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loquaciousquark · 3 years

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Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E136 & 137 (May 11, 2021)

Good evening and good night, everyone! Tonight on Talks are Laura Bailey & Sam Riegel. I was seriously hoping for Travis after the oh-so-spooky ending to last week's episode, but we'll make do! Tonight, Sam joins us while exercising on his Peloton (apparently in a full workout program led by Peloton teacher Tunde(?)) in front of a green screen. Boy, this is gonna be a thing, huh?

We're not even to the first question and Sam has already been photoshopped into a carwash. Oh, brother.

How is everyone feeling diving into the Cognouza ward? Laura doesn't want to be there at all. She knew Liam desperately wanted to see it, but she didn't. Neither did Sam: it's like being in someone else's gross bathroom where you really don't want to touch anything. Isn't the whole city a body? Is there an earwax room, Sam wonders?

Dani called that Sprinkle was Artagan waaaay back when. She thought it was either a Hollowed One or the Traveler. Travis and Laura were joking about it at home a while back as well, but she didn't think it was real. Sam assumed Matt just didn't want to retcon Sprinkle dying after various adventures & never expected him to tie a plot point to it.

Sam thinks the campaign is winding down & he's trying to get Veth one-on-one time for everyone. Laura is his favorite due to Jester's & Nott's relationship. Laura very much wants to open a real detective agency in game if they both survive this fight.

Laura can't believe Sam is committing to the Peloton bit. "I just had no idea that you were going to do this the whole time. I genuinely thought you were choosing to wear a sleeveless shirt." Sam: "I like that we're at that part in our relationship where you're like, 'well, this is a mistake for him but I'm not even gonna bring it up.'"

If Jester wasn't in a relationship with Fjord, she'd have wink-wink'd at Charlie.

Veth on Devexian: she's very drawn to confidence and sexy voices. There are no men in the M9 who check those boxes. Jester: "Fjord is very tall, dark, and handsome!" Sam: "Yeah, but he's got those little stick arms!" Brian points out that Yasha is the most tall, dark, and handsome of the group, and Sam laments that he already tried that too. She's not going to sleep with the robot, but she can appreciate beauty.

Laura starts to tell us about the Shape of Water while talking about Devexian's functionality and makes THAT GESTURE, YOU KNOW. She then collapses with laughter at being shy about it. She tells Sam Jester isn't shy at all and draws all sorts of humanoid species dicks.

They both agree the powers Caleb & Beau have right now are awesome but will 100% come back to bite them. Sam thinks the 3/9 eyes means there's a 1/3 chance Molly can control them.

Once Molly takes them over, they both agree Beau must be killed first. "She could kill all of us in a heartbeat."

Cosplay of the Week: kairiceleste on Instagram with an amazing Caleb. Great fire photoshop as well! Brian pulls the digital CR gift card off a genuine Bafta. These kids, I tell you what.

Jester still wishes they had access to the Wild Magic chaos since it seemed perfectly harmless and only funny. Laura, on the other hand, knows it's a good thing they've left it behind since not all of them are so benign.

Both Sam & Laura are delightedly astonished to remember Veth is still like a foot tall. Sam says he would have been doing an even higher-pitched voice had he known.

Laura feels great about her Parent Trap success. She likes that it was grounded and not fanciful. It was very bittersweet to leave them behind, choosing not to say goodbye. It almost felt like Jester has accepted whatever fate has in store and if something happens to her, she knows that at least someone will take care of Marion.

Right now, Jester feels a stronger purpose than anything to stop the city. It's so hard to marry that serious & driven purpose to Caleb's desire, for example, to explore a room and pick up a piece of paper. She really thinks she did see that vision of the eye that Matt mentioned last episode, contrary to what Matt thinks.

It wasn't as satisfying as Sam had hoped to kill Otis. He wanted to face off in a fair duel and win via superior cunning & scrappiness. "Who knows, maybe Otis will come back to life!" Maybe they can Speak with Dead and Veth can rub it in.

Laura desperately wants to go back and explore the city. It felt like a video game level with a time limit; it killed her that she couldn't take as much time as she wanted to explore. "There was so much loot!"

Sam wasn't expecting the Somnovem to have distinct personalities. Dani has a theory about them being heightened emotions. Sam: "Like Inside Out??" Laura: "Inside Out in the flesh city." There has to be a way to sweet-talk them into helping. Laura never expected that they'd actually land in the city at all.

The only thing that is stopping them now is that Lucien hasn't placed his threshold crest yet. Laura thinks that if he does, the city will go back immediately and--she suspects--the nine Somnovem will rise again in power like gods, and drive the city to destroy Exandria.

Fanart of the Week: gazedraws with a lovely Devexian. Great gold work on the neck and face! Sam: "It would take a while to put a hickey on that, but I could do it."

Brian's entirely imagined neon sign dropping from the ceiling with the gift card is powered (apparently) by Sam's Peloton. Laura complains that the light isn't bright enough because he isn't pedaling fast enough. I can't believe how intricate this has become.

It makes perfect sense for Jester that there is power that comes from belief. She's coming to terms with the idea that the Traveler isn't a god.

All three of them forward-nostalgize about sitting on a couch together. Soon, friends!

They're dying to know about the weapon Veth found. They need time for Caleb to identify it.

Lucien's visible reaction to being called Circus Man has to be a clue from Matt that Molly's still in there. Both Sam & Laura are convinced that they can reach Molly somehow if they can just say the right thing. They are determined to try to get Molly back before Travis just kills Lucien. Laura wonders if they're going to encounter the consciousnesses of Yussa and Molly somewhere in the city.

Sam and Laura think they have good odds against Cree, even with legendary actions. Sam's sure there will be some wrinkle to either make the fight harder or delay them in the fight against Lucien. Laura suggests splitting the party. Brian: "You should be careful splitting the party; without Caduceus, there's no healing!" Laura: "...that's true." Sam thinks that Cree will be able to control Beau or Caleb (or other party members) with the blood vials she took so long ago.

Sam has gone 14.1 miles on the Peloton. What a nice workout!

And that is that is that! Is it Thursday yet?

#critical role #critical role spoilers #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #long post for ts

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protect-namine · 3 years

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Since I’m still in a danganronpa mood, I’m making a brain dump of the V3 fic that I’m not sure I’ll write yet, just so I don’t lose these ideas down the line. This is mostly my own notes so idk if it will make sense yet to anyone else lol. But on the highly likely chance that I don’t write this fic... let the record show that I had these ideas, at least.

Working summary (needs revision, but I usually finalize the summary towards the end anyway, so this is just to set up the fic):

Shuichi Saihara lacks confidence in everything except his near-perfect memory. Against all odds, he is one of the two student volunteers that gets accepted into Hope’s Peak’s Danganronpa program. But imaginary killing games are just that… imaginary. Returning to a normal school life should have been a relief, but how do you recognize what’s real when your mind lives in two different realities?

Kokichi Ouma already expected Hope’s Peak to be full of eccentric weirdos. First, there’s the new classmate who is a robot. Then there’s Harukawa making friends with a robot, and harboring a strangely intense grudge against Kokichi. And then there’s Saihara. Insecure, stuttering, can’t-lie-through-his-teeth Saihara, who is now fibbing confidently to Kokichi’s face while asking him to stab his hand. How interesting!

Saihara is playing a long game with him. Kokichi doesn’t know the rules, but he knows he’s going to win.

Okay actual brain dump time.

Background Info:

Non-Despair Hope’s Peak is famous for enriching talented students and for their VR simulation training. It’s something that’s already being used in highly specialized fields (research, military, etc) and is super expensive but Hope’s Peak is Hope’s Peak so of course they have access to this kind of tech.

So this isn’t just Danganronpa, they can also use the simtech for basically anything. Adventure simulation for Rantaro, hyper-realistic business scenarios to navigate through for Togami, etc.

The Danganronpa Project, however, is the most intense application of the simtech. They have a mental health assessment and all that jazz for the students who go through the project, and they’re reaaally picky about who gets in. Usually you can only be scouted for the project.

Past participants include: Kyoko and Makoto (+ Alter Ego), Komaeda and Hinata (+ Virtual Chiaki, Monomi). Chiaki and Chihiro both work on the project itself and the Neo World Program, but they have not participated in it themselves.

This year’s participants are Maki and Shuichi (+ Kiibo). Rantaro was supposed to be there but Shuichi took his spot. Shuichi is also the only student who applied for the program; he wasn’t scouted, and he got in because idk maybe Hinata or Komaeda saw something in him and recommended him or something??

Shuichi would never apply for that kind of program but Kyoko basically gave him a wake up call to work on his insecurities and somehow he found out about the DR Project and was like “well if this made Kyoko a better detective, I guess I should try”

All the ridiculous stuff in DR is there on purpose so that students who wake up from the simulation will find it easier to remember the experience as fake and not real. For example: the blood is neon pink on purpose, the crazy plot is unrealistic on purpose, cospox, bear mascots, etc. So what happens is that while you’re immersed, you think it’s real, but when you wake up and sort through your memories, you find it easier to categorize DR as a simulation and not “real”. It’s like when you remember a dream and recognize it as a dream and not an actual memory.

But in order to actually help you in the immersion while you’re in the simulation, they use characters based on people you already know (i.e. their classmates). It’s kinda like when you’re in a dream but don’t know you’re dreaming yet.

Okay so the reason this is important is because Hope’s Peak can recruit you for your actual talent, but you get to choose what talent to hone and present to the world (within reason). So for example, Rantaro is the lucky student but he’s also an actual adventurer so that’s his talent. But the main plot point is that Shuichi has the Ultimate Memory (important!!) but he’s also a good detective and his memory helps out with that a lot so he’s now the Ultimate Detective. Still not sure what Ouma’s talent should be. More on that later.

Anyway, this batch’s DR simulation is special because everyone had different objectives. Shuichi’s was, of course, to solve the killing game. Maki is the Ultimate Bodyguard, so her objective was to protect the other student participants (Shuichi + Kiibo). Kiibo is an AI so his objective was to have the full human experience or something.

Story Info:

Okay, story actually starts after the simulation ends, but Shuichi doesn’t wake up immediately because his Ultimate Memory is like... stopping him from breaking immersion. This only happened once before with Komaeda (but in his case, it was mostly because of trauma from his death), so they used World Destroyer again to wake Shuichi up.

This all happens maybe a month into the school year btw. So they’re familiar with HP but they haven’t had enough time to really get to know their classmates yet.

Shuichi and Maki wake up from the simulation, get debriefed, etc. They go back to the dorms as changed people, basically, and everyone notices that. Oh, and all the past DR participants are basically like, their own group now (including Chiaki and Chihiro) so they’re all looking out for Maki and Shuichi and helping them get back on their feet and stuff.

And it’s super hard to adjust to a normal life at first. Maki has to work on her relationship with Kaito all over again. Unlike in DR, Shuichi wasn’t close to HP!Kaede so Kaede’s like... trying to be nice but is also super confused why Shuichi is confident now and treating her like a close friend. Maki and Shuichi become close which everyone thinks is really weird because Maki doesn’t have friends and Shuichi is always anxious, what happened to them??

They eventually do work things out with the class and adjust. A few weeks later they get a transfer student in the form of Kiibo, as a robot, who “went through enough training that he is now ready to practice humanity in the real world”. Obviously he still remembers his time in DR and becomes fast friends with Maki and Shuichi as a result.

All of this, Ouma finds REALLY weird. Maybe he should get to the bottom of this.

The one thing that Shuichi has trouble with, though, is that he keeps repeating his memories of DR because he feels like he solved every puzzle in the story except... Ouma. He still doesn’t understand DR!Ouma. HP doesn’t allow him to enter the simulation again so he’s left with trying to understand DR!Ouma by... figuring out HP!Ouma

Also, even though he knows his DR memories are just a simulation, his talent kinda makes it difficult for him to distinguish between two realities, maybe? Like, he can distinguish them, it’s just extra hard and requires more effort?

Anyway the main thing I really want to explore is Shuichi trying to figure out DR!Ouma through HP!Ouma, and HP!Ouma trying to figure out this weird game Shuichi is playing with him.

And also Shuichi probably sort of likes DR!Ouma? Of course he eventually realizes and accepts that HP!Ouma is not DR!Ouma so he tries to get over it and see Ouma for who he really is.

After Shuichi comes back from the simulation, Ouma starts to see Shuichi as interesting. And he’s kinda interested in him but he’s in this weird place where he (HP!Ouma) is competing with himself (DR!Ouma) in Shuichi’s head and like... idk how to explain this but this is the thing that I want to explore in the story okay

At some point, Ouma probably gets Miu to hack Kiibo so he can see his DR memories?

Lots of Maki+Shuichi and Maki+Ouma moments because dear lord we need more of that honestly

Writing Notes:

I can see this as a two-shot fic where the first part is in Kokichi’s POV after Shuichi and Maki come back from the simulation, and the second part in Shuichi’s POV after he decides to get over DR!Ouma

Idk if I want DICE to exist in this fic... somehow I’m thinking of Ouma as an Ultimate Showman but also as like... someone who would be an amazing director/stage manager, which works into his leadership and entertainment abilities. I really need to pinpoint his actual talent for the fic. I feel like that will answer a lot of my questions...

We are not writing Ouma as an orphan, no sir, HP!Ouma is a well-adjusted, supremely talented (heh) but otherwise normal boy. But DR!Ouma also has to be inspired from something in HP!Ouma... need to brainstorm this a bit more...

