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sarahreesbrennan · 3 years

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You wrote on twitter that you were too young to be published and did fool things you later regretted. I'm curious about those regrets - is there anything you'd be willing to elaborate on?

I do want to clarify I meant I personally was probably too young, and I wasn't a babe in arms when I was published--I was 24, which is an adult! S.E. Hinton was 18 when her first book was published and she arguably invented young adult fiction. Jennifer Lynn Barnes was a teenager when her first book was published and she's always been a genius rock star. Some people are married and having kids and doing great at their jobs at 24, but some people are in college, or learning the ropes of their jobs and full-time work life in general and messing up because it still feels unfamiliar. Most of us, me included, will be making messes until we die, though we can hope for better messes.

My regrets aren't super secret--I would've conducted myself differently online and offline. One thing I've said before: I wouldn't link up my real name and my fanfic identity the way I did back when. That means having your juvenilia out there and judged, and yourself judged in a very particular way! It is hard to sit in the doctor's office and ask him for written proof you have cancer, because the internet will accuse you of faking it. (Yes that did happen. That poor man's face was like, 'Girl, why do you not live your life right.') As I've said, I have an assistant-with-antis who filters my social media and email so I don't have to come upon hostile stuff, and I do wonder if there are ways to inspire less hostility.

But to be clear regarding that example, I think fandom is awesome in many ways, and it's valuable to say you wrote fanfiction, just don't get too specific. One of my most cherished facts about a (fancy, brilliant, very bestselling) writer friend is that she wrote Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction once. Many of my writer friends used to or still do write it! (Fanfic in general... I'm not outing a bunch of writers as avid Sonic fans...) And being open about my identity did mean I had some beautiful supportive readers from the jump, who were sweet to me and made friends with each other (Marmalade fish shoutout). I love that people connect over fiction, and that they connected over mine. My advice to others is to do it like Oscar winner Chloe Zhao, and be like 'yes I write it, yes the call is coming from inside the building, yes creative engaged people engage creatively in many ways, no you'll never know my online name!' And that's mostly how it's done these days--there are masses of fanfiction writers in TV, in movies, working as editors and agents in publishing, and who are writers, because people who are passionate about creativity are passionate about creativity in many ways. A decade ago and nobody was sure how it was going to go: I do think it went well generally, if uneasily for test balloons like me.

Overall, as regards regrets, if you're alive, you're making mistakes, and if you're growing, you're learning from them. Often the more you care, the more mistakes you make. There are some things only life experience can teach you, and I've seen people who came into writing with experience from being, for instance, lawyers which they were able to use in many ways, and there were times I wished I'd acquired experience or lost naivety in a job that wasn't my dream job. Sometimes I really didn't know what was going on, and later I was like 'Ohhh! Oh Lord.' I would say a few things I wish I'd known: How to draw boundaries like circles of salt that others couldn't cross. The personal and the professional are going to blur, but it's still important to try and differentiate them. How to pick your battles: recognise the unwinnable, find the most likely strategy for victory with the winnable ones. Know that people won't like you just because you're making life more convenient for them, so don't do it for that reason. OMG abide by contracts and make sure the contracts cover every eventuality. Learn the art of standing your ground calmly. (One day, I'll get it.)

But getting published at any age is complicated: I have one friend who was sure she was going to die after she got her publishing contract because it was her dream accomplished, and what was left? I have more life experience in my 30s, but I also had most of those years totally slain by cancer: my writing went off a cliff long before I was diagnosed, and then I couldn't write, and since then I've been scrambling. If I'd been published first at 30 I might have handled myself in style, but there definitely wouldn't have been two trilogies before the long pause. One very lovely, very talented lady who was first published in the same year I was died shortly after. You don't know what's coming: Margaret Mitchell was hit by a speeding drunk driver and we'll never know if rumours she planned to write a sequel to Gone with the Wind are true. The people whose first books were out in 2020 had a tough time, and I would've freaked out if I'd been in their position and am glad I didn't have a non-tie-in novel out--it was very strange to have two tie-ins out that year as it was! People were reading books in 2020, but it was harder for new books to get on their radar.

I didn't write the tweet to alarm anyone, or say there was a magical time it was best to be published at. Lots of amazing writers aren't published, are published feeling they're too young, are published feeling they're too old. I think my tweet was really to say, there's no precise right time, and no way to execute your dreams exactly right. I do look back on stuff and think, oh lord, me at 30 might have handled THAT better. I hope that I'll look back at me now from 50 and go, I'd crush the stuff that crushed her!

Are there things I would change, sure. But I probably would make different mistakes if it had all happened differently for me. Humans constantly torment ourselves imagining the magic way we could've got everything right, a task exactly nobody has accomplished. I've never lived a perfect life or written a perfect book, and I don't know anyone else who has. I'm really glad I was published, and really proud of all my books. If you've never done something you've regretted, how much have you done? Keep going.

#stumbling through publication #writing #fanfiction

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agirlunderarock · 2 years

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Tag Game

rules: tag a few people you want to know better; make a new post, don’t reblog!

Thanks for the tag @journen!!! Lets see if I don’t lose this to the abyss in my drafts

Currently reading: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller. I have literally only read the intro and the first few pages, and I get the feeling its going to take me a year to read it. I don’t want it to, because I really love Kanera and I want to see how they got their start! I am considering doing like a live reading on discord or something over the summer, just so I can set aside time to just read with friends but we’ll see how that goes.

Last Song: Honestly I don’t remember. It might have been Killer Queen by Queen, or Maybe Don’t by Maise-

no wait

it was Escape from the City from Sonic Adventure 2. I was listening to it on the way home after seeing the Sonic movie again. Look I adore that movie, and when you’re driving out a huge busy city to go home out of town, City Escape is the thing that plays on loop

Last Movie: Sonic the hedgehog 2- Guys I promise it was a really fun movie. If you enjoyed the games at any point in time, the movie is a delight. If you liked parks and rec, theres even a little reference for that. Its just a fun movie

Last Series: Like tv series or book series? It took me 3 years to finally pick up and finish one book, so I’m gonna chose to list a tv series lol. Aggretsuko was probably the last show I watched and really paid attention to. I think its a fun adult cartoon. It doesn’t rely on profanity or like the normal adult humor to show that is an adult cartoon. As a young 20 something year old woman, the show makes TOO MUCH sense. Its definitely one of my comfort shows

Sweet, spicy, or savoury?: Savoury! I really like sweets. I mean I really like sweets, but I will make myself sick if I eat too many. Same thing with spicy foods. I have to be really picky about spicy things. But I like things with a lot of flavor. I like to eat things that make me feel like the rat from Rataouille when he mixes he food for the first time lol

Coffee or Tea: Tea! My favorite is a pomegranate black tea, or just plain green tea.

Three Ships: Valor or Thorkyrie. (I’m not sure what people are calling it, personally I like Valor), Kanera, and Sukka

Look I have character types that I really enjoy, and a specific type of pairing that I really like, but this post is long enough as it is...if anyone is curious I’ll write something on it later.

First ship: Thats a hard one really, like a ship I liked before I knew what shipping was or like a ship I liked that I actively talked about once I started doing fandom things? The former was probably Mulan/Shang and latter probably Percabeth from the Percy Jackson series.

Currently working on: Answering this ask- jkjkjk I’m trying to redo my start of chapter 2 for White Lie, because I reread it and its a little TOO much of Obi-Wan questioning himself. I think I’m just gonna put a strike through in some of what I have and instead try to focus on the world building. This is a planet he nor Anakin have been to, so I felt it would be slightly more appropriate to focus on their POV, and then later describe the same place from Sas’ POV because she lives there and so I can naturally build contrast in world views. I don’t know I might be over thinking it, but its giving me writer’s paralysis

Favourite Piece of Clothing: That depends...No it doesn’t Its my Unus Annus Hoodie, and some comfy leggings I have. I am a creature of comfort and those things are so soft and warm and welcoming-

Comfort food: Grilled cheese. My mom used to make it for me a lot when I was little. Whenever I had a rough time at university, I usually tried to find a way to make myself grilled cheese.

Fav time of year: Fall! I’m from Texas though, so really it just means “less hot” I just like it because again, its cooler, but also I can wear my hair down without worrying about it poofing out

Fav Fanfiction: Okay I will literally never stop talking about this fanfic because ITS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE, I GO BACK TO READ IT ALL THE TIME. Its called Better Latte Than Never on Ao3 by FunnelFatale. Its my absolute favorite fanfic, its something I can finish in one sitting but has really good emotional development and spans a couple of months.

There was another padawan!Obi-Wanxreader fic here I stumbled across, that was based on The Chicks' Traveling soldier- it HURT me and I regret not reblogging or saving it at the time and I've been wanting to read that one again.

Thanks again for the tag!

If you guys would like to do it, I'm gonna tag: @azorell @i-dreamed-i-had-a-son @fairy-anon-godmother @sam-not-so-wise

And anyone else who would like to 👍

#tag game #about the blogger

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blazehedgehog · 3 years

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Sorry to ask this, but what are your thoughts on Dunky's "I'm Done Making Good Videos" with regards to content you aspire to author vs what the average joe actually searches for

I don’t know if I’m the best person to be asking this, really.

Let’s get fully inside baseball here. Let’s pull the curtain all the way back. Actually, let’s burn down the curtain. I’m going to overshare like hell right now. Get ready for the most stream-of-consciousness rambling ever, because a lot of this has been boiling in my head and dying to get out.

For the entirety of my Youtube channel, I’ve pretty much only ever done what I want to do. Very rarely do I chase trends, or do what’s hot, or even do what people want me to do. I do whatever I feel like doing.

I have paid the price for that. My Youtube channel is 15 years old as of this year, and only now am I slowly inching towards 25,000 subscribers. I am incredibly inconsistent. What’s my channel post? Well, a couple times a year, maybe I put together an edited essay/review for a game. But I also sometimes post random, unedited, uncommentated gameplay footage. Maybe it’s a fan game, maybe it’s a gameplay demo, maybe it’s Fortnite. Sometimes, I also post remastered video game music. Every Halloween, I dump a bunch of one-off horror Let’s Plays on to my channel. And then, there’s the podcast.

I know exactly what my problems are. I don’t specialize enough, and I don’t put content out fast enough. Because most Youtube channels are, like, “shows”, right. The Did You Know Gaming show. The Markiplier show. The Angry Video Game Nerd show. And you can point at those and say exactly what they are in two sentences or less.

Did You Know Gaming specializes in informative videos uncovering obscure facts you might not know about popular video games.

Markiplier is a Youtuber that does Let’s Play videos for video games, primarily horror games, but he also focuses on general comedy skits and things of that nature.

The Angry Video Game Nerd is about one guy’s over the top reactions to bad video games.

What does BlazeHedgehog do? Well, he does a lot of Sonic fan content, but sometimes he does horror let’s plays, and sometimes he does multiplayer compilation videos sort of like Criken, but he also does music, and sometimes he makes video games and puts out videos of that, and in general he’s really low energy and sometimes there will be three or four weeks between uploads. Also he sounds like Booger from Revenge of the Nerds Snot from Family Guy (apparently).

If you come to my channel for something specific, you have to put up with everything else I upload. I could start separate channels for that content, but the barrier to entry on Youtube is so massive now that I would effectively sending those channels to their death. Videos that get 200-500 views on my main channel would get 10 views or less if they were on their own self-contained alt-channel.

So I languish. I struggle. I suffer. Youtube shows me red down arrows to tell me just how much worse I’m doing now than my last flash-in-the-pan success.

