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stranger-who-writes-fiction · 3 years

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ACTION COMICS ANNUAL (2021) fixed the trash fire that was Future State: Superwoman so lemme just RAMBLE about how much I loved it.

Spoilers, obvs.

Folks who read this blog (thank you, but also, my sincere apologies XD) will perhaps recall that I...did not particularly care for the Superwoman book, that came out of Future State.

(Of course, various individuals on twitter have since pointed out that Future State was deliberately set up to be a bad timeline; a future that the current DC books are actively fighting against. So I guess, technically, you could argue that the book was awful on purpose.

Except that, you know, some of the awful stuff was still framed good and inspiring.

So, okay, but also, no.)

BUT THIS ANNUAL? FIXES EVERY GRIEVANCE I HAVE WITH FUTURE STATE: SUPERWOMAN.

I wasn’t even going into this book with huge expectations for Kara because of Superwoman, but! She’s here! As like, a key component of the House of El!

SHE IS THE LEADER. FOR MANY YEARS, APPARENTLY, WHILE CLARK IS AWAY.

I’m getting ahead of myself.

Backtracking a bit: this book begins with a framing device, featuring a group of Kryptonian refugees that have been introduced recently in Action Comics.

We’ve got an older guy, Byla, telling a bunch of kids stories about The House of El.

Which is how we get back to the characters introduced in the initial House of El oneshot: Brandon, Theand’r, Ronan, Rowan, etc.

And, to be clear! I was excited for this book, knowing it would be about these guys! And these guys alone! Because they’re very cool! And there’s clearly like, a whole history and mythology just simmering below the surface and MAN. I wish we had a House of El ongoing. XD

They’re all gathered on Sanctuary to attend the wedding of Alura Van-El and Khan.

So FIX NUMBER ONE: The moon sanctuary introduced in Superwoman is no longer home to a bunch of rando jerks; rather, it’s an ACTUAL sanctuary for aliens/folks who need it, AND there are a BUNCH of House of El family members!

PKJ clarified on twitter that the ‘Sanctuary’ is built from Kara’s Fortress of Sanctuary, and that it’s a city that functions a little like Camelot. They grant refuge to all, and the members of the House of El act as a kind of Knights of the Round Table, protecting anyone who needs their help.)

THUS!! The actual dream of Kara’s Fortress is realized, AND she is SURROUNDED by friends, family, and loved ones, as opposed to dying alone. On the moon. With just her dog to keep her company.

Anyways it’s great. We love to see it.

FIX NUMBER TWO: Kara displays an emotion OTHER than barely-suppressed rage, and is genuinely happy to be overseeing this wedding!

Like, there’s no background, simmering animosity towards her cousins.

Byla even hints at another ‘tale of the House of El’ where Kara and Clark meet again! And presumably get along okay!

FIX NUMBER THREE: The Superwoman mantle is passed down to Theand’r!

Future State: Superwoman made a big to-do about how the Supergirl name was so singular that Kara never gave it to anyone (which is so STUPID because if your big thesis is how inspiring Kara is as an individual but you say, ‘no one else gets to be Supergirl’ you kinda undermine your own point.)

(Imagine if Into the Spider-Verse spent all that time building up how inspiring Spider-Man is as a hero, and then in an epilogue narrated by Miles, he revealed that no one else ever became ‘Spider-Man’, and that the name died with Peter.)

(That would be DUMB, right?????)

This isn’t passing the Supergirl mantle, but it’s passing the Superwoman mantle, so it’s close! Which, hey. I’ll take it. XD

FIX NUMBER FOUR: Kara actually comes across as the mature, adult leader of the House of El. This ties into the whole ‘she’s not a walking bundle of barely-contained rage’ bit; she’s, like. Graceful and dignified and very clearly no longer a kid/teenager.

Literal and figurative character growth! WOOOOOOO.

FIX NUMBER FIVE: There isn’t the gross ‘birthright’/’pure-blooded Kryptonians are stronger/better’ element in play. In fact! Pyrrhos, the bad guy, calls Kara a traitor for allowing the ‘diluting of Clark’s bloodline’ e.g. letting folks who AREN’T Els by blood become part of the fam.

FIX NUMBER SIX: Kara gets angry at Cyborg Superman (the original one, not her dad) but it never devolves into murderous rage, as it does in Superwoman. She PARDONS him!

Mercy! Sympathy!

AaaaaAAAAhhhhhh love it. LOVE IT.

And so! Nearly every. Major. Complaint I had regarding Superwoman is fixed in this Annual.

*happy sigh*

Some final thoughts on the Annual overall, so as not to make this COMPLETELY about Kara. ...Well. Moreso than I already have, anyway.

The art is solid, though I feel for the artist who had to share the book with Godlewski; it’s not that their art is bad, it’s just that Godlewski is very, VERY good, so his pages look a touch more polished and confident.

That said, the character art throughout? Excellent. This is a cool, varied cast and both artists do a great job with all the designs/costumes etc.

(Well, okay, Kara’s costume looks a little weird at times; I like the costume but I honestly think they should’ve stuck with the costume introduced in Superman of Metropolis, it’s much easier for artists to replicate.)

(But also like. The Superwoman costume looks more stately/’grown-up’ so I get it.)

I WANT TO SEE MORE OF BRANDON AND HIS KID.

I want to see more of ALL of these characters but you KNOW I found the two of them particularly endearing.

I love that the House of El has a Brainiac!

As is right and good, and should always be!

Overall, SO GLAD the annual allowed us to go on another adventure with these guys, and hope that PKJ has opportunities in the future to weave them in a bit more.

There’s already a cool connection brewing with the new character introduced in Action Comics proper. Thao-La, I think her name is? Can’t wait to see where that goes!

#long post #comic stuff #comics stuff #action comics annual #action comics spoilers #SG post

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homespork-review · 5 years

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Homespork Act 2: The Racism of the Conductor’s Baton (Part 2)

FAILURE ARTIST: We don’t get much time to mourn with Dave because the comic flashes to a weird wizard statue. This statue is ZAZZERPAN THE LEARNED. Wizards are another recurring theme in Homestuck. Andrew Hussie once artfully defaced this cheesy book called Wizardology (warning: lots of really offensive humor). Anyway, Rose hates the giant statue and the other wizard paraphernalia her mother collects and believes her mother does this only to spite her. On a platform is a bronzed vacuum (with a place to put alcoholic beverages) that Rose gave her as an ironic present. On the couch there’s a life-sized princess doll that Rose has attached a Cthulhu-type head to. All these things set up Rose’s troubled relationship with her mother. Rose believes her mother is taunting her and Rose taunts her back.

BRIGHT: This scene also establishes that some things (the Cthulhu doll for one) are too big to be captchalogued.

CHEL: Actually, that was noted with the harlequin doll earlier but we forgot to mention that.

FAILURE ARTIST: Rose goes to the kitchen. On the fridge is a crude picture of her late cat Jaspers, who turns out to be more than a family pet. There’s more signs of this cold war between mother and daughter on the fridge.

CHEL: Also, numerous liquor bottles in the kitchen and comically exaggerated displays of wealth, such as a fifteen-thousand-dollar picture frame.

FAILURE ARTIST: After fussing with the fridge, Rose tries to leave the kitchen only to run into her mother. She tries escaping but lands comically in some wizard statuettes.

CHEL: Mom Lalonde is mopping the floor, with no water in the bucket, holding a martini in her other hand. The woman clearly has a problem. Again, this is an issue with the portrayal of the parents; this is pretty funny, but were a real mother behaving this way, it would seriously mess up the kid, and whether we’re supposed to take it as Rule of Funny or not later becomes inconsistent.

BRIGHT: I think a lot of the humour here is supposed to come from the implication that Mom Lalonde actually is a loving if clueless (and drunk) parent, and Rose is reading her badly. On the other hand, something is clearly very wrong, and while Mom Lalonde may indeed be loving the situation is definitely having an impact on Rose.

TIER: Say whatever you want, but when putting on the late game Cerebus Retcon goggles there are probably non-humorous questions to be asked about how screwy Mom Lalonde is as a parental unit if her daughter has ended up interpreting most of her actions as mocking or backhanded towards herself. Like, kids don't just decide that.

ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY?: 3

CHEL: Back to Dave, he’s chatting with GG and they’re being adorable. GG comments about her birthday present to John, the green box we saw in the car earlier, and…

GG: no!!!!!!! GG: he will not open it GG: he will lose it!!! TG: oh TG: uh TG: wow sorry to hear that i guess? GG: no its good actually! GG: because he will find it again later when he really needs it GG: which of course is why i sent it in the first place! TG: see like TG: i never get how you know these things GG: i dont know GG: i just know that i know!

I think here is when we start to get inklings of the kids’ unusual abilities - I mean, unusual in the context of the weird world they live in. A bit more is established about GG’s home life and Dave’s attitudes, too:

GG: i have to feed bec which is always a bit of an undertaking TG: man TG: if i were you i would just take that fucking devilbeast out behind the woodshed and blow its head off GG: heheheh! GG: i dont think i could if i tried!!! TG: yeah TG: say hi to your grand dad for me too ok GG: ._. GG: yes i guess an encounter with him is almost certain GG: it is usually........ GG: intense!!! TG: well yeah isnt it always with family TG: but he sounds like a total badass

“Intense” in a world where attacking your father with a hammer isn’t worthy of comment sounds worrying. We’ll see how that goes.

