#This brought to you by 'I think more characters should be obsessed with how rad the Zora are'
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merkerlerspeaks · 2 years ago
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*makes a LOZ oc that's a Hylian that is just in love with the zora*
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surveys-at-your-service · 4 years ago
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Survey #315
“can’t breathe to scream  /  suffocating in this dream  /  long way down”
Who was your first big crush? I would probably say this guy in high school named Sebastian. We sat beside each other in Art, and I definitely liked him a lot. Man, my freshman-sophomore years honestly involved a handful of crushes before Jason popped into the picture and I lost all romantic interest in everyone else. Where was the first place you drove after you got your license? N/A Is it a blue sky outside right now? No. All North Carolina has known for weeks on end now is rain. We've had very rare sunny days, but for the most part, it's just gray and gross. Was your last breakup a bad one? Nah, I'd say it ended maturely and with a mutual understanding of "why." When was the last time you were surprised, in a pleasant way? Hell if I know. Is there an ice-cream flavor that you strongly dislike? Which one? Yeah, like strawberry. What was the last sitcom you watched? No clue. ^ Do you have a favorite character in that sitcom? Why is that character your favorite? N/A What does the last group you joined on Facebook concern? I am 90% sure it was this group I joined that is literally just about cute yet dangerous animals lmao, mostly reptiles and invertebrates. "Misunderstood biteybois and where to befriemd them" or some stupid shit like that. Has there been a spider in your house at any time recently? Not that I've seen, no. Do you like wearing make-up? Not at all. I only like wearing it for pictures and then taking that shit off. ^ If so, how old were you when you first started to wear it? I started consistently wearing it my freshman year of high school. Then some time later I just showed up one day without any, shocked all my friends, and then only wore it when I felt like it. What foods are you craving lately, if any? Nothing, really. What were some of your favorite foods as a child? Chicken nuggets of course, as well as spaghetti, peanut butter sandwiches, just the typical stuff that kids tend to enjoy. When you were younger, did you ever have a friend that your parents hated? No. Have you ever talked in your sleep before? That's very normal for me, especially now that I have nightmares like every goddamn night. What was the last song you heard, that reminded you of someone? Well, not a real someone, but "The Ordinary World" by the Hit House is 110% one of Fetch's soon-to-be themes. What has brought you joy today? Nothing brought me "joy," really. When was the last time you won a prize in a raffle? What was it? I actually recently won an art rafle on deviantART hosted by a truly amazing artist, like I thought I had no chance, and she's going to be drawing Moondust!!!! :'''') What is the next non-essential item that you intend to buy for yourself? I'm still paying the bulk of my tattoo in May. Is there anywhere in your town/city that's rumored to be haunted? Oh, I'm sure. When you were younger, did you ever think that a certain place was haunted? Bitch I still do lmao. What were your school meals like? Did you enjoy them? This really depended on the menu for the day. My school lunches were nowhere near as bad as some people make theirs sound, but most things still weren't great. I think school pizzas are the most notoriously bad. What kind of granola bar did you eat most recently? I had a cashew bar earlier today. Do you have any books on your shelf that you've read multiple times? I never reread books. What did your last post on social media concern? That I personally wrote, something regarding subtle racism still being racism, pretty much. How do you feel about people using graphic images as a scare tactic to promote their beliefs? (i.e.: PETA, abortion…) I have mixed feelings on this. Like sometimes seeing the brutal side of certain things is definitely useful in opening someone's mind to things they don't want to see/think about, but then there's that, too: it can just be so invasive and unexpected, and thus very upsetting and even scarring. I'd say I'm most for the "appropriate" social media route: using censorship that the viewer can decide whether or not to remove. But you obviously can't do that in like, a public protest with a sign, so idk. Which is harder for you: writing creatively or academically? Honestly, both are pretty easy for me. I enjoy writing creatively far more, though. Do you think gender neutral bathrooms are a good idea? I think it's fine to have them as an option. When was the last time you voluntarily went outside of your comfort zone? Just talking about stuff in group therapy recently. Would you ever use a dating site that costs money, like Match.com or eHarmony? Have you known anyone who had good experience with such sites? No, and yes. Do you think it’s fair that people are able to make a reasonable salary and live comfortable lives just by making YouTube videos? Yes? It takes charisma and talent in some area (humor, education, etc.) as well as consistency for it to be a reliable career, and just consider how often you hear about creators burning out. That happens for a reason. Entertainment is a valid job category and should not be seen as an unfair joke. Whether you’re in college or not, do you become fearful about whether or not you’ll find a good job? Story of my life. What is something you can only understand if you've experienced it first hand? Deep heartbreak. Do you think it's a double standard that a woman can hit a man and expect to get away with it, but if a man hits a woman it's assault? Obviously. Abuse knows no gender, and hitting another person is just that. I do, however, believe in self-defense, also regardless of gender. In terms of a wedding, put these things in order from what would be MOST important to be perfect, to LEAST important... Engagement ring, dress, hair, venue, ceremony, food, pictures, decorations, honeymoon. This requires too much thinking, haha... but I do know the quality of my honeymoon would be most important to me, given that that's personal time with my new spouse and not a public celebration. I feel like what goes on behind closed doors is more important and heartfelt than how you act publicly. Do you have a go-to small talk conversation topic? Probably video games or music, idk. Define "small talk." Does anyone owe you money? Do you owe anyone money? (Besides credit cards) Mom does. She just a few days ago had to borrow $100 for rent. If someone was going to buy you any practical gift (anything except a house or car), what would you choose? It'd be dope as fuck if someone could pay for Venus' next terrarium, but that's a big purchase that I'd have a hard time accepting. How many people do you know with the same first name as you? At least one, but her name is spelled differently. What in your opinion is the best love song ever written? I'm not sure, but I can tell you that "When It's Love" by Van Halen has always been high on the list for me. Was your mother married when she had you? No, actually. I thought she was until my most recent bday, I think. It was just part of a conversation. How old was the first person you kissed? He was a few months into 18. The first person you were in a relationship with, do you still care about them? Of course, he's a sweet guy. We don't talk or anything, but that doesn't mean I don't care about him. Has anyone ever sang to you? Yes. So, what if you married the last person you kissed? That'd be pretty rad. What are you listening to at the moment? "Long Way Down" from the The Evil Within soundtrack. It's funny, like I've loved the game for many years, but I'm now in a serious semi-obsession phase after watching another let's play of it. Have you read the The Hunger Games trilogy? I only read the first book. I loved it, but just never continued. What is your boss’ (or school prinicpal’s) name? N/A Who is the person you dislike the most? That I personally know, probably a former best friend, oddly enough. Do you text your parents often? If Mom's not home, it's not unusual for us to text. I don't text my dad much because he's not a fan of texting. Do you watch YouTube videos often? Pretty much always. Do you know anyone with celiac disease? Sara, my aunt, and my cousin. Those are the ones I know of, anyway. Do you currently have any alarms set? No. How many cars can fit in your driveway? Barely even two. If someone else is here, they usually just park where the road meets the sidewalk of the cul-de-sac. Do you have the ashes of a family member or a pet? Of my dog Teddy, yes. Have you ever been involved in a car crash? Yes, as a kid. Do you prefer flash or no flash on a camera? Definitely no flash. It's more natural, and especially with people, it obviously prevents red eye. How often do you use hashtags? Just about never. Have you ever had whiplash before? No. Have you ever given another person or an animal a bath before? Pets, yes. I could never bathe another human. Is there a birdbath in your yard? No. Weirdest place you’ve ever had a cramp? Nowhere weird, I think... How many lamps are in the room you’re in? How many are actually turned on? Technically three, if you count my snake's heat lamp. Right now that's the only light that's on. Are there any activities you enjoy doing, but can only do for a short amount of time before you get bored or tired of them? Yeah, reading comes to mind first. Is there anything coming out soon (books, albums, movies, video games) that you're looking forward to? I'm not up-to-date on this stuff at all, not even video games. What is something someone recommended to you that you disliked/hated? I know Girt's recommended me music I haven't been a fan of. We like the same general stuff, but there are specific sub-genres we differ in opinion about. Can you unwrap a Starburst in your mouth? ... There are people who do this to even know in the first place??? What is the last thing you ate? Popcorn. Who is your favorite person to spend time with? Sara. Do you know how to grill a steak? I don't know how to cook, period. Do you have a large dog? We don't have a dog currently, but Mom is looking for one pretty intently. We don't know the size it'll end up being. Do you like walking places? Absolutely not. I can't walk far at all without my legs starting to scream at me because leading such a sedentary lifestyle led to muscle atrophy in my legs. It's incredibly embarrassing. Are you a fan of bands most people don’t know of? That's not uncommon for me. Have you ever sent an X-Rated picture to someone? No. Do you think your voice is higher or lower than average? It's deeper than the average woman's. Do you have a pool? No, but I really, really want one... Given how easily I sweat, I would love to use swimming to strengthen my legs. I could also stop the very moment I feel I need to; it in general sounds like something I could quite easily do. How many times have you been on a plane? Ummm including the trips going back, at least six times. Favorite ice cream flavor? Oh my gooooood, if you haven't tried Ben & Jerry's "phish food"... fucking try that shit. It is innnnnncredible. Do you have a TikTok? Nope. Do you enjoy driving? Fuck no I don't. Your favorite store as a teen? Hot Topic was and still is my fave, ha. Favorite YouTuber? There's this one called Markiplier that I think's pretty cool. How many online accounts do you have? A LOT. My whole life is essentially on the computer, so... .-. Do you tend to always be in some sort of drama? Quite the opposite. Do you collect quarters from every state? No. When was the last time your living room furniture was rearranged? Not since we moved into this place. When you were little did you like watching Cartoon Network, Disney or Nickelodeon more? Disney probably topped Nickelodeon. I didn't watch much CN. Who was the last person to kiss you on the cheek? Either my niece or nephew when saying bye. Have you ever seen a magic show? Yes, as a kid. I even had a magician for my bday once. When was the last time you vomited and why? It's been a year or so. It would've been a side effect of starting a certain med that I didn't stay on because it so consistently made me sick. Where do you usually sit when you eat dinner? Either in my bed (I know) or at the dinner table if Nicole is here to eat with us. What time do you usually go to sleep at night? It's typically around 7:30-8:30, occasionally a bit later. I can't believe as a teen, it was my "rule" that I couldn't go to sleep before 10:30 because it was "too early." Nowadays, I can barely imagine regularly staying up that late. Do you avoid using public restrooms? As best as I can. I've seen some nasty shit. What’s your favorite type of cookie? Chocolate chip. How basic.
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waezi2okko · 6 years ago
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Top Ten OK KO episodes
In the "Incredibles" movie, the bad guy Syndrome plans on staging a fight to become a famous superhero. And when he eventually becomes too old for that, he plans on selling his technology so anyone can become super, arguing that if EVERYONE is super... no one is.
"OK KO, Let's Be Heroes" has a different view on this. In the show, EVERYONE is super, so everyone are AWESOME!
"OK KO" is one of those shows that are so wholesome and fun that you stop thinking about logic and just accept this strange world of heroes and villains who takes inspiration from video games, comicbooks, action movies, mangas and more stuff hero-related. It has a feel of a game being played in a sandbox by kids who brought their random toys and are just going with it.
In the show, our main character is KO, a 6-11 year old kid who wants to become a hero. In order to get experience and be more familiar with the world of heroes, KO takes a job in a bodega run by his idol Mr. Gar. KO befriends Enid and Rad, the teens who works in the store as well, and assists them in running the bodega as well as defending it from destruction whenever the evil scientist Lord Boxman(who lives at the other side of the street) attacks the bodega with his evil robot children.
Yeah, it's kinda silly:P But in an awesome way.
Besides the humor, the creative character designs and the many references that will make you feel old if you get them, it is also the modern cartoon show that I think does the best relationships as well developing said relationships(sorry Steven Universe). Anyways, made this blog because I feel my main one has too much OK KO stuff, so I will start of this one with a top ten of the best episodes of the series.
Number 10: We Messed Up.
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I HAVE to include this episode on the list since it was the first I watched.
Mr. Gar is out, and he has SPECIFICALLY told his employees to stay away from his office.
