#I do really enjoy this little tiny more simplistic set of styles

[disruptivevoib]

He is kickin and flippin...

[kenobiapologist]

Star Wars Novel Rankings

In celebration of the end of this year, I made a tier list of all of the Star Wars novels I’ve read since I joined this fandom in 2017 (which you can use to rank these books too). And I named all the tiers in a dorky but appropriate fashion. I would love to hear your thoughts on my rankings, as well as how you’d rank the books yourself! I’ve had a blast reading Star Wars novels from both Disney’s canon and the Legends extended universe over these past 3 years. Here’s to many more years of reading stories from the galaxy far far away! 

I put longer (but not more coherent) thoughts below the cut.

The Chosen One: Bringing Balance to the Force and My Depressed Soul

1. The first spot of top tier had to go to Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith novelization for obvious reasons. You simply cannot beat it. It’s a masterpiece. I literally had to put the book down to scream when I read the prose associated with the opening battle over Coruscant. It gave a whole new meaning to the triumphant music and the synchronous twirling of Obi-Wan and Anakin’s starfighters as they weave through blaster-fire in the battle over Coruscant. The rest of the book is the same way. You can’t put it down. I have wAyyYyYy too many feelings about this book oh my god.

2. Thrawn was a surprising book for me. For being centered on an admiral of the Empire’s navy, it had so much heart in it! I loved reading from Eli Vanto’s perspective too. god dammit I love that freaking Wild Space hillbilly dweeb with all my heart. I think his experiences getting to know Thrawn and learning from him guides the reader to feel much the same way as Eli by the end. Thrawn is a trusted friend, not the enemy you expect him to be. I could have done without Arihnda Pryce but she’s supposed to be unlikeable so I won’t blame Timothy Zahn this time.

3. The Clone Wars Gambit duology is basically Karen Miller writing fanfic and I’m HERE FOR IT. As is tradition with Karen Miller’s Star Wars novels, the emotions are dialed up the eleven. Our favorite dumbass Jedi team is back at it again with a mission to save the galaxy and this time they end up going undercover as two lumberjacks from the boonies. Anakin holds an energy shield back from collapsing with his bare hands like a total badass. Obi-Wan is in love with another woman despite it always ending in tragedy, while also bickering like a married couple with Anakin every ten seconds. get a fucking room, you two. These two books inspired one of my fics so they’re near and dear to my heart.

Jedi Master: These Books Have A Seat On The Council Too

4. Wild Space was appropriately named, I’ll tell you that. It’s a wild ride from start to finish. *slaps the front cover* this book can fit so much of Obi-Wan’s suffering in it! @forcearama has elaborated on the many reasons why this book is a gem in Snark Wars blog posts (linked here). It’s also the beginning of the best team-up since Anakin and Obi-Wan...Bail and Obi-Wan! These two bastards get under each other’s skin but it makes for the perfect character development. This book is the reason I screech with delight whenever Bail Organa appears on screen, or is mentioned in conversation. Bail gets a mysterious tip about trouble on a planet, and Obi-Wan decides to go with him to investigate. Cue Sith-induced suffering. It’s cool to see a normal person experiencing the weirdness of Force sensitives and how the world has this extra level of sensory information in it. Plotwise this one isn’t the best, but I think the interactions between characters really shine in this novel. Karen Miller’s writing is like a cup of hot chocolate to me. Indulgent character insight, full of sweet moments, has a bunch of extra marshmallowy dialogue, you’re reading it to have a good time but not to be satisfied with plot. You get me?

5. Do I even have to explain myself here? Kenobi by John Jackson Miller is both an interesting western-style tale set on Tatooine, and a beautiful character study of a man stricken with grief he keeps suppressed. How does one continue on when their whole family was murdered and their whole culture burnt to ash? I wanted to give Obi-Wan a hug the entire time I read this. The characterization was spot-on, from the way he wrangled animals to the way he severed a man’s arm off in a bar with his lightsaber. And when he meets a woman named Annileen Calwell, or Annie for short, Obi-Wan can’t bring himself to call her by her nickname ever and if that doesn’t just break your damn heart fucking fuck.

6. Ahsoka was the first Disney canon book I ever read and it kickstarted my love for E.K. Johnston. The writing is simplistic, but that makes it easy to jump into. Overall, it’s a quick and enjoyable read. By far the best parts are the flashbacks that mull over memories Ahsoka has of the time before Order 66. That shit hits you right in the heart, man. And the part where Ahsoka equates Obi-Wan and Anakin to her adoptive family ohhhhhhh god the tears they flow like a river. There are scenes that allude to Ahsoka becoming the vital part of the Rebellion we know her to be from Rebels, balanced with her current struggles to survive and find herself. Despite having cast away her identity as a Jedi and having any remaining bits of her culture destroyed by Palpatine, Ahsoka shows us all how bright a hero can shine in the darkest of times. AND SHE WAS WRITTEN AS QUEER! finally some good fucking food.

7. Oh shit, another E.K. Johnston book? Don’t be surprised. She’s a prequel fan and so am I, hence why Queen’s Shadow is so high on the list. E.K. Johnston pays homage to our favorite queen and badass senator Padme Amidala. There’s politics, there’s solidarity between female characters, and Bail Organa is in it so you KNOW I simply must give it a high rating. All jokes aside, I thought the story added lots of little details to the world of Star Wars without it being all stereotypical sci-fi nerdy language. You know how people want to describe something beyond our technological capabilities so they throw a bunch of nonsense together like “pre-praxis crystal bio-anode circuitry”? I’m looking at you, Karen Miller, I love you but please. There is none of that in this book. It makes sense, it adds color and culture and life to the worlds of Star Wars. Most of all, it devotes time and love to developing Padme outside of her place in canon as Anakin’s wife, Queen of Naboo, and Senator. She is all of these things, but she’s human too. I do agree that the pacing is slow, but it’s something meant to be savored, I think. E.K. Johnston really shines when she’s writing dialogue because she gets these characters. That’s something to appreciate, because not all canon books agree with the way we’ve perceived the characters as an audience.

8. Rogue Planet chewed me up, spit me out, and declared me an even bigger stan for The Team. People who say Qui-Gon would have been a better master for Anakin can ~get out~ because I could read about these two hooligans getting neck deep in space shenanigans all damn day. Anakin is like twelve, which is a time in his training that we don’t get a lot of in canon. Personally, I think it was equal parts heartwarming and funny to read about their adventures. There is some angst sprinkled in there because hey, we’re reading about Anakin here, let’s not forget the emotional trainwreck that is Anakin Skywalker. The duo is sent to a planet that makes super fast ships that are ?sentient? or at least biologically active. They bond with the pilot, which makes Anakin perfect for this mission. There’s a scene where these little floof things attach all over tiny Anakin because he’s so strong in the Force and it’s god damn adorable how dare he?? I’d probably rate this one even higher if I read it again, but it’s been awhile. Characterization is spot on and reminiscent of Matthew Stover’s writing in how it highlights the strong bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin, how they’re fated to know each other. I’m a sucker for soulmates, what can I say? 

9. Lost Stars reads like a movie. Not a script, but just the perfect amount of detail that you can imagine the scenes but the pacing is still quick, the dialogue smooth and natural. I couldn’t help wishing this was a film because the story was so all-encompassing. The highs and lows of the emotions of both protagonists, their relationship developing, the differences in culture. Folks, this book has it all! It’s a totally different perspective on the events of the original trilogy, seen from the side of Imperial cadets training to become pilots. Eventually, one splits off and joins the Rebellion while the other perseveres in the Empire. It’s like star-crossed lovers, but covers so much more ground than that. And the characters are fully developed. These original characters knocked my socks off, and that’s hard to do since I’m usually an Obi-Wan stan through and through. For anyone uncertain of reading Star Wars novels, this book is a great place to start. Action-packed, emotion-filled, and stands on its own despite weaving perfectly into the established universe. What more could you want?

10. Back at it again with the prequel shit, amiright? Queen’s Peril is E.K. Johnston’s most recent Padme-centric novel and it does not disappoint fans that wanted a taste of the Queen’s side of the story. Set during the events of The Phantom Menace, we get a “behind the curtain” look at how all of the handmaidens came to be more than their title suggests. There’s teenage girls getting stuff done! It makes more sense why Padme was elected ruler of her home-world, and you come to appreciate that a royal leader is not alone; there’s actually a whole team at her side to help her overcome everything from the drudgery of daily governing to Trade Federation blockades that threaten to starve her people. I think if you enjoyed Queen’s Shadow, you’ll enjoy this book a lot. For those that are unfamiliar with Johnston’s work, I wouldn’t recommend this one first because it does cover events you’ve already seen in movies and therefore is a less suspenseful companion to them. On the other hand, because it does tie in with TPM, it doesn’t suffer from the pacing issues of Queen’s Shadow to the same degree. I read this all in one sitting, so it’s definitely fun, but wasn’t compelling enough in its character development to elevate the book past some of the others I’ve listed already.

11. Thrawn: Treason was a refreshing return to the Grand Admiral we all know and love after the second installment in this series slowed things down a bit. Although it wasn’t as character-driven as the first book (which I love with all of my heart), there were still many moments that had me cackling at the disparity between Thrawn’s immense intellect and the other Imperials’ sheer stupidity, and that’s what we’re here for in a book about the Empire, right? There’s a lot of pressure on Thrawn, as his TIE Defender project has been pitted against Director Krennic’s Project Stardust. Who will get the funds? We just don’t know?? Tarkin sits in between the two and as usual, manipulates everything to his advantage. Palpatine questions Thrawn’s allegiance to the Empire after some of the choices he has made, leaving him in even more of a pickle. Thrawn is sent on a wild goose chase task that should definitely end in failure (on purpose because Imperials all want to watch each other burn as much as they want to watch the Rebellion burn), but you know Thrawn will find a way. My main squeeze Eli Vanto makes his return after being absent from book 2. Missed you, my sweet sweet country boy. He doesn’t have a leading role in this novel, but every scene he’s in makes the story better. Thrawn says “perhaps” way too often for my taste, but if you can ignore that, this book is a solid read. Equal parts action and deductive reasoning, as any Thrawn book should be.

12. Most of Dark Disciple had me thinking this was going to be a top tier book, and damn do I wish we could have gotten this animated. We follow Quinlan Vos and Asajj Ventress on a mission to assassinate Count Dooku. Why the Jedi thought this was a good idea, I don’t know. But I’m here for it all the same. 3/4 of the adventure were intriguing, but the ending didn’t do it for me. I won’t spoil things for anyone who hasn’t read this yet, but after all of the character development, to have it squandered so quickly just left me disappointed? I got really attached to everyone in this novel, and I’m sure you will to. I’ve read this and listened to it as an audiobook, and actually I think it’s more memorable as an audiobook. Would recommend, except for Mace Windu’s voice being exceptionally southern for no reason. Weird. I think this novel captures all of the great things about The Clone Wars show; time to really get to know each character and their motivations, action and adventure with the darkness of impending doom tinting everything, and lightsaber fights! Plus, Obi-Wan and Anakin make appearances in this book and it just adds that extra bit of spice. Worth the read, even if you know they aren’t going to get Dooku in the end (which I am still mad about, screw that guy).

Jedi Knight: Passed the Trials but There’s Room for Improvement

13. Few books in the Star Wars universe are centered around characters with no use of the Force, but in Most Wanted, we see a young Han Solo and Qi’ra struggling to survive on Corellia and it provides a humorous but compelling backstory to both characters in the Disney canon. Han is his usual lucky goofball self, and Qi’ra is smart and cunning. You can see how they grew into the versions of themselves in Solo. While the book stays on the lighter side of things (typical of stories written for a younger audience), there are still moments of depth on droid rights, viewing the Force as a religion, and what life is like in a crime syndicate. Addressing these heavier topics without it killing the pace of the story is hard to do, but Rae Carson pulls it off flawlessly. I went into this book with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had. Han and Qi’ra start off as competitors, but eventually have to learn to work together to survive as more and more people start hunting them down. They’re honestly so cute together, I loved their dynamic. It makes Solo a better movie, and although I liked it on its own, characters like Qi’ra needed a little more time to get to know, which you can get here!

14. Thrawn Alliances was not what I expected at all, and it took me a lot longer to get through. Hell, it has Thrawn, Anakin/Vader, and Padme in it! What’s not to love? Apparently, a lot. The different timepoints and perspectives in this were more jarring than anything else. Although the interactions between Thrawn and Anakin/Vader were enjoyable, it was not enough to elevate this book into the Jedi Master tier. Things felt dry, the characters didn’t grip me like in the first Thrawn, and it all felt like a ploy to introduce Batuu into canon before the launch of Galaxy’s Edge.

15. Leia: Princess of Alderaan was a dive into young Leia’s life before we see her in A New Hope even though this was marketed as a journey to The Last Jedi book, which I disagree with. We really haven’t seen any content about Leia in this time period before, and although I can’t say I was looking for this, I did enjoy it. The book was a little long, but there was adventure and the seeds are planted for Leia to be a bigger part of the Rebellion. The romance wasn’t too memorable, but Holdo wasn’t pointless in this (a stark contrast to her brief appearance in TLJ just to sacrifice herself). There’s a hint about Leia being Force-sensitive but it’s not in-your-face. It’s a typical coming-of-age story but in the gffa. The best part about this is seeing Bail and Breha as parents. I’m forever in pain that we didn’t get to see more of this in movies because it’s so so sweet. Leia must choose what kind of person she is going to be--and what kind of princess she will become. It won’t be for everyone, but I liked it.

16. Master and Apprentice was a typical Star Wars novel, which means it’s full of original characters that are strange and outlandish to serve the plot, a new world full of beautiful landscapes, and Obi-Wan suffering. I want to make it clear that this book is 80% Qui-Gon, 10% Rael Averross, and 10% Obi-Wan. I was expecting it to be 50% Qui-Gon, 50% Obi-Wan, as the cover suggested. Although I was disappointed by that, the story overall was okay. Qui-Gon is kind of an asshole in this? When is he not, though. We really get to sink our teeth into the way he and Obi-Wan fundamentally disagree with each other, so much so that their teacher-student relationship is falling apart. Tragic! They go on one last mission before calling it quits. Qui-Gon is in over his head with prophecies, Obi-Wan just wants to follow the rules, and Rael Averross is Dooku’s previous apprentice that is living his best life as a regent until Pijal’s princess comes of age. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a solid book. I just don’t vibe with Qui-Gon and want to whack him upside the head every time he avoids confrontation with his own student. My protectiveness for Obi-Wan is showing again, isn’t it? Yikes.

17. James Luceno is one of the most analytical authors I’ve ever read anything from, but it seems to always work? Tarkin is all about...well, Moff Tarkin. He’s ruthless, intelligent, and just downright evil. His backstory was compelling and I found myself drawn into the story by the details, although it is dense and took awhile to finish. I’m not interested in him as a character, but despite that, I enjoyed this story. The plot wasn’t memorable enough for me to recall after 3 years, but it’s similar to how Thrawn rose through the ranks of the Navy, just in a different part of the Empire’s governing body. We don’t get many books completely focused on a villain (I don’t count Vader ones because we know who he was before and the whole damn saga is about him), but this one is good! Don’t be fooled by it only being in the Knight tier. I think people who read a lot of sci-fi will like this book a lot. This is like the opposite of Queen’s Shadow, basically. If you had gripes about that book, you might like this one instead.

18. Battlefront II: Inferno Squad was a worthwhile read for anyone who played Battlefront II. Iden Versio is a great protagonist in the game, and I think Christie Golden totally gets her character. She’s nuanced and relatable. The whole team is interesting and getting introduced to each member before the events of the game makes everything mean more. That’s the real goal of any prequel story, I think. Accomplished! The action scenes are on point, the plot served to highlight what makes Inferno Squad special, and you get a sense for the morally grey area anyone must function in as an operative for the Empire. Although not necessary for the greater canon, it’s a great adventure. Iden and her squad members infiltrate the remains of Saw Gerrara’s group (they’ve become a bit of extremist) and destroy them from the inside. It’s got the suspense of a spy thriller and all of the nerdy space opera elements you expect from Star Wars. Although it’s weird to jump into a story not knowing any of the characters, you’ll get attached to Inferno Squad fast. Well, except for Gideon Hask maybe. He’s kind of a dick.

