#in my heart it's just a mother 3 rom hack

[eeveelynx3]

bionicle rpg that only exists in my head i love you dearly

[hellastico-blog]

Games as a means of sharing non-typical cultures

In terms of my experience as a gamer much of what games are today is a wide variety of choices, some shit, and some great. 

Beyond the realm of edutainment you get to a variety of genres which aren’t necessarily pick’em up, but do deal with some stereotypes. For one I’d like to complain about Life is Strange if only because as a time travel visual novel, its not really a ground breaking game nor is it frankly that good of a game.

When you get down to it a game is an immersive experience. From the text based MUDs to the open worlds sandboxes very much common today. Just like how museums aim for a complete sensory experience, Consider the following, how many gamers are familiar with Japanese mythology and culture through video games? Games like Ōkami are very steeped in this aspect where you are playing as one of the many gods. 

For instance we can see the Earthbound games and how its kitschy pop culture references depict how Japan views America. There are various cultural differences present in the series which when brought over had to be changed. It’s less obvious that one of the main character’s best friend (Tony) is in fact gay which makes it all the more striking he’s in the Britain analogue where only decades earlier being gay was a crime.  Mother 3 has a much more deeper story dealing with the corruption of utopia , themes of loss, modernization, family, brotherhood, gender roles, gender identity, and society as a whole. 

Like having time to write about how Mother 3 is such a good story and also a good game is not something I can truly say.  I can link one essay here and a panel here (some spoilers because Mother 3 is a game to be experienced. Enough Game Play walkthroughs exists to get a gist of it, but the level of details make playing it yourself.) Of course given that Mother 3 is a decade old at this point you need to find an emulator, a rom, and download the 

Of course barring the American indie scene you have rise of Eastern Europe. See the Witcher series by CD Projekt S.A which is very much a Polish game. For a more historical game we can see the upcoming Kingdom Come: Deliverance which is a historical game set in medieval Bohemia (now Czech Republic/Czechia). Here’s a summary of the game.

The year is 1403, the region Bohemia, located in the heart of Europe, rich in culture, silver and sprawling castles. The game is based on a true story – a story of kings, heirs, a kingdom, castle sieges and bloody battles.The King is dead and his eldest son Wenceslas IV becomes the new King of Bohemia.Wenceslas’s enraged half-brother Sigismund imprisons Wenceslas and invades the country with his mighty army. Unfortunately, in the midst of this chaos, your character Henry suffers. The mercenary army destroys your home and kills your family, you are the sole survivor of the bloodbath and it is here that your road to redemption starts. Enjoy the detailed reconstruction of the 15th century landscape. Use weapons that were used by knights. Take part in epic historical battles that happened in Middle Europe and in castle sieges!

What is incredible is how historically accurate it is from the locations (many of which are actually visible) to the combat (a traditional sword fighting style unlike the typical hack and slash of rpgs like Skyrim) to the historical background of medieval Europe (in which you need to be a monk to be any form of literate).

Ultimately ever since the mid 2000′s games have been protected as art by the Supreme court. There will be good games, bad games, educational games, mind numbingly dumb games, but ultimately enjoyment triumphs over all criticism. But then again, this is a person who sunk hours into Zoo Tycoon 2 and really wishes a Greek Revolution game is made. 

[harryandmeghan0-blog]

To Hate-Watch Or Not To Hate-Watch: A Discussion Of 'A Christmas Prince 2' - HuffPost

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To Hate-Watch Or Not To Hate-Watch: A Discussion Of 'A Christmas Prince 2' - HuffPost

Warning: Spoilers below!

Every good romantic comedy needs a sequel. How else will we find out about how that fluffy, swoony happy ending turned into a relentless morass of disappointment and misery? That’s entertainment!

So it was with immense excitement that audiences awaited the sequel to Netflix’s breakout 2017 holiday rom-com “A Christmas Prince,” titled “A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding.” American blogger Amber Moore (Rose McIver) would finally be tying the knot with budget Armie Hammer and Aldovian King Richard (Ben Lamb)!

But is “A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding” a frothy nuptial romp or a grim look at what comes after the whirlwind fairy-tale betrothal? Is it, as some viewers have suggested, an oddly timed cinematic attack on labor unions, a clumsy piece of pro-monarchy propaganda?

Claire and Emma, two “Christmas Prince” fans, talked through their complicated feelings about every second of this romantic comedy cum political procedural.

Emma: Claire! From one intrepid journalist to another, I can’t tell you how #blessed I feel to be talking about the instant holiday classic “A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding” with you. There’s a lot to dig into here. Cryptocurrency! Class tensions! Blogging! But let’s start with a general review. Did you … enjoy this sequel?

