#i know miyamoto always had a questionable approach to games

[ganondoodle]

im quite tired of talking about totk, like im sure you all know by know just how frustrated i am, but something i still strongly believe was the logical, and best thing to do in a sequel.. -

while botw was about you feeling lost in a strange world with neither you nor link knowing anything and both discovering it as you go, the theme of lonelyness and isolation, freeing the spirits of dead friends you need toremember again, in the end finally reuniting with one of the only friends still alive, after a 100 years

totk should have been about community, about working together with zelda at your side, as a companion, after having been seperated for so long, and seeing nothing of the time between titles, this should have been her travelling alongside you, after botw you'd WANT to spend time with her and get to know her more, her being the diplomat, the archtitect, the scientist, the translator of old texts, a historian trying to find out the truth about what her fathers kingdom was built on, to right old wrongs perhaps, for a better future- theres so much that she should have been, so much of her character was primed to go into this direction- and instead she is a pretty prize with no personality you get at the end like this is an 80s cartoon still

(this is disregarding the whole fact that ganondorf, AS WELL, should have been a giant factor in all this, in the history of it all, to explore his character and his actions, to have zelda research and find out about histroy clearly written by the victors- theres so much potential depth here that it dirves me crazy, botw was such a set up for more that was wasted, utterly wasted, for something i wouldnt even want to call paper thin bc even paper has more depth than anything in totk)

#ganondoodles talks #zelda #totk #ganondoodles rants #do not come to argue with me #im done trying to sound all nice about it #im angry and frustrated about this #tin foil hat me is convinced they shipped the “writing” for totk off to some mobile games company bc they wanted to focus on that movie #since the success of the mario movie made them prob more money thant botws sales did #i know it might no line up #which is why i said tin foil hat me thinks that #with the situation of the games industry as a whole and zelda being my thing of interest #its soemthing i wont let go ever #and i have zero faith there will be any good stories to come out of the franchise again #dare i say satoru iwatas presence is dearly missed #espeically knowing how the other main guys think about what games should be #i know miyamoto always had a questionable approach to games #pretty sure it was aounoma who said the “why would you wanna go back to linearity lolol nostalgia blindet idiots lololol” #not a direct quote but you know what i mean #anyway #wont be taking about totk in length anymore #im just tired at this point #getting better at ignoring its existence but it still hurts like a sore spot you forgot you had whenever i hear anythign about it

[pines-troz]

Christmas Dinner

This is a secret santa gift to @887705 for the Time Squad Secret Santa, presented by @fuckyeahtimesquad . There isn’t much of a plot, but there is a lot of humor and fluff to be shared. I hope you enjoy!!! In the satellite living room, Otto was perched on the couch working on his latest project. He gathered all of the photographs from his most recent missions and placed them into his photo album. The boy stuck out his tongue while he eagerly placed each picture into the plastic slips.

The past few weeks leading up to Christmas had been hectic work-wise. The Time Squad had to go on some ridiculous missions, such as convincing Theodor Seuss Geisel to write his children’s books under the pen name Dr. Seuss instead of his Teddy McHugginstuff and forcing Stanley Kubrick to film Dr. Strangelove as a satirical dark comedy in black-and-white instead of a technicolor big-budget musical with a cliched Hollywood ending.

As much as Otto loved his position as an unofficial time cop, he loved spending some down time with his adoptive family just as much, if not more.

“Otto!” Larry called out.

The boy closed his personal book and sprinted from the couch to find the uptight robot. Larry was prepping up for Christmas Eve Dinner for the family as well as Sheila Sternwell and X-J5.

Otto arrived in the kitchen, Larry, donned in his frilly pink apron, took out a tray of crab rangoons from the oven.

“Hiya Larry!” Otto greeted.

The robot looked over at Otto and beamed. “Why hello Otto!”

“So is there anything you need me to do?” The boy asked.

“Yes actually,” Larry replied. He took off his apron and began to lead Otto from the kitchen. “Since we’re having guests over tonight, I need you to look festive!”

Larry spotted the giant gift bag and rummaged through it. He took out a small green sweater with a blue narwhal wearing a red ribbon around its horn. Larry gave the article of clothing to Otto.

“I made all of us holiday sweaters!” The robot said gleefully.

“Aw, thanks Larry.” Otto responded as he began to put it on. He knew that ugly Christmas sweaters were worn as a joke back in his time, but he appreciated the time and effort his guardian put into crafting them. Otto wanted to be apart of Christmas past times, no matter how tacky they can be.

