Mod Post! Off-Topic Tuesday
Oct. 23rd, 2018 09:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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scans_dailyIn the comments to these weekly posts (and only these posts), it's your chance to go as off topic as you like. Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat amongst yourselves.
Those of you too young to remember the Cold War, good news! It appears that the US is going to start increasing it's nuclear wepaon stockpile to put pressure on Russia and China, by pulling out of a 1987 treaty which banned Intermediate Range Nuclear weapons, which it is claimed Russia as violated both in spirit and fact. Russia denies this and promises to retaliate in kind if the US does increase it's stockpile.
Saudi Arabia is in international trouble for it's probable involvement in the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey. For some reason their claim that the 60 year old journalist when into the consulate and started a fight with about 15 "rogue agents" (at least one of whom had a bone saw for some reason) which ended in his death is not seen as entirely plausible, nor is the Saudi agent wearing Mr Khashoggi's clothes and a fake beard who left the consulate on the same day and ensured he walked around in front of CCTV. Even POTUS 45 had to reverse his previous statements that he found the Saudi story convincing, and as Turkey has promised to reveal more about this today, this is far from over.
Strangely, looking at the Brexit scene I'm reminded of Lord Vetinari in Terry Pratchett'd Discworld series, who retains his position as Tyrant of Ankh-Morpork by ensuring that every side believes that "He may be bad, but every possible alternative is at least a little bit worse" which is a very complex political manipulation to keep going. Theresa May seems to be the living embodiment of this much to everyone's surprise, including, I suspect, her own. Otherwise it's the usual morass, and getting morass-ier by the day.
In less apocalyptic news, NASA has listed some new constellations based on gamma ray star monitoring it's been doing. These new signs include the Hulk (of course), the Little Prince, the TARDIS and Godzilla. So go pick a new horoscpe!
Duck Tales Season 2 started and though it's not been away for long, I've missed it SO MUCH! The first episode is more of a scene-setter of this gloriously dysfunctional family than anything else, but for the last four minutes, where Scrooge has a heart to heart with one of the nephews (I won't say which one), I'll forgive it a lot.
Titans on the other hand, I'm this close to quitting already. The second episode was just... miserably gruesome. Gratuitous torture and violence all over the place from pretty much everyone, Hawk and Dove being chronically mishandled (IMHO), no Starfire or Beast Boy at all, and only Raven being adorable and scary and Dick attempting to bond with her being vaguely redeeming features. But the rest is so dark and violent and that it makes "Arrow" look like "Duck Tales" by comparison.
I'm also finding myself completely uninterested in the new Star Wars cartoon "Star Wars: Resistance". The fact no one is a Jedi is a plus I guess (or at least different) but I'm finding Kaz to be such a tediously dull protagonist and the stakes so small scale (The First Order may have a spy on a weirdly irrelevant base where fliers hang out), that I'm completely uninvolved in the story. (The the not remotely cliche "utterly literal alien sidekick who doesn't understand figures of speech" isn't helping either)
So the Rosa Parks episode of Doctor Who aired and, to the relief of everyone who remembers how flippant the series has been in some of it's historical stories in the past, was not just good, it was extraordinary!
The show has never exuded more disturbingly mundane menace than it's depiction of Alamaba in 1955, and the level of contempt (and acceptable violence) that was the public norm from white people to people of colour at the time, and that this was not the result of some alien influence, this was pure human behaviour. White privilege was addressed by having the Doctor and Graham act as a social "buffer" for Ryan (especially) and Yaz (Who locals tended to assume was Hispanic, much to her chagrin), but Ryan and Yaz dicuss the racism they have faced in the modern day too. It's not preachy, but it's brutally honest.
The baddies evil scheme was low key, "just" someone with an agenda seeking to nudge time down a different path, but that's all it needed because this was a character driven story and then some. Thankfully Rosa (an amazing performance from Vinette Robinson) was not "inspired" by the Doctor and her friends at any time because she never needed to be. The Doctor was almost a background character in this, doing her absolute best to ensure that events occur the way they have to, in order that Rosa Parks be the person she already was, and at the end she and Graham become part of the story in an subtly indirect way that appals them both.
At one level it's almost a drama about ensuring a bus runs on time, but DAMN if it wasn't some of the most powerful Doctor Who that has ever hit the screen. (And it should be noted that the principle writer and director are both poc, which probably helped)
Those of you too young to remember the Cold War, good news! It appears that the US is going to start increasing it's nuclear wepaon stockpile to put pressure on Russia and China, by pulling out of a 1987 treaty which banned Intermediate Range Nuclear weapons, which it is claimed Russia as violated both in spirit and fact. Russia denies this and promises to retaliate in kind if the US does increase it's stockpile.
