#Video Review: Astral Plane | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dogcopter · 5 years ago

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Jane is Lore 2020

Ok, here’s the round up of the ghost part of the situation with @keepbeachcitysafe and @keepbeachcityweird.

Theory: Ronaldo’s girlfriend Jane is the key to figuring out Rose Quartz is not gone, largely via a constellation of background clues. If that sounds ridiculous, I understand. I’m Ronaldo. Actually I’m not Ronaldo, but hopefully I’ll have a post about him too soon. I hope we can all have fun together tho

This post is very, very long and involves a lot of images. It will be confusing at first, but please entertain the thought and keep reading, and I hope it clicks into place. I may need to update it later.

Three sections for supporting evidence:

1. Restaurant Wars, Jane, KBCW/KBCS blogs’ interaction & contents

2. Astral projection/ghosts/fusions

3. Dogcopter secrets

Restaurant Wars Saga & Jane’s appearances

So Ronaldo has a blog at @keepbeachcityweird - he also published a book based on his blog called Keep Beach City Weird: You Can’t Hide the Truth!!!, which is available for purchase.

On April 23, 2014, Lion 2: The Movie airs. Jane appears for the first time working the ticket booth at the movie theater and sees Lion and the kids fight a killer robot. Dogcopter 3 is playing at the theater.

April 23, 2014, Ronaldo at Keep Beach City Weird also posts about seeing Dogcopter 3 at the movie theater, where the parking lot is a mess, presumably from Steven, Connie and Lion’s robot training fight.

He mentions “First of all, it’s a huge mistake to turn the last Dogcopter book into THREE movies.”, but that’s less relevant to this particular post. The important thing is that he, like Connie, follows Dogcopter, who’s also associated with Jane. (We’ll get to Dogcopter’s appearances in SU in the last part of this once the context is established)

Ronaldo’s posts in general document specific events and details in his home Beach City, but that’s another post entirely.

Exactly a year later, Ronaldo on April 23, 2015 posted about receiving a mysterious letter, which might be from Jane because (beneath a great deal of smudging) it appears to call Ronaldo the CUTEST GUY EVER! (This isn’t crucial or anything, just noting it as one of our first Jane points).

I GOT A LETTER TODAY!!! But for some reason it was all wet and I can’t even tell what it says. Is it a love letter? Is it a death threat? Please tell me! I need to know if I should lock my doors or open my heart!

Jane also appears in Beach City Drift. After Beach City Drift, keepbeachcitysafe posts an episode reaction blog, on July 22 2016, and takes special notice of Jane.

Hey did you guys notice that girl that keeps appear. We saw her when Steven took Connie to the movies and now she’s here. I wonder if she’s involved in something. Hmmmm. So Stevonnie raced Kevin down the hill in his Himitsu X12, that’s secret in Japanese.

(Kevin’s Himitsu X12 is his car, in the middle there. We’ll come back to this and what KBCS means in a second.)

July 25 2016, Restaurant Wars airs, the third of Jane’s four appearances in SU. In this ep, Jane comes a long way to return Ronaldo’s Koala Princess DVDs, and catches Ronaldo with Kiki and is upset.

KBCS posts another episode reaction blog, pays attention to Jane again, and says they plan to message Ronaldo.

Ronaldo says he can’t do it because of his girlfriend. Ooo, he has a girlfriend, that’s pretty cool, you just know whats gonna happen next.

Ok so, Ronaldo’s, GIRLFRIEND, (imagine me saying that in slow motion) showed up at the worst possible moment.

Everything was back to normal. Except poor Ronaldo, I should sent him a letter to cheer him up. Seen ya next week.

Almost immediately the KBCS and KBCW blogs play out a little interaction online:

Ronaldo goes through some stuff.

No post today. If anyone needs me I’ll be at Brooding Hill… where I’ll be CRYING. I usually cry at Crying Canyon, but it’s closed right because of some flash flood warnings.

Then Ronaldo posts KBCS’s letter.

Note how KBCW caps this message so the name is clearly visible? It’s referring to Ronaldo’s bio:

It’s not very cheering...but things work out shortly thereafter. Jane likes one of Ronaldo’s posts and all seems well.

I think it’s going to work out you guys. Thanks for all your support.

After this, Ronaldo doesn’t post again until Rocknaldo several months later, and one last time after publishing his book.

That’s April 18 2017. The KBCW tumblr is never updated again. KBCS’s final post is not long after, Jul 4, 2017.

Finally, Jane makes a cameo alongside Ronaldo in the very last scene of Steven Universe Future, “The Future.”

Koala Princess, Astral Projection and Psychic Ghosts

So some interesting patterns come up when you connect the two blogs, the clues associated with Jane, and some understanding of Steven’s powers. Let’s revisit Keep Beach City Weird, a Ronaldo’s primary blog, and Keep Beach City Safe, which contains mysteries too big for this simple Dogcopter/Jane-hime lore post.

Keep Beach City Weird - Ran from September 2013 to April 2017, with a lot of posts made in October 2015 and July 2016.

Keep Beach City Safe - Ran from June 2015 to July 2017, with most posts in 2016 of course.

Let’s look at a timeline of posts. I’m going to call out things that we’ll connect to the Jane lore at the end.

Keep Beach City Weird: Ronaldo’s blog

Nov 1, 2013, days before Steven Universe first airs: KBCW’s first post is all about Astral Projection.

Astral Projection! The ability to travel outside your physical body and into other planes of existence!

I began to feel lightheaded and before I knew it, I was floating above my body. Amazing! I walked out onto the boardwalk in my new ASTRAL FORM, and you know what the weird thing was? Nobody even said hello to me. I was COMPLETELY INVISIBLE! I mean, usually nobody really notices me, but this was a different kind of not being noticed. This was not being noticed on another plane of existence - so I didn’t feel bad about it.Anyway, after being ignored in the arcade and Fish Stew Pizza, I got bored and I went back to the fry shop to re-merge with my body.

Astral projection is a power Steven demonstrates a number of times, and you’ll see among these posts that certain powers of Steven involving this stuff are called out by the blog.

Connie: What? Where are you? How are you...? Steven: I’m not sure, but I think it’s a classic psychic ghost type situation. Connie: Ah, of course! So, what’s the plan?

from Reunited

Steven: Oh man. I fell asleep and had this weird dream. I opened the door and Lapis was there, and- Pearl: Well, that doesn’t make any sense. Lapis is fused with Jasper at the bottom of the ocean. Steven: You’ve never had a dream before, huh? Pearl: Uh, I don’t think so.

from Chille Tid

August 28, 2014, Joking Victim, Ronaldo posts about ghosts. And an arsonist from about 150 years ago.

September 04 2014, Steven and the Stevens, Ronaldo posts about "cross dimensional travelers”

And all the cross dimensional time travelers I know don’t want to go on the record about their experiences.

Not mentioning posts that don’t mention ghosts/astral projection/dimensions in some capacity, but in realtime Ronaldo liveblogs in response to episode events.

Ronaldo also answers some fan asks. On October 31 2014 after Keep Beach City Weird he answers this question about floaters with “BACTERIAL GHOSTS” in all caps, this one about his first encounter with the supernatural (the events shown in Horror Club, which aired February 12, 2015)

Nov 2014, Ronaldo posts twice about Watermelon Stevens and a review of the anime Soul Blaster, “Like every anime, Soul Blaster is about a high school student. Our hero is a cool dude, with even cooler hair named Kyosuke. He battles rogue spirits with the help of his Soul Blaster - which happens to be powered by the spirit of his deceased younger brother, Kettaro. “

On December 4, 2014 Ronaldo posts about Koala Princess, who will become important in this post when we get back to Dogcopter and Jane. Koala Princess is repeatedly used as a stand-in for talking about Steven’s journey. In this post Ronaldo says:

AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Ok, so I just finished the final episode of Koala Princess and I don’t want to get too emotional on you guys but I CAN’T STOP CRYING! Koala Princess goes on a walkabout and enters dreamtime and finally MEETS HER KOALA MOTHER FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! SLKDJFSDJ:FS

I’ve got so many feels! These feels are the real deals! On wheels! WHAT AM I SAYING?! I’M GOING CRAZY!!!

Lion 3: Straight to Video aired on the same day as Ronaldo’s post. In this episode Steven meets Dogcopter in a dream, and then sees his mother Rose Quartz for the first time - she speaks to him via a VHS tape.

After Alone Together, Ronaldo posts about Stevonnie, who is a fusion. He also gets stuck under a fridge for a bit after Future Vision in January 2015.

And I want TO GET OUT FROM UNDER THIS FRIDGE!

He posts like five times about it in the same day because he’s freaking out.

And also I want my body to be shot into space with a print version of my blog so an alien civilization can find me reconstruct my body and worship me.

On February 19 2015 after Winter Forecast, he posts about using time travel to fix bad decisions:

Sometimes I think about all the bad decisions I’ve made and how they’ve affected my life, and I wish I could go back in time and change them. But unless I can find a way to break into the Pentagon and steal a time bike, I’m just stuck with having regrets.

After Political Power Ronaldo claims glowsticks are filled with ghost blood.

Anyway, then stuff happens.

January 4 2016, after The Answer, Ronaldo posts about seeing Dogcopter 4 and shares the poster for it.

One interesting thing about the poster is that if you invert it and mess with the contrast a bit, a strange diagram appears on the left. A true mystery.

And after months of avoiding and spoilers or teasers or trailers, I was in line for Dogcopter 4, and then some dummy walking out of the theater TOTALLY SPOILED EVERYTHING and was like, “I can’t believe that Dogcopter’s parents are actually cats.”

Coming back to Dogcopter in a minute, but these are relevant details.

Dogcopter dies defending the planet but then he comes back to life because he’s actually part cat and cats have 9 lives.

On Jan 5, Steven’s Birthday, Ronaldo posts about celebrating his birthday on a different date every year.

Every year, I celebrate my birthday on a completely different day. Why? To keep my birthdate a SECRET so that no clandestine government agencies can steal my identity!

July 2016, the saga with Jane and KBCS above happens. When he’s sad about Jane breaking up with him, the same day Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service comes out (in which Steven astral projects into Kiki’s dream), he listens to sad music.

Ugh, I wish I had some sad music to listen to at work. All I have is a playlist of video game soundtracks and some EVP recordings of ghost hauntings. I guess ghosts are sad. I’ll just listen to those.

But if you’re feeling happy, I do suggest listening to the “Go-Go Gorilla Go-Go Kart Racing” soundtrack. Some solid 16-bit J-reggae.

This post may partly be a reference to the Sadie Killer song G-G-G-Ghost, which is performed in The Big Show and wouldn’t air for a bit, but is also astral projection related.

Why can't you see me? Why can't you see me? I think I might be A g-g-g-ghost. Can't you see that I exist? And I don't need an exorcist To let me out Look at me and I'll appear Why can't you see that I'm right here? That I'm right here? Why can't you see me? Why can't you see me? I think I might be A g-g-g-ghost. I'm calling you from the other side

Once Ronaldo has gone through grief and anger, he resorts to begging her to come back. This post is from July 28, the day Alone at Sea aired in which Jasper begs Lapis to return.

Much like Koala Princess’ vision in the Eucalyptus Jungle in Season 5, Episode 13 what you saw on the Boardwalk the other day was not what it seemed. I was only pretending to date Kiki to defend my family’s honor, just as the Kanga-ronin did in Season 1, Episode 3!

Here is another Koala Princess reference. There are a couple SU references in the episode numbers in this post.

The events of Season 5, Episode 13 of KP was not what it seemed: for Steven Universe, this is Your Mother and Mine, in which Garnet tells a story told to her by Rose Quartz. It later turns out to be a false origin story to cover the truth that Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond.

Kanga-ronin pretended at something to defend family honor in Season 1, Episode 3, which in SU is Cheeseburger Backpack - where Steven buys a novelty backpack so he can carry things on missions to be useful for the gems, fails his first mission and pretends he’s fine. The events of this ep are later referenced in The Test.

Finally, Koala Princess’ vision in the Eucalyptus Jungle is a reference to Stevonnie’s vision in Jungle Moon, which is Stevonnie’s first interaction with Pink Diamond via a memory dream. In this dream, all was not as it seemed either.

Then the KBCW blog doesn’t post until Feb 2017, after Rocknaldo. A couple ghost and dream-y quotes from here:

In my searches for THE TRUTH, I’ve done a lot of listening. I’ve listened to haunted houses to hear ghosts from other dimensions. I’ve listened to radio signals from the cosmos for signs of alien life.

I’ve also learned that HUMANS NEED TO SLEEP. I didn’t sleep for 48 hours and I PASSED OUT FOR DAYS.

Ronaldo’s final post is an ad for his book, which comes out during a hiatus, and he references Koala Princess again:

I did have a little help from some fellow truth-stigators I met on a Koala Princess forum, Ben Levin and Matt Burnett, but most of the work was definitely done by ME!

Now let’s look at Keep Beach City Safe.

Keep Beach City Safe: [???]’s blog

For KBCS, I’m only going to skim to address ghost/astral projection related content that comes back to the business with Jane, Dogcopter, Koala Princess and Rose. The rest of this blog is a little too big for right now.

It��s interesting that KBCS seems to have mostly flown under the radar, but between the Jane arc and a couple other things I believe it to be legit. Suffice to say I’m treating it as real and you will see why in a minute.

For KBCS I’ll mostly mention which episode a post is associated with, but not the date like with Ronaldo’s.

KBCS’s reaction blog to Nightmare Hospital includes a couple relevant lines:

Where was the Gem M.? I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around! It was mom!

Don’t tell me It’s on the other side of the hall corner. That would mean it saw mo- Connie’s mom!

KBCS posts a blog between Too Far and The Answer, in which they review a number of events. (They post another blog about fusions in which they describe Garnet and Stevonnie’s components as well)

During the movie the TV just shut down and they were being chased around by a “ghost”. It was actually a gem stuck inside the house, making the house seem like it was possessed.

They also get pretty excited about Steven’s birthday.

Only a few more minutes until Steven’s Birthday!

