All Opinions pulled from our own asses and no one else's
Hey all! Izzy here.
Sorry for the radio silence, life got a little crazy.
We are taking a brief kind of a short break, i have a lot of backlog to edit to I’m gonna work thru that before we record anything else, and re-edit/re-post some older stuff
There will be some updates here and there, both Lauren and I have blog posts in the works so look out for that!
Hey Izzy here again. Quite a bit late as is apparently my habit. Sorry about that! ADHD brain is the worst sometimes. I got my weeks messed up and this should have come out the 4th. Sorry!
Ok so the “year of FNAF” is finally over, welcome to 2024 I guess. Though heaven knows what we will get from this franchise going forward.
So Help Wanted 2, omg amazing. I can not dwell on the many hours of lets plays I watched for that game, as it was arguably too many lol. I did not play any of the game, I do not have VR, but I loved watching it. Especially cause people play it so differently. The lore is not a topic I feel I can comment on lol. From Glitchtrap/Mimic or whatever taking over you via Helpi, to IRL princess quest, to the Bonny mask that maybe means we are Cassie’s dad who is also maybe Bonnie Bro. It is wild.
I would love to know what you guys think of it!
But as for general Fnaf I have been thinking about it a lot. It is a series that I really enjoy despite having not really playing the games (I have played a little of the first Help Wanted at a friends house and I technically OWN security breach on the switch but I’ve never played it lol). But it is very hard for me to put my finger on, cause while I enjoyed the novels I can admit that they are also a little stupid. Like how does SOOO many things in that book series not make sense while still connecting with me as a reader enough to enjoy them? Hell only knows. And the Fazbear Fright books ( I am on #7 now) are fun little horror stories (though I have not gotten to Faz-Goo or Sea Bonnies yet lol) but they don’t super connect to the overall narrative of everything.
Like even I kind of wonder why I am SOO into this franchise for how strange it is, but I love talking about and the community of people working to solve it and theorize about it is super fun. Finding the little details to make pieces fit together is fun.
And as I have cosplayed Roxy and plan to again I will say I also really like the character designs lol. Well most of them, AR gets a bit odd sometimes.
I would love to hear what you guys think, let me know how you got into the franchise/ things you like and dislike about it. I am super curious!
And now to harass Lauren about my hyper fixations! (I bullied her into watching some Help Wanted 2 footage with me lol) (also very sad about MatPat stepping down, he was a huge part of my fnaf experience and fuck if that video didn’t get me teary eyed)
So Q: As someone not into the series I am curious to see how it reads to an outside eye. Like from random internet/tumblr/ having annoying friends that group cosplay it, cultural osmosis. It is a franchise that I feel is confusing even if you keep up with it but I honestly do not know how that reads in small details, like do you really just see the merch everywhere and know its a spooky chucky-cheese game? Or is there more? And from the like hour of Help Wanted 2 game play you saw I was curious if it sparked any interest in the series/ looked interesting. Like other than the cost of VR, does this seem like a series someone could jump into?
A: The majority of my exposure to the Five Nights franchise has arrived through social media and surprisingly few advertisements from as large as it has grown. This tells me the game, with a simple storyline and play mechanic in its first iteration, has attention grabbing power. Previous to you guiding me to watch Markliplier’s and MatPat’s let’s plays of Help Wanted 2, I tried to catch up on the lore of the game world through wiki’s and the plot synopsis of the movie. I’m going to accept that the haunted animatronics’ origins are best thought of as an entertaining excuse to engage with the cartoonishly frightening game rather than a plot driven narrative. So dead children in robots did not make me want to see how the story ends, what about the challenge of the game? This VR game, at least, isn’t for me. The controls utilized didn’t seem to extend past character movement and selecting correct tools for tasks with a time crunch, which can certainly cause anxiety for a player trying to rescue a cake from a chest cavity before a mascot bear kills you, but I can’t say that I would play a several hour game of that. -Lauren
podcast cohost Lauren 12/7/2023
We continue our tradition of researching how different animations portray the December holiday season with Green Lantern: The Animated Series #8. This comic series ran in conjunction with a one season animated cartoon airing in 2012 that arguably owes its short lifespan to the poorly received Green Lantern (2011) movie starring Ryan Reynolds. While this appears to me to be decent Y7 children’s media vs the PG13 movie, and thus a different audience to appeal to, I guess it is the parents who buy the toys/fund the show.
