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JsARCLIGHT

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Posts posted by JsARCLIGHT

  1. That sounds like it would make sense. In "Hate Floats" Phantom Limb claims he is "Acting in full costumed aggression without a Guild license". It is apparent that The Monarch's prison chums are all Guild members and remained Guild members to some degree while incarcerated... which would make one wonder why The Monarch when he breaks out somehow doesn't have a license. One could then assume that he "officially" joins the guild as a super villain when he signs the paperwork with Phantom Limb in "Victor Echo November".

    My question is still how it all relates back to Rusty Venture. Whatever "it" was it apparently happened either in college or just before college in which Malcolm sets himself on the path to arching Venture. I'm kind of of the opinion that the whole "Dr. Girlfriend" side of his story was more or less a distraction that put him off course from getting Venture. Dr. Girlfriend made for a handy "excuse" but I think it all still goes back to why he hates Rusty to begin with.

  2. It is pretty obvious that Rusty's father had a good deal to do with the Guild when he was alive. Watch and Ward remark to Rusty "I can't believe I'm standing in the same room the Treaty of Tollerance was signed". I would assume from as much as Jonas is mentioned that he was instrumental in the formation or development of the Guild and perhaps in return the Guild tries to keep his kid safe.

    And it's funny someone mentioned the "Are You There God, It's Me Dean" episode. In that episode we get the first not so obvious clue that The Monarch is operating outside Guild authority. He tells Hank to "look him up" in the Guild registry and Hank can't find him... I wonder why?

  3. Once again you have to see things from our vantage point. We the staff had no clue how to address this "issue" and we needed time to talk amongst ourselves to sort this out. This was not a problem that one single moderator could unilaterally address. As folks have no doubt figured out this "issue" is a really, really large one for members of the staff. The thread was closed simply to stem the "snowballing" of the issue until we had a chance to go over some things and develop a decent course of action that was fair to all parties involved.

    As it has been said the thread will be reopened or unlocked in some form shortly. It is currently in a "cooling off" phase. We are not going out of our way to "lock down the playground", we just want to make sure this issue is handled as delicately as we can as well as making sure the membership understand our concern over this issue.

  4. Cultures aside, the underlying issue to all of this is that Macross World is a western fansite based on servers inside the United States and as such those servers come under the direct influence, affect and scope of US laws as well as western sensibilities. "Western" sensibilities in this sense err on the side of "safe" and cautious for the most part, they lean towards the politically correct so that everyone can enjoy things evenly and without incident. We all have to realize that this website isn't just one big room full of "like minded" (barely) adult men... this site is intended to be open to all people of all ages and sensibilities. As such the site and it's content has to conform with some regulations that some people may find "excessive", but this in no way is "heavy censorship" or "jack booted repression". At the same time we are not asking people to adopt some kind of squeaky clean churchmouse demeanor. All we ask is that things are kept PG13... PG13 is a far cry from churchmouse.

    As I said earlier the membership has to understand the staff's uncomfortable position in all of this... it is our job to make sure everyone has fun and gets along but at the same time it is our job to ensure that nothing occurs on this site that could damage the site or it's benefactors legally or criminally. At times this means we will have to clamp down on certain things. Because all it takes in today's world is one parent seeing their 12 year old kid surfing risqué pictures of "cartoon children" in compromised conditions for the whole world to come crashing down on us. The western media at large still to this day has a very skewed view of what "anime" fandom is about and stuff like this just feeds more fuel into their fire that we are all sick, depraved individuals who like "tentacle porn" and pictures "underage girls menstruating". If this was a private forum that was closed to the general public and had control over who got in and who saw what then it could easily be seen that "questionable" materials would be allowed but as it stands we have to think of everybody else, not just ourselves and our own sensibilities.

    But the salient point to all of this is that much like the world in general Macross World is one huge community comprised of many peoples from many different cultures. In order for us all to get along we all have to make concessions in some areas. Because what flies in Kuala Lumpur doesn't always fly in Boca Raton and vice versa. We have to strive to join together in the areas we all can agree upon and enjoy that don't bother or upset other people. If this means we have to omit one questionable picture out of ten perfectly acceptable ones, then so be it.

    Edit: We are also not trying to drive people to other message boards either, EXO was simply stating the existence of another site which happens to be staffed and frequented by a lot of Macross World people which has allowances for a looser code of conduct through the use of special restricted access "members only" areas.

  5. Suffice it to say, AnimePunch has kind of become like that dingy back alley behind the school near the trash cans where Macross World's long haired rabble congregate between classes to smoke, throw their switchblades into the ground and practice their bad beatnik poetry. :ph34r:

    But in all seriousness EXO is correct. AP has several private areas that allow for looser rules. Especially that VIP area... for some reason I remember the whole "One Night in Bangcock" Murray Head riff whenever I wander into there.

  6. To address the concerns of those interested in the thread, it was determined by the staff that this thread would remain closed for a little while as a sort of "cooling off period". We wish the thread to remain open, but at the same time we have been presented with an unusual set of circumstances that the staff must address.