... So they go to his office. And breaks his stuff. The three friends must figure out how to stall their boss as well as how to replace the picture of KO's mom(that he for some reason has) so Mr. Gar won't be... disappointed!
I HAD to include this episode on the list since it was the first OK KO ep I watched. Also, a lot of lore was revealed in this episode, leading up to future episodes and storylines as we learn that Mr. Gar used to be on a superhero team with KO's mom Carol AND that Mr. Gar apparently used to be a masked wrestler. That, and the episode is just plain funny, mostly because of Mr. Gar being extra as heck!
Number 9: Whacky Jaxxyz
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When KO gets introduced to the game and toy Whacky Jaxxyz by his cool classmate Nanini, KO jumps aboard the trend and even enters a tournament with Nanini.
Buuuut then they meet other people who play Whacky Jaxxyz as well and realize that the game's fandom is rather toxic.
And by "rather", I mean "VERY".
As a kid from the late 90s and early 00s, I can relate to this episode since I collected stuff such as Bayblades, Yugioh cards and such. I still feel cheated sometimes by the Yugioh franchise as well as being irritated by the fans of it who can sometimes ruin it for me. This episode shows how something fun can get ruined by both the people who provides it as well as the people who obsess over it.
Also, famous YouTuber ProZD is guest star:)
Number 8: Let's Watch the Boxmore Show
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When KO and his friends are about to defend the bodega against another robot attack from Boxmore, they realize that they don't have to lift a finger since the robots are fighting EACH OTHER. Wanting to know what is going on, Mr. gar gives his employees permission to use his monitor room since he has hacked the surveillance cameras of Boxmore, allowing them to see what is going on in the robot factory. Our heroes realize that there is a competition in Boxmore, EXTREMELY similar to a reality TV-show. KO, Rad and Enid ends up getting addicted to watching the "show", even rooting for their favorite robot and ends up quarreling about who deserves to win or lose.
I grew up in the golden age of reality TV-show and can recognize the stereotypes WAY too well, both the contestants as well as the fans who obsess over the shows. This was just such a stupidly hilarious episode to watch. And Christopher Niosi who voices minor characters was on the top of his game in this episode.
Also, if you don't know Christopher Niosi, you should check out his YouTube channel.
Number 7: My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad
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KO gets in an insult contest with another kid named Chameleon Junior. And like all kids, Chameleon Junior argues that his dad could beat up KO's dad. And this specific insult gets to KO since... well, he DOESN'T have a dad. So he tells CJ that he might not have a dad, but that his mom Carol can beat anyone up. The two boys part ways to get their parents to fight to prove who has the stronger dad/mom. Carol tries to teach KO a lesson about talking things out, and... yeah, things escalate when a godzilla-sized chameleon dad is involved.
I was tempted to place this episode on the number one spot imply because watching a very angry hand-to-hand fighter mom beat up a giant lizard was amazing. But the ending twist that is a reference to old Godzilla movies was clever as heck. Chameleon Senior is revealed to actually being a giant man in a lizard costume, kinda like how old Godzilla movies had a man in such a costume.
Number 6: T.K.O.
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KO is frustrated since he still doesn't have powers like Rad and Enid and worries that he will never become a true hero.
But then he meets a shadowy figure who tells him that he can help him reach his true potential.
... Yeah, KO shouldn't have trusted the guy.
I kinda knew from the start that KO would end up having an evil side that made him powerful, especially since he looks so much like Ryu from Street Fighter. But the way his dark side(AKA Turbo KO) is introduced is actually rather creative. It isn't anger that makes KO go dark, it is a combination of a whole lot of negative emotions that appears when he feels insignificant. That means that TKO has much more potential than just being a little angry monster, he is all of KO's negative emotions, including sadness, frustration and depression.
Number 5: Red Action To The Future
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One of Enid's friends is a timetraveler called Red Action. When Red is getting a call from her Power-Ranger like team that tells her to return to the future, Enid is too proud to tell her not to go, fearing that Red would think less of her for being "clingy." But all Enid gets out of it is that Red is busy fighting a war in the future, and whenever she sees her again, it is only for short visits, and Red has aged months and years every time Enid sees her. Red ends up having lived a whole life in what was minutes for Enid.
With a show like OK KO where timetravel is a thing, you can have episodes that tackles with friends who doesn't say things to each other due to a mix of pride and shame, then realize that they missed their chance and a lifetime has passed. Enid gets to experience this much faster since Red is in the future, so time is relative.
Number 4: Rad Likes Robots
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After an intense battle between the bogeda workers and the evil robots, one of the robots named Shannon gets hit by lighting and then falls in love with Rad who quickly becomes infatuated with the robot as well.
So, yeah. This is the Romeo and Juliet episode. But unlike other cartoon shows, this one does Romeo and Juliet right, if you ask me.
I actually mad e a whole blog about the episode that you can read RIGHT HERE.
Number 3: Know your Mom
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KO's mom Carol is one of the strongest people in Lakewood next to Mr Gar. So it is sort of weird that she isn't a big-time superhero and instead just runs a fitness center.
When KO does research on his mom for Mother's Day, he finds out that she actually USED to be a big-time superhero. She was known as Silver Spark and was a member of the world's greatest superhero team POINT(Powerful Operatives Investigating and Neutralizing Trouble). But then she decided to quit the team 6-11 years ago. KO is horrified since HE is 6-11 years old, so he believes that he might be the reason to why Carol left POINT. So KO decides to call her archenemy and make him come fight her as the perfect gift.
What really sells this episode is Carol's old enemy Succulentus who is voiced by Jonathan Davis, the leading vocalist of the nu-metal band Korn. Most of his dialog has references to nu-metal songs, most of them I actually caught, making me feel old, especially since Succulentus is an old fart. Sure, he is old because he is a cactus, but it is still funny to be reminded of music you grew up with that is now considered "old".
Number 2: You're in Control
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This was an awesome season one finale! Not only did it have an epic battle, it had been built up to through the whole season, making it that much more satisfying to watch. And it even had one heck of a cliffhanger that made me even more hyped about season two.
Number 1: Special Delivery
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Enid and Rad are KO's best friends and pseudo older sibling. But they are also each others' best friend. So "Special Delivery" is an interesting episode since it focuses on Enid and Rad relationship without KO involved.
Someone has ordered a package from Mr. Gar's bodega, so Rad and Enid have been given the task of delivering it while KO stays in the store. The one who ordered it is in a town far away, so it is roadtrip time!
Rad and Enid actually has fun being together while driving to Neo Riot City... But Enid ends up having too much fun on Rad's expense.
Best friendship episode of the whole series since it focuses on communication and what the lack of it can cause since you can end up unintentionally hurt someone who is important to you. Also has the awesome and cliche song "I Wanna Get Out of Here" written by William Gibbons who is songwriter for the band Kara's Walk Home.
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huntermiracle752 · 3 years ago
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Leap Office 2000 Assamese Free Download
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LEAP Office 2000 is a complete Indian language software for office applications. It has been developed in collaboration with Mithi.com Pvt. Ltd (earlier Men at Work) This is the most advanced package in LEAP range of products. LEAP Office 2000 has a number of features to make the use of Indian languages extremely easy. Download the latest version of LEAP Desktop. See our What's New article to learn about the most recent release. After you download LEAP you can watch the video below with the setup instructions. Download office 2000 for free. Office Tools downloads - Office 2000/XP/2003 Slipstreamer by Maric Igor and many more programs are available for instant and free download. Trusted Windows (PC) download Sabdalipi 1.0. Virus-free and 100% clean download. Get Sabdalipi alternative downloads.
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Sadly I cannot find my copy of the classic and monumental Kronos Quartet recording (although composed for and dedicted to the Stanley Quartet, 'Black Angels' has never been presented more powerfully (or more fascinating, and ghastly) then the Kronos recording.) -It was actually an inspiration and motivation for the members of the Kronos Quartet- to indeed form a Quartet to begin with!) This work deals with, among other things, ideas about Good vs. Evil forces in the universe. 'Black Angels' is for 'Amplified' String Quartet (as if it really needs that extra intensity!) as well as certain unorthodox percussive instruments, not to mention glasses of water, placed next to the players and filled to different levels to change the pitch of each one.
Many listeners will recognize the movement 'Night of the Electric Insects' as it was used quite effectively in the film 'The Exorcist'. This movement to this day gives me uncontrollable chills; I think it's one of the most sonically frightening pieces of music ever written. **I must add that this performance of the Quartet is not my favorite whatsoever-indeed the intensity and darkness is somewhat lost in the Diotima's performance, and 'Night of the Electric Insects' is extremely tame here.
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Crumb's quartet is like nothing else and I am always fascinated by it; it's a true contemporary masterpiece. When I find the Kronos Qt. Version I shall post it right away, I think everyone should have it in their collection! Anonymous said. I first came across Black Angels in a nice Cikada Quartet's CD released by Cala.
However innovative and unusual I found the remaining pieces (Webern, Lutoslawski) far more rewarding. Gm tech 2 software download. As for the Different Trains I agree the original Kronos recording for Nonesuch established a benchmark yet to be surpassed. That's necessarily a completely subjective appraisal, for I lack the technical knowledge to tell why one version is (arguibly) superior. The strongest point I could make in support of this claim amounts to the Krono's being the first Different Trains I ever listened to. Anonymous said.
Leap Office 2000 Assamese Free Download Torrent
If memory serves, my first hearing of George Crumb was his 'Voice Of The Whale' on very-late-nite FM radio sometime in the late '70's. A few months later I heard it performed at a local 'New Music' festival.
My next encounter was the Kronos Quartet recording of 'Black Angels' when it arrived at my local record store. They remain my favourite pieces. Though I have heard other interpretations of 'Voice.' , I have never heard another 'Black Angels'. This will be an interesting listen. My mad obsession has always been collecting music.
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A program to recover lost or forgotten passwords to files/documents created in Microsoft Office applications: Word, Excel, Access (share-level), Money, IE. Most passwords are being recovered instantly; the password to open in Word/Excel 97/2000/XP can be recovered using brute-force and dictionary attacks, optimized for speed (about 5 million passwords per minute on PII).
