, I did not know that at all,” he confesses. “The script was so good that everything I felt that I needed to portray him was already on the page….All of my information for the character I found in the brilliant script that Jeremy Adams wrote and the information that was given to me by our producers and our director Sam Liu.”

Nevertheless, Dragon was a dream role for Dacascos. As a longtime fan of Batman, his favorite live action portrayal was Michael Keaton. 

“I love his interpretation,” he says with a laugh. “There’s a sense of humor that he has and he stands out.” 

As soon as his manager and agents sent him the script, he was hooked. 

“I saw the description of DC Comics, Batman, Richard Dragon. And then I just jumped right into the script and after just a couple of pages, I knew I loved it. And the more I read, the more passionate I was about it. Before I even finished the script, I’d already emailed my representatives back and said, ‘Yes, please, please, please. I want to do this.’” Dacascos was tickled to be cast as his Kung Fu brother. “I’ve been privileged to play a character that is friends with Batman,” gushes Dacascos. 

Beyond being a bat-buddy, what really appealed to Dacascos was Dragon’s strong moral compass. 

“He’s not ignorant to the fact that evil is there, always has been, is, and will be,” explains Dacascos. “But with his training and his apparent good heart, he is able to maintain that battle with the negative, with the evil and take it on, maintaining his open heart and his sense of humor. I think his sense of humor is a part of his armor. He’s able to deflect with whimsy of the situation. He is a very loyal student, he is a very loyal friend, and I think his force – what drives him – is his love.”

From Stunt Work to Voice Work

By casting Dacascos, White, and Hu, Batman: Soul of the Dragon goes that extra step by placing genuine martial artists into animated roles. Throughout his teen years, Dacascos was a genuine martial arts champion. 

“The thing is,” says Dacascos humbly, “my parents are both martial arts teachers.” 

That’s an understatement. His father is Grandmaster Al Dacascos, a pioneering master in America who founded his own style of Wun Hop Kuen Do. His stepmother is Malia Bernal, a noted champion and coach of many other champions like Karen Shepherd. “My brother and I were basically forced into our first martial arts tournament at age six.” 

Dacascos began his acting career in martial arts films, several of which were groundbreaking. His earliest lead role was in Only the Strong which was the first film to showcase the Brazilian martial art Capoeira. Brotherhood of the Wolf was a unique French period horror Kung Fu mash up that completely broke the mold for the martial arts genre. Having such an extensive background in the martial arts informed Dacascos on how to approach the fight scenes. 

“As a martial artist, all I have to do is just think about it and I’m feeling it again,” he says. “So that part felt like going back home. When we were doing the action sequences, I just gave myself space to move around and then take the direction from Sam Liu and went for it…It’s all in your head and in your heart, and of course in your breath.”

Dacascos loved how the fight scenes in Batman: Soul of the Dragon came out, so much so that he’s contemplating bringing it to live action in his own way. 

“I thought what would be really fun for me to do is actually in real life physicalize the forms, that form that Richard Dragon does,” he says. “So I’m going to maybe make it a little challenge for myself and learn those moves in real life…I would love to be Richard Dragon in real life. He’s really cool.”

In many ways, Batman: Soul of the Dragon feels more like a creation story for Richard Dragon than a typical Batman story. Batman is almost a secondary character. With Marvel making such strides in diversity with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings anticipated for summer 2021, DC needs to up its inclusion game. Could this be a stepping stone for Richard Dragon to become his own franchise? 

“I hope so,” confesses Dacascos. “I hope that Batman: Soul of the Dragon continues and we do a sequel or series.” 

While he is hopeful that there’s a future for Dragon, it’s the spirit of Batman: Soul of the Dragon that he finds most motivating. Like the title says, it’s got a lot of soul. “The thing is, it’s so much more than that because of the lessons that the students learn in the martial arts sequences taught by the wonderful James Hong who plays O-Sensei. The lines that Jeremy Adams wrote are so profound, and like any great teachers, they transcend the martial arts. It’s so much more philosophical and deeper. So, the story has the martial arts action, but it has heart, and it’s sexy, and it still has a great sense of humor.”

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Batman: Soul of the Dragon is a direct-to-video film produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Brothers Animation premiering on digital platforms on January 12, 2021. 

The post How Batman: Soul of the Dragon Pays Homage to 70s Kung Fu and Bruce Lee appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3nzf5HJ

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[redlore]

My real life and Tumblr life rarely overlap but I thought I’d share this rant I posted elsewhere... I’ve watched with anguish the footage of George Floyd and subsequent coverage of our national outrage. I’ve read the news articles and social media posts. I don’t have anything to add that hasn’t already been said more eloquently or meaningfully. So, I was sort of taking it all in and feeling a bit numb. But I also recognize that’s my privilege kicking in and I can’t sit back and remain silent. Therefore, if you’ll indulge the ramblings of another white guy, I humbly offer the following:

Protests. Protestors aren’t all looters and vandals. Police aren’t all bad. Peaceful people can be angry. Angry people can fight for peace. By and large, people demanding justice are doing so peacefully. If your impression is otherwise, I encourage you to find new sources of information.

Riots. For those angry and disenfranchised people who are causing destruction, I view it as a physical representation of their anger and frustration. And, you might not like it or understand it but we’ve got to accept it because the sound of glass breaking gives voice to the voiceless. It’s okay to be saddened by the destruction but we need to prioritize people over things.

Learn. If you don’t understand what systemic racism or white privilege is, if you can’t comprehend what the Black experience is like, educate yourself. Reading a book (or Wikipedia page) will never put you in another persons shoes, it isn’t the same as having a lived experience, but it’ll get you that much closer to understanding.  

Listen. You might be the most well-read individual on the planet, but it doesn’t give you first hand knowledge. When Black Americans and people of color tell you what their first-hand experience is, believe them.

Speak up. I can’t speak on behalf of Black people but I can advocate for them and help create spaces where they can be heard.  

LGBTQ+ Pride. The Stonewall riots were started by queer people of color. We need to support the Black Lives Matter movement and create more inclusive spaces in our queer communities. We need to do this all the time but especially during Pride month.

Coronavirus. This really should be a separate post of its own, but if the Coronavirus has revealed anything about this Great country of ours it is that we have real problems with our healthcare system, labor and income inequality, systemic racism and racial disparities, gender inequality, civil rights, and more. I firmly believe that these should be cornerstones of our next election.

Trump. I’d like to think his behavior speaks for itself and reveals his true character. But if that were true he wouldn’t have been elected. If you’re among the population who thinks he’s done good for this country, I ask you, to what end? Is any perceived benefit worth the loss of common decency, mutual respect and the rending of society’s moral fabric?

Vote. Vote. Vote. Vote. There’s one way to ensure incremental change in society. If you are a person of color, a queer person, a young person, a poor person or anyone else who believes they haven’t been heard—heck, if you’re a rich old white guy that feels like you haven’t been heard—then vote. Progress is slow and frustrating but the only way to change society is by getting new, disenfranchised voters to the polls. And, support the creation of a comprehensive Right to Vote amendment.

Ramblings for sure. To my friends who would have expected me to say something sooner, I apologize. However, I’m not foolish enough to think that a social media post is where the fight begins or ends. Please know I am here to love, support and advocate for you. _________ I think I’ve found the original source of this image, which I’ve seen cropping up all over the place. And, of course, it originated on Tumblr: https://queerwitchqueenofcolor.tumblr.com/post/141927811412/so-here-it-is-the-official-flag-for-qpoc-that-i

#george floyd #black lives matter #qpoc #lgbtq #lgbtqia+

[four-loose-screws]

FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation - Chapter 6 Part 3

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations - Ko-fi

———————————

Chapter 6 - The Bard’s Introduction

Part 3

Heirhein Castle was located on a small hill, so everyone atop the castle wall could see the smoke rising from the Central Plateau below.

“There’s something over there!” Sigurd said to the member of the Cross Knights standing next to him.

“That’s the Central Plateau. There’s a lot of developing towns in that region.”

“What do you think the smoke means?”

“Thieves must be taking advantage of the confusion and raiding the towns…!”

“Oifey, what strategy would you suggest for fighting these thieves?”

“We’re in a difficult spot right now. Anphony Castle is north of Heirhein Castle, and Mackily and Augusty Castles are north of Nordion Castle, so our enemies could attack either castle at any time. To make matters worse, our army is also currently occupying Evans Castle, meaning we must guard three castles right now.”

“In that case, do you think we should divide our soldiers into three groups, then? No, wait… if we send soldiers to the Central Plateau, that makes for four groups. I know that it’s basic war tactics to keep all your soldiers together, but…”

“You’re exactly right. We have enough manpower at Evans and Nordion to defend those castles for now, so we should attack Anphony first. Once we’ve defeated the Anphonian Army, we can send a unit to save the villages, while our main force hurries back to Nordion.”

“Splitting our soldiers up is a very risky move, but we don’t have a choice. Alright, get ready to march, everyone!”

Sigurd gathered all the soldiers together, divided everyone into units, and carefully explained their battle plan. “Once we’ve defeated the main force of the Anphonian Army, the infantry unit will rush back to Nordion. The cavalry will continue fighting until they’ve seized Anphony Castle, then catch up with the infantry.

“I know you’re all exhausted. But this is a critical time for our army. If the enemies go in any one direction and we aren’t there to defend it, then we’ll be out of options. You can rest once you’ve returned to Nordion. Now move out!”

ー

When Anphony’s King Macbeth heard that Heirhein Castle had fallen, he shuddered. It meant that the enemy army was gaining momentum, and would soon close in on his own.

He called in Voltz, the leader of the mercenary group he’d hired, and ordered him to get ready to deploy.

When Voltz returned to his group, one of the men with them, Beowulf, approached him and asked, “Did he order ya to fight?”

“Yeah, tomorrow. But I don’t plan to go out as the vanguard. We’ll leave once the knights have deployed. So what are you going to do, Beowulf? You haven’t made a contract with me yet. It’s up to you if you come with us or not.” 

“I appreciate the offer. But to be honest, I don’t really feel like it this time. I like you just fine, but I can’t stomach that Macbeth guy. Rumor has it he’s the one behind the attacks on the villages. As a mercenary, I can’t stand someone who would stoop that low.”

“Then you should leave here. If we mercenaries don’t have a contract, then we are free. We are friends today, but could be enemies tomorrow. Pretty interesting, don’t you think?”

“I don’t want to face you on the battlefield, though. Wouldn’t stand a chance.” While Beowulf had confidence in his ability to fight, he also knew his limits.

Voltz could freely wield a steel blade from atop his horse. Any foe not experienced in combat would misjudge the length of the blade, and be an easy target.

Voltz chuckled at the praise. “Ha! Of course you wouldn’t. There ain’t a man alive who could beat me!”

-

Beowulf left Voltz’s mercenary group and headed west.

Just before the sun began to set, he saw a cavalry unit traveling down a thin path between plateaus. The members of the unit all unsheathed their swords. Beowulf stopped his horse and waited for them to approach him.

The leader stepped forward, then yelled, “Are you with Anphony?”

“No, I ain’t.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I’m a mercenary looking for work. Are you with Grannvale?”

“Yes, we are.”

“Would you like to hire me? I could really help you guys out.”

The man paused, so Beowulf added, “I was with a mercenary group hired by House Anphony until today. If you hire me, I’ll tell you everything I know about Anphony.”

“That doesn’t matter to me. I’ll take you to Lord Sigurd, and you can talk to him directly.”

Two cavaliers got on either side of him and escorted him to the Grannvale camp.

Some time passed, then finally, a group of several well-dressed knights approached him. A tall, blue-haired man stepped out from the crowd, came up to him, and said,

“I am Prince Sigurd of Chalphy. I was told that you want us to hire you.”

“Yeah. I was with a mercenary group hired by House Anphony. Betcha’d like some information on the enemy, wouldn’t ya?”

The boy next to Sigurd grabbed his sleeve and nodded.

“What’s your contract fee?”

“A thousand gold coins.”

“Wow, that’s… pretty high.”

“If ya don’t wanna pay, ya don’t wanna pay. I ain’t gonna push ya.”

“Thank you. How’s this? We’ll agree to pay you the full one thousand. But you’ll only get one hundred now, and we’ll give you the rest after the battle.” 

“What if I die?”

“Just tell us who you want to inherit the money, and we’ll pay them.”

“Fine by me. It’s a deal.”

Beowulf removed his sword, still in its sheath, from his belt, and offered it to Sigurd. Sigurd did the same, and they both took each other’s sword.

“Alright, I am now bound by contract to you.”

As promised, Beowulf told Sigurd everything he knew about the Anphonian Army.

He explained that a mercenary group would be behind the Anphonian cavalry. While their numbers were great, if Sigurd and his army could just defeat their leader, Voltz, then the other mercenaries would be no problem. They had to be especially careful of Voltz’s steel blade. There were also about two hundred knights guarding the castle.

“Prince Jamke, we’ll leave the mercenary leader to you. I’ll distract him, then you take him out.” Sigurd said.

This prompted the brown haired cavalier, who had been silent until now, to finally speak.

“No, I should be the one to distract him. If the enemy wields a steel blade, then we can’t afford to take risks. I can easily counter him with my lance.”

