#Designers Circle Round 99

[miniar]

Is it just me or are mobile games just getting worse?

I don't necessarily mean that the stories and gameplay itself is inherently worse, but over the last decade or two I've noticed certain trends.

First up, it used to be a game would prompt you for a MICRO transaction in order to, f.ex., stop getting shown ads. It used to be a one time payment of anything from one to maybe ten dollars (rounding up the stupid 99 cent bullshit). Nowadays comparable games will sell you tickets, skip-its, to skip a certain number of ads, or charge you a monthly subscription fee, and even then these may not rid you of All ads, just some of them, the ones that are otherwise unskippable.

On the subject of ads. False advertising has always been a bit of an issue with mobile games, but I feel like it's grown steadily worse. Every other ad I'm shown is for games I have previously played and thus I can say with 100% certainty that the ads do not represent the gameplay.

I'm also seeing basically the same ad, over and over, which is apparently for 4-5 different games, despite those games being listed as different types of games. A bubble shooter, hidden object, match 3, other puzzle games all showing the same ad, solving the same exact puzzles in each, none of which are the kind of puzzle game that revolves around the puzzle shown.

This used to be the "pull the pin" sort of ad, but now it's these interlocking circles you're (apparently) supposed to detach from one another.

Same puzzles, several different games, all of it fake.

And again, on the subject of ads. There have always been shitty, poorly made, cheap looking puzzle games that were never really "games" but ad farms, where what they were farming were ad watches. Your phone, you, being tricked into essentially being soil in which they grown their profits. The companies that make these make tons of them, the first 20-30 minutes of gameplay is mostly ad free, and then it ramps up, attempting to trick you into sticking it out, trying to make use of your sunk cost fallacy to maximize their ad revenue.

And that's not the only mass produced game out there. There are companies that re-use the same assets, same images, same level designs, same gameplay, same code essentially, only released in increments and with a slight environmental design variety to imply this is a new game being actively created as you play it despite being the exact same game as the last one, two, five, made by the same group of people. The company may even use multiple names to pretend to be new so that you can't just check what else they've made and find the same game over and over.

And then there's the prices.

They've really gotten well out of hand.

For approximately 15 usd a month I can subscribe to a massive online role playing PC game with active player support, a vast variety of activities, and so on. For the same amount of money I can maybe buy a medium pack of resources in one mobile game that won't last more than an hour of gameplay, won't give any lasting benefits, won't do anything really.

Multiplayer mobile games are very often war games where the winner is inevitably whoever can spend the most money on it every month, and those are in no way affordable to most people. They also mostly advertise themselves as games of exploration or of building when in reality the gameplay requires you to amass the largest army possible and invest several hours and hundreds of dollars to prevent your base from being raided frequently enough to make any exploration or building functionally impossible.

The micro-transactions have gone macro.

In short, it feels like mobile games these days are sold to you with false advertising, absolutely stuffed full of ads, and so unreasonably expensive you're better off putting the equivalent money in a jar for a couple of weeks and buying a whole ass PC setup instead.

Being that it's not a heavily regulated market, can this not be used as an example of how capitalism breeds neither innovation nor excellence?

(Yes, exceptions exist, but finding them in the very, very, very, very, heavily saturated with trash, marketplaces, with their absolutely garbage user interface is it's own pile of excrement.)

[silentlysurrenderingeagle-blog]

Chapter 1: My Shiva: How we met(Continued)

"You know, Nids, I am an average student. I have never won anything. Look at my brother. He has a house filled with trophies from his cricket, basketball and interschool championships. I have none" I told Nidhi when in 12th grade.

"You are not exactly average. You scored a 90% in 10th. It isn't average. It is good" replied Nidhi.

We were waiting in a line to fill up our water bottles. We each were holding 6 bottles to fill.

"Really? Please tell my father that my marks were good. He was disappointed. So was yours with a 94%. We are average. The highest was 99%. We are nowhere close." I said as I uncapped a bottle to fill in front of the drinking water tap.

"I always wanted a hit love story. I wanted to be the hero of my love story. My love story should not be average" I added as I reached out for the second bottle from Nidhi's hand.

"You will. What about that Kunal? I hear he has good grades and he is interested in you" said Nidhi as she passed me the next bottle. A girl at the next tap turned to look as we mentioned Kunal.

"Nidhi, no names, please." I smiled at the girl next to me. She turned her attention back to the heavy task of filling water bottles.

"You know, I want someone like Shiva. I think Lord Shiva was once very much a human, walked the planet like us. He was muscular, he was a passionate lover, a great warrior and possessive with anger issues." I said smiling at Nidhi.

"Yes. You want someone who will Tandav around? Good choice, Parvati!" Nidhi chuckled.

I thought to myself. Tandav was a danceform, Nidhi. Not something to be ashamed about. He carried a tender feminine side along with his machoism. He is perfect.

**********************************************

"Siwet, we had formed teams. But now that we have a new member, we will have to put her in one of the teams" said Mouni looking at the man beside the pictionary canvas stand.

Siwet Tomar. He was tall and well built. He had a wonderful smile and an even wonderful voice. I was mesmerised. He looked at me as Mouni introduced me, the new member. I smiled sheepishly. He smiled back. And my heart melted.

"Sree, are you any good?" asked Siwet as he placed the pictionary board on the coffee table. He didn't get a reply. I didn't know the question was for me. Though he mentioned my name, I was not used to being called Sree, at least not after school. He looked up at me "Are you good at Pictionary?"

"I have played in school." I said. It came out more like a question. As if, I was asking myself if I am good.

"Okay. You are in Nidhi's team." Siwet said as he winked at Nidhi.

I understood that none of them were really happy to take me in their team. I have played pictionary. I can draw. I draw my own designs. I kept reminding myself as I shifted on the other side of the couch.

And the game began. Nidhi and Siwet took turns in rolling two dice. Nidhi got two sixes and she drew a card from the pile. The timer was set and she started drawing. A line with a circle on top. Then she drew a hand on top with something like a 'Mashal'. I guessed "Statue of Liberty". Nidhi pointed her finger on her nose, a gesture to show that it is right. And we won the round.

The game continued into the night. Our glasses were refilled. Her maid brought a platter of snacks. And we continued playing. I was assured that I am good at this game. But for me, it was fun. I was enjoying myself. It had been a long time since I had fun. I laughed, I smiled, called my opponents losers, 'booing' them whenever the time ran out. And finally our team reached the finish line.

As everyone in the room sat around chatting, I started arranging the board and packing them into the pictionary box. I could hear them chatting. There were names spoken whom I didn't recognise. They were gossiping about a new audition coming up and the candidates of the audition. I understood that most of them in the room were struggling actors, some less struggling as they made quite a name on social media. They had so much in common. They knew the same people. They had similar interests. They had similar hobbies. They were talking about their followers on Instagram. They were reading out cryptic messages they received on personal DMs from fans. They are celebrities. And I was a fish out of water.

I sat there looking at them for some time. Then, I stood up, intending to leave, when I noticed Nidhi in the kitchen. I excused myself from the crowd, still animated, hands up and down as they talked about shoots and auditions. None turned their head as I said "Excuse me". I walked to the kitchen oblivious to everyone in the room.

"Nidhi, do you need any help?" I asked as she arranged the plates on the kitchen counter. I saw Siwet at a distance, chopping onion on a board.

"Yes, please. Can you serve the pulao on all the plates?" requested Nidhi.

I grabbed a small bowl from the shelf and poured pulao in an upside semi-sphere on all the plates. Nidhi filled the matching bowls with sabzi and placed a bowl each on the plate. She added the chopped salad on the side, added a spoon on the plate and carried it to the dining table.

"I heard you are Nidhi's classmate. What do you do for a living?" asked Siwet as he cleaned the board and the knife.

"I have a small boutique in uptown. I am a designer." I replied. Unable to look at him, afraid that if I look directly into his eyes, he will be able to read them.

"I am looking for a place to rent out. Do you know of any such place?"

"I am looking for a tenant to rent out a spare room on the top floor in my apartment. I am running on a tight budget and the money could help" I said. I was sceptical at the possibility of sharing my apartment with a boy. What will my parents say? What will my father say? And how can I stay with Siwet? I can't always ignore looking into his eyes. What if he gets a hint of my racing hearbeat?

He didn't reply. He just looked at me for what appears to be a long time and then walked out to the dining room with two plates in both hands. "Come. Let's have dinner", he said as he walked to the dining room. My heart was still beating irrationally. I took a glass from the shelf, opened the fridge for a bottle of cold water, poured it into the glass and drank the whole glass in a single gulp. No not enough. I uncapped the bottle and drank directly from the bottle now till I finished it. I refilled the bottle and placed it back in the fridge.

As I got better control over my instincts, I followed the loud chattering to the dining room. The only seat available was beside Siwet. I hesitantly walked towards the empty chair. I could hear someone mention "Roadies" and "audition".

Arghhh... It was the same conversation that I walked away from at the parlor. It took me a lifetime to get to the chair. All along my head said "No. This is the beginning of the end. You can't give in now." I heard my head argue "It's just dinner. And be cool. No one will guess a thing. Have dinner, book your auto and go home".

