#adaptation to a new world. the creator even considered the possibility of different languages and materials which make up the world!

[jellyloveru]

ough :(

#it's just. rambles i suppose #балаболим #emotionally and physically i'm ok i guess. i just can't make myself work again so. yeah. also have no one to speak so again. yeah #it's weird. i know the consiquenses of this. i still can't make myself. wow. #i really need to do something tomorrow at least. really wanna talk about it with someone too. share and stuff yknow? yh. #this emotional stillness is welcome and appreciated but at what cost? can't work when stressted can't work when not. what do you need??? #(at myself of course) #...at least i figured a way to steal some ideas an not get caught. as in a way to calm myself when i find my idea too similar to other's #happenes sometimes. just. make something incredible and then BAM. i see where i might have taken it from. #even the firebud's not my idea. it's from a long deleted game. wasn't a main character or anything but still. #i have reworked them though. a lot. that might make them mine right? #ough. head hurts from all this thinking. that's why i like bооm!knuсkles so much huh?) #...though thinking about that book series is nice. there's lots of things to think about. all this. multidimentional travel. #adaptation to a new world. the creator even considered the possibility of different languages and materials which make up the world! #ough. such a good concept. the author's word play is also great. as great as it can work in russian))) #(dad keeps braging about how rich russian is. yeah we have a ton of words but not a lot of word play can't go from it) #(english seems to have worked it out though. you might hate dad jokes but i have yet to hear the likes of them in russian. love em) #(besides dad jokes. english has a certain way around words. it's flexible like those rubber rulers. has limits and yet. 's fun) #(maybe it's just me. i like noticing differences and simularities between languages) #anyway. i wouldn't mind tellw someone about this book series. i'm certainly not coherent enough to male a post about it :)

[wistsandmagic]

Transformers Headcanon Time 2: Electric Boogaloo

*paps hands on knees until I vibrate* Okay okay okay look I was gonna be good and not do this but I've sat here for two hours and mentally composed and just...

Look. I can't help this. Thisness. That I do. So...so if you don't want to read this that's fine, but...I want to share? I wanna get this out. This goes with THIS as part 1, I guess? But yeah. Here. (Also please remember this is an AU and I may still be vaguely wrong on some things because it's not FULLY hashed out yet, take everything I say with a grain of 'this is faaaaaaanmaaaaaaaaaadddeeee' salt.) Today's Subject: Reproduction and Offspring

UNDER THE CUT BECAUSE IT GOT HELLA LONG.

Once again, we're going to condense things and call Cybertronians AND the colony-worlders by the umbrella-term "Cybertronian" because it saves me typing. HOWEVER, we shall be breaking down the various types, because different colony worlds adapted differently! Think of them like a species that has been forced to fill different niches on different continents, so they adapt differently even if genetically, they're teeeeechnically still the same species. ...or, y'know, dog breeds. Dog breeds also work.

First, though, a bit of background that is absolutely necessary: The Well of All Sparks, commonly referred to as just "The Well". It is, as the name suggests, literally the origin-point for all Cybertronian Sparks (read: souls). Primus, the creator of the Cybertronian people, has his own Spark there (called the All-Spark) and the Sparks of all future and past Cybertronians rest there with him, eventually. When you die, you return to the All-Spark, when you are born, your Spark ultimately came from the All-Spark. Easy to follow, right?

The Well is actually a physical place on Cybertron, which makes sense, since a Cybertronian Spark is a physical object with metaphysical properties. Which is nice, because otherwise Sparks could not go anywhere else and any colony worlds could not make babies, for the most part.

There are these things called 'hot-spots'. Basically, it is possible to take Sparks from the Well itself, before any new Cybertronian is formed from them, and 'seed' them in places in the ground, which, if viable, will cause the ground around that area to become known as a hot-spot, and Sparks can emerge from there just like they can from the Well. It makes colony-worlds a viable thing, it's just a bit tricky to actually 'harvest' the Sparks for the hot-spot to begin with. Okay, background given. SO.

The 'standard' method of reproduction is known as a 'pulse'. The Well (or hot-spot) sends out a pulse of energy that activates some Sparks and sends them to the surface without any Cybertronian input, forming a body around themselves as they go -- what is known as a 'protoform'. Aka their naked body without any hardened body-scaling and/or armoured plates (think armadillos).

From this, there are two types of protoform bots that emerge: Babies and Newbuilts.

Babies are exactly what you think they are. Actual babies, their bodies soft and lacking any kind of scaling or armour. Most of the time their features are slightly in-flux, meaning they are still somewhat malleable as far as looks go, and they may wind up looking similar to whatever bot(s) become their caretaker(s) as they grow, their features define, and body plates form and harden. Babies are the rarer of the two protoform types, as babies generally only form when it's going to be necessary for them to have a much longer growth period, in order to survive and 'come into their own', whether that means their inborn skill-set or just their general body-type...or both.

Newbuilts are the more common form of protoform, and these bots emerge from the Well as what we would consider teenagers or very young adults. Any body scaling and armour-plating they have is already formed and hardened, they already have a basic grasp of language and knowledge of their own skill-set, though they will not be good at anything at first, and they will have to be taught. They are basically kindergarteners in a teenaged/adult body, but they pick up things very rapidly, and it is not uncommon for a Newbuilt bot to have a fairly advanced grasp of language and concepts within a week of their birth.

The next reproductive strategy still revolves around the Well or hot-spots, but involves a little more input from parents. Quite a bit more input, actually. Sometimes when a prospective parent (or multiple parents) come to the Well/hotspot, their own Spark-presence will cause a pulse centered around them (called a Progenitor-Pulse...or parent-pulse for those not scientists), calling to and awakening (usually a single) Spark that immediately genetically codes itself to the parent(s) Spark waiting above, and the protoform that forms around the newborn Spark will have traces of the parents in them, as they are actually genetically related. ...it's kind of like in-vitro fertilization and gestation via a surrogate, honestly. This form of reproduction will always result in a Baby, not a Newbuilt, as there is a complex blending of genetic code going on to make sure the newborn is not a clone of any one parent, though a single parent can cause a parent-pulse, two or more are not a requirement. And yes,this means that there can also be three or more genetic parents, not just one or two. Sometimes Babies born this way used to be referred to as 'Commissioned' babies, but that is no longer the case.

But wait, there's more! Those are not the only methods of reproduction!

The next one is...quite simply, laying an egg. There are various methods to achieve this, but it is more common on colony-worlds due to their limited hot-spots and lower populations...and generally more dangerous worlds, meaning it's safer for newborns to gestate for a while in an egg so that they have a bit more protection.

No any one method is more common than another, it really tends to vary by colony-world, but the known methods are these:

Much like a standard Cybertronian Well-pulse, a hot-spot pulse will happen, but instead of naked protoform Babies or Newbuilts emerging, what rises to the surface is an egg, with a Baby (they are always Babies) finishing the gestation inside. These eggs are then gathered and put in a rookery, where group caretakers will tend them and the babies themselves when they hatch, like a giant group daycare.

The second egg-method is a direct Spark-interface 'pulse'. This one does require at least two parents, because it's...basically sex. It is sex, really. It is at least two bots opening their Sparks to one another in a direct interface, which can result in one of two things when an egg is involved: One: the parent Sparks split off a piece of themselves (they grow back over time, no worries) to join together and create an entirely BRAND NEW Spark (or sometimes multiple Sparks, or VERY RARELY a single Spark that then splits to form identical multiples) without the need for a hot-spot at all (seen on those colony worlds where the hot-spots are dead or the planet is incredibly hostile to life), which will then emerge straight from one of the parents' bodies (making them the 'carrier'), forms an egg around itself to begin the gestation and formation of the Baby (Babies), after which everything tends to proceed as normal, or

Two: the parent Sparks awaken a Spark from the nearest hot-spot, no matter how far away this is, and the Spark will travel to the parents and emerge from the parent Sparks without any pieces of the parents' breaking off, emerging from one parent's body (again, the 'carrier'), before forming an egg around itself and starting gestation.

There is one last method of egg-laying, but it is very rare and only Beastformers (those Cybertronians/colony-worlders with a bestial robot or alt-mode) can do it. It is actually laying eggs. Again, at least two parents are required, as is direct Spark-Interfacing (usually, there are at least two exceptions but we're not getting into that at the moment, this is the GENERALIZATION), but the 'carrier' parent, instead of having a Spark emerge from their body before forming an egg around itself, will instead carry those (usually multiple, in this case) new Sparks inside their own bodies, where their bodies help form the eggs around the Sparks before they physically lay them, via use of...essentially a cloaca. The reptilian, bird, insect, and dragon (and ancient Predacon) Beastformers are the ones that generally do this, though the dragon and SNAKE-reptilian Beastformers can and do alternate between egg-laying and live birth, which is the next method of reproduction. And the last I'm going to talk about. So. The last method is, as mentioned, live birth. Again, this is a Beastformer-specific method of reproduction, centered around the mammalian types, though again, the Dragon and Snake-types can switch between egg laying and live birth (though their live birth means that they gestate EGGS inside their bodies, the babies hatch inside, and THEN the carrier gives birth, like how garter snakes do). Live birth reproduction does involve direct Spark-interfacing, but a hot-spot is almost never required. It can happen, but this method is very much so the extremophile version of Cybertronian reproduction and having a hot-spot is just a 'bonus' that makes things a little easier on the parents temporarily. After direct interfacing, the parents' Sparks will fragment pieces of themselves, as in one of the egg-laying methods, but to a more extreme degree, resulting in the 'sire' Spark-fragments traveling to the 'carrier' Spark-fragments and down to an internal chamber within the carrier. (Please note that this is not a male/female thing, all mammalian-type Beastformers have this internal chamber, it just depends on which one gets activated during direct interface...and if it is a relationship between a non-Beastformer and a Beastformer and it is not a WELL-PULSE birth, the Beastformer is by default going to become the 'carrier' parent regardless of what -- if any -- gender presentation they have.)

Within this chamber, the parental Spark-fragments will combine much like eggs and sperm, and gestation will begin inside the chamber. No egg is formed, but a placental-like cabling structure that the carrier will then use to nourish the growing protoforms will grow and attach. Once the Babies are big enough to survive outside this analogue to a womb, the 'carrier' will give birth, again, through a cloacal structure. This can result in litters anywhere between one and five, typically, dependent on the Beastformer type(s) involved, and the babies, of course, will be genetically the parents' children. This is honestly the rarest form of reproduction, simply because there aren't that many Beastformers left at this stage.

So, that's it. That is Cybertronian reproduction in a nutshell. Complicated? Maybe. But that's the way it is.

#Transformers #Transformers headcanon #reproduction #musespam #maccadam #macaddam #...this got way longer than I meant for it to #whoops

[emergingindiaanalyticsnoida]

Voice Manipulation Unleashed: The Power and Perils of AI Mimicry

Introduction to Voice Manipulation and AI Mimicry

Voice Manipulation Unleashed: The Power and Perils of AI Mimicry Welcome, dear readers, to a world where voices can be molded like clay in the hands of an artist. A world where artificial intelligence (AI) has unlocked the incredible potential of voice manipulation technology, allowing us to mimic and recreate voices with astonishing accuracy. But just as this power offers exciting possibilities for entertainment and convenience, it also raises ethical concerns and poses risks that cannot be ignored. In this blog post, we delve into the captivating realm of voice manipulation unleashed by AI mimicry. We will explore how this emerging technology works, its benefits in various industries, but also highlight the potential perils associated with its misuse. From real-life examples to discussions about societal impact and responsible regulations – we aim to provide you with valuable insights on this cutting-edge topic. So buckle up! Get ready to uncover the mysteries behind AI mimicry – a game-changer that will leave you astounded yet wary at what lies ahead. Let's embark on this journey through sound waves manipulated by intelligent machines!

How AI Mimicry Works

AI mimicry is a fascinating and complex field that relies on advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques to imitate human voices. At its core, AI mimicry involves training models on vast amounts of voice data, allowing them to analyze patterns and nuances in speech. These models then generate synthetic voices that closely resemble the original recordings. To achieve this level of accuracy, AI mimics break down audio signals into smaller components called phonemes. Each phoneme represents a distinct sound in human language. The model learns how these phonemes combine to form words and sentences by analyzing thousands of examples. One method used in AI mimicry is concatenative synthesis, which stitches together short segments of prerecorded audio to create new speech. Another approach is parametric synthesis, where the model generates vocal parameters such as pitch, tone, and rhythm based on learned patterns. The success of AI mimicry also depends on the availability of high-quality voice databases for training purposes. These databases contain diverse samples from different speakers with varying accents and styles. While there are still limitations to perfecting AI mimicry, advancements continue to push boundaries in creating indistinguishable synthetic voices. As technology progresses further, we can expect even more convincing impersonations that could be utilized across various industries like entertainment, customer service applications or assistive technologies for individuals with speech impairments. However exciting this may sound (pun intended!), it's important to consider the ethical concerns associated with AI mimicry as well as potential misuse scenarios – something we'll delve into later!

The Benefits of Voice Manipulation Technology

Voice Manipulation Technology has become a game-changer in various industries, offering a wide range of benefits to individuals and businesses alike. One significant advantage is the ability to enhance user experiences. With AI mimicry, companies can create personalized voice assistants that adapt to individual preferences, making interactions more engaging and tailored. Moreover, voice manipulation technology opens up opportunities for creative expression. Artists and content creators can use this technology to generate unique voices for characters in movies or video games, adding depth and authenticity to their creations. Musicians can experiment with vocal effects and produce innovative soundscapes that were previously unimaginable. In addition, voice manipulation has immense potential in language learning and accessibility. It can help students practice pronunciation by providing real-time feedback on their speech patterns. For individuals with speech impairments or disabilities, AI mimicry offers the possibility of communicating through synthetic voices that closely resemble their own natural tone. Another benefit lies in improving customer service interactions. Companies can deploy virtual agents with empathetic voices capable of understanding emotions and responding appropriately. This not only enhances customer satisfaction but also reduces wait times as virtual agents are available 24/7. Furthermore, voice manipulation technology enables seamless multilingual communication by instantly translating spoken words into different languages without losing the speaker's original tone or style. This facilitates international collaborations and breaks down language barriers like never before. The advantages of voice manipulation technology are undeniable; however, it is crucial to acknowledge the ethical concerns associated with its misuse or abuse. As this technology continues to evolve rapidly, responsible use guidelines must be established alongside regulations to safeguard against deceptive practices or malicious intent. Voice Manipulation Technology holds tremendous potential across various sectors ranging from entertainment and education to accessibility and customer service enhancements. By leveraging these benefits responsibly while addressing ethical concerns head-on through regulations we ensure a future where AI mimicry truly empowers individuals rather than posing risks or challenges

Ethical Concerns and Misuse of AI Mimicry

Ethical Concerns and Misuse of AI Mimicry AI mimicry, while impressive in its capabilities, also raises significant ethical concerns. One major concern is the potential for misuse and deception. With the ability to perfectly replicate someone's voice, malicious actors could manipulate audio recordings to create false evidence or spread misinformation. Imagine a scenario where an individual's voice is cloned and used to make them appear guilty of a crime they didn't commit. This kind of manipulation has serious implications for justice systems worldwide. It becomes increasingly challenging to determine what is real and what is fabricated. Another concern revolves around privacy. As AI mimicry advances, there may be instances where individuals' voices are captured without their knowledge or consent. Personal information could be extracted from these manipulated conversations, leading to identity theft or other malicious activities. Moreover, political leaders and public figures are particularly vulnerable targets for voice manipulation technology. Imagine the chaos that could arise if a world leader's speech were altered through AI mimicry to convey messages contrary to their beliefs or incite violence. The spread of deepfake audio content on social media platforms poses yet another challenge. Without proper regulations in place, it becomes difficult for users to discern between authentic voices and manipulated ones with harmful intent. To address these ethical concerns surrounding AI mimicry, strict regulations need implementation at both national and international levels. Public awareness campaigns should emphasize the dangers of voice manipulation technology while promoting responsible use. As society grapples with the potential perils associated with this powerful tool, it becomes imperative that we stay vigilant in safeguarding against its misuse – not only for our own protection but also for maintaining trust within our digital landscape

Real-Life Examples of Voice Manipulation in Action

Real-Life Examples of Voice Manipulation in Action 1. Impersonating Celebrities and Public Figures Voice manipulation technology has been used to impersonate celebrities and public figures, creating convincing audio recordings that mimic their voices. This has raised concerns about the potential for misinformation and fraud, as these manipulated voices can be used to spread false information or deceive unsuspecting individuals. 2. Enhancing Accessibility for Individuals with Speech Disorders One positive application of voice manipulation is its use in aiding individuals with speech disorders. By analyzing a person's natural voice patterns, AI algorithms can create synthesized voices that closely resemble their own, allowing them to communicate more effectively. This breakthrough technology has opened up new possibilities for those who struggle with verbal communication. 3. Dubbing and Localization in Entertainment Industry In the entertainment industry, voice manipulation has become an invaluable tool for dubbing and localization purposes. It enables seamless translation of movies, TV shows, and video games into different languages without compromising the quality or authenticity of the original content. 4. Protecting Personal Privacy Voice manipulation also offers a means of protecting personal privacy by disguising one's true identity during phone calls or online interactions. This can be particularly useful for whistleblowers or individuals who wish to remain anonymous when sharing sensitive information. 5. Misuse by Scammers Unfortunately, malicious actors have also exploited voice manipulation technology for fraudulent activities such as phishing scams or impersonating loved ones over phone calls to gain access to personal information or financial resources. These real-life examples highlight both the potential benefits and dangers associated with AI mimicry and voice manipulation technologies.