Eeeeh! Only a few mins left until midnight. We finally get to learn about Garnet’s past! Are guys happy, I know I am. I can’t even express how happy I feel, but I’ll try. And I will not act crazy while doing it, Imma keep it cool. So it’s like Peace and Love had a son, and his name was Steven! Then Steven fused with Connie, who was the daughter of Happiness. And they formed Stevonnie, who was made of everything right within the universe!

On Steven’s Birthday they also post about the Dogcopter 4 movie.

I’m gonna be a Smart Spoiler and drop hints in my post for you guess. Only those who have watched it will notice the clues. Yep, watching it 9 times.

This clearly references Ronaldo’s post about Dogcopter having nine lives, but KBCS is a little more considerate about spoilers.

In KBCS’s “It Could’ve Been Great” post, they’re still talking about Steven’s birthday. There’s a promo image attached as well.

To start things off I just wanted to say: I did see Steven turn into a baby? And I would also like to say: DID YOU SEE STEVEN TURN INTO A BABY!?!?

So, by now your probably wondering what the second image is aren’t you? We clearly it’s a pic of Rose holding a cupcake candle.

We, here at Keep Beach City Safe, thought that Steven would’ve liked to have his mom at his birthday party. Happy Birthday from all of us at KBCS. Hope you like it.

Future Vision reference. (Some of this is less relevant to the Jane thing but I’m pulling quotes that are related to fusion and stuff in the hopes it gets clearer)

This reminds me of the time that Garnet gave Stevens her future vision. I don’t know what happens exactly, but I think you see what’s going to happen in the future hence the name future vision. Being able to see into the future would be awesome, yet terrified at same time.

There’s a great post about Pie Day - in fact, KBCS posts about Pie Day a few times. They call out Pearl, too, which reminds me of a certain prolific fandom video editor’s handle.

You know who else knows about Pi. Pearl, but also Peridot.

Pearl Doesn’t Like Pie. Happy Pie Day!

This is not a good photo of Pear let’s see if we can find a better one. Now that’s better.

Sorry for the tangent. Let’s talk koalas now.

KBCS posts about The New Lars. They have thoughts about Steven’s ability to hop into other bodies, namely the question of whether Rose could do this as well.

Steven is worried that Lars isn’t being truthful about his feelings. So through his dreams, Steven jumps into Lar’s body, and trys to make his life better. But he only makes things worse.

Steven somehow possessed Lars’s body through his dreams. He’s done it before and he’ll do it again, we have a word for it now: Dream Possession. But he can also enter dreams.

He did it with Lapis, the Watermelon Stevens, and now Lars. That’s one gem, one sentient plant, and one human. Well with lapis he was merely communicating with her. This, new power, is seems to activates itself whenever Steven wants to help someone, but can’t because something getting in the way. Could this be a power passed down from Rose, or is this a power he himself posses?

#koala vs sloth

in The New Lars, koalas come up twice. Koalas in SU are associated with Steven’s astral projection powers. Remember how Koala Princess met her mother in the dreamscape?

Steven: For your consideration...The koala, a marsupial from the forests of Australia, and the sloth, hailing from the forests of South America. Who should be crowned the king of the "Hanging Around Doing Nothing" mammals!?

Steven in Lars’ body: Whatcha doing? Hanging out? Buck: Yeah. Steven: That's cool. Would you say you hang out more like koalas or sloths? Uh, I'm asking for Steven.

Steven: Um... I'm really, really sorry about yesterday. I got you a card, it's got a koala and a sloth.

From The New Lars. Steven references koalas three times.

KBCS gets to Beach City Drift. They take notice of Jane and of Kevin’s car.

Hey did you guys notice that girl that keeps appear. We saw her when Steven took Connie to the movies and now she’s here. I wonder if she’s involved in something. Hmmmm.

So Stevonnie raced Kevin down the hill in his Himitsu X12, that’s secret in Japanese.

So while we’re back on the subject of Jane, here’s something interesting about Dogcopter and the Himitsu X12. They both show up in advertisements together in the background of Empire City.

Mr Greg

Same Old World

This is what KBCS is talking about - Dogcopter has a secret.

For Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service, KBCS has more to say about dreams.

She has a nightmare and Steven, coincidentally, falls asleep after eating and enters Kiki’s dream. Now Steven The Dream Warrior, must help Kiki battle her dream, and finally end this nightmare once and for all.

Steven, who for some reason keeps going into people’s dreams, goes into Kiki’s dream.

Steven fought for about week, and he’s was tired by day four. And we know from experience that a sleepless Steven, is a cranky Steven.

This is the same power Steven used in Chille Tid. and look who showed up again?

After Monster Reunion airs, KBCS posts a liveblog and includes a far-fetched accusation that Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond.

Think about it! A Diamond should have access to all gem controlled tech, right. And if Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond, which she is, then she should be able to too, right. And Steven has Rose’s gem. So now Steven can access gem tech. And one more thing to prove this theory once and for all.

But there’s one thing that doesn’t add up. Rose Quartz… is a Quartz. How could she be a Diamond?????? Maybe I’m wrong, she could have been just working along side Pink Diamond. Maybe this just a crackpot theory about the impossible. I don’t think gems can turn into different gems? who knows, I guess we’ll find out sooner or later.

When KBCS gets to Crack the Whip, they take note of Lion and tag him thrice:

Crack the Whip! Is it just me or is that foreshadowing?

Oh, did I mention that Lion was there. He was just there, when Connie opened the door, he walked up and just started hanging. It was so cool! It was like, Just Lion Things 2! So the snack break, that takes the whole day, ends at the beach, where the idea originally began.

Amethyst faces off Jasper, gem to gem, while Steven and Connie, and don’t forget Lion, fight the corrupted gem.

Lion was keeping the Gem Monster busy while all of this was happening. I was so stunned when Steven and Connie fused, without doing a fusion dance! How well they worked, together, they rode on Lion, and defeated Jasper, and poofed the Gem Monster all at the same time!!!

#just lion things 2 #lion fights #lion still fights

There’s also a weird Google Slides slideshow connected to the KBCS account, which includes this image featuring Lion, Tiny Floating Whale, (and Connie and Greg) and the word TRUE with Steven’s affirmative!

More Koala Princess

Two more Koala Princess references - although only one is immediately relevant -

In Gemcation, Ronaldo keeps texting Steven about Koala Princess. Steven’s lockscreen is a selfie with him and Lion.

Also, as a sidenote, Koala Princess is implicated in sneople trolls on anime message boards.

Dogcopter

These are just the Dogcopter appearances (Thanks to SU wiki as well as my brain) Dogcopter fights robots in at least one timeline, and the book is allegedly really long. Bold Dogcopters are the pink dogcopter, everything else is an ad or grey.

Lars and the Cool Kids - Poster

Lion 2 - The movie they all go see.

Lion 3 - Gives Steven advice.

Chille Tid - Shows Steven how to find Lapis. Meows. (Dogcopter’s parents are cats.)

Same Old World & Mr. Greg - Advertisement

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service - flies Steven away.

In Dreams and Growing Pains (Note this is grey Dogcopter) - Flies away in Stefan’s nightmare, proposes to Drew the driver (or at least offers them something) in the Dogcopter 6 Till Death Do Us Bark I Now Pronounce You Man and Woof trailer.

Snow Day - Pupcopter, a spinoff for babies.

And for Steven’s Birthday - Connie points out a Dogcopter constellation.

Astral Projection

Another quick summary. I’ve written a lot on this psychic ghost stuff so check my blog if you want the tags, idrc. Summary of astral projection powers Steven has shown:

Leaving his body (Reunited, Escapism)

Possessing other bodies (New Lars, Escapism, SWI)

Traveling to others’ dreams (Kiki’s Pizza, Chille Tid)

Interacting with fusion components within the fusion’s mind (Chille Tid, Mindful)

Regarding KBCS’s question of whether Rose could have done this, it doesn’t seem impossible - and as of Fragments and Homeworld Bound, we know that Gems don’t die when they are killed. (Lol.) That is, the personality/soul can appear in the same gem if it’s shattered and repaired. And Steven’s mom’s gem is perfectly intact, inside him.

Literally what is the point of all this

So after KBCS and KBCW spent so long talking about astral projection, ghosts, dreams, fusions, etc etc. they never actually got to the point - just pointed us in the direction of a bunch of clues that

Rose Quartz isn’t gone.

Obviously. She’s in his gem in him, like Lapis and the mirror, or the lighthouse gem. She uses astral projection to help Steven in his dreams as well as see him in Rose’s room, like other fusions speak in the mindscape. (There’s a lot more to this but this is enough to ask anyone to wrap their head around atm)

She also interacts with him through other bodies, the same way Steven takes over Lars’ body, or the Watermelon Stevens.

Remember this?

We, here at Keep Beach City Safe, thought that Steven would’ve liked to have his mom at his birthday party.

Who came to Steven’s birthday in which Connie points out that Dogcopter constellation?

Who gave Steven advice when he wished he could talk to his mom?

Who showed Steven where to find the tape?

Who else could have asked Steven, “What do you want” in Susan Egan’s voice?

(Why did they choose to hire Susan Egan to voice a cameo in Under the Knife in the first few seconds of Fusion Cuisine, where she says “It’s my son!” while Lion is onscreen)

Or reassured him that Rose’s tape was telling him the truth?

Who first brought him to Pink Diamond’s moon base?

Who knew where Rose’s armory was and how to train with it? (Note the giant penny)

Who showed Steven the location of Pink’s fallen palanquin?

Who found Rose’s lost scabbard?

and knew where Pearl would run to when she’s upset?

Who (reluctantly) brought Steven to the landfill and Pink Diamond’s ship?

Who showed him how to find Malachite?

Twice?

Who showed him how Pink Diamond tried to stop the Earth’s colonization, and who to ask for the truth?

Who tried to entertain him on Mask Island when he was trapped on Homeworld?

And then rescued him from the open sea?

Who showed Stevonnie the password to Yellow Diamond’s moon base?

Much like Koala Princess’ vision in the Eucalyptus Jungle in Season 5, Episode 13 what you saw on the Boardwalk the other day was not what it seemed.

So yeah Rose is Lion 2020. Thanks for reading this extremely long nonsense.

Also thanks to @babybeetlebongos for both mindscape lore and fixing Ronaldo’s cheek in the banner image, lol. I made a Twitter thread about this as well (and the more in depth Lion and astral projection theory threads are quoted at the top, if you need them. the #mindscape deeplore 2020 tag/tags on this post have stuff too.)

#steven universe theory #steven universe future #su theory #steven universe #rose is lion 2020 #mindscape deeplore 2020 #jane lore 2020 #kbcs lore #dogcopter #lion the mood #rosedemption 2020 #would you believe this isn't even the deep part of the rabbit hole??? im tired tho #i hope i left enough info for others to get into KBCS if anyone cares #i love this fool rose quartz

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Yasuke Review: Netflix Anime Reclaims The Story of a Black Samurai

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This Yasuke review contains no spoilers.

What’s supposedly last known about Yasuke, the documented 16th-century Black samurai of Japan, is that he was brought back into the hands of his former Jesuit owners after his samurai employment was cut short. From there, the African-originated warrior, who remarkably rose to impressive status under the warlord Oda Nobunaga despite his being a foreigner, appears to vanish from history.

Both historical and legendary, Yasuke had nary a chance to grace onscreen media, although he allegedly inspired the protagonist of the densely shaded neo-noir Afro Samurai manga-based anime. He was the star of an infamous Japanese children’s book that infamously ended in seppuku and also appeared in the 2017 video game Nioh. Had tragedy not claimed Chadwick Boseman, the actor would have starred as the samurai in a now-scrapped movie project.

Now creator and director LeSean Thomas (Cannon Busters, The Boondocks, Black Dynamite) and writer Nick Jonas Jr. are imagining this historical legend in the MAPPA-produced anime sheen of magic, werewolves, mechas, and nods to speculative history. In the words of Thomas himself on the Netflix blog, it is of “serendipitous nature about this project, how an African-American man goes to Japan to live and work amongst the very best in Japanese anime to create an anime about an African who goes to Japan to live amongst the Japanese elite and become a warrior.” Indeed, the significance of Thomas’s project centering a historical Black man in Japan is understood with further reading on how Blackness and anti-Blackness manifested in anime.

The anime opens in the midst of a waning victory in a battlefield of swordsmen soldiers, archers, mechas, and magic. As the war storm rages, an armored Yasuke (LaKeith Stanfield, also executive producer) witnesses his lord commit seppuku. Two decades later, the former samurai exists as a recluse with barely a purpose. He has sunk into his role as a sullen boatman in a small village, but he is amiably approachable enough that village kids can expect him to toss them his fish catch or pass them swordplay tips. But soon, circumstances drag him back into honor-bound duty when a mother (Gwendoline Yeo) implores him to ferry her frail daughter Saki (Maya Tanida), ridden with mysterious magic she cannot control, to a special doctor. Yasuke’s honor and abilities are put to the test.

In the meantime, Yasuke rethinks his past bonds and allegiances during his miraculous tenure as a samurai under daimyō Oda Nobunaga. In spite of the samurai opportunity handed to him, a foreigner, on a golden platter, Yasuke is perpetually reminded he must prove his prestige as one of his elite guards. His pariah status among the Japanese elites is also what allows him to forge a friendship with the cryptic soul Natsumaru (Ming-Na Wen), the only Onna Bugeisha female samurai under their shared lordship.

Despite a compelling setup, the story has trouble fleshing out the psychological baggage of its fictionalized eponymous subject. This is most evident when Yasuke confronts a key double-crossing and its emotional consequences have the impact of a blunt sword. Yasuke is so quick and interested in tightening its tale that it does not permit the breathing space to unravel its lead samurai’s past, especially the promised emotional nuances of his allegiance to a warlord. It’s also difficult to pinpoint whether the flashbacks overstay its their welcome or don’t achieve the emotional economy.

It is only midway through the story when the lone warrior and his child companion have time to connect that the firecrackers go off. The guarded Stanfield and the buoyant Tanida play off each other with accumulating respect, wholesome affection, and matching energy—“WE protect each other,” the little girl insists. It’s a dynamic that could have charged out one or two more episodes, and it would perk up viewers who dig the “solitary father figure bonding with chaotic powerful child” trope in The Mandalorian (which was inspired by A Lone Wolf and Cub). It is a letdown that Stanfield doesn’t spark as much chemistry with an otherwise competent Wen, stemming from the underbaked nature of their characters’ relationships.

