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mytechnodant · 12 days

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YallaChat Clone: The Next Big Thing in Messaging Apps

Unveiling the Next Frontier in Messaging: YallaChat Clone

In today's hyper-connected world, communication has become more than just a means of exchanging information; it's a gateway to building relationships, fostering communities, and transcending borders. With the rise of messaging apps revolutionizing how we connect with others, there's a growing demand for platforms that offer a seamless blend of functionality, accessibility, and cultural relevance. Enter the YallaChat Clone – a promising contender in the realm of messaging apps, poised to redefine the way we communicate on a global scale.

The Rise of Messaging Apps: A Paradigm Shift in Communication

Messaging apps have witnessed an unprecedented surge in popularity over the past decade, reshaping the landscape of communication and social interaction. What started as a simple means of sending text messages has evolved into multifaceted platforms offering a plethora of features, from real-time messaging and multimedia sharing to group chats and video calls. Today, messaging apps are not just tools for communication; they're integral parts of our daily lives, facilitating everything from casual conversations to business collaborations.

Introducing YallaChat Clone: Embracing Innovation and Diversity

Amidst the plethora of messaging apps available in the market, the YallaChat Clone stands out as a beacon of innovation and diversity. Inspired by the success of the original YallaChat app, the clone seeks to replicate its core features while introducing unique enhancements tailored to the needs and preferences of users worldwide. With a user-friendly interface, robust messaging capabilities, and support for multiple languages, the YallaChat Clone is poised to become the go-to platform for seamless communication and community building.

Unlocking the Power of Global Connectivity

One of the key strengths of the YallaChat Clone lies in its ability to transcend geographical boundaries and foster connections on a global scale. Whether you're connecting with friends halfway across the world or joining virtual communities with shared interests, the YallaChat Clone offers a gateway to a world of possibilities. By embracing diversity and inclusivity, the platform creates a vibrant tapestry of global conversations, enriching the lives of users from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Features That Set YallaChat Clone Apart

1. Real-time Messaging:

Like its predecessor, the YallaChat Clone offers real-time messaging capabilities, enabling users to exchange text messages, emojis, stickers, and multimedia files seamlessly. Whether you're having a one-on-one conversation or participating in a group chat, the platform ensures that messages are delivered instantaneously, fostering fluid communication and engagement.

2. Group Chats:

With support for group chats, the YallaChat Clone allows users to create and join conversations with multiple participants. Whether it's planning a group outing with friends or collaborating on a project with colleagues, the platform provides a space for collective interaction and collaboration.

3. Multimedia Sharing:

From photos and videos to audio recordings and documents, the YallaChat Clone facilitates the sharing of multimedia content within conversations. Whether you're sharing cherished memories with loved ones or collaborating on a creative project, the platform empowers users to express themselves through rich media.

4. Voice and Video Calling:

In addition to text-based communication, the YallaChat Clone offers voice and video calling features, allowing users to connect face-to-face or engage in voice conversations with friends, family, or colleagues. Whether you're catching up with a friend or conducting a virtual meeting, the platform provides a seamless communication experience.

Customization and Personalization: Tailoring the Experience to Your Needs

One of the key advantages of the YallaChat Clone is its flexibility and customizability, allowing users to tailor the platform to their unique preferences and requirements. Whether it's customizing the user interface, adding new features, or integrating third-party services, the platform empowers users to create a personalized communication experience that aligns with their individual needs and preferences.

Embracing Innovation: The Future of YallaChat Clone

As technology continues to evolve and user preferences shift, the YallaChat Clone remains committed to innovation and adaptation, ensuring that it stays at the forefront of messaging app development. Whether it's incorporating emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and augmented reality or enhancing security measures to protect user privacy, the platform is constantly evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of its users.

Conclusion: Redefining Communication in the Digital Age

In a world where connectivity is more important than ever, the YallaChat Clone represents a beacon of hope and opportunity, offering a gateway to seamless communication and global connectivity. With its intuitive interface, robust features, and commitment to diversity and inclusivity, the platform is poised to redefine the way we connect, communicate, and collaborate in the digital age. As we embark on this journey together, let us embrace the power of communication to build bridges, foster connections, and create a brighter, more interconnected future for all.

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productivity-tips · 3 months

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Unleash Your Inner Urban Ninja with Heart-Pounding Parkour Sessions

Introduction: Welcome to the world of parkour, where movement meets creativity and obstacles become opportunities. Our Parkour Sessions offer a thrilling and dynamic way to explore the urban landscape, challenge your limits, and unlock your full potential. Join us as we dive into the details of our adrenaline-pumping sessions and discover why parkour is the ultimate expression of freedom, athleticism, and self-expression.

Active Components:

1. Movement Mastery: Experience the art of movement as you learn and master the fundamental techniques of parkour. From precision jumps and vaults to wall runs and cat leaps, our sessions focus on developing agility, coordination, and spatial awareness, allowing you to navigate any environment with confidence and precision.

Dosage: Dedicate time to movement drills and technique practice in each parkour session, focusing on mastering the basics before progressing to more advanced maneuvers. Aim for consistent practice to build muscle memory and proficiency over time.

2. Strength and Conditioning: Build strength, power, and endurance with targeted strength and conditioning exercises designed to enhance your parkour performance. Our sessions incorporate bodyweight exercises, plyometrics, and functional movements to improve muscular strength, explosive power, and overall athleticism.

Dosage: Include strength and conditioning exercises in each parkour session, focusing on building strength in the legs, core, and upper body to support dynamic movements and landings. Aim for 2-3 sessions per week to see improvements in strength and performance.

3. Flexibility and Mobility: Enhance flexibility, mobility, and range of motion with dynamic stretching and mobility exercises designed to prevent injury and improve movement efficiency. Our sessions include stretching routines that target tight muscles and joints, helping to increase flexibility and reduce the risk of strains and sprains.

Dosage: Dedicate time to stretching and mobility exercises before and after each parkour session, focusing on areas of tightness or restriction to improve overall flexibility and joint mobility. Aim for a balanced approach that targets all major muscle groups and joints.

4. Mental Focus and Adaptability: Cultivate mental focus, adaptability, and resilience as you navigate the challenges and obstacles of parkour training. Our sessions emphasize the importance of mindfulness, concentration, and quick decision-making, helping you develop mental fortitude and confidence to overcome any obstacle in your path.

Dosage: Incorporate mental focus and adaptability into your parkour practice, focusing on staying present in the moment, assessing your surroundings, and adapting your movements to overcome obstacles efficiently and safely.

Why Choose Our Parkour Sessions?

Freedom of Movement: Parkour is more than just a sport—it's a philosophy that celebrates freedom of movement and self-expression. Our sessions provide a safe and supportive environment where you can explore your physical capabilities, overcome obstacles, and push your limits in pursuit of mastery.

Community and Camaraderie: Join a community of like-minded individuals who share your passion for parkour and adventure. Our sessions offer a supportive and inclusive atmosphere where you can connect with others, share knowledge and experiences, and inspire each other to reach new heights.

Expert Instruction: Led by experienced instructors who are passionate about parkour and dedicated to your success, our sessions provide expert guidance, feedback, and encouragement every step of the way. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced practitioner, our instructors will meet you where you are and help you achieve your goals.

Conclusion: Embark on an exhilarating journey of movement, exploration, and self-discovery with our Parkour Sessions. With a focus on movement mastery, strength and conditioning, flexibility and mobility, and mental focus and adaptability, our sessions offer a comprehensive and empowering approach to parkour training that will leave you feeling stronger, more agile, and ready to conquer any obstacle in your path. Join us in the urban playground and experience the thrill of parkour like never before!

"For the latest updates and exclusive content, visit our website today."

#session

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marigold-doms · 4 years

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Top/Bottom Relationship [Part 1] ||Nakamoto Yuta ||

[ Part 1 ] >> [ Part 2 ] >> [ Part 3 ]

Genre: sum smut & biG angst energy

Pairing: Fuckboy! nakamoto yuta x CEO! female reader (feat. Johnny)

Warnings: mentions of substance abuse, casual sex, degradation, s/d elements, friends with benefits, if you don’t already know and believe that Nakamoto Yuta is TOP energy... Leave my page this insTAnt.

>>>Inspired by the legendary top! yuta himself and his famous retaliation quote from NCT LIFE in OSAKA.

(A/n): also I did not expect it to be this looong...so enjoy. Promise you there will be more SMUT in Part 2;)

“Fuck!” Yuta enters you and right away your body arches to adjust to his length. Yuta takes your earlobe between his teeth and swipes his wet tongue over the skin of it.

From the last hour you’ve been edged and denied of a climax over and over again that at penetration you were already tearing up. “Yuta!-wait! Oh my go-”

He thrusts into you with a vice and from the look in his eyes you could tell that he was enjoying how he was messing you up. Your hair was matted into your skin from the sweat, your eyes brimming with tears and your mouth drooling from deep throating his length.

“Stop whining. You were the one begging for it.” His stupid smirk spreads across his face and you can’t even muster thoughts because your climax began rippling through the pit of your core. "Look at my personal little whore... already cumming from me being inside her."

This was Nakamoto Yuta.

The infamous,yet extremely delicious fuck boy from your company.

When this type of relationship started out, the first few times was from the desire of your body. But slowly you knew that this was a one way route.

You were catching feelings.

*****************************

“Ms.(y/n), Mr. Nakomoto would like to discuss a few issues regarding the project you assigned to his team.” Behind your secretary you see a familiar Japanese man standing behind her. Wearing an expressionless face.

As soon as your secretary leaves to give the two of you privacy, you professionally ask for the matter at hand. Yuta takes a seat and places down his tablet on the coffee table.

“Hello, Miss (y/n).” Like a predator he eyes you up and down.

Despite you being the CEO of your company and an independent woman with no need to have a man support her... Yuta had this unfailing talent of making you feel small and worthless in his presence. Granted, you loved that about him.

“What-what’s the issue, Mr. Nakamoto?” You both agreed that at work things should be professional. (emphasis on should)

“I’m frustrated, Miss (y/n).” He leans back biting his lip before darting his eyes towards your pencil skirt.

“About?”

“Us.”

Your eyes widen. “Us? What about us?”

You thought that maybe this was going to be his confession to you. That you wont have to wake up to an empty, cold bed every Saturday morning. That this friends with benefits relationship wasn’t working out for him just as much as it was becoming a problem for you.

He puts his head down before meeting your eyes. Lust filled in his dark pupils. In this case, your heart drops.

You know what he wants.

“How far you were taking it today by teasing me in the manager meeting.” His tongue flicks over his lips. “Bending over in front of me like that, like I wasn’t going to see that skirt hugging your ass so tight.”

You choke down the disappointment and use his horniness as an outlet for your frustrations with him.

“And what are you going to do about it?”

He unbuttons his shirt with one hand while the other reaches for his belt. “I’m not gonna do jack shit. Lock the door, slut.”

You wanted to throw your notepad in his face and tell him to stop playing these games. But you lock the door like the good girl he wanted you to be for him.

Since this was a top/bottom relationship.

*******************************

After the dinner with the company you were absolutely exhausted. At your apartment, your shoes are sprawled by the door and you find the nearest comfy spot. Which in your case was the plush love seat in your spacious living room.

“Ah this feel amazing...” You sigh to yourself before taking off your blazer. You haven’t had much time to yourself since the upcoming project was hurdling to an end and all of the last minute preparations always took the most of your energy out of you.

To think about it, you haven’t even seen Yuta in the past two days. your mind suddenly started wandering to what he could possibly be doing on a Friday night since he was usually here undressing or starting round two with you.

Just as he crosses your mind you receive a text.

Nakamoto Yuta : You home? (11:31pm)

You think about his face. The way his smile curved and exposed his beautiful teeth. For a moment, you smile and stare at the text. Hoping that he’d want to just come over for a movie or for drinks.

But it’s thot hours. 12 am.

Yuta is horny and you didn’t want him to find a reason to leave you. Even if it just meant that his body was yours just for a few hours.

So you do what you know best.

Reply: Yeah, Door’s unlocked ;) (read 11:33pm)

You hated falling into this viscous cycle.

Nakamoto Yuta: Good girl. (11:34pm)

**********************

When you hear the door open, you’ve freshened up. Making sure your body was clean and scented since you prided yourself in being absolutely perfect for him.

Your night started as soon as you heard him lock the door.

You got dressed in your usual lingerie. All black. Just like he likes it.

All the lights leading to your bedroom are dim to set the mood. A shadow enters the room and behold the man of the hour.

Nakamoto Yuta.

He grins at you and scans your outfit. Ears turning a little pink from his reaction to what was in front of him. However, when he pulls you in for a kiss you could smell the reminisce of alcohol tainting his breath. Now that you were close enough to see through the kiss you could see that he was red.

You break away from him and taste soju. “You’re drunk.”

This wasn’t the first time.

He stumbles a little before leaning against you. “I’m not.”

You look him in the eyes and immediately you know how much he’s drank.

He looks more gentle. Less aggressive.

“Come on.” You let him hang over you as you guide him to the bed.

All thoughts of sexually pleasing him leave your brain as you go to get water for him and a huge sweater for you. The lingerie was a bit redundant at this point. You were grabbing water from the kitchen, collecting yourself and tying your hair up when you heard a whimpering noise come from the hallway.

