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ot3 · 4 years ago

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i watched red vs blue: zero with my dear friends today and i was asked to “post” my “thoughts” on the subject. Please do not click this readmore unless, for some reason, you want to read three thousand words on the subject of red vs blue: zero critical analysis. i highly doubt that’s the reason anyone is following me, but hey.

anyway. here you have it.

Here are my opinions on RVB0 as someone who has quite literally no nostalgia for any older RVB content. I’ve seen seasons 1-13 once and bits and pieces of it more than once here and there, but I only saw it for the first time within the past couple of months. I’ve literally never seen any other RT/AH content. I can name a few people who worked on OG Red vs. Blue but other than Mounty Oum I have NO idea who is responsible for what, really, or what anything else they’ve ever worked on is, or whether or not they’re awful people. I know even less about the people making RVB0 - All I know is that the main writer is named Torrian but I honestly don’t even know if that’s a first name, a last name, or a moniker. All this to say; nothing about my criticism is rooted in any perceived slight against the franchise or branding by the new staff members, because I don’t know or care about any of it. In fact, I’m going to try and avoid any direct comparison between RVB0 and earlier seasons of RVB as a means of critique until the very end, where I’ll look at that relationship specifically.

So here is my opinion of RVB0 as it stands right now:

1. The Writing

Everything about RVB0 feels as if it was written by a first-time writer who hasn’t learned to kill his darlings. The narrative is both simultaneously far too full, leaving very little breathing room for character interaction, and oddly sparse, with a story that lacks any meaningful takeaway, interesting ideas, or genuine emotional connection. It also feels like it’s for a very much younger audience - I don’t mean this as a negative at all. I love tv for kids. I watch more TV for kids than I do for adults, mostly, but I think it’s important to address this because a lot of the time ‘this is for kids’ is used to act like you’re not allowed to critique a narrative thoroughly. It definitely changes the way you critique it, but the critique can still be in good faith. I watched the entirety of RVB0 only after it was finished, in one sitting, and I was giving it my full attention, essentially like it was a movie. I’m going to assume it was much better to watch in chunks, because as it stood, there was literally no time built into the narrative to process the events that had just transpired, or try and predict what events might be coming in the future. When there’s no time to think about the narrative as you’re watching it, the narrative ends up as being something that happens to the audience, not something they engage with. It’s like the difference between taking notes during a lecture or just sitting and listening. If you’re making no attempt to actively process what’s happening, it doesn’t stick in your mind well. I found myself struggling to recall the events and explanations that had immediately transpired because as soon as one thing had happened, another thing was already happening, and it was like a mental juggling act to try and figure out which information was important enough to dwell on in the time we were given to dwell on it.

Which brings me to another point - pacing. Every event in the show, whether a character moment, a plot moment, or a fight scene, felt like it was supposed to land with almost the exact same amount of emotional weight. It all felt like The Most Important Thing that had Yet Happened. And I understand that this is done as an attempt to squeeze as much as possible out of a rather short runtime, but it fundamentally fails. When everything is the most important thing happening, it all fades into static. That’s what most of 0’s narrative was to me: static. It’s only been a few hours since I watched it but I had to go step by step and type out all of the story beats I could remember and run it by my friends who are much more enthusiastic RVB fans than I am to make sure I hadn’t missed or forgotten anything. I hadn’t, apparently, but the fact that my takeaway from the show was pretty accurate and also disappointingly lackluster says a lot. Strangely enough, the most interesting thing the show alluded to - a holo echo, or whatever the term they used was - was one of the things least extrapolated upon in the show’s incredibly bulky exposition. Benefit of the doubt says that’s something they’ll explore in future seasons (are they getting more? Is that planned? I just realized I don’t actually know.)

And bulky it was! I have quite honestly never seen such flagrant disregard for the rule of “show, don’t tell.” There was not a single ounce of subtlety or implication involved in the storytelling of RVB0. Something was either told to you explicitly, or almost entirely absent from the narrative. Essentially zilch in between. We are told the dynamic the characters have with each other, and their personality pros and cons are listed for us conveniently by Carolina. The plot develops in exposition dumps. This is partially due to the series’ short runtime, but is also very much a result of how that runtime was then used by the writers. They sacrificed a massive chunk of their show for the sake of cramming in a ton of fight scenes, and if they wanted to keep all of those fight scenes, it would have been necessary to pare down their story and characters proportionally in comparison, but they didn’t do that either. They wanted to have it both ways and there simply wasn’t enough time for it.

The story itself is… uninteresting. It plays out more like the flimsy premise of a video game quest rather than a piece of media to be meaningfully engaged with. RVB0 is I think something I would be pitched by a guy who thinks the MCU and BNHA are the best storytelling to come out of the past decade. It is nothing but tropes. And I hate having to use this as an insult! I love tropes. The worst thing about RVB0 is that nothing it does is wholly unforgivable in its own right. Hunter x Hunter, a phenomenal shonen, is notoriously filled with pages upon pages of detailed exposition and explanations of things, and I absolutely love it. Leverage, my favorite TV show of all time, is literally nothing but a five man band who has to learn to work as a team while seemingly systematically hitting a checklist of every relevant trope in the book. Pacific Rim is an incredibly straightforward good guys vs giant monsters blockbuster to show off some cool fight scenes such as a big robot cutting an alien in half with a giant sword, and it’s some of the most fun I ever have watching a movie. Something being derivative, clunky, poorly executed in some specific areas, narratively weak, or any single one of these flaws, is perfectly fine assuming it’s done with the intention and care that’s necessary to make the good parts shine more. I’ll forgive literally any crime a piece of media commits as long as it’s interesting and/or enjoyable to consume. RVB0 is not that. I’m not sure what the main point of RVB0 was supposed to be, because it seemingly succeeds at nothing. It has absolutely nothing new or innovative to justify its lack of concern for traditional storytelling conventions. Based solely on the amount of screentime things were given, I’d be inclined to say the narrative existed mostly to give flimsy pretense for the fight scenes, but that’s an entire other can of worms.

2. The Visuals + Fights

I have no qualms with things that are all style and no substance. Sometimes you just want to see pretty colors moving on the screen for a while or watch some cool bad guys and monsters or whatever get punched. RVB0 was not this either. The show fundamentally lacked a coherent aesthetic vision. Much of the show had a rather generic sci-fi feel to it with the biggest standouts to this being the very noir looking cityscape, which my friends and I all immediately joked looked like something from a batman game, or the temple, which my friends and I all immediately joked looked like a world of warcraft raid. They were obviously attempting to get variety in their environment design, which I appreciate, but they did this without having a coherent enough visual language to feel like it was all part of the same world. In general, there was also just a lack of visual clarity or strong shots. The value range in any given scene was poor, the compositions and framing were functional at best, and the character animation was unpleasantly exaggerated. It just doesn’t really look that good beyond fancy rendering techniques.

The fight scenes are their entire own beast. Since ‘FIGHT SCENE’ is the largest single category of scenes in the show, they definitely feel worth looking at with a genuine critical eye. Or, at least, I’d like to, but honestly half the time I found myself almost unable to look at them. The camera is rarely still long enough to really enjoy what you’re watching - tracking the motion of the character AND the camera at such constant breakneck high speeds left little time to appreciate any nuances that might have been present in the choreography or character animation. I tried, believe me, I really did, but the fight scenes leave one with the same sort of dizzy convoluted spectacle as a Michael Bay transformers movie. They also really lacked the impact fight scenes are supposed to have.

It’s hard to have a good, memorable fight scene without it doing one of three things: 1. Showing off innovative or creative fighting styles and choreography 2. Making use of the fight’s setting or environment in an engaging and visually interesting way or 3. Further exploring a character’s personality or actions by the way they fight. It’s also hard to do one of these things on its own without at least touching a bit on the other two. For the most part, I find RVB0’s fight scenes fail to do this. Other than rather surface level insubstantial factors, there was little to visually distinguish any of RVB0’s fight scenes from each other. Not only did I find a lot of them difficult to watch and unappealing, I found them all difficult to watch and unappealing in an almost identical way. They felt incredibly interchangeable and very generic. If you could take a fight scene and change the location it was set and also change which characters were participating and have very little change, it’s probably not a good fight scene.

I think “generic” is really just the defining word of RVB0 and I think that’s also why it falls short in the humor department as well.

3. The Comedy

Funny shit is hard to write and humor is also incredibly subjective but I definitely got almost no laughs out of RVB0. I think a total of three. By far the best joke was Carolina having a cast on top of her armor, which, I must stress, is an incredibly funny gag and I love it. But overall I think the humor fell short because it felt like it was tacked on more than a natural and intentional part of this world and these characters. A lot of the jokes felt like they were just thrown in wherever they’d fit, without any build up to punchlines and with little regard for what sort of joke each character would make. Like, there was some, obviously Raymond’s sense of humor had the most character to it, but the character-oriented humor still felt very weak. When focusing on character-driven humor, there’s a LOT you can establish about characters based on what sort of jokes they choose to make, who they’re picking as the punchlines of these jokes, and who their in-universe audience for the jokes is. In RVB0, the jokes all felt very immersion-breaking and self aware, directed wholly towards the audience rather than occurring as a natural result of interplay between the characters. This is partially due to how lackluster the character writing was overall, and the previously stated tight timing, but also definitely due to a lack of a real understanding about what makes a joke land.

A rule of thumb I personally hold for comedy is that, when push comes to shove, more specific is always going to be more funny. The example I gave when trying to explain this was this:

saying two characters had awkward sex in a movie theater: funny

saying two characters had an awkward handjob in a cinemark: even funnier

saying two characters spent 54 minutes of 11:14's 1:26 runtime trying out some uncomfortably-angled hand stuff in the back of a dilapidated cinemark that lost funding halfway through retrofitting into a dinner theater: the funniest

The more specific a joke is, the more it relies on an in-depth understanding of the characters and world you’re dealing with and the more ‘realistic’ it feels within the context of your media. Especially with this kind of humor. When you’re joking with your friends, you don’t go for stock-humor that could be pulled out of a joke book, you go for the specific. You aim for the weak spots. If a set of jokes could be blindly transplanted into another world, onto another cast of characters, then it’s far too generic to be truly funny or memorable. I don’t think there’s a single joke in RVB0 where the humor of it hinged upon the characters or the setting.

Then there’s the issue of situational comedy and physical comedy. This is really where the humor being ‘tacked on’ shows the most. Once again, part of what makes actually solid comedy land properly is it feeling like a natural result of the world you have established. Real life is absurd and comical situations can be found even in the midst of some pretty grim context, and that’s why black comedy is successful, and why comedy shows are allowed to dip into heavier subject matter from time to time, or why dramas often search for levity in humor. It’s a natural part of being human to find humor in almost any situation. The key thing, though, once again, is finding it in the situation. Many of RVB0’s attempts at humor, once again, feel like they would be the exact same jokes when stripped from their context, and that’s almost never good. A pretty fundamental concept in both storytelling in general but particularly comedy writing is ‘setup and payoff’. No joke in RVB0 is a reward for a seemingly innocuous event in an earlier scene or for an overlooked piece of environmental design. The jokes pop in when there’s time for them in between all the exposition and fighting, and are gone as soon as they’re done. There’s no long term, underlying comedic throughline to give any sense of coherence or intent to the sense of humor the show is trying to establish. Every joke is an isolated one-off quip or one-liner, and it fails to engage the audience in a meaningful way.

All together, each individual component of RVB0 feels like it was conjured up independently, without any concern to how it interacted with the larger product they were creating. And I think this is really where it all falls apart. RVB0 feels criminally generic in a way reminiscent of mass-market media which at least has the luxury of attributing these flaws, this complete and total watering down of anything unique, to heavy oversight and large teams with competing visions. But I don’t think that’s the case for RVB0. I don’t know much about what the pipeline is like for this show, but I feel like the fundamental problem it suffers from is a lack of heart.

In comparison to Red vs. Blue

Let's face it. This is a terrible successor to Red vs. Blue. I wouldn’t care if NONE of the old characters were in it - that’s not my problem. I haven’t seen past season 13 because from what I heard the show already jumped the shark a bit and then some. That’s not what makes it a poor follow up. What makes it a bad successor is that it fundamentally lacks any of the aspects of the OG RVB that made it unique or appealing at all. I find myself wondering what Torrian is trying to say with RVB0 and quite literally the only answer I find myself falling back onto is that he isn’t trying to say anything at all. Regardless of what you feel about the original RVB, it undeniably had things to say. The opening “why are we here” speech does an excellent job at establishing that this is a show intended to poke fun at the misery of bureaucracy and subservience to nonsensical systems, not just in the context of military life, but in a very broad-strokes way almost any middle-class worker can relate to. At the end of the day, fiction is at its best when it resonates with some aspect of its audience’s life. I know instantly which parts of the original Red vs Blue I’m supposed to relate to. I can’t say anything even close to that about 0.

