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#not colors wise but i think the 3d effect is a little too on the nose for this one
i-restuff · 1 year
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a personal Mario movie review from yours truly.
ok, so, I'm very natural over Mario franchise. I don't love it, but I don't hate it either. so this review is mainly from someone who is there only for the animation (also for Jack Black ofc). cool? cool. alright.
spoilers below
I'm going to be super upfront with the "good stuff", and sorta detailed with the "meh stuff". mostly because the good stuff is very self-explanatory while for the negative ones I feel like at least I should give a little bit of reason why I feel that way.
good stuff
I love the world-building, everything is very well-detailed and the environment is insanely rich
character designs? love it. they look absolutely alive and expressive
the casting. I think they're all really good???? I personally think Chris Pratt is alright too ig? I mean I kinda don't care, I was distracted with everything else in the movie. but he's fine.
Jack Black. nuff said.
I love Toad. I love Peach. DK. BROWSER??? everyone's very likable damn.
I'm obsessed with the 3d models ngl. there are times when I was focused more on the models than I was on the story. It's really distracting in a good way.
Storywise, I think it's decent but also fun!
love love love the dynamic between Mario and Luigi. Peak dynamic, really.
Such a nostalgia trip. I for one who doesn't know much about Mario had such a blast listening to all the soundtracks and looking at the itsy bitsy references and such.
obsessed with Lumalee. let em die :(
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the credit animation is super colorful I wish I could eat it.
^ I was watching this with a friend who is obsessed with Mario. there are times when he went absolutely insane and explained some stuff that I didn't know. which I think it's cool! it's crazy how there are literally easter eggs and fan service everywhere, it doesn't feel forced too. I really could see why people love it so much.
meh stuff
ok, imma be honest. I'm just gonna complained about the plot holes here,, It didn't really effect the story, but it did confuse me a bunch of times. again, this is coming from someone who doesn't know much about Mario. I might miss some stuff.
the transition when Mario/Luigi got teleported from Brooklyn to the Mushroom Kingdom. like, why? what's so special about that specific pipe?
also before that. why's Brooklyn drowning all of a sudden lmaoo. that part kinda felt forced just so Mario and Luigi had a reason to go below the sewer. it sorta makes sense I guess? but the pacing is pretty dang weird.
how does Peach know her own kind? "you're a human!". she was a literal baby when she first got to the Mushroom Kingdom
I love love love Toad character. I just don't understand his presence? I mean sure, he's bringing the comedy, but you could find the "comedy" elsewhere too. so his character is a bit useless despite him being the protector. long story short, the movie would be fine with or without him < this is how much his character matters imo.
the pacing after Mario agreed to fight with DK and then suddenly he's on the stage. tbf this isn't really a big deal? but the transition kinda bugged me.
I don't know what exactly they wanted to do with Mario and Peach relationship. do they like each other romantically? it doesn't feel like it despite being teased a few times.
my dude Luigi has to sit in the cage for how long now? kinda suck. I wanna know more about him, I wanna see him more in action.
that being said. I wish they did more with Luigi, give him something to develop on. because seeing him fighting Browser doesn't feel as rewarding as how we see Mario. all he did most of the time was get caught and sit in a cage while Mario had to go through all those bullshit. but I get it though. storytelling wise, Luigi is supposedly Mario's goal. to get him back and all that. I get that.
I can't feel sad for Mario for some reason??? (this has nothing to do with Cris Pratt btw). his supposedly "emotional" scenes didn't impact me at all. in fact, I felt awkward. I honestly don't know why though.
the final fight scene is also awkward? I mean it's cool, don't get me wrong. I think it has to do with where they're fighting? I guess imma blame Brooklyn for this.
the 80's pop songs felt out of place, but maybe that's just me.
personal rating? 7.
but I genuinely get why people love this movie.
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sigulary · 2 years
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stop stop ƨ̵̳͑Ɉ̸̩̂o̸̭͝q̴̲̑ ƨ̷͇̱̀́͗͜Ɉ̷̰̗̃̀̂ͅo̴̡̮͇̒̉̾q̴̫̺͍̂̉͝ Ƨ̵͍̭̪̙̜̯͉̜̻̠͇͈̳̓͑͑̆͌̑͛̔͆̂̀́͝T̸̡̢͓̪͍̪͖̠̲̙̰̜̺̊̏̅̈́̾͗̍͌͆̾̊̕̚Ò̵̢̜̜̼̗̭̮̩̹͍̻̻̟͙̓͋̿̒͂̄̾͗̈͘͘̚ꟼ̴̨̣̥̮̪̖̬̹̭̗̟͕͔͛̄̈̃͛͛͑̌̈́̽́͝͝͝ͅ
[Image description: Illustration of a red sign reading “pare” (stop in portuguese) surrounded by trees and plants. There is a rock entrance behind the sign covered in shadows. Disembodied hands reach out from the darkness. End Description]
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krissiefox · 3 years
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Sonic Unleashed (Playstation 3) Review
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Sonic Unleashed was one of the first games I picked out when I first bought my Playstation 3 and wanted to get some games alongside Little Big Planet to play on it. Having seen gorgeous artwork and screenshots for the game online, I figured it would be  a fun and exciting title to play - especially with Sonic being a character I've been fond of ever since I was a wee lass. Unfortunately, it instead left me with buyer's remorse and a mental note to be extremely wary of purchasing any 3D Sonic games in the future.
Still, seeing as so many people online just use Sonic as a launching pad for snarky and mean-spirited jokes, I want to start with what I liked about the game before I get into its flaws. As previously mentioned, it is a very beautiful game. The levels are bright and colorful with huge vistas of scenery to enjoy. The per-rendered cut scenes look great as well and are very nicely animated. Sonic moves with a lot of energy and personality. The only downside in this category is that the game might be a little *too* packed with visual grandeur for the PS3 hardware to handle - I noticed parts of the game where scenery would have a delay in its "load in" time , as well as moments of noticeable slowdown. I've never tried the Xbox 360 version but hopefully it runs more smoothly on that console.
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The music and sound effects are fantastic. Lots of great tunes in the levels, and since each zone has a hub world as well as both day and night stages, you get a mix of relaxing, exciting and even some funky swing/jazz music to enjoy. The sound effects has plenty of punch to them, which enhances the feel of the game-play when its actually going well.
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Gameplay-wise, the Werehog stages were my favorite in the game. Given the problems Sonic has had in multiple 3d titles, I really appreciate that these stages let you slow down and explore your environment. The combat is pretty fun, and it even has a leveling system which is something new for a Sonic game that I enjoyed. One of the things you can level up  is your move set, which unlocks new attacks. I found some of these moves handy, but I do think it would be nice if the menu for them showed a preview of what they look like because I wasn't always sure if I was doing them right or not. Another game-play element I enjoyed (in the Werehog levels, at-least) was how you had to collect medals to unlock new stages, kind of like how in Spyro games you need to collect enough gems or dragon eggs to reach new areas. I like mechanics like this because they give me extra incentive to explore and look for every last hidden goodie. Lastly, the "hub area" of each zone was something I enjoyed, too. You could do many hings in these areas - talk with folks, exorcise dark gaia monsters from people (which consisted of little fight scenes where you have to defeat a set number of enemies within a time limit), try out challenge modes for already completed levels, and even buy items and food! I found out late game that if you stock up a lot of rings you can then buy certain items such as steaks which will give you  a big xp boost that help you in some of the tougher werehog combat areas.
All sounds nice so far, right? Unfortunately, the running stages for this game really shot down my enjoyment of it, even with some of the werehog stages being really cool. I quickly began to dread  every single one I had to play. Sonic's movement felt really floaty/slippery to me, it's very different from the tight and consistent physics engine of the old 2D Genesis titles. The stages expect you to want to move as fast as possible, and in may places even take control away from you with invisible  speed boosts and sequences where Sonic just starts moving on his own. Even when this isn't happening, Sonic accelerates from standstill far too quickly for me to feel like I can control him very well.   The camera perspective moves around a lot and caused me to go flying off cliffs many times, an issue I also recalled having in Sonic Heroes. The running stages also include those medals I mentioned earlier, but here they're just no fun here. The high-speed on-rails game-play actively discourages exploration, and often by the time you've spotted one of the medals in a running stage you've already been forced on to the next part of the level and the camera won't let you see the way to safely get back to it. To continue the problems, some running stages even had parts where I would just fall through solid chunks of terrain and die.  Other times, the stages would have Sonic running along a wall suddenly, and it was often unclear as to if the game wanted me to hold my analog stick in the same direction or move it to it the new camera perspective. Moments like this are why I prefer the "tank controls" some 3d games have, because at-least in those you could be confident your character would continue moving forward no matter what the camera decided to do. There was at-least one auto scrolling boss fight stage where Sonic was going so fast and the visuals were so cluttered that I hah a hard time even seeing what I was supposed to do.
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It can be argued that part of why I had so much stress with the running stages was that I'd often attempt to move slowly through them so as to avoid cheap deaths and keep an eye out for medals, but I feel I wouldn't have wanted to slow down if I actually enjoyed moving quickly through them. I certainly wish I could have. There were moments where things went smoothly enough that it did feel like an exciting thrill ride but that feeling would always end up getting derailed by something.  I feel that if they wanted to the stages to play more like a quick-time event roller coaster that would have been fine if they were consistent with it and didn't keep trying to add in plat-former game-play as well. If the stages played more like a beefed-up Bit Trip Runner game that might have worked better.
A warning for spoilers here, because I will be discussing the final battle - which I've actually given up on trying to finish as of writing this review. After completing the last level (Eggmanland), you're pitted up against 3 boss fights in a row. The first fight is pretty fun - because you get to be the Werehog and fight a big robot. But after that, things go downhill. Chip  takes control of a giant temple golem to fight Dark Gaia, which I was initially pumped for - a giant stone golem versus a weird Kaiju monster, fighting in a lake of lava? Sounds awesome! Well...it isn't. You don't get to fight in real time and instead have to awkwardly guide the big slow clunker towards dark gaia, trying to dodge lasers and fireballs that continued to be tough to avoid or punch down despite many, many MANY retries (though admittedly, I was probably self-sabotaging sometimes because I was having so little fun I wanted to get game over). Once you get close enough, there's a quick time event where you punch the big nasty a few times before then taking control of Sonic for what are probably the game's worst running stages of all, because they're on a timer. The game designers here probably assume that by now I've gotten really good at running stages, but the problem was that I always try to resist the railroading in them and take my time exploring them slowly - so I absolutely was not prepared for the incredibly short time limits that are suddenly introduced....anyway,  you have to repeat this cycle 3 times (which I only ever managed to pull off once, in all my attempts), and then you get another cut scene where Sonic becomes Super Sonic. In this last sequence, you have to fly around a big force field and defeat a bunch of weird tentacle things before Dark Gaia can kill Chip. I tried doing this part all sorts of different ways and could never figure out how to defeat the tentacle/heads in time, and eventually gave up on the game because, well I didn't think whatever the ending was would be worth my continued suffering. As far I was concerned, I'd made it all the way to the final boss, and that was already more effort, stress and Time I felt I'd given to a game that I feel didn't really deserve it.
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Now that I've shared my painful story of dealing with the running stages and final levels, I should address the story, voice acting and writing as well. Dr. Robotnik has awakened an ancient monster, Dark Gaia, and it has busted up the world pretty badly. Sonic's goal is to put a Chaos Emerald into the temple at each of the game's zones, which will repair that particular landmass. Along the way, he meets Chip, a character that was probably intended to be cute but his american voice acting just comes across as  creepy instead. (which I feel bad saying, for all I know the voice actor is a really nice person, but he sounded....squicky. I really recommend switching this game's audio to Japanese voices from the start, he sounds much better that way). Tails makes an occasional appearance, flying with Sonic during a couple of bi-plane stages and being present in some of the hub world areas. Amy Rose also appears, and unfortunately just like in so many other games, she is written as a "generic female love interest" prop who is just there to creepily stalk and worship Sonic. The game also features a whole lot of human characters in the game's hub worlds, which  I enjoyed interacting with as they make the places I visited feel more lived-in and gave the world more lore. Lastly, while most of the game's cut scene dialogue is pretty generic, I did really enjoy one wholesome Sonic moment towards the end of the game where he tells Chip that he never felt like he needed a reason or reward to help folks with their troubles, it's just what he likes doing. Moments like that are why I like Sonic as a character even if his game's aren't always very well made.
In closing, I do feel like Sonic Unleashed's Werehog stages show a great potential of how Sonic could work well in 3D if the designers slowed things down and emphasized exploration over just making the player run really fast. Unfortunately, the hair-pulling frustration of the game's running stages and finale levels make it something I regret ever buying. If you are looking for a fun Sonic game, I recommend sticking with the 16 bit classics, or giving the newer Sonic Mania a try.
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inkribbon796 · 3 years
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Dr. Strangelove and Ticking Timebombs Ch. 2: Slippery Fingers
Summary: A strange container, strange meet-ups and zero coincidences.
Chapters: 1, 2, 3
When the heroes got to the warehouse, they were stopped by the bomb squad and several individuals in full hazmat gear walking around. Abe was sitting on a bench and rubbing his temples, Oliver was standing next to him. His vape in his hand.
Which surprised Logan because Oliver usually didn’t travel this far from the base.
“What happened, did the situation get worse?” Logan asked.
“You could say that,” Abe rubbed his face and stood up. “I was planning on showing you what was in that container in person, but Bing was in some camera feed and he called Brighton’s Health and Safety, and they came with fucking hazmat suits. Then he came in and started clearing people out.”
“Why?” Logan asked in confusion.
“Lo,” Bing shot out of the closest electrical panel, “there you are. An’ Marvin, perfect, I was about ta call you.”[1]
“Yeh wanted me an’ Logic?”[2] Marvin asked in confusion.
“Yeah,” Bing answered. “So you can’t go inta the warehouse, they’re still sortin’ out the pitchblende an’ findin’ what else got contaminated.”[3]
“Excuse me, did you say “pitchblende” why is that here?” Logan demanded.
“What’s pitchblende?” Tommy asked
“It’s a radioactive ore,” Logan explained. “Uranium-235 and Uranium-238 can both be synthesized from the ore to build nuclear reactors, but why is it here?”
“Why are you guys here then?” Silver asked.
“Well the ship’s manifesto caused some red flags to get raised,” Abe answered. “Some good Samaritan called the cops and pulled the container to the side. But instead of there being people in the cargo, there were some crates. And one of them was a lead box full of what Bing identified as pitchblende. He was watching us through some camera because he was bored, or some shit. And I’m glad he did because he saw what was in the box when my partner lifted some of it out and he cleared all of us out instantly. He was looking out for us.”
“Do we know where this shipment was supposed to go after it reached port?” Logan asked.
“Apparently a truck was supposed ta[4] come fer[5] it last night,” Bing answered. “But they pulled the container an’[6] no one saw a truck pull up fer[5] it. So I bet it scared ‘em[7] off.”
“I believe you might be right,” Logan decided. Then he looked at Abe. “Was there a name orva destination?”
“Just a name, a Tuberculosis Gadget,” Abe read with the type of smile he usually had just before he hit someone . . . typically that someone was Wilford. “I’ve seen some bad fake names, but this one is pretty up there.”
“Tuberc—” Tommy repeated in recognition.
Which immediately got Abe and Logan’s attention.
“That name ring a bell, kid?” Abe asked.
“I’m not a kid,” Tommy shot back.
“Whatever big guy,” Abe rolled his eyes. “Do you know the name or not?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know why it would show up here,” Tommy shrugged. “Don’t know what Tubs would want with somethin[8] radioactive. He’s a lawyer, not some crazy maniac.”
“Does he have other aliases, do you know this individual’s name?” Logan demanded.
Tommy hesitated for a second before he opened his mouth, but Ghostbur had started glancing around, half bored and half unable to put his concentration on any one thing for too long.
