#it's a case of...deriving the same sort of joy from these ships | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

aro-attorneys · 1 year

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nrmt = jekyon?? tell me more share your theories friend

(All J&H characters mentioned below are from the The Glass Scientists webcomic; other adaptations do not count for this analysis)

Oh nice, free infodump real estate!

I'll start off saying that this is entirely subjective and not everyone might agree with the connection I made between the two ships.

Furthermore, at their core they're both very much their own unique dynamic. If this seems like a stretch to you, that's totally fine!

That being said, here are my theories/takes/connections (screenshots will mostly be from TGS since that's more easily accessible):

My brain sort of made the connection after recent chapters came out. The focus on Lanyon's feelings and how he expresses (or not expresses) them reminded me very strongly of the "thanks to you, I am saddled with unnecessary feelings line." It also reminded me of this bit from chapter 3:

(ugh feelings, am i right)

Lanyon has Edgeworth Vibes to me lol. They have their "repressed victorian man" thing going on (although Lanyon literally is one).

I made a post about Lanyon's way of expressing his feelings before if you're interested.

Comparing Jekyll to Phoenix might be a bit of a stretch, perhaps. But with earlier flashbacks about Jekyll's university years and the much, much earlier scene during the Frankenstein Play, I can safely say the following things:

Both started out more expressive/open about their feelings. Only after having their hearts broken (Phoenix with Dahlia and Jekyll with Lanyon), did they take a turn and bottle their feelings up or stopped expressing them in a healthy manner.

Both have...little sense of self-preservation. Phoenix has shown over and over again that he's willing to hurt himself or even die for the things important to him. Jekyll also literally admitted to being willing to die for science. Although Jekyll has gotten a little better with it. One of the major developments he's going through right now is putting himself and his feelings and safety first.

Here is the evidence for Jekyll's case:

And Phoenix is infamous for eating a glass vial with possibly still potent poison and running across a burning bridge. And he's been more than willing to get hurt to help the people involved in his cases. It's something about sacrificing yourself because you think something or someone else is more important.

Although Jekyll has been recovering from this mindset ever since Hyde forcefully took over his body:

Another thing I've noticed with both ships is that there is a strong mutual admiration for the other, but neither actually voices it. It's a little more obvious for Narumitsu, where Phoenix admits in Turnabout Goodbyes how much he looks up to Edgeworth after the class trial. And in the Miles Edgeworth: Investigations games, he expresses the same admiration for Phoenix. They both are influenced by the other all the time and it makes them better, more well-rounded people.

This mutual admiration isn't as healthy in Jekyon, at least not consistently. In Jekyll's manifestation of his mind, he sees Lanyon as the perfect gentleman, as someone to look up to and follow no matter what. Even though he broke Jekyll's heart many years prior. But still, Jekyll believes he became a better person for it. Vice versa, Lanyon used to be kind of a heartbreaker. But meeting and dating Jekyll changed him. He wanted to commit to a relationship* and not Hurt Feelings anymore if he could help it. Unfortunately there was an arranged marriage so there's that.

*I am not saying that suddenly wanting a romantic and sexual relationship made him better, it's the not wanting to break other men's hearts that made him better.

I think...that's it? If I had to put it shortly, I'd say both ships have a unique dysfunctional way of communicating. Avoiding sharing any thoughts or feelings and then being surprised that the other party is upset. They're disasters and I love to watch it unfold :) (mainly because there's also actual character development to look forward to).

#the glass scientists #ace attorney #narumitsu #jekyon #sorry @ non tgs jekyon shippers for being in the tag w tgs. i know tgs is a little controversial in the j&h fandom #if it helps i already shipped them when i read the book <3 #book from the 1890s: wow isnt it fucked up to have repressed feelings and splitting your soul?#me: yes but the lawful neutral doctor should kiss the chaotic neutral doctor #it's a case of...deriving the same sort of joy from these ships #of course the characters involved are still unique bc they're their own characters and they're in their own settings #but i think maybe they'd get along in a crossover au ?#anyway thank u for sending the ask i hope this makes sense #am i gonna proofread this post? ....... nah

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franniebanana · 3 years

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CQL Rewatch - Ep 23

Seriously, how useless are these two right now? The puppets all dropped dead around them, yet none of them run up to help Wei Wuxian. I think we saw Lan Wangji running, but he just had dramatic close-up shots for the first few minutes as well. Like, stop looking dumbfounded and stop just providing facial reactions to things, and get up there! Act like you're in a war, gdi! They're reacting to seeing Wen Ruohan stabbed, which I chose not to cap for obvious reasons.

So even though I knew the story from the book, I still think this moment is pretty cool when they reveal that it's Jin Guangyao who has stabbed Wen Ruohan literally and figuratively in the back. The last time we saw him, poor Nie Mingjue was getting the crap beat out of him by Jin Guangyao, so seeing this here--like, ooh! Double-double-cross! Triple-cross!! It's fun to see a twist that doesn't make you groan! Because, of course, you want to root for Jin Guangyao because he's a bastard and has always been looked down on everyone. Now you see that he was not a villain at all, and he was actually helping the good guys by double-crossing Wen Ruohan! Of course, we know he really is a villain and all, but most of that really doesn't come until later in the story haha.

I do enjoy the light parallels here between Lan Xichen and his brother. We see both of them willing to give their best friends the benefit of the doubt and protect them from those who are less willing, let's say. And both of them are even willing to stand up to other people they know and trust. Nie Mingjue is one of Lan Xichen's closest friends, and we see Lan Wangji stand up to his own uncle. If you're looking at CQL without the romance angle (which, why would you?), this parallel is a bit more striking. You basically have two sets of bosom friends. Obviously one set crumbles at the end, but there are definitely a lot of parallels and comparisons to make. And sorry, for a show that couldn't have any gay characters, they sure made it seem like Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao had a thing for each other (even though neither of them is gay in the book, mind you). A weird sort of change--I don't even ship them, but their early scenes seemed very shippy. Maybe it's my American lens, I don't know.

But speaking of weird changes, allow me to go on a tangent. Wen Qing's role expansion doesn't bother me, not really. I kind of say it does, but it's not really the expansion that gets to me. It's the fact that she was going to be a love interest for Wei Wuxian that bothers me. Wei Wuxian is gay. He's gay. Lan Wangji is also gay--if not gayer. Her being a love interest for either one of them means they are no longer gay. Bi, maybe, but what that would have done was erase their canon sexuality. It would have also turned their relationship into that horribly tropey brothers-in-arms or whatever name you want to give it--basically JUST FRIENDS who want to defend each other's honor. You can certainly read CQL that way, but if you are, I don't think you're paying attention to Wang Yibo's performance at all. And if you're not paying attention to the second lead, then why are you watching this show at all? So, changing their sexuality changes the whole show (which already is so tropey, from what I understand) into something so derivative, I wouldn't even want to bother watching it. One of the things I think you take away from CQL is Lan Wangji's, frankly, undying love for Wei Wuxian. If he goes and has a fling with Wen Qing at any point, that cheapens his character dramatically in my opinion. Lots of people can say this better than me, and probably have, but I'm very grateful to those passionate fans (and to Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo) for helping to change the script from the original drafts, which were frankly no better than a junky harlequin romance, having Wen Qing passed around like a piece of meat, which is so far from her character in the novel, and definitely a disservice to her.

