#(here's hoping that dw spinoff works out)

[sol1056]

a bunch more asks waiting their turns so politely

These are all various asks about the likelihood of a remake, a rewritten season, or a spinoff. 

1 could we get an alternate version 2 is a rewrite for S8 a viable option 3 would they change the ending for a spin-off 4 are single-episode edits possible for S8 5 will S7 reactions affect S8 6 how will DW get us to watch S8

Behind the cut.

With the shitstorm that vld became, would dreamworks ever take pity on us and remake some seasons of voltron that turned out like crap, or not even air, just release them as alternate versions on dvd? Im questioning the possibilities, not the probabilities, bc Im really not optimistic about that, I just wanna know if a show can do that and what would it take for the company to snap their fingers and be like "lets do it" (besides having money)

It’s not like frequent reboots don’t have precedent in other franchises; hell, comics do it on the regular. It’s also much cheaper to do a series of graphic novels or full novelizations geared towards an older audience. The problem there is that Dreamworks isn’t a comic book company or a publishing house; that part of the franchise would have to be farmed out to someone else. 

My guess --- if another remake is ever a possible option --- it’d be several years down the road. The first version would be set aside as, say, the Y-7 version for kids and family, and then you’d find a new angle for the next version. 

If DW got the impression there was a massive older crowd (say, 25-45) who would’ve eaten up a more mature, somewhat darker, version? Sure, why not try to grab that audience? I mean, look at the Castlevania series: it’s not pulling any punches on making clear it’s for adults. That would also require a different business model, since what adults like to buy for themselves is very different than what kids want. Skip the cake toppers, for starters. 

do you think given the reaction to VLD S7, is a rewrite for S8 a viable option? I feel the fandom is divided about the general reaction to S7. If JDS and M can just [focus on the fanbase segment] that liked it, why [bother trying to fix it for those] that didn't?

Given what I’ve been seeing in terms of data from the season... I think they aimed to please everyone and ended up pleasing no one. 

Pretty sure I’ve said something to this extent before: when you can’t please everyone, the answer isn’t to split the difference and piss everyone off. The answer is to pick your audience and give them the best damn story you can. The rest will sort itself out.

Let me put it this way: there are enough people who didn’t like S7 for the crummy animation, the OOC dialogue and actions, and the nonsensical storyline overloaded with a host of new characters that stole time from the actual protagonists. And there are also enough people who didn’t like S7 for queerbaiting the audience, killing off three out of four queer characters, and sidelining the one remaining queer character. There may be some overlap between those two sets, but taken together, those two sets are pretty much the dominant majority of the fan base. 

I don’t know if that makes a rewrite a viable option, but it should be making a few execs think twice about letting the EPs/staff carry on in the same direction. I mean, you want a series to end on a high note, not an ‘omg that had such potential but boy did it self-destruct in the last two seasons’ note.  

So if DW wants to do a Voltron spin-off, would they consider changing the ending to VLD to give Shiro the things he earned so this spin-off wouldn't be dead out of the water?

That would depend entirely on whether they’ve gotten the message that Shiro’s current status isn’t good enough for a significant part of the fanbase. If all they’re hearing (or all they choose to hear) is that it’s great to sideline one of their protagonists with no in-story explanation whatsoever, what’s to tell them there’s anything that needs addressing?  

Additionally, if the entirety of the issue is Shiro --- and everyone else is just fine, thanks --- I’m not sure that’d rate as enough to warrant changing so much. More likely any spin-off would start some X length of time between, and we’d get an implied intermediary backstory (or even a mild retcon), and go from there. 

Truth is, whomever gets the spin-off will (I really hope) be a better writer and not have to deal with intrusive newbie EPs. Even then, they’d be kinda limited on what they could do, given the spin-off does need to make sense placed against the first series. Then again, VLD hasn’t respected its own premise or continuity for the past few seasons, anyway. 

So I guess there’s always the option to start with an episode that retells VLD’s ending... Kinda awkward, but not unheard of, to basically retcon a previous series out of existence.  

I have no doubt DW is looking into what went wrong with this season. I know it might be a little to late to fix all of Season 8, but do you think they would have at least maybe the last few episodes changed to give a better ending to the show - or at least more respect to Shiro as a character?

Normally I’d say no. I mean, episode 1 should have characters making choices that in turn impact episode 2, and those choices prompt the events in episode 3... but that’s a logic VLD threw out the window somewhere between S3 and S4, and it’s only gotten worse since then. 

In which case, oh sure, why not? It wouldn’t make any less sense than what they’ve already got planned, if S7 is any indication. 

Could the reaction to season 7 cause any change the execs minds going into season 8? 

One problem: this is a Dreamworks production, but it’s not a DW-owned story. It’s a franchise: there are other players involved. There are the two guys who first butchered GoLion into Voltron, Toei whose story got that embutcherment, Netflix as the distributor, along with Playmates and Lion Forge and other contracted partners. There’s a lot more people at the table than just DW. 