“Baby~Babygirl??~” Yuta’s soothing yet panicked voice echoed through your large apartment. “Where’d you go?”

He finally sees you and he practically stumbles into your arms again. “I missed you!~I thought you left me...”

I would never leave you Yuta...

You help Yuta back into your bed and hand him some water. “Can you hold me, Baby?”

You can’t help but feel your heart skip a beat. When he got like this he became the man that you’ve longed for. A man that wanted you to be there. A man that could not only fill your physical needs but a man who would fill your emotional needs. You needed more than what Friday nights could offer. You were entire done with the constant tug and pull that you allowed yourself into.

This wasn’t only his fault. It was all yours.

You agreed to it. Heck, you were the one that made it very clear that you only wanted him-at the time- for one night of the week. So to give credit to Yuta, he was sticking to your request.

It was ironic. How you, his CEO, asked for a sub/dom relationship only to fall for him then end up hating the very terms that YOU set for the both of you to follow and abide by. How ironic is that?

Yuta shifts next to you. Refusing to let go of your waist. Keeping himself close. His scent is so strong around the sheets that you can’t help but cuddle into him more.Considering how cold your skin was this type of contentedness and comfort made you loose sight in the emotions that you’ve been holding back. He was so warm and manly to be around. This was a moment that you wanted to savor because you knew that in the morning. The only thing left of him would be his scent.

Your eyes fight the exhaustion to bask in the moment but the battle proves to be lost when you shut them for a second.

It’s dark. But you’re extremely warm.

*********************

By morning, your alarm wakes you. To your surprise, someone stirs next to you and grabs your phone from the nightstand to shut it up.

Yuta’s eyes are barely open while he crawls back into bed. His hands reach out to bring you into a warm embrace under the sheets.

You shut your eyes again, dismissing this odd memory as a dream.

When your eyes open again-

the bed is empty.

You were alone.

Again.

**********************

“-to CEO (y/n) for her successful completion of this project.” Yuta proposes a toast the the company celebration dinner for closing the project.

You nod and bow your head to everyone.

All through the night, you sensed Yuta’s gaze following your every move. He knew what he was doing and how it was making you feel. Your neck was burning hot. You couldn’t believe that he was so blatantly checking you out in front of the entire company.

Once you deemed it clear that people have gotten a few drinks in them, it was your time to leave them to enjoy the rest of the party. You rise from your seat and bid everyone goodbye. Not at all glancing at Yuta.

A couple weeks have passed since the last time Yuta was last in your apartment and you concluded to yourself that he really only wants you as a vessel rather than something more. You had no one but yourself to blame for that. Those two weeks were hard. Harder than you thought it would be.

Although all you guys had was sex, you missed his presence nonetheless.

He didn’t ask to come over and you didn’t call for him to.

You suppose it was a mutual agreement that would carry on and end up as a mere memory.

Your apartment was the last place you wanted to be but there you were, week three without Mr. Nakamoto in sight. You missed his warmth. Withdrawal hits you like a truck. You admitted it to yourself and began crying.

With little to, actually, no thought you decided to do another stupid thing. You call your ex.

The phone rings a couple of times before someone answers.

"Hello, (y/n)?"

"Please..." You voice trembles. "Come over..."

There's a pause and obviously he's thinking about whether he wants to come over. And for those few seconds of no response you can feel a lump form in your throat when you sense that he might hang up.

"Okay." But he doesn't. "What's your address?"

You send it to him and wait until someone rings your door.

"Johnny?"

As soon as you open the door a tall man embraces you tightly. Almost like he knew that's exactly what you needed. When the door shuts, your arms reach behind him and press him closer to you... but it wasn't the same.

You wanted it to be the same. You start tearing a little and press him closer to you.

"Tell me what's wrong." His hand soothes through your hair and you close your eyes. Mad that you weren't imagining Johnny but you in Yuta's comforting arms.

"I miss you..." You say your thoughts out loud.

"Me?"

No... I miss Yuta...

Johnny has always possessed a sense of what was going on so he doesn't press the issue. Instead, he guides you to your couch and places your body in his lap.

"You don't have to tell me anything, (y/n)." His hand rest on the small of your back. "But like I said when we broke up, I'm always here for you."

It takes you a minute to gather your voice since you've been crying but you tell Johnny what happened and how you've gotten yourself in the situation that you were in.

Johnny sits back and glances at you when you're done. "Well... At least you experienced some good dick after me. Glad to know you're not inactive."

His comment makes you laugh and it reminds you why he's such an important person to you. No matter how bad your relationship got, he never made you feel burdened. He was the type of person that once he was in your life he is there for life. And you really liked that about him.

"Thank you, johnny." You lean your head against his chest. "This means a lot."

"Anything for my first love." He smiles before tapping your side. "Now get the fuck up, my legs are falling asleep."

You laugh again and as a joke you straddle his lap to be an ass. "It just started getting comfy though..."

Johnny chuckles and tries to wrestle you like the good old times.

"So you replace me instead?"

A voice from the entrance of the living room startles the both of you and you can't help but think your mind was playing games with you.

"Yuta?"

You rise from Johnny's lap, fully aware that you know what this could look like to Yuta. He glares at you and Johnny.

"No Yuta its-"

"-It's not what it looks like?" Yuta scoffs. "Seems to me that I might've interrupted something."

Yuta's brow lifts in accusation and you stutter to find an explanation for yourself.

But then you realize something.

It was 12 am.

He came because he was horny.

Not because he missed you.

"Yuta ... just go." You point to the door. Taking all of your strength to do this.

He doesn't wait a second longer. His back faces you and in a matter of seconds all that's left is the echo of your slamming door.

You were in your apartment with Johnny but you've never felt so empty.

So alone.

>> [ Part 2 ]

#nakamoto yuta #yuta #nct #nct 127 #my works #yuta smut #nct smut #nct 127 smut #nct doms #nct tops #top!yuta #dom!yuta #NCT smut #masterlist #nct masterlist #nct 127 masterlist

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lgcmanager · 4 years

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SIDE EVENT 009.

** a shoutout to @lgcxjinah and @lgcsoyoun for giving us the inspiration for this side event !! **

a reminder on side-events; they are non-mandatory occasional events that your muse can choose to participate in or not.

while missing an event might mean missing out on points, be aware that choosing to take part in it could have positive or negative consequences for your muse. there is also no telling which part of the event will have consequences either since they will be tailored to make it difficult to guess what could impact your muse. while the final consequences are decided at the same time as the event is created, we will only reveal them the sunday after the deadline. so choose wisely: are you willing to make a gamble with your muse?

LEGACY ENTERTAINMENT HALLOWEEN PARTY

** we are aware that HALLOWEEN can be a sensitive time for some. while making your threads and posts, please make sure to properly identify possible triggers at the top of your post. also, please refrain from posting an image that could be considered as a trigger straight on dash! you may link to it or put it under a read more if you desire, once again with all triggers tagged **

on the week of october 19, every trainees and artists of the company are officially invited to LEGACY ENTERTAINMENT’S YEARLY COSTUMED HALLOWEEN PARTY. if there’s a place to be on OCTOBER 31, it’s there! every year, legacy is known to host the biggest marketing event on that one day. brands compete ferociously to be the one that the company chooses! this year, it’s none other than SEOUL ESCAPE ROOM that won the bid.

on the day of the party, they are tasked to provide the decorations of the huge hall that can accommodate up to 300 people. they do not fail to deliver the best halloween day atmosphere. however, the twist is revealed as soon as the guests enter the room; everything is upside down, and therefore, the party is happening on what would be the ceiling of the room. the festivities will begin at 8PM and end at 3AM. servers will be passing through the venue during the entire evening with finger foods and non-alcoholic drinks. a dj will be in charge of the music, while a host will hold different events during the night (examples include a dance contest, noraebang battle, and more) and will crown the person with the best costume! a couple of photobooths are installed for everybody to make memories of this night. to prepare for the event, everybody will be freed from their schedules at 3PM on the 31st.

furthermore, upon entering the hall, every attendee will be given the same clue ‘you’. everywhere in the room, other clues have been hidden all over the place. those who can find them all will be able to create the sentence ‘who are you dressed as?’. once they think they have the answer, guests are invited to go to one of the cameras set everywhere around the room and give their answer. should they fail, they will receive a gush of air straight in the face. should they pass and tell who they are dressed as, they will be asked why did they pick this costume, then given a 50,000 won prepaid card gift to be spent anywhere.

since press and seoul escape room representatives will also be present on the scene, trainees and idols alike are requested to have fun but still keep it professional!

the videos will be released on SEOUL ESCAPE ROOM’s official youtube account starting from NOVEMBER 3.

however, BAE SIWOO and SEO HANEUL of DBSD are ready to strike this year again...

ORIGINAL PRANKSTERS

Source: Naver [ TRENDING ] BAE SIWOO AND SEO HANEUL PRANKING SHOW SEASON 2 CONFIRMED!

last year, the famous duo has begun the tradition of pranking other celebrities in the industry and their fellow labelmates. with the success of last season’s pranks, ‘hanwoo’ are back it.

NEW BUILDING VISIT: after months of announcing that legacy will be moving to a new building, the time has finally come. while the official move will be on november 1st, during the week of the 26th, staff, artists and trainees alike will be taken in group of 2 or 3 to visit the new building. the first to go will be PROJECT ORIGIN MEMBERS on monday. they will be taken on a full tour of the building and won’t notice any anomalies. from tuesday, the rest of the company will be taking the same tour, however, upon reaching the 10th floor (cafeteria level), they enter either a PURPLE, A LIGHT BLUE OR A DARK BLUE ROOM that the guide lock them in. they learn that they can only leave the rooms once they have solved the room!

for the PURPLE ROOM, people first have to find the numbers 2 0 0 8 hidden in a book to unlock a box that will give them their second clue; a candle. matches will be hidden around the room. if they light up the candle, it will quickly burn and reveal the final clue; girl. the three clues taken together hint the girlgroup ‘BLAZING’. to leave the room, they will have to enter the password (BLAZING) on an ipad that will only turn on once they have found out all three clues.

for the LIGHT BLUE ROOM, people first have to find the numbers 2 0 0 9 hidden in a book to unlock a box that will give them their second clue; a paper with three letters ‘X Y Z’. the paper will seem pointless until they finish completing a puzzle of the korean penisula. they will find the three letters next to the words nation (x), little (y), brother (z). all clues taken together hint the boygroup ‘DAEBAK SHIDAE’. to leave the room, they will have to enter the password (DBSD) on an ipad that will only turn on once they have found out all three clues.

for the DARK BLUE ROOM, people first have to find the numbers 2 0 1 0 hidden in a book to unlock a box that will give them their second clue; a small sun shaped light. upon further inspection, if somebody opens it, it will be written inside ‘she can only me seen when i’m asleep’. this hints to the lights needing to be turned off. once they are the final clue will be revealed on the ceiling ‘once i awaken, i complete it’. the three clues taken together hint the boygroup ‘HARU’ (day). to leave the room, they will have to enter the password (HARU) on an ipad that will only turn on once they have found out all three clues.

PAJAMA PERFORMANCE: in the meantime, PROJECT ORIGIN MEMBERS (without jung miso), are by MBC to perform in different locations for a special episode of Show! Music Core just as some seniors have before them. each unit will board a bus on monday late evening on the 26th; LGC GIRLS will head towards GWANGJU and LGC BOYS towards BUSAN. both units will rest at a hotel minutes away from the actual cities. their accommodations are a large room with mats for everybody to sleep together, a small cooking area and a bathroom. these types of rooms are very common on the countryside and not so out of place. however, they are in for a surprise when suddenly, the ceiling ascends and the walls go down, and they find themselves on a stage with 500 fans silently waiting for them. after confettis are thrown, the music begins: DUN DUN for the girls, followed by HIP SONG, and MIROH for the boys, followed by ROUND 2. (watch this video from 7:20 to have a proper idea of the prank). for LGC Boys, Seo Haneul and Bae Siwoo will appear on stage after the two songs to announce the prank, while for LGC Girls Park Haemi and Song Hanui of BLAZing will be the ones doing so. they will also break the news that there’s no Show! Music Core recording lined up.

REQUIREMENTS

NEW BUILDING or PAJAMA PERFORMANCE: Write a 300+ words solo or a 4 replies (minimum 8 lines) thread with another trainee about the pranks. REWARD: +8 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE ANYWHERE, +2 NOTORIETY !

HALLOWEEN PARTY: Write a 300+ words solo or a 4 replies (minimum 8 lines) thread with another trainee taking place at the party REWARD: +8 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE ANYWHERE, +2 NOTORIETY ! ** this requirement can be done twice. **

make sure to tag all your threads with lgc:halloween2k20. you have until DECEMBER 6 to complete the requirements and claim your points.

to validate your skill points and collect your notoriety points, please submit the following form ONCE on the points blog before DECEMBER 6, 11:59PM EST.