I pulled the chair and as I was about to sit, I stumbled, and me along the chair went back. I was about to fall and hit directly at the back of my head. Just then a hand held the back of the chair and pushed it upright. I turned back and saw Siwet's left hand holding the chair. I smiled "Thank you. It would be a great end to a perfect evening if I had fallen. Thanks."

He looked directly into my eyes. I shivered, blinked my eyes and started eating.

Everyone waved and kissed good night as they left the apartment. The only people left were Nidhi, me and Siwet. Nidhi became busy tidying up the place. I placed my phone on the sofa and stood to help her out.

"No, Sree. It's not much. Have you got your auto yet?" asked Nidhi.

"Not yet. I am waiting for someone to accept. One auto cancelled." I said.

"Siwet, can you drop her tonight? It's not safe in an auto at this time. It's already 1AM." said Nidhi looking at Siwet.

Siwet nodded.

[notallthosewho-wanderarelost]

Some quick thoughts spurred by the new WandaVision promos for episode 4. Spoilers for episodes 1-3 and the promos for 4!

1. CAPTAIN RAMBEAU!!!! Acknowledging Monica being Captain Marvel in comics! The first female Captain Marvel. Yes, very good. Obviously it would’ve been better if they hadn’t already made her derivative of Carol in the MCU to begin with, but I love that they put that in as a nod to her comics history.

2. New Jersey setting for the series confirmed!!! As a New Jerseyan I was hoping they’d keep that from the comic version of the story, and I assumed after the Hackensack mention in episode 1 that the series does take place in NJ, but it’s nice to actually have that confirmed.

2A. This has reminded me that comics!Tommy was from New Jersey even after being put back into the 616 universe post House of M, which led into the somewhat crack-y thought of “what if they have him blow up the town’s school by accident in a couple of episodes to reference his comic backstory,” and now I think I really want that actually. Wait, I realized that Billy is (more or less) Jewish twice over, but I only just processed that Tommy is New Jerseyan twice over lol.

3. SWORD appears to have gathered IDs and info on all of the people in Westview (or at least all of the people we saw in Westview in episode 1) except for Agnes. Doesn’t really surprise me, since I’d imagine Agatha Harkness would want to stay off the radar given that she’s like 300+ years old and magical, but it’s still an observation worth making imo.

I’m not buying into the theories that Agnes/Agatha is a villain, but I could see that being a red herring they try to throw at us for a bit. I am still assuming she’s actually Agatha even though that’s unconfirmed as of now, but I think it’s a fair assumption to be making. I’m like 99% sure she’s Agatha Harkness, everything points to that and it really just makes so much sense in terms of the premise. I’m a bit less sure of her alignment for now cause we still know almost nothing about what’s actually going on and why, but I’m feeling pretty confident of her identity.

4. DARCY!!!!!!!! I knew she was coming, but it’s still so good to actually see her!!! I’ve missed her so much! It’s been almost 8 years. (In real life. Longer in the MCU since it’s at least 2023 there.) I also love that she’s still wearing beanies.

5. Circling back, I love Monica’s jacket and shirt having SWORD patches. Following in the proud tradition of SHIELD slapping their logo all over everything just because they can. Excellent. It’s also just a nice logo in general. Good job, SWORD graphic design people. Should say I’m still really just psyched about Monica herself in general actually. I love her very much already.

6. Looks like this episode will be showing us what SWORD has been doing on the outside of Westview as episode 1-3 have been happening inside! Monica shows up to the reality warp field, there’s a couple shots both new and old of what is probably Monica piloting a helicopter into the reality warp, which I am willing to bet ends up crashing, making the noise Wanda and Vision react to in the beginning episode 2, and being transformed into the colorful toy helicopter with the SWORD logo that Wanda picks up in episode 2. The voice on the radio is Jimmy Woo confirmed, and Darcy appears to be the person taking notes on WandaVision in universe (in the episode 1 coda) and probably is helping keep tabs on Westview’s inhabitants.

There’s also still that clip from the promo a couple weeks ago of a person (a SWORD agent most likely) entering the sitcom bubble/warp field in a hazmat suit. I’m 99% sure this is the beekeeper from episode 2, and the sitcom reality field turned the hazmat suit into a beekeeper suit just like it turned the crashed helicopter into a toy.

7. I’m not gonna get into my current theories of what the big picture is/what’s going on in the show here; ditto on the (many) Pietro feels, the Dottie/Arcanna theories, my theories on the lack of 90s episode clips from trailers, or general Wanda and Vision character analysis and feels (also many), because I could literally be here ALL NIGHT, but I’m going to round off with this: I think my biggest specific question right now is still what it’s been since the premiere episodes, which is “Why does Wanda seem to recognize SWORD?”

Episode 3 gave us a bit more information on that, but hopefully seeing SWORD’s perspective tomorrow will clear that one up and let us start moving on the bigger questions of the whys and hows of the sitcom reality and who/what the Big Bad is.

[bunkershotgolf]

Fall Rates Begin Oct. 4 for Rounds at Award-Winning Circling Raven Golf Club and Stay-and-Play Packages at Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort

It’s always a good time to play Circling Raven – the No. 1 ranked public course in the state – but it gets even better in less than three weeks when fall rates commence at the highly regarded golf club, an amenity of Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel.

Beginning Oct. 4 and continuing to month’s end, the cost:

to play 18 holes on Mondays-Thursdays drops to $89, the price is $99 on Fridays-Sundays and holidays.

for Stay-and-Play rates at the Mountain Lodge drops to $249 on Mondays-Thursdays, and $279 on Fridays-Sundays.

for Stay-and-Play rates at the Spa Tower drops to $279 on Mondays-Thursdays, and $319 on Fridays-Sundays.

Stay-and-Play packages include golf for two and a one-night stay. Additional rounds per person may be added to a Stay-and-Play package for $79 on Mondays-Thursdays, $89 on Fridays-Sundays.

The Idaho panhandle is gorgeous in October, an ideal time for those who know and love Circling Raven to play it a few more times before it closes until 2022, and even better for first-timers who want to discover why the course is universally acclaimed.

The Gene Bates-designed championship layout has garnered multiple awards for the course and the incredible clubhouse, merchandise, and Twisted Earth Bar & Grille. First-class conditions and friendly, helpful service are hallmarks of a Circling Raven experience.

Owned by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and an amenity of its amenity rich casino resort, Circling Raven’s 18 holes are ingeniously routed across 620 stunning acres of Palouse Region terrain. Named for a seminal tribal chief, the course sits amid woodlands, wetlands, and wildlife, including eagles and moose. Nature and reverence for the land are essential to the course and Tribal custom.

The course hosted the Circling Raven Championship, a Symetra “Road to the LPGA” Tour event, in August. The top women professionals who competed in the thrilling event left raving about the golf club.

For more information about Circling Raven and Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel, including stay-and-play packages, visit www.cdacasino.com/golf or call 800-523-2464.

About Circling Raven Golf Club and Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel

Measuring 7,189 yards from the rear tees, the 18-hole layout sprawls magnificently through 620 acres, nearly four times the number of acres found on golf courses in North America. Its gleaming white sand bunkers are large and strategically placed and its hole variety ingenious. With no surrounding development and a plethora of pristine flora and fauna gracing the landscape, Circling Raven is an inspirational oasis. As the Creator intended.

Other Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel amenities and activities include the full-service Spa Ssakwa’q’n (pronounced Sock-wock-en); 300 hotel rooms; bars, restaurants, lounges, and eateries; cultural tourism options; and more. The casino completed a $15 million renovation of its gaming floor and Events Center in 2019.  Circling Raven has garnered numerous best-in-kind honors since opening, including being rated a Top 100 Resort Course, Best in State, and a Top U.S. Casino Course. Its golf shop has won national and regional awards for its excellence and its variety of products, displays, and performance.

[karliahs]

prompt: someone in 1-A finds a stray cat and tries to hide it with them in class, Aizawa finds out

The ‘how to secretly bring three kittens to class without Aizawa noticing’ meeting lasts for several hours, and produces mostly bad ideas. 

“We could bribe him?” Ashido muses. She’s laying down, holding one of the kittens up above her head, hands spread wide to give it a little obstacle course to walk over.

“What would Aizawa even do with money?” Uraraka wonders. “He wears the same clothes all the time, lives here at UA and I’ve only ever seen him eat jelly packets…”

“We also don’t have money,” Tsuyu points out. “We can’t bribe him with something we don’t have.”

“What do we have? Something we have a lot of…” Uraraka says, staring into the black kitten’s eyes like it holds the secrets of the universe.

“Cats,” Todoroki answers, staring solemnly at the smallest black-and-white kitten currently chewing on his finger.

…

Discarded plans include one of them faking sick to stay home with the cats - regrettably, their group is divided into people who care too much about class to skip (everyone but Ashido), and people who would almost certainly be suspected of malingering if they suddenly claimed to be sick (Ashido). 

Further discarded plans involve invoking more allies among the class. Uraraka rules out her friends due to either a habit of mumbling secrets aloud, or being too much of a stickler for rules. Ashido cheerfully discards all of her friends for being “unreliable in basically every way possible.” Ashido also argues against involving Kouda, the most useful member of the class for this particular problem, unless absolutely necessary - “the guy has no poker face! Aizawa gives him one harsh look and he’ll crack like an egg.”

