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ac3-silvers · 4 months

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Is it weird for me to be worried about my latest hyperfixation/plot bunny?

Below the cut is an explaination.

Tl/dr: added a bunch of like pagan themes and my version of “western fantasy” and found family tropes and species bending to a Xianxia/Wuxia setting (MXTX triple fusion) and I’m worried people will find it problematic if I post it. All pagan stuff is also “weird” bc it’s my flavor of it and I add more bits when I write it for stories of any kind. Main guy mostly just acts as a dad and is always running around trying to avoid people who he doesn’t want to find him unless he needs to trade for certain things like fabric because everyone is suspicious of him and it gets worse when they learn he’s an “alternate type of cultivator” and actually foreign and stuff. Like, it’s HIM being assimilated and not the other way around even if he’s sharing like a couple crafts, what he grew up speaking and writing, some recipes and stuff you’d learn if you lived in the wilds and had an arborist-holistic doctor-type for a mom figure.

Edits: added more clarification, main concern is white savior and I’m doing as much as I can to avoid that bullshit but I’m still worried as fuck bc I don’t want to seem like an asshole or something.

Like, I tend to have phases for fandoms, sure, but I also have them for tropes/concepts I like to write.

So I’m in a MXTX/Danmei phase fandom wise, and I’m in a general “fix it before the shit can go south” phase, and now I’m layering on my paganism-in-everything phase once again and writing a “what if all MXTX novels are in the same world… and a very powerful druid-witch dude happens to stumble onto our favorite red-and-black boys and a (good number of) handful(s) of other fucked over kids… which activates his horrible, horrible dad instincts and he adopts every last one of them” thing.

It’s 3 chapters deep, has a bunch of random shit ranging from discussion of languages and their quirks, basic Irish lessons (bc teaching myself off and on for YEARS), pagan/wiccan shit (obviously), handicrafts, hunting, practical foraging and ultra-sustainable farming practices, how major religions stamp out smaller or “bad” ones…

It’s basically just what I write for my Og stuff but I’m not holding back at ALL and it’s MXTX. Main plot is MDZS but Binghe and Hua Cheng are the frustratingly ridiculous older brothers of the family that the dad-character is just sick and tired of listening to them pine and suspicious as hell about who they’re going after despite not wanting to even THINK about his boys being in romantic relationships with ANYONE.

Just… goofy happy but dramatic family shit and cute kids and teens bringing a shitload of foreign mythology and pagan culture and a hefty dash of my personal style of fantasy into the Xianxia/Wuxia world.

I just worry I might get flack for like destroying the culture and setting with… what I write about for the most part outside of like the vast majority of my fics.

Am I going nuts, or is this okay?

Edit for a clarification: I’m worried, as someone mentioned, of a white savior trope problem. I’m mainly trying to get out of that corner I seem to have driven myself in, but generally how it’s going so far is:

- cultivators are suspicious of foreign guy who’s apparently not just some weird merchant, this causes issues

- OC is more just trying to keep the kids he ends up running around with from doing stupid shit like pulling stupid stunts to be with people they declare their soul mates after like one brief interaction (and he fails a lot and gets all “I’m not mad I’m just disappointed. Now eat your dinner and go take a bath, you stink and are too thin again.”)

- major difference for whole setting is just some one off things here and there being introduced and made more common in a warped timeline (mostly just like fiber arts and some recipes and minor things that aren’t as obvious right off the bat like how ginkgo trees are in the same family as poison Ivy and stuff like that)

Generally the entire fic is just very done dad yelling at stupid teenagers for being stupid teenagers and having to dodge people who don’t like the weird wild man and judging him for not being able to read Chinese well and stuff.

Yet I’m still worried about white savior issues… because they’re an issue.

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sadachmesarthim · 3 years

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C-cowboy starker? What if cowboy starker, I mean? I think... cattle driver Tony maybe, and ranch hand Peter,,, always wanted to write about this but I’m shy 🙈

mid-writing edit: i’ve spent half an hour on this and my computer is literally lagging with how fast i’m typing. i really hope this makes sense because holy shit, i love cowboy starker. anon, i need you in my inbox every single fucking time you have an idea about starker. idk if it’s in passing, idk if it’s super fleeting and doesn’t make sense. anon, you are my muse

ohhhhh my god anon i ,, love this idea so much i’ve actually thought about this a bit ngl you don’t even know how much i like western aus

okay so hear me out:

i’m thinking brokeback type shit, right?? but just a tad different like be honest who doesn’t like the whole bbm trope yfm and twink jake gyllenhaal is my baby okay okay okay sorry babe i’m still crossfaded as fuck and i could talk about that movie for days anyway back on topic

- no okay but think of it - tony, he’s recently divorced and morgan, his baby girl, his one and only daughter, she’s 19 now and seeing this absolute gentleman of a roughneck. his house is empty, he isn’t paying child support anymore, he doesn’t have this bitchy redhead on his ass 24/7 about getting a job in the city

- because tony hates the city, hates that his father dragged them away from the mountains and prairies he remembers from his childhood. hates what the city gave him - black eyes and mean names and disappointed parents

- so tony high tailed it the fuck out of dodge the second he turned 18. abandoned school, abandoned his family, took his beat up ford out to montana and disappeared. married this nice girl, virginia pepper, worked construction to support her while she went to school. had a pretty baby girl a year or two later. moved both of his girls out to a ranch he bought with their tiny savings, got a couple’a cows and a horse and made friends with a neighbor with a bull

- but eventually, pep had bigger dreams. they were both young when they got married, didn’t look past the immediate sexual compatibility to see that their futures were well and truly not going to go well together

- so she left the ranch, took morgan with, and made her way to the city. became some big lawyer or doctor or businesswoman or something, tony didn’t know. didn’t really care because the child support invoices still came every single month like clockwork.

- so instead of focusing on his distant daughter and his ex wife that wouldn’t listen to him and his family that just... didn’t understand, he threw himself into the wildlife around him

- became closer with those neighbors that had a bull. eventually came to an agreement and let him free with his girls

- built a very solid herd of highlanders in a handful of years, slowly attracting the attention of more and more owners wanting to trade, to buy, to sell

- and maybe one year, he realizes, he’s in a bit too far over his head with this. he has 100 of these four legged fuckers, he has 50 acres to take care of by himself, he has horses to feed and shoe and groom. he has fields to plant and water and harvest if he wants to feed any of the animals mentioned above

- so he reaches out to his neighbors, puts feelers out and sees if anyone knows a farmhand who’d want to help him out, maybe live on the property full time for a bit. and when he gets a call back his heart breaks a bit, because oh my god he wasn’t prepared for this

- a kid, can’t have been more than morgan’s age, has responded to him, and he’s good with his hands mr. stark, and he knows his way around animals mr. stark, been takin’ care of ‘em for his whole life now mr. stark

- and this kid is ,, he sounds so innocent and sweet there’s no way tony’s gonna say yes before he actually meets him

- so tony gives the kid his address, tells him to come out and give things a once over before he makes his mind up

- so peter does. he comes out, introduces himself, looks around the property with tony. and tonys heart hurts, because this kid, this kid that’s standing right in front of him, is almost skin and bones and looks like he’s about to crumble into dust and blow away in his hands

- he brings peter into the house, brings him coffee, offers him food. even after peter politely declines he brings over some bread to share, maybe a slice of pie?? maybe tony can cook and bake. he has a sweet tooth after all, and he’s been on his own for the better part of two decades.

- and he really gets to know peter. they sit, they talk, until the sun dips down and the open mountain chill takes over them

- and peter tells him that he’s been on his own for a couple of years, that his parents died when he was young and that his aunt and uncle took him in on their ranch. that he grew up around animals, working, helping out

- but when they died the property was repossessed by the bank and peter’d all but ran with ben’s keys and the clothes on his back. he’s been on the road ever since, going from missouri to texas to wyoming to montana, all in search of work, never staying in one place longer than a few months.

- he doesn’t tell tony that he’s secretly so, so tired of life on the road. doesn’t say how elated he was when he heard someone was looking for a fairly long-term live in farm hand. because that’s something he knew, something he was good at.

- he also doesn’t tell tony that his heart skipped several beats in a row the second peter laid eyes on him, and that he really wants to work for the gorgeous man in front of him

- it’s finally dark, his coffee cup is long empty and abandoned and peter’s just spilled nearly every single deep dark secret he’s ever had. tony’s closing the windows, and peter makes for the door. he’s taken up enough of this beautiful kind man’s time, he should leave before he stays even further past his welcome

- but tony’s stopping him, blocking him from the door, lightly grabbing his wrist and turning peter to face him fully

- and he’s asking begging pleading telling peter he should stay, that the spare room upstairs is warm and not going to be used anytime soon. that he still needs a farmhand and, as he sees it, peter’s already here

- secretly, tony can’t stand to see him leave

- he couldn’t handle letting his man this... kid, really, leave. not when tony could provide for him. not when he could feed him until his edges soften and his cheeks round out and his tummy gets squishy. not when he could work him into a sweat outside, watch that paperwhite skin turn a rich tan under the summer sun

- not even when he realizes the sudden care for the orphan in front of him is slowly becoming less familial, less platonic, and more... instinctual. base. greedy.

- because who better to make sure this kid is looked after than tony? tony, who has work-worn hands and time-softened eyes and cooking skills any bachelor would die for

- it’s honestly not even that shocking to him when peter says yes

- not when he takes his hand off the doorknob and immediately turns, immediately breathes out a “yes, yes of course mr. stark, thank you so much mr. stark, i’ll do whatever you need me to, you’re incredible mr. stark”

- and it all immediately goes to tony’s dick head because fuck, that was not the intended reaction but it was absolutely welcome, what the fuck

- so tony takes him upstairs, gets peter settled in the guest bedroom right across from his own

- and when he goes to bed that night he absolutely does not touch himself while thinking about the barely 20something thats maybe 10 feet away. doesn’t think about what peter said earlier, with tony’s hand wrapped around his wrist

- absolutely doesn’t cum with peter’s name on his lips, biting down on his knuckles so peter doesn’t hear

- and peter absolutely doesn’t cum with three fingers in his ass, tears streaming down his face, listening to the creaking mattress springs and heavy breathing from across the hall. of course he doesn’t

- and of course they don’t get along well. of course not. of course they don’t work together like they’re telepathically connected, not even needing to speak to know what the other is thinking. it’s like peter can read his mind, knowing exactly what needs done when

- but it’s not just tony. peter can tell before anyone else when the farrier needs to be called. when one of the girls is pregnant, even before she starts showing. knows when one of the cattle dogs has a hurt paw without even seeing him. can tell when it’s going to rain, so he knows whether or not it’ll be a good day to cut the alfalfa fields

- it’s a little freaky to be honest but tony doesn’t hate it. it’s really useful with everything on the farm, and it’s... it’s nice. having someone that can so effortlessly understand him.

- it’s also like peters... totally unaware of it. like he doesn’t even know he knows things he shouldnt know. which blows tony’s mind even more.

- it kinda turns him on, and he finds himself with his hand around his cock wondering if peter knows he’s getting off thinking about him. like, more than once. maybe even more than once a week. definitely more than once a week.

- and maybe peters kind of catching on, a little. that maybe his feelings toward his employer/landlord/new friend are shared

- it also doesn’t help that he gets uncontrollably aroused every time tony goes to bed. like. every... single... time...

- peter always knew he was.. attentive. but he didn’t know it would manifest as literally feeling tony’s arousal through the fucking walls

- and it doesn’t help that peter’s filling out. he’s getting darker as the months get warmer, he’s getting significantly more meat on his bones now that he’s eating more and working more

- and it really doesn’t help that tony is getting eyefuls of the half naked ranch hand almost 24/7. it’s really not his fault that peter works better without a shirt on

- and maybe it comes to a head one day. maybe they’re picking up alfalfa bales from one of the fields and they stop to take a break and tony just ,, can’t handle sweaty, tan, barely-a-twink-anymore peter.

- and peter can feel it, with his ,, unique senses, that tony’s watching him. like, a lot. like, way more than normal even

- so he decides to play it up a bit. he takes his shirt off, he throws his gloves in the bed of the truck and balls the tee in his hands, wiping his face off with it and sighing deeply

- and he knows tony saw that because he could fucking hear tony’s breathing change and he smirks a little bit, because that’s enough confirmation for him to know for sure

- so he looks up, and he meets tony’s eyes, and they’re wild and feral and tony looks like one of the wolves that tried to take out one of their cows last winter - hungry and ready to devour what was in front of him

- and peter just looks at him, a little incredulous, and finally speaks up: ‘you gonna get over here ‘n kiss me, or what?’ - and tony fucking breaks

- he turns the truck off and slams the door when he gets out, grabbing peter by the neck and fucking dragging him against tony’s clothed body

- “do you know what you’ve been doing this whole time?”

- of course peter does, tony, you fucking moron. he knows and he’s been trying to get you to rip him to shreds, dumbass. you’re just oblivious

- but tony still can’t help but see the tiny young man that walked up on his doorstep those years ago, can’t help but want to protect him and keep him safe and warm and fed

- so of course tony wanted to go slow, and wanted to be gentle with peter

- but pete was having fucking none of that, because oh my god tony i’m not 19 anymore please just fuck me already and been wanting you for way too long and please tony just-- and he grabs tony’s hand and makes him squeeze even harder

- and it’s hot, and it’s messy, and it’s not even really sex, just them rutting and grabbing and jerking each other off up against the door of tony’s truck, belt buckles undone and jeans just barely tugged down

- and tony’s basking in it, watching peter’s eyes screw shut and his pretty plush lips open and the little ‘aah, nngh fuck, tony’s that push their way from his throat

- and he knows, the second they’re done here, they’re abandoning their work for the day and he’s taking peter back to the house and he’s going to show him what this is like for real, what it means to be touched with intention and love and emotion behind it - not just a quick handjob standing in the hay field

- and he does. he worships peter’s body when they get back to the house

- he kisses every single part of him, nips at the tiny bit of excess fat on his stomach and thighs and hips, relishing in the fact that peter is his, his to take care of, his to keep safe and healthy and happy

- and eventually, the guest room opens up again. peter’s stuff slowly moves into tony’s room. he stops getting paid, but that’s okay

- because why would you get paid to work on your own farm?

#starker #anon #asked #answered #.ask #i like this idea anon #please see me for any and all future requests you may have #because holy shit #this was enjoyable #anyway im high as FUCK please excuse if this doesn't make sense #love u nonnie #word count: 2.4k

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collecting-stories · 4 years

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Personal Best - John B Routledge

Request: John b x reader, with him and the reader surfing one night then when the waves die down and they sit on their surfboards watching the sunset. They tell one another that they like each other. They move their boards closer to each other and share their first kiss. He asks her to be his girlfriend and she says yes. Then that leads to something more. If you’re able to, make it a little smuttyish. Thank you!! @bearr12

A/N: Once again listening to Maisie Peters while I was writing, so this is named after her song and really just written with the chorus in mind.