RVB is an absurdist parody that heavily satirizes aspects of the military and life as a low-on-the-food-chain worker in general that almost it’s entire target audience will be familiar with. The most significant draw of the show to me was how the dialogue felt like listening to my friends bicker with each other in our group chats. It required no effort for me to connect with and although the narrative never outright looked to the camera and explained ‘we are critiquing the military’s stupid red tape and self-fullfilling eternal conflict’ they didn’t need to, because the writing trusted itself and its audience enough to believe this could be conveyed. It is, in a way, the complete antithesis to the badass superhero macho military man protagonist that we all know so well. RVB was saying something, and it was saying it in a rather novel format.

Nothing about RVB0 is novel. Nothing about RVB0 says anything. Nothing about it compels me to relate to any of these characters or their situations. RVB0 doesn’t feel like absurdism, or satire. RVB0 feels like it is, completely uncritically, the exact media that RVB itself was riffing off of. Both RVB0 and RVB when you watch them give you the feeling that what you’re seeing here is kids on a playground larping with toy soldiers. It’s all ridiculous and over the top cliche stupid garbage where each side is trying to one-up the other. The critical difference is, in RVB, we’re supposed to look at this and laugh at how ridiculous this is. In RVB0 we’re supposed to unironically think this is all pretty badass.

The PFL arc of the original RVB existed to show us that setting up an elite team of supersoldiers with special powers was something done in bad faith, with poor outcomes, that left everyone involved either cruel, damaged, or dead. It was a bad thing. And what we’re seeing in RVB0 is the same premise, except, this time it’s good. We’re supposed to root for this format. RVB0 feels much more like a demo reel, cutscenes from a video game that doesn’t exist, or a shonen anime fanboy’s journal scribbling than it feels like a piece of media with any objective value in any area. In every area that RVB was anti-establishment, RVB0 is pure undiluted establishment through and through.

#long post #really long post guys. look out !#rvb

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nikibogwater · 4 years ago

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(Long post incoming. You have been warned)

Reasons Niki is Excited for the Diamond/Pearl Remakes:

Diamond was Baby Niki’s first Pokémon game and I don’t think I could even begin to express the impact that game had on me. My gaming life was practically dominated by Pokémon from age 10 to 18, and it all began in the Sinnoh region. So yes, Nostalgia is a big factor in this.

I have wanted a 3D Sinnoh remake ever since I played Pokémon X for the first time. Being able to see the Pokémon actually move and emote brought so much immersion to the Pokémon experience for me, and pairing that with the deep, expansive lore that the Sinnoh games offered is the perfect union of my two favorite elements from the series.

Like a lot of people, I was initially put off by the oddly-proportioned chibi overworld sprites, but it is already beginning to grow on me. I think the idea was to capture the look and feel of the original DS games as much as possible, and to that effect, I think this art style does really well. Everything else about the game looks very crisp and nice to me. The environments are lovely, the backgrounds are interesting, and most importantly, the Pokémon are heckin’ cute.

I didn’t have access to the wireless functions in the original game as a kid. I didn’t get to experience connecting with others online until X and Y. And with the confirmation that the Underground will be returning in the remakes, I am so excited to finally be able to have the full D/P experience that I missed as a kid.

I’ve been really disenchanted with the mainline Pokémon games for the past few years. I think Sun/Moon is where I began to feel disconnected from the series, like it wasn’t bringing me the sense of childlike wonder and excitement that it used to. I initially chalked this up to my simply becoming an adult, but then I played Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee, and found myself sucked into that little game almost as much as the games of my childhood. Looking back on it now, I think maybe it was an issue of immersion for me. With the demands of both fans and whoever is forcing Game Freak to produce a new main series title every flipping year, a lot of immersion had to be sacrificed for the sake of getting the game out on time. Because Pokémon Let’s Go was a comparatively smaller game that only featured 152 Pokémon, the developers were able to spend more time making the environments and the Pokémon feel more alive. We got Pokémon following you, Shinies appearing in the overworld, Pokémon you could ride, dynamic backgrounds for battles, clean lines and lag-free rendering...none of which were carried over into Sword/Shield, because that game was simply way too big for the amount of time they gave themselves to make it. For me, if you simply cannot give yourself the amount of time needed to make a massive game feel polished and immersive, you should stick to creating a smaller game with less content, and more polish. I’ve always been a Quality over Quantity person, I guess, and Pokémon main series games were not delivering on that front for me anymore.

BUT with the D/P remakes, I am already beginning to see that a great deal of the Quality I want is going to be delivered; Pleasant scenery with clean lines and nice colors (instead of the strangely blurry mess that was Sword/Shield’s environments), a significantly high chance that there will be far fewer lag/rendering issues, and a faithful adaptation of one of the few Pokémon main series games with a story and world that I can legitimately lose myself in. (Oh I dearly hope they’ve kept the Legendaries as terrifying as they were in the originals...).

I guess for me, I do not need a Pokémon game to blow me away with something new. Simply having them improve on what has already worked in the past is enough of a reason for me to come back and buy the newer titles. I wouldn’t mind having the series go in a completely new direction, create something that we’ve never seen before, give us the ultimate Pokémon experience with insanely good graphics and mind-blowing story--but given how much they struggled with Sword/Shield, I’m beginning to think that that is just too much to ask for when Game Freak absolutely refuses to let a year pass without cranking out a new title (this is why I’m still a little skeptical about Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and am withholding any excitement over that one until we have more information). Big games take time to be made well, and since Game Freak has made it clear they do not want to give themselves that time, I’m more interested in seeing them use what time they do give themselves in the most efficient and beneficial way possible.

In keeping with the above point, the trailer explicitly said that the only Pokémon available in the D/P remakes will be the ones that were present in the original games. Again, I think this is a smart move on their part, because it means they can devote more time to making the Pokémon they do have feel more alive and full of personality, rather than having to pour all their time into programming in the literal 1,000+ Pokémon there are now. I know this kind of thing will upset a lot of people, but again, I’m more about the Quality over the Quantity. But we'll see if Game Freak was able to deliver on that front like I’m hoping.

THE MUSIC. ‘Nuff said.

While the trailer made it clear that they are trying to stick as close to the original games as possible, I am holding on to the hope that they will have made the necessary quality of life changes: the return of the optional Exp Share that lets all the Pokémon in your party gain xp from a battle, the elimination of HM moves that take up a battle slot, and an easier way to customize Pokémon EVs, such as candies or the Super Training feature from Gen VI (seriously why did they take that out in Gen VII???). Game Freak has slowly been inching forward with the series these last few years, introducing small changes that greatly improve the gameplay as a whole, and I think there’s good enough reason to hope that they will be smart enough to incorporate those changes into D/P remakes.

I’m a little mystified that the general response to the remake announcements is already so overwhelmingly apathetic and even negative. I can understand not liking the art style, but for me, art direction is only one small component to a game, and even if it isn’t done perfectly, it can still be made up for in other areas. The fandom has been pestering for Sinnoh remakes for years, and now that Game Freak is trying to give us what we want, I would have thought more of us would be making a more positive fuss about it. Then again, the original game is 15 years old now. Most of us who played it have probably already moved on from the franchise as a whole. But for me, I know I’m going to buy this remake and enjoy it, even if it has imperfections. Because really, that’s all I want from a Pokémon game--to feel like a kid again and have a good time. Maybe it’s simplistic and naïve, but that’s just Niki in a nutshell for you. ✨

#niki rambles #long post #pokemon #pokemon diamond and pearl #tw: contains opinions

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chicagoindiecritics · 4 years ago

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New Written Review from Mike Crowley on You’ll Probably Agree: 10 Reasons Why ‘Blade Runner 2049’ is better than ‘Blade Runner’

If you haven’t’ seen the movie, see it then read this. No intro, let’s jump right in.

1. K is a replicant

The reveal of K’s genetic code, or lack thereof, flips everything we assume the movie will be on its head. We are learning along with K what it means to exist. Do we as humans, live like replicants? Do we obey a society that treats us like trash but breath anyways out of the fear of death? Where we viewed “Blade Runner” mostly through Deckard’s eyes who didn’t have much of a personality, K’s lack of a character is his entire purpose for existing. For K to emote is to face death.

Where Harrison Ford’s Deckard entire arc was us questioning if he’s human or not (despite what Ridley Scott unequivocally says), there’s nothing much of substance to Officer Deckard. He gets drunk, retires replicants, that’s it. Name one thing that makes Deckard standout? I’ll wait. Ryan Gosling’s Officer K goes from a machine that is dying spiritually on the inside to someone wanting to have a purpose in life. All while maintaining his composure, if perhaps too much poise for the film. Anything with a conscious can feel. Whether or not how it was made is as relevant as where you were born or what skin color you are. The importance is that you’re here.

K doesn’t seek gratitude nor affirmation. He doesn’t suffer from a narcissistic personality. All he wants is not just to be another useless piece of metal.

2. Deckard has depth this time

Being a daddy changes you a lot. Rick isn’t just a slouchy drunk who likes to shoot robots out of legal obligation. He’s a man who’s principles and love for forbidden things cost him his life. What kind of soul did Deckard have in the first film? Who did he care for? Please don’t say, Rachel, we all know why he was attracted to Rachel. Like Winston in 1984, Deckard rejects Big Brother for a life of pain to gain a glimmer of happiness.

3. It’s horrifyingly relevant

Denis Villeneuve based the imagery in 2049 on a planet that has become degraded with pollution. The buildings are extrapolating enormous amounts of water into the atmosphere, the sea wall at the end of the picture will be our new Mount Rushmore, the orange Vegas is happening now. Denis Villeneuve didn’t predict the earth looking like this, but his production team was still spot on. A picture that transcends its very style, developing a look that will be discussed on its merits separate from the ubiquitous original, is a stunning achievement.

Everything isn’t dystopian because that’s the way it was in the book. It’s what will happen to us in real life, why we’d look for colonies to live on if we had the technology or funding towards NASA to do so. God help us all.

4. The love story questions the essence of relationships

The story between K and Joi further examines the meaning of love, sex, and mortality, with the two being different versions of artificiality. When the default sexed-up version of a naked Joy pops up on the screen, we are emotionally mortified. Some of us may be repulsed to observe a character we care for utilized like a thirsty Godzilla.

The towering ad tries to seduce K tempting him to buy it, rendering everything Joi said to K throughout the picture questionable. Its manipulation solidifies his final decision in life to help another man. We’re not sure if she loved him or said what it thought it wanted him to hear throughout the narrative. Possibly Joi herself didn’t know her intentions. An unusual amount of nuance and uncertainty rests in the love story. Who do we love? Why do we love? Do we love by the heart or the heart of our designers whom we don’t know?

Meanwhile, Deckard was just drunk and horny when he bashed Rachel up against the wall. Sorry, that really was all there was to their passion despite what Wallace says.

5. The movie was an honest commentary about how the world views woman

Here’s a controversial one. A lot of women were disgusted by the way they were depicted in the film. Outwardly watching the movie, I can’t blame them. I’ll let Mr. Villeneuve speak for himself. “I am very sensitive to how I portray women in movies. This is my ninth feature film and six of them have women in the lead role. The first Blade Runner was quite rough on the women, something about the film noir aesthetic. But I tried to bring depth to all the characters. For Joi, the holographic character, you see how she evolves. It’s interesting, I think. What is cinema? Cinema is a mirror on society. Blade Runner is not about tomorrow; it’s about today. And I’m sorry, but the world is not kind on women.”

Villeneuve is right. Women today are still sexualized. Even with the Me Too movement, women are continually seen as sex objects or subservient slaves in a male-dominated society. Villeneuve isn’t interested in painting a rosy picture that Hollywood does for female roles to make the audiences feel comfortable. It’s an honest reflection on who we are. What we see is what we don’t want to see, but that’s part of the honesty of cinema.

