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Buck Testa

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  1. Buck Testa
    I am, as I'm writing this, in the middle of a move to Tennessee on a 3 day bus ride with Greyhound. With it being one of the cheapest forms of cross country transit available you have to assume that with it you are going to get some more colorful individuals on these routes. This cannot hold truer for our drug dealer, lets call him George. George was a tall and heavy set guy with one messed up set of teeth and a scraggly beard. He was in his mid 40's but you could tell just he had put his body through the ringer with whatever he's done in his life since he looked like 10 years older than that. George was the kind of guy you'd expect to see in a trailer park on an episode of Breaking Bad or one of the suspects in a CSI show.
     
    He also had something of a philosophical tint to him, though I don't know if he was aware of that or not. See in the middle of his deals over the phone, he was also talking to what I assume to be his daughter. She appears to be going down a similar path as him and he wasn't having any of it.
     
    "You are wasting your life," he tells her over the phone, "I'm in my 40's and look where I am in my life."
     
    He goes on to say something that hit pretty close to home for me; "You start off at 20 thinking about what you are going to do when you grow up, I know I did. Then I looked back at the rear view mirror and saw that I was 30 and I was still wondering what I was going to be when I grow up. Then I looked again and Bam I'm in my 40's wondering the same thing."
     
    He goes on to say that the more you wonder about what you want to do, the more life is going to make those choices for you. He was speaking like a guy resigned to his lot in life because he screwed himself over.
     
    Being 26 and having the life I've had up till now this struck really close to home for me in an inspiring kind of way. Procrastination is life's biggest enemy. If you want to be someone you can be proud of you have to fight for it, you can't dally around wondering how it could be done. The longer you wait, the faster time flies and the more decisions you have to make that separates you from whatever goal that happens to be.
     
    Given the fact that I'm moving to a whole new state with a fresh start and new job, I think I'm going to take Georges words to heart and steer towards the future I want instead of just gazing at the proverbial rear view mirror wondering where the time went. Its amazing where you can get inspiration from if you just take the time to listen.
  2. Buck Testa
    Have you ever heard of the old adage that there are no new ideas in media? Movies, books, cartoons, television shows, comic books, manga, anime; All of them are riddled with examples of borrowed ideas and overused tropes and cliches. It is too a point where you can sit down and watch a movie or a show and figure out exactly what direction it’s going to take just by reading the patterns that are being laid out. The characters and settings may change but the plot itself is relatively the same. The same ground is being retread. The same template of patterns are being followed. The same recipe is being used. The only differences are the little nuances and particular creative choices that the creator chooses to use within that framework, that template, that recipe.
     
    Most consumers of these products are entirely fine with this, and that’s entirely fine. There is nothing inherently wrong about enjoying the status quo and indulging in familiar patterns you find to your liking. Such people tend not to enjoy the musings of head canons or speculations as to possible directions of a given pattern in their media because they simply want to enjoy it at face value. You can find such sentiments almost anywhere on the internet.
     
    However, I find my enjoyment in something else entirely.
     
    I don’t throw out the tropes. I don’t disregard the pattern. I don’t get rid of the recipe.
     
    Instead I question everything about it, right down to why it exists in the first place. I like to break it down until I reach its barest components. I challenge every single message and expectation those familiar patterns have to offer until something new can be gleaned from it.
     
    In this way I can say with great confidence that I am a subversive thinker when it comes to fiction.
     
    Subversion is such a fascinating tool. It accepts the patterns that are established, but it questions the conclusion that those patterns want you to come too. It asks questions of fiction that it never intended you to ask of it. It takes the plot holes and the surrounding information and it uses cold and calculating logic to fill up those literary gaps.
     
    The importance of subversive writing is to remain true to the patterns that the original already established, but flip the expectations of those patterns in an entirely new and relatively realistic direction as supposed to the more idealized picture the fiction typically portrays.
     
    One rather popular example of subversive fiction recently was Puella Magi Madoka Magicka. In it, they took the typical tropes of a magical girl anime and they questioned why those patterns where there.
     
    In a typical magical girl anime, a small creature shows up in front of a girl and offers her powers so she can fight the forces of evil. The motives of why this girl accepts this power may differ, as does the reasons behind the small creature offering it, but all in all this is the standard fare for this type of show.
     
    Puella Magi interrogated these tropes.
    -Who are these small creatures? Why are they giving out powers to little girls? Why little girls? What are their motives? What are they getting out of this deal? Doesn’t this seem like a faustian bargain?
     
    -What are these girls giving up in exchange for this power? Why do they accept the power in the first place? What is in it for them to take on the forces of evil?
     
