#seriously I tell this story as dramatically and graphically as I can for Entertainment Reasons
Text
@faeriekit I would have sent this as an ask, but then it got Long, so... TW for graphic descriptions of a flesh wound.
I have many fun medical stories from either myself or my family that I could tell, but the one that I enjoy telling most is from when I was 10 and the relevant brother in this story was seven.
So, it's a saturday morning, my siblings and I are all supposed to be cleaning our rooms. Brother Dearest, however, is not cleaning his room; he is messing around, jumping on and off the bed, and also, most importantly, he is playing with the mini-blinds cord. Specifically, he is wrapping the cord around his finger and then pulling his finger out of the coil, wrapping then pulling, wrapping then pulling. In a fit of genius, he decides to combine the jumping-off-the-bed with pulling-his-finger-out-of-the-coil, except this time, instead of the coil loosening and his finger smoothly sliding out, it cinches.
Tight.
------
A brief aside, there's this really delightful medical term that is just wonderfully evocative of exactly what it looks like when flesh is stripped from bone; it's called degloving.
------
Later, my brother claims that he didn't really feel anything at the time, and I suppose that makes sense as he didn't damage the nerves so much as remove them.
Because of this, he doesn't really begin to panic until he starts to bleed, and he bleeds a lot. His bedroom is in the basement, so in order to reach my mother upstairs, he has to climb a flight of stairs, round the kitchen, climb another flight of stairs and then round the landing, during which my mother is being treated to the rapidly rising sound of my brother crying out, "mom, mom, MOM! There's so much blood! MOM!!!"
My Mother is exactly the kind of person you want next to you in a crisis or emergency situation, and I like to think that I inherited this from her. In any case, my mom, who has four accident prone children with varying degrees of severe asthma, is a pro at emergency room visits. In this moment, she doesn't hesitate or freeze, just grabs a clean rag, wraps it around my brother's hand and herds him out the door and into the car and off they go. She doesn't stop to think or panic, just moves.
This will be important later.
------
Before she leaves, my mother calls me up from the basement and tells me that she's taking my brother to the ER, and that in the meantime, I, as the oldest child, need to watch my other two siblings. She's not gone long before I get curious as to what all the fuss is about and start nosing about. Because he didn't panic until he saw blood, my brother left a rather convenient trail of blood down the stairs, across the basement, and to my brother's room. There, I notice a round looking rubbery object on the window sill.
I think it's a bouncy ball.
Then I see the nail.
------
Meanwhile, at the ER, a nurse is unwrapping my brother's hand to get a look at his finger. Very calmly, she looks my mother in the eye and asks, "do you have the rest of his finger?"
Just as calmly, my mother replies, "I'm going to have to call my husband."
------
Realization of what exactly it is I'm looking at washes over me, and I spin to see my youngest two siblings indulging their curiosity just as I did in following the blood splatter down the stairs. They haven't come into the room yet, so they don't know what's happened. There's still time.
I push them both all the way up the basement stairs, shut the door at the top behind me, and declare with as much authority as I can that, "No one is going downstairs."
Soon, my dad will get home early from work. He has received a call from my mother with instructions to collect my brother's finger, put it on ice, and meet my mother at the ER to drop it off. I know exactly why he's there. I tell him my brother's finger is on the windowsill in his room downstairs. He leaves just as quickly as he arrives, and once again I'm left by myself and in charge of my siblings.
I will remain so for the rest of the day.
------
Back at the ER, my mother has now passed control of the situation to the nurses and has gained enough emotional distance to come out of crisis mode.
She's feeling a bit nauseous.
The nurse currently looking after my brother is certainly not helping; she's looking at the damage to my brother's finger again, and because it's uncovered, every time his heart pumps, blood spurts out and hits the nurse in the face. She doesn't re-cover his hand. It spurts again.
The nausea gets worse.
Finally, the doctor arrives to assess the situation and give my mother the options on the table, and my mother can refocus. The facts of the matter are that, because all the flesh was stripped from the bone, his finger is going to need some help getting blood and oxygen to the area to keep any reattached flesh from dying while the necessary blood vessels regrow.
The first option is to stitch the injured index finger to his middle finger, except that the top third of his finger would need to line up with the middle portion of the middle finger, meaning his finger would need to stay perpetually bent. If at any point he straightens out his index finger, it would tear out all the regrowing blood vessels and they would need to start again.
My mother is a little leery of this option, but thinks it might be doable. "How long would it need to stay bent without moving for?" she asks.
"6 weeks."
"There's no way! I don't know an adult that could do that, much less a seven year old! What are the other options?"
Option two is to make an incision in my brother's side and stitch his finger into his side. Again, if it is pulled out, they have to start over.
"For how long?"
"Six weeks."
"Can you not see how that's worse?"
Option three is to minimize how much reattached flesh needs to be oxygenated by filing down the bone in his finger and mostly just reattaching the nail bed. Recovery is once again 6 weeks, but this is the only option that feels doable. My mother picks this one.
------
My brother gets half a dozen numbing shots in his hand, but they don't knock him out or ask my mother to leave the room. My mother is still in the room when the hand surgeon pulls out an instrument that can only be described as looking remarkably akin to hedge clippers.
My mother's heart rate jumps a bit.
"That is not a file."
Neither the doctors nor the nurses hear her, the nurses are asking question after question to the doctor. They've never seen anything like this before. My brother is still not being knocked out and my mother is still not being asked to leave. They're going to do this right in front of them.
My mother's nausea returns.
My mother ends up asking a nurse for a sheet to hold up between herself and my brother and the nurses and doctor so they at least don't have to watch. They can still hear everything.
------
Finally, they put my brother's arm in a cast to keep the tendons in his hands from pulling on the healing area, instruct my brother to keep his arm above his heart as much as possible to keep blood from pooling, and to come back in six weeks to get the stitches removed.
And that's the story of how I found my brother's finger on the window sill. :)
#graphic injury#flesh wound#graphic descriptions of a flesh wound#seriously I tell this story as dramatically and graphically as I can for Entertainment Reasons#nothing pleases me more than to watch people's faces twist in horror and disgust as they realize what's going on#if you have a queasy stomach or are currently eating#consider scrolling past
18 notes
·
View notes
Text
Fall 2020 Anime Overview
I started out watching the a ton of anime for the Fall 2020 season, but then ended up not being caught up with most of them by the the time the end rolled around. I still pretty much intend to catch up with Yashahime Princess Half Demon someday (I do like the three leads, it just the plot’s been dull as dirt and the fights aren’t very inspired either) and though I dropped Wandering Witch after bad press started rolling in (I CANNOT deal with pointless tragedy in my current state of mind) I might check out a few more episodes someday just to from my own opinion. For now, let’s just quickly review the anime I DID manage to finish on time this season.
Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle
Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle is exactly what it says on the tin: Princess Syalis isn’t too bothered about being captured by demons and locked in their castle, but she does value a good night’s sleep, and she is absolutely ruthless when it comes to getting it- so ruthless, in fact, that the demons realized it might not be that she’s trapped in here with them, but that they’re trapped in here with her.
Sleepy Princess is top tier comedy comfort food. It rarely got a huge belly laugh, but it always but a smile on my face and was a great thing to watch before going to bed. Syalis’s single-minded search for some shut eye is a joke that could have gotten old very quickly, but the show consistently found creative ways to expand on the gags and build it’s world and a fun cast of characters along the way.
Though Syalis is downright brutal to the demons when it comes to getting what she wants (and has a knack for getting herself killed at well), thanks to a demon cleric that offers easy resurrections, you never feel too bad for anyone involved. In fact, the demons and Syalis form a strangely heartwarming bond over the course of the show , and it’s clear by the end that Syalis definitely has the ability to come and go if she damn well pleases and just finds this castle a fun place where she can find respite from her princessly responsibilities.
A nice bonus for those of us who like a little subversion is that the show has a lot of fun playing with standard adventure tropes- the demons often lament that Syalis is not at all what they expected from a captive princess, for one, but my favorite fun little twist is how Syalis feels about the hero currently on a (seemingly endless) quest to rescue her- she manages to both hold him in contempt AND consistently fail to remember his name. That level of disregard takes some impressive effort.
The show has the same director as the Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun anime and as such has a similarly nice comic and visual flourishes throughout. It definitely gets two sleepy thumbs up for me.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen follows a young man named Yuuji Itadori who, after tangling with a demon, ends up with one inside him. With a death sentence hanging over his head, he’s inducted into a school for “jujutsu sorcerers”, and begins training to use his newfound powers to defeat demons and curses.
Jujutsu Kaisen quickly tells you on no uncertain terms it is Action Shonen, introducing a huge cast of a characters and powers and super high stakes and hey there’s even gonna be a tournament arc soon. It is really, really pretty to look at, with a killer opening and ending, some seriously great animation and cool visuals for the fights especially. But is it particularly memorable otherwise? Noooooot really, so far. The sea of technobabble it tends to descend into when trying to explain how the various powers work often has me zoning out and wishing they’d just let me watch the pretty punches. The villains and the general plot isn’t particularly compelling. The characters are nice enough, but haven’t given me much to be attached to so far. Though I do appreciate this one dude who is the embodiment of millennial ennui:
I’ll keep watching though, because it is a visually stunning, action-y thing to my turn your brain off to and god knows I want to turn my brain off all the time lately.
And the characters do have potential- the One Girl of the main group, Nobara, has a really fun personality in that she’s a total shitlord doofus brawler who can thus doof around with our equally dumbass protagonist, which is an pretty fun, unusual personality for the One Girl to have! Her interactions with Maki, the weapons expert senpai girl, are promising too. I’m just waiting for her to actually, you know, DO something that really shows off her skills- I’m told she DOES eventually get to (gasp) win fights on her own and do cool stuff, but so far show has kind at that of failed miserably and underused her like most action shonen underuse their girls. Plus, taking Yuuji out of the group for such a long stretch seems like a weird choice, we’ve been deprived really seeing him for relationships with his peers. The pacing seems off. But maybe the upcoming tournament arc will make up for that and actually be worthwhile!
Talentless Nana
In a world where kids with superpowers are sent to island schools to fight mysterious “enemies of humanity”, one class of such kids is thrown into chaos when they find themselves targeted by a deadly force.
It’s pretty much impossible to talk about Talentless Nana without discussing how it deviates dramatically from what its premise appears to be in episode one, so I’ll just say if you like stories with superpowers and intrigue, you should definitely sit through that first episode and see if the plot that’s eventually revealed is something that you’re here for. But if you want to avoid spoilers, DON’T GO BELOW THE CUT, because I’m about to get very spoilery.
Basically, Talentless Nana pulls a bait and switch, starting it’s first episode posing as generic superhero anime where the protagonist appears to be your standard meek-but-powerful anime boy (Nanao) who just needs some support and encouragement from a pink haired mind reading manic pixie dream girl (Nana) to unlock his self-confidence and ~true power~ (ugh)...only to take SHARP swerve when Nana ruthlessly murders Nanao and reveals she’s been sent by the government to take out the superpowered kids one by one because THEY are the considered the true enemies of humanity. Oh, and she doesn’t have any superpowers, or “talents”- she was just able to sus out everything Nanao was thinking through basic deductive reasoning because he was so flippin’ obvious and basic.
As my love for a certain character in a certain game may have clued people into, I am ALWAYS delighted when what appears to be a generic, underwritten girlfriend character is then revealed to be an interesting, ruthless mastermind. And having an anime appear to be about a bland boy with a Dream Girlfriend but then actually turn into a show about a deeply cynical, morally dubious girl who’s clearly holding down a lot of messy feelings as she considers everyone her enemy...well, it may be a cheap trick to some, but it also feels a little bit like justice for all the underwritten female characters sacrificed to bland male leads. It’s still rare enough that I dig it when it happens. And the metatext of Nana zeroing in on this kid as the most standard of main character boys, assessing him as the biggest threat because of it and knowing the perfect way to take him out, is pretty inherently funny to me.
But if the show JUST banked on that twist and was about Nana brutally and cynically slaughtering these kids, it would get boring quickly and Nana would be a bland character herself. Fortunately, it doesn’t go that route. Nana struggles and grows a lot over the course of the show. She finds opposition in transfer student Kyoya, a stoic (and socially awkward) young man who pretty quickly becomes suspicious of her. A lot of the tension from the early episodes comes from her sweating as she tries to outmaneuver him and she makes plenty of mistakes along the way. She also slowly but surely starts to question her mission, and we get an idea of her backstory and how the government specifically has groomed her into believing people with powers to be evil. That belief is one that’s challenged by her friendship with another girl, and it’s pretty rewarding to watch Nana’s feelings and world expand little by little.
The show is definitely a little schlocky-some of the plots (as well as the general premise of the government thinking this is the optimal way to get rid of their superpowered kids problem) fall apart if you think too much about them, and some of the kids Nana goes up against are sleazy and unlikeable in over the top ways (which makes it easy for her to stick to her convictions all these kids deserve to die at first). In particular, I have to give a heads up for some sleazy guys doing and saying sleazy things, though the show never gets too overbearing or graphic with it (and the gore is generally PG-13 level as well).
Basically. There are some truly ridiculous happenings in this show. But how ridiculous and pulpy and over the top it is can be part of the appeal, and it’s fun to just sit back and watch the spectacle of Nana and her peers head-scratching machinations.
So, while certainly not an anime with airtight construction or flawless quality and depth, I found Nana an overall entertaining watch, especially as a fan of cat-and-mouse murder-y shenanigans, and thought it has a very compelling main character and managed to end on a heartwrenching (but earned) note. I definitely wouldn’t say no to a second season and would be interested to see where things go from here.
