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kill-your-authors · 3 years

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Booker again (again...)

People really think Booker knew what was gonna happen to them. They really think he purposely brought the entire guard to Merrick’s lab to be tortured and held hostage indefinitely. How?

The person Booker made the deal with is Copley, right? Not Merrick, but Copley. We see Copley say, “I think I can get you one,” when Merrick demands all of them. This proves that initially, Booker agreed to bring only himself in. Obviously, at some point after this, Copley would have contacted Booker and said actually we need all of you. Possibly Copley told Booker by the time they were on the train that he needed them all, if you interpret Booker’s reason for not wanting to get Nile yet to be this. But even still, initially, he thought it was just him.

As the movie goes on, we see Copley 1) find out that Merrick is willing to torture them, 2) that he intends to keep them against their will indefinitely, and 3) that he doesn’t care if Andy dies. With each new revelation, Copley is clearly shocked and disturbed. He obviously didn’t have any of this in mind. He obviously thought that only Booker would have to come in, and after conceding to that, obviously believed that everyone would have to come in and give samples, but after giving samples, that they’d be let go. He says, “You’ve got your tests. Your samples. What more do you need them for?”

I know that “giving samples” and “torture” are synonymous here, because we see Kozak “taking samples” and the agony it causes Nicky. But in the original script, they were originally meant to “give samples” while aestheticized and when those samples and tests all suggested that there was nothing different about the immortals’ DNA, Kozak said that possibly the anesthesia had compromised the results and Merrick orders her to take samples and tests without anesthesia this time, giving Copley another revelation that shocks and disturbs him. We were literally meant to see, initially, that the tests and samples would be painless and over with quickly. I know people are judging the movie, not the script, but I think this detail is important to include because it once again reveals to the viewer how little Copley knew. I’m actually very disappointed they cut this, as I think it’s so important.

But anyways, whether we take the script into consideration or we don’t, we all agree, right, that Copley didn’t know what would happen to them? So…if Copley didn’t know, how could Booker have known? And by “known” I mean known as in how could he have consciously known ahead of time, agreed to it, and meant for it to happen, if Copley, the person he made the agreement with, clearly didn’t know and didn’t want to agree to it? Booker didn’t. He couldn’t have.

I think it’s arguable, really beyond arguable, that Booker should have known what would happen. He’s old, he’s seen the worst of humanity, he knows what happened to Quynh, he’s been part of the Guard for 200+ years and the whole time has had to keep his immortality a secret alongside of them because of the dangers of their exposure. It’s beyond ignorant that he didn’t see it coming from the beginning, and as for why he didn’t see it coming from the beginning, I think it’s probably either because of denial, blind desperation to end his immortal life, privilege or some combination of all three. I also think as the movie went on, he started to see it more and more, or maybe fear it, or acknowledge what he was in denial of to some degree, because he didn’t want to get Nile. And because he should have known what would happen, and because of what did happen, he’s still guilty of betraying them and still deserves to be exiled.

So this isn’t me trying to make some argument that he didn’t betray the Guard, or that he didn’t do something selfish and wrong, or that the exile is too harsh or whatever. But even still, I don’t understand why people perceive him as this like…thoroughly vindictive person who has no regard for anyone but himself and doesn’t care if his family is held hostage or tortured or killed.

I’ve talked before how I don’t think the movie did a good job of showing Booker’s side and portraying exactly why and how he came to make this incredibly misguided decision but there is enough in the movie to know that Booker believed this was a win-win. He, at least at first, thought he and/or the others would go in, take some tests, give some samples, and as a result millions of people would either live when they would have died, or if they wouldn’t have died, would now suffer less. And in exchange, he gets to end his life like he’s so desperate to do.

Plus he’s aware, pretty much immediately after shooting Andy, that he’s fucked up. He protests just one time with the line “What would you know of the pain of all these years alone?” but other than that, tells them to leave him behind, admits he hurt Andy, says that he “Expected more, hoped for less” when he finds out about his exile, and says, “She’ll learn,” when Andy says Nile wanted to let him off with an apology, and the only reason he would say that is if he agreed there has to be a greater price for what he did than an apology.

If he was really this vindictive heartless selfish man who doesn’t care about his family, don’t you think he might have protested a little more? Defended himself a little more? Don’t you think he would have refused to admit any wrongdoing?

Like at this point, I really just think this is a matter of the morality police again. If a character does one bad thing, they are all bad and bad forever. One wrong thing, regardless of intentions, regardless of harm done, regardless of a willingness to take accountability - that character is now Problematic and Irredeemable.

It��s just so annoying that nothing is allowed to be complex or nuanced anymore.

#the old guard #sebastien le livre #booker #The old guard meta #I don't know if anyone cares #but I have to say it because it's driving me up a wall

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fyrapartnersearch · 3 years

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Looking for some sci-fi shenanigans!

Obligatory long post ahead warning: this post is quite long and I know it may be intimidating to some readers but please don’t let it put you off if you’d still like to rp with me :)

Hello ladies, gents and fellow rpers. After having a writing blast and seeing how I’ve got room for some more partners I’ve decided to come back in search of some partners who are interested in what I’m looking for.I’ve got a good ten or so odd years of rping experience under my belt but any potential partners do not necessarily have to have the same experience, they simply need to fit under these three things:

-third person only with correct spelling, grammar and punctuation.

- at least one small (no less than seven lines) paragraph per post as well as being willing to write more if the situation calls for it. Please do not contact me intending to give me only small paragraphs with each response as the above is simply the bare minimum I’ll accept if there’s not much going on in the rp that warrants a full paragraph.

-no one liners, one worders, script talk, poorly written sentences or just laziness in general.

This isn’t terribly much to ask for as picky as it sounds.

An important thing I shall mention is that NSFW (i don’t fade to black nor do I care when the smut happens. Just please don’t leave me once the smut has happened like lots of people seem to unfortunately do) and dark themes are a thing that occur in all my rp’s so I require you to at least be eighteen before you reach out to me. I will not accept anyone younger than 18 since I myself am in my early twenties. Underaged characters are also a no go as well. Please know that I’m in the eastern Australian time zone but almost any time zone Is compatible for me as I am awake at very odd hours. Another important thing I shall add is that you must be able to post at least once or more a day and if I don’t get any response after two weeks then I shall simply move on (only exception is if you notify me beforehand as to why you may not be able to post for a while. I’m not that vicious).

I only rp as male characters, as it’s simply my preference, I do MxM or FxM pairings. I will not double and I do not play multiple characters. I don’t do sub/dom dynamics when it comes to any aspect of the relationship. My characters are also non human (they’re aliens since this is a sci-fi rp after all) but what species your character is doesn’t matter to me at all as long as it’s not some god modded Mary Sue. Please remember that alien simply means a creature not from earth. Aliens can have fur, scales, feathers, etc, depending on where they come from. An alien with fur or scalies is not a furry or a scalie and please do not refer to them as such as it’s rude to label someone’s character as something they’re not. I will not write with someone who will insist that the theory of chimpanzees and humans unable to crossbreed should apply to hybrid characters regardless of whether they’re alien/alien or human/alien. This is fiction, not reality. Please also do not control my characters or dictate their actions. My characters are also premade and only have descriptions, I don’t do face claims or pics. I also do not care if you make a character up on the spot.

Please remember that this is a sci-fi rp and that I will not accept requests to do fandoms or any genre that doesn’t fit within the category of sci-fi. i will not accept a character that has no place in a sci-fi rp either like a dragon,harpy,demon, elf or some other fantasy creature.

Forced:

“there’s no such thing as a bad person. Only bad choices.” Is a saying that is older than time itself. For many who are forced into a position where they have no other choice but to put their morals aside and do as they’re told, this is all too true. A space farer is captured by criminals and forced to choose between death or working as the criminals captain’s personal assistant. That means every order has to be obeyed and every rule must be followed or consequences will be dealt by force. As time passes and life go ons, the captured spacer starts to see his predicament in a different light.

(Important point of notice: I will be playing the captured spacer. You will be playing the captain.)

Forbidden romance:

aliens and humans are forbidden from associating with one another in any way that isn’t political. Whilst the two races have put aside enough of their differences to coexist in their own little pockets of space, not everyone is accepting of the idea that the two different species could live together as one, let alone ever simply just coexist peacefully together without insisting that alien planets and human planets are to be kept seperate. To trespass on the strictly human or alien occupied planets is a crime that few dare to commit. What starts out as a simple act of one sided rebellion and show of courage turns into an unanticipated adventure.

(Important point of notice, I shall be playing the alien. I’m open to this also being an alien X alien pairing.)

The hunter and the hunted:

bounty hunting was one of the few illegal professions in the galaxy that made any trouble you got into for participating in the act of killing or kidnapping someone for worth it depending on who it was you’d been given the task of tracking down. Many bounties were more profitable alive of course since it cut back on many of the legal troubles one could face if caught with a dead body. A galaxy renowned bounty hunter has been tasked with taking down one of the roughest and most wanted criminals known to man and alien with the orders to return them dead or alive. Will they succeed or fail like many before them have?

(Important point of notice: I shall be playing the criminal. You shall be playing the bounty hunter.)

Space criminals and the law:

humans and aliens have been living amongst each other side by side ever since humanity dared to venture beyond the Milky Way and made first contact with aliens. With the solar system no longer being man’s only playground other planets were quickly colonised under the new alliance between extraterrestrials and Homo sapiens. Whether you were an alien, human or a hybrid did not matter in the known galaxies. All that mattered was who you were. Not everyone took to the integration very well (there were numerous protests on both sides) but most people were willing to share in the hopes of peace. Not everyone had good intentions though……

Trouble in the alien kingdom:

the planet of (insert generic planet name here) was one of prosperity, hardship and wealth. The kingdom of (insert generic kingdom name here) was ruled by a king and a queen whose heir was betrothed to a rival planet in the hopes that a political marriage would prevent another war from happening. Only problem was that no one could see the rival planets true plans….all but one. Unfortunately no ones going to listen to a deranged commoner who probably may not even be telling the truth. What’s one to do when no one will listen?

Exile:

The wind howled as thunder crashed and shrieked all around the abandoned cargo ship. Rain pelted the metal hull, turning the ground into a cold, treacherously slippery and muddy shallow river. The ship itself had crashed into the planet countless centuries ago and was slowly being reclaimed by the environment. Plants grew from cracks in the floor as moss and vines decorated the walls. A figure sat miserably hunched in what was once the cockpit of the ship, their only shelter from the raging elements outside but not from the storm that raged inside of them. The figure leapt to their feet as the sounds of footsteps in the mud drew closer and they held their breath. Who would dare to venture out here on such a miserable night?

War of the worlds:

humans and aliens were never meant to coexist peacefully with one another. There was too much fear, Too much misinformation and too much bias on both sides for such a thing to have ever been successful. It was the humans fault that the war had started. They were the ones who’d shot down the alien ship that had been packed with specially chosen diplomats that represented each alien race known to the galaxies they dwelled in that had been on their way to earth to negotiate a truce and a plan for peace. They hadn’t even hesitated to shoot the ship full of aliens yet they’d been surprised when war had been declared on the spot. Two races. Two worlds so different yet the same fighting one another for what was either a mistake or intentional murder.

Rehab:

The UGWP alliance (unite the galaxies for the protection of all worlds and for peace alliance) portrayed themselves as calm, charismatic and kind men and women who held only the thoughts of a life together with all species living happily together. They advertised campaigns for inter species jobs, provided information to the public about human/alien interactions and encouraged diversity amongst planets. Their rehabilitation program for troublesome fellows was considered to be a god send to try and cut down on the amount of space related crimes. No one ever questioned what went on beyond the closed doors to the facility, if they did, the UGWP would have their darkest secrets revealed. Something they strove to keep under wraps. When the arrival of a particularly wild prisoner occurs, the threat of their first failure and first escaped prisoner is lurking around the corner.

(Important point of notice: in this rp idea I’d be playing said prisoner, I don’t mind if you choose to be one as well.)

Academy days:

the galaxy alliance and military defence force academy was one of the most respected training academies in the known galaxies. Men, women, aliens, humans and all of those who were in between went there to study, train and, one day if they passed the mentally, emotionally and physically gruelling years of tests, fly and be put in their own squadron. There were approximately six spots to fill on any team and the cadet who suited that spot the most would be given the title of pilot, squad leader, second in command, engineer, gunner and navigator. Each team was similar but unique in what they did. Not everyone gets along though and rivalries grow high during that delicate time between graduating and being put on a team. What happens when the top student and the lonesome outcast with a temper clashes?

Captured:

Space criminals have been around ever since advanced technology allowed others to travel and live in space as if they were living anywhere else. They’re often cunning, tricky to catch and more often than not are clever at disguising themselves whenever those wanted posters come up. It takes skill to be on the wrong side of space law and true talent to get away with it. The galaxy’s current most wanted man has finally been captured by an alliance captain and his crew. Will he beg for mercy? Will he be given a trial before being thrown into a cell to rot or will he be given a chance to turn himself around with some hard labour?

(Important point of notice: I’ll be playing the criminal for this one. You will be the alliance captain)

Enslaved:

imagine living the life of one of the most successful people on the run that could exist. Galaxies trembled at your name. You and your crew swam in wealth and the going was good. Mutiny, sadly and sometimes not sadly, exists on its own accord. One man reflected on this as he was forced to his feet. A collar attached to a chain and electromagnetic handcuffs prevented his escape as he stood for all those who cared to glance as they walked by in the market to see. No one wants to have their only life’s purpose to be to serve another……only sometimes people don’t get that choice.

(Important point of notice: I’ll be playing the slave/servant. You’ll be the master/mistress.)

Betrothed:

for as long as there has been civilisation and leaders, there has been arranged marriages. Arranged marriages, or betrothals as they were more often called, consisted of pairing two people together and making them get married in order to secure ties to another land or another planet. Political marriages benefited everyone but the married pair it always seemed. After all, you couldn’t possibly be happy being married to a complete and utter stranger? How does one who is betrothed build a life of love and prosperity when the one who bears the rings of their union is not the one who also bears their heart?

(Important point of notice: this can go two ways, either our characters are betrothed to each other or one character is betrothed. The idea has endless possibilities)

Invasion:

march 18th in the year of 6079 was the day that the aliens invaded earth. They’d been planning the take over for some time as they came prepared and easily took out Earth’s defence forces. No one knows exactly why the extraterrestrial beings from the outer worlds came to the humble blue and green planet the humans had existed on for millions of years nor did they seem to have any true intentions known other than conquering the planet and taking it for their own. This has led to the belief that all aliens must be the cruel monsters the humans stories have made them out to be. What happens when the actions of one alien puts that to the test?

(Important point of notice: I’m open to having this idea turned around and having the humans invade an alien world to take over.)

The chosen:

The galaxy alliance had chosen its newest crew to serve and protect the known galaxies. Five young cadets who’d graduated at the top of their classes and would hopefully mark the start of a new generation of spacers and heroes. The leader of the new crew has yet to be decided and tensions are high because of this. Can differences be put aside and acceptance shown? Or will nothing but chaos ensue?

The Walking wounded:

when one worked as a galaxy defence force member, they were on the frontline of everything. Every battle. Every loss. Every victory. Every struggle that the force went through they had to be there and follow the rules. You could not kill an unarmed person regardless of whether they were hostile or not. You could not turn down a plea for help even when there was reasons to suspect something was amiss. In simple terms: you simply couldn’t do anything that would make your morals be questioned. What happens when even the captain says to leave all those rules and everything you were taught by the door when faced with someone who seems to be the exception to the rule. What’s the right thing to do not by them but the entire galaxy?

Stowaway:

the galaxies were once a place of freedom and exploration. A place where you had no limits as to where you wanted to go. Now thanks to new laws, permits are required to access certain systems, quadrants and galaxies. Problem is, this permit is unobtainable by the average civilian so many have taken to learning the art of boarding another’s ship and hoping for the best. Discovery is more or less a matter of life and death. What happens when someone is unfortunate enough to be discovered?

Monster:

aliens. Aliens were terrifying beasts that were the monster in every bedtime story the humans told their children to keep them home at night. Many mothers wept when their sons and daughters applied to the space military in order to keep the extra terrestrial scum away from the galaxies they’d claimed as their own. When a human ship crashes on an alien world so far away from human civilisation it may as well not exist to the aliens and a crew member is found lost and alone by a wandering alien, will their fate be decided by a monster? Or a benevolent being?

(Important point of notice: I will be playing the alien in this scenario. I’m also open to the characters situations being swapped around so it’s the alien who crashes.)

On the run:

even on the most modern of planets, life on the lamb can be difficult. There’s authorities to avoid and even more rules to break in the game of survival. No one takes pity on those who have done wrong to the point that they have their face in the paper. Even if it’s not your fault will anyone give you shelter from the harsh cold winds of reality and a biased opinion. What happens when someone does take a chance on a poor wayfaring stranger? Will the wrong doer be turned in or given a new lease on life?

Disgraced:

when one entered the royal guard they took upon themselves an oath that bound them by blood and courage to the dedication of the protection of their king, queen and the kingdoms heirs. They were sworn to protect them from any harm whilst at the same time not allowed to use their position or power to hurt anyone else. When one breaks that oath, they are sent away in disgrace and branded as a traitor who must swear to never return. Life on the run changes people, sometimes for the better…..or for worse.

Space pirates and nobles:

space was a vast starry and endless sea that many voyaged across for the purpose of research, leisure or finding ones destiny. Like any real ocean, it was filled with dangers. The most feared of all was space pirates. Bands of blood thirsty cut throats and scandalous troublemakers whose sole pleasure in life was to steal, kill and take others prisoner against their will. Only pirates dare to do what other criminals would not. When a merchant ship is robbed by pirates what fate will befall the nobles onboard?

