#collection spotlight

[fantastickkay]

Collection Spotlight: Spice Girls CD Singles (1997)

Just a couple of Spice Girls CD singles that I have picked up over the years. The B-sides bumper to bumper and spice invader are really fun and I love the cover photos! Honestly, I am in love with all Spice Girls photoshoots. They were my first experience with fun fashion!

[wangxianficrecs]

How To...

WangxianFicRecs wouldn't work without your recs!

Some general things:

Be respectful of all kinds of followers with your language.

The fic itself can be as raunchy and problematic as you like: WangxianFicRecs respects all different tastes.

You may also rec any MDZS ship, you’re not limited to Wangxian. Crossover fics are also welcome!

It does not matter whether the story is old or new, completed or a WIP. I obviously cannot read all stories on AO3, so this your chance to rec a story!

How to:

Make a Follower Rec: Have you read an amazing fic that you want to share? Submit an ask! Make sure to include the title/author or AO3 works/number and a few words about what is great about the story.

Share a story for the Proud Author Spotlight: Have you written a story that you want to share with others? Submit an ask! Make sure to include the title/author or AO3 works/numbers and share why you think others might enjoy your story.

Boost a Fandom Event: Do you want more people to know about a Big Bang, Fic Exchange, Charity Auction, Art Exchange, Podfic Challenge etc. basically anything that’s about the community (rather than on an individual level)? Submit an ask! Make sure to share the details or point to an info post as well, so it can be linked!

Share a Cherished Collection: Is there an AO3 collection you want more people to know about? Submit an ask! To make sure we got the right collection, either link it or add the unique collection name (found in the URL or in brackets in the profile of the collection). Make sure to include why you want to shout-out the collection!

~*~

Want to leaf through our recs? Make sure to check out our Tag Page!

Or do you want to find a Specific Fic or a Non-Specific Fic? @wangxianficfinder is the right place for you! Their Fic Finder and In the Mood for a Fic posts are extremely helpful. You can read how to ask here. They also have Fic Compilations that you might want to check out.

Happy reading!

~Kay

[vaggieslefteye]

Appreciating Hazbin Hotel's Cinematography ↳ ꜱᴛᴀʏᴇᴅ ɢᴏɴᴇ from 1x02 - "Radio Killed The Video Star" (2/3) - Alastor's segment

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[barbielore]

Continuing with the idea of doing more posts spotlighting various designers behind different dolls, I thought I'd talk about Joyce Chen.

She shares her name with a restauranteur and chef, but this particular Joyce Chen is an alumnus of Otis College of Art and Design alongside fellow Mattel designers Carlyle Nuera and Javier Maebe.

Chen has been a Senior Designer at Mattel since 2015. Her name may be familiar because she has been the designer behind the annual Lunar New Year releases since 2021.

As well as her being credited as the designer on the Kansas Chief Super Bowl Championship Barbies from last year.

In an alumni news spotlight for Otis College, she identified that she realised she had a passion for specifically doll design during a summer internship and was gunning to return to Mattel on graduation; she started with a temporary contract for a Disney Princess collection in 2014 before acquiring her long-term work with them as a designer.

Her involvement with dolls like the Lunar New Year releases and collaboration with designers like Guo Pei have given her the opportunity to draw from her cultural experience, and she is quoted in that same article as follows:

"I love seeing the continued growth of diversity and representation in dolls, and hope that one day every person in the world can find a doll they connect with."

[acquired-stardust]

Game Spotlight #16: Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories (2000)

Just in time to celebrate its upcoming release as part of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Early Years compilation, Ash takes a look at the very first title in the series released in the west with Dark Duel Stories, a quirky little game that remains surprisingly playable to this day. Come take a quick look at the game to know what you're in for when The Early Years releases later this year!