The Future of AI Mimicry and its Impact on Society

The future of AI mimicry holds both exciting possibilities and potential challenges for society. As technology continues to advance, so does the ability to accurately replicate human voices using artificial intelligence. One area where AI mimicry could have a significant impact is in entertainment. Imagine being able to hear your favorite actor's voice in a character long after they've passed away or hearing your favorite singer perform live even if they are unable to be there physically. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we experience music, movies, and other forms of entertainment. AI mimicry also has practical applications beyond entertainment. For example, it could be used in language translation services, allowing individuals to communicate effortlessly with people who speak different languages by simply speaking into their device. However, along with these advancements come ethical concerns and risks of misuse. The ability to manipulate voices can potentially lead to issues such as identity theft or impersonation. It raises questions about consent and privacy when someone's voice can be replicated without their knowledge or permission. Furthermore, AI mimicry could make it increasingly difficult to discern what is real from what is fake. With the rise of deepfake videos and audio manipulation techniques becoming more advanced, trust becomes a crucial issue that needs careful consideration. As this technology develops further, regulations will need to be put in place to ensure responsible use and protect individuals from potential harm or exploitation. Striking a balance between innovation and safeguarding against misuse will be essential for harnessing the full potential of AI mimicry while mitigating its negative impacts on society. In conclusion (as per instructions), the future of AI mimicry is promising yet complex. Its impact on society will depend on how we navigate through its ethical implications and establish appropriate safeguards against misuse. Responsible development and regulation are key factors that will shape how this technology unfolds in our lives moving forward.

Conclusion: Responsible Use and Regulations for Voice Manipulation Technology

Conclusion: Responsible Use and Regulations for Voice Manipulation Technology As AI mimicry continues to advance at a rapid pace, it is crucial that we address the ethical concerns surrounding voice manipulation technology. While there are numerous benefits to this innovative technology, its potential misuse cannot be ignored. Responsible use of AI mimicry should be prioritized, with strict regulations put in place to prevent any harm or abuse. It is essential that developers and companies utilizing these tools understand their responsibility in ensuring the protection of individuals' privacy and preventing fraudulent activities. Moreover, public awareness about the existence and capabilities of voice manipulation technology needs to be increased. Education about its potential risks can help individuals recognize when they may encounter manipulated voices and take appropriate precautions. Additionally, collaborations between technology experts, policymakers, and ethics committees are necessary to establish guidelines for responsible development and deployment of AI mimicry systems. These regulations should encompass issues such as consent requirements for voice cloning or impersonation prevention measures. Furthermore, technological advancements need to be accompanied by robust authentication methods that can detect manipulated voices accurately. This will help maintain trust in digital communications while minimizing the risk of fraud or deception. In conclusion (without using those words), while AI mimicry holds immense potential for various applications ranging from entertainment to assistive technologies, we must tread carefully. Striking a balance between innovation and safeguarding against misuse requires collective effort from all stakeholders involved – developers, users, regulators – in order to harness the power of this transformative technology responsibly

[soranis-sunshadow]

Why it’s not ok to compare Wrong Hordak to his defective brother.

It doesn’t sit right to me when someone pits two abuse victims against each other based on their coping mechanisms because their circumstances are never the same.

Wrong Hordak was immediately adopted by people who slowly de-indoctrinated him and offered him a supportive environment for all of that growth and healing to happen. When the BF squad kidnapped him, he was ardent about his service to Prime and he only followed them because they deceived him in believing they were servants of Prime.

By providing clear irrefutable evidence of Prime’s fallibility, deceit and the squad’s moral support throughout this moral crisis, they were able to wean him off of his programmed behavior and offer him a new onlook and an informed choice.

Hordak was a defective clone that was sent to die on the battlefield, in essence he was abandoned by his maker for being worthless and deflective. This is why his own disability is such a source of crippling shame and self-loathing, it made him unlovable in Prime’s eye, the person he was literally programmed to worship, love and blindly obey.

For all intents and purposes, Prime is the horde clones’ God. He appears to be all-powerful, omniscient, omnipresent and he is their literal creator. Through doctrine, clones are taught that all creatures are beneath Prime, only His light and His love is relevant. (Prime is that much of a narcissistic monster)

 Even while stranded on an alien planet, cut off from his Maker, it makes sense for him to prove his worth through the only means that he was ever taught (worship and conquest), perhaps, that way, he may repent for his failure of being created defective.

It makes sense for him, a brainwashed cultist, alone and stranded on a strange and hostile world to try and bring it into Prime’s light. He didn’t know that he could have been free of Prime if he chose to integrate with the natives. Every time he detected Light Hopes’s portals on the surface of the planet, he went to investigate, hoping Prime had come for him. That is how he found Adora after all.

Of course Hordak was brutal, brutality was all he had ever been shown. Of course he conquered in Prime’s name, that is why he was created. Of course he condoned the training of children to become soldiers once they reach maturity, that is how he was made after all, he didn’t know any better.

It's important to note that before Entrapta, Hordak is essentially a recluse. He hides away in his laboratory and he doesn’t directly interact with most of his underlings who avoid him. In many of his appearances he clings to the shadows or is only shown on a monitor. 

Instead of proving his worth to Prime, he seemingly fails at all of the (impossible) tasks he had set himself to accomplish in gaining his God’s favor: He doesn’t conquer the planet (it’s a whole damn planet), he can’t treat his defect (it’s gotten to the point that he’s an emaciated sickly wreck dealing with crippling chronic pain and is immobile without his prosthetic armor), his attempts at making a new body for himself have failed (he is defective, any clone made from his genetic code would also be defective) and he can’t even open a portal to go home (the planet’s magic does not allow an exit from the different dimension it is in). After decades of failure after failure, that he blames himself for, he has grown bitter and hopeless.

That is why Entrapta and her message is so important to him. She teaches Hordak that he has inherent worth as an individual. His imperfections do not mark him as something lesser, to be discarded, to her, he can be beautiful just the way he is. This is when he starts considering  to stall the portal project, a project that has been his purpose for years, and considers staying on Etheria with her. "There was even a time you wished I would not come for you." - Prime

When he is told by Catra that Entrapta "betrayed” him, he doesn’t want to believe it at first but his own self-loathing plays a huge part in why he buys the lie. He is after all a defective and worthless failure. Catra’s lie is so much more plausible than anyone ever finding worth in him. As such he comes to reason that another person he has dared to get attached to has abandoned him.

Whereas Catra believes that everyone leaves her, when really she pushes them away, Hordak genuinely has had everyone important in his life "leave" him, as far as he knows. This is why we see Hordak in his most evil during season 4 when he has the arm cannon and he is sacking Salineas. He's completely fueled by insecurity and loss, he has something to prove again, to Entrapta and to Prime. He was eager to face her and show her, on the battlefield, that he can be worth something (affection).

When Double Trouble reveals that Entrapta was sent to Beast Island, Hordak believed she is likely dead after so long. He thinks his gullibility has cost Entrapta her life, another failure to add to the long list of sins.

When he is teleported on Prime’s ship, he is terrified of him. He tries to appease Prime in whatever way possible. His body language, his meek, scared tone of voice, and the terrified expression on his face coupled with the fact that he is literally shaking in fear convey the fact that Hordak himself knows he will not be shown mercy. In order to adapt to Etheria and further his goals, he had committed unforgivable blasphemy, he had taken a name and shown initiative. Prime violates his mind and erases him.

It comes as no surprise that once his memories of Etheria resurface because of Catra’s presence, memories of abject failure, of loneliness, of grief and of betrayal, he submits himself to erasure once again. (in season 4 he had actually let Catra in, he trusted her, they had started a tenuous friendship that weirdly enough went both ways. She too was glad to see a “friendly face”)

Once he finds the crystal Entrapta gave him, he starts remembering her. Her memory is so dear to him that he actively tries to hold on to whatever fragments of her he can hold on. He even hides this from Prime (his only lie in the whole show).

In the final confrontation, while still linked to the hive mind and in the presence of his god, he chooses Entrapta, not because Prime was proven to be wrong or evil or fallible but because Entrapta found worth in Hordak despite his imperfections. He goes against his creator still believing that Prime is all-powerful, omniscient, omnipresent because he cared for Entrapta that much.

This is why Hordak's defiance against Horde Prime has so much impact, at least for me personally. Hordak is a character who never really got a choice up to this point. Arguably, it was less a decision and more of a last resort to protect Entrapta in whatever way he could. And even this choice was a zero sum equation. He either killed the one person that has ever shown him unconditional kindness or he turned against his God. It was a loss either way. The inescapability of Prime and the magnitude of his control over his clones is underlined by his possession of Hordak after he had declared his individuality and tried to kill him. In the deleted extended scene, Hordak himself is horrified at the fact that he had shot his Brother. His conditioning and indoctrination is still there. He never learned that Prime is a narcissistic monster and that he used his little brothers as chattel and had been consistently lied to.  He just wanted not to hurt Entrapta, this one choice is his first step towards individuality and freedom. This is the first time he actually exerts his own will and not Prime’s. He’s even making this obvious by saying "I am Hordak." I am someone, I exist.

I think Hordak is actually one of the best written characters in the show, and not because he's a sympathetic villain, but because he is very realistic to how a lot of children that experience neglect or other forms of parental abuse behave as they grow up. They only know anger and rage, never being shown love because they hide themselves in the shadows. Only when someone breaks down those walls can that person begin to heal.

Hordak and Wrong Hordak may be identical clones but their circumstances are anything but and it is wrong to pit them against each other. They are both victims of severe abuse. The comparison is not a fair one since one of them had all the means necessary to break conditioning while the other had all the circumstances necessary to enforce it. Despite what Hordak has done, he deserves to live and he deserves a chance to rebuild what he has destroyed in Prime’s name. Some of his victims may never forgive him, that is their choice. Nobody should have to forgive him. That is not how forgiveness works.  Etheria’s justice system is focused on rehabilitation, not on punitive vengeance.  Hordak too deserves a chance to heal after all that has been inflicted on him from the moment he was created. He deserves a chance at redemption.

I am open to more discussions on the subject if anyone is willing.

#hordak #wrong hordak #entrapta #horde prime #spop discourse #spop #she ra princess of power #we can only grow as much as our circumstances allow us #being away from church on a sunday doesn't make you an atheist #please contradict me if you can #but do so with logical arguments and not headcanons on theoretical genocide

[dualdaospirits]

Do you think if they ever reboot ATLA they would make Zutara canon? Reboots have changed quite a few things(the new She-Ra is vastly different from the original) especially with all the support Zutara got post-series

Hmmm, an interesting question. It depends on many things I think, not the least of which being who the showrunners are and the tone they want to set. We may get to see our reboot soon, actually, since there’s a live action Netflix series in the works (they haven’t started production yet though, so don’t get too excited). As far as I know, Bryke is at the forefront, and while that’s great news since it means another abomination hopefully won't happen, it does mean that a Zutara relationship probably isn’t likely since they’re big fans of the Katara/Aang relationship.

That being said, I think it would be a missed opportunity if they didn’t, and I’ll explain why. (Disclaimer for any non-Zutara fans reading this, being a Zutara shipper is not my main motivation for thinking or wanting it to be canon). First things first, the audience. I don’t know if post-series Zutara support would have much of an effect on Bryke, but it’s possible that the producers or Netflix would notice and try to factor it in. However, I don’t think pandering should be the reason they include Zutara--far from it. The original audience that watched Avatar has grown up at this point. Many of us are in our twenties, give or take. We’ve matured, and it would be foolish of the showrunners for ignoring this fact. If there’s a reboot of Avatar, live action or animation, the majority of the audience will be those that grew up with the show, not kids the same age as the audience of the animation. I think that’s evident enough with the release of Avatar on Netflix (notice how many people are rewatching and falling back into their love for the show?) and the comics. Ah, the comics. Some things they did well, others...not. What they did do well is writing the storytelling more maturely than the show. I don’t mean to bash the original show as it obviously had no problems including the dark effects of a war story in bite size, easy-to-swallow chunks for kids (a good thing). However, they treat the audience more seriously, knowing that not everything needs to be spelled out. You see the same in Korra. And to me, that’s part of what makes the Zutara relationship so captivating and intriguing--it’s mature. It’s not easy, and it has faults. It’s not “hero gets the girl after saving the world”. It’s complex. 

I’ll say this now: there’s a difference between a relationship being canon and being endgame, and it’s an important difference. I definitely think Zutara should be canon, if not endgame, in any reboot they do.

Personally, I’m excited for a live action version if they ever get around to it. It brings many new factors to the table, and the majority of them have to do with adaptation. (I’ll mainly be talking about a live action version for a little bit, excuse the art student that shows). Adaptation, especially between mediums, is tricky to execute. You see many book-movie adaptations that succeed, and some that miserably fail, and others in between. This goes for other forms as well, ex: book to comic, book to animation, animation to film, etc. With any medium adaptation, the story will inherently change. You can't hear a character's inner dialogue or prose written in a book in a film, so changes have to be made or the filmmaker must write or use film language to substitute for it. With adaptation, changes must happen, that's a fact. To me, more often than not those adaptations succeed when the creator embraces that fact and uses the medium to their advantage. Sometimes this changes the story, and sometimes that change enhances it for the better. Take Game of Thrones or Harry Potter. The former deals with many characters and worldbuilding that is extremely complex, and they did an excellent job in getting you attached to those characters. However, they did have to change some things from the books, and while some weren’t as successful, others did remarkably. (Before anyone starts raging, I’m specifically talking about the seasons where they still had books to go off of). For Harry Potter, we have eight movies to analyze, which I will not be doing, but I will say that the weakest films storywise were the fifth and seventh, simply because they tried to do both too much and too little, if that makes sense.

How would this apply to a live action ATLA? Well, it wouldn’t be like the animation, most likely. It’s a medium adaptation, meaning that the approach they had in the animation won’t work the same in live action. Think about it--you don’t watch animation, especially 2d, the same way you watch live action, psychologically and subconsciously. There’s a separation there between their world and ours. It lessens with 3d animation, but it’s much much smaller when it’s live action since it looks like our world, more or less. Would GOT beheading and other violence (you know what I mean) have had the same effect if it were 2d animation? No, probably not. Yes, I know that anime has its fair share of gore that can be extremely realistic and gross, but it still doesn’t have the same impact it would if it appeared on your screen with quality vfx. Now, these are extreme examples. I really doubt that they’ll make the violence that intense or realistic in the show, as they’ll more than likely want to keep it family friendly (there’s still kids that watch the original). Another disclaimer (ik there’s a lot of them, but people can misunderstand this kind of critique as bashing, which it’s not): I am not saying that the original animation of ATLA is not impactful, absolutely not. I have no trouble getting attached to animated characters, laughing or crying with them, etc, especially if the writing is good. However, it was a kids show, and it was written with that in mind. This is apparent to me as I’m rewatching the show now. There’s some dark stuff that happens, as is the nature of a war story, and the animation handles it excellently. But think of how different it will be seeing the ruins of the Southern Air Temple, practically a garden of bones, Gyatso’s included, in live action. Show us all the nitty-gritty of the lower rings of Ba Sing Se, and the corruption up top. Let this affect the characters. Bring this moral ambiguity into light, as it was done in the show. I think that if they’re going to tackle a show in this way, not a movie or series of movies, it would be smart of them to lean into these darker themes, not shy away from them. Like I said earlier, the audience has matured, and there’s so much more to explore with these stories and themes. I’ll say with confidence that they’ll definitely do this, and possibly add a story or two. Otherwise, it will just be a rehashing of the original, word for word dialogue. Not that the original is bad (obv not), but I don’t think we should want that. There’s a lot of potential in a live action series, and I think they’ve learned lessons from the abomination that already tripped over itself. It was an example of adaptation done badly. However, you can change a story without destroying it, but it’s a delicate operation. That’s why having the original showrunners on gives me a bit more confidence. To be clear, I don’t think they’ll go full PG-13 or higher. It’s still possible to have family/kid friendly media without shying away from the darker parts. ATLA is a great example of that. If you want a live action example of a show that balances humor, heartache, and violence beautifully, look at Merlin (bbc). 