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Platforms: Windows
License: Shareware
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Download: Advanced Office 2000 Password Recovery (std)
A program to recover lost or forgotten passwords to files/documents created in Microsoft Office applications: Word, Excel, Access (including user-level passwords and owner info), Project, Money, PowerPoint, Visio, Backup, Schedule+, Mail. Can also reset MS Internet Explorer (3/4/5) Content Advisor password, and open password-protected VBA projects via the backdoor. More InfoDownload
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Download: Advanced Office 2000 Password Recovery (pro)
File, template and folder manager for Office2000,2002,2003. Works with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and from the Windows System Tray. Create a list of the Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access documents and templates you use all the time. One click, and your document, workbook, presentation or database is open, regardless of the Office application you're running. Re-open any of your 200 most recent documents, workbooks, presentations, and ... More InfoDownload
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With Add-in Express for Office and VCL you can create powerful, fast and easy deployable plug-ins for all available Microsoft Office versions, including Office 2010, 2007, 2003, 2002 (XP) and Office2000. Add-in Express is completely based on the Rapid Application Development (RAD) paradigm which allows creating professional application-level Office plugins without coding their GUI. Also, Add-in Express provides your add-ins with version-neutrality, ... More InfoDownload
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SSDocument Converter is a component for converting Microsoft Office2000 documents into HTML, TXT, RTF and various other formats. Our DLL is COM object and developers my call it from Visual Basic, C#, VBA, VB.Net, ASP, ASP.Net, Delphi, Java or other language. SSDocument Converter may convert files between these formats:DOC to HTML, DOC to RTF, DOC to Text, XLS to HTML, XLS to CSV, XLS to Text, PPT to JPG, GIF etc. Requirements: MS Office2000 ... More InfoDownload
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This add-in enables you to print Microsoft VBA version 6 & 7 source code in color of your applications across the entire Microsoft Office2000, 2003,2007,2010 and XP suite of applications: Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, PowerPoint, and FrontPage and any other VBA enabled software. You can create and save your own output styles by customizing the fonts and colors settings for keywords, strings, constants, procedure headers, line numbers, page ... More InfoDownload
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A program to recover lost or forgotten passwords to files/documents created in Microsoft Office applications (all versions up to Office 2002/XP): Word, Excel, Access (including user-level passwords and owner info), Project, Money, PowerPoint, Publisher, Visio, Backup, Schedule , Mail. Can also reset MS Internet Explorer (3/4/5) Content Advisor password, and open password-protected VBA projects (created in any application) via the backdoor. Most passwords ... More InfoDownload
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Download: Advanced Office XP Password Recovery Pro
A program to recover lost or forgotten passwords to files/documents created in Microsoft Office applications (all versions up to Office 2002/XP): Word, Excel, Access (share-level passwords only), Money. Can also reset MS Internet Explorer (3/4/5) Content Advisor password. Most passwords are being recovered instantly: for MS Access; for MS Word/Excel 95 and older; for MS Word/Excel 97/2000/XP: password to save, document protection password, workbook ... More InfoDownload
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Download: Advanced Office XP Password Recovery Std
Many companys offer programs, which possess interfaces to Microsoft Word, Excel or other Office products. In some cases it can come during the work with these programs to problems and errors, since requested Office components does not react or are damaged. Often it is then necessary to contact expensive Hotlines which repair the error. But it goes also more simply and more favorably. The Office CleanUP 2007 sets Office application or the entire Office ... More InfoDownload
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Office WordCount Standard v1.1 is an essential software suite for translation industry which counts words ,Line Count, Pages, characters count and characters count without Spaces it also count Custom Pages and Line Count as par your defined criteria.Office WordCount Standard v1.1 analyze documents in many different formats (DOC, DOT, XLS, XLT, XL, PPT, POT, ODT, ODS, ODP, HTML, HTM, PHP, ASP, XML, MHT, MHTML, SHTM, SHTML, RTF, TXT, PDF, CSV, INI, ... More InfoDownload
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Three essential and full featured office applications: Kingsoft Writer, Kingsoft Spreadsheets and Kingsoft Presentation are designed with the familiar Microsoft Office 2003 user interface and functionality. You will be surprised that many features work EXACTLY the same way as Microsoft Office. Switching from Microsoft Office to Kingsoft Office requires no re-training. The Google Search toolbar provides one-click Internet search capabilities ... More InfoDownload
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Three essential and full featured office applications: Kingsoft Writer, Kingsoft Spreadsheets and Kingsoft Presentation are designed with the familiar Microsoft Office 2003 user interface and functionality. You will be surprised that many features work EXACTLY the same way as Microsoft Office. Switching from Microsoft Office to Kingsoft Office requires no re-training. The Google Search toolbar provides one-click Internet search capabilities ... More InfoDownload
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BinaryNow Office is Microsoft Office compatible suite of applications. Three essential and full featured office applications: TextMaker, PlanMaker and Presentations offer the affordable, lighting-fast and easy to use alternative to Microsoft Office. This integrated solution for creating, editing and viewing documents, spreadsheets and presentations uses the same document format as Microsoft Office (2000/XP/2003). Even the latest Microsoft Office ... More InfoDownload
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BCGControlBar library is an MFC extension library that allows you to create Microsoft Office2000/XP/2003/2007/2010/2011/2012/2013/2016 and Microsoft Visual Studio-like applications with full customization options (Ribbons, Customizable toolbars, menus and more) and a rich set of professionally-designed GUI controls such as Calendar, Grid, Editor, Gantt and many others. BCGControlBar library has more than 200 thoroughly designed, tested and ful ... More InfoDownload
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ContactGenie QuickPort, contact import/export tool for Microsoft Outlook 2000/2010 providing full support for custom forms/fields in PST, Exchange Mailbox, or Exchange public folders. Optionally clear outlook folder prior to import. Choose to 'Add all', 'Add New Only' or 'update' pre-existing contacts using one or more user-selected fields as update keys. Standardize primary field formats such as FileAs, EmailDisplayName ... More InfoDownload
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kiritokun · 7 years ago
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2017 Anime in Review
So, it is that time of the year again, the end is neigh, and it has snuck up on me yet again. With the end of the fall season for me only 3 days away, I thought I should get to writing and compiling this list, which, compared to other years feels dauntingly short. With a total of only 33 anime/movies I saw this year, I feel like either I’ve gotten pickier, shows have gotten worse, or there were too many sequels that I didn’t wanna rush through previous seasons to watch the new season. Regardless, keeping up with tradition, here I am for my fifth annual anime review. As always, the top 12 are in alphabetical order and then the rest are discussed in alphabetical order as well since, as you may have noticed, I was lazy this year and didn’t do any quarterly reviews. So, you’ll get my full rambling here this year! Let’s get this party started!
Ao no Exorcist: Kyoto Fujouou-hen
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The long awaited sequel to Ao no Exorcist, the Kyoto arc is where the action finally ramps it into high gear. The stakes get higher and the action gets real fucking rad. I’m so glad the Ao no Exorcist got its second season finally, it’s, in my opinion, somewhat underrated as an anime and doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Here’s hoping that the second season garnered enough attention for another season, because with stunning visuals, great story, and music to boot, it be a shame not to continue seeing more of this series.
Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka Gaiden: Sword Oratoria
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And here we have it, the spin of to DanMachi that focuses on the Loki Familia. At first I was skeptical that they decided to do this instead of another season of DanMachi, but to quell my concerns I read into the manga and fell in love. The motivations you see for Aiz in the story help make sense of why she puts up with Bell, why she is the strongest and overall just a lot of fleshing out of her character. But luckily it doesn’t just center around Aiz, but the whole of the front line of the Loki familia, letting us see how a strong dungeon clearing familia does business, and boy does they show us the business in the season finale.
Eromanga-sensei
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What is this train wreck? Another imouto series? Yes, I’m sorry. I can’t stop myself, I’m a sucker for comedy. Eromanga-sensei is great, because unlike its predecessors (OreImo) it doesn’t try to make the viewers stomach that blood relations hell. With an adorable cast, great punchlines, and reasonable visuals, it’s well worth a watch if you need a laugh.
Gamers!
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What is this, another train wreck? Yep, sorry not sorry. At least it’s a unique train wreck, with our 5 main characters in a horrible love pentagon from hell. Amano likes Tendou and vice versa, Aguri likes Uehara and vice versa, and Chiaki likes Amano. Seems simple enough, just a love triangle you say, NOPE. Because its all a clusterfuck of people thinking the person they like likes someone else. EVEN THOUGH AGURI AND UEHARA ARE DATING. God help me why did I like this again. Wait the great lolz. That’s why, grade A lolz.
Imouto sae Ireba Ii.
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Yes, it says Imouto in the title. But I swear, its not OreImo again. My boy Itsuki here is a light novel author… with an obsession for little sisters. See that’s new. This anime is a slice of life that revolves around the light novel publishing business and we see most of it through the perspective of Itsuki, but Nayu and Haruto have been in the spotlight, showing us their process to writing their novels or anime adaptations. But the cake for me has to go to Itsuki’s college friend Miyako, who is best girl of the year for me. Lord have mercy that girl is adorable. Also this bastard of an anime has the best ending song of the year for me, freaking great song.
Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni.
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The premise here was interesting, our protagonist meets an early end in his world, but God having pity on him allows him to reincarnate in a new world, taking one thing with him. He chooses to keep his smartphone and there by gains a interesting advantage in a world of magic, where he is able to access all the old information from his home world (Assumingly an anime Earth), but also gains amazing power in this world. Because God felt the phone was a bit of a cheap gimme, he enhances all hit attributes including his affinity for magic, allowing him to be incredibly fucking broken and OP in this world in combat. So don’t go in to this for a fair fight, but for comedy, bullshit fights, and a interesting take on how a medieval magic world would benefit from someone from our time period came and started just dropping knowledge. (ICE CREAAAM)
Koi to Uso
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A society that has a system that will match you to your perfect soulmate, seems ideal doesn’t it? But what if you find yourself fallen in love for years and come your 16th birthday you are matched with someone whom you have no feelings for. That’s the premise of Koi to Uso, and man it’s a doozy. I wish this had gotten more episodes because I feel like the premise was great, even if the protagonist was a bit spineless. Unfortunately I doubt it did well enough to get another season, so I’ll have to read the manga for some closure, but it got my interest. It also had a fantastic opening song, catchy as all hell.
Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! 2
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If you read my reviews in the past, you should NOT be surprised that KonoSuba2 made it into this list. The laughs were still there, the bullshit success story of Kazuma never ends. God what else can I say about one of the best action comedies I’ve seen? Go watch it? Season 1 first though, it does actually continue story wise so you need to see it in order. ERIS IS TRUE LIFE, AQUA LIES!
Rewrite 2nd Season
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Man, I can already feel how controversial this pick is. A lot, and I mean a lot, of people did not like Rewrite, nor Rewrite season 2. I am one of the few that thought it was alright. I have also not played the visual novel its based on so I’m more forgiving to its faults than most. But I have researched into the series post watching the anime, and can see very well why people were so… triggered. Overall the second season I feel was stronger than the first, elaborating on back story a lot more and giving viewers more to understand what the actual fuck is going on. And you gotta admit the season started off with a bang with that huge battle in episode 16. After which the series I feel took a darker and more realistic turn, which I thought was a step in the right direction.
Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records
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Yes, another magic world school series. What was unique about this one? The main character is older for one, isn’t trying to fall in love for another, and lastly, isn’t purposefully gimped of his power. He tends a lazier route but is able to be bring forth his abilities to full blast when necessary. I will say the uniforms are kinda bullshit, like how are they practical lol.
Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata 
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Why oh why did we not get just a bit more of this series? I’m glad they announced a movie to hopefully finish the story since its so close to the end of the light novels. But this ends up being more of the same, with Aki trying to pursue his game creation dream further with more trials and tribulations along the way. But none of that matters, what matters is we got more Megumi in our lives and man oh man is she still as great as ever. Best heroine, no boring heroine here!
Tsurezure Children
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Considering how much I love the manga series, it is no surprise that I loved the anime. They stayed true to the manga and made it a snippet of short stories for all the characters. I only wished it had been 24 episodes so we could have developed everyone more and introduced more people as well. But, its okay, we introduced the best characters anyway with BROTOYAMA being introduced and of course, everyone’s favorite LOVE MASTER! He gets even better, just you wait.
Honorable Mentions
ChäoS;Child
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This was just a big disappointment to me, I had hoped it would fall back on Chaos;Head a bit and explain some more, give us an epilogue if you will of what happen to those people, but we just got a new story full force. While the story of Chaos;Child isn’t bad, it wasn’t what I wanted, though man, the movie was something else. Sadly it wasn’t what I was looking for.
Clockwork Planet
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Iffy animation, story all over the place, main dude kinda nuts and annoying. I couldn’t actually find something I liked about Clockwork planet. It’s a shame because I thought I’d love it based on the poster art, but, it wasn’t meant to be apparently.
Code:Realize: Sousei no Himegimi
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I have a very love hate relationship with Code:Realize. I don't actually enjoy it that much, but its interesting enough that I was not able to bring myself to drop the series. Week after week I watched with half attention because I wanted to see a resolution to the series, but it wasn't very good to watch it. I don’t know what drew me to it, but it brought me back for more every week so I guess it had to be somewhat good if I can't find something I hated either.
Fate/Apocrypha
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Man, Fate Apocrypha is an example of why ufotable should be the only people that are allowed to handle the Fate series. While the story is pretty interesting war wise, the character development felt slopy, the fights were poorly animated (til episode 22-23 those were pretty rad), and overall just felt bad. It’s a shame ufotable doesn’t have exclusive rights to fate adaptations, but oh well, it was okay. Hopefully Shaft does better with Fate Extra, but I doubt it.
Gin no Guardian
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Normally if a series gets a second season announced and I watched the first season, I watch the new season. Like I watched Samurai Girls, then tried to watch Samurai Bride and realized it was god awful. Well with Gin no Guardian, I watched the first season and will not be giving its second season a watch because it was very boring, slow paced, and scattered about. I don’t see how it got a second season, but I guess some people might have liked it, or maybe since its shorter episodes it was worth finishing up another season? I don’t understand really.