Not gonna lie, it's adorable to think that Jiang Yanli and Lan Wangji have been talking over the past few days, maybe having tea together, while Wei Wuxian is in a coma. I feel Lan Wangji was a very calming presence for Jiang Yanli, because she was probably very worried and fretful over Wei Wuxian. I like the idea of him playing the guqin for Wei Wuxian, and then having tea and a quiet chat with Jiang Yanli before leaving. Also very cute that Wei Wuxian is half-heartedly trying to badmouth Lan Wangji, by calling him boring and uninteresting, but he can't even get through the sentence without smiling to himself. Obviously he's loving the idea that Lan Wangji has been at his side every day, worrying over him and slowly doing his part to nurse him back to health.

I love his expression here: shock and relief and joy, all mixed together upon seeing that Wei Wuxian has woken up. Obviously he knew he'd wake up eventually, but he didn't expect it so soon and I don't think he expected his heart to be in his throat and to be so indescribably happy to see Wei Wuxian awake.

Wei Wuxian, of course, can't really meet his eyes, and Jiang Yanli makes a swift exit (she knows what's up--these boys need to talk). And Lan Wangji just has love in his eyes: Heart-guang Jun. I mean, imagine how he must be feeling right now. He had just gotten Wei Wuxian back from what seemed like certain death, finally reconciled, and then Wei Wuxian is in a coma! He must have been terrified of losing him again. It's probably all he can do right now to not hug Wei Wuxian.

I seriously love everything about this scene. I love the colors, the cinematography, the longing glances Wei Wuxian gives Lan Wangji, the way Lan Wangji quietly scolds him while still playing the guqin because he's a professional. But really, I just find this scene very pretty and moving and emotional. I enjoy seeing Lan Wangji getting to take care of him and even more that Wei Wuxian lets him and puts up with it. I think most of us are quick to retort a good old, "I'm fine" when asked how we are, but in this case, Wei Wuxian is not fine, and he has no ground to stand on if he's trying to prove that. It's hard for Wei Wuxian at this point, though, to really lean on anyone, even Lan Wangji who is his best friend. He certainly can't lean on Jiang Cheng for reasons I don't think I need to go into again. He kind of leans on Yanli, but at the same time, he can't (and doesn't wish to) burdon her either. Lan Wangji is really the one person he should be able to lean on and seek comfort from, but he feels awkward and uncomfortable, because of the dark spiritual energy and giving up the sword, and Lan Wangji's crusade to help him.

"Who is good and who is evil?" Wei Wuxian is struggling with a moral dilemma: is it right to round up the Wens and kill them/hold them captive? The Wens did horrible things, after all, and this is the reality of war. Of course, we've just seen Lan Xichen struggling with it as well. Why capture the women and children and elderly, who have nothing to do with the war? He's only met with the fact that it's not just the male cultivators who are dangerous. Still, his mind is only placated by the lie that the people will just be interrogated and sent to a labor camp--then cut to the blood on the floor. So Wei Wuxian is not only struggling with what the Jin Clan and other clans are doing, but he's also thinking about his own deeds--how many people did he kill? How many did he brutally murder in the name of revenge? Because of the things he's done, is he good or evil? Is good and evil so black and white? Does it just depend on whose lens you're viewing it through?

Lan Wangji looks at Wei Wuxian with all of this knowledge and doesn't know what to think. He's afraid of what Wei Wuxian has become, afraid he'll end up like Wen Ruohan--he's afraid of losing him entirely. But the situation is not black and white, and good and evil is not so easily defined. You can only know once you know that person's heart, and Wei Wuxian isn't really letting Lan Wangji in anymore. He's trying to convince him with his words, but that is simply not good enough.

I think if Lan Wangji hadn't stopped him here, Wei Wuxian would have played that flute and tried to end all of the Jin "hunting party" (sorry, that was a little dark). His emotions were already high after the conversation with Lan Wangji on the cliff, and we've already seen him feeling disturbed by how the Wens are being chased and rounded up. I, for one, wouldn't have complained if Jin Zixuan's cousin bit the dust earlier. I think his name is Jin Zixun. Is that it? See, even I don't remember him.

I love how even though they are far apart, this scene still feels very intimate. It's very moving, and the music and the cinematography help to cultivate that feeling. I like how Wei Wuxian perks up when he hears Lan Wangji pluck the first few notes, and Lan Wangji does the same when he hears the sound of Wei Wuxian's flute. I feel like they are spiritually connected here as they play this haunting duet. And I think it's a connection they haven't felt for a long time. There has been so much tension between them for so long, and this scene feels like a big sigh from both of them. While I still feel like there is tension present, there is a bit of a release here--at least, that's how I feel as a viewer.

Ah, yes, the awkward period where Jiang Cheng has become leader of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, wants to control Wei Wuxian, but doesn't know how. He's new at this, so I can't blame him for being a bit awkward as he figures out what he's supposed to be doing. As a young man, he basically nagged Wei Wuxian for doing inappropriate things, but now when Wei Wuxian misbehaves, Jiang Cheng is in part responsible for that behavior. At some point or another, the two of them grew up. Wei Wuxian's misbehavior isn't precocious anymore--it's serious and it has consequences, and just as in Gusu, Jiang Cheng sees that those actions are a reflection of the Jiang Clan. Only now, they aren't just a reflection of the clan, they're also a reflection of Jiang Cheng, himself, and his leadership (or lack thereof).

And speaking of awkward...Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have some...unresolved...stuff to deal with. But God forbid they actually talk right now. How can they? They're at this stuffy banquet that neither one of them want to be at. I feel for them both. Wei Wuxian is hurt because he thinks Lan Wangji doesn't trust him. Lan Wangji feels terrible because he wants to help Wei Wuxian, but the latter won't really let him in and allow him to do so. I feel myself just on pins and needles during these scenes with all these glances, but at the same time, I love it because DRAMA and ANGST! And they're just so in love lolol.

Nie Mingjue has to be that guy that always wants a certain table. The waiter leads him over and says, "Is this table okay?" expecting the answer to be yes, but nope--not Nie Mingjue. He'll request a different table. XD

I love this little conversation--it's like they're both measuring each other up. I think they each have a healthy distrust of the other. Although Wei Wuxian has always been kind to Jin Guangyao, I don't think that discounts the whole demonic cultivation thing in his mind. He knows Wei Wuxian is smart and clever and, most importantly, capable. And as for Wei Wuxian, I don't think the ease in which Jin Guangyao manipulated Wen Ruohan is lost on him.Essentially the downfall of this great cultivator and enemy of all the other clans was due to one man: Jin Guangyao. I think Wei Wuxian is thinking the same thing I am: he's extremely clever, devious, and potentially dangerous if you get on his bad side. His rise to power within the Jin Clan is kind of amazing. His estranged father admits to Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen that Jin Guangyao is his son, his station has improved drastically in a short amount of time. He sure as hell is dangerous.

