Quiver

Just saw Gravity Falls, 'The Stanchurian Candidate'.

From what I understand, Robinson made Alan gay since the brief meant he had to be de-aged, which got rid of Alan's kids...and Robinson felt like he had to make up for the fact that that meant that Obsidian (who was gay) never existed. Personally, I don't mind the change...but I'm not sure if it's one that has worked or not. Alan's introduction involved his boyfriend (Sam) dying and since then, Alan's sexuality hasn't come up at all. You could certainly argue that that's a good change, that treating a homosexual relationship identical to a heterosexual one is the best way to handle things. On the other hand, Sam could have been Samantha, and literally nothing about Alan's character would change. And-while Alan was pushed as E2's "Superman"- he hasn't gotten any focus in over a YEAR, and has more or less been written out of the book. So...while I don't mind Alan being gay (in theory), I think the way it has been handled is...less than optimal. But that's a discution for a different thread, I think...

Well, in the case of Thor and Cap, they aren't the same characters. The classic versions -the Odinson and Steve Rogers- have been replaced with new people using those names -a woman and Sam Wilson.Changing a character is a little more contentious, and grounds for a different discussion. For instance, there is kind of a big complaint in comic fans at the moment with regards Wally West. Traditionally, Wally was Kid Flash (the Flash's sidekick), and a white, ginger guy. He eventually grew up, became the Flash, married and had kids. In the New52 universe, Wally was recently reintroduced as a black kid, and hasn't any super powers yet. On the one hand, you could point to this with the same arguments as the Captain/Thor examples; DC is being progressive and updating a classic character for modern audiences. On the other hand, there has been a HUGE backlash against it, because this Wally West isn't anything like the Wally fans had before- his attitude, personality, background and race are all different. He's Wally West In Name Only. And that bothers people, because that's a case of changing the character. If 52!Wally was a new Kid Flash who happened to be black, I doubt there'd be such anger against him...but as it is, there's fans who want the "real" Wally back, and having this version is annoying to them. (I don't have a dog in this fight, since I've never read Flash comics). (Alan Scott is kind of in the same boat, since his version these days is gay...but Alan was a relatively minor character before anyway, so the changes slipped through without much fuss. Wally was THE Flash for decades, so its a bigger deal...and I say that as a JSA fan) Basically, retcons and fans can be weird?

I'll have a look over it when I have a bit more time... but would it be possible for you to change the formatting a little? I realize that that's probably the "right" font and presentation for books... but I have to admit, on a computer screen, it's a little difficult to read. Adding a space between paragraphs, if nothing else, would make things a little easier...

So, would you say misspellings are one of your fantasy pet peeves? Let's discut!

Everything about AXIS was unfortunate. And I say that as the type of person who loves Earth-3 and loves the heck out of mirror universes.