19. If you’re craving some Dark Side action, Lords of the Sith will give you what you’re looking for. Sidious and Vader crash-land on Ryloth and have to work together to survive, and also defeat the Free Ryloth Movement led by Cham Syndulla. It’s all fucking connected, guys. I love when people weave together stories that fit into the canon timeline like this, bringing in side characters and allowing them to develop some depth. And a chance to sink into the mind of a Sith Lord is always fun, if you’re in the mood to read about destruction and anger. It’s cathartic sometimes. If you’re always wondering, why didn’t Vader just stab Palps when he had the chance, this book explains their dynamic more. It didn’t really change my opinion of any of the characters, which is why it’s not higher on the list.

20. Catalyst suffered from being in a really boring part of galactic history. Despite that, Galen Erso and Orson Krennic have a hilarious relationship that I would have loved to see on-screen. This book really develops Krennic to become more than just the whiny entitled evil man we saw in Rogue One. He’s ten times worse now! But I mean that in the best way, I laugh whenever he’s in a scene, that sassy man just brings me joy. James Luceno is at it again, making things as detailed and dry as possible. I read so many of his stories right at the beginning of my journey through Star Wars canon and it’s a wonder I didn’t quit. Some of them are dark as fuck. And also slow as hell. With this one, I think it all comes down to what you want out of a Star Wars novel. Some people will really enjoy the plot. I think seeing how Galen became a part of Project Stardust was interesting and every time something about the Death Star became more clear, I screeched because I knew what it would eventually become. This book may not hold your interest though, which is why I put it lower on this list.

21. Star Wars: Clone Wars was a decent retelling of the Clone Wars movie. I liked it because I liked the movie, but you have to be able to sit back and enjoy the ride, not thinking too much about the silly parts. For that reason, it’s pretty far down in the rankings. Ahsoka is young and liable to get on your nerves. I certainly wasn’t her biggest fan at this point in the series. The biggest problem is that Karen Traviss is very anti-Jedi. Some authors for Star Wars tend to do this? To me, it’s weird. I didn’t notice it too much because it was one of the first Star Wars books I read, but it contrasts starkly with the truth of the prequel trilogy and some of the other entries in the Clone Wars Novel timeline, like Karen Miller’s books. Needless to say, although this book wasn’t super memorable aside from the familiar plot, it kept me reading Star Wars books, and so it is at least an average book. Plus, any content with Anakin and the clones is worth it for me. I love them.

22. A New Hope was good, for Alan Dean Foster. I’m not a fan, I’ll be honest. But this novelization stands on it’s own. I’m going to have to do a re-read to really go in depth on why this isn’t farther up on the tier list, but the movie is always going to be better to me. If you want to re-live the great beginning of the Original Trilogy, it’s worth your time. I mean, the story is full of adventure and mystery and lovable characters. What’s not to love? I just feel like the movie really elevates the narrative with a great score and fun character design/costumes/sets.

Padawan: These Books Have Much to Learn

23. Attack of the Clones was more entertaining than The Phantom Menace because the characters are in funnier situations. Obi-Wan and Anakin chasing Zam Wesell through the levels of Coruscant? Hilarious, just like the movie. Anakin and Padme falling in love as they spend time together? Holy fuck it’s so much better than the movie. Please read it for that alone. Outside of that, the writing style didn’t really impress me. And my experience with it wasn’t super memorable. There was potential to really make the inner dialogue of these characters impactful, to really develop the story of Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme beyond what we could get from the movie scenes alone. I didn’t think it went above and beyond there. Not a bad story at all, but you don’t get to look at Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, or Ewan McGregor the whole time either, so therefore I must rank it lower. So many beautiful people in that movie, holy shit. You can understand my, dilemma, yes?

24. I enjoyed parts of The Phantom Menace book, like deleted scenes with Anakin living on Tatooine before Qui-Gon and Padme meet him. The additional depth is lovely, but I think a story like Queen’s Peril adds more to TPM than this book does. The story overall is still fun. I love this movie so much, it’s hard for me to be critical. I did put a lot of post-it flags in my copy, so it does develop the characters and get you thinking beyond your expectations from the movie. What more could you ask for from a movie novelization? I’d say not much, if I hadn’t read Revenge of the Sith and had my fucking mind blown. In comparison to that, this one is just okay.

25. The Last Jedi novelization wasn’t bad, necessarily. It tried its best to bring this story up to par with some of the interesting novels that don’t have movie counterparts. But still, the plot suffers because of how this movie was made. It’s very focused on Rey and Kylo, and Finn’s little adventure with Rose seems pointless in the grand scheme of things. I’d rather read this again versus watching the film, but that’s all I’ll say on this because I’m trying to keep my opinions on this movie to myself to avoid digging up old arguments. Jason Fry did well, and of the two Sequel Trilogy books I’ve read, I would recommend this one over Ep. 7.

26. The Force Awakens falls short and I think it’s because of Alan Dean Foster’s writing style on this one? It didn’t really expand on anything from the movie, while taking away the beautiful music and visuals. This novel is the antithesis of Revenge of the Sith’s novelization, and for that reason I ranked it fairly low. I wouldn’t read this one unless you really really love the Sequel Trilogy.

27. To be fair, I read the new Thrawn book before I went back and read this one. Even so, Heir to the Empire didn’t impress me at all. Thrawn didn’t seem like a thrilling villain with lots of depth like he did in Timothy Zahn’s reimagined Thrawn novel. We barely saw him. A lot of time was spent on the Original Triology’s trio, which waasn’t bad. I thought Luke, Leia, and Han were all written fairly well. The latter part of the story was redeemed by the interactions between Mara Jade and Luke, for sure. Enemies to lovers, anyone?? Without Thrawn, this book would have been an entertaining story, but for all of the praise it has received from long-time Star Wars fans, I was expecting to be blown away and I wasn’t. Maybe I have to continue the triology to figure out what all of the fuss is about, but after this one, I’m not super motivated to read more. Change my mind?

28. Cloak of Deception really shines when you’re following Palpatine’s perspective because you can feel the undercurrents of his master plan to destroy the Republic underneath his calm persona as a Senator. Other than that, it’s a forgettable plot. This is all about galactic politics and some terrorist group trying to blow up some government officials. Basically the most boring parts of the prequel trilogy. I listened to the audiobook of this at the beginning of this year and I already forget what it’s about. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan should have been able to bring some humor and energy to get you rooting for the good guys,  but there was barely any of that. I was disappointed in all of the characters. Everything felt distant, removed from the heart of the characters. Some people in reviews have argued that the events of The Phantom Menace really pinned this novel in a corner because you already know what happens, but I disagree, because we know how Revenge of the Sith goes and The Clone Wars show is that much more tragic and heartbreakingly beautiful because of it. Prequels can be done right. This ain’t it, Luceno. Sorry.

29. Star Wars: The Old Republic, Fatal Alliance needs to go home and rethink it’s life. I’m a huge fan of the Old Republic and I’ve put like 200 hours of my life into playing that game, so I was hoping for some fun content in this part of the timeline. Sadly, this book captured the worst parts of the game, like the fact that there’s way too many factions at war with each other. Jedi, Sith, Empire, Republic, Mandalorians. They’re all here. They’re all ready to throw down. And I’m tired. As with many of the books in this lower tier, I felt there wasn’t enough description of the world or the people in the story. We’re in the gffa, be a little weird and wacky. Be big and bold! Make things terrifying, or beautiful, or both. But give my mind something to work with. The number of characters made the plot messier than it could have been, and it definitely isn’t worth the read. I can’t speak for all Old Republic books, but this one didn’t impress me.

A Sith Lord?! On My Bookshelf? It’s More Likely Than You’d Think

30. So underwhelming, you might as well just read the first half and then stop. Last Shot is absolutely terrible, except for Lando Calrissian’s characterization, which was spot-on. If the whole story had been from his perspective, I probably would have a much difference opinion on the novel as a whole. Sadly, this is not the case. Han was boring, he bottled up his emotions, and seemed drastically different from the badass he was in the original trilogy. There are different timepoints in this novel, and in all of them, Han is unrecognizable. Don’t nerf one of your main characters like that. Daniel Jose Older and I might just not get along. I thought his writing style didn’t fit Star Wars at all. It was like breaking the fourth wall, totally pulling me out of the story constantly. Also, there were little to no descriptions of body language, locations, or movement. It left me feeling disoriented the whole time I was reading. I thought one of the most interesting things would have been seeing Han, Leia, and baby Ben being a family at this point in time, but Han’s family was there as a prop, nothing more. There was a big bad item that was going to cause galactic destruction and our heroes had to go save the day. There was barely any tension and no one lost an arm so I’m pretty pissed off. Is it Star Wars if no one gets their appendage removed? I can’t tell you how much I disliked this book. Which is sad because I was hoping to enjoy it. I like Han. I like Lando. I like space adventures. I’m not that hard to please, or at least I don’t think so.

[optimusphillip]

OptimusPhillip Reviews 27: Studio Series 52 Chromia, Arcee, and Elita-1

Christmas is coming soon, and while I can’t be sure of what I’m getting, I’d like to review a recent acquisition beforehand just in case I end up getting more this year. This is the Studio Series 52 three-pack of Chromia, Arcee, and Elita-1 from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Motorcycle Modes

According to TFWiki, all three of these figures turn into their bike modes from the movie; Chromia is a Suzuki B-King, Arcee is a Ducati 848, and Elita-1 is an EV Agusta F4. However, I can’t say I agree with that statement. There’s no licensing information on the box, and there are some visible discrepancies between the toys and the real bikes. Chromia’s headlight is split up and her side lamps are the wrong shape, Arcee is missing her front fender and most of her side panels, and Elita-1 is missing her rearview mirrors and has two headlights instead of just one. Some of these changes could be sacrifices for the sake of making bikes this small transform, but most of them just feel like working around licensing.

Paint deco is kind off here, too. While the base colors are right, all three bikes in the movie had a lot of black accents along with Cybertronian writing on their bodywork. In addition, all three had rims color-coded to their main body colors. None of these details carry over, likely due to size and budget issues. Instead, all we have is some black on the seats, and some silver for the windshields, headlights, gas caps, rims, and tail pipes. However, I think they still look nice, even if they aren’t 1:1 movie accurate.

Now, I mentioned the size earlier, and I should probably address that more properly now. These girls are tiny, only about 2 3/4″ tip to tail in bike mode. They are the smallest figures in the Studio Series line, which is probably for scaling reasons. While I don’t presently have any of the vehicles these bikes were seen alongside in the movie, putting her next to Dropkick in car mode, the scale looks about right for a motorbike next to a car, which I very much approve of.

Conversions

Being as small as they are, these three figures have very simplistic conversions. This is especially true of Chromia, whose transformation consists of folding out the rear seat to form her arm, bringing out the other arm, flipping the front and rear wheels and bringing up the head. Probably the hardest part is trying to tab the rear wheel into place when going back to bike mode, since it doesn’t really fit into the specified slot.

Arcee and Elita are a little more involved. For Arcee, you need to unhinge the lower and upper halves of the bike. From here, the upper half transforms easily enough (just remember to flip up her shoulder spike). The lower half, however, does a double-twist to put the body stem the proper position, then folds in half to create Arcee’s double wheel-foot.

Elita-1′s transformation is slightly different from Arcee and Chromia, in that her front wheel forms one of her arms instead of the rear seat. Once her arms are out of the way, along with her rear wheel-spike, the side panels of the bike rotate down, exposing a similar body stem to Arcee’s. From here, disconnect the front and rear of the bike by un-tabbing the gas tank, do a similar double-twist to Arcee, and then straighten out the rear wheel to form her wheel-foot. Fold the handlebars up, and you’re done.

All three sisters get detachable bases to keep them standing in robot mode. They don’t mount super-securely, nor do they store anywhere in vehicle mode, but they do their job well enough.

Robot Modes

While limited by their small size, these three figures are very faithful renditions of their CGI models from the movie. Some of the finer details are missing, again likely owing to their small size, but the general body shapes are there, and even subtle details like Elita’s folded up handlebars are included.

Upon close inspection, it appears that these three share a surprising number of parts. Arcee shares Chromia’s left shoulder and right forearm, Elita-1′s right shoulder, chest, and head, and all three share the same waist tooling and... hip piece, I guess.

For articulation, all three sisters have ball-joints in their necks, shoulders, elbows, and waists, plus a mushroom peg swivel leftover from transformation, which allows you to tilt their upper bodies if that’s a thing you want to do. I will warn you, however, that some of their arm joints can be loose. In my case, both Arcee and Elita have loose left elbows, and Arcee’s bike front shoulder is loose as well. Also, I’ve occasionally popped parts off during transformation, though it’s not often enough to feel like anything besides a problem with my end.

Aside from their robot mode stands, this set includes three additional accessories: a large pink gun, a large blue blade, and a small blue piece with silver piping. According to the instructions, the gun goes over Arcee’s right forearm, the blade goes on Chromia’s left forearm, and the small blue piece goes on... Arcee’s left shoulder. Yeah, this feels odd to me. It’s obviously colored to go with Chromia, and seems to only work with Arcee due to them sharing a left shoulder part, but the instructions give it to Arcee. That said, all three of these accessories are interchangeable across the two, since not only do they share right forearms to fit the gun, but Arcee also has pegs for the blade on her left forearm. Unfortunately, Elita kind of gets left out of the accessory swapping, though she does have her character model’s arm-blade sculpted into her left arm. Also, the shoulder piece isn’t super secure, especially on Chromia, who has some clearance issues with her large elbow and blade.

Now, normally, that would be it for the figures themselves... but there’s one more undocumented feature to discuss.

Combined Mode

I’m going to say this right now: as of me writing this review, there are no official instructions for this combined mode. A combined mode is clearly intentional judging by the engineering involved, but there is no confirmed official configuration. As a result, I will be following the method used by SparkSide - YRQRM0 on YouTube, which has made the best use I’ve seen of all the unique engineering.

In essence, this is just Arcee with Elita-1 forming a rear wheel, and Chromia forming a large backpack. The idea of the three combining is based on a deleted scene from Revenge of the Fallen that only exists as concept art, but this configuration has very little in common with that concept art. SparkSide’s original combination idea, while using less of the dedicated engineering, did more closely resemble that concept design. Still, this isn’t really bad in comparison. I like the centaur shape she has going on, and I still enjoy how Chromia’s arm parts fuse onto Arcee’s. While Chromia herself kind of just forms a backpack, it is a nice way of integrating her design. That said, Arcee loses all torso articulation, and her arms are a little clunky in this configuration. Still, it’s a fun little bonus feature that I’m glad they included.

Backdrop

The backdrop included with this set is branded “Shanghai Pursuit”, and is based on the opening sequence from Revenge of the Fallen, where the three pursue Sideways through the streets of Shanghai. Specifically, it shows the building that they burst through after narrowly avoiding killing an old Chinese man eating noodles. While the shot from the movie is very busy, all of the details I saw in the movie are present here, and there’s nothing here that seems out of place. So I’ll say it’s a successful recreation.

But now the million dollar question: do the figures fit on the base? Yes. The figures are so small in robot mode and have such narrow footprints that all three of them can stand side by side without crowding the base. They even fit on it in combined mode... but only sideways. The combined robot is just too long front to back to fit on the stand facing forward, but the base is wide enough and the robot thin enough too fit when looking off to the side. So it’s possible, but it doesn’t look very good. They all still fit in motorcycle mode as well. It’s a little crowded, but you can get them to all fit on the stand side-by-side at an angle, showroom style.

Final Thoughts

Studio Series is not for everyone, and the Revenge of the Fallen designs are definitely not for everyone. That said, I think the motorcycle sisters are some of the better designs to come out of that movie, and I think they are captured very well in this three-pack. While small, they are fun to play around with, going from one mode to another and playing around with the combinations. Some of the connections are kind of loose, but not to the extent of being a dealbreaker. So if you’re into these designs, or are just looking for some fun desk toys, these are hard to go wrong with. Just make sure you play with them in an area where you won’t lose any dropped parts.

[fuse2dx]

August ‘20

Ruiner

Ruiner frames its action at an isometric tilt. There’s a lot of red; in the game’s interface, as the prominent colour of the neon lighting that adorns its stages, and in the blood that is frequently spilled. Its cyberpunk setting isn’t anything particularly new, but as a unifying aesthetic, the glitchy effects, and out-there personalities doing their best to cope in a dystopia do well to build a convincing and intriguing world. Stages are action packed and throb with electronic noise and big loud industrial bass hits, with the play being akin to an arena shooter; enemies surging at you in bite size, minute-at-a-time waves, with each of these closing out with a grading screen serving as the pat on the back to keep that dopamine rhythm pulsing. It’s a pretty hypnotic cocktail.