Jiang Yanli can hardly contain her excitement when Jin Guangshan brings up her former engagement to his son. Just kidding, of course. I'm kind of horrified for her that he's bringing this up now in front of all these people. It feels very much like he's pressuring not only her, but also his son to get engaged again. First of all, Jiang Fengmian and Jin Guangshan agreed at the time to let the children decide whether they wanted to get married or not. Second, if you're going to talk about this, at least do it in private! Third, this is not letting the kids decide. God, this would be humiliating! And I also totally expected Jiang Cheng to speak for his sister here, so I'm glad he didn't do that. It's really none of his business either.

Lol! The weird cutoff here! Who's speaking??? I don't know!!! I mean, obviously, it's Wei Wuxian, but it's like they don't expect us to recognize his voice hahahahaha.

Other episodes: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | Or just check out the #CQL Rewatch hashtag

#wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #theuntameddaily #cql #the untamed #jiang cheng #jiang yanli #wen qing #jin guangyao #lan xichen #ep 23 #cql rewatch

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ecoamerica · 2 months

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youtube

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

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thoughts-on-bangtan · 3 years

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Let’s talk about: The World of Original Content (Weverse Magazine)

by Admin 1

Don’t you just love it when stan twt in particular has a giant fight victimizing the members and claiming they hate things like RUN BTS only for BH/Weverse Magazine to come through and deliver them a bitter wake up call? Because I sure do, which made reading this new article even more curious than the subject matter already is.

For those who might be intimidated by the length of the article (though I guess you wouldn’t be reading our posts in that case either), the basic gist is a discussion and exploration of how shows like RUN BTS or In the SOOP (or GOING SEVENTEEN used as comparative example) are so successful due to the fact that they give the members a place to participate in a variety show type program in an environment where they feel safe and also actively can add input to the actual things happening in the show, as well as how all this additional video content offers not only a great way for the idols to connect with fans but also to showcase different things about themselves, or even a form of self-presentation as was said about SEVENTEEN content.

Since their start 10 years ago in 2011 until they were named the most mentioned account in the world on Twitter and through to today as the most talked-about K-pop artist, BTS have released more than 12,400 videos and related media. Their YouTube channel, BANGTANTV, has secured 43.4 million subscribers and its videos more than 8.1 billion views cumulatively since its launch in 2012, and has 1,398 videos in its archive as of January 15. BTS have posted more than 590 videos to their V LIVE channel over the past five years, and in June of last year became the first in V LIVE history to surpass 20 million followers. These self-produced videos contain the artists’ histories as well as their messages to and joy for their fanbases, and this original content serves as an opportunity to reach out to even more people thanks to increased follower and subscriber counts.

Now those are some really interesting stats to take in, the numbers mind-blowing though in a sense not necessarily all that surprising. We’re talking about ARMY and eight years worth of content after all, but the fact that there is a lot of sincerity and a degree of genuine rawness to be found among all those videos certainly helps as well. Who doesn’t love Bangtan B*mbs showing the guys doing something fun together, like playing basket ball on the roof between filming the Black Swan MV or things like the short videos from their birthdays. Content like this is much easier to access (and free) than things like Bon Voyage and are a great “gateway drug”, so to speak, to fall even more in love with Bangtan.

The animation dubbing, meanwhile, started with an idea from the members. “Having watched the members for so long, I was confident they would be good at voice acting,” said Bang. “They told each other they wanted to try dubbing something, so we got to work on the episode. Copyright on web-based shows is generally strict, but discussions with Disney went smoothly because it’s BTS.”

This part I find particularly interesting for two reason:

“(...) started with an idea from the members.” confirms yet again the fact that the members do get a say into what they would be interested in doing as part of RUN BTS, that it isn’t just them showing up on set and being forced to do things they don’t care about or have to make themselves pretend they’re enjoying, both things solo stans have claimed about basically each member. It’s the same thing we’ve even seen in episode 124 where the episode was centered around the members coming up with ideas of tasks for episodes with the members even going as far as saying they’d love to do something longer, something that takes up a longer period of time like learning an instrument or sport or even composing a song for RUN BTS. In that same episode we also got confirmation that previous episodes were based on ideas from Taehyung (retro village m*fia type game episodes) and Namjoon (mini game based episode with bottle flipping etc).

“(...) but discussions with Disney went smoothly because it’s BTS.” which honestly just feels like such a (extremely) justified flex, love it. If I were a company that’s usually strict with my copyrights, I’d beg BTS to take my stuff if it’s something that would make them love and they’d have fun with it, but that’s just me.

The last part of the article I’d like to touch upon is this one since, to me, it once again proves Bangtan’s sincerity in sharing certain things and moments with us out of their own free will and desire, instead of due to some skewed ulterior motivation reasoning which some like to project onto them. Of course someone could argue that they only did this to create a false feeling of connection and faux love between the artist and fan, but with that you’re not only doing yourself a disservice but also belittling the members autonomy, feelings and genuine gratitude and connection to us. Yes, they don’t know all of us and they never will because that’s not humanly possible, but BTS being where they are today is (in parts) thanks to their genuine connection to ARMY since even before debut.

When artists enjoy making their videos, they elicit a response from their fans, which in turn instills the artists with even more enthusiasm to make more content. BTS “told the producers they wanted to share with their fans a video they had of them all goofing around,” Bang said, which shows “how sincere their love for their fans is.” The video, in which the members check the Grammy Awards nominations together, was shot on November 25 after they all agreed to RM’s suggestion that they record important moments together and share them: “It would have been somewhat inappropriate to ask the members to film when the nominations were going to be announced so late at night,” Bang recalled, “but they eagerly pitched the idea first, and thanked the staff after they were done shooting.” It was “thanks to the members that I was able to capture that important moment,” Kim said, while noting that “the most important thing when producing content is the artist’s desire to connect with their fans.”

This is something they certainly didn't have to do, just like they didn’t share the Billboard Hot100 #1 night with us in such a way either, but the members knew just how grand and meaningful of a moment that Grammy nomination would be so they wanted to not only film it for themselves as a memory, but also to share it with us. Also this line is quite telling to me: “It would have been somewhat inappropriate to ask the members to film when the nominations were going to be announced so late at night,” Bang recalled”. While some claim awful things against BH, little things like this, to me, show that there are still boundaries that the staff and producers keep and won’t cross unless given explicit permission or receiving an explicit request to do so, like they did in this case.