TITLE: MUSE NAME ∙ HALLOWEEN 2K20

- HELL WEEK 1: +8 ( skill points distribution ) + 2 notoriety [ LINK ] - HALLOWEEN PARTY : +8 ( skill points distribution ) + 2 notoriety [ LINK ] - HALLOWEEN PARTY : +8 ( skill points distribution ) + 2 notoriety [ LINK ]

#lgc:halloween2k20 #lgc:q42020 #lgc:sideevent

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moved-attre · 3 years

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Rewriting Cyberpunk 2077 into a bullet point list! LET’S GO!

(Disclaimer: I’m trying to be realistic. So no, “every single detail of the game changes based upon every single choice V makes” but just things I expected in an RPG from an AAA company in 2020. I take a lot of inspiration from the old trailers, and rumors of pre-2018 development.)

And this is really long, too. Sorry. 😜

Okay, so first off: Act 1 generally goes off the same as it does in canon. I’m open to other ideas, but I don’t think it’s a bad starting point. I do think V and Jackie should have had more time together, doing smaller jobs until Dex calls. Like, there should’ve been side jobs that were only available in Act 1. You have to get a minimum of 5 street cred before you get the conversation with Jackie about Dex.

The heist still goes to shit; Yorinobu kills his father, Takemura rebels against him and Arasaka factions split. V inserts the chip into their head, Jackie still dies and Dex shoots V in the head. Takemura rescues V, kills Dex, V wakes up in Vik’s and is told they have 4 months to live. (2 weeks is not enough!)

On to Act 2! The origins actually affect the game, so there’s three versions of it you can play. (Some things happen regardless of the origin, though.) For example: Corpo V has contacts in the Corpo world and pursues leads about the Relic there through their old friends. Street Kid V has contacts in the gangs, like the Valentinos or Maelstrom, who have dirty dealings with corporations and can get V in on Arasaka knowledge, Nomad V has leads out in the badlands about the corporations and gets in that way, hijacking transports to get some info. All origins can work with the corporations (like Hanako’s branch of Arasaka, Militech, Biotechnia, etc.) or against them. Like, the point is to snoop around the corporations and dig up some dirt on the Relic and Yorinobu’s Arasaka branch specifically but each origin goes about it differently?

Maelstrom vs Meredith Stout choice actually matters. It’s one point in a subplot I mentioned above, where V continually makes choices on whether they’re gonna side with the corporations or the gangs/people of NC against Arasaka in order to be rid of the Relic. Also affects V’s relationship with Johnny. You can also have a real, long term relationship with Meredith if you pick her side and get Militech support, or count on Maelstrom to help you in the main plot against Arasaka. Both sides will still attack V if they poke their nose in, meaning random encounters can still happen.

^ The subplot is like, making a deal with the devils (The corpos) or... other devils (The gangs). One person objectively could say one is better than the other, but they’re both awful. Night City is kind of rotten to the core, and V’s problems can’t be fixed by a pursuit of justice. V can still be a good person in either case, and it’s still kept kind of punk by going against the head honchos. I think this more suits the “Wake the fuck up, Samurai. We have a city to burn.” quote because V is churning up a path to the top, even if their methods are purely selfish. V themselves can be uninterested in righting wrongs, but they kind of turn NC on its head by challenging Arasaka so changes come anyway.

Point, is you fuck everything up either way. THEN, V can choose whether to trust the corporations and work with Hanako to “change the system from within” without disrupting people’s day-to-day lives (short term good choice I suppose?) or to let the gangs rise up and cause total anarchy. (long term good? since the downtrodden are rising up and maybe there shouldn’t be absolute power in the hands of a few.)

T-Bug doesn’t die. V thinks she’s dead, but sometime in Act 2 gets an anonymous call and meets up with T-Bug. She went underground after the botched heist, and isn’t eager to work with V again. Maybe you do a few missions with her, and she comes around? Or you fuck up and never hear from her again. I imagine she’d love to poke around at the Relic, if V helps her.

Giving Jackie’s body to Vik has real consequences. If you give his body to his mother, you attend the ofrenda and get his bike, his mom allows you to use his den as a place to stay... It’s basically the ‘good’ choice, if you care about the characters. If you give his body to Vik, you unlock a side mission where Arasaka steals his body to find the relic. You have to go and find it but it was destroyed(?) at some point by Arasaka. You can get his pistols (Which are, aside from Johnny’s pistol, the best weapons in the game. I don’t get why they aren’t in canon...) in this route and whole lotta angst, so his mom basically hates you because she blames you for not being able to bury her son and the bar is off limits. No getting the bike, either.

More content involving Alt Cunningham. V still witnesses the scene with her and Johnny, her kidnapping and death. But, Ghost AI Alt allows V to look into Alt’s memories for information on Mikoshi. V accidentally accesses some more personal memories. We can see Alt as more of a fleshed out actual person, not just a tragic backstory for Johnny. Some of the memories do involve Johnny, and the tone is very different from her perspective. We see that Alt has genuine affection for him, but Johnny is possessive and abusive... It’s far from the relationship Johnny recalls. Of course, Johnny can see all this too since he lives in V’s head. He and V have a heart to heart afterwards, with Johnny realising how badly he treated Alt and yeah. I wasn’t satisfied with how Alt was just used as a sob story for Johnny, but I was sent an ask by an anonymous person about how the memory was from his perspective and thus biased. It really got me thinking! If I was more creative, I’d come up with a way for Alt to live... But Johnny still needs to bomb Arasaka and Alt’s death was the reason why he did that.

You have to return one of your apartments/safe houses every few days to wash and sleep. If not, V will get a penalty that means they are less accurate when aiming and slower when breaking in a vehicle. Also some NPC’s will refuse to talk to you if you don’t bathe, because... stinky.

And you have to eat! Otherwise you get hungry, and get penalties for that too. Can’t concentrate on an empty stomach. I’d say eating once or twice a day would be enough.

Instead of fast travel points (that are supposed to be taxi services, I think...? But we never see a taxi! And why can’t we just call Del? Ugh.), V takes the metro. There are side missions that can sometimes only start once you get on or off of a train. (You meet NPC’s in the train, or waiting for one.)

Takemura and Johnny are romance options, and are available for all genders. They’re the most difficult to romance, with some (kind of obvious) dialogue choices ending the possibility. Like, for example: Takemura’s romance ends badly if you choose to go against the corporations, and Johnny’s ends badly if you go with the corporations. It’s the same with Meredith, essentially, in that going against her won’t allow you to romance her. I know a rival-mance system is possible, but I think that might be too complicated.

Takemura and V’s relationship is much, much deeper. They have more time together, and grow closer. Takemura trains V in combat, and takes over from Coach Fred in the street fights side missions. You go with Takemura to fights, he’s your coach, is very proud when you win. (He’s basically training V in the event that they have to take on Adam Smasher and Oda. Like, why did we have no training montages with Takemura?!) V is able to choose romance or stay friends with him. There’s plenty more missions with Takemura too, mainly espionage stuff against Yorinobu. Finding out his weaknesses, replacing his staff with people that are loyal to Hanako, digging for dirt on him. Lots of stake outs, hehe. 😉 Romance!™️ Also makes it that much more tragic if V doesn’t choose to trust the corporations, since Takemura will end things and leave NC.

There are garages to upgrade your cars but Panam can upgrade it further if you do her missions + befriend her, and you can find super secret parts for your cars that Panam needs all around NC by stealing them from gangs or Corpos! Like, make your car go 200 mph fast or a setting to make it hover. 😎

FOUND FAMILY TROPE... Involving the LI’s + more characters. I wanted Misty, Vik, Judy, Panam, River and Kerry to all know each other and be friends. Also, somewhere for them to hang out. Judy coming down and hanging out with Misty and Vik would’ve been so cool.

Missions involving Vik. I think he deserved his own personal missions. Also, he’s gotta be romanceable! I’ll add more to this later.

I’m still figuring out how Johnny’s romance would go. It’s a tricky one. Lots of tension, jealously if V flirts with anybody... Heart to hearts... Holding hands... Passive aggressive confessions of love...

River is introduced in the main story. Maybe you team up to hunt down somebody who knows stuff about the Relic, like Anders Hellman, or something else to do with it. River’s like “What the fuck is going on?” but V doesn’t really tell him. Then, of course, you meet him later on and recognise him in the BD given to you by Jefferson.

Meeting Kerry earlier in the story, say mid Act 2? Ideally there would have been 5 Acts, and maybe I’ll edit this to include more once I figure out how the story could have gone. AND he’s part of the main story.

Less generic, “get in, get item and get out” side missions from Fixers and more side missions like the Peralez’s and that guy who got crucified. More freaky Cyberpunk subjects like what constitutes a soul, what is “intelligence” (What makes a machine different than a human? Without shitty false racism analogies), human rights abuses (and in that: classism, racism, ableism, transphobia), pollution, more on “Cyberpsychos” and how harmful that term is, etc. Nauced and thought-provoking. Reminding us that this is a dystopia and the issues are different but not all that wildly so from today. I would’ve developed Brendan’s mission more, because it seemed like we were going to see an earnest discussion on Artificial Intelligence but instead it was just confusing and “Haha, tricked you!” 🥱 Like, what if he really was a person capable of free thought and emotion? And that company still owns him and can overwrite him? Isn’t that fucked up?! It didn’t need a happy ending, just something to unnerve me.

Adding to that, Delamain had plenty of opportunities to discuss AI and the rights of individual contructs. His “children” could be freed, but nothing really happens as a result? I wanted consequences! The emails about human staff being made redundant because of Delamain were so interesting, too. I wanted to see something about the consequences of that in a city with no basic universal income. What happened to them? What can be done to help people who are made redundant by machines? So many possibilities for truly emotional and scary side missions!

I’m gonna watch black mirror for more inspiration, but stuff like the IRL blocking feature? Freaky as hell and totally plausible. Would’ve loved if one of the side missions involved V getting involved in some dispute involving something like that. “I can’t see his face!” or the copyright stuff about people’s appearances! Imagine if there was a Johnny lookalike? Engram Johnny would either find it hilarious or get really pissed off.

I’m hoping the DLC will deliver on more Takemura, so I’ll hold my breath for critiquing the Arasaka ending.

More to come! I’ll probably edit this later, if there’s any mistakes and/or I realise I hate an idea hehe.

#CP2077 rewrite challenge #cp77 spoilers #cp77 critical #If CDPR just released the pre-2018 script I could write about that instead so here we are #I've forgotten so much so I'm doing this bit by bit as I replay!

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delicatedreamlandstrawberry · 3 years

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This procedure works for my machine with OS X 10.10.4. Step 1 Instal MacTex. Download the MACTEX. This is the LaTex working environment on Mac, including necessary compliers. Double click the downloaded “mactex-20150613.pkg” “mactex-20160603.pkg“, instal the MACTEX; Step 2 Instal Sublime Text 3. Download the SUBLIME TEXT3.

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TeXworks is a free and simple working environment for authoring TeX (LaTeX, ConTeXt and XeTeX) documents.Inspired by Dick Koch's award-winning TeXShop program for Mac OS X, it makes entry into the TeX world easier for those using desktop operating systems other than OS X.

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The Mac OS is definitely an operating system packed with a lot of features and with a continuous generation of developed operating systems, Apple definitely has a lot under its roof for the same. An interesting choice is that the Mac OS X 10.00 definitely has a good choice and a significant number of standard features that make the system much more compatible. The Mac OS X 10.00 stud-named the Cheetah is definitely a class apart from its ancestors.

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Mac OS X Cheetah 10.0 ISO/DMG Installation | How to Install Mac OS X Cheetah?

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Download the ISO file and don’t let it run automatically.

Make a copy of the Mac OS Cheetah ISO (10.0) on a disk or flash drive. Make sure the drive has enough capacity. (You can also use Dishmaker for this process).

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The download link to the ISO file image of the system can be accessed by clicking on the link below. Make sure that the minimum requirements of the system are met before you proceed with the download and installation.

On this page... (hide)

1. Source code

2. LyX installers (binary versions)

2.1 Windows binaries (Windows 7 and later)

2.2 Mac OS X binaries

2.3 Linux binaries

2.4 OS/2 binaries

2.5 Haiku binaries

3. Additional Software

4. Version numbers

5. Previous versions

6. Mirrors

7. Checksums & signing

8. Development versions

1. Source code

The source code of the current LyX release (version 2.3.6) can be found here in tar.gz format, with the signature file here. The package can also be downloaded in tar.xz format, with the signature here.

If you don't know what source code is, see thearticle in Wikipedia. Information on how to verify the downloaded packages using the signature can be found here.

2. LyX installers (binary versions)

Binary versions of LyX for installing in different operating systems can be found below or on the FTP site. The binaries are also gpg-signed.

2.1 Windows binaries (Windows 7 and later)

NOTE: Before you install LyX on Windows, you need to install a TeX distribution. For more information on how to do this, please see this page on the LyX wiki.

Windows Installer (64 bit): LyX-2361-Installer-3-x64.exe (~57 MB) (GPG signature)

Windows Installer (32 bit): LyX-2361-Installer-3-x32.exe (~54 MB) (GPG signature)

Binaries for Cygwin:lyx-2.3.6.1-cygwin.tar.gz (~58MB) (GPG signature)

In case one of the links above does not work, try this mirror. If the download is too slow try some other mirror closer to you.

2.2 Mac OS X binaries

LyX for Mac OS X is available here: LyX-2.3.6.2+qt5-12-x86_64-cocoa.dmg, and the GPG signature is here.