6. The score is mesmerizing

Another point in which I may face some contention. Yes, Vangelis’ score is iconic, but it only works for the era it was composed in. Much of its mixture of bleeps, blops, and wind chimes are a product of its time. A lot of emotion is missing from the score other than the opening theme and “Tears In Rain.” Hearing much of the soundtrack while on the road, I sometimes thought I was listening to something from a porno. Take a listen to “Wait For Me” in the soundtrack and tell me otherwise. Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Walfisch’s score is timeless while also paying respect to Vangelis’ synthetic use in the original. It dives into the character’s mind providing a replication of something more human than what Vangelis composed.

7. It thematically ties more directly to “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” than “Blade Runner” does.

“Blade Runner” got the overall gist of Phillip K Dick’s novel. Replicants are scared, trying to find a way to survive as Deckard hunts them down. However, the Andies in the movie almost deserve to die. In their quest for more life, they torture and kill multiple civilians. What did the guy making the eyes do to deserve being frozen to death? What about J.R. Sebastian? He was nothing but pleasant to Roy and Pris. Did Roy eye gauge him when he was done with Tyrell?

Aside from Luv (Sylvia Hoeks), our replicants are fully rounded people. Sapper Morton is a watchful protector who was meant to be a NEXUS 8 combat medic; Joi’s true intentions come into question for herself and us. K’s inner conflict is the central core of the story. All of this revolves around the meaning of existence within a world that has forgotten about you. The introduction of Robo procreation is an evolution of Dick’s ideas, widening his notion of why life exists in the first place.

8. It doesn’t get lost in the scale

Many sequels love scope over characters. Remember “The Matrix”? Remember how they talked about Zion and all these other things we didn’t see? When the sequels brought in Zion, the focus got lost in the spectacle. “The Matrix Reloaded” was a bumbling CGI mess of Agent Smith Clones and cave orgies. “The Matrix Revolutions” was a glorified “Space Invaders” game. Shoot as many sentinels as you can before becoming overwhelmed. Amidst the sequels bumbling chaos, I missed the smaller scale of the Nebuchadnezzar crew.

The story of “2049” could have focused on the replicant uprising with thousands of robots slamming into humans. We could have gone off-world to finally see what all these other colonies we’ve heard about are like. Some have argued that the movie could have borrowed some of its source material from the later novels about replicants creating humans, so on and so forth. All of that sounds incredible in theory. In execution, you would likely get “The Matrix” sequels.

A movie that overreaches in scope, attempting to please fans by showing everything. What we got was an incredibly meaningful story that further explores the themes of the original while building upon its world without going too far. We see what’s beyond L.A. on the dilapidated west coast. The answer is not much. The film aims at minimalism over extravaganza.

9. We’re still talking about it

After being MIA for decades, “Blade Runner 2049” isn’t forgotten. I can’t say the same for “Superman Returns,” “Monsters University,” “The Incredibles 2,” “Live Free or Die Hard,” and “Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull.” In fairness, people do talk about Indy 4, but not in a positive fashion. “Blade Runner 2049” returned to the limelight with disastrous box office results yet high accolades, even gaining the Academy’s attention. Ironically it seemed destined to live the life of its predecessor.

“2049” may have tanked because it was a multimillion-dollar art film that respected its audience’s intelligence. Maybe “Blade Runner” was too far gone amongst the public to gain an interest geared almost entirely towards comic books and Disney. I think the trailers after the reveal teaser looked too generic for my own two cents, turning me off from the film for a short while.

Here we are with Honest Trailers in 2020, making a video about a film that came out in 2017. Bloodsoaked orange skies from the headlines mention the atmosphere of this film. Somewhere, about 100 other people are writing their analysis of “Blade Runner 2049” as I type right now. Seven years from now, we’ll be talking about why the world is still like “Blade Runner 2049.” Villeneuve made a timeless sequel to be remembered.

10. It’s better than the first film and one of the best films in the last ten years

Here’s why you’ll probably agree with this one when you put your pitchfork down. Remove your nostalgia goggles. I know it’s hard to do, please, trust me. Look at the points I made above. Think about how ironic the love story is to our lives. The layers of meaning behind K’s existence is lightyears beyond the featureless Rick Deckard. The picture isn’t flawless. Niander Wallace is spectacularly corny in his scenery-chewing grim monologues. Dr. Eldon Tyrell had some ambiguity regarding the morale of his intentions. For that, I’ll give the original the benefit of my doubt. I understand Ryan Gosling was cast to be intentionally deadpan, but it’s okay to emote once. His distant stare in all of his other performances made it difficult for me to discern myself from the actor’s rather dull persona.

With this said, “Blade Runner 2049” understands cinema. Its atmosphere is why we venture into a dark room that takes us to a different place. Denis Villeneuve’s masterful follow up is one of the most orgasmic cinematic experiences I have witnessed in the last ten years that demands a re-screening in 2022 when theatres reopen at an entirely safe capacity. The style doesn’t overshadow its substance, which is far richer in detail than the original without grasping at blatant metaphors. “Blade Runner 2049” is slow cinema at its finest, letting us into the character’s heads, knowing when to be quiet and when to be loud.

Like “The Empire Strikes Back,” not everyone appreciated the movie at first. Time has been incredibly kind to it, though. I wish the Academy recognized “Blade Runner 2049” beyond its technical marvels in 2018. I suppose it wasn’t the type of picture that catches Oscar voter’s eyes. But it has acquired the audience’s to this day. Now, if you could just look up and to the left for me?

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#IFTTT #WordPress #CIFCC #film critics #movies #film #Chicago

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battleanimrpg · 5 years ago

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Fire Magic: Final Fantasy

Fire - Final Fantasy VII (PSX) - Simple, interesting in that the animation is pre-rendered in the particle, which is a good solution for their first foray in 3D.

Fira - Final Fantasy VII (PSX) - Really reminiscent of FF5′s? Kind of FF6′s as well. I like how Final Fantasy keeps this language of “tier 2 fire magic involves a pillar of flame” very consistent throughout the franchise.

Firaga - Final Fantasy VII (PSX) - The flashing and particles are both very effective. The flame orbs that linearily expand, not so much.

Flare - Final Fantasy VII (PSX) - Still don’t like the linear animation. But the contrast between red and blue really gives this one an intense feel. The only one so far to have a glow texture for the floor, too.

Flamethrower - Final Fantasy VII(PSX) - Creative little way to recycle the Fire spell textures.

Beta - Final Fantasy VII(PSX) - This one is just so random lol. It looks cool, once again nice use of the subtle hints of blue. The flashing, camera panning and sheer scale look imponent and ominous. Meanwhile, this one is very cheap, despite the little particles.

Fire - Final Fantasy VIII(PSX) - Love the attention to detail in this one. Main fire particles, black smoke particles, small magic / fire sparks, and a floor lighting texture mesh. Classy, simple and effective.

Fira - Final Fantasy VIII(PSX) - This one even more faithfully recreates FFV’s Fire Pillar concept, simply because of the floor mesh particles that spawn between caster / target. Really nice. Fire texture on the cone, smoke still checks, fire particles...

Firaga - Final Fantasy VIII(PSX) - A real improvement over its past iteration in terms of timing and motion of the explosion itself. Still, I miss some of that knack of the flashing particles. But see? Good animation easing is sooo important.

Flare - Final Fantasy VIII(PSX) - Reiterating on the concept of concentrated heat, this spell uses a really interesting zoom out zoom in effect on the character model. The orbs of fire that stay put before zooming out and dissipating really play into that concept too. I’m not a fan of the particles in the beginning of the spell, though, but otherwise really good.

Fire Breath - Final Fantasy VIII(PSX) - Really improved upon the previous iteration, even if you ignore the flashy Limit Break intro. The most obvious downgrade is that the flame particle is no longer animated or randomly positioned, which makes it look very artificial. But the use of the flame rings in the spawn point, and the collision fire effect are both great.

Fire - Final Fantasy IX(PSX) - This game’s animations vibe a lot like a mixture of FFT/FFX. Kinda miss the little fire sparks, though.

Fira - Final Fantasy IX(PSX) - The fire pillar got a LOT larger. (The animations actually scale organically to the enemy this time around, by the way.)

Firaga - Final Fantasy IX(PSX) - I don’t like the timing very much. Very pretty and detailed.

Flare - Final Fantasy IX(PSX) - I had to make SEVERAL takes of this because the animation is just so large and the gif gets so heavy. Needless to say, this one’s amazing. Very good screen shaking effects, the sparingly used flashes really drive the point, multiple explosions, the few frames when it gets color-inverted... Pretty amazing. May be my new favorite Flare.

Fire - Final Fantasy X(PS2) - I’m shocked. Realizing how similar this is to FF7′s is, wow. It kind of is similar to FF1′s (WSC-onwards) too. They all use these pre-rendered wisps of fire in “random” spots, FFX’s two changes to the formula are way higher quality animation for these individual wisps, and the obvious smoke. Also, there’s subtle heatwaves, too. Classy.

Fira - Final Fantasy X(PS2) - Iterating on the Flame Pillar concept again. Notice how swift and sleek it is, though. Masterful timing! The blue accents are subtle but really accent the animation overall, too.

Firaga - Final Fantasy X(PS2) - RAINBOWWSS. I LOVE RAINBOWS. i’m gay

the sound effect for this is really good, too, it really does justice to the motion there -- energy sucking in then exploding in one fiery blast. This is once again another iteration on the common Firaga you’ll see through the series. Don’t understand why this one doesn’t have a floor mesh when Fira does though, I feel it’d do wonders to hide the parts where the billboards meet the floor.

Flare - Final Fantasy X(PS2) - Surprisingly underwhelming. Almost monochromatic, the timing isn’t as good: The colors are better on FF7′s, the intense heat trapping effect on FF8′s was engaging and FF9′s was just superb, if too lengthy. By the time you get this spell, it’s mostly useless anyway and you’ll be spamming Quick Hit...

Flame Thrower - Final Fantasy X(PS2) - Really simple, but effective. A mix of fire and smoke particles, with the former on additive (?) and the latter on subtractive (?) blending modes. the motion and timing is real good. The subtle impact flash and particles add the last bit of polish.

Meteor Strike - Final Fantasy X(PS2) - It’s funny that it’s called Meteor Strike when he’s launching what’s depicted closer to a fireball. It’s entirely billboard-based, too. I really like all the alpha masking and layering they got going for the FFX animations (not used a lot on the Fire spells)

Fire - Final Fantasy XII(PS2) - This game went quite simpler since so much was happening onscreen at the same time. Sleek and effective though. Gone are the multiple fire wisps and a single pre-rendered fire billboard appears, though it spawns simple fire sparks on impact. I don’t know if hardware limitations are at play, but FFXII had to deal with way higher information density and a player-controlled camera.

Fira - Final Fantasy XII(PS2) - Boom, screen shake. Take that, FFX’s Flare. I think the fire animation might be played in a cone-shaped mesh? also, the initial fire animation only plays once. EDIT: No, it does play for every target as Firaga shows. It’s just hard to see here because of the angle.

Firaga - Final Fantasy XII(PS2) - It’s just Fira, but 3x more fire. And about 1.2x hotter. Very readable, although it raises the concern of indistinguishability to the player.

Flare - Final Fantasy XII(PS2) - She’s GONE. Gone Girl. A movie I just know of because of one Ben Affleck scene. This one once again iterates on the concept Flare has throughout the series - heat that concentrates, cooks the target, then explodes into a fiery blast. This one I think is a maximum Effect Capacity spell -- a spell that, except on the modern remaster, needs to pause the whole battle system to play by itself, due to hardware limitations. You can see it really goes to town with all the particles. Amazing use of contrast, and that darker frame before the intense explosion just enhances everything. Also, notice the hue variation and subtle blues and purples.

Ardor - Final Fantasy XII(PS2) - The most powerful Fire spell is blue. I’ve heard that blue flames are the hottest, but the wikipedia article contradicts this. It’s 5 AM and I can’t digest text so I wouldn’t know. Still, an interesting choice.

Firaja / Pyroclasm - Final Fantasy XII(PS2) - I don’t know even if I should put this here as it’s more of a cutscene. The fire is simple but the motion and flames themselves are great. Awesome heatwaves.

Fire/Fira (+Ruin?) - Final Fantasy XIII(PS3) - This one is really weird to capture. I’m kinda tired, too, may get back to it later -- It’s 5 AM and I have to sleep. Still, fun to see they came back to the FF7-styled fire wisps for Fire, and the fire pillar for Fira.