Outer Banks Masterlist

///

You weren’t sure you cared enough about surfing to refer to it as a religious experience but you couldn’t deny that you woke up early every Sunday morning to go surfing with John B. It was your standing surf date with only him. The two of you got up with the sunrise to catch waves or, if there were none, to just float out with him. It was certainly a spiritual endeavor, sitting out in the ocean with John B, just listening to the water. You’d grown so accustom to the tradition that you were shocked when he asked to switch your Sunday surf to evening.

“The sun will just be setting instead of rising...it’s the same.” He insisted when he broached the subject with you on Saturday.

John B was the only denominator that you factored into these surf excursions, it didn’t matter to you if he changed every detail of them, as long as he was there. Early morning Sunday was only your favorite time of the day because you were out there with John B, it had little to do with all the other contributors. With the time changed, you met him on the beach before dusk, board in hand.

He was a better surfer than you but you were good enough to keep up with him, even if you wiped out a few more times than he did. You were better than Pope which you considered to be a life accomplishment. The waves were that night were good for the first hour and then the wind shifted and the tide started to even out. It happened more often than not, though it was less likely to happen early in the day, which you made sure to point out to John B as you paddled back out.

“The waves are better in the morning.”

“I promise to never change our surf time again.” John B said, laying on his back on the surf board.

You paddled closer to him, looking out over the horizon. It was coming up on sunset, the sky already starting to trade in its blues for deep oranges and pinks. You looked over at John B laying there with his eyes closed. You flicked some water his way and he opened his eyes, rolling his head to the side to look over at you.

“Yeah?”

“Are you taking a nap right now? DCS should let you live on your own on the grounds that you’re practically a senior citizen.” You teased.

“Wow, you’re so mean today.” John B laughed, flicking water back at you. He sat up, turning himself around so that he was facing out toward the ocean with you.

“Must be cause you changed our surf time.”

“Isn’t surfing supposed to make you like, chill?” He asked, reaching over to push you.

You angled your board toward his, trying to paddle yourself into him. John B leaned over, pushing the top of your board away and then paddling himself away from you. “What are you doing?”

“What are you doing?” He countered, “you’re trying to tip my board.”

“Yeah, I’ve been waiting for years to get you alone at sunset so I could push you into the ocean.” You laughed. You laid down on your board, looking up at the clouds rolling out overhead and the colors that were reflecting in the sky. “What do you think of that guy who works for the Thornton’s?”

John B shrugged, “don’t know him.”

“He’s been to a couple parties...think he lives near Pope.”

“What about him?”

“He asked me out.” You replied, looking over at John B. He frowned; brow furrowed as he looked at you.

“What’d you say?”

“That I’d think about it. He’s alright, like. I don’t, seems like an okay guy. I’m not really...it’s not who I want to ask me out. I don’t wanna hedge all my bets on something that’s never gonna happen but I also don’t wanna string this guy along if things work out in my favor.”

“With this mystery other guy that you like?” John B asked, paddling his board back over to you.

You sat up again, adjusting your top and nodded, “yeah. If he likes me...it's a long shot but...if he does I don’t wanna be fucking with some other guy.”

“Do I at least know this other guy?”

“You know the guy who works for the Thornton’s...like I know if I pointed him out you’d be like, that guy!” You replied, avoiding his question for the moment.

“What’s his name?”

“Uh...fuck...I don’t remember. Think it starts with like a P or a...Paul maybe. Kyle...”

“Those are not even close to being the same name.” John B laughed, “you’re really into him, I can tell.”

“I told you-”

“The other guy, I know, I know.” He cut in. He shook his hair out and brushed it out of his face before continuing, “so do I know mystery dream guy?”

You looked over at him for a moment. He’d paddled himself just so that he was sitting alongside your board, facing you, with the sunset behind him. The kind of wide shot that deserved to be broadcast on an imax screen. “Yeah.”

“Pope?”

“Oh my god, what? No!” You laughed, splashing him with water. “Not JJ either, please.”

“Okay,” he hummed, eyes narrowing as he looked at you, “guys I know...Topper?”

“That’s gross, I’m gonna throw up.” You fake gagged at the thought of Topper being the guy you were crushing on.

“Rafe-”

“I’m gonna stop you right there.” You said, “it’s not a kook.”

“Not a kook, but I know him but not JJ or Pope...” He worried his bottom lip between his teeth, seeming actually stumped by your mystery person. You weren’t sure if he was just fucking around with you or if he honest to god couldn’t figure it out but he looked so perplexed you decided to take pity on him.

You had decided last week, when whatshisname had asked you out that you were going to tell John B about your feelings. If he didn’t reciprocate than whatshisname seemed like a perfectly adequate rebound to distract your heartbreak with. If he did like you back, if somehow John B felt the same way about you that you felt about him, whatshisname would survive. You didn’t want to get your hopes up but you couldn’t help being a little optimistic. You and John B had been friends for years and, thanks to Kiara’s observations, you knew that he had at some point had a crush on you. You could only hope he hadn’t moved on to someone else.

“Give me a hint?” He asked.

“John B.”

“What?”

You shrugged, “that’s it.”

“I don’t-”

“That’s the hint. It’s you. My mystery dream guy is you.” You said, watching his expression. Mouth slack and eyes wide, surprised by the confession. “So, what’d you say?”

Slowly John B smiled, leaning over to grab onto your knee, keeping you and your board as close as possible, “are you sure you wanna date him? He seems like a pretty lame guy.”

“Oh trust me, I know. I’ve been subjected to his jokes.” You teased, leaning toward him.

“You’re really in it then?”

“What can I say? I’ve got a thing for guys who wear bandanas around their necks like they're in old westerns.” You replied.

“Ouch, damn, I didn’t know you were gonna come for my bandana.” He laughed.

“You still haven’t given me an answer.” You said, “do you like me?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, “yeah. It’s not even a choice.”

“You are so sappy.”

He leaned in toward you and you met him halfway, kissing him with the sunset behind you, his board digging into your knee just enough that you could feel it but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. He brushed wet hair behind your ear and held your face in his hands as he deepened the kiss. The oranges and pinks that had been in the sky were beginning to fade and give way to a deep, navy blue, ready for the night. John B pulled away, taking a breath.

“You should know,” he began, kissing you briefly before continuing, “this isn’t just a stupid summer crush or something.”

“Trust me, this is everything.”

“Be my girlfriend? I don’t wanna do the just dating, are they aren’t they, shit.” He said, “I want you to be my girlfriend, to be able to introduce you that way to everyone.”

“Yeah, of course. I’m yours.” You said, kissing him and knowing that he was yours too.

taglist: @maplelattes22 @poguesrforlife @freckled-and-daydreaming @chasefreakinstokes @millie-753 @fangirlwithme @alex12948 @howdyherron @katherine097 @tangledinsparkles @tragicmisfits @carbonated-beverage @mariofgreengables @ssprayberrythings @pogue-h

#John B Routledge x reader #John B Routledge imagine #John B Routledge fanfic #John B x reader #John B Routledge fanfiction #John B imagine #John B fanfic #John B fanfiction #outer banks fanfiction #outer banks imagine #outer banks fanfic #outerbanks imagine #outerbanks fanfic #outerbanks fanfiction #obx imagine #obx fanfic #obx fanfiction #collecting stories imagine #cs discography series

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sunshinesukuna · 4 years

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hogwarts school of sorcery and sweethearts

✨pairing : magic!kuroo x magic!reader

✨genre: fluff

✨tw: light swearing

✨ insp: adore you - harry styles, samaras - debbie morena, tt - twice

✨ do y’all just find an amv with a song that slAPS but the song lyrics are just so weird?? so you’re searching through google like ‘indicocoa huhaa’ or other shit like ‘bacardi blowjobs’ or smtn like that? haha lol. anyway, enjoy 3.5k of kuroo simpin’ over you.

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 | 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐢: 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 (𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧) | 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢: 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 (𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧)

Sorceress Saeko’s Guide to Helpful Herbs and Plants

The Laughing Lily is a species of magical plant native to Eastern to Southeastern Asia, but was introduced to western shores circa 1500 AD by magical merchants. Characterized by brilliant flowers and stems and leaves that move quite like snakes, these plants have been known to be lethal if not handled properly. It is advised to strike up a mutual respect with them before handling. Their namesake “laughing” is not actually laughing, but more of the sound their flowers make to attract pollinators, both magical or not. Known pollinators include Blast Ended Skrewts, Flobberworms, and Nifflers.

Kuroo didn’t know where to look anymore. Out of all the books in the library, years of Professor Sprout’s teaching expertise, and everyone that he asked, no one could explain to him how the hell mandrake respiratory systems work. And there was going to be a test on Wednesday? Well now he was thoroughly fucked.

Kuroo put his head on the table. Every inch of the desk he was working on was covered in parchment and books. He cast a simple arranging spell, and the books flew into a neat stack on top of one another. If possible, he mussed up his already messy hair. It now looked like a swarm of Blubbering Humdingers had taken residence in his black locks.

"You've been moaning and groaning all week, Kuroo,” Kenma said. Kenma put his legs on the other side of the couch. He fiddled with his wand.

"It's nothing. I just can't wrap my head around mandrake respiratory systems, you know?" Kenma sighed as he flipped through Kuroo’s books.

"This is third-year material, Kuroo,” Kenma said, not looking up from one of Kuroo’s textbooks. “Is Quidditch the only thing that's inside your head?" Kuroo scoffed.

“Hey! I’m good at Transfiguration, okay?”

“Well it looks like this was the trade off.”

“You think so?”

“Hm. Well maybe someone in your year could help you.” Kuroo’s ears instantly perked up at the suggestion, but he slouched back in his seat again once he realised what Kenma was implying

“And you think I haven’t asked everybody to help me?” Kuroo asked. He raised his hands in defeat. The volume of his hair seemed to deflate along with his ego.

“No.” Kenma gave him a blank stare. His pupils dilated before the candlelight, reflecting the flame in his dark eyes. He shrugged.

“So who should I—”

The Fat Lady’s boisterous laughter waned from the inside as you closed the door behind you. Even though it was already dark in the middle of January, sweat dripped off of you like dew on morning grass. A large clay pot was balanced in between your arms, holding a plant with magnificent neon flowers that buzzed around in the air like angry bees.

Kenma pointed his chin to your wobbling form that was stumbling up the stairs, obviously having a hard time with the heavy weight between your arms.

“(Y/N)?” Kuroo asked. Kenma nodded and went back to his book, not saying another word.

To say that you and Kuroo were friends was an exaggeration. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to you, it was more like he couldn’t. Whenever he found the time or energy to strike up a conversation with you, one of his friends would always whisk him away to do something else. The most you had exchanged were simple nods and pursed-lip smiles.

Kuroo sucked on his teeth as he thought about how to approach you. He couldn’t just knock the girl’s dorm door and say, “Hey, (Y/N) I need your help and I’m doomed if I don’t get it.” Nor could he plop down right next to you and suddenly ask about your favourite Quidditch teams in the hope that you would reply. He didn’t want to startle you.

Kuroo clicked his tongue. “Do you perhaps have someone else in mind?” Kuroo asked Kenma.

Kenma shrugged half-heartedly. Kuroo massaged the space between his eyebrows in frustration.

This was a new problem altogether. He could have just asked Professor Longbottom, but his constant paranoia that Kuroo wouldn’t understand the subject made Kuroo even more confused than he was before meeting him.

Opportunity struck the next morning at breakfast. Amidst the stacks of various breakfast foods, you were perched on a bench near your friends. A copy of the Daily Prophet in hand, you seemed to pay no mind to the magical flowers that— quite literally— slithered their way around your head. They didn’t even seem to bother you one bit. You must be invincible in tickle wars, Kuroo thought.

He shook off any unnecessary thoughts in his mind. Taking a deep breath, he marched off to where you sat. Kuroo sat down next to you.

“Good morning,” you said, looking up from the newspaper. “Oh, hi Kuroo!” Kuroo gave you the warmest smile he could muster. He hoped that he didn’t look like that Slytherin second year when he smiled. What was his name again? Kagetora? Koganegawa? Kageyama?

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a sudden lunge from one of your flower-snakes on your head. Startled, Kuroo raised his hands to defend himself. He did not account for the glass of pumpkin juice in his hand. It landed with a magnificent splash on both of your robes.

“Stop that!” you cried. The plants on your head stilled with a flick of your wand. You looked down at the wet puddle on your pants. Kuroo muttered a Hot-Air Charm to dispel it.

“I’m sorry, I just—” Kuroo apologized.

“No, no, it’s not your fault,” you interrupted. “Professor Sprout gave me these Leaping Lilies to take care of for the week, and,” you peeled a stray leaf off your hair, “I haven’t yet found out how to tame them exactly.”

“Ah.” What was he supposed to say now? Should he risk being seen as too straightforward and directly ask for your help? Or should he stretch it out a bit? No, breakfast time was almost over.

“Um, (Y/N),” he said. His eyes were suddenly looking at the two of yours. There was an expectant look in your eyes that derailed Kuroo’s train of thought.

“Can you do me a favour?” You cocked an eyebrow.. The Leaping Lilies around your head seemed to glare at Kuroo. He shook off their stare and started to formulate his words.

“What’s up?” you asked.

“Do you know how Mandrakes work? Their organs, diet, habitats, all that?” You nodded. “Could you maybe… study with me sometime? I’m struggling a lot with them.”

You parted your lips a little. Did you think he was being a little overbearing? Did he say something wrong?

"If you explain it to me,” Kuroo sputtered, ”I'll save you premium seats on our match against Slytherin next week." You simply threw your head back and laughed.

Suddenly, it seemed someone shocked his left shoulder with a bolt of electricity. Kuroo looked at his shoulder. You had put your hand on it, like Kuroo wasn’t just an acquaintance you had bumped into several times prior, or had spilled a cup of pumpkin juice on you earlier.

Had your positions been switched, Kuroo would have just given you a dirty stare and slipped a dose of diluted Shrinking Solution in your orange juice. Thank goodness you were nice.

"It’s okay, Kuroo. Mandrake anatomy is much more complicated than that of other various magical herbs and fungi."

Kuroo sighed. Ok. Mission completed. You removed your hand from his shoulder, brushing his collarbone in the process. Saliva pooled in his mouth, but not from the food in front of him. You surely hadn’t put much thought into the touch, but he was starting to get goosebumps from mere skin on skin contact. Aroused or afraid, he didn’t know.

“Although, those premium seats don’t sound too bad,” you said. “I’ll see you later tonight at the common room?” Kuroo nodded. Once you were gone, he pumped his fist in the air and hissed a quiet “Yeah!” under his breath. He had just scored himself a study date.

The roof of the Great Hall twinkled in reflection of the stars above. Classes had ended with few to none mishaps, save for Kuroo’s Hiccuping Solution blowing up in Bokuto’s face. No mind, nothing that Madam Pomfrey couldn’t fix.

He spotted you sitting down the table eating with your friends. You had discarded your robes in favour of some more casual clothes, like Kuroo hadn’t caught you in sweatpants and an old T-shirt out of the corner in his eye in the common room before.

