#and watching the style evolve over these 50 chapters is so interesting!!!

[carmarriage]

AAAOUUUUUGH!!!!!

[pkmnjesus]

The 2010s Decade of PokéAni (An overview - Part 2 of 2)

← Continuing on from the first half of this PokéAni 2010s overview....

2015: Serena cuts her hair to chase a dream

February 12, 2015 Serena’s character arc had a rocky start with her not really sure what to do after becoming a Pokémon trainer meeting her Fennekin for the first time. I was really excited when her character was first announced, but I wanted to like her more than just being “that pretty girl who has a crush on Ash”. Maybe it’s because I’m not that shippy of a person, nor a romantic type of guy whatsoever but I didn’t want a main character to just be defined as a potential love interest. With her development slowly leaning towards a clear goal on wanting to become a top Pokémon Performer, I was happy she was finally carving her own path. However it was this specific episode that marked a major turning point for her ambitions, and made me truly invest in the new and improved Serena.

It was finally Serena’s debut as a Pokémon performer competing in her first Pokémon Showcase in Coumarine City, along with her friend, rival, and fellow-performer, Shauna. The performers in this showcase are divided into groups, and only one from each group gets to move on to the next round. Going into the first round, Serena was nervous yet confident. It was a Pokémon styling contest, and Serena put a lot of care and effort into making Fennekin look as cute and gorgeous as possible. But maybe it was a bit too much...

As they walk down the runway showcasing Fennekin’s fashion, everything went well and both were having a great experience in their first showcase...until something terribly went wrong. Fennekin accidentally trips over its ribbon while walking the runway which ends up scattering all the decorations Serena had styled over her. She made a crucial mistake in making the ends of the ribbon too long, thus costing them the round and ultimately eliminated her from the competition. Shauna was able to advance from her her group easily, and all Serena could do now was watch the rest of the competition from the stands. Shauna ended up winning the Showcase and her first Princess Key. It was devastating defeat going into your first performance having to lose like that. On the outside, she tried to put up a good face for her friends comforting Fennekin and even congratulating Shauna on her first victory.

But in the inside, she was grieving and blames herself for not realizing the error she made while styling Fennekin. Even Ash knew that she would be alright all along knowing her strength. The following early morning when no once was watching her besides her Pokémon, she decides to let it all out and break down in front of the ocean. It really broke my heart seeing her crying like that knowing that she really did care about pursuing a performer career. Fennekin and Pancham immediately try and cheer her up as they engaged in a lovely group hug. After understanding the disappointment in defeat, she knew that this was a part of every dream. You can’t be successful without making a couple of mistakes and that it’s okay to cry sometimes to let the bad stress out. No one is perfect, and that same goes for some of Ash’s gym battles or what happened to some of May and Dawn’s contests in the past. It was all part of the process of chasing her newly found dream and Serena finally realized that. It was just the beginning, and she wants to keep going until she gets to Aria. She decides that going forward in this new chapter, there needs to be a change. She got her big scissors out and starts trimming her own hair (for her to do that on the spot without a mirror, she was pretty darn impressive to properly cut her hair like wow lol) as Palermo watches in the distance from her limo. She knew that was the same performer with the tripping Fennekin. It’s possible she saw potential in her that early. Serena rejoins her friends and surprises them with a new look!

If you ask me, I like this new outfit of hers way better (and I think girls with shorter hair cuter ^///^). Also you can’t forget about the blue ribbon Ash gave her prior to this, it was a really cute touch knowing that he helped her get stronger through her personal journey as a trainer. Now that’s fitting ;) You know even though it was spoiled early on that she was going to have a redesign, I’m really happy on how they did it and it wasn’t just random day where Serena decides she wanted to cut her hair. I’m no girl, but apparently (I researched this) when a woman cuts her hair shorter, it symbolizes a change or a major life event that has happened. To Serena, it was a major shift in her character after the embarrassing loss. She eventually went on to win future performances evolving her Braxien, and even got to be friends with Aria! Remember, Serena is MORE than just AmourShipping...she is our Kalos Queen <3

Honorable mentions from this year: There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to 2015 PokéAni. Ash had 4 gym battles that year, including his battle with Clemont which I was very hyped about. To the point of him temporarily leaving the group to prepare himself at the Lumiose gym, that’s how much he cared about being in the best battling shape for Ash. There was that infamous “date” episode that Ash & Serena had, Meowth & Bonnie being stuck together, Cosplay Pikachu everywhere, Trevor trying to get a picture of a Moltres, and the debut of Sawyer, the Treeko trainer who was fascinated by Ash. One of my personal favorites too was when Bonnie wanted to ‘keep’ a Tyrunt/Tyrantrum (matched her pajamas too :3) she helped and befriended but unfortunately already had a trainer </3 It was a year of a couple of catches like Ash’s Noibat, Serena’s Eevee, Clemont reminiscing the time he caught a Bunnelby, and of course the lost Goomy. Within months after Ash caring for the Goomy, he was able to evolve it to a Goodra but had to leave it behind when they finally found its homeland it had to watch over with a Floette. We got two more Mega Evolution Specials before it merges with the main anime the following year, but we did get start of the XY&Z arc where Ash’s (then) Frogadier would fulfill a prophecy to save Kalos from a great danger. When they met up with Sanpei in the Ninja Village, Frogadier would finally evolve into Greninja. It would be the year when Team Flare would initiate their plans, attempting to capture all the Zygarde cores. There was one specific Zygarde core that Bonnie was able to befriend and bring it along with them naming it Squishy/Puni-chan. If you thought 2015 was awesome, wait until what PokéAni does in 2016!

2016: Gym Leaders assemble - the last line of defense

September 15, 2016 The fallout following the Kalos League took a dark turn when Lysandre broadcasts Team Flare’s manifesto to create a new world order, where only the “chosen ones” will join them. Alain, feeling betrayed with Lysandre’s true nature, decides to team up with Ash and the others to take down Team Flare. Lysandre’s gone mad, and even Malva thinks that this is too much. On other side of the story, Mairin with Serena, Professor Sycamore, and Hoenn League Champion Steven, rescued Chespie/Hari-san from Lysandre Labs.

While all the chaos is going on outside, Clemont reclaims the Lumiose Gym from Xerosic at the cost of terminating his good ol’ Clembot/Citroid assistant he invented for the Gym. I can’t remember how sad I was on robot’s death and nearly cried on it...they really made this scene heartbreaking for Clemont to push that shut down button. You can see the bot’s loyalty towards him volunteering to sacrifice himself for the greater good. But thanks to their bravery, Team Flare no longer controls one of their Zygarde (Z2). Squishy was also able to show its true form (50% so far) when it called upon the other Zygarde cells under Team Flare’s control, but thanks to Bonnie’s bond with it, she was able to breakthrough that mind control by singing Puni-chan’s song (don’t think the dub has an actual name for their version) she often sings when they’re together. The development Bonnie had with Squishy throughout this whole arc was fantastic, because it gave her more responsibility and sense of friendship even after Squishy was under the control of Team Flare destroying every thing. This was her own trial to prepare her for what’s to come when she eventually becomes an official Pokémon trainer and own an overpowered Zygarde in the future xD. Squishy also trusted Bonnie as a human it can rely on.

With Team Flare looking to be defeated, there was one more threat looming over Kalos. What was that threat? A ROCK. But no ordinary rock, it was The Giant Rock (Meaglith) that Lysandre created based off Primal energy form a beast like creature similar to Zygarde’s 50% forme. It was his last ditch effort in creating a new world, and we have never seen anything this catastrophic from an evil boss since probably Cryus. The Zygarde-like rock beast even absorbed Mairin’s Chespie which makes it even more difficult for them to stop it. It’s destination was the Anistar City Sundial to trigger a massive explosion that could destroy Kalos and the world! Everyone joins up to stop this calamity from happening, but is their strength with Mega Evolution enough to bring it down?

Then, the epic back-up finally arrives! The whole Kalos crew is here with Champion Diantha uniting all the Gym Leaders (minus Clemont/Clembot) within the region. They even got their own solo introductions. This never happened in the previous regions of the anime, where the Gym Leader would just appear once battling with Ash, but in here they interjected themselves to the Zygarde’s story arc. This really reminded me of what happened during the climax of the Black & White games, where the Gym Leaders joined forces to stop Team Plasma. But this isn’t Unova, this is Kalos, and this is their last line of heavy defense against Lysandre! With 2 League Champions, a Blaziken Mask, Ash-Greninja, Z2′s army of cores, and 7 Gym Leaders, this Giant Rock wont stand a chance! When Zygrade finally reached its 100% forme, it uses Core Enforcer to end Lysandre’s evil plot once and for all (RIP him btw). From Steven Stone’s assistance, to Clembot’s sacrifice, to Team Rocket’s aide, and Diantha leading the region’s top gym leaders, this was an epic way to end the XY&Z saga with. For them saving Chespie, and bring back peace to Kalos.

Honorable mentions from this year: The closing year for the Kalos ended in epic fashion before taking flight to Alola. Who could forget the episode where Serena wore or should I say cosplayed as Ash? She even almost got to a dance with him during Monsieur Pierre’s party. She wasn’t able to, but at least got to evolve her Eevee into a Sylveon! Clemont also had a new bride that Bonnie wasn’t too fond of (despite her asking multiple ladies to ‘keep’ for him) when her jealousy kicks in. Ash’s Noibat also evolved into Noivern, and briefly reunited with Goodra. Serena got all her Princess Keys needed to compete in the Pokémon Showcase Master Class, and even went head to head with Kalos Queen Aria for her title! She was unsuccessful, but it still won’t stop her from getting better. It was also the official birth of Ash-Greninja when he had a battle with the Kalos Champion, Diantha! Ash finally meets our Mega Evolution protagonist Alain and gained a new rival for the League. Before the Kalos League, he struggled a bit with getting his final badge from Wulfric eventually perfecting Ash-Greninja. In the Kalos League, he had a great battle with Sawyer (who can now use Mega Evolution), but came up short against Alain in the finals. It was a loss everybody was bummed about, and it would take another 3 years for him to compete in another league...we’ll get to that :> But the farewells were unforgettable. Greninja had to be let go in order to destroy the reappearing roots with Squishy and Z2 protecting Kalos from further calamity. And I know y’all can’t forget about the ‘kiss’ heard around the world when Serena leaned in for her parting gift to Ash <3 Him and Clemont have one final battle (just like how the XY series started) before heading back to Pallet Town...”And to our own way”. But 2016 had to end on a happy note, where we see Ash finding a new home in Alola enrolling in their Pokémon School program. Upon arriving, he was blessed with a Z-ring from Tapu Koko, an Alola deity, because he saw something in our boy. Through his class he made 5 new friends, got a Rotom Dex, a little Rowlet birb chilling in his backpack, and meeting a feisty Litten. WHAT. A. YEAR. !!!

2017: Stoutland’s final days with Litten

April 6, 2017 In possibly one of the most depressing and emotional episodes the Pokémon anime has to offer, the wild Litten that always stole Ash’s food finally gets to be apart of his team. But what made this little kitty finally gave Ash a chance to train it after escaping him so many times when he tried to reach out to it?

Ash tried to help the loyal Stoutland Litten was living with after following it from stealing his groceries, but due to Stoutland’s old age and declining health, there wasn’t much Nurse Joy could do. The tree shots with the falling leaves throughout the episode pretty symbolize the time Stoutland has left.

Litten, bringing back his mentor to their old spot after spending the night at the Pokémon Center, still wanted to spend as much time with Stoutland and master the Fire Fang move it was trying to learn. Then the leaves were out, and the finals days of this Stoutland were up. Litten slept with his friend one last time, and even had a dream of Stoutland attempting to chase after it going off in the distance. This symbolizes Stoutland’s departure from being under its care.

It wasn’t directly shown, nor mentioned, but it is clear to me that the Stoudland had passed away. *sobs* The gloomy rainy weather, and the dark tone shown during this part of the episode signifies the sadness and mourning every character that was involved during Litten’s struggle to find help for its good ol’ friend, not immediately realizing that Stoutland was gone for good. Meowth tried to communicate with his fellow feline to understand what it was feeling, while Ash even spends the entire duration of the rainfall with Litten even though it refused his food offer many times and didn’t want his help. This definitely took me into a feels trip because it is rare for this anime to even do an episode about a death of a Pokémon, even though it was indirect with how they presented it. Not mention, every time I was on my Stoutland ride Pokémon when playing Pokémon Moon (to help detect hidden items), ridding the big doggo always made me think about this particular episode. ;_;

Eventually the rain stopped, and a rainbow bloomed in a distance that made Litten feel better remembering the good memories it had with Stoutland. Finally, Litten decides to give Ash a chance, but didn’t want his pity over what happened. Litten was a tough little cat and wanted Ash to earn its respect through battle. Litten finally joins Ash’s team after battling with Pikachu and successfully catching it. Ash was also able to feed Litten after accepting it as its trainer. This was probably what Stoutland would have wanted for Litten.

Stoutland knew what kind of trainer he was and wanted Litten to go with Ash to finish the training they started. Besides mastering Fire Fang, they did a lot more in the future to come. When Litten saw the rainbow and familiar cloud formation, both smiled in peace. Stoutland knew that Litten was in very good hands. The memories learning and training with Stoutland are never forgotten, as Litten embarks on a new journey with brand new friends and a caring trainer.

Honorable mentions from this year: The first fully fledge year of Alola! Ash owning the first discovered Dusk Lycanroc in the anime verse, Lana getting her own Z-ring and how can I not forget Brock and Misty’s (especially MISTY) big return to the anime when the class went to Kanto! We had new Pokémon caught added to the main cast such as the birth of Lillie’s Snowy/Shiron, James’s touchy Mareanie and Kiawe’s Alolan Marowak. It was Gladion’s debut year becoming Ash’s new rival. Ash’s Z-Crystal collection kept on growing bigger through his adventures in Melemele and Akala Islands, and even clears its respective grand trials. We were also introduced to a little Cosmog turned Solgaleo, Nebby. The bad guy in Faba to steals Nebby however to summon, an Ultra Beast (Nihilego) that would eventually consume Lusamine (just like in the games, only she is less obsessed here). Thus, a Z-Powered ganbaLilie was born to save her mom! With the help of her brother and friends of course. We had family matters like Sophocles thought he was moving a way for good, and fun little fillers like the pancake and Charjabug races, or raving with an Alolan Dugtrio blonde wig. A personal favorite of mine was when Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio had mini-adventure of their own, and outsmarted Team Rocket nasty schemes. Speaking of Team Rocket, we got a short glimpse of them versus a trio of Team Skull members. Kukui’s class activities like the baseball teams, camping outdoors, switching Pokémon partners with fellow classmates for the weekend, and sleeping over at the professor’s house were awesome too! Their field trip seeing the beautiful white-colored Aether Paradise, and traveling through the mysterious Ultra Space were treat as well. We got to see the development of Kukui and Burnet’s pre-married relationship, which wasn’t featured in the games…AND WE GOT A PROPOSAL AND WEDDING OUT OF IT! There’s a reason for the animation change, and to be honest I’m happy that they did! The art style definitely fits the tone and theme of the jolly Alola region. In conclusion, 2017 was a pretty cool year if you ask me!

2018: The People of Alola vs. Necrozma

September 13, 2018 The conclusion to the Poipole/Necrozma arc is probably the biggest highlight for this year. In Japan, this marked a major end of an era because this was also the final episode on a Thursday night (for 20 years!) since the series was officially moving to Sundays starting with the episode after this (~pika ;3). 

From Gladion joining the Ultra Guardians, to Team Rocket’s Matori Matrix attempting catch a fused Necrozma, to Nebby returning to assist with the mission, to rescuing and healing a weakened Lunala, to visiting Poipole’s home world and hear a Naganadel talk in their minds…I’m at the edge of my seat! The Masked Royal’s identity was first exposed here too when Faba fought alongside Kukui to ward off the Matori Matrix. Luckily Faba can keep a secret. The whole time this arc felt like it could be one Pokémon movie. This should probably make-up for why there really isn’t an Alola region based Pokémon movie for this series specifically. But going back on topic, the entire region of Alola was still in crisis as Necrozma absorbs all the Z-Power the Ultra Guardians tried to strike back with. At this point, Nebby was already fused with the Necrozma and they knew that they had to separate them just like what happened with Lunala. So what does everyone do in a time like this? UNITE! Not just the Guardian deities, not just the Ultra Guardians, not just the Aether Foundation, not just the Kahunas participating in the Manalo Festival, but Alola as a whole teamed up in various locations where citizens swarmed together and gave their “light” by doing Tapu Koko’s pose to bring Necrozma back to its original form, The Blinding/Radiant One! Nebby has been freed, and rejoins the Ultra Guardians.

In one last Ultra stand, Nebby (with Ash holding Solganium Z) and Lunala (with Gladion holding Lunalium Z) gave one final blow to Necrozma with some Ultra Aura. After unleashing the combination of Z-moves, Ultra Necrozma rises from the light and uses its power to restore all the damage that has been done to Alola, thus ending the chaos ensuing in the region. The Matori Matrix did try to go to Ultra Space when an Ultra Wormhole opened, but Tapu Koko was like “not so fast!” eventually forcing this Team Rocket unit to retreat.

Not only did they save Alola, but also brings back light to the Poipole home world. Of course the most emotional thing out of all this was saying goodbye to our little sticky Poipole friend who had remain in its home world. It left its home world to find a better home, and it did when Ash gave Poipole a spot in his team and is even an official member of the Ultra Guardians squad. Now that the home world has been restored, Poipole knew it needed to stay and protect its original home from further threats. As the Ultra Wormhole closes with Nebby and Lunala accompanying the Ultra Guardians back to Alola, Poipole painted Ash & Pikachu’s face as a sweet goodbye gesture. The flashback scenes, and the music in the end was absolutely magnificent to top it all off! This teary goodbye even had me tears. We’ll forever “like, like, love” you, Poipole <3 Maybe Ash will see it again one day...oh who am I kidding xD If you’re up to date with the anime, you know already what happens in the future ;]

Honorable mentions from this year: The year of Ultra Guardians! They’ve had multiple missions in bringing back the Ultra Beasts to where they came from.  Anime debuts of Ilima, Mina, and the long-awaited Hau make their respective appearances. We also got to see James “fighting” a Toxapex, Lana & Mallow’s childhood past, Lillie getting her first Z-Crystal and even Rotom Dex joining the set of Detective Laki. There were significant evolutions like Ash’s Litten evolving to Torracat starting its rivalry with Masked Royal’s Incineroar (while Burnet fangirls over them) and Mallow’s Steenee evolving to a Tsareena. And how can I forget Sandy/Nagisa? Those Eevee mini-specials ultimately led it to Alola for our great Lana to catch! The Ula’ula trials were highly significant too when Ash trained with Acerola and tested his strength against Kahuna Nanu. Specials include Mallow’s big brother visiting home, and the 2-parter with Dia and his Zeraora in the mysterious Ultra Ruin. For Team Rocket, they temporarily get an Alolan Meowth, but got a permanent family member with a Stufful later on (Bewear’s child!). I’ve gotta mention the fun ones too like Ash dressing up as a female nurse the class helping Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center, the class making their own school play, and Faba accidentally shrinking Ash, Lillie & Sophocles. Finally, in another emotional themed episode, Molayne showed everyone the beauty and sad reality of the Minior Pokémon at the Hokulani Observatory. Such a strong theme of having precious memories with a sad outcome due to the nature of that certain Pokémon :( Just look at the variety! I could still go on, but in summary was 2018 one heck of an ULTRA year!

