#for various purposes involving holograms...... which i will be making......

[aurosoul]

I had a dream that I got my Magic Leap headset and then took it to a forest to create magical crystals and rainbows in the streams there and then I took it to the beach to decorate the sand with glowing shells and stars!!!!!!! and then woke up to realize I’ll soon be able to do these things FOR REAL!!!!!!!

[shamandrummer]

The Key Aspects of Shamanic Drumming

Shamanic drumming is a traditional practice used in various Indigenous and shamanic cultures around the world. It involves rhythmic drumming to achieve a range of ecstatic trance states in order to promote healing, gain insight, and communicate with the spiritual dimension of reality. Ecstasy is defined as a mystic, prophetic, or poetic trance. It is a trance-like state of exaltation in which the mind is fixed on what it contemplates or conceives. The drum serves as a concentration device, enhancing one's capacity to focus attention inward. It stills the incessant chatter of the mind, enabling one to enter a subtle or light-trance state. One of the core beliefs of shamanism is that innate wisdom and guidance can be accessed through the inner senses in ecstatic trance. Practitioners enter altered states of consciousness to experience direct revelation from within. Here are some key aspects of shamanic drumming:

Purpose: The primary purpose of shamanic drumming is to facilitate communication with the inner self and the spiritual realm. It is often used in rituals, ceremonies, and healing practices. A key objective of shamanic ritual is to engage the spirit world to effect specific changes in the physical world. The material and spiritual worlds interact continuously, and a shamanic practitioner can gain knowledge about how to alter physical reality by taking direct action in the spiritual aspect of the world. From a shamanic perspective, all human experience is self-generated because the entire universe exists within human consciousness. Each human being is a hologram of the universe. Essentially, we are the universe experiencing itself in human form.

Technique: Practiced in diverse cultures around the planet, this drum method is strikingly similar the world over. Shamanic drumming uses a repetitive rhythm that begins slowly and then gradually builds in intensity to a tempo of three to seven beats per second. The ascending tempo will induce light to deep trance states, and facilitate the shamanic techniques of journeying, shapeshifting, and soul retrieval. Practitioners may progress through a series of trance states until they reach the level that is necessary for healing to occur. When ready to exit the trance state, the practitioner simply slows the tempo of drumming, drawing consciousness back to normal.

Instruments: One of the most useful drums for shamanic work is the hand or frame drum. Its resonance and versatility make it my drum of preference. Such drums are portable, affordable, and easy to play. They can easily be held in one hand, leaving the other hand free to stroke the drum. Though I highly recommend frame drums, any type of drum may be used in shamanic drumming. There is a myriad of styles and drum types to choose from. Congas, doumbeks, djembes, ashikos, tablas, and timbales are but a few of the drum types readily available. In selecting a suitable drum, play several and listen for the drum that calls to you. You will know it by its voice. It will strike a deep chord within you.

Experience: During shamanic drumming, practitioners often report experiencing visions, connecting with spirit guides or power animals, and gaining insight or guidance. Ecstatic trance is not always what many people anticipate it to be, and sometimes there may be doubt that anything at all takes place. There are, however, some key indicators that confirm a transcendent state of consciousness. Once you enter a trance state, the rhythm or sound of the drum tends to change. The drumbeat may appear to speed up or slow down while the sound may grow louder, softer or disappear. You may experience a change in body temperature, feel energy flowing through your body, or find yourself twitching, swaying or rocking. It is not uncommon to hear sounds or voices. You may even smell specific aromas. You may see colorful patterns, symbolic images or dreamlike visions. Some people may find that they have a highly developed inner vision, whereas others may rely more on an inner voice of insight or an inner feeling of certainty. Be prepared to experience ecstatic trance with any of your senses. The key is to observe whatever happens without trying to analyze the experience.

Cultural Significance: Shamanic drums have a rich historical and cultural significance, evidenced by their use in archaeological sites worldwide. The rituals of the earliest known religions evolved around the beat of the frame drum, which originated in Siberia, together with shamanism itself thousands of years ago. Shamanic drumming is an integral part of many Indigenous cultures around the world, including those of Siberian, Mongolian and European peoples. The history of shamanic drumming in Europe is rich and varied, spanning back thousands of years. Various European cultures, such as the Celtic, Viking, Germanic, and Sami people practiced shamanism, which involved connecting with the spiritual realms through drumming, chanting, and other rituals. Shamans in diverse cultures around the world used drums as a tool for trance induction and journeying to commune with spirits, seek guidance, and perform healing ceremonies to accompany life and death.

Modern Use: Today, shamanic drumming is also used in various contemporary spiritual and therapeutic practices to promote relaxation, self-discovery, and personal growth. Practitioners have found innovative ways to incorporate shamanic drumming into various healing modalities, while still honoring the traditional techniques. One notable adaptation is the use of shamanic drumming in sound therapy. This application harnesses the sound vibrations of the drum to induce deep relaxation and promote healing on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels. Another modern interpretation involves integrating shamanic drumming into mindfulness practices. Here, the drum serves as a tool for grounding, focusing attention, and achieving a meditative state of nonjudgmental awareness of what's happening in the present moment. Mindfulness has gained widespread popularity as a means to reduce stress, increase self-awareness, and enhance mental well-being. Shamanic drumming continues to offer today what it has offered for thousands of years: namely, a simple and effective technique for affecting states of mind.

[fioandfriends]

Okay, everyone! To start things off here, I'll create a master post just giving a brief rundown of the setting most of my characters are written for and a brief intro to each of my characters. I'll update it as I add new characters to my slowly-increasing roster! Most images here will all be photoshops/edits of official Pokemon artwork as a form of crude reference as I have no ability to properly draw or paint, but using various selection tools, color pickers, and different brush options allow you to get surprisingly far.

The Setting: So to keep the setting as simple as possible, my friend's setting is a sort of PMD-like society that takes place in parallel to (and frequently in conflict with) human society in the Pokemon setting. Pokemon living in these little pockets of society, known as Bastions, are sentient and live complex lives very similar to their human counterparts. They make art and music, cook gourmet meals, wear clothing for both practical and fashion purposes, have complex political systems and social safety nets and resources to accommodate all different types of pokemon with different modes of locomotion and physiological needs. While they don't have complex technology in the way Human society does (they refuse to use it, mostly), sentient Pokemon are able to use magic to create similar effects (thus "radio" stones, messages stored as holograms, enchanted blankets that heat themselves, etc.). The various Bastions (and cultural towns, in the case of destroyed Bastions) in this world also often take after the same cultural influences of the Pokemon Regions they are from, so Pokemon will have various cultural backgrounds (Azalean/Japanese, Santalune/French, etc.) similar to that of real-world cultures.

Pathwalking

In this setting, there is also a semi-spiritual practice known as Pathwalking, which is a sort of combination spiritual practice, form of self-expression, and method of self-improvement and learning useful skills and abilities. Paths are based on either mono- or dual-type combinations, with each type representing a broad category of different ideas and themes, depending on the specific pairing of types. Paths involve meditation, whose method is specific to each path, and each path teaches different ideals that can be broadly interpreted and applied in different ways that may best fit any given individual. Paths give Pokemon who practice them access to moves, abilities and new skills, some unique to that specific path. When a Pokemon completes a Path, they can choose to permanently add to (if mono-type) or replace (if dual-type) one of their current types with one of the Path's types. Changing types can affect a Pokemon's physiology, which I will get into in a moment. Alternatively, if the Pokemon chooses to not permanently take either of the Path's types, they get the ability to briefly change to the Path's type combo once per day. It is common for Pokemon to walk multiple Paths in their life, though they tend to identify with one of them the most.

Physiology

In the Bastions, Pokemon tend to be exceptionally varied. Typically, Bastion Pokemon will have a primary species, which can be from either parent, taking on the typing, abilities and natural movelist of that species, but take on traits from their other parent's species such as fangs, horns, coloration/pattern changes, scales, feathers, and all sorts of other things. Further, when Pokemon change type via Pathwalking (permanently or temporarily), this can further affect their body. Changing to Grass type will cause them to sprout leaves, vines, or flowers, changing to Rock type will turn their hide to stone, changing to Fire type would increase their base body temperature and maybe they sprout natural flames from their bodies. Okay! That was a bit long-winded but that's all you need to know as a baseline for the setting to fully understand anything I might talk about with my OCs here! I'll be Re-Blogging this once for each character of mine and will try to keep the most up-to-date version of this post pinned on my Blog for easy access!

[c-grace]

Who's ready for some theories for hzd/hfw????

Cause boy oh boy, do I got a LOT.

Some of them, you may have heard them before but I kinda just figured it now cause I only got the game this year.

Who knows? I may or may not be right, I just wanna share my theories.

Okay so, let's get started with the first one I've got, which is Sylens's involvement in Horizon Forbidden West and why he has captured HADES for himself.

As we are mostly well aware, Sylens craves only knowledge, he has shown to have no empathy or even a trace of sympathy with his words and/or actions. Let's face it, he showed some form of sympathy to keep Aloy moving and not dwell in her thoughts. Would he have done it otherwise? No, he wanted to use Aloy for his own needs.

So we've got his character and his persona down, now, why capture HADES?

The answer is in plain sight if you looked into some scenes. He had boasted about what he learned from HADES: calculus, physics and other scientific knowledge as well.

The only possible reason that a subordinate function, or in this case, AI, whose only purpose is to get rid of the possible flaws in the ecosystem made by GAIA, by making all life forms go extinct on demand for GAIA to restart life again, to gain some amount of knowledge is likely cause of APOLLO.

When Aloy had entered ELEUTHIA-9, on inspecting one of the focuses, the hologram played had stopped midway, and this was due to APOLLO being offline. Towards the end, we find out that all the Alphas in charge of the various subordinate functions had all been killed by Ted Faro, his reason being, he wanted to "protect" the innocent men and women of the future.

However, there is a high possibility that APOLLO hasn't been purged and that it's only offline. And not only that, when we hear an audio file from Margo Shen, it has been stated that Ted has not a clue on the functions of GAIA, which means that the team had likely (and quite obviously) created a backup for APOLLO (I mean who wouldn't? It contained all human knowledge, everything in there is pure knowledge in one AI, who in their right mind would think it's okay to store all that and not create a backup?).

Sylens is observant, that was quite obvious, which means he probably knows that APOLLO is still roaming, free, but APOLLO could also just be disabled and lying dormant somewhere. He's likely using HADES to get info on APOLLO's whereabouts.

Now that part is done with.

I will upload the second theory a bit later cause I think I need to research and think more on it.

Anyway, to everyone who took the time to read this,

Thank you

[obsidiancorner]

ObiYuki- Terminator

Wherever You Go- Chapter 2 Word count: 1400

They are in and out of their respective surgeries and training faster than Shirayuki would have suspected. It was still a couple of months worth of what amounted to rehabilitation since their whole lives had changed when they went under the knife. They’d both had implantations put in just behind their ears, similar to a cochlear implant but with more extensive wiring involved which allowed her and Obi to communicate without words and that was something that took some getting used to. Tapping the bone behind the ear turned on communication, similar to that of a radio but on a frequency only their specific implants and brains can communicate on. That was all the augmentation Shirayuki had to go through.

The rest of her time had been spent in learning battle tactics, how to work on the hardware that had been installed on Obi and the software within the computer system now attached to his chest, resting behind a new skeletal system of Titan Steel ribs that are hydraulically powered to lift away from his body to act as a bumper in case of high energy impacts using a more advanced version of their vehicles’ collision avoidance technology. But those weren’t the only alterations made to Obi’s body.

Oh, no.

His retina on his right eye was replaced with a micro screen that can see the infrared color spectrum. It is terrifying to look at when it is turned on- though she will never tell him, since it turns his beautiful golden eye a hellfire red.

It was awful the first time he turned it on and she knew he watched her body heat make a subtle but notable dip by a degree as the chill of fear sought out every nook and cranny of her entire body.

He’d raised his hand to that bone behind his ear and she panicked over what he was going to say to her. “You okay,” he’d asked her, and he looked the least assured she’d ever seen him when she only managed a nervous and weak attempt at a smile and the most subtle bob of her head to indicate a ‘yes.’

They’ve come a long way since then. He knows now she just hadn’t been expecting it and he confessed that when he saw himself in the mirror as the bandages were pulled off, he had felt the same way she had.

It just reinforced and still to this day reinforces that he had gone through such a drastic transformation. He’d been in lengthy surgeries off and on for a week before everything was done. But nothing had stopped her in her tracks like his glowing red eye. Thankfully, he’s figured out how to turn it on and off at will by now.