Random point about changing characters gender, race or sexuality. (Slightly too late to the conversation, but whatever...) Yes, the classic versions of characters are more well-known *as* the character in question; Cap is white, Thor is male, Spider-Man is Peter Parker. But a big part of why characters are designed with particular characteristics is a result of when they were created. There is no way that Steve Rogers was going to be a black hero in the 1940s. Even if there weren't any cultural biases with regards race at the time, there's still a cultural perception of how a hero "should" look. Frankly, Steve Rogers looks boring; put him, Flash Gordon and a half-dozen other male heroes side by side, and you'd find it tough to pick him out of a line-up. So, if society is changing, so should our opinions of how a hero or heroine should look. A black Captain America isn't just a social experiment; Cap is held as one of the greatest heroes of the MCU. Having a black man fill that role enforces that African-Americans have as much of a role in society as white guys. (Not coincidently, there's also a black Superman in current comics, so it's not exclusively a Marvel thing). I've seen the complaint that people should just make new characters for other genders and races...but there is a certain...legitimacy that comes with an established title, that really drives the point home. It's not just that there is a new superheroine who is a Muslim; she's Ms Marvel, a brand which has been around since the 70s/80s. It gets attention for books, sure...but it also reenforced the reality of the world. It isn't "just" a new character that the company is pushing; it's one of the pillars of their universe. When you change one of the foundation blocks of a universe, that reverberates down the line. (Actually, I've seen that as an interesting point of discussion for the current storylines. The "Old Guard" of Steve, Tony and Thor effectively destroyed their world...so the new universe has a new Cap and a new Thor to put the pieces back together). The other point I have is that...a lot of the reasons why characters are iconic is because of how long they've been around, and thanks to the audience that becomes familiar with them. My first Batgirl was Cassandra Cain (an Asian woman) and there's a whole generation who connect the name Green Lantern with John Stewart (African-American), rather than Hal Jordan or Kyle Rayner. Who is to say that Miles Morales can't become the Spider-Man? If he is published and pushed as the real Spidey -and not just an alternative to Peter- why can't he become who people associate the name "Spider-Man" with? He hasn't been around as long...but he can be built up over time. Heck, he's already iconic enough that he's surviving into the new universe as Spider-Man AND an Avenger! I hang out in DC these days...but everything I've seen suggests they are pushing Sam as THE Captain America, not just a placeholder for Steve Rogers. That's good storytelling, and can lead to exciting new stories! I loved the Batman Inc era because it was doing the same thing with Batman, and Steve Rogers "Super-Cop" era was a storyline that made sense. Comic book fans are used to changes being temporary. Characters die and come back to life all the time. Steve Rogers has been replaced as Cap at least three times now. I don't get why people are complaining about it this time, just because the new Captain America is black, because the odds are pretty good Steve will come back one day... And if he doesn't, it means we get a new, interesting dynamic and status quo. Win-win.

So... As anyone else listened to the Friendship Games soundtrack yet? (If you haven't and plan too, heads up: it contains at least one song that seems to be a pretty big spoiler)

Not totally relevant but... You might be interested in the original Spider-Girl. One of the things it involved was a cool female protagonist, and a Peter Parker who retired from crime-fighting after losing a leg. Oh, and for cool superheroine costumes that are actually functional? Check out Batgirl's newest costume. Stylish, utilitarian, chic and unique. Seriously, such a great costume.

What if the prospective mind wiper reads this thread and prepares counter measure for your counter measures?

Personally, I liked Missy a lot more in this episode than I did last year, probably for similar reasons. Her serious moments were a lot stronger this time -I loved her 'friendship' speech- and I thought her craziness was toned down slightly. ... I just ignore the looney-toon style psychic projection. That was dumb.

Uh. So, can anyone explain what, exactly, Durkula just cast on Roy? Not quite sure I get it... Also, damnation. I refer to my earlier comments, that Roy still think's he's fighting his Durkon. That's sad.

Thanks Kaymyth! Hope you don't mind the upvote! Eh... the episode was alright. Don't get me wrong, I loved the Noir black-and-white scenes, and Rraity's monologuing, not to mention the general yay's of finally having an episode where Rarity interacts with a member of the group besides Applejack. I just wasn't blown over by the whole thing. It was alright. (Though I was surprised that Sassy Saddles was back. I liked her in Canterlot Carousel, so I was pleased to see her here... even if the reference to a female pony collecting the cake made me think she was going to be revealed as an accomplice.)

Is that a Pokemon? I keep thinking it looks like a Mudkip crossed with a cat... 7/10. I need to know what it is!

I have no idea how to world-build, so I'm mostly just following Deimos... ...But any more general or theoretical advice ya'all would be interested in dispensing would be greatly appreciated.

Thor! ...what? Thor is a woman in the comics now, and Marvel is owned by Disney... Who is your favourite MALE Disney character?

BBC iPlayer should have it up by now, I think. Not to mention that Amy had five episodes in her half of season 7, Clara got seven. By episodes, if Clara stays until the end if this season, I think she'll have two episodes more than Amy. You saw the episode, I take it?

