#and yeah;the monocle has been around since the first design

[thatonecrookedsmile]

You know, one thing I don't like when I digitally color sketches is that the colors end up looking a little desaturated because of the paper. It doesn't look bad, I guess, but I have to eventually find a way to "fix" it eventually.

Anyway, today marks 6 years since BATIM Chapter 4 was released. Damn. I know I say something similar every time I recognize the passage of time, but it's hard to believe that it's been more than half a decade since this chapter came out. Time passes, I get older, it's crazy! And I wanted to do something to celebrate. I've never been able to do anything to celebrate this chapter's anniversary since 2019. Which is a shame because "Colossal Wonders" is my favorite chapter in BATIM. Some of my favorite moments from this game are in this chapter.

And every year I try to do something to celebrate the anniversary, but I never manage to do it and it sucks! And as usual, what I really wanted to do this year didn't end up happening. I'll probably do it at some point later, but there was no way I could execute the idea I had in mind in such a short amount of time. But I still wanted to post something today, so something small will have to do.

In this case, oh hey! It's Bertie and Lacie! In recent times I've been going back to old designs of mine of the human cast of the Bendy universe, and since CH4's anniversary was coming up, I thought it would be good to update my designs for both Bertrum and Lacie. It's been so long since I last drew them, so it's about time. I liked the general idea of the last versions of them that I did in the past, so I tried to keep those ideas still, in a way, but at the same time giving them new life. Lacie falls more in this case, tbh. Bert still maintains some of the previous idea, but I had to change a few details. He still looks good, tho.

I originally wanted to put Jack Fain here too, because,by all accounts, Jack Fain only came into existence with the release of CH4 and the remasters of the other chapters. As much as you can put him on CH2's anniversary,he, at the end of the day, was only introduced on April 30, 2018. Problem is, I didn't like the drawing I made of him. I don't know, it wasn't that good in my opinion. And I didn't want to redo the drawing again (this would be my third attempt) and I wouldn't have enough time to redo his part. So today we'll just have Bernie and Lacie. Sorry Jack. Maybe next time, when I show my CH2 cast designs in one place.

Once again, happy anniversary to Chapter 4! This is my favorite chapter of the game to date. It includes some of my favorites from the story, it has several surprises that caught me the first time I saw the chapter, it brought new updates to previous chapters that added things that I still like to this day (and this goes especially for CH2) And overall, it's a pretty cool chapter me thinks. 👍

That one day we can hear more from Bertrum and Lacie again.🙏 (Especially Lacie. Seriously, don't you guys think it's wild that Lacie is the only one of the human cast of BATIM who hasn't appeared in practically anything since the first game. Like, yeah, she's mentioned in the Handbook, but other than that, she's not mentioned in nothing else after, whether in games or books. I think about this from time to time. Truly one of the Bendy characters of all time)

[eviclair]

I don’t know if I’ve ever heard of your actual thoughts(tm) on khr, so what’s your constructive review on the series as a whole? Like some positives and negatives w/ the writing, characters, etc. If u don’t feel like answering, feel free to ignore this LOL.

 tl;dr because this is 800 words of nonsense. i think you should know i would not know a constructive review if it bit me in the ass.

my guy i have not done a full read of khr in maybe two years and i know that does not sound like a long time but i have the long-term memory of a fruit fly. please bear with me. luckily for both of us i liveblogged the last time i read so i at least have my own sparknotes jdflaksjddaf

first off! khr is a satire manga!!! i cannot stress this enough, i can and will fight you to the death about this!!! “oh but it gets serious later” it grows a PLOT, thats not the same thing. khr is stupid as hell and that is both on purpose and my favorite thing about it.

i fucking love shonen man!!! its all about FIGHTING and LOVING YOUR FRIENDS and HAVING EMOTIONS and. bro im a water sign. my mars is in gemini, there is nothing i can do about this, god made me and said “get that bitch some found family and also some incredible violence” and we all just have to live with that. 

khr is so much all of those things that i did not realize they were being made fun of until very long after the fact so my current opinions are very much not the ones i started with jaldkhjdfhd but man. once i clued in i both loved it so much more and became 100% incapable of interacting with fandom in any meaningful way L M A O

i just. the main conceit is that theyve weaponized the deus ex machina eleventh-hour shonen power up. the “my dead family came back to life to kill me” trope is used three separate times. the big bad student body president is a delinquent. theres an entire subset of above magic god powers thatre just

the tyl bazooka was just ripping on the Timeskip Arc until the Timeskip Arc actually happened?? like fuuta’s special thing is that he can communicate with the Meta Planet to divine Character Rankings, i dont know what to tell you!!! the truth is out there!!! 

like DO YOU EVEN REMEMBER that time tsuna experienced a villain’s flashback sequence FOR HIM because i fucking do, i think about it every day,

so in the sense of “please critique the writing”, i cant do that because im pretty sure 98% of all the tropey bullshit is by design. do i wish people like the kokuyo gang got more characterization outside of being ride-or-die villain sidekicks?? of course i do but thats my own damn fault for seeing cool side characters and losing all higher brain function. on the other hand, hibari being the person he is and having absolutely no backstory or motivation beyond “get out of my school” is really fucking funny and keeps me warm at night, so. win some, lose some.

(the 2% of the writing that isnt tropey bullshit that i CAN critique is whatever is happening with kyoko. Bad Female Cast is definitely a shonen trope but its a shitty one and i want it to die. within maybe four minutes of kyoko being introduced she tries to body a man and then thats just never spoken about again?? wheres that energy queen?!!! let kyoko say fuck!!!!)

((this applies to haru too in the sense that all she really does is make moon eyes at tsuna but the way in which she does so is honestly so fucking funny and unhinged that it comes back around to being great. like yeah yep yes ma’am thats 100% bonafide Girl Who Throws Skittles In A Puddle And Calls It Potion right there please may i have another))

If khr took itself even 4% more seriously it could be really deep and compelling and i think that frustrates a lot of people, but i think i like it better this way?? half the fun for me is reading in between the lines!! the subtext, however unintentional it may be!!

examples: yamamoto is one of my favorites just because theres SO FUCKING MUCH to unpack about him!! canon gives us a lot of information about him just by virtue of the fact that he’s a Main Character, but paradoxically he himself is never really the focus. he just Does Shit and you have to figure out why on your own and i LOVE DOING THAT.

i dont love mukuro because he’s a fleshed out and nuanced villain, i love him because he says shit like “i went to hell six times” and never expounds upon that or “i can definitely trust the information i got from this magic monocle called Demon Spade’s Super Evil Murder Eye or whatever the fuck” and then expresses surprise when daemon spade is an asshole. he goes and willfully fucks up the only job anyones ever given him (impersonate 80 year old leonardo lippi) because he Just Has to shapeshift into a young hot dude and hand deliver byakuran, the boss of the Flower Family, the Family that names all its members after Flowers, a bouquet that means “i am in disguise ;) cant catch me bitch ;)”

like WHAT THE FUCK!!

i dont know man. i just like puzzles and khr is a gift that keeps giving.

(sidenote that should’ve maybe just been the subject of the post but re:i cant shut the fuck up about anything ever, i love tsuna so much. so much. his personality!! his relationships!!! his growth!!! his growth!!!!! his growth!!!!!!! khr has its claws in me because i see tsuna do something cool or brave or even deeply stupid actually and my whole heart goes AAAAAAAAA bc thats him!!! thats my son!!!!! my baby boy whom ive raised since birth!!!!!! suit me up and call me a reborn kinnie, fuck!!!!!!!!!)

[robbyrobinson]

GODS AWAKEN (PT. 25)

The flutes and other instruments began to blare at full sound. The people of the Boiling Isles spoke to themselves and each other unable to leave the podiums because of Nyarlathotep having his horde of monsters hold them hostage. They glared down at the bank of the large stadium.

After a few seconds, the Emperor arrived on the scene. He clutched his staff in his right hand, attempting to stabilize his walking stance. He turned to speak to the children of the Isles, but a low, suffocating cough rang out from his vocal cords.

“Belos appears to be sick, does he not?” one of the witches noted.

With the life forces of the palismans no longer being enough to stabilize him, Belos was on his last leg. He thought back to when he appointed Lilith to retrieve a special flower for him with which he hoped to stave off his impending doom a little longer. But alas, that flower was a ruse. He searched far and wide for any source of magic to heal him, but his luck was gradually running out. He bowed his head likely mourning the fact that he had no children that could ascend to the throne. The thought always filled his mind ever since he arrived to end the Savage Ages fifty years ago, but he foolishly gave little thought of the future of his empire. He flickered his hand. “If I am going to die, I should at least make it a spectacle.”

He slammed his staff on the ground. “Children of the Isles; the hour has arrived!”

He turned away to lift his mask and slipped two fingers in. With a blow, Warden Wrath and some of his men from the Conformatorium arrived. They had Camila tightly in their grips. She flailed her arms and kicked her legs, but the large, burly men were pinning her in place. Belos trudged over and cupped Camila’s chin and cheeks between his gloved fingers. He then resumed his glare to the audience.

“I present you with the accused!”

Some of the witches and demons recoiled at the appearance of the middle-aged mother before them. “What creature is this?”

They started to toss down vegetables and other objects at Camila in disgust. The food was smearing on Camila’s disheveled uniform that was already wrecked beyond repair. On instinct, she wanted to shield her face from the projectiles, but that was not going to be a luxury for her.