Resources used: FFVII FFVIII(1, 2, 3) FFIX(1) FFX(1, 2, 3) FFXII(1, 2) FFXIII(1, )

#Final Fantasy #Magic #Fire #Squaresoft

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arivalappears · 6 years ago

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October and April (Elijah Mikaelson x OC)

Author’s Note: Be gentle, please. This is my first attempt at fan fiction in over fourteen years. I know a lot of fics out there are in the character x reader style but that feels awkward for me to write. Instead, I used one of my favorite OC’s. A fairy named Eponine, or Epi, portrayed by Nina Dobrev.

Summary: A fairy comes to New Orleans to escape her troubled past.

Warnings: Fear, violence in the first paragraph.

WC: 1540

“When I tell you to look me in the eye, you look me in the eye.” The brunette whimpered as she felt her captor pull her face upwards by a fistful of her chestnut locks. The crack of skin meeting skin echoed off the walls, followed by the sting as her cheek flushed crimson. Her eyes were filled with tears as she stared at up her captor, her hand slowly rising to touch her scorched cheek, forgetting for a moment that her hands were bound before her.

“Good girl.” The anger in her captor’s voice faded, allowing instead a steady calm to take its place. “Now. My friends want to see your wings.”

She could feel her captor’s accomplice behind her. A chill ran down her spine as her bare skin was exposed to the room. She knew to expect another blow if she failed to comply. She didn’t want to show these monsters any sign of weakness but her body betrayed her fear. Hard sobs wracked her body. The tears refused to abate, she wished she could will her body to stop shaking.

It was this fear that allowed her to grant her captor’s wish. Her wings rose unbidden. They shimmered, nearly luminescent in the thin light of her prison. She heard the murmurs of approval and squeezed her eyes shut tight as her captor gestured towards her fragile form.

“Ladies and gentlemen, as you can clearly see we finally have a bonafide fairy in our midst.”

It was in a tiny apartment situated above Bourbon Street that the young woman sprang from her nest of pillows and blankets. There was no reason for her to be awake at this hour on a Sunday. The clock on the bedside table read 7:43 am. Her curly chestnut locks were tangled and spread across her face. She pushed them back with one slight hand while the other rested over her heart. Her heart would not stop racing. She took a deep breath to steady herself as her amber eyes scanned the room. Streams of light danced through the sheer curtains and across the coverlet. Her bed was a mess. She had cocooned herself inside the mountain of blankets at some point during the night.

“Get a grip, Epi.” She walked towards the balcony overlooking Bourbon Street. She liked it here. Her apartment was small and there was nothing overtly glamorous but it was home. She liked waking early so that she could watch New Orleans come to life and in the evenings the city was just as interesting with all of its parties and festivals. It was an easy city to grow fond of. It held a certain degree of charm in its own way. The scent of gardenias and sweet peas filled the air as she stepped inside the tiny apartment. She filled her home with flowers regularly; it reminded her of her former home.

The warm water was soothing. She lathered her shampoo and combed her fingers through her hair with care. She closed her eyes and allowed the water to run over her body as thoughts of all she needed to do ran through her mind. There were cupcakes to deliver, she had paperwork to finish, and she certainly needed to visit the grocery store.

She towelled off gently, taking extra care with her wings which she finally allowed to spring free. This was the one place that she could do so with fear of being discovered. It saddened her to keep them tucked away out of sight. It felt wrong. Thoughts of home made her heart skip a beat. She yearned to return but she knew it was no good to dwell on the thought. Vila, the fairy forest, had not existed in centuries. She pulled a backless white dress from her closet and dressed. It hugged her body in a way that the little old ladies she worked with might consider immodest. She allowed her curls to hang over and skip she was off to the kitchen to grab the cupcakes. She had baked them from scratch the night before for the receptionist’ granddaughter’s birthday.

It would have been easy to hail a cab but it was such a nice morning a walk seemed better. Epi didn’t really like cars anyway. They felt too confining and she became claustrophobic. If only she could fly. Of course, she couldn’t do that here. No matter how badly she longed to let her wings out in the sun there was no way she would risk exposing herself here. She never understood why people sought out small towns when starting over. Cities made her feel safe. Even here, in the Crescent City, the idea of a city filled with magic offered protection. She didn’t think they were all bad but still the knowledge that so many supernatural creatures called the city home made her stomach sink. But it was part of the reason that she chose it, she hoped that the magic found here would be enough to disguise her own.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts she barely had time to register the fact she was mere centimeters from colliding with a man on the sidewalk in front of her. Startled, she squeaked, stumbling to keep to catch the cupcake platter that had slipped from her grasp as she stopped short.

“ω Θεέ μου! Με τρόμαξες!”She exclaimed! The color was rising in her cheeks. She clapped her hand over her mouth as the silvery language of the fae escaped her lips. He had startled her so. The man that she’d paid no attention to was quick. He grabbed the cupcake platter with one hand and grasped her arm gently to pull her upright.

“Are you alright Miss… Elena?” His voice was like smooth velvet. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. Her eyes fell from his face to the perfectly tailored he wore to the just as perfectly shined shoes. He was seemingly unaffected by their encounter. He returned the platter to her, not a single cupcake had been disturbed. For a moment she was struck dumb. Her mouth felt dry, she couldn’t find the words until finally after what seemed like moments later, she shook her head and whispered an apology. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking. I should have been paying more attention.” Wait. What was it that he had called her? Elena? The name wasn’t familiar. She would tell him so. “I’m very sorry, I’m afraid that you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

The stranger hesitated before speaking. “You’re right. My apologies…. I was blocking your path. “ He took her hand in his and his lips brushed over her knuckles politely. His eyes never left her face. She resembled Katerina and Elena so closely… at first, he wondered if perhaps she might be some relative of the latter. The chances of another doppelganger, let alone one wandering the streets of New Orleans, were substantially low. The girl was something else. He could sense her nerves as he watched her toy with the necklace that clung to her exposed flesh. He could hear her heart pounding. He was fascinated. He couldn’t remember a time that he had been unable to recognize another creature. “Elijah Mikaelson. As an apology for startling you so, perhaps I could buy you a coffee?”

Epi froze. What were the chances of meeting an Original vampire? Improbable but far from impossible. Eponine was aware that she was staring. Mouth open, head tilted to the side, for a moment words failed her. The Mikaelson name alone was enough to render her speechless. The name alone confirmed her worst fears. He was one of the beings she had been urged to avoid. She could sense that he was not quite human but even though a sliver of a possibility existed… she could hardly believe that she was face to face with an Original. Her mother’s words were ringing through her ears. Words that she once believed that were nothing more than a horror story to keep her from straying from their home. “There is nothing quite like fairy blood, Eponine.”

Who hadn’t heard of the Mikaelsons? Even the fae who had remained isolated for so long heard tales of the Originals. Every vampire in existence could trace their lineage to them. There were rumors that the siblings had been sights in New Orleans but until now Eponine could never verify that fact. The company that she kept was human. A small voice in the back of her mind told her to turn her back on him. That part of her deemed it sensible to say “no thank you,” wish him a lovely day and flitter off in the other direction as fast as possible. She had no business with a vampire. It was better that their lives remained separate. And yet, she was fascinated. Gods help her, she wanted to speak to him. She had never before spoken to a vampire at length and in truth, he did seem amicable.

“It is a pleasure to meet you…” She hesitated before introducing herself, “My name is Eponine… coffee would be lovely.”

#elijah mikaelson x oc #elijah mikaelson x reader #elijah mikaelson #nina dobrev x daniel gilies #daniel gillies #elena gilbert #elejah #kalijah #fairies #fantasy #fanfiction #to #tvd #the originals #the vampire diaries #original character

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killfaeh · 4 years ago

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Tipeee and Patreon pages updated

Hi everybody! Today I'm here to announce that I've finally been able to update my Tipeee and Patreon home pages. :D For those who are discovering, these are patronage platforms where one can support the activity of an artist/author by giving a small obole monthly or punctually. On Tipeee you can even help for free by watching promotional videos.

The mini comic presentation of the Patreon page. I'm happy with this cute style like comic Artist for Rent. :D

These two pages have been existed for 2 years now and I thank all the patrons who have helped. It doesn't allow me to live from my creations but it give me a boost of self-confidence knowing that there are people who believe in me and my skills. So, thank you all! :) Like many artists, I got a bit fooled by proposing content that required extra work (illustrations, tutorials, graphic resources...) that glanced at my usual activities (i.e. my comics and software development) to try to make these pages attractive. I couldn't do everything when I was unemployed, so now that I've found a full-time job to fill the fridge, it's going to be even more complicated. Plus, this bonus content didn't seem to really inspire much enthusiasm. So I've concocted something simpler for you. Today I'm here to present you the changes I've made to these pages:

What will remain

What will disappear

What will be new?

Rewards

What will remain

Comics

Obviously, the comics will remain since they are the main content and the reason why I opened these pages. ^^ I'm going to stay on the free web comic formula (because you have to publish content on the Internet regularly to attract new readers) with one month advance access and no watermark for patrons for serial projects. I also add Dragon Cat's Galaxia 1/2. Although this comic book features licenced characters, this one remains in the register of parody and humor. I also have non parodic fan comics ideas. Those will obviously not be financed via these platforms. On the other hand, for one-shot projects I'll do the same as for Tarkhan: the first pages published for free to give a preview, but the rest accessible exclusively to patrons and purchasers of the comicbook (because publishing content regularly on the Internet is useless if it's limited in time).

G-rated illustrations

The HD illustrations will remain as well. I have some in stock and I create new ones regularly, so I shouldn't find myself on a tight stream anytime soon.

What will disappear

NSFW illustrations

Exit the NSFW illustrations. I like to draw nudes of beautiful males from time to time, but unlike the other illustrations, I don't have a stock in advance, so I'm on a tight stream. It annoys me to have to force myself to do this kind of illustrations when I don't feel like it and especially when I don't have an interesting idea in mind instead of working on the main content. Moreover, the audience that supports me on Tipeee and Patreon is not the most interested in this kind of content (as far as I know), so if I ever propose this again, it might be elsewhere, on a different account or on another platform. For the moment I put it aside.

Tutorials

No more tutos. It's long to write and format, it's never read, and since there are lots of free tutos on YouTube, nobody wants to pay for it. I'd rather share and answer questions about my tips and tricks in person during meetings or on my live Twitch.

Graphic resources

Exit the graphic resource pack (brushes, patterns, color catalog...). As for NSFW illustrations, I don't necessarily have one every month to offer. It is important to know that I produce these graphic resources according to my needs when I work on my comics, so I don't get them out on a regular basis. Moreover, the resources in question don't necessarily correspond to your needs every month. People interested in my brush and screentone packs to use in their own comics made it clear to me that they preferred to buy them occasionally according to their needs on my own online store even if it meant paying the price and that going through Tipeee and Patreon for that bothered them. They see these platforms as a patronage system but not as buying platforms. So I'm simply going to remove that and I'll modify my online store to add the possibility to buy dematerialized goods.

What will be new?

Well, I'm going to incorporate into the main content my other activity that I had ignored in the rewards even though it occupies a huge part of my work: software development. Obviously all this is related. This activity includes, in addition to the evolution and maintenance of suiseipark.com, the development of the Péguy project, my games projects, as well as a comic platform project.

TGCM Comics (Website - in dev)

TGCM Comics is a web platform project dedicated to web comics and webtoons where budding or experienced authors will be able to publish their stories and exchange directly with their audience without technical knowledge on the web. Here's a mock-up that gives an idea of what it will look like.

As soon as the main functionalities are ready the site will be made available in beta test for patrons. Why this project? Many other such platforms have emerged in recent years. So I hesitated for a while before launching this project, but seeing that all of them impose trending algorithms that give headaches to many authors of the web, I recently decided to propose a project where this type of algorithm will simply be inexistent. The default display on the home page will be based on the principle of the random playlist guaranteeing an equal rate of visibility for all comics and a real freedom of choice for the readers, allowing authors to create at their own pace without mess up thair health to go up any rankings. This is this fall's priority project. So I will post news regularly and soon to keep you informed of its progress and present you little by little the proposed features. I've opened a development blog (French) for this purpose that I will feed about once a week. It has a suggestion box (French) if you want to ask questions or suggest features.

Péguy (Web application - in dev)

Péguy is a web application that since 2018 allows me to automatically generate certain graphic effects, patterns and scenery elements for my comics. It has brought me a huge gain in productivity.

