#its a two dee object

[dokutah-exe]

decided to create a new department named "the bureau of divorced women" to aid the ever-growing amount of divorced operators that continue to join us

[mostlysignssomeportents]

A year in illustration, 2023 edition (part one)

(This is part one; part two is here.)

I am objectively very bad at visual art. I am bad at vision, period – I'm astigmatic, shortsighted, color blind, and often miss visual details others see. I can't even draw a stick-figure. To top things off, I have cataracts in both eyes and my book publishing/touring schedule is so intense that I keep having to reschedule the surgeries. But despite my vast visual deficits, I thoroughly enjoy making collages for this blog.

For many years now – decades – I've been illustrating my blog posts by mixing public domain and Creative Commons art with work that I can make a good fair use case for. As bad as art as I may be, all this practice has paid off. Call it unseemly, but I think I'm turning out some terrific illustrations – not all the time, but often enough.

Last year, I rounded up my best art of the year:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/25/a-year-in-illustration/

And I liked reflecting on the year's art so much, I decided I'd do it again. Be sure to scroll to the bottom for some downloadables – freely usable images that I painstakingly cut up with the lasso tool in The Gimp.

The original AD&D hardcover cover art is seared into my psyche. For several years, there were few images I looked at so closely as these. When Hasbro pulled some world-beatingly sleazy stuff with the Open Gaming License, I knew just how to mod Dave Trampier's 'Eve Of Moloch' from the cover of the Players' Handbook. Thankfully, bigger nerds than me have identified all the fonts in the image, making the remix a doddle.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/12/beg-forgiveness-ask-permission/#whats-a-copyright-exception

Even though I don't keep logs or collect any analytics, I can say with confidence that "Tiktok's Enshittification" was the most popular thing I published on Pluralistic this year. I mixed some public domain Brother's Grimm art, mixed with a classic caricature of Boss Tweed, and some very cheesy royalty-free/open access influencer graphics. One gingerbread cottage social media trap, coming up:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys

To illustrate the idea of overcoming walking-the-plank fear (as a metaphor for writing when it feels like you suck) I mixed public domain stock of a plank, a high building and legs, along with a procedurally generated Matrix "code waterfall" and a vertiginous spiral ganked from a Heinz Bunse photo of a German office lobby.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/22/walking-the-plank/

Finding a tasteful way to illustrate a story about Johnson & Johnson losing a court case after it spent a generation tricking women into dusting their vulvas with asbestos-tainted talcum was a challenge. The tulip (featured in many public domain images) was a natural starting point. I mixed it with Jesse Wagstaff's image of a Burning Man dust-storm and Mike Mozart's shelf-shot of a J&J talcum bottle.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/01/j-and-j-jk/#risible-gambit

"Google's Chatbot Panic" is about Google's long history of being stampeded into doing stupid things because its competitors are doing them. Once it was Yahoo, now it's Bing. Tenniel's Tweedle Dee and Dum were a good starting point. I mixed in one of several Humpty Dumpty editorial cartoon images from 19th century political coverage that I painstakingly cut out with the lasso tool on a long plane-ride. This is one of my favorite Humpties, I just love the little 19th C businessmen trying to keep him from falling! I finished it off with HAL 9000's glowing red eye, my standard 'this is about AI' image, which I got from Cryteria's CC-licensed SVG.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/16/tweedledumber/#easily-spooked

Though I started writing about Luddites in my January, 2022 Locus column, 2023 was the Year of the Luddite, thanks to Brian Merchant's outstanding Blood In the Machine:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/26/enochs-hammer/#thats-fronkonsteen

When it came time to illustrate "Gig Work Is the Opposite of Steampunk," I found a public domain weaver's loft, and put one of Cryteria's HAL9000 eyes in the window. Magpie Killjoy's Steampunk Magazine poster, 'Love the Machine, Hate the Factory,' completed the look.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/12/gig-work-is-the-opposite-of-steampunk/

For the "small, non-profit school" that got used as an excuse to bail out Silicon Valley Bank, I brought back Humpty Dumpty, mixing him with a Hogwartsian castle, a brick wall texture, and an ornate, gilded frame. I love how this one came out. This Humpty was made for the SVB bailout.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/23/small-nonprofit-school/#north-country-school

The RESTRICT Act would have federally banned Tiktok – a proposal that was both technically unworkable and unconstitutional. I found an early 20th century editorial cartoon depicting Uncle Sam behind a fortress wall that was keeping a downtrodden refugee family out of America. I got rid of most of the family, giving the dad a Tiktok logo head, and I put Cryteria's HAL9000 eyes over each cannonmouth. Three Boss Tweed moneybag-head caricatures, adorned with Big Tech logos, rounded it out.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/30/tik-tok-tow/#good-politics-for-electoral-victories

When Flickr took decisive action to purge the copyleft trolls who'd been abusing its platform, I knew I wanted to illustrate this with Lucifer being cast out of heaven, and the very best one of those comes from John Milton, who is conveniently well in the public domain. The Flickr logo suggested a bicolored streaming-light-of-heaven motif that just made it.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/01/pixsynnussija/#pilkunnussija

Old mainframe ads are a great source of stock for a "Computer Says No" image. And Congress being a public building, there are lots of federal (and hence public domain) images of its facade.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/04/cbo-says-no/#wealth-tax

When I wrote about the Clarence Thomas/Harlan Crow bribery scandal, it was easy to find Mr. Kjetil Ree's great image of the Supreme Court building. Thomas being a federal judge, it was easy to find a government photo of his head, but it's impossible to find an image of him in robes at a decent resolution. Luckily, there are tons of other federal judges who've been photographed in their robes! Boss Tweed with the dollar-sign head was a great stand-in for Harlan Crow (no one knows what he looks like anyway). Gilding Thomas's robes was a simple matter of superimposing a gold texture and twiddling with the layers.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/06/clarence-thomas/#harlan-crow

"Gig apps trap reverse centaurs in wage-stealing Skinner boxes" is one of my best titles. This is the post where I introduce the idea of "twiddling" as part of the theory of enshittification, and explain how it relates to "reverse centaurs" – people who assist machines, rather than the other way around. Finding a CC licensed modular synth was much harder than I thought, but I found Stephen Drake's image and stitched it into a mandala. Cutting out the horse's head for the reverse centaur was a lot of work (manes are a huuuuge pain in the ass), but I love how his head sits on the public domain high-viz-wearing warehouse worker's body I cut up (thanks, OSHA!). Seeing as this is an horrors-of-automation story, Cryteria's HAL9000 eyes make an appearance.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/12/algorithmic-wage-discrimination/#fishers-of-men

Rockefeller's greatest contribution to our culture was inspiring many excellent unflattering caricatures. The IWW's many-fists-turning-into-one-fist image made it easy to have the collective might of workers toppling the original robber-baron.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/14/aiming-at-dollars/#not-men

I link to this post explaining how to make good Mastodon threads at least once a week, so it's a good thing the graphic turned out so well. Close-cropping the threads from a public domain yarn tangle worked out great. Eugen Rochko's Mastodon logo was and is the only Affero-licensed image ever to appear on Pluralistic.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/16/how-to-make-the-least-worst-mastodon-threads/

I spent hours on the sofa one night painstakingly cutting up and reassembling the cover art from a science fiction pulp. I have a folder full of color-corrected, high-rez scans from an 18th century anatomy textbook, and the cross-section head-and-brain is the best of the lot.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/04/analytical-democratic-theory/#epistocratic-delusions

Those old French anatomical drawings are an endless source of delight to me. Take one cross-sectioned noggin, mix in an old PC mainboard, and a vector art illo of a virtuous cycle with some of Cryteria's HAL9000 eyes and you've got a great illustration of Google's brain-worms.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/14/googles-ai-hype-circle/

Ireland's privacy regulator is but a plaything in Big Tech's hand, but it's goddamned hard to find an open-access Garda car. I manually dressed some public domain car art in Garda livery, painstakingly tracing it over the panels. The (public domain) baby's knit cap really hides the seams from replacing the baby's head with HAL9000's eye.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/15/finnegans-snooze/#dirty-old-town

Naked-guy-in-a-barrel bankruptcy images feel like something you can find in an old Collier's or Punch, but I came up snake-eyes and ended up frankensteining a naked body into a barrel for the George Washington crest on the Washington State flag. It came out well, but harvesting the body parts from old muscle-beach photos left George with some really big guns. I tried five different pairs of suspenders here before just drawing in black polyhedrons with little grey dots for rivets.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/03/when-the-tide-goes-out/#passive-income

Illustrating Amazon's dominance over the EU coulda been easy – just stick Amazon 'A's in place of the yellow stars that form a ring on the EU flag. So I decided to riff on Plutarch's Alexander, out of lands to conquer. Rama's statue legs were nice and high-rez. I had my choice of public domain ruin images, though it was harder thank expected to find a good Amazon box as a plinth for those broken-off legs.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/14/flywheel-shyster-and-flywheel/#unfulfilled-by-amazon