These stages evolve out of a singular hub city, and while it’s not particularly big, there’s just the right level of hubbub, and it has a lovely Hirusawa Susumu track acting as an excellent, melancholic mood-setter. Based on the size of its world and the the quick-fire action being split between a very small number of stages, it’s not surprising to say it’s fairly brief - I mean, how could it get so big? But what is important is that it’s plenty of fun and and has style by the bucketload. I got a good kick out of it.

Carrion

On one hand, a horror game where you play the horror is just the kind of flip on a genre that’s needed to freshen things up a bit. On the other, it’s one straight out of the spoof ‘Peter Molydeux’ playbook. What a carri-on.

... I’m sorry. After your initial escape from a lab, Carrion centres around a hub world, with individual stages then breaking off to allow for more specific themed stages. What you’re trying to do within these is to spread your big, goopy self around, where certain spots will act as save points but also count toward unlocking an alternative path back to the hub and opening up new routes in the process. What’s unique to this particular metroidvania take is that while there are new skills that open up new routes, your movement in general is uniquely freeform - point in a direction and off you go, free of any worries about platforming and the gravity that’d otherwise bind you. While it may not be the most precise movement given the size to which you grow - and boy does this become a point during some forms of combat - it does remain responsive, and quite fun to simply shamble about like a giant congealed blob of bloody, multi-toothed sinew-y mess. Everything scales up nicely on both sides of the fighting, with distraught pistol-equipped humans turning to shielded folks with flamethrowers, all the way up to drones and mechs that are just as mobile and / or deadly as yourself, even in spite of your own upgrades that allow for more ranged, varied, and sharper extremities. It’s not especially long, and is never so taxing as to demand too much expertise of you, but it is fun and importantly, quite unlike anything else out there.

Yoku’s Island Express

Pinball continues to feel like a lost art form to me, with the nuance of skilled play being more like a foreign language than another type of game you can easily pick up. Yoku, newly-appointed postmaster, is but a tiny little bug, and as such is indebted to these skills in his efforts to travel and clamber about an environment much larger than he. Flippers are casually littered about to shoot you from one area to the next, but there’s also plenty of sections you’re led to by the story that are small yet just detailed enough to play like a neatly sectioned off area of a complete table - complete with requirements for precise shots to move forward, and those inevitable moments where you have to sit back and watch as your ball falls with miserable, exacting precision between the flippers. Failure typically sets you back a few pickups, but given these are just as quickly re-earned, you’re never punished too hard - there’s certainly no three strikes and out mentality here. It’s a very friendly interpretation of pinball’s mechanics, and there’s a decent enough story layered on top, with its characters and art demonstrating enough pleasant charm that you can definitely see this being a great way to introduce pinball to a younger audience. That’s not to say it’s not enjoyable from an older player’s point of view - just that you know what’s being presented is a wisely palatable version of a classic hobby, rather than the arse-kicking ordeal you may be used to. 

Rime

I am certain that Rime would love me to compare it to a certain Fumito Ueda PS2 game. There’s the ultra-minimal scene that’s set as a boy washes up on an island; a sparse, beautiful, somewhat Mediterranean set of landscapes, and with very few ways to interact with it all that don’t involve clambering over things or shouting out in wordless desperation. But as you’ll have noted, I haven’t found it in myself to justify using that game’s name here. 

As much as I wanted to give this a chance, it often felt directionless, uninspired, and at worst, slow and tedious. The puzzles are derivative of any number of games I’ve played before, and the biggest danger is that you might assume as to their difficulty and over-engineer your approach, rather than not be able to tackle them. The platforming is simplistic and regularly drawn out with ledges, ledges, and more ledges to climb across and dangle from; even if you were to find a way to fall to your doom, as is tempting, it is unlikely to take you back much further than a few seconds. Crucially, there’s really very little to sink your teeth into on any front, and even when the game does finally start to weave some plot threads into the game’s canvas, it’s well into the latter half - long after I’d already racked my brains for any hint of an allegory that’d fit, and given up on expecting one. Sadly, to the point that the actual story felt like a cheap afterthought when it did finally start to unravel. This bounced off me much harder than I’d expected - I came away wishing it had forged a bit more of an identity and a purpose rather than just an aesthetic strung together with some weak elements of play. 

If Found

As far as interactive elements in visual novel-type games go, If Found has a different approach to most. The story’s primarily told by means of a diary - one that’s full of witty observations, personal reflections and enigmatic sketches - that you actively erase as a means to push events along. The diary belongs to Kasio, a trans girl returning to their small Irish hometown after a stint away at university in the city; a return that’s not met in the warmest or most understanding fashion. As a mechanic, the erasure of this diary is loaded with meaning; peeling back layers of a scene often matches a more poignant set of observations, and the scrubbing of such personal details away offers a painful reflection on an identity being chipped away at. It’s very much a story about finding one’s self, about coming of age, and as it rides these highs and lows it does an excellent job in making you ride along these alongside the characters, and it does one hell of a job to make you think about the compassion that you both see and offer in the world outside. I’ll put my hands up and say that there are some elements of the story running in parallel to this main one that didn’t gel with me quite so well, but this is a minor footnote to an otherwise highly enjoyable play through. In a short space of time, Annapurna have done a great job in winning me over with their publishing choices - particularly in holding up the kinds of voices and ideas that fit these smaller titles so perfectly. 

Double Kick Heroes

It’s a rhythm game. I like rhythm games! It’s about a zombie apocalypse. Oh no. It’s... a heavy metal rhythm game? Ok, maybe we can work with this.

After a trailer name dropping a bunch of familiar artists - Jinjer, Carpenter Brut, Gojira - what surprised me straight off was that none of these licensed artists featured in the game’s story mode. They’re all sectioned off in a separate menu, and while on the bright side they’ve each given a unique stage with a visual theming in keeping with the bands in question, it feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. Instead, all tracks throughout the story were composed by just one person, and with only a small handful of featured musicians being included to diversify things. It starts with more (arguably) palatable hard rock numbers, but goes up to and includes grindcore, death metal, black metal and the like, meaning that not only is it going to put a lot of folks off right away, but that it’s asking a heck of a lot for one composer to cover all of these sub-genres with the appropriate care. While it was refreshing to hear some types of music I’d normally not expect to hear in a game, some tracks inevitably grated, and while I enjoyed some others, I wasn’t ever bowled over too strongly either.

The story itself is fairly by the numbers. It sees an on-tour band fighting back against a zombie uprising, and has unsubtle references to any number of heavy artists, albums and songs shoe-horned in at every opportunity. It also bears the hallmarks of its dialogue being written by someone that has a very particular sense of humour which personally all fell very flat. While the team undoubtably do love music, the over-enthusiastic style rubbed me in a similarly uncomfortable fashion as Jack Black does regularly, with his half-comedian, half-musician schtick. The gameplay itself is based around the drum parts of its songs also corresponding to different weaponry on your car that holds the hordes back, and while this on its own can prove tricky, higher difficulties also mounts other expectations - like steering your vehicle, or alternating pedals to shoot different parts of the screen. Some of my frustration with all of this is likely my own fault for having chosen to play on the ‘Hard’ difficulty, but traditional wisdom feels a little bit lost when you can still get damaged when your combo meter is racked up well into triple digits.

In all, Double Kick Heroes presented some pretty unique gaming scenarios; like having to work out the best controller configuration to play blast beats with, or asking out loud “did I just hear the words ‘we are Genital Absolution’ coming from a Nintendo console?”, and it’s clearly a small team working on something they really care about. I respect that. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I was hoping, but I hope they’re proud of what they’ve created.

Manifold Garden

A puzzle game taking significant inspiration from the works of M.C. Escher is a pretty good starting point in my eyes. It being presented in a wonderful manner certainly doesn’t harm either; from the UI all the way into the game, it’s beautifully clean and defined, opting for delicate shading rather than messy textures, and with its intricate, recursive geometric patterns, you’ll likely find cause to stop and take stock on a regular basis.

One button looks after your basic interactions with the world (pushing, picking up, and so on), with your other crucial way of interacting with the world being the ability to approach a surface and then assign it as ‘the new down’ - spinning everything about an axis, planting your feet to it, and changing your perspective on everything. There’s a nice steady introduction of puzzle pieces as you ease your way in, but they all stem gracefully from these simple mechanics. That I - not the world’s greatest puzzle gamer - was able to enjoy this without every getting too stuck may hint at it perhaps not being as complex as some puzzle fiends might desire, however this amounted to me coming out the other side with great waves of satisfaction, and nought but positives to say. I would go so far as to say that it’s the most fun I’ve had playing a puzzle game in a long, long time, and to boot it’s also perhaps the game where I’ve used the screenshot button the most copiously. Wonderful stuff.

[totallyvain]

Vanity Hour With Hala

WORDS BY: Thania Garcia

Hometown: Oxford, Michigan

Sounds Like: Something you’d find in a soundtrack for a nostalgic film about teenage love in the 70s

Most music nerds can tell you that Detroit’s music scene in the 1960s and early 70s was rich in R&B and soul. Thanks to the success of Motown Records, Detroit became one of the few cities in the United States that is synonymous with music. It is also the home of Hala, an indie rock project that stemmed in the neighborhood of New Center in Ian Ruhala’s attic turned studio.

“From the tiny window at the front of my room I could see the Motown Museum from across the street,” says Ruhala, “The history as well as the musicians who surrounded me, were a definite influence when I started out in the local scene at the time.”

In 2016, Ruhala released “Spoonfed,” a collection of 12 songs, an altogether 40-minute project made up of wavy guitar interludes. “Spoonfed” turns five in a few months but despite its age, the album continues to pack a global punch. And thanks to the power of Spotify’s Discover Weekly feature, one of the most beloved tracks “What is Love? Tell Me, Is It Easy?” has a mind-blowing 8 million streams on the platform (and counting).

“I guess, the first really interesting thing that made me acknowledge that something positive was beginning to happen, came when my friend Samia messaged me a YouTube link to Emma Chamberlain singing “What Is Love, Tell Me Is It Easy?”, in her car. That made me laugh.”

His latest release came in a pair of sunny tunes one titled “Sorry” and the other “More Than Anything.” The success of Hala can be traced back to many roots but a notable feature is Ruhala’s artistry when it comes to guitar. The track “Sorry” best exemplifies that fact. it features jumpy strings and drums, with Ruhala’s dreamy vocals singing “Your weekend is drifting on and on/ I just don't know if I can go on/ To get it.”

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Totally Vain: In the past, you’ve shared that it's important you write and record music that is true to your experience. Has there ever been a sort of still period that puts you in a writer’s block? If so what do you do to get out of it?

Ian: Writer's block is definitely something I have felt from time to time. I just find it really hard sometimes to sit down with other songwriters, and write about a certain subject matter; “summertime,” or “love,” etc… It kind of feels forced at times like that. At home, I find that my best ideas come usually at night time, when my brain for some reason seems to be working at its most. And, if I get stumped, sometimes it is best just to step away from a song, or the guitar/instruments in general, and things will pop into my head much more naturally after that. Maybe a certain experience will also spark a lyric, or chorus line during this period of separation from the music.

TV: Your music often times reminds me of the kind of music you’d find on a movie soundtrack, so I’m just curious if you have a favorite one or if they are places of inspiration for you?

Ian: Many songwriters think of music in broad ways; colors, or with a much more theoretical approach. I really like to write sometimes with a more cinematic approach. In doing that, I find that music video concepts will sometimes come even before the song is completely finished. This usually makes the thematic element of the song more obvious in the beginning stages, which is definitely helpful in keeping my mind on track. Not to sound too simplistic, but Freaks & Geeks has a really great soundtrack that I find covers a lot of ground musically over every episode. There are a ton of others I could mention, but that one I feel is a good example of following a formula of being un-formulaic. Honestly the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack, is another great, and popular example of this.

TV: I remember seeing an interview of yours where you’re talking about “What is Love? Tell Me, Is It Easy?” and you mention that you recorded most of the instrumentals on your own and you had to work that way since. Is that still true? Do you plan to incorporate a band during studio sessions? If yes, how has that transition been for you?

Ian: Up until this point I have recorded everything, by myself, and at home. I am definitely not ruling anything out, but I really do enjoy working and recording in the most independent way possible. But, who knows? One day I would really like to do a 70s style, singer-songwriter album, with string players, and all that additional “jazz.” Something a la Van Morrison, Nilsson, Bowie, or McCartney, you know?

TV: When you go into the process of making an album or any collection of music that tells a story, what is the first step? How does that vision play out in your head and finally come into fruition?

Ian: I think with making a cohesive body of work, I usually start with setting limitations for what I want to create for myself sonically speaking. For me, recording can sometimes take a long time, and working with the same gear helps with keeping things somewhat similar and following this idea of continuity in some form or another. With that being said, I think this also allows me to do whatever I may want to do genre-wise, or in the vein of storytelling, and get away with it; because I am still utilizing what gear I initially limited myself to use, in order to record the songs.

TV: Before you started playing music, did you keep a journal or write creatively?

Ian: When I was younger, I did a lot of illustrating which I would most definitely consider to be a creative outlet. I made comics with friends and things of that nature. But, no I did not really keep a journal, actively, even though now I do like to handwrite lyrics, in order to more visually realize what I like and do not like.

TV: What makes good production?

Ian: A good ear, that will not be satisfied until the sound imagined is created or replicated.

TV: What do you feel is the best song you’ve released and why?

Ian: That is a really hard question to answer, but I feel like “Sorry” is maybe the song that I am most proud of (as of right now). I spent a lot of time, vigorously focusing on that track, and I feel like it opened the door for me, capability-wise, to make music with a more intense production component. I probably did over a hundred takes just to nail the guitar solo in that song. Chopping up bits and pieces, making sure it was all in time, as well as I just wanted to create something different from other solos I had been hearing at the time. I wanted something fast, intricate, out of left field, but also with a pop sensibility.

TV: So you’ve finished your US tour and now you’re supporting The Regrettes & Greer on a few dates. Do you enjoy touring? What kinds of things have you learned about being a musician on the road?

Ian: I really enjoy meeting fans, and with touring, that is definitely the easiest way to pursue and have that connection. It is just incredibly surreal for me to meet people that are excited about my music in the same way I am excited about others. And, I know for me, those moments of interaction with an artist were and are really special to me. I think the biggest take away with touring in support of artists like Hellogoodbye, or playing on the road with Anna Burch, has been learning how to be patient, and empathetic towards your fellow bandmates. Knowing you could not be doing what you are doing without them, really puts things into perspective.  

TV: One of your songs was sampled on a hip hop track, Big K.R.I.T’s “High Beams (feat. WOLFE de MÇHLS),” did that at all persuade you to begin thinking about messing with other music genre stylings than the ones you have in the past?

Ian: Staying in just one lane, musically-speaking, for me has never been of interest. Going back to the question regarding movie soundtracks, I feel the best soundtracks are ones that run the gamut when it comes to musical genre. The music I am currently working on, to me, feels genre-less in a way. Because, I am consciously “attempting” to write out of my comfort zone. I think this will make a lot more sense when my next record comes out, as I try to tap into a little bit of everything, from hip-hop, to pop, punk, and country.

With every Vanity Hour comes a playlist curated by our featured artist.

Hala’s playlist can be found at the Spotify link below.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1z9FTLM4SNzggJh3NQxJpC?si=o2zOWHnbQymNBSMqt9rC9g

[achronologyofbits]

GOTY 2019

I wanted to write a personal Game of the Year list, but I realized I really didn’t play that many games that were new in 2019. So I’m ranking them, but it’s less a “top 10” and more a “10 games I played and how I felt about them.”  

10. Kingdom Hearts III

Kingdom Hearts III plays like a game from 2005.

I’m not sure I can fully articulate what I mean by that. Maybe I mean its combat is largely simplistic and button-mashy. Maybe I mean its rhythms of level traversal and cutscene exposition dumps are archaic and outdated. Maybe feeling like this game is a relic from another time is unavoidable, given how many years have passed since its first series entry.  

But there’s also something joyful and celebratory about it all — something kind of refreshing about a work that knows only a tiny portion of its players will understand all its references and lore and world-building, and just doesn’t care.

Despite all the mockery and memery surrounding its fiction, Kingdom Hearts’ strongest storytelling moments are actually pretty simple. They’re about the struggle to exist, to belong, and to define what those things mean for yourself. I think that’s why the series reaches the people it does.

Those moments make Kingdom Hearts III worth defending, if not worth recommending.

9. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Admittedly, I only played about 10-15 hours of this in 2019. Perhaps fittingly, that’s about the amount of time I originally spent on Dark Souls when it released in 2011. I bounced off, hard, because I didn’t understand what it was asking of me. Once I did — though, it has to be said, I needed other people to explain those expectations to me, because the game sure as hell didn’t — Dark Souls became an all-time favorite. And I’ve played every FromSoft game since then, and enjoyed them all. Until Sekiro.

Part of it is, again, down to expectation. Dark Souls trained its players on a certain style of combat: cautious movements, careful attention to spacing, committing to weighty attacks, waiting for counterattacks. In every game since then, FromSoft have iterated on those expectations in the same direction in an attempt to encourage players to be less cautious and more aggressive. The series moved from tank-heavy play in Dark Souls, to dual-wielding in DS2, to weapon arts and reworking poise in DS3, to the system of regaining health by attacking in Bloodborne.

In some ways, Sekiro is a natural continuation of this trend toward aggression, but in others, it’s a complete U-turn. Bloodborne eschewed blocking and prioritized dodging as the quickest, most effective defensive option. Sekiro does exactly the opposite. Blocking is always your first choice, parrying is essential instead of largely optional, and dodging is near useless except in special cases. FromSoft spent five games teaching me my habits, and it was just too hard for me to break them for Sekiro.

I have other issues, too — health/damage upgrades are gated behind boss fights, so grinding is pointless; the setting and story lack some of the creativity of the game’s predecessors; there’s no variety of builds or playstyles — but the FromSoft magic is still there, too. Nothing can match the feeling of beating a Souls-series boss. And the addition of a grappling hook makes the verticality of Sekiro’s level design fascinating.

I dunno. I feel like there’s more here I’d enjoy, if I ever manage to push through the barriers. Maybe — as I finally did with the first Dark Souls, over a year after its release — someday I will.

8. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

In December, my wife and I traveled to Newport Beach for a family wedding, and we stayed an extra day to visit Disneyland. As an early birthday present, Aubrey bought me the experience of building a lightsaber in Galaxy’s Edge. And the experience is definitely what you’re paying for; the lightsaber itself is cool, but it’s cool because it’s made from parts I selected, with a blade color I chose, and I got to riff and banter with in-character park employees while doing it. (“Can you actually read those?” one asked me in an awed voice, when I selected a lightsaber hilt portion adorned with ancient Jedi runes. “Not yet,” I told her. “We’ll see if the Force can teach me.”)

Maybe it’s because I just had that experience, but by far my favorite moment in Jedi: Fallen Order is when main character Cal Kestis overcomes his own fears and memories to forge his own lightsaber, using a kyber crystal that calls to him personally. It’s maybe the only part of the game that made me feel like a Jedi, in a way the hours of Souls-inspired lightsaber slashing didn’t.

I think that’s telling. And I think it’s because so much of Fallen Order is derivative of other works, both in the current canon of gaming and of Star Wars. That’s not to say it’s bad — the mélange of Uncharted/Tomb Raider traversal, combat that evokes Souls and God of War, and vaguely Metroid-y power acquisition and exploration mostly works — but it’s just a titch less than the sum of those parts.

Similarly, as a Star Wars story, it feels under-baked. There’s potential in exploring the period immediately after Order 66 and the Jedi purge, but you only see glimpses of that. And I understand the difficulty of telling a story where the characters succeed but in a way that doesn’t affect established canon, but it still seemed like there were a couple of missed opportunities at touching base with the larger Star Wars universe. (And the one big reference that does pop up at the end feels forced and unrealistic.)

When I got home from California, I took my lightsaber apart just to see how it all worked. Outside of the hushed tones and glowing lights of Savi’s Workshop, it seems a little less special. It’s still really cool…but I sort of wish I had had a wider variety of parts to choose from. And that I had bought some of the other crystal colors. Just in case.

That’s how I feel about Jedi: Fallen Order. I had fun with it. But it’s easier now to see the parts for what they are.

7. Untitled Goose Game

Aubrey and I first saw this game at PAX, at a booth which charmingly recreated the garden of the game’s first level. We were instantly smitten, and as I’ve introduced it to family and friends, they’ve all had the same reaction. When we visited my brother’s family in Florida over the holidays, my eight-year-old niece and nephew peppered me with questions about some of the more complex puzzles. Even my father, whose gaming experience basically topped out at NES Open Tournament Golf in 1991, gave it a shot.

I’m not sure I have a lot more to say here, other than a few bullet points:

1) I love that Untitled Goose Game is completely nonviolent. It would’ve been easy to add a “peck” option as another gameplay verb, another means of mischief. (And, from what I understand, it would be entirely appropriate, given the aggression of actual geese.) That the developers resisted this is refreshing.

2) I’m glad a game this size can have such a wide reach, and that it doesn’t have to be a platform exclusive.

3) Honk.

6. Tetris 99

Despite the number of hours I’ve spent playing games, and the variety of genres that time has spanned, I’m not much for competitive gaming. This is partially because the competitive aspect of my personality has waned with age, and partially because I am extremely bad at most multiplayer games.

The one exception to this is Tetris.

I am a Tetris GOD.

Of course, that’s an incredible overstatement. Now that I’ve seen real Ecstasy of Order, Grandmaster-level Tetris players, I realize how mediocre I am. But in my real, actual life, I have never found anyone near my skill level. In high school, I would bring two Game Boys, two copies of Tetris, and a link cable on long bus rides to marching band competitions, hoping to find willing challengers. The Game Boys themselves became very popular. Playing me did not.

Prior to Tetris 99, the only version of the game that gave me any shred of humility in a competitive sense was Tetris DS, where Japanese players I found online routinely handed me my ass. I held my own, too, but that was the first time in my life when I wasn’t light-years beyond any opponent.

As time passed and internet gaming and culture became more accessible, I soon realized I was nowhere near the true best Tetris players in the world. Which was okay by me. I’m happy to be a big fish in a small pond, in pretty much all aspects of my life.

Tetris 99 has given me a perfectly sized pond. I feel like I’m a favorite to win every round I play, and I usually finish in the top 10 or higher. But it’s also always a challenge, because there’s just enough metagame to navigate. Have I targeted the right enemies? Do I have enough badges to make my Tetrises hit harder? Can I stay below the radar for long enough? These aspects go beyond and combine with the fundamental piece-dropping in a way I absolutely love.

The one thing I haven’t done yet is win an Invictus match (a mode reserved only for those who have won a standard 99-player match). But it’s only a matter of time.  

5. Pokemon Sword/Shield

I don’t think I’ve played a Pokemon game through to completion since the originals. I always buy them, but I always seem to lose steam halfway through. But I finished Shield over the holidays, and I had a blast doing it.

Because I’m a mostly casual Pokeplayer, the decision to not include every ‘mon in series history didn’t bother me at all. I really enjoyed learning about new Pokemon and forcing myself to try moving away from my usual standards. (Although I did still use a Gyarados in my final team.)

As a fan of English soccer, the stadium-centric, British-flavored setting also contributed to my desire to see the game through. Changing into my uniform and walking onto a huge, grassy pitch, with tens of thousands of cheering fans looking on, really did give me a different feeling than battles in past games, which always seemed to be in weird, isolated settings.

I’m not sure I’ll push too far into the postgame; I’ve never felt the need to catch ‘em all. But I had a great time with the ones I caught.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

I have a strange relationship with the Zelda series, especially now. They are my wife’s favorite games of all time. But I don’t know if I’ve ever actually sat down and beaten one since the original Link’s Awakening. Even with Breath of the Wild, which I adore, I was content to watch Aubrey do the heavy lifting. I know the series well, I’ve played bits of all of them, but most haven’t stuck with me.

Link’s Awakening has. I wrote a piece once about its existential storytelling and how it affected me as a child. I love the way the graphics in this remake preserve that dreamlike quality. It’s pretty much a re-skin of the original game, but the cutesy, toy-set aesthetic pairs well with the heavy material. If this is all a dream, whose dream is it? And when we wake up, what happens to it?

Truthfully, some of the puzzles and design decisions haven’t held up super well. Despite the fresh coat of paint, it definitely feels like a 25-year-old game. But I’m so glad this version exists.

Oh, and that solo clarinet in the Mabe Village theme? *Chef’s kiss*

3. Control

I actually haven’t seen a lot of the influences Control wears on its sleeve. I’ve never gone completely through all the episodes of the X-Files, Fringe, and Twin Peaks; I’m only vaguely familiar with the series of “creepypasta” fiction called SCP Foundation; and I have never endeavored to sit through a broadcast of Coast to Coast AM. I’m also unfamiliar with Remedy’s best-known work in the genre, Alan Wake. But I know enough about all those works to be able to identify their inspiration on the Federal Bureau of Control, Jesse Faden, and the Oldest House.

Control is an interesting game to recommend (which I do), because I’m not sure how much I really enjoyed its combat. For most of the game, it’s a pretty standard third-person shooter. You can’t snap to cover, which indicates you’re intended to stay on the move. This becomes even more obvious when you gain the ability to air dash and fly. But you do need to use cover, because Jesse doesn’t have much health even at the end of the game. So combat encounters can get out of hand quickly, and there’s little incentive to keep fighting enemies in the late game. Yet they respawn at a frustratingly frequent rate. The game’s checkpointing system compounds this — you only respawn at “control points,” which act like Souls-style bonfires. This leads to some unfortunately tedious runbacks after boss fights.

On the other hand, Jesse’s telekinesis power always feels fantastic, and varying your attacks between gunshots, thrown objects, melee, and mind controlling enemies can be frenetic fun. That all comes to a head in the game’s combat (and perhaps aesthetic?) high point, the Ashtray Maze. To say more would be doing a disservice. It’s awesome.

The rest of the gameplay is awesome, too — and I do call it “gameplay,” though unfortunately you don’t have many options for affecting the world beyond violence. The act of exploring the Oldest House and scouring it for bureaucratic case files, audio recordings, and those unbelievably creepy “Threshold Kids” videos is pure joy. The way the case files are redacted leaves just enough to the imagination, and the idea of a federal facility being built on top of and absorbed into a sort of nexus of interdimensional weirdness is perfectly executed. And what’s up with that motel? And the alien, all-seeing, vaguely sinister Board? So cool.

With such great worldbuilding, I did wish for a little more player agency. There are no real dialogue choices — no way to imbue Jesse with any character traits beyond what’s pre-written for her — and only one ending. This kind of unchecked weird science is the perfect environment for forcing the player into difficult decisions (what do we study? How far is too far? How do we keep it all secret?), and that just isn’t part of the game at all. Which is fine — Control isn’t quite an immersive sim like Prey, and it’s not trying to be. I just see some similarities and potential, and I wish they had been explored a little.

But Control’s still a fantastic experience, and in any other year, it probably would’ve been my number one pick. That’s how good these next two games are.

2. Outer Wilds

Honestly, this is the best game of 2019. But I’m not listing it as number one because I didn’t play most of it — Aubrey did. Usually we play everything together; even if we’re not passing a controller back and forth, one of us will watch while the other one plays. And that definitely happened for a large chunk of Outer Wilds. But Aubrey did make some key discoveries while I was otherwise occupied, so while I think it’s probably the best game, it’s not the one I personally spent the most time with.

The time I did spend, though? Wow. From the moment you wake up at the campfire and set off in search of your spaceship launch codes, it’s clear that this is a game that revels in discovery. Discovery for its own sake, for the furthering of knowledge, for the protection of others, for the sheer fun of it. Some games actively discourage players from asking the question, “Hey, what’s that over there?” Outer Wilds begs you to ask it, and then rewards you not with treasure or statistical growth, but with the opportunity to ask again, about something even more wondrous and significant.

There are so many memorable moments of discovery in this game. The discovery that, hey, does that sun look redder to you than it used to? The discovery that, whoa, why did I wake up where I started after seemingly dying in space? Your first trip through a black hole. Your first trip to the quantum moon. Your first trip to the weird, bigger-on-the-inside fog-filled heart of a certain dark, brambly place. (Aubrey won’t forget that any time soon.)

They take effort, those moments. They do have to be earned, and it isn’t easy. Your spaceship flies like it looks: sketchy, taped together, powered by ingenuity and, like, marshmallows, probably. Some of the leaps you have to make — both of intuition and of jetpack — are a little too far. (We weren’t too proud to look up a couple hints when we were truly stuck.) But in the tradition of the best adventure games (which is what this is, at heart), you have everything you need right from the beginning. All you have to do is gather the knowledge to understand it and put it into action.

And beyond those moments of logical and graphical discovery, there’s real emotion and pathos, too. As you explore the remnants of the lost civilization that preceded yours, your only method of communication is reading their writing. And as you do, you start to get a picture of them not just as individuals (who fight, flirt, and work together to help each other), but as a species whose boundless thirst for discovery was their greatest asset, highest priority, undoing, and salvation, all at once.

I don’t think I can say much more without delving into spoilers, or retreading ground others have covered. (Go read Austin Walker’s beautiful and insightful review for more.) It’s an incredible game, and one everyone with even a passing interest in the medium should try.

(Last thing: Yes, I manually flew to the Sun Station and got inside. No, I don’t recommend it.)

1. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

If I hadn’t just started a replay of this game, I don’t think I’d be listing it in the number one slot. I started a replay because I showed it to my brother when we visited him in Florida last month, and immediately, all the old feelings came flooding back. I needed another hit.

No game this year has been as compelling for me. That’s an overused word in entertainment criticism, but I mean it literally: There have been nights where I absolutely HAVE to keep playing (much to Aubrey’s dismay). One more week of in-game time. One more study session to raise a skill rank. One more meal together so I can recruit another student. One more battle. Just a little longer.

I’m not sure I can put my finger on the source of that compulsion. Part of it is the excellence of craftsmanship on display; if any technical or creative aspect of Three Houses was less polished than it is, I probably wouldn’t feel so drawn to it. But the two big answers, I think, are the characters and their growth, both mechanically and narratively.

At the start of the game, you pick one of the titular three houses to oversee as professor. While this choice defines who you’ll have in your starting party, that can be mitigated later, as almost every other student from the other two houses can be recruited to join yours. What you’re really choosing is which perspective you’ll see the events of the story from, and through whose eyes: Edelgard of the Black Eagles, Dimitri of the Blue Lions, or Claude of the Golden Deer. (This is also why the game almost demands at least three playthroughs.)

These three narratives are deftly written so you simultaneously feel like you made the only possible canonical choice, while also sowing questions into your decision-making. Edelgard’s furious desire for change is just but perhaps not justifiable; Dimitri hides an obsession with revenge behind a façade of noblesse oblige; Claude is more conniving and pragmatic than he lets on. No matter who you side with, you’ll eventually have to face the others. And everyone can make a case that they, not you, are on the right side.

This is especially effective because almost every character in Three Houses is dealing with a legacy of war and violence. A big theme of the game’s story is how those experiences inform and influence the actions of the victims. What steps are justified to counteract such suffering? How do you break the cycle if you can’t break the power structures that perpetuate it? How do good people end up fighting for bad causes?

While you and your child soldiers (yeah, you do kind of have to just skip over that part; they’re in their late teens, at least? Still not good enough, but could be worse?) are grappling with these questions, they’re also growing in combat strength, at your direction. This is the part that really grabbed me and my lizard brain — watching those numbers get bigger was unbelievably gratifying. Each character class has certain skill requirement prerequisites, and as professor, you get to define how your students meet those requirements, and which they focus on. Each student has certain innate skills, but they also have hidden interests that only come to the surface with guidance. A character who seems a shoo-in to serve as a white mage might secretly make an incredibly effective knight; someone who seems destined for a life as a swordsman suddenly shows a talent for black magic. You can lean into their predilections, or go against them, with almost equal efficacy.

For me, this was the best part of Three Houses, and the part that kept me up long after my wife had gone to bed. Planning a student’s final battle role takes far-seeing planning and preparation, and each step along the way felt thrilling. How can you not forge a connection with characters you’ve taken such pains to help along the way? How can you not explode with joy when they reach their goals?

That’s the real draw of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, I think: the joy of seeing people you care about grow, while simultaneously confronting those you once cared about, but who followed another path. No wonder I wanted to start another playthrough. I think I’ll be starting them all over again for a long time.

[wariofranchisefanblog]

A little delayed, due to my awkward vacation timing, but I have been playing WarioWare Gold a ton since coming home, so it's time for an impressions post.

Just gonna say right off the bat that I will be talking about the final stage and while spoilers really aren't a big deal in WarioWare, I do think that the stage is much cooler if you don't know anything about it, beforehand.