“Oh you’re welcome.” Larry sweetly replied. Once Otto put his sweater on, the robot squealed in delight. “Oh you look so precious Otto.”

The boy chuckled nervously as his cheeks blushed. Wanting to change the subject, he looked over at the large bag with the other sweaters. “So what sweaters are you and Tuddrussel gonna wear?”

Larry grinned. “Oh, I’ve made us these lovely sweaters!!”

He put on his red sweater with the word NICE written on it. He pulled out Tuddrussel’s sweater, which read NAUGHTY.

“Oh no, I ain’t wearin’ that thing!” A low southern voice boomed.

Otto and Larry turned to see Tuddrussel approaching them with a sour frown on his face. “I ain’t wearin’ no ugly sweater.”

“But I made it special…” Larry whined.

“Come on Tuddrussel, Larry put a lot of effort into it. And besides, we’re wearing our sweaters!”

Tuddrussel sneered in response, causing Larry to sadly wobble his robotic lips. Otto sorrowfully exhaled, looking away from his other guardian. The longer Tuddrussel stared at his downtrodden family, the longer his heart couldn’t take seeing them in despair.

“Oh alright!” Tuddrussel surrendered, yanking his sweater from Larry. He begrudgingly put on his naughty sweater. “I’ll wear it for you guys, but I ain’t gonna like it one bit!”

Otto and Larry smiled at Tuddrussel and lovingly charged towards him. Otto hugged the southern man’s legs while Larry embraced his midriff.

“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” Larry gushed, smooching Tuddrussel’s cheek.

“All right, settle down you two,” Tuddrussel playfully replied. “No need to get all crazy over an ugly Christmas sweater.”

The group hug was interrupted when the doorbell sounded through the satellite.

“Oh shoot, Sheila’s here!” Tuddrussel exclaimed.

“I’ll answer the door.” Otto suggested as he began running down the hall.

“Now Otto, you remember where the shuttle area is?” Larry asked.

“Sure do!” The boy answered. “I know the satellite like the back of my hand!” With that, the boy ran to greet the guests.

Larry and Tuddrussel looked over at their surrogate son with great fondness.

“Our Otto is growing up so fast.” The robot sighed contentedly.

Otto ran at top speed towards the shuttle area. When he arrived, he saw Sheila Sternwell and XJ5 emerging from their spacecraft. The boy was surprised to see Sheila without her Time Squad uniform. The woman wore a red cashmere sweater and black dress pants. She also held her autumn red hair in a ponytail per usual. XJ5 simply wore a black bowtie for the occasion.

“Hi Sheila, XJ5! How are you two?” Otto eagerly asked.

Sheila gave the boy a friendly smile as she and her mechanical partner approached him.

“I’ve been doing well for myself.” She answered.

“I’ve certainly seen better days.” XJ5 drawled.

Sheila rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind him, he’s been fairly grumpy since our recent mission. We traveled back to 1889 Japan to help the founder of Nintendo, Fusajiro Yamauchi, build his company on playing cards instead of monster cards.”

“I was highly offended when Yamauchi insisted on defaming all robot-kind by exploiting our image on his mediocre cards!” XJ5 snapped.

“Fortunately, we were able to resolve the situation with ease,” Sheila added.

Otto’s eyes lit up as he heard the time cop’s story.

“You guys went back in time to work with Nintendo?! Oh my gosh, the guys and I also had to work with Nintendo as well!!” Otto exclaimed.

Sheila chuckled at the boy’s eagerness. “So what went down?” She asked.

As the three walked down the hall, Otto retold his mission.

“So a while back, the guys and I traveled back to Japan circa 1980 to help Shigeru Miyamoto develop Donkey Kong. They were gonna make a game based on of the Popeye cartoons, and Tuddrussel was actually on board with that. But Larry and I were able to pull out the copyright laws, much to their dismay, and we suggested that Miyamoto make a game with a similar plotline, but have the main characters be a giant ape and an Italian plumber. But Tuddrussel was so upset that his creative vision was being destroyed that he found a nearby pile of wooden barrels and started throwing them off the building, which only fueled Miyamoto’s inspiration to create Donkey Kong!”

Sheila stifled a laugh by covering her hand over her mouth, while XJ5 guffawed at the story. The three of them were close towards the living room when the time cop playfully shook her head.