West Coast test pilot and Green Lantern Corps member Hal Jordan is aboard the listless Interceptor as its crew attempts to access a subspace link through a singularity hoping to kickstart their vessel. Jordan recalls seeing a pre-industrial planet he wishes to visit in downtime and leaves not before senior Green Lantern member Kilowog upbraids him for his failure to recharge the ring which supplies his superpowers from the onboard lantern–the charge only lasts a standard Earth day. On the planet, Jordan witnesses a blue alien girl of the Hammer tribe fleeing from the Lizardriders and carrying a scroll detailing the Lizardriders’ plans to punish captive Hammer tribe members. Despite Kilowog calling Jordan to alert him that their signal to the main lantern would be off for eight days and he would be unable to recharge the ring, Jordan decides he will switch to low power mode and assist the Hammer tribe in retaking their city from the Lizardriders. Just as the Hammer tribe proves victorious and Jordan’s life support times out on the eighth day, Kilowog arrives to take him back to the ship and remark that it “reminds [him] of that Earth story with the light that burned eight days insteada just one.”
I’m not certain of the intention behind the parallel of Hal Jordan’s adventure in Green Lantern: The Animated Series #8 and the Chanukah (spelling chosen in the comic) story. Hal Jordan is the child of a Jewish mother and Catholic father, but I cannot find many examples of his faith or heritage explored in comics, so it may not even be widely known to fans. In fact, in this issue, Kilowog is the one making latkes back on the ship without Jordan and whose quote at the end prompts Jordan to reply, “Oh, you mean Chanukah,” whilst Jordan’s relationship to the holiday is never stated. Perhaps readers are being counted on to pick up on the visual cue that Jordan uses a dreidel projected by the ring to spin away one of the young alien girl’s pursuers, and to acknowledge the lantern is a fitting stand-in for the menorah being a source of light. Instead of a Chanukah introduction for the unaware Green Lantern fan, this story could have been meant for Jewish fans specifically, since the names of the Hammer tribe aliens reference the Maccabean Jews who revolted against the Seleucid Empire. Still, Kilowog’s observations paint Chanukah as an Earth custom instead of a holiday belonging to a particular ethnic and cultural group of whom Hal Jordan is a member.
Q: Previously, I was under the impression that the green lantern picked a champion for bravery or courage until you corrected me that it uses willpower. You also explained that the lanterns were using the rainbow for emotion powers. How is that supposed to go, and did it play into this comic?
A: Yeah the ring picks a champion but yeah not for bravery lol. I never really understood how Willpower is an emotion to be honest but looking into the history it… Kind of makes sense. Apparently it’s also Will and it’s like tied to the creation of the universe “I watch the first sentient creature in the universe to ever will itself to move…do just that. And it is the origin of willpower itself.” –The Entity-possessed Sinestro speaking of Ion’s creation/transformation, and that will was white light that spilt into the colors but was still tied to green… Cause reasons i guess? It’s still odd cause bravery to me works better as a mirror to fear and they play up them as opposites a lot, but I guess to drive to push on no matter what is also a counter to fear. I just feel it’s just less clear.
The 7 lantern colors are the 7 colors of visible light tied to emotions ( apparently there is also like Ultraviolet light thats like more primal emotions? No idea) and they are just like a part of the universe. One of the Seven Forces in the DC universe the Emotional Electro- magnetic spectrum has its origins in the first living beings. How each color was picked for each emotion I’m not sure but it seems like Ion’s original white light just spilt that way.
In this comic he doesn’t have his powers for most of it, so I guess you can’t Willpower a battery recharge lol. But I guess it’s meant to show how he has those traits himself, not because of the ring. But that is why the ring picked him to begin with. Overall this story is more about being a metaphor then going too deep into how the light spectrum works lol.
Podcast cohost Lauren 11/9/2023
Up until the past couple years, I had never participated in an official DnD module. My only knowledge of the game had been the PHB and whatever favorite monsters various DM were including in their homebrews. When free-to-play mmorpg Neverwinter came to Playstation, I finally was introduced to the Forgotten Realms, and I even read R. A. Salvatore’s Drizzt series of novels. Why, since I have been a player since my freshman year of highschool, did it take me until virtual table tops became available to learn about the most classic settings in DnD lore? After shelling out $30 for the 3.5 edition player’s handbook, none of my peers could afford the supplemental materials! This lead to a small amount of confusion on my part joining games in college with friends who had spent less time at the table but were familiar with all the gods of Eberron. The power of the internet! Dungeons and Dragons Online had featured Eberron content and there was a group Roll 20 compendium subscription. Yet purchasing a published adventure was still a step farther than any of us was willing to go.