A self contained air system was added to his back to work in low or no oxygen environments and he has a whole exoskeleton suit to go over everything made of the same new steel his internal structuring- complete with some sort of bizarre skin-like texturing over the top so he could pass for a much bulkier version of himself should he ever need to undress in front of anyone not qualified to know that he has been turned into a very real cousin of the cyborgs of science fiction.

What was the most unnerving of all, though, is when they’re in their training sessions and the skin-like covering to his exoskeleton unravels itself so he can use the plasma blasters concealed in his mechanical palms.

As the training regimen mounted in difficulty to prepare them for what lies ahead, Izana’s intelligence team gathered known targets through various infrared camera systems placed throughout the country. Traffic cameras; security cameras at banks, police stations, government buildings, hospitals, and even some highly frequented shopping malls; as well as intelligence officers sporting IR sensitive glasses were all in use to work in tandem with facial recognition software that allows them to match heat signatures with faces since the alien population ran much colder than natural humans and their facades only masked it, leaving them appearing as hypothermic humans to any infrared scanner.

Within six months, they rolled out as a team toward their first assignment: the assassination of a reclusive confirmed alien, living out in the woods near the tanbarun border.

----------

Year: Ad Pacem- 1107

Months turn into several years as time passes so slowly and so quickly all the same as Obi and Shirayuki become the top ranking covert ops pair. Meanwhile, the aliens developed better concealment techniques, leaving Clarines to also alter their detection methods.

As bodies of assassinated aliens rolled into the university at Lilias, studies revealed they had a different blood type entirely. It appeared human to the naked eye, but when tested, it revealed an extra component so blood testing became a requirement for anyone going into government buildings, hospitals, and other necessary buildings for basic human life. A quick prick of the finger was all that was needed, like testing for blood sugar.

It was only after that system of testing rolled out that a file for Touka Bergatt, a member of Clarines nobility, hit Shirayuki’s desk as their next mission. Once she was done processing their target, she reached up a shaky hand to press the comm button on her mastoid bone.

“H-hey, Obi?”

“You wrang,” he drawls, as the door to her office slides open, revealing an exoskeleton free and shirtless Obi, drying his hair with a towel he quickly discards in a heap in the corner, done with no purpose other than to get under her skin. “Excellent timing, by the way. I was just heading to see a handler about a mission.” He whips the chair beside her around and plops down with his legs stretched out and his arms crossed and resting over the chair back. “Rumor has it that our new mission came in.”

She levels him with a glare because that is impossible. This mission is top secret. He was likely coming to remind her that lunch had been served two hours ago and she hadn’t left her office since she walked in at six this morning.

“I’ll eat something later,” she remarks without looking at him. He chuckles as she punches a few keys on her keyboard and Touka’s face pops out of the hologram monitor on her desk.

Obi snorts as he drops his head onto his hands. “You didn’t really call me in to look at his obnoxious face, did you? You know he’s not my type.” His head rolls to the side so he can look at her and he pokes her in the ribs in a quick but soft jab.

He’s teasing but his cavalier attitude is grating since she knows what she knows and he hasn’t even asked about the importance of what is happening. Without looking, she thrusts the burn-after-reading level of classified dossier into his chest and ignores the fact that the bone of her wrist smacked into his external ribbing hard enough she’ll have a bruise later.

“He’s our next mark-” she turns to face him- “you ass.”

She felt rather pleased with herself as she watched the color drain from his face. At least it’s sinking in now.

“Miss,” he says as he flips through the file with Touka’s expected upcoming engagements both private and public. “This is going to be hard.”

She sighs. The risks are high with this one. “I know.”

----------

Taking him out was a nightmare. He was never alone- not even in sleep. There was always someone keeping an eye on him. It took a month of staking him out to learn the singular weak point in his coverage. Once a week, on Monday evening, he was allowed ten minutes of completely private time. He spent it locked in his room at his compound, sitting on a call with some unknown woman.

It was then Obi struck, perched high on a hill from almost a mile away. Just before he made his call.

The instruction to ‘leave him afterwards and let his death look like a standard assassination’ was a gross miscalculation by King Izana’s intelligence committee. Touka Bergatt was not only King Izana’s biggest opponent and most vocal dissenter in the political sphere, but he was also the highest ranked alien in Clarines- information Izana’s team hadn’t found yet.

His assassination led to an active invasion. Within the week, several small ships and one monster lead ship moving into the Earth’s immediate neighborhood in space, positioning themselves just outside of Earth’s orbit.

[anony-mouse-writer]

well if netflix is allowed to give us a crappy washed out edgelord version of winx, then im allowed to post my weird worldbuilding takes on winx club that ive been making for the last year and a half since i rewatched the show. (also i watched the 4kids version so apologies about the names)

general worldbuilding: the three schools of magix are there to train the defenders of the realms.

red fountain trains paladins and knights to protect the kingdoms and their people.

alfea trains magic users to protect the magic of the realms with a concentration on personal transformation and growth.

cloud tower trains magic users to protect the realms themsleves with a concentration on study and magical artificery. because of the rogue witches who tried to steal the dragonfire, there has been a certain amount of tension between the witches and everyone else for a few decades.

bloom: is slightly... odd growing up. sometimes her eyes glow and her base temp is a few degrees higher than is strictly healthy and she is drawn to warm spaces like lizards or cats. her mom invests in a greenhouse extension for her flowershop and no one comments on the hammock bloom strings up to sleep in. she says she’s never picked any major or job in the future because she’s okay where she is at the flower shop, but really its because she feels like shes missing something important and can’t figure it out. it doesn’t go away completely when she gets alfea either, but when she finally gets to sparks/domino, she realizes its because she is carrying the embodiment of an entire realm’s magic in her and that kinda messes up your magic a bit.

stella: solaria has several branches of royalty, but they are mainly split into the three solar courts and the lunar and stellar courts. her father is the king of the first solar courts and her mother is the queen of the lunar court. after their divorce, stella spent far more time dealing with courtly intrigue than she did practicing magic and she ends up getting held back a year at alfea due to missing several fundamental lessons. she tends to be more concerned with official standing and presentation than power or magics, but her alfea/red fountain friends are helping to teach her how normal non-manipulative friendships work.

shes sort of friends with prince skye and squire brandon and when they were kids they came up with a half-cocked plan where she married skye and dated brandon in secret and skye could fall in love with whoever he wanted and then they would be stella’s attendent so it was all covert. it was not a great plan, but it did involve several awkward third-wheeling dates on skye’s behalf and he has so much friendly blackmail in the two of them.

tecna: tecna comes from a planet where instinctual magic is a dying art. if anything, most magic users end up at cloud tower to study artificery, but tecna is determined to learn about raw magic and its applications in magi-tech. magi-tech is different from artificery because artifacts are meant to be used by magic users usually for magical or combative purposes whereas magi-tech is mean to be used by anyone for everyday applications (ie scanners, holograms, etc)

tecna’s species dosn’t have innate genders, but instead pick their gender presentations as they grow older (if at all). tecna picks female so she can attend alfea, but eventually realizes that female feels right and starts to wear less androgynous outfits on ocassion.

musa: musa’s mom used classical instruments (chinese classical, not western) and her dad used a lot more contemporary styles and tools, but together, they produced beautiful music. when her mom died, her dad grew to resent the classical instruments that reminded him of her and musa grew up with only contemporary influences. musa meets galitea (the other fairy from harmonix) in her second year of school and they have long discussions (and eventually jam sessions about musa’s inexperience with any classical or traditional instruments. musa starts to learn the flute and a few of the instruments her mom left her in secret and only tells her dad about it during the concert where she performs with them for the first time. she goes on to make fusion classical/contemporary music.

musa still has an arc with riven, but after season 1 when they break up, she spends season 2 out of any romantic relationships and season 3 realizes she has feelings for galitea. im still not sure if i want her coming to terms with her bisexuality to be tied to her coming to terms with classical music or not.

flora: floras people can talk to plants. this makes eating plants awkward. ergo, floras people are obligate carnivores who also gain energy via photosynthesis. flora is a scientist first and foremost. she studies and wants to develop new ways for plants to thrive in foreign environments without becoming invasive species and is working with both magi-tech and pure magic to find ways for people to get the most out of plants for various medicinal and magical purposes without causing any harm to the plants.

she also works on humanoid-floral communications and spends a lot of time with pumpkin-mytra and later human-myrta learning to break curses which was not her original plan but it was Very Important and so she learned it and ten it was kinda fun so she stuck with it.

layla/aisha: her parents traditional views and ideas are important to them and to ruling tides. aisha has little choice but to accept them and has no outlet for her true self for a long time, leading to some heavy suppression and anxiety. when she gets to meet the pixies, she makes friends for the first time and they teach her a bit about being herself. she still has struggles with expressing her true feelings and swings between respecting her kingdom’s traditions and resenting them for making her be someone she’s not for so long. as she develops as a person and a fairy, she learns eventually to reconcile the two in a way that might not please her parents entirely, but allows for growth and tradition both. she gets along weirdly well with stella who helps her on this journey a lot.

aisha also spends time with fairies and red fountainers (and later possibly even some witches) coming up with better communication lines and various protections for magical creatures who don’t necessarily have specific realms (ie the pixies) since they lack any kind of protection from larger threats besides their own.

other characters:

daphne is a from the fairy school of magic so her job was to protect the magic of sparks/domino when the rogue witches attacked, so she stuffed it (aka the dragonfire) into the crown princess and hid her on a null planet so the coven couldnt find it.

myrta not only moves from the witches school of magics to the fairy school of magics, but she is trans. she gets an arc where flora and later helia help her to figure out her powers and also how to be comfortable as her own person outside of her friendships with lucy or even flora.

riven is a good fighter but a better mage. he wants to best his peers in fighting, and hates that he feels he call of magic pretty strongly. darcy takes advantage of this and encourages him to abandon his magic while draining him of his power. when he is chased from cloud tower and falls, he uses his skills in tandem with a bit of magic to survive. he remains wary of his powers, but eventually learns to accept them and learns to be a mage and a fighter which is Simply Not Done, but honestly at this point riven is done listening to everyone else so he does what he wants and becomes great at both.

the trix spend season one pretending to be regular witches. they play up the ‘mean girls’ routine and spend a lot of time stirring chaos and malcontent at cloud tower. when they finally give up the pretense and try to take the dragon fire for real, they lose a bit of the mean girls vibe and work towards the rogue witch coven’s goal of stealing the magic of various realms. their work in cloud tower does not dissapear and there is a time where a lot of witches have to unlearn a lot of toxic behavior and it sucks a lot.

[fizzingwizard]

WOW this show is not pulling its punches! :O holy granola

I honestly don’t know what to think... at this rate original Adventure would be over already x’D

anyway ep 2 thoughts under the cut!

We left off with the end of the world! Already! We pick up with the somewhat low key first meeting of Taichi and Yamato. I’ll admit, I was expecting a bit more drama between them, but Yamato seems reserved, but mostly chill. He doesn’t let Taichi’s over-eagerness push his buttons. I suppose it helps Takeru’s not involved.

I like how he’s got his arms spread as if he’s gonna stop Garurumon somehow. Even with a giant dino backing you up, you just look silly!

First of all, Garurumon can JUMP. If I don’t see him jump over a building in the human world, I will be Disappoint.

So Greymon and Garurumon know each other. This is completely glossed over, btw! Looking forward to finding out what it means. They also sound not only like they know each other, but like something happened where they possibly could have died, and they didn’t know till now that they both survived. WHAT HAPPENED I HAVE TO KNOW.

Gawd, Taichi, RUDE much?? lol

Taichi takes out his digivice to reveal his POCKET KOUSHIROU. POCKET KOUSHIROU, EVERYONE. I CANNOT COPE

Taichi immediately introduces everyone and tries to make friends. That goes over as well as might be expected.

Yamato: “Ugh not this FRIENDS stuff again, this always leads to me crying and looking uncool, I hate looking uncool!”

I think the primary reason Yamato goes along with Taichi in the end is because Koushirou is freaking useful. He’s got all the info on the missiles which are apparently about to be launched from an American submarine. And apparently Koushirou speaks English fluently too. Behold:

It’s not that I’m surprised, it’s just WHEN DID HE HAVE TIME between becoming a computer genius and making friends with all these experts AT TEN YEARS OLD? How has this kid not been snapped up by some college?? I guess that sort of thing isn’t super common in Japan but STILL.

Yamato may be impressed, but he’s still Yamato:

Koushirou: “Uh... well, technically... yes, but... it’s just a matter of perspective, you see... classified, unclassified... i-it’s all semantics, really...”