Saudi Arabia is in international trouble for it's probable involvement in the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey. For some reason their claim that the 60 year old journalist when into the consulate and started a fight with about 15 "rogue agents" (at least one of whom had a bone saw for some reason) which ended in his death is not seen as entirely plausible, nor is the Saudi agent wearing Mr Khashoggi's clothes and a fake beard who left the consulate on the same day and ensured he walked around in front of CCTV. Even POTUS 45 had to reverse his previous statements that he found the Saudi story convincing, and as Turkey has promised to reveal more about this today, this is far from over.
Strangely, looking at the Brexit scene I'm reminded of Lord Vetinari in Terry Pratchett'd Discworld series, who retains his position as Tyrant of Ankh-Morpork by ensuring that every side believes that "He may be bad, but every possible alternative is at least a little bit worse" which is a very complex political manipulation to keep going. Theresa May seems to be the living embodiment of this much to everyone's surprise, including, I suspect, her own. Otherwise it's the usual morass, and getting morass-ier by the day.
In less apocalyptic news, NASA has listed some new constellations based on gamma ray star monitoring it's been doing. These new signs include the Hulk (of course), the Little Prince, the TARDIS and Godzilla. So go pick a new horoscpe!
Duck Tales Season 2 started and though it's not been away for long, I've missed it SO MUCH! The first episode is more of a scene-setter of this gloriously dysfunctional family than anything else, but for the last four minutes, where Scrooge has a heart to heart with one of the nephews (I won't say which one), I'll forgive it a lot.
Titans on the other hand, I'm this close to quitting already. The second episode was just... miserably gruesome. Gratuitous torture and violence all over the place from pretty much everyone, Hawk and Dove being chronically mishandled (IMHO), no Starfire or Beast Boy at all, and only Raven being adorable and scary and Dick attempting to bond with her being vaguely redeeming features. But the rest is so dark and violent and that it makes "Arrow" look like "Duck Tales" by comparison.
I'm also finding myself completely uninterested in the new Star Wars cartoon "Star Wars: Resistance". The fact no one is a Jedi is a plus I guess (or at least different) but I'm finding Kaz to be such a tediously dull protagonist and the stakes so small scale (The First Order may have a spy on a weirdly irrelevant base where fliers hang out), that I'm completely uninvolved in the story. (The the not remotely cliche "utterly literal alien sidekick who doesn't understand figures of speech" isn't helping either)
So the Rosa Parks episode of Doctor Who aired and, to the relief of everyone who remembers how flippant the series has been in some of it's historical stories in the past, was not just good, it was extraordinary!
The show has never exuded more disturbingly mundane menace than it's depiction of Alamaba in 1955, and the level of contempt (and acceptable violence) that was the public norm from white people to people of colour at the time, and that this was not the result of some alien influence, this was pure human behaviour. White privilege was addressed by having the Doctor and Graham act as a social "buffer" for Ryan (especially) and Yaz (Who locals tended to assume was Hispanic, much to her chagrin), but Ryan and Yaz dicuss the racism they have faced in the modern day too. It's not preachy, but it's brutally honest.
The baddies evil scheme was low key, "just" someone with an agenda seeking to nudge time down a different path, but that's all it needed because this was a character driven story and then some. Thankfully Rosa (an amazing performance from Vinette Robinson) was not "inspired" by the Doctor and her friends at any time because she never needed to be. The Doctor was almost a background character in this, doing her absolute best to ensure that events occur the way they have to, in order that Rosa Parks be the person she already was, and at the end she and Graham become part of the story in an subtly indirect way that appals them both.
At one level it's almost a drama about ensuring a bus runs on time, but DAMN if it wasn't some of the most powerful Doctor Who that has ever hit the screen. (And it should be noted that the principle writer and director are both poc, which probably helped)
no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 10:10 am (UTC)The only down side to it was that the episode didn't show that Rosa Parks, being one hell of an amazing person, was already planning to remain sitting on the bus first opportunity she had, but I can wave that off as Team TARDIS being stuck relying on limited information about the event, and ensuring that an important event wasn't nudged too badly. Although Rosa telling them to stay sitting as they're agonizing over it would have been a fascinating little twist of the knife there.
On a side note, it was fascinating to see how different and disturbing the hotel room scene with the police officer was, compared to how previous versions of the Doctor would have reacted. Many of them would have had the ability to seize control of the scene, but this time the Doctor was trapped in the face of a simple human menace.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 10:35 am (UTC)They added to what I knew by having the meeting the night before with Dr King (another amazing moment, and the look on Ryan's face as he gets to say "Excuse me Martin Luther King... Yes Rosa Parks?" was a masterclass). I'm not up on my US Civil Rights movement history, but I've seen it suggest that it was more set up than it appeared, with photographers handy to recard the moment.
