#still‚ I enjoy the still version‚ and despite the simplicity I think the animation is cute

[crepuscularray]

Deercember Day Twenty-Two: Northern Woodland White-tailed Deer | Fireflies

The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), also known commonly as the whitetail, is a medium-sized species native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Perú and Bolivia. The species is so named because the underside of its tail is covered with white hair, and when it runs it often holds its tail erect so that the white undersurface is visible; this behaviour, used to indicate danger, is often referred to as "flagging". In North America, the species is widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains as well as in the southwest throughout Arizona and most of Mexico, though not within southern California. Across its distribution, the species has evolved into numerous subspecies; there are currently anywhere between twenty-six to thirty-eight subspecies, depending on the manner of classification. The largest and darkest, the northern woodland white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus borealis), is native throughout the northeastern United States and into Canada. Their phenotype follows the general rule that the further from the equator a population resides, the larger they tend to be; likewise, populations who live in a high-humidity environment, or who spend most of their time in conifer forests, tend to be darker in colouration. Spending the majority of the day concealed in the forest, these deer are crepuscular animals—most active around sunrise and sunset—with frequent nocturnal activity who, under the cover of night, venture out into more open areas to graze. More information here.

Reference: Deer, Fireflies, and Background.

[dokidokitsuna]

Spoiler-FULL Reactions to RWBY Arrowfell~

The thrilling sequel to this post. Most of my emotional investment has already faded by now (as is usually the case with RWBY media...) but, since I said I was gonna do this and I already made notes, why not?

Environments and NPCS -Not much to see in this game...the environments look cute in isolation, but as a gameplay element they’re just too simple (and repetitive...) to be immersive. Especially in Mantle and Atlas-- random stacks of ‘techno-blocks’ are not a real setting and they don’t feel like one. :/

-I just wish it could’ve had a stronger atmosphere...the main show already tends to ruin the little atmosphere it does create with baffling character placement and lackluster/absent color grading (seriously, the BG artists deserve better). And unfortunately it seems like the game just...copied that...

-The new NPCs were cute. A little silly, but cute; much more interesting and better for worldbuilding than the background characters in the show.  And of course the NPCs based on existing characters (Penny, Qrow, Pietro) were nice too. Even the Ace-Ops were kinda fun (Vine Zeki gained a personality trait! o_O)

-I liked how the quests tended to interweave together, like you’d complete one quest and get an item required to complete another quest as a reward-- which incentivizes you to talk to more people if you’re having trouble finding something on your own. It’s smart gameplay design like that that made me rate the game a C+; despite its simplicity you can tell it was made by professionals.

Enemies and Boss Fights -Yeah, the clone-enemies in the Atlas/Mantle portions are pretty embarrassing, but I think the selection of Grimm was nice. They all had different strengths and weaknesses and attack patterns for you to learn to deal with; you certainly can’t say they were lazily implemented. Even the clone-enemies at least invited unique strategies...I know for a fact that redheaded “BANG BANG BANG~” girl was specifically designed to be a rage-quit obstacle, and I love that for her. ^^

-The boss fights were pretty good too; nice selection of attack patterns and usage of space (especially for BRIR). Bram Thornmane wasn’t much of a final boss, all things considered, but at least he had something creative going on with the arrow patterns; there’s a little element of challenge there. Nothing super fun for any sort of mature gamer (even a casual one like myself), but I can see that being engaging for, like, a 5th grader. ^^; I guess.

-BTW: a lot of people in the comments of the release trailer remarked that the combat looks EXTREMELY lackluster for a RWBY game, like a ‘step down from Grimm Eclipse’...and although I do think Arrowfell does an okay job of being the type of game that it is, I also kinda have to agree with those people.^^; I’ve found more action-packed platformers browsing for Flash games in 2008...

Even just more expressive FX animation could have helped (a combo mechanic would’ve worked WONDERS); the act of fighting feels more like a means to an end than something the devs really want you to focus on and enjoy. It’s been said many times that RWBY no longer remembers why most of its fans were originally drawn to it-- unique, creative fight scenes that told stories about their characters through high-intensity action-- and that’s on full display here.

And on that note: if you just want to make a cheap RWBY game, a sidescrolling brawler against hordes of Grimm sprites, or even a simple PVP (put that bloated character roster to good use...) would be a much better fit for the franchise than even a REALLY GOOD version of Arrowfell. :T Just sayin’.

Plot and Characters -The moment we’ve all been waiting for~ ^^ *cracks knuckles*

-In brief: the plot sucks and the plot-relevant characters also suck. :/ WayForward at least did a good job building the game despite clearly not caring; as usual RT did not care about the writing AND did not do a good job. I went into it expecting the plot to be EVEN LESS interesting than those of the show, and I was STILL disappointed...

-Small things first: the repeated “I guess we’re doing this now” apathetic sarcasm from Team RWBY during the cutscenes was kind of...irritating, actually. Especially after we had to watch RWB sit around watching the plot go by for half of Volume 8...it’s bad enough when the audience starts to feel like the protagonists have no real investment in the plot (which has been a thing since V5...); it’s a whole new level of bad when the protagonists themselves all but admit it right to our faces. We’re supposed to assume that team RWBY is still here because ‘it’s the right thing to do’; they ‘don’t [want to] let anyone else die’...but more and more of their chances to actually portray that type of righteous character onscreen keep getting replaced by quirky, disinterested snark or pointless one-liners. And I don’t think RT realizes that if that’s all we’re getting...then the result is a story about characters who have no reason to be in it and don’t even want to. :/

-Re: Fifestone-- I’ve already said much more than I planned to say about him (through responding to those asks, if you remember ^^;) but my original note was as follows: in this day and age when workers’ rights are finally making a long-overdue comeback in the public consciousness, and ESPECIALLY considering the way RT treats its own employees, deciding you need an unnecessarily evil union leader in your fictional story is disgusting, vile and morally reprehensible. I used to think RT’s leadership was just ‘childish-bad’...y’know, selfishness and an unwillingness to compromise or improve making life hell for everyone else. But something like this feels more like ‘evil-bad’-- i.e. deciding that the hell you’re putting other people through is necessary, enough to justify and actively maintain through propaganda/manipulation. I’d...really hate to see RT go down that road. :[

-Let’s end on a lighter note by talking about Bram Thornmane: probably the most pathetic antagonist in the entire franchise. ^^;;; When I heard him admit that he seriously did ALL that just because he wanted to join the Ace-Ops (THE ACE OPS??? THE ACE OPS?!?!!!! o_O) I literally sat at my desk at work and laughed out loud, for like 5 minutes. ^^;

Seriously, though, it’s SO bad...I thought things couldn’t get any worse than Adam ‘my girlfriend left me’ Taurus, but here we are. And at least Adam looked cool (and his character assassination was absolutely hilarious; 50% of the reason I love him is because I spent Volumes 4 through 6 laughing at him constantly XD).

Thornmane, on the other hand, is a nothing character. No cool design, no interesting personality traits, no noteworthy connections to any substantial characters. I don’t even know what his semblance is (he mentions it during his boss fight, so I assume it’s in the game somewhere...does anyone know??).

So yeah, “I’m gonna steal unique technology and kill thousands of people to maybe hopefully make Ironwood look bad because he wouldn’t let me in the special club” is just the icing on the nothing-cake. Even a basic “I wanna take over the world” motivation would be better; it would at least make his actions feel justified...as it is, he just chose the most effortful, overly-convoluted way possible to express his anger over getting passed up for a team of huntsmen SO elite and SO special and perfect that they got washed by four newbie huntresses in 5 minutes. T_T Wowza. Now there’s an experience worth spending 30 bucks and 4 hours of your time...

-Easy Thornmane fix: Actually USE Arrowfell. They mentioned that Arrowfell was like an abandoned laboratory full of never-before-seen technology too dangerous to release to the world...USE that. If Thornmane wants to make Ironwood look bad, let him start handing this stuff out like candy to any thug on the street, and get people speculating about why such terrible weapons were even being made, and demanding that the General take responsibility (insert retroactive foreshadowing for his turn to the dark side in V8 here). Let him convince BRIR, the ‘guardians of Arrowfell’ (whatever that means) that this technology needs to be shared with the public to sort of ‘even the playing field’, let the people take back power from the tyrannical Atlas elites (insert morally-gray actually class-conscious Fifestone character here). Let him hoard some of the more frightening weapons for himself, and try to overthrow Ironwood (insert actually necessary Lt. Harper character here) and assume leadership of the Atlas military, to put himself in the position of power he always wanted. 

THIS STUFF IS NOT HARD GUYS; I came up with that in like 10 minutes! >_< And if I spent the amount of time you should spend on something you expect your fans to pay actual money for, I could do a lot better...

[sinkix]

- What your fav Haikyuu!! Character says about you│Karasuno edition -

Obviously these aren’t meant to be taken too seriously lol. I’ll probably make this into a series at some point where I include the other teams idk this took me way too long to do JWIDJQENWKJQFN WE’LL SEE. ENJOY! <3

2D men are infinitely superior I said what I said.

Hinata: 

A sucker for motivational speeches or quotes and they always get you hyped up.

Very ambitious and positive despite frequently getting lost in life

Not as innocent as you seem but still a cinnamon roll lololol

You probably eat fruit as a regular snack n ppl judge you for it

Highkey a dumbass but in a very endearing way so people can’t help but like you

Summer is probs ur fave season

Definitely own several plushies and definitely get defensive about it

The friend people go to when they need cheering up.

You either go to bed at 8pm or 3am no in between.

Your texting style consists of several messages as opposed to one paragraph/sentence with the use of MANY emojis.

You 100% fuck with pineapple on pizza. 

Got your head stuck in a cat flap that one time.

Have a hella low alcohol tolerance or don’t drink at all.

Hella clueless when it comes to people flirting with you, they have to hold a neon sign in front of you for you to get the message

“Oh you were flirting with me?” “I was every day for 5 months but thanks for finally noticing”

Definition of a tab hoarder, your pc/laptop frequently crashes because it can’t handle that many but you refuse to get rid of any.

Always get toothpaste stains on your shirt no matter how careful you are.

“Wait we had homework???”

Nishinoya:

You often get random bursts of energy outta nowhere or at 2am and have no clue how to handle it 

You can’t help but head bang and scream the lyrics to your fav songs.

Probably have a hella diverse music taste.

Likely an active/outdoorsy person who either does sports or wants to.

Vvv loyal, type of friend you can call in the middle of the night and you’ll be there.

Chaotic good or Chaotic neutral.

You’re either one of the most responsible people in the room or one of the most fuckin chaotic and irresponsible lmao no in between it just depends on your mood.

Frequently pull all nighter’s and doesn’t even feel guilty about it

Chug soda like it’s water.

An extrovert or one of those introverts that are bat-shit once you actually get to know them.

You have zero shame, can and will run across the street stark naked for a cheeseburger and a can of sprite.

Like fuck yeah who wouldn’t for a burger and some sprite y’know??

Despite being a whirlwind you are actually a hella chill person to have as company.

You own a skateboard or want to.

Own at least one pair of converses or vans.

Probably have a bucket list or tons of future plans for travelling/adventures stored in your head.

You really want a dog and would call it something like Dexter or Human Destroyer 9000.

Likely have had several hair colour phases.

A slut for doritos.

You ate glue once as a kid and it was kinda okay and that fact still haunts you.

Tanaka:

Listen to rap more than any other genre and ur playlist is fire

Punched dry wall that one time

Probably have several piercings and plan on getting more

Prefer sports bras to regular ones.

Intimidates outsiders but your friends don’t take you seriously in the slightest lmaoaoaooa

Ppl find it hard to approach you but you’re actually super chill so you get sad 

Definition of that Kanye meme “before you talk to me” >:( “after you talk to me” :)

Probably don’t trust people easily

Type of person that once you’re challenged/dared to do something they WILL do it regardless of how stupid bc you hate being called a pussy.

Went through a phase where you only listened to Eminem.

Probably is/was the class clown or wished they were.

You have virtually no patience and a pretty short temper lmao.

You’re a go-getter and hate being told you can’t do something

Definitely snuck out the house several times as a teen.

Walks barefoot outside a lot bc fuck shoes lol

The pairs of shoes you do own are mostly worn down sneakers you refuse to swap out.

You’re that asshole that wears socks with holes in for the sport of it and it doesn’t phase you in the slightest. (dw I do too lmaooao)

Could probably bench press someone’s dad

Enjoy’s drinking coffee.

Kageyama:

Such a picky eater bitch god damn.

Usually hella hydrated and judge people that don’t drink enough water.

Eats spoonfuls of chocolate nesquik powder when no one is looking I said what I said

You like stoic and Tsundere guys who have the outer emotional capacity of a brick wall.

You’re probably the same in that sense and don’t enjoy letting people know what you’re thinking/feeling

Poker face 90% of the time

Type of person to pretend not to find a joke funny but then crumble and start crying with laughter.

Probs an introvert

Once when someone asked you what you wanted for Christmas you responded “to be left the fuck alone” and it still applies to this day.

like fr you just wanna be left alone man but ppl keep bothering you.

You HATE it when people tell you to smile and quite literally take it as an insult.

Your bedtime is 9pm and you stick by it religiously 

Always smell really good like damn what you got on??

The most you do with your hair if it’s long enough is throw it in a pony tail and call it a day.

Either have really nicely manicured nails or you’v chewed them down to the nub no in between.

You hate to admit it but you doubt yourself a lot and it really frustrates you.

Probably wet the bed a lot as a kid and you’re still salty about it.

lololol bed-wetter Kags lover

Audibly snorted typing that I’m sorry.

Probably had a ._. face reading that since ur usually hella unamused.

Cute awkward dork though behind that facade it’s just most people don’t see it.

So critical of yourself like chill

An earth sign or an Aquarius idc.

Do not know how to reciprocate a hug but desperately need one

When people flirt with you you somehow manage to make them intimidated with your responses and scare them off.

You called your teacher “mum/dad” once and you get Vietnam flashbacks to this day.

Daichi:

You probably have a daddy kink and lowkey daddy issues with it

Very supportive friend who has a lotta patience

Hella determined and humble.

Mostly wear black because it’s just much easier than colour coordinating and plus you just prefer the simplicity, but you’re pretty vibrant as a person.

The one who stays sober at parties to drive the others home.

Probably haven’t been in many relationships but still do enjoy romance.

seems stern but is actually very friendly and enjoy company bc you don’t like spending too much time by yourself.

Honestly just wants to chill out, go to bed and read a book.

A coffee connessieur but mostly just drinks instant bc ur too lazy to make it properly and just drink it black.

Very reliable.

Often get stuck with most of the work during group projects lololol

People frequently ask you for the answers to the homework/assignment and it really depends on your mood and how charitable you’re feeling as to whether you’ll lend it to them

Low-key a sadist.

100% Old soul

Despite this you are a fuckin dork and have quite an immature but really funny sense of humour.

You have a thigh kink. 