2019: Ash wins the Alola Pokémon League 🏆

September 15, 2019 In the last highlight of this 2010s decade, it may probably be the biggest one. Ash vs. Gladion. Pokémon League finals to determine the first ever champion of Alola. I’ve already made several posts about this (maybe one too many) in my blog, so let me quickly reiterate the significance of this special event one last time. First thing I have to mention, is that Ash’s rivalry with Gladion has been amazing from the get-go. From their first meeting at the beach by Kukui’s place with a feisty Rockruff that wanted to battle, to the Manalo Stadium battling for a prestigious championship title with Ash’s Lycanroc fully controlled over its rage with dirt. It wasn’t a traditional full 6-on-6 battle, but the 3-on-3 showdown still gave us one heck of battle! It may not be considered the best battle of all time, but it was still an amazing and fun match between two trainers who promised each other to meet in the finals of the big stage since the start of the League.

The laugh they shared, the flashbacks that was shown to us (with the awesome Type: Wild! music playing in the background), and their storytelling on who wants the W more makes you invested, and cheering for Ash all the way to finally win a major Pokémon League. Ash’s newly evolved Melmetal showcased it’s new strength but still wasn’t able to beat Gladion’s Silvally. Then, when Zoroark and Pikachu knocked each other out, it was the 1v1 Lycanroc battle that really put this friendly and competitive rivalry full circle.

Ash has NEVER defeated Gladion…until this moment. He’s been training for this, and it finally paid off. The two Lycanroc’s took no prisoners and went back and forth with one another. In the final blow of that match, Gladion’s Lycanroc used Counter against Ash’s Lycanroc that was charging towards it, but then our big brained hero fights back with their own Counter attack.

Never have I heard of countering a Counter in the Pokémon universe, but using it in this one moment nobody expected, was a perfect opportunity to swerve fans with Ash almost losing the match but ultimately gave the hypest and sickest counterattack ever that would knock out Gladion’s Lycanroc to the wall. And for the first time since the Orange League, Ash is a Champion. Only this time it is a way bigger deal! Mostly because this is a game-based series which has more meaning when it comes to the Pokémon League. He proved non-believers wrong thinking that the Kalos League was the closest he’ll ever get to victory, but I always knew he would win this one since this League started. If you look at my Twitter, I predicted it since last July and this is speaking from a person that DIDN’T believe he would have won at Kalos (I must be good at League predictions then lol). But even Ash himself couldn’t believe it. The moment his named was announced the victor and everyone cheering him, it took a moment for him to process it all until he realized he won the whole shabang. Old fans, new fans, and casual viewers a like were buzzing within 24 hours after this episode released in Japan that caught mainstream media attention. People who have never seen a Pokémon anime episode in their life (or a subbed episode for that matter) past the original series, wanted to see how this episode went down to see a childhood hero achieve a major trophy. 

This is how big of a pop-culture icon Ash & Pikachu was among many generations of fans since the show’s launch internationally. To me personally, it was the reason why I’ve always watched this anime for years since 1998 as a kid and NEVER stopped watching (took a few breaks here and there growing up but still have been consistent and up to date! Never grew out of it whatsoever ...why would I even made this decade post?). I was waiting all that time for him to win the big one and he finally did it in 2019. The long journey was worth watching all those episodes (NEVER skipped a “filler”). I doubted at times, but deep down I know I always believed. I grew up with Ash and he feels like an imaginary brother. Seeing him hold that trophy felt like my childhood had closure. He became the FIRST EVER champion in the Alola anime-verse and no one can take that away from him. BUT, the journey isn’t over yet. Remember, his dream is to become Pokémon MASTER, NOT a CHAMPION which people often treat the two as the same. He probably still wants to go to more places, so he can get stronger and be friends with even more Pokémon. Finally, I’m glad that it was Gladion who was Ash’s opponent in order to get the title. The boys and the doggos shake hands in the end as sign of respect for one another. Unfortunately, Guzzlord had to ruin the closing ceremony afterparty…but our Alola Champion and his friends were able to take care of that properly :)

Honorable mentions from this year: Another marked an end of an era, but a start of a new one too! From overcoming his final Grand Trial and gathering his Z-Crystals, Ash was ready for the League. If you ask me, this was one of the best Pokémon Leagues ever because of how much importance each competitor played a role in that tournament, and the match-ups were good. It wasn’t just filler characters or last minute rivals. Alola had a lot of great characters! I couldn’t stress that enough. But besides the historic Alola League, we also saw the continuation of Brock & Misty’s trip to Alola, the class’ crash-course golf lessons with none other than Kahili! Ash catching a rare Meltan that appeared out of nowhere, Guzma’s debut that EVERYONE was excited about, Ash challenging Ryuki’s Kantonian Gym, Lana’s fully evolving Primarina (thanks to hooking a Kyogre mind you!), Mallow’s meal for Tapu Koko, and Matori’s unexpected visit to the Team Rocket base in Alola. Ash even time-traveled to the past and met Kukui when he was little. It would ultimately build up to the actual final full 6-on-6 battle between Ash faces Kukui (just like in the original Sun & Moon games), and it was a 5-STAR BATTLE in my book for this 5-PARTER battle. Seriously, they didn’t had to make an exhibition match that good but they did, and Ash WON that too! Ash’s Incineroar evolved and Pikachu finally defeats Tapu Koko in a battle. For the feels portion of this year, Mallow briefly reunited with her mom and getting a Shaymin to care for in the process. The whole side-arc with Lillie, Magearna and a missing Mohn had a huge impact on our young miss. She got a Z-Ring out of it, just like everyone else in the class with their respective focus. And, the final episode of Sun & Moon was probably the most emotional farewell episodes in the anime’s history similar (or even greater) than Brock & Misty’s goodbye in Johto for you nostalgia fans out there. Everyone in the Alola crew knew what to do post-League, but for Ash, he wanted to explore the Pokémon world more, which transitions to the new on-going series today. 2019 of the Pokémon anime will never be forgotten!

LET’S GO to the 2020s and beyond!

We already got a taste of what the new series brought us late 2019, from Pikachu’s pre-series background story to our newly appointed research fellows, Ash & Go. It is was Lugia brought these two together, and are now living under the same roof. And with Go having his newly caught Scorbunny by his side after that Gigantamax Snorlax incident, it shows us a little taste of the cool new adventures await them when traveling in the Galar region. It’s also refreshing to see updated animation within Kanto where they’re home base is at, and I absolutely cannot wait for them to go back to other past regions with this fresh new art style. With Go’s goal to catch every Pokémon there is for him to index, he’s bound to meet Mew again one day! He’s literally every Pokémon games�� protagonist and I’m glad we have a main character like him who actually focuses on catching them all. As for Ash, he’s still our Ash carving his own unique path on his continuing journey to become a Pokémon Master because it’s more than being the strongest trainer and more than just catching Pokémon.

Some people may not be invested in this series yet, but it’s okay as it is still new! Everyone has that “pacing is slow” excuse from EVERY anime series, or it may not just be your cup of tea. But, I’m sure it will definitely pick up the pace sooner or later especially with the upcoming episodes announced (as of this posting) getting a Koharu-focus episode and the debut of Galar Champion Leon facing off against another League Champion...the return of Lance! Now that’s hype...and that’s what I’m looking forward to in this series more returns and cameo appearances hopefully. They gotta make it special of course and not just some fan-service to please series-specific fans. Oh, and Ash competing in the Galar gym challenge too of course! In addition to that, we can look forward to the new movies in the 2020s! We already got a preview of the 23rd PokéAni film, Pokémon the Movie - Coco...so we Tarzan now?! and it looks like they’re still continuing the AU-verse Ash instead of using the canon series’ universe. I mean if The Power of Us was great, you gotta give this movie a watch too! This is what I love about the anime because it separates itself from their game counterparts. The anime is doing its own thing with their original stories to tell.

WOW! What a decade. I’ve put in a lot of time reminiscing my experience watching the anime this past decade on these 2-part posts, and I had a lot of fun. From being a high school student all the way to being a full-time working adult...time truly flies by quickly. If you’ve read everything I had to say (I’m sure there are a few typos I probably missed), then thank you for your time (and sorry for the dash spam lol)! Feel free share your own favorite PokéAni moment decade in the replies if you choose to do so. Also, check out the strawpolls I made for what you think the best Pokémon anime battle and movie is in the 2010s. Now, it’s time for us to GO to 2020 and the next decade of PokéAni to witness multiple generations of new Pokémon series to come (hopefully they’ll still be making them by the end of 2029...and your boy P J will still be watching as a 30+ year old adult, heh). Alrighty, let’s have some fun! ϞϞ(๑⚈ ․̫ ⚈๑)∩

[kenkamishiro]

Ishida’s Q&A comments from YJ compilation, Part 1

For anyone who doesn’t know about the relevant Questions to Ishida contest, please read here.

In the Table of Contents of every Young Jump issue, there’s a comment section where YJ asks their mangakas questions and the mangakas give their responses. In this case, this is a full compilation of the 330 questions that YJ has asked Ishida over the 7 years of his serialization, and Ishida’s responses to them. The compilation also comes with Ishida’s comments on the Q&A’s in the present.

The format will go something like this:

Question from YJ magazine

Ishida’s answer to the question at the time the question was asked.

Ishida’s comment about the Q&A in 2019.

Each part will be about 20-30 questions long so it’s more manageable to read. Enjoy and hopefully you’ll find inspiration for a question to ask Ishida!

2011

(Editor’s note: The Table of Contents (ToC) comments from 2011-12 consist of the answer to the question plus a brief statement of what’s happening in their lives.

No. 41

What is one UNESCO World Heritage Site you’d like to visit?

Yakushima, because I like Princess Mononoke...this is my very first series. Pleased to meet you.

Nice to meet you too.

No. 42

Fall sports! What’s something fun you want to do outdoors?

I’d rather draw manga at home than do outdoor activities. I was glad to hear that an acquaintance of mine was happy for me when I told them about my serialization.

I don’t remember who I told it to.

No. 43

If you could visit the grave of a historical figure or a famous person, who would you visit?

I would visit Yamamoto Shuugorou because I like literature. There was a family of cats in the parking lot at work and they were cute.

I have no interest in visiting graves.

No. 44

Please share with us any words or phrases you often say without thinking!

I use words like “kinda” and “amazing” a lot. The bar I went to with my editor and editor-in-chief was amazing...I wanna go there by myself too.

Kinda amazing, yup I still use them. I haven’t been to that bar since.

No. 45

What is a souvenir or gift that has left the biggest impression on you!?

A boomerang that my father got for me as a souvenir from Hawaii. It didn’t come back when I threw it. I’m currently reading “Kenkaku Shoubai” by Ikenami Shoutarou.

I wonder where it went. Somewhere in my parents’ home probably?

No. 46

Fall sports. Any non-competitive sports that you like?

Kendo. I want to whack the head. I gave a melon to my family as a present.

I gave them a melon huh.

No. 47

The end of the year is always so costly...what kind of small luxury do you want for yourself before then?

I kinda want to eat something delicious. I was deeply touched when I received Star Wars merch from both my editor and staff.

I don’t really need Star Wars merch anymore.

No. 48

What big decisions have you made recently?

Recruiting for an assistant. I bought 3 loaves of bread from some old man while I was eating out. I bought too much.

I remember I said, “I can do without an assistant.” Idiot. I don’t recall much about what happened with the bread.

No. 49

Please share with us any memories you have of your culture festivals.

I skipped it and slept in my room instead. I bought a pen tablet. My first Intuos, it’s super cool.

It’s because I hate events.

No. 50

Share with us your most awful horror story!

[On break.]

Probably when I was piss drunk and occupied with the toilet, I won’t say any more than that.

No. 51

What TV/radio programs do you watch/listen to every time without missing a single episode?

[On break.]

I was addicted to Terrace House for a while.

No. 52

What do you find eye-opening about its progression!?

[On break.]

What it’ll evolve to, I guess...(I can’t think of anything)

[T/N: I think No. 52 is referring to last week’s question? Not really sure tbh.]

2012

No. 1

What do you think was the most interesting thing that happened to you recently?

Thinking back to the Miracle Jump oneshot, these 10 chapters have been fun for me to draw. My series will be resuming from its break. Please look forward to it.

This was the only time that Tokyo Ghoul was on break, ever. But I wasn’t really on break since I was working on the oneshot.*

[T/N: Most likely referring to the Rize side story.]

No. 2

It’s not too late! What did you still have left to do in 2011?

I learned how to use Painter from an illustrator friend of mine. Thanks so much! So I would like to begin practicing this year.

Thank you, Ririnra-san.

No. 3

Which Japanese person has left the greatest impression on you this year?

Himura-san of Bananaman. The tooth goes in the good-looking guy! The Xavier sweets from Oita were delicious.

Congratulations on his marriage. Time sure flies by.

[T/N: Ishida’s drawn art of Himura before. I’m not sure what Ishida means by the 2nd line besides reminding me of Furuta, maybe a punchline from Himura? And Xavier is a Japanese confectionary specialty from Oita that’s filled with bean paste.]

No. 4-5

December is finally coming to an end...who do you consider your master?

I was only ever a bother to him, but Hara-sensei of Kingdom. The ramen my editor bought for me as a present was delicious.

I wasn’t planning on ever mentioning that fact, but guess I already said it in the ToC comments.

No. 6-7

2012, start! What are your plans for this year!?

I’d be happy if my series continues to do well...I hope you will continue to support me this year.

Yeah no, that was a lie.

No. 8

What event are you looking most forward to in 2012?

I’m looking forward to Kooza. The Darth Maul figure I received for my birthday is super cool. But its legs broke.

Kooza was pretty interesting. If only I could get a ticket to see it one more time, I misread the start time and by the time I got there it was already half over...

No. 9

Share with us a sci-fi gimmick or tool you’d like to use at work if it became a product!

A robot that draws for me. The manga “Hitsuji no Ki” is interesting. The story and Igarashi Mikio-sensei’s art are both great.

If something like that existed I think I’d lose sight of my worth.

No. 10

Please tell us about your preferred style when it comes to fashion and attire!

Recently, comfortable clothes all the time. My father sent me a picture of a Taiwanese star (?) who looks a lot like me.

It was because I couldn’t go out at all. We really did look alike.

next

[gone-forever-bye]

My Top Ten Manga:

To go with my top ten anime list.

10. Otaku no Musume-san

Here we have a manga that is about a girl who's always wanted to meet her father and discovers that he is a shameless otaku. Hijinks and adorable father/daughter affection ensues. There's weird character, cute characters, and a final act that is pretty messed up but this is a manga that I think is good from start to finish. It's a good read. It pulls at the heartstrings while making you laugh and it can even serve as a do/do not guide for all you otaku parents out there. XD

Favorite character: Kannau Yukimura

9. Air Gear

This beautiful and heavily detailed stylish manga is about a world where skate-like contraptions known as Air Treks are used as a way to fly, get places, and build your own gang to own the skies. The art is gorgeous, the characters all mesh into a kind of gray area although there are some typical good guy/bad guys thrown in, and the series manages to evoke true feeling from the reader with how raw it can get. I highly reccomend. Favorite Character: Ringo Noyamano

8. InuYasha

The manga that cemented my love for all things anime Inuyasha is the compelling fantasy tale of a half-demon and a young junior high girl. I can't express into words what an impact this manga made on me. The designs of the assortment of demons that are based on Japanese folklore and mythology, the tragic backstories so many of the main characters possess, the out of this world fight scenes, all the way to the incredible chemistry between Inuyasha and Kagome. It's hard to put down once you've started reading. The manga outshines the anime because it doesn't quite feel like it loses its pacing as the anime kept getting dotted with filler. It's interesting, dark in some places but never without a ray of light, and artwork that suits the story well. Favorite Character: Rin

7. Gunsmith Cats

An oldie but goodie. We've got guns, muscle cars, and hot chicks, all in above average detail. Don't waste time with the anime, the manga is where this story of bounty hunter/police officer Rally Vincent and her partner Minnie-May really shines with explosive fun. Mature and loaded with everything from kidnapping to drugs to high speed car chases I have to say that I make it a point of rereading this series often. I've yet to find another that I enjoy as much as this one for this particular genre. Favorite Character: Rally Vincent.

6. Buso Renkin

I'm a big fan of manga that doesn't force a simple storyline to be stretched over fifty volumes. Ten volumes was the perfect size for the story of Katsuki Mutou as he is accidently thrown into the world of alchemy and humunculous. This is a complete manga by the creator of Rurouni Kenshin that I think really emphasizes Watsuki's strength as a shounen manga author who can take so many shounen tropes and make them work almost effortlessly. It didn't need to be ground breaking because it wasn't trying to be. It's an honestly good manga from start to finish with one of the most memorable anti-hero's I've ever read. Favorite Character: Papillon

5. My Little Monster

I'm not the biggest shoujo manga fan like I used to be but I will say that My Little Monster is a great way to change the formula. None of the characters acted the way I expected. They are all weird and extreme in the most interesting of ways while still capturing the uncertainty and naivete that teens suffer from. It's really difficult to dislike any of the characters. They're all so likeable although Natsume will probably make you grind your teeth because that girl is insane. A must read for any shoujo manga fan. Favorite Character: Sohei Sasahara.

4. Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden

I like shoujo manga that doesn't just focus on romance. Genbu Kaiden is the prequel to Fushigi Yugi and I have to say it's better in every way. It's a lot more balanced, mixing the romance into a beautiful but sad story, unforgettable characters, action scenes that really emphasis the importance of the plot, while all being accomplished with the ridiculously gorgeous Yu Watase art style. Another must read for any shoujo fan. Favorite Character: Takiko Okuda

3. Rurouni Kenshin

There was no way this manga wasn't going to make the list. Unlike the anime this manga is outstanding from start to finish. For me this is the ultimate in sword fighting. The visuals are exactly what you want from samurai dueling and there's never a dull moment. The cast is one of the best in my opinion and I love that the narrative never bores me even when they're just explaining fighting styles or attacks. Watsuki's distinct shounen style is a favorite of mine. The evolution of Himura Kenshin is the plot and its worth every panel. Read the final arc of you can. It's amazing.. Favorite Character: Kamiya Kaoru

2. Chrono Crusade

I will make a rant about this manga later because I will fight for this series until the day I die. Do no watch the anime. Even though I bought each dvd and have watched them over twenty times at least, the anime does the manga NO justice. Eight volumes, all inspiring story telling. Chrono Crusade starts in such a way that you think it may be a lighthearted story of a gun-toting 'nun' and her demon sidekick but it quickly evolves into so much more. Rosette and Chrono are a duo the you will root for from page one as they fight demons, friends, and everything else that stands in their way to fix the damage that was done so many years ago. Another series that accomplishes a complete story in ten volumes or less which keeps the plot from being unnecessarily stretched. It evokes so much feeling, making you relate to the characters in such a way while still powering through the story because this is a tale about time. By the end you'll find yourself a little less able to take your time for granted as you cry for these characters that have an ending that you can take as either good or bad. I always put this one at the top of my must read list and it holds a very special place in my otaku heart. I'm disappointed that such an intense manga did not get a proper anime adaption though I do understand why. Favorite Character: Chrono

1. Detective Conan

Anyone who knows me should have expected this. Lol. Detective Conan for me is the ultimate manga. The award winning mystery series is an ongoing manga that never fails to impress. It's familiar while evolving with us so it has a loyal fanbase made up of twenty year veteran fans to new ones every day and the number just keeps growing. High school detective Kudo Shinichi is the pride of Tokyo Japan before he stumbles across a mysterious transaction involving a pair of men clothed in black. He's discovered and force fed a drug that instead of killing him, reverts his body to that of a seven year old. He retains his adult mind and begins hiding his identity while going by the name Edogawa Conan and solving mysteries through his childhood friend's father's detective agency. The story takes off from there. The series is vast, featuring over 1000 chapters, over 20 movies, over 50 seasons, dozens of OVA's and specials including live action, and being featured in multiple ways throughout Japan. It even has its own museum in Gosho Aoyama's hometown. While not for everyone, especially those thrown off by the sheer amount of content, Detective Conan is a series that is loved by all ages all over the world and has been here since the early 90's for a reason. It has become my reason for living and it will never leave my #1 spot. Favorite Character: Kudo Shinichi (for life!)

As I have said before I gauge a series on its ability to draw me in, keep me attached, and talent for making me come back.

[rwise]

Levi’s is restoring its iconic power by using storytelling to put it back in the heart of pop culture all over the world

A brand that begins with a legendary story

In the midst of the California gold rush Levi Strauss had the idea that the sure money was not in panning for gold but in selling stuff to the men combing the hills and rivers in search of fortune and fame, specifically with well-made trousers in heavy canvas. One thing about those gold seekers, they didn’t have time for anything that wasn’t hunting for gold. They slept just long enough to stay alert, ate hurriedly and sorely resented any interruption to their work schedule - including having to repair a rip in their trousers. So Strauss had a simple idea: put copper rivets in the corners of the pockets, making them virtually indestructible. Miners paid top dollar for these sturdy, riveted denim trousers and the Levi Strauss brand of blue jeans was born. They didn’t just corner the market. They created it - out of whole cloth. Their trousers, overalls and lined coats became a staple of outdoor and frontier life.

One thing leads to the next...

More than 150 years later, denim now accounted for about 7% of all apparel sales and Levi-Strauss was no longer the only brand on the market but had done well to evolve with times and was a $4 billion global business, headquartered still in San Francisco, where it had all started. Typically the company had been run by lifers, but sometimes the leadership slots would be given over to outside “garmentos,” people who specialized in fashion, mass apparel and retail. The business was stagnant but the company’s board knew they had a powerful brand on their hands. So they tapped into the talent pool of the world’s historically greatest consumer brand builder and hired P&G veteran Chip Bergh to run the company. Chip insisted that the company have a clear brand strategy and a sound business plan. With his new head of brands, Jean Sey, they hired hot agency Wieden+Kennedy (who had birthed Nike) and when the crash of 2008 hit, W+K gave them “Go Forth,” a campaign that seemed more like “Occupy Wall Street” than true Levi’s. It didn’t do much for the brand and it didn’t have global appeal. What to do?

...and then comes back to the power of stories

It wasn’t until Chip meet James Curleigh that he finally grasped what the brand was all about and saw how to apply a great insight to a growth momentum strategy. Jim had reengineered the Salomon brand of skis by making the company stop thinking “ski equipment” market share and focus instead on their “share of mountain.” Salomon set its sights on mountain sports all year long: not just the downhill skiing but the cross country, the hiking, the climbing, the trekking. Salomon became a vibrant mountain sport company for which Adidas eventually paid $1 billion. Similarly, Levi’s would start thinking not share of jeans, but share of closet, which is why today, Levis Strauss & Co includes the Dockers and Denizen brands. But what were the jeans about? For they were the icon, the glue that holds the company together. Jim persuaded Chip that it was all about stories…

The story of people finding their true selves

Chip created a job for Jim, Brand President. Jim had the company look at the social and cultural history that surrounded jeans. After the miners, blue jeans were adopted by cowboys, who, as Marlboro would celebrate 75 years later, were living symbols of rugged independence. Then the bikers. Then the “rebels without a cause.” Then hippies. Then hipsters. Then start-ups. What did all of these cultural iconic lifestyles have in common? A desire to be true to themselves and a readiness to seize the day, trust their instincts, take action…to really be alive. They were all people who wanted their life to be a story, not a routine, not a calculation. In order for the brand to be ready for the next great generation of story seekers, it would have to think of itself as 150-year-old start up. It would have to live its own brand. And, slowly but surely, they began to realize that their new global brand idea would be: Live In Levi’s. They fired W+K and brought back FCB who had given them a soulful campaign years earlier, “the 501 Blues.” What would they do now with “Live in Levis”? And what kind of results could it deliver?

The purpose comes from the personality

The way Levi’s has executed the next chapter in its story is grounded in its brand personality and values. The brand purpose, finding your truest self, is deeply implicit in them. The brand personality is effortless cool. The brand values are authentic self-expression. The emotional benefit is feeling fully alive. So the key for the brand has been to trigger the telling of stories. Its reach and resonance would come from amplifying those stories around the world in all kinds of different cultures.

To trigger stories, you have to know your own

Levi’s found an amazing way to tell the story of its own authenticity and legendary past. It wouldn’t be fussy or boring. And it would trigger sales. They created a new line of clothing called “Authorized Vintage.” Levis takes vintage stock and reclaims it as theirs: inspected, cleaned, certified: lovingly prepared for a second life. This taps into the Millennial’s love of vintage clothing while at the same time taking Levi’s historical creds and turning them into a saleable product. Everybody wins.

True influencers are born storytellers

Levi’s isn’t interested in glossy Instagram “influencers” who are living advertising campaigns pretending to be your celebrity friend while adding you to the eyeballs they sell to their advertisers. Instead Levi’s, in concert with AKQA sought out people like music producer Caroline de Maigret, who have cool stories to tell, involving Levi’s most iconic mark, the 501s and who would be interested in talking about them in a global campaign called “We are 501.” (Link)

In the UK, supporting music - where new stories are being born

In the UK, Levi’s got behind music as a way of telling stories, creating culture, giving people something so powerful to believe in, so they can change their lives. They partnered up with music hero Skepta and created a youth music facility in Skepta’s hometown, Tottenham North London.

In Pakistan, Levi’s boldly backs the return of live music

There is something special and life-changing about live music. You’re there, under the spell of the musician, your life energy focuses into a beam and suddenly your craziest dreams and ambitions turn into something you’re really going to do. In that spirit, in 2017, Levi’s became a major backer for the return of the live Indie music scene in Pakistan, rebounding from Islamist harassment.

In India, Levi’s gives voice to women who want to shape their world

With 7 out of 10 women in India feeling that they don’t “measure up” to expectations concerning their appearance, and in a culture that pressures them with messages about how an Indian woman is supposed to look, Levis used its brand to become a projection of her most confident self, of, indeed, how she “shapes her world.” With social influencers that included a transgender model, a cancer survivor and a rape victim, the brand sharply contrasted itself with Indian stereotypes and, with zero paid media, obtained 10 million unique views in 2017 and a 22% sales increase in the Levis 300 “Shaping Series.” (Link)

In China, 2.6 million self-created ads in 2 weeks

Today’s 20-something style seekers in China had mostly tuned out Levi’s even though it had painstakingly built excellent mass distribution. Why not let this new generation make their own statement with the brand? Levi’s put together a platform on WeChat where they could select from different Levi’s and insert themselves into a fashion statement complete with their selection from a music library on TenCent QQ put together by Levi’s with a nod to its own values as a brand. The click-through on this was 50% higher than anything they had ever done. It generated 2.6 million co-created ads in just two weeks. It increased e-commerce sales 45% and total sales 15%.

In Malaysia, Levi’s redefines Chinese New Year

The fact is, Chinese New Year can be oppressive. Everyone feels obligated to send out a cavalcade of messages, head back home for the family reunions, get inspected by Grandma, eat traditional dishes…what if you’re young and cool and living in KL?  Levi’s stepped forward with a cultural meme of #NewYearMyWay.

Bringing it all together, “Live in Circles” hits home

That moment when you’re in a club or at a really great party and you overcome your fear and you step into the middle of the floor and you get your groove on and everybody eggs you on and suddenly you feel free and loved…that’s what Levi’s celebrated in Live In Circles. Like Smirnoff, it connected with the Millennial’s love of living in a diverse and inclusive world where everyone comes together but remains exactly who they are. Inspiring and joyful, “Circles” hit YouTube’s top ten most watched commercials in 2017 with 22 million views and counting.

It’s working

Jim Curleigh joined Levi’s in 2014. “Live in Levis” kicked off in 2015. The campaign has gone glocal for two years now. More will be revealed later. But in 2017, Levi’s had its best year in over ten years. There’s something going on in this 150-year-old start-up that looks promising indeed. With the simplest of integration, an anthem – Live in Levi’s – and a clear grasp of the power of its brand personality and values, Levi’s is executing around the world with an astonishing mix of story-telling, product innovation, activation, co-creation and culture-specific messaging that shows just how much local can go into glocal.

[oilsteven80-blog]

Becoming Alien: The Pioneering Vision of “Star Trek”

JANUARY 12, 2019

IN THE ’60S, Martin Luther King Jr. told Nichelle Nichols, the actress who portrayed Lieutenant Uhura in the original Star Trek series, that her show was the only one he let his kids stay up late watching. His rationale: The positive depiction of an African-American woman. Thirty years later, Star Trek: The Next Generation was the show I was allowed to stay up late watching. Crammed next to my father in an old easy chair, I was mesmerized. The portrayals of brave, competent women conducting scientific experiments and exploratory missions nudged me toward imagining a career in science. But unlike the majority of scientists for whom Star Trek was an inspiration, I didn’t choose physics or engineering or computing. I chose evolutionary biology. My fascination for Star Trek life forms sparked my curiosity about how life on our world works.

A biology professor at Duke University, Mohamed A. F. Noor might have had a similar experience. Indeed, in his new book, Live Long and Evolve: What Star Trek Can Teach Us about Evolution, Genetics, and Life on Other Worlds, he thinks the series has a lot to teach us about the evolution of life on our planet. He’s not actually the first to make this point. Two other books, both published in 1998, explored aspects of this same topic, but they were overshadowed from the get-go by physicist Lawrence M. Krauss’s 1995 best-selling The Physics of Star Trek. This is not surprising: the show was still associated at that time with space and feats of engineering — and so with the physical-sciences-focused, Sputnik-infused mid-20th-century “golden age” of science fiction. Now, however, life itself is our most rapidly changing frontier, and for this reason, Noor’s book is timely in a way the other two books weren’t.

To be sure, dissecting the alien life forms featured in a campy science fiction show that began over 50 years ago seems like an odd intellectual exercise. But, to Noor, Star Trek presents golden opportunities to transmit important knowledge painlessly, even surreptitiously, to those who might not want to learn about biology — and in particular, evolution. In short, the series is a tool for imaginatively grappling with a fraught field (one that many Americans misunderstand, willfully ignore, or even denounce if they’re creationists).

Life on Earth is itself becoming alien; we can now tinker with the basic code of life, edit our genes, and create three-parent babies, and much more is on the horizon, like the creation of children from the genomes of two mothers. With these feats in mind, it’s worth revisiting what the human imagination dreamt up and dramatized decades ago. After all, we know that science fiction inspires real technology down the road — which means today’s Star Trek may very well help produce the next generation of scientists, including its experimental biologists, seeding their imaginations. It’s also worth asking what challenges the show faces, particularly now, in this time of frenetic innovation.

Noor doesn’t tell us if Star Trek influenced his own career path, but it’s hardly a stretch to suppose it did. Exploring its universe in granular detail, he draws from the vast trove of non-animated Star Trek series and movies, including the current Discovery, which amounts to over 700 episodes in all. At Duke University, he teaches a basic course on the biology behind popular science fiction in general, and plans to teach a course based on his book starting next year. Clearly, he understands its power to attract students, including those who might otherwise shun STEM and bio-related subjects.

“My aim with this book is to pique [the public’s] interest in biology,” Noor writes, “by leveraging a different medium in which they may be already interested: science fiction.” With a light, accessible style, he juxtaposes Star Trek scenarios with near-alien examples of life on Earth. Some examples include: How the thumbs of pandas develop from an enlargement of the wristbone, which he explains as a case of convergent evolution with primates; and, considerably more startling: How a species of all-female Amazonian fish mate with males of other species, but then produce young who are clones of the mother, a rare phenomenon also seen in mole salamanders. How did this come about in evolutionary terms? Follow the clues: the fish are an all-female hybrid species; and, before creating clones of themselves, they invariably copulate with a male, leading researchers to understand that they actually require sperm to kick-start the cloning process. The downside: Asexual reproduction is often a one-way ticket to extinction, since a disease or disorder that can kill one clonal fish can kill them all. The upside: The fish can reproduce quickly and at a lower energy cost. Earth-based biology, you see, can seem as odd as Trek biology, and that’s without even taking into account what’s happening in the lab. Noor wants his readers to understand that science, like fiction, is rife with intrigue.

The first of six chapters includes thought experiments on how life might function in extremes of temperature, moisture, and radiation, and explores non-carbon options for building life. Is silicon, often portrayed in Star Trek as an alternative scaffold element of life, a realistic option? Noor thinks not. According to him, the element’s tendency to bind to elements other than itself means it’s unlikely to create the long chains necessary for life. By contrast, on a high temperature world, silicone — repeating units of silicon and oxygen — might function even better than the carbon chains we ourselves are based on. That’s a heady thought, though such creatures would likely be primitive, and only found in extreme environments like those occupied by “extremophile” bacteria in our own world.

While Noor occasionally gets bogged down by scientific information, he expertly weaves plot lines of individual episodes into his explanations. We gain an understanding in the middle chapters of what the hominid “family tree” might look like if humans and Vulcans had descended from a recent common ancestor, as well as the likelihood of hybrid offspring, such as the half-human, half-Betazoid counselor Deanna Troi being sterile in the manner of mules. These speculations feel quite topical: interbreeding hominids are in the news right now, with recently identified Neanderthal-Denisovan hybrids joining previously discovered human-Neanderthal hybrids in the prehistoric genetic melting pot of the genus Homo. Also entertaining are Noor’s musings on the long-term survival of Tribbles, those fuzzy critters made famous in the 1967 original series episode “The Trouble with Tribbles,” given how inbred they likely are. Though the prognosis is better than if the little fuzz balls were straight-up clones, Noor tells us that they must generate staggering numbers of offspring in order to produce a few who aren’t carrying damaging mutations, which tend to accumulate with each round of inbreeding.

How reasonable is it, asks Noor, to suppose that Shinzon, a clone created of Captain Picard in the 2002 movie Star Trek: Nemesis, is dying from cellular breakdown related to his sped-up aging, a side effect of the cloning process? Can he only be saved by an infusion of Picard’s blood? Noor takes this opportunity to show us how DNA is transcribed into RNA and to explain RNA’s relationship to aging. “Specific genes’ RNA production changes with advancing age, and these changes can be manipulated,” he writes, giving the real-world example of caloric restriction diets reducing age-related changes. “Such manipulation could be done with targeted drugs as well, and if such a manipulation were done poorly or incompletely, the procedure could result in Shinzon having severe health issues.” The plot can be seen as one of many cases of science fiction anticipating reality, given current research interest in anti-aging supplements to combat Alzheimer’s, and even alleged interest in infusions of young donor blood for anti-aging purposes by technocrat Peter Thiel and others. Noor, for his part, is at a loss to explain why an infusion of the much-older Picard’s blood would help the young clone.

If all this sounds familiar, it’s because it is, even if the details aren’t always quite right. Star Trek writers are taking inspiration from what’s happening in earth-bound labs — or among some Silicon Valley types. It has always had science advisors to help steer the ship — the famous biochemist Isaac Asimov, for instance, filled this role in the late 1970s, at one point presciently advocating for a sentient robot in 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. To be sure, concerns of plot and entertainment more often than not trump getting the science right. But still, actual science inspires the writers and producers. Noor chooses to highlight the good science, using the poor science as an opportunity to explore misconceptions, or think of what conditions might make it plausible. A prime example: The laughable The Next Generation episode “Genesis,” which gets the basics of evolution wrong when Lieutenant Commander Data’s cat “devolves” into a modern-day iguana. Rather than look down his nose at the error, Noor patiently explains that evolution isn’t unidirectional or goal-oriented: all living things currently occupying the planet are equally “evolved,” and no present-day animal could have evolved from another present-day animal.