I’ve tried to chase success. It just makes me sad. I have a sense of humor, but I don’t think I can make “funny videos” like some people can. My Sonic 06 glitch video did gangbusters ten years ago, but I don’t often like kicking games when they’re down. It was a struggle to make that Sonic Boom glitch montage and that’s the reason I never followed through with Part 2 like I said I would.

My only wish is that people appreciate honesty. My Youtube channel might be a scattered mess, but that’s who I am. And more than anything, I think that’s what Dunkey’s video was about. His whole joke was about switching from thoughtful or funny videos to becoming a content farm for whatever is currently popular.

I’ve brought it up a few times here and there over the last few months, but I’ve had several brushes with the Fortnite side of Youtube recently. And there are so many dudes over there who are what I would generously call “grifters.” I follow Hypex on Twitter and routinely check Firemonkey and ShiinaBR because they datamine future Fortnite updates and often have the scoop days, weeks or sometimes months in advance.

Near the end of season 3, all three of them mentioned they had datamined “the next season” but wouldn’t say what it was because they didn’t want to spoil what was coming (the marvel season). They mentioned there were “others out there” that were spoiling things, but wouldn’t say who. I wanted to spoil myself, so I turned to Youtube.

And Youtube was a nightmare. Over and over and over, I would encounter tons of people downright thriving on the same grift. It’s an open secret that Youtube prioritizes longer videos, so if your video is under ten minutes (or I think now 8 minutes), the algorithm isn’t going to be as nice to you and won’t promote your video as well, and you aren’t going to get as much advertising money because fewer people are going to sit through a video advertisement that’s a quarter of your video’s entire length. Longer videos are more profitable for Youtube, and by extension, for the user uploading them.

So it was video after video of these guys making big bold claims about how they had all the answers on what the next season of Fortnite was, and you’re thinking, “oh wow, it’s a 17 minute video, they’re going to spoil everything!”

You load the video up and it’s some guy in his streamer man cave, he’s got his webcam on, and he loads in to a match of Fortnite with his squad. Keep in mind, this video was pitched as a news report of sorts, a big spoiling of future content... and it’s just a guy playing Fortnite with a crew. In the few seconds between matches as he queues for the next one, he stops to deliver a single shred of information, most of which start with “Hypex said...”

The one thing you came to this video for and it’s scattered like breadcrumbs across a 17 minute video of a guy just playing normal matches Fortnite to fill time. It’s not information they acquired for themselves, they all just regurgitate what Hypex said, or what other channels reported Hypex saying. 17 minutes of padding for scraps of second-hand leaks. And I found dozens of these channels, all repeating the same format, all repeating the same specks of leaked information, and all of them had 150,000 to 200,000 views on each of their videos in less than 24 hours. That’s hundreds of dollars per video on a format to scam the system.

But that’s a content farm. Those dudes are vultures. I have a hard time believing their hearts are really in it. I know it’s not a term that’s really in vogue anymore, but I see that as “selling out.” They know what they are doing and it’s to make money, not to make a community better. I mean, one of those videos was a guy who was reading Marvel comic hero profiles off of Wikipedia because it sounded like he literally did not know who guys like Iron Man, Thor and Wolverine even were. How are you in touch enough with pop culture that you’re cranking out factory-fresh Fortnite content for Youtube but you don’t know who Thor is? Answer: because you don’t really care and you’re in it for the money. Gotta hit that 15 minute threshold and put in six mid-roll ad breaks.

I could be that guy. That’s kind of what I was hoping “This Kinda Sucks” would turn in to, which would be sort of a rant video series like The Jimquisition or something. But I did not have the interest or energy to keep that up. So you get a playlist with two videos on it.

I’m sure Dunkey was just funnin’ around. Dude has 6 million subscribers. But for me, like... what he said in the video is mostly true. Following your heart and making thoughtful content you are personally interested in won’t pay the bills. I mean, as I predicted, that Jurassic Park video launched to the sound of crickets chirping. My most hardcore fans and a few curious onlookers checked it out but that was it. I’ve been working on that video since August, and it’s something my viewer base did not care about. But I cared about it, and that’s important for the long-run, I think.

The other problem, sort of a disconnect, is that I’m lucky to be in the position I’m in. I think guys like Dunkey probably make all of their money from places like Youtube and Twitch and Patreon and that’s their career. That work pays all of their bills.

My work does not pay my bills. Or it does, but it’s not enough to pay all of my bills. I am lucky enough right now that I am in a living situation where I can make fractions of money in intermittent spurts. That won’t always be the case. But for now, I get to be honest, and I get to follow my heart in whatever random, chaotic direction it feels like going that particular day. Dunkey faces a different sort of pressure than I do.

All of this is to say I have no idea what I’m doing, I guess. I make the content I want to see.

That being said, I increasingly think about something I heard Woolie say early on when he went solo for his WoolieVS channel, and that was the idea of “One for you, one for me, one for us.”

Because I’ve had more than one friend burn out doing, like, Twitch streams and stuff. You hear about Youtubers who get sick of being shackled to new releases or whatever’s popular. At some point these people wake up and realize they’ve had this struggle, maybe made some money in the process, but they’re miserable because they don’t get to do what they want to do. They’re always being pushed forward by the fans that are behind them.

The “One for you, one for me, one for us” mantra does at least keep you a little more sane. Balance in all things, right? So that Jurassic Park video, it can flop. It’d be nice if it didn’t flop, given what time of the year it is, but it’s a video for me. I have other video ideas in the chamber that I know will be for my audience, or “for us.”

I just have to stay true to myself, and to my messy brain.

#questions #dunkey #youtube #inside baseball #behind the curtain #long posts #spilling my guts #Anonymous

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killscreencinema · 3 years

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Sonic Mania (Switch)

youtube

When all else fails, just go back to square one, or in this case 16-bits (well, 32-bits, but whose counting). If there’s a video game franchise that has started off so well and then become synonymous with dogshit with every new game released, I don’t know what it is. Poor Sonic has had a rough time of it, but hopefully going back to his roots will provide a fresh start for the blue blur.

It probably helps that Sonic Mania, released in 2017, wasn’t developed by Team Sonic, the group who almost seem intent on burying the hedgehog under piles of crappy games, but was made by loving fans instead. One thing I appreciate about Sega is, unlike Nintendo or Square Enix, when fans are clamoring for something so bad they just make it themselves, instead of shut them down with copyright infringement, they say, “Hey - make that thing for us!”

It’s a good thing Sega did that because Sonic Mania is the best Sonic game I’ve played in years! Granted I haven’t played a Sonic game since... Sonic 3...? I only know the badness of the 3D games by reputation, although I have always been curious to assess their quality myself. Either way, Sonic Mania does what Sonic does best - runs to the right of the screen so fast it gives you a little bit of anxiety, while providing outstanding music, and colorful, elaborate level designs. I enjoyed how the levels flowed into each other, so it made sense why Sonic would go from the lush, verdant Green Hill Zone to suddenly being in some kind of industrial hellscape like the Chemical Plant Zone. I also enjoyed how the first act of the old school stages were basically the same as the originals, but the second act would introduce an interesting twist.

The boss battles from neat to slightly annoying, but the standout has to be when Dr. Eggman challenges you to a game of Mean Bean Machine. It made me wish that game were an unlockable bonus!

Sonic Mania is not without its flaws though. While it was neat to revisit classic Sonic sidescrolling, it also rekindled issues that I’ve always had with the original games. Namely, I’m the kind of player who likes to explore a map, so I become instantly irritated when said map is a gigantic labyrinth where I have no clue where I am in relation to anywhere else. Sonic games just aren’t exploration friendly, and that’s okay, but they shouldn’t add elements like hidden portals to the bonus levels where you an obtain the legendary Chaos Emeralds.

Speaking of which... I hate those levels. You have to run after a flying saucer that is holding the emerald and eventually pick up enough... ahem... blue balls... ahem... that increase your speed to catch it. It sounds simple enough, but it’s in that “Mode 7″ third person view, so it’s hard to tell how to get to where the UFO is without bumping into walls or falling off the map completely. This wouldn’t be so frustrating if I could try it again, but once you fail you are bumped out of the bonus level, unable to return until you find another warp ring. Considering that you can only beat the game and get the “true ending” after collecting all the of the emeralds, this really irked me.

As it turns out, though, it wasn’t too big of a deal because by the time I reached the end of the game, I was more than ready to move on. Sonic Manis a fun diversion, but it gets a little tiresome after awhile. While it is certainly a step forward in relation to the direction Sonic game have been going, in some ways it also felt like a step back. Nevertheless, if you’re a Sonic fan, this game might a well be a love letter to you and you are gonna swoon over it!

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic mania #switch #eggman #sega #retro #nintendo #miles tails prower #knuckles #chaos emeralds

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concerthopperblog · 3 years

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The Microdosio Tour: Two Nights with Papadosio & Friends!

Now that music venues are coming alive again with the sound of music after a long hiatus, Papadosio was back in Atlanta for a blistering, two (2) night stand (June 25th – 26th) at The Roxy. Athens, Ohio natives Papadosio made some wonderful memories while on The Microdosio Tour with some help from Atlanta natives Dollarsine (Night 1) and Space Kadet (Night 2) as the opening support. You may recall Papadosio gracing my column a few years back while they performed another two nightstands at Atlanta’s Terminal West. Check out the review from 2019’s The Road to Resonance Night 2 Papadosio featuring Space Kadet.

Atlanta’s very own David Dollar a.k.a. Dollarsine started off the weekend on The Microdosio Tour for the faithful that came to dance all night long to the smooth, groovy sounds of the night. The crowd was ready for Dollarsine to come on stage and perform his magic. Once he came out on stage, the early crowd that had gathered let him know by showing some major love his way. You could tell that many in the crowd were familiar with Dollarsine and expressed joy seeing him perform at the Roxy. Dollarsine had complete command of the crowd for the duration of his set, and he enjoyed every minute on stage that night. He ended his set featuring a new track coming off his brand-new EP, which according to Dollarsine is dropping very soon. Stay tuned to his website: www.dollarsine.com for more details! Want to check out Dollarsine? Follow this to Dollasine’s Official Soundcloud today!

Papadosio has been a favorite electronic/jam band of mine for some time now. My first time checking them out was at Bonnaroo (2016) during their Thursday set at That Tent. Their unique sound had me enthralled from the beginning. Formed back in 2006 by various band members from Ohio University, Papadosio consists of Anthony Thogmartin (vocals/production/guitar), Mike Healy (drums), Rob McConnell (bass), and Billy & Sam Brouse (two handed keyboards). Papadosio have never let me down over the years. Every time I witness their jam, I am left amazed at how well these guys are synched together and how they just let the music do all the talking. Tonight, was no exception as the band jammed through a specially crafted set list for the fans in attendance during Night 1.

Night 1 Set list

· We Are Water XL

· Utopiate >

· Shiitake >

· Utopiate

· �� Cue ][

· Fuse >

· Chaga

· Polygons XL >

· Cordyceps

· Euclidean Lights

· Encore: Unparalyzer

Local Atlanta darlings Space Kadet (and longtime pals of Papadosio) had the honor of opening for Papadosio’s epic second night at The Roxy. The band, Space Kadet, consists of Alex Etheridge (bass/synth/production), Rohan Prakash (drums/samples), and Thomas Garret (guitar). These guys are so much fun to watch play live. It was great seeing them play a larger venue this time around. More space for their sound to carry. Not only do they take the audience on a sonic journey through their set. You can see the band having so much fun performing for their fans (new and old alike). You can follow Space Kadet on JamBase to see if they are playing near you anytime soon. Space Kadet actually first graced my column here at Concerthopper when they opened for The Floozies / So Down / Space Kadet: Live at Variety Playhouse, so give that article a read (or re-read). Want to check out Space Kadet’s tunes? No worries. Follow this link to Space Kadet’s Official Soundcloud today!