As it is beginning to take a form that can be used by laymen in programming and mathematics, I will soon put it online. Initially, this will be an early access reserved for patrons. Then, I will propose a small subscription system for non-patrons with a trial period. Naturally, the patrons will keep their access during this second phase. :D

Wizeknight Brotherhood (Online game - in dev)

Wizeknight Brotherhood is an online RPG project with a slightly unusual format. Basically, take World of Warcraft and put a visual novel interface on it, and you'll get an idea of the final result. In this game you will explore the world of Tellura, a Tolkian fantasy world, and conduct quests that will make you conclude 'we are not alone in the universe'. :p In the spring of 2020 I developed a small prototype called A l’Aventure Compagnons which gives a vague idea of the principle.

I am tempted to keep this pencil rendering for Wizeknight Brotherhood.

A l’Aventure Compagnons is playable, just download the client from this page. Don't hesitate to come and pull my ears on Discord if you see that I forgot to switch on the server. :p For the moment the engine of Wizeknight Brotherhood is under development and the first test phases will take place in pure text mode.

This good old scary UNIX console. The MUDs, the ancestors of MMORPGs, looked like this and they still exist with active communities. :D You can find them here.

Rewards

As for the rewards, here again I decided to simplify things so that I could concentrate on the projects I have just listed. The basic reward will give you access to the content I just mentioned. I'm not going to make different levels of access, otherwise I think that some content will have no audience or too little. The higher counterpart levels will give access to HD scans of my artwork. I'm way behind on the old formula's rewards. I'll try to deliver all the promised content in the coming weeks, except for the NSFW illustrations, I might get stuck doing only that. x) That's all for today! Have a nice week and see you soon! :D Suisei

P.S. If you want miss no news and if you haven't already done so, you can subscribe to the newsletter here : https://www.suiseipark.com/User/SubscribeNewsletter/language/english/

Source : https://www.suiseipark.com/News/Entry/id/294/

#crowdfunding #comics #illustrations #games #software

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thebandcampdiaries · 4 years ago

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Lance Dubroc introducing brand new album release: Sunny Days

July 2020 - Artist and songwriter Lance Dubroc is back on the scene with a beautiful new record: Sunny Days. What I love about this release is that it seamlessly covers so many styles and ideas: the songs have hints of blues, pop, fusion, country-rock, easy listening, and R&B. In addition to that, you can savor Lance’s fondness for old-school sounds, including the legendary vibes of 70s music and earlier Motown. The album, which was recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals (AL), was actually released on Muscle Shoals Recordings as well. The release features seven studio track, each setting the bar higher and exploring Lance’s wide array of influences. Keep reading for a song-by-song spotlight.

I Can’t Wait

This track is so balanced and so perfectly produced that it actually makes me think of some of those classic 80s ballads and easy-listening songs. The song has a stunning production, and a really cool tone, which actually reminds me of artist like Otis Redding, Smokey Robinson, or Al Green, among others.

I Do

This song has a really amazing rhythm section, with a shaker accompanying the drumbeat. The guitars have a classic Motown vibe, and the organ/keyboard parts add so much atmosphere to this beautiful song. There is something quite special about this release, and I am a big fan of how this track brings a retro twist to the music. The track was actually written Dan Penn, who is behind some amazing tracks, including "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man' by Aretha Franklin as well as the soul evergreen "Dark End of the Street."

I Don’t Want To Lose You Anna

This song clocks in at slightly over the 3-minute mark and it feels like one of the most personal songs on the album. The lyrics are romantic and sweet, exploring the topics of love and loss in way that listeners can easily relate to. The musicianship on this track is amazing, making me think of some of the latest Salomon Burke albums. The tone is personal, tinged with feelings and emotion, yet energetic and very easy to relate to. They say that great music is all about being able to tell a story with the audience - it doesn’t matter if you choose to do it through words, music alone or a combination of both: there has to be a connection, which makes listeners empathize with the artist and his material. This song is definitely a great example of that!

Mary Jo Brown

This song has a 3/4 tempo, which gives the music a dreamy atmosphere and a relaxed vibe. I really enjoy the diverse and forward-thinking balance of this release, as well as the fact that the lyrics are so masterfully laid out, showcasing Lance’s penchant for musical storytelling. One of the album’s high points for sure!

She Sure Felt Good

This is a beautifully melodic track, with a set of personal lyrics and one of the best vocal performances on the album. I just love how Lance uses his full range here, going from lower register parts, to beautifully intense vocal hooks, reminiscent of powerful singers such as Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder, but with a more personal feel. The guitars are totally spot on, with the acoustics handling the rhythm, and the electrics adding some additional color and texture. The electric organ in the background is amazing as well, giving the song a bit of a 70s feel.

Small Town Talk

“Small Town Talk” is a cover of a Bobby Charles song. It was written by Bobby Charles and Rick Danko, bass player for The Band. This is one of my favorite tracks on this release, and I didn’t even know it was a cover at first, because the artist really made it his own with a stunning performance. I love the positive and playful melody, as well as the whistled part at the beginning, which gives the tune a lot of personality. The acoustic guitars have a bright, distinctive sound, which match the vocals to perfection.

Sunny Days

The title track is definitely one of the highlights on this beautiful album, giving the audience a deeper insight into Lance’s beautiful approach to songwriting. The track is an uplifting mid-tempo song, with influences ranging from country to rock. If you are a fan of artists such as R.E.M. as well as Tom Petty and Neil Young, this one’s for you.

In conclusion, this is a beautifully layered album, which sets the bar higher in terms of songwriting, performance, and production aesthetics alike. Find out more about Lance Dubroc and do not miss out on Sunny Days, which is soon going to be available on the web!

We also had the chance to chat with the artist. Keep reading to learn more!

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

Answer: I focus on the intended emotion. A song is a form of communication and, to me, every phrase needs to have intention. So, once I figure out what I’m trying to say who I am communicating it to, it unfolds from there. Things like tempo, meter, chord structure and melody will write themselves once the message is clear.

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

Answer: I’ve performed on stage since I was 12. I gigged nearly every weekend throughout my teens and 20’s and most of my 30’s. There is nowhere on the planet where I am more comfortable than a stage.

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

Answer: I Can’t Wait, which is track 7 from the album. It’s the first song I wrote where I felt we really captured exactly what we were trying to say.

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

Answer: To touch or engage a listener in a way they’ve never been touched or engaged before. Without that, there is no innovation.

Any upcoming release or tour your way?

Answer: The first single, ‘I Don’t Wanna Lose You, Anna’ is available across all digital platforms. Currently, you can only purchase the album on CD.

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

Answer: Catch me @lancedubroc across most major socials. Check out www.lancedubroc.com

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oldadastra · 8 years ago

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The Broken Saga

Author note: Like legions of other fans, I’m grieving the death of Carrie Fisher. My heart breaks for her daughter Billie and her and brother Todd, and I recognize that the silencing of Fisher’s unique voice is more important than the loss of the character she played.

This essay was difficult to write. Parts of it are a grief-filled rant. Parts of it explore my own thoughts about how the new saga can be concluded in a way which fulfills the storytellers’ intent while acknowledging the reality of Fisher’s death, and honoring the legacy she created in the iconic character of General Leia Organa.

Parts of this essay are angry. Because make no mistake, I’m angry.

The intentional and unintentional breaking of the saga

Return of the Jedi ended on a high note; Vader redeemed, the Empire defeated, the bright promise of the future in Luke’s Jedi and Leia and Han’s love for each other. In The Force Awakens, the creators chose to break the saga to provide the central conflict of the new trilogy. Lucasfilm and the Story Group took a risk in destroying all the ‘happily ever afters’ of the original trilogy when they began the new stories, and now, in a way they surely never intended, Carrie Fisher’s death has broken the saga in a manner that is irretrievable.

The Hollywood Reporter and other outlets recently published news that Rian Johnson and Colin Trevorrow (director of Episode IX), will be meeting this week (early January, 2017) with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy to discuss the way forward for the story in the wake of Fisher’s death on December 27. In the coming year and beyond, they will work to create a way to bring the new trilogy to the “deeply and profoundly satisfying” conclusion that Trevorrow promised us back in January of 2016, but Fisher’s death has, in many ways, forstalled this possibility. No matter what the creators choose to do, the new trilogy is now, at its core, a tragedy. Despite the fact that principal photography for VIII was concluded in mid-2016,– the pall of Fisher’s passing will shadow it too and may well affect the story Rian Johnson will give us at the end of this year.

“insiders say Leia was to have been a bigger part of Episode IX than VIII.”

- The Hollywood Reporter, January 5, 2017

It will never be alright again

Star Wars has always been a story about hope. Many of us see the new saga as an unwinding, or reversal of the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker. In this light, the opening words of the new saga, spoken by Lor San Tekka:

“This will begin to make things right,”

are resonant far beyond an implied jibe at George Lucas’ flawed prequels. Star Wars has always dealt in archetypes. In essays I wrote about the story during 2016*, I explored a number of different themes I see underpinning the new saga. From my first viewing of The Force Awakens, I believed that the large arc of the new trilogy will be one of homecoming, return, and redemption. As a fan who has spent the past year immersed in the world of the new saga, analyzing the plot, characters, and overarching themes of the new trilogy, reports that Fisher was anticipated to have a large role in Episode IX came as no surprise. All of central themes of the new saga can be gathered under the framework of one of the most ancient archetypal stories of all; The Prodigal Son.

Carrie Fisher’s death has rendered this tale difficult, if not impossible, to tell while remaining true to the characters created in both the original and sequel trilogies.

Of course Fisher was anticipated to have a large role in the final installment of the tale; what is the return of the prodigal son but a process of coming to terms with the people and relationships one has left behind? The prodigal seeks forgiveness. The prodigal comes home. TFA killed Ben Solo’s father in the universe of the Galaxy Far Far Away. Tragically, Fisher’s death means that General Organa will also be gone before the story ends. From a symbolic standpoint, there is now no “home” to which a repentant prodigal might return.

Unless it was filmed for VIII (and from a narrative standpoint, I have no expectation that it would have been), here are some of the things which will never happen in the galaxy far, far away:

Ben Organa Solo will never see the living face of his mother again.

They will never speak to each other.

Ben will never be able to ask his mother for forgiveness. Nor will she be able to ask for his.

Leia will never see her son in the light again. Never see him whole. Never see him happy. She’ll never dance at a wedding, never hold a Skywalker grandchild.

Lucasfilm and the story group, Pablo Hidalgo, JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, Kathleen Kennedy - all of them: they destroyed the happy ending of the Original Trilogy, and have left us with this. I weep. I am filled with rage. They have a lot to answer for. Of course no one imagined it would turn out this way, but the storytellers have broken Star Wars in a way that strikes close to its heart, and on some level, no matter what they do, they cannot fix it.

For those of us who have loved the character of Leia our entire lives, this is almost unbearably sad. The storytellers set this particular tale in motion; they took what proved to be an ugly, risky gamble in choosing to tell this particular tale. They have broken the saga, and no matter how they choose to end it, even if they do it well; with sensitivity and courage, they have doomed the new trilogy to some level of tragedy.

Because the terrible reality is that the only honorable, logical, narratively appropriate way to deal with Carrie Fisher’s real death is that in the story, General Leia Organa must also die. This adds a bizarre, free-floating grief to the reality of Fisher’s passing. The destruction of the story – it is another kind of death. For those of us who knew Fisher only through her work as an artist, it is a loss that is bitter, bitter to bear.

“…she burns very bright, and has such a great, generous energy…for that suddenly to not be on set…to have her character; not just her character in the movie, but her character, missing from that very small unit, is a tragedy.”

Adam Driver, speaking of Carrie Fisher, January 6, 2017, with Stephen Colbert

How does the story go now?

At recent conversation around our dinner table, our family talked about how we imagined the storytellers completing the trilogy without Carrie. Most of the ways in which movie makers have dealt with this kind of loss in the past felt deeply inappropriate. It’s possible that our responses are still being strongly shaped by grief – as I write this, we’re only a couple of weeks removed from Fisher’s death in December. Still, I suspect that the views of our average family, consisting of both casual and hard-core fans is pretty representative. Here’s how people felt:

No re-casting.

The Star Wars saga films should not be treated like yet another superhero retread. Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa cannot be recast to be played by another person. She’s not Batman or Spiderman, a costume to be filled by whatever flavor-of-the-month up and comer is presently in vogue.

No CG.