Todoroki listens to these arguments in silence. “Right now there are three cats to a ratio of four people,” he says. “Any more, and we all get less time per cat.”

“That’s not a very heroic attitude, Todoroki,” Tsuyu points out.

Todoroki continues scritching his favourite kitten’s chin, the black one with white feet, mentally dubbed ‘boots cat’ - there had been a sub-meeting about naming the kittens, which determined it would be too heartbreaking to do this until they were reasonably sure they weren’t going to be made to give them away tomorrow. “It’s just math,” he adds softly. 

This puts an end to the allies plan.

…

“Tsu, what’s wrong with your eyes?”

“I’m allergic to cat hair, kero,” Tsuyu answers.

Uraraka stares at her. Tsuyu stares back, while continuing to pet the cat. Uraraka gives up.

“I mean,” Ashido says, “cats aren’t that noticeable, right? Don’t they sleep a bunch?”

“Cats sleep a lot,” Tsuyu says. “Kittens don’t.” 

Ashido makes a noise of frustration, lapsing back into thought. “The ceiling in our classroom is pretty high,” she pipes up eventually. “Maybe…Aizawa wouldn’t notice if we just…” She gestures to Uraraka’s hands.

“We are not levitating the cats,” Uraraka says. She tilts her head, considering. “We are not levitating the cats, unless we really can’t think of a better plan.”

…

“Three cats together need a lot of space,” Todoroki says. “But one cat on its own doesn’t need as much. Maybe we should be thinking of plans to hide all of them separately instead of together.”

“Divide and conquer,” Tsuyu says thoughtfully.

“That seems like taking one problem we don’t know how to solve, and making it three problems we don’t know how to solve,” Uraraka says.

“Hey, the cats are not problems,” Ashido says. “Life is the problem. Life, UA, society, taking us away from the things that truly matter.”

They ponder this wisdom while observing the cats. The black cat is gently licking the black-and-white cat’s ear.

“I’m sorry I called you problems,” Uraraka says solemnly. The boots-cat hiccups.

…

Divide and conquer is still the best idea in play when they give up, around 1am. This means that the next day, Uraraka, Todoroki and Ashido are each enacting their own plans to hide a kitten during morning classes. Tsuyu had designated herself operational support, and also in charge of creating distractions.

Uraraka is a strong believer that if you do something nonchalantly enough, 99% of people won’t question it. So, her plan is to take her books out of her backpack, place them inside her desk, and then also place the kitten inside, swiftly and with confidence.

Unfortunately for her, Bakugou is the 1%. “That’s a fucking cat,” he says. “You have a fucking cat. What the hell, Round Face?”

Several other classmates look over in shock. There’s a brief moment of silence, during which Todoroki’s backpack meows. Aizawa strides in just before the bell rings, the sudden noise sending Ashido’s kitten leaping out of her bag and running across the room.

“Should have levitated them,” Todoroki murmurs.

…

“Man, don’t you have a class to teach?” Mic asks.

“My class are capable of feeding themselves,” Aizawa says, expressionless. “These cats aren’t. Therefore, they take priority.”

The cat-harborors, plus cats, plus Aizawa, had decamped to the staff room, where Aizawa was feeding the kittens while the others sat around trying to look suitably apologetic. Aizawa had made a couple of attempts to begin lecturing them for smuggling multiple live animals into class, and each time had been swiftly distracted by kittens.

“Eraser!” Mic objects. “You can’t tell your kids they’re less important than cats!”

“It’s okay,” Uraraka says. “I’m pretty sure we all agree that these cats are the most important thing in the world right now.” The circle in general nods.

Silent cat petting ensues. “Did it ever occur to you to take them to a shelter?” Aizawa asks.

“Yeah,” Uraraka says. “Kinda? We didn’t talk about it, necessarily, but…”

“We need this,” Ashido interrupts. She looks solemn, by her standards, even if there is currently a kitten curled up in her folded arms, batting at her bracelets. “Like, I know no one would say we need cats to live, but man, life is hard, and we need these tiny beautiful cats! And their tiny beautiful feet!”

Todoroki silently lifts his sleeping kitten’s paw, demonstrating the tininess.

Aizawa sighs, but against all odds, he doesn’t seem to have an actual argument against this.

“At the beginning of the year,” Tsuyu interjects, “you said UA gives teachers a lot of discretion in how you run your classes.” She pauses, meaningfully. “Does that discretion extend to class pets?”

Aizawa stares intently at Tsuyu, objectively frowning, but Tsuyu has the distinct impression that his estimation of her has gone up by several points. 

“Eraser,” Mic says. “You know I hate to be the voice of reason, but would the old man really let you keep three cats at UA?” Mic stares off into the middle distance, briefly entranced. “Would he?”

“It’s debatable,” Aizawa adds. They’ve rarely seen him look so thoughtful. “There isn’t enough data to be sure.”

“Is that…a yes?” Ashido asks incredulously.

Aizawa shifts his gaze to her, no less intense for the kitten playing in his shirt sleeves. “You’ve yet to convince me you four are capable of caring for even one cat, let alone three kittens.”

“So if we do convince you,” Todoroki asks, “then you’ll let us keep the cats?”

Aizawa glares at everyone in the room except the cats for a solid three seconds. 

“Come to Eraserhead’s class,” Mic muses into the silence. “You have a 70% higher chance of being expelled, but you also have three cats?”

Aizawa doesn’t dignify this with a response. “There will be a class,” he says, “on taking care of cats of various ages. It will not be fun. There will be tests.” His glare softens as he looks down at the kitten now curled around his left hand, seemingly opting to have her daily five minutes of sleep now. “If enough of you pass, and the principal okays it, the cats can live at the dorms.”

“Oh my god,” Ashido says, eyes shining. “This is the best day of my human life. I’ve never been so pumped to take a test!”

Todoroki holds his kitten up, cradled gently in the palms of his hands. A tiny, warm smile spreads across his face. “Now we can give them names.”

[disneyat34]

One Hundred and One Dalmatians at 34

A review by Adam D. Jaspering

Dalmatians are one of the most easily recognized breed of dogs. Most dog breeds are classified by their size, and the length of their snout, ears, and legs. Dalmatians are instantly identifiable by their spotted coats. Even from a distance, the dynamic contrast between white fur and black spots make Dalmatians a stand-out. The style is not only eye-catching, but wholly unique in the canine family.

In short, the Dalmatian breed is typified by its contrast. It’s absolutely appropriate a film about Dalmatians would feature contrasts in its ambition and its indulgence in shortcuts.

Disney productions up to this point used traditional ink and paint techniques. An animator would first draw a preliminary sketch. Another artist would ink a final version of that sketch onto a piece of celluloid. The celluloid would be painted, and then photographed against a backdrop. Each cel would be a single frame of the final film.

By the 1960s, Disney was no longer a mere animation studio. The company had expanded into live-action productions, nature films, television, theme parks, and other innovations. Walt Disney himself stepped down as company chairman, focusing instead on creative expansions.

Sleeping Beauty had financially burdened the company. As such, Disney Animation Studios received a massive shake-up. Costs needed to be cut, and processes streamlined. The most prominent method of doing so involved adoption of the xerography technique.

Xerography is a form of photocopying. The relatively new technology was a timesaver in the world of animation. Using xerography, the initial animator’s sketch could be transferred directly from paper to celluloid. The inking process was bypassed altogether.

Inking results in a clean and bold character outline. Colors could influence saturation and tone. Without inked lines, characters and objects looked much sketchier and rough. Everything is outlined in the same black stroke. It gives the animation a relaxed, rugged look as opposed to the carefully curated and polished appearance Disney had been known for.

The process was also used for backgrounds, but in a much different execution. Rather than painting the backgrounds directly, the background line art was placed over a formless color painting. The intention was to create an impressionist tableau. A general feeling of an area could be described with color, and it need not be precise. In nearly every scene, there are instances of colors running outside their lines.

This was a stylistic choice, not one of low-effort. Irrelevant items are often the same colors as the walls they’re set against. Windows, hanging photographs, wainscotting, and anything in the shadows are all painted “wrong.” Attention is supposed to be on the characters and their actions, not the backgrounds. The emphasis on light and mood turns the background into a serving tray. It enhances the characters in the foreground. And considering the black-and-white dogs are the heroes of the film, the disparity between colorful chaos and grayscale form works all the better.

Xerography also allowed animators to reuse their drawings, recycling assets in different areas. Animation of puppies descending a staircase is reused later in the film as puppies descending a snowbank. It’s a tremendous timesaver. The animation staff, recovering from downsizing and budget cuts, were eager to exploit such a shortcut.

Sometimes, assets are reused in a single scene. During crowd shots overflowing with Dalmatian puppies, you can spot one dog in different places. This is the serendipitous fortune of featuring Dalmatians over other dog breeds. Whereas other dogs all look the same, Dalmatians have unique spot patterns. Drawings of the same dog could be cloned four or five times onto the same cel. As long as the spot pattern was different, they automatically became different dogs.

Grand sights have been seen in Disney animation already. It takes one set of skills to draw Monstro the Whale breaching ocean waves. It takes one set of skills to morph Cinderella’s tattered rags into an elegant ballgown. It takes another set of skills to draw a puppy dozens and dozens of times in succession. There’s a level of irony how the animators of a movie called One Hundred and One Dalmatians didn’t want to animate one hundred and one Dalmatians.

