#So I might end up changing the design depending on what poppy says about the design

[queenarsinoethepoisoner]

Drew Symphony from @listener-symphony’s au. It’s basically the characters from the life series all in an afterlife together and you can interact with them. It’s really cool, you should check it out!

[sokacoke]

Compiling some questions and information regarding indigo park from unique geese's live streams.

Some clips might not be long enough for the full answer due to YouTube only being 60 seconds so just keep that in mind.

A bit of the older ones could contain stuff that aren't up to date that I forgot to remove because I was making this in my notes for like 3-5 weeks so lets uh. ignore those!! (ill delete them later maybe)

IF I SCREAM THE STREAM ENDS

'I think comparing Issac to fucking Willam afton is such a sad comparison'

Credits to @lunozapp for the clip

INDIGO Q&A 

“Will there be any boss fights?”

‘That’s a hard thing to say. I’m gonna say no.’

“How old are Rambley and his friends?”

'They’re all over 18. Probably around there early 20s at oldest.  They’re younger but I don’t really have set ages for them.'

“Would Indigo park be rated M?”

'I would argue indigo park chapter 1 could get away as teen but I’d like to rate it up as a M by chapter 2.'

“Is chapter 2 going to take place under the park?”

'No. There might be parts under but chapter 2 won’t.'

“Rambley has been left alone since the park closed. Has he practically sat alone for that long?”

'In all technicality, he was sitting there alone and abandoned for many years. He’s not fully aware of what’s going on, but he is you know?” 

“Do you have any plans for future chapters?”

'The entire greater story has been set in stone for months and we don’t have any plans to change it.'

'There’s stuff in chapter 1 that people won’t realize are important to the plot until chapter 5.'

“Is mollie macaw an antagonist?”

'Depends what you’re saying when you say mollie macaw. Antagonist is a strong word.'

LAUNCH STREAM

“Is the raccoon evil?”

'No. You guys just buckle up. you’ll see.'

REACTING TO YOUTUBERS 

“Did you expect for Rambley to be popular with the furries?”

‘I made a joke that it would be popular within it but nothing in the game was designed to be furry. It was just like “hey we need parody’s of Mickey Mouse and Disney characters” ending up creating characters I really liked.'

“Do you know that there’s already NFSW art of Rambley?”

'It’s the internet sorry. If you make NFSW stuff I just ask you don’t send it to me or inject it to the rest of the community. Keep it separate, these are like my children.'

“How many versions of the railroad did u go through?”

'It took quite a while. We would get to a point where we kind of liked it and then be like “oh I don’t really like this it doesn’t flow really well.” I think the great thing going into chapter 2 we have a better understanding of what we want the game to look. Chapter 2s going to be mainly a lot of the rides. It was kind a deal where I wanted you to feel claustrophobic but it was hard to deal with those open environments. I’m not gonna announce anything crazy but chapter 2 will start in the queue and lobby for oceanic oddesy'

“How many chapters will there be?”

'The game plan is five.'

“Is this the last time we will see Mollie? Her death screen mentions she can copy voices but that wasn’t shown. Will be shown again to do that mechanic?”

'The voices were less of a mechanic and more of showing going on when she’s talking throughout the game. All the dialogue is something she’s heard during game,behind the scenes of the park or something that a guest has said.'

“Is Rambley the bad guy?”

'What part of the game made you think Rambleys the bad guy? No.'

“I trust Rambley with my life. If he betrays us I’ve already forgiven him.”

'Yeah, you don’t need to worry about that.'

“Whys the main character so jacked?”

'It’s just the character model I had I was using. We might change it.'

Critter cuff

'I was big against the idea of having one mechanic. They saw poppy playtime and instantly thought “every mascot horror needs a mechanic.” The critter cuffs important but I also want different fun mechanics that can be worked into it.'

“Do you plan to add more characters?”

'There will be more characters added into chapter 2. There may some returning characters. Obviously Rambley will be the focus of every chapter he’s ur buddy through ur journey. We do have a new set of characters.'

“Will there be another credits song in chapter 2?”

'We don’t want to start planning stuff until we know for sure how much money is there budget wise.'

“Where’s the cat?”

'There originally was just a regular ass cat that was in the and was in the game for quite a while. The model we had didn’t look like it fit the world and the animation looked stiff. Maybe we bring it back.'

“What were the stealth things in the files for?”

'Originally there was a section where Lloyd would follow you and you’d hide. I definitely want to do some stealth stuff where you have to hide under stuff I think that’d be a lot of fun.'

“Will Mollie return?”

'Do you think Mollie will return?'

“Is Rambley sentient?”

'He’s fully aware of everything around him but he’s programmed to behave a certain way. The best comparison would be GLaDOS or Wheatley from portal. Programmed to act a certain way, but also aware and able to see stuff around them and react.'

“How long will chapter 2 be?”

'We’re aiming chapter 2 to be just a little bit longer then chapter 1. We want each chapter to be a bit longer than before. I’d say for chapter 2, two and a half

'The only character that won’t have much influence is clearly Mollie.'

“What about Lloyd?”

'Lloyd’s cool and Lloyd will be important. That is all I can say.'

“Will there be other AI companions?”

'No. It’s just Rambley the main mascot.'

“Is there a possibility of a major overhaul of chapter 1?”

'There’s room to improve it a bit. In the future, I can see us doing a full on remaster of chapter 1.'

“Never make Rambley a creep I will not forgive you for it”

'You got it.'

“What’s the estimated gap between the chapters?”

'Year to Year and a half, maybe two. Chapter 2 is definitely 2025.'

“Don’t be fooled?”

'There was a lot more potential do something with that. If we had more budget then it would be really cool where you’re running through the pipes and you have to listen for Rambleys voice through the pipes and sometimes it would be mollies voice. It would be Rambley guiding you and then you hear Mollie trying to sound like Rambley.'

“It hurts Lloyd”

'That’s the funny thing. I don’t wanna get TOO deep into it but this was kinda just random text. I’ve seen 5 or 6 different interpretations of what people think it says.'

'Without spoiling anything I do think multiple ending’s for the final chapter would be kinda cool.'

REACTING TO MATPAT

“A lot of sexual tension between these guys”

'Shout out to the furries because I’ve seen every combination of characters being shipped and it wasn’t until today that a single female character was involved that all. Not mollie not Nonbinary with Salem it was literally just the 3 men'

“Does Rambley canonically sing Rambley review?”

'Yes he actually does. It’s in between chapter whenever ur going into chapter 2. The player could turn around and find a way out now but he actively wants to keep going with Rambley.'

TALKING ABOUT INDIGO PARK,FNF AND MORE

“The voice and creator of indigo park”

'I don’t voice anyone expect for Jackson and another character that no ones found yet.'

“Are you ever going to get a console support?”

'So we will eventually but to be honest with you I don’t want to do that until we have like chapter 3 out. At earliest if chapter 2 becomes massive then maybe as a bundle, but I don’t know.'

“Is chapter 2 free?”

'No it won’t be.'

FUNKAST THEN FNAF

'Other then a few minor tweaks we have the first few minutes of Rambleys dialogue at the beginning of chapter 2 written out.'

'I don’t think we’ll ever do a fox character. We were brainstorming some of the characters in chapter 2 and thought “oh maybe a fox would be cool” but we were looking at the role that this character would have to play if they were a fox and thought “at some point we’re just making knock off foxy from fnaf”'

“What the species”

'I cant disclose that sorry chief. There are other animal based cartoon characters in chapter 2 if that satisfies you. Furries rejoice I guess? I feel like it’d be harder to do a human villain.'

“How hard is it to make an idea of a character?”

'All of the characters we make need a purpose. It’s layers of talking through stuff and ideas to get stuff we like. The designs for them aren’t done but the idea for them is there and i am in love with them.'

“So the character design isn’t finished but have you made actual development of the game?”

'No. We’re working on chapter 1 right now. Again we’re looking at a year and a half or two years until chapter 2 cuz I’m not gonna rush it or my team. We’ll have little animations stuff and between yeah we’re not gonna do anything with that.

“Update is bug fixes, trying to get controller support working,revamping some of the environments and I’m bringing on a new modeler for some of the monster designs. Not confirming but i think Finley is going to get a full on redesign for chapter 2.”

“What chapter are you most excited for?”

'To be honest with you, i think chapter 3 is where we’re going to start doing the crazy shit possible and then chapter 4 is planned to be the most bad ass chapter i could ever think of. The story gets moving chapter 4.'

NEW FNAF GAME + INDIGO PARK NEWS

'It turned out that jakeneutron who’s my head animator, was going to Disney at the same time I’m at Orlando. We met up and we took so many pictures for reference. We went to universal studios and it was my first time we ever went to universal so I took so many pictures'

“Refs for what?”

'For indigo park bro. Dude I needed anything theme park and I got so many ideas for the future of indigo and stuff.'

“Salem news or I’m not here”

'Do I wanna put out Salem news..Salem is important 👍'

'I’ve kind of teased it a bit but we are working on some minor chapter 1 before chapter 2 just so there’s a bit of a quality jump so it’s a little bit more in the realm of where we want it to be.'

'We are working on some environmental updates. Working on some new assets to put into chapter 1. Which should make stuff feel cooler in my opinion? '

'To accompany that one thing we didn’t have a lot of is that environmental music in regards to what they would have in a real theme park. Like if ur waiting in a queue in a theme park there’s a lot of music and stuff that they play that is custom to that. Let’s say you were waiting for Rambleys railroads, what would that sound like? So maybe a little bit of new music?'

New potential song in clip link

FINISHING INTO THE PIT & NEW INDIGO PARK PLUSH LAUNCH PARTY

“Character hints?”

'I think you will be soft introduced or at least see the character designs before chapter 2s out. Right now at this point of development there are four new characters planned.'

“Is there gonna have a obby theme?”

‘Probably not really. I’ve talked about a little about a mechanic that we started to workshop and figuring out how it’ll work in the lore and gameplay elements but I probably won’t talk about it again.'

“Will there be a haunted house ride or a dark ride?”

'I want to do a haunted mansion parody hopefully chapter 4 or 5. Not in chapter 2 it wouldn’t fit.'

“Space mountain?”

'I have ideas for a space mountain and I can’t tell you what chapter that one will be in.'

'It’s funny cuz I’m reworking all of the chapter 1 environments and I’ve been thinking about it. There’s a fair enough of stuff that theorists haven’t caught onto yet that I hope will be super obvious in the future. I’m super excited to see what people do with chapter 2.'

HORROR GAME NIGHT & TALKING INDIGO PARK

“Will you be selling art prints maybe with posters?”

'We might do posters. There’s some new poster art coming for chapter 2 and I’m gonna leak, the (chap 1) update.'

“Now will they all have villain roles?”

'I dunno. I’ve already told you guys about some of them actually you guys just haven’t figured it out yet'

Talking about the 4 new characters

'I will say the chapter 1 update will have new secrets for you to find and some of it will help you figure out stuff in chapter 2. We are cooking is all I can say.'

“Whats ur favorite out of the 4 originals we know about since u said 4 new characters”

'Yeah let me just reveal one of the characters. No. You guys won’t- actually? You guys will know about some of the characters WAY before chapter 2 comes out.'

BACK FROM PAX! - WATCHING JACKSEPTICEYE PLAY INDIGO PARK & CATCHING UP ON FNF MODS

'there’s a little bit of the new queue! A little bit of a step up. I mean hot take but. Looks a lot better I think.'

Queue in clip

'We’re still working on it but this is what Mollies landing pad looks like now. This feels more themed.'

New mollies landing pad in clip

“Can you make an update trailer for the indigo park update so people know it exists?”

'Yea we will. We’ll change it.'

Extra notes worth mentioning:

it’s been said that there will be a meme ending for chapter 3 though I’m not able to find the clip at the moment so if anyone somehow has it u should tots send it my way

When he's talking about the 'Other character he voices that no ones found yet' it might be possible he’s yapping about the reverse Llyods Limos line Context:

Video is from forgottenstudios1987 on YT

The cat been brought back!

Another part of the new rambleys railroad queue song.

More of the New Rambleys Railroad Third link is just a very subtle railroads gift shop but it counts i think

Other landing pad clip

FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY OTHER CLIPS I MIGHTVE MISSED!

[ifeellikeameowster]

E.V.O.L Chapter 2 - On No!

Chapter Summary: Logan is finally done with his workday and can now retire to his living quarter upstairs. He starts reviewing his notes for the day only to find a few inconsistencies and a startling conclusion...

Warnings: Beginnings of Yandere like behavior, mentions of stalking, emotional breakdown, breaking of objects.

Pairings: One-sided analogical.

Word Count: 4k+

Chapter followed by Author’s Note then Tag List under the read more:

One track mind, one track heart.

If I fail, I'll fall apart.

Maybe it is all a test.

'Cause I feel like I'm the worst,

So I always act like I'm the best.

Logan Sumner, self proclaimed magical child prodigy and warlock extraordinaire, always had three cups of coffee throughout his typical work day. One cup before breakfast, one in the middle of lunch, and finally one after his dinner. Dr Sumner was well known in the magical community as a stickler for his routine and the outbursts that were sure to follow if anything trivial ever dared to interrupt said routine. Though the particular interruptions that had occurred earlier that day hadn’t bothered him nearly as much as they should have. Almost as if-

He tightened his lips and jerkily shook his head to rid himself of that train of thought before it could even leave the station. Instead, he steered ever sturdily and steadily forward and into his quaint dining room table’s only occupying chair. It was time for dinner, after all. He whistled out into the air of the sparsely decorated apartment atop his shop for his two wonderful and trustworthy Familiars. 

Moriariy, punctual as per usual, was the first to join him. Flying in from the direction of his bedroom and landing at the other end of the table, where a small plate of little seeds and several lush fruits awaited him. His other Familiar, however, followed along at his typical slower pace. Slinking in from the direction of the stairwell and stopping beside him at the foot of the table, where a larger plate of tenderly cooked meats awaited him.

“Did you have a good run, Sheppard?” Logan asks the Valravn as he runs a gentle hand along the canine’s back.

Sheppard, who was slightly more wild in nature than the Yatagarasu, would occasionally leave the shop for the later half of their work day in order to have a refreshing romp in the nearest forest- the one just outside of Painic Park. Logan never once worried over his return, for his Familiars had never failed him before. Which is one of the many reasons he got along better with them than with his other, more humanoid peers.

The handsome pitch black wolf with scattered feathers along his form, bird’s talons as front legs, and a sharp beak perched at the end of his snout gave a tired out, low swooping nod at the query. His warlock gave him a quick pat on the head for his reply and turned away to focus on his own meal. 

It was a hearty and well balanced dinner of steak and salad, yet Logan could not help but feel as though he was craving something else entirely different. Perhaps it was the usual pull towards his work he so often felt? Nodding along to the notion, he picked up his cutlery in order to dig in. One cannot think well on an empty stomach, as the saying goes. Once he began eating, his polite and surprisingly patient Familiars began to eat their own meals as well.

After dinner he immediately washes the small amount of dishes used during the day. It was best not to let them pile up too much, as he was a man that loathed disorder and messiness.

Moriarty swooped in to help place the assorted plates and glasses back on the shelves while Sheppard strode his way over to the living room to lay between Logan’s grey loveseat and the small brick fireplace. Knowing full well that that seat was where Logan would be spending the next couple of hours as he casually went over the day’s work. 

Moriarty, on the other hand, would spend the time flitting between nesting on the cushion beside him, perching on the back of the loveseat, and resting himself upon Logan’s shoulder. His movements were easily predictable for Logan, who hardly ever got startled by the bird. Well, with the exception of…

The warlock pinched the bridge of his nose as he made his own way into the living room while holding his last cup of coffee of the day, sending Moriarty a look that somehow managed to be questioning, exasperated, and fond all rolled into one as he passed by him.