Let's go by bullet points, for the sake of organization:

Story

At it's core the individual characters' stories are still simple, but fun affairs, however I do think that the voice acting does a lot to add a ton of energy and personality to it, with the characters being more lively then ever and able to express more, well...character then ever before, I mean who in the world saw 18-Volt's story being so rap-tastic coming? I also enjoy how the remix stages actually have the characters get together and interact a bit, that's something I always wanted to see and here it is.

Amazingly enough the main story is actually a little more developed this time around, with Wario becoming increasingly more agitated by the player progressing in the Wario Bowl. This reaches it's peak during the Wario Deluxe stage, when Wario actively opposes the player and the entire presentation of the stage is not only surprisingly climactic, but it really does give you the impression that you are fighting against someone, especially when Wario starts to take away your ability to know which controls to use for the next microgame, only for Lulu to come in and go against him. Story progression mid-stage, a first for WarioWare.

I did not expect it, but Gold really did go further to do more with the Ware cast and world, which is something I greatly appreciate and I think the team behind WWGold knew what they were doing, when considering the sheer amount of positive buzz that the cutscenes, voice acting and general presentation are generating online.

Visuals

The new designs are understandably divisive and I did raise an eyebrow myself once or twice (looking at you, Dr. Crygor), but honestly, the new style as a whole, along with the designs I used to be iffy on, have grown on me while playing the game, I just appreciate that Ware is getting more of it's own visual identity again, instead of it just copying Rhythm Heaven's artstyle (which I do enjoy, I should clarify), like Game & Wario did.

The microgames themselves naturally got a lot of graphical updates, some more major then others, but it is the usual zany WarioWare fare and in some cases the visual changes can help to make a returning game feel just a touch more different.

One downside to the visuals is that the added production values in the form of full voice acting make the very flash-esque nature of the cutscene animations a lot more appearent. It's not a huge deal, since WarioWare has always been simplistic in it's animation style (though it did start to look surprisingly nice in Game & Wario) and in a way that's part of the charm, but it can be distracting at times and it's really blatant when a character just has their base artwork plastered into a scene, rather then a unique drawing.

Music

The game is full with catchy beats as always and I was bobbing my head along a lot while playing, but I want to adress two particular highlights:

-First are the unlockable records, which include all previous vocal themes, but not in their in-game versions, but rather their uncompressed original forms! Sure the instrumentations for several of the tracks are a bit simplistic, but clearer sound quality is really nice, even if I liked the original GBA/DS versions all the same.

-The Final Stage theme, which adds to the surprisingly climactic nature of it all, especially since it is essentially a dark reprise of Gold's main theme:

Voice Acting

A major addition to the game and there were bound to be a lot of voice changes, so this is where opinions are going to split a lot, but I found the acting quality as a whole to be a pleasent surprise. Nobody sounds bad, I got used to the voice changes rather quickly, the voices fit the characters, with Ashley and 18-Volt being particularly perfectly cast and Charles Martinet continues to be brilliant as Wario, to the surprise of nobody ever.

Gameplay

It's WarioWare, but for the first time since Smooth Moves it's a new title where control is really the only major gimmick to the game, which is nice to have again. We get four stage dedicated to the Mash, Tilt and Touch controls, two remix stages  and Wario Deluxe, which mix those, along with Fronk microgames and Mic games, several Challenge modes and missions.

The Fronk and Mic games have a more downplayed presence then I expected, especially the Mic games, which there's only 5 of, along with a few Wario Deluxe games that also involve the mic and I honestly think that's alright, I didn't mind the Mic games in Touched as many others did, but the control scheme makes many of the games feel very alike in how you play, so it's not really suitable for a whole stage in my opinion.

The basic gameplay is classic WarioWare, without any major tweaks to the formula, though some stages will have you switch between the different control schemes, which thankfully works better then I initially worried it would, with the transition being pretty smooth and giving you time to adjust, without breaking the pace.

The microgames are an interesting case, most are returning ones, but a number of them have seen some tweaks to make them feel a little more fresh, such as Smooth Moves' games being repurposed to work with Tilt or Touch controls or how Loot Scoot from the first game is now a boss game or how some games while largely the same have slightly altered objectives, such as the Mario Clash microgame requiring you to hit an enemy twice, on Level 3. With that said, even with those changes the feeling of familiarity with the old games is still quite appearent, the combination of new visuals, gameplay tweaks, new games in between and having them all mixed together does a good job of not presenting the game like a rehash, but rather a ''best off'', but if learning and memorizing whole sets of brand new microgames was one of you favorite parts in previous games, then this one won't deliver as well in that regard.

The challenge modes range from the usual Tower modes, to the welcomed return of WarioWatch and Gamer, as well as four new ones, like my personal favorite of the new modes ''Split Screen'', which has you alternate between the 3DS' screens, essentially playing the games back to back, with no transition and very little time to prepare. After Game & Wario I got interested in the idea of trying to mix the WarioWare gameplay with some major gimmicks like Gamer did, so I was naturally happy about this.

Souvenirs

This is one part that's a bit disappointing, there's some good ones here, such as the music records, the ability to voice cutscenes yourself or extra minigames, but many of them feel like filler, such as alarm clocks of every single character or phone numbers, which are only there to be used on the phone souvenirs and aren't interesting on their own. This is one aspect of the game that feels like it got the short end of the stick, the souvenirs were always just toys to play around with, but you got a lot of creative stuff out of it, there isn't a whole lot of that here, unfortunately.

Wario Land References

I am fine with Ware doing it's own thing, but I always appreciate nods to Wario's other major series as well and Gold is really generous in that regard.

-The entire plot of the game is kicked off by Wario stealing a treasure.

-Loot Scoot which was blatantly Land inspired has been promoted to a boss minigame.

-The new version of Driver's Ed from Smooth Moves has Wario drive in his car from Land 4.

-18-Volt's set includes a Land 3 microgame.

-The new version of Fly ' n' Fall from DIY features Tiny Warios.

So yeah, you have listened to me gush over the game for long enough. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's the first Ware game in a long time and the first non-experimental Ware game in an even longer time and it does a lot of things that I like and/or wanted to see, so yeah, of course I'm going to be happy.

Good game, that's the sweet and short version right there.

[alex-apocalyptic-blog]

hack bleach brave souls

Hi

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[danganronpa-imagine-headcanon]

The Danganronpa V3 cast with an S/o who suffers with migraines Part 3!

Kokichi Ouma

•You two were at an amusement park

•Kokichi could never be satisfied with simplistic dates, hence why he always brought you somewhere absolutely insane

•He’s a madman, and he’s most certainly not okay in the head, but you love him for that

•He had insisted you two went on the craziest roller coaster before you left

•You, being sweaty and exhausted, firmly said no

•Besides, you already had a small headache from the heat and chaos. You didn’t need something adding onto that

•But, of course, with his begs, whines, and fake sobbing, you eventually obliged, insisting it was the last ride

•“Nee-hee! Sure thing, S/o!”

•You two waited in line, and got a seat on the ride

•Once it started, Kokichi cheered, the wind whipping on both of your faces as the ride went at an unreasonably fast speed

•You felt your headache begin to worsen, but you knew there was nothing you could do about it

•So you simply tried to enjoy the ride

•It wasn’t until you went completely upside down in two straight circles that you felt a little dizzy, and at that point, your head was pounding

•This had gone beyond a average headache and you knew it

•So, frantic and in pain, you reached out and tugged on Kokichi’s sleeve

•“Kokichi,” You whispered, “I’m having a migraine.”

•At first, he thought you were kidding

•He thought you were playing a prank on him

•“Nishishi~ Are you trying to prank me,

S/o? I’m the king of lies! You should know that! You can’t trick me.”

•He was feeling pretty smug about that response until you visibly inched away from his loud, high-pitched voice, burying your face in your hands as if you were trying to block everything out

•Oh shit

•You weren’t kidding?

•Well, now he just feels absolutely terrible

•Your breathing is heavy, and you’re panicking, and hyperventilating at that point, because the spinning on the ride is making your headache worse, you can’t even get off or do anything about it, the sunlight hurts, you’re dizzy, your own boyfriend doesn’t believe how much suffering you’re in and you might just be si—

•You felt yourself be pulled closer to Kokichi, his tiny arms wrapped firmly around you as he lowered his voice, which you were grateful for

•Worried you might panic if he changed his sudden demeanor and started acting all concerned, he kept it up

•“Nee-hee... S/o, I’m gonna need you to breathe, yeah? If you don’t, I’m gonna cry and I’ll never forgive you,” He whispered, “The ride’s almost over. I’ve got you, see?”

•You obeyed, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down

•So he did believe you after all

•Throughout the rest of the ride, you stayed close to him, having him mumble little instructions or reassurances to you until the ride ended

•When it stopped, he took your wrist and gently led you out of the area, walking you back to the car you two came in

•He buckled you in and placed his hands on the wheel

•“Alright, S/o,” He started enthusiastically, though luckily still in that gentle voice, gentler than you thought he could go, “Are you ready to race back home?”

•Before you can reply, the car takes off, and this man is speeding

•He is speeding all the way through traffic and giving people the middle finger if they are in his way

•Kokichi is going so quickly and you don’t even have the energy to complain

•You only hope the police won’t stop him

•When you get home, he pulls into the driveway very calmly, as if he didn’t just whip through the entire place

•Then, opens your car door and helps you get out

•...Cue you vomiting on the ground. Luckily, not on him

•What did he expect? He was going so fast, hardly giving you a break from the swift ride at the amusement park

•Of course you were nauseous

•Kokichi visibly cringes but simply looks away, keeping his hand on your shoulder and trying to rub circles on it assuringly

•When you finally finished, he guided you away from the throw up and led you into the house, inching you onto your bed and flicking off the lights

•He pulled a trash can up beside you and got you some pain pills and water

•He would sit beside you and hold your hand, letting you squeeze him if it really hurt you

•If you needed a distraction, he would whisper to you about his organization

•If you wanted to be alone, well, sorry, you can’t. He knows you’re in pain and he’s sorry but you aren’t staying here alone! At the very least he’ll begrudgingly sit in a chair far away from you

•He’s not leaving you without a hot boyfriend to hold your hair back when you throw up

•If you wanted him to stay close to you, hell yeah, wish granted

•He’d hold your hand and rub your back reassuringly if you needed

•And, when you finally were able to utter out a weak yet content, “I think I’m feeling better now”, he was thrilled

•“Really, S/o?! Now you can come to all my D.I.C.E meetings with me!”

•“That was a lie. Go get some rest, you sweaty madman.”

•You snickered at the light hearted insult, about to comply when suddenly he nudged a bottle of water towards you

•“If you can drink this entire thing in a minute, I’ll make you some rice or something.”

•He was trying to take care of you and help you recover, subtly

•Because he cares about you

•And even if he didn’t show it, he was worried, he was scared, he hated seeing you hurt and in pain to where you were practically helpless

•And if he can help you out at all, he’ll do it, no matter the cost

Kaito Momota

•The two of you were stargazing

•You already had an awful headache beforehand, but you didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to spend time with Kaito

•So you walked outside and greeted him, kneeling down and laying down in the grass beside him

•He pointed out several different stars to you, and despite your inability to focus due to your bad headache, you smiled

•The glittering of the stars really were beautiful

•Eventually, though, as you laid down in that position your headache started to worsen

•You swallowed, gasping as a sharp pain rippled through your head

•This wasn’t just a headache

•You were having a migraine, and a bad one at that

•Kaito noticed your change in demeanor, and he narrowed his eyes

•“Hey, S/o! You feeling okay?”

•You would pretty much die if you shook your head, so you mumbled out a, “No. I’m having a migraine.”

•Now, Kaito was aware you had migraines. He just didn’t know too much about them, or how bad they got

•So when he saw you looking like such a mess and in pain, he panicked

•“Do I need to call 911?” He asked quickly, “Um— uh, no! I won’t do that! This’ll... pass on it’s own, right?”

•You flinched, a fresh wave of pain crashing over you at his loud voice

•“Please lower your voice, but... yeah. It’ll— It’ll end on it’s own.”

•He gave you a worried glance, practically this close to calling a doctor before sighing and wrapping an arm around you

•“I’ll take you to your room.”

•Now, under any other circumstances, you would’ve been fine with that

•But it was so dark outside, and it was cold, but not too cold, which was pretty much bliss for your migraine

•And you didn’t want to move, you felt like if you took even a step your head would collapse in on itself

•So you whimpered out a “No.”

•Kaito tilted his head, tentatively putting an arm around you, treating you like a glass doll

•He really didn’t want to hurt you

•“No? You want to stay here?”

•You muttered a quiet, “Yes,”, leaning into his touch

•Kaito only gave you a small smile, reaching out and trying to soothingly stroke your hair in an attempt to ease your pain

•If you threw up, he held your hair back and rubbed your back, sliding you a little further away from it when you were done

•He encouraged you to try and sleep it off, to which you tried

•You thought it would be near to impossible when the pain in your head was strikingly awful, but with Kaito holding you close, you succeeded in falling asleep.

•When you woke up, the sky was pink and the sun had begun to rise a little

•You looked over at Kaito, who was lightly snoring with his arms wrapped firmly around you, pulling you into his chest

•A small headache lingered, but for the most part, it was over

•Despite Kaito being asleep, you murmured a quiet, “Thank you” and pulled yourself closer to him

•You were sure you heard a snicker, but hey, you’re going to pretend you were asleep

•Because two can play at that game!

Tsumugi Shirogane

•Tsumugi was making a costume for you

•She asked you for your favorite character, and she’s going to make them for you!

•Humming, she asked you to stand straight, taking measurements of your waist

•You were staying as still as you possibly could

•And, you were succeeding!

•...Until a huge, sharp pain suddenly crashed over you out of nowhere, and you gasped, dizzy

•You would have lost your balance if Tsumugi hadn’t immediately dropped the measuring tool and caught you

•“S/o! Are you alright? What’s the matter?”

•You tried to respond, but your head was pounding, and it hurt to think

•This came out of nowhere...!

•Oh god, why now?

•You took a deep breath, trying to stay calm as you whispered out a light, “Migraine.”

•Tsumugi immediately calmed down, now that she knew what was the matter

•“Okay... lie on that bed for me, okay, darling?”

•She guided you over to her bed, gently lying you down and rushing to get you some water

•She returned, making you take at least a sip before setting it back down on her nearby table

•She flicked the lights off, carefully brushing loose strands of hair stuck to your face and sitting down beside you

•If you needed absolutely anything, she’d get it for you!

•If you wanted something more comfortable to rest in, she’d change you into something, no doubt

•She may even try doing your hair to calm you down or distract you

•She’ll soothingly lace her fingers through your hair, styling it in a different way

•Though she always make her movements gentle

•She’ll hold your hand and whisper simple reassurances, promising you it would be okay

•Tsumugi panicked when you slowly sat up, and she rushing to get the trash can when you told her it was alright

•You were okay and the migraine had passed

•She exhaled, going over to sit beside you and wrapping an arm around you

•“I’m glad it’s over, S/o,” She told you gently, “Here, you get some rest. I’ll go get you some fruit, okay?”

•You couldn’t protest— as she had already left.

•But as she walked to the kitchen, she was happy you weren't in pain anymore

•Seeing you hurt made her so upset, and she was happy you were okay now

•She would do anything, anything to make you feel better, even if it killed her

[operationrainfall]

Not too long ago I extolled the virtues of Super Rare Games. I still maintain that they offer a great service that helps bring deserving Switch games to physical formats. But this time they’ve truly done something special. They took a game that is relatively unknown even to most niche game fans and helped it blossom into an even better product. That game is none other than Old School Musical. I would love to take credit for discovering it, but it was first brought to my attention by a great PR firm. I hadn’t heard of it prior, nor was I familiar with the diabolical French genius of La Moutarde. I really enjoyed Old School Musical when I reviewed it a couple years ago. Honestly, only one thing held it back – it was just a digital release. Now thanks to Super Rare Games, that’s no longer the case. And thanks to them providing me with a copy to review, I can once more share how awesome Old School Musical is!

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First, a little background on the game itself. Old School Musical is a rhythm game that pays homage to classic video games. It features really simplistic yet attractive artwork, and is focused on heroic brothers Tib and Rob. Their mother has gone missing, and they set out to rescue her. That itself is a small miracle, given how traumatic their childhood was. But nevertheless they set out, and find themselves confronted with that most insidious of video game features – glitches! They soon come across a portal that leads to a space station, which itself has yet more portals to other worlds. Thus begins their quest to save mother, all while being beset by dangerous and often hilarious glitches. Some of the games they parody include Mega Man, Metal Slug, Star Fox, Metal Gear Solid, R-Type, The Legend of Zelda and much more. Not only do the brothers take on appearances that conform to the universe they arrive in, but they fight to the music! One favorite moment involves the brothers flying a spaceship to Tetris inspired tunes while confronting a giant head that looks a bit like Andross.