Non-Despair Hope’s Peak needs more worldbuilding tbh

Other things to brainstorm later: I feel like Shuichi would benefit greatly from talking to Komaeda, and Maki with Hinata. Shuichi and Maki would also feel at ease with Rantaro at first because he died so early in the game that there’s less dissonance between HP! and DR! Rantaro. Gonta is also probably the most similar to his DR self.

How do DR participants feel about Tsumugi and Enoshima?

Feels like... the best way to explore all of these ideas and show contrast is to put Shuichi and Ouma in situations similar to DR but very toned down and different. Examples: class debates (DR trials), an actual case to work on (killing game), something to do with gambling and games (FTEs + Casino).

* Side note: Celeste could set up a gambling club with Ouma and the lucky students

** Side note 2: if there’s a debate club, all the DR participants are absolutely going to be there. Or maybe they formed it themselves? *puts thinking hat on*

But mystery story... sounds hard to write...

Idk, I feel like I fleshed out a lot of the background info but not... the actual story or the current setting of non-despair Hope’s Peak, so actually moving forward with the story is like trying to win a snail race...

#mine musings #my writing #tumblr pls don't fuck up the read more cut because this post is LONG

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eggoreviews · 4 years

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My Top 25 Games Advent Day 16 - Mass Effect 2 (#10)

“They tell me it’s a suicide mission. I intend to prove them wrong.”

Here we have another example, and in my eyes the best example, of the product of Bioware being at their absolute peak. Mass Effect 2 is a nigh on masterpiece of a game that, even after almost a decade, still holds up extraordinarily well in every aspect. I love the Mass Effect series (well, the main trilogy anyway) for its cinematic storytelling, its interesting and unique plot concepts and gameplay elements, its intricate setting and, crowning all, its always unforgettable companion characters who go on your journey with you. The series’ second instalment, at least in my eyes, does all of this absolutely perfectly without 3’s wonky ending and 1’s slightly outdated settings and mechanics. If I called Dragon Age: Origins the Lord of the Rings of gaming, here’s Star Wars.

Mass Effect 2 doesn’t fuck around. It starts you up on the original ship from the first game, before immediately blowing it up and killing Commander Shepard, the vaguely cheesy space hero we all love so much. After Shepard’s revival at the hands of Cerberus, Mass Effect 2 kicks off with an epic space opera story taking you all across the universe, with espionage, emotive character arcs and an oppressive, genuinely fearful atmosphere created by the game’s big bads, the vastly superior alien race known as the Collectors. It’s amazing how they managed to blend that overriding fear of an enemy so powerful it could wipe out everything with this giddy excitement to explore. Whether that be the plethora of planets you can seek out, mine for resources and explore or some of the more densely populated space stations, such as the vast cityscape of the Citadel or the seedy, neon underworld filled with criminals and night clubs, Omega. Mass Effect’s universe truly has a life of its own and it tells such a grandiose story within it that it’s impossible not to become immersed. Each and every area you visit is packed full of memorable characters of various diverse species, like the awesome looking Turians and Krogans, down to the hilariously blunt Elcor, who communicate by prefacing everything they say with how they’re feeling. On top of this, a bountiful selection of engaging side quests and an overarching main story that largely involves you seeking out each of your party members to hunt down the Collectors make this a truly perfected combination of a well-realised sci-fi setting and story.

Drawing on those companion characters for a moment, I would say that this is one of the best, most diverse and engaging cast of characters you can find in a game, as each of them follow their own individual character arcs and have unique relationships with Shepard depending on your actions and the behaviour you exhibit towards them. The likes of Jacob (the guy you start with who is admittedly a bit boring), Miranda (the biotic who was experimented on by her family to make her ‘perfect’), Garrus (the kickass Turian who is everyone’s favourite and also has gotta be the canon love interest for male Shepard), Mordin (the quick-thinking, quick-everything Salarian doctor with a surprisingly dark past), Grunt (a wartime experimental clone taken by Shepard as a replacement for their original target, Grunt’s creator), Jack (a highly powerful, erratic biotic in a maximum security prison), Samara (Asari matriarch who can step on me and also everyone), Thane (the coolest, chillest assassin in the galaxy), Zaeed (amercenary veteran with a sick ass scar), Kasumi (cool space thief) and Tali and Legion (oneQuarian and one Geth, both interesting and unique characters in their own right, these characters draw upon the central conflict between the two races explored in the first game’s main story. In the sequel, the slow development of the two from sworn enemies to allies is something to behold, especially as both are so lovable on their own). Went on a bit of a tangent there but I felt it was important to include everyone in that list. The best part about this is you spend the entire game building your relationships with these characters, choosing a romance option, decking Shepard and the gang out in the best gear, upgrading your ship with the materials you mine from planets. And then it all comes down to the finale, the so-called ‘suicide mission’ in which anyone and everyone can die depending on your choices and upgrades beforehand, as well as any decisions you make during the mission. It is genuinely incredibly difficult to save everyone first try and is a great example of how to ensure the choices you give to your player have weight and lasting impact; in Mass Effect 2, everything is on your shoulders and no one’s survival is guaranteed.

As I said before, I don’t think it would be wrong to call this the Star Wars of gaming, and it wouldn’t take that title without a lot of pew-pewing and excellent use of the sci-fi genre. The gameplay and gunplay (which is the majority of your experience) is slick and well-executed, even feeling intuitive and fun almost a decade later. Even that final boss encounter, that I will never really understand the potent hatred people seem to have for it, is an awesome final test of what you’ve learned and how you’ve improved along the way, pitting you up against an all-out giant Terminatoresque killing machine as an excellently overblown ending to a game full of dramatic encounters to shoot at. Alongside this, the visuals are superb and do little break immersion even as time has gone by and I would argue that this game still holds some of the best graphics you can find from the previous generation. And last but not least, this game’s spicy ass mechanical sci-fi soundtrack is definitely something to flap about, especially when it comes to the combat and that Suicide Mission score is nothing short of incredible.

So now I’ve ranted aimlessly for three chunky paragraphs about each singular aspect of this game that I adore, you can probably see why this title has such an enduring memory to me. Playing this game for the first time at 12 years old off the back of the also amazing Dragon Age: Origins, Bioware took their perfected formula of knowing exactly how to craft a story, setting and excellently realised characters and shot it up into space both figuratively and literally. In my eyes, Mass Effect 2 is Bioware’s greatest title and it’s honestly more than a shame that we haven’t received anything from Mass Effect in recent years, aside from the less than great Andromeda. A Mass Effect 4 would kill me dead, but at the very least an original trilogy remaster would keep me ticking for a hot minute. Get on it, Bioware. Pls.

Standout Moment Award: Probably already mentioned this, but of course it’s the suicide mission. An unforgettable epic of a quest and one of my favourite overall game finales to date.

Standout Character Award: Thane Krios. The ice-cool, terminally ill assassin takes today’s award for being an all-around great dude.

It’s been a long ol’ month, but we’re finally getting there. Today, I kicked off my top 10 games of all time. From here on out, it’s going to be beyond difficult to stop myself from descending into rambles, but I’ll do my best to keep myself coherent. Tomorrow: No. 9; An odd creature with floating appendages takes off to save some blue things in dire distress.

#gaming #eggoreviews #best games advent #mass effect 2 #me2 #mass effect

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douxreviews · 5 years

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American Gods - ‘Muninn' Review

"Burn, baby, burn."

American Gods mostly gets its groove back after last week's misfire, Wednesday and Laura go on a literal trip down memory lane, and New Media finally makes an appearance.

Billie is not going to be OK with what happens to the library, however.

Interestingly, after my complaint last week about missing the Bryan Fuller signature soundscapes and dreamscape imagery, we open with exactly that. To be fair, that was probably largely due to avoiding the cost and logistics of actually showing a train derail after hitting a car on the tracks. Disorienting yet suggestive imagery combined with an off putting soundscape tell the story of a train v. car collision just as well and are much, much cheaper.

Whatever the reason, it was nice to have them back. It's interesting however, to note that there were several instances where the stylized camera work made it difficult to follow what was actually happening. For example, it wasn't entirely clear what was going on when Betty the Car reformed herself post accident. Were they reversing the footage of the car being crushed as a way to indicate the fractured way one of the characters present experienced that moment of the accident? Was it a visual metaphor? A dream someone involved in the crash was having? No, apparently the car was literally reforming itself, as it was sitting there good as new a few shots later. Another instance was when the scene transitioned from Shadow looking out of it in the wreckage to Shadow walking through some trees in daylight. All of the visual language of television was indicating that we'd transitioned to a dream Shadow was having, but we weren't, we'd just cut to later in the day when he'd gotten out of the wreckage and that hadn't been communicated to the viewer in a clear way.

Honestly, the whole immediate aftermath of the crash sequence just made you realize how good Fuller is at that sort of thing, because I can't think of a single occasion where he's used that same distorted imagery technique and it resulted in the action being unclear. At least, not in a way that didn't feel one hundred percent deliberate.

So, after last week's absolutely delightful pairing of Sweeney and Laura, this week we get Laura paired with Wednesday which worked much better than I was expecting it to do. It seemed odd at first that Laura would reject Sweeney and choose to go with Wednesday instead, particularly as she knows that Wednesday basically destroyed her entire life just to get her out of the way. She and Sweeney clearly were really connecting last episode, so turning on him for picking up her body parts off the road seemed like a forced way for the show to separate them. Then I thought about it for a minute and remembered that sabotaging her relationships with people that care about her is pretty much Laura's entire character description. Viewed with that in mind, the whole sequence of events makes perfect sense. It would have been nice if the show had made that point a little clearer. I hate to criticize a show for giving the viewers too much credit for figuring things out on their own, but in this case they could have stood to underline her motivations a little more.

Ah, Mad Sweeney. Pablo Schreiber continues to be the show's standout, and is more so every week. Thank god(s) that they kept both him and Laura around past their appearances in the novel and that they continue to give both of them so much to do. Hypocritically, I also feel like they probably should have cut Sweeney out of this episode after they left the funeral home, as all we really got of him were comic relief bits showing his bad luck road trip to New Orleans. But then, if they'd cut him out we'd never have seen the look on his face when he realizes that he's been 'rescued' by a Christian rock band, and nothing is worth that.

The thing that this episode felt like more than anything was a series of videogame side quests. Now, I'm not a gamer myself. I have an inherited tremor which makes trying to use a game controller kind of a pain in the ass. But my understanding of the whole side quest thing is that at various points in the game you have to stop working toward the main goal of the game, whatever that may be, and instead fulfill a little side mission, or earn some money, or solve a puzzle or something. That's what this episode felt like to me.

Taking the side quests in order, Laura and Wednesday head off to find another old god that has allowed himself to be co-opted by the new gods because Wednesday wants to kill him and somehow doing that will 'recharge' the coin in Laura's chest that's keeping her alive and making her superstrong. Again we continue this episode's theme of not explaining things properly, as it's never really made clear why killing Argus will do that, plus we're all pretty sure that Wednesday is lying to Laura the whole time anyway, which it turns out he is but the coin recharge thing still works anyway because reasons. Having accomplished that, Wednesday immediately betrays Laura and leaves her stuck in whatever Argus' realm is supposed to be. It might possibly be a TARDIS, there were some very distinctive roundels in that last hallway.

Great job with the design of Argus, by the way. This is our first god that we've seen who doesn't look like a standard human to us as his standard desktop theme and they did a great job making all of the eyes look real and disturbing. The fiber optic cable bundles that writhed like serpents were also a nice look. I don't recall ever seeing anything quite like it.

Technical Boy and New Media are also on their way to see Argus, because Mr. World wants them to... um... scold him for not updating his Norton Antivirus or something, possibly? Again, it's not entirely clear what they're there to do. You might be seeing a theme here. Similarly vague are New Media's actions with Argus. Was she actually betraying Mr. World to join an alliance with Argus? It would make sense, as he represents watching and she represents being watched, but if that's the case shouldn't Technical Boy have reacted in some way to that development? Instead he just politely stands back and doesn't stop Laura from killing Argus, then he and New Media leave without even mentioning it. And I've been remiss in mentioning it, but Bruce Langley really deserves a lot of praise for his work on this show. It's hard to play a character that irritating in a way that isn't irritating to the people watching at home, and he pulls it off.

Then we have Ifrit and Salim, who head to the corn palace to pick up a magic spear, as you do. Instead of the corn palace, they end up at a strip club called the Porn Palace, whose neon sign has a faulty first 'P,' making it appear to be a 'C' at first glance. That was a cute reveal. There they pick up the spear with no incident from a Lakota trickster god named Iktomi, who was played by the always wonderful Julian Richings, who many will remember as being the definitive Death over on Supernatural. This plotline felt the most perfunctory, and probably could have been replaced with a line of dialog later on down the line, but it's always nice to see Mr. Richings.

Lastly we have Shadow and his new friend Sam Black Crow, who gives him a lift to the storyline's next destination. Again, not a lot happens here and Sam feels very much like a mouthpiece for the writing staff to muse about things philosophically, but it works. Mostly because Devery Jacobs has an indefinable charm about her, but also because it opens up the concept of Two Spirit gender identification, which more people should know more about.

Quotes:

Wednesday: "Ah, Mrs. Moon. Did we sit on a wall?"

Mad Sweeney: "You just gonna lie there, let nature have her way with you?"

Laura: "Are you eating me?"

Sweeney: "Coward? I saved you." Laura: "I’m dead, coward." Sweeney: "Well, you’re welcome for picking up all your gory little f**king pieces up off the road."

Ibis: "The advantage of love at first sight is it doesn’t require a second look."

