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This isn't just a chance for me to show some love to some incredible ladies above meshmodded by . They're here to get your attention mainly, and not coincidentally, he created three of them for SoDC7! :333 But as you can see, they're all feeling really serious, and so am I.

We as a society have been having to deal with a bunch of bullshit trends for years...I'm sorry for saying that, but I have to be blunt. The powers that be, from corporations to entertainers to the mainstream media to politicians, have asked us to buy into a new and divisive way of looking at things. You know what I mean. Men = toxic. Right wing = evil. Apoliticial = STILL political! America is 'systemically racist' and needs to 'do better'...you've been hearing that crap too, and most of you have got to be tired of it. Such sweeping generalizations and prejudice can also be completely wrecked and called out for the self-serving nonsense it is if you simply have enough common sense.

The powers that be are pushing that crap on us because they honestly think that's what we want. They're listening to the loudest of mouths and biggest of mobs on social media, those on the fringe who are constantly unhappy and dogpile on what they don't like or hurts their fee-fees. The powers that be have taken to obeying algorithms online instead of simply putting their ear to the ground to listen to what people really want. It's a brave new world, but it's one where conflict and bullying and endless criticism and deconstruction of what has seriously never hurt anyone has become the order of the day.

One thing that's been attacked and subject to deconstruction is the ideal of beauty, especially when it comes to women.

Please, please don't get me wrong as I make this argument. I'm as simple of a soul as you can imagine. I don't have an agenda here. I'm simply calling things like I see them, as so many more of you have seen the same things. If you disagree with me, you're more than free to because we live in a free society. We should have the right to express ourselves however we want, right?

You don't want anyone to infringe on YOU when you tell people how you feel, do you? You don't want anyone to declare you're a monster and you're being 'intolerant' for your point of view, do you? I'm not being intolerant here...hell, I'm being as inclusive as you can imagine, and I mean truly inclusive.

I believe there's a god and creator above us all, and god saw the infinite wisdom in creating distinct differences between men and women. And with no doubt whatsoever, one of the most striking differences is how beautiful women can be -- both in body and soul -- compared to men. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, meaning it's a subjective ideal, sure. But someone also said not long ago that everyone is beautiful in their own way, and I firmly believe that, too.

Case in point: a funny movie I still remember well is "The Truth About Cats and Dogs". Subjectively speaking, you could say that Uma Thurman was a bit more beautiful and attention-getting than Janeane Garofalo. But they were co-stars because, duh, they were each beautiful with a distinctive quality, and not just because one was blonde and the other was brunette. Janeane's character was beautiful in her own right, but out of insecurity, felt the need to recruit Uma to help her get Mister Right. For the sake of equal time, guys have idealized what it means to be handsome and it's created insecurity for them, too. Let me bring up another similar comedy as an example: "Roxanne". Was fire chief Steve Martin any less handsome than the studly chucklehead he needed to play the role of him to get Daryl Hannah's attention? They were different degrees of handsome, and only a really judgmental person would be scared off by Steve's big honker of a nose, which was the only thing that HE thought would impede him from finding romance!

There are all degrees of beauty all around us...all we have to do is look around. There are many types of beauty, too. In the DOA games, Kasumi is just as lovely as Lisa, who's just as stunning in her own right as Mila, who's just as gorgeous as Helena, who's...you get it! You don't have to be a beauty pageant winner or a diva or an actress in Julia Roberts' salary range to be called beautiful, either. Beauty does matter, but for those like me who are simple souls and don't work ourselves up over those sorts of things, it shouldn't be an end-all, be-all issue subject to harsh judgment.

Not everyone can rock a micro-kini. I'm not denying that. But please don't hate on those who can, and don't let that make you feel you can't be beautiful in your own way. Simple makeovers often make all of the difference. Besides, being beautiful on the inside is what really cements that attraction and makes a man (or woman!) want to be with you for...well, who knows how long if that attraction to *who* a person is becomes mutual? That's something my late mom taught me.