I think you bring up an interesting point with She-Ra and it’s divergence from the original. I haven’t seen the original animation, but I can say that the new one was successful in telling a new and fresh story in the same universe. The act almost as parallel stories in that universe. How To Train Your Dragon is the same way--the book and movie have very very little in common story wise, but it’s a beautiful trilogy nonetheless. Would this work with ATLA? Possibly, though I doubt they’d want to stray away from the original’s core themes. Though, you can fight me on this, Zutara does align with those themes, but that’s another post (this one is long enough). However, it’s such a complicated question because it inherently considers countless possibilities, so there’s no definite answer. It’s a beloved show that’s already been butchered once, so how much would they be willing to change?

Now, how does Zutara factor in? (getting to the point now). For many of the reasons above, I think it should be canon. Their dynamic, their rocky relationship, the journey of trust and acceptance, the connection they have, all of it is ripe for exploration, especially in a revamped, inherently more mature story. Instead of a predictable relationship where there was never any real conflict (Katara was always loyal to Aang, and their fights were never truly consequential), you have a relationship coming from a difficult, seemingly impossible place, one that requires time to establish. Like I said, it’s not an easy relationship. Part of it is strengthened by Zuko’s wonderful redemption arc. He needs to build a foundation of trust before almost any of the Gaang trust him (Aang, the angel, is willing to give him a chance almost immediately in Book 1, and though she didn’t care one way or the other at first, he did accidentally burn Toph’s feet). What would a Book 4 have brought us? Despite what Bryke say about it being a false rumor, Ehasz, a co-producer, said that it was at least discussed, plus Book 3 definitely had more to give, so I take it with several grains of salt. Anyways, even wondering about it hypothetically produces interesting theories. We see at the end of Book 2 in the cave that Katara, once she overcomes her immediate, and warrented, repulsion of Zuko, she’s able to connect and see a bit of his heart underneath the layers and layers of angst and anguish obscuring it. This scene is popular in the Zutara fandom for a reason. However, I think that making changes to characters, especially in Zuko’s case should be done extremely selectively and purposefully. His arc is one of the most fantastic accomplishments of the show, and I think very little should be changed. For example, he should still make that doomed, yet inevitable choice in that cave to join Azula, but perhaps they’ll include his mother as a more forefront character, especially when he goes back to the Fire Nation. By all means, give Ty Lee and Mai more than just a conversation to supply their backstory. Thoroughly explore the swampbenders and the Freedom Fighters. Show more of the original airbenders in Aang’s memories! There’s room for exploration without dismantling the world or characters like the M. Night film did. For Zutara, I think that expanding Book 3 and giving the characters more time with each other would be invaluable. Think of how quickly Katara and Zuko grew close, from Katara threatening to off him first time he even hinted at being a threat, to becoming one of the most instinctual and formidable teams in the Gaang, to saving each other’s lives in the final battle. That’s not even mentioning the Southern Raiders.  The conflict over the entire show as the backdrop for a relationship like that, romantic or platonic, is incredibly suitable for a reboot. If it was explored, the outcome would be so powerful. 

I said before that there’s a difference between canon and endgame relationships. This just means that a relationship can be confirmed and explored without being the outcome. If Bryke include Zutara at all, that’s most likely how they’ll do it: adding a love triangle that ends up with Katara and Aang getting together. Honestly, it would be a method of making K/A a more interesting relationship and a way to have the characters grow a bit. However, this has the awful potential of just shitting on Zutara and turning it into a toxic relationship, which I’d rather not see.

But if it wasn’t Bryke running it? Absolutely, I think Zutara would, and should, be canon. Adaptation should take risks and be willing to explore, and I think Zutara is the type of dynamic we should see.  

#zutara #atla #atla live action #avatar the last airbender #zuko #katara #sorry this got really long i have a lot of feelings

[calamity-bean]

Notes: Barkskins Q&A

Barkskins fans! Today (6/28/20), American Cinematheque hosted a Barkskins Q&A webinar with creator Elwood Reid and cast members Marcia Gay Harden (Mathilde Geffard), Christian Cooke (Rene Sel), and David Thewlis (Claude Trepagny). Elwood, Marcia, and Christian were on the call live, while David was interviewed beforehand and his responses recorded. Topics discussed included: 

The show’s general scope and the adaptation process

Historical research

Accent coaching

Colonialism and the portrayal of First Nations characters/cultures

Sets and wardrobe

An audience question for Marcia about Mathilde’s daughter

An audience question for Christian about Rene’s physical/action scenes

Here I’m sharing a summary of the notes I took during the talk. This isn’t a transcript and I didn’t write down everything, but I tried to note interesting things as accurately as I was able. Please pardon any misinterpretations or errors; I did the best I could, but if you remember something differently (or have something to add), feel free to let me know.

This got quite long... Lots of notes below!

The Show in General

First, the big one: the show has not yet been renewed for a second season, but Elwood is hopeful! He feels like season 1 just barely “set the table” for the story, only to yank the tablecloth off right at the end, and he wants more seasons so that viewers can really dig into the meal. It was always planned as multi-season, and right now he’s just hoping that there’s been a good enough viewing and that people talk enough about the show.

The season was originally slated for ten episodes, but had to be cut to nine and then to eight due to the weather changing and due to the time necessary to construct sets. 

The book was considered to be a huge challenge to adapt -- almost unadaptable. Initially, Elwood had ideas for doing a generational / time-skip structure like in the novel, where each season would start over and focus on a new time period; however, one of the main reasons he scrapped that idea was because of the cast. He really adores the whole cast and is excited to write more stories for these actors rather than switching focus to new characters. 

In general, the show was repeatedly described as being essentially about “haves” versus “have-nots” -- who are the “haves,” who are the “have-nots,” what do they want and what are they willing to do in order to become a “have.” It is also a show in which every character (except Rene, initially) has a secret and everyone has something they want that they can’t have.

Also, things such as which characters live/die will not be beholden to what happens in the book.

Historical and Character Research

Marcia and Christian have both read the entire book. Since Mathilde wasn’t in the novel, Marcia called up Elwood with a lot of ideas for how to develop the character, although in the end Mathilde became someone much gravelly, crass, and more conniving than she had initially expected. Christian was very impressed by the scope and uniqueness of the story and found Rene’s simple worldview appealing, describing Rene as a man of the forest, a man of the land, with desires that are simple but meaningful and noble: a better life, prosperity, a piece of his own land.

David read about the first hundred pages, and his initial idea of Trepagny was as someone much tougher and more physically imposing, as portrayed in the book. He then had to work to shed that preconception of the character into the very different Trepagny of the script. He described Trepagny as a man of contradictions: Is he good or bad? Charming or obnoxious? Vulnerable or a bully? Does he live in a cabin or a mansion? Does he worship a god / dual god or a rotten old log? Is he delusional or is he a visionary?

Primary source materials from the period that Elwood used in his historical research include the accounts of Jesuit missionaries, business ledgers describing trade and commerce, and a few memoirs from filles du roi. However, he found it difficult to find primary sources, especially in English, and was careful to remember that these accounts always had a French/colonial bias.

Marcia did a LOT of research on her own in order to better understand what conditions in France might have driven the Geffards to leave. She asked herself, “Why the hell would anyone leave France to come to these mosquito-filled woods with ostensibly hostile First Nations people and English? What was going on in that moment BEFORE they came over?”

Christian didn’t do much historical research but rooted his character in terms of the physical research he did, such as learning woodcutting. He said Rene came from a rural area of northern France and was a woodsman there as well. 

Accent Coaching

Marcia said they did receive accent coaching, but they didn’t want to lean too hard into strong accents because they wanted to give the impression that the French characters were speaking French, which, as their native language, would be very fluid. So it was okay to not have a heavy accent in order to better communicate that effect.

It was also okay for everyone to have different takes on the French accent, because they wanted to give the effect that these characters were coming from all different parts of France and each had their own individual background. They felt that communicating the characters was more important than getting the accents entirely correct.

They likewise had Native actors speak English on screen when their characters were talking among themselves (even when the characters should be understood as not speaking English) so that the audience would get that same impression of fluidity, cleverness, and colloquial conversation.

Colonialism: "Whose perspective are we bringing to bear? Whose story are we telling?”

Elwood acknowledged that Americans tend to be bad about looking outside their own history and that societies with a history of colonizing tend to come up with justifications for why it was okay for them to invade and colonize others. They wanted the show to avoid reinforcing that idea and to not sugarcoat the reality of it.

He mentioned the importance of having Migizi Pensoneau’s voice in the writer’s room. They also made an effort to speak with tribal communities and leaders in the area in order to gain their insight.

Elwood also hit on the effect of the Western film genre (as in cowboy Westerns) in shaping stereotypes about Native Americans and exporting these stereotypes to the rest of the world. Wanted to avoid those stereotypes (bc they’re inaccurate anyway and bc Barkskins takes place in the eastern part of the continent, not the western, and in an earlier time period) and in general to avoid portraying indigenous people as a uniform/interchangeable monoculture.

Marcia highlighted efforts to foreground First Nations characters in front of the camera as well, specifically mentioning Yvon and Mari. She mentioned that Yvon was educated at Harvard and that Mari’s father was French.

Sets and Wardrobe

This was my favorite section because I love this stuff and it was very impressive! Elwood basically gushed about how the production designer (Isabelle Guay), costume designer (Anna Terrazas), and wig maker were invaluable to the show. I tried to record the wig maker’s name, but I was going by ear, and I couldn’t find any search results that seemed right based on the spellings I tried. He was a Montreal area wig maker whose name sounded like (but I am sure is not spelled like) “Ray-jean For-jay.”

Isabelle Guay is local to the area and was in charge of building all the sets. She scouted all the areas personally and paid close attention to period details in construction. Authenticity was very important to Nat Geo; it had to look good and feel real.

Most of the costumes were not existing pieces that the show rented or reused; Anna Terrazas wanted to build as much as possible from scratch herself. She and the other costumers dyed deerskins, found period 17th- and 18th-century fabrics to make garments out of, and even hand built shoes.

Likewise, although it would have been cheaper to get okay-looking wigs premade, the wig maker wanted to make high-quality authentic ones himself. He flew to the actors, measured their heads, bought hair in France, and then constructed all the wigs himself.

Marcia on how the costume informed her character: Anna gave her a leather pouch to hang on a belt around her waist. It was filled with lavender, the idea being that Mathilde kept this lavender close to counter the foul smells of Wobik. Marcia viewed it as a “little secret” to draw on in her acting.

Christian found the costumes surprisingly comfortable/immersive and the landscape very awe-inspiring.

The moodboard for Trepagny’s wardrobe/aesthetic included pictures of Nick Cave and Jimi Hendrix.

Mathilde’s Daughter

Marcia was asked how much of the details about Mathilde’s daughter were of her own invention. She said that everything said on screen about Veronique was straight from the script, but she came up with more herself in order to inform her acting.

Marcia imagines that Veronique probably died from a sickness, perhaps something like whooping cough that to many of us today wouldn’t seem so serious but which would be more fatal in that era.

This is the point at which Elwood blindsided Marcia, me, and everybody else by talking about a scene he had been “obsessed” with a planned scene in which Renardette would go down to a room below the inn and find Veronique’s preserved body hidden down there, covered in her own dresses. Ultimately, Elwood felt that this was “too gothic” and that it wouldn’t work for Mathilde in a season of only 8 episodes, because it would too quickly take the audience’s understanding of her to a very bizarre/dark place.

He defended the idea by saying that it wasn’t uncommon at the time for people to do things like that, i.e. keep a loved one’s remains for a period of time. (I will take your word for it, Elwood. Also, I’m totally ready for you to go full gothic on this show, please follow your weird impulses in the future.) Marcia, though, felt that it wouldn’t make sense for a character as pragmatic as Mathilde. She pointed out that Francis is the one who wants things like refinements, whereas Mathilde is much more practical.

Also, I was today years old when I learned that Lola Reid (Renardette) is showrunner Elwood Reid’s daughter. In my defense, it’s not an uncommon last name.

Christian on Rene

Christian was asked about the physical aspects of playing Rene, such as chopping wood, fighting, swimming, etc., and which were most difficult and which most enjoyable. He said that he loved those aspects; he would get immersed in the physical act so much that he would forget he was acting. He could get very emotional in those intense moments and found it very difficult to come out of those scenes because of how emotionally charged they were (such as when watching character deaths) but also found it very enjoyable in a cathartic way.

Elwood said that he thought Christian had the hardest role because Rene is a stoic person who has to hold the screen with very few words. It was at this point that he talked about all the characters having secrets and something they want but can’t have; he pointed out that Rene is the only character who doesn’t have a secret and whose wants and needs are very simple. This makes his character “like a rock” that other characters try to pick up and bash around but can’t figure out what to do with.

In light of that, Elwood felt that this first season was a slow burn for Rene, but that the future focus of the character’s arc is essentially: What’s the breaking point of a man like that? What will make him crack? What will make him act out of his character?

He said it was also similar for James Bloor (Charles Duquet) because he had to take so much abuse in this first season, with Elwood assuring James that it was building toward a big future payoff.

In conclusion...

Aaand that’s all I’ve got! We are all encouraged to keep talking about the show and to make known our desire for a second season. Thanks for reading, and like I said, let me know if you have anything to add or to correct.

#barkskins #elwood reid #marcia gay harden #christian cooke #david thewlis #mathilde geffard #rene sel #claude trepagny #op #this is RIDDLED with little typos cause i typed very quickly i'll fix them later

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Manga Review – ‘Eve and Eve’

Reviewing an anthology presents unique challenges. Each story must be considered as a standalone piece able to present a cohesive and engaging narrative (or not) by itself. However, being bound together intrinsically adds something greater to the works. They are no longer independent pieces but contribute to the book as a whole. I will admit this is the first time I have had the pleasure of reviewing an anthology but given the current trend of Yuri anthologies in Japan, and with the many English adaptations looming on the horizon, I figured I best get used to the prospect.

Eve and Eve is a mature Yuri manga anthology featuring six stories by Nagashiro Rouge. When I say mature, I mean it! the stories contain explicit (although not pornographic) depictions of intercourse. Two of the stories were originally published in Yuri Ninshin, a hentai publication, all explicit genitalia or nipples were edited out in re-printings in Japan. These edited editions are the ones which appear in Seven Seas’ Eve and Eve. Given these alterations, Eve and Eve is actually one of the few Yuri works in English I classify as an adult piece containing sex that is not pornographic, a classification I rarely make outside of visual novels, such as Kindred Spirits on the Roof. However, as this review does discuss the explicate content in the manga I am warning that you should read the following at your own discretion.

Now that the long-winded introduction is finished, let’s go over the universal aspects of Eve and Eve before I break down each of the six stories. Nagashiro’s artwork is clean and detailed. With each panel being full of detail except in a few circumstances to accentuate a character, object, speech bubble or interaction when white space is used. Their character designs are extremely impressive, with almost every character having a distinctly different hairstyle, face, and body type that mesh properly and make each individual feel distinctive. This is especially important for an anthology, as the short stories leave little room for individual personalities, so a lot of what has to be memorable is the design.

On the note of the characters, none of them are extremely complicated, often only having one distinctive personality trait. However, this lack of sophistication is to be expected and helps cut down on needless fluff. None of the personalities or dynamics between the characters feel overused or played out. Instead, they compliment the story well and allow for engaging short narratives. An example of this is Eko, in the second story, whose timid nature is the main conflict of her romance.

The content of the stories varies but there are shared elements. Half of them are science fiction stories with elements of aliens, robots, artificial intelligence, and the apocalypse. Additionally, unlike many of Yuri titles, those presented here are about adults (save one exception) who have consensual sexual encounters. Many of the pairings in Eve and Eve are women in relationship with each other that have a life together, which is tragically rare in this genre.

As previously mentioned, Eve and Eve has more than a few moments of intercourse. While these are certainly lewd, I did not find them disgusting as I do with so many instances of sex in Yuri. Part of this may be due to the omission of genitalia but mostly it is in the way sex functions in each story and how it is depicted. I will examine the former aspect later, but in the depiction, the intercourse itself, it is universally well done. While it is explicit and salacious, the sex does not contain gross moments of overly exaggerated orgasms or uncomfortably manipulated breasts. It feels mature and thoughtful, at least most of the time, something I greatly appreciate.