When Papadosio came on stage and kicked off the second night of their weekender with “Cloud Found”, the crowd went absolutely nuts! And I thought the first night was incredible. Well, Papadosio stepped it up and made me question that exact thought. As they went through some great tracks like “Paradigm Shift”, “Lions Mane”, and “Madre” the crowd was entranced at every single note Papadosio played for them. Closing it out with their track “Holy Heck” was a great way to cap off an extraordinary weekend of music from Papadosio, Space Kadet, & Dollarsine!

Night 2 Set list

· Cloud Found

· 2AM >

· Fanfare for the Rain People >

· Paradigm Shift ][

· Lions Mane

· Dream Estate

· Madre ][

· Improbability Blotter

· Fire Rite XL

· Encore: Holy Heck

Bummed you missed this weekend with Papadosio? Do not worry you can still check them out this year on tour. Head over to Papadosio’s tour page and see if they are coming near you in 2021. Personally, I would suggest checking out the Resonance Music and Arts Festival that will feature three (3) sets from Papadosio during the weekend of September 16-18, 2021. Many other great acts on that lineup such as Umphrey’s McGee (2x sets), Lotus, Tipper (2x sets), Lettuce, and The Floozies to name a few.

Curious about Concerthopper? You can find more music related articles, interviews, various photo galleries, indie music reviews, our very own ‘Bars & Bites’ section, our exclusive “She Said, She Said” column, or become a Concerthopper at www.concerthopper.com. Sign up for our monthly newsletter by following this link: The Setlist! Please ‘Like’ our page on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to stay up to date in 2019 on all music related events/festivals such as: Welcome to Rockville, Blue Ridge Rock Festival, Boombox: Live at Terminal West, Ministry: The Industrial Strength Tour (Atlanta), Quicksand: Live at The Masquerade, Cherub: Live at The Eastern, Boombox: Live at Terminal West, AmericanaFest, Knotfest Roadshow (Alpharetta), Whitey Morgan & the 78’s: Live at Terminal West, Shoals Fest, Silverstein: 20th Anniversary Tour (House of Blues – Cleveland), Dinosaur Jr.: Live at The Masquerade, & Khruangbin: Live at The Eastern by following us on all social media formats: Concerthopper on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Also, you can follow my personal concert hopping on Facebook and Instagram for even more photos not available on Concerthopper.com.

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timeagainreviews · 4 years

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My Series 10 Rewatch: The Pilot

Hello friends! If you caught my last update, you'll know I took the last couple weeks off to study for my Life in the UK test. My test was on Saturday and I am happy to report that I passed! I think it took me longer to go through security than to take the actual test. After two weeks of studying, I am very much ready to get back into the groove of talking about Doctor Who. We now continue with my series ten rewatch!

The title "The Pilot," is an interesting choice for the first official episode of series ten. While it references the plot of the episode, there is also an implication that this story is a bit of a reset to a new beginning. It acts as a pilot to the Doctor and Bill show. Not only had Clara been the companion for basically three seasons at this point, there was also a year of hiatus between "The Husbands of River Song," and "The Return of Doctor Mysterio." It is a weird placement for a final season for a showrunner and lead actor. It's also a weird place to drop a brand new companion.

This new version of Doctor Who opens with the Doctor as a university professor teaching possibly the worst class on campus, that everyone seems to love. His star pupil is a girl named Bill, who isn't actually a student but loves his lectures. Speaking of star pupils, there is also a love interest for Bill in the form of a girl named Heather, but more on that later. The Doctor's office at the university is peppered with references to the past. On his desk sits a jar with the sonic screwdrivers of previous Doctors, like an assortment of pens. There are also portraits of River and Susan. And tucked away in the corner of the room sits the TARDIS, with an "out of order," sign hanging from its doors.

The first time I watched this episode I started to groan at the fact that the TARDIS was out of commission. Not because it should never happen, but more that I expected this to be incredibly tedious. After several years of Steven Moffat's plot arks leading to disappointment, I was bracing to be underwhelmed. As it turns out, the TARDIS works as good as it ever did. But the Doctor and Nardole are grounded regardless. This is due to the fact that there is some sort of door or safe they've been tasked with guarding, which brings us back to the whole bracing for mediocrity thing. I remember immediately thinking "Missy is in there." Spoiler alert- she absolutely is.

Dumb safes and meaningless promises meant to build up empty intrigue aside, the real reason to get excited for series ten is Bill. I was immediately interested in the concept of a black gay companion with a gender fucky name. I remember when the pictures circulated of her wearing a vintage Prince jumper and everyone was speculating whether she was from the '80s or '90s. This only added to my excitement for her character. As many of you know, I am a big fan of the idea of companions in modern Doctor Who that aren't from modern-day earth. Sadly, as it turns out, she's not a hip '80s lesbian, she's once again from modern-day England. Oh well, at least Nardole is from the future. Though I don't understand why he is suddenly a cyborg that makes whirring noises and drops lug nuts. There was none of that in Doctor Mysterio.

The Doctor calls Bill into his office where he confronts her about attending his classes. He wants to take her on as her personal tutor, despite her not being a student. He mentions that he noticed she smiles when she's confused, which is a good indication that she is openminded and naturally curious. It's even implied that he sees a little bit of Susan in her. I liked that little nod to Susan, though it begs the question why the new series has never had her return. While looking at the pictures, Bill indicates that she has no pictures of her mother before she died.

The Doctor uses this as an opportunity to do a kindness for his new friend Bill. Using his ability to time travel, the Doctor goes back in time to take a shoebox worth of photos of Bill's mother. Nevermind that doing this might change the trajectory of her mother's life, thus undoing any chance that she might meet Bill's father. It's a sweet moment for Bill, but it's undercut by Moffat's shitty writing. Bill notices the Doctor's reflection in one of the photos, but never brings it up. She doesn't even thank him. It doesn't really go anywhere other than to inform the audience that the TARDIS does, in fact, still work.

It's this kind of gay people need tragic backstories for no reason mentality that frames a lot of this episode. While I applaud Moffat's inclusion of a gay companion, it comes off as a middle-aged man's depiction of a young gay woman. There is diversity on the screen, but none in the writing room. This is made all the more apparent by Bill's horrible chips anecdote. Bill has a crush on a student who comes into the cafeteria where she works. So she gives her extra chips every day until it starts making the girl fat. The Doctor asks her why she is telling him this story and she replies with "I was hoping it would go somewhere." As did Steven Moffat, but it didn't. It just hangs there like a fart saying "Did I mention I was gay?"

The next few scenes take place over a montage. We see Bill and the Doctor in their respective student and tutor roles. And we also see Bill having a bit of a social life. Bill catches the starry-eyed glances of Heather at a club and they both stand there on the dance floor staring at each other. There's an implication that the two of them are into each other, but we never actually see anything to show why they would actually like one another other than raw animal attraction. In fact, their few interactions are actually rather awkward and cold. There's about as much chemistry between the two of them as there was between Clara and Danny. Which if you remember was zero.

There isn't really a whole lot of focus on anything other than characters for this episode. Moffat usually writes in one of two ways- heavy on character and light on plot, or so heavy on plot that it sits weird against his characters. This would be the former, as the plot is nearly non-existent. Bill begins to notice Heather around and tries to chat her up. Heather shows Bill a puddle that doesn't make sense considering it hadn't rained in days. I kind of love Bill's reasoning that the puddle is piss from the men on campus. That was genuinely funny. Well done, Moffat. But there is more to this puddle in that it also shows your reflection wrong. Heather notices this because the reflection of the star in her eye isn't where it should be.

Let's talk about Heather for a moment. She's a very odd character. Firstly, there is her eye, which has a defect that gives her iris a star shape. Bill asks the Doctor what kind of defect would do this, but neither the Doctor or the show has an answer. Much like Moffat's running gag from "The Curse of the Fatal Death," said- I'll explain later. But later never comes. Other than her eye, Heather's other two biggest traits are that she's most likely a lesbian and that she wants to leave. Her personality isn't really all that important other than to act as the thrust for the plot, which is sadly from another episode of Doctor Who altogether.

Doctor Who is a very old show. It’s bound to repeat itself. Chris Chibnall ripped off "The Silurians," wholesale with "The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood." I get that this was necessary as a means to re-establish the Silurians and why they've remained underground. But on other occasions, Doctor Who seems to repeat itself out of sheer laziness. Remember when the library in "Forest of the Dead," saves everyone at their time of death? Or when Missy plucks people out of their timeline at their time of death? Or when the Testimony records people in history at their time of death? Or when the Thijarians comfort people at their time of death? Because I do. So it's not surprising that when Moffat wants to steal from another episode, he steals from one from his own stint as showrunner.

The episode I'm talking about is "The Lodger," written by transphobic Brexiteer shitlord- Gareth Roberts. In it, a spaceship disguised as a top story flat lures people to their demise while searching for a pilot to take it into space. The ship's main criteria for a pilot is that the candidate be someone with wanderlust. Does any of this sound familiar? That's the exact same M.O. of the mysterious puddle. It latches onto Heather because it senses her desire to travel and extrapolates that into consent to take over her body and use her to pilot it around the universe. However, another part of Heather's psyche has kept it earthbound- a desire to be with Bill. If you remember correctly, this is very similar to how "The Lodger," ended. Craig and Sophie's desire to stay together is what kept them from being reduced to ash by a machine too stupid to realise it was killing its host.

Now, I understand that it sounds like I'm ripping on Moffat quite a bit, but I actually do like him as a writer. "Heaven Sent," is one of the best episodes in the entire history of Doctor Who. This one, however, is not great. After the puddle overtakes Heather's body, it begins to follow Bill everywhere. At first, Bill thinks the puddle is Heather, but her creepy Midnight-esque repetition of everything Bill says is enough to raise suspicion. Bill begins to run to the safety of the Doctor, where she finds him and Nardole fussing with the giant safe. The room in which the safe is located only lets friends inside, which is either telling or worrying as the puddle is able to simply wash into the room under the door. As I watched the water flow down the stairs I found myself feeling forgiving toward the effects department from "The Horror of Fang Rock." Green blobs beat slow-mo water any day.

For no reason other than it needed to be more spooky, the puddle screams like a wraith every time we see it. I loved the little addition of Heather's wet mascara adding to her ghostly appearance. The Doctor, Nardole, and Bill take a trip around space and time to see if they can shake the puddle. But no matter where they go, the puddle is never far behind. For a creature made of water, it certainly is thirsty. And trust me, that's far better a pun than the one I was considering. The WAP references were just too low of a fruit.

For reasons I can't exactly pinpoint, the Doctor decides to take the chase right in the middle of a battle between the Daleks and the Movellans. While I love the return of the Movellans in all of their Rick James majesty, it's a very weird scene. As far as I can devise, the Doctor is merely trying to see if the puddle can withstand the blast of a Dalek. It almost feels like Moffat needed to wake the audience up with a jolt of Dalek action. Up to this point, there has been very little tension. What I can't figure out is what Nardole is doing with the Fourth Doctor's sonic screwdriver the whole time. From what I can tell, he's shutting doors, closing off the corridors and locking Daleks out. Maybe? I really don't understand.

The Puddle takes the form of a Dalek just long enough to make us worry that maybe Nardole didn't get them all. Watching the Dalek disintegrate into a puddle of water was genuinely cool. I was reminded of things like the clear Dalek from "Revelation of the Daleks," or the visible innards of the teleporting Dalek in "Remembrance of the Daleks." I like it when the show does weird visual stuff with the Daleks. It's part of why I love Davros so much. The puddle reforms as Heather, holding out her hand for Bill to take, which the Doctor warns her not to take.