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Demon Slayer Review: Netflix Anime Reinvents Classic Action Tropes

By Daniel Kurland

The young girl’s arc to control her power and self-esteem is straightforward and therefore the easiest to follow, but because the show underwrites the complexities of Yasuke’s baggage, its main subject’s quest to overcome an identity crisis and assert his existence does not fare as well. But it’s when Yasuke shows his combative and moral prowess on the battlefield that he shines most as a character. Stanfield’s Yasuke is convincing as a soul who embodies personal convictions: his honor, desire to prevent bloodshed, and his reverence such as when he closes the eyelids of his decapitated opponent and prays.

If you’re critical of the story, there’s still plenty to enjoy about the surface-level dynamics, journeys, and striking symbolic imagery. When Yasuke occupies itself in its twistedly bizarre feudal setting, it indulges in some real fun weirdness. Enter a troupe of ruthless bounty hunters: a hulking Russian werewolf woman (Julie Marcus), a shaman (William Christopher Stephens) hailing from the Benin Kingdom who can summon phantom fighters, a spandex-clad assassin (Dia Frampton) waving scepters, and a scene-stealing sentient mecha (Darren Criss) with a Baymax inflection who ruminates on statistical success and teamwork. These bounty hunters are sure to be fan favorites and the story soon engineers them back into the narrative when they exit.

From forested sceneries, earthly purple-bathed soldier-littered battlefields, and luminous astral planes, Yasuke is polished visually with hardy character designs by Takeshi Koike, world art and art setting designs by Minoru Nishida, vivid art direction by Junichi Higashi, and color setting designer Azusa Sasaki. From the MAPPA studio that brought In This Corner of the World and Attack on Titan, its sweeping scale is no surprise.

The Grammy-nominated Flying Lotus also contributes to the mellow electronic beats that prevail whenever Yasuke proves himself in combat. Other than contributing to the story, Flying Lotus provides the soulful opening theme “Black Gold,” performed by Thundercat, and a lulling closing theme “between memories” with lyrics and performance by Niki Randa. Both songs befit the warmth of its star samurai.

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Yasuke resolves itself in a tight package. But stay for the end credits and it’s evident there’s a continuation teased without being a cliffhanger. I’m not sure whether its story proved Yasuke can sustain for additional seasons. Still, there is something about the sincere romanticism of imagining a vanished historical figure and giving him more dignified possibilities than (speculative) history could have ever given him.

All six episodes of Yasuke will be available to stream April 29 on Netflix.

The post Yasuke Review: Netflix Anime Reclaims The Story of a Black Samurai appeared first on Den of Geek.

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fly-pow-bye · 4 years ago

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ThunderCats Roar - “Study Time”

Co-Executive Producer: Victor Courtright

Supervising Producer: Nate Cash

Producer: Marly Halpern-Graser

Story by: Joan Ford

Teleplay by: Bryan Condon

Directed by: George Kaprielian

Yes, they drew a toot there. They just couldn't resist.

The episode starts with a flashback to Tygra in his younger years, doing a training montage with the help of Jaga, who throws various books at him for him to catch and study. Not only does he teach him all of his famous bola whip moves as well, Jaga teaches him to do a cool pose while doing it. There's still some jokes here and there, but the main point still stands: Tygra was serious about his training, and in the end, a teenage Jaga promises his master that he will never let him down.

We cut to years later on Third Earth, where Tygra plans to do the same type of training with the Lord of the ThunderCats. Will Tygra attempt to teach Lion-O using the same techniques, and be hindered by Lion-O's stupidity? Does Teenage Tygra have braces?

He tries to repeat the same book throwing, even starting with the same book on "Thunder Lore" that started the first montage, only for Lion-O to react to anything thrown at him: slash it up with his sword. Tygra tells him he was supposed to read it, only for Lion-O to run off screaming.

Needless to say, Lion-O is not exactly enthralled by Tygra's lessons and villain flashcards, and says he wants to take a break to play Panthro's new VR video game he just created, which he exclaims, in a high tone very common in this show, "awe-soooome!" And why wouldn't it be? The game is going to feature the toughest heroes in the universe!

The joke is that all of the characters look like Panthro. Never really saw Panthro as the one that's stuck up about himself to the point where he's the sole "toughest heroes of the universe", wrong use of plural intentional, I saw Cheetara as that. I get that Cheetara wouldn't be the one to program a video game, but I'm sure there's some way to make that work.

Speaking of video games, Tygra's next teaching tries to teach him a basic "warm breath attack" move with the Sword of Omens, which is apparently input just like a special move in Mortal Kombat. No, really, he just has to point the sword up, down, right, and left. Unfortunately, Lion-O just can't help but dance a different dance with a different set of directions. No, it's not "up up down down left right left right", because that joke would be too obvious.

Inadvertently, the code Lion-O does use happens to be the code to unlock a new character: the Netherwitch! This is an interesting turn of events when it comes to classic villains returning from the original, because the Netherwitch technically is not one of them. Sure, there was a Netherwitch in the episode "The Astral Plane", but she was merely just Mumm-Ra Disguise #235723. Here, she's an actual villain with an actual motivation to just steal things and put them in her empty home plane.

No, not an airplane, but the Astral Plane, just like that episode, and one of those things she throws in one of her portals are our funny man and straight man duo, apparently treating them like kitschy objects for some reason. Is it really self-deprecation if it's characters from a show these writers didn't create?

As the portal closes, seemingly dooming them to wander in a realm filled with scary monsters and increasing amounts of clutter from the Netherwitch's kleptomania, Lion-O attempts to do some more smooth moves. Lion-O at least knows that it was his fault they got in this mess, and he's trying to find a way to get him out. Tygra stops him before he can do that, and just tells him to try to do the ThunderCats Roar instead. One might think this would be the one time it wouldn't work, as they're in a completely different plane from the Cat's Lair, and even Tygra wonders if it could work.

The sword does its best, though, and it manages to shine brighter than it ever has, even knocking Lion-O to a nearby rock. It even does the same "tear through the walls" action it did in Boggy Ben, tearing a hole in space and projecting that logo right in the room where the other ThunderCats are. There's only one force more powerful than that.

Unfortunately, it's the power of VR. For the first time in Roar, the other ThunderCats are just too distracted to be affected by the call, as they're trying to defeat some hideous monsters. At least, that's what Panthro calls them, as they mysteriously look a lot like the ThunderCats that aren't the almighty Panthro. They never really continue with this; it's really just an excuse for the Roar to be impressive and not work at the same time.

Lion-O tries to ask someone else he thinks his friendly for help, but the huge fanged monster he's talking to is apparently not a nice monster. I've seen this joke done far worse; at least he doesn't call him a "nice friendly evil monster" and just get beaten up about five times. Someone else does save them before even the first beating, though.

Jaga's spirit finally shows up in this series after his small little appearance in Exodus, distracting the monster with his booty scooty. Not sure if I ever wanted to see Jaga twerk, but that's Roar for you. Even the monster kind of agrees with that, as it slowly moves away from the scene, sweating uncomfortably.

Once he reveals his face, Tygra can't believe it's the master he promised to never let down, and he's glad to see that there's another person who can teach Lion-O the ways of the Sword of Omens. After all, Jaga is essentially a tutorial ghost in the original, and he's going to do the same thing here. Jaga agrees after having to be reminded what his name was supposed to be, as he misheard it as "Jillian." It took me a couple times to figure out what the joke was supposed to be, and I still don't know. In any case, it does set up another training montage in the same style as the first one.

There are a few differences, of course. While Tygra's was mostly variations of serious training with a few jokes here and there, Lion-O's training consists mainly of wacky antics while Tygra frowns. He has Lion-O bounce on a bouncy floating rock, tickle a giant ferocious beast, rest on a dragon's tongue, and break a pinata.

Tygra laments that this is not the Jaga he once knew, and also wonders where they could have gotten a pinata. On the former, it's not too hard to predict Jaga's sudden nuttiness. As for the latter, it appears that's just one of those "oh, look at how wacky we are by acknowledging plot holes" jokes, but that's actually because the Netherwitch is still stealing things and putting them in portals to this Astral Plane, filling it up with clutter. I guess they really needed to find some way to add some tension, I guess.

This tension does lead to Jaga explaining that this is indeed the time for rules.

(having a disco dance at a nearby cave, Tygra still frowning at his master's apparent fall from his past self)

Lion-O: You're right, Jaga, this rules!

Okay, that was forced, I'm not going to lie.

Tygra finally has enough with his master's seemingly out of character silliness and tells him that this nothing like his lessons, only for Jaga to shush him in a silly way. He then gets serious, and, in a twist I saw this coming a mile away but I'm not exactly against it, he reveals that the differences are intentional, as not every student is alike. It's not a bad lesson.

Tygra doesn't exactly agree, as he feels that studying should be what's important, and that should work for everyone. Jaga almost looks like he's going to agree, but he ends up doing a pretty good joke that made me chuckle. I'm not going to spoil it here, but it's one that would have had some decent potential as a response image if this show was more popular. Finally getting the point so they can get to the point where they returned, Tygra tells Lion-O to do his dance moves, and sure enough, he makes a portal.

To extend the episode a little, and as an excuse for ThunderCats Roar's trademark "better animated than usual" action sequences, the portal is spawned way further than they wanted it to. After patting Lion-O on the cheeks, and because this is Roar I should add that I'm referring to the ones on his face, he asks Jaga if he can come with him, only to tell him that this is his home now, and that they should go to that portal before it collapses. Yeah, it's complicated.

And yes, this does lead to that aforementioned action sequence, as Lion-O and Tygra do have to leap across floating rocks with the help of their Claw Shield and bola whip, respectively. They eventually hitch a ride on a giant monster space whale, and eventually make it to the Netherwitch, who was busy fitting even more stuff she took in her portals.

To make a long story short, they end up winning with the power of Lion-O's dance-powered portals. We may not get a Konami Code reference, but we do get a reference to the endless falling everyone did in Portal.

Lion-O decides to let her go, because as the Lord of the ThunderCats, he should show her the wonders of Third Earth like a tour guide! At first, this just looks like yet another way for Lion-O to look like an idiot, but this does end in a pretty nice way. Not only was it unexpected, it actually gives more of a point to one of the running jokes.

The episode ends with this rather somber title card that says "R.I.P. Jillian", which is a reference to a line earlier in the episode where Jaga thought he was named Jillian. It's a very short story that isn't elaborated on. I do not think it's an actual dedication because it then jumpcuts to a normal "END!" title card a few seconds later with a fart sound. Not sure why they did that.

How does it stack up?

It's not a bad episode, not a bad lesson, and all in all, a pretty decent showing for Jaga's first real episode. There will be better showings, though.

Next, no points for guessing the villain of the next episode.

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artemis-entreri · 5 years ago

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[[ This post contains Part 5 of my review/analysis of the Forgotten Realms/Drizzt novel, Boundless, by R. A. Salvatore. As such, the entirety of this post’s content is OOC. ]]

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Generations: Book 2 | Legend of Drizzt #35 (#32 if not counting The Sellswords)

Publisher: Harper Collins (September 10, 2019)

My Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Additional Information: Artwork for the cover of Boundless and used above is originally done by Aleks Melnik. This post CONTAINS SPOILERS. Furthermore, this discussion concerns topics that I am very passionate about, and as such, at times I do use strong language. Read and expand the cut at your own discretion.

Contents:

Introduction

I. Positives I.1 Pure Positives I.2 Muddled Positives

II. Mediocre Writing Style II.1 Bad Descriptions II.2 Salvatorisms II.3 Laborious “Action”

III. Poor Characterization III.1 “Maestro” III.2 Lieutenant III.3 Barbarian III.4 “Hero” III.5 Mother

IV. World Breaks IV.1 Blinders Against the Greater World IV.2 Befuddlement of Earth and Toril IV.3 Self-Inconsistency IV.4 Dungeon Amateur IV.5 Utter Nonsense

V. Ego Stroking (you are here) V.1 The Ineffable Companions of the Hall V.2 Me, Myself, and I

VI. Problematic Themes VI.1 No Homo VI.2 Disrespect of Women VI.3 Social-normalization VI.4 Eugenics

VII. What’s Next VII.1 Drizzt Ascends to Godhood VII.2 Profane Redemption VII.3 Passing the Torch VII.4 Don’t Notice Me Senpai

Ego Stroking

Before Timeless, each new Drizzt novel release reached a new level of self-congratulation and selling out. After a one book break with Timeless, Boundless hops right back on the proverbial horse and charges to new distances.