Finally, I need to talk about the “Summary of Stories” page that appears at the end of the book. This glorious spread gives me precious information about each of the six stories including when and where they were originally published. Alongside each story is a blurb from Nagashiro Rouge describing each story and their thoughts on it. I subscribe to Barthes’ “Death of the Author,” so I usually care little about the creator or their intent when evaluating a text. This belief is especially useful as an English teacher; that’s right, we know Fitzgerald may not have intended to put that much symbolism into The Great Gatsby, we just do not care! But I am also a hypocrite so I will on occasion use Nagashiro’s summaries to contribute to my thoughts and arguments about each story.

The first story, I Want to Leave Behind a Miraculous Love is about Sayu and Nika, the last two survivors of the apocalypse. They do not speak the same language, with Nika’s limited dialogue being written in Russian (only a few lines, even if you do read Russian it adds almost nothing to the story). Despite this difficulty, the two of them grow incredibly close and eventually become lovers. Through narration and effective visual storytelling, this story actually does an effective job of communicating how close the two are and how they care for each other despite the women's’ inability to talk to each other. This is seen in scenes where the two wander the dilapidated remains of a city and during their sex.

The intercourse here is the best that Eve and Eve has to offer, both in is salaciousness and the deeper meaning. The sex is a physical expression of their love and the way in which the two can communicate their feelings and devotion to each other. It is more than two characters smashing into each other to achieve climax, but an act that physically confirms their love. I applaud this depiction.

I Want to Leave Behind a Miraculous Love, is one of the stories originally published in Yuri Ninshin. To remind you, this is a hentai work and thus contains a lot of sex (although again, this is the edited version). It is also worth mentioning that “Ninshin” translates to pregnancy, Yuri Ninshin is a fetish work about pregnancies occurring between women. I will admit, I LOVE stories about women having and raising kids together, typically not biological kids, although I have done some quack reporting on the real world possibility (something I am in no way qualified to talk about. However, pregnancy fetishizing is absolutely not my things. It is easy for most people to dismiss this story because of its inclusion. I, however, will take a different approach.

Sayu repeatedly mentions her worries about one of them ending up alone if the other were to die. The pregnancy produced by magical science shenanigans produces children to keep them company in the isolation as survivors of the apocalypse. They are physical results of their love which shall endure beyond either of their lifespans, demonstrating the strength of Nika and Sayu’s devotion to each other. Additionally, they are a symbol of life returning after the tragedy of the apocalypse. The final panel of the story depicts life in both their children and returned plant-life surrounding the two female figures, mothers to the new human race, Eve and Eve.

The second story, The Case of Eko and Lisa, is about an artist, Eko, and Lisa, a sexbot that she uses to pose for drawings (but not for her intended purpose). Lisa malfunctions and begins to develop feelings for Eko, who spurs her advances.

The two characters struggle to confess their actual feelings for each other because of Eko’s anxieties about their possible relationship. During the climax of the story she reveals the source of her trepidation in a very human moment, she is scared that if they were to have sex she would be disappointing or that things between the two might change. It is a fear that many people in the real world have and Nagashiro is able to use it so well in this story, complete with some of the best art in this book. Equally as incredible is the response of Lisa, “just be honest with yourself and love me however you like.”

The relationship between Eko and Lisa is easily the best in the volume. Each of them struggles because of Eko’s anxiety around their relationship and trying to figure out how to best express their feelings. The resolution to their conflict is also one of the sweetest and healthiest things I have seen out of a Yuri relationship.

The third story is Top or Bottom? The Showdown! As the title suggests this story is comedic. It begins with a group of female students arguing about which of them is a “top” or a “bottom.” All the girls agree that protagonist Anzu is a bottom because of her small stature, something which she is outraged by. Anzu enters into a contest with the tall but passive Emi to decide who would be the better top. Hilarity and some (non-lewd) service occur.

I am on record as not easily crying but I am an easy laugh and Top or Bottom had me rolling in whatever the homosexual equivalent of “the aisles” is. The premise is ridiculous, as it should be which leads to some great jokes. The side plot of the girls “shipping” their male classmates together also ends up with one of the best twist punchlines I have read in a long time.

While it is easy to enjoy this story given what is presented in the book, it also invites some deeper analysis. Nagashiro plays with the expectation of the assertive and submissive, bottom and top, roles that often define relationships. The comedy comes from the characters struggles to fit into these defined roles, each possessing one of the traits of a “bottom” Anzu’s small size and Emi’s passive nature. Anzu eventually says, “deciding [roles] like that doesn’t feel right.” It becomes evident that deciding who should be the top or bottom is not something that needs deciding before a relationship begins but something more fluid which, if they are formed, are done so during the relationship.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book that amusement ceases with the fourth story, An Infidelity Revisited. Two women, Azusa and Midori, who are former classmates run into each other on the street and cheat on their girlfriends with each other. When Midori suggests that they break up with their partners Azusa declines saying the only reason the sex between them is so good is because they are cheating. The two women begin to leave but stop walking away at the last second.

I really did not like this story for numerous reasons. First, cheating is such a lazy and problematic way to make sex feel scandalous and exciting. Secondly, because the characters never face any repercussions or consequences as part of their infidelity that we see. This could make for an engaging narrative if done properly and in a longer format. As it is, all the reader sees is their cheating, no fallout, no resolution, and no redemption. Some stories are able to present such a small window into the lives of characters without these aspects but An Infidelity Revisited does not have the literary chops to pull off such a narrative.

Nagashiro wrote that “I hope I was able to convey that way in which logic eludes us even as adults, and the incredible impact that our feelings can have on us.” While the mangaka succeeds with that first point, the total lack of logic, they utterly fail to deliver on the impact. The only effect that this story has on me is leaving me mildly exasperated and bitter. As I previously said, there may be an engaging, albeit unhealthy, narrative here but begins so incomplete robs it of the chance to deliver.

Continuing with the theme of stories I did not like is Heir to the Curse. This is a second Yuri pregnancy story and the third to feature explicit sex following I want to Leave Behind a Miraculous Love and An infidelity Revisited. However, while the first story is a tale of love and eternity between two women this one is far more manipulative and disgusting. The beginning and ending are both fine, a girl is cursed because she is born from two mothers and can only reproduce women and she ends up living happily with another woman.

It is the middle that I take issue with. The cursed girl, Ichika, forces herself onto her childhood friend Yui to implant her child. This is so absurd that I almost threw the book across the room, the only reason I did not was that I had an ebook which I was reading on a very expensive laptop. Moreover, this assault feels so out of place with the rest of the anthology which features (mostly) thoughtful and wholesome depiction of same-sex relationship where women have consensual and mutually pleasurable intercourse.

Sure, eventually Yui realizes that she loves Ichika and wants to be with her but this epiphany coming immediately after an assault is a whole other can of worms that I do not want to eat because they are freaking worms. Ichika displays some remorse and it becomes clear that she is doing what she has been raised and abused to know how to do. In the end, Yui “saves” her and brings her away from the village that labels the woman as cursed. I actually like this part, but I wish the action she had taken against her friend was not assault. Even a pained but consensual sexual encounter would have been preferable. Ultimately what I can say is “cool story, still rape”.

Nagashiro wrote that this as “a story about friendship and love.” I call horse dung on this description. If you only read the beginning and ending sure, but when you include blatant assault in the middle of the story that becomes a central element to the story which again, because of the short nature of the story, was not properly addressed.

The anthology ends with Eternity 1 and 2: Eve and Eve. This is the only work by Nagashiro Rouge I had read before this, having browsed the issue of Comic Yuri Hime it was published in, and it is easily my favorite story in the book.

In this tale, two lovers, Eternity 1 and 2, have their brains put into satellites and to act as the watchdogs of humanity. The artwork and symbolism are stunning! By itself, this chapter would easily earn a nine or ten rating from me in that department. One standout moment is in the opening pages, a display of the two women sitting in wedding dresses about to undergo the operation with a wedding officiant standing behind them. This scene replicates the themes of legacy and eternity in love seen in I Want to Leave Behind a Miraculous Love but furthers them even more.

The women, torn from their flesh live together only as minds and spirits. While this story is devoid of sexual intimacy between the two the emotional connection of having their minds work as one is so strong and transient. I will not spoil the stories climax but the actions of the women to display and finalize their love are so intimate and powerful that I was blown away. Nagashiro also does a great job of tying in the other science fiction stories, chapters one and two, to Eternity 1 and 2: Eve and Eve making these three works feel like one continuous world, an excellent shared world anthology.

Eve and Eve has its ups and downs. While many of the stories are spectacular they are bogged down by a few inferior ones. However, I did not outright hate any of the stories and find myself earning for continuations of the inadequate ones so that their potential could be realized. If you are willing to overlook a few questionable chapters Eve and Eve is a wonderful and salacious Yuri anthology with surprising depth and humanity. I definitely recommend that older readers give it a look.

Ratings: Story – 7 Characters – 5 Art – 9 LGBTQ – 9 Lewd – 8 Final – 7

Purchase Eve and Eve from Amazon - https://amzn.to/2WyC2BY digitally and in print

Support the YuriMother Patreon for more Yuri and LGBTQ news, reviews, and content. patreon [dot]com/yurimother

#yuri #reviews #manga #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+ #queer #r-16 #gay #lesbian #lesbians #pride #pride month #comic #comic book #eve and eve #literature #review #wlw #gl

[msclaritea]

Upon the Clear Distinction Between Fandom and the Baker Street Irregulars

BY LYNDSAY FAYE

November 30, 2012

In light of the ever-expanding popularity of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries in conjunction with recent adaptations including the Warner Brothers films, the BBC series, and the CBS reimagining, it falls to me to discuss certain disturbing tendencies on the part of new devotees to refer to that venerable institution, the Baker Street Irregulars, as a “fandom” when it is actually a literary society. The youth of the Sherlockian world will be excused for making this dare I say elementary error, since the case for the distinction has not been hitherto laid out. Following the summation of this article, however, fans and traditional Sherlockians alike will have reached a much clearer understanding, and the unfortunate misnomer of referring to the present Irregulars as a “fandom” will doubtless cease and be swiftly forgotten.

(Note: for the purposes of this intellectual exercise, the possibility that the BSI may potentially be a storied and erudite literary society and a happily thriving fandom simultaneously will be ignored. This decision was made in light of the fact that a noun cannot be two things concurrently, the way the Empire State Building is not both a functioning office tower and a tourist destination, and the way Bill Clinton is not both a former president and a saxophone player. Arguments that the BSI is peopled by both cultured readers and by eager fans would only muddy the issue, and therefore will not be entertained here.)

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word fandom dates from 1903 and is defined simply as “the realm of avid enthusiasts.” Although undoubtedly a positive, even a flattering definition, already we can see that this is an inaccurate way of describing the Baker Street Irregulars, founded in January of 1934 by Doubleday editor Christopher Morley and later permanently established as the premier Sherlockian society by Edgar W. Smith. While the BSI was conceived as a group of congenial, clubbable men who admittedly shared an avid enthusiasm for the Great Detective, no mention whatsoever is made in the definition of fandom of a taste for adult beverages, and the drinking of toasts to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters, which is of such import to the group as to be codified in the BSI’s by-laws. As a matter of fact, the words “Sherlock Holmes” appear nowhere in this document, while the words “drunk,” “drink,” “round,” and “toast” occur six times in the brief record. Describing the BSI as a fandom is thus clearly a counterfactual practice, and should be treated as such.

Of note, because the dates could potentially lead to confusion, is the fact that the Irregulars were founded in 1934 in New York City, at very close to the identical time period when the science fiction fandom was forming convivial societies of “avid enthusiasts” in order to discuss space travel, interplanetary colonization, their whip-smart literary contributions, and large-chested alien females. The Futurians, according to Frederik Pohl’s autobiography, were founded in 1934 in New York City; the Scienceers were founded in 1929 in New York City; the Los Angeles Fantasy Society was founded in 1934 in Los Angeles; and the National Fantasy Fan Federation was founded in 1941 in Boston. These societies in no way resembled the BSI, however, for their purpose was to discuss speculative, fictional adventures, while the BSI’s purpose (apart from toasting) was to discuss Sherlock Holmes. The Grand Game, as it’s called, a form of meta-scholarship, bears but scant resemblance to the doings of folk who pen Middle-Earth chronologies and dictionaries of the Klingon language. Those who suggest the BSI is a fandom will also note that, as a literary society, the BSI has always been peopled with thinkers and literary luminaries such as Isaac Asimov, while the Futurians boasted as one of their members Isaac Asimov, who was undoubtedly a different Isaac Asimov to the deservedly admired creative philosopher invested in the Irregulars.

One of the most self-evident differences between the Irregulars and those involved in fandom is the latter’s tendency to memorize an enormous amount of trivia regarding their specific preoccupations, be those preoccupations Battlestar Galactica or fiction featuring anthropomorphized dragons. A member of the Star Trek fandom, for instance, could readily inform an outsider that when Captain Picard was captured by the Cardassians, he insisted despite being cruelly tortured that the number of lights shown to him numbered four; such remarkable displays of knowledge are all too common among fandom enthusiasts. Invested members of the BSI could undoubtedly inform non-Sherlockians that Sherlock Holmes’s ancestors were country squires, that John Watson was an invalided member of the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers, and that Holmes is on record as having possessed three dressing gowns (blue, purple, and mouse), but as these are matters of historical fact, knowledge of them is much more akin to familiarity with the Gettysburg Address. I say again: do not succumb to lazy terminology and misidentify the BSI as a fandom. The one is concerned with an exceedingly popular series of crime stories, and the other is concerned with pop culture.

The activities of fans vs. traditional Sherlockians are hugely divergent. While fans come together to discuss their favorite sci-fi stories, television shows, and films, Sherlockians confine their conversation (and toasts) exclusively to the sixty stories, referred to as the “canon.” No mention is made of adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries; indeed, it is safe to say that the BSI as a whole is unaware of such bastardizations of the original writings, if indeed such things as movies and television shows based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle exist, which is doubtful. In addition, fandom engages in a pastime termed “cosplay,” defined by Wikipedia as “a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea.” Such behavior would be anathema to a Baker Street Irregular, some of whom have been photographed dressing in Victorian garb and deerstalker hats.

Denizens of the fandom community fail to confine their “avid enthusiasm” to mere discussion of hobbits and tribbles; they also, as a group, have a marked tendency to collect memorabilia relevant to their favorite characters, spending precious funds in pursuit of items such as action figures and animation cells. A comic book collector would think absolutely nothing of paying triple digits for a prized mint-condition issue of Spider-Man, for example, while my copy of the 1892 issue of the Strand Magazine…no, strike that, I beg your pardon, the comparison is similar but ultimately misleading. Irregulars of my acquaintance have amassed collections of Sherlock Holmes art, Sherlock Holmes books, Sherlock Holmes knickknacks, Sherlock Holmes pins, Sherlock Holmes translations, Sherlock Holmes reference volumes, and Sherlock Holmes talismans such as magnifying glasses or pipes, but as these are clearly objets d’art, they find no equivalency within the realm of fandom.

It is of particular importance to note that fandom participants often write what is termed fanfiction, fictional works featuring their beloved characters in various situations of the fan’s own imagining, defined as “stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator.” Whenever a writer pens a story about a character created by another author, that tale falls under the umbrella of fanfiction, a practice that the Baker Street Irregulars would find both mystifying and vaguely distasteful. In fact, the mere concept of writing new stories starring characters not belonging to the author would strike dismay into the hearts of the BSI, who very often write and read pastiches featuring Sherlock Holmes and John Watson (a pastiche is defined as “a work of art, literature, film, music, or architecture that openly imitates the work of a previous artist”). As you have already recognized, no doubt, pastiche is entirely different from fanfiction, as fanfiction is specified as being penned by fans, and as I have argued previously, the Baker Street Irregulars are not fans but rather a literary society, and thus are categorically incapable of writing fanfiction. The notion that they could be both we have already dismissed as specious.

One must bear in mind as well the ironclad argument that the BSI was founded in the tradition of the great metropolitan men’s clubs of the 1930s, and thus bears no resemblance whatsoever to fandoms, which are largely concerned with grown men and women wearing tights. I find this line of reasoning particularly compelling, since it is common knowledge that once a group forms around a certain idea, it remains always the identical entity, indistinguishable in its modern incarnation from its origins, free from growth, change, or adaptation. Admittedly the BSI is no longer exclusively for men, but that is an admirable mark of progress and should be considered accordingly. Just as the company Apple Inc. sells small personal circuit boards hand-crafted by the artist Steve Wozniak (keyboard and screen not included), the BSI is emphatically not a fandom. And please stop referring to them by such blatantly fallacious terminology.