It’s one thing for the EPs to say they messed up, and apologize. It’s quite another for Dreamworks to admit publicly their lousy (or nonexistent) oversight allowed the situation to happen. 

Legal would have apoplexy, for starters. What wins you a franchise is often showing you have the confidence (if not sheer chutzpah) that you can do this job justice like no other. And then you hit S7 and must admit you hired people who made a complete hash of it? 

If there’s anything that will cost the EPs any future roles of a similar position, it’s that they’ve put DW in a very uncomfortable position. Caught between a furious fanbase and overly-interested co-owners, someone --- or several someones --- are treading very lightly right now. They’re not going to forget the EPs are the ones who precipitated the whole mess. 

I think we are in a unique situation where the fact that the EPs were vocal about [changing] VLD ... could be a blessing for us & DW. [But we know it] was changed, & DW's part seems to be more negligence than direct fault like the EPs. So DW can drop it or fix it, and a rewrite would be worth us sticking around, while restoring DW's name.

Again, that depends on whether DW is in a position that they can do so. I assure you they’d throw the EPs under the bus at the first opportunity, because that’s how the corporate world works. So their failure to do so is either because they don’t see the EPs’ actions as untenable (as far as we know), or because doing so would expose DW corporate to greater retaliation from elsewhere. (It could also be part of the agreement that these particular EPs are in place for the duration of the series’ production, too. Sometimes that happens.) 

I still can’t get over the fact that the EPs were so blunt about having already had a script fully written when they asked to revise. From the Studio Mir leaks, we can guess at least some of the animation was already in production at least a year ago, or earlier. That’s a lot to redo. 

Here’s something that only just occurred to me, when I listed the co-partners in this franchise: the Koplar brothers. These are the geniuses who figured they didn’t need to know Japanese to make GoLion into an american production; turns out they were geniuses on some level ‘cause it was a hit, anyway. They went on to produce Voltron: Fleet of Doom (1986), Voltron: the Third Dimension (1998), and Voltron Force (2011). If there is anyone at the table who’d be likely to have nostalgia goggles, it’d be the Koplars. This has been their ongoing story in one way or another for over 30 years. 

Originally, the EPs said they weren’t tied to nostalgia; they weren’t going to redo the story as it was, but the story as they remembered. (I’d argue this actually indicates a stronger set of nostalgia goggles, but eh.) Their determination to get rid of Shiro has always felt like nostalgia goggles to me. Perhaps the Koplars were the greatest supporters of Keith as BP --- since that would respect the pattern they’ve followed, over and over, in all the iterations. 

Considering the Koplar’s somewhat litigious background over Voltron ownership, they may’ve had the ability to overrule. So... if you want to bench Shiro, you pitch your work with the execs who are most likely to agree with you. And if you can do that in the window between the previous VP of TV retiring and a brand-new external hire coming on as VP... welp, you got permission, and the new VP may’ve signed off, not realizing the impact. 

Which would put DW over a barrel, in some ways. If DW could’ve overruled their partners, the EPs never would’ve been able to make that end-run in the first place. 

How do u think DW will try to get us to watch s8? They & the EPs have shattered our trust and the show is so messy its almost unsalvageable. 

Stay to see X point's resolution? Yeah, we stayed many seasons for nothing, next. 

We have more rep? Ex. blonde girl is autistic... So we should be scared for her too??? 

There's more queer rep? Yeah, we heard that one already. 

Unless everyone responsible is fired and a new crew runs the next seasons?

I don’t know. I would hope the answer is ‘by giving us a story that makes sense, and creates closure for all the protagonists, and not just by making two of them emotional rewards for two other characters.’ 

At this point, there is only one thing that’s going to make Dreamworks change course: if the fallout from VLD impacts its other projects. If the majority of the VLD fanbase up and announced it would be boycotting She-Ra or Fast & Furious or Trollhunters on the grounds that DW screwed up so badly with VLD that it cannot be trusted... Then you’d see movement. If the PR got so bad from so many upset and angry VLD fans that major news outlets paid attention and started writing articles about the situation, that would also put a black mark beside Dreamworks’ name -- and then you’d see movement. 

With the VLD toys a failure (for whatever mismanaged reasons) and a financial model set entirely on toys, fixing VLD now would be throwing good money after bad. Unless, of course, there’s an impact beyond just this single series. 

Until Dreamworks can see the impact in some concrete sense, they have far more to lose from their partners than they have to gain from their fanbase. It’s just how it is, with corporations in late capitalism. 

You want to make an impact? You tell Dreamworks ahead of time, and then you follow through: pick a week and go silent. Nothing about VLD, here or on twitter or anywhere else. No reblogs on She-Ra updates. Ignore the podcasts. Don’t click on the articles. That stuff’ll be there when the week is over, after all. Show DW what it’s like when a fanbase checks out, by doing it. It’s a short-term boycott, but the reason groups do boycotts is because they work. 

