It's Not a Plothole - It's Missed Details | A Response to TheEpicNate315's Video

As I've grown up over the years, I've come to accept that there's a lot of nuance to life, and that it isn't exactly wise to mentally tear into somebody just because their failure to meet your standards gives you the mental gymnastics to brand them an idiot... 

 

I mean, it was that kind of attitude 

that lead into a three month abusive relationship for me...

And all because she didn't know, 

nor cared to help me find out, that I had ADHD...

But oh, do I totally understand just how much easier it would be if I just did and be done with it!

If the title wasn't a big enough indicator, here's the thing: 

I was watching Skyrim videos and stumbled across TheEpicNate315, 

who had a video about five plot holes in Skyrim that made no damn sense...

 

...and to be honest, it pissed me off... at first...

Because the reality of the matter is that the one that stuck out to me did make sense...

 

But remember kiddies - nuance.  

Whether I liked it or not, there was a possibility (no matter how unlikely I thought it might be) that this individual either didn't play or watch any walk-throughs regarding Skyrim's predecessor - Oblivion.

So which of the five plot-holes do I essentially have a bug in my ass about?

The Dark Brotherhood encounters prior to joining said brotherhood. 

Basically, TheEpicNate said that it doesn't make any sense 

that The Dark Brotherhood would recruit you if you already have a contract against you...

Here's the kicker though: it does make sense.

 

While all of this can be chalked up to an obedience game for Astrid at the end of it all...

 

and I could be wasting my time due to Elder Scroll's natural ambiguity,

Astrid's general "fuck you", 

and nobody able say anything about it prior to the Dragonborn being revealed as the Listener...

 

I feel it is important to be enlightened on the spirit and parallels with the Dark Brotherhood prior to Skyrim.  Astrid may be an idiot for following her very specific idea of what the Dark Brotherhood looks like, but there are details that she (intentionally or not) follow through with that can be traced back to Oblivion.

Let's start with the Oblivion quest The Assassinated Man.

This is the one time in which you're not supposed to kill somebody: 

instead, you're supposed to help somebody stage a death... there own.

If you talk to Vicente Valtieri, he'll reveal a curious detail about the contract:

Francois Motierre offered his own mother for the Dark Brotherhood to accept his contract,

a detail that was handled by Lucien Lachance.

Why would the Dark Brotherhood do this? 

For the same reason Telaendril being able to join the Dark Brotherhood in the first place:

if you talk to her about it, she'll say this,

"Actually, Lucien did not try to recruit me. Not at first. He tried to kill me. My father wanted me dead, and he hired the Dark Brotherhood to do it. I escaped from Lucien, and paid my father back for his treachery. Lucien came to me again that night with an offer I just couldn't refuse."

Basically, there's a consistent theme of the value in souls.  Yes, even over gold.

Whether Astrid is doing this as some kind of power-play, or it's one of the rules she's cherry-picked into following as the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, there seems to be a general implication that implies what happened in Oblivion applies to Skyrim.

Now, while there isn't any definitive proof that Astrid cares about blood-price when she recruits you, the ambiguity of the game leaves it open as a possibility, and the laws established in the previous game cement this idea even further.  Top this off with your proof of value not only in killing Grelod, but every Dark Brotherhood assassin that's come after prior to starting the quest.

 

In fact, I'm convinced that the three hostages in the beginning Skyrim quest was deliberate: 

one to pay for your own blood price (the contract you had on your head),

two to cover the fact you "stole" Grelod the Kind as a target, 

and the third is more for shits and giggles, testing just how far the Dragonborn is willing to kill.

For those willing to sit down for about an hour, Camelworks did a video on this,

picking it apart down to the last annoying details, on top of what I mentioned already.

As I've said before, I chalk this up not to stupidity, but criminal neglect of details.  I checked his channel, and while most of his videos are about Skyrim or Fallout, I was under the impression that he would know better but didn't meet the mark. I mean, Camelworks was able to go in between games that are directly correlated with each other, I don't see how this would be a problem for TheEpicNate, who has done tons of videos on Skyrim.

At the end of the day, I suppose it's kind of funny... 

but funny in a lack of amusment kind of way.

Making A Deal With the Devil: An Elder Scrolls Theory

So, I have this weird thing of listening to videos while I'm working... 

If and when work will actually let me do such a thing. 

 

Among the the plethora of videos in that collection were a few created by Camelworks in his Elder Scrolls Detective series, including Did Emperor Titus Mede II ASSASSINATE HIMSELF? 