This is a more difficult question, and a reality it is probably impossible to avoid. With the example of the re-animation of Grand Moff Tarkin (and god, the young Leia cameo) fresh before us in Rogue One, bringing a person back to life onscreen is obviously a newly-emerging reality. Rogue One showed us exactly what that technology can presently achieve, and it is both woefully inadequate to carry the weight of a significant role like Fisher’s, and ethically questionable. Fisher herself was famously outspoken about her unhappiness at being objectified as a fictional character, and railed against the overexposure and exploitation she felt surrounding some aspects of her fame as Princess Leia. She also understood how important the character was to many people:

“Movies were meant to stay on the screen, flat and large and colorful, gathering you up in their sweep of story, carrying you rollicking along to the end, then releasing you back into your unchanged life. But this movie misbehaved. It leaked out of the theater, poured off the screen, affected a lot of people so deeply that they required endless talismans and artifacts to stay connected to it.

Carrie Fisher, The Princess Diarist, page 194

In The Princess Diarist, Fisher describes making peace with the fact that Leia is her, and she is Leia. This passage hints at how she might have felt about the possibility of being turned into a computer-generated entity:

“It turns out she matters to me. Leia. I’ve spent the lion’s share of my life…being as much myself as Princess Leia. Answering questions about her, defending her…wondering who I’d be without her, finding out how proud I am of her, making sure I’m careful to not do anything that might reflect badly on her or that she might disapprove of, feeling honored to be her representative here on earth, her caretaker…[it] made me angry and resent it when other people would try to put words in her mouth without consulting me!“

Carrie Fisher, The Princess Diarist, page 244

Unless Rian Johnson had the foresight to capture footage of Carrie Fisher which could be used for Episode IX, the reality is that some degree of CG work involving Leia is likely to be part of the final installment of the trilogy. As fans, I think we actually have a role to play here by letting Lucasfilm know now, and emphatically, that the fanbase does not want to see Carrie’s Leia turned into a Tarkin-style zombie, that any CG work be kept to an absolute minimum, and that it be avoided altogether if the story can be told without it.

And can it? Could IX reach some form of acceptable ending (if not the “deeply and profoundly satisfying” conclusion described by Trevorrow) even with Carrie and Leia gone?

Yes, but.

As I said earlier in this essay, Carrie Fisher’s death renders the new trilogy tragic in ways that were probably not anticipated, and now cannot be avoided. Even so, it is possible to wrest some form of peace and balance from this story at its end. Despite my angry grief with the story group and everyone involved in bringing us to this painful place in the story, I have some trust that the storytellers have the skill to do it right.

The reality is that the most straightforward way to deal with Carrie Fisher’s real death is that General Leia Organa will die in the story, and that this death will take place off-screen. To me, this feels like the most honorable and honest way to let the truth of Fisher’s passing become part of the Star Wars universe without resorting to awkward and potentially offensive use of CG or re-casting to complete the saga. But oh, just thinking about it hurts. A lot. Many of us who have spent a lot of time grieving in recent days will grieve deeply again. So be it.

As Carrie noted, Star Wars is a story that misbehaves; it won’t stay on the screen. Our understanding of the characters is unbreakably linked to the people who created them and to our own experiences.

When news of Fisher’s heart attack first broke, I had the absurd thought that it was time for Ben Organa Solo to stop his descent into darkness and get himself home; his mother needed him. I can readily imagine a version of the saga in which Leia’s death is the impetus that turns Ben back to the light. I can just as easily envision a version of the tale in which his mother’s death is the blow which finally extinguishes the light in him, but I don’t believe that darker path is likely for the filmmakers to take. The redemption of Ben Solo was the most likely endgame of the new saga before Fisher’s death; now I posit that it is the ONLY acceptable way in which the new trilogy can end.

Is there a way to tell the story without CG or re-casting which permits some final reconciliation between mother and son?

Yes, but.

Star Wars is a universe in which the dead sometimes appear to the living in the form of ghosts, and it is possible to envision a version of the story in which Leia appears as a Force ghost. In fact, I would almost guarantee that episode IX will make use of this trope to give both the other characters in the story and the audience some form of closure. It’s a gift of fiction that we are generally deprived of in real life. We’ll have to trust the storytellers to handle this with sensitivity and skill.

Star Wars is a universe in which people tend not to send letters, but rather use holos to communicate with each other, so some form of CG might be used to permit Leia to send some form of final message to her son. In Rogue One, this storytelling technique was used when Galen Erso gave his message to Bodhi Rook to carry to Saw Gererra. Galen did not know if his message would reach either Saw or his daughter Jyn; but it did indeed serve as his last message of love and reconciliation to his daughter. In a similar vein, a message from Bail Organa to Leia featured prominently in Claudia Gray’s novel, Bloodline.

Leia, a wartime general, might well have had a “farewell” letter of some kind in keeping for Ben, in the way soldiers who know they might never see their families again have done for centuries.

Actually, we don’t have to invent a message written by the General Organa we met in The Force Awakens, because we know that in Bloodline, Leia composed a letter to Ben at the time their relationship to Darth Vader was revealed. The story so far has not revealed whether this message ever reached its intended recipient. It’s possible that Leia’s message to her son, written long before the events in TFA, might finally reach his hands in Episode IX.

Bloodline didn’t tell us what was in that message, but we can easily guess: Leia told her son she loved him. She apologized for not telling him the truth of his family history. She asked for his forgiveness. She told him she believed in the light in him.

She told him she loved him.

In one of my essays written in 2016, I speculated that the “mystery box” Rey opened in the basement of Maz Kanata’s castle, in which she discovered the Skywalker lightsaber, was the same box in which Bail Organa’s message was found in Bloodline; a keepsake box from the lost world of Alderaan that belonged to Leia as a young girl.

If my speculation is correct, the box and its contents may have a meaningful role to play in episode IX. As far as we know, the box was left behind after the battle on Takodana, but there’s no reason to assume it was not recovered by Maz and returned to Leia. If it was Leia’s keepsake box from her childhood on Alderaan, it becomes a powerful talisman which the storytellers could use to connect Ben to his mother after her death. In TFA, we catch a very brief glimpse of the objects which were in the box with the lightsaber. I don’t know what the storytellers will do with this detail, but I hope very much that the box did belong to Leia, that its contents were her own childhood treasures, and that the box eventually finds it way into the hands of her son. Maybe Luke will give it to him. Maybe Rey will.

A box of keepsakes and a final message would be a heartrending end to a story which should, by rights, have concluded with Leia dancing at a wedding and living a peaceful life, surrounded by grandchildren, but sometimes even fairy tales don’t go that way. Like life.

With much love to our fandom and our storytellers.

The Force is with you, Carrie Fisher. You are one with the Force.

* I’ll edit this and add some links to my old metas soon. XOXO

#carrie fisher #lucasfilm #lucasfilm story group #reylo #star wars meta #episode VIII #episode IX #bloodline #I don't even know how to tag this sad thing #I thought I'd pulled myself together enough to get through writing this without crying #but I was wrong

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allspark · 5 years ago

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Blasting into the Allspark Studio a from a past that never was is the first half of the second wave of Super7 ReAction Transformers! Will they fill the cartoon figure void deep within your soul, or just stand at attention on your shelf like they were designed? Tune in after the break to find out!

When I first saw images of the ReAction Transformers line, I was not totally convinced I would buy them. In general I do not buy non-transforming Transformers, so things like the recent Dollar Tree blind packed mini-figures did not get my attention. I have seen other ReAction lines at brick and mortar retail, and some were a hit, and some were a miss.

Maybe it was the impressive card art that finally got me interested in checking this line out, since I like to rotate out pop-culture images in the background of my office where I hold video conferences. All I know is I took a leap on a purchase here, and I am glad I did.

Carded or No?

The card art for these figures is really cool. The base for the front of each card is the classic red or purple grid with the fade to black gradient. On top of that is a beautifully rendered classic Transformers logo, with a garnish of either the G1 Autobot or Decepticon symbol and descriptor in the upper right and the classic “More Than Meets the Eye” tagline on the bottom left. This is enveloped in the grey that forms the “frame” for each character.

Floating just inside the frame is a darkened background of a Cybertronian city, in front of which is posed each of the featured characters, floating just inside and outside of the frame. All of the Transformers are posed in a way that embodies each individual character, from Grimlock’s all assuming power stance to Rumble’s “punk with guns in hand”. I would really like to know who did the cart for this line, because they look like someone I would like to follow on Twitter or Instagram. The art is very classic, cartoon inspired, and alive.

Each of the characters is named in a yellow box just above their bubble. Note that Frenzy/Rumble is called Rumble here and Jetfire is Skyfire, which makes sense since this line is heavily based on the animation. There are no sub-designations on these figures. They are simply tagged “action figure”. To the right of the bubble is the blue and white ReAction logo. Within the bubble on each card you will find the figures standing straight at attention, which is in line with a series that is trying to give you lots of properties based on the Kenner Star Wars 5 POV look that was iconic in the early 80’s. If the character has a blaster, it is included in the tray within which they rest. Grimlock gets his sword and blaster, Rumble gets his backpack weapons that double as blasters, and Skyfire and Shrapnel (both of which appear to be registered trademarks now…does this mean the end of Skrapnel?) get their weapons from the cartoon. It is interesting to note that Shrapnel is the only one from the set with a closed fist, as his right hand cannot hold his weapon.

The back of the cards is the same for each figure, apart from the logo that references their allegiance, and the barcode. There is no individual information, like a mini-bio, tech spec, or anything else that would set the backs apart. It is a classic 8-back cross sell, just letting you know if you only see some of the figures that your collecting is not done. It is still visually impressive, as it gives you a better view of the background from the front of the card.

The figures I have came from BBTS, and appear to be made for a EU market release. I am not sure if they are all like that, or if there is a US/Americas version of the card backs as I have yet to find any of these in brick and mortar stores, and will likely not be looking anytime soon since the area I would search is high risk now due to the corona virus pandemic.

These figures display impressively as carded, mint pieces. They look like beautiful retro cartoon artwork that can be mounted on a collector’s wall. While I always open my figures, I have chosen specific characters to use as carded art in my office. From the first half of wave 2, I am keeping a carded Skyfire. The line is a little expensive for what you get, however, so I do not expect most collectors will be following suit.

Open ‘Em Up!

So, I have to open my figures. This line is no exception, in-spite of the designs. Each figure has 5 points of articulation, just 2 points short of the Action Master line from the 80’s. The designs are nicely cartoon inspired, if not a tad simplified to with the with theme of the line. The lines on each mold are nice and crisp when straight, and beautifully curved when the character design calls for it.

The colors are nice and appropriately cartoon level bright, which really makes each figure pop. Grimlock’s red and yellow are especially striking. Skyfire is a little off-white for my taste, but considering the base material of the figure, it probably would not have remained bone-white forever if it had been done in that shade. All figures come with cartoon inspired faction symbols. Also great is that Autobots have blue eyes, Decepticons have red. As it should be.

Due to the 5 POA, there is not a lot of dynamic posing that can be done. Grimlock and Rumble get into nice “G1-art style” poses that nicely fit their characters. Shrapnel and Skyfire look great standing at attention (animation bumper style). I also really like pairing Skyfire with Wave 1 Starscream. The original “science bros”.

The original #sciencebros…

That is about it for action poses. What did you expect with only 5 POA? Still, I love the looks on these figures, and definitely want all of the line, free from their plastic prisons, standing on my shelves in cartoon goodness.

Paint Ops

The paint is a mixed bag on these figures. Some lines are super crisp, some of them are not. While you can see this in the pictures, I have to say it is not near as noticeable as the images here make it out to be. I think if you see them in person, you will realize this as well, so I do not deduct any from their overall score.

Final Thoughts

This is an impressively packaged, well designed retro-line of Transformers that is fit into the theme of a larger line. This line is not for everyone, in particular due to the price, which some may find high for the level of POA and the fact that the figures do not transform. I anticipate some readers will react negatively to this review for many of above points.

Let’s take into account however, that the fact that this line (or the Dollar Tree line for that matter) exists because the Transformers brand is strong. Strong enough that not only do we have multiple lines now that cater to completely different types of collectors (movie, classicverse, children (Rescuebots)), we also have 3rd party companies willing to pay licensing fees to Hasbro just to be able to sell their own Transformers merchandise. This is a great thing for fans.

That being said, I love the Super7 ReAction Transformers line! The retro-cartoon look, beautiful card art, and display-ability really let it stand out as a great pop-culture representation of my favorite line of characters ever. I am all in, and if any of the above interests you, I recommend you buy them too! Who knows, the kiddoes (those that are not in danger of swallow hazards) may be fans of them as well. If they express an interest, let them try it. Worst case scenario, you have one more thing in common.