“Yes, yes,” Belos remarked, “she comes from a race of warmongering beings who selfishly kill all in their way to get what they want.” He tilted his head to Warden Wrath to continue.

The warden of the Conformatorium excused himself and ran out the stadium. There was a slight chattering and heaving and remained that way until four of Belos’ goons were pushing a wooden frame. At the top of the wooden device was a sharp blade of rock with some hints of dried blood at the tip of it. At the bottom near the base was a slab of rock through which straps were in place to hold the one sentenced to death. The slab of rock was surrounded by a larger circle now looking more like a gargantuan bullseye.

Warden Wrath returned to Camila’s side and grabbed her by the left arm. She screamed in protest, but her pleas for mercy were being drowned out by the scornful yells of the audience. Approaching the stone slab, it was fixed to have the victim’s limbs lay on. Four small flaps were for the hands and feet, while one was specifically designed for the head.

Camila kicked and thrashed with all her might. A third goon had to intervene to wrestle with Camila’s abdomen. He knelt over the woman, gripping her arms. The strength in his arms was greater in comparison to the mere human woman’s. With little struggling from his end, he took hold of her hands and slammed them in place. Warden Wrath then tightened the straps on her wrists.

The goon then did the same thing to her legs, this time being more careful when dealing with her lower body since she could catch him off guard and hit him. As he approached her neck, Camila spit at his face. A surprised, resounding gasp came from the crowd.

Wiping his helmet, the goon tied the strap around her neck, uncaring at how tightly bound she was. Air was now slowly seeping into Camila’s lungs, enough to keep her conscious, but even then, that was no guarantee. She stared up at the blade that would soon end her life with a swift gash.

A one-eyed, slug monster wearing a gown similar to Emperor Belos arrived. Most of the goons followed after him unaware of the trail of yellow slime he was leaving behind. They fell on themselves eliciting a few snide remarks from the witches. He placed a monocle over his enormous eye. He coughed into his right hand and withdrew a scroll from his other.

“On this day, we have the human woman Camila No-cee-da who had been accused of the most grievous crimes against the Emperor and the Boiling Isles.”

Warden Wrath walked over to a crank outside of the wooden death box and waited for the signal. The slug monster continued to drone on.

“The accused had been declared to be put to death without haste. As she is not one of us, the standard petrification for such crimes will not be enforced.” He pointed at the device restraining the woman. “Instead, the Emperor had envisioned something far worse for her.”

Belos sat down in his throne clutching a couple palismans from the staffs of long departed witches. However, in one of his hands was none other than Owlbert. He pinned the small owl’s back using his thumb and index finger. The bird tried flapping his wings to fly away, but it was futile. At that point, having to absorb the life force of palismans was no longer of use to the Emperor aside from maybe the taste of the magical entities. As such, Belos was going to engorge himself on the palisman in much the same way that a human enjoyed popcorn while watching a movie. He was going to immensely enjoy the spectacle.

Back in Belos’ laboratory, Luz had completely covered the portal machine with the fire glyphs and was waiting by to activate them. The Shoggoth and Amity’s abomination were still violently ripping apart Emperor Belos’ goons as they flooded in to try to overtake the two blob monsters. She saw Hooty was still happily chatting with the lifeless bodies of the goons and drinking tea with them. It disturbed her that Hooty was that scatterbrained to seemingly have little comprehension of his actions, but it was enough for her to accept that Hooty was on their side.

Amity and her older siblings ran into the laboratory. “Luz!”

Luz turned to them and smiled. “Amity! Guys, you’re, okay?”

The twins nodded. “Edric’s going to have to rest for a while,” Emira explained, “thankfully he can still do magic, but we don’t want to overexert him enough already.”

Luz noted this. “You guys might not want to be in here when the portal lights up harder than that one time my Mom let me attend a rock concert>

The Blight siblings looked at each other in abject confusion and mumbled to themselves. Luz smacked her head. “Oh, right...human terms, you wouldn’t get that.”

“In other words, we’ll try to stand back just in case things go horribly wrong,” Emira said.

Luz smiled. “That’s fair.”

Amity twiddled her fingers in deep thought. Luz continued to stare at the portal machine with her back turned. Amity’s heart was beating and she felt she could dig a hole and crawl into it to die, but she just wanted to make some certainty out of the uncertainty of the situation.

“Hey, Luz?”

“Yes, Amity?”

Amity’s cheeks were a tomato red. She turned her glance away from her friend out of an irrational fear at making eye contact. “If...if we survive this...”

Luz looked at the stammering witch girl. “What is it?”

She was stumbling on her words. From a glance, she could see Emira and Edric giving her a thumbs up. She rolled her eyes in annoyance, but it did give her some encouragement.

“If we survive this...will you go out on a date with me?”

There was a stillness in the room, aside from the ceaseless clambering coming from Hooty’s beak. Amity braced herself for the rejection.

“Yeah, sure.”

Amity’s eyes widened. “Re... really?”

Luz smiled. “Yeah, sounds fun.”

Amity looked down at the polish on her fingernails. “I... I’d very much like that.”

“Edric and I are going to keep watch of the door, Mittens,” Emira announced.

Amity’s cheeks blushed again this time out of irritation. “We’ll be outside, Luz,” Amity said.

Luz nodded her hand in a flickering motion. With that, the Blight siblings evacuated the laboratory. Eda and Lilith crossed their arms with a smug grin on their faces.

“So, when are you going to go out with her, Luz?” Eda asked.

Luz grinned. “Maybe next week.”

Luz was too preoccupied with the machine; she did not realize what Amity asked her at first. But it did hit her like a ton of bricks dropping from a two-story window.

“Wait...A DATE!?”

“The verdict has been read out,” the slug monster remarked solemnly. He steadied his glance on the woman strapped before him. “Any last words before the fullest act of the law are enforced?”

Camila only smiled in reply.

The slug turned to Warden Wrath and nodded. Belos’ eyes immediately darted at the crank and then at the blade of solid rock. The Emperor had already ripped his gloved fingers through one of the palismans whilst keeping the struggling Owlbert underneath his other fist.

The warden turned the crank in a counter clockwise fashion making everyone hear the execution device start up. The rock was lifted as high as it could realistically go and towered over the bullseye. The slug man spoke again.

“You will be stabbed through the chest until you’re dead; may the Titan have mercy on your soul.”

The blade could more or less be compared to an archer readying their arrow by bending it backward on the string of its bow to calculate the accuracy. The blade swung down at an inhumanly fast pace like a speeding bullet. Belos bent backward and clutching Owlbert in his hand in anticipation.

Camila looked up at the blade and smirked.

WHAM

The collision sent dirt and rocks into the air obscuring Camila’s impaled body from the audience’s vision. Emperor Belos got out of his seat in curiosity. “Is it done?”

The dust cleared away revealing the condition of the slab. The blade tore its way through the thick stone, but Camila’s broken body was nowhere to be seen. Clearly, the blade struck the middle-aged woman directly where her chest would be, but she was gone.

“How can this be possible,” Belos thought to himself. He scratched his chin. “She could not have escaped that easily unless...”

The slug monster dropped the scroll and, despite being a slow-moving monster, swung around with great speed and somehow produced a small blade from his hands and sliced Warden Wrath’s head off. In the place of blood was a gassy vapor. The slug then ripped into his own body and removed his skin. Underneath him was the Owl Spy.

Belos stood there, stunned. Of course, it wasn’t Camila; it never had been her. Instead, it became crystal clear to the tyrant: the Camila he dragged out of her cell was an illusion. He felt a chill go down his spine.

“Hello, father.”

Turning around, he could see that Camila was holding a lightning glyph on parchment paper. A streak of lightning erupted from the paper and struck Belos in the fast.

The witches gasped in amazement. Belos is blasted across the stadium slamming into a wall. Belos’s chest heaved in small huffs. Standing up, he clutched his face. Probing his orifices, he turned to see that his mask was ripped in half by the lightning spell. Camila covered her mouth to stifle a scream.

Belos possessed dark, black hair on his head and sideburns. Instead of an upper lip, long, slimy tentacles covered his lower lip. Rips in his suit exposed a thick hide of scaly orange skin on his upper body. On his back were a series of unintelligible markings of red and green. Towards the bottom half of his body, he was coated in a red suit of lobster-like armor. Elongated legs roughly the size of an ostrich’s. Around the bottom of his abdomen, there appeared to be a large, gaping mouth and a fleshy organ resembling a human lung.

“What in the world?” Camila finally spoke up.

Belos removed his gloves and showed off elongated, slurping tentacles in the place of fingers topped with bloodshot red suckers. In the palms of his hands, there were underdeveloped maws dripping a purple substance. In fact, purple, inky pus was seeping out of open cuts from his body. More tentacles protruded from his waist encasing his long, jangly legs and had eyes of all sizes staring in every direction. He chuckled.

“Well, this will be more fun than I anticipated.”

[reds-self-ships]

🔍 The Adventure of the Detection Club

Chapter 12: Opening Arguments

Table of Contents & Trigger Warnings

⚠ Chapter Specific Warnings: Contains allusions to spoilers for The Great Ace Attorney 2, as well as passing references made to blood and gore.

The next morning Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey Defendant Lobby

Ryunosuke Naruhodo quickly sorted his way through a stack of papers that made up the official court record for the case, shuffling his way through at such a speed that he looked as though he was certainly doing his best not to drop any.

