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| **Warning, foul language. I'm hopping mad** I've always believed that good characters are both 'good' and 'bad.' That a writer can't have simply a 'hero' or 'villain.' Outside of the writing world, I've felt that morality has a middle ground, that nobody's 'evil' and nobody's an 'angel.' Even poachers I can't hate entirely; their families are starving. People who hunt for 'fun' and wildly destroy plants were the only ones I could truly hate. Then there were the ones who would force tiny children into massacres, something that a younger me scarcely could comprehend. My appetite for mercy just couldn't touch them. And there are others who arrouse even more disgust, yet have been immortalized as glorious antiheroes by films and books. You know what I'm talking about. Alfonse Capone, Johnny Torrio, the Terranovas, Frank Costello (Francesco Castiglia)... Most people will recognize at least one name. Much less would spit on it. And the ones who dared to: Dimaio, Nootbar, Petrosino, Fiaschetti, Dannenberg, LaGuardia, Franceschini. How many pages do they recieve in American History textbooks? How many recognize their names? Why do people recall Alfonse Capone, a terribly mob leader who led for only a few years, but forget Petrosino, the greatest cop in all the world and all time? He discovered the plot to assassinate McKinley (but was ignored. That's what happens when you ignore Petrosino; you die.), arrested hundreds of criminals and solved hundreds of cases. And when he was needed, he set out on what he knew to be a suicide mission after already giving most of his life to protecting the people. A murderer is called 'cool' while someone who was a real hero is forgotten. *Insert some of LaGuardia's favorite expletives* With the anti-hero craze came sympathetic biographies of some of the most repulsive people alive. The ones that sucked the lifeblood from their poorer brethren in the early 1900s; those that organized massacres to protect wealth and investments. They're not the worst humanity has come up with, but they don't deserve the respect they recieve. Even though they're given to charities, (Capone set up soup kitchens) does that redeem them? I need to take up space for another tangent. People blame only gangsters for many negative stereotypes towards those of Italian and Sicilian descent. While they fueled it, it is not entirely their fault. It is those who thought the traits of a few scumbags defined a whole population. They're the ones that should go swallow a Coney Island Whitefish in the Hudson. Go ahead, blame the mobsters, but realize that's not true. 'La Cosa Nostra' and the old bands of 'Moustache Petes' fed corruption, beat down the already abused, bombed homes, killed, stole, evaded taxes... And yet they are remembered; Hollywood has turned them into larger than life beings. 'Rebels' against society; 'The World's Most Efficient Businessmen;' 'Badass.' No. Want to know what's 'badass'? Writing a book to be published in the Camorra's stronghold, bashing them, and using your real name on that book. The Camorra, who get what they want. The Camorra, with their knives, and bombs, and hefty bribes. Basically saying, 'COME AND GET ME.' Roberto Saviano, you go. A real 'rebel'? Fiorello LaGuardia giving Tammany Hall the finger; saying 'screw you' to Frank Costello and bashing his slot machine. Yeah, the mob had rules against killing prominent figures by then, but his career was at risk. They could always knock him down and take him when the world looked away. Being that politician that didn't give in to corruption, even when it meant he was the poor one who died penniless. Petrosino, who risked his life undercover, who sacrificed his life, who went to Italy to confront the Mafia where it thrived most, knowing he would probably die. Spending most of his adult life working to protect others. The man who beat the shit out of people who deserved it so they wouldn't injure people who didn't. The policemen who wanted to punch out J. Edgar Hoover for being an imbecile, then went to another department just so they could risk their lives to bring a tyrant down. That is heroism. Not hiding from the IRS, flashing your wit to the papers and shooting down your enemies. So here's to all those actually gave up something and got nothing. And here's to those who deserve it: Fuck you. | | |