In March of this year, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was released in theaters. Izzy and I recently sat down to watch it, and I had a frequent question on my mind for our reviews: who is this for? Viewers who are already familiar with DnD rules, settings, and referenced media. That’s the answer. As a guild member in DnD’s current mmo Neverwinter, set in the Forgotten Realms same as the film which’s principle location is the city of Neverwinter and adventuring hub of the game, I knew Lord Neverember’s name and had fought the Thayan Red Wizards in the Dread Ring. Main character of the film Edgin Darvis, is a former Harper who ran afoul of the Red Wizards he thwarted as an agent of justice, but it turns out they found his home because his fatal flaw was discontent with his material means and treasure he pocketed whilst raiding the Red Wizards was marked. I think this is a fabulous background for a player character and explains why someone existing in this fantasy world and already having a class and story would be knocked back to the beginning of their journey. However, I also think the film takes no time to educate viewers on the history of the Harpers and how in at least the Neverwinter MMO they are on the frontlines of fighting all the cultists of Faerun. Most of the charm watching the movie for me came from all the moments where I thought, “Ah, they flubbed a roll.” If the player rolls well, their character can be allowed by the DM to perform astounding feats, but if they roll poorly on ability their character should be an expert in, the DM might rule that sessions worth of party orchestrating has been dashed and the players must come up with a new tactic. Back to the drawing board! While this provided comedy gold for me, I’m not sure if an audience unfamiliar with side quests and magic items with cooldown timers might become frustrated waiting for the plot to resolve. Overall, I believe there were some missed opportunities to pitch further investment to a plausibly unaware moviegoer.
Q: While being introduced to the main cast, Simon the fallible sorcerer leads the team to recruit his ex-girlfriend and member of the Emerald Enclave, Doric the druid. I first thought because of her horns and woodland theme that Doric was a fawn, only to discover that she is a tiefling abandoned by her parents for the very fact. Baldur’s Gate 3 is popular currently with tiefling being a playable race. Izzy you let me know that players are unlikely to craft tieflings with an appearance I could mistake for an elfish woodland creature. What do you think is the most popular way to portray these characters and what do you think is the best use of the tiefling?
A: I mean tieflings are complicated characters. I know quite a few people who won’t play them in Balder’s Gate for story reasons, cause really no other races like tieflings. And Tumblr had apparently decided they are gay but I am not sure how many people actually play them that way lol.
I do think the tiefling was wasted in the movie a bit, one cause she didn’t look like one really which I will come back to, and two cause while she makes a point to say no one likes tieflings it never actually factors into the plot in any way. No one in the story treats her differently and there isn’t even a side comment or dirty look in a crowd scene. Which I think was odd cause why bring it up at that point. Her living with the elves was cause no one else wanted her but she could have been an elf or a fawn thing and nothing would have changed. It doesn’t hinder the story that people don’t trust her, and she never speaks infernal or does any other tiefling specific things.
And her appearance is odd. I don’t know if it was a relatable to the audience thing or a budget thing but she looks like no tiefling I’ve ever seen.
I mean you probably COULD make one in character creation in something like Baldur’s Gate that looks like her but I mean if you google tieflings it’s normally more devil like or you know, at least not skin toned.
Hey Izzy here!
We watched the fantastic 1922 Nosferatu this time, so I knew I had to get some words from that movie’s number one fan, Tyler.
Tyler:
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror
There has never been a movie monster to inspire such feelings of horror as that of the vampire. Nigh-immortal, blood sucking, pale, and with an air of malice about them, they glide through the night preying on any unlucky enough to come across them. Stories of vampires (or the precursors thereof) have existed for thousands of years, across many civilizations throughout history, though the modern vampire rose to dominance in the eighteenth century, beginning with poetry and then prose in the nineteenth century, notably John Polidori’s “The Vampyre” in 1819,
and then appearing in numerous penny dreadfuls throughout the 1800s, giving rise to the most celebrated vampire novel in human history: Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” in 1897.