Def grew up reading wattpad smut and most of ur sexual knowledge stems from that

probably prefer manga to animated versions

Absolute pro at winged eyeliner and looks v good in it.

Probably give lectures even without realising it.

Shamelessly watches the nature channel for hours on end and what of it.

Honestly just done with everyone’s shit lmao

Sugawara:

Either are the mom friend or the one the mom friend has to look after.

You vibe with pastel colours

Your fav season is either spring or autumn.

oversized hoodies and knitted sweaters are your vibe.

Enjoy drinking herbal tea

Likes the smell of rain and will purposely step outside after a storm and S N O R T the smell of damp concrete. (srry if ur from some dry ass place like nevada lmao it rains alot in the UK soooOOOoO)

Quiet but have a really creative imagination and has one HELL of a loud voice when they’re pissed off

like,, I wouldn’t dare get on ur nerves ion want my ear drums bursting damn.

Hoards flavoured chapsticks and scented lip gloss

Either did or still have your Harry Potter house in your bio and it was probably Hufflepuff.

Gives people advice that they are fully aware also applies to themselves but doesn’t follow it LMAO.

Listens to K-pop and several Korean and Japanese genres.

Played a dating sim once and you enjoyed it but ur still ashamed and refuse to ever talk about it.

Smells like lavender or something hella floral

Probably reads a lot of Yaoi and no one else knows but you.

Would 100% own a chinchilla

Read Killing Stalking and it messed you up for weeks.

Asahi:

The one who was trying to flirt for months and the other person never got the hint

Probably a really pretty crier and vibe with the mascara running aesthetic.

You tear up easily lol.

Probably a water sign.

Low-key a bad bitch though 

Looks really good in red lipstick

That one person who’s v attractive but completely unaware and v insecure.

That one friend who seems so soft and innocent but can turn into a banshee when need be.

Crying is your therapy.

You overthink a LOT and it often stops you from achieving what you want.

Actually have a lot of willpower despite ur sensitivity.

Was def a pushover as a kid and still have a chip on your shoulder about it.

Hella artsy and day dreams a lot.

You attract broken souls and often get turned to when people’s problems need fixing yet you’re a total mess yourself

Listens to Girl in red while questioning your sexuality

which you do a lot.

You hate being put in a box or labelled.

Gave up on that hobby that one time and you really wanna get back into it.

Always have at least one hair tie on your wrist that’s basically an accessory at this point.

Own a phat ass fish tank with hella pretty fishes bro it’s such a vibe say hi to Nemo for me.

Yamaguchi:

Too scared to ask for extra ketchup packets so you get your friend to ask instead.

Probably have anxiety.

The time you stuttered once when introducing yourself frequently gives you cringe attacks.

Major animal lover and prefers them to people.

Talked to a tree once and it was a pretty cool experience.

Wear a lot of pink or cute colours and radiate babi energy.

Likely wear skirts 

Wear those aesthetic planets necklaces and your tumblr is filled with space related art and themes.

Enjoy staring up at the clouds and figuring out what animal they are.

Has a lot of secrets that they probably tell to their cat.

dw ur cat isn’t a snitch they got you covered.

“meow”

yeah they definitely didn’t just try to reveal ur deepest traumas to your cousin.

If you don’t have a cat you probably would want one and would call it Mittens or sumn.

You’re whipped for freckles and anyone that has them instantly becomes 1000x more attractive to you

Either like 5′2″ or 5′10″ no middle ground

Definitely own a turtle or rabbit and if you don’t then you should.

Forgets your assignments but the professor lets you off because you’re so nervous they can’t scold you.

Oversleeps at least 2 times a week

Will not get up before 1pm on a weekend

Wall flower at parties but people still approach you bc you are so friendly and kind.

Social anxiety intensifies.

Always get’s called on in class when you haven’t been paying attention and it really troubles you.

Has a minimum of 3 blankets on your bed that you cocoon yourself in.

Tsukishima:

Your attracted to snarky assholes.

Sarcasm and insults are your form of flirtation and you get immediately turned off if they can’t take it or get upset.

Probably shy away from your feelings

Random flashbacks to embarrassing events frequently keep you up at night

Judge peoples fashion choices as they walk past you but actually have a really good eye for what works and what doesn’t.

You look like you have your shit together and you kinda do for the most part.

The quiet kid in class that’s listening to some loud ass screamo or rock n roll’ but ppl have no idea.

Definition of the glinting anime glasses pushed up your nose bridge cliche.

When you make a mistake you question all your knowledge and abilities but no one else knows that about you

Refuses to cry since you view your emotions as a personal weakness

If someone hugged you you’d get VERY uncomfortable.

Physical contact is not your forte

Probably a 5′0″ demon.

Would peg a man to assert dominance but you’re actually a lil bitch.

Knows the answer to the question they can’t solve.

Doesn’t study as much as they should but somehow still gets good grades.

Really likes french fries and the taste of strawberries.

Just wants to be left alone

Ennoshita:

The one friend that gets talked over and it really pisses you off but you’re too nice to say anything.

Seems really passive but can actually be hella confrontational when they wanna be

No tolerance for peoples bullshit 

Really stable and just an overall reliable person.

People often forget you’re in the room lmao but it’s okay you’d rather listen anyway.

Actually has a really interesting mind and a lot to say but mostly keep it to yourself unless they’re your friend

Answered for someone else in attendance a few years ago and it still bothers you.

People often come to you to vent and you’re chill with it

Don’t stand out much but honestly it doesn’t bother you

Can and will get through an entire book/series in a matter of 3 days.

Quite a minimalist and organised for the most part

You look like you have your shit together and you def do.

Have a controversial taste in pizza.

You have more acquaintances than friends but the ones you do are a v tight knit circle.

Will re take a quiz several times till you get the character you wanted

Radiate Virgo and Libra energy.

Kiyoko:

Type of person to say “step on me” as a way of complimenting and you mean it literally.

Both a sadist and masochist

When someone tells you their not interested it just makes you want them 100x more and it frustrates you why are you like this.

Doesn’t compliment often but when you do it’s really heartfelt.

Looks like your silently judging people but in reality you really couldn’t care.

Just kidding you low-key judge them anyway.

Very picky when it comes to partners.

Independent but has random hella clingy moments.

Despite being quiet, you are capable of roasting a bitch alive if they test your patience.

Like I would NOT wanna get on your bad side

You could deadass send them to therapy, their emotions fenna need some aloe vera for that burn.

Just really calm and relaxed tbh so people enjoy being in your company even though you don’t talk much.

When you do though it’s usually something really interesting or funny.

You just don’t see the point in talking if what your saying doesn’t hold any value??

You hate small talk and would rather slingshot yourself off a skyscraper than partake in it.

Your face is easy to read and you make no effort to hide it.

If your in a bad mood they WILL know.

Look like your plotting someones demise or questioning life’s theories but in reality you’re really just thinking bout what you want for dinner.

Honestly just a sweetheart tbh.

Low-key have a staring problem.

Has really neat and cursive handwriting like who tf taught you that.

Yachi:

Frequently says something then panics that it could be misinterpreted 

You overthink literally everything you have ever said and the actions you haven’t even committed yet

Really likes the taste of sherbet 

Could cut a bitch if they needed to

You spend most of your money at Urban Outfitters and don’t regret it.

have an assortment of colouring pencils that ppl always try and borrow and never give them back.

You highlight the shit outta your papers and never read them again.

Really like the smell of peaches

Probably have a v interesting earring collection.

Hoard water bottles in your room and you feel majorly guilty about it.

The taste of honey disgusts you but you eat it anyway for some reason.

Somehow managed to burn rice and solidify soup.

You shouldn’t be trusted in the kitchen but you try your best regardless.

I feel like that applies to most things in your life

Like yeah you fucked it up but like you’re trying your best lol cmon

V tolerant of people but have zero time for fuckboys and shut them down instantly.

You frequently get the shakes from caffeine or anxiety

Or both.

You give really encouraging hugs.

Have no clue what you wanna do in life but it’s ok bby it’ll work out.

Takeda:

You’re a very underappreciated and underrated person and I love u

Probably an English/languages major

Really kind and outgoing but high-key mysterious

Actually has a phat fucking temper like damn where did that come from.

Won’t take no for an answer when you want to achieve something.

That one person people don’t realise is there listening to your conversations but you definitely are and now know Becky’s deepest darkest secret.

Fuck you, becky.

Wore contacts once and forgot to take them out for 3 days.

You wondered why your eyes were so itchy.

Your music taste does not match your appearance.

Probably watch a lot of crime shows and imagine you’re an investigator

Aced physics and chemistry.

More than likely an introvert with extrovert tendencies when you feel like it.

Actually quite temperamental but it’s okay since you’re a v genuine person.

Often debate getting a sugar daddy bc that income looking real tempting rn.

Honest to a fault at times but it’s something people come to appreciate about you.

Just really wanna sleep for 15 hours and sit in front of your laptop with some hot coco.

Ukai:

You like older men

The smell of tobacco and coffee low-key comforts you for some reason.

Peed in a bottle that one time while on a road trip and forgot to throw it out until you found it a week later.

You’re a slut for dyed hair and dudes with piercings.

You once got drunk and passed out on a spinning round-a-bout in a park and your friend still has pictures that you refuse to acknowledge.

Bi-curious and just radiate big Bi energy

Would experiment but you’re too hesitant.

Hates the taste of beer but drinks it anyway.

Just wants to be loved man I stg is that too much to ask.

Often wonder if your friends actually like you then realise you don’t really care anyway lmao.

You still love them though.

Tired of working over time and just wanna catch a break.

Amazon Prime is your best friend.

Random ass parcels comin thru’ each day and it feels like Christmas.

A very lonely and one-man party Christmas.

Stop spending your fucking paycheck.

Have a pretty dark/cynical but really funny sense of humour and you often make people laugh.

Have a big ass temper and people KNOW it.

Often fantasised about dropping out and becoming a stripper bc your patience was being TESTED.

Really likes money but who doesn’t tbh.

You radiate Chaotic Evil but keep it under wraps.

[lux-astrorum]

BTS Remixes, Rated

Fake Love (Rocking Vibe Mix): probably just as good if not better than the original, and the instrument arrangement here is more successful than the original at evoking the intended emo aesthetics. had its own extended & re-cut version of the MV where they all turned out to be cultists, so it's got that going for it. 8/10

Fake Love - Japanese ver. / Remix: initially pleasing haunted vibes, but unfortunately lacks musical direction. reminds me of the start menu screens from those Nancy Drew PC games in the early 2000s. not for everyday listening but you could definitely find a niche for it in a Halloween-themed playlist. 3/10

DNA (Pedal to LA Mix): extremely unsettling. You would probably hear this at a NASCAR event if not for the fact that people who enjoy watching cars drive in circles are almost invariably xenophobic. the shounen anime intro aesthetic may have paved the way for “Dionysus,” but nevertheless this remix exudes cursed energy. 0/10

MIC Drop (feat. Desiigner) [Steve Aoki Remix]: a lot of people shit on this version for some reason, but I quite like it, despite the fact that I still can't tell what he's saying in the beginning. 9/10

MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) [Full Length Edition]: THIS IS IT. NOTHING FURTHER TO SAY. HELLA TROPHIES AND HELLA THICC. 10000000000000000000000/10

Danger (Mo-Blue-Mix) (feat. THANH): the new piano-heavy instrumentation stirs up primal emotions in me I didn't know I had. the English lyrics at the end are pretty basic, but get the job done. that said, the line "so you like playing games? roll the dice again" absolutely SENDS me for some reason. raw poetry. 11/10

Euphoria (DJ Swivel Forever Mix): sounds like a sunday morning offertory hymn labeled "Special Music" in the bulletin. pass the plate, we’re taking up a special collection to buy jungkook a proper pillow so he can stop sleeping on a rolled towel. 10/10

Seesaw X I NEED U REMIX: a stroke of brilliance. Genius hitmaker Min Yoongi at his finest. the galaxy-brained simplicity of layering a BTS song over another BTS song and calling it a remix is truly mind-blowing. overall, a thrilling adaptation of a timeless BTS classic. she is dressed up & ready to hit the club. 10/10

Spring Day (Brit Rock Remix): gives you an extra minute and 44 seconds than the original track (49 seconds more than the MV) to process your emotions, cry, have a religious experience, or whatever you need to do, but the instrumentation gets progressively more jarring as the song goes on. 5/10

Awake (Christmas ver.): the new piano & harp bits have an understated charm that is quite appealing. Appropriately seasoned with chimes, which lends holiday appeal to a song that would otherwise have absolutely nothing about it to suggest the spirit of the season. it is difficult, however, to ignore the incessant sleigh bells in the background, which would have resulted in a significantly lower rating, except that Jin says "사랑해요, happy Christmas ARMY" at the end. 6/10

Young Forever (Unplugged ver.): short, sweet, easy listening. nothing groundbreaking here but there doesn't need to be. 7/10

Butterfly (Prologue Mix): a slightly extended version of the original with a few instrumentation changes so that the song leans more piano than guitar. it's nice but not different enough from the original that I would miss it. 5/10 (though I should point out as a song, it's 10/10; it's just not an innovative remix)

Butterfly (Alternative Mix): remember when EXO put like 3 "different versions" of 'Universe' on the album and they were all the exact same goddamn song? well BTS paved the way bc I literally cannot tell how this is different from the original. [disqualified]

I Need U (Urban Mix): gives me early 2000s Sting vibes, but I'm not mad about it. 6/10

I Need U (Remix): I would expect this to be playing in an instagrammable edgy bar-lounge with blacklights and lots of neon. I particularly like the sparkly synths and heavy driving beat. for me this is a musical reinterpretation of the angst of the original song, and it works. 8/10

Run (Ballad Mix): does not evoke running. it may not be unlistenable, but it is certainly confusing. 2/10

Run (Alternative Mix): I'm learning that "Alternative Mix" is just BH Producer-speak for "I made one indiscernible change to the track and idk I kinda think it should go on the album hbu?" [disqualified]

Make It Right (feat. Lauv) [Acoustic Remix]: I really enjoy this except for when the guitar plucks out that little synthy jingle bit from the original, which is annoying as fuck and ruins an otherwise perfectly good arrangement. 5/10

Make It Right (feat. Lauv) [EDM Remix] this has absolutely no business calling itself EDM. i cannot conceive of a way to dance to this, which makes it just E_M at best, I suppose. the break during the bridge when Yoongi raps does, however, slap. 3/10

[megadan94]

Predicting the remaining 20 games on the Sega Mega Drive mini

Aladdin (1P): If they can include both Castle of Illusion and World of Illusion, they clearly have some kind of support from Disney. So why not this game? After all, it is a highly regarded game, with graphics that were hand drawn by Disney animators. And there is an Aladdin remake coming out this year, so it’s re-release would be timely.

