#there’s a lot of nuance behind those names (like with all of Tolkien’s names)

[fandom-frenzy]

“It’s an adaptation, of course it’s going to change things!”

Alright, I want to talk about this phrase. I’ve been seeing it crop up a lot lately. The implication is that movies and shows based on books that do a direct page to screen translation are bad. They are right. The words they’re saying are true and right. But they’re usually said in order to shut down critiques from others about the adaptation.

The vast majority of adaptation critiques are fully aware that changes will happen. Sure, there are the people complaining about diverse casting or who do actually want a line by line film that are making the criticisms in bad faith. But most people when critiquing the thing are complaining about why a thing was changed.

The way I see it, there are three types of changes creators make in adaptations.

1. Changes that streamline plot or character motivation

2. Changes to highlight and bring out less explored nuances/areas of the story

3. Changes because they think their ideas will make more money/cultural impact than what was in the original

I’ve been seeing an awful lot of people calling Tolkien fans hypocrites for complaining about changes to RoP while holding up PJ’s films as a pinnacle of adaptation, when PJ made lots of changes too. These people seem to misunderstand the types of changes. Nearly all of PJ’s changes (in LotR, the Hobbit is a different story) fall under the first kind. Removing Tom Bombadil? No Scouring of the Shire? Streamlining plot. Faramir’s changes are the most inexcusable, and even then the reasoning behind it was still characterization (building up the ring’s influence over Frodo for 2 movies, then a character that just goes “Nah”). Whereas, with RoP, the most obviously glaring change is to Galadriel’s character, and the change is because....well, I guess because a woman who doesn’t swordfight and isn’t headstrong, stubborn against authority won’t sell.

That’s the same problem the Netflix Persuasion had, their changes to Anne’s character made it seem like the creators just didn’t think audiences would like a quiet, soft spoken, introverted main character.

And what I don’t get is why on earth the third type exists! If the thing was good enough to gain a following large enough that using its name and characters will make you more money than not doing that, then you should understand the reason it has a large following is for the plot and characters! THAT YOU’RE CHANGING!! And if it’s not big enough to have a following that makes using the name lucrative, then make your own thing!!

And don’t give me any of this nonsense about how it is being made for “casual fans/people unfamiliar with the thing.” If they’re unfamiliar, then they can enjoy a proper adaptation because they have no prior expectation!! If they’re a casual fan, then they still get it when a big change is made! Even casual fans knew that Perrin/Egwene was not a thing in WoT! So when you change stuff arbitrarily, because you think strong women are only those that wave a sword while quipping, or that audiences need everything spelled out to them, or because people don’t understand that a musical genre automatically includes singing, or because you think your new plot is going to make you the next GoT (Please. Please. Stop trying to become GoT. You cannot force a cultural moment) then all you do is alienate the established user base and make a mediocre product that fades from memory after all the hater-hype has died.

I don’t have a conclusion to this I just was thinking a lot and needed to get it out there.

[amethysttribble]

You can tell a lot about a Silm fan based on whether they say ‘Sauron’, ‘Annatar’, or ‘Mairon’

#I just say Sauron cause I’m boring BUT #there’s a lot of nuance behind those names (like with all of Tolkien’s names) #but you don’t see people deliberately using ‘Curufinwë’ vs ‘feanor’ do you? #good ole Sauron is like... especially nuanced in that way #tbh those names are basically different characters and people occasionally to treat them as such #which is valid and super interesting #imagine having to explain all this to someone who only knows lotr #Sauron #tolkien #the sauron saga #tribble post

[dungeonecologist]

WILD ARMS 2 - Golgotha Prison

The name is not subtle, but the reference itself is actually oddly superficial.  At the end of the dungeon, Ashley is separated briefly from the party and Lilka and Brad are captured and tied to crosses, evoking the characters Dismus and Gestas, the thieves crucified during the same execution as the biblical christ.  There is little reference to that actual narrative however, instead seeming to draw from the fact that the name Golgotha is taken to be an epithet to mean literally “A Place of Skulls,” which seems rather appropriate and obvious for an execution field.