As the other heroes were trying to get information from Tommy, Ghostbur spotted two people off in the distance, watching them. He was so excited he spoke without thinking. “Tubbo? Hey Big Man, look, it’s Tubbo and Jack.”
The heroes looked at the two people just inside the cordoned off area. One was a man with a shaved head and red and blue glasses, the other was a much shorter man with a fluffy vest and brown hair that covered his eyes and most of the burns on his face. The second figure had a set of curled goat horns coming from his forehead.
“Tubbo?” Logan repeated in surprise, recognizing the burns.
Abe startled a bit, “Excuse me, but this is an active crime scene investigation, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Ghostbur, what are you doin’[9] here?” Tubbo asked before his eyes scanned the crowd before he just stared at Tommy. “Tommy, why the fuck are you workin’[10] with these assholes?”
Tommy sputtered in surprise, as the other heroes braced to intervene, “I am not some common pleb named “Tommy” or some such shit.”
“Tommy, don’t be a fuckin’[11] idiot,” Tubbo shouted. “I know it’s you, I’ve known you fer[5] fuckin’[11] years. You’ve only covered half yer damn face, an’[6] you didn’t even try to even talk deeper at the very least. You’re shit at hidin’[12] yer[13] identity.”
Tommy paused for a second or two, then said in a deeper voice, “I am not Tommy.”
“That’s worse, mate,” Jack Manifold told him, rolling his eyes behind his 3D-colored glasses. “Please use yer[13] normal voice. That one’s just complete dogshit.”
“Well fuck you too,” Tommy scowled, his tone a touch quieter.
Logan’s head was spinning, unable to reconcile the young man at the bed and breakfast who loved bees, with this same young man arguing in front of him. His whole body felt on edge. “Did you order this shipment?”
“Yer[14] gonna half to be specific,” Tubbo asked with a smile. “I order a lot ‘a[15] things.”
Jack looked at the amount of heroes, “Maybe we should just—”
“Save it, you can go, but I’m not goin’[16] anywhere,” Tubbo warned with almost an angry growl to his voice.
“This is an investigation, you can’t just be here,” Silver warned.
“Were you here to pick up a shipment from dock 14?” Logan asked.
“The one with my new smoke detectors an’[6] lanterns?” Tubbo smiled.
The other heroes were confused, but Abe and the androids weren’t.
“That’s not the only thing in there you sick fuck,” Abe spat.
“So it is yours?” Logan reeled a bit, Tubbo’s smile didn’t drop. “I don’t understand, you own a bed and breakfast, what on Earth do you want with Uranitie?”
“Ehhh, science marches on, big guy,” Tubbo shrugged.
“This not just for the sake of science,” Logan rebutted, a desperate tone to his voice. “This is a potential ecological and natural disaster waiting to happen. What do you intend for these items?”
Tubbo’s answer was given with terrifying calm, “To prove a point, really.”
“Ta[4] us?” Marvin gestured to them. “We get it, yeh[17] wanna be some big scary threat. We’ve faced worse.”
“Nah,” Tubbo dismissed. “You’re still human. Don’t care what you think ‘a[15] me.”
Then he gestured to Logan, “I meant ta[4] them.”
“Me?” Logan scoffed in disbelief as the pads of his fingers tapped once to his chest. “I thought you proved your point more than effectively at your establishment. But clearly I was gravely misinformed about your character.”
“I meant demons in general,” Tubbo dismissed. “Don’t take it personally. Although speaking ‘a[15] you, how lifelike are yer[13] little arms because the one that liked spiders had a whole personality an’[6] everythin’[15]. Did you give him that or is he naturally that skiddish. Hope it’s the second one because that’s seriously fucked up, dude.”
“The—” Logan felt alarm pass through him, he hadn’t been aware that Virgil and Tubbo had done more than look at each other across the game room of the bed and breakfast. “When did you speak with him?”
Tubo’s entire demeanor seemed to change. “The purple one? Can you not see everythin’[18] the others do?”
The skin and hair on Logan’s body stood on end, as if one current was going through him, “I think you must have confused me with someone else.”
“That depends on if you’re still the one who said you liked my bees,” Tubbo asked.
“I don’t think it wise of me to give my identity to you,” Logan warned.
Tubbo nodded, “Then tell yer[13] boss that Dream wants to speak to him. Has fer[5] a while now, we just haven’t been able to get past his door guards.”
Tubbo and Jack then looked up at something.
“Well, I think you’ve all made yer[13] point clear so you win an’[6] get to keep my stuff,” Tubbo shrugged. “G.G, we’ll just be off then.”
“No wait a second,” Abe ordered as Jack and Tubbo pulled out some green eye orbs and were already turning.
“Give me those!” Marvin yelled as the heroes raced forward. The orbs went sailing as Silver and Marvin raced for the two of them. Marvin grabbed onto Tubbo’s arm. “Yer not goin’ anywhere yeh—”[19]
The eyes opened and Silver flew back in surprise but Marvin didn’t and felt something rip Tubbo right out of his grasp.
Marvin screamed in pain as all of his fingers broke and the two people were gone.
“Fook!”[20] Marvin shouted in pain, holding his hand. “Motherfooker!”[21]
“Marv,” Silver began. “I’ll call the docs.”
Marvin screamed as he tried to keep his fingers still. “No, I’ll go after, we need ta[4] find these guys.”
“****!”[22] Bing cursed. “When did someone ****[20] with the cameras?”
“What?” Abe shouted and raced back into the warehouse. Logan was already on the phone with Henrik for Marvin.
Tommy and Ethan were a bit torn on who to go with for a bit but he shouted for Tommy to start getting into communication with Jackie and the other heroes.
Bing and Oliver were faster into the warehouse, keeping Abe out until they were sure it was clear. When the two androids got inside they saw several agents and hazmat workers lying dead around the facility. Arrows sticking out of some of them, bullet holes in others, and one or two of them had three lined up puncture wounds like they’d been stabbed with a trident or a multiple-pronged weapon like it.
Besides the dead people, the boxes were all missing. There were a few stray smoke detectors and a lantern or two that had been thrown by the wayside and were probably broken. But the lead boxes were gone, as were the box of magical crate
Bing tested the radioactive signature on the air and still found it slightly contaminated and therefore unsafe.
“Hey Bing,” Oliver messaged the other android.
“Yeah?” Bing replied as he was messaging Abe and giving him pictures and a report of the situation.
“Found something,” Oliver held up a small box that had come from the crate of magical supplies. Bing took a few pictures of it before opening the box and found that someone from the investigation team had already started labeling it. It was full of chunks of raw coconut.
“Weird,” Bing commented, taking more pictures and then placing the box in a radioactive-leak proof container so they could decontaminate it later.
They had missing radioactive material to find.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Accessibility Translations:
1. there you are. And Marvin, perfect, I was about to call you.
2. You wanted me and Logic?
3. So you can’t go into the warehouse, they’re still sorting out the pitchblende and finding what else got contaminated
4. to
5. for
6. and
7. them
8. something
9. doing
10. working
11. fucking
12. hiding
13. your
14. You’re
15. of
16. going
17. you
18. everything
19. You’re not going anywhere you—
20. Fuck!
21. Motherfucker!
22. Shit!
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clubcreative · 4 years
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Writing in Comic+Illustration
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” I have to admit that’s a pretty cliche starter, but it does help define what writing means in the art community. 
One way to define “writing” is to call it a genre. 
Genre 101
Before I continue, I want to make sure that you understand what I mean by genre. When I talk about genre I am simply referring to various forms something comes in. For music its different sounds like the genre of jazz or pop. In writing, a genre is a book or a shopping list. Hopefully that clears things up!
When I first began researching various writing genres in the art community I was confused because I thought I was looking for actual written texts like a research paper. Yes, there are the conventional forms of written genre within the art community like a blog, but turns out a genre in the art community simply refers to the art we create!
“I thought art didn’t have writing?”
Comics, manga, anime, ads, posters- those are all forms of genre in the art world. If you are still confused then just think about the different forms that you often see art as. 
In our community, the purpose of these different genres vary between the mediums. 
Some are for insiders (people who are artists themselves) some genres cater towards outsiders (people who are not artists, but consume and enjoy art).
As an artist, our main focus is to entertain others with the works of art we create. Because the nature of our job focuses on pleasing others, most genres of art are created to be consumed by outsiders.
To illustrate that let’s compare two different kinds of art projects. 
Genre 1: Comic Book
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SnotGirl by Bryan Lee O’Mallley/Leslie Hung
Who is it for?
Comic books come in various styles and not just what people typically think like the Marvel comics.
 A comic book is written in order to entertain an outsider of the art community. That is not to say that artists do not enjoy comics as well, in fact I’ve included one of my favorites as the example!
Sometimes comics are a single page with multiple panels, and they can span multiple pages and volumes. Snot girl, for example, is currently on its 14th issue! 
A comic is a very commonly produced genre. Typically, someone who writes a comic has multiple reasons to do so. Most of the artists have their own story to tell. They have created their own characters, their own world, and have a vision or lesson they want others to see as well. 
What’s so special about it?
What’s great about a comic is that there is no right way to do it. Comic artists are tasked with balancing multiple parts of their project. They have to consider: 
- the organization of the dialogue 
-how they are going to lay out the images/ what geometric shapes the panels will be
-inclusion of sound effects
Don’t forget the art itself! The creator has to make sure they are:
- cohesive
 -complete and dynamic illustrations
 - they do not clash with the already established panel placement
-establish the tone and mood through colors and lighting
When Less = More
Comic books have the daunting task of developing their writing through narration and dialogue. Write too much and the reading becomes heavy and write too little and the author risks confusion. 
Imagine condensing an entire essay into dialogue between characters with limited narration. Writing in comics is an art in-and-of itself.  
While the writer of a comic and also be the artist, this isn’t a set rule. Sometimes the author and the illustrator are two separate people or teams!
SnotGirl as a comic book case study:
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Volume 1, SnotGirl 
Analyzing structure
The left page is split into three rectangles and the right page is broken down into multiple squares beside a near full body illustration of the main character, Lottie. 
Lottie lives her life as an Instagram model and fashion influencer. The left page introduces us to the real Lottie, a side of her that is disgusting and unkept, snot drizzling out of her nose constantly. The right page shows her in public maintaining an idealized and aesthetic persona. 
if you break a page into three sections that means more art needs to go into a single panel. In the middle rectangle her whole body is shown and the bottom panel is largely zoomed into her face. It’s nearly claustrophobic, showing Lottie’s overwhelming insecurities and having the reader up-close to a side of Lottie she wishes to ignore.
On the left page, the dialogue reads as frantic, narcissistic, Lottie is trying to convince herself that she doesn’t feel ugly and that she’s more superior than others. 
On the right the multiple squares include more dialogue, space around Lottie, and more zoomed-out compositions (For example, you can see Lottie all the way down to her chest at least four times).
The squares reflect Lottie’s insecurities but they are the problems of her perfect persona: boy troubles, getting coffee, and Instagram profiles. There’s more writing on this page to reflect her more superficial ravings. 
Analyzing illustration
Art wise, on the left the colors are grey, dark green or blue, and more cool-toned. In color theory cool tones portray sadder, more serious moods. 
The right page which is vibrant and warm-toned, which is supposed to be energetic. If I were to ask you, you might be more attracted to the right side and its happier atmosphere. 
These two pages illustrate how color, composition, and organization differ widely to emphasize how the artist wants the reader to feel and understand about the story. 
Sounds complicated doesn’t it? The genre of comic books may be common, but it takes a lot of working, planning, and dedication.
Genre #2: Video Game Illustration
Illustration in game
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illustration in full
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Art by ZAVIR
Aren’t games 3D though?
I know that when most people think about video games the models and backgrounds are in 3-D. Think of Red Dead Redemption 2. While most mainstream games are produced that way, there are still many games who use illustrations like PC click-and-point games, mobile games, and other games use illustration for character sprites. The example I’ve included is from my favorite mobile rhythm game, Cytus II. 
For those who don’t play Cytus II, the game revolves around different in-universe musicians who have different songs which the player taps the beat to. For each playable song there is an illustration. (Here’s a link to the hardest song in the game! “Floor is Lava”)
What’s the point of the art?
Most video game illustrators work in backgrounds or character sprites. The illustrations can be single items as well, clarifying items that a character may have picked up in game. 
However, to stay relevant to my example I will mainly focus on the aspects of this particular video game illustration.
Cytus II as a case study:
The illustrations in Cytus 2 are meant to: 
create further diversity between the different songs
provide the song with a visual outside of the beatmap
By providing the song Extinguisher by Lixound with artwork, it’s not only visually pleasing but adds memorability to the song. People who are fans of the game can now draw fanart of the song. 
Differences from comics
there is very little text. 
The story or context has to be told by the artist in composition, character pose, and other artistic choices like lighting or colors. 
Particularly in Cytus 2, the story the artist tries to tell is set by the sound and “vibe” of the song. 
“Extinguisher”, an EDM song, has fast beats and dubstep like qualities as well as a robotic vocal track. It’s chaotic and fast, which could explain why the artist interpreted explosions and a figure that looks like an anarchist. 
Why Different Genres Exist: Comics vs Video Game Art
Imagine if a comic was told through dialogue-less illustrations and imagine if video games had backgrounds and illustrations that were formatted like comics. 
Visual chaos would ensue. Clashing dialogue, images, colors, and a lack of clarity for what the viewer should be focusing on. 
Thank goodness for the different genres of illustration, huh?
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whitleyschn33 · 4 years
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RWBY 7 Trailer Thoughts
So, I said I would share my thoughts on the trailer, so here they are! I’m going to start at the beginning and write down what comes to mind for each little section, but since I have seen the entire trailer a couple times now, I may jump forward to connect whatever I’m addressing to something later in the trailer. This might make things seem a bit erratic, so I apologize in advance if this comes out like a lot of rambling nonsense. That said, let’s begin!
1. We open with Ironwood narrating that these are “uncertain times” over a montage of the Kaiju Grimm attack Argus, then cuts to Ruby saying that she’s trying to do what’s best, but doesn’t know if what’s best is what’s right as we see her use her Silver eyes on the Kaiju.
I’m hoping that this line about Ruby not being sure about what’s best being what’s right implies that we’ll get some kind of fallout for the events of Argus. One of my major gripes with the V6 finale is just how dangerous their plan was for the civilians in Argus, and how the narrative so far hasn’t really acknowledged that. The first step of their plan was cutting communications in Argus – something that would have caused mass panic even if they had succeeded and got away without the military noticing in time to send out forces. That panic can and did draw Grimm, and very easily would have killed dozens to hundreds of people. They’re huntsmen and huntresses – even if what’s “best” may be getting the Relic to Atlas, that doesn’t make what they did to do so (putting the civilians of Argus in unnecessary danger) “right”. Anyway, moving on.
2. Next, we get the gang flying into Atlas, whose airspace is completely full of military airships, with Weiss saying that this isn’t right. It then transitions to a shot of Atlas above Mantle, which seems to be on fire, then to the city, then the streets, where we see Atlesian knights patrolling, and only a handful of civilians walking outside, while Blake says the city just seems awful. We see a man throwing a trashcan at a TV screen (which as far as I can tell was showing the “Atlas Broadcasting(?) Network”) while a voice asks “what can we do?” (Can someone tell me who that is? It doesn’t really sound like Oscar or Jaune, and Qrow’s new VA pulls off a much more convincing performance at the end of the trailer, so I don’t think it’s him). Cut to Ruby saying that they didn’t come this far to fail now.