Hajimete no Gal
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The boobs in this series were fucking absurd. Who was the character designer for this and the manga? They need to go look at some real women to understand how boobs function. Holy shit was that a problem in this series. Unless the designers only watched porn with very fake breasts, they should have realized something was awry with their boob design. Holy fuck have I been waiting to complain about that for a while. Besides the boobs, pretty good anime, I laughed pretty hard actually, when the boobs were functioning like human boobs.
Hand Shakers
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Now, the art style alone was a bit of a departure for me, but it also caught me attention so I gave it a shot. Hand Shakers story was rocky at best, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t actually bad. The concept of not being able to let go of her hand got real old fast, like come on that’s a horrible life flaw to force on someone, even anime wise. But oh well, I didn’t hate the anime, I found it enjoyable at least.
Juuni Taisen
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Some people really loved Juuni Taisen, I was not one of those people. Don't get me wrong, it was actually pretty interesting; I enjoy that battle royal genre a lot. But I just couldn’t get behind the predictable episode structure and most unlikable characters. I was glad when I started to like people, but then they’d die off and make me feel like I wasted my joy. So, that was rough going, even if it was predictable in the end it was a fun watch.
Kino no Tabi: The Beautiful World - The Animated Series
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Oh my god, Kino is a wonderful anime, but I couldn't make myself drop one of the other 12 down. So no don't think I didn't love this anime, I did, I adored it. The visuals were beautiful, the music was great, and each individual story was amazing. Episode 11 was incredible in my opinion, and a satisfying watch to realize how Kino came to be.
Konohana Kitan
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I might be a bit slow, but I did NOT realize that the hotel was a kind of limbo til very late in the series. Did I miss some key dialogue? Maybe, someone let me know. But holy hell has this been an amusing watch. Its been beautifully animated, and on top of that the stories are all heartwarming.
Kuzu no Honkai
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This fucking anime, holy shit this anime. I had some issues here. First of all, our two protagonists, like fuck, why didn't you end up together? Like, are you that childish that you can’t accept that you’ve made mistakes but are essentially good for each other? Also; Ecchan; can really go fuck off, her attitude drove me up a wall the entire series. What a horrible personality. God, I think I only made it through this because I was hoping for a happier ending and man did I not get that.
Little Witch Academia (TV)
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Very unpopular opinion incoming. This should have stayed a movie. There, I said it. I didn't think it needed to be adapted into a full length anime. It felt like every episode dragged on and on and only felt like it reached a proper pacing structure towards the end when everything started to go down. Had the series been condensed to 12 episodes I get a feeling I may have been fonder of it.
Masamune-kun no Revenge
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Masamune really needs his revenge; he went from tubby to abs in a few years. He needs to get vengeance for starving and working out to be healthy. Wait that sounds wrong, shouldn't he be thanking her for making him realize that he needed to get healthy and that she was kind of a bitch? That would be the logical outcome, but no, we get led into a lengthy hell. The manga has started to move towards the conclusion, which I think might satisfy me more than the anime did, but we'll see what happens.
New Game!!
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More of the same and that's okay with me! Watching the game development process is fascinating! And the characters are all adorable and relatable! And so well drawn and animated. I really do love this series so much, even though it broke my heart with the last episodes. Oh well, I trust the writers!
Princess Principal
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I really liked the series. But, I felt like I was watching the episodes out of order a lot of the time. That really threw the pacing through a loop in my opinion. I thought it was a lot more mature than I initially gave it credit for though, so that was good overall. I'm glad I watched it.
Re:Creators
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This on the other hand, I regret bothering with. But I was so many episodes in by the time I regretted it that I couldn't just stop anymore. Man, this was not a good anime.
Shingeki no Kyojin Season 2
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If you'e watched season 1, you know what season 2 is all about. Death, glory, fighting, WOO! While we do make some plot progress in season 2, we haven’t gotten to the real meat of the plot just yet, so hopefully another season and we'll get to the nice dark conspiracies!
Sword Art Online Movie: Ordinal Scale
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I loved the Ordinal Scale movie. I was able to go see it in theaters and it was fantastic. While original content, it fit so well with the world that Sword Art Online has built. And the magnificent tease at the end. We will see Alicization soon enough boys!
Trinity Seven Movie: Eternity Library to Alchemic Girl
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A shame I didn't get to see this in theaters, but man it was good. While not canon to the manga's story it held its own with a very interesting take on the series. I enjoyed it quite a lot.
UQ Holder!: Mahou Sensei Negima! 2
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Oh god what a fucking train wreck. Why can't they make a good Negima anime? Is it really that hard to get it right? It was so fucking bad. Why can't you stick to the source material? Why must you skip so much? God fucking damn it.
Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e (TV)
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At least we end on a high note. This was one hell of a trip. The concept was cool and the animation was decent. They had some issues with slow pacing to start, but once the politics and drama began it just kept rolling. I wish it had had more episodes to give us more plot because with how it ended, you really are left wondering what the intentions of the main character are and where the story is leading. Oh well, hopefully it gets another season or if not I'll have to read the light novel.
And with that we come to a close, yet another year of anime. While I watched significantly less this year, it was still a lot I think. I hope this helps you if you are on the edge about some of these, if not, well, sorry I like to ramble. I';m always open to discussion, so if you have opinions that clash, let us have a duel of words. Til next time!
Edit: Apparently my formatting freaked out a bit and I had to fix it, hopefully I got everything, if not let em know!
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entergamingxp · 4 years ago
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A Blessing in Disguise Review — Always Trust the Pizza, Zach
July 8, 2020 9:00 AM EST
Deadly Premonition 2 marks the return of Francis York Morgan and his brand of weirdness. He can also skateboard now. It’s rad.
To call the first Deadly Premonition a cult classic feels like a bit of an understatement. Swery65 and the team at Access Games created one of the most intriguing, yet technically terrible games in recent memory. In 2010, the game felt like a modern-era version of Shenmue’s “gameplay” mixed with an oddball murder mystery like Twin Peaks.
Fans of the original release will be happy to know that the trademark weirdness is still alive and well in 2020. In fact, this prequel/sequel, Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise, feels like it was entirely designed back in 2010, and then Swery just held onto it for 10 years.
As such, this makes it a very difficult game to give you a clean-cut review score. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if several people just read the score and skip my text in their haste to take to the comments section to complain. Your enjoyment of Deadly Premonition 2 mostly comes down to what you value most in your video games.
In short, if you like wacky casts and a harebrained plot that barely makes sense, Deadly Premonition is probably worth a try. However, if you need your games to play at a consistent framerate or want precise control over your actions, maybe look elsewhere.
That dichotomy between two thoughts of game design is represented in nearly every aspect of Deadly Premonition 2. It might be tough to fully explain all of my thoughts on my favorite game outside of NieR: Automata or the Yakuza series over the last half-decade while also feeling hard-pressed to call it good. That said, I’ll do my best while going into some spoilers, so fair warning.
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“York is, perhaps, my favorite protagonist in gaming history.”
Let’s start with the most important aspect of Deadly Premonition 2, which is the characters. This cast of misfits is often hilarious, always compelling, and sometimes full of more emotion than you previously thought possible. Obviously, the star of the show is Francis York Morgan and his alter ego, Zach. York is, perhaps, my favorite protagonist in gaming history. His encyclopedic knowledge of B-movies and his willingness to explore anything in the search of truth make him the kind of guy you’d love to have on your side.
At times, he might seem to not really understand normal humans, but then you realize that he’s just on another plane from the rest of us. Sure, he refuses to call Arnold Schwarzenegger anything but Arnold S. And, I’ll grant you that mentally hopping out of conversations to talk to what some would call an imaginary friend is probably not the best way to handle an investigation, but York is always there to surprise you with his deep understanding of how people work. He’s able to assess situations in ways that other characters can’t because his worldview is so different from the norm.
York isn’t the only character worth talking about. There’s David, whose four separate personalities fulfill the roles of your hotel’s chef, concierge, bellboy, and owner. There’s also Mrs. Carpenter, the bowling granny. Or maybe, like me, you love the always-cursing crawdaddy farmer Chuck. The man might have a short temper, but when he goes off on you in his heavy Louisanna accent, it���s a thing of beauty. You haven’t seen a better putdown wordsmith in video games.
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And, it would be a mistake to not also talk about York’s young assistant, Patti. As a foil to York’s oddball behavior, Patti is sublime. She refuses to put up with his crap and even takes a few Jim from The Office-like moments to look at the camera, asking “is this guy for real?” with her blue eyes.
Unfortunately, while all the characters in the game are memorable (yes, even you, The Mirror), when you actually start playing the game, it all starts to fall apart.
I’m no frame rate expert. Frankly, as long as it’s consistent, I don’t really care for most games. That said, calling Deadly Premonition 2’s framerate smooth is like calling games with randomized loot boxes a fun form of “surprise mechanics.” It’s just an outright lie.
In the main overworld, the game chugs like a stay-at-home mom whose son just dropped out of college and has taken up binge-drinking boxed wine. I can make that joke because I dropped out for a year before going back to finish. Except, I was the one drinking, not my mom.
“As a foil to York’s oddball behavior, Patti is sublime.”
Anyways, don’t expect technical brilliance. Even expecting technical competency is a big ask. But, does any of that matter when you can skate around the beautiful town of Le Carre in 15fps or less?
The answer is absolutely not. See, Deadly Premonition 2 might not understand what framerate is, but it does understand fun. And, to that end, Swery and his team have replaced the boring driving from the original game with skateboarding.
That’s right, friends. York’s rented hybrid card was stolen during his trip to Le Carre and, in its place, he’s become a true “Sk8er Boi.” At first, all he can do is ride around, but, once you meet your very own Mr. Miyagi in Emma, you’ll quickly learn the “FORBIDDEN ARTS” of skateboarding. Basically, you’re going to become an impossible-landing machine. It’s super rad.
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At least, it (and the rest of the game with it) is as long as it’s working. We talked about Deadly Premonition 2’s frame rate, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. Expect to run into several bugs. The game only hard crashed on me once, but, like a jealous former lover, it teased me all the time. Load times in Deadly Premonition 2 are apparently something the game thinks you should savor.
They’re incredibly long and sometimes you’re just looking at a black screen for 10 minutes wondering if you Switch exploded on the inside from running this Xbox 360-looking game. Additionally, I also ran into several soft locks during my playthrough. Basically, what happens is randomly your buttons stop working. You can’t shoot bad guys. You can’t run. Heck, you can’t even skate. Truly, it’s the worst timeline.
That first problem will really hurt you, though. If you can’t shoot, you can’t fight off bad guys in the game’s dungeons. This means you have no choice except to load back to a checkpoint.
Speaking of the dungeon, imagine you’re playing a Persona game. The only difference is that, in place of deep rock-paper-scissors RPG combat, you’re shooting enemies in the face. The best you can say about it is that it’s so easy, you barely have to think about it.
Seriously, I don’t think I used a health pack until the last boss. At the end of the game, I had well over 100 healing items, and it wasn’t because I was being stingy. Personally, I didn’t really mind. The story and characters were the reason to play. However, if you’re looking for good gameplay, this ain’t it.
“Like a good book, the story is a page-turner.”
Deadly Premonition 2’s often bonkers story is full of heart. If you asked me to tell you exactly what happens, I’d be hard-pressed to tell you. However, what I will say is that I was glued to the TV throughout the game.  Like a good book, the story is a page-turner. I’m just not completely sure if the total tale makes sense or not.
To me, it’s an exploration of a man who lost everything and is trying to get it back. It’s also about a man who is willing to follow any possibility in his search for the truth. And lastly, it’s about RED TREES. I’m sure that last line means something to a small number of you.
But, while the main story is a bit of a wild one, I can say one thing with absolute certainty; In his time in Le Carre, York has developed an obsession with bridges. I know this because he’s told me that somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 times.
See, while the cutscenes are mostly great, York only has 15-20 stories that he tells while you’re exploring the town. And he’s going to tell them to you over and over again. If you wanted to hear York wax poetically about Charles Bronson’s name, you’re in luck. He’ll be doing that a lot.