Healing wounds, growing love:

winter on the planet of malgor is one that is feared for its extreme weather. Snowstorms could appear out of nowhere and many a traveller had frozen to death whilst trying to make their way from one village to another. It was also a time where people were at their most vulnerable, relying on the winter harvest to feed every mouth that had been born and raised in the kingdom meant no mercy was spared for poor wayfaring strangers. When a kind soul finds a wounded outcast and decides to bring them home, they discover a threat that’s lurking just beyond the borders of their place of protection.

The knight and the heir:

royals could be spoilt. There was no denying that. A life of good food, wealth, the knowledge that they’d be pampered and weighed on hand and foot by servants was more than enough to turn even the most well mannered child into an insufferable brat. The knights tasked with the protection of the future royals knew this all too well. What happens when one particularly gruff, no nonsense knight refuses to bow to the whim of their future ruler and shows them what it means to be a true leader?

The last of a dying breed:

long ago, in a time when nobles, governments and space Pirates ruled the starry seas of space, there was a terrifying race of aliens that were considered to be the most dangerous creatures to have ever lived. When the great wars started up again due to rising tensions, the humans destroyed the planet these aliens lived on to ensure the battlefield was even. The aliens were furious at the death of an entire race and very quickly turned each and every human occupied planet into a warzone littered with their bases and encampments. Only in very small pockets of the universe does this war not exist. What happens when the last member of the species shows up on a small backwater planet?

(Important point of notice: I will be playing the alien who is the last of their kind, you are free to play as a human or the story can be made to suite a scenario where you are also an alien.)

Harden my heart:

once upon a time, there was two friends who were the best of friends that anyone could have ever seen. Two people who had each other’s backs through thick and thin. Two people who supported each other endlessly even if their morals weren’t entirely inline with each other’s. Two friends who swore to never leave each other’s sides. Alas with the time of great growing came changes, the two friends bond had severed and they’d gone their separate ways in life. What happens when they run into each other many years later?

(This idea is one open to brainstorming, anything is possible.)

captain on deck!:

captains weren’t meant to fall in love with their subordinates. They were supposed to be well refined leaders who only mingled with those of a similar status. They represented the people they worked for after all, therefore they had an image that had to be strictly maintained towards the public in order to not be disgraced in any form. Behind closed doors however…..feelings were allowed to be a little more free. Secret lovers were frowned upon but one could take the risk if they were careful. After all, the captains word was law.

yes sir!:

order.serve.fight.lead.mourn.sleep.eat.rethink your life choices and repeat. Such was the ways of a military lifestyle on a world where war seemed to be a permanent occurrence and the leaders of every world trying their best to outspite one another with their relentless attacks that it made one think of how they could improve the boring daily routine they endured each and every day. In the army, you have to be tough if you want to be a leader. You had to be charismatic, strong, cold, incapable of doing anything that would sway you to possibly turn the other cheek and let your comrades be hurt. However, even the most stoic and battle hardened leaders can get lonely despite the fact that attachments to ones comrades outside of anything but friendship are forbidden by an unspoken law.

I need you:

space is a cruel mistress to even those who are experienced with charting her waters. Space, although beautiful, is often the grave of many brave explorers, soldiers and other space faring strangers. When a stranger comes to scavenge parts from a newly crashed ship in the hopes of finding something useful, they come across a familiar face. Old feelings stir and clash with one another when the crash’s survivor awakens and finds out who their rescuer is.

Sooooo….. about those pairings. What has two stars next to it is what I’m going to play if we choose the scenario:

1: enemies to lovers or rivals.

2: **captured criminal** x prison guard or other prisoner.

3: two soldiers from seperate sides falling in love.

4: **academies bad boy/outcast** x top student

5: **low ranking ship crew member/second in command/captured space criminal** x captain.

6: **commoner/rogue/knight/street rat** x prince/princess/king/queen

7: **slave/servant** x master

8: army superior x **lower ranking soldier**

9: married person X unmarried person

10: stowaway x captain

11: nurse x **injured soldier**

12: human x **alien**

PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH ME IF:

1: YOU GHOST AT THE DROP OF A HAT.

2: YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO PUT EFFORT IN TO MEET MY REQUIREMENTS.

I’m open to discussing and potentially mixing these ideas up till we get something that we both like. If you want to learn more about a certain idea tell me the name and I shall expand on it.

The only platforms I rp on are discord,telegram and google hangouts. I will not rp on any other platform other than the ones listed. If you do not have any of those then unfortunately we cannot rp. When you reach out to me requesting for an rp via one of the below platforms In the opening message tell me what idea you liked, why you liked it, give me a little introduction about you and you must put 123 somewhere in your message so that I know you’ve read all of my post, don’t just put “hi wanna rp”. Make it interesting.

My contacts

Discord: crankypurplespacecat#6187

My telegram: Tiberionwars

My hangouts: [email protected]

I look forwards to meeting potential partners.

#oc rp #multiple paragraph #para #long term #literate #action #adventure #drama angst #original #post apocalyptic #romance #scifi #long post #submission

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mindseyeinkarnate · 4 years

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Portraits of a Serial Killer - “The Cell” turns 20

I've often reflected how the influence of Art is a key component missing from Modern Horror. The Xenomorph we all know and fear came from the painted nightmares of Swedish surrealist H.R. Giger, the Screamer is said to have influenced the Ghostface Killer mask. For a further rundown of art's musings over the genre, I would highly recommend 2017's Tableaux Vivants for a look at 60 such portraits and the films they inspired.

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In the summer of 2020, The Medium video game appears to correct that oversight with the recent trailer dropping, adapting Polish painter, Zdzislaw Beksinski's frightening paintings. In the same season of the same year is when The Cell celebrates 20 years (8/17/2020). This film appeared to feature as many artistic influences as possible into its near two hour runtime.

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The sight of chains freaked me out upon watching my first Hellraiser movie, so the sexual perversion of their use in this film did little to alleviate such apprehension, especially as they pulled so tightly to suspend human flesh in the air. Despite a previous scene showing the villain having drowned his victim, this was the true introduction to his villainy - the former showed what he did, that latter why he did it. Even re-watching this film so many years later, I had to look away from the screen, recoiling from such a grisly display.

Typically, in Horror or any film that assumes a particular aesthetic, it is color that makes the impression to set mood. Instead, the use of white in this film, from the K9 to the bleached state of the victims is used to ghoulishly haunting effect.

I remember critics remarking that because of Vince Vaughn's comedic history they couldn't take him seriously in this role and relegated his involvement to stunt casting. I take the opposite stance since, for me, every role after this film simply serves as a reminder that he starred in The Cell. I've always felt that comedy actors do well in dramas - see Robin Williams in "Good Will Hunting" - and I thought that Vaughn did a serviceable job in this film, never distracting from either tone or plot.

I was happy that they just dove into the mechanics behind entering one's mind as an accepted reality, that they didn't get bogged down in techno babble or exposition of the technology. There is a time and place for the virtual journey into the cerebral frontier, such as The Matrix or a good adaptation of the Lawnmower Man, but for the Cell, I'm happy that they focused more on the story and not so much the science. The suits do look like Twizzlers, but it was made by Eioka Ishioka (who passed away in 2012), the same costume designer as Vlad Tepes' suit from Bram Stoker's Dracula. I do like that the two participators are suspended in the air while their minds are linked. It's an eerie callback to the killer's suspension from chains for sexual release. Also, it does give the technology that space age feel as though they are in a weightless environment.

Since the 90's, special effects have been criticized as dominating films to the point Stephen King is quoted as remarking that "story supports effects instead of effects supporting story". Similarly, an argument can be made that at times The Cell becomes too indulgent with its usage of famous art that serve no plot function, e.g. the Horse Split, the Three Women of Odd Nerdrum's Dawn painting, Mother Theresa and her Hallmark card, etc. As the director is quoted as saying "The thing about this film is it’s an opera, and there is no such thing as a subtle opera.” I don't believe that the script was penned as an excuse to pack in as much gallery portraits as possible or is an hour and fifty minutes of a music video. I just wish the director would've used each art piece he seeks influence from to develop the story or the character. The imagery doesn't always portray the killer's psychology or the psychologist's therapeutic technique. If he wasn't going to utilize subtlety, he should have implored restraint. He later added "Anyway, I missed the whole plot, just been talking visual all along, ah, where are we?”

Once in the killer's mind, his depiction as the master of his domain is a hauntingly accurate depiction considering the previous scenes of suspension rings in the back of his body, which unwittingly foreshadowed to the audience his royal appearance to come. Even the name, King Stargher, is a daunting title for a movie monster. When rising and descending from his throne, the violet robes receding from the walls and tracing along the room is hypnotically unnerving.

As tiresome as the "we're still in the dreamworld" trope can become (The Matrix, DS9 Season 7 episode 23 "Extreme Measures"), this film not only flips it when the psychologist realizes that she's "already in", but does so in a cleverly visual way.

King Stargher

Horned Stargher

Court Jester/Vatican Clown

Serpent Stargher

It is interesting to think that a single actor would assume many distinct monstrous characters. Unlike a Freddy Kreuger or a Pennywise that turn into manifestations of their victims' fears, the figures that Stargher assumes are all avatars of his own warped psyche, his own inner turmoil. Vincent D'Onofrio really does put in his all with this role. He's soft spoken and understated when he needs to be and malicious and heartless when the scene demands it. Along with the visuals of the film, D'Onofrio's performance is worth the price of admission. It's a shame that his acting as well as the movie's stunning artistry are what have gone overlooked all these years. Speaking of...

One invalid criticism that has been levied against the film is its attempts to persuade the audience to sympathize with the killer. My intention with the following statement is neither to flaunt my Horror insight nor to divide the lines between fans within Horror and those without. Having said that, even as an adolescent seeing this movie in theaters, I at no point felt remorse for the serial murderer and I chalk up this long-held misconception to a bad read on the film.

So off-base is this "critical analysis" that it can't even be regarded as a Jekyll & Hyde dynamic. The villain is not split down the middle between binary good and evil, where both halves are at war over his soul, or the repressed impulses of his Dark Passenger are manifesting in a heartless butcher. If there is any distinction, it is between who the antagonist was when a victim as a boy and what the man became as an adult victimizer. If anything it is the good that is repressed, not the evil. Furthermore, along with using the film's plot to force Alice down the rabbit hole of the Mad Hatter's mind, this film does address the nature of evil. When referring to Stargher, even Jennifer Lopez's character remarks "The Dominant side is still this horrible thing". The Vince Vaughn detective states "I believe a child can experience 100 times worse the abuse than what Gish (a different killer) went through, and still grow up to be somebody that would never, ever, ever hurt another living being." Thus, these serve as acknowledgement that the abducted criminal is firmly in the driver's seat to the point of its reference as a "thing" and a condemnation of what the killer has become, respectively.

Along with exploring the psychology of the killer, the film does not qualify the villain's innocence, it questions it.

The critics probably missed that pesky detail that would've debunked their headline before they pressed a single word of their denunciation.

These same professional critics wouldn't give a second's hesitation towards throwing Horror under the bus and condemning Scary Movies for inspiring violence if it meant their jobs were only the line, yet they would balk at the notion that continued mental trauma and physical abuse can cause psychopathic behavior.

There are classics and icons worth praising for their plot and performances, respectively, and then there are some Scary Films that Horror Fans view with the understanding of their heavy material and without your typical fanfare because they're a hard watch. I can see where people would be fans of Hannibal Lecter not because they or the film glamorizes cannibalism, but because of Anthony Hopkins' acting chops (excuse the pun). Conversely, John Doe, the serial killer of Se7en, has and will likely never enjoy such admiration because of the cold purity of his calculated evil. The 2 decade critique of The Cell's villain portrayal is a dark cloud that has unjustly hung over its head.

The motif of "the eyes of a killer" was something applauded in Rob Zombie's Halloween 2, yet ridiculed in The Cell 9 years prior?

This film's premise and the fact that it wasn't fully effectively executed makes it primed for a remake. Hollywood needs to be issued a Cease and Desist order of such wholesale dependence on Remakes in general, let alone in the Horror genre. When you consider that so many remakes can't outdo the original and even tarnish the films they attempt to emulate, why not fix the problems of a film that went wrong and take the credit when you get it right?

#TheCell #TheCellTurns20 #PortraitsOfASerialKiller

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neni-has-ascended · 5 years

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You Can(Not) UnGay Kaworu Nagisa - An Essay

This is a text-version of my video-essay on the recent Netflix/Evangelion translation controversy. To see the video version, please click here!

I make no secret of the fact that the linguistics involved in Anime and Game translation are one of my primary fields of interest as a Japanologist. Compared to translation between Germanic and Romanic Languages, as the west is used to it, translating from Japanese to English is filled with a plethora of pitfalls, the likes of which can be very difficult to imagine unless you’re fluent in both languages.

It’s because of this that my interest in any given AniManga controversy immediately skyrockets as soon as the matter of translation issues is brought up. Which brings us to June 21st’s release of Netflix’ Redub of Studio Gainax’ internationally infamous existential creator meltdown disguised as a Mecha Anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion.

1.) Neon Genesis ADVangelion

For those among you who haven’t yet heard of this inherently controversial work – what rock do you live under and does it still have vacancies? In all seriousness though, enough videos attempting to summarize the plot of NGE exist on the internet to make giving the rundown here an exercise in redundancy. All you need to know is that the protagonist’ name is Shinji and that he’s a mental-wreck with Daddy Issues who pilots a giant cyborg infused with the soul of his dead Mom to fight surrealist alien abominations and gains an increasingly screwed up social life doing so, all while his already fragile psyche gradually declines to world-ending consequences. For far less fatalistic takes on some of these concepts, please see RahXephon and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Good? Good. Let’s move on.

The original ADV Films dub of Neon Genesis Evangelion and its sequels and spin-offs is… not really flawless, to say the least, but it did a good job in introducing the series to a western audience while staying entirely true to the themes and intentions of the original version. This is definitely at least partially thanks to the fact that director and auteur of the series, Hideaki Anno, personally oversaw the translation and dubbing process, and while the guy in all honesty doesn’t really know the first thing about voice acting – his performance as Jiro in The Wind Rises is one of the reasons it’s my least favorite Ghibli movie – what he does understand is his own work, and what it should convey to the audience in order to be authentic to his vision. So while I do have my issues with the ADV dub, such as poor audio-quality and hopeless cases of overacting caused by poor voice direction in certain parts, the translated script of the series was as stellar as could be expected from something created with the original author’s input, and to the very end of the original 26 episodes run, one can definitely feel the deep, emotional investment every single member of the English cast had in these characters and their journey. (I mean. Just listen to Spike Spencer’s secret rant in the end of the last episode. The dude clearly cares about what happens to Shinji.) In any case, this is probably one of the most influential, iconic dubs to all of the English-speaking Anime Fandom.

Then Netflix decided to license NGE. Not the ADV Dub. Just the show.

People were not happy.

2.) The Rebuild of Netflixgelion

Please do not mistake what I’m saying for pedantic. The iconic nature of the original ADV dub of NGE cannot be understated, and plays a huge role in the current lack of acceptance for the Redub, even though previous similar redubbing efforts, such as in the case of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, where welcomed by the community wholeheartedly. The new dub cast is absolutely stellar, including voice acting veterans such as Carrie Keranen and Erica Lindbeck, and Casey Mongillo’s amazing vocal range goes a long way to replicate and convey the emotional depth of Shinji Ikari in a way previously only seen in Megumi Ogata’s original Japanese performance.However, while the Netflix dub has a wonderful cast and voice direction, what it does not have is the original dub’s Hideaki Anno-approved script.

…Aaaaand, this is where the real troubles start.

To be totally clear, the redub always meant trouble. The original voice cast were reportedly never given a real chance to reprise their roles- despite efforts made by the main trio, Spike Spencer, Amanda Winn Lee and Tifanny Grant to at least be given a chance to audition – which is a surefire recipe for upsetting a lot of fans. However, this is a problem that could have at least been partially smoothed over after allowing the performances of the new cast to shine in their own right. I mean, even if it is incredibly scummy to not even inform the old cast of the auditions for the redub, if the new version proves to contain superior performances and direction in comparison to the, honestly badly-aged ADV dub, then Netflix’s decision to make an entirely new dub is entirely understandable, right?

No such arguments can be applied to the retranslation of the show’s script.

3.) The End of Authorial Intent

I haven’t rewatched the entire show in the new dub, just two key episodes. That said, I wouldn’t dream of calling the new script ‘bad’. It’s, for the most part, natural and faithful to the original Japanese source text in much the same way the ADV dub was, to the point that some stray lines received identical translation in both versions. What gives the new script away as entirely unrelated to that of the ADV dub, however, are some rather… baffling localization choices.

All of those decisions are rooted in the original Japanese script. They’re not incorrect translations. If the Japanese were to be your only point of reference, there would be no reason to complain about these choices.

But we do have a point of reference. The ADV script. Which was overseen and approved by Hideaki Anno. The original director.

In the making of this video, I have since learned that Anno’s animation company, Khara, was most likely involved in the translation of the script for the Redub. However, as I can’t find any evidence that he himself was involved, the point I am about to make still stands:

Back in the 90s, very shortly after the show concluded its original run, Anno personally signed off on every single choice the ADV dub made. The respective pronunciations of Nerv, Seele and Gehirn, calling the EVA pilots by the correct singular “Child”, rather than the awkward Engrish singular “Children” the original Japanese featured, and referring to the enemies consistently as Angels, even in parts where the original Japanese mixed up the terminology for the sake of a pun with Kaworu’s name.

