Downtown Khazan: Ice Cold Utopia

[Sharpandpointies]

I know this is supposed to be a different universe with a darker overall presentation and all, but the Young Justice universe and its cycling roster of heroes continues to present versions of characters I find rather unappealing.

Then again I dropped the show hard after Season 2 so I am far adrift of in-universe context and developments. For all I know this could be a major revelation or something.

Alas, waving an animated Cassandra Cain on the screen isn't enough to get me back in.

Well, the imo, worse iteration of Cassandra too, lol.

It's also pretty terrible because it messes with Cass's backstory in a particularly poor fashion, stealing some of her own growth and agency in order to boost Barbara/Batgirl/Oracle.

Also, Shiva is almost unrecognizable there.

[Jcogginsa]

It's also pretty terrible because it messes with Cass's backstory in a particularly poor fashion, stealing some of her own growth and agency in order to boost Barbara/Batgirl/Oracle.

Also, Shiva is almost unrecognizable there.

It's not done to boost Oracle, that's just an unfortunate side effect.

It's done to provide a thematic parrallel to the arc the lead character, Artemis Crock, is going through.

[Postmania]

Part timing can make a crappy job more bearable, best of luck with it.

Housemate is teaching at a university two days a week, he's not a fan of working in academia again but it's only two days so it's tolerable.

Yeah it was just a shitty circumstance since I was like one of three people who would be doing estimating, but it was really mostly me because I was most experienced and the others had other skills that were needed elsewhere. So when something went wrong it was usually me, when something needed to be updated it was usually me, and it was just some real pressure.

Not a fun time even though it wasn't hard work exactly.

This time I'm at least a freelancer who doesn't have a super regular schedule.

[Nik Hasta]

Also, Shiva is almost unrecognizable there.

I have to agree, no disrespect to the voice actor but she was directed in entirely the wrong way.

Shiva being the head of an organisation like the League of Shadows is kind of antithetical to the character, or at least my conception of her. In my books, Shiva isn't the kind of person to use grunts or assassins on her behalf. If she wants someone dead, she goes and does it herself.

[Nik Hasta]

And now I'm just sat here thinking about how I would write a Shiva miniseries. >_<

[Postmania]

Untitled.jpg

Well, that's a thing.

[Nik Hasta]

Okay, I know I try not to complain about things I don't like to much online but the new chapter of MHA has bugged me in a way I didn't anticipate.

MHA spoilers.

spoilers:

So, the "reveal" of invisible girl is a fake out and it's actually laser navel kid. Okay, sure, whatever. I griped last week that I had both largely forgotten the mole plot overall and I felt that the one invisible character with little else in the way of narrative presence being the spy was a bit toothless because - y'know - I don't feel like Hagakure had enough of character for this to be surprising or have much of an emotional impact on me. Yuga is bit more impactful because it's a dramatic turn for an ostensibly comedic character and he did have like that one mini-arc interaction with Deku so he at least has a personality of being eccentric and kind if socially awkward so a few more teeth there in terms of narrative bite. However... The thing that kind of irks me about this chapter is that it feels very much made for the weekly serialisation crowd. In a full read-through, or single volume context, the fake-out lasts for entirely 8 pages. Without the week break between the two chapters, it is incredibly brief and feels almost nonsensical in how superfluous it actually is. Like, nothing actually happened with the fake-out in terms of the story. The pacing is just really odd when you read the two chapters consecutively, made all the worse because it's not going anywhere. AFO is like "I have a spy," we cut to a shot of Hagakure (presumably looking out of a window and seeing Yuga going into the woods to meet his parents) but then we cut away to the rest of the crew shooting the **** about their new abilities for a few pages before coming back to Hagakure now in the woods catching Yuga in the act, so it's not like we have any real time or prompting to even speculate about Hagakure before the actual truth comes out. So... like, what's the point of it? Why create such a weak "twist" for half a chapter and not even do anything with it in the story? Surely you could string it out for a chapter or two to actually deliver some tension? My gut feeling is that Horikoshi did the fake out just to get a rise out of the fanbase during last week, it was not a choice informed by the actual rhythm of the story but by playing to the volatility of the fanbase about this mole subplot and that's not a good motivation for making a choice with a story. In this instance, it would have made more sense to ratchet up the tension a bit, play with our emotions around this character who is visually and narratively a cypher before breaking the tension with the reveal. But no, it's not to be. We just roll on into the actual reveal because we trended on Twitter for a day and thus concluded the purpose of this plot point.

end of spoilers

Excuse my crabbing but I wanted to just get this down somewhere.

[The Dog]

Untitled.jpg

Well, that's a thing.

Why?

