#grasshopper (2015)

[sohcah--toa]

bullet train/マリアビートル details ~

Hello!! I recently dug up the Bullet Train script (if you search it up, you should be able to find it relatively easily!! I'm not sure if it's completely reliable but it seems to be the first version) and listened to the soundtrack. (It's awesome, you should listen if you haven't already!!)

There's a lot of stuff here about マリアビートル, I hope you enjoy reading 🥳 (It's really ridiculous)

-- 1 ) LEMON'S CHILDHOOD // BACKGROUND(??)

I attached a photo for reference in the book!! :D (there's highlighter marks, I'm sorry) His backstory is tragic and aahh noo 🥹... I won't say much on it because we're all thinking the same thing. In the script, this is carried over when Lemon passes out because of the water. But apparently, in the final movie, this isn't shown a lot. In the book and movie, they aren't brothers and have a considerably colder relationship, so I can understand why the childhood scene in the cut is so much more wholesome. (Still supersuper cool though!!)

-- 2) "I'm forever blowing bubbles"

The original reason why this song was chosen for Bullet Train was because of Tangerine's West Ham United sticker (turns out, that's a football club). Hey!! But wait a minute!! There's a funny coincidence because Ladybug in the book was trying to become a football star. He has a quote that's like "my friend told me that someone like me could either become a footballer or a criminal, so I did both" and he says that his first crime was stealing a football.

The song delves into themes surrounding fortune as well!! I love their music selection 🙇‍♂️😤

-- 3) THREE ASSASSINS/グラスホッパー REFERENCES

Okay this part (in a way...) contains spoilers for Three Assassins, which is the first book of the "series"! ! The story revolves around a guy named Suzuki, who appears again in Bullet Train!! He kinda-sorta becomes friends with Ladybug and it's like 😊 they are so happy. To be completely honest, Suzuki's a bit traumatised but so is Ladybug, right?? Lovely friendship!!

It's also so interesting that he's reading a hotel buffet menu because his wife used to love eating at buffets and he adopted the habit of hoarding all the food as well. He's on the train to meet with his dead wife's family (which was extremely difficult for him after her passing).

-- 4) BULLET TRAIN REFERENCES IN THE MANTIS/AX

There's this other book in the series called The Mantis or AX for the Japanese version. This one isn't talked about a lot but if you like family stories, this book is so so soo good. It really pulled at my heartstrings when I first read it but I can't say too much without spoiling everything. Anyway, it makes a few references to Bullet Train and literally starts with the main character, Kabuto (an assassin), having a flashback to talking to Tangerine and Lemon during one of his missions, where they had the same target so they worked together. The Twins really respect him, actually, but find it funny that he's so careful around his wife (YES KABUTO, AN ASSASSIN, HAS A WIFE). Some characters reappear so.. :")) yay!!

-- 5) 777

Ladybug comes back!! He comes back in the latest book in the series; 777. So far, the Japanese reviews have been pretty positive and I think there's an English translation coming in November!! 🥳 I like how the title is 777; 7 like 7 tails in Nanao (七尾), car 7, his favourite number is 7 (if I recall correctly), 7 the "lucky number".

-- 6) THIS GUY

No one asked but I heavily dislike the Prince in the book. (to be honest, who doesn't...) He's just mean for no reason and likes ruining people's lives, makes fun of poor Ladybug (this really isn't that bad compared to the other stuff he does) and yeah, the list goes on. Also apparently he (heavily) tortures other schoolmates and it's not like he gets paid for it like the Twins or the other guys. He just does it for fun?? OK!! The premise of his character is amazing and it's great to see a villain that's actually just straight evil but since he's designed that way, we are validated when hating him ww. He talks about politics as well for some reason... keeps referencing historical tragedies.... man.

-- 7) ASAGAO/THE PUSHER

The Pusher is back too!! Weee~ (not really)

In the movie, it seems as though this entire part got cut out which, like, is reasonable. I attached a photo from the Grasshopper (2015) movie for reference hahaha. The guy in the black suit is the Pusher!! Yeah, he pushes people!! (not in the fun way!!)