The final chapter of Live asks how science fiction might have an impact on real-world science. Noor makes the case that science fiction’s positive depiction of basic research helps the public appreciate its worth at a time when it has become a partisan issue. He could of course cite plenty of examples from our current regime, but he chooses to return to Sarah Palin’s mockery of basic research spending in a 2008 election speech: “You’ve heard about some of these pet projects, they really don’t make a whole lot of sense and sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good. Things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not.” He then describes Wolbachia, a bacterium discovered in fruit flies during basic research that, upon infecting a mosquito, reduces its ability to transmit such devastating diseases as dengue fever and Zika.

As Noor puts it, “In the long run, basic research on a curious [phenomenon in] a fruit fly may well lead to disease control strategies that will save millions of human lives.” In much the same way that portrayals of women and people of color in Star Trek influenced young minds like mine, portrayals of science may influence the broader public at a time when research is vulnerable to political haymaking. According to a 2015 Pew Research report, nearly a quarter of all adult Americans feel that government funding of basic scientific research is “not worth it,” and those numbers are rising. The survey found what you’d expect: people with more knowledge about science are significantly more likely to see the benefits of research funding. The Star Trek fan base is overwhelmingly made up of those with post-secondary education; this is clearly about correlation and not causation, but the point still holds: good science fiction reinforces viewers’ interest in science.

Noor notes that Star Trek, despite some inaccuracies, does “a better job of embracing evolution than biology courses in several high schools in the United States.” The incomprehensibly massive timescales involved in evolutionary change make it all too easy, he thinks, to ascribe certain highly adapted aspects of modern organisms, such as the strong but lightweight bones of birds, to an intelligent creator. He hopes to disabuse at least a few people, but of course Noor is preaching to the choir: intelligent design proponents are hardly likely to pick up a book explicitly about evolution. He’s casting too wide a net and should focus on the indifferent or uninformed non-creationist rather than active opponents. The Pew report found that nearly three quarters of those with a religious affiliation reject evolution as a natural process, with white evangelical Protestants particularly hostile to the concept. This group won’t be swayed by an imaginative TV show. Maybe their kids will be, but it’s the dramatized story itself that will nudge them toward science, not Noor’s book.

Two more points are worth mentioning. First, the level of science-speak in each series reflects public understanding of science during the time it aired. Noor includes a graph of the proportion of episodes in each series using the words “DNA,” “genetic,” and “genome,” to show how they escalate with increases in research in those areas. “DNA” and “genetic” crop up often in Next Generation, which aired in the late ’80s and early ’90s, while “genome” did not appear until Voyager, which began in the mid-’90s and ran into the next century. In short, the series reflects the science of the times and, more importantly, helps make certain concepts feel familiar rather than alien or threatening.

Second, in these science-infused times, the current series, Discovery, has tried to keep up, basing a rather strange plot line on hot-off-the-press research suggesting that tardigrades are able to withstand extreme conditions because they incorporate massive amounts of foreign DNA into their genome. Before the episodes even aired, this finding was disproven — it had resulted from sample contamination. Noor is characteristically kind on this point, praising the writers’ efforts to stay current rather than chastising their poor science. The plot in question is so far out, however, that Noor is almost at a loss for how to address it, starting with a hesitant, “This idea is … creative?” before launching into a generous attempt to explain what the writers may have been trying to convey. As he told Duke Today, “It’s always easy to use science to say, oh, that’s stupid. But I try to challenge people to try to find a way that maybe it could work.” In other words: Embrace science, but don’t forget to use your imagination.

Noor may be preaching to the converted, but Trekkies remain a big group. Discovery has won enough viewership to warrant a second season. A new program focusing on Next Generation’s Captain Picard is in the works, and the new series of films continues to command massive budgets. In short: Trekkies are alive and well, and they are Noor’s audience, even if he intends a more general one. Since only a true Star Trek lover will ever pick up this book, a bit more geeky frolicking by way of meatier descriptions of actual episodes wouldn’t have gone amiss. After all, Krauss’s best seller The Physics of Star Trek does just this. Noor doesn’t quite have Krauss’s playful style, and his discussions don’t move as smoothly between hard scientific facts and the fantastical adventures of the Enterprise crew. His book is thus unlikely to be a best seller, but, this said, for the Trek fan, it will add to her understanding of evolution, and perhaps, dare we hope, bump up support for endeavors like fruit fly research in Paris.

¤

Erin Zimmerman is a plant biologist turned science writer and illustrator. She holds an MSc in fungal genomics and a PhD in molecular systematics. Her work also appears in The Cut, Undark, Working Mother Magazine, and elsewhere.

Source: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/becoming-alien-the-pioneering-vision-of-star-trek/

[jayfromriverside-blog]

Comics I read this week: 9/9-9/13

Hey all, here’s a smattering of some of the books I read this week. Some interesting issues out this week, but also some disappointments:

Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers #23

There were two driving forces behind my moral development as a child: Batman and the Power Rangers. It was more than a little disappointing to grow up and find out that you couldn’t just punch bad people and that solved things, but when Boom Studios started this Power Rangers comic, it reminded me of why I loved the Power Rangers in the first place.

I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who was a fan of the Rangers at any point, or who is looking for a good new Action book, but it comes with a caveat: This series is not easy to jump into, for 2 main reasons.

Though this is the better series, it’s not the first Power Rangers comic that Boom Studios currently has going, and unfortunately the first series goes further in depth on the larger Rangers Universe

The stories from each of the 2 Rangers books often reference or call back to elements from each other. This often means that keeping track of plot elements or continuity can get confusing between the 2 books if you’re not following along closely.

If you’re still interested in hopping into these comics, here would be the reading order I would suggest: start with this series (Go Go) for issues #1-20, as it covers the origins of the Rangers and their first year. Then start the mainline book, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. After you’re all caught up there, you should be good to jump back into Go Go without any issues, and can even hop between series with toooooo much confusion. 

Into the actual meat of this week’s issue: while the mainline series is much more focused on a grander Sci-Fi narrative, this series has a lot of the “monster-of-the-week” feel of the show. That’s definitely on display in this issue, where action and monster bashing take center stage. But what this comic has over the show is character depth and long-term story telling. The characters in this comic feel fleshed out and are evolving like real people, and while it’s definitely still fun, it doesn’t skimp out on the drama either. 

If you’re looking for a fun throwback to childhood with a little more emotional oomph for your mature soul, definitely give this book a go.

Justice League Odyssey #13

I’m genuinely surprised every time a new edition of this book comes out, cause I’m half expecting it to be quietly cancelled every other week. But hey, I’m not gonna complain, cause as much as the changes in art have been less than great, I’m still excited to see the Justice League Z-Team struggle with cosmic cleanup duty out in the Ghost Sector.

For anyone who hasn’t read this book and doesn’t feel like starting from the beginning, you could get away with hopping on now. It would be safe to say that the first 12 issues were the first arc of this comic, and that #13 is setting the groundwork for the second big arc. With the destruction of the Source Wall way back in No Justice, the Ghost Sector has been left as almost a wild-West out in deep space. If you’re a fan of Dex-Starr, Jessica Cruz and some other cosmic outcast characters, I’d hop on now and see if this book is for you.

For anyone currently reading this book, some minor opinions and SPOILERS AHEAD:

So Jess stayed dead for way shorter than even I thought. But hey, revival at the hands of the Omega Radiation that killed her only to be imbued with Omega Beam shooting fists seems almost poetic. I’m interested to see what the new cast of outcasts has to bring to the table in terms of opposing Darkseid and assaulting the Ghost Sector, especially now that our original team has been almost entirely converted into NEW New Gods. But it’s a welcome evolution of Jessica’s character to see her taking charge and leading a team, and more Dex-Starr in my life is always appreciated. 

On a less story focused note, the art in this new ark is good so far, but man, fuck whoever did the flashback sequence with Cyborg. On a page with his face popping up at least 5 or 6 times head on, you couldn’t remember or decide if his cybernetic side was on the left or the right? It flip flops every panel so that it’s facing away from the reader. It’s overall a minor thing, but c’mon, it’s not hard to keep that straight.

The Flash #78

I’m just tired at this point. 

The Flash’s mythos being re-written to have such an emphasis on the forces is just... really boring. The force users are pretty one-note characters and though Barry’s musings on life and trying to outrun Death are interesting, the rest of the chapter and this story arc haven’t been nearly as much. The art isn’t bad, but it’s not enough to save this title. If you’re gonna stick around for the Flash ride, have fun, let me know when it gets interesting again.

Young Justice #8

I think I mentioned it last week, but similar to Justice League Odyssey and the Terrifics, I think it’s a great idea for writers to take some of the smaller teams in the DCU out of the greater narrative and put them (effectively) in their own worlds. Better yet, Brian Michael Bendis seems to be having a ton of fun taking this young team on a multiverse-exploring adventure. 

While his work with Alias and Daredevil are some of my favorite books, I think Bendis does his best work when writing younger heroes. He seems to understand how to write entertaining young characters while making them believable, and most importantly not making them grating. 

If you need anymore convincing to get this series, and you maybe don’t fully trust Bendis after the pretty terrible years he’s had of late, then John Timms’ art should swing you. Timms has managed to strike a great balance between cartoonish modeling and dynamic action paneling which is difficult enough, but he’s also been switching up his art styles as the team goes from world to world. The guy is on top of his game right now and it’s perfectly complimenting Bendis’ universe-hopping story.

I don’t want to spoil this issue too much, but the team find themselves on Earth-3, the home of the Crime Syndicate, and face off against evil versions of themselves. While this issue was wall-to-wall action from the start, it managed to have some good character moments peppered throughout, and it looks like it might the start of the next micro-arc. This book has been great so far and only looks like it’s going to get better.

Batman Universe #3

I feel like I can’t judge this book fairly. 

I love pop-art, I’m a sucker for a good Batman story, and lighthearted superhero stories are exactly what I need to breakup the self-serious tones of a lot of the other superhero books I read. This book by Bendis and Nick Derington hits every single one of those beats. 

If you’re looking for a self-serious Batman book you’re looking in the wrong place; but if you’re looking for a book where Batman jokes with Green Lantern about how much he likes dinosaurs before being transported through time, then you’ve got a lot of fun ahead of you.

On a side note, DC put a huge amount of faith in Bendis giving him this series, Action Comics, Superman, Naomi and Young Justice. Aside from the main Superman book, which has been horrendous in every sense of the word, he’s been writing some of the best stuff he’s done in years. Not quite on par with his Daredevil or Ultimate Spider-Man runs, but still some really great stuff.

Detective Comics #1011

Last we left the Caped Crusader, he and a bunch of his billionaire friends were stranded on an island, with Bruce teamed up with a pair of crotchety WWII fighter pilots and his rich friends held captive by Deadshot. Basically we’re in a “Deadliest Game” scenario with Batman and Deadshot hunting each other on a remote island. It’s kind of like all the parts of “Arrow” that people have told me are actually good. I don’t know, I haven’t watched that show, it looks like hot garbage. 

Anyway, this 2-issue story was always just a stop-gap while Mr. Freeze (or the writers) figured out how to use the new technology boost from Lex Luthor. While I always appreciate a visit from Deadshot, as he’s one of Batman’s more under appreciated villains in my opinion, this story was pretty paint by numbers. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun, just that it was always the stuff coming next that felt more compelling. 

Event Leviathan #4

This book has been pretty interesting so far, but seems to have the fanbase pretty divided. I’ve seen a lot of comments on the latest issue claiming that nothing has actually happened in this story so far, and that we’re just watching Bendis spin his gears in search of a story. Maybe I’m a sucker for a good noir, but I would say that this story has had its share of action at the start, but unlike a lot of comics, it’s a slow burn story. I’m not nervous yet, as Bendis has experience with noir and has shown he can do it well.

I’m not saying that this book doesn’t have its problems: the art, while objectively impressive, is hard to parse out the details in some of the darker scenes with all of the texture filters thrown over it. Similarly, though I have faith that Bendis has an idea where this story is going, the last issue didn’t really make a ton of sense (until a little later in this issue, but at the time it wasn’t wholly believable).

Batman #78

It seems that so many people have soured on Tom King at this point that I’m in the minority saying that I’m still enjoying his run on Batman. I’m not saying it hasn’t been without its faults, I was gutted just like everyone else when issue 50 came out and tore a chance at tangible change in the Bat-universe out from under us fans. But King’s writing and storytelling, though self-indulgent at times, has been largely good and in clear pursuit of a single goal: to tell the story of Batman being broken, like he’s never been broken before. 

As fans we need to remember that the man was handed the reins to 100 issues of Batman and said he was going to tell 1 story. Not an event that would inform the rest of his run, but 1 singular story told over 100 issues. It was a herculean task and it was always going to be a slow burn, but we’re in the endgame now with City of Bane in full swing and Batman just beginning to look up from the pit he’s fallen in. He’s been physically and emotionally broken, shamed himself in front of his family and been discredited amongst his peers, and ultimately forced out of his own city. So let’s see the way back.

Ok, so this wasn’t a bad issue, but it wasn’t the right issue. I’m a huge fan of how Tom King has written Bat/Cat, and when combined with Clay Manpi’s art and paneling this issue feels like I’m watching a classic James Bond movie. But while watching Bat/Cat reconcile their issues that originally tore them apart was long overdue and felt great, this was not the right time for this issue. 

After being left on the cliffhanger of Damion being captured and ALFRED POTENTIALLY KILLED, seeing Bat and Cat talking at an island retreat was just too far removed and casual. This has probably been the biggest issue I’ve personally had with King’s run: timing. But it seems like it’s all kicking off in the next few issues, so let’s see where this all finally ends.

[luv-engineering]

There's an amazing amount of interesting and contextualized history in this book ... There's an amazing amount of interesting and contextualized history in this book as one is likely to find anywhere. This isn't just about whiskey; it's about the place whiskey, and bourbon in particular, holds in American history and the surprising leverage the industry had (and has) on the development and direction of the nation. Mitenbuler has an approachable style and is extremely knowledgeable on the subject without being high handed. If you like your history intertwined with interesting local facts and figures, strategic events, and general trivia woven together with a sly humor and insight, you'll enjoy this book. Go to Amazon

I only wish Grandpa could have read this book I’m not a bourbon drinker, myself. Bourbon was my late grandfather’s drink, the one who fought WWII in the U.S. Army Air Corps and then raised three children in a wholesome Midwestern town. I’m about as likely to order a Jim Beam on the rocks as I am to fly missions over the Ruhr Valley, or eat TV dinners while watching reruns of M*A*S*H. Which is to say, not very likely. Go to Amazon

If you love bourbon, you really want to know how it came to be While this book does get a little tedious at times, it's a fairly fast read and gives you a ton of information about how bourbon grew up in the United States. It also gives you a lot to think about as a bourbon drinker. I first picked it up when I read an excerpt where the author was talking about the dubious value of small, craft bourbons versus some of the products distilled at the larger companies. Just goes to show that small is not always better. It also gave me a few names to search for in the liquor store! Go to Amazon

A unique and entertaining angle on American history and culture Bourbon Empire will clearly be lauded by bourbon experts, but for the rest of us, I think the book offers something deeper - a perspective on American history that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. Bourbon Empire is thought-provoking, well-researched, and unexpectedly, downright hilarious at times. The book reminds us that reality is often far more interesting than fiction, and it adeptly carries the reader on a journey from the backwoods of American history right up to the shelf at your present-day local liquor store. While the entire book was excellent, I particularly enjoyed the attention given to bourbon's place in colonial history through the civil war - where information is not quite so easy to find or piece together in an engaging fashion such as the author has done here. Overall, Bourbon Empire is a must-read because of the sheer knowledge it conveys as well as its value as a unique and entertaining angle on American history and culture. Go to Amazon

Fascinating Highly informative history of bourbon and its place in American culture. Fascinating and valuable insights into recent and current production and marketing aspects of the bourbon industry. Well-researched and revelatory. Whether you're new to bourbon or a long-standing devotee, you'll find this a worthwhile investment of time that will make you a more selective shopper and consumer. Go to Amazon

Mitenbuler's written a hell of a fun biography of that brown stuff your grandpa and no ... Mitenbuler's written a hell of a fun biography of that brown stuff your grandpa and no one else drank when you were little. He pulls off the tall task of being comprehensive covering bourbon's long, rich history while keeping things interesting and engaging. The writing's not dry (whiskey pun!) and is filled with Gladwellian nuggets ready to wow dinner parties (e.g. a "shot" is thought to be the amount of booze an old timey soldier could get in exchange for one bullet). There's plenty here to entertain drinkers and teetotalers alike as bourbon's path speaks volumes to the history of our fair US of A and how our relationships with liquors have evolved to reflect the times. Filled with colorful characters, it's easy to understand why it's not just your gramps drinking bourbon in today's day and age. Go to Amazon

A bourbon geek for 50 years, I still learned new things about bourbon itself and learned some US history on the side. Mr. Mitenbuler's book deserves a space on the shelves of history lovers as well as bourbon lovers. It does not just repeat the popular history of American whiskey; rather it adds detail, context, and perspective to an important contributor in the development of the American economy. His Acknowledgements section, Bibliography, and parts of several chapters give credit to other authors well-known to the community of American whiskey enthusiasts because they rely on historical research rather than folklore (and advertising copy) to tell the story of Bourbon. I liked Mr. Mitenbuler's somewhat novel approach - he tells the story of bourbon by telling the story of the economic development of the U.S. with a focus on how bourbon, and other American whiskeys, contributed to that growth rather than focusing just on the growth of bourbon. It certainly deserves to be included with the half-dozen or so definitive works on bourbon which is why I bought the hard copy AND the Kindle version. It looks really nice with those other six or so books, each of which is special in its own way. And each of which has been read more than once. Way more. Go to Amazon

Five Stars The book is stocked full of great anecdotes to drop at parties Five Stars Informative read Five Stars A really fun read A Great Documentary into the World of Bourbon Very Enjoyable Fabulous Read A gripping narrative history.

[onthe5thday]

5th Day Residents Revealed: Abstract Man

The final part of our 'Residents Revealed' feature (4/4) brings Abstract Man to the limelight, a project uniting two hungry minds on a journey of exploration and discovery through the realms of techno.

​"Some artists choose to hide their identities with a mask; we chose to come up with a creative outlet that is neither of us, but both of us at the same time, enabling us to create some distance from our own separate identities and egos and join forces to create a “being” with its own voice, which is always evolving."