God help me, I could not stop playing with this image of a demon-haunted IoT car. All those reflections! The knife sticking out of the steering wheel, the multiple Munsch 'Scream'ers, etc etc. The more I patchked with it, the better it got, though. This one's a banger.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

To depict a "data-driven dictatorship," I ganked elements of heavily beribboned Russian military dress uniforms, replacing the head with HAL9000's eye. I turned the foreground into the crowds from the Nuremberg rallies and filled the sky with Matrix code waterfall.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/26/dictators-dilemma/#garbage-in-garbage-out-garbage-back-in

The best thing about analogizing DRM to demonic possession is the wealth of medieval artwork to choose from . This one comes from the 11th century 'Compendium rarissimum totius Artis Magicae sistematisatae per celeberrimos Artis hujus Magistros.' I mixed in the shiny red Tesla (working those reflections!), and a Tesla charger to make my point.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/edison-not-tesla/#demon-haunted-world

Yet more dividends from those old French anatomical plates: a flayed skull, a detached jaw, a quack electronic gadget, a Wachowski code waterfall and some HAL 9000 eyes and you've got a truly unsettling image of machine-compelled speech.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/02/self-incrimination/#wei-bai-bai

I had no idea this would work out so well, but daaaamn, crossfading between a Wachowski code waterfall and a motherboard behind a roiling thundercloud is dank af.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/03/there-is-no-cloud/#only-other-peoples-computers

Of all the turkeys-voting-for-Christmas self-owns conservative culture warriors fall for, few can rival the "banning junk fees is woke" hustle. Slap a US-flag Punisher logo on and old-time card imprinter, add a GOP logo to a red credit-card blank, and then throw in a rustic barn countertop and you've got a junk-fee extracter fit for the Cracker Barrel.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/04/owning-the-libs/#swiper-no-swiping

Putting the Verizon logo on the Hinderberg was an obvious gambit (even if I did have to mess with the flames a lot), but the cutout of Paul Marcarelli as the 'can you hear me now?' guy, desaturated and contrast-matched, made it sing.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/10/smartest-guys-in-the-room/#can-you-hear-me-now

Note to self: Tux the Penguin is really easy to source in free/open formats! He looks great with HAL9000 eyes.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/18/openwashing/#you-keep-using-that-word-i-do-not-think-it-means-what-you-think-it-means

Rockwell's self-portrait image is a classic; that made it a natural for a HAL9000-style remix about AI art. I put a bunch of time into chopping and remixing Rockwell's signature to give it that AI look, and added as many fingers as would fit on each hand.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/20/everything-made-by-an-ai-is-in-the-public-domain/

(Images: Heinz Bunse, West Midlands Police, Christopher Sessums, CC BY-SA 2.0; Mike Mozart, Jesse Wagstaff, Stephen Drake, Steve Jurvetson, syvwlch, Doc Searls, https://www.flickr.com/photos/mosaic36/14231376315, Chatham House, CC BY 2.0; Cryteria, CC BY 3.0; Mr. Kjetil Ree, Trevor Parscal, Rama, “Soldiers of Russia” Cultural Center, Russian Airborne Troops Press Service, CC BY-SA 3.0; Raimond Spekking, CC BY 4.0; Drahtlos, CC BY-SA 4.0; Eugen Rochko, Affero; modified)

[seeminglydark]

1. since john tries to stay away from tech as much as possible, i think it would be funny to see what would happen if he got his hands on like a secondhand e-reader or laptop and what it would look like if he tried to use it. it would also be cool to see if or what kind of stickers he would use to decorate it.

2. i know it’s kind of a difficult topic. but since i’ve been reading your comic, I think the “Creaky” storyline is one of my favorites. Being able to escape a difficult upbringing and being able to find solace and comfort in found family. I’ve imagined that with the help of his newfound friends, John would go back to his father’s house and take back some of his most prized possessions because I think John would be the type of person that would value things and attach those objects to memories of people. I think it would be fun to see how John adapted to a new environment and being able to live freely (full-time) and thrift for clothes and other things. I think it would be interesting to see his thoughts of when he entered his first apartment and see how he decorated it and see how it has evolved into the glimpses that we’ve seen.

hahaha while i understand what you're asking here, he would of course one hundred percent fumble it, the last thing he had was a flip phone from the early 2000's when he was in highschool, so of course he wouldnt be good with laptops or anything. as far as an e-reader goes, john is severely dyslexic (undiagnosed, so untreated) and reading is already a huge struggle, which is why he uses the walkman and listens to audio books. the truth is, were he to get his hands on these things, he simply wouldnt use them. but its fun to imagine him like my 80 year old dad doing the ol' point and shoot typing style with two fingers! Caro and Maddie show him things on their phone and on the internet all the time anyway, so hes not missing the good memes ha! Creaky is also my fave storyline, I'm so glad you're enjoying it! To answer your first question, no, he wouldn't actually go to his dads at any point, and even if he did, none of his stuff would still exist sadly. on a brighter note, he DOES get to retrieve some of his old things, either after hooking back up with Caro (who has his battle jacket, fuck belt and a few other things) and because his Highschool pals Georgie and Dee would totally have a ton of his stuff in the back of Dee's van, so he'd get his walkman, some clothes, his cross earrings that belonged to his mom, and a few other precious things, and you are right, he does connect objects to people. His biggest problem is not remembering much about what some of those connections were. Another factor here is the fact that there is a protection order between he and his ad put in place by Maddie's stepdad Dr Parker, John's dad isnt allowed within a certain amount of distance to John so, going to his house wouldnt be allowed. Even with his friends (in Seemingly Dark, the Fenris chapter) facing down with his father is almost impossible because of his fear and trauma. There will be more about that in the future! on the second note, im actually in process of turning Creaky into a stand-alone book! Which is why I haven't drawn anything here in reply to Johns reactions to new places, new friends and new environments, its all things I want to explore more in depth in the new version of my fave story line. <3 Heres links to some of the progress on the New Creaky! and here!

[rudjedet]

What is something you think it is cool or interesting but seems to be underrated?

In terms of egyptology, most of the stuff that isn't publically known. You know like, all the knowledge about Egypt that's in the public consciousness? pretty much everything else feels underrated to me.

People don't want to hear about the workmen's rosters of Deir el Medina, they want to hear about Tutankhamun or Ramses II. People don't want to hear about Tawosret's reign, they want to hear about Hatshepsut's bog standard time on the throne. People are extremely invested in the things that speak to the imagination, such as grand treasure, enormous statues, inscriptions with interesting stories about battles, and less invested in the bits that make up the day to day life in history.

Pot sherds? I fucking love them, not just the ostraca, but also the actual literal pot sherds that can tell us what period they're from by having one very specific lip or rim type. Iconography, epigraphy, being able to look at a relief or coffin and going "oh yeah that's X dynasty because Y bit of iconography, and also two different draughtsmen worked on this piece". The variance in Hieratic signs across dynasties. Grammatical intricacies. Diagnostics in the medical papyri. The fact they didn't have horses and chariots until the New Kingdom, the fact that donkeys weren't used as mounts but as beasts of burden. Flood plains, population numbers, emergence of the state, the economic structure and its development...

But to name one specific example that I think is probably particularly underrated, it's stone quarries. The monuments of ancient Egypt are so evocatively Egyptian, and while people say "wow man how did they even do that" a lot, and the whole "how were the pyramids actually built" keeps cropping up every three months or so, no one really wants to hear or learn about the stone quarries in use throughout Dynastic Egypt.

And if you were asking in general terms, Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee books are extremely underrated lmao. Much as though I've enjoyed Agatha Christie, Van Gulik is objectively the better detective writer. Plus, bonus historical fiction because it's set in T'ang dynasty China*!

*While the eponymous Judge Dee is a T'ang dynasty historical figure, the books actually portray Ming dynasty China in terms of morals and fashion. This is because the books are based on the Chinese work Di Gong'an, which was written in the Ming dynasty, and in these fictional works the historical period is seen through the lense of the time the text was written in. The initial five books in the series are, in that same tradition, always prefaced by a chapter as written from a Ming dynasty official, and it is implied that the story that follows was written down by that official. Which is another reason why these books are cool because as a historian and a writer as well (Van Gulik was a sinologist himself), I think extrapolating your fiction from the historical tradition you're basing it on is fucking lit.