| So lately, you may have noticed I've been talking about this show an obnoxious amount and I've been avoiding any posts with real depth to them. Well, I do have real posts in mind, but right now I'm just taking it easy. You now that show you've seen or book you've read that you've had to tell everyone about? Baccano! (exclamation point is part of the title) is that show/book. (An anime series adapted from a series of light novels.) Unlike a lot of mainstream anime like Bleach and Naruto, Baccano! has a plot and real characters. No hollow heroes here, the closest thing you get is Jaccuzzi Splot, the cowardly lion who ends up tossing himself into danger. Sadly, the anime has only 16 episodes (3 are DVD release only), but the light novel series is 12 books and growing! It's rather hard to sum up Baccano!, but basically it follows Immortals and the people they meet (normally criminals). About half of it takes place in 1930s America, Prohibition is on the way out and the Depression has settled in. We meet Camorristi, Mafiosi, repentant thieves, hoodlums, bootleggers, homonculi, monsters, reporters and a train. Immortals clash and others get caught up in the battle. We get to see how it started back in 1711, but a few light novels reveal stories even before then (1705 and the soon-to-be-released 1710). 2 stories catapault us into 2001 and 2002 where you see a strange village and a honeymoon hijacking. Thatdoesn't even scratch the surface. Baccano! has comedy, illogical logic that kind of works, violence, gore and history. Thankfully, there's no perversion. (What some would call the most 'endowed' female wears a shirt that covers up to her neck) Baccano! is carried both by characters and story. The story shows most of the same people, but they're always up to something different that connects it to other books. There's always continuity, but the same plot doesn't repeat every book/episode. One thing a lot of people remember Baccano! for is its enormous cast. The anime's theme song names about 17 characters and shows more. The ending song greatly ups the count. And yet, not ever will you find a personality repeated.You may find the bloodlust of Ladd and Claire to be similar, but they're hardly the same. One thing that Ryogha Narita (the author) does well is set characters up so you can clearly see their flaws and good points. A really clear example is Firo. He's sort of the main character of the book series, but he's not your normal 'stupid hero.' His morals are sketchy; he;s willing to tear anyone to shreds if they mess with his Family, and Saints preserve you if you attack him. In 'The Drugs and Dominos' Luck, his good friend, recalls an incident in which he wans't even harmed but he still wouldn't let the matter rest. He makes an impression in his intro scene when he knocks an old man's teeth out (it was self-defense... Kinda sorta...). Readers aren't hit with a character who screams 'hero' or 'villain.' Except for maybe Szilard, even the guys who seem bad are better than the others in some respects (Goose is more of a gentleman than Firo). I'm actually planning to evaluate most of the characters seperately, but the list goes on. The duality of the characters lets the reader feel more of the story, and it makes so much more sense. I first saw Baccano! on a flyer someone brought tothe library anime club from Otakon. It had a sort of subdued look, but also had a kind of energy behind it. I meant to look it up, then forgot about it 'til someone brought the anime in a few weeks later. Someone told me I had to cosplay Lua Klein so I watched it when I got home (I'd been playing cpature the flag and didn't know we were watching til after the fact) and was hooked after episode 1. In short, Ireccomend this to everyone and anyone. You can read english fan translations at Baka-Tsuki, or watch the anime. Notes for watching/reading: 1. Pay attention. With both books and anime, if you pay attention and think you'll get a lot more out of it. Some characters seem surface deep, but when you actually look at them you realize what their deal is. The story is oftentimes rather subtle, and the people even more so. -Ex: someone thought Baccano! was too unrealistic becuase there weren't signs of the Great Depression. Obviously, they missed the pictures of breadlines, people sleeping in alleyways and people carrying 'need work' signs in the first episode. Another reason is becuase most of the characters are in organized crime and didn't suffer too much, some of their enterprises soared even then. 2. Relax (anime): It can seem overwhelming with the out-of-order order, but it all comes together around the middle of the series (You'll get your bearings probably before episode 4) Enjoy! ~More to come on Baccano! later. | | |