Technical Boy: "How the f**k is that an upgrade?" This felt like the writers pre-empting complaints about New Media. It probably was intended as such.

Wednesday: "So, you’re working on faith, huh?" Laura: "I definitely wouldn’t use that word."

Sam: "You ever hear of the Crow nation warrior named ‘Finds Them and Kills Them’?" Shadow: "No, but he sounds very efficient."

Laura: "Please. Tell me more about what I want."

Wednesday: "What’s the worst thing you can do to a book?" Laura: "Um.. Ignore it..?"

There are not words for how much I love the Hello Kitty collar on this shirt.

Bits and Pieces:

-- It's awfully convenient that Laura was literally blown to pieces in the train crash and Shadow only got a little bruised. But then, her body is actively decaying, so I supposed she'd be more explodable.

-- I know I'm fighting a losing battle here, but I have to say it again. A lit cigarette will not ignite fuel, no matter how many TV shows and movies show it happening. It will either be smothered by the liquid before it gets anywhere near generating enough heat for combustion, which doesn't happen in the liquid but happens in the off-gasses, or it will smolder until it burns out unless by some miracle the off-gassing reaches LEL (Lowest Explosive Level) before that happens. Please stop.

-- You could, however, use a lit cigarette to start a fire in a library full of parchment. It would take a little effort, but you could do it. But despite having a lit cigarette on hand at the time, Laura takes the easy route and uses a match.

-- It seems that Sweeney's bad luck only hits him when he's not around Laura, which sort of makes sense since he's also near his coin at those times.

-- It's interesting that Sweeney is still heading to New Orleans to see someone who I presume is Baron Samedi, since he was only going there to help Laura and she's not with him anymore. That's sweet. I hope he's the one who rescues her from Argus' domain.

-- Sweeney seemed genuinely hurt when Laura chose to go with Wednesday instead of him. I'm 'shipping those two so hard.

-- Argus isn't in the book, nor are any of the Greek Gods. Neil stated that he decided against featuring any of them since they get used so much more often in popular culture.

-- New Media just isn't working for me yet, although I know it's way too early to judge. I miss Gillian Anderson's celebrity impressions.

-- Laura's dad was a drunk. Now we know why he wasn't at the wedding. No word on if he's dead or alive.

-- I wonder what Wednesday is going to need the seedling for?

I know I'm sounding like I didn't enjoy much about this episode, but that's really not true. There was a lot of good stuff here, and many, many little details that show that someone was really putting their heart into it. I just wish that some of the storytelling had been a little clearer.

Three out of four creepy eyeballs.

Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water

#American Gods #Shadow Moon #Mr Wednesday #Laura Moon #Mad Sweeney #American Gods Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews

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vb-news-24 · 3 years

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insload822 · 3 years

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Catch The Eye

Catch the Eye Bay Filly / January 31st, 2016 in KY / by Quality Road out of Turns My Head (IRE) $99,140. 21 synonyms of eye-catching from the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, plus 46 related words, definitions, and antonyms. Find another word for eye-catching. Eye-catching: likely to attract attention. Catch The Eye horse page with past performances, results, pedigree, photos and videos. Catch The Eye horse rating and status. See who is a fan of Catch The Eye.

Adidas has been busy of late, revealing the latest incarnations of both its Copa and Predator boot lines.

The new Adidas Copa Sense emerges like a cleansing ray of light, shimmering and rippling in a golden halo. The boot boasts a trio of brand new technological innovations -- Sensepods, Touchpods and Softstuds -- all of which are designed to deliver the optimum on-pitch feel for players.

Sensepods are incorporated into the sole to help eliminate negative space around the ankle and heel, thus maximising the contact area between foot and ball.

Meanwhile, Touchpods are in place around the sides of the boot to help absorb impact, and the Softstuds underneath have all been injected with a malleable material to help the studs contort slightly and thus aid ball control.

The wavy Copa Fusionskin upper also makes it look like you've just stepped in a puddle of pure molten gold, which is a nice touch. Juventus' Paulo Dybala and Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham are just two stars who will be slipping them on this season.

Released last month, the spiny Predator FREAK+ more than lives up to its name, with the futuristic laceless boot covered in 'Demonskin' technology for ultimate control and odd angular contours.

Having debuted in a lively 'solar yellow' colourway, the second iteration of the Predator FREAK+ is a much more gothic affair, with a stealthy blackout palette lending the boots even more of an unholy edge.

The third new offering from Adidas is an updated, limited edition of their classic Copa Mundial boot.

Based on the iconic 1982 boot, the new 'Eternal Class' Mundials have been blacked out and given a fancy new silver-chrome soleplate to lend a sleek, modern aesthetic to a timeless design.

Lovely stuff, though it's difficult to make the Copa Mundial look anything other than utterly elegant.

The strangest designs around

Adidas' hard work of late also saw it release the X Ghosted Peregrine Speed, inspired by the fastest animal around (the Peregrine Falcon), back in December 2020.

It certainly catches the eye... or should that be claw?

Here's a few more examples of weird and wonderful football boot designs -- most of which are so odd they never made it past the concept stage.

1. Tesla Boots

The creation of CGI artist Hussain Almossawi, who decided to explore what a football boot might look like were it designed and made by Elon Musk's electronic vehicle pioneers, Tesla.

As well as a minimalist bandage-style upper, the fictional boot also features luminescent neon trim -- making them perfect for night matches.

2. The P.I.G.

After retiring from the professional game in the 1980s, former Liverpool midfielder and budding entrepreneur Craig Johnston turned his hand to revolutionising the football boot.

He first helped create the original Adidas Predator, which used small rubber fins on the toe of the boot to improve ball control and swerve.

Johnston's next project was The P.I.G ('Patented Interactive Grip'), which was intended to be a detachable rubber sleeve that could be worn over the toe of any existing boot to maximise shot power, touch, etc.

Inspired by the rubber dimples on table tennis paddles, the P.I.G was rigorously tested (Germany and Bayern legend Franz Beckenbauer was even roped in to help at one point) but alas the design never made it past the concept stage -- due, at least in part, to how monstrously ugly it was.

3. Zygo Deztruct

Yet another attempt at creating the perfect grippy football boot was made by Australian brand Zygo, that decided to try covering its Deztruct model in little rubber suction cups.

The suction 'pods' were supposed to release energy when they came into contact with the ball, but in reality only served to make it look like the boots were made entirely of Lego.

4. Serafino 4th Edge

The 4th Edge is a football boot designed specifically to improve the accuracy and power of 'toe poke' shots -- i.e. the lesser-spotted technique of bluntly prodding a ball with the ends of your toes (think Ronaldinho vs. Chelsea in the Champions League in 2005).

Other than being exceptionally crude, the main issue with toe pokes is that they tend to hurt, which is where the 4th Edge comes in.

The Serafino is a fairly standard leather football boot, but with the addition of a blocky toe cap that supposedly improves the efficiency of shooting with both feet for players who aren't overly concerned what they look like while doing it.

They may look like a prank, but we assure you that the Serafino 4th Edge is a real boot that is still on sale to this very day -- they are even personally endorsed by former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp.

Catch The Eye In Malay

5. The Sho'ot

The Sho'ot (pronounced 'Shoe-oot') was a hybrid football boot/brogue design produced to help stop managers slipping over on the touchline.

Essentially a smart leather shoe with studs underneath, the Sho'ot were promoted by the late Graham Taylor, lending the product an air of credibility from a former England boss.

However, it should also be noted that these 'manager boots' were also released in conjunction with Football Manager 12 upon the game's UK release in October 2011. We'll allow you to draw your own conclusions.

6. Puma evoPOWER MB 9

As far as we know, the evoPower MB 9 was the only football boot ever to come with its very own mohawk hairstyle.

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Produced in kids sizes only back in 2015, the MB 9 was of course a limited edition boot designed to capitalise on Mario Balotelli's rising infamy, complete with the controversial Italian striker's 'Why Always Me?' catchphrase and a facsimile of his strip of hair.

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hrsksky · 6 years

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Sigma Harmonics Chapter 3 Final Deduction (Solution)

Note: Please refer to masterpost for more information on this game and its translation.

To view the gameplay of the final deduction, it is available in the following link from 24:00 to 31:50. All of the soundbytes/seals are translated in the English let’s play. So if you’ve been following that, you will more or less understand.

http://www.bilibili.com/video/av2922849/#page=2

I’m translating the dialogue/cutscene that explains the solution to the murder case line by line. The dialogue starts at 31:50 in the above video. Note that Neon is in her Swordmaiden form for this translation. () contains editor’s note to help comprehension.

Sigma: This case is not as complicated as it seems. It just gives the impression that there is a crazy person killing randomly. It’s that impression which fooled us. Let’s start by looking at the evidence one by one.

First is the death of Obaba at 18 o’clock (6PM). Only Shizuma and Yoshiko were present. It’s unlikely that they poisoned the food as they ate in front of Obaba.

Does that mean the meal was poisoned beforehand?

But the only person who was near the food before the trio ate was Obaba herself.

The one who prepared the meal was Yuriko, who was already murdered.

Neon: Ha? So does that mean nobody can be the killer?

Sigma: If we were to use the same perspective, yes. The truth is, Obaba didn’t die by poison.

Neon: ??

Sigma: I’ll explain that part later. Next, let’s look at the sealed room and the death of Yuriko. The Game Room was locked and all the windows inside are shut as well. Yuriko was killed in this room. The Master Key is the only thing that could open or lock the Game Room from the outside and there is only one Master Key.

Not to mention, the only other access to the Game Room is the mini elevator from the kitchen. Neon has already tried to enter the shortcut and we know that the opening is too small to fit a regular person.

Neon: Meow. Then that means it was Yoshiko who held the Master Key that murdered Yuriko?

Sigma: But don’t you think Yoshiko’s behavior is very strange?

Neon: ??

Sigma: The Game Room (which is usually open so anyone can play) is locked for some odd reason. Also, when Shizuma was killed, Yoshiko was on the 2nd floor looking into Nene’s room. She then visited Obaba’s room before finally hanging herself in her own room.

If it was Yoshiko who killed Shizuma, then she’d have to quickly go to the station on ground floor right after leaving Obaba’s room. After the act, she has to return to her room on the 2nd floor to hang herself.

Isn’t that the only way for her to do everything in such a short span of time? For her to play a trick like that, she would also have to put on quite the act. I think such a feat would be way too difficult.

(Sigma’s point is that Yoshiko’s behavior and words, especially when she’s alone, don’t seem to match the profile of a blood-thirsty killer)

Neon: Maybe she’s just presenting a false impression so that she can work in the shadows...?

Sigma: Who would she be acting for? Hmm... Like her usual self (demeanor) is actually all an act to cover her hidden plot... I guess I can’t say it’s 100% impossible.

But these people from the past simply have no reason to give an alibi or fake an act.

(I guess 50 years ago, complicated crimes and extensive modern investigations weren’t the norm. Hence why Sigma says they don’t have to worry about those things)

Neon: My guess. The Omahito wants to stop the Time Tuning.

(The Chinese translation was very vague here. I’m assuming Neon means that Yoshiko is possessed by an Omahito so she puts on an act to trick Sigma and Neon who are looking into the past. Thus, if the duo is confused, they won’t be able to Time Tune OR they will perform a weak Time Tuning)

Sigma: Even though the Omahito is certainly involved, Omahito can’t directly control the host’s actions. It simply provokes (nurtures) into a person’s deep consciousness and births an Oma into said person’s soul.

(The “deep consciousness” is implied to be the negative thoughts of people. So by exaggerating it, the Omahito creates the new Oma via proxy. Remember that the Omahito technically exist in the time gap, like Sigma and Neon. They aren’t actually in the timeline)

Neon: Then, question. If Yoshiko carries the key (yet Sigma doesn’t believe she’s the culprit), then who killed Yuriko and locked the door?

Sigma: Who the real killer is?

Neon: The killer... is who?

Sigma: Obaba.

Neon: .......

But Obaba was the one who was killed first!

Sigma: False assumption fallacy.

Neon: ?????

Sigma: The logical fallacy of false premise. Have you never heard of it?

Neon: ... I don’t get it.

Sigma: To put it simply, the killer pretended to be the dead. This trick often shows up in detective novels. We were completely fooled by it.

Neon: ..... Eh? The dead is the culprit... Did the Oma do this?

(Neon is thinking the Oma possessed Obaba’s corpse)

Sigma: Incorrect. We simply assumed she was dead. First, think back to the beginning of the case.

Neon: At dinner time, Obaba was poisoned to death.

Sigma: That is the first false assumption.

She didn’t die. She simply fainted.

Neon: ??

Sigma: Shizuma reacted by saying, “This... So cruel” which is different from the first case where he said, “She’s dead...”.

(I copied the exact phrases from the original translation. Though I feel that instead of “so cruel” it is more like a “how troubling”, which is a lighter phrase)

For Shizuma, it is very troubling to see Obaba suddenly fainting and that there is no one to carry Obaba to the 2nd floor.

Neon: ??

Sigma: Because Shizuma has one arm that can’t move. This fact is in the [Shizuma’s Left Arm] soundbyte/seal.

Every time Obaba sees Yoshiko, Obaba will get angry. So Yoshiko can’t carry Obaba neither.

(Recall Obaba’s sour attitude when Yoshiko entered her room. Yoshiko probably don’t want to upset her further while she’s fainted. So Yoshiko didn’t carry Obaba upstairs)

Now recall the conversation between Obaba and Yoshiko (at 17:00 o’clock/5PM). Remember when the same dialogue repeated twice?