[thinkingimages]

A Derek Jarman film with music by Throbbing Gristle Derek Jarman used some of his 70s home movie footage to produce this wonderful piece of exploitational avantgarde cinema. Actually the original material has been slowed down to a speed of 3-6 frames, then Jarman added colour effects and the pulsating, menacing score by Industrial supergroup Throbbing Gristle The result is a piece of art not to dissimilar to Jarman’s painting work in using found footage as elements of memory and mind that resemble ideas reflected in the Cabala and in C.G. Jung`s writings about an archetypical past that is hidden in everyone of us. The first, In the Shadow of the Sun (1974-80), was originally put together by Jarman himself in 1974 from re-shot Super-8 material including footage from The Art of Mirrors and Journey to Avebury, amongst several others. The film was eventually blown-up to 35mm and premiered at the 1981 Berlin Film Festival. The focus on ritual, mysticism and obscure alchemical symbolism links it with the work of Anger. However, Jarman’s preference for the work of Carl Jung and the “white” magician John Dee, is quite distinct from Anger’s invocations of the “black” magician Alistair Crowley. – Jon Behrens

Extending the recent pagan theme, Ubuweb posts Derek Jarman’s determinedly occult and oneiric film, In the Shadow of the Sun (1980), notable for its soundtrack by Throbbing Gristle. This was the longest of Jarman’s films derived from Super-8 which he made throughout the 1970s between work as a production designer and his feature films. He never saw the low resolution, grain and scratches of Super-8 as a deficiency; on the contrary, for a painter it was a means to achieve with film stock some of the texture of painting. Michael O’Pray described the process and intent behind the film in Afterimage 12 (1985):

In 1973, Jarman shot the central sequences for his first lengthy film, and most ambitious to date, In the Shadow of the Sun, which in fact was not shown publicly until 1980, at the Berlin Film Festival. In the film he incorporated two early films, A Journey to Avebury a romantic landscape film, and The Magician (a.k.a. Tarot). The final sequences were shot on Fire Island in the following year. Fire Island survives as a separate film. In this period, Jarman had begun to express a mythology which he felt underpinned the film. He writes in Dancing Ledge of discovering “the key to the imagery that I had created quite unconsciously in the preceding months”, namely Jung’s Alchemical Studies and Seven Sermons to the Dead. He also states that these books “gave me the confidence to allow my dream-images to drift and collide at random”. The themes and ideas found in Jubilee, The Angelic Conversation, The Tempest and to some extent in Imagining October are powerfully distilled in In the Shadow of the Sun. Jarman’s obsession with the sun, fire and gold (which spilled over in the paintings he exhibited at the ICA in 1984) and an ancient mythology and poetics are compressed in In the Shadow of the Sun with its rich superimposition and painterly textures achieved through the degeneration “caused by the refilming of multiple images”. Jarman describes some of the ideas behind In the Shadow of the Sun:

“This is the way the Super-8s are structured from writing: the buried word-signs emphasize the fact that they convey a language. There is the image and the word, and the image of the word. The ‘poetry of fire’ relies on a treatment of word and object as equivalent: both are signs; both are luminous and opaque. The pleasure of Super-8 is the pleasure of seeing language put through the magic lantern.” Dancing Ledge p.129

John Coulthart

[staring-at-a-blank-pagee]

binary star: a system of two stars that are gravitationally bound to each other, both orbiting around the same point in space. for each of the stars, its companion is the center of the universe.

It was a beautiful day to be in outer space. The stars twinkled brightly from where they hung surrounded by countless others of their kind, by swirling nebulae and idyllic planets orbiting brilliant stars of their own. In the midst of all this wonder floated a small Waddle Dee, who was perfectly content to just drift, the shine of excitement in their eyes rivaling even that of the stars that they were so fascinated with. Occasionally they would flick their tail, and with a jolt of electricity, would go flying forwards again to explore new areas and to see new sights.

It was here, among the stars, that Starry Dee felt the most at home. Yes, they loved Dreamland, but amidst the marvels of deep space they felt truly connected with everything, abuzz with magic and energy that sent their heart singing with joy.

Without realizing, he had drifted further than usual. But the sky was still bright with stardust, and all worldly things are meaningless when you are such a close part of a galaxy, so he flicked his tail again and let himself float even further from home. And these celestial bodies that he had known all his life, growing familiar with them over long nights spent looking up and countless hours in the skies just like this; speaking to them softly or just staring and taking in their beauty... they were incredible, but he could not deny the thrill of new discoveries, either.

A strange figure in the distance caught his eye when it glinted off the light of a nearby star, almost as if it were metal. Starry Dee squinted at it as it flashed, confused. After only a moment's hesitation, they started to move towards it, and as the object got closer it became increasingly clear that it was not a ship at all. Then what could it.....?

Starry squealed with happiness, too excited to make any other sound for a moment. "Oh my Nova. Oh my literal Nova." He said out loud without fully realizing it, flapping his arms excitedly as he drew closer and the distinctive features of the Galactic Nova became even more clear. In what felt like no time at all, they were right in front of it, their whole being quivering with pure happiness.

"READY. >" It said in a mechanical, toneless voice. Its purple eyes that seemed to hold millions of starts within them stared unblinkingly at the small Dee, glowing brightly.

"Oh my Nova, you're actually real!!! Wait, can I say that to you? Is that weird?" Starry rambled, his tail waving back and forth behind him as he talked. "I mean, I've looked for you my whole life, even though everyone said you were just a legend I always believed you existed!! And now you're really here!! It's such an honor to meet you, really, you're so awesome!!! Does all that stuff on you work right, like the piano or the clock? I have so many questions!! Oh, and of course I have a wish-"

The Nova, which had up until then been listening silently to Starry's rambling, cut him off. "READY. >" It repeated, as emotionlessly as ever.

Staring into the Nova's face made the words of their wish stop just short of coming out. I want to stay here with you, forever. It should have been so easy to say. But there was something about the way that rust collected on the edges of the Nova's otherwise pristine surface, something about the way that light of a different kind flickered deeply within its great galaxies of eyes when they had appeared, something about the terribly lonely idea of being trapped here forever, unable to move or explore, that made them pause.

He imagined- hundreds, maybe thousands of people coming to the Nova to get their wishes granted. The only interaction at all in its life being other people's greed. Living here, anchored and cursed to give everything to everyone but itself until all the stars winked out and it was the sole one left with nobody at all, all alone in the dark for eternity... Or until its machinery succumbed to time's allure at last, failing, never having known anything but what was in its line of sight. And maybe then, such a failure would have been a mercy.

Some people - most people - would have said that machines have no souls. No sense of self, no being. But Starry saw souls in every star and every leaf on every tree. He talked to the morning dew like it was an old friend and told the moon stories when it was full in the sky. He kept his many stickers safe and knew all of their hearts, apologizing to them when they ripped and laughing with them when they shone in the sun and everything was warm. He took a deep breath and faced the Galactic Nova.

"I wish that you could be free."

"... OK. > 3.... 2.... 1.... GO! >"

a wild nova appears!

they are always floating, and appear in a puffball form. they are adjusting... slowly to this new life after centuries of stagnancy, and still act very mechanical. as of right now, their existence is being kept a secret from the star allies/etc until they get more used to life on dreamland. side note! since the original nova plot was undefined, i had it set in the far future and was the "end" of starry dee's story. now, however, due to the rewrite it has already happened. as such, nova will be with starry dee for the remainder of the tournament. they can still grant wishes in theory, but would need to enter a long coma afterwards to "recharge". while they are a biological lifeform now thanks to the wish and not a mechanical one, they still have certain strange properties - like how their body shines like metal still.

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

The stars were "wonderful tonight", according to Starry Dee. Nova didn't understand that, though. They looked the same as they always did, and the Dee always said that the stars were "wonderful". According to the knowledge their databases had left them, wonderful was defined as ˈwʌn.də.fl̩, adj: inspiring delight, pleasure, or admiration; extremely good; marvelous. Looking up, they did not feel any of that, as far as they could tell. They had spent many eons looking at the stars, and failed to recognize what Starry loved so much about them. They did not find anything wonderful, not after so long.

They were drawn out of their thoughts by the stirring of the Dee by their side. Nova floated close to the ground where Starry was fast asleep, curled up against part of their side despite his earlier proclamation that "I'm awake for the whole night all the time, it'll be fine!". As they watched, he mumbled something indecipherable in his sleep, though luckily it seemed to be a good dream by the way that his face was scrunched up in what they had come to know as the Waddle Dee version of a smile.

Slowly, they extended a paw. It was the first thing that they had done of their own will without Starry prompting them first ever since they had been freed and come to Dreamland. Somewhat awkwardly, they pet the Dee's head, causing his antenna to twitch. After a brief pause to ensure that wasn't a bad thing, they resumed the motion, which strangely.. became more natural, with time.

And... looking at Starry Dee now, with their newfound freedom all around them, maybe... Maybe Nova could understand how stars were so wonderful, after all.

fin.

(@kirbyoctournament)

[xinnamonbun]

I NEED TO TALK ABOUT SHIP KIDS!