FAILURE ARTIST: Dave has the tiniest of smiles here and in Hussie’s annotation he says that one pixel created Dave/GG. Whether or not their connection is romantic, Dave obviously feels great affection for her.

CHEL: Interactions between all four of the kids are really sweet, honestly. Dialogue and character interactions are one of the strongest points of the comic overall. Personally I have a soft spot for the OT4.

TIER: In my unprofessional opinion, the beta humans are by far the most functioning and tight knit group of the various groups within the comic, for what that's worth considering the overall dysfunction junction. They're sweet to one another is what I'm saying.

CHEL: Dave talks to John, who mentions the creepy trails around his house and how he thinks he’s seen monsters, which we the audience have definitely seen; creepy little black imps with fangs and, oddly, jester outfits. They bear a striking resemblance to the Wayward Vagabond, in fact. Dave makes fun, but at least pretends not to disbelieve him, and urges him to keep his hammer at the ready. Dave can’t find his Bro, but can find “Lil Cal”, implying Bro is nearby.

TG: lil cal is the shit EB: that's fine, you are entitled to your opinion, i am just saying that being a white guy who is a rapper with a ventriloquist doll is not cool by any stretch of the imagination or by any definition of word cool, ironic or otherwise. that's all i'm saying. WHITE SBURB POSTMODERNISM: 5

Would a non-white rapping ventriloquist be any cooler? I’m struggling to see how. Ventriloquism, by definition, sucks the cool out of any other aspect of the thing. And now I’m picturing Carlton from Fresh Prince trying to rap with a ventriloquist’s doll.

BRIGHT: Back at the Lalonde residence, Rose attempts to ‘Youth Roll’ out of the front door, but her escape route is blocked by her mother, who appears with martini glass in hand. Time for our second Strife of the comic! (And can I say that I really like the music for this one?)

As with John’s strife with his dad, this strife tells us a lot about Rose’s relationship with her mother. John had the AGGRIEVE and ABJURE options; Rose also gets AGGRESS (PASSIVE) and ABSTAIN. It’s pretty telling that one of these options is an EMPTY SUICIDE THREAT, and ‘Abstain’ has Rose fending off her mother’s insistent offer of the martini glass.

FAILURE ARTIST: I liked the EMPTY SUICIDE THREAT at the time but now I think it deserves an ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY?

BRIGHT: Mom Lalonde may be intended as loving-but-clueless, but she’s offering her thirteen year old daughter alcohol, over Rose’s protests, and something is clearly very wrong if suicide threats are a normal part of life. (Something similar will come up in the future, but in that context it isn’t played for laughs.)

ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY?: 4

On a lighter note, ‘Abjure’ has her mother offering her A BEAUTIFUL PONY. Rose reacts in the moment like this is terrible, but does later pat the pony’s nose.

At any rate, the strife ends when Mom Lalonde apparently gets bored and decides to do some dusting. This takes all the fun out of using the front door, so Rose goes around the back to make her break for the generator.

Meanwhile, John is trying to read up on weaponizing sylladexes (sylladices?), but is being nagged by a voice to turn around — which he finally does, just in time for a monster to ram into him so hard it turns the panel pixelated. Strife time!

John’s bout with the Shale Imp kicks off with the monster threatening the Con Air bunny. John’s efforts to defend it are intercut with Rose’s progress out of the house and through the rain to the mausoleum. I think this interplay works quite nicely — it keeps both things moving without letting the reader get impatient -- but your mileage may vary.

The imp aggravates John by punching the bunny in the belly and waving it at him. John attacks the imp and breaks his hammer, then attacks it with the handle and gets knocked flat. Finally he weaponises his sylladex and chucks his inventory at it until it explodes into a shower of grist.

PUT THE BUNNY BACK IN THE BOX!!!!!! Now why couldn’t he put the bunny back in the box?

Because he’d set it as his strifekind, it turns out.

In true video game style, defeating the imp causes John to level up! In Homestuck, this is done by ascending one’s echeladder, a series of player levels with whimsical, old-fashioned names. John climbs two rungs, from Greentike to Plucky Tot, and earns 125 Boondollars.

Note how efficient this is: In one panel we can see that the echeladder is a levelling system, that Boondollars are in-Game currency, and that levelling up has increased John’s amount of grist and how much of it he can carry. He’s also got a new kind of grist called ‘Shale’. Hussie does take an extra panel to clarify the grist capacity expansion, but that makes sense as it’s a small part of the original panel. Compare this to the dozens of panels we’ve had laying out how sylladexes work. These panels are much more information-dense, and the comic flows better for it.

CHEL: Exactly what “grist” is and what it does beyond allowing changes to the house, why those changes are needed, and what “boondollars” are for hasn’t been explained yet, but will be soon, and it’s clear they’re something to do with the game so it’s not outright confusing.

BRIGHT: John spends the next few panels sorting his strife specibus out, and stashes the bunny in there for safekeeping. There’s something amiss, but he can’t quite put his finger on it...

Meanwhile, Rose has reached the mausoleum and prepares to activate the generator. The taxidermied corpse of her beloved pet lies in state, dressed in a tiny suit. A sad fate for an animal who should have peacefully decomposed in a flowerbed. Rose kicks it off the pedestal to make room for the laptop.

John discovers what’s wrong when a bucket of water perched atop his door lands on his head. The culprit behind this sudden dousing?

"[S] WHAT THIS IS SO OUTRAGEOUS (HD)" (Watch on YouTube)

Apparently the sprite has a sense of humour.

Next up is a pesterlog between Rose and Dave. There are hints that all is not well in the Strider residence.

TG: hey TG: dont tell john this but i think he might have been right about the puppets TG: theyre sort of starting to freak me out a little TT: You're referring to your brother's collection? TG: i mean dont get me wrong i think its cool and all TG: the semi-ironic puppet thing or whatever TG: or semi-semi ironic TG: man i dont even know TG: im just starting to think some of this shit is going a little far and its kind of fucked up TT: I've seen his websites. TT: I like them. TG: haha yeah well YOU WOULD TG: oh man i wish lil cal wouldnt look at me like that TG: with those dead eyes jesus TG: sometimes i dream that hes real and hes talking to me and i wake up in a cold sweat and basically flip the fuck out

Well, not so much hints as flashing neon signs. Dave’s gone very quickly from insisting that everything his brother does is cool and Lil Cal is awesome, to admitting that he has nightmares about Lil Cal and is freaked out by his brother’s ‘semi-ironic puppet thing’. We don’t know much about Bro’s websites yet, but we do know that Rose has a morbid streak, and Dave is clearly disturbed by the content.

Dave leaves to find his brother’s copy of the game, and we return to John, who, to quote Rose, has ‘just had a bucket of water dumped on his head by the ghost of his dead grandmother, who also happens to be dressed like a clown.’

And yes, that is indeed John’s dead Nanna, returned to help him on his journey through The Medium and beyond -- or at least, she claims she is. John has to take her word for it, as he doesn’t remember her at all. According to his Dad, John was pretty young when she died. Speaking of his Dad, he’s been kidnapped by the forces invading John’s home.

Nannasprite gives John the background of the game and what’s going on. His house is now in the Medium. This place was created by the game software, but is physically independent of it -- and no, he’s not inside a computer. The Medium floats in the Incipisphere, a place outside the normal flow of time in the kids’ universe. Above the Medium is the realm of Skaia.

According to Nannasprite:

Legend holds that Skaia exists as a dormant crucible of unlimited creative potential. What does this mean, you ask? I'm afraid my lips are sealed about that, dear! Hoo hoo!

Nannasprite is somewhat like a tutorial assistant for the game -- she helps guide John and provides information, although she’s somewhat cryptic.

We are getting a lot of new words here, but Hussie is defining them pretty well as we go, so I don’t think it merits a point.

At any rate, Skaia is defended by the forces of light, while forces of darkness plot its destruction. These two forces exist in an endless stalemate on a stage at the centre of Skaia until a player with a prototyped Kernelsprite enters the Medium. Then the prototyped Kernelsprite splits, with one Kernel carrying the prototyping information up to a kingdom basked in light, and another Kernel carrying it down to the kingdom of darkness. Each kingdom has four Spires, and when the Kernel reaches one, it propagates the prototyping information to the kingdom’s forces.

This is why the imps were dressed as jesters: John prototyped his Kernel with the harlequin doll, and whatever the other players prototype with will influence what forms the soldiers take. When the first Kernels reach the spires, the battlefield gets bigger and the war begins for real.

Oh, right -- and the forces of light are always destined to lose.

So what’s the point? Apparently, that’s for John to find out. For now, though, he needs to head towards Skaia, going through the first of seven Gates. The first Gate is situated directly above John’s house, but the others are going to be harder to reach. We now find out what all that Build Grist is for: To get to the Gate, they need to build the house higher to reach it. And then they can rescue John’s Dad, solve the ultimate riddle, and save the Earth from destruction!

...or not.

Nope, according to Nannasprite, Earth is doomed. Done for. Kaput. There is nothing they can do to save it.