With the rise of cinema at the turn of the twentieth century, there was of course attempts to turn this legendary novel into film, the first of these being by F.W. Murnau, whose utter neglect in
getting the proper rights to the novel caused Stoker’s widow, Florence Balcombe, to sue. While this didn’t stop Murnau from adapting the essential story anyway, it did drive him to make a few
essential changes to the story and characters, creating the first vampire story put to film, the legendary “Nosferatu,” released in 1922.
While the major story beats were similar to that of its source material, “Nosferatu” differed in many ways from the novel. Dracula was now Count Orlok and indeed, all the characters’ names
were changed entirely, and the notorious vampire slayer Van Helsing was completely removed. There was an addition of rats carrying the plague to a German town that didn’t appear in the novel,
and sunlight being deadly to his ilk was introduced to the mythos here, but the most important change was to the vampire, the “noferatu” himself.
Modern depictions of Dracula are now largely inspired by that of Bela Lugosi’s depiction, with slicked back hair, a long cloak, and quite possibly the most expressive browline on any actor who ever lived. In stark contrast, Count Orlok was inhuman in his visage, with long ears like a bat,
ratlike teeth and fingers like slender knives. He wasn’t the suave, debonair vampire of today, but like a creature ripped straight from Hell.
The movie was—and in my opinion still is—an excellent horror film, though not at all conventional by today’s standards. Not present are the musical stings that seem to scream at you “be afraid!” in today’s films, absent are the jumpscares that serve to shock you rather than scare
you. Max Schreck’s Count Orlok is a spectre, a figure that lurks behind every door in his castle, a being whose very shadow seeks to disturb, to build in you a creeping terror that leaves you on the
edge of your seat. In fact, except for one single scene, he never even blinks, just stares in a way that pierces your very soul.
The film was considered frightening enough that, for fifty years thereafter, it was banned in Sweden for, “excessive horror.” It warped the existing vampire mythos that, even over a century
after its release, still shape the genre today. It was remade once, in 1979, by Werner Herzog—“Nosferatu the Vampire,” a faithful remake, though it reverted character names back to Dracula, Renfield, Harker, et. Al., and then in 2000, a fictionalized retelling of the making of
“Nosferatu” where Max Schrek is, indeed, a real vampire, was made: “Shadow of the Vampire,” starring Willem Dafoe as the nosferatu himself.
The movie’s influence is far-reaching. The image of Nosferatu inspired the portrayal of Kurt Barlow in the 1979 miniseries “’Salem’s Lot,” an adaptation of the Stephen King novel. More recently, we see the face of Dracula in “Last Voyage of the Demeter” bears striking resemblance to
Count Orlok, albeit one that heavily employs the use of CGI. The rock band, Blue Öyster Cult, my personal favorite band, wrote a song revolving around Graf Orlok himself. The movie currently holds an impressive 97% percent on Rotten Tomatoes, indicative of its
legendary status and cementing the hold that this century-old movie still has on us. There are many vampires in film today, many that bite or creep or suck or terrify—or “sparkle,” ugh—but there can
be only one Count Orlok, only one “Nosferatu.”
Thanks Tyler!
Ok so this was my first time watching this film, it is one of the classics I totally missed. I enjoyed it, the effects really hold up and I like how it is recognizable as a version of the Dracula story while doing its own thing. I mean I was confused why they used a Hyena for his wolf form but overall it was a great time. And it was really interesting that Catholicism didn’t “save the day”, which is a huge trope in Dracula, and honestly how little religious imagery was in this film at all was really surprising to me as a big vampire fan. I don’t know enough to know if that was just the creators personal views or him just adapting this story for a very odd time in German history (between the world wars) but it changes the story a lot. I do know that this movie gets criticized quite a bit for Olaf looking anti-sematic, esp. given where and when this was released but from what I can find that was not due to the views of the creator who was outspoken in defense of the Jewish people. I think it is just telling how some features become associated with horror over time.
Question time! Lauren what was your first interact with this movie like?
A: The last time I watched Nosferatu (1922) starring Max Schreck was way back in highschool, say 15 years ago, so this was a big refresher for me. I recalled that Count Orlok brought me to mind of Bram Stoker’s initial description of the vampire: a lean, frightening countenanced, elderly man. My first exposure to Stoker’s villian was, in fact, the 1931 film Dracula starring Bela Lugosi. I remember borrowing the VHS from the local library some time in elementary school and rewinding it to rewatch several times before returning the tape. The sophisticate as a predator was a novel story to me at the time, and Lugosi’s suave and imperious monster seemed both romantic and frightening. I do believe Schreck’s somewhat alien appearance and demeanor gives the viewer the intended effect of knowing that the vampire is not one of us, and neither does he think himself so. However, it is easy to see why adaptations inspired by Lugosi’s tuxedoed Dracula lean toward a vampire with a tragic backstory chasing after a reincarnated lover similar to that of the Mummy, although such is not true of the novel.
