#now better and improved! also i couldn't choose which version i wanted to make so i'm uploading both

[mushiemadarame]

⇢ and i'm about to punch you in the face about it (Love For Love’s Sake, EP04, GagaOOLala version)

#love for love's sake #kdrama #Chun Sang Won #Oh Min Su #Chu Sangwon #Oh Minsu #bibidi bobidi bu #Korean bl #Korean drama #now better and improved! also i couldn't choose which version i wanted to make so i'm uploading both #so-many-fandoms-so-little-life #this is for you

[elderemorune]

Dad of Light/My Dad

So I just found out about Dad of Light.

For those unfamiliar, let me set a baseline for you. I'm a big fan of Final Fantasy 14, as mentioned previously. I get really into being a part of a community, and love playing the role of tank. Carrying my party through a dungeon and taking the hits as we fight back the forces of darkness suits me perfectly.

The game's been around a long time. The first version came out in 2010 with A Realm Reborn relaunching the game in 2013.

You may have heard some stories, about how fans of Kentaro Miura all dressed up as Dark Knights and formed a line in the major cities in the game to mourn his tragic passing.

And that's but a single facet of this lovely game.

Dad of Light is a Netflix project that came out in 2017, following the tale of a young man (Akio) who bonded with his dad (Hirotaro) over Final Fantasy when he was a kid.

Years down the line, Hirotaro suddenly quits his job without telling his family. Akio is concerned and decides to try to reconnect with his father by purchasing a PlayStation 4 and Final Fantasy XIV for him. With the help of his Free Company and friends, Aru and Kirin, Akio plans to use his character Maidy to befriend his father and discover why he quit his job.

Now, I haven't watched this yet. I literally just started, and it got me thinking about how much I love Eorzea, and how much I love MY dad.

See, stories about fathers and sons ALWAYS fuck me up. For a lot of reasons, but I think chiefly because I wish my dad was like any of these dramatized men. That he could apologize, mean it, and change his behaviour.

He's done part of the work. He apologized for being a rage monster when I was a child. For holding me to impossible standards that even he would have struggled to meet. He meant it when he took me aside in June of 2021 and told me he was sorry.

And the behaviour DID change, for awhile. We worked together at his tech startup (which is still just he and I), and we were doing amazing work. I was learning web design and constantly improving my own skills, because I wanted to be able to help him more.

Then his therapist retired, and he stopped doing the work to be better.

Then he put my wife and I in an incredibly uncomfortable living situation with my sister and her husband that mostly entailed her being entitled to everything, and when we'd put boundaries in place she'd just lose her shit. Then dad would step in, say something like "Don't make me choose between my kids" and fuck off like that would fix a damn thing when she was breaking the lease, up to and including bringing her then boyfriend in without even asking us if he could move in.

Then when we left that situation, he said he couldn't afford to pay Seattle wages.

So I left the company (under the impression that I had been let go), and I lived off savings for a few months after we got here. I scrounged for work, and had recruiters telling me I was worth way more than I was looking for, but that they couldn't find me work that paid the figures they were telling me I deserved.

It took awhile for us to even get things sorted here. We'd moved across the state to escape from my sister, and so that my wife could finally go to college. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find a job that fit me. I worked for a temp agency for a bit, did a job for a big company answering emails. I figured it'd be fine, it's just emails. Turns out the customer service culture at the company was something along the lines of "All of our customers are literally the worst, we wish they'd just go away, but also we have to pay attention to super fine details when doing our emails so..."

I lasted ten days. Then I asked for my job back with Dad. Things have been better between us since he no longer owns our home or our car. But the condescension is still there. The frustration when I don't get topics he sees as simple.

He may have meant the apology, but a lot of the behaviour didn't change.

It makes me wonder what it would be like, if it started snowing in hell and I convinced the man to take up the mantle of Warrior of Light with me. Would he even let me tank for him? Or would he just run ahead and get mad when he died? Would he make fun of me for playing cross-gender? (Slicks M'Harbeck is the coolest, fucking fight me.) Or would he let me take the center stage and just let me help him for once?

I dunno.

I often say I love my dad, but I wouldn't wish him on anyone. None of my friends like him. My wife doesn't like him. But I love him. I know who he is, how he can be. He raised me, after all. It's hard to care for him because of his judgmental perspective, the way he was raised, all of it. I know some of his trauma, and it's not like I blame him for it.

But if I can be better, why can't he?

And stay that way?

I miss my dad.

Update: Just finished the first episode. I spent the entire time crying. I'm so incredibly jealous of the relationship that Akio and Hirotaro had. And so happy they could have it.

#ff14 #dad of light #netflix series #yoshi p #dad

[diana-fortyseven]

Hitman Freelancer - From CTT to Launch

Link to IOI's new Freelancer blogpost.

Read my thoughts and opinions on the changes under the cut.

This should be interesting, since I was one of the lucky people who got to participate in the Closed Technical Test. 😀

MERCES ECONOMY To improve the immersion around the economy, we changed the Merces amounts to seem more valuable by adding two zeroes to all values (Example 5M is now 500M).

YES! I appreciate that a lot. Seems like a minor thing, but it really felt cheap to kill someone for the low low price of 5M.

PRESTIGE OBJECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND QUALITY OF LIFE Freelancer has a help section called Field Manuals in the Intel menu page. Here, you can find a description of the available Prestige Objectives and the specific rules for completing them. This information is quite hidden, so we have dedicated a wall setpiece to show that information up front, so that the players can plan ahead. We also added an option to reselect the chosen Prestige Objective, so that it’s possible to change your mind when considering the choices between objectives, locations and gear in the planning phase in the safehouse.

I appreciate both of these changes! Some Prestige Objectives weren't really self-explanatory, and I have to admit that I didn't know about their description in the Field Manual section. 😂

Super happy about the chance to reselect Prestige Objectives now!

PERSISTENT ITEM VERSIONS OF SELECT FREELANCER TOOLS We have chosen to stick to our design around the rules for losing Freelancer Tools. To alleviate the frustration that some players feel around losing their favorite gear in the Freelancer Tool category, we have made new versions of these tools that are known as ‘Collectors Editions’ that can be purchased and stored persistently on gear walls. To phrase this in a different way, a player can choose to buy a rare lockpick that will not be lost on Campaign fail, for instance. We also added some UI-tags on the Freelancer Tool items so that a player can always see if an item will be lost on a mission or is bound to a campaign.

Okay, this is amazing! There were items I never took on missions with me for fear of losing them, so I greatly appreciate this change. Thank you for listening to our whining, IOI. We love you.

BASE PAYOUT We have added a ‘base payout’ that the player will earn for completing the mission. This means that players can earn money even without doing the optional payout objectives or prestige objectives. This makes earning money a little bit easier, helping less experienced players slightly. The base amount is higher for Showdown missions, which addresses an issue we saw in the metrics from the CTT, where players would earn less money in average on Showdown missions.

This is a good change! It felt a bit odd to give the client a freebie when we couldn't complete any of the optional objectives for a mission.

For anyone who doesn't know what I mean: Some objectives are tied to using specific weapons that you may not own (and may not able to afford yet), and some objectives were impossible to complete because they were contradicting other objectives.

COMPLETING CAMPAIGNS We added a large Merces payout for players that manage to complete a campaign, to celebrate this effort more. We also made the Reward Crate item drops follow the difficulty in a more reliable way, so that the gear that is earned matches the accomplishment in a better way.

This is appreciated! It won't matter later in the game mode, when we have enough money to buy whatever we want, but I think it'll make a big difference in earlier stages.

I also really like that Reward Crates drop items that match our achievement.

(When I completed my first full campaign in the CTT, Diana gave me a circumcision knife as a reward lol)

PAYOUT AND PRESTIGE OBJECTIVE BALANCING We found that some objectives were a bit skewed regarding reward and difficulty, so we balanced payout values based on success and popularity metrics.

Another good change! The Prestige Objectives pay really well, but the payout was always roughly the same, which felt odd. Some Prestige Objectives are easy, others are fucking impossible lol.

UNDERGROUND LOOKOUTS In the CTT, we saw a lot of frustration from players failing showdown missions (and thereby Campaigns) by being spotted by Underground Lookouts in ways that felt unfair. To improve this, we introduced a grace-period so that a suspicious lookout can be dealt with before the suspect network is alerted to escape. We also made lookouts telegraph this with animation, to make it more visible which NPC is a Lookout, when suspicious. Lookouts are still a pretty hardcore addition to be respected. Also, lookouts can still be alerted from distance (for example using a well-placed bullet impact distraction or deliberately positioned body) to support that the player can trigger an escape-scenario deliberately for a sniper strategy or similar.

Oh god yes! Thank you!! These instant evacuations were a pain lol!

I generally really like the idea of having lookouts to be wary of, though. They really added a nice complication to the game, and I'm happy to see they were tweaked to be more forgiving and less unfair.

SUSPECT EXPLOIT The Closed Technical Test helped uncover some exploits around suspects in Showdown missions. Now it is no longer possible to use body containers to verify if a suspect is the target. We also added a Merces punishment for eliminating a suspect that isn’t the target to disincentivize the strategy of killing all suspects indiscriminately, thereby bypassing the investigation gameplay of the Showdown missions.