He is in charge of protecting Wataru from the Prince's guy, although he's reluctant at first. He's obsessed with bugs and stuff. Whenever he opens his mouth, it's probably going to be about bugs. The Pusher's also strangely poetic. Maybe it's because he likes old bands like the Rolling stones? Oh!! And he gets mentioned in The Mantis.

And speaking of the Kimura family, Yuichi Kimura says something very true and it's:

"who do they gotta make the train toilets so nasty"

-- 8) LADYBUG IS COOL

This is very much a fact. In Mariabeetle, he gets kidnapped when he's 8 years old because he gets mistaken for a rich kid (after he lost a bet with his wealthy friend and had to wear his "rich person backpack"), then in the place he's being held captive, he escapes by HIMSELF since his dad isn't able to give the guys money for his son back (since they took the wrong person!!). But heyy he's resourceful and smart.

AND guess what?? He gets traumatised because there was this other boy being held but Ladybug didn't save him and it's haunted him ever since. This is also one of the reasons why he ends up helping the Prince even though he knows it won't do him any good.

Obviously, it gets worse from there. He makes it back to his family and they're pretty happy. Unfortunately, they're far from rich and Ladybug has to study extremely hard to get into a college. Spoiler alert, he doesn't. THE THING IS!! He studied so hard!! It's just that during his exam, some kid sneezed on his paper and he wiped it, smudging all his work and even his name!! Nanao! No!!

-- 9) TANGERINE BOOK RECS

To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf

"We perished, each alone."

-> He really loves that quote. A lot. Also he's a Virginia Woolf fan!!

2. Forbidden Colours - Yukio Mishima

-> He's also a Yukio Mishima fan... I wonder if he's ever read "The Sound of Waves". What would he think about it? Hahaha this will keep me up at night 😅 (<- SLANTED EMOJI!!)

3. The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea - Yukio Mishima

-> To talk about Article 41 of the Penal Code of Japan. (Mr Kotaro Isaka, the author, studied law, by the way!! It's interesting!!) However, here, Tangerine quotes Mishima on Article 41 ;)

4. Hemingway and Faulkner

-> Actually it's a collection so it's not really a book recommendation but these two people are real - Ernst Hemingway (the Old Man and the Sea guy) and William Faulkner. They didn't really get along, by the way, and even though they respected the other's work, they criticised more than praised. Sounds like the Twins.

5. Demons - Fyodor Dostoevsky

-> "Crime is no longer insanity, but simply common sense, almost a duty; anyway, a gallant protest."

I think the author is a heavy Fyodor Dostoevsky fan, just because he also referenced his works in Three Assassins.

6. Crime and Punishment ;D

-> "Science now tells us, love yourself before all men, for everything in the world relies on self-interest."

(CONT'D) yeahh this book was referenced in Three Assassins and one of the characters is obsessed with it. Glad to see that Tangerine is a fan too hahahaha.

-- 10) LEMON IS AWESOME

Opinionated text here but Lemon is plain awesome.

"Between the principal's name and Doraemon's gadgets, it was blindingly obvious which one was more important."

To each their own and I know he's a criminal but he seems like he has no enemies. Sounds very wholesome.

-- 11) HORNET THE MVP

She's in Three Assassins AND the Mantis!! Hypercool. In both books, the Hornet is a team of a male and a female. The female is eliminated (this word choice ww) by Ladybug but the male is still up and kicking, though Ladybug feels bad about it. They use poison needles, like the movie, but they trigger anaphylaxis, which is a really dangerous allergic reaction that causes body shocks.

-- 12) SUZUKI: PHILOSOPHER AND ECONOMIST

"If people knew that they might be killed by someone tomorrow, economic activity would grind to a halt."

... well 😅 take from that what you will.

(that's Suzuki!!)

Cela dit... that's all.... so long, I'm sorry. But thank you so much if you read until the end!! I hope you at least found it a bit entertaining!! :"))

[cheesesquiggler]

Neat lil green man.

[blingblingsparklesparkle]

Cicada, my love

[ron456]

CURRENTLY FREAKING OUT BECAUSE- hold up, let me settle down-

So I was listening to "James and the Giant Peach the Musical", as one does, and I was like "ooo which BMC characters would play who if they did this at their school??"

and then I was like "haha Spider kinda sounds like Brooke doing her shitty cockney accent during "The Play"

Then I got curious and I was like "Who is the singer for Spider, anyway?"