Redford took a long drink from the flash of cocoa that Iris had specially prepared for him, whilst Susato kept a watch over Ryunosuke.

The door swung open with a loud crash as Sholmes barged his way into the room. “Morning, folks!” he roared.

Ryunosuke gave a yelp as he promptly dropped the pages of the court record across the floor. “Sh-Sholmes! Look at what you made me do!”

“Oh I’m terribly sorry about that Mr. Naruhodo—”

“Just help me pick these up!”

Ryunosuke fell to his knees, along with Sholmes, frantically picking them up and trying to re-organise them, all whilst Ryunosuke swore several oaths under his breath in Japanese.

“Apologies if I sound rude or anything, Susato, but is Ryunosuke always so…‘jumpy’ before a trial like this…?” Redford asked quietly.

“No…well…at least not that I’ve ever seen before…” said Susato, carefully playing with a loop of her hair.

“Me neither,” said Iris. “Normally when he’s a little anxious, his eyes dart around the room like no tomorrow. But this is definitely a new one…”

“Well it explains the way he was acting during breakfast this morning. With the way his eyes were rolling about in his skull, I thought they were going to roll out of his head or something. If I were trying to maintain eye contact with him, I think I’d’ve ended up giving up.”

The bailiff suddenly appeared from the entrance and called: “Now hearing the case of Regina V. Ninate, will all parties please report to courtroom no. 3 immediately!”

Just in time, Ryunosuke managed to get the papers together and get the court record back into its cardboard folder again.

“That’s our cue, Mr. Naruhodo,” said Susato.

“Well, I’ll be cheering you on from the dock. Good luck, you two!” said Redford with a bow.

Sholmes flicked the front rim of his hat. “And likewise, we’ll be cheering you on from the gallery!”

Iris flicked the front of her own forehead. “Good luck, everybody!”

——————————

The judge hit his gavel several times to bring the chattering of the gallery to a close, before clearing his throat and pushing his pince-nez glasses up his nose.

“Court is now in session for the trial of Redford Ninate!” he announced.

“The defence is ready, milord!” exclaimed Ryunosuke with a start.

“The prosecution is more than prepared, milord,” said Abidon, looking over the top of his half-moon glasses.

“And you,” continued the judge, “our six members of the jury, randomly chosen from citizens across the city of London, are you ready?”

The first juror, a young woman with her short and curly brown hair tied up with a red and white spotted handkerchief, rolled up a sleeve and flexed her bicep. “Ready and riveting to go!”

The second juror, a rather frail-looking old man dressed in a black suit and tall top-hat, stroked his sharp triangular chin with a bony hand. “I’m ready to commit the facts of this case to loving memory…kept in the grace of God’s right hand.”

The third juror, a familiar-looking Japanese man in a brown kimono with messy black hair and moustache, with several cats climbing over him, struck various poses. “I! AM! READY! BANZAI!”

The fourth juror, a tall man with black finely-combed hair in a widow’s peak and an aquiline nose, removed a pipe from the pocket of his dressing gown and began to smoke it. “I am ready to perceive the truth behind this case.”

The fifth juror, a man in a black tuxedo, top-hat with a purple band and a matching-coloured waistcoat stroked his moustache after he fiddled with his monocle. “I, the great Horace Velmont, will give everything that I can to this case!”

Finally, the sixth juror, a young girl with a black and white striped sweater, a mask covering the top part of her face and a black knitted cap on her head, said: “Yeah! I’m ready to go, guv’na!”

The judge nodded his head. “Excellent. Prosecutor Abidon, isn’t it?”

“Yes, milord?”

“You may begin with your opening statement.”

Ryunosuke looked around the courtroom nervously.

(It’s been a while since I’ve last been here. I just hope I’m able to get Redford off of these charges…for his sake…)

He looked over to Redford, sat in the defendant’s chair in the dock. And as he did so, Redford winked.

(Oh my heart…!)

“Mr. Naruhodo? Are you sure that you’re OK?” whispered Susato. “You’re looking at Red in the face.”

“Eh—sorry?”

“I said: ‘Are you OK? You’re looking a little red in the face’.”

“Is everything alright, defence?” asked the judge.

“Defence, you are aware that talking over the prosecution whilst it is attempting to make its opening argument is rude, arrogant and something that could lead to you being removed from this courtroom for contempt of court?” said Abidon with a glare. “I’m not sure how you Japanese like to do things, but it is the way we British people do things in this sacred court of law, and it is to be respected and heeded.”

“Sorry!” exclaimed Ryunosuke with a start. “Carry on. As you were…”

(Oh great! A smaller, jumped up, discounted-version of Lord van Zieks…that’s just what we really need right about now…)

“As I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted…” said Abidon as he unfurled a scroll and held it in front of him. “The victim in this case was a Mr. Harris Thomas, a member of the same organisation as the defendant—known as ‘The Detection Club’, an organisation for crime writers to meet and work on their crime novels I believe.

“The victim had been expelled from the club for missed payment of membership fees, and a new member, Dexter Collins, was due to be inaugurated into the club the day before yesterday through a special ceremony. A ceremony that the defendant himself was placed in charge of organising and arranging.

“The defendant arranged ahead of time that he was to meet with the victim to formally inform him of his expulsion at the same time as began these ceremonial preparations. The prosecution, therefore, asserts that the defendant did, with malicious intent and malice of forethought, met with the victim beforehand and killed him unlawfully.

“He did so by hitting him repeatedly over the head with this—” Abidon reached under the prosecution’s bench and took out the alleged murder weapon, holding it high for the benefit of the court. “—this skull, which serves as a mascot for the club, affectionately referred to as ‘Norman’.”

“Oh my! An actual human skull? How frightening!” exclaimed the judge. “Still, how can you assert that it was the defendant who committed this horrifying crime?”

“Because, milord,” replied Abidon, “the defendant was the only one who had a key to this locked room mystery—the only door to the room is several inches thick and designed to be entirely impenetrable, as is the rest of the room. The windows are only able to open a few centimetres in width, and the entire room is located on the third floor of a building on High Window Avenue. And a cursory investigation has proven that there is no way for anybody to hide themselves within the room.”

“Very compelling evidence, I must admit.”

“HOLD IT!”

“If that is the case,” said the second juror, “I believe that we may finally be able to put this matter to rest. Dearly beloved, let us join hands together in prayer to mourn this defendant’s hopeless case. A truly, tragic death, indeed!”

With a knock of his hand against the jury bench, a fireball flew through the air and landed into the “guilty” side of the giant set of scales behind the judge, tilting them towards the right.

(Yikes! Already it’s not looking good!)

“An excellent opening argument indeed, Sir Prosecutor, but not necessarily one that would be enough to force a conviction in my opinion,” said the fourth juror, tenting his fingers together. “However, I would wish to hear more on this matter. It is only whenever we have eliminated every possible lead that we may know for certain what, exactly, has transpired.”

“I am inclined to agree with Juror #4,” said the judge with a nod.

Abidon nodded back in response.

“I acknowledge that particular fact, milord. As such, the prosecution would now like to call its first witnesses to the stand—Detective Athelney Jones of Her Majesty’s Metropolitan Police Service and Dr. Yujin Mikotoba, the police’s current acting chief coroner and medical examiner.”

[its-all-ineffable]

TUA 1x01 Review: ‘We Only See Each Other At Weddings & Funerals’

The opening scene got me hooked immediately! Kudos to the young girl at the pool, she’s absolutely brilliant at conveying a sweet, innocent romance and then the fear of suddenly and unexpectedly giving birth! The girl and guy are a very cute couple, and I kinda wanna know more about them. And the concern that the guy shows when the girl doesn’t surface immediately after she’s jumped in the pool is so sweet. Also, those women in the pool are hilarious! They all scream in horror when they see the girl start to give birth in the pool and the next scene they're crowded around her, patting her hair and holding her hand! I do feel sorry for the girl though - I personally headcannon that she’s Vanya’s mother. They’re in Russia, as we can tell because they’re all speaking Russian, and Vanya is a diminutive form of the Russian (among others) name Ivan. It’s just an idea, but I like it!

Pogo’s VO (though of course, we don’t know it’s Pogo at this time) is nice - he’s got the kind of soothing and authoritative voice that makes you feel like everything’s gonna be okay. Nice bit of exposition too! ‘HE GOT SEVEN OF THEM’ hahahahaha!! Love the overdramatic text on-screen! Also, ‘Picture Book’ by The Kinks fits so nicely in this scene, the lyrics are a beautiful juxtaposition for the ‘family’ that they become and all the actors manage to walk perfectly on the beat. The swinging arms from Reginald though - every inch the pompous idiot we love to hate already! Though the nannies have some pomp and swagger too. Imagine how weird it’d be to see the Monoply man walking down the street followed by 7 women in the same outfit with prams though? The small, ridiculous moments make the series!