The Ineffable Companions of the Hall

As mentioned in the previous section, Drizzt's awesomeness has increased yet again. It isn't quite clear what specifically is going on with him and what specific abilities he's using from his new multi-classing, but one thing is evident: Drizzt is way more than what he should be. I suppose this follows tradition, but it's past the point of ridiculous. While something like Drizzt's monk training helping him run more efficiently is plausible even at level one as long as it also isn't making him run faster, which is an ability monks do not gain until level two, the feat that Drizzt performs at the end of the novel isn't even a monk ability, at least not in the current D&D edition. Drizzt eludes a creature that wouldn't stop chasing him so long as they both exist on the same plane, and having stripped himself down to his underclothes, Drizzt has only his own body with which to perform his feat. The feat he performs is more on the level of Grandmaster Kane, who transcended death long ago and doesn't seem to even need his corporeal form anymore. Drizzt literally vanishes into nothing, and the creature chasing him returns to its home plane after its supernatural senses verify that Drizzt indeed no longer existed on the Prime anymore. So, several possibilities exist here, lets examine a few. First, Drizzt's awesomeness somehow negated a fundamental aspect of a very powerful creature that he couldn't defeat in combat. Second, Drizzt performed the astral projection portion of the level eighteen monk ability Empty Body. Third, Drizzt performed the twentieth level ability Psionic Body of the imbalanced and not yet official Mystic class from Unearthed Arcana. Fourth, Drizzt's sheer amazingness allowed him to transcend the mortal world and spontaneously become a Jedi master. The first of these possibilities is the least trite, but is still inherently based on a cheap tactic. I am legitimately afraid of what Salvatore is going to tell us about what happened. The creature pursuing Drizzt is a Retriever, with a challenge rating of fourteen. Yet, in Boundless, they are presented to be much more than that, on par with the demon lords and feared by lesser demons. In D&D canon, even a normal marilith poses a greater danger than a Retriever, and Drizzt had managed to singlehandedly defeat the greatest of that class of demon, the Maritlith who gave its name to its type. A Retriever, in comparison, should be no problem at all for him, but Salvatore inflates the power level of an established creature in order to create drama and suspense rather than coming up with something more original, or doing more research and finding something of an appropriate power level to use. The second possibility shouldn't be viable at all, the only reason aside from making his character and hence himself awesome through it is a story arc for the characters to recover or recreate Drizzt body and relocating his soul to put back into it. The third possibility I named is just really nothing short of Salvatore signing his name in an ugly sharpie across the tapestry of the Realms. Even though Grandmaster Kane was his creation too, apparently, Drizzt has to be the best, even among his own. The fourth option? Well, that one seems like it might be the most likely after all. I mean Salvatore does have an in with the Star Wars community... and wouldn't we all want Drizzt to dual-wield light sabers? The self-congratulation doesn't stop with Drizzt. The Companions of the Hall, in addition to being great heroes, apparently also have to be extremely physically attractive. This has already been done to death with Drizzt and Catt-brie, and in Boundless we're reminded a number of times of how hot Wulfgar is, but absent of this treatment thus far is Regis and Bruenor. I think Salvatore realizes that perhaps even his most fervent fans might raise an eyebrow if he pimped out Bruenor, or perhaps he doesn't have the stomach to do so for a character who's basically a very muscular, short and hirsute man. That said, it's not like he hasn't tried, for Bruenor has two wives instead of one after all. In Boundless, the circle is complete with Regis, who previously was a chubby (and hence unattractive) halfling. Now, he is described as a "quite striking figure" and "quite the dashing figure", wearing fancy clothes and equipment whilst rakishly having his "vest undone just enough to hint at another weapon he carried beneath it". Regis is so arresting that the disciplined and task-focused Dahlia "fancied she might comb her hair in her reflection" in the shiny silver buckles of his boots. Regis might've been a plump and greedy glutton with a heart of gold in his previous life, but no more. Now, he fits in with and stands beside the rest of his group in equal beauty, because apparently, it isn't enough for heroes to heroically kick people when they are down. They have to be look good while doing so too, or at least, Salvatore's heroes need to be best in all aspects.

As is routine with Drizzt's journal entries, there is much sanctimonious preaching. In Boundless, Drizzt lectures about tradition and the perils of following problematic traditions. Yet, Drizzt doesn't break from tradition himself, as though he, through being who he is, is absent from even that which he himself cautions about. In the opening to part three, Drizzt extols the dwarves for constantly searching for new tunnels to mine, Wulfgar for overcoming the sexist conditioning of his tribe, and the halflings of Bleeding Vines for the malleability of their society. Yet, he continues to hold fast to his intolerance of Zaknafein and his conviction of there being only one right path, namely, the one tread by him. This really makes him more akin to the unchanging Lolthite society of Menzoberranzan, the atrocious practices of the Prisoner's Carnival, and the insular elves who turn away refugees from their shelter, all things which he condemns. Drizzt, of course, is a fictional character, and these entries are Salvatore's words. The thing that is nearly unique about Drizzt in these novels is that he tends to present a more or less consistent stance and voice and this is still the case. Other characters are markedly less consistent, and I suspect this is driven by the fact that they are more purely whole cloth creations of Salvatores. This leads me to believe that Drizzt acts as Salvatore's perhaps unconscious spokesman, and that these ideas spouted by Drizzt are Salvatore's own ideas. If so, he is attempting to give them more validity by having them spouted by a "hero", and specifically one that he continues to build up to ridiculous levels.

Me, Myself, and I

Zaknafein, whom we're told on numerous occasions is so expert that he is pure grace with no wasted moves, is remarkably showy. During the recreational cavern-jumping sequence of the past timeline as well as the fleeing of the demons of the present timeline, Zaknafein's free-running style is more typical of a YouTube parkour performer. There are a lot of unnecessary flips, as though Salvatore in fact used a YouTube video for his writing guideline. Traceurs perform all the acrobatic feats that they do in their videos because it's more entertaining than if they simply followed the most efficient strategies for navigating a route. There's much of pointless flipping in those videos, such as running up a wall and back-flipping off of it only to climb that same wall again. Salvatore's describes Zaknafein doing a lot of similar things, with back-flipping off of stalagmites when he could just jump across, or running up surfaces that he doesn't need to run up in the first place to perform the subsequent moves. The specifics of Zaknafein's blade work is harder to comment on, as it's weighed down by Salvatore's tedious need to walk through the moves as though he were making a grocery list, but the amount of leaping and turning serving nothing but to offer his opponents openings makes the fight scenes reminiscent of old Chinese martial arts movies, where the combatants spent most of their time somersaulting at each other than exchanging blows. I believe Salvatore fancies himself a master of writing combat, for much of Boundless showcases his combat and action scenes, this is an inconvenient truth for those that would like to agree with Mr. Salvatore about his mastery. R. A. Salvatore might not be able to remember details of the greater world nor bother to spend the time to look them up, but he certainly will toot his own horn and reference his own work as though it's the only thing written in the Realms. The Stone of Tymora trilogy, penned by him and his son, Geno Salvatore, is a loose spin-off from the Drizzt series, featuring protagonists with less relation to the dark elf books than the cast of The Cleric Quintet. Yet, we're to believe that the, objectively speaking in the greater scope of the shared world, insignificant events have sent ripples that are still felt a hundred years later. The not-so-inconspicuously named ship, Joen's Heirloom, just so happens to be the trusty vessel boarded by one of the exalted heroes of the Companions of the Hall as well as the co-leader of Bregan D'aerthe. Joen is the co-star of that trilogy and eventually rises to become a minor pirate queen. Maimun, the main protagonist, and Joen were last seen during the Transitions trilogy, mourning the passing of Deudermont. The demon controlling Brevindon Margaster, a key figure in the noble Waterdhavian house that is consorting with demons, is a cambion named Asbeel. Asbeel is the name of yet another character from the Stone of Tymora trilogy, specifically, the main antagonist of the series. The last we saw of that Asbeel was being stabbed through the heart after the magic that was keeping him immortal was broken. In addition, that Asbeel, although cursed to appear with the visage of a demon whenever he wasn't in a shrine of Beshaba or Tymora, was fundamentally a moon elf. The Asbeel in Boundless is described as a cambion. Yet, this cambion possesses a "melodic and high-pitched" voice, specifically, "the voice of an elf, but twisted and grating". It seems to be no coincidence, especially considering that the description of Asbeel's sword in Stowaway, the first book of the Stone of Tymora series, is as follows: "Black iron, the blade was longer than Perrault was tall, and the whole length of it curved. The convex edge, the sharp side, was wickedly serrated, with bright red barbs lining its length. Even the hilt looked capable of killing. Its crosspiece of twisted metal spikes, a dozen perhaps, jutted at odd angles, and several more spikes stuck out beneath the demon's red hand where a pommel should have been. More frightening still, the length of the blade blazed with red flame." Meanwhile, the blade wielded by Brevindon Margaster, specifically stated by the text to be "Asbeel's sword", is described as, "a black blade" as well as, "a curving, viciously serrated bastard sword with a handle of jagged spikes that cut into his hands when he wielded it". It seems pretty clear that these two weapons are the same, even if the one that appears in Boundless is "completed in the town of Port Llast after the sacking" that had occurred earlier in the novel. Perhaps Asbeel was "reforged" in some way too for the purpose of this Generations trilogy, but another thing becomes, I believe, very clear: that Salvatore took time to reference other material, which is something he most certainly hasn't done recently to the works of others, and oftentimes not even to his own earlier books. Yet, what makes the Stone of Tymora series an exception? I suspect that his special treatment of it, as well as the name of the current trilogy, hints at the reason, which I'll go into further in the speculations section. Either way, it's yet another example of Salvatore exalting, or, at the very least, recognizing himself.

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bohrgebietmo-blog · 5 years ago

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kirain · 7 years ago

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Indie Game Reviews

Hello, everyone! After I posted about the games I’ve platinumed I received a few asks about the Indie games I’ve played, so I figured: “Why not review my favourites?” Below is a list of Indie games I’ve played that I consider above average. Hopefully this list will help people decide if they’re worth playing or not. Keep in mind, though, that these are my opinions. If anyone would like to discuss the games further, please feel free to message me or send me another ask specifying the game you’re interested in. I’m always happy to discuss games. XD

Whispering Willows

Whispering Willows is like a throwback to the 90s computer games that we all loved and played when we were kids. With a spooky atmosphere and almost game board-ish feel, the story takes place on an old mansion property where a young girl named Elena Elkhorn must depend on her Native American roots to find her missing father. Switch between human and soul to solve puzzles, overcome obstacles, and attack enemies. Though a bit slow-paced, the story and gameplay are solid and definitely worth a try. 6/10

CounterSpy

CounterSpy is a fun little platformer that's almost comedic in nature. You play as a (possibly) British spy during the Cold War, who spies on the Russian and American forces to prevent nuclear detonation on both sides. The missions are pretty straight forward, with you shooting or sneaking your way through enemy territory to discover their plans of attack. If you fail to thwart them ... it's the end of the world! While it isn't really anything too special, its in-your-face 1970s James Bond style music and gameplay are entertaining as hell, and if you set it to the hardest difficulty, it is a fun challenge. I'd recommend it as a good time-waster. 6/10

Assemblance

Assemblance is a psychological first person thriller, where you play as a man who is forced to repeat a time paradox over and over until you figure out a way to move on. The story is subpar at best, but it's not terrible. The graphics are beautiful and very relaxing, as is the music. I've heard this game be described as a "mind fuck" too, but I'm not sure if I'd give it quite that much credit. Either way, it is a good game if you're looking for something to pass the time, and if you're looking for a light challenge. 6/10

Velocibox

Velocibox is a pure challenge game where you control a tiny square that zooms through various obstacle courses. It doesn't sound like much, but the levels can be extremely frustrating and the trophies are so hard to attain that they've only been awarded to a ridiculously small percentage of players-- we're talking hardcore gamers with no life (like me). If you're looking for a fun challenge, this is the game for you. 6/10

The Park

The Park is a first person, mostly cinematic horror game, where you play as a schizophrenic mother who chases her son through a theme park that she used to visit when she was a child. As you play, you begin to ask yourself if what you're seeing is real or if it's just the result of the mother's mental illness. There are a few jump scares and puzzles to solve, but all and all it's basically a horror movie, with a child so un-likable he makes you miss the boy from Babadook. The story is worth exploring, however, and the graphics and voice work are topnotch. I'd give it a chance, unless you scare easily. 6/10

Race the Sun

Race the Sun is a meticulous challenger game where you steer a tiny plane through an endless field of obstacles. The objective of the game, aside from collecting trophies, is to simply beat your own record before you crash or run down. You collect extra points by hitting rings, which eventually allows you to upgrade your plane for future levels. While I will admit that at first the game is fairly addictive, it can get a little boring. You can't memorize the fields because they change and randomize every 24 hours, which is a neat idea, but it still does little to keep players interested. But if you're looking for a decent challenge, then I highly recommend this game. Personally, I've come to use it as a fun time-waster while I download other games. 6.5/10

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a story-based video game where you divulge the disappearance of an entire town. I wouldn't suggest this game to people who prefer action-packed shooters or tricky platformers, because aside from walking around and watching a beautiful cinematic story unfold, there isn't much else to do. Don't get me wrong, though; the game is still highly enjoyable. You play from a first person point of view and collect clues that give you insight to the missing townspeople. Each clue reveals a short story that helps you arrive at the conclusion, in the form of several astral projections. Aside from the creative story and stunning graphics, the voice acting is also incomparable. Definitely worth a play through if you're into cinematic game play. 6.5/10

The Unfinished Swan

The Unfinished Swan is a first person puzzle game where you play as a young orphaned boy named Monroe. The game is relaxing and wacky, as paint your way through various levels to help Monroe finish his recently deceased mother's favourite painting. As you play, a world of imagination unfolds, and the air of innocence reminds you what it was like to be a child. Definitely worth a try if you're looking for something light-hearted. 7/10

The Fall

The Fall is a puzzle platformer where you play as an advanced robotic spacesuit AI named Arid. The game begins with you crash-landing on a seemingly abandoned planet, with your pilot injured and unresponsive inside you. In order to save him, you search the planet for medical supplies, but soon find that the robotic inhabitants are dangerously malfunctioning. To save your pilot, you must succumb to several tests, forced on you by the head AI, and defeat an army of homicidal robots. The puzzles are fun and challenging, the story is wholly original, and the twist ending makes you think you're watching The Sixth Sense. If you're looking for an intelligent Sci-Fi Indie game, you're looking for The Fall. 7/10

White Night

White Night is a horror survival game where you play as an unnamed man who crashes outside of a haunted estate. Injured and in need of help, he hobbles to the mansion and breaks in, desperate when no one answers the door. Once inside the house, certain events transpire and horror ensues. I won't spoil the plot, but there is a twist ending and a story worth experiencing. The game has a very noir-type feel to it on top of the horror genre, which I thought was very unique. To beat the game, you must outwit the ghosts that hunt you, solve puzzles, and discover clues that eventually prompt the ending. The game also does an excellent job at making you feel helpless and vulnerable, as your only defences are running, hiding, and depending on matches for light. I personally didn't have this problem, but I have heard people complain about their eyes hurting after a few hours of gameplay-- so as a warning, the game is almost entirely black and white. If you're not sure if you can handle that, then I'd highly suggest watching a spoiler-free video on YouTube before buying, just to see how well you adjust. Overall, it's a great game that I highly recommend. 7/10