| I've found my self volunteering as a psycologist and counselor to two of my slightly messed up friends. 'Enjoyable' isn't really a word to describe it but I do like being able to help them. There's one thing that irks me though, the debt reflex. "Oh, I don't want to trouble you..." "Sorry for botherin you,I'll shut up now." No! What the gibbety jimbits are you sorry for?! You didn't do anything to me. It takes no effort to listen and very little to give advice. Besides, it's a friend's job. Yet I get this thing too. It seems like everyone dos, and everyone hates it but it's so hard to get rid of. And even then, should we be grateful for it? Having a friendship with someone who just takes can be exhausting, but rewarding in its own way. One of my abovementioned friends swings between debt reflex and that. What do you think? | | |
| Sorry for spam. Yes, I know this news is decades long but it still makes me happy. http://www.thelaborers.net/lexisnexis/articles/verdict_is_termed_a_blow_to_the.htm Take that. <3 I just want to hug all those policemen and give them cookies. I guess I should at least go buy Remo Franceschini's book. | | |
| I really like stories about parallel universes and have written a few of my own. They're so interesting, and they make really good cover-ups for any lapses in research or they can act as an excuse for changing a historical happening in a story... Like a certain event in Palermo in 1909*... But we don't see many perpendicular worlds. In fact, a lot of people don't know what they are. As the name suggests, they're worlds that have crossed at one point. Instead of being really similar, they have one huge similarity, such as a similar species. That crossing normally shapes the futures of both worlds, and in some cases can result in two worlds that may appear parallel. I think the biggest reason why is the great shunning of infodumps. People like me may enjoy reading fantasy histories, but most don't want their gosh darn fiction interrupted. A nearly different universe would take to much explanation. (The same reason why I scrapped my stories focusing on radically different species). Oh well... *The killing of Joe/Giuseppe Petrosino **** Another thing. A favorite genre of mine is Steampunk. I love fantasy and I love history. Put a ton of fiction in during the Industrial Revolution? BRILLIANCE! Especialy train stories. My gosh, I've never been on a real trainwith a steam engine but I do love them. They're some of the few inventions that are beautiful to lok at. The train exhibit in the Ben Franklin Museum is one of my favorite places to play. I'm actually working a steampunk story with Norse Mythology in America around that time. (An idea I mentioned for RPG on Hortorian Forums)A train conductor channeling Tyr... Ulfsark hijackers.... Some sort of Texas Guinan Freyja moved back a time period... Yeah it needs a lot of development but I'll post some here sometime. But there's an often overlooked genre that is rather similar. Well, it's actually not really a genre... Seeing as how I knd of just named it... But it's out there. A little thing I address as 'Liquorpunk' or 'Swingpunk.' Yup, Prohibition-y era! Baccano! my all time favorite story planted a love for this genre in me. As a young child, I didn't like to stray far from my ancient history, Colonial America being my exception. Anything after Civil War I barely touched. Then I read a bit more into Civil War and was hooked for a little while. It wasn't anything like my Egyptian history addiction, but it was satisfying. Baccano! (yes, exclamation point is part of the title) is set in the 1930s, starting about a year after the Great Depression fell over the world. The first taste of Baccano! I got was via the anime, which I started watching becuase the flyer the librarian brought from Otakon was pretty (I'd love a scan if anyoe could get it...) and then becuase a friend told me I loked like Lua Klein and had to cosplay her. So I watched the first episode and loved it. Since fall last year I've been hooked. It's basically the shadier side of late history (Mainly 1930s, but some 1700s and now 2000s) with added fiction: alchemy and some magic. The characters are lovely, the art is beautiful and the storyline is enchanting. So I started searching around for stuff like it and, of course, found nothing becuase Baccano! can't be replicated. One of its reasons for awesomeness is originality. But wait! This isn't supposed to be a plug for Baccano! (I'm doing that later) Fantasy in Prohibition... Gangsters aided by magic; Joe Petrosino raining fire and brimstone onto Vito Cascio Ferro... I'm definately writing some of this, but I'd love it if other people would too! I'm ending this before I do more fangirling on Baccano! and Petrosino... | | |
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