I also liked that in the scene in the hotel room, the Doctor answers all the cops questions about Ryan and Yaz not being there without ever phrasing
no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 10:41 am (UTC)Not just the Doctor, Graham had some nice exact wording while clearly in fear for his Grandsons life. "Steve Jobs would never disrespect a Montgomery Police Officer."
no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 10:25 am (UTC)This Sunday was my birthday, and I celebrated it by coming out on social media. My body has changed significantly in these 7 months, but my face not so much; & it was quite intimidating to post this face and assert it's the face of a woman. But at this political juncture. Not hiding is a tremendous relief. Now all I have to do is to have The Talk with my advisor this week, and I finally can get on with my life.
Content warning for transphobia, violence below the line.
In the U.S., the Trump administration is looking to define gender as immutable, binary and assigned at birth, with genetic testing to resolve disputes. In Brazil, vocal Bolsonaro supporters in various states have already stabbed two transgender women to death and beat a third with a crowbar, while bragging loudly about how their dear Captain will grant them a "faggot hunting season".
Despite worrying inroads of the right-populist Alternativ für Deutschland, Germany remains an oasis of rationality and good sense in these oppressive times. I'm enormously privileged, & I pray to the Gods that after my PhD is done I get to stay there somehow. Brazil never was a fun place to be transgender, but now it's frankly becoming a nightmare.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 10:38 am (UTC)I wasn't aware of the US anti-transgender plan, but it surprises me not one bloody iota.
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Date: 2018-10-23 10:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 12:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 06:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-24 12:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 07:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 10:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 11:07 am (UTC)The companions get to play a pivotal role in the episode, and get characterisation.
(That might sound like a "so what?" moment, but after seven years of Moffat-writing, I'm just guzzling it down.)
Plus, Ryan and his step-granddad annoying a racist into going away was gold.
That and, y'know, all of it.
The only minor complaint is that next week's episode has an uphill struggle after three good episodes.
(I mean, anyone who's seen Planet of the Spiders knows how scary them eight-legs can be, but... still. Giant spiders.)
Oh, and Luke Cage has now been cancelled. Boooo!
(I mean, Iron Fist wasn't terribly great, but it was getting incrementally better. Maybe we'll get a Heroes for Hire series, but... I'm dubious.)
no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 11:11 am (UTC)Do we know they're going to be giant spiders next week? I'd find a wave of several thousand ordinary large ones a lot creepier than one giant one, as they could get through much smaller gaps in the door etc.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 11:29 am (UTC)I mean, it just makes sense. Giant spiders are scary.
(And "Attack of the Reasonably-Sized Spiders" doesn't have quite the same oomph.)
no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 11:49 am (UTC)I think in terms of "Would you rather be stuck in a small room with one spider ten thousand times the size of a normal one, or ten thousand normal sized spiders" my response either way would be "AAAAAAARGGGGGHHHHHH!!"
no subject
Date: 2018-10-24 07:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 01:49 pm (UTC)My husband is already saying he will NOT be watching next week due to his arachnaphobia.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 11:38 am (UTC)But apparently Russia was violating the treaty to the point of almost not even pretending to follow it. At some point, there has to be some kind of cost to that, or treaties become a one-sided expression of restraint.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 11:47 am (UTC)Given I think we're still at several multiples of global Mutually Assured Destruction nuclear weapons wise, I do feel it might be something of a moot point if it ever came to it, but it's still a fair one.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 11:57 am (UTC)It does remind me of something read once on the Russian paradigm. That they see treaties as expressions of power.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-24 12:27 pm (UTC)Were someone like George Bush, W., Clinton or Obama to do this, I would assume something completely different. That's one of the lasting problems of damage with this administration: the perpetual half-truths and lies, combined with the a record of mostly just cancelling the last 12 years worth of protections and safeguards and little else, leaves an impression that nothing the current administration does can be trusted or taken at anything resembling face value.
Politicians always skew details to match their narrative, to be sure. Politifact exists to correct spin when it occurs...so when someone says 'well, 10% more did this thing', someone can say 'yes, but only if you calculate the numbers in this specific, misleading way' and we can all nod and say, Ah, OK. This administration lies so frequently and often that we say fact-checking in REAL TIME during speeches. It's unfortunate.
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Date: 2018-10-24 09:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 01:00 pm (UTC)https://youtu.be/W2vdlxw3Ni8
no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 01:22 pm (UTC)CBR has a story about a rumor that a Nick Fury series could happen
Stephen Amell posted a tweet earlier that Jensen Ackles is not playing Batman in the crossover. Plus the few picks of Amell in the Flash suit, Gustin in the Arrow suit, both in biker jackets and black suited Superman have been bonkers.