#anime overview#sleepy princess in the demon castle#jujutsu kaisen#talentless nana#munou na nana#maoujo de oyasumi#fall 2020 anime#anime#my reviews
93 notes
·
View notes
Text
More thoughts on 13 Reasons Why
13 Reasons Why is more than a show. Every show tries to address difficult or important issues within its stories. But its clear with the intentions of the author of the book, the producer’s, the writers of the show, all of the experts they consulted, and the actors, this show was meant to accurately focus on and depict issues that are underrepresented and misunderstood such as suicide and rape. Many television shows that are directed for teenagers are often viewed as melodramatic and frivolous, the types of series just meant for entertainment. 13 Reasons Why isn’t one of those shows. While every suicide victim might not leave 13 tapes to discuss why they decided to end their lives, anxiety, depression, rape, abuse, bullying, feeling like no one understands you, being scared to love someone, those are all real issues teenagers face. 13 Reasons Why is still a television show, but its one that wants to tell a message and accurately portray life and death situations teens face in an intensely emotional and draining time in their lives. This representation is important. It’s not meant to be melodramatic, the graphic scenes are supposed to break through the fictional walls we view TV shows with. What they show is real, uncut, raw, something that happens outside of screens we watch.
I thought it was a well made show about really important and pressing issues. I see too often, people not understand that this can happen in real life and that people struggle with this everyday. They get too caught up in the story (which is fine to a degree) and become insensitive to the actual problems the characters’ are plagued with. For example, Clay can’t get through the tapes because he has anxiety first of all. A good chunk of the show is leading up to his tape, which means for eleven tapes, Clay’s been anxious to hear that the GIRL THAT HE LOVED killed herself because of him. He’s also seriously depressed, like I said, the girl he loved (who was also his friend) and Jeff (one of his good friends) was killed and he was one of the witnesses, and this all happens within a very short span of time. Clay is the way we as viewers hear the tapes, but his issues are important too. He (as anyone in the grieving process) should be given all the time he needs to take. Don’t just neglect him and his problems because you want to know what happens next.
The world that 13 Reasons Why is set in, is our world, a very real one. I hope that in the future, if season two is made, that they will continue to realistically show and focus on dilemmas that surround mental health and adolescence. I hope they don’t create impractical storylines to be dramatic. Because that’s not why this show has been successful. Its successful because these are the stories that need to be told.
19 notes
·
View notes
Text
for “no particular reason” some thoughts on stuff I’ve watched/read lately
spoilers ahead but most of these have been out for a while by now
Beauty and the Beast remake
overall entertaining and well-animated, though I still prefer the original
some of the story tweaks were neat and I especially liked the subplot about the cursed servants becoming less sentient(?) as time went on
others were kinda unnecessary imo, the whole opening scene being a glaring example. also giving the Enchantress a bigger role is neat in theory but kinda definitely raises a few Questions
not fond of the autotuned lead singer which is even more obvious comparing soundtracks
the furniture designs cannot grow on me They Simply Can Not, you can’t get nearly as many lines of action or squash & stretch out of a hyperrealistic CGI teapot
on that note the original’s beast design is still the best design, shout-out to my family for calling the live-action prince a “surfer dude”
at the end of the day idk what to make of the LeFou Discourse(TM) but shout-out to the little bit where Potts was like “you’re too good for him [Gaston]” and all things considered I thought it was a biiit more than what those cynical meme posts suggest. mind I’m not sure what I would’ve thought if I didn’t know about the whole shebang beforehand
it was apparently enough to get the film banned in a few countries, which doesn’t equal Instant Representation Pinnacle obviously but ehhhh that’s another topic for another time
Maleficent is still the best live-action “remake” of the films disney’s been churning out lately imo my onion, but I can’t say any of them have really disappointed me? (unless the first Alice counts; all I remember is that it was weird, which I guess is a given considering the source material but idk live action loses so much charm. definitely haven’t watched the second and have no interest in thereof)
anyway Mulan is one of my favorites so fingers crossed...!
Moana
very predictable but heck if that oscar bait song hasn’t been intermittently stuck in my head since
big earworm shout-outs to “You’re Welcome” and “Shiny” too but this website has ruined the latter sequence to an extent because I’m half convinced someone in production there has a vore fetish
in any case that was way too good a villain song for a one-scene show-stealer wtf the fuck
Moana’s voice & overall expressiveness fuels my soul
also it was GORGEOUS, more than compensates for another ~coming of age~ plot with fantastic colors
I have a lot of questions about the sentience of the ocean
what do you mean the Obligatory Animal Companion was a chicken and not the pig
okay ngl I didn’t quite catch the angry volcano spirit woman also being the green lady? I don’t think...? aw heck it’s been a little while by now but the ending was neat
how fucking old is Maui
Universal Harvester by John Darnielle - if you recognize that name it’s because, as I found out after reading, he’s the guy who leads the band responsible for a song I had on repeat hell for at least a couple months after discovering it via this wonderful, wonderful "lyric.. comic... thing” </ungodly run-on>
if this seems completely out of nowhere it’s because it is. I’ve jacketed and shelved a lot of new books, and while a good handful catch my interest, few compel me to check it out before heading home for the day
off the top of my head the other most recent book this happened with was No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale (heads up for a non-graphic image of hanging on the cover), which was... oh holy shit that was over three years ago I don’t read often enough nowadays x_x
that one started strong but, around if not at the point where the protag was making out with the secondary dude, took a sharp turn towards the cliche & general What Is This Fuckery. but I digress
seriously no image on the internet can do this cover justice, the vaguely vaporwave-lookin part is actually very dark and the whole thing shines like one of those rain puddles mixed with.. gasoline? oil?? whatever makes it rainbow-y at a certain angle
I only skimmed the inside flap description before diving right in the night I took it out, and I realized a good chapter or two in that I’d unintentionally picked up a horror novel.
well. kinda? horror-ish?? despite there being no killer on the loose, no supernatural monster on the prowl, not even an invasion of alien farmers federally paid to invade your small town, basically no imminent looming dagger above the protagonist’s head, it’s VERY unsettling for the most part and I gotta give it major kudos for that
<SPOILER class=“mild”>also huge shout-out to the subtle switch to first-person at a key moment, then scattered throughout from there on.</SPOILER> it was at that point I had to reread the description to see what I’d actually gotten myself into and decided I was gonna read this sucker in one sitting or I wouldn’t be able to sleep
(skip this bullet point if you don’t like vague ending spoilers) despite that it manages to leave off on a somber, even sentimental note. pretty darn satisfying, though upon further thought there are a few big questions left unanswered that probably should’ve been addressed. (/vague end spoilers)
overall I’d recommend it if you’re looking for an interesting little read that might send a few chills from atmosphere alone but also makes you think*. just don’t start reading expecting a chapter or two before bed will do help you fall asleep.