So, all of the ADV localization changes are within the intent of the original author. They are part of how the show is meant to be consumed by a western audience. Not carrying over this terminology, despite it being faithful to the Japanese script, thus ironically makes the Netflix script LESS faithful to Anno’s authorial intent than the ADV dub. But those are only terminology changes, right? They’re not a big deal. They don’t alter the context of the narrative itself.

…

Kaworu Nagisa.

4.) Kaworu Nagisa

Remember how I mentioned that I only really watched two episodes of the Netflix dub all the way through so far? Well, one of those two episodes happens to be one of the series’ most infamous, right after the two-part finale: Episode 24. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”, or “The Final Messenger” – Let’s not get hung up on which it is, Evangelion has ALWAYS been weird with titles.

This Episode introduces Kaworu Nagisa, the fifth of the EVA pilots and long-time fangirl-favorite for not-so-subtle reasons. Kaworu appears as Shinji is at his lowest point, our main protagonist’s already pretty much non-existent self-esteem in shambles. The two boys bond immediately over… the fact that Kaworu can sing ‘Ode to Joy’? Yeah, let’s go with that – And the majority of the episode consists of showcasing the growing relationship between Kaworu and Shinji, beginning with simple conversations, but quickly progressing into some more… serious territory.

I won’t sugarcoat things, in terms of narrative structure, the episode is a mess, rushing from scene to scene with reckless abandon, attempting to successfully tell a story in under 25 minutes, that some Disney Movies don’t tell right in 90+ minutes. This is doubtlessly due to the overall mess that NGE’s production process had become at this point in its original run for reasons too complicated to talk about in this video, but let me assure you that there’s pretty solid evidence that Kaworu was definitely originally meant to appear for much more than a single episode. As it stands, however, he dies in the same episode he is introduced, begging Shinji to assist him in his suicide after revealing himself to him as the final Angel. His effect on Shinji, however, is profound and comparable to the effect Nia Teppelin of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann has on that show’s protagonist, Simon Giha. In that way, just as with Nia later, it is plain as day that Kaworu is intended to be one of Shinji’s love interests. And the episode is NOT subtle at all in portraying him as such.

A lot can be said about the exact nature of Kaworu’s affection for Shinji, from Kaworu clearly seeing Shinji as some sort of avatar for humanity as a whole on which he projects his admiration for the species, to Shinji seemingly falling victim to an idealized Oedipus Complex in regards to his perception of Kaworu, the fact remains that their interactions with one another in Episode 24 are in places obviously romantic to even sexual in not only the dialogue, but also the visuals. Even with Hideaki Anno’s profession that Shinji’s romantic feelings for Kaworu aren’t “carnal”, they’re still obviously there. Projected and skewed by their unusual psyches as aspects of it may be, the relationship between them is clearly portrayed in a way that transcends the platonic and becomes intimate more quickly than your seafood friends can start singing ‘kiss the guy’ on a romantic boat ride – It’s not subtext, you guys. Towards Shinji Ikari, Kaworu Nagisa acts and speaks quite openly like one would speak to a lover. And even if Kaworu and his ambiguous humanity are somehow not gay enough for you, well, resident violently blushing and stuttering smitten wreck Shinji Ikari will put your doubts to rest. The visual homosexual (homoromantic?) tension in these scenes is so tangible, you can cut it with a knife. The dialogue, at certain points, doesn’t even really matter. Kaworu could quite literally be reading off the grocery list, and these scenes would STILL be gay.

That doesn’t mean the dialogue is not important, and that one shouldn’t really, really pay attention to what’s on screen when translating.

5.) The Final Angel is in the Detail

The translation of Kaworu’s words to Shinji in the Netflix dub is not wrong. But it ignores the context of the scene, as well as authorial intent. And that’s why I understand why people are angry at it.

The lines in question are these :

(Scene 1)

Kaworu: そう、好意に値することよ。

Shinji: 好意？

Kaworu:「好き」ってこと、さ

(Scene 2)

Shinji: カヲル君が「好きだ」って言ってくれたんだ。僕のこと。初めて…初めて人から「好きだ」って言われたんだ。

In the ADV dub, these lines were translated like this:

(Scene 1)

Kaworu: This is worth earning my empathy.

Shinji: Empathy?

Kaworu: I’m saying “I love you.”

(Scene 2)

Shinji: Kaworu said that he loved me. I’ve never... felt such kindness before.

In the Netflix dub, however, they were translated like this:

(Scene 1)

Kaworu: Yes, you’re worthy of my grace.

Shinji: Your grace?

Kaworu: I’m saying “I like you.”

(Scene 2)

Shinji: Kaworu said I was worthy of his grace. That was the first time... someone told me they liked me.

Which one of these is right? The fact is… both are.

The Japanese term “ 好き ” doesn’t really have a direct equivalent in English. It holds a connotation that is meant to convey very personal, but broadly defined affection. It doesn’t simply mean “to like something”. It means to feel a strong, positive, emotional connection to that person of thing. For that reason, this term can be used to profess affection to your friends, your family, your favorite item… Or as a love-confession.

In Japan, love-confessions using “ 好き ” are a lot, lot more common than the much, much stronger term “愛する”, let alone the implicitly sexual term “恋する”. In most romance Manga, “ 好き ” will be the term of choice the heroine uses to confess her love to her object of affection. And though, via character analysis, a strong argument can be made that when Kaworu uses “ 好き ” to express his affection for Shinji, he means general affection towards Shinji’s humanity more than personal, romantic affection, this is clearly not how Shinji takes Kaworu’s words. To Shinji, what Kaworu said in that moment, definitely sounded like a confession of romantic devotion, which becomes very, very clear when Shinji later tells Misato:

Shinji: 初めて人から「好きだ」って言われたんだ。

With the line being translates as “I like you”, this statement of Shinji sounds like pure delusion, which wouldn’t be out of character for him, of course, but isn’t at all what the episode is trying to get across. Of course people have told Shinji before they ‘like’ something about him! That’s a big part of the reason he started defining himself through his status as pilot of EVA Unit 01; his efforts earned him praise from those around him. He had friends for most of the series, at least implicitly, these people have definitely expressed a ‘liking’ for him. So by translating “好き” as “like” in this context, a whole layer of the statement is lost, and Shinji professing that this was the first time anybody has ever said that they “like” him sounds less like a serious revelation about his character, and more like his typical, delusional whining about how the world hates him.

And I think that’s why Anno signed off on the ADV dub translating the line as “I love you” rather than “I like you”. Because the point of this line is not Shinji thinking that Kaworu is the only person who’s ever tolerated his presence. It’s that Shinji feels like Kaworu was the first person to ever have a genuine, emotional connection to him. Something he’s never allowed himself to have, due to the series’ often cited theme of Hedgehog’s Dilemma.

And, as correct as translating “ 好き ” as “like” is, a whole dimension of Episode 24 of NGE is entirely lost if you choose to translate Kaworu’s lines that way. As much sense as it technically makes.

The Netflix dub of NGE, by all measures known to me, is a very well-acted, well-directed, well-translated version of a classic piece of Animation History. I am not telling anyone that it is in any way bad or even inferior to the original, and I am not telling anyone to avoid it.

All I am saying is, that if you, as a translator, have access to references regarding authorial intent you should probably use them.

#netflix evangelion #neon genesis evangelion #shin seiki evangerion #Kaworu Nagisa #Neni Talks #Neni Theory #Lost in Context

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parabellum-rpg-archive · 5 years

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Congratulations, Meghan! You’ve been accepted to play Zoey Everett. Please make your page and send it in within 24 hours.

Admin note: This was such a hard decision to make because there were three other perfectly written auditions. I’m not even exaggerating, they were all perfect, spot on, flawless. In the end, I think you did such an amazing job at portraying Zoey. Everything felt so fluid in the samples, I could tell that you really connected with her. I can’t wait to see this character fleshed out even more! - Admin V

IC INFORMATION —

CHARACTER DESIRED

Zoey Everett.

DESCRIBE THE CHARACTER IN YOUR OWN WORDS

No need to rewrite the biography - but who are they to you? What are their goals, ambitions, or flaws? Here’s your opportunity to show us who this character is to you.

I think Zoey is someone who is a complicated balance of strength, belief, and a sensitivity that borders on vulnerable. She had always been innately strong— however, shouldering the abuse meant for both her and her mother created something unbreakable inside her at a young age. She wouldn’t be cowed by intimidation. She wouldn’t retreat inside of herself when confronted. As a child, Zoey could do nothing to change her situation— but there wasn’t a single force in the world that could dictate how she should react.

Bruce’s hair-trigger temper was as fragile as tripwire, and Zoey learned quickly nothing would please him. It was better to retain every inch of her resolve instead of folding, better to keep a tight grip on her kindness in favor of becoming hard. These things couldn’t be beaten out of her— not even when she felt abandoned by her mother, or when the weight of hiding the abuse sat on Zoey’s chest like a weight.

Strength was a necessity, a survival tactic.

She was young, yes, still knobby-kneed and freckled, but she was firm in her sense of self— Zoey reacted to things on her own terms.

It would have been easier to harden herself, as a way of protection. Many children would have. But Zoey let herself remain sensitive to a full spectrum of emotions, let herself be moved by beautiful things, by new people, culture, something as simple as trying Italian ice for the first time, or something as grand as seeing La Pieta during a college trip.

Her warmth and sensitivity was not naive; instead it was incredibly purposeful. It was this strong sense of identity that helped her to endure. She wouldn’t lose herself to trauma.

Because of Zoey’s resolve, and her strength, as an adult she has an incredible capacity for sensitivity—allowing herself to be vulnerable in the most human of ways. Her job demands vulnerability. Reacting to art requires vulnerability, particularly abstract modern art, where so much of its meaning is dependent on what the viewer brings to the table.

You react to art; art reacts to you. It’s impossible for Zoey to harden herself to emotion and do her job well— she curates based on intuition, on what she anticipates others will feel from a particular piece. She can’t look at a Kandinsky with any less emotion than a Monet. Art, every medium it belongs to, moves Zoey with a profound intensity— the intention behind it, the history —and it’s in those emotions she feels closest to her father. To an alternate life she never had.

Six years old and gap-toothed, she would often park herself in front of her future inheritance; a collection of art so extensive it would make any collector green. But Zoey never saw it as the sum of its price tag.

The love she had for it was something innate.

Which is why I think her gallery is a representative of so much more for Zoey: a connection to the father she could never meet, concrete proof she had been able to escape her childhood. It’s symbolic. She could outgrow her past. Settle into her own interests and ambitions outside of her family, outside the trial that had consumed her life, the relationships that had been ruined by it.

The freedom in her life had always cost something.

Look what Bruce’s death had.

Which is why she has to move forward; Sonoma was the dream that propelled Zoey out of the pain of her childhood, and now it’s become everything to her.

Every cent of her money has been invested in this gallery. Partnering with the Costello’s may have been reckless, desperate, but she’s come too far to let give up now. The same strength that fuels her determination is the same thing that makes it impossible to let go.

She’s no idiot— she’s not unaware, either. Zoey is just someone who is determined to stand her ground, at the possibility of exposing herself to danger, to an uncertain future that risks bringing her face-to-face with things she once left behind.

Running away from fear isn’t in her blood, nor does she see it as an option.

WRITING SAMPLE

Provide as many IN CHARACTER samples as you like. At the very least, we expect three paragraphs written in third person. Aside from that, there are no rules. Please include anything you deem necessary.

The lock is clicked firmly on Zoey’s door. The line of her shoulders slacken. She can feel an ache in her upper arm; four red dots, the rough outline of fingers that will surely blossom into bruises the next day. She shrugs on a sweatshirt, unfolds the heavy book in her lap.

Her heart-rate slowly ticks down to normal.

The house is unnervingly silent now, and her eyes flicker down to the first open page, eager for distraction, and— oh.

Oh.

Of course it opens to this—Helen Frankenthaler. Jacob’s Ladder.

The art book had belonged to her father. Her real father, of course— not the monster that had done this to her arm — and the sight of his favorite painting makes Zoey’s eyes smart with tears, makes her throat tightens in a way it hasn’t in years.

Tears for the father she’d never gotten to meet.

They plop down onto the book with each deepening exhale, warping and wobbling the page beneath it.

This sadness for him feels fitting— but Zoey won’t give the other man her tears. She never had. She bore his anger with a set jaw, a firm determination that outstripped the usual maturity of a fifteen-year-old. He would never see her cry.

Not ever.

Letting her hand drift down the glossy pages seems to center Zoey’s mind. She clears her throat, quiet and purposeful, flips through the rest of the book with a growing calm.

There’s a peace that settles in around her, despite the situation.

She isn’t in this house anymore, with her stepfather fuming dangerously in the next room. Not entirely— Zoey is elsewhere. Standing next to saints and apostles on grassy hillsides, heads illuminated by gold leaf; lost in the reverence of the Middle Ages. She’s in a Friedrich next, peering over an imposing cliff. Southern France, Van Gogh, surrounded by yellow flowers.

It isn’t escapism as much as it’s inspiration. What had all these artists endured? What had the subjects of their paintings? Zoey sees herself reflected in these works, and there’s something fortifying about it, something that clears the mind and stokes determination. There was so much beauty, in the face of pain.

It’s only the buzz of her phone that pulls Zoey from her musings.

She reaches over with a reluctant hand, slow to answer until she sees the name flashing across the screen. Kai.

She smiles.

Patches of light in her life, patches of warmth— proof that it was not all bad, not simply storms and monsters.

She answers the phone without a trace of her leftover emotion. Kai can’t hear any lingering hurt her voice, not him; there are some thing she wants untouched by the pain at home.

Her step-father caused it, and her mother ignored it.

Zoey simply endured.

Somehow, eventually, it would be her that outlasted them all.

———-

Sunlight falls through the windows like tall patches of amber, and Zoey Everett steps into the building’s doorway, the ties of her green coat knotted loosely around her midsection.

It’s cold for this time of year.

The smile she gives the approaching man is almost sunny enough to compensate.

“Hi, Mr. Addams—we spoke on the phone earlier, I—”

“Yes. You’re Zoey?”

Crisp. Quick. To the point. She wonders why all of these artistic managers have to follow the same brusque script.

“That would be me.” A half-beat later. “I’m here about the possibility of curating few of your client’s pieces at Sonoma. Given how often the—”

“Yes.”

Another interruption, but not even to agree to her proposition; that much Zoey can tell. He’s simply cutting in to control the conversations run-time.

“I remember. You’re a representative for the own—”

This time its Zoey who cuts in with a firm, polite smile. Best to clear up any confusion now.

“I am the owner.”

There’s a weighted pause as the man considers this. It’s shock, mostly— there’s few, if any people who expect a gallery owner to look like her, and Zoey simple smiles in response, tries to re-direct the conversation as she glances at the art displayed inside the office building.

“We’re going to be exhibiting a few pieces from El Lissitzky soon…”

She walks idly along the row of oil paintings, allowing for a pause. He would’ve heard of this artist before. Zoey was proud of acquiring those, of the effort it took— Sonoma wasn’t some no-account gallery. It was smaller, and it was new. But it was going to be successful. She would give anything to ensure that it happened.

“Along with some contemporary pieces from a Chicago native. Really amazing stuff— similar use of geometric design, strong influence from 20th century typography…”

She has his attention now. There’s no script Zoey needs to follow for this—just the truth, the passion that bubbles up naturally.

“We want to be the future of Chicago’s art scene. And we’re going to be. There’s too many incredible artists in this city getting passed over for recognition because they fail to meet an incredibly specific criteria; because they’re not discovered by the same ten people who dictate where trends go.”

Zoey runs her thumb along the inside of her palm, smiles.

“Good art is good art, no matter who finds it.”

She thinks she can see a shade of agreement in the man’s eyes; his client had earned his recognition in ways that many in the art community deemed showy, too mainstream. But now he’s being lauded for it.

Mr. Addams makes a noise of vague approval. She takes it as a cue to drive this point forward.

“Your client’s work would fit perfectly with this season’s exhibit— particular his most recent pieces, the mixed-media? All that red? It would look incredible next to New Man.”

Something shifts on his face. There. That’s what she needs— even a glimmer of willingness to imagine with her. Just the smallest amount. Her voice grows warmer.

“It would be the perfect home for it. Along with all the other new pieces.”

“I want Sonoma to be a place to display some colleges student’s visual thesis alongside a Pollock. Old and new.”

“Pollock?” She can hear the skepticism in his voice, but it sounds friendlier now. Less brusque. “That would be near-impossible to acquire, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Zoey agrees, shouldering her bag with an easy smile. “But I’m going to.”

#accepted

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ellawritesficssometimes · 6 years

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Why Hetalia isn’t racist + why it doesn’t promote Japanese imperialism/nationalism

Before I start, it’s important to get a few points out of the way given that many of the misinformed critiques of Hetalia have been made by people who haven’t read the original source material (i.e., the manga).

There’s a difference between historical situation and promoting a horrid ideology. Just because a series depicts war and Nazis doesn’t mean that they’re inherently glorified. Of most importance is that Hetalia promotes peace and reconciliation in spite of depicting war.

The wars that are depicted are general and the atrocities are deliberately glossed over. This is necessary because Hetalia is comedic in nature.

Hetalia is based on stereotypes, good or bad. While some of the jokes are admittedly offensive, no nation is singled out nor are any specific nations made to be superior in comparison to others. Every character is made fun of for their stereotypes. Its humour isn’t meant for everyone.