Why had the bird practically launched himself towards their newest client? Normally, if his Familiars invaded a strangers personal space so abruptly upon first meeting them then that meant that they saw them as a threat and were acting fast to protect their warlock. But that had apparently not been the case at all! Moriarity had....had proceeded to cuddle the darkly dressed man in an overly affectionate and quite frankly rude manner. His Familiars, as he had mentioned to the fellow, usually did not like anyone other than Logan. Only finding exception in long time acquaintances that he held a particular camaraderie with. Especially Moriarty because he was Logan’s first and therefore most bonded. The client in question, however...Had seemed to not mind at all...And had just happily soaked up the bird’s affection towards him. He had taken it all in with an alarmingly charming smile and softened voice that almost made his knees-

He falls into the loveseat, gripping the edge of the cushions with one hand and trying not to spill his fresh coffee with the other as he sits down. Anchoring his thoughts before he lets them set sail into some illusionary sunset. He needed to forget about that odd incident. He needed to start thinking straight again. He needed to get some more work done. 

Don't do love, don't do friends.

I'm only after success.

Don't need a relationship.

I'll never soften my grip.

With a resolved sigh the warlock reached over to the end table beside the loveseat, placed the just barely saved cup atop it’s coaster, scooped up the couple of notebooks that were there, and began looking through his notes on all of his meetings for the day. As he read through them, however, he began to feel unnaturally antsy. He chewed on his bottom lip. He tapped his nails against the cover. He hopped his foot continuously up and down. Sensing his uneasiness, Moriarty lets out a questioning caw soon followed by Sheppard’s concerned woof.  

“I’m fine.” He rasps out, “It’s just…” His eyes flicker towards the second notebook, the one now laying right beside his thigh. The one he would read second. Because he always read everything in chronological order and he would never skip around. Not for anything. Because it was very important that he remained well organized and timely in his work. So he would leave that one for later, for only after he had finished this one first. He would leave it there and he would-

Proceed to snatch it up immediately, entirely disregarding the previous notebook, which promptly and tragically fell onto the floor. Poor first notebook. Your fate belongs with the pen now.

“It’s this.” He hisses out as he flips on over to page thirty two. The beginning of his notes on his noon appointment, who had actually arrived an overwhelmingly terrible amount of one and a half hours late. Which had set him further on edge than he already was after dealing with Misses Stockbean around ten o’clock that morning, who had demanded more Ozian Poppy seeds than the original agreed amount for half the usual price. So understandably, he might have been a tad snappy towards the bloke at first but he had tried to soften at least a little bit after seeing how anxious the poor guy really was. But then, oh then, Moriarty had preceded to act entirely too strange for him which set Logan right back on edge again. After he had calmed his Familiar down with promises of extra fruits at dinner that night if he stayed quietly upstairs for the remainder of the appointment, he had finally been able to start to interview him.

Monday, September 23rd. Virgil Spurling. Age 26. Self Employed. Lives with his three adoptive parents, Thomas Proudfoot, Talyn Banes, and Joan Vivas. Only spends time with either the three of them, or his two honorary cousins Remington Sexton and Otto Toby Haggard. No living friends outside of the family. No current romantic or sexual partners. Has dark brown hair with light brown highlights. Has long bangs that fall over his eyes, sometimes almost covering them completely. Has rather stormy hazel blue eyes that almost appear violet depending on the lighting he is in. Has pronounced dark circles under his eyes- which are concerning. Has a lovely onyx teardrop piercing on his left cheek and a pair of matching dahlia piercings besides his lips. Has rounded, soft pink lips with a thinner upper lip and a thicker, more bitable lower lip and-

Wait a minute, just what kind of notes had he been taking the entire time he was conducting this interview?! He skips ahead two pages and he’s still just on the physical description section. His physical descriptions had always been more concise and to the point before now. He didn’t quite understand what had happened this time in order to change that. He skims ahead more to try and pinpoint any change or clue anywhere in all of this absurdity. 

Has brushed his bangs aside and placed them beside his ear to allow me to see that he has a tattoo behind his ear, on the side of his neck, comprised of a complicated swirl of black roses and thorns. It looks like it would have been painful to get but compliments the structure of the junction between his neck and shoulder nicely. It makes one wonder if he would appreciate someone’s equally difficult yet proudly designed tattoos of assorted constellations across one’s rib cages-

Okay, just why had he started talking about his own tattoos? These notebooks weren’t for some diary-esque documentation of himself. They were for taking professional notes so that he made sure he remembered the most important details of, and information for, all of his assorted clientele. Skip ahead further!

He is surprisingly smart. He is as quick witted as he is sharp-tongued. Metaphorically, of course. Physically, his actual tongue is baby pink and soft, if the few times it has darted out to lick nervously over his lips and teeth are of any indication. He hates pick up lines. Understandable. I find them pointless as well. He. Him. He too has memorized the entire periodic table of elements and is actually fluent in using their abbreviated symbols to make multiple words. Impressive. Breathtaking-

Well at least he seemed to be finally past the physical description now. Yet those strange sentences kept popping up and intertwining themselves where they had no right to be. Even if that had been rather breathtaking at the time it still...It still didn’t explain...Skip ahead! Skip ahead!

He lost his only friend at much too young of an age. I couldn't even begin to imagine how he must feel. How I would have felt were I in his place. He deserves to be comforted and well looked after. He needs a hug. A nice long, extended hug. Perhaps, seeing as I am the only one here with him as of the moment and thusly the only person currently available to do so I could-

Woah, woah, woah. Slow down there past Logan! One should never initiate physical contact with their client without their express consent. He knew that, of course. He knew that and yet he had written...He had written far too much about himself, is what he had done. Wasn’t he supposed to be finding Virgil a suitable romantic and/or sexual partner? How could he do that if he was too busy writing about himself and what...what he wanted? And wait, he wanted? He...yearned? And just for what, exactly? Skip-

He likes poetry. Specifically gothic poetry. That is one of my many favorites as well. I have a rather extensive collection in my shop that I could share with him-

Oh Merlin. 

He prefers Astronomy as well. Rather surprising, actually, given his darker appearance and habit of speaking- I had wrongly pegged him for someone much more superstitious. A nice surprise. A welcome one. He seems hyper fixated on the plethora of bird-associated constellations which is highly endearing. There is a new large telescope being currently housed in the recently opened observatory section of the Morph Museum, which is not that far of a walk from my shop. Perhaps I could take him-

Oh Merryweather.

He likes bath bombs and the hand soap that foams. He likes collecting seashells and storing little hidden trinkets in them. He likes feeling the gentler tides lap across his feet but dislikes ever actually going any further into the water unless someone he trusts is there with him. Meanwhile, I personally haven’t been out metal detecting in a while maybe I could go with-

Oh Mages of Both Old and New!

I know exactly what I want and who I want to be.

I know exactly why I walk and talk like a machine.

I'm now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy.

Oh, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh!

Logan tosses the notebook back down onto the couch, a notably much safer place than the floor, and lets out a choked, broken sob. Using his hands to haphazardly tug on his hair, he somehow hopes to numb his ever spiraling thoughts like a brain freeze might do so after drinking a cold beverage too fast but it’s not working.  Nothing’s working and-

And there’s a lick on one of his hands. He blinks aside a few tears he hadn’t even realized had fallen in the first place and sees that Sheppard had risen to his height by standing on his hind paws and was now trying to gently get his warlock to stop abusing his own scalp. Meanwhile, Moriarty was darting back and forth across the room, obviously trying to locate the source of Logan’s clear distress. He manages a breathy chuckle at that despite his current haggard condition and decides to wrap his arms gently around Sheppard’s feathered scuff instead.

“Really,” he praises, “What would I do without you two?” 

Sheppard huffs back at him, which roughly translated to Nothing, obviously. And causes Logan to break out into a more genuine laugh this time before sinking to his knees and bringing the pup softly down with him. He evens his breathing out as Shep licks consolingly at his hands and arms. “What am I going to do, boy?” he mumbles as he uses his dress shirt’s pocket handkerchief to dab at the stray tears with one arm as he still clings to the wolf with his other. “This can’t be happening, right? It just can’t.” He gets no response at that, however, probably since the poor canine can’t entirely grasp the emotional severity of the situation. 

Deciding to just toss the handkerchief into the nearest bin instead of sending it through the wash as per usual whenever he dirtied it, he finally lets go of Sheppard, stands back up, and brushes off his pants legs. Upon glancing towards the looming form of the notebook where it still lay tauntingly on the couch’s cushions, he guffaws a more strained and panicked laugh as his thought train not only takes off down the tracks but also entirely derails off course.

If you are not very careful,

Your possessions will possess you.

TV taught me how to feel,

Now real life has no appeal.

“What have I always told myself, hm?” He gestures wildy, causing Moriarty to stop his frantic searching in order to look towards him and for Sheppard to perk back up into attention as well. “What have I always told myself even way back in school? Even though other more hormonal mages always disagreed with me, what were the words I always stuck by, huh?” The two Familiars shared a brief confused look between the two of them.

Logan stops to run a hand through his hair in hopes of straightening it up a bit from it’s tousled state. “What words not only got me through school but also allowed me to reach my full potential and achieve the placement of top student?” He allows himself to take a moment to stroke a hand over each of the surfaces of all the awards aligning the top shelf of his smallest bookcase, located on the other side of the loveseat than the end table was. These were the backups of the awards he kept in his shop downstairs, just in case a particularly rowdy customer ever managed to break one. After his fingers left the “Best Little Potion Maker’s” one, he pushed himself away from the area entirely and headed swiftly towards the hallway in front of the staircase. 

It has no appeal.

It has no appeal.

It has no appeal.

It has no appeal.

It has no appeal!

His ever attentive Familiars followed worriedly behind him until they stop just before the steps. He flourishes a harsh, pointed finger at the few portraits hanging on the wall there. “What words were going to eventually get me all the way to the top of Heartwish City’s very own magical community? But are now just...Just dead pipe dreams!” His two most trusted creature companions, still ever so confused by his current trail of logic, made hushed little questioning noises.

Ripping the topmost portrait off of the wall, he began to hiss his next words at it as if the object itself had managed to personally offend him. “Focus on your work. Never fall prey to your feelings. You need to be successful in life more than you need to personally engage in any inane romantic or sexual endeavors.” Merlin’s painted facade stared blankly and unchangingly back at him. In utter retaliation at the silence, he tosses it frame and all down the stairs. Upon remembering Logan’s aversion to untidiness, Sheppard slinks slowly down them to go collect the scattered remains.

Don't want cash, don't want card.

Want it fast, want it hard.

Don't need money, don't need fame.

I just want to make a change.

“Lot of good that did me, boys!” He continues to deliriously shout out, “All these years and not even so much of an inkling of said feelings and yet over the course of one idiotically ineffable day I’ve managed to gain what is essentially a childish schoolyard crush!” He managed to breathe out all in one go before slumping tiredly against the side of the stairwell.

In a Eureka! moment Moriarty begins to excitedly flit to and fro while hurriedly chirping at his warlock. Almost too fast for him to be able to sense the meaning of. “Wait, slow down a bit Mori. What are you-” More hard to decipher chirps, “Hold on, move in? What on earth gave you that idea? No, he’s not going to-” More persistent caws this time, “Well, of course we both like him, I’ve literally just now established that already and- And wait just a moment.”

He scoops the bird gently into his palms. “You liked him first, didn’t you?” One short caw confirmed a resounding Yes. for him. “Did you know, then? Could you have possibly sensed that he’s perfect for me? For us?” He stutters out a breathy laugh, “That’s what that whole debacle was about, wasn’t it?” The crow coos soothingly back up at him and gives him a love bite on the bridge of his nose. Logan releases Moriarty back into the air, along with the emotions connected to his previous outburst, and leans back to place his hands firmly on his hips while he stood proudly back up on his own two feet.

“Just look at me, behaving so ridiculously over the top for such a trivial matter. Throwing a temper tantrum even! Just what would my old professors say, if they saw me now?” He shuffles over to the other side of the hallway where a small cabinet is and opens one of the drawers. “After all, I am more than perfectly capable of handling more than one problem at a time, am I not?” There was both a cheerfully agreeable caw and howl at that, which caused him to finally smile happily again. “And besides, it might not even last all that long. Crushes and mere infatutations are usually short lived!” He rifles through the drawer’s contents until he finds another portrait that was dusty and slightly cracked in one of the upper hand corners. Shutting the drawer and striding back over to the stairwell he holds it up to see if it’ll fit in the arrangement. “Yes, this’ll do perfectly.”

I just wanna change.

I just wanna change.

I just wanna change.

I just wanna change.

I just wanna change!

“And well, if it does last longer or just so happens to escalate further, then...” He concludes as he places the portrait on the spot with a short spell to fix the hook he had broken earlier and steps back to admire the new set up, “His parents never specified that I couldn't be the one I chose for his match, now did they?” Morgan Le Fey, now sitting atop the others as if on a throne made up of the mages, gives him a subtly wicked and tilted smile in response. 

He mirrors her expression for the briefest of moments before spinning on his heel and heading towards the only window on the top floor of his building. The warlock steps into his bedroom,  pushes the curtains aside, and undoes the latches in the center. As he thrusts the two panes wide open, Moriarty joins his side once more.

 “Ah, perfectly punctual as always, Moriarty.” he praises as the bird lands on the back of his hand before leaning in to whisper conspiratorially to him, “Before any new endeavor one embarks on in their life, they should always research properly first, yes?” After his Familiar nods in agreement he continues onwards, “And I’m sure you want to see him again soon yourself, right?” Upon realizing who his warlock was talking about, the bird fluffs up his feathers in anticipation. “Exactly, so this all makes perfect sense.” He waves away any other possible negative notions with a sweep of his hand and turns swiftly back towards the open window.

The sun was setting now. The doctor briefly recalled a time, as a kid, where he had stayed up long past his bedtime not only to see the sunset but to also test out his newest telescope. Back then, before he had properly entered into his magical schooling, he had been far more into scientific pursuits at the time. Though he still held a liking towards them now that he was older, what really currently consumed him was his work with all things magical and mythical. Though now, after today, a new beast of a subject was rounding the corner to have it’s turn eating away at his soul. Maybe, just maybe, if he was lucky enough, he could manage to take a bite out of it first.

“Alright, Moriarity, you know what you must do.” He interrupted the nostalgic scene and swung the arm the Yatagarasu was perched upon out the window and into the open picturesque evening air. His voice took on a booming echo, “Go forth and gather all that we must know, Though never your own cover you must blow.”

All three of his Familiar’s eyes flashed with the royal blue color of Logan’s magic before the third eye disappeared into the feathers of his forehead and his third leg was tucked away into the feathers of his tail. They both breathed a collective sigh of relief at another spell well cast, despite the roller coaster of emotions that they had all been through that day. Moriarty gave him one final nod in reassurance of their plan and took off into the ever changing dusk sky.

The warlock stayed by the window long enough to watch until his Familiar’s form disappeared over the horizon then set about closing and locking it back up. His other Familiar trudged upwards from the stairs, through the small apartment, and into his bedroom. Giving him a huff to announce his presence. 

“Oh, you cleaned it up?” he asked the Valravn, who butted his head against his thigh, “Thank you, though I could have gotten it myself later.” A grunt followed that and he chuckled as he scratched behind the canine’s ears, “Yes, yes you're a good boy. Now let’s head to bed, shall we?” Sheppard pulled away from the affection to howl at the window. “Moriarty? He’s...running an errand. He’ll be a while.” To which he received the most pointed look a dog’s face could ever muster. He shivered as he felt the intrinsically implied Can’t hide things from me, we’re bonded. and cleared his throat to correct himself, “He’s watching over our dear new acquaintance, Virgil. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to meet him yourself soon.” 

Much more satisfied by that answer, Shep hopped up onto his rightful spot at the foot of the bed. Where he settled down to wait as Logan went through his nightly routine of partially getting ready for the next work day, cleaning himself up, and changing into his pajamas. 

Meanwhile, the coffee mug in the living room on the dark wooden end table still sat forgotten and untouched. Where it would no doubt remain throughout the entire night.

I'm gonna live, I'm gonna fly.

I'm gonna fail, I'm gonna die.

I'm gonna live, I'm gonna fly.

I'm gonna fail, gonna die, die, die, die.