Contrast

Contrast is a platformer clearly meant for the PC, but it is playable on consol. If I had to describe the setting, I'd say it's almost Tim Burton-y in nature. You play as a voiceless woman named Dawn, who watches over and guards a little girl named Didi. Didi lives with her poverty-stricken mother in a tiny house in a town filled with corruption and debauchery. With no friends and nowhere to go during the day, Didi sneaks out at night to play; therefore, it is your job to make sure she stays safe. When her father starts meddling with some dangerous loan sharks, however, events transpire and you must help her save her family. Aside from some irritating controls on consol, the game is great and the story, obstacles, and puzzles are magnificent. The voice acting is also highly commendable, which was a pleasant surprise. Didi is actually voiced by a little girl, not an adult playing a child, and she did such an excellent job I thought Disney hired the cast. I definitely recommend this game, especially if you play on PC. 7.5/10

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is another story-based game in which you play as a first person detective searching for a missing boy named Ethan Carter. Much like Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, the game is almost entirely cinematic with a gripping story and stunning graphics. While exploring various locations, you will find clues and solve intricate puzzles in order to piece together what happened to Ethan. Without spoiling the plot, I can only say that the mystery turns very dark and engaging. Definitely worth a penny or two. 7.5/10

SOMA

SOMA has repeatedly been praised by fans for its "mind-blowing" original story and designs, but I personally took issue with some aspects of the game. I will agree first and foremost that the story is fresh beyond belief: it begins with you, Ethan, booking an appointment with a famous neurologist after viewing a flashback of a car crash. It becomes apparent that Ethan suffered a brain contusion during the accident, which could, at any given moment, kill him. The next day you visit the doctor and agree to an experiment that could help Ethan and others like him. After a long conversation, you get strapped into a machine, then wake up in an underwater, apocalyptic hell. SOMA has also been described as a "mind fuck", and you might agree, especially when it comes to certain choices you're forced to make. I personally found the game to be a bit buggy, which is apparently common, slightly slow, and somewhat boring at times. The bulk of the game consists of you exploring a huge map and evading "monsters", which can be rather irritating when they get too close. There are some horror elements to the game, but nothing spectacular. All and all, it's worth a quick run through, if not for the story alone. 7.5/10

Type:Rider

Type:Rider is an educational platformer where you play as a colon (two dots) and work your way through several levels to learn about the origins of various forms of print. If you'd rather just play the game you can easily skip the information-- but I promise you, it's fascinating. You can learn about Script, Gothic, Times New Roman, etc. The game itself is a blast, but the history lessons work as an added bonus. 7.5/10

Oxenfree

Oxenfree is an intriguing supernatural mystery graphic adventure where you play as a teenager trapped on a costal island. What at first seems like a harmless trip with friends, it quickly turns into a living nightmare when strange events begin to occur. The story itself is distinctive and gripping, where certain decisions you make help determine the outcome. The game has several endings and multiple puzzles that require independent success or teamwork with the other NPCs. The gameplay is smooth and soothing, the visuals are clean, and the story is outstanding. Highly recommend. 8/10

Feist

Feist is an adorable platformer with some of the most intelligent enemies I've ever seen. If you're up for a challenge, they'll make sure you're not disappointed. Though a mostly dark game, with the main character, the enemies, and much of the levels being a black silhouette, the game is fun and endearing. You play as a cute, unidentifiable creature that fights through obstacles to save his abducted partner. The game has a very primordial feel to it, with a sort of "survival of the fittest" connotation. Without the strength or biological advantages that your enemies have, you must rely on your superior intellect. The trophies are also incredibly difficult to achieve, half of them being speed runs, with almost no players having platinumed it. Aside from a few glitches that occur every now and then, the game is definitely worth buying. 8/10

The Swapper

The Swapper is a platformer where you must solve various puzzles by making and erasing copies of your own character. There is a story to follow, set in space, where you begin to experience weird occurrences. Each new area offers harder and harder puzzles, but nothing unmanageable. For me, the true wonders of this game are the graphics and music. The soundtrack is so beautiful and ambient that I found myself downloading the whole score halfway through the game. The map is relatively confusing when you get a bit further in, so you might find yourself lost every now and then. You do have to backtrack to some levels, so I suggest learning the layout early on. All and all, it's a fun challenge well worth your time. 8/10

Wick

Wick isn't a game I would recommend to anyone who frightens easily. The game is riddled with jump scares and portrays a haunting story about five dead children and their psychotic killer. Despite being a survival horror, there is a story to explore through certain clues that you can collect while playing. The game has several challenges, including a DLC that answers a lingering question that looms over you throughout the original levels. In order to beat the DLC, though, great memorization of the map and clue locations is required. Wick also holds some of the hardest trophies I've ever achieved for an Indie. The game itself takes place in a very small campground at night, where you are pursued by the five dead children. Your only source of light is a candle, which burns out if you don't locate more. Each level runs longer and longer and introduces a new child every time, each with their own unique form of hunting you. If you decide to brave this game, prepare for a long night. (Game is not as slow as the gif suggest) 8/10

Octodad: Dadliest Catch

Before I get into this game, I must be sure to tell everyone that it is likely a game for children, so I'll be judging it from a child's perspective. While I don't see it winning a ton of awards, even as an adult I'll admit it's fun as hell. You play as an octopus with a wife and two children, so already the theme is ridiculous. To make matters worse, your family doesn't know that you're an octopus, so you have to do your best to keep it a secret. Throughout the game you must perform various mundane tasks, but as an octopus the controls are intentionally wonky, which makes for some hilarious accidents. There is also a story to follow with a rather adorable ending. The game is colourful, cartoonish, original, and warm-hearted. Perfect for anyone who's looking for something soft and enjoyable. 8/10

She Wants Me Dead

She Wants Me Dead is a noir-type platformer, possibly set in New York City, where you play as a man trying to outsmart his homicidal cat. The cat, after being neglected by her owner, forces you to work your way through various traps and obstacles. The levels naturally get more and more challenging as you progress, but the game itself is incredibly fun. Additionally, only one song is played throughout every level, but it's one of the most kickin' songs I've ever heard in a platformer-- "She Wants Me Dead" by CAZZETTE vs. AronChupa ft. The High. The beat of the music actually helps you determine when it's safe to jump, which I thought was really cool. If you're looking for a decent challenge, I'd highly recommend this game. 8/10

Layers of Fear

Much like Wick, Layers of Fear is a first person horror game filled with jump scares and a recurring theme of helplessness. Nothing scares me, but when I had my sister play this game she got a headache and threw me the controller-- it scared her that badly. The game does a stellar job at recounting the story of a painter gone mad as you explore his house and piece together his past. Aside from the spooky atmosphere and wonderful graphics, Layers of Fear also includes one of the most hauntingly beautiful soundtracks I've ever heard. If you're looking for a good mystery/horror game, Layers of Fear would be my first recommendation. 9/10

ABZÛ

ABZÛ is an adventure art video game where you play as a female diver who silently uncovers the ruins of an ancient civilization. The entire game takes place in the ocean, where the eco system seems to be terribly damaged and unbalanced. As you swim through each beautifully crafted level, you discover the reason for the imbalance and work to revitalize the ocean. The graphics are spectacular, the story is new, and, if desired, the game is also educational with nods to marine biology. The overall control of the character takes some getting used to, but I highly recommend this game to anyone looking for something uplifting and peaceful. 9/10

Typoman

Typoman is an adorable little platformer where you play as an all-black typographical character made up of the letters H E R O. The game itself is particularly unique, with every enemy and almost every level being made primarily of letters. The story sports a creative battle of good versus evil in the form of words, with "good" words having positive effects and "bad" words having negative effects. As the hero, you must solve puzzles and traverse through a post-apocalyptic wasteland to defeat the evil running rampant through the streets. The graphics are gorgeous, the story is amazing, and if not for the game's unfortunate tendency to crash during the mini games and mild glitches, I would have given it a perfect ten. 9/10

Unravel

Buy it. Just buy it. I shouldn't have to say anything else, but I will. Unravel is a beautiful Swedish platformer where you play as a little red character named Yarny. As you may have already guessed, Yarny is made of yarn, and as you control him you embark on a journey to find multiple missing ornaments for a photo album. Each ornament produces a page of pictures that "unravels” the story of Yarny's family (humans who don't know that he can move). Each level presents a menagerie of fun obstacles and atmospheres. Aside from the flawless controls and beautiful story line, Unravel impresses players with gorgeous graphics and a soundtrack that could put Mozart to shame. Highly, highly recommend. 10/10

Inside

Inside is a puzzle-platformer adventure game that really tugs at your imagination. The story is multi-layered and brilliantly crafted without a single word of dialogue. Without knowing or understanding where the story is headed, you play as a nameless boy who traverses through many psychological puzzles, with danger lurking around every corner. Since the game's release, no one has been able to decipher what the story is truly about, but if I had to guess, I'd say it presents an Orwellian dystopia that forces mind control on the masses and foreshadows our eventual future. I believe the entire game is a controlled experiment, wrought by the facility that you're trying to escape-- but really, who's to say for sure? The controls, story, and graphics are crisp, seasoned, and endearing, and they convey a uniqueness of the highest calibre. Highly recommend. 10/10

Limbo

Limbo is a two-dimensional puzzle-platformer designed by the same company that produced Inside. Much like Inside, you play as a nameless boy who awakens in the middle of a forest on "the edge of hell". How the boy died or if he's even truly dead is a mystery. While searching for your sister, you encounter other hostile children, mechanical traps, murderous creatures, and all around unfriendly environments. As you play, you begin to wonder if anyone is trustworthy and if there's a way out of the forest at all. The game does not hold your hand, so it is up to you to depend on your wits to succeed. Besides being pleasantly enigmatic, the gameplay is also awesome and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys peaceful but challenging platformers. 10/10

Journey

Journey is an interactive adventure game where you assume the role of a figure clad in robes. While able to play alone, online gameplay allows other players to connect with you, which enables you to share the adventure. The story is silently narrated through cut scenes that you unlock as you venture through the desert, eventually ending up at a snowy mountain. This game is definitely meant as a "feel good" type of platformer, with music and graphics that put some mainstream games to shame. The story consists of you, the character, realizing the fall of an ancient civilization while avoiding the giant automatons left over from the war that destroyed it. I would also argue that the journey you embark on is a quest to find your ancestors, who later guide you to paradise. While I couldn't confirm this and it might not be true, I personally believe that this game was also heavily inspired by the Hinduism. For anyone looking for a relaxing, family-friendly adventure, this is the game I would recommend. 10/10

Little Nightmares

I'm sure that by now most of you have heard of Little Nightmares. Personally, my sister and I were looking forward to this game long before it hit the mainstream, and I'm happy to say we were not disappointed. Ironically enough, Little Nightmares ended up being one of the best Indie games I've ever played. With a Spirited Away meets Tim Burton feel, Little Nightmares gives us a puzzle-platformer horror adventure game superior to all others. No one knows the true plot of the story, which has sprung theory after theory after theory from fans, as you work your way through the mysterious Maw and avoid being eaten. I also have my own theories, but if I went into that we'd be here forever. I'll simply say this: Little Nightmares triggers your imagination and keeps you on the edge of your seat. While some people have complained about the slow load times, the only complaint I have is that it's relatively short. I could have played this game for days without getting bored. The horror element is almost kid-friendly, the graphics are stupendous, and the character designs are out of this world. I might even start collecting the comics. 10/10

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bestreasonstowriterecordreviews · 7 years ago

Photo

✰ BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2017 ✰

✰✰✰✰✰ 5th ANNIVERSARY ✰✰✰✰✰

It’s time to feast from the grapevine of 2017 with 103 (+ 171 more) of the…

✰ BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2017 ✰

(all long playing records unless otherwise noted; also, this list was created with links to every item, but the links aren’t appearing, so you’ll have to direct your web browser searches the old fashioned way)

✰✰ TAIWAN HOUSING PROJECT Veblen Death Mask (Kill Rock Stars) ✰✰

✰ HAND & LEG Hand & Leg (Black Gladiator)

✰ MARCIA BASSETT & SAMARA LUBELSKI Live NYC (Feeding Tube)

✰ CHROMASTHETIC Gold Sound cassette (Time Release)

✰ ANTIETAM Intimations of Immortality (Motorific)

✰ girlSperm gSp (Thrilling Living)

✰ CHUCK JOHNSON Balsams (VDSQ)

✰ RODENTICIDE Rodenticide (Self Sabotage)

✰ ANGIE Shyness (Rice Is Nice/DERO Arcade, Australia)

✰ BLOODY SHOW Let America Pay cassette (Superdreamer)

✰ MICHAEL BEACH Gravity/Repulsion (Spectacular Commodity)

✰ ANTHONY PASQUAROSA Abbandonato Da Dio Nazione (VDSQ)

✰ ALBERT DEMUTH Corporate Rights 7″ (self-released)

✰ MOUNTAIN MOVERS Mountain Movers (Trouble In Mind)

✰ X-POP Alphabet Cereal ep cassette (Chemical Imbalance., Australia)

✰ DANA Dana (Heel Turn)

✰ GOSPEL OF MARS Gospel Of Mars (Amish)

✰ PRIVATE SORROW Fake Lions (Mystery Plane, U.K.)

✰ JUDY & THE JERKS 3 Songs cassette (Earth Girl) & Alive At The Skatepark cassette (Earth Girl)

✰ PIERRE & BASTIEN Musique Grecque (sdz, France)

✰ XETAS The Tower (12XU)

✰ JAIMIE BRANCH Fly Or Die (International Anthem Recording Company)

✰ STEFAN CHRISTENSEN Shake Off The Village (C/Site Recordings) & Open Day 7″(I Dischi Del Barone, Sweden)

✰ LISE BARKAS & LISA KAÜFFERT Lo Becat cd-r (Soleis Bleus, France)

✰ USA/MEXICO Laredo (12XU)

✰ PREGNANCY Urgency (Emotional Response)

✰ FULLY GLAZED Full Glazed cassette (The Loki Label)

✰ DARK TEA Dark Tea cassette (self-released) & Bright Flame (bandcamp DL)

✰ SYLVIA COURVOISIER & MARY HALVORSON Crop Circles (Relative Pitch)

✰ KAY ODYSSEY What’s A Woman To Do? (Little Bit)

✰ THE DOLL/STEFAN NEVILLE 1974 8″ lathe (stabbies etc, NZ)

✰ CLARINETTE The Now Of Then (Feeding Tube)

✰ ERIK KRAMER A House, Floating In The Middle Of A Lake cassette (Anthropocene Recordings)

✰ AKI ONDA/TASHI DORJI/CHE CHEN ‘HAZ-,BINS cassette (Black Pollen Press)

✰ KATE CARR The Story Surrounds Us cassette (The Helen Scarsdale Agency) & From A Wind Turbine To Vultures (And Back) cassette (Flaming Pines, U.K.)