So, from Weiss’s line, we know that this is not how things usually are. The military is on high alert, showing off how strong their defenses are to match the closed off borders. I would guess that this also means troops roaming the city on patrol isn’t how things used to be either. Now, from what I’ve seen, most people seem to be taking this as a sign of martial law, and that theory certainly seems likely – the man throwing the trashcan and the fires we see are all potential signs of rioting, which could be a cause and/or effect of martial law being enacted. I have to wonder if that’s only part of the story, though. Later in the trailer, we see the gang fighting Grimm on the city streets (so I assume that’s what Ruby’s line is directed at), which we know from the leaked storyboards and their clothes happens immediately after they enter Atlas. The only time we’ve seen Grimm inside kingdom walls is during the Fall, so why are they there? What if this is a recent occurrence – a sudden influx of Grimm making it past the defenses and into the city proper? That’s another explanation (or even just another reason in addition to rioting) for troops to be patrolling, and I could very easily see that becoming a vicious cycle. Grimm get in, people panic, drawing more Grimm to the area and making it more likely for them to get it, causing more attacks and more panic, and making the soldiers seem less like protectors and more like ineffective “peacekeepers”. There’s a lot more I could say about this, but let’s keep going.
3. We go back to Ironwood’s voice overlaying what seem to be two/three different fights – the fight in the city streets against the sabertooth Grimm and two different fights in a mineshaft (and yes, they’re mines, the warning signs on the walls warn of deep mineshafts) against a new type of Grimm that I’ve heard are called Centinels and later an Ice Geist. He says, “Until now, I believed it was impossible to truly turn the tides against Salem. We find ourselves in the position of needing…. A new approach. She will keep returning stronger and stronger –“ cut to the new model for Ironwood “- unless we destroy her.” Cut to Ruby saying “Tell us how we can help.”
So, the main thing of interest to me here is Ironwood. We can see from the shot of his new appearance that he’s no longer taking care of his appearance like he did in the first few volumes – the stubble from V4 has become a full grown beard, and his hair doesn’t look like it’s been combed in weeks. The guilt and paranoia that we saw budding in V4 has fully come into bloom, as evident by his lines here, the heightened defenses we saw around Atlas, and the troops patrolling the city. In V4 E11, Jacques accuses Ironwood of never trusting anyone but himself, to which Ironwood responds to “For good reason,” then immediately says, “If Oz had just listened to me from the start…” Ironwood clearly believes that the Fall of Beacon would not have happened had Oz listened to him – used his strategies. Oz’s strategies “failed”, so this reaffirmed Ironwood in thinking that he’d had the right ideas – that if he had been able to control what was happening in Beacon, he could have stopped it. So, now, he’s not taking any risks with Atlas. He’s doing everything he thinks is right to protect the kingdom, no matter how paranoid or insane it seems – closing the borders, dust embargos, potential martial law, whatever it takes to keep the kingdom “safe”. 
Now, this seems to be extending to Salem herself. If Oz was flawed about Beacon, he may be reasoning, why can’t he be wrong about Salem? Maybe there is a way – maybe the strength of Atlas *can* destroy Salem. Salem always seems to come back, maybe she’s just never been completely destroyed, and that’s what we need to try to do to fully get rid of her. Now, we know that this isn’t true, that Salem can’t be killed, can’t be destroyed, but even if Ironwood knows this (from his “believed it was impossible to turn the tides” line), he’s clearly no longer thinking straight. He no longer trusts Oz for having reasons for not simply going after her with an army, since Oz has been knocked down from his pedestal of “all-wise and powerful” with his “death”, so now he’s going to try to go about things his own way… which, from the state of Mantle? Doesn’t seem to be working amazingly well. More on that when I try to summarize my thoughts into a cohesive TLDR.
4. Cue Team RWBY jumping out of a plane into some kind of complex (my guess would be the mines/refineries at the mine site), interspersed with them fighting either the Sabertooths or the Cenitals, and title card.
So, “final” (I say that, but I’ll probably talk about them again) take on the new outfits. Ruby is still my favorite – it still looks really good, the hair is far tamer than I or anyone else thought it would be and I’m glad (though in some places, particularly the concept art that went around like a week ago, it really looks like Cinder, and I’m not sure how to feel about that), since this just gives her hair a more stylized look.
Blake is sitting at my second favorite – I think it’s a look that comes together pretty well, and the hair looks fine (I’ve seen some people complaining about how flat it looks, and I’m just here like, yeah, that happens a lot when you cut it that short, it can lose the volume it used to have). 
Now Weiss and Yang… are now kinda tied. Yang’s outfit looks better than it did in the original art for me, and I think that’s mainly because the belt breaks up the khaki a bit better in 3D, so it’s not just a great expanse of bleh (still think the jumpsuit itself is ugly as hell, but I’ll take what I can get). 
Weiss’s… is still a case where I like the aesthetic they were going for, but it doesn’t come together right. The big poofy skirt looks okay when she’s on her own (sometimes), but next to the rest of RWBY just looks so out of place and in the way and honestly a bit bland. The top half with the sleeves and gloves look… fine, but again, I wish they didn’t poof out the arms so much. The braid… still gives me really mixed feelings because it’s shorter than the concept art, but it’s still looks so thick and heavy, and adds to this unbalanced feeling I get. If it was in the back completely, instead of the side, I would be perfectly fine with it, but as it is, just throws me off. I can see what they were going for, particularly in the clip where she’s fighting a Cenital since that’s where the outfit as a whole looks best to me, but as a whole, there are too many little details that throw me off for me to really like it. Again, that might change when the first episode hits, but for now… eh. 
The title card is pretty, though.
5. Back in the city streets – Qrow comments that he was expecting things to go a lot rougher, Blake and Yang are walking away when suddenly – captured by bolos! We see Blake, Qrow, then Ruby go down, the Relic falling off on to the pavement. A man approaches, while another standing of to the side, and then picks up the Relic. End trailer.
So, first off, major kudos to the new Qrow VA – his performance is outstanding. I was worried that the transition would be jarring, but if I hadn’t known they’d put someone new in, I honestly wouldn’t have noticed. His mimicry of Qrow’s voice is exceptional.
Second, I’m fairly certain that the people that captured the team are Atlas personnel. While we can’t see much, the man in frame wears white and blue, Atlas colors, and has a fairly militaristic haircut. The other figure is either wearing white boots, has a model that hasn’t been completely rendered yet, or seems to be an android, looking at the odd pattern and shape of his feet. I’ve seen some people throwing out the idea that this is Ironwood trying to take the Relic, or Atlas trying to steal the Relic, since the man picks it up, but – guys. Really? We see Ruby talking to Ironwood earlier in this trailer. They’re still in their old clothes, this is episode one. The more likely explanation is that these guys captured them because RWBY and Co attacked a military base, stole an airship, arrived in said stolen airship, and clearly are not supposed to be here if they just suddenly appeared without the border officials being informed, and so are clearly criminals in the eyes of Atlas. So, yeah, my 5 lien are on them spending, like, 5 minutes in jail before they can get to Ironwood, where he (hopefully) reams them out a bit.
So, yeah, that’s the trailer!  No sign of Whitley, which, disappointed by not surprised. I’m gonna hold out hope for him to be in the intro, like in Volume 4. As for what I think may be happening this volume from the trailers, I expect we’ll have a heavy focus on Ironwood, his paranoia, and his relationship with Oz, and how that extends to how the inner circle has operated for the part 10/20/?? years. I also feel like the first big thing to be tackled will be the Grimm in the city. The fact that Grimm are getting in points to a huge breakdown in the kingdom’s defenses, despite the fact Ironwood seems to have ramped them up to 11. So, the question is, where are they coming from, and how are they getting in? Considering that the Centinals break out from the ground, and RWBY and Co are fighting in a mineshaft, I would say that it’s coming from a subterranean pocket of Grimm, like the ones that people of Mountain Glenn broke in on. Since we know Salem is experimenting more with Grimm, it’s possible that this Grimm outbreak is being caused by her seeing how viable it would be to launch an attack on Atlas from underground, where their defenses are at their weakest, and this is showing most prominently in the mines and the city around them/on the ground. Otherwise, it could be possible the SDC, while mining, broke into a cavern full of them. This doesn’t seem as likely, though, with the dust embargo. If the SDC isn’t able to sell overseas, then mining operations were most likely shut down temporarily. No use wasting money trying to get product that you can’t sell. It could be an old mine, though – one that had been boarded up cause Grimm, but that broke loose due to all the negativity caused by Ironwood’s new measures.
But ultimately, we’ll just have to wait and see! Once again, I’m sorry if this is a bit rambling – I have to leave any minute now, so I haven’t given this a through reread, but I want to get my thoughts out there in a timely manner for once, so I’m going to post anyway. Thank you for reading this far! What’re your thoughts on the trailer, the outfits, the potential plot? Feel free to comment below or send an ask, and I’ll talk to you all soon! Have a good day!
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asterinjapan · 4 years
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At last I see the (sun) light
Good – morning this time!
Yeah, as predicted, yesterday ran very late, so I decided to leave writing my report for the next day and just go to bed already, haha. I’m starting my report in the morning while I’m trying to think of plans for today, so I might just drop the report and finish it later, but here we go – Tokyo Disneyland!
Pictures will be up later today!
It’s definitely not my first time to Tokyo Disneyland, although usually I take the subway to get there. Since I have my JR pass still active and I haven’t been using it much in Tokyo, I refused to take a mode of transportation I had to pay for, so I first went to Tokyo station with the Yamanote line. From there, it’s 15 minutes with the Keiyo line, but that’s all the way at the other end at the station, so you can seriously add another 15 minutes to the travel time. I wasn’t exaggerating when I called Tokyo station a separate city!
The Yamanote line came to an abrupt halt halfway through as the emergency brake had been activated, but it must be a false alarm or otherwise easily solved issue, as we continued a couple of minutes later. It was indeed quite the walk to the Keiyo line, but they put up signs every five steps, so at least it was a very easy road to follow.
And then Maihama station! The weather had turned out to be incredibly nice today, with blue skies so bright I could easily see the Skytree and – was that the snowy top of Mount Fuji? It sure was! That’s how clear the skies were, haha.
Anyway, the walk from the station was a bit different. I know they’re working on a new area inside the park, but apparently they’re also doing extensive redevelopments, because the main entrance was under covers and there were cranes surrounding the castle. After the entrance, the first Halloween decorations came in sight, and part of the fun: watching everyone’s costumes! It’s only during Halloween season that you’re allowed to dress up in Tokyo Disneyland as an adult, and lots of people make use of that opportunity. Some costumes are so good I had to blink and stare to realize they were not the official cast members (which is, incidentally, why it’s not allowed to dress up the rest of the year – you might confuse the kids). Also, it makes for fun situations, like Alice standing in line for lunch with the Queen of Hearts or Belle posing with the park version of Gaston while 5 other princesses watch with interest, haha.
I was inside a little after opening, so I lingered around to wait for the first parade: the Spooky Boo Halloween parade! It’s held twice over the day and thus a short one, but I love Halloween, so I was curious to see what they’d pulled. The parade mostly features the best known characters: Mickey and his friends. They taught us a dance and halfway through, the parade came to a halt for a dance performance. The dancing cast members had gorgeous costumes! They were really into it too, so that was a joy to watch, and I’m kinda sad I couldn’t get a good full view of them on my camera from where I was standing to show you guys, only glimpses in between people’s heads.
I was in for something sweet now, so I wandered into Fantasyland for what I thought was a churro, but ended up being a tipo torta, which – I’m not entirely sure what it is, but it was delicious! I got it in purple sweet potato flavor, because I felt obliged after Okinawa haha, and purple is a Halloween color here, so the sweet potato from Okinawa gets used liberally this time of the year.
I had chosen the Haunted Mansion as my appropriate first ride of today, because duh, Halloween. The wait was 40 minutes when I joined, which was okay if it weren’t for the hot sun, so I was glad to make it inside for the Nightmare before Christmas version of this ride. I really love it a lot – I think it was summer 2017 that I last saw the ride in its original form, oops.
After that, I went back inside again for another favorite ride: Mickey’s Philharmagic Orchestra. There was a small wait here, and a ton of kids who got really into the screening (it’s 4D, so the 3D effects are heavy and you get sprayed with water and scented air in between), so that was kinda cute, haha. They were all making grabby hands at the apple pie and Ariel’s gems.
Once outside, I stumbled upon some character meet and greets in Fantasyland, and then right into the Dreaming Up parade. It’s a lovely one, but I’ve seen it twice now fairly recently, so I wasn’t going to wait on the floor for it. Didn’t have to! I got an okay spot for the visually most impressive floats, so that was a nice little coincidence, haha.
Next up was Pirates of the Caribbean, which I love, but the drop is the scariest thing I do in Disneyland, so I wasn’t super pleased about being put in the front row, haha. I lived, but it took a while for my pulse to calm down. (I’m big on the thrill rides, you can tell.) It’s still super fun, and outside was a band of pirates playing! I think they were kind of trying to spread the crowds today, as it was probably a bit busier than initially expected due to the weather and a couple of rides that tend to draw crowds were closed for today.
After some lunch, wandering around for the views and some window shopping, I settled down next to Snow White’s wishing well to wait for round two of the Spooky Boo parade. About ten Snow Whites and other princesses showed up to take pictures by the well, haha. Sadly, the parade only made a quick round here without dancing in between, but I did get much better shots of the floats now!
And it wasn’t that bad, because I had wisely gotten a fast pass for Haunted Mansion at the same time as the parade, so now I didn’t have to rush as the parade was over quite quickly. I didn’t see the Haunted Mansion wait go down to under my 40 minutes anymore, so that fast pass had been a good call. (I think they’re connected to your ticket now, because I had to scan my entrance ticket and not the fast pass receipt to get in line.)
After that, the iconic ride: It’s a Small World! It’s still fun, and I think I’m mostly past my trauma over the song now, haha. I couldn’t help wanting to take pictures here and there, even though I have a ton already. Spotting the recently added Disney characters is quite fun.
It was getting dark quickly now, and I noticed I was getting a bit bumped out. I kept getting lost in the dark and with the covered parts of the park, so I eventually told myself to just get something sweet and then decide whether I was going to call it an uncharacteristically early day.
As it turned out I just needed food, haha. A hot dog for lunch wasn’t sufficient to get me through the complete afternoon, who knew! I got some ice coffee for the caffeine rush (bad, I know, but hey), bought a little gift for a friend, and was just in time to see the electrical parade Dreamlights. This one changed a little a couple of years ago, but overall it’s still the same one as the one I saw in 2010. It’s still fun, even though the song is even catchier than It’s a small world, haha. They added a tiny something that I spotted right away: Alice was riding a giant teacup on top of the Cheshire cat, rather than the cat’s back proper. I was a bit further away this time, so I got some nice shots of the full floats. I eh, have plenty of close-ups from earlier years, haha.
I then finally made the decision to just get the new Tangled popcorn bucket, which is shaped like the floating lantern from the movie with a little Pascal the chameleon to sit on your shoulder on the strap. There’s a light inside, so that makes for lovely sights in the evening, although the amount of popcorn (caramel flavor at this stand) that came with it was – worrying, haha. I did manage to finish it all though, despite not being the biggest popcorn eater, but whoa. (You can get the bucket separately from the popcorn so you won’t have to clean it, but the popcorn separately means you get two cartons of them, since that’s how much can fit into the bucket.)
Newly invigorated, I decided to get back to attractions. I went into the Enchanted Tiki room first as it was nearby and I love the songs and Stitch. It’s very much a kids attraction and I very much don’t care, haha. If anything, the line is non-existent here and you just have to wait for the next performance to begin.
I then found the ball game stand, which I suck at, but that’s okay, because you get to pick a really nice exclusive pin if you lose, so I got the Minnie one, haha. Making my way back to Fantasyland from there, I hopped into Philharmagic again, the line gone and just having to wait for the next performance to start. There’s a merit in staying late, haha. I rushed to Peter Pan next, where the wait was down to 15 minutes. It’s a fun ride, but it’s over so fast that I can’t justify standing in line for 50 minutes for it.
Finally, with ten minutes until park closure to go, I went to Pooh’s Hunny Hunt – and they closed the line after me, oops. Two more ladies came rushing in via the fastpass entrance, but that was it. Pooh’s Hunny Hunt is a fun and unique ride, but since I’m not a big fan of Pooh bear, I refuse to wait for him for 70+ minutes, haha. This worked, even though it was still about 10 minutes. Around park closure! Wow.