Vectorman 2 (1P): Personally, I prefer this one over the first game, I found the difficulty more fair, the visuals more appealing, and enjoyed the ‘insect’ theme. It also had a motion cutscene at the beginning which was kinda cool. But in any case, I feel like at least one Vectorman game has to make it on here, there’s not really that many other great pre-rendered Mega Drive games, let alone ones that are owned by Sega themselves, or that make such great and unique uses of their sprites.

Phantasy Star 2, 3 or 4 (1P): I’ll be honest, I’m still playing through the first game, and so haven’t actually played any of the sequels. But regardless, the system does need at least one great traditional RPG, and if the sequels are anything like the first game, then any one of them would fit that role well.

Alex Kidd and the Enchanted Castle (1P): This game is kind of essential, just for what it represents historically. It was the last instalment for Sega’s original mascot platformer, right before Sonic came along and, well, you know the rest. It’s from a time before platformers were expected to have a standout mechanic of some kind, making it kind of unique in its simplicity as far as Mega Drive games go.

Columns (2P): As far as block-falling/matching puzzle games go, this game is basically synonymous with the Mega Drive. Unlike it’s sequel, or Mean Bean Machine which is already being included, this game has little to no focus on competition, making it more well suited to single-player (though you can still play with a friend if you want to), and much more calm and slow-paced.

Golden Axe (2P): I know we already have Streets of Rage 2 and Comix Zone, but a collection of Mega Drive games just wouldn’t be complete without a Golden Axe game.

Ghouls ‘n Ghosts (2P): Nintendo’s consoles each had a Ghosts ‘n Goblins game, and seeing as Sega has already managed to include Castlvania and Contra games (which were also included in Nintendo’s mini consoles) it would be nice if they could do the same for this series. This is also a very early Mega Drive game, having come out in the very first year of the console’s lifespan.

Sonic 3 and Knuckles (2P): It would just feel wrong to not have all three original Sonic games, especially in the case of this one, since it has the most content, best graphics, and features Knuckles. Some might say that they should have Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic and Knuckles as separate games, but that would feel wasteful, and like padding out the list just for the sake of it. This is essentially one game, it was developed as one game, it plays best as one game, and it should be featured as one game. And if Nintendo can include all three Super Mario Bros games on the NES Classic, despite only including 30 games, and also having other Mario games alongside them, then three Sonic the Hedgehog games is not unreasonable.

Rocket Knight Adventures (1P): They already have Konami’s support with Castlevania and Contra, and Konami did make a sequel to this game a few years ago so they clearly haven’t forgotten about it.

Battletoads and Double Dragon The Ultimate Team (2P): The great thing about no longer being a console manufacturer, is that you can more easily make deals with companies that are console manufacturers, since you’re not directly competing with them. This game has never been re-released, not even on XBOX, so it wouldn’t even be competing with Microsoft in any way, it would just be giving players a chance to play a great game that hasn’t been available for over 20 years. And the owners of Double Dragon were willing to let Double Dragon 2 be on the NES Classic.

Speedball 2 Brutal Deluxe (2P): Every console needs a sports game, and what better or more classic sports game can you get than Speedball? Aside from the Amiga version that is. This game has been ported to mobile platforms, so it doesn’t seem like there’s any resistance to re-releasing it.

Galaxy Force 2 (1P): Like many of the games that have so far been announced for the system, this game was remade for the 3DS by M2. Personally, I prefer this over Space Harrier, if only for the fact that you actually get to travel through space, and if 2D shooters get to have two games, with Thunder Force and Fantasy Zone, then so should 3D shooters.

Ristar (1P): This was one of the last Mega Drive games released before the Saturn came out. It was also developed from the early concepts for Sonic the Hedgehog. It’s also just a great game overall, with a unique and intuitive central mechanic, beautiful and detailed environments and characters, and very distinctly Mega Drive music.

The Ooze (1P): This is a very unique and creepy game where you play as a blob of green goo travelling along the ground trying to defeat enemies, collect more goo to keep yourself alive and eventually become human again. It’s hard to even describe the genre of this game, it’s not a platformer since you can’t jump or anything, it’s not a shooter since you don’t really ‘shoot’ your enemies, it’s not a puzzle game since the challenges don’t require enough creative thinking, and it’s not even really a fighter, at least not in the Streets of Rage/Golden Axe sense. A game this weird and terrifying definitely belongs on the Mega Drive mini. The game has been re-released on a few of the Mega Drive compilations released on consoles, and it was also included on one of the Atgames systems. It was also made entirely by Sega, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t exclusively own the rights to it.

Crack Down (2P): Okay, so far we’ve got 3D shooters, horizontal 2D shooters, and a side-scrolling shooter in the form of Contra, now all that’s missing is a top-down shooter.

Mortal Kombat (2P): While there are a whole lot of beat ‘em up games already included, there’s been no traditional 1-on-1 fighting game announced, and while they could just include Virtua Fighter 2 like they did on Steam and the Console compilations, I think it would be better to save that for a potential Sega Saturn mini, and include Mortal Kombat here. They did manage to include it in one of the Atgames consoles, so I’d be surprised if they weren’t able to include it here as well.

Pitfall the Mayan Adventure (1P): This one is kind of a long shot, and I’m mainly just including it based on personal preference, but the original Pitfall game was included in the recent Atari Flashback console, so it’s certainly possible at least.

Flashback (1P): It would be nice to have at least one cinematic platformer on here, and I feel like if any game would fill that position, it would be this one. Unlike Another World, it wouldn’t be overshadowed by a wide variety of clearly superior versions released on modern platforms, and I feel like this game is more closely associated with the Mega Drive. It was ported to Switch just last year, and had a remake a few years before, so there doesn’t seem to be anything stopping the game from getting a re-release.

Virtua Racing (2P): In the interest of including representatives for every major game genre, I think there needs to be at least one racing game included, and what better racing game could you get than Virtua Racing? It has multiplayer (always a must for racing games), it belongs to Sega, it’s a 3D game (take that Super Nintendo), it’s never been re-released before, and it’s even currently being reworked by M2 for the Switch.

Star Quest (1P): I feel like, for this system to serve as a true competitor to the SNES Classic, they need to include at least 2 3D games to compare with Star Fox 1&2, and preferably include at least 1 unreleased game, just like how Star Fox 2 was unreleased. So, why not include the unreleased localisation of Star Cruiser; Star Quest? It’s a Wolfenstein/DOOM style FPS game, something that didn’t really exist on consoles at the time, and also an RPG. And as far as its original Japanese release goes, it preceded Star Fox on the Super Nintendo by about 3 years, proving that Sega does in fact do what Nintendon’t.

[scpanacea]

★ FILL IN THE QUESTIONS AS IF YOU ARE BEING INTERVIEWED FOR AN ARTICLE AND YOU WERE YOUR MUSE.

TAGGED BY: @st-riley-the-brave

TAGGING: @thornedbride @curedoctor and anyone else who wishes to do it.

1. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?  “My ‘name’, for sake of simplicity, is SCP-049, or the Plague doctor.”

2. WHAT IS YOUR REAL NAME? “I have no name, nobody ever gave me one...”

3. DO YOU KNOW WHY YOU’RE CALLED THAT?  “It is for assortment purposes. To say I do not appear as a Plague Doctor from medieval Europe would be a lie, however I cannot give a reason behind why the foundation gave me the number 049.”

4. ARE YOU SINGLE OR TAKEN?  “That is not something one should be asking... However at the moment I am single.”

5. WHAT ARE YOUR POWERS AND ABILITIES?  "I have the ability to kill someone with a single touch to their flesh, provided they are human. I also have an innate ability to see diseases of all sorts within the body of a being, whether they are human or not, however only one of the diseases, the Pestilence, only I can see it seems. After I kill someone I appear to also have the ability to resurrect them with my life saving surgery for which I invented, thus effectively curing them of the Pestilence. It isn’t a perfect cure, but it is cloes enough.”

6. WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR EYES?  “It depends on my action, whether or not I am using my abilities, the weather, and my mood. The two most common colors is a pale blue, which is my natural eye color, and a deep red. The researchers have, however, reported my eyes turning a pinkish purple at times when I am using my abilities, but this I am unsure about.”

7. HAVE YOU EVER DYED YOUR HAIR?  “No...” (does he even have hair?)

8. DO YOU HAVE ANY FAMILY MEMBERS?  "Not that I can recall in terms of blood. Although I can say I consider SCP-035, and a number of other SCPs, to be as close to family as I can get................... Do not tell him I said that.”

9. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?  “No, although birds seem to enjoy my presence.”

10. TELL ME ABOUT SOMETHING YOU DON’T LIKE.  “There are many things in this world I disdain, the pestilence, emotions, foolishness, but I shall tell you stupidity is what truly gets under my skin. The fact that people seem to refuse to better themselves through learning baffles me. How can one be so content with limiting their lives in such a way.”

11. DO YOU HAVE ANY HOBBIES OR ACTIVITIES YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?  "Other than work on my cure I do enjoy singing... But I don’t do that often. Reading and writing are other hobbies of mine, I do adore literature. Traveling is also something I enjoy doing, the world is beautiful despite how much I claim to hate it-- I hope it never dies.”

12. HAVE YOU EVER HURT ANYONE BEFORE?  “I... Of course I’ve hurt people... Mostly to save them but I don’t count that as hurting them but... there was one person... But I wish not to speak of him.”

13. HAVE YOU EVER… KILLED ANYONE?  “Many. Too many to count really. They all were so sick however, had I left them be I would still be condemning them to a life of suffering until they either ended their life themselves or ended others.”

14. WHAT KIND OF ANIMAL ARE YOU? “Animal? I’m not sure... I don’t know what I am...”

15. NAME YOUR WORST HABITS.  “I bottle things up I notice, I hate to admit it but I’m quiet, reserved, and silent. I find that because of this I have become dreadfully cold towards most people and I find that I am alone because of it.”

16. DO YOU LOOK UP TO ANYONE?  “I don’t think I do. If there ever were people I did look up to, probably when I was younger, I surely do not remember them now.”

17. GAY, STRAIGHT, OR BISEXUAL?  “...I’m not sure... I find myself finding females completely unattractive for the most part, with few exception. However I am not sexually active in the slightest. I suppose that I would be considered... ah what’s the word... Homoromantic I think? Or perhaps even demiromantic. Maybe a mix of both... I do know that I remain blissfully asexual in most respects. Perhaps this answer will change in the future, so do not hold me to it.”

18. DO YOU GO TO SCHOOL?  “I am self educated. I consider the world and life to be a long school day in of itself. So in a sense yes, however I do not attend classes of any type.” 

19. DO YOU EVER WANT TO MARRY AND HAVE KIDS SOMEDAY?  “I am not sure... Maybe one day... But all the same I am worried that if I ever tried that it wouldn’t end up well... I cannot ask anyone to stay given my circumstance, and I cannot really find myself loving another without there being some deeper seated manipulative reason. My obsession with the pestilence and it’s cure is currently the center of my attention-- besides we do not need smaller versions of myself running around! Imagine how awful that would be!”

20. DO YOU HAVE ANY FANS?  “Fans? I am unsure...” (He doesn’t realize just how popular he is)

21. WHAT ARE YOU MOST AFRAID OF?  “........Being the only person not infected by the pestilence... The last survivor of said plague...”

22. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY WEAR?  “Would what I wear be considered clothing since it grows out of my body? I suppose so. It is the garb of a medieval Plague Doctor, complete with the mask.”

23. DO YOU LOVE SOMEONE?  “................”

24. WHAT CLASS ARE YOU?   “…Class?”

25. HOW MANY FRIENDS DO YOU HAVE?  “Hardly any. Probably only one or two that I can completely consider friends, both of which I hardly see...”

26. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON PIE?  “I don’t really eat anything so I’ve never had pie...”

27. FAVORITE DRINK?  “I am not sure. Probably some type of sweet herbal tea or the like... nothing too fancy.”

[ yo. where did 28 go? ]

29. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE?  “I do not have a favorite place I am afraid... Although I do enjoy quiet locations.”

30. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN SOMEONE?  “I am not sure...”

31. WHAT’S YOUR DICK SIZE?  “NEXT QUESTION.”

32. WOULD YOU RATHER SWIM IN THE LAKE OR THE OCEAN?  “A lake, although swimming is not something I particularly enjoy, on a hot day sitting in the water does wonders on an aching body.”

33. WHAT’S YOUR ‘TYPE’?  “Type? I’m not sure what you mean by such a question?”

34. ANY FETISHES?  “That’s personal and not something I wish to share. Besides, as stated before, I’m not very sexually active.”

35. TOP OR BOTTOM? DOMINANT OR SUBMISSIVE?  “..........I choose not to answer.” (mun does have an answer, he’s mostly likely to be a bottom due to his incapability to understand just what in god’s name he’s doing)

36. CAMPING, OR INDOORS?  “As much as I love nature, it is too loud, so I prefer inside more than outside... Besides the sun hurts my eyes.”

37. ARE YOU WAITING FOR THIS INTERVIEW TO BE OVER?  “Indeed... This is far too awkward for my tastes, and far too personal for my comfort.”

[sparda3g]

5 Reasons Why Tokyo Ghoul Anime Split the Fan Base Apart

After Tokyo Ghoul:re Anime premiered, there were many reactions and feedback that are both positive and negative. It has gotten to the point the old recurring slogan from anime fans made its return that signify manga fans as rude and selfish babies. I am one bad baby then.

But this isn’t about ridiculing the anime or pointing out the superior version that is the manga. No, because that’s already taken care of by millions (and millions) of fans. What I am here for is to discuss on the possible reason why the fan base has been divided. Keep in mind, this is solely based on my opinion; not stating to be fact or confirmed. It’s all based upon reading many comments around the web.

This is the 5 Reasons Why Tokyo Ghoul Anime Split the Fan base apart.

5. Manga Readers Just Want to See Highlights Animated

It became apparent when the opinions are divided into multiple approaches. One in which has people just watch the anime to see the highlight; thus, not caring about the backstory or information that created the lore into a phenomenal one. It could skip all the detail for all they want; so long they get to see the best part animated.

Scenes like Sasaki versus Takizawa or Kaneki makes his complete return during Rose Investigation Arc. It’s probably why the opening straight-up spoiled nearly every key moment of the season, including a big villain that was meant to be in hiding but thanks to the opening, it serves no purpose. Thank you, Studio Pierrot. If there’s one thing that you can argue and I probably would agree with, it’s this season is catering more to the manga fans than the newcomer.

“Phew. For a second, I thought I have to worry about surprises. Thanks, Studio Pierrot.”

If it only wants to show the best part while disregarding many fundamental pieces for plot and characters, then they’re already doing a good job. Sadly, with the new art style and animation yet to be on par with Season 1, I may not be all that please. But for others, that may be perfectly fine.