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Your job is to hit the notes flying frantically across the screen while the brothers prance around. The notes come fast and furious, and there’s a variety of types. Some require a simple press, others have to be held and some use the trigger buttons. It’s not that complex, but it can get pretty overwhelming. Thankfully there’s different difficulty settings, so you should be safe playing on Easy. But even then, get ready, cause the game ramps up bit by bit as you make your way through the Story mode. Though that mode is definitely my favorite, featuring some laugh out loud humor and deranged situations, there’s more to Old School Musical. Once you’ve beaten the game, you unlock The Chicken Republic. That mode is basically a mental exercise of what would happen if the fowl Link constantly harasses got intelligent, built weapons and fought back? Though you do briefly go to the Republic during the Story mode, there’s a huge section that’s skipped over. Thankfully that section is the primary bonus content in the game.

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The main draw of The Chicken Republic are the modifiers. You aren’t just playing against the music here, you’re also playing against dirty tricks. Notes will shrink, the color will disappear, things will speed up and slow down unexpectedly, and chickens will even rain from the sky to distract you. By far my favorite modifier is when the shirtless man starts dancing in the middle of the screen. It’s utter insanity, and it’s a big reason I love Old School Musical as much as I do. That said, the modifiers can get irritating at times. Thankfully you’re able to play any song you’ve beaten and unlocked in the Arcade mode later, without those pesky modifiers.

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There’s actually one more element to Old School Musical I have to cover, and that’s the DLC. It got two packs, each one focused on a new artist. First was Toricity, by a Japanese musician that makes music on Game Boy. Then there was MV Expo, by another crazy French man. I really love the songs in both of these DLC packs, but I do wish there were more of them. Each DLC only has 5 new songs, which brings the grand total of songs in the game to 60. That’s not a ton, but there’s a good variety of talent. And though you might think this game is short and sweet, those that want to take their time and relish the music are welcome to do so. Mostly to get higher scores, but still it’s a nice incentive.

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Now, that’s a whole lot of talk about why I love this game. But Super Rare Games makes it even better as a physical game. There’s just something special about being able to hold a game box in your hand. Like their other releases, Old School Musical comes with a pack of random cards, a sticker and a manual. Unlike the last Super Rare Games product I reviewed, this one isn’t actually an instruction manual. It’s a tiny artbook, which is a nice touch. Given how simple the mechanics are for the game, it wouldn’t have made much sense to devote multiple pages to explaining things. But as a fan of the retro style of the title, I’m happy to flip through and check out the art.

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Super Rare Games has really outdone themselves here. I loved Old School Musical before, but this is a perfect pairing. It’s the crazy fun of La Moutarde mixed with the pristine packaging of SRG. It’s a reason I’ll continue to support this storefront, and pick up any cool games that deserve more attention!

  Super Rare Games Brings the Rhythm with Old School Musical Not too long ago I extolled the virtues of Super Rare Games. I still maintain that they offer a great service that helps bring deserving Switch games to physical formats.

[hermanwatts]

(Today’s column is a reprint of Kevyn Winkless’s excellent and heart-felt introduction to German science-fiction hero Perry Rhodan, originally posted on the Castalia House blog on 17 August, 2017. Kevyn ended his heart-felt appreciation for the run of Perry Rhodan published in English during the 1970s with “by all reports, the modern Rhodan is rich and fairly sophisticated space opera.” Next week, we shall see for ourselves in a review of ARK OF THE STARS, by Frank Borsch, the first book in the Perry Rhodan: Lemuria miniseries.)

You know The Shadow. You may know The Spider. You definitely know Conan. And after this year’s cinematic offering you also know Valerian, even if you’re not familiar with the original comics.

But are these really the most beloved SFF heroes in print? Really?

Yes, they are definitely at the top – and a convincing case can be made for Conan in particular as a global phenomenon with incredible staying power. But let me introduce you to another hero who is sadly little known in the English-speaking world: Perry Rhodan.

I stumbled on Perry Rhodan the summer we moved to a tiny town of under 500 people when I was in high school.

The nearest book store with anything like a SFF section was 100km away and the local shops’ spinners were loaded down with romance novels and basically nothing else. The library’s collection of SFF fare spanned a set of five spinners off in the back. I was frustrated at the time, but in retrospect in that age long before Amazon and before I had the financial wherewithal to participate in things like the Science Fiction Book Club[1] the fact that such a small town had a library at all was good fortune at its finest.

Needless to say I consumed that pitiful collection of SFF paperbacks in record time, and as a result was introduced to a variety of classic authors I might never have noticed otherwise[2]. I’m sure that experience deeply influences my reading and writing habits today.

To be honest, though, I have only the vaguest memories of what exactly was on those spinners. Oh, I know I first encountered James Blish and Andre Norton and Lin Carter and  van Voght here but other than Blish’s print adaptations of Star Trek episodes[3] I couldn’t tell you what titles were actually there. Except one:

Perry Rhodan.

Perry Rhodan was first published in German in 1961 in a Romanhefte format – this is a slim, pocket sized format analogous to the digest pulps popular in the US at the time[4], popular for “disposable fiction” of all kinds. And disposable is what the Rhodan series was initially intended to be:

At the start, it was to be a limited run of a few dozen weekly issues of novella length, but it was quickly obvious that the initial authors K. H. Scheer and Walter Ernsting  were on to something big, and the series was continued. The publishers are no doubt very happy they decided to see just where Perry Rhodan would go because as of today there are more than 2,900 issues in the continuous main series, more than 850 issues of the Atlan spin-off series featuring many of the same characters, and a multitude of subsidiary products including comic strips, and merchandise. The series has been so popular that it has reportedly sold more than a billion copies just in its native German, with another billion in various foreign language translations.

It was of course the English translation I found[5] – organized by Forrest Ackerman of fandom fame in the mid-60s, and resulting in Ace publication starting in 1968. This English translation and adaptation[6] unfortunately was ill-fated:

Despite being well-received by readers and eventually being popular enough to justify producing three issues per month, Ace decided to end the run in 1977 – with just a few missing pieces sputtering out until the end of 1978. Demand was high enough, though, for Wendayne Ackerman to publish another 19 issues under her own imprint, Master Publications. These were distributed only to subscribers, however, so the majority of the Rhodan reading public in the English speaking world were left with nothing but the 124 issues Ace had given them.

This, frankly, is a crying shame. Quite apart from the amazing popularity Rhodan continues to enjoy in Germany and around the world in several languages[7] the story itself is fascinating.

I can hardly call myself an expert – I came on these books years after the English translations had ceased publication[8] and have had to make do with the occasional issues I’ve stumbled on since those first three in that tiny small-town library so many years ago. But I have managed to track down more than half of the original translations over the years, and can piece together what is obviously a remarkable set of storylines.

The premise itself is nothing remarkable to us in the modern SFF scene – just the standards:

space mission stumbles on a crashed alien spacecraft on the moon and discovers mind-blowingly advanced technology

ancient space empire is decadent and crumbling

multiple “rabid” species, less advanced, are worrying at the edges and threaten to destroy everything the peaceful space empire has built up

decadent space empire gives their technology to humanity as the last great hope when they demonstrate their ability to unify under threat

You know: the usual.

But what makes this series so remarkable – at least in the portion I have read – is the seamless way the arcs link together. This is no mean feat for this style of serial, keeping things coherent and flowing despite the hands of multiple writers pushing the cart. The continuing success of the series is a testament to the skill with which the publishers have managed their stable of contributors and curated their “bible” for the series.

Also interesting is the way the story, despite being explicitly high tech space opera, effortlessly weaves in metaphysics and curious references to occult esoterica. I suppose to some extent this sort of thing is to be expected in a space opera setting that invokes the psionics trope, but the number of alchemical and other hermetic symbols that get deployed is truly fascinating – and links perfectly with the setting’s conceit that there really are “layers of being” that species transition through on their way to perfect unity with the universe.

So why is a series that is so influential and has such a devoted following completely invisible in English?

Part of the problem is that the US market was only ever exposed to the opening chapters of the story, which are generally considered fairly simple, straightforward space opera. Many critics of the time panned it as being too simplistic, with empty characters and relying heavily on tropes of human expansion that many felt were best left back in the 50s.

The basic criticisms are probably fair – the opening chapters are full speed ahead space opera, with thrilling space battles and fairly stereotypical characters  who are motivated in direct ways – and while some of the issues in the early books are surely caused by rapid translation you can definitely tell these were throw-away space adventures aimed at a younger audience.

But it’s hard to see why Ace would choose to discontinue a series that was, by all reports, profitable just because it wasn’t as sophisticated as the books the reviews columns were gushing over, especially when the translations had just started moving into the far more sophisticated storylines being developed by William Voltz in the Atlan spin-off – and which he brought back to the main line when he took over as master storyline planner in 1975, slowly developing the series to aim for a more discerning older audience. Not to mention the fact that they killed the series right when space opera was enjoying a comeback via Star Wars.[9]

The only explanation I can think of is the self-consciousness of English genre fiction that grew through the 60s and into the 70s – a looming hunger to be taken seriously, to be viewed as literary equals in an increasingly consolidated market.  In this environment it’s easy to see the pressure Jim Baen (who was SF editor at the time) and Tom Doherty (publisher) might have been under to reframe Ace’s SF offerings to a more “high-brow” focus.

But this concern for respectability is a great loss – by all reports, the modern Rhodan is rich and fairly sophisticated space opera, and it seems to me that the English SFF landscape is poorer for having sneered this series off stage back in 1978.

[1] SFBC has changed since I was a member – it doesn’t look anywhere near as appealing now as it once did, but in those days I discovered real greats through their catalog, and several of my favourite authors I learned to love because of one of their editions.

[2] Mainly because at that point they were increasingly out of print.

[3] Co-written with his wife, Judith, under the pen-name J. A. Lawrence as short story collections between 1967 and 1978, these little pocket books by Bantam were sometimes better than the TOS episodes they were based on and I consumed them hungrily.

[4] Though actually literally the German market equivalent of the dime novel.

[5] I have assayed original German issues on a couple of occasions, but sadly my German is just not up to it – though it might have been if I’d been lucky enough to discover Rhodan when I was 13 or 14.

[6] Ackerman and his wife, Wendayne – who did most of the translation – repackaged the originals by combining issues and reformatting the English issue layouts something like the pulps they remembered from their youth.

[7] Currently: a Portuguese translation available in Brazil, and translations into Russian, Chinese, Japanese, French, Czech, and Dutch – Italian and Finnish translations seem to have sputtered out. There was also a short-lived pirate version in Hebrew!

[8] And long before the two reboot efforts in the 1990s and 2006.

[9] And in fact, Lucas has mentioned Rhodan as an influence – less than Flash Gordon, but big enough to shape the design of some of the space ships.

published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

[guidetoenjoy-blog]

75 Best Travel Quotes To Inspire Your Wanderlust (Ultimate List)

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75 Best Travel Quotes To Inspire Your Wanderlust (Ultimate List)

Best Inspirational Travel Quotes Of All Time Inspirational Travel Quotes

Are these the best travel quotes of all time? Feed your wanderlust with these inspirational travel quotes from famous travelers along with beautiful images you can share. Let the adventure begin!

I’m slightly embarrassed be asserted that I love inspirational travelling quotes.

These memorable travelling quotes accompanied by stunning photography have the ability to capture little moments of lucidity that highlight truths about traveling, escapade, and life.

Great traveling quotes like these remind me that feelings I’ve felt while traveling the world for the past nine years have been experienced by many others.

We’re all beautifully connected with each other by a love for traveling!

Enjoys these travelling quotes? Feel free to share the quote photographs on Pinterest or Instagram! Also, check out my favorite motivational adventure quotes.

Here are my favorite travelling quotes of all time, paired with some photos from my personal adventures around the world. I often share them on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.

You have permission to share these quote images on your own accounts too, all I ask in exchange is to please credit me when possible. Thanks!

I hope they inspire you to pack up everything and head out into the unknown, to explore the farthest reaches of our planet( and your soul) — to insure the world for what it really is.

Browse these fun quotes when you need wanderlust motivating — to attain travel national priorities in your life!

Best Travel Quotes With Images

Traveling is one of the best ways to open your mind and heart to the world. As a outcome, I’ve experienced the whole range of emotions during my travels.

Although this has sometimes meant having my lifestyle and point of view challenged, I wouldn’t give up a single second of it because it helped shape me into the person I am today. Travel can change your perspective.

Like a less-intense version of an astronaut’s overview impact.

Many of these traveling quotes have inspired me to keep exploring. If you’re looking for inspiration to gasoline your wanderlust, you’re certain to find the perfect cite below!

Inspiring Travel Quotes

Adventure is always worth it!

Travel isn’t always fairly …

1:” Adventure is worthwhile .”- Aesop

It doesn’t get more simplistic than Aesop’s take on traveling, the ancient Greek fabulist and storyteller. But that’s exactly why this classic traveling quote continues to inspire me. Escapade can remind you about what’s important in life.

2: “Travel isn’t always fairly. It isn’t always comfy. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”- Anthony Bourdain

The late, great Anthony Bourdain truly made the fingernail on the head here. Many think of traveling as a way to relax, and it absolutely are likely to be. However, I’ve always found that traveling helps you learn about the good and bad parts of the world.

3:” Traveling- it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller .”- Ibn Battuta

I’ve seen awe-inspiring things that I supposed I’d never be able to explain to another person. Somehow, these experiences have turned me into a much better storyteller.

4:” We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other spirits .”- Anais Nin

Anais Nin’s terms about our constant sought for things that will build us feel whole sums up the desire to keep learning through experiences.

A journey is best measured in friends … 5:” A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles .”- Tim Cahill

I couldn’t agree more! I’ve built many friends around the world, and it’s the time I’ve spent with them that has built my travels so fulfilling. People are always more memorable than checking off a bucket list.

6:” The gladdest moment in human life, methinks, is a deviation into unknown lands .”- Sir Richard Burton

Sir Richard Burton eloquently captured the spirit of wandering off into the unknown. The moment of anticipation is oftens sweeter than the final result. Before I arrive in each new place, I often daydream about what is soon to come.

7: “No place is ever as bad as they tell you it’s going to be.”- Chuck Thompson

Have you ever looking back on your hometown through the eyes of a tourist? I understand how easy it is to get jaded, but the truth is that every single place in the world has something of interest to reveal you.

8:” I am not the same, having insured the moon glisten on the other side of the world .”- Mary Anne Radmacher

I often gaze at the stars when I’m visiting a new destination. It’s amazing considering ways they’re the same, yet so very different, from my home. Considering these changes helps you begin to understand your place in the universe.

9:” Travel induces one modest. You consider what a tiny place you occupy in the world .”- Gustave Flaubert

Flaubert continued Radmacher’s wise observation in this insightful quote. I definitely used to think that my life, and my country, played a bigger role in the world until I strapped on my knapsack and began traveling.

Famous Travel Quotes We travel so life does not escape us. 10:” We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us .”- Anonymous

I feel a heavy weight on my heart when I don’t travel for an extended amount of time. As soon as I set off for someplace new, the burden of stagnation falls away and I feel renewed. Traveling always restores my zest for life.

11: “The man who runs alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready.”- Henry David Thoreau

I’ve heeded Henry David Thoreau’s advice on many occasions. In fact, of all the quotes about traveling I’ve collected here, this one has been the most influential. We can make excuses for not “ve got something”, and in many cases, we blame others.

12:” To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world .”- Freya Stark

A change of opinion always helps give me a new perspective on life. Traveling allows waking up to a different view on a regular basis. I know that I can always clear my intellect by visiting new places. The perfect traveling quote.

13:” The life you have led doesn’t is essential to the only life you have.”- Anna Quindlen

Anna Quindlen’s words have made a big difference in my life. It’s so easy to get stuck believing that what we’re doing right now is all we’ll ever do. It’s also style too easy to get sucked into identifying too strongly with the errors of our past.

14:” Broad, wholesome, charitable positions of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime .”- Mark Twain

I wish the entire world could understand Mark Twain’s insight into traveling. The only route to genuinely learn about the world and other people is by getting out there. We all have preconceived notions, but traveling has shown me that they’re usually false.