​With two EPs to be released within the next several months, and with an increasing number of memorable performances under their belts, exciting times lay ahead for the duo who share their journey so far here. Thanks to On the 5th Day resident, Matt Hayes for the questions!

​Support Abstract Man here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbstractMan.London

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/abstract_man

RA: https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/abstractman

…………………………………………………..

Where did Abstract Man come from?

Katie: About five years ago I was starting out on a new chapter of my life and I was hungrier than ever to take my love for electronic music to the next level, a love that had been ignited when I was about 11. The dancefloor had always been a place of total freedom for me – where I could really connect with myself and with music to new, amazing levels; I could feel myself coming out of my shell more and more every time I went out to soak up music, and at home my decks and I were good friends, but it was a relationship confined to my bedroom. At the beginning of that new chapter in my life I suddenly found myself ready to step things up, to shift the focus and explore whether I could take people on a journey by being on the other side of the decks. I stumbled across Mantas and Egle’s DJ’ing school in Shepherds Bush and Mantas became my mentor, and here we are!

Mantas: Over time we found we were inspiring each other more and more with our individual sounds, and that our tastes were evolving in a very similar direction. We also both happened to be suffering a lot as over-thinkers, where you run the risk of thinking rather than feeling your way, which can be very stifling creatively. With time Katie and I recognised this in ourselves and in one another and one evening, we decided this made sense – to collaborate. Some artists choose to hide their identities with a mask; we chose to come up with a creative outlet that is neither of us, but both of us at the same time, enabling us to create some distance from our own separate identities and egos and join forces to create a “being” with its own voice, which is always evolving. Abstract Man allows us to explore and create more freely; it encompasses parts of us both, but it’s not about either of us independently. The creative process is now a shared one. 

Tell us about the dynamics of playing as a duo. Is it different to playing solo; does being in-sync take work?

Going from a teacher/student dynamic to an artistic collaboration was a journey, that’s for sure, during which we both learnt a huge amount about ourselves and each other. You have to be ready to communicate very openly, be comfortable and even better, warmly welcome any disagreements that come up, as well as recognising and letting go of your ego so decisions are made for the right reasons.

We’re very in tune now musically – our taste and vision is 95% identical, and we're glad and grateful for that remaining 5% which is is really healthy too. We got to the point we're at now very organically, but it took time and patience and we had to agree not to rush things – to keep exploring until we found a distinctive sound and style that we both connected with. This happened after nearly 18-months of studio time and 50+ tracks which probably won’t see the light of day, but we’re okay with that.

In terms of playing out as a duo, we put a lot of time into prepping – finding music, selecting tracks we both connect with which each say something that helps Abstract Man to communicate a message. Digging takes a lot of time, to find the gems, but its definitely an enjoyable process and we know what we're looking for: a certain feeling which is quite instinctive. Of course, it’s all about a tracks’ place in a wider journey – the narrative behind a set is very important to us – conveying a story and hopefully igniting something special for our listeners through that story.

We're at an exciting stage because we’re now ready to spice up our performances. We’re craving more - other ways of feeding off of each other’s creativity in the moment, perhaps via more of a hybrid set and so on. This is the next phase of things but it was important for us to wait until it felt like we were ready to evolve – rather than forcing it because we felt we should.

You’re making music in the studio and will be releasing a series of EPs imminently. What can we expect from your sound and what influences have been shaping it?

Of course there a lot of influences behind Abstract Man, but the important thing is that it now has its own voice – one which is constantly evolving as we continue to explore, learn about ourselves, each other, discover new sounds, improve technically and so on. Each EP we release will have a new twist, exploring different sides to us individually and as a collaboration. We’re not married to anything too specific although we definitely like things groovy, with lots of texture and trippy elements.

The first EP will be out before the end of the year and includes a remix by Mike Parker, a huge inspiration for us. The second EP will see the light during the first half of 2018 and features a remix by Von Grall – up there as one of our favourite producers!

You’re two of the minds behind On the 5th Day. Organising events and running the podcast series takes a lot of time and effort, what motivates you?

As it says on our new website (coming soon), On the 5th Day is a means of sharing our love for the underground electronic music scene, and the artists and sounds which inspire us, via events, a podcast stream and a label (also coming soon). We have a simple mission which is to build a family of trusting and dedicated music appreciators and to create opportunities for them to connect with the music they love.

So yes, On the 5th Day is absolutely a passion project, which doesn’t come without its pressures and stresses of course but at the end of the day, what motivates us is quite simply a love for the music. The three of us behind the project are very close, so the fact we get to work together on something we care so much about is very motivating.

Our nights are also perfect for Abstract Man to play at, which of course makes a lot of sense given how this has all been shaped, but that’s an added motivation. Not to mention the fact the events and podcast series provides us all with the opportunity to interact and connect with artists who inspire us - that’s pretty amazing too!

How do you design lineups for 0T5D? Is the vision always the same; what makes your formula distinctive from the techno on offer in London?

Our own personal tastes and connection to music plays a critical part in our artist selection. We’re more concerned with an artist’s sound rather than their name – both from a production perspective, of course, but more importantly from a DJ’ing / performance perspective ��� someone who we can trust to deliver behind the decks, with an understanding of how to tell a story and take the room on a journey.

​On the other side of things, we like to shape interesting line-ups where artists will potentially ignite something unique in another, pulling out a particular side of another artist’s sound, or complimenting their sound in a particular way. We try to think about the event as a whole, each artist as a piece of a puzzle. Of course, this approach is a gamble and a risk, but one we embrace in order to try and create a memorable night. So, for example, we won’t just put the biggest or most well-known name on the peak or closing slot, we’d rather be led by the artist’s sound and overall journey of the night. So in October, you might expect Etapp Kyle to close but we’ve given that slot to Takaaki Itoh, as we have no doubts this will allow Takaaki to really stretch his legs behind the decks.

We’re also looking at how we can incorporate more and more lesser-known, up and coming artists on our line ups, something which we've made a focus of our nights so far, but we want to step this up even more going forward. Now that we're beginning to built up trust in On the 5th Day to deliver, and we have quite a clear sound, people will hopefully trust our choices, even if they don’t recognise all of the names; they’ll be intrigued to come along to experience something/someone they might not otherwise know.

What are the signs that an OT5D party is really delivering as you’ve intended?

Simple, when the vibe is there… when you can tell people are connecting with the music and with each other and there is an electricity in the air. Success for us feels very instinctive and we’re usually always on the same page with this.

When we hear positive feedback from artists we book that is a big sign of success too. Perhaps they could feel they were in front of a really trusting, hungry and open-minded crowd which enabled them to really let go, and it’s clear that they On the 5th Day gig was a memorable, positive one for them. This makes us really happy.

Finally of course, when we hear that people come from across Europe to our events – that’s pretty special! The 5th day family is growing all the time and we’re seeing more and more familiar faces which is great and definitely a sign of a successful project.

All time favourite tracks question… 3 please?

Three tracks which have played a big part in shaping Abstract Man so far:

Acronym – Wrapped

Voices From The Lake - Reptilicus

Svreca & Neel - Tangara

​Abstract Man will be opening room one at our October event on the 21st, with Etapp Kyle, Takaaki Itoh and YYYY.

[emarkly-blog]

The 21 Greatest Marketing Articles to Read for 2017

Oscar Wilde was a guy that is humorous.

Poet, the prolific writer, and satirist penned some genuinely insightful works of drama and comedy that survive to this day. Titles like The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Grey are true classics. Wilde is remembered as a brassy and hilarious individual with mind.

My favourite thing that he ever wrote was this: "Fashion is the only kind of ugliness so intolerable we have to change it every six months."

As a marketer, I sometimes believe we ride a wave of trends, fashions to speak, then pass away and that flare up. And like styles, being on the wrong side of a fashion is being out of the loop. As marketers, we can't ignore trends, however passing they might be.

We have to pay attention. Why? Trends can evolve and shape our advertising culture before we know it.

That said, here is the 21 best advertising articles to read for 2017. I have pulled these blog posts from my personal marketing library to ensure that you don't end up on the ugly (unknowing) facet of advertising trends in the coming year.

By appearing into the future, I will start us off. This lengthy SmartInsights post have an in-depth look in the big-time digital marketing and advertising trends of 2017. Expect heaps of data and predictions. That is a meaty, approach that is valuable to begin planning.

#2 -- 7 Big Brand Social Media Strategies for Smaller Businesses

Dara Fontein from Hootsuite utilizes seven consecutive examples to show readers precisely how to excel in the modern social media landscape. Covering all the platforms, this read is a great resource for certain tactics and strategies for your business -- of any shape or size.

#3 -- The 23 Things to Consider When Creating Video Content Into video we turn for storytelling in 2017. For participation and pull, nothing surpasses a image, but video is not without challenges. Author Jodi Harris looks at the best practices around the movie boom and how to make the most of your campaign ROI.

#4 -- The Way to Dominate Content Marketing with Machine Learning Tools

Amanda Chiu from JeffBullas.com divides readers into one of their greatest marketing tendencies of 2017 -- machine learning. New technologies are introduced by the author and how to use these within a content marketing strategy. This is a good place to start, if you have not considered the ramifications of robots doing some of your work for you.

Why not learn from the finest, asks Courtney Seiter of Buffer. This listicle is a swipe file of advertising tactics that are aspiration, from media to you need authentic live-video plays to trends in content promotion. This piece will provide you a lot of ideas, people to follow along, and inspiration to your own campaigns.

#6 -- 10 Free Online Advertising Tools Every Small Business Owner Needs If you're looking to enhance your SEO at 2017 -- for the purchase price of in your house -- look no further. Other search engine optimization handiness, content analysis, crawl tools, topic ideas, along with Keyword research are available in this particular post. At the cost of a hand-out, this really is amazing for small businesses.

Employing a fun Star Wars event during, Gianluca Fiorelli from MOZ supplies a significant exposé on the current state of the search engine optimization galaxy. Proving a dose of background with a heap of useful analysis, the writer takes the padawan SEO learner and even SEO Jedi Knights through an exhaustive and informative tour de force of this search engine optimization skillset. Do not overlook this uncommonly easily-enjoyed and valuable read on a topic.

#8 -- 50 Best Content Advertising Influencers to Follow Marketing won't be going anywhere in 2017. That is, it will not going anywhere but up. This TopRankBlog post gives a healthy serving of industry leaders to follow in the future of content marketing. Content marketing is predicted to secure more visual in the year -- but that should not stop you from reading this article and being read in the coming year.

#9 -- 9 Social Media Marketing Trends That Could Make or Break Your Business in 2017

Lee Odden starts by reminding us, "The most significant thing about social media marketing isn't always the tech. It is the people." He then proceeds to delve into the way that customer usage will evolve and join in the coming year with tech trends. Covering ideas such as social chat bots to dark societal, Odden paints a vibrant picture through how users, brands, and societal platforms will interact best in 2017.

#10 -- Creating the Right Marketing Mix (Source)

Moz mastermind Rand Fishkin wades through funnel challenges with readers (and audiences) during this Whiteboard Friday post. Fishkin presents questions regarding sources allocation and ROI, answering that info is frequently the answer. Read this article and audit your promotion budget for 2017.

#11 -- The 7 Essential Google Analytics Reports Every Marketer Must Know Marketing is all about error, demo, and knowing whether your efforts are translating into outcomes. And we're all eager to talk about how important information is, yet how many of us know our ways? Writer Khalid Saleh makes marketers aren't being information dilatantes with this revealing and significant overview of aspects of a hard interface, even for the most seasoned marketers. He covers articles efficiencies, mobile reports, traffic reports, and much more in this exact digestible walk-through of Google Anayltics.

#12 -- 12 Bad Habits Which Are Making You Less Productive (Source)

I had to take a while about to discuss, well, you. Yes my dear reader, this post is not all about strategies and strategy for business. Referral SaaSquatch would like you to live a full, rewarding life that is free of stress and wasted time. So dip your feet into this Hubspot article on how to be your very best self -- and operate for this.

#13 -- Everything the Tech World Says About Marketing Is Wrong (Source)

The scathing Dan Lyons bit on startup civilization is outlined by TC"s Samuel Scott within an incisive piece that fires a shot across the bow of the modern marketer. Keen debunk the phoniness that some entrepreneurs seem to thrive on and to call the buzzword fanaticism out. In a lucid, interesting manner the author rails against the thoughts of inbound, content, and direct advertising as fresh and improving notions we can scale and manipulate. His thoughts? Back to basics, a 2017 advertising trend to be certain.

#14 -- How Facebook's News Feed Works, As Explained By Facebook Ever wonder what's going on beneath that hood ornament that is electronic? Well, if you are a true digital advertising mechanic you will appreciate knowing what's driving the definitive social media engine of our era. Gather ye' insights and profit!

#15 -- 20 Social Media Tools & Tips From the Pros Lisa Jenkins out of Social Media Examiner gathered a package of goodness for people excited to maximize all things social this season. Best practices for Facebook movie, expanding your reach with Pinterest audience targeting to boost quality for podcast -- that is merely a flavor of some fine-point advice for your digital advertising and marketing efforts .

#16 -- Mobile Internet vs Mobile Apps: Where Should You Invest Your Marketing Mobile is a hot subject in the realm of digital marketing 2017. The way to best impact a mobile strategy gets a going-over from Rand Fishkin of Moz as he covers the place where to shell out for mobile optimization and reach. He comes back with some insights and weighs customer retention and engagement from ROI.

#17 -- 4 Uncommon Ways to Nurture Leads with Personalization Personalization will be relevant for marketers in 2017. Rohan Ayyar breaks down how your manufacturer can take the initiative to provide consumer with a more enjoyable UX and repeatable manufacturer encounter.

#18 -- The Way to Construct Amazing Personalized Influencer Marketing Campaigns Can you and all the forces of personalization combine the powers of influencers? Well, start by reading this Search Engine Journal article. She looks at the way your brand can effectively utilize customer-centric messaging to really amplify your influencer marketing approaches. Do not miss this!

#19 -- A Video Advertising Guide to Developing Epic Content on Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and much more (Source)

Video marketing is rockin' in the networking world that is social. Digital advertising in 2017 will watch streaming video burst even more than a year ago, soBuffer takes a big picture look at the way your brand can succeed in driving traffic, netting engagement, and fostering revenues through video this season.

#20 -- 51 Referral Program Cases of 2016 It is helpful to follow the leaders, when diving into referral advertising. This informative article showcases how brands exemplify the benefits of referral programs, providing readers with the insights necessary to drive referral earnings. Read here today for heaps of proven approaches and winning strategies you may take home today.

#21 -- The Way Google Analytics Ruined Marketing Samuel Scott was on fire this year! The TechCrunch author brings another marketing believe piece that begs the question: where could we be with our numbers to us -- and would it be better? Part indictment at a creative manner, part history lesson this bit is of civilization.

The Last Chapter Whether or not you prefer literature or follow trend, overlooking marketing tendencies could prove catastrophic. Fortunately, everything you will need to do is always to optimize your brand for conversions, engagement, and customer retention.

These 21 articles might have been somewhat too timely for Oscar Wilde, but they will serve us just fine. As we marketers look to the coming year, we anticipate to emphasize personalization, visual marketing, AI, along with other recent trends while adding new chapters to the classic strategies.

Question is: Can you use this info to make a brand worth reading to this season?

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

[Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This week's highlights include a GDC talk on 'the aesthetics of cute', the hidden story of TOSE, & the return to car wrecking of key Burnout developers.

Another interesting week of longer-form 'things', and I've been ruminating a bit on how these videos and articles intersect in weird but neat ways with 'breaking news' or 'hottest games'. Seems like you'll get at least _some_ bleed-through - for example, this week we have Battlegrounds, Signal From Tolva & Night In The Woods again, all of which are newish or interesting releases.

But many of these pieces are evergreen & exist separately of the 'hot reactions' grind. Which is good. Exist too close to the 24-hour hype cycle, and you'll miss trends and more thoughtful takes like some of these good folks. VGDC aims to reverse that. We hope you think we do a good job.

- Simon, curator.]

-------------------

Guild Wars 2’s art style passes from father to son (Philippa Warr / RockPaperShotgun) "Recently I had the chance to talk to ArenaNet (and thus Guild Wars 2) art director Horia Dociu about his work at the studio. One of the interesting things about his promotion to the role is that he succeeds his father, Daniel."

We’ve been missing a big part of game industry’s digital revolution (Kyle Orland / Ars Technica) "Last year, the Entertainment Software Association's annual "Essential Facts" report suggested that the US game industry generated $16.5 billion in "content" sales annually (excluding hardware and accessories). In this year's report, that number had grown to a whopping $24.5 billion, a nearly 50-percent increase in a span of 12 months. No, video games didn't actually become half again as popular with Americans over the course of 2016. Instead, tracking firm NPD simply updated the way it counts the still-shadowy world of digital game sales."

Warren Spector believes games 'need to be asking bigger questions' (Alex Wawro / Gamasutra) "Gamasutra sat down with Spector at GDC last month to catch up on how the process is going, roughly a year into his full-time gig at OtherSide. It was an interesting conversation, especially if you're at all interested in where games are at these days, where they came from, and what sorts of stories they're best at telling."

A Rare Look Inside Nintendo (Otaku / Game Escape / YouTube) "This clip is an excerpt from the French documentary film "Otaku" by director Jean-Jacques Beineix from 1994. It appeared dubbed on German TV some time later, which is the version you are seeing here. It has, to my knowledge, never been released in English. The subtitles are my own. Content is the intellectual property of the original rights holders."

An Interview With One of Those Hackers Screwing With Your 'Black Ops 2' Games(Patrick Klepek / Waypoint) "He's not there to ruin your stats. He's there to sell you software that'll let you launch a DDOS attack from your Xbox 360. [SIMON'S NOTE: this is crazy - modded Xbox 360s that find other player's IP addresses and can DDOS them?! I had no idea.]"

Put a Face on It: The Aesthetics of Cute (Jenny Jiao Hsia / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC session, Hexecutable's Jenny Jiao Hsia explains why cuteness as an aesthetic may be worth exploring for developers who want to push against current trends in game design."

Proc. Gen. and Pleasant Land | Sir You Are Being Hunted (Robert Seddon / Heterotopias) "It was a perfect rustic idyll, in its way. Perfectly lovely, nestled between the grassy fields. Perfectly quiet, as only dead places can be. Perfectly still, because a player careless enough to create a disturbance might attract the robotic hunters. Big Robot’s Sir You Are Being Hunted had, through the digital governance of its landscape generation algorithms, somehow perfected the British countryside."

