#New Blog Article

[xflowerstarx]

Simulacrum Funk - Imagine Malcolm X as a Game Designer at the Future Visions Festival

[doctorbeth]

Los Angeles Times! See me, more patients and the studio!

So you may have wondered why Habersham's story followed so quickly on the heels of Lucky the Bear's, and the reason is, it was a bit of a teaser.

Over the past few months, I have been interviewed for almost 2 hours by a reporter for the LA Times. Then a photographer came out to the hospital and took photos of me and the hospital and the patients I had at the time (for another two hours!). And then a few weeks ago, another photographer came out to take portraits of the patients I had then. Including one of Habersham. Then, yesterday, September 10, this appeared as the cover of the LA Times Calendar section:

That's Habersham before his surgery. And a wonderful play on Tears for Fears for the title of the story. :-) There's a two page spread inside the paper, and you can read it, and see a lot (if not all) of the photos online here. If the link doesn't work, you can also go to the LA Times and search "toy hospital" in the search box on the site and you should find the article that way too.

Anyway, as you may imagine, I've been doing a bit of a happy dance about the story all weekend. And I really wanted to share it with all of you because a) I thought you might enjoy the article and b) the reporter found me in part because of this blog which you all have chosen to read and follow and like over the years, so you all deserve thanks for the article too!

beth

[batwynn]

Just a reminder: if you follow me and I see you generating AI bullshit on your blog it’s an automatic block. I’m an artist, wtf do you think you’re doing??

[agentjazzy]

HAPPY PRIDE TO THE GHOSTBUSTERS SPECIFICALLY

[problematicraccoon]

"pastor's daughter falls in love with a smoker who rides motorcycles and has mommy issues" only hits when its gay. apologies to the hets but it just doesn't work. you're like the mayonnaise of sexualities

[ranchstoryblog]

Beyond the Farm: A Dramatic Martial Arts Detective Life Sim?

Long, long ago; in the year 1999, the term "life sim" wasn't used as often or understood as well as it is today. Boku no Natsuyasumi wouldn't release for another year, Animal Crossing was two years away, and reviewers were struggling to determine what a game like Harvest Moon 64 was. Often, instead of putting it alongside simulation games, choosing to place it among RPGs instead.

At this time, one of the biggest game developers in the industry had everything to prove for their next generation console. One of their most legendary creators was putting together something that could influence the entire gaming landscape, building systems modern games would take for granted from scratch. A game that sought to simulate real life as closely as possible.

Positing itself as an epic kung fu saga, most of Shenmue's promotional material focuses on action and adventure that happened to have an impressive world to explore. Upon release, players would quickly find it was almost the exact opposite. A world to live in, one day at a time, with a kung fu adventure somewhere in the backdrop. So, 25 years later, let's look at it through the lens of a life sim.

Living in Shenmue

Though the game opens with a dramatic set-up, your father murdered before your eyes by a mysterious man belonging to a foreign crime organization for reasons unknown, the first gameplay element introduced to you isn't how to throw a punch or a kick. Instead, upon exiting your home for the first time, you encounter a little girl taking care of an orphan kitten, and being pretty ill-prepared for it.

If the player chooses to visit this kitten every single day, using their small 500 yen daily allowance on cat food instead of toys, video games, or candy, they can watch the kitten recover over the next few weeks. Starting from barely being able to stand or eat, shivering in a cardboard box, to eventually exploring freely and climbing to the top of the nearby shrine, triumphant over its adversity.

This entirely optional side-quest is more or less an introduction to one of the main ways to play the game. While following your trail of clues to find your father's killer is one thing, establishing a daily routine that helps work towards tangible goals or experience new things is just as important. Some of these activities improve the protagonist's skills, like practicing martial arts in an empty lot to level-up and evolve moves, while others will challenge the player's skill, like getting good at motorcycle racing game "Hang On" so that a later challenge where you're driving a real motorcycle is a bit easier.

Contemporary games in the simulation genre tended to saddle you with a routine-focused task from the outset, such as a business to run or a field to plow, so it was certainly novel to simply be a jobless teenager trying to find a way to fill your days as seemingly every new step in your main goal required you to wait for someone else before moving forward.

Shenmue's Inhabitants

Of course, it's not just the player involving themselves with a daily routine. Hundreds of NPCs populate the world, each one with distinct personalities, backstories, and full voice-over. If you want, you can follow someone leaving their home in the morning, watch them open their store, walk in, examine every little thing on their shelves, and then pester them all day with questions about if any local gangsters with tattoos have stopped by their antique china shop lately.

On the rare occasions where you don't have any leads to follow, you can actually get to hear more about what they're thinking about. Some of them are familiar with the protagonist and ask how he's doing, or even visit him at home if they're worried, and others will just let you in on their personal life, like relationship troubles. Maybe try to teach you some Italian. If you forget to say hi while exploring town, maybe pick up the phone and call them in the evening.

Unfortunately, it's somewhat rare to get much insight in-game. Perhaps due to the technological hurdles of having everyone voiced and simply not having enough room for that many unique sound files, but the initial release of the game did also come with an online enabled companion disc called "Shenmue Passport." In it, every character in the game, including the dogs and cats, has a bio that includes a paragraph or two about their lives and various stats like birth dates and blood type. Though the feature has gone offline since then, fans have recreated it with a mobile app called "Suka Pass."