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a series that Larsa and I have a lot of affection and nostalgia for. Once upon a time we were even avid players of the physical card game (Larsa to much greater competitive success than I), and we've kept up with the series in all its various forms for most of our lives now. Binging the notoriously campy and hilarious English dub of the anime together was one of the first things we did as a couple, and when we started Acquired-Stardust it was a no-brainer to create some content in tribute to the series. That content even went on to become some of our most popular posts, so the series holds a special place in our hearts as well as in the history of the blog.

It's a fascinating series that has taken on a lot of different forms throughout the years and you might be surprised to learn that the iconic physical card game, now mostly known for its incredibly long first-turn combo plays that determine who wins and loses before you're even able to do much playing, wasn't even the original hook of the series. Yu-Gi-Oh! began life as a manga by the late Kazuki Takahashi, the story of a high school boy possessed by an ancient spirit that would punish Domino City's many bullies and thugs through the power of Shadow Games, dishing out Twilight Zone-esque ironic punishments to them, with the signature card game the series is so synonymous with only being played a total of twice in the first 60 chapters before becoming the main focus with the Duelest Kingdom arc which the anime most western fans are familiar is based on. It was a shockingly dark and violent manga especially compared to the camp that the series is more well known for.

Just as well, the physical real-world card game itself has undergone radical shifts in mechanics and formats over the years since its 1999 introduction, and the result is a series that means something different to everyone. If you poll a hundred people, odds are they'll all have a different bit of the franchise as their favorite and consider a different era to be its peak. Larsa and I are personally most fond of the early years of the series, and so playing some of the video games set in that awkward 'wild west, anything goes' time when they were learning and experimenting with exactly what they wanted the card game to be was a pretty intriguing prospect.

And make no mistake about it - Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories is very much in that early feeling-out period. So early in fact it released a mere two days before the Playstation classic Forbidden Memories and eleven days after the debut of the physical card game in America. Dark Duel Stories may have been the first Yu-Gi-Oh! game released in the west, but it's actually the third game in a Gameboy-specific series of Yu-Gi-Oh! titles (and has had its name swapped with its predecessor - whereas Dark Duel Stories is the name of the second title in Japan, this game was originally titled Tri-Holy God Advent in Japan). This series follows what I'll be calling the Gameboy Format for the game for the purpose of this piece, and for the most part it faithfully recreates the base mechanics of the physical card game (which we're assuming you have at least some level of familiarity with, but if not actually playing Dark Duel Stories yourself is a fine way to learn) with a number of key differences.

The first important difference in the Gameboy Format is its de-emphasis, but not total elimination, of Effect Monsters, Traps and Magic cards. Decks consist of a mandatory total of 40 cards, each with their own cost and level limit associated with them. Monster cards will make up the bulk of decks due to their low costs compared to the very costly Magic and Trap cards, necessitating clever usage of the game's largely weak lineup of Monster cards. Facilitating this is the biggest key difference between the traditional physical card game and the Gameboy Format in the much larger emphasis it places on the elemental typing of Monster cards, more inspired by the original manga's version of the card game. Each monster card in the game has an element associated with it (a total of eleven elements exist in the game), with the elements following a rock-paper-scissors sort of mechanic not unlike Pokemon that sees elements strong against one another (such as Water being strong against Fire) be able to inflict increased damage on their opposing element. Unlike Pokemon however, Yu-Gi-Oh's Gameboy Format sees Monster cards of an element weak to its diametrically opposed element outright destroyed before inflicting any potential lifepoint damage to players.

While this can (and will) lead to asinine scenarios in which the iconic Blue Eyes White Dragon card is destroyed by the meager Kuriboh, it adds an interesting layer of strategy to the game that goes beyond simply loading decks with the most powerful cards obtainable. It also stands in stark contrast to the physical card game in which setting up unbeatable scenarios with very little counterplay outside of hyper-specific scenarios on the first turn has become a hallmark.

Another aspect of the Gameboy Format that differs from the physical card game is the lack of Polymerization, a Magic card that enables the fusion of Monsters into a new and more powerful creature. While the Polymerization card is missing the fusion mechanic itself remains, relegated to an entirely unexplained process in which the player can attempt to combine any two monsters to potentially result in a successful fusion with getting the formula incorrect resulting in the first card being replaced by the second. It's small touches like this and the unique elemental system that promote a lot of experimentation and make sure that every Monster card has a potential use regardless of how weak they are statistically.