Aw fuck, there goes my strategy lol.

Damn. Understandable, but... Some of the suspects "tells" weren't really telling, and it was at times impossible to identify the target by observing them.

COLLATERAL We added a small Merces punishment for killing innocent civilian NPCs. A big fun factor in Freelancer is that it loosens up the stances on preferred gameplay styles that the main game has cultivated and lets players try more aggressive play styles, for example, without punishing or pointing fingers at alternative approaches. We didn’t want to change this, but still wanted to have the game mechanics encourage killing targets over civilians.

I'm happy with this.

NUMBER OF SUSPECTS The number of suspects were found to be too overwhelming on higher difficulties, so these have been scaled down a bit.

Another good change! The later Showdowns were incredibly tedious due to the sheer number of suspects to observe! (One of the reasons why I started using the body container exploit.)

INCREASED VALUE FOR ON-MISSION STASHES The stashes that are found on location have been tweaked so that they contain more valuable gear. To balance this out, there are now fewer stashes but our hope is that they’re worth exploring for.

Thank you! God, it was frustrating sometimes to make your way to a stash, just to find a rusty nail, a fish, and a fire extinguisher... for the millionth time. 😂

GEAR PROPERTIES We balanced some prices and gear capacities for specific items based on metrics and player feedback.

Oh! I was hoping they'd do that... But I also hope this doesn't mean they increased the gear capacity for the lockpick, which was a thing people brought up a lot for whatever reason. (The reason was that a lockpick is more valuable on a mission than a crowbar, and therefore should come with a higher gear capacity to balance that out.)

CHALLENGE BALANCING We got feedback that some of our values for the challenges were ridiculously high and would frustrate completionists too much, so we lowered these to feel more reasonable (while still providing aspirational goals to shoot for).

THANK YOU!

TWEAKS ON TEXTS We received feedback on some of the in-game text that wasn’t formulated as clearly as it could be, especially around objectives. We’ve made some revisions to address that.

Oh right, some were really confusing. Glad to see they took that feedback.

ALT+F4 EXPLOITS The test revealed a number of ALT+F4 exploits similar to what we know from Elusive Targets. We investigated removing these but they can’t be separated from when the game is exited during a power-outage or crash. With the roguelite consequences in Freelancer we decided to favor players that are unlucky enough to experience this.

As someone whose game crashed during her first showdown, I'm happy to see that they won't punish players for experiencing this.

I'm sure it won't happen when I'm playing on my PS5, because I very rarely experience crashes during normal gameplay, buuut... it's good to know that I have a way out if I got unfairly spotted through a wall or something. Hehe.

And that's all, folks!

What are your thoughts?

#Hitman #Hitman World of Assassination #Hitman Freelancer

[angeliana2023]

Author's note: Hello, dreamers! This chapter will be about Lily's 8th birthday, and also her learning about her first ever mission in the multiverse! she will also find out the truth about Megan. Starting next chapter, there will be another mission every chapter, or every few chapters, leading up until the end of the year, with the ultimate mission. During my monsters inc phase, I had a dream about a hotel, but instead of the doors going to the human world, they went to different places in the multiverse, so If I wanted to travel to any different movie, I could just find the door! I think I had that dream from watching monsters inc too much back then! So anyway, enjoy! P.S I wanted to write Corrin from Fire Emblem into the story, but I didn't know which to choose, so I decided to make male and female Corrin twins, and call the male version Corrin, but call the female version Cadenza, which is what I used when I played the game. Fun fact: Cadenza is modeled after the first OC I ever made when I was young, but is a more improved version.

Characters introduced (Or mentioned)

Alice (Alice in Wonderland)

Lilith (Fire Emblem Fates)

Corrin (Fire Emblem Fates)

Cadenza (Fire Emblem Fates)

Disclaimer! Any of the characters, ideas, locations, or stories that aren't my OCs or part of my personal ideas aren't mine and I do not claim to own them.

Early July 2012

Chapter 3: Lily Finds Out the Truth

The day had finally come for princess Lily's 8th birthday. Aurora was more anxious than ever, and Rosie was helping Lily prepare for her big day. "Lily, this day is very special for you! I'm very excited to see you turn 8 years old!" Rosie said as she helped Lily do her hair.

"Ros, I know this is my birthday, but why are you all so anxious? I'll be happy with anything, even if it's simple." Lily said, wondering why everyone was acting so nervous.

"Lily, you are a very special girl, and we want you to have the best big day ever. We're sorry for acting so nervous." Rosie said.

"I love you guys so much! You guys have loved me so much, and I couldn't ask for anything better. You, mom, and Lucas, even though he isn't here anymore." Lily said, beginning to tear up.

"Honey, I know you miss him very much, and I do too. What happened to Lucas is just the way of life in the multiverse. Villain hurts hero, then the hero hurts villain back. Even though he was a villain and did some bad things in his life, All of us miss him dearly." Rosie said, trying to hold back her tears. "Now let's go downstairs! Everyone's waiting for you, Lily!" Rosie said. Lily, this is going to be the start of the rest of your life. I hope you're ready for this. Rosie thought as she and Lily descended the grand staircase.

"Hello, Lily! We've been wondering when you were going to join us!" Alice said. Alice was one of Lily's best friends throughout her days in Haventown.

"I know, Alice! I'm so excited to be turning 8 years old"! Lily said, not knowing what was about to be revealed to her.

"Lily, In a few minutes, I want to tell you something very important that will change your life forever, and will cause you to go down in history." Aurora said.

"OK... I don't really understand, but if it's important to you guys, it's important to me!" Lily said.

Meanwhile, in the darkest areas of the villain district, Dio, Morgana, and Megan were watching Lily from afar...

"Yes, my child, accept the gem from Aurora, and set our plans into motion!" Morgana said, staring at her dark mirror, looking at the lively gathering at the mansion of lucidity.

"Mother, when can I meet Lily?" Megan said, remembering her meeting with Lily a few years prior. Since meeting Lily, she had been having doubts about her mother's rule, and secretly wanted to become Lily's friend, instead of having to fight her.

"Patience, Megan, you will be able to fight her in due time," Dio said.

But I don't want us to fight... I want to be friends with her... Megan thought.

"Megan! I have a gift for you that will help you defeat Lily!" Morgana said, giving the dark half of the gem to Megan.

Meanwhile, back in the mansion... "Ok, everyone, I have an announcement to make!" Aurora said, bringing Lily to the stage. "Lily, you are 8 years old now, and it is time for me to tell you this..." Aurora said, taking a deep breath. "Lily, you are not my daughter. You are my sister, in a way." Aurora said, holding Lily's hands.

"Wait, WHAT? You mean we're actually siblings?" Lily asked, completely taken aback.

"In a way I am, but it's more complicated than that. Your mother had special powers, that were called "daydream powers," and allowed her to create things. She could create anything from buildings, clothing, and even people! She even created this entire town! Her name was Alessandria or Alessia for short, and she was able to create us as her children, with the sole purpose of defeating our evil aunt Morgana, and her dark forces." Aurora said. She then explained everything else, from Alessia and Morgana's childhood to Dio's attack, and Megan's threat. Aurora even told about the prophecy, and the realms of fiction, reality, and Etheria. "Lily, now I will bestow upon you a gift unlike any other, called the ethereal gem, and will grant you half of the power of imagination.

"Morgana gave Megan the other half of the heart, which is the dark version, and which is what you have to take from her to save the multiverse." Aurora said, giving Lily a pink, half- heart necklace.

"You lied to me, Aurora! You've been telling lies all this time! Why didn't you tell me sooner, so I would understand better?" Lily said, with tears in her eyes.

"N-no Lily, it's not like that! We only wanted to protect you from Dio and Megan!" Aurora said. Even though Aurora had only wanted to protect Lily, she was ashamed that she had to hide the truth for so long, and would've told her sooner, if Dio, Morgana, and Megan weren't such a huge threat.

"I-I have to go... I just want to be alone for a while..." Lily said as she began to run away. Aurora, Rosie, and Alice followed close behind.

"Lily, wait, I want to talk to you! I'm sorry I kept this from you for so long, but it was necessary for the safety of ALL of us!" Aurora shouted as she chased after Lily.

She, Rosie, and Alice searched everywhere for Lily, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Great, Lily's missing WITH the gem, Dio and Megan are probably on their way here, AND, it's on the exact same day Alessia and Morgana discovered THEIR powers!" Rosie said, exasperated.

"Ok, Rosie, you go back to the house and gather a search party, and leave some folks there, in case she comes back, and Alice and I will search the town," Aurora said, taking charge of the situation.

"Alice, first we will search the park, since it's Lily's favorite place in the town, and is where she always goes when she's upset," Aurora said, beginning the walk over to the park.

"But what if she's not there? Wait, you don't think she went to the multiverse hotel, do you?" Alice asked.

"That's possible, Alice. If Lily is there then that means Dio and Megan are on their way, also, because that would probably be their first line of duty, to destroy the doorways through the multiverse, so Lily can't use them!" Aurora said, detouring back towards the hotel.