“That’s a good idea, Quan. Alright, then. We’ll leave him to you.”

-

The next day, Quan approached Finn and gave him his most treasured lance.

“Our enemies before were Verdanian barbarians, but now, we will be fighting fully trained Augustrian soldiers. That lance won’t cut it anymore. Please, use this.”

“But that’s… your Brave Lance, isn’t it? Is it really okay for me to have it?”

“You are an important knight of Leonster. We can’t afford to lose you here. This is the least I can do for you right now, so don’t be humble. I want you to have it.”

 “Thank you, sir! I will use this lance to bring glory to Leonster!”

-

The battle began just before noon.

When the Anphonian cavaliers charged, the mercenary group followed after them, just like Beowulf said they would. He pointed out Voltz to Quan and Jamke.

He was atop a white horse, and led the mercenary group, so Quan was easily able to identify him and march forward to challenge him. 

Seeing an enemy approaching him, Voltz raised his steel blade into the air, and charged. It was Voltz style to take out the enemy leader first and cripple the army’s morale, but Quan thrust his lance at him, so he couldn’t weave his horse around Quan and get by. 

Voltz panicked and tried to turn back around, but Jamke had already jumped out from behind Quan and shot an arrow at him. The arrow pierced through Voltz’s helmet, and he fell from his horse.

When Sigurd’s army saw that the mercenary leader was down, they all charged at once.

The unexpected death of their leader caused all the mercenaries to lose their morale. With no interest in prolonging the fight, Anphony’s soldiers also began to flee.

“The end is near! Infantry unit, return to Nordion!” Sigurd yelled, then ushered Farron to break out into a full gallop.

Sigurd’s cavaliers chased after the fleeing enemies, moving closer and closer to Anphony Castle.

The knights opened the gates to let their fleeing allies in, and deployed to fight at the same time. 

The battle against the knights was chaotic, but Sigurd’s soldiers were already used to war, so they had the advantage.

Finn in particular put up a spectacular fight. No one could have guessed he’d been a squire just a few months ago. Every swing of the Brave Lance cracked another knight’s armor, and he left a trail of fallen enemies in his wake.

The battle ended, and by late afternoon, Sigurd’s army had conquered Anphony.

-

Early the next morning, they set out again, this time for the entrance to the Central Plains, where they met back up with the unit that had been tasked with saving the villages.

“How did it go? Are the villages safe?” Sigurd asked.

One of the soldiers nodded. “Yes. But the thieves had already run away by the time we got there.”

“So you didn’t make it in time?”

“No, quite the opposite, in fact. A bard that could use wind magic chased them all away.”

“A bard?”

“Yes.”

“Is he still here?”

“Yes, he’s coming this way.”

“I’d like to meet him.” Sigurd continued on alone into the Central Plains.

He traveled for some time until he finally saw a man unmistakably dressed as a bard. With him was a half-dressed woman, dancing as she followed him.

They were so strange a pair, that Sigurd was surprised and stopped Farron.

The bard continued walking towards Sigurd, then stopped and looked up at him.

“Hello, I am Prince Sigurd of Chalphy. Thank you for helping the villages. I would like to thank you on their behalf.”

The bard ignored his offer of gratitude. “So you’re Prince Sigurd, huh? You’ve got an awful lot of free time on your hands, if you’re invading other countries and starting wars.”

“Are you mad at us?”

“Of course I am! Try to stop and think about things from the working class’ point of view for once! Whatever your reasoning, you’re causing a lot of trouble for us.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right. I apologize to all the citizens of this country.”

“Words are just words. If you really understand that what you are doing is wrong, then go home!”

“You’re right.... We should. I’ll go consult with everyone about this.”

“Whoa, hold on a minute! Are you serious?”

“I’m very serious. I’ve wanted to go home this entire time. Talking to you has finally made up my mind. I’ll try convincing King Chagall to end this war.”

“I can’t tell if you’re really nice, or really stupid.”

“...”

“There isn’t a thing you can do to change Chagall’s mind. If you pull out of Augustria, he’ll just execute all the citizens who helped you. Are you okay with that?”

“No… But…”

The bard laughed at Sigurd’s loss for words. “Alright, I’ll quit torturing you already. You really are the man I thought you were. I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to travel you.”

“Huh? ...Wait, just who are you…?”

“A simple traveling bard, and nothing more. Name’s Lewyn.” He said, while thinking, ‘I don’t think this man’s run from anything in his entire life. He’s gonna be a pretty big deal by the time all this is over.’

#fire emblem #fe #fe4 #genealogy of the holy war #nintendo #super nintendo #snes #famicom #super smash bros #japan #japanese #translation #novel #light novel #fe4 suzuki novelization translation

[bambamramfan]

I've just returned from some travels throughout Southeast Asia, and I was struck once again by how pervasive and dominant American culture is worldwide. Our music, movies, celebrities, fashion, and sports are basically the lingua franca for all other cultures that would otherwise have nothing in common. I've encountered humble farmers in the Vilcabamba range of the Peruvian Andes that live at ~17,000 ft elevation in remote villages who harbor a passionate love for early 2000's era WrestleMania. I've met with Jordanian Bedouins who live in tents but can sing every word of Kanye West tracks. And now I've talked to Thai mahouts who live among elephants in the hills of Chiang Mai who have an eye for the apparel of Supreme, an overpriced American skateboarding brand

Sometimes it seems like this level of cultural penetration doesn't even make sense. Ads for televisions in Bangkok prominently featured the new Benedict Cumberbatch Grinch flick, which is strange when you consider that all of 0.7% of the country are Christian and they most likely lack the cultural context of Seussian canon to begin with. Other instances are genuinely sad: at the big S2O festival that closes out Songkran (the Thai New Year celebration), the stages for local acts - which included music, but also muay thai fights, for instance - were almost completely empty as everyone there congregated around C-list American acts like Steve Aoki and 3lau. Hearing a masseuse in a Thai bathhouse humming Drake's In My Feelings leads one to wonder just how much of the Buddhist nation's hypersexualization is attributable to western influence

However one media property above all others has stood out to me in my travels, and that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe Avengers films. This perhaps shouldn't come as a surprise given that it is the #1 highest grossing franchise of all time in terms of ticket sales, but these movies are culturally dominant all over the world. Ask a cabby in any city you find yourself in and even if he only makes it to the movies once every couple years he will tell you about his love for these films. The new one, Avengers: Endgame, just tripled the midnight screening records in China. Which is funny because...

Well, because the main hero of the MCU is called Captain America. He wears an American flag as a costume. He is, from his very origins - and this is played with in-universe, explicitly - a piece of outright propaganda for the US government. And this character is expressly the most heroic figure in the franchise, who other characters turn to for moral leadership because of his unimpeachable integrity and unquestionable virtue. He may not be the strongest or the fastest or the funniest of the heroes, but you can count on the guy in the stars and stripes who answers to the name 'America' to make the right calls and be the good-est good guy in every encounter. It is almost beyond parody how nakedly this franchise propagandizes its country to the world's youth - and it becomes even more absurd when you recognize that these other countries frequently lack the cultural context of the 80 years of cheesy comics we take for granted and are often encountering these characters for the first time fully-formed on the big screen

And this is fascinating because the Chinese government is very controlling about the media content that its citizens consume. There is a de jure quota on the number of foreign films admitted per year - currently 34 - and the State Council has banned entire areas of subject matter from appearing on its nations screens, e.g. time travel which critics speculate is to deter oblique commentary on current political affairs and/or fantasies of changing the fate of the nation. Homosexuality is also banned in Chinese media, leading films like Bohemian Rhapsody to become borderline incoherent in the wake of edits. Even cleavage has become restricted. Lastly, China has cracked down on "the promotion of Western lifestyles", noting that all programming must comply with Chinese Communist Party ideology. Yet somehow they've let the biggest film series in their country be about the heroic "Captain America", paragon of moral virtue, standing up to tyrants and despots, championing the dignity of the individual over the cold utilitarian calculus of the villain

I kept tossing these thoughts around my head as I watched little Thai boys run around with Captain America branded red white and blue squirt guns during the Songkran water festival. You could not dream of a more successful global propaganda campaign than what Disney has stumbled upon completely by accident (the Avengers films are largely the result of Marvel selling off its more popular characters e.g. Spidey, X-Men, etc during a rough financial period). And it's gotten to the point where these films are globally too popular to block; the very last thing Xi wants is to incentivize millions to get in the habit of bypassing party censors over something as trivial as a superhero flick

Which raises the question of exactly how far these films can go before encountering pushback from state censors. Iron Man 3 - starring, in RDJ's egotistical, alcoholic, womanizing, career capitalist Tony Stark, probably the exact antithesis of the attitudes the Chinese Communist Party is trying to inculcate in its citizenry - had a villain that was literally called 'The Mandarin' based on a yellow peril character devised during the Cold War, and was China's second highest grossing film of 2013. Now, granted, the cinematic version sidestepped the issue by making the character a blonde Anglo - as well as adding special Chinese only scenes in an attempt to appease cinema's fastest growing market. But what about when Disney won't budge on matters the CCP can't stomach? After recent rumblings about bringing an LGBT superhero to the screen - as is promised in Star Wars and Harry Potter franchises, as well - will China and similarly minded governments face a reckoning? As I see it their choices are A) entirely capitulate to Western values pervading their media; B) begin more aggressively blocking Western films, angering their citizens and corporations; or C) rely more and more heavily on Bohemian Rhapsody -style cuts in perpetuity, ushering in a future best defined by a hapless cgi animator editing in digital pants at the behest of some bureaucrat, frame by frame, forever

#propoganda still doesn't work #but people act like it does so these are interesting dynamics to discuss

[hirazuki]

I’m going to try and summarize what bothers me about VLD from as objective a standpoint as possible. A lot of people, including myself, have already made posts pointing out specific issues, especially with regards to the messages it sends to abuse victims, so I’m not going to touch on that or any type of emotional issues here at all. I’m going to skip specifics except where needed as examples, and just talk about the nature of story telling itself. As someone who not only has used fiction for escapism, but who has studied story telling both in terms of literary analysis of novels and of religious texts, it’s a subject that I feel very strongly about.

Warning: long ass post.

Okay, a couple of disclaimers first.

One, I am a firm believer in the “don’t like, don’t read” mentality. If I don’t like something, I don’t talk about it, I just move on. Y’all have never seen a single discourse post about The Dragon Prince, right? Yup, that’s ‘cause I really didn’t like it. It goes for countless other things too. I don’t expend time and effort and energy on things I don’t like, that’s just wasteful. So, why am I harping on VLD? Because I really enjoyed it, despite a couple of what I felt were minor issues at the time, for most of its run. That’s why I -- and I imagine the same goes for many other fans -- am so bitter.

Two, I came late into the Voltron universe. I joined in a couple of days before s6 dropped, and only watched DotU as well as the other Western versions in the past couple of months. Haven’t had a chance to see the original Japanese anime yet.

Three, I’m not a shipper, in general. I don’t ship anything in VLD except Zarkon/Honerva. Romance/sexual stuff is just not my thing, I’ll take swords and explosions any day over that. So my saltiness regarding the series has nothing to do with ships.

Alright, so I think my major gripes with the series can be sorted into three categories:

1. Inconsistency of Story Type:

This is, of course, my own opinion, but through my time of consuming fiction, I think there are three types of stories:

Good vs. Evil: the most basic type of story. The good guys are good, the bad guys are bad, and everyone stays well in their lanes. Think Disney movies, typical Saturday morning cartoons -- the heroes are exemplary of good traits, the villains are one-dimensional and unrepentant, evil for the sake of being evil. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this story type imo, and there are several stories of this nature that I really do enjoy.   

Grey Morality: a much more nuanced take on the concepts of good and evil, right and wrong. Due to the very nature of grey morality, there are varying degrees to which this can be implemented. Probably the most common one I’ve seen is where the heroes do some bad/questionable things, the villains/antagonists do some good things or have the right motives or are “noble” in some way; but overall, there is a sense that there are certain lines that shouldn’t be crossed, certainly by the heroes but also sometimes by the villains/antagonists too. An excellent example of this is Firefly. Another example, that puts a total twist on it by having the protagonist also be the “villain,” is Death Note -- even though the story resolves in a way that to the audience is, really, the only sustainable way possible, it still leaves neither the characters in-show nor the audience with any sense of victory. This concept is taken to the extreme by a series like Tenpou Ibun: Ayakashi Ayashi, where no one is right and no one is wrong, but at the same time everyone is right and wrong, and simply just human. There is no good and no evil, just context, circumstances, and choices. 

Combination: this type of story starts with the Good vs. Evil dichotomy but, as the story progresses and the protagonist becomes more acquainted and involved with their environment, both the protagonist and the audience come to understand that the picture is actually much more complicated than that, and it evolves into Grey Morality. Bleach is a great example. We start with seeing the Hollow as evil, mindless monsters that need to be killed; we learn that they are actually human spirits that have transformed into “monsters” through pain and grief and, therefore, we pity them but also understand that it’s a mercy to put them down; we then find out that, actually, not all are mindless and they have a complicated society and culture of their own; and, eventually, come to accept them as (reluctant) allies against a bigger threat, understanding that they are creatures in their own right. 