John is pretty bummed about this. He isn’t cheered by Nanna’s assurance that he has a much more important purpose than saving the planet, although she fails to elaborate on that point and instead floats off to make cookies.

CHEL: I think here we earn another couple of points.

HURRY UP AND DO NOTHING: 2 HOW NOT TO WRITE A WEBCOMIC: 11 Failing the Turing Test - wherein the character has no reactions whatsoever While the emotional lives of characters should not be described in their every tiny wrinkle, characters must have emotional lives. When someone boos them off a stage, they should experience chagrin. When they fall from a tenth-storey window, they should feel alarm. The writer should not count on dialogue like “Yikes!” to get the point across.

Brief confusion and feeling “bummed out” by the news that one’s entire planet is doomed does not count as an adequate reaction. I’d expect more fear, more concern. As pointed out before, doesn’t John have any friends other than Dave, Rose, and GG? His Dad has friends, wouldn’t he be concerned for them on Dad’s behalf? If nothing else, more curiosity about this “more important” business?

BRIGHT: Now, I could actually buy this in some circumstances — John is a teenager, doesn’t seem to have close connections outside those we see on screen, and he’s been having one hell of a weird day. I wouldn’t be surprised if grasping the scope of destruction was simply beyond him at this point. It’s a lot to take in, and it’s only been a few hours since life went to hell in a handbasket — not to mention, he’s in an active combat zone. There’s a lot going on, and if he was to shove it out of his mind while he dealt with the immediate crisis, I could see that as pretty realistic.

Of course, that would depend on him actually reacting at some later point, when he had a chance to slow down and it could sink in. As it stands...well, if that does happen, we never see it.

CHEL: Does this also count as “Oh, Don’t Mind Him” for the How Not To score?

BRIGHT: I think so, yes.

CHEL: Then here it goes!

HOW NOT TO WRITE A WEBCOMIC: 12 Oh, Don’t Mind Him - where a character’s problems remain unexplored In real life, people are riddled with chronic problems that are not addressed for long periods of time, if ever. But in fiction, all problems are just the opening chords of a song. If there is a brother who has a problem with alcohol, a child who has lost her dog, or even someone whose car has simply broken down, the reader will worry about those people and expect the author to do something about it.

Technically, this could count for seven billion or so points, minus any people who successfully entered their own game sessions, but we don’t want to get out of hand here and it really only counts as one big problem.

However! I am very fond of this idea in theory. The obvious option would be that the purpose of the game is to save the player’s homeworld. We’ve all seen the “save the homeworld” idea in scifi and fantasy before. Here, the homeworld is beyond saving, but there is another option, and exploring that is the storyline. The forces of light cannot have a traditional victory; the protagonists must find a victory on the terms they have. It’s not a theme one sees often, and I like it.

FAILURE ARTIST: John and the other Beta Kids’ lack of angst of the destruction of their planet doesn’t stick out as much here as it will later when almost everything else is milked for angst.

CHEL: I’m not really sure the planet being destroyed is a great basis for a Rule-of-Funny-based story if that was what he was going for, to be honest. “Billions died, lol!”

#homestuck #let's read homestuck #homestuck meta #homespork #homestuck reread #homestuck review #sporking #literary critique

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jq37 · 5 years

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oh my GOD the new ep!!!! like!!!!!!!!! SO MUCH happened but then also the preview for the next ep looks SO GOOD

**spoilers for first kisses and last words**

Hoo boy this was, as I predicted, a BIG one. Not that I needed to be an oracle to figure that out since there’s only a few eps left but man did it deliver.

I still think that Cool Kids, Cold Case had the most off the wall nonsense happening in the shortest period of time but this ep I think was overall the most consistently wild ep.

So let’s take it from the top.

I think I forgot to mention it before but Adaine’s, “I go into a rage,” hardcore cracked me up.

“I have hold person.”/”I stuff a sock in her mouth.” Insult to injury Adaine.

The entire group dunking on Aelwen, forgetting that Riz is literally bleeding out, half dead.

“sausage festival”

Adaine really was dead serious about her snitching threat huh?

Ally miming a boom mic.

I love how everyone including Siobhan mess up Aelwen’s name or mix it up with Adaine’s half the time.

And speaking of, wow. What a rise and fall for her in 3 eps (and about an hour in game time). She’s queen of the nerds. She’s not even cool at her own school. And terrified of whoever she made whatever shady deal with. I know she literally tried to kill the whole party last ep and that she’s the worst but I almost feel for her.

Almost.

“This is not on you. This is on the world within which you inhabit.”

I love Adaine’s semi-indigent, “We’re not going to kill you,” because Alwen was 100% ready to murder them which, side note, imagine how much on an international incident that would have been.

Lol at the group tag team bullying Aelwen about going to Mumple and Adaine using her magic jacket for super petty BS.

“Hey mom!”/”GodDAMMIT honey.”

The parent/kid relationships are so good in this show.

Everyone but Kristen parkouring off the roof when Sklonda specifically set up a ladder.

“The put a girl in a palimpsest,” followed immediately by, “She went to a party,” as if those are on the same level.

Sklonda Gukgak DUNKING Aelwen into the squad car with a technical assist from Adaine. I knew she was gonna be my fave parent from her intro scene and I love her even more than I thought.

“With all due respect, (A/N: Which is none), suck my dick, fuck you.”

“She tried to murder me.”/”BE THAT AS IT IS.”

“Eh, you carry a gun.”

“No one who’s detecting maidens is a maiden.”

I feel like I’m quoting a lot today but there were so many money lines this episode.

Everyone always loses it when Brennan starts doing the Identify spell voice and I love it.

Adaine’s dad is T R A S H

Adaine’s mom on the other hand…I’ve been wondering about her for a little while because usually the outright emotional abuse has been from her dad while her mom is either not there or not saying anything. So I’ve been wondering was her deal is and we finally got the start of an answer. I know we only have a few eps left but I hope we go a little deeper into what exactly is going on there. It seems like Adaine’s parents are gonna be a big factor in whatever endgame is planned so fingers crossed,

Everyone cracking up as Emily backs Fig into a corner talking to Penelope.

I love Gorgug so freaking much. Just his good natured, lumbering self. EVery time Zac opens his mouth gold falls out.

Emily MAXED out her deception huh?

I think Siobhan must have forgotten that she took the crystal with Ostentasia away from Aelwen at the end of last ep. Either that or they willingly gave it to the cops and I forgot (but I think it’s the former because she said in this ep that it was in Aelwen’s pocket when at the end of the last ep she def took it).

My autocorrect keeps wanting me to type Ellen for Aelwen. I WISH.

I knew it! He’s a PIRATE. Suck it Fabian. (lol at Adaine stirring the pot. That was like Adaine being sincerely polite and Siobhan trying to cause problems and I love mixed motive player/character decisions).

I wonder if the banker is named after John Hughes.

I can’t believe the dumb bank is actually a huge plot point.

Yikes, re: Bill and Fabian. That got tense. Though I’ve kinda been waiting for some kind of blowout for a while. His dad runs very hot and cold and I figured it would only be a matter of time before we saw some of the cold.

Also, Lou breaking character in the middle of that very intense moment to clarify a plot point.

Sidenote: For a hot sec after reading the title of the ep and remembering how Sklonda is competent to the point of (probably) breaking the original plot, I was so concerned she was gonna eat it this ep. So glad she didn’t.

Anyway, the idea of swinging sadly on a rope is so freaking funny.

Fig: Can I offer you a sad song in this trying time?

Huge portrait of Bill Seacaster in Fabian’s room.

Adaine is gonna bring up him kissing her sister very time she needs to get out of something w/ Fabian for the rest of her immortal life.

Another sidenote: This is a little thing but I always think it’s interesting when fantasy worlds have the same months and days as us when they’re named after like Norse Gods and Roman statesmen that wouldn’t exist in their world. Same with Roman numerals and Irish coffee.

“Am I allowed to smoke in here?”/”Of course.”

I really like the character detail that Adaine is always really polite to everyone, including/especially people like Fabian’s maid and Basrar. People that she wouldn’t necessarily “have to” be polite to, you know? It’s like she’s trying to make up for the fact that her family is a bag of dicks.

“Fantasy Google”

The whole bit with Fabian’s porn stash was so good. This group is so good w/ yes-adning each other.

“Privateer me a new one.” Emily is so good.

“Special investment” Suspicious

I was thinking “I can’t believe looking at a bank’s FAQs is part of this game,” right as Brennan said it.

So I went back and watched Siobhan’s face from when Emily first mentioned Kal Vaxis to when she got the connection to KVX and it took her 22 seconds. I also missed the quick cut to Brennan when Gorgug asks, “What is Kal Vaxis,” and you can tell he knows they’re so close to breaking it with the little grin on his face. I wish we had gotten a reaction shot right after she got it. Anyway, great team solve w/ the MVP trophy to Siobhan/Adaine.

I loved when Zac, Emily, and Siobhan all whipped out their laminated maps in tandem to figure out what was happening.

The hard mood change from Adaine dropping the bomb about Riz’s dad and to forming a committee to help Gorgug flirt with Zelda was wild.

Kristen telling anyone to be suave is hysterical.

