professionallyunprofessional

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Kim's Two Cents- 7th Guest VR Ending

At the time of writing my review of 7th Guest VR, I hadn't actually finished the game. Having actually done that a couple days ago, I have a few additional thoughts that I'll just throw in here rather than trying to tack them onto the other post.

The 'final game' was a very weird choice, IMO. For the entirety of the game, the puzzles either relied on strategy or had very clear steps to how to solve them. The finale, however, throws you into an RNG based game against Stauf, where you roll a die, move pieces across the board, and the first to collect three souls wins. Switching up the formula like that was a very odd choice that honestly pulled me out of the game for a sec.

On top of that, there were no actual consequences to losing. If Stauf beat you, the final game just started over from the beginning. It would have been nice for there to be a bad ending, especially since the original game was supposed to have multiple endings as well.

A last bit of dialogue/narration in the game strongly hints at the possibility of a sequel. I'm not sure how I feel about that. This franchise doesn't have a good track record for sequels.

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The 7th Guest VR

If you've been following me for any length of time, you know that The 7th Guest is one of my most favorite games ever. I have talked about pretty much every iteration of it on here, except for things like the mobile 'Infection' game and the T7G board game (which, sadly, I don't own). It is time for me to talk about it again. :D

This past year, a VR remake of The 7th Guest was created by Vertigo Games. It was teased both on its own Facebook page and on Trilobyte's pages as well. The game was released on October 19th, 2023. I would be lying if I said that I didn't want a VR headset just for that game. I got both a headset and the game for Christmas.

As always, spoilers below the cut. But the TL;DR version of this review is thus- This game is very good. 4/5 stars. From the moment I first started it up, it already had the gloriously spooky vibes of the original. For this review, I'm going to break it down into parts, wherein I'll be talking about both the good and bad of each.

The Gameplay

When I first heard that a VR remake of T7G was being made, I was excited. I had such fond memories of the original, and it was an absolute treat to revisit the Stauf Mansion. Experiencing it now is a whole new level of amazing. Not only are the graphics much sharper, of course, but you can see so much more of the house. Instead of a still frame backdrop like the original, you’re able to freely wander around the rooms and interact with objects. A few rooms were scrapped (the art gallery and laboratory were removed entirely, and the maze/catacombs were reworked into a storage room and basement), but I feel like it doesn’t take anything away from the game. If anything, the removal/revamping of certain areas streamlined things.

A new mechanic added to the remake is the lantern your character walks around with. With the lantern, you can spawn in items, see hidden messages on the walls, and get hints for some of the puzzles. It took some getting used to, but I thought it was fun. The original game was point-and-click, so it was cool to see something new added to it.

Slightly less successful, at least for me, were some of the spooky effects in the remake. The original game had the occasional cutscene that wasn’t necessarily plot relevant, but they were still fun. Hands coming out of a picture, floating table settings, a clown ghost appearing in the game room, the Woman in White beckoning you to follow her, etc. The remake's spooky effects come in two ways- One is blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments of shadowy figures appearing in rooms and hallways. Another is paintings that change when you shine your lantern on them.

The Story

Both the original 7th Guest and the VR remake tell the story of one fateful, bloody night at the mansion of the disgraced toymaker Henry Stauf. Six guests were purposely invited, and a seventh was very much in the wrong place at the wrong time. The original game had an opening blurb about the events leading up to the story of the game, but the VR remake takes it a step further. Not only does the story of Stauf’s childhood slowly unfold throughout the game, but each guest’s room has little lore bits sprinkled throughout that give deeper insight to the characters' histories. Pictures, newspaper clippings, etc. Frankly, I love this. Those pieces of backstory were what was missing from the original game.

The Characters

The six guests from the original game make their glorious return in the VR remake. In the weeks leading up to the game’s release, Vertigo Games put out various teaser images and video from the game. At first, I was skeptical (a few of the characters seemed not quite right for their parts), but I think most of the actors did a fantastic job. In particular, I adored both Temple and Elinor. The game's narrator wasn't my favorite, though. There was a certain oomph that was lacking.

The Music

The soundtrack for 7th Guest VR was composed by Jonathan van den Wijngaarden, and I think he did a fantastic job. His score has the same delightfully spooky, but still strangely beautiful quality to it, especially with several of the tracks including familiar tunes from the original. George ‘The Fat Man’ Sanger himself even contributed to the piece of music that plays when you enter the chapel. I honestly have no complaints about the music. It was my favorite thing in the original and it might be one of my favorite things about the remake.

The Puzzles

I was very curious as to what the puzzles would be like in the remake. I have to say, I’m impressed. They have been reworked entirely, with each puzzle now being distinctly themed to whatever room it’s in. Temple’s puzzles all have to do with stage magic tricks, Julia’s puzzles are about either drinking or her fear of getting old, the kitchen puzzles involve things like finding ingredients for soup, etc. The only one that hasn’t changed is the puzzle with the 8 queens in the game room. If I had to nitpick something, it would be that it’s not always easy to spot the puzzles. Unlike the original game, there is no pulsing brain icon to show you what’s a puzzle and what isn’t.