#vld #voltron #sol thinks about stuff #random commentary

[crystu-cii]

Thank you!! I had a lot of schoolwork so that's why I was so busy(cough and I definitely did all of it and didn't leave any of it for today since I stayed up til five am being productive, most definitely. Yep.) 💕💕

Moodd-- XDD

Oh wow-- okay but that reminds me of something- I've heard of adults taking on a "worksona" to get things done so you?? Basically did that?? You took on a persona that caused people to take you more seriously! I don't think it's cringey at all, it's actually super cool!! Especially taking on the attitude/mindset of a character? That's so interesting and neat!!

See that's ALSO cool, and evidence of it having a desired effect :3c

OOOOH-- me too tbh- or like a video game protag? But if I were a video game or anime protag, I'd better have or recieve animal ears XDD MAKE IT FUN AT LEAST XD

OMS XDD That's p h e n o m e n a l -

!!! ;w; aww I see what you mean- damn you're getting rhcb on your dash? Why am I not getting rhcb?? XD NOOO YOUR BLOG ISNT BORING-- I love it with all my heart and I think it's great, and even though breakfast seemed a little long that's cause transitioning is difficult and stuff, so that's okay :3

WAIT THAT'S SO SMART CRYS.... YOURE SO SMART WH??? YOUR INTELLIGENCE CLEARLY SURPASSES MINE-- XDD

Ahhh I wish I had an au ;w; but I d o n t, and I definitely don't have an ellie-centered one ;w; I really want to make an ask blog I'm just like- ah- no thoughts, head empty-

Also dw advice is g r e a t l y appreciated!! ✨💖💕💞❤️

omg same- i have a crap ton of work that i can literally do NOW and get it over with but im like "NAHHHHHHH" xD but i at least did some work of it- even tho im sure its not even good but its my teacher's fault for saying "something is better than nothing" a whole dam lot XDD

and ohHHH that might be what it is- yeah ! thinking back on it i also do find it hella cool- i was able to be the teacher's pet for some of my classes xD- but then if any of my classmates see me during lunch time i would be here loud ASFFF and also saying the weirdest nonsense ever- omg i can ramble about how cool school was WITHOUT the work yknow? like all the events- friends- and ALL that is awesome xDD and also thanks for thinking its neat! i kinda had fun messing around with people- god i feel kinda mean- XDDD

and HELL YEAH GIVE ME ANIMAL EARS GOD-- XDD omg whats funny is that i am in LOVEE with animal headbands- headbands are literally my comfort item at this point- when i go outside without one- i just dont feel the same xD one time at christmas my bro gave me a cat headband that has switch so it lights up- and i was OBSESSSED with it that i wore it literally everyday at school- and OMG YKNOW WHATS FUNNY: thats how people know who i am- because of my headbands- which is actually convenient cause NO ONE KNOWS MY NAME- like they would know me as a smart girl but they would have no clue who tf i am (because i am soooo not social in school xD)

and cause i wear the same headband everyday- people have kinda known me for it- and kinda just started calling me "cat girl" or "cat ears" or SMTH along with cat in it- it was funny XDD but also my brain tells me "people call you this because thats what happens when you dont have many friends-" and im like "yeAh i KNOW-" xD but after like a semester i stopped wearing the cat headband cause got new headbands! they are like pom poms! i had white ones and the other headband is black ones- i switch between them usually to match my outfit or how im feeling today xD

and AS YOU KNOW IT- i got crazy nicknames- and little did i know it WAS WAYY FUNNIER than with the cat headband- omg- i can list you all the things i remember:

"snowballs" "fuzzy ears" "white/black fuzz" "RABBIT TAIL EARS-" (THAT one was what my teacher called me before knowing my name and my friend witnessed it- in fact i got the audio recorded xD) and also names something along the line of "bear ears" or smth- gosh it went wild- i felt popular xD i would also have friends that would softly bap on of my pom poms just for the sake of messing with me- xDDD

but anyways- with rhcb OH BOY OH BOY- YOU SHOULD SEE THE HENRY STICKMIN CHARACTER TAGS ON INSTAGRAM- the cat ears on characters was WIILLLDDD- there were also so many neko reginalds and shit it was crazy but awesome xDDD

and yeah the breakfast arc i felt like it was the oppurtunity for the triple threat themselves to answer lotta questions- kinda a filler arc- but thank GOD the questions i got now were just boring- or it would be better for the toppats to answer- youd never know! and yknow what- ill just say it now- yknow how henry doesnt know all that much of stickcats? yeah- but guess what- reginald knows a whole lot more ( or well- supposed to) so i wished the people viewed it as reginald the master of knowing stickcats- i even thought of a spinoff comic series where when someone asks a good question about stickcats- it would trigger a class lesson as a jokey concept XDD with sensei reggie! BAHHAA sadly i think i, as the mod, already answered a lot of those questions- so sadly it might not become a thing xD