“That’s Buck alright,” Sheila noted with the sentiment. “I could remember how ridiculous he could be when he’s angry. Back at the academy-”

Just as the woman was indulging Otto with her amusing anecdote, Tuddrussel caught wind of the discussion and immediately bolted towards the three in haste.

“DON’T SAY ANOTHER WORD!!” The brutish man declared.

“So that’s how you greet your guests?” XJ5 sneered. “Outstanding.”

“Relax Tuddrussel, I was only telling Otto about the group project we had to do on Great Peace Treaty that united all world’s nations.” She explained. “How could I not tell your boy about how you terrified our professor into giving us an extension by lifting him by the collar of his shirt!”

Tuddrussel took a moment to reflect on the memory before laughing heartily. “Oh, I remember that class. That extension was my saving grace I tell ya.”

“It most certainly was, Buck.” Sheila agreed with a chuckle.

Larry arrived on the scene, carrying a tray of assorted drinks; Two cold bottles of craft beer for Tuddrussel and Sheila, and a glass of soda for Otto. “Why hello Sheila,” He happily greeted. He took a look at the state-of-the-art robot next to her and grumbled, “XJ5…”

“How do you do old-timer,” XJ5 spat. “For a homemaker, you sure fail to have control over your human companion,”

“Well I never-”

Otto noticed the verbal assaults between the two robots and quickly intervened. “Hey fellas, let’s settle down.” He recommended. “How about we all have some dinner Larry made.”

“I’m game!” Tuddrussel cheered as he grabbed his bottle. 

“Sounds like a great idea.” Sheila agreed. The time cop gave Otto a nod of approval as she followed behind her ex-beau. 

As Otto trotted behind the adults, the two robots walked beside themselves.

“The boy does have a way with words.” XJ5 noted.

Larry smiled proudly at his adopted son before giving his rival a smug grin. “It is one of his best attributes, if I do say so myself” He boasted.

-----------------------------------------------

The two units shared a hearty meal filled with appetizers and a wonderful Christmas ham, all provided by Larry. After they all had had their fill, to their, they gathered on the antique sofa as to watch whatever Christmas movie was on television. Forty-five minutes later the group watched the final act of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer unfold.

The brave (and supposedly deceased) Yukon Cornelius arrived at Santa’s workshop alongside the Abominable Snowman.

“But- but you went over the side of a cliff!” Rudolph cried.

Yukon chuckled. “Didn’t I ever tell you about Bumbles...Bumbles bounce!!”

Rudolph, Herman and all the other elves erupted into laughter, as if Yukon told a hilarious joke, and decided not to ask anymore questions about Yukon’s sudden appearance and miraculous survival.

“What?!” XJ5 shouted at the screen. “What is this ludicrousness?”

Sheila patted her robot companion. “So Yukon apparently bounced off of the Abominable Snowman and made it out unscathed?”

“I always figured that the writers didn’t have the guts to kill off one of the important characters in their movie, so they pulled a cop-out explanation so he could live,” Otto explained.

“Now Otto, you know you can’t have death in a family movie!” Larry scolded.

“I can name a few movies that go against your statement,” Otto responded dryly.

“Aw come on, Yukon Cornelius had to live, he’s the best character in the movie!!” Tuddrussel argued.

“So that’s why you dressed up as him for Halloween back at the academy.” Sheila recounted.

“Really?” Otto inquired, his curiosity piqued.

“I need to see this!” Larry added enthusiastically. 

“I’ve got photographic evidence.” Sheila asserted as she retrieved her phone.

“Don’t you dare-” Tuddrussel shouted.

“Too late!” Sheila declared, holding up her phone for all to see.

Otto and Larry looked at the image of a young Buck Tuddrussel, donned in his Yukon Cornelius cosplay, goofily smiling as he stood next to Sheila, who had dressed as an elven warrior.

Larry felt his engines heating up at the picture of Tuddrussel dressed as the famed arctic prospector. He never thought that the bulky time cop looked so ravishing. “This is a goldmine!!” Larry gushed.

“Oh hush Lar!” Tuddrussel responded gruffly.

“I think you looked pretty cool,” Otto added, poking at the Texan’s side. Tuddrussel playfully grabbed Otto and gave him an affectionate noogie.

“Thank ya, Otto,” Tuddrussel responded, keeping the boy within his gentle hold.

Otto chuckled lightly. The boy looked at Sheila and XJ5, who were both enjoying themselves. The woman looked over at Otto and gave him a warm smile. Even though Sheila initially threatened to report his unit for ‘adopting’ him from his own time, she had softened up to him over time. Especially after learning how he had managed to keep Larry and Tuddrussel in check. Otto returned the smile.