Hetalia is satire. It mocks war and nationalist sentiments rather than promoting it.

The dub is not canon. That includes many of the insensitive jokes that Funimation scripted.

The anime itself is unrepresentative of the manga. It can only cover so much material. Don’t judge a manga by its anime just the same as you wouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

It’s also important to note that Seychelles has always been dark-skinned in the manga, unlike in the anime where she was drawn as pale-skinned. However, I do concede that even in the manga, her skin should be darker [x].

Since I’ve already created many posts on this subject, here are some resources corroborating the above points: [x] [x] [x] [x] [x].

In addition, I’ve also found a scholarly article in a university publication that does a fantastic job of not only dismantling many of the misconceptions about Hetalia but also many of the baseless critiques that have been aimed toward it:

It’s a fair, level-headed piece that uses original source material to prove that Hetalia mocks and undermines sentiments of Japanese imperialism and nationalism while also demonstrating that it takes a definitive anti-war stance.

What I particularly like about it is that it acknowledges that some of Himaruya’s early choices were made in poor taste but is still able to substantiate the stance that this insensitivity isn’t supportive of racist sentiments.

It also shows artwork/content that glorifies Japanese imperialism and nationalism and then compares it to Hetalia.

Overall, it’s very well-written, sourced, and informed. Below will be a list of important quotes that I took from the article. I highly encourage for people to read the whole thing, as it breaks down a good amount of examples from both the manga and anime [x]. The article can be found through Google Scholar.

Source:

Sands, A. T. (2013). Belittling japanese nationalism in hetalia: axis powers. Humanities and Social Sciences Review, 2(3), 125-144.

Quotes:

“Hetalia does not portray violence or accurate portrayals of history; Hetalia is a collection of gags mocking militarism and stereotypes,” (125).

“Hetalia condenses history for comical effect but retains an anti-war sentiment by belittling wartime axis beliefs…In Hetalia, each character’s nation is targeted for ridicule through its stereotypes, and I argue the stereotypes are not intended to create a sense of racial inferiority,” (126).

“A close examination of plot, character development and imagery reveals a subtle disdain for nationalism, which purposes racism and false history,” (126).

“Manga and anime can be a good outlet for nationalists to use, but it can also be a tool to combat nationalism,” (128).

“For every Hetalia fan, there is another furious anime blogger appalled by it. As the battle over Hetalia’s purpose rages in anime and manga circles, academia has of yet not entered the discussion with earnest,” (129).

“Hetalia does gloss over almost all of the war, especially the darker parts of the war, but if you watch the whole show, it is easy to realize the show is not about WWII,” (129).

“Korea as an ‘other’ in Hetalia is not nearly as physiologically different from his Japanese counter part… Although Korea is not portrayed physically inferior to the Japanese, critics argue his immature personality and actions are racist. Himaruya’s choice to make Korea an immature teenager rather than an adult may not have been the most sensible of choices, but it was also necessary for him to create jokes tailored to Japanese stereotypes of Koreans, which he could then subvert…On some levels, the jokes are insensitive, and they are not politically correct,” (130).

The author also goes on to mention how inappropriate and weird some of the “sexually charged” jokes were, starting from page 131.

“In Hetalia, every nation has its moments when its actions are designed to make people laugh at it, and Japan is no exception. Rather than idolizing Japan, Hetalia’s representation of Japan is a socially awkward, emotionally repressed, and sometimes obsequious character to be laughed at. He is neither the proud solider in Sensoron nor the charismatic scholar of Kenkanryu…

If Japan’s character had been a fearless soldier immune to cultural gaffes, I would argue Hetalia would be purporting an idealized notion of the “self” in order to promote nationalism. Himaruya’s version of Japan, however, could not be farther from an “idealized self,” nor does he try to blatantly dichotomize or attack a perceived “other,” (132).

“Hetalia does have politically incorrect and at times racially insensitive caricatures. Gag comedy is based on jesting stereotypes and thus has to have some degree of politically incorrect imagery and character personalities. Neither in the original web comics nor in the anime version that followed it did Hetalia attempt to isolate Japan as the dignified “self” people should idolize. The “others” are often portrayed at the butt of the jokes, but each nation also has its turn to be the dominant character, even at the expense of Japan’s pride. Critics can dislike Hetalia for being tactless at times, but I argue their accusations of supporting malicious racism are based on curt examinations of the show, which do an injustice to Himaruya’s true intentions,” (133).

“Hetalia’s critics decry it for more than just its perceived racist notions; they also denounce it for its interpretation of WWII and other historical events, which lack acknowledgement for grievances against Japan. Gag-comedy constrains Himaruya to a small amount of time to touch on important historical events, such as China’s discovery of Japan, Russo-Japanese War, and WWII amongst others. The time constraints naturally appear as historical omission for the sake of defending the nations; however, Hetalia does not attempt to omit history to protect Japan’s pride, but rather it condenses history for comical effect,” (133).

“By mocking the tools and ideas of war and degrading it into a minute-long gag, Himaruya expresses his contempt for war and the foolishness of man to pursue it, thus creating an anti-war message rather than glorifying the imperial state as Kobayashi did,” (135).

Page 136: a good example of how the Axis were anything but glorified, season 1 episode 18.

“Himaruya may have glossed over the atrocities of war, but he did not glorify Japan,” (136).

“I believe that in season 4 episode 26, the final three fragments before the credits represent Himaruya’s sincere belief in the need for reconciliation amongst East Asian nations and Japan…Japan informs the viewer he wanted to wait until the last to show his final technique, and in a close up of Japan’s emotional face he proclaims, ‘But if you’re serious, I’ll get serious, too! My final secret technique: Expression of Regret!’…

“The simplicity of the idea that peace could be solved by a pair of underpants is the joke’s punchline, but I believe, underneath the surface, it represents a metaphor that the path to peace and reconciliation in East Asia is far simpler than assumed. For Japan, the path is regret,” (136-137).

“Himaruya is trying to make a comedy out of history. Hetalia does omit many historical facts, but it was never trying to be a serious historical discussion. When Hetalia condenses history for comical effect, the imagery and dialogue indicate the scene is solely a gag. Himaruya’s metaphors and cinematography suggest he views war as senseless. Rather than supporting right wing nationalism, Hetalia appears to be a satirical anti-war anime,” (137).

Conclusion:

With all that in mind, Hetalia may have had its faults—and still does to a far lesser extent—but it has never advocated for war, racism, or nationalist and imperialist drives. If anything, interpretations of the series have caused the exact division that Himaruya’s writings have long been opposed to.

#hetalia #aph Japan #aph South korea #aph Germany #aph Italy #italy looks like he's doing the whip in the gif #glad I cropped it that way

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yasuda-yoshiya · 5 years

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im so glad you decided to give utena a go! it's my favourite anime and there truly isn't any wrong interpretation of the events, themes, and characters. what are your thoughts on the individual student council members? as well as the black rose duelists, and the black rose arc itself? that part of the series always struck me as very important in the elaboration of themes that are important for the rest, even if its 'filler', lmao. and im glad you liked utena as well!

Utena is great! I’m very glad to have watched it. And I know what you mean about interpretations, haha; I’ve been looking up a lot of people’s meta and analysis about it since I finished watching it, and people really do approach it from so many different cool and interesting ways. I think it’s a really cleverly presented show in the sense that it doesn’t really directly push any particular lesson or moral to the story; it just sort of very accurately observes and portrays a lot of really relatable and recognisable social dynamics, and lets the viewer decide for themselves what they want to take from that. I really like it a lot!

Haha, gosh, that’s a lot of characters to cover! Well, let’s see how quickly I can sum them up… For the student council members, I really liked Saionji; I think they did a good job at balancing the portrayal of his sweet and childish side with his capacity for genuine ugliness when his insecurities cause him to lash out at people. He came across to me as someone who really did want a genuinely mutual emotional connection rather than just “possessing” someone (that exchange diary was very endearing in its ridiculousness) but didn’t really know how to go about that except by clumsily forcing it on people, which feels like a pretty relatable teenager thing.

Then there’s Miki…I felt like his fixation on his memories of Kozue and later Anthy as his “shining thing” was a pretty good portrayal of how idolising and putting people on a pedestal can also be its own way of dehumanising them, and I thought his episodes did a good job of showing how those sorts of feelings can easily get diverted into something ugly despite him being a basically gentle kid at heart. I wasn’t quite sure what to make about the stuff with his parents, exactly, and I felt like the whole plotline with Kozue was a bit all over the place, but I still basically appreciate the core of the character and what he adds to the series.

Juri was interesting! Her bitterness over Shiori felt like a pretty authentic and recognisable emotion to me; it’s certainly a very uncomfortable situation as a teenager to be in that position of having feelings for someone you know you’re not “supposed” to, and then having to put up with people giving you those empty platitudes of “oh, if you like someone then you should just tell them!!” without any real understanding of the situation. I thought her relationship with Shiori was pretty compelling in how messed up and dysfunctional it ended up being on both ends, but then her last couple of episodes with Ruka really didn’t do anything for me; it felt to me like he ended up sort of hijacking her plotline in a weirdly offputting way, so I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it in the end. I still like the character, but I felt like her overall arc had potential to be more interesting to me than it was.

Touga…I didn’t really like Touga very much! He honestly just came across as a very consciously manipulative asshole for most of the series, and the show’s eventual attempts to humanise him felt like too little too late for me. I think I can somewhat see and appreciate the idea of what they were going for in terms of a lot of his gross attitudes being a misguided attempt to emulate people like Akio as role models for what a “prince” should be, and that he was also a victim and a pawn of the system in the end, but on the whole I was pretty much inclined to agree with Saionji when he said “you’ve never actually cared about anyone”. Even after Utena supposedly made him doubt himself, he still seemed to keep acting in the same gross ways for the most part, which I guess was probably meant as an intentional deconstruction of the usual tropes in some respects (falling in love doesn’t actually magically make you a better person), but that still doesn’t really make me like him any more!

Nanami was just hilarious, haha. I expected her to be a really grating character from her introduction, but her comic relief episodes were so completely over-the-top ridiculous that they sort of wrapped around to being weirdly endearing in their way, so I couldn’t really actively dislike her. I also couldn’t ever bring myself to actually take her seriously as a character at all, though; bizarre comedy episodes aside, she seemed like a pretty standard clingy brocon character without a whole lot of nuance. But at least she was a very entertaining one!

Oh yeah, the Black Rose arc was really important, I agree! I wouldn’t really say it felt like filler particularly - I suppose it’s true that Utena and Anthy don’t do much in it, but thematically I think it does add a huge amount, and I enjoyed the way it established Akio as a sort of “wise mentor” figure in the background before really putting him into the spotlight in the final arc. It sort of made me sort of instinctively want to trust him even despite him being really obviously shady, which in retrospect was a pretty impressively complicated feeling for the show to be able to pull off. But yeah, the arc itself was really interesting! I think it was definitely a really effective and thematically important choice to put the focus on the “losers” of the system, giving a voice to people you’d expect to be background characters and giving them the chance to fight for themselves. I know Ikuhara said the Black Rose arc was inspired by him hearing someone on TV say something like “society is divided into the chosen and the unchosen; to be unchosen is to die”, and wanting to explore the feelings of the “unchosen”, and I think it achieved that pretty well; a lot of the Black Rose Duelists’ stories were pretty insightful in criticising the narratives behind that sort of artificial social hierarchy and what it does to people.

I think what left the most impact about it to me, though, was that it just had such a strong atmosphere! Those elevator therapy sequences really managed to be legitimately creepy and disturbing; the juxtaposition of the duelists’ big emotional breakdowns with Mikage’s weirdly impersonal, deadpan, scripted response struck a very effectively unsettling note for me. And the Black Rose Duelists themselves had such a cool and memorable aesthetic, too…it always felt really striking to me whenever we got to see them dueling, probably because most of them really aren’t the kinds of characters you’d expect to be fighting (as opposed to most of the student council members who have established fencing and Kendo skills), so it sort of added to the impression of these people who wouldn’t normally have any power within the system being given a chance to fight. So yes, on the whole I think it’s a really cool arc, with a really fantastic presentation in particular.

As for impressions on each of the Black Rose Duelists individually, hmm, let’s see…Kanae was a good enough introduction to the concept, but didn’t really leave that much impression. I felt bad for her being used by Akio, but she didn’t really get enough screentime for me to get invested. Kozue…I think Kozue never really clicked for me, honestly? Her being so creepily possessive of Miki was sort of offputting to me (this show already has enough incest, you know…?), and I felt like I couldn’t really get a good feel for her character or what drove her on anything more than an abstract level.

Shiori was really interesting! There was a compelling sort of raw desperation behind her panicked, uncomprehending response to finding Juri’s locket that really stuck with me; it’s sort of an ugly reaction but it honestly felt pretty sympathetic to me, I think? Like, if on the one hand your former best friend is totally off-handedly dismissing your attempts to reach out and make amends with her in person and acting like she never wants to see you again, but at the same time you find out she’s also secretly treasuring an old picture of you as her most prized possession and keeping it on her at all times…well, that IS actually pretty weird, you know?! I think most people would be at least a little creeped out by that. So Shiori’s kind of totally confused panic response and weird mix of vindicated elation and anger culminating in that accusing shout of “WHY DO YOU LOOK AT ME THAT WAY?!” honestly felt pretty real to me. I felt like they did a good job of conveying a real constant sense of deep-rooted self-loathing behind her more selfish and manipulative actions that made it hard for me not to feel sorry for her a lot of the time; it seemed to me like she was stuck in a sort of toxic cycle of trying to escape her low self-esteem by “deceiving people into liking her”, which inevitably just made her feel even worse about herself and just fed deeper into the initial assumption that no one would like her unless she deceived them, and so on, which was really painful to watch. I’m not surprised that she seems to evoke such visceral emotional responses from people within the fandom, because I think a lot of what she says and does really feels uncomfortably raw and real in a way that’s difficult to process. She’s a very good character in that way!

Tsuwabuki…well, he didn’t particularly grab me as a character, but I did actually enjoy his Black Rose episode quite a bit. I feel like it makes for a pretty strong illustration of just how little coherent and accessible information there really is out there for young kids trying to understand what sexuality and relationships are like, so it’s easy for people to end up turning to dubious sources and developing weird and messed up ideas about how things work and what “adulthood” actually means. It’s really no wonder that our whole cultural standards around that stuff have become so screwed up and dysfunctional when no one’s even really willing to talk about it.

Wakaba was great! I liked her a lot. She was a genuinely good friend to Utena and a good illustration of the unappreciated strength and value of “normal people”. The end of her arc with Saionji honestly made me really sad! I sort of wish there was a little bit more follow-up after her duel with Utena, though; I would have liked it if the whole thing had a bit more of a lasting impact on Wakaba and how Utena viewed her and their friendship, but it didn’t feel like that ever really happened, so her subplot felt a bit…unresolved, I guess? Well, I think it’s probably intentional that most of the characters besides Utena and Anthy don’t really get a firm “resolution” to their arcs - the potential for growth is there, but they still haven’t broken out of their shells yet, which is fine - but I think I would have at least liked to see her take a few more steps toward being able to see her own worth without needing someone “special” to validate her. (Akio can get lost with his whole “oh normal people only ever get to shine for a short time lol” nonsense, urrgghh.)

I liked Keiko too! Devoting a whole episode to a previously nameless bit character like that was a really cool way of hammering home the whole theme of breaking down the conventional assumptions behind social “hierarchies” even on a meta/narrative level. Keiko herself was interesting to me in the sense that her grievances and anger at having her chance at happiness “denied to her” when she’s no less deserving than anyone else actually felt legit sympathetic at first in isolation, but then you look at the unspoken assumptions framing that narrative and it suddenly becomes really disturbing (this person would make me happy, everyone deserves happiness, therefore I deserve this person).

Mikage…man, I really wanted to like Mikage - the basic ideas behind his character are really cool and fascinating - but I think his arc just felt too rushed for me in the end? It felt like we basically got dumped with his entire plot and backstory immediately before it got resolved, so I didn’t really have time to get emotionally invested in his story before it was already over. Revealing midway that half of his backstory was probably a lie didn’t exactly help things either, as I was left struggling to keep up with what was actually real and what wasn’t; I still don’t feel like I really have a handle on some of the basic points like why he actually set the building on fire or when exactly Mamiya died, which makes it hard for me to really connect with the character and understand what exactly he got out of the illusionary narrative that Akio constructed for him. Theoretically I feel like he should really be exactly the kind of character I absolutely love - someone detached from their own emotions who doubts their basic humanity, who keeps clinging single-mindedly on to his memories of the only people who ever made him actually feel something even after they’re long gone? Wow, sign me up - but the execution just didn’t quite do it for me. I feel like his story might have benefited from being more spread out across the whole Black Rose arc instead of shoved entirely into two episodes, so that we got more of a chance to get more gradually invested in him? As it is, I still think he’s a conceptually fascinating character, and I’ve read a lot of great meta about his place in the story and his parallels with Utena that makes him sound incredibly interesting, but I just couldn’t really feel it from the show itself.

Wow okay I sure did write a lot! Well, that’s my initial impressions on the Utena characters. I expect a lot of those impressions would change if I watched it again, though - like I said, I don’t think I really fully grasped the real aims and themes of the show until the very end, so I’d probably pick up on a lot more nuances a second time around. But those are my thoughts for now!