    -What are the forces of evil in this context? Where do they come from? How do they relate to the small creatures? How do they relate to the little girls? Why is it that this situation requires these evil entities be fought by these girls in the first place?
     
    Suddenly this cute premise for a light hearted anime becomes something much more unsettling, especially as these questions get answered one after another.
     
    the following is spoilers for Puella Magi Madoka Magica

     
    See how interesting that premise is? Even though the same tropes from a happy magical girl anime are being used, they take it in this darker and more nuanced direction that is not as clearly black and white as the original recipe would like you to believe.
     
    The same can be done with any form of trope heavy media. Even MLP has questions that are left unanswered that can be taken to a more logical and ambiguous place, changing the tone of the entire show entirely.
     
    What is the Tree of Harmony? Where does it come from? Why did it hand out the elements of harmony to the ponies? What does it get out of this agreement with them? What is its end game?
     
    What are cutie marks? Why do only ponies and one zebra we know about have them? How do the equal sign cutie marks relate to them? Why were the mane six’s memories swapped when their cutie marks were swapped? What are their purpose? Why are the cutie marks utilized by the Tree of Harmony? Why do they show ponies what their purpose and special talent is? Is it related to the deal they made with the Tree of Harmony? Why did the mane six get their cutie marks at the same time? Was it planned to happen that way? If it was planned why did the alternate realities happen?
     
    What are the elements of harmony? Why does the Tree create them for ponies? Why are they so powerful? Why does it choose those specific ponies to use them? What is its end game giving this weapon to ponies? Why was it taken away from the two princesses?
     
    Where does Spike come from? Where did Celestia get his egg? Why does he grow whenever he succumbs to greed? Why is his fire breath connected to Celestia’s magic? When did that connection happen? Why were they using his egg in that test? Who were his parents? Is his egg related to the Tree of Harmony’s plan? If so how?
     
    Why does Applejack keep pigs and sheep and cows on her farm even though they are sapient? What are their social status among pony kind? Why does AJ refer to them as critters? Why were they corralled and escorted during an alternate timeline when the ponies were at war? Are they owned by the ponies? If so why?
     
    I could go on and on. It’s more than just nitpicking; It’s questioning things that the piece of fiction wants you to accept at face value and then building answers that both work with the existing tropes but take it in a realistic and even dark/ambiguous direction. I’ve used all of those aforementioned questions in fanfictions before and I have many more besides. It is a way of fleshing out the world of the fiction and showing it in a new and compelling light.
     
    It really is its own art form to take the established tropes and expectations and burrowing into them until you can make a whole new story based on the questions they choose not to answer. As fiction grows ever more homogeneous, and more and more patterns become even more familiar to the general audience, it is vital to the health of fiction as a whole to constantly challenge and break down these preconceived ideas and glean new pathways and story concepts from them. By delving into the building blocks of the things that have been created by others, you can grow and branch out entirely new concepts and patterns that will lead to their own growth of new stories and familiar tropes to come.
     
    People see what I write and they question whether or not I love the story that is being portrayed. They do not understand why breaking down and questioning a given work of fiction in such a subversive way is actually a love letter to the original in my eyes. These stories captivated people's attentions with the tropes they established and the characters they created. All subversive writing does is take those things that people love and cherish and digs into them until their subtle or even unintentional undertones are brought to the surface and presented to the world to see.
     
    Subversion in this way, is a vital component to the future of the creative process. It is the method that will breathe new life into the tired tropes and stories of old, and even bring in the new ideas that people seem to believe have been lost as of late. New concepts and takes on stories are there. All you have to do is dig hard enough to spot them.
  3. Buck Testa
    (WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD)



    Anyone who is even somewhat versed in the world of anime has seen or heard of the "anime about nothing" the wonderful yet pointless series called "LUCKY STAR"





     

    Its dry wit and extremely relaxed episodes are not for everyone, but for those who this appeals to this is pure gold. I was one of those people that took to the show with gusto and thoroughly enjoyed my time with Konata Izumi and her friends as they went through the day to day things of life with the comedic flair comparable to the vibe of Seinfeld, with our pint sized otaku as the resident Jerry.


     

    I should also note that this art style has a lot of similarities with our cartoon of choice My Little Pony, with their chibi bodies, big heads and eyes, small mouths and appendages, and soft color scheme.









    Now I am a shipper, and I had been long before I had watched this show. I play a game with it, finding the little bits of evidence I can find and weaving it together to make an organic reasoning why this pairing is my favorite for a given show. Sometimes a thread of evidence runs dry really quick, while others have so much in the span of a few episodes that you have no doubt in your mind that the writers secretly want this pairing to happen but just can't for whatever reason.