Binaries for older versions of Mac OS X are available here: LyX-2.3.6.2+qt5-legacy-x86_64-cocoa.dmg, and the GPG signature is here. Some functionality is not available with these (e.g., SyncTeX).

Before you install LyX you need to install a TeX system such as MacTeX.

In case the links above do not work, try this mirror. If the download is too slow try some other mirror closer to you.

On Mac OS X Mountain Lion you'll get the error message:'LyX' can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer. See the explanation here for a work around.

See the LyX/Mac wiki page for further installation tips.

2.3 Linux binaries

Major Linux distributions take care of LyX binaries themselves and you will find LyX in their repositories. For more details about your distribution look in our wiki.

For Ubuntu users, Liviu Andronic maintains a stable PPA (Personal Package Archive). See the LyX on Ubuntu wiki page for information and instructions.

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The versions of LyX on a variety of Linux distributions (as shipped with the vanilla distribution) can be seen on the snippet below. We usually choose testing/unstable repositories. For more detailed listing go here.

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Debian:Arch:Fedora:openSUSE:Mageia:Gentoo:PCLinuxOS:Slackbuilds:MacPorts:Haiku:OpenBSD:FreeBSD:

2.4 OS/2 binaries

LyX has unofficial ports to OS/2, binaries are here (LyX 2.0.7).

2.5 Haiku binaries

LyX has unofficial ports to Haiku, packages (2.1.x,2.0.0,2.2.3,2.3.4) can be found in Haiku package repositories.

3. Additional Software

If you're not using one of the installers or packages, you may need to install some additional software.

4. Version numbers

There are certain rules how the LyX version numbers are assigned. Read the following page for detailed information.

5. Previous versions

6. Mirrors

Please use one of the ftp mirrors below in case our default server (located in France) is slow or unavailable. Both ftp://ftp.lyx.org and https://ftp.lip6.fr/ point to the same primary server, but unless you actively check the signatures of downloaded files, you better use https protocol.

Note that we don't have any direct control over the content in the mirrors, so you are well advised to check signatures of the downloaded files to make sure they are identical to those on the primary site.

Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο(ftp) (Greece)

GARR (Italy)

Uniwersytet Warszawski(ftp) (Poland)

Макомнет(ftp) (Russia)

دانشگاه صنعتی اصفهان (Iran)

Universiteit van die Vrystaat(ftp) (South Africa)

Universidade de Brasília(ftp) (Brazil)

Universidad de Chile (Chile)

CEDIA (Ecuador)

Universidad de la República (Uruguay)

清华大学开源软件镜像站 (China)

KDDI総合研究所(ftp) (Japan)

山形大学(ftp) (Japan)

한국��학기술원(ftp) (Korea)

AARnet (Australia)

MUUG(ftp) (Canada)

ibiblio(ftp) (USA)

University of Utah(ftp) (USA)

UCSD (USA)

7. Checksums & signing

We provide gpg-signed tarballs and binaries. That allows you to check integrity of downloaded package and provides guaranty that no one tampered with the binary on the ftp server or on the way to your computer. Our GPG key ID is 0xDE7A44FAC7FB382D (LyX Release Manager). The signatures are found next to the tarballs and binaries.

To initially import our key via GnuPG, do this:gpg --recv-keys FE66471B43559707AFDAD955DE7A44FAC7FB382D

Attention: Please be careful to use this full fingerprint, spoofed version of shortened fingerprint is already in the wild and it is easy to make new fake ones!

After that, each time you need to verify a tarball:gpg --verify lyx-2.3.6.tar.gz.sig

to check the signature (or any other signed file you want to verify). Watch out for the 'Good signature...' string.

8. Development versions

Please do not use these for any serious work! They are only provided for testing and development purposes.

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mediaeval-muse · 3 years

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Video Game Review: Assassin’s Creed Unity (Ubisoft, 2014)

Genres: action-adventure, third person, open world

Premise: Blaming himself for the death of his adoptive father, Frenchman Arno Dorian joins the Assassins during the French Revolution in order to seek redemption. Learning that his adoptive father was a Templar Grandmaster looking to promote peace between the Templars and Assassins, and that his birth father was an Assassin (killed by Shay in Rogue), Arno must investigate the Grandmaster’s death and contend with a changing Templar Order, while also sorting out his romantic feelings for Elise, the Grandmaster’s daughter. In the present, the Assassins contact the unnamed Absergo employee and recruit them to their cause, using Arno’s memories to find the body of a sage, which may contain traces of First Civilization DNA.

Platform Played On: PC (Windows)

Rating: 3/5 stars

***Full review under the cut.***

I am evaluating this game based on four key aspects: story, characters, gameplay, and visuals. I will also be evaluating the Dead Kings DLC.

Content Warnings: violence, blood, body horror

Story: Assassin’s Creed Unity primarily follows Arno Dorian, an Assassin operating during the French Revolution in 18th century Paris. Following the death of his biological father, Arno is adopted by Templar Grand Master de Laserre, who keeps Arno in the dark about the Templar-Assassin conflict. Thirteen years later, de Laserre is murdered following Arno’s failure to deliver a message in time. Arno joins the Assassins to seek redemption and learns that de Laserre was trying to make peace between the Assassins and Templars, but many did not share his vision. Arno must therefore track down de Laserre’s murderer with the help of his Assassin mentor, Pierre, and Elise, de Laserre’s daughter with whom Arno is in love.

There were several elements to the main story I liked: the idea of star-crossed lovers dropped in the middle of a murder mystery during the French Revolution was intriguing, and I liked that the crux of the conflict was a reigniting of the centuries-old Assassin-Templar conflict. However, none of the “crumbs” of the mystery felt particularly engaging; Arno would track down figures which were introduced then eliminated, and even the bigger characters (Robespierre, Germain, etc) didn’t have enough charisma to carry the plot forward. Given the premise, I would have liked to see more emphasis placed on Arno’s emotional journey, since his guilt and romantic turmoil seemed to be more fruitful areas to explore than the larger mystery. I would have liked to see more flashbacks to his memories with his adopted father (like Edward’s flashbacks in Black Flag) to make the mystery feel more personal, and I would have also liked to see more tension between Arno’s Assassin loyalties and Elise’s Templar leanings. The closest we got, in my opinion, to some satisfying interiority were some ghostly figures whenever Arno visited Versailles (good, but infrequent) and a really nice trippy sequence when Arno first joins the Assassins.

I also think this plot felt different from the previous Assassin’s Creed games because there wasn’t a lot of focus on the First Civilization. Arno encounters a Sage - a figure we were introduced to in Black Flag - but there isn’t a lot of focus on First Civilization artifacts or power. It’s not an unwelcome change, but it was different.

The French Revolution was a wonderful choice for a historical backdrop, though I wish Ubisoft had done more (narratively) to make Arno feel entangled with the world. As the game stands, the French Revolution feels more like a set piece - the background is there, and Arno interacts with some historical figures, but the plot itself doesn’t necessarily need to be set during the French Revolution. I would have liked to see the setting be integrated into the main plot more, perhaps by having the Assassins and Templars be more involved with historical events.

The present-day plot which usually serves as the frame in Assassins Creed games is almost non-existent, which made it feel like a distraction rather than an integral part of the story. Most of the modern stuff was just voice-over, with an anonymous Assassin guiding the faceless and voiceless “Initiate” to comb through Arno’s memories in search of a Sage. Periodically, the voice would alert the Initiate that Abstergo was onto them, and the player would have to take Arno through a series of rifts which featured anachronistic obstacles. Personally, I found these parts more annoying than anything, and they didn’t really come together to form a plot of their own, like in previous installments.

The Dead Kings plot was pretty basic. Arno was tasked with finding a manuscript in exchange for passage out of the city. Along the way, he discovers that Napoleon Bonaparte’s subordinate is trying to find an artifact of the First Civilization, which is hidden in a temple under the church. There wasn’t a lot to set this plot apart - it did the job, and I enjoyed myself, but it wasn’t particularly memorable.

Overall, I think Unity’s plot is mainly hurt by its open world setting. The world is so expansive and full of stuff that it detracts from the main narrative; because players can pick up or put down the mystery of de Laserre’s death, it’s easy to forget about it, making it feel less consequential (or, at least, not very urgent).

Characters: Arno Dorian, the PC character, is a charming protagonist with a lot of likeable qualities. He isn’t really a fan of how the Parisian Assassins are more like a cult than a brotherhood, and he’s witty and sassy while also holding onto admirable ideals. I wish Ubisoft had given him a better plot, though I did like that they didn’t overwhelm him with grief and guilt to the point where he was broody. He mostly had a light outlook on life without downplaying the seriousness of the conflicts around him, which made him a fun character to control.

Elise, Arno’s love interest, had a lot of potential. She was independent and highly competent, and I liked that Ubisoft didn’t make her into someone in need of saving. I wish she and Arno got to work more together and that they had had more scenes where they talked about their pasts, but I guess that would have been too sappy for the target audience. Without spoiling anything, I do have mixed feelings about how her story ended. On the one hand, I think it demonstrated a real character flaw that Elise struggled with throughout the game (I like characters to have actual flaws); on the other hand, she didn’t deserve that.

Other characters were a mixed bag. Pierre, Arno’s mentor, was pretty gruff and grumpy, and I didn’t get the sense that the two were particularly close. I wish more was done to cultivate that relationship, especially given Pierre’s arc. Other Assassins were too uptight to be interesting, and the bad guys weren’t charismatic enough to be intriguing. I did like the Marquis de Sade, but that’s because he’s Extra in fun ways. Leon, a child thief in Dead Kings, was also fun, mainly because he played off Arno well.

Gameplay: Unity differs a bit from its predecessors. While the core doesn’t change - players still need to use a combination of stealth and combat to navigate an open world and achieve goals - Unity introduces skill trees and upgradable weapons/equipment. To improve Arno’s abilities, weapons, and gear, players must collect money, earn “Creed points” (awarded for doing impressive things like ledge assassinations or perfect parries), and gain “sync points” (awarded for completing missions). In addition to collecting money from chests, Arno can upgrade his base at the Cafe Theatre to gain a steady income, though there aren’t any widespread economic mechanics, such as the forts/strongholds in Assassin’s Creed 2 or Black Flag/Rogue.

Unity also infamously introduces “helix credits,” a type of currency that players can acquire by paying real, out-of-game money for. Helix credits unlock abilities and upgrades faster (or else just access exclusive content from the online store). I hate this concept just based on principle, so I spent a lot of time exploring the map and unlocking every chest until I built up enough money to purchase legendary equipment.

Weapons themselves were easy to pick up and use, with familiar things such as the hidden blade, one-handed swords, two-handed weapons, pistols, berserk darts, smoke bombs, poison gas bombs, and the like. New weapons included the phantom blade (a silent projectile), the guillotine gun (a gun/blade hybrid gained in Dead Kings), and the introduction of long-arms (such as halberds). I found most of these weapons easy to use, though I did have to get used to the fact that the hidden blade is not selectable as a primary weapon - Arno uses it automatically when doing a stealth kill, but draws his sword or other weapon whenever the player engages in combat.

In terms of movement and stealth, I liked that Arno’s animations were more inspired by real parkour, but I did find it harder to move precisely in this game for whatever reason. I often got stuck on a ledge or wasn’t able to change direction very fast, all of which caused me to fail missions or get killed fairly quickly. I also didn’t like that Ubisoft removed the ability to whistle and draw enemies to a hiding spot; while there were haystacks and structures to hide behind or in, enemies wouldn’t walk by them very often, making them difficult to use for ambushes or stealth kills.

Side quests/activities included a range of things, from “Paris Stories” (quirky missions where Arno had to go kill someone or steal something), to Murder Mysteries (in which Arno had to search for clues and arrest the correct culprit to achieve unique weapons and armor), to “Nostradamus Enigmas” (riddles which led to different landmarks and rewarded Arno with keys to the legendary armor beneath his base). I personally found these fun, even if a lot of them weren’t memorable. They did their job and provided some entertaining little narratives, so I can’t complain too much.

Unity also introduces a lot of coop multiplayer missions, which can be completed with other players or on your own. Players can form or join “social clubs,” which are mainly just teams of gamers, or search the internet and complete missions with strangers. While I liked that the coop missions were able to be completed alone (they were harder, but not impossible) and I was able to play some missions with a friend, I did not like that most of them required players to replay them 3 times in order to get all collectibles and rewards. For a completist, the coop missions will be repetitive, and at times frustrating if there’s a locked door you can’t access without upgrading your skills.

In terms of collectibles, Unity primarily has money chests, cockades (which unlock color schemes for Arno’s outfits), newspapers, artifacts, and nomad points (which can be used in the companion app). Other than the money, I didn’t find the collectibles very rewarding - I didn’t have the companion app, and I didn’t much care for new color schemes or armor/equipment.

Dead Kings introduces tricorns as collectibles while also inserting a few “Franciade Stories,” Murder Mysteries, and “Suger Enigmas,” all of which resemble their counterparts in the base game. The enigmas in Dead Kings were a bit harder than those in the base game because the answers weren’t necessarily in or around landmarks; players have to really pay attention to the map instead of relying on the database for historical clues. I also found it annoying that players could get accidentally stuck in Dead Kings; if you start the DLC unintentionally, you can’t return to the base game until after you complete the first mission. It really sucks if you’re underpowered or just want to experience the narratives in order.