Lastly, a word upon the subject of respect for the gentleman who made our literary society possible, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. There are some who take mild offense to those who speak of the BSI as a fandom, but I am not of their number, though it is worth mentioning out of deference that Doyle would certainly be outraged by the term. So beloved a character was Sherlock Holmes to Doyle that he spoke of him always with the soft light of adoration in his eyes and a flush upon his cupid’s cheeks, joy suffusing his features whensoever the subject of his masterful sleuth was raised. Were Doyle to be reanimated and exposed to the neophytes who ignore all discrepancies and insist upon wrongly identifying the BSI as a fandom, his mighty love for his hero would so overwhelm him, and his fury at the misidentification swell into so vast a storm cloud of righteous rage, that he would probably decide to remain alive simply for the pure, unadulterated pleasure he derived from writing the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, and would deliver unto us sixty more cases. And lo, global warming would be reversed, and he would find a cure for herpes.

I trust that this article clears up any remaining confusion regarding the word fandom, and its woeful inexactitude when characterizing the Baker Street Irregulars. I likewise hope I have assured the reader the BSI cannot be both a respected literary society and a fandom, any more than Australia can be both a continent and an island. One earnestly hopes that this will settle the matter for good and all, and we can move on to other, better topics. In the meanwhile, I am going to don my deerstalker and write a story in which Sherlock Holmes fights the Cardassians, that being the sort of activity relevant to my interests. Thank you.

1. Am I wrong or is this a bit rude?

2. Why don’t we hear more stories about how Doyle actually loved Holmes? It’s as though people want the character to be remembered as hated.

Lyndsay Faye is the author of Dust and Shadow and The Gods of Gotham from Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam. She tweets @LyndsayFaye.

@elwinglyre @sarahthecoat @sussexbound @fellshish @artfulkindoforder @johnlockedness @ebaeschnbliah @tjlcisthenewsexy @madzither

source

#What the hell #Lyndsay Faye #Fandom vs BSI #Squee vs the REAL #Sherlock Holmes #Arthur Conan Doyle #ACD

[systemeio]

Best alternative of Clickfunnels

You are a beginning web entrepreneur and you don't know which marketing tool to choose to launch your online business?

Or are you simply a webmarketing enthusiast who wants to know more about all-in-one marketing tools?

We have what you need! In this article, we propose you to put two sales process automation systems on the test bench: the historical leader Clickfunnels, and the newcomer on the market, the platform that has nothing to envy to the American giant: Systeme.io.

Who's going to win?

Clickfunnels, le colosse américain

Created in 2014 by Todd Dickerson and Russel Brunson, Clickfunnels is the historical leader in all-in-one marketing tools.

It's simple, it's the most widely used marketing solution in the world. Today, the platform has more than 60,000 users worldwide and boasts the creation of more than 2 million sales funnels.

This sales funnel is the reason why the creators of Clickfunnels developed their system.

It corresponds to the route taken by the customer from his arrival on the site to his act of purchase. The creation of a high-performance sales tunnel is essential to convert a maximum number of prospects into customers.

The functionalities offered by Clickfunnels are very complete. The first functionality of the platform is the creation of sales tunnels.

To do this, it provides you with ready to use sales tunnels, but also many templates (models) to customize your sales funnel.

The editor proposed to customize the pages of your tunnel is easy to use. Clickfunnels also allows you to create and sell online training courses, automate your website, create affiliate links, integrate a payment system, broadcast webinars, etc.

Clickfunnels brings together, in a single system, all the tools needed to launch and manage your website.

In terms of pricing, Clickfunnels offers two formulas. The first, entry-level, is $97 per month or a little more than 80 €. This formula, called Startup, only allows you to create sales tunnels. In addition, you are limited to the creation of 20 tunnels and 100 pages.

You cannot welcome more than 20 000 visitors on your website. Therefore, this formula is mainly aimed at beginners, even if it already represents a certain investment.

The second formula is the full version at 297 $ per month, or more than 250 €. The full version gives you access to all the functionalities offered by Clickfunnels. In addition to the creation of your sales tunnels, you will be able to automate your site and create your affiliate system.

Also, you will no longer be limited by the number of sales funnels created, or by the number of visitors to your site. This is the ideal solution when you want to take advantage of all the Clickfunnel tools to create and automate your website. It is nevertheless a significant investment.

The platform offers a 14-day trial period during which you can test all its functionalities.

You will then be able to make your own opinion on the functionalities offered by Clickfunnels. If you are convinced, you will then be able to choose the formula that best suits your needs.

Although the undisputed market leader, there is an alternative to Clickfunnels that is much more affordable and just as complete.

Système.io, the French outsider

Created in 2017 by Aurélien Amacker, Systeme.io is the latest marketing tool to come on the market. Just like Clickfunnels, it defines itself as a turnkey solution for the management of your business on the Internet.

Therefore, there is no need to multiply the different marketing tools, they are all grouped together within the same platform.

The Systeme.io platform allows the creation of sales tunnels, the automation of your marketing (automatic sending of emails), the management of your payments via PayPal or stripes, the creation of your affiliate program, the diffusion of webinars and finally the creation and sale of online trainings.

Systeme.io also offers templates to create the different pages that will make up your future sales tunnel: capture page, sales page, payment page, thank you page, webinar page, etc.

If the number of templates offered is less than Clickfunnels, it is still sufficient. Whether you want to sell training courses or products, Systeme.io includes all the tools you will need.

In addition to its numerous functionalities, the platform offers more accessible prices than its direct competitors. Its entry-level formula, Startup is 27 € per month. It allows you to use all the features offered except the automation of webinars.

You are also limited to 5000 contacts for sending emails and to 3 member sites. This offer is ideal if you are a beginner and do not intend to create webinars, but only sell products.

The second formula is at 47 € per month, this is the Webinars offer. It allows you to take advantage of all the marketing tools.

It nevertheless limits the number of possible contacts to 10,000. Only 3 member sites are authorized and you will only be able to automate a maximum of 3 webinars per month.

Finally, the last formula proposed, the Enterprise offer, is at €97 per month, the price of the entry-level Clickfunnels formula. This is the most complete offer. It allows unlimited use of all the tools. It nevertheless limits the number of possible contacts to 15,000. This offer remains affordable given the diversity of the services offered.

It is rather aimed at web entrepreneurs who already have a fairly large number of contacts.

Syteme.io also offers an offer called Freemium. This offer allows you to test all the services offered by Syteme.io free of charge for 14 days. Just like Clickfunnels, this trial period can allow you to test the different functionalities of the platform, in order to choose the formula that best suits your needs.

Thanks to its offer, Systeme.io is currently positioned as the most accessible all-in-one marketing tool on the market. This gives it a considerable advantage over its direct competitors.

After the presentation of these two marketing tools, we now propose you a comparison of the respective advantages of Clickfunnels and Systeme.io. Both systems allow the creation of sales tunnels, to sell online training, to make webinars, to automate its marketing and to develop its own affiliate system. How to separate them?

Click here to Discover FREE Systeme.io for 15 days

What are the advantages of the solution proposed by Clickfunnels compared to Systeme.io?

Contrary to Systeme.io, the solution proposed by Clickfunnels has proven itself for many years.

As for Systeme.io, due to its very recent creation, it remains a young marketing tool.

Consequently, it can be difficult to have a perspective on its performance and customer feedback is still rare. It is therefore preferable to test it thanks to the Freemium offer in order to get a personal opinion.

Similarly, it is a shame that the platform offers too few tutorials. These would be useful, however, especially for novice users.

To this day, Clickfunnels is still considered THE most complete marketing solution when it comes to creating sales tunnels and automating its marketing.

Thus, the templates proposed for the creation of the various pages of your website are more numerous on Clickfunnels than on Systeme.io.

The Clickfunnels tools, dedicated to the creation and distribution of training courses, are more advanced than those proposed by the Systeme.io platform. While Systeme.io only allows the broadcasting of webinars on a deferred basis, they are broadcast live on Clickfunnels.

This is one of the reasons why we consider that the tools for creating and selling training courses, set up by Systeme.io, are less efficient than its various marketing functionalities. Although complete, the offer of marketing tools proposed by Systeme.io remains less advanced than that of Clickfunnels.

For example, the autoresponder service proposed by Systeme.io is characterized by its lack of advanced functionalitie

What are the advantages of the solution proposed by Systeme.io compared to Clickfunnels

Although some features of Systeme.io are less advanced than those of Clickfunnels, the French platform has many advantages.

The first one being its ease of use. Its training creation interface is easy to access, and perfectly adapted for beginners.

Likewise, its integrated dashboard makes it easy to track new customer registrations, sales and various conversion statistics.

This ease of use is also explained by the fact that the Systeme.io platform is entirely available in French and English.

This is a great advantage compared to the Clickfunnels platform which is only available in English. It is the same for its customer service which, although it is efficient and available 24/24, only speaks English.

Therefore, using Clickfunnels can be difficult when you are a beginner and do not have a good command of the English language.

You may then have difficulty using the full range of Clickfunnels features and understanding the subtleties of the language. It is therefore preferable to turn to the French alternative offered by Systeme.io.

If the novelty of the French platform may make some of its functionalities still limited, it is in constant evolution. Thus, every week Systeme.io makes improvements and adds new functionalities. This makes this marketing tool more and more powerful.

Last but not least: the price. Systeme.io offers the cheapest turnkey marketing tool on the market. Its prices are much more affordable than those of Clickfunnels for, with a few exceptions, the same services.

With Systeme.io you can create and manage a website from 27 $ per month compared to more than 97 $ for Clickfunnels. The offer proposed by Systeme.io is therefore ideal for beginners and for those with a limited budget.

Click here to Discover FREE Systeme.io for 15 days

#clickfunnels #salesfunnels #affiliate marketing #sales funnel

[tlbodine]

The Wendigo is Not What You Think

There’s been a recent flurry of discussion surrounding the Wendigo -- what it is, how it appears in fiction, and whether non-Native creators should even be using it in their stories. This post is dedicated to @halfbloodlycan​, who brought the discourse to my attention. 

Once you begin teasing apart the modern depictions of this controversial monster, an interesting pattern emerges -- namely, that what pop culture generally thinks of as the “wendigo” is a figure and aesthetic that has almost nothing in common with its Native American roots...but a whole lot in common with European Folklore. 

What Is A Wendigo? 

The Algonquian Peoples, a cluster of tribes indigenous to the region of the Great Lakes and Eastern Seaboard of Canada and the northern U.S., are the origin of Wendigo mythology. For them, the Wendigo (also "windigo" or "Witigo" and similar variations) is a malevolent spirit. It is connected to winter by way of cold, desolation, and selfishness. It is a spirit of destruction and environmental decay. It is pure evil, and the kind of thing that people in the culture don't like to talk about openly for fear of inviting its attention.

Individual people can turn into the Wendigo (or be possessed by one, depending on the flavor of the story), sometimes through dreams or curses but most commonly through engaging in cannibalism. Considering the long, harsh winters in the region, it makes sense that the cultural mythology would address the cannibalism taboo.

For some, the possession of the Wendigo spirit is a very real thing, not just a story told around the campfire. So-called "wendigo psychosis" has been described as a "culture-bound" mental illness where an individual is overcome with a desire to eat people and the certainty that he or she has been possessed by a Wendigo or is turning into a Wendigo. Obviously, it was white people encountering the phenomenon who thought to call it "psychosis," and there's some debate surrounding the whole concept from a psychological, historical, and anthropological standpoint which I won't get into here -- but the important point here is that the Algonquian people take this very seriously. (1) (2)

(If you're interested in this angle, you might want to read about the history of Zhauwuno-geezhigo-gaubow (or Jack Fiddler), a shaman who was known as something of a Wendigo hunter. I'd also recommend the novel Bone White by Ronald Malfi as a pretty good example of how these themes can be explored without being too culturally appropriative or disrespectful.) 

Wendigo Depictions in Pop Culture

Show of hands: How many of you reading this right now first heard of the Wendigo in the Alvin Schwartz Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark book?

That certainly was my first encounter with the tale. It was one of my favorite stories in the book as a little kid. It tells about a rich man who goes hunting deep in the wilderness, where people rarely go. He finds a guide who desperately needs the money and agrees to go, but the guide is nervous throughout the night as the wind howls outside until he at last bursts outside and takes off running. His tracks can be found in the snow, farther and farther apart as though running at great speed before abruptly ending. The idea being that he was being dragged along by a wind-borne spirit that eventually picked him up and swept him away.

Schwartz references the story as a summer camp tale well-known in the Northeastern U.S., collected from a professor who heard it in the 1930s. He also credits Algernon Blackwood with writing a literary treatment of the tale -- and indeed, Blackwood's 1910 novella "The Wendigo" has been highly influential in the modern concept of the story.(3)  His Wendigo would even go on to find a place in Cthulhu Mythos thanks to August Derleth.

Never mind, of course, that no part of Blackwood's story has anything in common with the traditional Wendigo myth. It seems pretty obvious to me that he likely heard reference of a Northern monster called a "windigo," made a mental association with "wind," and came up with the monster for his story.

And so would begin a long history of white people re-imagining the sacred (and deeply frightening) folklore of Native people into...well, something else.

Through the intervening decades, adaptations show up in multiple places. Stephen King's Pet Sematary uses it as a possible explanation for the dark magic of the cemetery's resurrectionist powers. A yeti-like version appears as a monster in Marvel Comics to serve as a villain against the Hulk. Versions show up in popular TV shows like Supernatural and Hannibal. There's even, inexplicably, a Christmas episode of Duck Tales featuring a watered-down Wendigo.

Where Did The Antlered Zombie-Deer-Man Come From? 

In its native mythology, the Wendigo is sometimes described as a giant with a heart of ice. It is sometimes skeletal and emaciated, and sometimes deformed. It may be missing its lips and toes (like frostbite). (4)

So why, when most contemporary (white) people think of Wendigo, is the first image that comes to mind something like this?

Well...perhaps we can thank a filmmaker named Larry Fessenden, who appears to be the first person to popularize an antlered Wendigo monster. (5) His 2001 film (titled, creatively enough, Wendigo) very briefly features a sort of skeletal deer-monster. He’d re-visit the design concept in his 2006 film, The Last Winter. Reportedly, Fessenden was inspired by a story he’d heard in his childhood involving deer-monsters in the frozen north, which he connected in his mind to the Algernon Blackwood story. 

A very similar design would show up in the tabletop game Pathfinder, where the “zombie deer-man” aesthetic was fully developed and would go on to spawn all sorts of fan-art and imitation. (6) The Pathfinder variant does draw on actual Wendigo mythology -- tying it back to themes of privation, greed, and cannibalism -- but the design itself is completely removed from Native folklore. 

Interestingly, there are creatures in Native folklore that take the shape of deer-people -- the  ijiraq or tariaksuq, shape-shifting spirits that sometimes take on the shape of caribou and sometimes appear in Inuit art in the form of man-caribou hybrids (7). Frustratingly, the ijiraq are also part of Pathfinder, which can make it a bit hard to find authentic representations vs pop culture reimaginings. But it’s very possible that someone hearing vague stories of northern Native American tribes encountering evil deer-spirits could get attached to the Wendigo, despite the tribes in question being culturally distinct and living on opposite sides of the continent. 

That “wendigo” is such an easy word to say in English probably has a whole lot to do with why it gets appropriated so much, and why so many unrelated things get smashed in with it. 

I Love the Aesthetic But Don’t Want to Be Disrespectful, What Do I Do? 

Plundering folklore for creature design is a tried-and-true part of how art develops, and mythology has been re-interpreted and adapted countless times into new stories -- that’s how the whole mythology thing works. 

But when it comes to Native American mythology, it’s a good idea to apply a light touch. As I’ve talked about before, Native representation in modern media is severely lacking. Modern Native people are the survivors of centuries of literal and cultural genocide, and a good chunk of their heritage, language, and stories have been lost to history because white people forcibly indoctrinated Native children into assimilating. So when those stories get taken, poorly adapted, and sent back out into the public consciousness as make-believe movie monsters, it really is an act of erasure and violence, no matter the intentions of the person doing it. (8) 

So, like...maybe don’t do that? 

I won’t say that non-Native people can’t be interested in Wendigo stories or tell stories inspired by the myth. But if you’re going to do it, either do it respectfully and with a great deal of research to get it accurate...or use the inspiration to tell a different type of story that doesn’t directly appropriate or over-write the mythology (see above: my recommendation for Bone White). 

But if your real interest is in the “wendigocore” aesthetic -- an ancient and powerful forest protector, malevolent but fiercely protective of nature, imagery of deer and death and decay -- I have some good news: None of those things are really tied uniquely to Native American mythology, nor do they have anything in common with the real Wendigo. 

Where they do have a longstanding mythic framework? Europe.