There were still surprisingly many people in the park as I made my way to the exit, some even still on the way into the park. I wonder at what time they can actually close the gates… Hopefully the park members work in shifts, yikes.
After a quick last look in the Bon Voyage store just outside the park I made my way to the station, where I had to wait for the next Keiyo line train as this one was… very full. At 10:30 PM. Ah, the Disney magic, haha. (The people from Disneysea also gather at this station.) Thankfully that got me a front row place in line for the next train, so I could sit (!) until the terminal station of Tokyo, where it was another brisk walk to the Yamanote line and finally, back to my hotel.
 So here I am now. I took a shower last night and fell asleep almost right away. Didn’t sleep through my alarm at least, but I did put it on snooze and only got up as late as possible to still eat breakfast at the hotel here, haha.
Today should be a little calmer. I might do some karaoke and find a café I read about opening some months ago, but other than that, I don’t really have plans. Sadly, the weather is getting bad again starting tonight, thanks to yet another typhoon making rounds. It should be gone by the time my return flight is scheduled, though.
Yikes, time flies. It’s Thursday and I’m flying back on Monday! Ack. Sadly I don’t think many of my Tokyo side tips can go through, if any. A bit of a waste of my JR pass, but it’s long since paid itself back and hey, I will still use it for the Narita Express to the airport if nothing else. I don’t want to over-exert myself or put myself into dangerous situations, so I might just stick to Tokyo until the last day (although Saturday should be alright weather wise, at least less rainy, but again, dangerous situations). And hey, I haven’t gone back to just Tokyo on 2 separate trips because I hate it here, haha. Although with all the things I’ve seen around here, I might have to cash in on that extra luggage… After that huge book I found the other day, I’m already nearing my limit, and the cost of overweight luggage is as much as an extra bag at Don Quijote would cost, so uh. I can still think about it until 24 hours before the flight, so that’s what I will do, haha.
Time to head out. Photos coming up soon, see you later!
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cosmicflowchart · 5 years
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do you have any Colin + kitty + pearl family headcanons? Your writing is lovely it'd be great to hear your thoughts :)
aww thank you, that’s so sweet!! and yeah i do :D these are sort of broad and disorganized, and there’s a lot of ‘em, but here’s what i think the ritmans get up to:
kitty and colin first met at a gay bar. colin had just started bleaching his hair and was actually kind of nervous that people were now, you know, seeing him with it
kitty slid in next to him and asked, “who does your hair?” and when colin said, “I do,” she fired back, “i could tell. still, not bad for a first attempt. keep at it, mate.”
colin might’ve been a bit intoxicated, so he laughed. even if it was a bit of an insult, she came back so quickly that it caught him off guard, in a good way.
(sidenote: kitty’s way funnier than colin is. colin knows computers and timelines and conspiracies and all that shit, but kitty can make anyone laugh, especially colin.)
later, as they started hanging out more, they discovered they were the only two bisexuals at that bar and (supposedly) in that part of town
they started dating like three weeks after they first met
kitty bleached her hair the day after they started going out together and colin was like :OO and she just went “i think it suits me, what do you think?” and he was just. jaw on the floor, man.
all of their gay friends assumed they were each other’s beards/that they were both just gay/homosexuals and were like “oh that’s so sweet of you, what good friends!” but nah. they were into each other and they were still very bisexual
they had to deal with so much biphobia and erasure it was ridiculous. at one point kitty considered dying her hair the color of the bi flag so people would get the hint, but colin talked her out of it (striped hair is the one style that kitty doesn’t look good in)
when they got married, they dyed their hair the same color–bright green. was it tacky? absolutely. did it match the outfits they had picked out? nope! did they care? fuck no.
they didn’t have an elaborate ceremony, they’re both really private, but they did invite friends
parenthood????? ?? not the plan at all!!! neither kitty nor colin wanted kids–they bonded over their mutual disinterest in (and disgust with) them
kitty and colin don’t get along with their parents so they were afraid they’d turn out like said parents, and that their potential children would grow up without grandparental guidance
but when they realized kitty was pregnant, it never crossed their minds to get rid of her; they just thought “oh okay, this is happening, let’s figure this out”
and it took them a few months of slaving over the well-being of this incompetent infant ((parenting is super fuckin hard alright)) before they realized that like, hey, they’re actually doing this! somehow!!
you remember that smile colin has when he looks down at baby!pearl in his arms in that one bandersnatch path? yeah, imagine that smile, but every time he so much as looks at or thinks about pearl. he’s just like wow okay i made a human holy shit
even when pearl’s done something dumb he’s just like that’s my girl
actually. when she does do something and fails, he does the whole “you failed! and it was wonderful!” thing from meet the robinsons
kitty makes fun of him for it, not because it’s not masculine (colin doesn’t give a shit honestly, gender’s as much of a prison as reality is), but because she knows exactly who he’s looking at when he makes that exact smile and she’s like okay what did our child do now
he didn’t take nearly as many hallucinogens the older he got, parenthood makes that way less responsible–and he definitely didn’t want kitty to be the One Parent in charge when he was home
kitty. is so soft. like not just personality wise but just in terms of touch. she’s also the best damn hugger in the world
colin and pearl are notably not huggers except when it comes to kitty for this exact reason
neither kitty nor colin are very good cooks. pearl can kind of cook, so when she hit about seventeen she started cooking for them
the takeout folks know who the ritmans are. they ended up being friends of the family once kitty was about three
despite the stress and time demands of his job, colin made every effort to go to every event pearl was in, even if A) she claimed she didn’t need him there or B) he had to stay up until 4 am that night finishing something.
he had no idea how much love he had for pearl until she appeared and he just. he kind of enjoys being a dad, even though he never expected to
pearl never achieved the same level of chill as her dad (and she tended to envy him for it)
so one day she just sat him down and said how are you so calm all the time?!?!?
his answer boiled down to A) he did a ton of drugs in the 80s and it probably fucked his brain chemistry permanently, and B) [more healthily] he’s just along for the ride, and you can only really control (if that) how you react and behave to what comes at you
pearl always found that really hard to do–like kitty, she found that things bothered her even when she knew instinctively they really didn’t matter–but she started going to therapy to sort through that
pearl started being interested in her dad’s career in her early teens; she wanted to rebel (as all middle schoolers do) but when she found out her dad–who she was pretty sure was just a giant Nerd–did all these edgy, critically acclaimed games, she just went hey dad whatcha doin and started learning from him
by 18 she was making her own games–this would’ve been 2000/2001-ish, so she’d still be making 2D games and shit, but she also started making 3D games after getting the right hardware
((the perks of having a massively successful game developer for a dad lmao))
when pearl showed colin her first completed game, which was (of course) a choose-your-own-adventure, he actually cried with joy. he didn’t burst into tears, but he welled up and had trouble talking for a moment. she was like “dad you okay” and he just kinda. he threw his arms around her. he’d gotten his hopes down for whatever the universe was in store for her but she got all the best parts of him and none of the bad stuff well okay she did but she was in therapy and that was helping A LOT
she was still convinced that she should’ve removed the government conspiracy track, it felt like too much for her first game. but colin loved it.
she was worried that her competition (which there wasn’t quite yet) would try and steal her work before she could publish it…..kitty reassured her that wouldn’t happen but like. what if
(she eventually grew out of her conspiracy-theory phase, but that didn’t happen until her mid-20s, before which she and colin grew way closer)
(oh yeah, pearl definitely grew up with a bit of paranoia. it had nothing to do with living with Mr. Conspiracy Theory himself, it was just a side effect of undiagnosed ADHD)
colin had always secretly hoped she’d get into programming, but he never forced the issue. if the universe wanted her to follow in his footsteps, it’d happen on its own. he didn’t want to influence her (and if she was anything like him, if he suggested she program something, she would have proceeded to very much NOT do that.
pearl has that same “don’t tell me what to do” streak that her dad (and kitty!) has, but faced worse judgment for it for being a girl, especially in school
…..prompting kitty to offer to come to school, and later pearl’s workplace, to kick their asses (usually joking???????? you can’t really tell with kitty)
when pearl was about six, and kitty offered to kick someone’s ass (well, when pearl was six kitty just offered to ‘talk them down’), pearl just said loudly, “eh it’s okay, if they make fun of me for throwing like a girl again, i’ll just beat them up myself”
kitty looked a little worried, but colin laughed from the other room so honestly, score one for pearl
pearl was like……..half joking
by the way, she has no memory of saying this at all
but it ends up being colin and kitty’s favorite story to tell and embarrass pearl with at parties
adult!pearl built her own computer, and when she showed it off to colin and kitty, kitty was just like, jaw on the floor, this is fuckin cool and pearl was just talking her through all of the parts she got and was real proud of herself :)))
colin had this big fuckin smile on his face before he just said, you showoff, and then praised her for real.
pearl tried pot during her first year of university. just a couple times, though. didn’t do much for her.
but colin knew when she came back from school. he could tell.
as soon as pearl realized he knew she tried to explain it, but he just went listen you have no idea how many drugs i did when i was your age, don’t sweat it love
bandersnatch (2018)……oof. that wasn’t fun. that was the one big argument they had.
pearl and colin, being almost similar personalities, did have their disagreements when she was growing up, but it was never as deep or prolonged as when colin found out pearl was remaking it, starring someone he kind of cared about.
it became an off-limits point of discussion when pearl called or visited, after an argument that was so bad that kitty left the room in tears.
both colin and pearl were like…….shit. so they agreed not to talk about it.
i’m stopping there because this got a little long-winded. but there you go~
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adamwatchesmovies · 5 years
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The Best of 2018
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This was a hard list to compile. It was made harder by the fact that I’ve gotten a new perspective on what “The Best Movies of the Year” should be. I’ll tell you ahead of time that Green Book isn't on my list. It isn’t that, in hindsight, I feel as though it’s another example of the white savior story, or that I’m upset about the real-life Shirley family informing us that what’s happening on-screen isn’t accurate to the truth. It’s a great film with solid performances, some of the year's biggest laughs and terrific characters. I WANTED to put it on my list but also wondered if it would be a picture that endures. In 5 years, 10 years, will we look back and say “I remember who I was before Green Book, and who I was after it. The picture changed something for me.” I’m not sure I will. This feeling of change and lasting power is what I kept in mind when listing...
10. Upgrade
The vigilante revenge film is an enduring genre. We saw two others in 2018, (Death Wish and Peppermint), 2019’s already had Cold Pursuit. Upgrade tries many new things. It’s got buddy-comedy elements and winds up being one of the funniest dark movies of recent memory. It’s action sequences are dynamic and creative, the camera work top-notch. The story’s many twists and turns show much intelligence beneath what seems like a simple story. It’s not quite a game-changer but does highlight the problem with bare-bones films such as Venom (which appeared on my “worst of” list). I’ve bought it on Blu-ray and can’t wait to show it to others. I think it’s favorite just waiting to be discovered.
9. Black Panther
Now this is one people are going to remember. Yes, it might’ve featured wobbly special effects in a couple of scenes and the climax is a little generic but wow does it have an identity. From the music to the costumes to the story, everything about it stands out. Many people had been waiting decades to see it. Black Panther is the Star Wars of this year, the film which blew up and changed EVERYTHING. Within are one of the year’s best villains and a spectacular soundtrack. It elevates the superhero genre once again.
8. Crazy Rich Asians
The romantic comedy genre is largely dead. I saw a couple of them in 2018 but these were obscure, back-alley titles only hardcore fans of the genre heard of - if they even went to see them. Comedies as a whole are trying to find their footing right now, largely due to the increasingly light tone of many of Marvel’s superhero films and the high-quality children’s animated features arriving to theatres on a semi-regular rate. People don’t accept couples falling in love within an hour and a half anymore but still want to see romance on-screen, as this film proves. While it might not have been as big as Black Panther, Crazy Rich Asians proves there are groups thirsting to see themselves represented in big-budget productions. Or maybe it was a success simply due to its great cast, lavish production, and laugh-out-loud moments. It’s the best date movie of 2018 by far, an unashamedly romantic 2-hour tale which features a wedding so beautiful it moved me to tears.
7. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
I'll bet money Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse wins this year’s Academy award for best animated film. Sony's take on the character has bold visuals which combine comic book art with graffiti-like graphics and a blend of 2-D and 3-D animation. It improves the material it’s based on significantly, brings us not just one but a half-dozen new, favourite characters and features an emotional story whose depth no one expected. This film uses tricks others have never even thought of and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
6. A Star is Born
Initially a shoe-in for the year’s best picture, many critics have now dismissed it because it doesn’t have a big message or isn’t politically tied to anything. So what? This directorial debut still brings forth powerful emotions and features some of the year’s best tunes. A Star is Born has single moments that once seen, cannot be forgotten. When Bradley Cooper’s Jackson Maine is at his lowest, he’s such a mess you simultaneously hate and pity him. Who would’ve thought Lady Gaga was going to be this good?
5. Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Probably the best instalment in the series - which is saying something - this is the definition of a satisfying blockbuster. It delivers the stunts, special effects, thrills, and action you crave by giving you one dazzling set piece after another. You won’t believe how this film could top itself, but it does over and over. And then, it does the unexpected and delivers great character moments as well. Many action franchses could learn from Fallout, its smart, twisty plot, expert direction and jaw-dropping stunts. It’s one of the greatest action films ever, right alongside Mad Max: Fury Road, how could it NOT be on my list?
4. The Favourite
With stellar performances from its entire cast, gorgeous and moody cinematography, lavish costumes and immersive camera work, it’s easy to get lost in Yorgos Lanthimos’ period-piece drama. Even the choice of fonts and placement of characters in the chapter cards is meticulous. It’s such a good movie to look at its demented tone takes you by surprise. Full of venom and scheming, you’re tense the whole way through, biting your nails hoping Emma Stone’s character will make it out alright, only for her dark side to come up and turn her into an even bigger monster than Rachel Weisz' Duchess of Marlborough. Meanwhile, everyone’s walking on eggshells, carefully trying to influence Queen Anne of Great Britain (Olivia Colman), a cross between a vindictive child and an incompetent ruler. It’s fascinating stuff.
3. Roma
Roma is one of the reasons it took me so long to make this list. I started watching it weeks ago and was immediately enraptured. Unfortunately, I got caught up with other business and didn’t get the chance to finish it, delaying this list once again. It’s a beautiful film both visually - I’m particularly fond of the black-and-white cinematography - and content-wise, with lasting, intimate emotional beats which put you right there in Cleo’s shoes. The instant you understand what the image on the poster means is just - wow.
2. They Shall Not Grow Old
A crowning achievement in documentary filmmaking, They Shall Not Grow Old brings history to life in ways I could’ve never envisioned. I was initially against colorizing black-and-white footage. Seeing the results - in 3D to boot - is breathtaking. The way it humanizes the people and the war is unforgettable. I think it's destined to be shown in classrooms, which might make it sound like homework, but no. This is a living, breathing documentary full of love and respect.
Runner-ups
There were a number of pictures I wish I could’ve put on the list, maybe at the #10 spot, which I reserve for films “just for me”.
A Fantastic Woman and Paddington 2 SHOULD’VE been on my list last year but weren’t for various reasons. Hopefully mentioning them now is penance enough for my mistake back then. The stylish and unique Sorry to Bother You and BlacKkKlansman deserved to be on this list too but I just couldn’t knock anything else off of it. Finally, I was immensely pleased with the new Halloween, A Simple Favour and Colette. They’re a bit more niche but if you think they’ll align with your tastes, I think are highly enjoyable. And now that we’ve stalled enough to get your anticipating peaked, let’s talk about my number 1 film…
1. The Rider
The Rider is too small to get the attention it deserves. It only played in one theater in my city, the smallest one with only a single screen. I knew it never had a shot at an Academy Awards but I don’t care about budgets or box office results. I care about how a movie makes me feel, how long it lasts and how powerful its message is. Blurring the lines between real-life and fiction, director Chloé Zhao uses untrained actors to tell a metaphor-rich story of masculinity. It’s an engrossing drama whose themes blend so well with its characters and story it seems almost effortless. 