The Easter Eggs

The 7th Guest VR is full of delightful nods to the original 7th Guest. The achievements you can unlock are all named for bits of dialogue from the original game, the dining room has a few glorious nods to the original dining room scene, and there was one particularly delightful music-based Easter egg I stumbled upon purely by accident (pro-tip: Explore every wardrobe, cabinet, and closet).

The Ending

I have thoughts on the ending. The 'final game' was a very weird choice, IMO. For the entirety of the game, the puzzles either relied on strategy or had very clear steps to how to solve them. The finale, however, throws you into an RNG based game against Stauf, where you roll a die, move pieces across the board, and the first to collect three souls wins. Switching up the formula like that honestly pulled me out of the game for a sec. On top of that, there were no actual consequences to losing. If Stauf beat you, the final game just started over from the beginning. It would have been nice for there to be a bad ending, especially since the original game was supposed to have multiple endings as well.

I do love the final cutscene, though. In the original game, a combination of budget and technology constraints kept Trilobyte from fully carrying out the vision they had, so it wasn't entirely clear what happened to Stauf. The remake's ending, though, there was no mistaking how Stauf meets his end. The last bit of dialogue/narration in the game strongly hints at the possibility of a sequel, though, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. If anyone from Vertigo Games happens to read this: if you *are* planning a sequel, I would implore/encourage you not to draw too much inspiration from 11th Hour. That game was not good.

All in all, this game is fantastic. Not quite perfect, but almost. If you have a VR headset and you like puzzle games and spooky atmosphere, I highly recommend you get this one.

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ToonMakers Sailor Moon- The (No Longer) Lost Pilot episode

If you or someone you know is part of the Sailor Moon fandom, it’s very likely that you know about ‘Saban Moon’, the English version of Sailor Moon that almost was. Created by a company called ToonMakers and taking a page from the success of Power Rangers (which itself is a combination of action scenes from Japan’s Super Sentai series and newly created storylines for Western audiences), it was the original concept for Sailor Moon in the US and would have combined live-action with animation. It was never greenlit, however, and the only evidence of its existence for years was in the form of a music video that was shown at Anime Expo in LA. In the early 2000s, a few animation cels and a script *for* the pilot appeared. However, there was still no episode to be found. Until now.

YouTuber Ray Mona has spent months investigating the lost pilot episode, getting in touch with anyone who might be involved with the production, from directors to cast members. Her investigation is spread across two videos, which you can check out here. I highly suggest you do, because the amount of work that went into this is beyond impressive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdYD5StqHxk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L67YFwnQCQ

The second link, at the 1 hour and 45 minute mark, is where the lost pilot episode can be found. When I heard the news, there was no way I *wasn’t* going to watch it and review it here. As always, review under the cut.

Right away, the animated bits are very reminiscent of the 1985 version of She-Ra. As someone who grew up with that cartoon, I personally don’t mind the animation style. Slightly less successful is that the voice acting during these parts also reminded me of the 1985 version of She-Ra. I won’t say it was bad, but it was definitely a product of its time. I will say, though, that I love its dedication to keeping a few things from the anime. The Sailors’ respective color schemes, Jupiter and Moon’s attacks looking like those of their anime counterparts, even Tuxedo Mask’s signature rose throw. With the last one, I thought it was a nice touch that the rose actually did something and gave Sailor Moon a power boost.

The live-action parts were very 90s, in terms of both the acting and the way it was filmed, and I kind of loved it. The ‘dressing up for the dance’ montage, the quirky jump cuts and dance moves...it was kitschy and charming as only a 90s kid show could be. One thing that immediately caught my interest is that, in this version, Sailor Moon’s civilian name is Victoria. That’s the exact name used in the original promo for DiC’s dub of the series:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLYx-sGdjUc

Does this mean we would have also gotten Blue (Sailor Mercury), Sarah (Sailor Jupiter), Dana (Sailor Mars), and Carrie (Sailor Venus)? I guess we’ll never know, as Victoria is the only one whose name is mentioned in the pilot. Speaking of Sailor Mercury in particular, she just by herself would have sold me on this series if it had aired. 1994 was about the time when I first started using a wheelchair myself, so seeing a girl in a wheelchair as one of the heroes would have blown my tiny mind.

Am I glad that we ended up with the dub that we got? Yes. DiC’s dub of Sailor Moon, despite its problems, paved the way for a lot of other anime to be introduced to North American audiences. Do I wish we could have gotten to see more of this version? Also yes, I won’t lie.

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Kim’s Two Cents: DnD and Disability Representation

(Note- The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. I’m not expecting to be agreed with, and fair play to you if you don’t)

I’m very excited about the impending release of Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft. I love spooky stuff, so this book is definitely right up my alley. One of the interesting bits I’ve seen teased from the book is a specific piece of art from it.