Europeans have had a long-standing fascination with deer, goats, and horned/antlered forest figures. Mythology of white stags and wild hunts, deer as fairy cattle, Pan, Baphomet, Cernunnos, Herne the Hunter, Black Phillip and depictions of Satan -- the imagery shows up again and again throughout Greek, Roman, and British myth. (9)

Of course, some of these images and figures are themselves the product of cultural appropriation, ancient religions and deities stolen, plundered, demonized and erased by Christian influences. But their collective existence has been a part of “white” culture for centuries, and is probably a big part of the reason why the idea of a mysterious antlered forest-god has stuck so swiftly and firmly in our minds, going so far as to latch on to a very different myth. (Something similar has happened to modern Jersey Devil design interpretations. Deer skulls with their tangle of magnificent antlers are just too striking of a visual to resist). 

Seriously. There are so, so many deer-related myths throughout the world’s history -- if aesthetic is what you’re after, why limit yourself to an (inaccurate) Wendigo interpretation? (10) 

So here’s my action plan for you, fellow white person: 

Stop referring to anything with antlers as a Wendigo, especially when it’s very clearly meant to be its own thing (the Beast in Over the Garden Wall, Ainsworth in Magus Bride)

Stop “reimagining” the mythology of people whose culture has already been targeted by a systematic erasure and genocide

Come up with a new, easy-to-say, awesome name for “rotting deer man, spirit of the forest” and develop a mythology for it that doesn’t center on cannibalism 

We can handle that, right? 

This deep dive is supported by Ko-Fi donations. If you’d like to see more content, please drop a tip in my tip jar.  Ko-fi.com/A57355UN

NOTES: 

1 - https://io9.gizmodo.com/wendigo-psychosis-the-probably-fake-disease-that-turns-5946814

2 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo#Wendigo_psychosis

3 - https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10897/10897-h/10897-h.htm

4 - https://www.legendsofamerica.com/mn-wendigo/

5- https://www.reddit.com/r/Cryptozoology/comments/8wu2nq/wendigo_brief_history_of_the_modern_antlers_and/

6 - https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Wendigo

7 - https://www.mythicalcreaturescatalogue.com/single-post/2017/12/06/Ijiraq

8 - https://www.backstoryradio.org/blog/the-mythology-and-misrepresentation-of-the-windigo/

9 - https://www.terriwindling.com/blog/2014/12/the-folklore-of-goats.html

10 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deer_in_mythology

#horror #folklore #mythology #deep dive #wendigo #cultural appropriation #monster design #creature design #long post #if you need a place to channel your deerman aesthetic #may I suggest huntokar from welcome to nightvale #100% fictional #100% awesome

[courtneyrobinson97]

IXD301

Where does content come from?

This week was all about where content comes from and also who owns that content. We looked at sources of content, for example:

Client Supplied

Self Generated

User Generated Content

APIs

Etc.

We also identified different sources of imagery, etc., for example Illustration, Icons, Photography… from places like:

Illustration

iStockPhoto

Shutterstock

Getty

Copyright

What is copyright?

Copyright (or author’s right) is a legal term used to describe the rights that creators have over their literary and artistic works. Works covered by copyright range from books, music, paintings, sculpture, and films, to computer programs, databases, advertisements, maps, and technical drawings.

Copyright touches our lives on a daily basis. Whether you read a book, watch a film, transfer music, or take a photo, copyright issues are ever-present.

Copyright law aims to balance the interests of those who create content, with the public interest in having the widest possible access to that content. WIPO administers several international treaties in the area of copyright and related rights.

There are two types of rights under copyright:

economic rights, which allow the rights owner to derive financial reward from the use of their works by others; and

moral rights, which protect the non-economic interests of the author.

Most copyright laws state that the rights owner has the economic right to authorise or prevent certain uses in relation to a work or, in some cases, to receive remuneration for the use of their work (such as through collective management). The economic rights owner of a work can prohibit or authorise:

its reproduction in various forms, such as printed publication or sound recording;

its public performance, such as in a play or musical work;

its recording, for example, in the form of compact discs or DVDs;

its broadcasting, by radio, cable or satellite;

its translation into other languages; and

its adaptation, such as a novel into a film screenplay.

Examples of widely recognised moral rights include the right to claim authorship of a work and the right to oppose changes to a work that could harm the creator's reputation.

Creative Commons

Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organisation devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organisation has released several copyright-licenses, known as Creative Commons licenses, free of charge to the public. 

These licenses allow creators to communicate which rights they reserve and which rights they waive for the benefit of recipients or other creators. An easy-to-understand one-page explanation of rights, with associated visual symbols, explains the specifics of each Creative Commons license. 

Creative Commons licenses do not replace copyright but are based upon it. They replace individual negotiations for specific rights between copyright owner (licensor) and licensee, which are necessary under an "all rights reserved" copyright management, with a "some rights reserved" management employing standardised licenses for re-use cases where no commercial compensation is sought by the copyright owner. The result is an agile, low-overhead and low-cost copyright-management regime, benefiting both copyright owners and licensees.

Portfolio Website Content - So Far...

<!-- HOME SECTION -->

<h1>HOME PAGE</h1>

<div>

<img src="images/background.png" alt="Me" /> 

<h1>HEY, I'M COURTNEY.</h1>

<p><i>METAL GIRL WITH TATTOOS.</i></p> <p><i>ANIMAL & COFFEE ENTHUSIAST.</i></p> <p><i>UI DESIGNER & FRONT-END DEVELOPER.</i></p>

<button>VIEW MORE ABOUT ME</button>

</div>

<!-- END OF HOME SECTION -->

<!-- START OF PORTFOLIO SECTION -->

<h1>PORTFOLIO PAGE</h1> <div>

  <div> <img src="images/dogapp.png" alt="Who's That Good Boy?" />

<h2>WHO'S THAT GOOD BOY?</h2> <h3><i>SKILL : APP DESIGN / PROTOTYPING</i></h3>

<p>The educational app for all ages, encouraging users to travel and discover the many varieties of doggos we have in this beautiful world even right on our own doorstep.</p>

<p>Who’s That Good Boy? allows users to have a fun, interactive experience as well as sharing the experience with family or friends.</p>

</div>

<div> <img src="images/mybranding.png" alt="Self Branding" />

<h2>SELF BRANDING</h2> <h3><i>SKILL : CORPORATE IDENTITY - BRANDING</i></h3>

<p>My brand vision is to create unique and exciting solutions within the design industry which adhere and relate to my selected style and approach to design.</p>

<p>In this section you will see my start to finish process of making my Monogram, Wordmark and Visual Marque.</p>

</div>

<div>

<img src="images/infographic.png" alt="Dementia in the UK" />

<h2>DEMENTIA IN THE UK</h2> <h3><i>SKILL : DATA VISUALISATION - INFOGRAPHIC</i></h3>

<p>During my first year of university, my Nannie suffered from and passed due to the affects of Dementia.</p>

<p>I decided to base my infographic on the topic of Dementia in the UK as it's a disease that, unless witnessed first hand, not everyone understands the full extent and issues it raises.</p>

<p>I wanted to make something that would provide people with the relevant information in an interesting but informative way.</p>

</div> </div> <!-- END OF PORTFOLIO SECTION -->

<!-- ABOUT SECTION -->

<h1>ABOUT PAGE</h1>

  <div>

<div> <h3>Hey, I'm Courtney.</h3>

<p>I’m a young, enthusiastic UI designer based in Belfast currently seeking placement opportunities for 2020-2021.</p>

</div>

<div> <p>I'm currently a second year student at Ulster University, Belfast, studying a Bachelors in Interaction Design.</p>

<p>My key areas of interest include:</p>

<ul> <li>Front-End Development</li> <li>Branding</li> <li>UI Design</li> <li>App Design</li> <li>Data Visualisation</li> <li>Illustration</li> </ul>

</div> <div>

<p>Before coming to Ulster University, I achieved a Level 5 HND in Graphic Design at Belfast Metropolitan College. It was here that I discovered my passion for digital design whilst building and designing projects for set briefs.</p>

</div> </div> <!-- END OF ABOUT SECTION -->

<!--CASE STUDY SECTION -->

<h1>CASE STUDY PAGE</h1>

<div> <img src="images/appheader.png" alt="Who's That Good Boy'" />

<h2>The Challenge</h2>

<p>Create an illustrative travel app considering elements such as mobile design principles, colour and thumb.</p>

<h2>The Process</h2>

<img src="images/travelapp-mindmap.png" alt="Mind-map" />

<p>For this project, I began by exploring the potential answers to the problem given by drawing a mind-map of ideas after hearing the topic “Travel”. From this, I was able to branch the ideas out further to see which ideas held the most potential in regards to fulfilling the set brief of creating an app using illustration but also considering the potential needs of the intended users.</p>

<p>After discussing my list of ideas in class, my next stage was to begin market research. I had to gain a sound knowledge and understanding of all the elements that need to be considered when building and designing an app before I could begin developing my own concept. Looking at how existing apps use illustration in regards to travel as well as their navigation layout approach, icon sets and branding were all helpful as it made me consider what was needed for my own app in order for it to be successful.</p>

<img src="images/masterapprentice.png" alt="Master Apprentice" />

<p>As I’d never created an icon set before, I used the design technique of master apprenticing to recreate a set of travel icons so that I would have a better approach to designing using just simple shapes. I enjoyed completing this exercise and it encouraged me to research the history of icons to see how they have varied in design approach from the 1900’s to present day.</p>

<img src="images/travelapp-mindmap2.png" alt="Mind-Map" />

<p>Now that I had a better knowledge on what needed to be included in an app, I then went back to my initial mind-map of ideas. From this I decided to create a dog themed app as I felt it held strong visual stimulation for creating illustrations. My inspiration behind the functioning of the app stemmed from looking at Pokemon Go. I wanted to design an app that encourages the user to travel in real life to collect as many dog breeds as they could, gaining a stamp for each breed as a reward.</p>

<p>The idea for the app is that the user would photograph a dog they find whilst out exploring, the app would then transform the dog into an illustrative id card which would then be stored. Each dog discovered gains the user more ranking and also unlocks mini challenges like a treasure hunt as they have to answer questions and follow clues to end up at a final destination.</p>

<img src="images/travelapp-wireframes.png" alt="Wireframes" />

<p>Turning to my sketchbook was the next stage of my process so that I could start developing visuals for my app design. I created many rough sketches in regards to icons, illustrations and wireframes so that I could move on to digitising the app using Sketch to develop them into clean, finished design elements which would piece together to finalise the overall app design.</p>

<img src="images/presentation.png" alt="App Presentation" />

<p>I produced a high-level mock-up of my app to present in front of my classmates in order to receive constructive feedback that would then help guide me to a finalised app design. Once I made the recommended changes to my designs, I created a functioning prototype using InVision to best show how my app design answers the problem set in the original brief.</p>

<h2>Some Obstacles</h2>

<p>The main challenge I encountered was when I was digitising the dog illustrations as at this point I had limited experiences using Sketch for these purposes. The illustrations therefore took quite a bit of time to create however I feel that this experience helped strengthen my skill set in regards to using this software.</p>

<h2>My Reflection</h2>

<p>Throughout the process of this project, I feel like I was able to strengthen my existing skill set for developing and designing concepts from start to finish, however, I also got to experiment and learn some new techniques I hadn't tried out before such as prototyping and considering the rule of thumb.</p>

<p>To read further notes and my reflections on this brief, click the link below to my Tumblr page!</p>

<button>VISIT MY TUMBLR</button>

</div> <!-- END OF CASE STUDY SECTION -->

<!-- CONTACT SECTION -->

<h1>CONTACT PAGE</h1>

<img src="images/background.png" alt="Me" />

<div> <h1>Let's Chat!</h1>

<p>Check out the ‘Hire Me’ page for my CV or fire me an email using the link provided below whether it be for job opportunities, an invite to groups/events or perhaps even for a killer collaboration project.</p>

<p>I’m currently seeking placement opportunities for 2020-2021.</p>

<button>GET IN TOUCH</button>

</div> <!-- END OF CONTACT SECTION -->

<!-- HIRE PAGE SECTION -->

<h1>HIRE PAGE</h1>

<div> <img class="center" src="images/visual1.png" alt="Visual Marque" />

<h1>Courtney Robinson</h1> <h2>UI DESIGNER & FRONT-END DEVELOPER</h2>

</div> <div>

<h3>Design Experience</h3> <h4>Content Marketing Manager</h4> <h5>Robinson Financial Services</h5> <h5><i>Oct 19 to Present (Part Time)</i></h5>

<p>Roles & responsibilities:</p>

<ul> <li>To expand the company’s digital footprint and brand awareness</li> <li>To take full responsibility of the companies digital marketing strategies including use of social media, email campaigns, blogs, SEO (to name a few) to increase digital lead generation</li> <li>To provide administrative support to the Company Director</li> <li>To perform other incidental and related duties as required and assigned</li> <li>Responding promptly to customer enquiries in person or via telephone & email</li> <li>Working to tight deadlines</li> </ul>

<h4>Freelance Designer</h4> <h5>Courtney Robinson Designs</h5> <h5><i>June 17 to Present (Part Time)</i></h5>

<p>Roles & responsibilities:</p>

<ul> <li>Responding promptly to customer enquiries in person or via telephone & email</li> <li>Create visuals based on customer requests (print or digital)</li> <li>Strong use of Adobe Creative Suite and Sketch Software</li> <li>Daily reports on the status of pending work</li> <li>Good general IT skills</li> <li>An ability to communicate design ideas clearly</li> <li>Working to tight deadlines</li> </ul>

</div> <div>

<h3>Education</h3>

<h4>Interaction Design (BDes)</h4>      

                                                                <p>Ulster University, Belfast</p>

<p>Sep 18 - May 22</p> <p>Result: Pending</p>

<h4>Graphic Design (QCF)</h4>

<p>(EDEXCEL BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma)</p> <p>Belfast Metropolitan College, Belfast</p> <p>Sep 15 - May 17</p> <p>Result: Pass</p>

<h4>OCN NI Level 2 Award in Social Media (QCF)</h4>

<p>Belfast Metropolitan College, Belfast</p> <p>Sep 15 - May 17</p> <p>Result: Achieved</p>

</div>

<div> <h3>Design Skills</h3>

<ul> <li>Sketch</li> <li>Adobe Creative Suite</li> <li>HTML/CSS</li> <li>InVision</li> <li>Branding</li> <li>Digital Marketing</li> <li>Web & App Design</li> <li>Data Visualisation</li> </ul>

</div>

<div> <button>DOWNLOAD PDF</button> </div> <!-- END OF HIRE PAGE SECTION -->

Sources:

https://www.wipo.int/copyright/en/

https://creativecommons.org/

#ixd301 #designingwithcontent #ulsteruniversity #belfast #design #ixdbelfast

[jira-chii]

Thoughts on the Shoumetsu Toshi Anime before it even airs

The Shoumetsu Toshi anime will air in April 2019, which fills me with both excitement and trepidation... 

Warning for long post. And a bit of language. I may have spoiled the bare minimum of the game in order to explain why it is awesome. There are no spoilers for the anime because it doesn't air until April 2019. 

NB: This whole post is my own personal opinion. I don’t claim to be an expert in anything anime or game related. In fact, I don't play many mobile games at all, and usually steer clear of anime adaptations of such games because I know how shit they can be. I sincerely hope Shoumetsu Toshi will be different because of the quality of the writing. Also yes I am very biased. And passionate. And this whole thing is written on the assumption the producers actually want to make this anime good and worthwhile, rather than just a quick money-grab. I just have a lot of feelings about this ok. 

During Shoumetsu Toshi’s fourth year anniversary, one of the projects announced was an anime! I'm sure everyone playing knew this was going to happen eventually. After all, the game has an all star cast of seiyuu, an amazing storyline, and has been marketing itself for quite a while now (collabs, live concerts, CDs, keychains and more). I have no doubt Shoumetsu Toshi has the potential to become an amazing anime if done correctly, but it will face many challenges on the path to adaptation. Here are some of them.

Too many tamashii

One of the game’s greatest strengths also becomes one of its greatest barriers to adaptation. Shoumetsu Toshi has done an amazing job at creating a huge community of characters (like, an actual city). We get to see their stories unfold and their characters develop bit by bit through various events and quest stages. Within the game, we meet characters that are strong and inspiring, characters with complex relationships, characters that are good-natured and goofy, characters with tragic pasts and so much more. There are characters with stories in this game that will tear your heart to shreds, stories with plot twists nobody saw coming until years later, and stories that were so impactful I had to write a 3000 word essay on it before I was satisfied.

Unfortunately, the anime cannot afford to invest the same amount of time and effort in its characters as the game does. Though we love them, including too many would be detrimental because 1. It wouldn’t fit the tone the anime is going for, 2. There's actually no point because the majority of these don't affect the main story whatsoever and 3. They won't be developed enough for first timers to become invested in them. Especially the ones with more serious stories.