From the moment that Keith -- arguably the character within the main cast that had the most time/character development spent on him -- was revealed as being half-Galra (that is, half the “evil” race of the show), VLD promised to be that third type of story. Because there is no way that the writers would make one of their protagonists evil by default because of his blood in a kids’ show, duh, so by logical conclusion this means that that race is not all evil, after all. This was further emphasized by Lotor’s introduction to the plot -- a severe departure from his character in any previous incarnation -- and cemented by the episode, “The Legend Begins,” where we finally get to see the other side of things and the fact that not even Zarkon and Haggar were “born evil,” as well.

After the Keith reveal, we got shocked reactions from his teammates, notably and understandably Allura; got only an apology from her and not the rest for their treatment of him (which could have been better but, whatever, it was a step in the right direction, great!); and then... back to a weird strained relationship in working alongside Galra without another word on the subject.

Okay. Fine.

Then we get Lotor -- again, some of that initial resentment/treatment could be understandable to some extent, and eventually on the road towards, seemingly, genuine acceptance. Cool.

I won’t go into details about the colony episode, because that’s been done to death already, but, woah, major setback there. Back to the knee-jerk reaction of treating individuals of a race as complicit and responsible for the actions and perception of that race as perpetuated by a handful of individuals. And then -- flash forward to s8 -- we are welcoming Galra allies in our cause! Please join our Coalition! We want to help you!

Look. I’m not saying that you can’t retcon stuff; that you can’t go Good vs. Evil, develop into Grey Morality, and then reveal something and BOOM, jk, it was Good vs. Evil all along, gotcha! I’m sure that there is an author somewhere out there that has pulled that off effectively (I can’t think of any examples myself right now, but I’m sure it must exist somewhere).

I am saying that if you’re going to do that -- if you are going to pull the rug out from under everyone’s feet and sacrifice some crucial character development (and crucial characters themselves, let’s be honest) -- you better have a DAMN GOOD IN-UNIVERSE reason for doing so. And no, shock value or getting rid of a character because they were overshadowing the protags doesn’t count. Otherwise, your protagonists will look like giant jerks. Unless, of course, that’s what you’re going for, but I highly doubt that was the thinking here.

And then, we proceed to flip flop between “I knew it, the Galra are irredeemably evil, what’s wrong with these people?!” (I think Hunk -- HUNK, by far the most empathetic character -- said this at some point in s7?) and “Here, we can work together towards a brighter future” or some shit. You can’t do that. I mean you can, but you’re gonna get major backlash from your audience. Pick a fucking direction and stick with it.

For the past three seasons, it has really felt like the story line is being pulled into two different directions: 1) staying true to the original source material of Paladins = good, Galra/Drule = bad, and 2) providing the viewers with a groundbreaking, nuanced interpretation. 

My dudes. You can’t have both. Trying to implement both of these approaches means having morally grey, nuanced characters operating within a narrative framework that is subject to an overarching principle of a strict Good/Evil dichotomy. Do you know how fucking hard that is to pull off effectively without diving headfirst into the pitfall of punishing your morally grey characters by default, simply because they happen to exist in a universe that cannot, by nature, support them???? I can think of only a handful of authors that have managed that and, I would argue, that the man at the top of the list only managed to be so effective and influential because what he wrote was, in essence, a mythology. Mythologies have a totally different set of concerns surrounding them. And even then, he went to great lengths, both in his works and outside of them in discussions/interviews, to note that the “evil” in his world could never have happened without it intentionally being part of the larger cosmological design, i.e. balance. I’m talking, of course, about Tolkien. 

Why the fuck would you attempt to pull something like this off in a kids’ cartoon?! Avatar: The Last Airbender, since everyone loves that comparison, was defined by a black/white view that developed into a very simple grey morality, and it was this limited scope that allowed it to be presented so effectively. None of this sashaying back and forth. 

Especially when this flip flopping is done for le dramatic effect/shock value, with seemingly no good in-story reason?? Of course it’s gonna fall flat.

2. Concept vs. Execution:

This is probably what drives me crazy the most about VLD. 

As an idea, it was fucking brilliant -- anyone who has watched DotU, even with all the nostalgia, I imagine, can admit that it was very much a cut and dry 80s cartoon, with simple concerns; Vehicle Voltron attempted some nuances, but the Lion Voltron part of the show, which was by far the more popular part, was pretty stiff in that regard. VLD took that and introduced themes like: being biracial (Keith, Lotor, etc.), having to choose between duty and family (Krolia), having to choose between personal dreams and important relationships (Shiro), having to overcome deep-seated understandable prejudice and work with people you never thought you could come to stand for a greater cause and through that see that not everything is black and white and attain a greater understanding of the world (Allura), leaving home and learning to survive in a totally foreign environment in the worst circumstances possible (the paladins), dealing with disability, mental illness/ptsd while also dealing with issues of being in a position of leadership/power (Shiro), parental abuse (Lotor), substance abuse (Honerva and Zarkon), being a clone and coming to terms with that (Shiro/Kuron), learning to compromise and sacrifice personal integrity/morals for the betterment/survival of those you have made yourself responsible for (the paladins), and so much more than that. Lotor’s relationship with Honerva/Haggar had serious undertones of both Mother and Child symbolism, as well as Arthurian legend. The whole quintessence thing drew pointers from ancient and medieval concepts of alchemy.

The inclusion of any of these things, injected into a pretty straightforward and tame original source material like DotU, was inspired. What an absolutely fantastic take, with incredible potential.

... and it was the shoddiest, shittiest implementation and execution of any concepts that I have ever seen. Like... how? How did they manage to not be able to successfully see any of these themes to a close, and to actually offend the vast majority of their fanbase (regardless of background, age, race, sexuality, literally from all walks of life) by the way these themes were handled???? 

I’m sure time restraints, direction from above, etc., played a big part in it, but still. If you don’t have time to properly develop the interpersonal relationships between the core members of your main group of characters -- to the point that, say, Keith and Pidge? Hunk and Shiro? Did they ever properly, truly have any meaningful interactions? -- there’s no way you could properly handle all of this.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew. 

Also? As stories are being fleshed out, they and their characters tend to take on a life of their own. The Lotor/Keith parallels? I totally believe and understand how it’s possible that it was unintentional. But when that happens, you go back and rework the rest of your plot to make sense with what you now have before you. You adjust and adapt. You don’t barrel on ahead headless and not acknowledging it, and you don’t force your characters into straitjackets just because you want to doggedly follow this one idea.    

3. The Female Lead: 

Let me begin by saying that I really, really wanted to like Allura, and the way she was written was one of the biggest turn offs and disappointments for me. I won’t go into specifics regarding her, as there many posts that already address the problematic nature of how she treats people of her race vs. anyone Galra, but I will just look at her character development as a whole.

Perhaps the easiest way for me to voice my frustrations here would be with a comparison. Let’s look at my favorite female protagonist of all time, Nakajima Youko, from Juuni Kokuki (aka. The Twelve Kindgoms).

Youko starts off as a very meek high school girl, from a typical modern Japanese family. Class representative, top grades, is scared of conflict and wants to live up to everyone’s expectations of her, which makes her very submissive, a total coward emotionally, mentally, and physically. She seeks to please everyone and, as a result, harms her own development by never giving any thought to her own desires and ends up bullied by everyone around her. Magic happens, shit goes down, and she is whisked away to a different world that is parallel to our own, along with two friends from school; ripped from her home, her family, with absolutely no way back. This other world has a different language, people who end up in there from our world are treated like garbage and are slaves, has a medieval level of tech/advancement, and Youko with her friends has to figure out how to survive. She finds out she is actually queen of one of the realms in this world, which makes her a target of various groups. She is betrayed by literally everyone around her, everyone she places her trust in, including the two friends that got transported to this world with her. 

She goes from meek and mild to bloodthirsty and brash; lashing out at everyone around her, plotting to kill those that offer her a helping hand, becoming unreasonably suspicious and racist and way out of line. Understandably so, but the narrative doesn’t, for one moment, present this as okay. Some more stuff happens and she finally snaps out of it, comes to a couple of realizations, and has major character development. She develops the attitude that, yes, people have betrayed and hurt her, but their actions towards her and their opinion of her is none of her business. It will not stop her from acting in ways that are in line with her own morals; if people choose to betray and use her, that’s on them. She will simply do what she must, and treat everyone as an individual according to their actions. This doesn’t mean that she adopts a pushover mentality -- it just means that she loses her knee-jerk reaction, and doesn’t rush to conclusions. She becomes a badass warrior and queen, strong and just, and, frankly, one of the most well-developed female characters I have ever seen.

Do I think this is the only way to write a strong female character? Of course not. But I’m convinced this is what the writers wanted to do with Allura, this kind of progression and path, from being angry, lost, and alone to being a confident, capable, magnificent ruler. And, imo, they totally missed the mark.

I think that the writers were so focused on giving us a “strong” modern female character, and getting as far away from her DotU damsel in distress depiction as possible, that they ended up writing her as, basically, a bully. Sure, they tell us -- both through other characters’ words in the show and through interviews -- about her diplomacy, peaceful nature, leadership quality, open-mindedness, etc., but they never show it to us. In almost every key moment in the series, she has been written to be combative and suffering from tunnel-vision.   

And a huge part of this is that they simply didn’t give her any room to grow. Youko’s character started off at maybe... 5% of her potential? She was honestly so “weak,” I thought about dropping the series. But by the point the anime ended (because the story itself is unfinished and unlikely to continue, unfortunately), I’d say she’s at around 70%. That makes for an extremely dramatic, fulfilling, and believable character development. The VLD writers started Allura off much higher than that. Too high. From the get-go she’s a highly accomplished martial artist, has incredible physical strength due to her Altean heritage, a seemingly natural affinity for leadership and for appealing to people, she’s very attractive, well spoken, had a loving and supportive family, is a princess, had a brilliant alchemist for a father, has access to the universe’s greatest super weapon -- I mean, yes, she’s had to deal with immense loss and grief and come to terms with it in a very short period of time, and lost her father a second time so to speak with Alfor’s AI -- but overall, everything has been set up and handed to her in a nice package. Other than overcoming her hatred towards the Galra and idealization of Altea/Alteans, really, there’s nothing left for her to do that would be defining for her character.

That’s not to say that characters that are extremely accomplished from the start are a bad thing. But in their case, their emotional and mental development and maturity is that much more important, because that’s all that’s left to work with. The writers didn’t really give Allura any significant room to grow in terms of any of that. (And no, I don’t consider her new alchemical powers from Oriande as her growing; she expended no effort for that, it wasn’t really a trial at all for her; it was like me playing a video game on casual mode with the “killallenemies” console command enabled). Her overcoming her racism towards the Galra, beginning with Keith and BoM and continuing to do so with subsequent Galra allies, had a TON of potential and I had been so excited to see where it would go; but that fell flat, totally forgotten by the story.

In contrast, you have Lotor -- we see him struggling to claw his way out of the hand that fate has dealt him, to grow beyond his family’s influence and abuse. Both on and off screen, even described by his own enemies in great detail, we see just how much he has had to fight and to earn everything he has and he is, even things that shouldn’t have to be “earned” in the first place. He’s lost Daibazaal and Altea, both his father and his mother, he’s too Galra for anyone who’s not and not nearly enough Galra for anyone who is. Literally nothing has been handed to him. The juxtaposition between him and Allura, had Allura been given more breathing room by the writers, could have been fantastic and I would have shipped the hell out of it, like I do in DotU. She’s had everything he’s ever wanted (loving family, supportive father, Alfor himself, exploration, alchemy), etc.; envy would have been extremely appropriate on his part, and very interesting to work through, but that was never explored either.

So, I feel like what ended up happening was that a huge imbalance in how these two characters came across was created, made only more evident when their relationship with each other was what was front and center. And, at least for me, this is what makes me completely unable to see Allura’s side of things, and I freely admit it -- I simply don’t understand her or her actions, because I don’t feel like I’ve been shown enough of her inner workings as a character to be able to care about her in the slightest. I can definitely see where the writers were going with her, or where they thought they were going. But unless they actually meant for the character that is, for all intents and purposes, their female lead to be a  racist, abusive, immature person playing at being an adult and at being the leader of a coalition spanning galaxies, who has no problem condemning millions of lives to death and devastation at a whim of her emotions because they are Valid™, and who wades dangerously close to “Mary Sue” territory many times due the way the narrative frames her... then all I see on screen is an unfinished character. Unfinished, because the writers didn’t take any opportunities in the narrative for the flaws and issues she does have to be addressed and overcome, opportunities of which there were plenty! I absolutely don’t mind that she has flaws -- flawed heroes are amazing. But, you gotta do something about them, i.e. address them and work through them. Otherwise your heroes remain static in a plot that is evolving and that’s not a good look.

And, you know, I honestly think DotU Allura is a much stronger female character. She works for everything she gets. She works her ass off. She has to fight to not only be allowed to be part of the team and fly a lion, but even just to do everyday common things like be out in the fields or swim or whatever; forget practicing martial arts. Coran literally ties her up at one point to prevent her from participating. Nanny is a constant battle for her. Over everything, from her clothes to her manner of speaking to where she’s going. But she doesn’t stop, she doesn’t give up. And she fucks up, BIG TIME, several times, she does TONS of stupid shit. But she learns, acknowledges it, gets called out on it, tries again, and keeps on trying. DotU Allura’s biggest battles, in my mind, aren’t with Lotor or the Drule forces or Zarkon, but with her own team and those she considers family, and her struggle for the others’ acceptance of herself and her skills within the group. And for that, she is a much stronger, more solid female character than VLD Allura, despite all superficial appearances and frilly pink dresses and 80s voice acting.