In recent years, there are those who think beauty IS an issue...beauty hasn't just been subject to deconstruction, some people would love nothing better than to *neutralize* that ideal. You hear about it all the time from the politically-minded, those who are more worried about feelings than about facts. They want to tear down basically understood and universally accepted truths about beauty for the sake of those on the fringe who complain about it. If you attract the 'male gaze', that's just plain wrong. Those in the loud minority want women in general to be more like men out of their strange need to be 'intersectional'...they'd have you believe that since there's no difference between men and women, then women shouldn't aspire to be beautiful. Beauty should be frowned upon as a 'patriarchal construct', and you'd better believe they'd love to remove it as a truth from modern culture entirely. Just discount the simple truth that we've had a virtually unchanged perception of what's beautiful as a civilization for thousands of years...all that's changed about that perception are tastes and the slightest details.

Don't take my word for what I'm saying...you've seen the trend and heard about it.

You've been hearing the same B.S. from those like Scarlett Johansson, who says she got to where she is because she was 'objectified', and she was probably told to say that by her agent or her studio for 'woke points'. Excuse me for a moment. Hey, Scarlett? I do imagine you were told to say that or you'd get in trouble, but between me and you. You were chosen to be Natasha Romanova because the character was already an object of beauty and beguilement in the first place, and for darned good reasons. Again, being beautiful will get our attention, hell yes. But great writing and who a character is will ***keep*** our attention...up to Endgame, fans of the MCU fell in love with Black Widow. I'm sorry Marvel and Disney didn't love her so much. If Tony Stark says "I want one!", that's not objectifying, it was a funny compliment and most everybody took it that way. But in Current Year, we're supposed to think it was an insult, Scarlett was nothing but an 'object', and she was never anymore than that. Never mind she made tons of money in the process, and strange enough she's suing Disney because she's not being given her just due for her work...uh, that's a whole other story!

I guess beautiful and strong women like Scarlett and Gina Carano are awesome UNTIL they become a liability to certain people, huh?

Look at "Masters of the Universe", Kevin 'The Liar' Smith's sequel to the original cartoon IN NAME ONLY, and see how they've turned Teela into a buff warrior you can easily confuse for being a man if you first met her. Look at Marvel's Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel. Look at Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk. Even those classically known to be beautiful like Storm have been 'neutralized' to one level or another. Just compare comics of only 20 years ago to today! It's all for the supposed drive to reflect 'the world outside your window' and disregard the fact comics aren't meant to be so real in the first place -- over half the crap that happened in them never could in real life.

Look if you dare at DC's "I Am Not Starfire", where we're supposed to be attracted in some way to Mandy as the main character while (not her mom!) Koriand'r is relegated to a secondary role, if that. Never mind that Mandy is self-absorbed, bitter, petty, judgmental, and selfish as all blazes worrying about what SHE wants and what life OWES her. For the record: true heroes, super or not, have never had an outlook like that. Unfortunately, Western comic book creators do. Japanese writers and artists don't feel that way...they want to create both beautiful women and handsome guys as heroes because in the end, to one degree or another, beauty does naturally attract us. Again, is it any wonder why manga is kicking the ass of U.S. comics?

Oh, there's no word from hypocrite Gerry Conway yet about whether he'll apologize for Power Girl or not.

I'm fairly convinced that "I Am Not Starfire" is some kind of dumb experiment...would we accept a dumpy and negative girl like Mandy as a hero? If so, the answer has been a resounding NO. Don't hate me for saying that, just look at what fans have been saying. Look at the microscopic sales. It hasn't been out of hate for the character, her writer, or her artist. It's simply because she was deliberately unattractive inside and out, and folks won't trip over themselves running to the comic store to buy that book!

And how about them video games? We're told that seeing a woman's fetching butt, even for a moment, is toxic and hurtful...if you don't know that, you haven't heard of the B.S. about the brand new remade edition of "Mass Effect". It seems like only Japanese game makers see any virtue in beauty compared to American developers, too, and it's all about politics. We had a truly pretty female hero in the form of Ellie in "The Last of Us 2", but for the sake of 'intersectionality' and 'inclusivity', Neil the Idiot and Anita the Con Artist collaborated to bring us Abby -- again, someone any man or woman could confuse as a dude. Like Mandy, Abby wasn't beautiful inside, either. She was vengeful as hell and didn't care who got hurt to accomplish what she wanted. I find it interesting that we were told to accept Abby as much as Ellie as a main character of the story, but I'd have to go into a whole other rant about how that falls apart because Abby is so damned negative and unattractive within as a character.

Discount the fact that Ellie, a lesbian, lost her adoptive father Joel, had her life ripped apart and was everything but killed. And why? It was because it was written she be put in opposition of Abby, who maybe not incidentally was straight.