Neon: So you mean......

Sigma: That’s why Shizuma wanted Yuriko to carry Obaba so he left to find her.

Plus, he wanted to call the Tsukiyumi clan so they can perform restoration (healing) through spirit switch.

The Tsukiyumi not only master the “God Descend” (aka Equip) that Neon uses. They also have the ability to switch consciousness with another body to perform restoration, right?

Neon: Meow. Yup.

Sigma: Based on the (repetitive) dialogue in Obaba’s room, the idea of a “consciousness switch” is very probable.

Neon: So Obaba does have two personalities?

Sigma: Not like that.

Neon: ??

Sigma: Both Puramu and Take were definitely in that room.

Do you remember? Yoshiko used different ways to address them.

“Obaba” and “Granny”.

(You can check the previous videos. The distinction was there!)

Neon: Meow... That’s right...

Sigma: On my deduction based on all other evidence, this could mean a bodily link or some sort of pact established by them.

For example, while one of them is conscious, the other one is unconscious.

(Sigma means that while Puramu and Take are 2 separate people, they are somehow entwined either through body exchange or spirit exchange. This is similar to the ability that the Tsukiyumi’s have)

Plus did you notice the collar color of the one who died in the room? Now recall collar color of the one who fainted in the dining room. They’re different.

(Blue is Take and Red is Puramu. The one that we normally see is Puramu)

Neon: Now that you mention it...

Sigma: I’m afraid Take is the one who died on the bed and her death is the real “death by poison”.

Before Puramu went downstairs, she made Take consume the poison capsule. Then, over time, the pill took full effect. I believe the loud sound we heard coming from their room was the sound of Take dying and falling.

(This was mentioned in the [Sound inside the room] Soundbyte/Seal)

Take came into consciousness as her body was dying. As for Puramu, she fainted in the dinning room until Take died...

Neon: ... Then, after everyone left the dining room...

(For clarity: Puramu, the red one called by “Obaba”, took control as Take faints. Puramu forced the poison pill on the unconscious body of Take, the blue one called by “Granny”.)

Sigma: That’s right. She got up to continue her chain of crimes.

Neon: But but~ What about Yuriko who was already killed in the sealed Game Room?

Sigma: The room was locked from the inside.

Neon: From the inside...?

?? If she locked it from the inside, how did she get out?

Sigma: The mini-elevator.

Neon: What? The opening is too small. I was only able to fit my head through...

Eh?

Sigma: That’s right. That is where Nene died.

Only someone as small as a child like Nene could go inside.

But isn’t it also the perfect size for Obaba’s small figure?

Neon: Meow, so that’s why...

But but~ Why would she do all this?

Sigma: Even though technically the Omahito is the instigator of this case,

but the clue to the real cause is this photo.

Neon: The picture of leader Shizuma and Yuriko?

Because of an affair?

Sigma: ......

Do you remember the collar color of Take who died on the bed?

Neon: Blue.

Sigma: Correct.

Now recall that I once told you blue is the color of the Himekayo family?

Neon: Himekayo is Yuriko’s last name.

Sigma: I believe that is also Puramu, and Take’s surnames. Didn’t one of the Himekayo’s marry into the Kurogami family?

Neon: Meow......

Sigma: Puramu, Take, and Yuriko...

Unless they’re all blood-related?

They are likely related.

And then there’s the gynaecology medical certificate in Yuriko’s room.

(In Nyaa’s original translation, that is what she called it. However that is actually very vague. It is more like a medical report of the study of childbirth, within the large umbrella of gynaecology. Basically it implies that Yuriko could be pregnant)

Neon: Meow? Mm mm...

Sigma: This is only my speculation but... I think that’s the motive behind the murders. For Puramu who is very strict with traditional precepts... How much inner struggle/pain did she go through....?

Neon: ......

Sigma: Q.E.D. ....

Begin Time Tuning!

~end~

If you read all that and yet still can’t grasp the arc, lemme clarify it for you. I know it is quite complicated since too many things are subtly implied.

Background: The Himekayo family that has served the Kurogami family for countless generations. They’re almost all maids/butlers/servants. The Himekayo clan wears blue whilst the Kurogami wear red. However, Puramu “Obaba” Himekayo (Shizuma’s mother) married the head of the Kurogami (Shizuma’s father) many years ago. That is why she changed her last name to Kurogami and began wearing red. Take “Granny” Himekayo is likely Puramu’s twin sister and Yuriko’s mother. This technically makes Yuriko and Shizuma cousins. Take did not marry out of the family and thus both Yuriko and her wear blue. Apparently (based on JP wiki), Puramu was treated badly and was the target of many rumors when she married in. Back to present time, Shizuma and Yuriko got into an affair (romantic photo). Yuriko might even be pregnant (medical report). Puramu, who is strict with precepts, found out. She is very troubled because not only is Shizuma cheating on his wife with the house maid... Yuriko is also his cousin. This alongside Puramu’s bitter memories of being mistreated set Puramu’s deep consciousness into negativity. The Omahito took this chance to foster an Oma into her. Puramu goes crazy and a killer was borne.

The Crime: 17 o’clock/5PM. First, Puramu takes over control when Yoshiko entered the room (hence why Puramu asks the same question again after Take fainted; the sisters do not share memories). Once Yoshiko leaves, Puramu forces the poison pill down unconscious Take’s throat. Then, she (assumed) chases Yuriko into the (publicly open) Game Room where she kills her. Nene heard the footsteps from her room so she also went to check out the Game Room. Puramu kills Nene (witness) and pushes her down the elevator. Puramu locks the Game Room from the inside and exits down through the elevator. 18 o’clock/6PM. From the kitchen, Puramu goes to the dinning room (hence why she was early). Yoshiko and Shizuma arrives. Yuriko and Nene don’t because they’re dead. At this point, Puramu knows that Take’s body is almost fully poisoned. So as the trio began eating, Puramu WILLINGLY switches back. Puramu faints and Take wakes up at her bed. Shizuma and Yuriko are shocked and leaves the dining room. Take soon dies from poison on her bed. Now Take is dead, consciousness returns to Puramu. 19:00 o’clock/7PM. Puramu rises (hence why her “corpse” “disappeared”), follows Shizuma. Yoshiko and Shizuma discover Yuriko’s corpse. 20:00 o’clock/8PM. Puramu follows Shizuma to the station and kills him. At this point Yoshiko discovers Take’s body on the 2nd floor. Finally, Puramu follows Yoshiko and hangs her dead too.

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iosihexa · 7 years

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some stuff about youtube fandoms

(Some rambling about fandom culture. This is not meant to be taken seriously or reblogged or anything like that, it’s just.....something that i randomly decided to do. Because it’s chinese new year and I’ve been watching dnp all day. Text under the readmore.)

Youtube, condensed as one large mega-fandom, is arguably the worst collection of people on the internet ON AVERAGE (i know some wonderful people from youtube fandoms, but there are a heckload of pretty awful ones......) because it's so accessible to both fans and creators; at some point people kind of got this odd misconception that being a Youtuber is a- not surefire, per se, but an "easier" way to get a large following, probably because of the examples we have case-in-point (most popular ones just talk about stuff and play games which is a gross oversimplification of their job, but anyways. that's how people see it), as well as the common mindset that "just filming videos all day at home must be great, if it's what you love".

So on one hand you have people, amateurs who believe they can be the next Pewdiepie or Zoella or something, and I'm not discrediting any of their (the amateurs') work- but you have to acknowledge that it takes not only skill and hard work but also a great deal of luck and also, ahem, a little bit of the thing we call the 'genetic lottery' - there's a reason why there are so many popular youtubers who are attractive white dudes. You have these mostly-unsuccessful amateurs, trying to cater to an already-formed audience (many current popular Youtubers have been around since the early days, 2006 - 2008, essentially, and it’s definitely worth noting that being around for the beginnings of the site has resulted in shaping the development of Youtube fandom in and out) and you know what these amateurs also are?

They're fans.

And the fanbase is so widespread and diverse, because it's one of the only truly globally accessible modern media fanbases, because everyone watches Youtube videos, uses Youtube- watching music videos, tutorials, memes, reviews, EVERYTHING, so there's a high chance that everyone you talk to will have at least watched one Youtube video in their life, because a member of family wanted to show them something funny, or they needed to know how to do something, etc. And as shown with TV, the visual medium of Youtube; that is to say, the video, combined with the average Youtuber's vlog length or whatever- between 2-3 minutes and like 15 minutes maximum, makes it the perfect global form of consumable media that caters to the widest audience possible. Short, easier to take in than, say, a book or an episode of anime, due to the general lack of continued storyline, and tailored perfectly to fit the demands of the every-growing consumer market. It's also a lot easier for international fans to try to follow along and understand someone who's talking and using body language and making use of a visual medium than it is to read a book or play a dialogue-driven video game.

And since the Youtube community is so easy to access, for EVERYONE, that means a great deal of aspiring kids are willing to go on and give it a go, or at least make accounts and become those annoying "LMAO!!! XDDDD" comments in the dregs of every youtube video comment section.

The thing is also that a great deal of Youtube fans haven't been exposed to "non-cringey" forms of entertainment, and even still some haven't gotten out of their 2010 phases, so they still make crappy rape jokes and say things like "damn you len!!!" on every video. Because Youtube is so accessible and older videos are just as easy to find as newer ones, so people easily pick up vernacular and various slang trends from 5 years ago.

You can compare this to any other type of fandom: we have the east asia pop culture side; ie. anime and K-pop. Both of which are harder to get to because of the cultural and language gaps, and the fact that they're still a lot less common to run across these days than say, a comedy sketch on the front page of Youtube that your friend showed you, rather than the esoteric niche interests of quirky teenagers who like rewatching Neon Genesis Evangelion in their spare time.

Another example is TV shows, the most prominent being the Supernatural / Doctor Who / BBC Sherlock fandom, which, i must admit, has died down a little at least in recent years. These fandoms come close to Youtube mainly because of the target audience (12-16 year olds consume it best, but there are a lot of older and sometimes younger fans who enjoy it too) and the fact that being popular and broadcast on widespread TV channels in a lot of countries does make it so that 11 year olds try to join tumblr and make up a fake age using a year of birth a few decades before they were born so that they can access that sweet, sweet Destiel content. Or something. I don't know anything about Supernatural.

So, to condense my entire 1000+ word ramble on why Youtube is the most generally unpleasant fandom on the Internet, it comes down to this: As a largely easy-to-consume, widespread media form, it does its job exceedingly well, which allows for a wide variety of people to join Youtube as opposed to consuming content for other, more niche interests. Not that mainstream TV is niche or anything, but Youtube is according to your own time, and TV is not scheduled at the most convenient time for everyone.

This level of accessibility makes it so that it's a lot easier, through the medium and interface of Youtube, with the convenience of the comments and replies section, the likes and dislikes buttons, playlists, recommendations, subscriptions and the like, for anyone to express their opinions, without filtering out the large demographic of younger and perhaps not quite as well worded members of the Internet. The fact that pretty much all of it is completely, totally unmoderated probably doesn't help, either.

Youtube is good, great even, but the fandoms held within are essentially like that feeling you get when you're on a plane and you want to throw up- cold sweats, waves of nausea, generally trying to control your breathing so as to not act upon the sudden desire to expel everything you've eaten for the past 24 hours, wishing it'd all be over already- yeah, that. Oh, but also the euphoria you get when the sickness passes. There was a metaphor in there somewhere.

Edit: I forgot to address another part of why Youtube fandoms are notorious: the ridiculous prevalence of shipping and the unbelievable scope for discourse.

The thing is, that whilst there are a great deal of fans who have evaluated their choices properly regarding various topics, there are plenty of people who haven’t thought about the way their own fan-created content affects the rest of the Internet and, indeed, the original creators, the Youtubers who are at the centre of the fandom. For Dan and Phil, this doesn’t seem to be much of a problem- Dan has expressly endorsed the creation of phan content, in the interest of allowing people to nurture their own creative vices. I don’t have a particularly strong stance in this particular discourse, but there are many, many people who are largely against shipping Youtubers, out of all real-life people fandoms, because Youtubers are the most connected to their fanbase- a lot of source material comes from the fans, and indeed the content of the creators is very much shaped by the nature of the fandom, and vice verse, of course. Youtubers are pretty much guaranteed to have a strong notion as to the general sway of the fandom - whether it be the astonishing prevalence of people that ship you with your best friend / roommate, or not.

Fictional characters are mostly harmless; people don’t have much of a problem with shipping them for fear of hurting real people’s feelings (excluding the widespread homophobia debate, but that’s something for another time.) However, when real-life people come into play, it’s probably quite natural for people to take a few moments and look at fandoms, Youtube fandoms, which focus on real life people, and step back to say, “Hey, is it really on the same level as the people who ship fictional characters?”

And thus is the nature of people’s perspectives regarding the Youtube RPFs.

#iositext #god dont read this. it's not a serious thing its just....thoughts. word spew #OP

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astroshad · 7 years

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3, 10, 14, 18.

3. What are your favorite stims?Ok, so I have quite a few. I’ll break them down into different categories.Sound: Most of my stims are sound based. I tend to hum/sing pretty much 24/7. My current fave vocal stim is this bit of Cool Patrol by NSP (https://youtu.be/-tW0G9XWaj0?t=2m20s) . Also Hamilton songs (as well as anything else by Lin-Manuel Miranda) are very stimmy for me to listen to or sing to. For the past few days I’ve also been stimming to the main song from The Song of the Sea ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6wVijh2n9g ) and an Irish folk song called Dulaman (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ukjpUD5fZA ). I also have some sort of background noise set up on my laptop when I’m on it. I love the sound of rain (Usually I use rainymood) and foresty sounds(https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/meadowCreekSoundscapeGenerator.php).