BH isn’t perfect by any means, they are a company after all (can we talk about the horrible shipping prices? And more general price tags on merchandise etc?) but at least when it comes to the treatment of their artists they seem leaps ahead of other agencies and BTS genuinely satisfied with working and being with them for more than a decade now, so as fan, who am I to judge that? Especially when we keep getting tiny pieces of “proof” that show that the members have good relationships with those they work with, some staff being already with them for years or even since the beginning, when Hoseok gets called “Hobi-nim” or “Hobi Hobi-nim” cutely by their stylists, when Tae’s bodyguard/manager gently fixes his hair when he notices Tae is still half asleep and his hair askew, or Seokjin sought “shelter” against one of their managers when he got shy at the airport a few years ago.

The more fans can tell that the artists are having fun and feel safe, the happier they are to share the videos, and this can continue to spread outside the fandom, resulting in all sorts of related or derivative media referencing the original.

Overall I’m really impressed with the level of journalism that the staff working on Weverse Magazine have exhibited so far. They could’ve just created fluff pieces with zero substance to them, wrote sugar sweet "articles” full of empty praise and phoned in the interviews with the members for the BE Comeback Interviews, but instead we got really interesting things instead, like their article about the Grammys or one of the first articles that highlighted the racism and gatekeeping BTS have experienced over the years abroad where they even called out some people by name which felt like the perfect (justified) power move. If you haven’t yet, I very much recommend looking through all the articles and interviews and giving them a read. It really is worth it and written in a language everyone regardless of their level of English can understand while staying interesting to read without appearing simplified or “dumbed down”.

#bts #bangtan sonyeondan #weverse magazine #discussion

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ograndebatata · 5 years

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Elena of Avalor Ship appreciation week - Day 1 - Enemies to lovers - Marzel x Naomi

Well, the title pretty much speaks for itself, so I guess there’s not much more to add here. I’ll only add that this oneshot takes place in the future of my personal AU, so a few things may be a bit confusing... but I tried, again, to make it strong enough to stand on its own.

I hope you all enjoy it!

Underwater Wonders

They had arrived.

Where exactly, Naomi had no idea, given Marzel still had his hands over her eyes. But she had sensed him stopping as he swam above her, and had also felt, from the smooth ripples she sensed from the above and the warm swishing on her skin, both the pale human-like one on her upper body and the scales of her purplish-pink blue-striped sirena’s tail, that they had finished crossing the tunnels and were back in sunlit water. She could also feel from the tickling on her tail that wherever they were was rather crowded, judging from the multiple vibrations of swimming creatures.

Wherever they were, it seemed she was about to see whatever surprise Marzel had for her.

And sure enough, she felt his hands shifting a fraction over her eyes, though he didn’t remove them yet.

“Are you ready to get awed?” he asked.

Naomi affected a shrug, even though Marzel could hardly see it from behind her. “Beats me.”

“Are you ready to get amazed?”

She swept the betta-fish-like fins of her tail against his, gently so the sharper edges wouldn’t hurt him. “How should I know?”

“Are you ready…”

“...to ask if you’re going to keep yapping all day long or if you’ll just show me whatever you’re not letting me see right now?” she deadpanned, even as her lips curled upwards.

She again felt Marzel’s hands shifting, and just knew he was pouting.

“And here I had at least ten more questions for you.”

She jabbed a threatening finger upwards, though careful to deliberately aim away from him in case she poked his eye.

“Watch it, buster! I know where you live!”

She could just see him smirking even with him covering her eyes and being above her.

“If that’s an attempt at a threat, it’s about the worst one you could make.” Another pause from him. “But I’ll be a gentleman and show mercy. Behold...” he rolled his tongue in the most dramatic fashion he could as if trying to imitate a drum-roll. “...the Rainbow Reef!”

At last, he removed his hands from her eyes. Curious about what exactly was there, Naomi righted herself, opened them… and gaped more than any fish.

It only took a glance to understand why it was called Rainbow Reef.

The water before her was so clear that it looked like the actual sky, more pristine than in the sunniest day in Avalor. Streaks of light overheard dove through the water and danced across everything underneath as if caressing them. Corals and anemones of every hue painted the rocky outcrops at the bottom in explosions of, seemingly only made brighter by the sun, and yet pleasant to the eye rather than painful. Isolated milagras dotted the white sandy bottom, swaying in the currents. And amidst the spectacle, fish of every size, shape and color swam about, somehow managing to go about their business with all the grace of the formal parties she had attended to as a council woman.

As she watched more closely, Naomi saw even more incredible things. The fan-shaped yellow and blue corals closest to her actually moved of their own accord with the currents instead of standing rigidly, while the club-shaped orange ones with white stripes actually whacked any fish that got too close to them. The schools of the fish that looked like a dog-sized sardine if not for the red and white and blue coloration regularly changed color patterns and others responded to such changes. A kind of cuttlefish swimming along the bottom not only blended into their background so well it was almost invisible through that alone but actually flattened itself against the surface it was on, to the point Naomi barely managed to see it. A pack of seals seemed to be playing tag as they cut along the sandy bottom and circled the isolated milagras. Blue crabs that seemed to have jewels of all sorts of colors studded into their bodies scuttled along the bottom. Barely visible between all the other colors, a horse-sized oyster resting between the rocks parted its valves a fringe to hint at what looked like a pearl which literally glowed like a rainbow inside it.

After what felt like an eternity, Naomi managed to mouth an exclamation, though no sound came out.

It was breathtaking.

A faint ripple washed over her from the right. Naomi turned toward it, and saw Marzel floating beside her, an expectant and at the same time apprehensive look on his face.

“Well?” he asked, the anxious look on his face far too endearing for either of their own goods.

For just an instant, Naomi felt like making some ‘dry appreciation’ just to tease him. But he was so honestly nervous that she could only allow her features to melt into a smile.

“It’s gorgeous,” she said. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

Marzel didn’t even make an attempt at looking mock-smug or some comment about how he had known it. He just gave her a relieved smile of his own. And without any words, Naomi realized how nervous he had been at this date of theirs, the first one they went on in months, the first one they went on now that they both had tails, and the first one they went on since yet another great adventure to add to the list of those they’d already had had ended.

Wordlessly, Naomi swished her tail downward to approach him and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. He rested his chin on her head and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

And they just floated there, their tails swishing through the water to keep them in place, not exchanging a single word.

But there was no need to. For all the troubles they had endured lately, and how ludicrous their feelings might have seemed in the beginning, somehow, them being here together, contemplating the wonders before them, just felt right. Right and wonderful. There were no other words for it.

How far had they come from the day Marzel had approached her after his father signed the peace treaty and apologized for what his people had done to her grandfather. From the day Naomi had truly allowed herself to face how petty she was being by holding a grudge against people who were only trying to make amends for their ancestors’ wrongs. The day that had been the first step - or tail-stroke - in everything that lead them here.

If Naomi didn’t know any better, she would have guessed he had given her a love potion.

But she did know better. Not only about Marzel, but about his kind. And as much as her old self might be shocked beyond belief at the thought, her current one knew it was true and was glad that the sirenas had indeed changed their ways.

Even if a few who clung to old habits were part of the reason Naomi herself was stuck as a sirena.