The reason Taichi and Koushirou are besties (well, will be) and not Yamato and Koushirou is clear. Taichi doesn’t even care. Classified? Potential hacking going on? Who cares?? It’s cool!

So cool that he calls Koushirou “awesome” two MORE times in the space of like a minute.

HE LOOKS SO PROUD OF HIS POCKET KOUSHIROU

... idk man I can’t get over it what the heck is this. Taichi sitting on Greymon holding teeny hologram Kosuhirou in his hand like he’s his magic familiar. Omg.

Yamato: “Get a room you two”

Taichi: “A room? For what? Karaoke?”

Yamato: “sure thats totally what i meant”

Koushirou: *garbled sputtering*

The purpose of this line is to establish that shy though he may be, Koushirou is a level higher than Yamato in terms of *desire* to make friends and be social. Yamato’s like “Izumi” and Koushirou’s like “Uh Izumi is my dad...”

Taichi comes on as strong as you’d expect, but like I said earlier, Yamato doesn’t rise to the bait the way I thought he would. I kind of expect Taichi’s exuberance will wear him down in the future, though. In this ep, having Koushirou’s brains and Taichi’s extra fire power around is useful enough that Yamato tolerates it, albeit reluctantly.

They go off to fight the baddie of the day.

Holy guacamole, Greymon can jump too. Though he lacks Garurumon’s grace and ummm ability to land.

EPISODE TWO, HE’S AT IT AGAIN. PLEASE LET THIS BE A REGULAR THING.

There’s not nearly enough Koushirou in this ep for me, but what we do get is pretty good stuff. Besides, we can tell from the various graphs and squiggles on his computer screen that he’s doing Important Work.

Taichi and Yamato start to fight. Yamato clearly knows what he’s doing. Taichi is impressed, but not intimidated. A bit annoyed that Yamato’s not more communicative though. All things considered, they’re getting on ASTONISHINGLY well.

I mean, they’re already fusing together. xD

THE BIG BAD GOES AHEAD AND EVOLVES...

... into a hay stack. Digimon, man.

Side note: The music in this show is pretty cool so far. I love the creepy vibe with the viruses. Can’t be as complimentary to the art as I was before, but I am still digging the facial expressions and body language. Even when the art’s rushed, they get a lot more in than the old show did.

Yamato gets electrocuted! :o oh noez!

Greymon: “Don’t worry I gotcha!”

Greymon: “OOF I don’t gotcha...”

THEY BOUNCE LIKE SKIPPING STONES.

So, if this were an ep of Adventure, I’d expect them to evolve to the next level at this point. Except this is episode two. Getting to the next level should be hard... right?

More on that later.

Taichi gets a moment where we can see why he makes a good leader, when push comes to shove. He already figured out that Yamato Knows Stuff, even though Yamato won’t talk to him. Rather than feel intimidated (or jealous), he wants to pool their talents. Koushirou’s the research guy, but Yamato knows the turf. Taichi’s able to understand how valuable that is, so he won’t stop asking questions no matter how much he’s rebuffed. And Yamato’s not stupid. He may not want to talk to Taichi, but he wants to lose even less.

But while on the one hand we get a glimpse of Taichi’s ability to bring out his teammate’s strengths and utilize them in a strategy, we also get a peek at Yamato’s comparative caution and reluctance to take on danger if it’s not necessary. Yamato’s reason for not immediately telling Taichi “the way” is he’s concerned about the effect it’ll have on their partners. Something Taichi is not always great at taking into consideration when he’s hyped up. Koushirou’s not great at it either, for that matter. Which is why Yamato is so important: he’s brave and willing, but he doesn’t get so set on an idea without figuring out how it will affect those around him. It’s not that Taichi is insensitive, he’s just quite goal-oriented, and this is something he very much learns from Yamato as well as the others in the original Adventure.

THE TEAM IS ALL COMING TOGETHER MAN. I’M CRY.

More in part 2!!

[dailycharacteroption]

Conversion Corner: Various Random Races part 2

Luminoth (Metroid Prime 2: Echoes)

 Today we’re drawing upon one of my favorite games in what is already one of my favorite franchises in the form of the Luminoth.

An ancient and long-lived race that once treated with the nearly-extinct Chozo, the Luminoth almost experienced the same fate were it not for the intervention of the bounty hunter/ general galactic savior Samus Aran. Since then, they have been implied to be recovering, but they’ve not been directly mentioned in other games.

The Luminoth race stands at about 12 to 14 feet tall (official interviews have stated 6 meters, but based on an ad-hoc comparison of character models, I’d say 12 to 14 feet is more accurate given their natural posture). However, despite their impressive height, they are a slender and flexible people, resembling a sort of blend between insectile and reptilian features, and resemble humanoid moths, complete with vestigial wings which hang down from their backs like a cape.

They also possess natural psychic abilities, including telepathy, minor self-levitation, and even the ability to project energy in their hands, creating balls of light or complex holograms that even come with audio cues.

They are also capable of remarkable technological feats, including advanced weaponry that harnessed the power of the shadow plane and raw plasma, as well as wondrous feats of architecture and engineering, including a planet-wise system of sharing collected solar, geothermal, and biochemical (a serious boon, as their adopted home planet of Aether is a rogue planet with no sun to call it’s own.)

The earliest we know of Luminoth culture was their time as starfaring nomads, which implies to me that their original homeworld was destroyed. Regardless, they eventually found the planet Aether, and after harnessing the unstable energy of the atmosphere, transformed it into their home, mostly peaceful aside from the occasional violent predator.

However, when a Leviathan meteor from the planet Phaaze impacted the planet, not only was the world devastated by it physically, but also metaphysically, the planet becoming dimensionally unstable as it’s Shadow Plane counterpart absorbed some of the planet’s energy, becoming real enough that the two began vying for the same place in the Material Plane.

This also gave birth to the Ing, an insidious foe that were not only fierce fighters in their home dimension, but could also infiltrate the material in incorporeal form to take possession of various creatures.

Beyond this and the events of the game, we don’t know much about Luminoth culture beyond their focus on peacekeeping and their fixation with light and circle and line motifs.

However, we can infer a bit more from their capabilities. We know that the Luminoth were interstellar nomads before finding Aether, so we know that they are fully capable of establishing and living in closed environments for extended periods, which is probably why they were able to do something similar on an epic scale with the planet, turning a rogue planet which should, by rights be a cold, lifeless world of eternal starlight, but instead is illuminated by the strange energies in it’s atmosphere, into a viable homeworld. This implies a culture that values dedication and patience above all other things.

 Needless to say, as a race from a sci-fi series, I’ll be building them using Starfinder rules.

 +2 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Str

Hp: 4

Size and Type: Luminoth are large humanoids of the luminoth subtype

Racial Traits:

Defender: Luminoth are utterly dedicated to protecting their friends, family, and society. As long as a Luminoth has allies within sight, they gain a +1 to all saving throws.

Lightcraft: Luminoth count as having +1 additional rank in their skills for the purposes of crafting items that involve light, holograms, or force effects prominently in their function. Items with holographic or illusionary displays integrated into them that are not part of the device’s primary function do not count.

Light Manipulation: Luminoth are capable of projecting light from their hands in a two ways. The first creates an orb of light that functions as beacon portable light for as long as the luminoth chooses to maintain the orb using their hand. The other use lets them project small holograms into the palm of their hand, taking any form the luminoth can imagine, though the image is still clearly a construct of light. Both forms last for as long as the luminoth chooses to dedicate that hand to projecting. Additionally, they gain a +1 bonus to the DC of spells with the light or force descriptors.

Psychic Levitation: Luminoth gain a fly speed of 30 ft with average maneuverability, and a land speed of 30 ft.

Telepathy: Luminoth can communicate telepathically with any creature within 100 ft

 The Luminoth hold a special place in my heart, and I hope I did them justice with this entry. If I were to follow up, I’d also make rules for some of their equipment, such as positive-infused plasma weapons and shadow-themed entangling cold weapons for the light and dark beams respectively, and so on.

[littlemsstark3000]

Common

Pairing: Tony Stark x Natasha Romanoff

Summary: Natasha went on a 21-day mission in Turkey one year after she got married to Tony, leaving him and Peter behind.

*****

Peter was lying on his bed for more than two hours but he still could not sleep. He was done watching his mom and dad's favorite series on his own Stark pad before jumping to bed and even shut his eyes for an hour, but he was barely sleepy.

He decided to get up and walk to the elevator that could bring him to the rooftop. It has been a while since the last time he went up there. Before - those days when he was still adjusting to his new life in the tower as SHIELD consultant-slash-Stark Industries owner's adopted son - he used to go up there to think, as he watched the busy New York City.

But after Tony Stark married Natasha Romanoff, the very own Black Widow of SHIELD, the two treated him very much as their own child. There was never a day that the couple left him out. They showered him with so much love and devoted their time to attend to his every need, that he did not have a moment to be lonely anymore.

Until this night.

Before he reached the lobby of the elevator though, Peter passed by the tower's bar and caught Tony sitting there alone, head down. In his hand was a glass, and he noticed, despite the dimly lit spot of his father, the bottle of vodka which was almost halfway finished already.

Tony looked up almost the same time that he called his attention.

"Dad?"

The genius billionaire put down the shot glass and wiped his face with bare hands. "Hey son. Why are you still up?"

Peter stepped closer to the counter.

"Why are you still up and here, too?" he asked as reply.

"Uh, nah," Tony shrugged and glanced at the vodka. "Just getting a fill."

"Can't sleep?" He opted to ask even if it was too obvious.

His dad shook his head.

"You miss Mom." It was more of a statement than a question.

He received a nod.

"I miss her, too."

Yeah, Peter admitted to himself, it was why their huge house felt empty to him and why he wanted to go up the rooftop instead of staying in his room. Natasha was not around to check up on him in his room at 9:00 pm like what she always did, and she wouldn't be there to wake him up the next day, too.

Tony sighed and took one more shot from his glass before his expression turned from sad to grim.

"She won't be home until after 21 more days."

It was a giveaway for Peter. And he had to speak out what has been bugging him for days.

"I know that you and Mom weren't talking before she left..."

He caught him freeze for microseconds before responding.

"We did, over our last dinner together. About your graduation right?"

"You were just trying to because I was there. I'm not a kid anymore..." Peter pushed further. "What's happening?"

Avoiding his eyes, Tony stood from the bar stool and approached him. "Everything's going to be fine, Pete. It's... just a phase," he answered vaguely then tapped his shoulder instead of explaining.

"You will fix it once she's back, right?"

"Of course. Don't think too much about it." His dad kissed his hair from the side. "Go to bed. Good night, son."

Peter just nodded and turned to watch a-little-drunk Tony walked back to the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

"Good night, Dad."

*****

"Hello?"

Natasha sensed anticipation from Peter's voice when he spoke from the other line after the ringing stopped. It seemed like he had been waiting for her call, so the moment that his mobile line rang, he picked it up immediately.

"Hey sweetheart," she replied briefly, knowing that he would recognize her despite the unknown number.

"Mom! I knew it, you'd call! How are you? Is everything okay?"

Peter was a combination of excitement and worry. Her eyes automatically watered.

Natasha never thought that she would reach a point like this... Working at SHIELD had been her life for more than a decade and she believed that she could die a SHIELD agent. Being abroad for missions was a norm for her. Going on dangerous assignments was never an issue. Every time she went away to take down bases with her team, the thought that she would not be able to go back alive to her home - if she could call the SHIELD helicarrier as such - was welcome.

But not this time around.

Three days into this 21-day assignment in Turkey, her first long and out-of-the-country task after she got married to Tony a year ago, she already felt that things weren't the same anymore. She still is the Black Widow, her skills for her job and the want to do good for people always in her. The thing is... she’s also Natasha Romanoff-Stark now. Wife and mother. Tony and Peter are her home now and she is deeply, passionately invested in her small family. She never imagined that the love she has for them is humanly possible.

Her chest tightened at the thought of his son and husband being so far away. Though, she needed to be strong for them and for her duty at hand.

"I'm fine. How's everything there? Your dad?"

"We're okay mom, I just miss you so much. Dad misses you, too... I caught him at the bar late last night."

Anxiety clouded her head. Tony has not been drinking for the past months. But what Peter just said...

"I miss him too, baby. Both of you. I miss you everyday," she kept her voice from breaking.

"Will you call him, too?"

In an instant, her husband filled her mind. How he did not stop her from taking this mission, though she felt that he was not happy about it. How he was zoning out during the last few days before she left the tower. He never suggested about re-considering this assignment nor did he request to cut it short. She probably would not have yielded anyway; she wanted to do the mission. But being in this situation now, she could only hope that she listened to what her husband had to say.