Taste: I’ve noticed that candy canes seem to be a stim for me. The mint is soo good. Also hot chocolate and tea is awesome too.

Touch: Anything soft. I have this medium-sized Belle tsum tsum I got when I was in New York that’s perfect for cuddling and stuff. I really wanna get some kinetic sand cause it looks really cool but yea…

Sight: GLITTER! NEON LIGHTS! VAPORWAVE-Y THINGS! RAIN! GLOWY THINGS! I’m probably missing a few, but you get the idea. XD

Smell: I’ve been collecting candles over the past few months and now my desk is 25% candles….My faves are pumpkin, lavender, and pine.

10. What is one thing that you wished everyone knew about autism?The spectrum isn’t a line. Everyone experiences their autism differently. For example, me and @kikikid1412 are both autistic. She has issues with some foods and their textures, whereas I’m perfectly ok with them.

14. Describe a place/room/situation that would be sensory heaven to you.A place where I can freely sing/hum as loud as I want for as long as I want, listen to the same songs on repeat without the use of headphones and not feel self conscious about my music choices. The place would also have an infinitely burning pumpin scented candle, fairy lights/neon lights on the walls, and tons of glitter jars. I would look out the window and see that the rain is never ending.

18. What are your autistic headcanons?YOU’VE DONE IT NOW. SIT DOWN CAUSE THIS IS GONNA BE A FUCKIN RIDE.I have a bunch of characters that I headcanon to be autistic (which are on my about page), but the headcanons I ABSOLUTELY LOVE/ ARE EXTREMELY SPECIAL TO ME are as follows…

Peridot (from Steven Universe): I developed this headcanon back when the “Peridot redemption arc” was first starting. This was also around the time when I was starting to learn more about Autism and who I was. This was basically my gateway to headcanons as a whole. The headcanon clicked into place when I saw that Peridot really didn’t understand how things worked and how hard it was for her to grasp the set of social rules that she was presented with. She wanted to fit in with the gems and tried her hardest to understand things. Especially when she unintentionally hurt Amethyst. The tape recorder also played a big part in this headcanon. Peridot was so used to her screens and homeworld tech in order to communicate and process the world around her. When Steven gave her the tape recorder, it allowed her to continue her routine of keeping logs and also communicate her feelings to the gems. The main examples being her rewinding and repeating bits of the tape (“CLOD! CLOD! CLOD!”) and when she apologized to Amethyst in recording form. There are many other reasons why I headcanon Peridot as autistic, but there are the two main reasons that started this whole thing.

Papyrus (from Undertale): I’ve talked about this in the past, but I’ll say it again. I see a lot of myself in Papyrus. And I didn’t even mean to make this headcanon at first, but just like the last headcanon, it clicked into place. The only difference is that with this one, it happened in more of a “oh my god i see the light” sort of way. It was late 2015, and I was in a public speaking class at my college. For the final project, we had to give a persuasive speech. I chose to do mine on Autism Speaks and why they are pretty much the spawn of satan. So I was sitting in the library doing research and one of the articles talked a bit about the symptoms of autism. As I was reading them, my thoughts drifted to Undertale, since at the time that was one of my main special interests. And for some reason, my thoughts drifted to Papyrus specifically. Then, time pretty much almost literally froze for me. “Papyrus is autistic…” The thought popped up. “Papyrus…..is AUTISTIC!!” the thought echoed again. A smile grew on my face and I jut felt so happy. There was a character that was clearly autistic…and the other characters loved him and cared for him greatly and didn’t think he was dumb/a burden/other bad words!!!! They accepted him for who he was and he accepted himself too!!! Papyrus was and still is the character I needed in that time. I’m still learning to accept myself and I know that even if it doesn’t feel like I’m making huge leaps, Papyrus would be proud of me and be like “HUMAN! LOOK AT WHAT YOU’VE DONE!!”

Alexander Hamilton (from the musical, Hamilton): This one is kind of hard to explain. even I don’t have the full explanation figured out ( @kikikid1412 ya might have to help me out with this). The best explanation I can give is that, for some reason, the musicial has just kind of…attached itself deep into my soul? I love it. It’s just so important to me. Maybe the reason I have the “Alexander is autistic” headcanon is because he’s kind of what I want to be. He’s loud, he lets his thoughts be known, he is completely himself. And as someone who is kind of shy and quiet and self concious, why wouldn’t I want to be more like that? I’ve talked about this in my New Years post, but I want to speak up more. I want to grab the things I want, not let them slide by. I want to be in the room where it happens. Like I said, I’m still trying to truly figure out the reason I love this headcanon so much.

Rapunzel (from Tangled) and Belle (from Beauty and the Beast): These two princesses have always been special to me, even before I started this whole headcanoning thing. Beauty and the Beast is basically the movie my father and I share. It’s our movie. As a kid and even now, Belle was my favorite Disney Princess. Then, when I saw Tangled in 2012, the movie just instantly became one of my faves. When I showed the movie to my friends, they even said “Rapunzel is basically you.” So when I got into headcanoning and reading other people’s headcanons for them, I guess it started to make more sense WHY I loved them and WHY I saw bits of myself in them. Rapunzel is this energetic and loud princess with a thousand special interests. Belle is the odd one out in her village and nobody understands her. And for the most part, she’s fine with her books, but she wishes someone would understand her. And she even has doubts about herself because of the way the villagers are towards her (“Papa…do you think I’m…odd?” ). AND BOTH PRINCESSES WANT ADVENTURE! That’s something I want too!! I could go on and on about why I love these princesses so much..

Link (from The Legend of Zelda): This headcanon is kind of new for me, but my love for Zelda is something I’ve had for a looooong time. Zelda has been one of my special interests since I played Link’s Awakening and the Oracle games way back in the day. And even though I love the Zelda series, its the classic games (First game, up until Ocarina/Majora. Also any game attached to the LTTP story) that are closest to my heart and are pretty much a part of me now. So why wouldn’t I love a headcanon that claims THE MAIN CHARACTER AND HERO is autistic? It makes so much sense to me and the headcanon makes me really happy.

Graham (from King’s Quest) and Guybrush Threepwood (from Monkey Island): THESE GAMES ARE REALLY GOOD AND YOU SHOULD PLAY THEM!!! Anyway, these games are pretty much my special interests now, as is point and click games in general. I love these two characters sooo soo much. Both are socially awkward, dorky adventurers. They think outside of the box frequently and come up with solutions that an average person wouldn’t think of. Guybrush has a special interest in pirates. Graham has a special interest in adventuring and puzzles. I will say, my headcanon for Graham is a bit more developed than the one for Guybrush. Graham has the tendency to ramble when excited (when he asks Manny to be friends, when he meets the potion shop owners, when encountering that big puzzle in chapter 4). He also is hyperempathetic (one word: Achaka). Also I headcanon Neese/Vee as autistic and the rest of the family too!

Dawn (from the musical, Waitress): Waitress..oh my god I love Waitress! It’s the first musical I saw LIVE ON BROADWAY!! As I was watching it i was like “Yes…Dawn is autistic as fuuuck : D ;-; ” Like, in the first song she’s in (Opening Up) she flat out states she likes the way the diner has its own daily routine. She then continues to show that she loves routines (going home and eating a specific tv dinner and watching the history channel). She also is anxious and socially awkward. She has a special interest in history, especially the American Revolution.

Marty Mcfly and Doc Brown (from Back to the Future): I’m gonna start this by saying I love this headcanon, because Marty and Doc are basically me and @kikikid1412 !! Like our sistership is very similar to Doc and Marty’s friendship. Marty is anxious and often times worries about what people will think of him, while Doc is always encouraging Marty to just do it!!! I’ve reblogged a few posts about autistic Marty recently and you can go check out @kikikid1412 for her Doc headcanons. But basically this headcanon is special because I’m like Marty and sis is like Doc! And I see so many similarities between us and the characters!!

Amalthea, Prince Lir, Molly Grue, and Schmendrick (from The Last Unicorn): I’m still trying to develop this headcanon but here’s what I got so far.Schmendrick: Has a special interest in magic and mythological creatures. Stims by juggling.Molly Grue: Goes without shoes due to sensory issues. Special interests are legends and mythological creatures (mainly Robin Hood and unicorns). Very blunt and to the point, can be seen as rude (especially in the scenes where she’s talking to King Haggard)Prince Lir: Doesn’t know how to express his feelings properly/can’t put them into words. Had no clue how to approach the whole “I love Amalthea” thing and stuck to the script of “a daring hero slaying monsters” in hopes it would impress her. He also couldn’t read Amalthea and kept at the whole hero thing until he finally realized it wasn’t working.

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randomrichards · 5 years

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OSCAR 2019 PREDICTIONS PART 2: THE TECHNICAL AWARDS

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

· COLD WAR

· THE FAVOURITE

· NEVER LOOK AWAY

· ROMA

· A STAR IS BORN

Who Will Win?

It can be no one else but Alfonso Cuaron and his magnum opus. With assistance from cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, Cuaron has grown to become a master of the long take in films like Children of Men and Gravity. For Roma, Cuaron makes his debut as Director of Photography.

Cuaron’s camera keeps a distant eye as it observes the everyday lives of housekeeper Cleo (Talitza Aparicio) and the middle-class family she cares for. And yet the camera wants to stay close to them as it follows them through their lives. Somehow, Cuaron finds a way to balance these traits while keeping the audience engaged.

The strength of black and white cinematography is how it can manipulate light to create abstract imagery. Cuaron uses light to showcase Mexico’s beauty in all its forms. Whether it’s the warm sunny skies or the neon lights of the city, this Mexican city always feels warm and inviting. There are even moments when Cuaron uses black and white imagery to further the storytelling. The perfect example is the New Year’s Eve sequence. Like Cleo, we watch what we think are sparks of fireworks behind black trees. Then we realize they’re embers from a forest fire. Cut to the family racing to put out the bright white flames.

There’s pure beauty in every scene.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

· THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS

· BLACK PANTHER

· THE FAVOURITE

· MARY POPPINS RETURNS

· MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS

Who Will Win?

I imagine this will be a battle between Ruth E. Carter and Sandy Powell.

Since School Daze, Carter has been a frequent collaborator with Spike Lee while designing costumes for black filmmakers like John Singleton, Ava Duvarney and even Keenan Ivory Wayans. She also has experience designing for geek culture through Joss Whedon’s Serenity. Now she brings that experience in Black Panther.

Carter seizes on this opportunity to honour her African heritage in all its forms. She not only draws inspiration from multiple African tribes like the Suri, the Tuareg and the Dogon but uses their styles to contrast Wakanda’s tribe (respectively The River Tribe, the Merchant Tribe and the Jorabi Tribe). She provides further contrast through different colours and patterns, from T’challa’s (Chadwick Boseman) black and royal purple to the all-female royal guard’s red.

The film is a cosplayer’s dream come true.

Carter faces strong competition in Powell, who is nominated for two films; The Favourite and Mary Poppins Returns. The question is which one? It’s a hard choice. As I’ve said before, the academy loves period piece, which would make the Favourite…the favourite. But it also loves colourful costumes, which defines Mary Poppins Returns.

It’s hard to choose, because the awards are less predictably than usual. So, I’m going to say its between Black Panther and the Favourite.

BEST FILM EDITING:

· BLACKKKLANSMAN

· BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

· THE FAVOURITE

· GREEN BOOK

· VICE

Who Will Win?

The award will go to Vice thanks to its bold creativity. Hank Corwin makes a lot of daring choices with his editing style, accompanying Adam McKay’s unorthodox storytelling with a fast-paced approach. When the narrator discusses how Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell) handles politics like a butterfly knife, we cut to a closeup of a hand doing butterfly knife tricks before cutting someone’s face. It also leads to some comedic moments. The film plays a fake epilogue when Cheney (Christian Bale) quits politics in the 90s, making it seem like they had a happy ending. But as the credits roll, you hear a phone ring and cut to George W Bush (Sam Rockwell) convincing Cheney to be his Veep. Unfortunately, the editing can come off as uneven as the story structure, even distracting. Despite all this, it remains the front runner

If there’s a dark horse who could beat Vice, it’s Bohemian Rhapsody. This award seems to favour music movies, giving awards to Chicago and Whiplash. Plus, the academy will enjoy the structured cutting to moments of Freddy Mercury’s lives. But I feel scenes are cut too short, never giving the audience time to process the scenes.

The one I think should win is BlackkKlansman. Spike Lee has a unique style to his filmmaking and frequent collaborator Barry Alexander Brown uses that style to create a unique visual experience for moviegoers. One moment where the editing shines is in the opening scene of Dr. Kennebrew Beauregard (Alec Baldwin) shooting a KKK recruitment video. Brown’s editing undercuts his racist rant with quick cuts of him flubbing his lines in between his rant. What results is a combination of a Jack Donaghy’s (also Baldwin) disastrous shooting of a commercial in 30 Rock and Ron Burgundy’s vocal warm ups.

Again, I think this award will go to Vice.

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLE:

· BORDER

· MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS

· VICE

Who Will Win?

What other film could it be than Vice? When we first scene him in the role of Dick Cheney, you see no sign of Christian Bale through the makeup. You would think you were seeing the real Cheney.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN:

· BLACK PANTHER

· THE FAVOURITE

· FIRST MAN

· MARY POPPINS RETURNS

· ROMA

Who Will Win?

