#how certain traditions stayed similar but others morphed and changed over time

[crypt1dcorv1dae]

raven with a distinct, but unplaceable accent. dure it may sound *similar* to this or that, but its not quite anything anyone has heard before...

[tarhalindur]

Higurashi Gou final thoughts pt. 1

(Spoilers go under a cut:)

Taking this by arc:

Onidamashi-hen: The best executed first cour arc by a significant margin.  Probably not coincidentally, it stays the closest to the structure of the OG arc and thus keeps more of OG’s tension ratchet than the other Gou arcs.  I have two main issues, and I’m pretty sure both of them can be firmly pinned on the anime staff rather than Ryukishi07 himself.  First, it pulls its punch on the stealth sequel aspect.  I’m not entirely sure that going for a stealth sequel was the correct decision (it’s a cost/benefit tradeoff), but if you do you’re going for the wham of the sequel reveal, and the anime undercut this by putting the Rika/Hanyuu scene at the start of episode 2 rather than the end of the arc.  Second, it overdoes the final Rena fight, making it so over-the-top that it’s difficult to take seriously.  Neither of these issues exist in the manga (which has a believable amount of stabbing and has the Hanyuu scene at the end of the arc where it should be), and in the former case we also have a Ryukishi07 interview indicating that this was a change requested by the anime staff, so this goes on them.  (Interestingly, by way of contrast I think this approach might actually work well for the Mieruko-chan adaptation that Passione has coming out later this year.)

Watadamashi-hen: The core issue here (above and beyond fridge logic after Satokowaski-hen) is the finale, which landed like a wet fart.  It both escalates from zero to 100 *way* too fast and has the worst case of “tell don’t show” in the neo-question arcs - we learn about every single dead body in the arc from Ooishi’s end-of-arc narration.  That’s relatively defensible for three of those bodies, which we only learn about secondhand even in OG Watanagashi-hen (though IIRC in OG two of those bodies have foreshadowing from rumors earlier in the arc, and unless I’m forgetting something that’s absent here), but all five?  Yes, keeping Keiichi locked away from the final showdown removes fridge logic issues, but you have prominent security cameras - you can at least have him see the aftermath of the showdown on the screens (and freak out because of it).  Adding insult to injury, the Keiichi vs. door scenes are also so over-the-top as to damage willing suspension of disbelief.  The 0-to-100 issue is harder to fix, because the one thing Watadamashi did right was put the Rika-loses-it scene as an end-of-episode cliffhanger, and “Keiichi et. al. are about to enter the Saiguden” probably wanted an end-of-episode cliffhanger as well for discussion purposes (it might have been able to get away with using the commercial break).  The simplest fix is the same one @tsuisou-no-despair​ floated: cannibalize an episode off of another first cour arc.

Tataridamashi-hen: Amusingly, I think Gou has retained OG’s tradition of having the Tatari- question arc being the weakest question arc.  As I see it there are two interlocking core issues here which boil down to the same issue.  Tataridamashi-hen goes for a very unconventional method of building tension: it doesn’t, instead relying on the viewer’s realization that something bad has to be coming to do so for it (the old “that can’t be right, we’ve still got twenty minutes left in the episode” reaction I more commonly associate with things like police procedurals).  The problem is that this runs into the Endless Eight lesson: even flawless metatext should not be used at the expense of enjoyability of the actual text.  And while the arc got some leverage out of “when exactly is this going to diverge?”, there’s a point much like Endless Eight itself when you realize where it’s going to diverge (i.e, not until the end) and that until then you’re sitting through the same events you remember from OG.  It works about as well as it did for Haruhi.  (Unless you’re a new viewer, but in that case staying too close to Minagoroshi-hen has other issues.)  Worse, unlike Minagoroshi-hen itself (which did something similar to build tension but a) non-source readers hadn’t seen it before so it wasn’t foregone the same way and b) you had several more episodes after the subarc for the main event) the arc ends almost immediately after this.  (The simplest fix here might have been cutting down on the arc time by speedrunning Minagoroshi events, reducing the amount of time you’d have to wait.  You could even have a couple of obstacles collapse faster than expected; this late in the first cour it would serve as foreshadowing for Satokowashi-hen, and would also deal with unfortunate implications concerning the village’s prejudice considering that the staff knew Satoko was going to be the culprit.  Trimming an episode would also neatly solve the issue of where to get an additional episode for Watadamashi-hen from!)  The good news is that the final confrontation is the best of the first cour arcs (it’s somewhat more realistic than the other two, actually not that far behind some of the more memetastic OG moments except for Teppei’s eyes, and not showing Ooishi’s rampage is forgivable given that they knew they would be actually showing it in Nekodamashi-hen), but that’s damning with faint praise.

Nekodamashi-hen: The best Gou arc.  The episode 15 jump cut is the stuff of legends and the best scene in the show by a sizable margin (the one thing the director does well is black humor, it seems), while the rest of the arc isn’t as good, it’s far shorter on demerits than the rest of the show.  The one really, really obvious demerit is that they really didn’t need to spend half an episode on the intestines-ripping scene (if Ryukishi07′s comments are to be believed, once again we’re pinning this on Passione), but effects on my stomach aside there are worse issues to have.

Satokowashi-hen: And here we have the other side of the coin; this is the worst Gou arc, and it’s the one spot where I’m pretty sure Ryukishi07 himself gets some of the blame.  There’s a few issues here.  First, the single most obvious dangling plot thread from Matsuribayashi-hen (Satoshi’s fate) is effectively dropped despite being directly relevant to the other dangling thread that was picked up (how Rika treats Satoko and vice versa); this includes missing an opportunity to show Satoko’s character arc through different responses to learning about Satoshi’s condition.  Secondly and compounding, Shion is also dropped along with the Satoshi thread; AIUI this is kind of understandable given final Satoko/Shion interaction in the Matsuribayashi-hen VN (which IIRC never made it into the anime), but dropping her without explanation still leaves something that looks awfully like a plot hole since a single conversation with Shion is potentially enough to stop the events of this arc from ever happening.  (”Character X had information that would have stopped the tragedy but never had an opportunity to tell anyone” is a classic tragedy trope, but you should really have a *reason* for that character never having the opportunity as opposed to just having them vanish without explanation.)  Finally, there’s just the general issue that while the ending points for both Rika and Satoko are reasonable the path they take to get there just doesn’t quite add up.  I can kind of get there via a combination of “blame the director” (the loops montage could and should have easily shown Satoko’s deteriorating mental condition as she watched - using interlaced cuts to her face with changes in facial expression is a classic method) and mind caulk (Rika was exaggerating for effect when she described her desire to go to St. Lucia’s as a long-time thing and it only really kicked in after Matsuribayashi-hen, Satoko originally only planned to suicide in Matsuribayashi-2 and only took Rika out with her as a crime of passion after feeling betrayed, hence the next few loops lacking her murdering Rika) but being mind-caulkable is not the same as actual good execution.

I mean, I’ve banged on this drum before, but... the basic concept works.  Really well.  Satoko’s abandonment issues and Rika’s treatment of Satoko are two of the major dangling plot threads from OG Higurashi (*eyes both Minagoroshi-hen and anime-only Yakusamashi-hen*).  It makes perfectly good sense that the latter comes back to bite Rika, especially in a sequel literally titled “karma”.  I already suspected Satoko was on the autism spectrum based on OG, her being ADHD in addition to or instead of that makes perfectly good sense given those conditions often overlap.  Rika’s desire to escape the well morphing into a desire to escape Hinamizawa entirely?  Sure, just present it as that.  Satoko steadily losing her support network as her friends are torn away from her by changing life circumstances, then going to a boarding school that she hates, that strips the rest of her support structure for her and starts to take even her one remaining friend (her childhood friend, no less - and one that Satoko is at this point attracted to romantically in true osananajimi fashion) away from her, and then starting to snap with some prodding from a certain witch?  That’s a compelling story idea!  But as present it just doesn’t quite work, and that’s on the execution.

(Side note: I wonder if some of what went wrong with Gou was just the kind of production issues endemic to modern anime, amplified by the pandemic.  I remember at least one comment/blog post somewhere in the wake of WEP’s issues noting some of the effects that production issues can have on an anime, and one of the things they noted was excessive slavishness to the source material as a time-saving measure; that sounds awfully similar to some of Ryukishi07′s comments about how he didn’t expect Passione to take his script quite so literally, and to my admittedly untrained eye it sure looked like there were a bunch more other animation studios than usual mentioned in Gou’s credits...)