A/N: So I’m still a dirty rotten no good procrastinator. But! Hopefully it’ll help make up for the wait just a little bit that I’ll be posting both chapters 2 and 3 in quick secession. Along with a short, one-off Creativitwins fanfic (coming soon) based off of the latest episode (SVS Part 2). Hope you’ll enjoy! ^ . ^ “”” Also, I’ll no longer be going through the original post for reblogs to add to the taglist. So if anyone wants to be added to it please dm or ask me and let me know! ;3

Tag List: 

@accidental-sanders 

@ren-allen

@noneed4thistbh

@virgil-the-void-kitten

@totalwhovian

@bandgeek82002-love

@allycat31415

@notalwaysthevillian

@cloudchaser7

@iamredxd

@lacrimosathedark

@idon-kno

@darkhumourandfandoms

@phangirlandkilljoy

@nikova-eve

@rebelrewriter

@chaoticpanpastelle

@simreaper98

@adroolingmaw

@corrupt-ink-denials

@all-of-them-sanders

@6-daughter-of-a-witch-6

@angelicakaiba

@blobdad

@bi-sappy

@clara-oswald-333

@friendly-neighborhood-murderer

@randomcrew

@demon-of-sparkles

@transdimentionalapocolypse

@maybe-one-day-i-will-be-okay

@dxlphmax

@aikitty

@comicsimpson

@agatheringofbees

@mediocrity-at-best

@babybunnyquake

@sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes

@screechingflapbiscuitpeach

@hunter-shyreen

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@bee-a-queen

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@virgil-is-baby-boi

@chocococo16

@softboisnek

@forbiddensender

@tinylightthingtrash

@andreaissy

@girl-from-pluto

@loveyousweets

@im-a-space-gay

@kai-the-person

[ellie-valsin]

Okay, you guys know what this means, right?  (Other than the fact that I will surely end up arranging a trip to “visit family” in Tokyo in January 2019.)  That’s right, it means that Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 will be getting its first post-Broadway production in Tokyo next year!

Congratulations to the show, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t going to make every earthly effort to get there to see it.  Because my husband does still have family living in Tokyo, we’ve been there a number of times and I’ve been lucky enough to see several Broadway-style shows there.  Let me give some straight-talk insight on what to expect from a Japanese production; those who are offended by straight-talk may stop reading now.  ;)

-The company producing it:  Toho Stage.  If I’m being totally honest, this fact has kept me up half the night worrying.  To be fair, they have produced plenty of what I would call “legit” musical theatre, including, coming soon, Fun Home, as well as everything from South Pacific (I know, whut) to Secret Garden.  The problem is that they also produce tons and tons of Bway flops and Euro-pop musicals, which is mostly my personal experience with Toho.  (Anytime a French musical is licensed in Japan, I know before even looking that it will be with Toho.  No exceptions.)  And they are usually veeeeery loose adaptations of those shows, so I am a bit concerned.  But probably I’m worrying for nothing on this point...We’ll see.

-The staging:  Japan does many musicals, both old and new, American, European, and Asian, but when it does first run versions of recent Broadway musicals, it usually makes some attempt to replicate the staging, stage design, and/or costumes.  You see much more slavish imitation productions out of Shiki musical productions than out of Toho ones, but that’s because Shiki holds the rights to every Disney musical ever, and Disney is very particular about such things.  When Toho puts on Les Mis, they do have an exact replica production of whatever’s playing in other countries, because Cam Mac is similarly particular about it--however, I’ve also seen them change many production designs for other shows.  It all depends on who’s granting the rights and what restrictions are placed on those rights.  The Natasha, Pierre rights holders would be very wise to insist on a similar production to the American one, imo, but then again, I really can’t see any of the immersive stage designs working in the theatre that Toho uses...Not because the stage couldn’t be adapted to, say, the A.R.T. configuration they used in Boston, but because I don’t think the interactive elements/jokes would go over that well with typical Japanese audiences (I think the majority of Japanese musical fans would be very uncomfortable with it).  

Whatever the stage and costume design, I imagine it will be beautiful, since I have always been impressed by that aspect of every production I’ve seen there, whether imitation staging or new staging.

The only thing that worries me about the staging is, well, the stage--or, more precisely the theatre.  Toho’s usual theatre is huuuuge compared to your standard Bway theatre.  We always knew this would be a problem if this show toured, since most touring houses in America are also huuuuge, but I always secretly hoped they’d go back to a tent format and do sit-downs in big cities that way.  I...don’t think a tent is what Toho has in mind.  We’ll have to wait and see, but I will say I don’t think I’d want to be in the back of the balcony on this one.....

-The casting:  Yes, they will all be Japanese, except for the Koreans they hire.  So, in that sense, yes of course it won’t resemble the diverse ensemble from the OBC.  On the other hand, I am quite confident they can find a girl who can look and act the part of Natasha, since most of the female leads I’ve seen in musicals there are quite ingenue-typed sopranos.  They will also make a killer Anatole.

Also, I forgot to mention: it will likely be double-cast, meaning there will be two separate actors or actresses cast for each of the most demanding parts (in this case, probably Natasha, Pierre, Anatole, Sonya, and maybe Helene), and they’ll rotate their schedules throughout the run.  This is typical of Japanese musicals, and should be interesting.

-The singing:  Compared to the OBC, it will most likely suck.  Japanese musical theatre voices are trained to sound a bit different from contemporary Broadway voices, so they usually already sound pretty different when singing regular Broadway scores, but this one?  I predict that this’ll be baaaad.  But you may say, ‘everyone in the OBC sounded “different” from a standard Bway voice, why couldn’t that work for the Japanese, too?’ to which I say, well, it’s a different kind of different.  The OBC had distinctive voices, interesting voices (which, personally, I feel like we’ve been missing more and more on Broadway in these past 10-20 years), but they were hitting very specific notes, often weird ones, since it’s Dave after all.  ;)  Not only have I not seen proof that the average Japanese musical singer can sing a score of this complexity (I’ve never seen them do Sondheim, for instance, though I know it does exist), but they seem to be mostly trained to do a sort of “Rodgers & Hammerstein” style of singing in which everyone attempts a pretty classical musical theatre sound with lots of vibrato and a woman’s break occurs very low, that is, the head voice is used where often the original show belted the notes (see: the painful rendition of Evita’s “A New Argentina”).  High belting is not even a lost art in Japan, because I’m pretty sure it was never found to begin with: clips from shows as disparate as Aida, Hunchback of Notre-Dame, and Wicked have made this clear to me, and certainly every experience I’ve ever had mixing Wildhorn with Japan (Scarlet Pimpernel, Jekyll&Hyde, etc.), or even the more poppy French musicals in Japanese.  Does every actor/actress belt flat?  No, of course not--but plenty of them do.  New contemporary musical theatre continues to move into the realm of American Idol, producing beltier and beltier music, so it’s only bound to become a worse problem over time...

But anyway, even with bum notes and heavy vibrato being consistent annoyances, will that really affect Nastasha, Pierre, which is not really an example of the “belt it higher/longer” Wicked school of musical writing?  Well, of course it will, sometimes.  Don’t expect anyone who can tear into Maria Dmitrievna in Japan.  Don’t expect Natasha will be able to powerfully slam those top notes in her “argument” scenes.  Don’t expect the end of Dust & Ashes to sound great.  And certainly don’t expect to get a reliable “PETERSBUUUUURG!!!” out of anyone (though one might say that for most actors working on Bway, too  ;)).  

And even if they somehow find a miraculous cast hidden away somewhere who can sing the shit out of the notes, there will always be:

-The translation: This shit will be difficult as all hell to translate.  Between Malloy’s own writing style and Tolstoy’s text, I really don’t know how it will be done.  I’ve attempted it myself, so I’ve already seen the challenges first hand...  Japanese is acknowledged as one of the most difficult languages to translate English lyrics into, mostly because the structure of the two languages differs so greatly: in Japanese, you can usually express pretty much any of the same ideas you can in English, but you usually can’t express them in as few syllables.  When my husband and I made a project of translating “No One Else,” it proved almost impossible to fit every idea expressed in the English lyrics into the translation without running waaaay too long to fit the meter.  This is usually solved for in professional Japanese musical translations by cutting out whole lines from the original libretto and taking, say, two lines to translate one line of English text.  It can also be solved by pretty much ignoring the English lyrics and just making up some different ones in Japanese that fit the meter and don’t sound too out of place thematically.  These methods work fine for shows that were lyrically insipid to begin with, like the Euro-pop musicals (yes, Romeo & Juliette, I am looking at you), but on Dave Malloy’s libretto???  Why bother if you have to do a hack job to make it work...?  There’s a reason Sondheim is so infrequently produced in Japan......

Now, for many of you, the translation will not affect your life in the slightest.  For my husband and other bilinguals, it will be excruciating to listen to.  He already gets annoyed enough listening to Japanese Les Mis...I don’t know how I’m going to get him to listen to a translation of lyrics he actually loves to death in English.  ;) 

Anyway, if it sounds like I’m very wary of this production, that’s because...I am.  It’s scary not only because it’s a Japanese production, but also because it’s the first production post-Bway, and nobody knows quite what sort of adaptation to expect.  I’ll try to keep the faith, while still keeping it real...  The good news is that you all will likely be able to judge it for yourself, because Toho usually puts out at least a cast recording for its musicals, and sometimes even a DVD of them!

And will I be attending, in spite of my serious concerns?  Yeah, duh, if I can swing it.  XD  I can already tell you there will be tears at the end, which is one thing I fully expect them to get perfectly right.  :’)

[trinuviel]

Winterfell’s Daughter. On Sansa Stark (part 6)

This is the sixth part of my analysis of Sansa Stark’s character in Game of Thrones. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) and it concludes the analysis of Sansa Stark’s season 1 arc. This is where the story takes a turn against the Starks and where Sansa’s life becomes a nightmare.

LIFE IS NOT A SONG

In my last post, I showed how Sansa’s illusions about chivalry, court and love were restored after they had been undermined by the vicious behavior of Joffrey, Cersei and the Mountain. In the very same episode as Joffrey mendaciously woo Sansa with pretty words and a pretty necklace, Ned falls out with Robert over Daenerys Targaryen and decides to break off Sansa’s betrothal to Joffrey and leave King’s Landing (ep06). Unsurprisingly, Sansa doesn’t react well when Ned tells her and Sansa that they’ll return to Winterfell.

Sansa: I can’t go. I’m supposed to marry prince Joffrey. I love him and I’m meant to be his queen and have his babies.

This is where Ned utters this oft-quoted line:

Sansa: I don’t want someone brave, gentle and strong. I want him! He’ll be the greatest king that ever was, a golden lion, and I’ll give him sons with beautiful blonde hair.

Arya: The lion is not his sigil, idiot. He’s a stag, like his father.

Sansa: He is not. He’s nothing like that old drunk king.

Out of the mouth of babes… Sansa unwittingly gives Ned the key to the mystery that his predecessor Jon Arryn was investigating: The true parentage of Cersei Lannister’s children. Sansa sounds like a complete ninny-hammer in this scene. Once again, she’s got her head in the clouds, imagining herself the star of a Westerosi fairytale. I have already mentioned that it is a shame that the show has erased existence of the songs and romances that are part of the cultural fabric of Westeros because this literature informs Sansa’s views on romance and chivalry. This literature therefore serves as a context for her ideals and her behaviour. Let’s have a look at how part of the exchange between Sansa and Ned plays out in the book:

“Father, I only just now remembered, I can’t go away, I’m to marry Prince Joffrey.” She tried to smile bravely for him. “I love him, Father, I truly do, I love him as much as Queen Naerys loved Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, as much as Jonquil loved Ser Florian. I want to be his queen and have his babies. […] We’ll be ever so happy, just like in the songs, you’ll see…” (A Game of Thrones, Sansa III)

Sansa isn’t facing the reality of her relationship with Joffrey but is rather desperately trying to make it fit the shape of the stories she loves so much. However, Sansa doesn’t understand that the songs she loves so much leaves out or stylizes all the hardship and suffering that the characters go through. She thinks that Aemon the Dragonknight defending the virtue of Queen Naerys against slander is terribly romantic – and it is. However, she doesn’t understand is these epic romances that she adores dilute the grief, suffering and horror with pretty words and ear-catching verse. Sansa’s life may become the subject of songs and stories, but not in the way that her younger self imagined. It is a common theme in the books: that romanticism erases the suffering, the blood and the grief of the people and events that are immortalized in stories and songs. Life is not a song, but it can become the subject of songs: “We are all just songs in the end. If we are lucky”. Young Sansa wanted to live in a song – and she just might get her wish, but in the worst way possible.

THE LION’S “MERCY”

As noted above, Sansa’s little outburst about that “old drunk king” leads Ned to discover the truth: that Joffrey is the offspring of Cersei and Jaime Lannister’s incestuous affair. However, his handling of this explosive secret is disastrous. Not only does he inform Cersei that he knows her secret but he does so before getting his daughters safely out of King’s Landing. Thus, when Cersei acts against Ned and slaughters his household, both Sansa and Arya are targeted by the Lannister soldiers. Syrio Forel delays the attackers to facilitate Arya’s escape and Septa Mordane tries to do the same for Sansa though it fails. This unarmed woman stares down a bunch of soldiers with bloody swords, knowing that it most likely means her death and she doesn’t flinch. It is perhaps one of the bravest acts I’ve seen on the show.

Sansa is captured by the Hound and she is now completely alone and isolated in King’s Landing. Ned is in the Black Cells, Arya has escaped and the rest of the Stark household are dead. It is a frightened girl that is summoned before Cersei and the remainder of the Small Council (Varys, Pycelle and Baelish). They pull a good cop, bad cop routine in order to coerce Sansa into writing a letter to Robb Stark at Winterfell, begging him to travel to King’s Landing to bend the knee to Joffrey.

Varys: Your father has proved to be an awful traitor, dear.

Pycelle: King Robert’s body was still warm when Lord Eddard began plotting to steal Joffrey’s rightful throne.

Sansa: He wouldn’t do that! He knows how much I love Joffrey. He wouldn’t. Please, Your Grace, there’s been a mistake. Send for my father. He’ll tell you – the king was his friend.

On the surface, this reads like a very self-absorbed thing to say – and it is, to a certain extent. However, it also shows that Sansa believes that her father would never hurt her intentionally. In her mind, her father would never hurt her – he knows she loves Joffrey – losing Joffrey would hurt her – ergo: Ned would never work against Joffrey because it would hurt her. It is a superficial way to approach this whole situation but it also reveals that she has complete faith in her father’s love for her.

Maester Pycelle: She’s a sweet thing now, Your Grace, but in 10 years who knows what treasons she may hatch?

Sansa to Cersei: No I’m not. I’ll be a good wife to him, you’ll see. I’ll be a queen, just like you (oh, the irony!), I promise. I won’t hatch anything.

Cersei, Varys, Pycelle and Baelish manipulate her skillfully.

Baelish: The girl is innocent, Your Grace. She should be given a chance to prove her loyalty.

Cersei: Little Dove, you must write to Lady Catelyn and your brother. The eldest – what’s his name?

Sansa: Robb.

Cersei: Word of your father’s arrest will reach him soon, no doubt. Best it comes from you. If you would help your father, urge your brother to keep the King’s Peace. Tell him to come to King’s Landing to swear his fealty to King Joffrey.

Sansa: If I could see my father, talk to him…

Cersei: You disappoint me, child. We have told you of your father’s treason. Why would you want to speak to a traitor?

Sansa: I only meant that… What will happen to him?

Cersei: That depends.

Sansa: On… On what?

Cersei: On your brother. And on you.

Sansa is led to believe that Ned’s fate rests on her slender shoulders. She thinks that her father’s life is dependent on her actions, which most likely provides the impetus for the next action she undertakes. Sansa publically pleads for her father – on her knees in front of the Iron Throne.

It is unclear whether she does this of her own accord or whether Cersei and the Small Council are in on it. Regardless, it is a lovely piece of heartfelt theatre and it shows that Sansa quickly has become familiar with the conventions of the royal court as she is exploiting the system of the king petitions publically.

Sansa: All I ask is mercy. I know my lord father must regret what he did. He was King Robert’s friend and he loved him, you all know that he loved him. He never wanted to be Hand, until the King asked him. They must have lied to him, Lord Renly or Lord Stannis or somebody. They must have lied!

Joffrey: He said I wasn’t the king. Why did he say that?

Sansa: He was badly hurt. Maester Pycelle was giving him Milk of the Poppy. He wasn’t himself. Otherwise he never would have said it.