Visuals: Unity is a visually stunning game, with a lot of beautifully-rendered environments, character designs, and the like. The streets of Paris feel like they are inundated with chaos, with crowds of shouting people moving past walls papered with posters and defaced by graffiti, while the interiors are detailed according to the social class of the inhabitants. Arno can wander into a poor person’s home, empty save for the basics, or a rich person’s, decorated with gold and elegant paneling. I very much enjoyed exploring the world and seeing landmarks such as Notre Dame overlooking a rich, vibrant world.

I also really liked Arno’s outfits, all of which captured an 18th century aesthetic. Arno can wear a number of coats, hoods, pants, belts, and bracers, all of which feature a blue, white, and red color scheme by default. I liked that the color scheme wasn’t based around white, as in previous games, as it made Arno feel more part of his world.

In terms of animation, Unity is really buggy, even years after release. Characters would float in the air or get stuck in odd places, but even so, I didn’t find it difficult to complete the game. I did really like that Arno’s combat animations were inspired by fencing, and his kills were fluid and elegant, almost like a dance.

Final Verdict: Although Assassin’s Creed Unity attempts to bring a new kind of gameplay to the franchise and includes some charming protagonists, the difficult controls, lack of engaging plot, and introduction of microtransactions make it merely an average installment in the series.

#video game review

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officialotakudome · 3 years

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New Post has been published on Otaku Dome | The Latest News In Anime, Manga, Gaming, And More

New Post has been published on https://otakudome.com/reviews/kingdom-hearts-melody-of-memory-review/

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory Review

Step up to the beat in the latest spinoff from the Kingdom Hearts series; Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory. Following the events of Kingdom Hearts III: REmind, the game has Kairi going into her own heart in an attempt to find Sora who supposedly sacrificed his life for hers at the end of the events in Kingdom Hearts III. Kairi now in a deep sleep must retrace her memories as she searches for Sora’s own heart.

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a 2020 rhythm action game, it is developed by Square Enix Creative & Indieszero, it is published by Square Enix. It is currently available on Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.

Editor’s Note: Near complete to complete spoilers for Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory may be present within this review. Slight spoilers for Kingdom Hearts III and Kingdom Hearts III: REmind may also be present within this review.

Kingdom Hearts changes the tune of battle in Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.

In what honestly only felt like natural progression, Kingdom Hearts finally has a rhythm game. The music featured in Kingdom Hearts has (pun intended) always been one of it’s most memorable elements. It sort of feels like this should have been done ages ago, but the same could be said with a Kingdom Hearts fighting game. Which coincidentally was the original plan for Dissidia Final Fantasy, yes it was initially meant to be a Kingdom Hearts spinoff, but Tetsuya Nomura felt uncomfortable seeing Disney characters legit fighting each other. Eventually, Nomura would be more comfortable exploring Kingdom Hearts into different genres and even gave a Dissidia inspired mode to Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days. And as many probably expected, it should come to no surprise that Kingdom Hearts as a rhythm is an almost effortless adaptation.

Play out the much beloved Kingdom Hearts OST in ‘Melody of Memory’.

THE GOOD: Taking place after REmind, Sora sacrifices his heart & thus his life for Kairi’s own revival having been killed by Xehanort prior to their victory over him. Kairi goes into a slumber Ansem the Wise who’s being aided by a few of the Nobodies that recovered their hearts at the end of Kingdom Hearts III. As she sleeps Kairi enters her own heart in order to investigate clues into finding Sora through memories of herself and Sora. There she encounters an illusion of Xehanort who nearly takes over her before she’s protected by the remnants of Sora’s heart proving he may still be alive somewhere. Kairi (being controlled by Sora) defeats Xehanort and as a reward the latter helps Kairi by reminding her of her childhood. Kairi awakens and tells Ansem about her findings and Xehanort’s “other side” clue. This is apparently a fictional world existing outside of their own reality according to Ansem. Kairi & Riku learn about a girl from Other Side who can currently be found in Final World, after Fairy Godmother takes them to the girl. Riku tells her of his dream of Shibuya who determines that it’s a city from her home world Quadratum. Riku opens a portal to Quadratum to continue the search for Sora as Kairi returns to their reality to finish her keyblade training now guided by Master Aqua. Yen Sin tasks Donald & Goofy to tell their friends of the current situation & Mickey to Scala ad Caelum to investigate the revived ancient Keyblade Masters & their possible connection to Quadratum.

For the first time in series history Kairi takes over as lead protagonist (sort of).

Kairi being the focus of the story is a nice change of past, feels like we’ve delved plenty into the individual stories of Sora, Riku, King Mickey, and the BBS crew. While she’s not exactly 100% playable (which is a bit of a ball buster) she’s clearly the main star of about 80% of the game’s plot. It’s mostly about her attempting to revive Sora, but we do get more backstory into her past which is always neat. I think Kairi is one of the weakest characters in terms of development despite her popularity and the fact that people have wanted to see her wield a keyblade for several years. A full on 2.8 like experience with Kairi training under Aqua would be a neat parallel to the actual 2.8 that featured a playable Aqua traversing the World of Darkness prior to the ending of Kingdom Hearts 1. The combat is like any other rhythm. The goal is to time the on-screen button commands within the limit to press said button command. In ‘Memory of Melody’ this is representing in the shape of basic & advanced Kingdom Hearts attack animations towards Heartless and Nobody enemies. The more difficult the command prompt, the more unique the attack. The main object is to reach a high enough score with level ranking increasing to move on to the next world. The leveling is actually required for the next world to be unlocked which at times can feel like a bit of a grind, but it also adds on to the practice necessary for these games. Sora and co. have a health bar and if you miss the timing on a button command this can lead to hp dipping with an empty health bar obviously meaning game over.

Rhythm combat is an unsurprising fit for Kingdom Hearts in Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.

There are boss fights in certain stages which sort of changes things up a bit and they each include their own boss track. Disney characters also have their own worlds with their respective characters being playable, but these are expectedly not the focus of the game as it’s based within Kairi’s memories. Multiple characters throughout the core cast can be unlocked, though the Disney characters are mostly locked to their respective worlds. These worlds have unique sound and button commands for added difficulty and variety. King Mickey acts as a support character for healing and it also has summons. Clearing objectives per stage unlock new songs from the 140+ song catalog. There’s some co-op featured like getting the highest score, facing off against AI in three out of fives, and best 2 out of 3 that has unique features such as moves to stop your opponent from scoring. The Switch version (which is being reviewed) features a Battle Royale mode supporting up to eight players.

Believe or not ‘Memory of Melody’ features a leveling system.

THE BAD: This game is (depending on how you see it) surprisingly hard. Like crazy difficult small mistakes and poorly timed presses come frequently. This can lead to a hair pulling marathon of low level scores and low level scores means slow leveling & perhaps more importantly slower progress because you have to be a certain level for certain doors leading into new worlds. At the same time though you have to commend Square for keeping the rhythm game aesthetic authentic. These games have a history of being extremely difficult often taking a ton of practice to get the hang of (my time spent with Guitar Hero & Rocksmith still haunts me). The story is kind of sort only taking a few hours to complete depending on how much trouble you have, but it is a spinoff rhythm so don’t come in expecting a huge game because of that reason. Granted you’ll get more hours if you complete everything but if you’re only chasing the story it’s roughly about 8-10 hours. Apparently completing the game can take upwards of 60 hours depending one individual experience so there’s that to look forward. Unfortunately, outside of the initial theme and end credits no new songs specifically for the game were developed.

Play as multiple characters in the new musical based battlefield.OVERALL THOUGHTS: Kingdom Hearts: Memory of Melody in some ways is a typical Kingdom Hearts spinoff, but in a lot of ways Square Enix really went a fair bit of distance to provide a unique KH playthrough something that’s also typical of the spinoffs (which is a good thing). It’s disappointing that this is probably the only game, to my knowledge that doesn’t feature music exclusive at the time of release to it. However, it’s possible that an original score of sorts was in the works but COViID-19 got in the way before the finalization of these songs coming into production was possible. As it stands though, for what feels like a much lower budgeted title compared to past spinoffs ‘Melody of Memory’ stands on it’s own as a good side game with follow-up storytelling that connects to the future of the series. And it takes Kingdom Hearts’ into it’s rightful place in the realm of rhythm games. I’m especially impressed with the game’s performance as a series first on the Nintendo Switch. Hopefully this entices Square to at least port Kingdom Hearts 1.5, 2.5, and 2.8 over to the hybrid console in the very near future.

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sylleboi · 4 years

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𝕬𝖚𝖙𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖈 𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 | 30/03/20

For this week, we have a new workshop to do, tying into the first brief (Pick & Mix), focusing on surrealism and the theories linked with this by psychologist Sigmund Freud.

vimeo

Attached was the following text written by our teacher to introduce this workshop and the tasks that come with it;

“After a successful week with the post it note comic, and some excellent write ups that are really well documented, this week's task revisits some of the work from Term 1 (as we started in our drawing sessions) with some of the ideas stemming from Surrealism, dada and the psychoanalytical theories of Sigmund Freud.

This task is presented by Bristol based artist & animator Will Barras who will be offering commentary on your work at the end of the week. Follow the PDF attached and work through the tasks at your own pace. You have all week so take your time and experiment as much as possible.

We have more challenges to come, so try to put time into these as they will form the main body of your experimental work.

Upload your results and be as creative and imaginative as possible, but most importantly let go and embrace the ride.

Good luck peoples!”

Consider the primary objectives of a Final Project:

Collect information (Research)

Recall knowledge (Use learning)

Apply understanding through application and review (Propose & make exciting work and evaluate it)

I find that the above points refer to a simplified process of working through meet the final goal that is set by the FMP, althought this also applies to workshops and side projects that gets documented on this blog, as well as the productionfile.

Question: Are you doing these things and how can we improve and develop this?

I feel that I already do these, althought I yet have to further improve on evaluating the things I do, asking “Why” more often.

Answer: Experimentation - (The action or process of trying out new or revisiting ideas, method and activities)

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This weeks aims & objectives:

To review basic principles of automatic practice in relation to a specific artist

To experiment with working from abstract starting points

Be generate experimental work that shows progression of learning

To compare your work to the work of others

The surrealist/dada movement was an art movement, as well as a literary movement, that began around 1915 - 1917. Some of the key artists leading this movement was Hannah Höch, André Breton & Max Ernst. The movement aimed to break free from the chains that weighed down everyone during the great depression- The artistic field had now begun to evolve into a playground for ones’ imagination, challenging what used to not be acceptable in common culture.

Accident & chance

Embracing Improvisation (What does improvisation mean to you?)

BEING AUTOMATIC!

Surrealist automatism is a method of art-making in which the artist suppresses conscious control over the making process, allowing the unconscious mind to have great sway

Unlocking the unconscious mind.

In Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory of personality, theunconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that are outside of our conscious awareness.

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𝕽𝖊𝖘𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖈𝖍:

This weeks challenge for experimentation is bought to you by Bristol based urban artist and animator Will Barras. Your task is to analyse his work, considering the effect of the visual language (how he uses line and tone for example). Find out about him and considering the aforementioned surrealist principles write a short statement to suggest how he uses those principles in his own work.

Will Barras

vimeo

Illustrator, artist and animation director, Will Barras, currently lives and works in London, althought he grew up in Birmingham and later moved to Bristol to study graphic design. He quickly became known for being part of a group of young artists, working within Bristol’s street art scene. This then led to him appearing in a book titled “Scrawl”, alongside the artists Steff Plaetx and Duncan Jago, becoming a core and founding member of the Scrawl collective. “Scrawl”, originally published in 1999, was an influencial book made to document a new movement in street art, graphics and illustration.

Barras was selected to be one of the original artists for this collective. He was selected due to being renouned for his methods of portraying fluidity in movement. He also worked closely with creating pieces that were more narrativly driven compositions, incorperating such narratives into his line work. Barras’s unique composition of these three key elements, made his mark as an artist all the more inspiring, pushing new ideas against the grain of classic art. All of this has led his work to become staple pieces in many galleries across the globe. This includes Asia, Europe and the U.S.

He has painted a variety of different murals around the world, within this mix is one that he did with the members of his Bristol group at Tate Modern’s tubine hall, as well as one that he did for Pow!Wow! Festival in Taipei. In the studio Th1ng, located in central London, he worked as the head of animation.

Visual analysis and study:

His artwork has a very recongnizable style and feel to it. It has an urban flare to it, making it feel very fitting within the scene of street art.

“A big barn I painted in Dumfries with Amy Winstanley for the Spring Fling festival and Recoat gallery based in Glasgow.

http://www.amywinstanley.com

http://www.spring-fling.co.uk

http://www.recoatdesign.com”

The painting below has little information about it, as for what I can find, but somehow the piece almost speaks for itself. The play on perspective, composition and values is very eyecathing. It impresses me how he is able to convey motion to such an extend that you can almost just imagine it moving before your eyes, but perhaps that’s just me.