Bookending the start and end of this dungeon, we fight the boss monster, Trask.  First in a scripted “loss” and then in a solo match with Ashley’s new dark henshin hero form, the “Grotesque Black Knight,” Knightblazer.

“Trask” is yet another transliteration* issue that comes from the juggling between languages.  It actually comes from the Tarrasque, another monster most readily identified from its appearance in the original Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual, itself originally taken from semi-obscure French myth of Saint Martha of Bethany and the Tarasque of Tarascon.

*(I realize I use this word a lot and it might not be as common use to others.  A “translation” lifts meaning between languages; a “transliteration” is to lift written characters between them.  Example: “Left” in English translates to 左[the direction] or 残[what remains] but transliterates to レフト.  Inversely 左 and 残 both translate back to English as “Left” but transliterate as “hidari” and “zan” respectively; and レフト transliterates back into English as “refuto.”)

Surprisingly, the Wild Arms 2 design (which would also go on to persist as the core design throughout the rest of the Wild Arms series) is based more on the original myth than the D&D representations tend to be: While the end product looks nothing like the depictions of the Tarasque of myth, it retains the spiked turtle shell, the prominent dual horns, poisonous quality, and fins on its head here account for being “half fish.”

Also of note is that the title card identifies it as a “Dragonoid” and it has various metallic and machine-like features.  These details are neat because it positions it as being not-quite a dragon, to work around a fact that will pop up much later: That dragons in Filgaia are extinct.  And also to play into the fact that Dragons in Wild Arms are semi-mechanical lifeforms.

In any case, our scripted loss to Trask the first time around ends with the team knocked out and imprisoned in what appears to be a disused execution ground and associated holding cells.  In our escape we run into monsters fitting the theme, who appear to be natural inhabitants, rather than guards put in place by the Odessa terrorist soldiers who are actually holding us here.

First up is the Wight, a classic undead warrior monster generally taken from D&D, but with a little more behind it than you might expect.  The term Wight in English lore actually traces back quite far as an archaic term with little to no real association with monsters.  The real intersection with name and subject comes from an early English translation of the Nordic Grettis Saga; In it the zombie-like creatures now better known as Draugr were referred to as apturgangr (lit.”againwalker”) but were translated as Barrow-wight. (lit.”[burial-]mound person”)

This may seem an odd choice, but the translation came at the hands of the eminent bookman William Morris.  I say “bookman” because he was not just a prolific author of prose and poetry, but a pioneer of the revival of the British textile and printing industry.  He and his wife, Jane Burden, did extensive arts, craft and design work in book and print design, book binding, and wall paper all stemming from the intricate design of modular and tiled printing blocks and stamps.  Oh and he translated various works of epic poetry and myth into English, including old Roman epics, French knightly romances, and of course Norse sagas. (all of which he wrote and published what was basically fanfiction of, btw)

His seemingly erroneous “translation” of the Barrow-wight came as an attempt to reflect a comparable agedness to the name: Rather than translating from old Norse into modern English, he chose what he thought a suitable old English equivalent; “Barrow” referring to pre-christian Anglo-Saxon burial mounds, and “Wight” meaning “thing” or “creature” but often used disparagingly to refer to a person.  The nuance there is actually quite clever, as the old Wight referred pretty exclusively to those living, even if it didn’t specify by definition, and that uncertainty or contradictory kind of implication uniquely fits a description of the undead.

This term would be picked up by J.R.R. Tolkein for use in Middle-Earth, retaining their lore and function from Norse legend to describe undead warriors.  And from there you can follow the usual chain of influence to D&D, where the shortened term Wight really solidified itself as synonymous with the undead, and eventually down to Game of Thrones, where George R.R. Martin cleverly brings the whole thing back around to old risen bodies of northern warriors, not unlike the Draugr of Norse myth.

Anyway in Wild Arms 2 we get some sorta death yeti ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Next up is the Ghoul, which I think we all know is a pretty generic term in modern parlance, but it’s specific origins date back to pre-Islamic Arabia.  It entered into English via translations of the original French translation of 1001 Arabian Nights, where it appears in one story as a monster lurking about the cemetery devouring corpses.