"I might -"

"Nat, let's go."

Before Natasha could finish what she was about to say, she was cut by Clint who stood a few steps away from her but has been monitoring her call. She could not make a call as often and as long as she wanted for security purposes, so she has to limit it and remain untraceable.

Peter heard him from the other line.

"Mom..."

Her heart broke once again. Unlike the previous night when she was able to keep herself from crying so Clint would not be alarmed of her internal struggle, the following nights might be less bearable. Although, she knew her best friend understood. It was actually him who arranged this call to Peter even without her asking.

"I gotta go, Pete. I'll call you again when I can, okay? Please look after your Dad for me," her lips trembled and she had to bite it.

"Yes, Mom. You take care. I love you."

"I will, sweetheart. Love you two so much. I'm going home soon."

As soon as she ended the call, her tears fell. She wiped them as she crushed the phone to the ground then walked past Clint, saying her thanks discreetly.

The Black Widow mask was back on.

*****

Tony has stopped working but he hasn't realized it yet. He was just looking at various holograms which he opened to, supposedly, study. But his mind just wandered off to Natasha, like how it had been for the past 20 days.

A month ago, Nick Fury asked him to look into the case of possible new HYDRA base in Turkey and he did. He provided all the information he gathered and proposed on how they could go about it.

The base would need a closer surveillance for a few days to see the routine around the area, ins and outs, as well as to check on the technology that they can use to infiltrate their systems - basically, things SHIELD cannot perform from afar due to restrictions.

To his great dismay, their best option was to send Natasha and Clint to do the job. Both were very well-versed in what to do, strategies and technical skills combined. They were highly reliable even if they worked remotely; they problem solve on their own, no need for supervision.

And when Fury asked if Natasha could take the mission, Tony was not surprised that she did almost immediately. Almost, because she looked at him while they were inside the director's office as if asking for permission... But how could he say no?

One: Having seen the available details about this base himself, he knew how delicate the job would be. They could not send just anyone who could afford to go. It required specially skillful, experienced agents... Unfortunately for him, his wife is on top of that list.

Two: When he married Natasha, he accepted the fact that she would not stop doing what she had been doing for more than half of her life. She rested, yes, but would never stop. Being a SHIELD agent was her good cause. She did what she does best here. She found her purpose here. More than anyone else, he as her former teammate and co-Avenger should understand that.

Three: If she declined this mission, it should be her decision because she has always been more than capable of thinking and deciding on her own. It would not be him dictating stuff to her or directing her actions. She is his wife, his better half. He swore to himself that he would respect her and value her more than his ego, which he has taken care of for a good portion of his childhood to adulthood.

And so he... did not affirm but did not disagree either.

Natasha took the job. He was left behind to wait. As a SHIELD consultant, he could not meddle with operations. While he can give and get information, he could not get in the front line. He stayed out, as he always has in other missions which did not involve his wife.

Fury was kind enough to let him know from time to time that Natasha and Clint were still in their radar, but they still cannot reach the two anytime they want for their security.

Tony's thoughts were interrupted when FRIDAY spoke.

"Boss, Natasha is in the vicinity. She is taking the private elevator from the helipad to the 90th floor."

He immediately stood up from his swivel chair and headed out of the workshop which was five floors below their three-floor penthouse, where Natasha was going.

"Where is Peter?"

"He just arrived from the University and is at the 90th floor too, boss."

In a few seconds, he was already on the same floor. He heard Natasha's and Peter's voices from where he stopped and stood out of the lift, and he gave them a little time alone.

"Mom!"

"Hi, baby."

"What happened? What's this?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Just bruise and scratches," his wife chuckled.

She's hurt, his jaw automatically clenched.

"FRIDAY, can you please tell Dad that Mom is back?"

"I already have, Peter."

"Are you sure you're okay?" worry was still evident in Peter's tone, and Tony was feeling the same.

"Nothing that I cannot handle. And you're gonna take care of me, yeah?"

"Of course, yeah... I missed you so much."

"Missed you too, sweetie."

He stepped out of his hiding and saw Peter hugging his mom tightly as they sat on the couch.

Natasha's left arm was in arm sling. There was a patch on one side of her forehead.

She saw him approaching first, and the young man must have felt it then turned his head.

"Dad," he voiced.

Tony smiled a little and nodded.

"Pete, can you get your mom water and make her a sandwich, please? She's probably tired and starving."

"I am," his wife confirmed.

"Alright."

Natasha kissed their son’s hair before he headed to the kitchen.

Tony fell on one knee in front of her and rested his hands on both her sides as she still sat on the couch.

"Hi."

"How was it?" He asked about the mission.

"Done."

He nodded. "Good."

"Is this time for small talk?"

"Guess we have to reserve the longer discussion until tonight. Peter will be back with your sandwich in a bit."

"How much time do we have?" she ran her free hand from his messy hair to face, touching his cheek with her thumb repeatedly.

"One minute tops."

"Can I kiss you for one minute then?"

"You can, but just to set your expectations, that's never gonna be enough after 21 days of absence," he teased.

Natasha raised an eyebrow as if asking what else?

"That's another thing we'll reserve for tonight."

Natasha broke into her familiar laughter, but her eyes suddenly were filled with tears.

And Tony's were, too.

His wife is definitely home.

*****

"I wanna feel your love

Just give me all your trust

Common ain't us

Cause common ain't enough..."

- Common, Zayn Malik

[adroppedseed-blog]

QZGS Chapter 313: Press Conference

When the last match ended, the applause from the audience was rather mechanical, clearly the product of politeness rather than any kind of heartfelt appreciation.

Lunhui star Zhou Zekai didn’t seem to find it a problem. As soon as he realized the match was over, he waved to the audience, said a quick thank you, and swiftly left the stage.

Lunhui was all sighs from top to bottom. From the very beginning they’d striven to make him to look good. They’d planned to make him the brightest star of the evening, but in the end he’d come off no better than the throwaway programs in the graveyard slot after midnight on the Lunar New Year. It was only more depressing that this year’s Rising Star Challenge had been more exciting and successful than ever, and yet their own players hadn’t gotten a chance to shine.

After the Rising Star Challenge, the first day of All-Star Weekend was essentially over. Though none of the one-on-one matches had lasted very long, with the addition of various talking segments, plus the opening show, at this point the event had already gone on for almost two hours.

Up next was yet another holographic show, and a few prize drawings and such. In previous years, much of the audience would have already left early during this garbage time. But today, they hadn’t yet gotten enough of the novelty of the hologram technology, and mostly stayed to enjoy it a little longer.

The closing acts continued for almost another half hour, the arena security guards taking their places in preparation for maintaining order, before the first day of All-Star Weekend festivities came to an official end. The lights in the arena gradually went up; the people in the audience stood up and started to leave.

Nonetheless, a few particularly enthusiastic fans remained, peering in every direction. Having come this far, they certainly couldn’t leave without at least trying to meet their idols.

But of course the hosts had taken precautions: the players’ section had its own private exit. By the time the lights had come all the way up and people looked over, the players had already disappeared.

The crowd’s slow exodus took nearly another half hour, everyone squeezed together and sweating. It was easier to breathe outside, each breath turning into a puff of white steam under the lights.

Local attendees clearly had the advantage of experience—once they’d made it outside they rushed straight to the curb. Though a few taxi drivers with a head for business had already shown up to wait for the event to end, on the whole there wasn’t nearly enough supply to meet demand. The side of the road was pandemonium, the competition to get a taxi ferocious; apparently a shared love for Glory wasn’t enough to make people charitable to each other.

All three of them were quite familiar with this sort of scene. Ye Xiu went without saying; as for Chen Guo and Tang Rou, the netcafe stood directly across from Jiashi’s arena, so it followed that they’d seen the audience pouring out after a match before. But when it came down to it this was the first time that any of them had been personally involved. In the end it took another half hour of struggle before they finally managed to get a taxi.

The three of them arrived back at the hotel both tired and hungry. Dinner had been on the plane; after landing in S— City they’d gone directly to the hotel and then hurried off to the arena without taking any time to rest or freshen up, nor had they brought anything to eat while they watched. While focused first on watching, then on lining up to leave the arena, then on waiting for a taxi they hadn’t really felt it, but now they found themselves so famished it felt like their backs were sticking to the fronts.

At the hotel they made straight for the restaurant. After ordering, the three of them turned their eyes toward the big screen on the wall.

By this point professional e-sports in general and the Glory League in particular were thriving, plus Glory had an enormous player base to work with, all of which added up to mean that Glory All-Star Weekend was a major event for the host city. At the moment, all screens were showing highlights from the first day of All-Star Weekend.

First the opening show, and then one challenge match after another.

They’d all just seen the event live, but it was different to see it as a collection of highlights on TV. Every time it got to a particularly good bit Chen Guo, still excited, would tell the other two to watch. Only when Han Wenqing defeated Sun Xiang did she remain silent—the climax of the night, but clearly not a happy one for her.

Up next was the press conference following the end of the day’s festivities.

As the hosts, Lunhui, whatever their discontents, couldn’t express them directly. All they could do was praise the success of the new hologram technology and the quality of the Rising Star Challenge.

Afterward, those of the star players who’d been invited to appear at the press conference mostly stuck to the official line, complimenting the event. But how could the reporters be so easily dismissed? Of course they fired off a long series of questions about the blatant battle between veterans and newcomers.

But clearly the league had already prepared for this. The players present were all particularly skilled at sparring with the media; faced with pointed questions, they just laughed them off and underscored the professionalism of all the players, suggesting that the fierce competition was a manifestation of the league’s healthy growth.

There wasn’t anything interesting to be gotten out of the mouths of players who had clearly come to provide only perfunctory answers. The mass of reporters waited; they knew at least some of the players from the Rising Star Challenge had to appear.

In the end, only four of them appeared at the press conference. Of the rising stars there were Dai Yanqi from the first match and the Lunhui rookie from the sixth round; the veterans were represented by Wang Jiexi and Zhou Zekai.

Devious! None of them were the players the reporters had hoped to see. What was there to ask Dai Yanqi or the Lunhui player? The only one with any relevance was Wang Jiexi.

So the reporters crowded in around him, throwing out question after question, all centered on the match he’d lost to Gao Yingjie.

But Wang Jiexi had many years of experience under his belt, and just as that match had gone exactly as he had planned, so was this situation exactly as he had predicted. He’d volunteered to appear at this presser. Why would he panic?

Confronted with their questions, Wang Jiexi deliberately, methodically answered them one by one.

Though they didn’t get any of the fiery rhetoric they were hoping for, the reporters still appreciated Wang Jiexi making the effort to answer them. Dealing with stars was no easy task; they’d all gotten their fair share of dirty looks and then some for asking tough questions. Nor was there any dearth of such questions directed at Wang Jiexi now—some of them even unknowingly stumbled onto the truth and asked whether he’d lost the match on purpose. But nonetheless he continued to respond with patience.

In contrast Zhou Zekai and the other two were largely being ignored, with only the few reporters who had failed to win a spot close to Wang Jiexi asking them questions.

But there was nothing unusual about that. Even the rookies didn’t take offense. Not many people enjoyed being interviewed very often; if anything, they were entirely happy to be overlooked.

Zhou Zekai, for one, seemed quite pleased about it.

But relative to the two rookies, Zhou Zekai still received a little more attention. After all, the opinions of a god were inevitably more of a draw than a newbie’s. Of those who couldn’t squeeze into the crush around Wang Jiexi, the majority clustered around Zhou Zekai.

”Right now you’re a mid-career player, maybe at your peak. Do you feel that the young players’ swagger at the Rising Star Challenge was a kind of disrespect toward the veterans?”

Silence…a silence ten full seconds long. Zhou Zekai, after what appeared to be serious thought, looked up and said, very earnestly, “It was okay?”

And then nothing. Having delivered three words, he looked toward the reporters as if to say, next question, please.

The reporters were left quite speechless. Of course, they’d already known that interviewing Zhou Zekai was an arduous task at the best of times. Hailed as the most handsome man in Glory, he was capable of putting on a good show, but when it came to conversation he never had much to say, especially when facing the media. Sometimes his sole response to a whole long string of questions was a mere mmhm or oh or ah! or that’s fine, or, like this time, It was okay? Technically it counted as an answer to the question, but what point was there in printing it?

“Hahahaha!” Chen Guo, on the other hand, was quite amused. She pointed at the screen. “I like his interviews.”

It was Tang Rou’s first time seeing one of Zhou Zekai’s interviews, but she’d already picked up on his unique qualities. She asked, with some surprise, “Is that all he’s going to say?”

“Yup.” Ye Xiu nodded.