What a DISASTER of a committee Gorgug’s friends are. Well meaning but so trash

Fig: Tell her you got a SICK tattoo

Adaine: Bring her to see art in the middle of the night

Fabian: You cannot date this person (Kristen: You absolutely have to)

Kristen: Actually not garbage advice but she is in no position to be giving dating advice to anyone

Riz: Having a literal existential crisis

“Who else is he gonna date?” WOW, savage Adaine.

I meant to say this before but I love how Adaine’s go-to is immediately ice cream and she’s always on board to go to Basrar’s. Like how when she texted everyone 2 eps ago she was like, “Let’s get ice cream now.”

Mmm, don’t love that Gorthalax isn’t answering his phone. I have been waiting for a significant adult to die for a while now.

OK, look, the whole thing about Penelope and Dayne being eternal prom king/queen. Is it wild? Yes. Is it implausible? No. No it’s not. Even Murph, most veteran player, was kind of like, “Wait, does that make sense?” Because, in this setting, it kind of would? I’m not sure it fits within the story so far and I’d have to go back and listen to the more lore-y stuff again but the conceit itself is like the exact right amount of crazy to fit in this setting? And they never cut to Brennan like I wanted so I could judge his face for any kind of tell. But anyway, you guys know I’ve been predicting a prom finale and this would fit right into a prom finale.

The girls giving Gorgug a pep talk before his date was ADORABLE.

Gorgug having to check his phone to remember three words, “You look nice.”

“Your friends are popular and loud” True

Zelda’s a BARBARIAN! She’s a MEGA BARBARIAN!

I know they mean ecstasy like intense emotion but I kept thinking, like, molly.

Hmm, so Penelope wanted to know if Zelda had hooked up w/ Gorgug, ie: if she was a maiden. Can they only palimpsest maidens? Or (as we will get to later) does nice guy Biz only want virginal maidens for his creepy reverse Weird Science arcade setup?

Zelda listing off every type of metal and then Gorgug’s, “Same stuff,” was perfect comic timing on Zac’s part.

Imagine the Hangman screaming down the road on fire, Zelda completely terrified.

I love the Hangman so freaking much.

“DO NOT GIVE TREATS TO MY MOTORCYCLE.”

I can’t believe everyone is living at the freaking crappy apartments. I knew they were all gonna end up hanging at one persons’ house but I kinda figured it would be Fabian’s house or Gorgug’s house.

I”m also concerned about Bill. I feel like we keep getting reminded that he’s mortal a LOT.

Did Gorgug’s parents have indoor fireworks on tap for Gorgug’s first date?

Oh my God the whole docking conversation. Never play chicken with Brennan because the dude will not blink.

“We didn’t do that.” That’s his other best comic timing moment of the ep.

“Polishing my axe”

Kristen this episode

I really wish they’d made the roll to find Ragh later in the ep. Fig is so ride or die for Gilear now and I love it.

“I fall asleep.”

Adaine almost making her parents dunk on Gilear but then pulling back.

But also, Adaine and Gilear going off the the oracle together.

“Fig pack it in.”

Affirmations with Fig and Gilear.

Fig, do you really think platonically cuddling with Kristen is the move?

Riz setting himself up for a dramatic entrance is so fantastic.

Hmm, so Biz and Zayne were attacked at the same time. That’s why that cold pill detail was in there way back. I’ve been trying to figure out what was always planned and what was quick re-working but Brennan is so good I can never really tell.

Are multiple unrelated groups just getting into palimpsests at the same time? Or mostly unrelated groups tied to one person?

“We are not gonna get our security deposit back.”

RIZ’S DAD IS JAMES BOND! YES! I didn’t know I wanted that to be the case until it happened and now that’s the only acceptable option.

Riz didn’t get the 20′s he needed when fighting Aelwen but man he got it at the best story moment this week.

Oh man that home movie

The pearl is grey. Interesting.

“Mom our family is so awesome Mom we’re all so badass, I thought it was just us but Dad is awesome too, why didn’t you tell me Mom?”

Sklonda: Internally screaming.

Man he went full Inigo Montoya.

“I’ve got nimble escape so…”

“I guess we have a two bedroom,” I think was a really underrated funny line.

Did Riz ever tell his mom about the time of death thing.

Everyone inundating Gilear with overlapping chatter.

lol the Hangman likes Zelda’s family

Ally’s panicked, “FUCK” is always hilarious.

Why are all the adults in Gorgug’s life trying to get him laid?

OK so the elementals were conjured by Aelwn’s magic Brennan said. He said by Aelwen’s magic, not by Aelwen. I wonder if that turn of phrase was specific or arbitrary. Like, we were told where Aelwen is but we don’t know. Was she forced to do it (either by threat or by magic)? Clearly someone (Biz?) is pulling her strings to at least some degree.

“It’s probably about marriage.” “WAR HAS BEEN DECLARED.”

That happened fast

Fun fact from my International Law class: When a government kidnaps someone, it’s called rendition.

“There’s a war, fuck school.”

Yeah it is wild that Adaine’s parents didn’t call her.

OK so did the Elves get Aelwen back but also go, “But you still need to go to jail.” Because they cut Brennan off before the end of that sentence which might have had more clues in it.

“I text my mom k”

I also wanna know who gave Kristen a slushy marg (It’s war times. I bet things are looser now)

Murph’s face when Brennan said, “Lucky Stones” was so good. That was so Riz.

S/O to Ally for pre-casting Guardian of Faith. Good instinct.

AHHHHHH BIZ

As I said in an earlier conversation s/o to Adaine for DUNKING on him at every opportunity because he DESERVED IT. Also, her instincts for who sucks in this game have been spot on.

Another s/o to Riz for having the presence of mind to not pull a Star Lord and to pretend to be on the bad dude’s side for long enough to gain some kind of upper hand.

OK, wow was not expecting that twist. I feel like I need to go back and rewatch some stuff to get a better handle of the timeline and stuff. Like, when exactly did the girls start going missing again? And what year is Biz? Has he been masterminding this whole thing? I feel like no but I feel like he’s masterminding his own thing which happens to a puzzle piece in something bigger? BUT IT’S A PRETTY DAMN BIG PIECE. Who opened the new arcade? Is it connected to the bank? How did Biz get involved? Who’s his supplier? Did someone hook up Biz, Daybreak, Penelope, and Aelwen with Palimpsests to do their own separate things, hoping that at least one of them would succeed which would somehow be good for the mystery person? I am so excited to find out and I really hope Brennan and the cast do a Q+A sesh after S1 is over to hash some stuff out.

Siobhan’s face when Biz said he was going after Adaine.

ALSO, you’re just gonna TELL RIZ and you wanna PUT ONE OF HIS BEST FRIENDS into a MAGIC CRYSTAL???? AND YOU THOUGHT HE’D BE ON BOARD? Like, even if he was, what about the 4 other people who are there?????

(sidenote, wild Gorgug’s parents just left them alone, no questions asked)

Theme-wise, this is the fight ep I’m most excited for. It seems rad as hell.

All that yelling in the promo for next week. Either the raddest thing possible happened or there was a TPK. There is no other option.

Wow, that was a stellar ep and this is a really long post. I really can’t wait for next week’s!

Edit: I meant to say before, is Penelope’s FB album like…a hit list? Like does whoever’s doing the actual dirty work (Biz? S/o else?) know that whoever she takes a picture with is who they should target?

#fantasy high #fantasy high spoilers #asks #anon #Anonymous

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buildridernews · 7 years

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Okay, as expected, any fake toy catalog listings would be followed up by legit ones. In this case, I still say it's up in the air, but it's coming from a source that people trust and has a lot of the same stuff... but also plenty of stuff that wasn’t included, different names that feel more legitimate, and stuff that feels more par for the course for Kamen Rider. I got a good feeling this is what we’re really getting.

Just to clarify, the Japanese text used for these collectibles literally translates to "Full Bottle" with katakana, so I GUESS that's the name intent. They also each name two motifs, one being animal. The other seems all over the place. The text doesn't provide any clear divide between the two names (ie: Gorilla Mondo instead of Gorilla & Mondo), I'm just writing what I see instead of improvising that.

Mid August:

RHS-1: Kamen Rider Build (Rabbit Tank Form)

DX Gorilla Mondo Full Bottle Set

We were told we'd see some August merch before the show, and this feels like something they'd sell. RHS being the Rider Hero Series which are vinyl figures. The collectibles here are not Build's main form, so that seems like standard before-the-show merch as well. Mondo may or may not be the Italian word for "World"?

Early September:

DX Buildriver w/ Rabbit Tank Full Bottle

DX Full Bottle Holder

DX Drill Crusher

RHS-2: Kamen Rider Build (Gorilla Mondo Form)

The DX Buildriver's functions: With the Full Bottle on the belt, turning the lever provides a gear rotation gimmick which activates LED and transformation sounds. Turning the lever again activates finishing move. There's also a bundle for the Buildriver and Full Bottle Holder. Oh, and the Drill Crusher is referred to as some kind of sword/gun combo.

Mid September:

DX Hawk Gatling Full Bottle Set

DX Hawk Gatlinger

BCRS-01: Kamen Rider Build (Rabbit Tank Form)

RHS-3: Kamen Rider Build (Hawk Gatling Form)

The main figure line appears to be the Bottle Change Rider Series, which abbreviates to BCRS. RHS is Rider Hero Series, the vinyl figures.