Claire: “Enjoyment” is such a simple metric to quantify my reaction to this movie. I felt a lot of emotions, such as irritation and confusion. I enjoyed tweeting my critiques. As a romantic, I felt no thrills when Amber and Richard were onscreen together, which saddened me. However, hate-watching is one of my favorite hobbies. In that sense, I did enjoy it. What about you? Was this the sequel you were hoping for?

Emma: As someone who both loves hate-watching terrible holiday rom-coms and has recently felt very bitter about love, who can even say what I was hoping for? I laughed several times, so that seemed like a plus ― though perhaps not during moments that the writers intended to be played for laughs. I also got a wry enjoyment out of watching a movie that so terribly portrays journalism writ large and specifically female journalists. (Although I did note that even in Amber’s fictional world, media seems to be falling apart. RIP, Beat Now magazine!)

You bring up an important point when you say you felt nary a flutter in your heart watching Richard and Amber’s chemistry. I was struck by how … un–in love they seemed to be with each other. They are supposed to be playing a couple that has just been through a yearlong long-distance engagement, and now they finally are in the same place and get to be married. And yet … they didn’t even make out until the very end of the movie??? Was this movie even a love story, or was it more like a story about saving an increasingly irrelevant and antiquated monarchy?

Claire: I think you already know the answer to that question. We see a montage of them romping through North America and Europe, holding hands and giggling like teenagers, but when they’re supposed to speak lines of dialogue to each other, they seem like distant acquaintances. Or maybe she’s his Uber driver?  

Netflix

The chemistry is undeniable!

She has arrived in Aldovia for the holiday season, which will apparently be spent feverishly planning a wedding for Christmas Day. (They’ve had all year to plan a royal wedding, and they’re just starting now, about three days in advance? Sure, fine.) Due to protocol ― keep an eye on protocol, it’s one of the central players in this drama! ― Amber has her own bridal suite instead of staying with her fiancé. But they also never, IDK, sneak off to make out? Have naughty assignations in the armory? Do these people feel visceral repugnance for each other’s bodies? It’s so bizarre.

When Amber arrives in Aldovia, we also see that her chemistry with Richard is not the only element from “A Christmas Prince” that has been downgraded in this sequel. We need to talk about Rudy. Emma, please explain what happened to Amber’s sweet diner-owning pops.

Emma: So this took me a beat after he was introduced ― I hadn’t watched the original since last year ― but I quickly realized that they had recast the father. I get it: It’s a Netflix holiday movie. Actors have conflicts. It happens. But more concerning than the fact that they made her father a totally different human ― something that the writers wink at the audience about when Richard’s little sister, Princess Emily, comments that “he looks different in person” (apparently it’s all about his shaved facial hair) ― is that this new Papa Rudy has a completely different personality from the old Papa Rudy.  

The new Rudy has zero sense of manners or decorum, constantly threatens to fight people when they do things like attempt to get a taxi from the airport, and decides that he is more qualified to cook for an official event than the (female) royal chef. This personality transformation is an inexplicable choice on the part of the writers. It added nothing to the plot and just made me even more aware that Rudy had been recast. All I could think was, “Oh, I guess her dad is a total asshole now. That’s weird.”

Another frustrating character that we desperately need to talk about is Sahil, the royal wedding planner who is flown in from India. Claire, please let the people know why we both were supremely peeved about Sahil’s portrayal.

Claire: Well, I’m not the expert here, but it’s pretty simple. He’s the only character of color with a significant speaking role, except for Amber’s friend who shows up halfway through and immediately starts trying to get with villainous dweeb Count Simon. Sahil is by turns obsequious and hysterical, as he caters to the grandiose vision of the queen mother and important secretary Mrs. Averill while ignoring poor, blond, innocent Amber, who doesn’t want his ridiculous high-fashion designs. He’s played by British actor Raj Bajaj, but he speaks in an exaggerated Indian accent. He’s a caricature and not a flattering one. His portrayal felt tone-deaf at best and, ironically, a reminder of how snowy white Aldovia is.

Though Sahil is in charge of the royal wedding, he actually spends most of the film off camera … because this movie isn’t about a wedding. It’s about Richard bumbling around like your grandmother with her spectacles pushed up on her head asking, “Now where have I put my spectacles?” ― but instead of his eyewear, it’s all of Aldovia’s money. Where did he put it? Why can’t he find it? Emma, what the ever-loving hell was the political plot of this movie?

Emma: Claire … The short answer is, I have no fucking clue. The longer answer is that I can list off some elements of the political plot, and they all add up to one excellent lesson: Monarchic rule is where it’s at.