Players are given a deck of cards to start with and tasked with defeating three tiers of opponents, all of whom being an iconic characters from the manga and anime, five times each. Defeating opponents will earn the player more cards and card parts (more on this in a moment), as well as raising the deck level and cost limitations imposed on the player slowly but surely. There are a total of 800 obtainable cards in the game which can also be acquired through the usage of the Password system that allows players to add one of each card to their collection through entering the corresponding password associated with them. The Password system also allows players to unlock the game's hidden bosses as well as enabling additional post-duel drops indefinitely.

The game's main hook is its allowing of the player to create custom cards through combination of obtained card parts, with players able to combine top and bottom halves of original Monster cards in all sorts of ways that change their attack and defense values, elements, names and appearances. It's a small gimmick that the player is not necessarily required to interact with by any means but does help immerse you in the series by allowing you to create your own unique signature cards.

The end result of Dark Duel Stories' gameplay loop and format is a game that is perfectly suited for its handheld platform in all the best and worst ways. Its small, almost bite-sized duels go by rather quickly and painlessly but obtaining cards without the use of Passwords is a grind-heavy experience that leaves the player completely at the mercy of random chance. The costs associated with constructing decks can feel stifling at first but forces you to engage with the game and appreciate some of its eccentricities like the elemental system, and makes finally being able to include higher-value cards feel like the major upgrade in power that it really is.

It's a perfect fit with the Gameboy Color that allows you to sink however much time you want into it, grinding away to raise your level and cost limits or obtain cards on long road trips or just spending a few minutes beating Joey Wheeler or Seto Kaiba one more time.

Another strong aspect of the game is its art, faithfully adapting 800 cards from the game's early era to the Gameboy Color with a lot of success. Opposing duelists are also particularly strongly adapted, including a lot of (but unfortunately not all) the iconic characters one would expect to find in the game in impressive detail all without an over-reliance on digitizing existing artwork from the manga's original artist. The beautiful pixel art splash screens after selecting an opponent hold up extremely well and have my vote for some of the best visuals on the platform.

Not quite as strong is the sound, with songs being inoffensive and not super memorable but certainly serviceable - you won't be muting the game to protect your ears or anything, but turning on your own music instead might help with some of the grind if you're wanting to invest bigger chunks of time into obtaining Dark Duel Stories' large amount of cards or raising the limits imposed on your deck.

A small touch I greatly appreciated was the lack of manual saving, with Dark Duel Stories featuring a reliable autosave that happens after every duel, making rematching or putting the game down both a painless experience. One particular annoyance is the lack of a search function in the card library, so it's helpful to keep a guide on hand to reference individual card numbers you might be looking for rather than having to scroll through 800 cards manually.

While it's not a perfect game by any means, Dark Duel Stories remains a very fun and addictive time capsule of an era of the game now decades past and comes at an extremely early point in the existence of the physical card game and series at large. There's a lot of charm and a deceptive amount of depth to hook new and old players alike, and the gameplay remains smooth and fast all these years later despite obvious platform limitations.

It even allows players to link two Gameboy systems to duel or trade, though this will be less attractive a feature to people playing the game via emulation on PC which typically lacks the capabilities necessary for multiplayer functions. Original manga author Kazuki Takahashi constantly designed little games that appeared in the backs of compiled volumes of the manga, most often played with dice, and it's not surprising that he'd also come up with a very fun card game too even if this wasn't exactly the format we'd come to know in the years after the release of Dark Duel Stories.

A gem hidden among the stones, Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories is undoubtedly stardust.

-- Ash

[skullislandproductions]

In the 90s I had the opportunity to participate in “The Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection” for Goebel. I, along with Tim Cahill, initially provided sketches of famous Looney Tunes moments, to the sculptors, in this case the talented Chris Peterson. It was fun to see the figures develop into these 3D forms.