Late September:

DX Ninnin Comic Full Bottle Set

DX 4 Koma Ninja Katana

BCRS-02: Kamen Rider Build (Gorilla Mondo Form)

RHS-4: Kamen Rider Build (Ninnin Comic Form)

RHS-5: Night Rogue

Night Rogue, Knight Rogue, dunno yet. It's unusual for something that's not a Rider to receive a vinyl, so this may be a major character, like Mashin Chaser.

Early October:

RHS-6: Blood Stark

ブラッドスターク / Buraddosutāku - you make sense of it. I'm finding it intriguing there's more than one of these in the vinyl figure line.

Mid October:

DX Rocket Panda Full Bottle Set

DX Trans Team Gun

DX Steam Blade

BCRS-03: Kamen Rider Build (Hawk Gatling Form)

RHS-7: Kamen Rider Build (Rocket Panda Form)

I don't understand these weapon names either.

Late October:

RHS-8: Kamen Rider Build (Fire Hedgehog Form)

RHS-9: Kamen Rider Build (Lion Cleaner Form)

Interestingly, there will be some pattern of forms that are given vinyls only, rather than having some kind of collectible associated with it.

Early November:

DX Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Full Bottle Set

DX Kamen Rider W Full Bottle Set

BCRS-04: Kamen Rider Build (Ninnin Comic Form)

Legend Rider content confirmed! Underwhelming names! Hopefully Gaim, Ghost and Ex-Aid's handling of the collectibles will show promise for the sounds.

Mid November:

DX Closedragon

DX Beat Closer

DX Pandora Panel

DX Build Phone

BCRS-05: Kamen Rider Build (Fire Hedgehog Form)

RHS-10: Kamen Rider Build (Key Dragon Form)

RHS-11: Kamen Rider Close

Of course, we appear to have our secondary Rider here with Kamen Rider Close, who appears to be using his own gear since he doesn't have a form name or collectibles. The Build Phone is referred to as a bike transformation item, which sounds kinda cool - a roleplay toy phone could easily be the right size to turn into a motorcycle for the figure line. It's listed as a DX item only, which makes sense if it's a roleplay toy, and because various vehicles in previous Rider figure lines were given the DX prefix and nothing else.

Late November:

DX Kaizoku Ressha Full Bottle Set

DX Kaizokuhassher

BCRS-06: Kamen Rider Build (Lion Cleaner Form)

RHS-12: Kamen Rider Build (Kaizoku Ressha Form)

Kaizoku is pirates, ressha is trains. Pirate trains.

Early December:

DX Rabbit Tank Sparkling

DX Octopus Light Full Bottle Set

BCRS-07: Kamen Rider Build (Kaizoku Ressha Form)

RHS-13: Kamen Rider Build (Octopus Light Form)

RHS-14: Kamen Rider Build (Rabbit Tank Sparkling Form)

And here we have what is no doubt Build's first power-up, which is probably some stronger version of his default. That checks out.

And if you want a less chaotic list, here's an overall rundown of what we're getting in different groups:

DX roleplay toys:

DX Buildriver w/ Rabbit Tank Full Bottle

DX Full Bottle Holder

DX Drill Crusher

DX Hawk Gatlinger

DX 4 Koma Ninja Katana

DX Transformer Team Gun

DX Steam Blade

DX Closedragon

DX Beat Closer

DX Pandora Panel

DX Build Phone

DX Kaizokuhassher

DX Full Bottles

DX Gorilla Mondo Full Bottle Set

DX Hawk Gatling Full Bottle Set

DX Ninni Comic Full Bottle Set

DX Rocket Panda Full Bottle Set

DX Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Full Bottle Set

DX Kamen Rider W Full Bottle Set

DX Kaizoku Ressha Full Bottle Set

DX Rabbit Tank Sparkling

DX Octopus Light Full Bottle Set

Rider Hero Series (Vinyls)

RHS-1: Kamen Rider Build (Rabbit Tank Form)

RHS-2: Kamen Rider Build (Gorilla Mondo Form)

RHS-3: Kamen Rider Build (Hawk Gatling Form)

RHS-4: Kamen Rider Build (Ninnin Comic Form)

RHS-5: Night Rogue

RHS-6: Blood Stark

RHS-7: Kamen Rider Build (Rocket Panda Form)

RHS-8: Kamen Rider Build (Fire Hedgehog Form)

RHS-9: Kamen Rider Build (Lion Cleaner Form)

RHS-10: Kamen Rider Build (Key Dragon Form)

RHS-11: Kamen Rider Close

RHS-12: Kamen Rider Build (Kaizoku Ressha Form)

RHS-13: Kamen Rider Build (Octopus Light Form)

RHS-14: Kamen Rider Build (Rabbit Tank Sparkling Form)

Bolt Change Rider Series (Figures)

BCRS-01: Kamen Rider Build (Rabbit Tank Form)

BCRS-02: Kamen Rider Build (Gorilla Mondo Form)

BCRS-03: Kamen Rider Build (Hawk Gatling Form)

BCRS-04: Kamen Rider Build (Ninnin Comic Form)

BCRS-05: Kamen Rider Build (Fire Hedgehog Form)

BCRS-06: Kamen Rider Build (Lion Cleaner Form)

BCRS-07: Kamen Rider Build (Kaizoku Ressha Form)

It seems like a very packed lineup, which isn't surprising with 4 months of content. There's also many vinyl figures, which I suppose might have something to do with the fact that they were dabbling in a new vinyl figure style. I guess we'll see soon enough what these will be like.

Also I am not ignoring the fact that these September releases mean something about Ex-Aid's episode count. Game Rider News will have a post about this shortly, mostly as speculation.

#kamen rider build #feed #toys

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thechroniclesofdaraliss · 7 years

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The Ten DM Commandments

For those of us that want to get into Role Playing Games (RPGs), but aren’t quite sure how, tabletops tend to be the best place to start. Worlds like Dungeons & Dragons, Mutants & Masterminds, and Shadowrun have inspired and captivated gamers for decades, and show no sign of letting up. In its contents, some of the most celebrated mediums of entertainment have been put to paper and given life to form new stories. Dungeons & Dragons was translated from Lord of the Rings, Mutants & Masterminds was born from the world of comic books, and Shadowrun was built on the foundation of science fiction. Regardless of type, DMing (or Dungeon Mastering) is a great way to build friendships and rediscover old passions. But of course, there’s a few things that need to be known prior to staring, as not every rulebook can teach you what you need to know in those first few days. Sometimes, experience is the best teacher. So I will impart my personal knowledge of what the craft, and hopefully it helps as you develop your own story.

1) THE IDEA: First off, be very aware of the world and scenario you are building. This acts as the core for how the campaign will run, and what can be expected on all sides, both DM (Dungeon Master) and PC (Player Character). Make the world as big and detailed as possible, but keep the focus tight and on the party as they explore the environment you’ve designed. This makes for a massive world that is always changing, and has plenty of variables to play with. Don’t be disappointed if the party doesn’t get to it all. The best campaigns always have something more to explore at the end of each session. • What is the current geopolitical climate? Who is in power in which nations, and how for do their borders go? How for does their influence go? • Which races have been imbued with the power of magic, or possess superhuman abilities? Is it common to have these powers, or are they an anomaly? • What is the recent history of the world? What is the history of the distant past? Does it have a large bearing on what is happening in campaign now? Why or why not?

2) TECHNICALITIES: If you’re having trouble with technical aspects of the game, SRD is a wonderful and free online resource that can help clarify a lot of trouble spots for characters and gameplay (look specifically for the type of game system you’re playing. SRD exists for several platforms: Dungeons & Dragons 3.5, Dungeons & Dragons 5e, Mutants & Masterminds, etc.). While it’s important to keep the idea in focus, it’s also essential that the rules be understood. Part of the fun arises from knowing what your limitations are, and finding ways to prevail despite them. • http://www.d20srd.org/ • http://www.d20herosrd.com/

3) THE PLAYERS: Meet with your PCs before the game starts. This gets a lot of questions out of the way, and gives you a chance for all to learn from experience. Be prepared to answer questions about your world, your scenario, and expectations for campaign. This sets the tone for your time as a group, and helps the rest of the game run more smoothly. You can form character stats, backstories, and even complex histories in pre-campaign meetings. Always respect each other’s ideas and ready for slight changes in your overall plans. The story is after all, about the Players (PCs), not about the DM (Dungeon Master). You may have crafted the world, but the PCs are the ones who will live in it. • A party of 3-6 is the safest number • Having a healthy diversity of classes and races helps go a long way • Specializing your skillset helps cover weaknesses, and encourages cooperation among players

4) THE STRUCTURE: As the PCs begin exploring your brave new world, it’s important to realize that limitations can go a long way in establishing an interesting campaign. In addition to focusing on the party’s grand quest, have a handful of side quests and tertiary quests in your back pocket. This helps avoid railroading, helps pacing, and makes for a more diverse set of choices for your PCs, and PCs LOVE Choices. Furthermore, the main action of the story should be contained to a location, and maps and visuals help immensely. Having an ocean to the east can establish limits, and may also set up a plot boundary, saying that all of the action and excitement can be found on dry land (or perhaps a few islands, if they’re feeling particularly daring). • The party is trying to repel an invasion of their home nation, but they must possess six artifacts to make the resistance possible. And these artifacts are scattered across the world. • As a result of the king’s rulings, many fiefdoms and provinces have fallen under slavery. It is not the primary focus of campaign, but it can win you some allies, or help find a way to get past an obstacle. • There are several families that have lost their sons the war, and need some help running the family business. Farmers, apothecaries, and even minor nobles are asking for help wherever it may come from. It may not connect to campaign, or even be a side quest, but it can win you some small rewards such as a place to stay for the night, some coin for your journey, or the unveiling of a secret.