How video games were made - part 3: Marketing and Business (Strafefox / YouTube) "In this final chapter we cover the business side and marketing of 8 and 16 bit games. [SIMON'S NOTE: Lots of archival footage in here & SO much work cutting it all together - and the other entries in the 'how video games were made' series look pretty good too!]"

Video Games Are Better Without Stories (Ian Bogost / The Atlantic) "A longstanding dream: Video games will evolve into interactive stories, like the ones that play out fictionally on the Star Trek Holodeck. In this hypothetical future, players could interact with computerized characters as round as those in novels or films, making choices that would influence an ever-evolving plot. [SIMON'S NOTE: lots of responses to this all over the Internet - here's a couple of good ones from the Waypoint folks.]"

'Burnout' Series Creator Talks Remaking Crash Mode for 'Danger Zone' (John Davison / Glixel) "Spend longer than a few minutes talking with fans of driving games about which series they'd love to see revived, and invariably someone will bring up Criterion's Burnout. Unlike contemporaries that were leaning harder into realism and officially-licensed cars as a response to games like Gran Turismo, the first Burnout – released by Acclaim for PlayStation 2 in 2001 – was unapologetically action-focused."

Famitsu Special Report – The Mystery of TOSE (Famitsu / One Million Power) "This is the real story behind TOSE: The game development company that’s been making games for nearly 38 years (since 1979), but hardly any gamers know. [SIMON'S NOTE: Brandon Sheffield covered TOSE for Gamasutra back in 2006, but by and large, they've been PRETTY vague about what they work on - which is fascinating.]"

How Three Kids With No Experience Beat Square And Translated Final Fantasy V Into English (Jason Schreier / Kotaku) "One day in the late 1990s, Myria walked into the Irvine High School computer room and spotted a boy playing Final Fantasy V. There were two unusual things about this. The first was that Final Fantasy V had not actually come out in the United States."

Night in the Woods is Important (HeavyEyed / YouTube) "An analysis of the recently released game - this video contains very minimal spoilers but watch at your own discretion.."

Designing the giant battle royale maps of Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (Alan Bradley / Gamasutra) "For Brendan "Playerunknown" Greene, the creator of Battlegrounds, the vision for his game world was born from extensive experience creating and manipulating environments that direct players to play his games the way he intends them to be played."

All We Have Is Words (Matthew Burns / Magical Wasteland) "Sometimes I give the impression of knowing Japanese, but I really don’t. I have no claim to it. I never made a real study of the language, I don’t know kanji and thus can’t read at all, and even in speech I can’t exchange more than pleasantries or the most rudimentary logistical information. [SIMON'S NOTE: I believe this is a subtle 'subtweet'-style article response to the recent Persona 5 translation furore? Maybe?]"

Changing the Game: What's Next for Anita Sarkeesian (Laura A. Parker / Glixel) "Anita Sarkeesian’s talk at this year’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco falls at an unfortunate time: 10am on the last day of the conference – a Friday. Most attendees – a mix of indie programmers, mainstream publishing teams and media – are still bleary eyed from the night before. And yet, at five-to-ten, the small room on the third floor of the Moscone Convention Center is standing-room only."

The quest to crack and preserve vintage Apple II software (Leigh Alexander and Iain Chambers / The Guardian Podcast) "Why has the quest to hack old Apple II software become the best hope we have of preserving a part of our cultural history? How do these floppy discs – still turning up in their box-loads – shine a light on the educational philosophies of the 80s? And do a new generation of gamers risk losing whole days of their lives by playing these compelling retro games in their browsers?"

Video Games Help Model Brain’s Neurons (Nick Wingfield / New York Times) "Since November, thousands of people have played the game, “Mozak,” which uses common tricks of the medium — points, leveling up and leader boards that publicly rank the performance of players — to crowdsource the creation of three-dimensional models of neurons."

Longtime 'Star Citizen' Backers Want Its New Referral Contest to Die in a Black Hole (Leif Johnson / Motherboard) "Developers of multiplayer video games often host referral programs encouraging existing players to recruit their friends for a boost in cash flow, and in that regard, the new referral contest from Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games isn't much out of the ordinary. The same can't be said of the reactions from the players themselves."

Localization Shenanigans in the Chinese Speaking World (Jung-Sheng Lin / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC session, IGDShare's Jung-Sheng Lin discusses a wide variety of possible issues that can arise when undertaking Chinese localization for your game. These problems include grappling simplified vs. traditional Chinese, naming problems, UI & fonts, and China-specific policies that may relate to localization, political implications, and more."

Good Game/Tech/History Youtubers (Phoe / Medium) "[SIMON'S NOTE: this got birthed after a conversation I had with Phoe in the Video Game History Foundation Discord chat - he watches a lot of good retro/interesting YouTube, and there's a number of recommendations in here I was unaware of!]

Red Bull TV - Screenland (Red Bull TV) "Plug into the fresh stories within the world of video games and game design. The personal tales, wild new developments, and unexpected genres shed new light on what gaming means in the world now and what it could mean in the future. [SIMON'S NOTE: this is an entire _season_ of gaming documentaries, including with Frank Cifaldi (Video Game History Foundation), UK cult classic Knightmare, and lots more.]"

Tim Schafer tells the story of Amnesia Fortnight (Philippa Warr / RockPaperShotgun) "“I started feeling a little bogged down by the scope of [Brutal Legend],” says Tim Schafer, founder of Double Fine. “It was really huge and I felt like the team had been doing it for a long time and had a long way to go yet. I felt like they needed a break.” That break was Amnesia Fortnight, a two week game jam during which anyone at the developer can pitch an idea and, if it’s selected, lead a team to turn it from concept to working prototype."

The Signal From Tolva: The Best Game Ever (Matt Lees / Cool Ghosts / YouTube) "New video! Matt dives into a spooky robot world, to talk about some of the cool design aspects of The Signal From Tölva. [SIMON'S NOTE: Can't emphasize enough that Cool Ghosts has some of the best game criticism on YouTube. Please patronize them! (On Patreon, not by talking down to them.)"

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[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at http://ift.tt/2dUXrva we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to vgdeepcuts@simoncarless.com. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]

[edc-creations-blog]

SIN OF A WOMAN by Kimberla Lawson Roby

Kimberla Lawson Roby

“Kimberla Lawson Roby has reached a pinnacle most writers only dream of.” – Rockford Register Star

After her very public divorce from Dillon, Raven Black is recovering nicely.  Dillon has done everything he can to discredit her, but Raven has learned from her mistakes and him.  In fact, she’s intent on using every bit of Dillon’s revenge and betrayal, as she prepares to take what is hers—and more.  Her ambitions have never been so great, and Raven always knows how to get what she wants.  She also won’t allow anything or anyone to get in her way.

She has become her ex-husband in more ways than one and is slowly leading those connected to her down a terrible path of destruction.  But playing with the lives of innocent people has dire consequences—the kind that Raven won’t see coming.  Raven, of all people, should know that what happens in the dark will eventually come to light…and that there’s only so far you can run before your past catches up to you.

Chapter 1

Raven—Pastor Raven Jones Black, that is—scanned the interior of her massive second-floor office, smiled, and strolled closer to the large picture window. But as she gazed down at all the vehicles that were lined up in the church’s parking lot, it was still hard to believe that everything had evolved so quickly. And in such perfect order, too. Yes, having a one-thousand-plus-member congregation was all that she’d hoped for, but she wasn’t sure she’d expected to see her dreams come to pass in only two years. Of course, it hadn’t hurt that nearly two hundred members from her ex-husband’s former church had joined right away. Because had they not, she knew her ministry would have taken a lot longer to build.

Raven gazed around her office again, admiring her espresso-colored Italian leather sofa, matching loveseat, two oversized chairs, CEO-style mahogany desk, and executive chair. When they’d first purchased New Vision Christian Center and had moved into the building six months ago, the pastor’s study had been only half the size it was now. But the more folks had joined the congregation and paid tithes and offerings on a regular basis, the more upgrades Raven had been able to make—both at the church and for herself. From tearing out a wall and doubling the size of her office to clearing out her closet at home and stepping up her wardrobe game, she’d made lots of changes for the better.

To tell the truth, she’d always dressed in expensive clothing, even when she’d been married to that awful ex-husband of hers, Pastor Dillon Whitfield Black. But today she only wore suits that came from some of the highest-end stores people shopped at. In fact, the couture-style fuchsia jacket and skirt she wore now had come from Bergdorf Goodman in New York. She didn’t get the opportunity to shop there often, what with her residing in Mitchell, Illinois, but whenever she did fly to New York for a ministry engagement, she never left before spending at least a little time at Bergdorf, Barneys, or Saks’s flagship location. She did the same thing at the Neiman Marcus flagship store when she visited Dallas, and although some people might not understand her great desire to live well and have the best of everything, she knew it was only because they didn’t know her story. Her childhood horror story. Her reason for deciding early on that when she became an adult, she would never go without any of the things she wanted, not if she could help it.

What was so amazing, though, was that regardless of how great her life seemed to be going, she still reflected on her blemished past. She certainly didn’t want to, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t forget about her very public and very nasty divorce from Dillon. She couldn’t pretend she hadn’t spent time in prison for stealing a hundred thousand dollars from her former father-in-law, Reverend Curtis Black. She couldn’t dismiss the fact that she’d once struggled with a very serious gambling addiction.

She hadn’t even known Dillon back when she’d worked as CFO for his father’s church, and now, she regretted the day she’d contacted him. But when she’d heard about the fallout between him and his dad, she’d decided to reach out to Dillon, letting him know that she understood his pain and that she could help him build a much larger church than the one Pastor Black had founded. This, of course, had secured Dillon’s undivided attention, and not long after she’d been released from prison, they’d begun seeing each other and had gotten married. Raven had truly loved him, too, and she could tell he’d loved her—at least for a while. But then greed and power had become a lot more important to Dillon, and he’d commenced having an affair with another woman. And then a second one.

But of course, when Raven had lied and told Dillon that God had called her into the ministry and that she wanted to be named co-pastor, he hadn’t liked it. He hadn’t shared his feelings with her straight out, but she could easily tell that he wasn’t happy. What he’d wanted instead was to continue running things all on his own, even though she’d always been the true brains behind the ministry. She’d taught him everything she knew, including all that she’d learned while working for his father, but Dillon hadn’t cared about her love, commitment, and loyalty to him. So finally, when Raven had demanded that she be named not only co-pastor but also co-founder, Dillon’s church had suddenly caught on fire and burned to the ground. Raven couldn’t prove it, and thus far neither had the fire marshal, but she knew Dillon was the guilty party. There was no doubt in her mind that the sole reason he’d destroyed the church was because he would rather have no church at all than to have to share control of it with anyone. Although there was another reason, too, for his resorting to such drastic measures. If he hadn’t burned down the church and had still refused to give Raven what she wanted, he’d known she was going to circulate that salacious sex tape she’d gotten possession of—the video that his first mistress, Porsha Harrington, had secretly recorded of the two of them and given Raven a copy of.

Raven shook her head and half laughed because who would’ve guessed that she and that same Porsha Harrington would become fast friends, and that Porsha was now NVCC’s associate minister? Who in their wildest imagination would have foreseen the fact that Porsha would join forces with Raven by investing $250,000 for the ministry’s start-up funding? Because it certainly wasn’t the most common sort of thing, personally or professionally, that might happen between a wife and the woman who’d had an affair with her husband. But with Raven and Porsha it had happened, and they were both benefiting greatly. Raven left the window to sit behind her desk, but just as she did, someone knocked on her door.

“Yes, come in.”

Porsha walked inside. She wore a black St. John suit that Raven hadn’t seen before, and while it looked good on her, it wasn’t nearly as nice as the black one Raven had purchased a few months ago.

“I know you’re preparing for your sermon, so this will only take a minute,” Porsha said.

“No, you’re fine. Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s great, but I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching and God has been leading me toward being a little more active on Sunday mornings than I have been.”

Raven wasn’t sure she liked the sound of this, but she didn’t show her apprehension. “Really?”

“Yes, so what I’ve decided to do is begin saying a few words to the congregation, right after praise and worship service. It would be just before you enter the sanctuary.” Porsha had spoken to the congregation many times before, and sometimes she even delivered the sermon if Raven was out of town, so Raven wondered why she’d specifically come to tell her about it today.

“You’ve done that before, and I think it’s a great idea.”

“Well, the only difference now is that I’m going to be doing it every Sunday. I’ll be giving a short inspirational message, and I’d like to have this new segment printed in the weekly program. You know, make it a normal part of our service. But more than anything, I wanted to make sure you don’t have any objections.”

Raven couldn’t say what she wanted to say, but of course she did have objections. Still, she smiled and said, “No, not at all, and will you be speaking for a certain amount of time?”

“Not more than five to seven minutes. It really will be brief, and it won’t infringe on any of your sermons. I just want to say something that will encourage our members, right before you deliver your message. I mean, you already give them everything they need, but again, I believe God wants me to do this.”

Raven smiled again but secretly cringed on the inside. “Not a problem. I think it’ll be fine.”

“I’m glad you’re okay with it, and since praise and worship is just about over I’d better get going. I’ll see you out there shortly.”

Raven watched Porsha leave her office and shut the door behind her. This was so not the kind of news Raven wanted to hear, and more and more she wished she’d borrowed that $250,000 from a bank instead of accepting it as an investment from Porsha. Porsha’s offer had seemed like a real blessing at the time, though, and Raven had seen no reason to take out a loan with interest when she had someone willing to invest the entire start-up capital. Not to mention, Porsha had agreed to a very nice deal. She’d only wanted one-half of her investment back, and that wasn’t until the ministry had begun bringing in enough money to cover all expenses and pay the two of them more than ten thousand dollars per month. She then wanted to continue receiving 50 percent of all proceeds minus all expenses. They were very careful not to use the word profit out loud since they were referring to church income, but they’d also figured out a legal way to compensate themselves with healthy salaries. They did so by taking a percentage of what was actually considered profit on each previous month’s financial statement.

In the beginning, they’d each earned about eight thousand a month, but by the start of year two, the ministry had grown tremendously, particularly because of Raven’s online contributors, and they now each received checks for just over fifty thousand dollars—every single month. Porsha was already wealthy and didn’t need the money the way Raven did, but Raven was ecstatic to be earning more than a half million dollars annually from the ministry. This also didn’t include the generous honorariums she received when she gave sermons at various churches and large religious conferences. She was doing exceptionally well, but this new idea from Minister Harrington made her a bit nervous. Especially since, as of late, Porsha had been offering opinions and unasked-for advice much more than usual. She’d begun suggesting lots of new programs and other planning points that she expected to be incorporated. It was true that Raven was the sole founder of the ministry, but again, Porsha had invested the initial dollars and felt as though she had the right to offer input and make crucial decisions.

Thus far, Raven and Porsha hadn’t had any major disagreements, but for the last several months Raven had noticed a few looming in the background. As a matter of fact, the only reason they likely hadn’t exchanged angry words was because Raven had purposely held her tongue to keep peace between them. She hadn’t wanted to make any waves and cause problems for the ministry, and she hoped that this could continue to be the case. And it would as long as Porsha didn’t try to control Raven or interrupt the way she ran NVCC.

Raven leaned back in her chair and sighed, but now someone else knocked on her door. “Come in.”

Michelle, Raven’s assistant, walked in. “It took me a little longer than I thought, but here’s your revised copy.”

Raven reached for her sermon notes. “Thank you so much, Michelle. I know I always have last-minute changes, and I’m not sure what we would do without you. Porsha and I really appreciate everything you do for us.”

“I love working for both of you. It’s really a joy for me.”

“Well, thank you again.”

“Okay then, if you don’t need anything else I’m going to head out to the sanctuary.”

“No, I think I’m good to go.”

Michelle smiled. “You’re always so prepared anyway, but I still wanted to ask.”

“I feel like I have to be. Not everyone believes a woman should be senior pastor of a church, and some don’t feel a woman is capable of being a minister at all. So that’s why, from the very beginning, I’ve always done the same thing. I begin writing my sermons on Thursdays, I review and edit them on Fridays, and then I verbally practice them on Saturday evenings. I also practice once more on Sunday mornings before I get dressed.”

“I knew you wrote them on Thursday and practiced on Saturday, but I didn’t know you practiced on Sunday morning as well.”

“Yes, but again, it’s mostly because I feel like I have to.”

“Well, you always do an amazing job.”

“I appreciate that.”

“Okay, I’m heading out now, but I’ll see you soon.”

Raven smiled again, and Michelle left on her way. She truly was the best executive assistant ever. She was precise and knowledgeable, and she went over and above to get things right. She’d only been working for Raven and Porsha for six months, but she’d attended New Vision for more than a year. She also wasn’t your normal executive assistant, as she’d completed a double major in college in marketing and finance, and she was now working on her MBA through an online university program. Not many MBA candidates would even consider working as an assistant, but Raven knew it had been important for them to hire someone who had clerical skills and so much more. What they’d needed was someone who could speak for them when they weren’t available and keep them abreast of anything new, business- and social media–wise. It was the reason they paid Michelle accordingly, to the tune of eighty thousand dollars per year. Although, in all honesty, it was mostly Raven who Michelle worked for. She handled a few items for Porsha, but it wasn’t daily or even weekly, because Porsha didn’t have nearly as much going on as Raven.

Raven flipped through her pages of notes one last time and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes as she prepared to calm her thinking so she could meditate. For a second, her thoughts wandered back to Porsha and this new weekly message she wanted to deliver. But in a matter of seconds she pushed Porsha and everything else from her mind. She sat quietly, taking more deep breaths, in and out, praying and waiting until it was time to leave her office—and hoping that more people joined the congregation today, and that they received more tithes and offerings than ever.

(Continued…)

© 2017 All rights reserved. Book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author, Kimberla Lawson Roby. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author’s written permission. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only

Purchase Sin of a Woman (A Curtis Black Novel) by Kimberla Lawson Roby Series: A Curtis Black Novel (Book 14) African American > Women’s Fiction https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1455569690/kimlawroby-20

About the Author Kimberla Lawson Roby is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 25 books, which include her popular Reverend Curtis Black Series and many standalone titles She is the 2013 recipient of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction, and a #1 Essence magazine bestselling author. She lives with her husband in Rockford, Illinois.