"It's been locked up for years now, awaiting Lily's coming of age, but she wasn't intended to find out like THIS!" Aurora said as they walked farther.

Lily felt hurt and lied to, as she ran through the town, desperately trying to get to her secret sanctuary, the multiverse hotel. She had secretly gone there many times before, and stared at the tall, boarded-up building, wondering why it was there, and why she was forbidden to go there. Lily felt captivated by the building and felt as if it was pulling her toward it as if she had always been meant to be there. Sometimes, she would tell Aurora she was going to the park, but really go to the hotel, and stay for hours on end, laying in the grass while lost in the magical feeling that resonated from the hotel. Lily arrived at the hotel and sat in the grass, and all of her troubles melted away as she stared up at the tall, abandoned, and mysterious building. Why did the others do this to me? Lily thought as she laid in the grass. It's like I'm a different person entirely! I just want everything to go back to normal. Lily thought as she began to hear voices coming from the hotel.

"Oh, I just KNEW this day would come! I knew Lily would rise to power, and all would be well!" The voice said as Lily came closer.

"Calm down, Lilith. I got Aurora's message earlier, and by the content of it, Lily probably doesn't want anything to do with us." The other voice said.

Who are they? What are they doing hanging out inside of an abandoned hotel, and how did they even get in? Lily thought as she began to get scared.

"Corrin, you don't understand! We'll just have to charm her!" The third voice said.

"Cadenza, I know you're very charismatic, but we have to approach Lily carefully about this.

"Ok, the first thing we need to handle is this door!" Lilith said.

"I'll take care of it! By the power of Esperansa, the greatest empire of the multiverse, heed my call!" Cadenza yelled.

Here we go again... Corrin thought, sighing.

Just then, Lily watched the door blast away, revealing a startling sight. Three people, otherworldly in look, stood where the door once was. One was a tall boy, with messy silver hair, wearing silver armor. The second one, the one who blasted away the door, was a girl wearing the same armor as the boy, but with pink hair and violet eyes, wearing the same armor as the boy. The third was a girl with long blue and red hair, with a single braid draped across her shoulder. She wore a blue dress with a white apron, but the most striking detail was the red diamond-shaped gem on her forehead. What is that? It looks... magical, somehow... Lily thought.

"Ok, let's start with the introductions. I am Prince Corrin of Hoshido." Corrin said.

"I'm Lilith, and I'm one of the Prince's best friends," Lilith said, sweetly.

"And I am Princess Cadenza of Nohr, but USED to be the queen of the glorious kingdom of Esperansa!" Cadenza said.

Yep... She's pretty loud... Lily thought.

"Caddie, please calm down a little bit! What part of, "approach her carefully" don't you understand?" Corrin asked, agitated. "Sorry about her. She thinks she was a queen in her past life! Now, as I was about to say, we are here to help you, Lily. We got a message from your mo- er, your sister, Aurora, saying that you probably didn't want anything to do with us, but we've come to help you. Corrin said.

"Wait a minute, who even ARE you guys? How have you lived in an abandoned hotel?" Lily asked.

"Well, allow me to explain. This hotel isn't actually normal. It's kind of like a hub world, and includes doorways to places across the multiverse." Corrin said.

"Wait, what is this 'multiverse'? Lily asked, confused.

"That is a good question, and let me tell you, I have an even better answer. So, Aurora already told you about the realms of fiction, reality, and Etheria. We live in reality, but this entire town was created from one of Alessia's daydreams. Etheria refers to the inside of your mind, and the daydreams that make it. Alessia, Morgana, Aurora, Megan, and Dio are the only ones who can travel physically through their daydreams, and create physical things. Dio can only do it because Megan has the ethereal gem of the nightdreamers, and only creations made from the two sisters themselves can do so without it. You possess the gem of the daydreamers, and can also create to an extent." Corrin explained. "What do you mean, "to an extent?" Lily asked. "It means that both you and Megan's powers are still potent, but you're not all-powerful. To become all-powerful, one of you must get the other gem from the other. Both gems will allow the user to be able to create anything they desire, it will obey every whim, no matter how horrible. To make a long story short, if Megan gets it, it'll mean the end for us all...

"So that's the reason Aurora was so persistent about keeping this stuff a secret from you for so long because she wanted to keep you safe." Corrin said.

"Wait, this is all too much to take in... You mean I'm basically a princess? And the fate of, oh, I don't know, the entire UNIVERSE rests in my hands?" Lily said, shocked out of her mind.

"Yes, and no. The universe IS at stake, but it does not rest on your shoulders alone, Lily. You'll meet many people on your journey, who will help you, just like we're doing right now!" Corrin said.

"That makes me feel better, but... what exactly is the multiverse?" Lily asked.

"Sorry, I have a tendency to diverge from the subject. Fiction is the kingdom controlled by OCs that have become characters. Like, say, for instance, you make a character, and it's in your mind only, and on the internet only. It's an Etherian, but if given time to grow, it can be written into a best selling novel, or made into a famous tv show, movie, or video game. This hotel is called the multiverse hotel and is an endless hub world, with hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of doors through the multiverse. The multiverse is basically an extended universe, including every single fictional character, and is expanding constantly, so is the hotel." Corrin said. "So, will I ever go to the multiverse? It sounds amazing!" Lily said. She had started warming up to her new life, and her new friends.

"You will, Lily because it's what you have to do in order to save this multiverse from the hands of that WRETCHED Dio!

You must travel to different universes throughout the year, on missions to find the essence of Paragon Etheria, which is the kingdom that your mother, Alessia created just for you! Every single place you go to, you basically have to 'live it,' meaning, for example, if the movie Ice Age is picked for the mission, you and your teammates have to go head to head with Megan and HER teammates to live the entire movie, but with a twist. The twist is usually you have to fight the villain, the guardian of the essence in an extended battle, longer than it was in the movie in order to get the essence. The villain keeps the essence, but it is in a weak state, and in order to strengthen it, you have to strengthen your bond with the other characters, because the essence gets its power from family and friendship. Whoever finds more essence at the end of the competition, which will last several years, gets the other half of the gem, and the right to their kingdom their mother created for them. Megan's kingdom is called Dark Etheria, and must NOT be allowed to win." Cadenza said, in a rather, 'royal' tone of voice.

"And there you have it, that's your birthright, Lily," Lilith said.

"Wait, I think I get this now! You were able to live in the boarded-up hotel because you're not actually trapped at all!" Lily said.

Just then, Aurora approached the 4 of them, along with Alice. "Yes, Lily, I heard everything, and this is your future," Aurora said. "I would like to show you exactly how to use the hotel, and how missions are assigned," Aurora said as she beckoned the group through the door. When they were inside, Aurora expelled a golden light from the palm of her hand, instantly lighting up the hotel, and returning it to its former glory. "Now THIS takes me back! I remember the first time I saw this place with Rosie and Lucas, and how I longed to stay." Aurora said. "Now, let me show you our list of missions, which will tell you where you will go," Aurora said. "Since very few characters live here in this town, you will be able to meet many new characters you haven't even heard of before!" Aurora said. "Our first mission will be the movie Monsters Inc. I remember when we still lived in the palace, Alessia threw a gala, and I met James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski, and they were very friendly, so I think you'll get along and make friends with them." Aurora said. She went to the control panel and punched the name in, and waited for the elevator.

"So, this elevator will take us to the floor with the door on it?" Lily said.

"Yes, it will, Lily. This is a wacky but wonderful place and will help you on your journey." Aurora said as the elevator arrived.

The group got into the elevator, and it started climbing up and away, towards Lily's new adventure... "Well, this is our stop. The door is right here and must be opened only by a creation of Alessia, but it won't be me, Lily, it must be you." Aurora said, hugging Lily, with tears in her eyes. I always knew the day would come when we would have to let her go, but I didn't think it would be so hard. Aurora thought. "Wait, you're not coming? I thought you and Alice would come with us!" Lily said, feeling scared about not having Aurora with her.

"Don't worry, Lily. Aurora needs to stay here since she is basically the mayor of this town. As for me, perhaps sometime in the future, you'll have a mission in my realm!" Alice said, excited, but sad.

"I hope so, and I'll miss you all," Lily said as she opened the door. The group stepped through the door, onward to a new adventure...

Author's note: So, I originally wanted the mission to be in this chapter as well, but I wanted this one to be longer, so I could showcase more of Haventown. So, I'll see you next time! Bye!

#fanfic #fanfiction #etheriacadenzauniverse #story #book

[saga-project]

💖

💖- A memory that made them feel special

Okay. Alright. He'd only been tinkering all night in his lab that was still rather spartan, but Saga thought that he'd finally managed to make worthwhile gifts for his brothers, in order to....well. He didn't quite know. Thank them for taking someone as broken as he was in? Give back to them after they'd put so much work into him? Well. Either way. He'd been tinkering and second-guessing and scrapping and rebuilding all day, and now he....he had something. Several somethings, that he was desperately hoping wouldn't be destroyed in front of him or written off as worthless or--

No. His brothers would never do that. Would they? They wouldn't. He....he knew that.

So why was he so nervous?