and YESSS I FELT BIG BRAIN FOR IT- and i think sending myself questions was what made the blog spread easily- cause when you make a blog- its going to be hard for someone to ask you questions first- especially since your post will takes days til it finally shows up on the tags- so may as well make your own questions! at first- i created the blog on my phone- and sadly on my phone it wouldnt let me ask my own blog( but i didnt know you CAN send yourself asks just by going on a computer or laptop- xD) so i yelled at two of my friends like "HRYHEYEHYEHEY THIS IS SOO OUT OF CONTEXT BUT CAN YOU GO ON TUMBLR FOR ME-" XDD and those two friends were the first asks of the whole blog! when henry woke up! (this is all- what i call- a pro gamer move-- /hj XDD)

and awhhh- i feel that- i literally also have the power to make an very suspenseful story with an interesting au- but what i decide to do? "HEY- WHAT IF WE ADD CAT EARS AND TAILS ON STICKFIGURES- " and what i tell myself? "OH- GENIUS- gonna start a whole ass blog-" XDDD but ALL of my AUs are just comfort AUs- i wrote stories of three of them(if you count the stickcat au) while the rest i just daydream- xD i could list them in the next post if you are somehow interested XDD

and thank gosh! i hope what i say would be considered advice- even though im just stating what i do and all xD but thank you!!! 💞💞❤️😭❤️❤️😭💞

#the rambles of crystu #WOOO long post long post :OO

[planetoban]

Savin’s Answers from Twitter, Part 2!

Here’s the second batch of questions that Savin has answered on Twitter! Again, tweets are in order from most to least recent, and answers are not 100% true/canon since things may change during production.

Here’s the link to part 1!

Also: If you’re going to ask Savin something, please be respectful and appropriate. He’s a person just like you and me.

@fantasyfox101: another question why is Maya such an emotional anchor for don Wei? I mean he may love his wife but he should still love his [cont] daughter enough to take comfort in her company. He shouldn't have abandoned her, he should have devoted his time to raising her

@EiffelSavin: Eva reminded Don too much of Maya and of his own feeling of guilt

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@AshBashS_: Ever thought about setting up a type of Kickstarter or patreon? I know those who love the series would like to help out any way they can.

@EiffelSavin: That's certainly an option for a bluray release, a pilot or some early development.

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@Tem32016: what is the release date for the Ōban Star-Racers sequel?

@EiffelSavin: If it was only up to me that would be tomorrow but money, money, looking for money - this is always the long part...

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@Fantasticgirlto: I'm curious is don Wei wealthy, and when u said Maya's family looked down on him do they still do?

@EiffelSavin: yes: DW's wealthy, yet that's not enough in some circles

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@Fantasticgirlto: so I'm just going to go and ask this is don Wei only a racing manager or is he also the owner of his own corporation [cont] because truthfully what Don's do is a racing manager or business owner seems to be blurred along the lines in the show

@EiffelSavin: F1 Teams create their own cars using parts from different manufacturers. Same here. WeiRace is a racing team with its homemade "star-racers"

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@Fantasticgirlto: I just have three questions that are actually driving me crazy 1. What exactly is Wei racing what do they actually do, I know [cont] it's just nvolved in racing I know don Wei is the owner but what exactly is it? Is it a company, a racing team, a sponsor for [cont] races what exactly does Don Wei's business do? 2. Is Eva don wei's biological daughter? 3. [this question didn’t get answered]

@EiffelSavin: Wei Race is Don Wei's racing team. Eva is DW & Maya's biological daughter.

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@fantasyfox101: ok three questions why was don Wei upset with Maya in episode 15s flashback? Question two why didn't Eva get along with any of [cont] the students of her school, she seems like such a nice girl, what exactly made her so unlikable? Third what qualities of Don [cont] made Maya fall in love with Don Wei since she's very pretty and I'm assuming she was rich she could have had anyone

@EiffelSavin: Lots of questions... Don & Maya shared a same passion. Molly being a tomboy didn't fit in and some students - not all - resented her for that

@fantasyfox101: So because Maya loved racing don and Maya where able to fall in love.

@EiffelSavin: Yes, that was the starting point.

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@storiesshapeus: sorry to ask but why did u make Make Maya more pretty than Eva her daughter and more attractive than Don Wei, also why is her [cont] racing uniform a mini-dress. rewatching Oban I noticed Maya seems a lot like fanservice, so why'd u make Eva's mother the most [cont] attractive character?

@EiffelSavin: Maya's an intelligent & confident woman. She may dress a little sexy but that's just her taste -  not trying to show off just being herself.

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@Lo_rambles: just wondering, is there anything the fans can do to support the development of the second season?