(ID: The picture depicts two figures. One is a dark-skinned human in a black duster coat and green suit with a gold pocket watch. The other figure, some form of non-human with light skin, is dressed in a yellow trench coat and brown suit and is in a wheelchair. The human is armed with a sword and the other figure has a gun. They are in what appears to be a toy shop, being attacked by various toys and marionettes)

Now, you all know me. Disability representation is a big deal for me and I love to see more of it. Especially when it comes to wheelchairs. However, this image strikes me as very odd for two reasons.

1) Thus far, WotC has yet to make any statements about making wheelchairs an official item in the game. The closest they have come is including a wheelchair-friendly module in their Candlekeep Mysteries book.

2) The proportions of the wheelchair seem off, as if it was made for someone much bigger. Note how wide the back and roomy the seat are (I don’t know about other wheelchair users on here, but I’ve never been able to spread my legs that much when in my chair). The frame, also, sits way too low. I’ve never seen a chair, real or in fiction, where the wheels came almost up to the user’s shoulders.

I know this is all very nitpicky. I know. But this is something I care very deeply about, and it kinda feels like WotC is being that one kid who wants credit for the group project without having done any of the work.

[professionallyunprofessional]

The Combat Wheelchair

I’ve talked a lot about disability representation on this blog. I’ve talked a bit about DnD on this blog as well (one such post is my most liked/reblogged article on here). It was only a matter of time before these two things combined. I’m talking, of course, about the Combat Wheelchair.

‘What is the Combat Wheelchair’, some of you may be asking. Created by Sara Thompson (aka Mustangsart on Twitter), the Combat Wheelchair is an item/mod for DnD that is exactly as it sounds. A wheelchair that is perfect for adventuring. The concept alone intrigued me, but, the further I looked into it, the more in love with it I became.

First of all, the fact that this even exists now as a concept is beautiful. Most of the books on my shelf since I was 12 have been fantasy books. The number of characters in wheelchairs in those books? A whopping 0. I know I can’t be the only one who finds that weird and a bit offensive.The Combat Wheelchair gives both the new generation of fantasy-loving wheelchair users and longtime fantasy-lovers like myself a chance to finally see someone like us in these stories.

The amount of work that went into the chair’s design is astounding as well. Thompson has created not only the item itself, but an entire character build around it, including some fun upgrades so that no two chairs will potentially have the same design and even a custom background called The Paralympian to go with it.

If that isn’t exciting enough, there are minis as well. Created by Russ Charles and Thomas Lishman of Steamforged Games, and produced by Strata Miniatures, each mini has a unique design based on the character’s class. There’s currently an Elf Rogue, Dwarf Barbarian, Tiefling Cleric, and Human Druid, but they’ve recently released images of upcoming Human Bards, a Human Fighter, and a Half-elf Wizard. The designs are gorgeous and I highly recommend checking them out. I myself bought the STL for the druid and have a friend printing her for me.

12-year-old me would have loved the Combat Wheelchair. 34-year-old me loves it immensely as well. Now, I’m off to redesign Selenia to have one of these chairs.

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The 13th Doll: A Fan Game of The 7th Guest

Warning- The following edition of Professionally Unprofessional contains spoilers for basically the entire 7th Guest series. If you haven’t played The 7th Guest and have been thinking about doing so...first of all, go for it. It’s an amazing game and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes ghost stories, point-and-click games, and puzzles. But, also, this entry might not be for you.

In 1994, the Oregon-based game developer Trilobyte Games produced a game called The 7th Guest. In this delightfully spooky puzzle game, you played as the faceless Ego, stumbling your way through an old mansion with no memories of how you even got there. Going from room to room, you slowly pieced together the mystery of the Stauf Mansion and its owner, the eccentric toy maker Henry Stauf.

The 7th Guest is and has been my favorite PC game since somewhere around 1996. 10-year-old me spent more than a few nights exploring the Stauf Mansion and meeting its ghosts. Any new developments regarding the T7G franchise (which now includes a board game and a web series based on the original game) are always of interest to me. Thus, when I heard of an upcoming game called The 13th Doll, I was...cautiously optimistic.

Now, it should be stated that Trilobyte did not make this game. It is, instead, a fan game created by another company called Attic Door Productions. However, it received licensing from Trilobyte after a phenomenally successful Kickstarter and, after four years of development, it was released on Halloween of 2019. The story was written by Attic Door’s Ryan Holtkamp and Chris Bormend (who, along with T7G composer George Sanger, composed the soundtrack), as well as Robert Hirschboeck. Much to my delight, and I’m sure the delight of other fans of the original as well, Hirschboeck also makes his triumphant return as the delightfully wicked Henry Stauf.