That's as stupid as Oprah Winfrey and LeBron James saying America is an oppressive, racist country...if they among all other African-Americans WERE still being oppressed in one way or the other, Oprah and LeBron never would have been famous. Or rich. Hell, they wouldn't have earned a damn thing, much less been allowed to succeed in any way. Sorry, straying off-topic, but that point of view is as dumb as saying that being beautiful is somehow a negative and shouldn't be an ideal to look up to or aspire to be!

One more time, I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings saying any of this. That's not my intent. I'm just telling you about all of the things I can see, and I'm really afraid it'll only get worse. How much worse? How would you like to see Hollywood, the comics makers, and video game developers go right into the toilet of obscurity because they were more worried about agenda and pleasing only a few, thus alienating the many they oughtta be appealing to? Or can't they be inclusive and try to cater to *everyone?* Entertainment is meant to entertain, that's ALL it's meant to do, and seeing someone beautiful will draw our attention and make us spend our money really quick. The attractiveness of who they are will keep our butts firmly in our seats. It's always been that way, and whether some like it or not, it always will be...and I've never minded that one bit.

I know a lot of you agree with me, and you want this nonsense (among many other dumb agenda-driven things!) to just stop. Besides, you can tell great stories and have beautiful characters who hook you like a fish *while* trying to get across a certain message. Look at the orignial classic "Star Trek" TV show...hell, even "TNG", "DS9", "Voyager" and "Enterprise" did that and knew how to do it right. If you don't agree, then let me please ask you to try to be truly tolerant of how people like me feel in the same way you'd want me to be tolerant of your point of view. Please? Really look around you for a moment, and I urge you to try to chill and find your happiness...

...and maybe you'll see the many, many degrees and kinds of beauty all around you, too!

Giving credit where it's due!
XNALara created by Dusan Pavlicek; XPS by Dusan and XNAaraL

Models:
Helena Douglas, Akeno Himejima, and the original characters Sherry La Merasezuki, Asu and Esu Kima, and Zi Niao, ALL were meshmodded by ! x 100!

Scenery by ! x 100!

Description
This isn't just a chance for me to show some love to some incredible ladies above meshmodded by . They're here to get your attention mainly, and not coincidentally, he created three of them for SoDC7! :333 But as you can see, they're all feeling really serious, and so am I.

We as a society have been having to deal with a bunch of bullshit trends for years...I'm sorry for saying that, but I have to be blunt. The powers that be, from corporations to entertainers to the mainstream media to politicians, have asked us to buy into a new and divisive way of looking at things. You know what I mean. Men = toxic. Right wing = evil. Apoliticial = STILL political! America is 'systemically racist' and needs to 'do better'...you've been hearing that crap too, and most of you have got to be tired of it. Such sweeping generalizations and prejudice can also be completely wrecked and called out for the self-serving nonsense it is if you simply have enough common sense.

The powers that be are pushing that crap on us because they honestly think that's what we want. They're listening to the loudest of mouths and biggest of mobs on social media, those on the fringe who are constantly unhappy and dogpile on what they don't like or hurts their fee-fees. The powers that be have taken to obeying algorithms online instead of simply putting their ear to the ground to listen to what people really want. It's a brave new world, but it's one where conflict and bullying and endless criticism and deconstruction of what has seriously never hurt anyone has become the order of the day.

One thing that's been attacked and subject to deconstruction is the ideal of beauty, especially when it comes to women.

Please, please don't get me wrong as I make this argument. I'm as simple of a soul as you can imagine. I don't have an agenda here. I'm simply calling things like I see them, as so many more of you have seen the same things. If you disagree with me, you're more than free to because we live in a free society. We should have the right to express ourselves however we want, right?

You don't want anyone to infringe on YOU when you tell people how you feel, do you? You don't want anyone to declare you're a monster and you're being 'intolerant' for your point of view, do you? I'm not being intolerant here...hell, I'm being as inclusive as you can imagine, and I mean truly inclusive.

I believe there's a god and creator above us all, and god saw the infinite wisdom in creating distinct differences between men and women. And with no doubt whatsoever, one of the most striking differences is how beautiful women can be -- both in body and soul -- compared to men. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, meaning it's a subjective ideal, sure. But someone also said not long ago that everyone is beautiful in their own way, and I firmly believe that, too.