Again, like I said in a previous post, I don’t conform to the view that creators owe their fans anything. Write things however the fuck you want. You want to kill Allura off, fine. Do away with Lotor too? Cool. I completely understand people who want happy endings in fiction because, it’s true, reality fucking sucks; there are several fictional works I turn to whenever real life is too much. And I would be lying if I said that I don’t crave stories where characters like Lotor are given happy endings; of course I want my favorite characters to be okay. But overall, I’m the type of person who, as long as things make for an effective, compelling narrative, I’ll be content with it, regardless of whether the ending is tragic or happy or anything in between. 

So you want to kill off your morally grey character and your female lead, who is also one of the only women on the team, who is also a princess figure, who has also been completely visually redesigned in such a way that you know women of color will relate to her? That’s fine by me, go right ahead. But do so in a way that is meaningful and makes sense within the larger narrative you created, and isn’t some empty, sensationalist gesture. 

And also be aware of your fanbase. This is a reboot -- that comes with certain expectations attached, as a number of the viewers will very likely be fans of the old series, watching out of curiosity, nostalgia, etc. Expectations like, the princess lives, the heroes aren’t assholes, etc. (and I’m referring to expectations from DotU and other Western iterations, rather than the original Japanese series). You don’t have to conform to these expectations -- personally, I’m a big fan of tropes being subverted -- but you need to be aware of them. You need to know the rules before you break them, and if you break them, you better break them damn well.

Imo, VLD ultimately failed to deliver on these fronts, and pretty much fell prey to what a lot of series do -- it couldn’t handle the shift from being primarily episodic in nature (i.e., each episode is self-contained, with a clear beginning, middle, and end, while operating under a distant general goal, like defeating Zarkon; so, s1 and s2) to becoming a more complex narrative unraveling a hidden agenda (s3 onwards). Kind of like how the paladins made no provisions for how they would handle things after Zarkon’s defeat, it feels like the writers didn’t really have one solid plan for how to develop past that point as well.

tl;dr: Whoever is responsible for the way VLD turned out should write a book: how to offend your entire audience in eight seasons or less.

#okay i think this is my last personal post on the matter #i think i've vented about everything that's been bugging me for the past couple of seasons #i'll still reblog and comment on things i find interesting #but i'm gonna focus my energy on constructive stuff #like plucking the hairline of lotor's wig and writing fanfic :) #talk: v

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY Recaps: Vol. 5 A Perfect Storm

This is a re-posting from January 20th, 2018 in an effort to get all my recaps fully on tumblr. Thanks!

It might not seem like it given that it's already late January, but one of my New Year's resolutions is to post more consistently on this blog, starting with the RWBY recaps I've been severely neglecting. Today was Volume Five's finale, so I'm desperately behind, but I figure everyone could use a refresher, right?

"A Perfect Storm" picks up with Cinder, Watts, Emerald, and Mercury invading Raven's camp. Raven herself is sitting all alone while sharpening her weapon—an isolated, depressing shot that rises up to show us the space and splendor of her tent, making Raven appear rather small in comparison—though honestly I've got no sympathy for her at this point in the series. When Vernal arrives and relays the situation, Raven's only response is, "Salem... okay,” and a comment that they’ve prepared for this moment. As she mentioned to Yang, Raven is thoroughly convinced that Salem is both impossible to beat or outrun—at least for forever. Unlike our heroes she's resigned herself to the supposed impossibility of victory and isn't even willing to put up a fight beyond what it takes to keep herself and her tribe safe from day by day.

Raven tells Vernal to grab her helmet, an order I originally read just as an intimidation tactic given that Raven has no intention of fighting Cinder now. After the events of “Vault of the Spring Maiden” though… boy was I fooled.

More on that in the twelfth recap though.

Now I can't recall if I've mentioned this in previous posts, but I think it’s worth pointing out that Raven reminds me of Roman a great deal. Both of them abide by the old saying of, 'If you can't beat them, join them,' though Raven is more concerned with the lives of family and friends than Roman ever was, with the exception of Neo. Still, RWBY isn't a show that has much in the way of middle ground: the good guys are thoroughly good and the bad guys are thoroughly bad. Even if some characters (like Ozpin) make choices that we see as cruel or self-serving, the narrative itself usually doesn't present them as such. We've seen hints of ambiguity elsewhere--in Sienna, Emerald, Iilia, and Hazel--but Sienna was (presumably) killed off, Emerald's shock over the Grimm's creation quickly turned back to devotion for Cinder, Iilia turned 'good' in the span of two episodes (more on that in the next recap), and Hazel's non-violent approach is really just a smokescreen; as we see later, he's very willing to fight and kill provided that it's in his interest. So really, the characters that can't be neatly slotted into black or white moral categories are few and far between, so despite my own dislike of Raven I'm very glad she's on the show.

She's RWBY's Snape: you're a terrible person, but a terrific character.

Raven reams out her followers for not attacking the intruders and Cinder plays the role of a humble guest, claiming that Raven shouldn't be too hard on them, they simply "recognize the power of a Maiden when they see it." Ha. Another fantastic line after Episode twelve's reveal. Still, can't blame the camp for holding back on attacking four of Salem's finest when, you know, they recently got their asses kicked by a teenager.

You gotta love Yang.

After giving an order to pack up camp, Watts comments that it's a little late to be running. Raven has been on "their master's list" for some time. I really enjoy the titles associated with Salem. She's the arrogant Watts' "master," Tyrian's "queen" and "goddess." Language has always been a powerful tool and by positioning herself as their superior not just in displays of overt strength, but in smaller ways like how they address her even outside of her presence, Salem helps to cultivate the kind of fear that has paralyzed Raven. She can still roast the underlings though.

"Two children you've tricked into following you, a disgraced Atlesian scientist, and a Fall Maiden with a surname so appropriate she probably picked it herself."

They literally can't come back from that.

Speaking of egomania, Watts feels the need to point out that he was also a doctor, which is... a rather fascinating comment. Now granted, we don't have any actual evidence for this yet, but a lot of people are theorizing that he may have been the one to perform surgery on Ironwood. We already know that Watts is creating a new tail for Tyrian. And though plenty of characters have lost limbs in RWBY, Ironwood is the first person we've seen with half his body just gone. Dust and technical advances aside, I can only assume that a surgery like this comes with a huge amount of risk, and a doctor/scientist with a willingness to play fast and loose with morals would be the perfect guy to attempt such a staggering feat. If this comment is a nod towards Ironwood's past, it has a lot of great implications: was Watts once respected enough to perform surgery on a general? Does Ironwood feel indebted to him? Or, perhaps, did Watts achieve something that Ironwood may not have wanted?

Whether any of this is true--or has anything to do with how Watts became "disgraced"--remains to be seen.

There's some more threats thrown about until Raven calls out Vernal.

Cinder: "So this is the long lost Spring Maiden."

(What was that about recognizing Maidens? And I'm sorry, but they JUST got done admitting that Cinder most likely chose her last name herself--Ozpin's magic isn't choosing Maidens based on whether their names appropriately synch up with the power they're given. So isn't she just a little bit suspicious that the Spring Maiden is named Vernal?)

(Apparently not.)

(Cinder isn't nearly as smart as she thinks she is.)

Of course, Raven has Vernal display a bit of her power and I have to be frank here, I was pretty disappointed. Yes, this was just a demonstration--proof more than anything else--but after all the cool stuff we've seen Amber and Cinder do (and after the lack of battles so far this Volume) the most we get is Vernal summoning some clouds and wind? I found it rather underwhelming. Although I did appreciate the separate reactions: Watts, Mercury, and Emerald all bear down when the wind picks up, hiding their faces from what's supposed to come across as extreme power. Cinder, meanwhile, can't take her eyes off Vernal, a rather hungry smirk on her face. Regardless of how her story turns out, there's little doubt that Cinder's lust for power will ultimately play a part in her downfall.

"Vernal has done well under my guidance." That has a rather different meaning post-episode twelve. This episode is chock-full of twists and turns. This also becomes a rather significant line post-finale...  

For now though Raven makes it clear that if they want a fight they're not going to go down easy, and Cinder makes it clear that her little threats aren't scary and Salem is all powerful, blah blah blah. Each insists that the other shouldn't underestimate her and yet each continues to do so. They're both rather arrogant, huh?

Cinder says they've come with an "olive branch." What, there are Greeks in Remnant? A community where olives are such an influential part of the economy and culture that the branches of their trees became symbols of peace? I’m joking of course, though I do find it rather fascinating where we draw the line at fantasy. Can you have déjà vu in Remnant if there’s not a France to derive the term from? A faux pas, an hours d’oeuvre, lingerie, or even cafes?

(We’ve borrowed a lot from the French, obviously.)

Anyway, Cinder's olive branch is a flimsy offering at best. If Raven uses Vernal to help them steal the relic in Haven--their true goal, rather than getting the Maidens themselves--she'll let her and her tribe go on their merry way, left alone from here on out.

Yeah right.

Raven doesn't believe it for a second either. Notice her, "Backed me into a corner, huh?" and how Raven actually steps back, as if scared. Please. Raven is not the type to show fear, ever, which means that this little display is all for show. She wants Cinder to think she really is backed into a corner, that she's desperate, scrambling, all to hide the fact that Raven has a trick of her own up her sleeve...

She says that pacts like this are built on trust and since she doesn't trust them she'll need a bit more incentive. Raven announces that she wants her brother dead and this is the most unintentionally funny moment in all of RWBY for me. Just look at them.

Yes, Qrow is a fearsome Huntsmen. Yes, he's proven time and time again that both his skill and his tenacity are not to be underestimated. But still, the fact that we have two extremely powerful fighters, an egotistical scientist, and a Maiden all freaking out at the prospect of fighting what's essentially a drunk birb is pretty hilarious to me. It gets even better when Emerald points out that it won't just be the four of them against Qrow, "The students will be with him--he has Ruby!"

You know your evil league needs a bit of work when you get this nervous over a handful of kids and the two years younger half-pint with a sunny disposition.

Team RWBY/JNR are making a name for themselves and it's excellent.

The solution to Watts' worry about this drawing too much attention is to "wait until the full moon" when the White Fang attacks. This implies that 1. they were indeed originally planning to just slip into Haven one random day, securing the relic before the fight for the school even begins--which is smart considering that after the fact, when Ozpin realizes that the relic has gone missing, he would have assumed it happened during the White Fang's attack. But 2. ... why the full moon? We already know that there's something up with that poor, astronomical body, but could a full moon provide some sort of advantage? A power boost? Or is Salem just a glutton for drama and fancy aesthetics?

I mean she obviously is, I just don't know if the moon has other implications.

Surely there must be something to the "I May Fall" lyrics:

When the moon is gone / And we've reached our ends / I may fall...

Watts believes firmly that this isn't about securing Raven's help or even causing general chaos among the side of the light: Cinder just wants the chance to fight Ruby again, given her "grudge against the child." I'm inclined to disagree a bit based on what we see in later episodes. Cinder seems to have moved beyond a specific vendetta and into the realm of a generalized, 'let the whole world burn so long as I have power' mentality. Either that, or she's far better at hiding her emotions than I'm giving her credit for, but we'll dive into that later.

She literally burns Watts for talking back to her though lol - "Fly back home and tinker with your machines." This is a wonderful little moment that reminds us of the hierarchy at work here. Cinder has no problem ordering Watts around in the same manner she would Emerald or Mercury, despite the difference in age and expertise.

As a handshake solidifies the supposed trust between Cinder and Raven, we cut back to Iilia's attack on the Belladonna household. A shot of the palace with muffled gunfire inside... never a good way to open a scene.

We finally get to see Ghira in action and I have to say, I'm a big fan of his fighting style. It's an excellent blend of a tank's technique and an animal's instincts, moving between throwing a spear with precision to literally climbing the walls. We've already seen that the Faunus do possess traits intrinsic to the animal they represent--Blake is obsessed with fish, is easily distracted by a laser pointer, etc.--so this 'wild' style isn't coming out of left field. The Faunus are certainly discriminated against for not being human, yet it's their non-human characteristics that remain one of their best assets.

In short, Ghira kicks the brothers' asses, even if his aura does take some hits along the way.

Not that he can do it alone. Yes, Sun shows up just in time to keep the random White Fang member from shooting Ghira while hidden behind a pillar. Doesn't mean I suddenly like him in this arc. Ghira himself says that Blake keeps "reassuring him that your friend [Sun] isn't a complete waste of space. Let's see him prove it" and honestly that line reads as a direct address to the audience. Yes, please prove that the side-character you shoe-horned into the main plot isn't as useless as he's appeared for two Volumes running. Please.

"I won't let you down, sir!"

"Shut up."

"You got it."

Well, at least he listens to Ghira's requests if not Blake's...