This was the first time he was actually paying attention though. Kuroo hesitated to call it ‘staring’, but what else would it be? His eyes flitted between the friendly banter in front of him and the… rather attractive specimen that he was due to spend time with later. Kuroo focused his willpower on the mashed potatoes in front of him than the fork in your hands.

Supper went on without a hitch. Kuroo refused to touch pumpkin juice, the innocent beverage evoking memories from that morning that he would like to forget as soon as possible.

Kuroo spotted you walking out the hall with your friends once supper was over. He caught your eyes and pointed his chin back to the dormitories. You muttered a quick excuse to your friends and joined him as you walked back to Gryffindor Tower together.

“So…” Kuroo said, “how’s it going with those Laughing Lilies?” You furrowed your eyebrows. Shit. What was the name of those plants again? Kuroo specifically remembered that they were lilies that tried to attack him, nothing else.

“Oh!” you exclaimed. “You mean the Leaping Lilies.” Ah, shit. You were going to think that he was a rude fool that couldn't even remember the names of a simple plant. Not to mention that you were that passionate about them. But you shrugged instead. “They’re doing alright.”

You made small conversation with him on the journey back. Talks about Quidditch, annoying professors, and the newest wizarding discoveries in the field of Herbology. The little eye-twitch you did whenever you laughed made Kuroo giggle like a lovesick schoolboy. Hey, who was he to talk? Maybe he was one after all.

The common room was filled with the usual hustle bustle of the Gryffindors. Kenma sat in his usual armchair near the fireplace. Upon seeing you enter besides Kuroo, he raised an eyebrow. Kuroo gave him a wink. Kenma sighed and went back to his book wordlessly.

Kuroo's books were already out on the table when you went upstairs to get yours. the result of half an hour of contemplation over which books to put on the top of his stack to make him seem knowledgeable enough. He allowed himself to slouch back and close his eyes. When he opened them, you were standing in front of him with a dark green book in your hand and your lips too close for comfort. Kuroo snapped to attention right then and there.

“If you’re tired, we can do this another time, you know?” you said. Kuroo waved his hand.

“No, I’m alright," he replied. You opened your book in front of him.

“Okay,” you replied, your voice tinted with uncertainty. You pulled a strand of your hair back as you took out your quill and parchment.

"So a Mandrake has six main organ systems..." you started.

Was it wrong to say that Kuroo studied your mannerisms more than the mandrakes? Bumping into your hand when reaching for a new piece of parchment. His attention not on the diagram you were holding, but on your lips that were explaining. Kuroo could feel Kenma roll his eyes from behind him. Surely, your smile was the devil’s whisper leading him astray from the topic at hand.

And it wasn’t just the way you looked either. Your words flowed with both a confidence and passion that sprouted from your love of the theme. Unlike the previous people he had come to for help, you spoke in your own words. Layers of textbook unclarity dissipated beneath your understanding, and for a second, Kuroo caught himself marvelling at how passionate you were at this. That and your constant checking on Kuroo; making sure that he had understood every section you went over, made him fall harder and harder.

Kuroo felt like skydiving; the gravity of your smiles pulling him farther and farther away from the clarity of his mind that was long forgotten in the skies above. Free falling through the clouds had never felt this good before. He would do it every waking second of his life if it meant he could experience the dopamine and adrenaline coursing through his brain like this.

“Thank you so much, (Y/N),” he said, when you two were finally done. You had been kind enough to lend him your notes and observations to help him with Professor Sprout’s subject.

“It’s no problem, Kuroo.” None of you dared talk, afraid to disrupt the quiet cooperation that you had slowly built up over the last four hours. Your books were in hand, ready to accompany back to your dorms. As were Kuroo’s.

“You could-" you adjusted a stray lock of hair, “you could come to me again for help if you need it, you know?”

“Sure.” Kuroo bobbed his head, excitement coursing through him at the thought of another one of these meetings with you. “Think I will.”

The day of the match rolled around faster than Kuroo thought it would. It seemed just like an hour had passed between getting his test back from Professor Sprout (marked with a bright ‘Outstanding’, thank you very much) and gearing up for the fifth game of the season.

Kuroo’s crimson robes fluttered in the wind as he waited for you to come. Thirty more minutes before the match was due to start, and you were nowhere in sight. A steady stream of students had began coming down by now, some asking why Kuroo was shooing them away from perfectly empty, usable seats. Sweat trickled down between his palms and the leather gloves he wore.

He let out a breath of relief, then sucked it back in in anticipation when he saw you arrive on the bleachers. You ran as quickly as you could to take the seats which had been so faithfully saved for you.

"Thanks for the seats, Kuroo," you said. Kuroo pursed his lips and nodded.

"No problem."

An awkward silence blanketed the two of you. You balanced between the balls and the heels of your feet, not knowing what to say next. One of your friends clapped you on the back and called you to come sit down.

"I'll be with my friends, yeah? Good luck." And there it was again. That tantalizing touch of yours that made Kuroo want to ditch the game in favour of a boring class or a lazy night, given that it was with you. Your touch lingered on his arm as you retreated back to the safety of your close friends.

"Y-yeah. See ya," Kuroo said, not realizing that you had left by now. As he went back to the dugout, he found himself stroking the spot on his arm where your hand had been just moments ago. January afternoons weren’t supposed to be this hot, were they?

"Oya? Is that the girl that Kuroo's been seeing?" a voice asked behind him. Owl-Boy’s shock of black and white hair, frozen in its place by constant flying gave him a nice greeting.

"Wha— I'm not dating her, Bokuto!" Kuroo said. Bokuto’s other owl-eyed friend was hot on his heels with his own comeback.

"You sure look like you are from the way you give each other googly eyes," Akaashi said. Bokuto laughed at the bright red slowly creeping up Kuroo’s face.

“Shut it, Akaashi,” Kuroo rebuked. “Back me up here, Kenma.”

“You did look kinda lovestruck when she was in front of you, you know?” Kuroo whipped his head back, a hand over his heart over-exaggerating his betrayal.

“I’m shocked! Oh, to be stabbed in the back by someone you called a dear friend!” Kuroo moaned. Kenma and Akaashi rolled their eyes. Bokuto, however was at his friends’s side immediately.

“Who stabbed you in the back?” Bokuto asked. His eyes were filled with genuine panic. “Was it a Levitating Charm? Should we get Madam Pomfrey?”

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi’s calm voice called. Akaashi shook his head. Bokuto pouted, standing back up.

“Akaashi’s right though, you know?” Kenma muttered. “Your eyes go kinda like—" Kenma stretched out his eye sockets with his fingers; he looked like a corpse that had been given a rude awakening. Kuroo scoffed.

The joking was cut off by a loud bell outside, signalling that the players would need to get ready. The Gryffindor players circled around Kuroo.

“Alright, let’s do this, Gryffindor!” Kuroo said. Friendly Schoolboy Kuroo had switched his place with Quidditch Captain Kuroo. “What’s our plan this time around, Kenma?”

Kenma looked up. “Um, if any of the Bludgers could land a hit on Kageyama and MIya Atsumu, that would be great. Other than that… playing normally shouldn’t be a problem.” Kuroo put his hands on his hips, in his best rallying stance.

“Alright you all!” The Gryffindor Quidditch Team put their hands in the middle of the circle. “We are the blood that flows smoothly and circulates oxygen, so that the brain can work normally.” With a strong “Let’s go!” they marched onto the field.

With the screech of the whistle, they kicked up into the air.

Kuroo flew like he had never flown before. He would like to say that adrenaline coursing through his veins was from the cheering of the crowd below; but he would be lying once he caught sight of you. A Gryffindor banner was in your hands, the enchanted red and gold glitter blinking from the glare of the sun. You joined the other Gryffindors in support of their house players. His heart swelled in pride when you shouted his name a little louder than the rest.

The game felt like a fanciful daydream his mind would cook up when he was bored during History of Magic. Kuroo’s feet semed to kick through soft clouds as he warded the Quaffles away from the hoops. Sure, some of them occasionally went in, but it was enough of a point gap to let them relax a little. Someone had definitely slipped in a little bit of Felix Felicis into his orange juice that morning.

Even the Slytherin chasers—who had been hailed as the best chasers Slytherin House has ever seen in a decade— seemed to have a rough time getting through Kuroo. It went without saying; Kuroo felt invincible.

Bokuto caught the Snitch, accompanied with shrieks and wild applause from the crowd. He pumped it into the air, making sure that everyone in the audience would be witness to Gryffindor’s victory. Half-hearted handshakes and enthusiastic claps on the back were exchanged. Kuroo almost revelled in the defeat on the Slytherin’s faces.

Kuroo’s heart was almost close to bursting. His little victories over the past week were proving too much for his heart to take. Little did he know, he would bag another one soon.

“We should bag some cakes from the house elves later!” Bokuto suggested as he changed back into his robes.

“Like the rest of them haven’t gone and done that already,” Kuroos said. It was a Gryffindor tradition to go and ask the house elves to cook up a feast every time they scored a Quidditch victory.

“Kuroo,” Kenma said from the outside of the locker room, “you’ve got a visitor.” Kuroo walked out into the frigid January air to see your shivering form waiting outside on the benches.

“Aren’t you cold there?” he asked. You perked up at the sound of his voice. It was kind of cute how you waddled over to where he was standing. Kuroo cast a simple heating spell between the two of you. “What brings you over? Aren’t the others already on their second bottle of butterbeer by now?”

You giggled. Kuroo felt his heart almost collapse with his second victory of the day; the first being quidditch, this being the second.

“I lost the game of rock paper scissors, so the others sent me down to give this to you all,” you said. From your pocket, you conjured an empty saucer. With a wave of your wand, a plate of crudely decorated pastries emerged. “Great game, by the way.”

Kuroo’s stomach rolled a little at the sight of the pastries. You nudged the plate in his direction. “Go on, try one!” Tentatively, Kuroo reached for the least-threatening one. A small cupcake with red an yellow icing.

His stomach did a backflip when he bit into it. But definitely not one of glee. The punch of cinnamon in his nose made him cough up a little bile. The icing stung his tongue with overpowering tones of sea salt and… pepper?

Nevertheless, Kuroo scoffed the entire fist-sized cupcake down. “These are amazing, you know?” he asked.

“Really? I made some of them myself, you know?” Ah. Well there had to be a trade off for having such an amazing green thumb, Kuroo thought.

“Well they’re really good,” Kuroo said. He pretended to still be chewing so you wouldn’t force another one upon him.

“I’ll see you back in the Tower?” you asked. Kuroo pretended to swallow them, nodded his head.

“Sure thing.” Once he was sure you were out of sight, Kuroo stuffed the pastries into his robe pockets. He even ate another one, a giddy smile on his face.

“Goes to show how much people are willing to do for love,” Akaashi muttered. He gestured to Kuroo who was happily skipping away back to the dorms, the taste of salt and pepper cupcakes still on his tongue.

𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 | 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐢: 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 (𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧) | 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

taglist: @yeet-these-hoez @differentballooncollection

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littleeyesofpallas · 4 years

Text

Demon Slayer - Name Games

So ive been kinda getting into kimetsu no yaiba lately and on the one hand it hasn’t really hooked me or anything story-wise just yet, but boy oh boy am i loving the aesthetic and general design sensibilities. The biggest motifs at work, at least from where I’ve read so far, that I really love are the use of some traditional Japanese fabric patterns and the use of hanafuda card motifs.

I don’t think I’ll get as into this all as I have with Bleach but I wanted to put some of these rambling thoughts somewhere, so here we go...

the most obvious hanafuda reference is in tanjiro’s earrings which are explicitly referenced as looking like hanafuda card. ironically of all the hanafuda references though, his are actually the only modified ones. His earrings are based on the Moon card in the suit of Silvergrass/August, and not the sun and crane card from the pine/janurary suit. In Hanafuda, each of 12 suits has a core plant(usually flowering), an affiliated month, and within each suit 1 ribbon and 1 “animal” card. (although not all the animal cards are actual animals).

The whole Kamado family has an ichimatsu:”checker" pattern motif, although Nezuko also has an asanoha:”hemp leaf” pattern as well. The checker pattern doesnt really have any overt meaning, as it’s a pretty universal pattern, but it does have associations with heroes and lead actors via kabuki theatre costuming. The hemp leaf is a symbol of growth and good health, and is often used in baby clothes.

Also as usual i’m a sucker for name games. Kamado[竈門]: "Hearth Gate" and Tanjiro[炭治郎]: "Charcoal Regulate Son." It's an irregular construction, as the name Tanjiro is a real name but the “charcoal” kanji isn’t how you’d normally write the Tan- part. (More conventional writings would probably be [丹治郎], which reads as [丹] "red-earth"/"rust-colored.") Both names play up his family trade as charcoal makers/sellers, if that wasn’t clear, which in turn plays into his overall sun and fire themes.

Nezuko[禰豆子]: "Ancestral-shrine bean child" is a neat name and also a homonym with Nezuko[鼠子]: "Rat child." I assume the “rat” pun is there to evoke gnawing, as in her demon fang gag. The bean, as a seed and as food are probably meant to evoke good health and growth, like the asanoha pattern.

Zenitsu’s associated card is the Thunder card from the Willow/November suit. The same suit’s animal card has a Sparrow on it.

His fabric pattern is an uroko:”scale,” pattern probably most recognized as the hojo family crest, which in turn is most recognized as being the same as the triforce in legend of zelda. They are a stylized geometric pattern made to resemble fish or snake or even dragon scales. They can have some implication of protection or warding, but are also commonly used in theatre costume where it evokes treachery and ambush by association with snakes waiting to strike. probably meant as a play on his whole hidden sword skill gimmick.

His name reads, Agatsuma[我妻] "My Wife" and Zenitsu[善逸] "Good Evasion." The latter is obvious but i dont know what to make of that surname. Maybe a joke about him wanting to take a wife so he won’t die alone.

...

Inosuke’s associated card is the Boar card from the Bushclover/July suit. His “fabric” is jokingly a non-fabric, as it’s just animal pelts, rather than anything manmade.

Name wise... Hashibira[嘴平] "Flat beak", Inosuke[伊之助] "That, This Assistant." A pun on the "ino" of inoshishi[猪] meaning "boar," so his name sounds like it would be Inosuke[猪助] "Boar Assistant." I don’t know what to make of the surname though....

Kanao and the Kocho sisters take their motif from the Butterfly card in the Peony/June suit. The capes mimicking butterfly wings is pretty obvious but also not really a traditional pattern. I haven’t gotten too far into their deal yet.

Tsuyuri[栗花落] "chestnut flower drop," Kanao [カナヲ]. I’m not super sure on this one, but chestnuts are probably more iconic for the nut than the flower, and the nut of course falls in its spiny shell. They are also broadly associated with autumn as seasonal symbols. I don’t think it was the intention but the use of “chestnut” and “fall/drop” together makes me think of scattering caltrops on the ground to slow pursuers, like a ninja.

Kocho[胡蝶] is written “Foreign Butterfly” where the character for “foreign” is used in compounds circling around a core idea of “False” or ”Suspicious.” But historically it can also read as “Barbarian” in reference to a particular time and place in China, but it’s the reason it also means “foreign.” Either way it means her name can read “Barbarian Butterfly” which is just the coolest mashup of imagery. Shinobu [しのぶ] is just written phonetically, as was Kanao.