*yeah yeah I know “makes you think” is something of a meme phrase at this point, but screw it I like my media when it actually engages the viewer/reader for more satisfying payoff. I’m not a fan of the “lol intellectualis” thing anyway V: but I digress.
Kubo and the Two Strings
ftr the record I called Beetle being the dad from his debut
my god Laika really likes their bugs and creepy hands (based on this and Coraline at least, I’ve seen ParaNorman but don’t remember much). this is absolutely a compliment.
voice acting didn’t thrill me, with the exceptions of the old lady & spirit sisters, but got dang those facial expressions
magic worldbuilding left a lot to be desired but it took place in fantasy China(/Japan? as with The Last Airbender I think we’re looking at another fictional Asian blend) and I for one am a sucker for that so I can let it slide
climactic fight felt kinda shoehorned, when the moon spirit dude showed up looking like a nice old man I almost thought they were gonna go for a less confrontational ending sequence - which I guess it kinda did but also the obligatory “join me and we can rule forever” stuff came up. I dunno I liked the spirit fish form ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
don’t get me wrong here I did enjoy it, I guess I was just expecting a lot more from all the talk about kids being able to handle mature themes and whatnot? ah well the conflict wasn’t quite Good Versus Evil so that was neat
was the moon spirit just a regular old dude all along though? is the moon going to rise again even with him hanging out among mortals? is he mortal now?? how does the Plot Amnesia work???? can someone tell him who he really was even if it’s not flattering??????
idk for some reason I feel like I’m being harsher here than anything else so far, really did enjoy it though. LOVED the 2d animation in the credits and I absolutely must emphasize how fucking awesome the animation is, being primarily stop-motion and all. they set a very high standard with Coraline and cartwheeled over it with Kubo holy hell
also I have a new desktop background
Wings of Fire Book 1: The Dragonet Prophecy - Iiiii actually haven’t finished reading this one just yet, saving the last part for when I finish at least one mcfucking assignment, but here goes nothin:
if you take a shot for every blatant violation of Show Don’t Tell you’ll be dead three chapters in, not sure if that’s because this is a middle-grade book or what
that said I find the plot & its overall direction intriguing enough to continue and, much as I may internally groan at the repetitive characterization and disney villain dialogue, I thought it was worthwhile and already have the next book checked out ;V
what can I say there are dragons there’s a war and it’s a very interesting take on the whole “because you are the Chosen Ones we will raise you here for hero training” deal
there’s also some intriguing worldbuilding with regards to the “scavengers” and “the Scorching,” not sure how much those are covered in this book but a friend who recommended the series in the first place says it’s some kind of post-apocalyptic thing?? nice.
not really related but shout-out to that one commenter in Script Frenzy who told me it was jarring or weird or something to have my dragon protags straight-up eat a few human researchers. I mean they weren’t wrong and it’s not like the WoF good guys have eaten any people (onscreen, at least) but still. I don’t read dragon stories for the humans >:T
in any case, sorta wondering if that one surviving scavenger will come back in any way later...? chekov’s human.
but seriously we don’t need to be beaten over the head with exactly why each dramatic plot twist is indeed dramatic, I could practically hear the manufactured gasps
despite that there are also descriptive passages of fun events like characters getting their necks snapped or screaming in agony as poison seeps through their scales! and we've barely scraped the surface of the Horrors of War!! >:Dc
conclusion of sorts for this disorganized mishmash of bullet points: why yes I am one of those unrelatable fucks who doesn’t buy the whole “I will defend a shitty shebang of a plot if the characters connect” thing how are you. what can I say, even if I don’t have any particular fandoms right now, I still have Thoughts On Media and no one can stop me from throwing a good ~90 minutes into typing ‘em up despite having other responsibilities ;’V
tune in next time for... well honestly I dunno if this is gonna become a regular thing, but whatever thanks for readin feel free to like reply and follow and see you next time on a-flyleaf dot tungler dot corn~
#''no particular reason'' by which I mean Procrastination Supreme#.rtf#*watches this get longer than my current essay in progress* swell!
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
Bookshelf Briefs 2/12/18
Ace of the Diamond, Vol. 8 | By Yuji Terajima | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – After a great deal of effort, Tanba shows himself to be in excellent shape for Koshien. This, plus the trust his teammates have in him, makes it even more devastating when he’s hit by a ball in a practice game right before the tournament begins, fracturing his jaw. He’ll be able to return by the quarter-finals, but meanwhile it’s up to the younger pitchers to keep things together until then. I’m a sucker for a good training montage, so enjoyed Chris drilling Furuya and Sawamura on their control and defensive fielding skills. The coach has some nice moments where he shows appreciation for both the team and the female managers, and it’s also satisfying to watch Seido crush their first-round opponents. In fact, this is quite a satisfying volume all around, aside from a couple of grammatical errors in the translation. – Michelle Smith
Gabriel Dropout, Vol. 2 | By Ukami |Yen Press – There’s very little actual forward plot here—the series runs on its gags, so mostly what changes is the situation. We see the girls going to the beach; the story of how Gabriel and Vignette first met; the absolute ludicrousness that is Satanya buying a gun (no, not a real gun); Halloween costumes; and the class president, who is 100% human and a bit horrified by the out-of-context dialogue between the class angel and devil. Of course, the question here is “does it work? Is it funny?”, and the answer is yes, this is still funny. Raphael and her trolling continues to be my favorite, though we do see she does have one weakness. If you like light fluffiness and laughs, this is an excellent series to pick up. – Sean Gaffney
I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness | By Yuki Fumino | One Peace Books – One of the debut manga from last year that left the greatest impression on me was the deceptively quiet I Hear the Sunspot, so I was very happy to discover that it had a sequel, Theory of Happiness, that would also be translated. While ostensibly a boys’ love manga, the beautifully nuanced, evolving relationship between the series’ two leads—Taichi and Kohei—is rarely at the forefront of the story. Even so, it remains an essential underlying component constant to both the narrative and its characters. Theory of Happiness also introduces Maya who, like Kohei, has partial hearing loss, but whose experiences and perspectives are uniquely her own. As was the case with the first volume, Theory of Happiness is an exceptionally lovely and thoughtful manga with marvelous characterization. Apparently there is at least one more volume in the series; I hope to see it released in English, too. – Ash Brown
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 28 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – The war ended up being a bit of an anticlimax, mostly as we find out late in the volume that Harukyuu had a ringer from the start who was going to make the outcome obvious. I continue to wonder if Sinbad is going to end up being the major antagonist of the series, but I suspect that may have to wait till Alibaba’s return. Which isn’t happening just yet, though his chibi-doll form is certainly proving more mature than the petulant Judar. As for the war itself, I definitely enjoyed the character development for Kogyoku, who is forced to fight and kill in order to protect those closest to her and make sure they don’t lose themselves. It’s a big step forward for the former petulant princess. As for Aladdin… he’s still a bit lost. Great stuff. – Sean Gaffney