Case in point: a funny movie I still remember well is "The Truth About Cats and Dogs". Subjectively speaking, you could say that Uma Thurman was a bit more beautiful and attention-getting than Janeane Garofalo. But they were co-stars because, duh, they were each beautiful with a distinctive quality, and not just because one was blonde and the other was brunette. Janeane's character was beautiful in her own right, but out of insecurity, felt the need to recruit Uma to help her get Mister Right. For the sake of equal time, guys have idealized what it means to be handsome and it's created insecurity for them, too. Let me bring up another similar comedy as an example: "Roxanne". Was fire chief Steve Martin any less handsome than the studly chucklehead he needed to play the role of him to get Daryl Hannah's attention? They were different degrees of handsome, and only a really judgmental person would be scared off by Steve's big honker of a nose, which was the only thing that HE thought would impede him from finding romance!

There are all degrees of beauty all around us...all we have to do is look around. There are many types of beauty, too. In the DOA games, Kasumi is just as lovely as Lisa, who's just as stunning in her own right as Mila, who's just as gorgeous as Helena, who's...you get it! You don't have to be a beauty pageant winner or a diva or an actress in Julia Roberts' salary range to be called beautiful, either. Beauty does matter, but for those like me who are simple souls and don't work ourselves up over those sorts of things, it shouldn't be an end-all, be-all issue subject to harsh judgment.

Not everyone can rock a micro-kini. I'm not denying that. But please don't hate on those who can, and don't let that make you feel you can't be beautiful in your own way. Simple makeovers often make all of the difference. Besides, being beautiful on the inside is what really cements that attraction and makes a man (or woman!) want to be with you for...well, who knows how long if that attraction to *who* a person is becomes mutual? That's something my late mom taught me.

In recent years, there are those who think beauty IS an issue...beauty hasn't just been subject to deconstruction, some people would love nothing better than to *neutralize* that ideal. You hear about it all the time from the politically-minded, those who are more worried about feelings than about facts. They want to tear down basically understood and universally accepted truths about beauty for the sake of those on the fringe who complain about it. If you attract the 'male gaze', that's just plain wrong. Those in the loud minority want women in general to be more like men out of their strange need to be 'intersectional'...they'd have you believe that since there's no difference between men and women, then women shouldn't aspire to be beautiful. Beauty should be frowned upon as a 'patriarchal construct', and you'd better believe they'd love to remove it as a truth from modern culture entirely. Just discount the simple truth that we've had a virtually unchanged perception of what's beautiful as a civilization for thousands of years...all that's changed about that perception are tastes and the slightest details.

Don't take my word for what I'm saying...you've seen the trend and heard about it.

You've been hearing the same B.S. from those like Scarlett Johansson, who says she got to where she is because she was 'objectified', and she was probably told to say that by her agent or her studio for 'woke points'. Excuse me for a moment. Hey, Scarlett? I do imagine you were told to say that or you'd get in trouble, but between me and you. You were chosen to be Natasha Romanova because the character was already an object of beauty and beguilement in the first place, and for darned good reasons. Again, being beautiful will get our attention, hell yes. But great writing and who a character is will ***keep*** our attention...up to Endgame, fans of the MCU fell in love with Black Widow. I'm sorry Marvel and Disney didn't love her so much. If Tony Stark says "I want one!", that's not objectifying, it was a funny compliment and most everybody took it that way. But in Current Year, we're supposed to think it was an insult, Scarlett was nothing but an 'object', and she was never anymore than that. Never mind she made tons of money in the process, and strange enough she's suing Disney because she's not being given her just due for her work...uh, that's a whole other story!

I guess beautiful and strong women like Scarlett and Gina Carano are awesome UNTIL they become a liability to certain people, huh?

Look at "Masters of the Universe", Kevin 'The Liar' Smith's sequel to the original cartoon IN NAME ONLY, and see how they've turned Teela into a buff warrior you can easily confuse for being a man if you first met her. Look at Marvel's Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel. Look at Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk. Even those classically known to be beautiful like Storm have been 'neutralized' to one level or another. Just compare comics of only 20 years ago to today! It's all for the supposed drive to reflect 'the world outside your window' and disregard the fact comics aren't meant to be so real in the first place -- over half the crap that happened in them never could in real life.