@EiffelSavin: Good point. The answer is nothing right now but we might need your help later to show potential partners the strengh of Oban's fanbase ,☺

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@lbigreyhound: Also, I was rewatching the original! How long did the Great Race of Oban last? With all those teams competing it felt like it took months

@EiffelSavin: More like a couple of weeks. On Alwas there was 98 teams but most got quickly eliminated after the 5 first rounds.

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@fantasyfox101: if no human can reconnect with magic does it mean Jordan won't be able to control his avatar powers or is there exceptions [cont] with the circumstances or individual, and will there be a consequence to Jordan becoming the avatar for the galaxy?

@EiffelSavin: The Avatar powers are channeled through a choosen individual by the Creators regardless of that individual's origin

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@fictionjustis: It just got to me that Maya's parents may still be alive and where filled with contempt for Don Wei instead of resenting him

@EiffelSavin: I'm not sure we'll have a chance to go deeper into that plotline but who knows  😉

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@fantasyfox101: in Oban Star racers Humans show alarming similarities to the Crogs is this to show that humans would have been the Next crogs [cont] or that any species given the right circumstances and opportunities would have been the same as the crogs

@EiffelSavin: I didn't want to have good humans vs bad crogs. All species in the show have good sides & bad sides. It's much richer & realistic that way.

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@fictionjustis: It's actually sad that Eva was abandoned also if you think about it makes don wei a little less sympathetic

@EiffelSavin: Don Wei starts off has very unsympathetic. But his relation ship with Eva totaly changes by the end

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@fictionjustis: sorry to ask again but it got to me, to ask you why does Maya's family resent don Wei?

@EiffelSavin: Belonging to a lower class - a simple "self made man" - taking their prised daughter down the dangerous path of racing.

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@fantasyfox101: Is it possible that if a human has enough respect for the forces of nature like a nourasian does is it possible for that human [cont] to be able to harness magic or does it attribute to the whole species

@EiffelSavin: Humans knew once, a very long time ago, but they have fared too far away from nature now to be able to reconnect with magic

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(note: I can’t tell whether this is in response to someone’s question because Savin didn’t @ anyone)

@EiffelSavin: I think it really started with Canaletto causing Maya's crash. At that time he "scanned" potential future Oban contestants background... [cont] And found a perfect candidate for his evil plan in sweet innocent Eva.

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@lbigreyhound: Any chance the series will be re-released on blu-ray or on iTunes or something?

@EiffelSavin: Yes. We're working on it.

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@Mendinso: Out of curiosity, do you think you guys will make the Japanese audio available legally? I've seen the series in Japanese in not... so legal> [cont] methods and always wanted to purchase the Japanese version down the road. Any plans for that?

@EiffelSavin: We're hoping to get the japanese dub as well but unlike French & English dubs we don't control these rights at present.

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@CCharmanderK: Does all the precompositing material still exist? Would it be possible to do an HD recomposite of the series later down the line?

@EiffelSavin: Recomposite would be very costly and should not be necessary  The masters are already in HD. [cont] We plan to use these hd masters for a future bluray release.

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@fictionjustis: It just got to me but if maya hadn't died in the racetrack but was killed by any other means in a way Don couldn't blame [cont] himself like for example an illness would Don Wei still have abandoned Eva in his grief after Maya's death [cont] and if it was the other way around like Don Wei was the one who died and Maya had lived would Eva still have had a miserable [cont] childhood or Would Maya have reacted to grief in another way?

@EiffelSavin: It would have been different but don't forget Canaletto had been pulling the strings all along...

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@lbigreyhound: Are there any plans for DW, Rick, Stan, Koji, and Jordan to return in the possible sequel? It would be interesting to see them!

@EiffelSavin: Some characters would return, others who have already played their part wouldn't

@rebelle_g: So,Rick won't be the spin off/sequel? Reading your answear made me think that he already played his part...too bad!I really liked him

@EiffelSavin: Rick would deserve a whole series just for himself but we have to take steps one at a time 😉

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@RedVioletPanda: do the number of "ears" on a Crog have some kind of meaning? Like status or maturity?

@EiffelSavin: I'll leave it open to interpretation for now. Could be age. Could be several Crog subspecies with slightly different local characteristics

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@fictionjustis: We've never heard  much about  Maya's Origin before, is there any chance we will learn about it in the sequel, or spinoff?

@EiffelSavin: I can't gatantee the plot will allow it but it would certainly be nice to learn more about maya

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@fictionjustis: I'm curious you once replied that the avatar is the protector of the galaxy, does that mean there are other avatars in the Oban [cont] universe? If so does that mean there are other creators in there

@EiffelSavin: Smart remark. There might well be other mysterious and powerful people out there... 😉

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- @nyan_lazos: now that jordan is the avatar can he travel anywhere in the world with his powers and visit earth and Eva or is he Stuck in Oban?

@EiffelSavin: He should be able to travel but things might not be so simple in the sequel... 😉

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@fictionjustis: besides aikka and jordan did eva ever attract anyone

@EiffelSavin: She was to tough, and too young before

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@fictionjustis: did Maya love Don as much as he loved her

@EiffelSavin: Yes!