He then looked over at his two father-figures, who were happily getting along. They mumbled to themselves about dressing Tuddrussel up in some hiking gear, to which the time cop chortled in response.

The boy was happy to be apart of their lives. After years of suffering in the orphanage from his own time, he finally felt wanted and loved by his unusual family.

I apologize for not working JT’s crew into the story, but I managed to keep the focus of the story about Otto, Larry and Tuddrussel interacting with Sheila and XJ5. Plus I wanted to write Sheila as a cool aunt for Otto. I hope you enjoyed this belated Christmas gift!!!

#time squad #otto osworth #larry 3000 #tuddrussel

[recentanimenews]

PlatinumGames Talks "World of Demons" and Bringing White-Knuckle Action to Mobile

Disclosure: I was flown to Osaka to visit PlatinumGames' studio for the official reveal of World of Demons. 

    We have one more World of Demons story to round out our coverage, and fans of PlatinumGames should find this one especially illuminating. After trying the developer's first foray into mobile gaming for myself, I had an opportunity to sit down and fire off a few questions in a one-on-three discussion with Platinum's Head of Game Design and World of Demons Creative Director Masaki Yamanaka, Platinum's Lead Game Designer and World of Demons Co-Director Kento Koyama, and World of Demons Producer and Product Owner Andrew Szymanski of DeNA. 

  * * * 

  You mentioned that the move to mobile gaming came first before the World of Demons concept itself. How quickly did you arrive at this concept? 

  Masaki Yamanaka: Actually, at the time when Andrew approached our company about wanting to make a mobile game with us, I already had an idea sort of like this in mind. I had even made a design document for a similar action game with this sort of traditional Japanese styling. From there it took about three months to work out the details. So it wasn't like "oh, let's make a mobile game, okay let's do this," immediately, but the seeds of the idea were already there.  

  What was the most difficult aspect of translating the PlatinumGames vision to a mobile platform?

  For the most part it wasn't that difficult to just put a game on the mobile device, but design-wise I'd say the hardest part was, you know, we're going from having a controller with a lot of buttons to a touch interface where you're much more limited. So, just sort of iterating through, okay, what do we cut? What do we streamline? How do we get a game like this on such a limited input device? That was the biggest challenge. 

  To go a little further on that, our goal was really, how can we make a game that uses this touch interface without losing any of the appeal; any of the enjoyment of playing one of our games on a controller.

  To me, PlatinumGames titles are all about the timing of the dodge. I was surprised at how intuitive it was to pull this off on a touch screen. Did it take a long time to figure out a solution for this type of control scheme?

  We want this sort of touch-based game to still be just as fun as any controller-based game, and one thing we value very highly is the response, the feeling. So we worked really hard to make sure all of the inputs, not just dodging, but everything you do with the touch interface, feels better than it has before. That was something we put a lot of effort into. 

    As your first mobile game, what do you think is most important for keeping players engaged for long periods of time; to keep them playing for months and beyond? 

  Kento Koyama: We feel that the first, most important element that will keep players engaged is this idea of growing and developing as you play. There are really three main axes among which players can do that in World of Demons. They will build out their Samurai, their player character; their collection of Yokai, which provide skills; and then their weapons, which have an effect on the player's attacks themselves. 

  We also want that not to be just an "Oh, I have to play for this amount of time to level up in this way," we want it to actually feel rewarding to players, to develop themselves and grow stronger. We think, whether they're playing for a short amount of time or a long amount of time, we want them to just really enjoy it and stay with it.  

  You mentioned not wanting to introduce any paywall that slows the game down or blocks off content—which is something that's prevalent in mobile gaming—so how do you go about structuring live services for World of Demons and determining value for the content?

  Andrew Szymanski: So yes, I mentioned earlier today that we don't want to lock anything behind a paywall; we want people to experience the content that we have. It's the same reason we don't have artificial timers and things like that, other than very specific instances. Looking at that from a live ops perspective, and touching on what Koyama-san just said about the three different level up mechanics you have, that loop is always going to continue. 

  So the idea is, as he said, whether you're playing for a long time or a short time, to always be having these rewards that are being provided so you can power up your character. The goal with that is, for instance, when we first launch and we have, say, two story chapters, you can go back and play on higher difficulties, which, the only way to beat those difficulties is to level yourself up. Those have better rewards, bigger drops, and things like that.