I could literally talk about this topic for HOURS so I'm going to try and squish this as much as I can (which is going to be hard)

Fantube:

Amount:

They already have two kids (Foster Egg and Bot) but I think they would have three more- (STAY WITH ME) 3D Glasses (referencing how fan likes media and test tubes beta design being goggles), Pamphlet (science pamphlet for testing and fan because paper), and Bookmark (books are seen as smart so Test Tube but also are a geeky thing so Fan and also made of paper again)

General Parenting:

They'd get better ever kid but I think the whole thing would be the lesson of "there is always more to learn with parenting"

Bonus:I think they'd be the first one to be grandparents

Payjay: (@pencilgutz /you know why I'm tagging you)

Amount:

I think they'd have 1 or 2. For the sake of talking we're going with 2. Paper Carton (drink container and paper) and Glass Pen (adopted but reasoning is OJ has glass and you write on paper with pen)

General Parenting:

They're honestly pretty good at it! But like any parents they mess up- what makes them good is that they usually fix those mistakes

Bonus:

I feel like most people go to them or fantube for babysitting, it definitely helps that half of them still live in hotel oj

Silvercandle:

Amount:

I think they'd have one. I don't want to say candelabra BUT ITS LITERALLY CANNON (dee voice of candle was asked "what's their ship child" and they said Candelabra) but we're trying to make something different so let's say...Lighter (metal silver and fire)

General Parenting:

They'd obviously love them but I think they would unintentionally be bad parents in different ways (silvercandle shippers don't come after me; jk I'd love to hear you fight me on this) silver would be very overbearing and way too protective and basically not let them do anything. Candle would help them calm down however down the line this would (unintentionally) cause them to not talk to her about things because from their perspective candle would just "shut them up"

Bonus:

I think because of the previously stayed in parenting issues they would end up basically having two sides of themselves; "perfectly elegant object" and "rebel" when they're with their friends. Which probably causes problems down the line...

Lightbrush:

Amount:I think 2. Glow in the Dark Paint (Glow like lightbulb and paint with paintbrush) and Digital Pen (electric like lightbulb and art utensils)

General Parenting:

I don't think I even really need to say this but Lightbulb WOULD be the fun parent doing fun things like arts and crafts, fishing, starting car games like I spy on road trips, ect. Paintbrush would be the more grounded parent that is trying to make functional adults. I feel like Lightbulb as the fun parent makes paintbrush want to and fail to get closer with the kids because they are only seen as "the one who gives the lectures" or "the chore giver" vs Lightbulb who's the "fun one" the "cool one"

Bonus:

Light bulb is not only the fun mom, she is also the fun aunt. If she's babysitting the kids get excited.

Knifkle: (is that how you spell it?)

Amount:

One. Potato Peeler (kitchen utensils that is sharp like knife used on vegetables like pickle... Since that second part is a bit of a stretch why don't we make them green too)

General Parenting:

Knife is actually really good at being a cool enough parent that their kid WANTS to talk to them about their problems and pickle is basically their first bestie very loving when their kid asks "how do planes fly?" They find out together

Bonus:

Because of knife and pickles good parenting, I think they end up being very good at reading other object's emotions and are just really good at getting objects to open up

Microsoap:

Amount:

One. Hairbrush (adopted, don't tell me you've never sung in the shower with a hairbrush instead of a microphone, showers have soap, and hair brushes are kind of a part of hygiene)

General Parenting:

I think they'd be pretty average when it comes to how good at it they are. Soap would be an expert in diagnosing their own child tho. Mic would also be very against secrets which worked out well at first but of course every child's ganna have some secrets

Bonus:

Because my whole justification for this object was basically shower, they really likes swimming

Suitloon:

Amount:

One. Hot Air Balloon (is used to carry things like a suitcase and also has straps to connect to the balloon, I don't need to explain balloon)

General Parenting:

Oh they baby this child. Which is obviously what you're supposed to do when they are a baby but when 14+...not so much. Their main priorities are making sure that they're kind (Fair) and being protective not OVERPROTECTIVE just protective... Maybe just a little over.

Bonus:

it took a really long time for them to have the child because of the... Process. (Idk with the object "process" is but whatever it is I imagine they have a distaste for it since I head Canon both of them to be on the asexual spectrum) however they ended up agreeing that they did want a family. And they are very satisfied with the one that they have.

Remember when I said I could talk about this for hours? Turns out I was talking about it for hours anyways! A lot of stuff that I wanted to add ended up getting hydraulic pressed so I've been typing and saving this as a draft for a while....

DAMN IT NOW IVE GOTTEN ATTACHED TO SHIP CHILDREN AGAIN-

[crystallizedday]

So I did a lil bit of a ramble to my buds over on Discord about this lil idea I had for Fusionfall, & I wanted to post it here since I thought it was too baller not to share with me fellow Fusionfall (& Demongo) fans on here.

So if I sound like I’m vaguely trying to explain some key aspects of the game’s lore here

Uh

That’s why KAMWOSMSODK

I wanted to keep everything in just in case some of y’all don’t know how the guide system works, so uh

Just bear with me here IQKQOSMSOKXEK

Aight

So

In Fusionfall, your journey will often be “guided” by one of four guides to the game, that being Dexter, Ben 10, Double Dee, or Mojo Jojo.

Each guide has a different long term objective, & they’ll give you one mission every time you advance a level, getting you closer & closer to the guide’s end goal.

Each of the four possible long-term missions is shown in the image below.

Since these characters are stationary throughout the entire game, each guide storyline will have you visiting different characters to complete each guide mission, these missions often involving a desire or objective from the character giving you the mission themselves.

For instance, if Mojo is your guide, then Father (from Codename Kids Next Door) will ask you to do favors specifically for him.

It doesn’t help Mojo himself, but since Father has ties TO Mojo, doing tasks for Father makes sense (plus, it proves to Mojo that you’re obedient & hard working).

Here’s where things get tricky.

Later on in the guide missions for Mojo, Mandy comes in & tries fucking over Mojo’s plan so SHE can come in & get the upper hand on Fuse, wanting to use all that power for herself (typical Mandy behavior).

However, once Mojo & Dexter figure out what she’s trying to do, the two have you foil her plans.

But this isn’t how the guide storyline ends.

For some reason, you’re still sent back to Mandy as you do more missions for her.

Granted, it’s to help clean up the mess you & her made, but still.

It’s just weird to me that Mojo & Dexter would trust you to still work for her.

& even so, doing guide missions for other characters is purely cause these characters are typically stationary in an area that matches your level… which Mandy doesn’t, by the time you foil her plans at level 32.

You wanna know which NPC is nearby the level 32 area?

In Retro & Retrobution (the fan revivals), Demongo is placed in front of the gate guarding the Dark Glade, home to the Dark Tree, a force that Mandy was trying to harness for herself before she got caught.

There’s a mission at level 31 where you go just outside the Dark Glade to measure the power of the tree from afar, which is not too far from where Demongo is stationed.

You can already tell where I’m going with this.

✨Rewrite idea!!✨

Demongo, BEING in that area, notices your shenanigans & calls you over after you’ve measured the tree. He interrogates you on what you are doing as you, the player, spill to him what you & Mandy have been up to.

Not wanting some little brat to mess up the entire war for the resistance (or even worse, become the powerful warlord they’re fighting against), he decides to intervene, telling you to return to Mandy & try to get as much information as possible about what she’s cooking.

You return to Mandy where you finish the mission & get your reward.

However, for the level 32 mission, once you are given what Mandy calls the “signal smasher”, you are instructed by Mandy to go inside the Dark Glade & clear the area. After that, Mandy tells you to put the signal smasher into the Dark Tree, but Demongo intervenes via the nanocom & urges you to return to him so he can have a look at this “signal smasher” for himself.

Once you return to him & give him the device, he tells you that he recognizes it as something found exclusively in the ruins (a place he knows pretty well due to his extensive knowledge of magical artifacts & areas). He tells the player of its true power, that it isn’t a device meant to dampen power, but to instead enhance it.

He probably has a lil “I knew it!” moment, wanting to give himself some credit KWMWOSMWODM

He then instructs you to throw this thing in one of the fiery craters located in the fire pits, probably having a throwaway line about how he knows they’re one of the hottest volcanic areas in the planet & how he used to spend most of his weekends bathing in the lava-infested craters before Fuse took over the area KWMWOSMDOKCODCK

Once you dispose of the machine, you return to Demongo, who not only rewards you, but also is now the person you go to for the rest of Mojo’s missions.

Mojo himself (as seen in your guide emails) doesn’t know if he can trust Demongo after what Mandy pulled, but since there’s a camp nearby with monkey minions actively being stationed there, Mojo at least trusts that they’ll report back to him if anything fishy happens, so he allows Demongo to take over in his & Mandy’s stead. After all, the demon USED to be a walking army at one point. He could be useful to Mojo’s cause.