Unlike The 7th Guest and its sequel (The 11th Hour), there are two protagonists in The 13th Doll. One of them is Tad (played by Hunter Menken), the titular 7th guest from the original game. Where the Tad in the original was a child, this game’s Tad is grown up, having survived the events of the original game but now stuck in an asylum. The other character is Dr. Richmond (Mathias Blake), a charismatic young psychiatrist who tries to befriend Tad. Near the beginning of the game, you get to choose whose storyline to follow.With two different characters to play as, it creates a vastly different experience each playthrough.

Tad and Richmond each have their own goals and objectives. They also have certain rooms in the house that they can and can’t go into, and, even in rooms that they both have access to, widely different puzzles. For instance, both can access the kitchen, but the puzzle found there is very different depending on your character. The cut scenes for each character are also different. Much like The 11th Hour, there are multiple endings, and they’re just as unique to each character as the rest of the game. Richmond’s story has two endings, and Tad’s has three. Apparently, there’s even a secret ending. However, also as with 11th Hour, the endings are incredibly unsatisfying. Most of them result in Tad's death, and the one that doesn't has him and Richmond going back to the asylum.

The game isn't all bad. Revisiting the mansion feels very nostalgic. However, it becomes much more enjoyable now, with the improved quality of the graphics and the ability to roam freely. Now, instead of a static image that you can only see certain things up-close, you can delve as deeply into each room as you want. Also, this game takes the story beyond just the mansion. You begin, for example, at the sanitarium that Tad has spent 13 years in. The music evokes the same beautifully creepy vibe of the music from the original game, and there are plenty of little nods to the original game throughout each character’s run. Also, it’s wonderful (sort of, but I’ll get to that in a bit) to see a bigger spotlight given to one of the most mysterious characters in the game- The Woman in White.

There are several moments where, for me, the game is ruined by its story. Tad being alive is one of them. After all, he was very clearly shown as being just as dead as everyone else in The 7th Guest, and the game ends with him going into the light. Strangely, this game even acknowledges that he perished. So I'm not sure what they were trying to achieve. What works even less well for me, though, is the storyline given to the Woman in White (Julia-Kaye Rohlf). Romance and tragedy both have their time and place, and I personally thought there was neither in this game. The choice to make the Woman in White (Lilith, as she’s called in this game) the ghost of Stauf’s wife was, in and of itself, a strange one to me. To have it so that Stauf killed her to keep his plans from being ruined, though, is a trope that I just don’t much care for. I don't like it for the hero or the villain. Also, I'm not entirely sure what the point was of making her secretly evil.

Overall, I have a love-hate relationship with this game. It had so much potential, but ruined it with plot holes and bad characterization.

[professionallyunprofessional]

The Cats Motion Picture soundtrack

Before I get into this, I want to preface it by saying the following- I have not seen the movie yet. This review is purely for the soundtrack, which I have listened to in its entirety purely for the purpose of reviewing it. I don’t like to review something unless I’ve seen/read/listened to it all the way through. Also, there will be potentially unpopular opinions. Now, let’s get on with it, shall we?

Overall, I thought that the soundtrack for the movie was interesting. Not terrible (I’ve heard way worse), not fantastic (I’ve heard way better), but interesting. There were some bright spots on it and some spots that, for me, were very ‘what were they thinking’.

The Overture

They shortened it, chopping about a minute and a half in various places. No idea why this was done, but the transitions are not nearly as smooth as they might have thought. It’s kinda jarring.

Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats

The pacing of this song (most of the songs, actually) was reminiscent of the original Broadway version. In my opinion, that’s not a good thing. I’ve always thought that the songs in the OBC felt very rushed, and this one also feels very rushed. Also, I’m not sure how I feel about the solos on the chorus at the beginning. It’s definitely different, I’ll say that.

The Old Gumbie Cat

This one started off very promising. That said, I almost didn’t finish it because it’s really rough. Robbie Fairchild as Munkustrap is actually quite nice to listen to. Not as nice, I thought, was Rebel Wilson’s Jennyanydots. Her voice sounds very shrill. Also, it’s very off-putting hearing this song and other songs in this from first-person perspective. Rather than other people singing the praises of such a well-respected character, she’s just tooting her own horn.

The Rum Tum Tugger

I actually liked this one. A lot. The guitar riffs, the brass section, it all *works* really well. There were a few spots where Jason Derulo’s Tugger sounded off to me, but overall I enjoyed this version of the song way more than I expected to.

Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town

Again, the whole ‘the character sings about themselves’ thing is a strange choice. And, again, it’s for the same reason. Like Jennyanydots, Bustopher is a very well-respected character. In this, he sounds...kind of buffoonish.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteaser

This one caught me off-guard at first, because I’d never heard the original London version of the song before. I have to say, though, I think it works well here. I’ve heard that Mungo and Rumple are much more devious and villainous in the movie, and something about this version feels much more like an actual villain song.