Look if you dare at DC's "I Am Not Starfire", where we're supposed to be attracted in some way to Mandy as the main character while (not her mom!) Koriand'r is relegated to a secondary role, if that. Never mind that Mandy is self-absorbed, bitter, petty, judgmental, and selfish as all blazes worrying about what SHE wants and what life OWES her. For the record: true heroes, super or not, have never had an outlook like that. Unfortunately, Western comic book creators do. Japanese writers and artists don't feel that way...they want to create both beautiful women and handsome guys as heroes because in the end, to one degree or another, beauty does naturally attract us. Again, is it any wonder why manga is kicking the ass of U.S. comics?

Oh, there's no word from hypocrite Gerry Conway yet about whether he'll apologize for Power Girl or not.

I'm fairly convinced that "I Am Not Starfire" is some kind of dumb experiment...would we accept a dumpy and negative girl like Mandy as a hero? If so, the answer has been a resounding NO. Don't hate me for saying that, just look at what fans have been saying. Look at the microscopic sales. It hasn't been out of hate for the character, her writer, or her artist. It's simply because she was deliberately unattractive inside and out, and folks won't trip over themselves running to the comic store to buy that book!

And how about them video games? We're told that seeing a woman's fetching butt, even for a moment, is toxic and hurtful...if you don't know that, you haven't heard of the B.S. about the brand new remade edition of "Mass Effect". It seems like only Japanese game makers see any virtue in beauty compared to American developers, too, and it's all about politics. We had a truly pretty female hero in the form of Ellie in "The Last of Us 2", but for the sake of 'intersectionality' and 'inclusivity', Neil the Idiot and Anita the Con Artist collaborated to bring us Abby -- again, someone any man or woman could confuse as a dude. Like Mandy, Abby wasn't beautiful inside, either. She was vengeful as hell and didn't care who got hurt to accomplish what she wanted. I find it interesting that we were told to accept Abby as much as Ellie as a main character of the story, but I'd have to go into a whole other rant about how that falls apart because Abby is so damned negative and unattractive within as a character.

Discount the fact that Ellie, a lesbian, lost her adoptive father Joel, had her life ripped apart and was everything but killed. And why? It was because it was written she be put in opposition of Abby, who maybe not incidentally was straight.

That's as stupid as Oprah Winfrey and LeBron James saying America is an oppressive, racist country...if they among all other African-Americans WERE still being oppressed in one way or the other, Oprah and LeBron never would have been famous. Or rich. Hell, they wouldn't have earned a damn thing, much less been allowed to succeed in any way. Sorry, straying off-topic, but that point of view is as dumb as saying that being beautiful is somehow a negative and shouldn't be an ideal to look up to or aspire to be!

One more time, I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings saying any of this. That's not my intent. I'm just telling you about all of the things I can see, and I'm really afraid it'll only get worse. How much worse? How would you like to see Hollywood, the comics makers, and video game developers go right into the toilet of obscurity because they were more worried about agenda and pleasing only a few, thus alienating the many they oughtta be appealing to? Or can't they be inclusive and try to cater to *everyone?* Entertainment is meant to entertain, that's ALL it's meant to do, and seeing someone beautiful will draw our attention and make us spend our money really quick. The attractiveness of who they are will keep our butts firmly in our seats. It's always been that way, and whether some like it or not, it always will be...and I've never minded that one bit.

I know a lot of you agree with me, and you want this nonsense (among many other dumb agenda-driven things!) to just stop. Besides, you can tell great stories and have beautiful characters who hook you like a fish *while* trying to get across a certain message. Look at the orignial classic "Star Trek" TV show...hell, even "TNG", "DS9", "Voyager" and "Enterprise" did that and knew how to do it right. If you don't agree, then let me please ask you to try to be truly tolerant of how people like me feel in the same way you'd want me to be tolerant of your point of view. Please? Really look around you for a moment, and I urge you to try to chill and find your happiness...

...and maybe you'll see the many, many degrees and kinds of beauty all around you, too!

Giving credit where it's due!
XNALara created by Dusan Pavlicek; XPS by Dusan and XNAaraL

Models:
Helena Douglas, Akeno Himejima, and the original characters Sherry La Merasezuki, Asu and Esu Kima, and Zi Niao, ALL were meshmodded by ! x 100!

Scenery by ! x 100!