But also Muzan has his motif of western style floral lace in stark juxtaposition to the recognizably japanese styles of most of the hunters.

I do really like the fact that the villain group is numbered according to an old timekeeping method that Japan doesn’t use anymore. It’s a derivative of the borrowed Chinese time keeping system (which is mirrored by their zodiac cycle) and divides each day into 12 “hours”: 6 of day and 6 of night --a top six and a bottom six, just like Muzan’s 12 demons.

What’s really cool is that these units of time were actually relative to the season and the literal daylight. So the 6 “hours” were always equal to one another, but the day hours and night hours shifted length inversely to one another during the summer and winter. When western clocks were introduced via trade with Holland, it didnt take long for the Japanese to develop a unique clock mechanism of their own that let them turn a dial to shift the clock face around according to the season

And speaking of demons.... the fixation on Wisteria also ties back to the April suit in hanafuda, which has a wisteria motif. There’s a family crest coopted into a design that shows up briefly modified from the Fujiwara family crest.

Anyway, like I said, I’m not super super into the series just yet, but these were just a bunch of little things that jumped out at me as I was going, and that I told myself I’d post about at some point, if i ever managed to hammer out any substantially sized blurbs about it all. There’s a lot more going on too, even in just the handful of volumes i’ve picked through so far, but not all of it as consistent or reaching across multiple characters as a these were.

#demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba

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justfinishedreading · 3 years

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I started October thinking ‘man, I have so many manga to review I’m going to be posting stuff every other day!’. Didn’t happen.

A Bride’s Story, Volume 1, by Kaoru Mori

This manga is set in nineteenth-century central Asia, along the Silk Road, it’s the story of a twenty-year-old woman sent from her nomadic tribe to marry a twelve-year-old boy in a settled clan. They arrange the marriage in order to maintain family bonds between the two households.

This was never going to be an easy read but let me start with the positive; visually A Bride’s Story is utterly beautiful, Kaoru Mori draws with a level of detail I have never before encountered in manga. Written literature is often placed above graphic novels with the excuse that there’s more artistry and depth when a world is bring created solely through vast amounts of words rather than images, and yet here is a case where literature could never compete. The written word could never compete with Mori’s exquisite illustrations of nomadic dress, patterned carpets and wood carvings. In A Bride’s Story we get a full visual experience of a culture and way of life that is now rare.

Story-wise this manga falls neatly into the ‘show, don’t tell’ approach of storytelling: lesser mangas would have the characters openly and plainly discussing themes, telling the audience exactly what they should think and what they should take away from the book, but A Bride’s Story presents this time and culture in a neutral way, with both negatives and positives alongside each other, leaving the reader free to assess their own feelings.

Spoilers ahead

Amir, the female protagonist, is warmly welcomed into her new husband’s family. When we think of a young woman having to marry a child in our minds the situation is horrific, to not be able to choose your own husband and on top of that to be forever tied, socially and legally, to a child is the sort of thing made for tragedy. Luckily for Amir her new husband, twelve-year-old Karluk, is good-natured and is full of admiration for his wife. Amir came from a nomadic tribe, she can shoot rabbits with a bow and arrow whilst ridding a galloping horse, she knows how to travel the lands, rear sheep and skin animals. Karluk sees her like a hunter, almost like a warrior, and he sees her like a mother in the way she frets and worries about his health and looks after him.

Amir is lucky because her new family openly accepts her and they view her differences with curiosity and wonder. They are a large family who have created a safe, happy home and together they work to keep it in peace. So the fears that the reader might imagine about an arranged marriage with such an age gap are not necessarily the ones that appear. The antagonists are actually Amir’s own clan, who realize that there’s a potentially more advantageous match to be made and intend to remove her from her current situation and marry her off to someone else.

Another nice surprise is that although this is a patriarchal society in which men make the life-changing decisions, we do a great character in the matriarchal grandmother of Karluk’s family, who displays a strength and resolve that even the men from Amir’s clan revere.

Onto the negatives: there’s a scene in which Amir is telling Karluk to strip naked because out in the desert, in a yurt, it is common practice to sleep nude because it gets very cold and it is warmer to sleep skin to skin. Karluk is clearly uncomfortable with this. Amir’s naked breasts are exposed and sexily drawn. In the next panels we see that sleeping naked together makes Karluk think of lambs sleeping snuggled to their mothers and for him there is nothing sexual in this experience. While the scene is implying that their relationship is more of mother and child, it is still a shock to see Amir’s naked adult body, and it makes us wonder what will happen when Karluk becomes physically more sexually mature but not necessarily mentally mature.

Japan has a deep-rooted obsession with sexualizing youth, it is something that comes up often in manga, anime, literature and media, and I’m always weary of when it might be sneaking its ugly head in more subtle ways. For example a couple of months ago I watched Beastars, which is a anime about anthropomorphic animal-humanoids (e.g. like Zootopia) and while I enjoyed the anime, there was something disturbing about the central couple; a wolf and a bunny rabbit. Compared to the large size of the humanoid wolf the small humanoid bunny looked child-like. The size thing and species thing is done to create sexual tension between the large scary wolf and the cute sweet little bunny, but there was something about the bunny’s small yet sexually developed form, in a school girl uniform, next to an adult-looking man, which just rang alarm bells. Interestingly I think the manga handles this better as the bunny’s body isn’t drawn in such a sexualized and realistic way as in the anime. In the anime there are moments where there is definitely a subtle catering to paedophilic appetites, especially as issues of uncontrollable desire and danger and predator and prey are brought up.

Back to A Bride’s Story, I don’t feel that this is a book that encourages or excuses paedophilia, it is presenting us, in a neutral way, with things that would have happened at the time. When Karluk presents his wife to some distant family members they are shocked, not with the fact that Karluk at age twelve is already married but because a twenty-year-old bride is considered an old bride. The custom is to marry women off young so they have longer to produce children. At the back of the book in the Author’s Notes Mori writes that women would normally be married at the age of 15 or 16, and beside this comment the author has drawn a picture of a young bride, with the following remark “Hey you! Yeah, you, big guy, looking at her like that! Let’s step out into the hallway and have a talk!” So while there’s no direct comment about paedophilia or the sexualization of youth, this one comment does hint that the author is aware of the issue in society, past and present.

One of the things that I am looking forward to in the series is that it will not centre just on Amir and Karluk’s relationship, it seems that other volumes will introduces other bride’s stories, including women who are lesbians or bisexuals and women who perhaps do not identify with a female gender. There is a secondary character in volume 1 called Smith, an Englishman who is studying the culture and customs of Central Asia and I believe that as he travels to different countries this may be how new storylines are introduced to us.

One difficulty I had in reviewing this manga was that I kept wanting to say it is about people from a specific country, however nowhere in the book does it say in which country the action takes place. In a way this is a western problem, it is an understatement to say that many, many a problem has arisen from the West’s desire for defined borders in countries where, at the time, it was not common to have them, places where tribes moved about depending on the seasons and trade. So after some brief research I believe this book explores the cultures of Mongol Nomads, of countries such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan that make up Central Asia, and with the potential of exploring influences from neighbouring countries such as China, Russia, Iran and Afghanistan. In the Author’s Notes she also mentions being interested in the Caucasus region of Central Asia, so that may also be countries like Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and the Caucasus Mountains which create a natural border between Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

One thing is for sure: since A Bride’s Story follows the path of the Silk Road, the crossroads from which Europe and Asia traded, it promises to be a wonderful melting pot of traditions and ideas.

Review by Book Hamster

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mst3kproject · 5 years

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Miami Connection

From the title you have probably already guessed that this is an 80’s drug movie, and you are mostly right, but Miami Connection is so much more. The director was Woo-Sang ‘Richard’ Park, a South Korean film-maker who wanted to break into the Western market despite not speaking any English. Those of us who know anything about bad movies are already going oh no, because that’s how Troll 2 happened. Park’s American buddy who was gonna help him do it was Young-Kun Kim, a taekwondo-instructor-slash-motivational-speaker who decided to write, produce, and star in the movie himself because hey, he’d seen movies and it didn’t look that hard. Oh no, that’s what Hal Warren thought when he set out to make Manos! And since these guys couldn’t afford actual actors or stuntmen, they cast a bunch of Kim’s taekwondo students, who thought the movie would be great publicity for their band! Oh no!

The movie opens with a drug deal in a junkyard being interrupted by biker ninjas, who kill everybody, steal the cocaine, and run. Just a Tuesday night in 80’s Miami, really. Having thus introduced the villains, we now meet the heroes, a fantastically talentless 80’s rock band called Dragon Sound. Their newest member is Jane, the new girlfriend of lead guitarist John. Jane’s overprotective brother Jeff does not approve of John, and he hangs out with the coke-stealing ninja bikers from the opening, so he could easily make good on his threats… what he doesn’t know is that the members of Dragon Sound are all training together in taekwondo, and they’re more than ready to take on him, the entire dojo, and a rival band!

Miami Connection is the Starcrash of martial arts movies. It is completely, irredeemably terrible and yet it never stops being entertaining. The ‘plot’ is mainly a series of ass-kickings, strung together with dialogue scenes that discuss the consequences of the previous fight and set up the motivations for the next one. I am in no position to judge anybody’s skill at taekwondo, since I can’t tell Karate from Kung-Fu (of course, neither could the people who made the Karate Kid remake), but very nearly everything else in the film is absolutely awful and funny as hell. I could list hilarious moments for several pages.

The dialogue is stunningly banal, especially when it’s expository. Both Jane and keyboardist Jim narrate their own tragic backstories and both are bad but in very different ways: Jane doesn’t sound like she particularly cares about the deaths of her parents or her brother’s gang involvement, while Jim weeps like a baby while he whimpers about his mother telling him to find her lost husband. Later when Jeff is killed in a brawl, Jane doesn’t sound too cut-up about that, either. She’s certainly not nearly as upset as Ninja Biker Dojo Master Yoshida, who gets a flashback that makes it look like Jeff might have been his boyfriend. My favourite line in the whole movie is when another member of the band, Jack, complains about Jeff and “his darn gang, selling their stupid cocaine!” like a six-year-old who wants his turn on the X Box.

Because nobody can emote, the ‘acting’ in the movie mainly consists of a lot of yelling, and their favourite thing to yell is “son of a bitch!” They don’t use it as an exclamation the way Reb Brown did in Space Mutiny, it just seems to be the only insult the writers could think of. It gets funnier every time you hear it.

Costumes seem to consist of whatever everybody wore to set that day, with the exception of the black ninja pajamas (ridiculous-looking as always) and the t-shirts Dragon Sound wear when they perform. The latter feature the name of the band in ‘Vote for Pedro’ font, and nothing else. I own one of these. You can buy them at teepublic.

The plot is an absolute mess. Why does Yoshida think eliminating Dragon Sound is the key to controlling the drug trade in that area? They haven’t done any vigilante stuff at that point – they just react when Jeff attacks them. I get why the rival band, who were fired from the nightclub so Dragon Sound could play instead, would want them out of the picture, but the ninja bikers seem to have no reason to care. Meanwhile, said rival band just kind of falls out of the movie and is never seen again.

I don’t know who the main character is supposed to be. The story starts out being about John and Jane’s star-crossed relationship, which could have had a Romeo and Juliet angle with Jeff’s death but doesn’t. Then they slide out of the way as we focus on Jim’s search for his missing father, which keeps us busy a while, but then the final showdown is between Mark and Yoshida, who have so far been secondary characters. Jane isn’t even present at the ending, although Jim’s father does show up to recite some more utterly terrible dialogue as he reconciles with his son.

Jim, John, Jack, Jane, and Jeff. Did Kim just think all American names start with J?

I’m not sure how old Y. K. Kim’s character Mark is supposed to be. He and the other bandmembers are room-mates, and he dresses like them and rides around in their convertible with his feet up on the dashboard. He talks and acts like them and tells people that his bandmates are ‘like brothers’. But whereas they’re all in their twenties, Kim was forty-one when this movie was made and there is no attempt to hide that. Is he just supposed to be hip with the younger generations? Or did they actually expect us to believe he was fifteen years younger than he looks?

There are long sequences in which nothing happens. We see the band play a whole song at the club, twice, and then one of those songs is re-used for a montage sequence of characters at the beach. The latter does not further the plot but it does show us a lot of women’s butts with wet bathing suits clinging to them, as well as the world’s best-dressed nudist. There’s a sequence of taekwondo training that runs several minutes, and which does nothing but set up a single finishing move that will recur at the climax. There’s a biker company picnic like the one in The Hellcats but without the interesting parts.

Literally everybody in this movie practices some kind of martial art, including the nightclub owner and the drug dealers… but I figure that was just the 80’s. Also, this movie taught me that men in the 80’s took their sunglasses off as a sign of respect, much like removing the hat in earlier decades.

What the fuck is up with the dancing crop-top dude? Even the guy who’s about to fight him looks confused by him. He was so weird I thought he’d be a good stinger, until we arrived at Miami Connection’s ultimate stinger moment – a car turns a corner, revealing a bunch of motorcycles on a collision course with it, and John, in the driver’s seat, says, “ugh, ninjas.”

On a slightly more serious note, the movie does have an ostensible message, which is spelled out between the last shot and the closing credits: only through the elimination of violence can we achieve world peace. This is kind of a silly statement because, yeah, that’s what peace is, but also because we’ve just spent this entire movie watching people beat the shit out of each other with hands, feet, and whatever they can grab. The script is aware of this contradiction, though, and stops at several points to remind us that taekwondo and other martial arts are not merely fighting techniques but ways of life that promote discipline of the body and mind and strong bonds between people. This is the side of taekwondo that Dragon Sound plans to promote during their world peace tour, and the message seems heartfelt enough even if the delivery is lacking.

In that light its interesting to note that this disciplined martial arts lifestyle seems very much at odds with the hedonistic biker one that Yoshida and his followers also participate in. The two stereotypes conflict on every possible level, right down to ninjas being quiet while motorcycles are loud. I think this might be an attempt to paint the baddies as hypocrites, but I honestly don’t know. It’s equally possible that ‘biker ninjas’ were just the coolest-sounding thing Kim could think of.

After that list of suckage, I do have to say that there are two or three things Miami Connection does astonishingly well. Both the night shots and the gore effects are pretty good – especially the night shots. You can always see enough to tell what’s going on, but it’s not so bright that you don’t believe it’s night-time. I’ve seen way worse in movies with way higher budgets. The fight choreography is also shockingly effective sometimes. It never turns taekwondo or any of its other martial arts into some kind of artsy dance performance. The fight scenes are brutal, and you believe that the people in them are fighting for their lives. Maybe not the best thing for their message that taekwondo is the key to world peace, but pretty effective if you’re just here to enjoy the chop-socky.