Podcast Cohost Lauren 9/14/2023
Confession time: I’ve never actually caught them all. I’ve played the Kanto and Hoenn regions and have handily bagged up the elite four, captured the legendary pokemon, and starred in Hoenn’s Pokemon Contest, but I have never finished a Pokedex. And I don’t intend to now! But where does our anime protagonist stand?
Ash Ketchum (in the English version) has been traveling far and wide on his quest to become a Pokemon master since 1997. To my knowledge, he has been ten years old ever since. Izzy and I checked in on the Pokemon Journeys arc starting in season 23 following Ash’s return to Pallet town from the Alola region where he earned his first ever championship. The first episode is a flashback to Ash’s childhood (younger than 10) that sets up Ash’s chronic tardiness, introduces our new co-protagonists, and gives us Pikachu’s tragic backstory. We don’t know how close the adoptive Kangaskhan parent was to Pallet town or how a Pichu got fat enough to be too heavy for Kangaskhan to continue carrying. After the first episode, we skipped ahead to episodes four and five where Ash and new companion Goh travel to the Galar region at Professor Cerise’s suggestion. It appears that know-it-all Goh is the real protagonist of this arc, since Ash behaves like he has been reduced in age as well as plot significance. Ash is the familiar face for the audience to learn about the world of Pokemon through the eyes of, and serves to highlight the two repeating goals of any Pokemon game: Ash want to be a Pokemon Master, and Goh seeks to complete the Pokedex.
Journeys concluded in season 25, after which a new arc without Ash begins with new characters from the Paldea region. The previous arc only recently finished airing in English, so the localization for Pokemon Horizons is not yet available. However, the games Pokemon Scarlet and Violet set in the Paldea region have been out since November 2022. I picked up Scarlet version this summer and am struggling to meet the requirements to join a seven star tera raid before MewTwo disappears from them on September 17th. Wish me luck! I’ve been playing Pokemon Go, so the game mode of raiding with friends was not new to me, but I am still behind on the myriad of temporary evolution mechanics that have been introduced since Pokemon X and Y. Three storylines must be completed in Pokemon Scarlet: the pokemon league, team star, and the mystery of the crater. Narrative really drives gameplay in this open world, but I find myself missing obstacles and puzzles from the older generations played on a top down map. While I love scaling walls on my Koraidon, I long to get stuck in a switch maze. This generation is ideally for anyone who plans to cosplay any of the Team Star bosses and those who want a Pokemon game that actually facilitates multiplayers.
Q: In the Pokemon: Journeys episodes we watched in the Galar region Ash and Goh ate scones, befriended a tsundere Scorbunny, and witnessed a Gigantamax Snorlax lying on a railroad track. Since you’ve played Pokemon Sword & Shield, I want to know what its selling point was for you. Were there any new gameplay features you enjoyed, and where do you think the game loses engagement?
A: Ok Izzy here! Honestly Galar for me was like mostly the vibes? I liked the character designs and the Scottish vibes. Like all the sheep and tartan.
And the wild area was really neat, plus seeing the all the wild Pokémon in 3D walking around was awesome. And I think the dynamax was a really good idea that spiced up the formula and made gym battles really interesting.
Unfortunately for me I lost interest cause while I liked grinding for the money to buy all the cute clothes and some of the new Pokemon were super cute, the game just didnt engage me past a few gyms. I got thru about 5 then just kind of, stopped playing. Nothing dramatic happened just kind of lost interest .
I am not sure I can say for sure if it is something the game did, I liked a lot like how they did fossils and some of the new Pokemon, but I think how easy the game was (which is fair its not for me) and how the multiplayer raid system was not well set up for working with friends, did not help me continue play.
I have it on my switch and it is something I could see myself bored playing but I doubt I will even finish it.
Podcast Cohost Lauren 8/10/2023
I, for one, think he is Clark Kent and *not* the other way around. What I mean is, I think Superman stories are the most compelling when Superman is just what Clark Kent does in addition to being a motivated reporter at the Daily Planet and huge simp for Lois Lane. Izzy and I watched the first couple episodes of the new show “My Adventures With Superman” (available on Max) to find out where it stood on the Clark Kent to Superman scale.