He'd gathered all of them in the main atrium, saying that he had gifts, and now Saga was just....standing there. Nervously. Twiddling his fingers and trying to remember the sales pitch that he'd come up with for all of them. Come on, pull it together. Sell them on the idea. Convince them of the worth of whatever you made, or it'll be torn to bits in front of you and all that hard work will go completely to waste and you'll have to start all over--

A thick swallow. Clearing his throat. Okay. He could do this. He could surely do a sales pitch without turning into a blubbering mess. "Esteemed brothers of mine, I have been tinkering all night on....thank you gifts, and I believe I finally have passable items. If you will step up--"

Oh, thank god, they were choosing to listen. Good. He pulled the blanket that had been covering all three of the items back, choosing to take their silence and widened eyes as a promising sign in spite of his heart feeling like it was about to thud out of his chest. It was just stunned silence. It didn't mean anything bad, surely. Right? It didn't.

"Raph, I have made a new automated punching bag for you. I noticed the old one was getting a bit worn out, so I hope it is not offensive to offer a replacement. This one will save your stats! Punch strengths and angles and etcetera. It can also, if you wish, offer up potential ways to improve your fight strategies. It's basically a slightly less sophisticated version of a gift I made my friend Leon once....anyway!" He moved to Mikey's next, gesturing. "These are new fairy lights for you, Mikey. The ones in your room were burnt out, so....these run on a renewable energy source of my own design, so you won't have to worry about them going out in the event of a power outage. They can also be programmed to change different colors, so you can use them as a kind of signal to the rest of us as to whether you want to be disturbed or not. I can offer pointers."

"Leo--" Only the gift he had been feeling the most nervous about. "Your, uh. Old Jupiter Jim figurine. I noticed it was getting a bit worn out, so I....repainted it. With the specific kind of paint they used, which took forever to track down, thank you very much--anyway. I also made some minor adjustments. Improving the flexibility in the limbs and whatnot. Repairing or replacing the outfit. That sort of thing."

"....so that's where that went. I was looking everywhere for that the other day, dude, I practically tore my room apart--"

Saga winced slightly, averting their gaze. "Uh. Apologies. About that. I wanted it to be a surprise. I guess I really should have asked first, but....uh. I know these are....very simple gifts, they're not my best, if I need to make any adjustments at all or make better versions please feel free to tell me instead of--" Their teeth clamped onto their tongue slightly a moment later, thoughts whirling at a mile a minute. Stop it stop it get it together don't put the idea of destroying your tech in their heads because then they actually will--

"Instead of....what?"

Oh. Leo. Well. They supposed they couldn't hide anything from Leo. "Instead of....uh. Destroying them? In front of me?" Their voice was small. So, so small.

"....they did that to you? When your whole, like, love language thing is giving gifts?"

"W-well, I....I didn't build things according to....I mean. I know there's not an excuse, I just....I don't....they just weren't good enough for them, I....guess. S-so if you don't want them, j-just let me make adjustments. Go back to the drawing board. Y-you don't have to destroy them. Is all. That gets rid of all my hard work. Mmm. It does. So-" They wrung their hands together nervously, looking away. They were spiraling again. They knew they were. They should have tried to calm themselves down, but they couldn't, they couldn't manage to, all they could do was stand there and....

"Don, why would we destroy these? Or say they're not good enough? These are great!"

He sniffed, slightly. Looked back at Leo again, cocking his head. "I....they are?"

"Yeah! Listen, I know everything I say sounds sarcastic, but I'm being one hundred percent genuine this time. I don't need some fancy gift. A repainted figurine? That's dope. That's, like, extremely thoughtful!" Leo beamed at him, looking down at the figurine with a happy chirp under his breath. "And you found the exact shade of paint that they used? Don, that's better than good. That's amazing."

"Y-you're not just saying that? It's actually good?" He didn't want to get his hopes up, not yet, but his tail was beginning to wag slightly behind him anyway--

"I didn't even know you knew about my fairy lights goin' bad! This is so nice!" Mikey squealed, latching onto him before he could stop it. "You're the best big brother!"

"And you'll hafta show me how the punching bag stuff works, but....Don, no matter what you make us, we're happy to have it, okay? And you really put thought into all of this! I'm proud of ya."

Proud. Proud. They were proud of his gifts and they were good enough and he'd....he'd made them happy, he--

Saga couldn't help it. They pressed a hand to their face, leaning back against the wall, sobs shaking their frame before they could stop themselves. They felt more than saw their brothers approach, huddling around them as a grounding presence while they released the pent-up emotions they'd been holding onto all morning. "You....you okay, Don?"

"Y-yeah. These aren't....these aren't bad tears. I--" They turned their gaze up towards the ceiling as Raph and Mikey huddled into them, with Leo rubbing soft circles into their shell. A soft exhale came huffing from their mouth, corners of their lips upturning into a shaky smile.

"I'm happy. I'm.....I'm so happy."

#rottmnt rp #sep!donnie #roleplay blog #(no replies please!)

[smol-nevi]

I don't generally make this kind of thing a habit, but I think if you happen to be on the Crystal RP Discord, aka @crystal-rp-ffxiv, you should probably be aware of this kind of behavior, so here goes.

If you're on Crystal RP and the admin team decides they don't like you, you're going to be living under a microscope while they wait for you to mess up, if not bait you, probably while making up conspiracies about you as well. As for how I know this, I was a moderator for about a week's duration and saw it first-hand.

Unapologetically lengthy post. Receipts in the link above, long version below the cut.

From the first time I looked in the mod chat I knew something was wrong. I read backwards in the channel, thinking I'd acclimate myself and see what kind of rules precedents had been set and that sort of thing. I mostly just found out that they had it out for a particular member (at the time using the name Jericho) for not much reason. They'd spent a troubling amount of time over the past few months watching him and another member like vultures, believing them to be the same person and waiting for them to make some kind of mistake that would justify banning both of them...despite keeping different schedules, having different personalities and typing habits, and visibly being two different people. The admin team had come to the conclusion that Jericho was a troll who wanted to make them look bad, and anything he said or did was scrutinized to a ridiculous degree for evidence that would corroborate their belief.

Except none of the things they believed at all were true: he'd had a minor argument via DM with the head admin Benjimir Thursby's wife, Tessariel Aerlinn, who had made an overly broad statement about anime and Asian culture. Jericho had told her that overgeneralization about 'Asian culture' is potentially racist, and she became extremely angry, saying that because she's Asian, she can't be racist against Asians. After that, it seemed that Jericho was considered fair game for whatever retaliatory actions the two of them could justify.

Even a cursory glance at actual racism in Asia pokes Tessariel's statement entirely full of holes, and having personally read the conversation I didn't see anything actually inaccurate in his statement even if she believed it didn't apply to her. I asked what he had done that would merit such a response, because it felt very disproportionate to anything I'd ever seen him do publicly, and that was what I was told. The exchange via DMs had been screencapped and kept in a channel for evidence, and while I didn't get a copy of it, I did read it, and I said that I thought it sounded awfully one-sided and punitive and would have been much better as an actual conversation. I also expressed that I was concerned how much of the channel had been solely devoted to what was basically a witch hunt, considering that some of the server members had over the course of the past couple of months commented that the admins' behavior towards Jericho seemed biased.

I basically got a pat on the head and told that my opinion was "valued" but wrong. This would happen a lot over the course of the week.

Shit continued to escalate. Their favorite punching bag, who was acutely aware of the grudge by now and probably trying to be nice and discuss something that he thought they could all talk about, brought up some articles that stated that LOTRO might be having a graphical overhaul. This actually ended in him being put into some kind of time-out mute, because "everyone knows those articles are debunked already" despite them still being hosted on reputable games news sites. Back-channel, the admin consensus was that he was in fact trying to bait Benjimir and Tessariel into somehow looking stupid in public, because [paraphrasing] 'he knows how important LOTRO is to them.'

Benjimir in fact went off publicly about how he knows the dev team and they sent him 'personalized swag' for 'being himself' and that everyone should just listen to him because he's right. Someone else made a reasonable request for sources on statements that Benjimir made about the LOTRO improvements not happening, and they immediately became the team's private #2 punching bag.

The whole time I reiterated that this was really uncomfortable and I had serious concerns about the way they were handling Jericho. And as always I received a pat on the head and was told to not worry about it, there were really good reasons for it, really. He was 'bringing down the quality of discourse' on the server somehow. Benjimir decided that the only way he would unmute Jericho is if Jericho talked directly to him, and that Jericho tried to talk to any of the more level-headed members of the team first was taken as obvious evidence that he wanted to evade rules and create problems. I asked when we planned to unmute him, and Tessariel immediately jumped to the conclusion that he had messaged me, which wasn't incorrect but the way she worded it felt highly accusatory and I was beginning to feel that I was also in trouble somehow for not agreeing with the rest of the team.

Things came to a head quickly when I woke up and looked at the mod chat and they were having an animated conversation that started with Benjimir asking if it was 'bad that he was laughing at Jericho' and most of the rest of the team talking about how he was stupid, uninformed, a troll, etc. for the sin of having some misgivings about cryptocurrency, of all the things. One of the mods self-described their behavior as bullying. I said that this was extremely unprofessional and that I thought they should keep conversation to actual moderation matters, and if they had a personal disagreement with a server member they should handle it in a personal venue, not via official server moderation channels.