Email: kim@kimroby.com Facebook.com/kimberlalawsonroby Twitter.com/KimberlaLRoby Instagram.com/kimberlalawsonroby Periscope.com/kimberlalawsonroby

    Sin of a Woman (A Curtis Black Novel) by Kimberla Lawson Roby "Kimberla Lawson Roby has reached a pinnacle most writers only dream of." - Rockford Register Star…

[aion-rsa]

Matt Kindt Launches X-O Manowar Off-World & Into A Year-Long Storyline

When Robert Venditti’s run as writer for “X-O Manowar” ended in 2016, there was no doubt that the character would eventually return to Valiant. Really, the question was how the hero would return, and who would be overseeing that relaunch. Well, we now have our answer: writer Matt Kindt will be entering Aric of Dacia’s for a year-long opening storyline which will see him working with artists including Tomas Giorello, Doug Braithwaite, Clayton Crain, Ryan Bodenheim and Mico Suayan. Not only is this a year-long storyline, it’s also a guaranteed one, with Valiant already confirming the exact release date of every issue up to one year in advance.

But when the series starts on March 22 2017, what can readers expect? Valiant has previously teased that the story will see several big new changes for the character – taking him off-world, grounding him and developing a much more antagonistic relationship between Aric and the X-O Manowar armor itself. In order to get a full understanding of just how big his plans are for the series over the next twelve months, CBR spoke with Kindt about how he’s approaching and structuring his yearlong opening narrative; how the rotating artistic teams will be integrated; and what’s coming up for X-O Manowar himself.

Plus: Valiant has shared an exclusive look at four pages of series artist Tomas Giorello’s un-inked, uncolored pages!

CBR: Matt, your run on “X-O Manowar” plans to take the character off-world, and completely rebuild how readers look at him. What was it that interested you in starting new with your first issue, with a completely new premise and setting for your year-long opening story?

EXCLUSIVE: “X-O Manowar” art by Tomas Giorello

Matt Kindt: I really just love the core concept of the character – the “barbarian” in a high-tech suit of armor. It’s just a simple and original idea. That’s always been the attraction to the character for me as a writer. But after Rob [Venditti]’s seminal run on the series, the challenge was how to get back to that simple premise and remain true to everything that Rob and the character had gone through in the previous 50 issues – and how do you do that in a way that isn’t contrived and would be an honest progression for the character.

The reality, to me, is that I don’t think a mind – a psyche – from Roman times would be able to handle the stress and the technological bombardment and quick pace of our modern era without eventually having some kind of break. Heck, phones and television, and movies, and just general city living eventually gets to me, and I’m from the 21st century. So the natural progression was for Aric to try to go back to basics. To live on a farm. To get back to some kind of mental “home.”

Of course, he finds that farm on an alien planet in another galaxy – but the story and the events that lead to that development will be slowly revealed over the next year or two.

What kind of story are you planning to tell in “X-O Manowar”? What can readers expect from the series as it begins, and what awaits Aric of Dacia?

We’re going to see Aric stripped down to his basics again. And over the course of the next year we’re going to watch him evolve, but also just revert to the kind of person he is. He wants to be a farmer – he wants the ‘simple’ life. But there’s a reason he never gets that. Part of that reason is inside him – his nature – but the other element that keeps him from finding peace is actually his armor. The X-O Manowar suit is a factor in his ultimate fate and happiness or lack of.

We’ll see Aric progress from farmer to emperor and beyond – but he’s not the only one that’s evolving and growing. The armor is taking on a more…sentient role. It will be an active participant and a lot of the friction will come from Aric’s relationship with the armor – both literally and figuratively.

EXCLUSIVE: “X-O Manowar” art by Tomas Giorello

In previous interviews, you’ve said that you work story-to-story, and not beyond – but here the first year of “X-O Manowar” is completely planned out, already. Does having that complete skeleton already laid out change the way you approach writing and laying out how the narrative progresses?

I work story to story, but I never work issue to issue. There’s a big difference. I always start out with a fully formed arc or long-form story and then figure out how to break it down into pieces that can fit into issues. That’s the beauty of working with Valiant – they realize that the story is always better served if it dictates the publishing schedule, rather than the publishing schedule dictating how many issues a story has to be.

It’s luxury you don’t really often find other than in creator-owned books. I think that’s also the reason why you see the creators on the Valiant books pouring everything they have into them – it’s not just a writing gig, you know? We’re invested in the characters and story because we’re given the space and tools to really care.

You’re also set in for three-issue story arcs, which is a very specific format to tell stories. How’ve you found structuring the series across the next year, setting it up as a series of three-issue arcs?

I think most of creative decisions are brought on by boredom. If you do something a certain way and it works and then you repeat that way of doing things because it worked…I think you get kind of complacent. And if you’re bored as a creator, then I think your work is going to end up being boring, honestly.

I’ve been doing 4 and 6 issue story arcs for a long time and I think there’s a kind of predictability to that structure that I wanted to shake up. The beauty of a 3-issue arc is it gives you the luxury of playing with time a little more. You have less space to tell a particular chapter so there’s as much fun in deciding what isn’t in an issue – and what takes place between issues that you don’t see – as it is fun to write the actual issue.

Creativity by omission. It keeps me interested. I think that’s why I’ve tried a lot of things over the years – to scare myself and keep an edge. I’ve done graphic novels with no captions and no scene-cuts. I’ve done stories with no flashbacks and in real-time, stories with no words, stories with only word balloons. All of it really just as a way to try to find a new way to tell a story and to really show off – not myself – but what comic books as a medium are capable of.

Knowing ahead of time who will be drawing each arc – and with several of them being guys you’ve worked with before – does that offer you greater opportunity to plan each arc separately, tailor it slightly to each of their strengths and styles? Is the plan for each arc to change in genre, style?

EXCLUSIVE: “X-O Manowar” art by Tomas Giorello

Yep. It’s why the Valiant creative work-environment is so attractive to me as a writer. I feel like I can really have a hand in the final product when the book goes out with my name on it. I’m not at the mercy of what artist was available and could hit a deadline – we’re making good books that will hopefully stand the test of time. Being able to schedule artists a year in advance allows me to write directly TO that artist. It makes all the difference, knowing the strengths and likes of the person that’s going to either make or break the issue.

You can have the best description and most flowery and detailed script ever written, but it’s the artist that makes it sing – the artist that makes the actors ‘act’ and makes the thing fun to read.

You’re also introducing a specific change in his relationship to the armor. What kind of mindset does Aric have in this series with regards to the armor he wore?

It’s definitely antagonistic. There’s a point he (and a lot of people I imagine) get to with technology where it stops being a ‘tool’ and either becomes an obsession and a love – or it becomes a bane and a curse… or in Aric’s case – a burden. Everyone loves their cell phone, as a rule, but what if your phone started having opinions of it own started offering you un-asked for advice? The next time you drop it in a toilet… it might not be an accident, is all I’m saying. That’s where we’re going to find Aric and his relationship with his armor.

He’s been a character forced into violence ever since Valiant revived the series, so do you see this as an opportunity to move away from that constant threat, and instead spend more time with Aric, the person, outside of the suit?

Aric’s violent history and experience is definitely going to be addressed. We’re going to get a lot of Aric out of the armor…and sort of next to the armor…and be figuring out if the violence is a result of Aric or a result of the armor. There’s an interesting correlation between Aric, the armor, and the violence he finds himself faced with and inflicting. But Aric also has a different background and his relationship with violence is inherently different than how we view it.

I think that’s the key to writing his character – you have to be careful not to put a 21st century viewpoint on Aric. He has a 5th century view of violence and culture. I had a lot of fun doing research to get into his head. I read a lot of Visigoth law in preparation. I really felt like the way into his head and his culture was to read the actual recorded Visigoth laws and how they viewed human rights. Sounds dry, but was actually really fascinating. Not as barbaric as you’d imagine, honestly. Pretty advanced for their time especially in regards to women’s rights.

Who’ll he be interacting with? Given that he’s on a new world, you have complete free reign to introduce new characters and explore new aspects of his personality. Can you tell us anything about who he’ll be meeting on this distant world?

EXCLUSIVE: “X-O Manowar” art by Tomas Giorello

We got a chance to really build a world from scratch – something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. We designed everything – flora and fauna and three unique races that inhabit the planet, along with their customs and physical peculiarities. Aric is a curiosity to those he meets – an outsider, so we’ll get to sort of hold a mirror to ourselves through alien eyes. And the beauty of having Aric in an alien setting is that it really allows us to feel Aric’s alienation as a man out of time. We can see that he’s a man out of time when he’s on Earth, but putting him in an environment that is alien to us as well as him will really put us in his shoes. We’re as off-balance as he is.

And finally, with Aric being gone for so long, as well… will his absence start to be noted back on Earth during his year away?

Definitely. He’s the second strongest character in the Valiant Universe (Divinity is number one – but I’m open to discussion on this topic!), so he leaves a big vacuum that no one can really fill. He’s going to be sorely missed, which will make his return – if he ever does return – that much sweeter. But maybe he’ll never be back…

That’s a story for year two…

“X-O Manowar” #1, by Matt Kindt and Tomas Giorello, arrives March 22.

The post Matt Kindt Launches X-O Manowar Off-World & Into A Year-Long Storyline appeared first on CBR.com.

http://ift.tt/2jqlGX3

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

[Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This week's highlights include a GDC talk on 'the aesthetics of cute', the hidden story of TOSE, & the return to car wrecking of key Burnout developers.

Another interesting week of longer-form 'things', and I've been ruminating a bit on how these videos and articles intersect in weird but neat ways with 'breaking news' or 'hottest games'. Seems like you'll get at least _some_ bleed-through - for example, this week we have Battlegrounds, Signal From Tolva & Night In The Woods again, all of which are newish or interesting releases.

But many of these pieces are evergreen & exist separately of the 'hot reactions' grind. Which is good. Exist too close to the 24-hour hype cycle, and you'll miss trends and more thoughtful takes like some of these good folks. VGDC aims to reverse that. We hope you think we do a good job.

- Simon, curator.]

-------------------

Guild Wars 2’s art style passes from father to son (Philippa Warr / RockPaperShotgun) "Recently I had the chance to talk to ArenaNet (and thus Guild Wars 2) art director Horia Dociu about his work at the studio. One of the interesting things about his promotion to the role is that he succeeds his father, Daniel."

We’ve been missing a big part of game industry’s digital revolution (Kyle Orland / Ars Technica) "Last year, the Entertainment Software Association's annual "Essential Facts" report suggested that the US game industry generated $16.5 billion in "content" sales annually (excluding hardware and accessories). In this year's report, that number had grown to a whopping $24.5 billion, a nearly 50-percent increase in a span of 12 months. No, video games didn't actually become half again as popular with Americans over the course of 2016. Instead, tracking firm NPD simply updated the way it counts the still-shadowy world of digital game sales."

Warren Spector believes games 'need to be asking bigger questions' (Alex Wawro / Gamasutra) "Gamasutra sat down with Spector at GDC last month to catch up on how the process is going, roughly a year into his full-time gig at OtherSide. It was an interesting conversation, especially if you're at all interested in where games are at these days, where they came from, and what sorts of stories they're best at telling."

A Rare Look Inside Nintendo (Otaku / Game Escape / YouTube) "This clip is an excerpt from the French documentary film "Otaku" by director Jean-Jacques Beineix from 1994. It appeared dubbed on German TV some time later, which is the version you are seeing here. It has, to my knowledge, never been released in English. The subtitles are my own. Content is the intellectual property of the original rights holders."

An Interview With One of Those Hackers Screwing With Your 'Black Ops 2' Games(Patrick Klepek / Waypoint) "He's not there to ruin your stats. He's there to sell you software that'll let you launch a DDOS attack from your Xbox 360. [SIMON'S NOTE: this is crazy - modded Xbox 360s that find other player's IP addresses and can DDOS them?! I had no idea.]"

Put a Face on It: The Aesthetics of Cute (Jenny Jiao Hsia / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC session, Hexecutable's Jenny Jiao Hsia explains why cuteness as an aesthetic may be worth exploring for developers who want to push against current trends in game design."

Proc. Gen. and Pleasant Land | Sir You Are Being Hunted (Robert Seddon / Heterotopias) "It was a perfect rustic idyll, in its way. Perfectly lovely, nestled between the grassy fields. Perfectly quiet, as only dead places can be. Perfectly still, because a player careless enough to create a disturbance might attract the robotic hunters. Big Robot’s Sir You Are Being Hunted had, through the digital governance of its landscape generation algorithms, somehow perfected the British countryside."

How video games were made - part 3: Marketing and Business (Strafefox / YouTube) "In this final chapter we cover the business side and marketing of 8 and 16 bit games. [SIMON'S NOTE: Lots of archival footage in here & SO much work cutting it all together - and the other entries in the 'how video games were made' series look pretty good too!]"

Video Games Are Better Without Stories (Ian Bogost / The Atlantic) "A longstanding dream: Video games will evolve into interactive stories, like the ones that play out fictionally on the Star Trek Holodeck. In this hypothetical future, players could interact with computerized characters as round as those in novels or films, making choices that would influence an ever-evolving plot. [SIMON'S NOTE: lots of responses to this all over the Internet - here's a couple of good ones from the Waypoint folks.]"

'Burnout' Series Creator Talks Remaking Crash Mode for 'Danger Zone' (John Davison / Glixel) "Spend longer than a few minutes talking with fans of driving games about which series they'd love to see revived, and invariably someone will bring up Criterion's Burnout. Unlike contemporaries that were leaning harder into realism and officially-licensed cars as a response to games like Gran Turismo, the first Burnout – released by Acclaim for PlayStation 2 in 2001 – was unapologetically action-focused."

Famitsu Special Report – The Mystery of TOSE (Famitsu / One Million Power) "This is the real story behind TOSE: The game development company that’s been making games for nearly 38 years (since 1979), but hardly any gamers know. [SIMON'S NOTE: Brandon Sheffield covered TOSE for Gamasutra back in 2006, but by and large, they've been PRETTY vague about what they work on - which is fascinating.]"

How Three Kids With No Experience Beat Square And Translated Final Fantasy V Into English (Jason Schreier / Kotaku) "One day in the late 1990s, Myria walked into the Irvine High School computer room and spotted a boy playing Final Fantasy V. There were two unusual things about this. The first was that Final Fantasy V had not actually come out in the United States."

Night in the Woods is Important (HeavyEyed / YouTube) "An analysis of the recently released game - this video contains very minimal spoilers but watch at your own discretion.."

Designing the giant battle royale maps of Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (Alan Bradley / Gamasutra) "For Brendan "Playerunknown" Greene, the creator of Battlegrounds, the vision for his game world was born from extensive experience creating and manipulating environments that direct players to play his games the way he intends them to be played."

All We Have Is Words (Matthew Burns / Magical Wasteland) "Sometimes I give the impression of knowing Japanese, but I really don’t. I have no claim to it. I never made a real study of the language, I don’t know kanji and thus can’t read at all, and even in speech I can’t exchange more than pleasantries or the most rudimentary logistical information. [SIMON'S NOTE: I believe this is a subtle 'subtweet'-style article response to the recent Persona 5 translation furore? Maybe?]"

Changing the Game: What's Next for Anita Sarkeesian (Laura A. Parker / Glixel) "Anita Sarkeesian’s talk at this year’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco falls at an unfortunate time: 10am on the last day of the conference – a Friday. Most attendees – a mix of indie programmers, mainstream publishing teams and media – are still bleary eyed from the night before. And yet, at five-to-ten, the small room on the third floor of the Moscone Convention Center is standing-room only."

The quest to crack and preserve vintage Apple II software (Leigh Alexander and Iain Chambers / The Guardian Podcast) "Why has the quest to hack old Apple II software become the best hope we have of preserving a part of our cultural history? How do these floppy discs – still turning up in their box-loads – shine a light on the educational philosophies of the 80s? And do a new generation of gamers risk losing whole days of their lives by playing these compelling retro games in their browsers?"

Video Games Help Model Brain’s Neurons (Nick Wingfield / New York Times) "Since November, thousands of people have played the game, “Mozak,” which uses common tricks of the medium — points, leveling up and leader boards that publicly rank the performance of players — to crowdsource the creation of three-dimensional models of neurons."

Longtime 'Star Citizen' Backers Want Its New Referral Contest to Die in a Black Hole (Leif Johnson / Motherboard) "Developers of multiplayer video games often host referral programs encouraging existing players to recruit their friends for a boost in cash flow, and in that regard, the new referral contest from Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games isn't much out of the ordinary. The same can't be said of the reactions from the players themselves."

Localization Shenanigans in the Chinese Speaking World (Jung-Sheng Lin / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC session, IGDShare's Jung-Sheng Lin discusses a wide variety of possible issues that can arise when undertaking Chinese localization for your game. These problems include grappling simplified vs. traditional Chinese, naming problems, UI & fonts, and China-specific policies that may relate to localization, political implications, and more."

Good Game/Tech/History Youtubers (Phoe / Medium) "[SIMON'S NOTE: this got birthed after a conversation I had with Phoe in the Video Game History Foundation Discord chat - he watches a lot of good retro/interesting YouTube, and there's a number of recommendations in here I was unaware of!]

Red Bull TV - Screenland (Red Bull TV) "Plug into the fresh stories within the world of video games and game design. The personal tales, wild new developments, and unexpected genres shed new light on what gaming means in the world now and what it could mean in the future. [SIMON'S NOTE: this is an entire _season_ of gaming documentaries, including with Frank Cifaldi (Video Game History Foundation), UK cult classic Knightmare, and lots more.]"

Tim Schafer tells the story of Amnesia Fortnight (Philippa Warr / RockPaperShotgun) "“I started feeling a little bogged down by the scope of [Brutal Legend],” says Tim Schafer, founder of Double Fine. “It was really huge and I felt like the team had been doing it for a long time and had a long way to go yet. I felt like they needed a break.” That break was Amnesia Fortnight, a two week game jam during which anyone at the developer can pitch an idea and, if it’s selected, lead a team to turn it from concept to working prototype."

The Signal From Tolva: The Best Game Ever (Matt Lees / Cool Ghosts / YouTube) "New video! Matt dives into a spooky robot world, to talk about some of the cool design aspects of The Signal From Tölva. [SIMON'S NOTE: Can't emphasize enough that Cool Ghosts has some of the best game criticism on YouTube. Please patronize them! (On Patreon, not by talking down to them.)"

-------------------

[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at http://ift.tt/2dUXrva we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to vgdeepcuts@simoncarless.com. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

[Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This week's highlights include a GDC talk on 'the aesthetics of cute', the hidden story of TOSE, & the return to car wrecking of key Burnout developers.