✰ BLACK TRUMPETS Blue Blew It cassette (Ikuisuus, Finland)

✰ SUSPIRIANS Ti Bon Ange (Super Secret Records)

✰ YEAR OF BIRDS White Death To Power Alan (Odd Box, U.K.) & Stanhill Wonder 7″ (Third Uncle)

✰ DAVID WEST with TEARDROPS Cherry On Willow (Tough Love, U.K.)

✰ WILLIAM PARKER QUARTETS Meditation/Resurrection double cd (AUM Fidelity)

✰ the CAVEMEN Banned In B.C. 7″ (Weirdly)

✰ MICHAEL FOSTER & BEN BENNETT In It cassette (Astral Spirits)

✰ PLATES OF CAKE Let’s Not Deprive Each Other cassette (Unblinking Ear)

✰ ZAÏMPH Transverse Presence cassette (No Rent)

✰ WURLD SERIES Air Goofy cassette (Melted Ice Cream, New Zealand)

✰ HEADROOM Head In The Clouds (Trouble In Mind)

✰ LORDS OF THYME The Future Of Things Past (Feeding Tube/Shagrat, U.K.)

✰ SEX TIDE Possession Sessions (Feeding Tube)

✰ MARAUDEUR Maraudeur (bruit direct disques, France)

✰ LES FILLES DE ILLIGHADAD Eghass Malan (Sahel Sounds)

✰ BRANDY Laugh Track cassette (self-released)

✰ LEILA BORDREUIL & ZACH ROWDEN Hollow cassette (No Rent)

✰ RAYS Rays (Trouble In Mind)

✰ ANDY REPTOID & THE HUMANOIDS Refridgerator 7″ (Total Punk) & Kill The Comma 7″(Emotional Response) & Pee-Pee EP (Goodbye Boozy, Italy)

✰ GUN SHY Gun Shy cassette (Cheat Prick)

✰ MARK EITZEL Hey Mr. Ferryman (Merge)

✰ E42. A8 Niobium cassette (Tanuki, Belgium)

✰ BLAU BLAU Kiss Kiss (bandcamp DL)

✰ THE COWBOY The Cowboy (Fashionable Idiots)

✰ MARCELO DOS REIS & EVE RISSER Timeless cd (JACC, Portugal)

✰ LIZ DURETTE Four Improvisations On Electric Piano (Ehse)

✰ MIDNIGHT MINES Since My Baby Left Me cassette & We Are The Primitives Of A New Era cassette (both The Loki Label)

✰ JENNY & JADE Day Release 12″ lathe ep (stabbies etc, NZ)

✰ FEMME Chroma (bruit direct disques, France)

✰ PRIVATE ANARCHY Private Anarchy cassette (Round Bale Recordings)

✰ ERIC ARN Orphic Resonance (Feeding Tube)

✰ PILL Aggressive Advertising cassette (Dull Tools)

✰ GAMARDAH FUNGUS Fairytales cd (Flaming Pines, U.K.)

✰ JON COLLIN Water And Rock Music, Volume I cd-r & The Nature (both Early Music, U.K. )

✰ Killed By Meth #2: Rust Belt Rockers comp (It’s Trash!)

✰ the TERMINALS Antiseptic (Ba Da Bing)

✰ SOURDURE Mantras triple cassette (Standard in-Fi, France)

✰ The Hired Hands: A Tribute to Bruce Langhorne double cd (Scissor Tail)

✰ GLEN SCHENAU Addressing The Scar cassette (Tropical Cancer, Australia)

EKIN FIL Inflame: Original Soundtrack cassette & Ghosts Inside (both The Helen Scarsdale Agency)

✰ TARA CLERKIN Hello (Stolen Body Records, U.K.)

✰ LEE KONITZ Frescalalto cd (impulse!, France)

✰ the STROPPIES The Stroppies cassette & It’s A Hit 7″ (Hobbies Galore, Australia)

✰ DELPHINE DORA & MOCKE Le Corps Défendant (Okraïna, Belgium)

✰ QUIN GALAVIS The Battery Line (Super Secret Records)

✰ HOUSE AND LAND House And Land (Thrill Jockey)

✰ C.I.A. DEBUTANTE We Will Play For Spirits cassette (sdz, France)

✰ AILBHE NIC OIREACHTAIGH Oreing (Fort Evil Fruit, Ireland)

✰ the BISCUITS Albatross 7″ (Ilk Ither, New Zealand)

✰ SYLVIA MONNIER Stock Shot & Addictive Sling cassette (Sacred Phrases)

✰ the GOLDEN BOYS Better Than Good Times (12XU)

✰ PALACE LIDO Concrete cassette (Czaszka Records, U.K.)

✰ MARK FEEHAN M.F. II (Richie Records)

✰ OBNOX Murder Radio (ever/never) & Niggative Approach (12XU)

✰ ALEXANDER Alexander (self-released) & ROB NOYES/ALEXANDER split 7″ (C/Site Recordings)

✰ TRIO 3: ANDREW CYRILLE/REGGIE WORKMAN/OLIVER LAKE Visiting Texture cd (Intakt, Switzerland)

✰ BARON SATURDAY Concrete Poetry cassette (Mystery Plane, U.K.)

✰ NINA HARKER Nina Harker cassette (Le Syndicat Des Scorpions, France)

✰ DAVID NANCE Do The Negative Boogie (Ba Da Bing)

GOLDEN PELICANS Disciples Of Blood (Goner)

ÆTHER JAG Amaranthine Stretch cassette (No Rent)

GAD WHIP In A Room (ever/never)

YANNICK DAUBY Magicien Rouch cassette (Tanuki, Belgium)

MAX LODERBAUER & JACEK SIENKIEWICZ End cd (Recognition, Poland)

VÁR By Ghost And Tape (Home Normal, Japan)

ANGELICA SANCHEZ TRIO Float The Edge cd (Clean Feed, Portugal)

LECH NIENARTOWICZ Nici cassette (Dinzu Artefacts)

EKMAN & OWEN Ekman & Owen 7″ (Goodbye Boozy, Italy)

POU Dimonis (Metadona, Spain)

HANS CHEW Open Sea (At The Helm)

DALIA RAUDONIKYTÉ WITH Solitarius cd (New Focus Recordings)

GŪTARA KYŌ Gütara Kyō 10″ (Slovenly/Mondo Mongo)

TUCKER THEODORE Lady Hope cassette (Antiquated Future)

MIA SCHOEN Golden Hour (Albert’s Basement, Australia)

THE STRANGER The Void (bandcamp dl)

LAKES Silver Thorns 12″ EP (Paradise Daily, Australia)

Horrendous New Wave comp (Lumpy)

CHRIS FORSYTH & THE SOLAR MOTEL BAND Dreaming The Non-Dream (No Quarter)

TASHI DORJI & DAVID GRUBBA Fixed Entrance Derivatives cassette (Sky Lantern)

SAMUEL TRUITT Thorns cassette (Melters)

HELTA SKELTA Nightclubbin’ 7″ (Deranged, British Columbia, Canada)

UV-TV Glass (Deranged, British Columbia, Canada) & Go Away 7″ (Emotional Response

HASH REDACTOR Demo Tape 2017 (self-released bandcamp DL)

LEE NOBLE The Hell You Come In cassette (No Kings)

PRETTY PRETTY Demo II cassette (Superdreamer)

AGUSTÍ MARTÍNEZ/EDUARD ALTABA/QUICU SAMSÓ On The Nature Of Will (Discordian bandcamp DL, Spain)

the TRENDEES We Are Sonic Art (Melted Ice Cream, NZ/Albert’s Basement, Australia)

GREG ASHLEY Pictures of Saint Paul Street (Trouble In Mind)

DAVE REMPIS Solo cd (Aerophonic)

TIN FOIL Tin Foil (Almost Ready)

HACO Qoosui cd (Room40, Australia)

PETER LEWIS Just Like Jack (Shagrat, U.K./Hookah)

PROSTITUTES Live At Cookout (TRAM Planet)

ANTENES Shifting Zones 12″ (Silent Season, Canada)

LOFT Three Settlements Four Ways 12″ (Wisdom Teeth, U.K.) & Turn My Built Dances (The Astral Plane)

NEUTRALS Promotional Cassette 2 cassette (Neutrals)

JOE MORRIS/BRAD BARRETT/ERIC STILLWELL Value (Glacial Erratic bandcamp DL)

DARLINGCHEMICALIA Off Blonde (self-released bandcamp DL)

WV WHITE House Of The Spiritual Athletes (Anyway)

CHAVEZ Cockfighters 12″ (Matador)

RYAN GARBES Living Ether cassette (Post-Materialization Music, Russia)

TRAMPOLINE TEAM Drug Culture 7″ (Space Taker Sounds/Pelican Pow Wow) & Trampoline Team/Mama split 7″ (Giveaway)

LAURA BAIRD I Wish I Were A Sparrow (Ba Da Bing)

MAREIKE SAUER The Tension and the Body of the Woman of Mystery cd (Karl Schmidt Verlag, Germany)

FNU CLONE Binary Or Die (Total Punk)

DAN MELCHIOR Road Not Driving (ever/never)

$UN $KELETONS GET IT UP YERS TRIO R.I.P. Music & Absolutely Fucked In & Rust Belt UK cd-rs (Double Dot Dash!?, U.K.)

VIOLENCE CREEPS Ease The Seed Bag 7″ (Drunken Sailor, U.K.) & The Gift Of Music + Singles cassette (Total Punk) & Northwest Tour Tape 2017 (self-released)

ERIC COPELAND Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect (L.I.E.S.)

WIREHEADS Lightning Ears (Tenth Court, Australia)

DANIEL LEVIN Living (Smeraldina-Rima, Belgium)

the COWBOYS Vol. 4 (Drunken Sailor, U.K.)

IRENE KEPL SololoS cd (Fou, France) & Superstring Theory bandcamp download (SoundOut, Australia)

VIDEO DUCT Small Pets And Kitchenettes cassette (Maple Death, Italy)

SCUPPER Some Gauls (Blue Cheese Toothpaste)

MOSQUITOES Mosquitoes one sided 12″ (self-released, U.K.)

BLUE CHEMISE Influence On Dusk (Gravity Ventilator, Australia) & “The Music Lesson”/”Watcher At The Window” 7″ (I Dischi Del Barone, Sweden)

CONTRIBUTORS Contributors (Monofonus Press)

NICOLE MITCHELL Awakening II: Emerging Worlds cd (FPE)

KALEIDOSCOPE Volume 3 (Feel It Records)

Ladyfest Boston 2017 cassette comp (Ladyfest)

BRIDGET HAYDEN Incantations From Yin Valley cassette (Fort Evil Fruit, Ireland)

MIKE COOPER Raft (Room40, Australia)

MAZOZMA Heavy Death Head (Feeding Tube)

SUSS CUNTS Suss Cunts 7″ ep (Emotional Response) & “Newby” (Suss Cunts bandcamp DL)

MATT JENCIK Weird Times (Hands In The Dark)

somesurprises serious dreams cassette (Eiderdown Records)

CIGGIE WITCH Mad Music (Lost & Lonesome, Australia)

SUN VALLEY Black Canyons (bandcamp DL)

MORDECAI Abstract Recipe (Richie Records)

JANTAR Panisperna (MIE Music, U.K.)

SARAH DAVACHI All My Circles Run (Students Of Decay)

KÜKEN Küken (Drunken Sailor, U.K.)

ULAAN PASSERINE The Landscape of Memory (Worstward)

MY TEENAGE STRIDE Living In The Straight World cassette (Unblinking Ear)

SLOW TONGUED BEAUTY The Absolution Of Royalty cassettes (No Rent)

DAVID FIRST Same Animal, Different Cages Vol. 3: Civil War Songs (for Solo Harmonica) (Fabrica)

REBEKAH HELLER Metafagote (New Focus Recordings)

DIANETICS Booked Learned 7″ (Weirdly) & And Psycho Horse cassette (Gut Freak)

SPARROW STEEPLE Steeple Two (Richie Records) & A Aardvark (ever/never)

WEATHER WEAPON II (self-released bandcamp DL)

KRISTY & THE KRAKS Snakes On The Phone 7″ (Fettkakao, Austria)

STEPHAN CRUMP/INGRID LAUBROCK/CORY SMYTHE Planktonic Finales cd (Intakt, Switzerland)

NAG “Motorcycle Blue” + 2 7″ (Third Uncle/Chunklet) & False Anxiety 7″ (Total Punk) & No Flag + 2 7″ (Space Taker Sounds)

ROSS MANNING Reflex In Waves (Room40, Australia) &

Both Sides of the Cocoon cassette (Chemical Imbalance., Australia)

DANIEL LEVIN QUARTET Live At Firehouse 12 cd (Firehouse 12)

RAKTA Oculto Pelos Seres 7" (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos, U.K.)