#revolutionary girl utena

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blackkudos · 6 years

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Matt Robinson

Matthew Thomas (Matt) Robinson Jr. (January 1, 1937 – August 5, 2002) was an American actor, writer and television producer. Robinson was the first actor to portray the character of Gordon Robinson on the long–running PBS children's TV program Sesame Street. When Sesame Street began in 1969, not only did Robinson play Gordon, but he also provided the voice of the puppet Roosevelt Franklin and also was one of the show's producers. He left the show in 1971. In later years, when producers needed a last name for the Gordon character, then played by Hal Miller and then Roscoe Orman, they used Matt's last name.

He wrote and produced the films Save the Children and Amazing Grace in the early 1970s, and authored scripts for Sanford and Son and Eight Is Enough. In 1983, he joined the staff of the NBC's The Cosby Show as a producer and staff writer. By that time, he was beginning to show symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, but stayed with the show for seven seasons despite the difficulty. He ultimately succumbed to the disease on August 5, 2002 in Los Angeles at the age of 65.

He is survived by his daughter, actress Holly Robinson Peete (21 Jump Street, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, For Your Love, The Talk.) son Matt Robinson III, his wife, Dolores Robinson, and five grandchildren.

Family, early life

Born Matthew Thomas Robinson Jr., in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Matthew Robinson Sr. and Marie Robinson on January 1, 1937. His father worked as a postal worker and one of the first African American columnists for The Philadelphia Independent newspaper, while his mother worked as an elementary school teacher.

Robinson attended West Philadelphia High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before going on to Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania and graduating in 1958 with a degree from the College of the Liberal Arts and Sciences. While at Penn State, Robinson was elected president of the Penn State Omega Psi Phi fraternity, one of the first African American fraternities founded at a prominently African American college or university--Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Career

Robinson began his media career in 1963 where wrote and soon after became a producer and on-air talent during a job at local television station WCAU-TV in his home town of Philadelphia. Here, Robinson produced and hosted Opportunity in Philadelphia, a weekly televised employment service oriented towards African Americans. By televising job opportunities, Opportunity in Philadelphia broke the "apprehension" involved when the poor African American sought out the employment office. He established his talent at WCAU-TV, ultimately leading to future successes as a producer and actor. Before that, in 1962, Robinson wrote a slave revolt drama titled Rained All Night.

Sesame Street

Robinson's television breakthrough came in 1969 when he joined the Children's Television Workshop (CTW) to assist in the development of a new children's program for National Educational Television, Sesame Street—his initial role with CTW was to produce and oversee filmed segments focusing on the diversity of different characters on the show. Robinson was eventually chosen to play the fictional character of Gordon in the series, after the performance of the character in test episodes by another actor, Garrett Saunders, did not work out as the producers hoped. Gordon was the first character with spoken lines in the show, as a result of difficulty in finding someone to fill the figure. This was against his original intentions with joining the show as he preferred a behind-the-scenes role, and was initially reluctant to take the part. Dolores Robinson commented on his backseat role on the set with, "He was by nature shy, and he knew that they were having a difficult time casting Gordon. And the people overseeing the taping up in the booth, peering at the monitors, kept saying, 'Matt knows what to do. He should be the Gordon.'” He ultimately resigned from the role in 1972.

Despite resigning from the character Gordon, and the Sesame Street group officially in 1972, Robinson continued to work with the show, scripting and voicing Roosevelt Franklin sketches until 1975. Since 1972, two other actors, Hal Miller (1972–1974) and Roscoe Orman (1974–2016) have played the role of Gordon. Later, when Gordon's surname was needed, Robinson's was used in tribute.

Robinson wrote the first Sesame Street themed storybook in 1972 and was titled Gordon of Sesame Street's Storybook. It was made up of four of his originally written children stories, "No More Milk", "Fisher-Man", "Fire-Man", and "A Lot of Hot Water". The cover has a Gordon Robinson caricature reading to different children.

Roosevelt Franklin

While with CTW, Robinson also played the voice of a reddish-magenta puppet named Roosevelt Franklin. Robinson worked closely with Jim Henson to accurately design the first black influenced Muppet. Some other Muppets designed between Henson and Robinson were Baby Ray Francis, Mobley Mosey, and a Hispanic Muppet—A.B. Cito. Roosevelt Franklin promoted ideals such as family, pride, respect, and geography while also showing a passion for rhyming and blues music. Both creating and performing Franklin's voice for three seasons, Robinson played his puppet to one of the main characters on the show, in addition, Franklin continued to make appearances until 1975.

The puppet was pulled from the show because negative reception of the character from the African American community continued to grow. This was due to his frequent unruly behavior at the fictional elementary school, which was deemed a bad example for the audience. Additional arguments for his departure can be found in his over excessive black image or lack thereof. Dolores Robinson comments on this issue by stating that Roosevelt Franklin became a televised vehicle for her then husband's anger with racism and pride in the African American race. While Roosevelt Franklin represented a figure to associate with in the African American community, it would be important to teach the highest standard of the English language—some saw this is being not black enough for children to relate too though.

Robinson recorded and released the first Sesame Street album--The Year of Roosevelt Franklin (Gordon's Friend from Sesame Street) that was focused on a single character--Roosevelt Franklin. Released in 1971, and then re-released in 1974 under the name My Name is Roosevelt Franklin, the album focused on many appropriate behaviors for children growing up. Aside from the basic topics such as numbers and letters, also included in the album were traffic safety, sharing, and getting along with others. All tracks were co-written with the help of Joe Raposo. The album was again released on compact-disc in 2010 as a part of a set titled Old School: Volume 2, also including Grover Sings the Blues and The Count Counts.

Post-Sesame Street

Following his time with CTW, Robinson continued to produce and write for movies, television and the stage. Robinson wrote and produced, under the direction of Stan Lathan, Save The Children (1973), a musical performance that was a spinoff of Black Exposition (conducted by People to Save Humanity). Robinson would continue his work as a producer and writer in the 1974 film Amazing Grace, about a group of neighbors seeking to overthrow the a few shady, money hungry politicians in town.

Other post-Sesame Street work included writing episodes for Sanford and Son, The Waltons and Eight Is Enough, and writing and producing for Captain Kangaroo, a children's television series on CBS which aired from 1955 to 1984.

The Cosby Show (1983–1990)

In 1983, Robinson joined the crew of NBC's The Cosby Show as a producer and writer. The family sitcom, which aired from 1984 for eight seasons until 1992, revolved around the life of the Huxtable family – an affluent African-American family in Brooklyn, New York. He co-produced and wrote several episodes during his seven-year tenure with the Cosby Show, further proliferating his success on television. During this time, Robinson transitioned between writer, executive story consultant, executive story editor, and soundtrack writer for over 50 episodes of The Cosby Show. His work ultimately culminated in him becoming co-producer of the show. He acted in his only episode, "Cliff's Nightmare", as the French Scientist.

The Confessions of Stepin Fetchit (1993)

Written by Robinson and directed by Bill Lathan, The Confessions of Stepin Fetchit is a one-man play which focuses on Lincoln Perry, who was once popular because of the black comic character in 1930's films but soon became under fire by civil rights advocates. This play was meant as a call to history as well as a discussion forum for reflection on Perry's life story as one of America's first African-American movie stars.

Awards and honors

Daytime Emmy Awards – 1983, nominated (along with Bob Brush, Harry Crossfield, Martin Donoff, and Howard Friedlander) for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming-Writing for Captain Kangaroo

Distinguished Alumnus Award from Penn State University (1994)

42nd NAACP Image Awards

Personal life

Matt and his wife Dolores had two children together – son, Matthew Thomas Robinson III, and daughter, Holly Elizabeth Robinson (born September 18, 1964). At first, Robinson was skeptical about his children going into film and television despite his daughter's prominent role in television today, where she is well known throughout. Robinson Jr.'s marriage to Dolores ended in divorce.

Death

Robinson was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1982 at the age of 45, but continued to battle the disease for 20 years. In 1997, during her father's struggle with the disease, daughter Holly Robinson Peete and her husband, NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, started the HollyRod Foundation.

In honor of and inspired by her father's fight with Parkinson's disease, the HollyRod Foundation was created to reach out to all those affected by Parkinson's disease or autism and provide medical, physical, and emotional support. Located within the Center for Parkinson's Research and Movement Disorders at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, the HollyRod Foundation is able to provide low to no-cost treatment as well as various services to the under-served in greater Los Angeles.

Robinson died in his sleep at his Los Angeles home on Monday, August 5, 2002 at the age of 65. A memorial service was held on the morning of Friday, August 9, 2002 at the Writers Guild of America Theater in Beverly Hills, California. He is survived by daughter and actress Holly Robinson Peete, son and production assistant Matthew Robinson III, spouse Dolores Robinson, and five grandchildren.

Wikipedia

#Matt Robinson

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100dad · 3 years

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5 Ways to Keep Your Death From Destroying Your Family

Some families collapse after the death of the patriarch or matriarch. The one that was the heart and soul of the family. While it’s nice to be that person, think about what will happen to your family after you’re gone. Your family collapses. You didn’t do your job. You didn’t prepare your family for life without you. You want to win as a dad? Raise your kids in a way that makes you irrelevant in their day to day lives, BUT at the same time very much loved and respected.

1. Raise your kids to be independent and strong.

The goal of any parent is to raise those helpless, cute, little blobs into fully functioning members of society. It's not easy and it's not always fun, but it is very important. Teaching them independence is key for them to function in the real world. Mom and dad can not and should not be doing their laundry, setting up their insurance, finding them places to rent, or otherwise doing “grownup” things for them when they become adults. It absolutely blows my mind when I hear the stories of parents treating the 20-something or 30-something kid as if they were still a teenager. I will give a few exceptions here and there for college. Maybe a few months post-college. But even then, they need to take care of themselves AND IT'S YOUR JOB TO TEACH THEM HOW!!

Now, in reality, a good mom and dad will teach and show these skills slowly over time. As they age we teach them more and more responsibility. First how to clean up their room, then the house, then dishes, then the car. Teach them how to budget, how to grocery shop and cook, how to do laundry. You know… basic skills needed to live. In those teenage years, we can introduce them to the less fun realities of registering their car, paying taxes, getting insurance, having a job, setting up bank accounts, and maybe some investing. Even the more fun things like mechanic skills, home repair and maintenance, and trips to the gun range!

We need to make sure they can wake up on time to get dressed and clean for work. Basically just how to plan ahead. We all know how to live (I hope). Teach those skills so the world doesn’t hit them like a ton of bricks if you no longer can do it for them.

2A. Have a will, a living will, and POA in place.

Get a will. Once you’re an independent adult go get a will. It is super easy, and it makes everyone’s life easier if you die. If you’re a mom or dad it is not even an option. You must have a will. You NEED one now. Here is a link to an inexpensive way to get one US Legal Forms. Let me tell you what happens if you die without a will. The government, BY LAW, must decide what happens to your assets and kids. Even if your family knows what you want, a probate judge is the only authority that gets to decide. All because you did not take an hour out of your day to print a state-specific will, fill in some blanks, and get it notarized. Once that will is notarized then the probate judge does exactly what the will says. It should say your assets go to your wife and so does the care of your children. Boom. Done. Easy. You would think that would happen even if you do not have a will. Most times it will… months down the road. Meanwhile, you wreak havoc on your spouse as she tries to figure out financial information, asset ownership, and all sorts of other legal hang-ups caused by the delay in probate months after you’re in the ground. A will prevents all these problems. A will is going to make your family’s life much easier so they can grieve your death. They will be cursing your name if you don’t have a will. I hope I am being clear. And in more complex situations it will keep everyone from fighting over assets that they think you wanted them to have. Write it down and have it notarized. Then there is no dispute. While we are avoiding creating a situation where family will be fighting each other, go ahead and do your living will. Write down when or if you want your spouse to “pull the plug”. The last thing I want my wife dealing with is another family member taking her to court while she is dealing with the toughest decision of her life. I made it for her. So she can have peace and avoid a legal fight with some family member that thinks they knew me better than my wife. Go ahead and give your wife Power of Attorney. So those legal hang-ups can all be avoided. Now to be clear. POA means she can sign as you and it is legally binding. It is a powerful authority. It's also a pain to use. But if you're dead she can do things in your name like move deeds and titles without waiting for probate courts. You should have POA for her as well for the same reasons. POA is powerful so I would not recommend you give it to anyone other than your wife. You don’t want your cousin to sign all your assets over to him and disappear. In case you were wondering. In my will, if I die, my wife basically gets everything. If we both die at the same time, then our assets go into a trust and we have rules created for the trust. How those assets are to be managed and distributed. There is a trustee to manage the trust and there is a guardian to take care of the kids. The guardian receives money from the trust to raise the kids until they are 18. Their college tuition gets paid for by the trust and if the kids are living according to the rules of the trust they will get payouts at certain age points. These rules are meant to keep my kids and future generations from becoming lazy jerks living off a trust fund. It's also meant to make sure they don’t OD on their inheritance among other things. Again, fully-productive, HEALTHY adults is the goal.

2B. Discuss your will and intentions with your family (no surprises).

This is so important and so few people will do it. Tell everyone your intentions before you die. Since you don’t know when you are going to die tell them the day you sign your will. The executor of the will needs to know ahead of time. Who gets custody should be told ahead of time. Who gets what assets and who doesn’t anything needs to be discussed ahead of time. Otherwise you risk big family fights. Don’t make your legacy tainted with stupid squabbles. Grow a pair and tell everyone the truth. The reading of the will should not be a dramatic event like Hollywood portrays. It should be boring because everyone knows what’s happening. I don’t personally tell everyone the exact dollars involved, but they know the big picture. If you are named in my will I sit down with you and tell you. Your death should be the only surprise. Everything else should be scripted by you.

3. Have Life Insurance in place

Do not leave your family in a financial bind. Again---I keep saying this--can we just assume you death is unpredicted and very sad and traumatic. Don't compound that tragedy with the terror of not knowing how to keep a roof over our heads and food in our bellies, much less how to pay for a funeral. This is a Dad site. Most of the time Dad is a or the breadwinner for the family. Life insurance IS NOT hitting the lottery. Life insurance is Income replacement and covering some immediate expenses. Life insurance money is to be invested and not spent. Because we need that money to create money every year for the rest of time. That brings up 2 important points. 1.) Your family needs to know what to do with the life insurance money. 2.) You need to know how much life insurance to have.

So once again, Talk with your family and communicate what life insurance is for and who will handle it.

Get at least 10 times your annual income. And more if you can afford it. Always TERM life insurance. The whole life and cash value policies are insane in price, provide less support and are TERRIBLE investment vehicles. Term insurance is cheap and protects your family if you die. That's what we want. Depending on how well you invest you can reasonably expect a 8-12% return. So a 500K life insurance policy could reasonably kick out $50K a year for the rest of their lives. There are bad years and good years so having a better cushion if you can afford it is certainly recommended.

4. Make sure you’re not the glue that bonds the family.

Sure it feels good to be that important and that loved. For the sake of our loved ones we want there to be continuity in the family long after we are gone. For me I want my family, my kids specifically, to have relationships with each other outside of me. I want to raise kids that encourage each other and build each other up in their lives. I see a lot of criticism and tearing each other down. And before you ask HOW to teach that, know that it’s a culture you create in your family. It means you model that behavior. You reward and encourage that behavior. You call out contrasting behavior. These things aren’t done once. It’s a lifestyle. A consistent culture. I want my family to be strong long after I’m gone. I don’t want to leave them broken and dysfunctional.

5. Make sure you are not a crutch. Financially or emotionally.

This goes back to independence. At the end of our 18 years of heavy influence our babies need to be able to fly on their own. Hunt and gather on their own. Provide for themselves. It is crippling to be the person that can’t survive adulthood without mom and dad. It doesn’t feel good to be that person to have to be dependent on mom and dad’s support to get them through life. And if I am being honest, they feel like a failure because you failed to teach them how to be independent. And your death—especially when it's sudden—is going to yank that crutch out from under them and leave them in a bad place.

Measure your success as a parent by these two things:

How much love is in your relationship?

The ability for the child to grow into a fully-functioning, productive adult.

Love is super important. So is independence.

Follow 100% DAD on www.100dad.com & Social: Instagram: @100Dad Facebook: @100Dad TikTok: @100Dad YouTube: 100% Dad Twitter: @The100Dad

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cali-holland · 7 years

Text

Tangled- Tom Holland One Shot

Pairing: Tom Holland X Reader

Prompt: You don’t recognize your childhood best friend after six years apart.

Word Count: 2500

Masterlist Tom Holland Masterlist

*Gif is not mine*

~~~

2011

“I’m not that excited about leaving, mum. I’ve told you all of this before- I’ve got friends here.” You sighed as you helped her unload empty boxes from her car.

“Why don’t you go inside? I’ll move these.” She said and you nodded. Following her directions, you walked up your driveway to your door. You opened it and were stunned instantly.

“Surprise!” All of your friends cheered, standing inside your entryway.

“What-” You started in confusion, but your best friend cut you off.

“We couldn’t let you leave without a proper farewell party.” Tom stated, giving you a tight hug.

“You shouldn’t have.” You said, looking around at all of your other friends with a smile on your face.

The party was the most fun you had had in months. Ever since the news of you leaving London for Los Angeles was announced, solemness seemed to take over all of your hang outs. Tom was the last one to leave for the night, as usual. You two stood on your front porch talking under the light from the moon.

“I hope you like Los Angeles.” He said.

“Me too.” You replied.

“And you promise not to forget us- forget me?” Tom asked.

“How could I forget you? You’re my best friend, Tom, and you did all of this for me.”

“That’s the thing, Y/N.” He took a deep breath before continuing his thought, “I did all of this for you because I wanted to be more than that.”

“Really?” You asked.

“Yes. I know this is terrible timing and that we’re young, but, Y/N, I love you.” Tom said. You inhaled a sharp breath at his confession. Sure, you loved Tom, but it felt more like a platonic love than a romantic love. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Enjoy California, Y/N. I’ll miss you. Farewell.” He smiled at you, before he left your house forever.

You stood on your porch for another moment, taking in everything you had just heard. Your best friend confessed his true feelings for you and you stayed silent, letting him walk away from you forever. Sighing, you stepped back inside your house.