The intro to the siblings is one of my favourite moments in the entire series! It’s beautifully acted and edited and the music is perfect. When we see Vanya for the first time, the blue lighting she’s framed adds a sense of melancholy too the scene, and perfectly sets her up as a lonely woman and an outsider. Ahh, Tom Hopper! And his butt scratching! Love Luther’s intro, Vanya still playing the slow, melancholy music, emphasising that he’s lonely too. Bless him. As we move to Diego, bass, guitar and drums join the violin, which I love, as it gives the music a more dangerous and frantic edge to showcase what sort of person Diego is. Also, what a badass rip-off Batman with a Robin mask! Go Diego! Then we have Allison, appearing in that frankly stunning dress! The violin gets a solo her, possibly to emphasise her fame? Love how gorgeous and stylish she is. Those paps get on my nerves though, the fucking assholes. The music switches again, to a more sombre violin melody for Klaus, indicating his BAG of trauma. The music changes are very cleverly done. Also, the “I believe in you! You, not so much.” - instantly my fave!! And his outfit is on point! And, I just noticed that when the clinic worker says “Stay sober.”, Klaus just shakes his head! 

Then we go back to a nice, slow violin solo, indicating loneliness. Poor Luther, stranded on the moon all alone. Though, he’s the only one that finds out about Reginald’s death directly?! The others all find out from the TV, or in Allison’s case, the paps! Who’s the favourite son?! Also, those paps? Twats! Insensitive twats! Ugh! Moving on - love the rock version of ‘The Music of the Night’ that starts playing when Klaus gets resuscitated! It works so well with the scene and his manic attitude. The way he high fives the paramedic makes me laugh every time though! I love Klaus, can you tell? A very solid introduction to Klaus’ character, to all of them in fact. The finish with Vanya’s sad sounding solo is a beautiful end to the scene. Also, when the lights go off and we have the establishing shot of the theatre, Vanya looks so small and alone. I just want to wrap her in a hug and tell her that everything will be okay. The way she says “Dad” as well, so soft and sad, gets me. Bless her tiny heart, she’s so cute! Ellen Page is such a brilliant actress, portraying sadness, loneliness and shyness at the same time. 

The way they show the passage of time through the photographs is really clever - a brilliant idea! The way we see 2 pictures, then suddenly one kid is missing and we get shown the solitary painting of Five, then we see 2 more pictures, after being shown Ben’s statute? Cleverly done, and deepens the mystery of the missing numbers! Moving on again - the house is a brilliant set and so well-designed. Mom’s intro, with her staring into nothing is weird, but we know right from the get go that this is weird. Another mystery! And the actress who plays Mom is so pretty! Just had to say that! Love her outfits too! 

The reunion - when everything starts to go to shit, though of course, we don’t know that yet. The way Allison is cloaked in shadow on the stairs as she comes towards Vanya - like she’s a threat? Very clever. Also, the tone that she says “You’re actually here” in, bitchy much? But, siblings I guess! I don’t know, I don’t have any. The hug is nice though, and Allison makes more of an effort to interact with Vanya than the rest of them. FUCK OFF DIEGO, with you’re “You don’t belong here!” Stop being an asshole to tiny, adorable Ellen Page! The beginning of my dislike for Number 2, I’m afraid. Sorry, Diego fans! Not happy with him atm! Allison sasses him though, go Allison! And the way she re-assures Vanya. Bless! 

Luther, WTF are you doing sneaking around? Hmm. Ah, and here comes the tense brotherly banter between #1 and #2. It’s pretty funny, but you can smell the rivalry a mile away! And Luther, just forget the monocle. Forget it! Jeez! Loving Diego’s sass though, very good at low blows isn’t he? And finally, the famous book - I’d read it! Looks interesting. I kinda want to know what she says in it, don’t you? And there’s Pogo! Is it bad that when I first watched this, I wasn’t even surprised to see a walking, talking monkey reach out to hug Vanya? Welp, I feel like that says something about me. I liked him straight away, he’s so kind to Vanya and his voice is very soothing. I don’t know okay, it just is?! 

The backstory isn’t exactly subtle, the whole “How long has it been since Five disappeared?”, but it works. The whole interaction between Vanya and Pogo, when they talk about Five, makes me so sad for Vanya. The way she said “I used to leave the lights on for him” tells me that they had a pretty close bond before Five up and left, even when I first watched the show. It just made me feel for Vanya’s character more, she’s so sweet and she clearly misses Five a whole lot. 

They all seem to wander round the house a lot, don’t they? Memories I suppose. The flashback scene here cemented my hatred for Reginald, it takes 2 seconds to say goodnight to your kids!! Fucking dick! Also, looking at the kids breaks my heart even more - Ben and Five are looking at Reginald all hopeful, Klaus clearly knows Reginald doesn’t give a shit, leaning against the doorframe with a ‘I don’t care’ expression on his face, Vanya hiding in the background, slightly separate from the rest of them. They break my heart. Great acting from the kids btw! And the way Ben looks back at Reginald, still hoping, and Luther guides him away - aww!

And back to the present - “Where’s the cash Dad?” Klaus!! XD The gigantic, adorable smile Klaus has when he sees Allison, and he immediately goes for a hug is so sweet! I get the feeling that Klaus genuinely cares about his siblings, but he masks a lot of his true feelings. That could be interesting to explore in a fic. The hug is very tense though - Allison recoils from him and awkwardly pats his back - as if she’s too good for him? Clearly not sure how to feel about him. Klaus in this scene is great, and was already my favourite at this point when I first watched. Though Allison does snort at his jokes, so perhaps they were close once? I want more Allison and Klaus interaction is Season 2! They could be an amazing duo! 

And then Luther ruins the moment, with his “Get out of his chair.” Jeez, Luther, lighten up? Also, this is the first time you’ve seen them in years and that’s your opening line? Way to go big boy. I do love Robbie in that cropped shirt though, and the coat is awesome! Allison, I see you laughing at Klaus! I see you! Also - how the hell did that box fit in his trousers?! XD I’ll leave you be Luther, ‘cause you’re taking the piss out of Diego and it’s funny. Though I’m slightly uncomfortable. Allison & Luther stare at each other with so much longing, and I just...ugh! Also, I know this whole Patrick & Claire situation is supposed to make us feel sympathy for Allison, but immediately saying “shit” when you hear that he got custody, like - don’t judge? It could be a good thing? Don’t assume that Allison didn’t do anything wrong. Sorry, just, the bias. And so begins my dislike of Luther!

The tense silence in the sitting room. Family’s, am I right? Also, Klaus steals every scene he’s in, especially in that skirt! “And here we go,” Preach Diego! Here comes the family dysfunction. Also, how does no one laugh at Klaus? Can you imagine how many bloopers there must be? C’mon Netflix, give me! The family dysfunction is strong, though. “Sober up.” - it’s not that fucking simple Luther! There’s a long hard road to sobriety, even after withdrawals, so just shut up and leave Klaus the fuck alone, yeah? You are part of the problem, the reason why Klaus is the way he is. Just...can you tell I dislike Luther a bit? 

And here’s Diego, who I also dislike, but at least he actually addresses Klaus like he’s a PERSON! So, I like him slightly more. And Luther totally suspects Diego of killing their father. None of the other siblings, just Diego. You can see it in his face. “I’m just gonna go an murder mom” I love Klaus so much! XD And the way they all file out while Luther stands there like an idiot...

The whole flashback scene, to the bank, is AMAZING, all the kids are great and its a great way of showcasing all their powers (bar Klaus’) and what they had to experience. Also, we get some Five and Ben content! Yay! Five’s sass immediately endeared me too him. Poor Ben “C’mon Ben”, Jeez Luther, do you ever stop being an ass?! And there’s Kenny’s mom, running out the bank! Poor Ben again, he clearly hates his power and using it. And being covered in all that blood. Also, can we talk about Klaus leaning on Five when they get outside?! And Five lets him?! I want more Klaus and Five in Season 2 as well, pretty please? And then here comes Reginald, telling Vanya she’s not special. Great parenting strategy asshat! Also, “six children”, GET FUCKED REGGIE! That reporter made me laugh though, the “Are you concerned about the welfare of the children?” one. Nope, no he is not. Take them away from him please! 

Those posters, in the hallway outside the bedrooms, fuck, they’re disturbing! G is for gouge? Fuck me. And here we are, the ‘A+L’ locket. Slightly weirded out by it. Also, love the symbolism of the siblings being scattered throughout the house all in different rooms. Shows how fractured they are at the moment. 

AND NEED I SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE MASTERPIECE THAT IS THE DANCE SCENE?!

“Daddy?” Klaus, I can’t even...XD What was with the fire extinguisher as well? Darling, I love you, but really? “Yeah, get behind us!” cough*toxic masculinity*cough! Now is not the time to try and be the alpha male Diego. Also, Klaus seems to have the most common sense - “I vote for running!” - yep, great idea! Common sense, folks, from the super high medium! Five’s entrance is pretty great though, but I’ll just say this - if it was my sibling that I hadn’t seen for 17 years? I’d be hugging him so tight, regardless whether he likes touch or not. Just saying. I like how we have Five falling right back into the family as if he were never gone, as if him being 13 isn’t a big deal, the banter is great. I also like how he doesn’t look at his siblings at all, and then he looks up for the first time since being inside, and it’s to compliment Klaus. Such a small yet sweet moment in the series. Underappreciated, I feel. Five doesn't seem like the type to give compliments often. The “Well you would if you were smarter”!XD 2nd favourite sibling, here we come! This whole kitchen scene was a great setup for the sibling dynamics. 