Being so terrible and yet so much fun, it’s no surprise that Miami Connection showed up on Rifftrax Live in 2015. Y. K. Kim was a pretty good sport about it, too – apparently he’s happy his film has finally found an audience, even an ironic one. That puts him much higher on the dignity ladder than Joe Don Baker or Sandy Frank, and even if he seems like a bit of a huckster I have to hand it to him for that.

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #miami connection #80s #magic voice recommends

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duhragonball · 5 years

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Dragon Ball Z 011

Hot damn! It’s time for Terror on Arlia! This is probably one of the best filler episodes ever. It’s like, the driver’s ed episode, the Goku vs. Pikkon fight, and this. I’m not sure how I’d rank them, but maybe I’ll work on that sometime later.

First off, some time has passed once again since the last episode. Now, Gohan is strong enough that the dinosaur that keeps attacking him is no longer a threat.

Gohan just calmly runs away from it, then jumps right before he runs into a boulder, and the dinosaur hits it instead.

Then he hacks off a piece of the dinosaur’s tail while it’s stunned. Again. Gohan’s apparently been doing this for a while now, and he warns the dinosaur that it’ll run out of tail at the rate they’re going. The message is simple: Don’t eat Gohan’s friends.

Gohan has also figured out how to make his own ki blasts, which is pretty high-level stuff. His ki may only be powerful enough to start a fire, but it’s way more than most of the other characters could have done at age four.

Meanwhile, Bulam, Krillin, and Yamcha are looking for Tien and Chiaotzu. Or maybe they’re just talking about looking for them now that they have Yamcha. I’m pretty sure the Gohan scenes are taking place over the course of several weeks, while these Z-Warrior scenes are supposed to be playing out over the course of a single day. Even if it really is taking this long to find Tien, why would Krillin and Yamcha be with her for the whole search? They’d be better off heading to Kami’s Lookout, so they can start training for the Saiyans.

Speaking of Tien, Launch is on the run from the cops for stealing a bunch of money for Tien.

She eludes the police with a grenade launcher.

So she escapes with the loot. Most of it anyway, a lot spilled out of the back while she was being chased.

But never mind that, here comes Vegeta. He and Nappa are on their way to Earth, and they set their space pods to put them in stasis for the year-long journey, but Vegeta programmed it to wake them up at a certain point along the way, so they could get out and stretch their legs.

Seems he found a planet along their course for Earth, and since the Saiyans conquer planets to sell for profit, he sees this as a way to make some nice profit on the side. This seems a bit out of character for Vegeta, given what we learn about him later on. I would think that the Planet Trade business is just something he puts up with until he can find a way to get out of it. So it’s not that he wouldn’t want to take a pit stop on the way to Earth, but I doubt it would be to score some extra cash.

Anyway, Nappa just wants to get out of the pod and move around a bit, so he’s up for anything.

And here’s the lucky planet they’re going to. It’s called Arlia, and it looks really crappy, even from a distance. There was an episode of Mythbusters where they tested the futility of polishing a turd, and it ended up with them making piles of dung into spheres. That’s what Arlia looks like.

The planet actually manages to look even worse up close. I don’t know if the boys meant to set down in a desolate area like this, but I always got the impression that most of the planet looks like this, so they didn’t have much choice. Vegeta concedes that they probably won’t find a buyer for Arlia after all. I figure this is the sort of planet a Space Trillionaire would buy, but only because he wants to feel like a Space Quadrillionaire.

Suddenly these big bug people show up. I don’t know why they’re so much bigger than Nappa, when the rest of the Arlians we see are not. There’s a lot we don’t know about the Arlians, and we’ll probably never know. They threaten to arrest the Saiyans and take them to King Moai.

Nappa’s eager to fight them, but Vegeta orders him to stand down for the moment, since he wants to see this Moai guy for himself. I guess he figures the planets’ leader would be in a more advance (read: valuable) location, which would give Vegeta a better idea of what Arlia has to offer.

Notable, this is the first indication of Saiyans using telepathy. Goku uses it later on, and we’ve already seen Master Roshi, Crane Hermit, Korin, and Kami use it, but it always seemed to be this mystical thing that only wise old martial artists could do. Oh yeah, and King Piccolo could telepathically communicate with his offspring.

I guess what I find interesting about this instance is that Vegeta uses it rather casually, when he could just as easily whisper to Nappa, or maybe use some nonverbal gesture to get his point across. The point here may be to indicate just how scary-powerful Vegeta is, but the thing about Vegeta is that anything we see him do can be applied to every other Saiyan character. If Master Roshi can read minds, it sort of stops there. If Vegeta can communicate telepathically, that means Nappa, Raditz, Goku, and Gohan can too, along with every other Saiyan character that hasn’t been introduced yet. Vegeta might be the only one who knows how at this point, but that’s just a matter of skill.

So here’s Moai’s stronghold, and guess what, it’s also a dump. I’m not complaining about the artwork, mind you. This scenery is breathtaking. The twin suns sort of make this look like a face, with the clouds forming a furrowed brow. It’s like the Arlians’ god is looking down on the castle, and he’s not happy with what he’s seeing.

Also, while Moai’s fortress looks moderately impessive, it’s surrounded by absolutely nothing. What happened on this planet? My guess is that it was ruined by centuries of war, but it’s also possible that the Arlians prefer it like this.

Vegeta and Nappa are taken to a dungeon, which looks like something from a Prince Valiant comic. This is the paradox of Arlia, because it looks like the Arlians are generally familiar with alien visitors, implying that they’ve been exposed to advanced technologies, but their own world is backward and medieval. They don’t even seem interested in the Saiyans’ ships or their scouters. And they lock them up behind a wooden gate. And why do they carry swords when they all seem to have some sort of red mouth laser?

While they wait, the Saiyans meet Atla, one of the native Arlians who’s been imprisoned by Moai. Well, “meet” may not be the right word. Atla just starts introducing himself and explaining the backstory while they stand silently and face in his general direction.

From Atla’s words, it sounds to me like Moai took over the planet fairly recently, perhaps after a long civil war that killed anyone more qualified to rule. Unconcerned with actually governing his people, Moai just does whatever he pleases, using his unlimited power to enforce his whims. So there’s a good chance that the planet looks like a dump because of his indifference.

I dig this sort of thing, because it reminds me of the decline of the Western Roman Empire, where the emperors eventually became little more than figureheads backed by strong military leaders. Over time, the Roman armies became supplemented by foreign mercenaries, until eventually the top generals were all foreign mercenaries, and eventually they just dispensed with the figureheads and started ruling Italy outright. I get the impression that the emperors didn’t particularly care that their domain was being usurped by outsiders, because as long as they were comfortable in their palaces then everything was fine.

There’s kind of a similar pattern in the Bible, where you see David and Solomon’s descendants slowly letting the Kingdom of Israel decline. Rehoboam’s arrogance caused the kingdom to split in two, and while there were a few good kings who embraced piety and reform, a lot of wicked kings abandoned the principles that made their reigns possible. They worshipped idols and did whatever they liked, and then eventually they found themselves surrounded by powerful enemies. The later kings were reduced to vassals, but they didn’t seem too concerned about that as long they got to sit in their palaces and pretend everything was okay.

Atla laments that now Moai is capturing space aliens on top of oppressing his own people, which suggests that Moai only sees his rule as a right to oppress other people for his own amusement.

I wrote about this episode some time back, comparing Arlia to Westeros from Game of Thrones, or A Song of Ice and Fire or whatever the hell it’s supposed to be called. I’ve never read the books because I need that time to liveblog anime, but everything I’ve heard about it suggests that the whole story is about some backwater planet full of medieval fantasy tropes, and all the leaders are corrupt, venal idiots who only stay in charge because they’re protected by bullshit laws and traditions, or because they’re better at the endless palace intrigue that goes on in the story. There’s one kingdom that was ruled by a Draco Malfoy clone, and another run by a guy who hunts naked women for sport, and I think some character keeps fetuses in jars for no apparent reason. I get the impression that a lot of the books is just George R.R. Martin trying to use shock value to pad things out. That and lore. If Tom Clancy and Howard Stern co-wrote Lord of the Rings, you might have something pretty similar to Game of Thrones.

What I’m trying to say here is that Moai seems to just sit around all day watching his subjects fight each other for his own amusment. He forced Atla’s betrothed, Lemlia, to be his queen (she’s the pink bug lady in the back), and he has soldiers just roaming the wastelands in search of new prisoners to mess with. His men captured real live space aliens and he’s like “Oh goody! Bring them before me, because I actually believe they’ll respect the idiotic rules that keep me in power.” I’m pretty sure this is exactly what King Draco Malfoy Clone would do in this situation.

He looks and talks and acts like a complete buffoon, and he’s just begging for some hero to come along and punch him in the mouthparts. Except Atla’s in the dungeon, and some other, more competent hero must have gotten killed off three books ago (cf. A Sleet of Testicles).

And this is what I love about this episode. Vegeta (along with Nappa, of course) are sort of being put into this role of traveling heroes who enter a tyrant’s domain and set things right. They’re certainly powerful enough to do it, but we already know that’s not what they’re here for.

Vegeta kills all the gladiators and informs Moai that he only let himself be captured just to get this close to the king. It astonishes me that Moai needs to have this explained to him. He’s so used to having his own way that it never dawned on him that anyone could use his arrogance against him.

Nappa strikes his classic pose and kills all the guards.

Then Moai summons an even bigger bug creature named Yedi. Nappa asks permission from Vegeta to handle this one, which I think is a nice touch.

Nappa rips off Yedi’s finger and licks the monster blood off his face. Nappa’s awesome. He’s just havin’ a good old time.

I forget why now, but rocks start falling, probably because Vegeta’s powers cause the ceiling to break apart. Moai takes cover behind his throne...

...but a rock ends up killing him anyway. I woudn’t think that’s a vital area, but what do I know about Arlian anatomy? It’s kind of fitting that Moai should die like this, in his own throne room/gladiator arena, cowering behind his throne. He thought it would protect him like it always had done in the past, but in the end he met a power that didn’t respect anything he had accomplished. The Saiyans ignored his royal robes and saw only a fool, and so he died a fool.

Atla shows up and praises the Saiyans or liberating his planet from Moai’s tyranny. You know, he could have followed them up here and helped out. They were all in the same cell, and Vegeta and Nappa destroyed the door and killed all the guards, so what took him so long?

The Saiyans just sort of look at him, and then they get back in their spaceships.

I’m not sure why they even bother flying across the surface. Maybe they’re still surveying the planet, but it’s a crappy planet no matter what angle you view it from. At last, Vegeta gives up and they head back into space.

But before they leave, he gets out of his ship and decides to leave a going-away present. How does Vegeta breathe in space? That’s one way you can tell which ones are filler scenes. They usually play faster and looser with this sort of thing.

On the surface, Atla and Lemlia are reunited at last, and it looks like everything’s going to be okay from now on, thanks to those two heroic aliens who...

LOL JK, Vegeta blew up the whole planet.

What’s so great about this is that Arlia kind of deserved to die. Not in the strictest narrative sense, but from a metanarrative viewpoint, it was just a really dumb planet. Any world that could fall under Moai’s rule probably didn’t have much longer to live anyway, and it’s almost like Vegeta put it out of it’s misery. I’m not suggesting any of this rationalizes Vegeta’s actions. This is a horrible, horrible crime, and Vegeta did it like it was nothing to him. He’s done far worse things with even less compunction.

Even so, he’s not Arlia’s villain, he’s Dragon Ball’s villain, so it’s just satisfying to watch him squash some crappy filler planet that had no redeeming value to the story. It’s like watching your favorite bad guy wrestler clobber your least favorite good guy wrestler.

And the narrator sums it up very neatly. This is what’s headed for Earth. The Saiyans destroyed Arlia like it was nothing, and what can Earth do to avoid a similar fate? Z stands for The End.

But not yet. Not yet.

#dragon ball #2019dbliveblog #vegeta #nappa #goku #launch #gohan #bulma #krillin #yamcha #moai #atla #lemlia #yedi #dragon ball z #saiyans saga

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djinmer4 · 5 years

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Idea for a Remake

You know what series needs a reboot. Captain Planet and the Planeteers. But I’d change some things, of course. This got kind of long so under the cut.

First of all, I’d mix up the rings. Instead of each Planeteer embodying the Force they feel most connected with, they all receive the ring for the element they understand least. So Wheeler, as a white American cismale, gets the Heart power because what he has the least of is Empathy. His focus should probably corruption, apathy and maybe human trafficking. Gi (whose name will have to be changed) actually comes from Beijing and has Air. She sees the rampant pollution as merely a byproduct of progress and is aggressively defensive when others call China out on it because each and every one of the Western countries were just as bad if not worse when they industrialized and sees their attempts to stop the pollution as ways to inhibit China and other nations growth (and she’s more than a little right). Kwame gets Water. His issue might still be the exploitation of natural resources, but he’s used to siding with the humans. What good is preserving an endangered animal versus a village facing starvation if it doesn’t eat bush meat? Or non-pesticide cotton versus malaria? Is ecotourism really advantageous for the locals or do the profits mostly end up in the hands of Westerners, with it being used as an excuse not to develop areas? But on the other hand, is constant development introducing things like HIV and Ebola by jumping species through more exposure? Linka, I would give Fire, and possibly more focus on the drug trade. Or Russian corruption and warmongering. She actually did get one episode like that in the original but more might be good. That would leave Mat-Ti with Earth . . . and I don’t know what’s going on in South Asia right now to give him an issue. Maybe like Gi he could be changed to a South American.

Most of the villains honestly don’t need to change that much, which shows exactly how far we’ve come since the original version. I’d change Hoggish Greedly into a multi-star general and have him represent the military/industrial complex. “Put up the wall and damn the butterflies!” would be a good slogan for him. Looten Plunder would probably be younger and he’d be the CEO of one of those corporations that donate to Notre Dame, but don’t bother cleaning up the pollutants they put in water table from production. He’d constantly be pointing out all the donations his company gives out, all the recycling measures they take, none of which actually touch the actual damage the industry does or changes that industry at all. Very much good publicity without any substance behind it. Duke Nukem should be changed to something about oil and fracking and the pipelines. (I’m pretty sure the fact he wasn’t in the first place had something to do with our oil industry.) And I’d make Barbara Blight into a lawyer, a lobbyist, rather than a scientist (it’s not science that’s the problem).

Gaia should definitely have a power boost and not be the Big Good, in fact, she might be the Big Bad. Rather than the Planeteers being her rescue squad to deal with the crisis, they’re rather Humanity’s last chance to prove itself before being wiped out. She’s not at all weakened by anything Humanity does and is at most amused by watching them. She lets the Planeteer’s know about various crises, but if they can’t win, oh well. She’s not even bothered by Humanity wiping out other species or pollution. Species come and go. The Great Oxygenation event killed off most of the planet and even a lot of the cyanobacteria but life went on. The over-arching conflict of the series would be the Planeteers desperately trying to keep ahead of her by solving each crisis while Gaia sits there with a ticking clock.