Deadly Premonition 2 is a test of how much crap you can put up with for one of my favorite experiences in this generation of video games. It’s like if a chef brought you the finest crab in the world, but to eat it you have to crack open the shells with your toes while getting mud thrown at your face and being forced to listen to your least favorite song play over-and-over again. At some point, you have to ask yourself, is the crab really worth it?
For me, the answer is a resounding yes. I don’t know if Deadly Premonition 2 will end the year ranked as the best game of 2020 in the annals of DualShockers’ history, but it will probably be my favorite one.
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“Deadly Premonition 2 just wants to tell its story, tell it well, and be its own weird, little self.”
The game actually provides one of the best analogies I think of to describe itself. York is a student of cinema. He can tell you the director and year of release for almost any film in existence. However, he’s never heard of E.T., a seminal movie in film history.
Only crazy people and children haven’t heard of E.T. You might not like it, but you’ve heard of it. You probably know the story. You’ve certainly heard about him phoning home. But York hasn’t. He’s too focused on Scatman Crothers’ performance in The Shining to pay attention to that popcorn movie. He doesn’t have time for your summer blockbusters.
Imagine a man who not only hasn’t seen a Marvel movie in 2020, but hasn’t even heard of them. That’s York. He’d see a poster for The Avengers and be like, “This masked man in red, white, and blue tights reminds me of Simon Wincer’s 1996 film The Phantom starring Billy Zane and Kristy Swanson.” And then you’d have to hear him talk about it lovingly for five minutes, while some great smooth jazz plays in the background. Did I mention the music rules? But, like every other aspect of Deadly Premonition 2, that has to come with a caveat. Because, just like the first game, the audio mixing is all over the place.
Anyways, Deadly Premonition 2 is exactly the same. It’s a game that feels like it has never played any games released after the original. It doesn’t care about frame rate or good controls. It’s made a few changes to the overall formula but mostly casts aside the advances game design has made in the last ten years. Deadly Premonition 2 just wants to tell its story, tell it well, and be its own weird, little self. Your ability to either live with that or not will determine how deeply you fall in love with the citizens of Le Carre.
July 8, 2020 9:00 AM EST
from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/07/a-blessing-in-disguise-review-always-trust-the-pizza-zach/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-blessing-in-disguise-review-always-trust-the-pizza-zach
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aurimeanswind · 7 years ago
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Your Greatest Gaming Binges & ExtraLife 2017—Sunday Chats (11-5-17)
There is a lot going on. And I mean a lot. Behind the scenes. In front of the scenes. All in preparation for this coming weekend, where we and my team of internet friends from all over the Continental United States will be participating in ExtraLife 2017, an event I have participated in for seven years, and this will be my eighth. 
First, some context.
I tell this story every year, so I apologize if its trite to you, but its the truth. In 2009 I was diagnosed with a more ethereal-type disease called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It plagued my life for about seven months, causing me to be homeschooled during my Junior Year of High School, drop all of my Advanced Placement classes, and stop seeing my friends for weeks on end. It through off my college plan. It ruined my life. It made me miserable and unhappy. And I lost hope until I started seeing a specialist, Dr. Rowe, at John Hopkin’s Medical Center in Baltimore Maryland. With physical therapy, medication, and exercise, I was able to finish my Junior year of High School, and live a normal life until I relapsed in my Senior Year of High School, and had to retread old ground again, more frustrated, and more determined this time.
In 2012 i fell into a deep depression. Scared, alone, and as I slowly coiled up into my room and stopped seeing my friends, going to school, going to work, or doing anything, I had no one to turn to. Until I reached out to Dr. Rowe. He was a Chronic Fatigue specialist, but I remembered part of CFS is depression, something that I didn’t have to experience at the time. He gave me the depression test that I had passed with flying colors every other time I had seen him, and, stunned at the change, helped me start a path on a better and less mental-illness-plagued life without depression.
Every year, my team donates to John Hopkin’s Medical Center. It’s a place that irrevocably changed my life. It gave me hope when I had none, and set me on a better, healthier path. This is my way to give back.
So join us, this coming Saturday starting at 12pm Eastern Standard Time, at http://twitch.tv/IrrationalPassions, and donate to a cause that has helped me and countless others. All the details of who is coming, what we’re doing, and what you can do to help are or will be live soon at http://IrrationalPassions.com/ExtraLife.
Thank you, for all your support, and I hope to see you there helping us stay up and keeping us jolly.
It’s also with massive pride that I can fully announce that Greg Miller, Gen Miller, and Joey Takagami will be joining us from San Francisco California, and Greg is bringing Portillo too! Check out this video Roger Pokorny and I made to convince him to come:
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I’m excited to see you all there, in spirit, for our wacky shenanigans!
Now... I onto the entrée.
Your Greatest Gaming Binges
Today, as is now customary for the first Sunday of each month, I asked YOU ALL a question, and it was about the most intense gaming marathons you all have gone on. Specifically single-session, and specifically why.
Now, I’ll say, full disclosure, you should always remember to consume the average amount of calories, vitamins, and minerals in your diet everyday, and take care of yourself: sleep when you need to, drink plenty of water, and listen to the recommendations of the FDA and USDA (here in the states) to better understand what your body needs, to live a better, and more fulfilling life. But I aside from the self-destructive aspects of binging gaming sessions, I love a game that gets its hooks in you so hard that you just can’t. Stop. Playing.
I have had countless 12-hour+ gaming sessions that have left me bleary-eyed, but still bushy tailed from the amazing stories that have come from them, and with a year like this year, I think there are many out there from this year alone. I wanted to hear your stories!
First, one of mine.
Danganronpa 1. Boy oh boy. I think I’ve infamously talked about it at this point. But when that came out I was so incredibly obsessed with it. It was all I played for days, and I’d roll out of bed, grab my Vita, and keep playing, until I rolled into bed, played until I felt asleep, rinse and repeat. It was an incredible few days of gaming, and it was what got me back into visual novels.
Now, to the audience!
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See, I love the classic gaming sessions. I think that was a totally different era of playing games too. Hearing times of people playing Street Fighter 2 and just going were the best. And shoutout to Super Techmo Bowl, because that game is fucking rad.
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I can’t get into Minecraft, but I like the multiplayer love. Scott, Evan and Tony, my cohosts on IP, helped run a big Minecraft Server for over a year. The stories to come out of those play sessions are magnificent, and I was into the jolly cooperation.
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MGS4 is fucking crazy. Luckily there is plenty of movie time to go get snacks in that game. I think I beat that game in three or so sessions, so I get it.
BUT HELL YEAH JAK 3 AND SLY COOPER. Those games are so rad. Well deserving of massive play sessions. I remember going out and buying Red/Blue 3D glasses because I rented Sly 3 from GameFly and didn’t get them. I ended up steeling them out of a display box in a Blockbuster (DON’T TELL ANYONE) so i could have the cool Sly Cooper branded ones.
But boy. Jak 3 in one day. That’s a tall ask.
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See, I wish I played MGS at all in the era of when you only played one game because it’s all you had. I only ever really experimented with multiple play throughs when it came to MGS4, and that was still a ton of fun, but I wish I could have done it with something like MGS2 or 3.
The different styles of play are what make those games so hard to put down too, even though I just played the same way the whole time. Like a loser.
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Get a better game Plankfan, because I can’t do this Garden Warfare bullshit.
Kidding, but yeah I think of the multiplayer bingers, Overwatch has taken the cake, and that’s the most class-based of all, considering each character is their own cup of tea.
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Very much so! Game rhythm is super important to how hard you can binge it. Especially with single player stuff. Like, Rocket League has tons of ups and downs and variety therein, so the rhythm is changing all the time. Single player games need a good loop, and facing off against the next villain really pulls you through Akrham Asylum. Especially with the Metroidvania-esque format.
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I’m curious to what you thought of it, ultimately, because I like that game a great deal, but nothing in Deus Ex really blew me away. I think it was just a very good “one of those” with no unique hooks really. I know a lot of people have different feelings about that, but any immersive sim really makes me never want to put it down, so I get it.
You should do the same with Dishonored 2, because it’s v good.
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FUCK YEAH.
Kingdom Hearts 2 is one of those games I spent 14 hours straight playing during ExtraLife 2010 and never looked back on. I love it. I could play that game all day.
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Oh my god yes. Just like the Minecraft love I love this too. And the loop of that is great.
I have never really had a LAN party for anything, but ExtraLife is the closest I’ve come to that. I really like the loop of all that too. I played Halo 2 with my brother and his friends when I was younger and it was a blast. Boy... This sounds like it’d still be rad today.
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Another Arkham game. I really jive with this one too, but City has just enough Open World in it to keep me fully immersed. I started playing that game after a midnight launch and just didn’t stop. It’s the same idea of wanting to see the next villain, especially after Freeze shows up. Whoooooo boy.
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Oh boy. My recent trip back to Skyrim has brought me back here, because good lord do I just want to grab everything everywhere forever. And my inventory limit simply does not agree with my life choices on that front.
I think Skyrim was the game that got me to break away from my completionist tendencies too, because It’s just a game that I don’t think would be fun to fully complete after a while. It’d just burn thin too soon.
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Hell yeah! That’s a game I played a ton of when I first started it. I think my second session with that game was somewhere around eight hours, but then Zelda came out and I just stopped. I want to finish that game before the end of the year, if anything to see the story through, but those open world games just bring the most out of all of us.
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BRING IT BACK.
BRING IT BACK.
BRING IT BACK.
Bloodborne is just so incredible. I love just letting myself go in that world too, because that truly is a game I could sit down with for an entire ExtraLife. I know it wasn’t your cup of tea, but I love it. The same has been true of all my other Souls experiences, because those are games that get their hooks in and just don’t let go. I think those are the games best suited to playing across multiple sessions too, since some time away is usually what you need to get past a boss you’re stuck on.
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The ultimate binge game: The Witcher 3. That’s a game that I couldn't really podcast with either, because every snippet of every conversation was just so compelling for me. But of course, the monster dens and boss fights were where the podcasts came in anyway. Boy. What a fucking game.
Thank you all for writing in your answers! I hope folks still like this format, and I’m excited to do more of these. Been thinking of ways to spice up Sunday Chats going forward, and while I have some soft ideas in the pipeline, we’ll see what I ultimately end up on.
As I said last week, I currently have no intention of doing a Sunday Chats next week as it’ll be as we wrap on ExtraLife 2017, and I’ll preferably be dead. But we’ll see! Just don’t expect one, and certainly won’t be taking questions.
Regardless, I’d love it if you tuned in next week, Saturday, starting at Noon Eastern Time, to watch us play games and do dumb stuff!
http://twitch.tv/irrationalpassions
Be there
And keep it real.
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mvsicbookfrxndom · 8 years ago
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OKAY, LISTEN UP, EVERYONE, 'CAUSE I HAVE THE BEST MOTHERFLIPPING STORY EVER TO TELL YOU!!!
Here's a mental image to paint in your mind:
A socially impaired, lonely teenage girl is hiding in the bedroom she shares with her younger sister from her parents, reading fanfiction on a device she isn't supposed to be using because she's a rule-breaking savage. It's spring break, which should be really fun and awesome, but it isn't because her home life isn't really all that great. Which is why she's hiding in the bedroom she shares with her younger sister from her parents.
She isn't just reading any old fanfiction, either. She's reading Monsieur George deValier's Hetalia: Axis Powers fanfics. They transport her to a world of ubiquitously inclusive homonormativity and give her hope that true love always wins in the end, because its love. No matter what gender anyone happens to love.
Her parents would pass out if they knew what kind of scandalous stories her eyes gobble up while they converse suspiciously about whether or not their rogue daughter is slitting her wrists upstairs.
Which she isn't. She's doing something almost more painful - imagining what it would be like to come out of the closet. To openly admit to the whole world that she isn't monosexual - in fact, she's the furthest thing from it. To have more accepting parents, to have more accepting people around her in general. To not be judged, to be safe in her home instead of being cast out, abandoned. To find her one true love and be devoted forever, whatever gender they might identify as, because that couldn't matter less to her.