 

 

On a side note, while I like the commentary that he presents, I'm afraid I find his introduction a little too annoying for my tastes, and thus recommend you fast-forward a minute to skip it.

Getting back on topic, I had a bit of an epiphany in the form of two questions:

Why would Titus Mede II go through the trouble of getting Goldbrand?

More importantly, what did Titus Mede II give up to get it?

 

This all might be silly, but take into context what Goldbrand actually is: a Daedric artifact.

As far as I know, just about every Elder Scrolls game where Daedric artifacts are acquirable items (especially during and after Oblivion), the Daedra that are correlated with them sends the player character on some kind of quest: my point is, Daedra just don't give up the artifacts without some degree of compensation.

Now, the first question can be easily answered: by virtue of it being a Daedric artifact and how powerful they are in the Elder Scrolls universe, then it's no wonder why Titus Mede II would want that kind of power at his disposal when trying to take back a city (see Battle of the Red Ring), but you can't expect me to believe that a Daedra would care about the affairs of mortals, much less politics.

The answer to the second question came to me when I was watching the video you see above: 

I believe that the manner in which Titus Mede II assassinated himself was part of the deal that he made with Boethia to get Goldbrand.

On a moral level, as the video explains, I get why he would do this, but don't you think it's kind of odd that Titus Mede II (ironically) would do all of the very things that define who Boethiah is - the Daedra of (and I quote), "deceit, conspiracy, treachery, and sedition."?

 

As far as I know of Boethiah, (as a Daedra) doesn't care about mortals or what happens to them, but rather action (read Boethiah's Proving).  So, at the very least, the underhanded-ness that Titus Mede II did later on would, at the very least, be amusing to her, because anyone in game were none the wiser.

I imagine that the deal Titus Mede II made with Boethia was something akin to getting Goldbrand right then and there on the condition of his own soul, unless a conspiracy was part of the deal itself.  To kill two birds with one stone (giving the Empire a chance to be saved and winning Boethia's favor) he had himself executed in the following manner.

There is only one problem with this theory: according to the Battle of the Red Ring, it actually wasn't Titus Mede II who went into battle, but rather The Forgotten Hero in Elder Scrolls: Legends. 

 

To quote, "After informing the Emperor of Lord Naarifin's plan, the companions went to the Imperial City Arena, posing as gladiators in order to infiltrate the city. After their infiltration, they went through crypts until they reached the White-Gold Tower. Inside Lord Naarifin's study, they learned that Lord Naarifin had used the Orb of Vearmina to track the Imperial army. Lord Naarifin and Reive, however, arrived at the study and the companions had to fight them. Reive had been granted Goldbrand by Boethiah to destroy the companions."

 

Assuming this is true, that would mean that this theory crumbles into pieces.

Instead of making a deal with Boethia himself, chances are that The Forgotten Hero actually got their hands on Goldbrand through Reive, and it was one Daedra to another before it fell into the hands of mortals.  

 

Nevertheless, I wanted to talk about it because the ambiguity of the theory kind of made sense to what makes Elder Scrolls interesting.  Rather than outright saying that Titus Mede II had set up an assassination against himself, I feel like they should have done the same thing here.  That way, it would be up the fans to talk over what Titus Mede II actually did and what that actually says about his character.

Oh well, at least it was an interesting thought.

🔞The Mark | Review ☆☆★★

 

Summary

The Mark is a WildeHopps (Nick x Judy) fan-comic, drawn and written by Koraru-san.

"It's something like a ritual.  Some animals share their essences as a sign of belonging.  It's a bit primitive, but a huge demonstration of love.

Although it isn't surprising that you didn't know: it's only something that only predators usually do.

More easily... it's like giving an engagement ring."

- Benjamin Clawhauser

Judy Hopps, being a bunny, is naturally prey, so of course she wouldn't know the rituals concerning predator's ways of love.  However, this is a bit of a problem because the mammal she likes is her partner on the force... who happens to be a predator.

🚨🚨🚨 SPOILERS AHEAD! 🚨🚨🚨

If you don't want anything spoiled for you 

before reading this review, read the comic now! 

⚠️ Demographic Recommendation: No One Under 18 🔞

I feel like the themes that this comic explores isn't for children.  

There are a few obvious indications toward this recommendation: blood/gore (mainly through cuts gashes on the account of the violence, but also a dead body here and there), cursing/swearing, drug use, and a good chunk of this comic exploring various sexual theme(s) when not furthering the blood and gore.