“#divinestyler #defmask #gammaproforma #kallenbachgallery”

I attemped to do some simple continuous warping animation to convey what I mean a little better:

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𝖁𝖎𝖘𝖚𝖆𝖑 𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖛𝖎𝖙𝖞:

01: Using a wide brush create a large sheet of accidental/automatic/ unconscious blots & splatters, organics shapes and curvaceous marks using a range of coloured ink/paint. The brighter and more acidic the better!

Because of the fact that I don’t have paper made for paints/ink, I decided to try doing this task digitally- simulating the analogue look of watercolour or watered down ink, or even arcrylics.

I did this by using a variety of different watercolour brushes, made to emulate the look of the analogue mediums. I used them as randomly as I possibly could, trying not to plan where I would put the next brush stroke.

Once I had put down all the paint stokes, I then went over it while the layer was locked with a big soft edged brush, layering up different colours until I was happy with how it looked.

02: Make 3-4 sheets of these and then let them dry.

Digital 01:

Digital 02:

03: Then using fineliner develop these marks into faces/characters/scenes by adding details/features and developing these into detail illustrations that are spontaneous and free flowing.

For the linework, I primarily used one single brush; hard edged and circular. (The one selected in the picture below)

I chose this for the reason being that I have found it to be very responsive to the use of a drawing tablet & pen. It does a good job at making expressive lines with its tilt sensitivity, making it a pleasure to use; It reminds me of how brush pens work and feel.

Here are a few tests on some of the lines I can create with it;

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Digital 01:

Digital 02:

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Digital 02: Process

1. I have always found that beginning these blob doodles are the most diffucult for me. Perhaps because it takes me a little while to really get into the flow of continously seeing images in the randomness.

2. I began from the left, slowly working my way to the right and the top, since I felt that I had more clear lines to go from being around the edge of the paint.

3. Eventually I braved it and went right for the middle of the piece. This was the turning point for me in the process of doing this. It enabled me to truly let get, have fun, and not feel intimidated and nervous to do the next doodle.

4. This is when I began drawing creatures of the sea, slowly building up a story/narrative.

5. I don’t actually remember what I was even thinking at this point anylonger- I was simply just letting the pen guide me around the canvas; letting it all flow together however it felt as to do so.

6. I began to delve into the little details. I felt as if they would add to the general flow of the piece; being busy, yet in a manner that lets your eyes wander with curiosity.

7. I was now moving on to doing the right side of the piece. I had a little more trouble visualising the top right corner, so I did that last.

8. At this point I felt a little stuck as to what to do, hence it being, yet again, dedicated for adding some more little details here and there.

9. Eventually I overcame the frustration I had built up and took to do the right side of the artwork.

10. I tried to convey motion and flow by the way the animals are positioned and posed, trying to make it calm in the middle where the girl is, and then busy/chaotic the further away you get from her.

11. This second to last step was, again, for adding detail. I wanted to fill up any bits that I felt appeared too empty and spaced out, so to no disrupt the feeling of flow in the painting.

12. With the inking done and rendered to my satisfaction, the last step was to play around with colours.

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Digital 01: Colour variations

Digital 02: Colour variations

04: Scan/photograph and upload to Moodle.

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𝕱𝖎𝖓𝖆𝖑 𝖗𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖊𝖜 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖗𝖊𝖋𝖑𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓:

Which of these words would you use when discussing the work of Will Barras and your own art pieces:

I would most definitly use;

Organic/Fluid

Figurative

Automatic

On top of these I would probably add;

Harmonic

Dynamic

Epochal

Visionary

Can you construct a comparative sentence/paragraph using at least 5 of these words. What are the differences and similarities between the works you have created. What conclusions did you make about this experimentation?

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aspoonofsugar · 5 years

Note

Have you seen Millenium Actress, too? What are your thoughts on it?

Hello anon!

I had not watched the movie, but since I wanted to try other movies by Satoshi Kon I used your ask as an excuse to watch it.

I have watched it only once, so I am sure I am going to miss several details, but below I am going to share my thoughts on it. Moreover, if you are interested, I read this article and I found it interesting.

If Perfect Blue was the story of a young woman growing up and becoming an adult, then Millenium Actress is the story of an old woman coming to terms with her life and her death. If Perfect Blue underlined the danger of losing oneself in illusions, then Millenium Actress shows how beautiful art can be and how it is much more than an illusion. Basically, from this pov the two movies seem almost complementary, two sides of the same coin.

BECOMING A FULL MOON: THE FEAR OF GROWING OLD

The fear of growing old and decaying is at the centre of the movie and it is symbolized by the character of the old lady which appears in one of Chiyoko’s movies:

The scene where this old woman firstly appears follows one where it is clearly stated that Chiyoko’s loved one has died. Because of this, Chiyoko wants to take her own life, but is stopped by the old lady who makes the girl drink what is called a longevity elisir. In this way, the ghost curses Chiyoko’s character (but also Chiyoko herself) to stay apart from her beloved. She will have to keep searching for him without any hope of finding him again.

This scene is important on multiple levels.

1) It is clearly stated in the scene that Chiyoko’s character’s beloved is dead and Chiyoko even sees his body. However, when Gen arrives in order to help her, he tells her that he has not really died, but that he has been taken prisoner and that Chiyoko has to go to save him.

This foreshadows two things.

a) Gen keeping silent about what he has been told by the old soldier on the painter’s destiny in order to protect Chiyoko. Let us underline that Gen’s protectiveness of Chiyoko is something which comes up even later on when he tells her that the doctors said she will be fine.

b) The fact that unconsciously Chiyoko has always known that she will never see the painter again as she herself admits later on.

Basically, both characters know that the person Chiyoko is searching for can’t be found anymore, but they both prefer to keep this illusion alive and to keep moving to try to reach it.

2) Who is the old woman exactly?

Even in this case two answers can be given.

a) Since she appears in a scene which is clearly from one of Chiyoko’s movies, we can assume that she is a character of the movie. If so, the role of an older woman who is constantly trying to prevent or to dissuade Chiyoko from continuing to search the man she is in love with is always played by the same person:

Eiko is an older actress who was once very famous, but who is now losing her spotlight because of Chiyoko who is younger. Eiko herself admits she has always hated Chiyoko because of her talent and her youth. In short, her behaviour fits the woman’s words which would not have sounded strange at all in Eiko’s mouth.

Differently from all the other instances, however, the woman appears as radically different from Eiko who, despite older, is still very beautiful and will remain very beautiful until her last appearance. This may be because Chiyoko herself, while remembering, is representing Eiko in that specific movie as the old woman who torments her dreams. Basically, who we see may be a character played by Eiko, but to whom Chiyoko has given a different look in order for it to better represent Chiyoko’s biggest fear.

b) As the movie progresses it becomes obvious that the old woman is Chiyoko herself. This becomes apparent as the old woman keeps appearing in place of Chiyoko’s reflection and later on it is revealed the woman has the same beauty mark Chiyoko has.

To be more precise the woman is an older version of Chiyoko who isn’t real, but who embodies Chiyoko’s fear of getting old and decaying. The true curse she gives Chiyoko is not really the fact that she will never meet the painter again, but rather the fact that she will grow old and die which is really something Chiyoko can’t avoid. Because of this, the woman is associated with symbols linked to destiny and fate like wheels and spindles. It is normal for people to grow old, but it is something which scares Chiyoko. Especially, Chiyoko is scared she will become a person who will regret her younger self and so who will both resent and love the girl she once was.

Old Woman Ghost: I hate you more than I can bear. And I love you more than I can bear.

It is interesting how Chiyoko seems to let herself be overwhelmed by this fear whenever she loses her key. As a matter of fact she loses her key twice and both times she makes a drastic choice which is linked to her growing old.

The first time she gets married and she even says that she chooses the director because she was growing too old to dream.

The second time she retires and starts living alone where we meet her at the beginning of the movie.

Chiyoko herself explains that she did so because she had realized she was no more the girl she was at the beginning of her career and she wanted the painter (and consequently her public and fans) to remember her still young and beautiful. This is something underlined also at the beginning of the movie when Gen dismisses the idea that Chiyoko could have grown old.

Kyoji Ida: Don’t get your hopes up. She must be over 70 now. Genya Tachibana: She’ll never grow old!

However, the most important point of this reading is that, despite growing old, Chiyoko did not become the old woman she was so scared of. She is not her younger self, but, like Eiko before her, she kept her beauty despite her age. Basically, what made Eiko jealous and what scared Chiyoko was nothing more than a ghost none of them was meant to become. Maybe it is specifically because Eiko herself has come to terms with her growing old that she finds the strength to finally come clean with Chiyoko and she even states she has no more strength to hate her.

In short, Chiyoko grew old, but her face is nothing like the one of the old woman and she maintained her purity which is symbolized by the lotus flower.

Moreover, the lotus flower imagery reminds me of the exit of the space-ship which Chiyoko is seen leaving in the end:

The movie is about Chiyoko realizing it as she explains in the end. The key unlocks her memories and so she is able to realize she is still the same person. She grew old, but this doesn’t mean she has become someone else. In a sense, we can quote Perfect Blue and say that memories are what proves that a person is still the same person she was a second before. In Perfect Blue this was used in order to underline how frail human identity is, but here the same concept is used in the opposite sense. As a matter of fact Chiyoko’s memories prove to her that she is still the same person she was when she was younger, that she never lost her core.

This realization is perfectly represented by the movie ending like it began. We see a younger Chiyoko in her astronaut suit ready to be launched in the space in order to continue her pursue. This ending is meaningful when it comes to Chiyoko’s character since she had stopped her career after the incident which happened while making that movie. At the end of her life, however, she is ready to start her journey again from the moment she interrupted it and this means she has overcome her fear of growing old and of dying.

The question now is what exactly the key symbolizes and why, whenever Chiyoko loses it, she falls prey of her fears.

The answer lies in what the key is supposed to open to begin with:

It’s a key to the most important thing that there is

The key is implied to open the case with the colours in it. Basically it is meant to let the painter use his tools, so that he can make art.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ART AND CREATIVITY: REACHING THE MOON IS NOT ENOUGH

Let us consider this scene:

Here, Chiyoko going to Hokkaido in a last attempt to find the painter overlaps with her last movie in which she is an astronaut who goes to the moon.

The moon is a very important symbol within the movie because of this specific conversation:

Chiyoko Fujiwara: The full moon…

The Man of the Key: Not till tomorrow, but I like this moon best. After the full moon it begins to wane. But with the 14th night, there is still tomorrow… and hope.

These lines are linked to the theme of reaching one’s full bloom (becoming a full moon) and then starting to lose it. However, they also offer a way not to let oneself being overwhelmed (the hope of seeing the full moon again). What these lines suggest is what Chiyoko herself will come to realize at the end of the movie:

Chiyoko Fujiwara: The part I really loved, was chasing him.

Now, this chase and why it is so important is shown very clearly in this specific scene. Chiyoko literally reaches the moon in order to find the painter. Here reaching the moon can be read as both her reaching the peak of her success as an actress and her going all the way to Hokkaido. However, this is still not enough and when she finally arrives at the landscape the painter had described to her she finds only a picture of the landscape itself with the painter walking away on a path ahead of her. Moreover, after few seconds, the man disappears from the picture which is left empty:

I think the picture itself can be seen as a metaphor of “art” speaking generally. Art is something which inspires people and it is not something fixed, but something which keeps evolving. Chiyoko became an actress and kept evolving in her profession as it is symbolized by her often running or using a vehicle in her movies. She keeps moving forward trying to reach what she can’t reach and this is why she became such a good actress and artist.

As a matter of fact making movies is something which is compared to painting in the movie itself:

Junichi Ootaki: Chiyoko, a film director is like a painter, a painter puts the colors as he wants on the canvas. And I found a great color for my canvas, This color is you.

Chiyoko is the protagonist of several movies exactly like she is the subject of the painter’s portrait:

Her being an actress is her way of remaining linked to the form of art the painter loved.

Let’s also quickly underline how at the beginning of the movie the importance and limits of art are quickly discussed:

Senior Manager of Ginei: Our new movie is in Manchuria, it will cheer our soldiers… and the people of our nation! Certainly… Chiyoko wants serve to her country! Mother: Perhaps, but this girl is too shy to be an actress, she will find a husband and they will take care of our shop. (the mother looks to Chiyoko) Mother: Isn’t so? Senior Manager of Ginei: Is more important for you a candy store than serve to our nation? Mother: Does a woman does not serve her nation better staying at home and taking care for her children?

The Man of the Key: My friends are fighting in Manchuria. Even if a paintbrush is not of much help.

Finally, Chiyoko herself at one point says that after the war the only hope they had in order to go on was to realize beautiful movies.

In short, the role of art in society is at least addressed by the story.

However, what is really important is that the movie shows that movie and art depict something true about life and something which is universal.

There are usually two tasks people think art should take.

It should let people experience diversity and things they can’t experience in their lives for several reasons (danger, material impossibility).

It should offer people something they can relate to and they recognize themselves with because it is universal.

Perfect Blue explores the first task since in that movie Mima’s experience as an actress lets her explore the darkest side of herself and we, as viewers, are given the same chance.

Millenium Actress is used to convey the idea that, no matter what, art depicts something people can rely to.

This is shown by the fact that Chiyoko, as opposed to Mima, doesn’t lose herself in her characters, but actually remains the same person no matter the role she must play and she is not the only one.