Old Deuteronomy

It’s strange not hearing the first half of this song as a duet between Munkustrap and RTT. Stranger still are the changes made to accommodate the fact that Old D is female in the movie (I think they could’ve kept the ‘buried 9 wives’ line, but....eh). Overall, though, not bad.

Beautiful Ghosts

I’m so very on-the-fence about this song. I’ve never been a fan of remakes of musicals that randomly add songs that weren’t in the original. Especially when the new song doesn’t quite fit the style of the rest of the songs. Francesca Hayward’s voice is gorgeous, though, and the song really is quite good if you ignore the fact that it’s shameless ‘Best Song’ bait thrown into a musical that didn’t really *need* a new song.

Magical Gus/Gus The Theatre Cat

Combining my thoughts about these two into one blurb, since the former is only 36 seconds long. Having not seen the movie yet, I have no idea of the context behind ‘Magical Gus’, but it’s quite pretty. As for ‘Gus the Theatre Cat’, I’m once again conflicted. The first-person POV that the movie keeps using is still very jarring here. That said, Sir Ian McKellen as Gus was possibly one of the best casting choices of this entire thing. I miss it being Jellylorum telling the other cats about his awesome and illustrious career, though.

Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat

Skimble sings most of the song anyway, so it was slightly less jarring to hear him singing a few more lines than he maybe should have in this one. What threw me off, though, was the change of verb tense and the fact that they cut a few bits from this song. Being that it’s always been one of my favorites, I was sad about that. Overall, though? Not terrible.

Macavity, The Mystery Cat

Like Old Gumbie Cat, this is one that I almost didn’t finish listening to. From the moment I heard that Taylor Swift had been cast as Bombalurina, I was skeptical, and this kind of confirmed my worries. While I do like some of Swift’s songs, she was not the right person for this role. The singing was very overly breathy, which I think might have been an attempt to be sultry but just kind of sounded more like she’d sung it after running a mile and hadn’t stopped to catch her breath in between. The music was nice, though, and Macavity coming in at the end was...unexpected, but I’m into it.

Mr. Mistoffelees

While I do miss this one being primarily sung by RTT, Misto singing about himself almost works for me. Even without having seen the movie, it sounds like he’s trying to build up his courage rather than bragging about himself.

Memory

Here we go. The song that, even if you’ve never seen Cats, chances are you’ve heard it. It’s been covered over 600 times in countries all over the world. The movie’s version is, in my opinion, not bad at all. If anyone should have played Bombalurina, it’s Jennifer Hudson. She can belt, but she also knows how to dial it back for the quieter moments. Her voice does come off a bit warbly at times, but you can feel the raw emotion in it.

The Ad-dressing of Cats

Having seen various productions of the stage version throughout the years, I can say that no two Old Deuteronomys perform the role the same way, and this version is no excception. Dame Judi’s Old D felt somewhat reminiscent of Rex Harrison’s style of speak-singing as Professor Higgins. My feelings about this song are pretty much the same as my feelings about the soundtrack overall- Not terrible, not fantastic. Just...interesting.

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Kim’s Two Cents- Cats the Movie official trailer

Allow me to start this off by saying this- Yes, I am going to see this movie at some point. Maybe/probably not at the theater, but probably Redbox or Netflix or something. Cats is and has been my favorite musical for well over a decade, and no amount of personal bias, crappy CGI, or ‘why is there so much talking’ is going to stop me from (eventually) seeing this movie.

So, for those who haven’t heard, a big-budget Hollywood film is being made of the musical Cats. When I first heard that this was happening, I was less than excited. I knew that major changes would need to be made in order for Cats to work as this kind of movie. First of all, there is no dialogue in the stage version. It’s a full 2+ hours of just singing and dancing. Second, and this is me speaking as someone who dearly loves this musical, there’s not really a whole lot in terms of plot.  The musical itself is a collection of TS Elliot poems (specifically, those found in his book Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats) set to music, with a very loose premise of ‘one cat is chosen to be reincarnated’. Thus far, they seem to be keeping with that...more-or-less.The new official trailer for the movie (which you can watch here, if you feel so inclined: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4z21xjv8KM ) just released today, and I...have thoughts about it and about this movie so far in general.

First off, let’s talk about the CGI used for this movie, specifically in terms of the characters, as that’s where my biggest problem lies. Let’s look at this comparison photo from tumblr user @space-mortician​:

In the stage version, the actors wear costumes and makeup to portray a sort of stylized, 80s glam rock version of felines (fitting, given the original West End production debuted in 1981). The movie, however, seems to just take the normal faces of the actors and superimpose them onto feline bodies. I can almost see where they were going with the design and, while it is nice to see the actual cat breeds better represented, they just slightly missed the mark. What throws it off in particular are the very human-looking noses. When the very first teaser for the movie came out, the faces and were so distracting (and not in a good way) that it was hard to focus on anything else. If they could just fix the noses, it would be a huge improvement.