  I didn't beat an Intermediate stage.

  Yeah. (Laughs.) You're not supposed to at first. 

  I ran out of time. 

  (The laughs continue at my very honest but bad gaming confession.) 

    So getting back to your question about live ops, when we release new content, as I mentioned this morning, it's not gated. If we release a new story chapter, if we release a new character as part of that story—and that also includes Yokai and things like that—as long as you've hit the right level of progression, you've gotten far enough in, you can play immediately. The goal is not to sell that content, by any means, that's the last thing we want. The goal is for people to be engaged with that content and be constantly feeding back into that loop where you're upgrading yourself. The products we offer for purchase are essentially about having either shortcuts or other methods of expanding upon those level up mechanics. 

  You could get any given minion from a drop from a mission, and the higher the difficulty the better the chance for that mission's boss to drop his minion. But, if you're impatient and you just want to catch 'em all, so to speak, you can go in and do the summon using in-game currency and that can provide a method to get a lot of these quicker. We really see that cycle not changing in live ops. It's less about selling individual pieces of content as it is continuing to provide more content to the players who want to see more and more of what we have to offer, and then feeding that back into the existing loop Koyama-san mentioned earlier. 

  You showed off a few different types of multiplayer so far. Were there any other modes you experimented with, or maybe some that will arrive at a later date that you can talk about?

  Masaka Yamanaka: We did of course try out several different multiplayer options, and there are a few of them that made it into our idea stock for future editions. That is something we're looking to expand upon throughout the life of the game. 

  For the single-player story mode, is there an 'endgame' planned, or will you keep new seasons going as long as you have ideas?

  We do have plans for now to extend the story mode for a while; we can't say much more beyond that. 

  Andrew Szymanski: At launch the game will have two story chapters, one of which you were able to access today. That will be followed up within a short period after launch with additional story content. That will kind of form, in a sense, the first season of content, if you will. It will provide a narrative stopping point while also hinting at what will come beyond that. As Yamanaka-san mentioned, we already have a lot of ideas of where we want to take the story after that, and that will be coming into play as we get a little further out from launch. 

    The game has a distinct ukiyo-e style to it, and you even recreated aspects of some of that original art in the game. Was this decision made very early in development, and who is in charge of the art team for World of Demons?

  Masaki Yamanaka: In terms of the overall art direction, that was my idea. The art itself is done by a woman named Rie Ota. One thing we really liked about her work is it doesn't feel like anime, it doesn't feel like a comic; it feels like Japanese traditional artwork, so that was really appealing to us. 

  World of Demons is full of Yokai and Oni; were there any inspirations beyond their origin in Japanese folklore, such as classic manga like GeGeGe no Kitaro and other series that featured mischievous spirits? 

  Of course we're all familiar with the works of Shigeru Mizuki, who made GeGeGe no Kitaro; all of us were familiar with that since we were kids. So actually, we deliberately avoided influences from more pop culture interpretations of Yokai. We really focused on Sekien Toriyama's adaptation of the Yokai parade concept; on those Edo period, traditionalist interpretations. I'd say we actively avoided taking influence from Kitaro. 

  Beyond Yokai, how deep does the folklore connection go? Are there any aspects of the story derived from famous tales like Momotaro or Taketori Monogatari?

  The main influence was the Yokai parade story, but there was another legend in particular which we also drew influence from: The tale of the samurai Onitaiji. It's a story of a samurai fighting this legendary Oni named Shuten-Doji, who also does appear in this game. So that was another big touchstone for us in this. 

  Kento Koyama: This was the story of Miyamoto no Yorimitsu. 

  Andrew Szymanski: He was an actual historical figure, and the records claim that the Emperor at the time had asked him and his band of samurai to go and kill this extremely powerful Oni warlord that was terrorizing the countryside, and this is actually considered to be a historical event. If you go to the Tokyo National Museum there's actually a famous multiple-panel illustration based on that event. That's something the team has tried to bring in and use as a framing device for the story. 

    It might have happened! You mentioned Matt Alt's work on the scenario. How much input did he have in the story, and has this made simultaneous localization easier?

  Masaki Yamanaka: He's had a very deep influence, and we worked together quite closely on the story. I would just send him some advice, like, oh I'd like for this to happen, and we would discuss it. 