Final score: depends on your exact rating system, but given the range I’m looking at I can’t see how I can give it any score other than 3.4/5 for obvious reasons.  (Pending Sotsu, anyways.  It’s possible that Sotsu will resolve some of these issues - in particular, Ryukishi07 always has struck me as the kind of author who would get a kick into baiting us into falling for the same twist twice; it’s not impossible that the apparent lack of unreliable narrators so far is a double bluff, and that could affect the “question arc” scores in particular.  More on this in a forthcoming solution space post.)

[katelynn-a-fan]

Why We Do What We Do (3)

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Five hours earlier

“Here we are!” Patton piped up as Logan, Roman, Virgil and Patton arrived at the location of their FamILY dinner, as Patton called it.

This is the 3rd time we’ve been to an Italian restaurant this month and we’re not even 3 weeks into the year. Honestly the only thing that we agree on with this place is their pasta. But as long as we’re here, the pasta is going to be delicious! The boys love their pasta.

Patton rolled his eyes as they entered into the restaurant’s immaculate foyer, passing the line of people going out the door. 

“Wow! It’s really busy tonight! Wonder what so special about today!” exclaimed Roman, who surged up to where the hosts were waiting, getting a few side-eyes from the line they had just passed. Patton just gave them a subtly, almost cheeky smile, as if he didn’t understand why they were looking at him.. 

Luckily for the little group, they had made a reservation early enough to be seated within minutes whereas there was a line out the door for the unfortunate majority that did know about the online reservation system the restaurant had. But then again, coming to this restaurant in particular at least once every 2 weeks since they were kids, if not more often, would get you swiftly accustomed to their way of doing things. 

Their host’s eyes lit up as they had approached to confirm their reservation and Patton swore that she had done something to bump them up because with how quickly they had been seated and where they were seated, it should’ve been a quarter hour. 

“I’ve wondered when you boys would be coming back next, anything new to speak about?” their host, Kiki bubbled as they neared her podium.

“Nothing more notable than last time Kiki.” Virgil snarked playfully, but as he said it, a blush creeped up on his cheeks. Roman’s face also turned a similar shade of red at Virgil’s words.

“Oh, don’t get me started about last time! When you told me you and Roman had finally planned to go out as a couple, I was over the moon! I don’t know how you two were so clueless about each other’s feelings when you have spent every day since you both started high school together.” Kiki snarked back as she automatically grabbed the menus and steered them to what they had claimed as ‘their’ booth, a semi circular booth, the kind that made it impossible to get out of if you were in the middle.

The Death Trap. They had come to call it that after many friendly squabbles and refusals of whoever was on outside to relent to move out the way of another person. Patton himself didn’t remember who first coined the moniker, either Virgil or Roman, but had stuck and Patton couldn’t think of anything more fitting to call it.

“We don’t know either.” Logan replied as Patton felt Logan instinctively grab Patton’s arm, which Patton responded to by intertwining their arms together instead, earning a gentle, playful glare from Logan as they walked along. Patton felt Logan rub a finger over Patton left ring finger where their wedding band resided.

“Damn right! ...Wait, Don’t you have midnight lab today, Logan?” Kiki enquired as she instinctively weaved through the tables and servers, but her head turned looking at Logan. Impressive.

“Yes, but you know I can’t possibly pass up our bi-monthy escapade to our most delectable choice of cuisine when there is no reason to refuse as is a tradition not easily thwarted.” Logan articulated as Patton felt him subtly squeeze his hand, which then earned Logan a glare of his own from Patton. 

You lovable nerd.

“Nerd.” Patton mumbled loud enough for Logan to hear, but both Logan’s response and their impromptu glaring game came to an end as they finally reached their destination at The Death Trap.

“Well then, I must spread the message that our 4 favorite boys are here and to give them the best service they can.” Kiki affirmed with a wink as she placed the menus on the table and then walked briskly out of sight.

Everyone was seated in The Death Trap with Logan and Patton to the left, Roman and Virgil to the right. Logan and Roman being on outside.

All of them got their usual, which their server didn’t even have to ask each of them in turn, just uttering a short ”Y’alls usuals?” And when they answered in the affirmative, the server quickly picked up the menus that were still in the same pile that Kiki had brought them in, which made Patton wonder why Kiki bothered with giving them the menus every time they came in. They knew the menus forwards and backwards.

After they were seated with drinks, the meal became a blur. Appetizers, then main meal and then the check was suddenly on the table

 They were discussing the semantics of when jello became a solid, with Logan arguing the scientific side when the jello was uniformly under 0 degrees Celsius as a large component of jello was water (Logan had a large distaste for America’s measurement systems and refused to use Fahrenheit). Roman argued that it was only when it was at a certain consistency, which he could not define, but insisted on challenging Logan’s assertion with his own nonetheless. 

Patton was never one to argue like this, but he enjoyed seeing Roman and Logan’s mental sparing. It was an interesting, no, entertaining thing to watch. Like a metaphorical gladiator battle, only Logan was almost always the winner and there was no blood to be shed. ‘Almost always’ being something Logan would deny to this day, but a little after all 4 of them had met as a group of friends, they had gotten into a debate about the size of the universe. 

Roman, as stubborn as ever, had brought up that the universe was around 100 billion light years in diameter, smug that he knew a scientific fact that would make him right. Logan quickly shot back that it was only the observable universe that was referring to and that the complete universe was much bigger. Roman retorted something along the lines that there was no way to measure how big the universe really was, so by default, Roman was right.

“No! The physical limit of the speed of light and the fact that you know the limit of the observable universe does not change the fact that the universe is no doubt infinitesimally big, unlike your brain!” Logan had huffed in frustration. 

“Hey, that was uncalled for!” Roman had exclaimed before they both went silent glaring at each other in what Patton had learned was not malice, but a mutual respect of each other’s debating ability. Virgil had not yet figured that out so he was bug-eyed and trembling slightly at their increasing intensity.

Patton had let the silence permeate for a moment or two before he piped up with a “Wait, doesn’t infinitesimal mean really, really small, not really, really big?” along with his signature head tilt he used for when he didn’t understand.

Logan had paused in what he going to say as Patton interjected and then started again, “No, Patton, I know my wo-”, before he froze with a look of realization that turned him beet red, which Patton realized later he had found really cute (Flustered Logan was best Logan in Patton’s opinion). Logan had run off to escape embarrassment while Roman bragged to Patton and Virgil that the infallible Logan had lost to the magnanimous Roman, who was giving him mercy by not pursuing him after Roman’s victory.

Just Logan being Logan and Roman being Roman.

However, Patton was pulled from his reminiscing by Virgil chiming in with a third opinion, that jello was both and neither, it was like a cat. It could conform to any container it was placed in, but was a solid that didn’t run when it was freestanding.

Patton reeled back out of surprise from whatever position he had been while he had been spacing out and turned to his left to stare at Virgil.

In all his years, there had never been a third contender in the ring of debate, this was new and exciting territory. Patton waited almost pensively for the other’s responses.

“But it does that when it’s liquid! If you take the jello out it stays in the same shape, and plus something can’t be both phases!” Roman retorted without hesitation.

“Concur with both of you, I still believe it only becomes a solid once the optimum temperature is reached, but when it is in the process of cooling down, I would agree with Virgil.” Logan proposed with expression of surprise probably similar to Patton’s.

“But that doesn’t make sense, neither of you are right! Jello is solid when you can stick your finger in and your finger doesn’t come back covered in liquid jello, that’s a foolproof theory!” Roman interjected, which cause Logan to raise his eyebrows.

“No it’s like a cat!” Virgil restated with a fire Patton had never seen in his eyes.

Oh, that’s new.

“No it’s not, cat is a living thing and jello is a food! Why have you chosen now to  start debating with us? I would’ve understood joining us earlier, but Logan and I have been doing this for years ever since we’ve met. Why don’t you leave the debating to the professionals?” Roman snickered as he seemed to turn himself full force against Virgil.