So I go to wikipedia, scroll down and it's literally SARAH STILES?!?! LIKE SPINEL FROM STEVEN UNIVERSE SARAH STILES!!

So obviously I got all excited and did a lap around my room and all

then I was like " I wonder if I recognize anyone else from this cast album"- So I scroll up and fricken' CHRISTIAN BORLE IS THE GRASSHOPPER?!?!

So I freaked out again cuz' ,like, how did I not notice this?!?

Anyways, the 2015 cast album of James and the Giant peach is awesome and I love it

Someone posted the album on sound cloud and some songs are on spotify as podcasts but yeah- HIGHLY RECOMMEND-

[aceofwhump]

Recommending 2013 Brain Man (film), 2015 Grasshopper (film, part 1 of Bullet Train), and 2015 Ouroboros (TV show). So. Much. Whump.

Ooooh thanks!!! Always want more whump recs :D

[dailysplatfest]

Day 10 of posting Splatfest dances in order

Splatfest: Grasshopper vs Ant (JP exclusive)

Date: August 22nd, 2015

We hit the double digits 😎

Video source under the (deep) cut

[coleopterabyte]

Last of the Sandwalkers is a graphic novel! I highly recommend checking it out even if you vote for infinity train, it looks so cool.

Tournament Masterpost

[bookmaven]

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE by Philip K. Dick (New York: Putnam, 1962). Cover art by Robert Galster.

‘The Man in the High Castle (1962) is an alternative history novel wherein the Axis Powers won World War II. The story occurs in 1962, fifteen years after the end of the war in 1947, and depicts the life of several characters living under Imperial Japan or Nazi Germany as they rule the partitioned United States. The titular character is the mysterious author of a novel-within-the-novel entitled The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, a subversive alternative history of the war in which the Allied Powers are victorious.’ —Wikipedia

The Man in the High Castle won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1963, and was adapted to television in 2015.

It is fascinating and frightening even today.

[cinematecally]

We'll talk about the 2015 Japanese “revenge” thriller “Grasshopper” starring Ikuta Toma, Asano Tadanobu, and Yamada Ryosuke. I am obviously in a Yamada Ryosuke phase right now. But I swear I watch other stuff too.

[breannas-artblog]

Grasshopper, 2016

Buckets of Rain, 2006

Squares of Savannah, 2002

Fission, 2015

Fish Story, 2021

Artist: Judy Pfaff

[a-book-of-creatures]

Citation needed for the rattlesnake thing. Grasshopper mice are best known for howling and for eating deadly scorpions, dangerous animals which are smaller than them. A quick search didn't turn up predation on fully grown rattlers.

Closest I got was Balchan et al. (2024) which talks about the fact that they are resistant to rattlesnake venom, and which also mentions (emphases mine):

While grasshopper mice do fall prey to rattlesnakes (e.g., Holycross and Mackessy, 2002), they are carnivores themselves and have been recorded predating upon other rodents, lizards, and birds (Sherbrooke, 1991; Rowe and Rowe, 2015). It is expected that Grasshopper Mice also prey upon small snakes, and in the context of our study system this may include young C. viridis and S. t. edwardsii, exposing themselves to envenomation in a defensive context. This bidirectional predation dynamic between Grasshopper Mouse and rattlesnake may be a driving force in facilitating the evolution of strong venom resistance in Grasshopper Mice.

So... they could theoretically kill small rattlers? Is there a better source? Firsthand account? Would love to see it!

Also they are resistant to rattlesnake venom but so are woodrats and kangaroo rats in the area (it’s a pretty interesting read!)

References

Balchan, N., Smith, C. F., & Mackessy, S. P. (2024). A plethora of rodents: Rattlesnake predators generate unanticipated patterns of venom resistance in a grassland ecosystem. Toxicon: X, 21, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxcx.2023.100179

Could i please get a small mammal cursed bio fact if u have one

the grasshopper mouse of the southwestern United States looks like a standard house mouse but is almost entirely carnivorous and is known to kill and consume everything from less homicidal mice to goddamn rattlesnakes, which they kill by jumping onto the snake's back and gnawing through its spine

[sohcah--toa]

Hiyoko is the coolest~

[nullset2]

Pikmin 4 - An In-Depth Critique and Review

Take a shot every time you hear "Pikmin".