George deValier's works have brought to her life a new dimension she never imagined she'd discover. She wishes she could meet him - who knows if he's even a man at all? - and hug him. Tell him he's changed her life forever. Thank him for existing. If only anyone knew who he was so this could happen.
TL;DR: I love George deValier more than my own family.
There's my "setting the scene" portion of this post. Now here comes the crazy story portion!
So I'm reading Auf Wiedersehen, Sweetheart, the first deValier work my eyes have ever had the blessing of experiencing, and there are no words - in any of the multiple languages I am fluent in - for how much it's affected me (not even French, the most romantic language on earth).
I've probably read half of the works on fanfiction.net and AO3 combined, but nothing has come even close to this. At all. The writing is sublime, the plots intricate beyond belief, and the character development positively shocking in its detail. The dedication and talent spent on this is almost scary to think about, not to mention the research that must have taken years to complete, so the stories could be as historically accurate as humanly possible. What's the point in writing fanfiction if this is what you're up against? I'm close to giving up one of my favorite things to do in the whole world because of how shook I am, but if this is how I go down, I'll be going down happy.
Though I've been reading for hours, I've only reached chapter 5, since my eyes have been taking their time to lasciviously devour every letter and fully grasp the meaning of each delicious sentence before allowing further conquest. However, I am no less enamored by the magnificent, captivating story than when I just started it at what seems like a lifetime ago.
As I near the end of ch.5, I almost screech out loud when I read the conversation between Feli and Ludwig about the latter's fighter aircraft Greta. About a quarter of the reason why is because Ludwig just confessed that there is no special girl of his, and my angsty soul is ripping me apart because I need one of them to confess their love for the other RIGHT NOW OR ELSE I'LL DIE.
The rest of the reason is because of who appeared in my mind when I read this scene. The worst person on the planet to think about when you're reading a homoerotic fanfiction is your female ELA teacher, but that's what happened, but not for the reasons you're undoubtedly assuming.
You see, my ELA teacher's name is Mrs. Schmit.
I lose my utter shit. I'm going insane, absolutely bonkers, over the fact that my freakin' ELA teacher's name is in this book, discounting the extra T. Of all the places to find her name, of all the things to remind me of her...
So I come up with the most bloody brilliant idea in the history of the world. I screenshot this section of the book, taking way longer than needed so I can be positive there's no evidence of two men lying next to each other in a field of flowers and tall grass having a "no homo, I'm just wondering, I'm not interested in you at all" chat about their lack of girlfriends to each other by making the font super big and swiping the page up so the dropdowns can conceal Feli's obviously masculine name. By the time I'm done working my magic, the conversation is cutesy and innocent, and, most importantly, there's no mention of anything scandalous. All that's left of the passage is the Greta Schmitt joke, which I consider adorable, clever, and laugh-out-loud funny. At the very least, it's mildly amusing.
Then I send her a picture attachment with the screenshot, along with this exact message, through my school email:
"Hi, Mrs. Schmit!
"I really hope you are having a fantastic spring break so far!
"I'm just sending you this email because I was reading a story and a little part of it brought you to mind immediately (for reasons that will become obvious if you look at the file I attached). This scene was also funny, so I thought it would be something interesting to send you. Maybe it will be a source of amusement for you during this leisurely time off from school.
"Have a great rest of your break, and see you on Monday!"
And then, of course, I sign off the email with my name.
The file I attach to the email is the original screenshot I took. The picture I've attached to this post is a screenshot of that screenshot as it appeared to my teacher. It's pretty meta and rad since I screenshot-ed the screenshot at the same time of the original screenshot one day later.
They're also the same except in the picture in this post, which is the latter picture, the portrait orientation lock is on and in the bottom left hand corner the previous page arrow isn't glowing. I feel the need to point these discrepancies out because they wreak havoc on my perfectionist OCD and if they are destroying you inside as well, I want you to know that I'm aware of these mistakes and I'm incredibly sorry.
On a lighter, less soul-crushing note, what about proposing a fun drinking game? Throw back some liquid every time the word "screenshot" appears in the paragraph before the one above. You'll be sloshed by the third sentence.
Oh yeah - and if you were wondering why my phone says 1:17 WD instead of AM or PM, that's because my device's preferred language is Oromoo. WD is ante meridiem - AM.
At first I hesitate to send the email immediately, because of the indecent time of day it is - i.e. not daytime at all - and the fear that I'll really piss off Mrs. Schmit by sending her a completely unnecessary email at 2 in the morning in a week when she shouldn't bother dealing with anything having to do with her students. It's break, after all.
And if there's one thing I don't want, it's Mrs. Schmit to be annoyed by me. Even though she's very intimidating and I can't help but be extremely scared of her, she's an absolutely fantastic teacher (though I don't think she'd believe me if I told her so) and I like her a lot as a person. Thus, I don't want her deductions on me to be negative, especially since I'm pretty sure she finds me very book smart with good grades, but flighty and scatterbrained (which I am, but not in a cool way). If this rather risky email backfires, it won't improve her opinion of me at all.
Another possibility also occurs to me - what if she finds out what kind of story the picture is from? Or the story itself? It wouldn't be hard at all; it would take me two milliseconds to locate that story. I could be in deep shit, but... In that moment, it doesn't matter to me. I'd probably laugh my ass off. She'd die of shock. It would be hilarious.
To be completely honest, I don't even enjoy the story more because of the gayness, or the lust, or the sex. Meaning, it seems more taboo that a presumably straight girl is reading a mildly erotic gay fanfiction as opposed to a straight one, presumably to get a sexual high from all the possibilities and fantasies manufactured by manipulated attraction, but for me that isn't it at all. The sex isn't even a bonus. I don't mind it, but it isn't the reason I love the story so much. If anyone saw me reading it, that's what they'd automatically think, but I'm not drawn to that. I'm asexual anyway, so I'm not even planning to ever have sex. It just doesn't have that allure or even stigma for me. An example: I occasionally watch porn, but it doesn't turn me on in the least, contrary to what one might assume. I just find it fascinating and laughable, not to mention disgusting and more proof of the downfall of humanity.
When I read books like George's, I adore them because of the writing prowess and talent. The plot twists. The characters. The worldbuilding. That's the shit I'm obsessed with. Not the literary porn in the least! Although it does provide amusement and intrigue.
I feel like I should just clear that up. I wish the story was more... ahem... appropriate, or my motivations for consuming it more ubiquitous, so I wouldn't have to worry about sending an appropriate snippet of it to my teacher, but it's George motherflippin' deValier, so nothing else needs to be said. It's perfect. (Just like you, dear beloved darling reading this!) No further explanation needed.
Also, I'm fairly certain her curiosity wouldn't be piqued enough to actually track the story from my email down, which is a comforting thought. Then again, every time I'm left alone with my thoughts, they conjure up an image of Mrs. Schmit sitting at a computer in a dark room, the artificial blue light illuminating her face as if she's some deep web underground black market Anonymous hacker, Googling the transcript of the fated snapshot, her green eyes widening as she begins reading.
I fucking hate my brain. It hates me too.
So before I can change my mind, I hit send and continue through the glorious Auf Wiedersehen, Sweetheart, a devilish, Alfred F. Jones-type smile spreading across my face. There's no going back now. It is done.
Exceeding my highest expectations regarding a response, I don't even need to wait a full 24 hours before my unread emails total increases by one.
To anyone who's gotten the far, it's been an unjustly long post in the making. The moment you've all been waiting for with an anticipation that rivals that of a beat drop in a particularly lit dubstep track. Don't get too excited, though, because I have this frustrating habit of letting people down and I have a feeling this is no exception. You know, since you're all the way down here, you deserve a treat. What'll it be? Tea and biscuits? Nachos? Poutine? It's up to you. Ask and you shalt receive. I am your humble servant, friends.
Here is her response to my groundbreaking, world-changing email:
"Hi __{my_name}__,
"Yes, that was cute and made me smile!!! I hope your Spring Break is going well.
"Thank you,
" "Messerschmitt" "
DID YOU SEE THAT, GUYS???
SHE PUT THREE EXCLAMATION POINTS AND SIGNED OFF AS "MESSERSCHMITT".
I HAVE WON LIFE! I'VE SUCCEEDED! I AM A CHAMPION!!!
Mon Dieu, she liked the deValier excerpt. She made a fucking reference to it. She's got to be my favorite teacher now.
Don't know how to end this, so I guess...
...y'all, we need to start an international manhunt for our Lord and Savior George deValier. If we find him I can do all the things I said I would. If I get cancer, that's what I'll ask Make-A-Wish.
HIS STORIES NEED TO BE MOVIES I SWEAR TO HIMA-PAPA OR ELSE...
ok I'm done now
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thebibliomancer · 8 years ago
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Legends Liveblogging: Star Wars: Dark Empire #4
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I’m loving Leia’s Sigourney Weaver look.
BOOK 4: CONFRONTATION ON THE SMUGGLERS’ MOON
Believing he can resolve the Galactic conflict by learning the Emperor’s darkest secrets, Luke Skywalker has at last taken his father’s place as the Emperor’s protege and Supreme Commander of the Imperial forces.
The Emperor, for his part, hopes to push his “young apprentices” over the edge, deep into the seductive embrace of the Dark Side of the Force.
Luke’s decision to follow his father’s destiny is a dangerous and perhaps foolhardy one, for the Emperor has now launched a massive assault upon the crumbling New Republic.
As the Emperor’s inexorable World Devastators smash the floating cities of Admiral Ackbar’s home planet, Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles lead Rebel forces in a fierce -- and fruitless -- attempt to save the gentle Mon Calamari.
Meanwhile, Han Solo and Leia Organa embark on a quest to free Luke. Together with Chewbacca and C-3P0 hey journey to Nar Shaddaa, a smugglers’ moon orbiting the Hutt homeworld. There they find Han’s old friend, Shug Ninx, and old girlfriend, Salla Zend, who owns a ship that can travel the Deep Galactic Core with impunity. And there Leia meets Vima-Da-Boda, an old woman Jedi overlooked in the great purge, who gives Leia a mysterious gift.
But the highest clan of Hutts, brothers of the dead gangster Jabba, have placed a fabulous price on the heads of Han and Leia... a price that attracts the attention of an old enemy: Boba Fett!
  So Boba Fett is alive. How did he survive being dropped into the Sarlacc?
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“The Sarlacc found me somewhat indigestible.” Cool story, bro.
Anyway, Han’s old friend Mako sold him out. That’s how the bounty hunters knew to wait for him.
So Han and Leia just run right back out the door because main character shields.
And a chase ensues through the crowded spaceport. Han and Leia get cornered on a landing terrace until Fett inadvertently helps them out.
One of his wrist rockets hits a floater that’s carrying a Hutt crime boss. Which results in the Hutt getting knocked off and falling to his death.
So. If Han and Leia are wanted for the death of Jabba, wouldn’t Boba have a price on his head now too? Shouldn’t he be more concerned with skipping town than continuing to chase this bounty? Its not like he can turn them in anymore if the Hutts want him too.
This never gets brought up.
Anyway, Han and Leia grab the newly unHutted platform and fly off. Luckily, instead of waiting for them to get back with the parts they needed, Salla and Ninx finished the repairs. Han and Leia rendezvous with the Starlight Intruder as it flies above the skyline.
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But Boba Fett somehow found the time to get to his ship, the Slave II, get the ship flying, and copy the Intruder’s jump coordinates so that he can beat them there. Also Dengar is with him.
Meanwhile, on the Starlight Intruder (with the Millennium Falcon hitching a ride on the back, no worries) Leia finally opens that package she got from Vima-Da-Boda and discovers that its an ancient lightsaber.
Hooray, Leia gets a lightsaber!
But this rad moment is overshadowed by Leia’s fears for Luke. She has a Jedi vision of him doing a dramatic pose in front of a fleet. She fears that they’ve lost him, that he has taken Vader’s role at the Emperor’s side.
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ELSEWHERE, a World Devastator continues to eat the Star Destroyer Lando was captaining. Good job, Lando. Its only the size of a city. You couldn’t dodge?
He orders an abandon ship. Although I suspect that with the speed of the thing, all the crew in the bow of the Star Destroyer are super dead.