The “My” in “My Adventures With Superman” refers to this iteration of Lois Lane. She is in a protagonist trio with newbie intern Clark Kent and his roommate/also newbie intern Jimmy Olsen. Taking full advantage of her position as most senior intern, Lois quickly ropes the pair of newbies into her schemes to impress the Daily Planet’s chief editor and get an article of her own printed. While Jimmy seems to be all in on Lois’s daring plans which involve using child informants, putting themselves directly in harm’s way to lure out Superman, and later swiping the press badges of their fully credentialed colleagues; Clark questions her methods for endangering their lives and possibly their positions as interns. This leans into the act previous fans will be familiar with of Superman pretending to be meek as Clark Kent, but in “My Adventures”, his complaints to Lois seem more genuine and come from concern not only for himself but his companions. Later episodes do feature Superman making his non-super persona out to be if not a coward, a sensible safety-minded danger avoider, while also being inspired by Lois’s tenacity to take on some personal risk as Clark Kent.
Q: After watching four episodes, I still haven’t come to a conclusion on who the target audience is. The animation style and younger versions of these familiar characters leads me to believe it is to introduce DC Comics staples to the Saturday morning cartoon audience, but it appears unethical government agent Amanda Waller and lackey(?) Slade Wilson are the primary antagonists instead of the flashier Superman villains. Who do you think “My Adventures with Superman” is for, and do you think they’ll enjoy it?
A: Izzy here! I feel it is them trying to kind of “have their cake and eat it too” but I don’t think that its necessarily a bad thing. The Teen Titans show also had some deep themes about trauma, and while it did make Slade and Terra less dark , it balanced the Saturday morning cartoon but with complex themes things pretty well. And I think that is what this show is going for. Interesting for a younger audience and will introduce them to some staples of the universe, but there is a lot there for older fans. I personally like my DC a mix of serious and fun (more shows need the gentlemanly ghost as a villain lol) and I hope that that is what this show ends up being. After all Superman, while involved in dark storylines of course, he is “the big blue boy scout” so a young Clark starting out being like a buddy cop detective with Lois and Jimmy seems like a really great time honestly. I am curious to see how the show handles Slade and Cadmus, but with the Teen Titans shows and some of the movies I do think a lot of kids would know those characters to some extent. So hopefully it is a show that will teach something more nuance to a younger audience while still being interesting to an older audience.
Hey its Izzy this time, few days late sorry about that. Wanted to put this up for anyone that wants to interact with it!
I wanted to pop on a rant about Five Nights for a bit as a fill in for this week. 2023 is really the year of Fnaf, Ruin DLC comes out in a few days AND we are getting both Help Wanted 2 and the Movie later this year.
I really like this franchise and I am PUMPED. I just finished the 3rd novel and plan to start the Fazbear Frights books soon, and man is this series complicated. I have been keeping up on various theories, I really like Matpat and Fuhnaff, but I am open to learning about your favorites!
I will update this post with my thoughts on RUIN and the movie when it comes out! But feel free to add your comments to this post! Always love to talk about this series.
Update: ok so I have a lot of thoughts about Ruin. First of all I am glad I read the novel cause boy do I think that helped.
First I don’t think that Ruin can take place that long after the first game. Cassie is really young but not only remembers going to the pizzaplex/ switching out Bonnie/staying in the daycare/ having her birthday there and also she remembers the Foxy log ride. And she says it was fun so it must have been operational fairly recently. But in Security breach there is no trace of it unlike Bonnie Bowl, it has totally been ripped out and replaced. Now we don’t know how long ago that was, or how long ago the raceway fell in but I assume it was open for Cassie’s party and can’t haven been gone too long as they did not replace Roxy in the band.
Just spit-balling here and I do not claim to be an expert on the series in ANYWAY, but there is a lot to chew on in this game. Fuhnaff did some great live theorizing and honestly there’s stuff in the books I left with a lot of questions about that he seems to be getting toward, look out for his timeline/Ruin theory.
Last update to this post (overdue sorry), and it is about the movie this time. I got to see the movie in theaters (my first time in one since covid and boy was it weird but hey have to pull it out for FNAF) and honestly I really enjoyed it. Again glad I read the books as I did not expect the “drawing is used to remind the dead kids the Yellow Rabbit isn’t their friend” plot to come back but hey it does kind of work. I did not mind the slightly sillier tone sometimes, as it was neat to see the dead kids well, acting like kids to be honest. And the Ella doll string lock suit? The hell was with that. Let me know if you think it was just a fun Easter egg or what.