4. Manga Readers Want the Most Faithful Adaptation

This one is what I can relate to, so allow me to speak briefly on their behalf. Admittedly, we can be selfish and very demanding, but in my case, I don’t mind the scene to be changed and altered to fit the anime sequence. Like in Attack on Titan, where it decided to adapt the backstory of a character that was meant to be hidden until much later on, but at least it is faithful to the original source because the scene still maintains the premise behind it. The issue that fans really have is it altered too much to make it not its kind.

There’s actually a valid reason for that punch, but the anime decided to make Akira as a hard ass boss instead.

They don’t want the series to be seen as action Shounen-esque, hence the downplay and disregard character’s moment that would give them more dimensions and help out them to stick out more than your average trope kind. The first episode left them an impression of what’s already done before in Shounen; however, Ishida in his work purposely did that but created a new layer that made them more than what you usually see. In one chapter, he purposely display the fight in Shounen style; a Tournament, heroine doing the usual praying pose, and the intense atmosphere of glorified rival of the century. That’s Tokyo Ghoul.

Imagine Tokyo Ghoul as a Shounen series...

The fans also despise the tone to be altered too much; gone with the terror and thrills that the series is known for. Again, the pacing was rushed in anime because many points they skipped involve talking and info dump. However, you can’t develop a character at its best without a background or build. You’re only seeing the moment, but not knowing why it’s heavily significant. It hurts to know that other anime adaptation gets treated faithfully in compare; only to evaluate their blood to boiling hot.

3. Some Fans Just Want the Anime Back

There are fans that just want the anime to make a return. For every time the sales does really good in weekly basis, a fan or two would be begging for another season alas “Season 3 when?” Whether they read it or not, they just want the anime to come back. It can fall under any kind of reasons including the one I listed above.

There’s always a moment of fans starts discussing with “It’s been a long time” or “Wow, how much I have missed this series.” Even the ones that don’t like the anime previous seasons would be complimentary towards the next season. Granted, the aftermath is a different story, but they did show gratitude; although, it can be argued that it is for Ishida.

He is one of the most beloved Mangaka today; that is if we based on a poll that ranked him in the top 3 favorite Mangaka. It could be the fans’ way of showing their gratitude towards him for receiving another season. It is said that receiving an anime is a blessing for the Mangaka, regardless if it is good or not. That all said wouldn’t it hurt to plead for a reboot instead, fans? That would be fantastic…

…A man can dream…

2. Anime Fans Stick to Anime Only

After the premiere episode of Tokyo Ghoul:re, there were dozens and dozens of the reactions that simply can be described in one word: What? Many have questioned on whether :re is supposed to take place after Root A or is it a new story with a new protagonist. That is a clear sign of what source they’re following, let alone if they read the manga or not.

Wait. Didn’t he die? What’s going on?

I give them a credit though: they at least prayed that Root A wasn’t canon and felt relieved to know that it has been cancelled out. Although, that creates a new problem: what is happening now. This could be seen as a blessing in disguise because this is where the manga fans can jump in and persuade them to read; probably even convert them to their own wishes. It’s clever when you think about it.

That all said if the anime fans only focus on the anime, then that’s why the anime gets a different opinion other than rushed and unfaithful. They follow what the anime provide them, not what they left out to force you to read the original source. It’s like how I explained my criteria on reviewing anime; if it doesn’t happen in here, I won’t excuse it just because it’s explained elsewhere. They like what they see and although you could argue that the original could provide even better materials, they may not care for it. Why? Because…

1. Simplicity is Justice!

Not so long ago, I have returned to watching anime; only this time, my options are much broader than before. To my recollection, the battle/action genre is the one to get the most views and fans. It is probably the case of different times, so maybe in the past, people wished for drama or heavy story. Today, it looks like nostalgia and action is the key for popularity success.

Why do you think Summer films are considered Summer films? Why do you think films that won the Best Picture don’t draw a lot in the box office compare to the likes of Transformers? Of course, this is pretty subjective but I would argue that the only possible explanation to it is because those films are simple and action-packed. There are smarter films out there, so not all hopes is lost, but the point is the draw relies on beloved franchises, nostalgia, and brain tossed out genres.

Case in point, anime universe isn’t far apart from it. Dragon Ball, Boruto, My Hero Academia, and other Battle Shounen series are the one that attract the audience the most. It’s basically the Summer film of anime. Tokyo Ghoul is not Shounen nor does it highly focus on battles like one-on-one combat. It’s more of a thriller and psychological series that puts the characters and plot first than action. In its anime department, it’s the opposite and in terms of success, it’s probably for the best.

“Hooray! I remember this from the manga!!”

If it were to adapt at the manga pace, fans wouldn’t want to know the background right away, so they want action or a sign that there will be one. You noticed that in Weekly Shounen Jump series first chapter shows what it is about and the action. In Tokyo Ghoul, you are following along the world being explored; not knowing that we will get action like the stuff we know today. After all, it begins with Kaneki running away; is that what we should expect? Instead, anime rushed to chapter 5 for the first action scene; letting the audience know that there’s action.

That all said anime only fans wouldn’t know that there is more to its lore and yet, they’re fine to leave it like that. They probably don’t want to think a lot of its conspiracies, the character’s in-depth progression, the foreshadow pieces, and probably its atmosphere. Everything about the anime is simplified for straightforward narrative. Even Kaneki has changed to more of Shounen protagonist than a human who strives to fit in. The dialogues are toned down to noticeably simplified words, which ultimately changed their character. The action is kept but made to be flashier with Kagune lighting up for whatever reason. All of that is fine.

It’s similar to manga itself in some regards. How there will be a silent chapter, which fans will dislike it because of lack of dialogues. Basically, there are different tastes for everyone. You can be upset at the case of wrong people read this series, but it is smart to let them be and not blow a gasket. I admit, it is a bit frustrating, but I won’t bash them. It’s just a simple case of different strokes, different folks, Anime may have tarnished your beloved series, but don’t let your anger tarnished yourself.

There you have it. That’s how I see the reactions from the premiere and despite myself not fond of the anime, if you enjoy it, that’s fine. I could only wish for the fans to give the manga a chance. Also, a wish for a reboot, but that’s just me being selfish. But one could dream and hope for the best.

Until next time, take care!

[spinji]

50 Games in Quarantine (Part 1: Katamari and Rhythm)

So one of the things that I have decided to do during quarantine was to play one video game per day for 50 days. I had ended up purchasing quite a few games around the same time just before the lock down and I also came to have my childhood PlayStation 2 in my possession again which gave me quite a few games I wanted to revisit. I figured I would turn this into something productive and give my thoughts on all the games later. I’ve put the games through a randomizer every day for the last month and sorted them into groups of five and I’ll be writing these reviews with every group I finish.

Disclaimer

I am not a huge gamer or a game critic. I do enjoy video games but most of the consoles I own are past generations and most of the games I own are not part of gaming’s most well-known franchises. Also, I am rating these games largely on my own enjoyment so if a junky licensed game gets a high rating than a ten outta ten gaming icon, that is why.

Katamari Damacy (2004/2018)

While I did technically play the switch rerelease of the game, Katamari: Reroll, I did also own an original copy of the game and am quite familiar with it. Katamari was one of my gateway games as a child and it was nice to return to it. While I do think the original is serviceable as a relaxing and fun game, it feels a bit bare bones compared to the others in the series. I played this game AFTER Katamari Forever in my quarantine so at that point the amount of levels felt very minuscule and I beat the entire thing in one night. Still, it’s fun and the fresh coat of paint on the graphics for Reroll is very satisfying to see. My favorite levels were by far the constellation levels (Cancer especially) since they all revolve around collecting specific items instead of getting to a certain size. It’s very fairly priced and I do recommend it if you never experienced the series before. 7/10

We Love Katamari (2006)

Where is the rerelease Nintendo? Are going to announce a rerelease for this one too Nintendo? It’s the best game in the series, Nintendo. Nintendo???? Okay in all seriousness, this may be my favorite childhood game on the PlayStation and it has held up wonderfully. Because of how young I was, playing games was usually a collaborative effort with the adult who owned it. Because of that I have never 100% completed this game by myself. It’s a tough feat but I really want to because the bonus cousins’ level and rose quest is by far my favorite. The levels are a lot more unique in setting and concepts in this game, the cousins are all playable, and the over-world is a joy to just mess around in. And while on the surface there seems to be a similar amount of levels, there are multiple versions for most of the levels. You can get to the credits pretty fast but that is the tip of the iceberg for what is in this game. Get your hands on a copy and keep the pressure on Nintendo to revamp this game as well because it really does deserve it. 10/10

Katamari Forever (2009)

As much as this game is still fantastic, I don’t think it reaches past the second one’s quality, despite the upped graphics. A lot of the aspects I liked were more style choices and smaller details. The monochrome style of the King levels was nice. A few of the new cousins were cute but none of them really pass up my favorites. The new levels were interesting but not a lot of them stood out. I did have fun but there’s not a lot to talk about. If you like Katamari this will scratch any extra itches if you never caught wind of this game before now, but it just doesn’t raise the bar like the last one. The only thing I could really say if that it’s way easier to unlock endless modes this time! I never even knew there were endless modes for levels until I played this game and I have been playing these games for 14 years! I’ll likely be going back for secrets but it’s just not my first choice for Katamari content. 8/10

Groove Coaster: Wai Wai Party!! (2019)

Since I hadn’t been a position to own a rhythm game with Vocaloid music in it until very recently my attention was drawn to this game while I was anxiously squirming around for the news of Project Diva’s next western release. I’m happy to say that this game is unique enough that I’m not going to stop playing it now that Mega Mix is out. A lot of it’s songs aren’t present in the Project Diva series and it also includes things outside of Vocaloid like original tracks that absolutely slap, Touhou music, including Bad Apple and Night of Nights, and even a few anime themes. The ad-lib mechanic and mission system has been very fun to go through to unlock the rest of the songs. The two player mode wasn’t good at all, especially compared to the arcade cabinets but it’s not that essential to the game, so whatever. Creating your own challenges was a nice way to kind of play your favorite levels back to back. There’s even an Undertale DLC which I would totally get if the e-shop page wasn’t just shaped like one big middle finger. This game is a solid $60 with additional DLC packs for $16 each. For comparison, Project Diva Mega Mix is $40 without the DLC, every song pack is $7, and if you know that you want the DLC you can pay $60 for the entire game right off the bat on the e-shop. Unless you are a huge rhythm game person, or you adore Vocaloid AND Touhou despite it now being 2020, the price is a bit too much for what you get. Also, epilepsy warning for this one because there are a LOT of flashing lights and colors. 7/10

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Mega Mix (2020)

SPEAKING OF MEGA MIX! Or Mega 39s because Japan likes to be cute with titles that do not translate well internationally. This was my first Project Diva game outside of playing the arcade cabinet at conventions. It was great to finally experience it all for myself and I picked up the gameplay really easily despite it being more complicated than Groove Coaster. The Mix mode was interesting but my left joycon was a bit too clunky to play effectively. For whatever reason it always broke about halfway through The Snow White Princess is and I could never finish. I had heard people making a big stink about the graphics before the game released but I did enjoy them just fine. They’re on the same level as Project Diva X for me. Not hyper detailed and gorgeous like Future Tone but the simplicity keeps them slick and satisfying to watch. Considering that this game has to allow for handheld play and a lagging rhythm game would be the WORST, I am totally cool with that decision. I haven’t taken in the full track list but from what I’ve seen they kept all the gems from Future Tone, added a few fan favorites, and most of the cut songs were the more obscure ones with the older and jankier videos which I am totally fine with. The difficulty feels very fair. It’s easy to pass a level just fine but mastering a level and especially challenge segments takes practice but it’s not so picky for perfection that it isn’t accessible for people who aren’t rhythm veterans. I passed every level I played on normal regardless of its labeled difficulty but I have yet to earn a gold metal score. If you’re miraculously still into Vocaloid after this many years, I do recommend checking this one out. 9/10

[randomationmedia]

It's already been 10 years since I first created the Randomation Pictures YouTube channel. I feel the need to share this story because it’s cathartic for me.

I remember how excited I was at age 11 when I first began using Pivot Stickfigure Animator during 2006. Going from sketching stickmen in notebooks to making them come to life on the screen ignited a passion that would eventually carry me into game development. I wanted to be just like the “famous” animators on YouTube. I wanted to create the same kind of fluid and funny scenarios that would draw in hundreds of thousands of viewers and propel me into the spotlight of this rapidly growing platform for sharing videos.

As time went on, I managed to animate a number of videos of gradually increasing quality, but nothing spectacular. I also dabbled in game development with early versions of Game Maker, but didn't achieve much as I struggled to wrap my head around the process of designing software.

Eventually my passion for animation transformed into passion for game development. This was accompanied by decreasing motivation and an inability to finish any videos worth watching. During 2012 I started using the Unity engine for the first time, enthralled by the opportunity to create interactive 3D worlds of my own creation. Now the goal was to create a successful indie game published on a platform like Steam.

After learning the basics of Unity, I embarked on a journey to create an open world stunt-driving game not unlike Burnout Paradise (the game most responsible for inspiring me to develop). With my lack of foresight in how to build stable software that isn't drenched in technical debt and the degree of inexperience required to believe the idea was even feasible in the first place, it's easy to see how that turned out.

The project was dead in the water and I didn't know what I was going to do next, or if I even wanted to do anything. That was until someone showed interest in purchasing the vehicle physics of the project. Despite the code being objectively awful, the core driving physics were very satisfying to interact with and were robust in how they reacted to environmental geometry. Out of all of the things I can do, I feel that game physics has always been the skill I'm most adept with and is the only aspect of game development I still actually enjoy working with.

The situation of seeing value in my vehicle physics led me to strip down the project and sell it as Randomation Vehicle Physics on the Unity Asset Store. This was my first source of income ever, and having anywhere from $300 to almost $1000 coming in each month as an 18-year-old still living at home was incredible. My will to develop was in full force again, but now I chose to dial things back a bit in terms of ambition and create a 2D platformer that would become Waffles (And Then Some).

The game was originally going to be based on an unfinished Game Maker project of mine that was about running across trains and shooting. The characters in this new project were going to be small and square, and the movement mechanics felt unintentionally similar to Super Meat Boy. However, the levels and theme were still unique enough to differentiate it. That is, until the level design started to feel boring and I had to redirect it. For whatever reason I decided to make the main character a waffle and make the theme about breakfast (old YouTube videos and LittleBigPlanet levels have reflected a strange affinity for this theme). Now the game was about a square-shaped food character that could sprint and wall-jump through punishingly difficult levels. To my chagrin, the Steam Greenlight comments were exactly what I expected them to be.

I chose not to publish the game on Steam because I didn't think it was worth selling anymore by the time it was greenlit out of the blue some 7 months after I originally posted it there. I also managed to get somewhat burnt out again by the time I finished it despite its relative simplicity.