Part of the tragedy of the Doctor's character is how oblivious he is to human emotion. It's part of why he needs human companions in the first place. He couldn't possibly conceive of a situation where Heather's own yearning for Bill might be the cause for all of their problems. But Bill sees this. She sees the human desire underneath all of the scary and so she too reaches out, grasping hands with Heather. What I don't understand is why Heather needed to leave and see the universe without Bill. Why they needed to say goodbye at all is more of that "gays can't have nice things," bullshit I mentioned earlier. Let's walk through the logic a bit.

Toward the beginning of the episode, the Doctor explains that the acronym for TARDIS- Time and relative dimension in space, means life. If you think about this, it's him saying that life is basically you in a point of time and a point of space, relative to you. Thus it explains the very essence of being alive and experiencing the universe from your unique perspective. But toward the end of the episode, he changes this position to mean that TARDIS means "What the hell?" As in, just go ahead and live life how you choose. This comes after the Doctor trying to wipe Bill's mind and deciding he can't. This leads to the Doctor allowing himself to travel, despite the promise he made about the safe nobody cares about. Basically, Heather doesn't get to join in on the Doctor and Bill's travels because Moffat still had to do a thing.

A lot of this episode is neutered by this need to adhere to the season ark. Which I now realise is a major contributing factor as to why I so often forget Nardole is a companion. Nardole is forced to become the Doctor's babysitter, forcing him to hide his travels with Bill. Because of this, we see Nardole as more of an authority figure than a companion. He's the strict schoolmaster the Doctor and Bill are forced to sneak past on their way to adventure. What this does, sadly, is cut Nardole out of a lot of the adventures. The same thing happened to Danny Pink, whose opposition to the Doctor often times left him out of the fun. Also like Danny Pink, it's an arrangement that worked best with Rory Williams and has been imitated to hell and back since.

While I can't consider this episode a total success, I also can't write it off outright. It would be easy to damn it in a "Simpsons did it," fashion for taking its plot from a previous episode. It would be easy to write it off for being plot light queer bait where nothing really happens. I could rail on the inclusion of the Daleks for the sake of Daleks. But I have to ask myself- what is the function of this episode? The answer to this question brings me back to its title. This episode is a pilot for a new iteration of the series. We're in a new place with some new faces, and some familiar ones. The pieces on the board have changed location and strategy. If the function of this episode was to hit reset, I would say it succeeds.

Bill is a very likeable character. You immediately want to see more of her. Her introduction is both charming and endearing. The roundabout way she took to arrive at saying "it's bigger on the inside," seemed less thick than quirky, which is right on the money. You want to see more of her. You want to hear more of her questions. You want to experience the universe through the filter of her perception. We needed a companion who was different from the previous one. It was important that the audience is able to move forward with the new cast. We're not comparing Bill to Clara as many did with Martha and Rose. We're not being asked to forget the past any more than we are being asked to cling to it. This is exactly the right tone and in that way, I find it to be wholly successful.

#doctor who #the pilot #series 10 #steven moffat #peter capaldi #Twelfth Doctor #Bill Potts #Pearl Mackie #Matt Lucas #nardole #TARDIS #daleks #movellans

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britesparc · 4 years

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Weekend Top Ten #454

Top Ten Launch Games

Oooh, it’s finally here!

By the time you read this, the Xbox Series X/S consoles will be out, and the PlayStation 5 will be imminent if not already with us. At the time of writing I’ve yet to sample either console, although hopefully that will soon change. However, it’s a bit of a weird console launch, especially for Xbox owners, as there’s not much in the way of actual launch titles. PlayStation has the excellent-looking technical showcase (in that it shows off their sexy new controller, if not necessarily the excesses of the console’s visual prowess) Astro’s Playroom. But on the Xbox side, the only genuine first-party exclusive (not including the port of rather smashing PC title Gears Tactics) was to be the troubled Halo Infinite, which has now been pushed to next year to deal with some of its apparent graphical deficiencies. For what it’s worth, as a Halo fan, I thought the actual gameplay presented looked as good as it always has, so I’m still very excited, but it’s a shame not to sample something genuinely new and shiny at launch. For me, then – as someone not getting a PlayStation this year – I’m going to have to contend myself with updated versions of older games, and hopefully something like the really exciting-looking The Falconeer or, eventually, Cyberpunk 2077.

Of course, it’s not always been like this; in the past, a landmark game has often been the core reason to upgrade to a new console. Certain titles have defined their hardware platforms, offering a taste of the experiences to come, be it through revolutionary control systems, previously-unimaginable graphics, or simply by shattering preconceptions and expectations. As such, this weekend I’m celebrating my favourite launch titles.

Now, a couple of my usual caveats. I’ve hardly owned any consoles in the grand scheme of things; I was a computer gamer until the launch of the first Xbox, and even then was PC-first until about midway through the 360’s life. As such I came to a lot of these late, or played them on friends’ systems. I’m sure a videogame historian would give you another list, one that was able to put each title into its historical perspective. For my part, I’m mostly basing it on how much I like the game, but I am also trying to weight it in terms of its “importance”. I mean, one of my favourite “launch titles” of all time would be Lego Marvel Super Heroes on the Xbox One/PS4, but that seems a bit of a ridiculous game to call a launch title, especially as it doesn’t really show off the hardware or define the generation in any particular way. I just think it rocks. So I’m trying to judge it also in terms of how effective a given game was at being a launch title, as well as my personal preference; as such, some games, which I think are more emblematic of their time or their hardware, might end up higher in the list than if I was otherwise just ranking my favourites.

Christ, that was boring. Look, here are ten games that I like that came out when a console came out. Have at it.

Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox, 2001): it’s not just that it made playing an FPS on a console as comfortable and enjoyable as on PC, but it revolutionised what an FPS could do. Expansive open landscapes, dynamic combat with intelligent enemies, an ingenious shield/health combo, two weapons, drivable vehicles, and frankly outstanding graphics. And for Xbox – a curious underdog, a big black sheep devoid of cool or class and feeling like Microsoft was trying to buy its way into the console space with a hefty dose of brute force – here was something unique, something incredible. I don’t think anyone quite expected Halo, and it’s arguable that it single-handedly changed not only Microsoft and Xbox’s fortunes but the entire game industry too.

Wii Sports (Wii, 2005): the Wii was this strange outlier, a tiny white box that eschewed the grunt and girth of its rivals, and seemingly built around its unique motion controller. Would it work? Wii Sports proved that yes it would, a delightful bundle of games that perfectly showed what the console and controller could do. Immense fun in and of itself, but the Wii’s ability to lower the barrier of entry to non-gamers meant that your dad could thrash your brother at bowling. And that is a thing to cherish forever.

Tetris (GameBoy, 1989): depending on where you look, Tetris may just be the best-selling game of all time. It’s on everything now, from the Xbox Series X to your watch. But there was a time when “Tetris” meant “GameBoy”; that four-colour greenscreen box of wonder that everybody had but me. It was beyond ubiquitous, and its short-form nature and simplistic styling made it ideal for the portable console, its chirpy and iconic music sounding perfect coming from those tiny speakers. And above all else, of course, Tetris is fantastic, one of the greatest games of all time. It was a perfect marriage of software and hardware.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch, 2017): so here’s the thing: I like Zelda, but I’ve never fallen in love with it. I didn’t grow up with it, so coming to Ocarina of Time, there were too many old-fashioned trappings in the way; it just didn’t feel as enthralling or as fun to play as, say, Half-Life or Deus Ex. BOTW changed that; the limitations were gone, the world was blown wide open. It no longer felt like an 80s game in three dimensions, it felt new. Better than new – it felt like tomorrow. Despite the Switch being graphically weaker than its contemporaries, BOTW was and is simply gorgeous to look at, but it’s how it plays, how it feels like a vast but real world, how it has its own rules and they make sense instantly. It’s the greatest open world game of all time, and emergent physics sandbox, and yet it’s still unquestionably Zelda, emphatically Nintendo. Okay, it technically came out on the Wii U at the same time, but who the hell played that? This was the game that made you want a Switch.

Super Mario 64 (N64, 1997): this is often the game people cite as being one of the great revolutionary launch titles, but I must confess its charms were lost to me at first. Taking what was great about Mario and converting it expertly into 3D was a heck of a feat; graphically for the time it certainly impressed in the scale of its worlds, and whilst back then I felt it lacked the detail and granularity of some PC titles, in retrospect it was a perfectly-suited art style, offering smooth textures even when right up close. But it was its precise controls and the open, hub-based nature of its worlds that was revolutionary; many games aped its style, but it took a long time before anything really matched it.

Hexic HD (Xbox 360, 2005): not every game here has to be some genre-busting graphical powerhouse; they can be simple but quietly revolutionary. Hexic HD is a terrific puzzle game with a simple hook, brilliantly executed, and enough intrigue and nuance to keep you coming back for one more go, to beat your high score, to get to the next tricksy level. But the time and manner of its release, and what that signified, marked it out as something more important. It was the first Xbox Live Arcade title; Microsoft’s curated gallery of smaller, more indie-flavoured games. More than that, it was free, coming pre-installed on all Xbox 360 Pros (the ones with the removable hard drive). It was a taste of what was to come, introducing audiences not only to the idea of playing these kinds of smaller, less intense games on a console, but also the idea of purchasing and downloading them digitally. It was great and ground-breaking in equal measure.

WipEout (PlayStation, 1995): I kinda missed the PlayStation generation. I was still, more or less, in my PC-centric “consoles are toys” mindset (which I wouldn’t fully shake off till the release of the N64). But I came to appreciate its qualities as a cool, exciting, super-fast futuristic racer. I’m pretty sure it’s not the first 3D hover-car racing game, but it was presented in such a groovy package that it ticket all the boxes, and helped show off just what the PlayStation was capable of in terms of its 3D graphics and CD sound. And, of course, it helped define the console as being a bit more edgy and grown-up than the previous Nintendo and Sega stalwarts.

Super Mario Bros. (NES, 1988): what can be said about one of the most iconic games of all time? Mario Bros defined not only a console, not only a generation, but arguably an entire artform. Creating what we now know as a platform game, it expanded and surpassed the basic template of Donkey Kong into a roaming adventure, part twitch-gaming reaction test, part puzzle game. I played a lot of copycat games on my Amiga, but even then, as a whiny computer brat, I knew that Mario was better. Even when my cousins got a MegaDrive and Sonic, I knew – deep in my heart – that Mario was better. It's a deep game, an endlessly replayable game, a supremely fair game despite its difficulty. I think it’s hard to overstate just how good, or how influential, Mario was.

Project Gotham Racing (Xbox, 2001): I tried hard to pick a different platform for every game in this list, but I couldn’t exclude PGR. This may be tied up with my biography a little bit, but my other half and I played this game to death. I never think of myself as a big racer fan, but every once in a while a title comes out that I just really, really get into – Jaguar XJ220 on the Amiga, Midtown Madness on PC, the Forza Horizon series nowadays – and PGR did that in spades. A gorgeous arcade racer, it was a great launch title to show off the sheer grunt of the Xbox; then, as now, the most powerful console on the market. It also offered a terrific four-player split-screen. But its Kudos feature – borrowed from semi-prequel Metropolis Street Racer – offered ways to win outside of sheer racing graft, awarding cool driving. I still love the original, and I kinda wish they’d bring back or reimagine its city-based driving for a future release or Forza spin-off.

Lumines: Puzzle Fusion (PSP, 2004): okay, so this is a bit of a cheat as I've barely played the original PSP version, but Lumines is just phenomenal; the best moving-blocks-around game since Tetris, and probably the most influential one since then too (for the record, I've played it extensively on multiple other platforms). An excellent spin on a Tetris-a-like, its use of music and colour made it a beautiful, brilliant sensory experience. With Sony entering the handheld market, the PSP needed a USP, something vibrant and cool that suited a portable experience, and Lumines provided it in spades; also its funky visuals and music was a good fit for Sony’s brand.