The situation being a bit FUBAR, Pinnacle Base sends reinforcements. Specifically, those E-Wings from earlier.
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Before those can prove to be relentlessly ineffectual against the OP might of the World Devastators, something weird happens.
The master control computer on Byss transmits shut down codes to the Silencer 7, causing it to self-destruct.
Lando assumes that whoever is in command of the World Devastators is an idiot. Or wants to lose.
Lets tuck that away for later.
BECAUSE THE STARLIGHT INTRUDER JUST REACHED BYSS.
Oh and Boba Fett is still chasing them.
Except here’s the thing.
The Starlight Intruder has approved registration codes with Byss security. The Slave II doesn’t.
And Slave II is a terrible name for a ship, Boba.
Boba Fett tries to slip in behind the Intruder but Byss security closes the shields after the Intruder leaving the Slave II to bounce off the shield.
Humorously, Dengar proclaims he’s never going to work with Fett again. Its a shame to see them fall out like this. Boba was the best man at his wedding.
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Anyway, the Starlight Intruder berths and the Millennium Falcon sneaks off with Han and Leia inside.
Leia follows her senses to where Luke is. Which is obviously the giant black tower of ominousness. Where else would the Emperor set up shop?
A security ship pursues them but Leia uses the Force to make them think the Falcon just turned invisible.
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The Falcon lands in the citadel and Han, Leia, Chewie, and C3P0 disembark. Salla and Ninx were secretly on board though and they blast their way out of the citadel  on the Falcon and fly off so they can be an ace in the hole should things go predictably bad.
A squiggly vision of Luke manifests and tells Leia that she shouldn’t have come and that the Emperor lives. GAAAAAASP not a surprise to us.
Big Sith alchemy altered peeps called Sentinels escort the group to where Luke is.
THE EMPEROR’S CLONE LABORATORIES. For when one extra life just isn’t enough.
Luke and Han trade barbs a bit before the Emperor shows up.
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Leia immediately whips out her lightsaber and slashes at a Sentinel that grabs Han.
She tells the Emperor that she’s leaving and Luke is coming with her.
So the Emperor just waves his hand and disintegrates her lightsaber. Ffs she just got the dang thing! This is why we can’t have nice things. Reborn clone emperors.
The Emperor gloats about having both Skywalkers in his grasp and tally up another instance of people being obsessed with Leia’s womb.
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He then starts to monologue about his cool army of backup clone bodies but instead of listening, Leia tries to throw a heavy thing at his head. WITH HER MIND.
It doesn’t work.
And then he electrocutes her.
And then he has her taken to his quarters for training.
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And then Han tries to shove Luke but gets lifted. Luke responds to Han’s threats, saying maybe he does deserve to die but it won’t be Han that does the deed.
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And then the issue just ends there. Weird place to end it.
I really wish they had just cut out all the Nar Shaddaa stuff. It was pointless. Just shoving a Boba Fett cameo into our eyes. And he won’t stop appearing and at this exact level of competency.
Could have given me a more fleshed out slide to darkness for Luke. Or Leia doing stuff.
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theconservativebrief · 7 years ago
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The most important scene in Brad Bird’s Incredibles 2 comes early on and offers a brilliant summation of everything the writer-director does so well.
The Parr family, having attracted the attention and irritation of the government with their superhero shenanigans, sits in a lonely motel room, munching on Chinese food. They’ve just saved the city of Municiberg from the Underminer, who set his giant drill on a path to destroy City Hall.
But officials don’t see all of the destruction that was averted — they only see the rubble that actually exists. Yes, nobody wants supervillains like the Underminer robbing banks, but there’s a process in place to ensure those banks and the money within them, and having superheroes leap in to save the day just complicates that process.
The scene is notable both for its small, detailed animation — pay attention to how Bob Parr (aka Mr. Incredible) can’t seem to grasp anything with his chopsticks and finally just stabs an eggroll through the middle — and for the way it tosses a bunch of questions the movie knows it can’t possibly answer up into the air. To change the law that has made superheroes illegal, the Parrs will have to break it, to show that superheroes can still be useful. Or, as G-man Rick Dicker wearily sighs in an earlier scene, “Politicians don’t trust anyone who does a good thing just because it’s right. It makes them nervous.”
The first time I saw Incredibles 2, all of these ideas jostling for space within the movie struck me as a movie frantically searching for a story to tell, one it eventually found but that didn’t quite cohere with everything else. The second time through, though, the movie made more sense to me as a meditation on the popularity of superhero stories and what it means to live in a world where what’s legal isn’t always what’s right. It doesn’t offer solutions, because it knows there aren’t any.
But the movie is also keyed in to something that’s always present in Bird’s work, something that’s caused some to accuse him of being an objectivist along the lines of Ayn Rand: an obsession with the rights of the exceptional and how they can be stacked up against everybody else.
Incredibles 2 strikes me both as Bird’s deepest exploration of this idea and his biggest refutation of it. Bird might be fascinated by the exceptional among us, but he’s also not interested in exceptionalism if it doesn’t benefit the larger community.
Brad Bird Photo by Juan Naharro Gimenez/Getty Images for Disney
The works of author Ayn Rand — including Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, and others — have been hugely influential on the thinking of various political and economic theorists over the years. (Among current politicians, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan is a notable devotee.) To put Rand’s writings in modern terms, you could describe her objectivism as a kind of extra-strength libertarianism, in which the truly great among us should, as much as possible, not be shackled by the law or by conventions.
Atlas Shrugged is her magnum opus, a futuristic dystopia in which citizens who don’t contribute to society leech off the business classes, who create both wealth and useful material goods (mostly trains and railroads). The action of the book — if a book so heavy in long discussions of philosophy can be said to have “action” — mostly involves the various characters learning that society needs them more than they need society, that the world is only as strong as its strongest, who should be subject to as few rules and regulations as possible. Rand stops just short of saying, “Billionaires should be able to straight-up murder whomever they want,” but reading the book, you have to think the idea occurred to her at some point.
This is a vast oversimplification of a book I read once in high school for an essay contest, but Rand’s ideas that regulations are bad and wealth creators are good have trickled down into the modern Republican Party in ways that are hopefully obvious.
The question is if they’ve also trickled down to influence the films of Brad Bird, one of modern animation’s few auteurs, but also a writer-director who keeps returning to the idea that society places unnecessary constraints on exceptional individuals. You can see where the comparisons come from.
Bird has made just six films — 1999’s The Iron Giant, 2004’s The Incredibles, 2007’s Ratatouille, 2011’s Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, 2015’s Tomorrowland, and 2018’s Incredibles 2 — and four of those wrestle with the above idea at length. There’s a touch of that idea in Iron Giant (which we’ll get to), but it doesn’t dwell on it at length, while Ghost Protocol (one of the finest modern action movies) is mostly about how it would be totally rad to free climb the world’s tallest building. (Ghost Protocol and Tomorrowland are live-action; the other four films are animated.)
The “objectivist” tag was first applied to Bird extensively after the first Incredibles. And to be sure, the very premise of the film plays in this territory: superheroes have been outlawed due to safety concerns, and one character bellows, “With everyone super, no one will be!” This is particularly true of a concluding scene in which young Dash Parr, blessed with super-speed, intentionally throws a race at a track meet. The plot reason for this is that he can’t let anybody know he has superpowers (which are still illegal), but it plays as a weird critique of the idea of participation trophies and the attempt to make sure no child’s feelings are hurt.
The criticism followed Bird through Ratatouille — which is ostensibly about how anyone (even a rat) can cook but is also kind of about how if you don’t have talent, you should get out of the way of people who do — and especially Tomorrowland, in which a group of geniuses abscond to an alternate universe where they build the sci-fi future imagined in the ’50s and ’60s and mostly abandoned in our modern era of imagined dystopias.
A world where the exceptional cordon themselves off and refuse to save the rest of the world is literally Galt’s Gulch from Atlas Shrugged, where the book’s mysterious hero, John Galt, hides out to proclaim his superiority to everybody else. And now Incredibles 2 toys with many of these same themes, which makes sense as a continuation of the first film. (When I asked him about these themes, he mostly punted on answering the question, saying he didn’t think about it that much when writing his movies.)
I think it’s worth considering all of these ideas in the context of Bird’s career, which got a bit of a late start. After beginning as a young wunderkind animator at Disney in the early ’80s, Bird was fired after raising his concerns that the company was half-assing it, instead of trying to protect its rich legacy.
Bird spent much of the ’80s bouncing from project to project — he worked on, among other things, a Garfield TV special and the Amazing Stories episode “Family Dog” (his directorial debut) — until in the early ’90s, he landed a job as the animation supervisor on a new TV show named The Simpsons, a job that made his career and allowed him to direct Iron Giant. When that movie flopped, he was brought to Pixar thanks to a college friendship with John Lasseter (who has recently been pushed out of the company after accusations of sexual misconduct).
But his directorial debut still didn’t arrive until he was in his early 40s. And while that’s not exactly unprecedented, it is at least a little unusual in an industry where someone with the evident talent of Bird likely would have proceeded through the ranks of a major animation company and directed his first film somewhere in his 30s.
Bird’s self-admitted demanding nature likely make him difficult to work with — something that surely contributed to his difficulty getting a film made, despite numerous almost-realized projects, like an animated adaptation of the comic The Spirit. (Bird was also probably hurt by his certainty that “animated film” and “kids film” shouldn’t be synonymous, even though animated films aimed at adults have always been difficult sells in Hollywood.) It makes sense that Bird’s frequent musings on the shackling of genius might be a political, but it’s just as possible this is an artistic idea, based on the struggles he had getting his career to take off. (My friend David Sims has had similar thoughts at the Atlantic.)
So, yes, we could read Bird’s filmography as a celebration of Ayn Rand and of climbing very tall buildings. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t also read it in the context of the career of a director who felt stymied at every turn for almost 20 years, before he unexpectedly became one of the most successful directors of his generation almost out of nowhere.
Even then, we’d be missing something big.
The Iron Giant paints a very different picture of how those with great talents should behave. Warner Brothers
One of the things that makes that early motel-room scene in Incredibles 2 so potent is the fact that there’s no clear right answer to the issues that Bird raises via his characters. Nor is there a right answer in a later scene in which Helen Parr (Elastigirl) talks with a new friend about whether the ability to create something great or the ability to sell it to the mass public is more important to the world. Nor in the frequent arguments about whether breaking unjust laws is the right thing to do, even if society requires people to be law-abiding to function.
It’s impossible for any animated movie to truly be “timely” because they’re produced on such a long timeframe. But Incredibles 2 feels eerily tapped in to the political debates we’re having around the globe right now. If you have massive amounts of power and feel like the world is circling the tubes, is your primary duty to society or to the self? Or your family? Or all of the above? Brad Bird doesn’t know this answer, so the movie doesn’t either.
This is a common thread across his filmography. All of his movies grapple with objectivist themes, to be sure, but they also don’t conclude that doing what’s best for the self is what’s best for everybody. The closest thing to an answer Bird ever provides is “Do what’s right, and what’s right is what benefits the most people.”
In short, his movies always posit that the exceptional should be allowed to express their talents to the best of their abilities — but only insofar as they can benefit society at large.
What’s interesting is how often Bird’s most openly objectivist moments and story ideas are presented as bad things. That collection of geniuses making up Tomorrowland, for instance, invents a machine meant to bring doom to our world, while the famous line about being special or super from Incredibles is actually spoken twice — the first time by a child and the second time by the movie’s villain. Helen is the closest thing the Incredibles franchise has to a moral conscience, and she’s always the one on the side of the idea that “everyone is special.” We just have different talents.
Ratatouille might be the best developed expression of this idea among Bird’s films. His portrayal of a restaurant as a collection of people who do very specific jobs to the best of their abilities, all adding up to a kind of symphony, is very much like filmmaking, with the film’s hero, Remy the rat, standing in as a director. The movie’s villains are those who would stand in the way of Remy realizing his full talents — but you can also read that as being against prejudice, as a celebration of the idea that anyone can cook and great art can come from someone you’d never expect (like a young and hungry would-be animator from Montana, not exactly a hotbed of Hollywood talent).