Murcielago, Vol. 5 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – Kuroko may be the star of the series, and she’s very good at being clever and solving the problems the police give her, but she is an absolutely horrible, despicable person. The only reason we read this series is because her over-the-top horribleness is so hilarious—when she sets out to seduce the mother of the missing nine-year-old girl who’s been captured by a serial child killer, your jaw wants to drop but you can only laugh. I actually wondered why we never got a follow through on it, but given the volume starts with Kuroko in bed with the victim from volume four, I may simply have to wait patiently. This is not a series for the timid—the graphic child strangulation is as bad as it sounds—but oh my god, it’s fun if you have a certain twisted mindset. – Sean Gaffney
My Hero Academia, Vol. 11 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – The grimness of this arc doesn’t let up—Bakugo is rescued, but the sacrifices are significant. I appreciated their teacher explaining that if they weren’t in a very unusual situation right now, he would have expelled the entire class except for those kidnapped and/or injured. Being a hero means following the rules—that’s why they aren’t vigilantes. (No, I haven’t read the side series yet.) We also get some home visits to the class’s parents, which range from hilarious (Bakugo) to dramatic (Izuku) to rather sweet (Kyoka). Next time we should get preparation for provisional hero licenses. In the meantime, enjoy the best thing about the volume, which I never mentioned: the epic All-Might fight in the first half. (OK, yes, and the new dorm chapters.) Top-drawer Jump. – Sean Gaffney
No Game No Life, Please!, Vol. 3 | By Kazuya Yuizaki and Yuu Kamiya | Yen Press -The laughable schedule of the NGNL novels, which have been delayed so often that people now simply roll their eyes, means that this third volume of the spinoff introduces characters from novels which aren’t out yet, and expects the reader to be familiar with them. That said, hardcore NGNL fans are famous for boycotting the Yen Press novels anyway, and are likely getting this solely for the laughs and the fanservice. There’s plenty of both, so they should feel at ease. We do see a bit of the point of this series, which is trying to give Izuna more experience. But for the most part it’s a goofy spinoff manga, not to be taken seriously and meant to be forgotten after it’s read. It does what it wants to. – Sean Gaffney
Orange Junk, Vol. 3 | By Heldrad | Chromatic Press – Oft described as a love letter to shoujo manga, Heldrad’s ongoing webcomic Orange Junk is a wonderfully energetic and addictive series. The third volume sees the conclusion of the male modeling competition which Bruce initially entered in an attempt to pay his mother’s hospital bills. Miles, the son of the man who financially ruined Louise’s family, unexpectedly turns out to be Bruce’s rival in the contest as well as in love. Louise, of course, remains rather oblivious to that particular fact; she hasn’t realized that Bruce has romantic feelings for her and the grudge she holds against Miles and his family overshadows most everything else. Orange Junk is intentionally ridiculous and melodramatic with explosive chemistry and surprising friendships among the increasingly large cast of strong personalities. While it isn’t exactly a parody, the series is most definitely a comedy, and a highly entertaining and legitimately funny one at that. – Ash Brown
Plum Crazy! Tales of a Tiger-Striped Cat, Vol. 4| By Natsumi Hoshino | Seven Seas – You’d think that I, a fervent cat lover, would adore Plum Crazy!, but sadly that is proving not to be the case. Maybe the problem is that I love cats for how they actually are, but that the cats in Plum Crazy! are given so much inner dialogue and human motivation that they hardly feel like cats anymore. They exchange Christmas gifts, for example, and there’s a running gag (I use the term loosely) where Plum is concerned about the environment. Occasionally there are some cat-like behaviors, like Plum getting stuck above the ceiling (this really happened to a cat of mine!) and Snowball’s search for a snuggly sleeping spot, but they’re just not enough to make up for the rest (and it bugs me that nobody tries to correct Snowball’s bad behavior). Alas, I think I might be dropping this series. – Michelle Smith
The Promised Neverland, Vol. 2 | By Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu | VIZ Media – After a fantastic and surprising first volume, I have no excuse for being taken completely unawares by the big reveal in this volume, and yet I was. The nuanced way Norman managed to turn this information into an advantage was well handled, and boy, do I have sympathy for his position going forward. Meanwhile, a game of tag with Krone reveals it’s not impossible to get the jump on her, and the three leads decide to bring the next oldest pair (Don and Gilda) into the loop. The thing is… they don’t tell them the whole truth, and I’m sure this is going to come back to bite them, especially since Don is potentially about to discover it on his own by snooping in Mom’s secret room. What a cliffhanger! – Michelle Smith
Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 9 | By Tomo Takeuchi | Kodansha Comics – STILL no amazing breakthrough, though it’s hinted we may FINALLY see it next time. Instead we mercifully get a bit less of Tatara and Chinatsu torturing themselves and more perspective from the rest of the cast, who can’t take their eyes away from this train wreck. We also see the return of Chinatsu’s rival Akira, who gets a flashback which shows, unsurprisingly, that her attitude stems from a severe case of hero worship gone wrong. (It could also be read as sort of yuri if you want to, but I suspect that’s not what the author has in mind.) There’s also a lot of dramatic dancing here, with lots of the art that is probably the best reason to read this title. I’m still reading it, but mother of God, END THIS ARC! – Sean Gaffney
By: Michelle Smith
0 notes
Text
Blog 1
I include the birthday because people I don't know may tell me "happy birthday" it's unlikely to happen. My friends forget my birthday, so to remind them of that. I don't put my middle name on my social media because it's something I want to keep private. On my social media, I don't include that I was born in Chicago because I will show where I'm from with images. Instead, I'll mention the Bulls, White Sox, Cubs, so people can know I'm from Chicago.
I consider some information important enough to include so that people won't assume that I'm an alien on social media. However, there are social media profiles with false information posted on falsified profiles. I don't think it's important to know my middle because it's personal to me nor where I live unless we're conducting a dialogue between me and someone else online. But people can see for themselves based off of pictures of restaurants. It's critical for me to keep my life private because I feel safe. On my profile's I don't think it matters to know where people are from as long as they can be honest with themselves. I include my birthday because I want my friends to tell me a happy birthday. I exclude other information because people will see for themselves on my profile.
On my social media profile, I will update my profile picture every so often because I think your appearance matters to someone who is new to your social media people want to see if you stand out from all the other pages they've viewed.
On my profile, I post pictures of my mom is getting married, my relationship, baby pictures of my friends, and outings with my family because I want to show the world that they mean a lot to me. They say a picture can express a thousand words I believe that. On social media, I created multiple profiles for business purposes. In my profile, I add news broadcaster's, entertainers, preachers, people who graphic design, political leaders, stores I shop in, basketball players, football players, former peers from high school, and people I don't know. The reason I add this kind of audience to my profile to educate myself on the latest news, following trends, to be uplift my self-esteem, to network, and build my brand. I view myself as a person who likes to encourage people, stay motivated, and think critically about the function of society.