Well, that was fun, and a lot harder than I expected. If you’re enjoying a new console this Christmas, then hopefully you’ll have fun with one of the new launch titles too – even if I doubt any (apart from maybe Astro) would trouble a list like this in the future (although I do think The Falconeer looks all kinds of cool).

#top ten #games #gaming #launch games #xbox series x #xbox series s #playstation 5 #nintendo #switch #halo #mario #zelda

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lostsummerdayz · 4 years

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Will Jet Set Radio Ever Come To The PS4? It Already Has

The Better Question Would Be... When Will We Experience It?

by Nay Holland

If anyone knows me, they know that I am a Jet Set Radio fan to the core. It was one of the few games I wore to the ground on my Sega Dreamcast. It was the source of my first ever cosplay. My earlier fightstick art was based off of Gum from the original game. There hasn’t been a game that impacted my childhood much like this game had.

All one need to do is check Twitter to see the Rudies (fans of the series) tweet about wanting their games on modern consoles including their love for the games themselves. Especially on the PlayStation 4. (Check out the #JetSetSona tag if you hadn’t already!)

So it came as a surprise when I wound up reading a tweet from the official Japanese PlayStation account, with a link to a blog post and Jet Set Radio front and center.

Now, I’m not going to pretend my Japanese is fluent. It really isn’t. I had to use the help of Google Translate to take the wheel for me.

From what I could gather, the post showcased several Sega classics that are currently on PlayStation streaming service, PS Now. These titles include Crazy Taxi, Virtua Fighter 2, and of course, Jet Set Radio.

You can read the blog post here.

What I found most interesting is that Jet Set Radio is actually on PS Now. The caveat is that it’s only on the Japanese PS Now at the time of this writing.

So what gives? Why is a timeless classic, that is arguably more popular among the Western audience than the Japanese, currently Japan-exclusive on the Sony console?

This is especially puzzling as the game has been made backwards compatible on the Xbox One since 2016. Being that you can still purchase the game for PlayStation 3, I don’t believe it’s much in the way of a licensing issue as well. Perhaps there’s a slated release for the Western PS Now users in the future? Only time will tell.

How did such a niche series attain a devoted fanbase? How did it ever get to this point? In order to answer these questions, we have to look back a bit.

In the turn of the millennium in the year 2000, Sega blessed the world with a culture bomb. Combining the beats and aesthetic of Hip Hop culture with a modern rebellious “stick-it-to-the-man” attitude, Jet Set Radio was a game that was light years ahead of its time.

Praised for the music and art direction, the game never had a chance to kick off as it was a victim of its own success. For those who had played it, it was herald as a masterpiece. However, majority wouldn’t have the chance to experience this moving work of art for themselves as the discontinuation of the Sega Dreamcast loomed. Smilebit, the developers of Jet Set Radio, found their new home on the Xbox.

In 2003, they released a reboot of the original game titled Jet Set Radio Future, which was an entirely new game from the ground up. It still had the blend of Hip Hop culture and art, yet it was set in a dystopian, totalitarian-esque future instead of the modern era of the previous game.

This shift of attitude and gameplay won a set of fans that would stick around to this day. The original fans of Jet Set Radio wouldn’t see their beloved game return until 2012, twelve years after its original release.

This HD remaster version of the original game, released on Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and Steam, featured updated graphics to fit the expected HD quality of games at the time. The rest of the gameplay at its core was kept the same, welcoming old fans of an oft long forgotten game and ushering in new curious ones. With the release of the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4, however, this version was rendered obsolete.

At least, until it became backwards compatible on the Xbox One in 2016 as mentioned earlier.

While there are many options for the original Jet Set Radio, the Jet Set Radio Future release continues to be lost in the wind. As of this time of writing, the game is yet to be backwards compatible with Xbox One.

The Xbox 360 compatibility is notoriously bad in some sections of the game, specifically on 99th Street. This means that the best way to experience Future remains on the original Xbox.

There are, of course, other ways to experience the game, with Xbox emulation on the come-up in the past several years. But the fans want to support the series. Again, just take an afternoon to look through Twitter. Fan support is quite massive even in this current year.

Sega themselves haven’t been ignorant. They have included several characters of the series in various Sega titles as well as include cameos in the style of costumes for games like Sonic Forces. Occasionally you’ll see a tweet or two from the official Sega page referencing the series.

With this recent tweet and post from Sony themselves, however, they understand the concept of love game’s resounding popularity. When you have official companies stoking the flames of the community by acknowledging that they exist, it’s difficult not to have hope for the future.

Maybe one day we will see Jet Set Radio on the American PS Now. Perhaps we will somehow see Future on any modern console. Again, only time will tell.

#jet set radio #video game

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biscuitreviews · 4 years

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Biscuit Reviews Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Many game titles have a long lasting legacy: Mario, Sonic, Final Fantasy, and just recently, The Sims, are some of the titles that have existed and have been beloved to many generations of gamers. However, one series that has just as much of a lasting legacy, is a series that has never been popular in the West, Dragon Quest. Even though this series has never gained the traction that many other titles have, Dragon Quest has laid down the very foundation that for not only the JRPG genre, but for the RPG genre as well.

I’ve always been curious about this franchise and I have dipped my toes in it with Dragon Quest VIII. I never finished it, but the little bit that I have played I did enjoy. So with some gift cards and itching for a new game on my Switch, I went in with the latest entry into the series, Dragon Quest XI.

Dragon Quest XI starts with the birth of your self-named character. He is the Luminary, a person born to combat the Dark One. For the purposes of this review, I will simply refer to this character as Luminary as he seems to not have a canon name. Your quest, travel to the World Tree Yggdrasil to obtain the Sword of Light to defeat the Dark One. This premise is very simple and doesn’t really leave much of a lasting impression. Instead, it’s the characters within your party and their stories that carry you through the main plot.

Going through the main plot is also handled in an episodic way. You travel the world, hit a town, take on said town’s quest that may or may not deal with the main quest, solve problem, mainly through fighting the villain of the day, and moving on. We’ve seen this format in many old style RPGs and we still see some of that today in modern titles.

My biggest complaint regarding Dragon Quest XI actually lies within the Luminary itself. He’s a silent protagonist, literally. I get the design choice of a silent protagonist, it’s so the player can project themselves to the character. However, game design has evolved to where the silent protagonist does show hints of personality and interact with the world in more than just being a vessel for the player. In Dragon Quest XI’s case, that’s all the Luminary is, a vessel. He doesn’t really react or interact much with his surroundings, which in my opinion caused a disconnect between this character and me as a player. Yes, you could argue that games like Outer World or Elder Scrolls have a silent character that doesn’t interact much, but you have a choice in their personality and how the world interacts due to those decisions. Even the Persona series, who’s protagonist are traditionally silent, interact with the cast to display personality and the dialogue choices you select are reflective of their specific personality that they showcase.

As for Dragon Quest XI’s gameplay, it’s perhaps the strongest part of this game. Dragon Quest XI marks a celebration of 30 years of the series. So what better way to give the player the choice on how they tackle this RPG, by going modern or old school. You have the option to play the game in modern 3D or old style 16 bit graphics. It’s not just certain sections of the game either, its picking a style to play through the entire game. In a way, the game was built twice to accommodate the preferred style.

Even combat is fully customizable. Granted it’s turn based one way or another, but you can have it either as a traditional turn based RPG where your party is on one side, the enemies on the other and you just take turns going back and forth. The other option allows for a more open battlefield where positioning matters as it can alter how big area of effect spells and abilities play out.

Also, these options can be changed at any point in the game. You can even go back to any point in the game you played and retain all the experience, gold, and equipment when you switch between the 2D and 3D views.

There’s also a series of side quests that take place in previous Dragon Quest games. This is definitely catered more for long time fans of the franchise, but can serve as little nuggets for newcomers to possibly look into other Dragon Quest games.

Now Dragon Quest XI actually has post-game content. This ranges from extra bosses, dungeons and even story content. I love games that have this additional content as it gives you extra challenges and reasons to continue playing. However, post game story took a real hard tumble and greatly weakened the overall story of Dragon Quest XI. How does it weaken it you might ask?

Time travel.

Now, I am a big fan of time travel stories, it’s one of my favorite sci-fi tropes. How Dragon Quest handled time travel in the post game was perhaps the biggest disservice to its story. It negated all of the character growth your entire party went through in the 60+ hour journey. Which at first it made sense and I was for it. At the point in the story that you travel back to, all learned skills, equipment, and levels on all of my characters at that point are present. Which makes sense and honestly I thought it was a really cool detail. But, there’s a point in the story where the party gets all of their powers back prior to the time travel. Which would be fine, however I had a big issue with it. Those powers were tied to important character driven moments in the story and to just get that back in an instant cheapened it. In some cases, it made no sense. For example Rab, the Luminary’s grandfather, had to undergo additional training to get his new powers. Jade, the Luminary’s sister, had to undergo a very traumatic hypnosis to obtain her new powers. It’s that way with every single character. They just reobtain their new powers without having to go through a new growth moment in this new timeline.

I felt it would have made more sense if they had to undergo a different journey to obtain those powers again or find some way to merge their new selves with their previous timeline selves to make re-acquiring these abilities earned.

For Dragon Quest XI, I don’t know if this is the best entry point into the series. Its story is a bit on the bland side, but the gameplay is really strong. Despite having a downer story in the post game, I have to admit that the additional bosses and dungeons were fun and challenging. It did also have me interested in going back and trying previous Dragon Quest titles, especially the first three titles to see that history of the JRPG genre establishing mechanics that have been improved over time.

Dragon Quest XI receives a 3 out 5

#Dragon Quest XI #Dragon Quest #Biscuit Reviews #video game review #game review #gaming review #Square Enix

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thebandcampdiaries · 5 years

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Foolish Senpai - Akusen Kutou | 悪戦苦闘

Foolish Senpai is definitely not your average hip-hop artist. This unique project combines the innovative sounds of in the rap with many other styles, including alternatives and underground hip-hop music. From modern to old school, there is a really broad range of sound that fuels the music of this act. The most recent studio project, Akusen Kutou | 悪戦苦闘, is actually a really perfect example of what I am talking about. The record features seven songs. Each track brings something special to the table, and there is even room for some collaborations, bringing even more sonic variety to the table and making the album all the more interesting. The opening song, “Uphill Battle,” also includes a contribution by Styles P, kicking off the release with a bang.

In addition to that, the second track, “Family Time,” is yet another banger. The song kicks off with a mellow piano melody, with some vocals filtered away in the background. However, the vocals become more and more defined, leading to a very edgy and dynamic beat. “Rotating Thoughts” also features Eric Castiglia. This is another amazing example of how great production aesthetics blend in with some awesome vocals. This track has an intimate feel to it, giving the music a really open-ended feel. “Climatize,” featuring Shawn Wolf Wollery, is one of my favorite tracks on this release. It stands out rhythmically and melodically, and I love the texture of the vocals, which are almost whispered in some points! The coming song, “Divine Conscious Energy,” is a really fantastic song, giving the album a more introspective theme. The vocals make me think of artists as diverse ad Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar, with some of the best lyrics on the entire EP, for sure! The next song, “Wrestling My Demons,” features a cool vocal part from Breana Marin, and the production has a warm old school fee, with some edgy guitar sections as well. This is definitely one of the catches songs on the EP, and it is amazing to see how the artist is able to tackle so many approaches. Last, but definitely not least, Escape My Pain is definitely setting the bar higher as a perfect curtain closer!