Finally, Captain Planet. Of all the conflicts and characters he should change the least. If Gaia’s become a humanoid abomination beyond Good and Evil, waiting for the Planeteers to lose for her own amusement, Captain Planet is her way of leveling the field and providing some much-needed direction and firepower to the Planeteers. He’s still kind, friendly, a bit corny and unlike Gaia will actually give them good advice. He might be even stronger than his original incarnation as pollution and hate will not weaken him. And heck, let’s make this guy even more overpowered, you no longer need all five rings to summon him, any single Planeteer can do so as long as he or she has her rings. But of course, there’s a catch. Every time he’s summoned, a disaster that specifically targets humans occurs. It could be an earthquake like Fukushima, in the exact right place to cause cascading events to develop into a mega-disaster. It could be a new disease like HIV or Ebola or the Swine Flu developing. But humans will die every time Captain Planet is summoned. What more there’s no way to predict where the disaster will occur. If Linka summons Captain Planet, there’s an equal chance that the disaster will be in her Russia, the US, China or someplace that none of the Planeteers care about. However, the other Planeteers can use their rings to block the summoning. If one Planeteer wants to summon Captain Planet and four others don’t, the summoning doesn’t work.

I suspect in this case a lot of the conflict will boil down to trying to summon the Captain behind the other Planeteers backs or convincing at least two other Planeteers to side with you so that you have a majority rule. Or trying to solve the problem without the Captain in the first place.

#things that will never happen

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tarotofbadkitties · 5 years

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Kishotenketsu meta

I’ve been giving Voltron: Legendary Defender a fair amount of thought since it aired because the end of it was simply perplexing. One thing I was particularly struggling with was the fact that there was something familiar in its construction, but it felt off. After settling down from the more...inflammatory statements in the interviews from the executive producers, there was one thing that really stuck in my head, and that was the amount of inspiration they drew from Beast King: Golion. I couldn’t help but feel like something was off with the ending of that, so I decided to look into eastern story structure to see if it made any more sense from the perspective of its intended audience, and it turns out it did. I’m going to posit that Voltron: Legendary Defender lifted a similar story structure and the way the EPs intended to end the show makes a lot more sense when you consider it from that perspective. What I found was a common structure in Chinese, Japanese and Korean narratives called kishotenketsu.

To start with, I need to explain a bit how kishotenketsu works. Kishotenketsu is a four act structure. The first act (ki) is the introduction. Next the next act (sho) furthers the development of the introduction without introducing any major twists or turns. The third act (ten) is the twist or complication. Finally (ketsu) is the resolution, and what happens here is that the connection between the ki and the ten is made clear.

To a western observer, the ten can appear to come out of nowhere until the ketsu makes it clear how it ties in, but someone familiar with this story structure will be expecting this twist to come and aware that there will be reconciliation. For a show to have 8 seasons, it makes a lot of sense for it to have four acts, with every two seasons, representing one of its four acts, so I’m going to take us through Voltron: Legendary Defender in that way.

The first two seasons of Voltron: Legendary Defender are the Ki. We meet the characters, the setting is established, the players are put on the board and we find that there is a war. Right from the outset of the show it’s made clear that things look very different inside the empire than how they look from outside. Altough from the paladin’s perspective, the Galra are all power-mad conquestors, we see behind the scenes that the general on Arus, Prorok, has very little interest in taking over anything and is pretty chill. Zarkon becomes furious with his failure, and threatens him with being turned into a robeast if he fails, eventually making good on that threat. We’re also introduced to the Blade of Marmora, finding out they rescued Shiro and that Keith is half Galra, providing more shades of gray to the Galra as a people. In regards to providing ambiguity about Allura, we have the situation when the native Arusians presume that Allura is a goddess of some sort and she doesn’t correct them and allows them to worship her, and secondarily we have Allura saying that their first attempt should be diplomacy not attack, but following that up with generally not engaging in diplomacy . We also have this act’s bottle episode, the Depths. This episode has the mermaids, and it presents us with a strange situation where we have a brainwashed queen who sacrifices some of her citizens to keep the rest of them safe, at the behest of an evil creature that is also controlling her.

Next up, seasons 3 and 4 make up Sho, which is kicked off with the aftermath of Zarkon’s defeat in the season 2 finale. Sho accomplishes its stated purpose of furthering our knowledge of the paladins and the world without throwing in any substantial twists. Lotor is described differently than Zarkon when we meet him in the arena, but when the paladins encounter him he’s an antagonist all the same. Like they fought Zarkin and tried to dismantle his plans, the paladins do the same with Lotor. They try to liberate planets, Lotor takes them back, he tries to carry out plans, they try to stop him, it’s business as usual. The same sorts of themes we were introduced in seasons 1 and 2 are deepened here. Voltron continues their attempts to establish, they continue to fight against the Galra empire and we continue to be shown ambiguity within the empire behind the scenes. In earlier seasons, this ambiguity in relation to the Galra took the form of the Blade, in this case the ambiguity is Lotor and his generals. They are half Galra, like Keith, and we see that Lotor orders them not to kill anyone on Puig, and we’re informed that he consistently lets people he has ‘conquered’ rule themselves. It becomes clear with his conflicts with Throk, his conflict with Zarkon, and the secrets he keeps with Haggar that the Galra empire is by no means a monolithic entity, and that there are different points of view, methods of interacting with other beings and moral systems at play within it. The bottle episode for this arc also presents an ambiguity in relation to Allura. The bottle episode is Hole in the Sky, and in this episode, in an alternate reality we encounter the society created by Allura’s counterpart, a despotic empress. When we’re presented with this woman’s very ethically challenged solution to the war, which is brainwashing and enslaving enemies, we’re shown that our version of Allura is not quite as different as we might hope when she’s only fully opposed when they’re attempting to do this to her friends, not so much by the idea itself. Another significant ambiguity in regards to Allura that we’re introduced to is that she has kept from the paladins that Zarkon is the former black paladin and that she knew him personally. The ending to this arc, and thus beginning of the next one, is Lotor shocking the hell out of everyone by firing an ion cannon at central command to save everyone at Naxzela and asking for permission to board the Castle of Lions.

And now, here comes the part where we appropriately get lost, Ketsu. The twist. I’ve established so far that the main things each arc establishes is that the Galra are not all evil, that Allura is not all good, and that by extention the paladins are not always right. Seasons 5 and 6 did a very effective job of making quite a few people in the fandom upset because it takes everything we thought we understood and turns it on its head. An interesting thing when I was mapping this out for this meta, was finding that it wasn’t so much one bit twist (well there is one,) but also throughout this arc there are a string of significant escalating twists. The first one is that, rather than having a diplomatic interaction with Lotor, as early seasons would lead you to expect, they immediately take him prisoner and leave him in a cell for an undetermined amount of time. The second is the decision to cuff Lotor and trade him for Sam. Yet another twist, Shiro secretly arms Lotor. And another, Lotor can activate the fucking black bayard. And another, he defeats Zarkon singlehandedly. It’s also shocking when they refuse to take him to the Kral Zera. It’s shocking yet again when Shiro absconds with the black lion and does so himself. It’s shocking when the Blade plans to bomb the whole thing. It’s shocking to see Sendak return as a puppet of Haggar’s. It’s shocking when Keith meets his mother in the Blade. It’s shocking that they actually team up with Lotor and find Oriande. It’s shocking Lotor has marks of the chosen. It’s an unexpected twist when Lotor and Allura build a super weapon together, also that they become romantically involved. It’s shocking to find out there’s a colony of living Alteans that Lotor has assembled. It’s shocking the show pretends Shiro wouldn’t turn Keith into pudding within twenty seconds of them starting a duel. It’s shocking when Keith tells Shiro that he loves him. It’s shocking there’s eleventy Shiro clones (and I wasn’t even allowed to marry one of them). It’s shocking when Romelle claims that he was sacrificing Alteans for power, and shocking that Allura doesn’t even attempt to discuss the matter. It’s shocking that Honerva beat up Oriande and kidnaps Lotor. Then it’s shocking that when he makes it back to her she compares him to his father and does her damnedest to murder him and leave him in the rift.

I would argue that everything that happens in this arc twists what came before it, with the major one occurring in the season 6 finale, when they defeat Lotor. Up until that point, they hadn’t really killed anyone. They fought a lot of people, destroyed a lot of monsters and sentries, and maybe did or maybe didn’t kill an unknown number of foot soldiers. The choice to dress Galra foot soldiers and sentries identically down to the helmets makes it impossible to get any sense of how many soldiers they’ve killed, if any. Every situation where it looks like they’re going to have to, like the mermaid queen or the king of Olkarion, it turns out they’re not really going to have to kill a person. Even in regards to Zarkon, they thought they killed him at the end of season 2, but they hadn’t actually, and when he is killed it’s Lotor that does so, not one of the paladins. They’ve also been coming into situations where people were dealing with ongoing oppression or were under attack, and they were rescuing them and being considered heroes. There are always hints that maybe it’s not all it seems, it felt a little weird when Allura didn’t tell the Arusians that she was not their lion goddess, her comfort with the society in the alternate Altea was uncomfortable, Lotor’s points about her bigotry felt pretty salient and it was hard to tell if they made things better or worse for the Balmerans and Puigians.

Sure the first two arcs showed some contradictions or moral ambiguities in Allura, but they were nothing compared to the venality we start to see in seasons 5 and 6. It felt like a stranger when she was locking up someone who asked for asylum, offering up an ally for execution by a sworn enemy, refusing the chance to put an ally on the Galra throne and end the war, going along with someone she just said was untrustworthy to build a weapon to use to access unlimited energy. That behavior was suspicious enough that she was causing conflict with the team and there was active dissention. Keith was peacing out to (avoid her) stay with the blade, Shiro was fully insubordinating on more than one occasion and she and Shiro were arguing in a way they never had before. In particular, it’s important that Shiro stops listening to her to show that she’s showing another side, because Shiro is presented as being a consummate professional soldier. A common argument made is that the reason for his unusual behavior is Haggar’s control, but I would argue that it’s his own choices up until the point when she takes him over at the end of the season. We know Shiro cares about doing the right thing, and has a strong belief in the potential goodness of members of the Galra race that comes from Ulaz rescuing him from Haggar. It’s a different side to his behavior, but I would argue that there isn’t an actual twist until he’s fully taken over and we get the clone reveal.

For that matter, we get twists in this arc for the other paladins as well. Previously Hunk has been seen as easily scared and cowed, but here we get Hunk being the one to take on Dayak’s teachings and getting enough of a backbone that Galra soldiers Vrepit Sa him. Pidge had seemed nice enough, if distracted by concern about her family members, but we see Pidge willing to be outright cruel and selfish over it in her willingness to have Lotor executed on even the off-chance it could get back her father, not even being willing to come up with a backup plan besides having Lotor killed when Shiro points out the high likelihood of a double cross. She made it clear there was more at play than her father being a priority when she established that it wasn’t just that Sam’s life mattered more to her than Lotor, but that she would still consider it worthwhile for Lotor to die even if it was a trick and she didn’t get Sam back. Lance also showed a twist in which we saw that his insecurity could become a lethal thing when it was an excuse to act controlling towards Allura, cause confusion by running off, or antagonize Lotor. Being a jerk towards Lotor was all well and good (not really it was toxic masculine bullshit but whatever) until Lotor was the one thing between them and the indefinite continuation of the war with the Galra, starting off with a civil war within the largest military force the universe has ever known. Though one would hope that Lance’s insecure jealousy didn’t run that deep, when push came to shove he didn’t speak up and egged on the conflict preferring to continue the war in exchange of being rid of romantic competition. So with Shiro taken off of the board, Hunk being overruled, Keith’s impulsiveness careening them towards disaster, Pidge’s tribalism precluding her caring about anyone she doesn’t already know and love, Lance’s jealousy all for being rid of a rival, and finally Allura’s racism ruling the day, they make the impulsive decision to kill Lotor and leave him in the rift.

Now where that is supposed to take us is Ketsu, the reconciliation. Here’s where we have problems. The ending to Voltron: Legendary Defender was confounding, and on top of that it was clear there were very heavy changes made to it last minute, some at the behest of the EPs, but others at the behest of the Powers that Be. I have a pretty good idea of what was supposed to happen, and by extension, why it didn’t. The logical conclusion to the the three arcs set before us is that the paladins are the villains. Specifically, Allura is the big bad, and they are her henchmen just following orders. Now wait? WHAT? Now you’re throwing us a twist, Kitty? But I’m not. What do seasons 1-6 establish about Allura?

We get a really strange lack of anyone saying anything about Lotor’s execution after it happens. Several characters make vague charges of betrayal or untrustworthiness, but nobody expresses any regret or misgivings or mourns him or grieves at all. Nobody acknowledges that they created a power vacuum and directly caused the civil war that wiped out nearly all of their allies. When they’re confronted by Zethrid and Ezor, rather than answering for what they did, Acxa comes out of nowhere to attack them before the paladins can answer what happened to Lotor in a very strange moment that they weren’t in direct danger. I think that what was removed was characters directly confronting the paladins with their complicity in the events that befell everyone. I also agree with other meta that though they think they might have killed Lotor at this point, in the original version it became clear that they hadn’t and he joined with them to take on Honerva. There was plenty of playing god to be had on the show outside his actions, so he was just as deserving of a chance to try to redeem himself as the paladins, if not more so. I think the reason that was cut because putting them on an even level and establishing the paladins were wrong sends them inexorably towards sharing his fate of redemption by death and the Powers that Be were not having it with the paladins being placed in the position of villain who must be defeated to end the story.

They establish that she has good intentions, of ending the war and uniting people under her reign. They establish that she is blinded by prejudice, with several clear examples of Galra not aligned with the goals of Zarkon and those who align with his evil presented to her, none of which fundamentally change her opinion of them as a group. They establish she is blinded by prejudice in the other direction in regards to Alteans, whether we’re talking about her father, the alternate universe Alteans or Lotor himself once she finds that out about him. There are also very heavy parallels drawn to another Altean alchemist, Honerva. They both fall in love with Galra emperors, they both seek and obtain the secrets of Oriande, they both are attempting to make the world a better place by way of quintessence when a moral compromise leads to a personal downfall, and they are both presented as having versions that are kind and versions that are despotic empresses. What is Haggar’s big twist in the third arc? Why she becomes Honerva again. When Allura is revealed to have a much more cruel side willing to sacrifice others for her aims, Honerva is revealed to have a side that is not monstrous and is emotionally connected to her family and in a larger sense to her Altean identity. Those parallel tracks suggest parallel fates.

And the reconciliation gives us the parallel fates for Allura and Honerva, but what it fails to do is reconcile Lotor or the rest of the team. Without even having to look this bit up, one thing I know from watching a lot of Chinese cinema is there is a very strong belief in the villain getting theirs in the end. And by getting theirs, I mean death. Not metaphorical or theoretical or emotional death, but bleed out and stop breathing very literal death. What I would like to posit to you all was that what reconciles the first three acts was indeed intended to be the deaths of all of the paladins. Not just because Monsantos wanted to be super edgy, but structurally because it made sense with them being the villains. The sin they were guilty of, above all else, was pride. These paladins and Lotor, like the paladins of old and Honerva were prideful enough to think that, in spite of the risk to the other inhabitants of the universe they were warned about, they still sought that forbidden power in order to use it to enact their vision of peace and prosperity on the universe.