  Andrew Szymanski: Matt and his wife Hiroko [Yoda] wrote the script, and the English version was the original version. This isn't even actually a localization, it was originally written for the purpose of taking these traditional Yokai, and the reason we went to Matt and Hiroko is we wanted them to incorporate not only an interesting story, but to also be able to explain and teach about these Yokai in a way that would make sense within that framework. 

  Yeah, I noticed a lot of humor while playing; was that then translated back for the Japanese version? 

  What Matt and Hiroko did was then converted back into Japanese in a way that made most sense for the Japanese audience.

  Masaki Yamanaka: We didn't want the story to be extremely serious, so we wanted to inject moments of humor in there. The big thing behind that is Yokai are just weird; they're strange, they're not all evil, and not all of them that appear in the game are evil. So we didn't want to constantly focus on this terror of fighting these monsters. There is a tension there between the ones that are bad and the ones that are a little funnier, but we didn't want it to be super serious. 

  Moving on to more general questions, what is the game that inspired you to become a developer?

  Masaki Yamanaka: Daimakaimura (Ghouls 'n Ghosts). I played it in the arcade when I was a kid, and it was very difficult, but I did manage to beat it. 

  Both times?

  Yeah! I finally beat it and there was a credit roll, and I was like, "Wait, this was made by people?," and that moment inspired me. 

  Kento Koyama: Smash Bros. There were a lot of games that I played and enjoyed and that inspired me, but Smash Bros. was the first game I played that made me aware that games are made by people; they have creators behind them. 

    This can be the same answer or a different choice, but what is your favorite game of all time? 

  Kento Koyama: To limit it to a recent game, it would be Rainbow Six Siege. It's my favorite recent game because it's not just a lot of fun and well made, it's also really useful to study from a design perspective; it's enjoyable and well designed. 

  To broaden my answer, Final Fantasy V. 

  Masaki Yamanaka: If I were to think back at the game that held my rapt attention for the longest, that I got the deepest into, that would be Puyo Puyo 2. 

  Since I'm with Crunchyroll, I have to know if you have a favorite manga or anime.

  Masaki Yamanaka: Parasyte.

  Kento Koyama: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

  Masaki Yamanaka: I like Parasyte a lot, so when you play Resident Evil 4 and you see that Krauser has—

  Oh, the hands!

  It's not a ripoff. (Laughs). I designed that character but I didn't rip it off, so don't believe anyone who tells you. 

  * * * 

  As a bonus, I thought I'd share a few photos from my visit to Platinum's offices in Osaka. Here's a quick glimpse of what we got to check out during our tour and meeting with various World of Demons staff members.

  Here's a wide view of the office, or at least the portion we were allowed to see:

  Environment Artist Yasutaka Maeki shows off his work:

  Character Modeling Artist Muneyuki Kotegawa puts one of the more spine-tingling demons on display:

  Animator William Iamazi Ferro puts World of Demons' characters through the motions:

  Composer Hiroshi Yamaguchi played a live sample of the pumping traditional soundtrack for us:

  Before leaving, I had to snap a photo of all the consoles they have to play around with: 

  And it was worth waiting for Hideki Kamiya to show up for this. It turns out my head is actually a little shinier! 

  -------

Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. You can read his webcomic, BIG DUMB FIGHTING IDIOTS at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox.

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

[ignitingwriting]

Igniting Writing ‘Explore’ Contest 2019, Submission by ‘Kira_Collins88’ from Young Writers Project

Submission number 12 has been received for our ‘Explore’ themed teen creative writing contest, led jointly by Igniting Writing, Lake Erie Ink, Young Writers Project and Fighting Words. It was sent in by ‘Kira_Collins88′, another user from Young Writers Project, and it’s an interesting tale titled ‘The Lion’s Odyssey’. There’s an interesting narrative voice and an intriguing plotline, so have a read for yourself below:

Outwardly, my mother seems pretty ordinary. Miyamoto Mitsuko Suzue commenced life as a second-generation Japanese American. The Suzues lived in a meagre town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Diversity was paltry and Miyamoto struggled as bigotry became increasingly prevalent. Bowing her head against harsh words and prejudice was her norm and she desired nothing more than to leave. From day one she envisaged a world outside her town, fabricated places to explore. There was a hunger in her, a craving to pinpoint where she fit in the puzzle of the universe. 