As the two charge full-speed at the brothers we cut back to Raven in her tent, a parallel to the opening scene, here the imagery is tight--claustrophobic--and Raven herself is bent with head in hand. It's also notable that beyond the artifacts near the foot of her bed we have a large, empty bottle of alcohol right by the pillow. You can see four more bottles a few cuts later. Looks like Qrow isn't the only one in the family with a drinking problem.

Vernal comes back from following Cinder and the others--an example of talent I wish the show had a chance to explore more. Raven confirms that of course Salem isn't going to leave them be once she has the relic in hand, "Once our purpose has come and gone we'll be discarded." Either Raven is just paranoid, or this says a lot about Salem's motivations. She doesn't kill people because they're a threat, she kills them because they're useless and she can.

They plan to steal the relic for themselves as it's their best defense at this point. Why is a little unclear. Certainly possessing the relic will force Salem to come after her with more vigor than she would if Raven was just another discarded pawn, but perhaps possessing it has some offensive power? There's certainly been much speculation that Ozpin in one of his previous reincarnations won the war through the use of a relic.

Vernal is warned that this won't be an easy path and she says that she'll do whatever it takes. Famous last words, folks. Raven remains a hypocrite here, satisfied at the unwavering courage yet refusing to take a true stand herself.

We get a shot of Raven in her bird form flying over the camp, the familiar sound of her portal, and then she's in Mistral, her flight taking us to a shot of Qrow drinking alone at the house. He perks up at the sound of a raven's caw. Wouldn't you?

Our adorable farm boy pops in just long enough to say that Ozpin needs to speak with him and Qrow sighs like much of the fandom sighs. As much as I’m enjoying the characterization, this really is the Volume for long-winded discussions.

Luckily we end on a more energetic note. I have a lot to say about Iilia's upcoming redemption, but I'll admit that the details here are well done: she's hanging in the library away from the battle against Ghira or Kali, implying that she might be willing to lead the attack, but she's not willing to get her own hands dirty. Yet. She also resists drawing her weapon until Blake draws hers. In short, she's conflicted.

Iilia's arc is messy though and ultimately I think it's one of the weakest aspects of this Volume, if not the whole show, but we'll delve into that in the next recap.

Until then <3

Other Details of Note

"Oh yeah, tell that to--" I’m curious as to who Mercury was going to list as evidence for why Raven should fear him. His dad? Yang? Ozpin or any of the others who fell at Beacon? Getting that full sentence would have given us a clearer look into the roll Mercury thinks he's playing in all this.

Given Raven's hatred of Ozpin, specifically for how he recruits kids to fight a war she thinks is impossible to win, I wonder if Raven has any sympathy for Emerald and Mercury, the two kids that were "tricked" into following Cinder. Maybe she and Hazel will get the chance to chat sometime.

Raven says she doesn't want any part in helping Salem or Oz, but "that ship sailed when you decided to harbor a Maiden." Ooooh. Another loaded sentence in retrospect...

We obviously know by now that eye color in RWBY is incredibly important, be it in connection to lineage, magic, or semblances. It wasn't until this episode that I noticed what a peculiar green Watts' eyes are. At this point I don't think it means anything, just a notable detail.

I love Blake's use of ice dust in this fight, letting the brothers attack her while planning to get them stuck in her shadow-clone. We rarely get to see Blake's technique beyond using Gambol Shroud to launch Yang at the nearest target, so a bit of creative strategy is great to see. And the picture of her shadow crumbling with a smile on its face... nice touch

Oscar is calling Ozpin 'Oz' now, aww. Nothing like the friendship achieved through forcing two souls to inhabit one body!

#rwby #mymetas #RWBY Recaps

[speaksfish]

                                  Arthur Curry : An Overview.

BASICS.

Given / Birth Name : Arthur Curry  Nickname / Preferred Name : Arthur  Alias(es) : Aquaman, King of Atlantis  Birthdate / Age : January 29th / Thirty - Nine  Place of Birth : Amnesty Bay, Maine  Current Location : Atlantis Gender Identity : Cis Male Sexual / Romantic Orientation : A bi boy through and through.   Ethnicity / Race / Cultural Heritage: Hawaiian (Polynesian) && Atlantean  Marital Status : Married Occupation : Monarch. An uncomfortable one.   Religious Beliefs : Polytheist / Spiritual in a sense. He claims to have seen enough to know one entity isn’t ( nor could ever be ) responsible for it all. So he chooses to believe that these greater forces move within us to affect our lives. Sometimes it’s for the better, often it’s to challenge us, make us move, inspire once unwilling growth. As far as naming these forces, Arthur has none, only a gut telling him there are various hands at play here and all are fighting for the steering wheel. Except Poseidon. Poseidon and his kin, in the wise words of Arthur Curry, can fuck right off.

CHARACTERISTICS.

Height : 6′4 Weight : Somewhere in the ballpark of 300 lbs.  Body Type / Build : Athletic / Strongman build. He’s pretty par for course as far as merging Atlantean and Humans go. Go team Humanoids.   Eye Color : It’s the new dress meme. Are they gold and white, are they blue and black ?? Just kidding, they’re blue.   Hair Color / Texture : A brunette with sun-bleached highlights. His hair may appear soft but it is not, it’s rough and more often than not covered in salt ( and other less favorable sea ) particles. Someone introduce a good cleansing shampoo to this beach waved boy. He once walked out onto a seafaring dock with a damn crab clipping his hair up.   Recognizable Features / Scars : His most notable scar is the one through his eyebrow. Got it during the first real scuffle between himself and Black Manta 2.0. The tattoos across his arms, shoulders, back and torso are also important to him. They’re what connect him to his polynesian routes, as tattoos were what they considered “all the armor one warrior needs”. Each design is also an attribute to the oceans more formidable marine life. Triangles ( both negative space and not ) representing the tooth of a shark while arrows represent the tails of manta rays or swordfish or the fins of whales ( etc ).   Speech Patterns / Accent : Arthur uses an incredible amount of colloquialism in his speech dating to the 90′s. He had a speaking inflection typical of east coast accents, however it’s not as noticeable with age. ( When speaking Atlantean it’s very clear that he has it. )   Languages Spoken : English and Atlantean prior to becoming a king. All languages afterward, one of the perks to his gig.  Powers / Skills / Abilities : Besides being able to powerlift your heart into the new year? He’s strong. It’s a vague area because he has overextended himself in the past, but the guy can throw nuclear subs and war ships at very specific targets and that’s nothing to bat a lash at. He has sonar capabilities and scary good hearing ( yet Bruce still scares the absolute piss out of him by sneaking around ). Atlantean physiology means withstanding great amounts of pressure, seeing in the dark, quicker than average healing times, longer strides, quicker reflexes and higher endurance. Abilities that are his own small mutations include marine ( and life that originates from the ocean, but weaker ) telepathy, resistance to telepaths, and is a fast swimmer. Crazy fast.    Overall Health : Average? 

RELATIONSHIPS.

Order of Birth : Eldest  Number of Siblings : 2, technically.  Father’s Status + Relationship : Tom Curry, retired. Tom Curry moved to Maine after a volcano covered roughly half of his family farm land in Hawaii. He used the money from that property to buy a worn down lighthouse, taking up a job as a fisherman shortly after to begin the process of making that his family home. He retired at the age of sixty but still manages the lighthouse during stormy weathers, as well as takes care of Arthur’s dog whenever his son is underseas for prolonged periods of time. Notable fact: he can drink Arthur under the table, but his father (Arthur’s grandfather) would call them both weak guts. Mother’s Status + Relationship : Queen Atlanna, deceased.  Sibling Status + Relationship : Orm, half - brother. Pain in the tattooed butt. Tula, step - sister. Favorite non - biological sibling.   Loyalty / Affiliation : Atlantis.

PERSONALITY.

MBTI : ENFJ Hobbies : Whittling. When alone he tends to need something in his hands that’ll occupy his time, that turned into wood / bone work. He’s an avid connoisseur of good stouts.   Bad Habits : A picky eater.  Three Positive Traits : Arthur is first and foremost a humbled person. He understands where he lacks expertise and can admit to faults of his rather effortlessly. It’s been criticized ( specifically by Orm ) in the past as ‘ showing weakness ’ but he disagrees fullheartedly. To claim you know everything about everything is foolish and irresponsible, so he relies heavily on the council of those close to him  or experts ) to help bridge the gaps in his understanding. And it’s perhaps why, more often than not, he feels in over his head and incapable of ruling / seduced by the simpler times.  Another trait that stands heads above the rest ----- Arthur is KIND. One could theorize that it was his mixed heritage ( growing up severely bullied as a result of being ... alive ) to push him into a softer approach when hardships hit, but ultimately he was always this way. Looks are deceiving, and it’s certainly true he will not allow others to test his threshold, but if there’s any choice present : he chooses to be kind.  Dad jokes are his jam. He may not be a pro at this ‘hero bantering’ thing, but he’s great at belly - laughing at his own dumb humor. 

Three Negative Traits : He only has a set scale of annoyances he can tolerate before seeing red. That scale varies by contributing factors throughout the day. I had this under a form of introversion, because he absolutely gets his energy in solitude and tires out in social situations, but a tricky sub genre of the personality type. Introversion on its own is NOT a negative trait, his can make him abrasive, rude, and standoffish unexpectedly. Arthur can be rather impulsive at times. He doesn’t always think his actions through, just battering rams it and hopes for the best. It gets on Mera’s nerves, he finds inaction oftentimes more dangerous.  The dad jokes ------- Moral Alignment : Neutral Good.

ASSOCIATIONS.

One Song :  Atlantis - Bridgit Mendler  One Quote / Piece of Art : This vine / Ships in the Stormy Sea One Fear : Losing his humanity. One Strength : Empathy. One Object : Trident of Neptune.  One Place : Neptune’s Grotto.  One Food : Coconut. One Scent : Saltwater.  One Lucky Charm : Ka Makau Nui ‘o Maui cattle bone necklace his father carved him 

#united task 001

[cosmicpopcorn]

Deadpool 2 (2018)

So, your favorite crazy ass pansexual assassin/mercenary...antihero...whatever the fuck he is (let’s just go with fucking awesome)...has returned in Deadpool 2 ready to kick ass, take names, and make us laugh with the crudest of jokes. Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead return with him, while the X-Force, Cable, and Firefist are introduced.

Before he made it to the big screen, Deadpool had a humble beginning when he first appeared in the comic book series, The New Mutants #98, cover-dated February 1991. Your girl Domino also makes her first appearance in this issue as well. The New Mutants series is a spin-off series from the X-Men franchise - it centers around a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training. In issue #98, Deadpool has been hired to kill The New Mutants and Cable...such a wonderful way to meet your favorite neighborhood assassin/mercenary, right? He then began appearing as a regular character in the X-Force series and went on to make guest appearances in several Marvel comics such as The Avengers, Daredevil, and Heroes for Hire. After getting a couple of his own miniseries (The Circle Chase and Deadpool), he eventually got his own ongoing title/full series in 1997. Now this fool got two movies...he’s finally got a piece of the pie!

In the 2004 comic book series Cable & Deadpool, Deadpool describes his appearance as “Ryan Reynolds crossed with a Shar-Pei.” And since 2016 (if you don’t count Ryan Reynold’s appearance as Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Ryan Reynolds has taken on the task of being our beloved Deadpool and he’s pretty damn good at it. It was clearly meant to be. In Deadpool 2, starring alongside Ryan Reynolds, we have Josh Brolin as Cable (yes, that’s the same dude who did a fucking fantastic job as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War), Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Julian Dennison as Firefist, Zazie Beetz as Domino (guess who I’mma be for Halloween?), T.J. Miller as Weasel, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and Stefan Kapicic as the voice of Colossus, Deadpool’s wonderful friend who puts up with all his bullshit and possible love interest/sex buddy? (I’m just saying - even Vanessa told him not to fuck Colossus when she spoke to him in the afterlife, so clearly something may be happening there).

Before we get into the pros and cons for Deadpool 2, let me just say this: I’ve seen a lot of Marvel movies lately and I gotta be honest, they have set the bar high for not only superhero movies but movies in general. At this point, even the most “average” Marvel movie is gonna have great acting, writing, and special effects. This makes it hard for a nigga like me who is trying to find something to critique when writing these reviews because who the fuck just wants to read about me fangirling over a movie (e.g. my Avengers: Infinity War post). I don’t even enjoy writing fangirl posts, which is why the one for Avengers was as short as it was. So unless Marvel starts randomly fucking up their movies for no damn reason - which I doubt is ever gonna happen - I’m not gonna have half as much to critique as usually do. 

Anyway, let’s get into the pros and cons:

Pros:

From what I know about comic book Deadpool (antihero characteristics, humorous - especially crude humor, breaks the 4th wall, pansexual), the movie Deadpool appears to be a pretty accurate representation of him. They didn’t try to make him kid/family-friendly, I definitely see them playing on and/or hinting towards his pansexuality (if anything I swear he flirts with men more than women - the only woman I really see him flirt with is Vanessa), and movie Deadpool is crude as fuck. They even have movie Deadpool continue to break the 4th wall (in case you didn’t know, breaking the 4th wall is when a character is aware that they are a fictional character and may actually interact with the audience) and you can check out this Deadpool 2 trailer for an example of him breaking the 4th wall - he actually interrupts the trailer to discuss the special effects. You’re never too sure if a sequel is going to actually be just as good as the original...or good at all. Another concern is whether or not the sequel continues to build on the character while remaining true to the character’s essence/core personality and this is especially concerning when a movie is an adaptation of a comic/book. Deadpool 2, if anything, continues to emphasize Deadpool’s core personality while building upon it at the same time. 