Moving on from that, let’s talk about how much talking there is in the trailer. As I said before, unlike most musicals that have periods of the characters talking to cut between the musical numbers, Cats has no dialogue. Things like that don’t translate very well to the big screen, however, so it does make sense that the movie would have the characters talking to each other. However, and this is an opinion I’m probably going to have until clips of the actual musical numbers are shown, there’s a bit too much talking. And a lot of it seems to be pushing the movie’s plot in a slightly different direction from the stage version.

The stage show centers heavily around Grizabella, a scruffy old cat who’s been through a lot and, spoilers, is eventually chosen to be the one given a new life. Grizabella barely features in the movie’s trailers, though, which seem to focus more on the character of Victoria (who, though she is one of the named characters, is still a fairly minor one in the stage show). This focus shift, with the addition of the new song that Victoria will sing, leads me to believe that the movie is going to go the route of giving Grizabella’s big moments and character arc to Victoria, and I find this kind of annoying. Why not just flesh out Grizabella’s backstory, I wonder. To use another musical as an example, this would be like taking all of the major plot points and story arc from Phantom of the Opera’s Christine and giving them to Meg Giry. Would I like to see more of Meg’s story and more about the Giry family in general? Of course. But not at the expense of the already-existing story.

All of that being said, however, there were a few very bright spots in the trailers. The music sounds fantastic and everything I’ve ever wanted of this show, what they’ve shown of the choreography looks amazing, and I actually like that they’re expanding the set beyond the famous junkyard. And, like I said at the beginning, I’m still going to see this movie at some point. I don’t know when, but it will happen. I’d love to be proven wrong about where the plot is headed, but we shall see.

[professionallyunprofessional]

Kim’s Two Cents- Avatar: The Last Airbender

It’s been a while since I’ve written a Kim’s Two Cents. Even longer since I wrote one that wasn’t about D&D. But, in the wake of the announcement of the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender show that’s going to be on Netflix, I wanted to share my feelings.

Like many of my fellow ATLA fans, I was hesitant just from reading the headline. However, there is one thing about this upcoming project that widely separates it from the travesty that was the 2010 movie and makes me feel so much better about the project as a whole.

By his own admission at the time, M. Night Shyamalan wasn’t familiar with the show. He’d only done the project because his kids, who *were* fans of the show, asked him to. This, in my opinion, is where the movie’s problems started. When making an adaptation of anything, be it a movie based on a show or a show based on a book, knowing the source material is important.

This new show on Netflix, though, is being done by the creators of the cartoon. You can’t get much more familiar with the source material than that. So I have hope for this and I can’t wait to see what unfolds.

[professionallyunprofessional]

Concerning your DnD and Disability post, I want to start a blog that has homebrews set up for players and DMs that are uncertain about how to incorporate disability/chronic illness/mental illness into their characters the way you did. Would you like to help with the project? You have experience with DnD and disability and would be able to tackle some of the logistical issues we would be facing.

I would be honored to assist. :D

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I saw your post about playing dnd with a character that has a disability, and it reminded me of my fighter character that has epilepsy, so she learned how to fight blind folded so none of the flashes of spells would set off a seizure during a battle. It makes me really happy to see other people whose characters can help reflect them. I know I'm happy to have a way to represent myself and my condition. Thank you for sharing it made my day 💕

That’s a very clever idea. :D Your fighter sounds awesome.

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Kim's Two Cents- Disability, DnD, and DIY storytelling

I've talked before about the lack of characters in wheelchairs in the cartoons I watched growing up. In the books I read, it was even worse. See, as a kid (and even now), I was really into the fantasy genre. Stories about powerful mages, terrifying dragons, and brave knights. Not a lot of call for paraplegic heroes in those stories, though I could dream and make my own characters.

Fast forward to about two years ago. Shows like Dice, Camera, Action and Critical Role introduced me to the wondrous world of Dungeons and Dragons. The ability to make your own unique characters and be part of your own story, the interaction and collaboration between the players...I was immediately captivated by all of it. It was only a few short months ago, though, that I started playing it myself, thanks to the opening of the Bend DND Meetup group.

The first thing I asked my DM was about the possibility of playing a paraplegic character. I proposed various ideas for how it could work, ranging from the character having a mount to using a quarterstaff as a crutch. All the while, I expected and feared a ‘no, that’s not going to work’. The response I got, though, surprised me: "Sure, you can do that, but instead of just giving her an animal companion, how about a walking chair?"

So now I play a halfling bard who rides around in a music-powered walking chair. Her constitution is a bit lower than average, but she has spells to compensate for things (Mage Hand to help her reach for things, spells like Thunderwave and Dissonant Whispers to keep enemies at a safe distance...). A fantasy version of myself...with a chair that has chicken feet.

There are always people who say things like ‘Well, if you want a story with that kind of character, write it yourself’. DnD actually helped me do just that, and I’m loving it.

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Kim’s Two Cents: The House Jacks

Last night, I was fortunate enough to get to see the kickoff event for the Bend A Capella Festival. The show was put on by the festival judges- A group called The House Jacks.