The last remaining missions involve the hypnotic charm that you & Mandy used a few missions ago with Demongo discovering that Fuse’s monsters had recently gotten a hold of it. You’re then instructed by him to go search for it to prevent Fuse from harnessing its power for his own gain.

The original guide missions have you conveniently not retrieve the charm for three missions straight, ending with the destruction of the charm & the entire guide mission having absolutely no impact on the war. I know that’s the whole point of his story since it’s all about preventing him from actively making things worse, but I wanna at least give the storyline SOME justice…

Under the guise of Demongo, you retrieve the charm from one of the eyebulbs in Hero’s Hollow (at mission level 33), who looked to be on their way to deliver the charm to Fuse himself. Demongo has you hand him the charm, immediately noticing how it has been infected with Fuse’s ooze. However, unlike the original storyline, Demongo conjures up an idea to use the charm against Fuse’s army.

Being someone who had a forcefully loyal army himself at one point, Demongo devises a plan to use the charm to scramble the minds of Fuse’s forces, much like how the beasts will go into a frenzy when being compelled by an ancient warrior’s soul (which is a plotline in the main story that Demongo is heavily involved in).

He DOES confirm in the game that he has the power to place charms on people & objects, so placing one on the charm is not out of the question in this case.

However, he believes the two of you will need to safely acquire more ooze to not only override the charm’s original properties, but to also ensure the charm will have a much stronger connection to the fusion monsters, allowing it to sort of “connect” with them instantly.

The next two missions involves Demongo sending you out to fight the toughest monsters you can find (mainly the Jurassic Centurions) & acquire the toughest fusion-formed shells you can gather (from the Shellslugs in the Green Maw) to form something similar to the devices crafted in the Double Dee & Ben endgame missions.

The last mission has Demongo enchanting the device & ordering you to place it as close to Fuse’s Lair as you can. You fight the Scoria Cephalopods as usual, probably as a way to “clear the area of witnesses” or something, & are then given the orders to place the device in one of the large cracks in the earth just outside of Fuse’s fortress. Doing so will have Demongo tell you via the nanocom that the monsters nearby his area have started to act more erratic & disorganized, proving his plan to be a success.

I can imagine he gets extremely excited about it too, just get all goofy about it like

“Yes! Yes!! YES!! Let’s see that oozy fool try to take over when his own army won’t listen to him!! Who’s the powerless one NOW, Fuse?!”

Where it’s painfully obvious that his ego desperately needed that ONE win IAKAOSMSOXKSOXKSOMX

When you return to Demongo for your last reward, he remarks how Mojo had just spoken to him in private, saying he’ll “keep in touch” with the demon in case Demongo ever regains his army-summoning powers.

I like to think that Demongo would be happy to work with someone as a partnership rather than under a master, so he’s hoping this alliance will be just what he’s looking for as a newly freelance villain. OWMWOSKSOMX

Just thought this change in the storyline would help better flesh out Demongo as a character & his role in this extensive universe.

[mx-showstarter]

UNDERTALE OC~!

Mellow Dee~! I finally drew her, she's an oc I've had since I was 12 In her life, Mellow was a young girl who played flowergirl for a wedding and her last moments were running around after she caught the bouquet.... she saw a hole and thought it was would make a good hiding spot but became the eternity of hiding spot.

A banshee with a scream so violent it is practically a weapon and a literal warning of loved ones dying. She wanted to hard to help a human get to the surface world... just 1 death was all she wanted to prevent. But one became two, two became five and with a breakdown later and trusting in someone else, the 6th soul was taken.

She isn't a monster, her soul is just rejecting death. And is slowly withering away, making her soul as weak as a monsters but still remaining in the same direction and having the hue of mint green. In pacifist ending she gets to have a host body through the scraps of Mettaton NEO (also some adjustments cause Mettaton will not let his cousin NOT slay)

If she were in the games she would be your guide to the best ending in neutral route and pacifist route. She will be heavily against you killing that if you clear a room of all monsters she disappears and won't show till... much later to stop you if you do genocide Random facts -She's half American (Texas on her moms side) and half Mexican (on her dads side) -Her soul is "Perception", this makes her more aware of stuff than others and view a lot of things with bullet points (like you'd see in cartoons or comics) -She is the sister figure to Alice ( @aertuthesavagecomedian2 's oc) and Mad MewMew (Maddie is a nickname she gave her). She is also cousins to MTT ("Tonton") and Napstablook ("Naps" or "Blooky") -She has a very obvious crush on Moray (UTY) but refuses to confess because "I'm probably just not their type) -She knows Gaster ("the funny man") and Flowey, however had distrust for Asgore, believing her murdered the first child in cold blood -She is somewhere on the nonbinary umbrella (she/they) but does not object to being called a girl, guy or addressed gender neutral.

Here are her sprites if you want to use them for textbox stuff (its a link in text)

[mixing0]

Ideas for a potential (and ideal for my tastes) Kirby Party game!!

This'll be long, obviously, so I'm leaving everything under the cut.

At its core, the game is a literal copy-and-paste of classic Mario Party. Everyone moves around the board, gathering more of a select item than their competitors to win, with minigames sprinkled throughout. No differences there. The difference comes from what the objects are, in this case.

On the topic of stars:

Here, stars are replaced with food items, given out by Kawasaki who replaces Toad. Whenever Kawasaki is moved, through any means, he prepares a new, unique food item.

When you get to Kawasaki, you can spend 20 point-stars (the Kirby equivalent of coins) for whatever he offers. Or you could spend 25 point-stars to get a different food selected at random.

Why does this matter? Because you can eat these food items for special bonuses, offering a nice helping of strategy to the established norm. Eating them means you lose a point, however, so it should be used very carefully to be effective.

Outside of those, at least one food is offered that has no stat effects and is just your bog standard.

On the topic of items:

Originally, I had planned for most of the items to come straight from Mario Party 2, but after looking more closely into the item system of Parties 5-7 (mainly 6 because it serves as another big influence on the project), I fell in love with the nuance and strategy that could be employed.

With that in mind, I was thinking about revamping the item system and number of items to better fall in line with this style. However, I'll still share the old item lineup, just for personal reference:

Wheelies act as mushrooms, letting you roll two dice blocks, while Rex Wheelies let you roll three.

Warp Stars act as, well, Warp Blocks, letting you swap places with a random player.

The Dimension Mirror allows you to move backward along a board when used. (And this will be more costly, so as not to be absolutely broken like the Reverse Mushroom was.)

The Vat-luck moves Kawasaki to a different space.

The Noddy Network calls Nightmare upon a player of your choosing.

The Enticing Cheese calls Daroach, while the Stinky Cheese prevents Daroach from stealing from you.

The Dinner Bell warps you straight to Kawasaki.

The Invisibility Stone lets you walk through alternate pathways.

The Nebula Chest steals a random item.

The Dueler's Sword... is self-explanatory.

On the topic of boards:

I conceptualized 12 main boards for the game. At the moment, they are:

Augmented Area (Technology-themed.)

Foody Feilds (Grassland, Food-centric theming.)

Corruption Cavern (Mining cave theme.)

Dusky Drawings (Spooky Mansion + Art theme)

Basalt Boulevard (Fire/Lava theme)

Royalty Ring (Castle theme)

Headstrong Honky-tonk (A casino in Merry Magoland.)

Galvanized Garden

Sanguine Sands (Western theme)

Mauve Mountain

Impeccable Iceberg

Nightmare's Nexus (Space Theme)

I may end up removing some of these, adding more, or changing a few of these ideas around.

On the topic of characters:

The roster includes:

Kirby

King Dedede

Meta Knight

Bandana Dee

Marx

Gooey

Adeleine

Ribbon

Magolor

Taranza

Susie

Elfilin

With the following making an appearance as non-playable characters:

Kawasaki (as the host.)

Nightmare (filling Bowser's role.)

Escargoon (who owns the bank.)

Daroach (filling in for Boo.)

Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright (who operate the day/night cycle.)

and other well-known enemies (who serve the other roles as needed.)

Each playable character will have a unique outfit for every board except for two. No one will have a unique outfit on Basalt Boulevard, and everyone will have a unique outfit on Nightmare's Nexus.

The character that does not have a unique outfit on the given board plays an integral role at the end if they lose, triggering a boss fight that acts as a final minigame (sort of similar to the boss minigames in Mario Party 9).

And that's everything I had! I hope you guys like my ideas!

Oh, and be sure to look out for the art I'll be making for this in the future. I've already made a few things for it, but they're all so old now that I feel like revamping them.

[omegaremix]

Rosie’s Vintage shopping list, 2018.

Two more stops to go before the music shopping spree is history. Whatever locations are on the list seems to be further away each time. Today’s theme is the record annex which is picking up on Long Island. It started a year-and-a-half ago when Hideaway Vinyl set shop in Rosie’s Vintage in Huntington. Looks like they have an online presence still despite nothing being updated in a few months, so why not take the trip to see what it’s all about?