It’s telling that Ratatouille’s great chef is a rodent and not the gangly human who discovers he’s the son of a great, dead chef. Talent isn’t always predictable, following along conduits you’d expect. But when you find it, it’s best to encourage it but also make sure it’s tempered with kindness, as it is in Ratatouille, a movie where even the restaurant’s waitstaff is briefly but memorably celebrated.
All of which brings us back to The Iron Giant, a movie rarely discussed in conversations about Bird’s interest in exceptionalism. If any Bird creation is exceptional, it’s a giant metal man who eats railroads and can become a literal death weapon, but the arc of the film is about the giant trending away from that which makes him exceptional and would harm others, and toward what about him is exceptional that could benefit others. It’s a movie about a really amazing walking gun who decides, instead, to become Superman.
Superman’s a fitting icon to consider as a way to understand Bird’s ultimate philosophies. Yeah, he could kill all of us with a flick of his fingernail, but he doesn’t. So could the superheroes of Incredibles 2, but they make the choice not to.
That’s why Incredibles 2 stands so beautifully as Bird’s most fully engaged wrestling with all of these ideas. It never offers easy answers because there aren’t any. The question of how we build a society that benefits everybody and gives them the same rights as everybody else, while still allowing people as much freedom as possible to exercise the talents and abilities unique to them, isn’t one that can be answered easily. It’s arguably the work of democracy itself, and it will never be finalized, as long as human beings strive for a better world. Thus, those of us who are exceptional, be they people or rodents or whole countries, are only as exceptional as they are good.
While it’s not always easy to determine the right course of action, determining what’s good almost never is. It’s what takes you away from celebrating the self and back toward figuring out how that self can fit into the community of others, how your own exceptionalism can become a part of the great symphony of life.
Original Source -> Why Incredibles director Brad Bird gets compared to Ayn Rand — and why he shouldn’t be
via The Conservative Brief
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Sundance Day 7: 'Ingrid Goes West,' 'Icarus,' 'Walking Out' stand out
Day 7 of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival is already here, and so much has happened that would have messed up other festivals like getting hacked and overcoming a blackout. But nothing could stop the artist’s works from overcoming these obstacles, and this has easily been one of the better years here.
Matt Spicer’s Ingrid Goes West” definitely started the day off on a fun and interesting note. It’s a great dark comedy for today as real-life has begun to feel surreal, especially this past week! This is on that feels as crazy and unpredictable as real life which makes it stand out in all the right ways.
Ingrid Goes West
Aubrey Plaza represents everyone’s worst fear about social media in Matt Spicer’s pitch-black comedy Ingrid Goes West. Plaza’s title character is an unbalanced young woman who, after pepper-spraying a bride on her wedding day, flees to Los Angeles to meet and mimic her Instagram obsession Taylor (Elizabeth Olsen), a lifestyle guru and social media influencer.
It’s perhaps unnecessary to mention that things go horribly awry for Ingrid after she manages to Single White Female herself into the lives of Taylor and her artsy boyfriend (Wyatt Russell). When Taylor’s obnoxious brother Nick (Billy Magnussen) catches on to the fabricated life she’s leading, Ingrid’s attempt to remain close to Taylor become shockingly more desperate. This tale has been told numerous times over the decades, from All About Eve through Desperately Seeking Susan. Still, Spicer uses internet obsession to make the story fresh and deftly balances the dark, creepy aspects of his film with insightful satiric humor.
After the screening, the director explained that he and David Branson Smith wrote the screenplay because they’re both obsessed with Instagram. “Even though we love it, it brings out this darker side in us,” he shared, adding examples of the envy it inspires in them. “It just makes you feel bad about yourself sometimes. We wanted to write something that allowed us to explore our conflicting feelings about social media.”
Spicer revealed that Plaza, who also has a producing credit on the film, was his first choice to play sociopathic Ingrid. The actress eschews her typically blasé persona to exhibit uncharacteristic vulnerability. Once she accepted the role, the other actors he wanted signed on quickly. “People want to work with her,” he suggested. “They didn’t care about me. They were giving me side eye, thinking, ‘I don’t know if I should trust this first-time director,’ but they like her.”
The director also revealed that he relied on both Plaza and Olsen to help flesh out their characters even more and make them fresh. “Aubrey and Lizzie brought a lot of ideas because they’re women and we’re men,” Spicer stated. “It always led to a better idea. It was a good learning process for me to just listen and use the best ideas. We tried to create a certain controlled chaos on set. There was enough improvisation to make it feel alive.”
BRIGSBY BEAR: A VHS-INSPIRED OFF-THE-WALL COMEDY
In Dave McCary’s wondrously off-beat comedy Brigsby Bear, 25-year-old manchild James (Kyle Mooney) lives with his folks in an off-the-grid bunker. The passion of his life is a children’s TV show about a talking bear, which he watches obsessively on VHS tapes. But his sheltered life soon collides with the real world when he learns the people he believed were his parents (Mark Hamill and Jane Adams) abducted him as a child. Reunited with his biological parents (Matt Walsh and Michaela Watkins), he’s in for an even bigger shock to discover that his beloved series was produced by his abductor/father, with James as its sole audience. After some difficulties assimilating to his new world, James sets out to make a movie sequel to the show that meant so much to him.
During a post-screening Q&A at the Festival, McCary, who is also a writer-director for Saturday Night Live, revealed that he and Mooney, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kevin Costello (the three are lifelong friends) intended for their film to be disorienting. He added that it was their hope that five minutes into it, viewers would wonder, “What the fuck planet are we on?” He said they’re aware their film is very unconventional. “We just wanted to raise more questions than we answered,” he said with a laugh. “We wanted that break into the real world to feel like walking out into the harsh sunlight.”
Mooney revealed that the authentic low-rent look of the Brigsby videos was partly inspired by his own love of ’80s and ’90s television. “I have a deep children’s VHS collection,” he said. McCary added that when the three men toured the country with their comedy troupe, they would often visit towns in middle America and go to thrift stores and purchase “weird Christian community theater videos.”
Naturally, audience members were curious how Hamill became involved in the project.
“It was a tough role to cast,” Mooney said. “We knew we wanted somebody who could do weird voices, which Mark is so rad at.”
McCary said the actor initially had reservations about his character, who is a child abductor. He was ultimately won over by the script and the sympathetic qualities inherent in the character. “He’s clearly a lost man who cares for his son.”
Asked if the film was a comment on our current political culture, McCary said he didn’t gravitate to what’s happening in the world today. “We’re escapists and wanted to make everyone feel good,” he offered.
Ryan Simpkins, who plays James’s sister, Aubrey, added that it’s an important time to create art, and she hopes people who see the film are inspired to do so.
Icarus
You wouldn’t think that a film about illegal doping in sports could be among the most politically and culturally relevant movies in this year’s Festival. And it’s unlikely its makers thought so when they started to make ICARUS, which screened on Wednesday afternoon at the Egyptian Theatre as part of the U.S. Documentary Competition. The movie starts as a self-participatory documentary, in the Super Size Me mold, in which director and cycling enthusiast Bryan Fogel makes himself a guinea pig for how doping can impact athletic performance. But once he connects with Russia’s leading anti-doping expert Grigory Rodchenkov, who enthusiastically helps Fogel dope and deceive testers, ICARUS starts to become a very different film.
“He is an extraordinary character, and he’s extraordinarily mischievous,” Fogel said of Rodchenkov, whose willingness to help Fogel with the project comes as something of a surprise, particularly after a U.S. colleague pulls out of the film for fear of compromising his reputation. “I’d spent a couple days with him in Oregon, drinking vodka, and that process I do believe formed a friendship,” he said. “It was a spectacular thing how this guy was helping me. He’s smuggling my urine back to Moscow! But as it turned out, Grigory had a bigger plan in mind.” What that eventually entails is Rodchenkov becoming the central figure in revelations of widespread and systemic doping among Russian athletes, and his fleeing to the U.S. to avoid apprehension by the Russian FSB. In a Skype conversation that Fogel captures on camera, Rodchenkov asks for help in fleeing.
“At that point we’d had a year-and-a-half friendship, and my friend was telling me that he was going to be killed. I had no reason to believe he was lying. I said, ‘I’ll get you a ticket,’ and he was on a flight out of Moscow 12 hours later,” Fogel said. “It went from me being the subject and seeking his advice to me being his protector.” And from there it became, according to Fogel, how to do Rodchenkov’s story justice, and to make sure that his whistleblowing isn’t silenced by either government. Though Rodchenkov successfully went public with his experiences, via The New York Times and this film, he faces an uncertain fate with the U.S. in transition.
“I don’t think that you can say that it’s uniquely Russian,” Fogel said, regarding the doping of Olympic athletes. “But I think that it’s also not right to point the finger at others without having that evidence. In the case of Russia, this has been corroborated. I don’t think there’s another country that could have masterminded with such complexity what Russia did,” he said, referring to a system during the Sochi Olympics in which athletes got away with using performance enhancers during the games themselves, which Rodchenkov testifies to implementing. “It goes all the way back. There never was anti-doping in Russia. It didn’t exist.”
Officials in Russia have denied wrongdoing, making Rodchenkov the scapegoat and necessitating his emigration. “Nothing has changed from the Cold War,” Fogel said. “The Russian system is to deny, deny, deny, deny. And now we have alternate facts. This has been going on for a very long time.” ICARUS references George Orwell’s 1984, and the maintenance of parallel realities to make the truth false and falsities true. That 1984 is currently the top seller on Amazon suggests that these ideas are on a lot of people’s minds and go beyond the issue of sports doping. “Suddenly the world is waking up to doublethink. Our leaders are essentially saying, ‘That’s not true; I don’t care what this dossier says.’ And I don’t think it’s that shocking when what’s at stake are billions and trillions of dollars.”
When faced with evidence of Russia’s actions, the Olympic committee still allowed a majority of Russian athletes to participate in last summer’s Olympics. Fogel spoke forcefully against that decision. “I think it was a spectacular fraud against every athlete in the world,” he said. “If you’re a clean athlete and you’re trying to compete? And you know that the Olympics, this organization that stands for fair sport, and they do this? Why should any athlete go to the Olympics? Why should you train? Why should you put your heart into it if they’re not going to respect you?”
WALKING OUT: A BOY, A MAN, AND A MOUNTAIN
“This is a film about two people turning blue in a red state,” joked co-director Andrew Smith, about the story in which a father and son encounter tragedy in Montana’s frigid wilderness.
“But it’s really about a boy and a man and a mountain. … This is a story about primal knowledge. It’s a story about love as a form of survival.” Andrew and his twin brother and co-director, Alex, grew up in Montana themselves, and they spent their younger days making Super 8 movies together. Walking Out is their third feature film based in their home state, following The Slaughter Rule (2002 Sundance Film Festival) and Winter in the Blood (2013).
This latest project is based on a short story of the same name by David Quammen. When they read the story as teenagers, “it just haunted us,” Alex said after a screening during the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
In the story, 14-year-old David goes to Montana to visit Cal, his distant, tough father who’s eager to take his son hunting for his first kill. David, though unsure and stubborn, wants to please his dad and goes along with it. But after Cal gets wounded in the middle of the freezing Montana woods, unprepared David is forced to take on the overwhelming task of saving his dad.
The story stayed with Alex and Andrew until they met filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia in 1998 at their first Sundance Institute lab. Garcia, knowing they were from Montana, asked if they had ever heard of the short story, and from there the three of them made plans to make it into a film. After Garcia hired the brothers to write it for him to direct, he eventually got pulled into other projects, and he graciously handed it over to them.
As Alex and Andrew searched for their cast, which had to be perfect because the story rests squarely on the shoulders of the two lead characters, they spoke with Josh Wiggins for the role of David. Wiggins’s first take was so perfect, they didn’t even ask him to audition. Then they met with Matt Bomer, who they could immediately tell understood the depth of Cal’s character, and their cast was set.
The pair of brothers put Montana’s breathtaking scenery on full display in this heart-wrenching story with unforgettable harrowing scenes. In explaining what it’s like to work with his brother, Alex said it happens pretty organically, and they don’t necessarily split up the duties. Because they have such a long history of collaborating, they work well with each other while filming — and then “the big fights are in the edit.”
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