Going off of the first pro, Deadpool 2 emphasizes his core personality traits (humorous, individualistic, sexual) while attempting to give him more emotional depth. The first half of the movie has us watch Deadpool experience grief after the death of Vanessa. Even before her death, watching him interact with her and plan a family allows us to see the side of him that desires stability, commitment, and family. This first half is important because it shows us that while Deadpool is securely individualistic and doesn’t necessarily need a team like the X-Men or The Avengers, he does still desire family and companionship. It lets us know that even the Merc with a Mouth isn’t beyond the basic human desire to connect with others. In the second half, while more fast-paced and action-packed, we still get to see more of Deadpool’s sense of morality and belief in the goodness, or potential goodness of others when he fights to save young Firefist from Cable. In fact, I would say that Deadpool has an even stronger sense of morality than Colossus - Colossus was willing to leave Firefist in the hands of the headmaster even though it was pretty obvious he was being abused because he refused to play “judge, jury and executioner,” while Deadpool was so sure of how wrong it was that he started killing the orderlies immediately. We also get to see him try to form his own family with the creation of the short-lived first version of the X-Force. 

Ryan Reynolds was made to play Deadpool. Makes me forgive him for Green Lantern and almost makes me forget it even happened! By the way, that post-credits scene of Deadpool shooting Ryan Reynolds in the head while he holds a copy of the Green Lantern script is PURE GOLD.

Zazie Beetz does an awesome job as Domino - she makes a big impact on the audience even though she may not have as many lines or scenes as some of the other characters. The directors and writers also did a really good job of showing the audience Domino’s power of luck - a power that seems so abstract and would be believed to be difficult to display well in movie format.

Cable is a character that I feel you can empathize with and who I actually kind of liked by the end. I really enjoyed how at first he was portrayed as the villain, only for things to be switched up and for us to find out the real villain was the chubby kid from New Zealand (aka Firefist). 

While being hilarious and action-packed, Deadpool 2 does take the opportunity to give you something to think about if you pay attention. First, they have Firefist point out how there are no chubby superheroes. It’s no secret that our society often discriminates, shames, and is prejudice against those who are larger. In media, they are often portrayed as the butt of jokes, being romantically and sexually undesirable, lazy, unhealthy, not athletic, etc. So, is it really a surprise that there are no chubby or plus-size superheroes? I love that Firefist is not skinny or unrealistically built and that he points out how there aren’t any superheroes who look like him (Fun Fact: In the comics, Firefist is a white, skinny, blonde kid from Tulsa, OK, so I’m digging the changes they made - both to Firefist and Domino, whose comic book version was a woman with chalk-white skin).

Second, Deadpool himself points out how the name X-Men forgets that there are female mutants in the group...this is why he chooses X-Force, a gender-neutral name for his group of superhero misfits. The language we use in a patriarchal society is often masculine - for example, we tend to say mankind instead of humankind or things like, “come on guys” to refer to an entire group of people who may not all identify as male and it’s because men are seen as the default. Deadpool’s jokes and commentary in this movie sometimes calls out societal biases that have also made their way into our comics and superhero movies and I’m here for it. Not only that, but Deadpool does not look like your typical hero - his skin is scarred and disfigured, despite him being fit and we still see him being a sexual and romantic being and I think that’s powerful when you have nothing but a bunch of super fit and conventionally attractive superheroes running around.

The soundtrack for the movie is perfect and they perfectly match the songs and scenes. 

All the references are so fun to pick up on - if you’re really into comic books, superhero movies, and honestly just a TV and movie junkie in general, you will love picking up on all the references they throw at you. 

Cons:

So, while those references are great for TV, movie, comic book, and superhero junkies, they’re not-so-great for those who just watch movies here and there and aren’t necessarily fanatics. I’ll go as far as to say if a person isn’t really into comics, superheroes, and doesn’t really know a lot of television and movie shit...a lot of stuff is going to be lost on them. Some movies are made for everyone and some movies are made for fans or at least those with a strong interest - Deadpool 2 is one of those movies and unfortunately that may alienate other viewers/audiences.  

Deadpool’s humor can be hit or miss - at times, the jokes didn’t really hit and weren’t really funny. The first half of the movie’s humor wasn’t as good as the second half of the movie. At times, I found myself laughing just because I knew I was supposed to and the humor and crudeness felt forced. 

Overall, Deadpool 2 is a fun, fun movie that poses some important questions about morality and makes commentary on aspects of society. Ryan Reynolds not only starred in but was also one of the writers and producers of this movie, and his talent shines throughout the entire 1hr and 59min of it. I’m proud of him, and I’m sure Deadpool is too.

Rating: 4.5 Caramel Popcorn Pieces 

#moviereviews #deadpool 2 #marvel cinematic universe #ryan reynolds #zazie beetz #josh brolin #cable #marvel movies #superhero movies #domino #colossus #negasonic teenage warhead #yukio #x force

[the-record-columns]

Aug. 21, 2019: Columns

The candy cooler is wedged between Coca-Cola and Pepsi coolers at the offices of The Record and Thursday Printing.

 From NASCAR to Whitman Chocolates

By KEN WELBORN

Record Publisher

A couple of years ago I received a call from the folks at NASCAR Race Hub about a piece they were producing on Junior Johnson.

It had to do with the 50th anniversary of Thomas Wolfe’s article in Esquire dubbing Johnson as “The Last American Hero.” Since Johnson and Wolfe were still alive and kicking at the time (Thomas Wolfe died in May 2018), it seemed like a good idea to me, too, and one with plenty of folks to interview.

Which brings me to me. They asked if they could interview me, to which I replied “Why?” When they said that someone had suggested me to them, I said “But, I am not a NASCAR fan.” They said that didn’t matter, and, to make a long story short, I told them to come on, and they did.

On the appointed day, the crew arrived and it was clear they had been to the rodeo before. They set about making my mess of an office suitable for an interview, and soon it began. I politely explained to them that, when they took the race away from our speedway here, I was through with them; that they had “…gotten above their raising” so to speak; “…forgot who brought them to the dance,” well, you get the idea.

 The interview lasted nearly an hour, but I want to share just two items with you today. When asked what I admired most about Junior Johnson I quickly told them it went right back to my comment about losing our race in Wilkes. Junior Johnson is still loyal to those who made him famous and has not forgotten where he came from. He is still humbled and thankful for it all. I told them how Junior would take a phone call from anyone, that The Record has asked him to make an appearance off and on through the years, and he never turned us down if he could possibly schedule it-even to coming to the retirement of a rural mail carrier whose only request for his special day was to shake hands with Junior Johnson.

The other part of the interview I want to share concerned the author of the Esquire piece, Thomas Wolfe. The NASCAR folks told me that Wolfe had referred to the people of Wilkes County as standoffish and unfriendly. I quickly took great exception with that, and recommended that they tell Wolfe to keep his happy ass in New York where he belonged. I went on to suggest to the TV crew in my office to pull their van off on the 421 By-Pass as they left town, and cut on their emergency flashers. I assured them that not three minutes will have gone by until someone stops to see if they need some help. I ended that part of the interview by telling them that if someone in Traphill answers the door at midnight with a shotgun in hand, “…that’s not standoffish-that’s just cautious.”

And now to Whitman’s Chocolate.

There will be more on the the machine pictured on this page later, but today I want to focus on getting it into the offices of The Record. There is still no substitute for dumb luck, but a chance encounter with a collector friend of mine led me to this beautiful late 40’s edition of the Whitman Chocolate company’s refrigerated answer to being unable to sell chocolate year-round in the South. It is an amazing piece, 100 percent intact, six feet long, 30 inches wide, five feet tall, top-heavy and as awkward as can be to move, and weighed what seemed to be a ton.

Having done the work to make a place for something this large in my somewhat crowded offices, I was determined to move it in the same day. I enlisted one of my helpers at the time, who I had personally seen pick up a washing machine by himself and carry it across a large warehouse floor without even taking a deep breath. However, when he hunkered down to pick up one end of this cooler, he stood right up and said, “I’ve got to call by buddy, Hoss.”

Well Hoss is named right and, along with the help of another total stranger who randomly saw we had a struggle going on, the beautiful, historic Whitman’s Chocolate cooler/display case, originally in the Horton’s Drug Store on Main Street, was installed in its place of honor here at The Record.

 Bear in mind that these two guys who made this move bearable were total strangers to me, one of which I didn’t even get his name. When the job was done, and, I must add that the inside the office part of the job was no piece of chocolate itself; neither of the two Good Samaritans would take a penny for helping and even turned down my offer of taking them to lunch.

Just glad to help, they both said.

I am convinced that these two Wilkes County guys would have been the very ones who would stop to give assistance to the NASCAR Race Hub crew in their white van on the 421 By-Pass.

Or even Thomas Wolfe.

Bibi, RIGHT for Israel. LEFT to disaster

By AMBASSADOR EARL COX and KATHLEEN COX

Special to The Record

In politics as in life, there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. Moses expressed it well just prior to leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land. To Moses it was clear. There is a way leading to blessing and a way that brings a curse.

Times have changed, but the Torah has not. A unique phase for Israel having an unprecedented second election within a year, means this is a momentous time for Israel to get it right just as in the old days. This is a time to forge together, to form the necessary coalition, and to forge ahead in congruence with the prime minister.

Yet, Israel is not a Torah-run government. This is reserved for only certain segments of Israeli society and the government must accommodate them as well as those who are not Torah observant, including middle-of-the-roaders. Additionally, those on the left where the gas gauge reads empty (meaning they have nothing beneficial to offer), these citizens are also represented by the government though they are more difficult to appease.  This is due, in part, to the left being less realistic about the real world and especially about Israel. Worse yet is a circulating report alleging Israeli police are being controlled by political leftists and in collusion with the media. According to a political analyst, they have a type of agenda to bring down Netanyahu and his government. If this is the case, then Netanyahu has formidable leftist opponents who have brought indictment and fraud charges against him that may be considered frivolous. How far do such hijinks go?

The current prime minister continues as a very favorable leader, standing on his long-proven record of solid leadership bringing Israel among the top tiers of the world in agriculture, technology, business, medicine and others. He is rational during emotional, national crisis such as the handling of Gaza and other potentially explosive situations yet people are quick to criticize him. The highest leaders of any government always have more intelligence information than the popular press and therefore are better positioned to call the shots. The prime minister is not weak nor fearful of Israel’s enemies. He consistently chooses the path which will cause the least amount of harm to the Israeli people while at the same time leading the world’s most moral army in defensive conflicts.

Given the unusual complexity of geopolitics, he is careful and has deftly made his way through the complex and tight web of international relations. He has positioned Israel in such a way as to be on speaking terms with those who, just a few years ago, would view this as unthinkable.

The most vociferous dissent against Netanyahu might be his handling of domestic issues. This is an issue not uncommon in many other countries. With a steady hand, Netanyahu has adroitly handled societal and cultural issues that pop-up unexpectantly during any administration. 

As with other nations, Israel’s domestic issues include citizenship, cultural and ethnic issues, and fiscal issues that realistically cannot satisfy everyone. These things always have a way of being chronic and worthy of news stories everywhere. A major difference between Israel and her neighbors is that Israel permits opinions to be freely expressed and not suppressed. 

When engaged in battle or conflict, the old adage that it is better to know the person you’ve got than to take a chance with the person you don’t know, is particularly pertinent to Israel.  This tiny nation, surrounded by hostile enemies on every side, cannot afford to lose even one war. Netanyahu’s has been steady and very statesman-like. His opposition possesses no similar record of experience. One wrong move to the left could lead to disaster. Leftist views tend to keep going left, too bizarre to be realistic. 

U.S. President Trump has not released his version of what is being called the most comprehensive Middle East Peace plan to date. Though there is obvious synergism between Netanyahu and Trump, Netanyahu has been quiet prior to hearing and reviewing the full version. This is a sign of both deliberation in judgment and wisdom as taught in Pirke Avot, commonly known as Ethics of the Fathers.

All Israeli voters should also be deliberate and consider that going right trumps moving to left in order to avoid disaster.

 A visit to the Rosemary House

By CARL WHITE

Life in the Carolinas

Not long ago, we were filming on location in Pittsboro, at the Rosemary House Bed and Breakfast.

We were on the front porch capturing a scene of a couple in rocking chairs; they were enjoying the calming effect of rocking, a refreshing beverage, conversation, and the gentle awareness of life passing by. Everything was going well, and as soon as we finished, I heard one of the people in the rocking chair say, “A big bird just landed behind Carl.”

Being mindful of the idea that if a big wild bird had indeed landed behind me, I should move slowly.  So, I did, and while turning, I retrieved my cell phone from my pocket and turned on the camera so that as I turned, the camera would see what I was seeing. As I turned, I saw a healthy full-grown hawk within six to eight feet away. He had landed with a squirrel, and the power of the talons of the bird was evident as the squirrel had lost whatever battle the two may have had.