    First, let me start out by saying that MW values the contributions of fan artists to our wonderful site and many members, both normal and staff alike, enjoy the fan art we see here. However in order for this site to be "accessible" to all Macross fans of all genders, ages and creeds we must enforce a "PG-13" rating across the board on all content visible and accessible from this site. Simply because an item is not directly "shown" here does not mean it is not still "accessible" to everyone. Placing "warnings" or "cautions" in no way limits the accessibility of that item nor does it shield this site from any potential fallout from those things linked.

    As such, this site has always maintained a policy of not allowing links, direct or indirect, to materials that do not conform to a "PG-13" rating. I think a good way to know yourself what is "over the line" is if you feel you need to warn people before posting. If you yourself think there is even a small chance someone will be offended then you probably should not be posting it. Another rule of thumb that every American media company abides by is that "all models must be 18 or older", meaning if you are posting a picture of a person or character that is or appears to be under the age of 18 and it is even remotely sexual in nature then you probably shouldn't.

    Speaking frankly, this whole "Klan Klan" thing in Macross Frontier has put the staff in a very awkward and precarious position. You basically have a dramatically over the top buxom sex symbol who turns into a prepubescent girl and back again. You have to admit that that opens the floodgates for a potential of "wrong" to come flowing out. With that said, we the staff have to be extra careful about what gets posted here in regard to this topic. The precarious precipice of what is and what isn't slipping into the realm of what could be considered by some to be child pornography and inappropriate materials is pretty darn sharp. Which means we the staff and you the members have to err on the side of discretion with this issue. You have to think of our position, we have to enforce the PG-13 while at the same time allowing artists to express themselves... which means there may be things we feel are way out of bounds that you may not. But you are going to have to trust us, we are not trying to narc your buzz, we are trying to keep this site off of the FBI's check sheets and parent group hate lists.

    So for the time being, think it over. If you think your art is close to the line then ask a mod before posting it. We will give you the benefit of the doubt and let you know so no one gets in trouble and nothing has to "go down". Because let's all face it, we all know when something is going to upset someone else or has the potential to upset someone else. Also this is not meant to be a threat but the staff is unanimous in our feelings that people who violate this delicate agreement will be banned. We see any willful posting of inappropriate materials, either direct or linked, to be in violation of site rules. We are trying to be as lenient as possible giving folks an "out" to confirm materials with us before posting them if in doubt but we have to keep a "lid" on the slippery slope with this.

    So let's keep it PG13 so everyone can enjoy the art.

  7. Actually... (putting on VB Dork Hat) all the Monarch tells Dr. Girlfriend during that origin story is that he went to the city and claimed a fat inheritance. He doesn't really tell her exactly how he became the super villain "The Monarch", only that he lived with monarch butterflies for a brief period after his parents died which most likely gave him his penchant for the monarch butterfly shtick. I think everyone assumes that as soon as he got to town and claimed his inheritance that he became The Monarch, but the season three premier fills in the time from his teen years until he became the Monarch.

    One area that it might have been retconned (but once again was never clearly stated) was having Malcolm (The Monarch before he was The Monarch) responsible for the blast that took off Underbieht's jaw. Which creates kind of a bizarre set up in that The Monarch and Underbieht have a sort of friendly détente between each other and it would make for some real hilarity to discover that the bane of Underbieht's world (Dr. Venture) is really innocent and his new good buddy is the real villain.

  8. I don't recall anyone mentioning him by name, outside of The Monarch using that name as an alias in the episode "Fallen Arches" to intimidate his hooker (complete with painted on back tattoo). So to a degree this is the first instance of The Monarch passing himself off as the Manotaur.

    Phantom Limb's Guild party was kind of a who's who though. Several unnamed Guild members who have appeared in past episodes make cameos at the party.

    And am I the only one wondering how a member of the Guild's "Council of 13" was the guy on the Guild videotape delivered to Dr. Orpheus shown as an example of "improper behavior" (the foppish dandy who disrobes and kisses the tied up superhero)?

  9. In the scene where the Monarch breaks into Dr. Venture's lad in his Monarch Mobile, who was the female bodyguard? Was she named in other episodes as serving before Brock?

    That was Myra Brandish, Dr. Venture's "first" bodyguard.

    She is supposedly the Venture boys' "real mother" as described by her in the episode "I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills". She is also coo-coo for coca puffs so who is to believe her? The only "truth" is that she was once Dr. Venture's bodyguard before Brock and she and the good doctor did the deed.

  10. So have all the MW Venture fans seen the premiere yet?

    As far as season premieres go I'd rate it an 8 out of 10. Really good, but somehow not as good as the season two premiere. Then again season one left us with a much more "meaty" cliffhanger than season two did.

    And I've also seen a ton of speculation as to what the "resolution" to this cliffhanger actually was. From my vantage point I see one thing, but other folks seem to see something different.

    What I saw was:

    Dr. Girlfriend said "Monarch, I'm

    sorry". Which is what she said later in the episode to which the Monarch said "that is what you should have said in the escape pod" leaving me with the impression she didn't actually say anything in the pod. She never got to finish her sentence. The Monarch's "WHAT?" was not in response to her, but in response to the Guild of Calamitous Intent busting in on them. Her "big secret" seems to have been that she was working for the Guild and doing their bidding of getting the Monarch to stop arching Dr. Venture.