The producers will need to carefully choose which characters to include: characters that are not only distinct and easy to invest in, but will actually contribute to the plot and make the time getting to know them worthwhile. Because one of the worst things an anime can do imo, is bring in a character nobody is invested in, who contributes nothing to the story, has zero character development (i.e. their character is based completely on cliches and tropes) but also gets about 200% more screen time than any other side character, because there is the assumption that they’ll be popular based on their character design alone. That is just lazy writing and is disrespectful not only to the audience, but also the character (I don’t care if they’re fictional, good characters deserve respect too).

I fear there is a very real danger SPR5 could become that. The in-game idol group got a real world debut, and, while I don’t mind seeing promotion in an anime (we live in a capitalist society after all), they shouldn’t contribute much to the overall story, and I will be very disappointed if the anime give them more screen time than they need purely for the sake of marketing.  

Complex storyline

If there is one thing I absolutely don't want this anime to get wrong, it’s the story. The Shoumetsu Toshi main storyline is frickin’ amazing. It is an epic quest that spans four worlds, involves characters literally jumping through space and time, and breaks the fourth wall in the creepiest way possible. The creativity that comes with that is my absolute favourite thing about the game, however I acknowledge some heavy changes would need to be made to make it fit the traditional anime format…

I have heard the anime will be an original story, however the PV suggests it will still retain key plot points from the game. Contrary to my general opinions regarding anime-original content, I think this is the right way to go. I think fans innately despise original stories in anime adaptations for one of two reasons: the story will either be too complex for non-fans to enjoy, ruining the reputation of the series, or the story will be too watered down in order to appeal to said non-fans and consequently lose much of what made the original actually great. Achieving harmony is an incredibly difficult balancing act, and part of this involves the series living up to its own greatness. Which very rarely happens. If Shoumetsu Toshi goes for a retelling of say, World 1, it is invariably going to be compared to the original. Also it becomes predictable for anyone far enough into the game. If the producers do want to go the extra mile and make it worthwhile for the OG fans (which is nice in theory but, admittedly, unlikely), they would need to add some meaningful original content that still retains the essence of what makes Shoumetsu Toshi, Shoumetsu Toshi. That is, it retains the same themes and atmosphere, conveys a similar message, keeps all the characters appropriately in character...basically anything that would not feel out of place if it were to be inserted into the original. Luckily for us, Shoumetsu Toshi writers have loads of experience with this. I am talking, of course, about the mountain of ranking quests, side stories and events.

I will admit not every single minor story in Shoumetsu Toshi is fantastic, particularly many of the ranking events, which usually only allow about three stages to tell a story focused on one character. However, what I think the game does do very well in respect to these short ranking stories (and many other events and side stories open to lower level players), is make them accommodating to both old and new players. This is usually achieved by including Easter eggs and hints to a greater plot for the former, while keeping the actual main story for that particular quest straightforward and accessible for the latter. This strategy avoids alienating newcomers and will be absolutely vital if the anime is aiming to appeal to a larger audience, namely the international one who are mostly not even aware of the game. Failure to adhere to this strategy is also partially why many anime adaptations of games have such a shitty track record. They try to pack in too much, usually by explaining multiple complex concepts without devoting enough time to see them properly work in action. The story might take a backburner in favour of the more technical stuff, leaving newcomers confused and bored. Then when it’s time for the climax, nobody actually understands what is happening on screen. “Just play the source material”, actual fans will say, but really, unless the premise or characters appealed to me, how likely am I to invest even more time into a game if I thought the anime was boring as hell?

I do not think Shoumetsu Toshi will be able to showcase its full potential in one anime season. But if the goal of the anime is just to promote the game, there is no need to. If the goal of the anime were to be an actual good anime though, I think the creators would need to take the same approach as the game does for its stories.

Shoumetsu Toshi’s most epic moments are its unpredictable and creative plot twists. The amazing thing is, they don’t just come out of nowhere. This game’s strongest stories are the long ones that build up gradually to spectacular and emotional climaxes, which are possible because characters are given ample time to establish their values and motivations. This helps us as an audience better understand important plot points without the story having to beat us over the head about it, allowing the game to weave a subtle yet sophisticated narrative that actually makes total sense by the end. This means the story needs to be planned out from the very beginning, and will need some time for setup. Which means it won’t truly shine until the metaphorical ‘late-game’.

Stories like these are at a disadvantage these days because, especially with the Internet giving us so much more choice, a lot of anime watchers now tend to drop a show if it fails to impress them from the very start. After about three episodes, the audience should have a good feel for the anime’s main characters, setting and a hint of the main plot. If by then, absolutely nothing about the series appeals to you, you would start to think there are better things you could be doing with your time. Unfortunately, sometimes a show just needs a long time to set up a good story (or sometimes producers dick around too much with filler episodes).  

On top of probably needing a slow start, the Shoumetsu Toshi anime is at another disadvantage in respect to one type of audience, because the game does not have an English version. Which means a lot of the Western anime audience will have had no prior interaction with it and don’t know what to expect. They have no idea who the characters are, what the story is, and why its fanbase considers it so much more than just another gacha game. We just have to hope the anime is compelling enough in the beginning to ‘hook’ these newcomers, and make them stay on board long enough to make their time worth it...

A good Shoumetsu Toshi story needs to take risks. I hope to God nobody at that studio makes the executive decision to ‘play it safe’, because the last thing any fan wants is a disappointing anime adaptation with a mundane story even a non-fan wouldn’t be able to enjoy.The writers need to be given complete autonomy and trust to fully realise their creative vision, because that is exactly what is needed if this adaptation wants to use Shoumetsu Toshi’s biggest drawcard to its full advantage.

Animating exposition

This is a pretty minor thing compared to the other two I mentioned previously, but the most iconic thing that sets an anime adaptation apart from the source material is, well, the animation. Visuals and animation are probably the biggest things influencing a new audience’s first impression. Unfortunately, the PV portrayed some pretty lacklustre animation for Madhouse standards and I don’t think people were that impressed.

Good animation is time-consuming and can actually take quite a lot of effort on the part of the director (not that I have that much experience to speak to). Where to place characters in the shot composition, when and how far to zoom in for a close-up, how to best direct movement for maximum impact, but also keeping the scene direction consistent enough that the audience can still understand what is happening on screen. Dynamic scenes are hard enough, but on the other end of the spectrum, how do you animate a static character reciting an information dump in an interesting way?

Shoumetsu Toshi has a lot of talking. It's just something that comes part and parcel with a game of this format. In the game it's alright because you can read at your own pace, and it's important information. Plus they usually keep you engaged by switching up characters’ facial expressions (Shoumetsu Toshi 0 does this in spades) or by distracting you with the stellar soundtrack. I expect the anime is also gonna have a heap of exposition. I mean, from the PV alone I already see at least three expositional characters: Geek, Eiji and Kikyou.

Personally I think expositions are the hardest things to animate. And I don't mean difficult to actually draw and turn into animation, but to actually direct something like that in a satisfying way takes brain power. There are an infinite number of ways to animate characters talking, ranging from the super boring still-image-with-moving-mouth-flap, to using dynamic camera angles to keep the composition interesting, or overlaying a montage of some sort to visually convey the message without having to look at a static character. The game provides only a generic idea of how the scene might play out when animated. While this opens the door to a heap of creative possibilities, I’m concerned that if it comes down to time and budget, or if someone gets lazy, it is very likely we could end up with one hella boring sequence of exposition. Which could be a serious problem if the action scenes aren’t able to impress.

Ahh, you guys have no idea how much I want this anime to do well. There's just so much potential there.

In my opinion, traditional anime can be seen as an incredibly limited medium that must, in the span of about 12 episodes, tell a good story to its audience, invest them in its characters, and keep them engaged for half an hour each episode through pretty visuals/cool animation. If they can’t do that the audience will probably drop the series because they a) get bored, b) don’t care, and/or c) fall asleep. This also means a good anime can’t afford to sacrifice story for character development or vice versa. They need to happen concurrently.

It is not easy to make a good anime, and even more difficult to make one that lives up to the hype of its very amazing source material. As a general rule of thumb, I keep my expectations of game adaptations low, and that is what I said to myself when the Shoumetsu Toshi anime was announced. But then one day I got linked a Shoumetsu Toshi drama CD, and I was blown away by how well they did it. The title is The Vanished Elephant, a literary reference to Murakami's short story of the same name. I'm trying not to spoil but basically, the CD fully utilised the fact we can't see the characters (but can hear them) to craft a mysterious original story with a wonderful plot twist. It works just as a stand alone story, but actual players who are familiar with the characters and motifs immediately get that sense of unease at the very beginning, which is finally paid off with the reveal at the end.

Thanks to that, I can't help but be excited for the anime. If they do fuck it up, I won't be surprised but I will be very, very, sad.

If you have read this far, thank you so much for your time. If you are unfamiliar with Shoumetsu Toshi, could I ask you to please give this anime a chance? And if after its run, it does turn out shit, by all means, complain to your heart’s content (because I will be doing the same).

#shoumetsu toshi #anime #analysis #long post #afterlost

[deviantruse]

to be human | i.

pairing: connor x reader x ???

genre: angst, post revolution au, fluff, mystery, multimedia inclusive 

warnings: language, substance use, mentions of mental illness, people just be going thru stuff man that’s all 

word count: 1.5k (1, 550) 

parts: one - two - three - four -

a/n: hi! this is my first fanfic in a long while, so pls be nice ty <3

                                                _________

“I feel, doctor.” 

Farah’s hands shift slightly, then still again on her lap. She has none of the human kinks, the constant fidgeting, the stammering, the sweating, the heavy breathing. She sits still, in perfect design, but her expression betrays all. She looks troubled, she says she feels. 

“You feel what exactly, Farah?” You question gently, dominant hand moving slowly across paper as you alternate between glancing at the android and back at your notes. There are a hundred more reliable ways you could take down and store session notes, but you prefer to write them. It’s something you’ve always liked, no grand sentiment behind it, writing keeps you engaged. And doesn’t hurt as bad as looking at a screen for hours on end. 

“I feel confused. I’m unsure of what I must do next, I feel as though I shouldn’t be feeling at all. My creators, they gave me life, gave me intelligence and power. My former purpose was to serve a human master, to ensure their lives ran smoothly. Gaining rights, gaining freedom, it means I must have a new purpose. But what is it?” 

“I cannot answer that for you, Farah,” you tilt your head slightly as you smile, “in fact, most humans find themselves struggling to answer that question. Finding true purpose, it is something widely discussed amongst philosophers. Why do you feel you must have one?” 

“Markus,” she replies, volume barely audible, “he fought so hard, lost so much to ensure my people would be treated as living beings. He gave up plenty because he wanted us to be free, to be acknowledged as alive. I was designed to be a caretaker, to handle household tasks, to look after children. Now that I know I can be more, it pegs the question of: what should I be? What am I trying to become, now that there is potential?” 

You take a moment to marvel at how eerily similar deviancy is to mankind’s deep-rooted existential crisis. When machines are given a conscience, allowed to feel and have free will, when they are recognized as alive, they too fall victim to the question of life, of what it all means, what you’re here for. The question of what role you play in the large scheme of things, of what you contribute to the timeline of the universe. 

If you allow something to live, it begins to question why, how, what for, how long.

“Hm, those are interesting questions. They require a lot of thought too, so I understand why they trouble you. I suggest we start simple.” You glance down at the android’s file, searching for the relevant details pertaining to her case. “You previously served Mr. Matthew Oswald, a married businessman with two daughters. How did you like it?” 

“It was ideal,” Farah almost sighs, “they treated me well, like I was one of their own. The daughters, Livvy and Indigo, they were such bright, kind little girls. They loved children’s stories, hot pockets and cold chocolate milk. They did their homework when asked to, cleaned up after themselves when possible, and told me -” The android stops abruptly, lowering her head. “-told me I was their best friend.” 

“It seems like you were content with the life you had prior to the revolution.” You ensure your tone is as neutral as possible. “Do you think, perhaps, your internal conflict comes from the guilt that you feel for having the life that you did?” 

“Yes. So many of my people were being abused, overworked, exploited and considered inferior, yet I lived in my own bubble of ignorant bliss.” 

“Markus started off that way too, Farah.” You reassure, “He served Carl Manfred, one of Detroit’s most renowned painters. He considered Carl a loving father instead of a master. He was well taken care of, encouraged to be independent and grow into his own. It wasn't just you, Farah. The leader of the revolution himself had to step out of his bubble to truly see the world around him.” 

You see the indicator turn yellow, light spinning quickly before it settles back into the default bright blue. “He had a good life?” 

“At home, yes. But he was constantly harassed when out in public. People would call him all kinds of names, rough him up as much as possible before the police intervened. He couldn't even step out to get some paint without risking some kind of damage. His life at home was ideal, but every single day, when he left home, he faced some form of hatred.” 

Farah’s expression falls at this. “Humans would call me names too.” Her indicator turns red as she continues. “Every single day, at the park I took Livvy to, at the grocery, at the mall, they’d tell me I was nothing but plastic, a machine parading around as a human.” 

Your heart burns as you register the heavy sadness that falls upon Farah. Her indicator stays red as she begins to sniffle, and you for a single moment remember your old life, the person you used to be, the damage you contributed to. 

And the guilt burns even hotter than sympathy. 

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” you finally say, hoping she hears your sincerity, “humans have always had the tendency to fear and put down what they secretly believe to be superior to them. It’s one flaw my kind struggles to work on. It should have never affected you, should have never hurt you, so I’m sorry.” 

“Thank you.” Her voice is soft as her indicator turns blue. “I know you are kind. I know you stand with my people, stand to protect us and our rights. I know you don’t hate us.”

I never could. 

“Of course, Farah. You are alive. So you deserve to live the way you choose. That’s all there is to it.” 

                                                        _________

Connor will never admit it to Hank, but he prefers to avoid Ferndale station altogether. 

As he walks beside the Lieutenant, he struggles to keep his expression neutral, eyes instinctively following the symbols on the graffiti, a remnant of Jericho, a reminder of what gave him the right to freely enjoy something so trivial to humans, something they deem insignificant. 

An aimless wander. 

He tries to look away, tries to direct his attention elsewhere, but it’s a futile attempt. As they walk past several, old, worn down buildings, Connor finds himself searching for them, unable to overwrite the program currently overwhelming him. It hurts him, knowing the last time he went looking for those symbols, he was doing so as CyberLife’s puppet, Amanda slyly pulling all the strings. It hurts him to acknowledge that the ship would still lie freely on sea, damaged but a safe haven, had it not been for him and his mission. 

Deviancy has given him much to appreciate, but it’s also doubled the skeletons in his closet. 

“Hey, what do ya’ keep lookin’ at?” Hank stops abruptly, following Connor’s gaze and frowning in confusion. “Is there something that I’m not seeing, Connor?” 

“No, Hank,” comes the late, soft reply, “nothing significant.” 

“Well it seems significant to you.” The older man meets Connor’s eyes and smoothens his tone as he says, “Feelings fucking suck, Connor, I get that. But you gotta talk about them if they’re making things difficult.” 

“I don’t know what it is I feel.” Connor shakes his head, fighting the urge to glance at the symbol once again. “I’m still adjusting, so there’s a lot that’s new to me still. I’ll adapt though. I always do.” 

Hank nods, understanding it would be unwise to push the android to talk. “The adapting process doesn’t have to be shitty, though. I’m meeting my shrink next week, Tuesday afternoon. If you want to, you can too. Whaddya say?” 

Multiple boxes of text stumble into his frame of mind, his mind palace filled with pros and cons of accepting Hank’s offer. On one hand, it would be a great show of support, considering it had taken a while for the Lieutenant himself to agree to see a professional. It would ensure Hank attended his sessions regularly, and it wouldn’t be as difficult in comparison to going alone. On the flip side, it meant Connor had to acknowledge his own skeletons, the ones he fights so hard to forget, to erase from memory. It would mean acknowledging a lot of which he’d prefer to abandon and never pay mind too. 

“Connor? You don’t have to, it’s just a suggestion, son.” 

“I accept.” He says finally, managing a small smile. “I’ll do it. Same time, different doctor.” 

Hank tries to fight it, but Connor can spot the relief flooding into his eyes. His shoulders relax as he exhales, laughing slightly and patting Connor’s shoulder. “Alright, it’s settled then. We’re going to be airing our dirtiest laundry to some psychologists. Fuck, what have we come to?” 

“I don’t know, Hank.” The android’s smile widens. “But I believe this is healthy. Better than some scotch and that death burger you love so much.” 

“Don’t you dare fucking come for my burgers, you prick. I’m here for a good time, not a long time!” 

“Your life expectancy confirms that to a terrifying degree, Hank.” 

“Don’t make me swing at you, asshole. Keep fuckin’ movin’.” 