Her pursuit of exploration swelled when she rocketed out of high school, where she proceeded to formulate her education around photography. Not only did she idolize the art, she was resolute on becoming a photojournalist. Globetrotting while molding a story behind a viewfinder was a job she deemed her calling. Furthermore, Miyamoto harbored a delicious secret, one on the romantic side. A freshman exchange program had introduced her to Mexico City, and that audacious escapade was exalted by Aaron Torres. They’d dated for five of the six months she’d been there, and Miyamoto planned on returning to her inamorato at the first chance. 

Little did she know, Aaron Torres hadn’t been thinking of her lately. Of course, Aaron wasn’t unsympathetic. He was genial and benevolent, but he couldn’t await the lambent lady from his sophomore year. Eva Andino, a bounteous woman, snagged his heart. 

Thus leaving Miyamoto stranded. Her flight to Michigan left in three weeks. Her Spanish was subpar, despite extensive studying, and she was alone. An unfledged baccalaureate attempting to salvage her vacation. She had aspired to take snapshots of the exquisite capital, but she was lost, toting a hefty camera bag and suitcase. Companions from her previous Mexico trip were dispersed, barely a handful in immediate reach. 

Thankfully, Pia Rodriguez was one among that handful. Pia had a dense network of associates, connections to almost every conceivable person. She was astonishingly animated, making all look placid by contrast. Befriending Pia Rodriguez was the ultimate guarantee of safety and piquant dishes. Miyamoto’s expedition persisted, rescued from derailment at the hands of a juvenile boy. 

She devoted her days to touring Mexico. The sundry hues of the Mexico City houses ensnared Miyamoto. The exotic aromas and customs engrossed her. It was generally a 50-50 chance if Pia accompanied her. Someone so illustrious could only be tethered down transiently. Miyamoto was glad for whatever sporadic company she obtained. Finding a dry hour amidst the summer rains when Pia and she could drink in the sunlight became a jaunty game. 

Now, I must draw you to the other side of our tale, where Roman Ortega rented a room alongside his pregnant girlfriend, Melina. Miyamoto had passed by their apartment a few times. A mint-green two-story with a faded orange stucco roof and a tiny crimson garage. Miniature Mexican flags were strung along the balcony fencing. 

And as fate would have it no other way, Melina didn’t survive delivery. 

If Miyamoto hadn’t embarked on an evening stroll, she could’ve avoided it all. If she hadn’t strode outside shortly after Melina’s passing, our paths never would’ve clashed. But Miyamoto witnessed Roman’s harrowing act. She saw the young father, his curly brown locks dishevelled and clothes wrinkled. His skin was wan and his eyes red-rimmed, the taint of whiskey weighing on him. He lurched towards the local church, clutching his daughter. Facing the looming steeple and delicate stain glass felt like marching to the jaws of a guillotine. His palms were clammy around the newborn pressed to his chest.

The baby was whimpering, useless to prevent the approaching calamity. The gentle slope of stairs to the chapel was cold as ice, the dusk steadily seeping the stone of warmth. Roman felt none of it. His eyes blurred when he placed his child at the church doors, his limbs numb. An immense chasm yawned within him in light of his loss. Melina dying had morphed him into a shell, snapped his grip on reality. Roman Ortega departed the church detached from his surroundings. He didn’t see the satiny indigo sky or the glow of illuminated patio lights. He was in freefall, his resolve shattered.

Miyamoto saw. She saw the swaddled child and heard the pattering of Roman’s retreating gait. Miyamoto felt frozen to the spot, petrified by the scene. A deep maternal sense seized her and she was coddling the blubbering bundle at once. She sat on the steps, stupefied. The crescent moon was sluggishly superseding the sunset. She wanted to hammer on Roman’s door, no matter the early hour, and demand he take his newborn back. But she couldn’t, not when he had deserted her on a whim that the priests may welcome her.

The dusk should’ve been temperate, but Miyamoto tugged the baby’s blankets tighter to block a sharp chill. An eerie sensation had filled Miyamoto, an ominous peril constricting her throat. Shadows were awakening on the horizon’s edge, surging up to capture their prey. The engravings on the church façade, wisps of Bible teachings, grew hostile.

Miyamoto bonded inexplicably with the child, pitying the abandoned girl with an accompanying sense of reflection. Miyamoto understood being an outsider, battling with demons of identity. Throughout her toils she’d at least had her family for support. She retained the assertion that his disparities made her distinctive. She had history. If she left, the girl wouldn’t have that. No priest or foster care personnel would tag her as Roman’s offspring. There was no promise of anyone would bother to tell her what occurred on these steps. She’d have no background. To combat those plights at an early age was plenty gruesome, but to have no one would be arduous. 