A summary would be helpful, if that's okay. I'd still rather read the thread itself, but an overview so I can follow the meta arc more easily would be nice Also, Aldo, wut?

I'll try to keep that in mind for the future... though I have a confession to make: I'm finding Dalles really hard to follow. Part of that is probably because of the skimming -so I'm getting a little lost- but early on it feels very much like a spin-off of the Portland game. Considering I haven't read Portland, I'm a little confused as to who, precisely, Remington Springfield is, why Koeschi is such a big deal*, Backtrack's deal... And, as a non-States person, I have to ask: how big is the Dalles, exactly? I'm assuming it's based on a real location, but- at least early on- it feels like characters are a lot more spread out than just a single city. Keeping track of all the different epics, and where they are, is a little... head-turning. *This is significantly motivated by the writing. Seriously, the writing you guys make is awesome in general, but all the Koeschi stuff? I am torn between wanting to applaud Twi, or lock her up in some kind of asylum.

I'm reading the Dalles - well, skimming it, since I read up to the Panda Invasion before, so this is a refresher up to that point- and I just found something. From here. I read the Dalles a while ago, before I read the Reckoners books, and long before I invented Sentry, So clearly I stole the idea for Sentry's powers from Mail-mi subconsciously. ...No but seriously, sorry for the power theft.

I haven't finished Elantris, so I can't comment on it. But yes. This is one of the major strengths of Brandon's writing, I think. I've mentioned it elsewhere. The first book of his that I read was The Final Empire, and I fell in love with Vin right away. A big part of that was her voice, and her thought process. It didn't match exactly, but her paranoia -specifically her repeated mantra's to herself about people betraying her, her compulsion decisions to keep quiet and look for avenue's of escape... it all reminded me of my own Obsessive-Compulsive traits. I don't think I've ever related to a protagonist of a series as quickly as I did to Vin; usually, I find the side-characters more interesting, but this time... I finally felt like I'd found a protagonist who I could really relate to. Then, look at his other works. You've already mentioned Raoden, but there's also Kaladin for the depression, or Renarin (who is somewhat autistic). You have Vivenna's self righteousness, Marasi's unashamed love of femininity. Brandon's characters are great because they cover a wide range of personality types and spectrums. They aren't -as Bard says- all gloomy or niave and irritating; there's a range to them. It makes them moe varied, increases the chance that they will appeal to readers - because there will be at least ONE character who you connect with- and makes them more interesting. Heck, I've said it before: I'm not a fan of Kaladin. I feel like his story goes back to him angsting and brooding too often. But I still find it fascinating that this character -one who is meant to be honorable, who the readership is supposed to respect and admire as an ideal of the Knight Radiant- is so openly racist. The same goes for Vivenna, and her opinion of Hallandren. Racism isn't realty a character trait that we expect to see in our heroes; it's unpleasant and nasty. And including it in Kaladin and Vivenna not only raises awareness of how racist attitudes can express themselves in the real world -beyond blatant slurs and violence- it also makes them, in some ways, more realistic, and offers them ways to develop and grow. After all, Vin learning to trust people, taking the steps to overcome her paranoia -even if she'll never be able to fully forget it- is something that struck a chord with me. Like I said, I related to her because of my OCD; seeing someone address a similar poblem and move on with their life -and become a hero- was inspiring.

Season Nine spoilers. Seriously. Huge spoilers from radios and internet. You have been warned.

History!... Which is why I studied English at university instead. Favorite sub-forum on this site?

Oooh, if you guys do decide to go through with this, would you mind posting it in a new thread so people can follow your progress? I am -fairly well established by this point- terrible at worldbuilding, and having an on-site "how to" guide would be ridiculously helpful.

Where's a Lazarus Pit with you need one?! Ah well. Enjoy the game, and good luck to everyone!