1. All of Aldovia’s money is flowing mysteriously out of the country causing all of the working people to lose their jobs.

2. The biggest issue with said unemployment and the ensuing mass strikes is not, in fact, that Aldovian people are unemployed. Rather, the true tragedy of this loss of wage labor is that Emily might be denied her right to awkwardly flirt with one of her classmates in the upcoming Christmas pageant.

3. It will take Amber’s “journalistic instinct” that “something more” is going on with Aldovia’s bleeding economy to solve this economic crisis.

4. Also, hacking!

5. The answer to said economic crisis is ― dramatic pause ― CORRUPTION. But not the corruption of an antiquated government system in a nation that has a prime minister but for some reason gives its hapless king all power over its economic policy. The real corruption comes down to one powerful individual who no longer lives in Aldovia, the white-bearded Lord Leopold, who has created a shell corporation that is publicly registered under his name and is single-handedly draining all of Aldovia’s business profits.

This all seems very plausible and definitely has no holes, right? Shell corporations are bad, monarchies are good. The end.

Claire: I’m a monarchist now, thanks to this good, good propaganda movie. Let’s rewind this to the beginning: King Richard, having ascended to power thanks to an enormous acorn in the first movie, is trying to make his mark with a new agenda. That agenda is: modernization. Modernize Aldovia! This is supposed to be an investment in the country’s economy, but instead, the money is all going somewhere else, and the Aldovian businesses are all bleeding capital and laying off workers.

Where is the money going? Richard doesn’t know! He barely seems to care, to be honest. Much of the movie is just the king and his family and advisers standing around mutually affirming that modernization is very good for the economy in the long run and that unfortunately the workers just don’t see it. The plebs’ lack of foresight is ruining Christmas for the royal family; they’re sending mildly peeved holiday cards to the queen mother about their financial ruin, for example. Tween Princess Emily is meant to be starring in a Christmas pageant in which she’ll kiss a very cute boy. But then the theater workers go on strike. Those unbelievable assholes! Don’t they know the princess of the realm wants a smooch from her handsome subject? That is their job!

Amber, our little go-getter, brings her American no-nonsense approach to solving this little union problem: She orders the palace workers to be scabs. The pageant is held at the palace and staffed by palace employees. Strike busted! It’s honestly so heartwarming.

But Amber isn’t just a great anti-labor innovator; she’s also, as we know, a journalist. And being a reporter-slash-royal, she has all the tools to uncover what’s really going on. Emma, did Amber’s journalistic capers ring true to you?

Netflix

Amber does journalism!

Emma: Every good journalist knows that joining the royal family while reporting on the royal family and matters that intimately affect them is totally kosher. What are journalistic ethics, even? But seriously, all jokes about Amber’s completely egregious conflicts of interest aside, I want to talk about the way she does journalism.

To Amber, journalism isn’t so much a process as an instinct. She was born with that instinct, and she’ll have that instinct until she dies. That instinct is Amber. Amber is journalistic instinct. And that instinct leads her all over Aldovia, from the confines of the palace to the virtual Hall of Records to a dive bar where a bedraggled and beaten-down unemployed man is drowning his sorrows in beer. Oh, did I forget to mention that she found this source because he wrote a justifiably embittered holiday card to the royal family that they read aloud in their parlor as a fun Christmas activity?

Amber recruits her #journalism friends ― both of whom seem to exist solely to bolster Amber’s confidence in her journalistic skill rather than to do any reporting of their own despite the fact that they both worked at Beat Now mag with her ― to join her on her renegade reporting mission. They approach the man and give Amber, cleverly disguised with sunglasses in a dark bar at night, the in to talk to him. She asks him if he knows what the hell is going on with all of Aldovia’s money disappearing. And in a stroke of unbelievable luck, he does! This low-level worker not only names one of the three companies that seem to be behind all of the economic corruption, but he also tells her that the aforementioned company seems — what’s the word? — fishy. And being the investigative blogger that she is, Amber takes painstaking notes.

They read as follows:

– Meadowlark – Fishy

Netflix

Amber is very good at journalism!

Everything you need to write an explosive single-source story about high-level corruption in the Aldovian government! Naturally, our fair heroine does not write any pieces about this. Instead, she takes that info right to the king so he can save the day by announcing that corruption has been rooted out and everyone gets a Christmas bonus! One-time bonuses: the tried and true way to solve an entire nation’s labor issues. Long live King Richard!

Claire: Let’s not forget Princess Emily’s contribution: Staying up all night hacking into the Hall of Records database to find the incorporation documents for Meadowlark and the shell corporation. Why is this necessary? Wouldn’t these be public documents? Even if not, Amber is engaged to the king of the entire country ― is he not able to look at this?