Virgil’s froze for a second before his eyes bugged out, reminding Patton of that infamous argument Logan and Roman had.

“What?” Virgil growled, causing Patton’s heart to seize, this... this was something different. This argument was turning into something dangerous.

“What? I’m just saying that we’ve been doing this a whole lot longer than you have so you’re not going to win the first round on your first time out.” Roman declared with pride.

Abort! Abort! Abort!

Logan tried to say something, to defuse the rapidly escalating argument, but was interrupted by Virgil.

“Well I’ve been listening you two bicker for years, you think I’m dull enough to not pick something up from your silly show?!” Virgil scowled as Patton saw his hands morph into fists.

Patton gently grasped Virgil’s arm in an attempt to calm him down, but Virgil brushed him off with glare as he waited for Roman’s response with a  much harsher glare that Roman didn't seem to register at all.

Roman seemed unperturbed as he responded with “Our debates aren’t silly! What would make you say that?” and a sly smile.

That was apparently the wrong thing to say and do, as Virgil exploded past Roman and all but ran out of the restaurant, causing Roman to curse as Virgil squeezed past him uncomfortably. Roman shot a glance of confusion at Logan and Patton as he quickly followed after his boyfriend, careful not to make a scene of himself. 

Patton gestured for Logan to exit as well, but Logan shook his head. “Someone needs to pay the check, if you want to follow them you can, I can’t stop you, but I need to stay.” Patton squeezed Logan’s hand and nodded before scooting out the other direction and walking as briskly as he could to catch up with Virgil and Roman.

When he reached them in the parking lot, Roman was grabbing Virgil’s hand to stop him.

No Roman, no!

“Virgil, wait-”

Virgil pulled his hand back like Roman’s touch burned him, wheeling back to face Roman.

“Get the fuck away from me! I need some fucking time away from this bullshit!” Virgil snarled as his knuckles turned white from how much he was squeezing his hands into a fist. 

Roman made a strangled noise before retaliating, matching Virgil’s intensity in response. “Well, this bullshit is your fucking boyfriend Virgil! I don’t know what’s gotten you so worked up, but apparently I was wrong to let you into our debate at all if it’s going to make you this worked u-”

Roman was interrupted by Virgil punching him square in the jaw.

“Fuck you! You never did respect me. Your head’s always been too far up your ass to ever respect me like a proper boyfriend.” Virgil spat as Roman staggered back both from the punch and the surprise of Virgil hitting him and Virgil turned continuing back to his car. 

Patton held Roman’s shoulders for a beat as he had almost fallen, but Roman angrily shook him off. Patton’s heart dropped as he realized thing had gotten way out of hand.

Roman’s gaze quickly hardened into a fury matching Virgil’s, “Well when you get the balls enough to come back to me I can assure you that we are done!” Roman rose his voice to shout as Virgil opened the door to his car.

“Fine!” Virgil’s car door slammed.

“Fine!” Roman snarled as he stalked over to his own car, ignoring Patton’s pleas for him to stay. Only pausing to turn back to give a Patton a glimpse of the growing bruise on the left side of his face and Roman’s contemptuous expression. 

“Some best friends you are, I thought you would care enough to protect me, or at least do something.” Roman snapped as he got into his car and slammed the door.

Patton could swear he heard his heart break.

Patton felt helpless as he felt Logan’s hand settle onto his shoulder. Without hesitation, he turned to bury his face into Logan’s shoulder. Logan’s hand instinctively held the back of Patton’s head as he spoke.

“It’s going to be okay, Patton, they just need time to cool off. You know how we were when we were young, their tempers just need time to back down and let what they both said sink in. You know they love each other, this won’t stop them.” Logan consoled him as Patton trembled in his arms, shuddering but Patton was somehow to hold back his cries.

Distantly, he heard two engines start up and then go in opposite directions until he couldn’t hear them anymore over his shuddering breaths.

For both Roman and Virgil’s sakes, Patton hoped Logan was right.

Taglist:

@lefaystrent @ironwoman359 @delimeful @supersoftsupersleep @altruistic-skittles @007ardra @illogicalthinking 

[melonbreadreviews-blog]

Playing ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’ Three Years Later

I’ll admit, I’m often late to the party on major title releases in gaming. I’d like to tell you that it’s an intentional choice of mine, that it’s in my best interest to let the best and worst parts of these landscape altering pieces of art simmer in a pot together. I picked up Bloodborne on a whim three years after its release, and after about a two hour play session, I decided it wasn’t for me; three months later I was glued to my TV every night after work searching every nook and cranny that the hunter’s dream had to offer me.

My point is that buying a game upon its initial release is a commitment to either loving or hating that game. I often feel compelled to shower praise on the solid parts of games that I love, and pressure to explain with hyperbole the games I just couldn’t vibe with. Playing Bloodborne years after its release at a much lower price allowed me to put it down when I didn’t enjoy it, and pick it back up when I needed it. The parts of it that I didn’t like weren’t exacerbated by a pressure to validate my own experiences relative to the gaming community. Likewise, when i picked the game up again, I loved it not because I thought I should, but because the experience itself was legitimately breathtaking.

Three months later, set against the familiar hum and drum of my slowly dying Playstation 4, my experience with CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt begins. I tried to begin this same journey a few months earlier, but that run died on the starting line in a messy tutorial and a post-Bloodborne haze. One enormous Dragon Quest XI run later, and I’m finally ready to give this journey three years in the making a chance. My expectations are a mixed bag; I carry with me the influences of a thousand burning reddit threads and the weight of an inescapable question: Has this game aged well?

For those of you who aren’t familiar with The Witcher franchise (I’ve never read the series or played a mainline game before touching The Witcher 3, so you’re not alone!), the main plot of the game follows the journey of a Witcher named Geralt as he searches for his protege and ward Ciri while also fending off the primary antagonistic force of the game, the Wild Hunt. Witchers serve as bounty hunters of the region, often dealing with the monsters and villains ordinary folk are incapable of handling themselves. Throughout the game, players can feel the tension in the air between Geralt and the people around him, often including the ones he saves. Witchers exist outside the realm of normalcy in this universe, and to some extent the amount of agency the franchise gives you over the lives of the people who exist around you is a direct cause of the aforementioned tension. Though the social world Geralt inhabits mirrors the dangers of the physical world around him, there are romantic options in the game that allow for a deeper understanding of his character and The Witcher universe. The lore aspect of this game really separates it from similar titles in the same genre.

My first memories of the game still hold true, though my feelings about them have changed. I love the comic style art that flashes across the screen as the game loads, not because it matches the aesthetic of the game, but precisely because it does not. If I compare The Witcher 3 to other iterations of the same genre like Skyrim or Fallout, I find myself enjoying that not every moment of The Witcher is something that I need to take seriously. Sometimes, it’s okay to be reminded of the fact that I am actually playing a game and not living and dying by the decisions I make in this world.

That isn’t to say that decisions in this game don’t matter, though; I find that The Witcher 3 places weight on its decisions in a similar fashion to Mass Effect, rather than Skyrim or Fallout. There are several moments in the game that require a timed quick response in conversations or during action, and those quick responses sometimes dictate both the flow of ongoing dialogue and possible relationships with the characters around Geralt. There are even dialogue options that seem quite diplomatic on the surface, but end in brawls or even death for characters that the player did not expect. These moments are meant to teach the player just how much agency they have over the lives around them; sometimes Geralt feels like a god, and sometimes he feels just as vulnerable to the whims of the world as the people around him.

Normally, worlds that freely give that sort of agency to the player overwhelm me. I feel paralyzed by just how much my choices matter, and my love for the friends I’ve made throughout the story keeps me from playing the game as intended. Through the use of guides and reddit threads, I orchestrate my game in order to keep those characters alive, and that leaves me with less of an experience in the end. The Witcher 3, however, doesn’t leave me paralyzed in the same way. Because much of the main narrative is decidedly linear, Geralt is free to explore the world around him, which includes contracts to kill creatures and free spirits and occasional games of a fairly fun but not too complex card game called Gwent. Not every decision has a role to play in the main story, and the ones that do feel natural in the game’s flow. Geralt is both insanely powerful and incredibly vulnerable, but I never fear for the outcome of his story while enjoying the fun of making decisions.  