She wasn’t brought back to Roman’s apartment, instead to Pia’s scantily furnished flat. Miyamoto clambered inside, hastening to escape the beasts of the blackness. Pia was like a cat, always landing on her feet and seldom disoriented. But when Miyamoto showed up with a baby and a dreadful tale she was baffled. Pia paced for an eternity, striding back and forth in front of the coffee table. Silence oozed between the cracks in the walls, poisoning the air with uncertainty and unrest.

Two weeks later, a plane carrying Miyamoto Suzue arrived in Michigan. She was a hot mess, overwhelmed from the plunge into an unfamiliar lifestyle. Pia had been a monumental help, but she was gone now. Pia belonged in Mexico as much as the sun belonged in the sky and Michigan was out of the question. Miyamoto could only replay their final moments together, Pia embracing Miyamoto at the door and swiping at escaped tears. Pia didn’t normally cry, but she could scarcely think what trying years waited for her friend.

“You can still see the world, Miya. Hoshi isn’t the end of your fun.” Pia murmured.

“I wish that were true,” Miyamoto replied, pulling Pia close. Pia’s eyebrows knit, yet she didn’t voice her doubts. Pia was soon whisked away by another group of comrades, Miyamoto waving woefully to Pia’s retreating silhouette. Miyamoto knew Pia’s apathy wasn’t intended to harm, merely as a shield against worse emotions. Pia had endured far too many farewells to not have a defense mechanism assembled.

Miyamoto’s Mexico crusade was a rollercoaster of phenomena, beginning with schoolgirl heartbreak and concluding with a baby. Miyamoto Suzue was nothing short of a dreamer, ambition coursing through her veins. There was no staying put for her, not while her unremitting thirst for pioneering remained unquenched. How could anyone lacking such a headstrong mindset and robust fortitude walk in her shoes? It necessitated the lion inside her to shoulder through. Coming forth from that atrocious evening true to herself was no easy feat. Because if I’m being honest, there was considerable creative liberty on my part painted into the portrait of that night. My mother has spoken sparingly on the sensitive matter and I do my best to complete the picture. I do know the subsequent events of Miyamoto’s arrival, a bit worse for wear and discombobulated due to her new travel mate’s frequent crying, in Michigan.

She never revisited Mexico. Miyamoto Mitsuko Suzue moved to Sunnyvale, California, on a job offer. There, she met and married Dr Bradley Lane in a whirlwind romance. Dr Lane was the gentleman of all epic fantasies, a superb partner to Miyamoto. He was a radiologist with a wiry frame and gleaming copper hair. Dr Lane didn’t care that his beloved daughter Hoshiko Roman Suzue wasn’t of his flesh and blood. Miyamoto gave a perfunctory explanation about me, and Dr Lane was wise enough to not pressure her.

Miyamoto went on to have kids with Dr Lane in her thirties. My first sibling came when I was eleven and another at nearly fourteen. Dr Lane is more of a father to me than my biological one, having nurtured me since age six. Roman Xavier Ortega wasn’t informed of my existence until I turned nineteen and mustered the courage and resources to track him. We have a detached relationship, an annual birthday card and Christmas card with his kids plastered on it. Last I checked, he has a whole slew of children. Five to be exact. I suppose I’m happy for him, but I can hardly focus on that Christmas card without anger twisting a knife in my gut. Abandonment isn’t cured with biannual Hallmark cards.

Abandonment, however, is placated with my family. And what an odd bunch we are. Kaiyo is the middle child, my mother’s stab at a conventional infant. His name means ‘forgiveness’. Carter is the youngest, a notorious ladies’ man. He snagged the prime features of both his parents, ending up with a rich black mane and blue-green eyes. His name means ‘one who transports goods by carts’ because at that point my mother yielded the naming reins to Dr. Lane. He didn’t apprize meaningful names as she did.

Miyamoto’s adventurousness was deprioritized thanks to me. In adopting me, she was flung into a spiral, making tremendous sacrifices to atone for a man who didn’t provide a thing for me. But the spark of discovery refuses to stray far from my mother. It attracts to her like a magnet, undeterred across her euphoric decades of life. The minute Carter graduated she was off, lugging her camera bag and Dr Lane in tow. I’ve pored over infinite pictures, enraptured by how her gaze translates to the camera lens. I wonder if she regretted rearing me, a topic she regarded most exclusive and never discussed with me. Wonder what journey she is on now, soaring loftily above the clouds.

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