READ MORE: How To Work& Travel The World

Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has courage … 15:” Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the gallantry to lose sight of the shore .”- Andre Gide

I used to be so afraid to reach beyond my comfort zone. This travel quote about hurling off the so-called safety net of my comfy surroundings let me discover parts of the world I’d long presumed I’d never assure. More importantly, I’ve discovered things about myself that I never would have guessed.

16:” The use of traveling is to regulate imagination with reality, and instead of thinking of how things may be, insure them as they are .”- Samuel Johnson

There’s so much wisdom in Samuel Johnson’s quote on traveling. Take a second to visualize a place you’ve never been. If you induce that your next vacation spot, I bet you’ll find out that it’s completely different from your internal image.

17:” The world is a volume, and those who do not travelling read only one page .”- Saint Augustine

We may feel safe in our little bubble, but it’s also boring. That’s the primary reason I started traveling several years ago, and I’ve fallen in love with the thrill of discovery. The world is a beautiful piece of literature that constantly surprises me. It doesn’t get any more real than this short travelling quote.

18:” Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the intellect .”- Seneca

When I travel, I’m able to give my mind something new and exciting to focus on. Studies say that we need to keep learning in order for our minds to thrive. Each time I travel, I learn hundreds of new things that I never would have encountered from the consolation of my living room.

19:” Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do .”- Mark Twain

Mark Twain demonstrated once again to be an extremely wise man with this travel quote about the power of unhappines. I cannot imagine reaching the end of my life with a huge pail listing of things that were never intersected off.

Anonymous Quotes On Traveling Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before. 20:” Once a year, run someplace you’ve never been before .”- Anonymous

This simple travel quote says it all. My mind craves new experiences, and I quite simply cannot get them from my hometown anymore. By going somewhere new at the least once a year, I continue to grow in numerous ways.

21:” Travel is the only thing you buy that induces you richer .”- Anonymous

Money constructs traveling a possibility, but it doesn’t enriched you like sharing experiences with new cultures. I’m not sure who coined this inspirational travelling quote, but they reached the nail on the head!

22: “To traveling is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.”- Aldous Huxley

In perhaps the timeliest travel quote of all, Huxley reminds us that countries themselves aren’t bad , nor are their residents. Governments are likely to be corrupt, but the spirit of the people always lives on.

23:” Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. Ensure the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream built or pay money in factories .”- Ray Bradbury

Nothing can replace the thrill of traveling for me. I’d rather insure things in the real world than spend my day imagining them. None of the amusement devices that humans have invented can come close to the exhilaration I experience exploring the world.

24: “Traveling tends to exaggerate all human emotions.” — Peter Hoeg

I’ve been at my best, and at my absolute worst while traveling. Feelings are bigger during these journeys because there’s so much new information to process. Peter’s travel quote uncovers a truth that many travelers can relate to.

READ MORE: My Favorite Travel Books& Writers

You don’t have to be rich to traveling well. 25:” You don’t have to be rich to travel well .”- Eugene Fodor

Creator of the famous Fodor Guides Eugene Fodor’s quote helps highlight that people of almost any budget can travel. For instance, a few years ago I hitchhiked across the United States for 5 weeks, and it was one of my best traveling experiences.

26: “If you reject the food, dismis the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.”- James Michener

I completely agree with Michener. There’s really no phase in traveling to a new country if you’re only interested in staying inside the walls of a resort. I believe that the point of traveling is to learn about new cultures and customs and truly open our minds.

27:” People don’t take trips, trips take people .”- John Steinbeck

Going on a trip may start with a lot planning, but the truth is that once you arrive somewhere new, the region instantly begins to change you. Traveling can truly be transformative if you allow the trip to take hold of you.

28: “When overseas you learn more about your country, than you do the place you’re visiting.”- Clint Borgen

If you think your country does everything the right way and is idolized by other nations, you’ll definitely have those notions put to the test when you enter any other country. I’ve learned so much about the style my nation is viewed on the international stage. This is the perfect travel quote for Instagram or Pinterest.

29: “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.”- Bill Bryson

Have you ever felt the rain on your scalp in multiple countries? I have, and I’m here to tell you that it’s always a thrilling sensation each time it happens somewhere new. By traveling, I’ve learned to appreciate things that I would normally ignore.

Short Travel Quotes Life is either a daring escapade or nothing. 30: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”- Helen Keller

Just like everyone else, I spend some of my days sitting on a couch watching television. Of course, these aren’t the moments that define me , nor are they what I think of when straying through my favorite memories. It’s the adventurous side of life that makes living genuinely worthwhile to me.

31:” Travel is never a matter of fund, but of courage.” — Paulo Coelho

Yes, travel does require some fund. However you’ll also need to gather enough fortitude to temporarily cast off everything about your daily life that constructs it so comfy — and boring.

32:” Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the trip .”- Babs Hoffman

I been applied to obsess over every single little thing that could go wrong during a trip-up. This caused me to overly scheme everything. In some instances, it even convinced me to skip places that were less predictable. Little things can go wrong anywhere, so they’re not worth worrying about.

33:” He who would travel blithely must travel light .”- Antoine de St. Exupery

This became one of my travelling mottoes after an unfortunate experience trying to schlep a massive backpack from the airport to a hotel via public transportation. I know exactly what ol’ Antoine was talking about in this travelling quote!

34: “Every man can transform the world from one of monotony and drabness to one of exhilaration and adventure.”- Irving Wallace

If we’re being honest with ourselves, the routines of daily life are monotonous. For me, all it takes is a trip-up to a new city or country to reignite my sense of escapade. Each new discovery is exciting, whether it’s trying a new meal or assuring an ancient castle.

READ MORE: How To Find The Cheapest Flights

Not all those who wander are lost … 35:” Not all those who stray are lost .”- J.R.R. Tolkien

Tolkien’s wisdom genuinely shines through in this quote. I have applied it to several of my trip-ups by allowing myself to simply wander through a new land as opposed to plotting everything out first. You can’t understand how freeing this is until “youre trying to” it.

36: “The more I traveled the more I realized that fear stimulates strangers of people who should be friends.”- Shirley MacLaine

This quote is as relevant today as it was when it was first uttered. People have an unfortunate propensity to assert others as their adversary without even getting to know them first. This is an issue that’s propagated by fear of the unknown, and it has led to a lot of lost possibilities throughout history.

37:” I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine .”- Caskie Stinnett

Staying in one place for too long definitely attains my wanderlust start itching for a new escapade. Routine has its place, but too much of it constructs me feel stagnant. I love shaking up my daily life by visiting a new place and immersing myself inside a different culture.

38:” A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions .”- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Everything I’ve learned during my travelings has forever expanded and changed my intellect. This traveling quote shows Holmes clearly grew in a similar way by visiting new lands.

39: “Remember that happiness is a style of travelling- not a destination.”- Roy M. Goodman

Many chase the elusive dream of happiness when they should be embracing it inside of each little moment, as Roy alludes to in this inspiring quote. I learned long ago that happiness is found in the details.

More Fun Traveling Quotes Life begins at the end of your convenience zone … 40:” Life begins at the end of your convenience zone .”- Neale Donald Walsch

What is your comfort zone? If I’d never learned to stretching mine, I’d still be sitting on the same lounge after run every single day for the rest of my life. Instead, I challenged myself to tackle new challenges and to consider areas of the world that had intimidated me.

41: “Once in a while it truly makes people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to.”- Alan Keightley

One of my favorite traveling memories involves sitting on a sidewalk in Nicaragua feeing some chicken& rice. I watched local people stroll by for at least 30 minutes, running about their daily routines. This simple experience still defines Nicaragua for me in a way that visiting a famous tourist attraction never could.

42: “One’s destination is never a place, but a new route of find things.”- Henry Miller

I frequently remind myself of this quote about traveling from Henry Miller. After all, simply checking off travelling locatings means nothing if you don’t allow each trip-up to change you in some way. I love to soak up a new culture and learn more about the locals’ point of view.

43: “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.”- Susan Sontag

Every place on the planet has great potential to help us learn and grow. That’s the primary reason that there’s nowhere in the world I wouldn’t go if I had safe passage. Right now, there are some cities and countries that aren’t very welcome, but I’d still love to see them someday.

44: “Nobody can detect the world for somebody else. Merely when we detect it for ourselves does it become common ground and a common bond and we cease to be alone.”- Wendell Berry

You cannot maybe hope to learn the true nature of the world by doing nothing more than reading about it. As valuable as reading is, it always takes a backseat to detecting the world for yourself.

READ MORE: Money Saving Travel Resources

Take only memories, leave only footprints … 45: “Take only memories, leave merely footprints.”- Chief Seattle

This is one of the classic travel quotes that everyone would be well-advised to remember. It transgresses my heart to ensure historic areas filled with trash by careless travelers. We have a responsibility to preserve things as much as possible.

46: “Two roads diverged in a timber and I- I took the one less traveled by.”- Robert Frost

I took Frost’s words at face value in my teen years, but as an adult, I realise there’s much more to his sentiment. Seeing and doing the same things as everyone else can make it difficult to discover your own true identity.

47: “There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.”- Charles Dudley Warner

The start of each new trip is an exciting day that’s characterized by a mixture of wonder and dread. You have no idea if the trip will go as schemed, but the unknown is what makes everything so exciting.

48:” Oh the places you’ll run .”- Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss serves as a reminder that we can go anywhere if we stop putting restricted to ourselves. The world is waiting; we just have to have the gallantry to answer the call. Doing this, again and again, has given my life meaning.

49:” It is not down in any map; true places never are .”- Herman Melville

Much like the hidden parts of our spirits, we cannot hope to find something completely original and unspoiled without wandering off the map. I devote myself the freedom of the media to explore anything that catches my attention.

Investment in travelling is an investment in yourself … 50: “Investment in traveling is an investment in yourself.”- Matthew Karsten

Yup. I’m Matthew Karsten, and I wholly only snuck in one of my own traveling quotes. Haha! But I actually entail this too. When I first quit my unfulfilling day task to go backpacking around the world, I didn’t know what I was doing, or where it would all take me. But traveling taught me a lot about life, as well as myself.

51: “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to run. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.”- Robert Louis Stevenson

Stevenson was much more than simply a revered novelist; he was also a travel writer. This particular inspiring quote has always spoken to me. The advise to go somewhere new , no matter where it is, often grabs me.

52: “Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” — Lawrence Block

There is nothing more exciting than turning a corner while traveling and detecting something riveting. I remember this happening when I stumbled onto a work of art by street artist Banksy. I don’t even remember my original destination, but I do remember the way I felt looking at Banksy’s art!

53: “Better to see something once than hear about it a thousand times.”- Asian Proverb

This is, by far, my favorite Asian proverb, and it’s truly one of the world’s more accurate traveling quotes. I am always in awe when I find myself standing in front of an iconic landmark. Sometimes, they’re less impressive than the narratives I’ve heard, but even that’s a worthwhile experience.

54: “Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.”- Jack Kerouac

Is there anyone more uniquely qualified to provide insightful quotes about traveling than the author of” On the Road ?” Traveling doesn’t always go as smoothly as you’d expect. Despite this, I’ve discovered many times that the trip itself is every bit as exciting as the destination.

55: “Traveling is a barbarism. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar consolations of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things — air, sleep, dreamings, the sea, the sky. All things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.”- Cesare Pavese

Pavese’s volumes often spoke about loneliness and the inability to is attached to others in a meaningful way. Although his commentary on traveling does contain some truth, I’ve always taken it with a grain of salt. Yes, traveling are likely to be brutal at times, but I believe it’s also one of the most freeing experiences a person can have.

56: “Listen to the mustn’ts, infant. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me … Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”- Shel Silverstein 57: “And then there is the most dangerous danger of all — health risks of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.”- Randy Komisar

Many people say inspiring things, but Komisar has lived them as a successful venture capitalist. Don’t fall into the trap of believing there will eventually be a perfect time to follow your dreamings. Through traveling, I’ve learned the only perfect day is now.

58: “Life is short and the world is wide, the sooner you start exploring it, the better.”- Simon Raven

Controversial author Simon Raven said a lot of odd things in his time, but his traveling quotes were typically spot on. After all, the only route to see the entire world is to start taking travel-sized bites out it as early as possible.

59: “The journey not the arrival matters.”- T.S. Eliot

Eliot’s poetry inspired countless writers, but I’ve always been the most taken by this simplistic quote. When I first started traveling, I placed style too much focus on getting to my destination. By learning to let that run, I’ve developed some of my fondest traveling memories.

60: “What you’ve done becomes the magistrate of what you’re going to do — especially in other people’s intellects. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.”- William Least Heat Moon

Heat-Moon was so dedicated to writing unique travel books that he journeyed across the U.S. in a 1975 Econoline van. This is an adventure I long to replicate. I also love the idea of getting a fresh start in every new township, and that’s exactly what happens if you’re willing to leave your past behind.

61: “To travel is to live.”- Hans Christian Andersen

I grew up reading Anderson’s fairy tales but didn’t know about his travelling writing until subsequently. Now, I know that his many quotes about traveling genuinely captured the essence of why it’s so important to explore new areas.

62: “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of traveling is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.”- Bill Bryson

If you want to read humorous but insightful books about traveling, you should definitely check out Bill Bryson. He’s absolutely right about not taking things for awarded when you’re on the road.

63: “Travel makes a wise man better but a buffoon worse.”- Thomas Fuller

Fuller broke new ground with his literary skills, which allowed him to earn a living long before being an author was a viable full-time career for novelists. Some say that everyone is changed for the better by traveling, but Fuller advised us that this wasn’t the case.

64: “I have found out that there ain’t no surer style to find out whether you like people or detest them than to traveling with them.”- Mark Twain

American gem Mark Twain wasn’t one to mince words, but his humor attained even the bitterest truths easier to swallow. Regrettably, I found out the wisdom behind his words the hard way through experience.

65: “The most beautiful in the world is, of course, the world itself.”- Wallace Stevens

Stevens had a love for the simple things in life, as evidenced by one of his titles:” The Emperor of Ice-Cream .” He’s also right; the entire world contains beauty. That’s why I long to travel to every country on ground.

66: “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and escapade. There is no end to the escapades we are going to be able have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”- Jawaharial Nehru

It’s unsurprising that someone who learned directly from Gandhi would have such an inspiring way of looking at the world. Open your eyes to the beauty of a sunrise or waves rolling into the coast. No matter how many times you’ve seen them, they’re still full of beauty.

67: “I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.”- Tune Truong

Melody Truong’s terms resonate with me because they’re so full of truth. The feeling of loving unexplored parts of the world is exactly what pushes me to keep traveling.

68: “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.”- Susan Heller

Heller’s widely quoted travelling proverb has influenced the way I travel. I used to pack way more than I required, and this hindered my travellings. Cutting your luggage down and packing more fund always builds things easier.

69: “Live your life by a compass , not a clock.”- Stephen Covey

People have turned to Covey for business advice for years, but I’ve found the most value in this one simple quote. I used to meticulously plan each trip down to the minute.

70: “Travel far enough, you meet yourself.”- David Mitchell

David Mitchell’s best-selling novels typically involve traveling, as evidenced by this quote from” Cloud Atlas .” It’s difficult to get to know yourself when you’re stuck in the groove of normality. I always have the best self-awareness breakthrough after a period of travel and inner reflection.

71: “I travel because it constructs me realise how much I haven’t ensure, how much I’m not going to see, and how much I still need to see.”- Carew Papritz

Being born in Yosemite National Park enabled the travel glitch to bite Papritz at birth. His thought-provoking spin on the purpose of travelling has greatly influenced me. I may never see it all, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try.

72: “Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”- Anita Desai

Indian novelist Anita Desai nails this one with her inspiring quote about traveling. We’re all shaped by each of our experiences. I love it that every new adventure helps shape me for the better.

73: “We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.”- Ray Bradbury

Bradbury’s books often transport readers to another time or place. We cannot travel to other time periods in the real world, but we can take in the architecture of the past.

74: “Happiness is letting go of what you think your life is supposed to look like and celebrate it for everything that it is.”- Mandy Hale

Author Mandy Hale embodies her standpoint as the” single girl with a narrative to tell .” I try to remind myself of this quote whenever life seems to be spinning out of control.

75: “Wherever you go, go with all your heart! ”- Confucius

Confucius was an early supporter of social equality who urged people to live a life of morality and sincerity. I’ve interpreted this quote to mean that it’s important to be fully committed to each new experience.

Ready To Travel The World?

