Skullknight.NET Podcast: Episode 55

[Walter]

Episode 55: Eclipse I [Vol. 12] (1hr 36 min)

We've reached the climax of the Golden Age arc with our re-read of Volume 12, which includes the coda for the Falcons, and the beginning of the Eclipse. What do solar eclipses mean in paganism? What were Griffith's final words before the Eclipse? And who has the most boss entrance among the God Hand members?

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[Rhombaad]

Great episode, guys! I'm glad you spoke at length about the conversation Guts and Casca have before Griffith takes off in the wagon. I think a lot of people (myself included) misinterpret that scene when they first read it. I remember thinking Griffith took off because he was upset Guts wasn't going to stick around, but since reading it the first time, I've discovered how much more subtle that scene is. Miura is truly a master.

 

[Ryouma]

I liked the pacing, the flaw of this conversation. It was pretty much flawless, few blanks. Can't wait for the part II.

I really like the details you gave about Void's cloak and Professor Aaz using/explaning the term Chitin to specifiy the texture of the cloak.

The English word "chitin" comes from the French word chitine, which first appeared in 1821 and derived from the Greek word χιτών (chiton), meaning covering

 

[Walter]

Great episode, guys! I'm glad you spoke at length about the conversation Guts and Casca have before Griffith takes off in the wagon. I think a lot of people (myself included) misinterpret that scene when they first read it. I remember thinking Griffith took off because he was upset Guts wasn't going to stick around, but since reading it the first time, I've discovered how much more subtle that scene is. Miura is truly a master.

Thanks. It's actually my one regret about this episode that we didn't spend a little more time on that scene, since it is pretty important. I wanted to say, there are a few different things going on with that scene, obviously. He's deluded by his vision of his ideal self and the child. But also, I think ultimately what spurred him to action was overhearing how Guts and Casca were treating him like an invalid. Even with their best intentions, that must have been quite damaging to him. His dream was coming crashing down around him, and his friends were basically having to pick who was going to have to take care of grandma. Such feelings of pity were anathema for someone who was so proud.

Like we said on the podcast, resting in the "ruins of a dream" wasn't even a consideration for Griffith in his physical state. It's worth considering if the man before imprisonment would have taken up the God Hand's offer or rejected it, but that's more of a mental exercise than one of any significance.

I liked the pacing, the flaw of this conversation. It was pretty much flawless, few blanks. Can't wait for the part II.

Thanks! It was actually pretty rocky. We lost about 10s in the beginning thanks to Skype barfing, and I had to move things around to make it flow. It's the last straw for me and our recording method. Going with something new next time.

 

[Rhombaad]

I wanted to say, there are a few different things going on with that scene, obviously. He's deluded by his vision of his ideal self and the child. But also, I think ultimately what spurred him to action was overhearing how Guts and Casca were treating him like an invalid. Even with their best intentions, that must have been quite damaging to him. His dream was coming crashing down around him, and his friends were basically having to pick who was going to have to take care of grandma. Such feelings of pity were anathema for someone who was so proud.

Like we said on the podcast, resting in the "ruins of a dream" wasn't even a consideration for Griffith in his physical state. It's worth considering if the man before imprisonment would have taken up the God Hand's offer or rejected it, but that's more of a mental exercise than one of any significance.

Exactly. I also think one of the catalysts that spurred him to run was overhearing that Guts left the Band of the Falcon because of what he heard Griffith tell Charlotte about what a true friend is. I always interpreted Griffith's look after that moment to be one of, "Oh, my God. I did this to myself. I'm the reason Guts left, which sent everything else into motion." I could be misinterpreting that moment, though. I also don't have the manga in front of me, because I'm at work, so I'm going off of memory.

Thanks! It was actually pretty rocky. We lost about 10s in the beginning thanks to Skype barfing, and I had to move things around to make it flow. It's the last straw for me and our recording method. Going with something new next time.

It sounded pretty good to me, aside from a couple times where it cut out a bit. You did a good job piecing it back together. What method do you think you'll use next time?