The elusive Ben is finally mentioned again. Creepy statue though. I love the fact that they all have big black umbrellas, and then there’s Klaus, with his little plastic one with pink trim! Diego again with the impeccable comedic timing “He was a monster”. And Mom is adorable, I love her so much. Here we go with Luther & Diego again, I guess. “Who’s the alpha male? I’m the alpha male!” Jeez. AGAIN? You 2 ever even tried being nice to each other? The fight scene is pretty cool though, the choreography is really well done. I love how we see them act more like a family here too, Vanya pulling Mom back and Klaus shoving Five out the way. Adorable! Allison’s got some deadpan! Like it. Diego, why are you such a dick? Especially to Vanya? She was trying, is trying, and you just...I’m so done with you and Luther. And y’all just gonna leave Klaus out there alone? Nice. Predication...

This training scene, reinforcing how AMAZING Reginald Hargreeves is as a parent! The tattoo scene too. Poor tiny little Klaus and Allison huddled together, and Ben, Luther and Five looking so scared/nervous. The way Vanya is left out - again - and draws her own tat. These poor abused kids guys! I just wanna hug ‘em all! Also, watching your kids sleep? Not creepy at all! And back from the flashback, Vanya leaving because she keeps being treated like crap. You know in nature programmes, when the baby animals bully the runt of the litter out? Yep. Loving the way Pogo is looking out for her though, clearly he cares about her a lot. Better Dad than Reggie! And no one notices she’s gone, that’s nice.

Love the entire kitchen interaction between Five, Klaus, Diego and Allison. Family banter again! Oh wait, they did notice Vanya left, they just didn’t care? Brilliant. Great family. Also, does Diego always need to be such a prick to his sisters? Asshole. Though I like the way he treats Klaus - he lets him hitch a ride despite knowing that he could leave without him, and listens to him more than the others do. Though you can see David trying not to laugh at Rob’s ‘hippo’ line in the scene. God, he seems like so much fun! 

The scene at Griddy’s is just, simply awesome. Love Agnes, she’s so sweet. Five’s fake smile has me in hysterics every time though! The tow truck driver is very nice, buying for a ‘weird kid’ he doesn’t know. The fight scene, again, is perfect, and the juxtaposition of the upbeat tune “Istanbul Not Constantinople” in the background, just...chef’s kiss! Poor Five didn’t get his coffee though. The quest for Five to have a decent cup of coffee begins! Aidan is a phenomenal actor too, absolutely brilliant! Love the tightening of his tie as he walks away, the cocky little shit!XD Poor Agnes.

The intro to Ben is funny, and cleverly placed so that it doesn’t feel forced, it just fits with the story of the episode. Also, Diego’s a dramatic bitch. But he cares about Klaus. So, we’ll see, I guess. A nice little interaction between 2 brother (3, sorry Ben!) that love each other. Nice to have a moment of the siblings being, ‘normal’, for want of a better word. Vanya and Five interaction, yay! “Rapists can cimb” - Five, no!XD Funny, but...Anyway, I like the relationship between these two. The way he comes to her and trusts her the most and lets her touch him and clean his wound. I love it. The flashback to Five hurts, because he really was just a kid then and I feel so maternal about that...I’m not the only one, right? Aidan’s phenomenal acting again. I love the cliff hanger of the world ending in 8 days. Got me hooked. Also, Van’s response is perfect - “I’ll put on a pot of coffee.” I love you Vanya! XD

Alright, I know it was long, but it’s over now. Thanks for reading all of it, if you did. I don’t know when I’ll get around to the 2nd episode, but hopefully it’ll be soon. Hope you all enjoyed my ramblings! x

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Z 195

Great Saiyaman Saga!   Well, that’s how Funimation marketed these episodes in 2001.    I remember buying these on home video because I couldn’t wait to see what happened next after the Cell Games Saga ended, so I’d go to Wal-Mart and blow ten bucks on the edited-for-TV version of the dub.   On VHS.   

Mostly, I wondered who the hell “Great Saiyaman” was supposed to be, and what he had to do with Goku hanging out in the afterlife, which is what these next five episodes are actually about.   Strictly speaking, this story arc is about what’s known as the “Otherworld Tournament”, and it’s a quick filler arc before we pick up on Gohan’s adventures in high school starting in Episode 200.   But Funi called 195-209 the Great Saiyaman Saga, and I’m doing it too.  

So when Goku died during the Cell Games, he got to keep his body, which is an honor reserved for great martial artists who do heroic things like saving planets from bug monsters.    Goku would like to meet the other heroes who’ve been afforded the same honor, because they’ve been training in the afterlife for years, and they must be really strong, and he wants to fight ‘em all.   

As King Kai explains it, they’re all on the Grand Kai Planet, which is ruled by the Grand Kai, who is basically King Kai’s boss.  

There’s a cute scene where Goku keeps asking for directions to get to this place, then running down Snake Way before he remembers he needs more directions.   Finally, he remembers that he can just teleport to King Yemma’s place, which is where they’ll need to go to make the trip to the Grand Kai Planet.

There’s a plane at Yemma’s hat takes dead people to Heaven, but there’s a second, smaller plane that carries people to the Grand Kai Planet.    King Kai is embarassed to be seen dead, but Goku’s too busy looking for the plane to care.

So in the DBZ cosmology, Hell is above the living world, an above that is the yellow cloud layer we see around Snake Way and Yemma’s.   Above that is this big planet where Heaven is, and the Grand Kai Planet is a smaller planet nearby.  Don’t ask me about the sun over there.    They’ll probably get into that in Dragon Ball Super-Duper AF, which will air five years after I’m dead.

The cool thing aout this place is that it’s full of all these dead warriors who got the honor of training on this planet.    It’s basically heaven for Goku, since he can spar with these guys all the time, forever.   

It’s also nice for Toei, because they can recycle old character designs for aliens.   These two guys look like the Shamotians from Movie 8, only they’re diffeent colors.   

And this is one of the Kanassans from the Bardock TV Special. 

And I think these guys might be Metamori, becaue the guy on the right looks like he’s wearing the Fusion Dance costume.   That won’t be introduced properly for a while yet, so maybe it’s just a coincidence, but this the planet where Goku learns the technique, so maybe someone at Toei wanted to foreshadow a little.  

This guy appears to be all-new, though.    Kinda looks like Burter, except for the thing on his face.   

As for the Grand Kai himself, he lives in what looks a lot like the White House.  

He also owns a fancy classic car, and I think King Kai wants to have sex with it.   

Then another King Kai shows up, and he notices the halo and mocks our King Kai for being dead.    So the deal here is that there’s four galaxes in the universe, and each one has a King Kai.   “Our” Kai is the North one, and this new guy with the monocle is the West Kai.   

The North and West Kai’s don’t like each other much, and when they start bragging about how strong their pupils are, they want to settle it right here.   

But then the Grand Kai shows up, and it turns out he’s some sort of party dude.    His voice in the Japanese verson is really off-putting.   He has a really high voice, like someone doing an impression of Father Mulcahey from M*A*S*H.   What I like about the Grand Kai is that he’s what we could have had in Master Roshi if he wasn’t a sex criminal.  

Anyway, the Grand Kai summoned the West Kai and his student, Pikkon, so he could send Pikkon on a mission.    There’s some guy name Cell who just got sent to Hell, and he’s begun to stir up trouble.   Pikkons’ the baddest dude on the Grand Kai Planet, so he seems qualified to handle this situation.  

Here’s a flashback of Cell getting sent to hell.   Basically a cartoon hole opens up under him and he falls right in.    I don’t want to read too much into it, but I’m assuming this is the patented Yemma Lock.  

Oh, also Cell has backup from some guy named Frieza, but the Grand Kai isn’t nearly as worried about that dude, since he’s been in hell for a while now, and hasn’t caused any trouble.  Clearly this Cell person is the true threat, and is markedly superior to Frieza in every way.   The Grand Kai only brought Frieza up just to be thorough.  

Upon hearing this, Goku decides to tag along to give Pikkon a hand, since he thinks Pikkon doesn’t know what he’s getting into.   

Pikkon doesn’t really want the help, but he’s got it.   Down in Hell, everything’s all beat up, and Goku finds Goz and Mez cowering in the bushes.  

Meanwhile, Cell is putting the boots to the other ogres who run Hell.    In the dub, he was interrogating this dude to find a way to escape this place.   But in the Japanese version, he’s making this guy his prison bitch.   

Speaking of prison bitches, here’s King Cold, Frieza, and the Entire Ginyu Force Except for Captain Ginyu.    

Yeah, who is the boss of this place?  Speak up, screw.  

What?   No “and Frieza”?   Looks like someone knows how the pecking order works.  

But he forgot to put some respect on Cell’s name, so Cell tosses this dude into the mountain of needles.   

But Goku saves the dude and he glares at his old enemies, disappointed that they’re still assholes, even after getting killed.  

Oh, hey it’s an anime where Frieza fights Goku again and he has henchmen helping him.   Maybe we should do this again like fifty more times.  No, no you don’t need to, because it’s just fine like this.    And in Movie 12.   

Goku powers up to take out the Ginyus, but he doesn’t turn Super Saiyan, even though he sure looks like one.   As it turns out, this was a production mistake.    As this episode was about to go to air, someone decided that they didn’t want Goku to reveal his Super Saiyan form in front of Pikkon until later.   But this scene where he clobbered the Ginyu Force was already made, so they had to go back and recolor Goku’s hair as a last-minute edit.   

Frieza’s all shocked that Goku could beat them so quickly, but that’s about how quickly he beat them the first time around.    Hell, Guldo was dead before Goku got there the first time.    Why did Frieza bother sending these guys after him in the first place? 