Congratulations on reading down this far! I know that was quite a listing of inspiring traveling quotes from famous writers. But if you’re still sick with wanderlust, and ready to travel more, you’re in luck.

The travel blog you’re reading right now is how I make a living while traveling. Interested in doing the same?

If you enjoy writing& photography like I do, check out my free guide to starting your own travel blog. Travel Planning Resource Packing Guide

Check out my travel gear guide to help you start packing for your journey. Pick up a travel backpack, camera gear, and other useful travelling accessories.

Book Your Flight

Book inexpensive flights on Skyscanner, my favorite airline search engine to find bargains. Also read my tips for how I find the cheapest flights.

Rent A Car

RentalCars.com is a great site for comparing auto prices to find a deal.

Book Accommodation

Booking.com is my favorite hotel search engine. Or rent local apartments on Airbnb ($ 35 discount !). Read my post for tips on booking inexpensive hotels.

Protect Your Trip

Don’t forget travel insurance! I’m a big fan of World Nomads for short-term journeys. Protect yourself from possible trauma& theft abroad. Read more about why you should always carry travel insurance.

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READ MORE TRAVEL TIPS

This Is How I Get Paid To Travel 15 Awesome Things To Do In The Yucatan Ultimate Guide To Iceland’s Ring Road 30 Incredible Photos From Afghanistan Best Compact Cameras For Traveling

Have any cool travel quotes I missed? Which is your favourite? Drop me a message in the comments below!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Read more: expertvagabond.com

[morrisbrokaw]

12 Stylish IKEA Hacks That’ll Make You Feel Like a Pro

If you’ve been following Wit & Delight for any amount of time you probably know that myself and the entire W&D team has quite the love affair (or more appropriately, obsession) with IKEA. It seems we are always there buying new items for the studio, preparing for our latest photo shoot, or taking a stab at the hottest IKEA hack. I’ve gotten so good at putting IKEA furniture together, in fact, that I’ve come to actually enjoy the process. You’ve got to power through a lot of hours of furniture assembly to reach that level of crazy, trust me.

If you’re as crazy as we are for IKEA, you might be interested in trying your hand at any of our favorite recent projects. Our team put together 12 of the most stylish IKEA DIY upgrades for you to try. These are all so easy that upon completion, you will feel like a pro. What home decor projects are you tackling at your house lately, I would love to hear!

1. (above) Retro cabinet // Perhaps our favorite IKEA upgrade is this retro-inspired cabinet from Domino. The stunning color palette and style make it easy to integrate into any room. Switch up the paint colors to suit your taste and you’re good to go!

2. A fresh coat of paint // There’s really nothing a good paint color can’t fix! Give a simplistic bed frame a makeover with a pretty shade of green.

3. Cardboard play sets // Furniture isn’t the only thing that can be upgraded from IKEA. Ever have a pile of their cardboard boxes in your home after a weekend of putting everything together? Try turning some of those into fun cardboard toys.

4. Midcentury modern shelving // This is one you can do in an afternoon! The classic Kallax gets a mid-century modern update with the easy addition of some legs.

5. Dresser-drawer combo // Think outside the IKEA box when considering a renovation. This upgrade combines pieces to create the perfect combo for a little girl’s room. The leather pulls make it even more chic.

6. Splattered plates // Remember that coat of paint? Splatter it! These food-safe party plates are the perfect mix of style and fun.

7. Floating credenza // Extra storage always comes at the price of floor space– not in this one! This floating credenza adds space for extra linens or reading materials and also looks great.

8. Office desk with the prettiest legs // Desk legs can make all the difference on an IKEA desk. They can make a $50 desk look like a million bucks. The best part? This IKEA upgrade will take you less than an hour.

9. Leather-handled dresser // Little leather details are some of the most eye-catching additions to simple pieces. This dresser is an easy upgrade that can go anywhere in your home.

10. Toddler learning tower // Tiny hands always wanting to help around the kitchen? Let them! And give them their very own space. This learning tower keeps them safe and at eye-level with their workspace.

11. Hanging entryway baskets // Looking for a 5 minute IKEA upgrade? Move your usual storage baskets from the floor to some hooks. Add some chalk labels and you’ll be the most organized house on the block.

12. New cabinet fronts // We can’t talk enough about our Reform cabinet fronts in the studio! They’re easy enough to install and are a total game-changer. No one would ever guess they were from IKEA.

–

Images courtesy of linked sources

The post 12 Stylish IKEA Hacks That’ll Make You Feel Like a Pro appeared first on Wit & Delight.

12 Stylish IKEA Hacks That’ll Make You Feel Like a Pro published first on https://workbootsandshoes.tumblr.com/

[annviscom]

Discover, Study, Narrate

Workshop - Year 1 - Term 1

(26 & 27 September 2018)

Our first term started with a two-day project to create a narrative based on either a love story, a drama or a ghost story in which we had to place our given object(s). In our case we had two objects: a weirdly sized cauldron and tea pot. (See picture below)

Task 1 (Day 1)

We individually started researching areas like storytelling, narrative theory or the use of our specific objects. Personally, I would have liked to have more time to find out about different narratives and the given genres but all in all I managed to find the information that was essential for me to continue our project.

Here is what I found out when doing some research:

Task 2

This task was harder than I thought. To make us think outside of the box we had to visualise our object in 20 different ways/uses (I managed to sketch 17 in the given time). You might think it is easy but in my opinion it is quite hard to think of a specific object as something else. Let me give an example: If you have used a key to open a door every day it is not the easiest thing to think of the key as a staircase to a small fairy-tale kingdom. In the picture below, you can see my attempts on different uses for a tea pot and a cauldron.

Task 3

After doing the past two steps on our own we now went on to working as a team to create the actual story. Each of us had developed a few ideas for a possible plot so we presented our ideas to the rest of the group. We all thought about settings, meanings, narratives and interactions when we created our own personal ideas which now makes me believe we could have fulfilled this task better than we did. At this point our group didn’t talk a lot about narratives or different settings and instead of creating a plot together we went with one that a member of our group suggested and altered it a bit. Worth mentioning is that we were all happy with the story and the result even if we didn’t create the story together from scratch.

The photo below shows parts of the storyboard/plot I created. We decided not to choose this one because it would have taken a lot more time to visualise and I probably imagined it to be an animated short film anyway.

Task 4 (Day 2)

Day two started with us re-choosing our final story. After we had done that we had also decided on how to visualise the story. The method we used was partly inspired by stop-motion and paper-cutting. So basically, we had two backgrounds (light blue & dark blue) which presented the universe. The other pieces (e.g. moon, stars, clouds, sparkles...) were cut out of coloured cardboard/paper. We then tried to give faces and expressions to the cauldron and the tea pot, decided not to do it and keep it simple instead, assembled all the scenes, took more photos than we needed and then turned it into one presentation during our lunch break. I remember us struggling when making the decision which photos to keep and which ones not to involve in the final story. Deadline for this task was 1pm and we finished it before that - cheers!

Here is what our table looked like during the creation:

One of our attempts to give them faces:

Behind the scenes of taking the photos for our final piece:

Task 5

 It was finally time for all groups to present their final outcome. We all explained one part and the presentation itself was good. Note to myself: There is nothing to be nervous about. Next time, try to keep calm and organise your thoughts before you actually speak.

Our final sequence of 10 images:

Task 6

This is the final task of this project. “Critically reflect on your final outcome [...]” - Quote from our project brief

1.) Our course mates picked up the story quickly which makes me feel confident that our images tell the story exactly as we wanted them to tell it. The images are stylistically simple and therefore easy to understand. Some of them are a similar - we could have slightly changed some of them to make it a little more interesting.

2.) The story is about a cauldron who wants to meet the love of his life (the tea pot) on the moon - I assume most people dream of meeting the love of their life someday. Because it didn’t have enough rocket fuel it didn’t make it all the way which leads to the tea pot having a broken heart - again, heartbreak is a feeling many people can relate to which I think is important when coming up with a narrative/plot.

3.) Looking at how we visualized the whole story I believe the style suits the story. We went for a simplistic, cute style for a love story (tiny bit of drama) that includes vibrant colours which reminds me of books for children. When we planned the whole project we were also thinking of what we were able to create within the given time so we wouldn’t miss our deadline which is another reason why we chose a rather simplistic style. Also, I think the style we chose makes it clear that this is a fictional story and nothing realistic. If we had chosen to do a ghost story instead I probably would have voted to use another style (and other colours).

4.) As I mainly researched storytelling and narrative theory I will only talk about the links between that and our story. One important thing I found out about storytelling is that you should make the audience care - connect with them on an emotional level. The story begins with a state of equilibrium which basically means that everything is normal. To add some tension, we moved on to disequilibrium. The normality gets interrupted. Unlike many other narratives we then decided on not going on to a new equilibrium but to leave an open end.

5.) We worked well together as a group. It wasn’t easy as one of our members couldn’t attend class on day two and on that day we got a new member. Anyway, everyone could find a task to work on and we talked about our ideas, gave our opinions and worked together with respect. There were parts in which we worked individually like cutting out the pieces for the final images as well as parts in which we worked together like photographing each image and putting the presentation together.

6.) What did I gain from this workshop? First thing that comes in my mind are all the different styles and methods that can be used for visualising information. When I thought of my story I obviously saw it as a hand drawn animation film because I like to draw and that is THE way in which I would have done it. But seeing methods, styles, colour schemes that other groups (and our group) used and getting an insight into other peoples ways of thinking and developing ideas did broaden my creativity. Another thing I noticed is that it is not easy to tell others your honest opinion because you obviously don’t want to talk about their ideas or art style. But when working on a group project it is extremely important to be honest - about things you dislike as well as things you like.

7.) As I mentioned in the task 3-section I would build the sequence from scratch as a group rather than just taking the whole idea from one person. Also, I would want to be more honest about what I think and - as mean as that might sound - don’t try to please everyone else in the group by sacrificing my own ideas for the sake of others. It is a very personality-based thing and I don’t mean to put blame on anyone or talk bad about our project. I really enjoyed it and I absolutely love the aesthetic of our final piece, but I would just like to be more confident about me, my ideas and my work in the future.

[dreadsandlace-blog1]

Trove Codes

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[casualarsonist]

Parental Guidance: Flushed Away

So I tried to write a review for Flushed Away yesterday, just to see if I could write one for a kid’s film. Turns out I suck at doing that even more than I do at writing them for adults. I couldn’t write from any other perspective than my own, and found myself assessing it by criteria that the majority of children would likely never notice or care about. So, in with that in mind, and an increasing number of my friends having kids lately, I’ve decided to review Flushed Away for the parents that will be watching the film. I’ll be judging it on its merits as a film, as well as whether it’ll irritate the shit out of you, how rewatchable it is, and whether it’ll traumatise your kids. Note that the overall score is not an aggregate of the others, it’s simply my overall recommendation based on my final, personal opinion. Enjoy!

Flushed Away is far from the best-known of Aardman Animation’s feature films, and when preceded by such pedigree as the hugely successful Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, one can see how Aardman’s follow-up - their first foray into the CGI world, and their last picture with Dreamworks - would really need to make a mark in order to compare. It did not, despite making nearly £200 million, it was labelled a box office failure by Dreamworks and their agreement with Aardman came to an end. Which, thinking about it, might have been for the best, because whilst Flushed Away is a good film with a lot of positives, it feels like it’s drifted away from the Aardman we know and love in some way, and one may get the feeling that Dreamworks, in giving Aardman their highest budget yet, shaved some of the quirkier edges off of the production, leaving it feeling like it has slightly less of its own personality that it ought to, but this shouldn’t scare anyone away from seeing what is a quirky, charming, and impeccably acted film. 

Flushed Away is the story of Roddy St James (Hugh Jackman), the pet rat of an affluent family living in the upper-class London borough of Kensington. When a sewer rat climbs out of the drains and invades his house, Roddy is flushed down the toilet to an underground city populated by the rat underclass. After lots of yelling, screaming, and bumping-into-things-and-setting-off-Rube-Goldberg-type-catastrophes, Roddy meets Rita (Kate Winslet), a plucky scavenger fleeing the cronies of The Toad (Ian McKellan) - the maniacal villain intent on ridding the city of rats and populating it with his tadpoles. Roddy’s self-interest in returning home leads to a back-and-forth in which he and Rita betray one-another, before finally uniting in opposition to their common enemy. Along the way Roddy learns that despite having all the possessions in the world, he was missing the one thing the underclass rats had in abundance - companionship - and he leaves his life above for adventures down below. 

It’s a rather simplistic plot with a well-trodden execution, but while the initial 10-20 minutes of shouty-shouty may strain the patience of the adult viewer, Flushed Away comes into its own once we meet the stunning cast and the performances are given a chance to shine; and boy do they shine. One thing Aardman films seem to do well in a way that many animated films fail to match (I’m looking at you, Gnomeo & Juliet, which I’ll be reviewing next) is elicit quirky, engaging, and thoroughly entertaining performances from A-list actors, often giving them ability to flex their acting muscle. McKellan is fantastic as the insane Toad - his best melodramatic LOTR howling blends with a cackling villiany that his subdued Magneto was never allowed to offer; Bill Nighy is a standout in his understated and hilarious role as a dim-witted albino rat Whitey; Jean Reno gives the most entertaining performance I’ve ever seen (heard?) from him as the French assassin ‘Le Frog’ (He’s funny. FUNNY. Typecast Francey Man McFrowny-face is funny.) 

And this is really the triumph of the film - it’s clear that the actors had an immense amount of freedom and fun in recording their roles, and this gives the film a huge amount of life. The leads - Winslet and Jackman are also great, although being the leads they’re given less wiggle-room in their interpretations. Jackman seemed to me like an odd choice at first - Roddy has more than a little Hugh Grant about him and it’s not like England lacks Hugh Grants, not to mention that I’ve often found Jackman to be rather uninteresting on-screen - but he's actually quite an uninhibited voice actor and his natural charm is ultimately very winning and works well with the cheesy grin of the ‘Aardman face’. Winslet is similarly charismatic, and deftly juggles the warmth and sassiness of her character to offer a surprisingly truthful and winning performance; her affected working-class brogue allowing her to disappear into her role.

This said, aside from the performances and some aspects of the unfolding plot, Flushed Away is a pretty standard affair. The move to CGI removes some of the irreplaceable style Aardman have always traded on, and while the efforts have been made to animate the film in such a way as to best imitate stop-motion, the unimpressive visual quality simply leaves it looking flat and cheap for the most part. The action is heavily slapstick as well, and you’ll sit through a lot of characters screaming as they’re flung from one thing to another time and time again, and I’m sure it appeals to a younger, less jaded generation, but I realised that I was getting old when I found myself passively annoyed by it.

But what else would you expect? Flushed Away isn’t Wallace & Gromit, it’s an expensive Dreamworks film, and it feels like it. It’s certainly not terrible by any stretch – the soundtrack is excellent and a fantastic example of using well-placed licensed music to enhance an action sequence (*sideways glance at Gnomeo and Juliet*), and there’s a good deal of laughs-aloud to be found; the characters are strong and their actors’ performances fantastic; it’s not as blatantly manipulative as, say, Finding Dory – you care for the characters because they grow on you and their changes are motivated, not because they’re tiny little fishies with big ol’ eyes and they lost their mummies. It’s a really entertaining film, not Aardman’s strongest, but certainly a fun addition to the home catalogue. 

Laughs: 7

Some genuine laugh-out-loud moments and unexpected humour. The slugs will win you and your children over. 

Visuals: 6

There’s a lot of nice detail in the world, but the flat, textureless CGI means it has not aged well.

Performances: 9

Very high-quality performances with a range of quality actors allowed to get a bit silly with the material.

Plot: 6

Well-trodden fish-out-of-water/wrong-side-of-the-tracks affair. The motivation for the lead is that he’s lonely, but this is not particularly well-established. It’s hard to give a solid score, but it’s scaled up to a 6 because it gets better.

Obnoxiousness: 4

It’s a pretty harmless film, although much of the action relies on screamy Rube Goldberg trails of destruction.

Timelessness: 6

Certainly rewatchable due to the detail in the world, the great performances, the fantastic, well-integrated soundtrack, and the decent script. The relentless slapstick action might irritate quickly though.

Hardcore Rating: 2

There’s little-to-nothing scary about this film. Even the bad guys are funny in their own right.

Overall: 7/10

Flushed Away isn’t a technical marvel, nor will it likely be held with the same esteem as its compatriots, but the performances are deeply charming, and the story and characters grow on you as it progresses. Come the end of it, I was quite impressed.