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@RedVioletPanda: will we be seeing/learning anything of Nourasia in the sequel?

@EiffelSavin: Yes. In the sequel as well as in the spinoff

@Lo_rambles: "As well as"? o.O

@EiffelSavin: Don't know which we'll be able to produce - or if any at that stage - but we'd learn more on Nourasia in both the planned sequel & spinoff. [cont] We're working on both but as always financing will decide what we can do in the end...

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@fictionjustis: will aikka and eva be major characters in the sequel and will the sequel give more attention to aikka and eva's relationship?

@EiffelSavin: That could be the case... 😇

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@Altaxiis: Just wondering what the plot would be. My only thought is some interplanetary cup , since next Avatar is only after 10,000 years.

@EiffelSavin: We're aiming at something more unusual than that 😉

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@GabrielAubry2: How does the Earth Coalition deal with aliens talking about the Great Race of Oban?

@EiffelSavin: They've blocked what they could and call the rare information that does get through "groundless conspiracy theories"

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#oban star racers #savin yeatman eiffel #sav! the world #sav the world #savin likes to use the winky face emoji #type:text #type:staff

[eliaspsuedo]

Fire Emblem Warriors thoughts

12-16 hours, DONE! At least with story mode, I still have history mode and all the unlockable characters to get through.

I’m sure the main Dynasty Warriors games are good. They should be if companies keep making spin-offs based on them, but my general thoughts on these Dynasty Warriors spin-offs is that they’re fun diversions but they get repetitive without any decent hook, either in the story or gameplay. I played Dynasty Warriors Gundam 1 back when I was young and Dragon Quest Heroes in preparation for this game. From what I remember of DW Gundam, it’s that I liked it for the first few hours till it got stale, but I’ll always remember the original mode. The interactions (always loved seeing the Zechs, Puru, and Domon), the scenarios, and it was the first time I saw stuff like G Gundam and most early-UC shows. Dragon Quest Heroes is one I really enjoyed for the gameplay and bits and pieces of character interaction. It felt a tower defense game, where you get medals to summon monsters as your sentry, it really livened up the combat. Lastly, because I was more familiar with DQ, I got to understand all the fanservice, references, and the joy seeing my favorite DQ characters interact with each other. So, now that is the context of where I’m coming from in terms of DW games is clear, what did I think of FE Warriors?

First up is the negatives of the game.

Story mode was pretty bare-bones, which I expected but I was hoping for a little more flavoring in what little meat I got. The plot was pretty average: Young Lords, Chaos Dragon, obvious betrayal, etc. all that stuff you’d see in a FE game, but what really made the whole story come out as “meager” for me, was the lack of cross-game interaction and involvement in the main plot. There are brief bits of cross-game interaction, like Lissa talking to Oboro or Camilla praising Robin, but they’re brief and there’s little impact on the plot. This is important because this is a chance to either flesh out the characters out of their element or give us a pair that we’d never thought about, but now we want to see more. I go back to the Zechs, Puru, and Domon group from DW Gundam. They were all from different series, had different alignments, and completely different personalities, but seeing them work together, and even get out of their comfort zone by acting out of character really made them stand-out.

But what about the Supports? That’s a problem, cause by relegating the fun and interesting interactions there the player will miss out and the story will suffer. You have to work to get them, which is harder since maps last longer, rates feels slower, and for all that hard work you get 3 minutes of character portraits talking to each other. It’s ok in regular FE because there’s more opportunities to raise levels, you get more talk, and it mostly helps side characters. Let me put it this way, would you rather see Frederick fix Leo’s collar in a text box and read about it, or fully animated while you’re in the game?

The characters in Warriors are should be an ensemble, meaning their skills, personalities, and talents are equally spread out and given a proper time to shine. This is not helped by what keeps the characters we want to see together, the main characters. My friend who only plays FE Heroes, likes Dynasty Warriors, and doesn’t like Rowan character design, helped me put it into words: “They feel like discount Sharena and Alfonse.” I agree with that, cause there’s not much to Rowan and Lianna. Aside from what they are (twins, royals of the kingdom, etc.), who they are is lost on me. Rowan gets off better, cause he has aspirations and liking to knights, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are pretty much there. Since a large chunk of the plot is about them, we got less time to get a feel out of the Heroes.

Going to DQ Heroes, I got more fun out of Luceus and Aurora, the male and female characters of that game. Now, Luceus thing was he prattled on complicated battle strategies (something I wish Robin did in the game) and took an analytical look, and Aurora was his foil that summed up his plan and just attacked and did what she felt was needed. What made them so fun to watch was how we saw those interactions during a supposedly tense moment, and it lightens up the mood and brings up the energy for hack and slash.

Another thing, voices are repetitive, especially in menus.