The skippable tutorial of the game remains not so skippable considering the amount of experience I have with The Witcher 3’s combat, but I appreciate that I have the option of ignoring it if I decide to run through new game plus. It’s here that the meat of the game comes to the forefront. The reason I initially put down The Witcher 3 was because I didn’t enjoy the flow of combat, which includes the two primary slashing attacks with two variants of weapons, a myriad of magical powers called Signs, and the use of items like bombs, crossbows and oils which can be applied to Geralt’s main weapons. If you’re just judging the combat of the game on the first few hours, The Witcher 3 may not meet your expectations of a major title release. When disjointed in the name of learning, the combat feels clunky, and the first few contracts in the region, especially on higher difficulties, are a major challenge for the uninitiated.

But in the same way I came to love Bloodborne, I’ve come to adore The Witcher 3 because of my journey with it. Sitting through the first few hours of the game, especially in 2018, can be sort of a grind. The story has yet to materialize, the combat is underdeveloped, and Geralt himself can seem unrelatable, but as the hours move on, the game opens up in parallel fashion to the world it encompasses. The combat itself feels incredibly fluid, each piece of it tied together in a way that challenges the player to learn how to be a Witcher, while also rewarding enough to encourage growth and not detract from the side-questing and story that make this game fun. The Witcher 3’s systems include a hearty dodging mechanic that feels clunky outside of battle, but seamless in it, and a parry system that is absolutely necessary on higher difficulties. Geralt’s magic, Signs, interact with objects in the world, but they can also be morphed and shaped into crowd control devices. The ability tree is extensive, but in a way that represents a mixing of action and role-playing. Each playthrough can be different, but Geralt remains much of the same, just upgraded.

Though not combat in a traditional sense, I think The Witcher 3’s in-game card system, Gwent, represents an entirely different method of fighting for players. Though not required, there are various quests given to Geralt in different regions of the game which involved beating skilled Gwent players at cards. While the game involves a little bit of strategy, it’s never overwhelming, and because Gwent isn’t a major factor in the story, it’s skippable for fans who don’t enjoy it. I found myself going from inn to inn, challenging keeps to games for their best cards, and I really came to love a part of the game I didn’t enjoy all that much at first. It’s a missable portion of the game, but it definitely adds dimension to the gameplay without requiring too much effort on the part of the player.

Much of the game’s story is very compelling, and it isn’t saddled with an extensive lore that the player is forced to grapple with. There is lore, yes, but that lore is discoverable all over the world, and it’s the player’s choice to explore it, or not. There is a distinct moment in the first 20 hours or so of the game that allows the player to learn about about Geralt’s relationship with Ciri through dialogue options with another character. The player can listen to all of the heavy lore in the dialogue, or simply skip it. The Witcher 3 is chalk full of story, but it never asks the player to share the burden of that story. In much the way you can flow in and out of the narrative of the story through side-questing and contracts, you can simply choose not to pay attention to certain parts of the main quest line.

That isn’t to say that the story is lacking or is unfocused. There are reasons to want to stay on track, including a wide array of characters who are, though not as interesting as Geralt, incredibly complex. The Witcher 3 does a fantastic job of presenting its best qualities though, and those qualities encourage players to explore the world around them and creative a narrative journey that varies significantly from player to player. Whether or not a player values that storytelling approach, though, depends on their own taste. Personally, I found that I could have my fill of Gwent and monster hunting, and then pick right back up where I left the main story.

The Witcher 3 is not without its faults, despite my glowing praise up to this point. While the world itself is rendered beautifully, I found the interactions with other characters to pose the biggest problems for the game’s graphics. There were times where Geralt’s face would simply teleport all over the screen until the game was able to settle into the set animations for the dialogue, and I distinctly remember an interaction between Geralt and Triss Merigold which involved Triss pressing a hand to her face that was stuck in the Igni battle animation for fire. While these graphical glitches don’t detract from the overall product, they are wrinkles on the surface of the game that begin to show its age. I was surprised that the world remained incredibly stable, save for a few times I found my horse could fit between a clustered group of trees better than I could, while the dialogue options proved incredibly difficult for the animations in the game. It reminded me a lot of my time with Mass Effect, in both good and bad ways. There was a certain novelty, but maybe that novelty is a bit too dated for a Playstation 4 title.

I’d like to end this review where I started, and that is on the subject of playing games years after they’ve already debuted. I wish I was a strong enough person to not feel the pressure that comes with making a commitment to a new title, but I often let reviews and recommendations, either positive or negative, affect the way I experience games. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a near perfect example of my current status as a consumer, because I’ve been able to enjoy all the good that the game has to offer without taking the bad bits too seriously. I did expect the game to be great, of course, but I didn’t expect it to be perfect, and that’s partly because I don’t have a need to be justified in having purchased it. I haven’t tasked myself with deciding The Witcher’s place in history; that’s already been decided. So, for now, I feel quite content to stroll along cobblestone city roads and swampy marshes, living life as a Witcher.

[theofficersacademy]

Winter has come to settle fully over the continent of Fódlan. Few people dare venture outside during the blustery month of the Guardian Moon, preferring instead to stay bundled near the fire with loved ones. However, the faithful are ever at work as the celebration of Saint Seiros’ birth draws near.

At Garreg Mach Monastery, reports of mad, dangerous villagers in Faerghus and a mind-altering aura affecting those in the area raise concerns regarding the Golden Deer’s current mission there. Facing increasing pressure to act, the church issues an emergency order: all Golden Deer House members must evacuate the area and return to Garreg Mach, and the Knights of Seiros and all battle-capable faculty will be sent in their place. No one knows if it’s possible to reverse the changes. Drastic measures are solemnly put into place: in addition to clearing out Duke Phillips’ mansion, the church shall eradicate all villages affected by this plague and protect those who can be saved.

Faculty and Staff Mission: Contain the Plague!

Though the mission is labelled for the “faculty and staff,” this Mission Season is for all muses unaffiliated with the student Houses. So if your muse is affiliated with the Church of Seiros, the Knights of Seiros, Abyss, the Ashen Wolves, or Those Who Slither In The Dark, this is their time to shine!

Like always, threads using tasks from the Faculty and Staff board must contain an Unaffiliated character as a participant (which means that faculty affiliated with any of the three houses do not count), but there are also non-mission tasks available to everyone without restrictions.

Faculty and Staff Mission Board

The situation in the village has taken a turn for the worse, and the entire population has become restless and violent. The church makes an emergency decision to pull out the Golden Deer students previously assigned on this mission. Some make a plea to stay, and others who have yet to leave the monastery on assignment volunteer to join the Knights of Seiros on their deployment to the area. The faculty have their hands full dissuading students from leaping into danger, but others willingly smuggle their trusted apprentices into Faerghus. And others arrive at the village just in time to perform emergency first aid on those who simply want to leave this growing hellscape in one piece.  

On orders to search the surrounding settlements for signs of infection, your party comes across a lone farmhouse. The woman who answers the door seems nervous, and you can see toys scattered about, but no sign of a child. She allows you inside to search, but you can’t help but feel that she’s hiding something. [Grants Authority +1]  

You encounter a few of the local militia coming to lend their aid from a nearby village and agree to join forces since you’re all en route to the same location. However, a sudden snow storm forces you all to seek shelter in what you thought had been an abandoned house... where you discover a pair of bodies evidently killed by the plague sweeping the area. Tension and emotions run high among your group, and now you’re not sure who to trust. And who might secretly be infected.  