Shortly after Waffles (And Then Some) was finished I began working on a kart racer known as The Fastest Meal of the Day. Mario Kart 8 came out shortly before that and inspired me to make a kart racer with the same caliber of graphics, but with the mechanics of Crash Team Racing. That might have been too ambitious (spoiler: it was). The same kind of development process followed, with the same kind of results as before. Grandiose ideas and world-building that will never come to fruition with nothing but an undercooked project and some work-in-progress videos to show for it.

I released the unfinished build and called it a day while feeling burnt-out yet again. However, I still had work to do as Unity 5 was around the corner and I knew I would have to update my vehicle physics for it. The problem with this is that the new version of Unity broke the behavior of wheel colliders from Unity 4 projects, so my vehicle physics could not function correctly in it.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do about this, until I started experimenting with making rigidbodies levitate in a balanced way using only raycasts and pure additions of force. I figured out how to do this by adding not just a basic floating force (upward constant), but by limiting this force with dampening (subtracting current velocity of point where force is applied on rigidbody). With this I had a crude model for vehicle suspensions, and thus a stable floating rigidbody. With that I knew I could write my own wheel and suspension models without the use of Unity's wheel colliders.

Over the course of a few months I developed Randomation Vehicle Physics 2.0 and launched it just a week or two after Unity 5 launched. It was a relative hit and I was over the moon “raking in” anywhere from $1000 to $1700 a month and still living at home. This was the peak of my happiness, fulfillment, and confidence out of my whole body of work over the past decade. The feeling of having that much disposable income at my fingertips and having people praise and find value in my work was overwhelming in the best of ways. Queue overzealous amiibo collecting.

With my reborn zest (I was feeling very doubtful and anxious before releasing RVP 2) I started working on the kart racer project from scratch again. The old code was abysmal (the main kart script was 3 or 4 thousand lines long and handled everything from physics to particles and audio) and the physics were not too good, even though they looked great on video. I chose to take an approach where the rotation of the karts is completely controlled by scripting and not the physics engine, leading to much more consistent behavior along with suspension based on RVP 2. I continued to work on it while occasionally stumbling over the aesthetic direction of the project and taking a month-long break to make Stickman Catapult 3D.

The good feelings ended a few months later when someone let me know RVP 2 was being “shared.” My heart sank as I tried to have the project taken down, only to see it reuploaded to another torrent site. Today I understand piracy as a legitimate way to see if software actually does what it claims to do in a world rife with early-access shovelware and DRM'd pre-order day-one DLC hotfix-patch-that-makes-things-worse culture. I also understand piracy is not truly theft because nothing is being stolen, just copied, and people who pirate might never purchase the asset anyways. At the time, however, I took it very personally and saw it as disrespecting my terms. It didn't help reading forums of people thanking each other for sharing it rather than thanking me for creating it in the first place, but I digress. I should have been grateful that something I made was valuable enough for people to take the “risk” of pirating in the first place.

Rather quickly, the butthurt brought on by piracy led to depression. I have had periodic bouts of depression prior to this, but the subsequent one was bad. Combined with my complete lack of a social life thanks to not bothering to keep in touch with high school friends, my obsession with game development hinging my entire self worth on my projects, and family issues I don't need to talk about, I was the most depressed I have ever been. RVP 2 was grossing less as well, but I don't believe this was directly correlated with the piracy. Sooner or later it had to slow down regardless of sharing.

I continued to work on The Fastest Meal of the Day even though it felt like a death march. I still consider it to be the hardest thing I have ever done. Making the characters was one of the last things I did through a tedious process of model, texture, rig, and animate. Verne and Castper were already put together from other prototype projects, but I still had 6 characters to create from scratch. Each one only took a few days but at that point I was waist-deep in a many months-long habit of spending most of my time every day working on the game.

I knew I wasn't going to sell the game. I knew it was only going to have 8 characters, 1 track, 1 mode, and no multiplayer, but I was ridiculously attached to the idea of creating some kind of polished 3D game that I can confidently show the world. All I did when I was done was throw it up on IndieDB and call it a day. I had already let go of the idea of publishing a successful game by myself and getting to be on the level of someone like the developers of Undertale or Stardew Valley. Someone who made a game mostly by theirself and gets to see thousands (millions?) of fans take in the virtual world you crafted and fill up forums discussing the characters, story, and game mechanics.

I still feel a pang in my chest when I read about how a game similar to those two is being ported to a new platform to be experienced by a new audience. I have had to work through feelings of envy and annoyance in order to try and feel happy for them. I am not entitled to success just because I put in a lot of effort, especially when my efforts have been so misguided. Trying to learn modeling, rigging, animation, texturing, foley, music composition, and programming mean nothing if I still haven't been able to produce a game worth selling. It’s just not-invented-here syndrome turned up to 11.

After finishing The Fastest Meal of the Day, I figured I should at least apply for game developer jobs. Surely having a game like that in my portfolio and being able to point to everything but the font and say, “I made that,” would be enough to land me a job at a studio that uses Unity? Not if my resume has no job experience or degree to speak of and I have no industry connections.

Depressed, burnt-out, and living at home with no degree and with no visible way to break into the game industry despite my hard work, I started applying for the same kind of jobs most 21-year-olds are qualified for. I found myself working full-time in retail and feeling mostly okay about it, because at least I was interacting with people on a regular basis, getting paid, and not “having” to develop games every day. I was at a point where getting to sit at home developing games all day seemed like hell, even though just a few years earlier in high school that is all I could dream about.

For at least several months I had absolutely no desire to develop anything. I truly believed I had put the nail in the coffin on the career of software engineering in general, not just games. I was content working in retail for almost 2 months and realized I don't want to do it for very long. (Who'da thunk it?) I chose to go to college full-time in pursuit of a bachelor's degree in computer science because I was beginning to warm up to the idea of programming again, but not so much game development.

Even with my hesitance toward game development I decided to start working on a mobile game in my free time, a basic multiplayer game where you play as a penguin and try to bump other penguins off of an ice berg. The game is still unfinished to this day and has been in development for about a year. School is not the only thing getting in the way of developing it. The other factors are my motivation and planning what exactly my free time should go into. The game and the process of realizing it just don't entice me. I don't really want to model everything, record sound effects, and write the music. I don't want to collaborate with someone either because I have a very clear idea of how those things should be, and I can't afford to pay people who would be able to do the jobs well. I haven't looked at the code in a while which makes it harder to work on that aspect and there is no monetary incentive because I was planning on making it free.

School has been eating up my savings from RVP and I need to work on things that make money. I'm considering going back into the asset business, maybe developing a kart racer kit or something else. Developing assets is not so hard, because they are essentially unfinished games. I may even pursue contract work if I have to. Plus, if I'm going to go into a more traditional software engineering role, I need to learn frameworks and work on projects that don't depend on Unity.

The only way I would pursue a career in game development is if I could work in my preferred role as a gameplay programmer at a company that doesn't depend on unpaid crunch time, doesn't lay off employees after a game ships, and offers decent benefits. As far as I'm concerned, that job does not exist, or is the kind of job that's immediately filled internally by someone in the network of connections.

I just want to get paid to write software and have a healthy work-life balance. This is not a defeatist attitude, but a realistic one. The dream I sought after in the game industry is so difficult to obtain that I would not even enjoy it after putting in the work to get there. It was and is an unhealthy obsession that I still struggle with, where even today I feel uncomfortable if I don't have some vague game idea bouncing around in my head that I want to work on at an unspecified time in the future.

One thing that stuck out to me while reflecting is the fact Randomation Vehicle Physics is the most successful thing I've ever made, and that's because it provides real value to other people. It was a catalyst for other aspiring developers' dreams of making some kind of driving game, or maybe just a product that can enhance a professional team's workflow. Either way, it helped other people much more than my own “selfish” projects have, which only served to express my own ideas. Developing assets from here on out makes the most sense because it requires less work than developing full games, is more likely to earn money, and can help others develop the games they want to make.

I am now 22 and look forward to finishing school in a few years and have mostly overcome my depression. Closing myself off from the world in pursuit of an attachment to a grandiose fantasy is no way to live. I wonder where I'll be in 2027.

[qrhymes]

Death Note (2017) –What means being a good adaptation?

Keep the soul, the spirit of the original work.

I know this answers is vague and not really a factor in the goodness of a movie ‘cause you can still be faithful to the original themes of a work and still suck (The suckiness can take a plenitude of forms), however I firmly believe that the first step to be called a good adaptation (not necessarily a good movie or series or whatever) is breath the same air and meaning of your source material even if the plot, the story or even your character change in the process (That’s the reason that the so called “Spiritual adaptations” are a thing).

So, what are the elements that this movie needs in the first place to be called a good adaptation?

The original Death Note, to me at least, it’s a story about how “absolute power corrupts absolutely”; you give the power to decide who lives and dies to a teenager that subsequently becomes, in the spawn of a few day, in a full time sociopath (And yes, one of my absolute problems with the original is the lack of a natural transition between Light and Kira, but you can argue that that was the point) with a god complex.

I know that a lot of people see the series as a study of morality, a conflict between ideologies; the means justify the end, etc. However I have never been able to see this part of the conflict because the series never explore it’s moral dilemma beyond the superficiality of “Is It right to kill criminals?” that is and interesting and deep question that could sustain an entire work however the thing gets reduced to a “if you are not with me you are against me”.

Death Note is juvenile work and its simplicity in how develop its main question proves it…however, even if its wannabe main theme its underwhelming, Death Note still has a lot of goods and greats during its run.

The hypocrisy and the delusion of Light are great pieces for a tale how power corrupt, the entirely Kira cult, our perception of justice and the hypocrisy in those system it’s another interesting point, Ryuk as the wild card of the series is fantastic, the entire Kira task force is amazing and, at least for me, the great savior of the series.

L becomes what Light never could, a morally gray figure, that actually have weight in a morally ambiguous story of the meaning justice and what is right. L may be in the role of the traditional good guy, however he’s selfish detective that only take the cases that he finds interesting, a man that keeps in line with the law but is not afraid to push that lines to its limit, despite his gimmicks and status as a Sherlock Holmes 2.0 L comes along as a very flawed individual, not really seeking justice for the hundreds of thousand, but just challenge for his intellect. The Kira case is a passion project from him…Not really what you could call a hero, however in this kind of work it’s exactly what we needed, a hero antagonist with a lot of shades of black, whose sheer charisma and personality make, maybe not a paragon, but a compelling and lovable character that a lot of people, me include it, fell in love with.

Finally Death Note is a great mystery series, a tense police drama with genuinely thrilling mind games, an incredible pace and an overall fun ride with a ton of memorable scenes and twist, Death Note is a lot of thing and addictive as fuck is one of them, the flow of the series is so good and that is one of the better aspect of the series, what makes it so accessible is a well put and enjoyable show…so how many of these points got checked in the movie.

…Well Ryuk was…actually pretty great…

Ryuk is easily the best part of this movie, he is creepy, unsettling, menacing but also a lot of fun to have around and his character is the closest to his counterpart. I also like how the movie treats him.

He is different; less cooperative, less friendly, more malevolent but still this guy that it’s doing what it’s doing just for the lulz, and his final delivery “You humans are so fun” close his character in a really high note.

And yes, a lot of the credit goes to Defoe’s performance. I don’t know if he gives a fuck about the source material but it doesn’t matter, he is having a blast with role and so are we.

So Ryuk was fantastic…the rest of the film not so much.

There are a lot of issues here, but in general we can summarize all in two great issues. First, the movie it’s afraid to actual challenge the audience, is a tame product, one that goes for the secure route, lacking a lot of the boldness of the original material.

Even if you want to think the best of Light, he still was playing at least the role of anti-villain, someone that has do what he has to do to accomplish his objective, it’s his choice to use the Death Note, to kill criminals, the people that chase him and even his own followers when they stop being useful to him (And don’t we forget the sheer placer that the guy has with out-smarting his opponents. Yes you can argue that some kills were a necessary evil, however he enjoy some of those kills too much for someone that was still claiming that was doing all of that for the greater good). And yes, the ultimate power to kill is a factor of seduction, of course. However is still a choice that Light makes on its own…here he has to be convinced to use the note, first from Ryuk invoking dream like sensations and power fantasies and then by Mia which apparently is getting off from using the note…I mean, leaving aside that Light was probably asexual and aromantic, him using the note here feels more like he trying to impress her that trying to clean the world from criminals and yes, I don’t buy that part of his characterization in the original work, but that part built up in his hypocrisy.

Meanwhile here Light it’s treated more like a victim of circumstance, that tries to avoid targeting innocent people and just going as far as I goes just because the influence of Ryuk and Mia

Apple anyone?

This what I mean that its more tame or secure, the movie goes all the way trying to make Light likable, justifiable and innocent that forgets to add the aspect that make his original counterpart interesting, either as the idealistic young man that falls from grace trying to make the world a better place or the hypocrite, self-centered teenager that justify his murder rampage with delusions of justice. Both are great in the own right, Light Turner however, he is just another protagonist.

However trying to make Light good is just one side of the badness of this movie, the other side is, well, make L look like the bad guy.

As I said before, the magic of L is that he pulls out the character that Light never could and it is just painful seeing get butchered in this version.

L in this version is just a weirdo that likes sweets a lot, seats in weird positions and covers his faces, and yes the original L was that…in the surface.

That’s the second biggest problem of the film; it’s an adaptation of Death Note, but just in the surface.

L was great not because he was quirky or adorkable or hot, he was great because he has a role in the story, he was a contrast to Light (A contrast that doesn’t exist in this version), a perspective in the meaning justice (a side that not is precisely completely innocent or even all that lawful or good) and an interest take in the hero-antagonist.

In the movie L gets stripped from his “sympathetic inspector antagonist” and demoted to a full “inspector Javert” trying to murder Light in the quart of the movie. L it’s just another detective, there is not substance to his character, he wants to resolve the case ‘cause this is what he does. The only attempts to go with something with him is his breakdown after Watari is killed but that twist just make his character even more cliché, becomes it striped him completely of his anti-hero status to become the villain…I mean the secondary villain for the sake of…the Hollywood Formula?

This L is not really a bad or a shitty character, his problem,  in the same way that with Light, is that he is just another character, unmemorable, bland and lacking any kind of role or meaning aside of being a secondary antagonist

I would talk about Mia/Misa, but her character it’s so far away of her original depiction that it would be pointless.

Mia is a weird thing really. Not only is her introduction forced as fuck.

I mean the whole scene was something like “Hey wanna see me kill some random people”.

But the really confusing part just comes in her character. I mean what is she? A sociopath? Is she drunk with power? Is she using Light for that reason? Or the Note just makes her wet? And then the movie makes her the Big Bad, with a really stupid plan and a death also kind of stupid. A twist for the sake of a twist that only serves to cement Light as a great schemer in the last minute…as a character she was the worst in the whole film. She was in the movie because she was Misa counterpart but she has no purpose other than make Light more likeable.

…

Do you remember how tense a suspenseful the anime/manga was? There is not of that here.

Death Note was thrilling supernatural drama, with a lot of twist and turns, mind games and, overall, a great police series. As I said in the begging one of the best things of Death Note is how its flows.