I saw a piece of trivia on how Rowan and Lianna were made sword users to help with the tutorials. I can see why they did it, but I have a better idea: how about making them wield all the different weapons? It lessens the oversaturation of sword users, it really make them feel like our avatar, and allows some variety in the animations. Though rigging up 5 different weapon animations seems like a hassle…

The last big negative is how many characters have little to do. This is most apparent with Marth’s group as, aside from some scenes including one with Darios, they really don’t do much in terms of the plot. In fact, now that I think about it, even the other groups don’t much to do either. The most I remember is moral support and speeches, but for active and direct actions? Not much. Takumi disarming Darios, the Shepherds teaching the group, Sakura finding a cure for Rowan, snapping Corrin out, and the Gleamstones, those all are out of the top of my head. I’m glad Celica and Lyn aren’t in Story mode cause they’d have even less to do! I doubt adding more character from the other FE games would help. With a plot this thin, I doubt we’d see more of, say, Ike that we’d see of any other character. I guess if you want to see the older cast, that’s what FE Heroes is for.

There definitely could’ve been more to the story. At best, it’s ok. I think the problem was the story was too serious. In the above DW spinoffs, while it had dramatic moments, there was a lighter or fun tone in all of them. Cause you’re reveling in all the carnage, fanservice, and characters. The story of Warriors didn’t feel like that, it just felt like another cut-out FE story, and that’s sad. If it joked around for more scenes (one or two scenes of Owain and Niles don’t count), maybe the bland story would’ve been more forgivable.

So that means I hated FE Warriors, right? NOPE

It actually surpassed my expectations!

A big part of that is the gameplay. With the added FE elements, it manages to turn the rather repetitive combat into a tactical action RPG. First, the weapon triangle means you have to think who engages what. You defeat enemies faster and easier when you have the advantage, and vice-versa. This means team composition is crucial, giving you some thought in who you pick. Do you add archers cause there are fliers? Do you add mages cause there are dragons? Can I deal with being at a disadvantage? Combine this with the second: Commanding units, and you got something just like a FE game. During gameplay you can command your units to attack certain enemies or defend forts. You cannot ignore this and power through, you have to manage your units to efficiently win. This means you have to constantly go to the map and give orders, lest you have the AI dilly-dally, and pay attention who’s attacking what. For example, Takumi is guarding that fort, so I’ll order Corrin to kill him but not let Camilla go anywhere near him since he’ll shoot her down (Fun Fact: I did defeat Takumi with Camilla). Add to the fact the AI, which can handle themselves competently (though you do have to wrestle with it a lot), takes a while to defeat enemies, then you really have to do a lot of the work with your 4 playable characters to get the job done. This leads to a very engaging and frantic juggling act, and makes the core gameplay really solid.

Next, the pair up system was a really useful feature. You pair up two units and that unit will be your sword and shield. It adds another layer of strategy to your fight since now you can swap between a sword and a lance user to easily adapt to the situation. It comes at a cost though, as it cuts your commandable units. So that’s another thing to consider, losing a possible defender. Plus, the dual guard makes attacks not hit you and it is a life saver when you’re completing Anna missions that require you to not get hit.

The maps were also impressive. Taking advantage of fliers ability to, well, fly as well as using Dragonveins to improve the map for you units. It’s a really nice touch. There weren’t too many spaces without enemies, so there’s always something to do.

Let’s talk technical, because on the Switch it’s amazing. A steady framerate while docked (you can pick between 30 or 60 FPS), and undocked it works just as well. Especially with local co-op. I was impressed on how it ran undocked with two players. A little choppier, but it remains consistent and having a buddy around enhances the tactical edge, since you have to coordinate your actions.

History Mode was another thing I like. I haven’t completed it since I’m underleveled, but I am enjoying it more than Story Mode. On a FE map (complete with sprites), you select enemies like they’re missions and defeating certain enemies expands your area. The challenge here is to get S-Ranks to get Master Seals and other good stuff. It’s missions like defeat 500 enemies, or only use magic users, is varied enough to keep me interested, and there’s some story bits in it that seems interesting. Female Robin makes an appearance in the Awakening map, with Male Robin and Chrom watching in astonishment, it’s an interesting angle to say the least.

Finally, it’s the polish. The stunning animation, how it runs, how good the cutscenes look, and just how it feels like Fire Emblem. I had the same feeling with FE Heroes. Different format, same series, wonderful feel.

So in the end, I wasn’t expecting much, but I got more than what I asked and I definitely recommend it. Now I’ll just wait for my beautiful wife, and hope the next FE game on the Switch comes soon!

Now, let’s do the odyssey~

#elias plays fire emblem warriors #fire emblem warriors #fire emblem warriors spoilers #DONE!