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nick-jabory-blog · 5 years
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The Next Sonic the Hedgehog Game Title
Whether its Sonic Adventure 3 or another 3D classic sonic, I have little faith left in what Sonic the Hedgehog’s future is gaming-wise.
There has supposedly been an announcement of another Sonic the Hedgehog title being under the works by Sonic Team at Sega. However, their recent installment of games (i.e. Sonic Forces, Sonic Mania, and Sonic Boom) have all failed to reach the hearts of their audience and most importantly their fans, which has caused many people to relinquish their beloved memories of Sonic and watch him fade from a signature hero to a mockery of himself.
With each painful game release, one can only wonder how much longer before Sega teases it’s fans yet again with another edgy Sonic that hardly even lives up to... Well, anything. 
We have our memorable titles such as Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Generations, and even Sonic Colors-- and those games went from great to good -- and then got worse as each new Sonic game was produced. I’ve grown up playing all of the Sonic games and wow; I have literally fostered a need for speed and I don’t know why Sega can’t get it right. Except I know exactly why.
Rule #1: Speed is a Reward
This is the fundamental reason why Sega Genesis 2D classics like Sonic 1 & 2 have such a rewarding feeling when you play them. And if you think about it, it explains why the newest modern Sonic games utilizing the boost formula have very little replay-ability. You hold one button for an entire 2-3 minutes and you call that gameplay, Sonic Team? Okay, I don’t know who actually worked on it but my point should be clear. In Sega’s next 3D modern sonic game, they need to realize how to make speed a reward again.
A perfect example of speed as a reward is Sonic Utopia. Yes, a game that was not even developed by Sega, yet by the fans. The reason why Sonic Utopia was such a good demonstration of sonic’s movement was not just because it was open world, but because sonic had agility. Yes, that’s right. Sonic had the ability to run beyond a linear path into a three-dimensional plane. That is the issue; there has not been any modern Sonic games that effectively utilize the 3D space that Sonic now equips as a signature hero alongside now Mario. It’s sad that you can hardly compare them anymore.
I’m too lazy to keep writing so I’ll make part two to this article. Bloop.
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disneykathy · 6 years
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DISNEY WORLD
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
This is the other park I get lost in. I’ve been there a dozen times or more but it still feels like the Moving Island in “Lost”: “Wasn’t Africa to the left of Dinoland? How can I be in Asia? Where’s the damn big tree?? I can’t see the tree!!”
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Never fear...when you first enter, you have no choice but to walk straight to the first “land” of this park: Discovery island:
Directly in front of you will be the weenie for this park: The Tree Of Life! It’s huge!
No...it’s not real! C’mon, sane up.
The “tree” is a 145 foot high sculpture of an African Baobab tree. Wander around the tree, under passages and through the Discovery Island Trails. Besides seeing some interesting real-life animals, you’ll see that the “Tree of Life” aka the “BFT”, (use your imagination), has 135 detailed animal carvings in its wood. They are amazing. Please take time to explore. You just got here-you can still feel your feet.
Under the BFT, in its roots, is a theater. This is where you will find the attraction: “It’s Tough to be a Bug”.
If you have a fear of bugs, take heed: although no real insects are involved in this production, it does evoke creepy crawly bugginess. The waiting area is an underground lair with the constant sound of chirping and buzzing. And the show does evoke a few fun special effects that make most of us laugh, but, if you are creepa-phobic, these effects may shoot you right through the wall. Just sayin’.
The show is a 3D movie with characters from “A Bugs Life” who will introduce you to the life of bugs and their importance in our little Earth lives. It’s fun. You can sit. It’s air-conditioned (actually TOO air conditioned).
And for those with a phobia, really, you’ll be fine... (spiders, roaches and bees, oh my!!!).
If you stay in the Animal Kingdom until dark, come back to Discovery Island and stand in front of the BFT. Once it’s dark, they do a new projection like show on the tree that is stunning! I had no idea they did this the last time I was there, and just happened to be passing... I was like “what the hell goes on with that tree?? There were all flashy lights coming out of its limbs- I thought I was having a stroke!
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Pandora-The World of Avatar:
It’s beautiful! This newest area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is gorgeous! If you’ve seen the movie Avatar, you’ll be completely amazed at how they captured the topography and flora of Pandora. If you haven’t seen the film, you’ll be confused. Just go with it.
Avatar Flight of Passage
If you didn’t fast pass this ride, enjoy your day standing in line.
I’d love to say “it’s worth it”. It’s not. Nothing is worth waiting in line for 4 hours. Nothing. If Elvis and John Lennon cane back from the dead to jam with Billy Joel, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen, I wouldn’t wait in line 4 hours.
However, it’s a great ride. This is a 3D flight simulator taking you on your Banshee and swooping over landscapes of Pandora. It’s only 5 minutes but it’s a memorable 5 minutes!
Warning: there are warning all along the queue area about thinking twice if you’re not healthy. Hey Disney-none of us are. I actually thought of not riding because of the excessive warnings. But...
The truth is, if you can ride “Soarin’” without getting extremely dizzy, having a coronary or bursting an aneurysm, you’ll be swell. Only dif here is, you are riding on something similar to a Star Wars speeder bike? It doesn’t actually go anywhere, just moves to simulate what’s happening on the screen. You are in a crouched position. So, if you have neck or back issues, you may want to rethink.
Na’vi River Journey
Your boat takes you on a river journey through Pandora at night. Again, if you haven’t seen the film, most if the trees, plants, animals, bugs in pandora are bioluminescent-a fancy word meaning that they light up at night in psychedelic colors. So, this ride is like floating through a college dorm room in 1968.
Rivers of light
Again, if you are going to be in Animal Kingdom after dark, you might want to get a fast pass for the Rivers of Light show. There are multiple viewing areas for this light show-one entrance is by The Voyage of the Little Mermaid theater And the other is by Expedition Everest.
I hear it’s a beautiful attraction. I haven’t seen it. It’s like, late, and my feet hurt and I’ve seen enough cool stuff to last me. But, if your still bright and bushy tailed, by all means, go. And let me know how it was.
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Africa:
I love the atmosphere here. It really feels like you are visiting an African Village (I say that like I’ve ever been anywhere near a real African Village...). The village is called “Harambe” which I think means “spend money” in Swahili. There are some really interesting shops and food stops here-linger awhile...
Kilimanjaro Safaris:
You should have a fast pass for this excursion. You should also go first thing in the morning; the animals are much more active and visible before the heat of the day. They, as opposed to us, have common sense.
For this ride you will board large Jeeps and a driver will take you over muddy rut filled roads and over creaky rope bridges through a variety of African ecosystems where you will see indigenous animals. It’s a wonderful experience.
Last time I rode, 2 long horned Bongos blocked our way And we had to sit and wait until the mood hit them to wander off. And a Rhino jogged next to the Jeep, a little closer than my comfort zone approved of.
Lions, giraffes, crocs, gnus ...you’ll see them all with a steady stream of comments from the driver. You’ll love it.
Warning: pee first. The ruts are deep and the ride is long.
Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail/Wild Africa Trek
This section is right next to the Safari. It’s a walk through African nature trail where you can spend some leisure time really experiencing the animals. And you will get a close up view of the gorillas! I have an obsession with Silver Back Gorillas And will spend quite some time in this area photographing them. Unless it’s 90 degrees, then I photograph whatever lurks in the A/C.
Festival of the Lion King
This is a theater production where they re-enact the film with all the songs...it’s full of color and pageantry and people love it but I can sit in my house and watch the movie in the a/c without having to spend a gazillion bucks on a one day pass, so I am not a fan. But what do I know??
Asia: this area is also beautiful and evocative. Lots of photo ops to take advantage of.
Expedition Everest- I hate roller coasters, but I love this one! I love the theming in the queue, I love the speed, the yeti and even the drops. It doesn’t feel as wild as it looks, and it’s a smooth ride. If you can keep your eyes open, there’s lots to see.
Again: there are all the standard warnings. I had no problem and I am a major chicken with a bad stomach...so only you know you. Chose wisely.
Kali River Rapids- the signs read “You will get wet”. They should read “You will get soaked to your undies!”.
Kali River Rapids is a wild rapids ride that takes you down a raging Indian River. The theming revolves around an illegal mining/logging camp that you will come upon, showing the decimation of the forest.
You won’t notice this at all because you’ll be praying that the raft turns in your favor and drowns the guy across from you instead. I have ridden this a few times and have never not gotten soaked.
It’s a fun ride and it feels great to get wet in the heat of the day. However, it doesn’t feel great to still be squishing in your jeans 2 hours later or freezing while eating lunch in the A/C! So... don’t wear denim jeans, or, better yet, wear your poncho!
Maharajah Jungle Trek- this is similar to the wild Africa Trek, but with Asian animals-duh. The tigers are the Star of this walking tour and you’ll see them up close and personal. The theming of this Trek is lovely-you’re in an ancient ruin of a Hindi temple.
Up! A Great Bird Adventure:
This is a wild bird show like any other bird show you’ve ever seen except for two things:
1-it stars characters from the movie “Up”
2- it’s outside in Florida so, even though the partial roof keeps you out if direct sun and there are a few large fans, you will still be hot. Unless you go on a cool day, I’d say you can skip this and not live your life in regret.
Dinoland: -
The theming here is just...weird. When it first opened it had a sort of Paleontological bent with fossil beds and some Dino bone exhibits. Then Disney realized that people on vacation don’t care bout science, so they changed the theming to...
Weirder. Now the idea is: this is one of those tacky roadside attractions you’d find on Route 66 in the 50s or 60s. Run by “Chester and Hester”, this two bit Dino-Rama themed low rent stop over features two old fashioned carnival rides - the Primeval Whirl and the Triceratops Spin. The first ride being a small roller coaster and the second is the Dumbo the Flying Elephant Ride with triceratops (triceratops’? Triceratopses?). There are also carnival games and a tacky roadside shop and restaurant. Unless you are with desperate little ones, I’d walk through to pick up the atmosphere and Keep walking.
The real attraction here is Dinosaur!- the ride. This is a dark ride in an enhanced motion vehicle through the Cretaceous period to capture a Dino...And time is of the essence because you have to find said Dino before the great extinction comet hits!
This is a fun trip with lots of bumps, quick turns and jolts..with a few true honest thrills. It is a not to be missed e-ticket ride.
I just rode it and came away unbroken. But, if you have back or neck issues I’d think about skipping it. And, again, use the facilities first.
The Boneyard, which you should save til the end of the visit, is a play area for the kiddies: there are bones to dig up, slides, ropes and climbs and all kinds of stuff to work out any energy they’ve stored up. (You want them to sleep tonight, right?). There are only a few sitting spots for parents/grandparents though. I guess Disney thought we’d be running around sharing joy with our precious darlings. They guessed wrong. They need more seats. And wine.
Well, if you followed my order... and there’s no reason you needed to... you’re done with Disney World!!! Now go back to your room and relax...cuz tomorrow you’re probably spending the day at Universal Studios! ThenThe World of Harry Potter...then Sea World...And Legoland...then of course you’ll have to take the fam to the beach... maybe Clearwater... then you might as well spend a day at Busch Gardens...wait!
You didn’t tour Kennedy Space Center??
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nekky-nek · 2 years
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Disney Movie Marathon #50 Tangled (2010)
I've seen Tangled a few times already and so far it's my favorite 3D movie Disney has done. I like the characters I like the look of the movie. I actually teared up in the theater during the lantern/"I See the Light" sequence because it was one of the most beautiful things I had seen on the big screen
Story: Oh man what a movie to have for your 50th animated feature. I think I can safely say this is still my favorite 3D animation from them. One of the better paced movies and I'm feeling theater production with specific numbers and drama. I like the idea of why Rapunzel hadn't cut her hair, why it's so important and how it affects the villain. I got a few good laughs from this movie. It's so nice when humor doesn't have to be so dumb that both kids and adults can enjoy it. It must be a difficult balance in the writing process but they pretty much nailed it with Princess and the Frog and this one. I like the motive for Rapunzel to see the floating lights and then it becomes into a story of both her and Eugene figuring themselves out. This movie gave me the goosies and the warm fuzzies. I was tearing up at the end when Rapunzel finally got to go home to a family that'll love her and Eugene gets to be part of that family! I love this movie it's so nice. And I think the reasons for "Rapunzel let down your hair" are great and fun twist to the reason we'd think that would be said.
Characters: I love Eugene and Rapunzel. Not just as a couple but their individual characters are so fun and how they grow with each other. Eugene is all about himself but he's very charismatic to watch and his quips are funny. Rapunzel a ray sunshine (ha) and kindness and she can see learns there's more out to enjoy out there and she can share it with others. Mother Gothel is an absolute b*tch and I mean that in the best way possible. Queen Gaslight right here and I mean gaslight. So emotionally manipulative that even when she's "comforting" Rapunzel it's like an underhand insult to keep her within the tower. She's such an effective villain because there are people like her who would probably do exactly what she did. All the ruffians in the tavern were great and I like how they were brought back in the end to help.
Art/Animation: They've definitely got the hang of animating in 3D now. Even the design of "ugly" characters is still pleasing to look at as compared to before I wasn't sure what was supposed to be ugly and them figuring out character models. However if I stare at Gothel to long I am disturbed by how large that woman's eyes are. The backgrounds are not as pretty as I remember them but I think that's because we've already come so far in technology that it was inevitable. This isn't an ugly movie though. I love the colors and the lighting going on. Like technical wise you can see it's older but its still lovely to look at. That lantern scene is still one of the most beautiful segments especially paired with the song. Rapunzel's murals are gorgeous. I ended up looking around the tower to see all the little paintings and if I had room I'd put them on my walls.
Songs: I like all the songs in this one even the credits song. The score is good too. I'm usually not one for scores but hey pretty darn good. I See the Light easily the best one for me. I was smiling like an idiot and the imagery with all the lanterns and Eugene and Rapanzel AH! Am love.
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blastoisemonster · 3 years
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Duke Nukem
It’s the holidays season again, which thankfully means more games! After having shopped online for family and friends, I’ve run across a japanese GB title I had intended to try out for a long time and ordered it. Along with that, I’ve figured I could snuck in a western game as well, considering that stuff from Hokkaido takes a while to get delivered, and that probably I’ll end up with far more japanese language that I can ever translate and properly play. But the graphics will be adorable <3
And that’s why I bought Duke Nukem for Game Boy Color. It’s hard to put it into words, but there was no substantial motivation that lead me to make such a choice: all I know is that the Duke is a thing that exists, and that it has a GB installation, so I got it. Who knows, maybe I’ve been subconciously influenced by LGR and his constant Duke voice impersonation? I’unno...
What I do know, after having done some research, is that this game came out way after the ever-famous 3D chapter of Nukem series, and yet refuses to conform to the FPS formula, opting instead for a side-scrolling action platformer, thus resulting more similar to Apogee’s original two titles. Honestly, I think that was a very safe approach: 3D effect and especially a first person view is hard to master on such a little handheld, while a lot of developing companies are accustomed to nicely done platformers. I wasn’t expecting, however, to find out that many people were positively judging this! There are a lot of good reviews on the net, some of these even reaching very high scores, which is remarkable considering that handheld ports of virtually any game ever are treated like shite. Pheraphs, the choice of keeping it simple and faithful to Apogee’s installments really helped, here.
As soon as I popped the cartridge into my console I was ready to swear the reviewers had been a little too generous in its behalf! A second, more impartial play had me reconsider those first thoughts, but I still don’t share the same excitement as the general consent: while Duke Nukem’s graphics are indeed rich, especially during the cinematic intro, a lot of levels have some repetitive or claustrophobic visuals with bleak palettes; the music is recognizable and not unpleasant, but the bass seems kinda forced and is lacking of any grit. Gameplay-wise, this title offers a lot of levels, all of which are very extensive and full of things to explore, which is definitely a plus! The “destroy-all-enemies” mechanic is enriched by a very veiled puzzle element which cosists of finding several objects scattered throughout the level in order to access to final parts and, finally, advance to the next phase. Point is, the time limit provided makes this exploration theme annoying and sometimes even counterproductive. The quick-respawning enemies also won’t help you recognize which parts you’ve already passed through and which are instead new. Finally, no matter how quick you are at killing enemies, get ready to recieve some inevitable damage from stray bullets and falls!