 

[Walter]

Exactly. I also think one of the catalysts that spurred him to run was overhearing that Guts left the Band of the Falcon because of what he heard Griffith tell Charlotte about what a true friend is. I always interpreted Griffith's look after that moment to be one of, "Oh, my God. I did this to myself. I'm the reason Guts left, which sent everything else into motion." I could be misinterpreting that moment, though. I also don't have the manga in front of me, because I'm at work, so I'm going off of memory.

Sure, that was actually something I'd posited during the Griffith-focused podcasts in 2012. I think it remains a compelling and valid interpretation, but it's just not as convincing to me now as it was in 2012. While I do think it's significant that Griffith learns Guts and Casca overheard him at Primrose Hall, I'm not so sure that particularly was what set him off. Tough to say either way, given that all we get is a single panel of his face. I think many elements of this section are open to interpretations, hence my wish to spend more time on it.

It sounded pretty good to me, aside from a couple times where it cut out a bit. You did a good job piecing it back together. What method do you think you'll use next time?

This is a little in the weeds discussion, but right now we use a rather slapped-together method. One silent party listens in and records while the other accounts talk. But because there are two active connections on one side (one recording, one talking), Skype regularly tries to downgrade the connection, resulting in distorted or dropped audio. Sometimes it's not a problem. Sometimes it's debilitating, resulting in us having to completely stop and reinitialize the connection. There's only been 1-2 times where we've totally lost a segment though, this podcast being one of them. It's more a matter of frustration for us...

In the future, I'd like to record one client-side audio track per podcaster, then mix it together. Would result in the best quality audio (omitting Skype's compression) and would bypass any distortion from downgraded connections. The catch? It's an extra layer of potential failure since we're relying on each person successfully recording a track. If one person's computer freezes, or exporting the file fails, the whole podcast is a wash.

 

[Rhombaad]

Sure, that was actually something I'd posited during the Griffith-focused podcasts in 2012. I think it remains a compelling and valid interpretation, but it's just not as convincing to me now as it was in 2012. While I do think it's significant that Griffith learns Guts and Casca overheard him at Primrose Hall, I'm not so sure that particularly was what set him off. Tough to say either way, given that all we get is a single panel of his face. I think many elements of this section are open to interpretations, hence my wish to spend more time on it.

I don't think it's the one thing that set him off, either, but I think it contributed to it. I think the main thing that set him off was listening to Guts and Casca treating him like an invalid, like you said earlier.

This is a little in the weeds discussion, but right now we use a rather slapped-together method. One silent party listens in and records while the other accounts talk. But because there are two active connections on one side (one recording, one talking), Skype regularly tries to downgrade the connection, resulting in distorted or dropped audio. Sometimes it's not a problem. Sometimes it's debilitating, resulting in us having to completely stop and reinitialize the connection. There's only been 1-2 times where we've totally lost a segment though, this podcast being one of them. It's more a matter of frustration for us...

In the future, I'd like to record one client-side audio track per podcaster, then mix it together. Would result in the best quality audio (omitting Skype's compression) and would bypass any distortion from downgraded connections. The catch? It's an extra layer of potential failure since we're relying on each person successfully recording a track. If one person's computer freezes, or exporting the file fails, the whole podcast is a wash.

Ugh, that does sound frustrating. Well, I wish you guys luck in finding a new method. I hope it works out for you.

 

[Aazealh]

Ugh, that does sound frustrating. Well, I wish you guys luck in finding a new method. I hope it works out for you.

It's what we first did before moving on to the system we've been using since. There shouldn't be any problem.

 

[Kinyobee]

Great podcast as always. This really is such a service to the community and it's good fun to hear you guys talk things through.

Just to throw something out there, Google hangouts could be an alternative to skype. I rarely use Skype but I've had no problems with Google hangouts calls. It has some live stream recording functions and gives you a good bit of control over the way its recorded. It is basically a free webinar service that you could use and would eliminate the need for a 3rd party on the same connection to record. Once recorded you can download and edit it like you would now.

Here's a short video I found real quick that goes over some of it. I have only played around with it and never used it for anything serious before but it has some nice features. You could even make things interactive later down the road. You could have a SkullKast circle and set event dates and people could join up and listen "live". Maybe even allow some people to talk from time to time or just participate with the built in chat function.