Based on my profile, others unintentionally view me as sentimental, honest, and happy. People may intentionally see my profile as dramatic, radical, and confident.
The posts and updates added to my social media encourage me to recognize who I am and who I'm becoming. They add a balance, or an affirmation of the things I think are unique about me. Sometimes the post I update on my social media say that I'm mysterious or you never know what I feel at the moment might lead to social media to express what I have on my mind. For the post, I update on my social media are motivating me for when I want to get a new job. I make it known on my update's that I want acceptance, assurance, and freedom. The post I make may portray neediness, curiosity, and involvement.
The intended audience for my social media profiles is different from my intended audience for my overall profile because I follow people younger than me that are in high school and older people who are in their careers.
The rhetorical choices I use on my social media profile can intentionally convey that I'm funny and free-spirited. The language I use on my social media profile can send messages that confirm I'm wise and eloquent because I take what is happening in our country seriously. I want to be able to understand what is going on around me to teach my young followers how to be so unintentionally my word choice may convey that I'm bold, outspoken, and bossy.
I follow people on my social media profile that I think can add value to my profile. On my social media profile, I like and re tweet things because that person was thinking what I was thinking, but they receive more likes than me. I think it's silly to steal tweets from another person's profile because of your copying someone's words it's like plagiarism on social media. I like other people post on social media that care about mental health, positivist and working towards a bright future for themselves. It shows that I'm understanding, caring and I view people as attention getting.
On my social media I mute people that post about things that I don't want to see. I may look at a post from a negative standpoint. It could be in a moment where I decide to block someone that I didn't want them to see what I was saying because that person may assume it's about them but it's not. I can look at someone tweets I would feel indifferent about the identity they pose on social media. On my Twitter account, I don't have to accept friend requests when someone follows me. On my social media profile, it's locked so no one can re tweet what I say. Being on social media can increase over thinking thoughts, anxiety, impulsiveness, and a need for attention. I delete people from my social media to do a social cleanse to differentiate who I allow on my profile and who I don't want to be in my business.
What information do you keep public vs. private and how did you arrive at those conscious, or maybe unconscious, decisions? The information I put on social media pertains to my life it connects to some of the questions I ask myself. I integrated my way through social media because it has become a cultural norm in our society today it is known and always available. For me, I don't like to post my problems on social media because of what other people may assume. I follow my family members on social media, so I try to communicate an image that I'm perfect and content.
These connections say that I am a natural at manipulating social media. I know how to make myself stand out. I can create images that convey that I love my life, I can motivate my friends, family, and co-workers. I know that people are watching my social media page, so I want to honest about how I understand politics, news, and entertainment. On my social media profiles, I am an open book if someone wants to know how I feel about a televisions show, a famous person I can be able to explain those things on my social media account.
The connections on social media give me the motivation to be a better person and empathy to experience different perspectives. In society, we grow through social media because of collectively sharing one another experiences. Social media is apart of our daily connection to deal with every day like.
I identify myself with social media as a Black, a woman, artist, young, undergraduate, unemployed, a daughter, and a writer. I identify myself with these things because other's can relate. I connect with famous writers because I want to become a writer. I communicate with people I like to write, think, and read. I like to paint, draw, write poetry because my life tells a story.
Ciara fans, business workers, and personal connections are the intended audience for her Instagram account. I believe other celebrities, family members, business workers, and people who adore her follows her mainstream; Instagram.
Ciara's audience is the people she works for and with. I look up to Ciara personally because she seems like a fun and outgoing person.
They’re the same because Ciara audience is the 17.6 millions of people who followed her to see her mainstream on Instagram. Ciara follows her workers, family members, fans, and other celebrities.
Ciara Instagram pictures represent her image as being a well-rounded person who helps others and mentions other people to give them recognition through her social media.
For example in a picture in 2017, not too long before Christmas, Ciara went to see a caucasian child that was undergoing cancer, and help her and her family and mentioning them through her social media.
Ciara is an African American young lady that uses her Instagram to collaborated with celebrities. Ciara mentions herself through special events to show her followers her achievements.
Never seeing or talking to Ciara, I saw her on television and on her social media characterizing herself a mature, unique, and bright female who cares about her family and her job. In addition to how she mentions cancer reflects her identity to the public that she is not self-centered and she cares about others going through a hard situation.
Ciara is about giving and receiving recognition from others. Ciara encourages other artists to make herself look good. On Ciara Instagram, she mentions donating one-thousand dollars to cancer conveying to the audience intentionally she is a giver.
Ciara wants to make an impact on someone else's future. Ciara only follows people she conducts business with, who knows her personally, and charity organizations. Ciara also takes pictures of different people giving them recognition for their achievements, so that Ciara can engage with her fans to pay attention to those around her.
Ciara characterizes herself with the images she posted on her Instagram as a person who loves to give to charity. The tone and the pictures convey her personality to being a very cheerful person who cares about others and wanting the best from her peers.
I believe I do have some similar interests with Ciara. We both like dogs, taking pictures and funding for charity. Ciara is the type to show dedication and commitment in her daily routine. Yes, she’s putting her fame and family out to the public, but she’s showing how she’s blossoming and overcoming challenges and entering a new stage of life being recently married and having a child.
0 notes
Text
Survivor Series Predictions and thought on nXt WarGames!
Prediction time! I’ve never actually done one of these. Usually I just write about what I think sucks or some other hot button issue, and man have dem buttons been SPICY lately. We go titles changing left and right. People going down sick, people getting fired and old folks getting a sixth or seventh run at glory!
However, it would be remiss of me if I did not discuss the end of all our suffering.
I know I’m being a bit dramatic about this, but I had begun to view Jinder’s title reign as something of a wrestling equivalent to the Trump Presidency. It was shitty, and embarrassment and no matter what I did I was helpless to improve the situation. Then finally, FINALLY, they pulled the trigger and A.J. was able to swoop in and instantly make the title feel important again. It was hard not to just feel happy about the whole situation.
I would also be remiss not to mention the return of WARGAMES this weekend. Here’s the thing, back when I was getting deep into wrestling. Like DEEP. Like, using Kazaa to download random matches with names I recognized, and learning about Japanese guys like Jushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask for the first time deep. That is how I saw my first Wargames match. It was a good one! The best one most people say, between Sting’s Squadron and the Dangerous Alliance.
I remember being surprised at how visceral the match was. It really wasn’t a super complicated match; there weren’t a ton of moves. It was one guy after the other running in and beating the shit out of the people that were already there. You started mostly keeping track of how long it took the next guy in to get bloody. It had that classic NWA bloodbath feel to it. The match ended on an armbar of all things. This was about the time that the Canadian Destroyer was coming into prominence, so it was weird to see someone go down after getting hit in the arm with a foreign object and then just getting the arm cranked till you quit. For pro-wrestling, it was one of the more realistic displays of simulated combat that I had ever seen up to that point.