As you gather information from the students and the surrounding villages, you begin to notice a common thread: mages utilizing unfamiliar spells that aren’t known in Fódlan or beyond. But as you prepare to ambush a group of suspiciously-robed “mages”, you notice their physical, non-magelike builds and strange weapons in their hands. Swords, lances, axes, all made of a strange “organic” material, if you could call it that, and eerily similar to what you’ve seen from the Heroes’ Relics. The Church would be more than interested in bringing those back for inspection, whether by force or theft. [Grants Any Weapon + 1]  

In the dead of night, as you and your party are trying to sleep, the guards assigned to the night watch sound the call to arms. You are confronted by a Demonic Beast unlike any you have ever seen before: some terrible cross between a human and a wyvern, arms morphed into wings and sharp talons clutching a scythe. Its golden mask gleams in the dying fire as it screeches an inhuman battle cry. The beast quickly proves itself nimble in the air, utilizing hit-and-run tactics against your ground-based allies. Shooting it down ought to end this quickly! [Grants Bow +1]

NEW! There seems to be no end in sight to the horrors around the village. Your party is fending off the zombies around the perimeter and searching for clues when bizarre, spider-like beasts rise up from the snow all around you. Glowing blue veins streak through their metallic bodies, and their many legs make them far faster than you’d expect of something of this size. You’ve never seen anything like this before, but you remember hearing a report of similar contraptions being spotted in western Faerghus several moons ago. You try to fight them, but your weapons bounce right off, so your only choice is to escape. Hop on the fastest horse you can get your hands on and hope it can outrun this new threat. [Grants +1 Riding]

NEW! In the midst of a tense battle between your party and the crazed villagers, the ground suddenly begins to quake and crumble beneath your feet. Before you can tell what’s happening, or run to safety, the earth opens up to swallow you hole. You plunge through darkness for what feels like minutes until you open your eyes again and find yourself exactly where you had just been. The village, however, is silent now. You comb through in search of anyone who might be injured, and find that the villagers who remain now seem to have regained their senses. How strange... you can’t help but feel unsettled by it all.

NEW! In this uneasy stillness, your party begins to clean up and make preparations to return to Garreg Mach. You have your own tasks to tend to, but a splitting headache impedes your progress. Accompanying it are phantom voices... from yourself. Having conversations you don’t remember having before. You can’t be the only one... right?

Non-Mission Task Board

It’s Saint Seiros’ Day! Per tradition, children dress up as the saints and elites and put on reenactments of past events. Except this year they need some extra help, and a girl dressed as Seiros points her wooden sword at you. “You’ll be Nemesis!” she says. “Oh, and invite your evil friends.” You can’t turn her down, can you? [Grants Sword +1]  

With the faculty called to arms, the students are grimly hopeful for yet another extended break in their studies. Unfortunately, the administration has other plans. Signups are now open for any student to hold a seminar of their own, teaching their unique fighting style and tips and tricks to any of their peers who attend. In the rush to leave, many faculty have already made attending one mandatory for passing their class, if not actually holding one of your own. Hopefully you can find someone you actually like...  

Gambling is more than frowned upon by the Church of Seiros, as it preys on the greed and weakness of men instead of cultivating the virtues that the goddess wants her children to uphold. Still, you have Important Things you want to buy, or maybe you just want to show off just how good your uppercut is. When the sun sets, the underground of Garreg Mach’s castle town comes to life, and the hidden fight club is more than willing to hire on a babyface fighter to put on a show for the crowd. [Grants Gauntlets +1]  

All the students know that there’s a faculty lounge, and rumors fly about what it’s like on the inside. No one has seen it, but they say that all of the professors are treated to the best food, and they have the most comfortable chairs, and all of them go there on the regular to talk shit and gossip about their students. Other students know that important records are kept there, and seek to get their hands on them. The reality is that the professors come here simply to relax after a long week, and partake in some of the “herbs” supplied by the Archbishop herself.  

Flight has already been achieved by mankind in the form of simply riding on a pegasus or wyvern, but what about human-powered flight? A mechanic arrives in Garreg Mach with a strange contraption and a dream: to find a filthy rich investor to fund his forays into human flight. Having arrived during the Guardian Moon, he spins it as a way to recreate the Immaculate One’s first appearance. Now all he needs is some bodies–er, volunteers that know how to fall from tall heights to demonstrate and help him gather some useful data. Whether or not you’ll get that “financial compensation” he promises is another story... [Grants Flying +1]

NEW! The Pegasus Moon gets its name from the herds of wild pegasi that flock to their snowy nesting grounds. Nestled in the tall mountains, Garreg Mach sees plenty of snow-white pegasi come wintertime. This year, however, the school is abuzz with news that a flock of black pegasi have stopped close by, searching for a suitable place to nest. Their feathers are of particular interest to certain students, as they are said to amplify a mage’s power. With final exams just around the corner, many are looking for a little boost to their power. [Grants Reason +1]

NEW! With the end of the school year on the horizon, the students begin to consider their futures. While many already have titles to inherit or positions promised to them after graduation, many are hopeful that the annual Future’s Fair will give them a chance to make connections and secure the launching point of their new career. Commanders of city watches and household guards have come to recruit promising students to their ranks. Famed military commanders such as Judith von Daphnel and Randolf von Bergliez have also come to impart some wise advice. Even a little networking can go a long way, so make sure to attend!

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the divided task board work?

This season’s mission is assigned to the Unaffiliated Muses. Therefore, tasks from the ‘Faculty and Staff Mission Task Board’ must be undertaken by someone that is affiliated with the Church of Seiros, the Knights of Seiros, the Underground Citizens, the Ashen Wolves, or Those Who Slither in the Dark. However, they may choose to perform the task with someone who is not from their group as well. In logistical terms, this means that if you play a non-Unaffiliated muse and want to do a mission task, you must ask someone who plays an Unaffiliated muse to thread with you. All thread participants will still receive any skill point rewards.

Tasks from the ‘Non-Mission Task Board’ have no house restriction and can be undertaken by anyone.

These aren’t the only threads I can do, right?

Of course not! These are just prompts to help give some ideas of possibilities. You’re always free and encouraged to make up your own threads.

If my muse is not an Unaffiliated muse, can I still write an open starter for the mission tasks?

Yes, but only the non-mission tasks. Your character must be Unaffiliated to write an open starter for this season’s mission.

How do I claim the skill points?

In order to qualify for the skill point, the thread must clearly allude to the listed task and preferably feature the task being completed. You do not need to message the masterlist to claim your skill point.

Can I only do one task?

Nope, you can do as many as you’d like with as many different partners as you’d like! You can do the same task with more than one person! However, you can only claim any skill points once.

What if my partner leaves or drops a skill point thread?

If the dropped thread has at least 2 reblogs and you have hit at least 400 words on your end, you may still claim the skill point.

Remember to use (and track!) the #toa open tag for any open threads, and you can also post a link to your open thread on the appropriate Discord channel! If you have any other questions or concerns, shoot us a message through the masterlist or on Discord!

[thiswillbereportedtomanagement]