I was, for the final time, patted on the head, and told that this was not something they would consider, because the moderation team 'needs to be able to vent for their mental health' (never mind that the job was not stressful except for the rest of the team committing worse behavior than the server members) and that maybe I was in fact too sensitive for the job. Benjimir heavily implied that I had become too close to Jericho and was being manipulated, managed to misgender me somehow despite my having used solely male or neutral pronouns the entire time I'd been on the server, and after relating a story in which a couple of years ago a well-liked moderator left after having the same complaints as I did (which he saw nothing at all troubling about), suggested that I should be demoted to babysitting the lore channel.

So I took some time to collect receipts, which are linked at the top of the post, and told him where to shove it.

Since that time, things have actually somehow gotten worse on Crystal RP. Benjimir posted an entire page screed vaguely talking about "rampant negativity" that stated anyone with questions should DM him.

Upon DMing him with questions, Jericho was banned, the only reason given being that he was a 'poor fit' for the server in some vague way. I was immediately banned afterwards for calling out this decision as being driven by a personal vendetta in the feedback channel and let him know afterwards via DMs in no uncertain terms that I had logged everything I needed and would be building my case (and that he is an asshole). Jericho was reinstated, though I'm not sure what the conditions of his return were as that was after my ban and I didn't ask since I didn't want to stress him out further. Benjimir also reprimanded someone for discussing asexuality, stating in a DM to them that the conversation was somehow ERP related. I called him out on this via DM as well. Tessariel was not much later caught posting my last DMs to Benjimir in an entirely unrelated server, though she didn't include the part after that where I brought up his aphobia (during Pride Month, in a server with a rainbow icon no less). Benjimir for some reason decided to suddenly start following my FC's Tumblr well after our falling-out.

And as of today (6/24), Crystal RP now has seven pages of draconian rules, because it wasn't micromanaged hard enough before or something. Notably, a lot of these rules describe behaviors that they wanted to punish Jericho for but couldn't at the time justify, or that they'd like to punish me for but have nothing they can do to me. Or they exist to justify their own behavior, as now seen in the very beginning of the channel:

"This approach also provides our volunteers with leeway to act in good faith without the burden befitting a professional occupation."

"So we afford them the means to speak openly, vent, lament, candidly and yes, sometimes crassly and raw about everything and one."

Not only did they behave unprofessionally and shit-talk before, they have now encoded in the rules that this is acceptable and even good moderator behavior, because they saw someone else do it so it's fine (a lot of this wording is very similar to what I was told when I protested it). So rather than address anything I ever said past or present, Benjimir is choosing to double down and giving himself and his team explicit permission to be shitty, right in the opening paragraphs where you'd have expected a mission statement or at least some sort of welcome.

Which is about all you need to know about that server and its owners, in my estimation. I'd considered not even posting to Tumblr about it, but given that it's only getting worse, I think it should be generally known that this is how you can expect to potentially be treated.

#FFXIV #FFXIV RP #Crystal Data Center #Crystal RP #Balmung RP #Mateus RP #on one hand it's drama on the other I can and will call a spade a spade or in this case a douchebag a douchebag #this shouldn't be surprising to anyone who knows me even a little

[bearpillowmonster]

Horizon Zero Dawn Review

The game that critics have been raving about for years and I just haven't played. I heard a lot of people say "this needs a movie" but they say that about any game that dares to be a little bit cinematic because I personally disagree.

That first part is rough, the story seems so in your face, predictable and bland but I think the problem is that it didn't know how to put in its exposition. I think it naturally builds up as it goes on, getting bigger and broader, it's just those first experiences that can be a slog because you're pretty much learning what style you're going to play in.

I got more or less everything I expected, crafting, a skill tree, various weapons. What I didn't expect though are dialogue options. You can choose normally up to four paths, an intelligent one, a compassionate one, and a straightforward one. You don't have to worry about the stress of trying to reach a specific ending because there's really only one, the only thing that affects it is the amount of people that are in it. So does that make the choices irrelevant? Yes and no because there are different dialogue options and like I said, which means that you can get certain characters to like you more given the option you choose but not in the same way that relationship points work and I definitely felt the draw to do that whenever I came across my first side-quest.

Side-quests are interesting, I love tracking things in games, though it's rare that you actually get the chance to do it and here you have a good amount of opportunities. Is that all though? Far from it. I actually found myself searching for side-quests because the first two were so satisfying. It really only began to show its hand a bit more after those quests. As I mentioned, there are a lot more RPG elements than I first imagined but it starts to send you on scavenger hunts, especially that Dreamwillow one, that one I actually laughed out loud at every time I was turned away. It also starts to gatekeep to where it recommends that you be a certain level which is...odd? I mean at face value it looks like you could rock basically any combat situation that isn't context sensitive. Leveling up gives you abilities but they're more like Deus Ex on that front, where it's just for preference and upgrading, not necessarily strength. The only thing you improve on offense wise basically boils down to having the right materials or units to buy weapons then a matter of finding modifications. Other than that, leveling up seems to just increase your health. It really just depends on the quest too because I'll play one above my level and be fine then play another that's actually under my level and feel stuck.

Now I only played it on normal mode so something like "Ultra Hard" is bound to be more demanding but as far as actual side quest content, I feel like they have potential but just need tweaked, give me more stuff for major characters that affects their standing with me. Rather than having each quest be contained in its own story, have it affect you later in the game, let your actions be shown, give it rewards and consequences. There are some really great side-quests but there are also some crappy ones, it doesn't pass that threshold that most RPGs fall under or anything. However, I did find myself doing side-quests at my own free will and the ones that I didn't like or couldn't do at the time, I just skipped and focused on something else, I felt a lot more freedom with this game, like I didn't feel forced to grind or do a certain number of side-quests or really do anything. It encourages you to explore and play the way you want to play and I respect the heck out of that. Maybe it's different for other players though.

Perhaps my favorite actual side thing was the Cauldrons for those who actually played this, you'll know why. For those who didn't, just know that it's cool and let it be a surprise for when you go to one. You might expect these big set-pieces and bosses like Uncharted or GoW, but it's not really like that. I genuinely think that this is more video-gamey than it lets on which certainly takes up its runtime. One addition to side-quests that I would like to see is one where you don't know it's happening. For example, in this game, you'll come across random hunters who are attacking or being attacked by machines but rather than just going on about your day and them going on about their's, I want to fight off the machine and the person say "You saved my life, my name's Jara, I live in the town nearby and want to repay you." so you go there and there's trouble so it starts up a side-quest. Now don't get me wrong, there are PLENTY of instances of people getting attacked actually being a mission but most of the time someone in town will just tell you "I haven't seen this person in a while, can you go check on them for me?" It's the art of subtlety and also just doing a good deed and getting rewarded for it. It's a conscious choice and split decision rather than just another checkmark on your list to complete.

Now I won't bother listing the characters and rating them but there's a certain aspect that has me really enthused So, Aloy is an outcast and a lot of these side missions and scenarios reflect her, you'll see the way she can relate with other characters, making it almost poetic in a subliminal kind of way. Then they add this tribal and futuristic setting to it where Aloy acts as the medium, there are parts of the game where she questions the tribe because they cut themselves off from technology and just don't know any better and we as a viewer know that but having the main character view things in 'our' lens is pretty genius. To top that off, they give her enough personality to be her own character while giving us enough power to influence her so that we ourselves can REFLECT WITH HER. It's not her character that I'm impressed with, it's the layout of the story.

So, how is the main story? It's kind of like the Flood scenario in Halo if I'm being honest. I'm not going to spoil anything but it's passable, like I said, it's not like an Uncharted and it's not like a movie. The visuals just look good at times (I took all the pictures in this review myself and so much more!). I'd call it a futuristic/tribal mix between Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Skyrim but I see elements of a lot of things. (Also since it's post apoctalypic, you find items that we see in modern day, like how they call keys, "chimes"! They think they're windchimes because there are no more cars! I love that!)

It actually does a pretty good job at being an open world considering that there are tons of things to do on your routes as well as collect but it's not so much so that it seems unfeasible, as I said, I found myself doing a good chunk of the side stuff just because it was fun to do and I'm not even close to a completionist for any game. If you mess up, healing plants will still be there. As long as you save, enemy parts will still be there. A place can be cleared out and conquered so that enemies don't come back. The actual towns are peaceful so you can't get mangled by any bots outside of scripted instances.

The graphics are pretty good but I can see some error here and there, nothing necessarily game breaking but the animations and AI are definitely janky at times. It's pretty obvious from the get-go but I'll do my best to specify and give constructive criticism on what I found wrong with certain aspects of the game. Rost is slow, like slower than walking speed but that's not to speak for all NPCs, some run, some you don't need to follow, it was really just him. I've had NPCs who fight but miss every single time on simple enemies (that might not be a bug, that might just be a funny bit that someone decided to add in). Sabretooths have jumped through walls (granted the walls were kinda broken but I'm not sure if those big boys can fit when they can barely find the entrance) I found myself jumping to a ledge or on a rope but not land it and just drop (it really boils down to loosening the hit box for that). Which to add on to that, I would like more places to climb and jump to in general (other than stupid mountains). I felt like there wasn't really enough that I could climb and the places that I could, could've been a bit more obvious that I could, maybe even make it viewable with your focus if you don't want it to be visually outstanding. There's a day and night cycle and while I like that, I found some of the contrast to be annoying because I could be staring a ladder right in the face and not even know it sometimes because it would be so dark. I'm not going to complain too much about it because I didn't turn my brightness up, I just left it at default and I would assume the PS5 version fixes some of those little things.