Prior to this show, I’d never even heard of them. Having seen them perform now, I’m wondering how I haven’t heard of them until now! The House Jacks take 4-part harmony and kick it up several notches by singing everything from Prince to Imagine Dragons, and throwing in some of the craziest and most impressive beatboxing I’ve ever heard in an acapella group. As well as their covers, they also have several original songs. Their newest CD, Pollen, is a collection of those songs, performed in collaboration with acapella groups from all across the globe.

If you’re like I was yesterday and had never heard of them before, stop what you’re doing and go look them up.

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Kim’s Two Cents: ‘A Very Mando Christmas’ and ‘Christmas is for Punks’

When I discovered @mandopony‘s music earlier this year, I was immediately hooked. When I found out that he’d written two Christmas albums, I was immediately intrigued.

Where he goes very right with his albums is where I’ve seen a lot of other ‘modern’ takes on Christmas music go very wrong- He keeps things simple. There are no weird key changes, no wacky and random instrumentals or vocals, none of the tricks that other artists occasionally use in their Christmas albums. It’s the songs everyone knows and loves, but set to electric guitars and fast drumbeats where appropriate, and I think that’s a very good thing. Why? Because wacky vocals and odd keys tend to make it hard to know what song is even being covered. With these two CDs (A Very Mando Christmas and Christmas Is For Punks), there’s no mistaking what you’re listening to.

Whether it’s ‘Jingle Bell Rock’, ‘Deck The Halls’, or ‘Go Tell It on the Mountain’ (a personal favorite Christmas song of mine since I was a kid), each song is recognizable and fun. Which is what Christmas music should be, I think.

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Cool And Good Tour, Analog  Theatre, Portland, OR

Ever have one of those days where everything seems to go wrong and horrible, but then one thing totally makes up for it? That was how things went for me on October 21st. The concert I went to, which featured Nathan Sharp (NateWantsToBattle, who I’ve talked about on this blog before), Amanda Lee (AmaLee), and Andy Stein (Mandopony), was one I’d been eagerly awaiting and hoping would happen for a long while. But it almost didn’t happen for me.

The week leading up to the concert, I’d been feeling sick. It was the usual ‘the weather’s starting to turn, which makes my brain hurt’ type of sick, though, so I wasn’t overly worried. The day of the concert was a different kind of sick. I chalked it up to the nervous excitement of going to a concert and was happy to leave it at that. There was little time to think about it anyway, because there was the three-hour drive to Portland to worry about.

By the time we arrived at our hotel, I hadn’t improved. In fact, I got worse as the day progressed. I’ll spare my readers the details of the kind of sick, but it was bad enough that I wasn’t sure if I’d even be able to go to the concert. I was determined, hell, high water, and nausea be damned, that I was going to go to the show.

Arriving at the venue, I slowly started to get the impression that the universe didn’t want me to see this show. As it turns out, the stage at the Analog Theatre is on the building’s second floor...and there are no elevators in the building. Apparently, though, they’ve had people in wheelchairs come see shows before, so I wasn’t going to be the exception. With help from theatre staff, my dad, and a guy whose name I didn’t catch but who I will refer to here as Super Goth Dude (Super Goth, if you somehow see this, you are awesome), I was able to get up to the second floor.

The stage area of the Analog Theatre is one of those ‘standing room only’ things. Arriving at the place when we did, that meant that A) there were dozens of people already around the stage and B) the only places not taken up were at the back of the room near the merch counter. I quickly realized that, like the Colorado Irish Festival last time I went to it, I was very probably not going to be able to see anything. I didn't care, though. At the very least, I would hear some of my favorite singers perform and that would have been awesome enough.

 The first one to take the stage was Mandopony. Aside from the first song, I knew all the songs in his set and I sang along with as much gusto as I was capable of that night. AmaLee was next and, though I wasn’t as familiar with her originals than I am with her covers, she was amazing. I particularly loved hearing her do ‘Sorairo Days’, which is both one of my most-favorite anime openings and probably my favorite of her covers. My mom tried to get some pictures of both of them onstage for me, but the pictures were blurry and hard to see anything. Ahh, well.

While waiting for Nate’s set, I took the time to sneak (by which I mean ‘My dad had to help me down to it because the place we were sitting at by the bar had a hilariously large step to get up and down to it’) to the merch counter. Somehow, I hadn’t noticed until right then that the counter was being manned by Dookieshed. Not only did he gift me a Mandopony CD because someone had done a pay-it-forward for said CDs, but I got a selfie with him.

I got back to my spot by the bar just as Nate’s set was starting. For me, the highlight of the set ‘Let Me Try’, which is, by far, my most favorite of Nate’s songs. Throughout his set, between songs, Nate offered words of encouragement and support to people. People with mental health issues, people who feel like they don’t belong, people who are just generally having a rough time of it. Given my state that night (and some emotional/mental stuff I’ve been dealing with recently that I won’t go into here), the words were very reassuring.