    Talk about an "out of left field" resolution. I think it's fair to say that no one saw it coming.

    I also find it funny how we are slowly learning all the costumed aggressors' real names.

    Dr. Girlfriend = Sheila

    The Monarch = Malcolm

    Phantom Limb = Hamilton G. Fantomos

    Monarch Henchman #21 = Gary

  11. Yep, I cheated and watched it at Adult Swim as well last night. I even had to hook my laptop up to my HDTV so I could watch it in all it's pixelated grainyness on my big screen.

    Edit: Not really a "spoiler" but did anyone else catch the in-joke with the song? During the "post romp" scene in the Monarch's car the song playing is "Revv Me Up" by Jasper McVain, also known as the "Brock workout song" from season 1. After that scene the Monarch comments on how that was not the song on his radio as he remembered that song, and the council of 13 says they couldn't get the rights to the "real" song.

    Not only was it a callback to season 1 but it was a callback to the season 2 premier in which they infamously played the Aquagen remix of "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" by Rozalla which required a hefty royalty check totaling 1/8th of the episode's budget. On that episode's commentary Doc and Jackson actually play an answering machine message left for them by Adult Swim's legal department informing them they could not have the rights to that song and should "pick a song out of their existing library" instead.

  12. Only for us to discover that the "Indiana Jones Magic" is really just bacteria in his bloodstream and that in the past Muttdiana Jones was the one who originally put that golden Hovitos idol in the trap cave... before building Sallah in his spare time in Marion's garage.

  13. The only "problem" I have with continuing the franchise with Shia as Muttdiana Jones Junior Junior is that "time wise" the series is entering the modern era. By the time Mutt is "old enough" to be an archaeologist adventurer like his daddy it will be the mid '60s. I could be alone in this but the whole allure and magic of the Indy movies are that they take place in the bygone era of "high adventure", the 30s. Back when the world was seemingly "innocent" and there were "easily defined" bad guys and good guys. Part of the "feel" of this movie that bothers me is that it takes place post WW2 in the era of paranoia. Following this era is the era of rebellion and protest, then disco, then Reaganomics.

    Can anyone here take Muttdiana Jones seriously if he's searching for the lost city of Atlantis in 1970, wearing a tan pleather double knit leisure jacket and a cubs baseball hat with a whiny hippie chick as his tagalong gal racing against the clock and the Vietcong? Yeeeeaaaaaaahhhh... no thanks.

  14. The funny thing is if you listen to the DVD commentaries Jackson Public and Doc Hammer have a real corn kernel in their teeth about all the bootleg VB shirts. They make several comments on the quality, availability and dubious nature of a lot of the VB clothing they see around and how other people are profiting like mad off of their ideas. They also say how they have made and sold several limited run designs for shirts themselves that (in their words) were just plain "stupid" or so non-sequitur that they doubted their own ability to sell the shirts.

    I think the "shirt of the week tied to the episode of the week" is a great idea that will let them make some much needed cake off of their ideas plus give their fans a chance to finally get some "legit" VB shirts of various original designs. It must really suck to have such a wonderful property like the Venture Brothers go unsupported in the merchandising front yet see so much bootleg crap floating around cashing in on your baby.

  15. OK, last friendly nudge.

    Please folks, let's discontinue the sub v dub endless debate. It's a never ending story, just without the tacky Limahl song and the white luck dragon. We've all been there, we've all done that, we've all bought the poster. Please stay on topic about the Bandai Visual "business decision".

  16. Your wife has good taste. The movie was stupid. Kinda fun but mostly stupid.

    Without retreading many of the previously stated reasons, my wife's opinion of the movie swung almost entirely on how vapid and corny the dialog was. She's a big "witty banter" fan and she was hoping to see another Last Crusade with lots of funny dialog between Harrison and Shia. Instead she was treated to (her words) "a kindergarten level dialog script that insulted my intelligence". Her follow up comment of "it's almost as if everyone had a lobotomy, cast and crew alike, and they expected the same of the audience" is kind of deserved in a few scenes but pretty harsh overall.

    I think a lot of people (especially Lucas) have trouble with the "high concept" idea that this movie is an homage to the '50's sci-fi actioner B-movies. Audiences went in expecting crisper dialog and better pacing but to a good degree I think Lucas, even though he is a hack, felt that those things would have "removed the homage feel of it". It's kind of a cop-out really... they justify their bad script by saying it's a homage to the bad scripts of the '50s. If that "worked" for entertainment then Uwe Bol is the greatest flatterer of all time with his constant near perfect chain of homage to the great low budget slasher movies of the '70s and '80s.

    As I said, if you do your best to kick your preconceived notions to the curb and go in NOT expecting another Raiders then the movie is a lot of fun. And to be honest the non-script related "failings" of the movie are more or less the same failings you can claim about every Lucas and many Spielberg movies from the last ten years.

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