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Okay, so I finally got around to watching Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero the other day, brought to you by the same people who came up with the name Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan.

Bulma's shameless, confident vanity continues to reinforce why she's the best character in Dragon Ball.

I need everyone to understand that this might actually be the funniest moment in the whole franchise. It's silly on its surface, but it's also steeped in Dragon Ball history. You can feel Piccolo dying inside, and there's a reason for that that goes much deeper than third-party embarrassment over Bulma's shallownness.

Bulma's cosmic butt-lift is a continuation of a gag from Broly (the good version). In that film, it was established that Bulma routinely uses the Dragon Balls to knock a few years off her age, for the sake of vanity. This was contrasted against Frieza's desire to use the Dragon Balls to add a couple inches to his height, for the sake of vanity.

Both of which are resurrections of the gag from the Red Ribbon Army arc, where Commander Red brought militant warlord violence to all corners of the world to claim the Dragon Balls for himself... so he could make himself taller. Using limitless cosmic power for petty and shallow reasons is a funny joke that Toriyama's fond of.

But this isn't just about the shallowness. It's about Piccolo. Or, more specifically, the other half of Piccolo that is Kami-sama. Dragon Ball is steeped in religious and mythological imagery, primarily Buddhist. A fantasy spin on it with a lot of fictional elements added, but there is a lot of genuine Japanese spirituality in there. Which is why God Almighty is now walking around as one half of Piccolo, with a substitute God ruling from his Temple in Heaven in his place.

During his reign, God gifted the Dragon Balls to mankind so that they would have a cosmic miracle they could turn to in times of great need. Shenron was meant as a great gesture of benevolence; The difficulty in summoning him is to serve as a particularly grueling trial, one that only the most determined and most worthy could fulfill.

However, that didn't exactly go to plan. Rather than a source of hope for the world, the Dragon Balls became objects of lust for its greediest and most corrupt. Near-limitless reality-shaping power to grant any miracle one could ask for, wasted on petty ambitions and selfish desires. God regretted ever making this cursed things.

When Piccolo killed Shenron and destroyed the Dragon Balls, God's response was basically, "Good riddance." The Dragon Balls were a mistake he could now take back. He had no intention of ever remaking them.

But then Goku defeated Piccolo. Goku ascended into Heaven to implore God to return the Dragon Balls to earth. Goku's pure innocence, his kindness, and his strength of character convinced God that there was good in the Dragon Balls. That they were worth remaking and returning to the mortal world below.

And now. Here he stands.

With this woman. The woman who utterly trivialized his great heavenly trial by inventing a handheld radar that beep-beeps all of the Dragon Balls' locations for you, allowing them to be easily collected in the span of a weekend excursion.

Watching her call upon his great reality-shaping miracle, so that she can get a butt-lift and slightly longer eyelashes.

While strongly insinuating that she does this every time the Dragon Balls regenerate. This is the legacy of his cosmic miracle.

Bulma is the greatest heretic in the history of fiction. That is why Piccolo is dying inside. This joke killed me. Almost as hard as Piccolo visibly wants to kill Bulma right now.

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When Everyone Wants The Floof

It begins.

#the video game shutterbug #insomniac games #bodega cat #miles morales #peter parker is in there somewhere too #spider-man #symbiotes #dogpile on the cat #bad day to be a pet owner #spider man ps5 #spider-man spoilers

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Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (PS5) Thoughts - Beginning At The End

No photos this time (I might add a few later). But I've got a lot of thoughts (and photos) about this game now that I'm finishing it up, but I just got finished my last sidequest in the postgame and I wanted to gush about it.

Spoilers, by the by. Quite a few of them.

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The Mysteriums were a lopsided a pain the ass but man am I glad I saved this quest for last.

I've been thinking a lot about how much this game seeks to embody why Peter's beliefs in having empathy for the people he fights and getting to know who these villains are as people matters, and this quest - as well as Quentin Beck's final words to cap off the story - are such a perfect capper to that.