Now, this one is kind of a gray area: Hiking up mountains. Skyrim, Fallout, and Death Stranding went too far and gave little to no barriers. They had you looking for sweet spots that weren't there in order to cheese your way through an area either on or off a beaten path. But I would compare this to something like GTA where it's not as bad and does have its limits but might need tightened up some more because I can certainly get to places that lead to nowhere.

I've made headshots that don't make contact or damage while using precision. Part of that problem was that they could be high up in a tower (which have spikes sticking out) and I would hit ABOVE the logs, to make a headshot but since it was in that vicinity, it registered that as the spikes' hitbox so it wouldn't cause any damage and just alert the enemy (same if I was in the tower, looking down). Input lag where I hit up button on the D-Pad to regain health and I have to keep pressing it. If I had to guess, you have to meet the requirements of not taking damage, staying still, etc in order for it to actually work but it doesn't really have a reason to do that and it doesn't "tell" you that those are the requirements (as far as I know).

During the final boss, one of the enemies hit me into a rock wall, trapping me inside of it and the boss was already half health so I really didn't want to have to restart (I also didn't know how far back the checkpoint was) so I kept shooting stuff and eventually the boss destroyed the wall, allowing me to get out (timed section, by the way). There have been a few times where a tree or leaf or something is obstructing a cutscene and sometimes there will be a mech in the background screaming over the NPC talking, which I'm sure is due to the cutscenes being real-time which is still pretty impressive. Now are these errors all the time? No, not at all, I'm just pointing out that some times these things happened and that I felt it needed ironed out but I wouldn't call this half baked or an unfinished product or anything, it's nowhere near that level. I get that there are so many NPCs that it's hard to account for them all with facial animations but whenever they're talking, it seems pretty static and sometimes the lips don't line up. There's this one guy who says that he got lost in a sandstorm but he's standing in snow. Again, little nitpicks in an otherwise great game.

Now, I got this game for free as a Playstation promotion but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be great, I played a little bit of that Ratchet & Clank reboot that was offered and I wasn't impressed, I quit after the first few worlds and was glad I didn't buy it at launch, (despite being a classic PS2 R&C fan) but we're not here to review that. I also played Abzu and loved it but it was short so it was definitely worth a play but maybe not 60$ (I actually think it's 20$ at this point though). With this game, it's the whole complete edition with DLC and everything, it has the length, so it really just boils down to "Would I have spent money on it otherwise?"

I think I would've if I knew more about it because I think it just got better and better after that first part of the game. It's marketed a bit differently than what I ended up getting but I found myself pouring hours into this game and loving it for one reason or another. I actually bought Shadow of the Colossus along with it (which is considered a cult classic) but I liked Horizon so much better, definitely worth its full price in my opinion. (So your promotion worked on me Sony, congrats) It has its problems but the potential is there and I feel like a sequel would probably iron out a lot of my troubles with it, so it's definitely a franchise worth investing into.

If you're interested in what I thought of the DLC alone (if you didn't get the Ultimate edition and are wondering if the extra content is worth it) I have a separate post that goes into that here.

#hzd #horizon zero dawn #review #game #4/5

[creativejourneysbct]

Studio 1 Final Project - Week 2

Today we were formally introduced to the concept of lo-fi (low fidelity) prototyping in our studio class. We were taught about the importance of rapidly creating multiple, quick and simple prototypes of what we eventually want to create to check that we are on the right path and inform our decision-making process.

We were also introduced to the idea of effectual reasoning in our ICT class, which essentially boils down to using what's available to create your solution. Thus, we focused on creating our low-fi prototypes with what was available to us in the studio.

Fortunately, this is a method we already touched upon last week when we created our first fidget toy prototypes, so we used today's session to build on that and make some more prototypes using different low-fi materials.

We had also ordered two identical fidget toys online which we had on hand to draw inspiration from and see which elements we could improve upon.

The first thing that became evident from playing with the purchased fidget toys was their lack of durability. It didn't take long for them to start falling apart from basic fidgeting. This is something we touched on in theory last week - how toys like these can break easily and contribute to waste. So, our goal still appears worthwhile - to reverse that cycle by creating more durable versions from waste, instead of contributing to it.

We then cut out some cardboard to construct a low-fi prototype of a possible alternative fidget size and shape.

We wanted to test a slightly larger size than our previous prototypes and the store-bought fidget toy, but it became apparent that for something that angular, the size was too big for most hands.

We used a ruler to compare the new size with the store-bought fidgets and our previous prototypes, and discovered that we coincidently created all our initial prototypes to be a similar size as the store-bought product.

This was just a coincidence, but it's telling that we enjoyed using our first prototypes more, and the industry also created a fidget toy that size for the market, so it's a good indicator that our final fidget toys should be roughly a similar size to those.

Next, we thought about possible ways to help differentiate our product from the rest.

We went through a variety of ideas such as;

Making it produce sounds like a musical instrument. We decided against this in the end as we were deviating too far from the initial goal of fidgeting

Getting the user to move their whole body in an exercise manner while otherwise sitting down for long periods. Again, this felt a bit far-fetched and we couldn't think of an intuitive way to implement it.

Making our fidget toys into characters that people could choose from for added variety and uniqueness. For example, one may be called "Metal Man" and the other "Glass Guy" or "Paper Boy" and that fidget toy would come with a pamphlet (or another interactive medium) that educates the user about the fidget toys specific recycling material. This idea does narrow the age demographic down to younger children, but the educational part about spreading recycling awareness is something that we do want to incorporate in the final product, so we plan to hopefully implement this in the end.

I drew some rough, simplistic sketches of potential "characters" or fidget toy models that we could use for the final lineup. We decided on having three final fidget toys, each with its own functionality and recycling material focus.

We then used some playdough and tinfoil to make some more lo-fi prototypes of potential designs. We decided that, after experimenting with the angular cardboard prototype, that the rounded corners help make for a much more ergonomic fidgeting experience, so we made all of our next prototypes rounded and oval.

We also didn't like the convex shape of the store-bought fidget toy, so made an indent in the blue one as that felt better for the thumb to slide over.

We also used some leftover orange thread that we found to construct a lo-fi handle that we could use. Last week we tried knitting one from old plastic but this felt a lot sturdier so could be a reasonable alternative.

Overall, today was a useful extension of what we started last week. It was nice to see that we were already doing some of the creative strategies, and now we know the name for it - low-fi.

We had some doubts about whether or not what we were doing is enough, but after talking to some teachers we were reassured that we don't necessarily have to recreate the "wheel", but we can change how the wheel is made. So, in our case, we don't have to think of a completely new fidget method, but we can do a good job coming up with a better type of fidget spinner that's eco-friendly and helps educate people on the importance of recycling. It's all about promoting that circular economy model discussed last week.

Another key takeaway from today was incorporating the mental process of "effectual reasoning" which was introduced in our into to creative technologies class. Using this mindset, we were able to think of prototype solutions that made use of the items we had available to us, as opposed to thinking up unattainable ideas.

Going forward, we have planned to meet up next week before the studio class to use the 3D printing labs and create some hi-fi (high fidelity) prototypes to take this to the next level.

#ctec501

[armageddon-generation]

Improving Crimes of Grindlewald

Just watched this movie again, and I’m not touching the representational/ethical issues, but here are some ways to streamline the movie.

(some small changes to the first movie, since this is already fantasy)

Newt comes to New York because he suspects Obscurus activity, and wants to make up for not saving the one he keeps in his case as a reminder. This connects Newt emotionally to Credence and his B plot

Make the locations more magical - Central Park Zoo is cool but give it a Wizarding dimension: A museum with magic exhibits about how 'dangerous' Magical Beasts are, and MACUSA hunting many to extinction. Newt and his beasts 'accidentally' destroy this misinformation. There's a War Memorial hidden in the Park like the one for the Potters in Godric's Hollow. Newt and Jacob bond over their experiences.

Instead of the beast in that random building, have one go to Coney Island. A magical old-timey Fairground is the perfect setting for a Beast chase.

The shit ‘Graves was Grindlewald’ twist didn’t happen, he’s just a follower. Use him to build up Grindlewald's appearance in this movie

Establish Credence could be a Lestrange (MACUSA found adoption records when covering up the death of Mrs Barebone - President Piquery mentions to Newt "I believe you're familiar with the Lestrange family") to set up the twist in this movie

Newt helps set Queenie and Jacob back up at the end, including restoring his memory - it's consistent with Newt’s disregard for both authority and segregation

Opening and Prison sequence

Start with a montage (newspaper headlines and moving photos, like in the first movie) of MACUSA cracking down on Wizard/muggle segregation and escalating tensions as they grow more paranoid about Grindlewald - establishing the theme of the Ministry being their own worst enemy

We see Queenie and Jacob - trying to live happily in secret - get busted, arrested and separated. This is scary, aggressive.