Death note 2017, it’s not a mystery, it’s not a police drama, even the supernatural elements are reduced to their minimum…And it comes down to the begging, the great problem is that this is just a very tame superficial adaptation, the note, the candies, the shinigamis, the KEIKAKUs, but without the substance or the style (Even the genre) that make the original first half so great.

[saturdayam]

Saturday AM Movie Review: WONDER WOMAN

So, last week...I peeped a pre-release for the WONDER WOMAN film.

It's a major event for several reasons not least of which it's the first major female heroine in this latest generation of big budget, inter-connected film universes, the first blockbuster planned film directed by a female director and the latest film in the critically-panned DC Extended Universe (aka the DC Vs. Marvel movie challenge) which is positioned as the SAVIOR of that potential multi-billion dollar franchise gamble.

So, you know, Wonder Woman is a BIG DAMN DEAL.

No pressure or anything...

The movie is directed by Patty Jenkins and stars Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Chris Pine as Steve Trevor and a diverse cast of men and women representing both World War 1 era soldiers and citizens as well as the mythical AMAZONS. In fact, it's the women of THEMYSCIRA that just OWNS this film. While I was glad to see the diversity (both ethnically and orientation-wise) of these warrior women was pulled from George Perez's remarkable run - I still wish they had gone even more ethnic GREEK (Perez preferred the idea that Diana was not an American nor native English speaker).

That is a minor issue because as I said, the AMAZONS are literally the BEST PART OF THIS MOVIE! Connie Nielsen is serviceable as a pensive, mother to Diana (aka Wonder Woman) and former Warrior, Queen Hippolyta but Robin Wright as the grizzled aunt to Wonder Woman and still a bad-ass warrior, Antiope just OWNS this segment of the film. Everything right with Wonder Woman as a film deals with this portion. Not only does it give us a young Diana as an isolated yet seemingly happy (thankfully angst-free) figure who simply wishes to protect everyone as the sort of warrior she idolizes amongst the strong, beautiful women she calls sisters but we get a cool 'animated' sequence that demonstrates the history of these women complete with Greek Gods (something I thought DC/WB would certainly shy away from to protect the middle-American Judeo-Christian sensibility). For the hardcore comic nerd like me, there is such a joy that this is the first time that this legendary group of characters is on the BIG SCREEN and with a sizeable budget so that the island, Themyscira, looks as gorgeous and as historical as I'd have hoped (something I've never both with Marvel's Asgard)!

When the story sets up its' second act with the battle breaking out between Man's world and that of the long-hidden Amazons, it's a pretty epic moment and makes me very excited for Justice League's rumored depiction of a previous war between the Amazons and the New Gods of Darkseid's Apokolips.

So, I LOVED the AMAZONS and honestly, the film is worth the price of admission for the first part alone. Afterward, it's hit or miss and this is where the film is fascinating to me because despite the film being a very paint by the numbers experience with one or two strong performances -- nothing in the rest of the movie is exceptional and yet it is EASILY DC'S BEST MOVIE SINCE THE DARK KNIGHT. Don't take it from me -- literally, EVERY REVIEW from most of the major Geek sites is saying the SAME THING.

This would seem to be high praise but folks...the reality is that the film is decent, not GREAT. The plot is relatively contrived, acting is passable in most cases without anything being transcendent, and the special effects run the now-familiar look of computerized cut-scene level graphics impersonating the actors during the more superhero-ish action-sequences. Man of Steel, Batman V Superman, and Suicide Squad were so GOD-AWFUL that a competent Ambush Bug movie would DC's best film since Dark Knight. 

What works in WONDER WOMAN is what eludes the other DCEU films...simplicity. The film is not attempting to be some teenager's version of high-octane, action-melodrama ala Zach Snyder nor is it trying to posit scholarly philosophical vigilantism theory ala Chris Nolan. This is a story in a nutshell about a woman who truly cares about people and who must confront the idea that cynicism has driven the rest of the world in violence that cannot be solved just from punching something.

When she meets Chris Pine's Steve Trevor, (his intro is pretty accurately depicted from the comics), the film shifts tone a bit more into a comedic-action fantasy. Pine is fantastic in his role. He has the looks, the charm, and the heroics to properly deliver on the idea that this Spy is tough but focused on the lives that will be lost if he takes no action. While one wonders if a grizzled spy wouldn't seem more realistic, Pine's charm brings the character an everyman quality that provides the appropriate response (one of awe) to Gadot's Wonder Woman. One could argue that it's a thankless role as none of the characters in Wonder Woman are written with more than a one-note personality and motivation but still, I found it worked more than not.

Likewise, Gadot is pretty fantastic. I have to admit that I found her physically unimpressive when she was first announced for the role during BvS. I felt weird as my commitment to diversity is pretty clear and yet I found an online "body-shamer" meme popping up occasionally whenever folks questioned Gadot's very slender frame. I think the idea of a toned and muscular woman warrior on the screen for everyone to appreciate especially as a major hero is not only obvious but profound. Think about it...how little do we get to see that style of physique profiled on the silver screen? Hell, Melissa McCarthy's body type has done more to normalize the non-model thin frame and with success and yet with Gadot it's kind of back to the status quo. That said, she clearly wants this to work. She's fully invested in the role and really brings the "warrior for peace" aspect of the character to life.

These two have real chemistry and it plays out in some of the film's best moments with great comedic scenes (Diana and Gadot are at their best when they are taking what Trevor says LITERALLY without subtext) as well as some cool action moments (the alleyway, bracelets scene is aces!). There is no denying this relationship is believable for the most part and smartly written. 

In fact, the second act which features Diana's introduction to "Man's World", is a solid continuation of the excitement from the 1st act. Many folks are going to really enjoy the first big action sequence during "No Man's Land" - an area of trench warfare that forces Diana to action once she sees man's depravity. While the sequence is pretty awesome, I couldn't help but feel a bit been there done that as well as the costume change for Diana coming across a tad cheesy. Many reviews make this moment seem like some religious experience but perhaps it's my age but I can honestly say that aside from excitement for seeing WONDER WOMAN in her costume in a battle for the first time (in this movie) - this scene seemed more mildly entertaining more than revelatory.

That said, it played well and the CG interludes while obvious were more than serviceable but it ultimately established my most disliked aspect of the film. The villain(s) were underwhelming, cheeseball, and lacked the menace that would have allowed Diana's earnest commitment to peace so profound.

This is not a DCEU problem, mind you.

As entertaining as the first IRON MAN film was the villain and the ending were every bit as lame as this film. Still, the acting and minor twist to the ending of WONDER WOMAN really elevate the film's writing to something rather enjoyable.

Simply put, I can't wait for a sequel. Seeing this crew, with the shackles off and more experience, and the CHEETAH??? Awww yeah!

WONDER WOMAN frankly works and when it's really firing on all cylinders...it's a JOY!

Is this DC's best superhero film of their new DCEU film slate?

Unquestionably -- YES!

Is this better than Bruce Timm's DC ANIMATED MOVIE Wonder Woman film?

NO -- NO and NO! Folks, if you've not seen THIS version then you're missing out. More GOD's, better writing (especially the Steve Trevor scenes), and some brutal, BRUTAL action scenes. Wonder Woman in that film is more feminist and bad-ass than hopeful as she is in the live-action.

Is this better than Marvel's Cinematic Universe movies?

Not really. I mean, it's nowhere close to Civil War, Iron Man 1, Winter Soldier and/or the first Avengers film, however, it certainly can live with the rest of Marvel's nearly dozen films.

I recommend folks see this movie for many reasons. We need more DIVERSE superhero movies (hell and more comics/ manga/ anime - but that seems to be a trigger nowadays to young folks who don't know any better) and this film could be the catalyst for such. I can only imagine the scenes in the film that showcased Diana's empathy and strength (both literal and figurative) will truly speak to young women and inspire them in much the same way that I hope Black Panther does in 2018 for young men and women of color.

WONDER WOMAN OPENS IN THE USA on JUNE 2nd, 2017

[goblinfruit]

This blog post talks about medieval precedents for Beauty and the Beast, which is cool. The precedents, I mean. Actually, I saw Beauty and the Beast and I… liked it. Gah. I blame my six or seven year old self who still has a very strong hold over me. 

But 85% of the reason why I liked Beauty and the Beast so much is that my inner fairy tale nerd was having a party. Since it’s a literary fairy tale, there is so much fun stuff to discuss about literary traditions as well as typical story archetypes. Below the readmore: an undergrad English major’s ramble about Bisclavret, beast stories, and Beauty and the Beast

The medieval texts/authors the above linked blog mentions are about Women Who Read and also *drumroll* …Marie de France! Specifically, her lai Bisclavret which is my favorite story I had to read for Medieval Celtic Literature. 

The post above provides a very brief, sparknotes summary of Marie de France (in short, we don’t know much aside from that she lived in the 12th century, she wrote translations, she was probably a nerd) and her werewolf tale:  

“ This lai is called Bisclavret (or The Werewolf), and tells of a baron who shape-shifts weekly into a wolf. He disappears from his home for three days, and then reverts to his human form by putting his clothes back on. When his wife discovers his secret, she decides to get rid of him by sending a knight, her suitor, to steal his clothes after his next transformation. Bisclavret, unable to return to his human form, is forced to spend the rest of his life roaming the woods. His luck changes, however, when the king finds him and adopts him as a pet. But the story unravels when the king takes him on a visit to his former lands, now governed by his wife and her suitor. Seeing his wife, Bisclavret goes into a rage, attacks her and rips off her nose. She then confesses her deeds and returns the stolen clothes, enabling Bisclavret to change back to his human form and regain his lands. This is, of course, a much darker version than Disney’s joyful adapatation.”

No kidding, medieval manuscripts blog. What I love about this story is that the beginning very much sets this story up as a typical monster story, ooh there’s a werewolf man and the wife must find out his secret! The reader expects something similar to Bluebeard or the Robber Bridegroom to unfold, but no. When the wife betrays Bisclavret, the story shifts - we follow Bisclavret in his plight. He is referred to consistently as “Bisclavret,” the baron is the werewolf and the werewolf is the baron. When he’s a wolf he cannot speak but he has the mental power to supplicate the king and not bite people, for the most part. His mind is always that of a man, or at least retains a man’s chivalry. 

His only violent act is coded with human emotion: revenge, justice, a moral lesson, what have you. In the lai, the audience is told that the wife will forever be nose-less and that her children and their children will also be nose-less. They are not kicked out of the court, but kept around. When my class discussed this, it was suggested that maybe this means she was the monster all along or that Bisclavret transformed her into a monster with a werewolf’s “bite.” (There’s also an article called “Metamorphosis and Language in the Lay of Bisclavret” by Kathryn Holten that discusses this AND gives some pretty stellar background/analysis of the werewolf literary traditions of Marie de France’s time. If you can find it and read it, you should). I’m inclined to disagree, though. I think the intersection of humanity/beast in Bisclavret is super interesting and makes heavy suggestions about the nature of each concept, and/or how they should interact. The wife can’t be a wolf if she doesn’t have a nose, come on! 

There’s also a super interesting point of discussion regarding shape-shifters and their relationship to clothes. I read one of the oldest written werewolf stories in my Latin classes and that werewolf’s shape-shifting was also bound by his access to clothes. But that’s a whole other ramble.

And yes, the post I linked to was supposed to be about Beauty and the Beast. The fact that they referenced Bisclavret as a precedent to BatB really struck me. One, I think Bisclavret could be claimed as a precedent to any Western beastly story. Two, I like Bisclavret better than BatB because even though it’s a 12th century tale, its commentary on man’s beastly nature feels… more modern? Or at least sidesteps the bestiality/furry pitfall. I’ve seen beautiful art floating around tumblr that has the Beast as a quadruped (there was one artist that switched the genders - their lady!Beast was like a gryphon, it was neat). I think that’s better! Having a Beast that is for all intents and purposes a man just with a hair problem and sharp pointy teeth seems like a cop out to me. Make him a pants-wetting terrifying monster or get out of my house.

Also, Bisclavret’s commentary on the court reminds me more of the original Beauty and the Beast’s context, of the 17th and 18th century French salon women writers who wrote fairy tales as social commentary. Despite myself I enjoy Disney’s version. I’m not writing this post to say it’s terrible, but Beauty and the Beast and all of the concepts and traditions it plays with are more interesting than just “outsiders, bestiality, chicks who read, lol.” The Disney movie works great as a kid's movie, but that isn't all we should think of when we think of the tale. The original tale has an older version! It was sanitized even in the 18th century! Yes, I am pulling this from Wikipedia but bear with me:

“Villeneuve’s original tale includes several elements that Beaumont’s omits. Chiefly, the back-story of both Beauty and the Beast is given. The Beast was a prince who lost his father at a young age, and whose mother had to wage war to defend his kingdom. The queen left him in care of an evil fairy, who tried to seduce him when he became an adult; when he refused, she transformed him into a beast. Beauty’s story reveals that she is not really a merchant’s daughter but the offspring of a king and a good fairy. The wicked fairy had tried to murder Beauty so she could marry her father the king, and Beauty was put in the place of the merchant’s dead daughter to protect her. She also gave the castle elaborate magic, which obscured the more vital pieces of it. Beaumont greatly pared down the cast of characters and simplified the tale to an almost archetypal simplicity.”

I haven’t read the older version yet but I want to and need to. Also, I skimmed As Old As Time: a Twisted Tale when I was at Barnes&Noble, since “twisted tale” is a catnip phrase for me and I wanted to see what Disney would do with it in book form. What’s hilarious (to me) is that they have Belle’s mother BE THE ENCHANTRESS, who was married to Maurice back in the day. As backstory to the 1991 cartoon, that reads absurdly to me but it actually holds true to the oldest literary version of BatB. (I wouldn’t recommend the novel. This was the only thing that held my interest.)

In short: curse stories are great, animal bridegroom stories are great, fairy tales are nowhere near as cloying as we think despite the sparkles and happy endings, and I want more (and more clever) adaptations that play with older source material.

[Here is a link to an online pdf of Bisclavret, not the awesome translation I read for class but good enough I guess.] 

[BatB fairy tale Wikipedia page] 

[Here is a blog post that discusses the 17th century French salon women fairy tale writers]

[hemlockdumpling]

2016 Anime/Animation Challenge ~ October

My Little Pony Season 6

Pastel coloured pony time! I think October is the Month of Pony, given I finished Season 6, watched The Legend of Everfree and rewatched the other Equestria Girls films. It's just that kind of month. Season 6 of My Little Pony follows the reformed Starlight Glimmer learning lessons of friendship from, who else, the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle and her awesome posse of friends. From a season opener about a royal Crystalling to her very first best friend and an unexpected return, Season 6 is Starlight Hour as she struggles to learn the importance of friendship and worries about being judged for her past mistakes. Very relatable. Except the whole enslaving/almost ending the world/kinda messing with time shenanigans.