Once again, Sansa demonstrates her complete faith in her father’s innocence and honour. Most likely, she knows nothing about what really happened and tries to come up with her own explanation. She ends her plea with an appropriation of the language of Courtly Love:

Notice how her language changes at this point – it becomes formal, stylized. She is speaking a sentence that could come straight from one of the chivalric romances that she likes so much. Here she appeals to the conventions of Courtly Love whereby the lover should fulfill his lady’s wishes. Joffrey, in turn, knows this language and responds in kind:

Joffrey: Your sweet words have moved me. But your father must confess. He has to confess and say that I’m the king – or there’ll be no mercy for him.

However, where Sansa uses the language of Courtly Love in good faith, Joffrey operates in bad faith. Just as he did in the scene where he gifted her a necklace. To him the language and conventions of Courtly Love are empty words and gestures whereas they are very meaningful to Sansa. She has yet to understand that truth and honour are rare commodities at court. Here deceit and double-speak reigns supreme.

When the time comes, Joffrey’s mercy turns out to be no mercy at all! However, Sansa isn’t the only person who is blindsided when Joffrey calls for Ned’s head. Cersei, Varys and Pycelle’s reactions show that they, too, have been blindsided by Joffrey’s demand.

Sansa breaks down, screaming desperately for them to stop. She has to be restrained by an armed knight before she faints at the sight of her father’s headless body.

Unlike Arya, who is shielded from the sight of her Ned’s death by Yoren, Sansa is forced to watch her father die. This is the moment when the scales finally fall from her eyes. Throughout the season, Sansa has been willfully blind about Joffrey. It isn’t necessarily because she’s stupid but rather because she has constantly been told not to trust her own instincts. She was also purposely mislead by gestures and words designed to appeal to her romanticism. However, her final disillusionment is incredibly brutal and traumatic.

“HE CAN MAKE ME LOOK AT THE HEADS; BUT HE CAN’T MAKE ME SEE THEM”

Joffrey takes Sansa to the battlements of the Red Keep to show her the severed heads of her father and his household.

I have chosen to title this section with a quote from the book because it encapsulates how Sansa adopts a strategy of passive resistance in the face of the emotional abuse that Joffrey inflicts on her. What does this distinction between “looking” and “seeing” mean? To look means to direct one’s gaze at something (what is being looked at). To see can mean the same thing but it can also imply to understand, recognize or comprehend something. So what does this mean in relation to this scene between Joffrey and Sansa? It could refer to Sansa’s tendency to compartmentalize and supress things that are traumatic to her. Let’s have a look at the passage that follows the quote above:

Sandor Clegane took the head by the hair and turned it. The severed head had been dipped in tar to preserve it longer. Sansa looked at it calmly, not seeing it at all. It did not really look like Lord Eddard, she thought; it did not even look real. “How long do I have to look?” Joffrey seemed disappointed. – A Game of Thrones, Sansa VI

The way that Sansa disassociate “looking” from “seeing” can be read as both a coping mechanism and a form of passive resistance. The whole situation is incredibly traumatic for her – her father was murdered before her eyes and she is alone among people she cannot trust. On top of that, she has to contend with Joffrey’s vicious nature. He only brought her to the battlement to enjoy her anguish. Sansa refuses him that pleasure by not giving any outward reaction.

Sophie Turner conveys Sansa’s passive resistance perfectly through a stoic, emotionless countenance and an inflectionless, almost “dead”, quality to her voice. There’s even a subtle defiance in the manner in which she raises her head to look – at Ned’s head, at Joffrey. At some level, Joffrey knows that she’s resisting but he can’t put a finger on it and thus he’s rendered impotent. He doesn’t get the reaction from her that he wants. He wants her tears and she refuses to give them to him.

When she refuses to show her anguish, Joffrey tries another tactic: threats against her brother Robb.

However, this backfires as well when Sansa replies:

Then she coldly stares him down, daring him to challenge her. Joffrey is flustered, he even takes a step back! Then, as the coward he is, he orders Ser Meryn to strike Sansa. A grown man, wearing gauntlets, slaps her around and she doesn’t make a sound!

Immediately after this, the camera work shows the audience that Sansa ponders the ultimate act of resistance: killing Joffrey by pushing him off the battlements. She even starts walking towards him. The only reason Joffrey doesn’t die that day is because the Hound intervenes with the pretext of wiping the blood off her face. Sansa herself is completely prepared to die with him, as the book says: “All it would take was a shove, she told herself. […] It wouldn’t even matter if she went over with him. It wouldn’t matter at all.”

The scene ends with Sansa standing on the battlements, alone. She lifts her gaze one last time, looking up  at her father’s head, whilst she fights to hold back her tears. This gaze, I’d argue, is different than the “look, don’t see” approach she adopted earlier. With this final look, she is committing the crime of her father’s murder to memory. She’s reminding herself never to be deceived by Joffrey and the Lannisters again. This time, she won’t close her eyes to the truth. 

Sansa is often criticized for being a passive character in King’s Landing. Many think her weak because she doesn’t resist violently. However, it is mistake to confuse helplessness with weakness! About his sister Lyanna, Eddard said: “You saw her beauty, but not the iron underneath.” The same can be said of Sansa. Strength and resistance come in many forms. Sansa is not a violent person, she is not physically strong and she has no weapons training. It is ridiculous to expect her to fight off a bunch of armored soldiers. It would simply get her killed. Sansa’s resistance is more subtle and it is psychological rather than physical. The scene with Joffrey on the battlements shows how Sansa employs two different forms of resistance to Joffrey’s cruelty:

Active, verbal resistance where she talks back. That leads to a beating at the hands of the King’s Guard.

Passive resistance where she outwardly complies but refuses to let Joffrey enjoy her pain by schooling her face and her voice into an impassive countenance.

These two options are the forms of resistance that she continues to employ whilst she’s a captive in King’s Landing – and as the seasons progress, we see how she adjusts this resistance to more sophisticated and subtly manipulative forms. 

[xeno-odyssey]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighters Pass Volume 2 - New Predictions

With Byleth and the new Fighters Pass coming soon, I thought I would make a new, and revised/updated, predictions list on who might be the new upcoming 6 fighters. I’ll also be putting in reasons why that particular character might have a chance of becoming a fighter in Smash. This list will be fairly long, so I’m gonna put a cut underneath. Also, these are my predictions and personal choice of fighters. Please refrain from saying stuff like “But why didn’t you put (insert your character here) on this list?!” and other hateful things. If you don’t like what I put on this list, you can go ahead and make your own. I’d also rather have civil discussions, and it’s okay to dislike a character without being angry and hateful about it.

This list may also contain some spoilers to certain characters from their origin games. Be warned and read at your own risk.

With that said, these are the fighters (in no particular order) that I wanna see in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Let’s get started!

1. Rex and Pyra/Mythra - Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Xenoblade fans like myself were sorely upset that Rex became a Mii Swordfighter costume as compensation for being unable to join the base roster of Smash Ultimate. From a developer’s viewpoint, it makes sense as Xenoblade 2 was in production nearly the same time as Smash and announced during the Nintendo Switch reveal in 2017. Sakurai probably never got a chance to play a pre-alpha build of the game, so it would makes sense Rex would get the cut from the roster as Smash Ultimate was also nearly complete. Not only that, the lead main artist, Masatsugu Saito, didn’t finalize the designs for Rex and Pyra at the time when Xenoblade 2 started development. But with the announcement of Fighters Pass Vol. 2, the boy Driver and the Aegis Blades might have a second chance this time. - Mechanic/Gimmick: How they would work as a fighter is pretty simple. Rex would be similar to Shulk as he would have the Aegis Sword on his back if he’s not engaged in combat. When he’s attacking, Rex would pull out the Aegis Sword for swings, swipes and various attacks and put it away afterward. At his side, Pyra/Mythra would lend their power to Rex with the Affinity Link. A faint blue light line would be seen as the girls share their power & bond to Rex. The longer they stay by Rex’s side, the blue line would change to a bright gold light line, thus the stronger Rex becomes in his attacks. To make sure Pyra/Mythra stay by his side to keep the Affinity going, Rex would have slightly low mobility like Robin or Shulk using no Monado Art buffs. This can be interrupted if Rex runs too fast, or get’s hit by powerful moves like smash attacks, in turn lowering the Affinity slightly. And like Joker with his Persona, Arsene, Pyra & Mythra are invincible and cannot be harmed just like in their origin game (this does not count the DLC game, Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country, where the Blades can get hurt in battle as well). - Special Attacks: Rex’s special attacks would be based on his Driver Arts from his origin game. With the Affinity Link gimmick, these moves can become stronger unless Rex and Pyra/Mythra get interrupted or KO’d. Depending on which Aegis is out and which Aegis Sword Rex is using, Pyra and Mythra affect Rex’s attacks and moves. Pyra’s Sword acts like a single-edged longsword dealing fire elemental damage and having longer range, while Mythra’s Sword acts like a double-edged broadsword being slightly stronger and dealing light elemental attacks, but having slightly shorter range. Neutral-B - Sword Bash: Rex lunges forward slightly and thrusts the Aegis Sword into the enemy. With Pyra’s Sword, it has longer range. Like in its origin game and like Shulk’s Backslash, it deals more damage when you attack the enemy’s back. Side-B - Rolling Smash: Rex does a front somersault and strikes the ground hard causing an Ether shockwave that travels across the floor, similar to Terry’s Power Wave. Deals more damage if it connects with the enemy. If the attack doesn’t connect, the impact from Rolling Smash would cause a mini-earthquake launching foes in the air and dealing a fair amount of damage. This move only works in front of Rex. If you use this move in the air, Rolling Smash acts as a secondary recovery, akin to Little Mac’s Jolt Haymaker and Mii Swordfighter’s Airborne Assault. Up-B - Double Spinning Edge: Similar to the three Links’ Spin Attack, Rex strikes the enemy twice while he’s on the ground. If used in the air, acts similarly to Shulk’s Airslash as he’s hitting the enemy twice. This move requires no second additional input. Down-B - Blade Switch: Allows Rex to switch between either Pyra or Mythra, changing the Aegis Sword’s form, attack range, power and element. This move has no end lag, so you can freely switch between either Aegis Blade & Sword, and you can even do it mid-combo. Rex gains super armor while using this move. He’ll take damage, but won’t get cut off as he does the switch. Does not interrupt Affinity Link. Grab - Anchor Shot: Similar to Young/Toon Link’s Hookshot and Lucas & Rope Snake, Rex uses his salvager grappling anchor attached on his left arm as he shoots out an anchor cable grabbing his foes that are in range from a certain distance. And just like the Hookshot, Rope Snake, Joker’s Grappling Hook and Byleth’s Sword of the Creator, Anchor Shot also acts as a tether grab that allows you to latch onto edges. You can also use it as an aerial attack. Unfortunately, this does not cause enemies to get Toppled (tripped) or grab HP Potions (healing items). - Final Smash(es) - Chain Attack ~ Burning Sword / Sacred Arrow: Similar to how Ryu and/or Ken have a 2-in-1 Final Smash, Rex’s FS differs if Pyra or Mythra are active. After hitting the enemy with a bright light, Rex summons his fellow Drivers & Blades to join him in the Chain Attack. The following could be Nia & Dromarch, Mòrag & Brighid, or Zeke & Pandoria. The Drivers have their Blades use their Special Attacks to overwhelm the enemy. If Pyra is out, she is visibly seen using moves like Flame Nova. If Mythra is out, she is seen using moves such as Lightning Buster. Afterwards, Rex joins his Aegis Blade partners to use Burning Sword or Sacred Arrow as the finishing move. Again, this Final Smash is different if Pyra or Mythra are in play. Possible Version (SPOILER) - Infinity Blade: Pyra & Mythra fuse as one to become their true Ascended Form, Pneuma, and changing the Aegis Sword into a great diamond-like sword, similarly designed like Shulk’s Monado III. After the Drivers & Blades finish their Chain Attack, Rex joins Pneuma as she contacts the Aegis Mech, Siren, as it fires a laser cannon powering up the Aegis Sword. Rex & Pneuma then strike their opponent as they thrust the sword with its infinite power. - Stage: The new battlefield could be based on Alrest, the world of Xenoblade 2. The battle can take place on a tour across the Cloud Sea as you fight flying all over Alrest and battle on different Titans, similar to stages like Skyloft, New Donk City, etc.. - Soundtracks to Bring: There are only a few Xenoblade Chronicles 2 songs that made it into Smash Ultimate. I’ll list the ones that are currently missing: Incoming! Boss Battle Theme 2 Counterattack You Will Recall Our Names Gormott Province (Day Ver. / Night Ver.) Mor Ardain - Roaming the Wastes Death Match With Torna The Power of Jin Praetor Amalthus - The Acting God  After Despair and Hope - Alternate Costumes: Rex & Pyra/Mythra alt. costs. can be based on their special outfits they wear in their origin game. P1 - Rex’s standard blue salvager suit, Pyra’s fragmented bodysuit and Mythra’s white combat blouse-dress. P2 - Prototype Suit Rex based on Rex’s beta design, Pyra and Mythra swap their own color palettes with each other; Mythra-Style Pyra, and Pyra-Style Mythra. P3 - Cloud Sea King Rex salvager suit, based on his newly gifted armor from Pneuma. Disguised Pyra is based on her Gormotti cloak, and Massive Melee Mythra is based on Mythra’s Spirit artwork in Smash Ultimate where the gap on her dress covers up her cleavage, and is given a spandex suit under her dress covering up her legs. This is meant to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. P4 - Rex wears his Master Driver armor, a gift from Pneuma. Blue Sky Pyra is a reference to her Ascended Form, while Carbon Mythra is most likely a reference to Malos, the main antagonist. P5 - Rex wears a yellow salvager suit that he keeps as a spare, which he temporarily lends to his party member Nia in a Heart-to-Heart. Pyra wears a white bodysuit based on Nia’s Blade, Dromarch. Mythra is based on Nia’s true Blade form, where she has silver hair and her blouse-dress is decorated similarly to Nia’s Blade clothes. P6 - Rex’s salvager suit turns black and white which is a reference to Mòrag, a fellow party member and Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain. Pyra’s clothes turn blue and violet referencing Mòrag’s Blade partner Brighid, while Mythra has white and black and blue clothes referencing another one of Mòrag’s Blades, Aegaeon. P7 - Rex’s salvager suit turns to a dark grey and green referencing Zeke, another party member and Tantal’s Crown Prince, Pyra’s color palette changes to reference Pandoria, Zeke’s Blade, and Mythra’s colors change to reference Poppi QTpi. P8 - Rex & Pyra/Mythra wear special swimsuits based on Xenoblade tradition, akin to Shulk as well. Rex wears Cloud Sea Shark, a pair of black & blue swim-trunks, his grappling anchor changes into a toy shark, he wears a blue bag in exchange for his salvager helmet, and a pair of sandals. Pro Swimmer Pyra is a one-piece red & black swimsuit based on Pyra’s standard armor, and Radiant Beach Mythra is another one-piece swimsuit based on Mythra’s blouse-dress. Though Pyra & Mythra’s swimsuits and their bust size may have to be toned down and altered slightly so Smash Bros. keeps the E10+ age rating.