Queenie tries to protect Jacob (a frightening Jean Grey - style attack with her Legilimensy, to establish how far she'll go for him) but she’s outnumbered, and the fan-favourite character from the last movie is knocked out and wrestled away.

A terrified Queenie is transported to the American wizard prison for processing as a criminal, where Percival Graves is awaiting transfer to trial. He and Queenie make eye-contact as he passes

Highlight MACUSA treating Queenie as a dangerous freak because of her Legilimensy

Grindlewald breaks into the prison and frees Graves. This is our first time meeting him and he subverts expectations; charming and benevolent  to his follower where Voldemort was abusive.

Grindlewald and Graves save Queenie and set the other wizards being processed for No-Maj fraternisation free

This sets up Queenie’s conflict of wanting marriage equality without turning her into an unstable psychopath - she has no home, no job, and can’t turn to Tina because as an auror, technically Tina should arrest Queenie

Grindlewald’s Followers

Graves replaces that random woman as Grindlewald’s right-hand. There is one corrupt auror 

This auror leads the attack and arrest of Queenie in the opening sequence, but it isn’t revealed he’s working for Grindlewald until later

 Then he is one of the aurors the Ministry sends to hunt down Credence, with Theseus Scamander.

Gindlewald’s agent kills the House-elf when the aurors confront Credence. Then, at the end when the agent betrays the aurors and tries to join Grindlewald, Grindlewald kills him to show both Queenie and Credence he’s on their side. Thus Grindlewald gets to be rutheless like in the original, but he’s also a master manipulator

This way we roll 3 characters into 1 (the American who helps Grindlewald escape, the English guy who kills the House-elf, and the follower Grindlewald kills)

Ministry scenes (+ Dumbledore)

Same scene with the Ministry trying to recruit Newt to kill Credence, only this time they turn to Theseus after he refuses - putting Theseus in direct conflict with Newt

Dumbledore scene without the safehouse, have him recite the poem that he only namedrops in the original, to give the audience more context clues for later.

Include the conversation cut from the original where he explains why he sent Newt to New York - to help Credence - and establish Newt and Credence as Dumbledore and Grindlewald’s respective champions. Kindness vs Raw Power

Cut the sequence at Newt’s house and save the creature stuff for the circus

Theseus

Include the deleted scene of he and Leta at the party to establish their relationship - except instead of the floating baby (already in the Boggart scene) the pure bloods try to persuade Leta to join Grindlewald, creating ambiguity in her morality that will be resolved in the finale

Expand Theseus' character by touching on his PTSD. The Ministry pick him because he's a "war hero", but Theseus is clearly uncomfortable with that title - "I was just a soldier, Sir. And this is meant to be peace time."

When Theseus confronts Newt about choosing a side, have him draw on their respective experiences in WW1 - "While you were down the line playing with your dragons some of us had to stand and fight."

This is why Theseus doesn't want to provoke Grindlewald's followers - he can't face another war, or the peace he fought for breaking down

Much as I hate the idea of Grindlewald stopping WW2, framing Theseus' character this way means the rally and prospect of another War has a big emotional impact on him

Credence attacking the aurors after the House-Elf's death triggers a PTSD flashback - as he heads back to the Ministry we see a flash of wizarding WW1, dragons etc

Centre the Plot Around the Circus - Getting the Characters Together

Tina has tracked Credence down to the Magical Circus moving through France. She wants to protect him (like she did in the last movie) from the aurors trying to kill him

She contacts Newt; he’d be perfect for this situation because

the circus is full of magical beasts

Credence has befriended a Maledictus, whom Newt would know about because of their close connection to beasts

Newt knows  and cares for Credence

This allows us to naturally incorporate more fantastic beasts into our Fantastic Beasts movie; Newt gets hired as the circus’ beast master (the ring master thinks his name will draw in a crowd) 

It also gives Newt a concrete reason to be there without being the ‘chosen one’ of the story - he just wants to make up for letting Credence down last time

It also cuts the stupid ‘Tina read gossip in a magazine and now she won’t talk to Newt’ subplot, and all the time wasted looking for her

Use this portion of the movie - travelling across France to Paris in the circus - to build the dynamic between Newt, Tina, Credence and Nagini, so we care about them.

Nagini (recast as a different ethnicity) uses her experience living with a curse to teach Credence how to control his Obscurus, creating a sense of responsibility for him

Newt talks to Nagini about her condition: Explore the emotional toll of being a Maledictus - Newt is initially weirdly jealous of the idea of turning into a beast, which Nagini finds funny

Insert the ‘creature caring’ sequence from Newt’s house here - the characters bond through the creatures.

Parallel the burgeoning romance between Credence and Nagini with the awkwardness of Newtina

Credence explains he survived because Grindlewald saved a part of his Obscurus while MACUSA was attacking, and released it just before he was captured. Credence then spent months stuck in that form, rebuilding himself, which also helped him control his Obscurus

This immediately puts Credence in Grindlewald's debt: he was able to save him when Newt couldn't

Insert the Hogwarts scenes and flashback here. Leta mentions her father in the present and past - e.g. when she and Newt talk about going home (CUT MCGONAGALL!) to better set up her story at the end

Paris

We arrive in Paris. Leta’s brother Yusuf attacks the performance and Credence stages his escape against Newt and Tina’s wishes.

The beast escapes as in the movie

The group gets split up - Credence and Nagini, Newt and Tina

Newt, and Tina chase Yusuf into Paris’ sewers, where they get pinned in a firefight. Newt attracts an urban water demon (the kappa from the circus?) that incapacitates Yusuf.

Tina interrogates Yusuf. He explains his version of events - Credence is Corvus Lestrange. Now we don’t get two twists straight after each other at the end

The escaped circus beast causing chaos outside distracts them enough for Yusuf to disapparate. They catch the beast as in the movie

Cut Nicholas Flamel - he’s gratuitous fan-service adding little to the plot

Grindlewald

Present Grindlewald to the audience as the characters see him - charming, personable, the exact opposite of Voldemort

This means no baby-killing 

Make him look normal but attractive (Depp looks inhuman and off-putting, a poor-man’s Voldemort)

Forget the albino hedgehog, we need to believe this man could charm the pants off Albus Dumbledore

Queenie uses her Legilimency to probe his mind.

He uses Oclumency, and we see a battle of the minds wage in the background as they talk. 

Grindlewald lets her in to selective thoughts - namely his beliefs about marriage equality and his wholehearted ‘belief’ in them

He also reveals to her his relationship with Dumbledore, as a way to convince her he’s doing the right thing - “Dumbledore wasn’t willing to fight for what was right, but he still agrees with me” and that he can relate to her struggle with Jacob

Grindlewald is the first person to praise Queenie’s mental powers and encourage her to embrace her Legilimensy - her whole life she's been Othered and objectified, in the first movie even Tina hid Queenie away

Queenie’s persuasion takes at least a few scenes - every time we see Grindlewald, check in on Queenie’s fall

Especially given the setting between the World Wars, use this as a way to explore how fascism works - the dangerous seductiveness of that mentality manifested through our villain

Cut the scenes with Queenie in the French Ministry/wandering Paris

Finding Credence

Credence and Nagini run free together through Paris (include the scenes cut from the original, including the one where the pheonix chick arrives)

They find the House Elf, but Theseus and the aurors arrive and the attack plays out as previously described

Theseus leading the aurors drives a wedge between Credence and Newt by association in the finale

After Credence escapes the aurors go immediately to the Mnistry to report

A scene of Theseus and Leta supporting each other in the Ministry, while he’s making his report (after his PTSD attack)

Leta: I don't trust them. You've already sacrificed so much for these people and their wars. Just... Let the others die first, alright?

Theseus [laughing]: you're such a Slytherin.

Leta: And you're far too much of a Gryffindor for my liking. It's going to get you killed.

This sets up Leta's sacrafice in the finale.

Newt and Tina now have to find Credence

They know about the House-elf because Credence told them in the circus, so they go to that address to find it destroyed

This is when they travel to the Ministry, to look at the Lestrange records

The corrupt auror with Theseus gets there first and runs with the information both Leta and Newt want

The demon cats attack Tina even though she is Ministry personel because Queenie is considered an associate of Grindlewald - Tina finds out her siater was arrested midway through this action sequence and Leta saves her while she’s distracted

Tina and Leta working together to protect Newt from the demon-cats

Theseus realises what is going on and tries to stop the corrupt auror but he escapes. Theseus then helps Newt, Tina and Leta escape

They release the circus beast as in the movie

Credence and Nagini meet Grindlewald, with Queenie. Grindlewald tells them about the informaton in the Lestrange crypt and lets them be.

Finale

Only Leta has to explain her story, then the rally plays out much the same (which is f*cking problematic but that’s not why I’m here)

No blood pact because it fucks with canon - Dumbledore is just reluctant to fight Grindlewald directly because of their relationship and the Elder Wand. This way Newt has the same frustration as the audience - why didn't you go?