This will Be another battle between Black Panther and The Favourite.

For Black Panther, Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart blend futuristic technology with African culture to create the environments of Wakanda. We witness a world that holds on to its traditions while looking ahead. The result is a unique metropolis you’d like to vacation.

In contrast, The Favourite combines realism and extravagance to deglamorize the monarchy. On the surface, you a classy environment of detailed paintings, tapestries and walls full of books. But look past the dark halls and Fiona Crombie and Alice Fenton reminds you that while the Aristocrats betting on duck races, the servants are sleeping on the floors.

It could go either way, but it looks like the odds are in favour of the Favourite.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

· AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

· CHRISTOPHER ROBIN

· FIRST MAN

· READY PLAYER ONE

· SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY

Who Will Win?

If it were up to me, this award would go to First Man. The effects in this film’s flight scenes leave all Superhero movies in the dust with their mind-blowing realism and it did so with little CGI. Director Justin Hurwitz could have used computer graphics to showcase Neil Armstrong’s flight tests and the eventual Apollo 11 flight. Instead, he took a lesson from Christopher Nolan and used as much practical effects as possible. For the flight scenes, effects supervisors Paul Lambert (Blade Runner 2049), Ian Hunter (Interstellar), Tristan Myles and J.D. Schwalm placed simulation planes in front of 10-foot LED Screens which would play images of soaring skies while the planes were rigged to move in synch with the screens. This way the actors can get into the moment and the audience can feel more like they’re in the moment. All of this comes together to create scenes more thrilling than most Marvel Movies could dream of.

And then we get to the moon and your mind is blown by how real all of this looks. All done with little to no CGI.

But the academy seems to lean in favour of CGI effects. And many agree its key competition is Avengers: Infinity War thanks to the motion capture effects of intergalactic supervillain Thanos (Josh Brolin) which I will give credit for is amazing. But I suspect the Academy will lean more towards Ready Player One. Say what you will about the film[1], but you must give credit to the incredible effects.

By now, Spielberg’s effects team have mastered the use of motion capture, with our heroes’ avatars looking just realistic enough for video game characters without entering uncanny valley. It looks more impressive when the avatars interact with live action characters.

But the highpoint of the film’s special effects comes in the moment Wade (Tye Sheridan) and his friends enter the Shining. It’s mind-blowing to see these CGI characters blend into this film classic. If only there was as much quality in the storytelling.

[1] And yes, there is a lot to be said about the plot, performances and questionable ideals.

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denesecurry5048-blog · 6 years

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Nonetheless, a popular mistaken belief is actually that you must utilize a brief- or medium-stay parking lot for a much shorter excursion. Based on my individual adventures, I would strongly advise you to check out business for re-financing vehicle financing. The new car possesses pair of standard safety seat, primarily due to the fact that within this version guests need to be strapped in like they would in any other car to meet security laws, which means using regular seat belts. You carry out need to make sure there are actually endorsements and a good ranking along with the better business bureau. Even with the buzz coming from providers including Google nonetheless, the basic agreement is that it goes to the very least 15 years before vehicles become entirely self-governing and also can easily choose you up from the home of visit work. Certain Nevada rule is actually pretty lax on self-governing driving, however the thought from independent cars and trucks arriving in my lifetime is certainly not one thing I expected while maturing. Uncommon sounds on your vehicle might be an indicator that something mistakes, as well as therefore you need to check out the owner's handbook to identify exactly what is typical and also just what is actually unusual. In spite of all the issue adhering to the Volkswagen emissions detraction, there's actually been very little result on the recurring worths from diesel-powered cars and trucks all at once. Driverless automobiles develop the extra ecological danger from enhancing the variety of auto vacations and also miles cars travel. The brainchild from scholastics at Oxford College's Division from Design Scientific research, the job's intention is to make budget friendly self-driving automobile modern technology by means of 'machine learning'.

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flauntpage · 6 years

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DGB Grab Bag: Trolling Goalies, All-Star Voting, and Gretzky's Circus Pants

Three Stars of Comedy

The third star: Referee Ian Walsh – I appreciate his commitment to still finishing the job when things go bad. If my wifi goes out for six seconds I go back to bed for the rest of the day.

The second star: David Pastrnak is helping – Specifically, he's helping warm up Anton Khudobin, who could not possibly be less interested.

Oh hey, speaking of annoying a goaltender...

The first star: Carter Hart vs. Matteo Ritz – Hart is Canada's starting goalie at this year's World Juniors. "Matteo Ritz," which is clearly a made-up name, is the Swiss backup. Like many players these days, Hart has a superstition about being the last off the ice, but his comes with a twist: Instead of applying only to warmup, he wants to be last off for intermission too. Yes, during games. So the Swiss decided to send Ritz out to mess with him.

Careful readers will note that Hart used the same trick that P.K. Subban pulled off in last week's column, which I think we would all agree can only mean on thing: Carter Hart reads the Grab Bag. What's up Carter!

Needless to say, this is all very dumb. But Canadians are having some fun with it.

Trivial Annoyance of the Week

The NHL announced the results of fan voting for the All-Star Game captains this week. The fans elected Connor McDavid, Steven Stamkos, Alexander Ovechkin and P.K. Subban. Those are solid choices—good players, with a non-zero element of personality mixed in. Nice work, fans.

But there was something missing in the announcement. See if you can spot it.

Yes, they gave us the results of the fan vote…without actually telling us what the vote was. Once again, the league didn't bother sharing the numbers each guy got. That's no surprise, since they didn't release totals throughout the voting process either.

That's not a huge deal—it's just an all-star game, it's not like we're not voting in a head of state here. But it's weird. The All-Star vote is supposed to be a fun thing, and part of the fun is knowing what the races look like.

Which of the four players got the most votes, making him the leading vote-getter across the entire league? Great question, but we don't know. Lightning stars Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos were 1-2 in the Atlantic balloting, but was it a close race, with Kucherov nipping at his teammate's heels the whole way only to fall just short? No idea. Did Sidney Crosby give Ovechkin a run for his money in the Metro? Look, stop asking questions and just buy some neon yellow all-star jerseys.

The NFL doesn't do this. When Le'Veon Bell beats out Tom Brady for the top spot, they want you to know about it. MLB makes a point of marketing how close their races are. The NBA makes everything available in exhausting detail.

But not the NHL. When it comes to marketing all-stars, apparently they know better.

This fits in nicely with the league's habit of withholding information from fans whenever it can. We've been over this plenty of times before. Whether it's a conditional trade or a contract signing or the result of a replay review, the NHL wants you to know as little as possible. It's basically league policy at this point.

But when it comes to that other stuff, you can at least come up with a reason why the league might want to keep fans in the dark. Not a good reason, mind you, but something. Not here. I'm honestly stumped. Why wouldn't you want fans to get into the races?

We can only imagine what's going on behind the scenes. Maybe the races weren't close at all. Maybe fans somewhere were stuffing ballot boxes and the races were ridiculous. Maybe this is the league trying to hand out some sort of punitive payback for the whole John Scott fiasco. Maybe the vote totals are embarrassingly low across the board when compared to other sports.

Or maybe this is just yet another example of a league that doesn't really like its own fans very much, and can't help but take any opportunity it can find to passive-aggressively annoy them. If so, it's far from the most glaring or consequential example we've seen, and no doubt we'll all forget about it quickly enough. It's just odd. Even when the call is an easy one and everyone else is showing them the right answer, the NHL really can't help itself. They'll find a way to mess it up somehow.

Obscure Former Player of the Week

Earlier this week I wrote a piece that made a passing reference to Wayne Van Dorp, which made me think man, I need to write an obscure player piece on Wayne Van Dorp. So this week's obscure player is Wayne Van Dorp.

In addition to having a fantastic name, Wayne Van Dorp was a tough guy who took an unusual route to the NHL. Despite managing a decent 22 goals on top of 242 penalty minutes as a junior in 1980-81, he wasn't drafted. So he headed to Holland of all places, spending parts of four years playing pro in the Netherlands while also making appearances in North American minor leagues. That led to a free agent deal with the Buffalo Sabres in 1986, and a trade to Edmonton at the 1987 deadline paved his way to an NHL debut as a 25-year-old. He played a few games for the Oilers, earning a Cup ring in the process, before being dealt to the Penguins in the Paul Coffey trade.

After a few games in Pittsburgh it was back to Buffalo in another trade, but for the second time, he never suited up for the Sabres. Instead it was off to Chicago, where as a 1980s enforcer he put in his mandated service time in the Norris Division. He had his best season as a Blackhawk, playing 61 games and scoring seven goals in 1989-90 while racking up 303 PIM and squaring off with division stalwarts like Bob Probert, Joey Kocur, and Shane Churla. He went to Quebec in the 1990 waiver draft, where he suffered an injury that ultimately ended his NHL career. He'd head to Italy for a season before retiring in 1993.

Van Dorp's Wikipedia page is two paragraphs long, and for some reason one of them is solely about how he "has appeared in hockey blooper tapes fighting Serge Roberge" while in the AHL. I just like how they specify that it was hockey blooper tapes, plural.

I'm assuming the fight in question is this one, which is…fine. It's a good scrap. I'm not sure it's half a-guy's-entire-Wikipedia-page good, but maybe that's why I'm not an editor.

The NHL Actually Got Something Right

OK, we complained about the NHL finding a way to screw up the all-star voting. So let's flip the script and look at the other vote results that were released this week.

As part of the never-ending celebration of the league's 100th anniversary, we had yet another fan vote, this one for history's best uniforms. When the vote was first announced, it was hard not to roll your eyes and assume this was going to turn into another Original Six lovefest, with the rest of the list dominated by current designs because modern fans have no attention span. Instead, we got this:

That's… that's a damn good list. The whole top 25 is here.

We get an Original Six team at No. 1, but that's fine because the Blackhawks uniform is a worthy winner. But then the list veers off into some long-gone classics, like the Whalers, Nordiques, and North Stars. We get appearances by the old school Jets and Flames, and the Gretzky-era Kings. The Golden Knights even show up. All the Original Six teams are in there too, but they don't dominate.

It's not perfect. The Mighty Ducks are a little too high—sorry, 90s kids—and the lack of the old green and red Devils uniforms is inexcusable. But overall, this is a good ranking. For something that seems to have been destined to give people something to get upset and argue over, I can't really find anything to howl about here.

There's also a message here for modern-day uniform designers: Calm down, stop obsessively messing with the piping on the sleeves, and just give us a solid color combination with a logo a kid can draw on his or her pencil case. This isn't complicated, guys. When the Seattle Soundgardens show up in a few years and immediately win the Presidents' Trophy because teams line up to give them 30-goal scorers, they don't need to do it while wearing fourteen shades of puce and a logo designed by M.C. Escher. Simple works.

But yeah, good job NHL fans. And good job NHL for setting this up in a way that clearly got people thinking in the right direction. I'm assuming this is the last of the centennial votes, and if so, the league went out with a job well done.

(Now if only they told us how many votes each uniform got…)

Classic YouTube Clip Breakdown

Last weekend was New Year's Eve, which means it was quite possibly the anniversary of both the sport's greatest game and the NHL's great moment. The former, of course, is the classic 1975 exhibition showdown between the Canadiens and the Soviet Red Army that's often called the best game ever played.

The latter, as recently voted by NHL fans, is this week's clip.

It's December 31, 1988 and the Penguins are hosting the Devils for a New Year's Eve tilt at the old Igloo. Lemieux is about to do something that nobody has ever done before: Score five goals in five different ways.

Those five ways are, of course, by: Deflecting the puck off a defenseman, King Kong Bundy splashing a goalie, body-checking a referee, executing an NHL 94 one-timer, and by breaking a linesman's brain.

Wait, I'm being told the five ways are actually even strength, powerplay, short-handed, penalty shot and empty net. It's never been done before this game. Also never done before this game: Anyone thinking that "five goals five ways" was a thing.

I'm going to be completely honest with you: There are several better clips of this game available on YouTube, including the league's high-quality version and a fan-made version that's longer and more detailed. This one isn't as good, and doesn't even include all the goals. Why am I using it? Three words: Wayne Gretzky's pants. Stick with me, I've never steered you wrong before.

So we're actually watching something called Great Hockey Moments With Wayne Gretzky, as brought to you by Upper Deck. "You don't just watch the game, you play it!" Um, what? I'm trying to relax on my couch here, Upper Deck, how about you calm down on yelling at me for being lazy?

And there are Wayne Gretzky's pants. Was I wrong? I was not wrong.

Literally everyone dressed like this in the mid-90s, by the way. I'm not throwing stones here.

Gretzky intros the clip, and then we're on to the highlights. They're weirdly out of order here, starting with the hat-trick goal and then moving to the second. That one's my favorite, because it features Mario going one-on-one against a defender. That always resulted in somebody getting humiliated, but this time there's an added bonus: the defender is actually a forward, Aaron Broten. Lemieux used to regularly humiliate Ray Bourque, so you can imagine how this goes for Broten. But at least he tries and doesn't just immediately fall down and start crying, which I think should have resulted in him being awarded the Masterton.

Also, Lemieux ends the play by "accidentally" crushing the goalie. That happened a lot with Mario. At least nobody got kicked in the crotch, Jon Casey mutters bitterly.

They never do show the first goal, which makes sense given it was actually an own goal by the Devils. Instead we skip right to the penalty shot, followed by the empty netter. That one's funny because it came right as time expired, and you can see the linesman get flustered and try to half-heartedly wave off the goal before the referee skates over and tells him to stay in his damn lane.