2. Lora & Jin & Haze (Team Lora) - Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country

Team Lora are the main protagonists of Xenoblade 2’s story DLC, Torna. It follows the story of the Aegis War that occurred over 500 years ago, and reveals the tragic events that would follow in the main story that determines the fates of these three characters. Not only are they another Xenoblade rep, but they also represent the prequel adventure. Lora & Co. are possibly unlikely candidates for the list if Rex and Pyra/Mythra get in instead. Most likely, they may end up as part of a DLC Spirit Board. - Mechanic/Gimmick: Team Lora works just like Rex & Pyra/Mythra with the Affinity Link system, but with a special twist; they would function similar to the Pokémon Trainer as you can switch to fight as either Lora, Jin, and/or Haze much like their origin game. The frontline fighter is the Vanguard, while the fighter supporting them are the Rear Guard. Lora’s weapon is called a battle braid (handmade rope-whip) utilizing the fire element, Jin wields a katana called the Nodachi carrying the ice element, and Haze wields a healing staff called a Crosier carrying the wind element. When the Driver or Blades are swapped in during combat, they use a special move called a Switch Art, allowing them to attack foes as they switch in. In terms of mobility; Lora is mediumweight, Jin is a slight heavyweight, and Haze is lightweight. And of course like Pyra & Mythra, depending on who’s the Rear Guard fighter, they are invincible until they are switched in. However like Pokémon Trainer’s team, Team Lora all share the same damage they’ve taken. - Special Attacks: Like Rex, all of Team Lora’s attacks are based on their Driver & Blade Arts, Switch Arts, and Talent Arts. Lora ~ Neutral-B - Path of Thorns: A cancel attack. Similar to Terry, after attacking in certain combos, press the B button to deal a multi-hitting move. This attack deals more damage the moment you cancel a combo. The move on its own deals very little damage. Jin ~ Inexhaustible: Jin’s Talent Art., functions similarly to Shulk’s Monado Buster and Hero’s Oomph spell. Deals minor damage to self while boosting only Jin’s stats for a set period of time until the effect wears off or gets KO’d. Haze ~ Winds of Time: Haze’s Talent Art and counterattack, functions similarly to Bayonetta’s Witch Time. Haze slows down enemies giving her enough time to follow up with other moves like combos and smash attacks. The more you use it, the weaker it gets. L ~ Side-B - Spinning Wheel: Lora whips her braids out around her dealing damage to enemies from all sides. J ~ Chillstroke: Functions similarly to Shulk’s Backslash. Jin slashes upward with his Nodachi, and deals more damage on the enemy’s back. H~ Swift Gale: Haze shoots enemies with a burst of air that deals moderate damage and pushes them away. If the attack connects, reduces a small amount of damage, percentage or heals HP in Stamina Mode. L ~ Up-B - Swallow’s Flight: Lora’s Talent Art. Deals minor damage to self in exchange for an exceptional recovery. When using on the ground, boosts Lora’s attacks, smash attacks or special attacks for only one attack. J ~ Snowblast: Jin shoots a burst of snow & ice that causes him to rise in the air as a recovery, and deals damage to foes that are in range beneath him. H ~ Mighty Gust: Haze rises in the air using summoned tornadoes, and deals damage to foes in range and pushes them away. Functions similarly to Hero’s Woosh/Swoosh/Kaswoosh spell. Down-B - Switch Arts: Similar to Shulk’s newly added Monado Art Wheel, by pressing & holding the Down-B input, you can choose which Driver or Blades to switch to by moving the Left Control Stick to select either Lora, Jin or Haze then letting go of the B button to make your selection. After choosing, the selected fighter that gets swapped in will use their Rear Guard Switch Art to attack the opponent. The following are: L ~ Touch-Me-Not: When Lora switches in, her attack causes foes to get launched in the air. J ~ Thin Ice: When Jin switches in, his attack causes opponents to trip. H ~ Stormy Skies: When Haze switches in, her attack inflicts a Meteor Smash attack on foes. Best used on the ledge of a stage when opponents are off-stage. When using on the ground, causes foes to bounce off the floor. Grab - Lora’s battle braid: While Jin and Haze can only grab their opponent with their hands, Lora is the only that utilizes her braids to reach out to foes that are slightly afar. She can also use her weapon as a tether grab to latch on to ledges. This also functions as an aerial attack. - Final Smash(es) - Chain Attack ~ Midnight Sun / Starlight Strike: Like Pyra & Mythra, this FS differs and depends if Jin or Haze are out fighting or supporting Lora. Team Lora calls upon Team Addam & Team Hugo as all teams do a group attack overwhelming the opponent(s). If Jin is active, they use Midnight Sun. Lora deals a series of fiery slash attacks with the Nodachi and then Jin finishes with a powerful cleave with Lora supporting him. If Haze is active, they use Starlight Strike. Lora pummels the enemy with the Crosier staff, then Haze hits the enemy with air blasts using Wind Ether. The two girls then finish by doing a synchronized knee strike. - Stage: The battle can take place on the Tornan Titan in the Kingdom of Torna right in front of the king’s palace. - Soundtracks: These songs may be included if Rex & Pyra/Mythra get in over Team Lora. Regardless, here are the songs: Battle!! - Torna Kingdom of Torna Gormott (Torna Ver.) Malos - The Acting God - Alternate Costumes: Team Lora’s costumes can reference Teams Addam & Hugo.

3. Cross and/or Elma - Xenoblade Chronicles X / Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Cross is the main protagonist and the player’s avatar, and Elma is the central main protagonist in Xenoblade X. They are part of the United Government Forces’ private military organization, BLADE (Builders of the Legacy After the Destruction of Earth) that focus on the survival of humanity on a planet they dub “Mira”. Elma is the captain of BLADE, her Division is with the Reclaimers, and her Class is Full Metal Jaguar. Cross on the other hand, the player can choose what Division and Class they can be. They initially start off as a Drifter. Elma is the more most likely candidate for another Xenoblade rep, while Cross seems unlikely. So when talking about special attacks, I’ll only refer to Elma in this case. - Mechanic/Gimmick: Because Cross is an avatar character akin to Fire Emblem’s Robin, Corrin and Byleth, the player can choose to play as either a male or female Cross. Their moves would most likely be a mix of various classes and weapons. Elma is already set to her default class, Full Metal Jaguar and wields Dual Swords & Dual Guns. For the main gimmick, either character can fill up a meter as they attack that allows them to use a tool called Overdrive. This increases the power of their special attacks, and string combos faster and more easily. Overdrive can only be activated when the meter is full, and when the player presses & holds the R button then presses the B button, much like Inkling’s ink tank. When Overdrive is activated, a song called Wir fliegen will begin playing in the background and play over the current song that’s playing on a stage, regardless if it’s Xenoblade related or not. For example, activating Overdrive while fighting on a Super Mario themed stage will cause the song to play over the randomized OST. - Special Attacks: Because Elma is a Full Metal Jaguar, I’ll list out potential moves that she could use when wielding her Dual Swords & Guns. Neutral-B - Stream Edge: Deals a series of strikes & slashes with the Dual Swords. Can be used as a follow-up combo attack. Side-B - Sliding Slinger / Executioner: Slides across the floor as Elma attacks the foe with her Dual Guns. When using this in the air, the move becomes Executioner instead, and Elma hails the opponent with bullets. Up-B - Shadowstrike: One of Elma’s Signature Arts. Elma jumps in the air, then lunges diagonally downward striking the opponent with her Dual Swords. Functions similarly to Mii Swordfighter’s Stone Scabbard, deals more damage when attacking the enemy’s back. Down-B - Ghost Factory: One of Elma’s Signature Arts and Elma’s counterattack, functioning similarly to Lucario’s Double Team. When struck by an enemy, Elma will create illusionary decoys to avoid the incoming attack and counters by striking back with her Dual Swords. - Final Smash - Skell Barrage / Skell Overdrive: Elma summons a Skell then leaps in to pilot it to deal a series of powerful attacks use the melee weapons and guns. If you have Overdrive activated, the FS becomes Skell Overdrive, increasing the power of the attacks to an eleven dealing even more damage. - Stage: The fight can take place on a tour of the city New Los Angeles (NLA for short). You’ll travel around BLADE’s Administrative District, the Commercial, Industrial and Residential Districts, and the Ma-non Ship that floats over the city. - Soundtracks: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has a lack of Xenoblade Chronicles X songs. Hopefully if Cross or Elma gets in, this fixes that. Black tar THEMEX NLA (Day Ver. / Night Ver.) Uncontrollable NO.EX1 Wir fliegen / X-BT2  Don’t worry The key we’ve lost - Alternate Costumes: P1 - Her default costume is called “Elma’s Bodywear”, red light wear armor manufactured from the Greneda Galactic Group. It is based on female version of the armor series. P2 - (SPOILERS) Elma’s true form. Seen at the end of the game, and can be used in a premium adventure playthrough. P3 - Wears light wear armor from Sakuraba Industries, referencing the 13-year old mechanic girl Lin Lee Koo. Elma also wears Lin’s Monado hair clips. P4 - Wears another version of Sakuraba Industries light wear armor, this time referencing Irina Akulov. P5 - Wears Sakuraba Industries casual wear, referencing Alexa. P6 - Wears a different version of Sakuraba Industries casual wear, this time referencing Sharon “Murderess” Effinger. P7 - Wears Celica’s Bodywear, an obvious reference to Celica that’s named after her. P8 - As per Xenoblade tradition akin to Shulk’s swim-trunks, Elma wears a red two-piece bikini swimsuit. Though Elma may be slightly toned down to make sure Smash Bros.’s age rating is still E10+.

4. Phoenix Wright - Ace Attorney series

Phoenix Wright may seem like an unlikely candidate...at first. He’s actually a “joke fighter” in the Marvel Vs. Capcom series. He has potential to be in Smash, and be the 4th Capcom rep alongside Mega Man, and Ryu & Ken. He won’t be alone as he’ll work like a semi-duo fighter. His assistant, Maya Fey, will sometimes join him in various moves, much like in Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 and in the crossover RPG Project X Zone 2. - Mechanic/Gimmick: Nick’s main gimmick is that he’ll be bring in his Turnabout Stances from UMvC3. Coincidentally because he’s a defense attorney, he has a more defensive fighting style as he prefers to fight from a slight distance using projectiles. Though this version works differently from UMvC3. As he attacks and deal damage, he builds up a meter as he goes through 3 stances: Investigation, Courtroom Trial, and Turnabout. Once Phoenix reaches Turnabout Mode, all of his moves and attacks are buffed until he gets KO’d. Investigation is his defensive mode as he gathers evidence, Trial mode is where he becomes more offensive in combat, and Turnabout mode when he collects enough decisive key evidence to pin the true culprit, allowing him to pull more combos easily and deal more damage to the suspect. - Special Attacks: Phoenix has many moves & combos from UMvC3. Command inputs like “Slip Up” will be his dash-attack as he trips into the enemy, similar to Villager and Isabelle’s dash-attack. So for his special attacks, here’s the following: Neutral-B - Questioning/Cross-Examination (HOLD IT!): Phoenix stops the witness in their tracks to gain testimony and evidence. Side-B - Paperwork Storm (TAKE THAT!): Throws trash evidence in the witness’ face. Functions similarly to Mr. Game-&-Watch’s Oil Panic, and deals more damage the more unneeded evidence Phoenix has. Up-B - Sneeze: Phoenix catches a cold and sneezes so hard he flies high in the air, and unsuspecting opponents take damage as Nick rises upward. Down-B - Present Evidence (OBJECTION!): Phoenix’s counterattack. Phoenix does a counter-argument and rebuts with decisive key evidence and even does his signature finger point while doing so. Special Command Input - Steel Samurai Maya Smelting!: Just like Ryu & Ken and Terry, Phoenix can do a command input too, but only in Turnabout Mode. By inputting the Hadoken command (↓↘→ + A or B), Phoenix can summon Maya where she’ll pummel the enemy with a series of punches akin to Luigi’s dash-attack, then the Steel Samurai comes in to deal the finishing blow with a powerful sword slash. Like Joker’s Persona, Arsene, Maya is invincible in this attack. When using this move, Phoenix will say “I need help...Maya?!” - Final Smash - Great Ace Attorney (based on name of series, and name of Japanese-only 3DS prequel game): This is based on Phoenix’s Hyper Combo from UMvC3. This finisher actually matters depending on how much evidence you’ve collected and deals more damage in doing so. Phoenix finds the true culprit and shows the key decisive evidence that points to the suspect that committed the crime. This FS can catch multiple opponents, but the first one that gets hit is the true culprit. When the opponent is over 100% damage, they are instantly KO’d. Phoenix even uses his Hyper Combo voiceline from UMvC3: “The one who actually committed the crime...is YOU! No alibi, no justice, no dream, no hope! It's time to pay for your crimes! TAKE THAT!” After Phoenix shouts “TAKE THAT!”, the speech bubble for his line deals the final blow on the enemy. - Stage: The fight takes place in a Courtroom, where Phoenix does all of his battles against the prosecution and suspects. The right bench is the defense’s side, and the left bench is the prosecutions side with the Judge residing in the middle on his bench. Like the Suzaku Castle stage, the benches can be destroyed after it takes a certain amount of damage. The jury stands on either side can be destroyed too, expanding the Courtroom for a more wider battlefield. They’ll get restored after a certain amount of time passes. - Soundtracks: All of the songs are pulled directly from the Ace Attorney games, with some having a few new possible arrangements. Also, I just want an excuse to hear “Pursuit ~ Cornered” in a Smash Bros. game. XP Objection! 2001 (English Court) Pursuit ~ Cornered (Original Ver. / Turnabout Mode / English Court) Objection! ~ 2013 A New Chapter of Trials! ~ 2013 Courtroom Revolutionairé Pursuit ~ Keep Pressing On Objection! ~ 2016 A New Chapter of Trials! ~ 2016 Courtroom Revolutionairé ~ 2016 Pursuit ~ Cornering Together - Alternate Costumes: P1 - Default costume is his current appearance in Dual Destines and Spirit of Justice. Open unbuttoned suit, untucked dress-shirt, has locket accessory in breast-pocket, and has a bang sticking out of his hair. P2 - His original design when Phoenix was slightly younger. Suit is buttoned up, hair has no bang sticking out. P3 - His bright pink sweater when he was a college student at Ivy University. His hair even gets slightly shorter. P4 - Nick’s “hobo” disbarred appearance from Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. Wears a blue beanie, gold locket around his neck, visibly slightly-shaved beard, black pants and sandals.  P5 - Wears “The Tiger” suit, a DLC pack from Spirit of Justice, a reference to one of the suspects, Furio Tigre, in Trials & Tribulations. P6 - Phoenix wears Masamune Date’s samurai armor from the Sengoku BASARA series, Japanese 3DS DLC exclusive only. P7 - Phoenix wears Apollo Justice’s monkey suit, one of the main characters in the Ace Attorney series. Nick’s hair color changes to brown. P8 - Phoenix wears his rival’s suit, Miles Edgeworth, the Chief Prosecutor. Phoenix’s hair turns silver, and has Edgeworth’s glasses in the breast-pocket just like how Edgeworth takes them off when in court.

5. Amaterasu - Okami series

If Duck Hunt can get in, why not another dog character? But this time, a sun goddess wolf. While I know some people would prefer Wolf Link & Midna, Amaterasu is still a good pick. She and Phoenix would great additional Capcom reps alongside Mega Man and Ryu & Ken. Much like Phoenix, Amaterasu would bring in all sorts of moves from both her origin game and Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. Because Amaterasu cannot speak, she is joined by her partner, Issun, to talk for her in taunts and her victory screens. - Mechanic/Gimmick: Amaterasu would share the ink tank gauge Inkling has. When she runs out of ink, Amaterasu’s design would change her into just a pure-snow white wolf. She cannot access her Celestial Brush, and her weapon becomes weak. If the player presses & holds R and then the B button, Issun would use an Ink Pot to restore Amaterasu’s power. Her main weapon is called the Divine Retribution, a Reflector. - Special Attacks: Like Phoenix, Amaterasu brings in moves from both Okami and UMvC3. Amaterasu uses the Celestial Brush for most of these moves, and will run out of ink in the process. R+B will restore her lost ink & powers when  Neutral-B - Inferno: Ignites nearby foes as if shooting Mario’s Fireball. Side-B - Power Slash: Amaterasu uses the Brush to deal a powerful attack as if it were a sword slash. Up-B - Galestorm: The Brush creates a gust of wind that lifts Amaterasu into the air, and deals damage to foes that are in range. Down-B - Veil of Mist / Divine Reflect: Amaterasu’s 2-in-1 counterattack. When struck by a physical attack, acts similarly to Bayonetta’s Witch Time causing enemies to be slowed down for a few seconds giving Amaterasu enough to strike back. When hit by projectiles, Amaterasu uses her Reflector on her back, hence the name of her weapon. The reflect move is mostly a Smash original. - Final Smash - Sunrise Divine Instruments (Based on her Hyper Combos): Amaterasu uses the Celestial Brush to paint a sun in the sky that increases her power, then summons all of her Divine Instruments to deal a barrage of attacks. They are the Solar Flare, Tundra Beads and Thunder Edge. - Stage: The battleground takes place on the fields of Nippon, what is basically a fantasy of Edo-period Japan. - Soundtracks: To be honest with you, I never played Okami, so I wouldn’t really know what songs to put in here. I’ve come up with at least 3. If there’s any songs from the game you have in mind, mention it to me! I’d appreciate it a lot. Exorcizing Evil Crimson Helm, Begone! Battle of Ninetails