Queenie tries to persuade the others to come with her, and reveals Dumbledore’s relationship with Grindlewald as justification, shaking Newt, but they refuse.

The corrupt auror who killed the house-elf and arrested Jacob is killed for Credence and Queenie’s benefit

Queenie and Credence are disapparated away

Then Grindlewald attacks Theseus’ aurors, but without the fire dragons; his speech was about not hurting anybody, so trying to destroy Paris straight after is stupid. Show Grindlewald's power with a 20:1 duel

Personally I wouldn’t kill Leta because she’s so interesting, but if she does die have it be here, holding Grindlewald off while the others escape (Tina, understanding, pulls Newt away and Newt pulls Theseus).

Leta's sacrafice is what directly inspires Newt choosing his side

When they meet Dumbledore in the last scene Newt is angry and upset about what Queenie told him, and tells Dumbledore his lovers’ quarrel got Leta killed

#crimes of grindelwald #jk rowling #harry potter #newt scamander #newtina #albus dumbledore #gellert grindelwald #jacob kowalski #wizarding world #fantastic beats and where to find them #rewrite #my ideas #theseus x leta #fantastic beats the crimes of grindelwald #queenie goldstein #nagini #credence barebone #leta lestrange #the wizarding world of harry potter

[words-writ-in-starlight]

hey do you want to sell the arthur movie to someone who loved bbc merlin, couldn't stand it after a while, and refused to watch the ending bc the death of camelot always angers me (and makes me cry a bit, usually, if I'm being totally honest, but mostly I get really annoyed) and I avoid it whenever I can?

Well first off, if you got far enough for watching the ending to even be an issue, you lasted longer than me, because...like, listen.  There’s only so far you can push Plot-Mandated Idiocy before I lose my patience with it and I burned out at the end of Season 3 (partway into Season 4?) with Merlin and its Plot-Mandated Idiocy on the part of Arthur and every other living human in Camelot.  I have Some Complaints about that show but the whole magic thing is first on the list.

BUT ANYWAY.

Legend of the Sword is amazing!  It is wonderful!  It is about the rise of Arthur to the throne and therefore does not actually deal with the fall of Camelot at all!

Here are some things that I think are major selling points!

The Premise

So, traditionally, Arthur is smuggled off to be raised as a nobleman’s foster son after the usurpation of Uther’s throne.  In LOTS, it presumes that Uther’s throne is usurped by his brother Vortigern (PSA: Mordred shows up in a wildly nontraditional fashion but like it really worked for me? especially since I hated Mordred in Merlin?), but Arthur’s escape with Ygraine is botched.  Uther and Ygraine are both killed trying to save their son, and Arthur is sent downriver alone as a very young child.  He winds up in Londinium, where he’s saved and raised by a group of prostitutes.  This means that instead of being raised as a foster son of a noble, Arthur grows up mostly on the streets, where he learns to fight and protect His People from Vortigern’s corrupt regime.  A lot of the plot is driven by Arthur’s need to help the women who helped him when he was younger, and that’s ultimately what pushes him out of Just Trying To Get On With It into picking up Excalibur and taking up arms against the usurper king.

Not gonna lie, I was dubious at first?  But like, FUCK, the plot works out phenomenally well, it's creative and gripping and in tune with itself, and all the characters are smart as a whip--which, after the Plot-Mandated Idiocy thing I talked about above, was an incredible relief.  The word ‘chivalry’ is never dropped, but the narrative is driven by this dictate that the strong use their power to defend and help and support or die trying, and that’s my shit.  This movie is King Arthur by way of Robin Hood, which is everything my deepest id could ever have craved.

The Soundtrack

Listen, LOTS is by Guy Ritchie (he of Man From UNCLE and the RDJ Sherlock Holmes movies) so I can tell you a couple things.  First of all, the man knows his way around a goddamn montage, there’s a montage of Arthur growing up and I might actually need a separate post to talk about how magnificently efficient it is--about three minutes of montage gives you all the major points about how Arthur gains all his moral stances and combat/leadership abilities.

More to the point, though, the soundtrack is the most goddamn amazing shit I’ve listened to since maybe Fury Road?  Like, the Wonder Woman theme is magic, of course, but I love the soundtrack of LOTS so much I’m actually just listening to it on loop right now.  It’s all drums and bells and strings and heavy driving beats with just enough of an electronic thread to sound like folk music from a world very much not our own.  This music makes me want to go on a fucking quest, catch me stealing a horse and looking for a fucking dragon to slay.  Here is the main theme, if it doesn’t inspire the desire to go on a heroic quest I just can’t help you.

Arthur’s Character

Right, so, like...here is a controversial statement for you.  I am exhausted by the Hot Edgy Take of Arthur being a jackass.  I’m just.  I’m tired of it.  It hasn’t been Interesting And New for like minimum a thousand years.  I stuck it out in Merlin because...like...I guess I thought Arthur was going to improve?  And he does!  Like, he becomes a reasonably competent king!  But part of the thing that broke me on that show was that he wasn’t exactly Golden Age Of Camelot levels of generous/compassionate/wise.  Largely because of that Plot-Mandated Idiocy thing.  But he’s still kind of an arrogant, self-centered, spoiled asshole.

And I’m fucking sick of that take.

You know what I like?  Arthur who's confident in his abilities because he knows himself and his skills inside-out.  Arthur who has a sense of humor that hides a knife-edge of intelligence.  Arthur who knows that however good he is, the world is a big place and he needs to always strive to be better.  Arthur who would rather die than see someone who trusts him hurt, and who makes that clear.  Arthur who can go from fighting a war to saving a scared kid in a heartbeat.  Arthur who believes in quick and efficient reparations for a wrong done to someone under his care, but who isn’t too hotheaded to make an ally when he has the chance.

I like King Arthur to be clever and kind and ruthless and honorable and good, like, if your Arthur isn’t through and through a good man who knows that the people begging for coins are just as worthy of protection and good treatment as a king in his castle, I don’t want to hear about it.

And my guys.  LOTS delivers.

The Magic

Let me put it to you this way.  That $175mil budget for this movie?  It wasn’t exactly going into hot wings at the local KFC.  The magic is beautiful, and elaborate, and an excellent part of the world.  Nothing is really explained in depth, it’s just “Okay, here’s what’s happening, check the kaiju-sized war elephants and if you’re okay with that you’ll be fine so buckle up.”  And like...hell yeah I’m okay with kaiju-sized war elephants, sign me the fuck up.  I’m a big believer that either you have to explain everything or you have to just call it a flux capacitor and pretend that those words go together in the English language and hope that your audience catches up.  LOTS does a great job with their flux capacitor.  The Mage never explains what she’s doing or talks about how things work, she just sets up shop with some herbs and an asp and a really excellent cloak and starts getting shit done.

Excalibur is also really fantastic (like, listen, your magic sword should do some magic shit when wielded by its destined master) and they deal with something I’ve never actually seen before, which is the idea that it’s not the stone that’s enchanted but rather Excalibur itself.  So you could theoretically stick Excalibur into a reasonably large tree stump and the stump would petrify and only a Pendragon would be able to draw it.  And it’s cool as shit.  I was so disappointed with how little Excalibur appeared in Merlin (Plot-Mandated Idiocy strikes again I guess), so having a version of the Arthur story where the sword is fucking awesome made me very happy.

(Addendum: listen.  LISTEN.  I recognize that the council has made a decision about the Mage being Guinevere but the Mage is obviously Merlin.  Like.  Obviously.  She helped Uther woo Ygraine and forged Excalibur and knew the Lady of the Lake of old and now she has a king who’s not a king, a king who grew up in a brothel, and she’s exhausted by everything Arthur chooses to be, but...he’ll do.)

The Vibe

King Arthur should feel like King Arthur.  It should feel vaguely otherworldly.  It should boil over with magic.  It should have knights errant and loyal companions and clever courtiers.  It should have terrible wickedness and stubborn light and people who die for both.  It should have an Arthur whose knights love him, and who loves his people, and who never makes enemies when he can make friends.

And Legend of the Sword feels like King Arthur.

#legend of the sword #king arthur #arthuriana #y'all i'm very serious about this movie #movie rec #like listen all movies have problems and this one is no exception but FAR AND AWAY this is my favorite visual adaptation of arthur #honestly this doesn't even cover all my reasons that you should watch this movie but it's a start #relatedly i like the idea that MAGGIE is guinevere #i'm SUPER serious about that #i'll tell you all about it if you want to hear it but yeah no listen #the movie apparently did not do well enough to get a sequel and as such i am within my rights to Do What I Want #and what i want is the mage to be merlin #god i want to write fic for this but i have no idea what i want to write #oh and fair warning there are EXACTLY 52 english language fics on ao3 for this movie so sorry about that #i read most of them this week #some of them are pretty killer one has the mage as nimue instead of merlin and i have Some Questions but it was well executed so whatever #oh and the lady of the lake appears in this movie and she's AMAZING #i love her #i want to jump into the lake of avalon and have her carry me away in the billows of her dress #BUT YEAH TLDR WATCH LEGEND OF THE SWORD #AND THEN COME TALK TO ME ABOUT IT #anyway here's wonderwall #idiot teenagers with a queue #aethersea #asked and answered