Nothing is as it seems, especially when you look at heroes and villains. Anything can change for anybody faster than you could ever realize it. When you take the masks off, it's all people making decisions. A good person can go down a dark path, a bad person can decide they no longer want to be that person any more. Not everyone is going to, but it's important to know that such a thing is always possible.

Heck, this game has an almost ''unprecedented'' number of reformed villains for a superhero franchise: Sandman, Mysterio, Tombstone, Mr. Negative, Prowler technically Lizard, all people who understand they did wrong and whose only motivation now is trying to make their way in the world going forward.

Jonah has a podcast early in the game where he insists that people never really change (about either Sandman or Lizard, iirc), advocating for criminals to be just kept in prison in perpetuity (which, I like this version of Jonah, but goddamn is he hard to like sometimes). Wraith advocates just killing these guys because naturally they're never going to change and they might as well be removed from the equation. And naturally, Symbiote Peter eventually starts considering the idea that maybe the best way forward is just to kill everybody who could be a threat.

But this game doesn't just counterpoint that by having its ultimate evolution be monstrous like most superhero works: instead, this game makes a strong point of why that mentality doesn't work - this is a fantasy story, but it's also a good point for real life.

Coming from a law family where I had a lot of interaction with formerly incarcerated people, and living in an inner city relationship where - again - anything can happen to skew a person's life in ways nobody thought they would go, it's not just a more realistic point - it's an essential point: people always change, and any belief otherwise is just an excuse not to examine the world around oneself. They can change for the worse, they can change for the better, or just kind of laterally shift, but they always change. A failure to recognize it is a failure of the self, not the other.

There's a strong trend of former villains in this game being taken advantage of by other villains, with the new villains doing so with the expectation that nobody will come to the former villains' aid, trust them, or aid them in any way (Mysterio's partners try to frame him, Tombstone and Negative get abducted by people who were sure no one would come for them, Sandman gets driven mad and dumped onto the city to be tossed into prison). And it's absolutely amazing to be Spider-Man in this game and be the one who fights tirelessly for everybody, even the people who have spurned their chances before, because that's who Spider-Man is.

Even if their stories still don't always end positively. Because it's still the right thing to do it, and it's a worse crime to stop.

Man, I love Spider-Man.

As a final note, I especially like that none of the former villains really expect to be forgiven and several never are. This might be the philosopher in me talking, but it's not in forgiveness that one finds redemption, but in the capacity of change in and of itself.

#the video game shutterbug #spider man ps5 #marvels spider man 2 #playstation 5 #insomniac games #heroes and villains #mysterio #sandman #tombstone #prowler #the lizard #mister negative #people always change #rehabilitative justice #philosophical thoughts #heroism #no photos in a photo focused blog #lots of spoilers though

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I'm getting so many good pics from Spider-Man 2 - the shutterbuggery (oof, that doesn't sound right) is real, folks! I'll share them by the ton once I finish the game.

#marvels spider man 2 #sony spiderman #spiderman ps5 #the videogame shutterbug

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I’ve been really loving this huge influx of wholesome Sonic & Tails art and content these last few months.

short comic about the brothers ever. 💛💙

cuz they live rent free in my mind…

#ratrrriot #sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #sonic tails brotherly #wholesome sonic and tails #fancomic

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The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog: Can We Get More of This?

No joke. You might have noticed from my sudden return to activity after a while, but I really, really liked The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. Gaming April Fools jokes are quirky and weird by nature - that’s the point. But every once in a while a game developer will release an April Fool’s joke that is so fun and unique in its quirkiness that it takes off and completely captures the audience with its charm. Sometimes these are even on purpose - attempts to test the waters and deliver some fun at the same time, like the trailer for Fighting Ex Layer. Sometimes it’s probably not, but... maybe it could be. I think that’s what The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog could be.