5) FAILINGS: As part of Role Playing Games (RPGs), you can do all the preparation in the world, and still come up short as a result of rolling a Nat 1 (Natural 1), or rolling low in general. It’s all part of the fun of playing a game that balances imagination, chance, and strategy. However, one should not roll for perfection or try to become all-powerful. Having a character that can fly to the antagonist’s castle and kill him instantly makes for a very dry campaign and also robs the party of the chance to explore the world as well as themselves. So when you encounter a low stat, or roll low in a fight, don’t think of it as a failure. In RPGs, there’s no such thing as failures, just experience. Think of it as an opportunity. Lower stats make more chances for role-playing, and low rolls in combat can lead to memorable and even hilarious results. And every DM will agree that a pack of misfits at mid-level are more interesting than all-powerful gods taking down dark villains without effort. • Having low strength means you’ll have to be quick on your feet, or quick of tongue. Was this a result of your background, and how does it affect the party? • Just because you weren’t handed everything growing up, does that rob your character of the chance to live a good life? Does this perhaps force them to struggle and fight to get where they are, and does this help them now? • Your character may not be the most approachable figure, but does the vicious barbarian or booking wizard have a card being kept close to the chest? Despite their proficiency, they may be keeping a detail of their past hidden. As a party, can you handle it, and does it make your bond stronger?

6) ROLE PLAYING: As your characters develop their dynamic, you’ll start to see that they’ll find patterns they’re accustomed to. The Fighter may swing their sword, the Wizard may use a handful of spells, or the Rogue may try to steal every object. It’s common for first-time or relatively new players to play a concept, instead of a character. As DM, encourage your PCs to step out of their comfort zones and play their character as a character, not a concept. Some players like to play a figure who is like them in many respects, and then they get to see how they interact in a world not their own. Or in some cases, a player may use a character different from them in every way. The only way they can find out by playing their character. Extended dialogue between players or NPCs (Non-player characters) is a great way to enhance the overall experience and can lead to surprising results. DMs can also reward their PCs by paying them in experience, in-game friendships and allies, or with information. • The shy Rogue must talk himself out of trouble when his shenanigans go too far. • The stoic Ranger who never misses a shot suddenly encounters a Golem, and her weapon of choice is of no use. Will she rely on her party for aid, or adopt a new strategy to save them all? • An NPC was found stealing food from the party. Is he a heartless thief, does he have a starving sister just upriver, or is he being manipulated? The only way to know is to ask.

7) UNPACKING: As you explore the world of campaign, you will find the PCs will be asking numerous questions. As part of your responsibilities as DM, you’ll have to be prepared to answer all questions (although there’s no shame in not knowing if you’re put on the spot). They may ask the identity of NPCs, the significance of an ancient statue, or the history of a town. While it may seem like nitpicking at times, it’s a great opportunity to introduce a memorable character, introduce a new concept, or to show off some of the lore you’ve spun. Every time you encounter something new, be prepared to share succinct and relevant information as you unpack it. Also, don’t forget how experiences have affected characters, or how history can have an effect on current circumstances. In any scenario, never miss out on an opportunity to unpack what’s already there. It saves you time as DM to expand upon what’s there instead of making something entirely new, and it adds dimensions to the story like nothing else will. • You discover that the lone man on the road is a legendary swordsman. What is his name, what exploit made him famous, and who would want to help or harm him if he stays with the party? • You encounter an ancient statue that has been ravaged by pillagers, the elements, and time. Does the statue hold significance for your party members? Is the statue being guarded by an unseen force? Or is walking on this land considered punishable by death among the local residents? • The party comes upon a grand fishing village with a wealthy status that befits a large city. Is it the result of shady business practices? Who’s in charge, and how long has this town known such luxury?

8) EXPERIENCE OVER RULES: With so many rules running through each system, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s really important in the game. New players especially will refer to the rules to ensure everything is sound. But when it comes to DMing, it’s a delicate balance of upholding the rules and finding ways to make your vibrant world come through in a rigid set of rules. The best way to strike a compromise between the two is to build your world first, then apply the rules. With so many written rules for combat, interaction, and difficulty of dice rolling, even professionals and people who wrote the canonized rules can have trouble finding ways to apply them by virtue of how many there are. As DM, your job isn’t to be all-knowing, your job is to be aware of your world, and to apply the rules as needed. • You encounter a troll, and he is about to strike you down. You manage to fall just short of your roll (but his injuries also cause him to lose significant points). • You are being chased by a battalion of knights, and they search relentlessly for you. You hide yourself well among the brush, save for one member of the party, and three knights dismount looking for you. Two of the party succeed (but the one knight fails his search check and the remaining party member goes undetected). • You fight tooth and nail against a vicious creature from another world. It succeeds in dealing you terrible damage, but it is fangs get caught in the thick rock just behind you. (You can take this chance to deal it severe damage with your dagger while he’s vulnerable).

9) CONTRIBUTE & COMPROMISE: After the first few sessions, you’ll realize that players have an enormous amount of influence in how the story plays out. So as DM, you’re not writing the story like an author. An author writes based on their experience and desire alone. But a DM builds a structure, and the PCs alter it according to their interactions. Therefore, it becomes important for the DM to make suggestions, and for the PCs to ask questions. Amid these exchanges, you may have to add new scenarios or make room for interpretation. You will have to compromise. The best way to keep the dynamic healthy is to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard, and that everyone’s opinion is valued. If the PCs want to take up a side quest, respect that. If the PCs want to come at a situation in a new way, but supportive. Part of the fun for you as DM is that you don’t know exactly what’s going to happen. You give as much as you get as DM and PC, so give a lot and compromise a lot on both fronts. • As the PCs travel into a market, they hear rumors about the enemy seeking them out. Therefore, they take up an offer from the Thief Guild to be hidden until the heat dies down (Side Quest). • The party wants to see a dragon. You elect to follow up on some rumors where a dragon egg is on display. You either take up an errand for the nobility in exchange for the egg, or steal it of your own volition. The dragon is then met, but it remains on a power level equal or below the party. • The party ambushed amid a forest. The Ranger is out of arrows, and the Wizard is out of spells. The Fighter still has an axe, and wants to cut down trees to gain the upper hand.

10) RESPECT: There’s a culture of “crushing the PCs” in many Role Playing Games. While it can be fun to put your characters in hot water, or in near-death scenarios, ensure that it’s all in good taste and isn’t done for the sake of cruelty. This can be difficult. Abusing your omnipotence as DM can throw off a healthy dynamic among players, and can color someone’s opinion of the game. It’s rarely out of a sense of maliciousness that these issues arise. In some scenarios, it’s just a joke that’s gone too far. As DM, be very aware of who is getting the most attention, who is the most engaged the most, and who is more resistant to contribute. If needed, ask what is going on directly. If it’s an issue among the party, mention it after the session is over. This makes the time in campaign about campaign, and illustrates respect for your players. Sometimes a joke goes too far, and the player in question is too nervous to bring it up. If you confront this as DM, and do so in a courteous manner, it produces an atmosphere of trust. Without respect or trust, there is no party. Campaign should be, above all else, a safe place to play and have fun. If this isn’t the case, then something needs to change. So whether it’s a joke, overstepping a boundary, or a recurring problem, be sure to address it as soon as possible. Following this rule is paramount, and if it is done in combination with all the other rules above, you’re sure to have a campaign you’ll remember for years to come. • Joke around, but do so with respect • If the DM or a PC is having trouble with the rules, be understanding and patient • Give respect and trust, and you will receive it in return

With these ten guidelines, I hope that you’ve learned a great deal and will find joy in applying them to the games you play. Of course, this is only my interpretation of how to DM, and there is much you can learn from watching others, or doing it on your own. RPGs mean something different for everyone. If you ask 100 DMs what the game means to them, you’re likely to get 100 different answers. But in the end, it all comes down to what you give to it. In time, you will discover what DMing means to you, and even after years of practice, it can still surprise you. So without further ado, break out the soda and snacks, and let’s start DMing!

#dungeons and dragons #dungeon masters #guidelines #rpg

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weekendwarriorblog · 4 years

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BIRDS OF PREY REVIEW: ED’s Very Important Thoughts on That Superhero Movie with a RIDICULOUSLY LONG TITLE!

On paper, Warner Bros’ decision to make a Birds of Prey movie with Margot Robbie reprising Harley Quinn, a character she pulled off so beautifully in David Ayers’ otherwise problematic Suicide Squad movie, seems like a good enough idea. Robbie is more popular than ever thanks to her two 2019 movies, and the character has become a fan-favorite among younger women (and presumably some men) both from the comics and her new DC Universe cartoon.

But where do I even begin talking about a movie that so desperately wants to be Deadpool in every possible way but also wants to be taken as seriously as any of the Batman movies?