As a matter of fact in all the movies we are shown all the characters keep playing the same role because they are more than roles. They are their core beings.

So, Chiyoko keeps running after her loved one, Gen keeps helping Chiyoko in a selfless way and Eiko keeps getting in Chiyoko’s way. Finally, Kyoji keeps watching what happens.

We have the basic roles of every story. A protagonist (Chiyoko), an antagonist (Eiko), a helper (Gen) and a person passively experiencing the story (Kyoji). Moreover, the protagonist is given a specific objective (finding the painter) and her story won’t end until her objective won’t be reached.

This all fits very well on a meta-level and it explains that the fact Chiyoko can’t reach her objective simply makes so that her story will never end.

Finally, even if art catches something true, it also makes it ideal. This is shown by the fact that both Chiyoko and Gen’s quest to reach the beauty of art which for them is embodied by respectively the painter and Chiyoko herself ends up making the object of their admiration someone ideal. In the end Chiyoko is not even able to remember the face of the painter anymore (and in the movie his face is not so well defined), whereas Gen sees Chiyoko in an idealized way. This is because both Chiyoko and Gen don’t really want to reach the person they love in order to have a relationship with them as confirmed by Chiyoko’s final words and by the fact that Gen, despite showing signs of jealousy, never tried to really court Chiyoko and to stop her from going after her beloved.

What both are searching in the person they are chasing is something which inspires them and which lets them evolve and go on and this is symbolically shown by keys.

The key the painter leaves Chiyoko can be seen as an interpretative key, a way Chiyoko can use to read the world and her life (the key to her memories). Her meeting with the painter awakened in her a love for art and this is what led her to become an actress. Of course in the movie things are not explained in this way because the movie uses symbols to convey similar meanings.

Gen too is given a key by Chiyoko:

The keys of Gen’s car have a key-holder with a picture of Chiyoko in it and Gen says that his studios’ name which means Lotus has been chosen because of Chiyoko. In short, Chiyoko was inspired to become an actress by the painter and thanks to her performances she inspired other people like Gen to dedicate their lives to the cinema. Gen’s love for Chiyoko’s work comes back to her through the old key she once lost and she is able to come to terms with the end of her life and the end of her career (symbolized by her old studios being demolished). The movie seems to suggest that even if Chiyoko is dying, she never got to meet the painter again and her era has come to an end, it was not all for nothing since she is leaving something behind and she is heading towards a new future.

MILLENIUM ACTRESS: ALL CHANGES IN ORDER TO STAY THE SAME

There is a final consideration to make about the movie and its title.

The title of the movie is Millenium Actress, but obviously Chiyoko has not been acting for a thousand-year. Her life covered more or less a century, so why isn’t the title Century Actress or something similar?

There are two answers.

First of all the old woman ghost gives Chiyoko the thousand-year tea which will supposedly let her live for a thousand year making her stay separate from her love for all that time.

This first answer is linked to the theme of longevity and growing old without losing one’s pure core which has been discussed above. According to this first reading, Chiyoko is a millenium actress in the sense that no matter how old she grows she will remain herself (an actress) forever (for a thousand-year).

A second answer can be found in the fact that Chiyoko’s movies are set in several historical ages which all together cover more than a century.

This choice is made to highlight even more the universality of the story the movie is telling. No matter the historical age she is in, Chiyoko keeps running after the person she loves. So, art conveys something true about human nature and this something is universal in the sense that it is always true, no matter when or where.

This is why Chiyoko is a millenium actress and why in her last moment she is depicted on a rocket ready to be launched towards an unidentified and vague future where she is sure to keep running after her loved one, no matter how that future will be like.

These are my thoughts on the movie.

Thank you for the ask!

#millenium actress #millenium actress meta #satoshi kon #satoshi kon meta #asksfullofsugar #anonymous #my meta

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carterhaughs · 5 years

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Kreia and Atton and the Will to Power

I wrote this post years ago on a mostly unused blog so I thought I’d re-share it here, given the number of good recent meta posts I’ve seen within the Knights of the Old Republic (2) fandom - I’d like to throw my hat into the ring and get in on the discussion too. :D

Kreia and Atton have one of the most interesting relationships in the game because through their interaction, certain core qualities of their characters and an important similarity between them - their uncompromising will to survive - is revealed. I’d like to discuss this cutscene, in which Atton tells Kreia, “You and me - we’re done,” with regard to her blackmailing him into the Exile’s service on Telos (I think the particular version of the scene I’m discussing only occurs if the Exile is Light-sided).

She responds with mocking incredulity that she never “truly held” him, which made him more of a fool than she thought, and goes on to say that it was he who truly held himself because she “once held the galaxy by the throat, as you once held her by the throat and let her die slowly. And your emotion at that point is what you fear.” This is an interesting comparison and perhaps it alludes to Kreia’s feelings about her own brush with the Dark Side and how, like the Light Side, she does not want to be beholden to it or the strong feelings it imparts. She wants to be able to stand back and assess the situation, manipulate it to her liking, and be beholden to none - the Dark or the Light - but herself, despite the fact that she ”wielded power like you cannot imagine,” through which all “was awash with possibilities, spreading outwards, touching everything else.” At this pinnacle of her power, she saw “all that the Force is,” but “only when it was ripped” from her did she “truly see it.”

I’m not sure if my interpretation is what the developers intended, but this experience of hers is something that she seems to be comparing, whether consciously or unconsciously, with Atton’s experience with the unnamed female Jedi. Kreia wielded the great and terrible power of the Dark Side and was unknowingly beholden to it, realizing the extent of her enslavement only when that power was taken from her. After that, she hated the Force and wished to destroy it (or at least that’s my understanding given the few spoilers I’ve encountered by accident, as I am only partway through Dantooine and did Nar Shaddaa first). Atton, on the other hand, was deeply indoctrinated by Sith assassin training which, combined with his righteous fury towards the Jedi, who had deserted the Republic in its hour of greatest need (aside from Revan and Malak and their followers), led him to his fall - but not so far that he could not be saved. Like Kreia, he had a moment of clarity after being deeply affected by the Force - in Kreia’s case, that had involved being severed from it, and in his case, it had involved feeling it for the first time and ultimately deciding to open himself to it to protect the Exile. Kreia’s experience led her to loathe the Force, but Atton’s led him to desire an understanding of it, though not right away - his anger and indoctrination led him to lash out against the compassion of the Light Side that he’d likely held in contempt for some time based on his exposure to Sith teachings and his own hatred for the hypocrisy of the Jedi - like he says to the Exile, he was “afraid” of the Force then and didn’t want to be “changed into something else” (even though the Dark Side was already changing him into something else - he just didn’t have the perspective to see it - and likely considered the Force to be something beyond his ken and better left alone given his hatred for Jedi).

This is why he still killed the unnamed Jedi, even as she opened his eyes to his own Force-sensitive potential and to his future as a mindless tool of the Dark Side, were he not to defect from Revan’s ranks. In his emotional turmoil, he fled to a place where he could hide and remain a non-entity - Nar Shadaa - and indulge the repressed emotional impulses that the unnamed Jedi had reawakened in him. Prior to this encounter he’d been a cold, unfeeling husk for some time now, taking joy only in the deaths of the Jedi he hunted, but most of all in filling them with despair by forcing them to see things from his bleak, depraved perspective before finishing them off - to him, that was the “best part.” The walls of “lust, impatience,” and “cowardice” he’d thrown up in order to confuse Jedi with the chaos and intensity of his “surface thoughts” were not initially true emotions that affected his mental state - they were merely “strong emotions and feelings” he faked to throw his prey off his scent and make them think he was harmless (or, I would argue, a “fool” as Kreia considers him to be - though during the second “listening lesson” with the Exile, she admits that he might be “cleverer than he feigns to be” because of his ability to shield his thoughts).

But Atton ultimately became the mask he wore - the feelings he’d faked to cloak his presence had become a part of him or perhaps, as he says, “Maybe it was always me. It’s hard to tell sometimes. I haven’t known who I am for years.” It would make sense for someone with Atton’s particular combination of virulent hatred and survival instinct to give in to their baser impulses as part of a larger philosophy of uninhibited self-gratification - seeking to satisfy their each and every whim, whether it be murdering Jedi, profligacy at the Pazaak table, or hitting on every good-looking female individual in the vicinity. The emotional walls Atton put up were likely urges repressed by his Sith training, compartmentalized and instrumentalized for assassination purposes. Clearly, Atton has problems controlling his impulses, and although he’d used them as emotional walls merely to confuse his prey during his time as a Sith Assassin, when the unnamed Jedi showed him the Force, all those lusts and cravings melted away to be replaced by “the kind of love where you’re willing to give up everything for someone you don’t even know.”

The compassion the Jedi had shown him was something he didn’t think he could ever deserve, and as much as he hated himself for his actions, his self-pity and instinct for self-preservation would not allow him to take that lesson of compassion to heart. As a result of his encounter with the Force all the feelings he’d previously used as mental walls “kept tumbling out” and he “couldn’t stop feeling things” and he could no longer use them as tools, “orchestrated to get close” to his quarry. That touch of the Force had forced him to confront his true self, a self that desired compassion and love, but had rendered itself undeserving of both and now drowned in “lust, impatience, cowardice.” So despite his disbelief (or desire to disbelieve, as he tells the Exile might have been the case) in the Jedi’s assertion that if he remained a Sith Assassin, Revan would turn him permanently to the Dark Side in the Unknown Regions, he became a scoundrel, loving and fighting fiercely for only himself…until the Exile came along.

Atton thought that “maybe [the unnamed Jedi] had saved me so I could help [the Exile],” and decided to ask the Exile to teach him how to use the Force - “I want to learn how to use the Force to protect you.” It’s interesting how Atton approaches the Force - he’s still wary of it, still constantly reminds the player of the disturbingly invasive powers it confers on sides both Light and Dark (i.e. the injudicious use of Force Persuade), but he’s finally willing to open himself to its inherent compassion because of the connection he feels with the Exile. I think this comes through in his dialogues with her about how the “glow” he sees surrounding her is “inspiring.” She embodies all that the unnamed Jedi had shown him - all that he had recoiled from in righteous anger and fear because it had shown him just how far he had fallen.

The Exile was for Atton, as she was for many of her companions, a mirror in which they saw their true selves reflected back at them. She helped them accept the truth of what they saw as she had done after Malachor and helped them realize what they wanted to see, and how, through compassion, they would behold all they imagined. The Exile was not a mindless devotee of the Republic or an arrogant, inflexible adherent to the Jedi Code - she was a responsible and pragmatic leader who owned the decisions she made and learned from them, an empathetic confidant, a fearless crusader for the downtrodden, and a true and loyal friend. Through her boundless capacity for empathy, she was able to convince them that they were deserving and capable of becoming their best selves.

This is what Atton was so afraid of losing. After he’s told the Exile about his dark past and she has accepted it and his will to atone, he thinks Kreia will no longer be able to hold him in her thrall. But, as Kreia tells him, ”I know what lies buried within you. That you hide with your desperate thoughts, your guilt, your lusts. I can unlock that part of you anytime you wish. It is a simple thing, the human mind, once it feels something strongly, it becomes etched in the memory, the subconscious. Shall I show you? The part of you that hungered to kill Jedi, that took pleasure from it? Or perhaps you will continue to listen to my counsel and I shall ignore your pathetic attempts at freedom.” She is threatening to take away the sense of self the Exile has helped him build - a sense of self that Atton very likely still considers a fragile work in progress. What if it could not withstand exposure to the specific emotion that he felt when he held the unnamed Jedi by the throat just as Kreia had once held the galaxy, an emotion Kreia claimed to be able to summon at will and use to control him? But as Kreia said, she’d never truly held him, it was he who had held himself. Could Kreia really have subdued Atton and made him a slave to her will in this way? I am uncertain. At this point, I believe that Atton’s love for the Exile was a stronger force than either Atton or Kreia realized, and Kreia has been known to bluff. But this was one wager that Atton Rand - notorious gambler - was unwilling to make. The stakes were simply too high and he would not allow himself to lose that sense of self the Exile had helped him build nor his connection to her. And so he remained under Kreia’s control. What did that entail, exactly? I don’t really think the game makes this clear, as I believe Atton had decided at this point that he was with the Exile for the long run, for good or for ill, having decided to open himself to the Force - a power he still didn’t entirely trust - just for her. So there was no need for Kreia to blackmail him into staying. Perhaps Kreia simply wanted him to believe that he would have to do as she asked if the time ever came when she called upon him if he wanted to preserve that sense of self and his connection with the Exile - her well-being and her belief in this best version of himself are what Atton values more than his own life, as is made clear by how many of his Influence opportunities involve trust.