Want to interact with more Transformers fans? Be sure to check out our forums or you can join our discord by clicking on this invite link: https://discord.gg/ZnUQxya You can also follow us on Twitter via @AllsparkNews or join our Facebook group!

The original #sciencebros…

If Rumble were “in scale”.

Super7 ReAction Wave 2.1 Gallery and Review! Blasting into the Allspark Studio a from a past that never was is the first half of the second wave of Super7 ReAction Transformers!

#Cassettes #Frenzy #G1 #Generation 1 #Generation One #Jetfire #Mini-Cassettes #ReAction #Rumble #Shrapnel #Skrapnel #Skyfire #Soundwave #Super 7 #Super7 #TF #Transformers

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63824peace · 5 years ago

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Wednesday, 4th of january 2006

I wore a suit and coat when I left home this morning. Today was the first day of work in 2006, and I needed to attend the annual New Year's meeting at the main office in Marunouchi.

It was cold outside. The cold weather narrows a person's field of vision as though he was driving high-speed down the highway. It forces us into a sort of tunnel-vision. I only focused on things immediately in front of me while I walked. It must have been too cold even to walk a dog, because I didn't see anyone with a pet.

My senses were so numb... I couldn't feel a thing. My gloves prevented me from feeling anything I touched. I couldn't smell anything because my nose hurt when I inhaled. Only my breath, hanging white and soft on the air, had warmth.

I headed to the station in my senseless state. I boarded an empty train and then detrained at a deserted terminal station. My body had warmed a little while aboard. I passed through the ticket gate and made my way to the transfer line.

I saw the usual staff of Hot Pepper solicitors. They still wore the same thin, red uniforms. They were so cold while waiting for the shift to start. They huddled into themselves shivering. I noticed that more staff members seemed present than before... I noticed more female staff members, too. Perhaps it was because of the new year.

I passed them and descended the stairs to the Hibiya Line. Warm air composed of body heat and odors rose from the lower floor. Even such a stuffy, uncomfortable atmosphere as that felt welcome today.

My eyes caught sight of an old woman who sat on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. Her appearance suggested that she was a homeless bag lady. Her bare feet stuck out in front of her, and she drew in a sketchbook. She faced an advertisement board propped on the ticket gate.

I moved closer to her. I realized that she was drawing a woman from the ticket-gate ad with a crayon. She drew quite speedily, and her concentration was pretty serious too.

Dozens of crayons littered the floor around her.

She drew one of the characters from an advertisement for a historically based theatrical play. She wasn't drawing the lead actor though. She focused her attention on one of the supporting actors to the left of the lead. She had drawn a pretty good picture too. It seemed like she had invested more energy in the picture than someone might invest in a simple sketch or a casual drawing. The image resembled a portrait drawn by a sidewalk artist. A variety of colored lines described the actress's lively figure.

I don't recall the actress's name, but the old woman had rendered her into a stylish caricature. The drawing actually conveyed more elegance than the original model had.

That old woman was more than just an average person.

I had encountered her just after 7 A.M., and she was trying to finish her picture before the start of rush-hour. She drew such soft lines suggesting the reflection of old age, and yet her hands worked with the speed of youth.

Her dignified style and technique intrigued me. She had converted the subway station into her own personal studio. No one could disturb her regal presence. She continued drawing undisturbed. I sensed something like an aura around her.

I wasn't able to speak with her, so I simply pressed through the ticket gate and jumped onboard the train.

A thought struck me on the train: what will she do with her picture? Will she sell it? Was that how she makes her living, or was it only a hobby?

Now that I think about it, I stopped drawing when I started working for a professional company. I had really loved drawing too. I met a lot of designers who had earned fine arts degrees from their respective universities when I joined the company. I just remembered this morning that I haven't drawn since that time.

I had put The Strokes' new album (First Impressions of Earth) into my iPod before I'd left for work. My iPod's selector surprised me while I made my way to the office. HIDECHAN Radio had snuck onboard! My iPod must have updated the contents when I had downloaded a HIDECHAN show at home as a test.

It's so embarrassing to listen to myself from an objective vantage point. I don't always speak Japanese correctly, and I mispronounce a lot of things. Yumi-chan helped me to sound decent, but I'm really a layman. I could read HIDEOBLOG calmly, but I can't really listen to HIDECHAN Radio as though it was someone else's work.

At lunch time I bought Kiyoshi Shigematsu's novel Twilight and Graham Greene's novel The Heart of the Matter. I considered buying Lily Franky's novel Tokyo Tower when I saw a large POP advertisement claiming that the novel had deeply touched 900,000 readers. However, at the time I thought, "Am I really in a rush to get this?" I missed my chance to get it because of that.

What has changed my mind now? I want to buy it because Mr. Lily Franky's interview in the New Year's paper really impressed me. I wonder though... was I impressed because he and I belong to the same generation?

Afterwards I turned on the television and saw the anime series based on Franky's first picture book: Oden-kun.

I won't go so far as to say that I believe that the world moves by coincidences that border on supernatural guidance, as in the Repairman Jack novels. However, I strongly believe that nothing in our world happens because of mere coincidence. As I saw Oden-kun, I thought that I absolutely had to read Lily Franky's Tokyo Tower. I'll probably get it the next time I'm in a smaller bookstore.

I realized that both Lily Franky and Kiyoshi Shigematsu were born in 1963. Old guys really are creating their best work these days, especially those from 1963.

I feel that I need to work more quickly when I think about time passing. I should set aside more time to work creatively. My remaining years aren't infinite. We really feel the fact of our mortality after we turn forty years old.

How much time can I allot to creative work? The old lady who I saw this morning had given herself time to create. We can draw a picture anywhere if we really want to... our age and circumstances regardless. We can even draw a picture in the subway station just before morning rush hour.

I headed back to Roppongi after I had attended the New Year's meeting at the main office. I waited on the Kasumigaseki station's train platform... and I felt someone's intense gaze fall upon me from somewhere. I looked up. A man approached me, staring me intently in the face.

"Is he one of our gamers?"

I prepared myself according to my intuition. He passed by at first, and then he turned around to address me. "Are you Director Hideo Kojima?"

He seemed to have spent all of his courage on those words alone. He was a fan after all... it looked like I had been correct.

"Yes, I am." I moved toward him to intercept the expected handshake.

"Do you remember me?" He narrowed his eyes. "I'm Johnny."

"Johnny!?" The man looked Japanese, and he spoke Japanese too. Johnny... Johnny Ookura? Or is it... could he be that Johnny? Johnny Sasaki!?

"All the first-born sons in my family are called Johnny. My dad's a Johnny, and my son's son will probably be a Johnny, too. A whole clan of Johnnies!"

I remembered him then. He didn't have a stranger's face after all. I knew that his voice had sounded familiar. It was Naoki Imamura, the Japanese voice actor behind the legendary token MGS character, Johnny Sasaki!

That was a wonderful chance meeting. He was heading to Roppongi also, so we took the same train together. We talked a lot about MGS3. Johnny has appeared in MGS1, MGS2, and MGS3. We naturally expect him to appear in MGS4... at least for now.

I was talking about MGS4 when the train arrived at Roppongi Station. Mr. Imamura and I shook hands in front of the Hills and parted ways.

"Nothing in our world is mere coincidence."

Even the old lady who I saw this morning had a critical influence upon me. She reminded me how wonderful drawing pictures can be.

I'll definitely work with Mr. Imamura one day in the future, too. Johnny Sasaki shall return!

I can see how everything relates to everything else when I think that nothing is merely coincidental. If everything that happens is inevitable, then the world is connected and whole.

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game-refraction · 8 years ago

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Game Review: Injustice 2 (Xbox One)

While NetherRealm Studios is mostly known for its Mortal Kombat franchise, It has dabbled in the realm of DC Comics with Mortal Kombat vs DC and 2013’s Injustice: God’s Among Us. While the DC flavored entries don’t quite get as violent or brutal as Mortal Kombat, they do feature a great cast of characters, solid gameplay, fun special moves and one hell of a story. Injustice 2 is a huge upgrade from the first entry and a feature-stuffed fighting game like nothing before it. In a world where Superman would kill, what chance does a mere mortal like Batman have? Well, quite a bit actually, and he is not alone.

Injustice 2 is as polished as games get with its slick interface, wonderful animations, and a giant heaping of cosmetic goods to kit out your hero or villain with some fancy gauntlets or a flashy new cape. It’s fairly forgiving to button mashing newcomers and has deep mechanics to satisfy the genre faithful. I’ve never been one to deep dive into the complexities of analyzing frames of a certain move to determine the best and fastest way to win, I tend to button mash my way to victory, and I think I am fairly good at it.

As far as sequels go, Injustice 2 is a continuation of the story told in the prior game; Superman has been captured and Batman attempts to track down the remaining members of Kal El’s Regime. This follow-up is a story about how Brainiac attempts to conquer the Earth, and whether or not Batman will require the help of Superman to stop him. The story is told through a 5-8 hour campaign that has you body swapping through the majority of the 29 characters with only a few of them not being playable here, but you will still encounter nearly all of them at various points in the narrative. There were some moments where I was partially confused as to why certain characters were on a particular side, given how the first game ended, but as it may include events from the comic series of the same name, which I am a few volumes behind, it may be somewhat essential reading to fully know what has transpired in the gap between games.

The events of the first Injustice game painted a much darker tone than what Injustice 2 aims to do this time around, instead opting to follow a more cliched route of warring factions having to unite to take down a common foe. If you’ve played through the previous Injustice or even just Mortal Kombat X, then you at least have an idea on how the story mode plays out. One of the differences here is the choose your own adventure style approach when you are paired with another character. There are a few moments when you’ll need to choose your fighter and after some custom dialogue for that choice, you’ll then battle as that fighter and continue. This opens up variations on the fight that you’ll need to replay the story mode to see the alternative ways that battle could have gone down, and this same choice is given to you near the end to select one last fighter from the other. The game also alerts you after the credits roll that if you complete all variations to the story that a bonus chapter will be unlocked.

To compliment the story mode is your typical Arcade mode, which Injustice 2 has labeled as the Battle Simulator, this can be found in the bottom right corner of the Multiverse menu. The Battle Simulator contains a variety of fights with varying difficulties that will give you a character ending and several rewards upon completion. The Multiverse itself is a battle mode with unique gameplay objectives across a variety of different planets in the Multiverse. These objectives will vary on the fight as will the degree of difficulty in their challenge. This mode will also reward players with equipment items that are exclusive to this mode. Each planet that is displayed on the select screen will have a timer that counts down to when another planet, complete with its own unique challenges, will take its place. The Multiverse is very similar to that of Mortal Kombat’s Living Towers and should keep players invested for as long as NetherRealms can make it fresh and original.

While the game still maintains a lot of what made the first Injustice such a blast to play, the game feels faster, tighter and more confident than ever before. There is even a noticeable upgrade in its gameplay from even the previous Mortal Kombat X. I found characters to be more responsive, animations more fluid, and even returning favorites feel like entirely new characters. The Clash system has also returned where you can wager chunks of your special meter in order to regain some health back to your character, should you win that wager, that is. The special meter can also be used to boost your special moves, perform mid-air recoveries, and activate rolls. The flashy super moves that look to be this game’s fatalities are quite enjoyable and feature some pretty interesting feats; flying around the sun to heat vision your opponent back down to earth or racing through time to slam someone into the side of a dinosaur are just a small sample of what the game offers. While a few of the supers are lacking, the large majority of them are well thought out.

The biggest change in Injustice 2 to that of its first entry, is the addition of equipment for your characters. You can unlock and equip new capes, body armor, gauntlets, and more. These items will have individual stats that will look to make your fighter more formidable. Your custom creation can then be taken online to see who simply has the better Batman, Supergirl, or whoever you main as. The stats of said items won’t be included when you take your character to the Ranked Matches but the new looks the items bring you will still be present.

Unlocking items, however; is the biggest failing of the game and looks to make it as hard as possible to unlock items for the characters you actually want to outfit. As you battle and win your matches, you will be granted loot caches called Mother Boxes. These luck driven rewards are completely random in what you get; varying rarities of gear, new moves for your characters, or color shaders and alternative outfits. The main problem with this method of rewards is that you are never guaranteed rewards for characters you favor, meaning you could open 15 boxes and never once see a reward for Supergirl, who is my favorite of the cast. There are also Source Crystals which can be bought with real money and can be used to unlock new skins and shaders.