Also Matthew Lillard, amazing 10/10 no notes lol
Golden Freddy is like a hell of a thing in movie too, he is just the right amount of sinister and you never actually see the physical suit for most of the film but his ghost is always around in the dream scenes. Now I do not know if there will be 2 spirits in Golden Freddy in this universe or if there is a equivalent of the crying child or what. But the “vengeful spirit” aspect is pretty spot on.
And making Vanessa William’s actual daughter is crazy, and I am unsure if we should read into that or not. Her parallels to Elizabeth were already crazy so this just adds to it.
I should probably rant about this for ages as I keep remembering stuff but I am gonna hold out and stop this here.
Let me know what you think!!
Podcast Cohost Lauren 6/22/2023
An incredibly influential science fiction series, Frank Herbert’s Dune (1965), received a movie adaptation in 2021. And maybe other sci-fi fans are asking why did it take me two years to watch the movie–wasn’t it really hyped?: I was suspicious of the casting of the current most popular actors from all the action, and particularly super-hero, flicks. And possibly you are wondering will I compare it to the 1984 film?: no, I tried to watch the for television cut twice and could not make it all the way through. So why did I gleefully stir up (not shake) some martinis, lay out the snack trays, and trap Izzy and Zach (of ForeverClassic Podcast and also my spouse) in a room to watch a two-and-a-half hour movie that is only a part 1? Because I needed an excuse to rant about all the characters and concepts from the greater Dune franchise that absolutely show up in my favorite video game: more on that later.
There are some changes to the source material that left me with questions, but I found this first trip to Arrakis compelling. Our protagonist, Paul Atreides, is played by Timothee Chamalet as an eager young dukeling. The slight romantic lead was not how I envisioned the grandson of bullfighter Paulus Atreides, but starting with the image of a refined nobleman’s son may convey his journey into manhood among the Fremen better to a movie audience. Zendaya of MJ fame takes the role of Paul’s love interest Chani. Most of the film her role is to show up in Paul’s dreams cryptically. This establishes his budding prescience and happens enough to become an irritant. Her most establishing interaction is to hand Paul a crysknife before his fight with Jamis, where she betrays her utter lack of belief in Paul. I hope the brief comedy in this exchange carries over to their destined partnership. Another big name, Jason Momoa (Aquaman), takes on the role of Duncan Idaho, favorite uncle of Paul Atreides. In contrast to my surprise over the casting of Paul, Duncan had appeared to me as a lithe swashbuckling swordsman akin to Zorro instead of a powerhouse, but Momoa carries the charm that is essential to the character. A change that I hope is explained in the sequel set to come out later this year, is Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Judge of the Change on Arrakis Liet-Kynes. In the novel, Liet-Kynes is the leader of the Fremen as well as Chani’s father; her relationship to Chani was not addressed by the end of the movie, but I am suspicious that Stilgar is assuming both roles. Finally, Poe Dameron Oscar Isaac is Duke Leto Atreides. He just is, I loved it, no notes.
My Thoughts on Dune’s influence on other sci-fi in PART 2!
Q: Dune places Paul as the Kwisatz Haderach, end goal of the Bene Gesserit breeding program and messiah figure for the Fremen people. He is locked into a chosen one narrative. What do you think of destiny as a driving force for a plot or ideal to strive towards or fight against for characters?
A: Ok Izzy here again. And honestly I have really mixed feelings on “chosen one” type narratives. I find that they are used mostly in young adult fiction to get like the reluctant hero who doesn’t want to be there. Also Bildungsroman (where it is mostly framed on the growth of the character from childhood to adulthood). And that CAN work but I also think it can be a little lazy? Like I couldn’t think of a reason for this so fuck it its destiny. For me the world has to be developed in a way where it is interesting for another reason, so if a skill is the reason that the person is “chosen”. For example I didn’t really like in Divergent where you are this thing just because, you were born special. But like Harry Potter (which has A TON of problems I know) I like that Harry is chosen because of a choice the villain made, even with a prophecy involved which can be iffy. So far Dune is doing like a Messiah thing but also it is manipulated in the background actively so I don’t mind as much that it take work and planning and honestly pretty questionable actions. So I am curious how it is handled in part 2
Podcast Cohost Lauren 5/25/2023
Chatting with an MMO alliance member the other day, I learned that a new Japanese food related drama was out on Netflix. We (myself and alliance member) had both completed the series Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories and she was recommending Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman to me (I had not committed to watching but it is now on my list) when she added that there was now also The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (January 2023). I thought, “Oh, that sounds similar to anime Kiyo in Kyoto: From the Maiko House (2021) that I watched on Crunchyroll,” and indeed they are adaptations of the same manga which is sadly not licensed in English. Since I was so charmed by the anime, I asked Izzy to rewatch the first three episodes with me so we could then watch and compare them with the first episode of the drama.