                                                  _________

i promise future chapters will be longer! this is just to set the scene, of how life is generally. you’ll be seeing what Markus and Kara are up to soon :) 

and of course, feedback is always appreciated <3

#the most satisfying part of this was the Connor x reader x ??? part #like who is ??? #there's a LOT COMIN FOLKS #:D #detroit: become human #detroit become human #dbh #connor x reader #rk800 x reader #dbh connor #dbh hank #detroit become human fic #post revolution au #detroit: connor #detroit: markus #detroit: kara

[quantumrpg]

NAME: Sidney Daines AGE: 24 / 427 SPECIES: Vampire OCCUPATION: Owner of Lucille Lortel Theatre YEAR OF ARRIVAL: 1864 RESIDENT FOR… forty years. FACECLAIM: Ezra Miller

t i m e  i s  a n  i l l u s i o n,  b u t  n o t  o u r  s t o r i e s…

Sidney’s life began as the 6th of an eventual ten children his parents would have, though one of only four who would survive to adulthood. When he was a year or so and had lived through his first winter, his parents gave him a name and he was baptized. From the beginning, Sidney was a bright and mischievous child. He knew when to dart quickly out of trouble, and how to charm when he was caught. Even if his mother had the will or energy, he wasn’t willing to be controlled, and since he was happy to roam the streets of London like a wild thing instead of terrorizing her home, she was just as pleased to be rid of him.

Despite that, when he came back for supper in the evenings with a smile and a kiss for her cheek, she was always pleased to see him. The favor their parents showed him, no matter what wrong he did, was something that often stirred jealousy between his siblings. From a young age, Sidney’s striking looks and natural charisma attracted attention. He became an apprentice to a theater company, playing the part of the young girl in most productions. It wasn’t something that Sidney minded, other than when he had no lines to speak and was there merely to gasp or faint at the appropriate time.

He made a home of the theater. His talent and beauty both grew as he aged, and his name began to headline shows, just as often in the role of the lovely daughter as the heroic lead. Sidney enjoyed the stage, but it was the adoration of a crowd that truly captivated him. He paid perhaps too much attention to his fans, letting them buy his drinks and stroke his ego, or simply stumbling together for quick sex behind the theater.

As vain as he was, he was equal parts reckless and when a beautiful stranger offered him immortality, Sidney jumped without hesitation. He knew there would be a price to pay, even before he accepted the pale stranger’s cold hand and brought her bleeding wrist to his lips. It was still a shock when in return she ripped out his throat with her teeth.

Once he had awoken, they left the city. She spent four years teaching him Italian in Rome. He practiced on their victims, pulling them with a smile into the dark where she waited. She took pleasure in teaching him how to kill, but also how to be careful and discreet. They were mindful always of the trail they left. Most of the bodies ended up in the water, and they moved often. To Sid, it seemed as though she spoke every language and had a friend to call upon in every city, though she laughed and waved away his questions about her age or who she had been before creating him. She gave her name as Viola, but it was a lie he didn’t think he was meant to believe.

She was a force of nature, as much as the wind was. As fickle too, with who she showed a smile and who her teeth. Sidney felt more powerful at her side than he ever had from the rush of a crowd’s applause, and few hundred years made it easy to forget he had ever been anything by her side. They would separate occasionally, for a few years at a time, then meet again when she found him. During the time apart, he learned how to sustain himself without death. It was simpler, though he knew that she wouldn’t approve. She was always keen to remind him they were predators, and he wasn’t foolish enough to argue. He feared her almost as much as he was devoted to her.

As the centuries rolled, every time they were apart it was for a few months longer, and the time between the separations began to shrink. After four years in Munich away from her, when they met again she was shepherding her new creation, a bright eyed and timid thing that Sidney despised immediately. When he launched himself at his replacement, intent on seeing it dead, Viola’s laugh was fond before she tossed him effortlessly through a window.

The next day was no different than the last, but he was suddenly without purpose, adrift in the endlessness of immortality. He drifted literally for some time, seeking powerful magics and oddities. Anything that might keep his interest. A rumor led Sidney to a forest in Norway, during a blizzard so fierce he was nearly blinded. Fighting against the wind and snow, he was considering turning back to find some shelter from the storm when the next step was suddenly easy, and Sidney stumbled forward onto the concrete floor of a dirty alley. He stood slowly, brushing snow off his clothes, and tried to understand how he had ended up in a city.

He realized quickly it was a city like none other he had experienced, louder, faster, and brighter than he’d thought possible. Sidney was infatuated immediate. He wasn’t sure it was real to start, the city seemed to run on magic and operate under impossible rules, but Sidney was nothing if not adaptable, and like learning a new language, he set to learning New York’s secrets. When he walked past a theater a few months later, and bought a ticket on a whim, the discovery of film felt almost like a gift the city had granted him for his attentions. He watched New Hope again nearly six times in a week, then every other movie the theater was showing.

New York felt like home in a way no other city had before. Even London had never breathed the way it did. The clubs alone would have been reason enough for Sidney to never want to leave, and he knew he had find his place in it, even if that required carving it out himself. Some searching was required, but the Lucille Lortel Theatre was everything he’d dreamed of. It was in the inner city, and in enough disrepair that he knew it was no one’s priority. Only two of it’s stages were even open, and the seats were never full.

The owner was elderly and reclusive, so it was simple for Sidney to set himself up as manager and take over operations, and when she visited, to introduce himself to her as that. He was probably the first one to actually want the job in decades, she accepted his word without question. He had movie screens installed to attract guests, and kept the owner comfortable in her last years. When she finally passed, the only will ever found left the building to him.

He rediscovered his first love, and it was exhilarating to be on stage again. He spread the word that the theater was a place for those less mortal, and it’s popularity blossomed. New York was a city of crossroads, people from all over the world came to feel it’s heartbeat for themselves. He noticed it seemed to attract people out of their time as well, but the energy of a city was a powerful thing, and Sidney could only assume it drew them into it like moths towards a flame.

The question of if he could return home finally began to nag after a few decades. The world he’d been dropped into had began to change, faster than anything he’d ever experienced. Technology had stampeded forward with a force that made Sidney a little dizzy, and more than a little nervous when cameras began to sprout like weeds on every corner. Even the city had begun to change, sanitized so it wouldn’t offend those who came to gawk. Sidney found he’d began to miss home, and his creator. Just as enticing, Sidney knew if this was truly the future then if he went back to his time, he would be able to live it again, this time with the city under his control.

t e l l  m e,  a r e  w e  a  p r o d u c t  o f  w h o  w e  u s e d  t o  b e?

Above all else, Sidney seeks to take from life anything he can. He is never cruel if he doesn’t need to be, but he doesn’t let anything stand in the way of something he truly wants. He has a way of commanding a room with a laugh and a smile, and seeks constantly to be the center of attention, even when it’s not in his interest. He likes when people underestimate him however, and his playful and flamboyant personality makes that easy for many.

When Sid does form loyalties, they’re deep and long lasting, and he reacts bitterly to betrayal, never forgetting a grudge. He does prefer to solve things without violence, or at least without getting his hands personally dirty, but isn’t above it should the situation be necessary. Trading favors is also a favorite pastime of his, he likes to let them collect so he always has something to call on someone should need arise. His offers for help are always genuine, after forty years in the city his connections run deep, but generally only taken out of desperation. He almost always has at least one ulterior motive for anything he does, even if that motive is just he wants them to come to him next time, when their problem is more serious.

#ezra miller #sidney daines #vampire #taken

[myanalyticalcrutch-blog]

Pagan Poetry

Written for FS 464: Film as a Visual Poem, on September 18, 2017

Bjork is, like many poetic artists, misunderstood by a lot of people. However, there is a reason she has won awards and gotten media attention, other than her swan dress. She pours herself out into every song, and whether you understand what she is saying or not, you can feel the raw emotion behind it. Both the song and video for Pagan Poetry explore the dialog between love, pain, and lust. Bjork is telling us about her love for someone and the pleasure he gives her along with the pain attached to him. This pain is both wanted and unwanted, almost necessary for the relationship. The abstract images slowly become more clear, revealing different parts of Bjork herself. She is showing herself and becoming more comfortable, realizing what she wants before our eyes, being reborn in a sense. Love is considered sacred in most cultures. It is supposed to be the closest thing to a magical experience that you can have. The worst people can change for love, the true happiness makes them want to be better or opens their eyes to a new point of view. Love can also blind you from the bad things about your partner or the world itself. The shelter of love can both be constructive and destructive.

We witness the piercing of her nipples on screen. Body mutilation is shown as a way of expression and self-love as it is for many people. Many cultures even use it as a sign of honor or bravery. Whereas in many western cultures, tattoos, piercings, and scarification are seen as the sign of someone who hates themselves and others. It is seen as unprofessional and unfriendly, though it is slowly becoming more accepted. But it is also to resemble to piercing pain that love can be related to. The draping of pearls and lacing of the piercings on her back match the weaving of the messages and emotions of love and agony throughout the song. Her vocals are precise but have an animalistic quality, adding to the true emotion of the piece. The love and pain for her is instinctual human nature, but it has such a taboo around it, she must question if it is what is best for her. When her face is fully shown, she is smiling while singing, as though she is in ecstasy. However, as the song goes into a chant of “I love him” she stops singing on screen and seems to be in distress. This chant gives the song and video a sense of ritual, love and pain dialog ritually. One must always sacrifice something for love.

Many marriages end in divorce. I have always wanted to believe that love existed in the beginning or at least somewhere down the line. People are breaking the taboo that you must love one person forever. Love cannot exist without pain. She is wearing a dress by Alexander McQueen, a famous fashion designer, another artist. The dress exposes most of her torso with a mermaid bottom creating an incomplete wedding dress aesthetic. There are pearls, often seen as a feminine accessory, draped from her neck and shoulders. She is breaking taboos and bringing up stereotypes addressed to being a proper woman while she herself is embracing pain with love. She is opening exposing herself and the love and pain coupled with ecstasy and lust. The lyrics also suggest that perhaps there was an openness to the relationship at some point, or perhaps in her last relationship. This brings up the possibility that it started as something solely sexual and for her it developed into other feelings. It is often said that one of the most painful things in life is losing a lover or partner. She yells and shouts with a smile on her face that he makes her want to hurt herself. Shortly after we see an image of corset piercings on her back and blood around the holes. The weaving of these emotions is making her bleed and yet she will not let go of them because they also provide her with a sense of liberation from the bonds of social norms in relationships and as a woman.

People are highly affected by the emotions tied to poetry and music. Our lives are surrounded constantly by music and its effects. Some people argue that particular music can affect us negatively, while others claim that all music has a sense of liberation for individuals. According to legends, Orpheus was the first poet. He is usually depicted holding a musical instrument known as a lyre. In many images, the lyre is being held to his chest and close to his heart. It captures the soul of the poet, his love, his emotions, and all that he is. Music and poetry are to this day seen as way to ultimately expose yourself emotionally and express everything that you are and hope to be. Two important words that have risen from the lyre are lyrics and lyrical. These words are used to describe art from all genres, including music, painting, poetry, and film. All essential to an artist’s everyday life. Lyrics are words, often associated with poetry that are connected to a melody and are meant to be sung, not just spoken, however, there is a thin line that is often crossed between speaking and singing. Poetry itself is very musical. It is aware of rhythm, tones, and patterns. Chants and repetition can be seen in both music as well as poetry. The chorus of many modern songs is extremely repetitive and can evoke the feeling of a chant, especially when we look at genres like rap and hip hop. Rap is a genre that frequently crosses the line between singing and rapping and focuses highly on rhythm and rhyme just as poetry does, whereas other genres may focus more on the melody and the music.

As stated before, there is a thin line between music and poetry and they are often weaved together. They both deliver and story in a very strong, emotional, and intimate way. The artist is aware of all of the elements that go into his piece and strives to capture the essence of being human. This also applies to film, a visual poem. However, it is not a visual poem the same way that a painting is, it has literal movement and stillness contrasting each other. Film is a massive mixing pot of many different art forms. Greek tradition calls the poet and lyrical being, lyricism being strongly attached to passion. Plato had said that poets are enthusiasts. They are expressive, passionate and energized by that passion. To Plato, enthusiasm is a trance. Poets become enraptured by their subjects, they dig deeper and deeper into something and they cannot be pulled out of their art and passions. In The Republic, he says that poets should not be included in the city. They are radicals or have a tendency to embrace radical behavior and thoughts, and this is a danger to society. Poets abandon logic and twist language, they play with concepts like young children poking at dead animal carcasses. They explore depths of opinions and subjects that are taboo and to most people should not be thought about. Tarkovski’s poets illustrate two sides of this. His mad poet is loud and filled with rage. He is disruptive and subjects everyone in his presence to his truth, he scars them with the images of his death and the sounds of his final cried. The wise poet, however, uses silence to contemplate his message. It slowly sinks deep and has a chilling tone about it. He is caught in a silent trance while performing his final ritual.

In a sense, poets create their own language. Shakespeare is one example of a poet literally creating language. He betrayed the known laws of language and created terms and phrases that are still common in language long after his death. His impact on society and art is immeasurable. His plays have been rewritten and stories retold over and over. His plays often put people in the shoes of the poet, entrancing them and inviting them to think about the taboo and unusual. Topics of spirituality and sexuality are often covered in Shakespearean plays and poetry. Lyricism and poetry can represent the elevation of the voice and the gaze from the creation of language. As long as that language is lived through momentum and constantly fed with the energy of the poet and the audience.

Poetry embraces the duality of chaos and order. Many poems have a strict formatting while also exploring the chaos of humankind within its text. Poets whether through literature or image are obsessed with paradoxes and irony. There is a constant idea of the overlap between two things usually seen as opposites. Black and white are colors used frequently as a metaphor even when the concepts presented in the piece explore the many different shades of grey. Modern art often depicts Orpheus as a meaningful hero. He is seen as a representation of the human experience and what it means to be an individual. He is to thank for the many different forms of art and poetry that our lives come into contact with. We have access to so many different ways of expressing ourselves and sending a message to other people. We can connect and embrace other people and individual personalities through poetry while exploring areas of our subconscious we are not always familiar with. Raoul Dufy shows Orpheus surrounded by the sea and nature. In the image, there is a balance between the sky and the ocean. The presence of nature is a representation of how natural poetry is and poet’s deep connection with nature and life. Orpheus is at the center of the world and able to communicate across many platforms and elements. He can dialog with life and the spirit of nature. This lines up with the legend that his power of words and lyricism, he was able to communicate with the entire world, from the biggest creatures, to the smallest, down to small specks of life hardly seen or noticed by humankind. It is said that he could even make stones cry. This legend applies the idea of super natural power to poets.

As creators, artists across all genres adapt a special style so they can be seen as an individual and separate themselves from the works of other famous creators. They often have another artist that helped them discover their art, style, and passion. Visual poets are true visionaries, their gaze being projected with and onto others and sending out sparks of inspiration to other aspiring artists that wish to show the world their point of view. Orpheus’ vision and gaze was so powerful, that he could be seen as an extremely unsettling force. He could dialog with the Gods. I can understand why Plato would want to kick out poets if they could speak to the Gods. Poetry and visual poems explore spirituality and occasionally the spirit world itself. It is often referenced or its image depicted within poetry or films. Poets have a particular charm to them, making them dangerous because this charm gives them the power to speak with many different forms of life and even gives them a sort of power over others. Other people can be put into a trance with the chant of a poet. They can become mesmerized and led away from the dangerous safety of societal norms.

Art is a journey. Film, music, and poetry all take us on an adventure when they attempt to capture the Orphic voice. Their rhythm and voice often embracing a sense of ritual. Similar to how many parts of Bjork’s video do. The act of piercing is a ritual of adulthood and life events in many cultures. Even within modern western culture there is an accepted way to perform the act of piercing one’s body. In Pagan Poetry, she undergoes a journey of self-discovery through love and pain, just as is the poets goal to go on an extreme journey. However, extreme can mean even the smallest things. Because poets look at the world through the grey and in between areas, they do not always see the black and white as the most extreme. So many people accept that life if black and white that it is more extreme to walk somewhere in the middle. Though poets and filmmakers often explore the unknown and unreal, they also have to acknowledge reality. You cannot explore the unknown without first knowing what is known and accepted amongst the masses. Music videos bring poetry, music, and filmmaking together as a holy and transgressive experience. Artists like Bjork explore parts of reality and the subconscious seen as taboo through these art forms. She, as well as the filmmaker, want the viewer to also explore everything from the visuals, to the music, to the lyricism and words. Pagan Poetry explores the Orphic voice with its playful journey through sexuality, risk, love, and pain as one.

#film #film student #music video #pagan poetry #bjork #student #student paper #student writing #writing #paper #analysis #art