She couldn’t help but stiffen at the thought, the memory of her narrowly-avoided death still sending a shiver through her. Marzel immediately drew her closer to his chest, running his free hand through her purple and blue fishtail braid.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not now,” She reached up and ran her fingers along the back of his neck. “This place is too beautiful to ruin it with that.”

That, and she had already let those bastards ruin enough of her life. Having become a sirena was a hurdle, and she still struggled with a few things here and there, but there was a lot of joy to be derived from her new life, and the most important joys from her old one were still present.

She would not let a few rotten bastards deprive her of all happiness of her future just because they had dictated part of it for her.

She drew away from her thoughts as Marzel pulled back an edge. Turning her gaze up, she saw him looking down at her, lost in her eyes.

“Not as beautiful as you.”

“Flirt,” Naomi replied with a smirk.

He shrugged. “What can I say? It’s as much a part of me as both my scales and my legs.”

Naomi reached up and flicked his braid between her fingers. “I’d be careful, if I were you. I just may think you’re too annoying for my show of gratitude.”

He gasped as fakely as one of those actors at a cheap melodrama. “The horror!”

She scrunched up her face as she pretended to have an internal struggle.

“But I guess I can be nice. At least this once.”

He sighed just as dramatically as he had gasped. “Well that’s a relief.”

Naomi pushed herself up with another stroke of her tail and put her right hand to his nape and her left arm around his shoulders.

“Just shut up and kiss me.”

Rather than wait for him to comply, Naomi surged forward and smashed her lips against Marzel’s.

And he wasted no time returning the favor.

#eoa ship appreciation week #day one #enemies to lovers #naomi x marzel #naomi turner #prince marzel

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goochills · 4 years

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Miraculous Posture Device Causes An Elderly Florida Woman To Lose All Of Her Back Pain In A Matter Of Weeks, Admits Her Doctor

As we accumulate days of confinement in hour houses, it becomes more necessary to take care of our health and the ones most sensitive to pain, such as the elderly, sick or people with specific needs, tend to accumulate tensions, risks and discomfort derived from decreased physical movement. After the first weeks, when numerous platforms and influencers related to physical exercise decided to offer their classes and trainings for free, the temptation to spend the day between the sofa and the bed becomes greater, for everyone.

One of the groups affected by decreased opportunities to move is that of people with chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome. It is estimated that in the United States approximately ten million individuals suffer from chronic pain. Pain is a phenomenon that counts with several stages: biomedical, psychological and social. Each person experiences it in a completely different and individual way.

Sarah White, a 89-year-old woman from Clewiston, Florida, tried a revolutionary device that a friend of her recommended just months before she started to feel a considerable increase of pain on her back. She thought it was just one of the many nuisances that comes with aging, but it turned out to be more than an ordinary problem and became a real health problem for Ms. White.

Even though she first thought that the Smart Backbrace was one of those products that companies create in order to fool and get the money from credulous customers, it turned out to be the best medicine she ever tried to get rid of her annoying back problems and constant pain. Her personal doctor ever since moving from Denver, Harold Johansen, confirmed the amazing case of this old woman through a conference at the Michigan University: “The answer given by the body to each injury or health problem is very different for each person since there are many factors in our environment”.

youtube

“An example to understand all of this in a better way is that of an orchestra. It can be made up of few or many musicians, string, wind, percussion. They all play the same piece of music that only sounds when everyone plays their part and they all do it together. A musician can only perform the melody, but the piece needs everyone to be complete and every single one of them produce a singular sound that it could appear to be similar to others but it is still a specific one”.

“The device that she used allowed her to go through the pain and calm it with a better accuracy than pills and other medicine we were trying. It was almost a miraculous event and above all, one that made me full of joy for supporting the idea and have given the opportunity to this random device recommended at a random point by a person I did not know. Even though it worked on her, it could produce different results on different people just as I mentioned before, because pain comes in all sizes and shapes and it is different for each person.

Lily White, Sarah’s niece and the family member that helped her the most while being under the immense pain declared for a local newspaper“I am very glad that she accepted the recommendation made by the family’s friends and also grateful to doctor Johansen for having the courage to support the idea and try this new way to help our dear Sarah. Of course, I would recommend the Smart Backbrace to any other elderly person suffering from posture problems and pain, and I am also certain that this marvelous device will get known all around the world, not just thanks to us and our case, but because I think we are the first of many families that will want to try new ways in order to end with health issues such as back pain”.

How Can We Explain All Of This?

Pain occurs when the alarm system alerts the brain that there is an actual or potential danger of injury, when we feel pain, it is because the brain has concluded that it is in danger and that it has to do something about it. Their way of doing something, on certain occasions, is to “activate the pain program”. The main key is to discover why our brain concludes that there is a threat.

Feeling pain does not always mean that there is some sort of damage or injury. We can feel pain without harm and also have harm without pain. The intensity of the pain is not related to the amount of damage the tissues may have suffered. In conclusion, pain is generated by the brain, it is not in the tissues by itself. We have danger sensors inside our body which are the ones sending different signals to the brain. The brain will use that information to decide whether to “activate the pain program” or not.

Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients may experience more pain than usual. This process occurs because the brain “activates the pain program”, trying to protect the individual from the danger that it believes exists even when that danger is not really what it looks like. The brain, in these cases, is misinterpreting reality it always reacts to help us, and generates pain because it really believes it is in danger, even if we are not really in danger. Trying to understand what is happening to your brain and what is causing the pain is the first step to achieve improvement. Although pain is generated by the brain, it is always real, no one consciously provokes it, it is not created, it is not the product of the imagination of those who live it and suffering from it does not mean that we have a psychological problem. Patients are not guilty of anything, they have not created the pain or generated it for themselves.

click here to get $100 off Smart Backbrace plus free shipping

The post Miraculous Posture Device Causes An Elderly Florida Woman To Lose All Of Her Back Pain In A Matter Of Weeks, Admits Her Doctor appeared first on HUNDRED GADGETS.

source https://hundredgadgets.com/miraculous-posture-device-causes-an-elderly-florida-woman-to-lose-all-of-her-back-pain-in-a-matter-of-weeks-admits-her-doctor/

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courtanie · 7 years

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Submission from anonymous

Hey dude, is it okay if I post a review of one of your ficts on your tumblr? I don’t have an account on ff.net and I honestly don’t want to if there’s an option to reach you elsewhere anyway.. cause point is I’m not really into fandoms or ships or smut or fanart, this ain’t really my cup of tea, but I really like the idea of fanfiction. I guess what irks me in other fanforms is the lack of exploration of the source material? Lack of critical input? I’m not sure and honestly I don’t think too much about it, but I love storytelling above all and it’s great to know that there are places out there where people build communities based on free world building.. you know what I mean? And I won’t lie and say that such a wild and unkept environments bring out only the best out of people, because really, the world of fanfiction (at least as much as i had seen..which ain’t much) is fulled with folks that use is to serve their own fantasies rather than valuing cohersive writing or um..sometimes logic? And that can be so morbidly fascinating and at the same time.. off putting.. to me? I’m not writing this to be a dick and I’m really sorry if it comes over as such, I’m sorta struggling to explain why I’m even reading it if the first thing I’m stating is that I’m not into this stuff.. oh yeah, fuck it, back on track- It’s so fascinating with what kind of stuff people come up with, truly astonishing, things I wouldn’t have thought of in my life for better or worse and the thing that surprises me the most is when I open up a story as a joke, just because i thought the premise sounds so ridiculously it ought to be entertaining in some way- and am consequently blown away by how well it is written. A thing that only fanfiction can do to me- use my predjustices against me and punishes me with good fortune. I never thought reading about a fairly punching another fairy in the mouth would make me so happy but here I am, nooding approvingly out of shock (and some satisfaction too I’d say). It’s soooo impressive how much thought you put into this Dude! Fucking went and invented a language for them! Jesus Christ- I know so little professional writers that would do that..