Anyway, Cell tells Frieza not to panic, since beating up the Ginyu Force is penny ante stuff.     He’s the one who killed Goku, so he can take care of this.   

That’s Cell-sama, bitch.

So Cell charges after Goku, who looks a bit awkward as a non-Super Saiyan here.    Maybe he’s getting ready to transform, but before he can--

BAM!

PIKKON

THEME

DOT

EM

PEE

THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Goku’s blown away.    I mean, it took him 190 episoes to take care of these guys, and Pikkon’s giving it all away in a few minutes.  

After dumping all of the bad guys into the bloody pond, Pikkon does some sort of tornado thing to suck them back out, and then he sends them flying into the needle mountain...

And they all end up in a jail cell.   Man, how big a dick do you have to be to wind up in Hell’s jail?  

I often wondered about this filler depiction of hell, but now that I see King Cold describe it, it makes some sense.   They get to walk around in their original bodies, but if they step out of line, Pikkon or someone like him will beat the shit out of them, and they just have to take it.    Sounds like hell to me.

Pikkon and Goku seem to get along better after this adventure, and Goku is thrilled to meet someone this strong.  

I fucking love this episode so much.   Let me try to explain why.

Keisuke “Teeth Guy” Masunaga supervising the animation.    Good good stuff.   

Pikkon’s theme in the dub version.    One of the best tracks in the Faulconer score, ironically reserved for what turned out to be a pretty minor character.   

Cell returns!  I honestly never expected them to bring Cell back, so this was a delightful surprise when I first saw it.   

Pikkon clobbers everyone.   This was just amazing.    None of these old villans are shit anymore, and Pikkon puts them all in their place.   Epic beatdown.    Cell’s my favorite character, and this final humiliation he suffers is one of my favorite Cell moments. 

Goku just being chill about everything.   Is Pikkon stronger than Goku?   Well Goku’s happy to meet a guy like that.   Could Cell cause trouble in the afterlife?  No problem.   The only real gripe Goku has in this episode is that he didn’t get to ride the big fancy plane that goes to Heaven.  

[isla-rosessong]

(My) Character/NPC Update Wishlist!

Hi all!

So Star Stable has been killing it lately with the NPC Updates with the Soul Riders, Andy, Ydris, Maya, and even some shop vendors! I love the new designs so, so, so, SOOOO much- as an artist myself they make me happy :) 

But these updates take time and there are still some citizens of Jorvik in need of one of these new makeovers. And as I ride around Jorvik I can’t help but think to myself when I come across these people “Man, I love you, buuuuttttt...... ..............................

.....

 .....I still love you though!!” XD 

Its because I love these characters that I’d love to see them updated in the near future! So as time goes on and we patiently wait for these character updates, I thought of who I would like to see get redesigned. I’m excited to see either these people or any of the characters get a new do when they happen! Please note these are my opinions (though I know almost everyone wants these characters updated XD ) and be respectful! Also there may be some possible spoilers ahead so keep that in mind if you are not too far in the game! :) 

Let me know what your dream NPC updates are too! I’d love to hear them!

Number 1: This Wonderful Family

I will protect this family. They are such a cute and sweet little bunch living on Paddock Island. They have the prettiest Shires and Clydesdales for sale and one of the best jumping races in my opinion. I would love to see them get an update! Especially because the the little girl kinda creeps me out a little... 

Her face is a little creepy to me....

Why won’t she blink?

That onsie and farm shoe combo is not working for me honey. 

I feel like with an update the Star Stable Team could make her look SOOO adorable!!! And I won’t feel creeped out everytime I talk to her. Did I mention she scares me a little yet? :D

Number 2: The Silverglade Romeo

AKA: Lance

I thought his quest was incredibly cute! I’d love to see a revamp on his design since the neckline of the shirt looks off and his design hasn’t aged well with the new look of the game. I would love to see this guy get an update just because that quest was adorable and he deserves it. 

Plus, I’ve always liked him because I think its cool that they have an NPC sitting on a barrel. Something different. Weird opinion? Why yes, thank you for noticing :)

Number 3: That Lovable Yet Really Bad Postman

Yeah.... the world’s worst postman has not aged well, especially when standing next to the newly updated Soul Riders. His shirt hangs weird on his body and movements are a little stiff which kind of looks off now when he is standing next to the Soul Riders or Evergray. 

As a character from the original Starshine legacy series, one of Anne’s friends, our friendly neighborhood postman, and just as one of the nicest but clumiest characters in SSO, I think the fans would love to see this guy get an update! 

Number 4: The Guy Who Loses Giant Boxes of Saddles.

Srsly Stein- you had one job with the saddles at the Open House. 

Anywho, Stein is that guy who works at Jorvik Stables under Herman. He’s diligent though he gets us to do his chores for him... 

I can’t help but think he would look really good with a makeover and smoother animations especially since his character design is pretty good to begin with. 

Number 5: The Moorland Heir 

Justin Moorland. The first person we meet in SSO and our in game tutorial. Not to mention part of our adventure on Jorvik. But tbh... when I first started playing as a noob I really did not like Justin’s design XD He grew on me and now I imagine Justin as one of Isla’s closest friends. 

Although is has been hinted at the Midsummer Festival that Justin may be getting a new look soon! 

So I feel like this resilient and horse loving dude could use a little makeover to be up to date with the game and story. We love you Justin!! :) 

Number 6: The Trash Bag. 

UGGGGGGGHHHHH. Mr. Kembell is so mean and evil! Sorry dude, but not even a flower crown will help! 

Despite my deep dislike of this guy, and how I think Isla would feel about this monster, I feel like a good antagonist needs a solid villainous appearance. 

Just think how cool the SSO team could make him look! They could REALLY make him evil looking like they have for Darko!

Although I will admit, his shape and some features of him do remind me of a Cog from the old Toontown Online game I used to play. So I get that whole heartless, money obsessed business man vibe from him now because of it. Am I the only one who sees this or Nah? Just me? XD  

Number 7: The Captain. 

This guy has been important to the Keepers of Aideen and in my opinion, just plain awesome. Seriously, I love a random character who you think is not going to be important, and then suddenly is! What can I say? It’s a lovely surprise, because I totally thought he was just some grumpy sea captain who just chilled out in Cape West to give me random side quests. 

But he has not aged well, especially next to the other Druids and such. I have faith that the SSO team would give him a wicked cool makeover! 

Number 8: The Horse. 

They updated Bjorn and Agathe’s horse so why not update the horse next to the Captain? Logic. 

Number 9: The Other Trash Bag

He also hasn’t aged well and doesn’t look as evil in my opinion anymore.  Which is a little sad to me :( 

I would love to see Mr. Sands get a new look in the near future with awesome animations and a new sinister look! 

Number 10: His ex wife!?! DUH DUH DUHHHHH!!!

I love the Baroness. She is so strong. So regal. So resilient. So poised. And has the coolest daughter (Anastasia Silverglade) 

I’d love to see what she would look like updated :)

Number 11: Mr. Fancy Pants. 

I loved this quest- it was hilarious and such a blast! I would love to see this guy get an update (and get an extra fancy outfit that maybe keeps his iconic monocle perhaps?)

The Debatable One:

The Iconic Break Dancing Old Man. 

This is debatable. We all love Jasper and want the best for him like a new look. 

Yet, we all think his break dancing is iconic. Plus that design of his is iconic. I guess I wouldn’t want him updated for a looonnnnggg time. 

I leave this one up to SSO.

And there you go! NPCs I hope get updated in the near future! Let me know which NPCs you want updated soon or dream updated people/places/things around Jorvik you’re hoping for! Is there anything specific for a character design you have in mind? I’d love to hear about it!

Thanks for reading and see you around Jorvik! 

[adleryoung]

"Sire, is it true that U rawk @ teh transmogz?" Angela asked me suddenly.

"Huh?" I replied with all the aplomb befitting a leader.

"Can U transmogrify any1 N2 a different form?" she rephrased.  "Can U make me a real Ixie?"

"But," I spluttered.  "What about the beautiful differences that make you uniquely special?"

"F that," Angela barked.  "I want 2 be normal!!1!  CAN I HAS TRANSMOG PLZ??"

"Very well," I sighed.  "If you're sure that's what you want .. hold still and let me concentrate for a moment .."

I had never actually done it before, but transmogrifying someone else should, in theory, be just like transmogrifying myself - in the same way doing an apport was like doing a Pooka Vanish on something other than oneself.  I placed my hands on Angela's shoulders and visualized her shrinking and becoming an Ixie.

Ethel gasped and stepped back, while P.J. squawked "kill it with fire!"

"Oh dear," I groaned.  In one way I was pleased that it had worked so well, and yet I was mortified that it had worked far less well than I had hoped.  What went wrong?  "I am terribly sorry.  Let me catch my breath, and we can try again."

"SQUEEE," Angela squeaked with delight.  "I LUV IT!!1!!  My new exoskeleton is teh smexx, & teh big floppy wings R totes adorbs!"

"Well, all right then," I shrugged.  "If that look suits you .."

"It suits me 2 a T!" Angela giggled as she fluttered erratically around.  "Look @ me!  I can fly!  Im FREE!!  Ill nevar go back 2 Vulpitania!  U has my undying allegiance!  So Ill tell U what U should due 2 spoof teh Duchess N2 thinking its Vulps Bhind it all."