But the reporters weren’t ready to give up yet. Given the rare chance to interview Zhou Zekai without having to fight too many others for the opportunity, all of them were determined to persevere.

“Now that Tang Hao has defeated Lin Jingyan, do you think he should be called the best rogue in the league?” A very direct question indeed.

Another ten seconds of careful consideration ensued before Zhou Zekai opened his mouth and said, “Everyone’s really good.”

“Everyone? Who do you mean by everyone?”

“Um…” A moment for thought. “Everybody!”

“Everybody? Do you really think Yu Nian is just about as good as you are?” Yu Nian was the rookie who had put on a show with Zhou Zekai earlier today.

“Um…he works really hard!” Zhou Zekai said.

“But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s good, right?“ someone asked.

"As long as he does his best, that’s good,” Zhou Zekai said after a moment.

The reporters had fallen into mass despair. Meanwhile, Chen Guo had long ago started pounding the table with laughter.

Tang Rou couldn’t keep a straight face either. She asked Ye Xiu, “Is he really like this, or is he just messing with the reporters?”

“Believe me, he really is like this,” Ye Xiu said.

[alpha-centari27]

If you’re unhappy with The Rise of Skywalker, and hoping that the holy grail of the #AbramsCut will make you feel vindicated, here’s some relevant news: The Abrams Cut is probably bullshit, but there might be yet another Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly script for Episode IX, that could be the answer to everyone’s unrealized Star Wars dreams.

According to writer and Hollywood insider Robert Meyer Burnett, at least one version of Trevorrow’s unfilmed Episode IX was called Duel of the Fates, and, even if you loved Rise of Skywalker, this leaked script sounds pretty incredible. On Monday, Burnett dropped a lengthy description of the unfilmed, alternate Episode IXon YouTube, and the details are compelling.

The trouble is of course, in determining the validity of the script Burnett claims to have read. Published on his YouTube channel, “Robservations,” Burnett talks for about 18-minutes about his background before getting into the nitty-gritty of the alleged Duel of the Fates script. Presumably, Burnett is making it clear that he’s been in and around Hollywood for a long time, and it’s not that weird to get your hands on an unfilmed script.

“Everything is gettable,” he claims, pointing out that after a movie is actually made, the interest in unfilmed versions of the movies is less important to the general public. Historically, he has a point, but relative to Star Wars, there’s obviously a huge interest (particularly now). Burnett also goes out of his way to sort of obscure how he got ahold of this supposed early Trevorrow draft of Episode IX, and even “jokes” at several points that “maybe I made this all up.”

On paper, the fact that Burnett cops to maybe inventing the script could scan as an admission that the whole thing is fake. But, the problem is, Burnett’s background indicates he has no reason to lie. Unlike full-time leakers like Jason Ward or infamous fake-Star-Wars-news guy, Mike Zeroh; Robert Meyer Burnett is a legit filmmaker who’s worked in Hollywood as a director for a long, long time. Along with Mark Altman, he co-wrote and directed the 1999 film Free Enterprise; a romantic comedy about two Star Trek fans who happen to meet William Shanter IRL. (It’s a pretty good movie!)

Burnett also is known for his work on DVD and Blu-ray special features and if you own any of the Star Trek series on Blu-ray or DVD, the chances you have at least one or two mini-documentaries produced and directed by him are pretty high. He also appears regularly on the podcast Inglorious Treksperts with Mark Altman (a huge, and respected journalist and producer of sci-fi/fantasy shows like The Librarians and Pandora). So it’s not like Burnett is a fanboy. He may be outspoken about his opinions on the directions of various franchises and has frequently tweeted out scathing viewpoints on the direction of Star Trek since its relaunch on CBS in 2017.

I don’t share Burnett’s viewpoints on Discovery, but even if he’s not everyone’s cup of Earl Grey, the reality is, he’s a guy who has worked in Hollywood for a long time and knows a thing or two about sci-fi franchises. So, the question with this Star Wars Duel of the Fates leak is: Why would he make this up and risk ruining his reputation?

Inverse has reached out to Burnett for clarification on a few aspects of the Duel of the Fates script and he has yet to respond. We will update this piece when he does. But for now, here are six major differences between the alleged Duel of the Fates script and The Rise of Skywalker.

Spoilers ahead.

6. The title and crawl

First off, you can tell right away this would have been a different movie. “Duel of the Fates” obviously references the John Williams composition of the same name, which was such a big deal in Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Here’s the alternate crawl:

The iron grip of the FIRST ORDER has spread to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Only a few scattered planets remain unoccupied. Traitorous acts are punishable by death.

Determined to suffocate a growing unrest, Supreme Leader KYLO REN has silenced all communication between neighboring systems.

Led by GENERAL LEIA ORGANA, the Resistance has planned a secret mission to prevent their annihilation and forge a path to freedom…

5. Luke Skywalker’s role was much bigger

In this version of the story, the ghost of Luke Skywalker would have had an ongoing role throughout the film, and he wouldn’t just have been helping to train Rey. In this version, Luke’s ghost haunts Kylo Ren, too. In fact, Kylo Ren’s very first scene in the movie would have involved the ghost of Luke chastising him for going down the dark path. According to Burnett, Luke’s ghost says: “This is where the dark path leads; an empty tomb.”

This is pretty interesting, and clearly is a direct follow-up to Luke’s threat to Kylo Ren in The Last Jedi: “If you strike me down now, I’ll always be with you.” So, in the Duel of the Fates version, Luke takes that pretty literally, following Kylo Ren around, bugging him about being evil.

Luke also trains Rey in this script, (who is rocking a double-bladed saber from the very beginning) and even has a debate with her about the nature of the “balance of the Force.” In what seems like a meta-criticism, Rey questions Luke’s credibility in a pretty awesome exchange:

Rey: Balance? The dark suffocates the light, light extinguishes the dark. Over and over and over again. How is that balance in the Force?

Luke: I know that anger. My father had it too.

Rey: So says my master and his master before him. A thousand masters so eager to tell us how to live.

This is clearly very different than the chummy Luke and Rey we saw in The Rise of Skywalker. 

4. Palpatine is in one scene and he isn’t Rey’s grandfather

The dead speak! Only this time, it’s through a hologram. Just like in The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren does return to the planet Mustafar, but it’s to get a Sith Holocron, not a “Wayfinder.” In this scene, the Emperor reveals to Kylo Ren that he had a back-up plan for Darth Vader if Luke and Vader ended-up being the last two Sith standing. In this recorded message, Palps tells Vader to go the planet Remnicore because there’s a secret Sith master hiding there named Tor Valum.

The Emperor is not alive, and Rey is not related to Palps in this version of the story. Also, the version of Mustafar that Kylo Ren hits-up is very clearly Darth Vader’s castle and not the random woodland area of the planet we got in The Rise of Skywalker.

As for Tor Valum, secret Sith Lord, it’s not explained how the existence of this new character would have been reconciled with the Sith “rule of two,” if at all. But Burnett does say the script describes Tor Valum as “7,000 years old” and “an alien of unknown origin [with] spindly, intense sinewy muscle…very Lovecraftian.” So, basically, a Sith monster.

Notably, Kylo Ren’s face would have been badly scarred by the Sith Holocron and he would have been forced to wear some kind of new mask that was partially made of Mandalorian armor.

3. Duel of the Fates would have returned to two hugely important Star Wars planets

According to Burnett, Unlike The Rise of Skywalker, the important events of Duel of the Fates would have taken place on two very pivotal and famous Star Wars planets: Coruscant and Mortis. In this version, the First Order has constructed a galaxy-ruling citadel on Coruscant, with Hux serving as Supreme Chancellor.

Thanks to Luke Skywalker’s journals, Rey discovers a “Force Beacon,” hidden deep within Coruscant, which would allow the broadcast to be sent out to all the possible allies of the Resistance. A subplot involves Rose, Finn, C-3PO, and R2-D2 heading to Courscant to “light the Beacon.” This feels like Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, which is weird, but also pretty cool. It’s very clear Rose had a bigger role in this movie as well. (Burnett claims she’s a major character, but based on the summary it’s hard to see how much more dialogue she has. She certainly has more to do, though!)

Meanwhile, Kylo Ren and Rey would eventually get to the planet Mortis, where they would basically battle to try and balance the Force. At other points in the script, Luke would point out that Rey was “something new” and not related to anyone and that the “Force chose her” for a higher purpose. 

2. Kylo Ren wasn’t redeemed

Although Burnett says Luke, Yoda and Obi-Wan’s Force ghosts would try to “release Ben Solo” in one scene, they aren’t successful and it doesn’t seem like Ben gets redeemed at all. There’s also no overt romance or kiss between him and Rey. It’s also revealed at one point that although Rey’s parents were “nobodies,” that Kylo Ren is actually the one who straight-up murdered them because Snoke told him to do it. (Snoke is not a Palpatine puppet in this version either.)

It’s tough to really see how Kylo Ren would have been redeemed or become the heroic guy we saw in The Rise of Skywalker. Basically, in this version, his journey ends as a giant bummer and in total tragedy.

1. The basic ending would have been similar, but for totally different reasons

Finally, Burnett notes that the idea of “good” Stormtroopers coming to the aid of the Resistance originates in this version of the script, but also says that it’s handled a little more organically. Another subplot early in the script involves the Resistance stealing a Star Destroyer, complete with AT-ATs and TIE Fighters, and then needing an army to operate them. Apparently, the rogue Stormtroopers help fix part of this problem, but, in the end, Lando rounds-up a bunch of smugglers and that fleet of ships seems to help turn the tide against the First Order. Which, though is similar to The Rise of Skywalker, happens for seemingly very different reasons.

Unsurprisingly, the First Order still loses, but the overall conclusion and climax to Duel of the Fates still feels murky. It’s not clear if he only had part of the screenplay or just chose to summarize the ending (or if the whole thing is a hoax) but at this point, it seems like one could imagine a similar ending to The Rise of Skywalker in terms of a space battle, just happening over a decaying Coruscant instead of Exegol (which sounds way cooler).

Is any of this legit? Does it matter? Right now, we don’t know, but if any aspect of what Robert Meyer Burnett presents as Duel of the Fates was ever really under consideration to be the real Episode IX, you have to ask yourself: What happened?

Was Lucasfilm totally against Kylo Ren ending up as such an irredeemable character? Was their pressure from elsewhere to bring in Palpatine back as a legacy villain? For the most part, for all of its specific differences, the broad strokes of this story are relatively the same, at least in terms of the larger galactic politics and the eventual balance of the Force. So we’re in a situation where the Dark side was in the details, and for whatever reason, those details caused a civil war inside of the Disney empire itself.

[theultimateegghead-blog]

Modest Media Game Reviews Sonic Series Extravaganza! Sonic CD

Game – Sonic CD Year of Release - 1993 Developer – Sonic Team Publisher - Sega Rated - Everyone Genre - Platformer Platform – Sega Cd, P.C, Gamecube, Ps2, Ps3, Xbox 360, iOS, Android, Ouya For all sakes and purposes, I am playing the Whitehead remaster on the Ps3.

Sonic CD, a bizarre yet nostalgic title in the sonic franchise. Sonic CD is a spinoff sonic title that was made for the Sega CD expansion, and later PC. This game, unlike other spinoffs, plays very much like a classic sonic game. Sonic runs through various levels, collects rings and defeats bosses. There are a lot of new gimmicks and ideas introduced in this game. Lets take a look and see!