6. Crash Bandicoot

Crash is one of Naughty Dog’s biggest stars and is basically one of PlayStation’s mascots back in the console wars, meant to rival Mario and Sonic. Since most PlayStation characters like Snake, Cloud, Joker and Hero are already in Smash, Crash would be one of the greatest picks. Crash is not only a Western favorite, he’s also a well-known favorite in Japan much like Banjo & Kazooie. Also, Crash had a few Game Boy Advance game, and Crash N-Sane Trilogy has been on the Nintendo Switch for quite a while now. - Mechanic/Gimmick: None - Special Attacks: Neutral-B - Spin / Death Tornado Spin: Crash’s iconic spin attack seen in every Crash Bandicoot game. A simple press of the B button has Crash do his signature spin kick. An alternate version of it is that if the player press & holds the button, it becomes the Death Tornado. It causes him to spin much longer and faster, and even functions as a recovery glide if Crash is sent flying off-stage. Though the longer you hold the button, the weaker it becomes overtime. The power of the Death Tornado will recover if you don’t use it for a while. Side-B - Fruit Bazooka: Crash pulls out his Bazooka from Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped. This allows him to shoot Wumpa Fruit from a distance and deal exceptional damage. Up-B - Jet Pack: Crash whips out the Jet Pack from Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. Similar to R.O.B.’s Robo Burner and King K. Rool’s Propellerpack, this move allows Crash to freely recover up high in the air dealing no damage to foes. Down-B - Super Belly Flop: Crash gains super armor during this attack as he puts power into this move and slams down to the ground with full force. Functions similarly to Yoshi Bomb and Bowser Bomber because when on the ground, Crash will lift his opponent in the air with them after he hits them, then belly flop down to the ground. - Final Smash - Crash Team Racing (Based on the game of the same name): Crash summons racers onto the battlefield and jumps into his own race-kart. He is joined by various characters from the Crash series along with his girlfriend Tawna and his sister Coco. Everyone does a barrage of Missiles and Bowling Bombs, and finishes the FS by running over the trapped opponents. Similar to Captain Falcon’s Blue Falcon. - Alternate Costumes: N/A(?) - Stage: The fight will take place on one of the beaches in N. Sanity Island. - Soundtracks: There are TONS of songs to pick from the Crash series, so my best guess is to bring in the new arrangements from the N. Sane Trilogy. Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy OST playlist Title Theme / Map / N. Sanity Beach (Outer)

7. KOS-MOS - Xenosaga series / Xenoblade Chronicles 2

KOS-MOS would be one of the best inclusions for Smash. She not only would represent her home game Xenosaga, but also Xenoblade 2 as she’s a guest character in the form of a Blade. She’s the best of both worlds basically. All of her moves can come from both games, and it would potentially work. - Mechanic/Gimmick: N/A(?) - Special Attacks: Most of KOS-MOS’ moves are pulled directly from Xenosaga, with a bit of a mix of aesthetics from Xenoblade 2. Neutral-B - R-Blade: Traps enemies with Hornet-like bullets and performs an attack with a sword arm. Side-B - F-G-Shot (Xenoblade 2): Charge attack similar to Samus’ Charge Shot. After charging, input the command again to fire lasers that scatter. Up-B - T-SKYLLA: Move borrowed from T-elos in Xenoblade 2. Rises upward with a sword slash, followed up with a gun attack. Down-B - R-Hammer: Strike the enemy with a strong & powerful hammer swing. - Final Smash - X-Buster: A black box weapon that has KOS-MOS open up her abdominal region and fires powerful energy beams across the stage. Similar to other Final Smashes like Samus’ Zero Laser, R.O.B.’s Guided Robo Beam, and Mii Gunner’s Full Blast. - Stage: N/A(?) - Soundtracks: Like with Crash and Amaterasu, I don’t know what songs from Xenosaga would appear in Smash. So here are some  Xenosaga Episode I OST Episode II OST Episode III OST - Alternate Costumes: P1 - Default costume, KOS-MOS Ver. 1. P2 - Episode II appearance, KOS-MOS Ver. 2. P3 - Episode III appearance, KOS-MOS Ver. 3. P4 - KOS-MOS Ver. 4 P5 - The Archetype costume. A version of KOS-MOS that went on an accidental out-of-control mass murder rampage in an attempt to intensify the bond between KOS-MOS and Shion. ...But children don’t need to know that since Smash Bros. is for good little boys & girls! P6 - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Blade appearance. P7 - T-elos, a battle android who is KOS-MOS’ rival of sorts using the reanimated body of Mary Magdalene. P8 - Akin to Shulk’s swim-trunks, KOS-MOS wears a swimsuit. Though it may be slightly altered to keep the age rating be E10+.

8. Sora - Kingdom Hearts series

Sora is one of THE many HIGHLY REQUESTED fighters to be put in Smash Bros., and it’s no small wonder and surprise either given his series’ popularity. Though Sora may be a bit tricky due to that fact he’s both a Disney AND Square-Enix character. While Disney may seem fine with it, trying to convince Square is the real challenge seeing as we already have both Cloud from Final Fantasy and Hero from Dragon Quest. He might be like Cloud where he’ll only get his Japanese voice actor and not his English one, Haley Joel Osment. YouTuber HMK made several videos on reasons why Sora could potentially & possibly make it in to Smash Bros. Take the time to check them out! I will also be mentioning HMK and his selected moveset for Sora in this list. All credit goes to him! WHO OWNS SORA The Dream LIVES ON! Why Sora can EASILY be Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC Sora’s COMPLETE Moveset for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! If Sora Gets In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! - Mechanic/Gimmick: If you’ve already watched HMK’s video on Sora’s moveset, he brings the MP Gauge much like Hero to use magic, and could bring the Situation Command mechanic that allows him to build up a meter each time he attacks to use Grand Magic. Once the SC meter is full, Sora can unleash devastating powerful magic on the battlefield based on spells like Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, etc.. Of course if Sora runs out of MP, he has to wait for it to recharge just like in both Kingdom Hearts II & III. - Special Attacks: If you’ve already watched one of the videos by HMK, you may have an understanding and idea on what Sora’s moves could potentially be. Neutral-B - Magic / Grand Magic: Sora shoots magic from his Keyblade. In the process this lowers his MP Gauge, but fills up the Situation Command meter to use Grand Magic without the cost of MP. The Grand Magic is based on the last spell Sora uses. Fire, of course, shoots fireballs and can also be used in combos. Blizzard shoots out a chunk of ice that freezes opponents. Thunder casts lightning bolts surrounding Sora while stunning foes, that stuns them longer the more damage they have. And Aero casts wind that pushes foes away and creates a mini tornado that Sora can jump off of as if he is using a Flowmotion Super Jump. Once the MP Gauge runs out, it’ll take time for it to recharge. HMK mentions this in one of his video. As Sora deals damage and uses magic in his combos, he fills up the Situation Command meter to use Grand Magic. Once it’s full, the player can then press the B button to cast the magic from the last spell he used (EX.: Fire becomes Firaza). Downside is that he loses meter if he takes damage. Side-B - Strike Raid: Sora throws his Keyblade at his opponents akin to the three Links’ Boomerang. The difference is that the player can input this command as many times as they wish allowing Sora to throw his Keyblade multiple times to closely resemble its original mechanic from the first Kingdom Hearts game. The attack gets weaker the more you use it though. Up-B - Flowmotion: HMK mentions this in his video. This can be similar to Pikachu’s Quick Attack, Lucario’s Extreme Speed and Shulk’s Airslash. This move has two different inputs. After inputting this command, Sora enters Superslide in which the player must use the control stick to guide where Sora goes. If the player inputs the command again, it turns into Super Jump allowing Sora to soar even higher, but is only used once. When Sora enters Flowmotion and Super Jump, he can use his Flowmotion Attacks if the player uses the attack button (A). Sora will remain in the Flowmotion and Super Jump state until he lands or grabs onto a ledge. Down-B - Command Magic Select: As HMK mentioned in his video and similar to Hero’s own Command Select, this allows Sora to change and swap between Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, and Aero. Though the downside is that Sora is wide open as he’s standing still choosing a spell, much like Hero. - Possible Final Smash(es) - Combined Keyblade: Sora summons his friend Riku by his side, and together by using their lights they summon the Combined Keyblade. Sora and Riku do a series of sword slashes and deal a finishing blow by imbuing the Keyblade with a beam of light slashing downward on the opponent. Union χ [Cross] (Based on a segment from the Keyblade Graveyard in Kingdom Hearts 3. SPOILER WARNING!): Sora summons the Light Of The Past and rides on a Keyblade tornado as he rushes his opponents through with hundreds of Keyblades. He then finishes the FS with Union χ Burst, launching foes away. Trinity (Based on the final boss in Kingdom Hearts 3. Timestamp at 22:30. SPOILER WARNING!): Sora summons his friends Donald and Goofy (or it could be changed to Riku and Kairi due to copyright and rule of no characters that did not originate from a video game) and by combining their powers together and lending support to him, Sora unleashes a tri-beam from his Keyblade to pierce through his opponents. - Stage: There are many worlds in the Kingdom Hearts universe on where a fight could take place. A few in mind could be Traverse Town, Twilight Town, Daybreak Town, Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden, the Keyblade Graveyard, or Scala as Caelum. - Soundtracks: Hand In Hand (DDD Ver.) Dearly Beloved (New Arrangement to fit Smash Bros.’ high-paced action) Scherzo di Notte (KH2 Ver.) Another Side -Battle Version- The 13th Struggle Working Together (KH3 Ver.) The Other Promise (KH3 Ver.) Deep Anxiety Rage Awakened Wave of Darkness (Phase 1 and Phase 2) Scala ad Caelum - Alternate Costumes: P1 - Sora’s current appearance from Kingdom Hearts III. P2 - One of Sora’s past appearances from Kingdom Hearts II, or potentially based off of Second Form. P3 - Sora’s original first appearance from Kingdom Hearts, or Limit Form Sora. P4 - Sora’s appearance from Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance. P5 - Element Form Sora P6 - Strike Form Sora P7 - Guardian Form Sora P8 - Blitz Form Sora

9. Kazuma Kiryu - Yakuza / Like A Dragon series

Much like Rex and Pyra/Mythra, Kiryu is one of my dream fighters to be in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Though one of my concerns and fears is that Kiryu may not make it into the game due to the fact the Western title of Like A Dragon is called Yakuza, which is of course based on real-life yakuza that are organized crime syndicates and his game series does involve yakuza in more ways than one. So this makes Kiryu a highly unlikely fighter in my opinion. If he doesn’t make it in, I hope a Mii Brawler Costume of him is made as compensation in some way. If they can find a workaround, they could just use the original Japanese title, Like A Dragon and leave it at that. If he does make it, this will make Kiryu the 4th Sega rep alongside Sonic, Bayonetta, and Joker. - Mechanic/Gimmick: His main fighting style is called the Dragon of Dojima, a mix of his three original styles; Brawler, Rush, and Beast which is more refined. He could bring his Heat Action Gauge as the main gimmick. Each time Kiryu deals damage, he fills up the meter which then allows him to use a powerful moves such as curb-stomping opponents. Though the downside is that meter will decrease each time he take damage. When the meter is full, he can enter Extreme Heat Mode when the player presses & holds R+B at the same time. This state dramatically buffs Kiryu for a set period of time until the meter runs out or if Kiryu gets KO’d, just like Joker’s Rebellion Gauge. He also gains super armor in the process. - Special Attacks: Some of Kiryu’s special moves can be based on a mix of his Heat Actions and his abilities. Neutral-B - Heat Actions + Extreme Heat Actions: When a portion of the Heat Gauge is filled and usable, press the B button and Kiryu will activate a random Heat Action depending on the situation. If the player activates Extreme Heat Mode, Kiryu is able to use Heat Actions exclusive to that state when he’s doing combo attacks. If the gauge is empty, this move is useless and Kiryu will just stagger in place. Side-B - Leaping Fist: Kiryu jumps and lunges forward as he strikes the opponent with a powerful punch. Up-B - Rising Tornado: Kiryu uppercuts his foe as he rises skyward. As a recovery move, has more distance than Little Mac’s Rising Uppercut and Simon/Richter’s Uppercut if you keep pressing & holding the B button. Down-B - Komaki Tiger Drop: Kiryu’s counterattack. Similar to Ryu & Ken’s Focus Attack and Little Mac’s Slip Counter, Kiryu will gut-punch his foe that attacks him which causes them to get stunned and tired out. The higher the opponent’s damage, the longer they stay stunned until they fall to the floor tired out. Kiryu also has super armor when using this move. Grab & Pummel: When grabbing opponents, pummelling them and then throwing them, this increases Kiryu’s Heat Action Gauge slightly faster. Throws: When Kiryu grabs his opponent and you input the control stick to throw them, other surrounding opponents near Kiryu take damage from the thrown enemy, making them collateral damage. Taunting: When Kiryu taunts, his Heat Gauge fills up slightly. - Final Smash - Extreme Dragon of Dojima: Kiryu strikes the first enemy he hits, then deals a series of blows and attacks of various punches and kicks, and finally finishes it by striking the enemy with his signature high kick, creating a Kiwami/Extreme (極) symbol with a bright-white backdrop and a shadowy silhouette of Kiryu at the end. This FS is a reference to the box art of the original Yakuza game, and Kiryu’s awakening to the Legend Style: Dragon of Dojima in Yakuza 0. - Stage: The fight takes place in the fictional city of Kamurocho, Kiryu’s home-turf where most of his adventures take place. Much like Isle Delfino, New Donk City and Skyloft, the stage will act as a tour as you go and fight through different corners of this tough city. - Soundtracks: Most of the Yakuza (And Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio games in general) songs have high-paced action feeling songs that gets your blood and adrenaline running, fitting for Smash Bros. Receive You (Original / Tech Trance Arrange / Kiwami ~ Reborn) Funk Goes On (Original / Project X Zone 2 / Kiwami) Receive You ~ The Mad Type Reign Turning Point Push Me Under Water Outlaw’s Lullaby Rebellious Phase Clan Battle Bruise Massive Fire Isolated Fight Kamurocho Fight Bloodstained Philosophy Random Fire Drumfire My Own Style Receive You ~ Dragon of Dojima (SPOILER WARNING!!!) - Alternate Costumes: P1 - Default costume. Grey suit & pants, and open-collared & slight unbuttoned red shirt. Kiryu’s iconic look. P2 - Kiryu’s Yakuza 0 appearance when he goes into real estate business. A white suit with a slight unbuttoned orange shirt. Has a real ‘80s vibe to it. P3 - Kiryu’s red Hawaiian-like shirt from Yakuza 3. The ideal shirt to wear while relaxing in Okinawa. P4 - Kiryu’s wrestling outfit from Yakuza: Dead Souls. P5 - A grey coat Kiryu wears in Yakuza 5 as a taxi driver. P6 - Kiryu with just his red shirt in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. P7 - Kiryu’s cabaret club manager suit from Yakuza Kiwami 2. P8 - Kiryu becomes shirtless revealing the grey dragon tattoo on his back.

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: NMNL Sept 19

Just a tiny update, I got my issue resolved on TokyoCatch. Apparently there’s an issue where you need to make sure your shipping info is entirely filled out, as soon as I checked that and modified it, it was fixed!

Anyway, I only won the 1 item so far, so I’m trying to decide if I want to just include a pic of it in a future review, or gather several items and then do like a... partial-review on them and the game/website.

“We hope you had a fantastic summer! This month’s beauty box has a floral theme. We hope you’ll feel like a blossoming beauty with the adorable makeup and skin care products coming in September’s box!“

(is it me or is the info kind of lackluster this month?)

Contest

This month, the prize items are a collab between Pokemon and the brand It’s Demo. Besides a makeup palette, winners could also receive eyeliner, and lipstick.

Glam Gift

For this month, the official GG winner received some special, limited edition Sanrio products featuring My Melody and Little Twin Stars. The items range from cosmetics to accessories like a hand mirror and an adorable, My Melody doll brush (which looks so cute~).