One hundred and one was a number selected in that its a ludicrous high number of dogs, but still plausible. With so many dogs featured onscreen, the overwhelming majority of puppies are little more than extras. They round out the environment, but are indistinct and interchangeable. This is further enforced, as the aforementioned shortcuts make these puppies literal clones of each other.

The two adults, Pongo and Perdita, are the only Dalmatians to be actual characters. In the first act, they parent fifteen biological children. Only six of these puppies have names (Lucky, Rolly, Patch, Penny, Pepper, and Freckles.) We’re already overtaxed with characters, of course they won’t have individual traits. They’re not characters, they’re the first installment of an oncoming hoard.

Among the six named children, only two have any specific personalities, and then only for comedic effect. The first is Rolly, whose entire character is being fat and liking food. The second is Lucky, who likes to watch television and complains when he’s cold. There’s not a lot of character work concerning the dogs. They make characters such as “Sneezy” and “Bashful” seem outright Dickensian by comparison.

Instead, it’s the villains who drive and develop the story. The two henchmen, Jasper and Horace, epitomize a traditional comedy duo. They differ wildly in personality, demeanor, and physical stature. Being polar opposites, the two repeatedly bounce off each other in substantial ways. Almost out of necessity. They must abuse each other because they certainly can’t abuse a dog onscreen. Even though they’re villains, this is still a G-Rated movie.

Jasper is tall, gaunt, angry, irritable, and violent. He’s undone by underestimating the surprising resourcefulness of the Dalmatians. Horace is short, overweight, lazy, meek, and slow-witted. He’s frequently the object of scorn, passively accepting his inferiority. In a twist, he accurately recognizes every time the dogs display an act of cunning or guile. These dogs are indeed smarter than an average house pet. In any instance besides a talking animal movie, he would be rightly lambasted as being an idiot. Instead, he’s genre savvy.

Of course, these two are only henchmen. The true villain of the picture is Cruella De Vil. Cruella, aside from having one of the most on-the-nose names in all of fiction, orchestrates the dogs’ kidnapping. She wants the dogs for herself. She wants them not as pets, but killed, flayed, and processed into a fur coat.

Cruella is an old friend and classmate of Anita. Their relationship and history is never explained beyond that. With their vastly different lifestyles, how well could Cruella and Anita know each other? Why were they ever friends with such differing personalities? Why would Anita mention the newborn puppies to someone she barely tolerates? Cruella invites herself over to examine the puppies, already planning to skin them. Anita, unknowing of her friend’s malice, is too awkward and polite to refuse. She’s forced to entertain her toxic friend by societal expectations.

In the 1996 live-action remake, Cruella is more than a gadabout of vague origins. She’s a successful and acclaimed fashion designer. Cruella is Anita’s boss, supplanting the ill-defined friendship with a power dynamic. It also better justifies Cruella’s relentless pursuit of one single coat. It’s one of the few areas where the remake surpasses the original.

Assuming she’s done her math correctly, Cruella’s coat requires 99 Dalmatian pelts. Somehow, she obtains 84 purebred Dalmatian puppies through completely legal channels. The remaining 15, Pongo and Perdita’s litter, she can’t buy. She resorts to kidnapping them instead. These fifteen evidently are the last Dalmatians in the greater London area.

Why else would she buy 84, then risk everything by kidnapping the final batch? One would think Cruella would amend the design to accommodate 84 puppies instead. That, or breed the puppies herself, giving her all the pelts she would ever need. She could have a matching scarf and hat. She hired minions to kidnap the dogs, she could hire minions to operate her puppy mill.

Why would Cruella De Vil resort to kidnapping for such a small quarry? Consider Cruella’s true nature beyond being a merciless fashionista who likes yelling. We don’t learn much about her lifestyle or community standing, but there are clues.

She is able to purchase the 84 purebred puppies, so she has certain monetary power, or at least good credit. Likewise, she was initially willing to buy the puppies from Roger and Anita. She not only likes spending money, she likes being seen spending money. In the same visit to Anita’s, she degrades Roger and his financial struggles. She has no respect for the working class. Cruella is not only wealthy, she’s been wealthy her whole life. This is confirmed when it’s revealed she has a large stately manor in Suffolk.

Unfortunately, the old De Vil place is in a state of disrepair. It’s been long abandoned, growing more derelict with each passing month. Cruella doesn’t need this house, but also doesn’t sell it. It’s either too ravaged to find a buyer, or it’s owned by the bank. This is our biggest clue towards Cruella’s true character.

Cruella may be an heiress, but her lavish lifestyle has ravaged her once proud fortune. She can’t afford to repair her family’s manor, so it sits abandoned, most likely mortgaged. She can’t afford a new car, so she drives an antiquated 1930s roadster (either a Bugatti or Dusenberg). She can’t buy her way into the social circles she wants, so she lords her artificial status over a working-class friend from childhood.

Without money, Cruella must actively maintain the illusion of her social class. She can only stand among the elite class by surpassing them in the fashion scene. She needs to establish her own trends, wearing the most exotic coat anybody had even seen. And without money, she has to make it herself. She can cough up money for the raw materials, a necessary investment, but must cut corners everywhere else. She can’t even hire decent henchmen to kidnap the dogs.

Cruella wants one coat for herself. True haute couture, as nobody else in London will have a spotted coat, and especially not one made of such soft fur. The flagrant act of conspicuous consumption and vanity is what drives Cruella to such incredible lengths. Greed, pride, and envy culminating in wrath.

What does this say about society in 101 Dalmatians? This world makes Cruella a villain because she has no money. Roger and Anita also have no money, but are content with their meager lifestyle. Their meager lifestyle, where they own a townhouse in London, have a live-in maid, and can readily care for seventeen dogs. The animators weren’t the only ones taking shortcuts; the writers did it too.

Roger is a struggling songwriter, and Anita’s profession is never mentioned. She is presumably employed before her marriage, and maintains the position afterwards. The pair and their dogs live on the meager income, but dream of bigger success. 

This world is ensconced in media and commercialism. Even newborn puppies are transfixed by a dog food commercial. 

The only way to escape poverty is to feed the machine. Cruella needs to kill puppies to remain an aristocrat. In an extended gag, criminals are trotted out on a parody version of What’s My Line. They’re promised fantastic vacations in exchange for being belittled on television. At the film’s end, Roger writes a novelty song, making himself rich. A novelty song, mocking Cruella De Vil. Money and status can only be earned at the expense of others.

It’s the dogs, instead, who find happiness outside London. On their journey to rescue the puppies, Pongo and Perdita encounter a string of helpful animals. A tabby cat who risks his own skin to rescue the puppies from Jasper and Horace. A barnful of cows willing to share milk with the starving puppies. Most impressive, an entire network of dogs team together to search for the missing puppies.

The Twilight Bark is a sort of phone tree alert system, known by dogs throughout England. Pongo and Perdita send out an alert, unsure it will help. To their surprise, every dog in London and its surrounding area relays the message. Sure enough, the missing puppies are found in a few hours.

There’s no promise of reward or obligation. The dogs volunteer their assistance because it’s the right thing to do. London brings out the worst in humans. But when financial desperation is removed, the animals show a functioning, healthy society. To paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, they do what they can, where they are, with what they have.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians was based on the 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith. Smith chose Dalmatians specifically based on her own childhood pet. Dalmatians are notorious for being highly energetic working dogs. They require lots of exercise, and thus would be a poor choice for Roger and Anita.

(On a side note, Dalmatians are one of the more popular purebred dogs, and 101 Dalmatians is partly to blame. The high demand leads to overbreeding and puppy mills, producing unhealthy, inbred, abused pets. Families adopt Dalmatians purely on appearance, without concern of temperament or exercise requirements. When the dogs become too large a responsibility, shelters and pounds become overburdened with the unwanted dogs. Please do not buy a pet from a breeder without proper research and commitment. Also, consider adoptions and rescues of mixed-breed pets as an ethical alternative.)

Unlike other Disney films, One Hundred and One Dalmatians is surprisingly lax in terms of music. The movie features only three original songs, one of them being a jingle for dog food. It’s easy to see the lack of music as another cost-cutting measure. However, consider one of the main characters is a songwriter. It seems like a missed opportunity to embrace the musical stylings of the era.

While not the first Disney film to use a modern setting, 101 Dalmatians was the first to use the modern setting as an element of the story. Dumbo and Bambi had a timeless quality and could be set in any era. 101 Dalmatians has style and attitude that could only happen in the late 50s and early 60s. The jazz music, the sprawling cityscape, the cars, the omnipresence of television, and the consumer culture all reflect a very specific point on the timeline.

The biggest question of 101 Dalmatians is what kind of movie is it? It’s not a fairy tale, it’s not a morality tale, it’s not a saga. There are moments of peril, but it’s not an adventure. There are moments of humor, but it’s not a comedy. It’s a little bit of everything. 101 Dalmatians, and a 101 story elements.

The movie flips back and forth between what helps it at any given point. There is a scene where the Dalmatians are hiding for their lives inside a coal storage shed. Jasper and Horace search around outside, blunt weapons in hand, ready to smash the skulls of any dog they find. This is immediately followed by a happy rollick through a pile of soot as the dogs disguise themselves as chocolate Labradors.