It is interesting, in light of all I have discussed, to reflect once again on the juxtaposition of images Kreia used when comparing Atton to herself - she "once held the galaxy by the throat, as you once held her by the throat and let her die slowly. And your emotion at that point is what you fear.“ Kreia is, I think, revealing something about herself here. As I said before, like Atton, she does not want to be beholden to the thrall of of the Force, and in the moment she held the galaxy by the throat, she was beholden to the Dark Side, just as Atton was when he killed the unnamed Jedi. She, too, fears her "emotion at that point.” The touch of the Force that the unnamed Jedi left in Atton led him to ultimately embrace the Light Side, liberating him from the “lust, impatience, cowardice,” and rage to which he had been shackled for so many years. And the absence of the Force led Kreia to believe that she - and the galaxy as a whole - were better off rejecting both sides of the Force. For each of these characters, a critical encounter with the Force, or lack thereof, threatened to break their sense of self - but because of their dogged will to live, it ultimately led them to remake themselves, for good or for ill. Kreia sees Atton’s brief flirtation with power as crude - he was nothing but a “murderer” giving in to his impulses, while her purpose was to shape the galaxy through the power she amassed. But she has a certain begruding respect for Atton’s unflinching self-preservation, a quality she prizes in herself - he is nothing if not remarkably self-sufficient - “a fool the Force looks out for.” Kreia recognizes in Atton what she knows to be a part of herself, and as is her wont, manipulates him accordingly. There is little the self-reliant fear more than being deprived of their strength of will - the will to be the man deserving of the Exile’s compassion, and maybe someday, her love.

#kreia #darth traya #kotor 2 #atton rand #jedi exile #my kotor meta

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is6621 · 5 years

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The Sharing Economy - We Don’t Need Ownership, just access. - Kelsey Sullivan

We share everything these days. From weekend memories, to text messages, to cars, to houses. You name it - there’s a way to share it. After a shared, group text with friends on Monday, catching up on a friends first trip to Denver - the biggest take away from their time? “ So much fun! Caught up with old friends and scooted around everywhere!”

Funny. You go to Denver and the best part was the fact that scooters were at your fingertips to take you around where and when you wanted. Enter today’s society and our need for instant gratification. We want what we want. We don’t need to have it, hold it, own it forever - we just want to USE it. Not to mention, we want to use it when it is good for us or until we find that next shiny object.

While we are all seasoned vets when it comes to Uber and Lyft and their ride sharing capabilities, it is important to look at how these companies continue to put the consumer at the core; finding ways to continue to meet and ultimately exceed our needs and expectations. Turning a ride into a scoot, Lyft is the latest company to jump in on the shared scooter bandwagon, and whaddaya know, their first market? DENVER! (thanks friends for inspiring my school work!).

Like ride-sharing, the scooter-sharing market is already saturated with (2) billion dollar start ups - Bird and Lime - but Lyft hopes to use its established platform to gain marketshare.

Call it the Amazon approach, as they did with Whole Foods, Lyft is using Denver as a test market. Rolling out scooters in phases - both in quantity and time in what they consider to be “opportunity zones” - areas with limited access to public transportation or low-income.

What’s inspiring the scooter trend? Cities are getting wiser. Supporters praise them as effective and eco-friendly. Millenials want that - they want sustainability, they want to invest in things that have a purpose. Lyft, as a company has a goal to take a million cars off the road by the end of 2019, and what better way to attack that head on than launching an app-based scooter service. With ride sharing as it is today, Uber and Lyft are creating traffic, not reducing it and thus asking themselves, how do we fix? Just about half of Uber and Lyft riders are in urban areas. It is smart for these companies to start to shift their focus towards bikes and scooters, focusing less on its core car-based services. Lyft hopes scooter sharing will compliment public transportation services, making commuting easier, quicker and most importantly, riders happier. Which brings us full circle - we don’t have the need to own things anymore, whether it be a car, a scooter, a vacation home, etc. We just need access. Lyft is making that their goal. Disruptive? Sure. Convenient? 100%! Point is, these companies are listening to their customers and their consumers.

Now let’s talk logistics. With scooters, we don’t have to fight peak pricing models, wait times or shared rides with strangers. We know what we are getting and what we are paying for - none of that save a dollar, walk a block non-sense or seeing an email after we ride with a totally different charge than quoted (BOGUS, Uber, please fix that! don’t give me some excuse either!). Scooters cost a dollar to unlock and 15 cents a minute to ride. Just as if you were using Uber or Lyft trying to hail a ride, when you’re in a service area, the app shows available scooters on a map. Think Hubway - type in a code, but in this case, scan the scooter and you’re on your merry way! Need a break? You can “lock” your scooter until you’re ready to hit the road again. Done? Hit “end ride.” Now I know you’re asking, well its all well and good that Denver has this, and other cities like Santa Monica, but what about me? What about Boston? Well, right now, Boston scooter status is in neutral, or limbo for lack of a better word and not getting the pun. Last summer, Boston was surprised by a release of Bird scooters in Cambridge and Somerville, which apparently fell right in line with Bird’s reputation of showing up unannounced. Seems as though city officials were unaware and had no contract or agreement. Not the best start...and not just in Boston. Bird has clashed with several cities for their their in the night mentality. Regardless of a botched first attempt at roll out, city officials and scooter sharing companies are now trying to find a way that everyone involved can benefit and the system is safe, reliable and geographically equitable.

Source: https://www.ridesharingdriver.com/bird-vs-lime-vs-uber-vs-lyft-scooter/

Recap and things to think about:

- Regardless of company - pricing seems to be similar across the sharing spectrum. $1 to unlock, $0.15 per minute. Prices could vary among different markets, but OVERALL = similar. Will companies roll out VIP Perks? Subscription models? Rewards?

- Availability - Bird and Lime were the first to enter the market and have more of a presence within the US - Bird - 21 states, Lime - 27 states. Do Uber and Lyft pose a threat given their brand recognition and current user base?

- RULES & REGS - These too are similar across the spectrum. 18 years to party and scoot. Driver’s license. City approval. How can the app know you are who you say you are? What if little Johnny, age 10 borrows Big Brother Billy’s phone for a ride? How do companies regulate and monitor?

- Ultimately, who will do the best job of giving us access v. ownership, when we want, where we want, at the lowest price possible.

Let your wheels spin....

New tech. New framework. New business model. Can you ride it?

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hunterartist711 · 3 years

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Darkness 2 For Mac

Gameplay Sound Graphics Value

Genre: ActionMin OS X: 10.6

‎Second issue in an four issue series! Each 24 page comic is published in print and digital at the same time! Don't miss the next chapter in this exclusive comics prequel to next summer's blockbuster STAR TREK movie! New characters and new conflicts threaten Captain Kirk and the crew of the Enterpris.

The Darkness 2 game playable on macOS and Windows is published by 2K games has a Very Positive rating on Steam (out of 4106 user reviews). The Darkness 2 is a supernatural first-person shooter developed by developed by Digital Extremes( developers of co-op shooter Warframe) is based on a comic book series by Top Cow Productions.

I just got the Darkness II, and my wife wants to play it also. I didn't think it would be enjoyable for her to play over my save, I thought it would be better if she started off from the beginning.

360 controller works but, not in darkness II So i'm using big picture mode with my controller just fine but, i play darkness 2 the 360 controller doesn't work. The options menu shows support for it, it works great in other games but, i get nothing in darkness 2.

Buy The Darkness II as a Steam Key. It’s been two years since Jackie Estacado, now Don of the Franchetti crime family, used The Darkness to kill the men responsible for his girlfriend’s murder. He’s been unable to shake the memory of Jenny’s death since bottling up his supernatural power and now The Darkness.

The Darkness II April 26, 2012 | Jon Carr

Pages:123Gallery

Click to enlargeGuns Blazing

Mac OS X: 10.6.8 / 10.7.2 | CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo | RAM: 2 GB | HD Space: 11 GB | Graphics: AMD HD2600 / Nvidia 9600GT with at least 256 MB VRAM or higher

Reviewer's Rig:

27' iMac, Core i5 Quad 2.8Ghz, 8GB RAM, ATI Radeon HD5750 1GB

What is perhaps most interesting about The Darkness, is that it started as comic book back in 1996 (It's actually quite good, and anyone further interested in the story and Jackie should check them out. But be warned, they are even more explicit and gruesome than the game). The comics got a makeover in 2002, and still remain successful. In 2007 Starbreeze Studios (of Chronicles of Riddick fame) developed a game based on the comic books, also named The Darkness. Sadly, this game was console exclusive and never made its way to PC or Mac. The first game's story is briefly covered in an opening flashback and should be paid attention to as it highly relates to what is going on in the second game.

Yes, The Darkness 2 is now out on Mac as of a few days ago thanks to the efforts of Transgaming and published again by 2K (And is of course available at GameTreeMac, as well as Steamplay). However, Digital Extremes developed the 2nd game, not Starbreeze Studios. How the two compare Mac gamers will never know, but you can know that The Darkness 2 is very good. Why? Read on!

As a quick overview The Darkness is an evil, sentient being, one of the two primal forces in the game's universe (his opposite being The Angelus, who is female and Light) Both forces inhabit male and female hosts respectively, granting them amazing powers, but also causing them to fight for their individuality and control, as both forces contend not only with each other, but to take over their host completely so it does their bidding.

In the first game, The Darkness awakens in Jackie Estacado on his 21st birthday. As a hit man for the Franchetti crime family this turns out to be particularly useful since The Darkness enjoys and is fueled by killing. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when the mob kills Jackie's girlfriend Jenny right in front of him while The Darkness forces him to watch. In turn Jackie goes on a murderous rampage and wipes out the whole mob. But by doing so he is completely consumed by The Darkness.

After the events of the first Darkness game, Jackie is now head of the Franchetti crime family and has been suppressing The Darkness for years. However, a spectacular ambush during an evening at a restaurant forces Jackie to awaken The Darkness once more, unleashing its awesome powers and imbuing our protagonist with scary Darkness arms and a predilection for shooting out lights.

As you can imagine The Darkness doesn't do well in the light. Anytime Jackie stands in, or is blasted with, light he is partially blinded and loses Darkness powers and abilities. So, it is in your best interest to shoot any and all lights, in addition to focusing on the light carrying foes you encounter later in the game. It's not quite Splinter Cell levels of lightbulb assassination, but it is part of things.

Perhaps the most interesting and compelling aspects of The Darkness 2 are the story and characters. Essentially, you are playing a criminal and a murderer. However, Jackie is extremely likable and easy to care for, especially when you see how tortured he is about Jenny's death. You have a number of flashbacks and possible hallucinations of Jenny throughout the game and these are surprisingly sweet and tender moments in contrast to all the brutal violence on display. Even without playing the first game it's easy to connect with Jackie and Jenny and care about both of them because it's so easy to see how much they loved each other, and how much Jackie still loves her. Not many games believably pull off romantic relationships, but The Darkness 2 is certainly one of them. You also get to interact with the men under you in your mansion between action missions and various other interesting characters who are all impressively voiced and animated.

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Platform: Steam

In stock

Feb 6, 2012

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Darkness 2 For Mac Os

$29.99

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About The Darkness II free steam key

Inspired by the popular comic book series produced by Top Cow Productions, Inc., The Darkness II is an intense first person shooter that delivers a twisted and gripping narrative of tragedy, modern crime drama, and supernatural horror. Players will be taken down the brutal and personal path of Jackie Estacado, head of a New York crime family and wielder of an ancient and ruthless force of chaos and destruction known as The Darkness. Its been two years since Jackie Estacado used The Darkness to kill the men responsible for his girlfriends murder. Hes been unable to shake the memory of Jennys death since bottling up his supernatural power and now The Darkness wants out. A sudden, unprovoked attack by a mysterious organization known as the Brotherhood heralds the start of a full-scale war and opens the door for The Darkness to reemerge, setting Jackie on a journey to hell and worse.

4-Player Co-op Campaign - Play as one of four unique characters each capable of wielding weapons infused with Darkness powers.

Quad-Wielding Chaos - Slash, grab, and throw objects and enemies with the Demon Arms while simultaneously firing two weapons, adding a new dimension to the FPS category.

Harness an Unstoppable Power - Master the Demon Arms and summon the powers of The Darkness for even more explosive gameplay.

Kill the Lights - The vicious powers of The Darkness manifest only in the shadows so use the environment to your advantage and watch out for enemies who will use light as a weapon.

Intense and Personal Journey - Experience a dark, twisted and gripping story written exclusively for the game by acclaimed comic book author Paul Jenkins whose credits also include The Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, and the original The Darkness game.

Distinctive Graphic-Noir Style - Graphic novel shading and color combined with the dramatic lighting of film noir pays tribute to the source material and brings the pages of the comic series to life. Inspired by the popular comic book series created by Top Cow.

Limited Edition Content

If you pre-purchased The Darkness II you are exclusively entitled to the Limited Edition, which includes free digital editions of The Darkness: Origins Volumes 1 and 2, collecting the origin of Jackie Estacado and the Darkness by Garth Ennis and Marc Silvestri! Please visit http://comics.comixology.com/redeem and enter your code. You must login to your comiXology account, or create one, in order to redeem. Once redeemed, you can download your comics on your smartphone or tablet device, as well as read on the web!

How to get The Darkness II key free

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Darkness 2 For Mac Download

Source: Source

OS: Windows XP/Vista/7

Processor: Intel Core 2 @ 2GHz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+

Memory: 1.5GB RAM

Hard Disk Space: 10GB

Video Card: 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600 / ATI Radeon HD 2600

Sound: DirectX Compatible

Additional: Requires installation of Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable, DirectX and nVidia PhysX version 9.11.1107 (included with download)

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