I’m willing to admit that this is a decent game, if you don’t mind the cramped backgrounds and if you pump some appropriate music from your stereo: fans of the 3D shooter genre will probably be much more disappointed than me, though! xP
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wolfie-dragon-rider · 6 years
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Big Hero 6: Baymax Returns, review
The new tv show based on Big Hero 6 began airing just now, and I watched the opening movie, Baymax Returns. It made me feel a lot of things, so I figured I’d write them down! I’ll split this into two parts. First part, below the cut, will be spoiler-free, while below the cut I’ll go into a bit more detail about the plot and characters and what I thought of it.
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Before I started watching, I was very worried it was going to be a goofy silly ‘childish’ show that had forgotten what made the original movie so great. I had this problem with Race To The Edge, from How to Train your Dragon, for example. But I’m glad to say it really hasn’t. It keeps the focus on science and technology, and how they can help and hurt people. It’s about grief, but also about moving on. It’s about inclusion and being nerdy and how that can be freaking awesome.
Animation-wise, it’s very good. I’ll be honest, I’d would have loved to see BH6′s beautfully rendered San Fransokyo return, with its bright neon lights and dark alleys, the floating wind turbines providing power for the high-tech electric trains below. The 2D handdrawn animation has its drawbacks compared to the original 3D. Characters have little depth, look kind of cardboard-cutout-y, and the colors are awkwardly shaded with very clear transitions between light and shadow.
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However, this style has its own charm. It has a lot of tiny details, with all kinds of writing on screens and machines drawn to the tiniest gear. It keeps San Fransokyo’s neon lights and dark corners, and the minimalistic style easily draws the eye to what is important. Another thing to note is that each main character has a very distinct silhouette, making it easy to identify each character at a glance, even if they’re far away or there’s a lot of action going on:
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Character-wise, it stays truthful to the movie. Fred had a little too much focus in the first episode, and came off as annoying (more on that below the cut), while GoGo didn’t say much. A new character, Professor Granville, is an interesting addition with lots of room for backstory and growth. Her being a female African-American dean continues BH6′s inclusive and diverse message that anyone can be smart and nerdy, not just white boys.
One thing I didn’t really like where some of the new voices, particularly for Wasabi. He came across as kind of hammy at times, whiny at others, but it wasn’t too bad.
It has a lot of great comedy, particularly visually. I don’t want to be too spoilery, but the background event when Big Hero 6 decides this superhero thing might not work out well, after their first patrol, made me laugh for two minutes straight. It was brilliantly done, slapstick without being idiotic or too cheesy. Baymax’s dry understatements makes for more funny, yet also heartwarming, moments. There were a few jokes I kind of groaned at, mostly because they dragged on for a little too long, but overall the comedy is good. It’s obviously not dumbed down to appeal only to little kids, instead it assumes the kids are smart enough to grasp the slightly more complex jokes.
Some foreshadowing was kind of blatant and obvious, but often used for comedic effect. The writers are very aware of how their audience will perceive it.
Some of the trailers made me worry the villains in particular would be too cartoony and silly, like the themed villains from Batman, but so far that hasn’t happened yet. The villain in the first episode is genuinely scary, and there are hints of a greater evil still.
I’ll now go into a little more detail on the plot below the cut, but if you haven’t watched it yet, I’d definitely recommend it. It’s funny, cutely drawn, and overall just... smart.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
The episode starts out really well, with a short clip of Tadashi, making us remember him and what he meant to Hiro. The slow pace of the first 10 minutes or so reiterate the message of the movie: That it’s okay to grief, and that mourning and moving on takes time. Hiro is clearly not yet over Tadashi’s death, and he’s not expected to be. The rest of the team is supportive, letting him have his space when he finds Tadashi’s lab.
This entire first section is really just a reiteration of the end of the movie, where Hiro finds the chip and rebuilds Baymax, but it doesn’t feel boring. It adds detail, substance, humor, it lets Hiro adjust to ‘nerd school’, especially nerd school without his brother.
This part also introduces us to Professor Granville, the new dean, and the one in charge of the Robotics Institute, apparently taking the role Callaghan left behind. On that note, I wish we could have seen a little more of Callaghan or Abigail other than the one line in the opening where he’s said to be in jail. Perhaps in future episodes.
Professor Granville is well-written and, unusual for a kids show, is actually a responsible and caring adult figure. She doesn’t mince words, and can come across as harsh, but she clearly cares about Hiro, and doesn’t want him to waste his talents. She lets him mourn Tadashi, but also reminds him that he can’t wallow in guilt all the time.
Aunt Cass didn’t get much screentime, but she was funny and awesome in the few scenes we had. The fish scenes on the train were pretty funny, if slightly cheesy.
After this introduction where Hiro starts rebuilding Baymax, we get a sequence where Fred is trying to get the superhero team back. I found this a pretty weak part. Fred’s enthusiasm was clearly meant to be funny, but to me it came across as sad and a little pathetic. Doesn’t he have anything else to do? Doesn’t he get that his friends clearly don’t want this? Especially his pestering of Hiro seemed pretty mean and bordered on bullying behavior at times.
Yama threatening to kill people was a pretty big mood whiplash, but I liked that the show isn’t afraid to get dark and gritty. Baymax’s suit running away was a plausible reason for Hiro to meet Yama again. Yama made a good villain, he’s genuinely intimidating and a clear danger.
The sequence where Hiro and Fred tried to scan Granville’s chip was kind of groan inducing from Fred’s incompetence. I hope he’ll become more than just the team’s permanent goofball.
I laughed really hard when Hiro broke out of Yama’s jail and got captured immediately, the scene reinforced very well that they’re not gonna win on brawn. The fight sequence with Big Hero 6 dropping in was fast-paced and overall well done, though the enemies didn’t feel like too much of a challenge.
The second episode was also really well done, the lack of introduction allowing it to set up a bigger plot with the robot army. I really liked the scene where Hiro and Baymax try to sneak into Yama’s army at SFIT, and their discovery was well done, showing that the healthcare chip still overrides the superhero chip.
The statue being a sort of supercharger was an interesting twist, though I feel more could have been done with it. Perhaps we’ll see it again later.
The train sequence I really liked, best action scene in the episode probably, showing off each part of the team, while putting Hiro and Baymax in genuine danger. I would have liked to see a bit more aftermath. What happened to Yama exactly? How did Aunt Cass react to the broken train, and how did she get home? Does she realize Hiro is in Big Hero 6? What does the city and the news think of all this? I would have liked to see more on that.
I did like the final scene with Granville, with Hiro becoming more confident and deciding he’s gonna find his own path, not just blindly follow Tadashi’s. Granville is, again, supportive, and offers him Tadashi’s lab, though refuses his hug. It’s a budding mentor-student relationship with great potential.
Overall I liked the characters and plot, not too cheesy and cartoony, while staying true to the themes and messages of the movie. So yeah, I’ll definitely watch the rest of the show when it comes out!
If you have any thoughts, let me know!
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the-theater · 4 years
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Story 1: Witch-Gods and Other Poppycock
The frown on his face wouldn’t leave no matter how hard he might have tried, not that he was trying particularly hard, even though he was trying to focus as much as he could on the book in his hands and not on the world around him. Yes, he’s read The Setting Sun a number of times by now, enough times that he all but knew the story word-for-word, but to his credit he hadn’t really thought he’d be spending all that much time reading when he grabbed the book from his shelf before leaving the apartment. It was just something to read while he was on the train, to pass the time. If he had known that even after arriving that he would be spending what felt like hours just waiting, he would have picked something else. Maybe The Memory Police, he kept meaning to read it. Murder in the Crooked House was another book he could have picked, he’s heard good things. Ah, but, hindsight was 20/20. He had to make do with what he had on hand to pass the time.
Not that it’d make much difference, he thought to himself as he turned the page. The longer he sat there waiting, the harder it was to concentrate, to focus. He tapped his fingers against the book cover as his eyes ran over the lines of words. He’d spent hours here, or rather, it felt like hours. He hadn’t brought a watch, another poor decision. But he had spent hours here, wasting time when he could have been out and about, he could have been making sure Mitsuru was okay. She’ll be fine, she’s staying in her apartment all day. Sick. That just made him want to go out there even more—and do what? Just watch her from the window across the street?
She’ll be fine, he could hear Banī whispering in his ear, though the man was nowhere to be seen. Just be patient, I know that’s hard.
As if he hadn’t been trying to be patient since he had arrived. If anything, he felt like he had been too patient. Patiently waiting, patiently sitting there nice and quiet, minding his own business, patiently waiting for something, anything, to happen.
He was done being patient. Closing his book with a snap, he stood up and turned his head to look at his companion who had been rather quiet as well.
“Please tell me I’m not the only one sick of waiting around.”
The girl, who couldn’t have been more than a couple years younger than himself looked like a problem child. Her hair had been dyed a dark reddish-pink, though it had grown out to the point that a good inch or so of hair by her scalp was her natural brown color, though the hair itself looked frayed and dried, a testament to how often it was colored and the damage that it caused.
She was dressed like trouble. A dark-purple crop-top hoodie, ripped jeans, and multiple piercings in her ears. He supposed he should be thankful she didn’t have any facial piercings, seeing those just made him uncomfortable for reasons he wasn’t quite sure. She was wearing combat boots. Fucking combat boots. What the Hell?
The girl looked up from her game, having spent the time playing something on the 3DS she had brought. She looked at him for a few moment before shrugging. “It is gettin’ pretty dull round here.”
He sighed, slipping his book back into the bag by his feet, and stood up from his theater seat. Slipping past the girl beside him, he made his way to the third party in the large and suspiciously empty theater, an older individual sleeping soundly and without a care.
The individual was dressed in a leather jerkin tied up to the neck, with some loose white shirt underneath, black trousers, leather boots and leather gloves equally dark. In all honesty, they looked like they had stepped right outside of either a con or a renaissance fair. Their face was pale, their dark hair messy and reaching past their jaws, their mouth thin and parted just slightly. But what really stood out to him was that there was no real defining features that told him if this person was a man or woman. The sleeping figure was older than him by the looks of it, so there should have been some development if they were a woman, but at the same time they lacked anything that really stood out as masculine. Their features were a strange mix of soft and hard that blended together oddly seamlessly.
But at the end of it all, it made him wonder if he was the normal one here, at least attire wise. The girl looked like a parent’s disappointment, and this adult looked like they were from the dark ages. At least he was dressed like he would blend in with a crowd, which may have been the intention, with his dark jacket and simple jeans.
What he didn’t mentioned that bothered him a little, just a little, was that his companions were clearly either European or American, making him the odd one out. It felt weird being in a room where everyone but him were foreigners.
“This is ridiculous,” he growled, trying his best to bite back the growing agitation and frustration. “I’m waking them up.”
The girl looked up, pushing herself to her feet as she held her game in one hand. “Ya think that’s okay? Kinda rude wakin’ a person up.”
“I don’t care if I’m being rude or not. I’ll worry about that later. Right now I just want to get this show on the road.”
The girl frowned, looked to him and then over to the table situated between them and the theater screen. There had been two envelopes sealed up and labeled neatly, envelopes they weren’t supposed to open until everyone was present and ready. Being asleep didn’t constitute as ready, and as much as he wanted to just go ahead and open them up, he didn’t want to violate any unspoken rules too early on.
He had followed her gaze, but soon returned it to the sleeping figure. Hit him. Raising his hand in the air, mouth pressed into a firm line, he brought it down quick and hard. With a loud WHAP, he had slapped the person across the face in an attempt to wake them up.
The effect he had gotten was instantaneous, but perhaps not the one he had entirely wanted.
The sleeping cosplayer jerked, jumping to their feet, and before he could react, they had grabbed him by the wrist, yanking him almost off his feet as the strangers other hand grabbed him by the throat.
“Where am I? What’s going on?” the stranger demanded in a voice equally sexually ambiguous, keeping a firm hold on his throat and tugging his arm painfully behind his back. “Who are you two? Sellswords? Fancy clothes the both of you got.”
He gritted his teeth. “Let me go,” he demanded, voice hoarse and strained. His mind was screaming, a waterfall of thoughts and images, of impulses trying to break through to the surface, to the muscles and nerves.
The stranger tightened his grip, “Tell me what’s going on and I’ll consider—!”
The girl was thankfully not the passive observer. While the stranger had been focused on him, she had jumped over the seats dividing them and had, in an impressive display of acrobatics and flexibility, driven her foot right in the strangers face despite her being a good several inches shorter.
“What the Hell, man!” she had yelled as she fell back to her feet, glaring up at him with anger and fear.
The person had stumbled back, their grip on him loosening, the hand on his neck letting go completely to hold the strangers own nose, checking for damage, for blood. “Ah, fuck! Okay we can play it that way if that’s how you want it.” With that, they moved towards her, dragging him along, but stopping short after one step. “Ah. I see how it is.”
There was a knife pressed right against their stomach, having slipped between the front flaps of the jerkin. Should have taken hold of both his hands instead of just one. He glared up at the stranger, his grip on the knife tight, ready to drive it into the flesh of the belly.
“How about we back off? We don’t know what’s going on here either, okay?” he said slowly, warningly. Hopefully the stranger accepted that. Even though he had a knife, he could tell they were in different leagues.
Thankfully, his answer seemed to be good enough. The stranger let go of his other hand and backed off. “Fair, fair,” they said, running a hand through their own hair, pushing it back a little. He noticed that their ears had a noticeable point to the tops. He also noticed, now that he was getting a good look at their face, that their eyes were a bright violet color. Weird. Eye contacts? Probably.
“Finally!” The girl was already walking away from them and to the table. Without another word, she snatched the first envelope and tore it open. Then, she loudly cleared her throat to begin reading it out loud for them. “Before we begin, please introduce yourselves so that both the three of you and the audience know who you each are.”
They looked at one another, confusion clearly etched on their faces.
The girl scanned the theater, peering at the corners and the ceiling. “Audience? Like what? Cameras an stuff?”
“By the looks of it, they’re hidden,” he muttered.
The stranger furrowed their brows. “What even are ‘cameras’?” they asked and then paused, face looking visible uncomfortable, maybe even distraught. “ I… ah… okay, this is strange, very strange.”
He paid no mind to it, just a weirdo being weird. “Okay. I’ll go first.” He cleared his throat, looked around before deciding to face the movie screen—if there were  cameras hidden, then that would be an ideal place to hide one. “My name is Asahi Kurosaki, nineteen. I was born in the Ōno district of Gifu, though I’ve moved to Tokyo and have been living there for the past four years. After finishing all my compulsory education and a little bit of high school, I joined the workforce as a barista at a café and as a freelance photographer.”
With that, Asahi nodded and turned to the girl, “Okay. Your turn.”
She shrugged, stuffed her hands into her pockets and looking like she didn’t care one bit. “Name’s Cherry Bolton. I’m seventeen. Born an raised city girl. Didn’t drop out or nothin’ since I’m still doin’ school. Work part-time. Skate in my free time. That about sums it up.” She plopped down into a seat after tossing the letter into the air. “Yer turn.”
Catching the letter, the stranger frowned. “I feel like I still know nothing about either of you,” they pointed out.
Asahi didn’t smile. “So? You know our names and what we do, that’s good enough, don’t you think? It’s not like we’re going to tell some strangers any more than necessary.” Personally, he felt like giving them his city location was a bit much, but hey, Tokyo was a big place.