One particularly jarring moment happens early on, during the puppies’ birth. Everybody in the house is ecstatic at the prospect of 15 puppies. Roger and Pongo literally dance in joy. The revelry is short-lived, as they’re informed one of the fifteen puppies didn’t survive. Roger sits there, holding the stillbirth in his hand. Disney Magic miraculously brings the puppy back to life, but it’s still a shock. In the first act of what has so far been a delightful cartoon romp, Fading Puppy Syndrome is depicted onscreen.

Everything about 101 Dalmatians is a clashing contrast. The animation combines advanced coloring style and shameless shortcuts. The tone is equal parts cheer and gloom. The villains are overdeveloped while the heroes are blank slates. Mistakes cancel each other out. The movie has so many things working against it, it’s a good movie almost by accident. All the cut corners are a foreboding omen to Disney Studios’ impending future.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians was the first film produced after the golden age of the 1950s. The grand, epic animation was replaced with frugal techniques and a smaller story. To compensate, the movie does a little bit of everything well, while not exceling in any specific area. 101 Dalmatians are depicted onscreen, and it’s a distinct case of quantity over quality.

Fantasia Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Cinderella Alice in Wonderland Sleeping Beauty Pinocchio Bambi 101 Dalmatians The Three Caballeros Lady and the Tramp Peter Pan Dumbo Melody Time Saludos Amigos The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad Fun and Fancy Free Make Mine Music

[leonenolee]

Ryuka Clan. The Ryuka Clan is a legendary and noble clan who crafted several forbidden techniques which are exclusively for the use of the family. Their clan is feared among the men and women in Seireitei. Due to the destructive nature of their spells, they entered an agreement with Central 46 and Gotei 13 that they will only be summoned for battles during times of emergencies. With this, they built their barracks underground to prevent any casualties during spell practices.

"A wide range spell was casted here," she said as she entered the area where the massacre scene happened. The place is now surrounded by woods erected from the ground casted with a seal to prevent anyone from entering it.

Kneeling with one knee, she analyzed the ashes scattered around the area as a byproduct of the spell. She brushed her fingers against the floor to carefully feel its texture.

"It is still fresh. I can still feel the reiatsu in it. If I have to accurately calculate, this spell was only casted today."

To begin her investigation, she brought out the round wooden tablet from her shihakushou and placed it on the ground. 

"Kuchiki-taichou, please leave the area for a while. My detection spell might absorb your reiatsu and might mess up my readings," she requested from the man who was standing beside her. 

With his suspicion, Byakuya reluctantly left the place. He stands by outside the area where he can observe her from afar.

Assuring that the area is cleared with any foreign reiatsu from above and beneath the ground, she began to slightly unsheath her zanpakuto with her left hand to cut her index finger. With her blood, she drew a crossed-shaped pattern on the tablet. 

"Oh vast great skies, gather the reishi around me. Light of the world that grants power, call the ancestors who are in peace. Ryuka Bakudou 14: Kenshutsu."

With this chant, the cross pattern emitted a light that extends to each side of the perimeter of the area. The reishi around the place were absorbed by the light and were sealed inside the tablet turning it violet.  The hazardous reiatsu was now wiped out in the site.  

As she stood up, she placed the tablet in between her palms and closed her eyes. She now started sensing each spirit ribbon in Soul Society to know who the reiatsu belongs to. However, after a wide range search, the caster of the spell was nowhere to be found. 

With frustrations penting up inside her, she temporarily concluded that the culprit may have already gone to another world. Ending her analysis, she stopped her spell and placed the tablet inside her shihakushou. With flash steps, she went to Byakuya to report her findings. 

"Kuchiki-taichou, we need to call for a captains' meeting," she said while gently landing beside him. 

Wanting to know what happened, he inquired for the results. 

"Did you find out the culprit?"

She looked at him with a pensive expression.

"It is not here in Soul Society."

"..."

Brushing the dirt off from her haori, she felt the weight of his piercing glare. 

With confidence, she assuringly replied, "Relax! Together, we will find out who caused this."

Looking at the obliterated area, she thought of a way to ease the captain's worries. 

"Do you want me to rebuild this?"

"You don't have to concern yourself with that."

"Nah, I know this is your turf, but I'll save you the hassle of rebuilding this."

"Don't make me repeat my---," his response was cut off as he saw her lift her hand pointing at the direction of the area. 

Light came flowing from the female captain's hand going to the ground. Each barracks, establishment, and even trees began to be erected. 

Gazing with amazement, Byakuya was glad to see the place completely reconstructed. 

"See? You don't have to worry about it. This place now has a quarter of my reiatsu mixed with the reishi I collected from the air."

Turning his gaze back at her, he has observed a strike of exhaustion from the captain's eyes. 

"I am out of practice. That's what I get from doing solely paperworks and documenting spells crafted by my squad." 

Disturbing her thoughts, she noticed Byakuya's intense fixed stare at her. 

"Brush off your suspicion. I am not an enemy of Sereitei. Our squad is your ally in protecting Soul Society."

"..."

"I will personally take care of anyone misusing the Ryuka clan spells even if he or she is my subordinate," she said with a bit of uneasiness in her heart. 

___

At the Captains' Assembly Hall, the noise of chitchats can be heard. All of the captains were already present except the Captain Commander, Kuchiki-taichou, and two other captains. 

"Why did the Captain Commander called for an emergency meeting?" inquired a tall man with short white haired wearing a sleeveless shihakushou and a captain's haori with the kanji of nine imprinted on its back. 

"I am not quite sure, Muguruma-taichou. I am guessing it will be about the attack near the Kuchiki manor," replied by another captain who looks like a male teenager. He has a white spiky hair and mint green eyes. He wears a captain haori with the kanji of ten written on its back. 

"If it comes to this, then it is something serious. The nobles don't usually contact us unless they need more military power. What do you think, Hitsugaya-taichou."

Their conversation was interrupted when the council room's doors were opened. Outside it stands two figures one belonging to a male and the other belongs to a female. 

"It's the 14th squad captain! What is Kuchiki-taichou doing with her?" Hitsugaya thought to himself. 

As they entered the hall, another two figures were walking behind them. 

"My, my, Riyon-chan. What made you finally get out of the dark?" a tall man with long wavy hair tied into a pony said while gently tilting his kasa as if covering his eyes. On top of his captain's haori hangs a pink kimono with floral patterns.

Knowing who that familiar voice belongs to, Riyon suddenly stopped walking and greeted the man. 

"Easy going as always, Kyouraku-kun," she said in a meek tone. 

"After you have been inaugurated as a captain, we never saw you anymore. We miss you," said another familiar voice who belonged to a tall man with long white hair. He wears a captain haori with long sleeves and the kanji of thirteen imprinted on its back. 

"Ukitake-kun, glad to see you strong. I hope you get well soon."

The other captain replied with a smile while placing his hand on his head. 

Disrupting their lovely reunion, the sound of a loud thump was heard silencing the room. It came from a cane owned by Yamamoto Genryuusai. With the presence of the Captain Commander, the captains went to their designated post and lined up with the exemption of Byakuya and Riyon. They were instead, called to the front along with the old man. 

"Why would you call an urgent captains' meeting, Ryuka-taichou?" the Captain Commander asked to get the business done while he sat on his chair.  

Removing the hood enveloping her head, she then replied, "before I answer that, permission to use our clan's technique first?"

Raising  one of his eyebrows, the captain commander said in response to her question, "for what purpose will you use it for?"

"I'll have to show you what I have gathered in this," she said as she brings out the round wooden tablet from her shihakushou. 

"As long as it is not a destructive one, you may do so."

Facing the captains who are eager to hear what she has to say, she knelt down and put the tablet on the floor. 

"My fellow captains, please take at least two to three steps back."

Knowing that everyone has already cleared the center aisle, she closes her eyes and whispers some words. Violet smoke came out from the tablet and crawled on the floor. It began forming each barracks, establishments, and trees that were destroyed in the area.

Everyone felt a menacing chill when the reiatsu was released from the tablet. 

"What is this feeling? It's like a blade is placed on my neck," Hitsugaya thought to himself showing a rather disturbed expression. 

"The fear that you are feeling right now, shake it off with your own spiritual pressure. Don't let it consume you. This is the very nature of a Ryuka clan spell," Riyon instructed them as she stood up and proceeded to one side of the now established ruined area formed by the violet smoke. 

Facing Yamamoto, she began her explanation, "Yamamoto-taichou, based on my readings, I can confidently predict where the spell was casted. If we will take the exposure to the flames into consideration, we can say that they casted it here…"

Producing two small balls of light with her reiatsu, she marked two places above the area. Then she placed another one in front of the ruins. 

"There were three casters in total according to my calculations. As you can see, the ruined area consisted of five barracks and a training ground in the middle of it."

She paused for a while and gave Byakuya a worried look. 

"With a Class S level of destruction, I accurately presume that it was Hado Number 248 Death Inferno Flame spell."

"That is absurd! We only have until number 99 for our spells," reacted by a short haired woman with two long strands of hair wrapped in a bandage with gold circles on its end. She was wearing a captain's haori with the kanji of two imprinted on its back. 