After the show, there was some announcement about something to do with the VIP tickets. I didn’t catch it and didn’t give it much thought, as I hadn’t been a VIP. The next thing I knew, though, my dad was pointing out something/someone behind me and asking ‘aren’t those the guys from the band?’. Lo and behold, both Mando and Shawn Christmas were indeed standing right there, talking to others sitting in that area. I waited my turn and got pictures not only with them, but with AmaLee as she arrived a few minutes after they did. We had to clear out of the area pretty quickly, though, as it had apparently been designated the ‘meets-and-greets-and-autographs’ area.

All in all, sickness and frustration at the venue aside, it was an amazing show and an amazing night. Am I hoping that they’ll come to Bend next time? Of course. But, all the same, I’m glad I got to see them at all.

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Critical Role

Around 6 months ago, I put a call out to my friends on my main Tumblr account, asking about this thing called Critical Role. I’d seen enough of their posts about it to have my curiosity piqued, and I asked them if I should give the series a try. Not surprisingly, the response was a resounding, hearty ‘Oh God yes’.

Critical Role, for any of my readers who aren’t familiar, is a weekly livestreamed series on Geek & Sundry’s Twitch channel. In this show, Matthew Mercer (a man with an extensive voice-acting filmography) serves as the dungeon master for a D&D campaign that actually began well before the livestreams did. The players, also fairly big names in the voice-acting industry, were all friends of Mercer’s prior to the stream and, in fact, the campaign started as a one-shot birthday present for one of them (Liam O’Brien, who plays the charming half-elf rogue Vax’ildan).

The series takes place in Exandria, a world created by Mercer himself. A world rich with its own history, a detailed creation myth, and people and places as diverse as most TV shows tend not to be. The main focus of the current/soon-to-be-ending campaign is on Vox Machina, a group of adventurers (former heroes-for-hire) who traverse the continents righting wrongs, vanquishing demons and dragons, and occasionally seeing what gold there is to be collected in the process.

Though I was already familiar with D&D shows from watching Dice, Camera, Action, I watched the first hour of episode 1 to familiarize myself with the setting and the characters. I must say, I was hooked within the first 30 minutes. Each character has their own backstory, their own strengths, weaknesses, and insecurities. Even the NPCs, all played by Mercer, all have their own distinct voices, mannerisms, and subplots. The way Mercer narrates and sets up the scenes, it’s easy to get a clear mental image of exactly what’s going on. The main players, using their voice-acting skills and pantomiming the use of various weapons, give such a depth and a realness to their characters that you quickly forget that the screen just shows a bunch of people sitting at tables rolling dice. Taliesin Jaffe *becomes* Percy the gunslinger, Travis Willingham *becomes* the axe-wielding goliath that is Grog.

The storylines are much more interesting than a lot of what you see on TV today as well. Because each character has their own stories, trials, and tribulations, you get to see the ways they handle things. Particularly in the Chroma Conclave arc (episodes 40-80), the main characters all get their own ‘dealing with the demons from their past’ mini-arc. You see them learn, grow, and develop in ways that continue to come into play in later episodes.  This show has made me laugh and cry, sometimes within the same 10 minute period.

If I could say one negative thing, it’s that the show is a bit daunting at first. There are currently 115 episodes, each one between 3 and 5 hours long. It’s very worth it, though.

Overall, I would highly recommend this series to anyone. Even if you’ve never played D&D (I myself haven’t), it’s worth everything for the plots, the characters, and the camaraderie between the cast.

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Kim’s Two Cents: Critical Role Comic, #1

It’s been a while since I’ve written one of these. But it’s also been a while since I’ve been inspired to write.

A couple months ago,I discovered/was encouraged to look into a series called Critical Role. I might write a ‘Kim’s Two Cents’ (or even give it the full PU treatment) about the show itself later. Today, I’m going to write about the recently-released first volume of the Critical Role comic book. Written by Matthew Colville and illustrated by Olivia Samson, the comic delves into Vox Machina’s origins. In this first issue, readers will get to see the first meeting of Keyleth and the twins as both parties work to solve the same mystery affecting the citizens of Stillben.

Everything about this book is charming and lovely. Colville’s writing perfectly captures the personalities of the main PCs. It’s easy to read his dialogue and say ‘that totally sounds like something Vex/Vax/Keyleth would say’, which is where I’ve seen writers of tie-in novels and adaptations of other works falter. Samson’s artwork is beautiful, and it’s great to see not only the characters and creatures of Exandria, but to see the streets of Stillben and the marshland surrounding it brought to life on the page as well.

If I had to complain about one thing in this comic, it would be that 27 pages is too short. But it also just makes me excited and eager for the next issue’s release. Whether you’re a longtime Critter or have only been watching a few weeks or (like me) months, I highly recommend this book.