It’s been quite a while since being in Huntington. I do have some personal history there. My ex- Yenny brought me over to work there (our second job working together) for several years and it’s where she used to live. And let’s try to forget a dreaded miserable summer post-rain day out with former friend and staffer Molina, who took me through a cemetery, burger place, and an isolated park in an attempt to get close to me. No dice.

I walk in to Rosie’s and it’s bonafide vintage. Looks like the owners took over a small Fifties-style house in white-bread suburbia. Walk in and you’ll certainly feel the loud creaking of the all-wood floors. Its’ living room, dens, bedrooms, and many closets are filled with tons of kitsch, knick-knacks, and collectibles from the mid-century. Street signs, old threads, compasses, jewelry, board games, wardrobes, dolls, salt-shakers…I can go on. There’s many stories and tales to be told by each and every object that survived its’ era; all neatly organized, piled, and sorted. As an added touch, there’s the classics played on the overheads. Collections were posted on its page and testimonials from its customers recall their purchases: old vials and medicine jars, pill and spice tins, matchbook collections, sports pennants, dishes, and the occasional naughty glassware. I can still go on if you want me to.

The guy behind the register greets me and asks what he could do for me. I’m here for Hideaway Vinyl, I say. He tells me that they left shop a few months ago. Could’ve fooled me. They no longer exist. They’re still present online on social media but it all made sense why the lack of updates. Had Hideaway stayed, there’d be a presence of punk, hardcore, surf, ska, and rockabilly. He did show me where all the vinyl is now deposited by Vinyl Paradise. Remember them? There were twelve shelves top and bottom of pre-owned vinyl, four of the same across from those bins of newly-pressed and Record Store Day releases. 

Of the first twelve were plenty of rock, pop, dance, and 12″ dee-jay singles most for $10.00 and less with the occasional new hardcore pressing. I found a lot of 12″ hip-hop and dance singles; Nice & Wild and Harold Faltermeyer were two hits New York’s Z100 played growing up during my single-digit Eighties youth. Everything else in Shabba Ranks, Mad Skillz, Boogiemonsters, and Blahzay Blahzay were all summer hits going to Brentwood. WBLS, Hot 97, and Kiss FM played them all. As always, there’s the pop-rock quotient from Genesis and Dire Straits. Hello, nice to meet you again. Also relieved to find was the complete Malcomb McLaren & The World Famous Supreme Team’s “Buffalo Gals” in a die-cut label sleeve.

In comes Thea, co-owner of Rosie’s Vintage in her rockabilly / Rosie The Riveter motif. She says hello and sees the stack in my hand. She offers to put it aside for me which I obliged. I kindly ask if there would be more vinyl and does tell me there might be some upstairs. That’s where I’m going. Heading up is possibly one of the steepest set of steps I experienced walking. I also had to dodge a heavy-set punk couple decked with gauges, tattoos, low-cut tank tops and tees coming from downstairs. I walk up and there’s a closet with a secret crate of records on the floor containing The Talking Heads’ 77 for $20.00 and its’ sister Tom Tom Club’s Close To The Bone for $15.00. Shucks. I scour the upstairs to find many more antiques. Compasses, typewriters, old magazines, books, brochures in one room with very little traces of 7″ records in one crate. The kitchen was full of dishes, glasses, and silverware stacked in the sink and on its’ counter but no records to be found.

Thea rings me up and I’m golden. This became the shortest time spent in any store with the smallest stack and the least amount of money paid. 45 minutes to look through 16 bins of records for a total of $29.00 and I say good-bye to Rosie’s Vintage and Huntington until next time. Only two more stores are on the list to go before calling it quits on record-shopping for a while: Sunday Records in Riverhead and Innersleeve Records in Amagansett.

Genesis Abacab

Nice & Wild “Diamond Girl” 12″

Shabba Ranks “Mr. Loverman” 12″

Dire Straits self-titled

Mad Skillz “Nod Factor” 12“

Boogiemonsters “Recognized Thresholds Of Negative Stress 12″

Blahzay Blahzay “Danger!” 12″

Harold Faltermeyer “Axel F” 12“

Spyro Gyra self-titled

Malcomb McLaren & The World Famous Supreme Team “Buffalo Gals” 12″

[ferahntics]

Ok imagine, Merry Magoland - but these characters:

Galacta Knight surrounded by Waddle Dees, showing off his wings, lance and shield, clearly enjoying how they look at him like excited kiddos.

Traitor Magolor (even if its not possible, entertain me for two seconds) showing like a magic trick or two, similar to 'now you see me/it and now you don't' as he or another object poof.

Now even if it would never happen in any way - the idea of Magolor Soul juggling Waddle Dees like Mr Dooter does is incredibly funny to me, its like a rollercoaster ride for them. (Provided they don't get you know. Kapoofed afterwards.)

[miloscat]

[Review] Avatar: The Last Airbender: Quest for Balance (PS5)

This show deserves better than this cheap and sloppy tie-in.

Peru-based studio Bamtang are the latest to be granted the Avatar licence, after making some decent kart racers for Nickelodeon. Quest for Balance is the result, and although it’s functional this revival game struggles to live up to the predominately Australian-made tie-in games that were contemporary with the show (and movie).

My expectations were quite high for this given the advances in technology since 2006-2010. But there are always other factors at play in game development, like budget, time, and the experience of the dev team, that are potentially lacking here. What I'm saying is the game feels cheap, from the bland level design to the simple combat to the abundance of rough edges.

Quest for Balance covers all three books of the original show... more or less. The six levels in each try to hit the major points while some episodes and events are skipped over; if you're lucky these will be summarised with a cutscene. But even the significant stuff is dealt with perfunctorily. I did like the side quests in the more hublike levels, with named NPCs and items to find that expand on the world a little bit, although it doesn’t amount to much.

The core gameplay isn’t too different from child/family games we have known such as the Traveller’s Tales Lego games. You explore a level, break objects and interact with interactables, get into fights, and solve some puzzles. Locking the fights into little battle arenas reminded me of the first two Avatar DS games, while the puzzles (maybe the strongest part of the game) recalled the third DS game. I still think I liked those better though.

These gameplay elements are often sectioned off, and the levels are mostly a flat and uninteresting sequence of rooms. There’s an inventory which I barely touched, and an upgrade system that incentivises finding goodies by improving your combat powers. I did get through most combat by just mashing with the most effective characters (Sokka and Toph as far as I could tell) but there is some depth when you’re not just getting stunlocked. Like most of the game it’s just let down by a pervasive clunkiness.

Co-op is available… most of the time. A fatal flaw is not letting a second player participate when the story requires a solo character’s involvement, as well as being unbalanced. That is, when the maximum three-character party is present, player 1 can swap between two of them while player two is locked to only one. These choices hamper its viability as a multiplayer experience (also, my spouse just thought the game in general was subpar and so left me to it).

I’d like to circle back to the cutscenes, as they represent the ramshackle feel of how the game is put together. A mere handful are in 3D, using the game models with some decent animation, which despite being prerendered can chug heavily when a lot of stuff is happening. Some are in 2D, going for a motion comic look but with distressing animated png warping. This includes a cute framing story where Iroh, Bumi, and Pakku are recounting the tale to a Ba Sing Se playwright. Others are brief in-engine dialogue scenes where the characters stand motionless. Or you might just have one of the aforementioned three recounters summarising exposition over a paragraph of text. Even with these various methods of varying levels of effort, they will at times neglect to properly set up the next gameplay portion. It’s frankly a mess.

I also have to mention the voice acting, which ranges from decent soundalike performances (eg. Katara or Toph) to… “an attempt was made”. As far as I can tell from a quick search of Behind the Voice Actors, the only VA that returned was Dee Bradley Baker for creature noises, and even his mastery in the field is undermined when you play one of the dull Appa autoscrolling segments and notice that they appear to have forgotten to apply any pitching down or treatment to his voice?? It sounds bizarre and unfinished. I do have to give the game credit for casting a higher proportion of actors of Asian descent though which is nice to see.

Let it be known that I 100%d Quest for Balance… minus some trophies like the one for completing boss battles hitless. In this janky combat engine and with the bosses as boring as they are, I couldn’t face it. But the game is just competent enough and revisiting stages is streamlined such that I didn’t mind going back for the side stuff, which is my favourite aspect anyway. On the whole though I can’t really recommend this game except to superfans; the old tie-ins are frankly of a higher standard and by virtue of having dedicated instalments for each season, do a better job covering the material on top of having more depth and variety. Plus the first one has an original story! This could have been a triumphant revisit of a beloved story, but it ended up a cheap cash-grab. Oh well.

[boom-fanfic-a-latta]

I can't remember if its cannon or not, but I've heard a theory that two of the original four heroes who sealed the Jamba heart are fecto efflis and Galactaknight!