I mentioned previously that Miyamoto was a taskmaster because this is what he truly is. From urban legends that he "upends the tea table" on projects at Nintendo to the nature of Pikmin itself, it's clear that his personality shines best as a manager, even though nerds worldwide regard him as some sort of Santa-like figure that shits rainbows and farts sugar and happiness. Even though Miyamoto's input is important from a seniority point of view, since he's someone who will drive and provide vision (and, I guess, back in the day... he also provided illustrations for things), he's not the literal code monkey that's slaving away at punching in the code for your bing-bing-wahoo at the shitty Nintendo thinkpads.

Pikmin 4 is the 2023 entry into the Pikmin series... I guess the Pikmin series only gets an entry a decade, right? Given that Pikmin 3 released in 2013; Pikmin 3 was my entry point to the series in Wii U, a damaged, UV degraded boxart copy of which I bought in rare leisure, in clearance, in a shitty dilapidated Blockbuster location in Mexico, back in 2015 or so --I saw it for sale for like 400 pesos or something and I figured why the fuck not, since Wii U games are usually around 1200 pesos or so.

My experience playing Pikmin 3 was very pleasant because I wasn't really expecting anything, but I walked away from it massively enriched: from its engaging, split-responsibility, time-management gameplay, to its luscious visuals (I still drool every time I look at the fruits in the Wii U version), I heard around that if Pikmin 3 is the ultimate version of Pikmin, Pikmin 4 is the ultimate version of Pikmin 2.

Pikmin is the passion project of Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, the Quintessential video game franchise; Mr. Video Game himself, a Character known to every single person in the World. Even though you could argue that the actual creator of Mario is Takashi Tezuka, because he did the nuts and bolts, Miyamoto is generally credited as the mastermind. Serves better for PR purposes: makes the Universal Studios attraction more profitable.

I guess his seniority at the company and his desire to transcend led him to come up with Pikmin, which is obviously his brainchild on a very personal level, and let me tell you that he loves the little Pikmin (Pikmen?) guys, from the abundance of merchandising in Nintendo stores worldwide, to the surreptitious injecting of Pikmin-related easter eggs in any other thing he does, this man is in love with his own franchise.

Why wouldn't he be? Pikmin is very appealing. It does suffer of a certain problem: it is a game that's too cozy and cute for hardcore gamers to enjoy, and it's too gruesome and stressful for casual Wii Sports playing casual scum to enjoy. I guess that just leaves the Nintendo ultrafan retards as the target audience --but then again, those kinds of kids (as they used to call me at Amazon derisively, because I was some sort of inferior, impressionable DEI hire that they had to put up with) are not people who are in tune with the intricacies of nature and animism, aspects of which Pikmin (and Shinto) heavily rely on. What do those “kids” know, anyway, right?: they've never spent a day in nature, nor they've tended to a garden, nor they touch grass, nor they've seen the bugs at work, nor they've planted flowers, what good are they?

It is commonly quoted that Pikmin is the product of Miyamoto's observations of bugs during his time spent gardening, which apparently is his hobby. Pikmin proclivity for working right out after birth, carrying stuff and fighting stem both from his careful observation of ants, beetles and grasshoppers, et. al., in his gardens, and the Asian collectivist Work Ethic.

It is historically known that the Pikmin series comes from the Super Mario 128 tech demo at Spaceworld 2000, which demonstrated the (as of then upcoming) Dolphin console (the Gamecube) as being capable of running massive amounts of tasks and render a huge amount of independent characters at the same time through the showcasing of a scene with 128 little Marios operating independently.

Miyamoto guessed something correctly: that the video game tech arms race was coming to an end soon, that Moore's Law in microprocessors would be coming to an end, too, and that the only obvious path forward in video game tech came in the form of concurrency and parallelism, through more effective usage of computational resources. That the video game industry had entered an era of diminishing returns in terms of clock speeds, and that novel experiences in video gaming necessarily had to come from an intimate, strong understanding of parallelism and other tech, and I must declare his observations to be right. That's why in the 2000s, if you remember, progress in processors came only in the form of Intel and their fetishism for MOAR cores, core 2 duo, core quad... etc.