Find out more about Foolish Senpai and listen to Akusen Kutou | 悪戦苦闘

We also had the chance to catch up with the artist for a few questions. Keep reading to check out our interview!

I love how you manage to render your tracks so personal and organic. Does the melody come first, or do you focus on the beat the most?

Answer: When I am in the studio, I will listen to different beats and if I can instantly come up with the melody then I know that I’m heading in the right direction production-wise. Afterward, I will continue to listen to the music and write down what feelings/concepts come to me. This was my approach during the writing process of “Akusen Kutou”.

Do you perform live? If so, do you feel more comfortable on a stage or within the walls of the recording studio?

Answer: I have performed live in the past. I would like to start performing on a regular basis here soon. I think I am in my element the most when I’m in the studio putting together words. But, I still love the energy of performing and seeing how the music connects with different people.

If you could only pick one song to make a “first impression” on a new listener, which song would you pick and why?

Answer: I would pick “Uphill Battle” because I feel like it’s a great summary of my journey and struggles up until this point. This song highlights my skillset as an artist and displays to a new listener how I am constantly working to perfect my craft.

What does it take to be “innovative” in music?

Answer: I believe an artist should focus on mastering their craft and focus on making the music that they want to make. As an artist, we cannot worry about what other people are creating. I believe “innovative” is when you are staying true to yourself as an artist and perfecting your craft so that you will never be in competition with anyone except yourself.

Any upcoming release or tour your way?

Answer: Yes, I’m currently working on the visuals for the songs off the project. In addition, I am currently working on some spoken word poetry and a couple singles that I have planned to drop in 2020 sometime.

Anywhere online where curious fans can listen to your music and find out more about you?

Answer: Yes, you can find me on YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and all other streaming platforms by typing in “Foolish Senpai – Akusen Kutou”! Also, follow me on Instagram to stay up to date @foolish_senpai .

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firebirdtransam68 · 5 years

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Are The Names In Anime Originally Japanese Or English? It All Depends On What You Grew Up With

I am making this post to explain what I have observed from the English-speaking community.

We know many people really like anime, right? We grew up with shows like Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Sonic X, Digimon Adventures, the Transformers Unicron Trilogy, and for much older fans, Voltron, Robotech, Star Blazers, and Battle Of The Planets. The only thing is, these shows, originally in the Japanese language, were dubbed in English because many marketers didn’t think people in America, Canada, or any other English-speaking country would enjoy a foreign show, even if it had English subtitles. The only problem is, many anime shows targeted to younger fans (mainly children) were heavily censored and the dialogue was changed to make it more family-friendly. The upside is, if companies like World Events Productions and 4Kids Entertainment did not dub the shows, we wouldn’t be able to access the original shows with English subtitles, and we can fully understand how Japanese media differ from American, Canadian, or English media.

Anyway, I remember when I was younger watching bits and pieces of Robotech (a mesh of the Super Dimension Fortress Macross trilogy) with my father, who had it on VHS. Then I remember watching a few episodes and movies of Pokemon a little later after I witnessed Robotech. I also remember going to a now-defunct video store where Sonic X was playing (before I even knew the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise). They all shared one thing in common; they were all in the English language. And as I have seen the shows, I noticed at times the mouths do not match the dialogue; and I never understood why the animation was different from media like Disney, Don Bluth, or the Loony Tunes.

I did not know what anime really is until I was in middle school and high school. I didn’t even understand the ‘fetish’ of such design. That is, until I witnessed a few girls watching the original Sailor Moon anime in English subtitles. As I viewed a few scenes, I noticed the characters’ mouths matched the language being spoken; and the tone was more serious and less silly like most Western cartoon shows. Not to mention, most characters look more realistic, such as having five fingers instead of four.

And then I got curious with original Japanese anime shows (back in the olden days, anime was called Japanimation, and later was respectfully called anime), and I came across a mecha show called Beast King Golion (the original show for Voltron: Defender Of The Universe). I watched a few episodes with English subtitles, and I noticed how dark it was compared to American children’s shows (they show blood, death, real-life situations that adults can understand, and they swear too, usually saying words like “hell,” “damn,” “crap,” “bastard,” “bitch,” and the occasional “s**t”). Then I saw Voltron, and I noticed how much the dub changed the whole plot of the anime; violence was toned down, hardly any blood on screen, no swear words, somewhat poor voice acting with a few exceptions, and even the characters’ names were different. The only good qualities I see in Voltron was, of course, the name of the titular mech, and the kickass soundtrack of the 1980′s.

Later, as I look up different anime clips with English subtitles, I wondered if the characters speak English in the original version; and sure enough, there were clips that showed just that (it was awesome, funny, and bizarre; or even both or all three at the same time). What took me by surprise is that there was a Sonic X clip where Sonic occasionally throws in English in the original language. I didn’t even KNOW there was a Sonic The Hedgehog anime, and that threw me off in a good way. I started watching a few episodes with English subtitles, and then compared them to the English dubbed episodes; the original is the winner! And that was how I became a Sonic The Hedgehog fan, along with the Shadow The Hedgehog (2005) and the Sonic ‘06 games.

And then, interestingly, I discovered Pocket Monsters (the original Pokemon series) when I was browsing for more anime. I noticed how the main character, Ash Ketchum, had a different name, Satoshi, but they were the same character; they just happened to have different names in different languages. I was used to the name Ash, but I gradually started to like the name Satoshi even more, because it is the original show in its original language.

I have been a fan of Transformers ever since I watched the live action films by Michael Bay. It isn’t until The Transformers (1984-1987) and The Transformers: The Movie (1986) in which I started to like the Generation One (G1) Transformers because they originated in the 1980′s (which I really like, even though I wasn’t existent yet back in the day). I have many characters I like; my favorite Autobot is Ironhide, who was a black truck in the 2007 live action film, and a red van in the G1 version. Both of these incarnations share similar traits; Ironhide is just an awesome robot, he is trigger-happy (especially in the live action film), has a deep and gruff voice, is funny at times, is stubborn on a few things, and simply makes me smile; and in the live-action film’s case, my father owns a truck, and one of my favorite colors is black (just like KITT from the 1982 show, Knight Rider). I was disheartened by his death by the traitorous Sentinel Prime in Dark Of The Moon (2011), and at the hands of Megatron in the 1986 movie. And my favorite Decepticon is Starscream; who doesn’t love a backstabbing fighter jet anyways?

Now, I am sure you are probably asking, “what does this have to do with anime?” Well, I had the realization many months ago that Transformers Armada, Energon, and Cybertron (which all make up the Unicron Trilogy) were all anime series; so I looked each of them up in AnimeNewsNetwork, starting with Armada. (I wanted to check out the shows because I heard from many fans how this incarnation of Starscream subverts the traitorous role, and how he was the most likeable Decepticon in the whole series) The site shows the Japanese cast first, since it is the original language, and I was happy to see that Ironhide was there, as well. But, when I looked at the English cast, I couldn’t see the name anywhere. Interestingly, the Japanese credits called Optimus Prime Convoy, so maybe in Armada, this particular Autobot was not called Ironhide. And sure enough, when I started watching the show in English subtitles (the original is called Micron Legend), I was mostly right. What took me by surprise is that this Ironhide was not an old Autobot like many traditional Ironhides from the G1 and the Bayformers films, but a young Decepticon missile tank. Starscream is not the only Transformer to subvert the original roles of past incarnations. Apparently, this is the only Transformers continuation where Ironhide is a Decepticon. However, he shared many traits with his G1 counterpart as well; he is tough like how he should be, is funny (and surprisingly cute, not very many Ironhides is that lovable like this one), is stubborn some of the times, has a deep gruff voice, is trigger-happy (especially if you piss him off or cross Megatron in front of him), and instantly became a likable Transformer because of those traits; and he had probably the saddest death in the whole Unicron trilogy when I started watching Energon (originally called Superlink). I was disappointed when Megatron (now called Galvatron) put his abandoned spark into a new, and unattractive, body, and called him Irontread (didn’t stop me from watching the whole anime series because as I watched it futher, it shared many similarities with The Transformers: The Movie, particularly Unicron’s design, and the green helicopter we know as Springer (Japan calls him Sprung; not sure why...); the only thing missing in Superlink is “The Touch”). Next to Starscream, Ironhide is my favorite Transformer in the whole Unicron Trilogy. And what was his English dubbed name in Armada? Demolishor.

Ever since I watched these shows, I started to like them so much, maybe even more so than G1; probably because the Transformers had many human traits (for instance, they grunt and groan in pain more times than G1; oh and some of them actually cry, mainly younger Transformers like Ironhide in Micron Legend and Wing Dagger in Superlink), and was the first time I see them with teeth and different colored optics, instead of the traditional blue and red for the Autobots and Decepticons, respectively.

I notice many Trans-fans know many characters in the Unicron Trilogy by their English names because that was what they grew up with, or were used to seeing. And whenever someone points out the original names, they would interject, saying something like “its X, not Y!” (For example, “it’s Jetfire, not Skyfire!”) However, there are people like me who will point out what the original names are without trying to denigrate mainstream fans. Then again, I, too, get a little frustrated whenever a fan doesn’t call a character by their original name. But, if all else fails, I just let them call a character whatever they want to call them, because I cannot change their minds if they are absolutely certain of what the character’s name is, even if it is not their original name.

Then again, even the Japanese dub of the original Transformers shows and movies changed the names of certain characters because they believed it was cooler, easier to pronounce, or they didn’t like the name for some reason. For example, Optimus Prime was called Convoy, Sideswipe was called Lambor, Bumblebee was called Bumble, Devastator was called Devastor, Shockwave was called Lazerwave, Lazerbeak was called Condor, and Springer was called Sprung. (And Autobots and Decepticons were called Cybertrons and Destrons, respectively, and the planet Cybertron was called Seibertron.) In Micron Legend and Superlink, such names were the characters’ original names in the show.

Here are some characters in Micron Legend with their original and dubbed names (the rest not listed kept their names):

- Convoy = Optimus Prime

- Ratchet = Red Alert

- Hot Rod = Hot Shot

- Devastator = Scavenger

- Grap (possibly Grapple?) = Smokescreen/Hoist

- Ironhide = Demolishor

- Sandstorm = Cyclonus

- Silverbolt = Blurr (who is nothing like G1 Blurr at all)

- Doubleface = Sideways

- Wheelie = High Wire

- Bank = Grindor

- Arcee = Sureshock

- Bumble(bee) = Perceptor

- Shockwave = Tidal Wave

- Rampage = Wheeljack

- Stepper = Sideswipe

- Scourge = Nemesis Prime (Scourge’s name was not mentioned in Micron Legend, but that is what was confirmed in AnimeNewsNetwork and other anime sites)

- Megatron (Super Mode) = Galvatron

- Grid = Swindle

- Search = Blackout

- Barrel = Leader-1

- Prime = Sparkplug

- Alexa = Alexis

- Jim = Fred

- Amphitrite = not even given a name!

Here are the characters in Superlink, along with a few characters from Micron Legend (Armada):

- Grand Convoy = Optimus Prime

- Skyfire = Jetfire (I don’t know what happened to Jetfire and Hot Rod from Micron Legend; maybe they were reformatted without further explanation, replaced with newer characters, or the creators fixed Jetfire’s name to Skyfire and Hot Rod was so damaged that he had to be reformatted and was called Hot Shot, or according to some sites, matured into Hot Shot)

- Inferno V = Roadblock

- Roadbuster = Ironhide (who looked and acted nothing like the Ironhide I am so familiar with; is very unlikeable, compared to Roadbuster, who IS more likeable; and it is quite amusing to see two Ironhides fighting each other in Episode 10, with the one speaking English and the one speaking Japanese; there must be a crack fic about this somewhere...)