[andaniellight]

You may be cool but you'll never be as cool let alone cooler than this Sky Kid who dove into the glaring red spotlight to distract the Krill targeting another dying Sky Kid trying so hard to get away from it while rapidly losing lights, like, ever.... I can guarantee you

[fragmentsforms]

[wintrii-shadows]

so that's all the kandi I have right now that's for me in no particular order. um. i'm sane what do you mean

the zoidberg one was bc my brother said it'd be funny to show to my science teacher so hehe seven eleven is one of my nicknames now the green w is for weezer and is part of a friendship bracelet set I have with three others the stars on the very right,, two of those are for charlie and niffty :3 got some kin bracelets n stuff in there too nuzi and dizzy bracelets + stars

OH MY GOD I FORGOT TWO OF THE BRACELETS. welp too bad I guess..

[freshthoughts2020]

[fantastickkay]

Collection Spotlight: Selena - Amor Prohibido (2024 Target Exclusive Pink Repress)

Amor Prohibido is one of my favorite albums of all-time (2nd only to a recent Spotlight, Britney). I have been dying for a vinyl repress for years and finally we get it with the 30th anniversary!! I opted for the gorgeous Target version. It came with a poster and I love how they did the "picture-in-picture" thing they used to do with her 90s posters. I really do wish they would recreate their 90s merch!! Her tour shirts looked like so much fun! Anyway, while this release is breathtakingly beautiful and I am so happy to hold it in my hands as a vinyl, they did make some questionable choices when it came to remastering the songs. There are small instrumental moments here and there that were not present in the original album, and the vocals on Cobarde sound pitched up for some reason? I might not choose to play this one over the CD, but at least I can display this on my vinyl shelf now :)

[felassan]

.

[barbielore]

I've been thinking a lot, I've done a lot of posts about collectors edition Barbies wherein I have mentioned certain designers, or even mentioned how certain designers have really distinctive styles, but I haven't ever gone into particular detail about the people behind the Barbies.

So... this post is about Angel Kent.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Angel Kent (@angeldreamzcometrue)

Angel Kent is a Mattel designer I've mentioned a few times on the blog so far; for example, in conjunction with his having designed the Pink Premiere Barbie or the 2023 NBDCC doll, Winter Fantasy.

One of his more interesting design credits was for the Flight of Fashion doll.

A little backstory on this doll; in 2019, Mattel did a Doll Design Showdown, where fans voted on four design concepts, then two. Flight of Fashion was the final winner. You might be thinking that this was pitting four designers against each other for an opportunity to be recognized - but no. All four designs were Angel Kent.

A Q&A explained that this was to bring light to Kent as a "previously unheralded creative" and gave him the opportunity to share his story.

In that Q&A he explained that he had interned with Mattel in 2016 and officially joined them as a designer in 2017, working on projects such as the Dreamtopia Colour Magic Mermaid.

Appropriate, because apparently his childhood favourite Barbie was a mermaid too.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Angel Kent (@angeldreamzcometrue)

[ultipoter]

My works in October's Magma event hosted by @choochooboss, Pasio Glamour Fest! The dress up/sygna suit prompt for this event was so perfect for me, I do love dressing Volo up.

Did you know? I actually have to draw Volo at fixed intervals, else I shrivel up like a wilted flower. Fucked up, but true!

[bassguitarinablackt-shirt]

NEW THEME NEW THEME NEW THEME IRS SO PRETTY YIURE SO SUNSHINE

DIDJDHKSJSHSISJSJKSKSOSUSJ THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU IM ACTUALLY SO PROUD OF IT I LOVE IT SM

[haveamagicalday]

Battle of the Barbies! Round 1: Vintage (Sub Round 3)

We are entering Sub Round 3 of Round 1: Vintage Barbies! I'll give you two Barbies and you have to pick which one is better. By the end we will have determined the best Barbie of them all.

This is round 1 (sub round 3) of the bracket. All other polls in can be found here.