So much detail, but not enough to be overwhelming, enough to keep the characters grounded. Enough development of the world to feel the realism creep onto the character with a steady persistent pacing, enough room the breathe and how much the humor contrasts it is wonderful and the fact that it derives so much out of the characters themselves makes them fell much more independent to me.

I’m not a native english speaker (so sorry for bad and confusing grammar) and recently moved to another country I barely speak the language of and certain things in the story hit home. I’m so so impressed by your research for it. Just take my word for it that you’re writing the dialogue (or the content of it?) really well and organically, not childish at all. Fact is, when you adapt to a new language you need to step a few steps back in order to be able to follow the path. You gotta hold yourself back so often it feels like you loosing on credibility and everyone sees you as a child of sort, and you know you can give much more, can show much more and just know much more that you are able to be but cant for the time being. And you wonder if you’ll ever come that far to be able to express what you want, and you start doubting yourself if you truly do know what you think you know or did your frustration get the best of you. It’s hard to explain, all the new and old information gets mixed together and it gets kind of hard to keep track of it you know? The things you were certain off, become or seem useless and the things that are new and incomprehensible become like a key of survival.. but you need more time, you need to wait.

Ramble, ramble, ramble. This was just meant to be a bit of encouragment, but of course I rambled into oblivion.Hope it’s not too awkard :) but I really enjoyed Glass and I’m gonna check for updates here and there, just don’t overwork yourself- It’s too sad to see when people get overrun by their own work especially if it is meant for enjoyment and relaxation.

If you find any of the above info usefull feel free to use it, you don’t need to post this ..um..submission(?) I just wanted to post my compliments, you’ve fished yourself a fish out of water. I probably won’t change anything about my fanfiction habits (that is, skipping trough it twice a year when I remember that it exist..) but it feel good to know that people are being creative out there and are getting so good at it as well. Seeing talented people in any field is such joy, as a hobby or profession, it doesn’t matter, It is so good to know that there are so many passionate people scattered around the world ,hidden, doing what they love.

Enjoy your day, xoxo

Hi sorry I know you said I don’t need to post this but okay I do I have no other way to reply to you

There was literally nothing better in the world I could’ve woken up to today holy crap I am legitimately crying happy tears right now. Like I am all but speechless and trying desperately to figure out how to express how appreciative I am for this.

Glass is like, my ultimate pet project. I have others that I’ve been working on that I enjoy a little more, but when it comes down to it, nothing takes more of my effort than Glass’ worldbuilding, so getting any kind of advice or criticism or praise on certain elements really means the world to me. You have no idea how long I waited for someone to talk about the “child” talk. Literally no idea. I was literally BEGGING people to comment on it, to tell me if I’m way off course for how situations like that would play out. No one would help me at all despite the number of readers I have over two sites. You cannot imagine the relief I felt from your words here. I’ve been carrying that stress for months and it’s just nice to know it was carried for nothing more than my own anxieties. Considering I only took two years of a foreign language about ten years ago, I don’t really have a lot of memories on how it played out other than hating the course. (I have my sources who are a lil more practiced in the language field but lol I’m awful about asking for help)

But either way, thank you. Holy shit thank you SO much for this. Ngl I saw ‘submission from anonymous’ in my email and immediately groaned like “jfc it’s another goddamn spam link”. So my glee here is just expressed tenfold from the utter surprise of it all. Also can I say I loved you opened it as a joke. I jump back and forth between treating it like a joke for myself and being super cereal so I totally get coming at it from that angle.

(Also, there’s ArchiveofourOwn that posts fanfiction and has a bit of a nicer comment interface in case you run into this problem again with someone else’s fics and not knowing where to post them, and you don’t need an account to review)

All that aside, thank you again. This just... it really made my day. I may come home and work on the next chappie a lil more after work this just boosted my confidence in the project like no other so thank you.

#;u;#such a great way to wake up holy shit #submission #long post #faterianea stuff

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ecoamerica · 1 month

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Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

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kartiavelino · 5 years

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How They Made The Score To ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’

