[a pleasurable headache] the desire to get a tattoo without a strong preference of what it is
A short one this week as the clocks changing and Easter weekend kind of threw me for a loop.
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Links
Kaiju Look
https://thebaffler.com/latest/kaiju-look-watanabe
K.F Watanabe on the up until now unavailable novelizations of the first two Toho Godzilla movies, and the film's/book's author, Shigeru Kayama.
"After his Godzilla novellas were published, Kayama decided to bow out. In a published essay translated as “Godzilla Confessions,” he expresses some misgivings about the direction of the franchise, realizing it was moving away from his original intentions. Angles summarizes Kayama’s dilemma as the author presciently described it: “What had started as a symbol representing his fear of atomic weapons had morphed into a character with a ‘manga-like’ appeal that the viewing audience loved.” In Kayama’s thinking, contributing to Godzilla’s continued existence represented tacit approval of the hydrogen bomb. Still, he had to admit, he too started to feel affectionately toward his creation."
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Small Nations In Big Wars
https://defector.com/small-nations-in-big-wars
Even if you don't like boxing, this piece by Hamilton Nolan at Defector is a fantastic bit of writing:
"There must always be an Irish fighter who will take on the role of New York City’s favorite Irish fighter, who will come fill up this arena periodically to give the city’s thousands of descendents of Irish immigrants a taste of home. It is an important role in the NYC boxing ecosystem, one which is passed off from fighter to fighter over the years. On Friday, that crown was worn by "King" Callum Walsh, a tall 154-pounder out of Cork, with Eminem-esque bleached blond hair and the spiderweb tattoo around his elbow that signifies the desire to get a tattoo without a strong preference of what it is. Walsh had relatively pale skin but still wore white socks and white shoes, which made his steps appear like a ghostly glide. "Forged Irish Stout," read a patch on the ass of his orange and green trunks."
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For some Helldivers 2 players, the fascist role-play has gone too far
https://www.polygon.com/24093674/helldivers-2-discord-meta-role-play-fandom-joel
I think these are the same kind of people who don't realise the Starship Troopers movie is satire:
"She added that there’s been an increase in people who are only interested in watching the numbers go up. Baptized as “Creekers” by the community, they tend to spew toxicity against anyone whom they consider to be “hurting the war effort” by not taking part in Major Orders. Part of this hate has recently been redirected toward developer Joel, who was described as Helldivers 2’s “dungeon master” in an interview with PC Gamer. “The community seems to have latched onto a name and now he’s the face of the galactic war as a whole, which I cannot imagine is good for his mental health,” ViviGayming said."
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Is The End Of Evangelion an undeniable masterpiece or nonsense for nonsense's sake?
https://www.avclub.com/end-of-evangelion-roundtable-masterpiece-or-nonsense-1851357251
A bold experiment at AV Club with two people, with no prior knowledge of the series, watching the movie that served as the (redone) climax of the show. Spoilers abound, obviously.
"To be honest, I didn’t know or understand that was what was happening during that big narrative collapse. But the cuts to live-action thrilled me. It was so daring and weird and discombobulating, adding to my enjoyment of the sequence. It really had the sense that they were looking at us, which is easier said than done. I saw this as a type of 2001 “Star Gate” finale, where these characters’ consciousness is being totally ripped apart. Whether I understand that entirely is beside the point for me because that character probably isn’t understanding it either. It is 100% my thing."
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The film fans who refuse to surrender to streaming: ‘One day you’ll barter bread for our DVDs’
My people.
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I'm off to laugh at the concept it's officially "summer" here in the UK. See you in two!