I‘ve been a Sonic fan for a very, very long time. I’ve loved most games in the series for the whole length of that time. There are few Sonic games I could say I outright dislike, tbh. But something I’ve long felt the Sonic series could’ve benefited from way back when was a stronger spinoff game. I think people give spinoffs a bad rap just on principle. “Why make disposable spinoffs when we can focus on making mainline games?”, people say (Sonic fans are also a bit unreasonably petrified of alternate gameplay styles). But I think that’s the missing the point. Spinoffs are a major part of what gives game series their identity - especially family focused series like Sonic. Not just because they give accessibility to a wider range of gamers, but because they make a buffer zone. Main line games take a long time. You have to wait years to see it, and if it has problems... well... that’s the reputation of the series for the next few years until the next game comes around. Spinoffs, however, mean that there’s always something involving the character out there to keep people interested. I means that if even if one game isn’t so good, there’s always others out there delivering quality. It gives the series something to look at at all times, and that gives it longevity. So why think about Sonic, a series about super speed and hi-momentum platforming, and make a visual novel spinoff? Visual novels are slow by nature, static images and careful deduction. Well... you make it for exactly the reasons everyone loved Murder.

People like these characters. People really like these characters. They’re fun. They’re all unique from each other. And they bounce off each other so well. But Sonic fans rarely get the chance to really experience the characters. Sonic’s long had a problem of loads of characters without quite knowing what to do with them. Characters like Rouge, a jewel thief primarily used for spy parodies, just plain isn’t going to be in most Sonic games - the games don’t have those kinds of plots often.

But that’s where a visual novel shines. Visual novels are all about going from scene to scene interacting with large swaths of characters, quirky conversations and unexpected character and plot developments. It’s not just that you can use tons of characters, but that you can give them center stage far more freely than you can in a platformer or a more action-focused plot. Sonic has been absolutely killing it this past year with adaptations and projects that were all about exploring the characters and what makes them fun, and Murder’s just the latest example. All the characters get segments to themselves to show off, tell jokes, and be fun - it’s silly and cartoony, charming with lots of character moments and eccentric turns, and it’s perfect for Sonic. So I really want to see more of this sort of thing!

We could get more parodies like this - hey, if Detective Pikachu can be a thing, why not more Detective Tails? Or we could get more involved stories. Something more Adventure-esque, or something more Saturday Morning Cartoon-y like Colors. Or a mixture of both! Character focused, or whole cast all at once just like this. Another everyman as the focus character, or one of the cast - Tails actually makes a very good protagonist for this sort of thing. The sky is the limit, here. Even this little April Fools joke gave us a surprising amount of worldbuilding and fun ideas I hope get revisited someday. Plus, it has to be said that visual novels take an entirely different creative process than platform games, and this game indeed was made by a third party, so the crowd nervous that any spinoff could take away from the development of the main titles doesn’t really have much to worry about: in the end, these would be made by different teams. It’s just a good idea all around. So I really hope this doesn’t get abandoned. Give us the continued spinoff visual novel / point and click adventures of Sonic and friends. I imagine any future ones wouldn’t still be free, but sure I’ll pay for it. Why not? I mean, you’ve got a perfect premise right here:

Eggman Industries’ Famous Eggscape Rooms! They’ll scramble your brains. And maybe your lifespan.

#the murder of sonic the hedgehog #sonic team #sega social team #greg batha #ian mutchler #min ho kim #ellen alsop #sega #i haven't been crediting everyone this whole time but credit where its due #sonic #tails #original the character #amy rose #dr. eggman #visual novel #potential spinoff #we want more! #video game review #the videogame shutterbug

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In which j’accuse. Spoilers. Also in which they should probably drag Espio out more to play more games. Bet he’s great at hide and seek.

#the murder of sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #original the character #espio the chameleon #espio being down with weaponry in a friendly game just because a note told him to will never not be funny #it's okay its only semi-lethal #sonic team #the video game shutterbug

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guys. murder of sonic the hedgehog is really good

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The Ending (spoilers of course) The only reason I’m not gushing about Sage and Metal in those shirts is because I guarantee you everyone is gushing about Sage and Metal in those shirts. It’s freaking adorable, and neither of them look like they have any idea why they’ve been forced to do it. Just a little annoyed Orbot and Cubot don’t get them too.