Granted, I’ve never been the biggest Harley Quinn fan. I loved her as introduced by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm in “Mad Love,” and I give a lot of credit to Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Connor for what they’ve done to make the character so hugely popular in comics form, but like Deadpool, I can take or leave her.

For those entirely unfamiliar with the character, Harley is introduced via a crazy animated origin story, but as the movie begins, Quinn’s in a funk having broken up with the Joker. This also removes any protection she might have had from the criminal element she’s angered as “Joker’s girlfriend.” It’s a fairly frenetic way to open the movie, which might be expected if you’re even remotely familiar with Harley in the comics.

The actual story begins with Harley pissing off club owner/gangster Roman Sionis aka Black Mask (played by Ewan McGregor) when she maims his driver for a rude remark made towards her. Eventually, the plot becomes more of a chase to retrieve a valuable diamond that’s been stolen and swallowed by Ella Jay Basco’s teen pick-pocket Casandra Cain. I cannot even begin to tell you how one leads to the other since my head was spinning trying to keep up with Harley. Part of this movie’s existence can be attributed to wanting to introduce more DC characters to moviegoers, and the new characters introduced are mostly decent inclusions. Even so, like Joker, there are only loose connections to any previous movie or the overall DC Universe mythology. The Joker is mentioned, as is “Bruce” (as in Wayne), after whom Harley names her pet hyena, but otherwise, there’s very little for those hoping for any cohesion between Birds of Prey and even Suicide Squad.

The Huntress, a long-time Batman family anti-hero who has a vendetta against the mob after the murder of her own crime family, is played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead (one of my favorite actors), but she spends much of the movie acting grumpy, something which eventually becomes a source for some humor. There’s also former child star Jurnee Smolett-Bell (from Eve’s Bayou andRoll Bounce!) playing Dinah Lance aka Black Canary, a blues singer at Black Mask’s club who becomes his driver but one disgusted by his psychotic behavior. It’s a different take on the character for sure but not one that immediately connected with me. In fact, the movie’s greatest casting achievement is getting the amazing Rosie Perez to play detective Renée Montoya, although there just isn’t enough of her in the movie.

Who even knows what Ewan McGregor is doing with his erratic and over-the-top scenery-chewing performance as Roman Sionis? Surely, blame can be put on the late Heath Ledger for his Oscar-winning performance in The Dark Knight that has made every actor think they can achieve something similar by acting deranged.

Otherwise, director Cathy Yan does as we as anyone can possibly expect working with such eccentric material, but the result is semi-safe movie that lacks any sort of distinct identity or personality, other than maybe the action scenes or the score by Daniel Pemberton when it’s not being interrupted by needle drops.

The lack of stylistic identity is most apparent in the movie’s depiction of Gotham, which rarely looks like anything other than downtown L.A. (Gotta love those wonderful new California tax credits!) We’ve seen so many different Gothams over the years, from the stylish Tim Burton take to Nolan’s real-world grounding by filming in cities like Chicago and Pittsburgh. Even Todd Phillips’ Joker made an effort to give Gotham its own distinct identity. As much as everyone keeps reminding us that Birds of Prey takes place in Gotham, only two locations actually feel like it: The Ace Chemicals plant that Harley blows up and that amusement park location at end. Everything else just bodes of lazy filmmaking with no clear vision.

As much as Harley stays in line with how she’s depicted in recent comics withRobbie narrating much of it with Harley’s trademark squeaky voice and accent, while changing outfits for every other scene, calling the movie “Birds of Prey” is quite the misnomer. Despite the inclusion of Huntress and Black Canary, Birds of Prey has very little connection to that actual comic book entity, which was a group of crimefighters united by Barbara Gordon’s wheelchair-bound Oracle to do her legwork. For whatever reason, Gordon is nowhere to be found, instead replaced by Harley. (This is one of those cases where having a cameo by Gordon in an end credits scene might have actually saved the movie for me.)

Even if you like some of these other characters, they disappear for such large chunks of time after being introduced to instead focus on the relationship between Harley and Cassandra, probably the least interesting aspect of the movie… oh, and Black Mask. The way the other characters pop in and out makes Birds of Prey seem like it’s trying to be five different movies merged into one with each actor acting as if they’re in their very own completely distinct movie.

It’s not until the last 20 or 25 minutes of the movie before all these disparate pieces start fitting together. as Harley and the other women take on Black Mask (now actually wearing a mask) and his army of masked henchmen at an amusement park. This is where the John Wick stunt team earn their paycheck with impressive action pieces that almost make-up for how lame the movie had been up until that point. It makes it far too obvious how well Robbie’s Harley works as part of a team, but how aggravating she can be when given too much of the spotlight.

Maybe it can be expected since Robbie is the film’s first-credited producer, followed by former WB President of Distribution/Marketing Sue Kroll, who clearly knew how this relatively bland movie could be marketed to seem more fun and exciting than it actually is. Incidentally, this statement has nothing to do with the filmmakers being women – and it’s sad that we live in a society where I have to clarify this point. It just feels like the movie might have avoided some of the obvious pitfalls I’ve mentioned with more experienced filmmakers. (Or maybe not, going by how the first Suicide Squad movieturned out?)

It always feels like everyone involved with making Birds of Prey was trying their hardest, but using Deadpool (or any Batman movie, for that matter) as your benchmark is just setting you up for failure. Deadpool was as deliberately different from any previous Batman movie as it is from any other superhero movie. Birds of Prey’s weird mix of tone and styles in trying to blend the two puts it more in the vein of the Joel Schumacher Batman movies or even the ‘60s Batman series, without the campy nostalgia inherent in either. The fact that the movie rarely elicits a single laugh is how it diverges even further from the Deadpool movies, and it doesn’t help when you cast a truly funny comedian like Ali Wong in a dour and unfunny role that does nothing to serve any aspect of the story. I mean, what was even the point?

It’s genuinely puzzling how a movie that starts out from such a promising place can become so dull and unentertaining as it goes along. It’s a shame, since there’s so much great source material in the comics that seem to have been ignored in order to create something new and distinct, but ultimately forgettable. Birds of Prey is so schizophrenic in terms of look and style and tone, it won’t be changing Martin Scorsese’s mind about comic book movies any time soon.

Rating: 5.5/10

#BirdsOfPrey Movie Review HarleyQuinn DCUniverse MargotRobbie EwanMcGregor Batman Deadpool

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onlineworkyou2b · 5 years

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You know How Jason Momoa almost joined the MCU ?

With regards to the Marvel Cinematic Universe — or the MCU to its fans — certain performing artists have put such a stamp on their characters that it's turned out to be relatively difficult to isolate the two. Thinking back, Chris Hemsworth appears the main performing artist who could take a faithful character like Thor and influence him to appear to be human. In the interim, Chadwick Boseman's execution as Black Panther helped make a generally obscure superhuman into a commonly recognized name as well as a real Oscar contender. What's more, Robert Downey Jr's. go up against Tony Stark was the impetus that made the whole MCU conceivable in any case.

So it's intriguing to understand that one single throwing decision not just would've majorly affected the Marvel Cinematic Universe, yet on the DC Extended Universe also. That is on the grounds that Jason Momoa — indeed, the person who's playing significant DC Comics character Aquaman — was about given a role as Drax the Destroyer in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy. Charlie Wen — previous head of visual improvement at Marvel Studios — sat for a selective meeting with Looper to examine the advancement of Drax's true to life structure, how Jason Momoa nearly joined the MCU… and how the character almost wound up resembling an exceptionally well known computer game character.

Cool cape, brother

While depicting the first 1973 comic book structure for Drax the Destroyer (on the left in the picture above), you may utilize terms like "basic," "particular," and "greatly conspicuous." You may likewise include the expressions "horrendously crazy" and "stupendously silly" to that rundown. The '70s were an alternate time, brimming with mold decisions guardians attempt to clarify away by saying things like, "look, my specialist believed that stuff was beneficial for me." Overall, Drax's outfit when he previously showed up in Iron Man is exceptional… and furthermore difficult to put on the wide screen without making the gathering of people barf into its popcorn.

You may be astounded to see a person calling himself "the destroyer" wearing a caped purple jumpsuit, yet it bodes well from a shading angle. The extraordinary Hulk, all things considered, wears purple jeans for a reason (other than concealing his hulked out privates): purple is a reciprocal shading for green. The star on Drax's chest and the skull on his belt, in the interim, say "vast demise merchant" much superior to anything the purple leotard ever could. Strikingly, not long after his comic book make a big appearance, Drax's plan developed to wind up much more strange, with the expansion of one more skull at his neck — to truly commute home that "destroyer" thing, most likely — and a busted cape. Normally, Wen and his group at Marvel Studios never got anyplace near these looks when they started adjusting Drax for the screen.

Bare, ruthless... siblings?

Prior to turning into the head of visual improvement at Marvel Studios, Charlie Wen likewise drove a group at Sony planning Kratos, the dangerous legend from the God of War computer game establishment, which initially appeared in March 2005 following a couple of long stretches of advancement. In the mean time, soon thereafter, Marvel Comics happened to discharge a Drax the Destroyer miniseries with a fresh out of the box new plan for the character. Gone were the ridiculous purple tights and skull extras. Rather, Drax dumped the shirt and got some ink.