~~~

2017

“21 year-old Y/N Y/L/N stunned the D23 Expo red carpet as she promoted her latest work, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. In an interview with Extra, the Oscar winner discussed her excitement about the expo as well as her future films. When asked if she would portray the beloved Princess Rapunzel in Disney’s planned live-action film, the actress simply stated that she loved the character and would be open to play her. Do you think this rising star will be a good choice for the film? If so, who would you chose to be her Flynn Rider?”

“Can we shut this off?” You asked your hairstylist.

“Why? You don’t like watching media outlets talk about you?” She laughed, but doing as you had requested.

“Oh yes, I really enjoy watching them discuss ‘rumors’.” You said sarcastically, using quotation marks around rumors. Both you and your stylist knew you would be Rapunzel. You had landed the role right before the expo and Disney was keeping the news a secret, until they found their Flynn Rider. The casting team had finally gotten the list of possible actors down to nine and you were to do screen tests with them to see if they had any on-screen chemistry with you.

After going through eight of the actors and only somewhat liking one, you were exhausted.

“You can’t give up now. You’ve got one more.” Your manager said as you got some water.

“I know. I just hope this one isn’t as dry. I mean, they can all act and they all resemble Flynn in a way, but I just don’t feel like I could work with any of them for a few months. There was one, but even then I could imagine us being distant costars.” You replied and she rolled her eyes at you in a playful manner.

“Y/N, the last actor is here.” The director called for you. You headed back over to the new actor in the room.

“Hi, I’m Y/N. I play Rapunzel.” You said, holding your hand out to him.

“I’m Tom, auditioning for Flynn.” He replied. As he shook your head, you felt him tense up.

“Don’t be nervous. You’ll do fine, Tom.” You stated, taking your seat in front of the camera.

“Right.” Tom said with a shaky voice as he sat down.

“And, action.” The director called.

“I know why you’re here, and I’m not afraid of you.” You said in a stern tone.

“What?” Tom asked in shock.

“I’m not afraid of you. How did you find me?” You questioned, sending him a faux intimidating look. He gulped, but didn’t reply as scripted. In an even more serious tone, you repeated it.

“I know not who you are nor how I cam eot find you but I may I just say,” He said in a sultry voice, before shifting to a more casual tone, “hi, how ya doin’? Name’s Flynn Rider. How’s your day going?”

“Who else knows my location, Flynn Rider?” You asked, unamused.

“Alright, Blondie-” He started.

“Rapunzel.”

“Gesundheit. Here’s the situation: I was galvanizing through the forest and I came across your tower and I-I- oh no, where is my satchel?” Tom asked, frantically.

“Somewhere you’ll never find it.” You answered smugly.

“It’s in that pot, isn’t it?”

“Cut!” The director said and the two of you stood from your seats.

“Good job, Tom.” You informed him, honestly enjoying his performance.

“Thank you. You too, Y/N.” Tom replied. You froze at his use of your name and he simply looked at you expectantly.

“Y/N-” Your manager called you over to her. She pulled you off to the side to discuss your schedule as the director spoke with Tom. Your eyes remained fixed on Tom as you tried desperately to place him, for you believed you had seen him before.

“Well done. I think you have a safe shot on getting this role.” You heard the director say.

“Really?” Tom asked in surprise and the director nodded.

“Alright, well, you best be going. Good work, Mr. Holland.” You jolted up immediately as you connected the dots. Your chair crashed to the ground and everyone looked at you, but your eyes remained fixed on Tom.

“Y/N, what is it?” Your manager asked, but you didn’t hear her as you made your way over to Tom.

“It’s you.” You said and he smiled.

“I was hoping you’d remember me.” He laughed lightly and you hugged him tightly in reply.

“I’m so sorry.” You pulled away from the hug and placed a hand on his cheek, “You look so different.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Tom asked.

“Good.” You replied, making both of you laugh.

“Y/N,” Your manager cleared her throat. You two returned to earth and pulled away from one another, “You two know each other?”

“Yeah, we were friends before I moved to L.A..” You explained. The director and the casting director gave each other a look and then silently nodded.

“Mr. Holland,” The director said.

“Yes?” He answered.

“You got the part.”

“You’re serious?” You asked in surprise as Tom stood silently shocked.

“Of course. You two have history together and your on-screen chemistry was fantastic- definitely the most convincing Flynn we’ve seen all day.”

“Thank you so much.” Tom said, shaking the director’s hand politely.

“You’re welcome.”

“Y/N, your interview.” Your manager reminded you.

“Oh right.” You nodded and then turned to Tom, “I have to go, but would you like to meet up later?” You asked and he raised his eyebrows at you in shock, so you clarified, “You know, to catch up?”

“Yeah, that sounds great.” Tom replied, taking out his phone and handing it to you. You did the same and the both of you put your numbers in the phone, before switching.

“Alright, well I’ll see you later.” You stated.

“Farewell, Y/N.” He answered, making you subconsciously blush. He left the room with a smile and you were rushed off to your interview, where you would confirm your involvement in the live-action version of Tangled.

~~~

In between breaks, you had set up a time with Tom for him to come over to your place in Beverly Hills. Right on time, he arrived and, a few moments later, the pizza replied.

“So, you left London and made it big in Hollywood?” Tom asked before he took a bite of his pizza. Tangled played on the TV in the background; the both of you decided to watch it together to better your understanding of the characters.

“It wasn’t intentional, but I found out that a lot of my friends at my high school were auditioning for this one role and I decided to try it out. It was the Fault in Our Stars and I somehow landed the role of Hazel Grace. I discovered that I actually loved doing it; it was fun, so I kept doing it. Now, I’m in Star Wars and I’m going to be a Disney princess.” You laughed with a shrug as if the outcome of your random idea was normal. “You were made for the spotlight- I wasn’t.”

“You were, you just didn’t plan on it like me.”

“Come on, Tom, you were Billy Elliot and I was that person in the crowd cheering you on.”

“Agree to disagree?” Tom suggested and you nodded with a laugh. “You really didn’t recognize me? You honestly had no idea I was famous?”

“Whoa, Tom, don’t sound too cocky there.” You teased.

“You know what I meant.”

“I knew that there was a new Spider-Man and that was it.” You said in all seriousness, “You know me, I’ve never been a fan of superhero movies. And I’ve been too busy with my career to see a Spider-Man ad and recognize it as my childhood best friend.”

“I feel like I should be offended by all of this.” He stated.

“If it makes you feel any better, I haven’t watched any Spider-Man movies, but I’d still say you’re the best one.”

“That’s it! After this movie, we’re watching Spider-Man.” Tom said.

“Which one?” You asked.

“All of them.”

“There’s like ten!”

“There’s only six, including mine.”

“I’m not watching six movies in a night.”

“Of course not in a night. Some will be in the early hours of the morning.” Tom laughed and you groaned.

“Fine, let me get comfortable on the couch.” You said, moving from the table to the couch with Tom following you. He sat down and you sat beside him with your head on his shoulder, just like old times.

You two remained like that for most of the movie. You did shift around to get more comfortable, but you still ended up with your head leaning on him, cozily snuggling up to him.

“You know you’re going to have to go through singing lessons, right?” You asked.

“Yeah. They made me sing for an audition and figured I was good enough to continue through the ranks and sing with you.” He replied as the lantern scene began.

“We should sing this, just because it’s the big duet.” You said.

“You really want me to?” He asked.

“You don’t have a choice.” You stated, making him chuckle. You begna to sing along with Rapunzel in the film, “All those days watching from the windows, all those years outside looking in, all that time never even knowing just how blind I’ve been,” You finished Rapunzel’s part and Tom took over for Flynn’s.

“All those days chasing down a daydream, all those years living in a blur, all that time never truly seeing things the way they were,”

You both finished off the song, and you smiled over at Tom.

“You’ve got a lovely voice.” He said.

“Thanks. You too.” You replied. His phone buzzed and he looked down at the text with a laugh, “What is it?”

“You remember Harrison Osterfield? My buddy from Brit school?” Tom asked and you nodded, vaguely remembering him, “He just texted me saying 'How’d your audition go? Did you meet Y/N? She’s Rapunzel- I can’t believe our friend is Rapunzel’.”

“Aw, so Harrison’s happy I’m a Disney princess now.” You laughed.

“Here, let me take a pic of you to send him. He’s gone piss himself.” Tom said, switching his phone to the camera setting. You smiled as he took a picture of you to send to Harrison.

“I’m glad you and Harrison are still friends.” You said, “I really missed both of you. I’m sorry, again, for not recognizing you.”

“Quit apologizing. If you hadn’t been on TV so much, I wouldn’t have recognized you.” Tom replied.

“You’ve watched my movies?” You asked.

“Who hasn’t seen Star Wars? And Harrison’s sister made him watch the Fault in Our Stars, so naturally he made me watch it with him.”

~~~

2019

“Are you ready?” Your driver asked you as he prepared to open his door.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” You replied and he nodded, stepping out of the car. He came around to your door and opened it for you. The screams increased in volume as you stepped out onto the red carpet. Your eyes stung already as flashes went off from every direction. You looked up down the carpet and saw Tom finishing up his photos. He smiled and waved at you, which you did back to him. You posed in front of the purple and pink background, reading Tangled in large gold letters.

“Y/N, is it true that you and Tom knew each other before filming?” An interviewer asked and you nodded.

“Yes, we were friends, but I moved away and then we ended up meeting again when he was cast as Flynn.” You explained. You were about to add more, but you were stopped when someone kissed your cheek. You turned to find Tom standing beside you with a large smirk on his face.

“You look beautiful.” He said.

“Tom, I’m trying to do an interview.” You laughed.

“What? I can’t admire my girlfriend?” Tom asked as if he had done nothing wrong and you playfully rolled your eyes at him. He kissed you properly on the lips this time. “I’ll see you inside, darling.” He took off towards the entrance to meet up with his family and Harrison.

“I’m so sorry about that. He’s clingy.” You joked, despite being flustered.

#tom holland #tom holland one shot #tom holland imagine #tom holland headcanon #tom holland x you #tom holland x reader

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blackkudosuniverse · 4 years

Text

Matt Robinson

Remembering Matt Robinson.

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Matt_Robinson_(actor)

Matthew Thomas "Matt" Robinson Jr. (January 1, 1937 – August 5, 2002) was an American actor, writer and television producer. Robinson was the first actor to portray the character of Gordon Robinson on the long–running PBS children's TV program Sesame Street. When Sesame Street began in 1969, not only did Robinson play Gordon, but he also provided the voice of the puppet Roosevelt Franklin and also was one of the show's producers. He left the show in 1971. In later years, when producers needed a last name for the Gordon character, then played by Hal Miller and then Roscoe Orman, they used Matt's last name.

Family, early life

Career

Sesame Street

Roosevelt Franklin

Post-Sesame Street

The Cosby Show (1983–1990)

The Confessions of Stepin Fetchit (1993)

Awards and honors

* Daytime Emmy Awards – 1983, nominated (along with Bob Brush, Harry Crossfield, Martin Donoff, and Howard Friedlander) for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming-Writing for Captain Kangaroo

* Distinguished Alumnus Award from Penn State University (1994)

* 42nd NAACP Image Awards

Personal life

Death

#01/01 #08/05 #black history

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dapperfvck-arc · 7 years

Note

🔥 The TV show... (Because I really want to know exactly why you don't like it [or hate it?] because i'm so freaking curious. Also I think in general a Constantine TV show would do best on AMC rather than NBC... FEEL FREE TO COMPLETELY RANT. I WANT TO KNOW. Please.)

Unpopular Opinion Time!

Oh boy. Hooooo boy. I’m still going to be relatively gentle, because honestly, I’m saving my true vitriol for the times that I must defend my choice not to RP it or for the hysterical consensus opinion from the fandom that TV show was an improvement over the film (lol nope, aside from Matt Ryan “looking the part” but that’s a whole other can of worms).

Note: Cut for length and maybe a bit of brutality in my honesty.

*sighs* Ok, I’ll first preface this with that I still have like four episodes to go. Obviously, I have massive issues in the needless changes made to the adaption of comic canon. It was unnecessary to make Chas American while retaining the fact that he’s John’s oldest and best of friends. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but who knows. Maybe it’s explained a little better in one of the last few episodes, but you know. My hopes aren’t high. I don’t like Chas’s virtual invulnerability, not just because it takes away the stakes of the danger he’s putting himself in, but also? It’s a plot device scarcely used? So why make that choice if it’s not going to be capitalized on with meaningful frequency? I hated that Zed was portrayed as a novice, and that the teeth were taken out from the Newcastle Incident. Now obviously, I understand why they’d have to alter a bit of it due to Network censorship, but at the same??? I mean child abuse and sexual violence are nothing new on shows like Law and Order: SVU and Criminal minds so…Idek, it kind of comes off as an excuse. It’s not a child’s show. Maybe it could be argued that it was marketed toward teenagers, but it’s not like they’re ignorant to those horrors in the world. I’m not asking them to show Astra’s rape, just to acknowledge the true horror of the situation instead of making it all about John’s failure. So yeah, I was annoyed by the occasional attempt to adapt source material and completely mucking it all up.

Now to begin with, I completely get the SP/N’s fandom bitterness more than ever. Before watching it I thought they were just trying to be like “whaaaat, another show about magic and exorcism? Of course it’s a ripoff because don’t you know our fandom invented those things?” I honestly believe the crux of the issue is that NBC clearly wanted their own SP/N as well as to cash in the popularity of comic book based media, so there’s that. To me, it comes off as a shameless cash grab. I honestly believe if I felt like there was some kind of passion from its creators, I could have dealt with some of those changes, but I don’t get that. It’s been a soulless experience overall. Like it’s not been a matter of me nitpicking like “oh this is wrong, this has been changed, boo hoo, it’s not all existential horror and fucking and drugs.”

Because frankly...I just think it’s a bad show. It’s poorly written, poorly made, poorly researched, poorly acted, it’s just bad. The main issue I have with it is that it’s a lot of telling and not showing. There’s not a lot of tension or foreshadowing, just “boom this is how it is” and so much exposition. John, for example, about half of his dialogue in any given show is verbal exposition. It’s frustrating, tbh. Like, it doesn’t make sense for me in this day and age for a TV show, even on a network channel, to be this bad. Over the past several years, television series have improved exponentially in content and writing. It’s not shameful anymore to start off on TV anymore. We’re in a very exciting time that television and cinema are almost completely on equal par of perceived quality. So yeah, it’s been an even greater disappointment for me because it’s not just that they fuck with the source material but because on top of that it’s literally a bad show. I’m not one bit surprised that it wasn’t renewed because there just...Isn’t enough to like about it. It’s not faithful enough to the comic to secure that base of fans and it’s not good enough to be taken for face value.

The other massive issue I have is the portrayal of magic, which honestly extends to DC’s handling of Hellblazer and John as well. See, what you have to understand is that predominately, throughout the Vertigo series, it’s clear to me that most of its writers either have some awareness of how magic works or at least have done their research. I can follow the logic and ritual in what he’s doing. Let me tell you a little something about magic. It's all about focus and will. You can do and say whatever the hell you want as long as you're putting your intent behind it. The ritual of spell work, use of candles, crystals, incense, chanting, incantations, etc. are meant to be the focus of a magician's energy and will on a particular result, but it could be attempted without as well. To explain it in more fantastical terms, in Harry Potter casting without a wand is considered impressive. This implies that the wizard's focus and will is so strong that they no longer need a wand to draw out their intent. Now I get it. By this understanding magic doesn't make good TV viewing (I guess...), but my main concern with this series is there's no attempt to portray an iota of witchcraft's reality along with the fantastical. Now part of this problem is that they've removed a great deal of John's innate ability. He can no longer see spirits/ghosts and there is no mention to his connection to synchronicity (as far I’ve seen, mind). Instead of happening to end up where he needs to be or what have you, he's following a map, and he uses a lot of artifacts and other implementation to get the job done. Which bothers me on a few levels. For one, it imbues the focus, not the caster with the power, which is not how magic works (at least in the sense of portraying gritty urban fantasy), and for two, it's very much against character. Let me give you an example: In the two part story Newcastle Calling, at the end of it, John hands a dying man a twig, telling him it's the finger bone of St. Cavartigan and that it's known to bring relief to those in need. He tells him to squeeze it tightly and focus on the pain going away. Near the end of the scene, the young man tells John that it's working. A couple things can be taken away from this scene: John's will was that the dying man would believe as he was told and his instructions were rote ritual. By contrast, in the series, John would probably had actually given him a Saint's fingerbone. You see the comparison takes the power of the scene away, as well as the mystery. Is the power of John's suggestion so strong that he could make the guy believe by holding that twig his pain would do away? Or was he so desperate to believe in order to not die in pain? You can interpret it either way. Hell, I could invent other interpretations, but going by what I believe would happen in the show, it can only be interpreted in the most literal sense. Now, to be honest, most television shows portray magic poorly. Even movies do a better job while keeping fantastical elements. The Craft, for all it’s 90s cheese, is a great example of this. So I suppose I could be blamed for getting my hopes up to be dashed because it’s just following the formula of 95% of all TV shows that feature a magical element or theme, but I mean...it’s not like Buffy or Charmed that was working without a script, so to speak. The TV series had a ready made blueprint and still chose to take the mumbo-jumbo bullshit route. Now, I have a lot of theories on the why for this, but that’s another post altogether and this has already gone on for way too long and I still have more to say.