In going with our floral theme, this months Horoscope is “Which Flower matches your Star Sign?“, and this is what it says:

Aries: Honeysuckle

Taurus: Poppy

Gemini: Lavender

Cancer: White Rose

Leo: Sunflower

Virgo: Buttercup

Libra: Rose

Scorpio: Geranium

Sagittarius: Carnation

Capricorn: Pansy

Aquarius: Orchid

Pisces: Water Lily

Which one did you guys get? :3 is it a flower you like? I was very happy to have gotten Rose, because those are my favorite flowers~

We also have a page describing some flower ingredients one should try using for various reasons. Make sure to try out some natural items featuring them if any of these apply to you:

Cherry Blossoms - the extract lightens hyperpigmentation and increases skin elasticity, soothes irritated skin, and protects it from damage and signs of aging.

Camellia - Camellia oil hydrates and smooths the skin, protecting it from damages and signs of aging.

Roses - Intensely hydrate the skin, so its recommended for “mature skin“. The extract also minimizes scars, stretch marks, and wrinkles.

Chamomile - High antioxidant and moisturizing properties, especially useful against things like acne or dry skin.

Marigold - also good for acne and skin irritations like eczema and rosacea. Prevents premature aging and skin damage.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Green Tea Nose Pack

Our first item is this simple little nose cleaning pack from Etude House. It is filled with green tea extract that helps tighten the pores, while the patch removes dead skin and blackheads. It’s very easy to use, all you do is make your nose wet (or the patch too) and then smooth it on your nose. After 10-15 minutes you remove it, then you use some cleanser or toner, or just water if you don’t have any.

I’m not going to lie, I was dreading this item <_< Anytime I’ve seen people use nose patches or skin patches that adhere/suction to the skin, it HURTS to pull off. I’m a big wuss so I was innocent assuming this would be the same thing. Plus I don’t like green tea, and I was worried it wouldn’t even work.

BOY WAS I WRONG!

Not only does it smell amazing (it was like a... light floralish scent, but weirdly enough the pack smells like green tea), but it didn’t hurt to take off at all, and it actually helped! My nose is blackhead free and feels very smooth, I love it! My nose has felt so smooth and soft since~

I plan on buying a handful more for when I need them off of Tokyo Haul, the store website for the makers of the subscription box (they only cost about $1). I would seriously recommend these if you have a “strawberry nose” of your own.

Fleurissant Lip Glow & Rosy Lips

For this month we get 2 lovely and fun Lip products; first up is the Fleurissant Lip Glow by Glamfox. These are pretty much those really pretty jelly lipsticks/gloss with a flower in them, and they have the ability to change in shade depending on how much you apply or your current body temperature to give you natural, but noticeable color and shimmer.

In the box there was 6 possible flowers and a couple different box designs. According to my tube, I got GL04 Rose Flower.

- - - - - - -

Our next item is this adorable little rose tinted lip cream by The YEON. I was really excited to get this because I’ve seen them before on Youtube (usually for slime making) and I thought it looked cute. The color I got was S102 Rose Petal, but there are 3 colors in total we could have gotten.  

(The darker product is the rose btw)

As you can see, the jelly flower product is fairly sheer but very shimmery. As I said above, you can apply it a little more -or allow your temperature to handle it- and it will darken over time. I already own a couple of these and I really like them because it gives your lips a really subtle change and kind of gives them a “healthier“ glow.

Usually these are scented (my original one smells like peach) but this one... it has a scent, but it isn’t fruity, so I’m not sure what it’s supposed to be. I still like it though, these jelly lip products are usually always good and this isn’t an exception, I’d recommend it if you never tried one before.

- - - - - -

Meanwhile, the rose is way more vibrant. As you can see in the pic, it looks red, but on the skin it’s more of a... magenta, red raspberry hue. It also has a very faint rose scent.

It’s a creamy and smooth feeling product, it doesn’t feel oily or heavy on the lips. I don’t like vibrant or dark colors on my lips because I feel like they don’t look good on me, but I did like this color, and in certain conditions (maybe spring or summer?) I feel like it could look nice. Right now I think it just highlights how pale I am.

Both of them are really nice, and it wasn’t really hard to remove them for items meant to tint the skin. My only concern is that where I used the product on my hand and wiped it off... the skin is red and blotchy looking now. So I don’t know if I had some kind of reaction (but my lips are fine) or if the skin is really dried from how much I was rubbing it.

Spring Eyelash Curler

I’ve been needing a new eyelash curler but nothing I’ve tried to replace my original pair (a hot pink one) with has come close to feeling comfortable for me, so I kept using them. I know in most cases you could say they’re all the same, but to me it didn’t feel that way. These are by the brand NOYL, and as you can see in the package there is a replacement curling piece for one the first one gets too old and hard to clean. 

I know I’ve said this before, but my most favorite color is pastel/pale/baby/light pink. So seeing these in the box gave me a really good feeling, even the little clasp on them is translucent pink~

I really like these, they feel a lot like my old pair and even without any product they managed to curl my lashes so that they looked more neat, controlled. They’re not loose feeling, and the handles are curved to contour the fingers, so it feels comfortable to hold too.

Therapy Air Mask & 10 Second Morning Sheets

Our next Etude House product is a therapy air mask, a facial mask that is extremely thin and loose to fit any face shape. These are available in 4 different scents/types: Cherry Blossom (firming and brightening), Camellia (lifting and skin radiance), Damask Rose (fresh moisture), and White Flowers (moisturizing and brightening). These are also hypoallergenic, so they’re good if you have sensitivity to certain ingredients.

This smells amazingly good, the scent is a fairly light cherry blossom/sakura with a perfumey note. I really like it, I have to find something with the same scent so that I can keep it forever.

In terms of a facial mask, I’d say this was a really good one. It was super-wet and a bit sticky, and because of how thin it was it was kind of a pain to open and put on- but it was really nice once applied. My face had a wonderful cooling effect from it (especially my lip when it accidentally got some product on it). My face also feels really nice after using it.

I might have to pick up a couple of these from Japan Haul too~

- - - - - - - - -

This item is by Joteki and it is called a 10-second sheet because it saves you several “morning routine“ steps, as they are made to clean, cleanse, and moisturize your skin. Besides letting you take your morning get-ready session easier, it would also come in handy if you’re going on a trip or if you want to keep it in your purse or car because you can leave out other items, such as creams, cleansers, moisturizes.

There are 2 different sets in the box, the one I got specifically says its for oily skin. I’m not sure what the other one is, maybe dry? You get about a months worth, and they come in a really fun, colorful re-sealable package.  

I have a dry skin problem so I always worry that oily skin products will dry my skin <3< but so far I haven’t had that problem. These have a scent but I can’t exactly pin-point what it is, because it doesn’t smell fruity, herbal, or flowery. Weirdly enough, the scent reminds me of liquid medicine, like the kind you might take for bad cough or to help you sleep? I like it though, whatever it is.

Anyway, I ended up trying one of these out the other morning after a shower and my face felt really nice and smooth~ I did wash my face prior to using it, so I tried again the next morning with nothing on my face and got the same result. I’m not sure if physically anything changed, but my skin feels a lot nicer.

Mascara & Mascara Top Coat

You know, I didn’t realize there was such a thing as a mascara top coat. At least I don’t believe so... apparently its just used to help seal the applied mascara to keep it on your eyelashes longer, or you can use it on its own to give your lashes a natural cute look without the mascara.

Meanwhile, this specific mascara came in a few varieties; volume, length, and point (for outer lashes). Mine says I got the volume type. It has a faint un-identifyable scent, but the top coat is a lot stronger and the smell reminds me of paint, kinda.

I’m not sure how I feel about the mascara. It has a very curvy spooly/wand and I’m not used to that. But generally it did its job and they’re darker then what they were and more... spread out and spidery. I don’t hate it but my eye feels sticky when I blink or shut it, which has never been a problem before with other mascaras. I also poked myself in the eye trying to remove the reside beneath it when I tried wiping it off, which btw did NOT come off...

Meanwhile, the top coat is really nice. It helps to keep the natural color while adding some shine and the “effect” of applied mascara, but the lashes aren’t stiff, spidery, or sticky. I would recommend this on its own or with mascara, I could see it being useful for those who aren’t familiar with mascara (or are too young for it) too.

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Content - 4.5 out of 5. I liked everything with the exception of the mascara. But not because of its quality or anything, just because it frustrated me >3< everything is really nice and felt good when I used it, I’d recommend each one. Everything was in perfect condition, most of the items are re-usable and cute.

Theme: 5 out of 5. Obviously this gives me a spring vibe, not an Autumn/Fall one, which kind of bothers me. But at the same time it makes it more interesting so I don’t frown upon that. I love flowers and a lot of natural products use them, and this box was definitely giving me flowery vibes.

Total Rank: 10 out of 10. Like August’s box this one only focused on the face, which isn’t bad because most beauty products and cosmetics are for the face- but at the same time it’s a little typical/boring. I prefer when we get mixed items (like face, nails, feet, skin, hair, etc) or a mixed theme (like one month its hair-based, one month face, one month skin). I especially wish we got more hair products because I really liked getting those from the older boxes. But the box has the cute factor I craved and the items are really fun and good quality!

♥ Cutie Scale ♥

Nose Pack - I did not expect to love this as much as I did. But it smelled great and it worked pain-free :D seriously, get this one!

Face Mask - It smells so good! I wish we got a couple of them~

Morning Sheets - If you use a lot of products in the morning I would recommend buying one of these and trying it out instead. My face has been feeling really nice since I’ve been using them these past few days

Eyelash Curler - I can get rid of my old one for sure now I think. I love it.

Mascara Top Coat - I feel like this is something you shouldn’t be smelling, but besides that I like it. I usually prefer mascara that I can visibly see, but on its own I think it’s really sweet and it definitely gave the eye softness. 

Rosy Lips - It feels nice on my lips but I don’t see myself wearing this very often. Quality wise its there, but the color doesn’t look right on me.

Lip Glow - It’s very pretty and I love the packaging, but I already have one of these I like a lot more because its cute and smells yummy.

Mascara - I’ve had better, and I prefer a straight wand.

[winderer]

I did it.

117 hours (25 of which I don’t remember playing lol) and just under two weeks later, I've beaten Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I... Can’t say much without spoiling it so I’ll just say it wasn’t quite as good as Xenoblade Chronicles 1 though like I said, all the reasons are spoilery.

Actually, no, there’s a few of things:

First, the way you get (most) blades, the gatcha system, is kinda bullshit. The game’d be better if every blade was out there somewhere to get instead of having to luck into the good ones. You just end up with a ton of unwanted blades. And even if you get a rare blade (aka “a good one”) there’s no guarantee it’s the kind of blade you want. You can sorta influence the blade you get through character’s personality(?) stats and their boosters, but it’s still random in the end. And the boosters only influence the role of the blade as far as I can tell, not the element and, importantly, not the rarity. Not that the game even tells you what the stats correspond to. So you’re kinda fucked anyway.

Second, the designs. They suck. Ass. Mostly. I like Nia and Poppi and Mórag and non-human characters (Dromarch and Tora mainly), and there’s other ok designs, but jesus christ do most just suck. And are misogynistic. Everybody’s seen the tit-bunny (Dahlia? I forget her name). I don’t hate Rex’s design anymore, not that it’s good, after seeing how it works as a partial diving suit, but holy shit, Pyra, what the hell is going on with her outfit??? And those are the main characters, just how did the OK those designs? Most of the blades don’t fair much, if any, better.

The actual systems of the game are great. I really like the combat which takes a while to get used to, and doesn’t fully unlock until a couple of chapter into the game (and they still throw a couple of gimmicks at you at the end game). Managing your special move elements for combos while trying to stay on top of your character’s auto attack cycle so you can cancel it at the right time to get the most out of your moves and then finally unleashing chain attacks to burst elemental orbs gained from the combos, which weaken your combos if you use the same elements, to extend chain attack, while also trying to do the Break->Topple->Launch->Smash move... It’s REALLY satisfying pulling it all of.

The progressions systems are pretty cool as well, with some of the progression not depending just on numbers going up but requiring you to do something specific, use items, kill specific enemies, do combat moves, or even more involved quests for some of the rare blades. There’s still plenty of number grinding to be done if you want to level up everything which is maybe slightly a shame, but also to be expected.

I also like how they’ve changed collectible item gathering, with there being gathering points that yield specific kinds of items. It’s still essentially random what you get, but it feel less like just running around hoping the game gives you what you want. You can sorta figure out the type of collectible you can get by the surroundings, where as before items would spawn in pretty large areas randomly strewn across the land.

The system you get a bit into the game that gives a use to blades that just sit in your inventory is neat and ties into the other systems in the world. Which is cool until you forget about it like I did lol. Anyhow, it gives you’re extra blades a use and trains them so they might become useful blades one day! Now if only it was a bit less... Simple.

The game also has other systems, big and small, familiar and new, throughout the game. And it really wouldn’t be a Xenoblade game without them.

The music is great. It... Just is. I don’t know what else to say. I suck at describing music. And evaluating voice performances. I played with the japanese VO and it was okay, very anime. The whole game has a very anime aesthetic to it on all levels, and I’d say you either hate it or love it but I don’t really have any strong opinions on it either way, so I guess I can’t say that.

Aaand I think that about wraps up my thoughts on the game without spoiling anything. A bit more than I initially thought I’d ahve to write. Hope this improptu review thing is useful or interesting to someone. Thanks for reading!

ALSO there’s an area with an annoying gimmick. There’s really no need for the gimmick so, why. it’s not fun. Not even an interesting challenge. I just ran through the place and would recommend others do the same.

[virginiamccarty]

Increase Div Height With Content Dumbfounding Useful Tips

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What Exercise Help To Increase Height

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[infotainmentplus-blog]