#the murder of sonic the hedgehog #spoilers #sonic the hedgehog #amy rose #dr. eggman #sage #metal sonic #orbot and cubot #the conductor #the conductor's wife #sonic team #the video game shutterbug

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No single scene, just some of my favorite Sonic franchise references throughout the game - at least, of the ones I haven’t posted already.

Of all of these, surprisingly the biggest one for me was the nod to Music Plant Zone from Sonic Advance 2. It’s my favorite stage in the Advance games, and high on my wishlist of stages I’d love to see make a return someday. Though the Sage reference is also pretty great. As is them rolling past the opening area from Sonic CD.

#the murder of sonic the hedgehog #mythology gags #continuity nods #series references #music plant zone #sonic advance 2 #big the cat #sonic cd #palmtree panic #cream the rabbit #vanilla the rabbit #sage #this game is wonderful #sonic team #the video game shutterbug

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In which Tails wants the smoke, but Knuckles would rather beat up a civilian. Reminder that Knuckles is saying all of this in a bad cowboy accent.

#the murder of sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #knuckles the echidna #the dialogue in this game is a treasure #sonic battle #sonic team #the video game shutterbug #knuckles' hat

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Unspoken thus far is how, even though the main draw of this game is clearly the Sonic characters, they bothered to make the player character - an exaggerated everyman who is mostly going to be shocked and awed by the rest of the cast - such an endearing and funny character in his own right. Like, the guy isn’t just gasping at, but making key conversation, bringing his own incredulous perspective and identity to most scenes, making meta observations, and generally he fits in pretty well - you’d think it would make it feel like he takes space away from the rest of the cast, but since nobody else really has that niche it works. Still calling him Original the Character, though. Also, the humor of him rattling off an extremely romantic situation, and Tails offering to copy it just to cheer him up.

#the murder of sonic the hedgehog #microwave boy #original the character #miles tails prower #funny dialogue #sonic team #the video game shutterbug

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If I had a nickel for every time a piece of Sonic media has one of the characters seriously consider marrying a member of the audience, I’d have two nickels - which isn’t a lot but yadda yadda you know the meme. Funniest part is how Blaze doesn’t necessarily even drop the idea, she just says they’ll work on it.

#the murder of sonic the hedgehog #blaze the cat #original the character #sonic twitter takeover #doofenschmirtz meme #sonic team #the video game shutterbug

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Rouge and Blaze: the comedy duo I never knew I needed. I know I’ve said this like three times at this point, but it’s really the best part of this game that characters who straight up never interact actually interact here. Stuff like Tails and Shadow are kind of egregious because they’re both major characters who get a lot of play, so them not interacting stands out. But this is also a great example: Rouge and Blaze have two entirely different circles of characters and kinds of stories they work best at. They barely ever even meet. But this game lets them have a whole segment just about the two of then playing off one another, and it rocks. Heck, Blaze is so rarely in the series that I her being this funny at all is fresh and unique.

#the murder of sonic the hedgehog #rouge the bat #blaze the cat #character interaction #blaze has zero patience for everyone's boneheaded ideas #visual novel #sonic team #the video game shutterbug

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In which Tails is an eight year old surrounded by good influences.

#the murder of sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #rouge the bat #blaze the cat #you're playing sonic: the game that does not advocate the cool crime of stealing #sonic team #the game really makes you rob the kindly old man who runs the place #game of the year #the video game shutterbug

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In which Espio clearly went to college.

#the murder of sonic the hedgehog #espio the chameleon #poet laureate #voice of our generation #avant garde poetry #sonic team #the video game shutterbug #fourth wall break

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In which Tails might need a teensy bit of therapy.

#the murder of sonic the hedgehog #tails #miles projects inner turmoil onto a motivational poster #tails needs a hug #sonic team #the video game shutterbug