The Highsnobiety Crowns are an annual awards series celebrating the very best in streetwear and street culture over the past 12 months. All shortlists are chosen by the in-house editorial staff at Highsnobiety, with the final result left up to you, the reader. Every voter will be automatically entered to win one of two prizes. This year’s grand prize is a $1,500 gift card with two runner-up gift cards valued at $500 each, courtesy of luxury shopping destination LUISAVIAROMA. Stay tuned for the final results on December 21 and see who won last year here. Sneaker culture is mainstream and there’s no way around it. Endorsements and collaborations from celebrities reached peak levels in 2017, and when Hollywood’s millennial elite like Bella Hadid and Justin Bieber are spotted at a local juice spot in the latest kicks, paparazzi photos circulate like wildfire. In some sense, seeing A-list musicians, actors (and celebrity offspring) embracing sneaker culture hugely validates what was once, for decades, a very niche interest, and in turn, we love wearing the same sneakers as celebrities. PUMA x The Weekend, Nike x Kendrick Lamar, Reebok x Gucci Mane; the list of brand x celebrity partnerships gets longer every day, but these collaborations remained a keystone in drawing many new, younger eyes toward the sneaker world. Future OGs. It’s still getting bigger and there’s no stopping it. It’s hard to pinpoint the genesis, but somehow, the tail end of normcore’s New Balance 990 obsession morphed into chunky, unconventional sneaker releases – largely championed by luxury brands – a prominent trend in 2017. Raf’s adidas Ozweego led the way, followed by the Balenciaga Triple S, YEEZY Wave Runner and many others. Knitted sneaker textiles also plateau’d as a must-have for any sneaker brand, and as a result, we saw more sock-sneakers than ever before in 2017. While Nike and adidas continued to push Flyknit and Primeknit respectively, nearly every other competitor brand trumpeted their similar solutions, from Reebok UltraKnit to PUMA EvoKNIT, as well as knitted sock-like fabrics from Dior and Balenciaga. While all that was going on, the roots of sneaker culture are still very much intact. A vast majority of the first-mover retailers, brands and characters are still in it, leading the way and being inclusive of a culture that started small, and has become so broad. At Highsnobiety, we’ve been closely surveying the sneaker world for 12 years, and with that, here are our picks for the top 30 sneakers that 2017 will be remembered for. Daniel Regan / adidas After a total of 16 YEEZY Boost releases, counting the “Pirate Black” restock and two infant-edition drops, Kanye West abruptly switched gears. Dredging up the Reebok-esque Powerphase low-top sneaker, West added subtle “Calabasas” typography in gold, but otherwise kept the ’80s-era aerobic silhouette unchanged. For fans of the 350 and 750, the Powerphase was altogether unexpected, but flew off shelves nonetheless, perhaps partly due to the fact that it was $100 more affordable than previous Boost-equipped YEEZY models, priced at $120. Kanye effectively took one of the most pedestrian sneaker silhouettes imaginable, branded with the name of a suburban California neighborhood that nobody had any reason to care about before 2017, and made it one of the most coveted sneakers of the year. George Ocampo / Highsnobiety.com Being brought into the fold as a Jordan collaborator is a career-changing moment, even if you already posses a largely unrivaled artistic acumen. Following up on his Air Max 90 and Air Force 1 collaborations way back in 2008, this year Brian Donnelly, better known by his graffiti tag KAWS, teamed up with the Air Jordan team to present a luxe take on the IV. While deep-rooted sneakerheads can easily recognize the importance of KAWS and Jordan joining forces to rework the IV, younger fans of the culture took the opportunity to brush up on their knowledge and get familiar with Donnelly’s considerable contributions (RIP OriginalFake) to streetwear over the years. The shoe featured a special mixture of materials, right down to the cage, which was crafted from premium suede instead of the silhouette’s traditional plastic accents. A glow-in-the-dark outsole and KAWS’ signature “XX” branding round out the characteristic makeup. For the remainder of the year, rumors of a subsequent, all-black family & friends model further fueled interest around the special Air Jordan IV. Eva Al Desnudo / Highsnobiety.com The Uptempo made its triumphant return in 2017, with three collaborative Supreme versions leading the charge in April. Affectionately dubbed the “Suptempos” (swapping out the Uptempo’s “AIR” typography for wraparound “SUPREME” text), the pack included black, red, and gold iterations that were seen on the feet of world class athletes Neymar Jr. and Odell Beckham Jr, a far cry from Supreme’s inner circle of seasoned skaters like Jason Dill and Mark Gonzales. Before 2017, the Uptempo may have been an overlooked silhouette as far as the general streetwear hive mind went, but many sneakerheads eagerly snapped up the general release versions that came in months to follow, in large part thanks to Supreme’s limited colorways. The Uptempo also spearheaded the general swell of nostalgia for ’90s sneakers that was big in 2017, coinciding with retro releases of more Nike basketball silhouettes of the era, like the Air Shake Ndestrukt and Air Pippen 1. Josh Sobel / Highsnobiety.com Although it wasn’t what you’d call widely accessible, the concept-proving Futurecraft 4D was a big first for adidas and the brand’s Futurecraft initiative. While there was a slight jargon smokescreen around the shoe’s revolutionary midsole, adidas explained the 4D as the world’s first performance shoe crafted with light and oxygen using Digital Light Synthesis, a technology pioneered by California-based firm Carbon, who partnered with adidas for the sneaker. Unpacking Carbon’s technology even further, Digital Light Synthesis is aiming to make injecting molding obsolete, by using light to manipulate liquid resins, opening doors for customizable mass manufacturing. The Futurecraft 4D is adidas’s first application of such a process, allowing the company to precisely address the needs of each athlete, in reference to movement, cushioning, stability, and comfort. Color-blocked, brand x brand collaborations surely aren’t going anywhere, but adidas’s partnership with Carbon is forever changing the way the world thinks about footwear, and shifting our expectations of what footwear can actually do for us. Bryan Luna / Highsnobiety Reprising their 2012 partnership, Nike and Tom Sachs teamed up to introduce a 2.0 version of the beloved Mars Yard Shoe. The original version was constructed using NASA-approved Vectran material (which is literally used in space on the Mars Excursion Rover) on the upper, and while the textile does boast considerable tensile strength and durability, over time the toe box on the 2012 version began to fatigue. Perhaps no one was in a better position to observe these unforeseen flaws than Sachs, who uses space and NASA as a repeating refrain in his work, and wore the shoe every day for years. But for 2017, Sachs and Nike instead opted for a breathable, polyester warp-knit tricot mesh, while subtle tweaks were also made to the shoe’s outsole tread and pull tabs. The shoe was initially released at Nike and Tom Sachs’ Space Camp, an obstacle course where the trophy was a pair of sneakers. The uncanny collaboration was not just a means to produce a shoe (albeit, a very special shoe), but an inspiring reminder of how ideas and experience can be manifested in a product. Patta While the inline variation of the Old Skool was cosigned in 2017 by everyone from A$AP Rocky to Kendall Jenner, Patta cooked up their own take on the classic low-top, arriving as the “Mean Eyed Cat” edition. Featuring overstated branding on the upper, midsole, and laces, the iconic Vans side stripe was offset by lateral “Patta” typography. Originally, a black colorway was released exclusively in Japan through BEAMS, with brown and white versions to follow, available through Patta in-store in Amsterdam and London, as well as online. The release flew slightly under the radar compared to certain other headline-grabbing drops, but streetwear mainstay Patta hit on a nearly perfect harmony of details and branding, elevating the classic Old Skool in just the right way. adidas Originals / Hender Scheme For years, the Hender Scheme atelier in Tokyo has been hand-making amazing homage shoes with vegetable-tanned leather, created as premium, 1:1 versions of classic silhouettes like the Vans Era and Nike Air Jordan IV. Bigger sportswear brands have been riding the veg-tan wave as well, after Hender’s creations started drawing eyes from all over the industry. But this year, adidas and Hender Scheme worked directly together (Hender Scheme’s first-ever collaboration) to create super-luxe versions of the Superstar, Micro Pacer and NMD sneakers. While the brands may seem to exist on different ends of the business spectrum, Hender Scheme founder Ryo Kashiwazaki noted to Highsnobiety that the collaboration opened his eyes to commonalities between both brands: “Although the two brands work on different scales of business, and the process is different, I feel that Hender Scheme and adidas have a lot in common.” Given the cult following around Hender Scheme and the massive popularity boom being enjoyed by adidas over the past two years, many were excited to see this project officially sanctioned in August. We wouldn’t be surprised to see part two of this collaboration arrive in 2018, possibly with some accessories in the mix. Bryan Luna / Highsnobiety.com Virgil Abloh’s “The Ten” collection with Nike was arguably the biggest sneaker release event of the year. After months of Instagram leaks and anticipation, the collection (minus the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star, which releases Spring 2018) finally landed at retailers in November, with the Jordan 1 in a “Chicago” colorway considered by many to be the