The Ghoul identity as a corpse eater quickly broadened into flesh eaters, and the association with lurking about graves in turn marked them as undead themselves until eventually the term became loosely applied to any variety of undead, including the thrall of vampires, supplanting the flesh of the dead with blood of the living and achieving a truly far removed meaning.  Even in modern Arabic the term now broadly applies to any number of fantasy monsters. 

And so long as we’re dabbling in pop culture transplants; the Arabaian word Ghul is in fact the same used in the name of the Batman villain, R’as al-Ghul, whose name/title has always been erroneously translated as “Head of The Demon.“

I have no idea why it’s a chicken with a mohawk but i love it

And finally the Bone Drake.  I don’t know that this one actually has any real specific lineage...

“Drake” is generally a synonym for dragon, although there is some case of fantasy semantics where different settings will try to define distinct body types of dragons each with their own name, in which case Drakes are often either dragons which simply don’t exceed a certain size (generally no bigger than a non-magical animal such as a dog or a horse) or a wingless variation of whatever the setting’s prototypical dragon might be.  I don’t know for certain, but I think this distinction in modern fantasy started with Tolkien’s wingless fire breathing dragon, Glaurung, and its offspring who were referred to as fire-drakes.

In any case, the specific term “Bone Drake” Doesn’t seem to appear with any visibility prior to Wild Arms 2, which leads me to believe it was just their name for a generic bone dragon-like creature.  It does make for an interesting companion, aesthetically, to Trask being here, although there don’t seem to be any implications that Trask lives in this dungeon at all.  Other than just being an obvious combination of cool fantasy things, it may also be pulled from Dungeon & Dragons’ Dracolich/Night Dragon; an undead (often skeletal) dragon raised from the dead, often by their own necromantic spells, hence the term “Lich.”  For whatever reason they are oddly reminiscent of shield crested dinosaurs like the Triceratops or Styracosaurus.

The attack Rhodon Breath doesn’t tell me anything either.  I think it’s just meant as “Rose Breath,” translating the “Rhodon” bit pretty literally, and references the smell of roses being present as a funeral, or else the palor of the faded pink color also called “Rose Breath.”  There is some apocryphal reference to a Rhodon but of no significance that I can tell.

Clearly the theme here is death and the undead, and with some small stretch on part of the Wight, we could even say skulls all befitting Golgotha’s “Place of Skulls” epithet.  It’s a really neat way to build this dungeon, albeit a little on the nose.  But I really like the idea that the dungeon appears to be abandoned and now haunted by all these reanimated corpses and bones before the villains arrive to use it for their plans.  Oddly there isn’t much of a martyrdom theme here, although we’ll get plenty of that a little later once we recruit our second magic user, summoner, christ figure, and perfect beautiful boy, Tim Rhymless to the team...

Anyway we get out, we fight Trask for real.  Ashley turns into a saturday morning superhero.  Trask gets solo’d.  And we all just kinda move along without asking too many questions...  Although the game dialogue describes this new form as a “grotesque black knight” the sprite work, 3D model, and even original character art don’t really convey much in the way of “grotesque” but in the context of the tokusatsu, henshin hero elements it’s not too hard to imagine that the design was meant to evoke a similar aesthetic to gruesome suit heroes like Guyver, Kamen Rider Shin, and Devilman.  I do love the gill/tendon-like organic vent structure in the pauldrons that stay.  And although it’s not visible in any of these images, but the D-Arts model has an exposed segment of vertebrae between the shoulders; that along with the teeth(?)/ribs on the open chest panels really helps bring out more of the “grotesque” quality of the design.

#Wild arms 2 #jrpg #psx #ghoul #wight #dungeons and dragons

[xueyaang]

15 QUESTIONS, 15 MUTUALS

Tagged by @sozotohakai​! :)

⭑ are you named after anyone ?  