- Rodimus Convoy = Rodimus Prime (he was called Rodimus Convoy in the Japanese dub of G1)

- Red Alert = Prowl

- Airglide = Skyblast

- Blastarm = Strongarm

- Ariel = Arcee

- Springer = Bulkhead

- Overdrive = Cliffjumper

- Wheeljack = Downshift

- Galvatron (before recoloration) = Megatron (in Superlink, he explicitly said, “call me Galvatron-sama,” and he looked like his G1 counterpart as well)

- Nightscream = Starscream (since Starscream was killed by Unicron in Micron Legend after he used up all his energy from his spark, which is presumed destroyed. Yeah, sadly, Starscream never came back in Superlink; although Nightscream looks a lot like G1 Starscream even more than Armada Starscream)

- Mega-Zarak = Scorponok (G1 Scorponok’s Japanese dub name was Mega-Zarak; not sure why the creators called him that, though...)

- Sandstorm/Snowstorm = Cyclonus/Snow Cat

- Ironhide/Irontread = Demolishor/still Demolishor (what, no cooler name like Devastator, Basher, Groundcrusher or Destructor for his new body?)

- Shockwave/Shockfleet = Tidal Wave/Mirage

- Lazerwave = the real Shockwave (in Energon, he is called Shockblast, which I think is silly, so I will call him Lazerwave for Superlink’s sake)

- Buildron = Constructicon Maximus (note that Buildron is the Japanese dub name for Constructicon in G1)

- Bruticus = Bruticus Maximus

- Superion = Superion Maximus

- Superion’s brother = Dauntless Maximus (I will call him Dauntless)

- Alexa = Alexis

I have not seen Galaxy Force as often as Micron Legend and Superlink, but I will list a few characters that I can remember with the sub and dub names respectively:

- Galaxy Convoy = Optimus Prime

- Dreadrock = Jetfire

- Guardshell = Landmine

- Demolishor = Mudflap

- Sonic Bomber = Wing Saber

- First Aid = Red Alert

- Nitro Convoy (male) = Override (female)

- Exillion = Hot Shot

- Chromia = Thunderblast (yes, Chromia, usually an Autobot’s name, is a Decepticon in Galaxy Force)

- Noisemaze = Sideways

- Metroplex = Megalo Convoy (I don’t really know his name; that is what I got from some sources when I was trying to find out what this Transformer’s name was)

Anyways, since I saw the original versions, it can be really difficult for me to refer them to the English dubbed names so many fans can understand what I am saying. I am sure others feel the same way as well.

Well, that is all I will be saying so far. I will post more blogs, pictures, and memes when I have the time.

This is FirebirdTransAm68 signing out.

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brendancorris · 6 years

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The Rise of the TMNT First Thoughts

Being that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has always been, what I consider, my biggest fandom, I feel it’s only natural I leave my two cents on what we know so far of their upcoming 4th animated series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and what everybody’s been saying about it recently.

So the official designs were finally release, and of course, everybody’s mad, freaking out, and acting as if all hope for humanity is gone. I’ll be honest, the character designs are not immediately appealing to me, but something needs to be clarified first...

The most common complaint I see is “the art style sucks”. Now, it’s fair to say that the style doesn’t appeal to you personally, but discrediting these obviously talented artists and their extremely expressive and lively style is just a lie and/or lack of any real knowledge of artistic skill. Is it an appropriate style for the TMNT? That’s up to you to decide for yourself, but saying it is bad artwork is just ignorant.

Now, just to make things clear, I myself am not super into these designs, and feel the style isn’t the best representation of what TMNT is, but I’ll never say it’s bad, and will continue to stay optimistic. Let’s not forget that most of us, myself included, were hating on the 2012 series hardcore after its initial debut. While I still don’t find the art style choice or designs to be the most appealing in the 2012 series, there’s no denying it is an amazing series - arguably the best writing the franchise has ever had. While it isn’t MY Turtles, which will always be the 87 Turtles, it’s a damn good version, and one I’m proud to see younger generations grow up with.

But when we heard April and Casey were teens, saw the Turtle designs, saw how huge Splinter was, we all wrote off the 2012 series with having never see it. Once we saw it, then we had to eat our words. Let’s not walk into the same trap over and over again. In this day and age everybody’s so quick to give a severe black and white, night and day opinion on something before even knowing much about it. You’d think we’d get sick of constantly having to apologizing for judging something based on a picture reveal when it comes out. Not saying this in particular will turn out to be great. It might suck. But we can’t possibly know that yet, so let’s stay optimistic and at least happy that our favorite franchises are being kept alive and given consistent love through the generations. The age of the self-entitled, crabby, whiny man-baby/woman-baby nerds has to end.

As for those concerned about the story changes, I get your concern. But, again, it isn’t the first time the team was completely re-worked. April and Casey Jones as teenage kids was already a crazy enough change in the 2012 series, but then take into account April was also part mutant which gave her psychic powers, and she discovered a gem she wore around her neck that brought out evil in her and strengthened her powers to be Thanos-level is a REALLY huge departure from the prior iterations, and a seemingly stupid as hell direction on paper. Hell, Irma was a teenager revealed to be a robot body for a Krang spy. They REALLY took their liberties in the 2012 series. Even one of the most popular additions, Don’s crush on April, was completely new for that series.

My inner TMNT-fanchild does get a bit ticked when he hears that now Raph will be the leader and Leo will be cool and narcissistic, but we gotta remember what this is. Not only a new retelling for a new generation, but a retelling of a franchise that has been retold and severely altered dozens of times. No two Turtles stories add up. Also, this is being targeted strongly at little kids. Raph has always been the most marketable Turtle, the most iconic and widely referenced/recognized, and most popular among children, so making him the leader isn’t too shocking too me. Hell, even Partners in Kryme didn’t know Raph was’t the leader back in 1990 in the official film.

One thing I’ve heard a lot of hate for is the fact that April O’Neil is African American in the new series. It’s a difficult topic to touch upon, but I feel there’s good and bad points to it. The good is obviously getting more diverse representation in lovable, iconic roles in media, especially those for younger audiences. The bad, however, is like Stan Lee once said in regards to race-bending characters. Getting diversity in media is wonderful, but changing a pre-existing, well-established and celebrated character’s ethnicity simply to meet the quota is sort of a cheap shot. April, in all animated forms, has been a red-headed Irish girl I(hence the last name). It’s just as iconic to her as the fact that Leonardo wears blue and wields katana. Ethnicity, while a touchy subject, is a part of somebody. If they want diversity, they should add new characters of diverse backgrounds, or at least change lesser supporting roles, or at least that’s how I feel. Again, it’s a touchy subject, so I can totally understand somebody disagreeing, and that’s fine to do so.

Ultimately I feel everybody just needs to cool their jets on this. We see this happen SO often with franchises these days. The internet has sadly contributed towards heightening the selfishness of fandoms, and exaggerated opinions on everything. Every fan likes to think that their version is the definitive version, and that they are superior for liking the version they do. Everybody’s free to like what they like, and even if something you don’t care for comes out, it doesn’t take your version away from you. Each TMNT series ran for years. Whichever version you prefer, there is more than enough to watch to feed your hunger.

So how do I feel? Hard to say. I never regularly watched episodes of any TMNT animated series outside of the 87 series, but I always give each show many viewings before judging it. While this is surely not my TMNT, nor do I predict it become a fandom of mine, I’m still hyped for it, staying optimistic, and impressed by the artwork, for the most part. This art style looks like it could really make way for some great action scenes. There are some changes I’m not sold on, like some of the altered weapons and personalities, but, again, there’s 30 years worth of TMNT content with the old weapons and personalities, and I’m still giving this show the benefit of the doubt before really seeing it. I’m actually really curious to see the villain designs. Shredder could look awesome in this style. And if they bring in Bebop and Rocksteady I’ll be pretty darrn happy. At the very least, this series is once again making me excited to see which of my childhood characters will return. Mondo Gecko? Rat King? Wyrm? Mona Lisa? Slash? The Neutrinos? I’d love to see how this unique re-imagining could put a new spin on old favorites, and breathe new life into my favorite cast of mutants since 1987.

Here’s staying positive, and let’s not make the pre-release Sonic Boom mistake twice. That cartoon turned out to be comedy GOLD (and actually my favorite Sonic cartoon to date).

And PLEASE, let’s remember there are far greater wrongs being done in the world than cartoon characters being redesigned.

#rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles #Brendan Corris #BrendanCorris

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timeagainreviews · 6 years

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The Eve of the Thirteenth

Recently I watched "An Unearthly Child," in preparation to write the first official article of Time and Time Again (TATA? Ok, I love that). But then it hit me that it’s a rather auspicious time to talk about the First Doctor’s first episode. With this being the eve of the first female Doctor’s first episode, it seems so appropriate. So I’m going to wait until after "The Woman Who Fell to Earth," drops. See what I did there?

I know this blog is meant to be about revisiting episodes, but the timing is just too good. Besides, it is my blog. However, this being said, I suppose I should share my hopes and expectations for series eleven.

Jodie Whittaker as "The Doctor"

Not since maybe Eccleston has anyone had as difficult a regeneration to overcome. While every actor new to the role feels a pressure to keep the show going, I’d say some feel it harder than others. Davison had to follow up an endearing seven-year run from Tom Baker. McGann had the pressure of trying to reestablish the show, as did Eccleston. Many people even said nobody could replace David Tennant. But the one I am reminded of the most is Patrick Troughton. Troughton was really one of those "make it or break it," Doctors. The concept of regeneration was far from established lore, it was rather a gamble.

Jodie Whittaker has a very similar weight on her shoulders. It’s another one of those "make it or break it" moments. The beauty is, I think she knows it. Everyone involved knows it. However, as much as I’ve emphasised on the pressures involved, I’m confident they chose the right woman for the job. She looks like a children’s show presenter in her costume, which is wonderfully coupled with her mad energy. For me, it’s never been about "We need a woman in the TARDIS," we need the right person in the role, and she’s perfect.

Doctor Who is the ideal show to change the gender or race of its lead. On a science fiction level, it makes total sense that the Doctor is able to change these things with ease. It’s almost laughable that it’s taken this long. It’s almost poetic. The Doctor- a man who has experienced thousands of years worth of exploration and change, still has something new to experience- womanhood. It is, as they say, about time.

The Companions

Honestly, I’m not that fussed over these companions. That’s not to say I’m disinterested or even upset with their casting. I feel confident they’ll all shine in their own ways, and live up to the show’s standard of companions. I think it’s cool that the Doctor’s friends this time around, are rather diverse. As a fan of older companions such as Wilf, or Evelyn Smythe, I am rather looking forward to Bradley Walsh as "Graham." Tamsin and Ryan both seem like they’re going to have some cute banter between the two of them. It seems pretty solid.

Many may say "That’s a pretty crowded TARDIS," but I like the bigger TARDIS crews at times, as they can be a nice way to add a new dynamic. The thing that would have actually excited me would have been a companion from the future, or past. Or even an alien companion. Not since Captain Jack, have we had anyone riding in the TARDIS who wasn’t from the present-day UK. We got teased with it in "Asylum of the Daleks," with Oswin, and again in "The Snowmen," but then we ended up with modern day Clara Oswald. I had even hoped for Bill to be from the 80’s or 90’s. Where are the highlander companions? The Keepers of Traken? I guess Nardol sort of counts, but come on.

Chris Chibnall

Mr Chibnall is probably my biggest worry for the series. As a writer, I’ve never been all that big a fan of his episodes. "The Power of Three," was one I found particularly dreadful. When the Doctor saved the day by pointing his sonic at a screen, I felt cheated. The little cubes amounted to nothing, really. It’s not that he’s a bad writer, he’s just a bit dull. He managed to make “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship,” less exciting than the name implies. That’s probably impressive on some planets.