Written by Jerry L. Barrow Barry Jenkins isn’t stingy together with his reward, particularly on the subject of Nicholas Britell. The New York born composer who created the music for the emotive Finest Image Oscar winner, Moonlight, was placed on a Twitter pedestal by Jenkins when the trailer for his newest masterpiece, If Beale Street Could Discuss, was first launched. “That is all @NicholasBritell, the music in each the teaser and this new trailer are unique rating for the movie,” Jenkins Tweeted. “And TBH, it is simply the tip of the iceberg, Nick put his entire rattling leg on this, we would need to get his ass a brand new hip after this one, he DID that.” A research in contrasts, Nicholas Britell is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard College who carried out in an instrumental hip-hop group on campus referred to as The Witness Safety Program and is a giant fan of the late DJ Screw. “I really like hip-hop man. I feel hip-hop is an important artwork type of the previous forty years. It’s one thing actually transcendent and world. It’s poetry and the sort of audio manufacturing utilizing no matter know-how is on the market. So in school I used to be obsessed and spent years making beats and tracks.” So it was no shock that once they first met, Barry requested Nick to ship a playlist of music he was listening to, and it contained a variety of every part from Mozart to UGK. “It reveals you the way the inventive course of can work from any start line,” he says of their pre-Moonlight courtship. “That’s truly the [same] Mozart piece that’s in Moonlight the place the youngsters are taking part in sports activities in chapter one of many movie. It was attention-grabbing as a result of it was from a few of these preliminary inspiration factors that he fell in love with that Mozart piece. Once I was first working with Barry on Moonlight it was fascinating to see the ways in which a few of our early concepts labored and likewise the way in which one thing won’t work. And Beale road was a continuation of that technique of working collectively.” If there was ever a movie the place the rating can be a essential complement to the phrases and visuals it could be the very first adaptation of a James Baldwin novel. If Beale Street Could Discuss is the story of younger lovers Tish and Fonny, performed by newcomer Kiki Lane and Stephan James, who’re making an attempt to nurture their love in a 1970s Harlem that’s each enchanting and threatening. “The film is about love and injustice and there are distinct sound worlds that signify these issues within the movie,” Britell says capturing the essence of the movie in a phrase. “It’s been profoundly inspirational and I actually cherish these moments that I get to work with Barry. I study a lot about myself and we each get to go on this sort of journey collectively the place every movie is its personal distinctive universe and we’re making an attempt to determine what this could really feel like.” Listed here are 6 issues the Nicholas revealed concerning the creation of the attractive and haunting rating to If Beale Street Could Discuss. “Harlem Aria” (Bonus Monitor) On Beale Street, the very first thing Barry mentioned to me was that he was imagining brass. He was listening to horns. Initially we have been pondering mid 20th century NYC and Jazz. What’s the sound world for this movie? Within the case of Beale Street I truly wrote a bit of music the place I used to be experimenting with trumpets and frugal horns, and French horns and cornets and mixing the sounds in several methods. I wrote this piece and he actually favored it. After which after we put it up towards the image it felt prefer it was lacking one thing. It was lacking strings. The strings got here to signify the emotions of affection within the film. The stunning factor concerning the movie is it doesn’t simply discover romantic love, however explores the love between dad and mom and youngsters. It explores erotic love, it explores even a form of divine pure love. Barry and I labored carefully collectively on naming the tracks for the rating and we named lots of the cues after the Historical Greek phrases for the completely different form of love. The piece you hear within the trailer for the film, that performs in one of many early montages, the place Tish is speaking about when she first knew Fonny and the pure relationship they’d, that piece is named Agape, the greek phrase for that form of divine love. One of many key issues Barry mentioned to me about no matter piece opened the movie was “Pleasure.” He needed to really feel pleasure. There’s a motive we name it Eden and there’s a motive why that motif recurs [later in the film]. The world is each horrible and exquisite and also you see that in Beale Street. The approach Barry crafted this movie it’s this wealthy colourful and at occasions extremely stunning and loving world, after which it’s additionally this horrible, hellish place on the identical time. And every of these worlds is correct subsequent door to one another. And the sensation we needed on the opening was the great thing about these moments and the place pleasure does exist. The melody is at all times making an attempt to achieve upward. The darkish parallel to that [joy] is the soundscape of Officer Bell and when Daniel is first telling Fonny about his experiences in jail. The music that you just hear in these elements of the movie is immediately derived from the music that’s joyful and loving in different elements of the movie, nevertheless it’s taking parts from these items and distorting and morphing them. Barry requested “How can we break this music?” And I feel you are feeling that. In that sequence with Daniel and Fonny they’re listening to Miles Davis. “Blue In Inexperienced” is taking part in on the document participant as this dialog is happening. And also you begin to really feel the this rumbling coming from beneath the floorboards. That rumbling is definitely a number of the cello from the piece that you just hear when Tish and Fonny are first making love. What was this joyful feeling, the world is now turning into one thing horrible. We’re actually taking parts from different items and harming them in a approach. I ran [the song] by a really, very lengthy story reverb. In order Miles Davis is happening it’s being run by, every notice is prolonged. Your sense of time and area is distorted a bit after which it’s simply quantity. The Miles comes out and in. We didn’t change the observe, it’s simply taking part in. Then the rumbling is available in. And the rumbling is musical. It’s not noise. It’s acquired this hypnotic repeating and also you discover it’s these overseas notes. The Significance of colours in ‘Beale Street’ Movie is an unbelievable artwork kind the place it combines so many issues into one place. You have got these wealthy costumes, you could have this attractive cinematography with wonderful colours and it does affect you. Precisely on the identical time I used to be making an attempt to discover my very own colours. The mixing of the brass with the strings, what does that do? It’s fascinating whenever you take devices and mix them, they’re sonic colours. Should you take a frugal horn and mix it with a trumpet and a French horn it’s this colour that doesn’t sound like the rest. And for those who mute the trumpet it’s immediately this different factor. There was a bit I used to be writing in brass and he’d say strive it in cello. What if I document this identical notice on cellos as a substitute of horns? And it completely transforms the piece. That’s what you hear on the tip montage earlier than the tip credit. Once I despatched that piece to Barry, he was moved by it as properly. It was colours that opened up the concepts. “Ye Who Enter Right here” “Ye Who Enter” is among the final issues that I wrote. That piece was essentially the most difficult and likewise experimental within the film. [It continued] this concept about Hell and the thought of the underworld, the locations which you could enter to on earth, too. There are these locations which are horrible and take you out of your love. And so they’re not at all times journeys that you just need to go on. They’re pressured upon you. And whenever you see Fonny sculpting and the smoke is swirling it’s each a recollection and a dream scape, him reminiscing of his lifetime of pleasure and the place he needs to be, then he realizes at that second he doesn’t have that. So we wanted one thing that linked parts from every part within the film in a single place. What you’re truly listening to there’s a saxophone taking part in a really difficult improvisations primarily based on the “Eros” theme, nevertheless it’s utterly free jazz there, very exhausting into this virtually avant guard place with the sonics. It’s an excessive second. You’re additionally listening to parts from all the completely different scenes. On the very begin of “Ye Who Enters” you’re listening to the Cellos from “Eden,” very faintly and really ethereal. Then a number of the parts from “Eros” and “Mama Will get To Puerto Rico,” which is expounded to the household. You then’re listening to the theme from “Eden” and “Agape” after which these bells. One factor Barry talked about rather a lot was stepping into that standpoint of the characters. You’re on this journey with them. What was Fonny feeling there? The music has to signify in some kind of approach what that psychological state is. So it is disconnected, it’s stunning, it’s torn aside, it’s making an attempt to be all of these issues. (Picture by Vivien Killilea/Getty Photographs) Get the most recent from BET in your inbox! Join now for the most recent in movie star, sports activities, information and elegance from BET. By clicking submit, I consent to receiving BET Newsletters and different advertising emails. BET Newsletters are topic to our Privateness Coverage and Phrases of Use. Customers can unsubscribe at anytime. BET Newsletters are despatched by BET Networks, 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036. www.wager.com OR JOIN US ON http://feeds.bet.com/~r/Betcom-Celebrities/~3/ZMhztY9YkR8/nicholas-britell-beale-street-interview.html The post How They Made The Score To ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ appeared first on My style by Kartia. https://www.kartiavelino.com/2018/12/how-they-made-the-score-to-if-beale-street-could-talk.html

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tt-review · 7 years

Link

Blighted by the night, vanquishing the plight by the children of the light. No video game character conveys endearment and sadism in a single expression as well as the Blue Slimes. In Dragon Quest Heroes: The World’s Tree Woe and the Blight Below, these iconic teardrop-shaped blobs have never looked more adorable and homicidal, which is what makes killing them en masse one of this game’s greatest pleasures. It’s one of many delights aptly delivered by a collaboration that is one part Dynasty Warriors, one part Dragon Quest. As a hack-and-slasher with countless enemy encounters, character growth, and a shopping list of quests, it was joy to be reminded how much both series have in common.