No, seriously. Why? Is there a huge public outcry for a 'modernization' of Zorro into a cliche 'hacker uncovers a government conspiracy' plot?

[Jcogginsa]

Okay, I know I try not to complain about things I don't like to much online but the new chapter of MHA has bugged me in a way I didn't anticipate.

MHA spoilers.

spoilers:

So, the "reveal" of invisible girl is a fake out and it's actually laser navel kid. Okay, sure, whatever. I griped last week that I had both largely forgotten the mole plot overall and I felt that the one invisible character with little else in the way of narrative presence being the spy was a bit toothless because - y'know - I don't feel like Hagakure had enough of character for this to be surprising or have much of an emotional impact on me. Yuga is bit more impactful because it's a dramatic turn for an ostensibly comedic character and he did have like that one mini-arc interaction with Deku so he at least has a personality of being eccentric and kind if socially awkward so a few more teeth there in terms of narrative bite. However... The thing that kind of irks me about this chapter is that it feels very much made for the weekly serialisation crowd. In a full read-through, or single volume context, the fake-out lasts for entirely 8 pages. Without the week break between the two chapters, it is incredibly brief and feels almost nonsensical in how superfluous it actually is. Like, nothing actually happened with the fake-out in terms of the story. The pacing is just really odd when you read the two chapters consecutively, made all the worse because it's not going anywhere. AFO is like "I have a spy," we cut to a shot of Hagakure (presumably looking out of a window and seeing Yuga going into the woods to meet his parents) but then we cut away to the rest of the crew shooting the **** about their new abilities for a few pages before coming back to Hagakure now in the woods catching Yuga in the act, so it's not like we have any real time or prompting to even speculate about Hagakure before the actual truth comes out. So... like, what's the point of it? Why create such a weak "twist" for half a chapter and not even do anything with it in the story? Surely you could string it out for a chapter or two to actually deliver some tension? My gut feeling is that Horikoshi did the fake out just to get a rise out of the fanbase during last week, it was not a choice informed by the actual rhythm of the story but by playing to the volatility of the fanbase about this mole subplot and that's not a good motivation for making a choice with a story. In this instance, it would have made more sense to ratchet up the tension a bit, play with our emotions around this character who is visually and narratively a cypher before breaking the tension with the reveal. But no, it's not to be. We just roll on into the actual reveal because we trended on Twitter for a day and thus concluded the purpose of this plot point.

end of spoilers

Excuse my crabbing but I wanted to just get this down somewhere.

Maybe the spoilers:

fake out

end of spoilers will be the end of a volume? That'd give it more impact on reread

[Nik Hasta]

Of all the things to import from irrational webcomic OPM, I didn't expect the dodgy measurements of time for speed feats to be part of it. :/

[Guy1]

3C Films Discusses Texas Chainsaw Massacre News/Plot Details

spoilers:

To Quote The Tweets About The Movie! In which a bunch of entitled liberal kids “buy” a town in Texas, evict the residents, and the audience is supposed to cheer as Leatherface murders them. Potential Trigger Warning. The writers of the movie also think surviving a school shooting makes the MC a 'badass'.

end of spoilers

I don't even know what the hell.

[The Dog]

One Piece:

spoilers:

Queen can replicate all of the special techniques of the Raid Suits, including invisibility. However, Sanji can move so fast he's invisible to the naked eye and can use his modified body to make his Diable Jambe even hotter and hit harder. He also realized that he wasn't the one to hit the woman, it was an invisible Queen. So he uses his new and improved Diable Jambe to kick the everloving **** out of Queen before he hits another woman.

end of spoilers

[Len Ikari145]

3C Films Discusses Texas Chainsaw Massacre News/Plot Details

spoilers:

To Quote The Tweets About The Movie! In which a bunch of entitled liberal kids “buy” a town in Texas, evict the residents, and the audience is supposed to cheer as Leatherface murders them. Potential Trigger Warning. The writers of the movie also think surviving a school shooting makes the MC a 'badass'.

end of spoilers

I don't even know what the hell.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Untitled.jpg

Well, that's a thing.

3C Films Discusses Texas Chainsaw Massacre News/Plot Details

spoilers:

To Quote The Tweets About The Movie! In which a bunch of entitled liberal kids “buy” a town in Texas, evict the residents, and the audience is supposed to cheer as Leatherface murders them. Potential Trigger Warning. The writers of the movie also think surviving a school shooting makes the MC a 'badass'.

end of spoilers

I don't even know what the hell.

Neither of these sound even the slightest bit appealing, even as a "so bad it's good" sort of thing.

[Len Ikari145]

Untitled.jpg

Well, that's a thing.

Why? Why is this a thing? We already have a modernized Zorro; he's called Batman.