"You .. changed her," Ethel whispered.

"1st U should use teh battle cry 'Hoch Der Plan' Bcause Vulp command luvs that phrase," Angela continued.  "All field operatives should ware monocles if possible & call each other 'SALV' all teh time.  Also yell about where's my 12 cases of Persoc-Itoome, teh Duchess will no wut that means.  If she sez she delivered, then they respond with 'O yea?  I didnt get any' & she will B confuzzled."

"This is great stuff," I chuckled.  "Minister of Disinformation!  Are you writing all of this down?  As for you, Angela .. there's only one way you could know so much detailed information about Vulpitanian military secrets:  You've been doing some spying on your own!  Great work!  Impressive display of resourcefulness and initiative!  You definitely earned your promotion, and I'm going to go ahead and designate you a Strategic Asset and Logistic Verifier!  You deserve it!"

"O thank U Sire!" the Ixie chirped with glee.

"You completely altered her size and shape," Ethel murmured.

"Yeah," I declared.  "Just like I altered your clothes earlier.  Same magickal principle."

"This seems .. different," Ethel scowled.

"Yeah, well, whatever," I said with an authoritative wave of my hand.  "I have alchemy to do while you lot carry out the first part of the plan."

"What plan?" Ethel asked.

"The battle plan!" I snapped.  "Look, I don't have time to micromanage every little detail.  I've got to steam and prepare a load of exploding powder!  You have Angela's tactical advice and you have Typantronn's wood-devouring pests; it shouldn't be hard to figure out what to do with them!  Oh, and also I want you each to sketch up a design for your uniform."

"Uhmm," P.J. interjected.  "If I'm to be your Minister of Misinformation -"

"Disinformation," I corrected him.

"Wouldn't it make more sense for me to remain incognito?" he continued, unfazed.  "If I just wear my normal clothes, nobody will suspect anything."

"WRONG," I reprimanded.  "As a very important cabinet minister, you must wear a uniform at all times while on duty .. which is all the time.  So design something comfortable as well as eye-catching!"

"Right," Ethel sighed as I stepped into the entrance of the dolmen.  "I guess we should dump the bugs quickly and get out, since our forces are minimal and we need the Duchess to do most of the fighting for us without tipping her off that it is even us in the first place ..."

[xenetala]

The Pirate Mermaid Demo Review

I’d rather wait for the full game to do a review, but I have been waiting for several years for this game to come out and I’d like to generate some excitement around it to try garnering some support for the creators.

*Please note: All credit for the images goes to the Navigame team and their beautiful minds.

**Double note: This contains game play spoilers, but I tried to keep actual story content as spoiler free as humanly possible while still giving a review on the game.

That being said, The Pirate Mermaid is a game in development by @navigame-media and has come quite a ways from the original demo.  I still have the first demo on my computer and love seeing how the art style had progressed as well as the character designs.

To show you what I mean, here is the original opening still:

The above is the original game start screen and below is the revamped one.  You can probably see why I’m excited to see where this game will go. :D  I love when you can see how something progresses through time. 

The newer version is much cleaner and I love some of the character changes. P.S. that Shadow figure you see I’m hoping will be Mimi, but I’ll get to that in a moment. :D

GAME PLAY

The game follows like just about any Renpy Otome game does where it’s a choose your own adventure story setting.  The menus are pretty easy to follow and the skip function is a total life saver for replaying parts.  The basic concept for playing the game is to read through the story and make choices at varying points to control the outcome of the tale.

I left the menu for the game controls up on this (mostly because I like being able to see them) and you can see how there are several options for you during the game play itself.  Many of your choices in this game not only dictate the route you can chose to get the date-able characters, but they also affect the Main Character (MC or the girl you play as) development.

This is one aspect I enjoy very much about this game.  You can customize a few aspects of the MC.  As you can see below, you have the ability to name her (not uncommon, but always a plus) as well as choose the color of your pirate’s mermaid fins.  I was a little sad I couldn’t choose just a straight black tail (black is one of my favorite colors) or a few other colors, but at lease I can coordinate with my mer-outfit (which as we know is just as important).

Being able to customize the MC is something that I really love in this game, but there’s another tidbit that’s just as fun.  You have karma ratings!  As a huge fan of games like Infamous and Fable, I love stuff where you can choose to be good or evil (okay so I just like the option of being an evil person XD) and I’m so excited to see how this plays out in the full story.

The karma rating also adds a fun extra bit to the choices you make.  So, you can choose to romance one of the characters and you can create your own agenda.  I LOVE it. 

You can access your Karma rating at anytime by clicking on the heart icon in the menu options.  This also shows you your affection levels with the romance options (more on these in a bit).  For the demo, after you’ve completed it once you’ll get hits to view which choices will boost which karma type.  This is super helpful for those of us that want to complete EVERY achievement in the game and I’m hoping the full game will have this option open up after a full play through.

That’s really the gist of the game play.  It’s a pretty basic Otome style game and that’s fine. After all, who are we kidding?  We only play Otome games for the cute boys and girls you can dream date. :P

CHARACTERS

This is the best part of any Otome game; the who can I date choices. lol Right now there’s three male options open for dating and I’m hoping they’ll come out with a fourth and maybe fifth (though I know the more date options the more work so if there’s only three I’m still happy).

I’ll start this by introducing the MC a bit.

You play as a pirate girl who is searching for the mermaid’s treasure and are a pretty typical fantasy pirate, but not a typical Otome MC.  For those of you (like me) who detest most of the Otome MCs out there (Voltage Inc this is directed at you!); this one rocks.  For once we have a girl with sass and can hold her own.  She doesn’t need to have this unexpected menagerie of male companions to jump in and save her, she isn’t a super clutz all the time, she isn’t scared of her own shadow, and she isn’t some super dense naive damsel (yes I have issues with MCs).  lol You have no idea how ecstatic I am to play a game with a character that doesn’t make me want to rip my hair out.  Thank you Navigame team!

Next up is your companion pet.

Those of us who are Disney girls, you’ll love this.  What main girl is complete without her trusty animal sidekick?  I don’t really know why, but I love the fact that the MC has a funny pet that goes everywhere with her.  Mostly Jack is your trouble making comic relief, but he does have some moments of extreme usefulness.  Of course like any pirate, this bird is obsessed with shiny objects.

Here is date option number one.

This guy is the sorcerer that turns you into a mermaid. He’s a pretty typical Tsundere type and my second favorite of the boys. He’s got silver hair, magic, and is a bit of a stuck up grump like any good Tsun so he’s alright.  I have yet to learn his name (I’m just going to assume it’s Jack and he never tells you because it’s the name of your parrot), but he’s got a monocle so you can’t go too wrong with him.  I also want his coat.  It’s my favorite part of his character design for sure.

This is romance option number two.

This is the mer-prince Mikali and he’s true to his title. Long blond hair, charming, good manners, super nice, chivalrous, and an all around good guy.  This makes him my absolute least favorite option (I don’t like the sweet, innocent, or good guys).  That being said, as you play through the demo you find he’s got some mysterious power or something about him so there may be potential here yet.  Plus, he does have a pretty character design and I’m curious to see if there’s any correlation to the fact that he wears a necklace similar to the the one MC in mermaid form has.  Personal bias against nice guy options aside, who couldn’t love that luxurious blonde hair of his?  Long haired men for the win. 

The next character in the demo is a cute little maid.

This is Mimi.  She’s not a romance option in the demo (yet, but I’m hoping she becomes one), but you can gain her favor by choosing the right options and she is too adorable not to have some strong pirate take care of her (I know I have double standards here, but sweet and cute non MCs are perfect for the MC to romance).  Though, she does have some spirit once she’s over her shyness so I’d really like to see her character flesh out more.  I’m also hoping that if she’s a romance option, she’s a bonus one you can only get after completing the main story or something (only because I’m a sucker for bonus stuff like that).

And, the best for last.

This amazingly hot set of mer-pixels is Malik (yeah all of the merpeople so far have names starting with ‘M’) and is the entire reason I want this game so badly!  For those of you who know me and know the routes I like, you’ll know what that means. :D  He’s a complete ass and I love it!  You can just never go wrong with a hot headed, in your face, pushy, jerk.  You just can’t. Even since his original character design, this guy has been my ultimate goal for this game and I’m glad he’s in this demo.  Oh.  Did I mention they gave him the best voice in the game?

That’s it for the characters in the demo.  The fact that you have a merman like Malik to romance should be enough for you to go download the demo and take the survey at the end, but I guess if you still need convincing then read on.

STORY

(Yes I know this is vague and doesn’t lay out story points, but I do not want to spoil things even if all we have is a little bit of the story.)

Okay so this is demo and we only get a little slice of the story, but what’s important here is just how engaging that slice of story is.  Not only did I want to see the game play through once, but even with the replays I didn’t use the skip option as much as I normally do (usually skip is my life).  This game spins a tale that really makes you want to read it.

Yeah it’s a pirate and mermaids which let’s face it isn’t that unheard of and it’s like a spin on Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid, but it follows a much more in depth feel.  Between the different romance options alone, you have a complexity that only a choose your own adventure story can give you.  Add to that the karma options and you have the makings of a good tale.  The Little Mermaid is a rather dark tale of unrequited love and though you might be able to go this route in the game, it looks like you could shape up to be an evil queen. :D

As the MC you have a pretty well laid out backstory that you learn early on in the game.  I know treasure obsessed pirate seems really typical, but I like the backstory behind that obsession (I’m also hoping it explains her mermaid form necklace later on) and I like how the game uses that backstory to create a three dimensional character for us to play.