highlight of the pack. The pack is seminal for a number of reasons, largely because it features a total of 10 reworked sneakers, technically including silhouettes from three brands: Nike, Converse and Jordan. Utilizing a deconstructed motif across the entire release, Virgil noted to Nike: “The Jordan 1 was done in one design session. I work in a very like dream-like state. I see it, and it’s done.” Abloh was given unprecedented permission to chop up the iconic silhouette, unstitching the shoe’s top and bottom lace eyelets, delicately pinning Nike’s iconic Swoosh onto the shoe’s upper, and irreverently placing “AIR” branding on the midsole. Asia Typek / Highsnobiety.com First spotted on the feet of Kanye West near his Calabasas office, the Wave Runner 700 was first shown in an official context during the YEEZY Season 5 show in New York. Rumored to be co-designed by former Reebok and New Balance designer Steven Smith, the Wave Runner 700 features a chunky, orthopedic look with brazen color blocking and adidas’s Boost technology hidden in the sole. In this fast-paced world of Amazon Prime and next-day delivery, sneakerheads apparently didn’t mind waiting months to get their paws on a pair, as YEEZY stans were left to pre-order the sneaker for $300 in mid-August, before it shipped in November. The importance of this shoe also boils down to Kanye West cosigning a major trend that we’ve already seen from adidas, as well as fashion brands like Balenciaga and Dior, indicating that we’ll probably be seeing chunky sneakers for seasons to come. Converse In July, Tyler officially confirmed his departure from longtime partner Vans, finally going public with his new Converse deal. The project brought to life his Golf le FLEUR* footwear concept, using the One Star silhouette as a canvas. Initially arriving in four color choices, the low-top featured Tyler’s signature flower motif, with GOLF le FLEUR* branding on the tongue and insole, overlaid floral panels on the upper, and a floral outsole. In an interview with Dazed, Tyler made it clear that he wants people to enjoy and wear his shoes, but not belabor the designs: “It was literally pick four colorways I want to do and that was it. It’s not as intricate and deep as people be making shit out to be.” While the 26-year-old was candid about his straightforward design process, this doesn’t detract from the instant appeal of the colorful low-tops. With this collaboration, Tyler once again reinstated himself as one of the most influential characters in both fashion and music, and although the sneakers launched just this year, you can be sure to expect more drops in 2018. Asia Typek / Highsnobiety.com It was impossible to miss the rise of obtuse and unconventional shoes this year, and even Balenciaga – the most talked-about high fashion brand of 2017 – joined the party with the Triple S. The eye-grabbing silhouette inevitably became the face of the chunky sneaker trend, taking the aesthetic and exaggerating it to meme-worthy levels. Designed by Demna Gvasalia for the brand’s FW17 show in Paris, the highly unconventional design features a triple-stacked sole and pre-distressed details, which were achieved meticulously by hand, before the shoes were thrown into a tumble dryer to be battered some more, according to several sources. To create the heavily padded, triple-soled design, molds were taken from running, basketball, and track shoes. Adding some context to the design, Balenciaga described the shoe as “real, heavy-duty, high fashion-spec footwear.” Despite the divisive design and lofty price tag ($795), the shoes became Instagram status symbols almost instantly. Bryan Luna / Highsnobiety.com COMME des GARÇONS once again flexed its penchant for the avant-garde alongside longtime collaborator Nike. Reimagining the classic basketball silhouette, the Dunk High was fitted with a transparent toe and side-panels. First shown on the runway in Paris, the design will instantly remind old heads of the ESPO x Nike Air Force 1 release from 2004, which also featured transparent window panels. According to Nike and legendary COMME des GARÇONS designer Rei Kawakubo, the Dunk’s design is a “humorous nod to Hans Christian Andersen’s account of an emperor’s vain misfortune — that he was tricked into buying and wearing ‘invisible clothing,’ thus exposing himself — the collection interprets the story’s underlying contradiction of invisibility as transparency,” which also parallels the contemporary social media culture of information overload and over-sharing. Salomon / Boris Bidjan Saberi Before the YEEZY Wave Runner 700 and Balenciaga Triple S, it was arguably the utility of hiking and trail footwear that opened up the chunky-fashion sneaker category. Salomon’s mountain-ready styles – which landed at taste-making boutiques like Italy’s Slam Jam and Berlin’s SOTO – surely led this pivot away from classically minimalist styles like the Stan Smith. Special makeups with Parisian retailer The Broken Arm and later a collaboration with 11 by Boris Bidjan Saberi helped thrust Salomon into the forefront of 2017’s wave of unconventional sneakers. Even taking the current fashion climate into consideration – where cross-genre collaborations are the great equalizer, and brands are working together between disparate categories – this is still a wonderfully bizarre collaboration, and one of our favorites from 2017. Stanley Chen / Highsnobiety.com In March, Nike announced its Breaking2 initiative, a project with the goal of helping runners to accomplish a marathon in under two hours. Kenyan long-distance runner Euklid Kipchoge eventually whittled the best recorded time to 2:00:25, wearing Nike’s maximalist Nike Vaporfly Elite shoe. Based on that design, the subsequent Zoom Vaporfly SP took that same performance innovation and made it accessible to the masses, with a series of strong colorways to nurture further interest in streetwear circles. Although the shoe is an extreme example of Nike’s pure performance technology and steadfast work with the world’s best athletes – even featuring a full-length carbon fiber plate in the sole unit – the shoe was still a nearly instant success with marathoners and sneakerheads alike. Aside from the original color scheme, later releases were limited to exclusive “Shanghai” and “NYC” editions. Norse Projects/adidas Consortium Their sneaker collaborations with New Balance may first come to mind, but Copenhagen’s hometown heroes Norse Projects aligned with adidas Consortium for a pack of two shoes, including the Terrex Agravic. Possibly one of the best winter options that still has the looks and feel of a sneaker, the Terrex Agravic featured a welded upper, reinforced with a GORE-TEX membrane, and finally a Boost sole unit. You’d be hard-pressed to think of another sneaker release that blends utility and aesthetic in such a strong way. Also, in case you had any reservations about the sneaker’s performance capabilities, Norse Projects co-founder Tobia Sloth made sure to field test the shoe on a glacier in Iceland. Asia Typek / Highsnobiety.com A confluence of specific trends in 2017 proved to be the ideal circumstances for the FILA Disruptor to reemerge as a street style banger in 2017. While other ’90s staples like Kappa and Champion also saw a resurgence in popularity, FILA managed to thrive over the last 12 months for many of the same reasons. A resurgence of vintage trends mixed with the prominence of chunky sneaker silhouettes thrust the Disruptor into the spotlight as a trending option that doesn’t carry the same hefty price tag as some of its high fashion counterparts like the Raf Simons x adidas Originals Ozweego. Despite being picked up by commercial retailers like ASOS, the Disruptor was still a difficult cop, especially in the classic all-white colorway. Eva Al Desnudo / Highsnobiety.com The shoe that essentially launched the chunky sneaker trend – the adidas Ozweego, redesigned by Raf Simons – remained on the tip of many tongues this year. Perhaps 2017’s biggest street style staple at fashion weeks around the world, the Ozweego was first met with skepticism and even mockery, then embraced with open arms by fashion’s upper echelon tastemakers. Considering how long minimalistic sneakers like the adidas Stan Smith and Common Projects Achilles were dominating sneaker tastes, it seems many were simply waiting for a shoe to tip the scales. For the “Bunny” colorway, industrial branding reading “FOLD GUSSET THIS SIDE ONLY” was added to the shoe’s obtuse shape, which also featured a more pared-back mixture of white and cream tones. However, the colorway is only a small factor of the Ozweego’s success story, as the sneaker has remained a mainstay for both fashionistas and sneakerheads for several years now. Cameron Oates / Highsnobiety.com Longtime collaborators COMME des GARÇONS and Nike kicked off the year with what remains one of 2017’s biggest sneaker collaborations. Optioned in two colorways, the laceless VaporMax iteration is a near perfect marriage of fashion and technology, arriving 30 years after the original Air Max 1 debuted visible air in 1987. The shoes debuted on the Parisian runway for Spring 2017, as part of Rei Kawakubo’s “invisible clothing” concept for the season. In fact, the COMME des GARÇONS version was released at retail before even the original “Pure Platinum” colorway became available. While the VaporMax silhouette would later be treated to strong collaborations and general releases, becoming one of the most noteworthy new silhouettes of 2017 by any measure, the COMME des GARÇONS version still easily stands out 12 months later. Asia Typek / Highsnobiety.com The Air Max 97 made a major comeback in 2017. The initial, Italian-edition re-release of the Nike Air Max 97 “Silver Bullet” in late 2016 set the scene for the 97 to become one of the biggest Nike stories of this year. Coinciding with the silhouette’s 20th anniversary, Nike released a range of premium versions of the 97, as well as collaborations with the likes of Skepta and Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Longtime player in the streetwear space Undefeated also