Now, for the sake of honesty, I will say that they don't explicitly show the sex: this comic isn't porn.  Hell, I'd say that with the way sexual themes are handled, it reminds me of K-Dramas in a way, just way more sensual with a hint of anime flamboyancy in it, which is actually quite normal in fan-fiction.  However, the timing of the sex is definitely within the fornication territory.

Despite encroaching into that, there is an unspoken theme of sex (fornication or not) handled respectively by the mammals we're supposed to be rooting for, so that's a plus, I suppose. 

Nonetheless, my synopsis remains the same: I wouldn't recommend this comic to anyone under the age of eighteen and/or seriously immature, especially about sexual themes.  If edgy, sensual gore happens to be something up your alley, then I would recommend this comic to you: I will get into later about my explanation.

☆ Design/Drawing

As the comic cover will show, the drawing style isn't top-notch stuff.

There aren't many backgrounds, and when there are, it's only enough background to give you a rough idea of where the individual(s) in question are. It's recommended that you see the movie first in order to have a better context to where some things are.  Even then, there are some places that have no real context to the movies.

However, as information suggests, this comic was made in 2016, and the more recent art suggests that Koraru's art has progressed nicely. You can even see notable improvements over the course of the comic.  You'll see what I mean should you decide to read it.

½ Grammar

All in all, the grammar was relatively easy to follow.  The pronunciations weren't perfect and there are a few remarks that seem outside of the voices of the characters, but all-in-all I was able to read the comic without too much confusion of the point that was trying to be made.  It is exactly because I was able to follow the comic is why I give a half-rating instead of no star at all.

According to the information in the comments, there's another individual who looks over the grammar, so huge props to them for putting in the work to make sure that it's easier to follow.

★ Storyline

As I've said before, Judy really likes Nick, and that's made pretty obvious to the viewer in the first two chapters, sometimes with a funny hint sprinkled in here and there.  Even though she's handled animals ten times her size, given her job, she's having trouble telling Nick how she really feels about him: not as a partner or a friend, but as a potential lover.

We find out later in chapter three that Nick actually feels the same way about her, but it's complicated because he instinctively wants her under his cool-boy facade, and nonetheless afraid that one wrong move will make Judy want to leave his life forever.

Thus, as far as relationship dynamic goes, they are the type who are pining for each other, but both are kinda dense about it because they are used to each other.  Thankfully, there's another different-species couple that helps them along with it, mainly Eliot.

If the mascot of WildeHopps isn't Eliot, I don't know what is.

Getting back on topic, I believe that there is more saying than there is showing.  Given, there's a bit of both, but one shows up far more than the other.  Instead of just showing what the bad guys are doing, we're told what they are doing most of the time, and the showing element takes its time into showing its head later in the chapters, but even then it's mostly showing.

However, given the nature of the comic itself, if they did it the other way around, then I'm pretty sure that this comic would have gotten a stronger mature rating.

Anyway, because they told more than they showed, I would say it was pretty easy to follow. I wouldn't even call it deep: it's personal, which is all fine and well, but any depth is from the what simply hasn't been revealed to the reader yet.

I would argue that this comic is more emotional, sensual, and dramatic than deep.  Does it serve the story that it's trying to tell pretty well? Yes, I would say it is, but there really isn't a deeper theme to the story other than (maybe) "true love" since marking is the indication of a soulmate.  To put it plainly, marking another mammal, at least to a predator, is a really big deal, which is why it serves well into the tension of the story.

The only other thing about the story is the comedy.  There is a bit of comedy, and as far as easing off the tension goes, I'd say it wasn't too bad.  Most of it came from Eliot or the extra pages though: if you've read the comic, you know what I'm talking about, and why I say that even the humor has an anime element to it.  There's a good reason why he's a good WildeHopp mascot.

½ Personal Opinion(s)

Just so I don't repeat myself, I'll summarize my feelings to this: it's generic, but generic in a sensual, bloody way... I have reason to believe that edgy would be appropriate for this situation too, given the natural aura that this comic gives off.

I look forward to more from this artist, as making a comic at all, much less being so close to completing it, isn't an easy thing to do.  There are plenty of extra pages that don't have any direct influence on the main plot, so I'm getting the impression that the artist really enjoyed doing this.

Please understand that my synopsis might differ from other's personal opinion: there is a chance that this combination of bloody, sensual edge might be something up your alley.  There wouldn't be a whole lot of content for it in the fan-fiction communities if it wasn't something that somebody enjoyed.