Though the story is really good thus far, I’m really curious to see all of the character’s progression.  The merpeople seem to have a pretty good correlation with each other from their childhood, but I have to know that story.  I am also hoping to see a few more characters pop in.  Not necessarily anything super fleshed out, but it’d be nice to see a guard captain, another maid or two, and a princess or two pop in on a consistent basis.  For one thing, what good romance doesn’t have a good love triangle? ;)

I figure the prince route will have some princess that ends up being your rival, but with the Sorcerer and Malik I don’t see any clear options for some romantic drama.  Not that I’d complain if there was a pretty straight forward conquer/save the kingdom story route instead of a typical romance route (Truthfully I’m not fond of romantic rivals), but considering the fan base for a game like this I’d expect some kind of tension.

Another thing I’d like to see in the story is more with the island that the Sorcerer is living on.  Having Mimi as a possible romance option is great, but I’d also like to see another ‘land path’ option as well.  Maybe a native on the island or some mermaid palace guard who catches you going to the surface one too many times.

That being said, the creators may have stuff like this planned and I have no idea about it because this is just a slice of the story, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to throw my two cents in.

Voices

Having a voice cast in a game always scares me a bit.  Mostly because of all extremely, detestfully, abhorrent, terrible, awful, voice acting choices (The voice actors do their best, but are all too often given the wrong role for their voice) from too many anime companies that end up making their way into games (VIZ, and FUNIMATION I am talking about your battle to see who makes the worst dubs!) I’ve become nervous anytime a game announces a voice cast.  But.  This game did a great job.  I haven’t listened to the Japanese cast, but the English cast is really well matched for the characters.  I was very happily impressed (Okay so I really only cared about Malik’s voice, but that’s not the point here!).

If you still aren’t convinced that you need to go download the demo and take the survey at the end, then perhaps I can tempt you with these few other tidbits in the game.

Chibis

Chibi characters are not something I’m a fan of.  I know in the anime world they are a part of life, but I really fail to see their appeal. :(  Yeah these scenes are kinda cute and at least a little amusing, but they really don’t need to be in chibi form. I get the company appeal to these things since they make easy pop figures (I can’t stand pop figures...), key chains, charms, and other small marketable items for fans, but I still don’t care for ‘em.  I know there are people that adore chibis so if they are your thing, you can rest assured this game will make you happy.

Battle scenes

I had to put that battle scene with Hodge in there. :D I love this place holder for him and only hope he gets eyes and a mouth.  Nothing more.  It just makes me smile to much to see him as a place holder figure. :D

Anyway, there are a few battle scenes and some of them are serious while others are humorous.  There’s not any controls you have like an in RPG, but these are still fun as you can see the battle poses of the MC and characters she’s fighting with/against.

Place holders (this section is more my hopes for the game than actual review)

I actually really like that the crew is drawn this way and I honestly hope they keep them like this.  I feel like the pirate crew is just a means to an end and seeing them as place holders like this just drives the point home that the MC is moving on from them.  Hodge could earn some eyes and a mouth, but i really hope these guys don’t change much.  For some reason the crew just fits best like this.  Maybe it’s because the original demo had the same crew format, but it feels right.

As for the guards, I’m hoping they do have a design for them.  Even if it’s just the same base and only different colored fins or something, I’d rather see some fleshed out guards.  Part of the reason they feel so awkward here is because Mikali and the background are so detailed, yet the guards are just plopped in there.  With the issues MC will run into with the treasury, I think the guards are a more important story plot so I’d like to see them fleshed out (and who doesn’t like merpeople in armor?)

I’m not going to lie, it took me about three play-throughs before I noticed these were place holder maids. DX Even with the detail on Mimi and that background, they don’t feel as out of place as the guards.  Probably because the composition of the image makes it work, but I would like to see another maid or two in the game.

This is another set of placeholders that I like. lol These are the princesses at the party you attend and I am a.o.k. with them staying like this.  Although, I do hope to see at least one with an actual design.  Like the ringleader of the group or something.  The rest can just stay silly little white figures. :D

Now if you still haven’t gone and downloaded the demo, do it right now.  And, don’t forget to take the survey at the end.  Also, go follow @navigame-media to show your support and keep up to date.

P.S. I hope I didn’t give away too much about the game or show more than the creators would like in a review post, but I really, really want to encourage them to keep up with the development.  I know this is a huge undertaking and I feel like this game has some ambitions goals, but I also really, really like it and want more. :D

[930club]

ART BLANCHE: The Women’s March on Washington 

Yesterday, millions around the globe marched in solidarity for women’s rights. Following the flagship march in DC, 9:30 Club hosted an after party with 100% of proceeds benefitting Planned Parenthood. Earlier this week, we caught up with the artist whose iconic imagery came to symbolize the march and the movement.

For many, the Women’s March on Washington represents strength and unity in a time marred by uncertainty and fear. It provides amplification for the voices of countless people who feel that their values have been shouted over for the past year or more.

Per its own mission, the march aims to “send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women's rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.”

For one participant -- Nicole LaRue -- the opportunity to design a logo for the Women’s March provided a head-start on participating in this platform, even if her involvement started as just a small favor for a friend.

Courtesy of Big Monocle

“[Initially,] the Women’s March organizers kind of had their branding all over the place -- just all over the map. When I first learned about the Women’s March it was you know some crazy, neon-y... I don’t know what their branding was,” Nicole explained. “But some woman from Intel -- a gay woman named Teresa Herd -- she thought, I’d really like to get involved with the March and do something about making super visually impactful, so she called on several design agencies.”

One of the agencies that Teresa reached out was Big Monocle, whose founder and CEO, Amy Stellhorn, was Nicole’s friend. Amy, in turn, asked Nicole if she was interested in helping with Big Monocle’s pitch for the March.

For Nicole, her role was “an overnight process, seriously.” When Amy first reached out to her on Facebook, asking if she’d be up for helping out with some branding, Amy also gave Nicole a strict deadline: “We need it today.”

“I was like, ‘Today? You’re messaging me at 11am, what does that mean, today?’” Nicole remembered, laughing. “So by the end of the day I stayed up a little bit late [working on it], but not terribly late because in my mind I was just sort of helping out and it wasn’t going to be any big deal.”

She was a little wrong there; it became kind of a big deal.

Nicole’s design was one of several variations that Amy and Big Monocle submitted, but ended up being the one chosen by the organizers. The logo as we all know it remains pretty close to Nicole’s initial submission, with only a few simple changes.

Courtesy of Nicole LaRue

“We played with a few color options... one of the silhouettes was a bit more pink so we kind of kneaded it a bit. And the ‘W’ in ‘Women’s March’ we changed, it [originally] had a cross in the middle. We changed it -- just a tiny little thing. That’s pretty much [it].”

“From there we just made a whole mess of products and posters and banners and social. Media icons and things like that. And then I got to design some extra merchandise… the ‘Wild Feminist’ tshirts and ‘Girl Almighty’ posters and they’re going to have bags and buttons and stickers and things like that. 

One of the most pleasant surprises for Nicole, and something she calls “surreal,” has been the growth that the march has taken on since she became involved.

“I think it took a bit of doing for it to gain traction, and I actually honestly think that getting the branding out there was [helpful.] It just created some crazy movement that I don’t know that anybody really expected -- you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said. “[And then] suddenly Amy Schumer posts the logo on her Instagram and just crazy things, and you think, ‘Ok this is going to be real now… it’s gaining some traction.’”

“I’ve never done something that’s been so visually big. I mean I’ve done some awesome projects and had some really rad clients. But this just seems -- I dunno it’s kinda twofold, right? It’s like yeah Amy Schumer, and actually Saturday Night Live totally joked about the logo on Saturday Night Live, saying like, ‘Of course the white woman’s in front’ and then kinda like ‘Oh I’m sure we’re going to get some flak for that.’ But for me that’s awesome press, I couldn’t care less if they’re joking about it.”

Courtesy of Nicole LaRue

Looking back, Nicole wonders how different her work would have been had she realized how big the march would become. One day is not a lot of time for a project in the world of graphic design, and in hindsight, maybe being so rushed and somewhat nonchalant about her initial design worked to her advantage.

“Maybe it works out better that way, I dunno. In hindsight you can say that you didn’t have a chance to just overthink it. And it’s just a fairly simple, iconic logo. It could’ve been a really stressful and difficult process and for me it was just sort of like, ‘Ok here’s what I’ve got, this is all I can offer’ and that’s great.”

Despite not being from the DC area, Nicole is in town for the march and is staying with a friend she hasn’t seen in years who offered up a place to crash.

“A lot of people are being awesome like that, lending their space.”

Still marveling at the whole experience, she seems hopeful about the march and the voice it can provide.

“I’ve never been any kind of patriot to America, I’ve never felt any sense of ‘This is my country’ and yet this, for me, is a bit of a turning point,” Nicole explained. “I just think that right now we need a bigger voice than ever -- a much bigger voice than ever. And to be a little part of that, it’s kind of exciting. I’ve never had the chance to be a part of something so big.” 

“Since I don’t have this crazy ability with words, graphics is what I got, and I think that’s nice... nice right now.”

-Dylan Singleton