     

    Lucky Star was neither of these, but to this day I have never put so much effort into putting together the evidence for the pairing as I had for Lucky Star.


     

    The pairing I keep referring to is of Konata Izumi and Kagami Hiiragi






    Konata is the girl with the blue hair and the kitty smirk



    Kagami is the purple haired girl


     

    What is so great about this pairing? Why is it my top one when I have well over a hundred ships I could name off the top of my head? Why did I put so much effort into finding this evidence? The anime didn't have them end up together and it aired years ago so why am I talking about this now?


     

    The anime only covers the beginning of the real story of Lucky star, while the bulk of it remains in the manga. However even in the anime the evidence for the pairing abounds, though another
    blog referenced all of that evidence far better than I had ever could. However he did not have access to the developments that have happened lately between these two, and I have to say its one of the most satisfying things I have ever experienced in my long years of shipping.

     

    See the story of Lucky star is actually a REALLY REALLY drawn out romantic comedy about an Otaku who uses her vast experience with dating sims to woo the love of her life. Instead of cutting to the chase though like so many stories tend to do they develop the friendship between the two of them and the budding romance has this "Will they, wont they, is this even happening or is it all in my head?" kind of vibe to it for much of the rather expansive manga and its sequel.


     

    No one who would of only of seen the anime would of really known this. They would of figured out the underlying tension between the two of them sure (I mean you don't get much more blatant than waking up from a dream saying this..)


     




    However most people just thought that was played up for laughs or obligatory fan service. It was, in part, but there was more to it than that. A lot more.


     

    See Kagami is what is referred to as a Tsundere: Someone who has love for another but is to embarrassed to show it. Because of this they pretend to be mad at that person or act like they find them annoying. Whats more Konata's generally snarky and nonchalant demeanor was and is a very difficult thing for Kagami to accurately read. She has no idea when Konata is being serious or when she is kidding, which further adds to her frustration and confusion about her own feelings.


     

    Konata views her interactions with other girls as a irl dating sim, including her target interest Kagami. She constantly refers to her interactions with others as "Flags", points in a sim where there is a choice and it is wise to save your progress to salvage your game if you get the "bad endings." She makes no bones about being attracted to girls and Identifies as a male in a females body, but again this could be interpreted as her sense of humor if you go by the anime alone. However as the developments that happen clearly show she is far from kidding about her orientation and gender identity.


     

    Konata wanted to be in a relationship with Kagami, but she knew that in order to earn her love the right way she would have to work through the Tsun girls emotional defenses and insecurities.


     

    This took the span of the entire manga and its subsequent licensed sequel to finally happen. It kind of reminds me of Family Matters with Steve Urckel going after the girl he loves and saying





     

    In fact that is a rather apt comparison. In both instances the girl getting wooed is thoroughly embarrassed that she even finds this person attractive and romantic and tries to cover it up with everything they have, but the nerds are just to dang genuine and sweet at the end of the day for them to really write off. That is the thing to take home about Konata, she isn't playing this "dating sim" for just any reason, she truly and deeply cares for Kagami and just has really eccentric ways of showing it. Not once did she ever try to get Kagami to move faster with her feelings than what she was ready for, considering her deep seated insecurities with every step she took closer to the girls heart. Kagami knew this all to well, and it both frustrated and touched her quite a bit.





     

    Years of being friends with Konata and seeing the kind of effort she was putting to win her heart ended up melting away any defenses she had. Not through force, but through playful banter and teasing that said right from the beginning "I will wait for you to say you love me, just know I am going to love you like the goof I regardless of how long it takes you to say it."


     



     

    She had waited so long, both in just how long the manga had been running and the timeline of the manga itself, that it was such a HUGE surprise when she actually spelled it out for the tsun girl. I would be lying if I didn't say I had a had made an actual fansqueal upon reading that chapter. So long I had been following this character in her campaign to get the girl that I thought it was just never meant to be. Lo and behold as the issues progressed something real genuinely blossomed between them. Kagami was still having bouts of being reluctant and not straight forward, but the side of her that was in love with Konata was finally starting to win. And with her turning to the proverbial dark side even the extra art began to reflect the new developments





     

    In the most recent chapters they have finally, FINALLY reached the stage where they are going out and are actually in a relationship. Its the longest buildup to two people becoming romantically involved I had ever witnessed in manga and media in general, and to finally see it happen after years of shipping the pairing I thought would never happen to begin with it is thoroughly satisfying to have it be official canon


     

    With such a long journey and the depth that was hidden in an otherwise silly and pointless manga series is more than enough to forever earn it the status of my personal TOP One True Pairing.


     

    Thanks for reading my ramblings about my favorite pairing, I hope you found it enjoyable.






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