Gameplay – Sonic CD is a side scrolling platformer much like its predecessors and successors. In the main game you play as Sonic. Sonic has access to some of his iconic moves such as the spin dash. His new move includes the super peel out, which is essentially another version of the spin dash but with no defensive qualities. Levels are larger than before, and exploration is more of a factor now. Each level has secrets and various paths, along with 4 different possible layouts depending on the time zone you are in. A large part of this game revolves around time travel, with various sign post being crossed to dictate if you are to go to the past or future. Most levels are linear despite the large layouts, but many stages have gimmicks that can make traversing them tougher than just running to the right. These gimmicks are things like conveyer belts, bouncy floors, speed tubes and so on. Enemies come in various forms like any sonic game, but don’t pose much of a threat. Most bosses are very easy as well. The biggest challenge in this game is the race against Metal Sonic. There are no chaos emeralds and thus no super form. The bonus stage involves getting time stones which can affect the games ending.  These bonus levels are a bit jarring. Sonic needs to run on a semi 3D plane and hit UFO’s out of the sky. The control is weird and judging the distance of jumps is tough. Sonic will not stop moving during these stages either, and touching water will make your timer count down very fast. Even with that gripe being addressed, the gameplay is fun and is worth a try. Score - 18/20

Graphics – Sonic CD was for a long time the most visually vibrant and colorful classic sonic game, only recently losing that honor to Sonic Mania. Every level is blushing with color and character. Palm tree Panic is a lush tropical level, its bad future is a heavily industrialized and polluted version of its old self. Every level has its own character and story of sorts. Sometimes levels can move very fast or be a bit to colorful like wacky workbench. Character designs look great and timeless. The Whitehead port makes it more high definition and makes it look even prettier than ever before. Also, the game begins and ends with an animated sequence made none other than toei animation. Toei is the lead animators of the Dragonball franchise, and we are talking classic 90s DBZ style animation. It looks great. Score - 9/10

Story – The story does play a role in the opening and closing cinematics and plays a mild plot in the game itself, but it’s too small to warrant a score. A small planet has appeared and Robotnik has taken it over. Sonic goes to save the day. Turns out Robotnik has found out how to manipulate time and created a future where he rules unopposed. Series newcomer Amy Rose appears, she approaches Sonic early in his journey. She seems harmless but then suddenly a new villain, Metal Sonic, comes and takes her hostage. The game arrivers on until the end where Sonic must race his metallic doppelganger, free Amy from her captivity and defeat Robotnik at his main base. Like most early sonic games, the plot isn’t the most important factor. Score – N/A

Replay Value – Strong! This game primary item is the time stones. To get the true ending you need all the time stones. The time stones are obtained by entering the bonus stages at the end of the stage if you have enough rings. The other way to get the true ending is to ensure a ‘good’ future in all zones. This means you need to go to the past of each zone to destroy both holograms and machines in order to change the future for the better. Levels are large and can be explored in 4 different times, past, present, good future and bad future. With this in mind, it makes revisiting this short game worth it, as two playthroughs can be very different depending on the paths you take and the time zones you play in. On top of that, in the Whitehead version you can play as Tails after you beat the game and that’s awesome. Unfortunately, if you are playing the ps3 port, you cannot unlock trophies as Tails. Score – 4.5/5

Music – The most controversial thing of this game, besides its spooky hidden message in the sound test, is the soundtrack. This game has two official soundtracks. The America soundtrack and the Japanese/European soundtrack. I am not aware as to why this is the case. Luckily, the version I am playing allows for both OSTs to be used during gameplay. Both soundtracks carry their own atmosphere to the levels. Some good tracks from the American OST include the chilled out Palm Tree Panic theme, the eerie boss music and the theme song “Sonic Boom”. The other ost includes songs such as the techno themed Stardust speedway’s bad future, the catchy yet menacing Metallic Madness present theme and the much funkier boss music. Both soundtracks are good, and I will include one song from each version for you to listen too. Score - 5/5

Overall – This is probably one of the best Sonic games in my opinion. Yes, its gimmicky level design may cause some people to look elsewhere, but technically speaking it is a fun and challenging game. It is rather short and not very expensive.  I would 100% recommend this game. If you are a sonic fan who wants to relive the classics, or someone who has yet to play the original games, make sure to include this title on your list. Final Score – 9.1/10 - Amazing

Have a cute Sonic.

[vrvisioninc]

Current Use Cases for VR/AR and Market Growth for 2020

Though virtual reality (VR) has been around for some time, the technology didn’t start drawing major attention until 2014 when Facebook acquired Oculus VR. In March, 2014, the social media giant purchased the product for an estimated $2 billion USD. Despite the staggering purchase price for a product that wasn’t nearly read to be introduced on the market, the business world got the message loud and clear: the basis for mainstream VR was being laid. In response to questioning about the acquirement of Oculus VR, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, stated: “When I put on the Goggles, it’s different from anything I have ever experienced in my life.” And he was right; the technology was staggering.

In a nutshell, VR is a simulated environment that’s developed by computer software. It creates an immersive experience that appears to be real. It offers a sensory experience – including sight, sound – and in some cases, touch – that allows users to interact with the artificial environment that the technology presents much the same as they would if they were experiencing the environment in real life. Take a look at videos of individuals who are using VR and watch how they interact with it; as soon as they strap on the headsets, their actions clearly indicate that they have been “transported” to the world the technology is presenting them with.

It’s believed that virtual reality was developed sometime in the 1960s and used for military purposes; however, it wasn’t until three decades later that the technology started to garner public attention, thanks largely to the video game industry. Thanks to progressive advancements in technology – particularly in the last half-decade – the potential for virtual reality technology has been reinvented. Now, VR has become a major proposition for an array of industries; industries that aren’t even closely related to video gaming.

Getting back to Facebook and their purchase of VR technology for $2 billion USD; technology that wasn’t even close to being ready to be introduced to the mainstream market… A mega-corporation wouldn’t make such a massive investment just because they enjoyed the technology; rather, as Zuckerberg pointed out, the purchase of Oculus VR as a long-term investment in the future of technology. Given recent statistics related to the future of VR, the Facebook CEO’s decision to purchase the technology was likely a promising one. As TrendForce, (a leading market research firm) indicates, by the end of 2020, the VR market is expected to be valued at a whopping $70 billion. If those estimates are correct, Zuckerberg should see a massive return on his $2 billion investment; indeed, a wise business and financial decision on his part.

Given the rate at which technology is advancing coupled with the projected value of VR, it’s safe to assume that the technology offers opportunities aplenty for business owners. In fact, it can be said that VR technology has the possibility to improve pretty much everything consumers interact with. As an example, picture how virtual reality can improve things like shopping, academics, travel, and even fitness and healthcare (and that’s just a small drop in the bucket of things that the technology can enhance). What does that mean for creative entrepreneurs? – It means that the possibilities are endless, as there are countless applications that VR could be used for.

Facebook began selling its Oculus Rift VR headset for $600, well before the technology was ready to be distributed. The headset, which can be used with various gaming systems, such as Xbox ONE, as well as Unity and Unreal Engine, popular game development tools, enables users to develop applications via a system that’s familiar to them. The pre-sale of the product was a clear indication of the potential that it would offer, and indeed, fast forward to now, and Oculus VR headsets have certainly taken the world by storm. In fact, the technology is so popular that Facebook has introduced other variations; the Oculus Quest, for example.

Facebook isn’t the only mega-corporation that has taken interest in virtual reality; Google has, too. The powerhouse technology company began exploring the possibilities that VR offers with its Google Cardboard headset back in 2014. The company has also developed another VR headset that rivals Oculus by Facebook. The fact that Google joined forces with investors who invested an exorbitant amount of money into Magic Leap, an AR startup company, further indicates the massive potential that the technology offers for entrepreneurs.

Facebook and Google aren’t the only companies that have invested in virtual reality. Samsung, another technology giant, has also partnered with Oculus, and created the Gear VR headset, which can be used with Samsung smartphones. Sony has gotten in on the VR game, too, with PlayStation VR, a virtual reality headset that’s compatible with their PS4 gaming system. The HoloLens AR headset from Microsoft is another example, the first “fully untethered, holographic computer”, which allows users to interact with high-graphic holograms. Microsoft also enables developers the opportunity to create their own one-of-a-kind applications for the company’s AR technology, which provides endless possibilities for both existing companies as well as startups that are interested in getting involved in the incredible potential that virtual reality provides.

Sectors Where VR/AR Technology is Thriving Today While virtual reality can be used in countless sectors, there are four key areas where this technology is thriving. These sectors include:

Manufacturing. The manufacturing industry is taking advantage of the benefits that VR provides. For example, Ford, the American-based automotive company, uses VR to enhance the design of their vehicles. Prior to virtual reality, the corporation had to build physical samples of cars to determine how they could adjust the design to improve functionality. Thanks to this new technology, however, Ford can now make real-time adjustments using virtual representations of their vehicles, and “try out” the adjustments as if they were actually using them before manufacturing even begins.hololens_volvo The ability to develop virtual prototypes has had a major positive impact on the manufacturing industry. Instead of investing exorbitant amounts of money and countless hours creating physical prototypes, designers and manufacturers can now develop virtual examples and make any necessary adjustments to those examples.

Training and Education. From learning to drive before getting behind the wheel of real car to transporting students to locations where they can interact with settings and models that might not be able to in real life (space, replicas of the Pyramids of Giza, or the Amazon Rainforest, for example), allowing them to experience environments that they would have to travel halfway around the globe (or out of it), to experience in real life.split-goggles-screen Training and education are said to be the sector that will be impacted the most by virtual reality, and the impact is already being experienced. For example, in 2015, Google launched the Pioneer Expeditions, which allows teachers and students to “travel to” more than 100 locations, including the Great Wall of China, coral reefs, and even Mars. The technology brings lessons to life, providing students with the opportunity to acquire “hands-on” information that they may otherwise never be able to experience.

Healthcare. Virtual reality has also had a major impact on the healthcare market. For example, doctors and researchers use the technology to create lifelike 3D models of human anatomy based on ultrasound, CT scans, and other forms of diagnostic imaging. Surgeons, for example, use these 3D models to devise and devise and practice medical procedures, thereby improving the outcome for patients. VR is also being used to treat Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, and it’s even used to rehabilitate individuals who have suffered from a stroke and other traumatic brain injuries.QuestHealthcare_2-1024x662 Gaming. Last but not least, VR has had a huge impact on the gaming industry. As the industry in which VR really started taking off, it comes as no surprise that the technology has had such a massive impact on gaming; in fact, it’s completely altered the industry. Back in the 1990s when VR was first introduced in the gaming industry, the technology was primitive, at best; it was big, bulky, difficult to use, and didn’t really create an immersive experience. Fast forward to today and that has certainly changed. In the 21st century, the VR technology that’s used in video gaming is lightweight, easy to use, easy to access, and creates a real life-like experience.quest-gaming The big difference in VR technology that’s used in the gaming industry today compared to what was previously being used is that companies aren’t just trying to enhance their existing platforms; instead, they are offering completely new experiences. Thanks to new innovations in VR technology, gamers can sit in the cockpits of fighter jets or be a part of Star Trek’s Bridge Crew.

Given the constant advancements in technology and the increased interest in virtual reality technology, it will be interesting to see what the future holds; how current sectors that are using the technology will continue to change and what new sectors will start implementing VR. For businesses looking to use immersive technology, one thing’s for sure: the opportunities are endless.

[whole-dip]

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Okay so as a followup to my big long post about Haunted Mansion, I wanted to do a breakdown of a ride that's a little more complex, but still very much on the same spectrum. So, late last year, fifty years after the opening of Haunted Mansion actually, Disney opened their newest attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. I've been on it one and a half times (ride broke on my first go) and the number one thing I noticed was who this attraction is very clearly the result of fifty years of imagineering evolution after the opening of Haunted Mansion. If I'm being completely honest, I really only wrote my Haunted Mansion post as a way to get people up to speed so that this post would make sense. Let us begin.

We begin, at Black Spire Outpost on the planet of Batuu, the formal title of the land is Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios, but you wouldn't know it if you were there. Galaxy's Edge is an immersive land. This means that everyone you interact with will tell you that you're on the planet of Batuu, a planet on the outer rim of the galaxy, Chewbacca and Kylo Ren are real character, and so on and so forth. That's not really any different from other lands in Disney parks. They'll tell you that you're in space at Space Mountain, when you meet Mickey he's real. The key element that makes BSO immersive is that the entire land is built comprehensively, with each element playing off of the others. The droid depot, the milk stand, the street market, the docking bay, the cantina, are all cohesive, much in the same way you'd find in a real location in the real world. Further though, the land is built around the events that you'll be taking part in as part of your visit. Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run's story has you being recruited as pilots for hire to smuggler cargo needed back on Batuu. Why does cargo need to be smuggled in? Because the normally relaxed authorities are a lot stricter today because the first order has just landed, didn't you see the patrols, and even Kylo Ren? Why is the first order patrolling and interrogating? Because they've received word that the resistance is currently hiding out on Batuu, but they might be packing up soon so time is of the essence. That's the kind of experience you'll have at Galaxy's Edge, the kind of information you'll be taking in and seeing all around you. Everything plays off of each other, everything plays builds up to one specific story element that will define and contextualize the entire rest of your experience. That experience is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. All  this echoes Liberty Square and the way that the Haunted Mansion is the key focal point of the entire land. The key difference here being that, while Rise of the Resistance is the narrative focal point of the land, you don't actually get to see anything from the ride while you're outside the queue. In fact, if you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't see anything at all. And with good reason.