While the structure was new to Drax, it unquestionably had in excess of a couple of likenesses with Wen's last Kratos plan — something he'd found when somebody sent the organization a Drax comic book.

"I recollect at Sony, we resembled, "Gracious man, what should we do about this?" Wen reviewed. "They can't make it look — It looked so much like Kratos!"

So it came as an unexpected when, only a couple of years after the fact, Wen drove the plan division at Marvel Studios… and got himself up close and personal with the test of adjusting the inestimable legend who previously took after a character he'd planned previously. One idea went through Wen's head:

"How am I going to make this character not resemble the character I intended for God of War?"

Khal Draxo

As Wen drove his group through structures for Guardians of the Galaxy, the throwing chiefs chased for the correct performing artists. One up-and-comer named Jason Momoa — who'd discovered accomplishment with his depiction of Khal Drogo in HBO's Game of Thrones — turned into a leader to win the piece of Drax.

"Jason Momoa sent in this stunning screen test, and obviously he definitely realized how to do those battling positions," reviewed Wen. "He looked extremely persuading."

Wen made craftsmanship delineating the on-screen character in the job, highlighting the Momoa's face on a lean-looking Drax the Destroyer that is a gather venture up from the Kratos-looking funnies and a lot nearer to the last true to life structure.

As it turned out, be that as it may, while Momoa had the look and the moves to play Drax, he wasn't exactly appropriate for the part — at any rate not when contrasted and another on-screen character competing for the job, wrestler Dave Bautista.

"I think with Momoa in it, it felt like the Game of Thrones character that he played. He has an incredible face for it," noted Wen. "We did a few takes with Momoa as the character, as Drax, in any case I think Bautista truly played that job."

Will the genuine Drax please venture forward?

Momoa appeared to concur that his throwing wouldn't convey anything new to the screen. "I need my kids to see their dad upbeat. It isn't so much that it is anything but a decent job, it simply wasn't the correct thing," he said in a 2014 Zap2It interview (via IGN). "I was on Stargate: Atlantis for a long time playing a comparable character called Ronon, who was an outsider who didn't state much and snorted. I've been there and done that, regardless of whether individuals have seen it or not. You need to extend."

Obviously, nobody could know in 2014 that Momoa would proceed to feature his very own superhuman motion picture a couple of years after the fact with 2018's Aquaman, one of the tentpole movies of the DC Extended Universe — yet that is another story. Anyway, Momoa was out, Bautista was in, and both Wen and Marvel fans would concur that the correct man was thrown.

"Bautista brought this — an alternate side to it that no one was expecting," Wen said. "Somewhat entertaining, yet normally interesting. It resembled, 'Goodness, this is an entire character. He's conveying something to that character.'"

Wen included:

we structured it explicitly for him — even the manner in which his head is molded." The picture above — one of the primary bits of idea workmanship Kevin Feige disclosed to declare Guardians of the Galaxy — demonstrates the impact of Bautista on the character's plan.

The inked man

In the mean time, to additionally develop Drax's artistic look, Wen kept pushing the plan far from the perfect lines of the mid-2000s Drax — the one that looked so much like Kratos. Rather, he concentrated on making Drax's tattoos a vital piece of the adjusted character's inward life. Indeed, even the craftsmanship looking like Momoa was traveling toward this path, and Bautista's throwing kept the energy pushing ahead also.

"Every one of the tattoos that went on him is extremely recounting about his story," said Wen. "His life is essentially on his body."

It's anything but difficult to find in the picture over that additionally includes early forms of alternate Guardians that the tattoos are starting to highlight much more noticeably in Drax's plan — and his terrorizing factor.

"Everyone's anxious about him. He's someone that even individuals in jail fear," said Wen. "This is an intergalactic jail, where you have all these enormous characters that would, I don't have a clue, simply look extremely unnerving and massive. Be that as it may, Drax is someone that can stand his ground to any of them."

#IFTTT #Blogger

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pointofgeeks · 7 years

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New Post has been published on http://www.pointofgeeks.com/avengers-joss-whedon-in-talks-to-write-direct-batgirl-and-how-it-affects-the-dceu/

AVENGERS' Joss Whedon In Talks to Write & Direct BATGIRL and How It Affects the DCEU

It has proven to be close to impossible to predict Warner Bros’ future moves when it comes to their growing DC Extended Universe. After announcing an ambitious slate of ten films in 2014, the studio has seemingly decided to change course with their movies in development recently.

While movies like Wonder Woman and Aquaman seem to be coming along well, there are still projects like The Flash, which has had several false starts and lost multiple directors. To add to the uncertainty, WB has announced new films based on titles that most didn’t see coming, such as Gotham City Sirens, Nightwing, and Justice League Dark. Those projects already have big name directors attached to them in David Ayer, Chris McKay, and Doug Liman respectively, while they have also been courting Mel Gibson for several months to direct Suicide Squad 2. These hires clarify Warner Bros’ recent ambitious approach to making comic book movies and their intention to make quality films is clear.

Just when it seemed that things couldn’t get in wilder in the DCEU, Variety reported this morning that The Avengers director Joss Whedon is in negotiations to helm a solo Batgirl film. Here is what they had to say:

Whedon is nearing a deal to write, direct, and produce an untitled Batgirl pic for Warner Bros. as part of its DC Extended Universe.

No other producers are currently attached. Toby Emmerich, president and chief content officer of Warner Bros. Pictures Group is overseeing with Jon Berg and Geoff Johns. The new project originated in the past month.

This development is unexpected, especially since many anticipated Batgirl’s character being integral to Gotham City Sirens, while the participation of Whedon is probably the biggest overall shocker. However, it has been known that Whedon has been flirting with the DC universe, both on the big and small screen in the past year. This new project is as shocking as the announcement of McKay being tapped to direct a Nightwing solo film last month, however it seems reasonable that if Dick Grayson is getting a solo film, so should Barbara Gordon.

This news opens up a Pandora’s box of questions in regards to exactly how the future of the DCEU will look in a few years. It seems that there is a concerted effort to adapt the “Bat-family” on the big-screen in a way that has never been imagined. Batman and Robin and Batman Forever attempted to bring some of these characters to movie audiences, however they are better off forgotten, as this will put a fresh spotlight on the heroes while deliberately placing them in the center of pop culture.

This also calls into question what the future of the Batman truly is. Ben Affleck has given over the directing reigns to Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes), while there have been whispers that his run as Bruce Wayne will be coming to an end in the near future. In any case, it seems that WB is lining up multiple options within Gotham City to carry the torch for the Bat. Whether it’s Nightwing, GCS, or Batgirl, Batman is crucial to the primary characters backstory and even some of their motivations, so it is almost unfathomable that there wouldn’t be at least limited involvement from the Caped Crusader. In addition, it’s unclear if J.K. Simmons will continue as Commissioner Gordon beyond Justice League, however it’s hard to imagine Whedon not wanting his participation in the film as the father of Batgirl.

Nabbing a talent like Whedon is ultimately a game-changer. He has a proven ability to create three-dimensional heroines, exemplified with his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and also is known for being an advocate for gender issues. It’s also clear why WB would be courting the prolific creator. Whedon pulled off what seemed to be the impossible, in assembling the various superheroes of the Marvel cinematic universe and turning them into The Avengers, one of the most successful movies of all-time. Plus, he already has a history with the studio, as Whedon wrote a script to direct his own Wonder Woman movie for WB over a decade ago, which clearly fell through.

However, it’s also hard to ignore Whedon’s very public meltdown during the filming and promotion of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Reportedly the pressures and constraints of fitting his vision within the framework of the larger MCU, took its toll on the filmmaker. At one point it even seemed that he would never even return to the genre, so that should be of concern for Warner Bros as well. However, it’s fully possible and even more likely, that Whedon simply needed time away to recharge his batteries and he has returned with a fresh take on Batgirl.

Whedon’s a talented and passionate comic writer as well, so it’s not hard to understand his interest in the material. Perhaps he sees that the DCEU has a sense of lawlessness right now. Their cinematic universe has a lot in common with America’s Wild Wild West, since the rules and laws of the DC universe haven’t been established beyond Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the still unseen Justice League. It could be that Whedon recognizes that this is his opportunity to put a stamp on his own corner of the DCEU. However it’s hard to imagine that Batgirl won’t at least be complementary to the other Gotham City-centric movies in development.

Ultimately, this is a rare win-win situations for both sides. Whedon should be afforded the creative space to create his film, particularly since Barbara Gordon has yet to be fully defined in the minds of the movie-going public. While Warner Bros should be able to get a high return on a lower investment than a typical Batman movie, since its unreasonable to think that the Batgirl’s budget will compete with The Batman’s eventual production budget. There certainly is a lot more to come on this and the other developing movies in the DCEU, as these and other details come to the surface. What a time to be a fan of the Bat.

There is currently no release date for Batgirl.

What do you think of the news? Let us know in the comment boards, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! Share our stories by clicking below!

Source: Variety

#Batgirl #Ben Affleck #Commissioner Gordon #DC Films #DCEU #J.K. Simmons #Joss Whedon #Solo Film #The Avengers #Variety #warner bros #Zack Snyder #Features #Movies / TV #News/Rumors

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