Allegedly, after my Great-Grandfather, named Christian. Paternal or Maternal, I’m not sure. That’s all I know, haha

⭑ when was the last time you cried ?  

fucking hell.... every several episodes of Nirvana in Fire!! That show was such a ride. I need to watch it again. What really got me about it was the theme of stories, people, memories, etc... some coming back from the dead and all from the past long buried; everything being readdressed the way it ought to have been. And the best part that strikes me deep - justice and truth and integrity on all different levels is not ignored or thrown aside by those want change. That’s what really got me inspired and moved by this show. And also? Deep meaningful relationships linked by a past that slowly becomes uncovered through the show? The younger generation being upset at the collective disillusionment and passivity of the governing body and wanting change but powerless to do anything about it? fuck, hit me with all that good shit every time and I will betray every single hidden city for you.

Ah, I love Nirvana in Fire. If anyone watches it, please come yell at me about it.

⭑ do you have kids ?  

2 cats: one longhair boy by the name of Tyelkormo, and one shorthair tabby with white mittens by the name of Nadia. I love them both <3 No human children, and I would like to keep it that way. But if that’s what My Lady wants, then I will oblige her and make every effort to be a suitable parent.

⭑ do you use sarcasm a lot ?  

The amount of spice used and how often is pretty dependent on my mood. I don’t use it over IM or text, usually, because it can be interpreted in unintended ways. Also, if I deem that the personality I’m conversing with will take well to a dry sense of humor, I crank that shit up.

⭑ what’s the first thing you notice about people ?  

Their mood or the way they react when I start talking. Theory is that it’s indicative of some anxiety that I can only assume comes from childhood and some form of parental neglect, but the theory is pending. 

⭑ what’s your eye color ?  

Brown!

⭑ scary movie or happy ending ?

Happy ending. I don’t like to watch scary movies, I don’t enjoy them enough X’D 

⭑ any special talents ?

Same as Chris - empathy, probably, but I don’t hold it with that much value; it came at a cost and it actually makes things quite difficult for me X’D Additionally, and much more lately, a more deeply developed sense of intuition. Otherwise, not many other qualities X’D

⭑ where were you born ?  

United States

⭑ what are your hobbies ?  

Video games, writing rp, discussing stories (characters, plots, archetypes, nuances of relationships no matter platonic, rival, and less interested in romantic) themes!!, characterizations, etc) for just about anything I like, be it video games or books or shows or movies, intellectual discussions about various aspects of geography and recent news (except regional micropolitics, international/strategic politics only-!). I’m trying to get back into reading and cross stitching and learning the basics of embroidery, anything that will  get me away from a screen. I’m also trying to enjoy the habit of physical activity again - it’s a really hard habit to build up.

⭑ do you have any pets ?

Mentioned previously. I got Tyelko (grey longhair pretty boy) the days after a funeral of someone i was quite close with, and I got Nadia after I got super angry learning that she was left behind by a family who moved away and left her outside to fend for herself.... she had 7 kittens in the weeks that followed bringing her home. I miss them all ): 

⭑ what tattoos / piercings / body mods do you have ?  

Lobe piercings. I’d like to get more piercings, but it’s not necessary either personally or culturally (not like my Lady!), and it would be highly impractical to get a piercing unless I took time off work for the healing process (if there isn’t a way to have an invisible post in the piercing?). I want a tattoo quite badly, but I can’t decide what I want or where so it simply hasn’t happened. Some Tolkien heraldy would be hella rad, or tengwar quotes of something motivating (obviously Ñoldorin lol)

⭑ how tall are you ?  

If you round up, I’m 5′6″.

⭑ dream job ?

Hm, what I’m already doing, really. It’s been a goal for a very long time, but now that I’m here I haven’t decided what I want to be when I grow up. Possibly what I’m doing now, still as a federal employee but not with the military. 

⭑ favorite subject at school?  

Non-bio science classes! I adore earth science!! Physical geography, geomorphology and geology? Hnf. Meteorology, physics, dynamics? fuck yeah. Also, languages? That’s my shit.

Tagging: you, if you haven’t done it yet!