So then, this whole artistic prospect of Pikmin... what even is it? Why is it worth my time?

Part 1 - Dandori as fuck, mothafucka

Pikmin 4 is a game which revolves around a single concept --Dandori.

Given that apparently, interleaving Japanese vocabulary in English is now seen as chic (I would never dare do it in the 2000s, by the way), I can now confidently state that Pikmin 4 is about understanding and practicing Dandori. Dandori translates to "delegation", but the game presents it as "the ability to order your tasks in the optimal manner for progression".

The story is pretty barebones as always: Olimar has crashed on Earth (again), like in Pikmin 1, but now we're responding to the SOS signal as the rescue corps. Alas! The rescue corps also crash-land on Earth while rescuing Olimar themselves. So, you rescue Olimar by venturing through a certain garden on Earth, playing a little bit with the concept of scale: the Pikmin people are diminute and they cannot breathe Oxygen, so they must wear spacesuits to explore our World, and things which seem mundane to us are insurmountable obstacles to them so that which seems as a single living room or a yard is a massive, sprawling piece of land to them.

Will the rescue corps rescue Olimar in the end?

オリマ (O RI MA) is マリオ (MA RI O) backward by the way.

The main gameplay loop trascends through gathering Pikmin, of which there are several kinds: red (who are strong to fire), blue (who can swim and can go in the water), yellow (who are resistant to electricity and are optimal diggers), ice (a new type, who can freeze enemies and bodies of water to change the layout of the land temporarily, and can float on water), purple (who have massive carrying and attack power, but are slower and heavier), flying (who can fly and are more efficient at carrying but are generally weaker), rock (who can withstand stomping and can break certain surfaces, being rock-hard), and white (who are poisonous and resistant to poison). Pikmin spawn from something known as an Onion; Pikmin you gather form your current squad, which starts at 10, and increases to your maximum possible squad come from gathering of flarlics in the game world, which reinforce the Onion by 10 more Pikmin. Pellets which grow every day from flowers can generate more Pikmin of the kind that carried the pellet to the Onion, and will yield as many Pikmin as the number they're labeled with. If the current amount of Pikmin in the overworld are less than the max amount of possible Pikmin in the squad, seedlings will burst from the onion, which can be plucked from the ground to allow Pikmin to reproduce. Bears mentioning that collected carcasses from enemies will also work like pellets.

Only three kinds of Pikmin can be out in the overworld at any given time, so since priorities can change, it is possible to withdraw and deposit Pikmin from and to the Onion, which will ensure that the same pre-selected amount of Pikmin of each kind exist in the overworld at any given time. And of course, there's also your cutie patootie new friend, Oatchi, your dog. He functions like a second captain that you can switch back and forth from, with special abilities, such as Jumping (which allows you to take different routes which were previously impossible in the series), digging, swallowing huge treasures, charging against enemies and barriers, sniffing targets, carrying Pikmin on his back, and attacking by bite. Oatchi accumulates XP through the game, which can be used to level up his skills. Olimar also has a dog called Moss, both of which pretty much steal the show.

Remember that era in gaming around 2015 or so where every single game had to had a heckin' cute pupper doggo?

The max squad size and the Pikmin type limits do not apply to the Caves, though. Being the main mechanism for content in the game, Caves function as this game's Zelda dungeons, where a series of challenges is presented linearly and concluded in a boss (one of which, the Unexistent Entity, will be an incredible surprise if you played 3: you're thrown into its lair with the wrong Pikmin type and you have to play stealth to avoid decimation by it until you can counterattack). Comprised of multiple sub-levels, caves have a completion rate influenced by collection of treasure. In contrast to 3, the game does no longer have a time limit, as in, a fixed amount of days that you have to finish your mission in (it is possible to unlock a postgame mode, Olimar's Shipwreck tale, which returns to the original three Red, Blue and Yellow Pikmin 1 types and 30 day limit). Even though an in-game day lasts 15 minutes in real life, time flows half as fast during the cave sections, to incite playing them like a Zelda dungeon again.