Turning to the lady, Riyon gave her a sharp look. 

"Soi Fon taichou, our clan spells go way higher than 300 as what have stated in our history books."

Slowly returning her eyes to Byakuya, she continued explaining her findings. 

"I hate to say this, but Kuchiki-taichou, you've lost some elite men, women, and some children. To my calculations, around 71."

Knitting his eyebrows with this fresh devastating news, Byakuya clenched his fists. 

Uproars can be also heard from the lips of the other captains. 

"Silence!" 

The noise died down with a word from the Captain Commander.

Looking at her with a stern expression, he firmly asked, "Did you find the caster?"

"I went through a wide range sensing of spirit ribbons combing through every corner of Seireitei and Rukongai. However," she paused for a while while placing her hands on her chest. 

"It seems that it doesn't belong here."

"You know you will have to find them as soon as possible, am I right, Ryuka-taichou?" 

"I will see to it that I will find them. I will clear the name of my clan and," she paused again midway her sentence and gave Byakuya a glance, "I will help Kuchiki-taichou in finding justice for his people. That's why…"

With conviction, she looked at each captain one by one before finally fixing her eyes on the Captain Commander. 

"I will be needing your strength as the Gotei 13 to help me in finding the culprit."

There was a brief dead air before the Captain Commander gave his reply, "Gotei 13 will aid you, but you will be the one solely responsible resolving this issue."

"I take full responsibility. To begin with," she walked towards the captain wearing black and white stripes face paint and gold headdress,  "I will be needing your help, Kurotsuchi-taichou."

[tumblunni]

Why is gyan amakano so cute. It should be illegal. I hate how he has such a huggable design and then his character is totally wasted on being half super evil jerkman half Every Fat Stereotype Simultaneously. Like seriously how did this even HAPPEN

Artist: ok so ive drawn this round softman in a cute lil fancy tuxedo who always carries lollipops in his back pocket

Writers: ah yes, the perfect Irredeemable Murder Cannibal Man

Or like..

Writers: we need an Irredeemable Murder Cannibal Man

Artist: dont worry bro i got ya *draws a big circle with a happy face*

Or of course theres the alternative universe where nobody involved in this project ever noticed that this character design looks fuckin precious, but i dont want to live in that world

And then he's only in!! Two episodes!! And theyre so weird and not great!! Its like they kept changing their mind whether he was meant to be funny or scary. Goes from "ha ha a fat man enjoys cookies" to "he literally wants to make cannibal cookies out of humans" to "but ha ha look he's cosplaying as the genie from aladdin, lets go back to laughs now".

And also they made him be a huge jerk to Are Bacchino and that pisses me off!! Its already a bit shitty that they made a character whose entire "joke" is that he has ocd/germaphobia and its meant to be funny? Somehow? That he has this mental illness? And is frequently exposed to stuff that terrifies him?? Funny how???? But then theres a really rather disturbing montage of Gyan punishing his sidekick by straight up triggering his phobia and YIKES MAN sorry thats even more evil than the cannibalism! Also why was it drawn all overly detailed and Saw-esque?? Why did we need so much art effort put into showing dirty feet and a guy being forced to stick his hand in a shit filled toilet. Was this someone's goddamn fetish or something???

So yeah. Upset.

U P S E T T I. R E G R E T T I.

I'm so mad they wasted a cool character deisgn and cool concept on such a shitty execution. Like even the plot could have been cool? They could have got a lot more episodes out of the idea of these two runnibg thru fairytale books and cosplaying as different classic villains. And if theyd just made a damn decision and gone with either funny cute or scary bad then it could have worked! Personally i am voting for funnycute obv course. But also thatd work best with this plot, it would have been better if it was just a low stakes goofy adventure with something like "oh this dude wants to find the legendary magic wish thingie to wish for a lifetime supply of chocolate and our heroes wanna wish for something actually important so thats why they fight". Could have even added some drama cos like he doesnt know the thing is actually dangerous and then what if he ends up possessed by it and you still get a fight with him thats pretty high stakes without having this weird inconsistant personality thing. Could be quite a dramatic twist to suddenly have comedy villain man as a genuine threat! Ans could be a way to resolve it all with friendship cos you could have Are Bacchino teaming up with the heroes to save his boss and then Gyan is like "whoa i guess you guys were 100% right all along" when he gets saved from his own bigass mistake and all. And then THE GAMES COULD ACTUALLY MAKE HIM PLAYABLE PERHAPS, JUST SAYIN

Also PLEASE rewrite like every single thing about the relationship between the two of them. Please take whoever said "yeah gyan should outright torture his one and only friend with a messed up Saw movie ocd-triggering machine" and throw them out the window. Consider this: what if..they were actually...friend. Like i feel they'd have enough comedy potential already just from being a "rival mafia" thats literally two people who are ludocrously incompetant at everything they do and only ever succeed at (literally) stealing candy from babies. Play up that side of things more! No need to throw random super evil shit at the funnymen to make them seem more intimidating, theyre at their best when theyre not intimidating at all. And you could still have the same gag of the fairytale world forms always being Gyan as some sort of classic villain and Are as a talking carpet or whatever, like just say thats how the magic works instead of Gyan doing it on purpose to be a jerk. And you could even still have Are being the funny underdog just from sheer bad luck instead of being purpisely mistreated by every single character in the entire cast. Or have it that Gyan is just a bit of a bumbling idiot boss who doesnt notice his mistakes and Are is like the hypercompetant sidekick who always ends up taking the consequences of those mistakes because he's like an overportective bodyguard. Which could also be a way to establish some cute friendship moments! Like i dunno someone's about to throw a pie at Gyan and Are does an overdramatic diving save and a whole fake death scene from the sheer horror of getting banana cream frosting on his suit. "Boss...go on without me..." *cough choke* And Gyan is like *equally overdramatic tears* "He made the ultimate sacrifice! I will avenge him!!" *charges forward to fight the heroes and just gets easily beat up like usual* And then its like *even more continually dramatic narration* "and the boss was beaten and bruised, but he carried me for miles through wind and storm" *over footage of like ridiculously impossible heroic adventures thay clearly didnt happen* And then it just cuts to the two of them sitting at like...ye olde fantasy laundromat. Are sobbing like "oh boss i'll never forget this" and Gyan is just like *thought bubble* "i wish i got to eat that pie tho"

I dunno maybe im naive but i just think shows are generally more fun when characters actually like each other and have motivations beyond self interest. Obvipusly not EVERY character has to be like that, but nobody is ever kind at all in the damn anime whether theyre villain or hero. And also specifically these sorts of minor role villains can benefit a lot from being fleshed out this way to become way more memorable! Like gin and kin became way better in Psychic Specters when they got the added trait of loving and cherishing their little brother. (To the point of it being a literal battle power that made their horribly hard boss fight even worse, lol!)

Also just...plz dont make a man so cute if hes meant to be big badness. Like seriously Are looks scarier than him and Are is like the least scary man to ever have those scary ass eyes! Smol depressed man with ocd and tol round lollipops friendo. I WANT TO LOVE THEM

Im gonna just cross my arms and sit here stubbornly hoping for The Anime/Game Effect to kick in. Like 99% of all characters in the anime are jerks and even when anime originals end up cameoing in the games they tend to become generally nicer and more well developed as people. So fingers crossed for a yw4 appearance thats full cute and 0% cannibalism!!!

Seriously fuckin.. CANNIBALISM

Why does the anime do that so much as a "funny" "joke"? The episode where Jerry murders a sentient dessert yokai in graphic gory detail still haunts me. "Ha ha its funny because technically theres no blood so we can show her gasping for breath with a hole in her lungs as a man eats her corpse" Did they put the entire budget into that one death animation??? Oh no cos they saved at least a little of it for the Herbiboy Gets Murdered By A Lawnmower episode T_T

Anime why u be this way.

[badsithnocookie]

unrelated: thoughts from doing the end of kotet twice in quick succession

odessen is actually pretty big. like, it’s got to at least be on a par with rishi. but there’s nothing done with it. it’s 99% instanced and available once only (in kotfe12 and kotet8).

kotfetet is a single player game with a sub fee. like, people kvetch about how vanilla was that, but kotfetet is truly that. it has no allowance for playing it multiplayer. it has little to no repeatable group content - star fortresses can be solod (and are arguably designed to be). ditto the championship (which is hilariously irrelevant now).

i know it would have had a time/investment cost, but there would be everything to be gained for kotfetet if you opened up odessen’s wilds as an open world questing area. have dailies for an Odessen Rep track that you need to get the decos and shit that the black market guy in hylo’s basement sells. have an instanced world boss like toborro or the geoqueen.

but more than that, make it somewhere that the players go and visit and become familiar with.

and then fuck it up in kotet8.

attack on korriban/tython work because they are the first things a new sith/jedi player sees, and are visited repeatedly during the class stories. they are Home(tm), safe from the other faction, with all the nostalgia of being a wide-eyed level one newbie. seeing that rekt is, yeah it’s a cheap emotional shot, but it works.

fucking up the odessen wilds when it’s mostly areas we’ve never seen before doesn’t work because there’s no attachment, no familiarity. rolling past a dam we’ve spent weeks grinding dailies to repair in order to buy those sweet scion robes and seeing zakuul fuck it up? yeah, that’s gonna stick as an emotional moment, because players have an investment.