Galactaknight uses a sword (sword like thingy at least) and Metaknight uses a sword.

Fecto efflis uses a spear, and waddle dee uses a spear.

Dedede uses a hammer so maybe another hero will use a hammer or hammer like object.

And then maybe there will be one like kirby!

Galacta Knight is canon, but Elfilis isn't.

IMO, thinking Elfilis was one of the heroes is. a stretch. a very big stretch.

[coleyo]

HERE'S CHAPTWR ONE OF BITTW! I don't even know how to manage fr,, enjoy!

SUMMARY:

2012 Mikey gets into an accident, one that changes his life for the worst.. or better. Who knows?

2 0 1 2

1) There he was. Michealangelo, being his usual kooky and aloof self, without a care in the world. He'd listen to various genres of music as he'd skate around the lair, despite being told Not to many, (Maybe one too many) Times by master splinter. They could've hurt themselves, or worse, one of his siblings.. That's what splinter would always say.

2) Everytime he said that, it gave Mikey an ick.

3) 'Or worse'? ...What's that supposed to mean.. huh. It's probably nothing, Mikey would atleast convince himself. Whatever. Michealangelo had noticed that The door to Donatello's lab was wide open. What's the harm in taking a little peak?

DONATELLO'S POV

4) 'Finally..' I'd exclaim aloud. A smile formed as I brought an antidote up to view. This... This was the one thing that could Get us to dimension X with little to no risk. All I had to do was keep it safe and we would be good-- no, Great to go! I began to stroll over to A safe compartment where I'd usually keep all toxic chemicals And those alike. Suddenly, I Then heard aloud voice.

_______________________

5) "-DEE'!" Michealangelo came speeding into the lab, with his arms out. The speed was increasing due to the steepness of the surface. "-Mikey..MIKEY, NO!" Donnie mimicked their actions and held his arms out. Them, a collision would then be made. Mikey and Donnie collided into one another, causing the eldest one of the two to drop the antidote. As soon as it hit the floor, a portal was made.. a red one.

6) Boy, that wasn't right.. Donnie winced in pain, as for Mikey, he was very dizzy. The headache was unbearable.. he'd slide against the slippery surface, straight to the portal. Donnies eyes became fixated on Mikey, causing him to scream his brothers name. Unfortunately, it was too late, Mikey fell through, not before attempting to claw at the floor to grab ahold of something, anything..

7) Just as they went through, Donnie froze, bursting into quite the panic.. what should he do..?

NEW-YORK-CITY

2041

(Rise universe)

______________________________

8) Mikey let out a whine as he hit the hard, scrap covered ground. Dirt got in his eyes, and maybe some in his mouth? It was loud, hot, and.. Chaotic.. Mikey sat up, observing his surroundings.. and god.. it was hell.

9) Mikeys eyes widened, sharply inhaling.

Plane wings and other broken parts were scattered around the dust cover ground, as these dog like Creatures ran around, destroying almost everything they saw.. "What the.." The ninja mumbled, backing away, stunned with fear as soon as one of those creatures made eye contact with him.. in the blink of an eye, here It came, running towards him with an absurd amount of speed and force put into its steps. Mikey froze, but before it could reach him, someone with a hockey mask almost immediately defended him with this chainsaw - like object. They'd immediately slice it's head off, oil, blood, some liquid from the machine spraying onto Them, they didn't seem phased. They'd glare at Mikey, who was very.. very confused.. but scared. They'd left their weapon at home..

10 ) "Take my hand!" The stranger urged. Mikey, who would litteraly do anything to get away right now, immediately complied. The figure grabbed Mikey, running from the commotion. The mutant fell back, but the stranger would shout, "-Keep up!" Micheal huffed and began to chase after them as fast as they could.. they'd come to a halt once coming across a huge.. robot? The other grabbed Mikey, the would squat behind a broken down car with tinted windows. Now, Mikey got a better look at them. They wore this hockey mask, one simalar to his Casey's mask. But more or less detailed..

"..Who--" The savior put a finger up to where their mouth should've been signaling silence. Mikey held his word. The Mechanical being passed, The stranger nods, running off. "-H- hey;" Mikey raised his voice a bit, running after the other.. after a while, Mikey could hear dirt crunching behind him.. odd. Mikey took a glimpse back and spotted one of those dog things.. very close behind. This caused the mutant to scream, trying to run a Bit faster.

"-Quiet down!" The masked one shouts before they spotted a base-Looking place. The stranger grabs Mikey's wrist and throws him forwards, past the large gates. He'd take out his weapon in order to deal with the Critter. It didn't take long, one quick slice to the neck and that was it, done and done. They'd run towards the gates, closing them immediately once inside..

11) "-W- what was that!?" The ninja exclaimed, giving the other a look of concern. His Savior removed the mask and smiled, but it didn't last. "-..Um- just one of those kraang dogs.. the usual, y'know?" "-wha-- the usual?" He'd scoff, placing a hand on his chest.

"-..Yeah, um-- I haven't seen you before.. like, ever. Are you a traveler? Looking for anything?" "-I-.. no..Yes? Maybe! I don't know, where am I!" Mikey stood in a panic, his eyes darting around the odd setting. "-Who even are you..?" "-..Right! I'm Casey, Casey Jones.. Or CJ.. ..or Casey junior, or-- Nevermind, you get the point. You--...Wait, You seem familiar, I just can't put my finger on it--" "-Im.." Mikey paused, a bit hesitant. But what Other choice did he have? He had no idea where he was, and this was the only person he could-- wait.. person. "-..Don't you care that I'm a--" "-Mutant? Yokai? Nope, used to those!..Now, you are..?" "-.. Michealangelo.. my friends call me Mikey."

12)

Casey paused, processing the profound information. His brows furrowed.. "-You.. Where did you actually come f--"

13)

"-CASEY JONES!" A Loud, feminine voice would shout. Casey winced.. A woman approached, a tall one. "-H- hey commander o'neil.." he'd laugh nervously, "-What did I tell you about going beyond these gates, it's dangerous out there!" "-i know, I know, but--" Casey objected, "-Look! Someone was in danger.." Jones pointed, shifting April's attention into the small turtle. He'd wave a bit. April raised a brow. "-His names.. Michealangelo.. like--" "-Michealangelo?" April cut Casey off.. "-..that's me.." Mikey rubbed his arm. April glared at the two. "-Lets go. Casey, you're in trouble. You, you're following me." April points at each of the beings. Casey pouts, following the commander into the base. Mikey just went along with it, not knowing what else to do.. they'd enter the base, it was huge. Humans and yokai alike we're all around with different weapons and such.. "-Leon!" April yelled. Mikey perked his head up, familiar with the name. Leo turned, approaching April. "-Guess what your student did, yet again." "-Hey, I stated my case!" CJ objected. Leo sighs, shaking his head a bit before noticing the other. "-..Oh, another yokai, great." Leo said sarcastically, giving jazz hands. April punched his arm, softly. "-Ehem! I'm a mutant!" "-Right, And your name?" "-Michealangelo.. I.. don't really know where I am, one second I'm home and the next I'm being chased by some dogs!" April and Leo glanced at one another. "-I'll deal with him.. c'mon kid. Casey, you stay here with April." "-What! No fair."

14)

Leo begins the lead the younger being down the hall, it was quiet.. very quiet. Soon, the scent of hibiscus tea and cinnamon filled the air. "-So.." Leo started, startling the smaller mutant. "-You said you were at home and then you ended up here?" "-Yeah! .. um.. or I may have made a tiny mistake." "-Ah, no worries." Leo paused at a door, the one in which the scent was coming from. He'd knock before pushing it open,

15)

"Yohoo!~ you're favorite brother is--"

"-Get out, Leon." A gruff, mototone voice would tune. The first thing Mikey noticed was that the other mutant in the room was.. floating.. weird. Mikey stared, How could he be doing that..?

"-How rude.. anyways, Casey found this kid outside of the gates. He looks like you, just when you were so small! Like-- this small--" The older being began to make minor comparisons, only to be stopped from the more strict mutant. "-Leo." The other growled. 'Nardo chuckled, letting out a sigh, "-Sorry, sorry. Anyways, he also has the same name as you and.. he doesn't know how he got here. So I was wondering if you could-" "-You are dismissed, the kid stays." Mikey frowned, he was being adressed as 'Kid' one too many times.. Leo left the room, not before whispering, "-Good luck! Try not to annoy Them. They.. Can be harsh, okay? k, bye!" He'd slam the door, leaving the two alone.