MARBLED EYE EP II 7" (Melters/Digital Regress)

RIK & THE PIGS Blue Jean Queen 7″ (Feel It) & A Child’s Gator (Total Punk)

US WEEKLY US Weekly (Night Moves)

KEN IKEDA + DAVID TOOP Skin Tones cd (Home Normal, Japan)

L$D FUNDRAISER Drones On Lap Steel (self-released, NZ) + like, 30 others

MDOU MOCTAR Sousoume Tamachek (Sahel Sounds)

CHIHEI HATAKEYAMA Mirage (Room40, Australia)

the DREAM SYNDICATE How Did I Find Myself Here? (Anti-)

DAY CREEPER A Mirror To The Fire (Heel Turn/Superdreamer)

LITTLE MAZARN Little Mazarn (Self Sabotage)

BAUS Secret Bathroom Recordings (self-released bandcamp DL)

MARK CONE Now Showing (Neck Chop)

LÉONIE RISJETERRE Tresseterre cd (Soleils Bleus, France)

ENDLESS BOOGIE Vibe Killer (No Quarter)

MCHY I PORØSTY Hypnagogic Polish Music For Teenage Mutants cd (Recognition, Poland)

DAG Benefits Of Solitude (Bedroom Suck, Australia)

ANGEL DUST Excavatum cassette (Dinzu Artefacts)

MAXIMUM ERNST with DANIEL CARTER Maximum Ernst cd (ever/never)

BALLISTER: REMPIS/LONGBERG-HOLM/NILSEN-LOVE Slag cd (Aerophonic)

RABBIT U.S. Rabbit U.S. lathe 7″ (Third Uncle)

INSTITUTE Subordination (Sacred Bones)

RUBBER MATE Cha Boi 7″ (Total Punk) & Tour Tape MMXVII cassette (self-released)

MARY LATTIMORE Collected Pieces cassette (Ghostly International)

VERY MENTAL (Total Punk)

UNITED WATERS The Narrows (Drawing Room)TYSHAWN SOREY Verisimilitude (Pi Recordings)

A GIANT DOG Toy (Merge)

DREAM WEAPON RITUAL The Uncanny Little Sparrows (Boring Machines, Italy)

SMALL WORLD EXPERIENCE Soft Knocks (Tenth Court, Australia)

DIRTY & HIS FISTS Dirty & HIs Fists 7″ (Feel It)

ABBY LEE TEE Hebert’s Archive cassette (Dinzu Artefacts)

BLANK STATEMENTS Signs Are Rampant cassette (Hobbies Galore, New Zealand)

NOTS“Cruel Friend"/"Violence" 7″ (Goner) & Live At Goner Records (Goner)

LEA BERTUCCI All That Is Solid Melts Into Air cassette (NNA Tapes)

SICK THOUGHTS Songs About People You Hate (Neck Chop)

MOHLAO Landforms (Silent Season, Canada)

ISOTOPE SOAP Piñata Chaos 12" (Levande Begravd Records, Sweden) & The WOW! Signal EP 7" (Levande Begravd Records, Sweden)

JIM HAYNES Tiny Portraits 3″ cd-r (Flaming Pines, U.K.)

ISS (Endless Pussyfooting) (Erste Theke Tonträger, Germany)

PREENING Beeters 7″ (Digital Regress)

MIKE MAJKOWSKI Days And Other Days cassette (Astral Spirits)

RANGERS Texas Rock Bottom cd (Doom Trip)

KNOWSO Look At The Chart (Neck Chop)

CIRCUIT DES YEUX Reaching For Indigo (Drag City)

WHIT DICKEY/MAT MANERI/MATTHEW SHIPP Vessel In Orbit cd (Aum Fidelity)

SWEET APPLE Sing The Night In Sorrow (Tee Pee)

LEDA ‎Gitarrmusik III-X (Förlag För Fri Musik, Sweden)

TROPICAL TRASH Decisions' Empty Nest 7″ ep (Sophomore Lounge) & A Dent In The Forever Can cassette (The Loki Label)

GUILHEM LACOUX La Traversée double cassette (Standard in-Fi, France)

IAN WILLIAM CRAIG Slow Vessels 12″ ep (130701, U.K.)

MOZART Nasty 7″ep (Iron Lung)

TREASURE HUNT with DENNIS WARREN’S FULL METAL REVOLUTIONARY ENSEMBLE Space Jam cassette (Moon Glyph)

CENTURY PALM Meet You (Deranged, British Columbia, Canada)

GATE Highway Ghosts (self-released, New Zealand)

the FEELIES In Between (Bar None)

SCHIZOS Fuck Iggy Pop 7″ (Neck Chop)

VIOLENT QUAND ON AIME Violent Quand On Ame 7″ (Le Syndicat des Scorpions, France)

HONEY New Moody Judy (Wharf Cat)

ANXIETY Wild Life 7″ (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos, U.K.)

EARTH GIRL HELEN BROWN Mercury & Mars & Saturn cassettes (all Empty Cellar)

the BLINDS The Blinds cassette (Hobbies Galore, Australia)

FRENCH VANILLA French Vanilla cassette (Danger Collective)

HEAVY METAL LP 2 (Static Age Musik, Germany) & LP 3 (Harbinger Sound, U.K.)

fEEDTIME Gas (In The Red)

REESE McHENRY w/ SPIDER BAGS Bad Girl (Sophomore Lounge)

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2016

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2015

BEST REASONS TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIWS IN 2014

BEST REASON TO WRITE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS IN 2013

From November 2017: A LIST OF WORTHY CAUSES TO WHICH YOU MIGHT WANNA THINK ABOUT DONATING...Coalition To Stop Gun Violence, Save DACA Lives via Here To Stay, Planned Parenthood, The Trevor Project, National Abortion And Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL), Southern Poverty Law Center, Emily’s List, etc....

From November 2015: FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWS HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE WITH EMPHASIS ON THE LEGACY OF THE FUCKIN’ RECORD REVIEWERS FEATURED HEREIN - and associated small biz combustibles!

✰ 2018 PREDICTION: LONG HOTS! ✰

#Best Reasons To Write Fuckin' Record Reviews In 2017 #2017 #Alan Lomax #Taiwan Housing Project #Hand & Leg #Marcia Bassett & Samara Lubelski #Chromasthetic #Antietam #Chuck Johnson #girlSperm #Rodenticide #Angie #Bloody Show #Michael Beach #Anthony Pasquarosa #Albert DeMuth #Mountain Movers

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pinkflamingcreatures · 4 years ago

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Rob Savage’s “Host” Is Innovative Zoom-Horror

The first time I saw The Blair Witch Project with my sisters - none of us any older than 12 - and my dad, the scariest part about it was that my dad told us that it was real. This gimmick is what sets found footage films apart from other movies that make no claim to reality, and why they can only thrive within the horror genre: their implications are legitimately terrifying.

Now that I’m older, I don’t fall for the premise that all found footage movies try to scare you with - that this actually happened - but I do have a sincere affection for them. I saw the first three Paranormal Activity movies several times while I was in elementary and middle school, upgrading to Patrick Brice’s Creep when I got older, along with a slew of other less memorable features with the same general idea that something scary is happening and someone involved (for whatever reason) is filming it. These movies are unique, often low-budget, innovative, and often short in runtime, since, at a certain point it doesn’t make any sense for characters that are in danger to continue holding a camera.

In a lot of ways, horror that takes place entirely on a computer screen, of which Rob Savage’s Host is a part, feels like a logical progression of the found footage genre. In an age where more and more of our lives are mediated through technology, it is exciting to see filmmakers embrace new opportunities for experimenting with storytelling in all of the forms it can take. Host is certainly not the first of its kind (video-chat horror has been around since the early 2010’s), and most reviews for this 2020 release can’t help but mention its 2014 predecessor, Unfriended. While I haven’t seen Unfriended, I have seen The Den (2013), and was very impressed with Host’s use of Zoom-specific features to create scares, and its production and release during quarantine emphasizes human and spiritual connection through the internet in a way that is interesting and effective.

The film takes place entirely during a Zoom call between six friends, one of which has come up with the idea that they should conduct a seance together over video chat. Two of the participants are nervous about the process, while the rest of the friends seem incapable of taking it seriously; one of them proposes that they take a shot each time they hear the term “astral plane.” After a short section at the beginning in which the characters chat mindlessly and catch up, the woman who is supposed to guide them in the seance joins the call. She admits that she has never done this before over a video call, and that it might make them more vulnerable - to what, she doesn’t mention.

Like any movie involving spirits, there is pressure by a few that these matters must be treated with reverence in order to show respect to the dead, but inevitably, there are those who make a joke out of it. After one of the friends leaves the meeting while everyone is supposed to be focusing, things are looking grim. They only get worse when one girl, Jemma, makes up a story about a schoolmate that she knew who hung himself named Jack. This becomes, according to the leader of the seance, a mask that any type of spirit can wear; an invitation to manifest itself. To me, this was a very clever way to introduce a potentially demonic presence which I hadn’t seen before in my paranormal forays, providing a simple image around which the movie’s scares can revolve, while making the spirit eerily unknowable.

Once the jump scares start, they don’t stop, and while at a certain point I felt that they were becoming repetitive, the 56 minute runtime saves this from being a problem. And a lot of it is damn scary! The parts that were the most fun, though, were the Zoom gimmicks: one in particular stands out in which one of the characters, Caroline, shows everyone the background that she made - a video of herself in her bedroom walking in and brushing her hair - in order to combat quarantine loneliness. After all of the girls are convinced that they are safe, Caroline disappears from her screen for a moment. By the time the others notice that she’s gone, her specially crafted background starts moving: an image of her walks into the room. The girls think that Caroline is actually there and try to get her attention. Attentive viewers may remember that what they are calling out to is merely a phantom of Caroline, creating a moment of tension that is unique to the medium of Zoom.

At the same moment that Caroline’s face breaks through the background for only long enough to smash the keyboard and disappear again, Emma, who has been playing with filters on her face for most of the call, sees a computer generated mask floating in her living room. Of course, she can’t actually see the mask, or what it’s being generated by, anywhere outside of her computer screen. The webcam has become an eye through which extra information about the world can be observed.

Although Host is by no means the first within its genre, these computer-based scares are where the movie shines. Especially given the circumstances of its production and release, the themes of connection of all kinds through electronic devices are particularly timely. The movie was released in July of 2020, and made while the director and actors were actually quarantined due to Covid. Rob Savage directed all of the actors remotely, and everyone was responsible for their own lighting, cameras and stunts. There seems to have been no better time to make a movie like this, when viewers are all too aware of the mechanisms and social cues that dominate virtual conversations.

And what better time to explore all of the things - good and bad - that can be shared over the internet? No, luckily, we can’t exchange germs, but apparently we can pass spirits from one household to another. After shit has been critically hitting the fan for about fifteen minutes, Teddy, the character who abandoned the Zoom call just as the seance was starting, reappears. Emma, the only girl who is still active in the call at this point, urges him to “get out”, but he doesn’t take her seriously and almost immediately gets visited by the same spirit that has been tormenting his friends. He was evidently fine before he rejoined the call, but, like a hacker tracking down your IP address, the (demonic?) presence was able to visit Teddy in his home just because he connected to his friends over the internet.

So, while I didn’t consider Host to be the best found footage film I’d ever seen, I think it utilized its form extremely well, and brought fresh ideas to the genre that could only be played with at this moment in time. The webcam movie may well become tired within the next couple of years, but, to me, it is still a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to seeing Unfriended, but for now, would recommend this movie for a short, scary, quarantine pick.

#Host #rob savage #Horror #Cinema

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flashfuckingflesh · 4 years ago

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EVIL is in the Waiting Room. "Host" reviewed! (Second Sight Films / Blu-ray Screener)

EVIL is in the Waiting Room. “Host” reviewed! (Second Sight Films / Blu-ray Screener)

Six friends, locked down due to COVID-19 quarantine restrictions, hold a séance with a medium over a video chat platform. With some skeptical of the astral plane practice and connivingly mock the ritual without aware of the consequences, they unwittingly call forth a false spirit under the guise of their seemingly harmless mockery. In short, a malevolent demon crosses over their spiritual…

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dogcopter · 5 years ago

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In the midst of all this pink angst I'd like to know what your take is on onion

ONION: Clearly deep lore. Clearly cursed. I believe pretty firmly that he can perceive the astral plane somehow, and I think his ability to teleport is not just a gag for the movie but canon. (possibly travel via mindscape? I’m not sure how he’s bringing his physical body along) He may know about Steven’s mom’s ghost?

Takeaways from reviewing Onion appearances that add up to that: Onion can understand written and spoken English, but only speaks mwah mwah and usually to people other than Steven. He likes to hang out inside a vending machine in Funland Arcade. There’s a running joke that he does criminal things and is a chaotic force - he’s been shown with a crowbar, stealing, destroying things, and entering other people’s places. Sometimes he breaks into Steven’s house and hides in his cabinets. He seems to adore Steven.

This got REALLY REALLY long so I’m putting it under a cut, but heres my pre finale Weird Deep Onion Lore Summary, if anyone cracks the onion lore I’d love to know.

He’s tried to convince Steven to kill an animal at least twice, and each time after Steven spares the animal, Onion shows him it’s still safe at the end. In Onion Trade, he demonstrates an ability to haggle for what he wants and then tricks Steven into giving him a magic artifact by trading Steven his own Ranger Guy toy. He steals Baby Melon. In Rising Tides/Crashing Skies, Ronaldo says, “You can’t keep quiet forever!” and Onion seems to dislike Ronaldo. He appears to recognize Steven in Lars’ body in The New Lars. He has no problem openly committing crime in Beach City, but won’t take credit for someone else’s crime in Doug Out.

Sometimes their surroundings go dim when Steven’s with him (sinister trade face in Onion Trade, the multiple power outages in Onion Friend when Steven is in Onion’s home, whistling to summon friends in Onion Gang) and I think this may have to do with astral lore somehow, not simply dramatic effect from Steven’s POV. His office seems to have Rose Quartz symbolism: it’s hidden behind a poster that says THE DOOR, down a dark vent/tunnel. It’s a warmly lit private room with a massive angelic portrait of Onion, on a blue background surrounded by white and pink bubbles and yellow and white stars (diamond colors). There’s a rug, some string lights, and a blue chest full of bubbled gems collectible figurines from the arcade machine he lives in at Funland. He offers Steven the coveted Rose Quartz Explorer Gal as a gift, and shows off a psychic ghost Invisible Gal to him as well.