(it’s why the republic/imperial taris and balmorra splits work, too. because you do all that hard work, and then you come back on the opposite faction and it’s all undone. sobrik falls to the republic, olaris falls to the empire.)

but that would require bioware to have bothered to invest their time and ours right from kotfe, instead of jerking it to how great valkorion is.

-

unrelated:

when thonna went through nathema, she kept dramath in the holocron, because she’s a sith - she’s not going to give up any potential opportunity, even though as a player i know that it changes basically nothing. which means that she theoretically had him for the fight with vaylin.

however. first time combat initiated, he got yeeted off the edge by vaylin and died stupidly about a minute into the fight. whatever, i cloaked and reset the fight. less dying this time, you stupid sith spirit, or she’ll eat u.

second round. this time he... runs out of hit points in under a minute and dies that way instead. WHATEVER. who needs healers anyway

okay but for real that fight has some stuff to keep in mind which makes it a ton easier

stay inside her purple circle at all times when attacking. she has a nasty reflection if you try to range her which will rek you otherwise.

when she’s doing her yeet move (force explosion? something like that), get out of the red circle so you don’t get yote. as soon as she does it, go back close and start attacking again. important note: she still has her reflect up, so don’t hit her from range unless you like dying to stupidity.

occasionally ‘memories of healing’ will spawn. run through them to get healed and for free c/xp

/spit on dramath’s stupid corpse

(via @autisticthrawn) put Dramath on passive when she goes into the red circle. So he would follow when I run away. Then when it’s done, I put him back on attack.

[emotionsofthesoul]

Chapter 8 _ El Parque Secreto

It was finally Wednesday and Juliana had already prepared their picnic basket. She was waiting for Valentina outside the photography building.

“Took you long enough woman!” Juliana said with a chuckle as she hugged Valentina.

“I had my nutrition midterm remember. I was one of the first to finish though so don’t complain.” Valentina said as she put on her sunglasses. “Where are we off to anyway?”

“I told you, it’s a secret. I found it by accident and have gone there ever since when I need to think. I actually went and made a few designs there yesterday after my appointment.” Juliana said as she drove to her spot.

“Oh yeah how did that you? Also can you show me your new sketches when we get there?” Valentina asked smiling at the fact that Juliana loved to sketch and make her own clothes. “So that story yesterday, you’ve never been shopping for clothes?” Valentina asked genuinely curious.

Juliana laughed, “It went well as far as I know but get my results in two weeks. & of course I’ve shopped for clothes before Valentina! It’s just at the time we couldn’t afford it. But now I make my own clothes and pair them with stuff I buy. I try to wear something mine every day.”

“Really? Which piece of this outfit is yours?” Valentina said scanning Juliana’s body with her eyes.

“I don’t have it on you creep! Jaja it’s in the back seat, see that denim jacket, I made it.” Juliana said with a shrug and reaching into the back seat to grab the jacket and hand it to Valentina.

“Oh my god, Juls. This is beautiful. I love it!” Valentina said amazed at Juliana’s talent.

“Really? Thank you.” Juliana said blushing. “We’re here.”

“This park is pretty big!” Valentina said. “Take me to your favorite spot.”

Juliana grabbed Valentina’s arm and they walked over to the circle with the 12 trees around it. “This is it. I love it, it’s so quiet and secluded here. I have a surprise for you.” She said pulling a rapped gift out of her bag.

Valentina unwrapped her present pulling out a blouse. “Oh my god… Juliana I love this. Did you make it?” She asked as she looked at all the beautiful detail Juliana put into making it.

“Yeah I did, I wanted to thank you for encouraging my craft from the very first day we met.” Juliana said in a tender tone.

“I love it Juls, thank you.” Valentina said setting it aside to embrace Juliana in a hug.

There’s something else that I think you’ll like but the path there is a little sketchy, don’t know if you’d be down.” Juliana told Val.

“What could be more sketchy than bringing me to lonely park, let’s go?” Valentina laughed.

“Val. Many things!” Juliana said with a chuckle, “you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m not a chicken.” Valentina said confidently.

“Okay pues follow me.” Said Juliana as she took Valentina to a bicycle path across from the park. That path led to 4 tunnels that run under freeway 99.

Valentina began to feel nervous as they approached the tunnels, “Are you sure we can go in there? Won’t the freeway like fall on us or something?”

Juliana let out a loud laugh, “What? No! What the hell Valentina?” Stopping right before the opening to the tunnels she turned to look Valentina dead in the eyes, “Do you trust me?” 

��Of course I do.” Valentina said.

“Okay,” Juliana said as she held Valentina’s hand leading her through the tunnel. They saw a lot of graffiti but two things that caught their eyes were a drawing the grim reaper to their left and an image of the virgin Marry to their right. Almost as if it were protected by both good and evil.

Valentina felt relieved when they reached the other side and had to let herself adjust to the light again.

“This is what is on the other end. Another park. The path continues from here all the way to a middle school. It’s quite interesting. When I found this place with all it’s secrets I grew inspirations of a few pieces I’ve created.” Juliana said as she pulled Juliana towards a round wooden bench. “I love to sit here and see all the hearts carved into the bench. It’s cheesy but it’s very cute.”

“I love it, thank you for bringing me here. I love knowing that even with your reluctance to be here in Sacramento you’ve found a place that you can consider your little safe haven when things get too much.” Valentina said honestly.

“Yeah, that’s actually part of why I brought you here.” Juliana said grading both of Valentina’s hands and she shifted her body in order to face the girl beside her.

“It’s my favorite place in this entire city, it’s where I can feel completely free and I wanted to share it, with you. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to see other people in any romantic capacity. I only want you. So here in my secret hideout I’d like to know… Valentina Carvajal, will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?” Juliana said not once breaking eye contact.

“Oh my god, yes! Claro que si Juliana!” Valentina said throwing her arms around Juliana’s neck and snuggling her face into Juliana’s neck.

“Si?” Juliana asked still shocked that she had the guts to actually go through with her plan.

“Si.” Valentina whispered pulling away to look at Juliana. “You don’t know how bad I want to kiss you right now.”

“Then why don’t you?” Juliana whispered back. As soon as the words left her mouth she was met with Valentina’s soft sweet lips. 

Eventually they walked back through the tunnel and reached the original park and had a very romantic picnic. On their way back to the university Juliana decided to give Valentina the jacket she had made saying it would look better on her. They agreed that this would be their first official date. The first of many.

[larinconadacountryclub]

La Rinconada Country Club Timeline: 1906 to 1968

La Rinconada Country Club is a private golf course located in the foothills of LosGatos. It was constructed in 1929 and has 446 Certificated Members. The 18-hole golf course plays 6,100 yards, to a par of 70. Many of the holes have been enhanced over the years but the original playing corridors have remained the same since the opening in 1929.

September 1906: Rancho Rinconada de Los Gatos was a rancho named for the corner (Rinconada) where Los Gatos Creek bends and for the number of wildcats (Los Gatos) that lived in the area due to a plentiful water supply. The Los Gatos Times suggested a country club be built in the area and the plans for building an 18-hole course began to unfold.

Spring 1926: W.B. Maxwell buys land near Vasona Junction to build a golf course. Using his own money, he works tirelessly for two years to design and build the course.

February 1928: A group headed by W.C. Sprague buys the land from Maxwell and takes over development of the course. The course, designed by WilliamJefferson and built by his brother Phil, La Rinconada's first pro, was representative of similar facilities of the time. Other key families included in the founding of the club include those of Kevin Leach, John Moore, John Freitas, James A. Bacigalupi, Philip Leider and A.P. Giannini.

March 1928: Sprague and his group confirm that the club will open with 103 inaugural members, each paying a $500 membership fee.

June 1, 1929: Members of the newly christened La Rinconada Country Club play their first round of golf. Membership is limited to an exclusive few, most of which move in the elite business and social circles of the club's founders. Opening day hosts 700 community members with refreshments served in the temporary clubhouse. Senator Sanborn Young, an original club member, dedicates the club and course. PhillipJefferson wins the opening day match against pros Arthur Brooks and Floyd Hudson, and is named golf pro, a position he holds until his death in 1946.

April 1938: La Rinconada holds the first annual Blossom Tournament, a tournament that was held well until the late 1990’s. The tournament receives its name from the blossoming fruit trees around the valley at the time, and includes 36 holes of play over two days.

August 1940: La Rinconada holds the first Fiesta Tournament. Later renamed the Trail Days Tournament, this tournament is also a 36-hole tournament played over the course of a weekend, and attracts golfers from all over the state, making it La Rinconada’s largest event of the year.

January 1940: Los Gatos High School holds their first tournament at the country club. For many years, the high school had wanted a golf team but had no place to practice. La Rinconada offers them the space and opportunity to compete with other local high schools.

1945: World War II dictates the economic rise and fall of the era and the club comes close to ruin. For a mere $80,000, Dr. Sol Leider buys the club with the intention of reviving membership and signs a 99-year lease. He purchases the property from the Capital Company who had purchased it in 1937.

November 1952: Dr. Leider is persuaded to lease the course property back to LaRinconada residents for the lease term. During his ownership, Leider improved three course holes and organized the installation of the swimming pool and the original clubhouse renovation.