Wonder Woman 1984 has been moved to 2020
Lebron James is in talks to produce a Friday the 13th reboot
no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 01:26 pm (UTC)-Sad to hear about Titans. Damn, and those enthusiastic reviews had really got my hopes high :(
-On further disappointing news, my country is going to get Ralph Breaks the Internet on January 1st. While this isn't as bad as The Incredibles 2, which we got three whole months after the entire rest of the world (and I was so goddamn tempted to pirate it just out of sheer undiluted spite, but my bf wanted to see it on the big screen), it's still annoying as hell that we have to wait extra 45 days. It's not gonna be easy to avoid spoilers.
-Been playing Yakuza 4. I got curious about the Yakuza series when a friend of mine told me she absolutely loved Yakuza 6. I didn't want to outright skip the previous games and all their stories, but I didn't want to go through all 6 either (especially when they are open-word games that can take 50+ hours to beat properly), so I thought starting from the fourth one was a decent compromise.
The combat system is overall so-so... It's acceptable for fast fighters like Akiyama, but it's an unbearably tiresome dragging mess for Saejima. I ended up dreading playing as Saejima, not because the fights were hard, but because they were a complete pain in the ass, they take forever even for random mooks.
The story is interesting, and the characters are fun. I especially love Akiyama and Hana, they make such a fantastic couple!
The variety in the world is nice. And while there are a few truly tasteless jokes, there are plenty of actually funny ones.
The representation is... I'm not sure how to judge it. On the one hand, the transwomen are portrayed as extremely masculine, and referred to as "tranny." On the other hand, Saki is a very good friend of the heroes, and she is portrayed as extremely helpful and trustworthy and kind, a brave and competent ally. Yakuza 4 came out 8 years ago, I have no idea what rep is like in more recent games.
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Date: 2018-10-23 02:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 02:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 04:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 10:31 pm (UTC)I thought the first episode was very meh, but I rather liked the previous two
Date: 2018-10-23 03:41 pm (UTC)If I may be so ignorant, might I ask if racism is as prevalent in the United Kingdom as that is in the U.S. or South Africa? I always thought prejudice in the U.K. historically came more from classism and colonialism.
Re: I thought the first episode was very meh, but I rather liked the previous two
Date: 2018-10-23 04:26 pm (UTC)It would be naive to pretend that racism isn't still a thing, as Ryan and Yaz discuss, they've both experienced it, Ryan as a young black man has been stopped by police a lot more often than his white friends, and Yaz has experienced it both as a police officer and a Muslim, and has had "Paki" yelled at her in the street (A general slur for anyone who is South Asian in descent). But both ackowledge it's nothing like as bad as Alabama in 1955 was.
The UK didn't have things as direct as the Jim Crow laws (that I'm aware of), but examples of racism weren't acted on (There's a nod to this in 1988's Doctor Who story, Rememberance of the Daleks, where the 7th Doctor's companion finds a "No coloureds" sign in the window of the 1963 London boarding house they are staying at and it's treated as a normal thing),
Institutional racism has been, and still is, a thing and in some ways that's harder to get rid of, a law can be repealed, and enforced, but institutionalised racism (where the racism is endemic in the power structure itself) is self perpetuating and subtle. If it never occurs to anyone in power to seek more diversity in their workforce then they'll more likely just to leave things as they are and assume that such people don't WANT to join.
Classism is definitely a thing too, but that's another discussion.
I don't think we're as polarised as the US is, and certainly not at the moment, where you have a President who has just announced at a rally that he thinks of himself as a "Nationalist", with all that that implies, but we certainly have our instances.
Re: I thought the first episode was very meh, but I rather liked the previous two
Date: 2018-10-24 12:51 pm (UTC)Re: I thought the first episode was very meh, but I rather liked the previous two
Date: 2018-10-25 10:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 05:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 05:45 pm (UTC)There was a 5 month hiatus in the middle of the first season and then the show aired regularly every week.
And now 2 months after the finale, the second season is already airing
My understanding is that they don't air cartoons as soon as they're complete and ready.
They probably intentionally had that 5 month hiatus in order to skip over the winter months, maximize viewing from kids who have school off during the summer. It also had the added benefit of shortening the wait time between the first and second seasons in order to keep up momentum and interest from viewers.
I would expect another hiatus this season, but I read that they have a Christmas episode this year (which also probably helped affect when they decided to start airing season 2 so that the Christmas episode would air in December).
no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 06:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-23 11:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-24 12:13 am (UTC)Ah Star Wars Resistance, I have no opinion on it, other than its probably going to do the world-building that aren't in the Sequel films.
But at-least The Clone Wars will be coming back sometime next year.