We witnessed a hawk having dinner rather than the keen hunting skill of this raptor. None the less it was a captivating moment in time. I was able to capture about six minutes on my phone, and we were also able to move one of the professional cameras in place to capture the moment. We were amazed at the hawk’s ability to keep an eye on everything going on and not fly away. That is until Wilma the cat came sneaking around the corner. When Wilma was within striking distance; the hawk took to flight with his remaining dinner.  

The hawk would continue his meal elsewhere, Wilma went from stalking mode to cute kitty mode, and we humans would talk about the wonders of nature. We would go on to have a good evening of production along with the following day. It’s always amazing at how many hours we work for a four- to six-minute segment on TV.

Producing a destination segment always involves at least two trips, and sometimes more. It all depends on the angle of the story. The first trip is always about getting to know the property and the owners or managers.

Travel adventures take many forms, and when we discover a new place, we are not entirely sure what we are going to experience. It’s when we wake up that first morning after what was hopefully a restful night that we begin to form our opinions. That would be, of course, if the rooms were adequately cleaned and comfortable when we first check-in.

When you travel often, there are times you need a place to shower and get some rest before you get back on the road. Then there are times that our lodging needs to be a place to relax and rejuvenate.

Maybe it’s your home base for exploring an area or a destination family reunion. In those cases, the importance and expectation of lodging are elevated to a much higher level. It may not be that you need a five-star location. However, you may need a space that offers a lot of flexibility.

The Rosemary House is exceptional for a variety of reasons. The home has historical significance, the rooms are clean and comfortable, and breakfast is fresh and tasty. Breakfast is made with you in mind.

If you have specific dietary needs, they do their best to meet your expectations. That’s reason enough to make me want to stay again. But they have something extra special. They are also home to Kindred Art Gallery. Folk Art from several noted artists are on display throughout the house, so if you enjoy folk art you are in for a big treat.

I love the idea of being able to live with art for a few days. If you like what you see you can buy a piece and take it home with you.  The owners, Jamie and Heather Buster, do have a few personal pieces on display; however, everything else is for sale as part of The Kindred Gallery collection.

You may or may not see the hawk when you visit. You can enjoy the walkable streets of Historic Downtown Pittsboro. You can enjoy the delightful Rosemary House B & B and Kindred Art Gallery and now and then I’ll be around, and we can have a cup of handcrafted Poppysol tea.

Wilma, I don’t think he’s going to let you have that squirrel.

Carl White is the Executive Producer and Host of the award-winning syndicated TV show Carl White’s Life In The Carolinas. The weekly show is now in its 10th year of syndication and can be seen in the Charlotte market on WJZY Fox 46 Saturday’s at noon and My 12. The show also streams on Amazon Prime. For more information visit www.lifeinthecarolinas.com. You can email Carl at [email protected]

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1287

Monday, November 11, 2019

 Lest we forget, today is Remembrance Day. This day brings back memories of going to elementary school at Percy Street Public. I was chosen one year to participate in the Remembrance Day tribute to the fallen. The old World War II uniform I had to wear was super itchy and I remember thinking "how could the soldiers live in them?". I remember getting in trouble when I used my hand as a bugle and imitated blowing taps during rehearsal. Our teacher ran backstage thinking one of us had turned on the reel to reel tape player and I had to admit that it was only me and my big mouth. She was not amused. I am grateful to be living in the true north, strong and free and honour all the men and women who sacrificed for our freedom.

 Superman Up In The Sky #5 - Tom King (writer) Andy Kubert (pencils) Sandra Hope (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). It's beginning to bother me that Superman is so focused on rescuing this little girl that has been abducted by aliens. Is this story just showing what he is willing to endure to save someone? If so, I'm not impressed. We already know that Superman will fight to the death as seen in his battle with Doomsday. I'm going to keep reading because the writing is very good. We see Darkseid this issue and there's a mystery villain coming up in the next issue that I want to meet.

 Savage Avengers #7 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Patch Zircher (art) Java Tartaglia (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). There are three subplots in this issue and one of them made me laugh. First we have Brother Voodoo being a guest of the wizard Kulan Gath. Then there's Elektra getting help from Doctor Strange to find Brother Voodoo's brother. Finally the funny part is Conan getting shanghaied in Brazil by a mystery bad guy and taken to his humble abode. I like this implausible team of heroes.

 Daredevil #13 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Marco Checchetto (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Oh yeah, I like where this is going. Matt gets schooled by Elektra on his road back to wearing the horns. Detective North is ordered to take time off and does what I wish I could do when confronted by disrespectful punks on his way home. I really hope Daredevil and North form a bond.

 Web of the Black Widow #3 - Jody Houser (writer) Stephen Mooney (art) Triona Farrell (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Natasha eliminates one person who might be impersonating her by teaming up with Yelena on a mission to steal data. I think there's a hint to who the real villain is in the flashbacks to the old Red Room.

 Lois Lane #5 - Greg Rucka (writer) Mike Perkins (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). I'm really liking this story of Lois rooting out corruption with a side of The Question beating up henchmen. I'm also enjoying the Stumptown TV show that is based on a comic book that Greg Rucka did. You should watch it too. Cobie Smulders is great in it.

 Young Justice # - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Timms (art pages 1, 8-10, 13-22) Nick Derington (art) Gabe Eltaeb & Dave Stewart (colours) Wes Abbott (letters). I'm glad that's over. The good Young Justice finally beat their evil doppelgangers and get back to their own universe. There they meet their new member.

 X-Force #1 - Benjamin Percy (writer) Joshua Cassara (art) Dean White (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I am not familiar with the writer and artist names in the credits so that puts this new X-book at a disadvantage when it comes to it possibly making it on to my "must read" list. Benjamin & Joshua did an okay job with the last page making it necessary to follow up with the second issue but it wasn't good enough to make it on to the list.

 The Infected: King Shazam #1 - Sina Grace (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils) Belardino Brabo & Matt Santorelli (inks) Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). I don't know why they call this Year of the Villain version of Shazam King Shazam. What's a king of, cruelty? This one shot starts off with a very bad Bill Batson mouthing off to his foster parents. Then he says the magic word and is transformed into evil Shazam and goes on a rampage beating up mythological gods like Atlas and Thor. When his sister Mary catches up to him, he infects her too. If it wasn't for Joe (The Immortal Hulk) Bennett's art I would have left this on the rack.

 New Mutants #1 - Ed Brisson & Jonathan Hickman (writers) Rod Reis (art) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). That was fun. The gang's all here even though Rahne had to be hatched. Then it's off to Shi'ar space to bring Sam home. There's a new member, Mondo, and Warlock is missing but Doug is here. These guys first appeared on the racks in 1982 and have gone through some roster changes but overall are a fun young team. I liked this enough to recommend it but not enough to want to keep reading.

 Batman Universe #5 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Nick Derington (art) Dave Stewart (colours) A Larger World's Troy Peteri (letters). That was cool. Nightwing joins his old Dynamic Duo partner to hunt down Vandal Savage and the egg of power. We find out what's inside when the egg hatches and that's the cool part.

 The Amazing Spider-Man #33 - Nick Spencer (writer) Patrick Gleason (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Not much of a 2099 cross-over to begin things before we get back to Spider-Man and his spy sister getting an explanation from Silver Sable to what's going down in Symkaria. This leads to an assassination attempt at the UN. That plotline interests me far more than Spider-Man saving 2099.

 Black Cat #6 - Jed MacKay (writer) Mike Dowling (art) Brian Reber (colours) Ferran Delgado (letters). Mike Dowling is a new name on my artist list and he sure can draw a hot looking Felicia. I hope he stays on this book for a while. The Black Cat goes on a date with Batroc while her mentor The Fox is attacked by what looks like The Hand. A rescue mission will have to be mounted.

 Fantastic Four #16 - Dan Slott (writer) Sean Izaakse (art) Marcio Menyz (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Part 3 of "Point of Origin" has the separated team members figuring out how to reunite. Trust Reed and Sue to come up with a plan. I really like how Sean draws the Thing.

 Legion of Super-Heroes #1 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Ryan Sook (pencils) Ryan Sook & Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Dave Sharpe (letters). The super hero team from the 31st Century is back on the racks. Let's see how long this lasts. This time it's the Jonathan Kent Superboy that joins the team which makes this book fresher for me. I cringed a little when time travel reared its ugly head briefly but they didn't go there and I hope they steer clear of it. I love Ryan's art and this is a Bendis book so I'm going to keep reading.

 Miles Morales: Spider-Man #12 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Javier Garron (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Miles stops his uncle Aaron from completing a contract hit and now there's a bounty on the Prowler's head. Lots of action with a fight between Miles and the Prowler and then they team up to fight Man Mountain Marko who looks like Logan on steroids. This sets up Miles and his uncle having to get to Red Hook through a gauntlet of killers. I wonder what other old bad Marvel guys are going to come out of the woodwork. Man Mountain Marko. Seriously.

 Doctor Doom #2 - Christopher Cantwell (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I love the art but I don't like this portrayal of Victor. First he surrenders himself and then he goes seeking help from a fellow villain. I'm hoping this isn't the real Victor Von Doom because then what happens on the last page won't matter. It's a cliffhanger ending that ensures my reading the next issue.

 Batman #82 - Tom King (writer) Mikel Janin (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). This is what we've been building up to for while now. The inevitable fight with Bane. The Bat and the Cat make a great team and Selina has never looked fiercer. I didn't like the intervention of Thomas Wayne but it did make me curious to see what happens next.

[celestialmazer]

FAIRY TALES ARE REALLY JUST HARD-BOILED CRIME STORIESExploring the Dark, Twisted World of Classic Fairy Tales - Steph Post

Source https://crimereads.com/fairy-tales-are-really-just-hard-boiled-crime-stories/?

Bad things happen in fairy tales. To good people. To bad people. To dragons and witches and princesses and bastard children. Usually they end with a happily ever after—the guy gets the girl or the girl gets revenge, the kingdom awakens, the peasants aren’t eaten but can go on with their miserable peasant lives—but to get that happy ending, a crime must be committed first. Epic betrayals, such as adultery and infanticide, but minor crimes too. Trespassing and petty theft and disorderly conduct. And then there are the exotic ones, the cases of bestiality and necrophilia and the like.

Modern crime fiction has nothing on the ingenuity, brutality and sheer bizarreness of the offenses committed in classic fairy tales. Moreover, fairy tales are ruthless. Our contemporary crime novels have the monopoly on moral ambiguity, true, but fairy tales take no prisoners and often offer no redemption. Mercy is not a hallmark of the genre and even the kindest, most benevolent maid-turned-princess isn’t afraid to take out her wicked stepmother.

Strip away the fairy godmothers and the helpful goblins, the magic trees and the singing bones, and you’re left with an array of hardboiled crimes straight out of Chandler or Highsmith, Christie or Connelly, and everyone in-between. Here are a few of my favorites, from fairy tales across the globe.

“Daughter Kills Family with Flaming Skull, Gets No Jail Time”

I’ve recently discovered Slavic folk and fairy tales and have become obsessed with the stories of Baba Yaga. One of the most popular is the tale of Vasilisa the Beautiful. In true fairy tale fashion, Vasilisa is gorgeous, industrious, and the bane of her stepmother’s and sister’s existence. They try to snuff her out by sending her to Baba Yaga, the witch in the woods, for a light. Vasilisa is so perfect, however, that Baba Yaga can’t stand her and instead of gobbling her up, sends her back home with a skull full of fire. When Vasilisa hands over the light her stepmother requested, it burns her alive. And her stepsisters. And destroys the house as well. Vasilisa, though, like Daenerys Targaryen emerging with her dragons, comes through unscathed and eventually snags a king for a husband.

“Lost Children Murder Old Woman by Baking Her Alive”

This would be, of course, the tale of Hansel and Gretel from the Brothers Grimm collection. This story has everything—an evil stepmother, forced marching, greedy kids lost in the woods, an edible house, and a not-so-bright witch who meets her demise in the end. Women often get a bad rap when it comes to fairy tales; they’re thought of as passive, prizes to be won, and sometimes they are. But unmarried girls, however, have a surprising amount of agency. They survive by their wits, and Hansel and Gretel is a perfect example of the cunning of girls in fairy tales. While Hansel is kept in a pen, fattening up for the witch’s supper, Gretel manages to trick the witch into getting inside her own oven, where she is promptly burnt to a crisp.  Gretel saves the day and gets a candy house to boot.