Vivo Nex hands-on: Welcome to the all-screen future The day many of us have been waiting for has finally arrived: the truly bezel-free smartphone is here. Sort of. Until now, many have tried, and many have failed, with the much-maligned “notch” emerging as the compromised offspring of those failed attempts to rid the smartphone of bezels. The Vivo Nex is the closest to a truly bezel-free smartphone we’ve seen come to market, with no notch and very few compromises. Hot on the heels of the in-display fingerprint scanner demo at CES 2018 and the drool-worthy Apex concept phone’s front-facing camera at MWC 2018, the Vivo Nex fuses those two futuristic concepts into a commercial product. This is the Vivo Nex hands-on. Unfortunately, the phone everyone wants — that science fiction has long promised us was the way smartphones would look in the future — not everyone will be able to get, with the Vivo Nex currently only slated for a Chinese release. While the Nex may come to other select markets in time, a truly global release isn’t likely. Given Huawei and ZTE’s woes in the U.S. of late, one can hardly blame Vivo for focusing on more friendly markets. Selling units isn’t Vivo’s main focus here though; demonstrating truly cutting-edge technology is. Science fiction has long promised us that smartphones of the future would look like the Vivo Nex. If the U.S.’s hostility to Chinese smartphone makers means the first bezel-free device you buy isn’t made by Vivo, that’s perfectly fine with the company. Vivo says the Nex is more about taking a step into the industry’s future than it is about being number one. To that end, Alex Feng, Vivo’s senior vice president, says he hopes the Nex “encourage[s] our industry to continue pondering ‘what’s next?’ in this mobile experience journey.” For what it’s worth, I do wish everyone would have a chance to buy the Vivo Nex because it truly feels like a momentous turning point in the smartphone game; it feels somehow unfair that not everyone will get to experience such a significant device. As with most smartphones these days, it all starts with the screen. As bezels have shrunk, so too have the defining features of the front of most phones. The Vivo Nex features a 6.59-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 19.3:9 aspect ratio and Full HD+ resolution (1,080 x 2,316, 338ppi). As with most other OLED panels, it offers deep blacks and poppy colors. There’s also an always-on display option for showing missed calls and message notifications. The Vivo Nex does away with the bezel above the display and only has a very slight “chin” below it. Because the Vivo Nex pushes the boundaries with a 91.24 percent screen-to-body ratio, there’s no room for the usual array of sensors, cameras and speakers you’d find on a traditionally-proportioned smartphone. Those have now moved under the glass or inside the device’s body. The earpiece speaker has been removed altogether, with Vivo’s Screen SoundCasting technology using the display itself as a speaker. Vivo says it not only releases the Nex from the burden of a top bezel but also “enhances sound quality with more powerful bass and softer, smoother treble.” From what I could hear at the noisy launch event it sounded fine, but we’ll give it some more rigorous testing in the full Vivo Nex review. The rest of the Nex’s audio comes from a single bottom-firing speaker (P.S. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone port up top, in case you were worried). The earpiece speaker and fingerprint scanner live under the display glass while the front-facing camera slides up from the top of the Vivo Nex only when needed. The in-display fingerprint scanner is the other Big Deal in the Vivo Nex. While the Vivo X21 UD and Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS also featured such a scanner, Vivo was the first to demo the tech back at CES in January this year. The tech is now in its third generation, and while it won’t offer device unlocking quite as quick as a modern capacitive finger scanner, the slight delay you’ll experience will be far outweighed by the simple knowledge that you’re unlocking your phone through the screen. According to Vivo, the new scanner provides a 10 percent speed increase, 50 percent higher accuracy and a 30 percent lower fake recognition rate than the under-glass scanners in previous devices. The front-facing camera is hidden in the upper frame of the phone, appearing on command when you launch the front-facing camera. It’s a novel and, perhaps counterintuitively, kind of “obvious” solution to the bezel-free problem. Like Oppo’s rotating camera on the Oppo N1 or a plastic cover to obscure the webcam on your laptop, sometimes a simple solution is best. That said, I totally understand the misgivings many have aired over making the operation of your front-facing camera dependent on a piece of mechanical tech that could fail. The camera mechanism has undergone extensive testing and can be raised and lowered 50,000 times and withstand up to 45kg of thrust force when extended. To address the “failure question,” Vivo assures me that the front-facing camera can push up to 500g in repeated trials and its micro-stepping motor, independent drive ICs and control algorithms allow the camera to be elevated with absolute precision. With a special buffer structure design, the camera has also undergone reliability tests such as drop resistance and dust resistance tests. According to Vivo, the camera can be raised and lowered repeatedly up to 50,000 times and withstand up to 45kg of thrust force when extended. Only time will tell what the failure rate of the camera elevator will be in real-world usage. Speaking of cameras, the Vivo Nex has a dual camera setup on the back: a 12MP f/1.8 lens with 1.4-micron pixel size (Sony IMX363) and both optical image stabilization and electronic image stabilization. The secondary camera on the back is a 5MP f/2.4 lens and the front-facing camera is an 8MP f/2.0 shooter. We didn’t have time for usable test shots at the launch event, but we can tell you shutter lag is a thing here. Stay tuned for a full gallery of images. Related Articles Vivo Nex specs: More than meets the eye The Vivo Nex may have two very eye-catching features – that elevating front-facing camera mechanism and an all-screen display – but the rest of the Vivo Nex specs are just as impressive as you could … Vivo Nex announced: Full-screen powerhouse Hate the notch? You’ll love the new Vivo Nex. There’s no cutout at the top, yet its bezels are still tantalizingly thin. It may look like a prop from a sci-fi movie, but it’s a … The camera app offers a range of aspect ratios and shutter triggers (including touch, voice and a palm gesture). You can also reassign a long press of the volume down button to quickly launch the camera when the screen is off. If the last camera you were using was the front-facing one, the lens will slide up instantly while the camera app launches. There’s a full manual mode, HDR, portrait mode and Live Photos, but the camera only shoots 1080p video. The back of the Vivo Nex is glass, like the front, but features a nice diffracting pattern beneath the glass which creates rainbow colors in the right light. Despite that glass backing, there’s no wireless charging on the Vivo Nex, an IP rating or NFC for contactless payment systems like Google Pay. The omission of any or all of these might be a dealbreaker for some. As far as the rest of the phone goes though, there are no compromises. The Vivo Nex specs include the Snapdragon 845 with Qualcomm’s AI Engine and the Adreno 630 GPU, 8GB of RAM, variants with 128 or 256GB of internal storage, a 4,000mAh battery with fast charging and Android 8.1 Oreo underneath Vivo’s FunTouch 4.0 software layer. Vivo Nex Display 6.59-inch Super AMOLED, Full HD+ (2316 x 1080, 338ppi), 19.3:9 aspect ratio SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 with AI Engine, 64-bit, octa-core, 10nm GPU Adreno 630 RAM 8GB Storage 256GB Cameras Rear: Dual pixel 12 MP f/1.8 (Sony IMX363) with 1.4µm pixel size, OIS and EIS + 5MP f/2.4 Front: 8MP, f/2.0 with elevating mechanism Audio 32-bit/192kHz audio, 3.5mm audio jack Battery 4,000 mAh, fast charging IP rating No Sensors Fingerprint (3rd generation in-display), accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared, ambient light Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 CDMA 800 & TD-SCDMA HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 5(850), 8(900), 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900), 40(2300), 41(2500) Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4G/5.1G/5.8G, hotspot Bluetooth 5.0 A-GPS microUSB 2.0 3.5mm headphone port USB Type-C SIM Dual SIM/hybrid slot Software Android 8.1 Oreo Funtouch OS 4 Dimensions and weight 162 x 77 x 7.98mm 199g Colors Black, Red The software experience on most Chinese phones is not going to appeal to most westerners, but a quick dip into the pool of alternate Android launchers will manage to cure some of what ails you. We’ll dive deeper into what the software offers in the full Vivo Nex review, but most of what you’d expect from an Android device is present and accounted for, it’s simply presented in a less palatable fashion than, say, the Pixel 2. There’s a dedicated AI button on the left for summoning Vivo’s Jovi Intelligent Voice Assistant. You can change what the button does in the settings, but only to the image recognizer, voice assistant or nothing – there’s no option for switching it to your virtual assistant of choice. There’s also a ton of AI-this and AI-that, primarily in the camera, most of which will not appeal, or if it does, will not rely that heavily on AI at all. We’ll cover that further in the review too. Out of the box, the Vivo Nex is navigated via gestures. Swipe up from one of three spots on the bottom of the screen to go back, go home or open recent apps. You have the choice of on-screen nav buttons if you prefer. Vivo also lets you rearrange the order to put the back button (or gesture) on the left side where it belongs. If you opt for gesture navigation and would like a visual cue, you can choose between horizontal lines or small dots or, once you’re accustomed, you can remove everything from the bottom of the screen. The Vivo Nex will be available in China (and possibly other select markets in future). It’s priced at 4998 RMB for the 256GB version, while the 128GB version will cost 4498 RMB. Like its screen-to-body ratio, the Vivo Nex comes very close to doing everything but falls slightly short. Even in my brief time with it, I noticed a few things about the Nex that will niggle some people. Camera lag, a slow(ish) fingerprint scanner, bloatware, and the lack of an IP rating, NFC and wireless charging are all worth noting. But in all honesty, those are relatively minor omissions and ones that frequently don’t appear on “normal” phones with big bezels and regularly placed fingerprint scanners. Where the Nex fails, it more than makes up for in the sheer coolness, the novelty, the audacity of what it promises. In some ways the Vivo Nex shouldn’t be considered a normal phone and shouldn’t be judged by the same standards. It goes somewhere no-one else has gone before and it does so surprisingly well. But it’s also a phone in the world and as such, things like price, availability, update reliability, feature set and so on must be considered. It’s a first-gen product, to be sure, and as such we should expect a few things to not be quite perfect. Perhaps this is why Vivo is more interested in showcasing tech with the Nex than it is in taking the world by storm. Where the Nex fails, it more than makes up for in the sheer coolness, the novelty, the audacity of what it promises. We are literally on the brink of smartphones with all their traditional front-facing components and sensors hidden out of sight or underneath the display. The Vivo Nex, even its name, points to a time that’s so tantalizingly close we can almost touch it, even though it still hasn’t fully arrived. , via Android Authority http://bit.ly/2JwyNVi

[janewimbledon]

Collaboration Process: Working with a director

‘The Good Soul of Szechwan’, Bertolt Brecht, with director Evangeline Wang

 At the first meeting, we discussed our initial ideas about the play. The main things we took away from this meeting were the links of the play to Taoism, and one of the main themes of the play that good exists with bad, every good has a bad side, and the theme of balance. We both agreed that we pictured it to be abstract and on a large scale, which is one of the reasons why we choose the Olivier theatre. Evangeline had first wanted to have it in the Dorfman, but we reconsidered and thought it could better suit Brecht’s idea of the audience as a clear outside objective observer, which would be easier in the Olivier, rather than trying to be closer and more immersive for the audience as the Dorfman might do.

Initial research into Brecht

Brecht was interested in the other possible perspectives on a particular play rather than merely presenting one thing to the audience. His method was to try to make the audience feel estranged from the play so they are as an outside observer and can think rationally about it, rather than emotionally connecting and empathising with the characters. In terms of stage design, his views, which he held together with his collaborator and set designer Caspar Neher, should show the fact that it’s in a theatre, often showing structures like scaffolding holding up the set, rather than disguising and trying to present accurately a particular scene or landscape.

With ‘the Good Person of Szechwan’ he attempted to provoke the audience to change society, rather than presenting general good and evil as black and white. He creates contradictions in the characters and shows sides of all of them that we might not agree with in order to help the audience be more objective about them rather than completely empathising with them. For example, at first we are drawn to Wang, we sympathise with him but then alienated from him when we realise he is cheating. Another commonly used device in the play, as well as his other works, to distance us from it is interludes.

Marxist influence on the play

Brecht was greatly influenced by Marxism, which can be seen in ‘the Good Person of Szechwan’ in themes like living conditions, social classes, business and capitalism and how this affects morality. The play deals with social conditions and how the people in those situations react to it and towards each other. Rich and poor are juxtaposed throughout the play. Marxism is against the institutionalization of religion, which in the play can be seen in elements like the gods who are in fact powerless and a little comedic and leave her in a bad situation. The characters are caught between a material world and aspirations for kindness and goodness.

Taoism

One of the main points of Taoism, and especially one that relates to the play, is about good and bad existing together, the balance between two opposites, that good and bad cannot exist without each other. There are many opposites in the play, good and bad, materialism and morality, rich and poor, but the boundaries are blurred between them. This duality is symbolised by yin and yang in Taoism, the unity of two energies. In Taoism, materials are also given properties, or classed as yin and yang energies, for example wood is yang and metal is yin, which is why in our design we used a combination of wood and metal.

In the Chapter Two of the Tao Te Ching, it says:

Since the world points up beauty as such,

There is ugliness too.

If goodness is taken as goodness,

Wickedness enters as well.

For is and is-not come together;

Hard and easy are complementary;

Long and short are relative;

High and low are comparative;

Pitch and sound make harmony;

Before and after are a sequence.

It tells us that nothing exists alone and makes us question what makes something beautiful or ugly. It is only because there are opposites, complimentary elements, contradictions, comparisons and balance between two elements. We could easily see the contradiction in Shen Te. Her goodness and badness are interwoven together. You may say that she is a good person when she is Shen Te, and when she becomes to Shui Ta she becomes evil because she is selling heroin and exploiting the poor for her business. In fact, as Shen Te she falls in love with Yang Sun and ignores the poor that she had helped before just because she wants to help her lover, while she sells heroin because she wants to save her and her child's life because no one would help her at that moment.

 Sketches, visual research and model making

We exchanged many emails throughout our process and there was particularly one image that really inspired me when Evangeline talked about how she hadn’t known where heroin comes from, which is an important part of the play, and looked into the opium poppy. The image of the opium poppy I thought was great as it embodies the main ideas we had about the play which is the idea of good and bad existing together. It is a beautiful flower, but at the same time, it also produces opium, which can be used for helpful effects, but also from which heroin is made, which is harmful to the human body and can destroy lives.

So I started researching images of the opium poppy and artists such a Georgia O'Keeffe who have worked with flowers.

At our second meeting we further discussed the idea of balance and duality, the play questioning what is good and what is evil, that it’s sometimes not black and white, like the idea of yin and yang in Taoism. We thought about different materials, perhaps an coarse material such as corrugated iron to make the poppies out of to create contrast.

After doing some sketches, I kept coming back to the image of a large opium poppy taking up the whole stage on which the action takes place, which gradually developed into this abstract sculptural landscape. We decided to make the props out of metal to add to the contrast of natural flower and hard metal. The tobacco shop would have more wooden and metal furniture near the beginning but becoming only metallic and cold near the end when it becomes more office and business like as the heroin business grows.

I really liked the image of the skeleton poppy and the set changing from a beautiful colourful poppy to the skeleton with lights and projection, showing good and ugly, or life and death existing within the same plant. And to show the veins of the poppy with the idea of heroin spreading through human veins done by video mapping, showing the veins bleeding out from the centre of the poppy.

I showed these sketches to Evangeline on our third meeting, which she really liked. And continued from there, first doing some initial models in paper with wire, then I started work on the final piece once Evangeline had seen the mock up. I made the petals out of wire mesh, as this was easy to mould and could take the time to get the right shape, rather than some other materials such as thermoplastic which I looked into, which has only a few minutes window to shape the material before it sets. This required covering in mod rock, then plaster and sanding down so it was a longer process than the thermoplastic would have been, but the shape was right. I then covered this with Gesso and painted it with acrylic. I originally painted it red, although I had discussed with Evangeline that it might have too many connotations for the red poppy day in November. But she wanted the colour to be red and somehow we forgot about this. But after feedback from colleagues, we realised this was something we wanted to stay away from and I painted it purple which suited it much better, and gave it a darker, slightly hazy mood to help set the right tone for the play (emphasising the blurred lines between opposites as well as tying in with the opium aspect of the play).

One of the main things that I was quite surprised by initially during the collaboration process was that it seemed like Evangeline didn’t have any ideas about the play and expected me to lead the process. This was new for me as when I’ve previously worked with directors they usually had some idea of concepts they might like to explore with a play, or a direction to take it in. But this was also good practice to see how differently a process can work. Also, when I started to ask more questions from Evangeline I realised that she did have some ideas and went away from the first meeting with a few ideas that we both had about the play that we could go on and work with, such as the good and bad existing together, the influence of Taoism, which she told me more about, and we knew we both wanted the set to be abstract. As the process continued we started to go in a direction that progressed from both out ideas, resulting in a final piece that really was a collaboration using ideas and input from both of us that serves our idea of the play and the ideas we wanted to convey. We worked out the storyboard together, but mainly only once I had finished the model as so much of it depended on the shape and design of the poppy. We talked about initial plans beforehand and a rough outline, then once I’d made the model, I suggested places on the poppy where the different scenes could take place and then we went through the play together several times to finalise the storyboard.

The final result is a large abstract opium poppy, an abstract landscape that embodies our main ideas of the play on which the action can take place. In this way it hopefully does not encroach too much on the action, as some initial ideas were that the petals open to change the scene, but our tutors advised against this as it we be too much a part of the play and quite cumbersome. Also the rotation of the poppy is quite a big movement which is why we decided to keep this to a minimum and have as few changes as possible from the front side of the poppy to the back.

 Costumes

The costumes we designed were for the characters of Shen Te, Shui Ta, the three gods, Wang, Yang Sun and Mrs. Shin. The gods in the Good Soul are more like human beings, they are selfish and have desire. It is also apparent that they are serving some higher gods, or have bosses over them, as they are set a task to find a good person and talk about things they may or may not do. For this reason we decided to put them in office suits, like clerks working in the company. Evangeline said that she would like Shen Te to change clothes on stage in scene four when becoming Shui Ta, so it had to be something easy to change, like the tunic style dress she is in. For Wang the water seller, he sells the water whatever the weather because he is earning his living, so he would wear a big hat which could help him to avoid the rain and the sunshine. Besides, he always meets the Gods in a dreamlike state, so we didn’t want him to wear anything too formal, something like a robe to suggest this connection to dreaming and sleeping.  We also have him with water cups on his clothes so it is convenient for him to serve for his costumers. Yang Sun wants to be a pilot but never makes it, we wanted to show this somehow, his connection to his dream that failed, by using a long coat that resembles a pilot’s coat. He changes and deteriorates throughout the play which is shown by his costumes getting more worn down and losing the coat. Lastly, for Mrs. Shin, she is an older lady who is poor so her clothes are poor, causal and in more plain colours.

The costumes are present day, not from a particular time period, but slightly abstract, without normal details like buttons, pockets and fastening in an unusual way, but not obviously abstract or strange looking. Many of the characters are in loose fitting cuts with some pattern, made from thin cotton fabric as we didn't want to use something too expensive. Shen Te and Shui Ta are recognisable from a distance that they have similar costumes, yet different at the same time, Shui Ta being more business-like.