As mentioned, this was recently voted the greatest moment in NHL history. We, um, all agree that this is not actually a "moment," right? OK, cool, just checking that words still had meaning.

Fun fact: In addition to the five goals, Lemieux added three assists to make this one of only sixteen eight-point games in NHL history. Even more impressive, it was the most ever by a player who had points on every goal scored by his team. That's a record that has to this day have never been matched because I'm pretty sure we all agree that the whole Sam Gagner thing was a glitch in the simulation and never actually happened.

And that wraps it up for five goals five ways. Join us next week when Gretzky one-ups Lemieux by becoming the first player to ever stuff five hockey helmets down the front of his pants.

Have a question, suggestion, old YouTube clip, or anything else you'd like to see included in this column? Email Sean at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @DownGoesBrown.

DGB Grab Bag: Trolling Goalies, All-Star Voting, and Gretzky's Circus Pants published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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designcontextsbh-blog · 7 years

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Response: The Representation of Sexuality and Relationships in Games

Games have a unique opportunity when creating characters because they don’t have to rely on physical acting so they can create a character to be any race or gender and find the voice actor that fits. The issue with this is that developers tend to create characters that appeal to what they believe is their largest audience, so straight white males are a popular character for games. It seems like deviating from the norm and introducing alternative character types opens up a world of fear that it will polarise too many players. For instance, 2013 was branded as the year of the female protagonist because there was a total of 3 big games announced that had a female protagonist: Tomb Raider, Bayonetta 2 and Beyond Two Souls, then Call of Duty decided they would include female characters in their upcoming multiplayer for Call of Duty: Ghosts. The industry and players rejoiced that finally there would be more females in games, well, the male ones did at least. It seems that people in the majority think that having one or two characters that fit into a minority automatically makes everything more diverse. A few gay characters here, a female protagonist there and maybe just for kicks they won’t all be white. That’s not how diversity works. Having one character in one game that fits into a minority doesn’t suddenly eradicate the massive amount of sexism, racism, homophobia or transphobia that exists. With realism and immersion becoming more popular we see some developers scrambling to implement romance systems and making the most stereotypical LBGTQ+ characters ever seen, like repeating the ‘year of the female protagonist’ with less effort. The problem is you can’t really get away with butchering things that we experience in real life without anyone noticing.

Developers don’t seem to know how to handle increasing the amount of LBGTQ+ characters in their games, instead of looking at the competition and standing out from the crowd they seem to rely on the same old character types. A lot of games work with a pre-made character, they tell the story of a character the studio has created that the player will follow on their journey. They tend to have a limited opportunity to express much in terms of sexuality and relationships due to the story taking priority over the few characters that the player interacts with. But it seems that they constantly waste the few opportunities they do have by choosing the majority over and over again. Even games with large casts with the option to pursue a relationship arc seem to struggle with sexuality. Take Bioware’s massive RPG franchises Mass Effect and Dragon Age, even though their romance subplots are a big draw for players, they still keep the homosexuality to the bare minimum. One gay option is available for each gender, one bisexual option and the rest are either straight or non- romanceable. It seems a wasted opportunity to have such a strong system and then limit the options for any players that want to create an LBGTQ+ character. As levels of realism in games increase, so should the diversity of the characters we play.

In an interview with games journalist Kate Gray, she highlighted how allowing players freedom and full immersion are important to players “If games want to have full immersion, and are already aimed at adults, I think it’s hugely important. I don’t think every game needs sexuality and relationships … but I also think that, if you’re going to include it, it should be done properly… Romance is so personal that it’s vital to have options that cover the majority of your players.” This is all very true, not every game you play should have you romancing everything that moves or trying to tackle the massive issue of sexuality but maybe some more should. If even one game this year attempts to portray such issues in a way we’ve never seen, we’d notice a huge difference in how we speak about it.

The intimacy of relationships may be hard to translate into a 40-hour game and not just feel like a lecture on how to they should work but a few developers appear to want to avoid even trying to portray something real. Bioware once again comes up short in the representation department. Simply pick the right options in conversation, do their loyalty mission and you will unlock the ultimate ‘prize’ for game relationships – sex. In the later entries in their two biggest franchises, Mass Effect and Dragon Age, there is an attempt to portray platonic relationships between the player and the NPC characters but it still seems to suggest it won’t take more to become more than friends. But as Gray pointed out, that’s not how it works “Friendship doesn’t have a “win state” like romance does - sex - and though I obviously disagree with sex being a “prize”, I can see how it’s easy to gamify. That doesn’t exist with friendship, which is more of a sliding scale.” But for games, the focus is always set on winning the prize in every category including relationships. There are varying degrees of these prizes of course: for Mass Effect, it is a sex scene while in Harvest Moon it is a baby. Even though it may seem odd to compare a SC-FI action RPG to a farming game, their idea of using “friendship as a step to romance” is always the same - do or say the right thing for a little while and you will win that prize every time. That may make perfect sense for games, they aren’t exactly the most realistic forms of entertainment, I can become the ultimate warrior or a highly skilled spy by sliding a disc into the tray but just because people want to escape when playing a game doesn’t mean they don’t want something real in it. Expressing ourselves is a massive part of life and games, we can customise the character’s hair, voice, clothes, skills – the list is endless really. Sometimes though, you may want to make a character that reflects you as a person and without something as basic as sexuality you won’t really ever get to have that choice.

There are so many players that are underrepresented in games today as developers still play into the white straight male-centric view that people have of the world. So many people are LBGTQ+ these days that the choice to exclude them makes no sense. Developers are missing out on strong characters, world building and storytelling because the fear of being boycotted by the loud minority of homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic and racists who will make it their mission to have your game tank is stronger than the need to represent people who will still pick up your game and play it.

Fable is a great example of a game that implements sexuality so subtly you might not even notice it. When you are walking around in any Fable RPG you might notice some hearts above NPC’s heads, they indicate that they are in love with you. Look closer and you will find some above both women and men, in the second and third instalment pulling the left trigger will bring up some more information and you will find that Albion is filled with gay, lesbian and bisexual people. It makes the world feel more real and although Fable doesn’t have a big focus on relationships, it allows the player the choice and that is the big difference. It is done in a way that you can completely ignore it and just focus on the main story or you can decide to start a family with whoever you choose.

In the past 50 years expressing yourself as an individual has slowly become an integral part of life, it allows people a freedom that was never explored before. Dye your hair, dress how you like, listen to whatever music you like, date who you want to. It has all become so common place that most people wouldn’t bat an eye at someone with neon blue hair walking down the street. However, we are still faced with bigotry in regards to race, gender and sexuality in a world that preaches acceptance. Where this acceptance has flourished is in the forms of escapism we live our lives surrounded in. TV, movies, music, the internet and games all offer a few hours of being cut off from the world, of experiencing new things and broadening our horizons through someone else’s eyes. Take RuPaul’s Drag Race as an example of a TV show that opened people up to the niche world of drag. It showed how much of a market there is for simple expression of self in a time where people are still attacked for who they love or how they dress. And since Hollywood and big TV companies crumble under the protests of close-minded people, wouldn’t games be the perfect place to allow someone to express themselves within a fictional world? To experience the struggles faced by people under attack for being themselves through the safety of a computer screen? It is sad to see such an amazing industry that can create entire fantasy universes shy away from problems faced by so many of their consumers.

That being said, games are a wonderful thing. They tell stories, create universes and let you escape into a fantasy at the push of a button. But they lack in an area that has become so important and so fundamental in the last few years that they are quickly coming under fire from their dedicated players. Representation is an overlooked issue in every entertainment industry these days that the excuses we hear are becoming so predictable it’s almost laughable. The highest rated TV shows and movies this year? Probably starring the same straight white guys we’ve been watching for years. The artists taking home the most awards at the big music events? I can name the top five of them without even trying to think about it. This year’s biggest games? Well hopefully in the industry that creates its own stars, maybe we’ll get to see a few surprises this time around. It isn’t that every game needs to have a gay, trans ethnic lead to be inclusive – far from it in fact - but maybe if just here and there we got something a little different than what we’ve seen a million times before, then we can be proud to say that we include people for who they are when everyone else is pretending there isn’t an issue.

References:

Please note that throughout this response I didn’t access outside material other than game names and my interview with Kate Gray. Therefore these references are purely games that I mentioned.

Tomb Raider. 2013. [computer game]. Crystal Dynamics

Bayonette 2. 2014. [computer game]. Wii U. Platinum Games

Beyond Two Souls. 2013 [computer game]. Quantic Dream

Call of Duty: Ghosts. 2013 [computer game]. Infinity Ward

Dragon Age. 2009. [computer game]. Bioware

Mass Effect. 2007. [computer game]. Bioware

Harvest Moon. 1996. [computer game]. Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Amccus

Fable. 2004. [computer game]. Xbox. Lionhead Studios

RuPaul’s Drag Race. 2009. [tv show]. World of Wonder

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ericjuneau · 7 years

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Reprise (Chapter 22) [Frozen/Tangled/The Little Mermaid]

CHAPTER 22: Enchantment Under the Sea

Elsa met Rapunzel in the hallway. "You look gorgeous," she said.

Rapunzel had oysters clipped to her tail, as she had seen some others do, and put a sangria flower in her hair. "Thanks. You too."

Elsa wore a sash around her waist with a set of sapphire beads hanging in ringlets from the center.

"Can you believe that dressing room? All the cosmetics and frills and ornaments? There were colors I didn't even know existed. And so many things to put in your hair," Rapunzel said.

Ariel swam up behind them. "All ready?"

Compared to her, Elsa and Rapunzel felt underdressed. She had traded her ordinary top for one with star-like glitter. A string of pearls wound around her tail down to the fluke. In her hair lay a tiara of honey gold accentuated with mint emeralds.

"All ready," Elsa said.

Ariel clasped them on the back and led them to the grand hall. Melodious sounds of the band beckoned them in. The mermaids looked dazzling in their bright vestments covered with jewelry. Mermen wore auroral sashes, medals, and metal shoulder pads.

The seahorse herald floating in the doorway coughed.

"Announcing, her royal highnesses, Princess Rapunzel of Corona, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, and Queen Ariel of Atlantica."

The crowd cheered. Ariel leaned in to the herald and whispered, "Oh, no, I'm not actually a queen. I'm-"

Rapunzel grabbed her shoulder and pointed. "Are those neon eels? Wow. And look at those lantern fish. So many colors."

"This is the first time I've wanted to go to a ball," Elsa said.

Mermaids and mermen danced with each other in synchronized lines. On the surface, movements were limited to the floor. But in the sea, couples weaved in and out of lines, circled in spheres and loops. Just when they might run into each other, they rotated or slipped past in perfect grace. Spinning and diving and looping, but with the refinement of royalty.

The dance ended. The merpeople bowed to each other wherever they were--on the ceiling , in a corner, or floating in space alone.

The noise died down and Rapunzel heard Ariel describing people present.

"That is King Augustus of Olympia. They're kind of war-like, but they've never actually been to war. And his son Prince Thor is kind of snobby, but good at aquabatics." She gestured to the young man who had an odd blond mohawk with a ponytail. Both father and son wore gold-plated armor as their formal dress.

"Wait, Thor is a Norse name," Elsa said. "But they rule over Olympia, which sounds Greek?"

"Don't ask me. That fat one is King Orto." Ariel pointed out a rotund man wearing bright orange and holding up a goblet. He was laughing hysterically. "He's from Infernius, around a ring of undersea volcanoes. He's great at parties."

"How many kingdoms are there?" Rapunzel asked.

"Eight total. But they all unite under Atlantica's banner. Our kingdom is like the capital."

"Just as long as I don't offend anyone by doing something against customs," Elsa said, looking around nervously.

Now that the dance floor had cleared, the band struck up a bouncier tune. Merpeople cast aside their snack plates. Everyone from the highest lord to lowest knave swam to the dance floor. Rapunzel began shifting her shoulders with the beat.

"That's, uh... that's a pretty good tune," Rapunzel said. "Can anyone dance?"

Ariel laughed. "Go right ahead."

Rapunzel squealed and dove right in. She swirled around as if she were a goldfish in a bowl. Some of her neighbors gave her strange looks, given the human moves she was trying to make in a mermaid's body.

Ariel caught the eye of her six sisters at the other end of the room. They stood in a stolid receiving line as guests of great regard came up to them. Aquata's gaze pierced through the gyrating dancers.

"I think I better join my sisters," Ariel said. "It looks like they're welcoming guests."

"Can I come with you?" Elsa asked. "Dancing's not really my thing."

"Are you sure? It's pretty boring. Maybe go get some snacks first."

"Good idea," Elsa said. "I'll get some for you too."

Elsa positioned herself horizontal and swam to the snack bar. Ariel glided along the walls and set herself in her traditional spot at the end of the line. Alana and Andrina whispered hi, but a lean merman with a thin mustache approached, interrupting their conversation. Ariel recognized him as Satya, the viceroy from the Indian Ocean.

"Princess Ariel. I didn't expect to see you here," said Satya.

"Oh, I'm... just visiting," Ariel said.

"I heard you had gotten married, but didn't know to whom. Who's the lucky merman?"

Apparently, news of her breaking taboo hadn't reached all seven of the seas. "Oh, no one you know."

"Is he here tonight?" the viceroy asked.

"No, no, he had... other business."

The viceroy sniffled. "Must be important to miss the mermaid's ball."

"I'm sure he would have come if he could," Ariel said. Eric would like to see this.

"What kingdom is he from?"