That is what makes me worried about nXt’s foray into Wargames territory. They can’t bleed, there are three teams, and (probably the worst part actually) you can win by pinfall. Much like contemporary Hell in a Cells, this match seems like it’s going to be decidedly less brutal than those of old. I don’t want to be the guy that shits on the PG product, but certain matches need blood, and these big, hellacious cage bouts are those. Even great matches like Usos vs New Day at last month’s HIAC seem a bit tame compared to Batista getting nailed with a barbed-wire wrapped chair by a blood soaked Triple H. I don’t know if it’s going to work. That said, there are a lot of talented vets in there, and a few HOSS destroyers, so we’ll see.
Now, moving on. Survivor Series. The bastard step-child of the big 4. The ONLY TIME OF THE YEAR RAW AND SMACKDOWN FACE EACHOTHER! Except Royal Rumble and also all those other times and when we need someone to cover for injury and whenever John Cena wants to fight someone. BUT OTHER THAN THAT. Seriously though, last year’s Survivor Series was one of the most fun hours in wrestling. It was a long match with tons of story and great action. Can this year’s match get to that height again? Let’s run down.
Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore vs Kalisto – Winner: Enzo Amore
I really like Kalisto. I think he’s incredibly talented in the ring, plus he’s a Chicago guy, so I’m generally predisposed towards him. That said, he’s pretty much the worst on the mic. Don’t get me wrong, Rey was not exactly Stone Cold either, but he managed to string together some solid babyface promos in his day. Enzo’s annoying, and not the best worker, but I’ll say this, he doesn’t make me want to turn the channel, and that makes him an effective heel. Plus you have Cedric Alexander, Rich Swann, TJP, Mustafa Ali, Tozawa and others ready to go as viable babyface challengers, and plenty of heels like Kendrick or Galagher for Kalisto to work on. Unless they plan on stringing this feud along, I’m gonna guess that this is gonna end in a pretty decisive victory for Enzo.
Intercontinental Champion the Miz vs United States Champion Baron Corbin – Winner: Miz
Everywhere I read people are telling me about Baron Corbin’s great potential and look. Here’s the thing, I don’t fucking see it. I just don’t. Aside from two bomb-ass moves what else does he have? His indie-killer gimmick back in nXt was pretty cool, but the thing is, he hasn’t shown he’s good enough to throw any solid wins his way. As for his “great look,” he looks like the human embodiment of the graphic tee section at Walmart. His hair is terrible. He doesn’t look particularly imposing past his height.
And the thing that sucks the most about him is that he’s one of those dicks that would read that critique and just go, “but what can YOU do in the ring, pussy!” Nothing. I can do nothing. I’ve never claimed I could do anything. I am a mark. It is not my job to be a professional wrestler. Comparing yourself to me accomplishes nothing and makes you look like a douchebag. It is your job to entertain me in some fashion, whether it be you make me hate you or love you. Right now, your matches are what I skip past to save time.
Miz on the other hand has basically be Edge for the past two years, and has been great. His Twitter owning of Corbin in this feud has been phenomenal. If there is any justice in the world, next time they do a draft or shake up or whatever, these shows will trade titles and Miz will be put in a long ass feud with AJ.
I see Miz winning via shinanigans. Miztourage, or, given the social media juice behind this feud, Maryse will get involved.
Raw Tag Team Champions the Bar vs SmackDown Tag Team Champions the Usos – Winner: The Bar.
With the big Shield vs. New Day match on the card, I feel like people are sleeping on this one. They really shouldn’t as these two teams have been in some of the most exciting matches this year. It’s amazing how many pay-per-views this year that could be summed up with “it was pretty shitty, but the tag match was really good.” These two teams were often in those matches!
Also, it’s a great styles clash! Speedy Usos vs the powerhouse Bar! They’re both heels, but the Usos have gotten enough rub from their “mutual respect” thing from the New Day that they could easily play the face in peril for this match.
For me, this is the biggest toss up to pick. On the one hand, the Usos are the more experienced team, and just beat the New Day, so you might want to keep the momentum going. That said, they’re also the team that could better survive the loss. The Bar just won their belts in dirty fashion, and don’t have the tag team pedigree that the Usos have. For that reason I have to go with the Bar.
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair – Winner: Charlotte Flair
I wonder how they’re going to do this match. It’s always hard when a smaller heel goes against a more physically imposing babyface. Plus, Bliss’s muscle is already booked in the Women’s Survivor Series match, so she probably won’t get involved. For that reason I’m going to go with Flair. Plus Bliss has been a great chicken shit heel, so I think she can survive the loss and still be an imposing threat when she gets Nia back.
The Shield vs. The New Day – Winner: The New Day.
This is probably my biggest stretch on a pick. The Shield have been built as the most powerful force in wrestling. All three have been world champs, two of them multiple times. They’ve been at the top of the card since they split.
That said, New Day have been a team longer. You can tell a story where they just know each other better. Their offense flows together. You can plant seeds of frustration in the Shield that won’t be there with the New Day.
Plus the New Day, though faces, cheat, ALL THE FUCKING TIME. They’ve got that Eddie Guerrero kind of immunity where they can cheat and get cheered because it’s funny as hell. I see them cheating here and winning the match…..plusIstoppedwatchingwrestlingforthechunkoftimethattheShieldgotbigandneverreallygotattachedtothemsoIdontreallylikethembuthavealwaysenjoyedKofi#Kofi4WWEChamp…BUT I DIGRESS.
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Champion A.J. Styles – Winner: Brock Lesnar
Man, look at how crazy a week can change things. AJ managed to beat the most protected finisher in the WWE, the Singh Brothers, to become the WWE Champion. We all breathed a sigh of relief. Any SmackDown pay-per-view was hampered by the fact that the main event was going to suck. Don’t get me wrong, I still watched with the hopes that Nakamura was going to win the title, but got no enjoyment from any of the matches.
I was explaining this to my wife when she asked me “do you think that Jinder’s a worse champ than Roman Reigns? Cause everyone seems to hate him.” If someone asked me to find 10 good Roman matches on the network, I could easily do it. Say what you want about him being boring and slammed down our throats, but he is actually a good in ring performer. Yeah he has some stinkers, but he also has some top notch matches under his belt.
I’ve not seen one Jinder Mahal match I’d want to see more than once, and most of the time I wouldn’t want to see it once. He reminds me of guys like Luther Reigns that just kind of were there and looked scary but just were flat in the ring. He just doesn’t have the ability to put on a show.
And now we’re going to get a show! Brock rises to the occasion against good opponents. I’ve not been a big fan of “Suplex City” Brock, but if he wants to, he can do great things. AJ is a great opponent for him that will bump all over the place and make him look like a monster. They could structure this match a lot like any of the HBK vs Taker matches and it would work. Just so long as Brock wants it to go like that.