The monarchy seems like a flawless system: He is completely in charge of the entire economy, but when it comes to questions like “Where is all our money?” he isn’t allowed to check or just doesn’t feel like checking in the most obvious possible places, like “Who owns all the companies that we’re giving huge government contracts to?” Amber, your man is useless.

But of course, Amber is also pretty much useless. Aside from her little corruption exposé ― which she uses to help a monarch consolidate political power ― her blog is not so much journalism as a platform for expressing her me-ness. After a year of engagement, she tells her readers at the start of the movie, she’s unaltered by proximity to royalty. She’s still … just her! Unlike Prince Harry, it seems, Richard did not have the hard conversation with his fiancée about shutting down her personal blog before joining the royal family. When she pisses off the protocol police by posting, er, a fun photo blog about the royals having humanizing holiday fun, the post is removed. “DID YOU CENSOR MY BLOG?” she asks. Yes, Amber, they did ― but finally Richard relents and lets her have it back.

At the end of the first movie, the idea that Amber could continue to be a hard-hitting journalist while being a queen seemed untenable. What’s weird is how the second movie keeps trying to make this work.

All this, and still there is a wedding ― planned in three days, only to be scrapped for something that Amber feels is just a little more “me.” Emma, what did you think of the fairy-tale wedding at the end?

Emma: So, one of the moments that I was truly on Amber’s side was when she objected to the heinous, fluffy cupcake dress that Sahil and Mrs. Averill wanted her to wear for the wedding. And yet ― even when presented with the chance to pick something new that would reflect her, with, one can assume, an essentially unlimited budget, Amber went with a dress that I found almost equally repellent. I think the first time we talked about this, you described it as the gown version of a white collared shirt that old women wear? And that summed up its aesthetic perfectly. 

Amber in her wedding dress! 

I’m sorry, but being a “normal girl” doesn’t mean having terrible taste. I know lots of normal women who got married in all kinds of traditional and nontraditional wedding outfits. And let me tell you, not a single one was as hideous as Amber’s get-up. It was ill-fitting, had lace stripes that served no purpose, aesthetic or otherwise, and was primarily made of a shiny fabric that showed every single wrinkle in excruciating detail. Whyyyyy, Amber? Why? Your coats are far better tailored than this blousy monstrosity!

Claire: If my mother-in-law wore this as a blouse to a summer dinner party (ideally in a linen-cotton blend), I would find it quite nice. The appeal just doesn’t translate to ballgown length. Not everything needs to be the same! That’s all.

This is perhaps supposed to convey that Amber is normal and not like the royals, but most of us boring heteronormative lady proles wear sweetheart necklines and heels for our weddings, so this didn’t exactly feel relatable. Nor did it feel like escapist, marshmallowy fairy-tale fun. So thanks for ruining royal weddings for me, Netflix.

This has been “Should You Watch It?” a weekly examination of movies and TV worth ― or not worth! ― your time.

RELATED COVERAGE

Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-christmas-prince-sequel-netflix_us_5c0aedb1e4b0ab8cf693490b

[formerpresenceandessence-blog]

when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

-  2 Tim 1:5 (NKJV)

As I read 2 Timothy again recently, the words 'genuine faith' or in other translations 'sincere faith' stood out for me. The original greek word for 'genuine' in this verse meant "unfeigned, without hypocrisy", and it meant so much for me in this season.

Faith - something that is a core in the Christian belief, yet sometimes we take it for granted, especially after knowing the Lord for awhile. Let us take some time today to rediscover what genuine faith in God is like.

1. Faith is an assurance

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

- Heb 11:1 (NIV)

Other translations may translate it to "substance", "reality" or "assurance", and they all point to one thing. Faith gives us confidence in what we believe in, it gives us something to stand upon; a set of evidence on its own.

As a former atheist, I used to mock this whole concept as this sounds like delusion to me. I used to proudly claim that I have no use nor anything as ridiculous as faith in my life. Yet, after coming to know the Lord, i discovered that everyone has a certain degree of faith in all aspects of their lives.

Take for example, before we even sit on a chair, we need assurance that it will not give way and fail us. But do we always use a substitute to test the chair thoroughly before sitting on it just because we are told it is a chair? We have faith in this chair that it will not fail us based on what we had known of it.

Take again for example, we breathe because we need to, but what gives us the confidence to breathe this air instead of trying to secure for ourselves oxygen masks? We don't at every moment in our lives hold a test to check out the condition of the air around us before taking a breath do we? We breathe because we need to, and because we have faith in the air around us. We build this basis of confidence, a kind of faith that the next breath we take will not kill us on the knowledge that the last breath did not kill us, and facts around us - both in time pass and the immediate reality seen in other living things.