Treasure collecting serves as the main method of progress in the game. After the rescue corps get stranded on Earth, they have to rehabilitate their spaceship through the collection of Sparklium, which is their fuel, and is obtained from shiny artifacts they find on earth, which Pikmin 4, in traditionally whimsical fashion, determines to be common household items and Nintendo paraphernalia, named in an oblivious manner, much like an alien unfamiliar with life on Earth would name things, and that's how a delicious and plump Peach becomes a "Mock Bottom". I would like to commend the Pikmin team over how perfectly and deliciously they model the treasures' in-game models. However, the treasures coaexist with perils, obstacles and beasts, which will attack your squad if you're not careful.

The game tries to make interesting things with their locales to test your ability to explore them and Dandori around. Of note, there's a beach stage where the tide goes down after noon, completely shifting the configuration of the level and effectively giving you a second level to maneuver around. The game also adds an in-door locale, a new to the series, presented very cozily. The Pikmin 4 house is just so cute (not to mention that I still hunger for those tomatoes in the kitchen, and I consider it a huge flex in the better way that Nintendo keeps showing off their HD graphics prowess... Mario Party Steak, anyone?)

Finally, it is also possible to develop your gear, skills and abilities. You can even go and punch enemies yourself alongside the Pikmin! I am particularly a fan of a new addition which allows you to summon benched Pikmin back to your location, and the superspicy sprays which give you a temporary boost.

Special consideration must be given therefore to the order of operations; to what tasks are taken and in what order and which have or can be done in parallel or not, and which should be done by a certain kind of Pikmin or not, and how to do them efficiently, administering your resources well (since some tasks like building, consume resources which have to be mined); which tasks represent risks or not, and which risks to take and which ones to avoid to protect your Pikmin; which fights to engage in and in what order and how to exploit enemy weakpoints and with which troops, or even which fights to completely avoid; when to save a Pikmin or even when to sacrifice them and leave them for dead or use them as bait or as a distraction (and in a game like this, losses are going to be inevitable); which routes to take in the overworld and how, and which shortcuts to take, and under what abilities, every little single thing is important when fighting the clock and aiming to complete tasks, as you are in this game. There's no time limit, but the number of ellapsed days is counted.

Part 2 - Dandori Battles, Night Expeditions, Dandori Challenges and the Sage Gauntlet, oh my!

The thing that surprised me the most about the game is the massive amount of content, a rare thing for nowadays Nintendo. First of all, a new Tower Defense mode has been added in the form of the "Night Expeditions". Series veterans will know that you only get to explore and work in a level until sundown, at which point any Pikmin forsaken in the Overworld will get eaten by the beasts. Special night expeditions are provided for a spin, where a new Pikmin type, the Glow Pikmin, is presented. Glow Pikmin do not need to be plucked, immediately return to you after they reach the Onion, and can Glowmob enemies by amalgamating into a big fireball. Night expeditions are performed to gather medicine to heal characters infected by the "leafling" infection, who have become Pikminified and can no longer think about anything but Dandori, becoming obsessed with it. and it eventually is revealed that Olimar... has been infected too.

Leaflings will constantly challenge you to Dandori battles, the Multiplayer mode in Pikmin 4, where there's a single type of Pikmin and a dog for both teams, competing Mario Kart style, with powerups and all, to gather a certain amount or kind of treasure in the minimum time possible.

There's also special Dandori challenges, where you must retrieve every single treasure in a level under certain conditions, sidequests to make you sick, and a final gauntlet with the Leafling master, a mysterious character who will "teach you to master the art of Delegation", and who will actually make you sweat with his challenges. I really loved the Gauntlet part of it.

If you make a mistake, a Checkpoint system is available to ease the pain on the player, different to previous entries in the series. It is possible to "rewind time" if you want to an auto-save to try again or undo a mistake and this comes to no penalty to the player.