I’d love to see AJ get this win, but they’re building Brock as nigh unbeatable. I’d also prefer a clean finish, but Jinder has been conspicuous by his absence. I sense a run in by Jinder and the Singhs that will ultimately cost AJ the match.
Women’s Traditional Survivor Series Match – Winner: Team SmackDown
It’ll be interesting to see how this match plays out. You look at the match ups and they’re pretty great, and if there is one type of match the women’s roster has got practice at this year, it’s the elimination matches! I think they’re going to follow the trend of past elimination matches and get the hosses out of the way early. Look to see gangups on Tamina and Nia pretty quick.
Everyone also expected this to be Paige’s return match. Since that didn’t happen, but they have her around, I think they’re looking to get a surprise here. Either she’s going to run in and help win the match for Raw, or she’s going to be Charlotte’s replacement on Team SmackDown. I’m going with Paige replacing Charlotte, and helping them win.
Men’s Traditional Survivor Series Match – Winner: Team Raw
I don’t know about this match you guys. Some of my favorite wrestlers of all time are in it but man…I just don’t know. When Kurt wasn’t doing his signature spots at TLC he looked awkward. I’ve seen some of his stuff since leaving TNA, but before coming back to WWE and while he had some good matches, they were usually his kind of matches. He still can put on a great match, but it needs to be a particular kind of match and I don’t know if something this chaotic fits the bill.
Now, it’s a tag match, so he’ll be protected, and Team SmackDown has three guys he’s worked extensively with in the past, so who knows. What really worries me though is the lack of storylines within the match. Last year’s match worked so well because there were tons of moving subplots within the match. Here, 2 of the participants were announced this week and haven’t wrestled on TV in months. Randy has nothing going on in this match. Shinsuke has nothing going on in this match. Roode has nothing going on in this match. Hell, Braun doesn’t have anything going into this match.
On the Raw side you have Finn and Joe with beef, and Kurt and Triple H have their thing with Jason Jordan. Kurt and Shane had some great stuff on Tuesday, so that’s good, but that can’t carry a 30-45 minute match.
Don’t get me wrong, there is a ton of talent in the ring for this thing. I am a fan of all of these guys (though I’ll never be able to forgive the Reign of Terror). They’ll probably make something happen.
I think KO and Sami…ehem, sorry, Sami and KO are going to cost the blue team. I don’t see how KO isn’t involved somehow given his push recently, and they need something to carry them going forward.
Match of the Night: Usos vs. The Bar
These guys have been lights out on their respective shows, and I think they have the best style match up other than maybe Brock and AJ. The only reason I think this will be better than Brock and AJ is because I’m almost 100% certain there won’t be interference here, and I’m not 100% certain Brock won’t phone it in.
Worst Match of the Night: Miz vs. Corbin
It’s gonna be slow. You want to get wasted? Take down a shot every time Corbin is described as “methodical.” Honestly, they should move this to the pre-show. This show is already going to be about 6 hours long, and every time they try moving a tag match there, it turns into a match of the night candidate. Can we please give the Miz something better to do? He’s been the work horse champ of Raw forever now, he should be rewarded.
Well that was long! So that’s what I think for this weekend. Let me know if you agree, and follow if you like what I write.
#WWE#raw#smackdown#survivor series#miz#corbin#aj styles#lesnar#charlotte#alexa bliss#the shield#new day#the usos#the bar#triple h#kurt angle#shane mcmahon#nxt#wargames
0 notes
Text
Batman Begins - My Take
The turn of the millennium ushered in a new take on storytelling. Computer modeling brought forth an unprecedented ability for film and television to create whatever effects a technician could clearly elucidate, and budgets for entertainment were pushed through the roof. At the same time, audiences became more discerning, rejecting easy answers and craving powerful character arcs. The nineties had given us “gritty” and we were curious where we could take it.
The nineties also gave us a silly pop culture meme in the Evil Overlord Checklist. The first entry basically says it all: “ My Legions of Terror will have helmets with clear plexiglass visors, not face-concealing ones.” Why? Because then the intrepid hero can’t steal a helmet and seamlessly blend in with the bad guys for a dramatic reveal down the road. The list was written as a joke, an endearing take on the storytelling shortcuts that give an edge to the side of good and which lets them take down their more powerful adversaries.
The trouble is, not everyone saw it as a joke. If you’ve got an evil overlord who’s not chewing up the scenery and twirling his mustache in triumph, he’s more likely to keep the source of his power and his only weakness in a properly secure location, and you have to start spending valuable storytelling time explaining why everything you’re doing is reasonable.
When “Batman Begins” first came out, I thought it was a clever little one-of story, where you took the iconic Batman mythos and told the story of how a helpless little orphan became a superhero with only the help of his stoic butler and a couple billion dollars he just happened to have inherited.
Then I saw the movie, and I realized the grim truth: this wasn’t a comic book movie. This was a Graphic Novel movie, which is the same thing but without the charm. Everything was realistic and gritty, and took plenty of time to be explained as to why it was realistic and gritty.
And here’s the thing: it doesn’t work. The more realism you put into it, the more you realize that Batman is not a character that benefits from realism. Learning about how he makes massive purchases of military-grade hardware to keep his anonymity just highlights the silliness of a billionaire deciding that the best thing he can do to save his city is to dress up as a bat and hang out in the streets looking for thugs to beat up.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked the movie. I also basically enjoyed “The Dark Knight,” because while the grittiness neutered any threat you might accept from Two-Face, it at least made the Joker a reasonable face of madness (and no, I don’t give a rat’s ass about the plot holes). But the trouble is, TDK made me realize that the promise I’d read into Batman Begins was not something Nolan had any intention of fulfilling.
It’s my own fault. I wanted a movie that showed Bruce Wayne transitioning from the ugly aesthetic of BB to the classic look: getting all his cool toys in line, souping up a car with a jet engine and some super-sweet fins to become his preferred ride around town. But no, it was made quite clear that Nolan had no interest in sleek designs or madcap threats, and I could never manage to make myself care enough to see the third installment.
Batman has a pretty mixed record when it comes to live-action adaptations. Adam West served up the camp and provided a show that was entertaining while being about as dark as a Maglight. Tim Burton gave us a couple reasonable takes on the story, which looked about right, but the series descended into camp and...something...when Joel Schumacher took the reigns and gave us the infamous Bat-nipples. And yet, this is Batman. His biggest villain is a crazy clown, followed in no particular order by a man who dresses up as a bird that thinks it’s a fish, a criminal who flat-out tells you his plans in the form of riddles, a man who commits calendar-themed crimes, a bio-terrorist who attacks by planting aggressive vines, and a leather-clad sex kitten. Are bat-nipples really that much worse than insisting that the struggle be presented seriously?
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