The anime and live action shows for Kiyo in Kyoto have a different organization, purpose and tone. Both shows follow principle characters high-school aged Kiyo and her childhood best friend Sumire, called Su-chan by Kiyo, from the prefecture Aomori on their journey to the maiko house as apprentices. It soon becomes evident that Sumire is a standout talent, while Kiyo is too clumsy with rhythm and etiquette to become an elegant dancer and entertainer. However, when the original makanai (chef who prepares the meals for the girls living in the maiko house) throws out her back, Kiyo steps in with her special interest for cooking and is asked to stay as the new makanai. In the anime, we are introduced to these characters in media res: Sumire is just about to be promoted from apprentice to Maiko, and Kiyo is already the live-in chef. Briefly, Sumire’s expression blanches when she gives her best friend the news; this is the same goal Kiyo came to the Maiko house for and could not achieve. But Kiyo never shows and ounce of regret, only excitement for her friend’s accomplishment, so Sumire resolves to be the greatest maiko to fulfill both of their dreams. In the live-action drama, the girls are being seen off at the train from Aomori to Kyoto by Kiyo’s grandmother and the girls’ classmate Kenta. The story of how Kiyo becomes a makanai instead of a maiko is told in a linear format. The difference is likely because the anime episodes each feature a couple of short slice-of-life scenes that illustrate what goes in to becoming a maiko as well as cooking segments that feature a dish eaten by the girls during the story. It is more of a comedy and cultural education program. The drama chooses to tell an episode length narrative with more time to spend on how the girls’ paths diverged.
While holding the same plot, I imagine the anime and drama to be intended for different audiences. The anime is so friendly that I almost read it as a tourist advertisement for Kyoto. The food and culture segments seem aimed at reminding teen girls to eat nutrient dense foods. Meanwhile, the drama hints that as well as the strictness of living in the house and the training regimen, there are other difficulties girls becoming maiko and then geisha may have to contend with such as over-stepping fans and the jealousy of their peers. The friendly variety show is more for me.
Q: Izzy, when we started Kiyo in Kyoto, you voiced skepticism that the girls’ guardians would be thrilled that they entered training to become maiko with becoming geisha ostensibly in their future. This was, in fact, corroborated when Kenta mentioned to Kiyo’s grandmother at the train station that Sumire’s father wished she would have chosen high school instead. What arguments do you think he might have had against her vocational aspirations?
A: Ok so I looked into it and I think its a combination of a few things. Watching it a first I thought MAYBE it was due to like Mizuage (tradition of selling a Maiko’s virginity) but that was outlawed in 1956 under the Prostitution prevention law.
I then found an article by the Tokyo Weekender about the problem of “Geisha Hunting” in Kyoto where Geisha and Maikoes were regularly harassed by tourists for photos, getting swarmed and sometimes even grabbed. There are laws against photography in private alleys around Hanamikoji with large fines attached, but we see someone taking a photo of Sumire without permission within the context of the show. Soo it does seem to be a problem still to some extent. So that forever lack of privacy could be a factor.
There also isn’t a lot of privacy in the house, with all the apprentices sharing rooms, and honestly the job is really taxing and apparently only half of Maiko continuing on so as a career it is a gamble. Plus its a distance away and the apprentices are not allowed cell phones and only get 2 days off a month, so communication would be rare and very hard. Add to that that Geisha are not allowed to marry until they retire and you end up with your child far away, with a 50 percent chance of failure, with minimal contact, and unlikely to get grandchildren in the future; I think a lot of parents would be worried. I think not seeing her off is harsh though. But that could be a cultural thing, I know that there is a lot more expectation of your children caring for you in you old age in Japan, so that could also be a factor. Especially if she is an only child.
Nerdy Ladies with Opinions