Honerva knew about the rift creatures, Lotor knew about the risk to the lives of the Alteans in his research, and Allura was aware of the potential of Voltron (and Sincline) as tools of conquest, but they all carried on with these projects nonetheless. None of the three described their goals in those terms, but like the alternate universe Alteans, it still ultimately came down to being about their own personal visions and ambitions, and using this destructive power to obtain that. Quintessence is power that exists to give life and it’s natural. It was never intended to be sucked out of things, and that’s apparent in what’s left of a planet when a Komar gets done with it. I think what season 8 was intending to do was clarify the similarity in the goals of the characters, and the folly in the execution of these goals. Every single one of the characters ultimately gave in to their worst tendencies in the third arc. Hunk’s timidity kept him for standing up for what’s right when it most counted and people around him were acting irrationally. Pidge’s tribalist ‘as long as my family is okay I could care less what happens to anyone else’ attitude kept her from caring enough about Lotor’s welfare to protest his execution either time the issue was before her. Lance’s toxic romantic obsession with Allura kept him from thinking logically about the situation and insisting they slow down and get all the facts. Keith’s impulsiveness and quickness to anger kept him from making sure Romelle was correct and using his leadership position to demand everyone halt and make a decision for the coalition that is for the greater good. Ultimately Allura was put in a battle between choosing love or war and she fell back on her prejudices and chose to plunge the universe into war.

It was the combined, not separate actions of the paladins that caused the Galra civil war that destroyed the Blade of Marmora, nearly the entire coalition, decimated the Galra empire, and ended trillions of lives. Ultimately the only fitting redemption for that would be the deaths of all of them for the purpose of restoring life and balance to the universe, with the chance to reincarnate with that karma cleansed. Structurally and thematically it fits, I don’t think they were bullshitting about it on Afterbuzz. Honestly, I didn’t when I first heard it, because they mentioned specific plans for the timing of it. Also, the comparisons to Sailor Moon. It was not an uncommon ending to a season of Sailor Moon at all for all of the senshi to heroically sacrifice their lives to give their princess the power she needed to cleanse the hearts of the evil the faced and save the universe. And I agree (partially) with the meta already in the fandom on the season 8 changes that the images we saw of the paladins After The War were part of larger sequences of the paladins living their lives after all of this. Where my opinion differs is that I think those were new incarnations of the paladins.

#voltron meta #kishotenketsu #voltron: legendary defender #eastern story structure

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moralanxietystudio · 5 years

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“An RPG / Visual Novel / text adventure hybrid” is a mouthful - Roadwarden Devlog

In her Rock, Paper, Shotgun article, Jay Castello has mentioned:

The game’s genre is purposefully fluid. On (...) Studio’s website, the top frequently asked question says “I can’t figure out what is this game’s genre,” to which they’ve cheerfully replied “Me neither.”

When I mention Roadwarden in my Facebook posts or on Twitter, I usually struggle describing it. I keep saying things like “RPG / Visual Novel / text adventure hybrid”, but it’s not very... marketable. I like to use “interactive fiction”, which is arguably correct and sounds fine, but it doesn’t explain well what the player does in the game.

The main goal of this post is to sink deeper into this topic: how could we label Roadwarden? And what it actually is?

By the way, during the next couple of days I want to update the game’s demo. It’s going to be awesome.

Why am I looking for a label?

Why is the label important? Is it just because it’s convenient for social media ads?

When we categorize a game, we also set up the player’s expectations. If we call a game an endless runner, we make a promise. We claim that it’ll be easy to learn and hard to master, with a very stable pacing, without pointless plot and accessible from your phone. Sure, some endless runners can diverse from this premise or even completely fail at executing it, but making this label is an act of communication. Here is what I have to offer. Are yo interested?

And while Roadwarden fits into various definitions of specific genres, it makes promises that are not as commonly associated with its labels. It has an experimental approach to role-playing. Violence, that’s always plot-related and significant, not grindy. Exploration of a grim, detailed and consistent setting, but not a very heroic one. Dialogues used as the core of the experience, not just a tool. Humble adventures of a regular person in a world that overwhelms it. And I try to avoid common tropes in my story.

And I never ask myself “is it OK to add this new feature? after all, it’s not popular in this genre!”. I add everything that helps me make a better game. I put the experience above the marketing convenience.

A term “video game RPG” is famous for being a very vague label, pretty much impossible to define. It’s one of the most diverse branches of gaming. Every person plays RPGs for different reasons, thou we could probably make a list like 1) a complex story with possible side quests, 2) some character progression (both story-wise and through XP-like mechanics), 3) combat and exploration. If you prefer western games, you’ll probably enjoy 4) having important decisions. And you probably like 5) fantasy, eventually science-fiction with fantasy elements.

Sure, there’s a lot of variety - we have action RPGs, text-based RPGs, tactical RPGs, dungeon crawlers, rouge-likes... It’s really weird that the same label somehow covers The Witcher 3, Undertale, Final Fantasy VI and Wizardry from 1981, yet not Far Cry Primal, but that’s because these games are classified by an objective definition of a genre. We just try to say: “if you like X, you may also like Y. they’re kind of similar”.

Roadwarden as an RPG

When I develop Roadwarden I’m interested in things that most RPGs consider unimportant. And I don’t mean something like “I care about story, and These Other Games are all about combat”! That would be a silly statement. But I put an emphasis on aspects of the story which are often marginalized.

For example, in most RPGs you simply kill things (in self-defense!) and grind XP to get stronger. You can kill 10 packs of wolves and 25 boars and it means absolutely nothing. You’re just overcoming a barrier while trying to get a new level or reach the other side of the forest. Killing these enemies won’t be considered animal cruelty. Won’t destroy the balance of the nearby forests. Won’t starve the villagers. These animals are not Really a part of the story.

In Roadwarden, bandits don’t randomly spawn and die without influencing the plot. They are not some random loot waiting to drop on the floor for the player’s convenience. They have families, friends, goals, story behind them. They don’t want to kill you - they want your stuff. And they’ll try to rob you only if they know you can’t beat them. Without an unfair advantage they wouldn’t put themselves at risk.

In my game, violence means something. Nobody here dreams about it, aside of the most terrible, wicked people. Every death leaves a void, and void should be haunting.

In most RPGs you find a tavern, buy a potion and leave. In Roadwarden you spend 15 minutes talking to the innkeeper, and he’s not there just to give you a quest. He wants to know more about you. He wants to know what news you’re bringing. And if you can be trusted.

Also, potions in this game are rare and have taste. And aroma.

Your character isn’t going to have one hundred thousand coins at the end of the game, nor murder two thousand creatures to save a village inhabited by 30 NPCs. They characters are not waiting for The Chosen One or a master of martial marts that can save them. You’re just someone who tries to change your own life by doing something risky, in a realm that’s filled with people who don’t even know if they want you here.

Your character is a part of the world they live in. And I think most RPGs don’t do a good work reflecting this idea. Immersion should be something more than the constant pursue of better graphics, cinematics and more “freedom”.

So while Roadwarden is still a game that includes combat, trade, exploration, unlocking new abilities and building your character, it’s all put in a new context. And there’s a good chance that a portion of RPG fans wouldn’t be satisfied with something this different. I try to encourage them to take a look... But I don’t want anyone to feel cheated.

Roadwarden as a Visual Novel

Roadwarden may also not be a perfect fit for many Visual Novel fans, even though it involves a lot of narration, descriptions and dialogues supported by limited visuals. Roadwarden has fewer gameplay elements than most RPGs, but way more than most VNs - it even introduces simple survival mechanics.

Also, the story is non-linear - it’s very complex (what doesn’t mean “long”) and modified by how the player moves around the map. Many VNs introduce story branching, but I’m pushing it unusually far. And, of course, Roadwarden has way more choices than most VNs, even though some of these choices are focused on role-playing alone and don’t impact the game’s mechanics.

Not only that, but the visual style and the lack of common tropes that are appealing for the core VN-fanbase can be a big problem. I was even asked a couple of times if my game will involve any romantic relationships. Sure, there are successful VNs that don’t involve porn (VA-11 Hall-A), romance (Ace Attorney), manga-style drawings (Cinders), nor Best Girls, so I’m not saying it’s impossible to make one and prosper. But it’s playing against the odds.

All these things push me into being very careful here, and I usually feel that I should say something like “it’s a Visual Novel, BUT...”

Roadwarden as an adventure game

So let’s make a step back. There’s an argument to be made that Visual Novels are a sub-genre of (or rather, an evolution of) a more interactive label. Here’s how Wikipedia defines the adventure games:

(...) a video game in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving.

That works, doesn’t it? It’s also fair to say that such a definition is very vague and doesn’t even exclude RPGs or games like Half-Life. Quest for Glory series, for example, is usually considered to have “RPG elements” or gets classified as a hybrid of both an adventure game and an RPG.

This vagueness opens adventure games for many subgenres, and Roadwarden graciously falls into a couple of them at once. It has scenes with text parsers, typical for interactive fiction, but its advanced dialogue choices could even categorize it as digital gamebook (CYOA-like). Probably a better option for us is a “graphic adventure game”, since there are Some graphics and few ways to interact with the game - parsers, in-game “buttons”, dialogue choices.

I have a pleasure to be a part of few adventure game communities and there’s usually a small range of titles that are constantly mentioned as the “classic” adventure games. Point & clicks (Monkey Island, Grim Fandango), graphic games with parsers commands (King’s Quest), sometimes games like Myst...

Text adventure games, while accepted, are not really discussed often. And it’s difficult to make silly memes about them, so they are a bit obsolete. However, a group focused specifically on text adventure games really doesn’t care about graphics.

It feels to me like there Should be a spectrum of graphics vs. text, and of visible interface vs. text parsers. But it’s not the case. Text adventures and graphic adventures are almost in different worlds - not because of what they are, but rather because of what communities surround them. And, once again, Roadwarden is in between. It’s not just a hybrid of an RPG and an adventure game, it’s also a hybrid of a text adventure game and a graphic adventure game.

Roadwarden is a hybrid, and that’s not sexy

In conclusion, here are some of the genres that I think are strongly present in Roadwarden:

· RPG;

· Visual Novel;

· text adventure game;

· graphic adventure game;

· digital gamebook.

Also, I heard opinions that “it feels a lot like a tabletop RPG”. What makes me happy, since it’s intentional.

Some of my game’s features are not exclusive to any specific genre. All of the labels I’ve listed tend to be story-heavy and support their plot with dialogues (or even narration), often include inventory management, allow you to role-play a protagonist and tend to use fantasy settings. Others, however, are genre specific: parsers, open world exploration, mechanically progressing protagonist, simplified visuals, resource management...

Roadwarden is a hybrid, what means it’s going to have a problem appealing to fans of a specific genre. Yet, at the same time, it’s a game that’s not restricted by its labels - and I don’t think genres should limit our designs. My game can include all the things it needs. It can be unusual, experiment and creatively look for new ways to explore.

I just hope I can earn your trust.

#indiedev #indie game #devlog #rpg #visual novel #pixelart #text adventure #adventure game #video games

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gong-fu-fighting · 5 years

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Colonialism, Gentrification, and the Tea World

I reblogged a post about this a few days ago, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while because it’s an issue that’s so rarely discussed amongst tea folks. That post I mentioned was the only one I’ve seen on this websitein something like three years of posts in the tags.

Before I get too into this, I want to say that it’s a great thing that tea culture has spread as far as it has, and it’s wonderful seeing anyone getting into tea. It’s something that should absolutely be shared, and it is a wonderful way to explore foreign culture and history.

With that said, there are some places where I believe the culture isn’t respected. This isn’t meant to be accusatory, at all. Really, I don’t want to say that anyone has done anything wrong, but there is a certain amount of responsibility you are supposed to adopt when exploring different cultures.

Disclaimers aside, what follows is what I’ve observed about western involvement in tea cultures from across the world. It’s put below the cut because I’m sure this is going to get long winded.

Besides water, tea is the most popular drink in the world. People in every country drink it, and so there are many unique cultural practices surrounding tea. Even in the US (where I live) there’s a unique culture surrounding tea. However, as anyone that is into gong fu cha knows, China is the origin of tea culture and tea in general. Before westerners became involved, it spread through several countries in Southeast Asia, like Japan and Korea. As such, tea is considered an “Asiatic” or “Oriental” tradition. Then the Dutch came along.

I won’t bore you with a lesson on tea history. Instead, I want to use this as a jumping off point to say that even at the very start, western involvement damaged the tradition. The word we use in most western languages to describe what the Chinese called “cha” is, in fact, the result of a lack of education on the practices of the region. So the word “tea” is actually a distorted understanding from the English and the Dutch, and unfortunately that misunderstanding gave us a completely wrong word for cha. Already, we have made it harder to spread the appropriate cultural terminology and practices.

Of course, there’s also the horrendous practices Europeans inflicted upon the Chinese to get them to produce and trade things like tea and opium. The exchange was willful at first, but those from the west decided to push their weight upon the Chinese to get what they wanted, and so the cultural exchange of tea became forced. But I said I wouldn’t go into the history too much.

The point is that Western involvement in tea has damaged the culture it originated from, and this continues today in the terminology we use. Americans have developed both broad and niche interests in tea, and a lot of the poorly transliterated terminology is used in that, including “kung fu cha” and, more famously, “oolong.” For more information on this specific problem, read this excellent article by the American Specialty Tea Alliance.

What I see a lot of today is Americans and Europeans getting into Chinese and Japanese tea culture and, after learning something about it, declaring themselves experts. That’s not to say these people aren’t knowledgeable, but often times they don’t have any real cultural context to what they’re learning. You see this a lot with areligious people buying little Buddha tea pets and such. For some, tea did help introduce them to Buddhist practices, but you also see the Buddhist component of the culture being commodified and commercialized. Sure, this isn’t a problem unique to Western involvement, but it’s something becoming more rampant as time goes on, and Western fascination certainly isn’t helping that.

Of course, gong fu cha itself isn’t inherently religious, but there is religious context to the practice, and this has to be observed and respected by those of us without the cultural background to understand that. It’s not always bad to be involved in the more religious side of things despite not being religious, like with the Japanese tea ceremony in some cases. However, understanding the significance behind what you’re doing is important.

This also stands true for Westerners establishing themselves as “tea masters” and the like. It’s one thing to learn the craft, but another thing entirely to try and use your position and privilege to disregard cultural context and significance when you teach the craft to other white people.

White people are becoming increasingly prevalent in the tea community, opening their own specialty tea shops and writing their own books and such. It’s been hard for me to find non-white sources for my own research into tea because so much of it is white Westerners. This makes it incredibly easy for them to speak over POC, as all the tea “experts” and teachers I see, save for a handful, are white, and often American. There are plenty of sources by Chinese, Japanese, and Korean people, but the most prominent ones are run by white Westerners. Even one of the most popular books on tea and it’s history, The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide, is written by two white American historians, which isn’t to say it isn’t a good read, but it’s further proof of the gentrification in the tea world that the first books that come to mind for most are by white people.