Then again, we're not perfect. #lifelessonsiguess

Other episodes include Spike returning to the Land of Dragons to compete for the title of "Dragon Lord" (Gauntlet of Fire,) a Pony retelling of A Christmas Carol (A Hearth's Warming Tail,) a griffon seeking her cutie mark (The Fault in Our Cutie Marks,) Rainbow Dash butting heads with a Daring Do fan at a con (Stranger Than Fanfiction,) a fantasy role-playing session courtesy of Spike, Big Mac and Discord of all folks (Dungeons & Discords,) and Starlight Glimmer taking on evil with the most unexpected band of allies (To Where and Back.)

It only serves to make me wonder what Season 7 will have in store. Yay.

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: The Legend of Everfree

Another Humanised Pony story, The Legend of Everfree takes our heroines camping in the woods on a school trip where Twilight Sparkle struggles with the aftermath of the previous film, trying to hide her darkness, while new found magical powers find theirselves to the Mane Six just in time to take on another magical threat.

The concept of the Mane Six and Sunset gaining powers is very interesting and it's fun to see how they are utilised (though never let Pinkie Pie near anything fragile, please.) Twilight's struggles with darkness are similar to Sunset in Rainbow Rocks and their friendship is a strong part of the film.

My only qwuibbles were around the less appealing opening song (compared to the other films,) another love interest character introduced for Twilight Sparkle though Timber Spruce isn't completely unlikeable, and Filthy Rich suddenly becoming a villain for simplicity sake in this feature. Other than that, it was an enjoyable piece to the Equestria Girls series, especially with the post credits stinger.

Orenchi No Furo Jiyo

Short anime about a young man that takes care of a mermaid in his bathtub. No, really. The everyday comedy of Tatsumi looking after Wakasa is an endearing way to pass the time, especially when other hybrid humans start popping in to say hello, like Takasu the octopus man and Mikuni the humanoid jellyfish.

It's a softer, light hearted anime than the darker sexual comedy of Monster Musume, so if you want something about cute monster human characters and the poor boy trying to keep things in check (without the extreme fanservice and dark comedy,) Orenchi No Furo Jiyo might be your cup of chamomile tea.

Brotherhood: FFXV

Let's get one thing straight, I love Final Fantasy XV, but I will be the first to admit the story structure of the video game could have been better. You shouldn't need to consult seperate media to get the full story, especially when said things really should have been in the game to flesh it out and paying for DLC that should have been ingame in the first place is a practice that needs to go. With that out the way, Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV is the story we really needed to get some much needed context on our beloved Chocobros and their connection to Noctis. Each Chocobro gets an episode about his past, including the very important monster attack that Noctis survived when he was a child that barely got mentioned in the game. If you ever wanted to get some backstory on your bros, this is the place to go. In fact, I insist. It really does help. Trust me.

Persona 5 The Animation ~ The Day Breakers ~

Lemme break it to you, the Persona franchise is awesomesauce. With stories about personal darkness and demons, symbolic creatures of the mind that would make Freud blush, and character development that is a much needed breath of fresh air, Persona is a series of personal recommendation for those wanting something a little different.

Persona 5 The Animation ~ The Day Breakers ~ is an OVA of sorts that adapts one of the potential side missions in the video game, fleshing out the backstory of the target, Kazuya. It would be an interesting opening gate for folks unfamiliar with P5 to get into the ideas of the game in smaller chunks. We get a glimpse at the Phantom Thieves of Hearts and how they target those with corrupt, impure hearts, giving you an idea of what the story is like in game on a smaller scale. Give it a try.

Rewatch

Big part of my childhood for introducing me to the concept of death at an early age,

The Animals of Farthing Wood

finally found its way to a DVD release in 2016. This gave many viewers, like myself, a chance to re-experience the perils and dangers of a group of animals fleeing their endangered home to promises of a better life at White Deer Park. As you can imagine, there are plenty of deaths and struggles for this varied band of creatures great and small, from newts and moles to badgers and foxes. Even now, I still remember scenes depicting the harsh reality of the food chain and being a creature of the wild.

The Butcher Bird. The motorway. The fox hunt. The farm.

What is a new experience, with The Animals of Farthing Wood, that perhaps wasn't as apparent as a younger viewer, is how dicky the different animals are to each other. Worst offenders are Adder, Owl and Weasel. Before, you knew they teased and took parting shots. As a 30 year old watcher, it comes across as bullying, especially in what is a stressful situation of survival. As a child, Weasel was one of my favourites, now she's definitely outstayed her welcome (laughing at mourning animals is not appreciated and THAT LAUGH.) I still love the likes of Kestrel, Mole, Badger and even Owl (despite her recurring theme of trash talking the other animals, it wouldn't be the same without her.)

Another Crowning Moment is the Music. The Theme song alone is the stuff of nostalgia overload by the senses, but even the background music (the same piece of music with different instruments depending on which animal is on screen.) I can perfectly envision that entire opening in my mind with the music alone, which tells you how powerful it is.

The Third Season, featuring a pack of rats that want to take over White Deer Park, was perhaps not the strongest part of the series, given very popular characters are Put On the Bus, never mentioned again and replaced with not as appealing ones. Nevertheless, it was still enjoyable, even if the first two seasons were the strongest.

Perhaps not as child friendly as it advertised (THAT BUTCHER BIRD,) The Animals of Farthing Wood is still the stuff of animation legend and worth the watch. If you want Watership Down with a mixture of different animals, this is the one to watch.

Following the new Legend of Everfree film, I decided to turn to Equestria Girls, Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games. These are My Little Pony movies that feature the mane six as humans attending high school and defending the human world from magical threats. The surprising thing is, despite how cliched the high school setting is, they are quite enjoyable. For me, a big part of the enjoyment is Sunset Shimmer, a unicorn that escapes to the human world after stealing Twilight Sparkle's crown in the first movie, Equestria Girls. She is both a compelling antagonist that grows into so much more in the following movies.

As far as plots go, they are quite straightforward. Equestria Girls, like I mentioned before, introduces us to the human world when Twilight Sparkle chases Celestia's former student, Sunset Shimmer, into this strange, new world in pursuit of her crown (trying HARD not to make a Game Grumps joke, here.) We also meet the human versions of not only the other members of the Mane Six (Fluttershy, so cute,) but background ponies in a different form now. The fun is trying to find them as they make their way about Canterlot High.

Rainbow Rocks, one of my personal favourites, is the ultimate Battle of the Bands showdown as the Mane Six take on the standout villains of the piece, the Dazzlings. Everything is a musical spectical with the Dazzlings being the stars of the show. We also get the start of Sunset Shimmer's character development, which is also a reason I enjoy the EG films.

Friendship Games is the clash between two High Schools in a tournament of intellectual and athletic prowess... and the introduction of another Twilight Sparkle? School rivalry, peer pressure and, of course, Friendship is the order of the day with more great musical numbers and a showdown that wouldn't be out of place in a Magical Girl Show.

To MLP fans that are somewhat cycnical to these humanised forms of their beloved ponies, I'd say give the films a try. What have you got to lose? You might enjoy them more than you think. Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games are the stronger entries.

[misserma-blog1]

Jurassic World Alive tips and cheats

New Post has been published on http://gamingclan.club/jurassic-world-alive-tips-and-cheats/

Jurassic World Alive tips and cheats

Do you remember Pokemon Go? Jurassic World Alive is a little similar to this game but much better!  Jurassic World Alive is a prime example of embracing the success of an additional game, without finding to followers or players as an entirely empty plan lacking any kind of resourcefulness or objective. A “cash grab” as some would certainly describe it. After all, parody is the truest form of flattery, right? Of course this is game with micro payments. You can obtain free cash by the Jurassic World Alive hack apk, we write about it below. Let’s learn something about this great mobile game now.

Jurassic World Alive guide

Mobile game shops are inundated with clone after clone, many coming from outside of North America. When something reaches viral status, a dizzying flooding of cheaply made rip-offs is introduced on both Android and also Apple application stores alike. I really love Jurassic World Alive. There is an interested historic communication in between collection agencies and monsters of different kinds, located numerous times before in the field of playthings then, consequently, because of computer game. From Exogini to Pokémon, basically, there is a common thread in the will to capture and gather a wide variety of animals more or less inhuman, revealing probably an inclination of guy to the control of effective and also mysterious beings to be very carefully cataloged. Pokémon GO has managed to manipulate this technician, adapting it in an original way to the mobile context and also replicas have not been sluggish to show up, obviously. An instance is given by this Jurassic World Alive, which derives many qualities from the remarkable Niantic title and also connects it with an additional wonderful as well as historic enthusiasm for young and also old: the dinosaurs.

The game consists of a number of sections, however the very first thing we must leave uncertain, however crystal clear is that of course, if somebody had asked, we are encountering among those applications in which if you pay, you will be better. It’s a downturn to start speaking about this, yet you need to be cautioned. Neither ought to shock us, given that it is much from the initial game where we see this. The basic base is the map: based upon Google Maps, we will see an extra bluish version of our environment and also something much more schematic compared to the one we currently find out about Pokémon GO.

Get cash and VIP by the Jurassic World Alive hack

This Jurassic World Alive hack apk android and also iOS is a wonderful cheat device. You can simple get JW Alive cash and VIP. If you do not want to download and install anything to your device you can just generate your items. This generator operates in PC, ANDROID and iOS where the game is installed. Vital thing is to have JAVA made it possible for. If you do not see this generator on your android or iphone you could connect your tablet computer or smart device via usb to your PC then most likely to our website as well as use generator, because on Chrome or FF it will be visible for sure. You can obviously usage Jurassic World Alive hack apk here. this JW Alive hack apk is excellent!

Today we exist you our brand-new Jurassic World Alive hack Online. With Jurassic World Alive hack 2018 you can include Unlimited quantities of Cash in your Jurassic World Alive game. Jurassic World Alive hack 2018 software could be run only on ANDROID, iOS as well as PC tools. Jurassic World Alive hack 2018 Tool sustains iphone (consists of apple iphone, iPad, iPod Touch), Android (smartphones as well as tablet computers) as well as Windows (smart devices and also tablets). Jurassic World Alive Cheats is safeguarded by paid Ghost Script and has a Proxy securities with Anti-Ban Limitation so your account cannot be prohibited.

Jurassic World Alive tips

At first blush, Jurassic World Alive will look really familiar to any person that has any type of experience with AR pc gaming. There’s a map (tinted with differing shades of blue, natch), full with supply decline areas and also dinosaurs spread everywhere. You additionally have a tiny circle around your present area that shows you just how close you have to be to a supply drop in order to gather it.

This, nonetheless, is where the resemblances to Pokemon GO end. It’s unusual, yet you can in fact obtain a great deal of gas mileage out of the game simply by resting on your couch. As long as you’re within 500 feet of a dinosaur, you could try to take it on. As opposed to fitness centers, Jurassic World Alive has an easy turn-based player-versus-player fight system. You can combine and also evolve dinosaurs to develop more effective ones and build your battle team.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N3TYRQSI7I[/embedyt]

Developing the group. When you start the game, Chris Pratt will offer you a beginning dino, but you’ll require at the very least 4 to obtain right into battle. If you click the head symbol, you’ll be required to your dinosaur collection, where you could check your progress in celebration DNA to reinforce your team (as well as later, modify your dino-strike group!).

Many low-level common dinosaurs just need 50 DNA to produce, while rarer dinosaurs set you back 100 or 150 DNA to produce, so maintain that in mind. You likely will not be able to snag a T-Rex on your own in only one encounter, so readjust your assumptions accordingly. Most of the times, a rarer beast is without a doubt a lot more effective than an usual one, yet not always. As you take part in much more experiences, you’ll also be able to advance your dinosaurs, leveling them up to come to be stronger. An excellent sign is the quantity of DNA should develop or create a dinosaur. If you’ve sunk 250 DNA into leveling up a dinosaur, it will likely be stronger in battle compared to a rarer dinosaur that costs 150 to create (though if you’re simply getting going, both deserve a place on your battle group).

Darts Away. When you are aiming to acquire dinosaur DNA, you will certainly be consuming darts. This may make you feel like you should save your darts as long as you can. While you could get even more DNA examples by hitting ideal shots, try not to take too long in aiming simply to land those perfects. Don’t be afraid to use up a number of darts if it means you will have the ability to obtain more DNA. Simply aim to intend as precisely as you could while still tossing fairly promptly. As you progress in the game, it will become simpler to accumulate more darts. Collecting DNA, on the various other hand, will not get any much easier.

You Can Wait For Dinosaurs. Among the largest challenges in playing any AR game is actually walking to hunt for things. Your capability to enjoy the game is commonly limited by website traffic, weather, or even your very own health. The bright side is that you do not really have to stroll much to locate dinosaurs in this game. While strolling would absolutely aid you locate dinosaurs more quickly, you would certainly still have the ability to capture them by simply waiting. Also if you do not relocate whatsoever, a new dinosaur will turn up after about 30 mins. One point you would have to stroll for, though, is the loot box. These do not seem to generate if you are stationary regardless of how much time you wait.

Reinforce Your Dinos.Once you have an excellent dino on your team, your next task is to enhance it through evolution and also fusion. Advancement makes your dinosaurs more powerful, while fusing produces new dinosaurs that are frequently not readily available in the wild. You could also develop Legendary dinosaurs via blend if you have the essential materials. Both processes, however, require a great deal of DNA to finish. See to it you gather as many DNA examples as you can. Aside from the dinosaurs you can additionally obtain more DNA samples by opening boxes.

Summary

Jurassic World is a yummy treat. There is a lot to obtain through (despite exactly how superficial), and a mountain of time to be invested collecting as several species as you can. Even the battle system has a lot of growth to supply. There’s a true work in this system, and also a great deal of mobile gamers prefer that sort of experience. Remember, that you can simply gain JW Alive cash by the Jurassic World Alive hack apk.

Yes, certainly, especially if we have actually currently tired of searching Pokémon (thinking that this is feasible). Is it completely reasonable? Well no, micropayments make it another product. Technically it mixes the simplicity of the map with dinosaurs that are reflected in wonder. Include in that the fun turn-based battles and also we’ll see a prefiguration of just what we wish to have really felt in the Niantic title.

[cheaterzworld]

Jurassic World Alive tips and cheats

https://wp.me/p9SPWY-1w Do you remember Pokemon Go? Jurassic World Alive is a little similar to this game but much better!  Jurassic World Alive is a prime example of embracing the success of an additional game, without finding to followers or players as an entirely empty plan lacking any kind of resourcefulness or objective. A "cash grab" as some would certainly describe it. After all, parody is the truest form of flattery, right? Of course this is game with micro payments. You can obtain free cash by the Jurassic World Alive hack apk, we write about it below. Let's learn something about this great mobile game now.