Faith is not absurd a concept. It is something everyone has, and the explanation to why life can continue without us having to be robbed of a sense of security. If one indeed lives without faith in their lives, this person will get nothing done as he/she will be busy suspecting everything in the world. Faith is something that begins our walk with Jesus, and it is that which will bring us to the end while transforming us to be more like Him while we are still here on earth.

2. Faith is grounded in the Word

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.​

- James 2:14~17 (NKJV)

Faith without works is dead. There is a huge difference between knowing and living it out. The Word of God is given so that we can know our God and to know how we should live that we can experience the life God intends us to have; a life of true liberty and peace. So how should it come to life? What is the basis of a Christian's faith? It is in none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.​

​- Matt 7:24 (NIV)

Jesus taught us that whoever hears His words and put them into practice, it is likened to having built our lives on a firm foundation, a rock that stands the tests and trials to come. As mentioned earlier, we can have faith in anything and everything, but it is not necessarily beneficial nor 'right' (subjective, based on perspectives). We need to remember that as exciting and attention-catching the power of God can be, the only thing that does not pass away is the Word of God. The Word of God is equivalent in its eternal status as God - something that will not pass away. The Word of God is from God to teach us and to allow us to understand Him. We are made in His likeness and image, we are made to fellowship with and worship Him. All of us are made with a specific purpose in life.

It is therefore important that we always come back to the Word of God to know Him, and to let our faith rest and grow upon. Our faith should not be built on the power of God, not on the feelings we get when we come before Him, but on the Word of God that shows us the nature, the heart of our marvelous God.

3. Faith imputes to us righteousness

He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

- Rom 4:20~25 (NKJV)

No one can earn the grace of God, it is the unmerited favour from Him to us. but we receive our justification through faith in Jesus, that He indeed had suffered and died for our sins, that we can rise again like He did out of the grave.

for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.

- Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)

The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;

- Ps 34:19 (NIV)

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

​- Isa 64:6 (NIV)

There are many promises in the Bible that God gives to the righteous - and no one can be righteous by their own efforts. The only way we are made righteous is through faith in the resurrection of Jesus. Abraham received righteousness because he trusted in the promise of God to him. Today, we have the manifested promise of God - Jesus Christ who came to take away the sins of the world. We too, receive righteousness if we can trust in the manifested promise Himself.

4. Faith should be without hypocrisy

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

- Gal 6:7 (NIV)

Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God "will repay each person according to what they have done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

- Rom 2:2~7 (NIV)

​The Word of God is a mirror, something that allows us to conduct a self-check, a foundation and basis which we use to account to God our daily life. I like to think of it as a guidebook to life - it's basically like a hack in a game which allows you to have understanding of the gameplay and everything that is happening, thus giving you an advantage towards the ultimate end / goal. It is for us to discover God, and to help us be transformed and renewed to be more like Him. It should not be used as a tool for us to pass judgement on people. Sure, we are called to preach the gospel and share the warnings of God, but it is never to be used to elevate us above others. We are all sinners saved by grace through faith. None of us deserve salvation, but God gave Himself for us on His own accord to grant us salvation and redemption. Therefore, everyone must settle an account with Jesus Himself at the end of times. Judgement belongs to God.

Faith without hypocrisy will lead us to repentance, producing fruits of repentance.

Think with me. If you truly believe in something, will you not do things according to it? If you trust the manual that accompanies an electronic product you've purchased, do you not always go back to it for instructions and operate the product according to it? Likewise, true faith will always lead us back to God, and to the ways of God. Faith without hypocrisy... it is something that only God can judge, but we can work on it ourselves using the Word of God as our foundation and relying on God to help us with it.It is not something that we boast about. It is something that will eventually transform us to be more like  Christ. It is not fixed in time - it can only be seen in continuity, and i would even say, only at the end of time.

"Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You that You permit us to have faith in You. You are good. You give all of us opportunities to turn to You, and an abundance of signs all around us to point towards You. I pray that You help me work out my faith towards You, let it be without hypocrisy. Help me to follow You. This prayer I make today, it is the same as the one I have made when I first knew You. Help me to follow You. Help me grow my faith in You, that I may be transformed more each day to be like You, and to love You more every day. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen"

Let us continue building our faith in God with the Word of God. Faith enables us to trust God at every step of the way. It can grow or diminish if we are not careful, therefore, let us rely on God and not be proud. God exalts the humble, and He gives grace to those who trust Him and fear Him.

God bless!