Now, I guess I should, at least briefly, touch on the elephant in the room: Matt Ryan as John. What did I think? Because a lot of people have told me that he’s the shining beacon of this show, even literally admitting that yeah, it’s a poor representation of Hellblazer but that Matt Ryan man, he’s great! The problem that I have is that it’s not a good a show, and so no, I don’t like him in the role. I’m not going to compare him to Keanu because that’s not fair for a number of reasons, and maybe I’m a little biased because I adore Keanu (there’s also that can of worms I mentioned earlier, which is honestly yet another separate post lol). The way John’s written for this show, he’s positively insufferable. He’s not charming at all, which is find the most offensive, because one thing that can be said across all series and iterations of the character is that John is magnetic even despite xyz (he’s dangerous, he can be an asshole, he’s unreliable, etc.). Here he’s just a know-it-all, condescending prick. Now I do think with better writing, in a better representation of John’s character and Hellblazer in general (and maybe with a voice coach or director to discourage that Welshy intonation because yeah, his accent does irritate the shit out of me, but I’ve been very vocal about that before and honestly, at this point, I’ve come to realize that Ryan’s vowels are the least of this show’s problem), I think he has potential to be a fine John. As it stands in the media he’s portrayed John in so far (idk, maybe he was good on Arrow, but I’m talking the TV Series here and the JLD animation, which I’ve admittedly not seen, but I hated the comic so I’m not real likely to give that a chance considering my disposition toward the source material), I’m not entirely sold on him. Like if they tried another TV series for Hellblazer and didn’t cast him in the role, I wouldn’t be upset over it.

I do agree that it probably could have been better on another channel, but here’s the rub, all the blood and gore and sex and loose censorship in the world could not save that show without better writing and direction. It could have been a fine show even on network if it had been crafted with some degree of caring. Let me give you an example off the top of head, namely the handling of the Newcastle incident. It was laid out pretty plainly within a few episodes. Alterations from canon aside, it doesn’t portray the horror of it at all and is one of the show’s many missed opportunities to really play up the scarier, more mysterious elements of John’s backstory. For example, instead of laying it out in a sloppy flashback with a laughable puppet, picture this scene instead: John is having a chat with someone, maybe Zed or Chas or some b-plot character. Something reminds him of the Newcastle incident and he gets a far off look in his eyes. The folly drops away to an eerie silence as the camera comes in tight on John's expression. Filling up the silence is a little girl's scream, then the voices of his friends, perhaps some sounds of violence, an inhuman sound or voice, it all blends together to become a hellish cacophony of sound as John's expression becomes more strained. Then suddenly the other person calling his name snaps him out of his reverie. The screams stop, the folly returns, and the scene appears jarringly normal. John shakes his head, makes a joke, and they move on. Yeah, that kind of scene has been done before, but the reason for that is it’s effective without giving away the whole story. It shows that this is a man haunted by something horrible. It’s also cheap and doesn’t necessitate straining the no doubt thin budget of a TV show that has yet to prove itself worthy of having more money thrown at it.

Honestly, the issues I have with this show are innumerable and I’m just scratching the surface here and laying out my biggest problems. I could nitpick for days, and that’s the reason I’ve stayed mum about my opinions. There are people that follow me and that I write with that really like and care about the show, and I don’t want to make them feel...you know, bad about it or that they can’t talk to me or whatever. You know, if they found it enjoyable more power to them. I just didn’t and that’s maybe on me. By no means am I trying to bash the show here (because lord if I wanted to, I could), but to offer up what was requested, and that’s my undiluted opinions and feelings about the series. Of course I’m sorry that I couldn’t share the joy and that I couldn’t even like it on a similar level that I do the film (as a very solid AU, which people have tried to sell the show as to me, knowing my previous understanding of some of the changes made that deviate strongly from canon. As I said, maybe if it had been better made and written, I could, but as it stands currently, I can’t and unless real changes are made in the future, I’m unlikely to alter my opinion of it).

So yeah that’s it. Apologies that this got so very long, but as you can tell, there’s been a lot that I’ve been holding back.

#idk some bloody punter ( anon )#do you need a light too? ( asks answered )#eyyyy so I got real honest here #probably a little more than I intended #I would not click the read more if you aren't prepared for me to be very frank on my opinions #by no means do I bash it #but I'm not kind to it either #so reader be warned and all that rot #unpopular opinion

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fyrapartnersearch · 3 years

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Looking for some sci-fi shenanigans!

Obligatory long post ahead warning: this post is quite long (in fact it’s a mega post in many ways) and I know it may be intimidating to some readers but please don’t let it put you off if you’d still like to rp with me :)

-third person only with correct spelling, grammar and punctuation.

- at least two small (no less than seven lines) paragraphs per post as well as being willing to write more if the situation calls for it. Please do not contact me intending to give me only small paragraphs with each response as the above is simply the bare minimum I’ll accept if there’s not much going on in the rp that warrants a full paragraph. I require detail too so please be aware of that as well.

-no one liners, one worders, script talk, poorly written sentences or just laziness in general.

This isn’t terribly much to ask for as picky as it sounds.

I only rp as male characters, as it’s simply my preference and will do MxM or FxM pairings. I will not double and I do not play multiple characters. I don’t do sub/dom dynamics (though I will admit I have been looking to explore a less dominant side for my characters given the position they tend to be automatically thrusted into) when it comes to any aspect of the relationship. My characters are also non human (they’re aliens since this is a sci-fi rp after all) but what species your character is doesn’t matter to me at all as long as it’s not some god modded Mary Sue. Please remember that alien simply means a creature not from earth. Aliens can have fur, scales, feathers, etc, depending on where they come from. An alien with fur or scalies is not a furry or a scalie and please do not refer to them as such as it’s rude to label someone’s character as something they’re not. I will not write with someone who will insist that the theory of chimpanzees and humans unable to crossbreed should apply to hybrid characters regardless of whether they’re alien/alien or human/alien. This is fiction, not reality. Please also do not control my characters or dictate their actions. My characters are also premade and only have descriptions, I don’t do face claims or pics. I also do not care if you make a character up on the spot.

If you require realism or dislike fur on anything, even if it was simply to be a fur covered human, then I am not the rper for you.

Forced:

*”there’s no such thing as a bad person. Only bad choices.” Is a saying that is older than time itself. For many who are forced into a position where they have no other choice but to put their morals aside and do as they’re told, this is all too true. A space farer is captured by criminals and forced to choose between death or working as the criminals captain’s personal assistant. That means every order has to be obeyed and every rule must be followed or consequences will be dealt by force. As time passes and life go ons, the captured spacer starts to see his predicament in a different light.*

(Important point of notice: I will be playing the captured spacer. You will be playing the captain.)

The hunter and the hunted:

*bounty hunting was one of the few illegal professions in the galaxy that made any trouble you got into for participating in the act of killing or kidnapping someone for worth it depending on who it was you’d been given the task of tracking down. Many bounties were more profitable alive of course since it cut back on many of the legal troubles one could face if caught with a dead body. A galaxy renowned bounty hunter has been tasked with taking down one of the roughest and most wanted criminals known to man and alien with the orders to return them dead or alive. Will they succeed or fail like many before them have?*

(Important point of notice: I shall be playing the criminal. You shall be playing the bounty hunter.)

Forbidden romance:

*aliens and humans are forbidden from associating with one another in any way that isn’t political. Whilst the two races have put aside enough of their differences to coexist in their own little pockets of space, not everyone is accepting of the idea that the two different species could live together as one, let alone ever simply just coexist peacefully together without insisting that alien planets and human planets are to be kept seperate. To trespass on the strictly human or alien occupied planets is a crime that few dare to commit. What starts out as a simple act of one sided rebellion and show of courage turns into an unanticipated adventure.*

(Important point of notice, I shall be playing the alien. I’m open to this also being an alien X alien pairing.)

Space criminals and the law:

*humans and aliens have been living amongst each other side by side ever since humanity dared to venture beyond the Milky Way and made first contact with aliens. With the solar system no longer being man’s only playground other planets were quickly colonised under the new alliance between extraterrestrials and Homo sapiens. Whether you were an alien, human or a hybrid did not matter in the known galaxies. All that mattered was who you were. Not everyone took to the integration very well (there were numerous protests on both sides) but most people were willing to share in the hopes of peace. Not everyone had good intentions though……*

Trouble in the alien kingdom:

*the planet of (insert generic planet name here) was one of prosperity, hardship and wealth. The kingdom of (insert generic kingdom name here) was ruled by a king and a queen whose heir was betrothed to a rival planet in the hopes that a political marriage would prevent another war from happening. Only problem was that no one could see the rival planets true plans….all but one. Unfortunately no ones going to listen to a deranged commoner who probably may not even be telling the truth. What’s one to do when no one will listen?*

Exile:

*The wind howled as thunder crashed and shrieked all around the abandoned cargo ship. Rain pelted the metal hull, turning the ground into a cold, treacherously slippery and muddy shallow river. The ship itself had crashed into the planet countless centuries ago and was slowly being reclaimed by the environment. Plants grew from cracks in the floor as moss and vines decorated the walls. A figure sat miserably hunched in what was once the cockpit of the ship, their only shelter from the raging elements outside but not from the storm that raged inside of them. The figure leapt to their feet as the sounds of footsteps in the mud drew closer and they held their breath. Who would dare to venture out here on such a miserable night?*

War of the worlds:

*humans and aliens were never meant to coexist peacefully with one another. There was too much fear, Too much misinformation and too much bias on both sides for such a thing to have ever been successful. It was the humans fault that the war had started. They were the ones who’d shot down the alien ship that had been packed with specially chosen diplomats that represented each alien race known to the galaxies they dwelled in that had been on their way to earth to negotiate a truce and a plan for peace. They hadn’t even hesitated to shoot the ship full of aliens yet they’d been surprised when war had been declared on the spot. Two races. Two worlds so different yet the same fighting one another for what was either a mistake or intentional murder.*

Rehab:

*The UGWP alliance (unite the galaxies for the protection of all worlds and for peace alliance) portrayed themselves as calm, charismatic and kind men and women who held only the thoughts of a life together with all species living happily together. They advertised campaigns for inter species jobs, provided information to the public about human/alien interactions and encouraged diversity amongst planets. Their rehabilitation program for troublesome fellows was considered to be a god send to try and cut down on the amount of space related crimes. No one ever questioned what went on beyond the closed doors to the facility, if they did, the UGWP would have their darkest secrets revealed. Something they strove to keep under wraps. When the arrival of a particularly wild prisoner occurs, the threat of their first failure and first escaped prisoner is lurking around the corner.*

(Important point of notice: in this rp idea I’d be playing said prisoner, I don’t mind if you choose to be one as well.)

Captured:

*Space criminals have been around ever since advanced technology allowed others to travel and live in space as if they were living anywhere else. They’re often cunning, tricky to catch and more often than not are clever at disguising themselves whenever those wanted posters come up. It takes skill to be on the wrong side of space law and true talent to get away with it. The galaxy’s current most wanted man has finally been captured by an alliance captain and his crew. Will he beg for mercy? Will he be given a trial before being thrown into a cell to rot or will he be given a chance to turn himself around with some hard labour?*

(Important point of notice: I’ll be playing the criminal for this one. You will be the alliance captain)

Enslaved:

*imagine living the life of one of the most successful people on the run that could exist. Galaxies trembled at your name. You and your crew swam in wealth and the going was good. Mutiny, sadly and sometimes not sadly, exists on its own accord. One man reflected on this as he was forced to his feet. A collar attached to a chain and electromagnetic handcuffs prevented his escape as he stood for all those who cared to glance as they walked by in the market to see. No one wants to have their only life’s purpose to be to serve another……only sometimes people don’t get that choice.*

(Important point of notice: I’ll be playing the slave/servant. You’ll be the master/mistress.this is one of my cravings but of course, it’s readers choice as to which idea we do : ) )

Betrothed:

*for as long as there has been civilisation and leaders, there has been arranged marriages. Arranged marriages, or betrothals as they were more often called, consisted of pairing two people together and making them get married in order to secure ties to another land or another planet. Political marriages benefited everyone but the married pair it always seemed. After all, you couldn’t possibly be happy being married to a complete and utter stranger? How does one who is betrothed build a life of love and prosperity when the one who bears the rings of their union is not the one who also bears their heart?*

(Important point of notice: this can go two ways, either our characters are betrothed to each other or one character is betrothed. The idea has endless possibilities)

Invasion:

*march 18th in the year of 6079 was the day that the aliens invaded earth. They’d been planning the take over for some time as they came prepared and easily took out Earth’s defence forces. No one knows exactly why the extraterrestrial beings from the outer worlds came to the humble blue and green planet the humans had existed on for millions of years nor did they seem to have any true intentions known other than conquering the planet and taking it for their own. This has led to the belief that all aliens must be the cruel monsters the humans stories have made them out to be. What happens when the actions of one alien puts that to the test?*

(Important point of notice: I’m open to having this idea turned around and having the humans invade an alien world to take over.)

The chosen:

*The galaxy alliance had chosen its newest crew to serve and protect the known galaxies. Five young cadets who’d graduated at the top of their classes and would hopefully mark the start of a new generation of spacers and heroes. The leader of the new crew has yet to be decided and tensions are high because of this. Can differences be put aside and acceptance shown? Or will nothing but chaos ensue?*

The Walking wounded:

*when one worked as a galaxy defence force member, they were on the frontline of everything. Every battle. Every loss. Every victory. Every struggle that the force went through they had to be there and follow the rules. You could not kill an unarmed person regardless of whether they were hostile or not. You could not turn down a plea for help even when there was reasons to suspect something was amiss. In simple terms: you simply couldn’t do anything that would make your morals be questioned. What happens when even the captain says to leave all those rules and everything you were taught by the door when faced with someone who seems to be the exception to the rule. What’s the right thing to do not by them but the entire galaxy?*

Stowaway:

*the galaxies were once a place of freedom and exploration. A place where you had no limits as to where you wanted to go. Now thanks to new laws, permits are required to access certain systems, quadrants and galaxies. Problem is, this permit is unobtainable by the average civilian so many have taken to learning the art of boarding another’s ship and hoping for the best. Discovery is more or less a matter of life and death. What happens when someone is unfortunate enough to be discovered?*

Monster:

*aliens. Aliens were terrifying beasts that were the monster in every bedtime story the humans told their children to keep them home at night. Many mothers wept when their sons and daughters applied to the space military in order to keep the extra terrestrial scum away from the galaxies they’d claimed as their own. When a human ship crashes on an alien world so far away from human civilisation it may as well not exist to the aliens and a crew member is found lost and alone by a wandering alien, will their fate be decided by a monster? Or a benevolent being?*

(Important point of notice: I will be playing the alien in this scenario. I’m also open to the characters situations being swapped around so it’s the alien who crashes.)

On the run:

*even on the most modern of planets, life on the lamb can be difficult. There’s authorities to avoid and even more rules to break in the game of survival. No one takes pity on those who have done wrong to the point that they have their face in the paper. Even if it’s not your fault will anyone give you shelter from the harsh cold winds of reality and a biased opinion. What happens when someone does take a chance on a poor wayfaring stranger? Will the wrong doer be turned in or given a new lease on life?*

Disgraced:

*when one entered the royal guard they took upon themselves an oath that bound them by blood and courage to the dedication of the protection of their king, queen and the kingdoms heirs. They were sworn to protect them from any harm whilst at the same time not allowed to use their position or power to hurt anyone else. When one breaks that oath, they are sent away in disgrace and branded as a traitor who must swear to never return. Life on the run changes people, sometimes for the better…..or for worse.*

Space pirates and nobles:

*space was a vast starry and endless sea that many voyaged across for the purpose of research, leisure or finding ones destiny. Like any real ocean, it was filled with dangers. The most feared of all was space pirates. Bands of blood thirsty cut throats and scandalous troublemakers whose sole pleasure in life was to steal, kill and take others prisoner against their will. Only pirates dare to do what other criminals would not. When a merchant ship is robbed by pirates what fate will befall the nobles onboard?*

Healing wounds, growing love:

*winter on the planet of malgor is one that is feared for its extreme weather. Snowstorms could appear out of nowhere and many a traveller had frozen to death whilst trying to make their way from one village to another. It was also a time where people were at their most vulnerable, relying on the winter harvest to feed every mouth that had been born and raised in the kingdom meant no mercy was spared for poor wayfaring strangers. When a kind soul finds a wounded outcast and decides to bring them home, they discover a threat that’s lurking just beyond the borders of their place of protection.*

The knight and the heir:

*royals could be spoilt. There was no denying that. A life of good food, wealth, the knowledge that they’d be pampered and weighed on hand and foot by servants was more than enough to turn even the most well mannered child into an insufferable brat. The knights tasked with the protection of the future royals knew this all too well. What happens when one particularly gruff, no nonsense knight refuses to bow to the whim of their future ruler and shows them what it means to be a true leader?*

The last of a dying breed:

*long ago, in a time when nobles, governments and space Pirates ruled the starry seas of space, there was a terrifying race of aliens that were considered to be the most dangerous creatures to have ever lived. When the great wars started up again due to rising tensions, the humans destroyed the planet these aliens lived on to ensure the battlefield was even. The aliens were furious at the death of an entire race and very quickly turned each and every human occupied planet into a warzone littered with their bases and encampments. Only in very small pockets of the universe does this war not exist. What happens when the last member of the species shows up on a small backwater planet?* (Important point of notice: I will be playing the alien who is the last of their kind, you are free to play as a human or the story can be made to suite a scenario where you are also an alien.)