Overall, I think he’ll do fine, I’m just worried he’ll be a bit boring. I hadn’t worried much until he said that no old baddies would return in series eleven. Which, is fine I guess, but why not? While the Daleks and Cybermen can be really overdone (especially the Cybermen as of late), there is a wealth of villains to draw from the Doctor’s rogues' gallery. One group I’d like to see her face off against are the Axons. Whittaker’s "Godspell" evoking threads call for retro baddies!

So long as Chibnall doesn’t get too dark like he did with Torchwood (which literally felt like a little boy excited over getting to say the F-word), I’d say he’ll do fine. Parts of Torchwood were a bit "lizard brain," to its credit. Doctor Who should always have a touch of the surreal. The first episode had it. An indestructible police box, bigger on the inside, that travels anywhere in time and space? It seems normal now, but even to this day, there’s nothing quite like it. Keep the energy up, and keep it weird, you’ll do fine, Chris. It’s not like you’ll get the series cancelled again.

The New Writing Staff and Production Crew

I’ll be honest, I don’t know much anything about the writers. I’ve looked them up and read about some of their stuff, but that’s about as far as I’ve taken it. I will say however, it’s nice to see so much new blood. Men, women, people of colour, many perspectives. Doctor Who thrives on being shaken up. I’m all for it.

As for the new production crew, it’s even more of the same- happy to see someone new. I know a few people were growing tired of the whimsical look of much of the Moffat era. And at times, I kind of miss the tacky trash TV look of the RTD era. From what I’ve seen of the series 11 trailer, we’re in for something a little more grounded in reality. The cinematography looks rather simple, the sets seem plausible, if not a little dull. I’m hoping they’re hiding the big knock you on your ass sets and cinematography for the actual episodes. I would not be averse to having a show that looked as colourful as the promotional artwork we’ve been seeing. It’s gorgeous. A feast for the eyes. If the leaked TARDIS console pictures are anything to go off, I’d say they’ve kept some rather exciting secrets from us.

Segun Akinola replacing Murray Gold

Music is such an important part of Doctor Who. The theme song is both haunting and exciting: portentous of the tale about to unfold. The Radiophonic Workshop, with geniuses of sound like Delia Derbyshire and Ron Grainer, pushed not only the atmosphere of the show to greater heights but music as well. In the same vein as musique concrète, they were pioneers of electronic sound.

Upon the reveal of Akinola’s appointment as music director, I promptly sought out his SoundCloud and spent an entire afternoon listening to his stuff. I was heartened to hear he was both melodic and ambient at different times. His music is minimalist, and percussive as well. One of my biggest criticisms of Murray Gold was that he was too safe a choice. For me, he never really felt strange enough for Doctor Who.

Perhaps I am an odd duck, but I miss the days of the Third Doctor driving his bizarre car to a soundtrack of muddy synthesisers that sounded as if they wanted to murder you. The closest Gold ever came to that level of greatness was the aforementioned "Asylum of the Daleks." The music matched the tone of the episode exquisitely. I had hoped to hear more of that experimentation from him, but he never really did. Akinola seems the kind of guy who just might take us to strange places.

As we all know though, the true test will be in his imagining of the theme tune. I was never a huge fan of the Capaldi era theme. It didn’t really, slap as they say. From what I’ve heard of Akinola’s work, I’m very curious how he’s going to approach it.

Well, friends, that’s it for now. We’ve got nowt to do at this moment but wait. The next time you hear from me, it will have already happened! I hope you’re just as excited as I am! Doctor Who series 11 premieres tomorrow, the 7th of October at 6:45 pm on BBC 1!

#doctor who #jodie whittaker #Segun Akinola #thirteenth doctor #bbc #tardis #tosin cole #mandip gill #bradley walsh #chris chibnall #series eleven

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tslyricx · 5 years

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1. WELCOME TO NEW YORK.

The opening track for 1989 introduced the world to a brand new Taylor Swift. After experimenting with electronic pop elements on Red, her country starlet persona was all but gone with the release of 1989.

The title is a literal way for Taylor to welcome fans to her new sound. Paralleling her own move from Nashville to New York, 1989 as an album reflects her new lifestyle; moving from her country roots to the big city with all its glitz and glamour. She told Rolling Stone in September 2014: “I really like my life right now…I love the album I made. I love that I moved to New York. So in terms of being happy, I’ve never been closer to that.”

Taylor teased the lyrics on Instagram on October 14, 2014, and it premiered on October 20 to everyone who pre-ordered the album. As proof of her love for her adopted hometown, all proceeds from sales of the single went to New York City Public Schools. The city also showed love back when they made Taylor a tourism ambassador. Despite all this, the song had mixed reviews, even being called “the worst NYC anthem of all time.”

The first line of the song introduces us to New York with the freshness Swift first experienced it with. The song jumps straight into feeling instant excitement – which is exactly what moving to New York felt like for Swift [and most who venture to the great city]. New York is known to be a hustling city, constantly filled with bustling: “Walking through a crowd, the village is aglow” The village’s glow represents the city lights – whether it be from buildings, cars or billboard signs – the city is never completely dark. This indicates how the city is always full of life and never sleeps. The word “aglow” also creates a fairytale-like, magical feeling. Taylor must have been enchanted to finally be welcomed to the city of her dreams.

The first verse continues by saying: “Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats” A kaleidoscope is a cylindrical, mirrored object that one can look into, and due to the mirrors' reflection you see many beautiful, colorful patterns. The “kaleidoscope of hearts” indicates when Taylor looks around New York, she sees the vast diversity of different cultures, dreams, passions and ideals of New York’s people. The heartbeats are loud because they aren’t timid or afraid; New York has inspired them to express themselves and be brave. The kaleidoscope shows that as people look around New York, their hearts light up and become inspired. As a kaleidoscope reflects beautiful images, New York spurs people to live out their dreams.This also contrasts the heartbeats and the coats. In addition, coats are man-made objects associated with cold, winter days, or serious businessmen or stark fashionistas. However, below lies the heartbeat, which is symbolic of life. This is a metaphor for how New York often seems to be a harsh concrete jungle, but beneath the surface, it’s filled with vibrant energy and inspired people.

In fact, People move to New York in search of chasing their dreams. It is known as the city where anything is possible: “Everybody here wanted something more Searching for a sound we hadn’t heard before” Swift also moved to New York because she was looking for change in her life and wanted some inspiration. Literally, the inspiration she got lead to the creation of her album, 1989 which is a sound we haven’t yet heard from Taylor before, her first full pop album.

As one of the most bustling cities in the world, New York, doesn’t “wait” for anyone — however, the magnificence of the city can make moving there seem like a turning point in someone’s life. This mirrors the sonic crossover in Taylor’s music from country to pop: “And it said Welcome to New York, it's been waiting for you Welcome to New York, welcome to New York Welcome to New York, it's been waiting for you Welcome to New York, welcome to New York” Taylor has shown her love for New York City numerous times — she owns a penthouse there, and has mentioned it in songs like “Come Back… Be Here.”

As we all know, this song is from her first pop album and is thus literally a new soundtrack. She loves her catchy new tune and knows it will go down as a classic for her to dance to even when she’s old: “It’s a new soundtrack, I could dance to this beat, beat, forevermore” Figuratively, she is referring to the soundtrack of New York. This could refer to the sounds of the city that she has fallen in love with and thus never wants to leave. It could also refer to a sort of unheard soundtrack, which is just the underlying feeling and vibe of New York, which has made her feel a certain way that she never wants to lose and will always remember. The use of the word “soundtrack” also emphasizes how New York makes her life feel like a movie, as though it is almost too good to be true.

Actually, it’s not Las Vegas, but nonetheless, New York City has one of the brightest nightlife’s of all. “Bright” is used as a synonym for glamorous, as the lights aren’t actually glowing with enough intensity to blind her: “The lights are so bright but they never blind me, me” This may also be a reference to Jay Z’s hit song, ‘Empire State of Mind," in which he said, “lights is blinding, girls need blinders.” Taylor could be rejecting Hova’s claim that girls cannot handle life in the city. Taylor Swift, as a virtually peerless pop superstar, has more “bright lights” on her than anyone else. It’s more fame than has brought down countless other celebrities, including Joni Mitchell, who Taylor wrote a song about. Is Swift bragging about her ability to cope? Perhaps it’s her country background that prepared her for the bright lights of mainstream success. It would certainly fit the song’s metaphor; New York is the most populous city in the US, and the center of show biz, and stage lights.

In fact, New York is a form of escape from the life you lived before. It is a place where you can turn a new page: “When we first dropped our bags on apartment floors Took our broken hearts, put them in a drawer” Dropping the bags on the floor indicates two things:

She’s ready to unpack. This means she’s ready to start afresh, try new things and explore what New York has to offer.

She is dropping baggage. She’s letting go of any emotional drama or hurt she had before, as New York allows her to be free from all her troubles and just live her life. This feeling is reiterated with putting a broken heart away in a drawer. New York hosts a large LGBT community, due to its liberal nature, and historical movements like the Stonewall uprising: “And you can want who you want Boys and boys and girls and girls” Swift has shown support for the LGBT community numerous times, including when she defendedlesbian singer Hayley Kiyoko after the media twisted something Kiyoko said about her; Kiyoko later joined her onstage at the 2018 reputation Stadium Tour to perform her song “Curious.” Also at the reputation Stadium Tour, Swift dedicated a speech to her LGBT fans. New York is a great love of her life. It is full of mystery and is always unpredictable. Sometimes, it frustrates and scares her because of the unpredictability and craziness. But, at the same time, she loves the excitement of the city and wouldn’t change anything about it, and the same goes for love: “Like any great love, it keeps you guessing Like any real love, it's ever-changing Like any true love, it drives you crazy But you know you wouldn't change anything, anything, anything” During an interview, Taylor revealed that after moving to New York, the recurring theme in her songs about love and relationships seemed to have less of an influence than before, although it was still somewhat prominent. These lines compare her experiences with past relationships the excitement of being in NYC. Another way to interpret this line is to compare Taylor’s love for the city that never sleeps to a love she might have for a person. Taylor is no stranger to the idea that people tend to walk out on others, but since New York is a city, it will always be there for her to be inspired by. Why is New York importan to Taylor? “When I first discovered that I was in love with performing, I wanted to be in theater. So growing up, New York City was where I would come for auditions. Then I started taking voice lessons in the city, so my mom and I would drive two hours and have these adventures. I actually have a photo of my first Knicks game. I was 12 years old and I was in a halftime talent competition, but I didn’t win because the kid who won sang “New York, New York,” and I was like, “Here’s a song I wrote about a boy in my class …” I’m as optimistic and enthusiastic about New York as I am about the state of the music industry, and a lot of people aren’t optimistic about those two things. And if they’re not in that place in their life, they’re not going to relate to what I have to say.” What has Taylor said about the song? Taylor said: “I wanted to start 1989 with this song because New York has been an important landscape and location for the story of my life in the last couple of years. I dreamt and obsessed over moving to New York, and then I did it. The inspiration that I found in that city is hard to describe and to compare to any other force of inspiration I’ve ever experienced in my life. It’s an electric city.” Favorite lyric: “You can want who you want/Boys and boys and girls and girls” Album: 1989, released on the 27th of October, 2014. Witten by: Taylor Swift & Ryan Tedder. Hidden message: We begin our story in New York. Picture: 1989 deluxe version’s Polaroid.

#taylor swift #taylornation #Taylor Swift Lyrics #1989 #welcome to new york

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