Fat Acceptance is Death Acceptance | YouTube Comment

 

So among the videos that I watch from Dr. Shaym, one of them is Fat Acceptance is Death Acceptance, a response video to How To Get A Bikini Body — For Feminists!

 

 

In addition to his dry humor being pretty hilarious, there was a part about the feminist video that had... well, let's just say some very disturbing implications.

 

No, it isn't the obvious obesity meaning bigger graves for the just as big fat-asses: I mean the girl with the one leg.

 

Under normal circumstances, I would say that she's the most impressive out of all the girls in this video because in addition to being the only one in shape, her balance is on another level because of that one leg. I bring it up because while I was watching Dr. Shaym's response, I had a thought that I couldn't get out of my head: the implications of the girl with one leg telling me that no one can tell me what my body should look like.

 

 

And look, I get the point: no man an tell me what to do with my body, I get it.

However, and all it took was a few seconds, I had a "what-if" moment.  

I mean, there's no reasonable way that this woman would amputate her own leg for the glory of feminism... 

 

 

...and I'm pretty damn sure that's the case, but fat acceptance (intentionally or unintentionally) is accepting all of the consequences that come from being fat: heart attacks, diabetes, high cholesterol and, yes, even risking the amputation of one's own body parts to save the rest.

So yeah, while it was coming from a well-intended place to have her say this, they undercut their point by having her say that line.  This isn't trying to be racist or mean: it's showing the best way I know how of the implications behind the script she was given, and in a way, I kind of feel sorry for her for being wrapped up in this to begin with.

God's love, grace, and mercy be with you all. 🌙

In Defense of Gaston | YouTube Comment

In Defense of Gaston, by Fodero

By the logic you put down as far as Gaston goes, I have a proposition as into how they could make any remake of Beauty & the Beast better.  

Instead of portraying Belle's neglect in a 100% positive light, have the movie acknowledge Belle's mannerisms and how they are destructive to her own character. Heck, this could be an opportunity to add a brand new character: a friend who cares enough about her to call her out on her own shit because the town won't do so, but is kind enough with the town to be able to mingle with them, especially when said friend has had enough from time to time. If anything, during the part of the movie where they storm the Beast's castle, the friend could tell Belle that she's had enough of her thinking that her life is provincial when she hasn't done a damn thing to make the world less provincial. Heck, the said friend could even be one of her sisters from the original story. 

  Instead of making the Beast an ignorant brat, redesign his character to being a competent ruler, but thinks that no one would love him because of some quirk in his character design that's actually endearing. For example, since his parents aren't around, he's constantly into books on how to be a better ruler, even going as far as taking examples of bad rulers with a grain of salt. Thus, when interacting with him, he comes off as playing by some manual, but Belle encourages him to be himself in addition to what he's already learned, making him relaxed as a result and thus more genuine in his interactions and less "cause the book says so" kinda thing. This would play into the "spineless man" analogy that you were talking about earlier. 

  Finally, do the very thing you suggested: have Belle give Gaston the same chance, or at least imply that such a chance was given, but they didn't work out. However, instead of compromising with her like the Beast could do later, have himself think less of Belle instead of an equal. Give both Gaston and the Beast moxy, but the key differences being compromise and respect: two things that Belle knows that isn't in Gaston, but obvious in the Beast.

Origins of Shimindramon

So as I said in a previous post, Shimindramon will be the fusion result between the partners of Nanako and Kazuko.  I figured it would make sense to delve into the nit and picks of this.

Before I do, however, I want to thank kuha.karma for designing him.

Shimindramon is a pretty boi, and kuha.karma's talent shows through, as it always does. <3

As the design suggests, it is the fusion of Wizardmon and Ginryumon.

Now, where did the name come from?

In actuality, it was RyokosDetermination who suggested the name, but its origins root back to Ginryumon.  You see, Ginryumon's evolution contains the theme of the samurai, which is where "shimin" comes from - the term used to describe Japan's top elites, whom, "were the only caste granted the privilege of wearing two swords and having two names—a family and a first name."*

"-dra" is quote common in the Digimon series when describing Digimon that are dragon in nature.  Given the obvious references to Wizardmon himself (the face, the chest that resembles his staff, etc.) all point to the mystic combination of wizard and samurai dragon.

Well, hope that helps! <3

So pet leaf is a pretty good pixel artist