Harden my heart:

*once upon a time, there was two friends who were the best of friends that anyone could have ever seen. Two people who had each other’s backs through thick and thin. Two people who supported each other endlessly even if their morals weren’t entirely inline with each other’s. Two friends who swore to never leave each other’s sides. Alas with the time of great growing came changes, the two friends bond had severed and they’d gone their separate ways in life. What happens when they run into each other many years later?*

(This idea is one open to brainstorming, anything is possible.)

captain on deck!:

*captains weren’t meant to fall in love with their subordinates. They were supposed to be well refined leaders who only mingled with those of a similar status. They represented the people they worked for after all, therefore they had an image that had to be strictly maintained towards the public in order to not be disgraced in any form. Behind closed doors however…..feelings were allowed to be a little more free. Secret lovers were frowned upon but one could take the risk if they were careful. After all, the captains word was law.*

yes sir!:

*order.serve.fight.lead.mourn.sleep.eat.rethink your life choices and repeat. Such was the ways of a military lifestyle on a world where war seemed to be a permanent occurrence and the leaders of every world trying their best to outspite one another with their relentless attacks that it made one think of how they could improve the boring daily routine they endured each and every day. In the army, you have to be tough if you want to be a leader. You had to be charismatic, strong, cold, incapable of doing anything that would sway you to possibly turn the other cheek and let your comrades be hurt. However, even the most stoic and battle hardened leaders can get lonely despite the fact that attachments to ones comrades outside of anything but friendship are forbidden by an unspoken law.*

I need you:

*space is a cruel mistress to even those who are experienced with charting her waters. Space, although beautiful, is often the grave of many brave explorers, soldiers and other space faring strangers. When a stranger comes to scavenge parts from a newly crashed ship in the hopes of finding something useful, they come across a familiar face. Old feelings stir and clash with one another when the crash’s survivor awakens and finds out who their rescuer is.*

Sooooo….. about those pairings. What is in Bold is what I’m going to play if we choose the scenario:

1: enemies to lovers or rivals.

2: **captured criminal** x prison guard or other prisoner.

3: two soldiers from seperate sides falling in love.

4:**low ranking ship crew member/second in command/captured space criminal** x captain.

5: **commoner/rogue/knight/street rat** x prince/princess/king/queen

6: **slave/servant** x master

7: army superior x **lower ranking soldier**

8: married person X unmarried person

9: stowaway x captain

10: nurse x **injured soldier**

11: human x **alien**

PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH ME IF:

1: YOU GHOST AT THE DROP OF A HAT.

2: YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO PUT EFFORT IN TO MEET MY REQUIREMENTS.

I’m open to discussing and potentially mixing these ideas up till we get something that we both like. If you want to learn more about a certain idea tell me the name and I shall expand on it.

The only platforms I rp on are discord,telegram and google hangouts. I will not rp on any other platform other than the ones listed. If you do not have any of those then unfortunately we cannot rp. (Important note, my discord username has changed since I last posted here.)When you reach out to me requesting an rp In the opening message tell me what idea you liked, why you liked it, give me a little introduction about you and you must put 123 somewhere in your message so that I know you’ve read all of my post. If you do not put those things in the opening message then I will not rp with you, don’t just put “hi wanna rp”. Make it interesting.

My discord: crankypurplespacecat#6187 My hangouts: [email protected] My telegram: Tiberionwars

Cant wait to rp with anyone interested!

#oc rp #multiple paragraph #para #long term #literate #original #romance #scifi #submission #long post

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knightofbalance-13 · 7 years

Text

http://dudeblade.tumblr.com/post/160557741934/the-writers-comfort-zone

I don’t hold miles, Kerry, and Grey in a high regard when it comes to their writing abilities. At least, when it comes down to writing a serialized show like RW/BY.

Considering the number of times where you attacked the writers, specifically Miles, and the amount of misinterpretation and blatant bashing and manipulation of facts, everyone who cares knows this and knows you’re biased as fuck against them so your words hold as much weight as a feather here.

Look, the Chorus Trilogy of RvB was good. Sure, it had some questionable bits (Like pretty much putting Felix in nearly every episode), but it was still enjoyable. We got to see Doc again, We got to see F.I.L.L.S/Sheila again, and Tucker’s sword-key was used for a plot point.

It was good.

Notice how Dudebalde’s one question part example isn’t the question of how Doc came back, how O’Maliey manifested, how Miles wouldn’t stop throwing in characters but concerns screentime concerning a character voiced by Miles. AKA that is a rehash of “Jaune too much screentime” And this equally bullshit considering Felix is one of the main villains and is always in the company of the other villain thus for the villains to have a presence in the story, Felix HAS to be in the episode.

Camp Camp was enjoyable. Yeah, the Hitler jokes got old in that one episode, and there were some other questionable things in there (like how some characters are portrayed, and forced to give sympathy to despite having not earned it), but it was enjoyable. I could laugh at that Romeo and Juliet parody sequel, and Nikki’s fourth-wall awareness.

It was good.

Again, the example doesn’t work, this time because you’re questionable example doesn’t have a specific instance so how would one improve on it. You were able to give a specific albeit totally incorrect example above and now you give a possible correct but too vague example here. The two definitive wrongs and you used them both in succession. Jesus.

Chibi had a lot of episodes that were either hit-or-miss. Regardless, season one had a lot of episodes (more than the first two volumes combined if you don’t count WoR). Still,the Jaune asking Weiss thing got old in Volume 2, and there was no way that it could become likable just by putting it in a comedic setting. But there were some enjoyable bits. Like those comic adaptations one, and Yang’s training montage.

It was good.

Anything concerning Jaune you have no right to argue in due to your massive bias against the guy and the guy who voices him as well as your inability to remove personal bias from your analysis. And again. your description of RWBY Chibi being hit or miss doesn’t work because that’s comedy as a whole (Being hit or miss by nature) thus useless as criticism. And now you’ve screwed up again, both times and in quick succession. Ugh...

But RWB/Y is the first time the writers have to make something with original characters, that isn’t episodic orcomedic.

They aren’t in their comfort zone.

You’re wrong on two levels. One, RWBY is classified as a Dramedy like Red Vs. Blue and thus has comedy in it so your comedic point is invalid.

Two: Red Vs. Blue stopped being episodic back in Season 6 with each episode either setting up or progressing the current plotline in a serial manner. And by your own admission, they did a good job on Chorus. So your episodic point is invalid.

They have nothing to follow, and this is why I dislike Volume 4. It just felt like nothing was planned. Four Relics? - Thrown in there to make it look cool (despite the fact that this idea was a cliché for so long, that it’s probably written in stone), and Jaune’s unnecessary upgrade (Seriously. He just sacrificed defense so that way he could do two side swings, two diagonal swings, and one overhead swing; as compared to the single sword that could parry, stab, and do many more things that a great sword could not.).

Well, this is hilarious as fuck.

1. Acting like nothing was planned despite the fact that this season WAS the planning season thus it is BUILDING the plans. Not to mention the pacing in this Volume was better than the previous Volumes which had a more steady stream of plot progression and character progression than before. Meaning this Volume was probably planned out, especially since Monty planned teh outline of RWBY with the writers as well so that’s crap.

2. Surprise, Jaune is getting bashed here! Not only is the upgrade only shown in the final episode of the Volume and said episode didn’t have Jaune as the focus no matter how much whining is made thus we haven’t seen the full extent, not only does it make sense to give Jaune the tactician the ability to switch the style he has between versatility and defensive to power and offense thus giving his team the edge in whatever they need at the time but you are arguing the practicality of a greatsword in a world of sniper scythes, shotgun gauntlets, pistol whips, rifle javelins, purse Gatling guns and so on!

3. And this is the funniest thing: You have not said a word about the Maidens despite the fact that it is confirmed that the MAIDENS were thrown in because it was cool and the relics are CONFIRMED to be planned originally, thus you completely missed the mark.

Nothing feels as if it was planned, and that’s why this Volume felt like Dawn of Justice. People wanted it. People were hyped for it. But it just didn’t live up to the hype. Yang’s complex character arc? - her nightmares and panic attacks are never mentioned after she gets her prosthetic. - Look, I get that animation is hard,and that it takes effort. - Y’know what isn’t hard? - Having a character just talk.

No, it’s just like Volume 1 and 2: Build up to a climax. Does this mean people should judge RWBY entirely on Volume 1 alone despite the fact that RWBY is a continuous story? Because this is equally foolish.

And has it not occurred to you that maybe this show made by a small company using new software, without their main animator and a limited amount of time while producing another show (chibi) and mentoring a new writer on a much older, more well respected show (Red Vs.Blue) And thus they don’t have all the time in the fucking world to do this. Apparently not, or it did and your realized you couldn’t bitch about it so you ignored it.

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that the writers are running out of ideas as to how to progress the story. Hell! They had to make Ruby state why she’s doing this journey when the audience already knew why she was doing this journey. We don’t need to be filled in on what we already know. It simply felt as if it were filler designed to give Ruby extra lines to remind us that she’s the main character.

Or, here me out, Ruby was telling other people why she was going to Mistral and thus informing the people or it was a recap style in which Ruby was restating it to ease the audience into it. I don’t know because you conveniently don’t bring up a specific instance or quote!

Also, running out of ideas huh? Are you sure that’s it and it’s not, I dunno, Volume 4 being build up thus the purpose of the Volume was to set things up for Volume 5 and not to advance the plot that far, considering the focus was on character interaction, character development and world building.

I want the show to get better, I really do. But the writers have no intent on listening to any criticism, and their lack of communication with the VAs shows that even they have some issues with how the writing is going. If they had explained to them as to what was going on, they could have offered some advice as to how to write their character.

- But they don’t. In fact, Arryn had to issue an actual apology for voicing her concerns as to how the character she was chosen to voice was acting. I don’t know if it was her own choice to do so, or if it was the writers that made her do it, but regardless, not even the voice actors know what’s going on.

Well, they have no intent on listening to criticism from people whole, manipulate facts and attack them and they have every right to do so. Even if the criticism is actual criticism and not attempts to control the show for their own agenda, the writers can still choose to rebuff criticism if they feel it isn’t needed. And considering Miles seems to be a frequent practitioner of self deprecation, if he feels it’s going alright, I’d give him a fair chance.

And you want proof you manipulate the facts? you said Arryn was apologizing for what she said on Always Open when the Twitter post is about her clarifying what she meant, which is stated to be an apology to try and make the writers look bad through the image of forcing Arryn to apologize which, as a concept, is stupid considering Arryn doesn’t work on Rooster Teeth, has other voice acting jobs and they can’t fire her because she’s a main character VA meaning if she was being mistreated as you say, she can speak up and teh writers will have to do as she says.

They get no input. They don’t get to voice their opinions about how the script is being written. It simply feels as if they’re just there to look pretty and voice the characters.

While the writers get to have all the glory of writing such an epic storyline that could do with some improvement.

Mind proving that? Mind showing us a video or tweet or anything that says they have to say the lines exactly as they are written? Because you apparently ahve never heard of ad libbing where a Voice actor can just make up or change a line on the spot, which is very much a possibility. Proof? One of the most iconic and defining lines of the horror movie villain Freddy Krueger (”Welcome To Primetime bitch!” is an ad lib so it’s entirely possible. Especially since you would need to animate everything AFTER the lines are recorded to properly sync the libs. Hence why english dubs in anime are either shit or new mouth flaps are added.

Like I said before: I’d like for them to plan out at least three volumes in advance to at least, show that they have a plan and that they aren’t shoehorning new things to make the show sound ‘cool.’

It would alleviate some concerns.

Like a certain animator who constantly threw in shit because it was cool, either spoiling plot points or character moments or bring a character in too early or completely fucking over the established universe and rules? Yeah, nice try there, unless I see a post you made criticizing Monty, I’m assuming bias against the current writers.

Also, would it kill them to hire more writers instead of spending that money on one-shot actors? - Seriously, am I the only one who has a problem with this? - All that money, WASTED! Just so they could say that they had TeamFourStar and Funimation actors in their show? - It just doesn’t feel worth it.

Like at all.

No, you are not. I actually agree that was a waste of money and could have be used better. However, this still doesn’t excuse the fact that you have manipulated the facts, lied several times and used manipulative language to try and get the readers to hate the writers. Even this point, the only one I agree with, is pretty tainted considering that Monty wasted money getting Jen Talyor to voice Salem, the main villain and not some random randos.

This was just a giant bitch fest against the writers and I advise you to shut up or learn to make criticisms that aren’t the result of misinformation and bias.

#rwde bullshit

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twopointthreeninetoone · 7 years

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Freaks (1932)

Freaks suffers from the same problem that Shallow Hal had—it used a marginalized group of people in such a way that, while the director initial intention was to defend them, he ultimately seemed to exploit them instead. This kind of movie is, for most filmmakers, a no-win situation—if you try to sugarcoat the subject, you’ll be manipulative; and if you show all the gory details of subject, you’ll be exploiting them.

The movie centers on the workings of the freak show, which were popular during in the first half of the 1900’s but have since died out. I’ve never seen a freak show; never even heard of one advertised. Nowadays, the few that are out there seem to be managed by the performers themselves, or at least are managed in such a way that the performers aren’t quite as exploited. But until the 1950’s or so, when freak shows were a fairly common form of entertainment, performers were subjugated by the shows’ owners, often paid next to nothing (or nothing at all), demeaned, and abused. The director of Freaks, Tod Browning, didn’t seem to disagree with the idea of freak shows (he actually ran away with one as a child) as much as he did with society’s view of them. He gives us sympathetic characters that are considered freaks (I’m loath to actually call them as such, but will, to make the review easier to understand)—there are Hans and his girlfriend Frieda, who are little people who live in a specially made wagon built to be proportionate with their small statures. Hans falls in love with Cleopatra, who is “normal.” Cleopatra is attracted to Hans’ wealth, and works with her lover Hercules to steal Hans away from Frieda. This is done quite easily, and soon Cleopatra and Hans are married (much to the disdain of the other freaks) and Cleopatra and Hercules are plotting to murder Hans. Cleopatra and Hercules are of course one-dimensional characters, but there are some good-hearted, non-freak characters who have a romantic (if bland) subplot of their own. There are other freaks in the show, of course; “pin-heads” (the medical term is microcephaly), little people, conjoined twins, a man born with no limbs, etcetera etcetera. All of them hate Cleopatra after she berates them at her wedding dinner, and they plot to stop the murder of poor Hans.

The scene of the wedding dinner is an interesting one, if only because it first identified the problem with the movie. It’s hard to connect with characters when they’re jumping onto dinner tables in bird costumes and dancing. I’m not saying that everyone should behave like the civilized Anglican society, but I just don’t believe that freak-show performers actually act this way. Half of the actors in the movie (actual freaks from road shows) don’t even seem to know what they’re doing. Some have physical and mental conditions that suspend their intelligence to that of a five-year-old. It boils down to the debate of what exactly is the definition of exploitation.

The problem is most prevalent in its climax. After the freaks catch Cleopatra and Hercules trying to poison Hans, they (the freaks) run them out of the caravan and hunt them down in the woods. The characters who were initially meant be sympathized with are now seen as dangerous. They all carry knives and glower as they form a ring around Hercules (Cleopatra meets a worse fate). Interesting that, in films from the 1930’s through the 50’s, often protagonists never deliberately murdered their antagonists. No matter how terrible they were, the bad guys were always killed by their own devices, or because the good guy had no other choice but to defend himself. Sometimes they weren’t killed at all. But in this case, the freaks not only intentionally kill/maim Cleopatra and Hercules, it was premeditated. It doesn’t matter how terrible Cleopatra and Hercules were, you lose whatever sympathy you might have had for the freaks when they torture and disfigure a woman. I wonder if Browning thought this out when he was writing the script. I can’t imagine him thinking, “I want to show the audience that freaks are people too and still have Cleopatra to have her comeuppance—I know, I’ll turn her into a freak!” Either it was at the behest of the studio (who subsequently disowned the film) or Browning just didn’t think this through.

In the original version of Freaks, the last scene had Cleopatra being shown in the show as “the bird woman”—apparently the freaks had amputated her legs, cut out her tongue, and somehow stuck feathers into her skin (it seems to me that this would take a while, and wasn’t in the frenzy that was originally portrayed) while Hercules sang soprano (use your imaginations to realize what happened there). This put the test audiences into an uproar, and the shots of Hercules were cut. If I was in that test audience, I think I would be offended with the entire ending. Perhaps the whole movie. To put the freaks and Cleopatra in that kind of position would be like having Rick, Ilsa, Victor, and Louis disemboweling and beheading Major Strasser at the end of Casablanca. The characters become too vengeful, and they lose their sense of decency. As offensive as it might sound, a knife to the throat would have done a suitable job.

In reality, the freaks would have been arrested and sentenced to jail or institutionalized—but the film seems to suggest that freak shows have their own sets of laws and are out of “normals’” jurisdiction. Of course, this is a movie and it uses its own logic. I’ve no problem with that. But the problems that I do have with the movie are incredibly obvious. There are films out there that present controversial minorities in all honesty, while still enabling the audience to connect with them. Freaks just isn’t one of them.

#Freaks #Tod Browning #movie review

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