The Nature of Shenmue

While most of Shenmue's gameplay occurs in urban environments, plenty of attention was given to the nature the player experiences as well. When it rains, mud and puddles form; when it snows, you can hear it crunching beneath your feet, and tire tracks line the streets. Though you can easily complete the game before the end of December, ignoring the story until as far as April lets you experience the world turning greener, cherry blossoms blooming, and dandelions sprouting up. For some extra verisimilitude, you can even use the real life weather data from 1986/1987 Yokosuka to have the in-game weather match. Pretty impressive stuff for 1999.

However, one of the most memorable moments in the series comes from the end of Shenmue 2. On the fourth disc of the game, where one might normally expect there to be grand spectacle, action, or conquest, there's something else entirely: A chance encounter where you meet someone who's going the same way you're going, followed by a two-day walk and talk where you get to know one another. There are no wolves chasing you, dangerous decisions to make, or villains with chainsaws. There are, however, some colza blossoms that just bloomed. You have to take a detour to see them, but doesn't it sound nice? Why not, since we're here.

More than any action scene, sprawling city street, or technological advancement for the medium, this is the moment that defines what Shenmue is. A mundane world that exists all around you, and feels like it could go on forever if you suspend your disbelief for just a moment. If there's one thing I think any life sim should try to replicate from Shenmue, it's this. The grandeur of this slow walk through the woods where you get to ask a stranger dozens of questions, and answer dozens in return. The more common "two minute event where you can pick the good choice or the bad choice" can't compare.

Only 3.6% of you asked for more posts about life sims that aren't Story of Seasons, but I didn't want to leave those of you who wanted it out to dry. I might still do another one at some point, something more "typical" like Fields of Mistria, but I hope this was interesting for you. While it wasn't one of the more popular requests, and it requires a lot more work than a meme, or just more of the same, it's worth doing so long as someone enjoys it.

[hotvampireadjacent]

Well you don’t have to call her a monster

[spiderin-space]

Big things happening today

[kuroshitsuji-wiki]

Survey: "Who comes to mind when you think of a 'Bocchan' character?"

AnimeAnime.jp conducted a fun survey in which they asked this very question.

The winner?

14% of participants voted for him. As one reader of the website commented, "The nickname 'Bocchan' is sometimes used as an insult, but Ciel is loved by everyone and is called that." <3

[buscandoelparaiso]

a lot of wrong takes this morning i see

[queeringclassiclit]

Hamlet

from Hamlet by William Shakespeare (1623)

[companion-of-the-dragonmark]

New HTTYD Book Article Series Announcement

Greetings, my fellow Dragonmarkers!

I plan on eventually starting a new article series that will be comparing movie and tv characters to the book characters and see if there are any similarities or differences. Some will take less time than others, but it depends on the character.

But I hope it gauges your interest! It's something I've been thinking about for awhile but now I'm planning on working on this series. Of course, I plan on doing this along with my fan project (though the latter will have to wait until I'm able to re-read the Books).

Hope you have a pleasant weekend!

Long Live the Wilderwest! Long Live Hiccup the Third!

— Companion of the Dragonmark

[kpagefiles]

"Karen Page. I hear you have some questions for me this time?"

Karen Page Blog Introduction!

Hello! My name is Karen Page, as you can see, and Foggy recommended this site to me. I'm down for some conversation... Most of the time. This is my personal blog. I won't be posting too much here.

Details

My name is Karen Michelle Page, and I'm 37 years old. I go by she/her, and I'm bisexual. I love who I love. I work as a journalist at The Bulletin!

Boundaries

Some simple ground rules. Nothing difficult!

• All respectful asks welcome!!

• (asks for mod welcome too, sure(?))

• Bigots, TERFs, racists, weirdos, etcetc NOT welcome!

• Flirting, suggestive asks, legal shipping allowed.

• Straight up nsfw is not allowed! 🚫🚫⛔⛔

• If you wanna be tagged, plz comment here!

Tags I use !!

karen speaks - Karen posts !!

open investigation - open-ended posts !!

bulletin's news - important news bits

interesting morals! - frank castle mention

Avocados at Law - matt murdock/foggy mention

well featured - MCU characters mentioned

Taglist;

@/karenpage-journalist

@/dia-sterling-answers

mod goes by he/him

[m1dnitefloat]

mon amour

[soulhealingastrologywithamanda]

The Gemini New Moon is here—and it’s time to rewrite your story! ✨ Read your RISING SIGN first for where this energy will hit hardest, then explore Sun (purpose) & Moon (emotions). Read more here! #Astrology #Newmoon #Gemini #Newbeginnings

[linstudy]

14.03.2024, thursday - happy pi day friends!

two days in a row, who is she?

i had a great class today, we spent discussing the paper i have read yesterday and it was a big relief that even the professor admitted it was a hard article to understand. sometimes i feel like i am not smart enough to get a master’s degree because of such papers, it sucks! i believe it is called “imposter syndrome”. anyway.

it was also a great day because i checked my bacteria (that are still very much in need of incubation, 5 days of growth pffff) and there was no contamination we suspected before, yay!

today’s goals:

1. reading the new article which will be presented by another classmate next week and writing the audience report

2. reviewing proteomics class

3. doing more literature research about MALDI-TOF for bacterial identification