16)

"...Sup!" The younger mutant grins, Not knowing how to start the conversation. The elder sighed. "-You're name is Michealangelo, correct? Don't answer that, I already know. We share the same name and simalar features, for the sake of Confusion, You are to address me as Angelo, Understand?" Mikey narrowed his eyes.. "-.. Yesss..?" "-Good." Angelo smiled. "-So, you're unaware of how you ended up here?" "Yup!" "-I see.. and before you were here, you were..?" "-Messin' with my brother, Donnie.. that other guys has a simaliar name to my other--" "-You obviously don't belong here.. 'you from another dimension?" "-..Wha-- i- wait-.. yes?" "-That settles it." Angelo smiled, crossing his arms. It was simple. The younger mutant gave the elder a look of confusion, before they glared back at them. Mikey was pretty intimidated by this guy, having that they were pretty much interrogating him.. and was way bigger than him-- "-..So how are you floating, is it like-- wizard stuffs or?" Angelo squints, invoking fear into the youngling. That's when Mikey noticed his eyes.. two different colors, just like his hair. He had blue and yellow eyes, and grey hair with black streaks. A few scars were embedded into Angelo's face, bandages wrapped around his arms and legs. Mikey took a step back from the being, finding him a bit, like he thought, intimidating.

17)

"-What." Angelo cocks his head to the side, tapping his Finger on his arm, awaiting a response. All that escaped the poor mutants mouth was mutters and murmurs. Angelo rolled his eyes, "-You are dismissed. Invite april and Leo over here, will you?" "-Yes ma'am?-- sir.. Angelo!" Mikey sped off. Angelo huffs... This happened all the time. Almost every human and yokai thought They were Frightening in some sort of way.. I mean, she was, due to the fact that they were the strongest one here, had a short temper, and was always alone, yet mysterious.

18

Mikey returned back to the main base and looked around for the commander O'Neil girl and Leo.. and then, There they were, talking to Casey. Mikey hesitantly approached them. "-You, uh-- Other me wants you guys over.." "That's a first." Leo smirked, walking down the hall with April. Casey and Mikey held eye contact before Mikey spoke, "-oh-.. thanks for saving me earlier." "-Ah, it's no problem, it's what I'm supposed to do. Anyways, what did master Angelo say?" "-Well--, he figured out I'm from a different dimension so..?" "-..That's amazing!" Casey smiled, "-I never thought I'd meet someone from another dimension before.." "-Yeah, me neither.." silnce presued before Mikey cleared his throat. "-So.. what's up with Angelo?" "-What do you mean?" "-How he acts..?" "-Oh, that? It's just.. he likes being alone.. well.. now he does. He's powerful so, people just.. accept that and move on. He's been able to protect us from those kraang bots for a while now, and we show extreme graditude for it.. he's just been through a lot." "-..So this is an apoptolyptic world.." "-Unfortunately, yes, but we can all get through this, together! Humans and yokai all united because of this.. disaster. Though I was born into it. But together, we'll all survive.."

19

Mikey glared, bringing their knees up to their chest, slowly.. This was so much to take in already. For starters, he was in a post-Apoptolyptic World, and next, They would figure out that they were in a different dimension..? It was a lot. Mikey took a deep breath, but kept a smile on his face.. his brothers would come for him, right..?

20) Of course they would.. he had nothing to worry about,.. Probably.

END OF CHAPTER 1

[blogchaindeveloper]

Top 7 Branches of Artificial Intelligence You Shouldn’t Miss Out

With its ability to learn, reason, and carry out activities similar to those of humans, artificial intelligence (AI) has completely transformed several industries. To address real-world issues, it is imperative to comprehend various AI principles and methodologies.

The top seven artificial intelligence fields you should pay attention to are computer vision, fuzzy logic, expert systems, robotics, machine learning, neural networks/deep learning, and natural language processing. In this article, we'll discuss each of these topics. We will also discuss the enormous advantages of chatbot and AI certification programs. These priceless credentials empower people and help them reach new professional heights by giving them the information and abilities they need to utilize AI fully.

Computer vision

A well-known area of artificial intelligence called computer vision focuses on creating methods that let computers view and understand digital photos and movies. Using machine learning models, computers can recognize objects, faces, and other photo features. Thanks to convolutional neural networks, computers can identify and differentiate between images, which evaluate pixels and assign labels. Computer vision is used in face recognition, object tracking, and image classification.

Intense Reasoning

When dealing with claims or problems with various degrees of truth or falsity, fuzzy logic can be helpful. To simulate human decision-making, this method weighs options between "yes" and "no." Fuzzy logic can be applied to machine learning techniques and used to reason about unclear subjects. Its four components are the rule basis, fuzzification, inference engine, and defuzzification. Applications for fuzzy logic can be found in many different fields. For example, automobiles' brakes can be controlled according to wheel speed, acceleration, and speed.

Knowledge-Based Systems

Expert systems are specialized programs with decision-making abilities like humans, created to solve complicated issues. These systems handle complex problems by applying a set of rules defined by a knowledge base, known as inference rules. Loan analysis, virus identification, and information management all use expert systems. They contributed significantly to the development of AI; early examples include the cancer diagnosis support system CaDeT.

Automation

Robots are programmable devices that can carry out intricate activities independently. They can have built-in control systems or be managed by external devices. Robots with AI capabilities are beneficial for repetitive and laborious jobs like space exploration. Sophia and other humanoid robots are capable of face recognition, emotional comprehension, and social interaction. Robotics is used in retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and other industries.

Artificial Intelligence

The challenging field of machine learning in artificial intelligence allows computers to learn from data and algorithms. It can make decisions and enhance performance without explicit programming based on prior experiences. Two aspects of machine learning are building logical models for future inference and gathering historical data. Three general machine learning algorithms can be distinguished: reinforcement, unsupervised, and supervised learning. Each kind approaches machine learning and insight extraction differently.

Deep Learning and Neural Networking

Deep learning algorithms are based on neural networks, often called simulated neural networks (SNNs) or artificial neural networks (ANNs). They imitate how biological neurons in the human brain communicate with one another. Node layers make up neural networks, including input, hidden, and output. Training data is needed for these networks to learn and become more accurate.

Natural Language Interpretation

Computers that use natural language processing can comprehend spoken and written human language. Machine learning, linguistics, and deep learning models enable computers to process text or voice data and derive sentiment, meaning, and purpose. Applications for natural language processing include sentiment analysis, spam detection, virtual chatbots, and more.

Realizing the Full Potential of AI: The Importance of Certification Programs

The use of AI has great potential and has many positive effects on society. Nonetheless, significant thought is required to manage its difficulties and reduce hazards. Learning everything there is to know about artificial intelligence—its many uses, benefits, and drawbacks—becomes essential. This is precisely where certification programs for AI chatbots come into play, providing people with invaluable knowledge in these areas.

People can obtain a competitive edge in the quickly growing AI and chatbot development market by taking AI certification tests or attending chatbot training programs. These extensive courses cover essential concepts like computer vision, natural language processing, speech recognition, machine learning, and deep learning. In addition to gaining theoretical understanding, learners also pick up valuable skills for creating, testing, implementing, and managing chatbots and AI systems. This contribution ensures that moral AI systems are used responsibly and have sound effects.

Programs for chatbot and AI developer certifications go beyond technical expertise. They develop leadership, teamwork, creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and practical communication skills. To support professional development in AI, these courses also provide networking opportunities with mentors, instructors, subject matter experts, and possible employers.

Chatbots and artificial intelligence are closely related. Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are clever computer programs that use AI techniques and algorithms to comprehend and react to human commands or questions. One of the real-world uses of AI is chatbots, which demonstrate the technology's power in context awareness, natural language processing, and tailored communication. Through the Certified Chatbot Expert certification, people can gain expertise and proficiency in AI development, enabling them to fully utilize both fields' potential.

In summary

Significant progress has been made in artificial intelligence (AI), which is redefining industries and influencing technology in the future. The article's exploration of the seven disciplines of AI demonstrates the wide range of uses and functionalities of AI systems. As AI becomes increasingly important in solving real-world problems, it is essential for anyone who wants to succeed in this quickly developing field to complete AI certification and chatbot certification courses. The Blockchain Council, a reputable association of professionals and enthusiasts, promotes AI development and expertise, including certification programs for chatbots and AI.

Enrolling in the chatbot and AI certification programs offered by Blockchain Council gives people a competitive advantage in the quickly growing AI space. These courses give students a thorough understanding of AI theories and methods, enabling them to succeed in the industry. In addition to imparting academic information, the courses provide students with real-world experience in designing, developing, testing, and implementing chatbots and AI systems.

Beyond just being an organization, Blockchain Council fosters an atmosphere that informs and educates companies, developers, and the general public about the enormous possibilities of artificial intelligence. The Blockchain Council, a private de-facto organization, is committed to advancing artificial intelligence (AI) worldwide by providing people with the knowledge and abilities required to spur innovation and support the ethical development of AI systems.

Maintaining competitive advantage is essential in the dynamic world of continuous technological advancement. Through the Blockchain Council's AI and chatbot certification programs, people may position themselves as certified experts with the knowledge and abilities needed to fully utilize AI's limitless potential.