Lore sidenote in case it’s relevant: in Monster Buddies we know someone can be teleported inside of a bubble and then break out if conscious; as of Gem Drill we know the consciousness - of both Steven and Cluster fragments - can create a bubble from within the mindscape that is also somehow in the physical world, bubbles seem to bridge the gap between astral lore and physical world. the bubbles are somewhat fragile and match the color of the gem who created it. In Kindergarten Kid (I think?) Peridot’s bubble goes somewhere other than the Temple, explained as “home”. So the creator of the bubble has something to do with the location it goes to, it’s not a property of the bubble itself. It’s possible “home” isn’t the only destination. Steven also sees a similar star when astral projecting in Escapism as appears on Onion’s portrait. Maybe this tells us something about how he teleports?

He seems genuinely afraid when Aquamarine and Topaz are hunting down Steven’s friends. His office is referenced again when he goes missing and Sour Cream is putting up posters. He talks to Topaz, and if mwah mwah language works the same way as the watermelon language (sometimes they have actual dialogue written and Zach is imitating the same syllables with mwahs, kinda like Pikachu’s voice actor) I think he might be saying “Topaz, help”? He says a Mwahmwah that really sounds like the way Aquamarine said Topaz a moment before. He’s frightened or startled to hear Aquamarine mention the Onion on Steven’s list. He has an odd look on his face when they enter the gem ship and seems calm but books it ASAP once they’re free.

And (support for possible teleporting Onion) at the end of I Am My Mom, he disappears into thin air at some point while Steven is giving himself up. (He’s not shown in the reaction shots with everyone)

He has a couple cameos where he looks directly at the camera; I know he does it in Raising the Barn and What’s Your Problem. In Reunited he points out the Diamond ships arriving on Earth and he looks neutral while everyone around him looks afraid, despite his fear during the Aqua/Topaz debacle. In Change Your Mind while Lion (Rose) is looking up at the Diamonds, Onion is looking up but in the opposite direction. In the movie ofc he teleports around. He also cries out to Lion for help and Lion rushes over to help him when the town is falling apart.

In Future he has still been weird and appeared in a lot of episodes. In Guidance, Smoky somehow misses him when getting everyone off the rollercoaster in slow-mo, but he’s riding in it again while it floats in the sea. He’s funny and weird during the acting bits of AVSE, including the “NEVER LEAVE” collage, his psychic waving doll (ROSE QUARTZ?) and pied-piper whistling a bunch of LH Gems off a cliff. There’s some kinda message there but I’m not high enough to understand anything related to Onion in a coherent way. He showed up in Steven’s dream in In Dreams, too. Back in the first series, he’s strangely realistic in Rose’s Room - legit, all this spooky Onion stuff put together HAS to mean he’s related to the astral projection mindscape bullshit right???

Here’s my most galaxy brain pre-finale Onion headcanon: The reason Onion showed Steven his tape in Onion Friend is because Onion has seen Steven’s tape from Rose Quartz or knows about it from her. It sounds like an explicit birth video but is labeled “Happy Birthday Onion” kinda like Steven’s is “For Steven”, and ofc Onion can read, so my headcanon is he didn’t receive that tape from Vidalia but found it himself, following Steven’s example.

I’m suspicious he might have a connection to the pyramid temple story (just bc that mural is the last unexplained bit of astral lore, who knows if it’s gonna come up in Steven’s story at all, there’s not much time left) but have very little to base that on. Onion is a big fat mystery and I’d love to know what ideas people have about him.

#mindscape deeplore 2020 #onion lore 2020

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bestfungames1 · 4 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://bestfungames.com/control-review-paranormal-portal/

Control Review - Paranormal Portal

A return to form for Remedy Games.

By Peter Brown on February 2, 2021 at 12:03AM PST

Control Review – An Action-Packed Paranormal Portal

Editor’s note: Following the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, developer Remedy Entertainment has released Control: Ultimate Edition. This new version of Control includes all of its previously released DLC, including its story expansions The Foundation and AWE, and comes with new improvements over the last-gen version. Below are our impressions of how Control: Ultimate Edition runs on PS5, written by Phil Hornshaw. You can also read our full PlayStation 5 review for an in-depth breakdown of the console. Continue after the break for the original Control review.

Control is gorgeous and intense on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but the Ultimate Edition on the current generation of consoles is Remedy Entertainment’s excellent 2019 game at its best. Control Ultimate Edition is a prettier, more stable way to enjoy Remedy’s strange paranormal world, and on PlayStation 5, it works in the great features of the DualSense to elevate the experience even more.

Playing: Control Video Review

The primary difference between the original edition of Control and the Ultimate Edition is the latter’s enhanced graphics. The Ultimate Edition offers two different modes: Performance, which prioritizes frame rate, and Graphics, which leverages the hardware for better textures, lighting, and ray tracing. In both modes, though, the difference between the Ultimate Edition and the standard version of Control is stark. These are drastic improvements over Control on the PS4 and make an already beautiful game look and play even better.

The graphics-heavy mode is something to behold. Control is full of reflective surfaces, whether they’re glass office walls or puddles of water or blood in its dark, brutalist halls. With ray tracing enabled, the game becomes full of gorgeous, real-world reflections, with protagonist Jesse’s face appearing on the screens of TVs as she watches films created by Dr. Casper Darling, and Control’s stark lighting and cinematography finding mirrors in wet concrete floors. Control’s art direction was already impressive, but it achieves even more on the newer hardware to create endless beautiful frames.

Gallery

Graphics mode sacrifices frame rate for those pretty images, but it never chugs or runs poorly (unlike the base game on PS4 Pro)–its frame rate looks to be on par with the last generation of hardware, but with more stability. Flipping to the performance mode sacrifices those beautiful reflections in favor of a silky 60fps, but Control looks great in both modes. The smoothness afforded by the higher frame rate definitely works to make combat feel a little more intense and responsive, but both modes work extremely well, so choosing one comes down to personal preference.

On PS5, Control Ultimate Edition benefits from the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback. The intensity of Jesse’s footsteps when she’s running or walking are translated to the controller, as are the different firing modes of the Service Weapon as you let loose with the automatic Spin or charge up a big blast with Pierce. Best, though, are Jesse’s powers, with the controller adding oomph to the massive blast of a melee attack and capturing the whistling catch as you use telekinesis to grab hold of a piece of concrete. The haptics add just a little something extra to Control, helping to make Jesse’s powers and weapons feel distinct and impactful.

With its graphical add-ons, the stability and performance enhancements, and the inclusion of all of Control’s DLC, the Ultimate Edition really is the best way to experience Control–and the PS5’s haptics really add an extra layer of intensity to a game that already feels great to play. If you haven’t experienced Control yet, this is the best way to do so. If you have, this is a good excuse to jump back into its beautiful, strange, inventive world once again. — Phil Hornshaw, 2 February 2021. Our original Control review by Peter Brown, first published in August 2019, continues below.

When you’re so used to games that ease you in, the confronting nature of Control is immediately compelling. There’s plenty of time to get to know characters, study the environment, and gradually pick up new mechanics and skills, but Control’s sinister atmosphere is impactful, sending a rush of questions through your head from the moment you press start.

Who is Jesse Faden? Why does she seem both lost and found on her first day as director at the Federal Bureau of Control? How can she possibly maintain her composure in the face of the haunting ethereal and material distortions that have overtaken the bureau? You may only have some answers to these questions by the time the credits roll. While being vague or opaque could be viewed as a flaw in other games, obfuscation is part of what makes Control so spellbinding. Impressively, the mysteries grip ever tighter as you navigate the bureau’s headquarters in search of answers. Knowledge is power, but it frequently opens doors to possibilities you never knew existed–doors that are better left shut, so far as Jesse and surviving FBC members are concerned.

If you’ve played past works from Remedy Games, you will instantly recognize the studio’s footprint. Control’s story plays with grim truths and strange themes. Everything is a serious matter, except when it isn’t and a dark sense of humor creeps in to offer a momentary respite–which, yes, includes plenty of FMV shorts. The combat system is designed for you to be equal parts agile and destructive, bearing a notable resemblance to the studio’s Microsoft-exclusive, Quantum Break. Combat aside, that game felt like a step removed from what Remedy does best. Control feels like Remedy has found its footing again.

There is one major aspect that is decidedly new for Remedy: Control is non-linear, built in the vein of a metroidvania and filled with reasons to retrace your steps over time. This approach is largely handled well, though if there’s any aspect of Control that feels lacking it’s the handling of the map. It’s an unreliable tool presented in a top-down fashion that often feels like more trouble than it’s worth. Multi-level areas overlap with one another (you can’t isolate them, or zoom in for a closer look) and it’s practically impossible to track specific locations you have or have not visited. Broad areas can be tracked, sure, but not, say, a single meeting room in the executive branch.

This would be a major issue if not for two things: The signage in the world is surprisingly helpful, and ultimately, Control makes wandering the halls of “The Oldest House” a consistent pleasure. If you aren’t in awe of the architecture, you’re probably getting your kicks from a battle that pops up when you least expected it.

Referring to the FBC headquarters as a house is a bit misleading, though you’ll grow to understand how in time. In practical terms, it is a massive multi-story facility that screams government, with angular interiors formed in stone and metal, with minimal flourish. It has the outward appearance of an orderly place of process, which, while true, undersells the reality therein, or the lack thereof.

The dance between fact and fiction is at the heart of Control’s setting and a fascinating narrative that unravels in Jesse’s mind through a series of inner monologues and psychic projections. There are exchanges between characters that move certain elements forward, but so much of Control hinges on Jesse’s discoveries and her interpretations of their meaning. Even though you’re clued into her thoughts, there’s an underlying element that Jesse fails to explain because, to her, it’s matter-of-fact. Whatever it is has always been a part of her, creating a gap of understanding that you, for the most part, can only hope to fill in with your own inferences. There’s a constant desire to know more, yet to also maintain distance from the truth in order to preserve the mystery. It’s to Control’s credit that it effortlessly facilitates this exchange.

If it’s otherworldly, if it seems to defy explanation, odds are the FBC is running tests to discover the underlying cause and contain the consequences from the outside world. Deep within the guts of the house lie experiments and studies that dig into paranormal disturbances, the collective subconscious, and alternate dimensions. The FBC posits that entities from beyond our realm have used objects of power–archetypical things that we know and take for granted–as gateways into our world. After years of the FBC gathering these strange objects for study, the house has become an amplified conduit for a force known as The Hiss, which can reshape and move matter. The source of this power, a dimension known as the Astral Plane, has crept into the bureau, and some far-off corridors bear its telltale monochromatic, geometric motif. Occasionally, you will get pulled into this strange world to undergo skill trials, but your visits are always short, which helps preserve the mystique in the long run.

Back in the “real” world, lowly agents and high-ranking FBC enforcers have been corrupted en masse. Many float harmlessly in mid-air, chanting strange mantras in boardrooms, hallways, and research facilities. Generally, if there’s headroom, there are floaters. The more aggressive of the bunch pop into existence before your eyes as you explore the bureau. They, like Jesse, fight with a mix of guns and telekinetic powers. They are generally fun adversaries, and battles are punctuated by some incredible special effects. Furniture and small props are whipped into a frenzy when you hurl a desk from a cubicle and into a group of enemies. Sparks and colorful plumes of energy fill the air when a nearby explosion cuts through the incandescent trails left behind by the hiss.

There are only a few unique enemies or bosses to speak of, but by and large the AI, in conjunction with a great variety of architectural layouts, makes every fight feel engaging. Whether a simple encounter or a complex assault, you have to approach combat with a juggling act in mind, shifting between expending ammunition and psychic energy when one or the other is depleted. You also have to learn how to defend against and recover from harm. The only way to heal in combat is to pick up essence dropped by fallen enemies, which often requires you to throw yourself into the fray while also protecting yourself from further damage.

New powers come with story milestones, but weapon forms are crafted from collectible materials. Their stats, and Jesse’s, increase with the application of randomized ranked mods dropped by enemies and found in hidden containment chests. You will likely come across hundreds of mods, but because you can only hold and use a limited amount, you will end up dismantling most of them to make space in your inventory. Mods can make a tangible difference, especially once you start to find high-ranking ones, but they can’t make up for a lack of skill or understanding of Jesse’s tools during the game’s greatest tests.

Gallery

Control is a great-looking game in general, from the overall art design to the technical execution, but combat is a notable standout in that regard. While the experience on PC can be tuned to run at a consistently smooth frame rate, the PS4 version (playing on a PS4 Pro with supersampling enabled) can exhibit stuttering when fights are at their most chaotic–no issues were spotted with the Xbox One version. This, thankfully, is an uncommon occurrence, but it definitely clues you in to how taxing the special effects and real-time physics are.

With a fair amount of extracurricular exploration, it took me about 15 hours to get to the end of Control’s campaign. Though I watched the credits roll, there are still plenty of side quests for me to tackle. Jesse isn’t the only sane person in the bureau after all, and the handful of key NPCs that populate each sector have co-workers gone missing or projects left abandoned that might put the bureau at future risk. They not only give you more reason to spend time in Jesse’s shoes, but the supporting cast is great across the board, brought to life with excellent voice acting and top-notch character design. They aren’t deep characters and your conversations never go very far, but I’m more than willing to help them in their time of need, if only to see what quirky or oddball thing they say when I return.

One of my favorite aspects of Control, now that I’ve got room to breathe, is spending quality time with its collectible texts and videos. I’ve managed to read most of the in-game materials while pushing through main missions and tackling optional pursuits, but there are so many fascinating threads to pull on that it’s easy to imagine new possibilities lying in wait; if only I studied the evidence a little closer, or considered a new angle, maybe the missing pieces of Jesse’s story would come into view. These tidbits can be educational, disturbing, and at times wildly entertaining, and they have inspired me to look deeper into topics like Jungian psychology.

It’s not often that a game invades my thoughts the way Control has. I’m at the point where I want to consume every last thing it has to offer. And if I’m honest, it also makes me want to go back and replay Remedy’s past games, too. Sure, it’s a faulty metroidvania in some respects, but there are so many exceptional qualities afoot that Control handily deflects any momentary ire. I can’t wait to take part in discussions about the game, to see what others have figured out, and to better understand where it all fits into Jesse’s story.

#control review #Games Reviews

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