The point to all of this is that it’s important to know the historical, cultural, and religious significance behind what you’re learning about tea. Search out sources of knowledge by those from the cultures that founded this thing that you love. I’m not at all saying that you shouldn’t get into tea or open tea shops or write books if you’re white, but you should make sure that you uplift the voices of those that don’t get the chance to speak. Uplift the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indian, Kenyan, Sri Lankan, and Tibetan voices in the tea community. It’s a responsibility you take on when you learn about other cultures, I think.

#gongfu cha #gongfucha #gongfu tea #gongfutea #chinese tea #tea #colonialism #gentrification

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daggerzine · 5 years

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Tony Potts of The Monochrome Set gives us the details! (interview by Steve Michener)

I started writing a weekly post on Facebook about two years ago, wherein I would pick a song from the extensive catalog of The Monochrome Set and write a few words, trying to hep people to their fantastic music. It became a fun, online conversation with friends and fans and the band would sometimes join in, adding to the story or correcting my (frequent) historical errors. I was presenting myself as a TMS scholar when I was really just a doofus with a love for the music. The FB feature eventually led to my volunteering to drive the band on the West Coast swing of their recent US tour, which was a total blast.

Recently, I came up with the idea of interviewing various members of the band and when I initially hit upon this plan, the first person I thought of was Tony Potts, their early ‘5th member.' Tony added another dimension to the band’s early shows by projecting films onto screens (and sometimes the band), helping to differentiate the band in the crowded post-punk music scene of the late 70s/early 80s England. I never personally saw any early TMS shows so I missed out on his contributions until last year when I attended the TMS 40th anniversary shows in London and got to experience his visuals along with the music (albeit from a laptop now instead of a Super 8 film). I’ve always been intrigued by his role with the group and he was nice enough to answer some of my email questions about the early days of the band, his art, and, of course, his favorite TMS song. Tony’s Facebook page is one of the most entertaining around; he doesn’t hold back much, whether it’s about his cancer diagnosis, politics, or the state of the Great Western Railroad. TMSF and now Dagger Zine present the Weird, Wild and Wonderful World of Tony Potts!

That’s Tony far right

Q: How did you come to be involved with the Monochrome Set? What drew you to them and them to you?

Ah, now there are two answers to this question. The first is terse and accurate, although less interesting than the second. Well, I knew John, J.D. Haney. That's the terse answer. However, in the interests of interest, and name-dropping, we have to travel back to about 1974. The story illustrates I think, how our lives are built upon great swaths of happenstance.

While studying on my pre-degree arts foundation I became close friends with Edwin, later Savage Pencil, who later still formed The Art Attacks. After some itinerant drummers, including Ricky Slaughter of The Motors, and Robert Gotobed of Wire, JD became the Art Attacks drummer. Now, Edwin didn't know him, so I can only guess, at this great distance, that I put his name forward. But again, we must spool back in time. How did I know John? After Edwin left for London, and still at my provincial art school, I became good friends with two fellow student artists like myself, Andy Palmer and Joy Haney. They both became founder members of Crass, under the names N A Palmer and Joy De Vivre, and are now exceptionally good fine artists.

It was through my friendship with Joy that I meet her brother, the aforementioned JD, when he came down from university in the summer of '76. We hung out with his college chum, Jean-Marie Carroll, later to join The Members, and discussed narrow neckties and casual trousers. Then Joy, Andy, and I went off to the Greek islands for the summer, before returning to London to take up our degree course at Chelsea School of Art.

Thus it was, with us all now in London, that I believe I introduced JD to The Art Attacks, with whom I worked until their demise, at which point JD took up with TMS. Due to mutual creative interests in art, I was invited to display my films at their gigs. That was late '78, with my first gig with the band being at Acklam Hall, Notting Hill, on 22nd February 1979. Thereafter we fell together and I started to make films specifically for the live shows. It’s worth pointing out that the TMS was not formed in an art school, or by art students. It is lazy journalism that perpetuates the Art School band epithet. Both Bid, the main song writing power behind the longevity of the band, and the other key lyricist, JD Haney, have never been anywhere near an art school.

Q: What were your films like? Who were your art-school influences at the time? What were you doing with the Art Attacks?

I was studying fine art painting, and painting was my main interest. Although I loved films, I never expected to move in that direction. As a painter, I was a devotee of the Russian Constructivists like Tatlin, but mostly the geometric forms of El Lissitzky, and the Suprematist Kazimir Malevich - best known for Black Square and White On White. My paintings were an amalgam of geometric forms in the vein of Lissitzky on grounds inspired by Malevich's painterly surfaces. With the rise of the Punk movement in London, I somewhat changed direction, moving into filmmaking that had a quasi-narrative style, intended to be more emotional and poetic. Although driven by what was happening in music during ‘76/'77/'78, ironically, my films couldn't be any less punk if I tried. Well, not to punks anyway. These days I regret that I never resuscitated my painting practice.

At the time of the Acklam Hall gig, I had made one large scale Super8, and two 16mm works. I think it must have been 'Strange Meeting', which in part was about aliens and The Red Army Faction murders, which we showed at that gig, but as a support. I had previously made some other 8mm films, and I might have used them during the band, but I can't recall. However, I now have vague memories of projecting B & W film over the whole stage and band. With The Art Attacks, I didn't have a creative role, I just supported the band in rehearsal and at gigs with Paul Humphries their manager, and the initial manager of TMS. Paul, JD and I all shared the same squat in Brailsford Road, Brixton. So, with TMS I had something more creative to do.

Q: For those of us who weren't able to see those shows, describe for us what you were doing with the films during the shows. How were the films received by the audience?

As I said, initially I used the films that I had made in another context, and they were added to the performance to create an overall ambiance, a statement of presentation that was not about a band energetically leaping about on stage, as was the order of the day. Soon I started to make Super8 material specifically for TMS performances. This included the scratched and bleached footage for 'Lester Leaps In', or images filmed on the road, like the Berlin footage used for ‘Viva Death Row’, or staged material of the band getting up to also sorts of antics, like the beach ball larks and bits of animations I would make with no specific aim. In the early days, I made two roller blind screens in long boxes, [we took them on the first two US tours] with one on either side of the stage as space allowed, with film projected onto them so the band members were often in silhouette, although it bled onto them also. The stage was very dark, lit by blue footlights, which I made. I think Mark Perry of Sniffing Glue/Alternative TV said something like it was the most brilliantly depressing thing he had seen. That was always the irony at that time, the music was pert and poppy and uplifting, but the show wasn't. What a laugh, we all thought.

The shows became increasingly more elaborate with more screens, more projectors and a theatrical lighting rig. At this time we were using Ground Control, Bowie's original PA, run by a lovely guy called Robin Mayhew. Using the theatre lights allowed me to focus and shape controlled beams of light exactly where I wanted them. For example, I could just illuminate Bid's face or other small areas with geometric shapes, while leaving the stage largely unlit. Then the film screens could glow and flicker in the dark. The lads tended not to move a great deal. A tradition assiduously upheld by Mr. Warren.

As to reception, well some people liked it, and others couldn't see the point. I think it mostly worked as a spectacle, an integrated whole, a total experience, but for those just into the music, it was probably irrelevant. I mean, they are a great band, so nobody missed me when I didn't set up, like at the M80. That stage was toooo big, man.

Bid and Tony

Q; As the 'Fifth Member' whose focus seemed to have been on the live performances, how did you fit in with the band in the recording studio?

Yes, my key role was the live performance; anything else was a bonus for me. I was at all recordings from the second Rough Trade single to the end of the second album, as an enthusiastic supporter and admirer. Of course, I chipped in with the odd suggestion or noise and was probably ignored where and when necessary. Being musically incompetent, my timing is off by a good margin so I'm not sure my handclaps ever made a final mix. You can hear me on TWWWWofTP. I've got quite a pleasant singing voice, also, just not in public. Bid once marked out the chord changes for Ici Les Enfants on a plastic organ I had, to fill out the live sound, but after the first chord change, I was lost and bewildered.

Q: You've done promotional videos for the band. Can you talk about a few of those projects? Do you have a favorite video?

The first promotional film I made was the one for Dindisc, and called Strange Boutique, not after the title of the first album as many think, but coincidentally, after the name of a pair of corduroy trousers! Actually, that may not be true. So, this was conceived as a short film, with two songs and a Rod Serling type piece to camera as a linking devise. Done on the very cheap. Unfortunately, there were syncing issues with some of the dialogue and the master got damaged, scratched, and I'm not sure if I still have the original film, or not. It's on our DVD as a complete piece as far as I remember, but it turns up on YouTube, usually cut down to either of the two songs LSD and Strange Boutique, without all the linking material.

We then waited a long time until I was commissioned by WEA to make the promo for 'Jacob's Ladder' with the release of 'The Lost Weekend' album. The deal was negotiated from a public phone box on Clapham Common tube station. It was somewhat compromised by cock-ups at WEA which meant I was forced to hand it over before it was fully edited to my satisfaction. I seem to have made a style out of technical imperfections; at least that's what I'm saying. At the time Top of the Pops had a video preview section, and a short clip of Jacob's Ladder was shown. That’s primetime TV, folks!

And then, of course, I was delighted when Bid asked me to make the official MaisieWorld video for ‘I Feel Fine’, which I was very pleased with. All these projects were very personal to me, not just the execution of a job, and the first two were part of my life at the time of making.

Q. The only footage I've seen of you actually playing with the band is the Old Grey Whistle Test TV spot. Was it common for you to join the band onstage?

Well, I was usually visible on stage, controlling the projectors, which needed constant manipulation, like a DJ scratching, changing speed and switching images, fading and mixing. Also, there might be some little set piece we had devised, which required me to do something. At one point, during the Ground Control days, I remember I had my own mic so I could interact with the stage, which didn't last that long. So, to some extent, I always had a relationship with the stage as both performer and technician. Once, when Lester Square had had enough, I did perform the encore, He's Frank, by incessantly plucking one string of his guitar. Pretty good, actually! Music and Maths very similar to my mind, no sooner do I believe that I have mastered the execution of some small calculation, but I soon discover that I haven't.

Don’t shake the ladder, Tony gettin’ down to work.

Q: Tell us about your film education and your career in film and video outside the band.

I made a living of sorts working commercially in film and video production, and teaching, but as I mentioned before, I actually trained in fine art. My art foundation took a very academic approach and involved copious hours of life drawing and other drawing classes, while being given time to develop one's own particular discipline and style.

I made one Super8 film based on geometric elements in my painting. I had made three other 8mm film before this. It wasn't until I was on my degree course that I started making more moving image work, but this stemmed from a fine art perspective, so I didn't ever have any film school type training. My own work I would categorise as poetic experimentalism, that is under the general umbrella of artist film and video. Just a reminder that you can catch up with lots more detail of everything I've said at my website, http://tonypottsloopform.altervista.org. Although it has all the history of the films and staging, as well as the making of Jacob's Ladder, it's rather old and not up-to-date. That site includes all the art projects I've worked on, the history of TMS film, and my own films. My creative life can be divided into three separate but overlapping strands. The first being, my personal practice as an artist/film maker, the second, my skills and knowledge deployed in the service of collective artworks and community arts projects, and those same skills employed commercially in film and video production and teaching.

Q: It's obvious from FB that you are a big film fan. Who are some of your favorite directors/favorite movies?

With a few exceptions, I'm not much interested in modern Hollywood, old Hollywood is better, and pre-Hays better still. My film tastes are somewhat esoteric for most folks. I prefer silent film, particularly that of the classic German period of the twenties, Lang, Murnau, Pabst, Dreyer. Then in the sixties, PP Pasolini, Robert Bresson, Akira Kurosawa, soviet era Tarkosky and Parajhanov, plus a host of even less well know eastern European directors like Miklos Jancso, Jan Nemec, or Frantisek Vlacil. Don't you wish you'd never asked?

Q. You live in Wales, pretty far away from the London of your youth. How did you end up there and what appeals to you living there?

Well, we split our time between London and Pembrokeshire at present, while my wife Rachael is still working. In a few years, we'll move out completely, I think. I can't relax in the city anymore. I need some more space to feel comfortable. I've had as much London as I can handle. Rachael is Welsh, although Pembrokeshire is known as little England beyond Wales, and we are fortunate to own her childhood home there.

Q. You were recently diagnosed with cancer and posted your experience on Facebook. How did you discover that you had cancer and how are you doing now?

Yes, that was unfortunate. The prostate gets larger as us men grow older and so puts a bit of pressure on the bladder, changing the way you take a pee, like urgency and frequency. So any chap of a certain age should cut along to a doctor if they have persistent symptoms of this type. Our neighbour in Wales insists on calling it prostrate cancer, but I refuse to take that lying down, and firmly pronounce it prostate, but to no avail. But seriously, although it's a slow-growing cancer, the sooner you act, the sooner you can get the appropriate treatment. I had to have surgery, but it's not necessary for everyone. As my cousin, who luck would have it is a cancer specialist said, do you want to be erect or dead? Haha, what a great choice!

Q: Since this is a TMSF, after all, can you pick a favorite song and say a few words about it?

My choice of song to end this pleasant excursion is 'The Devil Rides Out', from the 'Eligible Bachelors' album. By the time of recording this record JD had left the band and was living in NY, and I was also spending a great deal of time in that city also. I was still contributing to the occasional gig or short tour, but I certainly wasn't around when this album was recorded. Christ, what do you expect for a record made in Luton?

So it is the live performances of this song that I recall, since it was in the repertoire well ahead of it being recorded. Although I could say it of many other songs, the open chords of 'The Devil Rides Out' always gave me a buzz as I waited to play in whatever the film images were [I can't remember]. Even if the audience or critics found the films superfluous or unimportant, I usually enjoyed watching the way that a set of otherwise unrelated images somehow meshed and synchronised with the music and gave the illusion of a premeditated vision. Of course, it was premeditated in as much as I knew what pieces of film would be used for a particular song, but beyond that, there was a lot of slack in the system. With the various parameters of the live installation, having to follow the cue of the band and the hand manipulating the projectors [no computers], there were great possibilities that the extemporisation would result in entirely unique sets of images and sound on each occasion.

Well, I should say something about why I like the song. It's one of a number of Bid's more esoteric lyrical compositions. He had previously pushed the Latin boat out with Adeste Fideles [not everyone's favourite song title to pronounce], and my spell checker isn't too keen on the words, either. In this case, the bridging line is rendered in Latin, but with the exception of the 'Hails', this is written in the ancient language of Sanskrit. Or at least that is my understanding and belief. Whatever the lyrical origins are, this is a classic TMS arrangement, altogether thrilling, incomprehensible and mysterious, yet totally pop, totally accessible and it dumps from a very great height those chart-topping household names who have followed in their wake.

And of course, I can never resist a song that features a sleigh bell, The Devil Rides Out and The Stooges 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' being the two finest examples.

http://tonypottsloopform.altervista.org

www.themonochromeset.co.uk

www.tapeterecords.de

www.facebook.com/themonochromeset

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