[anotheruserwithnoname]

My hopes for Doctor Who in 2017

With the first month of January half over, this is as good a time as any to put up my (latest) wishlist for the Doctor Who franchise as 2017 progresses. Of course this year will see Series 10 arrive, and who knows what other surprises lay in store (the Class spinoff announcement came out of nowhere, for example so maybe we’ll get another out-of-the-blue announcement).

So here’s my Top 10 list ... after the break:

1. That Series 10 reflects the fact that Steven Moffat and his writing team have taken a break and come back refreshed. The Husbands of River Song was a clear example of writer fatigue (not helped by Moffat saying he actually thought it was going to be his final episode at one point). Doctor Mysterio was a promising sign, especially considering it was filmed midway through production of S10.

2. Don’t make the series all about River Song. I got some disturbing feeling that Nardole’s mystery is going to be tied into River Song. River is dead and as others have pointed out it’s disrespectful to not only fans of Clara but also fans of the Eleven-River relationship (of which I am one) to keep undermining the character....

3. ... Not unless there is at least one solid reference to Clara in S10 to give us balance. It’s been reported that Missy may appear in Series 10. We may or may not get a Jenna Coleman cameo - depending on what happens with #4 - but all we need is for a character like Missy to address Clara and give us a follow-up to what we saw in the first episode of Class. Prove to us that while the Doctor may have “forgotten” her, the show hasn’t. (And, sad for the fans, but Class appears destined to be a short-lived branch so I’d hate for the only direct reference to the Doctor’s memories and feelings for Clara post-Hell Bent to have been wasted on an episode that was viewed by roughly the equivalent population of Saskatchewan.)

4. Peter Capaldi to stay on for Series 11. There are a few reasons for this. The first one is obvious - it’s Peter Capaldi, for heaven’s sake. ‘Nuff said, to quote Stan Lee. Second reason is a lot of people are leery about Chris Chibnall taking over from Moffat (if there’s one TV producer who has more online haters than Moffat, it’s him) so having Capaldi (and Pearl Mackie and even Matt Lucas) stay on would make the transition smoother (for the record I have open mind on Chibnall; I liked his DW episodes though I was less keen on his Torchwoods, is all). Third reason is a pragmatic one for us Whouffaldi fans: I do not believe that they will be able to get Jenna Coleman to appear in any S10-related production, or even the 2017 Christmas special, if they don’t get something done with her before Victoria S2 filming begins in February. But we’re only really under the gun if Capaldi leaves with Moffat at the end of the year. If he stays on we can at least hope that Chibnall develops a storyline that brings her back, or at least agrees to have her appear in Capaldi’s regeneration story. But there’ll be more time to play with, anyway. I do not want to see this play out with the Thirteenth Doctor, otherwise it’ll just be a repeat of the mess that we just went through with River Song improperly being tied in with the Twelfth Doctor, retconning away her previously established farewell to Eleven.

5. That Bill is a better character than she’s portrayed in the trailer. Sorry not sorry - I did not like what I saw in the trailer. But let’s see how she fares in a full episode, not a bunch of random buzzwords and sound bites.

6. That the Twelve-Bill-Nardole team gives us a return to the Four-Sarah Jane-Harry Sullivan dynamic. It has that potential.

7. That we get a Series 9 soundtrack. And a proper CD release too, not just some B.S. download/streaming thing like they just did with Victoria’s soundtrack.

8. That Big Finish starts doing Paternoster Gang stories. All three actors - Neve McIntosh, Catrin Stewart and Dan Starkey - have done Big Finish audios over the past year. Starkey has already played Strax in one (and he’s even writing scripts for them now). There is no excuse for us not to get the Paternoster Gang spin-off we never got on TV.  They’ve already given us the Kate and Osgood UNIT spin-off we should have had, and the River Song spin-off a lot of people wanted, and even a bunch of stories now with the War Doctor and the Time War-era Eighth Doctor.

9. That the powers that be allow the expanded franchise to begin telling officially licensed stories featuring Clara and Ashildr, post-Hell Bent. I can understand them wanting to wait to see what Moffat does in S10. But once it becomes clear what he has planned, I’d like to see Titan Comics or BBC Books or somebody pick up the ball and run with it. (Big Finish would be amazing but I know they don’t have the rights yet to anything specific to the Capaldi era, and #10 takes precedence anyway.)

10. In the wake of Big Finish reuniting David Tennant and Catherine Tate for a series of audio dramas - something that many thought would be impossible - for Big Finish to pull another rabbit out of its hat and help resolve Matt Smith’s one regret about leaving Doctor Who - that he didn’t get to do more stories with Jenna Coleman. Last year, Jenna took time out from Victoria to record a relatively minor voiceover for Thunderbirds Are Go, and later recorded a part for a digital version of A Christmas Carol. And she’s still officially available to record voices for commercials and the like through one of her agencies. Matt Smith is on record as saying he’d love to do Big Finish if invited. Come on, Mr. Briggs, it can work - please make an Eleven and Clara reunion happen!

#doctor who series 10 #doctor who #doctor who commentary