Another interesting week of longer-form 'things', and I've been ruminating a bit on how these videos and articles intersect in weird but neat ways with 'breaking news' or 'hottest games'. Seems like you'll get at least _some_ bleed-through - for example, this week we have Battlegrounds, Signal From Tolva & Night In The Woods again, all of which are newish or interesting releases.

But many of these pieces are evergreen & exist separately of the 'hot reactions' grind. Which is good. Exist too close to the 24-hour hype cycle, and you'll miss trends and more thoughtful takes like some of these good folks. VGDC aims to reverse that. We hope you think we do a good job.

- Simon, curator.]

-------------------

Guild Wars 2’s art style passes from father to son (Philippa Warr / RockPaperShotgun) "Recently I had the chance to talk to ArenaNet (and thus Guild Wars 2) art director Horia Dociu about his work at the studio. One of the interesting things about his promotion to the role is that he succeeds his father, Daniel."

We’ve been missing a big part of game industry’s digital revolution (Kyle Orland / Ars Technica) "Last year, the Entertainment Software Association's annual "Essential Facts" report suggested that the US game industry generated $16.5 billion in "content" sales annually (excluding hardware and accessories). In this year's report, that number had grown to a whopping $24.5 billion, a nearly 50-percent increase in a span of 12 months. No, video games didn't actually become half again as popular with Americans over the course of 2016. Instead, tracking firm NPD simply updated the way it counts the still-shadowy world of digital game sales."

Warren Spector believes games 'need to be asking bigger questions' (Alex Wawro / Gamasutra) "Gamasutra sat down with Spector at GDC last month to catch up on how the process is going, roughly a year into his full-time gig at OtherSide. It was an interesting conversation, especially if you're at all interested in where games are at these days, where they came from, and what sorts of stories they're best at telling."

A Rare Look Inside Nintendo (Otaku / Game Escape / YouTube) "This clip is an excerpt from the French documentary film "Otaku" by director Jean-Jacques Beineix from 1994. It appeared dubbed on German TV some time later, which is the version you are seeing here. It has, to my knowledge, never been released in English. The subtitles are my own. Content is the intellectual property of the original rights holders."

An Interview With One of Those Hackers Screwing With Your 'Black Ops 2' Games(Patrick Klepek / Waypoint) "He's not there to ruin your stats. He's there to sell you software that'll let you launch a DDOS attack from your Xbox 360. [SIMON'S NOTE: this is crazy - modded Xbox 360s that find other player's IP addresses and can DDOS them?! I had no idea.]"

Put a Face on It: The Aesthetics of Cute (Jenny Jiao Hsia / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC session, Hexecutable's Jenny Jiao Hsia explains why cuteness as an aesthetic may be worth exploring for developers who want to push against current trends in game design."

Proc. Gen. and Pleasant Land | Sir You Are Being Hunted (Robert Seddon / Heterotopias) "It was a perfect rustic idyll, in its way. Perfectly lovely, nestled between the grassy fields. Perfectly quiet, as only dead places can be. Perfectly still, because a player careless enough to create a disturbance might attract the robotic hunters. Big Robot’s Sir You Are Being Hunted had, through the digital governance of its landscape generation algorithms, somehow perfected the British countryside."

How video games were made - part 3: Marketing and Business (Strafefox / YouTube) "In this final chapter we cover the business side and marketing of 8 and 16 bit games. [SIMON'S NOTE: Lots of archival footage in here & SO much work cutting it all together - and the other entries in the 'how video games were made' series look pretty good too!]"

Video Games Are Better Without Stories (Ian Bogost / The Atlantic) "A longstanding dream: Video games will evolve into interactive stories, like the ones that play out fictionally on the Star Trek Holodeck. In this hypothetical future, players could interact with computerized characters as round as those in novels or films, making choices that would influence an ever-evolving plot. [SIMON'S NOTE: lots of responses to this all over the Internet - here's a couple of good ones from the Waypoint folks.]"

'Burnout' Series Creator Talks Remaking Crash Mode for 'Danger Zone' (John Davison / Glixel) "Spend longer than a few minutes talking with fans of driving games about which series they'd love to see revived, and invariably someone will bring up Criterion's Burnout. Unlike contemporaries that were leaning harder into realism and officially-licensed cars as a response to games like Gran Turismo, the first Burnout – released by Acclaim for PlayStation 2 in 2001 – was unapologetically action-focused."

Famitsu Special Report – The Mystery of TOSE (Famitsu / One Million Power) "This is the real story behind TOSE: The game development company that’s been making games for nearly 38 years (since 1979), but hardly any gamers know. [SIMON'S NOTE: Brandon Sheffield covered TOSE for Gamasutra back in 2006, but by and large, they've been PRETTY vague about what they work on - which is fascinating.]"

How Three Kids With No Experience Beat Square And Translated Final Fantasy V Into English (Jason Schreier / Kotaku) "One day in the late 1990s, Myria walked into the Irvine High School computer room and spotted a boy playing Final Fantasy V. There were two unusual things about this. The first was that Final Fantasy V had not actually come out in the United States."

Night in the Woods is Important (HeavyEyed / YouTube) "An analysis of the recently released game - this video contains very minimal spoilers but watch at your own discretion.."

Designing the giant battle royale maps of Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (Alan Bradley / Gamasutra) "For Brendan "Playerunknown" Greene, the creator of Battlegrounds, the vision for his game world was born from extensive experience creating and manipulating environments that direct players to play his games the way he intends them to be played."

All We Have Is Words (Matthew Burns / Magical Wasteland) "Sometimes I give the impression of knowing Japanese, but I really don’t. I have no claim to it. I never made a real study of the language, I don’t know kanji and thus can’t read at all, and even in speech I can’t exchange more than pleasantries or the most rudimentary logistical information. [SIMON'S NOTE: I believe this is a subtle 'subtweet'-style article response to the recent Persona 5 translation furore? Maybe?]"

Changing the Game: What's Next for Anita Sarkeesian (Laura A. Parker / Glixel) "Anita Sarkeesian’s talk at this year’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco falls at an unfortunate time: 10am on the last day of the conference – a Friday. Most attendees – a mix of indie programmers, mainstream publishing teams and media – are still bleary eyed from the night before. And yet, at five-to-ten, the small room on the third floor of the Moscone Convention Center is standing-room only."

The quest to crack and preserve vintage Apple II software (Leigh Alexander and Iain Chambers / The Guardian Podcast) "Why has the quest to hack old Apple II software become the best hope we have of preserving a part of our cultural history? How do these floppy discs – still turning up in their box-loads – shine a light on the educational philosophies of the 80s? And do a new generation of gamers risk losing whole days of their lives by playing these compelling retro games in their browsers?"

Video Games Help Model Brain’s Neurons (Nick Wingfield / New York Times) "Since November, thousands of people have played the game, “Mozak,” which uses common tricks of the medium — points, leveling up and leader boards that publicly rank the performance of players — to crowdsource the creation of three-dimensional models of neurons."

Longtime 'Star Citizen' Backers Want Its New Referral Contest to Die in a Black Hole (Leif Johnson / Motherboard) "Developers of multiplayer video games often host referral programs encouraging existing players to recruit their friends for a boost in cash flow, and in that regard, the new referral contest from Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games isn't much out of the ordinary. The same can't be said of the reactions from the players themselves."

Localization Shenanigans in the Chinese Speaking World (Jung-Sheng Lin / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC session, IGDShare's Jung-Sheng Lin discusses a wide variety of possible issues that can arise when undertaking Chinese localization for your game. These problems include grappling simplified vs. traditional Chinese, naming problems, UI & fonts, and China-specific policies that may relate to localization, political implications, and more."

Good Game/Tech/History Youtubers (Phoe / Medium) "[SIMON'S NOTE: this got birthed after a conversation I had with Phoe in the Video Game History Foundation Discord chat - he watches a lot of good retro/interesting YouTube, and there's a number of recommendations in here I was unaware of!]

Red Bull TV - Screenland (Red Bull TV) "Plug into the fresh stories within the world of video games and game design. The personal tales, wild new developments, and unexpected genres shed new light on what gaming means in the world now and what it could mean in the future. [SIMON'S NOTE: this is an entire _season_ of gaming documentaries, including with Frank Cifaldi (Video Game History Foundation), UK cult classic Knightmare, and lots more.]"

Tim Schafer tells the story of Amnesia Fortnight (Philippa Warr / RockPaperShotgun) "“I started feeling a little bogged down by the scope of [Brutal Legend],” says Tim Schafer, founder of Double Fine. “It was really huge and I felt like the team had been doing it for a long time and had a long way to go yet. I felt like they needed a break.” That break was Amnesia Fortnight, a two week game jam during which anyone at the developer can pitch an idea and, if it’s selected, lead a team to turn it from concept to working prototype."

The Signal From Tolva: The Best Game Ever (Matt Lees / Cool Ghosts / YouTube) "New video! Matt dives into a spooky robot world, to talk about some of the cool design aspects of The Signal From Tölva. [SIMON'S NOTE: Can't emphasize enough that Cool Ghosts has some of the best game criticism on YouTube. Please patronize them! (On Patreon, not by talking down to them.)"

-------------------

[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at http://ift.tt/2dUXrva we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to vgdeepcuts@simoncarless.com. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

[Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This week's highlights include a GDC talk on 'the aesthetics of cute', the hidden story of TOSE, & the return to car wrecking of key Burnout developers.

Another interesting week of longer-form 'things', and I've been ruminating a bit on how these videos and articles intersect in weird but neat ways with 'breaking news' or 'hottest games'. Seems like you'll get at least _some_ bleed-through - for example, this week we have Battlegrounds, Signal From Tolva & Night In The Woods again, all of which are newish or interesting releases.

But many of these pieces are evergreen & exist separately of the 'hot reactions' grind. Which is good. Exist too close to the 24-hour hype cycle, and you'll miss trends and more thoughtful takes like some of these good folks. VGDC aims to reverse that. We hope you think we do a good job.

- Simon, curator.]

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Guild Wars 2’s art style passes from father to son (Philippa Warr / RockPaperShotgun) "Recently I had the chance to talk to ArenaNet (and thus Guild Wars 2) art director Horia Dociu about his work at the studio. One of the interesting things about his promotion to the role is that he succeeds his father, Daniel."

We’ve been missing a big part of game industry’s digital revolution (Kyle Orland / Ars Technica) "Last year, the Entertainment Software Association's annual "Essential Facts" report suggested that the US game industry generated $16.5 billion in "content" sales annually (excluding hardware and accessories). In this year's report, that number had grown to a whopping $24.5 billion, a nearly 50-percent increase in a span of 12 months. No, video games didn't actually become half again as popular with Americans over the course of 2016. Instead, tracking firm NPD simply updated the way it counts the still-shadowy world of digital game sales."

Warren Spector believes games 'need to be asking bigger questions' (Alex Wawro / Gamasutra) "Gamasutra sat down with Spector at GDC last month to catch up on how the process is going, roughly a year into his full-time gig at OtherSide. It was an interesting conversation, especially if you're at all interested in where games are at these days, where they came from, and what sorts of stories they're best at telling."

A Rare Look Inside Nintendo (Otaku / Game Escape / YouTube) "This clip is an excerpt from the French documentary film "Otaku" by director Jean-Jacques Beineix from 1994. It appeared dubbed on German TV some time later, which is the version you are seeing here. It has, to my knowledge, never been released in English. The subtitles are my own. Content is the intellectual property of the original rights holders."

An Interview With One of Those Hackers Screwing With Your 'Black Ops 2' Games(Patrick Klepek / Waypoint) "He's not there to ruin your stats. He's there to sell you software that'll let you launch a DDOS attack from your Xbox 360. [SIMON'S NOTE: this is crazy - modded Xbox 360s that find other player's IP addresses and can DDOS them?! I had no idea.]"

Put a Face on It: The Aesthetics of Cute (Jenny Jiao Hsia / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC session, Hexecutable's Jenny Jiao Hsia explains why cuteness as an aesthetic may be worth exploring for developers who want to push against current trends in game design."

Proc. Gen. and Pleasant Land | Sir You Are Being Hunted (Robert Seddon / Heterotopias) "It was a perfect rustic idyll, in its way. Perfectly lovely, nestled between the grassy fields. Perfectly quiet, as only dead places can be. Perfectly still, because a player careless enough to create a disturbance might attract the robotic hunters. Big Robot’s Sir You Are Being Hunted had, through the digital governance of its landscape generation algorithms, somehow perfected the British countryside."

How video games were made - part 3: Marketing and Business (Strafefox / YouTube) "In this final chapter we cover the business side and marketing of 8 and 16 bit games. [SIMON'S NOTE: Lots of archival footage in here & SO much work cutting it all together - and the other entries in the 'how video games were made' series look pretty good too!]"

Video Games Are Better Without Stories (Ian Bogost / The Atlantic) "A longstanding dream: Video games will evolve into interactive stories, like the ones that play out fictionally on the Star Trek Holodeck. In this hypothetical future, players could interact with computerized characters as round as those in novels or films, making choices that would influence an ever-evolving plot. [SIMON'S NOTE: lots of responses to this all over the Internet - here's a couple of good ones from the Waypoint folks.]"

'Burnout' Series Creator Talks Remaking Crash Mode for 'Danger Zone' (John Davison / Glixel) "Spend longer than a few minutes talking with fans of driving games about which series they'd love to see revived, and invariably someone will bring up Criterion's Burnout. Unlike contemporaries that were leaning harder into realism and officially-licensed cars as a response to games like Gran Turismo, the first Burnout – released by Acclaim for PlayStation 2 in 2001 – was unapologetically action-focused."

Famitsu Special Report – The Mystery of TOSE (Famitsu / One Million Power) "This is the real story behind TOSE: The game development company that’s been making games for nearly 38 years (since 1979), but hardly any gamers know. [SIMON'S NOTE: Brandon Sheffield covered TOSE for Gamasutra back in 2006, but by and large, they've been PRETTY vague about what they work on - which is fascinating.]"

How Three Kids With No Experience Beat Square And Translated Final Fantasy V Into English (Jason Schreier / Kotaku) "One day in the late 1990s, Myria walked into the Irvine High School computer room and spotted a boy playing Final Fantasy V. There were two unusual things about this. The first was that Final Fantasy V had not actually come out in the United States."

Night in the Woods is Important (HeavyEyed / YouTube) "An analysis of the recently released game - this video contains very minimal spoilers but watch at your own discretion.."

Designing the giant battle royale maps of Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (Alan Bradley / Gamasutra) "For Brendan "Playerunknown" Greene, the creator of Battlegrounds, the vision for his game world was born from extensive experience creating and manipulating environments that direct players to play his games the way he intends them to be played."

All We Have Is Words (Matthew Burns / Magical Wasteland) "Sometimes I give the impression of knowing Japanese, but I really don’t. I have no claim to it. I never made a real study of the language, I don’t know kanji and thus can’t read at all, and even in speech I can’t exchange more than pleasantries or the most rudimentary logistical information. [SIMON'S NOTE: I believe this is a subtle 'subtweet'-style article response to the recent Persona 5 translation furore? Maybe?]"

Changing the Game: What's Next for Anita Sarkeesian (Laura A. Parker / Glixel) "Anita Sarkeesian’s talk at this year’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco falls at an unfortunate time: 10am on the last day of the conference – a Friday. Most attendees – a mix of indie programmers, mainstream publishing teams and media – are still bleary eyed from the night before. And yet, at five-to-ten, the small room on the third floor of the Moscone Convention Center is standing-room only."

The quest to crack and preserve vintage Apple II software (Leigh Alexander and Iain Chambers / The Guardian Podcast) "Why has the quest to hack old Apple II software become the best hope we have of preserving a part of our cultural history? How do these floppy discs – still turning up in their box-loads – shine a light on the educational philosophies of the 80s? And do a new generation of gamers risk losing whole days of their lives by playing these compelling retro games in their browsers?"

Video Games Help Model Brain’s Neurons (Nick Wingfield / New York Times) "Since November, thousands of people have played the game, “Mozak,” which uses common tricks of the medium — points, leveling up and leader boards that publicly rank the performance of players — to crowdsource the creation of three-dimensional models of neurons."

Longtime 'Star Citizen' Backers Want Its New Referral Contest to Die in a Black Hole (Leif Johnson / Motherboard) "Developers of multiplayer video games often host referral programs encouraging existing players to recruit their friends for a boost in cash flow, and in that regard, the new referral contest from Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games isn't much out of the ordinary. The same can't be said of the reactions from the players themselves."

Localization Shenanigans in the Chinese Speaking World (Jung-Sheng Lin / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2017 GDC session, IGDShare's Jung-Sheng Lin discusses a wide variety of possible issues that can arise when undertaking Chinese localization for your game. These problems include grappling simplified vs. traditional Chinese, naming problems, UI & fonts, and China-specific policies that may relate to localization, political implications, and more."

Good Game/Tech/History Youtubers (Phoe / Medium) "[SIMON'S NOTE: this got birthed after a conversation I had with Phoe in the Video Game History Foundation Discord chat - he watches a lot of good retro/interesting YouTube, and there's a number of recommendations in here I was unaware of!]

Red Bull TV - Screenland (Red Bull TV) "Plug into the fresh stories within the world of video games and game design. The personal tales, wild new developments, and unexpected genres shed new light on what gaming means in the world now and what it could mean in the future. [SIMON'S NOTE: this is an entire _season_ of gaming documentaries, including with Frank Cifaldi (Video Game History Foundation), UK cult classic Knightmare, and lots more.]"

Tim Schafer tells the story of Amnesia Fortnight (Philippa Warr / RockPaperShotgun) "“I started feeling a little bogged down by the scope of [Brutal Legend],” says Tim Schafer, founder of Double Fine. “It was really huge and I felt like the team had been doing it for a long time and had a long way to go yet. I felt like they needed a break.” That break was Amnesia Fortnight, a two week game jam during which anyone at the developer can pitch an idea and, if it’s selected, lead a team to turn it from concept to working prototype."

The Signal From Tolva: The Best Game Ever (Matt Lees / Cool Ghosts / YouTube) "New video! Matt dives into a spooky robot world, to talk about some of the cool design aspects of The Signal From Tölva. [SIMON'S NOTE: Can't emphasize enough that Cool Ghosts has some of the best game criticism on YouTube. Please patronize them! (On Patreon, not by talking down to them.)"

-------------------

[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at http://ift.tt/2dUXrva we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to vgdeepcuts@simoncarless.com. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]