That seemed to pacify the stranger a little bit. “Okay, okay. My name is Briar Makiir. I’m… old. Just how old escapes me. I’m half-fey, somewhat of a mage. More importantly is that I am a Hunstman from Tarrigan.”
“Shoulda told me we were doing ‘in character’ stuff! Ah, I coulda had so much fun with somethin’ like that,” Cherry said loudly from her seat, not that Briar seemed to understand the joke. “But I’ve somethin’ I been wonderin’ bout you, Briar. No offense, but you a guy or gal?”
Ah, thankfully she was the one to ask. Asahi felt like he had been going crazy trying to figure that out. And by the looks of it, Briar didn’t seem offended at all. If anything, they offered a smile, a little laugh, a shake of the head.
“I’m a man right now.”
And giving answers that made as little sense as his introduction had. Well, whatever. A weirdo being a weirdo.
Cherry and Briar were chatting, bantering a little with one another, but Asahi tuned them out just like he tuned out the mutterings in his head, or tried to. It’s interesting how they speak Japanese so fluently, it was interesting, not that Asahi was paying it much mind, They don’t sound like foreigners at all, no they didn’t. Had he been paying attention to the whispers and thoughts, he might have thought more on it. But as it was, Asahi couldn’t really bring himself to care much about these two people or what their stories were.
For now, there were things a bit more important than whispers, language, and nationalities. Instead, Asahi moved to take the other letter, tearing it open and bringing it back to the other two so that they could read it as well.
If you are reading this, then I believe it is right to assume that the three of you have already done as the previous letter has asked. With that in mind, I welcome and thank you for coming, and will explain the purpose of your presence here today.
I consider myself a being of science, and so it would not be wrong to consider this a kind of social experiment. You’re here to read and review some… rather poor attempts at written fiction. Fanfiction, to be precise. Your responses and reactions will be filmed and shown to a large audience. Be as honest and as vicious as you can to these affronts of literature.
As for the theater itself. Where you are currently stands as a nexus between worlds. A neutral space, so to speak. The three of you may leave as you wish, however only those I’ve permitted may enter when I permit it. You may have noticed, but the three of you are not from the same worlds, not from the same realities. This theater acts as grounds where you may meet one another. This may provide all of you with a unique learning experience, as undoubtedly you can learn from each other. Do not worry, you will not forget what transpires in this theater when you leave.
To make this easier for everyone present, I’ve made it so that you will receive knowledge regarding various fandoms, terms, and other miscellaneous facts that will come to you as needed. You may have also noticed that you are able to understand one another precisely despite speaking different languages, that is also due to the theater’s effects on you. However, the knowledge and understanding only works within the theater grounds.
Now, I assure you that your time and efforts wont go unrewarded. Any proceeds received from donations and advertisement funding will go to both expanding and improving the theater, and each of you will also receive stipend. All I ask is that you come once a week, that you give me your time, nothing more, nothing less.
And, if you require more persuading; the expansion into other worlds will provide more opportunities to meet new people, to experience and learn new things. You may each grow from these experiences, to learn or gain skills that may aid you in goals or dreams. You have been given an opportunity to experience a multiverse, and it is not an opportunity many are ever given.
I beg you to not let this opportunity slip by. This may be difficult, perhaps even painful at times, but I promise you that it will be worth it all in the end.
Snacks and drinks will be provided, free of charge.
With that, the letter was done, and as the three slowly process the contents, they looked to each other. The wheels were turning in each of their minds, contemplating, considering, going over what was offered to them and what was asked of them in return. After minutes of silent contemplation, the Hunstman spoke up.
“I’ve seen many bits of magic, all sorts of horrors and more, but even so, this is hard to believe.” He crossed his arms, staring at the letter that had been moved back to the table. “The letter bleeds ambition and screams of a madman. But, by the Aether if I’m not curious to see how this unfolds.”
Asahi looked over to Cherry, who was kicking her feet against the ground as she thought, her lips pursed, her eyes turned up to the ceiling. He didn’t want to admit it, but he agreed with Briar. The letter seemed ambitious and mad in equal parts, but there was something about it that made him curious. It was like seeing a car crash, common sense said to do one thing, but you just couldn’t help but stand still and watch the car erupt into flames and the people around it scream. Plus, whoever brought them here was offering money, and well, who was he to say no to money when all he had to do was read some fanfics?
Cherry hummed, “I’m kind of interested to see what all this is about, too,” she agreed, tapping against the paper and flipping it over. There was, to their surprise and somehow unsurprise, more on the back.
If you are still reading, then I will take it as you have accepted this offer. There are no words to express my gratitude, so I will simply say this; Thank you.
The story you are starting with is a short one all things considered, coming in at only a little over 2k words. It is a Harry Potter fanfic by Belle-Destinee called ‘Harry’s Destiny’.
I wish you all the best of luck.
The group let out a collective groan when the letter was, for certain now, done. None could say they looked forward to what they already knew was going to be a bad one.
“Talk about throwing us into the thick of things,” Asahi muttered. “At least we aren’t starting off with My Immortal.”
Cherry huffed, “I’ll take what I can get. Coulda been worse, an how bad can it be?” she asked, looking around. “But, hey, he said snacks would be provided, right? Well, I’m gonna get myself some snacks before we start. Who’s with me?”
“I could use for a bite and a drink,” Briar smiled softly.
Asahi frowned. “Well, I think I did see a concession stand by the door… but I don’t think I saw anything there.”
As if to prove him wrong, the smell of snacks wafted through the air. All three glanced over to the back doors, and sure enough at what had been an empty stand was now full of all sorts of snacks and drinks waiting to be taken. Perhaps you aren’t as observant as you thought, he heard Banī in his ear. He ignored it.
The three went to collect their respective treats, which took longer than expected, due to Briar not knowing what anything but the water and jerky were. When all was said and done, they took their seats in the front row, settling in with Briar and Asahi on the sides and Cherry in the center. The room darkened after a few moments, and as the screen lit up, the debacle began.
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~* chapter one *~
the weather was very cold becuz it was winter time.
Cherry: Becuz! Ain’t we off to a swell start!
Asahi: Considering it’s winter, I’d hope it would be cold.
Florianna fastasa serenity is walking don the road and was very cold.
Briar: I shouldn’t judge a person by their name. But, that name is awful beyond words.
Cherry: I’m just assumin’ here that her name is ‘Fastasa’ cause she runs towards bullshit real fast.
she was looking for the Hogwarts Castle in the middle of the city becaus she has been chosen to become the castles maid.
Asahi: There are…
Asahi: …Many things wrong with that sentence.
Briar: You make it sound like becoming a servant is something you get chosen from like a lottery.
Briar: Number 28? You’re up for maid duty. Report to the castle at dawn!
she walk and walk and soon she get there. the guards open the door for her.
Cherry: I’m gettin’ a real ‘not wizards’ vibe so far.
Cherry: Guards? Castles in the city? This ain’t the Hogwarts I know.
"Thank you" she said politely and the guards smiled at heshe felt good after that. Just then she met a tall and stern lookng maid with red hair who made her feel small. still flora greeted her polite.
Briar: I will commend her where it is due; she is very polite. She is a servant and knows it is unwise to act up around those who are your seniors and superiors.
"Who r u" she demanded and flora was shocked.
"Who r u" flora asked sadly
"I am ginny blackheart" she said menacing.
Asahi: Okay, no, no, and no. ‘Blackheart’? ‘Blackheart’? The name is Ginny Weasley! What is this, another ‘gothic’ retelling of Hogwarts?
Cherry: I hope not.
"we dont want you here"
Briar: Unfortunately, Ginny. That is not up to you to decide who works here.
Briar: That is for the Lord of the castle to decide.
Flora don't know why grinny was so mean at her i mean i was invited here to be a maid!
Briar: Correction, you wouldn’t have been ‘invited’ to be a maid. That suggests that this is just a visit of some sort, not a job you have been tasked with to serve the lords and their guests.
she was scared. just then a man with black hair came down the stairs.
"It is prince harry" everyone gasped and bowed.
Cherry: Oh. Well, lookie there! Someone’s climbed up in the world!
harry was a very handsome person. flora was surprised. harry said to ginny "stop doing this to her i was the one who invited her here" Flora blushed. ginny was angry
Asahi: I’m going to assume it’s not good for maids to get angry at their lords, just like it’s not good for any employee to lash out at their boss.
"b-but you are the headmaster heir harry"
Briar: Is he a prince or a future headmaster?
she said "and you are engaged to me"
"i am engaged to no one" said harry "begone ginny before i explode you"
Cherry: Havin’ the power ta explode people? That sounds wicked!
Briar: I can’t say I’ve heard of that sort of spell before.
ginna ran away
"how can i repay you" said flora
"just be here forever and ever' breathed harry
Asahi: “You can repay me by keeping the castle clean.”
~TO BE CONTINUED~ 3
AN: No this is not a joke... if yes i would have put humour tag.
Cherry: Well, we’re still gonna treat it as a joke.
~*floras destiny*~
Briar: I thought it was Harry’s destiny?
so floar is now working in the castle as a maid. harryn always talks to her became they can get along very well now. sometimes ginny look evil at her but she cant do anything because harrie is watching.
Asahi: Just the grammar alone makes my eyes hurt.
Briar: I wonder how many different ways she’s going to spell ‘Harry’.
still gin ny always try to be mean to flora.
"i noe u r trying to steal harry from me" she say with menacing
"no i am not" said flora scaredly. she is telling the truth!
Cherry: Gal, you can capitalize your letters, ya know?
"I see u r trying to get close to harry becuz u want to become princess of hogwarts!" ginny yell and slapped flora. just then harry appear and slap ginny.
"go away and dont hit my girlfirned" said happy "i think u r just jealous"
Briar: I’m sorry? I think we missed a step or a detail?
Briar: When did they become a couple?
Asahi: Just now. Prince Harry has decided she’s his girlfriend, no one is allowed to say otherwise.
Ginny blakheart run away becuz she was scared. actually she just want to marry harri becuz she wants to become princess. unlike flora who actually wants to marry larry because of real.
Cherry: Because of real…?
Asahi: Could be a number of things. Probably not love. Definitely not love.
"lets get married flora" breatehd Harry
"Yes please" said flora
Briar: does Harry have a breathing problem? I’ve noticed he tends to ‘breathe’ his words rather than say them.
Asahi: He’s choking on his tears for having to say any of these.
to be continued!
A/N: pls dont comment on my spelling. my teacher says that good writing spelling is not most important.
Cherry: Your teach is lyin’ to ya, then.
Asahi: I got to agree there. Spelling is pretty important in writing. If the spelling is atrocious, then it won’t be easy to read at all.
Asahi: Plot and story is important to, but you’re not doing too hot in that department, either.
if u only focus on outside u will not understand tru beauty, thats what she said. just like how a lot of ppl say the girl in my class very pretty but she has bad personalite do u like that?
Cherry: Like Asahi said, though. The story an the plot ain’t that great either.
Cherry: So I’d say it’s pretty ugly both inside an out.
also i asure u that flora is not mary sue. she has flaws later on u see.
Briar: I find that hard to believe.
~ hermione and flora and harry~
the next day flora went out to do some chores and she met hermoine, a girl in love with voldemort the dark lord.
Asahi: I’m sorry? What?
Asahi: That doesn’t—with Voldemort? Not Ron Weasley? The boyfriend she later on marries? She’s in love with Voldemort?
Briar: Wow. That is a… strange couple.
harry dont like her only as friend so they dont talk a lot. hermione and vold talk a lot and they smile too. voldemort like her and he said he will destroy world for her.
Cherry: Aaaaugh! The grammar is just terrible!
Asahi: I have to give him props though. Destroying the world for the one you love? Not a bad idea.
hermione shoscked and said no! u must not destroy hogwarts magic land and voldmort say ok.
Briar: “Hogwarts magic land”? That’s just… it feels very lazy.
(this is story abt how voldemort become good, becuz he turn back into handsome tom ruddle and fall in luv with hermione. i will cover this in other fic more in deep later.)
Asahi: Oh, joy. There’s a spinoff.
Cherry: Cause evil makes ya ugly, but being good makes ya pretty.
anyway they live. and then flora ask harryn 'who is she' and harry say 'voldemort and hermione'. voldemort was very handsome not as handsome as harry but still very nice looking. because she have blacky hair and black clothes like gothic. he looks very mysterious and he is a duck lord.
Cherry: Lord of the ducks!
so lfora want to know more about her! they went back.
'wher did u go' said ginny angry. hahrry slapped her becuz she not polite. everyone must be polite so that is not good manner.
Briar: Raising a hand to a woman in response to a question is hardly polite, either.
harry and flora go upstairs. then they watch tv becauz ginn has been good girl.
Asahi: There’s television here?
Asahi: I’m genuinely confused if this takes place in the canon wizarding world of in some past medieval world.
so they play together and also read story about the past teach sevrus snake. then they fall asleep but they didnt do anything naughty becase they were pure and good.
Cherry: I find that hard to believe. The pure an good part.
but flora cannot forget vooldemort... he seem like he is very sad. flora wans to know why..
Briar: Curiosity is good and all, but it’s important to know when not to involve yourself in the business of others. This is one of those times.
to be continued
thank u krikanalo ur reveiws r really gud and make me want continue.
Cherry: Krikanalo, why’d ya do us dirty like that?
as to the rest ok i belief spell and grammer are important but its not the most impt ok? a good story is all tht enuff.
Asahi: And I disagree. Doesn’t matter how good a story is if you can’t make sense of it due to awful spelling and grammar.
in future when i have prove reader they can fix all my spell mistooks so dun wurry. ill be gud righter in no time.
Briar: Why not take the time to proofread and improve your story and writing yourself?
Cherry: Cause that means the writer ‘ere has to put in effort.
Also shes not a mary sue, later chapters will show shes flaws and she can be unkind sometimes.
Asahi: She’s barely a character at all right now. I know nothing about her besides her name and that she’s a maid.
~ next Chapter ~ 333
flora wake up the next morning becuz the alarm bell ring with sound.
Cherry: Kinda the point of an alarm.
She closed it and look at the date it was august already and it was 7 am she must go to harrys room. so She walk out with blossoming excited steps and knock on garry's door smiling happily.
Briar: Aren’t you supposed to go to Harry’s room? He might be upset you went to Garry’s instead.
"prince Harry wake up we are going to date together today" flora smells happily
Asahi: How do you even ‘smell happily’?
Cherry: No idea.
when she knows on the door. Suddenly she heard a Crash sound! she rushed in to see harry on the floor... Gginny is sleep drugging him and is going to do things to him!
Asahi: Big yikes.
Cherry: An why am I not surprised it went there?
flora wants to stop her so she immediately use her inner magic!
"Avada Kedavra!" she shout and the magic blow Ginny away.
Briar: Considering the spell is the Killing Curse, it did more than just blow her away.
Briar: Impressive you knew how to do the spell with no training at all. Truly impressive. It’s almost, as you’d call it, bullshit.
she was shockd at her magic and how she can do it... she ran to harry and harry told her she must be an magical witch with lots of power thats y she can do magic like that...
Asahi: Considering she’s at Hogwarts, even if it’s as a maid, I assumed she was a witch from the beginning.
Asahi: You really gave us no reason to assume she was a muggle.
to be continued...
Chapter 5 -- Flora magicwitch
~ chapter 22 ~ flora is who? ~~~~*
Cherry: We’ve been wonderin’ that from the start.
larry pull flora out and they go talk abt impt stuff.
Briar: And now she’s left Harry for Larry. The poor lad.
"i think u must be wtich..." he whisper in extreme softness.
Cherry: Nothin’ more sensual than extreme softness.
flora Looks back with bloooming pink eyes and is surprised
Asahi: Oh, great. Her eyes are pink.
Asahi: Actually, I can’t complain. Briar here has violet eyes. Thanks, Briar, you took away our ability to complain about fancy eyes.
Briar: I’m…sorry?
"y? she asked" why do you think i Must be witch? she is scared becuz she dont know what is witch... she want to be normal with lal her frenz.