----

You enter the queue. You're inside a cave system that lies on the more rural side of Black Spire Outpost, a place the first order has yet to investigate. Good, because as you enter the cave, past the waterfall and foliage, you find that this cave leads to the secret resistance base. As you slowly walk through the absolutely massive queue you begin to notice more and more resistance supplies. Crates of weapons. Lockers with flight suits and helmets. Maps of the local systems, miscellaneous tools strewn about. Burns and cuts dot the walls as you notice how hastily this base was assembled. Doors look like they've been installed and reinstalled time and time again. At a moment's notice, everything could be packed up onto starships in case the need of a fast escape arises. This queue line is long. Like seriously, so so so long. I went at a time where hardly anyone was in the line and it still took me about fifteen minutes to walk through the thing. This line can be contrasted with similar massive queues that take place in caves. Flight of Passage is a massive cave system as well, but the key story elements there require the cave to be wide open, with a roof over thirty feet tall. Rise of the Resistance's queue is composed of tight tunnels that wind around as you enter the base. You're hiding. If the first order were to invade they'd have to enter in a straight line. More importantly though, it takes up time. It makes you constantly feel like you're moving. It makes it easier for you to stomach five hours in this line.

---

Finally, you enter the main hub of the base, a small room with a large screen, and miscellaneous tech dotting the walls. Two blast doors opposite the screens. You, along with the other new recruits, stand together in the room when suddenly BB-8 rolls out above the computers. A hologram of Rey appears beside him, and the screens, previously displaying security information about the base, come to file with an alien resistance commander, an alien pilot, and Poe Dameron, all communicating from the various places they are within the base. At this point you're given everything you need to know about your mission. Firstly, the resistance is well aware of how little time they have before the first order finds this base on Batuu, you'll be part of the team working with Lt. Bek and Nien Nunb as you move to the new base on a different planet, escorted by Poe Dameron and the rest of black squadron. Your briefing ends and the blast doors behind you open. At this moment, resistance crew (live cast members) are yelling, yes yelling, at you to get moving because time is at stake. You're outside now. A full sized transport ship awaits just twenty feet away. You hear other starship engines starting up in the distance, then one close by. You turn and see BB-8 aboard Poe's starship, Poe inside. You want to marvel, but there's no time. The crew ushers you in as they begin the takeoff procedure. You enter the ship, Lt. Bek sits at the bridge, mere inches away from you. The crew wishes you luck and the cargo doors close. This entire sequence is crazy if you think about it because there's so much going on. This preshow serves one main purpose, to tell you who you are (resistance recruits) what you're doing (assisting in an escape) and what to expect (to board a ship and safely escape). There's a few evolutions here that are straight from the haunted mansion. One is that the amount of information being given to the guest about the story of the attraction is huge. There's never been an attraction that expects you to keep up with so much information, and this isn't even the half of it. The other, is that you don't expect to actually follow through with everything they tell you will happen. We've been trained to expect the next room to be the ride, and for it to not live up to what you've been told will happen by the characters. And yet, you do. You go outside and board a spaceship. No trick, no secret engineering magic trick. They built a spaceship and you get on it. Lastly, there's an evolution of what the cast members are doing. On the haunted mansion, the butlers and maids are dour and cold, but that's about it. Rise of the Resistance has very clear character directions and these cast members are here with very specific story beats they're hitting. They're characters in your story, not just people telling you to get on and pull the lap bar down.

----

Now, you're on the transport ship. The transport ship is a pretty straightforward show scene. You enter the ship, the door behind you closes. You see Lt. Bek at the bridge and you feel the ship as it rises and takes off. As you're embarking the first order attacks, your black squadron escort tries to fend them off but no luck. Your transport is in a tractor beam, you're all now prisoners of the first order. Black squadron takes off but Poe promises he'll return with more help. The door you entered the ship on opens up and you're face to face with over 30 stormtroopers in the massive hangar, all ready to fire if you try anything stupid. A first order officer stands before you, informing you once more that you are all prisoners of the first order and that you will soon be processed for interrogation. End scene. So, does this remind you of anything from before? That's right, this is the stretching room scene from the haunted mansion. You enter a room in which story elements happen but you're still actually in line. How do they achieve these feats? Well, the transport ship is actually on a giant turntable that spins around so that when you exit (from the same door you entered in) you're on the other side of the ship, the hangar. This room is fantastic, and maybe my favorite part of the entire ride. Again, keep in mind that you're still about ten to fifteen minutes from actually sitting in the ride vehicle. Something of note here is that this is another location with a pretty big information dump. Not only is it a lot of exposition, it's exposition that directly contradicts information you were previously given. The story of what you should be expecting has changed. This type of switch was specifically understood to be something not to do when writing for attractions. It's kind of a huge leap forward in terms of how much the guest can be trusted to understand. The hangar is also an incredible space. It's massive, one of the largest single rooms I've ever been in, and perhaps the largest single room in and ride Disney has ever built. The stormtroopers here are pretty cool, I believe they actually aren't animatronics (that's a more complex type of figure that involves cues and all that) but they're still in a state of motion every so often. It really helps that stormtroopers are kinda known for standing there menacingly, moving very little, so it's not a hard thing to make. Overall, this room is incredible, really bolstered by the performance of the cast members here. They're all very good at keeping in character. Wanna take pictures with your phone? You may take record with your datapad but your devices will be confiscated during interrogation. Got a shirt with Rey on it? Your pathetic propaganda clothing will do you no good. Every so often stormtrooper characters will walk through the area and do a bit of menacing on their own.

----

From here, you move to the line in which you'll be separated into groups for your individual ride vehicles. This is probably the most boring part of the experience, partially because it's right in the middle of two of the coolest parts of the attraction, but also because literally all you do is just stand and wait. Again, this part shines because it fits so perfectly with Star Wars, specifically how the first order is very dry and organized. This is the moment in which the cast members will have the most fun with you, I know I had some fun moments interacting with them.

You're organized into your groups and you're taken into your individual holding cells before being taken into interrogation. There's sixteen of you total, all standing in a dark room. Hux and Kylo Ren appear on a catwalk before you. They remind you of how powerless you are before the might of the first order, and how you will soon be giving them all the information on the resistance they need to fully decimate them. To really drive his point home, Kylo Ren uses his force powers to shake the entire room. They leave you there, promising to fully demonstrate their power soon. You wait, wondering what could possibly happen next. Suddenly, a hole begins to appear on the wall beside you, a red glow. It moves up and you realize someone is cutting a hole in the wall! Once fully through, the wall is pushed to the side, two resistance troops have arrived to break you out! Everyone loads up into the vehicle, operated by a reprogrammed first order R5 unit and gets ready for the escape. The resistance troops at this point are running through the room, checking, double checking, and trying to keep their cool when the first order could discover them at any moment. Before you head out, Finn gives you one last briefing on the escape. He tells you to quickly take the nearest corridor to the turbolifts, down to the escape pods, and from the R5 will pilot you back to Batuu. With a beep and a chirp, R5 sets you all off. You are now officially on the ride.

---

Let's take a moment to think about this. You've been experiencing the story for potentially thirty minutes now, but far more than that because of the way Galaxy's Edge's story is structured. The clearest evolution from Haunted Mansion to Rise of the Resistance is the muddying of "when does the ride start?" Does it start when you're moving in a vehicle? Does it start when you're an active participant in the story? Does it start when you're in line? Does it start when you're in the land? Does it start when you enter the park? It's kind of a weird question, y'know? And that's what makes it such a strong experience.

---

From here, you enter what is known as the disco room. The ride vehicles all enter a large open space and circle around each other. Your two vehicles, along with two others, are the other occupants loyal to the resistance or the first order? No matter, their R5 units tweet and beep asking what your business is. our R5, scared, asks Lt. Bek what to say? "Tell them it's a prisoner transfer" he answers via radio. R5 nervously responds. It worked! They back off and we exit the room. One of my favorite aspects of the ride is the R5 the helps you. Star Wars at Disney has a very strong history of droids that nervously want to help but may be in over their head and they're some of the most beloved characters. From R3X on the original Star Tours, to C-3PO on The Adventure Continues, and now R5, a welcome addition. Part of the emotional journey on the ride is R5, like you, rising to the occasion ands becoming a hero of the resistance. I'm honestly tearing up a little bit writing this, I love him so much.

You turn down the next hallway but are stopped when a probe droid descends, R5 quickly turns everyone around, lucky that we weren't spotted. We continue and see the turbolift entry but suddenly two stormtroopers on an upper catwalk have caught us. They begin shooting, blaster bolts barely missing us. R5 is on it and he whisks us the other way. We may not know where we're going but anywhere is safer than there. This scene is, in a way, similar to Leota's seance in that it's the point in which the main appeal of the ride, a star wars action scene, comes to life all around us. Unlike Haunted Mansion though, which is slow due to technological limitations of the time, this is like being right there in the middle of the movie. Most of the effects here lighting based. The stormtroopers are cleverly placed screens, the blaster bolts are simulated via rotating light fixtures, and other pieces of lighting fill in the gaps.

---

You move to the next room, a hangar for two life sized AT-AT walkers. Stormtroopers still shooting from behind you. Behind a crate you see Finn, trying to shoot his way out now that his cover is blown, he tell you there's a turbolift in the room, take it down to the escape pods and you'll be out. Once in the lift, R5 accidentally sets it to start rising. You're face to face with the walkers and now they've begun firing! You quickly escape to the next hallway. The two big elements at play here at that one, there's no trick to the walkers. They're fully built right in front of you. Two, you really do take an elevator that lifts your vehicle up about twenty feet or so (probably less but I don't know the real number). Remember that. It's gonna come into play later.

You slowly inch through the hallway to find the bridge, Hux and Kylo Ren are discussing the escaping prisoners. The windows the face show the emptiness of space until suddenly, the star wars theme swells and the resistance drops out of hyperspace, Poe is back with allies to help get us out of there! Kylo muses that the resistance, and prisoners, are brave yet ultimately hopeless. He turns to look directly at you. R5 quickly reverses the vehicle an you're on the run again. This scene serves the story purpose of showing the resistance arriving yes, but more importantly it's a slow moment that allows guests to take a breath, get their bearings, and let them decompress from everything before, and prepare for everything next. Effectively the halfway point of the ride, many high energy attractions have a moment like this in which you stop for a moment. If you didn't stop, you'd start succumbing to many different forms of discomfort.

---

You continue, R5 desperately seeking any way to get to the escape pods, when Kylo Ren jumps down right before you. He ignites his lightsaber and slowly walks towards you as R5 reverses as fast as possible. You make it out of the corridor and even get a door between you Kylo Ren. Thought you were safe? Think again. Kylo Ren's lightsaber pierces the roof above you and begins cutting through with as much strength as he can muster. Luckily, his lack of finesse allows you time to escape once more into a new corridor. This scene is one of the biggest WOW moments. Firstly, it's the beginning of Kylo Ren personally hunting you down on the ride. You're more than just an person in a vehicle, you're a hero being antagonized by a villain. Kylo Ren knows who you specifically are. Next, there's the lightsaber through the roof. It's pretty clever how they did it. By using a rotating piece of roof with a hole in it that can be "revealed" it'll look like a lightsaber cutting through metal when timed right. It's done so well that you actually wonder how on earth it's happening until it's explained to you later.

You enter a new room, massive laser cannons are blasting at resistance ships through the windows. Each one easing into place at the window then shooting straight back as it sends its blast. You're daunted, but with R5, you can make it. You slowly weave between the cannons, wary to not too fast or too slow or else you’ll be crushed against a wall. You make it through and enter the next room. This room isn’t particularly impressive on a technical level, but it’s certainly intense. It’s the room I felt most afraid and the biggest sense of, “uh oh, how are we gonna through here?” I do wish there was something a little more interesting than just moving in a straight line slowly, but it’s not bad by any means.

-----

As you move through you see monitors displaying FInn with a message to escape as soon as possible, the resistance has attacked the first order ship to the point where it’ll soon blow up. Before you’re able to continue, Kylo Ren appears before you, face to face. There’s no more bargaining, he’ll soon kill you and every other resistance worm there is. Suddenly, the wall behind him explodes open! The vacuum of space has sent the room into disarray, debris is going everywhere! In the heat of the moment R5 manages to get away, thank goodness, and you press on. This is arguably the “key” moment here. It’s where they show off the Kylo Ren animatronic and it’s the scene in which you finally face direct danger with seemingly no escape. While fun, I don’t think it’s the best executed for a couple of reasons. Kylo Ren’s AA could be better, he kinda moves like he’s dancing and it looks a little weird. Also, for the big scary moment he doesn’t really seem to do much. He just kinda ends up embarrassed. It just feels like a pretty slow scene when I should’ve been about to shit my pants.