imagined white and black colorways of the 97. The monochromatic designs were offset by green and red stripes, cleverly timed with 2017’s Gucci-mania heralded by newly enlisted creative director Alessandro Michele. Patent leather wraparound and subtle “Undefeated” lettering truly set the sneaker off. Nike Often, the slightly adversarial nature of sneaker culture splits people into camps, and rap phenomenon Travis Scott has always been team Nike. He’s consistently spotted touring in Jordans, and featured in a campaign for Nike’s Air VaporMax silhouette. It was only a matter of time until Scott and Nike worked together in a more direct sense, and following his relatively underwhelming Jordan Trunner LX collaboration, the Houston native tried his hand at the classic Nike Air Force 1. The immense team-up of Nike with one of hip-hop’s biggest personalities brought us an Air Force 1 with interchangeable Velcro Swooshes and a lace deubré fashioned after Scott’s signature grills. This release was a certain highlight of the “AF100” pack, which celebrated the Air Force 1’s 35th anniversary. Asia Typek / Highsnobiety.com The low-top, tennis-inspired Gucci Ace sneaker was one of the biggest Instagram flexes of 2017. The silhouette came in a spectrum of embroidered versions, with different botanical, emoji-like options to choose from, including bumblebees, lightning bolts, and Gucci snakes that were very much in line with Alessandro Michele’s overstated, nature-themed creative vision. Later in the year, the Ace was introduced in even more options, featuring badge appliqués across the laces. Extra patches were offered by Gucci for mixing and matching. While the landscape of high fashion footwear can sometimes be intimidating as an outsider looking in, the Ace was reassuring in its simple, timeless design, yet the wide variety of detail options left many prospective buyers feeling like they owned a product that was truly unique. Stussy Every new brand established in the streetwear space is essentially following a trail that was originally blazed by Stüssy and likeminded imprints. Since being founded, the brand has changed hands from the original owner Shawn Stussy, but has never sold out, remaining a leader in the space. A longtime collaborator with Nike, Converse, and occasionally Vans, September heralded the reprisal of Stüssy’s line of New Balance collaborations. A tonal, cream-colored 990 was the result of the project, reminding us that pomp and circumstance aren’t always the best ingredients in a collaboration. The sneaker appeals to today’s sensibilities, and also captivates those of us that have been around to see the best and worst sides of sneaker collaborations. The Stüssy x New Balance 990’s understated finish certainly appeals to the latter. 43einhalb For Air Max Day 2017, Nike brought back two original colorways of Tinker Hatfield’s Air Max 1, the very first sneaker to feature the advent of visible air. Featuring the same cut as the originator (Nike finally nailed the toe box, the shape of which was vastly improved upon versus previous retros), “University Red” was followed by a “University Blue” colorway, all packed in a vintage box with grey stripes and orange lid, faithfully calling back to vintage Nike packaging. These days, the term “OG” gets thrown around a lot, but it was refreshing to see a release that was truly deserving of the moniker. As the Air Max 1 will forever be synonymous with its original red-and-white colorway, this release certainly deserves a nod on our end-of-year list. sneakers.fr Working with Parley for the Oceans, adidas has been pushing ocean sustainability and recycling practices to the forefront of sneaker culture. The resulting Ultra Boost collaboration (and more Parley x adidas releases that followed) was a compelling marriage of hyped sneakers and eco-friendly manufacturing. The first actual product release came on World Oceans Day in 2016, while July 2017 ushered in perhaps the best iteration from the project, the “Ice Blue” Ultra Boost 3.0, which leveraged the Ultra Boost’s runaway popularity to give Parley a bigger platform. While resell prices didn’t reach triple-black NMD levels, and later releases like the Parley EQTs did sit on shelves, you have to applaud the fact that adidas is consciously using sneaker culture to bring awareness to a global problem that will surely affect younger generations. During a video interview with Highsnobiety, adidas Originals Senior Design Director Erman Aykurt probably put it best: “Helping us in spreading the message, when they’re flexing on Instagram, that’s the best thing that can happen to us.” Bryan Luna / Highsnobiety.com On the complete opposite end of the spectrum of Balenciaga’s obtuse Triple S sneaker, the Speed Trainer was a sleek, monochromatic knitted silhouette that started being delivered in early 2017, and has been consistently selling out all year. Available in three cuts – low, high, and extra-high – the lightweight, Italian-made sneaker was optioned in a range of pared-back colorways from burgundy to grey melange, complete with a rugged, geometric sole unit. Using its popularity on Instagram as a baseline, the Speed Trainer silhouette was truly the best embodiment of the sock-sneaker trend in 2017, at least in the high fashion world. What’s more, Balenciaga hit on a truly winning formula by having a sleek, knitted sneaker on deck, as well as a chunky, dad-core option in the form of the Triple S. Vans / Our Legacy Storytelling isn’t always prerequisite for strong design, but Our Legacy’s sneaker and apparel drop with Vans (the brand’s first-ever branded collaboration, aside from in-store exclusives for their Stockholm flagship) definitely excelled in both respective departments. Drawing inspiration from California hardcore punk culture, the pack included reworked versions of the Authentic, Half Cab, and Old Skool, featuring nylon details as well as a black-and-orange color scheme. Speaking with Highsnobiety, Our Legacy co-founder Jockum Hallin revealed that working with Vans was a major personal milestone, as he couldn’t even get his hands on the shoes when he was younger: “Vans wasn’t really available in Sweden when I was a kid, but all the bands that I admired, they all had the same shoes.” While there may be no immediate or obvious connection between Our Legacy’s signature, Swedish minimalism and Vans’s California skate heritage, the collaboration was certainly well-executed, as well as being a favorite of Highsnobiety‘s editorial staff. Asia Typek / Highsnobiety.com Far and away the most anticipated sneaker collaboration of the year, “The Ten” could quite easily have occupied 10 different spots on this list, save the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star, which as previously mentioned doesn’t arrive until Spring 2018. Similar to Virgil’s Jordan make-up, the Presto featured several undeniably strong design twists that helped elevate it above the rest. In an age when tons of (sometimes) lazily color-blocked collaborations are releasing each and every weekend, Virgil made a point of advancing the status quo by fundamentally altering each shoe in “The Ten.” The Presto’s upper was flipped inside-out to reveal hidden seams, a reflective Swoosh was added under the shoe’s plastic cage, and a decorative foam tongue was secured to the forefoot, resulting in a surefire contender for shoe of the year. Plus, Instagram teasing from Luka Sabbat and A$AP Nast (who was gifted a specially Sharpie’d “AWGE” pair), pushed the interest around these Prestos to peak levels, months before they even released. Asia Typek / Highsnobiety.com There was no shortage of Vans collaborations in 2017, from disruptive streetwear startup Anti Social Social Club to legendary haute couture designer Karl Lagerfeld, but one of the better examples came in the midst of summer from Alyx Studios. While the statement lighter cap detail was objectively a strong, original touch across a handful of Vans sneakers, the release’s true merit stems from the archival silhouettes picked out by Alyx founder Matthew Williams. Dredging up several styles that have been absent from the Vans catalog for some time, Style 29 was fitted with a chunky lug sole, while Style 36 featured toecap stitching that was faithful to the original Vans design worn by prisoners. The pack was strong in its entirety, but the best fit for core sneakerheads arguably was the parchment-colored Authentic which featured streetwear-friendly Alyx branding on the midsole. @Seanwotherspoon / Instagram The face of curated consignment shop Round Two, Sean Wotherspoon was the winner of 2017’s Nike Air Max Day “RevolutionAir” contest. Designed in collaboration with the likes of Ben Baller and A$AP Nast, his concept sneaker saddled the Air Max 97’s upper on an Air Max 1 sole unit, going even further to replace the 97’s rippling 3M panels with characteristic corduroy in a pastel color palette. Wotherspoon made sure to really finesse the details, also including Velcro patches on the tongue for mixing and matching, in addition to an infrared air bubble. Although the shoe was originally slated to drop on Air Max Day 2018, several limited release events were held before the end of the year at Union in Los Angeles and Need Supply in Richmond, Virginia, the latter of which was actually canceled when a mob showed up at the shop’s front door. Andrea D'Auria / Highsnobiety.com Aside from collaborations with Public School, John Elliot, and Travis Scott, Nike unleashed a grip of strong general release Air Force 1s in 2017. While it didn’t come with an official title, the affectionately nicknamed “Mini-Swoosh” (we see you Alexandra) pack included three colorways, each splashed with mini Nike Swooshes across the upper. The sneakers offered the look and feel of a personalized pair, but despite how they may have looked at a distance, these were no Sharpie customs. The Highsnobiety Crowns are an annual awards series celebrating the very best in streetwear and street culture over the past 12 months. See all of this year’s nominees here.

https://www.highsnobiety.com/2017/11/27/best-sneaker-2017/