The number of modes for online play is fairly disappointing as Versus and King of the Hill are the only offerings so far, with a variation on King of the Hill called Hot Seat, that while available, is too similar a mode to say there are three distinct game modes available at launch. I’ve played a few hours of the game online in each of the modes present and there were noticeable lag spikes present in about half the matches played. While this could have been first-week growing pains, it’s still present in the rounds I played today. Apart from combat with friends and random players online are a few other modes that may or not get much play depending on your use for them. These are the practice and tutorial modes, but these are nothing in the way of actually training you to be a better fighter. I found the tutorial mode rather dense and not really that helpful.

Injustice 2 is a gorgeous fighter with some of the most impressive facial animations I’ve seen in something not already pre-rendered. The real-time efforts made by NetherRealm Studios sometimes creeps into the uncanny valley, but the subtle glances and smirks offered up by the majority of the roster are absolutely stunning. Seeing Harley mouth “Cheeky Monkey” or chewing gum is a work of art. I was especially impressed with the slanted jaw sarcasm of Poison Ivy and the visual wit of Black Canary, both of which are beautifully animated.

About the only elements of the game that fail to live to up to the overall high-quality bar are some of the background elements to locations that are quickly skipped by during the game’s many cutscenes. The actual locations you battle in are packed full of tiny details, bursts of fan service, and interactive elements like throwing drunk bar patrons or tossing a pan filled with hot coals. The variety in the interactive function that each level has is only enhanced by the fact that you can also strike enemies so hard that you’ll transition to other environments and then back again, making each battlefield that much bigger and more varied.

Injustice 2 brings as much quality to its visuals as it does to its audio with a wonderful host of talent to breath life into some of DC’s most iconic characters. The legendary Kevin Conroy is back as the Dark Knight and is the undisputed voice of the Caped Crusader. Tara Strong delivers yet another amazing performance as Harley Quinn and has in many ways become the most well-known voice for the character. I also found it rather amusing that the Scarecrow, a villain who thrives on fear is voiced by another man who is well known for the same feat; Robert Englund, Freddy Krueger himself. There are several other actors that have some great moments, but there was one is particular that failed to impress me at all; Steve Blum as Hal Jordan. I just didn’t see him as a good fit at all and stands out as one of the worst performances of that character I’ve seen in some time.

NetherRealm has produced its finest fighting game with Injustice 2, surpassing any of its Mortal Kombat games by leaps and bounds. With its well told and enjoyable campaign and a fun, if a bit too random of a loot system, there is much to like here and with the upcoming 10 DLC characters like Starfire, Red Hood and even an appearance by Subzero himself, Injustice 2 should keep players busy for quite some time. To miss this title is an injustice upon itself.

Injustice 2 was reviewed and played via a purchased retail copy for Xbox One.

Game Review: Injustice 2 (Xbox One) was originally published on Game-Refraction

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thebandcampdiaries · 6 years ago

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Daikan - October Child

A stunning album with great vocal hooks, intuitive beats, and lush textures.

Summary: Daikan set out to create a brand new album filled with clever vocal harmonies, heartfelt song arrangements.

Daikan is a talented artist and performer with a modern approach to his blend of neo-soul and R&B. Recently, he released a debut album titled “October Child”, a project that really gives listeners an honest insight into the artist’s mindset and attitude. The album is a goldmine of catchy trap-inspired beats, lush melodies and tasteful vocal harmonies that add to the expressiveness of each track. This release features 8 songs, each exploring a different direction while retaining a consistent and direct tone throughout the entire release.

Opening number “Wall Flower” is actually a perfect example of the artist’s creative vision and insightful approach. This song has a catchy and engaging beat, which feel melodic and appealing, yet energetic and upbeat. The melodies are very soothing and simple, allowing the vocal harmonies and layers to really stand out. This song serves as a really great opener, setting the mood for the entire album, and giving the audience a taste of Daikan’s unique style. The following track, “Indigo” maintains a dark and ethereal mood, kicking off with beautiful reversed drones and melodies that sound like waves crashing on a shoreline. The mid-tempo beat has a heavy, gritty groove that feels thumpy and direct. The artist’s vocals are catchy and dynamic, opting for a bare and minimalistic tone in the verses, but later allowing the track to open up during the chorus, as more harmonies creep in. The refrain of the song is particularly special, bringing a lot of energy to the track and exploding in full blast with Daikan reaching a higher vocal register and pouring his heart out, in what I think sounds like one of the most emotional and direct moments on this entire record. The third song on this release is a track titled “Sunday.” This tune has a darker, more industrial beat, which contrasts beautifully with a very uplifting and colorful melody. I love the combination of rhythmic and melodic textures on this song, and the vocals come in gently, allowing the arrangement to take a breather and drop the intensity down a bit. The verses are understated and low-key, meaning that there is room for things to expand during the pre-choruses and choruses. This is a very chill track with a stunning drum arrangement and a lovely array of vocal layers….the perfect track to wake up to on a Sunday morning when you have no commitments and you can just sleep in and enjoy the day!

The following song, “Rose Gold” echoes the spirit of “Wall Flower”, with a similar trap-inspired beat and a neo-soul oriented tone. This track has a really sultry, soothing vocal style that adds to the candle-lit atmosphere of this release. The following song, “Cry For Me” is perhaps one of the most inventive songs on this release, with experimental melodies and cool effected beats drenched in reverb. This song is a great example of Daikan’s extensive creative range, and it makes me think of artists as diverse as Kendrick Lamar, Sohn or Frank Ocean, just to mention but a few.

The album takes a turn with the next track, “Amber Eyes.” This song has a very clean and classy piano intro, which later gets richer with the addition of other melodies and a nice lo-fi beat. The vocals have a really cool jazz-inspired tone and a set of clever harmonic layers that add more width to the mix. The seventh song on this release is named “Bother Me”, and it begins with a stunning melodic drone, only to give way to a very hypnotic and dense beat, constellated with reverberated claps and piano melodies. The vocals are emotional and direct, with a wide range of emotional lyrics. This is probably my personal fav track on this album, particularly due to the honest and dynamic lyrics!

Last but not least, “The Winter” is a really great, emotional track with a lush and otherworldly atmosphere, which serves as a perfect closing number for this album!

All in all, I am really impressed by the consistency of this album - this record is a combination of lush, cinematic soundscapes and catchy melodies, with a flavor that blurs the lines between modern neo-soul, electronic music with a focus on textures and ambiance, and plain good old good songwriting!

Find out more about Daikan, and do not miss out on “October Child”, which is currently available online for your listening pleasure:

https://open.spotify.com/album/64H6h3W5Cb7HMBpCxB8r1D

We also had the opportunity to have a chat with the artist and hear more about this album: keep reading to learn more!

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

Answer: It all depends, really. Sometimes I’ll be in my car or at work, and an idea will come to mind, and I’ll just hum it into my phone’s voice memos for later. And other times, I’ll sit in my studio and just work on a beat for hours and just let ideas come naturally until I have something I like. I think for organic results, you can’t really rely on a formula; it has to be instinctual and natural.

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

Answer: I haven’t performed live as Daikan, yet. I’ve been in a ton of bands before, playing all different instruments. But something about the vulnerability of my music as Daikan makes me really nervous when it comes to live shows. I’m much more comfortable in the studio where I can take my time and do as many retakes as I want and be a perfectionist.

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

Answer: Probably “Indigo”. I think it offers the most variety and versatility in one song. You get a sense for my instrumental style, and you get to hear my hip-hop and rap inspirations shine through in my lyricism and flow, but you also get to hear my R&B influences in my harmonies, as well as some of my emo/punk/rock background in the chorus vocals.

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

Answer: I guess my way of looking at innovation in music is not trying to be confined to one style or genre. I’d say use your influences to help guide you, but make something all your own. Never be afraid to experiment and fuse sounds that you like into something unique. Don’t think of the “bigger picture”, think of the here and now and what you would want to hear. Not anyone else.

Any upcoming release or tour your way?

Answer: I am already writing music for my next album and am currently working on a few collaborations with some other great hip-hop artists that should be released by the end of the year. No set dates on anything just yet.

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

Answer: As far as listening to my music, you can find me just about anywhere. Mainly Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and SoundCloud. And if you want to find out more about me, I have a website where you can read about the meaning behind my music, and keep up with updates about what’s coming. (www.DaikanOfficial.com)

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thebandcampdiaries · 7 years ago

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The Forest Room

Broadening the horizon of acoustic instrumental music.

Article summary:

The Forest Room is a music project with a distinctive sonic vision: blending the organic depth and warmth of acoustic guitar melodies, with the textures and ambiance associated with genres such as shoegaze, trip-hop or experimental alternative instrumental music.

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The Forest Room is a music project based in Cheshire, Connecticut. The sound of this act could be described as a very organic blend of post-folk and alternative rock. The warmth and feel of the acoustic guitar melodies blend in with haunting sonic textures, programmed beats and lush, atmospheric sounds that blink an eye to genres such as shoegaze and dream-pop. The Forest Room has a strikingly distinctive sound, not only due to the seamless blend of styles and textures but also to the fascinating dropped guitar tunings, which add a lot of depth to the riffs and chords. It’s incredible to listen to these songs and actually realize that the arrangements are very minimalistic in nature, effortlessly built upon simple, yet effective elements that hit the spot. The coordinates in this project fall somewhere in between experimental music, trip-hop, and acoustic instrumentals, making for a creative approach that’s rather broad and hard to categorize.

It’s easy to draw comparisons with artists the likes of Kaki King, Portishead, The Album Leaf or Massive Attack, just to mention but a few. One of the main characteristics of The Forest Room is the artist’s ability to create cinematic atmospheres that feel big and roomy, entrancing listeners and taking them hand in hand through a memorable sonic journey. This is music that will work well as a soundtrack to your daily activity, but it is not just “background music.” It will captivate your imagination and set the mood just right.

As a one-man protect, The Forest Room is particularly amazing to witness as a live act. The project set out to redefine the limits of what a single acoustic guitar can accomplish, blurring the edges between different genres, and exploring different sonic reaches.

Find out more about The Forest Room and don’t miss out on “Repaying Radiance” and other releases and events from this project:

www.theforestroom.bandcamp.com www.youtube.com/theforestroom www.facebook.com/theforestroom

Recommended if you like: Kaki King, Portishead, Justin King, Massive Attack, The Album Leaf, Boards of Canada

We also had a chance to chat with the artist: read on for a full interview!

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

My focus is usually set to an order of layering, but most of the time the melodies develop towards the end. I start with a drumbeat and just kinda improvise over it, or I will have a riff or chord progression in mind and produce a beat to go with that. I produce my drum loops in many different ways, though I keep it simple so that there is room for layering without being cluttered. I also have to create things so that I can keep track of the counts for each part, or have to implement some sort of cue to know the beginning and end of a loop. Next, I add a bass line and something weird. Once those layers are established, then I experiment with melodies and solos. I suppose it sounds “personal and organic” because you literally hear it grow, move, and flourish like a plant in a way.

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

I perform live regularly; I definitely aim to be a “live act” especially with the stage lights that I built to go with the music. I very much enjoy creating a colorful, groovy, and positive atmosphere and then sharing that with others; tranquil yet energetic. You can float in it and you can dance to it. I like that I can perform almost anywhere; from your living room to a big venue. I am comfortable in a recording studio, but that is a bit more laborious.

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

Right now, I’d have to go with my song “World Ender” because I have a decent recording of it on my bandcamp, and I incorporate a lot of the different techniques that I use into one song. I set goals and made challenges for myself with that song, too many technical details to explain, and what you hear is the result. I also incorporated a cool sample that I trigger in the middle of the song, which is something I haven’t done before, so there’s something new too.

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

“Vibe is everything” is something that I often say. The priority is creating and sharing a positive vibe through music (and lights); I think everything else follows, or comes after, that. Being “innovative” is a result of giving yourself challenges, taking every opportunity to learn from failure, and sometimes getting outside of your comfort zone.

Any upcoming release or tour your way?

I have a three song EP recorded that needs a few edits and mixing that I’m not sure what I’m going to do with yet. I’m currently working on and experimenting with a better live recording setup. I’m aiming to do a 3-5 date tour (mostly in the North East) this June if all goes well.

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

www.theforestroom.bandcamp.com www.youtube.com/theforestroom www.facebook.com/theforestroom

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