"It's... it's a very small kingdom. Far away from here. You've probably never heard of it."

"Perhaps that is a blessing," Satya said. "If Atlantica wasn't so large, the queenship wouldn't always be in the turmoil it's in. You can hear the arguing all the way to the Caribbean. If three of them agree on something, it's a guarantee the other three won't. Too many crabs in the pot."

Ariel looked over to see if her sisters were hearing this. They were in conversation with other dignitaries, out of earshot. "Atlantica seems fine to me. The fish are happy, the music's playing," she said.

"Well, the nice thing about always being deadlocked is that nothing changes for the worse," Satya said. "Take for example, utility renovation in Eel-lectric City. They had dozens of proposals put to them. All kinds, good and bad. But they couldn't put their tail down on one because none were the perfect solution. They don't understand being a ruler means sometimes having to make a decision. Whether or not it's not all-encompassing. And the longer they take, the more citizens suffer."

"I... I didn't hear about that."

"See, you get it. I don't know why they can't. Anyway, I see the regent from the Gulf of Guinea. I must go to rub in my victory of our last game of pinochle." They shook hands again, said their goodbyes and swam off.

In fact, Ariel had only just "got it" She had watched Eric long enough to know if the kingdom had an issue to deal with, waiting did no good. It wouldn't get better on its own. And on occasion, he had made the decision that didn't make everyone happy. Raising taxes on crops meant angry farmers but, in the long run, better roads and schools.

To her right, a man was kissing Andrina's hand. She was doing her best trying to shake him off, but he wasn't getting the hint.

"Thank you. So much. Prince Finneas. Your sea cottage sounds lovely. I will definitely look into thinking about possibly being interested in joining you there for vacation someday."

Finneas waggled his eyebrows one more time and moved on.

"This happens all the time," Andrina said to Ariel. "They think these dances are just opportunities to court us. It's exhausting."

"Be lucky you don't have these problems," Alana whispered before facing another merman with a monocle. The dance music transformed into a crowd-pleasing mid-beat, encouraging couples onto the floor.

Rapunzel would not stop dancing her tail off. Twisting and turning to the beat while onlookers applauded. She was painting a picture that sound alone couldn't communicate, floating in a serenity no one could interrupt.

"Ariel!" someone shouted. A boy was waving and rushing toward her. Ariel cringed, remembering Andrina's and Alana's warning, until she recognized him.

"Gil? Gil, is that you?"

Her cousin Gil swam up to her. They hugged.

"I haven't seen you in years," Ariel said.

"I thought I'd never see you again." He brushed the stringy cinnamon bangs out of his face. "You went to live in the human world, right?"

"Right. But I'm here for... well, just lucky I guess."

Elsa swam up to them, holding a hand-sized seashell with various tidbits. She wasn't paying much attention, as her eyes were glued to the new food. "I didn't know what you wanted so I grabbed a bit of everything. Most of them taste like different combinations of sugar and salt. I bet they'd be great with some chocolate." She popped something rectangular and grainy into her mouth. "Thif one'f fticky. Like peanut butter and molaffeff. Also, thefe thingf that look like cupcakef are feaweed?"

"Gil, this is my friend, Elsa. Elsa, this is my cousin Gil."

Elsa looked up. Her eyes widened, mouth trapped in mid-chew. She swallowed. "Wow... I-I mean 'how'. How do you do? How are you?"

Gil's eyes didn't blink either. "Fine, fine... great... beautiful. I mean, I'm not beautiful. You're beautiful. Wait, what?"

Ariel smirked. "You know, Gil was just saying how he wanted someone to dance with."

"Oh... really?" Elsa muttered.

Gil offered his hand. "Would you like to?"

Thoughts of this new body, memories of the coronation two years ago, never materialized in her brain. She took his hand and let Gil lead her to the floor. Ariel grabbed the dish out of Elsa's hand before she dropped it.

The music followed the tempo of a waltz. Elsa fell into it naturally, vigilant of Gil's cues while gazing into his eyes.

"I don't dance all that much," Elsa said, clutching for things to say. "At least I can't step on your toes." She forced a laugh.

"Huh?" Gil said.

Agh, stupid. He didn't even know what a toe was. "Um, I mean, I'm used to a different kind of dancing."

"What kind?" Gil asked. He had amazing chestnut eyes. Elsa imagined Gil would be an archer in the human world. His chest was narrow and sculpted, with long lithe arms. Perfect for drawing a bow.

"Oh, um, the kind... from my kingdom. This is my first time in Atlantica. But Ariel's been great helping me out."

"How do you know Ariel?"

"Oh... it's a funny story actually." As funny as you can make trying to kill someone. "I was caught in a shipwreck- um, exploring one I mean. My tail... got trapped under some boards and Ariel saved me."

Gil smiled. "She does love her shipwrecks. You'd never guess she's such an explorer."

"I'm so often surprised by how looks deceive. Especially these days. I mean, look at all these people around us. They're all kings and queens and dignitaries. But I'm sure they've got secrets and things we'd never guess by looking at them."

"What's something I'd never guess by looking at you?" Gil asked.

Where would she start? She was a human. She was a queen. She had ice powers. Most recently, they had fought a wizard capable of bending time. Her cousin had hair seventy feet long that could cure wounds. There was plenty to pick from, if she wanted to end this dance right away.

"Oh... lots of things... If I started telling you my secrets, they wouldn't be secrets, would they?" she chided. Then wanted to throw her head in her hands for sounding like a nanny. "I mean, I just..."

"No, no, it's my fault. Sorry. I didn't mean to ask something so personal. But at least you're honest." He smiled.

She smiled back, realizing he was just trying to get to know her. "How about you? I know you're Ariel's cousin. I wouldn't have guessed that. Does that make you a prince?"

"Technically. But we don't hand out titles or rule any land. Unless you count the ranch for giant seahorses we own."

"You raise giant seahorses?"

"Sure. Most of the seahorses in Atlantica's stable come from us. When Ariel and I were merkids, we raced them into the kelp forests. In fact I was late today because one... well, it's a long story."

"Tell it," Elsa said excitedly.

"Okay. So we've got Starflash. He's usually good, but he's been getting ornery for some reason. I thought it was because of the new feed. When we got them all in for the night, he wasn't there. Now when a seahorse gets out, that's loads of trouble. They wander off and they're easy pickings for a shark."

"They must be hard to find too," Elsa said, spinning as he raised his arm. "It's not like they leave tracks."

"Darn near impossible. But I volunteer to go out and look for him. Which makes me easy pickings for a shark. But I'm thinking I can't just do nothing and write him off."

"That sounds so brave." The story made Elsa tense, even though he obviously survived. "Did you find him?"

"Yup. I felt like the luckiest guy in the world. Found him nestled up in some rocks under a plateau. And right beside him was a brand new baby calf. Can you believe it? I had no idea he was carrying."

"Wait, he had a baby calf?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah, the males keep the baby in their egg pouch. Didn't you know that about seahorses?" Gil gave her a quizzical look

"Oh. No I didn't." Clearly this was something she should have known so Elsa redirected him. "So Starflash is all right?"

"Oh, yeah. It's the calf that's the ornery one now. Fatherhood must be taking it out of him. Little girl's always tail-wrestling. In fact, that's how she got her name--Curly."

Elsa couldn't stop grinning. Her cheeks were sore from smiling so much.

Trumpets sounded. Merpeople cleared the dance floor. Gil escorted Elsa off to the side as the herald stood at the end of the room.

"What's going on?" Elsa asked.

"It's time for the Atlantican Royal Dance," Gil whispered. "It's a tradition."

"Ahem-hem..." the seahorse herald said. "And now, for your enjoyment, the seven royal sisters shall conduct 'the dance of the princesses'."

The herald swam to the side as the crowd applauded. Arista and Aquata led the sisters two-by-two to the dance floor. They reformed into a circle, hands in the middle, waiting for the music to start.

The band played a smooth, low-toned melody of nobility and awe. They rotated along the circle, changing direction with the rhythm.

"First time we've done this all together in years," Adella whispered.

"Wasn't I here the year before?" Ariel asked.

"No," Arista snapped, still whispering. "You left after the first song. You said you had to write a letter."

"Arista, ease up. She's here now," Andrina whispered. She turned to Ariel. "Do they dance like this on the surface?"

"A lot like this," Ariel said. "We actually have a lot in common. There's an instrument just like the sea calliope. And they have a version of the crab scouts. And the same games and art and music."

Arista sniffed. "Good to know you've been having such fun since you left. Meanwhile we're just down here, running a country the size of the ocean."

"I have my own kingdom too, you know," Ariel said.

"Then the human world must be a real paradise. It can run itself without a leader."

"That's not true. We're having problems," Ariel said. And she knew exactly why--because of her. "It's hard... making decisions."

"You have no idea how hard it is, even when it's peaceful," Arista said.

The circle spun round and round, faster and faster.

"It's up to you all to share the leadership. Daddy always said working together was-"

"Don't you dare talk about Daddy," Aquata chimed in. "You didn't even come for his funeral."

"How could I have?" Ariel asked. "I was human. I was in a totally different world. How was I supposed to get there? I can't change back and forth."

"You should have found a way. They still have magic on the surface, right?" Aquata snapped.

"You got here, didn't you?" Adella added.

"That's different. And that's the whole reason I'm here. I'm trying to find a solution to get rid of it," Ariel said. Were they all taking the opposite side? The spinning faces whirled, spitting out arguments she couldn't keep track of.

"So you do hate being a mermaid," Arista said.

"No!" Ariel said.

"Daddy wouldn't have died if you hadn't gone to the surface," Arista said.

Arista, Andrina, and Alana gasped. "Arista! How can you say that?"

"Well, it's true. He died of a broken heart." Arista looked at Ariel. "When you left, everything went bad."

"That's not my fault," Ariel said. "This isn't my kingdom anymore, it's yours. I don't know why you aren't getting along, but it's not because of me."

"You had a responsibility to your kingdom. To Atlantica," Arista said. "Now you aren't here, so you don't know. You went to the human world and left us. I just hope you're proud of yourself. Because we're all miserable."

The music stopped, as did the conversation. All seven raised their hands in the air, reaching toward each other in a halted circle. The crowd was applauding, but no one saw the eyes making dirty glances at each other within.

The sisters turned away and swam from the dance floor, leaving Ariel in the center, breathing deeply.

Elsa didn't notice how stoic Ariel was. She was still clapping. "That was amazing," she said to Gil.

"Thing of beauty," Gil said. "Something about royalty makes it more elegant." He put his hand on her arm.

She seized, heart pounding. His touch felt like an invigorating blast of ice. "I- I- I- I-"

Her eye caught someone in green floating into the hall. It was Dudley, holding a large bound book.

"Oh, excuse me," she said. "There's... I... someone just came in... I need to speak with... not another guy, just... information... he has. Excuse me." She turned away and started to swim, cringing from that stew of nonsense.

"Oh... okay." Gil gave a confused, half-hearted wave.

Elsa turned back. "I loved dancing with you." Then turned around again. Ugh, why did she say that? It was true, but it sounded so awkward.

Elsa found the yellow ribbon trailing in a corkscrew from Rapunzel's maneuver.

"I'm not even tired," Rapunzel said. "This is so fun! I have a sugar headache from all the snacks. We should all dance together." She twirled around, her hair trailing behind.

"Dudley's here," Elsa said.

"Oh." Rapunzel stopped. "Let's get Ariel."

Ariel was still in the middle of the floor as others danced around her. She tugged on her arm.

"Wh-What?" Ariel said. Elsa pointed to the sea turtle in the doorway.

The three of them swam off the dance floor and approached him.

"Dudley, did you find something?" Elsa asked.

"Ah-huh," Dudley said in his weak little voice. He handed them the book wrapped around his flipper.

Elsa held it out for them all to read. "This book is ages old. Written by... Abirmus nyz Ikstus."

"He was an ancient sorcerer and scholar, before Atlantica was founded. This must have been deep in the archives." Ariel turned to Dudley. "How long did it take you to find this? It must have been hours."

"Uh... no... it was... on the shelf... right next to me... Just... rushed here."

Elsa studied the text. "It's talking about relics of the gods. Artifacts and fragments left behind... Here. 'The sands of time are a divine essence leftover from the creation of the world. Eternally falling from the beginning of infinity to its end. It has no guardian and no destructor. It always has been and always will be."

Ariel took over. "'A single grain made its way into the realm of mortals, where it faded into the terran macrocosm. There it lay for eons, indistinguishable from any other speck of earth'."

"'Until someone discovered its existence'," Rapunzel continued. "'By prying open the mouths of the long dead to hear the whispers of the gods.'"

"'Knowing what its power meant, sorcerers and necromancers went mad trying to find it. Mere preparation for pursuit meant tapping into ancient dark magics. Few remained uncorrupted. Those that weren't lost track of their goal, possessed by their power," Elsa said.

"What's the last thing it says?" Rapunzel asked. "Is there a way to destroy it?"

Elsa skipped to the bottom. "It doesn't say. It's all about the people trying to find it. Messing with fundamental essences, like hate and sorrow. The last man they mention, the madness and chaos deteriorated his spirit. He deteriorated little by little, until nothing remained but hate and anger. He became an incarnation of discord itself."

"Does it know who that was?" Rapunzel asked.

"No." Ariel took a deep breath. "But unfortunately, I do."

#Ariel #Elsa #Rapunzel #Tangled #Frozen #The Little Mermaid #fanfic #fan fic #fanfiction #fan fiction #Disney #Reprise #crossover #Disney Princess

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