Cherry: Well, ya did just use magic, a Killin’ Curse, mind you. Unless ya know anything else that can use magic…?
"becuz u use the avade kedgavra spell" he say serious looking... his eyes look at her pink eyes and sparkle with blueness. pink meets blue. everything dark and opposite.
Asahi: That… makes no sense?
Asahi: Because pink represents girls and blue represents boys? But dark and opposite?
Asahi: No, still makes little sense.
"but how can i b which" she say shock "i am muggle born and raised in an orphanage becuz my parents were killed at young age" she said with sad everywhere.
Briar: Obligatory sad backstory, check.
"i am surpise too" harry say thoughting. finally he say "we must talk to my best friendn voldermort. he knows aboutwizards becuz he is also wizard n he is powerfuller"
Asahi: Ah, yes, my best friend who murdered my parents and tried to kill me when I was a baby.
"ok" say flora "and they set off"
Cherry: I’m just imaginin’ Harry starin’ at her all awkward like after she said ‘any they set off’, cause who verbally narrates what they do and looks normal doing so?
to be continued...
Chapter 6 - quest 2 find destiny
pls b nicer i still lerning... if any1 want to b my beta tester plz sms me and i wil let u edit script in here. i will give u lots thanks.
Briar: A beta tester is something completely different. What you’re looking for is a beta reader.
Briar: And it would be some very intensive editing.
~ quest to find turth ~
Asahi: Isn’t it the Quest to Find Destiny? What does Turth have to do with this?
so harry and flora walk and walk to a dark cave to look for the darkn lord voldmort and hi girlfrien d hermione in te cave.
Cherry: Ya know? It’s kinda rude to keep callin’ ‘im the “Dark Lord” when Voldemort’s ‘sposedly turned good.
Cherry: An why’s he and Hermione livin’ out in a cave? They’ve got castles, an houses, and civilization!
Asahi: You’re asking for common sense, the author doesn’t possess that.
the cave dark and gloomy and flora ver scared, her brown hair in the wind flip around a lot. suddenly have fire in the cave. flora hair look red because fire relfect in the hair and harry hair look purple
Briar: That’s not… that’s not how colors work.
suddenly they go look at the fire turns out it is Draco malboy! his hair look purple also
Cherry: So Draco’s now made of fire?
Briar: More importantly, that’s still not how color works.
"u again malfoy" said harry angry. he protective of flora. but flora knows draco is not bad boy so she give him candy and draco like her and show her the way.
Asahi: I’m sorry, this just doesn’t make any sense. I guess Draco can be bribed with candy now?
they walk and wlak. harry high heels clop on the ground and make loud sounds and draco say 'shhhh potter' so harry dont like mafloy...
Cherry: This is becomin’ more an more trollish. High heels? In a cave? Not practical at all. A safety hazard if anything.
finally in final room they see a giant squid tryin to kill voldmort and hermione! harry try explode the monster but no use... draco use fire on monster but the squid breathe fire also... so flora say "avada Kedarva' again and squib turn into nothing and puff away.
Briar: That’s not how Avada Kedavra works. Oh, wait, no. She’s using Avada Kedarva. Must be a different spell.
'thank u for saving us' said voldemort with happy. 'what can i do to Repay u?'
Asahi: I refuse to believe that Voldemort, the former Dark Lord, the most dangerous wizard out there had to be saved by a maid who only knows one spell.
Briar: I think it’ll be better for all of us if we just pretend this is a different man than the Voldemort we knew.
to be confinued...
 Chapter 7 - truth abt fllra
pls dont say bad things anymore... im crying now... if u want help tell me where 2 help ok. tell me if u want 2 be betta reader.
Asahi: Look, do the work yourself. People have told you what’s wrong with the story. Primarily the spelling and grammar are horrendous.
Asahi: Don’t be lazy. Do your own work, put in the effort yourself to make this story better. You’ll be able to look at it with more pride that way.
~ chapter turth abt flora ~
voldmore look with grateful at flora 'i will do anything u want' he said with sweet voice hermione look shock... but flora didnt ask him to do anything naughtie instead she asked him
Asahi: You know? I wonder if the author knows that Voldemort is in his seventies. Actually, does she even care that he’s a seventy-year-old man and pairing him with teenagers is kind of really gross?
'i want to know about my past' she saids 'why do i noe avada kedavra spell? am i witch' she added very imptly
Cherry: Ah! Imptly! The most stressful of feelin’s!
voldmod sighed dispapointed and told flora 'u r actually the ddaughter of the immoralts zeus and aprodite... they r actually even greater witchgods than me...
Briar: I’ve a lot of questions about this.
Briar: Why are they bringing Greek mythology into this? Why is she referring to Voldemort as a ‘witchgod’? And why Zeus and Aphrodite?
Asahi: I can guess for the last one? Zeus is the King of Gods. So he’s super important. Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love and Beauty. So her kids will naturally be insanely beautiful. So; super beautiful and super important.
this is y avada kedvar spell is actually have easy for u'' he said
Cherry: Still don’t explain how she knows the spell at all when there’s been no mention of her ever even hearin’ the words.
flora is shocked 'then y am i muggle born? how come i cdont know anything' she cried and stepped behind... harry hold her before she can fall into the hot larva by accidentally with wrong step down...
Asahi: Wait, did we miss something? Where did the lava come from?
'walk with careful flora' said harry warning... flora say 'ok' and turn back to voldmort "y...'
"when zeus and aprodite were young they were killed by my evil clone thanatos' said volmortd sad sad 'he want to take over world so he kill zeus and aphrodite so u r now orphan and put in orphange to become muggle born' he added sad sad.
Briar: So many things that… I don’t know where to start.
Cherry: Ya can’t just ‘become’ muggle-born. Also; I know Thanatos is the God of Death an all that, but Zeus an Aphrodite are divine beings, can’t be killed just like that. Kinda a perk for being, you know, immortal.
flora sink to knee level and everything went dark.. she was sad.
Asahi: Kind of an understatement to what someone would be feeling, but okay.
to be continued...
 Chapter 8 - the REAL truth1!
Briar: Suggesting what we just read wasn’t the truth?
pls dont b rude... it make me very sad if u curse me to die... its not very nice... if u dont like then just tell me... i will stop and go away ok i noe u all mad at me...
Briar: Now I’m feeling bad about this.
Asahi: She’s trying to guilt trap you. Don’t fall for it.
~chapter the REAL truth~
fiona is alone at home...
Cherry: New character?
she sit on the window legde thinking about her life... hwo can she be witchgod? she cannot be. she have grow old and all... witch cannot grow old right? so she cannot be iwitch...
Briar: Well, I don’t know about the ones here, but with the right spells, a mage can slow down their aging. They’ll grow old, but it’ll take longer.
Cherry: Harry Potter wizards grow old, too. They just got longer life expectancy is all.
just then she hear someone high hells clip clip clop on theh ground outside her rom. she open the door and see harry!
Asahi: Is it ever going to be explained why he’s wearing high heels?
"hello flora i know u must be here" he say pheasantly. flora smile a bit sadly but she dont know what to say. finally she determine that she want to know the truth.
"i think voldmort jmust be lying" she say strong.
Asahi: Just because of the aging bit?
harry figdet nervous... "why would he lie?"
"there is no such thing as zeus and aprodite' she say angry. 'you must be lying together with vold mort because u dont want me to know te truth'
Briar: Careful, Flora. He’s still the prince-slash-headmaster-heir-person. You don’t want to anger the one who can fire you.
'then what is the truth!' harry shout back with nasty in the air.
Cherry: Dontcha just hate it when nasty gets in the air?
flora say
'i remember now... ia am actually daughter of dumbledora and mcgonnagal." she say. she can finally remember her mother and father golden hairs.
Asahi: Completely ignoring that Dumbledore is a gay man?
Asahi: Wait, was this made before or after the reveal?
Cherry: Afta.
Asahi: Then she has no excuse in ignoring that.
to be continue...
 Chapter 9 THE QUEST LEGECY
ooo the quest for legacy ooo
the next day flora decide to set off for finding out past. she want to find her mom and dad dumblodorr and mcgonnald in the desert becuz she can feel that they are there
Briar: It’d be nice to be able to magically sense where your parents are.
Cherry: I’d’a loved to have that when I was lil’.
"how r u so sure" say harry
"becuz i can feel them, i am there daughter" she smile happy
Asahi: That’s not how blood ties work, though.
finally when they reach the desert there r huge bunch of thugs... harry immedately protect flora
"run away flora" said happy with his huge wand sword ready in front of him "i will hold them off"
Briar: Wand-sword? That is both stupid and intriguing.
"no marry" she gasp
Asahi: With how many times Harry’s name has been forgotten, I’m surprised he’s not insulted and ready to leave her.
the thug slash at harpy and harryn dodged... another thug grab flora and smerk at her with a laughing face
Cherry: Huh. Never thought a laughin’ face could be used as a weapon.
"hell pretty little girl" he say with a smile...
"dont touch her shes my girflriend!" harry scream but the other thug kick him in his tummy...
Asahi: Oh, no! Not the tum-tum! A man’s one weakness!
what can flora do?
Cherry: Probably nothin’ useful other than murder.
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The lights came back on, slow enough for their eyes to adjust. The three sat there, leaned back in their chairs, snacks gone and all of them mentally exhausted from this ride. They sat for a solid moment in the silence before Cherry raised her head to speak up.
“So, final thoughts?”
Asahi frowned, groaning, his head practically overflowing with more thoughts than he could keep track of. He raised his hand. “Let’s see… the grammar is horrible, as is the spelling. There seems to be absolutely no understanding of how Hogwarts, of the Harry Potter universe for that matter, works. You’re left to assume this is an AU, but then she does things that makes you think it’s supposed to be set in the canon world, which just makes it worse,” he paused, just trying to sort out the many, many sins this story committed was a struggle. “Stupidity in relationships, characters just being butchered, inability to write a simple name such as ‘Harry’ right, and so many more.”
He stopped, sighed, and looked at the others. “Is it bad that I know this is hardly the worst?
Cherry shuddered at the idea of being put through something worse, and he swore he saw Briar pale.
“At least we can agree this one was bad?” the supposed Hunstman asked, Both Briar and Cherry nodded to that. “At least it was short.”
With that, he got up from his seat, adjusting the cuffs off his gloves and stretching, the joints popping audibly. After a few moments, he lowered his arms and turned to the others. “Well, see you guys next week?”
Asahi raised a brow as he and Cherry looked to one another and then at the man.
“You wanna do this again?” Cherry asked.
“It wasn’t the worst thing out there, I’m sure we’ve all gone through something worse than a bad story,” he answered and gave a soft shrug. “We get food and some coin, and I do have free time.”
With that, he said his goodbye and headed out, disappearing through the doorway as it loudly shut behind him.
Asahi frowned. Did he want to go through this again? Sit in a theater with two people he didn’t know? He had plenty of free time, yes. But he had a meticulous schedule to keep to, too. Asahi was very particular about making sure to spend as much of his time as possible with Mitsuru, and spending time here cut into time with her.
But, he had to admit, Briar had a point. It wasn’t that bad. A couple of hours once or twice a week, some free food, and they get paid. That was money he could spend towards Mitsuru. And, well, he was a bit curious about this whole multiverse thing.
Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to come back, at least for a little bit. It wasn’t as if he was contractually obligated to keep coming back.
“Well, see ya next week,” Cherry said, patting him on the shoulder as she passed, making her choice clear for him as she also left.
Asahi sighed, a small hint of a smile starting to show. “See you next week,” He agreed.
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catsareliquidgame · 7 years
Text
Cats are Liquid - 2 Years Later [Part 1 - The Beginning]
So.
This is the thing I was talking about in the previous post. Me looking back at the development and release of Cats are Liquid. (Sorry. No new level pack or a sequel yet.)
The reason I’m doing this right now is that I started developing the game around this time in 2015. Plus, I recently got a new laptop, and I'm trying to get used to the keyboard. This should be a pretty good way to do it, right?
Anyways, this is going to be split into four different parts. The first part (this one) is about the start of the development and where the idea came from. The second one is going to be about the development itself. The third part will be about the release of the game, and the fourth one is going to be about the anniversary update and things I wish I would’ve done differently.
I won’t go into too much detail on each aspect of the game. Instead, I’m just going to be writing about certain events that I find noteworthy and interesting. (You probably don’t want to read about all the different iterations some of the mechanics went through during development.)
Also, this is going to be about the main game. Not the level packs.
So without further ado...
A bunch of circles
As I stated in the intro, this all began around Midsummer 2015, which is June 23rd here in Finland.
It was late at night, and I had just seen a bunch of tweets on Twitter about different methods of making liquid surfaces in Unity. Most of them were way too complicated (for someone like me who was just starting out back then), so I wanted to try to create my own, simpler approach. I wasn’t that good with 3D stuff, so I decided to stick to 2D.
After thinking about different ways of making it for a while, I came up with something that I thought would probably work:
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A bunch of circles, tied together by 2D distance joints. It seemed like a good approach. Graphically it wouldn’t look that great, but physics-wise it would probably work.
I created a new project, set everything up and pressed play.
Guess what happened?
It didn’t work
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Instead of becoming the liquid surface I was hoping for, the circles curled up and formed this weird, blob-like shape, which glitched around the scene bouncing off walls and such. You know. Like weird blobs do. Not quite the result I was hoping for.
“hey”
“what are you doing?”
My friend was asking me in chat what I was up to. I sent him a screenshot of the blob and went back to tinkering with it. Turns out I had accidentally connected the two ends of the liquid surface together.
After a while, I heard the new message sound.
“lol that looks like a cat”
“A cat? How does that look like a cat?”, I thought to myself. I switched over to Unity. Maybe if I stood really far away from the screen and squinted my eyes, it kind of seemed like a cat? I switched back to the chat window and replied to the message.
“haha, yeah totally :p”
After that, I glanced at the clock and noticed it was almost four in the morning. So I hit save, and went to bed.
A white blob
When I woke up the next day, the first thing that came to my mind was my friend's comment. I decided to mess around with the “cat” a little more.
Within 15 minutes, I had some simple controls set up. I tested it out, and I thought the way the cat moved looked fun and interesting. I did some more experimenting, this time with the distance between the circles. Something I noticed was that if I set it high enough the cat “settled” and laid down. With a couple more rounds of experimentation, I had the liquid mechanic ready to go.
After that was done, I noticed that the cat looked a little too bland. And by “a little too bland” I mean it was just a bunch of white circles haphazardly strapped together with no distinctive features at all. So I added a tail and also a really simple face to make the cluster of circles somewhat resemble a cat. The face I set up then was just a “temporary sketch,” which I said I would “replace with a proper version later.” Yet somehow that sprite made it into the finished version of the game. Great job, me.
The plan
Right at the start, I knew that I wanted to make this a platformer. Because it has a cat in it. So obviously it’s going to be a pet simulator platformer.
This brings me to an embarrassing truth: I haven’t played that many platformers. A couple Mario games, Thomas was Alone at my friend's place (which I really liked), Spelunky, and the random indie flash game that I sometimes came across online. I liked them, but I’m not a hardcore fan.
After some consideration, I decided to make it level based because it was the easiest to do. The idea of having a lot of objects affected by physics in the game came to my mind as well. (Because why not?)
That brought to mind that amount of levels the game was going to have. I decided just to pick a number that sounded good and go with it.
90 sounded pretty nice. So I went with it.
Next up was the graphics. I made a quick office level, and after looking at it for 2 nanoseconds, and remembering that I’m not good at drawing at all, I swiftly discarded that option. I ended up going with a style very similar to Thomas was Alone, but just with a bit more color.
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I didn’t think about other stuff like music/sound effects at this stage. I just wanted to start making the game.
This was going to be the biggest project I had ever done.
I thought of the game as nothing more than a small project to work on my free time. I never took it that seriously.
But I still wanted to make it at least decent. Maybe someone would find it, and possibly even enjoy it a bit.
Part 2 coming soon...
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