“Princess Cheated of Husband Uses Dead Horse to Get Revenge on Rivals

It would be tough to pick a favorite Grimm’s fairy tale, considering there are over two hundred to choose from, but if you held my feet to the fire, I’d have to choose The Goose Girl. It’s both morbid and terrifyingly strange, and definitely not suited for children. Self-mutilation, prophesizing drops of blood, decapitated horses and medieval forms of torture are rife from start to finish. It’s a meandering tale, but in essence it follows the trials of a princess who is forced by her chambermaid to switch places with her on the way to her wedding. The king is deceived and the true princess winds up herding geese and talking to the mounted head of her dead horse who, incidentally, talks back and eventually spills the beans on the chambermaid’s gold-digging scheme. The king then tricks his false bride into choosing her own punishment—being stripped naked, shoved in a barrel studded with nails and rolled down a hill—as the real princess takes her rightful place and becomes queen of all the realm. If that’s not a tabloid story fit for a crime novel, I don’t what is

“GAMBLING ADDICT PARTICIPATES IN CHILD-KIDNAPPING RING WITH TERRIFYING GIANT”

In Nepalese legend, Gurumapa is a hideous, fanged giant who collects children who have disobeyed their parents. In the story of Kesh Chandra, we have an old man who is cast out of his sister’s house after he can’t stop gambling, going so far as to steal her flatware to sell and feed his habit. He wanders Kathmandu for a while until some pigeons take pity on him and turn their own shit into gold. Being messy birds, there is a lot of gold and Kesh, being a greedy man, had to have it all. He persuades Gurumapa, a fierce, man-eating giant who just happens to be wandering around nearby, to carry all the gold for him by promising to throw him a feast. Kesh Chandra also tells the giant that he has permission to kidnap any disobedient children in the area. Our gambling addict is taken in by Gurumapa and allowed to live in the giant’s attic, so long as he placates the village parents when the children stop coming home from school. It’s a match made in heaven and the two get on splendidly—Kesh enjoying his gold and gambling and Gurumapa enjoying his children.

“MOTHER COMMITS SUICIDE AFTER STEPDAUGHTER IS BLESSED BY TALKING HEADS, DISAPPOINTED IN OFFSPRING”

Death by suicide is the only real crime in the bizarre tale of The Three Heads of the Well, but in our current area of overly-ambitious stage parents, I think it’s both apt and deliciously strange. As expected, you’ve got a king, a stepmother, a stepdaughter and, of course, a mother-less daughter who goes out into the world to seek her fortune away from her bratty new family. An old man she is kind to repays the favor by telling her to visit a well where three heads—yep—are hanging out, waiting for someone to wash them and comb their hair. Upon doing so, they grant her the gifts of being beautiful, having a wonderful voice and becoming a queen. When she leaves the well she just so happens to run into a king who is charmed by her beauty and her voice and immediately marries her. Now, the stepmother, upon hearing this, sends out her own daughter, determined that she should make an even better match. This girl, however, is rude to the old man and the three heads and they blight her with leprosy, a terrible voice and a marriage to a mere cobbler. The jealous stepmother, however, is so mortified by her daughter’s humble marriage that she goes insane and eventually hangs herself. The story ends with the king celebrating the death of his wife and the ugliness of his stepdaughter. Yikes.

“MAN STEALS DUCK, SPROUTS FEATHER, TURNS MASOCHIST”

This strange tale hails from China and, while short, hinges on a simple crime. In Theft of a Duck, a man does just that—steals a duck from a farmer. The following morning, he wakes to discover that he has grown feathers all over his body in the night. They itch terribly but the next night the thief dreams that he will be granted relief if he returns to the farmer and the farmer calls him what he is, “a dirty thief.” The next day the thief goes to the farmer and tries to trick him into calling a neighbor a dirty thief, so the words will be spoken. The trick fails, as the farmer refuses to be so mean. Finally, desperate, the thief rips open his shirt to display his feathers and begs the farmer to call him a dirty thief. The farmer, being a good man, takes pity on the thief and berates him until his feathers disappear.

“PATHOLOGICAL LIAR BETRAYS FATHER, BECOMES VICTIM OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND IS FALSELY PRESUMED DEAD”

Pinocchio. I’m not sure which Disney film was more disturbing to me as child—Pinocchio or Dumbo. I think I’ve blocked much of the Disney version out, but in reading the original serialized novel as an adult, I’ve realized just how disturbing this Italian fairy tale actually is. We all know the basics from the cartoon: the wooden puppet, his kind father, the blue fairy and Jiminy Cricket, wishing upon a star. But then you’ve got Pinocchio compulsively telling lies, killing his helpful cricket-sprit-guide, running away from home, being tricked and trapped into a grotesque puppet show on a ‘pleasure island,’ being swallowed by a whale, discovering his whale-swallowed father, dying and then being brought back to life as a human boy. And that’s the Disney version! In the original, Pinocchio is even more of a jackass (reference intended) than he is in the film. Our cruel puppet not only lies, cheats and swindles, but mutilates animals, physically abuses Geppeto, and is an all-around jerk, even as everyone continues to give him second chances. Pinocchio is the ultimate conman—faking his death, playing up his ‘puppet angle’ to gain sympathy and indulging in every possible vice from drinking to gambling to ogling other puppets. In short, Pinocchio is a hotbed of crimes and sin. Especially as, in the end, Pinocchio gets away with it all.

***

And then you’ve got Snow White (rape), Rapunzel (false imprisonment), Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty(breaking and entering), Fitcher’s Bird/Bluebeard(serial killing), Little Red Cap/Red Riding Hood(animal abuse), The Robber Bridegroom, (cannibalism) and The Juniper Tree (child abuse)—and that’s just circling back around to the Grimm Brothers. Crime writers, if you ever need inspiration for a plot, you need look no further than the fairy tales we all grew up on. All the crimes you could ever want are there—right up to the happily ever after.

#fairy tales #fairy tale #grimm brothers #brothers grimm #pinocchio #hansel and gretel #the three heads of the well #theft of the duck #kesh chandra #the goose girl #baba yaga #crime fiction #snow white #rapunzel #sleeping beauty

[yourwiferuby]

Like, more specifically, Thor 1 does a lot of things that I think drive it far away from your average Superhero affair. And they’re really small almost subconscious things that I notice because I’ve been complaining about them for years.

I’m writing a lot, so I’ll be nice and put a cut. 

First thing it does different that is miles better than your average superhero flick, or for that matter, your average action flick. It doesn’t kill off the villain. Quick, right now, name me the bad guy from Die Hard. Of course you can do that. He’s Hans Grubber. Everyone’s favorite vague European bad guy. Now. Name me the bad guy from Die Hard 2. Tell me when you give up. William Stuart. Boring name, boring villain. That’s the problem of killing off your villain in your films. Your future films now have to spend time establishing a new threat, and rarely are they as interesting as your first. Often times they’ll be a re-hash of the same kind of threat. There are plenty of exceptions. But generally speaking, instead of being able to just jump into the next film, you’re stuck having to introduce and go through the backstory of some new threat. It’s overall wasteful. Want to know the secret to why Loki is so popular? Well, part of it is that he’s not just in one film. You establish a character across multiple films. This is a secret from comic books. You get attached to a certain villain and they return over and over again. The success of a movie sometimes isn’t just the hero, but the dynamic the hero and villain offer. John McClain is at his best when he’s fighting Hans Grubber. This is why Die Hard with a Vengeance brought in Grubber’s brother. Who isn’t nearly as interesting, but at least saves a bit more on time. (Quick, what was his first name?) 

Second thing that Thor does is it addresses the worst problem of superhero films. This also exists in action films as a whole, but not to the degree it does in superhero films. Origin movie. Even though we know who Batman is, every film has to go over his origin. Some will do it to death. Every Mad Max film we have to have a retread of why Mad Max is so mad. These are silly, but overall not much of a problem. The problem is when Amazing Spider-Man spends half the film on Uncle Ben’s death, and that death is a retread from Spider-Man 1. The problem is that half of Captain America the First Avenger is spent on getting Steve into the super soldier program. The problem is that comics have 75 years worth of stories and backstories to draw from and film makers want to use that source material and get out these complicated backstories in their films. Even if it’s not really needed. Now, does this mean we don’t spend half the film of Thor going over his backstory? Oh no. We do. But there’s a huge difference. Because Green Goblin and the Lizard have nothing to do with uncle Ben. Red Skull has nothing to do with the super soldier training. These origin stories split up the film into two parts. The origin and the bad guy fight. So the plot of our film is splintered and we rarely get enough of either to make it feel whole. Especially when it fights for time between the bad guy’s origin and the hero’s origin. Remember, sometimes they’re both just as important. Thor uses Loki, who is Thor’s brother. Their origins are different, but intertwined. So the plot of the film matches well with both of their origin stories and flows together strongly. Again, this strengthens the film’s plot and makes the villain even more interesting. Their origins match. (On a different note, you can also circumvent this altogether by avoiding your origin.) 

Third thing that Thor does is it actually makes a compelling villain. So, up to now we have two reasons why people like Loki. First is that we have more time with him, but we wouldn’t just like him if he’s there a lot. Second is that he’s attached to Thor in an origin story, which means he’s not having to compete with the hero for screen time with his origin story, but just because he has more time to tell his story doesn’t mean we’ll like him. The third reason is that Loki isn’t the Lizard. He’s not just going to destroy New York and make everyone lizards. He’s actually got a plan and a personality to him. Compare Loki to the villain of Thor 2, Malekith, an interesting villain from the comics who has no goal I can really think of. Having a goal that’s interesting is one part. But being a character more than just a character type helps too. Loki doesn’t just have one off lines about wanting his bird back to make up for a lack of character development, he’s got actual character depth. This makes conflict between the hero and the villain interesting and not just two dudes punching. And the film doesn’t backload this depth, like Civil War, (which also gives the worst kind of bare bones goal and “depth” to Zemo right at the very end of the film), Loki is a full character by the time the plot of the film is established. He even goes through his own little arc, even if it isn’t as grand as Thor’s. 

Those three are very villain focused, and honestly, that’s a huge problem with superhero films. Supervillains are just as important and often overlooked. Most superhero films and most action films for that matter, have very bland villains who seem little more than excuses for someone to be just evil. A good villain doesn’t have to think they’re the hero, but they can’t just be a cardboard cut out. This is why it’s so surprising and nice to see the Vulture, a two bit nothing character from the comics, be such a great character full of his own ideology and his own goals. Much like Loki, who is almost sympathetic (if it weren’t for being kind of a unscrupulous murderer), the Vulture doesn’t want to just take over New York City, he wants to provide for his family and take what he feels is rightfully his. Loki wants what he feels is rightfully his. That throne should be his. And seeing the jock-ish Thor just abuse his power on that throne, hard to blame Loki for thinking he should be the one sitting on that throne, especially after his own father gives him a BS reason why he can’t sit on it. I’m not saying he’s right, but I’m saying I can understand his point. That’s why the Vulture is interesting, that’s why Loki is interesting, and that’s why nobody likes Malekith. I mean, honestly, what the hell was he even trying to accomplish? 

But there’s more to why Thor is so good. Superhero films actually don’t take as much from comics as they do action films. There’s more Bruce Willis and Tom Cruise movies in Iron Man than there is actual Iron Man comics. That makes sense though. They’re action movies, and they’re following the trends that work for movies. The problem is that these characters aren’t John McClain. Superheroes aren’t reluctant knights who are on the verge of anti hero status and all too eager to kill. (Although I did just describe Batman from Batman v Superman really well.) Superheroes, even when they’re at their worst, are still heroes, and are still defined by being heroic. This doesn’t mean that Batman can’t be John McClain and kill people guns a-blazing. The problem is less what they’re making these characters do, it’s that these films are trying to eat their cake and have it too. Superman snapping Zod’s neck isn’t the problem. The problem is that Man of Steel never actually describes Superman or Jor-El or Pa Kent as having a specific value in upholding the sanctity of human life. He’s not breaking a code in killing Zod, so his struggle after killing him shouldn’t affect him anymore than John McClain killing Hans Grubber. But the film expects you to already think of Superman as thinking killing is always wrong. It’s supposedly setting up a character with a specific moral, then not following through with it. These characters can have plenty of different morals or ideologies that are important to them as icons. I could make a whole different post about Spider-Man Homecoming using the morals of Steve Ditko. Your very average one is that the hero doesn’t want to kill. If you have a film that’s mostly about the hero learning the sanctity of life, don’t be like Wonder Woman and end it with the character murdering someone. Wonder Woman is probably the worst example of this trend of not following through with it’s lessons and morals. Not just with Wonder Woman murdering someone right after learning a lesson about why murdering people is bad, but the film also tries to teach you the nuance of war, that rarely is war black and white, and presents it as such with heroic British/American soldiers fighting against German soldiers that deliberately evoke Nazism and occasionally near Islamophobic generic brown soldiers. So much for war not being black and white. It even tries to talk about the importance and power of women, but it then makes every major plot event happen because of Steve Trevor. Diana even learns her lesson about love because a man told her about it. What lessons it’s trying to tell you, it outright ignores and does the opposite. Thor doesn’t do that. If he’s a uncaring, unthinking brute, then he gets humbled and learns to think and feel for and about others. It shows his fault, and has him learn a lesson that actually matters to the story. It actually has a character arc that doesn’t kowtow to action movie cliches. 

Honestly, I’m not saying Thor is the greatest superhero film. What I’m saying is that it basically hits the bare minimum of what should be acceptable in a superhero film. It also has amazing character design that both evokes modernism and the classic Kirby/Simonson designs. The ending sequence first takes place during the day, avoiding the problem of night time fight sequences that are difficult if not impossible to follow because of how dark the scene is. When it does have dark scenes, it avoids fast movement across the screen and specifically designs characters so that they’re able to be recognized against the background. Doesn’t hurt that you have a rainbow bridge to light them up. It’s no masterpiece, but it’s absolutely better than any other Phase 1 Marvel flick and honestly any superhero flick before it, hands down.