But in another regard, I hated the controls, and I'm burned even more coming off of 3 and its Wii Remote controls. To be accesible to newcomers to the series , they decided to implement an auto-aim system for the Pikmin you throw. This usually works fine enough, but completely craps out when there's several multiple targets in tight quarters and you want to make an specific decision as to what to attack or carry. It is impressive that they decided to release the game in this form and not provide us with a different control scheme or some kind of option.

Pikmin is Miyamoto's passion project and the culmination of the series so far. I can appreciate his dedication to the series and that he wears his heart on his sleeve about it. It is a game that will fascinate you and inspire your love of nature; Shintoism is the main cultural framework of Japan, and I dare not and will NOT disrespect it or misunderstand it, but from what I understand it revolves around animism: the idea that everything in the World is God. That the forest is alive, that every single tree, every single leaf, every single bug has an spirit of its own to be revered, and that everything is constantly in movement and active, in vibration. That's where Pikmin borrows its inspiration for its luscious locales and creatures, underpinned by the classic, almost stereotypical Japanese obsession for productivity, time management and optimization. It shines best when you feel very effective and when you see all of your little creatures going about it, fighting monsters in mobs, and coordinating to carry their carcasses or a heavy object --not to mention that Oatchi both opens up the game thematically and for mechanical innovation.

Pikmin 4 was great. See you in 2035.

[blingblingsparklesparkle]

I read Three Assassins. Now I’m obsessed with cicada…

[iffoundreturntosea]

November 6, Day 310/311

Day 310 2015

Hank says hello!

#Hank #hankthehorse #horse #animal #nature #outdoors #equinetherapy #upclose #upcloseandpersonal #picoftheday #project365 #day310

The horse that got me to not be afraid of horses!

Day 311 2016

#nofilter #fall #sunset #tree #silhouette #nature #outdoors #orange #red #yellow #shadesoffall #november #picoftheday #project365 #day311

Day 310 2017

The sunset through plastic in my yard. Looks cool but it's not.

#fall #sunset #nature #outdoors #sky #grass #yard #plastic #trash #pickitup #throwitaway #notthathard #everydayisearthday #nastytrash #november #picoftheday #project365 #day310

Day 310 2018

Couldn't help myself!

#ilovenature #brickwall #grasshopper #insect #nature #outdoors #greenleaves #fall #autumn #darkalready #leaves #fallleaves #november #picoftheday #project365 #day310

Day 310 2019

I spent my day off combating stress, I think I won today!

#read #book #relax #putyourfeetup #dayoff #cozy #nostress #nationalstressawarenessday #november #november6 #2019 #nationalday #nationaldaycalendar #picoftheday #project365 #day310

Day 311 2020

I'm toadally feeling this poor amphibian

#iknowitsnotatoad #punny #frog #macro #closeup #pests #mood #nature #amphibians #thingsthatstartwitha #november #november6 #2020 #picoftheday #project365 #day311

Day 310 2021

Stranded

#shipwreck #stranded #motorboat #toy #cedarhillstatepark #lake #bokeh #november #november6 #2021 #picoftheday #project365 #day310

Found this little toy on the bank while enjoying the Cedar Hill State Park with my dad and stepmom.

Day 310 2022

Leo loves his morning sunshine!

#leo #kitty #cat #morningsun #catnap #sunbather #blinds #lines #furbaby #november #november6 #2022 #picoftheday #project365 #day310

Day 310 2023

Just need some hot water to relax after a crazy, busy weekend.

*note Leo drinking from the faucet*

#carrieandleo #water #hotbath #needtorelax #foggy #imissmybaby #november #november6 #2023 #picoftheday #project365 #day310

Day 311 2024

A few emotions of my grief

#3rows #dailytheme #emotions #grief #furious #despair #anxious #november #november6 #2024 #picoftheday #project365 #day311

So much disappointment in this country and many people I know.

[miscelliteeous]

18/31 HOWL (2015)

Great kills and incredibly fun at times, but my gosh I can't get over how stupid the werewolf designs are. Like, some might say "oh Lite, you'd be scared if you saw that irl so it's a good design" but NO, I would be scared of a grasshopper if one suddenly appeared before me, that doesn't make grasshoppers 'scary'. Still, a good movie, especially if you're like me and really enjoy the niche sub-subgenre of 'monsters trying to get people who are on a train'.