1947-1952: Due to the war and absence of men while they are in service, women’s golf dominates the club’s newspaper during this time. Tournament play also wanes during wartime. The Blossom and Fiesta tournaments, put on hold while the men were away, are resurrected.

1953: Now member-owned, La Rinconada begins to promote an exclusive, members-only image. Visitors and prospective members are allowed to use the course provided a member accompanies them. The club is reborn into a private country club and becomes more restricted. Prospective members must complete an application, which is then reviewed extensively by a member review board. Movie stars Jane Russell, Olivia de Havilland, Bing Crosby and Jack Benny are members and make infrequent appearances; there is a question of perceived club exclusivity. The club converts to yearly elections with Bill Battaglia as the club’s first president under the new ownership.

1954: At the club’s 25-year mark, Andries serves as the club’s president.

1962: The roof caves in on the Spanish-style clubhouse during a rainstorm and obvious repairs need to occur quickly. A tarp is placed over the gaping hole to allow kitchens staff to continue working, a new clubhouse is designed and work begins.

1963: The new La Rinconada Country Club clubhouse opens 500 feet north of where the old one had been situated and contains a larger dining room, kitchen, men’s grill room, and men and women’s locker rooms. The club also adds a snack shack on the 11th hole, moves the pro shop from the old clubhouse west of the parking lot, and exchanges the 1st and 6th holes to allow golfers to tee off by the new pro shop.

1968: Periodically, the club had experienced difficulties in obtaining and distributing water to irrigate the course. An agreement is made with the Santa Clara County Conservation District to solve this problem. The Conservation District obtains water right of ways through the 3rd, 8th and 9th fairways and, in exchange, La Rinconada receives all of the untreated water needed to irrigate the course.

[milesyart]

Cross Stitch 101: Framing in a Hoop

There are a lot of ways to frame embroidery, and doing it in a hoop is one of the easiest methods.  There are also a lot of ways to frame something in a hoop.  This is the way I do it.

Sometimes I'll use some fancy scrapbook paper to cover up the back, but honestly?  I forget.  A lot.  Also, it's a bit of a faff because the hoops are never perfectly round, and cutting out the paper means it only fits properly if it's sitting in one very particular way.  Also, 99% of the people who see the finished piece will never see the back, because it will probably be up on a wall somewhere. I don't use any kind of glue or adhesives, because they're a little too permanent for me.  Things get broken, or maybe you'd rather use a different size hoop and don't realise it until you're done.  Also, me being me, I would probably get the glue all over the place and ruin everything. So here's what I do use:

Medium-sized upholstery needle

Pearl Cotton, or some throw-away six strand floss

Good pair of scissors

Hoop (usually a wood one)

Once you've blocked your piece and let it dry (covered in another video),  place it inside your hoop and get it framed and centred where you want it.  Tighten the outer hoop so it will hold the fabric firmly in place.  It's going to get pulled around a lot, and you don't want to risk it slipping out of place, or pulling weirdly and distorting your image. If the design is full-coverage, it's often better to use a hoop that is slightly too small, so the design can cover the entire area.  Leaving a gap between the edge of your stitching and the edge of the hoop can usually wind up only highlighting the fact that the hoop is not perfectly round. Once everything is in place, cut the fabric so that it's round.  Cut the fabric so when folded over the back, it goes about halfway between the hoop and the centre. Thread your needle, using which ever thread you choose.  I like to thread it as if I'm doing a loop start, because it's the single easiest way to secure your first stitch.  Use a running stitch along the outer edge of the fabric, leaving about half an inch between the stitch and the edge.  Do not pull it tight until you come full circle.  Pull the thread tight so everything bunches up, and then repeat your running stitch in the same direction, but making the top portion of your stitch cover the bottom part of the previous pass (the video will show this in detail if I have not explained this well).  When you complete the second pass, tie off your thread and cut the tail short.

https://ift.tt/2PWE2MN

[watchilove]

Like a fragment of a celestial vault, this galaxy of infinitely small and brilliant particles elegantly adornes the new Freak X. Its glittering effect can be admired, like that which sailors often observe on the surface of the Ocean in the dark of a full moon night. The surface of the sea always gives a clue to the secrets of its depths. Aventurine is an ideal material for beckoning us on a journey. Through the stars appear to be randomly spread in the cosmos, nothing here has been left “to chance”. Legend surrounding aventurine recounts that in the thirteenth century, on the island of Murano in Venice, home to the famous glass-makers, a craftsman inadvertently let some copper filling fall into a pot of molten glass, so creating aventurine glass, or “avventurina” in Italian, meaning, “by accident”. The Freak X Aventurine is equipped with a regulation organ – balance wheel, anchor, escapement wheel – made of silicium. While emphasizing a sleek design, this 43mm watch perfectly lives up to the pedigree of its Freak predecessors. A blend of the UN-118 and UN-250 (freak Vision) calibres, the movement is fitted with a carousel, turning once on itself every hour to indicate the time. It serves as a minute hand circling above the aventurine plate decorating the movement. Inside and clearly visible, a super-light and extra-large silicium balance wheel with Nickel inertia blocks oscillates at 3 Hz. Its blue PVD titanium and 5N rose gold case has a distinctive look with gently rounded curves. The Freak X Aventurine is available on a blue alligator strap with light grey “points de bride” stitches and a blue PVD titanium and 5N rose gold folding clasp. It is manufactured in a limited edition of 99 timepieces, fallen from the sky. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb2hF-sMBem/?utm_medium=tumblr

[bunkershotgolf]

Circling Raven Golf Club Opens for Play on April 8; Pre-Season Specials Available for Purchase

Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel Amenity Offers Advantage Card, Value-Laden Packages and Rates

Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel today announces that Circling Raven Golf Club will open for play on April 8, starting a season filled with programs for players of all types at the nationally ranked course where the “frequent player” Advantage Card and other offers provide golfers with impressive deals for golfers and groups.

“We pride ourselves on the experience Circling Raven provides golfers – they love that our programs, packages and rewards through our Advantage and Player Development cards enables them to improve their game on a course that some of the best women professional golfers in the world applaud for its excellence,” said David Vonbrethorst, PGA, Circling Raven’s Head Golf Professional.

Vonbrethorst is referring to the Circling Raven Championship, an Epson “#Road2LPGA” Tour event that was played for the first time last year. Several players who competed in the event went on to earn their LPGA Tour membership, testament to their exceptional play, and the field had unanimous praise for the layout and course conditions.

For local players who can’t wait to test the course for themselves, and visitors enjoying stay-and-play packages, early season golf rates beckon. From April 8-14, golfers pay $65 for an 18-hole greens fee, Monday-Sunday. From April 15-May 22 the rate becomes $89 Mon-Thurs and $99 Fri-Sun and holidays. The peak summer 18-hole greens fees are $129 Mon-Thurs and $149 weekends and holidays.

Players who seek extreme bargains can purchase the Circling Raven Advantage Card for $199 and receive hundreds of dollars of savings during the season. Cardholders get their first round free ($149 value), free entry into the year-end Advantage Tournament ($129 value), 15% off non-sale merchandise, 10% off non-sale clubs, free entry into the Circling Raven Championship ($40 value) and other exclusive benefits throughout the year.

The club’s Player Development Card also costs $199 and it provides free use of the 25-acre practice facility, 15% off golf instruction, access to play Circling Raven two hours before dark for $25 (Mon-Thurs), free monthly golf clinics, and other benefits during the season.

An array of programs for women, men, and juniors are designed to provide a variety of experiences – ranging from competitive tournaments and leagues, couples’ events and wine tastings, instruction, and equipment demo days.

Stay-and-play packages are available starting at $209 from April 8-14, starting at $262 from April 15-May 22, and starting at $323 from May 23-October 2. Rates include golf for two and a one-night stay at the resort. To book packages and tee times call 1-800-523-2464.

The Circling Raven Championship, an Epson “Road to the LPGA” Tour event, is scheduled for Aug. 22-28. It will spotlight a field of approximately 132 players, including some of the best female players worldwide. Competitors will vie for $200,000 in prize money.

Sponsorship and volunteer opportunities for the 2022 Circling Raven Championship can be found at:

https://www.cdacasino.com/golf/circlingravenchampionship/

For more information about the casino resort or golf club, call 1-800-523-2464, or visit www.cdacasino.com

About Circling Raven Golf Club and Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel

Owned and operated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Circling Raven is in the scenic Idaho panhandle approximately 55 minutes from Spokane International Airport (GEG). Measuring 7,189 yards from the rear tees, the 18-hole layout sprawls magnificently through 620 acres of woodlands, wetlands, and Palouse grasses. Its gleaming white sand bunkers are large and strategically placed and its hole variety ingenious.

Other Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel amenities and activities include the full-service Spa Ssakwa’q’n (pronounced Sock-wock-en); 300 hotel rooms; bars, restaurants, lounges, and eateries; cultural immersion options; and more. The casino completed a $15 million renovation of its gaming floor and Events Center in 2019.  Circling Raven has garnered numerous best-in-kind honors since opening, including being rated a Top 100 Resort Course, Best in State, and a Top U.S. Casino Course. Its golf shop has won national and regional awards for its excellence and its variety of products, displays, and performance.