As a contrast to all the dimension hopping that made up much of last year’s Hyrule Warriors (a Dynasty Warriors take on The Legend of Zelda universe), this Dragon Quest spin-off takes the reverse approach. Instead of protagonists jumping to various worlds in older Dragon Quest games, adventurers from those games come into the new world established in Dragon Quest Heroes.

[caption id="attachment_188" align="aligncenter" width="1273"] No performance issues in sight despite the battles’ high headcount.[/caption]

Welcoming these otherworldly guests is a new foursome comprising of two co-protagonists whose default names are Aurora and Luceus, the boisterous King Doric, and an skilled inventor named Isla. I have always admired the mainline series for defying traditional fantasy RPG party formations and archetypes and this new team could easily carry a mainline Dragon Quest installment. That’s a bold statement especially when Aurora and Luceus are two sides of the same coin. Their complementary personalities are best showcased during the cutscenes where your see Luceus’ analytical side and Aurora’s impatience to jump into battle. Aside from a momentary interlude where you’re forced to use one of the guest adventurers, you can have a wholly enjoyable time relying solely on these new characters while ignoring the rest of the roster.

It’s a varied cast where each warrior easily proves their worth over the course of a single battle. The only thing better than seeing 3D models of characters like Dragon Quest IV’s Alena and Kiryl is hearing them speak for the first time. Just as it was momentous to have voice acting in a Final Fantasy game in 2001 with Final Fantasy X, so too was the introduction of dialogue in Dragon Quest VIII ten years ago. Hearing much of the cast speak in English accents in Journey of the Cursed King created a rare connection to the Tolkienian roots of JRPGs. Having Yungus’ cockney accent reprised in Dragon Quest Heroes--by the original voice actor no less--only makes this reunion all the more special.

This mingling of heroes from other worlds helps distract from the story’s laughably generic premise of light versus dark. Even the two co-leaders are named Children of the Light. The story starts off on an uncommonly cheerful note, even by Dragon Quest standards, where humans and monsters are happily co-existing. Due to a spell by a dark wizard named Velasco, the monsters are suddenly reminded that they’re supposed to hate humans. The ensuing chaos and unrest gives the game’s heroes more than enough to deal with, let alone reason to investigate why their non-human friends suddenly turned on them. It’s a good thing the story has its share of twists and guest character interactions to compensate for this otherwise plain narrative.

[caption id="attachment_189" align="aligncenter" width="1271"] Even with a cast of heroes this large, there’s enough combat flourish to go around.[/caption] Nor, perhaps, will it fail to be eventually perceived, that behind those forms and usages, as it were, he sometimes masked himself; incidentally making use of them for other and more private ends than they were legitimately intended to subserve. That certain sultanism of his brain, which had otherwise in a good degree remained unmanifested; through those forms that same sultanism became incarnate in an irresistible dictatorship. For be a man's intellectual superiority what it will, it can never assume the practical, available supremacy over other men, without the aid of some sort of external arts and entrenchments, always, in themselves, more or less paltry and base. This it is, that for ever keeps God's true princes of the Empire from the world's hustings; and leaves the highest honours that this air can give, to those men who become famous more through their infinite inferiority to the choice hidden handful of the Divine Inert, than through their undoubted superiority over the dead level of the mass. Such large virtue lurks in these small things when extreme political superstitions invest them, that in some royal instances even to idiot imbecility they have imparted potency. But when, as in the case of Nicholas the Czar, the ringed crown of geographical empire encircles an imperial brain; then, the plebeian herds crouch abased before the tremendous centralization. Nor, will the tragic dramatist who would depict mortal indomitableness in its fullest sweep and direct swing, ever forget a hint, incidentally so important in his art, as the one now alluded to. But Ahab, my Captain, still moves before me in all his Nantucket grimness and shagginess; and in this episode touching Emperors and Kings, I must not conceal that I have only to do with a poor old whale-hunter like him; and, therefore, all outward majestical trappings and housings are denied me. Oh, Ahab! what shall be grand in thee, it must needs be plucked at from the skies, and dived for in the deep, and featured in the unbodied air! It is noon; and Dough-Boy, the steward, thrusting his pale loaf-of-bread face from the cabin-scuttle, announces dinner to his lord and master; who, sitting in the lee quarter-boat, has just been taking an observation of the sun; and is now mutely reckoning the latitude on the smooth, medallion-shaped tablet, reserved for that daily purpose on the upper part of his ivory leg. From his complete inattention to the tidings, you would think that moody Ahab had not heard his menial. But presently, catching hold of the mizen shrouds, he swings himself to the deck, and in an even, unexhilarated voice, saying, "Dinner, Mr. Starbuck," disappears into the cabin. [blockquote author="DALAI LAMA" pull="normal"]A given kill has the potential to drop a medal version of that respective monster. With the medal, you can summon that monster as an ally.[/blockquote] When the last echo of his sultan's step has died away, and Starbuck, the first Emir, has every reason to suppose that he is seated, then Starbuck rouses from his quietude, takes a few turns along the planks, and, after a grave peep into the binnacle, says, with some touch of pleasantness, "Dinner, Mr. Stubb," and descends the scuttle. The second Emir lounges about the rigging awhile, and then slightly shaking the main brace, to see whether it will be all right with that important rope, he likewise takes up the old burden, and with a rapid "Dinner, Mr. Flask," follows after his predecessors. But the third Emir, now seeing himself all alone on the quarter-deck, seems to feel relieved from some curious restraint; for, tipping all sorts of knowing winks in all sorts of directions, and kicking off his shoes, he strikes into a sharp but noiseless squall of a hornpipe right over the Grand Turk's head; and then, by a dexterous sleight, pitching his cap up into the mizentop for a shelf, he goes down rollicking so far at least as he remains visible from the deck, reversing all other processions, by bringing up the rear with music. But ere stepping into the cabin doorway below, he pauses, ships a new face altogether, and, then, independent, hilarious little Flask enters King Ahab's presence, in the character of Abjectus, or the Slave. [caption id="attachment_190" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] King Slime, you’re adorable. Prepare to die.[/caption] It is not the least among the strange things bred by the intense artificialness of sea-usages, that while in the open air of the deck some officers will, upon provocation, bear themselves boldly and defyingly enough towards their commander; yet, ten to one, let those very officers the next moment go down to their customary dinner in that same commander's cabin, and straightway their inoffensive, not to say deprecatory and humble air towards him, as he sits at the head of the table; this is marvellous, sometimes most comical. Wherefore this difference? A problem? Perhaps not. To have been Belshazzar, King of Babylon; and to have been Belshazzar, not haughtily but courteously, therein certainly must have been some touch of mundane grandeur. But he who in the rightly regal and intelligent spirit presides over his own private dinner-table of invited guests, that man's unchallenged power and dominion of individual influence for the time; that man's royalty of state transcends Belshazzar's, for Belshazzar was not the greatest. Who has but once dined his friends, has tasted what it is to be Caesar. It is a witchery of social czarship which there is no withstanding. Now, if to this consideration you superadd the official supremacy of a ship-master, then, by inference, you will derive the cause of that peculiarity of sea-life just mentioned.

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