Jurassic World Alive guide

Mobile game shops are inundated with clone after clone, many coming from outside of North America. When something reaches viral status, a dizzying flooding of cheaply made rip-offs is introduced on both Android and also Apple application stores alike. I really love Jurassic World Alive. There is an interested historic communication in between collection agencies and monsters of different kinds, located numerous times before in the field of playthings then, consequently, because of computer game. From Exogini to Pokémon, basically, there is a common thread in the will to capture and gather a wide variety of animals more or less inhuman, revealing probably an inclination of guy to the control of effective and also mysterious beings to be very carefully cataloged. Pokémon GO has managed to manipulate this technician, adapting it in an original way to the mobile context and also replicas have not been sluggish to show up, obviously. An instance is given by this Jurassic World Alive, which derives many qualities from the remarkable Niantic title and also connects it with an additional wonderful as well as historic enthusiasm for young and also old: the dinosaurs. The game consists of a number of sections, however the very first thing we must leave uncertain, however crystal clear is that of course, if somebody had asked, we are encountering among those applications in which if you pay, you will be better. It's a downturn to start speaking about this, yet you need to be cautioned. Neither ought to shock us, given that it is much from the initial game where we see this. The basic base is the map: based upon Google Maps, we will see an extra bluish version of our environment and also something much more schematic compared to the one we currently find out about Pokémon GO.

Get cash and VIP by the Jurassic World Alive hack

This Jurassic World Alive hack apk android and also iOS is a wonderful cheat device. You can simple get JW Alive cash and VIP. If you do not want to download and install anything to your device you can just generate your items. This generator operates in PC, ANDROID and iOS where the game is installed. Vital thing is to have JAVA made it possible for. If you do not see this generator on your android or iphone you could connect your tablet computer or smart device via usb to your PC then most likely to our website as well as use generator, because on Chrome or FF it will be visible for sure. You can obviously usage Jurassic World Alive hack apk here. this JW Alive hack apk is excellent! Today we exist you our brand-new Jurassic World Alive hack Online. With Jurassic World Alive hack 2018 you can include Unlimited quantities of Cash in your Jurassic World Alive game. Jurassic World Alive hack 2018 software could be run only on ANDROID, iOS as well as PC tools. Jurassic World Alive hack 2018 Tool sustains iphone (consists of apple iphone, iPad, iPod Touch), Android (smartphones as well as tablet computers) as well as Windows (smart devices and also tablets). Jurassic World Alive Cheats is safeguarded by paid Ghost Script and has a Proxy securities with Anti-Ban Limitation so your account cannot be prohibited.

Jurassic World Alive tips

At first blush, Jurassic World Alive will look really familiar to any person that has any type of experience with AR pc gaming. There's a map (tinted with differing shades of blue, natch), full with supply decline areas and also dinosaurs spread everywhere. You additionally have a tiny circle around your present area that shows you just how close you have to be to a supply drop in order to gather it. This, nonetheless, is where the resemblances to Pokemon GO end. It's unusual, yet you can in fact obtain a great deal of gas mileage out of the game simply by resting on your couch. As long as you're within 500 feet of a dinosaur, you could try to take it on. As opposed to fitness centers, Jurassic World Alive has an easy turn-based player-versus-player fight system. You can combine and also evolve dinosaurs to develop more effective ones and build your battle team.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N3TYRQSI7I[/embedyt]

Developing the group. When you start the game, Chris Pratt will offer you a beginning dino, but you'll require at the very least 4 to obtain right into battle. If you click the head symbol, you'll be required to your dinosaur collection, where you could check your progress in celebration DNA to reinforce your team (as well as later, modify your dino-strike group!). Many low-level common dinosaurs just need 50 DNA to produce, while rarer dinosaurs set you back 100 or 150 DNA to produce, so maintain that in mind. You likely will not be able to snag a T-Rex on your own in only one encounter, so readjust your assumptions accordingly. Most of the times, a rarer beast is without a doubt a lot more effective than an usual one, yet not always. As you take part in much more experiences, you'll also be able to advance your dinosaurs, leveling them up to come to be stronger. An excellent sign is the quantity of DNA should develop or create a dinosaur. If you've sunk 250 DNA into leveling up a dinosaur, it will likely be stronger in battle compared to a rarer dinosaur that costs 150 to create (though if you're simply getting going, both deserve a place on your battle group). Darts Away. When you are aiming to acquire dinosaur DNA, you will certainly be consuming darts. This may make you feel like you should save your darts as long as you can. While you could get even more DNA examples by hitting ideal shots, try not to take too long in aiming simply to land those perfects. Don't be afraid to use up a number of darts if it means you will have the ability to obtain more DNA. Simply aim to intend as precisely as you could while still tossing fairly promptly. As you progress in the game, it will become simpler to accumulate more darts. Collecting DNA, on the various other hand, will not get any much easier. You Can Wait For Dinosaurs. Among the largest challenges in playing any AR game is actually walking to hunt for things. Your capability to enjoy the game is commonly limited by website traffic, weather, or even your very own health. The bright side is that you do not really have to stroll much to locate dinosaurs in this game. While strolling would absolutely aid you locate dinosaurs more quickly, you would certainly still have the ability to capture them by simply waiting. Also if you do not relocate whatsoever, a new dinosaur will turn up after about 30 mins. One point you would have to stroll for, though, is the loot box. These do not seem to generate if you are stationary regardless of how much time you wait. Reinforce Your Dinos.Once you have an excellent dino on your team, your next task is to enhance it through evolution and also fusion. Advancement makes your dinosaurs more powerful, while fusing produces new dinosaurs that are frequently not readily available in the wild. You could also develop Legendary dinosaurs via blend if you have the essential materials. Both processes, however, require a great deal of DNA to finish. See to it you gather as many DNA examples as you can. Aside from the dinosaurs you can additionally obtain more DNA samples by opening boxes.

Summary

Jurassic World is a yummy treat. There is a lot to obtain through (despite exactly how superficial), and a mountain of time to be invested collecting as several species as you can. Even the battle system has a lot of growth to supply. There's a true work in this system, and also a great deal of mobile gamers prefer that sort of experience. Remember, that you can simply gain JW Alive cash by the Jurassic World Alive hack apk. Yes, certainly, especially if we have actually currently tired of searching Pokémon (thinking that this is feasible). Is it completely reasonable? Well no, micropayments make it another product. Technically it mixes the simplicity of the map with dinosaurs that are reflected in wonder. Include in that the fun turn-based battles and also we'll see a prefiguration of just what we wish to have really felt in the Niantic title.

[cameronwjones]

10 Imaginative Event Marketing Examples From Google

When it comes to engaging with consumers, Google is a thought leader. The following examples demonstrate how the tech giant balances innovation and simplicity to execute on exceptional event marketing initiatives.

According to the most recent event marketing statistics, 95% of marketers agree that live events are important for forming in-person connections in an increasingly digital world. Despite being the world’s leading technology company, Google understands the importance of real-life interactions and uses those moments to further market and solidify their brand equity. Check out the below examples to see how Google executes on their most successful event marketing strategies. 

Table of Contents

Google Donut Shop

Google I/O

GOODFest

#PayWithAPhoto Food Truck

Asia Pacific International Music Summit

Doodle 4 Google

Google Impact Challenge: Bay Area

Google Sandbox Series

Chuck Hack

#EveryoneSpeaksFood  

1) Google Donut Shop

Photo source: AdWeek

Is it a donut or a Google Home Mini? At this pop-up shop, it can be both. In their most recent event marketing initiative, Google set up donut shops all over the United States giving away free Google Home Minis -- which are roughly the same size as a donut. But before you jump out of your seat to grab free Google tech, there’s no guarantee you’ll win.

Inside the shops, conveyer belts carry boxes filled with either a Home Mini or two donuts from a local bakery. Guests ring a bell and ask a question to the Home Mini and one of the boxes will be dispensed. You’ll see your prize when you open the box. And don’t worry, if you win a Google Home Mini, you can still get a donut.

Key Takeaway: Promote your new product with a twist. Think beyond just giving out free samples. How can you make a customer’s experience memorable?

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2) Google I/O 

Photo source: TechRadar

With over 7,000 participants, Google’s annual developer conference held in Mountain View, CA introduces software updates and new technology as well as hosting influential speakers and in-depth sessions. The 3-day long outdoor tech festival completely immerses attendees before, during, and after sessions.

Attendees can check out various Sandbox stations for hands-on demos of the latest technology, Codelabs to work through technical modules with Google Experts, after hours parties, and many more activities.

Key Takeaway: An engaged attendee is a happy attendee. Make sure your event is filled with various activities so that participants can be completely immersed in your world.

To check out other big brands who put on massive user conferences, the Events Hall of Fame ebook by clicking the button below!

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3) GOODFest

Photo source: GOODFest

The idea for GOODFest started as a marketing idea for the new Pixel phone to highlight its photographing skills in the most common low-light situations—concerts. And while the phone was still used to capture photos and post on social media, the music festival served as a greater purpose. Google partnered with GOOD, a social impact agency, to host a concert series that centered around social good by focusing on supporting five causes for the five concerts. Talk about powerful event partnership marketing!

100% of ticket sales went to a partnered non-profit organization. In New York, the Glass Animals performed with all sales going towards DonorsChoose.org with a focus on projects addressing mental health. In LA, Gogol Bordello and Nick Zinner played to support the Equality Justice Initiative for racial and economic justice. Three other shows made up the rest of the festival and included a range of artists and causes.

Key Takeaway: No matter how big or small your company is, you have the power to promote good in the world. Think about how your product or service can be a vehicle to make the world a better place.

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4) #PayWithAPhoto Food Truck

In this creative challenge, Google invited people on the street to find a specific photo on their phones in under 20 seconds in exchange for a free snack. A large mechanized box displayed a word such as “beach”, “flower”, “boat” and participants scrambled to find a photo featuring the term. If you found a photo, you were awarded with the food prize and if you didn’t, you received a smaller version of the food. The NYC truck featured waffles from Wafels & Dinges while the LA truck served Coolhaus ice cream sammies.

The idea behind this food truck was to promote Google Photos, a photo sharing and storage service where photos can be found much more quickly. Just by searching the terms directly into the search bar, the photos you are looking for will immediately appear.

Key Takeaway: Showcase exactly how your company’s product or service can make someone’s life easier and efficient. Bonus points if you can do it in a fun and engaging way.

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5) Asia Pacific IMS

Photo source: Chief Marketer

Sometimes even big brands like Google need a little help. The Asia Pacific International Music Summit held in Singapore describes itself as “the premier platform for thought leadership in electronic music”. Since these types of fans are active on social media and enjoy live music, Google was brought in to help bring this concert experience to fans all over the world.

So the media tech giant turned to event agency Jack Morton to help with this project. The team developed bioreactive wristbands fans wore that were connected to their Google accounts and translated the real-time data of heart rate and skin temperature to reactive visuals on screen. This interactive data and experience was then streamed live on Google Hangouts and on Youtube.

Key Takeaway: Working with others can make your event better by reaching a wider audience. Don’t be afraid to collaborate.

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6) Doodle 4 Google

Photo source: Google

If you’ve used the Google search bar to find anything on the internet, you’ve seen the Google logo reimagined into a creative drawing during a themed holiday, celebration, or remembrance. You may have also heard of the annual “Doodle 4 Google” contest that asks young artists to create a doodle from a certain prompt to be featured on the front page of the search engine.

Sarah Harrison from Connecticut in the 10th-12th grade group won the competition in 2017 with her drawing above, “A Peaceful Future”. All of the finalists received a surprise celebration assembly at their schools along with trip to Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California where the national winner is announced. The final winner receives a $30k college scholarship, $50k towards technology at their school, a Chromebook, and an Android tablet.

Key Takeaway: Through open competitions, not only can you help an individual but you can help a community while bringing awareness to your company.

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7) Google Impact Challenge 

This initiative serves as a key example of innovative experiential marketing. In 2014, Google awarded $5.5 million to local Bay Area nonprofits. Out of 800 applications, 25 finalists were selected to receive funding. This is where Google incorporated the residents of the area to have a say in where the money would go. The public could vote online to choose which nonprofit they wanted Google to donate to. But the most engaging part of this project were the interactive posters set up around the city where residents could press a button to vote an organization to donate to.

These posters were placed in a range of locations including bus shelters, food trucks, restaurants, and more. All of these places took advantage of people who were already waiting for buses or food and had the time to be engaged with a campaign. This project generated over 400,000 votes and was a great way to bring awareness to local nonprofits and Google.

Key Takeaway: Engaging your audience in matters that pertain to them is a great way to ensure participation in your campaign.

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8) Google Sandbox Series

Photo source: Meetup

Ever wonder what it’s like to work at Google? The company’s “Sandbox Series” brings Googlers to cities all over the United States to lead tech talks, hands-on workshops, and sessions to anyone who is willing to learn. From DC to NYC to Dallas, these events cover topics such as software engineering, sales, marketing, and more. The entry is competitive with an application process in order to attend.

Key Takeaway: Share your knowledge with the rest of the world and you will get help in return. Holding workshops, small conferences, and webinars are great ways to get started in doing this.

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9) Chuck Hack

Photo source: Art & Sole

Google partnered up with Converse to create the “Google+ Converse Garage”, a pop-up hack space in London where participants could redesign a pair of Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers using technology. Converse’s were transformed into speakers or synthesizers or anything anyone could come up with. The space allowed for complete creative freedom.

The five-day workshop held eight sessions each lead by a different artist. The store was open to the public so even those with minimal experience could participate and there was plenty of assistance within the shop for participant’s creative endeavors.

Key Takeaway: Fostering an environment of creativity and innovation to bring awareness to your company will inspire your participants and make for a meaningful experience.

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10) #EveryoneSpeaksFood 

To inspire communication cross-culturally and promote their Google Translate feature, Google opened a pop-up restaurant in NYC that utilized the app to order food. The menu was developed by 18 chefs from a wide range of cooking styles with each item written in a different language. Guests were able to use the Google Translate app to hover over the text and see the words translated into English instantly so they could order.

The idea behind the restaurant is to bring people of all backgrounds together with the unifying force of food. And in order to break down language barrier people encounter when ordering food in different countries, Google perfectly showcased how their new app can do just that.

Key Takeaway: Show off how great your product is in a real-life example and people will certainly be engaged.

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Main takeaways recap:

Engaging your audience in matters that are directly relevant to them is a great way to ensure participation in your campaign.

By hosting competitions that are open to the public, you can foster strong consumer relationships while lifting brand awareness of your company.

Working with others can make your event better by reaching a wider audience. Don’t be afraid to collaborate.

Make sure your event is filled with various activities so that participants can be completely immersed in your world.

Showcase exactly how your company’s product or service can make someone’s life easier and efficient. And make sure to do so in a fun and engaging way.

  We hope these examples shed some light on how one of the world's most successful companies carry out their event marketing strategy. But to ensure that you stay knowledgeable on the industry as a whole, download the ebook below to deep dive into the statistics and trends that will shape the future of event marketing!

from Cameron Jones Updates https://blog.bizzabo.com/google-event-marketing