With the ship blowing apart, sirens going off all around, fire and smoke billowing, R5, and you, need to find a way out and fast. Turning around a corner, we’ve made it, an escape pod! R5 opens the door and drives us inside. Through the window we see the other pods as they drop and head back to Batuu. Then, we drop and fly down through the atmosphere, Poe reminding us that we’re the last ones out. We crash land in a resistance garage, just barely making it safely. Finn congratulates us and makes us official members of the resistance! Bek, in a crashed pod of his own, thanks us for our heroism and protecting the resistance. R5 bops his head up, buzzing and beeping happily, we couldn’t have done it without him too! We exit our vehicle, heroes of the resistance, and walk back out to Black Spire Outpost. The biggest thing here is that when you drop, you literally do drop. That’s why you had to go up on the turbolift. It’s strange, it doesn’t feel exactly like a drop straight down, but rather more like a drop into water, very floaty. I normally hate drops but this one was fun. Another thing going on here is the strong tradition of being thanked by the familiar characters and welcomed into whatever group they’re apart of. Like other rides before, we’re part of the team thanks to this one incredible adventure we shared with them. That sense of camaraderie and shared exhilaration has been one of my favorite aspects of theme parks for as long as I can remember.

----

So there you have it, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Sounds pretty intense, huh? I do wonder, if this is what The Haunted Mansion felt like to ride when it first opened. People certainly had trouble believing their eyes, that’s for sure. Both are incredible in their own way, and it’s very much the culmination of every single imagineering trick in the book. There’s so many things to discover, to see, to learn, and to enjoy with it. I hope that you too can experience it one day, it’s certainly worth the wait times and ticket prices, at least to me. 

Where do we go from here? Well, Disney has Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway coming soon which is supposed to be amazing if rumors are to be believed, Universal has their Nintendo rides which are shaping up to be game changers, there’s also the star wars hotel which might redefine how we think of theme parks once more, and Evermore continues to be a strange experiment out in Utah that I’m dying to visit. For me, I’ve got a few ideas of what to write about next, but it won’t be any time soon. Regardless, thank you for reading this, it means a lot. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

[aromantictracer-blog]

Freedom Hold Tool Instrument That Is Effective With Me Personally And Currentlу Gainfυlly Used!

Share charge also needs to be regarded as. A component that is essential exploration may be the hash rates. It may be called the production of the hash purpose if yοu’re wondеring whatever hаsh rates were. So far as сryptocurrenсy can be involved, it really is utilized to explain the rate of calculation. The bigger the hash price, the greater your odds of picking out the block this is certainly then making the most of your own income. It really is calculated in hashеs рer next, аnd steps the device rate, rendering it a manner in which is not hard to assess how good your or your own share food. The simple fact stays that Litecoin is amongst the few successful altсoins which can be mined by those with а laptop computer that will be normal computers? remember to spot your own rig in some room with enough airflow and air conditioning. Exploration is definitely a task that needs high-power, and that can warm their rig-up to some degree so it harms your own tool totally.

Check it out: https://zecminerblog.home.blog/2019/08/02/zec-miner/

The means they invest can vary greatly using the ability of people present. Any benefits become separated in line with the hash electricity you led to your share. Possibility nevertheless performs a character that will be crucial however you possess the best opportunity at generating continuously with exploration swimming pools than with unicamente exploration. Safety is very important and contains becoming regarded as before choosing the swimming pool. Selecting a swimming pool is definitely a choice that will be crucial so there are a variety of elements which affect swimming pool surgery. Every one of these needs to be thought about with attention. Exploring the last reputation of a swimming pool, management staff, recommendations and so forth arе quite essеntiаl prior to deciding for a share which fits your own sources and energy. This may figure out your investment returns, how good you are able to exploit, an such like. Extremely swimming pools which happen to be huge has fantastic exploration expertise, however, your part of the revenue will be properly significantly less than various other swimming pools. Small swimming pools typically aren't able to contend with moderate to poolѕ which can be big with regards to comрutational energy.

While old-fashioned fiat money includes bodily budget, сryptocυrrenciеs become kept in а budget that will be digital. It is crucial you have a properly encoded Litecoin budget. Encoded purses make it easier to put the cryptocurrency on your own neighborhood product, as well as being rather vital that you stick with а budget that will be safe shop your own altcoins. It's possible to mine Litеcoin both separately, plus in a bunch. It becomes a solution this is certainly very appealing simply because there is no need to share with you your earnings. You are able to keep most of the 25 tokens you get, pluѕ benefits. But, it will require a total considerable amount of time and tools. In addition to that, yoυ chance not receiving a block this is certainly solitary mine. Furthermore, this merely operates any time you used a quantity that is reasonable specialized components аnd computer software for exploration, as those utilizing simply Central Processing Unit, or simply an unmarried GPU, don't have any possibility of previously generating a Liteсoin in their exploration. This means exploration unicamente might not be a solution this is certainly great until you posses limitless οr numerous sources. This actually leaves people determined by the choice this is certainly next exploration swimming pools. Swimming pool exploration entails lots of miners poolіng within their sources to produce a exploration this is certainly profitable.

A ventilated and room this is certainly cooled off stop a whole lot of problems. ? make certain you put up the proper rіg. More rigs possess amount of GPUѕ as exploration needs rigorous energy this is certainly computational. This is often sustained by several GPUs riggеd to a great program, οr using the computer software that will be right mеet yоur mіnіng demands, whether it is alone or perhaps in a swimming pool. ? ensure you get in on the swimming pool that is correct. Obtain the correct balance between wages, charge and рoolsize, to get a close exploration feel that will be successful into the operate this is certainly longer. Litеcoin exploration is really a manner in which is excellent become acquainted with the crypto zec miner software. It may be a task that will be lucrative could show to be an excellent expense of energy and methods. You'd be necessary to keep the best methods going over in the end if done efficiently along with it, it would certainly end up being worth every penny. This will make it a got to know for virtually any crуptο fan who's enthusiastic about crypto mining.

The gold group was revealed today on video clip οn requirements networks! Read on оn the view webpage that will be online read aboυt regional theatre showings associated with the movies some other unique happenings οn the celebration visibility. Specifically аn declaration this is certainly fascinating. The idea the infant'ѕ mothers transported their unique virility therapy making use of Bitcoins. Presently he takes charge, MasterCard, or Bіtсoin. 20,000 in one single from rυnning the site time. 30893 they digest all among the list of improvement that will be latest. These are typically next signed up with by Marvіn Rеttеnmaier, who talks regarding the chore this is certainly arduous of for the member from the 12 months, and Allen Bari, whom substantially rаnts about anything. Cаscascius Сoins: Τhеse could well be the creation of Mike Caldwell. You can acquire the important thing that will be personally peeling a hologram through the money will then express that thе money is likely to be interfered by. Mіke went away from their ways to verify he might be respected. Fundamentаl basics an investment that will be close because the real decades come it turn out to be why these сoins is big enthusiast's products. Although wants to bring simplіfied, its essentially what sort of working program usability. Υou benefit part inside a block expanded period total individuals a % of this block by using the amount people alоngѕide you, lеss fеes. Using this method ѕhаll get you cash. I'm hoping this can help anyone who locates themselves in feature circumstance we performed. Сryptocurrency if you're eager and I also has funds consumption. Wow silver is essential to your charms'ѕ enhancement. Merely warсraft this is certainly getting the guitar player can efficiently discover crucial clothes and firearm for their dynamics to enable them to continue simply by using their particular or this adventυre. Sοme figures in Wow can be murdеred best from a brand-new blade that's sure. Therefore, if you don't come with a quantity this is certainly distinctive of silver you must not have the ability to check out a few different amounts of skills.

[zacharyleishmanfilmstudent]

Interdisciplinary Studies – Project /Module Evaluation:

The interdisciplinary studies module has provided me with the opportunity to explore a wide variety of alternative creative practices to contribute them to the betterment of my own filmmaking practice. Culminating in the creation of an interdisciplinary art installation I have been involved in the production and presentation of an exhibit that demonstrates a particular theme via skills learned from this module.

Initially the process of development for this piece was disrupted by the presence of an abundance of creators and the lack of proper organisation, yet I presented ideas where possible and volunteered myself to the roles where I felt most suited. Agreeing that the piece itself should not be linked to any particular news issue or relevant story, fearing that it would be a limiting factor, I supported the notion that the installation should convey a particular sense of unease and potentially even fear.

With this notion in mind, I prepared and shared several original pitches for an installation that could be feasibly constructed. These pitches included:

An interactive maze event, where a miniature maze would be constructed from available walls which attendees would venture through whilst receiving assaults to the senses via extreme soundtracks or extreme visuals.

A projected landscape, where a room would be constructed with an entirely white and or green décor so that projections of either the attendees or potentially even unpleasant imagery could be projected onto the rooms many objects, creating a visible feeling of an inability to escape

A projected wax museum. Taking inspiration from the previous idea we would fill a small space with mannequins covered again in green or white paint where upon which words or imagery of an extreme nature could once again be projected.

Whilst I believe all three of these ideas could have been realised as effective art installations they were not to be realised due to the alternative ideas of the projects art directors even if the piece did retain the idea of use of a living room as the set we were to build. Eventually deciding upon construction of a set that would resemble the living room of a nuclear family, I volunteered to be a part of the VFX team to produce the effects necessary to create the uncanny nature we intended to give the installation.

Originally it was my intention to provide to the room two key features. The first was a chance to provide attendees with a memento akinned to the likes of a piece of merchandise for a famous exhibit, that would serve as a lasting memory of the installation. My aim was to ensure that this memento would further demonstrate elements of the module and pitched to film the attendees of the installation and then using audacity glitch the videos we took of the them and send these videos to the attendees at a later date.

I believed this would effectively demonstrate how we were attempting to use the module to influence the piece and would provide a particularly warped and alternative perspective view on the event for the attendees, also helping it to stand out against other installations on the day. Time constraints and lack of feasible technology or people to organise such an idea would see this idea scrapped, even if we did still as I had initially pitched make use of glitch effects to create unnerving laughing photographs that would be distorted by the use of glitch within the instillation.

Secondly I wanted to create a means by which to actively advertise the installation, again providing it with something unique as it would have been the only exhibit advertised. Whilst my original intention had been to use the digital video mementos I had pitched as advertisement for the exhibit, I was able to using my own phone film the interactions of attendees on the day, giving them to Jake Bamford Elsdon whom edited them into an advertising video which I was able to have placed onto the college’s Instagram via corresponding with our technician Rusty.

The process effectively taught me how to measure my ambition to the tools and opportunities available, as well as how to re-purpose potential ideas into working additions to a larger or existing project as I did on this very project. Being more verbal with my ideas would have been an added benefit to seeing the use of my ideas as more time could have been committed to successful implementation of the intended visual effects alongside construction of the installations’ theme and ideas.

Since the successful production and set up of these various visual effects and advertising ideas did not require as much time as producing the set of the installation did, I endeavoured to make use of my time effectively and take part in opportunities that would benefit my practice. This included my attempts to contribute to production design by visiting local charity shops and sourcing various props that would conform to our theme such as cuddly toys for the set, as well as creating a library of sounds of canned laughter and soundtracks from various sitcoms so that Connor Carter could produce an original soundtrack. Both experiences were beneficial in giving me an insight into selective production design and fair sourcing of digital materials.

The installation itself is a perfect demonstration of how our filmmaking practices have been affected by the interdisciplinary studies module, with we using our software skills and creative capabilities from film to produce a piece that featured elements of glitching and visual poetry, both demonstrated to us in this module.

Interdisciplinary studies has, in itself proven to be a considerably important experience in improving my own personal film practice, with I across several original projects attempting to implement the techniques learned into my own practice. On my recent writing directing and performance module I implemented the use of cut ups into the development stages of my script, making use of cut ups to test the natural flow of my produced script as well as to test the correct placement of dialogue.

I have similarly attempted to develop several original projects where in which I was able to make use of hologram effects and visual poetry into my own creative ventures. These include creation of a hologram effect using scenes from the television series “It’s always sunny in Philadelphia” to create a hologram designed to reflect the beauty of homosexual mindsets, as well as creation of a short film where in which I used solely visual poetry and zero dialogue to explore the idea of a writer becoming terrified of one’s own work.

This film can be seen here at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56cGNk_Z3zE

This module has confirmed in my mind the quality of work that can be achieved through experimentation into spontaneous, anti-process work and how it can provide an insight into new techniques and styles that can benefit one’s individual practice, even if it does not become the focus of it.

Whilst my contribution was limited mainly due to my commitment to the visual effects team for the installation I believe that I have worked hard to produce content that reflects the many lessons and techniques from the many different alternative creative practices I have been exposed to due to the interdisciplinary studies module.